How fortunate I am to be in Japan this autumn, my favorite time of year! The hills surrounding Toyama are resplendent with red Japanese maple and yellow ginkgo leaves, a brilliant reminder that the heavy heat and humidity of summer have packed up and moved south. The drop in temperature has been like a life-force to Peter and I, granting us the long-forgotten energy, of which summer had sapped us dry. Afternoon naps due to heat exhaustion have given way to ultimate Frisbee games in the park or yoga sessions in our apartment, cool breezes from the balcony wafting in. Instead of freezing chunks of ripe fruit for ice cold smoothies, I am now baking apple pies to accompany soba or chai tea. And at night, hugging a duvet cover closer is so much more enjoyable then kicking it off for fear of hyperventilation!

The fall harvest in Japan has exposed new, culinary delights. Persimmons, sweet potatoes, taro (still don’t know quite what to do with this one), Asian pears, crisp Fuji apples, and newly harvested rice! I am proud to say that Peter and I have finally found a balanced diet where East meets West, where we are able to throw together, for example, rice and natto (fermented soy beans) for breakfast, leftover home-made pizza for lunch and gyoza for dinner. Or, another example, pancakes for breakie, sushi for lunch and pumpkin stew with a baguette for dinner. It’s been fun discovering the methods of use for unknown market ingredients and simultaneously figuring out ways to create food reminiscent of home.

School has been going loads better since its commencement after summer break. I feel I am being utilized more both inside and outside the classroom. My lessons are more fluid now that I am more relaxed and have come to know the “mood” of each class. And with the Toyama prefecture English Speech Contest coming up in November, I have been working with a handful of students to perfect their speeches, grammatically and phonetically. Some of the vocabulary words are hum-dingers for these kids to master! Imagine being a Japanese middle school student and rolling “socially,” “physically,” “industrially,” and “beneficently” off your tongue! But I’ve been so impressed with their commitment to practice. Their accents are getting better and better as we approach contest day. You can often find me in the school’s ad-hoc recording room, making tapes of the students’ speeches so they can continue their practice sessions at home. It is always an odd feeling hearing your own voice bellowing so slowly and clearly from a stereo, as if explaining something very complicated to a small child. However, I have realized that, without condescending, speaking in this manner is the most efficient way to communicate… even with the Japanese teachers! I only fear that I will adopt this habit even after my time here and native, English speakers will wonder if I am recovering from a case of linguistic amnesia.

This year’s October weekends have been unforgettable thus far. A few weeks ago, Peter and I returned to visit our friends on their vineyard about an hour outside the city in the foothills. A sunny Sunday afternoon, the air smelled of burnt rice husks and over-ripe grapes. Within minutes of arriving, Mr. Yamafuji, owner and operator of the vineyard, pushed his co-owned helicopter out of a small shed on the edge of the property. I assumed he had maintenance work to attend to and thought nothing of it. That is until he waved me over. Again assuming that he simply felt like showing off the aircraft, I was more than surprised when he said I’d be flying in it! Within 10 minutes, we locked the doors, strapped on the security belts, hovered briefly above the ground and then zoomed off over the lush contours of land. The helicopter, very small and agile, buzzed over field after field of scorched earth, where only a week before rice stalks had hung low, bent by the weight of the rice grains. We flew over Takaoka’s Suiryuji temple, a beautiful square of green, black and white. The clear day presented views of the Sea of Japan, as well as the Japanese Alps. What perspective! Strange as it may seem, I thought to myself, “How random it is that I live in Toyama, Japan.” Japan is a small island in the Pacific, smaller than California, and Toyama is a spot on the map that someone picked for me. A cluster of mountains, rivers, farms and small cities positioned in a hamlet on the bay. If you picture someone curling their arm to accentuate their muscles; I live where the bicep ends before the crease of the elbow!” Though not quite as adventurous as a ‘copter ride, the afternoon proceeded with grape-eating, listening to this family (a.k.a. The Von Trapp family) play any musical instrument lying around the place and then eating a mountain of gyoza surrounded by rivers of salad, chestnut rice and vegetable soup.

The next weekend, we had the chance to visit Lindsay and Sune in their new apartment in Oshima ward, Niigata prefecture. They live in this adorable little community tucked among lush forests, farm stands and all the hot springs you can imagine! We spent the three-day weekend drinking tea, doing a big hike up Togakushi mountain in Nagano, eating soba noodles with tempura in the LAND OF SOBA, playing monopoly and eating Lindsay and Sune’s impeccable cuisine! They recently bought this incredibly-logical kotatsu table. Imagine sitting on the floor with your legs resting under a low table. The belly of the table contains a heater and under the table top is a blanket that cascades out on all sides, covering your legs from the waist down. Now imagine that you live in a country where no one uses central heating during the winter and this is the primary way to keep warm when not sleeping. Ok, so you’re now in Japan. And Peter and I are about to freeze our buns off this winter if we don’t find a kotatsu on sale!

This past weekend was time to celebrate Peter’s 24th Birthday! On Friday, after school, we packed light bags and drove to Kanazawa with Dave and Yui. (If you don’t already know, Dave is a friend from college and Yui is his adorable girlfriend with whom we’ve grown close.) Yui works for a hotel in Toyama and was able to get us this incredible deal for one night’s stay at a swanky hotel next to the train station. So after sitting goggle-eyed in our luxurious rooms for a while, we headed to this cozy Spanish restaurant called Casa de Live. Glasses full of rich-purple Sangria chinked along with flamenco rhythms. We ordered paella, tortilla de gambas, home-made bread with anchovy butter and Peter indulged in steak. It turned out to be the chef’s birthday, as well, who came to sit down with us for a picture and a quick “kampai!” It was a stimulating environment with all the food, laughter, Spanish ambience, Japanese wafting from the kitchen and the satisfaction of having made it here after a very busy week at school. The next day was spent wandering the city; from temples to shopping, from gardens to meeting an adorable Persian cat named Tom. J In the evening, Dave and Yui headed back to Toyama while Peter and I changed our clothes into something more elegant in anticipation for our special dinner with a geisha.

A teacher at my school told me about Ryokan Matsumoto (ryokan = traditional Japanese inn) in Kanazawa that hosts elaborate dinners including geisha performances. Normally, these dinner parties are horrendously expensive but the Kanazawa ryokan association is trying to offer this unique opportunity to foreigners while also gaining insight into how to better serve the tourist population. This is an important endeavor for a city that attracts millions of tourists each year for it’s historical chaya district (tea district), modern museum of art, one of the top three gardens in Japan, shopping, food, markets, etc. In addition, witnessing an authentic geisha performance is quite a unique experience, rarely viewed by foreigners. Long story short, my teacher hooked me up royally.

The ryokan employees welcomed us with open arms at 6 p.m. on Saturday night. As thunder clouds rolled in over head, the tatami mat room in which we were seated came to life with chatter, laughter, glasses clinking and pots boiling. We were served a seafood nabe (like a chowder but a vegetable broth instead of cream) loaded with everything you can imagine from Kanazawa’s local waters! The only undesirable item was the cold squid in a “special” sauce, which I think included the said animal’s own ink but I just put the cover back on the small dish and that was that! Everything else was delicious. At one point, one of the geishas came over to our table to pour Peter and I sake. Her name was Aki (Autumn), it was her birthday the next day and she was delightful company. Despite a strong language barrier, the conversation was fluid and cheery. She was one of the most charismatic people I’ve ever met. Peter and I talked afterwards about how although we know that geishas are trained to do just that—socialize and flatter, jest and even flirt—Aki seemed unbelievably natural and sincere. She played her role well! After dinner was served, the lights dimmed and the thunder outside began to roar. One geisha began playing the shamisen while the head woman of the ryokan sat beside her and sang. Aki, kneeling on the ground with her forehead towards the floor, began to rise and opened her paper fan with one flick of the wrist. She moved with such composure and grace. Her head and neck remained stoically upright, at times rotating ever so slightly to emphasize a note of the shamisen. She made eye contact with everyone in the room and held her mouth in a straight line with just the hint of a smile. Her elaborate hair (a wig since the real procedure destroys your hair) curved dramatically on all sides, and shimmered like lacquer in the dim spot light. She was wearing a 12-layered susohiki kimono (particularly long as to trail along the floor), which had been hand-painted. After several dancers and a boisterous speech by the inn keeper, it was time to try our hand at Taiko (Japanese drumming). Peter was instantly chosen to play with the geisha, in light of his birthday. Blushing and smiling nervously, he made his way to the stage to try his hand at the drums. His rhythm was dead on, though he couldn’t wipe the nervousness from his face, which the crown seemed to adore as they clapped enthusiastically. We caught the 9:45 train back to Toyama and walked back to our apartment in the drizzling rain with beautiful images of the weekend dancing in our heads.

Thank you for reading all of this. I have been a poor blogger since July, though, as this was so fun to write and relive, I will hopefully be writing more often this fall and winter… at least monthly!