by Ben Mirin, CIR
Continue reading “Japanese Convenience Stores (Live Stream)”
Learning to Cook Japanese Food: Shabu-shabu (Part 2)
by Ben Mirin, CIR
There are countless recipes for Shabu-shabu from throughout Japan. Like Sukiyaki, Oden, and other iconic Nabemono dishes, it is so popular that many prefectures proudly offer their own variations. I have yet to learn of a specific Shabu-shabu recipe from Nanae’s Kameda Prefecture, so this one is taken from Hiroko Urakami’s cookbook, “Japanese Family-Style Recipes.”
Continue reading “Learning to Cook Japanese Food: Shabu-shabu (Part 2)”
Learning to Cook Japanese Food: Shabu-shabu
by Ben Mirin, CIR
Part 1: Visiting the local grocery store. Part 2 is coming soon!
Continue reading “Learning to Cook Japanese Food: Shabu-shabu”
Snow Outside the Nanae Town Office (Yakuba)
By Ben Mirin, CIR
Continue reading “Snow Outside the Nanae Town Office (Yakuba)”
10 Things I Didn’t Think I Would Need in Nanae, Japan (Part 3)
By Ben Mirin, CIR
3. Photographs of my family and of Concord, MA
Recently, I prepared a PowerPoint presentation about myself for all of the English classes I will start teaching in the coming months. The presentation is framed almost entirely around the most common questions I’ve received from locals during my first week in Nanae. They are, in no particular order:
- Who is in your family? How old are they and what are their names?
- Where does your last name come from? (I half-expected this question because of my name’s convenient overlap with a popular Japanese cooking wine, but in reality, it has more to do with my distinct position as a foreigner in Nanae.)
- Do you have friends back home? What are they like?
- What are your hobbies?
- What is your favorite food? (Best to pick a Japanese dish, and doing so isn’t hard. Japanese food is generally delicious.)
- Where have you traveled?
- Where did you go to university? What did you study?
- What is your favorite color?
- Have you ever studied Japanese? (This one’s easy: Hai demo sukosidakedesu. Mada jozuja arimasenn.)
Obviously the content of my slides will change somewhat depending on my audience, but the basic idea will be the same. These are some sample slides from my first presentation at Nanae High School:
CIR Presentation Continue reading “10 Things I Didn’t Think I Would Need in Nanae, Japan (Part 3)”
Christmas in Hakodate
By Ben Mirin, CIR
Happy Holidays from ConcordNanae.org!
The following video showcases one of the many performances at the center of Hakodate Christmas Fantasy, a holiday festival that draws crowds from around Hokkaido for a full month of public events and spectacles. The stage shown here is set in front of the city’s tremendous Christmas tree, which was transplanted from Hakodate’s Canadian sister city, Halifax.
After braving whipping winter winds to watch these performances, I would recommend that any visitor to Hakodate Christmas Fantasy head straight for the nearest Ramen shop. These restaurants will likely be less crowded than places like the Hakodate Beer Hall, where I chose to eat my meal. The food (and beer) was delicious, but if you’re not content waiting up to 1 hour for your table then roadside Ramen is the way to go (most places will have some form of indoor seating, whether in the shop or in a retrofitted truck trailer).
Skiing in Niseko
By Ben Mirin, CIR
Call me spoiled, but I recently tried skiing for the first time in Niseko, Hokkaido, one of the world’s premier skiing destinations. Residents throughout Japan migrate to this spot every winter to take advantage of the incredible snow, and perhaps to mingle with the plethora of foreign tourists that congregate there almost year round.
Learning to Drive in Nanae
By Ben Mirin, CIR
There is no test to obtain an international driver’s license for Japan…but there should be.
The Nanae Town government generously provides a personal car for its Coordinator of International Relations. The privilege of driving it, however, must be earned through several driving lessons on Japanese roads. For a CIR who arrives during the winter, these are especially pragmatic. Nanae’s snowplows are in short supply, and the few that patrol the town don’t disperse salt or other compounds (I’m told it’s for environmental reasons) to help melt the snow that accumulates almost every day.
I have driven in snow; after all, I’m from New England. Outside of this, my experience on American roads would prove more of a hindrance than an asset. Nevertheless, I approached my car with confidence and optimism. Japan is incredibly dynamic, and there are always opportunities for both foreigners and natives to try new things. With two weeks since my initiation as CIR, I was already well trained in embracing such chances with a positive attitude.
Seeing the car for the first time, I also remembered how Japan is a place of enduring traditions. The one I was to inherit that day was 13 years old, a Suzuki Cultus Crescent that had been passed down among all the CIRs since the job’s inception. From a leftover collection of Whitney’s mix CDs to a collection of scratches from Bobby’s bicycle, it was full of stories. Looking around, I was also glad to see seat belts in the back seat. Japan doesn’t require passengers in the back to wear them, but this is one Japanese practice I don’t expect I will adopt or permit.
Having withstood the trials of 5 different American drivers before me, this time-tested vehicle seemed worthy of my trust…but was I worthy of its keys?
How to Use a Japanese ATM
By Ben Mirin, CIR
Every Japanese bank operates its ATMs on a specific schedule. Located in the Nanae Yakuba (town office), this Hakodate Shinyou Kinko ATM closes at 6pm every day, and imposes a surcharge for withdrawals during the weekend. Despite the occasional inconvenience these schedules might cause, Japanese ATMs are excellent tools for managing finances.
(Special thanks goes to Emi Kimura for her invaluable assistance in making this video. An apology is also due for my ridiculous sunglasses.)
10 Things I Didn’t Think I Would Need in Nanae, Japan (Part 2)
By Ben Mirin, CIR
2. A fly rod
I did not expect to see salmon jumping in the Europe River at this time of year.
A week ago, I was awake at a time I only reserve for two activities: bird watching and fishing. The former was on my agenda, and I had leapt out of bed after a long night of karaoke to meet my friend Tanaka-san for an expedition to find White-tailed and Stellar’s Sea Eagles near Yakumo, a coastal town roughly 1 hour from Nanae by car.
Together with Tanaka-san’s daughter, Miu, we spent the morning cramped in the car, driving among different lookout points that Tanaka-san had memorized. At each stop, we lowered our windows and peered through the freezing rain to scan treetops and shorelines for birds. The name Yakumo has a meaning: 1 week and 8 days of rain. I wondered what could attract eagles to such a place.
The answer became clear when the rain let up. Stepping outside momentarily, I walked to the edge of a nearby bridge and looked out over the river. Hundreds of spawning salmon were tailing and splashing all along the shore.
Almost on cue, eagles began to cry in the cold morning air. Looking up I saw dozens of them circling over the water in search of the fish. Dozens more were clearly visible in clouds of black and white plumage that peppered the surrounding hillsides. I had never seen so many of these huge raptors in one place.
Continue reading “10 Things I Didn’t Think I Would Need in Nanae, Japan (Part 2)”