June 2010 HYOGO TIMES HYOGO Kimono 101 Dating the Yakuza HTHong Kong Ramen HYOGO TIMES CONTENTS MESSAGE FROm THE EDITORS June 2010 MESSAGES Week. Need some new digs and lesson plans? Go tra- from the Editors ............... .3 Dear faithful Hyogo Times fans, ditional and work the kimono as suggested by Raena and try out a new activity provided by Matt. You HT Online ...................... .4 should wear a kimono while teaching! It’s already summer! I hope from the PR .................... .5 you are enjoying every minute We also reminisce about the awesome events we have of 2010. For those not-so-won- organized and participated in like the Hyogo PEPY derful moments please read ride, the Tigers game, and the Kobe festival. Be sure REGULAR FEATURES and enjoy this issue. I am sure to check out the amazing photography by Jaclyn and it will cheer you up! Awaji Dispatch ................ 6 Noelle. Book Discoveries ............... .7 For a good chuckle read Paul’s Please enjoy all we have to offer and if you have great riddle. Feeling bored? Love and Relationships ......... .8 anything to offer us our Hyogo Times hands are wide Pick up a new book and/or movie recommended by open. Japanese Riddle of the Month .. 9 JJ and Caitlin. Need a new adventure? Try Lauren’s travel tips for Tokyo or be lured to Awaji by Jonathan Ever genki, Maigo in Hyogo ................ 9 with his love for pinsuyaki. For those who seek adven- Culture: Kimono 101 ........... .10 ture in love, Rika has the scoop on dating the Yakuza. 14 Photography .................. 12 Are your taste buds craving and not raving? Be a pal Epi to your buds, try Travis’ delectable dishes or noodle Travel Japan .................. 14 through Hong Kong like Andrew did this past Golden Getting to know Random JETs . 24 I Heart T-Points ............... 26 Dear Hyogo, Then, last week, classes were cancelled for ‘too much Ramentary ................... 28 rain.’ As much as I enjoy gazing upon the overfilled Recipe: Madeleines ............ 29 I’m not obsessed with the weather, really, I’m not. rivers, the verdant green of the well-fed mountain- It’s just that I live in what amounts to a very sturdy side foliage, and free time at my desk without inter- English Sensei Spirit .......... 30 tent, and I have to walk to and wait on buses, and the net, I’m not sure how to feel about this impending weather gets into my life. Also, I am turning Japanese, rainy season. and must open any correspondence with my reflec- FEATURES tion on the current season. I hope you are without roof leaks or window issues. 40th Kobe Matsuri ............ .16 But outside of that, I find myself wondering what “It’s hot, isn’t it!” said the checkout lady at JUSCO as I there is to do. My best guess is to reach for a good Inside JET ..................... .18 counted my coins. A week ago, everyone was saying book (see page 9 ) or rent a few good movies (page 27), “It’s cold!” I missed out on the “It’s pleasantly cool, or just kick back and read the Times. On those rare A Perfect Day for PEPY ......... 20 don’t you think?” and the “It’s getting warm at last!” days of sunshine, be sure to get your doses of both 18 “Yeah, it feels like summer,” I stated, which was true. exploration/travel and vitamin D. Focus on This Play, This Moment .. .22 She agreed, then took it back. Far as I can see, it’s already begun. But that’s enabled HYOGO TIMES STAFF “No.. first comes the rain. Then it will be summer.” me to spend some time chilling out at home or in my Editors: Esperanza Urbaez All JETs in Hyogo are The rain? work desk, just editing articles, happy as a little snail and Emily Lemmon encouraged to send in munching on someone’s garden plants. Design Editor: articles, musings, poetry, I have been told that Japan has four seasons (no, re- Jaclyn Threadgill prose and any ideas to ally). Others have said five. “The month of June has a Speaking of which… If anyone knows a way to deter Cover: Esperanza Urbaez improve the Hyogo Times lot of rain,” my VP told me (in English). “I don’t like it those little buggers, please write in and let me know. for the betterment of the Contributors: because the floors get all wet and dirty.” I am overcome with murderous rage and the desire Jonathan Cooper, Caitlin Orr, Hyogo JET community. to CRUSH SNAIL every time I peel one off my pathetic Rika Sawatsky, Paul Schuble, My first thoughts when three straight days of rain little garden. Murderous rage can’t be a healthy thing Raena Mina, Noelle Hollister, Submit by the 15th of each to feel so frequently, even (especially?) in a month full month to: publications@ last August had my VP calling my house and telling Lauren McRae, Anipare, Shellie me to stay home from some of my first days of work of rain and short on national holidays. がまんしよう！ Bee, Emma Nicoletti, Ryan Parker, hyogo.ajet.net were, isn’t there a whole rainy season? How does three Len Krygsman IV, Eric Lord, Lydia days of rain wreak this much havoc? Assuredly, Eberly, Alvin Q.T. Tran, Travis Love, http://hyogoajet.net/ J J Cappa, Andrew Tamashiro, wiki/Hyogo_Times Matthew Stott, Alvin Tran Lemmon 16 We’re also on Facebook! 2 • Hyogo Times • June 2010 3 HT ONLINE MESSAGE FROm THE PR nese people, or other foreign Sarah is playing with Nara. Hi. types around here. Will you You can/ should go as a specta- email us? If you want to, please tor), and on the same July 4th Goran gave me and Sarah be able to send a link, easy as email us, participate freely. weekend there is this beach Lewis a nice welcome to the Letter from the that. Blogs will be able to link party in Tottori that people PR seat last month, but I’d like to or feature our content, and For one thing, we’d like to hear keep saying they are going to Online Editor to note that since then David search engines will pick up our any thoughts you have on im- never do again and maybe they Nam has been added to our ey everyone, I’m Jonathan articles for all to find. Beyond proving the mid-year seminar. never will do it again, or maybe group to complete the Hyogo Shalfi, and I’m the new this, there are a lot of practi- We have some time to prepare they’ll do it next year! Anyway H AJET PR trifecta. Applause, ap- Online Editor for the Hyogo calities which may not be so and present our thoughts in ad- I want to go. plause. Showering applause. Times! As Online Editor I will apparent. The Hyogo Times is vance this year. We’re discuss- be in charge of everything that a great resource in its teaching ing polls, questionnaires and But after that, we’re hosting And, Eric Lord has been given has to do with the web - web- advice, travel columns, recipes, whatever to distribute between our first event ourselves as the title of events coordinator. sites, postings, PDFs, and some etc, so by having all our back is- of, a single place to catch up on us now, but really any input AJET PR people…July 18th, at assorted small stuff. I’d like to sues indexed on a website it’ll what’s going on in other areas, you have is very much valued. Suma Beach, we want to have And, Sarah or Len is the trea- tell you a little about what I’m be easy to find useful informa- and to read articles written by If you have anything to say I re- our own beach party. Please surer, I think. working on and some of the tion. Let’s say you’re looking for JETs all over Japan. The site is ally am interested in hearing it come with us and have fun. changes going on with Hyogo a place to travel to or an idea in its infancy now, and neither so email us or contact us in any There is a Facebook page. Some things seem like they Times and National AJET. for ESS - all you’ll have to do is the name of it nor its format other way with any comments Weren’t you invited? You were don’t really have a concrete click the appropriate category have been decided upon. I’ll or ideas that you have. I just invited. Please buy Sarah a form in the AJET world and Right now, Hyogo Times exists to get a list of the articles you keep you posted. want to put that out there now. watermelon. have yet to be decided or as a PDF file emailed to mem- want. Or do a search. I’ve only whatever. But we would like bers of a group list each month. just started working on the site The new Hyogo Times and Anyway, soon July will be here, Peace out. to, I think, get some more What this means is that few so there’s not much to see now, National AJET sites are still a and there are some pretty involvement and stuff going, people outside the Hyogo JET but I’ll give you an update in while away, but in the mean- cool things I am just going to create a billion positions, and Andrew community are reading it, and next month’s issue.