The latest Journal Entries from jleu at Footstops.com en-us Sat, 15 Nov 2008 01:09:42 -0800 Copyright 2009, Bryan Rite @ Footstops.com Sat, 15 Nov 2008 01:09:42 -0800 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 240 http://www.footstops.com/jleu/ <p>This year was unable to attend all three days of events but did get to Iku Shrine on the Sunday. </p><p>The whole adventure (as small as it was) and video can be found at </p><p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr6... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/6223/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/6223/ Sat, 25 Oct 2008 06:26:21 -0700 I realized that I have not posted a lot of information about Niihama. Here are photos from around town.  ... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/5920/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/5920/ Mon, 01 Sep 2008 23:57:14 -0700 A good friend Key invited me and Nor to the Jichinsai celebration on the land that her new house will be built on this year.  The history of Jihinsai is from the Shinto practice of asking permission of the local kami (god) to build and ... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/5859/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/5859/ Fri, 29 Aug 2008 19:49:40 -0700 This was a summer festival held at one of the rivers. They started around 7pm (I was in class) and continued until 9:30 at night. I happily finished class at 7:45 and ran over to get a look. Didn't make it to the bridge but found a spot near ... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/5710/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/5710/ Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:41:45 -0700 It would hard to be find one particular highlight from today's adventures. Another market was set up along Sun road but unlike the garage sale from a few months back this one was larger and had some pretty neat tables.  Puffed Rice... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/4677/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/4677/ Mon, 05 May 2008 05:35:08 -0700 As some may remember, last October I wrote about the Taiko Festival (also known as the men's festival) in Niihama Japan. Large gold, fabric and wood Taikos (note: Taiko actually means drum in Japanese but can be used to refer to these large s... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/4667/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/4667/ Sat, 03 May 2008 05:41:11 -0700 The spring Cherry Blossoms are such a treat to see along the streets and in the parks of Niihama. ... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/5922/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/5922/ Sat, 05 Apr 2008 00:57:29 -0700 Words of the day: 一 1 ichi 二 2 - ni 三 3 - san 四 4 - yon 五 5 - go Snow in the Mountains The da... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/3481/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/3481/ Sun, 27 Jan 2008 18:15:22 -0800 <img class="onlineVideo ovYT" alt="L493rRQWIns" src="/images/spacer.gif" width="200" height="145" />... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/6156/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/6156/ Sun, 02 Nov 2008 07:43:54 -0800 ... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/5923/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/5923/ Fri, 11 Apr 2008 01:06:04 -0700 I met mom and dad at the airport on April 4th in the afternoon. Was so nice to be back together again. We got the chance to spend the evening and part of the next day together before I had to return to Niihama. ... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/5921/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/5921/ Fri, 04 Apr 2008 00:23:07 -0700 It was one of those must do at least once when in Japan things that I never got around to doing until today. Mi and I had organized getting together for dinner and she had found some fresh sparkling sake to go with the meal. Sadly the food was not... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/6041/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/6041/ Sat, 26 Jul 2008 22:59:18 -0700 This is one of my favorite Japanese meals... though it is pretty heavy. It is often called the `Japanese pancake` or `Japanese pizza`. Though it doesn't resemble either of those. Instead it is a batter with cabbage, vegetables and meat or sea... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/5924/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/5924/ Sun, 13 Apr 2008 01:23:09 -0700 ... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/4087/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/4087/ Sun, 23 Mar 2008 23:48:51 -0700 Takoyaki is a festive dish found at community events and restaurants.  It uses the basic flour and cabbage batter from okinomiyaki but has octopus in the centre. The special takoyaki maker has little scoops in it in which the matter is ... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/5919/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/5919/ Sun, 02 Mar 2008 23:41:51 -0800 Mi and Sa came over and introduced me to a wonderful winter meal called nabe. Using a cooking device that is similar to a slow cooker (but heats up faster and cooks in less time) various vegetables, fish and meat are added to the device with broth... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/5918/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/5918/ Mon, 11 Feb 2008 23:46:58 -0800 This is a good example of a typical meal here. They are not all the same.... the main dishes change and the side dish vary on seasons but it is normal to have a main dish of protein, dish of rice and then a number of cute side dishes that include ... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/6044/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/6044/ Fri, 03 Aug 2007 23:19:12 -0700 I have only visited Imabari once before on the last night of traveling during Obon. That night I had the chance to see the train station for an hour as we headed back to Niihama. Then, a few days later Mi called me with the great idea of going to ... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/5966/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/5966/ Sun, 31 Aug 2008 17:52:44 -0700 Word of the day: gokuraku gokuraku ごくらく　ごくらく (usedat Onsen to say the experience is like heaven.)This isn't exactly related to the events today ... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/3406/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/3406/ Sat, 19 Jan 2008 18:14:48 -0800 Word of the Day: Onsen 温泉 (Hot spring that is used as a bath house) Scentence of the day: Onsen wa i desu (The hot spring is good. [Onsen wa good is] (Alright that scentence is a little pathetic but... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/3311/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/3311/ Fri, 04 Jan 2008 18:13:59 -0800 We left this morning around 10ish to head to Tokushima (via Takamatsu) however just after the train should have gone to the right we realized that it was entering the bridge to the main island. So, we quickly jumped off at Kojima and caught a trai... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/5815/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/5815/ Sun, 24 Aug 2008 05:16:51 -0700 There is a pretty long story about how this whole trip came about.  Back last month 'Fo' mentioned that there was going to be an Okinawa trip for about $300 on the week-end of Aug 16th. So, I was all good to go. Then two weeks... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/5711/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/5711/ Sun, 10 Aug 2008 06:31:37 -0700 Word of the Day:  ka  (Actually not a word but a grammatical syllable which indicates a question.) Scentence of the Day:  Tofu wa oishii desu ka   (Is the tofu good?  [Tofu wa delicious is ? ] Return to... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/3277/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/3277/ Wed, 02 Jan 2008 18:11:18 -0800 Word of the day: ie (house) Scentence of the day: ie ha okii desu (The house is big [house ha big is]) (Alright, this word doesn't have much to do with the events of the day but was a random word Mi taught me during ou... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/3260/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/3260/ Tue, 01 Jan 2008 18:10:26 -0800 Word of the Day: Oishii おいしい (Delicious) Scentence of the Day: Udon wa oishii des ka? (Is the udon good? [udon wa delicious is ] ) Kennin- ji 建仁寺 (Zen Temple) in Higashiy... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/3254/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/3254/ Mon, 31 Dec 2007 18:09:59 -0800 Niihongo Word of the day: tsumetai 冷たい (cold - to the touch) Niihongo Scentence: Yuki wa tsumetai desu (The snow is cold {snow wa cold is} ) Kyoto-fu 京都市, How do I begin to desc... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/3221/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/3221/ Mon, 31 Dec 2007 18:09:25 -0800 Niihongo Word of the Day: Samui さむい (cold temperature) Niihongo Scentence of the Day: Watashi wa samui desu ("I am cold" {I wa cold is}) First Snow of the Season ... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/3220/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/3220/ Mon, 31 Dec 2007 18:08:54 -0800 Alright, this isn't exactly a Japan article but I realized that no one back home knows all that much about where I am working.  I have been with Language House Inc. since November of 2007. There are presently six teachers in the of... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/4108/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/4108/ Tue, 25 Mar 2008 18:28:20 -0700 I kept forgetting to write this blog so now three weeks later it is being put up. Christmas Eve in Niihama was pretty much like any other day.... Well, maybe not any other day. It was a national holiday. Not because it is Christmas but beca... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/3335/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/3335/ Mon, 24 Dec 2007 18:06:42 -0800 P.I.E. came over today for a little party at my place after our group meeting this morning. I went the easy route and did non-cooked food. A sushi tray, microwavable dumplings/spring rolls and little cakes for dessert. So much fun. :) Had a few m... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/3061/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/3061/ Sun, 16 Dec 2007 18:06:03 -0800 Then there was Monday morning at the office and still having not received a phone call. By Monday afternoon I had given up hope until I received an e-mail from (Mu) saying that it had been approved. I was working the next morning so we... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/3057/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/3057/ Fri, 14 Dec 2007 18:05:21 -0800 Mom has been waiting for this update and photos for the last two weeks and here they are. On Mon. Nov. 19th I entered the Niihama office of Leo Palace to get some general information on available houses... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/2934/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/2934/ Thu, 13 Dec 2007 18:04:32 -0800 Weather: Cloudy and a little cool. Getting colder at nights to the point that I put the heater on for about an hour before bed while reading The day after Halloween Aeon started playing ... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/2614/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/2614/ Fri, 09 Nov 2007 18:03:59 -0800 Word of the day: mizore  みぞれ  (sleet or wet snow) Scentence of the day: mizore ha tsumetai desu. (The sleet is cold. [sleet ha cold is])  After two months of waiting Niihama had its first snow fall today. First starting as rai... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/3418/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/3418/ Sun, 20 Jan 2008 05:57:53 -0800 Alright, a few people back home are aware of the circumstances of the last month while others heard bits a peices so I will start from the beginning. Quite frankly the company I chose was in the beginning stages of disaster... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/2504/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/2504/ Sun, 28 Oct 2007 00:13:06 -0700 Alright, the 20th actually wasn`t the last day however, I am writing this blog a month after things ended because I realized yesterday that I had pictures from that last day which were not posted. I thought the last day would be strange but... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/2712/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/2712/ Sat, 20 Oct 2007 00:04:36 -0700 The final day of Taiko celebrations started with a special ceremony and Taiko display. At 9am a number of (I belive Shinto) religious figures did a presentation in front of two small Taikos at the corner of the feild. During the ceremony a ... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/2441/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/2441/ Thu, 18 Oct 2007 00:07:25 -0700 *updated* Yes, you read it right. At 3:30am I met up with Bryan and James B at the corner beside the municipal buildings and we headed on bike towards the mountains to see the Taiko being brought to the temple for blessing. At 4am the first... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/2415/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/2415/ Tue, 16 Oct 2007 00:11:17 -0700 Alright, worked from 10am to 5:40pm and had big plan to go cheer on Bryan and James B who would be carrying a Taiko with Yoshi that evening. But, in my attempt at wisdom I ended not going. You see..... there is a main street in Niihama which cross... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/2437/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/2437/ Tue, 16 Oct 2007 00:10:22 -0700 Last night I had two students mention about an event to be held today in the Elementary school near-by. The first was a parent who was looking forwards to going and watching her daughter participate and the second person was a young boy about 12 o... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/2108/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/2108/ Sat, 22 Sep 2007 22:45:15 -0700 Today`s great adventure included trying quail eggs for the first time. Not a different taste to regular eggs but were kind of neat. Boiled then chopped up and added to udon. Yum. Another interesting thing was a little visitor in Rachel`s ro... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/2090/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/2090/ Thu, 20 Sep 2007 22:44:44 -0700 Date: Fri. Sept 14th 2007 *Mom`s Birthday* Lesson of the Day: When the literate become the `il`. Word of the Day: "gin-koo-koo-za" Bank Account ... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/2025/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/2025/ Fri, 14 Sep 2007 22:43:59 -0700 Alright, first full day in Niihama.....and the moral of the entire story was get a bike. Rachel mentioned that James would be coming to show me how to get to the City office but by 1pm he hadn`t arrived and I was worried that it would close... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/2165/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/2165/ Sat, 08 Sep 2007 22:42:18 -0700 Alright, here is some information on my new apartment in Niihama. Much smaller then typical Canadian apartments. Hum, the bedrooms are a little bigger then rez townhouse bedrooms, the kitchen is the size of the Foley hall living room, the l... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/2071/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/2071/ Fri, 07 Sep 2007 22:40:16 -0700 We were up and out the door at 11am after a much needed rest and shower. First meal in Japan for me was a strawberry smoothie because it was the only picture on the menu that I knew for sure wouldn`t have meat in it. I have figured that bre... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/2070/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/2070/ Thu, 06 Sep 2007 22:39:19 -0700 Location: Osaka, Japan Lesson of the Day: Photograps in North America do not begin to capture what it is like here. 3:30pm - The plane landed and we were through customs in about 20 minutes. The Osaka airport is much smaller then the ... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/1984/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/1984/ Wed, 05 Sep 2007 22:37:55 -0700 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada - Hotel Lesson of the Day: Never trust hotel wake up calls. 4:45am - Mom woke us up up after realizing we did not receive the 4am wake-up call. After a mad dash to get dressed we ran to catch the ho... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/1983/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/1983/ Tue, 04 Sep 2007 22:25:21 -0700 These are a couple of pictures I took before leaving the house to head to Toronto. Will also give an idea of what my Canada home looks like so that in a later journal you can see my present apartment and compare...... very very different. ... Read More at Footstops.com http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/2066/ http://www.footstops.com/jleu/blog/2066/ Mon, 03 Sep 2007 17:00:55 -0700