Stories from Sendai, Issue #11, Sept. 23, 2002

We are back again, about a month after coming back from the U.S.  The first month of school has gone very smoothly, but we've been very busy as well!  This is why you haven't seen a newsletter from us as early as promised.

Todd's birthday was earlier this month, and Barbara (as usual) kept her secret very close. Todd knew she had something planned for that auspicious day, but there wasn't even a hint as to what it might be all about. The day got started around lunch time, with the traditional birthday meal. No, sorry, no cake or ice cream. But Barbara did take a long, winding, roundabout route to get to a small restaurant on a major boulevard in a northern neighborhood of Sendai known as Takamori. The restaurant, Forest Hill, is so small that if you're not paying attention, you might miss it. But Barbara didn't miss. She hit -- right on the belly button, as a matter of fact. The restaurant,  was a steakhouse that served perhaps the finest (if not tastiest) steaks this town has to offer (or at least that we've tried).  The restaurateur, though Japanese, spoke English well and prepared the food to perfection. After a fine, languorous lunch, Barbara whisked Todd away to the next venue. She kept saying that she hoped there was a place to park where they were going, which got Todd to thinking that they were headed to either some countryside village (parking anywhere in Japan comes at a premium) with no parking lots, or a very secluded hole-in-the-wall venue like his lunch experience. But she had him TOTALLY fooled. She, instead, drove headlong into the bustling city center -- on Jozenji Street -- to take in the Jazz Festival. Now, to be fair, Todd knew that the Jazz Festival was going to occur. But he didn't realize that he'd be going there for his birthday. Besides, to eat first in Takamori and head into Downtown Sendai is, well, not logical. And Barbara is extremely logical -- or so Todd thought! The festival is truly something to be experienced by any visitor or citizen of Sendai. An entire street filled with musicians of almost every variety. The musicians' booths are so well-spaced, that the music from one act doesn't overlap the others. And the variety of music to be heard and experienced made the day a fest indeed! Jazz, classical, folk, rock, blues, R&B... had it not been for the fatigue factor (and on and off of rain that day), we might have stayed longer. The highlight of the afternoon was sitting about 100 feet from the stage in misty rain on a wet, gray tarp listening to a jazz combo (piano, trumpet, sax, bass) eloquently improvise on their instruments...for more than a half hour. While sitting there, soaking up the sweet sounds and the rapping rain, an enthusiastic Japanese man shouted out encouragements to the band, drinking his beer, smoking his cigarettes, and eating a pear-apple (which he would occasionally place in front of him to give a rousing cheer or bout of clapping). Whereas the Japanese are considered a rather staid lot, this man made us realize how much this city -- this country -- has a deep appreciation of the arts. Gambatte!

. Posing Japanese-style outside the restaurant.	This year's logo for the festival.
The great jazz combo.	Barbara's wet "seat" after sitting in the rain.

The weekend after Todd's birthday was a long weekend (Honor Your Elders Day). And, as was the case last year, our school was represented at International Day that Sunday. We teachers, thankfully, did not need to man the booth that day. Instead, our headmaster and vice principal  spent the day engaged in PR. That left us able to schedule our day as we wished. So, before church that evening, we decided to make an appearance and check out the different booths of the various international organizations in our fair city. In the course of walking about, and checking out the sights, we ran across one of our parents. He suggested we try our hand at creating our own Kokeshi doll. This Tohoku area craft is a wooden doll that is painted and lacquered. Each doll is unique and special in its own right, as they are all handmade. Making them by hand takes a broad level of skill, and is passed down generationally. So there we were, sitting at a table with paintbrushes in hand trying to mimic as best we could the Kokeshi doll placed in front of us. It wasn't easy -- and we didn't get it quite right either, though it wasn't for lack of trying. We spent a goodly amount of time perfecting our dolls, and then were allowed to take them home. The person manning the booth -- who was still learning the craft from his grandfather -- sent us away with the doll we were trying to copy, as well! In our picture, you can be the judge as to how accurate we were.

Hard at work making kokeshi dolls.
Barbara's finished product.	...and Todd's as well.

A new section we'd like to introduce to the newsletter is: Only in Japan.  These are pictures or descriptions of things here that make us think, laugh, or perplex us in some way.

Restaurant Menu English:  Every once in a while we eat at a restaurant called "M's Dining."  They have decent food and a drink bar for a good price.  They also try to be an "American-style" restaurant, complete with animated pictures of spunky American young people.  However, as happy as we are that there is actually English on the menus, boy, is it bad!  An example:

This text is found in the front pages of the menu:  "'M's college town' is the bed town which exists in a suburb of city here.  Here is a place famous for rich nature and comfortable comfort of living.  It is also under contrivance by the colleague in 'M's dining' today. 'The weather best for exercising! What sport is carried out today!'"

Corn on everything:  For some reason, Japanese people love corn.  On everything.  Pizza, ramen, and apparently even sushi!  Todd just had to try the creamed corn maki roll.  Todd's opinion: "I like it.  Certainly different.  Better than regular creamed corn.  Nice and crispy.  Kinda crunchy and squishy at the same time."  He must be "turning Japanese."

See you next month!

Todd and Barbara Thomas