The X-Pat Files -  February 2008

 (Brought to you by H&R Consultants)

  The X-Pat Files Community E-Newsletter provides a forum for the spread of information useful for English speakers living in Aichi.  You can use the newsletter as an informational resource, and of course you can send in information you would like to share.
  This newsletter is a community service from The Japan Real Estate and Relocation company, H&R Consultants (www.japanhomesearch.com), and is edited by Sue Conolly (http://web.mac.com/conolly).

  Contents for This Edition

HEALTH ALERT: Chinese Dumplings (Gyoza)
  1.  Rubbish!
  2.  Japanese Photo Studios
  3.  Places of Pampering
  4.  Nagoya Tebasaki
  5.  Registering with a Taxi Company
  6.  Hope International
  7.  Meet and Greet
  8.  Fast Food Japanese Style
  9.  Hot Spring Etiquette
  10.  Good Friends

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---HEALTH ALERT: Chinese Dumplings (Gyoza)---

On the Japanese news media, you may or may not have heard about two products, both types of frozen gyoza or Chinese dumpling, which contained high levels of chemicals that caused a 5 year old girl to fall unconcious.  The two frozen gyoza products in question are Co-op Tezukuri Gyoza (handmade dumplings) and Chuka de Gochiso Hitokuchi Gyoza (Delicious Chinese-style one-bite dumplings).  These products imported by JT Foods from China have been recalled from supermarkets, along with other items (not just gyoza) purchased from the same Chinese company.  Please, if you have frozen chinese food in your freezer, do not eat it.  There is a list of the recalled products here where you can see pictures of the packages in question, however the list is not completely illustrated, so if you are unsure of any frozen food package in your freezer, do not eat it.


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1. Rubbish!  - be a part of the Recyclying Revolution
 
The mayor of Nagoya on his English website tells us:
 
....Now we have created a new culture of recycling, with many people very passionate about the correct separation of their garbage.  From the peak levels, we have achieved a 30 ton decrease in the amount of garbage being produced.... our citizens now fall into 3 major groups - those who separate their recycling correctly, those who do not, and those who are still unsure how to.  After all the turmoil, Nagoya now enjoys the benefits of less garbage, and a new recycling culture.  The lifestyle changes that are fostered by garbage reduction play a large part in helping to reduce CO2 emissions that so threaten humanity and the planet.  I'd like to return once more to the basics and ensure the future of Nagoya's many assets....
 
If the mayor is correct that there are three types of Nagoya residents: those who recycle, those who deliberately don't, and those who don't know how to.... then which category do you belong to?  Which category would you like to belong to? Nagoya is ahead of other cities that don't treat garbage disposal as a major issue.  Many non-Japanese like to point to Japan as such a wasteful country, a country of wooden chopsticks and extra wrapping.  While this might be true, change happens at ground level, and you can have a direct result on what is put into the ground around Nagoya.  Along with measures like taking your own shopping bag and refusing the extra wrapping at a department store, just a little study and you can take great recycling habits back to your own home country.
 
When you moved into your house, if you live in Nagoya you probably recieved an explanation in English about garbage disposal.  There will be three days listed - the day on which you put out your burnable garbage (moeru gomi - these will be burned without being recycled), one day for your non-burnable garbage (moenai gomi - this goes straight in the landfill) and one day for recyclables.  Two of these days may even be the same day, but the place you have to put this garbage may be different, and the colour bag you use definitely is different.  The burnable and non-burnable days are quite straightforward, but the more you can put out for recycling the better for the environment.  Remember - it's not just Nagoya that you're saving - it's the whole planet since CO2 emissions are a global problem.

Recycling brings a community together or splits it apart.  Watch how unpopular will become if just your unrinsed recyclables attract crows to the neighbourhood, or worse yet if your bags are not picked up off the street for seperation infringements!  On the other hand, many Japanese neighbours will be friendly enough to help you out when you are first here... it's a confusing process they know, and that first friendly contact over the garbage separation can lead to valuable friendships in the neighbourhood later on.  Making good connections in your neighbourhood is one of the most important things you can do, and one of the ways you can do this is to try and get the garbage right!
 
Here's a handy hint - if you don't want to remember "recycling day" on your calendar, your local big supermarket will often have recycling bins outside the door where you can deposit your recycling waste right at the same time as you do your family shopping.  With a little bit of forethought, recycling does NOT have to be a big problem.
 
The first thing you'll have to do in order to make the mental shift necessary to become a recycler, is to set up your kitchen to be recycle friendly.  Most garbage bins on the market today are more like "recycling stations", they have two compartments for the burnable and non-burnable and then hooks off the side so that you can hang bags for the different categories of recylable waste.  You'll need five different places to deposit the different categories of garbage - that sounds like a lot but the trick is to set it up this way at the very beginning of your stay.  There are so many ideas for recycling stations that you can find right in your local home centre.
 
The second thing that will help you make the mental leap into environmental friendliness is to change your routine a little in your mind.  Every time you have a recyclable item in your hand, rinse it off and put it straight in your recycling station.  Have a draining area to drain rinsed items.  Have the whole process mapped in your head, and you'll find it easier to stick to the routine.  It's said that once you've run through a process three consecutive times it becomes habit, so set yourself a goal of three weeks to set your new routine in concrete.  It hardly takes any time out of your day at all, once you are running on auto-pilot.  Part of that auto-pilot plan has to involve disposal - either you take recyclables with you every time you go shopping (to get rid of it bit by bit and by routine), or you plan on the scheduled recycling days and have the satisfaction of getting rid of a lot at the same time.
 
OK, now here are the different categories of recyclable rubbish.  It will seem like a lot to remember (which is why Nagoya City makes the recycling guides in English that you can pick up for free at any ward office), but with a little perserverence you will soon have in your mind what you need to know to really make a difference in your neighbourhood.
 
Recyclable rubbish in Nagoya uses the same blue bags, but it is necessary to use different bags for:

1. Plastics
2. Papers
3. PET bottles
4. Empty cans (although this is sometimes put in baskets depending on the area that you live in)
 
And there are usually baskets put out for the following:

4. Empty cans (as above)
5. Empty bottles
 
OK, now here is the lowdown on what is what.  It seems confusing at first, but after a while you'll be flying on auto-pilot.


1. Plastics have this mark.  You can check the following items for the mark:
* Plastic containers and packages
* Bottles (excluding PET bottles) - this includes things like pump bottles for soap or shampoo, plastic bottles from cleaning agents, etc.
* Cups and packs - this includes things like yogurt lids
* Plastic bags and wraps
* Nets
* potato crisp packets
 
Please rinse before putting in specified bag for recyclable containers and packages. (Please keep all plastics in the same bag.)  Deposit at the specified collection place of your area by 8:00 on the day of collection. (by 7:00 for residents of Naka Ward)
 
2. Papers have this mark. You can check the following items for the mark:
* Paper cartons
* Paper containers and cups
* Packaging materials
* Paper bags

Please note: not everything that is made of paper is included in this category.  For example, reciepts simply go in the burnable garbage, while newspapers and other printed materials get collected separately.  There are often recycling drives by local schools which will take things like newspapers, this is another reason it's good to have a friend in the local Japanese community to help you know when a recycling drive is going to take place.
 
Please rinse before putting in specified bag for recyclable containers and packages, if necessary, and please keep all paper products in the same bag.  Deposit at the specified collection place of your area by 8:00 on the day of collection (by 7:00 for residents of Naka Ward)
 
3. PET bottles have this mark. You can check the following items for the mark:
* Beverage, sake, vinegar, and soy sauce bottles with the PET bottle mark

Please rinse before putting in specified bag for recyclable containers and packages. (Please keep all PET bottles in the same bag.)  Deposit at the specified collection place of your area by 8:00 on the day of collection (by 7:00 for residents of Naka Ward)
 
4. Empty cans
(These do not have a mark, but it is obvious which they are)

Beverage and food cans only

Please rinse before recycling. (Chikusa, Higashi, Kita, Nishi, Nakamura, Naka, Showa, Mizuho, Atsuta, Minami, Moriyama, Midori, Meito, and Tempaku Wards require a specific bag for recycling)
 
 
5. Empty bottles
(Again, these do not have a mark, but it is obvious which they are)

Beverage and food bottles only
Please rinse before recycling.
 
Deposit empty glass bottles into blue containers placed at the specified collection place of your area by 8:00 on the day of collection (by 7:00 for residents of Naka Ward)
 
Deposit at the specified collection place of your area by 8:00 on the day of collection (by 7:00 for residents of Naka Ward). Residents of Nakagawa and Minato Wards should deposit empty cans into yellow containers placed at the specified collection place of your area by 8:00 on the day of collection.
 
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  2. Japanese Photo Studios

One lovely experience any expatriate family can have is to get a Japanese studio photograph.  Many a little blonde child has been photographed in a real kimono in the very Japanese setting of a studio, making great gifts - prints, key rings and pendants for people at home. 

Each photo studio has its own prices (the big chains tend to be a little cheaper) but all are very professional services, and any photo sitting is likely to take an hour or two while the "dressers" get your child's kimono and hair exactly perfect for the photo.  The standards for each photo are very strict, so while all photographs will tend to be similar, it will be certainly different from what you've ever done before!

The price for the sitting should include kimono or dress rental, hair and makeup, so all you have to do is turn up!  Bring bribes along for younger children, as the whole process can be very lengthy for less patient kiddies. 

The links below were compiled from the internet.  All are Japanese websites so it is perhaps the best to just show up, and negotiate price lists and make photo bookings in person, preferably having help from a Japanese speaking friend.  I've included phone numbers for your navigation system, and a map in Japanese (click on the place name or branch name for the map - sometimes you will also have to scroll down the page).


Tanemura Photo Studio (near Nagoya Station) - 052-451-2595

Midoriya (in Sakae) - 052-241-2906

Yutaka Photo Studio (in Shin-Sakae) - 052-241-0451

Studio Dino (in Jusco Yagoto City) - 052-836-3131

Mikasa Photo House (near Higashiyama Koen Station) - 052-781-0451

Kozuka Photo Studio (near Ikeshita Station) - 052-751-5623

Saison Yumeshakan (in Nakagawa-ku) - 052-303-0843

Art Studio Bun (near Mikawa Anjo Station) - 0566-75-0891

Studio White Room (in Okazaki) - 0564-22-7168

Miake Photo Studio (in Toyoake) - 0562-92-5997

Love & Dream Okada (in Toyohashi and Gamagori) - 0533-68-6630 & 0533-68-4012


Studio Alice Children's Photo Studios

Chiyodabashi (near Chayagasaka Station) - 052-719-0900
Inazawa - 0587-33-4300
Komaki - 0568-74-6140
Apita Nagoya South - 052-698-2400
Toyota - 0565-36-0701
Kisogawa - 0586-84-3783
Narumi - 052-629-7661
Ichinomiya - 0586-28-3801
Aeon Atsuta - 052-884-3893
Nagoya Minato - 052-659-5570
Higashiura - 0562-85-0512
Jusco Miyoshi - 0561-33-2557
Takabata - 052-364-5430
Kasugai Saty - 0568-57-1751


Turtle Photo Studios

Kurokawa (Nagoya) - 052-913-2121
Owari Asahi - 0561-55-5539
Kasugai - 0568-81-2736
Kisogawa - 0586-84-1110
Anjo - 0566-72-0770
Inazawa - 0587-33-5600
Nishiharu - 0568-22-7770
Takahama - 0566-54-0017



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  3. Places of Pampering
(Thank you to Geri White for this submission)

Total Beauty Salon in Nagakute is a great place for the perfect "Esthe" massage, and there is a hair salon also attached.

Ph:  0561-61-2386  (Free Dial 0120-71-2386)
Closed: Mondays, 2nd and 3rd Tuesdays of each month (except Jan, Aug, Dec)
Opening Hours: Tue-Thu & Sat-Sun (9:00-19:00), Fridays (9:00-21:00 for hair and 12:00-21:00 for massage)

Total Beauty Salon also has other branches in the following places... click on the links to see salon details and a map in Japanese:

Motoyama
Ishikawabashi
Kaguyama in Nisshin
Tokushige in Midori Ward
Owari Asahi
Nagakute
Nonami
Shikatsu in Kita-Nagoya City


 
Lanna Nuat is a Thai massage at Fujigaoka.  They offer various styles of massage and times for different prices, as well as a Detox Herb Bedrock Bath.  Walk out of the Fujigaoka subway and it is right there, 2nd floor above Effe supermarket.
 
Ph: 052-760-6196
Opening Hours: 10:00 - 23:00 (No admittance after 21:45)
OPEN 365 DAYS
Clients with reservations will be accepted first.
Credit Cards OK (VISA, MASTER, JCB, AMEX)


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  4. Nagoya Tebasaki

Famous foods for any given area in Japan are called meibutsu.  Osaka meibutsu is okonomiyaki (as is Hiroshima's meibutsu, but they have their own famous style of the same dish), and in the mountains of Nagano it is Shinshu Soba. 

One of Nagoya's most popular meibutsu is tebasaki, or fried chicken wings.  They are wonderfully tasty and an excellent companion to a chuujoki (medium pitcher) of beer.  The great tebasaki restaurants in Nagoya will greet you with a hearty "Nan-nin-mae desu ka?" ("How many servings do you want?") because they already know you are there for the chicken wings!

There are two really famous tebasaki chains that serve Nagoya.  The older of the two is Furaibo, which spices its chicken wings in the traditional Nagoya way (see below).  However, if you like a bit of spice in your life, there is a much more peppery version available at Sekai no Yama-chan, which has so many branches of its shop in the Kanayama area, that if one of their shops is full the waitress can literally walk you to another just around the corner. 

There is a special way of eating tebasaki reminiscent of how a king at a banquet table might devour his fowl. You can see the process illustrated here on a blog that I found.  Basically you want to break the wing in half, allowing you to scrape all the meat off one side with one strong swipe of your teeth!

You can find one of the many, many branches of Furaibo or Sekai no Yama-chan on their Japanese websites, but there are far too many to list on the X-Pat Files.  However, I will list some links to maps that will get you started on your way to tebasaki heaven!  Note: Furaibo has many more suburban shops than listed here (they are EVERYWHERE), while Sekai no Yama-chan has many in the middle of town and then just one in Okazaki.  Therefore, it's odds on that there will be a Furaibo somewhere near where you live - just see what the sign looks like on the links below and you'll be able to spot the one in your neighbourhood too!



Furaibo Shop List

Kanayama Shop (with photo, map and opening hours)

Sakae Shop (with photo, map and opening hours)

Chikusa Shop (with photo, map and opening hours)




Sekai no Yama-chan clickable Nagoya Map

Kanayama Shop (with photo, map and opening hours)

Sakae Shop (with photo, map and opening hours)

Fushimi Shop (with photo, map and opening hours)


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  5. Registering with a Taxi Company

Have you ever wanted to order a taxi to pick you up from your home, but you're unsure of your ability to speak Japanese on the phone to convey the correct address?  There is a very easy system that many taxi companies employ for situations like this - a registration system whereby your phone number is displayed on their system, giving them your name and the address that you supplied at the time of your registration.  You only then have to tell them what time you need the taxi to come to your house, and they will be there.

For Meitetsu Taxi Group (the major taxi company in Nagoya) the registration number and also the number to call for ordering the taxi, is:

052-331-2222

For other taxi companies that may run locally in your neighbourhood, ask the taxi driver for a card when you next take a cab from your station home.  Then you can get a Japanese-speaking friend to call and help you set up this very convenient system which allows you to get a cab any time you need one.  This comes in very handy when you have heavy suitcases to take to the airport and don't want to drag them down to your local taxi rank.

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  6. Hope International

HOPE International Development Agency, Japan has a lot on tap for the Spring, including our annual fundraising dinner and our 4th Annual HOPE at the Hilton Week featuring our Travel and Leisure Auction which is back bigger and better this year.  Check out the following:

1.   Looking for a true gift of love?! Check out the HOPE Gift Catalogue to buy a unique Valentine's Day gift for the one you love. It's unique! It's extraordinary!  And it is a gift that keeps on giving!  Who needs chocolate when you've got all that?!  View the catalogue at: www.hope.or.jp

2.  The annual Charity Dinner will be held this year on Friday, February 29th, at the Hilton Hotel. Come out and have yourself a good time for a good cause!  This year's dinner will again feature entertainment, great food, the silent auction and raffle, as well as our feature film which will highlight the water and micro-credit projects HOPE is conducting in the Pursat region of Cambodia. If you are interested in attending, please contact us at www.hope.or.jp or 052-204-0530.

3.  And hot on the heels of the Charity Dinner, HOPE will again, with the support of the Nagoya Hilton, present our 4th Annual HOPE at the Hilton Week, March 2-9.  The Travel and Leisure Auction is back again this year, bigger and better with over $100,000 travel and leisure related items donated. Hilton Hotel packages from 40 properties around the world and business class tickets on United Airlines are just the beginning...  Items will be viewable online from Feb 15th and bidding will start on March 2nd. Find out more information at www.hope.or.jp

4.  Need a 'new do'?!  As part of the HOPE at the Hilton Week we will be bringing back our popular Charity Cut on Monday, March 3rd. Some of Nagoya's best hairdressers will be on hand to cut your hair for a nominal donation. Appointments fill up fast, however, so make your reservation today at 052-204-0530.

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  7. Meet and Greet Luncheon

For those of you who are new to Nagoya, please come and join us for lunch.  Meet and Greet lunch is the ideal place to make new friends, have a chat, and find out what is going on in Nagoya.  Shooters has a relaxed atmosphere and is closed during the day except for our event, so we have the run of the place.  This means that it is a VERY easy event for mothers with babies or small children.  It also means, however, that there must be an RSVP so that Shooters can cater for the correct number of people.

Please Note: The previous Meet and Greet Coordinator Helen Braithwaite is leaving the country (Bye Helen!  We love you!!), and Joey Tan has taken over the Meet and Greet from last month.  All Meet and Greet enquiries should be directed to: joeywltan@gmail.com. 

Date and Time: February 12th, starting at 11:30 a.m.
Place: Shooters Sports Bar and Grill, Fushimi  (http://www.shooters-nagoya.com)
Price: 1500 yen for buffet lunch and a drink.
RSVP: Joey Tan is the Meet and Greet Coordinator.  Please RSVP to Joey by e-mail at joeywltan@gmail.com as soon as possible, but at the latest by the 10th.  When you are RSVPing for another person, please give the name of the other person to avoid double bookings.

Note:  For those coming by car there is a relatively cheap option, Toyo Parking for 110 yen per half hour, down the street from Kinkos which is walkable from Shooters.  For those with car navigation, the phone number of the parking lot is (052) 231-3550.


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8. Fast Food Japanese Style

One thing that is great about living in Japan is all the healthy fast food that is available.  Stay away from heavily processed American fast food chains, and see what the Japanese streets have to offer!  Just because it's fast does not mean it's not healthy. 


Onigiri

The good old rice-ball usually covered with sea-weed, assembling one from the plastic wrap in the convenience store is always the first complicated task the expatriate has to master.  However, if you have a choice then stay away from the ones in the convenience store and go for the hand-made (tezukuri) ones that you can buy in Mom-and-Pop shops or even specialty onigiri shops.  The ingredients used are always that much fresher, and free of chemicals.

Gyudon

Not exactly the picture of health, it still beats a hamburger hands down because it's been freshly made from "real" ingredients.  Add a raw egg and mix it around for great texture and extra protein.  It's so cheap, too, so it's the staple food of many otherwise starving students and lower income workers.

Curry Rice

Japanese curry is very different from its Indian counterpart, but it's still chock full of great ingredients and there are several chains like Koko Ichiban that will serve you a plate of hot steaming curry rice in no time at all.

Kaitenzushi

Most westerners are already familiar with the little circular tracks that carry sushi around in front of customers who can pick out what they like.  There are cheaper shops and more expensive ones, but one thing all the sushi shops have in common is that they serve healthy food, fast!

Mos Burger

This is the only large Japanese hamburger chain.  Unlike its western counterparts, hamburgers are made from scratch each time they are ordered and so it takes more time than you're traditionally used to, and they're also more expensive than a western fast food chain.  There are also funny and strange Japanese ways of combining ingredients -  hamburgers made with rice, green tea thick shakes etc.

Ramen

Ramen noodles have a cult following, even overseas.  If you want to become a member of this cult, check out the Japanese movie Tampopo for a serious education in the art of the ramen noodle!  Ramen is popular late at night when people have been drinking, and one good benefit of it is that it kind of takes the edge off the alcohol and you get some nutrition before you sleep, making the next morning hopefully more bearable.

Udon

This white, thick, wheat-based noodle is a must know for the budget concious traveler.  The soup is often fish based, and the ingredients are usually very healthy.  A personal favourite is tsukimi udon (or "moon viewing udon"), which gets its name from the raw egg that is dropped in and cooks partially in the hot broth.

Soba

This thin noodle is darker in colour because it is made from buckwheat.  It is on the shopping list of any serious dieter, because it is high in fibre and low in calories.  It can be served hot or cold, or with vegetables, called sansai soba.

Zaru-Udon or Zaru-Soba

These cold noodles are a great summer lunch, both filling and refreshing at the same time.  They are dipped into a soup, and you can add condiments such as ginger or wasabi to the dipping soup for flavour.

Yaki-Soba or Yaki-Udon

These noodles cooked on a hot plate are often sold at roadside stalls such as at festivals.  Meat and vegetables mixed in with the noodles make these a good choice for nutrition, but watch how much oil is being used in the preparation before you buy.

Donburi

A Donburi is anything that is heaped up on a big bowl of rice.  This is what makes it so fast to serve - they literally just dish out the rice and then the topping.  Beware of overeating!

Oyakodon

A form of donburi which gets its name ("Parent-Child Donburi") from its main ingredients, chicken and eggs.  It's a good source of protein, but perhaps go easy on the rice.

Ten-don

Another form of donburi which heaps up vegetables and seafood (primarily) done in tempura batter.  I find tempura very "hit and miss", in that well-made tempura will not leave you with a greasy feeling, but the bad stuff does go down very heavily.  My recommendation would be to have expensive ten-don the first time you partake.

Oden

Oden is basically just a whole lot of ingredients (vegetables, eggs, chicken) boiled up in a broth waiting for the customer to come and pick out the bits he or she wants.  You can get it at convenience stores during winter or at roadside stalls called yatai.

Yakitori

Everybody knows this Japanese chicken-on-a-stick contribution to the world cuisine.  You don't have to stick to chicken, either. There are shops that specialize in "things on sticks", called kushiyaki and the stuff is ready very quickly as they don't take long to cook through.

Okonomiyaki

Sometimes referred to as "Japanese pizza", it's actually more like a Japanese pancake which is made of a floury mix, cabbage and eggs among other ingredients.  Okonomiyaki is the meibutsu of both Osaka and Hiroshima, although each region cooks it differently.

Takoyaki

Related to okonomiyaki by the floury dough, these little balls have bits of octopus inside them making them instantly unpopular with people who don't like chewy bits in their dough.  However, even though they are an acquired taste for some, they are a reasonbly healthy, reasonably priced and delicious fast food that go well with anything.

O-Bento

In a world where mothers more often go outside the home to work, packed dinner shops or bentoya have sprouted up all over Japan.  You can get a well balanced meal in minutes! Hokka Hokka Tei is one of the most prolific bento chains, and you can probably find one in your neighbourhood for those nights you just can't face cooking.

Check out these links too for more information on fast food, Japanese style:

Japan Forum Newsletter (part 1)
Japan Forum Newsletter (part 3)
Popularity of Japanese Convenience Food
Budget Places to Eat

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 9. Hot Spring Etiquette

There are few things more sublime than soaking in an outside bath (rotemburo) surrounded by the Japanese alps.  From time to time I have introduced many very authentic and wonderful onsen ryokan (hot spring inns) in the X-Pat Files, but I also want you to know the etiquitte for using a public bath in Japan to save you from embarrassment.  Public nudity is much less embarrassing when you adhere to certain rules, because despite being a foreigner, if you respect the rules you will not stick out from the crowd.  Despite many an expat's fears, people tend NOT to stare in an onsen unless they are given a reason (for example, if you were washing your soapy towel in the clean onsen water you would have several sets of eyes on you immediately!).

Here's what you do:

1)   Take off all your clothes in the changing room and place them into a basket together with your bath towel. Coin lockers for valuables are often available, but if they are not you'll be leaving your things in an open basket.  Leave valuables like your watch in your room, and place your underwear discreetly at the bottom of the pile of loosely folded clothes.

2)   Japanese hot springs are enjoyed naked. Swimming suits are not allowed in most places and you'll get many funny looks if you try and wear one. However, it is the custom to bring a small towel into the bathing area, with which you can enhance your privacy while outside of the water. Once you enter the bath, keep the towel out of the water.  This is very important - never put your towel near the water or you will put impurities into the water.

3)   Before entering the bath, rinse your body with water from either a tap or the bath using a washbowl provided in the bathing area. Just rinsing your body is usually sufficient unless you are excessively dirty, in which case you want to use soap.  You can choose to wash your entire body now, especially if there are small shower areas... it is sometimes just easier to get the washing out of the way.  Please remember though to keep any kind of soap away from the bath itself, and if using a shower be sure to direct the stream towards your body only as other people don't want to be splashed with your water.  If you have small children, they will normally share your shower with you.

4)   Enter the bath and soak for a while. Note that the bath water can be very hot (typical temperatures are 40 to 44 degrees). If it feels too hot, try to enter very slowly and move as little as possible.  Some onsen have many different baths for you to try, some just have a few.  Also, in each bath there are sometimes hot spots and cooler spots, so find a comfortable spot for yourself.

5)  Talking in the onsen.  Feel free to talk to people in the bath with you, but be sensitive to others in the bath.  Do not talk in a loud voice or be excessively hilarious.  Also, read the signs from the people around you - some people like to talk in the bath and some don't.  If you don't like to talk in the bath, be polite and smile but move slightly away in the bath - this will give most people the idea that you're not in the mood for a chat.  One word of advice though - don't avoid every conversation.  Some very good conversations have been carried out in the bath, and if you don't join in to one conversation then how can you know what you'll be missing?

5)     After soaking for a while, get out of the bath and wash your body with soap at a water tap (if you've not already done this before), while sitting on a stool. Soap and shampoo are provided in some baths. Like in private Japanese bathrooms, make sure that no soap gets into the bath water. Tidy up your space after you finished cleaning your body and never leave your own personal bath items in front of a tap (look around, you will see where others put their personal bath items)

6)     Re-enter the bath and soak some more.  You can enter the bath and get out as many times as you like, as the hot water affects you.  However, never swim or splash about in onsen water - remember, it is not a pool. 

7)     After you finished soaking, do not rinse your body with tap water, for the minerals to have full effect on your body.  If you like, you can sit on the side of the bath for a while for your body to dry off and cool down a bit before changing back into your clothes.  This is particularly handy if you've visted an onsen ryokan that only provides you with a small hand-towel with which to dry yourself. 



Hot Spring Vocabulary

rotemburo         outside bath
daiyokujo          main bath in an inn
hanare              little house set apart from the rest of the inn
iwaburo            bath made out of rock formation, natural or constructed
kazokuburo      family baths, private baths that can be enjoyed by specific parties.  If you are nervous about public nudity, a kazokuburo is a good thing to find.
konyoku            mixed bathing, where men and women can bathe together.  Often at these baths swimsuits are worn, either mandatory or optional.  Check before you enter!
otokoburo         men's bath - usually indicated with a blue cloth noren with the kanji for "male" or sometimes this kanji is used.
onnaburo         women's bath - usually indicated with a red cloth noren with the kanji for "female".  Sometimes the mens and women's bath changes daily so that everyone can experience different baths... the noren are just moved to a different door on different days.
takiyu               a stream of hot water falling down from a height - lovely if you've got stiff shoulders but make sure not to splash others
yukata             the light cotton robe in your inn's closet.  The idea is to change into your yukata when you arrive at the inn and not change back into your clothes until you leave.
yunohana        bits of sulphur and other minerals in the water that form together to look a bit like moss floating in the water.  Yunohana are not a sign of dirtiness, they are welcomed by onsen lovers as they mean the water is full to brimming with wonderful elements.





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  10. Good Friends
Sue Conolly

I am shattered.  My good friend Helen Braithwaite is returning to her home land.  It is a story only too familiar for any long-term resident of Japan.  Sometimes I feel like a serial-befriender... I make long lasting and deep friendships only to see them disappear into the world somewhere.  However, over the years I've come to know that there is certainly nothing wrong with a Christmas card list that gets longer and longer each year, and familiar friends are like long-lost familiar scents - one whiff of them again and you are right back in the middle of that friendship.

There are so many kinds of friends in the world.  Let's take a look.

Childhood Friends

Back in my hometown of Toowoomba in Queensland some of the graduating class of 1988 are banding together to have a school reunion this year.  I'm not going - the timing does not coincide with any time I'd be in Australia, but even if I was in Australia I must admit to being lukewarm about attending a class reunion and revisiting my awkward teen years.  On the other hand, my sister went to her school reunion reluctantly only to find that of the girls that had previously made her life hell, there was one woman with whom she made an instant new connection.  So friends from childhood, even if you don't keep in touch with them, can be great.

Friends With Whom I Work

When I worked at the YMCA in Nagoya (all those years ago) I somehow got the feeling I was the mismatched one.  It felt to me that, with a few notable exceptions, I was friends with these people only by virtue of us sharing a work place.  However, from those days a friend recently returned to Japan, disproving the theory that friends, once they go home, are lost to Japan forever.  Christina and I hit it off immediately despite not having been all that close when we worked together, and although I have lost her again to her homeland of California, well... you never know.  One thing I do know is, once a friend, always a friend.

Friends With Whom I Have Something In Common

I am a member of the Association of Foriegn Wives of Japanese.  I joined it back when I was working at the YMCA, feeling as though I had nothing in common with my co-workers.  As a group of more than 500 members, I'm not going to be bosom buddies with each and every one of them, but for better or for worse I share something with each and every one of them.  I share the fact that I share my life with a Japanese man.  That's a pretty good start, and fertile ground for friendships to grow.  It's no immunization against being left behind - my good friend Roxanne took her Japanese husband off to live in outback Australia very recently.  But although she's far, far away from here it's always good to catch up.  We always have something to talk about.

Sudden Unexpected Friends

A number of years ago I spent about four days in the quaint little Queensland town of Mackay for work.  There I stayed in the home of Karen, who I'd never met but with whom I struck up an instant friendship.  It was suddenly as if I had found someone with whom I'd had a friendship all my life, but someone I really knew nothing about.  We sat up and talked night after night and then I left Mackay.  We lost touch, except for one strange time I happened to run into her in the middle of Nagoya Station (!!!) but last Christmas I sent her a Christmas card.  I got an e-mail from Karen the other day, and it was like a little treat to be reading about the unknown in-between life of a friend whose children have now grown up from when you saw them.

Japanese Friends

I know this is a broad category, but I thought I should touch on it because many expats have lamented to me that it's difficult for them to have "real friendship" with Japanese people.  To that I say, it would depend on your definition of "real friendship", and certainly to wipe a whole race out of candidates for such an honour would be a crying shame, to say the least!  I've met my Japanese friends in English classes, in my neighbourhood, at my kids' school.  Some of them speak English, and for some our main language is Japanese.  When I first came to Japan a very dear and kind-hearted lady took me under her wing and showed me the most generous kind of friendship I have known, and although at the time my Japanese was shoddy (and her English non-existent) I still count Junko among my life-long friends.

Friends I've Only Met Once

This story takes place in a public bath.  A lady sidled over to me and asked if I could speak Japanese.  Although I wanted to ignore her I reluctantly answered her, and accidentally fell into one of the most life-changing conversations of my whole life.  She and I talked about marriage, about cultures, about the hardships of being the odd one out.  And although I will never know that woman's name, I count her as one of my friends as well.  I think of that day each time I feel like brushing someone off.

The Friend To Whom I'm Married

My best friend is of course my husband.  Some people would disagree that a husband or wife qualifies as a friend, but for me the base of friendship that I have with Makoto is one of the most valuable treasures that I have.  I love to watch TV with him, go for walks, and I try to make sure we have enough time as a couple without the kids, to remember that we really are good friends.  Of course there are bad times, but if that friendship remains basically strong, then I'm basically happy. 

The Best Kind of Friend

The best kind of friend is someone with whom you share, but someone who also shares with you back.  That person is your "fan" as a human being, not only because of the things you do or are, but also just because.  They do things to let you know that they care.  They are there for support during hard times, and a really good laugh during fun times.  They might go places, go all over the world, but they will still basically be there for you.

I am shattered.  My good friend Helen Braithwaite is returning to her home land.  But in my heart I know she'll be back, if not in person then at least in my life.  Good friends are worth the whole world.

 
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