The X-Pat Files -  June 2006

 (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 counselor and life coach Sue Conolly (www.sueconolly.net).

  Contents for This Edition

  1.  Summer Rock Festivals - Bryce Conlan
  2.  International Groceries - Jenny Elsby
  3.  Import Food Shopping - Sven Tapp
  4.  Japan Zone
  5.  Inadani Campers Village
  6.  Cleaning your Environment with Natural Products
  7.  Ethiopian Cooking Class - Erin Sakakibara
  8.  Meet & Greet Lunch
  9.  Online Conversion Site (with Japanese conversions)
 10. The Giant Sausage Machine of Life - Sue Conolly

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  1. Summer Rock Festivals - Bryce Conlan

    Summer is almost upon us. Things are about to heat up.  Have you thought about what you will do for entertainment this year?

    If you like music and soaking up the sun, here are two great ideas.  Both involve listening to a huge variety of new and old music, soaking up lots of sun, atmosphere and no doubt a cold beverage or two.  However both are in two extremely different locations and offer two very different experiences.

Fuji Rock Festival:

http://www.smash-uk.com/frf06/index.html

Started in 1997 at a site overlooked by Mt. Fuji (hence the name of the festival), however it was cancelled mid festival due to a typhoon destroying the main stage.  After that it moved to the current and more protected location of Naeba Ski Resort in Niigata Prefecture.  This is a beautiful location surrounded by forests, rivers and clear star filled skies at night.

My personal recommendation would be to camp in the tent area, but for those who don’t fancy the rough outdoors, there are hotels in the area.

Date: July 28(Fri), 29(Sat), 30(Sun)
Place: Naeba Ski Resort
Yuzawa-machi, Niigata, Japan

Access details and ticket prices are all on the English website (above), as well as tips on what to take to the festival, rules of entry and other useful information.


Summer Sonic:

http://www.summersonic.com/index.html

If camping for three days is not your cup of tea and want the rock festival experience without leaving the big city and bright lights, then Summer Sonic is for you, held simultaneously in two locations over two days.  One site is in Osaka and the other just outside of Tokyo.  The promoter of Summer Sonic, Naoki Shimizu calls it the “Urban Alternative to Fuji Rock.”  The line up is equally impressive and the locations are easily accessible by public transport.

Date:  12（Sat) & 13 (Sun) August
Time:  OPEN 9:00am / START 11:00am
Venues:      1. Chiba (near Tokyo) - Chiba Marine Stadium and Makuhari Messe
                   2. Osaka - WTC Open Air Stadium and Intex Osaka and Zepp Osaka

The website (above) is mostly in Japanese, with one general information English page, and other pages like the lineup page and access pages in English-friendly bilingual format.


Tips for a great festival experience:

*    Remember the sunscreen.  If I could offer you one tip for the summer, sunscreen would be it!
*    Keep up the intake of fluids – and I don’t necessarily mean alcohol.  If you want to see the last act, don’t hit the alcohol too early and drink lots of water.
*    For Summer Sonic, due to the style of locations, if you really want to see a particular band, turn up early and line up.
*    Take rainwear – No umbrellas allowed.
*    Take your trash home; remember the environment and Rock On!
*    When planning your travel, you can find detailed timetable information and cost of travel for different routes at http://www.hyperdia.com/
*    Accommodation and car rental options can be explored at http://www2.tocoo.jp/english/

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  2. International Groceries - Jenny Elsby

However good Japanese food may be there are some times when you just crave the taste of home, be it in the form of baked beans, Tim Tams or fajitas!  Here in Nagoya we are lucky as there are a number of stores that cater for those of us missing home, and whilst you pay for the privilege, the quality and variety of goods on offer is generally very good.

Here are the main stores selling international food.

YAMAYA   http://www.yamaya.co.jp/en/core.htm
Sakae subway station exit 12. Tel: 052-968-2026. 
Meiji Yasuda Seimei Nagoya Bldg. B2F  (10am - 8pm)
* They sell very cheap food and alcohol - baked beans from JPY100, Gin from JPY 800. (See below for another submission about this store)

MEIDYA     http://www.meidi-ya-store.com/index.html
Sakae subway west exit, 5 minutes walk. Tel: 052-241-�2541 (10am - 8pm)
* This is slightly more expensive but sells everything that you would need.

MATSUZAKAYA - this is the supermarket at the station in Motoyama,
Motoyama Subway station, Matsuzakaya exit, First floor. TEL 052-762-7211    (10am - 10pm)
* They have a fairly large selection of foreign items, including reasonably priced alcohol.

HALLO DO2 INTERNATIONAL, Meito Ward Shop and Higashiyama Shop
Meito Shop is near Jiami bus stop from Kamiyashiro or walk from Issha 
Tel: 052-775-8111  (10am - 8pm)
Higashiyama shop is near Higashiyama Station - walk back towards Nagoya for one light, and you'll see it on the left.
Tel: 052-781-5311 (Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year)
* They sell all kinds of international products, at reasonable prices as well as fresh supermarket food.

COSTCO JAPAN  http://www.costco.co.jp/eng/index.htm
* There's no Nagoya shop, but people have been known to take "Costco Driving Vacations" to stock up on bulk American groceries.

FLYING PIG  http://www.theflyingpig.com/
* For those who don't want the driving vacation to Costco, Flying Pig will do the buying for you, and send it to you for a slight profit

FOREIGN BUYERS CLUB - http://www.fbcusa.com/
* This is a Kobe based online retailer which imports food from around the world - with American, British and Australian shops

So now there's no reason to pine for those tastes from home, they are all right here on your doorstep!  Bon Appetit! 

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  3. Import Food Shopping - Sven Tapp

Buying foreign foods has always been troublesome.  Some of the international food stores are so overpriced!!!!  Recently, we have seen Kaldi Coffee Farm in Jusco's around Chubu, the prices are much better than Meiji-ya and they have different selection. This website has a very limited English section, but if you can navigate around the Japanese section you'll be able to locate different stores and see what kind of products are available.

http://www.kaldi.co.jp/

There is also another foreign food option that is both inexpensive and has lots of choice, called Cave de Yamaya. (see also above listing)

http://www.yamaya.co.jp/en/core.htm

I first knew of Yamaya when I lived in Tokyo.  The prices are incredible:  1 liter of juice for about 130 yen, cereal for 150, big bag of pretzels for 100 yen, canned beans for 100 yen (usually about 250 in the other stores I go to).  There are lots of foreign foods and an excellent selection of wines.

It recently opened a store in Nagoya.  It is located in Sakae in the B1 of Meiji Seimei Bldg (across from Chunichi Bldg).  The English website allows you to locate all the stores in this area.
  
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  4. Japan Zone

Clicking around the internet, I came across a pretty good site that gives a great broad view of all things Japanese.  You can find pictures and descriptions of those Japanese comedians you see on TV, actors and actresses, a spattering of sports players, musicians, and people from all fields of Japanese life; sort of like a Who's Who of Japan (including a list of major Japanese companies).  It also outlines several aspects of Japanese culture, both traditional and modern.  It's not extensive, but it gives a really good start to anyone who wants to know more about Japan and the Japanese, with links at the end of each category for those who want to delve deeper.  There's a regularly updated news section which also deals with the entertainment world.  There is also a forum that you can join to discuss all things Japanese, ask questions, and learn about the country around you.

http://www.japan-zone.com
  
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  5. Inadani Campers Village

It's coming up to summer, and for all of you who think that the Japanese version of camping must involve pitching little tents on equally sized sqares of concrete, down the road from the convenience store and up-wind from a car parts factory, think again!  There are lots of really great places to camp, each with its own charms and varying levels of convenience to the outside world.

For myself, I am the kind of camper who likes to have my mobile phone well out of range, and not a vending machine in sight, so I love to go to Inadani Campers Village in Nagano Prefecture.  It is a haven for kids, with little cubby houses built into the mountain, craft supplies readily available at the "centre house" (which is a hand-built lean-to collection of "buildings" that include a "library", "craft area", "shop", and an onsen), and animals around the place like chickens and a rabbit who roams free around the place.  The campsite is run by the Suzuki Family, who live on site with their sons - it is a lovely family establishment!

For those who aren't big on the whole tent camping experience there are small cabins, as well as a larger log cabin.  There is also an extensive amount of rental equipment, if you're not all set up with camping gear.

There is a website in Japanese at http://www.odp.jp/index2.html, but I have also prepared a document in English to help you get there and to outline some information about the campsite.  If you would like this document please contact me directly at info@sueconolly.net.  It's the campsite that I wrote about in the last newsletter, which you can also read on my blog at www.sueconolly.net ("The Great Outdoors", May 1 2006)


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  6. Cleaning your Environment with Natural Products

On my first visit to the above campsite, when I went to wash the breakfast plates at the kitchen area, I noticed a little sign asking me to use environmentally friendly soap, as the water system is going straight into the ground.  They sell this kind of soap at the small shop they have there, but it was quite expensive and I started to look for an alternative.

It was in this way that I stumbled on to the magic of Baking Soda, and of Citric Acid.  Baking Soda for cleaning, sold in Japanese supermarkets under the name "Kitchen no Mahou no Powder" (Kitchen Magic Powder) is a very effective cleaning agent without being harsh on the environment.  It's also an edible product, making it non-toxic and ideal for use washing up eating utensils.

According to the back of the package, you can use the powder in the dishwasher instead of regular dish soap (it also keeps the inside smelling fresh), you can use it in the washing machine instead of washing powder (it cleans the bowl while it cleans your clothes) and you can put it in the bath as a soak (doing this also cleans the bathtub while you are in it, negating the need to scrub it later).  It is used to take odors out of refrigerators, garbage areas and pet areas.  You can even use it to brush your teeth - making it the ideal camping product as you don't need to take anything else!  There is no end to the websites out there that will give you ideas for the use of Baking Soda as an environmentally friendly cleaning and deoderizing agent.

http://www.stretcher.com/stories/01/010806e.cfm
http://www.bakingsodabook.co.uk/
http://home.ivillage.com/cleanandorganize/cleaning/0,,9jt5,00.html

Made by the same company, is Citric Acid for use in cleaning stainless steel areas like the kitchen sink.  There is less information on the internet about the uses of Citric Acid (see below), but according to the back of the package you can use it to clean stainless steel areas, clean out the washing machine, get the stains off a toilet bowl, take away smoke odors, clean out thermos flasks etc.

http://www.answers.com/topic/citric-acid

You'll find these two products in the supermarket around the cleaning products, dishwashing liquid etc.  The Japanese word for Baking Soda is "Juusoh" and the word for Citric Acid is "Kuen-san".  Here are two pictures to help you find them on the shelf:
Baking Soda:   http://www.niwakyu.com/cate01_juso/goods_juso01.gif
Citric Acid:      http://www.niwakyu.com/cate01_juso/kuen.jpg

In addition to this, Arm & Hammer Baking Soda is also available online through http://www.theflyingpig.com.  Arm & Hammer have yet another fantastic website where you can learn the thousand uses of environmentally friendly baking soda in and outside of your home.  The Flying Pig sells baking soda in much larger quantities than you can buy in the Japanese supermarkets, at a much lower cost, so stock up and start using baking soda for everything!

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  7.  Ethiopian Cooking Class - Erin Sakakibara
  
Looking for an interesting way to spend a Saturday morning?  Come join in on the fun and good food at a HOPE Japan sponsored cooking class featuring Ethiopian cuisine!  HOPE is sponsoring this class to introduce the country of Ethiopia and its cuisine as well as talk about its upcoming UNION (volunteer trip) to the country this August.  UNION (Understanding Needs IN Other Nations) is a program where individuals can go and learn first hand about the needs of the neglected poor around the world.  This summer HOPE has two trips; to Ethiopia and to Cambodia.  Please see http://www.hope-international.jp/ for more information about HOPE and UNION.  And please come join us for a great morning of exploring and eating the interesting cuisine of Ethiopia!

Ethiopian Cooking Class
 
Date: Saturday, June 17th
Time: 9:45am - 12:30pm
Venue： Nagoya Naka-ku Syogai Gakusyu Center
From Exit #6 of Kamimaezu Subway Station on Purple Meijo Line, 250 meters to the south and 50 meters to west
Cost: 1,500 yen (please pay at the door)
Reservations required: Tel 0561-54-5560 or Email info@hope-international.jp

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  8.  Meet & Greet Lunch

 Are you new to town?  Do you want to get out and meet new people?  Or do you just want a nice lunch in a quiet, relaxing atmosphere where you can chat with new friends and old friends?  The Meet & Greet lunch is held on the second Tuesday of the month at Shooters Sports Bar and Grill in Fushimi. 

 Date:  Tuesday, 13th of June
 Time: 11:30am -
 Place: http://www.shooters-nagoya.com/
 Price: 1500 yen for buffet lunch and a drink
 RSVP:  Please RSVP by Saturday the 10th of May.  RSVP to Sue Conolly at conolly@p-cafe.net or 090-4186-9459

 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 I must ask for an RSVP so that Shooters can cater for the correct number of people.  Since they are opening the restaurant especially for us, I want to keep these Meet & Greet lunches well attended as they are a valuable resource for newcomers to the area.  Please mark it on your calendar - every month on the second Tuesday, and let me know if you can come this time.

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  9.  Online Conversion Site (including Japanese conversions)

A friend told me about this site, http://www.convert-me.com/en/ which will convert just about anything into anything, and it includes Japanese measurements, so if you are interested to find out exactly how many sqaure feet your house really contains, then check it out.  The conversions are instant, and once you are on the page can be carried out offline.


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  10. The Giant Sausage Machine of Life - Sue Conolly


My mother used to tell me that life is like a giant sausage machine - you get out of it exactly what you put in.  Let's explore that a little further.

I used to have a job I really loved, but it was so busy that I traded it in for something that I thought would be better.  Unfortunately, my new dream job consisted of little more than turning up to work every day from 9:30 to 4pm, and drawing a substantial salary.  Sound sweet?  It certainly wasn't.  Try as I might to find my worth in this company, for whatever reason I found myself studying Japanese and surfing the internet during work hours.  I hated going to work, I hated being at work, and I would physically sigh with relief after the day was over.  One day after work, I was hanging out in the McDonalds in my local supermarket.  It was a tiny little corner of a tiny little supermarket, and while I sipped my thickshake I watched the manager of the McDonalds serving other people.  He took money, he took orders, he told people when their fries would not be ready for another 5 minutes.  He brought people their tardy fries, he wiped down the tables and the hand washing area.  All the while, he had a huge smile on his face, that seemed to start from his soul.  He looked really happy - he was involved in his job, making a difference to his little corner of the world.  I was certain that I was much better paid than that man, also my job had a higher "status", and yet I had no purpose, and it was making me miserable.  I quit my job within the next month, an important lesson learned.

I am a member of two groups that both focus on intercultural marriage.  Of one organization I am barely a "lurker" - I pay my dues when I can remember to do so, and every now and then I will get a phone call from someone in the group asking me to sign a petition or to invite me to an event.  Of the other group, I have been district representative for Chubu Tokai, National Secretary and now am National President.  Which group offers me more?  It's not hard to guess!  When I joined a new group for writers and illustrators of children's books, I made the vow that I would participate physically, and every month I make the trek to Tokyo to attend what events I can.  This keeps my children's book in my mind, keeps me from giving up.

When I was a relocation consultant, I could see two distinct types of client - those who were happy to be here, and those who weren't.  If I were to be asked what I thought the difference was, it had nothing to do with the housing budget.  It was completely unrelated to the size or "westernness" of their house, the aesthetic beauty of their furniture or the extensiveness of their relocation package.  The ones who were happy, were the ones who made friends with their Japanese neighbours, attended local events, went exploring on Saturdays, enrolled their children in karate, attended buddhist meditations, travelled to hot springs, joined local volunteer groups, got involved in a church, tried to perfect the art of cooking Japanese with Japanese ingredients.  There are expatriates who can really draw their energy from just being somewhere new and interesting, and full of potential for new experiences.

In my role of mother, I have good days and I have slack days.  On a low energy day, I am treading water, moving cranky children from one thing to another on the conveyor belt of dinner-bath-teeth-toilet-bed.  However, when I can put more of myself into the job of mothering, when I can turn my back on the e-mails and really cook a nice dinner ahead of time, have the dining room table perfectly cleaned and table set, bath waiting and piano practice/homework done, I often find myself with a whole hour before the children's bedtime that I have free to be the kind of mother I really want to be.  The kind of mother who reads stories to her children and strokes their hair, tells them that they are special little people.  I can even put them into bed early with a CD of my recorded voice reading stories and singing songs (the creative product of another day in the past).

It is my keenest hope that, through example, I teach my children about the Giant Sausage Machine of Life.

http://www.sueconolly.net/

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  That`s it for this edition of the newsletter. We hope you found it informative - please let us know what you would like to see in future editions, and we will attempt to address your issues.

  A disclaimer - While we do try to check submissions when they come to me, we do not take responsibility for the accuracy of any donated information.  Nor do we take responsibility if your experience of places and services you find through this newsletter are not as rewarding as they were for the person who originally sent in the information. Obviously everyone`s experience is different.

  If you would like to subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter, please do so online at http://www.xpat-files.com, where in the future we would like to archive information contained in this newsletter.

  If have some information you feel might be of benefit to the Expat community, please send as much information as you can to info@xpat-files.com.

  The newsletter will be as good as the contributions made to it, so please send in ideas and materials!