The Tooth Fairy and Coins with Holes

17 Feb 2012 2 Comments

by Birdie in Boiled Egg Life, Childhood, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I was flipping through the cable channels one day this week and saw a scene of a movie where a little girl had lost a tooth.  She was told to be sure and put it under her pillow and she’d find something from the tooth fairy the next morning.

Memories, memories…  🙂

Even though I lived in Japan, the tooth fairy dropped by my house whenever I lost a tooth, too.  I would carefully wrap my tooth up in a tissue so it wouldn’t get lost under my pillow or drop onto the floor.  In the morning, there would be a ¥50 coin wrapped in a tissue (probably the same one) in the place where the tooth had been.

For those of you who’ve never been to Japan, the ¥50 coin has a hole in it.  (Actually, there are two coins in Japan which have holes: the ¥5 coin and the ¥50 coin.)  It’s unusual to a lot of people and, come to think of it, I can’t think of any other country that has coins with holes.  (Something to Google later, I suppose…)

So, this is what it looks like.

Isn't it pretty? (Source: http://est-baibaibu.seesaa.net)

Thinking back now and how the exchange rate was ¥360 to $1, I was getting all of… 18 cents?  (Don’t hold me to that though… mathematics and I don’t get along very well.  🙂 )  But it didn’t matter to me because I could take that shiny ¥50 coin to the local candy shop and buy up to five things with it.

The tooth fairy did eventually raise the value to ¥100 and that’s as high as it got.

Anyway, when I’d tell my neighborhood friends about what the tooth fairy brought, they were all surprised that I actually got money… and money from a fairy!!  (And I was surprised that the tooth fairy didn’t go to their house.)  When they lost a tooth, they’d do the following:  if it was a lower tooth, they’d throw it on or over the roof of their house, and if it was an upper tooth, they’d throw it under the house.  This was done so that the new teeth would grow in strong and straight.

Just as my Japanese friends were surprised about a fairy who would come and pay for my teeth, my American friends were surprised to hear that the tooth fairy would leave me a coin with a hole.  There was even one boy who, after seeing a ¥50 coin I’d taken to school, said it was “fake money” and the tooth fairy had ripped me off.  (Needless to say, I didn’t like him much after that comment!)

So, I’m curious… how much did everyone else get for a tooth?  Or did you have another custom in your family?  🙂

What to say, what to say…

16 Feb 2012 3 Comments

by Birdie in Life, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , ,

Wow!  It seems like there are days when a specific topic pops into my mind while I’m teaching a class or on the way to/from work.  Then there are days like today when there are SO many subjects whirl-pooling and flooding the brain, it’s hard to pick just one from the rapid current!

We’ll go with a moment when I was surprised by my mother two days ago.

The first part of the surprise was to find a big pink envelope in the mailbox from my sweet Okaa-san (mom).  It amazes me how letters from her seem to arrive on the day of the holiday or a b-day or some other special occasion.  It’s as if she sprinkles magic time dust on the letter and *poof* it gets here on the day!  Okay… surprise part 1.

Surprise Part 2… it was addressed to me (of course), but she had written my first name, middle initial and maiden name.

Yes, I used to be married.  Seems like it was a lifetime ago… the divorce happened just over 10 years ago.  (Guess that would be a lifetime in the opinion of a 10-year-old, right?)  And blogs about the marriage, divorce and everything in between will come in the future, I’m sure… but not today.

So, even after the divorce was finalized, my mother wrote my married name on packages and letters.  It made sense… I mean, the American consulate told me that they couldn’t do anything about name changes and that I’d have to do so in the States.  (The consulate handles marriages but not divorces… a real pain.)  And since I never spend that much time in one city while in the U.S., my name is still as it was when I was married.  And as mentioned above, that’s name my mom wrote.

Until two days ago, that is.

Not sure if it was a fluke or if she did that on purpose, but as soon as I saw what was written, I smiled.  It was like I was being told, “THIS is who you are!”  Isn’t that strange?

I wonder if there are other people out there who’ve felt the same way…

The Day After… Full of Love =)

15 Feb 2012 Leave a comment

by Birdie in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , ,

Well, the day has been long, so this will probably be a short one.

The total for this year (as far as Valentine’s)… drum roll, please… is three.  I got a card from my sweet mother, a box of “tomo-choco” from one of my English class students this evening and a pink paper heart from a sweet friend.

How blessed I feel to be loved!!  🙂

Okay… time for bed…

Be My Valentine… Here’s Your Chocolate

14 Feb 2012 2 Comments

by Birdie in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , ,

Valentine’s Day in States in my eyes:  the prices of roses rise, the heart-shaped boxes full of chocolates appear in various shops, there are specials on jewelry, packages of Valentine’s cards can be found on store shelves.  The day is one for guys and girls to share their love and affection with one another.

Zipping over to Valentine’s Day in Japan… it’s a VERY different story!

Though Valentine’s Day was introduced in the late 50’s, it wasn’t until about 1970 that it became somewhat well-known.  The confectionery companies in Japan decided this would be a day when women could express their feelings to men they liked/loved by giving a gift of chocolate.

Remember… this was way back when during a decade when Japanese women were rather shy.  Not to say there aren’t shy women here now, but the younger generation has become somewhat “Westernized” and they are more vocal about their feelings, opinions and such.  🙂

So anyway… as a child, I remember the department stores and little gift shops filling their shelves with cute boxes of chocolates, decorated in a way that was appealing to women, yet, were given to men.  And ONLY from women to men!  Then another confectionery company came up with the idea of “White Day” (March 14th), but we’ll get into that explanation in a month.  🙂

Fast forward to 2012… the customs for this chocolate-filled day haven’t changed very much.  I guess the slight changes in recent years have been these additions:

  • “Giri-choco” – Chocolates given to male co-workers and classmates, not because of romantic feelings but because you feel obliged to do so.
  • “Honmei-choco” – Ones given to a guy whom you truly like/love.
  • “Tomo-choco” – Ones given to female friends as a sign of friendship.

A friend who has a flower shop told me that their business has a new trend… sending flowers has become popular from a couple of years back.  When I told her how it is in the U.S., she said, “It would be AWESOME if that happened here!”

Can’t really say that one way is good and the other is bad… just that it’s different.

Does anyone out there have any special memories of Valentine’s Day?  (Good or bad…)

One for me is from middle school.  I was unsure of the relationship I was in at the time and was thinking of breaking up with my boyfriend… it was right around Valentine’s Day.  Thought to break up on that day was too cruel, so I broke up with him the next day.  (I know, I know… that’s just as bad.)  Had the chance to apologize to him about it recently… funny thing is he didn’t remember it was the day after and wondered why I was worried about it all these years later.  🙂

Anyway… I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine’s Day regardless of how you celebrate the day!  (Ours here in Japan will be over in about 2 more minutes…)

Russian Roulette with Wasabi…

13 Feb 2012 3 Comments

by Birdie in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , ,

Well, I was planning on writing about something totally different tonight… funny how subjects can change from hour to hour!  🙂

I met one of my really good friends this evening before my final English class.  The class is a group of oral surgeons and they all work at a university hospital.  My friend had recently made a website for their department and wanted to go with me tonight to take some homemade Valentine’s sweets for them.

(By the way, tomorrow I’ll explain about how Valentine’s Day is here in Japan.  Stay tuned!)

Anyway, my friend thought it would be fun to add wasabi to one of the sweets and see who would be the “winner.”  (Wasabi is a VERY hot mustard-like paste that you sometimes find on sushi.)

There were four of us tonight and there were a total of 18 sweet potato tarts.  The three of them took one each as I took a picture of the sweets and the doctors… all three ate the ones they had chosen, half holding their breath and chewing, waiting to see if the flavor in their mouths was going to change. Their expressions turned to ones of relief.

So, it was my turn.  There were still 15 to choose from.  Looking from one to the next, I selected one that appeared rather normal.  (Then again, they ALL looked “normal”!!  ha ha ha)

As the other three focused intently, I brought the tart to my mouth and took a sniff… uh, oh… it was too late though and I took a bite.  Chewing, chewing, chewing… all I could taste was sweet potato and the sweetness of the tart cup.

Then it happened!  That familiar sting in the nasal passage!  I let out an “Ugh!” and the others started laughing.  Instead of putting the rest down, I ate it… guess I didn’t want to be labeled a loser.  🙂

So, that was my Russian Roulette-kind-of-day!  My students said that must mean that I’m going to have a lucky year.

All I know is that my sinuses are clear for the time being!  🙂

The Heavens have gained another beautiful voice…

12 Feb 2012 Leave a comment

by Birdie in Life, Music, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Facebook hasn’t been accessed yet, but one can only imagine that it’s filled with posts about the passing of Whitney Houston.  When I saw the Internet news on AOL about her, my heart sank.  And, you know, it was shocking to see that she was only 48 years old.

Just days before the Grammy Awards… people must be scrambling to change the flow of the show, celebrations might be quieter, lights might be dimmer…

(Sorry… I feel like I’m just rambling.  So many feelings dashing around in my heart.)

Reading one article, there was a video of her last performance… according to the article anyway.  Whitney was singing “Amazing Grace” with someone else.  A part of me was startled hearing her raspy, gravelly, almost unrecognizable voice… yet another part of me was comforted hearing that oh-so-familiar warmth and tenderness as she sang.

The first time I ever heard her voice was the duet she sang with Jermaine Jackson, “Take Good Care of My Heart”.  (Way back in 1984.)  Had bought the record and fell in love with that song AND her voice.  Then she came out with her own album the next year.

No matter how she lead her life, no matter what choices she made, we are all blessed that she shared her amazing voice and talent with us.

Ms. Houston, may you rest in peace…

Monsters and Fairy Tales…

12 Feb 2012 3 Comments

by Birdie in Childhood, Life, Uncategorized Tags: , , , ,

My childhood bedroom… stuffed animals, tons of books on the shelves, a poster of Leif Garrett, other posters of characters from fairy tales, one with my favorite singing duo, Pink Lady.  Sounds like a typical little girl’s room, right?  Well, I also had a BIG poster of Dracula, a smaller poster of Frankenstein and a glow in the dark poster of King Kong!  🙂

For some reason I had the biggest fascination with monsters.  If there was a book about monsters or movie creatures in the Scholastic book order from school, there was a HUGE check mark next to it.  (The time I got a monster-related poster with the order, talk about being filled with elation!!)

You could ask me questions about Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi, Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, and I had ALL the answers!  (Yes, very strange little girl…)

But the fascination didn’t stop there.  One of my favorite Japanese cartoons was (and still is) Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro.  (Not sure if it has an English title or not.)  Loved all the monsters in the Ultraman series, loved Godzilla, all the odd creatures in the Kamen Rider shows.  (Loved them all, yet at the same time, I was quite scared of them, too.)

Wonder if anyone else out there liked/likes monsters?  Anyone?  Anyone?  🙂

The Joys of Jazz and Children’s Voices…

10 Feb 2012 1 Comment

by Birdie in Uncategorized Tags: , ,

The first part of this year has been filled with music sung by my English students.  (Hence today’s title.)

Last month, one of the kindergartens had a recital.  My students (ages 5 and 6) put on short plays, sang songs and played various instruments.  For the final number, they sang two songs I had taught them in class… one was a New Year’s song done to the melody of “Happy Birthday” and the other was “I Can Sing a Rainbow.”

Then a couple of days ago, I was invited to a concert held by one of my private students.  She’s a jazz vocalist and has just released her very first CD.  We’ve worked together to improve her pronunciation since most of the songs she sings on a daily basis are jazz songs in English.

As I stood and watched both performances, I was so proud of all of them… maybe how a parent would feel watching their child up there on the stage, singing their hearts out.  (Can’t be sure since I don’t have any children of my own, but maybe it was something close to that feeling.)

The children were singing as best as they could, not once stumbling over the words, smiles on their little faces.  A couple of them saw me as the song went on and I tried my best to hide the tears that were beginning to tumble down my cheeks.  They were adorable!

My jazz singer student, Mayumi, was simply amazing!  Song after song, she’d slide into the melodies and I found myself holding my breath a couple of times when I knew a difficult phrase (pronunciation-wise) was coming up.  If she was feeling the same way, no one would’ve known because she didn’t break a sweat.

I’ve always known that music has the wonderful power of healing, but during those two performances, it’s as if I was taught that lesson all over again.

Music really does make the world a better place…

 

88 and Looking Great…

09 Feb 2012 Leave a comment

by Birdie in Life, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

My main job is teaching conversational English to anyone who is interested.  There are group classes and private classes… classes at one elementary school and two kindergartens, three community centers and two hospitals.

My youngest student just turned two.  (Yes, it’s a bit more like babysitting.  🙂 )  My oldest student… well, he is the reason for today’s title… he will be 88 this year!

Mr. Hashiguchi is a character!  He grew up in Nagasaki, studied English in junior high, didn’t have to go to fight in WWII but had to watch a lot of his friends go and never saw them again, worked in the black market for a time in Tokyo, realized that wasn’t the path to be taking, moved back to Kyushu, worked on some of the U.S. military bases, then got a job working for the city.

What a life, right?

After he retired, he decided he wanted to study English.  He started taking a class locally and it was soon after that that I met him.  (Just happened I was asked to take over the class he was in.)

Mr. Hashiguchi not only studies and writes a diary in English every day, he takes a haiku class (and has had some of them published in a local paper), he was taking a computer class until just recently… he walks every morning for about an hour and loves watching the sumo tournaments on TV.

He loves fried chicken and drinks some beer and 3 small glasses of shochu every night.  (Shochu is a type of Japanese liquor.)  Whenever we have a class party and he starts drinking, he’ll always start singing songs like “My Old Kentucky Home” and “Old Black Joe”.  (Songs he learned in junior high… and trust me when I say he remembers ALL the words for ALL the verses!)

I hope that if I live to be 88, I’ll be enjoying life as much as he does!  Here’s to my Japanese “grandpa”, Mr. Hashiguchi!  🙂

No Bubbles in this Bathtub…

08 Feb 2012 6 Comments

by Birdie in Japanese Life/Culture/Customs, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

It’s the middle of winter.  The day has been extremely cold, snowflakes being whipped around by the chilling wind.  You finally get home to a freezing house (no central air/heat in Japanese houses)… what’s the first thing you want to do?  Take a hot and relaxing bath!!

If you’ve ever been to Japan and have had the opportunity to stay in a Japanese home or at a Japanese-style inn, you’ve probably taken an “ofuro”… the Japanese way of taking a bath.  (“The ONLY way to take a bath!” I’ve heard my mother say.)  🙂

Thought I’d add a picture to help with the explanation.  This is a room which is completely separate from the toilet.  The toilet is usually in a smaller room, all on it’s own.  Before you go into the bathtub area, there is another space/room which is the changing area.  In some homes, this space is where the washing machine is and there’s usually a sink where you’d wash your face, brush your teeth, etc.

From there, you’d go into the bathtub area.  In this space, you can get as crazy as you want with the water and it won’t matter!  As you can see in the picture, that space next to the tub is where you wash yourself.  There’s a special seat (See the one with a hole in it?  That’s the chair.) and there are special basins that you use to dip the hot water out of the bathtub to wash and rinse.  And, of course, there’s a shower head for those who want to simply take a quick shower before soaking.

Now, the bathtub itself is now always very long.  (In many cases, the older the house, the shorter the tub.)  But the tubs are quite deep, so much so that when you sit in the tub, the hot water would be at shoulder-level or a little higher… unless many others have taken a bath before you.

Yes, you read that correctly!  Everyone in the house uses that same water to soak in.  (It’s not like everyone’s washing themselves in the same water since they should be clean by the time they get in the tub.)

The tub has a heating unit, so that if the water begins to get lukewarm, you can heat it up again without having to add more hot water.  Pretty neat, right?  But, because of this heating unit, it’s a no-no to have a bubble bath.  (The soap messes up the components of the unit.)

A place for rest and relaxation... but no bubbles, please!

You may notice in the photo that the water is not clear.  Well, there are special powders which you can add to the water to help you relax.  They come in various scents (types of trees, flowers, etc.) and in various colors.  There are types which are said to help aching muscles and others that are supposed to help warm the body from the core and keep you that way throughout the night.

If you ever get the chance to visit, I hope you can experience taking a bath Japanese-style.  Everyone deserves to take an authentic “ofuro” at least once in their lifetime!  🙂

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