http://www.sagajet.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2359

If Elisabeth’s Geocities link doesn’t work, here is a copy of the form I saved and uploaded to our server.

Bored this week? Wanna see another part of Kyushu?
Fukuoka-Now.com maintains a list of festivals. You can sort by name, by month or by prefecture.
http://www.fukuoka-now.com/kcalendar/index.php?order=month,title&offset=120

Each has a short blurb and often contact info to get in on the action. We’ve linked you to August so you can start the new JET year running.

Not a huge thing, but some people have never taken city buses before. Also, the Saga Buses (and a lot in Japan, actually) charge by distance, not a flat rate, so they might be different from other buses you’ve ridden.

Here is a PDF file to help you figure it out. But it’s not anything to stress about.

The PDF comes from a guide I found on the Saga City Bus site and… well, I didn’t translate it so much as describe the pictures.

If you read Japanese, the PDF contains a link at the end to the original site. Also, the kids’ version is here:

-norikata.html" onclick="javascript:urchinTracker('/outbound/www.bus.saga.saga.jp');">http://www.bus.saga.saga.jp/kids/kids-norikata.html It might be a little easier to read.

The Saga City Bus Guide

Original Forums post HERE.

This Saturday, July 28th from 1-6:30pm at the Tojin Hiroba (where is that? you know, it’s that space on the eki street next to Tojin Cafe where they hold concerts all the time)
THere will be:

Workshops!
Jenbe (sp?) African drumming!
African dancing!
Stamp-making!

A Fashion Show!

Performances!
Ushizu African Drumming Club (high schoolers, they have this in ushizu?!)
Forikan (pro drummers)
MIYAKO – african dancing
Warakudan S.A.G.A. – taiko
馬洪陽ー pro Chinese fiddle! (for real?)
Teens Musical Saga!
and more!

Food!
Indian!
Pakistani!
Mango Juice!

pretty cool eh?
And, did anyone notice that neither Habitat nor the Christmas Party is fundraising at it? Marianne, where are you?? Smile

UNTIL: 3 am.

AFTER: Round 1 (bowling/games)

For both of these events, Katie needs numbers.
The A-Party is tentatively booked for 25 and the B-Party for 35, but please email her to secure your spot.

Office dress can be confusing when you’ve come straight out of uni and suddenly need to not wear t-shirts and jeans. Here is a basic guide for what to wear in the office. Since I’m male, my advice will focus on that. Maybe one of the female ALTs will add her thoughts.

There are two basic rules of thumb to follow:

1. Dress up REALLY nicely the first day. You will need a suit and tie.
2. From then on, it’s up to your BOE/schools’ culture. Look at what other teachers of your sex and approximate age are wearing, and match them.

But how, then, can you possibly pack if you haven’t yet SEEN your school? Here are some more guidelines. Bear in mind that you can buy clothing here at UNIQLO (or the GAP or wherever). You can also order from online stores and either have them ship to you in Japan or have your family/friends forward them to you.

Remember when I said to look at your “closest peer teachers”? The obvious exception is P.E. teachers, who are always dressed down. You probably won’t be able to get away with this, except during the vacations (like summer!)

You’ll want to wear a suit the first day (ick) and probably on “special days”– that is, open/observations classes and formal events like graduation. Conversely, I found that when I arrived, ALL of my school’s teachers were dressed down because classes were not in session. Actually, on my first day, we had a Big Cleaning– and it kind of sucked to be in a suit doing dirty work, but I think my teachers appreciated that I was game enough to do it.

Many teachers change during the day (especially before club activities). I do not like hauling clothes around and I really don’t like changing clothes gratuitously. So I don’t do this.

For men,
I usually wear khakis and polos (solids, not patterned) on shougakkou days.

For non-shou days, a short sleeved shirt in the summer or a broadcloth, button-up oxford shirt in the winter/fall/spring. I sometimes wear a tie–but never on a day when I’m around elementary school kids. It’s dangerous!

I the winter, I throw a sweater over the shirt, collar out English style). I justify this because I teach in unheated classrooms. And, honestly, the other teachers wear coats and things as well. The sweater thing has the added sneaky benefit of making ironing unnecessary, which makes my mornings happier.

You don’t have to spend a crazy amount on your work wardrobe. With the exception of the suit, everything I wear to work comes from either UNIQLO or Old Navy.

Shoes are a funny thing here. Your workhorse “outside” shoes need to be the kind that slip off and on. I have some brown ones that have a little elastic on the sides so they are easy to slip off and on. And slip them off and on you will. I think I must change shoes about 6 times a day–so the easy on/off thing is of utmost importance.

Inside your school, you will wear sandals or slippers. The most important thing here is that they never have been worn outside. Outside shoes and Inside Shoes are delimited in certain (but oddly, not all) places in Japan (read: schools). I see a lot of shower shoe style here. It’s really bizarre to see men in suits wearing these super casual sandals, but whatever. I wear birkenstock knockoffs. Note that the slippers are what you will actually be wearing throughout the day. Also note that they are not worn barefooted (pantyhose is okay for ladies). So thongs are not a good idea, unless you have toed socks.

Speaking of socks, I usually just wear white or black cotton ones. It’s not too big of a deal. But they DO need to be in good condition (no holes!) because you will sometimes be in your stocking feet when you go to special rooms like the gym or computer lab.

I have two pairs of slippers: one for my base school, and one I keep in my car for whenever I’m doing an outreach school. If you somehow forget your slippers, you will have to wear the narsty plastic ones that guests wear and they won’t fit well and they will be ugly. But probably not as ugly as the slippers your kids will be wearing as part of their uniform. Don’t worry about a second pair of slippers if you aren’t sure that you will need them: I was able to pick up my second pair here in Japan for about 9 bucks.

That’s about it. I hate wearing dressy clothes, but I think that dressing at least somewhat professionally is important if you want to be taken seriously. However, elementary schools tend to let the teachers dress more casually, and I know of JETs who wear jeans and t-shirts to elementary. It’s probably best to start out on the conservative end and gradually loosen up as you figure out what you can get away with.

So I’m working on the site behind the scenes, but it’s not a 1-man show, people.

I would love for people to start writing the odd article or maybe even a column if you love to write. I can contribute, but I don’t want to dominate.

Stylewise, think lifestyle magazine. The tone is not personal or bloggy, though it’s not businesslike or newsy, either. Fukuoka Now is a good example.

Writing Ideas:

– Product/restaurant reviews
– Local history
– Japanese items/culture (ex: how to choose sake; waxing rhapsodic about soba)
– Teaching issues (Always wanted to present a workshop? Put that material to good use here!)

If you’re interested, sign up here below.

By TOMOKO OTAKE
Staff writer, Japan Times. Original here.

Imagine being in a sauna for a few hours. Then imagine getting out of it and walking straight into a giant freezer for another few hours. Do this several times a day and continue the routine for a couple of months. Some people say that’s what spending summer in Japan is like.

Japan’s summer months are notoriously hot and muggy, which can lead to a range of health problems. Natsubate (summer fatigue) leaves people feeling tired, lethargic and/or sleep-deprived. Many people lose their appetite and become irritated, while others suffer digestive problems such as diarrhea, constipation and/or giddiness.

Originally referring to a condition brought on by prolonged exposure to the sweltering summer heat, these days natsubate starts early even in late June for some people, because of sudden changes in the weather and freezerlike air conditioning in trains, buses and buildings.

Dr. Takao Matsumoto, deputy director of Tokyo Rinkai Hospital in Edogawa Ward, Tokyo, who occasionally sees patients with heat-related illnesses, says summer fatigue is primarily caused by perspiration problems. Body temperature rises in hot weather, and the body tries to cool itself via perspiration. But when exposed to the heat for too long, some people’s bodies become incapable of making such adjustments.

Matsumoto noted that natsubate should not be taken lightly. If left unattended, it can lead to dehydra- tion, cramps and heat stroke.

“Many people start having problems when the temperature rises to around 25 degrees,” Matsumoto said. “Ideally, the temperature differences between outdoor air and indoor air should be kept within 5 degrees.”

So what can we do to avoid the summer’s perils? Matsumoto and other experts offer the following no-nonsense tips:

Carry clothes that are easy to put on and take off: Many offices are excessively air-conditioned. Bring a cardigan or a long-sleeved shirt to your office and wear it when you feel cold. To counter the air conditioning, some office workers nowadays bring to their offices a yutampo (hot-water bottle), which many Japanese traditionally use to make their futon warm in the winter. You can buy yutampo at a drug store for a few thousand yen apiece. Another tip is to ask your office to turn their air conditioning down (which conserves energy, too.)

Get enough sleep: It might sound elementary, but sleep is indeed essential to avoid and recover from natsubate. If you have problems going to sleep because of the heat, place a bag of ice on your pillow for a few minutes, or turn on an air-conditioner with a timer, making sure that it switches off after several hours. Turning air conditioning on throughout the night is often a cause of natsubate.

Work out regularly: People who can sweat effectively are less likely to suffer from natsubate because their bodies are better conditioned to accommodate temperature changes. Regular exercise can prepare people for that. It also helps them build stamina to survive the summer.

Diet is key

Keiko Kamachi, a registered dietitian and associate professor of nutrition at the Kagawa Nutrition University in Tokyo, meanwhile, says a regular, balanced diet is key to staying healthy through the summer.

“Eat three meals regularly,” she said. “You can also choose to have food that makes you less likely to feel tired.” Summer vegetables such as tomato, eggplant and cucumber contain antioxidants that help protect against ultraviolet light, Kamachi says. Local summer fruits such as suika (watermelon) and nashi (pears) are rich in the minerals that are lost due to perspiration. Natsumikan (summer tangerine), rich in potassium and magnesium, is also good because its citric acid helps people recover from exhaustion, she said. The key, however, is not to gorge on any particular food item but to “eat a little bit of all (of them),” according to Kamachi.

When you are tired, try taking B vitamins, as they help the body convert food into energy, both Matsumoto and Kamachi say. Not that popping a pill is going to work magic.

“Vitamin supplements can irritate the stomach, so it is better to get B vitamins through regular food,” Kamachi says.

Foods rich in B vitamins include pork, soybeans and milk. Soba noodles are also known to be rich in B vitamins, she said, noting that when you have soba, you should also drink the sobayu (the hot water used to boil the noodles) served at most soba restaurants after the meal.

The use of food to ease summer exhaustion dates back to the eighth century in Japan, when the poet Ootomono Yakamochi recommended a suffering friend eat eel to regain his strength, and people in different regions of the country have developed their own particular remedies, often using food locally grown or produced. Junko Yokota, a travel consultant who lives in the Aizu region in western Fukushima Prefecture, says that it has long been a common practice for families in her area to pick ume plums that naturally grow in their gardens and put them in jars with rock sugar. Local plums a brand known as Aizu-takada ume make great plum juice, she says, noting that, when she was a girl, her grandmother would make her drink a glass of the homemade nectar every day during the summer.

“Plums are picked in June and placed in jars, and a year later they are ready to be served,” Yokota said. “You would drink the juice, and then eat the plum as well. It’s probably thanks to those plums that I have never experienced natsubate.”
Stay cool as a cucumber soup

Suffering from the heat? Want to try a Japanese solution to a Japanese problem?

Masahiro Kumamoto, a 46-year-old owner of a seafood-products store in Miyazaki Prefecture, western Japan, says he cannot do without a bowl of hiyajiru (cold miso soup poured over cold rice), to deal with the region’s notoriously hot summer. It has traditionally been a “work-time dish” among farmers and fishermen. A self-confessed hiyajiru otaku (obsessive fan), Kumamoto, whose store is named Kumaya Shokuhin, offers the following recipe for hiyajiru, which he claims, if properly cooked, is a culinary experience as rich as the French soup vichyssoise.

The method

1. Choose the type of fish you want to use. The most common fish used in many households is iriko (dried small fish). Fry the iriko in a pan, then crush them with a mortar. You can also use hiraki (fish cut open and dried), in which case grill them and separate the flesh from the bones.

2. To create a soup, fill a sauce pan with water, add katsuobushi (dried bonito shavings) and kombu seaweed and let the water boil for a few minutes.

3. Spread miso on tin foil and heat it for several minutes, giving it a nice roasted flavor.

4. Put the fish and some mashed-up tofu into the soup and bring it to the boil. Add the miso little by little, using a touch more of the paste than usual, because sliced cucumber (to be added later) thins out the taste.

5. Now the most time-consuming part: Let the soup cool to room temperature. Add the cucumber, chopped oba (Japanese basil) and ground sesame seeds. Prepare a portion of rice as usual.

6. Cool the soup in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Cool your rice to room temperature. Finally, don’t forget to chill your rice bowls in the refrigerator.

The Japan Times: Tuesday, July 17, 2007
(C) All rights reserved

Posted by: Lee
Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2007 3:43 pm
Post subject: music fest in tosu

there’s a big (sort of) music festival on in tosu, at kawauchi dam, on the 16th. starts at about 1 or 2, til 9/10. lots of good music, good food, booze.

free bus goes every 30 minutes or so from the eki.
not sure on price, but no more than 3,000….
http://www.sagajet.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2404

http://www.sagajet.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2338

http://www.sagajet.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2316

http://www.sagajet.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2353

http://www.sagajet.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2319