Nasu: Third times a charm!

I have been taking some time to go over old photos that I shot with my cellphone over the course of the summer.  Here are some snaps from my trip mid-summer to Nasu, Japan.  This was my third time hiking it.  I went with my pal Leo and a new friend Kevin (not pictured).  The hike is short and easy.  If you go at a quick pace, you could make it to the top in about an hour and a half.  If you take your time, two or three hours, depending on how many breaks you want to take.  

It offers up a great view at the top for such a small mountain.  I have done a few videos on it in the past.  You can dig through my youtube channel if you're interested.  For now, here are are few pics.  Enjoy!

Summer is halfway over

This summer has gone by fast and I've been having too much fun. It's been a relatively mild summer compared with the past two I have experienced. I really wish I could have made it back to the US to visit all my friends but the airfare is ridiculous. I still haven't been back. At least I'm trying to make the best of it. My sister will be here in two days. I'm looking forward to that. I'll try to get back into the swing of things with my blog and videos. I bought a new hard drive, so I have the space! That's all for now! Later!

Japanese Summer Festival - 那須 与

It's been around a month since I posted. I finally managed to squeeze this one out today. I managed to get most of it done yesterday and it only needed a few extra bits for today.

Next will be the 'Fire Festival' I attended this past Fall. I think after that, I have nothing left so I will probably start swinging hard at the winter break videos. I'll be trying to keep them to around seven total episodes. Probably somewhere around three for Korea and four for the Philippines. I'm not sure yet, I need to review my footage. If I came out with a total of five, I'd be more happy.

Well, thanks for watching and reading!

Summer Plans in Japan

It's finally here, summer break. I have around five weeks of free time to do whatever I please. The main problem I have standing in my way this summer is, money. Basically the root of all evil. I never wrote an update but I have been severely broke since the earthquake in March. I lost a few days of work which meant I didn't get paid for them. Luckiy, I had family and friends who have helped me out.

Then in late May I had quite a big medical scare. My entire right side went numb and I had symptoms similar to a stroke. I spent some time in the ER, between doctors, and a ton of tests. It turns out that I am ok but need to pay more attention to my posture. Again, I lost a few days of work, which meant I wasn't paid. Plus there were medical bills (Thank God I wasn't in America or else I would have been screwed for years to come. My total for all my bills was less than $500 and that includes FOUR MRIs which in the USA are $2,000 a pop).

All of this happens before a glorious time, summer break. I'm not a huge fan of summer in Japan, mainly because of the humidity but I am a big fan from having time off work. Originally I planned to head back to the USA and visit everyone. Well, plane tickets are out of my price range. Then I hatched another plan, travel all throughout Japan. I contemplated heading to Osaka and Kyoto, then taking a ferry to Hokkaido and enjoy the rest of summer of there.

Then I was a grown up about it. Although I realize that I could go to Hokkaido, see Kyoto or visit some distant part of Japan, it just isn't smart for me to do something like that. This summer were be spent here in Tochigi. I have some plans to get out of the area. I will still buy a train pass and get out a few times but only day trips to Tokyo. Mt. Fuji is on the list once again this year. I just don't want to be financially broke anymore.

As bad as it sounds, I can make it somewhat positive. I spent all my life living in WA state. One of the most beautiful states in all of America. But I have spent very little time on the Olympic Peninsula and next to no time in central WA. There is so much I haven't seen. I see my opportunity this summer to explore my little region of Japan.

My Rural Farmer Accent… Sort of.

At least thats what I feel like calling it. You see, throughout Japan different regions have different dialects of Japanese or different accents. Since Tokyo is the hub, it would be considered the most standard form of Japanese. Compare it to 'American Standard'. That accent is what most people speak in America. It's how most news casters speak. More or less, it's the standard. Japan is the same but also just like America, there are different accents and dialects throughout Japan.

It's a difficult concept to explain to anyone who doesn't speak Japanese so I will attempt my best. I will use one of the most well known dialects 'Osaka-ben' which comes from, Kansai region.

Essentially what occurs is parts of words or actually word uses are changed completely. To relate this anywhere to English a word like American English verse British English.

American British

=======================

French Fries Chips

Chips Crisps

Vest Waistcoat

Tank top Vest

Ice sickle Ice lolly

Or to compare it to something to American English, you can use Ebonics as an example. It's much more of dialect than anything else. Pronunciation and abbreviation of words is completely more common. This to me, seems to more closely resemble what happens in Japan.

So for example the word 'can' is 'deki' in Japanese. If you were to say 'can't', you would tag 'nai' at the end of it, creating 'dekinai'. In Osaka they use 'hen' instead. Your word would now be 'dekihen' or 'can't in Osaka-ben. This sounds simple but becomes problematic because 'hen' in normal Japanese generally means 'weird'. In Osaka, you would be ok to say that but if you said it outside of the Kansai region, you're saying 'can crazy' or maybe some other word. There are a lot of other words that modify or change words in Osaka ben but I won't get into it because I can hardly understand it.

Where the concept of regional dialects applies to me is where I live, Tochigi. And just like other areas of Japan, it also has a dialect known as 'Tochigi-ben'. A lot of Japanese see it as a dialect farmers use. Mainly because this is a farmer area. Though it's dying off a little, it's still used within Tochigi. I might unknowingly learn a word form a Japanese person in this region which is Tochigi-ben. With all honesty, I have learned just a little Tochigi-ben and have caught myself using it when trying to talk with my students. This might not seem overly interesting to someone who doesn't speak Japanese but try and imagine meeting a Japanese who speaks English with a Southern Drawl. That's more or less how I try and view it.

Wouldn't you love to hear and Asian speak like Shop Dog Sam?