my meishi!!

I feel so cultured today. I have my own business cards printed in Japanese!! Lori just sent me this picture of my meishi (business cards) she had made for me in Japan. In Japan, the business card is a major part of business relationships and even comes with its proper etiquette of exchange. The presenter holds the meishi out with both hands and introduces his/herself by affiliation, position and name. The card should be held at the top two corners using both hands, face up and turned so that it can be read by the person receiving the meishi. You should read (or look as though your reading!) the meishi and make some comment about the company or the address or whatever. It is rude to immediately stuff the meishi in your pocket or wallet.

Top 10 list: #3 sushi

3. SUSHI. For my birthday a few years ago, Adam bought me all of the supplies for my very own sushi-making kit. I had intended to take a Sushi making class at the Viking Culinary School, but my patience (or lack there of) got the best of me and I just sat down with the cookbook and taught myself. My favorite roll to make is my signature Philly Cheese Steak Roll. Not sure how authentic it is, but it's delicious nonetheless. For dinner parties I usually show off my sushi-making skills, while Adam makes clear soup and fried rice, called Cha Han (チャーハン）The rice is of course Japanese style, inspired by the Chinese & Benihana. I recently came up with a Southwest roll, combining my love of Mexico and Japan. I'm looking forward to experiencing many other types of Japanese food!

Culture tip/words of the day:
Sushi is rice (sticky, sushi rice), combined with other fresh ingredients such as vegetables & cooked or uncooked fish. Outside of Japan, most people assume that sushi is raw fish or raw seafood dishes. However, sliced raw fish is called sashimi and is not combined with rice. The word sushi literally means "it's sour", though I've personally never experienced anything sour in sushi. The most common sushi in the US is served rolled inside nori, which are dried sheets of seaweed, called makizushi (巻き) or rolls. It consists of a layer of rice and a core of fillings rolled with a layer of nori and cut into 6 or 8 pieces.

If Elvis had been Japanese...

he would have said, "Domo arigato, domo arigato gozaimashita!": Thank you, thank you very much!

Special thanks to the teachers at Hardin County High School for helping to find gifts to give to the students, teachers and host families that I will meet in Japan. We found some t-shirts from Tiger Radio and FBLA and also some Elvis pins yesterday...his hips even sway!! They will be perfect!!! I'm going to contact the birthplace of Elvis in Tupelo and Graceland in Memphis to see what they can contribute. I think Elvis memorabilia will be fitting since Japan's former leader is a huge Elvis fan and I have lived in both Tupelo and Memphis. In case you missed it, Bush invited Koizumi, Japan's former Prime Minister, to visit Graceland a couple of years ago when I was living in Memphis. He's apparently a big Elvis fan and even had a statue erected of Elvis in Japan. See youtube video below. I think Koizumi is such a cute little man!!!

Domo arigatō Mr. Roboto

どうもありがとうミスターロボット (Domo arigatō Mr. Roboto...thank you very much, Mr. Roboto)
I received a package yesterday from Amazon.com that included a Japan Culture Smart book along with a beginner's Japanese book and CD. Needless to say, I have a lot to learn and read before leaving in 18 days (yikes!!!). Here's what I've learned so far...
Basic Japanese phrases: numbers
1-ichi
2-ni
3-san
4-shi, yon (not sure why there are two words, guess I'll find out later)
5-go
6-roku
7-shichi, nana
8-hachi
9-kyuu, ku
10-juu
To state "#1, #2" etc., combine the number with ban. My favorite (and the only) Japanese restaurant when I lived in Tupelo was called Ichiban...funny that I never knew what it meant until now!
Add ji to each number to express the time: 1:00-ichiji

Random language sidenote (there's the Spanish teacher in me coming out). When "studying" in Mexico, I found it interesting to learn that the English equivalent to "Cheers" is "Salud" in Spanish, which means "health". "Cheers" in Japanse is "Kampai", which means "dry cup". Go figure...and go here to find out how to say "Cheers" in other languages. You never know when you might need to toast someone!

Top 10 List: #2 Kabuki

2. kabuki.
culture tip/word of the day: Kabuki--Wikipedia says "Kabuki (歌舞伎, kabuki) is a form of traditional Japanese theatre. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing (歌), dance (舞), and skill (伎). Kabuki is therefore sometimes translated as "the art of singing and dancing."

During the 1st week in Tokyo, we will have a chance to experience this type of traditional theatre first hand. Until then, check out this youtube clip...

your name in japanese...

To the right is my name written in Japanese...

One of the other JFMFers, Ralph from Florida, sent this link today on the listserv that will translate your first name into Japanese. Try it: http://japanesetranslator.co.uk/your-name-in-japanese/

The beginning of my "Top 10 things I want to experience while in Japan"...in no particular order

1. KARAOKE. This is my top choice of things I want to do in Japan. I want to experience the original karaoke, with the private room and all. I've been told that serious karaokers even bring their own microphone. I can't wait!
Culture tip/word of the day: Jūhachiban (also ohako 十八番, literally, number 18). Many karaoke singers have one song which they are especially good at and which they use to show off their singing abilities. In Japan, this is called jūhachiban in reference to the 18 most popular kabuki plays....we'll get to that one tomorrow (thanks Wikipedia for the info). So...I need to start thinking about what my "Jūhachiban" will be... Any ideas? Anyone who attended my wedding last summer witnessed me & my bridesmaids singing my signature song, "Tiny Dancer", accompanied by the band which was absolutely fantastic. Since I've never done this particular song by myself (and certainly without Nikki close by), I might have to recruit some poor souls to help out. Elton John anyone? I hope you can "kara" a tune, "oke"...