Merry Christmas!!

By the time most people read this update I will be on a plane to Michigan!! I'm so excited to see my family, visit with friends, and be reunited with Clifford (my Big Red Car)! From Dec 23rd to Jan 2nd, you can reach me (call or text!) on my old work cell phone (859-757-8683) or at my parents house.

Even though Nagoya has pretty mild weather, I still manged to get into the holiday spirit. They have great light displays every where you look and stores were always playing American Christmas tunes. Here's a few of my favorite sights that I've been saving up for a special Christmas blog:

She's called the "Meitetsu Girl" and was the first thing I took a picture of when I arrived in Nagoya on Nov 6th! She's in front of the Meitetsu Department Store and Train Line that I will be taking to the airport. Her outfits get changed for each season and/or holiday. I can't wait to see her new ensemble in January :)

Japan loves cartoon characters so much that many places have their own cartoon mascots, even the city of Nagoya!! Here's Mr. & Mrs. Nagoya wishing you a Merry X'mas! Cute Asian girl driving Santa's sleigh can be found on every street corner!

Light display with special "icicle" lights that actually move to look like they are dripping!

Remember my post about the lighting of Nagoya Station? Here's the area directly underneath the giant wall of lights. It's a walkway of lights.

And, of course, you can get your picture taken with your favorite lighted cartoon character.

All Japanese characters that I'm unfamiliar with, but nonetheless entertaining!

Awesome holiday trees.

One mall (Esca) had a "Rudolph" theme!

Christmas tree at a department store... all of the ornaments are little sweaters!

This one is just plain creepy! I have no idea why that deer in the background looks so real and the cartoon reindeer has a face like a person and a dot in the middle of his forehead...

Common Japanese pork chain restaurant. They also dressed up their mascot!

Saving the best for last... There is a cool skyscraper in Nagoya that makes neat designs from their office lights. It was really tough for me to catch because in the evenings people would still be working and the wrong lights would often be on. But at 10pm or later you could get the full effect. Here's one side...

... and the other side!! It's like a work of art!! I love how they even have different colors.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

I will see many of you very soon, and everyone gets a break from the blog for about 10 days :)

Year End Party

On Monday my department at work had their Year-End Party!! (I know this is the month of parties, and it's awesome!!) We went to a traditional Okinawa-style restaurant and then karaoke! Time for another geography lesson... Okinawa is the southern islands of Japan. Generally known as the poorest part of the country (due to lack of industry), but it has tropical temps all year round and some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Oddly, few Japanese people have even been there. They prefer to vacation in Hawaii since it is so much cheaper!! Also, the American resorts are much nicer than the Japanese hotels. At dinner we took a survey, and no one had been to Okinawa but everyone (except me & Jacky) has been to Hawaii at least once!

We had 11 dishes of food... let's kick it off. Here is Shiraishi (Jazzy Dani) and me with some kind of fluffy purple rice chips and dried spicy cucumbers. Both were super yummy. I should also note that Okinawa has the healthiest food in all of Japan. In fact, Okinawa people tend to live 5 years longer on the average just due to their diet. (I think it might also because they are living in a beach paradise, but who knows?!)

3 types of mystery vegetables.

Caesar salad with a runny egg on top. They let me take my portion before they mixed up the egg with the lettuce.

Green onions with some fish hiding underneath.

Today was Jacky's last day for good. He goes back to Transfreight China. Pictured here with our General Manager, Kataoka, and my On the Job Trainer, Yosuke Kawakami.

Sashimi--raw fish. I didn't eat any this time.

Spicy roll made of egg with fish eggs inside. Actually, the spicy flavor made it pretty tasty. Drown out the fish egg taste!

My farewell gift to Jacky: a Transfreight "Engineering Lean Supply Chains" pen. He was super excited because apparently he saw me using this same one in India and was super jealous!! Jacky said it was a VERY NICE pen, and it has a different tagline from China, so everyone will be impressed. TFCL is still using "Explore the Opportunities".

I was told this was a chicken meatball...

...but in fact it was filled with 2 boiled egg yolks. Talk about an old bait & switch!! Thankfully the chicken drown out most of the egg taste!

Yosuke compared this dish to American "breakfast" because there is eggs, meat, and vegetables in it. Kind of like an omelet, I suppose. Also some fish flakes on top.

Japanese pizza. Basically a giant pancake filled with veggies. Also a little like okonomiyaki I had with Mika on my 2nd day here, but much better this time around!

As the night wore on and we order more & more beer, I forgot to take pictures of things when they first came out... Here's the Okinawa version of ramen noodles and some fried rice.

I learned many things as the beers were going down easy:

1. My Japanese language skills actually increased (or at least I was brave enough to speak a lot more!). I was ordering rounds for the entire table, and they were teaching me new words that I can actually remember today!!

2. My coordination goes downhill fast, and that includes chopsticks skills. I couldn't feel too bad though because I saw several other people drop food too, and then pick it up directly from the table and eat it!!

3. Japanese karaoke is just about the coolest thing ever!!!

The gang's all here, and we're ready to move to the bar to sing our hearts out!

We walked by the office on the way from the restaurant to karaoke, and 2 guys went back in to finish up some work for 30 minutes!! I can only imagine what my emails would have been like after 3 hours of drinking!! LOL.

I had a fab time singing a whole bunch of crazy American songs. No one seemed to notice that I'm pretty much tone-deaf...

Jacky & Miyamura sing a slow Chinese song together!!

Kerri & Shiraishi do a duet to Aerosmith's I Don't Want to Miss a Thing!!

A rousing rendition of We Are the World!

Kerri & her GM Kataoka close out with night with Michael Jackson's Billie Jean.

Japanese karaoke (as you can see from the pics) is in a small private room which you rent by the hour (or 3 like us!). They all love it, so you just have to grab the song books and start entering song codes to line them up!! People might also queue up a song for you to sing without your knowing!!

I had a great time. Some of the song I sang were: Pat Benatar's Hit Me with Your Shot, Miley Cyrus's Party in the USA, Madonna's Material Girl (so good I got high 5's all around!), Beatles' Hello Goodbye, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, and the list could go on... My favorite group song was the Beatles' Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da. I was still singing it in the shower this morning!!

Oh yeah, this Monday night party didn't end until just before 1am!! We all took taxis home. As I was getting loaded into my taxi, Shiraishi was giving me tips about how to prevent a hangover. He was still making motions about drinking a jug of water even as the door was closed, and I was pulling away!! Apparently, he doesn't know that this Central Michigan University girl has had some practice with battling hangovers ;)

A cute video of Ema singing a Japanese love song. You can really get a feel for the tiny room.

Jacky is serenading Miyamura in Chinese, and then they start arguing in Japanese... priceless!!

Home Party

Today I went to my first "home" party, which means I was invited to someone's home. It is a rare treat!! Since Japanese homes are notoriously small, you might never visit the homes of even your closest friends. Get togethers are almost always at restaurants, karaoke bars, etc.

The party was at Shiraishi's house. You might remember him as "Jazzy Dani" from the Office Party, and he sits next to me at work. He lives just outside the Nagoya city limits, so it was about a 30 minute subway ride. All of the guests met at the subway station, and Shiraishi was there to lead the way to his home. (Many streets in Japan are unmarked and curiously some are even unnamed, so giving directions or finding a place on your own is nearly impossible!) Shiraishi lives in a tall apartment building like I do, and that's where the similarity ends! His is high-class, very beautiful, and has 3 little badge-scanning security points to go through! His home is large by Japanese standards, but still less than 1,000 sq ft. He has a wife, 7-year-old daughter, 4-year-old son, hamster, and several fish! He even has the space for a "work-out room" where he has a weight bench and other exercise equipment!! We were all quite impressed!

The other guests were also friends from work and their families. In total there were 13 of us. The party was like any other party I've been to in America. The adults eat & drink plenty of food while chatting about everything under the sun and watching the children play! The food might have been a little different and we were all sitting on the floor using chopsticks, but other than that it was the same. I had a great time, and I am thankful to have such kind friends in Nagoya so quickly!!

My favorite thing about Shiraishi's home was that his wood floors were heated! OMG... luxury!! It really made kneeling/sitting for 3 hours bearable. I actually kind of wanted to lay down and take a nap on them! Now that I've come back to my drafty apartment, I look around and am a bit disappointed! Oh yeah, one last thing, they had a large balcony with what appeared to be a week's worth of laundry hanging out on it!! I guess even in high-class joints they still don't have clothes dryer!

Visit to Orphanage: Tenshi-en

One of Mitsui's guiding principles is "do the right thing all the time" and as a company they encourage CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activities. Today, I was lucky enough to participate in a 30-year tradition of visiting a childrens orphanage, Tenshi-en, during Christmastime. It was a wacky and fun time, and of course, I took plenty of pictures to share!

First off, they didn't want me to have to find my way to the meeting point via subway, so one guy came by and picked me up in his car! (We had to meet up and drive there rather than walk due to all of the costumes and gifts we were bringing.) Inui (my driver) shows up with a sporty Audi decked out with all sorts of racing accessories, including a turbo boost!! I felt like it was something out of "The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift". Quite different than the commonplace Toyotas and Diahatsus I see rolling around.

Once we arrived, we immediately unloaded all of the gifts and changed into our costumes! It was a total riot. I had no idea what to expect, what they were going to make me wear, and if it would even fit!! As it turns out, all of the girls got red Santa coats, and the guys were either Santa, reindeer, or inexplicably some kind of "Ranger". (Like a superhero or Power Ranger!)

Here's a few of us ready to meet the kids! My driver, Inui, is the blue ranger!

Goofiness all around. We are getting in to the holiday spirit!!

Katsuyama and Yuri are carrying "Christmas boots". They are like stockings in America, filled with yummy treats, and each child will get one. The kids were so excited to see us. I don't think I've ever seen anything cuter! 40 Japanese kids screaming and yelling and so excited about their costumed visitors!!

After introductions (during which the kids said "Kerri-san kawaii!" = Ms. Kerri is cute!), we played a rousing game of charades. We each got an animal to act out. Mine was a "gorilla", and I did a darn fine job scratching my armpits and jumping around! The kids guessed immediately.

All of the Rangers. LOL. Japanese men are so darn skinny. They even have their clothes on underneath!! Check out the pink one; he is wearing the matching skirt!! By the way, when they were introducing themselves, they stuck with the theme and said "My name is green"... or blue, yellow, etc!!

Next was a wacky game kind of like Rock, Paper, Scissors. You go up to someone, challenge them to Rock, Paper, Scissors, and the loser has to get behind the winner and form a train. All of the mini trains challenge each other. At the end, the leader of the entire train is the winner!!

Here's my challenger. She beat me on the first try!

Total chaos as we play with the children.

So freaking adorable. The Rangers stayed in the audience because the kids loved them so much!!

Next was a game called "Drop the Handkerchief". It's basically Duck, Duck, Goose without the touching. Everyone sits in a circle, the person who is It walks behind everyone, and if they drop the handkerchief behind you, then you get up, run around the circle, and try to catch them. If you get caught, you have to sit in the middle. It was really funny and kind of dangerous because the floors were so slippery and everyone just had on their socks or slippers. We were sliding and crashing all over the place!

All of the kids get a Christmas boot.

Too cute!!!

Cake time!! I was eating with the girls who were 6-13. It was chocolate cake (with mystery fruit chunks inside) and a strawberry on top.

One girl brought out her English textbook, and I was asked to read a few paragraphs. They all thought it was so funny to hear an American speak English!! It definitely sounded weird to them without the Japanese accent.

Lastly, all of the kids were reunited outside in the play yard to blow off some steam!

This kid was hilarious. He loved wearing the mask, gloves, and belt, each given to him by a different Ranger!!

We left once it got dark, and everyone was asking me if we do something similiar in America. I said no, but I think we should start!! It was really cool, and I'm sure we brightened the childrens day immensely! Plus, I always jump at an opportunity to wear a goofy costume!!

In addition to the Christmas boots & cake, we also brought along many new toys and a monetary donation for the home. Everything was funded by donations from Mitsui employees in the Nagoya office. We didn't pass out the toys when we were there. They will be wrapped and given to the children later, but the most popular toy that they buy every year is several UNICYCLES!!! Hahaha! I was really hoping to get to see the Japanese kids ride these things! LOL. I'm sure they will enjoy them another day...

On my ride home with Inui (yes, I got door-to-door service), he asked if I had ever seen the American movie "Wild Speed" about car drifting several years ago. I had no idea what he was talking about. Then he said do you know "Vin Diesel"? Umm, yeah, one of my faves. Wait a minute... are you talking about The Fast & the Furious?!? YES!! The company he worked at before Mitsui produced all of the auto accessories for the F&F movies, which is why his car is so pimped out and I truly did recognize them! He actually has some of the exact same ones they used in the films!! LOL.

Every day I learn something new in Japan :)

Nagoya Office Christmas Party!!

Tonight was my office Christmas party! I felt like it could have been something out of "The Office"! It was so wacky and not very Christmas-y!!

It was on the 5th floor in the main reception area where I ate lunch a few days ago. The cost was 1000 yen (~$11) per person. The Nagoya office has about 400 staff members, and I would estimate that at least 200 of them stuck around after work for this shindig. It went from 5:30 - 9pm.

First, everyone came in and ate dinner while standing around and grabbing food with their chopsticks from giant platters. It was relatively normal food: chicken, rice balls, veggies, fruit, wontons, etc. They also served beer, wine, and other beverages. I didn't have much of a chance to eat because I was such a popular girl. So many people I've never met before wanted to come and talk to me. Some of them told me they saw me in the elevator. Some of them told me they saw me shopping in the "underground" or getting off of a subway. Apparently it's like "Where's Kerri?" all over Nagoya!

Next was the "parlor tricks" or entertainment. Here's a cute pic of the emcees for the evening. They are wearing headbands with a mini hat and antlers. Also, everyone on the party planning committee wears these blue Mitsui jackets so they are easy to spot! The girl, Yurio, is my friend, and the boy I just met tonight but we were such buds he had to get a pic of the 2 of us with his camera phone!

This was pre-entertainment. The singer is a Mitsui employee, and she really jammed out all night long by singing like 6 songs. I suppose it's no surprise how into it she was considering it's like karaoke with a large audience!! The jazz band was hired for the event. There was also a piano that I cut out the this pic on the left.

Ready for the "parlor tricks"! Mari (from my dept.), Kerri, Hiroki, and another friend. I read in a guide book that the Japanese like to give the peace sign in pictures because it means they are happy. (Sometimes the Japanese smile for other reasons besides happiness.) If that is true, Hiroki is REALLY excited to be in this picture with me!!

Here's the first act: 6 team members played 2 Christmas carols with hand bells. Many of them had to keep switching bells and even hands which the bells were in, but I noticed that Santa only had 2 bells. He must have been "slow Santa". That would have been me! These 6 people are new employees. They were all hired within the past year.

The second act was two trainee employees doing a comedy sketch. I didn't really understand it, but people around me that it was a silly Japanese thing. I could tell everyone thought it was a little goofy. They will be promoted to "real" employees in February.

Third act was a guy playing a jazz piano song. No picture needed really. Pianos look the same in all countries.

Finally it's voting time! You put your ticket stub in the slot that was your favorite act. My friend, Hariyama, runs one of the voting boxes. I went for #1 (hand bells), and they were the big winners!! (For all of you TFers, yes, that's Yosuke Kawakami sneaking by in the background.)

While they were tallying votes, there were a few more acts just for fun. This was some kind of sumo parody, and they kept chanting "Compliance" in English. At one point, a rips off his shirt to reveal a giant Mitsui tattoo (fake, of course) on his arm!!

I didn't really catch what was going on at this point because my general manager wanted me to meet the only other non-Asian who works in our building. His name is Oscar and he's from Mexico. He went to college in the USA and is fluent in English and Japanese. (It's a small world--his brother works at the Bosch plant in Toluca!)

While I was chatting, there was also a Brazilian samba dance with 6 ladies in kimonos I was unable to get a picture of. I did track down one of my lunch buddies to get a picture with her later. Also, Mari & Ema from my dept. (P.S. I have no idea why I look so possessed in this pic!)

Cake time! They found me a traditional hazelnut piece with a Merry Christmas marker in it!! Yummy!!

All night I was the hit of the party! People kept coming up and talking to me that I've never met, or others I did know wanted to introduce me to their "really good friends". Many people got their picture taken with me!! When people start getting drunk, it gets really loud, their English skills go downhill really quickly, and the whole thing is a riot! Men are talking with their hands, spilling beer or accidentally flinging their cups everywhere. One guy in my department kept telling everyone I looked like "Ariel" from Disney's The Little Mermaid!! He went on to brag that I worked at a company with 1,000 people, and I managed 8 of them. I have no idea where he came up with these numbers, but everyone was impressed. They said I must be very important!!

Finally, there was a quiz on a projector with goofy questions like "Which baby picture is the Mitsui president?", "What is this security guard's name?", etc. It was an immediate elimination quiz. You ran to the number you thought was right, and if you were wrong, you had to sit out. Basically, the party lasted for two hours too long by US standards. Americans would have not played this chaotic and bizarre game.

In the end, everyone surrenders their ticket, draws a number, and gets a gift. This is where Santa would have been appropriate!! Here are 2 more lunch buddies (the girls who think I don't like vegetables) and our prizes. I'm wearing my sweet new jacket that everyone was jealous of. I tried to give it to a few people, but they wouldn't take it. The other girls got a bottle of sake (liquor) and a box of plastic wrap!! I also saw a Dragons baseball calendar and a coupon for a free beer at a local pub. There was a huge variety. Mine was one of a kind and ultra popular, though!!

I sit next to this guy. His name is Daijiro Shiraishi, but he tells me to call him "Jazzy Dani" since he's seen my personal email address!! He loves my jacket so much I get a high 5. He hasn't picked up his gift yet, but as you can see he is enjoying his bottle wine all by himself, so he's in no rush!!

All in all a wacky night, but a lot of fun. One random guy told me this was the worse Nagoya Christmas party he's been to in 5 years!! He said there was no planning and the whole thing was crap! LOL.

P.S. for Shaw--> I hope this blog entry lives up to your wildest expectations ;)