Gone Seoul Searching

Gone Seoul Searching in Japan: Staying in the Fuji-Hakone Guest House

2013-02-24T17:10:00.001-08:00

The Fuji-Hakone Guest House is a wonderful place to stay while visiting Hakone or Mt. Fuji and trying onsen.

Our private room slept 4 people.

Staying at the Fuji-Hakone Guest House was an amazing breath of fresh air from the crowded streets of Tokyo. After taking an hour and 30 minute train to Hakone and walking around a bit, my friends and I hopped on the bus to the guest house. The ride was windy and could easily make someone with a light stomache sick, but was a beautiful experience as we cut our way through the mountainsides.

The guest house is right off the main road in a nice location close to a few shops and restaurants. Everything closes pretty early on the mountain as it is mostly a day time place for tourists and those vacationing. There is no bumping night life or club nearby, so if you're looking for a party this is not the place. The area around the guest house is lush with trees and beautiful views of the mountains.

The indoor onsen, we opened the window at night to cool down!

When we arrived we were greeted by the owner who explained the guest house rules and gave us a ton of information about the area. One of the nice things about this guest house is that there are two onsen. The indoor onsen is free of charge and you can simply put your name up on the sign in sheet outside of the door for your private 30 minute slot. My friends and I signed up for 1 hour together and when we came home after a long day of sightseeing and travel we hopped in and were bad foreigners eating ice cream and having some drinks. This is a truly private onsen experience, which is great if you are one of those people who are afraid to be in a room with other naked people.

The guest house breakfast is nice but you can also cook in the kitchen.

The curfew at this guest house is 10pm. It seems strange to have a curfew, but in all reality because everything closes so early in the area its no problem. Just visit the Lawson's convenience store down the street and stock up on some food and drinks if you want to hang out in your room with your friends all night.

Inside the common area at Fuji-Hakone Guest house.

The guest house serves an optional breakfast in the morning. The food looked delicious, but we decided to save a little money and cook ourselves. There is a full kitchen with all of the supplies that you need to do any cooking. I got up first and made my friends banana pancakes and eggs and we all ate breakfast on the floor in our traditional Japanese room listening to Jack Johnson's famous song Banana Pancakes and sung along to the main chorus line "make you banana pancakes pretend like its the weekend now we could pretend it all the time."

I highly recommend buying the Hakone Fuji Day pass and staying at this guest house. The price is very reasonable for what you get and it is comfortable and easy. Sharing the room with 3 or 4 other people can help you cut down on your costs and will give you a traditional Japanese experience. For a lower price they have dormitory rooms, however these were fully booked when we called. Make sure to call ahead of time and make a reservation. They will take your credit card information to hold the room, but there is no room charge for canceling or changing. They are quite flexible and have wonderful service!

Our breakfast that we cooked in the kitchen. All ingredients came from the Lawson's convenience store!

The front entrance sign to the Fuji-Hakone Guest House.

My friends and I messing around after the 10 pm curfew.

The beautiful main rod which will take you to nearby restaurants and museums.

If you have any questions or comments about " Staying in the Fuji-Hakone Guest House"

please leave them in the comment box below or email them to

goneseoulsearching@gmail.com

Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

A Valentine's Day ESL Lesson: adjective clauses

2013-02-14T16:45:00.000-08:00

Integrating holidays into your ESL lessons is a wonderful way to teach culture, reading, writing, and grammar at the same time. This is an example of an advanced ESL lesson integrating grammar with adjective clauses and the topic of Valentine's Day. Students will always come up with unique stories and funny ideas with this activity. This is great to get your students working on creative writing and sparks spontaneity within your classroom. Many students are surprised to find out that with a little help from their classmates, they can come up with great stories in no time! Obviously more discussion can take place, I had only 20 minutes to teach this demo lesson, so on slide 2 you can extend the time to 5-10 minutes.

If you have any questions or comments about "A Valentine's Day ESL Lesson: adjective clauses" please leave them in the comment box below or email them to goneseoulsearching@gmail.com

Gone Seoul Searching in Japan: Show and Tell Presentations with my ESL students

2013-01-23T13:30:00.004-08:00

Some of my funniest students goofing around with role playing costumes during the break.

There were many giggles, mistakes, and smiles today in my classroom as my students did a wonderful job giving a Show and Tell presentation. For many of them, this was their first presentation ever and they were extremely nervous in the days leading up to the presentations. I cannot imagine what it must feel like to give your first presentation at the age of 18 or 19 and to give it in a foreign language!

To be honest, I was quite surprised that many of them had never given a presentation before. In America, most students take a speech class in high school that is devoted to learning the art of giving a good presentation. Not all of the students were first timers, some of them had given presentations in their other English class a week prior and many of them had given presentations in Japanese in their classes in University or High School. But for the students that had never given a presentation ever, I was extremely overjoyed and impressed by their work.

They all chose an item that had some kind of meaning for them or significance in their lives. For example, a baby ring, a lion statue, a picture frame, a special letter, and even a famous soccer players jersey. They were given 3 class periods leading up to the presentation day to learn about what a Show and Tell Presentation is about, and to work on their speaking skills.

Two weeks before the presentations I devoted one class towards getting the girls comfortable speaking in front of others. This specific class required the girls to time each other talking about a specific topic for 1 minute. There was a lot of group work and we talked about what things were good for a presentation such as eye contact, posture, smiling, speaking slowly and clearly. I gave a sample show and tell presentation that day with a magic towel my friend bought me in Hakone. The presentation seemed to catch their attention and they loved seeing the video of the old man with a blow dryer as the hot and cold air magically removed a geisha's clothing and putting them back on again.

The two days before the presentation day were devoted to the show and tell writing and practice. I had them choose an item the week of and on the Wednesday before they had to talk about their item with a partner and then I gave time in class to write out their presentations. I also threatened them a little saying if you don't come to my class on Friday for the presentation day then you will present on the next class on Tuesday! This seemed to work as all of my students that have been coming to class regularly showed up for the presentations. On the Thursday before, I let the students finish their writing and practice their presentation skills with a partner. I strongly encouraged gestures and movement as I made funny faces and walked around the room coaching them.

I am so proud of my students. They have come so far with their speaking skills in such a short amount of time. I really do believe that the Westgate program provides a good short term English program. 40 minutes everyday is great as the girls get to speak English throughout the week which is key for developing fluency in any language. The chosen class goals are great and serve as a review for the students. They have all had English in high school and middle school for 6 years before entering university,but most of them have not had the opportunity to actually use it within a speaking context. On the first day of class, all of my students were shy, awkward and nervous to say the least. They could barely utter a word of English and many of them freaked out when I simply asked them "how are you?" Now, they can give a 3-4 minute presentation entirely in English and have the ability to talk in English for up to 10-20 minutes straight without there being a giant lull in the conversation. They are asking each other questions, asking me questions,explaining answers, and teaching each other useful vocabulary and grammar.

If you have any questions or comments about "Gone Seoul Searching in Japan: Show and Tell Presentations with my ESL students" please leave them in the comment box below or email them to goneseoulsearching@gmail.com

Gone Seoul Searching in Japan: Teaching for Westgate Corporation at the University Program

2013-01-22T22:24:00.000-08:00

Orientation day for the Westgate University Program takes place in central Tokyo with all employees present.

Robyn and I on our first day of orientation.

My experience working for the Westgate University Program was to put it bluntly and keep it short, nothing short of amazing. Westgate is a private corporation in Japan that contracts to Universities and schools and provides Native English Speaking ESL teachers to work at those schools. If you have been teaching in South American Countries or Europe, you will be shocked to learn that Westgate employees earn quadruple what you are used to making within a very high standard of living. You can save upwards of $1500 per month while traveling and seeing some great places. (Yes I know Japan is expensive, but its not as bad as everyone says it is if you are eating in the school cafeteria every day for lunch which is delicious and buying Japanese groceries for breakfast and dinner, if you eat out every meal like a dummy then yes, you will blow your paychecks).There are two terms, Spring and Fall and each term is a short term 3-4 month contract. The company will sponsor your work visa, reimburse you for a $1200 plane ticket, provide you with housing (deducted from you monthly paycheck), a rail pass to get to and from work everyday, and give you a work cell phone to be used for Westgate purposes only.
During my Spring term I arrived the end of April and finished mid July. Such a short term contract is great for those that are not looking to commit to living in Japan long term, or can use this as a summer job between semesters at home. If you haven't seen the tour of my apartment in Japan, click the link for a live tour.

There are so many great things I could say about Westgate. Here are some of them:

Some of my students with their daily planners.

1. The company is extremely organized. You will receive all of the contracts by express air mail. The visa process is a piece of cake. And you will receive detailed directions about your arrival, a detailed online training, a detailed plane ticket process, etc. EVERYTHING IS VERY DETAILED. You are moving to Japan. They are the home of organization, so get used to it.

2. The pay is great. All of the details are of course right on their website. Beware that your first 2 weeks of teaching and training are prorated as you have a few days to adjust to the country. Though your contract says $275,000 yen per month, you will not get that until after your first full month of teaching. The first 2 weeks are prorated for training and actual days spent teaching.

3. They provide you with a small welcome package. A pot, fork, spoon, etc is all in the box. Its a nice treat to get for moving into a new apartment and living there short term. The company really does make you feel like you are important and likes you to at least have basic living necessities upon arrival.

4. Your Japanese students will be among your favorite in your life time. They are the most hardworking students I have ever known, yes even more than my Korean students. They are always upbeat, positive, outgoing, and smiling. The first class expect them to be very shy and quiet, but they will open up quickly if you bring it out in them and show them who you really are. Since there is no homework in the program, nor grades, the classes are easy going and fun. There is little stress except for the end of the semester presentations that each student is required to give. If you would like to see what the students are like take a look at some of the videos from my students final show and tell presentations to gauge an idea of their level and personalities. I taught the basic-high level, or B class at my university.

5. You will most likely have a high tech toilet and fill up that tiny bathtub! Its amazing!

Delicious lunches everyday in the cafeteria!

There are some things that weary ESL professionals should be aware of before committing:

1. You can find a cheaper apartment, a much cheaper apartment, than the ones Westgate recommends that you live in. Rumors are that the Leo Palace chains that all Westgate employees live in are owned by the company or that Westgate gets a kickback for housing so many employees. Yes, they are making money off of you through the housing 81,000 JPY a month is quite a bit to pay, but your apartment will be nice and you can rest assured it will be in a good neighborhood. But, it is super easy to go along with it because everything is arranged. You will also be living with other Westgate employees in the same building. In my building there were 9 of us which was nice because I never felt lonely and made great friends with many of them. While other Westgate employees told me there were only 1 or 2 other employees in their apartment complex.

2. You may feel that your PC or the company in general doesn't trust you. He or she will come once or more times per week and just hang around for hours to see how you are doing. This doesn't seem so bad, but my PC actually just sat in the lobby outside our classrooms and was either just hanging out or peeking in to see what we were doing. She was usually doing this for about 3-4 hours at a time. This made the other two teachers and myself feel like we were being watched for no reason. However, cultural norms in Japan are different. The point of the PC is to check up on you and to keep everyone connected as work partners are seen as a community rather than as individuals. Get used to your PC just hanging around, and don't let it bother you too much. They are mostly just there to be friendly. You will only actually be observed one time to make sure you are doing ok with the programs teaching methods and daily lesson plans.

3. If you are used to using technology in your classroom say goodbye. There are no computers, projectors, and in some cases no computers in your classrooms. The computers are very old and are only to be used for recording attendance. This was very difficult for me as I learned about a ton of ways to integrate technology into my classes, but the Westgate program does not utilize any technology as part of their lessons. If you bring in your own laptop you may be able to show video clips or pictures, but you will most likely not have wireless internet to connect too. Don't ask the staff about this, it will cause problems. If you don't have it, don't bother. Westgate is strict about their agreements with the Universities and they don't even want their employees bringing in zip drives or flash drives to print out materials.

4. You have a very, extremely, tiny, sized copy budget and in most cases no access to a printer hooked up to a computer. Yes, that means you must use mostly all of the Westgate materials provided to you. If you want to use your own materials, you must print them out from a manga cafe somewhere which means you need to pay by time to use the computer and to print things. Printing in Japan is a weird thing. They don't like it and don't do it. At least that's how it was at my University. They want to be very green and support the environment, I get that, but its a little inconvenient sometimes as a teacher. The program encourages your students to copy down the white board into their own notebooks so that they have notes from each class. This can be a huge waste of time, so I just allowed my students to take pictures with their smart phones. They seemed to like that strategy better than copying down things. I also used clear plastic folders and pens so that the students could write on activities and then erase them when they were finished and I could use them for the next class. That way, I would only have to make 6 copies of the handout for the entire day. The copy budget was $20 for the entire 3 months and it was 10 Cents a copy. You must use your own money for copies and then get reimbursed at the end of the program.

5. You will be assigned a book to use for your class and will have a daily lesson planner with each days lesson to teach. There are so many ways that you can adapt the lessons that you will have total creativity in your lessons. All of the classes are 50 minutes in length and most teachers will teach the same class all day. Yes, that means you might teach the same lessons 6 times in a day. You will also have English Challenge lessons in which you may do whatever you want with the students at that time. You have free reign in those lessons to focus on anything you or the students think they need to work on. Those classes are optional, so if students don't show up, you have an extra break.

6. You will most likely be commuting 1 hour on the train to work every day. Follow some of my tips about the daily commute on my article about surviving the daily commute in Japan. They will help you greatly. Also be ready to feel exhausted 5 days a week. The schedule is long and often times employees leave at 7am and return home by 8 or 9 completely wiped out. By the end of the program most teachers are talking about how tired they are to each other and how much work the program really is. So don't expect a walk in the park if this is your first time working at Westgate!

My daily schedule at Westgate.

I hope you enjoyed my review of Westgate. If you have any questions don't hesitate to leave a comment below!

If you have any questions or comments about "Gone Seoul Searching in Japan: Teaching for Westgate Corporation at the University Program" please leave them in the comment box below or email them to goneseoulsearching@gmail.com

Vote for me as a Columbia Ski Bum!

2012-12-06T00:52:00.003-08:00

Well, it's that time of the year where finals, presentations, and my Master's thesis is taking over my life. So I took a break to enter myself into a fun competition. There are literally only 2 days left in the voting rounds, so you can vote 3 times all at once or throughout the day for my video! The link is below to vote for me! Marie W is the name above the movie. If I win, I will go to Colorado for 90 days for free to become a ski bum, or if I am a finalist I will receive $200 to Columbia Sports Wear! I deserve a break after this crazy semester of work and school, so send me on the graduation trip of a lifetime! : )

To Vote click this link!!! You need to be logged in Facebook

You can view the video below : ) But make sure you vote!!

Crossing the border from Aranyapathet to Poipet: a sketchy bus journey from Bangkok to Siem Reap

2012-11-09T01:50:00.003-08:00

Crossing the border from Thailand into Cambodia can seem like a harrowing experience for first timers.

If you read nothing else, here are the top 5 things to remember when taking a bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap over the border of Aranyapathet to Poipet.

1. Don't freak out. You're relatively safe.
2. Give yourself one full day to travel over the border.
3. Expect long waits and many delays. (AKA you are being held hostage at restaurants, gas stations, and fake immigration offices and embassies)
4. Every stop is planned by the Thai bus company so they make more money.
5. Enjoy the ride, because you know everything that will happen in advance if you read this article and did your homework. Make some friends too!

Our packed mini bus.

Lets face it, walking across the boarder in any 2nd or 3rd world country can seem a little sketchy but if you do it enough times it will seem like any other day. I grew up crossing the border between San Diego and Mexico several times a year over many different locations. As a young girl going on volunteer trips to Tijuana the crossing didn't particularly phase me as we drove over in a car with a big group that knew the drill well. As a teenager, we were so hammered we had liquid courage of fear that had us literally dancing over the border past U.S. customs. And as an adult, I don't mind walking over and hopping in a cab to save a few hundred dollars on a plane ticket out of the Tijuana Airport.
Now, as a person that has walked over the border several different times and some of them on my own, I have to admit I was a little apprehensive about my journey from Bangkok, Thailand into Siem Reap, Cambodia. You can get to Siem Reap from Bangkok by bus, plane, or train. A plane ride will cost you upwards of $400-$500 one way; a pricey ticket for most of us backpackers. So we end up taking the train, or going the Khao San Road mini bus scam route because of its low cost. A measly $10 or 350 Thai Baht at the nearest travel stand seems like a good idea for a one way ticket when your wallet is looking empty. Others head over to Mo Chit bus station to pay a little more money for a government run bus that leaves every morning. The government bus is just as sketchy as the mini bus scams as you will still have to hire your own tuk tuk from Aranyapathet to the border crossing. Although I have heard the government bus will not harrass foreigners too much about their visas trying to make a quick buck. See Jason Stearns article about taking the government bus. But I'm going to share with you my journey of taking the scam artist mini bus straight from Khoa San Road to Siem Reap.

The process

The Thai countryside on the journey to the Cambodian border.

1. Head to any travel company located in or around Khoa San Road for the cheapest mini bus ticket. Don't give into their crappy hotel deal and stay strong about a hotel or hostel that you have already pre-booked. They will take you to their hotel anyway off of one of the main streets in Siem Reap, and from there you can get a short tuk tuk ride to your destination.

Our bumpy journey to the Poipet border.

2. Hop on the mini bus and get ready for the journey! Its going to take you ALL DAY. No matter what the tour company has told you, you will be leaving around 7:30am and arriving by 5-6pm at night or even later. I arrived at around 8pm. The bus driver will most likely be a terrible driver as he drives on the opposite side of the road to pass people just in the nick of time before you get hit by a semi truck. But he's done this every day for the past week, so don't worry too much! : ) Expect a bumpy ride on the bus and a full passenger load. I tried to sleep most of the ride to save up energy, and alot of people read books or talked about places to see in Siem Reap.

3. You are going to stop at a gas station before the border. If you want anything to eat or drink there is a giant convenient store comparable to 7 eleven on both legs of the trip.

The fake Cambodia Consulate General on the Thailand side.

4. At Aranyapathet they will take you to a small restaurant. Here is where they will start hounding you about your tourist visa. DON'T GIVE THEM YOUR PASSPORT OR ANY MONEY. THIS IS A SCAM SO THAT THE THAI BUS DRIVERS MAKE AN EXTRA $20 OFF EACH PASSENGER THEY BRING TO THE BORDER. Also, would you ever give your passport to a stranger anyway? I wouldn't. So as they make up every single lie in the world about how long its going to take for you to get your visa if you do it on your own, or how the border ran out of visas, or how you had to get it before you came to the border, just say no thank you I already have it and do not give them your passport or even take it out of your bag. If you really don't want to face the attacks, hand it over and pay the money like the other 80% of the passengers on your bus that didn't do their homework, but you really don't have too.

Strange posters inside the immigration buildings.

5. If you don't hand over your passport they are going to load you into another mini bus and tell you that they are taking you to the visa office at the embassy. They will take you to a fake building with a fake sign at the gate and ask you to come inside to pay. We didn't get out of the bus because we already knew the scam, so I don't have any pictures of the fake officers with their fake outfits on : )

Just hang out in the bus for a while and watch as the bus drivers smoke their cigarettes and hang out too. They are just dragging out the time as long as they possibly can to piss you off and make you pay the fee. But regardless of how long it takes, you will still get to the border at the same time as your other bus group members. They are just sitting in the restaurant waiting to get to the border as well, pretty much being held hostage.

Inside the Thai immigration office.

6. When you get to the real border you will know. Duh! There is a line people, you walk down a street and eventually reach a line where you can visibly see the Thai border crossing. After you clear Thai customs you will walk over to the Poipet side. The bus drivers will take your official ticket and give you a little blue sticker while telling you that they will meet you on the other side. It took my group about 1 hour to get through the Thai clearance.

7. Once in Poipet, this was the weirdest part. You would normally expect another line of some sort to cross directly over the Cambodia side. However, it is just open land and roads filled with people selling things. There are several hotels and a casino is there for all of the Thai to go gambling. You can literally hang out in-between the Thai and Cambodia borders without actually crossing into Cambodia through their customs office. But yes, you are in Cambodia. Poipet is a dirty little gambling town where alot of Thai people venture to win some money and where Cambodia makes some extra cash. I'd compare Poipet to Sin City without the luxurious part.

8. Your bus drivers will direct those of you that need a tourist visa to the visa office on the right hand side of the road. It seems very sketchy, but it is indeed where you buy your tourist visa. The visa will cost $25. Bringing American currency is easiest because the immigration officers won't scam you for Thai baht. I literally had an immigration officer that refused to put my passport through the window to get my visa until I paid him a 100 Baht charge. This is also a stupid scam. Alot of people give in, but I refuse to give my money to dirty government officials that are making a buck. How much money do they make a day ripping off people at the border? I refused to directly give money over to such a corrupt government and after 3 minutes the pissed off immigration officer threw my passport under the window for my visa. Then after ten minutes he gave my passport back without my $25 change as I had given them a $50. I demanded the change with a strong voice and he hesitantly returned the money.

The Cambodian customs office.

9. Now you will walk from the visa office to the extremely sketchy and almost non apparent line through Cambodian customs. This took my group another 2 hours as we made our way toward a measly little customs office with 3 windows and plenty of confused Japanese tourists that didn't know they were supposed to stop in the visa office and get their tourist visa.

10. You will now take a giant free government bus from the Poipet border to the bus station. Hop on and relax for a 15-20 minute ride and debrief before the final harassment and waiting period takes place.

Boarding the bus at Poipet bus station.

11. Yay! You made it to the bus station! This is the last leg of the journey. If there is not a large group of mini bus passengers to board the luxury bus, you will be waiting anywhere from 30 minutes up to 2-3 hours until the full VIP bus is loaded for the final leg of the journey into Siem Reap. So, the bus drivers will try and convince you to get a taxi, which at this point I was ok with spending the extra money. But if you feel more comfortable sticking with a group of people, hang out until the luxury bus gets loaded. At least you know that this is a normal situation. They will look for your colored sticker at this point, and if you lost it they will try and charge you a fee because that sticker became your ticket. They take your ticket away so that you can't report the bus company scam online or to the Thai government. A man will board the bus telling you all about the scams and how his company is a good one in Siem Reap. He will make alot of recommendations about staying at his hotel and using his safe and reliable tuk tuk drivers and give a full history on how corrupt the Cambodian and Thai border is. This guy is nice and alot of people are attracted to his spiel, but its just another way for them to make money.

Our last bus of the journey to Siem Reap.

12. After you board the VIP bus you will have another 2 hours to relax on board. You will also stop at another restaurant for 30 minutes to an hour for a break. All of these stops are pre-arranged by the tour companies. Don't be surprised. Once in Siem Reap, take a tuk tuk or taxi from the bus company's hotel directly to your hotel.

Overall, this experience is one that I will remember for the rest of my life. The Mexican border now seems like a joke to me. I remember being afraid at some times while dealing with the pretty aggressive Thai bus drivers about the visa, but my friend and I as well as 5 other people refused to give into the scam. Lets face it, if the bus companies just charged a little more for the ticket over there then we would all probably pay. Its just the fact that they are ripping you off and treating you so poorly that I refuse to let happen to me. Also, my rule about never handing over my passport to anyone unless I cross over a "real" border and can see the line and officers in windows with a crowd of people. I believe if enough foreigners begin standing up to them, then the corrupt companies will eventually give up with the visa scam. Or, they will just realize they can charge more for a ticket by providing a reliable and enjoyable service with no hassling involved. Good luck on your trip and enjoy lovely Cambodia! The people are extremely nice at all of the hotels and restaurants. Make sure to stop buy the restaurants and massage studios that give their money to a good cause. There are several blind massage schools as well as a delicious restaurant called Butterflies Garden Restaurant that provides advanced restaurant training to disadvantaged youth.

At Butterflies Garden Restaurant celebrating our first night in Cambodia all for a good cause.

If you have any questions or comments about "Crossing the border from Aranyapathet to Poipet: a sketchy bus journey from Bangkok to Siem Reap" please leave them in the comment box below or email them to goneseoulsearching@gmail.com

Gangnam Style Halloween Costumes to take over this 2012 Halloween

2012-10-24T23:43:00.000-07:00

Rent or buy a yellow suit for the car scene!

Every year I do a post about home-made Halloween costumes as I was inspired by all of the creative costumes during my first Halloween in Seoul. This year nothing seems more fitting than a group Gangnam style Halloween costume. Many men will be dressed up as PSY himself, but a group costume is even more fitting for the crazy Korean song lyrics about old rich men in Gangnam hitting on young girls and one shoting their coffees to rack up the bill and seem cool. There are so many stores that quickly capitalized on the gangnam style offering different versions of the main characters many costume changes. Of the most popular is his blue suit and round sun glasses.

For my group Halloween costume 4 people are needed including 2 girls and 2 guys. One man will be the yellow suit guy while the other is Gangnam himself. And the two girls will of course be the two sexy Korean girls.

Korean girls: short sequined silver shorts, a long white backless top, white sandals, aviators, and silver cuffs or bracelets.

Yellow suit guy: yellow suit, black wig, a toy red car.

See through blouse and silver sequined shorts.

Gangnam: a bowtie, any kind of suit jacket and pants, dark round sunglasses, swag.

To make this group costume even better, carry around a portable music player so that you can bust our your gangnam style dance wherever you may be partying this Halloween. To learn the dance, there are several good tutorials on Youtube. Check out the latest article in the L.A. times about "Cashing in Gangnam Style: Halloween costumes, fashion...fries? Since this is a pre-halloween post, check back after the 31st to see our full group costume!

If you have any questions or comments about "Gangnam Style Halloween Costumes" please leave them in the comment box below or email them to goneseoulsearching@gmail.com

Teacher rapper: my research on music in ESL

2012-10-16T13:10:00.000-07:00

A group of students during my research study inspired me to rap. If they can learn English by rapping I can rap too!

Over 10 months ago the idea of music in ESL began stirring up a whirlwind of ideas, questions, and confusion in my head. As my graduate thesis proposal approached last spring, I finally settled on the idea of researching student and teacher perceptions on the use of music to enhance second language acquisition in adult ESL classrooms. My research question is directly related to my omoi and I have been a musician all of my life. My major was in ethomusicology, specifically piano performance and world music cultures. I played in a gamelan for 2 years during undergrad, and traveled to Ubud in central Bali to experience Balinese gamelan at the heart. As an educator, I have always wondered about the power of music in ESL, and what music's place is in the field of education and more specifically ESL. Never having the flexibility in my previous work places to use music freely in my lessons made me wonder how other teachers are currently using music in ESL. I want to learn from them and see how they are using music, why, the effects, and what the students think.

The exact whereabouts about the first implementations of music within academic subjects is unknown. However, integration of music with academic subjects is by no means a new notion in the field of education (Sporborg 1998). Teachers have been using music to teach academic subjects in science, mathematics, geography, history, and language arts throughout the 19^th century. Of the most famous examples and one that remains famous today, is introducing the alphabet to young children by singing the letters to the tune “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” (Sporborg 1998).

There is an abundance of theory and research that supports the use of music in educational contexts. Gardner's theory of multiple intelligence's shows how musical intelligence could explain the ease that some learners have in perceiving and producing the intonation patterns of a language (Brown, 2007). A current empirical study shows the effectiveness of using music to teach math concepts in San Bruno, California. (Esch, 2012) Music has been shown to improve communicative skills among middle school ESL students (Kennedy & Scott 2005).

However the overall phenomenon of music in ESL has not been deeply studied. The teacher perceptions have not been recorded in detail and most research focuses on the students.

As I’m in the final stages of collecting my data, I was inspired by a group of students that I was researching. While observing one particular class that was using music as a means of discussion and a writing activity, a group of students openly talked about their enjoyment of listening to music to improve their English skills. Several students began rapping to their partners and their groups egged them on as they busted out the lyrics. The student really sounded American while he was rapping, and I’m sure that he influenced his fellow students to start singing in English to improve their pronunciation, vocabulary skills, and overall fluency. I’m sure this particular student didn't know, but he inspired me, and as I drove home that day I turned on my I pod to some of the only rap that I had and started learning the lyrics. So my “teacher rapper” video is dedicated to all of the students out there learning English through music.

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Seoul Food Girl in Japan: How to make Takoyaki in true Osaka fashion

2012-09-20T11:23:00.002-07:00

Forget spending a fortune in America or taking a trip to Japan, making your own takoyaki is easier than you think.

This post can also be read at www.seoulfoodgirl.com
How to make Takoyaki live video:

A takoyaki grill is needed.

Bubbly balls of goodness shimmering with moving flakes and green sparkles is the best way to describe the famous Japanese dish takoyaki (たこ焼き). During my first trip ever to Japan, my friend and I stopped by the famous takoyaki restaurant in Dotonbori in Osaka. Osaka is the best place in Japan to try takoyaki as the delicious octopus fried balls originated in the coastal city in 1935. To be honest, I was very skeptical about trying takoyaki for the first time because of the crazy hype fellow travelers and friends expressed as they lost their minds telling me about it. Speaking from past experience trying popular food items in tourist locations usually turns out to be a let down and more of a tourist trap or experience rather than being popular for the actual taste and quality of the food. But all of my premonitions were wrong about takoyaki as I bit into a flaky and crunchy yet gooey ball of absolute joy and decided it was by far on the top 5 list of things I had eaten in Japan. Returning back to Tokyo to work 10 months after my short trip to Osaka, I found myself with a Japanese family making my own takoyaki for the first time.

My great takoyaki teachers.

Takoyaki Ingredients:

-Batter
-Octopus
-Tempura
-Fish flakes
-Pickled ginger
-Green onion
-Seaweed flakes (kim)

Simply add all of the ingredients to the inside of the balls and turn them with a toothpick. Then season as shown in the video.

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Seoul Food Girl: Mappo BBQ is the Korean BBQ restaurant in San Diego that never sleeps

2012-09-18T22:31:00.000-07:00

Mappo BQQ in San Diego stays true to Korean night life every day of the week.

This article can also be read at www.seoulfoodgirl.com

The traditional round tables are just like in Korea piled with goodies.

Six bottles of soju later, a free bill, and Korean Karaoke marked a wonderfully Korean night out on Convoy St. in San Diego. The small round tables at stools at Mapo BBQ Korean Cuisine keep the traditional Korean BBQ alive as many local California Korean BBQ's take a modern take Korean dining with Western style tables and chairs. Mapo offers both a traditional Korean experience with charcoal grills outside and a modern American experience with electric grills inside. Whatever you are looking for, the Korean cuisine will be delightful.
After 2 kimchi jjigaes, bi bim bap, samgyupsal, gal bi sal, thin sliced beef brisket, shrimp, 2 steamed eggs, several bottles of soju and hite, my table was stuffed. We went a little overboard having a great Korean BBQ experience with my friends and their Korean students studying in California. One of our group members was also vegetarian so we ordered her the shrimp and vegetable bi bim bap. We ordered the set menu A which lets you choose 4 kinds of meat, 1 steamed egg, and 1 kimichi or tofu jjigae. We also ordered extras such as the shrimp and more jjigaes and rice to satisfy our appetite.

The grills outside in the traditional Korean section have charcoal.

After a good two and a half hours of eating and playing Korean drinking games one of the Korean students got up to use the restroom. After a long departure, another one of our group members went to check on him only to discover that he had been sucked over to his Uncle's business meeting (drinking meeting in Korea) at another table. Our large bill over $200 was comped by the boys Uncle who explained that it was tradition for the oldest family member to pay the bill! The uncle had also encountered my blonde friend near the restroom which could have been another contributing factor to the free meal. Even funnier, we never saw our friend again as he was initiated into the business table and was stuck there until everyone had finished!

After Mapo head over to a local Korean karaoke room for some fun.

Price- Certain things on the menu seem outrageously priced for those of us that have lived in Korea. To see bi bim bap priced at $8-12 seems ridiculous when you can get a giant sizzling bowl with free side dishes in Korea for just $3. However, if you are going for BBQ the all you can eat is the best route to go. For $20 you get everything included. The set menus are also

Service- The service takes much longer than in traditional Korean restaurants. They serve you your side dishes first and the meat comes out much later. The trick is to not get so hungry that you eat all of your side dishes before grilling your meat as you should mix and match them along with the meat for extra flavor.

Atmosphere- At about 10 pm on a Thursday night Mapo will start to get really crowded. Interestingly enough my group was there at about 8:30 and the traditional BBQ tables were empty in the inner room. But the later it got, the entire room and outside portion with the charcoal grills were completely full. Mapo BBQ is like Korea at its best as it lives up to the night life in Seoul and every other Korean city. If you go to any big city in Korea the BBQ restaurants are at their full capacity at around 10 pm to midnight and even into the earlier hours of the morning. I'd say that Mapo is one of the most authentic Korean restaurants in San Diego.

Food- Once again, for those of you that have lived in Korea the quality of American beef versus Korean beef is non comparable. You can taste the difference in quality and the flavors are quite different. However, Mapo BBQ does a great job keeping all of its side dishes including its kimchi extremely traditional. The dipping sauces for the meat are perfectly made and if you are lucky enough to get a charcoal grill outside your meat will taste even more Korean. Cut those long pieces of kimchi up and throw them on the grill along with the garlic and mushrooms for added flavor.

Reviews- Most of the reviews agree that Mapo Korean BBQ can be quite expensive but well worth it for the quality of food and atmosphere. In relation to the well known Korean chain, Manna Korean BBQ, Mapo stays true to its Korean heritage without becoming too Americanized or mainstreamed.

Check out Mapo BBQ Korean Cusine's Facebook Page.

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What does it mean to be well educated?: A response to Alfie Kohn

2012-09-09T14:07:00.000-07:00

Alfie Kohn came to USD last January to talk about what it means to be truly well educated.

What does it mean to be well educated? My first experience with Alfie Kohn's simple yet complex question was last spring when he came as a guest speaker to the University of San Diego. At that time, my research fellowship required me to organize and plan for the Department of Learning and Teachings special events. My faculty advisor gushed about Kohn and made it clear to me that he was one of the biggest and most important names in the field of education today. After plenty of research and extensive readings, I found myself fascinated with his work and agree that he is one of the most knowledgeable and approachable writer and speaker in the field. Taking a look at his article titled "What does it mean to be well educated" (2003) answers many questions about education in a clear and precise manner.

1. Kohn's wife- After 29 years of schooling not including medical residency, Kohn's wife still cannot do basic arithmetic or use good grammar. Yet, what she is lacking is not preventing her from her professional success. Kohn's wife is a great example of the question of whether or not our schooling is flawed. If someone can go through such extensive schooling and still have trouble with the basics does that mean we have failed as educators? I believe the answer to this question is no and Kohn follows up by providing many great examples.

2. smart or book smart?- Kohn states that he has realized how many truly brilliant people cannot spell or punctuate. Does this diminish their value as a professional? Absolutely not. I agree with Kohn when he says that their insights and discoveries change the shape of their fields. Who cares if they can't use an apostrophe correctly to save their lives? As a journalist and writer myself, I admit that I am not the best at grammar. Every great writer still has an editor that focuses in on the minute mistakes that harm our writing but not our ideas. As an ESL teacher, I am still reluctant to say that I know all of the rules of grammar even though I teach many grammar points on a daily basis. Yes, I know more than most of my peers about grammar terminology, but that is just because of using it on a daily basis not because I'm smart. Of course knowing the foundations of any subject will help you to succeed, however if you still have the will to learn and challenge yourself every day towards learning something new you are on the pathway towards being well educated. We can pick up a dictionary and check our spelling and use a calculator to correct our math. Does that mean that we are dumb or just using our minds to focus on more meaningful things than the basics?

3. What is well educated?- How many times have you encountered someone that you think is smart because they know alot of names, ideas, and facts about a particular topic? In my personal history in life this person was an ex boyfriend. We would often talk together about his ability to recall a ton of random information and today I still wish I could recall names and cool facts like he can. Yet, he stated to me that I was smarter because I could talk in depth about the few topics I knew and could write about them better than he could. So who is smarter? One of my favorite quotes from Kohn's article on this topic states that familiarity with a list of words, names, books, and ideas is a uniquely poor way to judge who is well-educated. He says "to be well educated then is to have the desire as well as the means to make sure that learning never ends." We have to have the desire to keep learning in any context and to have the means or ability to do so. Thus in my opinion someone that is not well educated doesn't care or take the time to learn themselves or they do not know about or have access to resources that would make learning possible. With the internet I find it hard to believe that people in my generation don't know how to take control of their own learning and I believe they are easily distracted by the plethora of information available to them.

This article has brought me back to my latest post about whether or not getting a Master's of in Education in TESOL is worth the effort in our failing economy. To work at in the university setting I am required to have a Master's degree, however I strongly feel that the reason I have developed good skills as a teacher is because of my past work experience and observations of teachers in the field. My jobs in Korea and Japan are what have allowed me to make the connections and skills I have today. My future diploma has contributed to much of my background knowledge in the field and will allow me to begin applying to higher end jobs. But just because I have a Master's degree does not make me well educated. The program and many life experiences have inspired and equipped me to continue learning which is what makes me "well educated."

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Getting a Master's of Education in TESOL: is it really worth it?

2012-09-08T01:07:00.002-07:00

My first job as an ESL teacher in Korea has helped me to secure more job employment than my Master's degree.

Earning a master's degree program in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL) can open many doors to your future as an educator, but does all the hard work and student loan debt really pan out in our failing economy? This is the question that has been ringing in my mind as my last semester of graduate school begins. With such a tough job market that has proven tough for many graduates, the line between reality and our dreams can become easily blurred. Many students are now entering into master's programs simply because they couldn't find their desired job right out of undergrad. They are sucking their parents dry and taking on enormous student loan debts only to graduate and still be jobless because they have no valuable work experience.
There are always jobs out there for ESL teachers at many local language academies anywhere in the U.S. They usually pay between $18-$25 per hour and will offer 25-35 hours per week. Craigslist had a total of 4 job postings last week alone for ESL teachers at language academies in Downtown San Diego. These jobs will pay some of your bills and allow you to survive, but most of them offer no health insurance or benefits. In addition, most ESL teachers starting out in California are working at 2-3 different language academies because of the limited or varying hours. Working a split shift from 9 am to 1 pm and 4 pm to 9 pm is not unexpected for any local language school.
ESL teachers with a master's degree have gone through intensive training as educators and will be able to apply for jobs at local universities and community colleges. However, they need plenty of experience first and so many young educators have to start out at language academies and then work their way up. Getting a salaried job at a local university right after receiving your master's is not going to happen. Most teachers work a minimum of 1-8 years as part time adjuncts at several community colleges and language academies before they ever get offered a full time faculty position with benefits. This makes my road towards becoming a full time ESL professional in California extremely difficult.
My advice to anyone that wants to work full time as an ESL teacher in the university setting is to start teaching immediately at any school that will offer you a job. No matter how low the pay is, your experience as a teacher is invaluable. A master's degree in our society means nothing anymore. Many universities such as Miramar Community College will offer part time Instructional Assistant (I.A.) positions that will allow you to work as a teachers aid for 5-12 hours a week. Working alongside a full time faculty member allows you to get to know the university and the university to get to know you. This is my second semester as an I.A. at Miramar. Faculty member and Department Chair, Sheryl Gobble stated "the position is like a semester long job interview." This allows new teachers the opportunity to get their foot in the door for a part time adjunct position.
The problem with my generation is that they all believe they will get amazing salaried positions right out of college which is when they need to get their heads out of the sky and face the real world which is our lagging economy. Even worse, its easier to move abroad to Japan where an ESL teacher that holds a Master's degree can make $50,000 with six weeks paid vacation and a housing allowance making those that wish to stay in California feel torn and invaluable. The best thing you can do to achieve any dream job in this market is to work; and by working that means even at Mc Donald's or your neighborhood grocery store. There is an old fashion saying "it takes money to make money" and I believe it should read "it takes a job to get a job."
So yes, in the long run getting a master's in TESOL is worth all of the hard work and high tuition costs if you are committed towards working and establishing yourself as a teacher over several years before getting a salaried position here in California. After gaining more experience in language academies and international contexts dream jobs at UCSD and local community colleges will be someday be attainable.

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Bangkok: The 5 rule guide for hiring a tuk-tuk in Bangkok

2012-08-30T13:23:00.000-07:00

Two blondes riding around Bangkok in a tuk-tuk, Thailands most exhilarating form of transportation.

Long before there were taxis, scooters, buses, or trains, good old fashioned tuk-tuks ruled the streets of Bangkok. They are still the most exhilarating way to get around in Bangkok today and are a must on your to-do list while traveling or living in Thailand. With my camera in my right hand and my left hand gripped onto the safety strap dangling above, there was a giant grin across my face as my vehicle made its way from a hotel near Khaosan Road over to Chatuchak Weekend Market. Prior to hopping in any old tuk-tuk there are a few guidelines you should follow to make your journey more memorable.

1. Go for the experience: When you take a tuk-tuk, make sure to relax and enjoy the scenery as you speed around with an up close view of many of Bangkok's famous sites. Riding in a tuk-tuk also gives you a good picture of how locals are living their every day life.

2. Be direct: Tell the tuk-tuk driver exactly where you want to go and how much you are willing to pay before hopping inside. A short trip of 5 minutes should cost you 30 baht which is about $1. Be weary of the high prices that all drivers will try and charge you in tourist areas. Always negotiate for a lower price. If you're really assertive you might go for 50% off the original price, but Bangkok.com recommends getting at least 5-20 baht off the original fare price. Remember, every tuk-tuk will charge you an inflated price and don't get sucked into going to one of their commissioned jewelry stores.

3. Take a short trip: A 20 minute trip will cost you more money in a tuk-tuk than in a metered taxi; sometimes the prices are double. If you decide to take a taxi request the meter for longer trips of 15 minutes or more. Tuk-tuk's are no longer cheaper than metered taxis because of their popularity among tourist and the drivers ability to charge higher prices.

4. Avoid peak hours: Avoid rush hour in a tuk-tuk because of the fumes you will directly inhale from the nearby rickshaws and vehicles. If you have asthma or any other kind of respiratory problems sitting behind clouds of black smoke during traffic might not be the most enjoyable way to enjoy your day.

5. Have fun with the drivers: If you have a good sense of humor with the drivers they will send laughter right back in your direction. When you're bargaining prices try exaggerating things to them and say something like "100 baht!!??? You're going to make me broke! You make me so sad How about 60 Baht?!" Most drivers appreciate a fun personality and are more willing to lower their prices if they like you. Also take some time to get to know their personal story like information about their friends or family. They are pretty easy to talk to, and many of the drivers like to practice their English skills.

Our tuk-tuk was very friendly and chatted with us about life in Bangkok.

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Australia: Kangaroo and Koala photos lost forever

2012-08-02T01:04:00.001-07:00

Photo courtesy of The Sydney Morning Herald. But mine were better!

Snapping photos all day long with kangaroos and koalas can really make you tired. After a great dinner and long day walking around the animal park here in Perth, Australia I absentmindedly left my camera sitting on the restaurant table alongside a pile of empty plates, platters, and beer samples. Wanting to review all of our amazing photos I dug through my canvas bag for my camera only to remember I left it sitting on the restaurant table. We made a call and luckily they had found my orange memory taker and attached a paper with my name and number to it before putting it in their lost and found box. Because we weren't very close to Fremantle and it was getting late, my friend let them know we would be picking it up the following day. So the next when my friend got off work he drove me over to pick up the camera however we were told that it wasn't there anymore. After a very unconvincing conversation with the manager I left feeling angry and upset that the staff had been so dumb as to put my camera somewhere where it might be stolen by one of their own staff members. I was told that maybe the manager had put it in a secret location, but that they couldn't get a hold of her. The next morning the manager on duty finally stated that one of their staff members had stolen the camera and that he felt embarrassed and terrible about the whole situation. My camera was gone. All of my lovely kangaroo, dingo, koala,wallaby, and goat photos were lost forever. And someone working for their restaurant had taken it.
The restaurant decided to take $500 from each staff members tips and to hold a staff meeting that day encouraging the thief to return the camera to a secret location. The next morning I took a boat ride in the river from Perth to Fremantle only to be told that no one had returned the camera. The restaurant agreed to pay me $520 cash so that I could go buy a new camera and memory chip before leaving Australia and continuing my travels. They also agreed to ship my camera back to me if it was ever returned.
It's unfortunate that I lost all of my precious memories at the animal park in Australia, but it was definitely a lesson learned. When you start traveling and spending long days walking around and get little sleep the nights before you can easily leave something behind. From this day on my camera will be attached to my body with the dorky neck camera strap. I was able to purchase the same camera from a store here in Perth. And then when I got home I was wiping off the lens and my anal eyes noticed a speck of dust trapped inside the lens of the camera. I went back to the camera store the next morning and showed them the small piece of dust. However, I really didn't want to exchange the camera for a new one because they didn't have anymore orange ones. The entire point of having this camera is so that I can take it in the water with me and the bright orange casing is great in the water. All of the photos appeared to be perfectly normal and there was clearly no problem with the camera. I am just such a perfectionist that I can see the tiny piece of dust and it drives me crazy! The men at the store said it really was ok because the camera can't focus enough to ever catch the piece of dust in a photo. I walked around downtown Perth the rest of the morning taking photos and testing everything out to make sure there were no further problems.
Finally, I settled and went home with my brand new camera, perfectly new but with a tiny piece of dust in the lens. At least I have a new camera and didn't have to pay for a new one. I need to learn to not be such a perfectionist with everything in my life. And maybe this camera is the start of that! So for those of you traveling, remember that when you are tired you are more likely to lose something. So triple check that you have all of your belongings before getting up from a restaurant, bus, plane, or wherever you were hanging out at.

Happy travels!

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Bali: Attacked by a monkey in the Monkey Forest in Ubud

2012-07-27T23:10:00.001-07:00

Right before I got bit by a monkey in the monkey forest in Ubud and had to get rabies treatment.

Monkey friend.

One second a monkey was eating a banana and hanging out on my shoulder, and the next I was being bitten by a jealous hairy onlooker. Don't go to the monkey forest! As I sit cuddled up on the couch in Perth, Australia today after just being injected with my first shot of post exposure rabies treatment I am still shocked to say the least. On Monday morning, my last day in Ubud, I got dropped off by my guest house owner at the Monkey Forest a mere 5 minute drive from his house. He smiled and waved goodbye to me as I made sure to be back at the entrance in 40 minutes to catch a ride from him over to Sanur to stay with my friends family.
After paying the entrance fee and walking past the women selling bananas I spotted my first monkey within a minute. Tons of foreigners were in the park as it serves as one of Bali's biggest tourist attraction. I took some photos of the monkeys and watched as the other foreigners fed them bananas and admired them in awe. The monkeys were walking right up to us and hopping on peoples heads hanging out as they curiously climbed up your body.
A sweet girl from the States offered me a small piece of her banana and mentioned to me that she had the same camera as I did. She offered to take a video of me while I fed the monkey and only 20 seconds later I was attacked. The cute monkey I was feeding sat on my shoulder and climbed around my head. He was getting alot of attention. And then, out of no where, a monkey that had been standing nearby jumped towards me and before I knew it there was blood pouring from my leg. Everyone in the forest was shocked and I casually wiped off the cut and walked through the forest for my remaining 20 minutes knowing there was nothing to do until Danu my friend and driver came back. None of the nearby "monkey staff" seemed concerned about my bite and they simply told me to wash it off.

Monkeys eating breakfast.

I took out some anti bacterial spray and my Neosporin ointment and patched up my leg. When Danu arrived he laughed and told me not to worry, that all of the monkeys in Ubud get vaccinated for rabies every 6-12 months and that he had also been bitten before. No one in the park that I talked to seemed worried and I got in the car and started my relaxing beach vacation in Sanur. By Thursday afternoon, I had wireless access in an internet cafe with my girlfriend and I started researching the monkey bites. Several people said not to worry and that it would be extremely rare for a monkey in Ubud to have rabies. Over precautionary people did get treatment, but they strongly advised not seeking treatment in the hospitals in Bali where the vaccinations are in low supply and are extremely expensive. Knowing that I was flying to Perth, Australia at midnight on Thursday night gave me a little piece of mind. But I started getting anxiety at the airport where I broke down and bought a giant chocolate croissant and 10 doughnut holes from Dunkin Doughnuts thinking to myself "Well if I'm going to die from rabies, I might as well enjoy the little time I have left!"

In shock in Australia as I received my first rabies shot of 5.

I landed in Perth at 4:10 am this morning and was greeted by my best friend from college and her boyfriend. Jillian and Marko were thrilled to see me and there were many tears shed at the airport. And then the monkey bite news was shared. We went home and napped and before work Jillian helped me contact a hospital and made an appointment for me to get checked out.

Baby monkeys.

Once at the hospital the doctor explained to me the very low probability that the monkey was infected, although it was still a possibility as there was an extreme outbreak of rabies in 2010 that killed over 100 Indonesians. However, there has never been one rabies case reported from a monkey bite among any foreigners and the rabies was rabid in dogs throughout Bali although monkeys could still be a carrier. After contacting 2 doctors and the Center for Disease and Control the answer was clear. I heard an immediate "Yes" on the other line from all 3 phone calls and I knew bad news was coming. I would need the series of injections for post-exposure rabies treatment over the next 30 days. But how could I possibly do this while I am traveling to 6 countries in 30 days? In only a week I'll be heading to Bangkok, Thailand and then Cambodia and finally Vietnam. Luckily, the treatment shots take place on day 0,3,7,14, and 28. I am able to get the first 3 shots during my time here in Perth and one while in Vietnam and my final shot in California. Getting the shots gives me peace of mind that I will not go crazy and die a terrible death.

A beautiful bridge inside the forest.

I still cannot believe this crazy event has happened to me. As I sit here looking at the pictures of Monkey Forest and my first rabies shot vaccination I am in disbelief. I was so worried about protecting myself from crazy people and thieves while in South East Asia and I didn't even consider any animal borne diseases. This has definitely been a wake up call for me during my travels and I feel blessed that I am able to continue my journey.

As for the Monkey Forest in Bali, I would never recommend for tourists to go there. Apparently people get bit there all the time. The monkeys are very dangerous and although many people brave the forest and never have any issues, there is a high chance that a monkey could bite you. After a party with my friends family in Sanur, her great uncle shared his story about being bit over 15 years ago, and his daughter had also been bitten. I had no idea that their were so many cases of monkey bites in the forest, and although it is a beautiful place to visit, I would never recommend it to anyone. Stay far away from the monkey forest and you will be safe! Or else, you might find yourself paying over $1,000 for rabies treatment or even worse go crazy and die from rabies itself.

The monkeys are everywhere, currently there are over 600 monkeys in the Monkey Forest.

Women selling bananas at the park entrance.

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Gone Seoul Searching in Japan: On leaving Japan

2012-07-22T10:06:00.004-07:00

Teaching in Tokyo, Japan for the summer of 2012 was wonderful thanks to my good friends and students!

My suitcases are stuffed full of presents from my students and my wallet has 4 different currencies. I'm leaving Japan, and I'm in denial. My time here has been very bitter and sweet and 2 1/2 months really does fly by when you are so busy working and sightseeing on the weekends. This opportunity has been a blessing from god in so many ways.
   As I begin my journey throughout South East Asia for the next 30 days, I'm taking a look back at what brought me to this point in my life. It all started my junior year of college at Loyola Marymount University when Oscar Borboa, the editor in cheif of our student run newspaper encouraged me to apply for a summer study scholarship program in Korea. I was awarded the 2 week adventure of a lifetime and after a tour of YBM decided that would be my first job upon graduating college back in May of 2010. After a wonderful year in Korea, possibly the best year of my life, I returned to San Diego to start a Masters in TESOL with the goal of becoming a well educated ESL professional. During my summer vacation in 2012, I sought out a university teaching job in Japan with Westgate and after a short 8 months in California I boarded the plane to Tokyo and arrived on May 1st.
   Starting today I will be taking a 30 day trip around SEA. I'll start out in Bali where I will meet my university professor's gamelan trainers and stay in Ubud. Then I'll meet a good friend from graduate school and hang out with her family in Denpasar. Finally, I'll hang out in Legian and do a trip to Lombangan Island. After Bali, I have the opportunity to see one of my best friends from college in Perth, Australia for one week. Leaving the Austrailian winter behind I'll have to learn to adjust to the heat in Bangkok, Thailand and survive a long bus ride to Cambodia to Siem Riep. To top off my 30 day adventure I'll fly up to Hanoi and travel to Halong Bay and finally stay with another friend in Ho Chi Minh. At the end of my 30 days I'll return to Tokyo for 2 nights and then fly back to California on a Sunday. And then the next adventure begins the next morning at 9 am in my new ESL classroom in San Diego.
    With so little time for relaxation during the past 2.5 months and so little time to relax upon returning home, I'm going to do my best to take in the atmosphere of each country while sleeping in and reading some great books. For those of you reading that have never traveled abroad, get out there already! Traveling for a short time is one thing, but living is another. You truly get to know the culture of each place you live and it will change your perspective on so many things that you believed in. After coming to Asia and experiencing so many different cultures and countries I have learned that even among Asian countries they are all so different and each culture has its own characteristics. So stay with a host family, get out of the tourist trap area, and don't be afraid to wander off the beaten path.

I have absolutely loved my time here in Japan and have made so many wonderful friends! Happy travels to all of my friends from Japan!

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    Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

Gone Seoul Searching in Japan: A letter to my wonderful students

2012-07-22T07:36:00.005-07:00

Playing bingo at our class party on Wednesday June 18th, 2012.

Dear students,

When I first came to Japan I was very lonely. I was sad to be away from my friends and family, but very excited to apply new skills that I have learned as a teacher in my graduate school program in TESOL. I was extremely nervous on our first day of class as I wanted all of you to be engaged in my class and to have a different experience learning English than in your middle school and high school years. I'm sorry it took me almost 3 weeks to learn everyone's names! Thank you for always participating in my class and keeping an open mind. You have been an amazing group of students, willing to take risks and learn from your mistakes. Every day you walk into my classroom with a giant smile on your face and work very hard to learn English while having fun at the same time! I want to thank you for all of the joy and laughter you brought into our classroom throughout the past two and a half months. Always remember that learning English is fun, and that you must take your time and be polite to yourself while learning anything in life. Please don't forget to enjoy using your English over summer vacation and for the rest of your life! When you see a lost gaigin in the station, you know exactly how to give them directions and help them in English! So practice every day with your classmates, review your notes, and join some English speaking clubs or make a foreign friend in Tokyo. There are many groups on meetup.com that have groups of foreigners that hang out around Tokyo and take trips. Hiking, singing, walking, dancing, studying English, doing judo, if you can think of it, there is a group of foreigners meeting. Please join a group and enjoy having fun and speaking English with native speakers and other Japanese speakers of English! I have already written you all an individual goodbye letter, and I hope that many of you will contact me via e-mail with any questions about English or updates about your life! Although I was your English teacher, I am also a friend and mentor to you. If you ever need any advice about life, English, travel, or study abroad dont hesitate to contact me!

Best wishes,

Marie

Saori and Meg messing around!

Thank you girls for bringing a ton of amazing Japanese snacks! I hope you liked the chips and salsa I b

Students from the morning party!

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Gone Seoul Searching in Japan video post: My apartment in Japan, a virtual tour

2012-06-24T05:53:00.001-07:00

My apartment in Tokyo is cozy and comfortable after decorating with Asian flare.

     A high tech toilet and a deep bathtub are two things I never expected to enjoy in my apartment in Japan. Apartment dwelling in Tokyo is small, but the gadgets help make the transition living abroad fun. Living in a family neighborhood in the suburbs of Tokyo in Sagamihara City, Kanagawa is a pleasant contrast from the wild streets of downtown Tokyo. There are children walking to school every morning as mothers stretching out their arms volunteer to help them cross the streets. People are out walking their dogs and going for jogs. The environment is very friendly and peaceful and when I want I can walk to one of the nearby stations for some city life or take the train into Tokyo.
    As I have mentioned in my video, my apartment was provided by the company that I work for, Westgate. The day I arrived in Japan, I moved right into my apartment. Everything was furnished and clean upon the move in. I was provided with a basic futon and comforter and one rock hard pillow with beans in it. Later, I went on a bike ride to Costco and bought more comfortable pillows.
    If you're thinking of moving to Japan and are wondering what a standard apartment for 81,000 yen or ($1,000) a month will get you take a look at my video post. Only a year and a half ago I did my video post about my apartment in Korea, and the clip is among the most viewed on Gone Seoul Searching's You Tube account.

Head to the nearest print shop and print out some of your most recent photos to keep your memories alive!

My photo collage.

Sleeping on the floor on a futon is not comfortable.

Hanging up pictures is the first step in making your apartment feel more like him while living in Japan.

My bathtub seriously is my favorite thing in my apartment. Its so deep!

Japanese cats!

My hallway is narrow but separates everything nicely.

If you have any questions or comments about "Gone Seoul Searching in Japan video post: My apartment in Japan, a virtual tour" please leave them in the comment box below or email them to goneseoulsearching@gmail.com
Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

Gone Seoul Searching in Japan Video Post: Tranquil views of Japan Women's University Nishi-Ikuta Campus

2012-06-22T08:59:00.000-07:00

A rice paddy field planted by elementary and middle school students.

Chirping birds and hooting owls greet me on my daily walk around the campus at Japan Women's University Niski-Ikuta Campus. My coworkers and I reminisce daily about how lucky we are to be at such a stunning and tranquil university which houses lush gardens, forestry, and bamboo groves. Earlier in the month, I saw girls from the elementary school campus planting what I think is a rice paddy field only a few meters from my building. The office ladies are constantly picking fresh flowers from the grounds and displaying them in the waiting areas. Wild life greets me daily as I encounter snakes, bumble bees, butterflies, and caterpillars. There is nothing more beautiful in my day than walking up the hill towards the cafeteria.

To see the rice paddy fields and scenery around the campus please watch the video below!

Additional Pictures....

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Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

Gone Seoul Searching in Japan: Joining the USD Tokyo program for the 2nd Cross Cultural Workshop in Tokyo

2012-06-17T07:39:00.003-07:00

USD Master's students with Mrs. Inoue!

Students from Daito Bunka University at the 2nd Cross Cultural Workshop.

Walking though the underpass from Shinjuku to the hotel.

This Saturday I was lucky to join my professor and peers from The University of San Diego at the 2nd Cross Cultural Workshop in Tokyo. The workshop was hosted by The University of San Diego, Daito Bunka University, and Japan Association of Action Research (JAAR) and took place at Daito Bunka University. I met my professor Dr. Inoue at the Keio Plaza Hotel at 9am after a 50 minute train ride from Kanagawa into the eternally busy Shinjuku station and was ecstatic upon meeting his wife and the 9 other students from USD. They are all here in Tokyo for their 9 day study abroad program as part of their EDUC 500 Research Design and Methodology summer course. It felt so great seeing familiar faces in Tokyo as I haven't seen anyone here yet that I knew from back home! In addition to the old faces there were many new ones as I was able to converse the entire day with a group of Japanese students from Daito Bunka at the workshop. Thank you all so much for such a wonderful day in Tokyo.

At Daito Bunka Uniesity.

First off we had an opening session in which Suzuki from the JAAR and Inoue from USD introduced the goals of the Tokyo Program. We had self introductions and were left by our professors to mingle with one another. Students from Daito Bunka were 1st-4th year undergraduates and they welcomed us to their University and to Japan with open arms and smiles on their faces. Some of them were very fluent in English and were eager to talk, and others were more hesitant and used the little English they knew to try and converse with us. Throughout the day Dr. Inoue and his wife translated from both English to Japanese and Japanese to English.

A warm welcome to Tokyo and Daito Bunka University.

After the self introductions we were asked to draw pictures centered upon the theme of "What does it mean to get a job and enter a profession." We were asked to draw a picture about how we felt about getting a job and entering a profession in terms of economical depression. I used as many colored markers as I could find and drew my best picture. Then everyone headed to the cafeteria for lunch together. The USD students had to learn the ropes about ordering from a vending machine to receive their lunch tickets. I have to say, I felt quite confident and adjusted to Japanese culture as I taught many of the students the cafeteria, school, and train processes throughout the day. I didn't realize how much I had learned about Japanese culture in such a short time during my time living here since May. My acculturation process happened very quickly!

The lunch options in the cafeteria.

Throughout the rest of the day at Daito Bunka, we had presentations and discussions on our rich pictures centered upon the theme. Our pictures were set to represent our amoi and jikkan, two Japanese expressions that are quite hard to convey in English. But after hearing them many times from my professor at USD, they have become second nature to me. Our amoi is something that for me describes our passion and our true purpose for doing what we do. My amoi for doing my research on how music successfully enhances second language acquisition in Adult ESL classrooms stems naturally from my deep passion for playing the piano.

Exchanging gifts from San Diego. Some students were given Shamu t-shirts!

The discussions were deep and meaningful as each student from USD and most of the students from Daito presented their pictures using the overhead projector. Many of the conversations were centered upon the state of education in the United States as well as the economic depression in Japan. An important topic that was raised was the issue of how Japanese students are able to get a job. In the past, connections were seen as a very important aspect of receiving a job, while now companies are focusing in on application skills and qualifications more than ever. Hearing many of the students stories about their stressful and difficult experiences trying to get a job was very endearing and empowering. I greatly appreciate them for sharing their personal stories and ideas as well as asking questions and giving advice for our own problems and questions. Though we came from different backgrounds and have different native languages, I feel that we were able to communicate our thoughts and ideas on a deep level forging true cross cultural communication and personal relationships.

Giving a group cheers at the welcome party.

Of course the discussions were engaging and exciting, but the real fun of the day took place at the welcoming party. We headed once more to the cafeteria and raised our glasses the traditional Japanese way while saying "Kanpai." The party was great fun and students opened up to us more than ever and taught us some Japanese customs and sayings. At one point, there was a piece of paper going around with saying such as "Will you marry me" and "Give me a kiss." I came across the paper and said the sentences in Japanese and was lucky enough to have a large group of Japanese students flirting with me as I dared one to plant a kiss on my cheek. I didn't think he was going to have the guts to do it, but a few seconds later my classmate at USD snapped a picture of the kiss in action.

So happy to see two familiar faces from San Diego!

Mingling with the students and our professors was a perfect ending to an amazing day. Many Facebook friends were added and I even discovered that one of my new Japanese friends from Daito Bunka University knew one of my friends from San Diego and had visited San Diego in the past! This world seems smaller and smaller the more I travel and live abroad. I will definitely be hanging out with him before I leave Japan and visiting him at his part time job at Disney Sea next weekend!

USD students on the subway ride back to Shinjuku.

I wish I could have spent more time with my classmates, professor, and new acquaintances during the second day of the cultural workshop, but unfortunately I had to rest on Sunday and get ready for another work week in Japan. Since moving to Japan 48 days ago I have not taken one day to relax or hang out and as a result I have missed out on a ton of sleep. Luckily, my body knew that today was the day to sleep for 12 hours, and I feel fully recharged and ready to enjoy my last 33 days in Japan before my teaching contract ends and I embark on a 30 trip in South East Asia.

Additional Pictures...

A cool piece of art inside of Shinjuku station as I walked to the West Exit.

Inside the lobby of Keio Plaza Hotel in Tokyo.

Walking around the University on a group tour.

Around Daito Bunka University.

A very nice picture to represent his feelings about entering the workforce.

Krishelle did a great job leading a discussion about the state of education in America.

Some pictures were clearly better than others!

A truly meaningful conversation about what it means to become an adult and honor your family.

Another great conversation about facing reality.

Using your skills to the fullest.

Who knew that we would be talking about plutonium?

I truly feel that I am standing in a pot of gold because of the connections I have made at USD!

Getting the welcome party started.

Kanpai!

Finally I got my first kiss from a Japanese man!

My new boyfriends.

A wonderful end of the party.

Riding back on the subway.

If you have any questions or comments about "Gone Seoul Searching in Japan: Joining the USD Tokyo program for the 2nd Cross Cultural Workshop in Tokyo " please leave them in the comment box below or email them to goneseoulsearching@gmail.com
Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

Gone Seoul Searching in Japan: The train from Tokyo to Hakone

2012-06-17T05:09:00.000-07:00

Getting to Hakone from Tokyo is half of the fun when you ride on the romance car into Hakone Yumote station.

Views of the Japanese country side are beautiful from the train.

We love the romance car, and especially its name!

With beautiful views of Mt. Fuji, majestic mountains, and charming hillside hotels there is no better day or weekend trip out of Tokyo than to Hakone. This post is all about the train ride over and will be the first of a series of write ups about Hakone. Among the many places I have traveled to in Japan including Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo, Kanagawa, etc. Hakone is my favorite.

Inside the romance car.

Getting to Hakone is fairly simple. If you are coming from central Tokyo simply board the Odakyu Railway Romance Car bound for Hakone. The train ride is 70 minutes long and you will get off at Hakone Yumoto station. To check train times and details go to Hyperdia.com and search for a train bound for Hakone Yumoto station.

Map courtesy of www.hakone.or.jp

Once at the station to board the romance car, mine was at Machida, you need to purchase a reserved ticket to board the train. This ticket will cost 600 yen and will give you a reserved seat number. Don't think that you can save money by hopping on the train and avoiding the man that comes to check tickets. Yes, sometimes he doesn't come, but we did this on the train ride home because we thought we could simply pay for a fair adjustment because we were to lazy to go buy a ticket before hopping on. But instead, the man made us pay for a ticket on the train and we had to pay a 300 yen penalty fee. So make sure to buy your ticket from one of the ticket machines at the platform, or before you get to the platform. The machine is very easy, just select English. There was a nice woman working there that helped us out at the station in Machida and quickly purchased us 3 tickets so we could board the train that left in just 2 minutes.

Enjoy the luxury train ride over! I strongly recommend taking the train over during the early morning hours or during the day so that you can get a view of the Japanese country sides! You will ride past plenty of rice fields, green mountains, and picturesque houses and neighborhoods. Riding on the romance car is extremely comfortable. The seats recline, and the train was quiet and smooth. Romance car trains are definitely one of the nicest style trains in Japan and they are perfect if you are traveling with a date, hence the name (romance car). Riding through the country side is extremely romantic, and the romance car makes it even better.

On the train, you can purchase food and drinks from a lady that will come buy and take your order. A beer costs 300 yen, so if you want to save money, stop at the convenience store before hopping on the train and bring your own snacks. Everyone on the train busted out sushi and rice bowls, and a few purchased items from the train attendant.

Once you get to Hakone Yamote, I recommend heading out of the station to the Hakone information center. Here you will find women ready to help you with any questions about sight seeing in Hakone. They will provide you with detailed maps and time tables of buses in trains in the area. Next door to the Hakone information center you can buy your Hakone Free pass, or you can buy this in Shinjuku and it will include the price of your train ticket.

The Hakone Free Pass by Odakyu Railways is a special pass for exploring Hakone, and includes:

1)	One round trip from the Tokyo area to Hakone by Odakyu Railways, unless you purchase the pass inside the free area, e.g. at Odawara, Hakone-Yumoto or Mishima Stations.
2)	Unlimited use of Odakyu affiliated buses, trains, boats, cablecars and ropeways within the Hakone free area.
3)	Discounted admission to selected tourist attractions.

Prices and image courtesy of www.japan-guide.com.

The bathrooms on the romance car.

I strongly recommend buying the Hakone Free Pass if you want to see 2 or more of the famous attractions in Hakone. You will get unlimited use of the trains, boats, cable cars, etc. We went on the pirate boat a total of 4 times and used all of the cable cars. To get too and from our guest house, we also used our hakone pass to take the bus. The great thing about the pass is that it is good for 2 days. So its great if you are going for a weekend trip from Saturday to Sunday.

Check back soon for more details about my trip to Hakone! I will write about the attractions, guest house, onsen (hot springs), food, etc.

Showing our love for the romance car!

True love found on the romance car!

Riding back home on Sunday evening from Hakone to Kanagawa.

If you have any questions or comments about "Gone Seoul Searching in Japan: The train from Tokyo to Hakone" please leave them in the comment box below or email them to goneseoulsearching@gmail.com
Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

Gone Seoul Searching in Japan Video Post: Led Zeppelin on the train ride home from work in Japan

2012-06-14T07:06:00.001-07:00

Non Youtube video for blocked viewers in America.I got tagged for using Led Zeppelin! : (

The sunset at Yomiuri-Land-mae station on a Thursday evening in June 2012.

Riding the subway in Japan can be a very hectic experience at first, but as your commute becomes regular you learn to embrace the train system for its good qualities. I usually listen to music and fool around on my Japanese language learning apps while I am waiting to pass the time. Today I was able to ditch out of work a little early and catch a quicker train ride home. Seeing daylight on the way home is a great feeling.

As you can see in my above video post, the train is much less crowded on the way home than in the morning. In the morning, I can never get a seat and am in a packed car with little room to breathe. So I really enjoy and appreciate the ride home. Listening to a little Led Zeppelin on the way also makes a great ending to my work day. I have to say, sometimes riding the Japan subway makes me very empowered. I feel like a strong woman that can do and go anywhere mainly because I have mastered the difficult Japan subway system that is full of chaotic transfers, crazy schedules, and lines that are never on any of my subway maps!

If you have any questions or comments about "Gone Seoul Searching in Japan Video Post: Led Zeppelin on the train ride home from work in Japan" please leave them in the comment box below or email them to goneseoulsearching@gmail.com
Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

Gone Seoul Searching in Japan: Bike riding to Costco in Japan

2012-06-12T07:13:00.000-07:00

Find the nearest Costco in Japan if you want great deals on fruit, fish, guacamole, salsa, and cheese!


Riding my bike (the black pearl) to Costco is a fun and memorable experience in Japan.

The Costco I go to at Tamasakai in Sagamihara.

Long subway rides with rolling suitcases filled with Costco food used to be a standard event when I lived in Korea. But luckily my apartment in Japan is only a 10-15 minute bike ride away from the nearest Costco location in Japan! Costco is one of my favorite stores to visit in any country that I am living or visiting. This is because I can stock up on the essentials for an extremely reasonable price. I can get a giant brick of fresh cheddar cheese rather than paying $15 for a tiny block at Korean and Japanese grocery stores, and I always get a giant box of Premium Kirkland Brand Raisin Brand cereal for my breakfasts.
I am happy to know that if I am craving a slice of pizza or a good old fashioned hot dog and soda I can simply bike on over to Costco and pick up some food. Their selection in Tokyo is amazing and the store is packed with everything imaginable both Western and Japanese. They even have giant buckets of kimchi and soju if you are looking to delve into some Korean cooking or drinking. I picked up a great bottle of Argentinian Malbec, one of my favorite kinds of wine for only 700 yen, about $7 the last time I went. In addition, Costco has great appliances and sports equipment. I actually walked to Costco from the nearest subway station from my house the first visit, and ended up purchasing a bike and riding home with all of my goodies!

The first time I went to Costco I rode home on my new bike with cheese, pillows and milk!

As a native San Diego girl, Mexican food is a high priority item in my diet. My eyes lit up when passing through the freezer aisle and my hands instantly reached out to grab a 2 pack of guacamole! I was a bit skeptical about frozen guacamole, but after letting it defrost in my refrigerator and dipping some of my Costco tortilla chips into the dip my taste buds were nothing but let down! I also purchased a 2 pack of Pace salsa, something that I would never buy back home, but Pace is among the only salsas you will find in many Asian countries.

Inside Costco in Tokyo.

Check out where the closest Costco is to you on their English websites and you might be surprised. There are 5 Costco's right now in the Tokyo vicinity. If you have your Costco card from back home, you can use the same card. You will just have to fill out a change of address form the first time you shop. I still use my same card that I got from my parents when I was only 19 back in California!

If you have any questions or comments about "Bike riding to Costco in Japan" please leave them in the comment box below or email them to goneseoulsearching@gmail.com
Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

Gone Seoul Searching in Japan: Taking a day trip to Tokyo's Zushi Beach

2012-06-10T06:49:00.000-07:00

Zushi beach makes for a great day trip from Tokyo.

Everyone is having a blast in the warm water as they paddle board, wind surf, and swim.

When you get a beautiful sunny day during the rainy season in Japan you have to take advantage and head to the beach. The coastal atmosphere has completely surprised me with its mellow yet active atmosphere. People take walks on the beach while drinking a beer, go windsurfing on neon colored crafts, and do some good old fashioned sun bathing. The water is warm and the breeze is cool. No offense Korea, but you guys need to be more adventurous when it comes to beach life and water activities, and this also means that you can't be afraid to get a tan!

These guys were carrying a small boat and paddle board.

Zushi is just north of Kamakura and Enoshima, where many tourists and Japanese frequent to see the famous Kamakura Daibutsu (Buddha), Enoshima island, and other temples and major sites. The neighborhood itself is wealthy as there are many nice houses with quite big plots of land and fertile gardens. I like Zushi because of the fact that it is a beach for the sake of a beach, to be enjoyed for beach fun and nothing else. Kamakura and Enoshima are more touristy as they have many other attractions besides the beach. If you are looking for sand, relaxation, and water fun then Zushi beach is right for you.

Beer and tacos in Japan, I'm sold!

Beware of the crazy birds at the beach! If you leave food out for one second they will swoop down and steal your lunch. My friend and I were sitting very close to one another eating some chips when suddenly, a bird swooped down in between us brushing my sunglasses with its wing and grabbing the chip out of my friends hands with its nasty little claws. This bird had guts and we could see it circling above us getting ready for another kill!

Nearby corner stores are great to stock up on some cheap drinks.

There are plenty of great restaurants all near the beach as you walk from Zushi station. Among them are Thai, Mexican, Korean, and American. We stopped for dinner at a great burger joint called Freshness Burger. This is on the left hand side if you are walking from the station down to the beach and is packed full of hungry Japanese and Westerners alike. We ordered the double double with grilled onions and french fries and were delighted to discover a "real" burger joint. They even have burgers with blue cheese and avacado. How much more Californian does it get?

California girl stoked to be at the beach!

Finally, be prepared to fork out some money for the train ride down there. From where I live in Kanagawa, the train ride there was a steep 950 yen. Yep! That is about $20 round trip just to get to the beach. You may be able to find cheaper routes that will save you a couple of bucks each way, so check out Hyperdia before you go. If you haven't used Hyperdia yet, it is an extremely reliable English time table of all of the trains in Japan. Enjoy the beach!

More windsurfers.

The cute tiki place that has Mexican tacos and beer.

The first view of the beach from under the bridge.

A bunch of windsurfers out at Zushi.

Two Americans stoked to be at the beach!

There's nothing like a beach side game of connect four!

A family that took a day trip down to the beach, this girl has a little red wagon, my childhood memories came rushing back!

Inside the burger joint "Freshness burger" at Zushi beach.

A great hamburger in Japan.

A shot of Zushi station, nothing special.

Nice houses around the neighborhood in Zushi.

If you have any questions or comments about "Gone Seoul Searching in Japan: Taking a day trip to Tokyo's Zushi Beach" please leave them in the comment box below or email them to goneseoulsearching@gmail.com
Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.

Gone Seoul Searching in Japan: Sumo Wrestling at Ryogoku Stadium in Tokyo

2012-06-09T09:32:00.000-07:00

Advertisements for the big guys at the end of the tournament.

Sumo wrestling is Japans most famous long standing traditional sport.

   Two 300-350 pound men with giant wedgies make their way onto the floor of the dohyō (sumo ring) made of clay mixed with sand as one pounces on the other and the loser falls flat onto an onlooker. This was what took place at the very first match I saw an the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on day 14 at sumo stadium in Rygoku, Tokyo. Why would they put the audience members and judges so close to the ring? In my personal opinion, it's all for affect, the crows goes wild when one of the audience members gets flattened by a giant sumo and it is by far one of the funniest things I have ever witnessed in my life! According to Japan Guide, there are no weight restrictions or classes in sumo, meaning that wrestlers can easily find themselves matched off against someone many times their size. This was often the case in the matches I saw where one man was easily 70 pounds heavier than the other.
    There are about 6 sumo tournaments per year in Japan each lasting 15 days and 3 of which are held in Tokyo. If you happen to be in Japan during one of these tournaments purchasing the cheapest ticket up in the nose bleed section for 3,600 yen about $35 USD will be the best money you ever spend during your time in Japan.
    Attending a sumo tournament can be an all day event. The doors opened at 9 am and the last fight was at 6pm. In the morning the amateurs compete and then later into the afternoon the pros start coming out and the stadium gets packed. I was lucky to see a geisha sitting up in the front rows of the ring dressed beautifully in a robe with her white face and perfect posture. You may also see the sumo wrestlers enter and exit the stadium from the front entrance. Before and after the tournament you will see groups of sumo wrestlers getting in and out of taxis and even hopping on their bikes. When I arrived at the stadium I saw one of the lower ranking sumo professionals getting on the subway, and another hopping on his bike!
     A good think to know about attending the tournament is that you can bring any of your own food and drinks inside the stadium. Yes, this means you can buy a case of beer and bring it into the stadium so that you don't pay $5 for a small and $7 for a large Asahi. I learned this the hard way when I saw fellow audience members busting out their sushi and drinks brought from home. However, I did equate the Japanese sumo match to a good old fashioned base ball game and went and bought a hot dog $3 and a large beer! You can exit the stadium once and re-enter, so you can also go out to get lunch or leave for a while and come back.
      One of my co workers was smart enough to find out about a radio rental for $1 that translates the Japanese radio televised version of the tournament into English. This was very helpful for knowing who was up against each other and what their past rankings were. Some of the sumo wrestlers were foreigners from Brazil and Mongolia and there was even one white guy who defeated a Japanese wrestler. Professional sumo is only practiced in Japan, and Wikipedia notes that there are currently 55 wrestlers listed as foreigners. So when you see a foreigner they really stand out, and the Japanese crowd goes wild. As the tournament goes on the fans become more and more enthusiastic and men with flags enter the ring. At first I thought the flags were just for show based on the wrestlers ranking, but then I learned afterwards that the flags are actually sponsorships.
   The entire experience was one of excitement and awe. The actual wrestling matches happen so quickly that if you turn to talk to your neighbor it will be over by the time you turn back. Everything happens so fast, so keep your eye on the ring, and you wont miss a thing. For those of you that are near sighted, I know this may sound silly, but I strongly recommend for you to not forget your glasses on the day of the sumo match. I forgot mine, and found myself watching most of it through the zoom on my camera! There is nothing better than getting an up close glimpse of those wrinkly and hairy chests and jiggling butts as the sumo wrestlers literally slap their own butts.

Sumo poses outside of Rygoku.

A full house for the final sumo matches with the big shots.

Another big match, you can see the stadium filled up to the max.

Views from the top of the sumo stadium in Tokyo really give you a good panorama.

More sumo poses outside Rygoku.

This sumo is signing autographs after the tournament.

This sumo stopped to greet his biggest fan : )

Man, sumo wrestler, man.

There's nothing like a hot dog and a beer at a sumo match in Tokyo!

Outside of Rygoku stadium.

Sumo wrestlers exiting a taxi cab at Rygoku stadium and entering.

Flags that line the outside of Rygoku.

One of the entrances into the stadium. There are many shops lining the entrance with souvenirs.

A market inside that donated its profits to the earthquake charit

Sumo wrestling figurines.

A sumo wrestling vending machine.

Nicki and I posing with some real life sumo wrestlers at Rygoku stadium!


Bright lights inside Rogoku stadium.


Pictures of sumo champions that line the stadium walls.

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Gone Seoul Searching by Marie Webb is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at goneseoulsearching@gmail.com.