Friday is Bakery Day

 Fluffy bread in all its glory

[ Sweet bread with melon ]

Every Friday is Bakery Day. Close to noon, the local baker from Maitorie bakery located near the Niseko train station arrives with his wife carrying trays of freshly baked savory and sweet breads to sell to our students and staff for lunch. Students can buy two savory and one sweet bread and they come prepared with their change purses filled with 100-yen coins. 

[ Bringing in the bread ]

The baker's wife accompanies him, and she joins him to help serve once she has parked their pink Kei car in the parking lot.  Each week they bring a different variety of breads and I can barely take the anticipation on Friday morning with my coins jangling in my pocket. Here is a selection of what is on hand: 

[ Custard cream, red bean and raisin buns ]

[ Napolitan savory sandwich ]

[ Curry and potato pan ]

[ Yakisoba sandwich ]

Each classroom of students takes turn coming to the table to make a selection. They count out their coins and pay the baker at the end of the table. He makes change from a container of coins that he brings with him. 

[ That will by 250 yen please ]

[ This is the spirit of a young gourmand ]

Each week I counsel myself on limiting my purchases. I usually bring a normal packed lunch and promise myself to only buy one sweet roll. But it never quite goes as planned. This is what I bought this week. 

[ How many carbs can I eat in one meal? ]

My absolute favorite bread has only shown up once so far. It is a roll that is sliced open and stuffed with whipped cream and then sprinkled with powdered sugar. I mean, I cannot say no.

[ The creme de la creme ]

Gardening Hokkaido Style

 

Horticultural Shenanigans

[ This is serious business ]

It was time to admit that the weeds were actually coming for us. The heat, the humidity, and the unchecked growth of wild grape vines and unknown giant leafy foliage had been creeping closer and closer to all sides of the house since Tom and Wiley left in late July. 

[ Flora looming ]

[ Wild grape vines gone mad ]

The local farmers had already gone by our house three times with a giant blade extending from the side of their tractors to hack back the stuff growing along the ditch at the edge of the road. I was starting to have nightmares about getting trapped indoors by a jungle of vines and large scale bug wildlife. It was time to do something. It was time to go to the local hardware store for some rubber boots and Dickies. 

[ Let's get this party started ]

I have to say, I was really excited about my outfit. However, looking back on it now I am noticing that Norah looks like she is preparing for an instagram shoot and I look like I belong on a WANTED poster for a Slender Man sighting. 

[ We tried to recreate American Gothic ]

We did get down to business eventually. Norah took the dangerous job of cutting back the brush with a very aggressive weed wacker that has a jagged steel blade. She steered that thing around the perimeter of the house like a pro chopping back all manner of four-foot stalks of large leafy predators. 

[  Taking back the car park  ]

In the mean time, I was relegated to pulling weeds around back and wading knee deep into undergrowth that could possibly house large beetles and a poisonous snake. I used all available tools in my hand-to-weed combat. 

[ Okay, I went too far and pulled out all the plants ]

We worked for a few hours until the sun made the situation begin to feel untenable. We got enough done that I think we are good for at least another month. We wheelbarrowed piles of greenery down over the ditch at the back field hoping that we did not get the weeds too close to the farmer's soy beans. 

[ A friendly gastropod ]

I did not come across any snakes in the end, but we did relocate a pleasant little snail who was not pleased by the reckless weeding that I had done to the back garden. 

Green Acres is the place to be!

Farm living is the life for me!

Land spreading out so far and wide,

Keep Manhattan just give me that countryside!

Japanese BBQ

 

A charming night out

[ Grilled lamb, onions, and bean sprouts ]

Last night Norah and I spent a charming evening at a local yakiniku restaurant nearby our house. We finally both have a working phone and we are finally able to call and make a reservation for dinner (required at most places no matter how casual the restaurant might be). Well, one of us can make a phone call - that is, Norah can make a phone call. Her two years of Japanese language classes at UNCW are really serving her right now. She is able to make a reservation over the telephone for a specific date and time and then able to answer a barrage of questions regarding the details from the person on the other end of the line. I am super impressed. 

[ ニセコジンギスカン Niseko Genghis Khan Restaurant ]

We arrived at the restaurant, a small geodome on the outskirts of town, just as the restaurant opened. We had reserved a table at the counter and we were welcomed inside by the chef and waiter who were just turning on the lights of the dining area and turning the coals on the small grills prepared for each table. The restaurant is tiny - there are three tables and a counter - and the interior is lined with wood floors and wood paneling. I can imagine how cozy this place must be in the winter with snow reaching up to the windows. We were seated at the counter right in front of the kitchen. 

[ I immediately ordered a Sapporo Classic beer ]

The waiter brought us the menu, which Norah had perused in advance online, and she ordered our dinner with authority. Besides fresh lamb which is a house specialty, we ordered mushrooms, pumpkin, corn, and kimchi as sides. Everything arrives at the table raw and we grill everything from a hot coal fire placed at our counter space. The waiter brought a dipping broth, serving bowls, and a tray of accoutrements. I was really enamored with the small, white porcelain salt cellar and tiny spoon on the tray. 

[ A medley of accoutrements and the salt cellar ]

We seasoned the grill top with a chunk of pure animal fat provided on our plate of lamb. Then we placed the meat and vegetables on the grill, turning it on the grill until cooked. This took just minutes. 

[ The BBQ mise-en-scene ]

[ Magnificent kimchi in a beautiful ceramic bowl ]

[ The menu ]

Norah was an excellent dinner companion. She grilled our food with a certain expertise that I rather enjoyed. As we cooked our meal, the other tables in the restaurant filled and there was a general atmosphere of indoor picnic that was communal and inviting. 

[ Grilling expertise on point ]

At the end of our meal the waiter and chef struck up a little conversation with us. We spoke with a combination of English and Japanese - their English quite good, Norah's Japanese doing well, me smiling. They asked us if we could help them write a sign to put on the door next week for English speaking customers when they needed to close for a lunch time shift unexpectedly. Norah wrote it out for them and we thanked them many times for the wonderful meal. We are looking forward to another visit sometime soon. 

[ Thank you for a lovely evening ]

Sea of Japan

 

A Day at the Sea

[ Glam shot with bath towel + linen shirt as hat ]

By the end of the week, Norah and I were desperate to find some cool water where we could float. The week in Niseko had been very hot, so hot that we closed the school for a half day on Thursday and Friday. There is no air conditioning in the building and classroom temperatures were hovering past 32°C. No amount of oscillating fan could improve the conditions! Similarly at our house, we were sweating it out with no AC just like everyone else in Niseko - the heat is higher than normal which clearly is a phenomenon affecting everyone on the planet earth right now. Anyway, Norah and I took to the beach. 

[ Tunnel along the coast near Rankoshi ]

[ Suttsu Bay, Sea of Japan ]

After about an hour of driving we reached the sea at the mouth of the Shiribetsu River. The juxtaposition of emerald blue sea and lush green mountains was thrilling to see. It was a gorgeous view. 

We drove for awhile, hoping to reach Shimamaki Beach, but ended up turning down a small road in the Suttsu District that lead to a wide cove near a campsite. We weren't sure we could reach the water from the road so I parked and Norah walked ahead to check the situation. Towering over the path were giant windmills silently spinning. It felt a little surreal. 

The sea was calm here, crystal clear, and the beach was empty except for one young mom and her son who were wading along the water's edge. Norah and I decided this was the spot to set up for the day. We got our chairs and cooler and books and settled in.

[ The beauty of this landscape! ]

[ Just look at those mountains behind me! ]

We spent a lot of the day floating. The salt water was very accommodating and buoyant! We snacked on sushi rolls and collected seashells and stared out at the scenery. The day was truly sublime. I feel refreshed and ready for the week. 

[ Quality time with my favorite girl ]

The next time we head this way we hope to make it all the way to Shimamaki Beach. There are still miles of coastline to explore. 

[ i have no words ]

First Days of School

Principal Delight

[ Student notes left on my desk this morning ]

For the past two days of classes, the first two of the semester, I have stood out at the top of the road to greet students each morning and to wave goodbye to them each evening. At 8:15 in the morning, I see them climbing the hill from the town center where their parents park the car and help them cross the road at the crosswalk on the main street. They arrive with their backpacks and indoor shoes, and today with their swim bags. While I am waiting I take in the view of mountains and rolling clouds that surround the village. Here is a glimpse of my view. 

[The school entrance ]

[Looking left to Mt. Yotei at the end of the street ]

[ Looking right to the new learning annex ]

The first day of classes were a confluence of students greeting their friends, settling into new classrooms, and getting to know a few new teachers, myself included. On the first day, I saw all of the students in the school for art class and having never taught students in the primary grades, I was a little concerned about what might go down in my classroom. 

[ Keeping panic at bay with markers and music ]

I kept it simple the first day and we practiced drawing different types of lines in a musical chairs kind of format where students had a dance party at regular intervals between drawing their lines. We definitely had a good time. 

[Kindergarten was on it ]

Today I escorted the preschool and k-2 grades to the swimming pool with a host of teachers, all of whom got into the pool with the students. We left from school at around 10:00 in the morning and walked through the town to the community swimming pool. This was quite a palaver I can tell you. Swim bags, flotation pool noodles, swim caps, and floppy hats galore paraded down the street, across the road, through the park, and up the street to the pool. 

[ Assembling for the walk across town ]

[ Heading down the hill ]

[Through the park ]

[ Up the street ]

Finally we arrived and the students got themselves changed and poolside without too much trouble, even the littles. I am fully impressed by the fortitude of the faculty to make this maneuver across town and then to get into the pool and provide swim lessons to the students! The students were thrilled to get into the water as we were very hot and sweaty by the time we arrived. 

[ Some calisthenics before entering the pool ]

The PE teacher repeated this entire journey in the afternoon with the older students. Norah was recruited earlier in the week to assist and she ended up in the pool coaching the "experienced" swimmers through some floating exercises and relay races!

[ My first day of school photo, for my friend Polly ]

I am sure there are challenges ahead, but for now, I am filled with principal delight. This is fun!

[ My spot in the shoe cupboard ]

 

Fresh Veg

 

Open 24-Hours

[ Self Serve Farm Stand ]

Norah and I are enjoying this experience of living so close to the food source of vegetables and fruits that are farmed in the region where we are living. Today we visited the Haga Farm stall on Route 66 heading out of town that is open 24-hours and relies on the honor system. Lettuces, tomatoes, cucumbers, blueberries, and corn were some of the produce we could choose from to add to our weekly food shop. 

[ Fresh veggies for sale ]

Once we made our selections, we added up what we had in our bag and paid the coin box stationed in the center of the stall. We purchased broccoli, tomatoes, blueberries, lettuce, and some corn for 800 yen (about 6 dollars). 

[ Gratitude, and correct change, for the farmer ]