Busy busy!

The month of March flew by! Three weeks since my last entry...Gosh!

Well, if you're still at the edge of your seats wondering about the "natto experiment"- I guess it was a success...though I didn't really set any parameters to indicate a failure or a success. Natto is basically my primary source of protein now- I've taken to using it at dinner instead of breakfast because that's my last meal before going to work out usually. So I guess I'm taking it back to feudal Japan...natto and miso being vital sources of nutrition. Haha.

I am currently on はるやすみ ("haruyasumi" = spring break) though I have had to teach a few special spring break classes at Blueberry. Those were especially fun because I was able to meet the older students who usually come for after school English lessons. They are around 9-10 years old and their English is pretty astounding- I felt like I was in an American classroom, almost. The students also had はっぴょうかい ("happyoukai" = recital) and graduation this month. I was so proud of the kids, especially the little ones, for performing so well!

March brings the end of the school year here and for students, teachers and some other public workers it's a pretty emotional month. I know we had a few tears at Blueberry. It's pretty heartwrenching to see a pretty well-adjusted child start to cry because they are scared of しょうがっこう ("shougakkou" = primary school) and so heartwarming when the child's classmates comfort and assure them that they will make good friends in their new school!

For teachers and public workers, March is the month that they get transfer notices. Our two favorite teachers in Ryan's office are actually getting transferred! (Actually most of the teachers we know are our favorites. Haha.) A transfer can mean something small like moving to another desk or floor or something huge like a different school clear across the prefecture. And it's a very short notice since classes start up again in April. It's a strange system here.

However, because of this upheaval and probably also because winter is ending, the calendar has been full of drinking/dinner parties. It's been tiring and fun.

Speaking about winter ending...we are still in the single digits (in celsius...aka low 40s in fahrenheit) with the temperatures dropping below 0 in the evenings and fresh snow coating the streets in the mornings. We don't anticipate cherry blossoms until late April/May (most likely May) but we're considering a trip to southern Hokkaido in late April so maybe we'll enjoy some はなみ(hanami" = flower viewing; usually cherry blossoms) a little earlier than in Sapporo.

Well, that's its, folks...now all I have to do is put up the ゆきまつり ("yuki matsuri" = snow festival) pictures...

では また! ("dewa, mata!" = see you!; usually pronounced more like "ja mata!")

P.S. Had an earthquake this morning- the longest and shakiest I've experienced so far! Don't worry- it's still just a baby quake.

Day 2 Natto still tastes good!

Second day of eating natto and still kinda love it! Today I really tried to take in the smell and taste of the natto. There's no way around it- natto smells awful. But tastes good! Someone suggested that maybe I can try a different brand of natto to see if it's just the brand I bought. So I went and bought another pack today. Will try it tomorrow!

This morning I stirred my natto a lot to get it all sticky and stringy. Yum!

I said I would examine the flavor a bit more today and like I said yesterday besides the smell and the outer texture, natto really just tastes like beans on the inside with a little bit of an earthy taste on the outside.

Stay tuned for the new brand review tomorrow!

Day 1 Natto Experiment

Today I had natto for breakfast and guess what?! I LOVED it! I don't know why my first time was so bad. Here is my breakfast: rice, natto and tea with milk.

Inside the natto cup:

Pulling up the cover:

Feast your eyes on this sticky natto!!

Then you stir your natto around, add the soy sauce and mustard and BAM!

Place it all on top of your rice and itadakimasu!

I guess during my first experience with natto, I was completely consumed by its aroma. To say it smells bad is an understatement. I don't think I will ever smell natto and say "mmmMMMmm!" This morning the natto didn't smell as bad. At least I wasn't as put off as the first time. Maybe the remnant of my cold is still dulling my sense of smell.

Another obstacle is its texture. It is very sticky and stringy and the more you stir it the more sticky it gets. This does not bother me that much actually. I think I rather enjoy its texture and stringiness. After I was done eating I did have to wash my face because I felt like all the little strands were sticking to my mouth and chin. That was a little gross.

As for the flavor, it IS strong but I found it very tasty! The beans seemed to have retained a slightly sweet bean-y flavor on the inside and had a sort of...well, indescribable flavor on the outside. It tasted like natto! It tastes earthy, I guess. I will try to think about the flavor a little more tomorrow morning.

Now I'm dreaming about natto sandwiches...

Skiing on Olympic ground and Day 0: Natto Experiment

We had a nice relaxing weekend here in Sapporo. On Saturday we skied Teine Highland aka site of the 1972 Olympics! Met up with some of the teachers from Ryan's office. They are AWESOME skiers...but what else can we expect from people who've grown up in Hokkaido?!


I tried the "Expert Only" course. It only took me 30 minutes to go down 1500m!! Hahaha. It was an ungroomed course through the trees and full of moguls. Next year I want to cut my time down a bit. Haha. But despite how difficult it was for me (not being able to jump turn or sometimes just get over my fear and go) I rather enjoyed that trail and hope to visit it again soon!

We ended the day with our favorite soup curry from Voyage. (More on that another time!) Skiing and soup curry on a Saturday! What more could one want?

Today, we were able to sleep in (until 10!!) and just cleaned/had a lazy day.

And tomorrow will be my first* day eating natto for breakfast!! Natto is a traditional Japanese food- everyone here always asks if we like natto. The answer is always "no." Why? Natto is fermented soy beans- which means it has a very distinct scent. Frankly, it smells like compost and tastes like it too. (Well, it tastes like how I imagine compost to taste like...) It is super sticky and extremely slimey. Read the wiki that I linked to at the beginning of the paragraph.


*My first actual day eating natto was over the summer at our hotel in Noboribetsu. However for the purposes of my experiment, tomorrow will be Day 1.

Then why am I eating natto tomorrow? Because I think I should give it a chance (again). So many people LOVE it here (even the children!) and it's SO healthy for you. I have bought a pack of 4-20g containers of natto and I will consume one pack a day with my morning rice. I wanted to take a video but mornings are a little busy in this household so I think pictures will have to do.

Well...better go to sleep so I can wake up and eat my natto! Oyasumi nasai!