From today, April 29, Japan will be enjoying a week-long holiday called “Golden Week”. The Golden Week is a collection of four national holidays within seven days. In combination with well placed weekends, the Golden Week becomes one of Japan’s three busiest holiday seasons.

So speaking of Japan, I wanted to post some photos of my husband’s trip there last month (the one where I decided not to tag along) because it’s been quite a while since I posted anything about Japan.

I missed this:

There were so many food photos my husband came home with and I certainly do not want to risk any one of you salivating over it (like I did) so let’s all refrain from posting food, shall we?

Most of all, I miss my grandmother in-law who’s 95 now but still as sharp as ever.

Here she is, looking at Pristine’s poses from a Babyshop catalog. She is mighty proud of her great-grand daughter. I remember when she told me before how it was rare to have photos taken during her time, how her precious  few pieces of photographs were destroyed during World War II – she must be so amazed how easy it is to take photos today and so easy to land in print. When Pristine was a baby, her great grandma told me Pristine would grow up to be a beautiful lady. I think she is right. (of course we are biased!)

Nostalgia aside, I am glad I did not have to deal with this:

That, my friends is my husband’s hometown. This is where my father in-law’s rice farm is, just covered in snow for now.

And then this is right outside their house:

This was taken in mid-March people! Where is spring? Where are the famous cherry blossoms? When will it arrive? If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’d know that my husband hails from snow country.

I miss Japan so much; the last time I was there was in October 2009 but with a small baby and that bunch of snow (and indoor temperature in my in-law’s house only at about 3C), it was best I did not go.

*****

The Pacific side of Japan is already bright and sunny in March. Cherry blossoms bloom in late March in Tokyo and Yokohama but in the side facing the Sea of Japan, it’s still gray and snowing. Until around late May, it’s impossible to wear just a shirt.

This is for a special lady, who’s also a mom who’s dear to us. She is a lady whom I met one summer, 11 years ago.

Kono-bachan (Grandma Kono) is my husband’s grandmother (his mother’s mother). The first time I met her was before I got married to her grandson. She was ‘only’ 83 years old that time.

In her generation where mingling or meeting foreigners is almost unknown, she welcomed me with open arms and was smiling and accepting. She did look at me strangely at first with the question in her mind, addressed to my (then) boyfriend: “From where did this lady come from?” In M’s small town, there are only very few foreigners and every time I go there, until now, I still get the questioning looks from people. They even attempt to talk to me in very slow and basic Japanese thinking I don’t understand a thing. It’s always awkward to talk back.

Kono-bachan and Pristine share the same birthday on December 23rd, 87 years apart. Pristine first met her when she was 6 months old and crying at every stranger that gets near her. But when I seated her on Kono-bachan’s bed, there were no hysteric reaction. She even touched her face.

She is the only living grandparent of my husband and we love her dearly. Up until today, she still writes a diary everyday and our names are in some of the pages of that diary. We go straight to her “home” (elderly care centre) the moment we go to that town. We always visit her first.

It’s been more than 2 years since we last saw her and we miss her a lot. She’s 94 now, still active and lively like when I first met her 11 years ago (as per my father in law’s report). She’s so strong despite the things she has gone through in her younger years: a battered wife, a mom who lost one of her child early. I wish I’d have even half her grace when I reach her age (if ever).

We wish to see her again soon. Happy mother’s day to Kono bachan and to all moms out there!

Photo credit

My brother who works in Yokohama, Japan’s second largest city after the capital Tokyo is back in the Philippines temporarily with his wife and 5 month old baby. He and his small family are among the thousands of foreigners who left Japan after a radiation scare (and most recently, water scare) that gripped the north eastern part of the country and the capital following an earthquake and tsunami that happened last March 11.

His wife is not working so she will be staying in the Philippines with the baby indefinitely however, my brother is flying back to Tokyo to go back to work  among the legions of  Japanese colleagues often called ‘salarymen‘ – loyal Japanese employees whose lives revolve around the office, who regularly work overtime and who have strong, emotional ties to their corporations and their colleagues.

A society he feels he is now part of.

Upon his return, I am sure he will be coping a pinch of ostracism from his colleagues for flying out and leaving them to work during the crisis. But that he can handle.

Another challenge my brother would face is the constant prodding of my mother to NOT go back to Tokyo at all, to leave everything behind – their property, lifestyle, his career (that has finally taken off after being accepted in a huge multinational company in Yokohama). My mom says it’s not worth risking his life. Quakes can be tolerable although not less scary but radiation? Vegetables, milk and other produce found with traces of radiation? And the news that tap water is contaminated with radioactive substances now?

I personally thought my mom was over-reacting because I believe the government of Japan is doing everything to contain the situation and I am sure everything will settle in a few days. The over hyped foreign media is only making it worse. It’s not apocalyptic in Japan at all, not right now at least.

While exchanging words with her, I find myself defending my brother’s decision to go back to Japan as I know him well. My mother thought I was too insensitive to not convince him to not go back. But what can I really do? My brother at 32 has a mind of his own and he decides for himself. And he loves and believes in Japan like I do.

But radiation is something you can’t see! my mother screams. “You should forget everything in Japan and find work somewhere else!” She definitely has the Chernobyl disaster in her mind.

We ended our conversation hanging – my mom was in bed with exasperated breaths , I was upset when I reached my room. When I finally went to bed, I stared at the ceiling and thought, there was no need to argue with my mother. She was just a mom, feeling worried for one of her children. I am a mom too, I should have understood, I should have known better.

Tomorrow I’ll have her call my brother so they can talk. I really don’t need to be in the middle.

The Consulate General of Japan in Dubai has released an official statement as to how to donate to the 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami Relief.

Here is the contest of the statement in case the link above is broken or does not work:

Donations for 2011 Tohoku district off the Pacific Ocean Earthquake

The Consulate-General of Japan in Dubai has been receiving a lot of offers and inquiries about the donations for the earthquake in Japan. Now we confirm that Japanese Red Cross is ready to accept the donations from overseas. The details of which are as follow:

Donations for the Victims
The Japanese Red Cross will send your donations to the victims through the local governments. If you need a receipt, please so specify in payment form.

Name of Bank: Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation
Name of Branch: Ginza
Account No.: 8047670 (Ordinary Account)
SWIFT Code: SMBC JP JT
Payee Name: The Japanese Red Cross Society
Payee Address: 1-1-3 Shiba-Daimon Minato-ku, Tokyo JAPAN

Donations for the Rescue Operations by the Japanese Red Cross
If you need a receipt, please so specify in payment form.

Name of Bank: Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation
Name of Branch: Ginza
Account No.: 8047705 (Ordinary Account)
SWIFT Code: SMBC JP JT
Payee Name: The Japanese Red Cross Society
Payee Address: 1-1-3 Shiba-Daimon Minato-ku, Tokyo JAPAN

*****

The devastation of the double catastrophe that hit Japan on 11th March 2011 is undeniable. It’s so painful to see and hear the news reporting so much damage to properties and loss of lives, survivors coping with scarcity of food and supplies (like heaters). I cannot begin to imagine how it must be for the Japanese people right now.

Japan had been one of the most generous benefactors during Hurricane Katrina, Earthquake in Haiti and Indonesia, among others. They deserve and need our support. Any small amount will go a long way for the people of Japan.

* We can save up on overseas money transfer fees by collecting in groups.

I found this viral post in Facebook and I am reposting this in the wake of the earthquake catastrophe in Japan. Here are tweets from people in Japan, real life eyewitness accounts on how the country with people who are sometimes seen as ‘cold’ on the outside, emotionless, mechanical like robots acted in times of adversity. Those same people had hearts warmer than the average unshaken individuals among us.

Here are series of screen shots of the original tweets in Japanese for all you who can read Nihongo; English translation follows.

Reminded of the goodness of the Japanese people: http://twitter.com/VietL/status/46376383592677376

This earthquake has reminded me that Japanese goodness that had recently become harder and harder to see still exists.  Today I see no crime or looting; I am reminded once again of the good Japanese spirit of helping one another, of propriety, and of gentleness.  I had recently begun to regard my modern countrymen as cold people … but this earthquake has revived and given back to all of us the spirit of “kizuna” (bond, trust, sharing, the human connection).  I am very touched.  I am brought to tears.

In the middle of all the shaking and swaying: http://twitter.com/gj_neko26/statuses/46394706481004544

We’ve all been trained to immediately open the doors and establish an escape route when there is an earthquake.  In the middle of the quake while the building was shaking crazily and things falling everywhere, a man made his way to the entrance and held it open.  Honestly, the chandelier could have crashed down any minute … that was a brave man!

At a congested downtown intersection: http://twitter.com/micakom/status/46264887281848320

Cars were moving at the rate of maybe one every green light, but everyone was letting each other go first with a warm look and a smile.  At a complicated intersection, the traffic was at a complete standstill for 5 minutes, but I listened for 10 minutes and didn’t hear a single beep or honk except for an occasional one thanking someone for giving way.  It was a terrifying day, but scenes like this warmed me and made me love my country even more.

Message from the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon: http://twitter.com/akitosk/status/46302222346223616

“Japan is one of (the UN’s) most generous and strongest benefactors, coming to the assistance of those in need the world over.  In that spirit, the United Nations stands by the people of Japan and we will do anything and everything we can at this very difficult time.”  I was moved at his words.  What better example that good things happen to those who do good.”

How foreigners saw the reaction of the Japanese people: http://twitter.com/kiritansu/status/46335057689980928

At a supermarket where everything was scattered everywhere over the floors, shoppers were helping pick them up and putting them back neatly on the shelves before quietly moving into line to wait to pay for them.  On the totally jam-packed first train after the quake, an elderly man gave up his seat for a pregnant woman.  Foreigners have told me they are amazed witnessing sights like these.  I do believe they actually saw what they said they saw.  Japan is truly amazing.

BBC Reports:  http://twitter.com/bozzo1985/status/46228470614855681

The words of BBC’s reports are so moving they make me cry.  They were praising us with words of admiration!  “One of the worst earthquakes in recorded history has hit the world’s most well-prepared, well-trained nations.  The strength of its government and its people are put to the test.  While there have been casualties, in no other country could the government and the people have worked together in such an accurate and coordinated way in the face of such tragedy.  The Japanese people have shown their cultural ability to remain calm in the face of adversity.”

The Japanese people are amazing! http://twitter.com/HASUNA_Natsuko/status/46331839136276480

Japanese people don’t shove I’m looking at Yurakucho station from above.  I see people standing in line, not pushing or shoving to get onto the Yamanote Line (probably the busiest line in central Tokyo), even at a time like this!

~ tired and shaken commuters neatly lined up when the trains reopened ~

At the train platform: http://twitter.com/masa_kisshie/statuses/46323838316843008

The Oedo Subway Line for Hikarigaoka is very congested.  On the platform and at the gate there are just crowds and crowds of people waiting for the train.  But in all the confusion, every last person is neatly lined up waiting his or her turn while managing to keep a passage of space open for staff and people going the other way.  Everyone is listening to the instructions from the staff and everyone acts accordingly.  And amazingly … there isn’t even a rope or anything in sight to keep people in queue or open space for staff to pass, they just do!  I am so impressed at this almost unnatural orderliness!  I have nothing but praise for these people!

Unbelievable people: http://twitter.com/tksksks/statuses/46403815397801984

Japan is a wonderful nation!  Both the government and the people, everyone is helping one another today.  There are truck drivers helping evacuees move.  I even heard that the “yakuza” (gangsters, organized crime groups) are helping to direct traffic in the Tohoku region!  There have been many recent developments that have made me lose my sense of pride in my country, but not anymore.  Japan is an amazing place!  I’m just simply touched.  Go Japan!

German friend gets help from stranger: http://twitter.com/sikkoku_otsuyu/status/46392832893796352

A German friend of mine was in Shibuya (downtown Tokyo shopping district) when the earthquake hit.  He was panicking when a Japanese passerby saved him, taking him into a building.  My friend was blown away at how calm and disciplined this Japanese man was.  He went out of the building with firm, unfaltering steps, did everything he was trained to do and came back.  My German friend was deeply impressed by the Japanese people’s actions during the earthquake, saying they looked like a trained army.

In Gotenba: http://twitter.com/Raaaaayuu/statuses/46392890313801728

Yesterday, not a single traffic light was functioning in Gotenba City.  But drivers knew to take turns at intersections and give way to others when needed.  Local people were using flags to direct traffic at intersections.  I drove for 9 hours but never saw a single car trying to get in front of another.  Every single driver on the road contributed to the traffic situation and as a result there was no confusion at all.

The best description and summary of what customer service in Japan:

Morning at the supermarket: http://twitter.com/kyoheimai/status/46374747755388928

At the shopping center I work at, every morning we have a morning ritual (common in Japan) where we stand and recite, “No matter what the situation, I will never show anxiety before my customer; in all customer-facing situations I will treat my customers with respect and do everything I can to make them feel comfortable and at ease”.  Today, these words were all actually kind of touching.  Well, so the day begins!  Here we go people, open shop!

Spirit of unity: http://twitter.com/n_yum/statuses/46388003706380288

I spoke with an old taxi driver and some elderly staff at the train stations.  All of them had been working non-stop and had not been able to go home for a long time.  They were visibly very tired, but never once did they show any sign of impatience; they were gentle and very caring.  They told me “… because all of us are in this together.”  I was touched at what the notion of “all of us” meant to these elderly people.  It is a value I will treasure and carry on to my generation.

The kindness of strangers: http://twitter.com/hikaru_star/statuses/46332900928532480

My colleague at my part time job, wanting to help even just one extra person, wrote a sign saying “I just have a bike, but if you don’t mind hop on!”, rode out on his motorbike, picked up a stranded construction worker and took him all the way to Tokorozawa!  Respect!  I have never felt so strongly that I want to do something helpful for others.

*****

Seeing these tweets, I am suddenly proud of the people from the country I call my second home. I can’t wait to read these to my daughter to show her that kindness, humility and helpful strangers still exist in this world.

As you might already heard by now or seen in television, a massive earthquake measuring at an intensity of 8.9 on the Richter scale hit the northeastern part of Japan (red circle on the map below) triggering a 10 meter high tsunami that literally swept the coastal towns.

It was unbelievable to see the devastation on TV. It felt like watching an ‘end of the world’ themed movie. I wish it was fiction but it was real and it was raw. I could not imagine the effect of the quake and the waves to the people living in the affected town. It is hard to imagine. I immediately thought of family and friends back home and called them.

All the phone lines are dead.

M’s family, my in-laws are living on the other side of the country, in Niigata Prefecture (in pink arrow) so they are safe. My brother, however, was on the Pacific side (in blue arrow) – he was in his office in Yokohama when the quake struck at 2:46 pm Friday, March 11, 2011. I learned later once I got in contact with him was that although he was about 300 kilometers away, south of the epicenter, the buildings shook and panic enveloped the city. All train operations stopped so everyone was forced to take shelter and wait out. He couldn’t call his wife or check on his baby at home. All the phones were dead.

People started going out on foot, hoping to get home but most of the city workers live in the suburbs and a 4 hour walk wouldn’t be enough! My brother finally got on the train at dawn when the public transport system resumed.

*****

I’ve lived in Japan for more than 10 years and pretty used to quakes occurring every now and then. I remember the first earthquake I felt in 1996, just weeks after I got there. It was 4 am and the dormitory shook. It was as if I was sleeping in a hammock and being rocked to sleep – only, it wasn’t a hammock but a sturdy bed, shaking. I ran outside only to find out I was ALONE. No one bothered to go out as the quake stopped in only after a few seconds. I asked around when morning came and everybody just shrugged their shoulders.

Everyone is so used to quakes that they sleep through it!

Since then, I’ve become used to it that mild quakes don’t scare me anymore. And they do come very frequently in seismically active Japan.

But this recent earthquake is different. The magnitude is so great that it’s impossible to ignore it. And I am glad people chose to act – evacuate and seek shelter or the death toll could’ve been worse.

Lastly, there’s no country in the world like Japan that could be more prepared in natural calamities like this. I know they will be bouncing back like how the city of Kobe did. But the emotional scars of people who lost their loved ones and friends will take a longer time to heal.

Photo credit

There’s not much to say about Valentines Day in Dubai as it is the same as in other countries. Although it is worth mentioning that February 15 is an Islamic Holiday – Prophet Muhammad’s birthday so hotels are gearing up for a “dry night” starting from the night before. No music and alcohol on Valentines day.

Let’s talk about one weird Valentines Day tradition I know and lived to tell (ha ha). Valentines Day in Japan.

When you hear it, it’ll take some time to believe how Japan celebrates Valentines Day until your first February 14 there. It will take a bit more time to accept the strangeness  and I haven’t been able to accept it still, even after spending 11 Valentines there.

It’s weird in Japan (at least for me) because the romantic (Valentines Day-like) date night is celebrated on Christmas Eve. On February 14th when lovers across the globe exchange gifts or at least the men give gifts, women are the ones giving the men chocolates in Japan.

Not your usual chocolates – they’ve got 2 types

• “Giri” chocolates are relatively from the shelf, common and inexquisite (inexpensive) because they are given by women to men they do not have special love for. Ouch.

Giri means “duty” or “obligation” – what a word to be used together with chocolates and Valentines Day! Giri chocolates are usually given out by female employees to their male bosses and co-workers.

• Honmei chocolate on the other hand, literally translates to “true feeling chocolate”.

It’s either a more expensive chocolate or a specially homemade one.

It’s funny that I had friends in the university who labor through the night before Valentines making chocolates and putting them in cute little boxes with notes. We are talking about girls here that do not even know how to turn the rice cooker on!

Something called “White Day”
When the Valentine dust settles and all the chocolates are given away, ladies start a countdown: 30 days to White Day. On March 14, Japanese men give back to the women. Men, who received giri choco or honmei chocolate on Valentine’s Day, are expected to return the favor by giving gifts to women.

Do you know of any weird Valentines Day tradition? What do you think of Japan’s way of celebrating Valentines?

*****

UPDATE: As pointed out by reader Krista, “Isn’t a birthday always on the same day? So why, if the Prophet’s birthday is on the 15th, isn’t every year a dry Valentine’s Day?”

Well, the Islamic Calendar moves 10 days earlier every year so Valentines day is not a dry day in Dubai every year. Last year’s Prophet’s birthday was on February 25, this year is on the 15th and next year will be on the 5th.

I am not in a geographical position to talk or whine about snow unless I am inside Ski Dubai but since my father in-law called and brought the topic to light, I thought I’d further indulge. Here are some photos taken some years back when my brother, who has never seen snow all his life, came to Japan and had his first winter in 2005. Snow, snow, snow – every tropical guy or girl will get curious.

Is it soft?

What does it taste like?

Will it melt the minute you touch it?

He had too many questions that I had to send him off to my in-law’s place! To snow country! There he’ll have snow that’ll last him a lifetime. When he left Nagano, snow only looked like this:

Here’s what greeted him in Niigata:

That is my brother and the husband’s brother.  My brother stands at 5′ 10″ and the snow dump around him is well, ‘taller’ than him. This photo was taken in 2006. Both boys have since got rid of the ridiculous haircut, became men and recently, fathers. The pile of snow hasn’t move on, it’s still there year after year.

Since it was the first day of the year, the Japanese people go to the Shinto shrines to wake up the Gods and wish for world peace (along with good health and prosperity of course). This was the way to the shrine. The torii or Japanese gate to the Shinto Shrine here is buried halfway.

How’s snow in your place right now? I read that there’s snow in 49 of 50 states in the US. Snowpocalypse!

It’s cloudy and cool in Dubai as I’m writing this. Of course by “cool” I only meant not disgustingly hot. You winter wonderland people would probably laugh – It was 20C (68F for you non-Metric folks) at 8:30 this morning. It’s almost 5 PM now and about 25C outside, with a lot of big clouds in the sky. This is the type of weather that makes Dubaians swoon and tweet (and blog) a lot.

The kind of weather we wish would last the whole year through. But if it does, it wouldn’t be Dubai anymore and there won’t be any oil. Coz you know, I heard a rumor that black gold that is oil is the result of extreme weather or something.

But don’t quote me on that.

Anyway, while we’re at it (talking about the weather), I’ll go all the way.

I hope you’re not allergic to boring.

My father in law called me this morning at 3am. Japan has a 5 hour time difference (they get sunrise first – land of the rising sun duh) and he was already up and about and most probably unstoppable at 8am.

Believe me, you don’t know my father in-law.

“Guess how many centimeters of snow we have outside right now?”

For the love of God, it’s 3 am. Centimeters of what!? I rubbed my eyes and sat upright because for some insane reason, I couldn’t talk on the phone when I am lying down – those little inexplainable mental things embedded in my DNA.

“We’ve been dumped 75 centimeters of (additional) snow! Can you hear that? Big fat snow falling from the sky!”

Dude, it’s 3 am. And I don’t really miss snow. I’ve been there, done that and don’t want to do anything with it other than photos.

“Uhm, otousan (dad)? I’m sorry but it’s 3 am, can I call you tomorrow if you have anything important to tell me? Sorry, really.”

“Oh no, no! No need to call. I just wanted to…”

blag

“Did you hear that!!?? Another big dump of snow from our roof to the side of the house! This snow storm is really huge.”

Duh, like it’s not like that EVERY year. My husband’s hometown receives the most snow fall in Japan and  isn’t popularly called “Snow Country” (Yuki Guni) for nothing.

I swear if he didn’t stop, the next sound he’ll hear would be the dial tone. I’m not mean, just really sleepy!

“Ok, Grace-san. Bye bye, give my regards to my son and to Pristine. Bye bye! I’ve got lots of snow shoveling to do!”

The husband was sleeping soundly on his side of the bed. HOW can men do that? You know, just sleep through EVERYTHING? I woke him up.

(Groaning like a suffocated frog) “Whaaaaat?”

“Dude, your father called.”

“Huh? Why? Where’s the phone?”

“It’s finished, he said goodbye already.”

“Then why did you wake me up? It’s 3 am!”

My point exactly.

…and the trees, more colorful too.

It’s September, in fact, it’s almost October already and we still have highs of 40C here in Dubai. The mornings and nights have eased a bit and we can actually walk outside without soaking our shirts but mid-day still feels like mid-summer. It is my 4th September in the UAE. Subsequently, that also means I’ve missed four Japan autumns now.

Autumn had been my favorite time of the year. It still is but I’m in near danger of forgetting what it looks or feels like.

There are no autumn foliage eye candy in Dubai – heck we even lack trees in the first place except for the date palms. There’s no chestnuts or sweet potato and golden persimmon. No walks in the woodland with crisp autumn leaves under my feet and…and..I can keep going on and on. I miss autumn back ’home’ – that part of the world where I used to live for ten years before coming here so I called a friend, a former neighbor actually and asked her to look out the window and tell me what’s outside.

Heavy rains, cloudy skies and cold air. Also, we’re getting the heaters ready. Soon, it’ll be time to change the beddings, take out the electric blankets, heavy comforters, thick socks, turtlenecks and thermal underwears. Oh and never to forget boxes of tissue for that dripping nose in the morning. Feel better now?

Oh yeah, I suddenly felt better, thanked my friend who is always ready to pull my feet back to reality and temporarily erase the homesickness.