The Fish Market at Kure
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Kure
Last Sunday we piled into the car for a drive and headed down the coast to Kure. The town's fish market is a local tourist attraction and a small restaurant across from the main building of the Kuroshio Honjin serves a delicious tataki lunch. Signs of spring were everywhere, from the buds on the dogwood trees to the blooming plum trees, but it was still bitterly cold. Driving along Kure Bay we saw snow flurries. The tataki was delicious, then went to a coffee shop overlooking the ocean, that specializes in cake, ice cream and drinks made from strawberries. Ray wolfed down a strawberry ice cream cone, while Nobuko and I had cafe ole and strawberry cake. Braving the cold we hit the market and my wife purchased some dried iwashi, or large sardines. I was skeptical, but when when grilled up they were pretty tasty and great to munch on while drinking beer.
Last Sunday we piled into the car for a drive and headed down the coast to Kure. The town's fish market is a local tourist attraction and a small restaurant across from the main building of the Kuroshio Honjin serves a delicious tataki lunch. Signs of spring were everywhere, from the buds on the dogwood trees to the blooming plum trees, but it was still bitterly cold. Driving along Kure Bay we saw snow flurries. The tataki was delicious, then went to a coffee shop overlooking the ocean, that specializes in cake, ice cream and drinks made from strawberries. Ray wolfed down a strawberry ice cream cone, while Nobuko and I had cafe ole and strawberry cake. Braving the cold we hit the market and my wife purchased some dried iwashi, or large sardines. I was skeptical, but when when grilled up they were pretty tasty and great to munch on while drinking beer.
Friday, March 11, 2005
Walking in Kyoto
The next day we took the train up to Kyoto. I wanted to walk through some temples and gardens with Ray; my wife wanted to visit her sister and shop for some culinary delights to take back home. Consulting my copy of Judith Clancy's book on walks through Kyoto, I decided to go to Shoren-in. We took the subway out to Higashiyama. A ten minute walk brought us to the temple gate. On the way we met a group of about 30 kindergarten students and their teachers. Ray wanted to tag along with the kids and it was tough to get him to say goodbye. The temple, as the guidebook promised, was almost deserted. Ray perked up when he got inside and couldn't wait to get out into the garden. We met a woman and her mother from Matsuyama. They had escaped from a museum tour and were looking for a something more tranquil. Ray took a shine to them, especially the grandmotherly one, and wanted to walk with them. Her daughter told me I could purify Ray if I got him to stay underneath the temple bell while we rang it. Ray was more than happy to crouch under the bell and inspect the pipes that had been set into the ground to amplify the sound.
The women had to return to their tour group, so we followed them out of the garden to day goodbye. Ray didn't want to leave and ran back through the gate into the garden. I chased him down and we continued on to Chion-in. This is a sprawling, heavily-touristed temple complex that was bustling with people and tour groups. The temple gate and the main hall were impressive. We also hiked up to see the bell. It is the biggest in Japan. It's enclosed by a fence that is usually locked, but Ray and I were able to follow a tour group in and get a closer look. I was impressed by how thickness of the walls of the bell, and the sheer size of the casting.
After the guides shooed us off and locked the gate, we walked down the hill toward Yasaka Shrine. We reached a side gate, but Ray didn't want to go in. He said he was tired and asked me to pick him up. He quickly fell asleep and I had to carry him down Gion to the Hanky Department Store, where mom and her sister were waiting.
The next day we took the train up to Kyoto. I wanted to walk through some temples and gardens with Ray; my wife wanted to visit her sister and shop for some culinary delights to take back home. Consulting my copy of Judith Clancy's book on walks through Kyoto, I decided to go to Shoren-in. We took the subway out to Higashiyama. A ten minute walk brought us to the temple gate. On the way we met a group of about 30 kindergarten students and their teachers. Ray wanted to tag along with the kids and it was tough to get him to say goodbye. The temple, as the guidebook promised, was almost deserted. Ray perked up when he got inside and couldn't wait to get out into the garden. We met a woman and her mother from Matsuyama. They had escaped from a museum tour and were looking for a something more tranquil. Ray took a shine to them, especially the grandmotherly one, and wanted to walk with them. Her daughter told me I could purify Ray if I got him to stay underneath the temple bell while we rang it. Ray was more than happy to crouch under the bell and inspect the pipes that had been set into the ground to amplify the sound.
The women had to return to their tour group, so we followed them out of the garden to day goodbye. Ray didn't want to leave and ran back through the gate into the garden. I chased him down and we continued on to Chion-in. This is a sprawling, heavily-touristed temple complex that was bustling with people and tour groups. The temple gate and the main hall were impressive. We also hiked up to see the bell. It is the biggest in Japan. It's enclosed by a fence that is usually locked, but Ray and I were able to follow a tour group in and get a closer look. I was impressed by how thickness of the walls of the bell, and the sheer size of the casting.
After the guides shooed us off and locked the gate, we walked down the hill toward Yasaka Shrine. We reached a side gate, but Ray didn't want to go in. He said he was tired and asked me to pick him up. He quickly fell asleep and I had to carry him down Gion to the Hanky Department Store, where mom and her sister were waiting.
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Road Trip
I drove up to Kansai with the wife and kid so I could make my yearly visit to the famous eye surgeon who reattached my retina and restored my vision about 7 years ago. We stayed at the Kobe Bay Sheraton on Rokko Island. Rates were cheap at the Sheraton and the island a bit removed from the bustle of downtown Kobe and has a large pedestrian mall and fountain complex that is perfect for kids to explore. The weather was balmy and we had breakfast outside in front of a Tully's while Ray fed pigeons and sparrows with crumbs from our bakery goodies. Across the way was a Subway franchise. That's what living in Japan has done to me: I yawn at sushi and drool at sandwiches.
The next morning I headed for a hospital in Sakai on the other side of Osaka. The morning commute through the Umeda station in central Osaka was impressive as I was processed and spat out by the Osaka subway system. I joined the zombie army of commuters, got caught in the current and was swept past my subway entrance through a series of underground passageways. It would have been impossible to retrace my steps, but I saw a different subway line up on the left, the Yotsubashi Line, and found I could transfer back to my subway of choice, the Midosuji, at Daikokucho.
I made it to the hospital on time. The waiting room for the opthalmology clinic was packed, all seats taken and people lined up, leaning against the walls, out in the hall. I got called in for an l eye checkup right away. I was thinking that my stay in the antechambers of purgatory might be short, but I had to wait almost 3 hours to see my doctor for a consultation that barely lasted 3 minutes. The good doctor peered into my eyes and pronounced that all was well. He scheduled an appointment for the following March and I was a free man in Osaka. I met my wife and son in front of the Daimaru department store in Shinsaibashi and we celebrated with Vietnamese food.
I drove up to Kansai with the wife and kid so I could make my yearly visit to the famous eye surgeon who reattached my retina and restored my vision about 7 years ago. We stayed at the Kobe Bay Sheraton on Rokko Island. Rates were cheap at the Sheraton and the island a bit removed from the bustle of downtown Kobe and has a large pedestrian mall and fountain complex that is perfect for kids to explore. The weather was balmy and we had breakfast outside in front of a Tully's while Ray fed pigeons and sparrows with crumbs from our bakery goodies. Across the way was a Subway franchise. That's what living in Japan has done to me: I yawn at sushi and drool at sandwiches.
The next morning I headed for a hospital in Sakai on the other side of Osaka. The morning commute through the Umeda station in central Osaka was impressive as I was processed and spat out by the Osaka subway system. I joined the zombie army of commuters, got caught in the current and was swept past my subway entrance through a series of underground passageways. It would have been impossible to retrace my steps, but I saw a different subway line up on the left, the Yotsubashi Line, and found I could transfer back to my subway of choice, the Midosuji, at Daikokucho.
I made it to the hospital on time. The waiting room for the opthalmology clinic was packed, all seats taken and people lined up, leaning against the walls, out in the hall. I got called in for an l eye checkup right away. I was thinking that my stay in the antechambers of purgatory might be short, but I had to wait almost 3 hours to see my doctor for a consultation that barely lasted 3 minutes. The good doctor peered into my eyes and pronounced that all was well. He scheduled an appointment for the following March and I was a free man in Osaka. I met my wife and son in front of the Daimaru department store in Shinsaibashi and we celebrated with Vietnamese food.
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Child Care and Moodle
The hardest thing I had to do this week was to convince my 4 year-old to stay inside. He had a cold and missed daycare, so I got to babysit him while mom went to work and ran some errands. Ray wasn't aware that he was sick and wanted to get outside for some scooter riding, a trip to the park, and a walk around the neighborhood. Luckily it was raining. I bundled him up, gave him an umbrella, and we hung around under the car port. Ray soon became bored with riding the scooter around in small circles and we headed back inside for some indoor activities. We watched a video, drank some orange juice, and then we took turns chasing each other around with cardboard swords.
At work I've been fooling around with Moodle, an open source class management system (CMS). In the interest of avoiding confusion, you could also refer to Moodle as a Virtual Learning System (VLS), a Learning Management System (LMS), or an e-learning system. Take your pick.
Moodle is OS independent. To use it you'll need a web server, like Apache, that supports PHP, and a database such as MySQL or PostgreSQL. Installation is almost automatic: all Moodle needs is an empty database to connect with.
Moodle is quite robust and has all the bells and whistles you 'd expect. All assignments, quizzes, and other classroom activities go into the database and can be graded automatically. It also supports forums, chat, and numerous other functions, which are referred to a modules. It looks rather plain, Your first impression is of a lot of text with minimal graphics. My students wouldn't like it because of a lack of multimedia appeal. Moodle can be modified to fit your audience though, and it is free. If you need something like this, and you have the time to kick the tires and take it for a test drive, it's worth a look. The Moodle website has documentation and classes to help you get started.
The hardest thing I had to do this week was to convince my 4 year-old to stay inside. He had a cold and missed daycare, so I got to babysit him while mom went to work and ran some errands. Ray wasn't aware that he was sick and wanted to get outside for some scooter riding, a trip to the park, and a walk around the neighborhood. Luckily it was raining. I bundled him up, gave him an umbrella, and we hung around under the car port. Ray soon became bored with riding the scooter around in small circles and we headed back inside for some indoor activities. We watched a video, drank some orange juice, and then we took turns chasing each other around with cardboard swords.
At work I've been fooling around with Moodle, an open source class management system (CMS). In the interest of avoiding confusion, you could also refer to Moodle as a Virtual Learning System (VLS), a Learning Management System (LMS), or an e-learning system. Take your pick.
Moodle is OS independent. To use it you'll need a web server, like Apache, that supports PHP, and a database such as MySQL or PostgreSQL. Installation is almost automatic: all Moodle needs is an empty database to connect with.
Moodle is quite robust and has all the bells and whistles you 'd expect. All assignments, quizzes, and other classroom activities go into the database and can be graded automatically. It also supports forums, chat, and numerous other functions, which are referred to a modules. It looks rather plain, Your first impression is of a lot of text with minimal graphics. My students wouldn't like it because of a lack of multimedia appeal. Moodle can be modified to fit your audience though, and it is free. If you need something like this, and you have the time to kick the tires and take it for a test drive, it's worth a look. The Moodle website has documentation and classes to help you get started.
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