BAB June/July

Being A Broad June/July 2010 #57

The monthly magazine for international women living in Japan

our cover girl: OHANA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL’S SHELLEY SACKS

what’s it like to teach people to HOOP DANCE?

THE OISHII! COOKBOOK

visiting THAILAND two very DIFFERENT WAYS TAKE the family CAR CAMPING in JAPAN

GRILLING is for GIRLS, too

FALLING in LOVE with the ADORABLE CO-WORKER

www.being-a-broad.com

HAIR & BEAUTY: BEAUTY:

PHOTOGRAPHY:

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It might be summer, but here at BAB, we’re certainly not slowing down in the heat! With the return of our monthly Girls’ Night Out starting June 24 at the fabulous 57 in Roppongi, and our clothes swap on July 3 in Ebisu, there’s plenty of opportunities to make new friends if your old ones are off on holiday! We also have our very own hooping event on July 25 with Deanne of HOOPLOVERS—you can read all about her on page 14 of this issue.

Other foreign women you can read about in this issue include our cover girl, Shelley Sacks, who recently opened her own international preschool in Azabu Juban. And there is an interview with Sophia University’s Parissa Haghirian on page 15. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting several of Parissa’s students as she frequently recommends them to apply for our internships—she’s clearly a very special professor there.

And there’s also plenty on relaxation, pampering, travel, adventure, and charitable endeavours that mean a lot to us. Plus a very funny guide to barbecues from The Meat Guy that had me and Dani in stitches! Enjoy!

Caroline Pover, BAB Founder

ISSUE 4

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being a broad news BAB news, HOPE International Japan

our cover girl Shelley Sacks of Ohana International School

women of the world news from around the globe

things we love the little things we love in Japan

Tokyo girl a cheap reminder that life is short

6 our cover girl

image: Katie Elliot

Oishii!

Recipes submitted by the parents of students of

The British School In Tokyo

10 beauty

the tempting treatments of Ho’me Salon

two very different ways to travel in Thailand

11 travel 14

Over one hundred deliciously healthy dishes from around the world…

the broads (and boys!)

All proceeds from the sale of this recipe book will be donated to the

Tabitha Foundation

working

• we profile Deanne of HOOPLOVERS • being a female professor of business in Japan

• campervanning in Japan, yes you can!

• a tasty way to help Cambodia

16 families

to build houses for families in need.

17 families image: Alena Eckelmann

Publishers Caroline Pover & Emily Downey Editor & Designer Danielle Tate-Stratton Marketing Consultants Amy Dose & Katy Lowen Advertisement Designer Chris May BAB Managers Stephanie Kawai & Dee Green BAB Reps Kelsey Aguirre (Shonan) kelsey@being-a-broad.com Shaney Crawford (Tsukuba) shaney@being-a-broad.com Aiko Miyagi (Okinawa) aiko@being-a-broad.com Ali Muskett (Shizuoka) ali@being-a-broad.com Arwen Niles (Chiba) arwen@being-a-broad.com Contributors Gabbi Bradshaw, Deanne, Sophie Bectarte, Kristi Hemmer, Shana Graves, Jane Dwyer-Yamada, Alena Eckelmann, The Meat Guy Cover Model Shelley Sacks Cover Photographer 37 Frames Proofreader Jane Farries Printing Mojo Print Opinions expressed by BAB contributors are not necessarily those of the Publishers.

image: Emma Homerlein/37 Frames

image: David Stetson

IN THIS

message from the founder

18 real-life story

• a modern day pilgrimage • One Love Rwanda

20 food & dining

grilling is for girls, too

21

she found love in Japan

the adorable co-worker

18 real-life story

Being A Broad magazine, editor@being-a-broad.com www.being-a-broad.com tel. 03-5879-6825, fax: 03-6368-6191 Being A Broad June/July 2010

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BAB NEWS

From the BAB Message Boards: Member Em0677 asks: Hi, everyone, as I get ready to sign my new contract, my fellow female coworkers and I are a bit disturbed that we don’t have any maternity leave in our contracts. Our school has a mostly male staff, so this hasn’t been an issue as much in the past, or no one ever pushed enough to have it included. I just wanted to ask what was the situation for other ladies out there. I read in the BAB book that it’s typically six weeks before and eight weeks after in Japan. Is this the law? Is this paid leave or just a guarantee to have your job after that time?

Thanks for any input and advice!

Member Tracey responds: I found the following link: www.ilo.org/public/ english/dialogue/ifpdial/info/national/ jp.htm.

Subscriptions Being A Broad May 2010 #56

The monthly magazine for international women living in Japan

our cover girls: 37 FRAMES’ DEE GREEN & TRACEY TAYloR

what’s it like to WoRK IN REloCATIoN?

FlEXIBlE BAB READERS’ SURVEY: lEARNING what you had to say! at lAUREl SPRINGS

www.being-a-broad.com

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Thanks for picking up this issue of Being A Broad. Like what you see? Then why not subscribe today? For just ¥4,500 you’ll get one year (12 issues) of Being A Broad delivered to your door. Email editor@being-a-broad. com to subscribe today!

We now have the past several issues of BAB on our website and will be adding more soon. Check them out at www.being-abroad.com, and let us know what you think!

National Labour Law Profile: Japan Maternity protection and maternity leave: “Maternity protection is regulated by the LSL. During pregnancy and up to one year after childbirth, a ban is put on heavy physical work and on work with dangerous materials (Art. 64–5). Upon request, the expectant or nursing mother has the right to refuse overtime or night time work and may ask for light work as well.

Maternity leave is secured by Art. 65 of the LSL, which does not include any payments during this period.

Upon request, a woman is excused from work within six weeks up to childbirth and in case of a multiple birth, within fourteen weeks up to giving birth. Within eight weeks after childbirth, there is in principle a ban on work, but the mother may return to work after six weeks, if upon her request and a doctor’s approval.”

She continues: But also a general rule of thumb regarding employment contracts in Japan, even if there is a signed written contract but this contract deviates significantly from the Japanese labour laws, is that the Japanese labour laws will prevail in every case.

What this means is that even if you have signed a contract not knowing that there were some sneaky things in there that are really bad, the standard Japanese labour laws (which are pretty fair) will always be the ones that must be enforced and not the signed contract. Many places don’t actually have signed formal contracts as the labour laws are pretty clear as far as I know. I have people working for me who are not on a formal contract, but the law is really on the side of employee rights. That doesn’t stop employers from being arseholes, of course, so it is best to have something in writing to protect yourself.

So in your case of maternity leave, even though it is not actually stated in your contract, your employer must adhere to the Japanese labour laws as I have posted above.

Maternity leave is not paid as a rule, but you might be able to negotiate this with your employer as a bonus. This is relevant to me as I am about to take maternity leave and I will be on full pay. I won’t be getting a full bonus though...

To read the rest of the discussion or to offer your own suggestions, visit us online at www.being-a-broad. com/index.php/forums.

You can pick BAB up here:

• Krissman Tennis • PAL International School • ROTI Rop-

Shibuya-ku: • British School Tokyo • Boudoir • Sin Den

pongi • Paddy Foley’s • Asian Tigers • ai International School

• Nua Japan

Minato-ku: • Suji’s • Nakashima Dentist • TELL • Nishimachi International School • Gymboree • Global Kids Academy • Mitsubishi UFJ Azabujuban • Tokyo Surgical and Medical Clinic • National Azabu • Segafredo • Tokyo American Club • Nissin World Delicatessen • Crown Relocations • Temple University • Hulabootie

• Nirvana New York • Beaute Absolue

Meguro-ku: Montessori Friends Kichijoji: Shinzen Yoga Koto-ku: Toho Women’s Clinic Bunkyo-ku: Joy to the World International School Suginami-ku: JUN International School Chofu-shi: American School in Japan

“My encyclopedia, my translator, my phone book, my best friend!”

—Western woman living in Japan

514–page book including everything you need to make the most out of your life: case studies of Western women working in almost 50 different types of jobs; anecdotes from many of the 200 Western women interviewed; profiles of 23 women’s organisations; and essential Japanese words and phrases. An essential book for any Western woman living in Japan.

Read about: • Coping with culture shock.

• Finding clothes and shoes that fit.

• Avoiding hair disasters.

• Cooking Japanese food.

• Telling a chikan where to go.

• Dating and the singles scene.

• Organising contraception.

• Getting married and divorced.

• Adopting a baby.

• Educating your child.

• Finding a job.

• Teaching gender studies in the Englishlanguage classroom.

• Coping with reverse culture shock when you leave Japan.

Alexandra Press, 2001, ¥3,000 (inc. tax) To order email info@being-a-broad.com

Yokohama: Treehouse Montessori • St. Maur Saitama: Columbia International School Nagoya: St. George Academy Tsukuba: Through BAB Rep Shaney Shonan: Through BAB Rep Kelsey Shizuoka: Through BAB Rep Ali Okinawa: Through BAB Rep Aiko (To contact your local BAB Rep for a copy, simply send an email. All contact details are on page three.)

HOPE INTERNATIONAL

DEVELOPMENT AGENCY

by Sophie Bectarte

Images provided by HOPE.

HOPE works to “extend compassion to the world’s poorest in a continued effort to create a sustainable solution to poverty...”

H

OPE is about connecting people: the world’s poorest families and those who care about them.

Since 1975, HOPE International Development Agency has been working in Africa, Asia, and the Americas to extend compassion to the world’s poorest in a continued effort to create a sustainable solution to poverty and create a world where people have healthy lives and bright futures. With over 30 years of service, HOPE has helped millions of people climb out of absolute poverty. HOPE Japan was established in Nagoya in 2004 and its mission is to help people in Japan connect in a meaningful way with people in the poorest communities of the developing world through compassionate giving, understanding, and education. Through HOPE’s Global Education activities, the aim is to increase awareness in Japan and to demonstrate that providing an opportunity for self-help is paramount for sustainable economic and social development.

HOPE undertakes and supports peopleoriented development projects that create longterm sustainable benefits through training for income-generating skills and development of family and community infrastructures for clean water, education, employment, health care, and food production.

Advice for Renegades, A Tip From Anna: When to Push Through Your Fear “I knew it in my gut,” we say. “I just had a bad feeling.” Gavin de Becker writes in Protecting The Gift that this little frisson of fear is one of the most powerful intuitive gifts we have. We override our animal instinct at our peril, and we should nurture it in our children. But sometimes fear keeps us trapped in safe but narrow lives, far from our dreams. How can you tell which kind of fear you’re feeling? Martha Beck explains

Hope’s projects are accomplished with the the skills of local people combined with the help of volunteers and the charity of people in Japan (locals and foreigners) who want to make a difference.

There are many foreign women who help HOPE as volunteers, such as Sophie from France, who has been helping HOPE since March 2009: “Having the opportunity to make

In Japan, you can also participate in their fundraising events throughout the year. These include the Mount Fuji Charity Climb, charity golf tournaments, fitness challenges, and galas.

Last spring, HOPE International also organised the HOPE at the Hilton Week in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya. Many great events were featured during this special week in order to increase awareness and support sustainable

OPE undertakes and supports people-oriented development projects that create long-term H sustainable benefits through training for income generating skills...

the most of my spare time in Japan to dedicate it to the poor was, for me, evidence of what good things can be accomplished. Not only is this very rewarding and exciting, but I am also very happy to encourage these projects, especially during the hard times we’re going through all over the world. People in developing countries need our help, and contributing to this with people who have the same values and goals in life is, for me, so fantastic.”

HOPE encourages people to be actively involved in the lives of the poor and there are many ways for volunteers to to make a difference by donating time, skills, and energy—or, most importantly, helping with fundraising.

development projects. These events included luncheon seminars, auctions, ‘Relax for Charity’ (a 30-minute massage for only ¥2,000), and the ‘Charity Cut,’ a very popular event where top stylists from around Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka provided haircuts for only ¥2,000!

A new HOPE at the Hilton Week will be happening this fall, so stay tuned for more details.

HOPE’s membership program is a great first step in getting involved to make a difference in the lives of the poor. If you are interested in joining the HOPE Family and helping to change the world, more information can be found at www. hope.or.jp. HOPE looks forward to welcoming BAB you as a member!

the difference with this metaphor: Imagine standing on a high dive. It’s very, very high. Now look down. Are you about to dive into cold, clear water—or into toxic waste? One will feel terrifying but clean. The other will feel sickening, nauseating. That icky feeling is a clear warning—a no—from every instinctual part of you. Honour that wisdom. And if the situation twinkling far below feels scary but thrilling, take the plunge!

Anna Kunnecke is a life coach living in Tokyo. www.annakunnecke.com

Being A Broad June/July 2010

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our cover girl

SACKS

of Ohana International School, cover photography by 37 Frames Shelley in front of a selection of her school’s book collection.

All images 37 Frames.

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SHELLEY

Full name: Shelley Sacks Age: 53 Nationality: Australian Grew up in: Cape Town, South Africa Time in Japan: Almost six years Japanese level: When I die I will speak perfect Japanese.

Works at: Ohana International School Why did you come to Japan?

I fell in love.

Why do you stay in Japan?

My partner is Japanese and I have just opened

my own International preschool in Azabu Juban.

How do you manage to balance everything in your life?

I make sure that I have down time and try to meditate. I write a gratitude journal every evening and have an incredible support network of friends here in Japan and all around the world. My life partner is an amazing person who supports me in all that I do and my business partner is a great balance for me.

What do you do to relax?

I read, watch sports on TV, and do taiko drumming.

Shelley with a happy student at Ohana International School.

Best thing about being a foreign woman in Japan?

I believe that it is no different from being a woman in any country. I am very clear about what I believe in and feel strongly about equal rights for women in every sphere of life. I believe that we all have the power to make a difference no matter BAB where we are or what we do.

A Day in the Life: I get up around 6am, head for the computer, and catch up on emails before going to shower and get ready for school. I am fortunate in that I walk five minutes across the road to get to work. I prepare everything for the following day before I leave in the afternoon, so I will arrive ready for a new day.

During the day, I juggle appointments with our regular school schedule. After school I tutor children, so every day from 2:30pm I have between three and six children attending classes, as individuals or in small groups.

On arrival at home, anywhere between 6pm and 7pm, I am usually famished and make dinner before doing anything. My partner has a taiko drumming school and many classes are held in the evenings, so we seldom have dinner together in the week. I have been going to bed around 8:30pm lately as I have been really tired and am getting back into the rhythm of teaching again.

WOMEN OF THE WORLD

compiled by Danielle Tate-Stratton

image: iStockphoto.com/Auremar

After approximately six months at sea, 16-year-old Jessica Watson successfully completed her solo circumnavigation on sailboat Ella’s Pink Lady, sailing into the Sydney Harbour to a welcome from thousands of well-wishers, the Australian prime minister, and her friends and family.

image: Arthur Chapman

Thirty-nine Italian women who have either had or are currently having relationships with clergy members have written an open letter to the Pope, asking him to rescind the vow of celibacy currently required by the Catholic Church. The women state that priests need to experience love and point out that nowhere in the scriptures is it written that priests may not marry.

image: besighyawn

Research conducted in Canada and published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise suggests that women who drink two glasses of fat-free milk while weight lifting could gain more muscle mass and lose more weight than women who drink sugar-based energy drinks and complete the same exercises. Researchers aren’t sure why this occurs, but hypothesise it could be related to the combination of calcium, Vitamin D, and protein found in milk.

Islamic police in Indonesia’s Aceh province on the island of Sumatra have been given 20,000 long skirts and ordered to ask women who are breaking the strict Muslim dress code (by wearing, for example, tight pants) to wear them. While the so-called morality squad (wilayatul hisbah) cannot make arrests for dress code infractions, they can force women to change their clothing and have the power to make arrests for adultery, drinking, gambling, and other religious offenses, which carry a caning penalty.

A group of nutritionists in the UK have recommended that pregnant women be encouraged to eat at least three portions of fish a week, despite concerns over mercury and other heavy metals in the fish, due to the importance of omega-3 (docosahexaenoic) fatty acids, which are essential to fetal brain development and activity. A study published in The Lancet in 2007 showed that women who ate fewer than two and a half portions of fish per week were at an increased risk of having children with lower levels of verbal intelligence.

Researchers in Cleveland claim they have made huge strides towards developing a vaccine to prevent breast cancer, after trials in mice prevented rodents that were genetically engineered to be susceptible to the disease from developing tumours. Trials in humans could begin as early as next year, they say.

Following the recent rape of a high school girl on a commuter train, officials in Taipei have decided to open Taiwan’s first women-only train cars for the safety of female travellers. In addition, women-only waiting areas will be opened in train stations and conductors are being asked to keep a special eye out for female passengers.

The University of Bristol’s Children of the ‘90s study has shown that a diet high in meat for girls between three and seven years of age could correlate to them starting their periods before the age of twelve and a half. As there is evidence that girls who start their periods earlier are at increased risk for cancer and heart disease, diets lower in meat may be safer for children.

image: Thomas Hawk

The US House of Representatives voted to repeal the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy of its military, which had banned gay and lesbian service members from speaking about their sexual orientations, and also mandated the discharge of anyone who acknowledged being homosexual; this has affected some 13,000 people to date.

A study released just prior to World No Tobacco Day 2010 showed that for the first time in 20 years, the number of female smokers in Thailand has increased, and is now up to 840,000. While this is a small number relative to the overall population, numbers are said to be rising especially rapidly amongst teenaged girls. The WHO has stated that worldwide 9 percent of women smoke, compared to 40 percent of men, but that tobacco companies are hoping to close that gap.

Two girls from Ontario, Canada are hoping to help mop up the oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico by collecting hair—both human and pet—to ship to an organisation called Matter of Trust, which sends hair to communities in need. Hair is said to soak up spilled oil due to its porous qualities, and though BP doesn’t support the tactic, saying the oily hair only settles to the bottom of the ocean, Matter of Trust has been collecting and sending hair from and to locations across North America since 2000. The sisters, aged 9 and 11, are hoping to collect 500 pounds of hair in the next couple of months.

A study of over 1,800 women conducted by the University of Wisconsin, Madison showed that adhering to US dietary guidelines is the single most effective way that women can prevent nuclear cataracts from developing in their eyes.

A company based in Cambodia and called KeoK’jay is empowering women with HIV and AIDS who work for the company to make dresses, t-shirts, tote bags, and handembroidered napkins from organic hand-woven cottons. The work, which can be carried out at home and on their own schedules, allows the women to support themselves and often their families, sending their children to school and potentially lifting them out of the cycle of poverty many of the women have been stuck in BAB until now.

Being A Broad June/July 2010

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THE LITTLE THINGS

Image: Shaney Crawford

WE LOVE IN JAPAN I love German bakeries and there are (at least?) three in Tsukuba, each with a slightly different character. Backerei Brõtzeit is the ‘Germanest’ (yeah, I know that’s not a word) with dark, heavy breads often made with locally grown, organic ingredients. They have a small sandwich menu that I am quite fond of. Peter Pan isn’t really a full-fledged German bakery, but it often sells dark breads with sunflower seeds, nuts, or cranberries by the loaf or by the slice (you get a small discount for unsliced loaves). You can also call and request loaves the day before. Morgen and Sieger are two bakeries located side by side, with one handling breads and pastries and the other selling cakes and other treats.

The cafe inside Sieger has a nice quiche that I like to order with a side plate of rye bread. For more information, visit http:// tinyurl.com/25zpgtl, http://tinyurl.com/2elo6rm, and http://tinyurl.com/247ptkt.—SC

I love Karen Sieg at the Azabujuban Branch of MUFJ bank. She’s always ready at the end of the phone to help you out with one banking matter or another, and will fill in all those forms in her perfect kanji so you don’t have to. She makes managing money here so uncomplicated!—CF

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I love buying, selling, and giving away used or unwanted items and I found a great way to do so in Japan, in English. The system I use is like an online garage sale or flea market. Items are often sent chakubarai (the receiving party pays for postage upon delivery). When payment is required it is often through the post office ATM, which has all the options (including remittance) in English (but you need an account). To try it out, visit http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/ group/freestuffjapan and http://groups. yahoo.com/group/TellandSellJapan.—SK

I love Tokyo Summerland because, in a city where the heat can make you crazy, I’ve found that this place is the key to outdoor fun while remaining cool. The park, while hugely popular with kids of all ages, clearly has something to offer for adults too, judging by the occupants of the inflatables floating down the Long Lazy River. For the more adventurous, the waterslides offer a quick thrill before sliding into cool water.

Tokyo Summerland is situated about 75 minutes from Shinjuku, near Akigawa Station. If arriving by bus or train there is a shuttle bus from the station that will take you directly to the park entrance.

For more information, visit www.summerland.co.jp/english.—KL

A Tip from Sin Den: For summer, Sin Den suggests you prepare your hair with an APPT Treatment from ALLOWS, which is the most powerful treatment on the market to help your hair recover from bad condition or just keep it healthy and stronger!

Takako, Sin Den’s Master Stylist, explains that the APPT Treatment is a high density amino protein, which is absorbed easily into your hair, providing the best protection from heat and also from any chemical treatments like colours and perms.

The APPT Treatment helps to adjust the pH level of the hair and is for any type of hair, providing more body, and a better texture for fine hair, too!

This treatment can be done once a month and takes three steps and forty-five minutes to complete. Please note: it cannot be done on the same day as you colour your hair.

Special offer for readers of BAB magazine: until July 31, you can enjoy this treatment for ¥3,000 instead of ¥6,000 when you also have a haircut.

(Please mention this offer at time of booking.) For more about Sin Den, visit www.sinden.com.

I love help for foreign gamers in Japan!

Some (relatively headache-free) tips, tricks, and resources for video game fans of any level: Gaijin Gamer (www.gaijingamer.jp) This site’s forums offer a wide range of information, including English-supported software lists for both XBOX 360 and Playstation 3 ( Japanese XBOX 360s and Playstation 3s are virtually region-free in terms of game software— Nintendo Wiis are not). Visiting the site, check out: “XBOX 360 Owners’ Club > Xbox Japanese Release: English Support,” and “Playstation Lounge>Japanese Release Games—English Support Information PS3.”

Play Asia.COM (www.play-asia.com) No English support in the Japanese version?

Visit Play Asia to order international versions of software titles. (Tip: Titles labelled “Asia, No Region Protection” usually offer English support and tend to be $10–20 cheaper than the same title labeled “US, No Region Protection”).

What They Play (www.whattheyplay.com) A great resource for parents to do comprehensive research on games for their family, (especially here in Japan where English word of mouth is a little harder to come by). Reviews, ESRB ratings, and even a video game glossary help you be more informed when talking games with the kids!

Extra tip: The Playstation 3 is one of the best and cheapest Blu-ray DVD players on the market.

Also, unlike regular DVDs, Japan shares Bluray region compatibility with East Asia (except Mainland China and Mongolia), Southeast Asia, and the Americas. That means Blu-rays purchased in North America or ordered from sites such as Amazon.com are 100 percent compatible with Japanese PS3s.)—CM

Do you have a little thing you love in Japan?

If you know of a product, place, restaurant, event, or service that our readers would love, please let us know! Send an email with 50–150 words describing your item and a photo, if possible, to editor@being-a-broad.com and we’ll use your suggestions in a future issue of the magazine.

THAT LIFE IS SHORT

by Gabbi Bradshaw

In the May issue of BAB, Gabbi recounted the adventure she went through simply to find the correct doctor to examine a possible hole in her heart. In this issue, she explains how the appointment went.

B

had all the tests that can be done. I’ve had some caring doctors. And now the rest is up to me. To live.”

“I’ve I studied the precise drawings made with her 0.5 lead pencil and jotted down what she said in my journal. I liked her; she knew what she was doing and cared. A woman neurosurgeon in Tokyo. Maybe the bamboo ceiling I read about on cnn.com was rotting.

I felt like it was going to be OK after all. But then she sucked in her breath. Not a good sign.

“You will need to wait until maybe 5pm.”

Unbelievable. They were planning on doing the elusive bubble test that wasn’t offered to me in the States when I had my stroke, epileptic shock, or weird heart stuff, and doing it right now.

Well, not right now but in a mere four hours.

My heart raced from remembering what my friend had said: “You don’t want to be alone during the bubble test. It’s freaky and you may find out you have a hole in your heart.” I thought about calling a friend, but wanted to be alone.

“I can wait.”

“And you will need a MRI scan.”

I only had three man in my backpack. I knew

morning deferred to the man who was the name in my wrinkled, smudged, printed-out email. He introduced himself and took the bulbous thing from the intern.

I listened for bubbles. I imagined it would be like Eddie Murphy describing the brown submarines in the bath water and the bubbles that followed. Blup blup blup. I didn’t hear anything, so I turned my head to look at the screen.

I didn’t see anything unusual either. I felt relieved. There was some consulting in Japanese. From the tone, body language, and casualness of their conversation, they saw what I saw. Nothing.

The intern said, “We will tell you the results in a little bit of time.”

Sitting up, I was thinking I should add “Sandboard in Nambia” and “Float on a lilo Christmas Day” to my to-do list when the doctor said, “You are OK.” “That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

Testing for a hole in the heart is an odd experience.

Image: digifadi.

ret Michaels has been diagnosed with a hole in his heart. The doctors say it’s operable.

In the neurology waiting room, I write in my journal, “Wonder if they can do the surgery for a hole in the heart in Tokyo or if I would need to go back to the US?” A stocky woman with a bowl haircut, wire glasses, clipboard, and a kind face approaches me.

“I want to hear more about your disease,” she says in a loud, slow voice. I remember learning in my diversity class that often people speak louder and more slowly to children, the physically disabled, and the mentally challenged. I wondered which one I was.

I blushed. First, the bus driver who took me to the nearest but not correct neurosurgeon thought I was dying. And the friendly woman who found the outpatient centre for me frowned when I confirmed I was the patient. And now, the waiting room probably thought I had some horrible, communicable disease. Maybe I was dying?

I followed the doctor into an austere capsule with a sliding door. She spoke to me about the bubble test. The process: bubbles in the brain indicate a hole in your heart.

I didn’t have enough yen for an MRI scan, bubble test, and consultation with one of the best neurosurgeons in Tokyo. “Are you sure I need a MRI? I’ve had at least four in the last decade.

What will be different?”

She explained they wanted to know what they were looking at now. And I trusted her.

I was ferried downstairs with a piece of paper in hand and sat in line. Most people don’t like MRIs. They feel claustrophobic and freak out. I love the warmth and, other than the weird click-click-click-clicking sound and the fact that the attendant leaves the room because it is dangerous to humans, it’s relaxing to me. This one was no different.

Back in the waiting room, I read in The Magic of Thinking Big that I should make a Ten Year Life To Do List. I started with Year One since I’m taking next year off. “Learn Spanish,” “watch my nephew’s football game,” and “publish my book” were on my list.

Deep in thought, I didn’t notice the doctor.

She guided me to an examining room; I scanned the room for something scary and menacing.

Something that would hurt. But I didn’t find anything. I lay down and a funky, coolish gel was squirted generously on my right temple.

A cold bulbous thing rubbed around my temple and then I heard it. Swishshshshsh. Blood running through my brain. Bubum. Bubum.

Bubum. My heart. And then I saw it. My mind. It was big. The doctor who had tended to me all

Tokyo girl

AN AFFORDABLE REMINDER

“We would like to look at your past results and will consult with your doctor in the US to see if you need any additional tests, but we think your heart is OK.” “Arigatou.”

I made my way to the front desk and handed over my hospital card. I started figuring out how much it would cost. An MRI. Two hours of a resident doctor. And at least 30 minutes of a top neurosurgeon. Oh yeah, and the elusive bubble test. $2,000. At least. Did I have that much in my account? Did I have a limit on my ATM card? Did they take payment plans?

In the end: ¥50,212. A cheap holeless heart.

A cheap reminder that life is short.

“And that’s why I missed work today,” I told a group who had gathered around me as my story unfolded at a party.

Rhonda said, “I can’t believe you’re taking this so casually.”

Am I? In the last decade, the doctors have ruled out: a hole in the heart, MS, epilepsy, lupus, and being allergic to myself.

“Actually, I don’t think I am. I’ve had all the tests that can be done. I’ve had some caring doctors. And now the rest is up to me. To live. To cruise the Antarctic, volunteer with Indian women in Jaipur, and attend my niece’s ballet recitals.”

I look at the faces in the crowd. Stuck in a job.

Stuck in Tokyo. Stuck in life. I am the lucky one. BAB Being A Broad June/July 2010

9

SALON

by Jane Dwyer-Yamada

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10

Ho’me’s Anna Iankova.

Images provided by Ho’me Salon.

beauty

HO’ME

okyo is inundated, saturated, even overloaded with places to get some form of beauty treatment. Even if you rule out all the places aimed at just the Japanese, there are still a lot who cater for the English-speaking, foreign market. How does one choose from the plethora on offer?

I will come out and say it now: I am a beauty treatment junkie. I have tried and done it all. I speak the lingo of beauty. I would be awarded an honorary degree in esthetics if such a thing existed.

If there were a Treatment Addicts Anonymous I would be a card-carrying member, a proud one at that. Yes, there are a lot more important things in life, and I subscribe to them all, but for right now bear with me. I have a lot to say on this superficial but oh-so-fun topic. I once read a list of the top five beauty treatments that will change your life.

A dramatic statement, sure, but it didn’t stop me from trying them all, and I pretty much agreed with everything on the magic list. If I had to rank them, there are a few that really stand out, all of which are available at Ho’me Salon located right in the heart of Aoyama, just five seconds down a Kotodori side street.

I recently met with Anna from Ho’me salon, a Russian-born esthetician, mother, and multilingual ten-year resident of Japan. Her English was as impeccable as her skin, so much so that I couldn’t help but stare at her flawless features. She was definitely a good representative for all things beautiful. I mean it makes sense, if someone is going to be an expert at something, that they look the part, and she does. Friendly, factual, reassuring, and calm in manner, Anna trained in esthetics, and prior to joining Ho’me, she previously worked for a Swedish beauty equipment manufacturer.

It is indeed this same equipment that is used in the salon: the Powerlite 600, which performs photofacials and hair removal literally in a flash.

Now, for those of you who are not acclimated with the beauty world, let’s get back to basics, and I will try and keep it simple. On to the magic list of treatments, let’s start with one of my favourites— permanent hair removal. Sure, I had waxed for years, since it was affordable and lasted a long time, but the hair always grew back, and waxing hurt! As Anna mentions, nowadays for very little extra cost than waxing, and for much less pain, you can get a permanent reduction in unwanted hair. While Ho’me does have regular waxing services readily available, for just a few thousand yen more you can have hair gone completely in an average of eight sessions. I have had my underarms done seven times, and I would say I have almost nothing but a few thin strands of hair left.

Even better, you only need it every two months and the hair comes back less and less each time. I love my smooth, lily-white underarms, and always give people a look and feel when they ask me! There are no more

ingrown hairs or unbearable pain. As an example of a price comparison, at Ho’me it costs ¥6,000 for a bikini wax versus ¥10,000 for an IPL permanent hair reduction treatment. What I especially like about Ho’me is the relaxing atmosphere and discreet lighting compared to that of the medical clinic I went to for my hair removal. Also, as half their clients are foreign, they are used to all body shapes and sizes and types of body hair. For just ¥3,500 per session for underarms, you can’t lose, and I am sure you will be as overjoyed with the results as I am. I have spent hours raving to friends about this hair removal and they love it, too.

On to item number two on the life changing list: the photofacial. I love a good facial, I have had ones all over the world. They are relaxing and leave you glowing. The only problem is that the glow only lasts for a few hours or a day at most. For the expense, it would be nice to have longer lasting results. I tried a photofacial at a medical clinic once and it was great, but cost a fortune (¥45,000), which meant that I couldn’t complete the necessary five sessions to get major results. Ho’me offers an IPL photo facial for ¥17,500, and even less for a first-time trial. It feels great, like a regular facial, and takes a similar amount of time, but has the added benefit of promoting collagen growth under the surface of the skin. You should see the before and after photos in the salon: they are amazing. In short, the results are even skin tone, less pigmentation, reduced wrinkles, facial lift, and fewer open pores in the skin. Five sessions are recommended for visible results and should be spaced three weeks apart to give the dermal layers time to regenerate. Anna can also do hair removal, such as from the upper lip and chin at the same time as the facial for no extra charge. A cooling gel is applied to the whole face, which is ‘flashed’ by thermal light, destroying any dark pigmentation spots and promoting collagen growth. After the initial five sessions, you only need a top-up every three to six months to maintain healthy skin.

My final item on the list of life-changing beauty treatments is the sunless tanning spray referred to as body colouring. It is a quick fix for visually losing an instant five kilograms, gaining some body contouring, and feeling so much better in a

Ho’me Salon is a calm and welcoming space.

swimsuit. Again, I have had many of these over the years, all with good results, but after having one at Ho’me, I realise my previous ones were too rushed. Anna takes her time—about 25 minutes from beginning to end—and the result is truly flawless, a work of art! Smooth, evencoloured skin that magically erases the appearance of cellulite. Currently, Ho’me is the only Englishspeaking salon where you can get a spray tan in Tokyo and at ¥6,000 yen for a tan that lasts a week, it is very popular with men and women alike, even the recent Miss Universe Japan contestants were clients. Ho’me’s owner Yoshie Yamashita was the pioneer of sunless tanning in Japan, bringing it back with her after a long stint living in the United States. Yamashita-san also loves and recommends the ALEX-S, a unique slimming machine that uses light therapy, a magnetic bed, and electromagnetic impulses to reproduce the effects of a 15 kilometre jog in just 30 minutes. I am going to try this one in a week and can’t wait to see how it works.

Speaking of men, your husband, partner or boyfriend are all welcome at Ho’me, for any treatment, so bring them along. Thirty percent of spray tans at Ho’me are done for men, so your guy is not the only metrosexual in town.

Ho’me has a large variety of other treatments available and clients regularly come from Chiba and Saitama, often having more than one treatment done at a time each month. Extra treatments you can indulge in include: EMS cellulite reduction, body wraps, lomi lomi massage, and regular cleansing AHA facials.

For more information, please check the website at www.hometokyo.com or call Anna BAB directly at 090-7735-3664.

I N TH A I L A N D

travel

UTTER RELAXATION

by Caroline Pover

One of the restaurants allows you to keep your feet cool while dining on special occasions.

Images provided by Caroline Pover.

Despite recent unrest in Thailand, it remains a popular destination for those of us living in Japan, thanks to its relatively cheap and quick accessibility via plane, and its natural beauty, culture, and diversity. On the following pages, two writers present two very different but equally enjoyable ways to experience Thailand. Whether you’re a die-hard backpacker, love the pampered life, or fall somewhere in between, we hope you enjoy this introduction to travelling in Thailand.

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hile I no longer have the inclination (or the figure!) to go streaking in public as I once did in my university years, I’ll admit to still loving the opportunity to forgo clothes if I can. Anantara Resort and Spa in Phuket allows you to do so morning, noon, and night.

But don’t be misled—Anantara isn’t a nudist resort! The 82 private villas that make up this luxurious and intimate haven of rest and relaxation really are just that...private. Each villa is surrounded by wooden fences, gates, and window-shutters; if you are the kind of person who needs a view on holiday, then don’t worry because the fact that nobody can see in more than makes up for you being unable to see out.

The entire resort feels like it was designed with romance in mind, so it’s appropriate that my

friendly restaurant next to a lagoon that winds its way between all the villas, so you can start the day by watching the ducks splashing around and preening themselves.

With “Dining by Design” being a specialty of Anantara, we treated ourselves to a private dinner on the beach. As both of us are pancake lovers and it was Pancake Day, my husband secretly asked the chef to make British-style pancakes, which the chef did perfectly for our dessert. The Anantara staff care so much about getting things right that the head chef even checked with us the next day to see if his team had got the pancakes

nantara is the perfect getaway for people who want to do very little on holiday except sit in the sun, eat A good food, and enjoy good wines and cocktails. husband and I arrived there on Valentine’s Day of this year. Flowers were scattered throughout our villa and also floating in a full bath, ready to enjoy after our tiring trip. The mini-bar (if you could call it that—it was bigger than our fridge at home) came stocked with champagne along with many other drinks and nibbles, and we enjoyed the “Dining by Design” experience on our first night, where a team of five set a table for two by our candlelit pool and cooked an amazing barbecue.

Our villa’s pool was literally a couple of steps away from the bedroom—you could wake up, take two steps in front of the bed, open the glass doors, and step right into it. What a wonderful way to wake up in the morning! The aforementioned bath was actually right next to the pool, so you could end the day perfectly, too, with a romantic outdoor bubble bath for two just a few steps away from the bedroom.

Venturing out of our private villa, we discovered that one of the restaurants actually sets up on the infinity pool for special occasions, so you can sit at your table with the water keeping your feet cool. Breakfast is served at a

just right (British, not American-style!). A huge beanbag with flowers and candles was placed a little way away from our table so we could snuggle together after dinner, finish our wine, and listen to the waves.

I think it’s because I find every day an adventure in Tokyo that I seem to have lost my interest in exploring when I am on holiday. I had plenty of crazy adventures years ago and now I prefer to do very little on holiday except catch up on reading, which I never have time to do in Japan. So a half-day tour of Phuket with a very knowledgeable and friendly tour guide organised

by Anantara gave me just enough of a cultural experience as we visited architectural treasures, the local markets, shrines, and breathtaking viewing spots. For the more active, though, the resort organises plenty of other activities, such as private cruises, elephant trekking, diving and snorkelling excursions, environmental project participation, and golf.

Back at Anantara, there is a beautiful wine tasting room underneath The Tree House bar perched around an old Banyan tree. With room

enough just for four people, a table was set with nine wine glasses per person, and an extremely professional yet distinctly non-snooty sommelier guided us through all the different wines. Knowing absolutely nothing about wine, but having an excellent sense of smell and a bit of a competitive streak, I took great pleasure in correctly identifying almost every scent the sommelier put in front of me. Regardless of whether wine is your thing or not, The Tasting Room is a beautiful place to be as the sun sets and the fuchsia pink lighting reflects off the wine on the table.

Anantara Resort and Spa is the perfect getaway for people who want to do very little on holiday except sit in the sun, eat good food, and enjoy good wines and cocktails. The staff are extremely friendly and make you feel completely at home. You can have as much or as little interaction with other guests as you like, or you really could spend the entire time cocooned in your villa if you wanted to—a perfect place for honeymooners.

And you won’t have piles of laundry to do when you get home...

For more information, visit the Anantara Resort and Spa in Phuket’s website: http:// BAB phuket.anantara.com.

Enjoy the villa pool just steps from your doorway.

Being A Broad June/July 2010

11

travel

PRICELESS

IN PHUKET

by Kristi Hemmer

One dollar means more to a Thai person than to you.

“It wasn’t the heat that made me want to take a tuk tuk. It was the rabid dogs.”

image: randomix

image: Eustaquio Santimano

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y friends always imagine I’m doing glamorous things when I’m backpacking. That I’m taking the sunset cruise, eating yummy Thai dishes served with bamboo leaf garnishes, and drinking Singapore Slings from a coconut. They imagine me spending money all day long like they do when they travel to Disney, The Alamo, or even Adventureland in DesMoines.

As a backpacker, I budget $30–40 a day in Phuket. A thrifty tourist would spend $120–150 a day. A “Five Star Louise” could spend more than $500 a day.

Sure, occasionally I’ll splurge on a snorkelling tour of Raya Island because I didn’t eat breakfast or lunch four days in a row. Or I’ll have a manicure because I slept on a bench instead of at a hotel.

This past spring break, I spent nine days in Thailand for a grand total of $400. This is inclusive of roundtrip air from Tokyo to Bangkok, roundtrip air from Bangkok to Phuket, accommodations for eight nights (one was spent on an airport bench and one on the plane), food, drink, an “Ed Hardy” shirt, a “Louis Vuitton” wallet, two pairs of “Havaianas” flip flops, two facials, a manicure, a pedicure, and one reflexology.

My first night in Thailand, I slept at the airport outside Starbucks on a cold, metal bench with my fleece blanket. It was a bit embarrassing at first as those at Nero Café and Starbucks could see me face up on the bench, but I figured it offered a bit more security. Of course, I have my own security system; my head rests on the backpack and my feet on my suitcase. But honestly, what would you steal from somebody who sleeps on a cold, metal bench in the airport?

I set my Timex Ironman watch (with three alarms) for 5:00am, 5:15am, and 5:30am, and

checked into my Air Asia flight at 6am ($115 including the surcharge for my suitcase—I didn’t choose a seat because it cost more but got a window seat anyway). When I arrived in Phuket, I took the “scam shuttle” that brings you to their “central headquarters” to get you to book a tour or hotel with them. Thankfully, everybody in my shuttle knew the scam, so we made it out of there unscathed.

I chose a place to stay rated first in its category on Trip Advisor; it had a pool and free wifi. And

and a Thai girl at either side.

At 11:45am, I finished my chat with Annette and changed into my swimsuit, packed my pool bag with a Nicholas Sparks’ latest book, tanning oil SPF 8, lip balm SPF 25, and water. I soaked up the 33º sun, swam ten laps, and read The Last Song in the pool.

After finishing the book, I floated on my back and thought about food. I hadn’t eaten all day to save money for shopping; I wanted a new Lacoste polo. I dried off in the sun and made it back to

a free welcome drink. It was 11am by the time I arrived, so I ordered a Singha beer while Annette at the front desk talked about other things instead of “What to do in Phuket,” because I had been there four times before. She chatted about her boyfriend who was in prison. She said that he killed a man in self-defense when somebody was trying to break into his house to steal his VHS player. He had been set up.

Halfway through my Singha and her story, she said, “I wish you would stay longer than a night.”

“I love it here, but I can’t afford it. I’m a backpacker; this is a splurge. I need to find another place tomorrow to stay.”

“Maybe you would be interested in the Small Room. It’s half the price.”

At $17 a night, I decided to stay the rest of the week there. And wouldn’t you know, the room was still bigger than my apartment in Tokyo.

The only place cheaper in Phuket would have me staying in a dorm room with seven others who usually were of the “Gap Year” variety: smelly, dreadlocks, Aladdin pants with vomit-stained lips,

my room by about 3pm. The electricity was out.

Once my eyes adjusted, I rinsed off with cold water (you don’t need hot water when you don’t have air conditioning), threw on my Bali dress, and reloaded my bag with my laptop, journal, white O.P.I. polish, and baht.

I walked 25 minutes in the relentless sun, but it wasn’t the heat that made me want to take a tuk tuk. It was the rabid dogs. When one barked at me, I looked for a pole to climb, just in case.

I know of two people who’ve been bitten by dogs. OK, one was in Venezuela and the other in Bangkok. But it could happen.

The market was bombarded by Ed Hardy.

I wanted a black tube top. First price: 800 baht ($24). I walked around his shop and fingered a few other items and as I did this the price went lower and lower. We chatted about the pretty beaches, the friendly Thais, my other visits, and he said, “Good price for you because you’re nice.

Two hundred and eighty baht ($9).” He and I both knew that it was worth 250 baht, but I’ve learned over the years that $1 buys a lot more for him

was 7pm, and I still hadn’t eaten all day. I totalled my for the day…I had $6 for dinner.

Itexpenses

travel

to be careful when you’re travelling solo because being totally repulsed by somebody can make you a challenge of the worst kind.

It was hard because I didn’t want any flies on my rice. And I couldn’t check it without making some kind of eye motion that may or may not look like I cared what he was doing. Which of course I didn’t. My only real concern was to make sure he didn’t follow me when I left. That’s the Houston in me. And my mom thinks that I learned all my good safety procedures on the road. Nope.

Houston. That was my boot camp.

He moved to another table right next to me but to my utter dismay, when he finished his cigarette, he returned to the seat right next to me. As time passed, I sorta felt sorry for him.

But then when I finished eating he said, “Can I smoke now?” I replied, “There are two other tables open and you’re sitting at this table with me. Can you go somewhere else?” He said: “This is my place.” I’m not sure if he meant this was his regular table or if he owned the place.

Did it matter? Not to a backpacker.

I was frustrated that he would be so stubborn and rude. I guess the same could be said of me.

But I was there first. I was the customer. And there were two other tables to sit at.

I said, “I won’t be coming back here again.”

I typed a bit more on my laptop, paused, and looked up. “And I suspect none of my readers will either.”

I may not have a lot of money. I may be a single woman in Phuket. I may be at a slimy bar that served cheap Chang. But I have the power of the pen.

He moved. And I ordered another Chang beer. Total spent that day: $40. Overcoming my low status in the world: Priceless.

BAB

image: mst722

than for me. I conceded, and we both smiled. A win-win for both of us.

Since I was saving money on my room, I decided to splurge on a manicure. I walked for 20 minutes looking for the best price that didn’t charge extra for a French manicure. I even found a place that would give me a discount because I brought my own polish. I sat down and chatted with Anna about her recent divorce, her fiveyear-old daughter, and why I was still single. With a 25 percent tip, my bill was $8.

Just in time for sunset. I walked along the crunchy, white sand and felt the cool breeze that comes with the setting of the sun. I sat on the water’s edge and relaxed. Truly relaxed. Free.

It was 7pm, and I still hadn’t eaten all day. I totalled my expenses for the day…$17 for room, $9 for Ed Hardy, $8 for manicure. I had $6 for dinner. Backpackers don’t check the menus, they look for Happy Hour signs. Chang drafts for $1. Chang is not as good as Singha, but it’s all I could afford. Thirsty, hot, and hungry, I found a seat outside with candles, lots of people, and cheap Chang. I order green curry rice for $3 with enough money left over for another draft (if I drank fast) and tip.

I was enjoying my yummy curry rice when a nasty old guy with horribly fitting jersey shorts plopped down right next to me and took out a cigarette. There were two other open tables outside, and he sat at my table. “Are you going to smoke while I’m eating my curry?” I asked. He replied, “It’s outside seating.” “There are plenty of other tables,” I said and motioned to the two not occupied. He replied, “Same Same.”

I stared, glared, and flared at him while avoiding eye contact in case he might think I was actually interested or turned on by him. You have

30º Tips (aka Hot Tips for Phuket) 1.

Check tripadvisor.com and hostelworld.com for affordable but reputable places to stay. And be ready to bargain, especially if you are staying a week or more and willing to pay cash up front.

2. Before you buy a Round the World ticket, check into the cheap regional airlines. You can fly to Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia, India, China, Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Laos, Macau, Myanmar, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, UK, and Vietnam on Air Asia. Tiger Air, Jet Star, Lion Air, and Ryanair are other airlines to check out before booking that big name, big price ticket.

3. Check your air miles. I bought a roundtrip ticket to Bangkok for 20,000 miles round trip because it stopped in Korea. I can’t buy a domestic ticket for that price.

4. Don’t look pretty if you want bargain prices.

And smile. Bargaining isn’t a competition. It’s a friendly banter. Expect to pay about half of their first offer but remember that $1 to a Thai person means a lot more than to you.

Give them the benefit of the doubt. You’re still getting a great deal.

5. Check for holidays, rainy season, and rough waters before you book. I was in Bali during Nyepi, where the “day of total silence” changed my itinerary for two days as everything closed. Conversely, I was chased down the alleys of Bangkok with boys armed with supersonic water guns during Songkran.

You know you’re a backpacker in Phuket when…

1. You don’t freak out when ants come crawling out of your laptop.

2. You don’t have hot water or air conditioning.

3. You skip breakfast and lunch for two days to get a facial to drain your sinuses rather than buy expensive medicines that you can’t read.

4. You can shower, dress, and get ready for the day in 15 minutes without electricity.

5. You bring your own fleece blanket.

6. You risk getting bit by a rabid dog to save $1 on a tuk tuk ride.

7. You save money by sleeping on an airport bench.

8. You get excited thinking about the runny airplane eggs because you’re that hungry.

9. You look so gross that you pay less than half price when bargaining at the market.

10. You like sweating because it’s like a free sauna.

“I walked along the crunchy, white sand and felt the cool breeze that comes with the setting of the sun.”

Being A Broad June/July 2010

13

working

WE PROFILE:

DEANNE of HOOPLOVERS

Deanne performs with LED hoops.

Enjoying a hoop session in the park.

All images provided by Masao Tamaoki.

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Name: Deanne Nationality: Australian Qualifications: Bachelor of Education, Bachelor of Commerce, Qualified Hoop Dance Instructor Job title: Hoop Dance instructor and performer Employer: HOOPLOVERS Time in this job: two years Job description: I’m the founder and owner of HOOPLOVERS (www.hooplovers.com), a hoop dance community based in Tokyo, so my job description is a very broad one. From hoop dance instructor, hoop maker, kids’ entertainer, and costume constructor to photographer, marketing manager, makeup artist, choreographer, writer, and event planner, I am in charge of all facets of running a dance and fitness company.

General requirements: Enthusiasm, energy, networking and marketing skills, belief in self and the benefits of hoop dance.

Japanese requirement: Conversational (which I have not acquired— makes life interesting).

General conditions: Fabulous. I create my own hours, get hours off most days, and am surrounded by colourful and creative people, as well as sparkling hula hoops.

I work from home, but teach classes in great studios, perform in some of Tokyo’s most divine spots, and get to have hoop jams and gatherings in the local parks. A dream job, really.

How she found this job: It kind of found me. I saw a hoop dancer on a youtube video about three years ago and simply had to try it. From the moment I started to dance inside a hoop I knew I wanted to share the feeling with everyone.

Best thing: The continuous upward spiral of learning, moving, and creating.

Worst thing: Sometimes it is hard to know when to stop and rest.

Interesting stories: Travelling with hoops is always exciting. Strolling through airports with a bundle of hula hoops, it is hard to go unnoticed. I have struck up many conversations with friendly travellers and airport staff about the colourful rings. I was once asked “Eeeeeeeeehhh tire desu ka?” as I put the hoops through security at Narita Airport. I had six staff members at the San Francisco airport consumed with trying to package my bundle of ten hoops safely, which was really unnecessary. They finally stepped proudly away from their creation—they had put ten hula hoops in a large cardboard box and strapped it up with at least one whole roll of safety tape. It took me an awfully long time

to cut all the tape and cardboard away from the hoops. They truly would have been fine in the sparkling cloth I had them wrapped in.

Issues affecting her as a woman: This is a tricky one. Hoop dance has really helped me to embrace my femininity and connect more authentically with other women. I don’t feel affected by any issues.

Advice: Love what you do. If you don’t then it is probably time for you hunt down something that truly makes you happy.

Recommended resources: BAB (of course), FEW Japan, friends and family in the supportive Tokyo community, www. hooping.org, FAB Dance Academy Roppongi.

Other jobs done in Japan: BAB International school teacher.

With a group of happy hoopers.

TEACHES BUSINESS IN JAPAN

by Shana Graves

S

Parissa’s class recently went on a field trip to Toyota, which was a huge success.

Image: provded by Parissa Haghirian.

ophia University is one a handful of universities in Japan that offer business degrees in English, and Parissa Haghirian has been a part of this international faculty for five years. Parissa grew up in Austria and obtained her masters in Japanese Studies from Vienna University, where she was also awarded a Masters and a PhD in International Management. Parissa is not only an associate professor at Sophia University, but also continues her research in the business management field and teaches at other Tokyo-based universities.

What made you decide to enter the business field?

I studied Japanese anthropology first and wanted to combine it with something more related to my daily life. So I went to business school and I really liked the combination of Japanese and business. I still do today.

What brought you to Japan and what makes you stay?

I came here because I was offered a job at Kyushu Sangyo University in Fukuoka in 2004. At that time I decided I wanted to become a professor, but in Austria it was impossible to have a career at the university. There are only four universities teaching business and the system is not really supportive of young researchers. Only around 12 percent of professors are women, so I decided to take the risk of going to Japan and today I still think this was a great decision. If you are interested in Japanese management, there is no better place to work and research than Tokyo.

What makes your specific classes unique?

So far we have done a book project, a podcast project, a video project, and we will do an interview project this year. The results will always be published and students can also show what they have learned. Some students have also gotten job offers because one of their articles was published.

How do your students react to such interesting and challenging projects?

I think students should be inspired and the learning process should include more than studying new business theories. I always try to add other learning outcomes, such as losing

orking in a foreign culture always demands openness and the ability to adapt. This can be W tiring at times, but is mostly very interesting.

How is teaching at Sophia distinct from teaching at a Western university?

Since we teach in English at Sophia, we attract very interesting students with an international mindset. Most of our students have a bicultural background; many of them are Japanese who grew up overseas. But here we also have a lot of exchange students (Sophia has more than 140 partner universities worldwide) and also Japanese students who prefer to study in English.

The classes are very international and students are very lively and enthusiastic.

Generally they are younger than students in Europe, but they are more respectful and also work a lot harder than students in my home country. Classes are longer here than in Europe, with every course consisting of 28 units, so we can cover a lot of business topics. I also teach a Japanese management course in the fall. In this class, to learn more, we always visit Japanese companies and invite guest speakers. Tokyo is a great place to teach business.

working

PARISSA HAGHIRIAN

the fear of using new computer software or improving communication skills. Since the class is so international, students also improve their intercultural skills.

The Japanese business world has been, and still seems to be, dominated by men. From a professional female perspective, what are your thoughts on this?

Yes, this is true. In my classes, the number of women is increasing. I think Japan will need more female workers in the future and big companies will have to change their attitude. The interest of women in business studies is increasing worldwide and Japan is no exception. We can only hope that Japanese companies will make use of their talents in the future.

What, if any, challenges are there to being a foreign female professional in Japan?

I have not experienced any particular challenges because I was a woman. In Japan, the position is often more important than the person holding it, so I was shown a lot of

respect from the beginning. The cross-cultural challenges are quite numerous. Meetings are held differently, and the communication styles are difficult to understand. Working in a foreign culture always demands openness and the ability to adapt. This can be tiring at times, but is mostly very interesting.

Do you have any advice for foreign women interested in pursuing a career in business here in Japan?

I think it’s good not to worry too much about making mistakes. Working in a culturally different environment or firm can be stressful.

Many women want to be perfect in what they are doing and try to over-adapt. I think it is important to be self-confident in one’s decisions, but at the same time to respect the local culture and company rules. To avoid burn-out or culture shock it is important to take regular breaks, develop a reliable social network, and enjoy the opportunities that the Japanese business environment offers.

You can find links to most of Parissa’s class projects on her website at www.parissahaghirian.com.

For those who might be interested, in addition to full-time business degrees, Sophia University also offers weekend business classes, some of which are taught by Parissa. For more information or to register visit www.sophia.ac.jp.

For additional resources, support, and networking events specifically targeted to foreign professional women in Japan, why not attend one of Being A Broad’s career seminars? Each event focusses on a specific career and introduces those already in the industry to broads interested in making a career change. For more information about upcoming events, email Dee (dee@beinga-broad.com) or Stephanie (stephanie@ BAB being-a-broad.com).

Being A Broad June/July 2010

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families

CAMPERVANNING IN CHIBA—YES YOU CAN!

by Jane Dwyer-Yamada

“... It was like something straight out of a Miyazaki animation.”

Image: /\ltus

W

hen I tell people that my family went campervanning in Japan recently they all invariably have the same reaction—they nearly blow a gasket (very intentional pun) with excitement. As soon as I tell them, I am peppered with the questions: when, where, how, why, and who? So for the sake of my sanity and lack of patience for repetition, I decided to record it for posterity in this article.

Let’s begin with getting some of the endless questions out of the way right off the bat. Yes, you can campervan in Japan. Yes, they are regular camping cars, RVs, campervans, or whatever your own country calls them. Yes, you can park anywhere, legally, and spend the night, not just at an official campground. Yes, all you need is a

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In the days leading up to the trip, it was very exciting to plan out a tentative route of our destination, overnight stop, and onsen plans. I wanted a basic idea of where we were going, but also wanted the flexibility of going off the beaten track. Of course, I had to factor in the notorious Golden Week traffic and with all the kids being under six years of age, long distances were out of the question. With these limitations, the choice was easy and obvious—Chiba. It is a veritable family wonderland, a mix of rice paddies and ocean, hobby farms, and sea parks. And with only a 15-minute commute through the ‘Aqua Line’ underseabed tunnel from Tokyo it was a truly unique destination.

kids’ joy and pure happiness made up for any lack of comfort on our behalf.

The regular Japanese license. Yes, even a foreigner can rent the vehicles. Yes, it is affordable, at around ¥20,000 a day. Yes, some of the rental companies speak English. Yes, you can sleep six people in one van. Yes, you need to use public toilets, onsen, or sento as there are no bathroom facilities onboard.

Yes, you can take your pets onboard. Yes, there are seatbelts for all passangers. Yes, you have to bring your own bedding and towels, camping chairs, pots, and pans. Yes, yes, yes!

Now that I have that out of the way, I will avail you with all the details of our Golden Week camping car adventure. It has been a life-long dream of mine to go caravanning with my family. Being Australian, it is what we did as kids, and what we do now as adults with our own children. I just couldn’t wait to try it with my own three children and with invention being born from necessity, I discovered it was a newly thriving hobby here in Japan. There are now several companies renting vans to people all over Tokyo and Japan (see list to right).

Pick-up day began smoothly and within 30 minutes of arriving at the camping car rental shop we were on our way to Chiba. A quick signing of the lease, handing over my driver’s license to copy, and transferring the bags and bedding was all it took.

The staff spoke basic English and were extremely friendly, not batting an eyelid at our noisy brood.

They also had a playground for kids and a dog run to use while you wait, so they were obviously accustomed to dealing with both.

An all-highway drive across Yokohama’s Bay Bridge and dip down into the 14-kilometre tunnel were all that separated us from Tokyo and another world. We stopped at the first rice field we saw, let the kids out, and within minutes they were catching tiny green frogs. It was like something straight out of a Miyazaki animation.

We spent the rest of the day taking short, scenic drives along the coast, stopping to rest or play wherever we wanted. Our basic destination was to be around ‘Mother Farm,’ an extremely

popular theme park where the kids can pet sheep, milk cows, and so on (www.motherfarm. co.jp). We had pre-mapped a few onsen in the area and chose one convenient to our location at the time. Hotel onsen are accessible to day visitors for around ¥1,000, making them the ideal way to get the whole family clean for minimal effort and maximum fun. A tasty dinner in a family-friendly yakiniku restaurant completed our night.

Come sleep time, we literally pulled over on the side of the road, within listening distance of the ocean so the waves could lull us to sleep. We slept in extremely close quarters, with the kids sleeping in the top bunk area and the two adults on the convertible table/bed area. I would not say it was the most comfortable night’s sleep, more akin to sleeping on a tatami floor without a mattress. We were up with the sun the next morning, and continued our day’s journey before returning the van the next evening.

Would I do it again? Yes. The kids’ joy and pure happiness made up for any lack of comfort on our behalf. There was no toilet onboard, so we had to make sure there were public facilities within reach at all times, which was not difficult. A lot of people seemed to camp out in car parks or near convenience stores, which I think is a good idea, albeit less adventurous than what we chose.

You will definitely see us on the road again in the future, and make sure you give a wave to fellow camping car drivers as it seems to be the done BAB thing. Happy camping!

Camping car rental websites (in Japanese) • www.jautonet.com/service.html • www.ccs-rv.com/rentalcar/kasukabe.html • www.rocky2.jp (the company we used) • http://123car.web.fc2.com • http://rentacampingcar.jp/car.html

by Ali Muskett

K

atie Elliott from Essex, UK, always wanted to find something to do in her spare time that was worthwhile and rewarding (besides being a mother of two, that is). After moving to Japan in 2008 as an expat wife, she soon became involved in fundraising for the Tabitha Foundation.

The Tabitha Foundation was set up in 1994

by Canadian-born Janne Ristkes. The aim of the charity is to improve the lives of povertystricken families in Cambodia. Katie found herself appalled after reading about the treatment of the Cambodian people during the Pol Pot era in the ‘70s, where city dwellers were forced out of their homes and businesses and made to work as peasants in the countryside. Millions of Cambodians were killed through famine, hard labour, and torture, and families were destroyed.

Being a mother herself, Katie liked the idea of doing something to help less fortunate families and give children a proper roof over their heads.

“I chose the Tabitha Foundation because it encourages Cambodian families to build a better life through work and savings, and also provides help for families to reach this goal with dignity,” says Katie. As a volunteer and fundraiser, Katie hopes to have the opportunity to visit Cambodia and experience the actual labour and hard work involved in building a house for a family.

Each house costs $1,000 and the families are encouraged to save $100 towards this through a savings program that is a pre-requisite for families or villages to participate in Tabitha programs.

Initially, to raise awareness of the Tabitha Foundation, Katie approached the British School in Tokyo. It was suggested that the project be included with a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award for students in grades ten and eleven. Katie says, “I felt this was a fantastic opportunity for young people living fortunate lives to experience real

poverty in a third world country.” The students will be heading to Cambodia in September, and Katie hopes to join them. With the students’ involvement, there will be a team of approximately 20 people to build 20 houses.

Katie’s next step was to support a trade by purchasing beautiful handwoven Cambodian silks directly from the people in Cambodia. She then sold the silks (handbags, cushion covers, purses, scarves, etc.) at school fairs to start fundraising to build her first house in Cambodia. The silks proved to be a great success, but what next?

What could Katie do to raise funds that would appeal to parents living in Tokyo?

“I felt, upon arriving in Tokyo, that cooking is one subject that we all talk about. It can be hard to find ingredients and understand sauces, etc.,” remarks Katie. And it was with this thought that Oishii! was born and Katie began a project to design and publish a cookbook.

So how does a foreign mother in Tokyo even begin to turn a passion for cooking into an inspiring cookbook full of delicious international recipes?

First, she sent out an email requesting family recipes. Initially the response was slow, but before long recipes came in thick and fast. Naturally, with so many parents from around the world, the responses included recipes from France, Peru, Italy, India, Singapore, and many more. Katie wanted the cookbook to have a personal touch, too. She asked the contributors (parents) to write a small caption; for example, Borrowdale Tea Bread by Louise Lendon comes with the caption “Reminds me of my childhood, as I stayed in my nan’s house every Saturday night and there was always some tea bread in the cake tin.”

Of course, Katie wanted the cookbook to look professional and be more than just your average school cookbook. Funding was provided

by the PTA, and the Tabitha Foundation was set as a standing charity within the British School in Tokyo. Katie enlisted BAB’s own printer Mojo Print to ensure that the book was set out in a simple and easy-to-follow format, and had meetings to discuss layouts, colours, fonts, and pictures.

The biggest challenge, Katie says, was the deadline. “We needed the book to go into print in time for our school Spring Fair on May 8. Two weeks before the deadline was the Easter holiday and I was busy editing the book in my hotel room in Bali, desperate to meet the deadline!”

Thanks to all of Katie’s hard work, the deadline was met and Oishii! went on sale on time. “Around 300 books have been sold so far, and the feedback has been fantastic,” Katie says.

“Not only are parents happy to contribute to the charity, but they feel the cookbook is a great asset to their kitchens. I have made many husbands very happy with the tasty new recipes!” With the books sold so far, Katie will be able to build five houses in September. She is hoping that the ongoing sales of the book will help her to meet her target of ten houses.

Katie is still very focussed on the sales of Oishii!, and is hoping to find further opportunities to sell the cookbook outside of the walls of the British School in Tokyo. Next year, she is considering a follow on book, maybe Oishii Cakes or Oishii Soups, so watch this space!

Oishii! is currently on sale for ¥3,000 at the British School libraries in Shibuya and Showa. Alternatively, you can contact Katie at kaelliott1@mac.com to purchase a copy. Tabitha Silks will be on sale at the British School in Tokyo’s Christmas Fair and a website will be coming soon. For more information about the Tabitha Foundation, see: www.

BAB tabitha.org.au/cms.

Two sample recipes of which Katie says, “I chose these because chicken is widely available in Tokyo and much cheaper than other cuts of meat. These are two Oishii! recipes that appeal for dinner parties, or just a mid-week meal that even kids will enjoy.”

Being A Broad June/July 2010

families

A VERY TASTY WAY TO HELP CAMBODIA

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by Alena Eckelmann

Traditional trails are being rediscovered by modern day pilgrims.

ilgrimage: “a long journey or search of great moral significance,” according to Wikipedia, is usually associated with a religious or spiritual quest. This is not what I had in mind when I set out to walk the Kumano Kodo, some old pilgrimage trails in Japan’s Wakayama Prefecture.

I simply wanted to have some space, physically and mentally, to think about life and all the small and big things going on, and I did not fancy a New Age-inspired holiday in Bali or Thailand. I just felt like a ‘walk without talk’ in the woods, not a hike, but more like a walking meditation.

The Kumano area, a mountain range full of scenic beauty, traditions, and mystery, is often referred to as the spiritual heartland of Japan. For over 1,000 years, Kumano has attracted Japanese worshippers and seekers, and old trails, more or less intact, cross-cross the peninsula leading to some sacred sites. This was the perfect place for a retreat of sorts.

journey of introspection. Let’s be kind to myself and the world; no dissecting, analysing, and interpreting, but just letting be.

A woman walking alone would be close to impossible in many countries of the world, but Japan is a safe place still (touch wood!) where women may wander around in the mountains or forests by themselves. I equipped myself properly to deal with freak weather, took the usual safety precautions, got a map to better manoeuvre the already well sign-posted trails, and off I went.

I walked the Nakahechi first and then the Kohechi, two trails that both lead to the Hongu Taisha, one of the Kumano Three Holy Shrines, a sacred site for the Japanese. The former took two days and the latter four days. Each day I ascended a peak and then walked down the slopes into a valley where some villages offered shelter overnight at a minshuku, or Japanese-style inn.

After a long day of walking, dinner served at the inns tasted extremely delicious. I went to bed before 9pm as there was nothing to do at all.

No neon light disturbed the pitch-black darkness outside and the croaking of frogs in the nearby rice fields soon lulled me into a deep sleep.

Mornings started early with an opulent breakfast; after all, you need strength to tackle a peak each day. The friendly pension owners prepare you a bento (lunch box) and you better take it. There are no convenience stores and not even vending machines for a quick shop along the trail.

The locals are familiar with the seeker type of people. Tiny old women, so old that they seem ageless, offer big smiles and kind words.

Farmers give you cool spring water from their wells and some fruits from their gardens before they continue with their daily routine of working in the fields.

A conical straw hat and a wooden walking staff are part of the traditional outfit of pilgrims in Japan. I was reluctant at first to get decked out in with what I thought was tourist drapery. The shopkeeper, an elderly Japanese man, asked me whether I had come to the area on a sightseeing trip and I tried to explain that what I was after was more about looking inside than gazing at the scenery around me. He looked at me curiously and then got me a hat and a staff.

OK then, I thought. Maybe it is easier for the Kami-sama and Hotoke-sama, the Japanese Shinto and Buddhist deities, to keep a watchful eye on a foreign woman wandering around in the Japanese forest if she wears a recognisable hat. Some words written on it あるがままに (arugamimini; take things as they are) seemed a fair motto for a

Both the hat and the staff turned out to be very handy. The hat sheltered me from gushing rain and the staff helped me up and down the hilly terrain, sensing out the trail ahead of me and fighting off spider webs. Stepping over rocks and roots, its cling-clang informed the forest’s inhabitants of my coming so that I only saw the rear of some deer, a badger, and a snake while birds and bees did not seem to be bothered by my presence at all.

I was disconnected from the rest of the world as my mobile phone was out of reach of any network. Undisturbed by phone calls and email requests and not distracted by the visual overload of adverts, I had nothing to listen to other than nature’s sounds and nothing to look besides the expanse of forest and mountains in front of me.

All images provided by Alena Eckelmann.

real-life story

A JAPANESE PILGRIMAGE

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there for a long while...I felt blessed indeed on that rare occasion of sheer bliss.

Sitting

But there was my inner voice—it told me about all the things I left unfinished before going on this trip and all the things that were probably piling up during my absence from the connected world. My inner voice turned out to be a chatterbox telling me this and that about life in Tokyo, all of which was without relevance while walking here in the woods. Being so busy sorting out priorities for things to do after my return, I did not even listen and see what was around me.

I had been walking like that for awhile when suddenly something caught my attention. It made

Caught between light and shadow. me stop and have a closer look. It dawned on me that my walk in the woods somehow resembled how I walk through life. Often I am so busy with myself that I don’t hear and see what is right in front of me. Being in my own little world, the real world passes me by. Only when I stop, look, and listen do I really see and hear.

Struggling up a steep hill to get to the next mountain pass, I got tired and sat down to rest at a lookout point. The serene beauty of the Kumano landscape eventually stopped even the chatterbox inside. Thinking nothing anymore, I saw the multiple-shaded leaves of the spring green, the shadows cast by cotton-wool clouds on the mountain slopes, and the graceful flight of an eagle high up in the sky, and heard the bumblebees busily collecting nectar from the colourful scented blossoms of a nearby bush and the dreamlike barking of a dog in a distant place.

Sitting there for a long while, I was not seeking the meaning of life anymore but just enjoying being there in that very moment. I felt blessed indeed on that rare occasion of sheer bliss.

For more information about Kumano, please visit the website of the Tanabe City Kumano Tourist Bureau at www.tb-kumano.jp/en.

Alternatively, email them (in English) at info@ BAB tb-kumano.jp.

RWANDA

by Arwen Niles

E

Arwen enjoys banana beer in Rwanda.

One Love-sponsored sports competitions.

The reception staff at One Love are also recipients of prosthetics and I was eager to find out more about how well the limbs functioned.

I hired one young man who had lost his legs to childhood polio to accompany me to two small memorials south of the capital: the churches of Ntarama and Nymata, where over 7,500 Rwandans were killed while seeking refuge. I spent afternoons sharing Cokes and chapatti and chatting about volleyball practice with another woman in her twenties who wears a prosthetic leg to replace the one lost in a car accident.

One of my enduring impressions of Japan is that of a country of coexisting extremes. While it was to an altogether different extent, this is what most struck me about Kigali. United Nations envoy trucks and the vehicles of prominent diplomats share the road with death-tempting moto-taxis and microbuses so packed they would put any Japanese commuter train to shame. And there doesn’t seem to be anything in the middle.

There’s nothing to glue these two parts together, yet everyone goes about their business as though it could never be any other way.

Up the hill from One Love and just past the main roundabout is Union Trade Center, a shopping centre that is also home to the popular Bourbon Coffee, where expats and well-off locals enjoy free wifi along with their high end coffee.

Down the road sits the legendary ‘Hotel Rwanda,’ officially known as Hotel des Milles Collines, a four star hotel that regularly hosts diplomatic and business meetings. Back outside on the dusty street, locals sell phone cards and maps and backdated magazines.

One day after a visit to Kigali Memorial Centre, I decided to make the uphill trek to the city centre.

Between the manicured gardens of the memorial and fountains of the roundabout, it was nothing but slums. I walked alongside a few teenage boys who looked unkempt and slightly stoned, and passed chickens and abandoned spaces with only remains where homes used to be.

I’ve heard it said that Japan’s current economic and social prosperity can be traced back to the nation’s post-war ability to adapt to a shifted reality. It was only by truly accepting the end of combat that the Japanese were able to make the most of what was left when the smoke cleared. Making my way up through the rubble in the darkening streets, I thought about this, and how while it’s one thing to accept food and medicine from your former enemies, it’s entirely another to live with them in peace.

From Kigali I continued on to Gisenyi, a small town on the banks of Lake Kivu, which is just across the border from the massive refugee camps

Image provided by Arwen Niles.

arly last May, as I was flipping through an issue of New Yorker magazine, I came across an article featuring Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his efforts to rebuild the nation 15 years post-genocide. I was a cool, green 14 years old when the slaughter played out, and Rwanda has always meant one thing to me: murder. Not just murder in a United States, handgun kind of a way, but systematic murder, evil murder, carried out with the cruellest of intentions.

Here, however, was a journalist reporting a stable and peaceful country with a strong leader and a growing infrastructure. Knowing I would have some time off in August, and realising how crucial capital is in maintaining a calm society, I wondered if I might be able to invest my yen in a trip to Africa and swap out the bloodied Rwanda of my memory.

While researching for my travels, I stumbled upon the Mulundi/Japan One Love Project, which is run by a Japanese woman and her disabled Rwandan husband, Mami Yoshida Rudasingwa and Gatera Rudasingwa. Known by locals as simply One Love, the project consists of an orthopedic workshop that provides the community with free prosthetics, along with guesthouses and a popular restaurant to help fund its operation.

I also recalled a National Geographic article investigating the murder of several rare mountain gorillas that inhabit the jungles along the Rwanda/ Uganda/Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) borders. I learned that I could purchase a permit that would allow me not only to track these gorillas, but also support their preservation by providing tourist dollars and economic incentive to end poaching.

And so it was settled: I was going to Rwanda to stay at the One Love guesthouse in Kigali and track the mountain gorillas of Virunga National Park.

Like the facilities at One Love, the prosthetics have value more for their utility than aesthetics.

A young Rwandan woman showed me around the offices and the orthopedic workshop, and gently put me to shame by her superior ability to speak Japanese. As Mami had done years before, this woman had learned to make prosthetics in Japan, spending a year in Yokohama studying the craft and then returning to Rwanda to pass this knowledge on to her fellow workers.

The workshop itself is a hot and dusty room that smells of the paint being rhythmically applied to stacks of walking sticks, but out of this modest space, and using the most basic of materials, comes the life-altering gift of mobility. Recipients of limbs gain a new access to the daily physical acts of living; they are now able to contribute to their households by joining the local workforce and to enjoy the liberation of play through various

real-life story

ONE LOVE

in Goma, DRC. I then moved on to Ruhengeri, where all gorilla trekkers stay overnight in preparation for their early morning hikes. When we arrived at the base of our assigned mountain, we were met by an enthusiastic crowd that had gathered to greet us and solicit work. Though I hadn’t brought much along, I hired an ex-poacher in his thirties to carry my rain jacket and have lunch with me at the top of the mountain.

Sharing space with a group of gorillas that currently runs 39 strong was an exceptional thrill, but so it was also with the surrounding community, the very first I’d met not just willing but eager to have their photos taken. Scores of children swarmed the tourists, hugging us, posing with us, and ultimately climbing all over us, giddy and impatient to view the shots. On my final day in Rwanda, I hired a man from the DRC to drive me through the country’s winding ‘thousand hills’ back to the capital to catch my onward flight.

Those who travel regularly know that a country is much more than the sum of its symbols.

We all realise that there is more to Japan than sushi and samurai. And although there remains much work to be done in its rebuilding, now when someone mentions Rwanda, I no longer think of desperate people hacking at one another with machetes while the whole world sits on its hands and waits. Instead, I picture lush forests and banana beer, people with beautiful French accents and impossibly white teeth, and a nation that, less than two decades post-genocide, has collectively risen to the challenge of reinvesting in, and reinventing, its future.

For more information about the One Love project, to make a donation, or to find out about visiting for yourself, visit www.onelove-project.

BAB info/oneloveproject.org/index.htm.

Being A Broad June/July 2010

19

FOR GIRLS

by The Meat Guy

With a bit of practice, you can be a grilling expert.

T

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he grill, that majestic pairing of meat and fire, has traditionally been the guy’s domain. Ageold secrets, passed down from father to son, such as when to flip and how to poke, often left the women off to the side like potato salad or coleslaw. However there are times when it’s necessary for the lady to take over the grill, like when an early guest to the party shows up with a bottle of tequila and all the men are passed out on the sidewalk after trying to lure passing girls to the festivities (it happens), or all the guests to your girls’ night in are craving steak. Desperate situations like that require you to be prepared, so here are a few tips to make sure you don’t ruin the wienies.

Gas or charcoal?

It’s important to have an opinion on this, kind of like how it’s useful to have a favourite sports team even if you don’t ever watch sports. Gas grills are fast, easy to control, and because you can be ready to burn in just a few minutes, they can almost completely replace kitchen cooking when the weather is right. Charcoal grilling is more complex. There is the choosing of the fuel, the lighting, the waiting, the spreading of the coals, finding the hot spot, stoking if necessary. Like sex, it is an event, though it usually takes longer.

The reward is far more flavour than you can ever squeeze out of a gas grill.

Lighting the fire: If your grill is gas, turn on the gas, turn the knobs on high, and push the little lighty button two or three times (which never really works). When you give up on the button, there will be a little hole somewhere near the bottom of the grill that lets you hold a cigarette lighter in the area to light it by hand. If eyebrows are important to you, you may want to shield them during this process. If you’re cooking with charcoal—Japanese whole charcoal—the regular sumi is the easiest to light, and it burns hot and fast. You can also get briquettes, which are called mame-tan, at any home-centre. I usually mix both types. Lay down a couple of handfuls of charcoal, squirt in some lighter gel (the best lighting method I’ve found, much better than liquid or solid), then top with a couple more handfuls of charcoal. Light the gel

BBQ sauce is the perfect ‘blemish cream.’ and wait. If you are in a hurry, or just want to look like you really know what you’re doing, get a hair-dryer and use that to blow on the fire—much easier than fanning the flames by hand.

Prepping the meat: Everyone has their own ideas about marinades, dryrubs, sauces, and flavourings. It all depends on what kind of meat you plan on cooking. There are a couple things that are pretty universal, though. In most cases you want to go easy on the salt, as salting meats immediately before cooking draws moisture to the surface, which can dry them out and keep them from browning nicely. Also, it’s best to let anything you are going to grill to sit at room temperature for 10–15 minutes beforehand; this will get the meat warmed up so that it cooks more evenly.

Meat meets fire: The fire is ready for cooking when it is hot enough that you can’t hold your hand near the grate for more than five seconds. To properly grill anything more complex than a hot dog, you need to have two temperature zones. One hot area with direct heat, and a cooler spot with indirect heat. On most gas grills there are at least two burners so one on high and one on low (or completely off ) does the trick. With charcoal, raking most of the coals over to one side gives you the same effect. Start the meat off on the hot side, sear all the outer edges, then move it over to the cool side and let it finish cooking. If you’ve got a lid on your grill, now is when you shut it and wait. It’s good to have a beer and a factually inaccurate but wildly amusing story to keep the guests occupied with at this point. If you don’t have a lid, you can drastically speed things up by tenting some foil over the top of whatever you are cooking; a large pot turned upside down will also work. If you are cooking small things that have a tendency to fall through the grates as they cook (like mushrooms, zucchini, eggplant, etc.) pull the pan and grate out of the fish-broiler in your kitchen and use that on the grill so you can retrieve anything that wants to wander.

Don’t touch it yet: All meat continues to cook for a couple of minutes after you take it off the grill, and you must give it some time to rest. A nice steak needs a little time-out, at least five minutes rest, before being sliced. If you dig in too soon, all the juices will end up on the plate or on the cutting board.

Just before serving, lightly sprinkle with coarse ground sea salt—the big crunchy crystals bring out the flavour far more than regular table salt.

Ravenous people will like your cooking far more than those who are just slightly peckish, so you should always serve the food a good hour later than most people are accustomed to eating. The final meal saver is barbecue sauce, also known as the ‘blemish cream’ of the grill-meister. Enough

Image provided by The Meat Guy.

image: iStockphoto.com/SeanLocke

food & dining

GRILLING IS

sauce and you can secretly fix just about any grilling miscue.

Above all else, remember, no one ever complained that there was just too much meat at a barbecue, so however much you think you might need, double it.

Having trouble finding the perfect cut of meat for your summer grilling? Contact The Meat Guy BAB via www.themeatguy.jp.

Interested in trying some Japanese-style recipes? Why not try one of these sauces?

Yakiniku-style BBQ sauce (from www. bellaonline.com/articles/art57638.asp) • 1 cup soy sauce • 2 Tbsp white wine or sake • 2 Tbsp sugar • 1 Tbsp grated apple • 1 Tbsp grated garlic • 1 Tbsp grated onion • 1 Tbsp sesame oil • 1 Tbsp sesame seed • 1 Tsp honey • 1 Tsp lemon juice Heat the wine or sake to a boil on the stove. and then add soy sauce, sugar, honey, apple, garlic, and onion. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for ten minutes, occasionally stirring.

Next, add lemon juice, sesame oil, and sesame seed and mix well. (Sauce may be stored in the refrigerator for up to three weeks.) You can use it both as a 30-minute marinade for beef before it is put on the grill or as a dipping sauce for cooked meat.

Rib Marinade (From http://smt.blogs. com/mari_diar y/2005/07/do_you_ know_uma.html, website also includes an ume-boshi BBQ sauce recipe.)

• 1 Tsp ginger • 2 Tbsp light soy sauce • 1 Tbsp sake • 1 Tsp light miso paste • 1 Tsp rice vinegar Combine ingredients and marinate ribs overnight.

CO-WORKER

by Stephanie Kawai

All images provided by Stephanie Kawai

A selection of images from the life Stephanie, Ryohei, and Roman are creating together.

she found love in Japan

THE “ADORABLE”

I

came to Japan back in 2000, planning to stay and work here for a year teaching English and getting the whole Asia experience done with… little did I know at the age of 23 that Japan was going to be the place I’d end up calling home for potentially the rest of my life.

My Japan experience began in Osaka and I remember feeling incredibly comfortable from the moment I stepped off the plane. Of course, there were a few times where certain things about Japan or Japanese people baffled

better and becoming really good friends. It was when I was visiting the UK for Christmas that I suddenly realised that I was actually missing him, really missing him more than as just a friend.

So when I returned to Japan in the new year of 2003, I confided in my manager…who promptly went and told him! And he said he felt the same way! That was the beginning of our life together.

We started going out and things progressed really quickly. Neither of us had felt this way about anyone before and we both saw it as the

there is no doubt in my mind of our commitment to one another and our family.

However, me, but on the whole I never really experienced the culture shock people speak of. I quickly settled in to my life and really enjoyed the fun I was having with my coworkers and students at my school and enjoyed getting to know Japan.

A year passed in a flash and I decided that one more year here wouldn’t hurt. Well, that turned out to be the most significant year of my life, as that’s when I met my husband.

I went to work one day knowing that we were expecting a new Japanese member of staff to join us. In walked a very cute-looking Japanese guy and I went over to introduce myself. I remember emailing one of my colleagues after that, telling him about our new coworker and how “adorable” he was. We spent the best part of that year simply as coworkers and nothing more…but then things started to change. I was approaching the end of my contract and thought, yet again, about staying for “just one more year.”

At the same time, my “adorable” Japanese coworker and I were spending more time together helping each other with our English and Japanese and simply getting to know each other

real deal. Six months later he announced that he got a job in Tokyo, so we decided to go together as I was also ready for a change, having spent almost three years in Osaka. We lived together for over three years in Tokyo before we decided to get married. We had our ups and downs as most couples do, but ultimately knew that we

husband at around 2am Japan time to let him know.

I’ll never forget the email I received from him the next day asking if it was all a dream. My pregnancy definitely brought us even closer together and we were really excited about impending parenthood.

He came with me to every check-up and even bought an apartment for us knowing how I wanted to have a true family home. Our son Roman was born on October 27, 2007, exactly nine months after our wedding ceremony, and I like to think that such exact timing is a sign of how right it was for this man to be the father of my child.

Becoming parents has probably been the most difficult time for us as a couple since we’ve been together. There have been occasions where it has been hard to see each other’s point of view about child-raising, and the dynamics of our relationship have altered, I think, permanently. Things just aren’t the same as they were when we were simply dating and living together and the way we viewed ourselves changed, too. I really felt a lot more like a mother than a wife once my son arrived, and still

realised that I was actually missing him, really missing him more than just as a friend.

Isuddenly were genuinely happy together and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else or with anyone else. I wish I could say that there was some incredibly romantic proposal, but it was really just a case of us saying to each other: “Well, having kids would be nice. I guess we should get married.” So we did. In December of 2006 we had our ‘paper’ marriage followed by a Catholic church wedding and party on January 27 here in Tokyo. It was, without a doubt, one of the best days of my life.

The second best day of my life came just over three weeks later when I discovered I was pregnant! I was in the UK at the time and called my

do, and I think that is something most men would have difficulty with. However, there is no doubt in my mind of our commitment to one another and our family.

Ryohei and I have now been together for almost seven and a half years and married for over three of them. Whenever I think back to when I first decided to come to Japan all those years ago, I never imagined that I would still be here ten years later. Life certainly leads you in all kinds of interesting directions and I’m really looking forward to seeing what the next ten years BAB bring for us.

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