Sun, Fun and a Wedding in Guam

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If you are looking for a nice inexpensive beach trip outside Japan I would recommend taking a look at Guam.   My wife and I just recently had our wedding ceremony in Guam in the later half of September.  We booked a wedding travel package through the JTB travel office which turned out to be very good. It was my first time to use a package travel tour and if you have not had the chance to book a Japanese style tour package it does make it very convenient to travel to a place you have not been before.  The package style lets you choose day trips such as sightseeing bus tours, scuba diving lessons, Polynesian shows, dog racing and boat tours.

Our stay was 6 days and 5 nights because of the wedding but a 3 day trip would be possible.We flew out of Centrair Airport in Nagoya on a very short 3 hour plane ride. We stayed in the Westin Hotel near the Tumon shopping area.To accommodate the many Japanese tourists, they have many brand name shops and duty free shops where you can shop till you drop. I mostly heard Japanese spoken at all the shops and hotels but the locals do speak English and Chamorro which is the original island language. Hafa Adai is hello and Adios is goodbye in Chamorro.

On one of the days we signed up for a sightseeing bus tour which took us to about 4 well know tourist areas around the island.  It was nice, but one of the disadvantages of the tour group style is that you are not able to take your time and enjoy a spot you have to keep moving and at times can feel rushed.   Guam has a rainy season from around July to November.  It rained almost everyday that we were there but it was usually a short rain that only lasted for short periods.It was a great trip and I would love to visit again and also want to try Saipan which is just an island hop away from Guam. If you are looking for a nice short trip outside Japan look into Guam

by Brian

Scallops in Pesto

You Need:

• 1 carrot, cut matchstick style
• 1 crushed garlic clove
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 1 sm. tomato, diced
• 3/4 lb. scallops
• 3 tbsp. dry white wine
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tbsp. pesto sauce
• Salt & pepper to taste

Then:

• In large frying pan heat olive oil and saute carrot and garlic for 1-2minutes.
• Add green onion and tomato. Saute until tomato is soft.
• Keep heat on high and add scallops. Saute until tender, less then 5 minutes.
• Add wine, lemon juice, pesto, salt and pepper. Toss quickly and add to any pasta or rice.

by Jesse

Warming Autumn Foods
Recipes to be featured every month... Share your favourites!

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Useful Japanese Phrases

I said that I would write down a few translated phrases for the newsletter, but then I realized that a lot of you speak Japanese well, and probably know anything I would know anyway, but a promise is a promise, so here are a few useful (or useless) things that popped to mind…

• Please put less head on my beer? Awa o sukuname ni shite kudasai　泡を少なめにして下さい
• Can you speak in Japanese that’s easy to understand? Wakari yasui Nihongo de hanashite kuremasenka?　わかりやすい日本語で話してくれませんか
• Do you really think my Japanese is that good? Hontou ni watashi no Nihongo wa sona ni jouzu to omoteimasuka?　本当に私の日本語はそんなに上手だと思っていますか？
• I wish I could speak better Japanese, so I could say what I really want to say. Watashi wa hontou ni itai koto wo hanishitai no de Nihongo ga jouzu ni naritai　私は本当に言いたいことを話したいので日本語が上手になりたい (or something like that)
• My favorite Japanese food is …… Watashi no ichiban suki na Nihon no tabemono wa ……　私の一番すきな食べ物は。
• I think Japanese pop music is an absolute abomination. Watashi wa Nihon no popusu ga chou dasai to omoimasu (or something like that)　私は日本のポｯプスはちようださいと思います
• I should study Japanese, but for some reason I haven’t. Watashi wa Nihongo no benkyou suru beki dakedo nanto naku shiteinai. 私は日本語の勉強をするべきだけどなんとなくしていない
• That’s very difficult to answer. Ano kotae wa totemo muzukashi desu. それを答えるのはとても難しいです.
• I think maybe you made a mistake with my bill. Tabun watashi no de pyou wa machigaetiru to omoimasu. たぶん私の伝票は間違えていると思います

I think these translations are pretty much alright- not so sure about the kanji. Anyway, it filled up half a page or so…

by Andy

Four Colours of Autumn: An Interview with Matt

Yellow—what is the first thing that comes to mind?.....Sunshine.

1. Could you start by telling us your name, place of birth, marital status and such very important details?

Name: Matt .
Place of Birth: Palm Beach Gardens, FL.
Status: Married with two children.

2.　How long have you lived in Japan?

A bit over 2 years.

3. Why Japan?

Because I’m into cosplay, anime, video games and manga.

４．What do you like about Japan?

Modesty and courtesy.

Orange- what is the first thing that comes to mind?
Sunsets.

5. How long have you been with FIA?　Since August.

6. Who were some of the first people you met when you first joined the company?

Brian B, Matt G, John S, Joe D…

7. What do you do in your free time?

Picnics, hiking, reading/writing, playing with my kids, pondering...

8. What’s your favorite spot ?

There’s a temple in Fukuroi surrounded by forests and streams. It has some huge, old redwood trees. It’s good for hiking and quite inspiring.

Red- what is the first thing that comes to mind?
Blood.

9. What is your favorite colour and why?

Red. For no good reason.

10. Make a list of 5 of your favourite things.

1) Family & Friends　2) Music & books

3) Eccentric cinema　4) Art

5) Anything awe-inspiring        

11. How do you feel about the world today?

I’m hoping this is the dark hour just before the dawn of better days.

12. Tell us a story fictional or biographical revealing your true nature (10 lines)

Long Answer:       

The Devil holds the strings which move us!
In repugnant things we discover charms;
Every day we descend a step further toward Hell,
Without horror, through the stinking darkness.*

Short Answer:       

There once was a man from Nantucket…

Brown- what is the first thing that comes to mind?
Chocolate Lovin’.

13.Draw a stick figure representing how you feel today and fax it to me!　

No.

14. Complete this sentence: “I want to ride my bicycle,……
to the cosplay convention”

15. Halloween: Boo or Bah, Humbug? Why?

I love Halloween. I like the combination of fun and scary / humor and horror. Also, it’s sentimental for me.　

*Stolen from Charles Baudelaire

by Kinsella and Matt

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