I bet you're wondering...

Where the post is again this week! After getting back from break, high school has been quite stressful, and I've been concentrating on photography and schoolwork more. I'll post this week's on Wednesday, and I'll try to continue normally after that!

Interesting News!

I bet you're wondering where my post is... Have no fear, I have an excuse! And some interesting news! This Sunday, I was re-doing my photography website! Photography website?! What photography website? It's right here ---> www.spencervogel.tumblr.com. Soon, I'll have it redirect to a custom domain, so it won't be tumblr for long! Secondly, I have some interesting news for the people who speak Japanese, or who like looking at the Japanese I put in my blog posts. Since I am trying to practice my hiragana (look at #037 for a refresher), I'll now be making all the Japanese characters in my blog posts hiragana! No more Chinese-based kanji! See everyone next week!

わたしはいいわけおもって、しんぱい。。。わたしのぽすとがどこにあるかわぎもんにおもっていづでしょうね！そして、いくつかのきょうみぶかいにゅうす！こんしゅうのにちようびわ、わたしはさいどやっていたわたしのしゃしんさつえいのうーえぶさいとお！どのようなしゃしんさつえいのうーえぶさいと？それはhttp://spencervogel.tumblr.com ここです。すぐに、私はそれがカスタム度マインにれだいれくとすれひつようがありますので、それはながいあいふぉろうおされませn！だいにに、わたしはにほんごおはなしたり、わたしはわたしのぼろぐのきじゅにいれてにほんおみているのがすきなひとのひとのためのいくつかのきょうみぶかいにゅうすがあります。わたしはひらがなおれんしゅうおしようとしていますので（ふくしゅのために＃０３７おみて）、わたしはいま、わたしのぶろぐのきじおひらがなですべてのにほんごのもじおつくることになります！これいじょのくうごくべーすのかんじ！らいしゅみんなおさんしょーしてください！

#044: Japanese Food Etiquette

Japan Fan Post #044

日本ファン投稿＃044

Japan has quite some interesting dining etiquette. Think of "don't put your elbows on the table," but with interesting consequences. Read away!

日本は非常に興味深いダイニングエチケットを持っています。 」、テーブルの上に肘を入れていない」のが、興味深い結果と考えてください。離れてお読みください！

Don't stick your chopsticks in the bowl of rice vertically! It represents incense sticks at a funeral!

縦にご飯にお箸を固執しないでください！これは葬儀で線香を表す！

Left: No! Right: Great!

左：いいえ！右：素晴らしい！

When eating some soup, like udon or ramen, always pull the bowl up to your mouth to eat the noodles. If you bend over to the table, it is said to be eating like a pig. If it's only liquid, drink it! You don't even have to keep your bowl on the table at all if you don't want to!

うどんやラーメンのようないくつかのスープを食べるときは、必ずラーメンを食べるためにあなたの口までボウルを引っ張る。あなたはテーブルに腰をかがめる場合、それは豚のように食べていると言われています。それが唯一の液体の場合は、それを飲む！あなたも、あなたがしたくない場合は、すべてのテーブル上でボウルを維持する必要はありません！

Above: Here's a great way to finish off a nice bowl of ramen: drink! 

の上には：飲む：ここにラーメンの素敵なボウルを仕上げるための素晴らしい方法です！

When eating sushi in Japan (they usually don't do this elsewhere), the sushi chefs will normally put wasabi between the fish and rice to help bind the two together, so don't mix extra into your soy sauce. It can sometimes even offend the chef! They'll gladly leave out the wasabi if you aren't the fan. Upon ordering, just say "wasabi iranai desu," which means "I don't need wasabi." Here it is in Japanese.

わさびいらないです。

日本で寿司を食べるときは（彼らは通常、他の場所でこれをしない）、寿司シェフは、通常、につを一緒に結合することを支援するので、あなたの醤油に余分混合しない魚と米の間でわさびを置く。それは、時にはシェフを怒らせることができます！あなたがファンでない場合、彼らは喜んでわさびを残しておきます。

Above: Good sushi chefs will attach the fish to the rice using a small dollop of wasabi.

上：グッド寿司シェフがわさびの小さなほんの少し加えを使用して、ご飯に魚を添付します。

Finally, I've included some phrases to help you order at restaurants efficiently and also to be polite with host family members or Japanese friends.

最後に、私はあなたが効率的にレストランでの注文、ホスト家族や日本人の友人と礼儀正しくするのを助けるために、いくつかのフレーズを用意しました。

When ordering:

ときに注文するには：

Kore onegai shimasu

Koe-day oh-neh-ga-ee she-mah-ss

これおねがいします

I would like this.

If you're unsure of the name of the food you would like to eat, use "kore." Kore, or これ, means "this" in Japanese, so say it whilst pointing at the food you'd like to eat. If you know what the name of the food is in Japanese, replase "kore" with the food. This also works for drinks, as well. For an example order:

あなたは食品の名称がわからない場合は、食べたい使用する「コレ」コレ、またはこれには、「これは「日本では、そのようにあなたが食べるしたい食べ物を指さしながらそれを言うことを意味します。あなたは食べ物の名前が日本語であるか知っている場合には、食物と一緒に「コレ」replase。これはまた、同様に、飲料のために働く。例えば、オーダーの場合：

Ramen onegai shimasu

Rah-men oh-neh-ga-ee she-mah-ss

らめんおねがいします

I would like ramen.

If you would like to add something onto your order:

あなたの順序の上に何かを追加したい場合：

...soshite ____

soe-sh-tay ____

そして____

and ____

This is usually used after ordering if you would like something other than tea to drink. Here's an example addition:

これは通常、あなたはお茶を飲むこと以外のものを希望の場合はご注文後に使用される。ここに例の追加は、次のとおりです。

...soshite mizu

soe-sh-tay mee-zoo

そしてみず

and water.

 After your party has received their food:

Note: This isn't religious, just a polite appreciation of the food, almost like a toast.

あなたのパーティーは彼らの食糧を受け取った後： 

注：これはほとんどのトーストのように、食品のちょうど丁寧な感謝の宗教ではありません。

Itadakimasu!

Ee-tah-dah-kee-mah-ss

いただきます

Cheers! or Let's eat!

After your party has finished eating:

Again, not religious, just a thankful expression to the chef.

あなたのパーティーの後食べ終えた。 

繰り返しますが、シェフのちょうど感謝表現、宗教的ではない。

Gochisōsamadeshita!

Go-chee-soh sah-mah deh-she-tah!

ごちそうさまでした

I'm finished!

Thanks for reading guys!

さようなら! ありがとうございます!

#043: Exploring Tokyo via the Yamanote Line (やまのてせん)

Japan Fan Post #043

これは外国人のためのポストであるように、私は日本でこれを書くことはありません。不便をおかけして申し訳ありません。

Today, I'll be doing something a bit different. This is great info for tourists and others who haven't ridden the Yamanote Line or use it solely to get to work and back. This Sunday, I'll be showing you how to get the most out of Tokyo on the Yamanote Line with a brief tour.

First, let's get to know the Yamanote Line, which the locals have lovingly dubbed "Yamanote-sen." It circles Tokyo, serving almost every major station in Tokyo, which is why it might service more passengers in a day than the London Underground does in a month. It is also a huge connector to the airports as well as JR's Shinkansen, which are used to travel around Japan. The easiest way to tour if you are staying in Tokyo for more than a few days would be an IC card, either PASMO or Suica. These are Tokyo's rechargeable smart passes. If you're stay in Tokyo isn't super long, the Tokunai Pass is a great idea. This is Tokyo's daily pass, which gets you anywhere inside Tokyo for a day. Ask the station staff about this purchase.

And here's the Yamanote-sen map in context with other Tokyo lines. It's a rough sketch, but it shows my Photoshop skills...

Note: You can get on and off anywhere! I'm not saying you have to follow this tour completely, it's just a reminder.

Stop #1: Tokyo (とうきょう)

We will stop here to see the famous Tokyo Station building, which will turn 100 in December! Tokyo Station is super big, so make sure to go shopping in one of the station's many boutiques. Tokyo Station is a hub for the Shinkansen as well, so you might be able to catch a glimpse of a Shinkansen through the gates! I've marked the location of Tokyo as well as our route below.

Stop #2: Akihabara (あきはばら)

We'll stop here to witness possibly the most interesting neighborhood in Tokyo. Think of your local comic shop, but spread out over many, many city blocks. You'll want to venture out the "Electric Town" exit, which is marked clearly in the station. After that, you're free to venture! Just make sure to remember the location of the station, because the buildings all kinda look the same. Some good places to visit are Laox, a department store, the Neon Room Restaurant for a good view and one of many video game arcades to try out some Japanese arcade games.

Stop #3: Ueno (うえの)

We'll stop here to go to the Ueno Tokyo Zoo and see some interesting Japanese fauna, and then make our way over to Ameyoko, a popular shopping area of Tokyo. If you want to get lost in some real Tokyo streets, Ameyoko is the place to do it. It has a distinct vibe like no other.

Stop #4: Shinjuku (しんじゅく)

We'll travel all the way across North Tokyo to Shinjuku to see Shinjuku Station as well as the many skyscrapers there. Shinjuku station is the busiest in the world with more than 200 exits spanning a half mile! You'll want to come here in the morning or evening to witness the crush of passengers taking the train to work or home. After navigating your way out of the station, look up! You're bound to see one of many characteristic skyscrapers that makes up Tokyo, like the Metropolitan Building or the Gakuen Cocoon Mode tower! See some of the flashing lights and crowded stores or play a game of pachinko or two while you're at it.

Stop #5: Harajuku (はらじゅく)

We'll stop here to view the famous, unfortunately named Takeshita-dori (Tah-keh-she-tah) to witness the hip young adults. Be wary of what they're wearing because you could see those trends on young adults in western countries next year! Then, we'll venture over to Omotesando Hills, which you can access via Tokyo Metro or foot. There, we'll see Kiddyland, a fun store filled with knicknacks from model Yamanote-sen trains to Star Wars chopsticks and DIY paper sculptures!

There's actually one more station, but I forgot to include it on the map!

Stop #6: Shibuya (しぶや)

Finally, we'll stop here to view the famous Shibuya Scramble. This is best viewed from the Starbucks on the 2nd floor of the Tsutaya building! And you can enjoy a warm matcha tea latte as well! This is best viewed around 5pm on weekdays, when most of the people are crossing! Also, we'll get to see the famous Hachiko Square, which contains the famous statue of Hachiko the dog! This is where many Japanese people meet up, so you'll see lots of people waiting for family and friends.

Thanks for reading, guys, and have a fun time in Japan!