Tired of Japanese-style izakaya? Really craving some good steak and have no idea where to get it in Japan? Or do you just enjoy a really good glass of wine every now and again? Try out Otsu-tey, a small little wine bar near Iwate Castle Park. All of their food is European-inspired, and the decor is very western-looking, so this place is quite unique among Morioka’s many Showa-style izakaya-type establishments.

I’d have to say the best thing on their menu is their steak. It’s not a huge cut of meat, but it’s prepared perfectly (if on the rare side, so if you like your meat well-done, be sure to say so!). The waitress adds some alcohol to the still-sizzling hot plate in front of you, which sparks a short, crowd-pleasing flame. Their baked cheesecake is pretty good too, though it’s more savory than sweet. They also have many seafood options as well!

Want some home-style steak and potatoes? Look no further than Otsu-tey.

盛岡WINE食道　乙亭　Otsu-tey
Dinner: 17:00-1:00
TEL 019-626-5530
Near Iwate Castle Park, behind the Daiso 100-yen Shop
〒020-0022
岩手県盛岡市大通1-5-19
(Iwate-ken, Morioka-shi, Odori 1-5-19)

Bistro Biya is an Italian-inspired restaurant on Odori Street with a European cafe-style decor. I’ve been there for both lunch and dinner, and I’ve never been disappointed. There are better Italian restaurants in the city, but for the price and convenience, Bistro Biya can’t be beat. You can also get crepes from the side window facing the street, and three karaoke places are within five paces, so it’s a great place to hold a nomikai (and AJET has done just that a few times!)

If you can get there for lunch, they have a salad bar with all the fixings free with your meal. I particularly like their omelet-rice (omuraisu) dish, as well as their sweet potato and kabocha fries. The spaghetti meals are good too, with a variety of both Italian and Japanese-style dishes. They also have a breezy soundtrack running, with covers of lots of pop hits. It’s kinda cheesy, but kinda cute at the same time.

In the summer they open up their front porch so you can sit outside. A great little place to have lunch!

ビストロ麦家 Bistro Biya
Lunch: 11:30-15:00 on Tuesdays through Fridays, 11:30-16:30 on Sat/Sun, no lunch on Mondays
Dinner: 17:00-01:30 on Mondays through Thursdays, 17:00-03:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, 17:00-23:00 on Sundays
TEL 019-622-5773
On Odori Street, a few minutes walk from Morioka Castle Park, Karaoke-kan, and Daiso 100 Yen Shop
〒020-0022
岩手県盛岡市大通1-9-5 サンシャインビル　１F
(Iwate-ken, Morioka-shi, Odori 1-9-5, Sunshine Building 1F)

Want to help out at Tokyo Orientation and introduce new JETs to their new lives in Japan? Apply to be a TOA at Summer Orientation 2012! You can be a TOA at Orientation A, B, or C.

TOAs will be asked to assist with the following tasks:

• Present CLAIR or MEXT workshops and be part of panel discussions (selected TOAs only)
• Present AJET workshops (selected TOAs only)
• Guide new JET participants through Narita Airport or the orientation venue, assist with luggage, answer questions, etc.
• Staff the 24-hour Hospitality Centre and Information Desk during the Orientation
• Attend Embassy Welcome Events (selected TOAs only)
• Accompany new JET participants to their host prefectures/designated cities as requested by individual prefectures.
• Any other duties deemed necessary by CLAIR

The deadline is March 7, 2012. Please hand in filled out applications to your supervisor by that date. You should have received the application from your supervisors by now, but if now, please let the PAs know and we can forward you the application.

Any questions about TOA can be referred to the PCs at CLAIR at jettoa@gmail.com

 We had a work party to celebrate both the achievements of our division of late, and to ward off the cold, and since we usually go to Japanese-style izakaya places, our party planner decided to go with Chinese food this time. She picked a place called 萬花京 Mangekyou, which is a quick walk from Kawatoku Department Store, above a eyeglasses shop.

Usually when I have Chinese food in Japan, it’s a) ramen or b) gyoza, so it’s rare to get to go to a nice, sit-down Chinese restaurant (well, it’s rare to see more than delivery Chinese back in the states…). It was pretty good food, and some interesting Chinese drinks – we go to try some shoukoushu, or Shaoxing wine, which was a very sweet plum wine similar to umeshu (Japanese plum wine). We were recommended to put an actual dried plum in the glass which really brought out the flavor.

Our Chinese CIR said this was the best Chinese food she’s had while in Japan, so you heard it here folks. Give it a try the next time you’re craving Chinese food!

萬花京 Mangekyou
Lunch: 11:30-14:00, Dinner: 17:30-21:30
TEL 019-604-6611
Closed every Monday
One minute walk from Kawatoku Department Store, behind Starbucks
〒020-0024
岩手県盛岡市菜園1-6-13 ベルトリービル２階
(Iwate-ken, Morioka-shi, Saien 1-6-13, Belltree Building 2F)

Credit to JustHungry.com

As I’m sure you already know, Valentine’s Day is a little bit different to what you’re used to back home. Here, instead of boyfriends giving their girlfriends flowers and chocolate and taking them out for dinner, women give chocolate to men (most of whom don’t even eat chocolate) in descending order of “lover” all the way down to “acquaintance at work.” In this way, it really does resemble elementary school, where you had to make Valentine’s Day cards for everyone in class but you secretly gave the biggest, best one, with Bugs Bunny on it, to your Crush named Evan. Oh wait, maybe that was just me.

There are two main types of chocolate: honmei choco (本命チョコ） and giri choco (義理チョコ）. Honmei is what girls give to their boyfriend/husband, and is ideally homemade and heartfelt. There’s a classic trope of a high school girl making chocolates for her crush in high school and giving it to him as a way of confessing her feelings. Then there’s giri, which means obligatory – this is the chocolate that ladies give to male friends and coworkers. As a JET, this may be something you participate in. In my case, a female worker in the office will gather money from all the other women and buy the appropriate number of boxes. I also tried to participate in the honmei choco tradition once, but I got too nervous and threw the box away before I gave it to the guy. Well, please try to learn from my mistakes.

This may seem very one-sided, but rest assured the Japanese confectionery companies made a special corresponding holiday on March 14 where the men return the favor called White Day. They often spend three times as much as the gift they themselves received, or at least that’s the custom. I have never received a 3000 yen box of chocolates, but shoot for the stars, guys. In related news, March 14 is now gaining favor in America as a corresponding holiday to Valentine’s Day, but I can’t print that name here.

The good thing is that Valentine’s Day ends up being about all the men in your life, not just one, so there’s not as much pressure to be partnered up. The bad thing is that that expectation has been moved to Christmas Eve – but most of us are home during that time so I suppose it’s no big deal ^^

Valentine’s Day in Japan (wikipedia)
Valentine’s Day and White Day

 –A

As of today, this information is accurate to the best of our knowledge. Stay tuned as we will inform you of any possible changes or corrections as they materialize.

The following is a message from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC).

I remember when I was first getting ready to come to Japan, and I had no idea what to get my coworkers for omiyage (souvenirs). This is one of the things that everyone on the JET Program talks about, because bringing souvenirs to a new workplace is not really common back home. We all want to make sure we don’t offend people of another culture before we even have a chance to get to know them. “This is a totally different culture!” they say, “And this is your chance to give them a great first impression!” Way to bring on the stress, you know?

The good thing is, while your coworkers probably are expecting omiyage, they are not expecting anything big. You might be thinking about getting them keychains or small knick-knacks from your hometown, because these are things that will last; I remember thinking that if I got them food, they’d just gobble it right up and forget about it. But honestly, a small cookie or candy is all my coworkers expected. Food is by far the most common omiyage within Japan when people go on business trips. It’s easy, enjoyable, and most of all, takes up no space once you eat it. And in Japan, we all know we can use our space.

So breathe easy – all you need is some food. You may want to bring something more “special” for your boss and/or supervisor, and that’s a good idea. In those cases a small, tangible souvenir such as a keychain is nice. I’ve heard people recommend small bottles of liquor too, but it depends on how much space you have in your suitcase. For everyone else, here’s some suggestions:

Chocolates – all you need is a box with enough chocolates in it to give one piece to everyone. If you can find a regional maker, that’s great too – I’m American so I don’t have much of a frame of reference, but if you were from say, San Francisco, a box of Ghirardelli would be a great idea. If everything is individually wrapped, even better.

Candy - this is much the same idea, but maybe even easier to buy because you can get a lot of candy in bulk. Try to get them something they’ve never had before – peanut butter is not common in Japan, so see if they’ll try some Reese’s Peanut Butter cups (Hershey’s products are a great idea if you’re American – as long as you are fine with pushing “sub-quality” chocolate on everyone hehe). I’m from New Jersey so I’ve gotten my coworkers a box of salt water taffy before. I don’t even like the stuff, but it’s so regional that it goes over quite well.

Cakes - well, something like Twinkies or Hostess cakes might be interesting, even if I personally am not a fan. You’ll want something that will keep for about a week, since it will take about that long to get to Japan, go through Tokyo Orientation, and get to your placement. Tastykakes are a regional snack cake maker near my hometown, so that’s something I brought once.

On timing: don’t be stressed about bringing your omiyage the very first time you meet your coworkers. You’ll be arriving during summer break, so the majority of teachers will be busy with other things anyway. You can wait a while to bring your omiyage in – just try to make sure it’s a day when your principal is in

Any other ideas for omiyage? Post them in the comments!

-A

Join the foreign community online at the IwateMinions yahoo group and chat with other ALTs and foreigners in the community. We also are planning a message board so please look back for further announcements. Also, feel free to contact us for any questions you may have. Plus, have yourself a look at Iwate’s tourism site to learn more about our prefecture!

See you at Tokyo Orientation!

Donating Money

You can donate either through your local Red Cross or trusted charity, or directly through a bank transfer. Info on bank transfers to Iwate Prefecture here. However, there may be fees involved transferring money overseas – please inquire with your bank.

Volunteering

For people already in Japan, the easiest way to sign up to volunteer for Iwate Prefecture is to keep an eye on this website (Japanese only). They list volunteering events on weekends that you can sign up for that will bus people out from Morioka all the way to the coast. However, space is extremely limited and you have to keep checking the website for events. Also, I do not recommend volunteering if you cannot speak Japanese. It is still dangerous out there and we have to be careful to not cause more problems than we solve.

Inland Iwate (Ichinohe, Ninohe, Morioka, Hanamaki, Kitakami) was shook badly, but there was no danger of tsunami. The coastal areas were affected greatly by the ensuing tsunamis and we still have little information directly from these areas. Unfortunately, we may not get information for a long while because of the lack of power. I’m sure that the families of the ALTs in the area are extremely worried right now, but please take heart in the fact that there seems to have been about a half hour between the quake and the tsunami – leaving time for people in the area to get to safety.

My name is Amanda and I am working at the Iwate government as a prefectural advisor for all JET ALTs. Any family members of JETs that have not received information can contact me at akrips86 AT gmail DOT com. If I find any information I will contact you as soon as possible. Please know that I cannot answer for any ALTs besides JETs. There may also be information with CLAIR, your country’s embassy/consulate, or on Facebook or other social networks.

I can’t guarantee that I will be able to reply right away – internet and power in Morioka are spotty. But we are trying to contact everyone, their schools, and their BOEs. Conversely, if you know something about the safety of JETs in Iwate Prefecture, please contact me at akrips86 AT gmail DOT com.