The Tan Tans' Life Begins

There is a dull pain in my heart. In less than 24 hours we will be leaving Owase. Strangely, we have both been taken ill these 2 days. Maybe it’s because we have been worn out by the frenzy of farewell parties and packing over the last few weeks. Maybe, as Erik puts it, it’s because subconsciously, we do not want to leave. The past year has been magical for us. To leave the magic behind is tough. But I believe we will be able to relive this magic again. Someday.

In 2 weeks, Erik and I will be leaving Owase, our home for the past year. It’s not easy, because there are a number of people whom I have grown to love during our time here and whom I know I may never get to meet again for a very long time. It gets even harder when the kids I teach start getting emotional about my leaving. Every time a school holds a farewell ceremony for me and the kids and teachers are singing at the top of their voices, I find myself trying very hard to fight back the tears. I was most touched during the farewell ceremony at Kata Elementary School, when the kids did a public recital on what they have learnt to-date in my English classes. Particularly memorable was what the 5th graders did - an imitation of what I had previously taught them for self-introductions (basically spoofs of Ponyo, Obama and myself). How I wish I could video the entire event. It was the best farewell gift they could ever give me, by remembering what I had taught them. During the last...

Owase is known to have some of the freshest and best seafood in Japan, and it is of no wonder that the best sushi is also found here. We’re not talking about sushi found in the kaiten zushi (conveyor belt sushi) shops, but the real stuff served in the real sushi bars. Since ala-carte orders at such sushi bars usually come at killer prices (sometimes up to 70,000 yen for a meal), the most cost-effective choice is to go for the sushi moriawase (mixed sushi), which are usually priced from 1,000 yen for for the lowest quality and smallest portion. The top quality deals start from 3,000 yen. Extremely reasonable prices, I think. Note: “lowest quality” in Owase equates to “top quality” in many places, including the Japanese cities. Even our Japanese friend from Osaka (where conveyor belt sushi originated from) attests to the fact that sushi in Tokyo and Osaka cannot beat the ones you find in Owase’s supermarkets. As for Singapore’s case, I think “lowest quality” in Owase would be equivalen...

We just had dinner at our favourite tempura restaurant and these are some of the jokes our elderly Japanese friends told us: When a Japanese tells you “Agetofu” (literally: fried tofu); he or she is trying to say: “I get off” in English. When he or she says “Saito Shingu” (literally: Saito family’s worship items); he or she is trying to mean: “sightseeing” in English. When he or she says “Hota imo ijiru na” (literally: Don’t tamper with the picked potatoes), he or she is trying to mean: “What time is dinner?” in English. Here's another common joke: Whenever I go, "I will show you...", kids would exclaim "shoyu!", thinking that I am talking about soy sauce. And this is what I tell my kids when I teach them days of the week. Monday: Manjyu (Japanese bun) Day. Tuesday: is Tuesday. I couldn’t think of anything funny. Wednesday: Ue (up there) nesu Day. Thursday: Tasukete (Help!) Day. Friday: Ebifry (fried prawns) Day. Saturday: Satsuma imo (sweet potato) Day. Sunday:...