Category: Uncategorized

Happy Birthday Vietnam

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Last night I attended a reception hosted by the Vietnam Consul General, Tran Duc Binh at the Rihga Royal Hotel in downtown Osaka. I was representing the school with two colleagues on the leadership team. We are pictured above with the Consul General and his lovely wife Nguyen Viet Anh. There were about 500 people in attendance on the eve of the 70th anniversary of National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

I learned much about Vietnam in listening to the Consul General’s speech. The country has experienced incredible economic growth in the past 20 years. Their largest trading partner is Japan, and so the business community in Osaka was well represented at the party, as well as other consulates in Osaka. I didn’t know Vietnam was so big, with more than 90 million people. They have had quite a 70 years, going from resisting the occupations of France and the USA and getting over a civil war. I wonder what the future holds for the country, now with a better economy, but a growing powerful neighbor in China. When the speeches got a bit dry, I read on wikipedia where the Vietnamese people are genetically, in the middle of the east Asia – south Asia continuum. I admired the women’s national dress, the Ao Dai (photo below courtesy of (Impresive magazine) It is stylish, yet looks super comfortable. I think my wife Nadia would look great in it.

We ate and drank well – thank you for Consul General Duc Binh for the invitation! That is a one of the nice things about working in international education is the contact with the international diplomatic community.

Afterwards, we explored a bit of the old Fukushima neighborhood of Osaka. The city is great for the small alleys with loads of great restaurants, cafes and bars. It really is a foody paradise. The canals of the Yodo river and city lights were also picturesque. All in all, a pleasant evening out.

Ventura California

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After a day of shopping at an outlet mall, we spent a couple of hours on Ventura Beach, located in the city of Ventura. It is located just northwest of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. We enjoyed a bit a swimming and playing on the beach. The water was quite cool and the cold breeze kept most people away so we had lots of space to run around.

Ventura is famous for its agriculture because two rivers empty to the sea nearby and it created super fertile soil. It is still today one of the biggest citrus growing regions in the world. We saw some of the migrant workers in the fields as we headed from Caramillo to Ventura. It is far enough out of LA to feel a bit like the desert west and had a much different feel than the city.

It was nice to get a taste of California surfing beach culture. Traffic also was not too bad on the way home, something that is always a concern in LA.

Father’s Day 2015

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I had a really nice day Father’s day with the kids. The only negative was Nadia was traveling today and couldn’t be there with us. I did go to the airport with her in the morning and see her off. She is chaperoning the World Scholar’s Cup team that is competing this week in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

I spent father’s day exactly how I wanted to, with my children. We played basketball in the school gym and then went to Starbuck’s for a light brunch.

After a nap, the kids and I rode our bikes to Park Golf, a “mini-golf” course in Expo ’70 Park. I have never seen a course like it before. Each hole is around 40-60 meters in length. We used sticks resembling wooden drivers and the ball was similar to a croquet ball. The par 66 course is a total of almost a kilometer. The kids loved it because a variety of skill levels can enjoy the course. For serious golfers, one can work on the short putting game and for kids, they can just  whack the ball as many times as they want.

I shot a 71, Owen a 78, Oliver a “110” and Ocean a 139. To play is costs 400 yen ($3.20) for kids and a 200 yen to rent a ball. You can play for as long as you want. The course was not crowded either. It is a nice thing to do for a morning or afternoon for a family.

We finished the day off with dinner and a couple of episodes of Modern Family. The kids are being nice and pretending the pasta I prepared was delicious. It was just a super nice day – what a privilege it is to be a father!

A final thought – I miss my father – here is a photo from 2007 with all of the Kralovec men!

Gamba Osaka

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We just got back from attending the  top professional soccer league (J-league Division 1) game between the local Gamba Osaka versus south Tokyo-based Kawasaki Frontale. The top player for Gamba, Usami #39 (back row, second from left) scored in the 43rd minute of the first half. Kawasaki equalized in the 81st minute of the second half and the game ended in a 1-1 draw. I thought Gamba dominated the first half and Kawasaki the second, so it was a fair result.

The “Gamba” comes from the Italian word for leg and the Japanese “gambate – go for it”. They seem to be modeled after Inter Milan and I did see some Italian signs of the fan clubs around the stadium. They are the defending J-League champions, but are third in the table this year, behind FC Tokyo and Urawa Red Diamonds. There biggest season was in 2008, when they won the Asian version of the Champions League. The team started from the defunct B team of cross-town rival in the J-League, Cereza Osaka.

Gamba plays in Expo 70 stadium which is very close to our house in Minoh. They are building a new Suita Stadium, which is close by the current stadium. It will open next season. Both stadiums are in the Expo ’70 or Bampaku park and it is a really nice area. We bike and run around and in the park often.

Tribalism and Nationalism are present in soccer stadiums around the world, including Gamba Osaka

My favorite player for Gamba tonight was striker Takashi Usami. He is only 23 years old and an aggressive, exciting player. He took a lot of shots on goal, which I like to see. He spent a couple of years in Germany, one playing for Bayern Munich. Attendance was over 18,000 and the stadium, although a bit old, was quite comfortable. The crowd was not as big or crazy as the Hanshin Tiger game. A nice evening out!

Oh No! Hanshin Tigers are in Last Place.

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The boys and I went to Koshien stadium again last weekend to watch the Hanshin Tigers host the Hiroshima Carp in the Japan professional baseball league We had a great time, however, the Tigers lost 2-7 and fell to 15-20 for the season, good for last place in the Central league standing, just below the Carp who improved their record to 16-18 with the win.It was a gorgeous day and a full crowd at Koshien stadium. and we had a lot of fun. The left field section was a sea of red Hiroshima supporters. Leading the way for the Carp was catcher Tsubasa Aizawa, who went 3-5 with a home run and three RBIs. Yuya Fukui pitched 7 innings and allowed only 1 run. Randy Messenger, the import pitcher for the Tigers, lost, allowing 5 runs in 6 innings of work. Particularly disappointing for the Tigers was Mauro Gomez, who struck out twice and weakly grounded to third twice with runners in scoring position. The bright spots for Hanshin was our man, Tsuyoshi Nishioka, who made several brilliant fielding plays at third base and had a clutch, two-out hit to drive in their first run. (He has the best individual player song.) Toritani, the shortstop also had a double and triple, and was robbed of another big hit by a spectacular catch by Carp centerfielder Yoshihiro Maru. Matt Murton, another import for the Tigers, did not play today, although during batting practice, he gave Oliver and Kenta rubber wrist bands and said hello. It made the boys day.

The Hanshin Tiger Fans are the most passionate in Japan

The passion the Tiger fans have for their team is incredible. Like in the US around some professional teams, people get dressed up to go to the game and make a full day out of the stadium experience. I enjoy going occasionally, but it is a serious time commitment. Considering the 1 hour drive to the stadium and 3-4 hour games, it does take up a day. I think it is fine once in a while, but I would never be a season ticket holder or go every weekend.

3B Nishioka with Matt Murton in the background

I taught the boys how to score a baseball game. They also got down to the field and watch the teams take infield practice and batting practice. One does not appreciate the skill and athleticism of professional baseball players on television. In person, you can see how every throw they make it perfect. I think they now like baseball and I hope to get them to play on a Japanese club in the neighborhood besides the school team. We shall see.

Happy Birthday Oliver

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We had a delightful afternoon celebrating my son Oliver turning 10 yesterday. We invited 10 of his friends from his class. The party started with a visit to a local park to play “Hunger Games” dressed as ninja fighters. Everyone got a Daiso (the famous 100 Yen store) plastic kendo sword and Japanese headband. We also played soccer and some games and gave away prizes. We then walked over to the house for grilled hamburgers and chocolate cake. The kids also popped a lot of balloons and drank ice cold Sprite soda pop.

Nadia and I can’t believe Oliver is 10 years old! It only seems like yesterday (being a parent turns cliches into dogma) that he was born. I will never forget that night! Nadia wasn’t due for another month and she had just finished working at the school on the Friday April 29, 2005 to start her maternity leave the next week. That night however, she started bleeding and she needed to undergo an emergency cesarean. Our regular doctor was in a conference in Caracas and the hospital we planned to use was a 90 minute drive north to the coast, too far to travel in the state Nadia was in. We ended up staying in the small town of Anaco, Venezuela and met a colleague of our doctor. It was a stressful night of uncertainty, but Oliver did arrive, a bit blue, but healthy. I remember holding him in my hand and placing him in the warm incubator so I could sleep with Nadia. What a night!

Oliver has brought so much joy to our lives! He is a fun-loving, crazy little guy that uses his charm to connect with people of all ages. He is the most even-keeled of our children emotionally and many of his personality traits are similar to Nadia’s. Ollie likes to move and school is always going to be a challenge for him. He really likes legos, fantasy and the typical boy adventure things, like playing war with nerf guns, etc.  Oliver also looks up to his brother Owen and plays with his sister Ocean all the time.

Happy 10th birthday Ollie – We love you!

Last fall at the Tottori Sand Dunes – October 2014

Azaleas in Bloom

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It is the peak season for azaleas here in Osaka. The city is full of them and they can be seen in parks and gardens throughout the city. Azaleas are a group of flowering shrubs in the Rhododendron genus and have been cultivated for hundreds of year around the world. There are over 10,000 different varieties which show a history of horticulture. The Japanese call azaleas tsutsuji 　(つつうじ) – Hurray, my first try at the Hiragana script on my keyboard. I am working through Tuttle Publisher’s book, Hiragana and Katakana for beginners. They use strong images to form mnenomic devices to help one remember the symbol and corresponding sound. It is surprisingly easy to read once you go through the book.

 

I never thought of azaleas when coming to Osaka. I know them from the American south, where there are azalea festivals and they are always mentioned in the Master’s golf tournament. It makes sense they are popular in Osaka as it is approximately the same latitude as Atlanta, Georgia and Columbia, South Carolina.

An azalea bush at Minoh Citizens’ Baseball Park – April 25, 2015

Hike in the Meiji na Mori Minoh Quasi National Park

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It has been an unseasonably rainy spring, with most days being overcast and cold. Despite the cooler temperatures and threatening skies, we went out late Sunday for a walk up a trail into the Minoh Park. My batteries recharge with time spent in nature and it gets the kids exploring and talking with us in a quiet environment. They always complain about going, but once they are there, they wind up having a great time.

Walking under the tall cedar trees through a narrow ravine with fog, gave the place a spooky feel. With the heavy rains, the water flow in the creek the path went along side of was quite strong and the trail was a bit muddy. I read that the park has 1,300 plant species and it makes me want to learn to identify some of them. The ferns especially, are beautiful and abundant.

I am hoping the weather clears and we start to get some sunny and hot days. I am ready for the heat!

Going Crazy Over Cherry Blossoms

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As a former biology teacher and amateur botanist, I have to admire a country that celebrates the spring cherry blossoms to the extent that the Japanese do. Everyone talks about the sakura or cherry blossoms that can be seen all over the city. There are many different species of cherries (Prunus spp.) and next year I intend to identify more of them. We had a hanami (blossom viewing party) at school. Everyone was talking about it and many people were having picnics under the trees. There are a lot of cherry trees in Japan. I saw hundreds of them all over the city. As you can see in the photos and video, they are a common tree in parks and they are used to line streets, streams, and reservoirs.

The viewing of cherry blossoms started in the 700s here in Japan and at first the ume or plum tree was more celebrated. They are a symbol of the ephemeral nature of life, which has Buddhist influences. Stopping to “smell the roses” or cherries, here is a good lesson for all of us. Soak in as much of every day as you can!

The symbol of the cherry blossom was used by the military in the build up to and during World War II. Japanese kamikaze pilots painted them on the side of their planes. Today they have a more peaceful symbolic value.

Below is a video of my morning bike ride. Loving the spring morning runs and bike rides!

Universal Studios Japan: Inside the Beehive

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On our last day of spring break we took the kids to Universal Studios Japan (USJ), which is located near the waterfront here in Osaka. I am not a fan of the big, themed amusement parks. I find them artificial, expensive and crowded and USJ lived up to my expectations. I would rather spend my family’s free time out in nature or doing something spiritually uplifting or engaging with the mind rather than lining up for “attractions”.  However, I was convinced by my lovely wife to give our children the experience, and she is right. It is one of the activities everyone should do at least once.

We did chose a bad day to go as it is during the local schools spring break as well. In speaking with a friendly parking attendant on the way out to our car, he gave us the figure of 51,000 visitors that day. He said the day before the park welcomed 60,000. On a bad day, they usually get round 30,000. The demographics were overwhelmingly Asian, with mostly Japanese, but with significant populations from the Philippines, China and other Asian countries.

I felt overwhelmed at the number of people as you can see in the photos in this post. All of the rides were between 90 minutes to 2 hours waiting time. There were even longish lines for getting food. My worst nightmare!

USJ was built in 2001 and the park has been highly successful throughout its history. It is the only non-Disney theme park to crack the top ten world wide in revenue and number of visitors. They are another one of those money-making machines, with for example, 9 dollar plastic souvenir mugs of “butter beer” for sale in the Harry Potter exact replica of Hogsmeade. Note that I am not a Harry Potter fan and I couldn’t get through the first book in the series. I don’t understand the universal appeal of the story, especially with adults.  Everywhere we went, came the opportunity to spend more money.

The best thing about the day was that we spent a lot of time together. There were some bright moments. There was an exciting Waterworld action theatre performance, complete with explosions, drama and getting the crowd wet. The roller coaster in the Jurassic Park was also priceless. It was the first time on a roller coaster for the kids.

I am glad I went and got it over with. How can a family with three young children who lives in Osaka, not go to USJ? However, it would have been better on a less crowded day.