Japanese Beeru

It's really late, but I can't sleep and Ross asked for info about all the different beers. It turned into a review, so I thought I'd post it here.

Like in the US, there are a few major brewing companies. 4 to be exact. They are Kirin, Sapporo, Asahi, and Suntory. Most of their flagship beers are really good and pretty strong, ranging from about 5-6.5% on average. My favorite and most commonly on draft at restaurants is probably Kirin, and it's one I had back home as well. Typically because eating out in Japan is about serving each other before yourself, If you order a bottle of beer in a restaurant, you will get a giant bottle big enough to pour for three or four people.




What's really common in cans, however, is the Happoshu beers. These have lower malt percentages so they are technically not qualified to be considered beer according to the tax laws, and instead qualify as liquers or something like that. Because of this they are much, much cheaper at the conbini than all the other beers. Instead of 2.50 per can, you're paying only about half that. Because they are still stronger than American beers, I really have no problem drinking them. Lots of people who I've met are British, and apparently living anywhere in the UK makes you a beer snob, so a lot of these guys won't drink the happoshu. Asahi Clear and Kirin Nodaguchi are the best, though the one uses soy protein and the other uses liquer to up the alcohol content.

This next one, Yebisu, is one of my favorite beers because they serve it at the Gaijin bar here on draft. Remember, all the restaurants and bars really only have one draft beer-- but if they are really, really westernized, they may also have Guiness on tap too, but that's about it. I also like Yebisu because he's the god of fat people and fishing, and is the namesake for the character Ebisumaru (which as far as I can tell means circle-ebisu, or round-fisherman).

And of course, last but not least, there are microbrews. There are tons here, and most of them are sold by the bottle and have really flashy decals so that you pick them up and think, "wow this looks cool." If you ever get the chance to drink a Hitachino's Nest Beer, do it! It's made only about 15 minutes away from my place and is extremely popular with this area. I have had their Weizen, but at about 5-6 dollars a bottle it's not something I like to drink everyday. I've heard rumors of some places like ITap carrying their beers back home, and I'd be excited to see if it's true.

Stressin' it out!

     Today I had a parent observation lesson with four students and their parents. The kids had a ton of fun, because they got to run around and play with props while speaking English. Afterwards, they were begging their moms to stay, so I knew they had a good time. All of the students by the end of class could recite the entire question and answer series without help, so it was clearly a successful lesson. In the parent comments, two of the parents wrote that while the lesson was fun, it should be more about studying and less about playing games. I would have agreed, too,  if the kids weren't 4 years old. There isn't even a table in the classroom at this age.

My job is so hard, and this country is so unforgiving! But with that said, I feel even worse for my students. I can't imagine what the deep psychological effects of living in this country for a long time are. Most of my students leave home at 6:30 a.m. and after clubs and cram schools they don't get home until about 9 or 10 at night. If they are lucky, they are able to finish their homework on the train or in between classes. They tell me that if they study hard they will be able to get a good job and be happy, but I don't remember ever seeing any happy businessmen. On Friday nights, you might be convinced that the hordes of businessmen are having a great time, but in reality it's a cultural requirement to go out with your boss after a long work-week. Lower ranking members of the office have to serve and treat the higher-ranking ones, which if it's anything like my office work parties, it's awkward and forced, with thinly veiled cliques. It's like nobody is allowed to control their life and pleasure here; well, except for the Yanki's I guess.

Here's to hoping that I can try and change that, at least for a few kids.