Happy Holidays... and Regular Days

Wow... time flies. Where has it gone? It seems like only a few weeks ago I was spending my first days in Tokyo, completely overwhelmed and feeling akin to children on Christmas Day.

My negligence is hardly excusable - though I have been busy, I find myself too tired at the end of the day to muster up any sort of intelligent blog chatter. Not to mention the rapid deterioration of my English, as I constantly replace appropriate words with those understood in this culture, i.e. "difficult" for "hard", "correct" for "right" or "finished" instead of "done". Perhaps, my spoken English tends to be rather candid and plain, but I have spent all too much time pondering the nuances of language and communication. My sarcasm initiates confused looks on fellow teachers and students, even those teachers who are strong in English. Even things like "and stuff", though I would not dare use it in the written word, leaves so much for conversation, whereas here... even that draws a "I'm confused" response. So when you speak to me in person, do not be surprised to hear me speaking slowly, dumbing down words in a sentence as I speak, and repeating myself multiple times. Its just the nature of the beast, or some such catchphrase as that.

Shall I start with Thanksgiving? Clearly, Thanksgiving is not a holiday in Japan - though Japan has so many holidays so it doesn't bother me at all (3 day weekends are excellent!). Considering I never do anything "holidayish" or "familyish" anyway, it didn't feel different than any other year. Well, I suppose to celebrate, or perhaps poke a bit of fun at it on my part, my fellow Fukuroi ALT and I headed to KFC for a fried chicken dinner, coleslaw, etc. That wasn't quite enough so we ended up going to eat at another place not too long after. Oh, I also bought an external hard drive that evening - Happy Thanksgiving to me. Oh yes, I forgot, I also made a pumpkin pie with David when I went to visit him a few weekends ago. Also should add I made the most delicious Banana bread in my toaster oven.

The weekend after I visited David, I went back to Tokyo with one of my friends for the weekend. Honestly, I could hardly think of Seattle as a city after spending time roaming the various areas of Tokyo. Some places we visited, if interested, were Ginza, Ikebukuro, Harajuku and Akihabara. Our first stop was Tokyo station, which we didn't get sucked into like at Kyoto. We then randomly found Ginza, unintentionally, as we were searching for pizza for lunch. It would just so happen that our hard efforts to find pizza for that meal, were ironically unnecessary the rest of the weekend as we found pizza shops everywhere after that. I also discovered a cool new feature on my phone, so if I type in "pizza" or "starbucks" or something on my GPS map, it shows me all the places I can go nearby. Spiffy.

It was somewhat homey wandering around Tokyo and seeing a Starbucks quite regularly. Or Tully's. Or another coffee shop. Really, it isn't just Seattle. The nice thing is that the Starbucks are open late in Tokyo, so we had a place to sit and chill out when we were tired of walking.

Back to the districts of Tokyo, or at least the 4 we went to. Ginza is one of those posh shopping districts. Burberry, Coach, Armani, Louis Vuitton, etc. Walking around for about 20 minutes made us realize we wouldn't be able to afford anything there, so pretty much promptly left.

Ikebukuro is where we stayed the night. We visited a popular place called "Sunshine City." Plenty of shopping, somewhat more affordable, but even Gap here is twice as expensive as Gap in the U.S. Various other attractions, a terrace, etc, but we went to a "food theme park." Not sure what you think of when you think food theme park, but basically the place is like a giant maze, outfitted like something I would imagine Disneyland would resemble... Really we kept commenting on how we felt like Alice in Wonderland or something. Basically though, the "food" part of it is a bunch of vendors that sell all different kinds of things. So naturally, I wanted to visit the ice cream part of it. Of course, I chose something that looked to be lemonade in the characters, "レモネ - remone". They handed me the cup with light blue ice cream. Uh, what? Blue lemonade? Well, I figured, I'm in Japan, not really abnormal. A taste left me wondering if it was some kind of fruity bubble gum flavor, but I think that was the color deceiving me. A look in the Japanese-English dictionary on my phone told me that it was actually a flavor derived from lemonade soda pop. Ah ok, non-carbonated lemonade soda pop, now I can see it...

When wandering back towards our hotel, we were walking, and as usual I end up getting in everyone's way. Someone on a bicycle was heading towards us, me oblivious as usual, as my friend calls out my name so I can move. Well I realize it, say "Oh crap!" and run to the side, except rather stupidly, IN FRONT of the bicyclist to the OTHER side of the sidewalk. Don't ask... I really to this day have no idea why I did that instead of just stepping back.

The following day we went to Harajuku, which is known for different things, but supposedly the youngsters dressed all punk and crazy that hang out there... However, it is also well known for the, again, shopping. The street, which these outrageously expensive shops line is beautiful, but too long. I don't know how the women in heels do it. I also thought to myself how people have the money to spend on these name brands in faltering economies around the globe, because yes, Japan is in a recession also, although from what I've heard, it hasn't really been out of one for sometime. Buying Coach and Burberry must be stimulating the economy - if anything.

Akihabara is known for electronics, which on any day that I am loaded with cash, would have been a real treat. However, I was so overstimulated I went into somewhat of a comatose state for me. Next time.

The treat of my weekend was a glorious Mt. Fuji on the train ride back. See left.

Christmas is almost here - I will be going to Tokyo for a few days to see David and his brother, then either hanging out on my lonesome in Fukuroi for a whole week or perhaps getting lost somewhere in Japan - depending on how much $ I have. I only have to take three days of paid leave but with that we have two weeks off. Oh, which to explain, Japan does not celebrate Christmas as a national holiday like many other countries do. Many people do celebrate it in some way though I suppose, considering there are Christmas items everywhere and they are relentlessly advertising their "Christmas cakes." Christmas cake is a tradition in Japan - though I don't know where it came from as I have yet to hear of people having Christmas cake anywhere else... at least on a large scale basis.

On the other hand, New Year's is of course, huge here. So, the whole second week of my break is primarily for that reason. And since they don't believe in debit cards here, I have to stock up on cash beforehand.

Before I leave you to another day, I just wanted to share some of those "Kids say the darndest things" moments, er, maybe in this case it would be "learners of English"... (and I'm sure I sound equally as amusing when I speak in Japanese to native Japanese people...). We just finished up our second term so the students had final exams. I absolutely loathe this time and grading exams. I seem to lack the focus and attention to detail, and end up making more mistakes than any competent educator should. However, one section of the test was a "How do you feel" dialogue. So, someone asks how they are, they say they feel bad or sick, then are asked what is wrong, and respond with whatever their ailment is or something similar. Well... a few responses for you, but just as a precursor, I am quite proud of their creativity and attempts to think outside of the box.

B: I am not good.
A: What's the matter?
B: I am a sick.
A: I will call your mother.


B: I have a sick.
A: What's it to you?
B: I am a fever.
A: You will be sad.


B: I am sleepy and tired.
A: What's wrong.
B: I studied English last night.


Yes, it certainly breaks up the monotony of grading 200+ tests.

Well folks, I must bid farewell for now... and I'll be getting a faulty crown replaced this saturday, so, I hope I survive.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Not Soon Enough

‘Tis the Christmas season. Lights are up, Santa and his reindeer are graced across building tops, and Christmas music streams from store speakers as their consumers, er, I mean shoppers, busily shop. As soon as November 1st arrives, so does consumer Christmas – and I had never really thought about how Christmas affects other countries’ economies, not until now.







I’ve been quite in the Christmas spirit, as I occasionally give in to the temptation to play a Christmas song or two on my iPod while I’m lazying around my apartment. I don’t want to get sick of it too soon so I try to moderate how much I play. Yet when I visit the larger stores or train stations I am embraced by all things Christmas – trees and lights and ornaments, cute little snowmen that light up… and me oohing and ahhing over them and deciding I want this, and this, and this. Oh and a tree! I want a tree too!

I was shopping in Hamamatsu yesterday, debating whether to shell out some major yen for more warm clothes (even though really, I probably have more clothes than I need), looking at baking supplies (I finally found a spatula!) and overall enjoying the feeling of walking around department stores being materialistic. I tend to sing along with the holiday tunes under my breath, as I contemplate the religious implications they have despite being played in a very secular country. Every time I see a tree I break out into a wide grin, and I walk around smiling for what appears to be no particular reason, especially since I am alone. I suppose when you have lived a life of rather constant change and instability, something like Christmas just brings a sense of calm, and homey feelings that I don’t normally feel. It’s also the last exciting time of winter, as January through March is a long, cold, boring stretch.

Since I’ve been in such holiday spirit I decided I wanted to do something Christmasy for the English Club at my school. They’ve been having a rather uneventful time lately and I thought of a fantastic idea to liven things up – gingerbread houses! I avidly drew a sloppy picture on the board as I explained how to make a gingerbread house to the students – they watched me with questioning eyes, probably only understanding half of what I’m saying. Finally, I finished my elaborate presentation, which felt more like a persuasive argument, and finished off by offering a few more holiday ideas we could try. We took a vote and when we said gingerbread house – all their hands shot up instantly. Nothing like candy to motivate teenagers. Anywhere. Works like a charm.

I had to work Saturday as it was open school day, and after a week of locating ingredients to make the gingerbread houses, and spending a tiring 3 hours whipping up batch after batch and pouring into plastic baggies for 30 students, we finally were able to finish off my long week by putting together crackers and decorating. Needless to say, the students all had a lot of fun, gasping when their little cracker roofs collapsed because they were so selfish with their frosting, stuffing their faces with candy and trying to make perfect little houses. After we had finished they all thanked me eagerly and tried to explain (in English) how fun it was. It was the highlight of my week, or maybe I was just high on sugar…

How am I doing since I arrived in Japan – well to be honest, I lack motivation to do most everything. The only thing I feel motivated to do lately is bake or sit around and watch TV or movies. I seem to have fluctuating days of stepping out of my comfort zone and then hiding away like a hermit. Could also be the weather, as it has gotten rather cold (40s at night, 50-60s during the day) and I just sit in front of my heater most of the time. Although yesterday when I was in Hamamatsu it was a gorgeous, sunny day, probably just below 70 – felt like perfect Fall to me. I just find that I do a lot of stretching, a lot of compromising, and a lot of mental and emotional work figuring things out that I tend to need more time to hermit. Kind of like a barnacle… how they withdraw and contract when they are out of their comfort zone (or I suppose what would be their survival zone). But they instinctively know when its time to withdraw… and I think in general I have really learned how to follow my instincts so I recover and recharge well.

As I was in Hamamatsu yesterday I tried to find the Immigration office to get my reentry permit. I spent quite a bit of time walking and usually I am excellent with maps and location – however; this time I was truly confused. A police officer randomly stopped me with a “what’s up?”. I looked at him quizzically…. What did he just say? He asks me what country I’m from, I tell him America, thinking perhaps he’s going to ask me to whip out my alien card, when he said “What’s up – Hello greeting.” And I let out of a breath of relief – ooooohhhhh, what’s up…. Oh well not much, just looking for the immigration office.” (As if that was some safe way of playing it… but oh well). He gladly pointed out the way and I did the whole bowing/thanking thing and went on my way. I got lost, turned out they were wrong. I walked in some large random circle thinking I had figured it out when I found an official looking building. I saw what was a “gaikokujin corner” (foreigner corner) and wandered back that way to grab a number. I looked around the room trying to decide who I might be able to ask but everyone looked so busy so I just decided to sit and wait.

Half an hour then turned into 2 hours when some nice Brazilians sitting next to me joked about how long the wait was, after first trying to speak in Japanese to me. I told them what I was waiting for and they both gasped, told me I was in the wrong place, and couldn’t believe I had waited two hours. The woman promptly showed me to the immigration office (I don’t know if its just me but it seems that I am usually walked everywhere). Turned out the building doesn’t look official at all – it resembles more a dark gray, rusting, peeling shack in the middle of houses and apartments between these two streets that are more like alleys. It had also just closed 10 minutes ago. Looks like the re-entry permit will have to wait awhile.

Well I consoled myself with Mister Donut and arrived home to find that one of my futons had fallen into the neighbors yard below. I paced my apartment, formulating the best sentence in my head to ask if they had my futon, and apologize profusely, when a little woman knocked on the door, holding out my futon… Oh, sumimasen…

Speaking of futons – I need a new one. They seem to be quite flat now, or maybe they were but I think they are more flat now than when I first used them. They and the mosquitos contribute to sleepless nights. Mosquitos, you say? In November? The little blood-sucking monsters apparently withstand cold temperatures…or they are drawn to my apartment because I am the inhabitant. Most nights as I am drifting off to sleep I hear a whining buzz above my head, to which I groan and curse the bugs as I throw off the covers, groggily flip on the light, search for the swatter and stalk around the room, praying to find the little disturbance so I can go back to sleep. After about five-ten mintues I usually find it, kill it and return to sleep. However, two nights ago I failed to find the offender, and with the clock steadily blinking towards 12, went back to sleep. I woke up the next morning and spied it sitting on the wall, sleeping. I reached for the swatter and swiftly ended its bloody life. Unfortunately this was all too true as it splattered on the wall, (most of the time they don’t splatter blood) and realized the little sucker had gotten me somewhere. I suddenly saw a bite on my hand the size of Mt. Fuji. Not soon enough. Not soon enough.

Which is the mantra I have been saying for my upcoming weekend to Ishikawa…not soon enough. I’ve also been informed its frightfully cold, at least in Ashley cold standards. Might have to pull out the down jacket. And some of those hand warmers you shake…

The Compromise of Fall (and a Blue Toe)

On a calm, sunny Saturday, I'm lounging on one of my recently purchased $20 chairs that resembles more of a seat cushion with back support. Alison Krauss has been crooning in the background as I munch on chocolate covered almonds and pineapple. Finally, I thought, some time to sit and write. Why have I not written in the past two or three weeks? I suppose a lack of motivation, as it seems to have permeated almost all other areas of my life.

I know tonight everyone dressed up back in the States, to go out and beg for candy (or perhaps to get drunk), and I have not missed the pre-Halloween prep that I generally experienced in the past. The closest I got to Halloween this year was allowing my students the chance to decorate pumpkins (drawings) rather than forcing another worksheet upon their already burned out and tired minds. In fact, my 1st year students even had a test today - and it's Saturday. Yes, every once in awhile these children have Saturday school, and not as a form of punishment. I believe I have to work on Saturday in a couple weeks.

As it has been a couple months, I am starting to grow accustomed to the expectations I believe my teachers and school has of me. It has been a bit uncomfortable and awkward, as any new situation ever is, and especially when they are not overt in what they want. Nonetheless, I feel as if I have broken through the initial stages of adjustment to a new job and have found a pretty good rapport with many of my students and teachers. More of the students seem to feel comfortable with me and often greet me or talk to me outside of class, much as I would expect when I was in Seattle. In fact just yesterday as I was leaving to go home, the baseball boys (who were out practicing on the field) all turned and took off their hats to nod their heads and say "masu" which is kind of a shortened version of pretty much any polite phrase, but is only used by males.

Speaking of gender differences - there are various socialized gender roles here, but seem to be more apparent among adults than what I see of my students. They tend to be more subtle, and I think vary depending on context and location, but I often see the women in the teacher's room taking care of things like answering phones and closing and opening windows and such. Then again, I've also seen women do this kind of thing in the States too, but my guess is that they are just raised to take care of such things. To be fair, the men also answer the phone in my teacher's room, I just never see them racing to the phone like the women tend to. I've talked to other ALTs though and they say its quite different in their teachers' rooms.

I was asked to play in a teachers' soccer game (against teachers from another school). I was a bit surprised to find that it was only men playing in this game, aside me... Well, I was pretty useless during the game for most of it, aside being able to run into position faster than anyone else, or jumping after the ball - my shooting skills are subpar. However, a great tragedy occurred as a result of this game, as I will soon be losing a toenail. Yes, in a wild attempt to snag a lose ball and then send it towards the goal, I ended up somehow losing a bit of balance with the momentum and inertia fighting each other and basically the ground bent back my left toe, and felt like the nail with it. Well, I was tempted to stay down, to limp off the field and relax, but the athlete in me ignored the pain, stood up and continued on, despite limping. I didn't look at the toe until I got back home, and yes it was quite blue when I saw it. I went into an utter panic, debating calling an ambulance (oh wait I don't know how to call an ambulance) and then my supervisor, but David convinced me my toe would not need amputation so I decided to take a few ibuprofen and wait till the next day.

After limping to school about 10 minutes earlier than normal (since it takes awhile) and showing the nurse my swollen blue toe, she assured me it was fine and the nail would fall out on its own. I am not sure how assuring that was... but I have been quite emotional the past few days at the parting with this toenail. It made me consider the benefits of having toenails, and what a great source of comfort they can be at times. Then I realized, sometimes you just don't value things until you lose them or see them go. So as I lose a toenail, I realized the other things in my life that I have been conflicted over losing. Much of it a sense of identity from moving to a new culture and then of course, preparing to get married, and other things that are such a part of me, like my toenail, that I feel the need to hold onto. Then I become emotional, cranky, and complain about these things, using the toenail, and sometimes the impending wedding (not MARRIAGE but WEDDING) as scapegoats.

It is thus that I continue to learn how to compromise in this place, compromising much as I mold myself into expectations at work, and compromise in other ways to fit into a lifestyle that works all right for me here. Sometimes I grow tired of compromising and simply shrug it off as I give way to my socialized habits, and then I find its my way of coping as I deal with the compromise. Fall back into natural patterns, they are comfortable, they are easy, they are familiar. How often do we do that? A chance to grow comes along, to learn, to change, and sometimes we offer the excuse of well this is me though, I am the foreigner, so why should I try to fit into this mold... or why should I change in this way that makes me so uncomfortable.

The other weekend a friend and I visited the coast and then seven famous waterfalls. We of course, had many things happen to us as normal. After getting off the train we were supposed to be on and realizing we had 20 minutes to wait till the next one, we exclaimed over a nearby soba shop. As we eagerly slurped our noodles, my friend motioned behind me, and as I turned my head, two rows of people (sitting on benches) were staring at us. Of course, when I turned to look, they immediately whipped their heads around. David said something about the fact that we can use chopsticks can amaze them sometimes.

After reaching our destination to go to the coast, we spent awhile deciphering a bus schedule and map. A lady finally came up and asked us (in English) if we needed help. She then proceeded to find us a map, and essentially walked us down to the trailhead. This was a bit of a walk from the station too... We enjoyed spending some time rock hopping and an impromptu photo shoot at the coast as the sun set, and then as we headed back up the rockface (I wish I could say something adventurous like we climbed it but really it was just a trail type thing cut out of the rock), the same woman who had led us to the trailhead appeared - apparently to make sure we had made it. She then led us to a suspension bridge and offered to take some (blurry) pictures of us.

The next day we visited Nanadaru, or Seven Waterfalls, and of course missed the bus stop after a brief debate over whether the next stop was ours. So, we got off at the following stop, and my logic thought it wiser to keep heading forward rather than back, as it was uphill and figured forward would help us figure things out easier. Well we ended up walking on the shoulder of a highway, and then down this famous spiral bridge, laughing the entire time at how dangerous it was, and me commenting on feeling like a hitchhiker (with my backpack and everything). So we eventually reached the end of the waterfall trail according to my friend, and checked out an awesome onsen that is right at the base of one of the waterfalls. (It was an outdoor, co-ed one you wear swimsuits). They had some caves too, but some strange guy was singing so it sounded like chanting and creeped us out. But it was pretty relaxing to sit in an onsen at the base of a waterfall. Amazing more like it.

I wasn't feeling like hiking to the other waterfalls after that, but it ended up being like a walk in the park and maybe 20 minutes or something. (The pictures of all this by the way are in my web albums). To complete the fun weekend of constant fun and embarrassments, Mt. Fuji was visible for the first time that weekend, so i got to stare at it out of the train before it got dark, and it was really nice.

David came to visit last weekend, and I attempted making an apple pie. Of course, finding the ingredients in Japanese can be a bit of a problem, since they aren't all in characters I understand. Had a bit of an issue finding unsalted versus salted butter. I got so frustrated before I realized I could just look at the sodium content. (I would tell David, just try the Epson paper.) We baked it in my toaster oven, and it turned out all right, though certainly not the best pie I've ever made. I realized after talking to another teacher that the flour I used was definitely not a good kind for pie - I assumed you could because of the cookies on the front. Ok then - have to find different flour for our pumpkin pie attempt next month.

The sun is now setting, and the air smells crisply fall as I have gone to sweaters now. Think its time to get some curry cooking.

Can't say Noh to Thrift Stores, but Can to Brazilian Stalkers

Time now. 9:55 p.m. The 2nd day of my 3 day weekend. Yesterday was spent wandering the streets of Iwata, or rather, the random stores - depaato (department store), thrift store, and dinner at Kappa Zushi (a revolving conveyor belt sushi restaurant). Surprisingly, my fellow Fukuroi ALT pointed out that the thrift store had kimonos. Thus, at least half an hour was spent trying on various colors and attempting to wrap it around myself in a realistic manner, then turning this way and that in the mirror and asking countless times... "what about this? Is this a good color?" Eventually, some women, perhaps a store employee or maybe just random shoppers, came near to where we were trying on kimonos and sat down, "folding" obis (the bands that you wrap around the kimonos). It felt like spying. Perhaps they were ensuring the crazy loud foreigners would not leave their precious used, smelly and slightly stained kimonos in a disarray. Or maybe they thought we would try to smuggle something out - because really, it isn't like we wouldn't be noticed.

After this time of trying on countless gorgeous kimonos, and me deciding I wanted to buy at least four, I settled on a brilliant blue one, with a wavy pattern integrated into the outer fabric, along with a shiny gold-patterned obi to wear with it. Yes, no wedding dress for me, and some might think it odd that I would simply settle on this ensemble found in a thrift store (for only $140) and without looking around more... but, I am a simple girl. I prefer simplicity and I had an idea in my mind of what I wanted to begin with, something soft, simple, and that would make me feel elegant and pretty. Yes, a rather girlish notion, but it was the image in my head. Now, I don't have to worry anymore about trying to find something here in Japan - no more stressing about going to other cities and trying to figure out where I will find something I like. Now.... bridesmaid's outfits.... sigh.

So, it has been a little over two months now since my arrival in Japan. I feel as if I am coming to terms with various things these days. One thing that gets me sometimes, is the fact that it takes three times as much energy to do one thing that would be simple for me to do by myself in the U.S. Such as, doing a transfer on the ATM. Of course, these challenges hardly phase me, although they do frustrate me at times with how much time it takes and my lack of understanding, and because of my resourcefulness I feel that I am able to figure things out quite quickly and then feel a great sense of accomplishment when I have figured it out. I have a feeling that not all people do this, try to figure things out, perhaps they don't care or just give up or have someone else do it for them, but, being independent, I am forcing myself to figure out how things work in Japanese so I don't need to ask for help. Although, the interesting thing is, when I do ask for help, 9 times out of 10, people usually have no idea how to help me, so really, I find asking people for the most part is useless anyway.

This has made me think of independence versus interdependence more lately - Japan being traditionally an Eastern culture and thus more interdependent. The United States obviously Western and as independent as a two year old. Two incredibly different ideologies that permeate how children are raised and how life is carried out every day. Neither is better than the other really, from a sociological point of view, as each has advantages and disadvantages. As for parenting, the ideal philosophy would be a mix of the two, allowing children certain amounts of independence at appropriate stages of life, and also ensuring a healthy sense of dependence on parents and family and society as a whole. However, I have noticed that the influences of Western culture are far more evident on youth here and even young adults like myself. Nothing quite like Western countries yet, but... I see many budding similarities. And getting to my point, thinking about marriage also has pushed me to analyze these ideas of independence and interdependence. I am an incredibly independent person, and while it is a big part of my personality (nature), nurture also shaped me to be even more independent and not to depend on anyone, for ANYTHING. So, needless to say, being in a foreign country and attempting to learn and figure things out, it is far outside my comfort zone to ask for help from anyone, even though its something I need to learn. I think interdependence is a healthy thing to learn and use in accompaniment of independence. Imagine how that might change the various social climates in the U.S....

Back to Japan. I was riding my bike to the grocery store last week, when suddenly a creepy white van pulls off the road and a young Brazilian man yells out the window to me "Sumimasen! Sumimasen!" (excuse me). Of course, not one to talk to strangers generally, and with a media induced fear of men in creepy white vans, I sped away on my bike. Not long after the same man pulls up aside my bike (I am riding on the sidewalk, he is on the road). Again he calls "Sumimasen!" and some other garble in Japanese that I couldn't understand. I was getting a bit more freaked out at this point and hurried to my destination, the grocery store. He had to stop at a red light, but then as I was rushing into the store, again, pulls up near me and yells "Excuse me, sorry, sorry, but do you speak English?" Of course, how do I respond to that? I hesitantly offer a yes, and he proceeds to ask about a nearby DVD store. I shrug and say there is no DVD store around here, and say its across the train tracks back the way he came. He is confused, and then starts to inquire about my job, age, why I came to Japan, where I'm from, etc. I had fun offering stretched-truth answers, as I tried to demise an escape plan. Finally, he asks for my phone number, oh such boldness. I of course, replied I don't give out my phone number. So he asked if he could give me his. Anything to get rid of him I rationalized... and so he wrote it down, said, "hope to see you soon darling!" and drove off. Usually, my friends are the ones to get hit on, but I guess current circumstance render me as the default in this case.

I also had the privilege of attending a traditional Noh play this past week. It involved two days of "explanation" for those of us who don't understand Noh plays (which is most Japanese as well) so we could understand what was going on. Oh, and the explanation was IN Japanese of course. So, my two and a half hours on each separate day involved sitting, attempting to catch beginning or ending words, and then zoning out and praying for the whole thing to end so I could go home. Wow, what cultural enthusiasm. The wonderfully nice teacher who invited me to this of course, explained things to me in English later so I could understand some of it. She also joked the second day that I must have understood more than the first day. I really couldn't say which day allowed more absorption...

Finally, the third day was the actual play. I had been warned about this by various people - that the common joke about Noh is not to fall asleep. Well, I was pretty excited to dress up for once, and felt all important doing something so cultural. I will say that Noh plays are traditionally only performed by men, and the main character or characters usually wear a mask that actually changes the expression based on lighting (which I think interested me the most about the whole thing). Then, no speaking, but sounds that resemble chanting/droning/groaning/agonizing. I could see, as I sat mostly listening to this play (since there was a tall person in front of me), how people fall asleep. I again zoned out numerous times and avidly awaited the ending so I could go home and sleep. Not to sure I want to go to a Noh again, but at least I can say I did it.

As I finish this off, I should mention the various mosquito carcasses littered across my walls. I really don't know how they get in, but I often wake up in the morning with 10 - 20 mosquito bites, so, I have been stalking them lately. Other than them, all is quiet on the bug front. Perhaps many of them are going into hibernation for the winter, aside the spiders. Although I seem to find more centipedes these days....

Oh and random note, they don't sell Hydrogen Peroxide in Japan (H2O2). Apparently only chemists can use this, whereas in the U.S. you can buy a huge bottle for a $1. The pharmacist was confused that I would use it for anything other than cleaning injuries. I kept repeating "kuuuriiinnnn" (clean) but he was confused. The lady translating for me said kurin as well, and of course he understood her. Sometimes this happens, where I will say something, and a native Japanese will say the exact sane thing and then whoever we are speaking to suddenly understands for them. I really don't know what to say about that. My next mission - getting a haircut.

Oh, Japan...

Time continues to fly here in Japan, and unsure where to start. I last left you with a briefing on my trip to Kyoto, and really the past weekends were rather uneventful for the most part. I went to an izakaya with some of my fellow teachers, which is basically an all you can drink and all you can eat (essentially) party. Of course not everyone drinks since half of them drive and I don't drink but it was rather tame compared to the stories I had heard from others. I actually have befriended one of my coworkers, a science teacher, who is 25 so close in age to me. We surprisingly have some important things in common, and her English is pretty good, so we chat sometimes at work. I also met another teacher who is 23 as I am, and so really I am thankful to have others around my age to talk to, even with the language barrier, its still quite comforting.

School has been moving along at a normal pace; however, midterms are coming up for the students so I spent the past week preparing test questions for my classes. The students are hilarious, although you can't really tell in class most of the time since they are always so sleepy. They often talk to me outside of class, and I have had some fun conversations with quite a few of them. Two girls in the English Club I help with, spent the entire club time teaching me Japanese slang, which I suppose defeats the purpose of English club... but I don't really think so since they spend much of the time attempting to talk to me in English, and I teach them new words and how to explain things in English.

A fun event my school just had that I believe most, if not all, Japanese high schools have is the Sports Festival. The students are divided into color teams, one homeroom from each grade level (1st year, 2nd year, 3rd year). They then compete in various events over the course of the day (and believe me, it is a LONG day - it reminded me of a track meet). The teachers also competed in the 800 meter relay, well, the young teachers and the principal. I got the fun job of running 100 meters, (one other teacher did 100, the rest did 50 meters). Now, it has been some time since I have been in any kind of running shape, let alone sprinting shape. I have been running the past week and a half to try to get into some kind of shape, but today I am so sore it really hurts to do anything and everything. The students were all so excited to see me though, as they started the race (we ran with the girls, and they all beat us). I was standing on the opposite side of the track, in my lane, waiting just like old times for a baton pass - and all the students were exclaiming in surprise "ASHURII?????" since I was running. One girl asked if I was nervous, and the funny thing was, I actually did feel a bit nervous (a conditioned response to races I reasoned). The two girls from English club yelled from the sidelines and did a slang term and hand motion they taught me, so I responded in kind. Another girl got really excited and was saying "FIGHTO FIGHTO!!!!" (Translation: fight, fight). I think in my entire running career never have I felt like such a celebrity.

Now, the events the students do are pretty crazy. I will have pictures posted in my web albums, but along with normal running relays they had a strange relay where at every interval, the students have to spin around a bat (their head on the bat) until they are dizzy and then do whatever activity they were at. First, potato sack, then tire roll, then, stick their face in a bowl of flour and dig something out with their mouth, then crawl under a fish net, push a wheelbarrow full of athletic balls, and finally, the last student has to become dizzy and jump up and grab a piece of food hanging from a long stick with their MOUTH. Oh my, I had a good laugh watching as students surged from spinning and then start weaving all over the track and falling and tripping over each other.

Another event required students to throw these sock/beanbag type things into baskets suspended into the air, yes akin to basketball - but it reminded me of popcorn popping watching all these white things flying in the air, up and down. Something I found incredibly interesting, was an event where they take a bunch of tires and pile them up in the middle of the field. Then, 3 or 4 teams of girls race to the middle and try to get as many tires to their corner as possible before time is up. Of course, they all are going crazy and watching them fight over the tires, where you've got 5 girls from two different teams both pulling on a tire and trying to drag it to THEIR side.

Jump rope. A LONG rope. The entire class jumps with two guys swinging the rope. I actually had a chance to do this at our prefectural orientation a couple months ago... and it is very hard, and we only had 10 people jumping... the students' classes are about 40 kids each. So the point is to see how many times they can jump without stopping. Oh and, not to forget tug-of-war either, where a decent chunk of the class all gets on one side of the rope and pull against another class and tries to get the front person to step over the line.

There are probably some events that have slipped my mind... but the principal and some teachers came up and asked me if they did things like this in America. I laughed, and said not in high school. At least, I've never seen some of these events done anywhere at all, but who knows, those people in Kansas or some mid-western state might have nothing better to do. (And if you are from Kansas or some mid-western state you can correct me if I'm wrong on this).

I had the chance to go to an art and craft fair in Hamamatsu last weekend. There were so many amazing crafts I was completely in awe just walking around and looking. I came up with all these ideas for when I do actually have a house someday... but I especially loved the wood dishes, as they were so beautiful and simple. There were also very beautiful ceramic dishes and I am just sorry I did not take any pictures. Of course, since we aren't sure where we'll be living or for how long for the next year or two, I have to hold out on buying much of that kind of thing. I did however, get some nice wooden chopsticks (no not like they kind they give you at Asian restaurants) and some chopstick holders that look like kitties. (I couldn't resist!)

Today was my adventure to a dentist in Nagoya, since I need to have a crown replaced. I'm still a bit nervous about all that but more or less I was excited today that I was able to get there just fine. I have never used the subway here before and had to use it, but all went well, no hang-ups, and I was quite proud of myself. I then had to wander for awhile trying to find the office, and was actually feeling rather relieved that I didn't find it, and considered going to cut my hair instead. Well... then I basically ran into the office, just there in front of my face, and I told David (since I was IM'ing him on my cool phone) "Crap, I actually found it." Then, the dentist runs out to greet me, so, there wasn't time to reconsider or turn and run away. They also had really cool water things on the chair where you take the cup and rinse and spit while the water is running (automatically turns on when you pick up the cup) and then when you set the cup back down it fills up again. I was astounded, and had to rinse a few times just to entertain myself.

To add to my excitement, I was able to purchase Shinkansen tickets without writing the information down today. Yes, that means I was able to communicate in Japanese without stuttering through things or forgetting things or awkward pauses and filled-silence-gestures... I honestly feel that being here really is just improving my Japanese without even trying... and since I spend most of my time around Japanese people, I think it really sinks in, especially listening and understanding, since that is what I struggle with the most.

In conclusion, the bugs have decided to wave the white flag for now. Although there are these giant moths outside that look like freakishly large leaves, but they seem to just stick to the wall and never move. I'll try to take a picture one of these days so you can see what these beastly things look like. I have the slightest feeling though these bugs are all plotting an invasion, and it could happen at any moment... so, I must keep quiet about this for now, and if you have a good defense plan, please be sure and e-mail me.

The good, the bad, the amusing, the interesting - what else can I say? Oh, Japan....

Japanese, Fairytales & Insect Heaven

Ah, it has been far too long since I have last written... I am not sure what to start with really, although I'm sure you are all avidly awaiting the end to my fairytale story.

However, I will briefly note my visit to Kyoto last weekend with a friend. Kyoto is one of the larger cities in Japan, formerly the imperial capital. It is well known for the various historic temples and shrines that surround the modernized city. So accommodated by a hostel a few minutes from the train station, we set out to discover Kyoto in 3 days. Much of our time of course, was spent in transit, as we figured out the bus and train systems, learning how to navigate our way around to get to the various destinations. (For a visual of what we saw, my pictures are online in the link I e-mailed out). I think we saw about four temples over the course of two days, some shrines and discovered the traditional shopping that seemed adjoined with every temple location. In the back of my mind was the fact I need to purchase a kimono or yukata to wear in my wedding next summer, but unfortunately, though shops were clustered everywhere, I was unable to find anything to fit my needs. However, we, by chance, discovered the main shopping area of Kyoto on our last day, after a brief visit to Gion (a traditional district). So, I may just have to hop the bullet train back to Kyoto another weekend to search for something to wear.

Kyoto station in and of itself was something to behold. Yes, sad to say but the modern architecture and various dimensions of the station held my interest more than the temples did. Really, I don't skimp anything by saying the station was quite large, with various staircases that led to new levels, sky bridges, a rooftop park and a giant staircase, literally about 5 or 6 stories high, cascading down the middle. We also found on the night before we returned to Shizuoka, Mister Donut! We had misfortune searching for it the days before, so it was rather exciting to discover.

I must also attest that the hostel experience was nothing to write home about (though i am writing about it) as we had to share a room with 5 other girls, who seemed to all own bags with 10 zippers on them and yards of plastic. Never have I heard so many zippers and plastic scrunching in my life. Then some girl decides to spray something on her hair/body/face so the particles fly around the room, finding my nose in an outright smell battle. Another girl thought it necessary to completely clear her sinus passages, as she sat blowing her nose for literally about 10 minutes, as I laid there, trying to sleep at 6 am, contemplating throwing something over the side of the bed in my half-conscious state - could be deemed as a mere sleep-activity occurrence. Yet how to explain that in Japanese, I have yet to learn.

In light of our sweaty, tiring days of endless walking, we decided to find an onsen (or what they call a sento if its just a bath not a hot springs type thing). After wandering around and deciding which sento to visit, we walked in, unsure of what was going to happen. So of course you get a key for a locker, you put all your stuff, clothes and all, in a basket and then in the locker. Of course I had to use the restroom before we went into the bath so the crazy lady that worked there who had already been hovering around us, escorted me to the bathroom, and as I was in there, according to my friend, the lady sat outside having a near panic attack. I kept hearing noises at the door when I was in there, but wasn't sure what was going on. When I opened the door, the lady nearly jumped on me, and practically led me back to my locker so I could strip down. Then she proceeded to put my things in the locker and close it, without me even trying. Then we asked for some soap, and went in, as she stood at the entrance to the bath, staring at us. I half expected her to rush in and start scrubbing me down too.

Life now seems more or less normal now as I have adjusted to it. In many ways I feel no different than I did in the States since I am just going about life as I did there, just using another language on top of English. My Japanese was put to the test today, fortunately for me since I have been pretty lazy about it lately. I went to the post office today to send some mail and though I really didn't understand what the man was saying, somehow it worked. I vowed to study up on how to send mail. Then, I decided to check out the kimonos in a nearby department store. I was very pleased to find out that I could communicate more than I thought I could, and came more naturally than I expected it would, though there were some words and phrases that I couldn't figure out how to say. However, I was able to get across that I am in a wedding in the States next July (I thought that was impressive). The workers at the store became very excited and showing me all the materials and even dressed me up in one and took a picture. Unfortunately, all the kimonos were at least a $1,000, and the one I saw that looked exactly like my dream kimono, the one in my head, was about $3,000. Needless to say, more than I would ever spend on any item of clothing. I cheered myself up with some donuts from Mister Donut.

I have been enjoying getting to know my students and talking with them, although it doesn't happen as much as I'd like. In English Club last week, though the girls are supposed to do some kind of report, I ended up chatting with some 2nd year students about other things. They asked if I have a boyfriend, to which I responded...no...... They got excited and asked if I was married, and I responded, no. Then they grew quite puzzled (since we figured that the term engagement isn't as commonly known here).

So back to my Prince Charming story.... well, I left off exclaiming that David should just spit out whatever it was that he had to say (since it had been driving me insane all day, and the weeks before that...). So, he turns away, says "hang on a sec" and messes with something, as I get a funny feeling in my stomach, knowing that SOMETHING is coming. He suddenly turns, and is holding an origami folded diamond. I remember my face becoming total shock that instant, since an origami folded diamond could only mean one thing, right? Well he said "I made you a gift, you need to open it." So I am trying to unfold this insanely folded origami diamond, and failing miserably (ten times more difficult than a map). I am peering in the parts I have managed to open as David tells me I can't peek, reaches over and helps me unfold it (who knows how long it would have taken me). I flipped it over, and there was a kitty in a sink, holding a ring in its paws (David photoshopped the ring in) with the words "Will you Meowy me??" across the top and bottom. As soon as the actual thought of the words registered, I immediately hugged him, ecstatic beyond belief that this was actually (and finally) happening, as I barely managed to squeak out "of course I will" since I was going into shock about the whole thing. He said something to the effect that he wouldn't want to spend the rest of his life with anyone else, to which I responded (as the tears start to fall) that I wanted that too but wasn't sure if it would happen, that what if this and what if that and all those other things girls blubber when they are emotional.

And that folks, is my proposal story. The man I had been waiting for, for five years, had finally proposed, and now we're planning a wedding! It is slowly starting to sink in, with all that there is to do and talk about, but I am excited beyond anything, and amazed at the good things that do come from patience, from healing, from a lot of hard work, and from faith. I have been blessed immeasurably and this is so far one of the greatest blessings I have received.

Anyway, to end a bit lighter, a spider that decided to inhabit my bathroom (not Fernando, he disappeared - a big spider) and I had been battling it out for about a week. Finally one day, I decided enough was enough and tried to drown him by pouring water on him to get him to fall in the toilet. That didn't work as he scampered behind the toilet. I tried again later when he came out again... and that failed again. So finally the other day, i spot him on the wall, and jump to find a shoe so I could smash him. And then - end of spider. His death was swift, and now he can be with the various other insects in bug heaven that I have sent in the last few weeks. They really should let their fellow kind know that entering my apartment is like a suicide mission. Or at least wonder why their friends don't reappear after a few days....

Japan is Like Disneyland

If I told you I went to a foreign country and found prince charming in 5 weeks would you believe me? Maybe if it was a movie or something right…

I debated whether to mention this delightful little detail in this blog – but figured it really is all part of the experience here, in an interesting way. Oh but prince charming can wait, since I should tell you about my first week of classes!

Last week was of course my first actual week teaching, although not too much teaching going on since we played Blackout along with my intro. It was interesting, especially when they all seemed to guess that my favorite Japanese food was sushi. Some guy wrote down “fugu” which is a delicacy in Japan, a poisonous fish that has to be cooked just right in order to eat it without dying. I laughed when I saw this, thinking to myself, well yes, I love to eat dangerously. Who doesn’t like an adrenaline rush when taking their first bite of a meal? I surely do.

The students are usually very tired and hot, and whenever asked how they are doing they usually reply that they are tired or sleepy. I usually nod sympathetically and say “me too” since I have not been sleeping much lately. Its fun though because I often make faces when I catch their eye in class or start laughing and they usually seem to enjoy this – it breaks up the monotony that is typically the atmosphere in my classrooms.

Also, supposedly my students love Ichiro (the baseball player) and I even made sure to put him in my presentation, but when I pointed it out, they seemed completely unenthused and some students didn’t even know who he was. Ok then…apparently he is not as much a god here as I thought…

I have been surprised by the boldness of many of my students, who come up to me and talk to me pretty regularly outside of class and even come find me in the teacher’s room and follow me out. I have to say though that my days tend to be long and slow due to only teaching 7 classes a week (and having to be at work 8 hours a day) so my real enjoyment (besides using my iphone under the desk) is the conversations I have with my students. I also am thankful that laughing, is universal, because I can make them all laugh really at any time, and they seem to really like this and respond well to me in that way. It reminds me of when I was in Seattle, and kids don’t look at me like all the other adults, and so they tell you more and feel more comfortable with you, and I’m happy that is how it is here as well.

Oh, my opening ceremony speech! How could I forget! The first day of school, of course the students all had to go outside and everyone had to practice putting out real fires on the field with fire extinguishers. I was completely fascinated as I’ve never seen anything like it, but stayed far enough away so I wouldn’t die from the fumes.

Then, when I thought we were all going to file inside the gym for a nice opening ceremony, we all just stayed outside, the principal in his combat boots and blue Shizuoka prefecture outfit and helmet (for the disaster drill). Then suddenly someone calls me and says I’m up next. WHAT???? NEXT??? What happened to inide the gym? So, I didn’t have time to think, walked up the stage and gave my spiel in Japanese and English. The Japanese seemed to go better than the English since the students all clapped wildly when I was done, and when I finished the English you could have heard a pin drop….until some teachers started clapping. Hm, suppose that is why I am here – to teach the Engrish.

Another amusing experience in class was just yesterday actually. The students were doing presentations for me about Japan. One group of boys were talking about Japanese language, and used the sounds of my name in Japanese to match it with kanji (the Chinese characters). The entire class was laughing as they wrote the characters on the board, and so I asked what they meant. They look at each other, then one boy calls out “beautiful! Beautiful!” as all the students laugh and the teacher chastises them. Of course I laughed too, how could I not? Turns out that the 3 kanji they used means Asia, save/protect, and wise. I thought it fit.

Now, the bugs are still awful. The other night a giant centipede type insect came bustling across my bedroom floor as I was reading in bed. Of course, I jump up, race to find the insectcide and spray relentless at the thing as it turned in circles, wriggling in pain. Finally, it met its fate, there on my bedroom floor.

This morning, another interesting looking bug surprised me in the middle of the living room, but it wasn’t alive, it was dead…. I’m not sure how it died. Perhaps I killed it in my sleep with some kind of spontaneous reaction like trained warriors have. Perhaps that is why I’m so sleepy every morning – I defend myself from bugs in my sleep.

Ah yes, so, traveled to Kanazawa, Ishikawa this past weekend to visit David, who has been a close friend/co-worker of mine for about 4-5 years. Many of you know the story and if you don’t you’ll find out soon enough, I really don’t feel the need to type it all in here and if you read my other blog at all, you know in a sense, how our relationship has gone.

Well, needless to say, when I met David I felt something was different and interesting about it and I couldn’t put my finger on it at the time, but as time went on things became more clear, and from various signs that confirmed my feelings (such as the fact he used a Mac, most guys don’t and I vowed never to marry a man who doesn’t use a Mac) I felt that really he was the one I wanted to marry. However, time and events took their toll, and like any interesting love story, ours certainly wasn’t normal by any means. However, my arrival in Japan suddenly seemed to do something, maybe the fact that the woman who’d been following him around for 5 years followed him to a foreign country (I don’t know what else screams HELLO! I’M HERE! Than that).

So…. We fell back into our old pattern of talking frequently for long periods of time, and I went to visit, and voila, came back engaged! Ok, well, actually it was more or less a day of sweaty beach walking, 3 hours in a sushi restaurant and then walking around in some famous park that really wasn’t entirely interesting since I couldn’t stop thinking about what David wanted to speak to me about. After sitting down on some random bench outside these bathrooms with the coolest neon gender sign (I took a picture, now forever to be treasured as a momento – but I suppose fitting for me with my attachment to bathrooms), we sat literally forever in silence as I attempted to defend myself from the psycho mosquitos. Finally, David says something about why I’m not talking, and I retort he is the one that said he had stuff to talk about. More silence, and half-conscious responses from David as he contemplates nervously. Smack. Smack smack, I am being attacked viciously by mosquitos. Finally, “just spit it out already!” Oh but, if I told you the rest of the story now it wouldn’t be any fun…. So you’ll just have to wait.

I did end up leaving with about 15 mosquito bites, mostly on my feet (one on my stomach, random), and of course, prince charming. To be continued.

I rode the Shinkansen for the first time when I went to Kanazawa, and it was basically like an airplane. My ears even got plugged like they usually do when I fly. Unfortunately the sun sets too early so I couldn’t see too much of the scenery. Really, it wasn’t as interesting as I thought it would be… but I did manage to have some interesting experiences, as someone came up asking for my ticket, but I didn’t hear him and thought he was asking for garbage so I hand over my wrappers from cookies and he says “ticket please.” Ah….sumimasen…

Then of course using a squat toilet on a Shinkansen is crazy. I know, a bit crude, but I kept laughing since the train is moving so much and you’re trying to balance over this thing so you don’t fly off the platform into the door.

And to end, on the note of laughter…David and I were riding the local train to sushi or somewhere and he made me laugh about something, well these girls sitting across the aisle from us also started laughing, and so I laughed more, then David started laughing, and so we’re both laughing and the girls are laughing and it was this endless cycle that just wouldn’t stop…..
I know you are familiar with this. So. Laugh, and laugh well.

They Have Declared War

What a beautiful Sunday morning in Fukuroi! What an adventure last night, as I was bitten by a snake while climbing and had to be evacuated off the top of the mountain by helicopter….

Just kidding. I actually forewent Fuji last night, as I just wasn’t feeling the energy and haven’t been sleeping so well lately with thunderstorms and crazy evil insects invading my apartment at night. It was pelting rain all night and day yesterday and really didn’t want to spend all night climbing in the pouring rain, atop getting no sleep. I also didn’t really think about the fact I wouldn’t be getting any sleep Saturday night, and considering my constant lack of sleep the past four weeks, thought really to attempt this now would just be stupid. So, Fuji isn’t going anywhere, and I will attempt it more likely next summer. I know, no exciting stories to share with you from that, but no worries! My life is still plenty exciting without climbing giant mountains.
So instead I spent the day yesterday inside, reading and napping, enjoying the smell and sound of the constant rain. It was exactly what I needed, to have some downtime to recharge the batteries in preparation for the upcoming week, since I will have to speak at the Opening Ceremony tomorrow (Monday) and then teach all my first classes this week.

The evil insects have not ceased fire. Today I took a broom on the balcony and beat the giant ants until they all went scattering. Then I yelled at the spiders that web themselves all over my clothes-drying bar to do their jobs and start catching some of these bugs, since I was obviously providing a free place to occupy. Friday a bunch of the giant cockroach bugs and beetles decided a team effort was necessary and threw themselves mercilessly at the balcony door… Clunk, clunk, clunk….clunk….clunk. This went on for about an hour, and after I yelled “Are you done yet?” a few more clunks, and then they decided to take a break. Fortunately for me, it started raining so they scurried away to wherever they live. When I discover this, I plan to strike back. That’s right giant, evil bugs! Don’t mess with me!

So since my apartment feels like its in a jungle, the bugs are extremely loud (and have a tendency to be obnoxious). Crickets, cicadas, and various other insects all yelling and screaming at each other. There is one insect, and I am not sure what it is, but it literally, screams. Every morning, after the city bells ring to awaken everyone, the screamer ensures that there is no way I can fall back asleep…”eeeeeeehhhhh eh eh eh eeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhhh eh eh eh eh eeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh”. The other night he sounded so ecstatic about something I yelled out the window, “is something going on???? CALM DOWN!!!” When I find the screamer… lets just say he won’t be screaming anymore.

Other exciting news: I found a new backpack at my Japanese REI store, (called Swen so I stop calling it Japanese REI store). I spent about an hour and a half trying on about every backpack it seemed like, adjusting all the straps, walking around with it, throwing stuff in to test the weight, etc. The workers walked by several times but I’m sure it was too intimidating to help me, as I would have been too intimidated to ask for help, since my limited vocabulary would have just forced me to repeat the same things over and over hoping that they would eventually just understand what I meant. Something that has been driving me crazy though, is at every store, they ask if you want a bag when you purchase your item or items. Now, I finally caught this word at the grocery store – “fukura” but as I have been listening for “fukura” now, I have come to realize they use different names for bags at different places. This drives me crazy as I always pause and look at them, “eh?” and they repeat themselves, which doesn’t help since I still don’t understand, and I usually just point to my backpack at that point since in the context I assume it probably is about a bag rather than anything else. Context helps more than I would have ever imagined when communicating in another language and culture you don’t know so well.

From my further random explorations of Fukuroi (my city), I discovered a “Super Drug Store” that reminds me of Walmart, so basically has everything. I roamed around inside for probably an hour, just completely enamored with all the different things they have. I needed mosquito bite medicine, so I finally found what looked to be bug creams. I’m staring at them all, willing my brain to suddenly understand Japanese completely, and believing this wishing might actually work, when a nice woman came up to me and asked if I needed help (in Japanese, and again, context gave that away). I looked at her, debating what I should say so as not to create a big awkward moment, and finally said…”baito kurimu?” while pointing at the box of something I was holding, and then thinking how I could imitate a mosquito if she didn’t understand what I said. She nodded and took the box, and said “Moskite?” to which I responded quite enthusiastically, “HAI HAI!!!!” Then she started speaking in English, just a few words, but turned out she knew enough to say which was the best and the worst mosquito bite cream. I find it ironic, since this has happened to me elsewhere, instead of just asking if they speak English I just start my awkward Japanese-speak and then they watch me, probably thinking why doesn’t she just ask if we speak English, and then respond to whatever I’m saying in English. Needless to say it makes my life easier but at the same time isn’t exactly challenging.

I went to the train station to purchase Shinkansen tickets for my upcoming exciting TRIP to Kanazawa (a city, on the Sea of Japan side) this weekend to see one of my friends… (Shinkansen is the “bullet train”, the incredibly fast ones). So I walk up, say onegaishimasu (please kind of phrase) while I hand the paper I had written all the details so carefully for the worker. Well the guy looked at me, asked about where I was going in Japanese first, to confirm what I had written on the paper, and then he suddenly switches into near fluent English, which completely shocked me as really I spent all that time writing everything out so carefully, even non-smoking and all of that, and the guy spoke English. Figures.

Suppose I’ll wrap up here, as I’ve been sitting in this smoky internet café and choking the entire time – oh can’t wait to have internet, as it should be hooked up sometime this week. Hurrah!

Now off to enjoy the rest of the sunny evening….eh wait never mind the sun probably set by now, sets so early here in Japan. And no daylight savings so rises incredibly early as well. I shall update about my first week of school, later!

Only Gets Better in Japan

My hair has finally adapted to the humidity. Over the last four weeks I have contemplated chopping off my long locks in favor of a cooler neck and a more manageable mane. Sure enough, my hair has won an exceeding amount of times in our daily battles. However, last week I finally arose victorious as my hair looked its normal self when I let it out of its bun prison that has held it captive during our lengthy struggle. I have taken this as a sign of my further adaptation in my new home as I reached the official one month mark.

The past weekend I hopped on a train to Izu Peninsula to visit a friend and check out the area, known for some of the best onsens and recreation (well, Shizuoka in general). I did not anticipate much trouble on this journey, as I have grown accustomed to taking the trains around here. Well, sure enough I would find some way to display my foreigner incompetence. As I was changing trains, from the main local to a more area-specific local, I remembered my friend told me to purchase a ticket for the train I was about to get on, and put it in the ticket receptor with the ticket from the train I just rode. Well, I did as she said, following the sign also, and stuck both in at the same time. Suddenly alarms go off and the gates shut in front of me…as I realize that my tickets had jammed in the machine. Well, I certainly didn’t freak out and panic, I started laughing. For some reason I found it so incredibly funny that I had stopped everything and the worker had to come out, open the machine and retrieve my tickets. So I was unsuccessfully suppressing laughter as I exclaimed, “Sumimasen! Sumimasen!” (excuse me/sorry) .

Later that evening, upon arrival, we went wandering for snacks and food. We stumbled across a pizza shop and decided to try some Japanese-style pizza. Now, the basic idea of pizza is the same as what you would normally see, but they tend to favor mayonnaise along with the tomato sauce. The pizza we got had lots of different things on it, separated into sections, but some of those ingredients included teriyaki chicken, corn, and potatoes, among things you would expect like cheese and parsley. I thought it was delicious.

After a rather sleep-deprived night, due to staying up late, I awoke to calm, cool temperatures and familiar gray skies, to which immediately I thought of my dear Pacific Northwest. Staring out the window that morning as I munched on yogurt covered cereal and watermelon Kit Kats, I was transfixed by the misty clouds that swirled in and out of the green mountains nearby. A river ran right through this part of town and the view from my friend’s apartment was amazing, as she can even see Mt. Fuji on a clear day (though unfortunately, I have yet to see it, and probably won’t see it until I’m actually climbing it). She commented of how the landscape reminds her of Jurassic Park, and I had to agree, as the trees aren’t like Northwest Evergreens, but resemble a jungle. My mind couldn’t help but wander towards what could have taken place in this spot many years ago, before modernization, and how the people lived – I suppose the exotic nature of it all induced such thoughts. Sometimes I think similar things of the Northwest, and how vastly different it is from the rest of the country, with rugged volcanos, pungent green forests and breathtaking waterscapes. Of course, the last bite of cereal took me out of my reverie and back to the day’s itinerary.

We traveled to Shuzenji, a town somewhat nearby. We wanted to see the famous seven waterfalls but after about an hour of teamwork attempting to figure out which bus went there, when it went, and how much it cost, we decided it was too expensive (only to find out later we could take it to a different place and walk to the waterfalls for cheaper). So we wandered around town for awhile, spent some time in the souvenir shop at the train station and discovered we could get our favorite tempura-soba at the station, which really more than made our day.

Later on we went in search of one of the onsens on the map. We found one, although after going in, realized it wasn’t the one we were looking for, since it was pretty small. An onsen is basically a public bath, and is often hot springs or other types of baths, and you can soak in them (after cleaning thoroughly of course). Well they feel just wonderful (think hot tub type thing). Of course we found ways to embarrass ourselves at the onsen since I had no idea how to tie on the yukata. Well the way I was doing it wasn’t working at all and so I just tried to make it work the best I could. Of course later on that evening a Japanese lady came up as I was struggling with it again and basically tied it properly for me.

Sunday we decided to travel to another town nearby that my friend knew had a really nice onsen. We got there, and I was quite amazed as they had a salt bath, a mineral bath, tea baths, and various temperature baths throughout the area. I could feel my muscles relaxing over the course of the hour and resolved to figure out the closest onsen to where I live.

I actually felt competent for once though on Sunday as I was able to read most of the price/time board at the onsen we went to. Also, I successfully asked the bus driver at the station if he was going to the onsen we were going to. I have asked a similar question before, but it went much smoother this time than in the times past – so smooth it felt normal for me to ask it, as if I actually know Japanese. I have to say it is starting to come easier from being here, though I still have a long ways to go.
Saturday, we went to a traditional Japanese sweet shop for treats, and the ladies that worked there were so nice I wanted to try and communicate with them, but most of what they said to me I really didn’t understand and had to repeat what they said over and over, to which they responded with silence, I’m assuming not to embarrass me or something (of course I never cease to embarrass myself). The more I interact with people the more strongly I feel about wanting to communicate with them. They all seem like such nice people and eager to talk to me, except for the language barrier. Almost all of them that have made some attempt to talk to me try to use the English they know, and I can’t help but feel that I need to meet them halfway by using Japanese. Many people of course have been studying English longer than I have been studying Japanese, but I hope to be able to communicate better with Japanese people in the near to far future.

On another note, I cooked for the first time since I arrived in Japan. I have been mostly doing the cereal thing at home, along with buying food or eating out every evening since it is easier and I am always running around, so decided to settle down for once and make some curry. Of course after figuring out how to get the gas stove to work, finally had it all made, and yes, it was quite delicious. Not that this is any phenomenon since I cooked in the States too… but just the fact that I didn’t eat out for once in four weeks. Signs of settling in, surely.

After a nice quiet evening of food, chatting on my iPhone and working on this blog, I decided to get to bed a bit earlier and actually attempt to sleep 8 hours for once. Well, as I’m nearing dreamland, comfortable on my futon with my amazing pillow, I suddenly hear a strange noise, like someone, or something, trying to get in my apartment. The relaxation I had felt all day after the onsen ceased as my heart started racing and my blood ran cold. I jumped up, flipped on the lights and slowly crept into the living room. I then noticed a large bug, about the size of an electric plug, jumping around by the balcony door. I stifled a scream, ran to find the various bug sprays my predecessor had left behind, located the one with a cockroach on it, and ran back to the bug. I began spraying at it wildly, hoping it would drop dead, but to my horror, it spread its wings and started flying around. This time, I actually did scream, dropped the spray can and ran into my bedroom, shutting the door behind me. I stood pressed against the door, attempting to breathe as I listened to my enemy fly around.

Finally, all was quiet as I carefully opened the door again, tiptoeing over to the corner of the living room where the little beast had fallen. He was upside down, and I thought to myself, “this is my last chance, I must kill him now or I die…” so I picked up the spray can and again, sprayed relentlessly at the invader as he kept making noises and trying to flip himself around. After about a minute, I realized he was on his merry little way to bug heaven, so I ceased spraying, satisfied that I would not die in my sleep that night. I double checked the doors and windows, and then went to bed – after shutting my bedroom door. The irony of this was that I had just been telling someone about how the bugs were all conspiring against me, waiting outside my apartment and plotting their first attack on me. So apparently I understand the language of bugs.

Other than this rather frightening experience, I feel more at home here every day. It feels that I’ve been here for far longer than I actually have, and yet there is still so much I don’t know and need to find out. This weekend though, will be my Fuji weekend. A group of Shizuoka ALTs will be going to Fuji on Saturday night (convenient since Mt. Fuji is in Shizuoka) and climbing through the night to reach the top by sunrise. So far all I’ve heard about the climb is awful things, so I can’t say my expectations are very high, but I know I would go crazy if I didn’t do it.

After this climb, school begin September 1st. I have to give a speech at the Opening Ceremony in English and Japanese, so I need to work on that this week. Then the 2nd will be my first day of actual class! I have been (slowly) working on my self-introduction so hopefully all goes well. I am looking forward to developing a bit more of a routine, but either way I am enjoying everything right now. Even the weather has been great the last few days, aside the intense, drenching rain, the temperature is comfortable and I get to enjoy the many thunderstorms that pass through. It almost feels like fall really, and fall is of course, one of my favorite times of the year. (Although a hard toss up between that and spring.) Now to fend my territory from evil insects…

Three Weeks and Counting...

3 and a half weeks. It has already been 3 and a half weeks and I am on my way to 4 this weekend. The weather has been sunny and warm (most of you would say hot but I am of the cold-blooded type), and of course quite humid. After being gone for half of the week at our prefectural orientation in Kakegawa last week (the city next to Fukuroi), I resolved to sleep in last Saturday morning and then attempt to organize and clean my apartment. I still don’t quite feel like the apartment has a “me” feel to it- it still feels like my predecessor’s…although my clothes scattered across the floor does make it feel like home. I still lack organizational containers or boxes for clothes and papers, so my goal is to find those in the coming weeks. However, I feel that I am rarely at home to attempt organization, and when I am I tend to spend most of the time on my iPhone with my one source of internet, watching movies on my laptop or Japanese television.

Actually the other night I was watching TV, and it was some teenage soap opera it looked like…I found it incredibly amusing even though I only had a slight clue what was happening. A high school guy and girl were playing beach volleyball with a teacher, when the guy goes for a dig and slams his hand into one of the net poles. Camera pans to guy as his hand is shaking in uncontrollable spasms, and girl gasps. Well, next scene pans to the girl talking with what I think was her guy friend in the classroom (a different guy), and he is sullen and avoiding her questions (I think he was upset about a girl he was interested in who was flirting with some other guy). Suddenly, one of the girls in the class runs in and interrupts them, and sullen boy and question girl get up to follow her to a room as beautiful piano music is playing. Well the door opens and the girl exclaims something as the boy with the “busted” hand was playing the piano. Question girl had gone to speak with the teacher and they got into an argument, when suddenly CRASH! Glass breaking. They rush to piano room where busted hand guy has his not-really-busted but now-busted hand in a broken window. Teacher carefully extracts it and then they go on a camping trip. (I know, I wasn’t sure when this came in). Then a piano appears on the beach and the teacher asks busted hand boy to play, and then music plays as the credits roll. I am not sure exactly what kept me enthralled in this show but probably the fact that I kept laughing at busted hand boy when each event happened with him. I know my sister and a couple of my friends would be in hysterics right along with me. My first experiences with Japanese television…

Another amazing thing about Japan I absolutely must mention is in Japan people generally hang their laundry outside to dry. I have long wanted to do this since I always received angry letters and calls from my landlords in Seattle about ugly eyesores that no one wants to look at from the street. (I wondered, does anyone really stare at people’s balconies when they are walking on the street? I certainly never did.) So it has been quite nice to hang my laundry out in the sun every day, aside being surprised by random spiders that like to hide in some things and suddenly appear when I put a shirt on or shake out a towel.
Speaking of spiders, the other night I kept hearing a “chirp, chirp, chirp” and it was coming from somewhere in my apartment. Well eventually I caught the culprit, a cricket, in the box in my door (not the mailbox but like a mail slot). Of course I was afraid he would attack me if I opened the box so I just taped paper over the vents so it would muffle his serenading that night. I also have adopted a pet spider in my bathroom. He is small and usually hangs out in the upper corner, and sometimes I talk to him in the shower. His name is Fernando. Fernando actually does some pretty cool tricks… he likes to hide until I walk into the shower area and then he suddenly scampers up the wall to greet me. Well then I turn the water on which scares little Fernando so he flattens himself out and fits himself into a crease of the doorframe. I suppose to keep dry.

I am enjoying my bike and love riding it around everyday, it makes things so much easier, although I am probably risking death since apparently the drivers aren’t used to bikers on the road here, but I can’t go very fast if I ride on the sidewalk with the pedestrians (and I have to pull up my front wheel every time I cross the street because of the curbs). The other day I was actually able to get to the local department store in our city, about 3 miles northwest of me. This doesn’t seem very far, but of course if you drive a car it takes no time at all – by bike, on these crazy roads, it took about 35 minutes. Regardless, I have made more discoveries from riding my bike. In fact, just the other day as I was heading up to the department store, I suddenly saw some brands on a building that really attract me like a fly to light. Columbia, North Face, Coleman….I read as I rode closer when suddenly I realized it was an outdoors store! My very own Japanese-REI in MY city! I had been googling sporting stores for a week or so and expected I would have to travel a bit to get to one, (although those ones may be bigger than the one I found) but the store I found had everything in it, and it was pretty large, surprisingly, so that pretty much made my week. Well, among many other things that makes my week every week here in this Disneylandish country.

Japanese children are adorable. Absolutely adorable. In fact my friends and I have been discussing how we can obtain our own Japanese child. Some of the children in my neighborhood were running around one day as I was walking out of my apartment and as they all are running at breakneck pace past me they yell “Konnichiwa!!!!!!” to which I of course responded “Konnichiwa!” while my heart melted on the pavement. Then I was riding the train one day and observing a little family sitting nearby, when the conductor announces the next stop, Iwata. The little boy in the family says “Iwata! Iwata desu!”, mimicking the conductor, and proceeds to make up his own song and sings it the rest of the time I was on the train, “Iwaaata, Iwaaata, Iwaaata, Iwata desu!” over and over.

I also helped one of the teacher’s son’s with some of his English homework. An elementary school kid I would say. Well it was so much fun helping the boy figure out what to put where and when he was done he says “Thank you for teaching me Ashurii” (My name is pronounced that way in Japanese, since they don’t use “L” or “R” sounds and “Sh” is always combined with a vowel). Again, melted heart. It really never ends with all these adorable children.

The first two days of this week were Summer Seminar in Hamamatsu, so I spent that time with other ALTs working with high school students on their English. The students were great and I had a lot of fun interacting with them, and I think they really liked me because they all wanted pictures, and every time they saw me the second day they got excited and said “ASHURII!!! ASHURII!!!” Then I saw a bunch of them after we had left and were getting donuts from, where else, Mister Donut, before we headed back home, and so every time I saw a small group they of course get really excited, and run up exclaiming “ASHURII!”
I still don’t have internet, and don’t expect to for awhile for various reasons. I am planning on heading to the Izu Peninsula of Shizuoka this weekend to visit a friend and (hopefully, if we can find it) see the famous seven waterfalls. I don’t remember the name so I’ll update with that later. We also hope to visit one, or a few, onsens (hot spring baths basically) since she has many near her. The following weekend is a tentatively planned Mt. Fuji climb….we shall see about that though.

OH! How could I forget! I went out to lunch last Sunday with my new Japanese friends that work at Mister Donut. We decided on sushi so they took me to a conveyor belt sushi place in Hamamatsu. THIS place had TVs at every booth that you order off of, by pressing various buttons, choosing what you want, how many, and then the order comes out on a train that goes by all the booths. GENIOUS. The sushi was also amazing of course, and I had some of the most amazing soft serve ice cream ever. It was pretty fun, despite my somewhat poor Japanese skills, but I attempted to talk with the two girls who didn’t know any English, so the one friend wouldn’t have to translate the entire time. Although really I think we spent more time laughing than anything else, especially because I was so amazed at everything and kept saying WOW!!!!!! Then they laughed hysterically. We also made faces at the little babies and children who would stare at us (you know how kids do that, just looking around and checking things out) so that was quite fun.

That day, and the past few weeks, has made me think a lot about non-verbal communication and how often we use it in every day life, because it seems that we can really understand a lot about people simply from non-verbal cues. This is of course a big part of Japanese culture in general (from what I have learned anyway), but in a more universal sense, it amazes me that even though people are from different cultures and backgrounds, in some of the most basic ways, we communicate the same. Even watching children and teenagers here, you can see how they are shaped in different manners, but in essential development, they are similar to their Western counterparts. Of course, this kind of thing always has me fascinated…being a Social Sciences major and all. Communication, at least the essence of it, transcends cultural mores - in otherwords, we, as human beings, are really all essentially the same.

Ah yes, what a grand weekend adventure. Saturday began with a few hours of organizing and cleaning my apartment in preparation of a friend from the Izu peninsula of Shizuoka, who was coming for the festival and then staying the night. The entire day I heard what I assumed was the “practice” fireworks, and since they are shot off very near my apartment. Around afternoon time a fellow teacher arrived near my apartment with my brand new XC bike, which I have been looking forward to all week, since really walking in this humidity can be incredibly miserable. The traffic officers for the festival were hanging out at the end of my road where I met the teacher to get the bike, since they were obviously not allowed outside traffic in, and they all were oohing and ahhing over my bike. One of them asked if the seat was too high, which I got at the bike shop too, but I have long legs and this topic seems to come up quite often since in comparison, my legs are just a lot longer than I think what most of them see. Sometimes I feel incredibly tall, and I usually feel tall in the States, but feel even taller here since I am taller than a lot of the men as well. Needless to say, I love my new bike, as it is fast and light and I was sad that I didn’t get to try it out that very day. However, I did try it out Sunday night, but will return to that momentarily.

So I walked to Aino Station to pick up my friend, and the entire sidewalk, from my apartment to the station, was packed with people. This essentially remained the same the rest of the night, as the festival is a popular event. Some people had commented that I had not seen a crowd until I went to this festival, but I must argue that Seattle is definitely a metropolis and sees its own similar crowds for these types of events, a la Gasworks Park on the 4th of July, Bite of Seattle, Seahawks games, etc etc. I laughed because really it felt much the same crowding as I would experience back home.




Nonetheless, my friend and I wrestled our way through the crowds to try various food items at the vendors lining the park near my apartment. Chocolate-dipped bananas, okonomiyakis (a pancake type thing with lots of random stuff mixed in, vegetables, seafood, etc), crepes, and candied apples (it was a baby apple and I really wasn’t sure what was inside the candy part so wanted to try it). The fireworks were also quite impressive, many just like home and so somewhat boring to me, but there were quite a few that were a lot different, larger, and with various effects that I have not seen before. It was pretty amazing to watch and I was sad not to have my digital SLR for this event.

Well Sunday was more exploring in Hamamatsu, what seems to be my comfort city as of late, and another visit to Mister Donut. Due to my frequent visits, I now have a Japanese friend there, who is very nice and laughs all the time like I do so we get along well.

On Sunday night after my friend left to go home I decided to go for a quick jaunt around the neighborhood. This jaunt soon turned into a couple miles south, and since I have GPS on my phone, I can easily figure out where I am. So, in light of the beautiful evening, a sunset in the west and a thunderstorm in the east (I love all the thunderstorms here right now – my absolute favorite weather), I decided to bike it all the way to the beach. The beach of, yes, the Pacific Ocean. Now, really I think it was only about 3-4 miles away, and counting my various stops and slowdowns to avoid being driven off the road by crazy drivers, took me around half an hour or so. The moment I arrived though was incredible, as there was just a glimpse of daylight left, and as I rode through all these trees, that felt like the jungle, wondering if I really was going to see the ocean tonight, suddenly I came out onto a sandy beach filled with surfers (at that moment I thought how much my sister would love to be there) and large, rolling waves slapping the shore. I absolutely love the ocean, the smell and the movement of it, and so it was a perfect reward for my intense ride to find it. I wanted to stay and sit awhile but since it was dark, and all the surfers were packing up, I thought it best to head back to my apartment. I have to say I am very blessed to be so near the water and mountains, and even just the park near my place with the fantastic view…its really more than I thought I would get but suits me well. There are so many hills and mountains around here that I plan on exploring the trails soon – I did pick up a walking map but its all in Japanese so I’m not sure how helpful it will actually be. So much excitement comes from exploring though, and just venturing to new places and getting “lost” in order to figure out how to get back. It makes me feel like a kid again in some ways, just having one adventure after the other, except it’s real rather than imaginary.

On that note, my friend and I tried purikura on Sunday in Hama, which is basically like photo booths that really only girls can do (or a girl and a guy but I can’t imagine guys wanting to do this) and you take all these pictures in the booth, then decorate them, then print them out. Well, we really had no idea what we were doing and so the first time thought we had lost our photos since we didn’t know they came out of the side. We also saw the time going for us to decorate but had no idea how to so we sat there pressing random buttons. These nice girls found our photos and brought them to us, of course as we were trying to do another set, once again messing up even though we were sure we had it that time. We had a sheep background, which we really wanted, but since we are incompetent at purikura, we lost our sheep photo, but did get one of us with a cat…. I hope to scan these in at some point. We also struck up conversation with some high school girls, or rather they came up to talk to us. We also got our Taiko drum game in – one of my new favorite games.

I hope to get out and bike and hike around more in the coming weeks, but plan on checking out some random place this weekend if possible…and hopefully plan a couple trips in September. Oh and, considering climbing Mt. Fuji the end of August – that is if I can get in shape in time, but I kind of like the idea of the challenge right now. Sort of symbolic almost. I am amazed that it has only been about two weeks, and so much has happened and everything is incredibly new and exciting and different and interesting…. So off I go on another adventure for now!