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…