8/1/10
Since my last post, I have made my way from Nagasaki to Tokyo. I woke up Friday morning to get on a bus for Fukuoka Airport and was surprised to find that a group of the members of the yosakoi team came to see me off (effectively making me cry again). I said my goodbyes to them and my host family before getting on the bus and waving to everyone until the bus took off and I could no longer see them. From Fukuoka, I flew to Haneda Airport and hopped on the trains to Nishi Kawaguchi; back to Glenn and Mari’s place where this whole adventure began.
My friend Alex and I have spent the last two days wandering around Tokyo, going to our favorite places one last time and getting our present and souvenir shopping done before we leave for America tomorrow. Now that I’m out of Nagasaki, I’ve had some time to reflect on the time that I’ve spent there, and I have to say that I don’t really regret it. Yes, the classes were boring and Nagasaki isn’t the most exciting place in Japan, but what really made it worth it was the people. The other kids in the JASIN program were great, and I was able to make lots of Japanese friends as well as from other countries. I now have four families in Japan: Glenn and Mari in Tokyo, Haruko and Taihei in Nameshi, Rumi, Takashi, Ayaka, and Shoutarou in Nagasaki City, and of course my huge nearly one hundred member family of a yosakoi team at Nagasaki University. I think the people that I’ve met have helped Nagasaki become a place that I could come back to.
I’m sad to leave this country, but I think it’s about time. It’s felt a little strange being back in Tokyo after four months, and I can only imagine that I’ll be in for big reverse culture-shock when I get back to the states, but I have a week to rest before I go on a family vacation, and then I’ll be caught up in getting ready to go back to school. And wandering around Tokyo has made me miss certain aspects of home. I started reading a web comic recommended by Naomi called Nothing Better that I’m pretty sure is supposed to be based off of my school, which has made me anxious to go back to the Hill and sip hot chocolate and go traying and cheer my friends on at broomball. Today Alex and I went to the Tokyo Dome and stumbled upon a massive group of cosplayers hanging around and taking pictures of each other, which made me realize that Otakon (which I’ve attended two years in a row) is going on now back in the states, and I kind of wish I could have gone, but I’m in Japan so I can’t complain too much.
I’ve missed my dogs and my cats since arriving in Nagasaki, I’ve missed my sister since she left in August of last year for her own magical journey around the world, and I’ve missed sharing music with my dad and hugging my mom in the mornings as she works at her desk. It’ll be a little odd going home and not eating with chopsticks or ordering food in my native language or actually being able to read everything around me, but I think I’m ready for it. I’ll miss the people that I’ve met here who have made my Japanese experience really great, but as I’ve said before: You never really leave anyone forever. Even if you’re unable to speak to one person or facebook them or whatever, they remain alive in your mind and present in your heart. It’s cheesy and it’s romantic thinking, but I think it’s true.
And so now in the spirit of my sister’s love of lists in her own blogs, here’s one of my own:
Things I’ve acquired since coming to Japan:
-One large stack of quirky fashion magazines
-One love of 抹茶 (green tea) flavored ice cream and frappaccinos
-Three new dances
-Four Japanese families
-One heart-shaped scar on my ankle
-One bike-riding ability
-Eight rice bowls
-One broken sandal
-One new found love of the combination of rice, soy sauce, and avacado
-Lots of friends from all over the world
-One heart filled with joy given by the people that I’ve met throughout my journey
It feels like the past five months have been a dream that I’ll wake up from my first morning in America. I have the pictures to prove that I’ve been to all these places and experienced all these things, but it seems so unreal. Either way, it’s all been wonderful, and coming home will be a bit bittersweet.
東京と長崎の皆さんへ、
お世話になりました。お疲れ様です。また日本に来ます、絶対来ます。皆のことが大好きですよ。また会いましょう、ね？
行ってきます！
See you all back in the States!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Just When You Thought Leaving Would Be Easy...
7/26/10
It’s truly amazing how much people can affect you without you even realizing it. Today was my last practice with the yosakoi team at Nagasaki University. Since it’s finals week, there weren’t too many people there, and they spent most of the time practicing their formations for an upcoming festival. Rachael and I stayed for a while past the usual time and chatted with a few people, telling them that this would be our last practice. We were just getting ready to leave when a senpai came over and asked if we wanted to do 「色」one last time. With solid nods of our heads and tears pricking at my eyes, she announced to the others practicing that today was our last day. Looks of shock and surprise adorned the faces of the other members (Really, the idea of the Japanese being well-informed and organized is a bit of a lie). Nonetheless, Rachael and I were given happi to wear as we all formed a circle and danced one last time as a group.
Rachael and I were placed in the center for the dance and given the privilege of shouting the starting commands. We remained in the center for the entire dance, including the men’s part when the guys surrounded us as we waved the happi through the air. Afterward, we took pictures and managed to give a few final words of thanks before we prepared to leave. One girl named Yumi, who had come to get to know us rather well, was in tears as we were leaving. I hugged her tightly and begged her not to cry and promising that we would see her again, either through coming back to Japan or her coming to see us in America. I told the rest of the group to come visit us in America before we finally got out the door to put our street shoes back on. Yumi followed us out for one last hug and a promise to find us on facebook while the boys’ captain shook hands with us and thanked us for joining them. It was with tears in our eyes and smiles on our faces that Rachael and I finally set off, waving eagerly to everyone until we couldn’t see them anymore.
I didn’t expect to cry. I didn’t expect it to be so hard to say goodbye. These were people that I just barely knew. I had only just started getting to know people maybe two weeks ago (Japanese shyness does little to help with trying to make friends). Yet despite all of that, I managed to laugh with them at jokes made during practice and hug them as they cried tears of joy from victory at festivals. My blood, sweat, and tears from practice have mixed with theirs so that we all have a mutual understanding of just how amazing this group is. The senpai have helped us through so much; helping us improve our techniques, and making things easier for us to understand. They cared for Rachael when she overheated during practice one day by giving her water and Aquarius and fanning her to help her cool down (One male senpai even volunteered to carry her to the second practice location). They comforted Elmo (Who knew no Japanese when she first got here) when she cried out of frustration for not being able to understand anything by giving her hugs, words of encouragement, and invitations to the group parties in broken English.
To me, this is a strange kind of unspoken bond that you feel with the people around you when you become a part of something bigger. You find ways around the language barriers and form connections with people you barely know. Yet these bonds become strong enough to make you not want to leave, especially as you’re just starting to break those walls of shyness to see people for who they really are. I can easily say that yosakoi has been my best Japanese experience since arriving in Japan, and I feel like I am part of yet another family (this one happening to have about one hundred members). My hope is that I will find Yumi on facebook and that she’ll redirect me to the other members of Toppu so I can keep in touch with them and get to know them more even after I’ve returned home.
Not the entire team by any means, but Genki McSenpai is there.
It’s truly amazing how much people can affect you without you even realizing it. Today was my last practice with the yosakoi team at Nagasaki University. Since it’s finals week, there weren’t too many people there, and they spent most of the time practicing their formations for an upcoming festival. Rachael and I stayed for a while past the usual time and chatted with a few people, telling them that this would be our last practice. We were just getting ready to leave when a senpai came over and asked if we wanted to do 「色」one last time. With solid nods of our heads and tears pricking at my eyes, she announced to the others practicing that today was our last day. Looks of shock and surprise adorned the faces of the other members (Really, the idea of the Japanese being well-informed and organized is a bit of a lie). Nonetheless, Rachael and I were given happi to wear as we all formed a circle and danced one last time as a group.
Rachael and I were placed in the center for the dance and given the privilege of shouting the starting commands. We remained in the center for the entire dance, including the men’s part when the guys surrounded us as we waved the happi through the air. Afterward, we took pictures and managed to give a few final words of thanks before we prepared to leave. One girl named Yumi, who had come to get to know us rather well, was in tears as we were leaving. I hugged her tightly and begged her not to cry and promising that we would see her again, either through coming back to Japan or her coming to see us in America. I told the rest of the group to come visit us in America before we finally got out the door to put our street shoes back on. Yumi followed us out for one last hug and a promise to find us on facebook while the boys’ captain shook hands with us and thanked us for joining them. It was with tears in our eyes and smiles on our faces that Rachael and I finally set off, waving eagerly to everyone until we couldn’t see them anymore.
I didn’t expect to cry. I didn’t expect it to be so hard to say goodbye. These were people that I just barely knew. I had only just started getting to know people maybe two weeks ago (Japanese shyness does little to help with trying to make friends). Yet despite all of that, I managed to laugh with them at jokes made during practice and hug them as they cried tears of joy from victory at festivals. My blood, sweat, and tears from practice have mixed with theirs so that we all have a mutual understanding of just how amazing this group is. The senpai have helped us through so much; helping us improve our techniques, and making things easier for us to understand. They cared for Rachael when she overheated during practice one day by giving her water and Aquarius and fanning her to help her cool down (One male senpai even volunteered to carry her to the second practice location). They comforted Elmo (Who knew no Japanese when she first got here) when she cried out of frustration for not being able to understand anything by giving her hugs, words of encouragement, and invitations to the group parties in broken English.
To me, this is a strange kind of unspoken bond that you feel with the people around you when you become a part of something bigger. You find ways around the language barriers and form connections with people you barely know. Yet these bonds become strong enough to make you not want to leave, especially as you’re just starting to break those walls of shyness to see people for who they really are. I can easily say that yosakoi has been my best Japanese experience since arriving in Japan, and I feel like I am part of yet another family (this one happening to have about one hundred members). My hope is that I will find Yumi on facebook and that she’ll redirect me to the other members of Toppu so I can keep in touch with them and get to know them more even after I’ve returned home.
Not the entire team by any means, but Genki McSenpai is there.Tuesday, July 20, 2010
突風、行くぞ！
7/18/10
Today has been absolutely amazing. I realize that I’ve barely updated this blog since arriving in Nagasaki, and that’s mostly due to the fact that Nagasaki isn’t very interesting after the first two months. By then, you’ve been to all the famous places and tried all the local food and been to all the major shopping centers, which doesn’t leave much for the last two months. Yet somehow I’ve managed to keep myself going and I credit that to yosakoi.
Let me take you back to mid-April to the time of one of my previous blog posts. It was a cool spring morning when I arrived at Nagasaki Station to meet some other people from the JASIN program to go to the penguin aquarium. When I got to the station, I heard loud music and shouts, so I went to investigate. I stood on the terrace overlooking the plaza and gazed down as a group of men and women dressed in flowing blue clothes danced before an audience as another man waved a large blue flag behind them.
I later learned that this form of dance was called yosakoi.
Fast forward a few hours to where Nagasaki University’s team performed. Even though this had only been my first day of experiencing yosakoi, I knew from the start that they were something special. None of the other teams had their energy or level of genki-ness. I remember standing in awe of them more than any of the other teams. At the time, I didn’t realize that they were Nagasaki University’s team, however.
Fast forward two more weeks: The girls who watched the yosakoi festival with me and I decided that we wanted to learn some yosakoi, but GaiDai, the school we’re studying at, doesn’t have a team. That didn’t stop us though, as we’d heard that lots of GaiDai students joined clubs at Nagasaki University, which was closer to the heart of the city. So we went to the university to find the billboard with the club’s information. Imagine our surprise when the billboard depicted a boy wearing the same uniform as the team that had completely blown us away. This was 突風 (とっぷう, toppuu), Nagasaki University’s yosakoi team. Now is when the nervousness sets in. This team was supposed to be number one in Kyuushuu. Would they be willing to let a group of foreigners on their team?
Fast forward another week or so: I have emailed the girls’ captain of the team and we will be observing a practice the following week. We go to the practice and watch, making our final decision that we want to join them if they will have us. Now is when three months of dance practice commences.
Fast forward to this morning. I woke up at five o’clock so my host dad could drive me and one of my friends to Nagasaki University’s campus. Clad in my uniform pants and a tank top and a bag filled with my tabi shoes, arm bands, naruko, and a happi and apron borrowed from a senpai (club senior) in my hand, I met with the rest of the team and we got on three buses and drove to Greenland, an amusement park in another prefecture.
Why were we up so early, and why were we going to a theme park? Today was the tenth anniversary of the Sanoyoi Fire Carnival; a yosakoi festival. We were scheduled to perform three times that day despite the sweltering heat that left us sweating buckets (Luckily, we were constantly provided with bottled tea and a Japanese sports drink called Aquarius). My hair was styled into lop-sided pigtails so I could match the outrageously teased and styled hair of the other girls before we went out and gave our first performance in front of a shopping center. Aside from my own mistake of standing in the wrong spot for the final pose, we hit the mark with each move.
From my understanding, in yosakoi festivals, there is a competition among the groups that perform original dances. There is a set of yosakoi dances that most people seem to know, and then there are the original dances created by each group that performs. Toppuu’s dance is called 「色」(いろ、iro), which means “color.” They chose fireworks as the theme for the dance, and it shows through the dancers’ energy and the sudden bursts of power throughout the dance.
We performed two more times: Once at the main stage of the park and once at another large stage called the Rainbow Dome. After our last performance, the boys’ captain gave us a rousing speech about how proud he was of us and the hard work we had put into each performance and each practice before it. Then we played the waiting game. As a group, we sat on a patch of grass near the main stage and watched the last few dances before the officials announced the winners of the competition. We waited with baited breath, some of the girls had their eyes squeezed shut and their hands clasped together as though in prayer as we waited for them to make the announcement.
There was a pause.
And then the first few notes of 「色」were played.
There were screams of joy as we jumped up and cheered and hugged each other. Tears of “happy water” streamed from the faces of the Japanese members as us foreigners high-fived and hugged as many people as possible. We had won, and Toppu had maintained its reputation as the best in Kyuushuu. We then made our way down to the main stage to perform one last time for the audience, moving in and getting as close to them as possible during the free dance sections. Toppuu’s energy is too powerful for words. As I performed with them, shouting out to the audience and getting down low to the ground before springing back up, I felt alive and like I was part of something powerful that could inspire others to get up and dance along with us. This moment has made all the monotony of GaiDai and Nagasaki worth going through.
After our final performance, all of the teams were invited onto the main stage to dance some of the commonly known dances together. There was one dance that no one really seemed to know, and then we gave two performances of “Freedom,” the first dance that we learned after joining Toppuu. Once the dance was over, we made our way back to the buses and loaded up together before heading back to the university. As we were piling up into the buses and pulling out of the driveway, fireworks lit up the sky in loud pops and bright, shimmering colors; an appropriate end to a long day, I felt. And so it is with a sun-burned face and tired legs that I will sleep soundly with a wide smile on my face.
「突風」(Toppuu) means “gale” or “strong wind,” and the team lives up to their name. They display their strength in their dances with a force that could blow away the fiercest storm. And with those storm clouds cleared away, there will be nothing left to do but set off fire works.
突風: We will blow you away and light up your sky in a thousand colors.
You can watch our performance here.
Today has been absolutely amazing. I realize that I’ve barely updated this blog since arriving in Nagasaki, and that’s mostly due to the fact that Nagasaki isn’t very interesting after the first two months. By then, you’ve been to all the famous places and tried all the local food and been to all the major shopping centers, which doesn’t leave much for the last two months. Yet somehow I’ve managed to keep myself going and I credit that to yosakoi.
Let me take you back to mid-April to the time of one of my previous blog posts. It was a cool spring morning when I arrived at Nagasaki Station to meet some other people from the JASIN program to go to the penguin aquarium. When I got to the station, I heard loud music and shouts, so I went to investigate. I stood on the terrace overlooking the plaza and gazed down as a group of men and women dressed in flowing blue clothes danced before an audience as another man waved a large blue flag behind them.
I later learned that this form of dance was called yosakoi.
Fast forward a few hours to where Nagasaki University’s team performed. Even though this had only been my first day of experiencing yosakoi, I knew from the start that they were something special. None of the other teams had their energy or level of genki-ness. I remember standing in awe of them more than any of the other teams. At the time, I didn’t realize that they were Nagasaki University’s team, however.
Fast forward two more weeks: The girls who watched the yosakoi festival with me and I decided that we wanted to learn some yosakoi, but GaiDai, the school we’re studying at, doesn’t have a team. That didn’t stop us though, as we’d heard that lots of GaiDai students joined clubs at Nagasaki University, which was closer to the heart of the city. So we went to the university to find the billboard with the club’s information. Imagine our surprise when the billboard depicted a boy wearing the same uniform as the team that had completely blown us away. This was 突風 (とっぷう, toppuu), Nagasaki University’s yosakoi team. Now is when the nervousness sets in. This team was supposed to be number one in Kyuushuu. Would they be willing to let a group of foreigners on their team?
Fast forward another week or so: I have emailed the girls’ captain of the team and we will be observing a practice the following week. We go to the practice and watch, making our final decision that we want to join them if they will have us. Now is when three months of dance practice commences.
Fast forward to this morning. I woke up at five o’clock so my host dad could drive me and one of my friends to Nagasaki University’s campus. Clad in my uniform pants and a tank top and a bag filled with my tabi shoes, arm bands, naruko, and a happi and apron borrowed from a senpai (club senior) in my hand, I met with the rest of the team and we got on three buses and drove to Greenland, an amusement park in another prefecture.
Why were we up so early, and why were we going to a theme park? Today was the tenth anniversary of the Sanoyoi Fire Carnival; a yosakoi festival. We were scheduled to perform three times that day despite the sweltering heat that left us sweating buckets (Luckily, we were constantly provided with bottled tea and a Japanese sports drink called Aquarius). My hair was styled into lop-sided pigtails so I could match the outrageously teased and styled hair of the other girls before we went out and gave our first performance in front of a shopping center. Aside from my own mistake of standing in the wrong spot for the final pose, we hit the mark with each move.
From my understanding, in yosakoi festivals, there is a competition among the groups that perform original dances. There is a set of yosakoi dances that most people seem to know, and then there are the original dances created by each group that performs. Toppuu’s dance is called 「色」(いろ、iro), which means “color.” They chose fireworks as the theme for the dance, and it shows through the dancers’ energy and the sudden bursts of power throughout the dance.
We performed two more times: Once at the main stage of the park and once at another large stage called the Rainbow Dome. After our last performance, the boys’ captain gave us a rousing speech about how proud he was of us and the hard work we had put into each performance and each practice before it. Then we played the waiting game. As a group, we sat on a patch of grass near the main stage and watched the last few dances before the officials announced the winners of the competition. We waited with baited breath, some of the girls had their eyes squeezed shut and their hands clasped together as though in prayer as we waited for them to make the announcement.
There was a pause.
And then the first few notes of 「色」were played.
There were screams of joy as we jumped up and cheered and hugged each other. Tears of “happy water” streamed from the faces of the Japanese members as us foreigners high-fived and hugged as many people as possible. We had won, and Toppu had maintained its reputation as the best in Kyuushuu. We then made our way down to the main stage to perform one last time for the audience, moving in and getting as close to them as possible during the free dance sections. Toppuu’s energy is too powerful for words. As I performed with them, shouting out to the audience and getting down low to the ground before springing back up, I felt alive and like I was part of something powerful that could inspire others to get up and dance along with us. This moment has made all the monotony of GaiDai and Nagasaki worth going through.
After our final performance, all of the teams were invited onto the main stage to dance some of the commonly known dances together. There was one dance that no one really seemed to know, and then we gave two performances of “Freedom,” the first dance that we learned after joining Toppuu. Once the dance was over, we made our way back to the buses and loaded up together before heading back to the university. As we were piling up into the buses and pulling out of the driveway, fireworks lit up the sky in loud pops and bright, shimmering colors; an appropriate end to a long day, I felt. And so it is with a sun-burned face and tired legs that I will sleep soundly with a wide smile on my face.
「突風」(Toppuu) means “gale” or “strong wind,” and the team lives up to their name. They display their strength in their dances with a force that could blow away the fiercest storm. And with those storm clouds cleared away, there will be nothing left to do but set off fire works.
突風: We will blow you away and light up your sky in a thousand colors.
You can watch our performance here.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Tasty Salmonella
Yakiniku - Essentially DIY Barbeque6/19/10
When you picture Japanese food, what’s the first thing that you think of? I would guess that for about 90% of the American population, the first thing that comes to mind is sushi. Sushi in its most basic form consists of raw fish and rice. In America, the idea of eating raw meat causes many to cringe with a “No thanks,” but raw food is actually pretty common in Japan, aside from sushi. An old-fashioned Japanese breakfast usually includes eating a raw egg over rice. If you don’t care for rice, you can eat sashimi, which is just plain raw fish. Practically everyone eats some kind of raw food at some point in time in Japan.
As Americans, we drop our jaws and make gagging motions at the mere idea of eating anything raw, other than perhaps fruit or vegetables. Why? Perhaps because we deem it unsanitary, or we fear the risk of salmonella poisoning. Why then do the Japanese never seem to suffer from these ailments?
According to Mari, my host mom in Tokyo, it’s because everything is served fresh. Because of this, it’s okay to eat. The eggs are served maybe a day or two after they’ve popped out of the chicken, and the sushi is served mere minutes after the fish has been gutted. From experience, I can tell that Mari’s theory is correct.
Allow me to list some of the raw foods I have eaten since coming to Japan:
Eggs
Squid
Octopus
Beef
Salmon
And various other fish that I am unable to identify
I have eaten all of these things, and I have yet to vomit or even feel remotely sick as a result. I remember receiving warnings from people at school and my doctors not to eat anything that was uncooked, but come on. It’s Japan. They’re kind of obsessed with cleanliness. And the way I see it, you’re in a foreign country so why not try the local cuisine. And besides, if there aren’t any Japanese people dropping dead every day from food poisoning, I figure it’s safe for me to eat it too.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Blooming Through the Concrete
5/25/10
So it’s been a while since my last entry, and it feels like a lot has happened and nothing has happened at the same time. I think falling into a routine tends to make everything blur together and seem uninteresting, which is probably why I haven’t felt a strong desire to write anything. Also, there has been a small series of unfortunate events.
My birthday was back in the beginning of the month. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, I was quite homesick during that week. The week after, I discovered that I had burned through all the money I had earned over the summer and during my work-study at school. Not having money never feels good; luckily, I have loving parents who are willing to support me so I don’t starve while I’m in another country. A couple weeks later, my host brother caught the flu, and I caught a minor case of it. While he was bed-ridden for a week, I was just stuck with coughing and a sore throat. My host mom took me to the doctor yesterday where I picked up a prescription that should hopefully heal me up pretty fast. To top it all off, my ipod broke today. I charged it last night, and when I tried to turn it on this morning, nothing happened. I don’t know if it’s the battery or something else, but I really hope I can fix it. Otherwise my daily commute to and from school is going to get very dull.
Among all this chaos and panic, it can be hard to find reasons to kick back and enjoy the fact that you’re in another country. Still, you can find enjoyment in the little things that cross your path. Good things always come with the bad, right? An adorable little kid held my hand, mistaking me for his mom (how you mistake a foreigner for your Japanese mom, I have no idea but it still made me smile). My host mom took me to a huge ceramic market where I was able to buy a bunch of nice rice bowls for really cheap. She bought me a cake and prepared a nice dinner for my birthday. Once my friends got back from their Golden Week travels, we went to Monkey Wrench (the bar we frequent every week) where I received a fruit tart from the guy who owns the place and got 50% off my tab that night. I spent two, maybe three hours introducing my host brother to American music. I have discovered a truck that comes to a neighborhood near the school every Wednesday morning and sells delicious strawberries for really cheap. I’ve been meeting people and getting to know them more and more, slowly forming international relationships that I can only hope will last as we get older.
In Nagasaki, you find flowers growing out of stone and concrete, which I find to be quite poetic. Among the gray and the grit that you run into, you can always find something beautiful that will make you smile and forget your troubles.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Traits of the Second-Born Child
4/18/10
In the JASIN program at Nagasaki Gaikokugo Daigaku, you have two options for living accommodations: Live with a host family, or live in the dorms. Both have their pros and cons, but I chose to live with a host family because living in the dorms requires monthly payments for amenities. So in the next four months, I’ll be living with two different families. In April and May, I’ll be with the Hashiguchi family, and in June and July, I’ll be with the Matsuo family.
Life with the Hashiguchi has been pleasant so far. Haruko, my host mom, is very kind and works very hard at both of her jobs to support her family, as there is no father figure (I haven’t asked about it, figuring that it’s not really my place to pry). She always has a smile on her face and I’ve had a few good conversations with her over meals or just sitting at the table sipping tea later in the evening.
Haruko has two children. She has a 21 year old daughter named Shiori who is going to school in Arkansas for nursing. I’ve skyped with her once and she seems like a very nice girl. Her English is really good too. Also, I’m now facebook friends with her.
Haruko also has a son who is the same age as me named Taihei. He goes to a university waaaaaayy on the other side of down town Nagasaki and lives at home with Haruko. My conversations with him were limited at first, mainly because he is very shy and I was nervous about speaking Japanese. Then he got into his accident and spent two nights at the hospital. I went with Haruko to visit him the day of the accident, which was a little awkward, but ended up fine. The funny thing is that when he came home, he started chattering away with me over dinner about the fact that I want to be an animator/comic book artist (He’s a pretty big otaku. His bedroom is nothing but bookshelves full of manga and three guitars).
Since then he’s been on and off with me, sometimes quiet, sometimes talkative, but I like to think that he’s opening up to me and enjoying me as a guest in the apartment he shares with his mom. We’ve had a few moments of bonding, including a night of me teaching him to play War (as in the card game), and talks over dinner with Haruko about how to pronounce things in English.
Little by little, I get to see more of who Taihei is. Recently, I’ve discovered that he and I are really quite similar. Though he’s very shy and I’m more outspoken, we both like drawing and music and (as I recently discovered) finding quirky little treasures. Yesterday, I was on my way home from seeing Alice in Wonderland with a few friends and Taihei happened to be on the bus that I boarded for home. He got off a few stops later, explaining that he was going to do a bit of shopping before coming home.
He came home a couple hours later with some interesting finds that I can only assume he got from some odd hole-in-the-wall shop. Aside from a Beatles poster, he also picked up an old ad poster for Campbell’s soup, a bicycle bell with a smiley face on it, two funny looking rubber ducks (One with Groucho Marx eyebrows), and a Tootsie Roll flashlight. For a good portion of the night he was ringing the bicycle bell, much to Haruko’s annoyance, but I couldn’t help but find it funny. Even today, he’s been ringing it. It makes me see the same child-like wonder and curiosity that I have in him, and though Haruko thinks his findings are strange, I think they are wonderful little treasures that would go along with my collections of keys and things I’ve found in antique stores.
No pictures yet, since Taihei's face is still healing from his accident (Though it's been healing really fast). Also, I'll be making a new photobucket account since my first one is already nearly full.
In the JASIN program at Nagasaki Gaikokugo Daigaku, you have two options for living accommodations: Live with a host family, or live in the dorms. Both have their pros and cons, but I chose to live with a host family because living in the dorms requires monthly payments for amenities. So in the next four months, I’ll be living with two different families. In April and May, I’ll be with the Hashiguchi family, and in June and July, I’ll be with the Matsuo family.
Life with the Hashiguchi has been pleasant so far. Haruko, my host mom, is very kind and works very hard at both of her jobs to support her family, as there is no father figure (I haven’t asked about it, figuring that it’s not really my place to pry). She always has a smile on her face and I’ve had a few good conversations with her over meals or just sitting at the table sipping tea later in the evening.
Haruko has two children. She has a 21 year old daughter named Shiori who is going to school in Arkansas for nursing. I’ve skyped with her once and she seems like a very nice girl. Her English is really good too. Also, I’m now facebook friends with her.
Haruko also has a son who is the same age as me named Taihei. He goes to a university waaaaaayy on the other side of down town Nagasaki and lives at home with Haruko. My conversations with him were limited at first, mainly because he is very shy and I was nervous about speaking Japanese. Then he got into his accident and spent two nights at the hospital. I went with Haruko to visit him the day of the accident, which was a little awkward, but ended up fine. The funny thing is that when he came home, he started chattering away with me over dinner about the fact that I want to be an animator/comic book artist (He’s a pretty big otaku. His bedroom is nothing but bookshelves full of manga and three guitars).
Since then he’s been on and off with me, sometimes quiet, sometimes talkative, but I like to think that he’s opening up to me and enjoying me as a guest in the apartment he shares with his mom. We’ve had a few moments of bonding, including a night of me teaching him to play War (as in the card game), and talks over dinner with Haruko about how to pronounce things in English.
Little by little, I get to see more of who Taihei is. Recently, I’ve discovered that he and I are really quite similar. Though he’s very shy and I’m more outspoken, we both like drawing and music and (as I recently discovered) finding quirky little treasures. Yesterday, I was on my way home from seeing Alice in Wonderland with a few friends and Taihei happened to be on the bus that I boarded for home. He got off a few stops later, explaining that he was going to do a bit of shopping before coming home.
He came home a couple hours later with some interesting finds that I can only assume he got from some odd hole-in-the-wall shop. Aside from a Beatles poster, he also picked up an old ad poster for Campbell’s soup, a bicycle bell with a smiley face on it, two funny looking rubber ducks (One with Groucho Marx eyebrows), and a Tootsie Roll flashlight. For a good portion of the night he was ringing the bicycle bell, much to Haruko’s annoyance, but I couldn’t help but find it funny. Even today, he’s been ringing it. It makes me see the same child-like wonder and curiosity that I have in him, and though Haruko thinks his findings are strange, I think they are wonderful little treasures that would go along with my collections of keys and things I’ve found in antique stores.
No pictures yet, since Taihei's face is still healing from his accident (Though it's been healing really fast). Also, I'll be making a new photobucket account since my first one is already nearly full.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Screw Penguins. I'd Rather Dance.
4/11/10
So an update is long overdue. Here’s a quick catch-up of what you missed between Hiroshima and now.
-Day trip to Miyajima to see the temple, climb a mountain, and feed wild deer.
-Night bus and JR Express to Nagasaki, then bus to Gaikokugo Daigaku.
-Meeting my fellow new JASIN students.
-Meeting my host family.
-Host brother getting into a car accident and having to stay at the hospital for two nights.
-Going to a public bath.
-A week and a half’s worth of orientation, including a welcoming ceremony, meet and greet, and meeting our conversation partners.
-Going to a karaoke bar.
-Finding a great bar/restaurant to hang out at on Friday nights.
-Learning Japanese and Chinese words for sex and poo while waiting at a bus stop after a night at said bar.
Also, my foreign friend situation is beginning to turn out like a bad shoujo manga, as I seem to be meeting (and remembering) more boys than girls.
Now for the good stuff.
So I’ve been in Japan for a month now and while I’m perfectly aware that I’m in a foreign country, I’ve not yet had a moment of epiphany where I’ve realized “Wow, this place is really different.” This may be due to the fact that I’ve been to Japan once before, or that I had a fair amount of knowledge about cultural differences before coming here. Today, my mind has been blown. I have been introduced to the world of yosakoi.
I happened to stumble upon this by chance. Today I was planning to go to the penguin aquarium with some other JASIN students. We met at Nagasaki station, but I got there early with another girl (Toni). We heard music coming from the courtyard in front of the station and went to see what was going on. We came across a group of dancers waving their arms, shouting, twirling, and jumping as a man waved huge flags behind them. We whipped out our cameras and moved in to get a better look. It turns out that it was a festival of performances by yosakoi teams all over Kyuushuu.
After a couple performances, the other girls came and watched for a few minutes before they decided to go ahead to the aquarium, while Rachael stayed behind with me and Toni. The costumes were vibrant and varying, ranging from traditional gi and hakama to flowy flamenco dresses to sweatpants and hoodies. There was a general theme of liveliness and certain motions, but there were differences within each performance. Some teams integrated J-pop dance moves, others imitated martial arts stances and motions. One group had break dancers and an all-male group reenacted old gang wars between Nagasaki and Fukuoka. The age range was really wide too. Children as young as three and adults as old as sixty were integrated in the same groups and dancing just as well.
As mentioned before, the costumes were varied and all fabulous, but some of the dances included costume changes in the middle of the number. Just a few pulls of hidden straps or tucking of the gi and the dancers had completely new outfits. One group had five costume changes in their dance. Some groups used various props as well. Fans, parasols, flags, etc. But everyone used naruko, which are little wooden paddles that make clapping sounds. Also, after the performances, some of the event organizers ran up to particular dancers and put necklaces with wooden blocks and kanji symbols burned into them around their necks. This apparently symbolizes an award for being the best dancer in the group.
The dances went on until about 4:00 in the afternoon. One dancer had been particularly energetic and held some of his poses long enough for Toni to take pictures with her camera. After the show, he came over to us, asked us where we were from, why we were in Nagasaki, etc. He introduced himself as Masa, and he invited us to join the other dancers at the park near the harbor for another group dance. We followed him to where his team was waiting; a group called Melodious, who were all in bright costumes and had performed a dance that reflected cartoonish battles seen in anime.
When we arrived at the park, we watched a few dances before everyone was invited to join in on a big group dance. Masa pulled us into the middle of it and stood in front of us, providing a good example for the dance that we were to perform with everyone else.
The energy was high as we shuffled forward and back, hopped from one foot to the other and waved our arms over our heads along with the Japanese dancers in the group with us. Masa complimented us, saying that we were very good for beginners, and the event organizers even presented us with the same wooden necklaces that the more skilled dancers had received earlier. All in all, the three of us felt as though we’d had the better day.
To me, yosakoi was the lightning bolt that hit me and made me realize that this place is different and has cultural aspects that I have yet to uncover. I just need to keep looking under rocks and in the crevices for the oysters that will yield the pearls.
For more information on yosakoi, check out the Wikipedia page. I’ve still got loads of pictures to upload on photobucket, especially after today, but I’ll get around to posting a new link once everything is updated.
So an update is long overdue. Here’s a quick catch-up of what you missed between Hiroshima and now.
-Day trip to Miyajima to see the temple, climb a mountain, and feed wild deer.
-Night bus and JR Express to Nagasaki, then bus to Gaikokugo Daigaku.
-Meeting my fellow new JASIN students.
-Meeting my host family.
-Host brother getting into a car accident and having to stay at the hospital for two nights.
-Going to a public bath.
-A week and a half’s worth of orientation, including a welcoming ceremony, meet and greet, and meeting our conversation partners.
-Going to a karaoke bar.
-Finding a great bar/restaurant to hang out at on Friday nights.
-Learning Japanese and Chinese words for sex and poo while waiting at a bus stop after a night at said bar.
Also, my foreign friend situation is beginning to turn out like a bad shoujo manga, as I seem to be meeting (and remembering) more boys than girls.
Now for the good stuff.
So I’ve been in Japan for a month now and while I’m perfectly aware that I’m in a foreign country, I’ve not yet had a moment of epiphany where I’ve realized “Wow, this place is really different.” This may be due to the fact that I’ve been to Japan once before, or that I had a fair amount of knowledge about cultural differences before coming here. Today, my mind has been blown. I have been introduced to the world of yosakoi.
I happened to stumble upon this by chance. Today I was planning to go to the penguin aquarium with some other JASIN students. We met at Nagasaki station, but I got there early with another girl (Toni). We heard music coming from the courtyard in front of the station and went to see what was going on. We came across a group of dancers waving their arms, shouting, twirling, and jumping as a man waved huge flags behind them. We whipped out our cameras and moved in to get a better look. It turns out that it was a festival of performances by yosakoi teams all over Kyuushuu.
After a couple performances, the other girls came and watched for a few minutes before they decided to go ahead to the aquarium, while Rachael stayed behind with me and Toni. The costumes were vibrant and varying, ranging from traditional gi and hakama to flowy flamenco dresses to sweatpants and hoodies. There was a general theme of liveliness and certain motions, but there were differences within each performance. Some teams integrated J-pop dance moves, others imitated martial arts stances and motions. One group had break dancers and an all-male group reenacted old gang wars between Nagasaki and Fukuoka. The age range was really wide too. Children as young as three and adults as old as sixty were integrated in the same groups and dancing just as well.
As mentioned before, the costumes were varied and all fabulous, but some of the dances included costume changes in the middle of the number. Just a few pulls of hidden straps or tucking of the gi and the dancers had completely new outfits. One group had five costume changes in their dance. Some groups used various props as well. Fans, parasols, flags, etc. But everyone used naruko, which are little wooden paddles that make clapping sounds. Also, after the performances, some of the event organizers ran up to particular dancers and put necklaces with wooden blocks and kanji symbols burned into them around their necks. This apparently symbolizes an award for being the best dancer in the group.
The dances went on until about 4:00 in the afternoon. One dancer had been particularly energetic and held some of his poses long enough for Toni to take pictures with her camera. After the show, he came over to us, asked us where we were from, why we were in Nagasaki, etc. He introduced himself as Masa, and he invited us to join the other dancers at the park near the harbor for another group dance. We followed him to where his team was waiting; a group called Melodious, who were all in bright costumes and had performed a dance that reflected cartoonish battles seen in anime.
When we arrived at the park, we watched a few dances before everyone was invited to join in on a big group dance. Masa pulled us into the middle of it and stood in front of us, providing a good example for the dance that we were to perform with everyone else.
The energy was high as we shuffled forward and back, hopped from one foot to the other and waved our arms over our heads along with the Japanese dancers in the group with us. Masa complimented us, saying that we were very good for beginners, and the event organizers even presented us with the same wooden necklaces that the more skilled dancers had received earlier. All in all, the three of us felt as though we’d had the better day.
To me, yosakoi was the lightning bolt that hit me and made me realize that this place is different and has cultural aspects that I have yet to uncover. I just need to keep looking under rocks and in the crevices for the oysters that will yield the pearls.
For more information on yosakoi, check out the Wikipedia page. I’ve still got loads of pictures to upload on photobucket, especially after today, but I’ll get around to posting a new link once everything is updated.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Reflections of War and Peace
3/29/10
I arrived in Hiroshima at about 6:00 this morning by midnight bus. I got to my hostel by 8:00 and dropped off my backpack before heading to the Peace Garden and 原爆ドーム (The Atomic Bomb Dome). The Dome was actually the Hiroshima Prefecture Industrial Promotion Hall and was known for its bright green dome. The bomb exploded right above it, and amazingly, the framework of the building survived. For years, there was a debate as to whether it should stay erected or be torn down, and it was eventually decided that it would remain a monument for peace in Hiroshima. There is something hauntingly beautiful about the building remains where it stands beside the river and the island where the memorial park is.
The garden is really beautiful. There are trees and sakura blossoms, and various statues covered in colorful paper cranes, a sign of peace in Japan. My favorite was the children’s monument, which memorializes the children who died because of the bomb.
The figure at the top holds a crane above her head, and all of those cases surrounding the statue are filled with colorful paper cranes, some arranged to deliver messages of peace.
I took a walk through the Peace Museum as well, which retells the history of Hiroshima, from how it was built, through the war, the rebuilding of the city, and efforts for peace today. I know a few people who have been through the museum before, and they said they felt as though the museum victimized the Japanese when they were the ones who made the US enter the Pacific War.
I actually thought the museum was very well done. I read through each excerpt, and there were confessions of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Rape of Nanking. There was even a section devoted to understanding other countries’ views of Japan because of what they had done during the war. As for victimizing themselves, let’s face it: Thousands of people died. That’s a terrible tragedy, regardless of the fact that they were at war with us at the time. This is their memorial, the way that they honor their people who died so tragically. There’s no memorial for the Hiroshima victims in the US, so I think it makes perfect sense for them to focus on their own people and only touch on Pearl Harbor and Nanking. At least they admitted that they were in the wrong.
There was even a section of the museum describing Hiroshima’s efforts to bring an end to nuclear arms worldwide. Is that a future we will be seeing anytime soon? I don’t think so. With the US at war with Iraq and other countries watching each other with their fingers over the button, it’s hard to completely trust anyone. Regardless, I admire the people here for their attempts to seek world peace.
To be honest, I was a little worried about coming to Hiroshima at first. Sure, the bomb had been dropped sixty-five years ago, but sometimes people hold grudges. I wondered if people would treat me differently knowing that I am American (even though the bomb was dropped WAY before I was born). But the people I’ve come across so far have been very friendly, and the messages of peace delivered by the Memorial Park ring strongly with the people of Hiroshima, I feel.
As an example, it was raining on and off today as it did in Kyoto. I was wandering the park grounds when it began to really pour down. I had stupidly left my umbrella at the hostel, so I took shelter under a tree near a memorial mound where the ashes of many bomb victims are buried. As I ducked under the tree, I was joined by a group of elementary school students on a field trip, similarly seeking shelter from the rain. They greeted me with smiling faces and cheerful shoutings of “Hello!” I gave them smiles and little waves as the teachers got the kids together and they all slipped prayer beads around their hands. They faced the memorial mound and began to sing a prayer together; a song wishing for peace for the souls of those who had tragically passed. Once they finished singing, the rain began to let up, so they scurried off to their next location, but not before giving smiles and waves in my direction. I can’t say for certain if this message for peace has spread through the rest of Japan, but I hope it has. If the whole country can rise up and try to spread peace, maybe it will be passed on to the rest of the world until everyone feels safe and secure in their own homes.
Castles and Whale Sharks
3/28/10
So I took a later train from Kyoto to Osaka and found my hostel with a little bit of difficulty. It’s a small place called the Peace House Showa, and it’s in a back alley in Tennoji. If you’re looking for more of a hotel-like hostel, this isn’t for you. However, it’s really a great place to meet people and Yumi, the woman who runs it is super nice and speaks perfect English. After getting a good night’s sleep, I woke up and went to Osaka Castle Park station to meet up with Ueno Taeko, out Japanese TA from last year who lives in Osaka. We caught up with each other as we strolled through the park. Apparently she is now working as an English teacher for middle school students.
Though Osaka is another big city that maybe doesn’t have as much to see as Tokyo, the city has a bit more character, I think. On my way to my hostel on the night I arrived, I passed by two street performers, and there were even more in the park as Taeko-san and I made our way to the castle. We saw jugglers, a man with a trained monkey, and a charming old man playing guitar.
The castle itself is really beautiful. It stands tall and white, surrounded by not one, but two moats, and a couple of bridges. Inside is a museum about the history of the castle, including artifacts such as samurai armor, ornate helmets, and silk screens. The park is really lovely too with the river/moats running through it and the sakura starting to bloom. For lunch, we had an Osaka special: Okonomiyaki, which is essentially an omelet/pizza-type thing. They make them in Hiroshima too, only thinner and with noodles and cabbage.
After lunch, we went to Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi, a loooooong strip of a shopping center and a street filled with flashing lights for restaurants, bars, and karaoke clubs, the center of Osaka’s nightlife. We wandered around for a while, Taeko-san pointing out the famous Glico sign and the giant moving crab, before we parted ways.
On Sunday, I spent the day at the Osaka aquarium. Despite being really crowded, it was a lot of fun. I saw the seals as they were being fed; performing tricks of rolling over and waving at the audience before getting rewards of fish.
And of course, Osaka Aquarium’s pride and joy: The whale sharks.
There are two of them at the aquarium and they are HUGE. What’s really interesting is the way that the smaller fish seem to cling to them. You’d think it would be the other way around…
So I took a later train from Kyoto to Osaka and found my hostel with a little bit of difficulty. It’s a small place called the Peace House Showa, and it’s in a back alley in Tennoji. If you’re looking for more of a hotel-like hostel, this isn’t for you. However, it’s really a great place to meet people and Yumi, the woman who runs it is super nice and speaks perfect English. After getting a good night’s sleep, I woke up and went to Osaka Castle Park station to meet up with Ueno Taeko, out Japanese TA from last year who lives in Osaka. We caught up with each other as we strolled through the park. Apparently she is now working as an English teacher for middle school students.
Though Osaka is another big city that maybe doesn’t have as much to see as Tokyo, the city has a bit more character, I think. On my way to my hostel on the night I arrived, I passed by two street performers, and there were even more in the park as Taeko-san and I made our way to the castle. We saw jugglers, a man with a trained monkey, and a charming old man playing guitar.
The castle itself is really beautiful. It stands tall and white, surrounded by not one, but two moats, and a couple of bridges. Inside is a museum about the history of the castle, including artifacts such as samurai armor, ornate helmets, and silk screens. The park is really lovely too with the river/moats running through it and the sakura starting to bloom. For lunch, we had an Osaka special: Okonomiyaki, which is essentially an omelet/pizza-type thing. They make them in Hiroshima too, only thinner and with noodles and cabbage.
After lunch, we went to Dotonbori and Shinsaibashi, a loooooong strip of a shopping center and a street filled with flashing lights for restaurants, bars, and karaoke clubs, the center of Osaka’s nightlife. We wandered around for a while, Taeko-san pointing out the famous Glico sign and the giant moving crab, before we parted ways.
On Sunday, I spent the day at the Osaka aquarium. Despite being really crowded, it was a lot of fun. I saw the seals as they were being fed; performing tricks of rolling over and waving at the audience before getting rewards of fish.
And of course, Osaka Aquarium’s pride and joy: The whale sharks.
There are two of them at the aquarium and they are HUGE. What’s really interesting is the way that the smaller fish seem to cling to them. You’d think it would be the other way around…
So How Many Shrines Can YOU Visit in One Day?
3/26/10
So my journey to Kyoto had a couple of hiccups. Mari and I made the mistake of thinking that my bus left at 11:40 at night when in reality, it left at 10:40. By the time we realized it, it was already 10:15. It takes half an hour to get to Tokyo station, and I still hadn’t finished packing just yet. I threw everything in my backpack and Mari drove me to the Nishi-Kawaguchi station to see if I could get there on time. We said a quick goodbye before I ran to catch the next train. I had tears in my eyes, but not because I was afraid of missing the train. More because I didn’t want to have such a hurried and rushed goodbye. As it happened, I missed the bus, so I turned around and came back to Nishi-Kawaguchi. I went back to the house where Mari was already looking for morning buses that could take me to Kyoto. She insisted that I take a shower and go to bed, so I did just that.
The next morning, Mari still hadn’t found any buses, but she brought up the option of the Shinkansen (bullet train). I had considered this when I first thought about traveling around Japan, except for the fact that seats are ridiculously expensive. However, she insisted on paying for it, so I was able to eat a relaxed breakfast and get all packed up before we went to the station to get a ticket. Ticket in hand and bags all packed, Mari and I parted ways as I headed toward Tokyo station.
In the end, it worked out fine, and I even had a random chance occurrence. As I got onto my Shinkansen platform, part of it was roped off and there were a bunch of photographers taking pictures of something. I couldn’t see what it was from where I was standing, but there was a train getting ready to depart, which was to be the one before mine. As the train took off, a woman dressed in a red and white dress suit and fancy hat waved to the waiting passengers on the platform. A man behind me said to his wife, “Do you know who that was? It was the empress!”
This would be the first of two encounters.
I arrived at Kyoto station in less than three hours and proceeded to get mind-bogglingly lost looking for my hostel. There’s only one JR line train that runs through Kyoto and I thought, “Well, I’ll take the one that looks closest to the hostel.” I ended up walking for about 2-3 hours trying to find my way. On the bright side, I passed some majorly gorgeous scenery. Kyoto is really a beautiful city with a completely different dynamic than Tokyo. In Kyoto, the best way to get around is by bus, and the city is surrounded by mountains and lush green trees. The buildings aren’t particularly tall, and it’s generally much more quaint.
The hostel I stayed in, Kyoto Utano Youth Hostel, was awesome. I recommend it to anyone else who goes to Kyoto (just don’t try to get there by the JR). I spent a comfortable night in a warm bed after taking a hot bath.
One of the awesome things about the hostel is that you can buy an all-day bus pass for 500 yen. Unlimited access to the city buses all day for about five bucks? Yes please.
So in Kyoto there are about a million temples. Which ones do you visit? An excellent question. I based my decisions on suggestions given to me by Mari and one on-a-whim choice. The first on my list was Kinkakuji.
Right when you walk in through the entrance, you’re met with a golden structure on a pond that glimmers in the sunlight, and it’s really breath taking. There are also beautiful pathways paved in stone that lead to a teahouse and vendors trying to sell dango and other treats.
After Kinkakuji, I hopped on a bus and headed in the general direction of Kyomizudera. Cue me getting lost and walking in the wrong direction along a river. It was still a pretty walk, but kind of annoying when you’ve got a big heavy backpack on your back. As I crossed streets, I noticed there were a lot of traffic cops. Like A LOT of traffic cops. As I stood waiting for the light to change at an intersection, the small group of Japanese women next to me started squealing and waving at a passing car. With a quick glance, I saw a female figure waving from the car window. Guess who saw the empress again without even realizing it? I wonder if she recognized the pink-haired foreigner with the big blue backpack.
The second stop was Kyomizudera. Holy mother, this is one gorgeous temple. The grounds are huge, first of all, and covered in maple and sakura trees (some of which were in bloom, but probably not to their full capacity). There are little side paths that lead you to smaller shrines and sites, like the love stone.
It was also raining on and off all day, which explains why there are rain clouds in some pictures while the rest are all sun-shiny. I think my favorite spot was the holy water fountain. As is tradition with visiting Japanese temples and shrines, you have to stop at a cleansing fountain where you wash your hands and mouth before stepping inside. Kyomizudera has one at its entrance, but it has an extra one that supposedly has holy water. I just thought the fountain was pretty. :)
My final stop in Kyoto was Ginkakuji, which turned out being quite like Kinkakuji, only less gold and more zen garden-esque. It was a lovely walk and had a nice view of the city.
Overall, Kyoto was really lovely. It was quite refreshing from the bustling city scene of Tokyo. There are no by-ways over the heads of pedestrians, and there are lots of trees and green and flowers and pretty suburban houses. Overall, a really nice couple of days.
So my journey to Kyoto had a couple of hiccups. Mari and I made the mistake of thinking that my bus left at 11:40 at night when in reality, it left at 10:40. By the time we realized it, it was already 10:15. It takes half an hour to get to Tokyo station, and I still hadn’t finished packing just yet. I threw everything in my backpack and Mari drove me to the Nishi-Kawaguchi station to see if I could get there on time. We said a quick goodbye before I ran to catch the next train. I had tears in my eyes, but not because I was afraid of missing the train. More because I didn’t want to have such a hurried and rushed goodbye. As it happened, I missed the bus, so I turned around and came back to Nishi-Kawaguchi. I went back to the house where Mari was already looking for morning buses that could take me to Kyoto. She insisted that I take a shower and go to bed, so I did just that.
The next morning, Mari still hadn’t found any buses, but she brought up the option of the Shinkansen (bullet train). I had considered this when I first thought about traveling around Japan, except for the fact that seats are ridiculously expensive. However, she insisted on paying for it, so I was able to eat a relaxed breakfast and get all packed up before we went to the station to get a ticket. Ticket in hand and bags all packed, Mari and I parted ways as I headed toward Tokyo station.
In the end, it worked out fine, and I even had a random chance occurrence. As I got onto my Shinkansen platform, part of it was roped off and there were a bunch of photographers taking pictures of something. I couldn’t see what it was from where I was standing, but there was a train getting ready to depart, which was to be the one before mine. As the train took off, a woman dressed in a red and white dress suit and fancy hat waved to the waiting passengers on the platform. A man behind me said to his wife, “Do you know who that was? It was the empress!”
This would be the first of two encounters.
I arrived at Kyoto station in less than three hours and proceeded to get mind-bogglingly lost looking for my hostel. There’s only one JR line train that runs through Kyoto and I thought, “Well, I’ll take the one that looks closest to the hostel.” I ended up walking for about 2-3 hours trying to find my way. On the bright side, I passed some majorly gorgeous scenery. Kyoto is really a beautiful city with a completely different dynamic than Tokyo. In Kyoto, the best way to get around is by bus, and the city is surrounded by mountains and lush green trees. The buildings aren’t particularly tall, and it’s generally much more quaint.
The hostel I stayed in, Kyoto Utano Youth Hostel, was awesome. I recommend it to anyone else who goes to Kyoto (just don’t try to get there by the JR). I spent a comfortable night in a warm bed after taking a hot bath.
One of the awesome things about the hostel is that you can buy an all-day bus pass for 500 yen. Unlimited access to the city buses all day for about five bucks? Yes please.
So in Kyoto there are about a million temples. Which ones do you visit? An excellent question. I based my decisions on suggestions given to me by Mari and one on-a-whim choice. The first on my list was Kinkakuji.
Right when you walk in through the entrance, you’re met with a golden structure on a pond that glimmers in the sunlight, and it’s really breath taking. There are also beautiful pathways paved in stone that lead to a teahouse and vendors trying to sell dango and other treats.
After Kinkakuji, I hopped on a bus and headed in the general direction of Kyomizudera. Cue me getting lost and walking in the wrong direction along a river. It was still a pretty walk, but kind of annoying when you’ve got a big heavy backpack on your back. As I crossed streets, I noticed there were a lot of traffic cops. Like A LOT of traffic cops. As I stood waiting for the light to change at an intersection, the small group of Japanese women next to me started squealing and waving at a passing car. With a quick glance, I saw a female figure waving from the car window. Guess who saw the empress again without even realizing it? I wonder if she recognized the pink-haired foreigner with the big blue backpack.
The second stop was Kyomizudera. Holy mother, this is one gorgeous temple. The grounds are huge, first of all, and covered in maple and sakura trees (some of which were in bloom, but probably not to their full capacity). There are little side paths that lead you to smaller shrines and sites, like the love stone.
It was also raining on and off all day, which explains why there are rain clouds in some pictures while the rest are all sun-shiny. I think my favorite spot was the holy water fountain. As is tradition with visiting Japanese temples and shrines, you have to stop at a cleansing fountain where you wash your hands and mouth before stepping inside. Kyomizudera has one at its entrance, but it has an extra one that supposedly has holy water. I just thought the fountain was pretty. :)
My final stop in Kyoto was Ginkakuji, which turned out being quite like Kinkakuji, only less gold and more zen garden-esque. It was a lovely walk and had a nice view of the city.
Overall, Kyoto was really lovely. It was quite refreshing from the bustling city scene of Tokyo. There are no by-ways over the heads of pedestrians, and there are lots of trees and green and flowers and pretty suburban houses. Overall, a really nice couple of days.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
"Ittekimasu~!"
3/24/10
Today was my last full day in Tokyo and I leave for Kyoto on a midnight bus. I worked in the office until about 2:30, and Mari and Naomi surprised me with a cake that we shared before I left to visit the Toei animation gallery. The gallery itself was small, but kind of cool, since it’s the studio that created wonderful series’ such as Cyborg 009, Galaxy Express 999, Dragon Ball Z, One Piece, and the series that first started my interest in anime and manga: Sailor Moon.
For this post, I figured it was time I showed pictures of the people I’ve been spending all my time with. Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures of Glenn, who always made sure I was comfortable with the work I was doing and made me feel comfortable in the house, since he is American too. I am really grateful for the opportunity to work in his office, have lessons from the artists who work for him, and for getting to know him and his family.
This is Mari, Glenn’s wife, who always made sure I had plenty to eat and gave me equally great opportunities, like going to the elementary school. She helped me plan my travel from Tokyo to Nagasaki and gave me suggestions on where to go both in Tokyo and in my other stops along the way to Nagasaki. Always smiling and completely selfless, she made me feel completely at home and like I was part of the family. I also got to meet her father (pictured here) and her cousin. Both are just as kind as she is, and her father has an adorable way of speaking.
This is Naomi, Glenn’s assistant and my supervisor in the office. She’s originally from California and went to school in Minnesota. Super nice, and full of recommendations of great places to eat, she made working in the Japanime office really fun and was always able to answer any questions I had about the work I was doing, or Tokyo itself.
Here we have Okura-sensei and Saori-san, the artists who taught my lessons in the Japanime/Manga University offices. Okura-sensei is an excellent teacher, both in English and Japanese (though he’s very modest about his English speaking skills, which are excellent), and really assesses what his student doesn’t understand and remedies it quickly. He also knows the best ramen place in Tokyo. Saori-san is adorable, and very kind and fun. I feel blessed to have been taught by both of them.
Then there’s Emily, Glenn and Mari’s daughter. We didn’t say very much to each other, mostly me commenting on things she was doing or watching, or offering her something to eat or drink, or asking her about her favorite anime/music/etc. Still, I think we shared a silent bond and enjoyed each other’s company.
Plus we both have a low tolerance for heat/smoke from okonomiyaki grills.
Finally we have Chibisuke and Toranosuke (Chibi and Tora), Mari’s cats. Chibi lives in the house with Glenn and the rest of the family while Tora lives with Mari’s dad. While Chibi is rather aloof, he got used to me and found my lap to be quite comfortable when he was particularly sleepy. Tora is playful and loveable, and found me to be a great playmate when Mari and I came to visit.
All of these people have been wonderful to me, and I hope to someday convey to them how much this experience has really meant to me. I’ve never liked the idea of leaving a place, but I don’t think this is 「さようなら」. “Goodbye” is too final, and you never really leave anyone forever. This is only “I’ll go and come back.” Or rather, 「いってきます〜！」
Today was my last full day in Tokyo and I leave for Kyoto on a midnight bus. I worked in the office until about 2:30, and Mari and Naomi surprised me with a cake that we shared before I left to visit the Toei animation gallery. The gallery itself was small, but kind of cool, since it’s the studio that created wonderful series’ such as Cyborg 009, Galaxy Express 999, Dragon Ball Z, One Piece, and the series that first started my interest in anime and manga: Sailor Moon.
For this post, I figured it was time I showed pictures of the people I’ve been spending all my time with. Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures of Glenn, who always made sure I was comfortable with the work I was doing and made me feel comfortable in the house, since he is American too. I am really grateful for the opportunity to work in his office, have lessons from the artists who work for him, and for getting to know him and his family.
This is Mari, Glenn’s wife, who always made sure I had plenty to eat and gave me equally great opportunities, like going to the elementary school. She helped me plan my travel from Tokyo to Nagasaki and gave me suggestions on where to go both in Tokyo and in my other stops along the way to Nagasaki. Always smiling and completely selfless, she made me feel completely at home and like I was part of the family. I also got to meet her father (pictured here) and her cousin. Both are just as kind as she is, and her father has an adorable way of speaking.
This is Naomi, Glenn’s assistant and my supervisor in the office. She’s originally from California and went to school in Minnesota. Super nice, and full of recommendations of great places to eat, she made working in the Japanime office really fun and was always able to answer any questions I had about the work I was doing, or Tokyo itself.
Here we have Okura-sensei and Saori-san, the artists who taught my lessons in the Japanime/Manga University offices. Okura-sensei is an excellent teacher, both in English and Japanese (though he’s very modest about his English speaking skills, which are excellent), and really assesses what his student doesn’t understand and remedies it quickly. He also knows the best ramen place in Tokyo. Saori-san is adorable, and very kind and fun. I feel blessed to have been taught by both of them.
Then there’s Emily, Glenn and Mari’s daughter. We didn’t say very much to each other, mostly me commenting on things she was doing or watching, or offering her something to eat or drink, or asking her about her favorite anime/music/etc. Still, I think we shared a silent bond and enjoyed each other’s company.
Plus we both have a low tolerance for heat/smoke from okonomiyaki grills.
Finally we have Chibisuke and Toranosuke (Chibi and Tora), Mari’s cats. Chibi lives in the house with Glenn and the rest of the family while Tora lives with Mari’s dad. While Chibi is rather aloof, he got used to me and found my lap to be quite comfortable when he was particularly sleepy. Tora is playful and loveable, and found me to be a great playmate when Mari and I came to visit.
All of these people have been wonderful to me, and I hope to someday convey to them how much this experience has really meant to me. I’ve never liked the idea of leaving a place, but I don’t think this is 「さようなら」. “Goodbye” is too final, and you never really leave anyone forever. This is only “I’ll go and come back.” Or rather, 「いってきます〜！」
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Damn, You've Got Some Wicked Style, Part 2
3/21/10
Just a quick upload of photos taken in Harajuku on Sunday. Sunday is the best and worst day to go. Best because the kids are out of school and dress up and gather to prance around and pose for tourist pictures, and worst because it is SO crowded. Still, it's fun to see Japanese kids all dressed up.
Just a quick upload of photos taken in Harajuku on Sunday. Sunday is the best and worst day to go. Best because the kids are out of school and dress up and gather to prance around and pose for tourist pictures, and worst because it is SO crowded. Still, it's fun to see Japanese kids all dressed up.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Wedding Crashers: Japan Edition
3/20/10
Today I made a trip to Kamakura, a town that’s about an hour and a half’s train ride from Nishi Kawaguchi. I’ve never been to Kamakura before, nor have I read much on it, so I wasn’t sure what to look for or what to expect. Once I arrived at the station, I stepped out and just wandered around until I found something interesting. I found a pedestrian street with shops that reflect that older style with awnings and curtains. After a bit of wandering, I came across a very large temple and went to explore. What did I stumble upon?
A wedding! I wasn’t sure at first whether I should stick around and watch/take pictures, but a lot of other people who weren’t in the wedding party were doing so, so I figured it was all right. I watched the entire ceremony as the priest and priestess served ceremonial sake to the couple and gave proper respects to the main temple. Fun fact: Japanese brides wear head-covers to hide their “horns of jealousy.”
Once the wedding was over, I wandered the grounds a little more before returning to the station to catch a bus to the 大仏 (literally, “big Buddha”).
Seriously, this thing is huge. It’s 200 yen to get in to see him, and you can pay an extra 20 yen to go inside Buddha.
And here we have Chibisuke in part of Emily's cosplay. He looks very displeased, but he sure is cute. :) For more pictures of the wedding and Kamakura, check out my Photobucket page.
Today I made a trip to Kamakura, a town that’s about an hour and a half’s train ride from Nishi Kawaguchi. I’ve never been to Kamakura before, nor have I read much on it, so I wasn’t sure what to look for or what to expect. Once I arrived at the station, I stepped out and just wandered around until I found something interesting. I found a pedestrian street with shops that reflect that older style with awnings and curtains. After a bit of wandering, I came across a very large temple and went to explore. What did I stumble upon?
A wedding! I wasn’t sure at first whether I should stick around and watch/take pictures, but a lot of other people who weren’t in the wedding party were doing so, so I figured it was all right. I watched the entire ceremony as the priest and priestess served ceremonial sake to the couple and gave proper respects to the main temple. Fun fact: Japanese brides wear head-covers to hide their “horns of jealousy.”
Once the wedding was over, I wandered the grounds a little more before returning to the station to catch a bus to the 大仏 (literally, “big Buddha”).
Seriously, this thing is huge. It’s 200 yen to get in to see him, and you can pay an extra 20 yen to go inside Buddha.
And here we have Chibisuke in part of Emily's cosplay. He looks very displeased, but he sure is cute. :) For more pictures of the wedding and Kamakura, check out my Photobucket page.
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