January 15

Today started out like the rest. お母さん made me fried (super runny eggs today). I was worried I would have a hard time eating them because the idea is so unappealing to me, but it was fine really. I really don’t like it when eggs are in that in between stage where the yolk has the consistency of soft cheese (It freaks me out) and I prefer them fully cooked, but this was okay.

I met my friend Keily (I finally got it right!) to ride the 地下鉄 in the morning. She told me that she had lost her commuter pass on the way home and was really worried about it, but that soon after she and her mother started investigating, the card had been found and turned in to the station attendant. Japan is notorious for its people’s tendency to turn in (or at least not keep for themselves) unattended items that are not their own.

Today was the first day of classes. I had only one, but it lasts for about three hours. The class was my Japanese language course, and as it turns out, we have four different instructors each with a specialty (kanji, vocabulary, conversation, etc.) who will teach for part of the three-hour period, then leave so that the next instructor can come to teach.
Today, we did “orientation.” The instructors handed out copious amounts of paperwork and explained it to us... in Japanese. We had to take the placement exam again in class to confirm our eligibility (or for some, to place out of the class). As a result, I am again worrying a bit about the results (as I did not feel confident). Hopefully though, I will not be forced out of my class (and forced into a lower one where I will have to do the 元気 lessons I have already done). The most concerning part of class was the kanji portion. Theoretically, I know about 380 kanji (which will be 580 when I finish the class). I must be honest, I don’t know 380 kanji, and it’s become apparent. I am going to have to spend a lot of time memorizing and practicing. D: I hope I can do it. At one point in the course, the instructors referenced a book on learning kanji. The options for using the book are; use the copies in the library (I’m not sure if they can be checked out or not) use the copies in the instructor’s office (probably not able to check those out) or pay the money to buy a copy. I really don’t want to buy extraneous books, but I don’t want to do my studying on campus, so I’ll have to work something out.

After class, I went with Keily to get lunch and try my card again. Of course, the ATM in Lawson’s (which says it accepts visa) that offers English navigation would not accept my card when inserted upside-down or right-side-up. I tried at the 7-11, but there was no English navigation and I didn’t feel comfortable trying to make monetary exchanges without understanding them completely.

They were playing an awesome song in Lawson’s. I think I’ve heard it before in America (it was a rock song that I think is in English), but the music was too quite (and the people too prevalent and loud) to catch the lyrics. I think I can identify it though if I talk to my friend...

A lot of times, it’s hard to pick out the differences between Japan and America because most of them are not shocking. In fact, it’s easy to overlook a lot of them because many are minute or mundane. Some are so easy to coexist with that they go to the back of your mind. I’ll try to pick out a few though, since it seems to be what people are interested in.

Girls dress very stylishly in Japan. They aren’t all dressed up, as that seems to imply, though many are. However, a lot of Japanese girls and ladies wear non-dressy clothes in combinations that just make them look more stylish. It’s as if they wear their favorite outfits (every day). I imagine they allocate their entire closets and many drawers to clothing.

There is no graffiti or gum on the school campus or anywhere else as far as I can tell. 南山 university is relatively minimalistic; most of the buildings are made out of concrete and unpainted. Very few people seem to wear hats, though I have seen some.

There is a man on the 地下鉄 home (I’m not sure if it’s the same man every time) who listens to the radio on his cell phone (or it at least looks like one); he uses earbuds and turns the phone sideways with the antenna sticking out the side (thus, toward the ceiling). The 地下鉄 is relatively clean; for a subway it’s immaculate, but it’s still a subway so it has to be a bit dirty. All of the stops are spoken in English and Japanese, but the name of the stop is the most important item and it’s easy to distinguish in both languages (not to mention it needs no translating). I don’t get many stares on the subway (except from the occasional baby or old man).

Most cars are cubic, but I’ve seen the occasional porsche, etc. I’ve even seen a Mercedes dealership. I pass an evo, mini, alpha, and porsche, among others, every day on my way to school.

People on the street and in the subway are pretty quiet, except when they are school friends. Girls and boys do hold hands and hug, but it is true that it is less prevalent than in the US and much less involved. In fact, on two occasions, it was kind of weird to see this kind of thing. On the first occasion, a Japanese girl was hugging a Japanese guy, but he was just standing with his hands in his coat pockets, which seemed quite odd to me. The second sighting was a girl holding a guy’s hand on the subway; he didn’t seem very responsive and didn’t exactly hold her hand. It’s very strange and I’ve yet to make any conclusions as to why.