What a crazy trip this vacatin was! I didn’t write anything while I was on vacation becaues I was so exhausted by the time I got back to the hostle each night that I couldn’t bring myself to do it before falling asleep. Anyway, I will try to give the most faithful account as possible.
My day started around five when I got up, got dressed, and tried to do my laundry. Everything was fine, until I realized I hadn’t opened the water valve, so my sheets wouldn’t finish until about fifteen minutes after I had to leave. I left a note for okaasan appologizing and asking her to take my laundry from the machine, and then left. I took the second train of the day to Nagoya eki, where I found not David, but Matt (who I thought would be meeting us in Osaka the next day) by way of hearing his English. As it turned out, David had set his alarm for the PM, so he was woken up by Matt calling him and we didn’t get out of Nagoya eki until about 8:30 (as opposed to our plan of 7:30). It was alright though; we caught a bus to Nara and got there around noon. As it turned out, half of a day was enough to see the sights I wanted to.
We started out from Nara eki and happened upon kofukuji within minutes. There, we took lots of pictures of the five-story pagoda and the Nara deer. Afterward, we walked in search of Kasuga Taisha, but happened upon toudaiji instead. Both Matt and David had been to the temple before, so I went in alone, and the sight was well worth the 500en entrance fee. The main attraction of Toudaiji is the gigantic buddha statue which is about three stories tall. It was pretty much impossible to get a picture that showed how big it was. Outside, the Nara deer were swarming. It was possible to purchase “deer crackers” to feed them, but the problem was; once you feed the deer, they won’t stop following you. At one point, a Japanese person gave Matt a deer cracker they had bought just so the deer would follow him instead, but we were able to lose the animal soon after.
After Toudaiji, we did find our way to sasuga taisha. The temple is really beautiful and has thousands of lanterns. It is wisteria season too, so the flowers were very beautiful. We were getting pretty tired at this point, so we went back toward the main city to find food and shopping. On our way, we passed a large pond with turtles in it and walked the streets of shopping districts that resemble osu. In one of the shops, I saw a postcard depicting the three-faced, multi-armed budda statue okaasan suggested I see while in Nara. We asked the shop clerk where it was, but as it turns out, it is on temporary exhibition in Tokyo, so we missed out. Our trip to Nara was really fun though. I was shocked at how small the city was...
Once we had finished our shopping, we took a train to Osaka station. There, we inquired about getting to the hostles (we hadn’t booked any, but there were three very cheap ones in one area). We wanted to walk there, as possible, but when we asked the station master about it, he gave us a “murida” (“impossible”) and told us to take the chikatetsu. That was our first experience with Osaka, and it was a pretty good one; no talking around the subject, just straight-forward communication and actions. We ended up taking the chikatetsu and to our surprise, there were about five cheap hostles right outside our exit. We shopped around and found the one we would settle on. It was super-cheap (1100en/night) and the clerk let us look at the rooms before we booked. The rooms were truely minimal (small), the bathroom was utilitarian, and the place smelled like cigarettes, but the shower was super-clean, and that was all that mattered to me.
Once we dropped our belongings in the room, we decided to look around for a bit before our 12:00 curfue. As it turned out, we were right in Shinsekai (one of the places I wanted to check out, though it was described as shady and run-down) and next to festival gate (which boasted a rollercoaster). Matt was extatic to be in a real (New Jersy-esque city) as opposed to Nagoya. A lot of the stores were closed on one side of the district, which we attributed to the time of day (fairly late) but the side by Shinsekai tower was literally lit up. There were tons of restaurants (especially fugu and Japanese kebabs) and pachinko parlors, but not many shops.
After exploring a bit, we headed back to the hotel where we planned the next day and passed out from exhaustion.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
April 29
Today was kimono-wearing day!!! But first, I had to buy omiyage for Tanakasan. Before all of this though, was breakfast where okaasan gave me chocolate bread that was pretty close to the quality of the bread we used to get from the Jewish and Italian couple when we lived in Myrtle Beach. :D
As for buying a gift, I was thinking okashi (since okaasan had a big box in the hallway that seemed to have formerly held a plant), but she told me that she had bought okashi, so I should buy fruit or flowers. I figured I’d go to the specialty fruit or flower shop (side-by-side) near Nanzan, but the fruit store was closed and the flower store looked out of my price range (a lot of orchids). Instead, I went to Justco, where I found a couple of stalks of really pretty white lilies which smelled really nice. I was short on time, and when I got to the eki to go home, the Toyotashi train was just coming in (yes!!!).
I rushed the flowers home (worrying they would wilt in the sun) and brought them home to okaasan. There, I asked her for some advice on putting them in water (to keep them from wilting) and the whole thing turned sour. She asked if I was asking for a vase, but all I wanted was a wet paper towel or a cup for temporary use. When she inspected the stalks and found there was nothing given to me by the store clerk, she started asking me if I was going to give the flowers to her friend as they were (the price tag was still on the plastic wrapping). Of course, I was going to take the stickers off (and put the two stalks I had bought into one wrapping, but by Japanese standards, that is not enough, in fact; it’s unacceptable. Okaasan said I had to have ribbon and paper and why didn’t I get the clerk to do it for me? Did I think it was okay to give grocery store flowers to her friend? On top of that, the strong smell of lilies isn’t enjoyed by all people (some people get headaches from them) and Japanese people don’t even use perfume, let alone strong flowery scents. She ended up cutting and wrapping the flowers for me (letting me do it never crossed her mind) in paper and ribbon she luckily had stored away, but with all the talking down (including “I thought it was common sense for you to have it wrapped,” “In American movies, I see people bringing flowers in nice bags and paper into hotels,” “Giving flowers wasn’t originally an oriental custom, only giving money was,” and “Tanakasan won’t feel you’ve put feeling into this gift if you give it this way”) and guilt that I was making not only myself look bad, but okaasan look bad to her friend, I ended up in tears again. Lame!!! Why can’t I control my face?!
Afterward, I was sent to my room to put the flowers away, and I was going to have a catharsis in my room to get rid of my emoness, but okaasan called me down to lunch. I told her I was fine without, but she insisted she had made onigiri for me, so I came downstairs and we ate until her friend arrived (to my surprise, because I thought we were going to her friend’s house, not to mention okaasan didn’t give me any warning as to who she was answering the door to). Things really turned around though. (:
Okaasan’s friend is really nice. She’s very soft-spoken and always smiling. First, she dressed me in the kimono. Okaasan let me wear her kimono, which she wore in her twenties. I had to bend down a bit sometimes so Tanakasan could reach my shoulders because she’s much shorter than me. Once I was dressed, we took many pictures. First, in the tatami room (where the vacuum lives), then in the garden and in front of the house. At one point, Okaasan showed me off to her neighbor too. I really like wearing the kimono because it’s so pretty and it makes you keep good posture.
After pictures, we went inside to have macha in the traditional Japanese way. The tea is a green powder and you place it in a giant bowl-like cup, then whisk it with a bamboo whisk. Okaasan and Tanakasan talked about all sorts of things (including me D:) as we drank tea and ate small traditional snacks. I found it kind of hard to breathe and sit at the same time (or drink and sit) but the conversation was interesting. After a lot of talking, okaasan gave Tanakasan the okashi and signaled me to go upstairs for the flowers. I brought them to Tanakasan (who told me I looked pretty carrying them) and I tried to apologize while giving them to her, but my voice was too soft, even for her, so I did my best to give them humbly. After thanks and farewells, okaasan drove her to her eki.
The rest of the night was less eventful. When I had to change back into my clothes, I felt a bit bad undoing all of Tanakasan’s work. It did take a lot of time and effort. We had yakisoba for dinner while watching the news about the Swine Flu. I’m going to have it for breakfast too because I have to get up at 5:00 and out of the house before 6:00, yay! After dinner, I did last-minute internet checks and stayed up with okaasan (as long as I could) thinking I would make my own bento, but okaasan made it for me. It smells so good I can’t wait for lunch tomorrow.
As for buying a gift, I was thinking okashi (since okaasan had a big box in the hallway that seemed to have formerly held a plant), but she told me that she had bought okashi, so I should buy fruit or flowers. I figured I’d go to the specialty fruit or flower shop (side-by-side) near Nanzan, but the fruit store was closed and the flower store looked out of my price range (a lot of orchids). Instead, I went to Justco, where I found a couple of stalks of really pretty white lilies which smelled really nice. I was short on time, and when I got to the eki to go home, the Toyotashi train was just coming in (yes!!!).
I rushed the flowers home (worrying they would wilt in the sun) and brought them home to okaasan. There, I asked her for some advice on putting them in water (to keep them from wilting) and the whole thing turned sour. She asked if I was asking for a vase, but all I wanted was a wet paper towel or a cup for temporary use. When she inspected the stalks and found there was nothing given to me by the store clerk, she started asking me if I was going to give the flowers to her friend as they were (the price tag was still on the plastic wrapping). Of course, I was going to take the stickers off (and put the two stalks I had bought into one wrapping, but by Japanese standards, that is not enough, in fact; it’s unacceptable. Okaasan said I had to have ribbon and paper and why didn’t I get the clerk to do it for me? Did I think it was okay to give grocery store flowers to her friend? On top of that, the strong smell of lilies isn’t enjoyed by all people (some people get headaches from them) and Japanese people don’t even use perfume, let alone strong flowery scents. She ended up cutting and wrapping the flowers for me (letting me do it never crossed her mind) in paper and ribbon she luckily had stored away, but with all the talking down (including “I thought it was common sense for you to have it wrapped,” “In American movies, I see people bringing flowers in nice bags and paper into hotels,” “Giving flowers wasn’t originally an oriental custom, only giving money was,” and “Tanakasan won’t feel you’ve put feeling into this gift if you give it this way”) and guilt that I was making not only myself look bad, but okaasan look bad to her friend, I ended up in tears again. Lame!!! Why can’t I control my face?!
Afterward, I was sent to my room to put the flowers away, and I was going to have a catharsis in my room to get rid of my emoness, but okaasan called me down to lunch. I told her I was fine without, but she insisted she had made onigiri for me, so I came downstairs and we ate until her friend arrived (to my surprise, because I thought we were going to her friend’s house, not to mention okaasan didn’t give me any warning as to who she was answering the door to). Things really turned around though. (:
Okaasan’s friend is really nice. She’s very soft-spoken and always smiling. First, she dressed me in the kimono. Okaasan let me wear her kimono, which she wore in her twenties. I had to bend down a bit sometimes so Tanakasan could reach my shoulders because she’s much shorter than me. Once I was dressed, we took many pictures. First, in the tatami room (where the vacuum lives), then in the garden and in front of the house. At one point, Okaasan showed me off to her neighbor too. I really like wearing the kimono because it’s so pretty and it makes you keep good posture.
After pictures, we went inside to have macha in the traditional Japanese way. The tea is a green powder and you place it in a giant bowl-like cup, then whisk it with a bamboo whisk. Okaasan and Tanakasan talked about all sorts of things (including me D:) as we drank tea and ate small traditional snacks. I found it kind of hard to breathe and sit at the same time (or drink and sit) but the conversation was interesting. After a lot of talking, okaasan gave Tanakasan the okashi and signaled me to go upstairs for the flowers. I brought them to Tanakasan (who told me I looked pretty carrying them) and I tried to apologize while giving them to her, but my voice was too soft, even for her, so I did my best to give them humbly. After thanks and farewells, okaasan drove her to her eki.
The rest of the night was less eventful. When I had to change back into my clothes, I felt a bit bad undoing all of Tanakasan’s work. It did take a lot of time and effort. We had yakisoba for dinner while watching the news about the Swine Flu. I’m going to have it for breakfast too because I have to get up at 5:00 and out of the house before 6:00, yay! After dinner, I did last-minute internet checks and stayed up with okaasan (as long as I could) thinking I would make my own bento, but okaasan made it for me. It smells so good I can’t wait for lunch tomorrow.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
April 28
Today was pretty great. It started with pancakes (always a good thing to start with) and the new frying pan. I managed to make pretty pancakes this time. :D Okaasan ate the smallest (and rather circular) one, though I couldn’t persuade her to eat more. She told me I was jouzu because I moved the pancakes around on small plates without spilling or puncturing them.
After commuting, I went to Carl’s ryou, where the band practiced before going to the Logos Center for the party. As it happened, the party was much delayed due to the cooks taking a long time and I had a hard time singing with my band because the promised microphones were not to be had. Regardless, we were a smash hit, not to mention it was fun.
The performances started with Kelly singing a song she wrote about IJ 400 (while playing guitar!), then there was an elaborate piano performance, sparring (a bit awkward to watch), Keily doing a Hawaiian dance, and finally, our band. Everyone was impressed by the transitions between the songs (Carl really put it together well). Someone has video footage and we got band pictures afterward. :D We got a lot of compliments too throughout the day, which was really nice. (:
When the party was officially over (when we ran out of performances) some of the class hung around and talked (this was the best part). We found that Ryan is a pretty impressive guitar player and singer as well and a few of my classmates want to get together for jam sessions (for lack of better words). I want in on it too, especially with the bass. :D The other good outcome of the “after-party” was that David and Matt want to go to Osaka (and Nara since it doesn’t cost much more) with me. That means; no solo boringness in the city of entertainment. We’ll probably miss Mike when he goes (he’s planning on biking to Nara Friday, when we’ll already be in Osaka) but I guess it’s the price to pay to see super cars at Suzuka.
After this was hanga, where I turned in my prints and tried to get my professor’s signature for ISEP. Luckily, the nice lady from CJS (the one who helps me with the issues concerning government) was conducting the end-of-class survey and instructed me on the proper way to get the sheet signed. I figured it was just like the US, where it’s your own responsibility to get everything you need (in this case, ask the professors face-to-face for their signatures), but in Japan, the land of procedures and convention, you submit the paper to CJS and they request the signatures for you. It sounds like a convenient service, but I’m still skeptical of meeting deadlines when it comes to adding a middle-man. I’m really not worried though because the only use of the form I need signed is in the case that my transcript doesn’t show up from ISEP. In the worst (and improbable) case, I wouldn’t get credit for a few classes until I requested and received another copy of the transcript, but most of the classes don’t count toward my degree anyway.
I cleaned out my locker and went home around five-ish, putting me at my house around six, and soon after, I left with my family to go to kaitenzushi. I must say, I love kaitenzushi and there should definitely be a restaurant specializing in it in Raleigh. Okaasan wouldn’t eat much, but she kept telling me to pick up more plates. The thing was, all the types I wanted to try would come by at the same time, so there were lulls of no plates at my setting and at the other extreme up to three plates of yet-to-be-eaten sushi at my place. I felt kind of bad that way, so I offered some to okaasan and otousan, but they were usually uninterested. Together, we had twenty-seven plates total. I got to try all sorts of sushi like; tenpura squid, maguro (fatty), two types of mackerel, onigiri-esque ebi tenpura, some white fish that looked like a flattened centipede (because it had points that looked like legs), an egg (not sushi), maguro roll, and a couple of things okaasan gave to me. I felt kind of bad because I couldn’t usually fit an entire piece of sushi in my mouth, but of course, the nori will not tear easily, so I had to chew with an unusually full mouth or not-so-elegantly try to cut the sushi.
Otousan had a plate of nattou sushi (nattou wrapped in nori). I’m not sure how he ate it because it looked like stroganoff (greyish-brown, lumpy, cottage-cheese like substance). Okaasan taught me about snooty restaurants. I asked her if kaitenzushi was uninteresting from a Japanese person’s point of view and she said it wasn’t particularly interesting, but it was fun and enjoyable because you could relax and eat what you wanted. She said that at expensive (I’m guessing really expensive) restaurants, the chefs choose their clients (and refuse them if they don’t think they look up-to-par) and direct them how to eat their food because they are so proud of their creations. Okaasan says it’s not fun to have to worry about the price of everything or get dressed up either, which is a bigger issue at expensive places. I was shocked to hear that restaurants choose their clients, but I guess I shouldn’t because when people have a lot of money, they tend to abide by weird social rules.
After commuting, I went to Carl’s ryou, where the band practiced before going to the Logos Center for the party. As it happened, the party was much delayed due to the cooks taking a long time and I had a hard time singing with my band because the promised microphones were not to be had. Regardless, we were a smash hit, not to mention it was fun.
The performances started with Kelly singing a song she wrote about IJ 400 (while playing guitar!), then there was an elaborate piano performance, sparring (a bit awkward to watch), Keily doing a Hawaiian dance, and finally, our band. Everyone was impressed by the transitions between the songs (Carl really put it together well). Someone has video footage and we got band pictures afterward. :D We got a lot of compliments too throughout the day, which was really nice. (:
When the party was officially over (when we ran out of performances) some of the class hung around and talked (this was the best part). We found that Ryan is a pretty impressive guitar player and singer as well and a few of my classmates want to get together for jam sessions (for lack of better words). I want in on it too, especially with the bass. :D The other good outcome of the “after-party” was that David and Matt want to go to Osaka (and Nara since it doesn’t cost much more) with me. That means; no solo boringness in the city of entertainment. We’ll probably miss Mike when he goes (he’s planning on biking to Nara Friday, when we’ll already be in Osaka) but I guess it’s the price to pay to see super cars at Suzuka.
After this was hanga, where I turned in my prints and tried to get my professor’s signature for ISEP. Luckily, the nice lady from CJS (the one who helps me with the issues concerning government) was conducting the end-of-class survey and instructed me on the proper way to get the sheet signed. I figured it was just like the US, where it’s your own responsibility to get everything you need (in this case, ask the professors face-to-face for their signatures), but in Japan, the land of procedures and convention, you submit the paper to CJS and they request the signatures for you. It sounds like a convenient service, but I’m still skeptical of meeting deadlines when it comes to adding a middle-man. I’m really not worried though because the only use of the form I need signed is in the case that my transcript doesn’t show up from ISEP. In the worst (and improbable) case, I wouldn’t get credit for a few classes until I requested and received another copy of the transcript, but most of the classes don’t count toward my degree anyway.
I cleaned out my locker and went home around five-ish, putting me at my house around six, and soon after, I left with my family to go to kaitenzushi. I must say, I love kaitenzushi and there should definitely be a restaurant specializing in it in Raleigh. Okaasan wouldn’t eat much, but she kept telling me to pick up more plates. The thing was, all the types I wanted to try would come by at the same time, so there were lulls of no plates at my setting and at the other extreme up to three plates of yet-to-be-eaten sushi at my place. I felt kind of bad that way, so I offered some to okaasan and otousan, but they were usually uninterested. Together, we had twenty-seven plates total. I got to try all sorts of sushi like; tenpura squid, maguro (fatty), two types of mackerel, onigiri-esque ebi tenpura, some white fish that looked like a flattened centipede (because it had points that looked like legs), an egg (not sushi), maguro roll, and a couple of things okaasan gave to me. I felt kind of bad because I couldn’t usually fit an entire piece of sushi in my mouth, but of course, the nori will not tear easily, so I had to chew with an unusually full mouth or not-so-elegantly try to cut the sushi.
Otousan had a plate of nattou sushi (nattou wrapped in nori). I’m not sure how he ate it because it looked like stroganoff (greyish-brown, lumpy, cottage-cheese like substance). Okaasan taught me about snooty restaurants. I asked her if kaitenzushi was uninteresting from a Japanese person’s point of view and she said it wasn’t particularly interesting, but it was fun and enjoyable because you could relax and eat what you wanted. She said that at expensive (I’m guessing really expensive) restaurants, the chefs choose their clients (and refuse them if they don’t think they look up-to-par) and direct them how to eat their food because they are so proud of their creations. Okaasan says it’s not fun to have to worry about the price of everything or get dressed up either, which is a bigger issue at expensive places. I was shocked to hear that restaurants choose their clients, but I guess I shouldn’t because when people have a lot of money, they tend to abide by weird social rules.
Monday, April 27, 2009
April 27
Today, okaassan let me make pancakes!!! :D She just pulled out a bag of mix and asked if I could make it. I was making American pancakes (The kind that have brown spots) so I was embarrassed that they weren’t uniformly brown and “pretty” like restaurant ones, so okaasan brought out the shiny new frying pan half way through the process. It helped... until I almost burnt the last one. I think I OD’ed on pancakes a bit today (okaasan wouldn’t eat but one small pancake out of the whole mix, so I had to eat the rest or put the cooked pancakes in the fridge... which never taste good the second time) but I was happy.
I thought Japanese class would be long today because it’s just review for the final, but it went really fast. We played the kanji matching game and worked on practice worksheets, which made Takeda sensei really tolerable today. Class finished before I knew it and Tsuda sensei gave us chocolate at the end of class. :D
Shoudo class wasn’t bad (though disappointing). We wrote kanji on long strips of paper and finished our pieces with our inkan. History class wasn’t very bad either. I (and everyone else) gave my five-minute overview (reduced from ten minutes) of my term paper (yet to be written) and I was told I was very diplomatic based on my answer to a classmate’s question. I think it’s more an issue of being a scientist. Either way, most of my classmates went well over their five-minute limits and the professor was visibly bored.
Afterward, I saw the keizai (that’s Japanese for police d:) driving down the street. I have to say, they don’t seem very intimidating in their Suzuki Swift with “Police” written largest in English.
Okaasan made chicken katsu (Japanese fried chicken) for dinner tonight. :D She said we would go out for Italian tomorrow night because I said I wanted to eat pizza when I got back to the US. The truth is, I want to eat pizza when I get back to the US; I want American pizza... that costs $7 instead of $20 when considering low-end prices. Okaasan posed the option of kaitenzushi, but she seems set on Italian. She said it would be nice not to have to cook for once. :D
Okaasan’s friend has kimono, so she is going to let me wear one and take pictures. :D The only set-back, is that we scheduled for the 29th. I thought it would give me a better schedule for traveling, but in retrospect, the 29th would be useful. My original plan for Golden Week (my week off) was to head to Suzuka Speedway on the 30th, Nara for the 1st and 2nd, Osaka for the 3rd and maybe 4th, and then home for the 4th/5th. Now, Suzuka is going to have a super car exhibition from the 2nd to the 6th, but the weather’s crummy on the 4th and I wanted the 5th open to see JiWei, so I’m kind of in a tight spot. Osaka and Nara are very close to each other, so it wouldn’t make sense to put Suzuka between the two, but that means I only have a three-day period for both cities. D: I’m thinking Nara’s going to take the fall (and become a one-day trip) since my guide book says I can hit the three places I want to see in half of a day. The only issue now is that Osaka sounds like a fun place to go with friends, but everyone seems to have already gone there and I’m going solo so far. D:
If I play my cards perfectly though, I can pack everything I want to do into Golden Week:
29 Kimono
30 Nara
1 Nara/Osaka
2 Osaka
3 Suzuka
4 Home/Sleep
5 Baseball Game with JiWei
I thought Japanese class would be long today because it’s just review for the final, but it went really fast. We played the kanji matching game and worked on practice worksheets, which made Takeda sensei really tolerable today. Class finished before I knew it and Tsuda sensei gave us chocolate at the end of class. :D
Shoudo class wasn’t bad (though disappointing). We wrote kanji on long strips of paper and finished our pieces with our inkan. History class wasn’t very bad either. I (and everyone else) gave my five-minute overview (reduced from ten minutes) of my term paper (yet to be written) and I was told I was very diplomatic based on my answer to a classmate’s question. I think it’s more an issue of being a scientist. Either way, most of my classmates went well over their five-minute limits and the professor was visibly bored.
Afterward, I saw the keizai (that’s Japanese for police d:) driving down the street. I have to say, they don’t seem very intimidating in their Suzuki Swift with “Police” written largest in English.
Okaasan made chicken katsu (Japanese fried chicken) for dinner tonight. :D She said we would go out for Italian tomorrow night because I said I wanted to eat pizza when I got back to the US. The truth is, I want to eat pizza when I get back to the US; I want American pizza... that costs $7 instead of $20 when considering low-end prices. Okaasan posed the option of kaitenzushi, but she seems set on Italian. She said it would be nice not to have to cook for once. :D
Okaasan’s friend has kimono, so she is going to let me wear one and take pictures. :D The only set-back, is that we scheduled for the 29th. I thought it would give me a better schedule for traveling, but in retrospect, the 29th would be useful. My original plan for Golden Week (my week off) was to head to Suzuka Speedway on the 30th, Nara for the 1st and 2nd, Osaka for the 3rd and maybe 4th, and then home for the 4th/5th. Now, Suzuka is going to have a super car exhibition from the 2nd to the 6th, but the weather’s crummy on the 4th and I wanted the 5th open to see JiWei, so I’m kind of in a tight spot. Osaka and Nara are very close to each other, so it wouldn’t make sense to put Suzuka between the two, but that means I only have a three-day period for both cities. D: I’m thinking Nara’s going to take the fall (and become a one-day trip) since my guide book says I can hit the three places I want to see in half of a day. The only issue now is that Osaka sounds like a fun place to go with friends, but everyone seems to have already gone there and I’m going solo so far. D:
If I play my cards perfectly though, I can pack everything I want to do into Golden Week:
29 Kimono
30 Nara
1 Nara/Osaka
2 Osaka
3 Suzuka
4 Home/Sleep
5 Baseball Game with JiWei
Sunday, April 26, 2009
April 26
It was another interesting day today. I got up with my alarm (thank God) and had my normal breakfast, which isn’t very interesting. When it became twelve o’clock though, I left the house (in the frigid wind) and rode the train to my college. I was meeting my band members for practice. :D I was a bit early for practice, so I took pictures around Nanzan (did I mention I saw a lambo today and a purple lotus yesterday?) and then went to Carl’s (Breiman’s) dorm, but when I rang the bell twice, no one answered. I decided to wait on the steps and one of the other residents eventually came by, recognized me, and let me in. We found Carl in the room by the entrance way and the other resident gave him a bit of crap for leaving me waiting. It was all in fun though. David showed up later and we had a lot of fun. We practiced for about three hours before DonWong (our drummer) came, and shortly after that, I was introduced to my new interest. We were talking about and trying the guitars (we had to use one electric and one acoustic since the other acoustic one was being borrowed) and we decided to plug in the third guitar (bass) for a bit. Needless to say, I was hooked once I tried it. David took a couple of pictures for me because he said I looked like a rockstar, woo. I may not be able to stretch my four fingers beyond three frets, but I’m hooked. I’ve just got to find a cheap guitar now...
In all, we practiced for about four hours, and afterward, we realized we hadn’t gotten a band name, so we worked on that for a while. We ended up talking about Golden Week (our upcoming break) and I could have talked for hours, but I had to be home for dinner, which turned out to be okaasan’s delicous curry. Before that though, I had to walk through the freezing wind that doesn’t make sense during this season.
At dinner, okaasan was convinced that I was disappointed by the left-over curry (her son came to visit while I was at sushi last night) despite me eating about two full plates of it. Otousan asked me what I would eat when I get back to the States and I told him pizza, pancakes, and brownies. Okaasan was surprised and told me I could get mix for each of them, and upon her telling me another host student had made brownies for the family, I decided it was a hint that she’d like it if I did too. So, I’m going to make (fake, from the box, how unorthodox) brownies for my family.
At dinner, we watched the news (the scary pig flu) and a show about macaws. In Japan, macaws aren’t pets. The ones on TV were wild and they did things like swing upside-down and scare other species of giant birds away (mostly by getting near them and screaming). I told otousan that I was bitten by one as a child, but he didn’t seem impressed.
In all, we practiced for about four hours, and afterward, we realized we hadn’t gotten a band name, so we worked on that for a while. We ended up talking about Golden Week (our upcoming break) and I could have talked for hours, but I had to be home for dinner, which turned out to be okaasan’s delicous curry. Before that though, I had to walk through the freezing wind that doesn’t make sense during this season.
At dinner, okaasan was convinced that I was disappointed by the left-over curry (her son came to visit while I was at sushi last night) despite me eating about two full plates of it. Otousan asked me what I would eat when I get back to the States and I told him pizza, pancakes, and brownies. Okaasan was surprised and told me I could get mix for each of them, and upon her telling me another host student had made brownies for the family, I decided it was a hint that she’d like it if I did too. So, I’m going to make (fake, from the box, how unorthodox) brownies for my family.
At dinner, we watched the news (the scary pig flu) and a show about macaws. In Japan, macaws aren’t pets. The ones on TV were wild and they did things like swing upside-down and scare other species of giant birds away (mostly by getting near them and screaming). I told otousan that I was bitten by one as a child, but he didn’t seem impressed.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
April 25
Today looked like it would be a boring one, but it became a bit adventurous. I accedentally slept until about eleven. D: I spent a lot of time talking on skype and researching for my trip during Golden Week (If I do everything right, it will only be about 15000en for the train and my rooms :D). It was a bit after noon when I finished, and okaasan was carrying her purse around the house, so I asked if she was going out just to have something to say. She said she would be going shopping, and when she asked if I wanted to come with her, I took the offer. I was happy just to look around the grocery store with her, but instead she dropped me off at Uniqlo. If you don’t know what it is, you should check out uniqlock.com first. Unfortunately, the store doesn’t live up to its website. It’s pretty much Japan’s answer to Old Navy, so if you ever need a plain sweatshirt, t-shirt, or jeans in one of about 100 colors, it’s the place to go. I decided to try on a few things and I found that I’m short even for Japanese jeans. ):
It was, of course, raining hard for the first time since I can’t remeber on that day. My phone decided it wouldn’t get service despite its perfect signal, so when I was done looking around (and figured okaasan was done with her grocery shopping) I kind of worried that she would get flustered since I didn’t know where/when to meet her. Instead, she found me and when I told her I was worried becaue my phone wouldn’t work, she told me that I shouldn’t worry so much. I’m really confused by her; sometimes she’s worried about me (to the extent that she seems angry/troubled if I didn’t keep her up-to-the-minute on my whereabouts) and sometimes she’s completely passive and telling me to chill out.
I got a bit of a guilt trip too today. Okaasan asked me about sushi at my friend’s host family’s place (today is the last one) and basically, she said “Oh, they’re good people? They must be a fun host family. We (okaasan and otousan) must not be a good host family.” Of course, I contradicted her last comment strongly. Then she told me about a student who ordered a turkey online and had a party where they invited their friends over (to okaasan and otousan’s house) to cook and have fondue. I think she was trying to get me to do that kind of thing too. However, I can’t cook, and cooking doesn’t seem to be my friends’ hobby, so I don’t see it happening.
Additionally, I’m just trying to get everything in before I come back to the US. Planning is hard and we’re having a party at school, so it seems a bit futile to try. I’ve invited okaasan and outousan to whatever they choose and we’ve been on a trip (to Ise) together, so I’m wondering why okaasan still feels dejected. For a while, I thought we were getting to a pretty familial relationship, but okaasan keeps saying/doing things that make me think I may be hasty in my conclusions.
Anyway, when it came to be five-ish, I left the house for the sushiya. There were more people than usual when I got off at Rokubancho eki. In addition to the two Mikes and Annas, there were a couple of guys from class and about five Japanese girls. We had the usual fun time eating lots of sushi and singing karaoke. I wasn’t alone this time in not drinking though, as a couple of the Japanese girls drank nachan (orange juice) with me. Yukikosan though got visably (her face turned red) drunk though. As always, everyone was in good spirits and nothing came of it. Mike decided to bike to Nara for golden week, so I’ll see him on Thursday after Suzuka circuit.
It was, of course, raining hard for the first time since I can’t remeber on that day. My phone decided it wouldn’t get service despite its perfect signal, so when I was done looking around (and figured okaasan was done with her grocery shopping) I kind of worried that she would get flustered since I didn’t know where/when to meet her. Instead, she found me and when I told her I was worried becaue my phone wouldn’t work, she told me that I shouldn’t worry so much. I’m really confused by her; sometimes she’s worried about me (to the extent that she seems angry/troubled if I didn’t keep her up-to-the-minute on my whereabouts) and sometimes she’s completely passive and telling me to chill out.
I got a bit of a guilt trip too today. Okaasan asked me about sushi at my friend’s host family’s place (today is the last one) and basically, she said “Oh, they’re good people? They must be a fun host family. We (okaasan and otousan) must not be a good host family.” Of course, I contradicted her last comment strongly. Then she told me about a student who ordered a turkey online and had a party where they invited their friends over (to okaasan and otousan’s house) to cook and have fondue. I think she was trying to get me to do that kind of thing too. However, I can’t cook, and cooking doesn’t seem to be my friends’ hobby, so I don’t see it happening.
Additionally, I’m just trying to get everything in before I come back to the US. Planning is hard and we’re having a party at school, so it seems a bit futile to try. I’ve invited okaasan and outousan to whatever they choose and we’ve been on a trip (to Ise) together, so I’m wondering why okaasan still feels dejected. For a while, I thought we were getting to a pretty familial relationship, but okaasan keeps saying/doing things that make me think I may be hasty in my conclusions.
Anyway, when it came to be five-ish, I left the house for the sushiya. There were more people than usual when I got off at Rokubancho eki. In addition to the two Mikes and Annas, there were a couple of guys from class and about five Japanese girls. We had the usual fun time eating lots of sushi and singing karaoke. I wasn’t alone this time in not drinking though, as a couple of the Japanese girls drank nachan (orange juice) with me. Yukikosan though got visably (her face turned red) drunk though. As always, everyone was in good spirits and nothing came of it. Mike decided to bike to Nara for golden week, so I’ll see him on Thursday after Suzuka circuit.
Friday, April 24, 2009
April 24
Today was a day of sightings. First, there was a blue corvette driving down the street on my way to the train in the morning.
At school, Japanese was unbearably long. After the chapter ten test (which I think I bombed) we had three periods of practice for the final exam. Fukatomi sensei must have been sick because her voice sounded different. It must be a horrible thing to say, but I like her sick voice a lot better than her normal one. The sugar content seems closer to normal. In Hanashiro sensei’s class, we did weird reading practice (by trying to find the encoded message in the passages).
When class was over, David, Joe, Briemansan, and I went to Briemeansan’s ryou to practice as a band. We had practiced Linda Linda the day before, but today we got a ton done!!! I had to throw away some trash before we began though, so I went to the kitchen of the ryou and I found lots of people eating lunch there (only half-surprised). I was a bit embarrised though because it’s an all-guys’ ryou and they invited me to eat with them, but I told them (in Japanese!!!) that I had to practice with my band. Our practice went really well and we added Weezer’s Island in the Sun and Sixpence None the Richer’s Kiss Me to our set list. I’m really excited to sing on Tuesday!!! We had lunch at the Ryou and okaasan, the Vietnamese landlord, made us Pho and rice. :D
Afterward, David and I went to art and culture class. It was kind of interesting this time because everyone was presenting their term papers (I finished mine the night before at about 11:00pm). When class finally finished, we walked back toward my eki and on the way I saw a giant black poodle (that I really wanted to pet) and a schnauzer (which was the most annoying of the three barking).
Afterward, I made my normal trip to Yagoto Nisseki and on the way, there was a Japanese business man running from behind me, so I gave him room on the sidewalk, but when he ran by, I realized he wasn’t a business man at all. It was Ryouhei all spiffed up. We exchanged greetings before he dashed into the Lawson’s.
On the walk home through my neighborhood, I saw the friendly cat and gave him/her some attention before continuing on my way. Okaasan was not home when I got there, but otousan had set three place settings, so we decided to wait for okaasan to get home. I accidentally took a nap (and I think I drempt in Japanese) until otousan called me to dinner. We had his spicy kimchi nabe (I almost coughed because it was so spicy, and okaasan actually did when she tasted it) and pepper cabbage. Okaasan got home at 8:00 and was very surprised to find us still eating.
At school, Japanese was unbearably long. After the chapter ten test (which I think I bombed) we had three periods of practice for the final exam. Fukatomi sensei must have been sick because her voice sounded different. It must be a horrible thing to say, but I like her sick voice a lot better than her normal one. The sugar content seems closer to normal. In Hanashiro sensei’s class, we did weird reading practice (by trying to find the encoded message in the passages).
When class was over, David, Joe, Briemansan, and I went to Briemeansan’s ryou to practice as a band. We had practiced Linda Linda the day before, but today we got a ton done!!! I had to throw away some trash before we began though, so I went to the kitchen of the ryou and I found lots of people eating lunch there (only half-surprised). I was a bit embarrised though because it’s an all-guys’ ryou and they invited me to eat with them, but I told them (in Japanese!!!) that I had to practice with my band. Our practice went really well and we added Weezer’s Island in the Sun and Sixpence None the Richer’s Kiss Me to our set list. I’m really excited to sing on Tuesday!!! We had lunch at the Ryou and okaasan, the Vietnamese landlord, made us Pho and rice. :D
Afterward, David and I went to art and culture class. It was kind of interesting this time because everyone was presenting their term papers (I finished mine the night before at about 11:00pm). When class finally finished, we walked back toward my eki and on the way I saw a giant black poodle (that I really wanted to pet) and a schnauzer (which was the most annoying of the three barking).
Afterward, I made my normal trip to Yagoto Nisseki and on the way, there was a Japanese business man running from behind me, so I gave him room on the sidewalk, but when he ran by, I realized he wasn’t a business man at all. It was Ryouhei all spiffed up. We exchanged greetings before he dashed into the Lawson’s.
On the walk home through my neighborhood, I saw the friendly cat and gave him/her some attention before continuing on my way. Okaasan was not home when I got there, but otousan had set three place settings, so we decided to wait for okaasan to get home. I accidentally took a nap (and I think I drempt in Japanese) until otousan called me to dinner. We had his spicy kimchi nabe (I almost coughed because it was so spicy, and okaasan actually did when she tasted it) and pepper cabbage. Okaasan got home at 8:00 and was very surprised to find us still eating.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
April 22
It seemed like a normal day today until about half of the way through Japanese class. We are going to watch Water Boys, a Japanese film about high school boys that join a synchronized swimming club and do crazy things like drain the pool. We had to read the synopsis and answer questions about it today, so it was pretty entertaining, partially because the synopsis is off the wall and partially because Tsuda sensei likes the movie and showed us her booklet from when she saw the movie in theatres. It has Japanese boys in speedos on it. D: Ewww!!! Class was also entertaining because Tsuda sensei asked where an absent student was and I told her I ate him. Her reply was “Was he tasty? I also wanted to eat him because he looked tasty.” You’re awesome, Tsuda sensei. :D
After class was coffee hour (the going away party). It was pretty fun. I got nice letters/notes written by Coffee Hour members on a sheet of paper with a picture of Nanzan on it. We played Japanese Simon Says too. The best part though was making a new friend, Hou En, who is from China, but grew up in Japan and get this, she lives in Toyota!!! That means we can ride the train together and visit sometimes. :D She likes Osu and fashion a lot, like me. Too bad I’m leaving in a month. She has skype though and she said she would teach me Chinese if I like. She seems like a really nice person.
I got home a bit early, but I spent most of the afternoon I had left playing around with garage band (mostly figuring out how bad I sound when I sing, no one told me I sound like a little girl!!!) and reading Japanese ghost stories (for my final paper).
On the way home, I got to talk to kodomo!!! They were talking with the crossing guard at the small park in my neighborhood and I guess they were talking about me. I think they called to me, but I didn’t realize it, so eventually they just started saying “sumimasen!!,” and when I turned around, two elementary school girls asked if I knew Kirikochan’s mom, which I replied I didn’t. They seemed not to believe it, but they asked me if I was from a foreign country and I told them I was from America and staying with the Okutsu family. They seemed a bit disappointed that I wasn’t Kiriko’s exchange sister, and then they ran off to play again. I’m glad I’m not too scary to talk to. :D
When I went down to help with dinner, okaasan wondered if I had just gotten home or had been sleeping the afternoon away (I’ve done that too many times). Nope! d: We had delicious food as always. Okaasan bought two giant takenoko (bamboo before it’s broken the surface of the ground) so we’ve had all sorts of takenoko dishes for the last few days. It’s the season for it, and last night, we had three different dishes of it. I’m amazed by the number of dishes Japanese food has. I’m still used to three items, (vegetable, starch, meat) one of each from America. Japan has; rice, soup, two or three vegetables, two or three meats/fish, tofu, etc. It’s always a pleasant surprise.
At dinner, I had a lot to talk about, but it didn’t seem to amount to much. We watched the news for a bit, but all of us thought it was boring (though okaasan had turned it to English audio for me). I brought up the children and the movie we’ll be watching in Japanese. Okaasan has seen it and she was telling otousan about the crazy things the students do. At the end of dinner, I brought up treating my host parents to something, and I think they want to go to Nara.
After dinner, I went to my room to work on my paper and okaasan came up with papers from Otousan about Nara. We situated the ward office visit too then. Later, I told okaasan I would help her install Skype on Friday (she’s been convinced by her friend from South Africa to use the software, but the PC is giving us problems). I think this family thing is finally working out, but it’s sad to think there’s only a month of it left, one week being golden week, when I will probably be away vacationing...
After class was coffee hour (the going away party). It was pretty fun. I got nice letters/notes written by Coffee Hour members on a sheet of paper with a picture of Nanzan on it. We played Japanese Simon Says too. The best part though was making a new friend, Hou En, who is from China, but grew up in Japan and get this, she lives in Toyota!!! That means we can ride the train together and visit sometimes. :D She likes Osu and fashion a lot, like me. Too bad I’m leaving in a month. She has skype though and she said she would teach me Chinese if I like. She seems like a really nice person.
I got home a bit early, but I spent most of the afternoon I had left playing around with garage band (mostly figuring out how bad I sound when I sing, no one told me I sound like a little girl!!!) and reading Japanese ghost stories (for my final paper).
On the way home, I got to talk to kodomo!!! They were talking with the crossing guard at the small park in my neighborhood and I guess they were talking about me. I think they called to me, but I didn’t realize it, so eventually they just started saying “sumimasen!!,” and when I turned around, two elementary school girls asked if I knew Kirikochan’s mom, which I replied I didn’t. They seemed not to believe it, but they asked me if I was from a foreign country and I told them I was from America and staying with the Okutsu family. They seemed a bit disappointed that I wasn’t Kiriko’s exchange sister, and then they ran off to play again. I’m glad I’m not too scary to talk to. :D
When I went down to help with dinner, okaasan wondered if I had just gotten home or had been sleeping the afternoon away (I’ve done that too many times). Nope! d: We had delicious food as always. Okaasan bought two giant takenoko (bamboo before it’s broken the surface of the ground) so we’ve had all sorts of takenoko dishes for the last few days. It’s the season for it, and last night, we had three different dishes of it. I’m amazed by the number of dishes Japanese food has. I’m still used to three items, (vegetable, starch, meat) one of each from America. Japan has; rice, soup, two or three vegetables, two or three meats/fish, tofu, etc. It’s always a pleasant surprise.
At dinner, I had a lot to talk about, but it didn’t seem to amount to much. We watched the news for a bit, but all of us thought it was boring (though okaasan had turned it to English audio for me). I brought up the children and the movie we’ll be watching in Japanese. Okaasan has seen it and she was telling otousan about the crazy things the students do. At the end of dinner, I brought up treating my host parents to something, and I think they want to go to Nara.
After dinner, I went to my room to work on my paper and okaasan came up with papers from Otousan about Nara. We situated the ward office visit too then. Later, I told okaasan I would help her install Skype on Friday (she’s been convinced by her friend from South Africa to use the software, but the PC is giving us problems). I think this family thing is finally working out, but it’s sad to think there’s only a month of it left, one week being golden week, when I will probably be away vacationing...
Sunday, April 19, 2009
April 19
Okaasan’s son did not come today either, so we (okaasan, otusan, and I) went to Ise for the day. It was amazing!!! We took my daily Tsurumai from Irinaka to Nagoya, then an express train from Nagoya to Ise. Unfortunately, my host parents bought the tickets so fast I couldn’t offer my student discount. We rode on what wasn’t the shinkansen, but a pretty fast train that took us around the seaside from Nagoya. When we finally got to Ise an hour and a half later, we were going to take a bus, but we got snagged by a taxi driver promising a discount. Ryoushin fell for it and when we got to the shrine the driver gave us a higher quote because he had driven us further than originally planned. Otousan laughed it off (I wonder if anything can bother him) while okaasan gave a bit of an opposition.
Once we were out of the taxi, okaasan began leading us (fast) down what looked like a traditional Japanese street. We had to get a number to have lunch at a traditional Japanese restaurant. After putting our names in and browsing the nearby pottery shop, we removed our shoes and sat at a low (even for me when sitting in sezan) table where we ordered very fast. We had maguro sashimi with soy sauce over rice, azuki-flavored miso soup, and some kind of seaweed. I had a hard time eating daintily, and I ended up taking longer than both my host parents (of course). I wonder how they eat so fast!!! The restaurant was beautiful though, totally traditional with open windows that looked out on the canal and a traditional bridge.
Afterward, we visited the shrine and main bridge (which was under construction), which is rebuilt every 20 years, for a reason I can’t quite understand based on Okaasan’s Japanese. On the way to the shrine, we walked through a forest with trees that are clearly hundreds if not thousands of years old. It was beautiful. Okaasan and I washed our hands before we went in the shrine, and inside, she showed me how to pray (throw the coin, bow twice, clap twice, pray, bow), and we did. On the way back, I saw a koi pond, and I had to take pictures. :D Too bad my camera was too slow to catch the one of the little girl pointing her finger at a fish who subsequently popped its mouth out of the water to eat it. Okaasan bought an amazing omiyage for me. It’s a paperweight (that’s not the amazing part) made out of the wood of the shrine from the previous 20 years. Every time they rebuild it, they take the old wood and sell it as souvenirs. It’s definitely an “only from Japan” gift.
After the shrine, we hit the town (where we had lunch) for shopping. Okaasan is quite the shopper!!! We started out with ice cream (I had macha flavor, but maybe I should have tried sesame flavor...) and then okaasan bought new macha. The area seems famous for pearls and there was a Mikimoto store, so Okaasan and I went there to look around. I saw a $17850 necklace!!! I must say though, most of the jewelry was very (appropriate for the price range) pretty design-wise. There were all sorts of pieces such as black and white strands, earrings with tear-drop shaped pearls (okaasan even tried them on!), elegant pins, etc. It was an experience. I also found a shop that sells nothing but manekineko.
On our way back to the main gate, we passed a shop famous for its mochi and azuki omochi. I almost turned down the offer to try it, but okaasan went with me to see the people making them, and we decided to buy some. It was the highlight of the trip!!! We had to join the long queue of people to get our treats, but it was totally worth it (and fun). You buy a ticket at the register, then sit on the tatami and when the ladies in aprons come by with trays, give your ticket in return for three purple sweets. There’s free macha too from the other apron-wearing clerks. It was amazingly crowded inside and you had to yell to the ladies to get your food, but it was very fun (and fast-paced). The sweets were wonderful too; the azuki is the consistency of soft-serve (though not cold) and the mochi inside is equally light (not tough like oshougatsu mochi). It would be really easy to overdose on them. The store itself was interesting too with a covered wood fire and a room where three people make the azuki mochi. :D
We took a taxi again on the way back to the eki and okaasan talked with the driver about the area and its colleges. At the eki, I was quick to draw my (out-of-date but accepted) waribiki and we boarded the double-decker (yes) train to Nagoya. I’ve never seen one before, but it was pretty cool. The guy next to me ended up sleeping so well he was snoring, but it wasn’t bad. Oh, did I mention I saw an advertisement for Asuka speedway on the way to Ise?
At Nagoya eki, okaasan said I was free to do my own thing, but I had spent the whole day walking Sakae the day before and I was in the family mode (you know, when you actually want to be in your family’s company) so we went to the panya and rode the chikatetsu back to Hirabari. On the way, okaasan asked me what I thought about a girl’s wild fashion, and I answered yes to whether I thought her appearance was cute or not. We agreed that it was weird and definitely not kakkoi, but long story short, we had an interesting conversation.
Okaasan made a detour to the grocery store while otousan and I went back to the car. Since it’s a prius, we watched TV on the navigator and I got extremely homesick. Two Japanese girls were interviewing a Japanese race car driver and one of them got to ride in the GTR and get racing tips from him. When okaasan got back, we couldn’t watch anymore (because of the way the car works when it’s in drive) but we listened, and I understood when they were talking about hitting the top speed and the revs bouncing. I got a super-flash back to auto-x and I’m dying to get behind the wheel (even on the passenger’s side) of a speeding car again. D: Did I mention I passed by the Maserati/Ferrari/Something Else store yesterday? They’ve got a café in there!
Everyone was tired after the long day, so okaasan made curry and nan (amazingly delicious) and we watched a program about hawks catching prey.
Once we were out of the taxi, okaasan began leading us (fast) down what looked like a traditional Japanese street. We had to get a number to have lunch at a traditional Japanese restaurant. After putting our names in and browsing the nearby pottery shop, we removed our shoes and sat at a low (even for me when sitting in sezan) table where we ordered very fast. We had maguro sashimi with soy sauce over rice, azuki-flavored miso soup, and some kind of seaweed. I had a hard time eating daintily, and I ended up taking longer than both my host parents (of course). I wonder how they eat so fast!!! The restaurant was beautiful though, totally traditional with open windows that looked out on the canal and a traditional bridge.
Afterward, we visited the shrine and main bridge (which was under construction), which is rebuilt every 20 years, for a reason I can’t quite understand based on Okaasan’s Japanese. On the way to the shrine, we walked through a forest with trees that are clearly hundreds if not thousands of years old. It was beautiful. Okaasan and I washed our hands before we went in the shrine, and inside, she showed me how to pray (throw the coin, bow twice, clap twice, pray, bow), and we did. On the way back, I saw a koi pond, and I had to take pictures. :D Too bad my camera was too slow to catch the one of the little girl pointing her finger at a fish who subsequently popped its mouth out of the water to eat it. Okaasan bought an amazing omiyage for me. It’s a paperweight (that’s not the amazing part) made out of the wood of the shrine from the previous 20 years. Every time they rebuild it, they take the old wood and sell it as souvenirs. It’s definitely an “only from Japan” gift.
After the shrine, we hit the town (where we had lunch) for shopping. Okaasan is quite the shopper!!! We started out with ice cream (I had macha flavor, but maybe I should have tried sesame flavor...) and then okaasan bought new macha. The area seems famous for pearls and there was a Mikimoto store, so Okaasan and I went there to look around. I saw a $17850 necklace!!! I must say though, most of the jewelry was very (appropriate for the price range) pretty design-wise. There were all sorts of pieces such as black and white strands, earrings with tear-drop shaped pearls (okaasan even tried them on!), elegant pins, etc. It was an experience. I also found a shop that sells nothing but manekineko.
On our way back to the main gate, we passed a shop famous for its mochi and azuki omochi. I almost turned down the offer to try it, but okaasan went with me to see the people making them, and we decided to buy some. It was the highlight of the trip!!! We had to join the long queue of people to get our treats, but it was totally worth it (and fun). You buy a ticket at the register, then sit on the tatami and when the ladies in aprons come by with trays, give your ticket in return for three purple sweets. There’s free macha too from the other apron-wearing clerks. It was amazingly crowded inside and you had to yell to the ladies to get your food, but it was very fun (and fast-paced). The sweets were wonderful too; the azuki is the consistency of soft-serve (though not cold) and the mochi inside is equally light (not tough like oshougatsu mochi). It would be really easy to overdose on them. The store itself was interesting too with a covered wood fire and a room where three people make the azuki mochi. :D
We took a taxi again on the way back to the eki and okaasan talked with the driver about the area and its colleges. At the eki, I was quick to draw my (out-of-date but accepted) waribiki and we boarded the double-decker (yes) train to Nagoya. I’ve never seen one before, but it was pretty cool. The guy next to me ended up sleeping so well he was snoring, but it wasn’t bad. Oh, did I mention I saw an advertisement for Asuka speedway on the way to Ise?
At Nagoya eki, okaasan said I was free to do my own thing, but I had spent the whole day walking Sakae the day before and I was in the family mode (you know, when you actually want to be in your family’s company) so we went to the panya and rode the chikatetsu back to Hirabari. On the way, okaasan asked me what I thought about a girl’s wild fashion, and I answered yes to whether I thought her appearance was cute or not. We agreed that it was weird and definitely not kakkoi, but long story short, we had an interesting conversation.
Okaasan made a detour to the grocery store while otousan and I went back to the car. Since it’s a prius, we watched TV on the navigator and I got extremely homesick. Two Japanese girls were interviewing a Japanese race car driver and one of them got to ride in the GTR and get racing tips from him. When okaasan got back, we couldn’t watch anymore (because of the way the car works when it’s in drive) but we listened, and I understood when they were talking about hitting the top speed and the revs bouncing. I got a super-flash back to auto-x and I’m dying to get behind the wheel (even on the passenger’s side) of a speeding car again. D: Did I mention I passed by the Maserati/Ferrari/Something Else store yesterday? They’ve got a café in there!
Everyone was tired after the long day, so okaasan made curry and nan (amazingly delicious) and we watched a program about hawks catching prey.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
April 18
So, I went to Osu and Sakae today with about five sub-missions in addition to the two main ones; going to the robot museum and the osu flea market. First was osu, and as I found out by walking around (fortunate for me) all of the venders seem to have their own spots and come back every month. That made it easy to find the stall where I had decided not to buy a kimono last month, but changed my mind in the mean time. Luckily, the kimono was still there, and I was able to talk the price down a bit. :D I helped sell a jacket at another stall later by considering it so long that another gaijin snatched it the second I put it down. While I was looking at another stall’s wears, a Japanese guy (who seemed to be around the same age as me) came up to me and started talking to me. He said he wanted to practice English and make language exchange friends and was quick to offer to buy me lunch. I wasn’t really comfortable with it, so we talked a bit, and when he asked if we should look at the flea market together, I gave him another red flag (because I was on a mission of my own!!!). I offered him facebook, but he said he had recently moved from the region containing Fujisan (I forgot the name of the prefecture) and wouldn’t have internet until early May. He was really persistent and tried to plan what seemed like a date for the weekend, but in the end, all I gave him was my e-mail, though he avidly gave me his and his phone number too. Woo, nice try Japanese guy.
Afterward, I set off into the bowels of osu to find three stores; the used kimono store okaasan had suggested, the yen=g store (where price = grams of clothing), and another kimono store listed in my guide book. I succeeded in finding one; the one okaasan suggested, and only by chance. I had passed it every time I’ve been to osu because it looks so much like the (tourist) duty-free store. I’m not sure how many times I walked through Osu looking for the other two, but in the end, I decided the guidebook must have just been wrong or lacking.
After this, I attempted to find the robot museum. That was a big part of the day (from about 2:00 to 4:00). I ended up getting literally lost (I was using photographs of my guide book’s maps) and reading the district numbers wrong around nisshiki by Sakae. I had to ask about five people (a girl on a bike, one convenience store clerk, two watchmen; one of which was the Tiffany’s guard, and a SoftBank clerk). Did I mention that the road-name approach to labeling cities is a great idea? Pretty much, the closer you get to your destination, the more detailed the people’s directions get. First I got, “if you go over there, you get to nisshiki,” then I got “if you go over there, you get to block 25,” then “Tiffany’s is on 25, ask about #20 there,” and so on. In the end, the robot museum didn’t exist!!! The SoftBank clerk (and her iPhone) told me that the robot museum had ceased to be. She didn’t know why though.
While I was lost, I found a McDonald’s and decided it was time to try the ebi-fureo. After accidentally dumping all my coins on the floor, I ordered a combo with melon soda. I’ve got to say, the meal itself wasn’t impressive, but on second thought, when you compare it to what you’d get in the US, it was pretty amazing. First of all, the fries (despite having no flavor) were abundant and crunchy. The ebi burger actually looked like the picture with an un-squished bun, non-wilted lettuce, and actual shrimp in the burger. If it was the US, the bun would be flat, the lettuce would be brown, the tartar sauce would either drench the thing or be 99% mayo, and the shrimp would resemble shrimp as much as cheap cold-cuts resemble turkeys and pigs. It was pretty cool too to sit on the second floor and look out over Princess Street (yes, it’s really called that) from a bowed window-wall.
Having failed to find the robot museum, I decided to look for Otsu dori, what my guide book calls the Akihabara of Nagoya/Sakae. After about two “what’s that, do you mean osu?” reactions, I gave up and ended up going to the design building instead. There wasn’t much to do there (and they don’t let you get near the edge of the floor to look from the 11th story, so I decided to go back to Osu to see if the peddlers were having their end-of-the-day super sales. I had missed them (It’s so weird how Osu closes around five even on Saturdays) but that was okay because I was exhausted.
When I got home, I talked with okaasan a bit and showed her my furisode (kimono) upon her surprise at the low price I quoted. I suspected it was a slightly unusual kimono by the fabric, and when okaasan saw it, she called it mezurashii and fushigi (rare and mysterious). I asked if it was weird, but she said “I wouldn’t say so,” so I hope I can pull it off. I’ve never seen a kimono with bunnies (I like the Japanese ones a lot) on it before, so I think it’s a catch.
At dinner, okaasan talked about her friend and talked with otousan about tomorrow’s plans, so I didn’t get much time to say much about my day. The TV was on too, so it didn’t help with talking. I guess it’s okay though. I was pretty tired from walking for about six hours straight and I actually felt like I could fall asleep at the table while okaasan was cooking fried rice and later when we were drinking tea after dinner.
After tea, okaasan and I watched TV, which became more interesting the closer it came to a wise hour for sleeping. Particularly, there was a show called “Wonder Wonder,” which was a talk show that had a surprisingly high percentage of actual documentary footage. This one was on a cave in Mexico where spelunkers have found huge caverns of multi-meter clear crystals (I’m not sure if it’s quartz). It was amazing and beautiful and I was literally in awe. (look it up, you won’t regret it!!!) There was a part where one of the guests got to try on the suits (with inserts for ice sticks all over it) they wear to go in the cavern (because it’s over 30ºc) and it was entertaining. Earlier, we watched a drama about a Japanese girl whose grandmother was Chinese. She went to China to study and recalls her father’s childhood. In the morning, we watched a talk show where the host (a pretty girl) goes to an aquarium where she gets a tour of the sleeping fish tanks and a craw fish has gotten loose and is on the floor (she thinks it’s a piece of trash). When the guide asks her to pick it up and return it, she literally screams as she barely touches it multiple times and gives up. I was laughing out loud.
Afterward, I set off into the bowels of osu to find three stores; the used kimono store okaasan had suggested, the yen=g store (where price = grams of clothing), and another kimono store listed in my guide book. I succeeded in finding one; the one okaasan suggested, and only by chance. I had passed it every time I’ve been to osu because it looks so much like the (tourist) duty-free store. I’m not sure how many times I walked through Osu looking for the other two, but in the end, I decided the guidebook must have just been wrong or lacking.
After this, I attempted to find the robot museum. That was a big part of the day (from about 2:00 to 4:00). I ended up getting literally lost (I was using photographs of my guide book’s maps) and reading the district numbers wrong around nisshiki by Sakae. I had to ask about five people (a girl on a bike, one convenience store clerk, two watchmen; one of which was the Tiffany’s guard, and a SoftBank clerk). Did I mention that the road-name approach to labeling cities is a great idea? Pretty much, the closer you get to your destination, the more detailed the people’s directions get. First I got, “if you go over there, you get to nisshiki,” then I got “if you go over there, you get to block 25,” then “Tiffany’s is on 25, ask about #20 there,” and so on. In the end, the robot museum didn’t exist!!! The SoftBank clerk (and her iPhone) told me that the robot museum had ceased to be. She didn’t know why though.
While I was lost, I found a McDonald’s and decided it was time to try the ebi-fureo. After accidentally dumping all my coins on the floor, I ordered a combo with melon soda. I’ve got to say, the meal itself wasn’t impressive, but on second thought, when you compare it to what you’d get in the US, it was pretty amazing. First of all, the fries (despite having no flavor) were abundant and crunchy. The ebi burger actually looked like the picture with an un-squished bun, non-wilted lettuce, and actual shrimp in the burger. If it was the US, the bun would be flat, the lettuce would be brown, the tartar sauce would either drench the thing or be 99% mayo, and the shrimp would resemble shrimp as much as cheap cold-cuts resemble turkeys and pigs. It was pretty cool too to sit on the second floor and look out over Princess Street (yes, it’s really called that) from a bowed window-wall.
Having failed to find the robot museum, I decided to look for Otsu dori, what my guide book calls the Akihabara of Nagoya/Sakae. After about two “what’s that, do you mean osu?” reactions, I gave up and ended up going to the design building instead. There wasn’t much to do there (and they don’t let you get near the edge of the floor to look from the 11th story, so I decided to go back to Osu to see if the peddlers were having their end-of-the-day super sales. I had missed them (It’s so weird how Osu closes around five even on Saturdays) but that was okay because I was exhausted.
When I got home, I talked with okaasan a bit and showed her my furisode (kimono) upon her surprise at the low price I quoted. I suspected it was a slightly unusual kimono by the fabric, and when okaasan saw it, she called it mezurashii and fushigi (rare and mysterious). I asked if it was weird, but she said “I wouldn’t say so,” so I hope I can pull it off. I’ve never seen a kimono with bunnies (I like the Japanese ones a lot) on it before, so I think it’s a catch.
At dinner, okaasan talked about her friend and talked with otousan about tomorrow’s plans, so I didn’t get much time to say much about my day. The TV was on too, so it didn’t help with talking. I guess it’s okay though. I was pretty tired from walking for about six hours straight and I actually felt like I could fall asleep at the table while okaasan was cooking fried rice and later when we were drinking tea after dinner.
After tea, okaasan and I watched TV, which became more interesting the closer it came to a wise hour for sleeping. Particularly, there was a show called “Wonder Wonder,” which was a talk show that had a surprisingly high percentage of actual documentary footage. This one was on a cave in Mexico where spelunkers have found huge caverns of multi-meter clear crystals (I’m not sure if it’s quartz). It was amazing and beautiful and I was literally in awe. (look it up, you won’t regret it!!!) There was a part where one of the guests got to try on the suits (with inserts for ice sticks all over it) they wear to go in the cavern (because it’s over 30ºc) and it was entertaining. Earlier, we watched a drama about a Japanese girl whose grandmother was Chinese. She went to China to study and recalls her father’s childhood. In the morning, we watched a talk show where the host (a pretty girl) goes to an aquarium where she gets a tour of the sleeping fish tanks and a craw fish has gotten loose and is on the floor (she thinks it’s a piece of trash). When the guide asks her to pick it up and return it, she literally screams as she barely touches it multiple times and gives up. I was laughing out loud.
Friday, April 17, 2009
April 17
Lately, life has entered a kind of repetitive point, so I don’t have much to report on a daily basis. I’ll give some highlights from the days you’ve missed, but mostly it’s a today post.
Okaasan has been gone for the past two days. That has resulted in a very quite house. On the up side, that has also resulted in curry, which I have had a craving for as of late. (: We have curry when okaasan goes away because it is easy to make (for otousan’s sake). The first night though, we had a type of nabe with “hamburger” in it (pot roast, but more soup-like). Japanese hamburger is delicious, though it looks like it would have the disgusting taste of a salisbury steak.
I screwed up my breakfast today by scorching the egg (I think okaasan’s technique of adding water to the hot egg might be to blame) and undercooking my toast, but it all worked out fine. P.S. Toast tastes best when you cook it half-way, add the butter, and then pop it in the toaster oven to finish.
Japanese class started out pretty well. I think I aced my kanji quiz (we’ll see). Afterward, we talked to Japanese people and it was a lot of fun. The ryuugakusei brought in photos taken in Japan and we had a lot to talk about. It was going so well that Takeda sensei (morbidly addicted to rule/schedule following) had to tell us multiple times that class was over and we needed to leave.
After class, I went to the C cafeteria to have mega chicken!!!!! But, I got jumbo chicken instead because it’s cheaper. This time around, I understood tons more Japanese from the cafeteria ladies. :D Somehow though, I think I overate. D: The rest of the day was rather mild. We watched excerpts from Seven Samurai and another old black and white film in Art and Culture class. Old movies move really slowly; the fight scenes aren’t slow par say, but the story itself and the scene-changes are.
After class, I walked toward my eki with my classmates and by chance, JiWei was at the corner when we were!!! I was really surprised to see him, hisashiburi. Apparently, he’s been really busy with school and baito (That seems like a hard combination, especially in Japan). I hope we can meet up and do something during golden week. When we parted, I met back up with my friends at the subway car. I told Keili about JiWei and she made the (seemingly obvious) suggestion of going to the restaurant where JiWei works some time while he’s there. What’s wrong with me that I don’t think about these things myself?
At home, I was surprised to see the Prius in the driveway; okaasan was already home. I gave her an “okaerinasai” and tried to help with dinner, but all that was left to do was serve the rice. We had a nice dinner and I got in on the conversation more than usual. (: We talked a bit about baseball, the olympic location applications, and okaasan’s trip to see her friend. Okaasan brought omamori (charms you buy at shrines) for me. (: It’s a general one (you can get all sorts, especially for children’s safety, driving safety, good grades, etc.) and it’s yellow and pretty. I’ve been thinking about getting one, but I never know which to get (except the school ones, which I wouldn’t carry in a few years probably).
Culture Notes
Japanese apple juice is delicious, as I’ve established strongly. I’m trying to figure out why. First of all, when you pour it, you’ll probably think “What!? This isn’t apple juice, it’s white grapefruit juice,” because instead of the American norm of golden-colored translucent juice, it is slightly opaque and off-white. Second, it’s super-sweet, despite being labelled as 100% juice. I’m guessing the difference is in processing and/or juice blending. I’m not sure if they blend the Japanese juice (I will investigate) but it seems like everything you buy in the US is about 60% grape juice, regardless of the fruit on the label.
If I had to describe Japan in one word, it would have to be “anal.” By no means take that to mean I do not like Japan. I am constantly amazed by the country. However, this aspect of the country is undeniable. Yes, it does manifest itself positively and even productively in many cases, but it also appears in very inconvenient forms. The most frustrating forms are in bureaucracies, where meticulous and redundant procedures must be followed. In some cases, convention must be followed until the last moment possible despite the existence of easier alternatives for the sake of convention. In other cases, it is simply a cultural tendency, such as; waiting to cross empty roads until the light changes, scheduling class lessons down to the minute, and including examples/diagrams for practically everything.
Okaasan has been gone for the past two days. That has resulted in a very quite house. On the up side, that has also resulted in curry, which I have had a craving for as of late. (: We have curry when okaasan goes away because it is easy to make (for otousan’s sake). The first night though, we had a type of nabe with “hamburger” in it (pot roast, but more soup-like). Japanese hamburger is delicious, though it looks like it would have the disgusting taste of a salisbury steak.
I screwed up my breakfast today by scorching the egg (I think okaasan’s technique of adding water to the hot egg might be to blame) and undercooking my toast, but it all worked out fine. P.S. Toast tastes best when you cook it half-way, add the butter, and then pop it in the toaster oven to finish.
Japanese class started out pretty well. I think I aced my kanji quiz (we’ll see). Afterward, we talked to Japanese people and it was a lot of fun. The ryuugakusei brought in photos taken in Japan and we had a lot to talk about. It was going so well that Takeda sensei (morbidly addicted to rule/schedule following) had to tell us multiple times that class was over and we needed to leave.
After class, I went to the C cafeteria to have mega chicken!!!!! But, I got jumbo chicken instead because it’s cheaper. This time around, I understood tons more Japanese from the cafeteria ladies. :D Somehow though, I think I overate. D: The rest of the day was rather mild. We watched excerpts from Seven Samurai and another old black and white film in Art and Culture class. Old movies move really slowly; the fight scenes aren’t slow par say, but the story itself and the scene-changes are.
After class, I walked toward my eki with my classmates and by chance, JiWei was at the corner when we were!!! I was really surprised to see him, hisashiburi. Apparently, he’s been really busy with school and baito (That seems like a hard combination, especially in Japan). I hope we can meet up and do something during golden week. When we parted, I met back up with my friends at the subway car. I told Keili about JiWei and she made the (seemingly obvious) suggestion of going to the restaurant where JiWei works some time while he’s there. What’s wrong with me that I don’t think about these things myself?
At home, I was surprised to see the Prius in the driveway; okaasan was already home. I gave her an “okaerinasai” and tried to help with dinner, but all that was left to do was serve the rice. We had a nice dinner and I got in on the conversation more than usual. (: We talked a bit about baseball, the olympic location applications, and okaasan’s trip to see her friend. Okaasan brought omamori (charms you buy at shrines) for me. (: It’s a general one (you can get all sorts, especially for children’s safety, driving safety, good grades, etc.) and it’s yellow and pretty. I’ve been thinking about getting one, but I never know which to get (except the school ones, which I wouldn’t carry in a few years probably).
Culture Notes
Japanese apple juice is delicious, as I’ve established strongly. I’m trying to figure out why. First of all, when you pour it, you’ll probably think “What!? This isn’t apple juice, it’s white grapefruit juice,” because instead of the American norm of golden-colored translucent juice, it is slightly opaque and off-white. Second, it’s super-sweet, despite being labelled as 100% juice. I’m guessing the difference is in processing and/or juice blending. I’m not sure if they blend the Japanese juice (I will investigate) but it seems like everything you buy in the US is about 60% grape juice, regardless of the fruit on the label.
If I had to describe Japan in one word, it would have to be “anal.” By no means take that to mean I do not like Japan. I am constantly amazed by the country. However, this aspect of the country is undeniable. Yes, it does manifest itself positively and even productively in many cases, but it also appears in very inconvenient forms. The most frustrating forms are in bureaucracies, where meticulous and redundant procedures must be followed. In some cases, convention must be followed until the last moment possible despite the existence of easier alternatives for the sake of convention. In other cases, it is simply a cultural tendency, such as; waiting to cross empty roads until the light changes, scheduling class lessons down to the minute, and including examples/diagrams for practically everything.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
April 14
Today was the second (and final) day of presentations. We got faked out at the end when Tsuda sensei said Hanashiro sensei had a present for us, but it turned out to be homework. Everyone voiced their disappointment. Anna gave me some of her Easter chocolate (I only realized at dinner Sunday that it was Easter) and I wished I was home to get a basket full of candy. When otousan asked about Easter traditions a few weeks earler, I couldn’t think of any, but now the ‘no, duh’ reaction is setting in, and it seems obvious that I should have told him about the scary Easter bunny at the mall and easter baskets. Oh well...
After our presentations, I had hanga, but I forgot my key at home this morning, so I couldn’t get into my locker to get my supplies. I had to start a third print (as a result of circumstances that are keeping me from making the DaftPunk print) and borrow Nee’s knives (which I cut myself with, woo).
It was, of course, raining crazily today. I had some time (and determination) though, so I went to do some shopping in the Yagoto area, since I may be tied up a lot soon. I did get what I set out to get at Jusco (and so cheap!). I also went to ToysRUs to search out cool Japanese toys (there weren’t any). They did have one type of haro’s, but they seemed a bit on the not cool side...
I decided not to go to BookOff (today) because of the rain (and needing to get home at a reasonable hour to help okaasan with dinner). It was a good idea because when I got to the Yagoto station, it was perfect timing to (not rush or wait) board the Toyotashiyuki densha. Woot!
At home, there was a bit of strangeness when okaasan asked me if I helped my mom at home (with dinner), because she thought she couldn’t ask me to help if it wasn’t something I usually did. The weird thing was, she didn’t ask me to do anything out of the ordinary, so I don’t know why she asked me at that point. o_O Okaasan ran out of ocha, so she pulled out (about five) other teas (that she seemed to think inferior) and picked one that was supposed to be macha. It was really good, and at the end, the powder tastes like green tea ice cream without the texture. :D Otousan wanted to make a second cup for himself, so he asked for the cleanest of the used spoons, but when okaasan saw the clean one by his plate, she told him to use it. He didn’t want to because that meant one more thing to wash. It was a kind of funny exchange (in Japanese, of course) and I had to laugh out loud. I wonder if otousan does that kind of thing sometimes on purpose just to get a rile out of okaasan because she gets worked up over everything, it seems.
Okaasan has bought these baklava-like desserts for the last few nights that remind me of Christmas. It’s probably because they’ve got either chestnuts or almonds in them, which my deadly (made in December) cookies have in them too. I told okaasan, and she told me about Japanes Thanksgiving (at the Mariott) that they went to for a host student’s sake. I didn’t think about it, but it’s not really surprising that Japanese people don’t eat turkey normally.
After our presentations, I had hanga, but I forgot my key at home this morning, so I couldn’t get into my locker to get my supplies. I had to start a third print (as a result of circumstances that are keeping me from making the DaftPunk print) and borrow Nee’s knives (which I cut myself with, woo).
It was, of course, raining crazily today. I had some time (and determination) though, so I went to do some shopping in the Yagoto area, since I may be tied up a lot soon. I did get what I set out to get at Jusco (and so cheap!). I also went to ToysRUs to search out cool Japanese toys (there weren’t any). They did have one type of haro’s, but they seemed a bit on the not cool side...
I decided not to go to BookOff (today) because of the rain (and needing to get home at a reasonable hour to help okaasan with dinner). It was a good idea because when I got to the Yagoto station, it was perfect timing to (not rush or wait) board the Toyotashiyuki densha. Woot!
At home, there was a bit of strangeness when okaasan asked me if I helped my mom at home (with dinner), because she thought she couldn’t ask me to help if it wasn’t something I usually did. The weird thing was, she didn’t ask me to do anything out of the ordinary, so I don’t know why she asked me at that point. o_O Okaasan ran out of ocha, so she pulled out (about five) other teas (that she seemed to think inferior) and picked one that was supposed to be macha. It was really good, and at the end, the powder tastes like green tea ice cream without the texture. :D Otousan wanted to make a second cup for himself, so he asked for the cleanest of the used spoons, but when okaasan saw the clean one by his plate, she told him to use it. He didn’t want to because that meant one more thing to wash. It was a kind of funny exchange (in Japanese, of course) and I had to laugh out loud. I wonder if otousan does that kind of thing sometimes on purpose just to get a rile out of okaasan because she gets worked up over everything, it seems.
Okaasan has bought these baklava-like desserts for the last few nights that remind me of Christmas. It’s probably because they’ve got either chestnuts or almonds in them, which my deadly (made in December) cookies have in them too. I told okaasan, and she told me about Japanes Thanksgiving (at the Mariott) that they went to for a host student’s sake. I didn’t think about it, but it’s not really surprising that Japanese people don’t eat turkey normally.
Monday, April 13, 2009
April 13
I spent a lot (most) of yesterday practicing my speech for my group’s presentation today. At one point though, it became so boring (despite me not being finished with the memorization) that I literally fell asleep. I decided to take a nap which lasted a few hours, I think. Long story short, I couldn’t sleep past seven today. I ended up getting up so much earlier than my host family that I was able to empty the dishwasher, set the table, and make my breakfast all before okaasan came downstairs. She was surprised (of course) and by the time otousan came down for breakfast (which has become the middle of my breakfast time since he came back from the hospital) I was finished eating.
The presentation went pretty well, I think. We were the fourth group and I had the most memorized of my group members. I kind of wish they had put a bit more effort into the memorization, but as I said, it went pretty well. The group before us was very unfortunate though. The photographers came in (for the CJS brochure-making) and, with obnoxious flash, photographed the already nervous girl (who went with us to Kakuozan last Saturday) as she spoke for her group. She looked like she was going to cry and the camera man was either oblivious or a complete jerk, because he just kept snapping. We already felt a bit strange because of the posters that were put up weeks earlier to encourage Japanes students to come see our speeches (the advertisement made us sound like exotic zoo animals rather than fellow students). Other than that though, it was nice not to have Japanese class or get homework. :D
At the end, we were given sheets of paper to sign up for the IJ400 party the week after next. I can’t cook, but DonWong and another guy from class can (and want to) play guitar, so I’m going to sing and we are going to perform as a band (minus the drummer). We may not be Japanese, but we are going to play Japanese music, so that’s half of the dream realized...
Afterward, we had shoudo, where we are designing our name seals. The hardest part is deciding on kanji. D: After shoudo, of course, was history. The photographer came again, and the whole time he was there, I couldn’t focus.
The presentation went pretty well, I think. We were the fourth group and I had the most memorized of my group members. I kind of wish they had put a bit more effort into the memorization, but as I said, it went pretty well. The group before us was very unfortunate though. The photographers came in (for the CJS brochure-making) and, with obnoxious flash, photographed the already nervous girl (who went with us to Kakuozan last Saturday) as she spoke for her group. She looked like she was going to cry and the camera man was either oblivious or a complete jerk, because he just kept snapping. We already felt a bit strange because of the posters that were put up weeks earlier to encourage Japanes students to come see our speeches (the advertisement made us sound like exotic zoo animals rather than fellow students). Other than that though, it was nice not to have Japanese class or get homework. :D
At the end, we were given sheets of paper to sign up for the IJ400 party the week after next. I can’t cook, but DonWong and another guy from class can (and want to) play guitar, so I’m going to sing and we are going to perform as a band (minus the drummer). We may not be Japanese, but we are going to play Japanese music, so that’s half of the dream realized...
Afterward, we had shoudo, where we are designing our name seals. The hardest part is deciding on kanji. D: After shoudo, of course, was history. The photographer came again, and the whole time he was there, I couldn’t focus.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
April 11
I haven’t been posting for a while because things seem so busy! I will try to make some sense of the last few days.
I went to Kakuozan with Nee and DonWong because it was Kakuozan matsuri. I wanted to go back to the bookstore that we had done the interview at because I thought I wanted to buy some of the Russian Lenin pins. It was really hot!!! It seems that the day it turned to June was the day the cold weather ended and the Summer heat began. At one point, I was worried about getting sunburn. D: I walked from Nagoya Daigaku eki (past Nagoya Daigaku, which I probably should have chosen over Nanzan judging by its campus’s resemblence to State).
After walking around the Kakuozan street to the jinja (which was filled with non-Japan-teki peddlers for the matsuri) I met up with Nee and we subsequently found DonWong and one of our other classmates. We walked around the booths (the peddlers recoginzed me as a foreinger and the girl who came by earlier) and up to the jinja. It was really pretty because the cherry blossoms were falling (like snow). On the way back down to the main street, I tried to make a final decision on a used furisoda (kimono with really long sleeves) I wasn’t sure about buying. It resulted in a kimono-clad Japanese girl getting the stall owner to put it on me. They kept telling me it looked good, but I was worried about the spots on it, so I told them, and they told me no one would notice and that was why it was cheap. I wasn’t sold. d: When it became three-thirty, I headed to the bookstore to check out the pins (the owner didn’t recognize me and I wasn’t sold on the pins either) and headed home.
I had to be home by five because ryoushin were taking me to a traditional Japanese restaurant and hanami. I didn’t know that that meant a fancy restaurant, (and okaasan didn’t suggest I change) so I felt a bit underdressed when I got there. We had delicous bento-style dentoutekinatabemono. There were about a billion small dishes, most of which I didn’t really know the contents of. What I could figure out was; a small scrambled egg, nigiri sushi, sashimi, greens, green mochi-like something, a slice of sweet potato, a fish, rice, water-like soup with a shrimp cake in it, dango, the egg-chicken thing, and some kind of seafood salad. I wanted to eat it all really slowly, but ryoushin eat fast and I thought it would be really awkward in public to eat by myself for much time afterward. I had a bit of trouble figuring out what to do with the soy sauce for the sashimi because the dish has what looks like a spout, so I figured you pour the soy sauce. Luckily, I gave okaasan an inquiring look and she told me to do it the opposite way. I guess the ‘spout’ is so you can put your hashi in the dish horizantal to the table. The sashimi dish was triangular and tall too, so it was really hard to get the food out. Okaasan decided that it was also the time to tell me that I was holding my chopsticks wrong, so I had 3x the difficulty trying to eat the sashimi (not to mention she told me not to pull it apart, which happened as an unfortunate coincidence of the meat under its own weight) as both of my parents tried to teach me on the spot. We had green tea ice cream with sakura mochi and strawberries on top for dessert, which melted too fast for the flat ‘spoons’ we were given. The dinner was delicious, but unbearably awkward.
Afterward, we went to the nearby river bank to look at the (unfortunately partially-spent and unlit) sakura. Okaasan was sad about it (I felt very bad too). She had to be at the hospital with Otousan or other engagements so much lately, that she hasn’t gotten to see the sakura this year. We did encounter a really friendly corgey which loved my host father and me (the first living thing in the pets/kids category since I got here that hasn’t been frightened by me). I think it made him really happy since he seemed to love his former corgey.
I went to Kakuozan with Nee and DonWong because it was Kakuozan matsuri. I wanted to go back to the bookstore that we had done the interview at because I thought I wanted to buy some of the Russian Lenin pins. It was really hot!!! It seems that the day it turned to June was the day the cold weather ended and the Summer heat began. At one point, I was worried about getting sunburn. D: I walked from Nagoya Daigaku eki (past Nagoya Daigaku, which I probably should have chosen over Nanzan judging by its campus’s resemblence to State).
After walking around the Kakuozan street to the jinja (which was filled with non-Japan-teki peddlers for the matsuri) I met up with Nee and we subsequently found DonWong and one of our other classmates. We walked around the booths (the peddlers recoginzed me as a foreinger and the girl who came by earlier) and up to the jinja. It was really pretty because the cherry blossoms were falling (like snow). On the way back down to the main street, I tried to make a final decision on a used furisoda (kimono with really long sleeves) I wasn’t sure about buying. It resulted in a kimono-clad Japanese girl getting the stall owner to put it on me. They kept telling me it looked good, but I was worried about the spots on it, so I told them, and they told me no one would notice and that was why it was cheap. I wasn’t sold. d: When it became three-thirty, I headed to the bookstore to check out the pins (the owner didn’t recognize me and I wasn’t sold on the pins either) and headed home.
I had to be home by five because ryoushin were taking me to a traditional Japanese restaurant and hanami. I didn’t know that that meant a fancy restaurant, (and okaasan didn’t suggest I change) so I felt a bit underdressed when I got there. We had delicous bento-style dentoutekinatabemono. There were about a billion small dishes, most of which I didn’t really know the contents of. What I could figure out was; a small scrambled egg, nigiri sushi, sashimi, greens, green mochi-like something, a slice of sweet potato, a fish, rice, water-like soup with a shrimp cake in it, dango, the egg-chicken thing, and some kind of seafood salad. I wanted to eat it all really slowly, but ryoushin eat fast and I thought it would be really awkward in public to eat by myself for much time afterward. I had a bit of trouble figuring out what to do with the soy sauce for the sashimi because the dish has what looks like a spout, so I figured you pour the soy sauce. Luckily, I gave okaasan an inquiring look and she told me to do it the opposite way. I guess the ‘spout’ is so you can put your hashi in the dish horizantal to the table. The sashimi dish was triangular and tall too, so it was really hard to get the food out. Okaasan decided that it was also the time to tell me that I was holding my chopsticks wrong, so I had 3x the difficulty trying to eat the sashimi (not to mention she told me not to pull it apart, which happened as an unfortunate coincidence of the meat under its own weight) as both of my parents tried to teach me on the spot. We had green tea ice cream with sakura mochi and strawberries on top for dessert, which melted too fast for the flat ‘spoons’ we were given. The dinner was delicious, but unbearably awkward.
Afterward, we went to the nearby river bank to look at the (unfortunately partially-spent and unlit) sakura. Okaasan was sad about it (I felt very bad too). She had to be at the hospital with Otousan or other engagements so much lately, that she hasn’t gotten to see the sakura this year. We did encounter a really friendly corgey which loved my host father and me (the first living thing in the pets/kids category since I got here that hasn’t been frightened by me). I think it made him really happy since he seemed to love his former corgey.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
April 9
Class was a little long today. We got to practice our speeches (more like a tech check) and I got a little carried away with the extendo-pointer disguised as a pen. Afterward, I had to waste time (and use e-mail to overcome the limits of my circumstances) because I could not use the fully functioning computers in the J building (all classrooms were full until 3 due to classes). I had to use the CJS computers (which only allow internet explorer use and no other programs), then wait in a crowded room for a computer to free up so I could format and print my paper for tomorrow.
Hanami was awesome today after a long day of school (and an unexpectedly long nap). I was debating whether to go at all because of a few reasons, the biggest of which being the cost, but in the end, I decided to go. I was a little confused about the directions my friend gave me, so I asked my host father about getting to Tsurumai Koen, and whether it even existed. However, it all worked out and I was only late (despite a 40-minute miscalculation) by about two minutes. At the park, Mike’s host father had brought dango, sushi (sashimi and Setsubun types), onigiri, oranges, strawberries, tomatoes, and lots of beer, all set on mats in picnic style. I didn’t drink, so I compensated (upon suggestion) by eating lost of delicious food.
After a lot of eating (and drinking) some of us (there were about 14 in all) went to the nearby dirt field (grass is too expensive to maintain) to play frisbee. After that, we raided the nearby playground, which was fun for us though we’re about twice the demographics' age. In particular, there was a slide made up of cylinders that spin as you go down (like a factory ramp), which makes it more fun (and reduces the friction considerably).
We were going to look at the koi afterward (Grey told me all about his immortal goldfish), but Mike’s dad called us back and we hung around the picnic area. We didn’t really do much hanami, but we ended up meeting a lot of interesting Japanese people. There were a few college-age Japanese musicians who played American songs (and asked for tips in the American way). Mike’s otousan also seemed good at getting Japanese ladies to introduce themselves to (and take pictures with) us. When some of the people were really drunk, Mike and I smashed beer cans with our shoes. The most fun part though was when we were invited to sit and talk with a bunch of 24-ish Japanese people. They tried to teach us Japanese slang, gave us pocky, and invited us to see their band on May 4 at the Tightrope venue. Everyone was really drunk and when the Japanese people and the exchange students found things (usually obscure bands and movies) that they both liked, they got really loud. It was a lot of fun though, and I really do think I’d like to see their band and talk with them more, whether they’re sober or not. Perhaps this kind of thing could happen in the US, but it seems more safe in Japan, and there’s a certain celebrity-esque heightened interest in foreigners that seems to make Japanese people easier to mingle with (in a few situations including this one).
When it was time to go, I found that the entrance to the subway was closed, and got a bit nervous. I told Mike and his dad, and they agreed to wait for me while I checked another entrance. I thought I might have to ride the train back (not a problem, unless I ran out of time) so I checked the train schedule, but while I was doing that, a Japanese man (without me telling him anything) pointed me in the right direction to the other subway entrance, which was just beyond the train station. I had to go downstairs to check (far into the earth), so I called Mike when I found out I had not missed my last train. I was very grateful to his dad for offering to wait (and drive me in the case of me missing my train) and I found myself speaking surprisingly more quickly and clearly in Japanese on the phone (when I told them) than usual. When I called my host mother though, I started messing up again. d:
Hanami was awesome today after a long day of school (and an unexpectedly long nap). I was debating whether to go at all because of a few reasons, the biggest of which being the cost, but in the end, I decided to go. I was a little confused about the directions my friend gave me, so I asked my host father about getting to Tsurumai Koen, and whether it even existed. However, it all worked out and I was only late (despite a 40-minute miscalculation) by about two minutes. At the park, Mike’s host father had brought dango, sushi (sashimi and Setsubun types), onigiri, oranges, strawberries, tomatoes, and lots of beer, all set on mats in picnic style. I didn’t drink, so I compensated (upon suggestion) by eating lost of delicious food.
After a lot of eating (and drinking) some of us (there were about 14 in all) went to the nearby dirt field (grass is too expensive to maintain) to play frisbee. After that, we raided the nearby playground, which was fun for us though we’re about twice the demographics' age. In particular, there was a slide made up of cylinders that spin as you go down (like a factory ramp), which makes it more fun (and reduces the friction considerably).
We were going to look at the koi afterward (Grey told me all about his immortal goldfish), but Mike’s dad called us back and we hung around the picnic area. We didn’t really do much hanami, but we ended up meeting a lot of interesting Japanese people. There were a few college-age Japanese musicians who played American songs (and asked for tips in the American way). Mike’s otousan also seemed good at getting Japanese ladies to introduce themselves to (and take pictures with) us. When some of the people were really drunk, Mike and I smashed beer cans with our shoes. The most fun part though was when we were invited to sit and talk with a bunch of 24-ish Japanese people. They tried to teach us Japanese slang, gave us pocky, and invited us to see their band on May 4 at the Tightrope venue. Everyone was really drunk and when the Japanese people and the exchange students found things (usually obscure bands and movies) that they both liked, they got really loud. It was a lot of fun though, and I really do think I’d like to see their band and talk with them more, whether they’re sober or not. Perhaps this kind of thing could happen in the US, but it seems more safe in Japan, and there’s a certain celebrity-esque heightened interest in foreigners that seems to make Japanese people easier to mingle with (in a few situations including this one).
When it was time to go, I found that the entrance to the subway was closed, and got a bit nervous. I told Mike and his dad, and they agreed to wait for me while I checked another entrance. I thought I might have to ride the train back (not a problem, unless I ran out of time) so I checked the train schedule, but while I was doing that, a Japanese man (without me telling him anything) pointed me in the right direction to the other subway entrance, which was just beyond the train station. I had to go downstairs to check (far into the earth), so I called Mike when I found out I had not missed my last train. I was very grateful to his dad for offering to wait (and drive me in the case of me missing my train) and I found myself speaking surprisingly more quickly and clearly in Japanese on the phone (when I told them) than usual. When I called my host mother though, I started messing up again. d:
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
April 8
No post for yesterday, just some highlights. On the way to school, an imparred Japanese man (slightly shorter than me with my boots) got on, saw the curry pan (bread) from okaasan that I was holding, and decided that he would talk to me until his stop. I couldn’t understand him well because he seemed to have a speech impediment, but I think he was explaining his commuter pass to me. All of the other people on the train seemed to be acting like their normal unseeing selves in fear of also being talked to. I honestly tried to listen to the guy, though I had to stare off into space a few times to make sure he didn’t think I was too interested, but I repeated the things he said that I understood (a few eki names) and I think he was just happy not to be ignored. I had to laugh it off (literally) afterward though because it was truly an “only in Japan” experience.
At dinner, everyone made a small mistake; I dropped my hashi on the floor, otousan spilled my macha, and okaasan also dropped something. The interesting part of dinner though was when okaasan got her revenge on otousan. Last night, otousan had apparently asked for the total remaining amount of macha, but okaasan wanted part. Today, she decided to give all of it to him, despite the fact that it didn’t really fit in his cup. She filled it literally to the brim so he would have to spill it when he picked it up. Otousan seemed genuinely amused though, so it’s all good. I felt a bit bad about wasting macha, but really, it’s just water with (delicious) leaves in it, so it’s not too bad...
As for today...
I thought it would be a boring day today, but it turned out pretty good. I did have a lull in productivity for a while that wasn’t helped by the overheated computer room, but other than that...
I woke up a half-hour early today for unknown reasons. I really don’t have anything to do with myself if I work outside my host parents’ schedule, so I went back to sleep. When I did wake up and went down to breakfast, otousan had breakfast with okaasan and I, which is mezurashii because he usually eats later. That, of course, meant I got to be sent to school by both of my parents. (:
Today was the day to get my Lawson’s plate because, on the way to class, Dan gave me the last point I needed. I was ecstatic throughout our class. Before I could get my plate though, we took a practice Level 3 Japanese proficiency test (Level 1 is the hardest). I screwed up, I think, because I didn’t pay as much attention as I should have, but if the real test is that easy, I might as well take it one time (you only need 70% anyway) to put on my resumé. Our second class was with Fukatomi Sensei (I’ve gotten over her ne’s and I really like her as an instructor now) and we discussed holidays in Japan and America.
After class though, it was straight to Lawson’s, where the clerk (surprisingly slowly) counted my points and handed me the plate. I went to put it in my locker, and on the way, a Japanese guy with flippy hair came running after me to give me a handball club flyer. That was pretty awesome because none of the other club representatives (except the one I met at coffee hour) would give me flyers when I walked by, let alone chase me for it. When I got to the locker room, I found the 50en I thought I had lost (my coat pocket emptied itself yesterday), yatta!
Many hours later, I went to represent my school at the study abroad fair. I thought it would be lame because I hadn’t brought any memorabilia, and yappari, the materials I was provided with (a false saving grace) were for UNC. What!? (If you don’t know, that’s our rival school). It was okay though, because the girls who came to hear about my (and Eric’s Canadian) school were more interested in American (continent) customs and sight-seeing. It was fun to just talk (in a mix of Japanese and English) about dialects, food, scary movies, etc. I must hand it to Eric though for being pretty smooth because he succeeded in giving his e-mail address (and almost his phone number) to the girls, as well as inviting them to ‘just hang out some time’ without them running away. Stay away from Canadian guys.... D:
After that fun, I rode the chikatetsu home with Daun and her roommate, who are far better at Japanese than me. They’re really nice and I like hanging with them, but I wish I didn’t seem so inadequate by comparison.
When I got home, there was a little confusion about the donuts I had bought for my host family (I felt bad for eating okaasan’s curry pan and the last donut, though they were offered to me) because my host mom asked me if she had to pay me. It was okay though. She seemed a bit confused too though when I came in just to show her the plate I had gotten.
When I came to help with dinner, I ran out of things to do, so I tried cleaning the dishes, and okaasan explained her scorched pan to me. She had her once-per-year mistake of burning the cabbage into the pot. She thought the damage was irreversible, but I saved her pot for her. (:
At dinner, we talked about the previous host students (I’m about number 10). Okaasan and otousan have hosted a lot of types of people. Okaasan thinks guys are too much trouble to host (especially French ones). She made cheeseless quiche again (: and pulled out a book from a previous student which was of Outer Banks recipes. I had a slightly hard time explaining to otousan what the outer banks were. We talked so much (and I ate so slowly) that I think okaasan excused herself from the table before otousan (and definitely I) were bored of talking. I’m glad though that we’re talking more. (:
At dinner, everyone made a small mistake; I dropped my hashi on the floor, otousan spilled my macha, and okaasan also dropped something. The interesting part of dinner though was when okaasan got her revenge on otousan. Last night, otousan had apparently asked for the total remaining amount of macha, but okaasan wanted part. Today, she decided to give all of it to him, despite the fact that it didn’t really fit in his cup. She filled it literally to the brim so he would have to spill it when he picked it up. Otousan seemed genuinely amused though, so it’s all good. I felt a bit bad about wasting macha, but really, it’s just water with (delicious) leaves in it, so it’s not too bad...
As for today...
I thought it would be a boring day today, but it turned out pretty good. I did have a lull in productivity for a while that wasn’t helped by the overheated computer room, but other than that...
I woke up a half-hour early today for unknown reasons. I really don’t have anything to do with myself if I work outside my host parents’ schedule, so I went back to sleep. When I did wake up and went down to breakfast, otousan had breakfast with okaasan and I, which is mezurashii because he usually eats later. That, of course, meant I got to be sent to school by both of my parents. (:
Today was the day to get my Lawson’s plate because, on the way to class, Dan gave me the last point I needed. I was ecstatic throughout our class. Before I could get my plate though, we took a practice Level 3 Japanese proficiency test (Level 1 is the hardest). I screwed up, I think, because I didn’t pay as much attention as I should have, but if the real test is that easy, I might as well take it one time (you only need 70% anyway) to put on my resumé. Our second class was with Fukatomi Sensei (I’ve gotten over her ne’s and I really like her as an instructor now) and we discussed holidays in Japan and America.
After class though, it was straight to Lawson’s, where the clerk (surprisingly slowly) counted my points and handed me the plate. I went to put it in my locker, and on the way, a Japanese guy with flippy hair came running after me to give me a handball club flyer. That was pretty awesome because none of the other club representatives (except the one I met at coffee hour) would give me flyers when I walked by, let alone chase me for it. When I got to the locker room, I found the 50en I thought I had lost (my coat pocket emptied itself yesterday), yatta!
Many hours later, I went to represent my school at the study abroad fair. I thought it would be lame because I hadn’t brought any memorabilia, and yappari, the materials I was provided with (a false saving grace) were for UNC. What!? (If you don’t know, that’s our rival school). It was okay though, because the girls who came to hear about my (and Eric’s Canadian) school were more interested in American (continent) customs and sight-seeing. It was fun to just talk (in a mix of Japanese and English) about dialects, food, scary movies, etc. I must hand it to Eric though for being pretty smooth because he succeeded in giving his e-mail address (and almost his phone number) to the girls, as well as inviting them to ‘just hang out some time’ without them running away. Stay away from Canadian guys.... D:
After that fun, I rode the chikatetsu home with Daun and her roommate, who are far better at Japanese than me. They’re really nice and I like hanging with them, but I wish I didn’t seem so inadequate by comparison.
When I got home, there was a little confusion about the donuts I had bought for my host family (I felt bad for eating okaasan’s curry pan and the last donut, though they were offered to me) because my host mom asked me if she had to pay me. It was okay though. She seemed a bit confused too though when I came in just to show her the plate I had gotten.
When I came to help with dinner, I ran out of things to do, so I tried cleaning the dishes, and okaasan explained her scorched pan to me. She had her once-per-year mistake of burning the cabbage into the pot. She thought the damage was irreversible, but I saved her pot for her. (:
At dinner, we talked about the previous host students (I’m about number 10). Okaasan and otousan have hosted a lot of types of people. Okaasan thinks guys are too much trouble to host (especially French ones). She made cheeseless quiche again (: and pulled out a book from a previous student which was of Outer Banks recipes. I had a slightly hard time explaining to otousan what the outer banks were. We talked so much (and I ate so slowly) that I think okaasan excused herself from the table before otousan (and definitely I) were bored of talking. I’m glad though that we’re talking more. (:
Monday, April 6, 2009
April 6
I woke up as usual and saw okaasan off (she was going to pick otousan up from the hospital) in the morning before making my breakfast and catching the train. At the station, there were people handing out papers (and a woman speaking through a bullhorn). I responded to their greetings with an ohayougozaimasu, and when I politely declined their papers, the men in suits offering them seemed surprised and asked “nani?”
At school, I took the weekly tango test (and made one minor error). Class wasn’t bad, but I screwed up during Takeda Sensei’s class, of course. During our break, I made a Lawson’s run to get another point for my point card. I asked Daun to mamoru (protect) my danish while I went to wash my hands, and she literally did (thank you!) because the guys from class wanted to eat it.
As for the Lawson’s points, it’s a marketing ploy, and I’ve been sucked in. I blame it partially on my friend who got me started by having a quarter of the work done for me. So, Lawson’s has a promotion where if you collect twenty points, you can get a ceramic plate with a bear (the famous Rirakuma) on it. The way to get points is to buy pasteries and/or sandwiches (with stickers on them) from Lawson’s. The down-side (since I usually buy pastery-like items for lunch anyway) is that Lawson’s is slightly more expensive than Valor’s and much cheaper quality. The up-side is that Anna gave me five points and that I can get points from some of my other friends when they shop at Lawson’s (especially since there’s one in the cafeteria). The other down-side is that two of my friends are also collecting stickers (points).
After class was lunch and on my way back from buying it, I heard music from one of the many lives we will be having on campus this (and hopefully next) week for the freshmen. The band (Hello Music) was playing a cover of Funny Bunny by The Pillows and I was torn because I had to go to class (and I had missed most of the song) and couldn’t stay to watch much. I had miscalculated though, so I ended up with time to talk to my friends in the States (It’s been forever!) before calligraphy.
Calligraphy was predictably frustrating, but we had a lot of freedom in choosing what to write, so it didn’t get very boring before I ran out of time. Afterward was history, which concerned an interesting part of Japanese history (article 9 of their constitution), but our instructor proceeded to run it into the ground. I don’t think he’s a bad person or even a horrible instructor (I know I’ve had much worse) but he seems a bit indecisive and more interested in what we think than in presenting the facts. I’m all for talking about what we think, but the problem is that he doesn’t lecture (clearly) first, so we don’t have anything to think about. I do like his impressions of Kim Jung Il and his masses though.
Miura sensei (my history instructor) brought something to my attention that I had not noticed. As compared to the US, you never see Japanese military members in uniform in public. There haven’t been many times that I’ve seen US military members in uniform (excluding my extensive experiences with ROTC) in person, but in Japan, you don’t see them at all because it’s a shameful profession, or so I’m told. According to our professor, military members are ashamed because they are potentially violating the Japanese constitution, which says Japan will have no “war potential.” I find it kind of ridiculous because the concern is in breaking the law, but the government (which makes laws) is the body that controls the military. I’m guessing it’s because of international pressures and treaties, but I’m not sure. I might make it my term paper theme...
On the way home, I took pictures of the cherry blossoms in the small park in my neighborhood. I wanted to take one of the cute little girl on the jungle-gym under the trees, but there were people around and I worried that they would worry if I took the picture. That’s okay though, because I found chickens! One of the houses has clucking chickens (that’s how I found them) in a coupe in the back yard. I’ll have to ask okaasan about it...
I must say that today was pretty awesome in terms of my host family. I got home and cleaned my room for catharsis (class was pretty boring, so I needed to feel accomplished). I was able to help okaasan with dinner without asking to (she had said it was weird that I asked every time) and we even talked a bit while she cooked. When Otousan came in, we exchanged greetings and all three of us had a pretty good conversation about the matsuri I had been to, Japanese McDonald’s, and other things. We watched the news about Korea’s missiles among other topics, but it was pretty entertaining (despite the serious tone) because okaasan likes to make fun of the politicians (especially Aso and Kim Jung Il) for looking and acting strangely. Everyone was in good spirits, especially otousan. At one point after dinner, he noticed that okaasan had forgotten to cap the macha and pointed it out; I think he made a joke about his sight (I think he’s still recovering from the surgery) and the fact that he was the one who could see the mistake. He laughed harder than I’ve ever heard him. Okaasan bought Mr Donut’s too (since my response to her saying her friend’s pastries were too sweet was ‘American donuts are probably the most sweet thing I’ve eaten’) and we all tried them. I almost tried the curry pan (curry bread that looks like a jelly donut) that was also in the donut box, but okaasan saved me. In Japan, muffins are apparently also donuts, so I had one, and it was a pretty good muffin, I must say. Otousan offered me half of the box of donuts, but I told him I couldn’t eat that many. In short, we had a really nice family dinner. :D
At school, I took the weekly tango test (and made one minor error). Class wasn’t bad, but I screwed up during Takeda Sensei’s class, of course. During our break, I made a Lawson’s run to get another point for my point card. I asked Daun to mamoru (protect) my danish while I went to wash my hands, and she literally did (thank you!) because the guys from class wanted to eat it.
As for the Lawson’s points, it’s a marketing ploy, and I’ve been sucked in. I blame it partially on my friend who got me started by having a quarter of the work done for me. So, Lawson’s has a promotion where if you collect twenty points, you can get a ceramic plate with a bear (the famous Rirakuma) on it. The way to get points is to buy pasteries and/or sandwiches (with stickers on them) from Lawson’s. The down-side (since I usually buy pastery-like items for lunch anyway) is that Lawson’s is slightly more expensive than Valor’s and much cheaper quality. The up-side is that Anna gave me five points and that I can get points from some of my other friends when they shop at Lawson’s (especially since there’s one in the cafeteria). The other down-side is that two of my friends are also collecting stickers (points).
After class was lunch and on my way back from buying it, I heard music from one of the many lives we will be having on campus this (and hopefully next) week for the freshmen. The band (Hello Music) was playing a cover of Funny Bunny by The Pillows and I was torn because I had to go to class (and I had missed most of the song) and couldn’t stay to watch much. I had miscalculated though, so I ended up with time to talk to my friends in the States (It’s been forever!) before calligraphy.
Calligraphy was predictably frustrating, but we had a lot of freedom in choosing what to write, so it didn’t get very boring before I ran out of time. Afterward was history, which concerned an interesting part of Japanese history (article 9 of their constitution), but our instructor proceeded to run it into the ground. I don’t think he’s a bad person or even a horrible instructor (I know I’ve had much worse) but he seems a bit indecisive and more interested in what we think than in presenting the facts. I’m all for talking about what we think, but the problem is that he doesn’t lecture (clearly) first, so we don’t have anything to think about. I do like his impressions of Kim Jung Il and his masses though.
Miura sensei (my history instructor) brought something to my attention that I had not noticed. As compared to the US, you never see Japanese military members in uniform in public. There haven’t been many times that I’ve seen US military members in uniform (excluding my extensive experiences with ROTC) in person, but in Japan, you don’t see them at all because it’s a shameful profession, or so I’m told. According to our professor, military members are ashamed because they are potentially violating the Japanese constitution, which says Japan will have no “war potential.” I find it kind of ridiculous because the concern is in breaking the law, but the government (which makes laws) is the body that controls the military. I’m guessing it’s because of international pressures and treaties, but I’m not sure. I might make it my term paper theme...
On the way home, I took pictures of the cherry blossoms in the small park in my neighborhood. I wanted to take one of the cute little girl on the jungle-gym under the trees, but there were people around and I worried that they would worry if I took the picture. That’s okay though, because I found chickens! One of the houses has clucking chickens (that’s how I found them) in a coupe in the back yard. I’ll have to ask okaasan about it...
I must say that today was pretty awesome in terms of my host family. I got home and cleaned my room for catharsis (class was pretty boring, so I needed to feel accomplished). I was able to help okaasan with dinner without asking to (she had said it was weird that I asked every time) and we even talked a bit while she cooked. When Otousan came in, we exchanged greetings and all three of us had a pretty good conversation about the matsuri I had been to, Japanese McDonald’s, and other things. We watched the news about Korea’s missiles among other topics, but it was pretty entertaining (despite the serious tone) because okaasan likes to make fun of the politicians (especially Aso and Kim Jung Il) for looking and acting strangely. Everyone was in good spirits, especially otousan. At one point after dinner, he noticed that okaasan had forgotten to cap the macha and pointed it out; I think he made a joke about his sight (I think he’s still recovering from the surgery) and the fact that he was the one who could see the mistake. He laughed harder than I’ve ever heard him. Okaasan bought Mr Donut’s too (since my response to her saying her friend’s pastries were too sweet was ‘American donuts are probably the most sweet thing I’ve eaten’) and we all tried them. I almost tried the curry pan (curry bread that looks like a jelly donut) that was also in the donut box, but okaasan saved me. In Japan, muffins are apparently also donuts, so I had one, and it was a pretty good muffin, I must say. Otousan offered me half of the box of donuts, but I told him I couldn’t eat that many. In short, we had a really nice family dinner. :D
Sunday, April 5, 2009
April 5
Today, I got up before my alarm, which is ridiculous for a weekend. I went down to make breakfast and okaasan told me about a lot of places around Nagoya that I should go to. I can’t remember any of them, unfortunately. Earlier this week, I picked up a book of things going on in Nagoya and there were a few matsuri that looked interesting and were going on today. I was so-so on going, but with the rate at which my host mother encourages me to leave the house, I decided to go to the Okazaki Ieyasu Parade. Okaasan told me that Okazaki Koen was popular with gaijin and that it was really pretty for seeing sakura, but not much else. Luckily, she was wrong. I’m really glad I went (and that I didn’t call anyone to come with me, though okaasan suggested it). The only thing that kind of bothers me is the $10 train ride. D: I tried to listen to okaasan when she gave me directions, but I kept messing up when I repeated what she had said, so she wrote it down for me (thank you!!!).
I managed to get to kanayama for my subway-to-train transfer, but I have to say, the trains are a bit confusing, seeing as they list the arrival times of trains at platforms they are not coming to. I had to ask directions of train employees a few times (which I’m getting good at), though they were guys (despite okaasan telling me to ask directions of girls for my safety d:).
I arrived at okazaki a little after 1:30, and I didn’t know where to go, but luckily, I could just follow the crowds. I even found myself staying in the flow of human traffic while I looked elsewhere. I had seen the many people picnicking on the delta in the river of the park from the train, but when I got there myself, it was even more interesting. The park was filled with stalls selling traditional Japanese fair food. I’ve got to list it because Japanese fair food is so cool. First, tako; (squid) you can get it whole on a skewer, or as takoyaki (minced, or tiny tako in a ball of dough, like stuffed clams). Potatoes; corkscrew-cut and deep-fried, normal fries, sweet potato fries, or cut open and covered with butter. Okonomiyaki; hiroshima-style with a crepe on top, or kansai style with the egg throughout. I can’t remember the name, but soft-pretzel-like fish-shaped cakes with an (sweet bean), custard, or chocolate inside are very prevalent. There’s also karaage (fried chicken), oysters, clams, crokets, all sorts of mochi (deep-fried, dango, actual mochi). As far as possible Western foods; cotton candy, corn-dogs, non-breaded corn-dogs, candy fruits, chocolate-dipped bananas. There’s also gyros (just one stall though). I only tried one thing, but it was delicious. It was apparently something made-up, because it had a long description by the booth, but from what I can understand, it’s like mochi with tuna and possibly onion and lettuce chopped up and mixed in. The ball of dough is put on a grill, flattened a bit, and served when it’s a bit brown. It was like a cross between nikuman and okonomiyaki (with no sauce).
As for the rest of the matsuri, there were three attractions to watch. One was the group dance competition. Some of the dances were interesting, and the costumes were pretty cool because they were usually Japanese-y, but it seemed like a cheerleaders’ competition, so I didn’t watch much. The second performance was the horse-back archery competition. That, I must say, was pretty awesome. Guys and girls competed in traditional costume on galloping horses. It was really fast, and if you blinked, you missed it.
The main attraction, of course, was the reenactment of one of Tokugawa Ieyasu’s battles. I had missed the parade of all the members through the streets, but it was okay because I was fortunate to get a center-seat on the steps in front of the battle ground. According to the flyer that gave me the idea to even go, there were over a thousand members in the reenactment. Many of them were children (in full samurai gear) and there were lots of segments including the demonstration of the samurais’ attack methods, a battle between samurai and ninja, fireworks (in the day), and of course; the huge armies themselves. It was really amazing, and I had a lot of fun just watching. I almost cried at one point though I was really enthused (I’m not sure why that happened).
Afterward, there was a huge exodus along the narrow bridge that crossed the river. I found it a bit ironic because the larger bridge down the street was pretty easy to walk. First though, there were pictures to take (especially with Ieyasu). As it turned out, a lot of the re-enactors were not Japanese at all. Some were even Western!
After the battle, I made my way back up the hill that led to the battle ground, and I found myself at the foot of a castle. I decided to go up (since it was so pretty) but not to go into it (because of the entrance fee). I walked around the grounds too and it was a really nice hanami (chance to look at the cherry blossoms) not to mention a pretty area.
When it was time to leave, I had a slight concern in the back of my head about having gotten lost since the park is pretty big, but I had a Joe day, and without really thinking about it, decided that I needed to go in one direction and ended up in at the station. The train ride home was a bit hard to navigate again, but I managed to make it (without even asking directions). When I got home, however, I found I had forgotten my key, and had a bit of confusion with okaasan about it. I called the house phone from the front steps, didn’t get an answer, waited about 20 minutes, and called again, at which point I was let in. I think there was something going on with the phone because okaasan asked me if I had called earlier and had the call answered by someone else, and long story short, trying to explain it all in Japanese didn’t work so well.
Either way, okaasan had delicious food waiting for me and I ate while she watched a drama about samurai (ironic!). The matsuri I was at came on TV at one point, and we got to talk about it a bit. Otousan is coming home tomorrow and okaasan is going to pick him up, so I’ll be on my own tomorrow morning, which okaasan is worried about, but I assured her multiple times that I will be okay.
I managed to get to kanayama for my subway-to-train transfer, but I have to say, the trains are a bit confusing, seeing as they list the arrival times of trains at platforms they are not coming to. I had to ask directions of train employees a few times (which I’m getting good at), though they were guys (despite okaasan telling me to ask directions of girls for my safety d:).
I arrived at okazaki a little after 1:30, and I didn’t know where to go, but luckily, I could just follow the crowds. I even found myself staying in the flow of human traffic while I looked elsewhere. I had seen the many people picnicking on the delta in the river of the park from the train, but when I got there myself, it was even more interesting. The park was filled with stalls selling traditional Japanese fair food. I’ve got to list it because Japanese fair food is so cool. First, tako; (squid) you can get it whole on a skewer, or as takoyaki (minced, or tiny tako in a ball of dough, like stuffed clams). Potatoes; corkscrew-cut and deep-fried, normal fries, sweet potato fries, or cut open and covered with butter. Okonomiyaki; hiroshima-style with a crepe on top, or kansai style with the egg throughout. I can’t remember the name, but soft-pretzel-like fish-shaped cakes with an (sweet bean), custard, or chocolate inside are very prevalent. There’s also karaage (fried chicken), oysters, clams, crokets, all sorts of mochi (deep-fried, dango, actual mochi). As far as possible Western foods; cotton candy, corn-dogs, non-breaded corn-dogs, candy fruits, chocolate-dipped bananas. There’s also gyros (just one stall though). I only tried one thing, but it was delicious. It was apparently something made-up, because it had a long description by the booth, but from what I can understand, it’s like mochi with tuna and possibly onion and lettuce chopped up and mixed in. The ball of dough is put on a grill, flattened a bit, and served when it’s a bit brown. It was like a cross between nikuman and okonomiyaki (with no sauce).
As for the rest of the matsuri, there were three attractions to watch. One was the group dance competition. Some of the dances were interesting, and the costumes were pretty cool because they were usually Japanese-y, but it seemed like a cheerleaders’ competition, so I didn’t watch much. The second performance was the horse-back archery competition. That, I must say, was pretty awesome. Guys and girls competed in traditional costume on galloping horses. It was really fast, and if you blinked, you missed it.
The main attraction, of course, was the reenactment of one of Tokugawa Ieyasu’s battles. I had missed the parade of all the members through the streets, but it was okay because I was fortunate to get a center-seat on the steps in front of the battle ground. According to the flyer that gave me the idea to even go, there were over a thousand members in the reenactment. Many of them were children (in full samurai gear) and there were lots of segments including the demonstration of the samurais’ attack methods, a battle between samurai and ninja, fireworks (in the day), and of course; the huge armies themselves. It was really amazing, and I had a lot of fun just watching. I almost cried at one point though I was really enthused (I’m not sure why that happened).
Afterward, there was a huge exodus along the narrow bridge that crossed the river. I found it a bit ironic because the larger bridge down the street was pretty easy to walk. First though, there were pictures to take (especially with Ieyasu). As it turned out, a lot of the re-enactors were not Japanese at all. Some were even Western!
After the battle, I made my way back up the hill that led to the battle ground, and I found myself at the foot of a castle. I decided to go up (since it was so pretty) but not to go into it (because of the entrance fee). I walked around the grounds too and it was a really nice hanami (chance to look at the cherry blossoms) not to mention a pretty area.
When it was time to leave, I had a slight concern in the back of my head about having gotten lost since the park is pretty big, but I had a Joe day, and without really thinking about it, decided that I needed to go in one direction and ended up in at the station. The train ride home was a bit hard to navigate again, but I managed to make it (without even asking directions). When I got home, however, I found I had forgotten my key, and had a bit of confusion with okaasan about it. I called the house phone from the front steps, didn’t get an answer, waited about 20 minutes, and called again, at which point I was let in. I think there was something going on with the phone because okaasan asked me if I had called earlier and had the call answered by someone else, and long story short, trying to explain it all in Japanese didn’t work so well.
Either way, okaasan had delicious food waiting for me and I ate while she watched a drama about samurai (ironic!). The matsuri I was at came on TV at one point, and we got to talk about it a bit. Otousan is coming home tomorrow and okaasan is going to pick him up, so I’ll be on my own tomorrow morning, which okaasan is worried about, but I assured her multiple times that I will be okay.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
April 4
Today I woke up at the time I usually would to go to school (but it’s Saturday!). I made the 1.5 hour trip to inuyama to go to the inuyama matsuri. As the weather report showed, it did rain, but I was still able to enjoy most of the festival.
In the morning, the huge, three-story cart-floats were pulled and pushed up the old-town streets (by adults and children alike). The children on the first floor of the floats played drums and flutes as they went. Being wooden carts with no modern aspects, the axles do not turn, so when the floats need to turn, everyone has to push on an angle and the cart makes worrisome scraping sounds. It was really impressive though to see. The thing about Japan is, they put a lot of the safety precautions on the people involved. In the US, the streets would be roped off to separate the onlookers from the carts, but in Japan, you can walk past/around the carts without any problem. If you get run over, well, you’re not too bright. Maybe the keisatsu will save you before you make a dumb move, but really, if you don’t do anything irrational, it’s just another thing not to bump into.
When all the floats (there’s one for each mountain town, I saw about 13 in all) get to the front of the shrine (which is in front of Inuyamajo), they stop and one-by-one have performances. The carts are three stories tall and the performance occurs on the third floor. The first is for the musicians, the second is for the puppeteers, and so, the third is for the puppets. The performance is very old (traditional) and you can tell by the music which plays throughout the performance and consists of seemingly disconnected drumming and flute-playing. The puppets too seem to have a historic quality since the faces of the dolls eerily don’t change as they mechanically (and usually slowly) move. However, the performance is really impressive because the mechanics of the puppets are complex. The puppets don’t hang from strings, rather, they are supported from the bottom, but at many points, the support changes! For example, one puppet walked up stairs that were disconnected pillars, then hung by its hands from a scroll (with nothing hanging from or supporting its feet). Some of the puppets would bow, then turn into three-dimensional (convincing) castles. One began by walking in a circle, then stood on its head and played a drum. It was all a bit eerie, but intriguing at the same time.
I must admit though, Japanese people seem surprised by everything. After watching many of the performances, the pace seems much too slow, but each time something unexpected happened, the entire crowd sounded surprised.
Being a matsuri, there were, of course, lots of booths selling food and holding games. I really wanted to go to the booths where you try to catch gold fish using a paper disk (especially since I saw a little kid in the midst of playing with at least 10 goldfish he had caught in a miso bowl), but I couldn’t bring them back to okaasan (or the US) so I was really disappointed. I wish they had that game in the US, but being the US, it would probably be rigged to be impossible to win. As for food, I tried a chocolate-covered banana, manjuu, a french corn dog, and a nikuman. None were that impressive, but they were all worth a try. I found it really strange that they were selling plain cucumbers on a stick and even more strange that people bought them. Of course, in true Japanese style, many people bought the over-priced fair food in multiples (probably to take home). I’m still surprised at the price Japanese people will pay for crepés.
Around noon (about half of the way through the performances) it began to rain, eventually becoming too heavy to continue, so the performances were stopped. It was, ironically, around this time that Keily showed up (after debating whether to come). Later, I met up with a few other friends and walked around the castle, food stalls, and town, trying to find things to do until 7:30 when the lanterns were supposed to be lit. At one point, we were approached by a middle-aged Japanese man who spoke English and wanted to take our picture. It was all really strange (at least for me) because if anything, I would think it would be the foreigner asking the Japanese person for a photograph. He was with a couple of friends (one guy and one lady who seemed nice and a bit embarrassed by his behavior) and he introduced himself as a fly fisher studying French. Weird... As the day went on, not much else happened and we couldn’t find an information desk. Unfortunately, it got so cold and rainy that we decided to go home early anyway since we had lost our determination (and weren’t even sure if the lanterns would still be lit given the weather).
It was a bit hectic trying to find the train home, but we eventually made it. I almost missed my stop though because I was falling asleep. I got home and I was a bit worried by what I found. Most of the lights were off and okaasan’s slippers were in the hall. That was fine, but when I went to the kitchen to call okaasan’s cellphone and see what to do about dinner, her phone rang inside her purse at the kitchen table. I thought it was weird that she had left without it, so I went outside to find her, but she wasn’t there either. I decided there wasn’t much I could do about it, and that if it became too late, I would call otousan and ask what to do.
As it turned out, okaasan was at the neighborhood meeting and when she got back, I had eaten. However, the original plan was for me to eat with my friends and I couldn’t call home on the hour and a half train ride home (Japanese rule), so she hadn’t prepared for me, and she was a bit flustered. It all ended with be being given a piece of chicken despite telling okaasan I was good with the rice and miso.
In the morning, the huge, three-story cart-floats were pulled and pushed up the old-town streets (by adults and children alike). The children on the first floor of the floats played drums and flutes as they went. Being wooden carts with no modern aspects, the axles do not turn, so when the floats need to turn, everyone has to push on an angle and the cart makes worrisome scraping sounds. It was really impressive though to see. The thing about Japan is, they put a lot of the safety precautions on the people involved. In the US, the streets would be roped off to separate the onlookers from the carts, but in Japan, you can walk past/around the carts without any problem. If you get run over, well, you’re not too bright. Maybe the keisatsu will save you before you make a dumb move, but really, if you don’t do anything irrational, it’s just another thing not to bump into.
When all the floats (there’s one for each mountain town, I saw about 13 in all) get to the front of the shrine (which is in front of Inuyamajo), they stop and one-by-one have performances. The carts are three stories tall and the performance occurs on the third floor. The first is for the musicians, the second is for the puppeteers, and so, the third is for the puppets. The performance is very old (traditional) and you can tell by the music which plays throughout the performance and consists of seemingly disconnected drumming and flute-playing. The puppets too seem to have a historic quality since the faces of the dolls eerily don’t change as they mechanically (and usually slowly) move. However, the performance is really impressive because the mechanics of the puppets are complex. The puppets don’t hang from strings, rather, they are supported from the bottom, but at many points, the support changes! For example, one puppet walked up stairs that were disconnected pillars, then hung by its hands from a scroll (with nothing hanging from or supporting its feet). Some of the puppets would bow, then turn into three-dimensional (convincing) castles. One began by walking in a circle, then stood on its head and played a drum. It was all a bit eerie, but intriguing at the same time.
I must admit though, Japanese people seem surprised by everything. After watching many of the performances, the pace seems much too slow, but each time something unexpected happened, the entire crowd sounded surprised.
Being a matsuri, there were, of course, lots of booths selling food and holding games. I really wanted to go to the booths where you try to catch gold fish using a paper disk (especially since I saw a little kid in the midst of playing with at least 10 goldfish he had caught in a miso bowl), but I couldn’t bring them back to okaasan (or the US) so I was really disappointed. I wish they had that game in the US, but being the US, it would probably be rigged to be impossible to win. As for food, I tried a chocolate-covered banana, manjuu, a french corn dog, and a nikuman. None were that impressive, but they were all worth a try. I found it really strange that they were selling plain cucumbers on a stick and even more strange that people bought them. Of course, in true Japanese style, many people bought the over-priced fair food in multiples (probably to take home). I’m still surprised at the price Japanese people will pay for crepés.
Around noon (about half of the way through the performances) it began to rain, eventually becoming too heavy to continue, so the performances were stopped. It was, ironically, around this time that Keily showed up (after debating whether to come). Later, I met up with a few other friends and walked around the castle, food stalls, and town, trying to find things to do until 7:30 when the lanterns were supposed to be lit. At one point, we were approached by a middle-aged Japanese man who spoke English and wanted to take our picture. It was all really strange (at least for me) because if anything, I would think it would be the foreigner asking the Japanese person for a photograph. He was with a couple of friends (one guy and one lady who seemed nice and a bit embarrassed by his behavior) and he introduced himself as a fly fisher studying French. Weird... As the day went on, not much else happened and we couldn’t find an information desk. Unfortunately, it got so cold and rainy that we decided to go home early anyway since we had lost our determination (and weren’t even sure if the lanterns would still be lit given the weather).
It was a bit hectic trying to find the train home, but we eventually made it. I almost missed my stop though because I was falling asleep. I got home and I was a bit worried by what I found. Most of the lights were off and okaasan’s slippers were in the hall. That was fine, but when I went to the kitchen to call okaasan’s cellphone and see what to do about dinner, her phone rang inside her purse at the kitchen table. I thought it was weird that she had left without it, so I went outside to find her, but she wasn’t there either. I decided there wasn’t much I could do about it, and that if it became too late, I would call otousan and ask what to do.
As it turned out, okaasan was at the neighborhood meeting and when she got back, I had eaten. However, the original plan was for me to eat with my friends and I couldn’t call home on the hour and a half train ride home (Japanese rule), so she hadn’t prepared for me, and she was a bit flustered. It all ended with be being given a piece of chicken despite telling okaasan I was good with the rice and miso.
Friday, April 3, 2009
April 3
So, today was pretty normal until the train ride to school. At one point, I almost missed my transfer due to spacing out. It was pretty kondeiru (packed) on the train, and at the last moment before stopping at my station, the train decided to jolt, and I (having gone without using the handle hanging from the ceiling, with hands in pockets and balance alone) ended up falling into someone (mostly my backpack). I said “sumimasen,” and was a bit embarrassed at my lack of grace. However, Keily and Julie, who were also on the train, decided immediately that the guy I slightly crushed was rather attractive, and I ended up blushing a ton while they gave me crap and talked about why they thought he was attractive. According to them, I’ve found my husband. Good thing I’ll never see him again. d:
Class itself was pretty interesting. I overestimated the simplicity of the test, so I messed up the section on particles. I don’t really want to think about it. Afterward, we had class with Takeda sensei. I can’t seem to get anything right when she teaches. Afterward, we had the half-time break in our four-hour class, and my Lawson’s adventure began. Anna has been collecting Lawson’s points (stickers on certain products from Lawson’s) because if you get twenty, you can trade them in for a Rirakuma plate. Since she’s about five points past the goal, she said she would give them to me, so now I too am collecting for the plate. During the half-time break, I got another point by buying an an (not a typo) danish (and card to stick the points on). The hunt is on, but two of my friends are also now trying to get plates of their own, so I will probably have to buy a bunch of pastries from Lawson’s by myself.
When I got back to class, Linsan (and Hanashiro Sensei) was looking out the open window at all the freshmen and club recruiters in the main street three stories below. I went to join them, and when people we knew walked by, we called their names and watched as they tried to figure out where the voices were coming from. When class did begin, I have to admit I wasn’t paying much attention, since David had gotten a free wind-up car (that looks suspiciously like an evo) with his coffee and we played (quite comparably to the way a five-year old would) with the car. It’s a shame though because Hanashiro sensei was talking about Japanese gift-giving, and it was pretty interesting.
The last instructor was Fukatomi sensei, and she really didn’t stand a chance by that time, because Matt was now also in on the car action. There was an interesting point though, when we were going over new grammer points and we were asked to give examples. Mine basically translated to “this year is the year I will buy a sports car.” Fukatomi sensei was surprised and told me I gave off a yasashii impression, one that by no way indicated my interest in cars. When I was asked what kind of sport car I liked, an argument (but by no means a dispute) broke out over whether a miata was an actual sports car or not. Class was fun but hard to focus on today...
Afterward, I grabbed some lunch, skimmed the paper, and wrote my report for my afternoon class. Youtube was broken. Most of the people in the computer lab were fellow students also writing their papers that were due that afternoon. I talked with Mike online (ironically) though he was sitting at the desk in front of me.
When the last class did start, it was boring as usual. I found myself spacing out again. I was happy when it ended. Okaasan had suggested I go to hanami with my friends this evening, so I wondered if she would make her own plans for the evening. I called to see if it would be alright to come home.
When I did get home, I set the table as usual, but okaasan gave me a talk about asking if it was alright to come home, because, as my home too, of course it was okay to come home. My use of Japanese is incorrect, apparently. I always feel like I’ve done something wrong or inconvenienced her when okaasan says so. Oh well, I guess I just have to get over it and be a bit more forceful with my Japanese in saying that I want to do things, rather than asking if it’s okay. Somehow though, the use of the word ‘want’ makes me feel like I’m being indignant or selfish.
Okaasan made African chicken and mushrooms (like the first day I was here) and we tried watching doraemon for a while, but it was kind of stupid (we agreed) so we turned to news (as usual) and surprisingly, it was, as okaasan said, the most interesting thing on TV. (If I’ve learned anything from Japanese, it is how to write run-on sentences.) There was a segment on a country in Africa where people are very good at the Japanese game where you try to catch a ball on a string in a concave hammer head. There was also a segment about a Japanese man in Brazil who showed people in slums how to be clean, got people to use five different kinds of trash cans (like in Japan!), and designed beautiful buildings and landscapes.
After dinner, I did the dishes, but only because I told okaasan I would do it for her. She said she was a bad host family because she doesn’t clean up much. I know she doesn’t like to (who does?), so I offered to clean more for her, but she turned me down. I’m not sure what to do... I can’t cook, but I can definitely clean, so I’m at a loss for how to show my gratitude to my host family.
Class itself was pretty interesting. I overestimated the simplicity of the test, so I messed up the section on particles. I don’t really want to think about it. Afterward, we had class with Takeda sensei. I can’t seem to get anything right when she teaches. Afterward, we had the half-time break in our four-hour class, and my Lawson’s adventure began. Anna has been collecting Lawson’s points (stickers on certain products from Lawson’s) because if you get twenty, you can trade them in for a Rirakuma plate. Since she’s about five points past the goal, she said she would give them to me, so now I too am collecting for the plate. During the half-time break, I got another point by buying an an (not a typo) danish (and card to stick the points on). The hunt is on, but two of my friends are also now trying to get plates of their own, so I will probably have to buy a bunch of pastries from Lawson’s by myself.
When I got back to class, Linsan (and Hanashiro Sensei) was looking out the open window at all the freshmen and club recruiters in the main street three stories below. I went to join them, and when people we knew walked by, we called their names and watched as they tried to figure out where the voices were coming from. When class did begin, I have to admit I wasn’t paying much attention, since David had gotten a free wind-up car (that looks suspiciously like an evo) with his coffee and we played (quite comparably to the way a five-year old would) with the car. It’s a shame though because Hanashiro sensei was talking about Japanese gift-giving, and it was pretty interesting.
The last instructor was Fukatomi sensei, and she really didn’t stand a chance by that time, because Matt was now also in on the car action. There was an interesting point though, when we were going over new grammer points and we were asked to give examples. Mine basically translated to “this year is the year I will buy a sports car.” Fukatomi sensei was surprised and told me I gave off a yasashii impression, one that by no way indicated my interest in cars. When I was asked what kind of sport car I liked, an argument (but by no means a dispute) broke out over whether a miata was an actual sports car or not. Class was fun but hard to focus on today...
Afterward, I grabbed some lunch, skimmed the paper, and wrote my report for my afternoon class. Youtube was broken. Most of the people in the computer lab were fellow students also writing their papers that were due that afternoon. I talked with Mike online (ironically) though he was sitting at the desk in front of me.
When the last class did start, it was boring as usual. I found myself spacing out again. I was happy when it ended. Okaasan had suggested I go to hanami with my friends this evening, so I wondered if she would make her own plans for the evening. I called to see if it would be alright to come home.
When I did get home, I set the table as usual, but okaasan gave me a talk about asking if it was alright to come home, because, as my home too, of course it was okay to come home. My use of Japanese is incorrect, apparently. I always feel like I’ve done something wrong or inconvenienced her when okaasan says so. Oh well, I guess I just have to get over it and be a bit more forceful with my Japanese in saying that I want to do things, rather than asking if it’s okay. Somehow though, the use of the word ‘want’ makes me feel like I’m being indignant or selfish.
Okaasan made African chicken and mushrooms (like the first day I was here) and we tried watching doraemon for a while, but it was kind of stupid (we agreed) so we turned to news (as usual) and surprisingly, it was, as okaasan said, the most interesting thing on TV. (If I’ve learned anything from Japanese, it is how to write run-on sentences.) There was a segment on a country in Africa where people are very good at the Japanese game where you try to catch a ball on a string in a concave hammer head. There was also a segment about a Japanese man in Brazil who showed people in slums how to be clean, got people to use five different kinds of trash cans (like in Japan!), and designed beautiful buildings and landscapes.
After dinner, I did the dishes, but only because I told okaasan I would do it for her. She said she was a bad host family because she doesn’t clean up much. I know she doesn’t like to (who does?), so I offered to clean more for her, but she turned me down. I’m not sure what to do... I can’t cook, but I can definitely clean, so I’m at a loss for how to show my gratitude to my host family.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
April 2
Once again, it was hard to get out of bed in the morning. Speaking of sleeping, I recently had a dream about living in the dorms again at State. Alanna and I were living in our old room, but Natasha had been fortunate to get a single room across the hall and she had decked it out in lime-green everything. Anyway...
In real life, I ate breakfast with okaasan, who has rearranged the order she gives the breakfast components to me because she noticed I eat the toast last (when it’s become cold). Okaasan is very perceptive.... We watched the news as always, but when Obama and the other national leaders came on, she asked me if I thought Obama was charming. It was easy to agree when she said the other politicians aren’t (especially Aso), but I had to give her a “so-so” on the topic of Obama. We both agreed he looks much more tired having taken the role of president.
At school, I was fortunate to get a second chance to photograph the plane in the main street. I found out in class that today was the day the freshmen came back (and they had their version of “welcome week”). It was really cool though, because the main street was filled with students (like a mini-Cates Crawl) and club recruiting teams. The pillars and buildings were plastered with countless (well-designed) flyers advertising the clubs. The plane too is for one of the clubs. I wanted to understand what the clubs were, but there’s so much kanji (and extraneous information) on all the posters that I could rarely figure it out (even when there were giant drawings, as they were often unrelated). The coolest part of the whole thing though, was the live on the “green area” (yellow, dead grassy area). There were four student bands (two of which were all-girl-bands) who played awesome rock. None of the groups were very good (except, marginally, the last one), but it was pretty awesome to see three girls perform Dunderbob by the Ramones. Takeda sensei said there would be “urusai raibu” on the green area, but that just reflects her pessimistic outlook. I even, by chance, met ant talked a bit at the live with one of the Japanese students I had met earlier this year. It was fun to just sit outside and watch the performance, and now I’m psyched to see if I can see some real bands while I’m here in Japan. There are going to be more events like this in the coming weeks, so I’m pretty excited.
Afterward, I spent the afternoon on normal things like lunch and homework, until I went home. Okaasan, as she had told me, was out when I got back, so I took a nap. When okaasan got back (to a dark house) she was severely surprised to hear me welcome her home. She thought the house was empty, as I wasn’t using the heater or the lights (and suggested I do both when I’m home). I find it hard to understand that Japanese people do things like use space heaters instead of central heating and wait until non-peak hours to use dishwashers, but regularly leave lights on that they are not using.
We had semi-take-out dinner tonight. It was like up-scale Chinese. Okaasan had bought prepared food, but made fried rice too. She made me eat almost all of the yakisoba. We talked a bit about the kabuki, my day, and going to the movies. Okaasan thinks I don’t like going out and doing things, probably because I don’t spend every day of my weekend out. We talked about going to the movies, and I told her that I liked them, but they were so expensive! I don’t want to tell my host parents that one of the real reasons I don’t go out so often is it costs money to do anything (since I live on the residential side of the city and have to pay to get to the interesting side) and I want to save my money for things that I am specifically interested in. It seems like it would be selfish to admit because they are paying a large portion of my living expenses as it is.
At one point during dinner, the phone rang. Okaasan picked it up, and to my surprise, I could understand about 95% of the conversation. I was really happy. Unfortunately though, I still have a long way to go...
In real life, I ate breakfast with okaasan, who has rearranged the order she gives the breakfast components to me because she noticed I eat the toast last (when it’s become cold). Okaasan is very perceptive.... We watched the news as always, but when Obama and the other national leaders came on, she asked me if I thought Obama was charming. It was easy to agree when she said the other politicians aren’t (especially Aso), but I had to give her a “so-so” on the topic of Obama. We both agreed he looks much more tired having taken the role of president.
At school, I was fortunate to get a second chance to photograph the plane in the main street. I found out in class that today was the day the freshmen came back (and they had their version of “welcome week”). It was really cool though, because the main street was filled with students (like a mini-Cates Crawl) and club recruiting teams. The pillars and buildings were plastered with countless (well-designed) flyers advertising the clubs. The plane too is for one of the clubs. I wanted to understand what the clubs were, but there’s so much kanji (and extraneous information) on all the posters that I could rarely figure it out (even when there were giant drawings, as they were often unrelated). The coolest part of the whole thing though, was the live on the “green area” (yellow, dead grassy area). There were four student bands (two of which were all-girl-bands) who played awesome rock. None of the groups were very good (except, marginally, the last one), but it was pretty awesome to see three girls perform Dunderbob by the Ramones. Takeda sensei said there would be “urusai raibu” on the green area, but that just reflects her pessimistic outlook. I even, by chance, met ant talked a bit at the live with one of the Japanese students I had met earlier this year. It was fun to just sit outside and watch the performance, and now I’m psyched to see if I can see some real bands while I’m here in Japan. There are going to be more events like this in the coming weeks, so I’m pretty excited.
Afterward, I spent the afternoon on normal things like lunch and homework, until I went home. Okaasan, as she had told me, was out when I got back, so I took a nap. When okaasan got back (to a dark house) she was severely surprised to hear me welcome her home. She thought the house was empty, as I wasn’t using the heater or the lights (and suggested I do both when I’m home). I find it hard to understand that Japanese people do things like use space heaters instead of central heating and wait until non-peak hours to use dishwashers, but regularly leave lights on that they are not using.
We had semi-take-out dinner tonight. It was like up-scale Chinese. Okaasan had bought prepared food, but made fried rice too. She made me eat almost all of the yakisoba. We talked a bit about the kabuki, my day, and going to the movies. Okaasan thinks I don’t like going out and doing things, probably because I don’t spend every day of my weekend out. We talked about going to the movies, and I told her that I liked them, but they were so expensive! I don’t want to tell my host parents that one of the real reasons I don’t go out so often is it costs money to do anything (since I live on the residential side of the city and have to pay to get to the interesting side) and I want to save my money for things that I am specifically interested in. It seems like it would be selfish to admit because they are paying a large portion of my living expenses as it is.
At one point during dinner, the phone rang. Okaasan picked it up, and to my surprise, I could understand about 95% of the conversation. I was really happy. Unfortunately though, I still have a long way to go...
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
April 1
It was pretty hard to get out of bed today, since I had gotten fewer hours of sleep due to staying up late to finish my homework and read the kabuki skit. I wasn’t doing too badly on time until okaasan offered to make a bento for me (as she wouldn’t be home by dinner time and wouldn’t be able to make dinner). It was worth it though, because okaasan makes the best onigiri and her orange peel-flavored vegetables are delicous too. Okaasan was surprised that I was wearing a skirt (I thought it would be a good idea to dress up to watch kabuki) and when I initially came down for breakfast, she said, “ah, skaato?! mezurashii!”
At school, class wasn’t particularly interesting (though we did see the news reel from our Kakuozan project), until the second period of Japanese class. We got the option to study outside and everyone took it, so we sat on the “green area” (yellow, dead grass) under the blooming sakura and read about the Japanese closed-country policy. We got chocolate and cookies too from Tsuda sensei, so everyone was happy. At the end of it all, we had group pictures taken (which will be used for CJS propoganda later).
Afterward, I rushed to my locker to drop my bookbag (passing an airplane parked in the main street of the school that I had no time to take a picture of) and back to CJS to meet up to go to kabuki. Of course, the meeting time was exactly when my class had finished, some of the students arrived later than me, and we had to wait a while for our train, so in retrospect, I could have photographed the plane. Anyway, we (four foreigners and a Japanese girl) rode the chikatetsu to Fushimi and the kabuki house there. I’m relly glad I dressed up, because a large number of the attendants were in formal kimonos. According to okaasan, there are only two performances per year in Nagoya, and she goes to each one with her friend from the Kokusai center.
Kabuuki is really hard to explain, not because it is inexplicabe, but because there is so much to it. To start though, it’s definitely something to see once. To put it perhaps stereotypically, kabuki gives me the impression of Japanese Shakespere.
It’s a really impressive production with amazing sets (at one point, a giant, round portion of the stage revolves to change scenes) and costumes (some of which are constructed to be changed into different shapes/costumes with the pull of a string). All of the actors are, of course, men, though there were many female roles to play. The speaking is very tonal (and whynie in the case of the women’s roles). The make-up starts with a white face and, depending on the character, has red and black details. There are times when the actors seem to stop in a very dramatic scene (always in a way that taking a photograph of it would be wonderful). Throughout, there is shamisen music, drumming, and pounding of wooden rods on wooden boards to represent certain actions and moods. At times, it seems almost as if the play is a musical, with actors singing and dancing, but luckily, it lacks the annoying quality of most musicals.
The story of the play was an intricate web of people and relationships, dealing with a severe drought in Japan. The peasants begged the emporer to help, and the emporer received different suggestions from priests and advisors. There was also a plot to do with a hidden mistress, who posessed the item that would let it rain. At one point, it is found that a god is being detained at a shrine and must be freed to save Japan. The whole play ends with the fire god emerging to proclaim that there will be peace. Like I said, I didn’t really understand all of it.
At the beginning, two samurai fight off many opponents in slow motion. The opponents often do (impressive) flips when being defeated. There is a scene when a lady’s hair is supposed to stand on end, and for the effect, a stage hand sits behind her and raises a sheet of false hair, shaking it above her head. The most intersting and impressive scenes are at the end, when the god is released from the waterfall at the shrine, and a dragon slides up the back wall of the stage (the god becomes a dragon and emerges from the water). After, the fire god appears with fire behind him (projected on a waving screen) and red confetti falls from the stage. I suppose describing kabuki is really monotonous, but the truth is, the effects can seem cheesy in concept, but somehow, the Japanese made them believable.
There were two intermissions to this 5-ish hour play, in which many venders sold omiyage and foods in the multiple-story lobby. I tried salty tea (which was surprising, but good) and the popular seller; “Japanese cookies.” Two of the venders gave my friend and I a free cookie when we walked by, for reasons unknown.
When the kabuki itself was over, I was disappointed that there was not more to see. We found though, that we were relatively close to osu, and since my friend wanted to buy some things for her kimono, I went with her in search of the yen=grams store (that’s how the pricing of the clothing there works) and the cheap kimono store. Both were closed for the day, but we looked through the rest of the kimono-selling stores and found a tabehoudai chinese restaurant near the chinatown (chinastreet).
Afterward, I ate at the vending-machine ticket restaurant (udon) and went home.
At school, class wasn’t particularly interesting (though we did see the news reel from our Kakuozan project), until the second period of Japanese class. We got the option to study outside and everyone took it, so we sat on the “green area” (yellow, dead grass) under the blooming sakura and read about the Japanese closed-country policy. We got chocolate and cookies too from Tsuda sensei, so everyone was happy. At the end of it all, we had group pictures taken (which will be used for CJS propoganda later).
Afterward, I rushed to my locker to drop my bookbag (passing an airplane parked in the main street of the school that I had no time to take a picture of) and back to CJS to meet up to go to kabuki. Of course, the meeting time was exactly when my class had finished, some of the students arrived later than me, and we had to wait a while for our train, so in retrospect, I could have photographed the plane. Anyway, we (four foreigners and a Japanese girl) rode the chikatetsu to Fushimi and the kabuki house there. I’m relly glad I dressed up, because a large number of the attendants were in formal kimonos. According to okaasan, there are only two performances per year in Nagoya, and she goes to each one with her friend from the Kokusai center.
Kabuuki is really hard to explain, not because it is inexplicabe, but because there is so much to it. To start though, it’s definitely something to see once. To put it perhaps stereotypically, kabuki gives me the impression of Japanese Shakespere.
It’s a really impressive production with amazing sets (at one point, a giant, round portion of the stage revolves to change scenes) and costumes (some of which are constructed to be changed into different shapes/costumes with the pull of a string). All of the actors are, of course, men, though there were many female roles to play. The speaking is very tonal (and whynie in the case of the women’s roles). The make-up starts with a white face and, depending on the character, has red and black details. There are times when the actors seem to stop in a very dramatic scene (always in a way that taking a photograph of it would be wonderful). Throughout, there is shamisen music, drumming, and pounding of wooden rods on wooden boards to represent certain actions and moods. At times, it seems almost as if the play is a musical, with actors singing and dancing, but luckily, it lacks the annoying quality of most musicals.
The story of the play was an intricate web of people and relationships, dealing with a severe drought in Japan. The peasants begged the emporer to help, and the emporer received different suggestions from priests and advisors. There was also a plot to do with a hidden mistress, who posessed the item that would let it rain. At one point, it is found that a god is being detained at a shrine and must be freed to save Japan. The whole play ends with the fire god emerging to proclaim that there will be peace. Like I said, I didn’t really understand all of it.
At the beginning, two samurai fight off many opponents in slow motion. The opponents often do (impressive) flips when being defeated. There is a scene when a lady’s hair is supposed to stand on end, and for the effect, a stage hand sits behind her and raises a sheet of false hair, shaking it above her head. The most intersting and impressive scenes are at the end, when the god is released from the waterfall at the shrine, and a dragon slides up the back wall of the stage (the god becomes a dragon and emerges from the water). After, the fire god appears with fire behind him (projected on a waving screen) and red confetti falls from the stage. I suppose describing kabuki is really monotonous, but the truth is, the effects can seem cheesy in concept, but somehow, the Japanese made them believable.
There were two intermissions to this 5-ish hour play, in which many venders sold omiyage and foods in the multiple-story lobby. I tried salty tea (which was surprising, but good) and the popular seller; “Japanese cookies.” Two of the venders gave my friend and I a free cookie when we walked by, for reasons unknown.
When the kabuki itself was over, I was disappointed that there was not more to see. We found though, that we were relatively close to osu, and since my friend wanted to buy some things for her kimono, I went with her in search of the yen=grams store (that’s how the pricing of the clothing there works) and the cheap kimono store. Both were closed for the day, but we looked through the rest of the kimono-selling stores and found a tabehoudai chinese restaurant near the chinatown (chinastreet).
Afterward, I ate at the vending-machine ticket restaurant (udon) and went home.
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