After the zoo, we were getting kind of hungry, and luckily, directly across the street from the Zoo was a street bazaar. It had many shops and a ton of places to eat and again, lucky us, it was the beginning of happy hour! When we started down this street, I noticed a big golden statue of a fat man sitting in a thrown. On the bottom of the statue it has the words, "The God of Things as They Ought to Be." I became minorly obsessed with this guy and started taking as many pictures as I could. These statues were all over the street. There was even one of those face cut-out picture things where I was this fat statue guy and Lauren was a Sumo wrestler.
We ducked into a little place that had a sign that read 190 yen for Kirin draught. We got some skewered meat and veggies and each had a beer. They gave us free cabbage and we met a guy from Chicago who was studying in Osaka for the year. Lauren also went to school near Chicago, so she was really excited to meet this guy. He was really nice and we talked about the food and Osaka for a few minutes. His Japanese was really good and it made me want to practice mine a little more too.
After we were finished our small appetizer and beers, we headed out with no plan just to explore some more of this crazy bazaar! I happened to glance down a side street and read a sign that said Karaoke. Of course Lauren and I had to go. We booked a room for an hour and ordered another set of drinks. She had a Moscow Mule and I had a G&T. We sang our little hearts out for our hour and then started back on that dusty trail to find more excitement and entertainment! We vaguely remembered how to get back to the station - and by vaguely I mean that we had gotten ourselves so turned around we just weren't sure any more. So we just started walking around the outside of the zoo, back in the bustling city of Osaka. We happened upon a nice woman and asked her directions back to the station, she pointed us in the right direction and we were on our way back to the Mansion, so we thought. As we are plodding along the sidewalk, I see a sign for a German Pub with an arrow pointed down an alley. Sketchy? Maybe if we weren't in Japan it would have been, but we headed down the alley and happened upon a quaint little pub with a fantastic bar mistress. Lauren knows German better than I know Japanese so she was really excited to be in this little place.
We found out that the woman who owned the pub was married to a German man and had lived there for a little while. So we ordered a round of cold German beer and chit-chatted in English/German/Japanese for a while. It was such a good time and this woman was so excited to talk to us. We talked about traveling, and teaching, and boys (ooh la la) and food and language. I am so happy to have met her! Next, we really did find the station this time and we made our way back to the vicinity of the Mansion. Before we got there though, we popped into a little bar called Tani York.
This place was right across the street from the Mansion and I was initially drawn to it because it had a large blow-up bottle of Southern Comfort in the window. Frankly I was not expecting to see SoCo anywhere in Japan, so I was intrigued. We walked up the little stairs and turned out we were the only people in this little place. Oddly that happened a lot during our stay in Osaka... Anyway, the girl working was named Aki and she was adorable. Her English was very good and she spoke Spanish very well too. She spent some time in Mexico because her uncle moved there to open a Chinese restaurant. I thought that was a little funny. But now she is just living and working in Osaka and loves to speak English and Spanish any time. Lauren and I both ordered a White Russian. It tasted like candy - I hadn't had Kahlua since I had been in Japan and really I wanted a Black Russian, but White was all Aki knew how to make.
A little later Aki's friend came in, his nickname was Soldier, and he bought Lauren and I our next drinks. Lauren had a Leiche cocktail and I had a grapefruit cocktail. We sat and chatted a lot. It was fun to make some more new friends during our short time in Osaka. Around 1am or so Lauren and I started to lose steam in a major way, so we bid our new friends adieu and headed back across the street to the Mansion. Our first day in Osaka was completely filled to the brim and that is kind of the pace we kept up for the rest of the weekend!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
The land of misfit animals
Lauren and I left late Thursday evening (October 9th), and took the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) to Osaka. We found our hotel and were VERY pleased. Our accommodations were cheap even though the place we were staying was called The Weekly Mansion. This place was decked out as far as cheap hotels go. Lauren and I concluded that our room was about the same size, if not bigger, than each of our apartments. But I am also happy to say that we spent very little time in our hotel room, as we had many places to see and fun people to meet!
On Friday morning we headed to the Tennoji Zoo. This zoo is combined with a botanical garden as well as an art museum. The entrance fee was $5 for all three locations - that should have been a tip-off right there that the zoo was, shall I say, interesting. We did not begin with the animals however, we started with the flowers and shrubbery. Upon walking through the gates there were elementary school children running around and enjoying themselves. There were also bushes growing out of large wooden animal faces - they had a distinct Chia Pet look about them.
The gardens are just beyond the Chia Pets. I really like to look at flowers and I think some of them are just gorgeous when I happen to get a good picture of them. I practiced taking a lot of flower photos during this little excursion through the green houses in front of the zoo. Note: there is an interesting looking cactus photo. I took it because the child inside got the better of me and reduced my maturity level to that of a 12 year old boy for a moment; I hope you think it's funny too.
Before we actually hit the zoo Lauren and I ducked into the art museum. I am always sad that pictures are not allowed to be taken in art museums. Art is one of those things that makes me really really happy, and I want to be able to share my thoughts about certain pieces I see, but if you cannot see them too, it makes that a little more difficult. I saw a beautiful Japanese piece of art depicting each of the four seasons. It was a very old piece, but the colors were still extremely vibrant and each season looked happy and inviting. The painting was on four different panels of rice paper sliding doors. I have similar doors in my apartment and if only I were an artist, I would try painting them too. Of course there was a gift shop and I bought a puzzle there. I love puzzles and these are of famous paintings so it makes it even cooler.
This finally brings me to the zoo. The pictures I have just don't do it justice, but this truly was the land of misfit animals. To talk about it on here and give the impression that it is funny may seem wrong and heartless, but believe you me, these animals were a laugh riot! It reminded me of the part in the claymation Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer movie when there are on the island of misfit toys. We walk in a see these monkeys just swinging from branches in a faux habitat. There are about 5 monkeys and one of them has a huge growth right on his hind quarters. This thing was at least as big as his head. It was gross to see, but I just couldn't look away. Needless to say, we made jokes about it for the rest of the weekend and are still making jokes two weeks later. (Sorry about the bobbling near the end, I was laughing so hard I couldn't hold my hand still.)
On Friday morning we headed to the Tennoji Zoo. This zoo is combined with a botanical garden as well as an art museum. The entrance fee was $5 for all three locations - that should have been a tip-off right there that the zoo was, shall I say, interesting. We did not begin with the animals however, we started with the flowers and shrubbery. Upon walking through the gates there were elementary school children running around and enjoying themselves. There were also bushes growing out of large wooden animal faces - they had a distinct Chia Pet look about them.
The gardens are just beyond the Chia Pets. I really like to look at flowers and I think some of them are just gorgeous when I happen to get a good picture of them. I practiced taking a lot of flower photos during this little excursion through the green houses in front of the zoo. Note: there is an interesting looking cactus photo. I took it because the child inside got the better of me and reduced my maturity level to that of a 12 year old boy for a moment; I hope you think it's funny too.
Before we actually hit the zoo Lauren and I ducked into the art museum. I am always sad that pictures are not allowed to be taken in art museums. Art is one of those things that makes me really really happy, and I want to be able to share my thoughts about certain pieces I see, but if you cannot see them too, it makes that a little more difficult. I saw a beautiful Japanese piece of art depicting each of the four seasons. It was a very old piece, but the colors were still extremely vibrant and each season looked happy and inviting. The painting was on four different panels of rice paper sliding doors. I have similar doors in my apartment and if only I were an artist, I would try painting them too. Of course there was a gift shop and I bought a puzzle there. I love puzzles and these are of famous paintings so it makes it even cooler.
This finally brings me to the zoo. The pictures I have just don't do it justice, but this truly was the land of misfit animals. To talk about it on here and give the impression that it is funny may seem wrong and heartless, but believe you me, these animals were a laugh riot! It reminded me of the part in the claymation Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer movie when there are on the island of misfit toys. We walk in a see these monkeys just swinging from branches in a faux habitat. There are about 5 monkeys and one of them has a huge growth right on his hind quarters. This thing was at least as big as his head. It was gross to see, but I just couldn't look away. Needless to say, we made jokes about it for the rest of the weekend and are still making jokes two weeks later. (Sorry about the bobbling near the end, I was laughing so hard I couldn't hold my hand still.)
After that round of monkeys we went to check out the seals. The water was a bit murky green and then we saw one seal with a bit of a swollen eye. The poor thing looked diseased, but it was then that I started to catch onto the fact that the animals here just weren't right. We saw the different kinds of bears next. The first had black fur, but then a yellow and orange colored faced. The second looked like a shaggy dog and the third must have forgotten to take his Ridelen because he was totally hyped up. This bear looked like a cross between a dog and a monkey and it couldn't sit still - or even walk slowly. The polar bear looked brown because he was so dirty and his "ice" needed a new paint job.
We saw a lot of different kinds of birds, and I have to say my favorite are the flamingos. I just try to contemplate how a bright pink bird happens. Pink is a rather unnatural color - when you think of natural colors don't you see greens and blues and browns mostly? How and why would an animal adapt to such a florescent shade? We moved on from there to the indoor monkeys and they were just as crazy as the outdoor monkeys. I started teasing a monkey who was swinging on a faux branch suspended from the ceiling. I was moving my body back and forth with the swinging of his branch and I could tell I was aggravating him maybe a little. Next thing I know, this monkey is launching himself at the glass barrier between us to try and eat me alive. He immediately fell off the glass because it was smooth and there was nothing to hang on to, but he was undeterred; he kept jumping at the glass and trying either hug me or eat me. In the next cage there was a monkey hissing at everyone who passed by. Again I decided it was a good idea to taunt the monkey and I started hissing back. He didn't come flying at the glass, but he was surely not happy with me and eventually expressed this by showing his butt and then sticking out his tongue. Lauren and I thought these monkeys were hilarious.
Sadly, we weren't allowed to take pictures in the koala house. I have only seen koalas at the zoo, but they look so incredibly cuddly it makes me want to have one as a pet - for about ten minutes, because that is as long as I want any pet before I am finished with it. After the koalas we tried to check out the African safari part of the zoo, but the animals had all gone in for the day. I have some pictures of bronze animals to take the place of the pictures I didn't get of the real animals. Soon after we realized we weren't going to see anything else, we left the zoo. Subsequent observations and adventures will be saved for next time. And every entry will probably be very long. Just be glad you can read a little and then come back. At least I'm not sitting in your living room rambling on...haha. I will try getting the pictures up as soon as possible. It is hard to do it on my school computer.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
The magic word is not please
In fact, I don't know what the magic word is at all. I probably made the goofiest mistake I have ever made. I am sorry that I have been completely out of touch for the past two weeks. Believe me there has been plenty happening; I think I have six new entries that illustrate that. I legit forgot my password to log-in to my computer. This is just proof of my slowly decreasing attention span in my "old" age. So really because I am young, I have NO EXCUSE for this mistake; but of course I will try anyway.
Firstly, my computer is paranoid and makes me change my log-in password once a month! How lame! When I was at Bentley, I would have to change my password once per school year. That is much more reasonable, but when I had to take my computer off the Bentley network, my computer had a freak out and decided that it was necessary to make me change the password all the time. I cannot figure out how to turn off this setting, I have tried. The closest I have gotten is that the screen saver is no longer password protected.
When the computer prompted me, I was getting ready for my long weekend in Osaka and Kyoto with my friend Lauren. Needless to say, I was in the middle of packing and doing laundry when the prompt popped up. I hurriedly changed my password and subsequently forgot about what I had done. Before I left the house I thought it would be a good idea to turn the computer off - had I left it on, this problem never would have happened. This is what I get for trying to save energy!
So, I am still trying to work out how to break into the steel fortress that is my computer. I have gotten some ideas and I am still experimenting and trying to make these suggestions work. I will keep you posted on my progress. I have only just had the time to sit and write a blog while at school. They have been keeping me so busy, which is nice - but many of you thought I had dropped off the planet, sorry about that! I will make updates as I can from school and soon I should be able to start making them from home. Talk soon!
Firstly, my computer is paranoid and makes me change my log-in password once a month! How lame! When I was at Bentley, I would have to change my password once per school year. That is much more reasonable, but when I had to take my computer off the Bentley network, my computer had a freak out and decided that it was necessary to make me change the password all the time. I cannot figure out how to turn off this setting, I have tried. The closest I have gotten is that the screen saver is no longer password protected.
When the computer prompted me, I was getting ready for my long weekend in Osaka and Kyoto with my friend Lauren. Needless to say, I was in the middle of packing and doing laundry when the prompt popped up. I hurriedly changed my password and subsequently forgot about what I had done. Before I left the house I thought it would be a good idea to turn the computer off - had I left it on, this problem never would have happened. This is what I get for trying to save energy!
So, I am still trying to work out how to break into the steel fortress that is my computer. I have gotten some ideas and I am still experimenting and trying to make these suggestions work. I will keep you posted on my progress. I have only just had the time to sit and write a blog while at school. They have been keeping me so busy, which is nice - but many of you thought I had dropped off the planet, sorry about that! I will make updates as I can from school and soon I should be able to start making them from home. Talk soon!
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Off on grand adventures
I am heading to Kyoto this evening with my dear friend Lauren. She has never been before, and I have just done a lot of touristy stuff there, so wer are looking forward to getting into a lot of the hidden treasures and night life! I just wanted to send a quick farewell for a few days, and I will be sure to post pictures and document everything when I return on Monday night.
If you haven't already checked them out, I have posted new pictures of my apartment (gasp!) and some pictures of decorations at one of my schools. And, while we are in Kyoto, Lauren and I really want to do something uber cultural. I don't want to give it away on the off chance it doesn't happen, so be sure to be excited for the surprise culture updates to come. Ta for now.
If you haven't already checked them out, I have posted new pictures of my apartment (gasp!) and some pictures of decorations at one of my schools. And, while we are in Kyoto, Lauren and I really want to do something uber cultural. I don't want to give it away on the off chance it doesn't happen, so be sure to be excited for the surprise culture updates to come. Ta for now.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Lights in the sky inspire
I really love fireworks, especially when they last for two and a half hours!!! This weekend I took a crazy long train ride to visit my friend Cat at her place in Tsuchiura for this spectacular Hanabi Masturi (fireworks festival). While the train ride was really long, it helped me to finish my book and start on a new one, so that is always nice. I got to Cat's place around 3pm and was so very happy to see a bunch of JETs there for the festivities! For this festival, if you had a ticket ($100!) you could sit in the reserved seating section and hear the music and announcements being made. Frankly since everything was in Japanese, the ticket wasn't worth it and I think we ended up with such a perfect view of all the fireworks. You can see how sweet the view was by watching the video I took with my little camera!
The fireworks began at 6pm and before that the group of us JETs hung out at Cat's ate some, drank some and just had a nice day catching up and getting excited for the evening to come! At about 10 to 6pm we all walked down to the official row where the food stands were set up and the fireworks launch site. It was like walking down the corridor of an old time bazaar. We were surrounded by a giant mass of people and flanked on either side with delicious, handmade food and sweets and all the drinks you can imagine! We walked up and down the entire path to get a good look at what was around, and then the group of us when to find a place to set up a homebase and sit down for the long light show ahead. We ended up finding a nice big place in an empty parking lot right behind a takoyaki (octopus balls) stand! The fireworks were just beautiful and intense. In addition to that video, I put up a bunch of pictures too!
I love things like fireworks because it's dark, and the lights bursting in the sky are so vibrant; I feel like a giddy child. There is something about fireworks that are just so magical and bewildering. I'm no chemist, so the inner workings of fireworks and their beautiful colors are beyond my comprehension. I think it makes them more enjoyable; the mystery helps me to feel awe and inspired by something so grand that I do not understand.
I love things like fireworks because it's dark, and the lights bursting in the sky are so vibrant; I feel like a giddy child. There is something about fireworks that are just so magical and bewildering. I'm no chemist, so the inner workings of fireworks and their beautiful colors are beyond my comprehension. I think it makes them more enjoyable; the mystery helps me to feel awe and inspired by something so grand that I do not understand.
Learning to Bow by Bruce Feiler
This book is really a great read and a testament to the fact that reading can be enjoyable after college! To confess I have owned this book for years, but this is the first time I have actually been able to read all the way through it. My sister, Christina, has this way of giving gifts that is simply spectacular! She is the person who gave me my first Cranberries CD before they were popular - I loved them first; and she gave me Macy Gray before she was popular. Among other fun and insightful gifts, she gave me this book, Learning to Bow: Inside the Heart of Japan. Giving the subject matter, it clearly has helped me to be more understanding of Japanese culture in regards to academia. When I read this book, I feel as though I am having a conversation and I am able to ask questions and bounce ideas and he does a pretty great job of delving into some common frustrations, but also playing devil's advocate and shedding light upon the beauty in indirect speech and the undying commitment to the group above oneself.
Some excerpts I would like to comment upon:
"I didn't know cotton grows in Japan," I said.
"It doesn't," he said, "We don't have the right soil. Plus we don't have any slaves..." He paused as if to consider his next line. Then slowly a smile crept across his face. "All we have is our wives."
This is a piece from early in the book and I think it speaks directly to how the Japanese view Americans through an odd scope filled with misplaced reverie and disdain. I have experienced such instances when the Japanese are so proud to display a very tangible similarity between America and Japan. They want me to know that we are not so different, that they can adapt to my culture and appreciate the oddities of America. This of course is all for show and most Japanese, given the way of their society, do not appreciate American culture because they view it as individualistic and often lacking manners. This has caused me to think deeply about how societies form and how politesse is defined across cultural lines. For example, the Japanese view Americans (and most Western cultures for that matter) as rude and out-spoken. They believe they are lesser than the Japanese because we discuss private thoughts out loud, have little regard for the well-being of the group above our individual goals and the fact that we embrace differences and individuality and frown upon conformity. However, the Japanese can be seen as rude despite their togetherness attitude. For instance, when I am walking down the sidewalk, and the little lady, or the young kid, or the old man almost hit me with their bicycle because they have no concept of personal space and the fact that bicycles can inflict bodily harm. In a moving crowd, (like coming on or off the train) there is no thought of pushing and shoving and stepping on toes as acceptable, impatient methods of boarding the train. The Japanese do not hold doors for one another. They think we are rude for looking them in the eye when we speak or listen to them, we think they are rude for always avoiding eye contact. All of these things are just basic socially accepted behaviors that each culture has established and it is fair to call them wrong or rude. We are making that judgment based solely upon what we have learned - it is a bit like the religion debate - why does anyone have to be wrong - why can't we just be different and move on?
"Shinjinrui are people who cannot think for themselves," Komaba said. "I went to buy a coat the other day in Tokyo, and all I could find were leather jackets. Two years ago it was football jackets from America; then it was navy pea coats. This year it's leather. The people who buy these coats are shinjinrui."
"The problem," Komba said with a tone of authority, "is that with all the American movies and fashion clothes, students have forgotten what it means to be Japanese."
This is a classic Catch-22 the Japanese perpetuate all by themselves! Frankly the Japanese are not taught to think for themselves, they are taught to think for the commonwealth, the whole group. That group can be their homeroom class at school, their co-workers in a company, sometimes the family, but often the whole community makes decisions as one. So this passage is not complaining that the Japanese cannot think for themselves, it is rather lamenting that the effects of internationalization cause the Japanese to become more judgmental toward the outside world. The Japanese want all products to be Japanese, they want all people to look and dress and like Japanese culture and set aside the products and fashions from the Western world. As the Western world infiltrates, the Japanese recoil. They seem to go through this cycle every several years or so - "We need a policy of internationalization so Japan can grow and show the world our greatness" "Wait, this means that the Western world will come here, I thought it just meant that Japan exported our products to the world....oh no, this won't work at all!" This is perpetuated much by the government of Japan, but the cyclical nature of Japan's homogeneous society is performed by the Japanese all together. They are deathly afraid of losing what it means to be Japanese and the only way they can think to preserve what they have is to isolate themselves. Of course this mentality is much more prevalent in the more rural parts of Japan - but much of Japan is rural; less than 20 minutes outside of Tokyo is open countryside and a wildly different way of living than in the metropolis Tokyo. You'd think, "Oh, well Tokyo must be proof that the Japanese are changing and learning to accept difference." Wrong. It is a common occurrence that when a student or really any person migrates to Tokyo for college or work, they can never return home (metaphorically speaking). They are then considered Westernized and not true Japanese. They become loud and rude and are always kept on the outside circles of their home communities - ostracized by the ones who knew them best.
Living with the Japanese is a very fascinating and often rewarding experience. I have been able to learn very much about their culture and acceptable ways of communicating and simply living. As I said before, they are different, often frustrating, but not necessarily wrong. I am here to learn something new and accept change - that is my job, not theirs. Just as I wouldn't expect people from America to change their culture or life simply because they have a Japanese neighbor - I cannot expect to (nor do I want to) change the community in which I live. I merely want to live here for a short time, display my own personal culture of openness and acceptance with the desire to learn. I hope I am remembered fondly and as a friend when my time here is complete. But personally I want to see the differences I want to allow things to frustrate me or make me happy and really delve into what that means in contrast with where I am from and how I have been raised.
Some excerpts I would like to comment upon:
"I didn't know cotton grows in Japan," I said.
"It doesn't," he said, "We don't have the right soil. Plus we don't have any slaves..." He paused as if to consider his next line. Then slowly a smile crept across his face. "All we have is our wives."
This is a piece from early in the book and I think it speaks directly to how the Japanese view Americans through an odd scope filled with misplaced reverie and disdain. I have experienced such instances when the Japanese are so proud to display a very tangible similarity between America and Japan. They want me to know that we are not so different, that they can adapt to my culture and appreciate the oddities of America. This of course is all for show and most Japanese, given the way of their society, do not appreciate American culture because they view it as individualistic and often lacking manners. This has caused me to think deeply about how societies form and how politesse is defined across cultural lines. For example, the Japanese view Americans (and most Western cultures for that matter) as rude and out-spoken. They believe they are lesser than the Japanese because we discuss private thoughts out loud, have little regard for the well-being of the group above our individual goals and the fact that we embrace differences and individuality and frown upon conformity. However, the Japanese can be seen as rude despite their togetherness attitude. For instance, when I am walking down the sidewalk, and the little lady, or the young kid, or the old man almost hit me with their bicycle because they have no concept of personal space and the fact that bicycles can inflict bodily harm. In a moving crowd, (like coming on or off the train) there is no thought of pushing and shoving and stepping on toes as acceptable, impatient methods of boarding the train. The Japanese do not hold doors for one another. They think we are rude for looking them in the eye when we speak or listen to them, we think they are rude for always avoiding eye contact. All of these things are just basic socially accepted behaviors that each culture has established and it is fair to call them wrong or rude. We are making that judgment based solely upon what we have learned - it is a bit like the religion debate - why does anyone have to be wrong - why can't we just be different and move on?
"Shinjinrui are people who cannot think for themselves," Komaba said. "I went to buy a coat the other day in Tokyo, and all I could find were leather jackets. Two years ago it was football jackets from America; then it was navy pea coats. This year it's leather. The people who buy these coats are shinjinrui."
"The problem," Komba said with a tone of authority, "is that with all the American movies and fashion clothes, students have forgotten what it means to be Japanese."
This is a classic Catch-22 the Japanese perpetuate all by themselves! Frankly the Japanese are not taught to think for themselves, they are taught to think for the commonwealth, the whole group. That group can be their homeroom class at school, their co-workers in a company, sometimes the family, but often the whole community makes decisions as one. So this passage is not complaining that the Japanese cannot think for themselves, it is rather lamenting that the effects of internationalization cause the Japanese to become more judgmental toward the outside world. The Japanese want all products to be Japanese, they want all people to look and dress and like Japanese culture and set aside the products and fashions from the Western world. As the Western world infiltrates, the Japanese recoil. They seem to go through this cycle every several years or so - "We need a policy of internationalization so Japan can grow and show the world our greatness" "Wait, this means that the Western world will come here, I thought it just meant that Japan exported our products to the world....oh no, this won't work at all!" This is perpetuated much by the government of Japan, but the cyclical nature of Japan's homogeneous society is performed by the Japanese all together. They are deathly afraid of losing what it means to be Japanese and the only way they can think to preserve what they have is to isolate themselves. Of course this mentality is much more prevalent in the more rural parts of Japan - but much of Japan is rural; less than 20 minutes outside of Tokyo is open countryside and a wildly different way of living than in the metropolis Tokyo. You'd think, "Oh, well Tokyo must be proof that the Japanese are changing and learning to accept difference." Wrong. It is a common occurrence that when a student or really any person migrates to Tokyo for college or work, they can never return home (metaphorically speaking). They are then considered Westernized and not true Japanese. They become loud and rude and are always kept on the outside circles of their home communities - ostracized by the ones who knew them best.
Living with the Japanese is a very fascinating and often rewarding experience. I have been able to learn very much about their culture and acceptable ways of communicating and simply living. As I said before, they are different, often frustrating, but not necessarily wrong. I am here to learn something new and accept change - that is my job, not theirs. Just as I wouldn't expect people from America to change their culture or life simply because they have a Japanese neighbor - I cannot expect to (nor do I want to) change the community in which I live. I merely want to live here for a short time, display my own personal culture of openness and acceptance with the desire to learn. I hope I am remembered fondly and as a friend when my time here is complete. But personally I want to see the differences I want to allow things to frustrate me or make me happy and really delve into what that means in contrast with where I am from and how I have been raised.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
What a crazy, random happenstance!
One heck of a great day! But I should really begin from yesterday afternoon so that I give you the whole story.
Warning: If you're running short on time, just come back and read this later, this is going to be a long one!
So, Wednesday afternoon Otsuka-sensei asked me my plans for Thursday. This question was a bit perplexing, so I answered in question form, "Coming to school...?" His face sank and he seemed genuinely worried for my well-being. He replied, "But you'll be the only one." There it was, the reason for the sunken expression, I was coming to work all alone. He proceeded to explain that the juniors were on their class trip to Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe and that the seniors were going to be taking their class trip to Tokyo Disney Sea and that the freshman were only going to play games and have an assembly all day. He asked me if I wanted to go with the seniors on their trip. Of course I said yes, and he immediately got on the phone to the head teacher of the senior class. This teacher approved my tagging along and then Otsuka-sensei went to seek approval from the Principal as well. He came back to the teacher's room and gave me the all-clear to ditch work and join the seniors for their trip! I was stoked.
This morning, I arrive at school at 6:45am and we leave promptly at 7am. Once we pull out of the school parking lot, Hiromi, one of the English teachers at Sanwa leans over to me and says, "One of my students couldn't wake up this morning, so he is not here." I assumed this meant the poor kid just missed his chance. I should have remembered - never assume, it makes an ass out of you and me - no, we were going to pick this student up from his home. Yeah, reread that sentence, I'll wait here. This charter bus navigated amazingly through the tiny streets of residential Koga to the student's home. I was floored that this was not only an acceptable solution, but the "obvious" one.
Next, we are on the bus for maybe half an hour after picking up the delinquent kid, and a student shouts from the back, "I have to go to the bathroom!" Mind you, these are seniors in high school, 17-18 years old. Next thing I know, the bus is pulling over to the side of the road, and the students who have to use the restroom, now 4, run off the bus and do their business! I mean, really?!??? About 30 minutes after this little show, we arrive at our planned rest stop for the students.
Eventually we arrive at Disney Sea. I posted pictures, so check them out. I don't know why it is called Disney Sea, there are no water rides that I saw and there is a weak theme (at best) of boating, kind of. As I expected however, everything was pristine and beautifully decorated and lifelike. Leave it to Disney to turn an extremely environmentally and health conscious nation into wasteful slobs. Kind of a funny juxtaposition, I enjoyed it. The first thing I see at the entrance of the park is a giant World. I don't want to call it a globe because that words sounds so academic to me, whereas when I see pictures of the world I just think of beauty and art - that is definitely what this statue was. It was a rotating statue with running water over the sphere, but underneath the pieces of land. Definitely my favorite thing in the whole park.
I mostly hung out with Hiromi and Ishiki-sensei for the day. (For those avid readers out there, this is the husband of the English teacher at Sakai West and Mio's father.) We had a really great time, and they were always surprised that I liked the thrilling rides best. Frankly I didn't find a great thrilling ride at Disney Sea, but the company was splendid and more than made up for the lack of flippy roller coasters. We explored for a bit and road a kiddy coaster. At 11:45am, the teachers all decided to meet up back at the entrance for lunch.
We were at a theme park, I was thinking hamburger, ice cream, bit of chewy caramel popcorn - again I was mistaken. For lunch, the 9 of us headed into the elegant Disney Sea Hotel for a gourmet buffet. Tidbit, soft drinks are almost never free refills in Japan when you are dining out. But, this place had three choices for free refills, orange juice, oolong tea, and Coke. I ordered a Coke, and the pumpkin soup for my appetizer. P.S. I love pumpkin soup - just learned that today. And then we proceeded to gorge ourselves on the buffet. I had everything from a shrimp cocktail with avocado to sea bass in a puff pastry. There were marinated mushrooms, and penne pasta with chicken, payaya, grilled calamari with chickpeas, grilled asparagus in a lemon sauce. For desert I had pear ice cream, a Bailey's chocolate raspberry fudge cake, and creme brulee. And then when I was stuffed beyond belief, Keiichi asked me if I was brave. I said yes - for the record, this was a mistake. He had been filling up on curry and rice; he was on portion number three and stopped to grab some vanilla ice cream for dessert. You probably see where this is going now... He offered me curry and vanilla ice cream - I partook - it was gross - I got more dessert to wipe the taste from my mouth.
After lunch Hiromi, Ishiki-sensi, and I ran (again, not a wise idea just after gorging myself on lunch) for our Fastpass time to Journey to the Center of the Earth. This ride was beautiful with the fiber optic lights and larger than life flower models. After this ride, they wanted to take me to the Tower of Terror. They were being very kind and wanted to make sure I was having fun, but since neither of them wanted to ride, I was all alone. The line moved very quickly and I was in that haunted elevator in no time! The Tower of Terror has a great atmosphere, but as far as scare factors go, it is sub-par. The Drop Zone at King's Dominion is much more thrilling, but definitely lacking in the atmospheric build-up. The Tower is the last ride I rode at the park, and then we headed off to relax a bit, have an iced coffee and do some shopping.
I only bought another charm for my phone, now I have apples and bananas - you know, like the song. I had a really great day at Disney and I hope you all are very jealous. :-D
Warning: If you're running short on time, just come back and read this later, this is going to be a long one!
So, Wednesday afternoon Otsuka-sensei asked me my plans for Thursday. This question was a bit perplexing, so I answered in question form, "Coming to school...?" His face sank and he seemed genuinely worried for my well-being. He replied, "But you'll be the only one." There it was, the reason for the sunken expression, I was coming to work all alone. He proceeded to explain that the juniors were on their class trip to Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe and that the seniors were going to be taking their class trip to Tokyo Disney Sea and that the freshman were only going to play games and have an assembly all day. He asked me if I wanted to go with the seniors on their trip. Of course I said yes, and he immediately got on the phone to the head teacher of the senior class. This teacher approved my tagging along and then Otsuka-sensei went to seek approval from the Principal as well. He came back to the teacher's room and gave me the all-clear to ditch work and join the seniors for their trip! I was stoked.
This morning, I arrive at school at 6:45am and we leave promptly at 7am. Once we pull out of the school parking lot, Hiromi, one of the English teachers at Sanwa leans over to me and says, "One of my students couldn't wake up this morning, so he is not here." I assumed this meant the poor kid just missed his chance. I should have remembered - never assume, it makes an ass out of you and me - no, we were going to pick this student up from his home. Yeah, reread that sentence, I'll wait here. This charter bus navigated amazingly through the tiny streets of residential Koga to the student's home. I was floored that this was not only an acceptable solution, but the "obvious" one.
Next, we are on the bus for maybe half an hour after picking up the delinquent kid, and a student shouts from the back, "I have to go to the bathroom!" Mind you, these are seniors in high school, 17-18 years old. Next thing I know, the bus is pulling over to the side of the road, and the students who have to use the restroom, now 4, run off the bus and do their business! I mean, really?!??? About 30 minutes after this little show, we arrive at our planned rest stop for the students.
Eventually we arrive at Disney Sea. I posted pictures, so check them out. I don't know why it is called Disney Sea, there are no water rides that I saw and there is a weak theme (at best) of boating, kind of. As I expected however, everything was pristine and beautifully decorated and lifelike. Leave it to Disney to turn an extremely environmentally and health conscious nation into wasteful slobs. Kind of a funny juxtaposition, I enjoyed it. The first thing I see at the entrance of the park is a giant World. I don't want to call it a globe because that words sounds so academic to me, whereas when I see pictures of the world I just think of beauty and art - that is definitely what this statue was. It was a rotating statue with running water over the sphere, but underneath the pieces of land. Definitely my favorite thing in the whole park.
I mostly hung out with Hiromi and Ishiki-sensei for the day. (For those avid readers out there, this is the husband of the English teacher at Sakai West and Mio's father.) We had a really great time, and they were always surprised that I liked the thrilling rides best. Frankly I didn't find a great thrilling ride at Disney Sea, but the company was splendid and more than made up for the lack of flippy roller coasters. We explored for a bit and road a kiddy coaster. At 11:45am, the teachers all decided to meet up back at the entrance for lunch.
We were at a theme park, I was thinking hamburger, ice cream, bit of chewy caramel popcorn - again I was mistaken. For lunch, the 9 of us headed into the elegant Disney Sea Hotel for a gourmet buffet. Tidbit, soft drinks are almost never free refills in Japan when you are dining out. But, this place had three choices for free refills, orange juice, oolong tea, and Coke. I ordered a Coke, and the pumpkin soup for my appetizer. P.S. I love pumpkin soup - just learned that today. And then we proceeded to gorge ourselves on the buffet. I had everything from a shrimp cocktail with avocado to sea bass in a puff pastry. There were marinated mushrooms, and penne pasta with chicken, payaya, grilled calamari with chickpeas, grilled asparagus in a lemon sauce. For desert I had pear ice cream, a Bailey's chocolate raspberry fudge cake, and creme brulee. And then when I was stuffed beyond belief, Keiichi asked me if I was brave. I said yes - for the record, this was a mistake. He had been filling up on curry and rice; he was on portion number three and stopped to grab some vanilla ice cream for dessert. You probably see where this is going now... He offered me curry and vanilla ice cream - I partook - it was gross - I got more dessert to wipe the taste from my mouth.
After lunch Hiromi, Ishiki-sensi, and I ran (again, not a wise idea just after gorging myself on lunch) for our Fastpass time to Journey to the Center of the Earth. This ride was beautiful with the fiber optic lights and larger than life flower models. After this ride, they wanted to take me to the Tower of Terror. They were being very kind and wanted to make sure I was having fun, but since neither of them wanted to ride, I was all alone. The line moved very quickly and I was in that haunted elevator in no time! The Tower of Terror has a great atmosphere, but as far as scare factors go, it is sub-par. The Drop Zone at King's Dominion is much more thrilling, but definitely lacking in the atmospheric build-up. The Tower is the last ride I rode at the park, and then we headed off to relax a bit, have an iced coffee and do some shopping.
I only bought another charm for my phone, now I have apples and bananas - you know, like the song. I had a really great day at Disney and I hope you all are very jealous. :-D
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