On a side note…
As I realize entries are this, uh, mundane let’s say, I will omit them for the most part and only send highlights as warranted—weekly or monthly is what I am thinking. This means that it is likely that you’ll only get a message only periodically when something warrants story-telling and/or photos. Hope that works for ya!
October 23-27, 2004
Saturday was a rather relaxed day. I had Japanese for a couple of hours in the morning, then met a friend for lunch. We had a leasurely lunch and then I got some groceries. I got home late in the afternoon and studied most of the evening.
Sunday was much more exciting. An acquaintance and I went to H City to see some sights. Our master plan was to see Kagura at a shrine, a special dance that is part of a kind of fall/harvest festival. After getting to town and having a bit of a false start on the wrong tram (thanks to me!), we grabbed some sushi and stick food, we then visited the A-Bomb Dome and wandered through the Peace Park. After lunching on a park bench with a view of the river and the Dome, we wandered on towards the area where the shrine was located. We got there and sat down…to see the end of the Kagura. Oh well! We decided since we were already there, we went to the Hiroshima-jo (castle) tower, which has a museum inside. We took our time looking in the museum and reading what we could. Some of the Japanese characters almost told us what things were…unfortunately, just because we may read something, doesn’t mean we have the vocabulary to know what it means! J
After a bit more wandering through a book shop and finding our way back on the tram and then train, we were back—tired, but back to campus!
Monday was a busy day. After talking with the whole family on speaker phone, I ran some errands and then met a friend for lunch. After lunch, I had Japanese class and then worked on my research at the office all afternoon. Then I went to the store to pick up some groceries and rushed home to meet an acquaintance to study Japanese before our evening Japanese class. We ended up looking at photos from the bus tour and trip to H City and talking about good books to read. It seems we are both bookworms and have run out of our supplies of reading material…fortunately, I think I located a low cost book exchange that I will check out the next time I am in H City!
Tuesday was a rainy day. After studying a bit at home, I went to the German class that I am visiting. We are more a kind of a Tea Klatsch group of six and are discussing an article in German. I really enjoy the time and am the only student that is not Japanese, which is really fascinating in our conversations regarding religion and the societies. The course is led by a woman originally from Berlin, Germany, but has lived in Japan for a very long time. After class three classmates (one of whom is a colleague of mine) and I had lunch together. It was really a nice morning. I spent the afternoon in the office working on tweaking some of my work and studying. Late in the afternoon, I had Japanese class…after a rather depressing class and a rainy day, I was taking the elevator up to my floor and two guys got in with really good smelling food on the 7th floor. We had seen each other at the evening Japanese class, and they invited me to dinner a few doors down from my room. Never one to say no to meeting folks, I told them that I would be there in a few minutes and if there was anything I could bring. They said I ‘should bring nothing, but hurry.’ So, I did, but I raided the Starbursts I had left to share. We had a really delicious Lao dinner…nice and spicy, & yummy as hell! Two of the three guys were newly arrived this semester and the other fellow has been in Japan for something like six years. We talked and talked—it was great. One of the fellows is actually in the Ministry of Education in Laos and I have read about some of the projects he works with in courses I have had in the US! It was amazing—he was showing me documents about the grass-roots literacy programs he works with and these were the same documents I have come across at home and read! Now, I have a much better context from his first hand experience. We have all agreed that we have to do this again and they asked if they could invite me to the Lao parties the have and I said, ‘Sure! Just let me know so I can prepare something next time!’ Smiles all around.
Today (Wednesday) has been fine. Japanese continues to be frustrating. I can get the grammar, the words, and pronunciation. It’s the three written forms that are having trouble cramming themselves into my head. They are used interchangeably in the same sentence and even occasionally in the same word! Drivin’ me bonkers, I tell ya! Regardless, I am trying to make myself stick to it, because I want to learn the language as much as I can while I am here. Once I get my final OK on my research, though, it will probably be a decision of where I concentrate primarily—the research or the Japanese. The answer to me is crystal clear: research. However, I am wont to not loose this opportunity to learn Japanese—it’s just that you get behind in a language class and then it’s hopeless to catch up. Eh, I have been here less than a month, I should just settle down and see how things work out!
Hmm, I went to the store after an afternoon at the office and decided to splurge. So, I got some scallops and fresh veggies and made a garlic butter sauté with them….mmmmm, good! Now I am working on my newsletters so that I can get these sent out around the end of October as promised! I’ll study a bit of Japanese before going to bed and maybe sort out some papers I have been meaning to organize or purge.
Ok, so I am working on this while I listen to “H-FM, Hiroshima’s FM Radio” as they say. There are so many oddball songs I am hearing here. I think that this is a starter market for new English music acts or something…for example the song right now is a pseudo-rappy-hip-hop song called “My Goodies” by a vampy woman and a growly guy. I haven’t heard of it before coming here, have you? Of course, there is plenty of Beatles, Avril Lavigne, Japanese pop songs, and more—all on one station. I love it! If you don’t like one song, just wait three or five minutes and there is something else on the radio.
It makes me laugh some of the Jap-lish I see and hear here--things that I never expect. For example, on the package of coffee (also known as “ko-hi” in Japanese) hard candies it says “a taste that makes sense comes from a production process that makes sense. Please examine this with your whole heart.” Um, ok, I will? What can you say to that? Then there is Creap it is billed as a “Creamy Powder” for your coffee…
Hey, here’s a photo that I did not take, that has nothing to do with Japan, and I have no idea where it was….it just makes me laugh and wonder how much this poor chicken as seen! (BTW: for those of you still asking what a squat toilet is, it is the white, porcelain bit on the floor.)
Well, that’s plenty for today…I need to get to studying!
Typhoon, I’m an Alien Again, “I Made It Up the Hill!”, K.I.T. (& I don't mean David Hasselhof's car!)
October 21 & 22, 2004
Typhoon Results
So, the typhoon was quite bad, although not in the area where I live….it hit H City pretty hard, but we were protected by the mountains is the best explanation I have heard so far. From the news, it sounds like this was the deadliest in decades.
Alien Card
I am now an official alien and I have a card to prove it! So, this means I can lawfully reside in Japan until 2009….well, ain’t planning on that long, just 12 months ‘cause I gotta get back and finish up my MA!
I made it up the hill!
So there’s this hill I’ve been fighting with…well, they say it’s part of a mountain, but it seems more like a long hill to me. Today I made it all the way up without pausing to walk my bike! Granted it was the first thing I did today and so fatigue on the knees wasn’t too bad. My knees are not happy tonight because of it, but I did it….don’t think I’ll be able to tomorrow though.
Keeping in Touch
Here’s one for you, I move overseas and keep in better touch via snail mail than when I am stateside. Why? I am not permitted to work and have started to find a bit of time on my hands as others are getting involved in their semester rather than taking the new girl (that’s me) out and about! Oh we are still going out and about, but I am able to be a bit more independent now! So, feel free to write…my mailbox has been empty a lot with the exception of some letters and even a small packet from someone special. If you are electronically inclined, I am now on Yahoo messenger as well, but am not on-line so often…we could always find a time to chat!
Gambatte!, “We Burn Things Here”, “Typhoon is Coming—Stay Inside!
October 19-20, 2004
Gambatte!
Ok, so learning Japanese is harder than it feels like it should be. The spoken part is catchy enough and I am doing ok there…it is the written part that is a real challenge. Technically, now after only 4 classes we are supposed to know and recall at will both Hiragana & Katakana, as well as the syllables they represent. That’s something like over 100 symbols that are completely new to most of us in my class. Well, I am trying and by the end of class I seem to know something new, so I scribble it down right afterwards and memorize that part along with studying what we had just done. Painfully slow.
Fortunately, there is also a conversation-based class with students studying to become Japanese as a foreign language teachers and in one class alone I learned several more Hiragana/Katakana and even how to say basic sentences—must more a Friere-type of learning environment which is so much more rewarding for me personally.
These two classes compliment each other at the moment and that’s fine with me. I will continue with at least one of them, maybe both. I realized once I arrived there seems to be 4 or 5 beginning Japanese classes I could have taken, but I have honed in on the ones that seemed most appropriate and fit well with my plans here.
Ah, the title, well my neighbor and I were chatting about how hard Japanese is. She is Chinese and said that for her the pronunciation was difficult, but the Hiragana/Katakana were not so bad. I admitted that the pronunciation was similar enough that I enjoyed it and found the written word to be difficult. With that she said, “you know what we have to do? ‘GAMBATTE!’” ‘Gambatte’ is part of a fight cheer I learned at the Hiroshima Carps game, so I figured it out….and with that I was on my way to my class, less gloomy about it than when I started out.
“We burn things here…”
So I think I wrote about fire issues in one of my other entries, but in talking with a friend while driving from Hiroshima City to campus, we got onto the topic of the small fires that seem to be in many people’s yards. I asked if they are just burning garbage or grass or ? Her concise reply was “we burn things her.” I just about laughed myself silly since it was in a Walter Cronkite “And that the way it is” fashion. After recovering from the goofy-giggles, we talked more about it and apparently once grass, weeds, rice, whatever is cut for hay/straw, there is always stubby little parts still rooted to the ground. Sometimes people burn these so that an uncontrolled fire doesn’t occur. In other cases, they burn yard waste—same as people near where my parents live sometimes do. In other cases, who knows—again like people all over the place! : ) Still I find this phrase kind of funny and think of it each time I see a plume of smoke rising from a yard or at a distance.
“Typhoon is coming—stay inside.”
This was the only advice I could elicit from people about the pending category 18 typhoon on a 20 scale that hit on Wednesday. Hmmm, I recall hurricanes of my youth in Florida and the mad rush for non-perishables, taping/boarding up the windows, filling the bathtub so that we’d have water, and so on. For a child, it was an adventure—secretly hoping that we could try out all of our preparations, but thankfully never having to. How can people here just be saying “stay inside” with a straight face?
I decided it could be one of two things: A good way to save face and not show fear in the line of something one cannot change…naw, that was too exotic and I had long-ago realized that exotic people were only people I haven’t met yet. More likely it seemed to me that typhoons aren’t as bad as the hurricanes of my youth…well, I had heard that the last typhoon blew out the dividers between all of the balconies in our building so that may not be true either. What was it? Well since the typhoon is raging outside at the moment, I can only recall one rational idea of why they all advised I stay inside: most people who die during a typhoon, die while they are on foot or bicycle—typically by something hitting them in the head. Now that’s a pleasant idea and aren’t I glad the University closed today do to typhoon!?! Ok, now to start singing “Ridin’ the Storm Out” and find some people to have a typhoon party in the common room!
Here’s a photo of the typhoon
Can you feel the wind in your hair?
Classes, On-Line, Baseball, Hiroshima City, Food (reprisal)
October 12-17, 2004
Classes
So, I thought I had one Japanese class that met once a week and so I decided to take a German class that also meets once a week. (At least in that class, I should feel like I am understanding something from the get-go!) As it turns out, I have one Japanese class three times a week with three different instructors…so far we’ve met twice and each instructor went through the same housekeeping stuff, but remarkably the second instructor picked up right where the other left off for the lesson plan. We’ll see how this goes…I am working on Hiragana at the moment—it is 46 syllabic symbols. Then we’ll learn the Katakana—that’s another 52 or 54 syllabic symbols used primarily for non-Japanese words…like my name. Finally, there is Kanji, of which there are a nearly endless number. These are the characters that were borrowed from the Chinese, yet don’t always look the same as modern Chinese nor have a similar meaning. I am hoping to be able to figure out Hiragana & Katakana and learn maybe 100 Kanji before I return to the U.S. I think I have my work cut out for me. At this point, I am questioning if it’s even possible for me to learn any Japanese! Memorizing the symbols and the sounds they make are the hardest part at the moment. I haven’t even started in on meanings…well, other than “neko” means cat, “negi” are spring onions, and a few others. I also hope to go to the tutors that I’ll attend two times a week on Tuesday evenings and on Saturday mornings to help me along.
I will attend the German class for the first time this Tuesday. A colleague of mine is in the class to maintain his language skills and so last week I inquired if he could see if I may come and sit in on the class. Sure enough, I may and am looking very forward to it. It sounds like it is basically a read and discuss current events type of course, which is perfect!
The main reason I am here though is my research. At the moment, I am still awaiting approval for my data collection, so I am working a bit on my chapters thus far. However, I am mostly concentrating on acquiring Japanese and settling in.
On-Line
When will I ever be back on-line via wifi!?!? Apparently there is a port in our building, but the times I have tried logging in, it hasn’t worked for me. I even went to the Media Center after I got my student card, registered with a password, came back after three days, created my account name and log-in password, and still it doesn’t work….I have to see if there is another wifi location I can access…especially since all of my work is on my laptop and I need to back it up, post it to my blog, get things sent to people, etc. If you are reading this, then I figured something out…even if that means a once a month trip to the City to post/relay data! : )
Baseball
Oooo, a friend and I went with another friend of hers to a Hiroshima Carps baseball game on Thursday night! It was the last game of the season and what a blast. The game was dismal and all but the general admission seats were nearly empty. Luckily, we were in general admission seats! People go all out and bring trumpets, drums, huge flags, and more just to support their home team. “Outto!” The chants go on and on, each player having a variation on a theme for their chant. We had a blast. Prior to coming, a friend and I picked up food to bring in, mostly different meats on a stick with sauces and sushi. It was all good stuff Maynard! Food was the biggest difference besides the fact that people really got into the game without being stinking drunk. People came back from the stands with bowls of steaming hot ramen in broth. Looked fine, but I was happier with what we had brought in for dinner. Na’er a hotdog to be seen, sorry Uncle Curt!
Unfortunately, the Carp lost and so ended the season. Fortunately, we lingered around outside afterwards and the enthusiastic folks assembled outside of the stadium for more chants and cheers. The mascot joined in with the leaders of the cheers and a TV station even taped a bit of the action. It was a blast!
Here are some photos from the baseball game
Hiroshima City
On Saturday, a colleague of mine invited me to go with her and her three children to Hiroshima City to find some big bookstores for English books, but also so I could find some good children’s flashcards to learn my Japanese properly. We also wandered about a bit just looking around and met up with another colleague to look around a bit more and go to dinner. So, in case you are keeping track at this meal I had jellyfish and just loved it. The texture is very thin but solid so that it’s kind of crunchy as you eat it-kind of like raw cabbage, but more supple. I also had a slice of raw scallop that was to die for! It was huge compared to those we have at home and so tender and nummy with a bit of lemon. All in all, it was a great time and I really am glad that I was able to meet her kids and that she invited me along.
Food (reprisal)
Man oh man oh man. The food here is incredible…I think that you could eat something different every day for a year and still not try all that there is to try. I’ll let you know if that’s true… I have tried everything that I have been given a chance to try and have loved all of it…there is only maybe one or two things I would choose not to order myself, if I knew what I was ordering. Otherwise, if it comes to me via my lack of Japanese, consider it eaten and gone anyway! : ) I’m a bit unsure of eating red meats raw such as beef or horse meat sashimi (Unknowingly, I’ve had raw pork already), more so because of unfamiliar bacteria that would sicken me than fear of the taste/texture. I really think though that Japan has the cleanest and freshest food quality I have ever seen or experienced anywhere in the world. It’s incredible how the groceries are impeccable about how the food looks and its freshness. Fruit I would consider just fine is put on the discount table which is good since fruit and veggies (along with the majority of foods) are expensive since most is imported. I’ve noticed that I would spend nearly $40 every 5-6 days on just basic foods (100% juices, veggies, sliced pork, chicken eggs, and chicken livers being the most expensive—forget about beef!) that I can prepare on my lone gas burner. That coupled with how much gas, electricity and water cost to cook it and clean up afterwards (I’ve been told by the housing office for water alone, the bill will be between $20-$100 per month?!?!)…well, I figured it out and it basically costs about the same for me to eat one or two meals on campus per day during the school week at their subsidized prices and occasional meals out at inexpensive restaurants or something simple at home. Breakfast is always at home, though, and I have made it simple as can be: fruit, a fruit gelee or yougurt cup (usually coconut or lychee), and a piece of bread or rice cake or such.
Here’s a stick of butter that was costly…at least it’s pre-sliced!
These are my favorite rice crackers—a bit too salty, but tasty!
Fishball Ramen Soup….hmmm, hard to think this was just dried stuff 5 minutes ago!
I don’t crave anything per se, but dog-gone it, I was having a conversation last week about foods that someone missed from the U.S.—now I am missing Mexican food…Boca Chica’s, Taco Bell’s, hell, a frozen burrito from SA with sour cream and cheese would thrill me right about now! : ) Eh, if that’s the worst of my worries, I am blessed.
First Day of Classes
October 12, 2004
Boy, I thought I was busy last week with paperwork…as it turns out the language class I thought met once a week actually meets three times a week. I will be doing that, as well as a Japanese language tutorial two times a week with some folks from the J as a Foreign Language major, and will also be sitting in on a Deutsch course with a colleague of mine once a week. The course seems to read Die Zeit and have discussions about current events. (I’ll go next week and find out more.)
Of course, my main goal is to work on my thesis and things are going well. I have been doing, for the most part all that I should have been doing over the spring/summer. So, I think I am in a pretty good stead. Still, I haven’t worked on it now for nearly three weeks and my mind is getting rusty…gotta get back into the swing of things!
I think culture shock part two is starting to set in…I went to the store today and blanked on getting cash on the way, so as I was checking out I didn’t have enough and had to ask her in my crummy Japanese to take some of the things off of my bill, please. It all worked out, but after this weekend’s short malaise and headache it makes sense. It’s so funny, I am starting to anticipate aspects of culture shock and others sneak up on me, but then I think, “Ah, yes, it’s you my familiar friend…” As long as I don’t say it out loud while standing in public alone, I think I am ok.
Anyway, all went well today, even my first trip, solo at that, to the cafeteria…they have all of the food out on display so you may see what is served each day. Then you go inside and sort out what you want. Thing is, that with my non-existent understanding of Japanese writing, I can’t tell what is where and whom to ask. The lunchroom ladies are so very, very nice though! (Maybe the nicest people I have met randomly in a public place, actually.) I got my veggies and main course and everything, but realized I didn’t have “gohan” or rice, which is the staple, to eat as part of my main course. So, I went on back to where I was guessing it was served and before I could even get to her and say “dozo (please) gohan” she weighed out a plate and handed it to me.
In my class, I realized that my butt is whipped when it comes to Japanese—not only did I find it challenging to learn to write as a kid and as a lefty, it seems that left-handedness is not the best thing and also makes learning the written strokes quite challenging since they go against what may seem natural for a lefty. I had an idea that I was making things harder than they should be in class, but then talked to a colleague of mine not from Japan and he had the same challenge. Oh well, I’ll value learning it well all that much more than someone for whom it came easily, right?
Ugh, I’m tired, so I am going to hit the sack and be back when there’s something worth writing…ciao for now!
Bus Tour
After a late night on Friday, I was up and out by 10am for our International Student Center bus tour of the region! I have discovered that I am possibly the only new arrival, and possible only, US American around campus besides the language intensive program students. Most of my fellow new int’l students are from China and south Asia (Bangladesh, Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia). I have met a couple of folks from Kenya and also one research student from Germany and one fellow each from Saudi Arabia, Romania, and Russia.
ANYWAY, our bus tour went throughout the area and now I have a better sense of location. We also visited a few sites including the Sankeien Gardens (“water, mountain, village” gardens) and the Mitsujo Tumuli which is a kind of a burial mound for what were probably royal family members from the Kofun era (700s). After visiting a mall for lunch and then the recycle shop for shopping, we dropped off the goods and the bus driver kindly gave us a ride to the Sake Matsuri!
Here are some photos from the tour
Nearby was an old, but much more recent cemetery
Sake Festival
Wow, where to begin?!? It’s huge, encompassing the entire city of Saijo. Food stands are everywhere as are sake stands. You can go into areas by particular sake breweries and watch shows sometimes for free sometimes for a charge, you can buy the goods for your own table top bishu nabe, a kind of stew you create with fresh ingredients on a table top grill with sake as the main flavoring agent. We opted to walk around and eat our way around. I had everything from quails eggs wrapped in shrimp cooked over an open fire, to tako (octopus) and iki (squid), to chicken chunks, to bean paste and rice paste balls (sweets), to samples of foods that I am not sure what they were, but they were tasty! Of course, we also sampled a small amount of sakes, if they were free or low cost. Most everything was quite reasonable compared to the MN Fair or Taste of MN. It was a nice, refreshing change! We watched an singing group and walked until we were tired. We headed home a bit early exhausted from the day, but planning to return to the festival the next day.
Here are some photos from the Sake Matsuri
Making Moshi! (Rice paste with beans inside—it’s a tasty sweet.) We bought some from this batch they made—mmmmm!
One of the bishu nabe tents at the festival. Notice you make it yourself on the grill/stewing pot.
These are sake labels from the region in which I am living.
A good local band that played blues-y rock and roll. This was in the lower level of a sake brewery.
Some of the foods at the Sake Matsuri, such as deep fried ika or squid—one of my two favorites at the festival!
My other favorite: quail eggs (I think) and shrimp!
A Love I Never Knew I Had…
As we were walking about, it was raining a bit so we were going in and out of the sake breweries to keep a bit dry. As we came out of one of the breweries, a friend of mine had a brief chat with one of three old men at the festival. Apparently, they had kept bumping into each other in one of the other sake breweries and it was like we were following each other unintentionally. All at once, one of the fellows turned to me and started talking to me and made an odd sound while patting his chest. According to the friends I was with, he said that he loved me and that his heart was beating for me. And here I had the fleeting thought he was having heart troubles!?!
Wild dogs
I am ok with domestic dogs, but really don’t like to run into them wild… Part of this area is mountains with lovely parks and I live on the edge between the university, the town and Kagamiyama park. As probably you know the economy is still struggling to gain and apparently many people drove from Hiroshima and other areas to drop off unwanted pets, primarily dogs according to a friend of mine. They are mid-sized dogs, with their heads reaching to a bit above my knees. These dogs have stayed around the edge of the university and town because there is food to be had, often students feed them has been the mantra I’ve heard although I’ve only seen the dogs at night with no one else around. Oh yeah. Usually, I can walk or bike right past no problems, but on Sunday night I was taking a bowl of cuke/tomato salad to a friend’s place for dinner and the dog that I could hear but not see was growling/yipping at me. (I was walking since I had lent my bike to a friend.) Finally, when I saw the dog it was relatively small and I think it was more scared of me that figuring I had food--still rabies shots are not appealing. So I just kept walking past and he followed me until I got to a busy intersection. I think he’s scared of cars… Of course at the party, we had a great time and ate copious amounts of good Chinese food and even learned to make a hearty bread with onions eaten in the north of China in place of rice.
Just the other morning, the cutest little butterscotch puppy was rambling out of the bushes all happy and happened onto the pathway just as I biked up to pass that same spot. He tried to be tough and growl, but was scared and weaseled back into the bushes. Looked kind of funny actually.
“Sports Day”
So, you had Columbus Day and we had Sports Day on the 11th. It was another day off for me, but apparently people are supposed to do sports and it’s a national nod to sports. Well, I biked to the store and back and ran a few other errands…it’s nice. When there’s a holiday here, things are still open like for shopping and such. When I asked someone about the day in advance, planning to stock up on food like when I was in Europe, they
Orientations, Japanese Language Test, Okonomiyaki, Party, Karaoke, Bus Tour, Sake Matsuri, A Love I Never Knew I Had…, Wild Dogs, Sports Day
October 9th, 10th, & 11th, 2004
Orientations
Well, I am now well orientated after Friday’s three or four orientations. Much of the information overlapped, but mostly the really important stuff, so that’s fine with me! It’s interesting how much of the orientations were simply read the materials to us. I understand that some professors also teach in this mode, lecturing and then dismissing the class. Much different than at home!
JP Test
I also took a Japanese placement test…well, actually all I had to do is show up, complete the first page with my name, etc. and then I was dismissed. Fine with me—I had more offices to visit. The paperwork is never ending, it seems!
Okonomiyaki
Some colleagues took me to lunch for the typical “okonomiyaki” which means, as you like it. Basically this heap of tasty food looks something like a cross between a pancake and the most outrageously nummy omelet you have ever had. It’s incredible…after slathering out a pancake-like dough, the ramen noodles are heated on the grill off to the side. On top of the pancake, the cook adds whatever ingredients you have ordered (as you like it…). These are heaped up and flipped over to cook through. As that is cooking, he takes an egg and cooks it overhard on the side in the shape of a pancake. On top of that he places the heated noodles and then to top it off, the oodles of nummy you ordered with only the innocuous pancake on top. It comes to you piping hot (as does most of the food here!) and you put as much mayo-type and BBQ-type sauces you want on top. Mmmmmm, I have had two of these hefty endeavors since I’ve arrived and still can’t get over them!
Party with Colleagues
After a long day of orientations and visiting offices, my colleagues (approximately 25? of us from the Comparative Education department) had arranged a large welcome party for those of us new to our department. We went to this great restaurant called “Gochi Gochi” and it was mah-velous! It was traditional in the fact that we left our shoes at the door and we had a party room with rice paper partitions. We also sat on the floor on cushions at 2 low tables, but there was a space cut out below for our feet—good news for me! My colleagues had arranged a set menu and all we could drink. So the food kept coming, each dish more interesting that the last. I loved everything! Things are strange and beautiful, but taste sometimes unlike they look or smell. I’ve really enjoyed nearly everything I have eaten here so far, and I have found nothing that I cannot eat because I didn’t like it or such. The biggest thing is to not expect anything to which we are accustomed. Then you will always be surprised, but never disappointed! I had a sweet Japanese drink called ???-pisu and it was addictive. (I am not drinking alcohol because of allergy medications, although colleagues said they were also on some and yet they must also enjoy their beer and whiskey. Still, I am hoping that in the winter my mold allergies subside enough that I may partake more fully of the imbibulations there are to be found!)
Karaoke
After the party, a little more than half of us went to Karaoke. It was a blast. Basically, the karaoke place sets you up in a little room that is all yours and you can drink and eat if you want (too expensive!) and sing till your heart’s desires are fulfilled. It was a blast! I was surprised that I recognized a few of the Japanese songs from commercials in the US. We also sang some English songs like “On Top of the World”, “My Heart Will Go On”, “Jeramiah was a Bullfrog” and “YMCA”.
Here are some karaoke photos
Well, I’m tired as hell….
October 7, 2004
Well, I am tired as hell and tomorrow’s going to be an even longer day. Fortunately, I was able to get a lot done at the office and my colleagues and I even went out to lunch at an Okonomiyaki shop for the speciality of this region…it’s the savory ueber-pancake to top them all!
The one I had was a kind of pancake on top, then cabbage and bunches of soba noodles with a yummy sauce and bits of bacon, various some kind seafood or maybe fish oil, an egg over hard underneath and then to top it off you put a kind of mayonnaise and BBQ sauce on top to your taste. Oh man, oh man, oh man…this was a meal to die for! It was inexpensive too! Only Y550 (about $5.50 or so). The place was interesting. There were many “suits” sitting and reading and eating…they were reading magna or a kind of series comic books for adults. The corner of the shop had several bookcases full of the manga series for patrons to read while waiting and eating their meals.
After lunch we went back and worked some more. I also had an orientation in the late afternoon that was entirely in Japanese, but fortunately my tutor was with me and so we took a good amount of time afterwards her debriefing me. She is great and I really think I lucked out with such a nice tutor. I think we are meeting far more regularly than we “have” to meet, but it seems to be fine with both of us since we enjoy each other’s company.
Today I signed up for the co-op that provides not only discounts on books, but also fire insurance for my apartment. I never really realized how much of an issue is after an earthquake…it’s quite a visible threat based on all of the extinguishers and preparatory signage, etc. there is in public and private locales.
I was also able to get a special USB xD reader that I couldn’t even find to buy in the U.S. so that I can upload some photos.
Here’s a photo of the elusive little beastie
Other than that, I realized that Monday is a holiday and so I asked about it. Apparently it’s like in the US: Most offices (gov’t, uni, etc.) are closed but grocers and shops are open. Goooood, I thought I was going to have to stock up on food for a long weekend like in Europe! No need to worry.
Talking about worry, the strangest thing happened, apparently there were two homicides in town here--one by gunshot and one by stabbing. My colleagues were quite surprised by this so close by and together.
On that happy note, I think I’ll close for now. Wish me luck on my Japanese proficiency test tomorrow…everyone has to take it, so I hope that perhaps once I note that I don’t understand any of it, I may leave….we’ll see.
Have a good one!
….continued from 2004 10 04…
Today I ate lunch at the “Italian” food shop at the Youme Town department store (where I buy everything from food to a bike to bedding). It’s nice that they have examples of the meals on the counter or in a display, so I usually gage how adventuresome I am (so far it’s been a 10 all the way baby!) and order away! I got rice with a thick curry sauce, two huge fried & breaded shrimp and a bunch of calamari (octopus rings) and small mussels with beautiful shells. It tasted great and was more than enough to fill me up for under Y400 (less than $4)—top that Red Lobster! Others I have talked to have complained about small portions in Japan, I have found portions to be just enough or, in the case of the ramen shop, too much.
Here’s what I had for lunch
I have started learning Hiragana and Kanakata which are two of the three forms of writing used here. My tutor, who is helping me with other details or questions I might have, has been brilliant and has even taken to getting me started before I take the mandatory proficiency exam on Friday. If I’m lucky, I’ll understand where to write in my name!?! : ) Regardless, I will be able to take the language course, as well as sit in on an Ed class that is in primarily Japanese.
Here’s a poster with Hiragana & Katakana
I am starting to believe that I am here--mostly because things are starting to get crazy busy. My calendar is filling up with welcome parties and tours of this that and the other, plus I have meetings, office hours, classes (soon!), and so on. That’s fine with me though! Things here are going great and I’ll write again soon!
Ok, it’s way too late…
October 6, 2004
Ok, it’s way too late to be doing this, but I am finding less and less time on my hands. That’s good, I think. I am all set up with a mobile phone (that even sends short messages & takes photos!), a really nice bike, proper bedding, and I’ve even successfully done two loads of laundry without a hitch. I tell ya, I need to get more clothes or something…I feel like I am wasting when all the clothes I’ve dirtied fit into one load, but I have to split them since there are darks and lights…problem was that I was running out of certain items….
I have also successfully (as far as I can tell) completed all of the paperwork. Now I am just waiting until I can pick up my student card and visit another office, wait a few days, and visit them again. Then I’ll be able to post these blogs to the website and surf wifi in my building! Yeah technology!
I am having a good time and meeting a lot of people…so many that I am having trouble remembering everyone’s names. Fortunately, most folks are having this trouble too! : ) Tomorrow there is a meeting for newly arrived int’ls and their tutors and so I hope to finally meet my former advising students that are here on the language intensive program. I’ve heard that one is doing well and the other seems to not know the same folks I have met yet.
I realize this is the honeymoon stage of culture shock and all, but I really, really love it here. Things run smoothly, even if sometimes you have to get your photo retaken since your head is just too big for their needs—a first for me! Luckily, there is a machine right on campus near the cafeteria and it’s was only Y600 for six really good quality photos. (Ok, so it could have been better—I was all hot and red from riding my bike and hurrying so that I could turn in the forms by 4 or so.) Regardless, that means that my student ID is on its way to being prepared! : )
My colleagues are great! I am trying to slowly, but surely memorize everyone’s names. It seems every time turn around someone new is being introduced to me as a colleague and I am starting to my department is just huge!
I have fallen in love with these salty rice crackers and am eating some as I type. I also love these little cups of “fruitnamehere jelly” which is like watery Jello with bits of fruit or such. My favorites are the lemon pulp (that tastes like our grapefruit) and the coconut milk ones.
Here is a photo of my beloved Jello-like fruit cups
…to be continued…
Nothing Much New…
October 4, 2004
Nothing much new other than many, many forms completed. I met with my tutor to go over them before trying to turn them in tomorrow and Wednesday. I’ve done a bit of exploring and have discovered that I can access my home checking account through the Japanese Post ATM. Another good bit of news is that our building has a wireless computer room and apparently I’ll get a password and user ID once I turn in my forms, visit another office, and wait a few days. I’ve also found that Tuesdays are discount days and special point days at Youme Town department store, where I buy my groceries and many other necessities in their Y100 Shop. With that in mind, I delayed my grocery shopping a day.
Most of the people I have met that are not an acquaintance or tutor have been from China, India, and Bangladesh. I have been hanging out in our building’s common room reading newspapers and chatting with people as they stop in to do wifi or read papers. Most of the people in the building are pretty well established and have been here for a good semester already. (I entered during their mid-year point or second semester of the AY.) Still they are more than happy to share with me the gems of advice they have come by. Like the Fuji Grand movie theatre is Y1000 (about $10) for international students rather than the Y1800 (about $18) regular entrance. One of these times, I should ask someone to help me with the washing machine…
Have I mentioned about the spiders here?!? I think I might have read something about Japan and spiders, but if I didn’t, I should have! Holy cow, some of the spiders are the big, leggy kind that have legs like a crab’s back little legs—obviously exoskeleton—how creepy! In general, things are buggy here, which means the ecosystem is doing quite well. I am on the edge of the mountains/park and so the creatures are to be expected. I’ve also seen praying mantises that were as long as from the tip of my middle finger to my wrist…..eeeeek, get one of those puppies in your long brown hair! They look worse then they are, but unawares I almost palmed one on a handrail. Another unique creature I seemed to have come across twice now are the infamous “wild Japanese dogs” that run in packs. Ok, so the two times I saw them they looked like pups waiting for their owners in the shop, but there was no leash and no owner. Still, I didn’t get too close.
Well, I suppose I should get back to work on some of the forms so I’ll close for now. Have a good one!
….continuing from 2004 10 03….
Once I arrived in Hiroshima and gathered my bags, I met up with my host and her friend. It was great timing as her friend was also meeting someone at the airport as well. Luckily, they each drove and so the luggage situation worked out just fine. We ended up leaving one of the bags in the trunk and took the other upstairs to her 4th floor walk-up apartment. Her apartment could be called a traditional Japanese apartment in that it has two tatami mat rooms, sliding windows and doors including rice paper style over the windows, and so forth. It’s a very, very nice apartment with balcony, which seems to be the norm in this area. Since she is on the top floor and there is only one other apartment, she has the roof as well. Oh, it is a great space and she likes to have parties there at times as well. After dumping my stuff and getting washed up a bit, we were right off to an Irish pub called “Spuds” (phone: 082-225-3748 in case you’d like to go there) where she and friends often meet. We met up with the owner, his wife, and her friend from Canada. He’s been in Hiroshima about 10 years and had a slide show from his recent travels in the Canadian Rockies. It was fun to hang-out, relax, and chat. We had some “pizza” which was like flat bread with maybe sweet butter, mashed potatoes, and bacon on top. I also had a spicy ginger ale, which is basically a much more ginger-y ginger ale. YUM! I was loosing my voice from allergies and the flight, so the bar tender assured me this would help. Everything tasted so good! After closing the bar, we dropped her Canadian friend off and went back to her place to sleep. We had to be to the campus by 9am the next morning.
We made it and met up with my tutor. My tutor is a very kind woman who has just returned from studying in Montpellier, France. My former office had a program Montpellier and so I had some knowledge of the area/uni and so we had a built-in conversation topic. Essentially, she was hired by my department for the year and is to help me settle in and figure the basics out. As it is, we are becoming friends as well. After a long morning of meeting people, walking around the campus to pick up all of the packets of forms, and so on, we were able to finally get over to where I am staying while I am here. When we arrived, unfortunately the office had just closed for lunch. So we waited here, there, and everywhere until they were back.
One thing to note is that during the days since I arrived it had been hot and humid—Florida hot & humid. While I was in Narita, I bought a little “han-ku-chi” (hanker-chief) that is a small sweat rag made from the same stuff as towels. One of the best purchases I have ever made since there is typically no towels in the public bathrooms for after washing your hands. But I digress…
Once the woman returned from lunch, I was able to get checked in and dump my bags for the last time for a long while. As soon as that was done, we went out to eat lunch and run errands. My tutor and I ate at an Italian restaurant called “Happy Pasta” and it was! The food was very good and I had a kind of “spaghetti” with thick, flat noodles, dried tomatoes, a bit of tomato sauce, and succulent shrimp and asparagus. Once again, perhaps not what you would expect, but I have decided to try and not expect what I’d have at home and enjoy things as they are. I am learning all kinds of new ways to have the same old, same old in a new light!
After lunch we were off to the town of Saijo and city hall, the national insurance office, the bank, and so on. We got all of the stuff done we could and now I have only a few details to wrap up off campus after a week or two of “processing time”. Now it’s the campus forms that haunt me in the night…
On our way back from Saijo, she took me to “Youme Town” (means: “dream” town) department store. I bought groceries and she helped me sign up for a special card. As I spend money there, I earn points that can be turned into Yen to spend in the store. She was worried that I would be cold, so I bought a blanket although she really wanted me to buy a thick futon (i.e. comforter) and a pillow. Blankets, futons, bed cushions, etc. are very expensive compared to what I am used to. The blanket I bought was nearly $30 and would probably barely cover a twin-sized bed. The pillow would have been about the same plus or minus. Of course, the blanket is very well made and soft as clouds, but I was surprised by the prices of bedding. After all I brought a sleep sack along, just in case and for traveling. Exhausted from the heat and traipsing about town, we walked to my place. We rested and has some juice and water just kind of sat there in the heat and talked for a while. It was nice to rest a bit.
She had to be off and so I opened up my luggage for the first time since packing. About 5.5 days after packing, I was happy to see that C’s method of packing saved nearly all of my clothes from wrinkles. Everything was in order and I got all unpacked that evening. I brought just the right amount of stuff and everything has it’s place except my suitcase since it’s about 80% the size of my bookcase. (Fun fact: my balcony is about 1/3 the size of my entire place!?!) More on my room later…
I slept got up and went to the store since there were many things I needed to clean and spruce the place up a bit. I went to the Y100 shop and found everything on my list except the food items for Y100 each! YES SCORE! After getting some foodstuffs and juices, I was headed home. I got things put away and started to clean then realized, I was to meet my tutor in half an hour for dinner at her place with some of her friends. I was off and met her at the bakery right on time. She had planned extra time to shop a bit, so I bit the bullet and bought a futon and sleeping cushions since the bed was like sleeping on a box springs for my back. She needed some things from the Y100 shop too and told me to buy whatever else I needed since her friend would give me a ride home from her place after our dinner. I got a few more items, but the bedding was the big stuff. We also got some groceries for the dinner she was going to show me how to make.
We went over to her place and I cut the radish, carrot, negi (spring onions) for the soup, while she prepared the mushrooms for the soup as well as the side dish of rice. I also cut up something that had a strong smell, but was very tasty. It looks like a thick gel with black specks in it and she thinks it’s from potatoes, but it didn’t cook down in the soup—it held it’s cut shape. She had two friends over for dinner and the woman was also Japanese and so they prepared the fish together. It’s something like Pacific surey according to her JP/ENG dictionary, but I have no idea. So we had the soup, rice, and each of us had a fish. Of course, I had trouble with the little hair-bones like I always do, but got the hang of it after a while….you try to eat whole fish with chopsticks and not get them in your food! ; ) This was so much food, I could hardly finish it! We had a dessert of Jelly Belly jelly beans and a delicious bakery speciality from the Osaka area. Basically it was a sweet kind of bread around sweet, dark bean paste. YUM! I could eat those for breakfast since they were so filling and tasty! We ended up talking and joking around until quite late. Once I got home, I put down my new bed cushions and crashed. I slept the night through and the alarm was actually alarming at 8am. So I got washed up, cleaned a bit sorted out some things like the new futon and my other purchases. I washed some dishes and had breakfast and even made some “UCC” brand instant coffee to help jump start me a bit. I think I am nearly over any jetlag I may have had, but since I have been so busy it’s hard to know if it’s jetlag making me tired or if I am just plain tired.
I guess that brings me up to this fine Sunday morning. I have no real plans and figure I’ll sort some of my stuff out, might try to figure out the washing machines and go for a walk. Tomorrow will be busy, so I’ll take it easy while I can. I plan to take things as they come and have many plans with folks I’ve met for this and that over the next couple of weeks—including the Sake Festival in Saijo next weekend. I also learned that I will be able to take language classes and look forward to that. Another class I plan to attend is a seminar with my mentor on Fridays. I like having some structure and the diversity will suit me well also. My colleagues/office mates all seem to be a very kind bunch and one fellow is making all of the arrangements for me to have a space and computer. Luckily, he also speaks German too and so we chatted up a storm upon meeting. I truly think I am going to love this experience and am happy to be here…..although it’s still hard to believe I am in Japan!
A bit more about “more later…” stuff:
The room I have is much larger than I had expected. It’s a bit larger than what I had in Germany that allows for the bathroom/toilet and kitchen space I have. The layout is a narrow rectangle and everything fits in the room just so. The kitchen area is essentially a very large steel sink with cupboards beneath and a gas hotplate bolted to the steel countertop part of the sink. Above that is a huge blower like in restaurants to suck out the greasy air—would have been nice to have one of these when I lived with a Chinese roommate in WI. She always complained that we did not have a blower, but I never imagined that she might have meant one like this! The bathroom is interesting in comparison to US bathrooms. It has a narrow & short, deep tub for soaking, a Western toilet, and a sink. All of these are very tightly packed in there—the sink overlaps with the tub and the toilet a bit. There is also shower flooring with a drain since you are to wash yourself outside of the tub with soap, then climb in the tub for a soak. I really like that the floor can get good and wet and that the door is a collapsing shower door. The space may be tight, but water may go most anywhere on the floor since it’s also the washing area. I have to admit that I am not bathing Japanese style in my place, although I have in the hotel and at my initial host’s. I just enjoy the fact that the shower curtain doesn’t have to be perfect and keep the floor/walls dry! The other and surely the most exciting part of my place is the balcony. I have never had a balcony and am loving it! The view is great: mountains, part of campus, part of the town, homes, and trees. It is huge for a room this size (I think) and the view is great. I have strung up a wash-line and dry my towel out there each morning. I plan to scrub down the mildew-y top of the wall so I can air my bedding too. Open floor space alone, the balcony has as much as my room, so I plan to take my folding chair out there and read, maybe even see if my tea service (rolling table) might fit out there too since I don’t really need it in here. I have to be careful though that stuff doesn’t get wet and ruined. I think I will also get a pole to utilize the brackets out there so that I can hang stuff on hangers below the banister too. Speaking of stuff, did I mention that I have decided that pink/red will be my colors of choice for my room? Pink comforter, pink strainer, pink wash basin, red/pink rag carpet, pink dotted bathroom mat, pink sponge, pink cups, etc. Mwa-ha-ha-ha!
I also have an air conditioner, which I haven’t used and a fridge that I have been using since day 1. The first night in my new place was good. It is darker than sin at night since I am on the 9th floor and directly face the ag area of campus, the riding stables and baseball diamonds. I heard from a past resident I met here that I am lucky in that the first few floors have roaches. Since it overlooks the ag part of campus, I hear roosters and an occasional cow. I like it since I am an early morning person and it’s probably better than a train.
Here are some photos of my room and the view from the balcony
Watch that first step into the bathroom!
Traffic can be horrendous to drive in, but the sound doesn’t carry much since my building is on the lower part of the side of a mountain & I am on the 9th floor. The sound is very much like at home, but without the buses moaning and beeping and more mopeds. There are also a lot of tunnels since the islands are mountainous. I have even been through the longest tunnel in Japan or the Hiroshima region, I can’t remember which it is. Walking is not a problem and most folks obey the streetlight so crossing is easy as pie. My tutor encouraged me to buy a bike and I may, but not just yet. I want to get a feel for walking everywhere for now and see what the expectations are of me as a researcher/student. I also want to get my knee stronger before using a bike on the numerous hills and mountains. Both the knee and back have been achy and a bit painful, but the daily walking is good for both. I haven’t really had any problems other than some buildings without elevators where we had to go up a ways. Yet I can do four flights of stairs with no problem at a go if I am not carrying heavy/bulky stuff.
Hit the Ground Running
Through October 3, 2004
Hi Everyone,
I have arrived safe and sound—no real problems, but I did get the chance to tour the town of Narita, which wasn’t planned. As it played out, a typhoon was assailing the islands as I was flying over the Pacific Ocean watching more movies than I should have on my personal video screen. Once I arrived and passed through health inspection, immigration, and customs, I reported to check my luggage again to continue on to Hiroshima. After being shuffled to two different desks and a couple of plantative looks from ANA staff, I figured out something was happening, but I wasn’t sure what. When I finally asked, a woman explained to me that the decision was being made to close Narita to outbound flights, including mine. When I asked her why and she said typhoon--I asked if I should book another plane right away. I think this was a bit of a relief and fortunately for me, I was able to be booked on the next flight that, as it turned out, had far more passengers than seats.
Since I did not want to travel the nearly 1.5 hours with all of my luggage to Tokyo-Haneda Airport or take the Shinkansen (bullet train) for hours into the night through the typhoon, I choose the next flight out of Tokyo-Narita Airport. My flight was 24 hours away and so I had some time to kill, as well as needed a place to sleep since the airport is not open 24/7. I had read about luggage services, so I figured if they can ship it, they can probably store it. Sure enough, I was able to leave my two big, ol’ bags at the airport for about $20 and was relieved of what could have been a real pain in the back…side. I tried to pull a couple of things out that I thought I would need, but so much shuffled in transit it was a vain effort. I dumped what I could in the newly airline-arranged luggage and left with only the vitals/valuables. (This may end up being the only time I wished I had left my computer at home…) I knew I had at least a change of socks and underwear on me, so I was good to go. I found an internet kiosk (much like some in European hotel lobbies) which also had a changer nearby. Luckily, I decided at the last minute in Chicago to get a bit of money converted to Yen—just in case—and so I changed a Y1000 note(about $10) for a bunch of Y100 coins (about $1) to use the internet kiosk. It was Y100 per 10 minutes, but that’s fine with me! I got on-line and the woman who was meeting me in Hiroshima had already written about my flight being cancelled. So, I replied and took down her phone number. At the same time, I hear a page for “Lain Casta” and figured that would be me! : ) (You should know here and now that sound-wise, Japan can be an assault on the ears. In grocery stores you have muzak playing, as well as boomboxes in each department, as well as announcements about “try this” “try that”, and then the staff holler something to each other as they pass the aisles—reminds me a bit of the “Fish” training video, in case you know it.) I was so proud that I understood something on the speakers! I had just sent another message out and deleted a bunch of stuff that was sucking up precious Yahoo e-mail space, but with that announcement I was off to the Info Booth.
My soon-to-be host had called and given them her phone number at the same time I was writing her. So I went right over to the public phones and gave her a call. Everything was fine and we were set to meet 24 hours after initially planned. I was really looking forward to meeting her by this time—she was so nice and gracious about the delay. I was relieved.
Then it was time to find someplace to stay. I went back to the Info booth that also had some signage about being a “Welcome Inn” reservation center. In the past I was leery of these kinds of places because my experiences in Europe had been that you basically pay a commission to them on top of your hotel room. I didn’t really care about a commission since I knew the situation I was in was the same for countless other travelers. I just wanted to be sure it was someplace cheap (in the Tokyo area--HAHA!) and I could get to and fro easily. As it plays out, I was able to be booked into a hotel in Narita City Center, and use their airport shuttle service that was coming in minutes, and pay Y5670 (about $57). Not bad for just arriving in Japan, I think! The Info Booth cum “Welcome Inn” desk also gave me detailed info about where I was staying in English including a little map—it was all a breeze!!
I caught the shuttle, got checked in, and decided that I needed to go to a store to get some water and OJ, as well as something to eat for breakfast. I barely dropped everything, grabbed my umbrella (there was a typhoon, after all!) and went to the front desk to ask about a grocer’s. They had a better map of the immediate area and suggested that the next day I go to the temple. When I asked about how late the grocery would be open, she reminded me that it was raining heavily, but that they were open 24 hours for the food section. So, I was off with my wimpy little Amsterdam umbrella to seek out some nourishment. This was my first experience in the aural assault known as grocery shopping. I found what I needed and far, far more, but I was starting to get tired by this point—about time since I wasn’t tired on the bulk of the flight over. Once I got back to my room, I decided that in addition to the liter or so of water I had drunk, I should eat something to start my body to adjust to the new time zone. So I picked up what looked to be some nice bland, crispy rice crackers. And that is what they were, but they also were so salty! Whoo-ee! Once I got used to them they were quite nummy and I had them with my breakfast of bananas and yogurt the next day. I slept like a log and woke only at about 2am thirsty as hell—after another round of water, I was right back to sleep. I think the hotel is used by many businessmen considering the amenities and such—during my stay it appeared to be mostly Japanese and Korean businessmen, but I saw one Italian/Spanish looking fellow as well. That’s something else…foreign women—I haven’t seen any besides Chinese women and me!
Here are some photos of my hotel room
The next morning, I was up around 5am and got washed up with a full hot shower and all. Check-out was at 11am, but I was still tired so I did some exercises and decided to watch a bit of TV. That’s when I saw the news about how bad the typhoons were. I’m glad I just stayed put. After napping and watching a bit of TV, I checked out of my room and left my bags at the desk. I was off to explore. As it turned out, the Narita-san temple was less than a mile from my hotel, so I walked up the hill to the entrance through the road marked on the map, which felt more like an alley way. It looked several times that I must be going the wrong way, but I figured that it was actually my expectation that the road would be larger since it was on a map. Bingo! Getting to the temple grounds was a surprise since they were huge and held not only a Buddhist temple, but also a calligraphy museum, school, smaller temple-like buildings including many shrines and the remains of particular significant religious men. The grounds were beautiful and lush. I think that the typhoon was hard on much of the islands, but the beauty of the park was enhanced by it. I took only a few photos because of my “photophobia” (fear of being intrusive and ruining the chance to meet people) and out of respect. There were some ceremonies during the hours I was wondering about and although I didn’t feel it appropriate of me to go into the temple at the time of the ceremonies, I went it between ceremonies and also could watch the ceremonies through the open or glass closed windows. I really appreciate this accommodation lest I had not been able to see how fire, not just candles, but real flaming fire was being used in the ceremony. It was also fascinating to watch people who were mostly older Japanese people at the start of my visit there. I certainly got there before the tours and crowds and so I really wanted to try and not be inappropriate or intrusive. On my way back to find lunch, I walked by an ice cream shop with three women older than time itself sitting on stools eating ice cream like a Norman Rockwell painting. I decided this was the treat for me too, so I got a sweet potato ice cream cone. Oh yeah, that is my favorite—creamy and sweet, but yet with an earthy flavor that temped me to just eat more ice cream for lunch. Figuring that wasn’t the best plan, I was off. I had read that department stores often have good food cheap, I found a Jusco department store and went all the way upstairs. (I guessed that like in Europe, food shops closest to the street cost more than those embedded in the stores.) I found a ramen shop and since my students always raved on about how cheap and how much good food, etc. I ate there. Yum! I ordered the Miso Negi Ramen which was essentially good, thick ramen noodles with all kinds of veggies and fresh herbs especially lots of Negi (spring onions) and with a broth like Miso or the Japanese fermented bean paste soup my dad and I had at Sushi Tango. It was to die for…of course the Ramen I ordered was considered spicy with a lot of ginger since I wanted a little kick. There was far more than what I could eat or even force down, but I did my best. I ate much slower than the few patrons the shop had, so the cook came out and we talked a bit. He was curious from whence I came and his brother is apparently living in the US. He’s worked at that ramen shop for more than 10 years now and was curious what I thought of my lunch. Of course I told him it was one of the best meals I have had, which is completely true, and just then another patron came in. It’s kind of interesting how when you enter a restaurant the staff shout to acknowledge you and motion you to a seat. When I went to this ramen shop, it startled me at first. I finished up and since I had some Minneapolis postcards along, I wrote one out to him thanking him and letting him know that this was my first meal in Japan. I went up to pay the cashier and motioned for him. I gave him the postcard and explained that it was my hometown. He was very sweet and we thanked each other silly over the lunch and the card. I headed out and went to find a sweat rag before I went back out in the heat.
Here are some photos of Narita-san Temple & Grounds
Of course since I was way upstairs, I found another gem my students raved about: Y100 shop within the department store. It’s basically like a Dollar Store, but the stuff at Y100 shops is much better quality stuff! I would say it’s like a mini-Target within the luxury good department stores. (Luxury goods are all the rave here and many basic things you think should cost less are quite expensive. However, the quality in all cases is high compared to the US.) So, I found a “cash book” to help me budget my Japan finances and some airmail stationary to get me started. I grabbed some water and juices on my way out of the department store and headed back to the hotel.
Once I got my backpack from the hotel desk, I e-mailed a bit and decided to have some grape juice and water in anticipation of my flight. One big gulp of juice proved to be a surprise. Here there were whole, peeled grapes swimming around in there! At first, I thought maybe I grabbed a bad bottle, but then once I expected them, they were tasty treats in my juice. Well hydrated, I was off to my plane.
…to be continued…