End of the Year party with work

So, in Japanese tradition, my office went out for an end of the year party.

It's a great way to go out and get to know your colleagues on a personal level. At work, everything is always kept at a very impersonal level. We don't talk about personal lives or anything other than work... so we drink...and we eat...and we talk.

Now, Japanese food is great. I love sushi, miso soup, omu raisu, katsu don, etc.

I have seen people eat fish with their heads still on, and live octopus.

Not much shocks me here anymore.....but they found a way at this party.

Tori sashimi......

to break it down for you all, torii means chicken. Sashimi is the word for raw fish.

So yes, they fed me raw chicken. Chicken hearts, chicken livers, chicken breast. All raw.

They wouldn't let me not eat it no matter how many times I told them that it wasn't safe and that we don't eat that in America. It was awful. They also made me eat fried cartilage.

They were also incredibly amused at how disgusting I found it. It was the topic of conversation for the night.

"The Japanese don't waste food. We use everything." (guilt trip much? Seriously, my Mom could learn a few things from them)

But aside from the gross food, it was a great night. I really felt like I developed a rapport with people I work with. And tomorrow, I'm off to Europe. :)

Margaret...You got so much prettier....why?

Today I spent the morning studying for the JLPT that I'll be taking tomorrow. At around 4 ish I headed to Osaka for the end of the year party being held by my old company, Yubunsha. Miyake-san had invited me the last time we met up for her English lesson in Osaka a few weeks ago.

When I got to the station I went to find the shuttle bus that Ishida-san had told me to look for, but I had no clue where to go. So instead I just grabbed a taxi. It's much easier and I knew from last year that the place was really close to Shin-Osaka station. It only cost about 800 yen for me to get there, which was better than me wandering around for a while and making everyone worry.

They held the party in the same room as the party they had when I left last summer, so it was almost like I had never left, or that I had stepped into a time machine and been transported back to a year and a half ago. Some of the people were new, but most of them knew who I was.

When I got there I was told to draw a slip of paper from a box and on it was written my table and a number. So I was B9. They opened with a toast from the company president, Kihara-san (Miyake-san's husband). It was amazing because last year I couldn't understand half of what he or his son said, but this year they either speak clearer or I just understand them better....When it came time for the kanpai I had to explain to everyone that I was taking a big test the next day so I couldn't drink beer. I think they might think I'm an alcoholic or something because they seemed very shocked that I wasn't drinking a beer. (It's not my fault that Japanese people are all lightweights and I can drink 3 beers without being drunk....) Anyway.....

After we ate, they explained the reason for the numbers. They were having a prize give away and they had about 25 presents and about 35-40 people. They drew numbers from a box and if they drew your number you got a present. They started at 25, and it was all really crappy gag gifts. One guy got fake eyelashes. Another got a weird exercise device (a long pole that if you push down on the sides it bends in the middle), etc. Now, the top 10 people got really nice gifts. Ishida-san got 5,000 yen ($50). Another guy at my table got a really awesome I-Pod Stereo. It was from Yodobashi Camera (a huge electronics store in Osaka). I didn't get anything, but was glad about it. It would have felt awkward to have received a gift when I no longer work at the company.

Miyajima-san (the I-Pod stereo guy) apparently wanted a different prize and tried to switch for it, but the guy who won it wouldn't. I told him he should be happy with what he got cuz it's really cool. He said...."Do you want it?"

Me: "What?"

Miyajima-san: "Do you want it? I don't have an I-Pod. Say you want it and I'll give it to you."

Me: "You've got to be kidding...Seriously? Really? You don't want it?"

Miyajima-san: "Do you want it?"

Me: "I would certainly be happy to get something like that"

Miyajima-san: "Ok. Take it home with you..."

That right there is the difference between Japanese people and Americans. An American would have taken that thing home and either bought an I-Pod or sold it on Ebay.

I couldn't believe that I got that gift. I was so excited but also very concerned about it being improper. Everyone seemed to be happy I got it though. So I was too.

Yone-chan (actually Yoneda-san, who is in his early 30s and married but who has a great sense of humor) came by and told me to go around and talk to people so he brought me around from table to table so I could talk to people (there were a lot of people who I hadn't interacted with much, so it was awkward at first, but I was able to actually talk to them. But, I found, that Japanese men are very...interesting...when they have been drinking.

I sat down at a table with a few of the printers. Both were about the age of an average grandparent or parent with 20 something year old children....

After asking about where I live and what I do for work, the older one looks at me and he says "Margaret, you've lost weight haven't you? You've gotten really skinny, are you ok?"

Me: "Oh yeah, it's just that Japanese food is healthier and I walk everywhere now."

Old guy: "Yeah, but you're really skinny. And you're a lot prettier than you were last year. Really. A lot prettier. What happened?"

Yone-chan "She and her boyfriend broke up, so she's trying to get a Japanese man" (I only just told them about Dan and I breaking up when I got here, they had seen pictures when I was there as an intern)

Old guy: "Oh. of course"

Me: "Yone-chan, don't tell them that. That's ridiculous. I am not."

Another old guy: "But you really are prettier. Take a picture with me...I want to send it to my son, he's single. How old are you?"

Me: "Um...I'm 23."

The first old guy: "No really, why did you get so much prettier."

Shimonaka-san (who just showed up and decided to save me): "She just grew up. She's not in college anymore......"

Me: "Well I think it's time for me to go to another table. Good to see you all again..."

Seriously...I don't think anyone can give a backwards compliment like the Japanese.
None of them could believe that I live alone and like it that way...

After the end of the party I went out to drink with the design crew I used to eat lunch with last year (Ishida-san, Shimonaka-san, Yone-chan, Seki-san). Wada-san, from the business dept. reluctantly joined us (he had spent half the night telling me I have a small face and how cute that is......awkward). Wada-san didn't want to come because he is a business man and would have felt out of place amongst all the designers. I had to remind him that I had worked in the business division during my internship so he wouldn't be all alone (things at Yubunsha are separated by floor and by department and they don't usually mix much).

At first I sat at a table with Wada-san, Ishida-san, and Shimonaka-san. Ishida-san is a 30 something year old single woman...and the men just don't understand that. I got a bit lost in the conversation but the 2 men said something that really upset Ishida-san. Shimonaka-san asked me if I understood. When I said no, he said..."Elton John." ...?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?

Ishida-san then had to explain that she had had a boyfriend until September but liked to keep things like that private...She was really upset and it was really awkward so I was glad when Yone-chan again saved me and had me join his table.

Over there it was the usual banter. But at one point Yone-chan said something that really struck me. He asked me if I understood everything that was going on. I told him that for the most part I could keep up, but that I didn't get every single detail. He told me that if I didn't understand something I should ask them. When I told him I was embarrassed, he said..."Margaret, if you spoke English I wouldn't understand a word of what you were saying. But you can keep up with us, so ask. " And he's right. I can keep up. I can understand them, not the other way around. It just made me feel a bit better.

It was also nice to be around old friends who knew my Japanese level a year ago so I could judge my progress. I really feel like I have definitely improved quite a bit since getting here a few months ago.

Yone-chan refused to let me carry my new I-Pod stereo all the way back to Kameoka (an hour or so from Osaka) and promised to send it to me by post (and I made him promise to send it pay on arrival). He wouldn't take no for an answer. So I gave in. I went home with some vague plans to go to a ninja town in January with Yone-chan, his wife, and his friends, and then to see the panda at the zoo in Kobe with everyone in the new year.

Ridiculousness that required it's own post

So, Japan has an insane trash system...
You separate burnables from non-burnables. You have to separate cans, plastic bottles, and glass bottles (by color). You have to remove the labels of all plastic bottles and the caps.

Now, this wouldn't be so bad, if they didn't publicly humiliate you if you screw up.

So I was running late a few days ago, and I had to throw away the box for my new space heater (which is necessary because it is FREEZING here). And I just folded it up and threw it away in the bin outside my apt.

Trash pick up was on Thursday, so when I got to work on Friday, my supervisor turned to me and said...
Kagawa: "I got a call from your landlord..."

Me:(Oh shit)

Kagawa: "Did you throw away a box for a heater?..."

Me: "umm..." (can I possibly blame this on the 2 other foreigners living in my building or anyone else.......stall stall...)

Kagawa: "Well the trash company found your something in the trash with your name on it. They called your landlord. Your landlord called me...From now on just break the boxes down and put them in a bag so people can pick them up easier."

Me: "ok I'm sorry. I didn't know. It will never happen again..." (Are you kidding me? The trash guys had the time to find the SOMETHING in there with my name on it, figure out who I was, call my landlord, and then the landlord called my office......WTF!!!!!)

So yeah...If I hadn't been so embarrassed that my supervisor was correcting me on how I throw away my trash (and the fact that people went through my trash) I would have laughed. REALLY HARD.

Ugh, TGIF

Japanese Disco

So, apparently to the Japanese, disco is oldies.

My calligraphy class and I met up to go to a disco club in downtown Kyoto on Friday evening. We were expecting an entertaining evening of "Stayin Alive" and "Saturday Night Fever" but what we got was The Beach Boys, Elvis, and songs like "Let's Twist Again" etc.

We got to teach our Japanese friends how to do the twist. At one point the live band performed a Japanese song and they did a little dance to it. It took me a moment to realize that they were doing the bunny hop....So...you guessed it...we formed a line and did the bunny hop....in a bar...in Kyoto This completely thrilled the performers. They gave a little speech about it after the song and I had to explain that it is a dance we do at wedding receptions.

Nanami requested "Amazing Grace" for some reason. The keyboardist sang it, and after the first line I was super impressed. His pronunciation was impeccable (most of the other songs were in English but we couldn't tell....). Then he moved into the rest of the song, and it turned into "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound tha sad a weh wai we. waa waa waa waa waa waa waa wa...." etc. He didn't know the words so he just made sounds to fit the tune. It was HILARIOUS. Though you have to give the guy props for trying. We probably intimidated the hell out of them....playing English songs in front of Americans.

When I put in my requests they threw a fit for about ten minutes about how good my handwriting is and how excited they were to have foreigners in the club. It was a big boost to my self esteem.

Overall...Japanese clubs=great place to act like an idiot and be told you are cool.

Weekend in Yamagata

After the Mid-year conference, I trekked up to Yamagata prefecture to visit my friend Chris. Chris and I met in Chicago when we arrived for pre-departure orientation.

Yamagata is almost the northernmost prefecture on the main island...so it was COLD.

I left from Tokyo station and since I got there early I lined up on the platform so I could get a seat (I cheaped out and got an unreserved ticket). Well, apparently the trains up to Yamagata actually start with 2 trains connected and then they separate halfway through the trip because the big trains can't get through the mountain tunnels. Not knowing this I almost boarded the wrong one. But thankfully I was paying attention and when the train arrived I didn't think it looked right. All I had to do was ask the guy next to me and then go running down the platform (all 14 train cars) to get to the very last car. Thankfully no one goes to Yamagata, so I got a seat. Coincidentally, the guy I sat next to on the first day of the CIR conference lives in Yamagata and we sat together.

It was great to see Chris again. Nick also came up to stay with us. The three of us were basically inseparable at orientation in Tokyo but have not really been able to stay as close with the distance and with how busy our lives get here. Plus everyone in JET lives in a different kind of area, so getting to see how your friends live is really eye opening. It can also make you feel a lot better about your own situation.

Chris lives in a very very very small town called Nagai. The great thing about it though is that it is surrounded by mountains. Now, Kameoka is also surrounded by mountains, but ours are small and tree covered. Chris' mountains are rocky and huge and snow covered. I have never seen mountains like that before. It was pretty amazing. The sheer beauty of it makes up for the fact that it is the middle of nowhere.

On Friday night Chris drove us into the mountains and we got to stand out and look out over the whole city of Yamagata (about an hour from where Chris lives). It was really amazing. There wasn't much light so we could see so many stars. We stayed up there shivering and enjoying the quiet view of Japan at night until some weird animal started making sounds like it was dying and we ran away......

The next day Chris took us to see a 1300 year old tree. The poor thing looked like it was dying. It was wrapped in some kind of sheet made from bamboo and propped up by a bunch of poles. But it was amazing to see a tree that has been around for so long. I mean, that area has had that tree for over a thousand years. It's mind boggling. It was also really incredible to see the lengths the Japanese go through in order to protect things like that.

We also went to a recycle shop where they had all kinds of vintage clothes. It was so weird to see Kansas City Chiefs sweatshirts from like 1999 selling for $40. We even found a shirt that I think came from Kalaidescope in Kansas City. I couldn't believe it. Apparently our old stuff really is cool in Japan. But how did it get here? Kalaidescope is kind of obscure so I'd been interested to find out how a t-shirt from there got to Yamagata, Japan of all places.

Then we went to the train station to watch Chris's friends perform. It was really cool to just hang out with people playing music.

On Sunday I headed back to Kameoka. I had been out of town for a week so I was ready to get back home.

The first 2 hours of the train was through the snow. It was so beautiful. There was heavy snow falling onto the HUGE pine trees. It's like what you see in movies. Then we went through a tunnel and it was suddenly clear. That's what mountains do I guess.

I had a 2 hour layover in Tokyo station so I grabbed a coffee, bought some omiyage, and then found a place to sit and people watch. I left Yamagata at 1 and got back to Kameoka at about 9:30.

CIR Training 11/25-11/27

This week I had to go to Tokyo for the Mid-Year CIR Conference at the Pastoral Hotel in Toranomon. When we first arrived in Japan in July we had a couple of days in Tokyo for our orientation, but since all JETs in group A were there, and the majority of JETs are ALTs, there wasn't much that could really help prepare me for my new job.

I have been working as a Coordinator of International Relations in Kameoka for 4 months now. But what does that really mean? I still can't really tell you. My job, is different from every other CIR in Japan. No one does the same work as I do. So I didn't really think this conference would be helpful. Also, since only about 20 CIRs were in Tokyo with me, I barely knew anyone there. So it looked like it was going to be 3 very awkward days.

I was surprised by how effective and helpful I found the conference. When I finally got to my hotel, I got really lucky because some other JETs were checking in. I went up and introduced myself and we grabbed a quick bite to eat and then headed to check in for the conference. On the first night I was so exhausted from playing with the kids and trekking across Tokyo and a bunch of the JETs I had met had plans so I just went to Starbucks then to bed.

The next day I ended up sitting next to one of the girls I met at the hotel in the morning and we went to all the seminars together. This ended up being a good thing because she invited me out with all the Hokkaido JETs so I got to hang out with some new people.

It was really a strange experience though, attending seminars with non Japanese people where the only language we had in common was Japanese. It is more intimidating to speak Japanese in front of other foreigners who speak Japanese. It was validating to be able to compare myself to other people and find that while I'm not the best, I'm not the worst.

The best part of the conference was when we got to split into groups and discuss our experiences. It was nice to find out that I'm not the only one who feels completely insecure half the time but still loves their job. It also made me very grateful for what I have. Some of the other CIRs have to pay for their own events or aren't even appreciated. One guy told us that his boss essentially told him that he was there as an office decoration. In the end I feel like I learned a lot about what I should do to improve and about what is good about my job.

Tokyo Birthday

On Sunday, November 23rd I woke up at about 5 am to get on my way to Tokyo. I had CIR training this week. It was a really easy trip, especially since I had a reserved ticket (normal I buy the non-reserved seats because they are cheaper…but since the City Hall was footing the bill this time, I figured I would make things easier on myself).

Upon getting to Tokyo Station I made my way to the Chuo line, the line I always used to get downtown when I lived in Tokyo two years ago. I feel like that trip to Japan was ages ago. I was so young (all of 20), and everything was so different. I was still in college, barely knew any Japanese, and never went anywhere alone. I was somewhat shocked by how busy Tokyo was. Even though I lived there, having lived in the suburbs of Japan for so long now, it took me by surprise. When I got to Mitaka, I called my host mom and she came to pick me up with her husband and kids. I couldn't believe how big they were.

When I first stayed at their apartment Ryota was 3 and Anzu was barely 1. Now, he is 6 and she is 3. Anzu was still breast feeding when I was there the first time, and the second time she could barely speak. Now she kept talking. "Ano ne, ano sa, ano ne...." It was hilarious. She was so cute. This year was like a repeat of all my favorite things about my stay with them 2 years ago, only I could communicate better and didn't feel the desire to go sightseeing. After stopping by the apartment we went on a short drive through ICU and then to Jindaiji, which was one of my favorite spots. It is a small shrine with a little pottery shop and restaurants all over. It was so different from summer when it is ridiculously hot. Instead the leaves had turned colors and it was really crowded. We went to the famous soba restaurant that we went to 2 years ago too. We stopped into the pottery shop where I bought all my Christmas presents my first year in Japan and we actually got to paint our own. It was like Jen's birthday party when we were really young in Michigan. Though I had no idea what to do so I had Ryota draw for me and I painted it. It was so cute. He drew me a sunflower.

It took the kids only about 20 minutes to warm up to me, and even though they called me Cordelia (the girl who stayed with them last summer) on and off for most of my stay, I could tell that on some level they remembered something about me. They remembered the games we used to play together, like when I would hang the boy behind my back upside down by his ankles and walk around asking where he had gone (a game I actually stole from my Dad). Or when I would swing them around like airplanes or let them do flips by holding my hands and jumping up then pushing off my legs.

By the end of that day though I was exhausted. I slept in the spare living room which has sliding doors. The next morning I woke up to two little kids "stealthily" sliding open the door to my room and shutting it. Then whispering "let's look at her again. He he he." I actually was up before their parents, so I got dressed and went out and played quietly with them.

Hiroko was busy preparing for her family visiting that evening so I went to the zoo with Yuji and the kids. When I first stayed with them I thought that he and I never really talked because my Japanese wasn't good enough. Well, now I know it is just because he is really shy. He still didn't really talk to me, and I noticed later that when his wife's family was over, he barely spoke to any of them either. At the zoo (if you can call it that), the kids did the stamp activity (you go to each station and get a stamp that spells something out), so we actually spent most of our time running around looking for stamps. The zoo was basically birds, guinea pigs, cows, an elephant, some monkeys, really big hedgehogs, and mountain cats. But the kids had fun, and I had fun chasing them.

We biked back home and just after we got there Hiroko's family arrived. It was her sisters and her parents, who I had met 2 years ago. It was a bit overwhelming having that many people around me speaking a foreign language. I was actually pretty grateful when Ryota left the kids table to sit on my lap and eat his dinner. It gave me and out when I lost track of the conversation. The reason for this gathering was actually a joint birthday party for me, Ryota and Hiroko's mother. It was really nice to spend my birthday with people who were somewhat like my family. Hiroko baked a cake and they gave me a really nice scarf, seeing as Kyoto gets so darned cold. The kids made me presents too. Ryota gave me a handful of those shapes you make from melting beads together and a drawing of a Christmas tree, which may become my Christmas tree in my apartment. It was about the cutest thing I had ever seen. He got really shy after he gave it to me too.

Anzu also gave me gifts. She gave me a sheet of paper with saran wrap glued to it and the numbers 1-6 written on the back. She also drew the cutest picture of me, her, and her brother. We are just a head with legs coming out of us. She tried to write my name but got some of the characters backward. It's the cutest thing I have ever seen.

The next day I had to leave to go to my hotel in Tora-no-mon for orientation. I decided not to impose on Hiroko and family and also knew that now that I have become accustomed to living alone, staying with a family when I have to get ready for work in the morning would not be ideal.

Picking Radishes and Dancing

On Saturday, November 22 I participated in an event put on by the Cultural Exchange Center called "One Day Trip in Kameoka." This event was organized to bring in foreign residents of Kameoka/Kyoto Prefecture, and give them chance to do a one day "homestay" without spending the night with a family. The students met us at Kameoka Station and then we took them to pick giant white radishes from a participating host family's garden. It was interesting because most of the students were all Korean, Chinese or Taiwanese. Actually, Ian, my CIR counterpart in Kyoto prefecture, a girl from Spain, and I were the only non-Asian participants.

I was glad Ian was there because I felt fairly useless the whole time. None of the participants spoke English so I was not going to be an effective translator. This was the first time I actually had the opportunity to spend time with another CIR. Not only was I reassured about the fact that I am not the only one who feels like they have no idea what they are doing half the time, but it was also just nice to watch how someone else handled situations.

After work I met up with Laurel and Liz and we went to go watch Liz's dance teacher give a performance commemorating her 50 years of dancing. Liz was a modern dance major and hopes to stay in Japan to pursue dance after she finishes with JET. The teacher is half Swedish half Japanese and married to a man from New York so they and their kids are bilingual. The performance itself was really interesting, but I have never been all that into modern dance. The performer actually blended traditional Japanese movements (she was trained in modern dance and traditional Japanese dance) with modern dance to make a very interesting style.

However I was most intrigued by the people who were attending the performance. It was a very interesting mix of Japanese, foreigners, and foreign residents. There were several different languages being spoken. It still interests me how Japan views itself as being homogenous when it really has a fairly surprisingly diverse population (considering the stereotype).

On the way home we decided to stop for food. And while walking through the bar district we ran into fake Australians (why these boys felt they needed to fake Australian accents in Japan, I don't know). Then we were stopped by drunk Japanese boys…which was worse. Though I have found a good way to repel them is to speak Japanese to them. Apparently I am only interesting if I speak English J

Thanksgiving in Japan

This year Thanksgiving was much different from my normal tradition of eating a huge meal with family at home in Kansas City. Instead, on the Friday before Thanksgiving (because I was heading to Tokyo and would miss the actual day), a large group of friends and I got together for our own Thanksgiving.




Earlier that day I gave a speech at the Rotary Club. I got picked up by Takaya-san and he brought me to the Rotary Club meeting. It was held in a room in a really beautiful shrine-like building. It was a really interesting meeting. Just a bunch of men and one woman. I'm not really sure what they usually do, but during this meeting they met for lunch, which was provided by the restaurant downstairs, and then opened the meeting. I was the main speaker for the day and I gave a half an hour speech on my experiences living in Japan. I actually think it went over fairly well, though it was a little intimidating giving a speech in Japanese in front of a group of 12-15 Japanese adults. They even gave me a really nice gift at the end; Japanese sweets and 10,000 yen (ie. $100).

I went home and began cooking almost immediately. Technically we had decided that our Thanksgiving dinner should be potluck because there would be a lot of us and also none of us have ovens...making cooking Thanksgiving dinner quite difficult. However, I had most of the day off and most people didn't have enough time to make real meals so I decided to make corn bread, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and brownies. Now, the kicker is...I don't have an oven. How did I make green bean casserole, brownies and corn bread without an oven? especially since I can't cook to begin with? Well the secret is...the Japanese microwave. It is also and oven. Yes I made casserole in my microwave....crazy :)

In the end we all went to Jason's apartment for dinner, since he lives just across the street (though he has since moved into Kyoto city for work). It was all of us JETs except Kim-chi who was in Himeji, Mayu, Nanami, their 2 friends, Jason, and Akiko (who I met at Mister Donuts one morning . She had just moved to Kameoka from St. Louis of all places. She heard me speaking English and asked if I was from the States. Then we found out about our St. Louis connection).

It was really amazing. The turkey was delicious, and we had everything that normal goes with Thanksgiving dinner, even cranberry sauce (everything except family of course). It was nice to know that even here I can still have some connection with home. We were able to share American culture with some of our Japanese friends, which was awesome because it's like my job is meshing with my real life. We taught them how to make hand turkeys and then they gave me one as a birthday card. International relations...cultural exchange...in real life. All mixed with good food :)

After dinner we had the awesome pumpkin pie that Laurel made. Then Nanami brought in my birthday present...a cute little flower pot with a plant in it. It also had a little rabbit patchwork doll she had made, thinking rabbits had something to do with Thanksgiving. It was adorable. They shut off the lights and came in with the candles lit and everything. It was so sweet. I couldn't believe that after such a short time I had such good friends here.

Cultural Differences

I was watching the news on Monday morning before work, as it is about the only Japanese tv show that doesn't make me want to die, and I was shocked at one of the headline stories.

*Not a whole lot of violence goes on in Japan, so apparently the little things make the early morning news

A fairly well known actor had apparently gotten drunk, lost his wallet, and hit a person working at the bar he had been at. Now, that did not surprise me. But the fact that he held a full out press conference, which was aired on the morning news, DURING which he cried and apologized profusely to the public and his parents, did surprise me. In the States, it seems, that when someone does something wrong they try to blame someone else or they don't have to take full responsibility (ie. Mel Gibson, Paris Hilton, etc.). I honestly wasn't sure what to even make of this. I was part impressed, part disgusted, and part amused….

What is of cultural importance?

I spent four years of college studying Japanese language and culture. Now, for a country that has a history spanning over 2000 years, that is barely scratching the surface, but I feel that I have a decent grasp on some of the basics. My time here in Japan is causing me to contemplate what it is that defines a culture. Some of what I think defines me as an American is not what the Japanese would consider to be a particularly important part of my culture. I was surprised to find that one of the high school girls in my taiko group did not know some of what I consider to be basic tenets of Japanese culture (her father was just as surprised that I knew and she didn't…it caused quite a stir).

Here is how this whole topic came up. We were leaving taiko practice on Monday and I overheard Nanba-san talking to young Takaya about giri v. ninjo. (quick and very simplistic explanation: under bushido, the samurai had to balance their giri (duty) and their ninjo (personal desires). Under most circumstances the ninjo lost, but a great many plays have been written about this struggle, generally involving a woman…)

I was listening in and was really shocked when young Takaya asked what those things were. My exclamations began a conversation about Japanese culture and I came to find that she also did not know about honne and tatemae (another quick and very simplistic explanation: honne is how you really feel about things, tatemae is the art of concealing what you really feel in order to gratify the feelings of others…in a nutshell).

When all of these things were explained she understood them, but everyone was really shocked that I knew about them. Now to me, these two concepts are part of the framework that creates "the Japanese culture." It brings up the interesting point of how foreign cultures are examined. What I find to be important to Japanese culture they don't necessarily notice it or give it a name.
On top of that, can you ever really understand a foreign culture, because you will always be looking at it from a foreign perspective? Maybe that is why I live here…because I am a masochist…and I enjoy inflicting on myself the one thing I hate the most: failure. It is the desire to succeed and challenge myself that keeps me going. I can never succeed at completely understanding Japanese culture…but is that my job? Is that my goal? I don't know yet.

But it does make me interested in maybe finding a way to enroll in a class on American culture or read books about American culture written by Japanese people. It would be interesting to learn how they perceive my culture. In fact I think that may be a good way to learn about my own culture, since I find it hard to even define my own culture. In that same vein, I think I should read books about Japanese culture from a Japanese perspective to balance the American education I have.

Hey Gaijin~!!!!

While I have so many good things to say about Japan, there is one aspect of life here that I find to be the most challenging: being capable, but not fluent, in the language. This situation has resulted in daily lessons in patience and humility, which, while good for my character, can be quite trying.

Imagine, for a moment, that you live in a country where your face; your hair; your body type alone, make you stand out. Think about walking down the street and being pointed at by small children (cute), stared at by old men (creepy), and stopped by random passersby with calls of “haro” “whea are you comingu fromu” “oh English language person!”(amusing, but tiresome). Imagine that at the grocery store they watch what you buy. Imagine that when you walk into stores the people behind the counter, while ever polite, are obviously fighting over which one has to wait on you because you are foreign and they are afraid to deal with you. Or that you aren’t left alone because they WANT to talk to you, in English of course. People want to become your friend because you speak English. You can’t go anywhere without being noticed. It is exhausting. Sometimes I feel a bit like an animal at a zoo.

For example, today I was throwing away my lunch trash and a woman in my office who I don’t directly work with came in and asked me “Was that your boyfriend I saw you with at the station?” I was with Phil buying my shinkansen ticket for my trip to Tokyo but she saw me (I did not see her) and guessed that Phil was my boyfriend…

Another time I was walking down the street with Phil, Matt, and Rob and a woman stopped to talk to Phil (they knew each other from work) and she asked me, in Japanese, if I was taking them back to my place for an orgy…..WHAT!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

On some days the above situations are quite amusing and I have a lot of fun with them. On other days, days when I am tired or frustrated from a long day at work, I am annoyed by them. I know it stems from curiosity and surprise so I am never angry with the Japanese for their reactions. I also know that it is part of my job to work for international communication, so I try to be patient.

Learning humility in Japan

Now, one of my strongest (as in most pronounced, not best) personality traits is my stubborn determination to figure things out on my own. I rarely ask questions when I can’t find something at a store (much to the frustration of people shopping with me); I would rather spend 20 minutes searching for a kanji through 3 different dictionaries than turn to the Japanese person next to me and ask them to read it for me (which would take about 1 second, if that); I hate having people edit my papers; etc. My life here forces me to do all the things I hate. I have to ask questions, make very public mistakes, and am never 100% sure about anything I do. Again, I am learning every day, but there are some days I want to tear my hair out. It is a very awful feeling to hand a translated letter to your supervisor and have him come back and ask you to explain what you were TRYING to say. Though, to give myself credit, I am translating letters into very formal Japanese about things I have no experience with. And I am a perfectionist. If I make a single mistake I have a tendency to view it as a failure. A perfectionist living in a world where you can’t help but mistakes on a daily basis…that’s quite an interesting experience.

There are perks to being different. I get a LOT of free stuff. One lady gave me a huge bag of vegetables she grew in her garden. Another time, at the coffee shop I study at, the old man who owns it brought over a plate of persimmons (very common autumn fruit in Japan) for no charge. Every concert I have been to we get special recognition from the artists. Such things are really quite fun. But on some days I just want to quietly study.

My First Taiko Performance

Last weekend, on November 8, Laurel, Liz, and I played in our first taiko performance. It was in front of a really small crowd as part of a small city block festival. We were not playing with our actual group, but with another Kameoka group. I am not really sure if/how the two groups are related. They practice on the same day and in the same place but at different times.

We have learned two songs within our two months of Taiko study. The first was Wachidaiko. This is played with the drum standing vertically. The second is Ni no Kuni, which is played with the drum on its side and us in a lunge position. We performed both of these songs within the 5 song set. I’ll admit, we aren’t very good yet, but we are getting better. Although I’m not good, it was REALLY fun. I’m very excited to perform again this weekend.

Our Taiko group meets every Monday from 8-10. I first found out about it when Mr. Takaya came to my office and invited me to visit. I asked if I could bring some friends (this was back in our first 2 weeks in Kameoka and all of us foreigners felt like we had to do everything together). I worried about inviting everyone, but also didn’t think I could only invite part of the group. Everyone was interested so 5 of us ended up joining the group.

The group has been extremely accommodating. It is made up entirely of people who simply enjoy playing Taiko. It’s just a community taiko group. Someone, actually 2 people, drive to my apartment to pick us up every week. They take the time to teach us songs, often meaning that we take up most of the drums and they don’t really get a chance to play. Now that we are not extreme beginners anymore, they are able to join in, but at first I felt really bad. Phil helps me translate, but for the most Laurel, Paulette, and Liz can pick up the gist of what is going on from watching and the Japanese they know. We actually make up a large part of the group now. I wonder if they mind, but they seem to enjoy our presence. We make their group “international.”

Once we learn all the songs and can really join in, I think it will feel more like we are part of the group than that we are invading their practice time.

Taiko Group Members

Takaya-san (young): This guy is amazing. He is the stereotypical salaryman who works god only knows how many hours at work, and from what I can tell isn’t a huge fan of his job. But the moment he picks up his taiko drumsticks and steps in front of the drum, his face lights up. He is so happy to be there playing taiko. It is so much fun watching him play. He is our teacher and a very impressive one at that. To teach 5 foreigners to play taiko with only a mediocre translator, it quite feat. He is so nice too.

Takaya-san’s daughter: She is fantastic. I think she is a first or second year high school student. She has so much talent and, just like her father, seems to really love playing taiko. She can do just about anything.

Takaya-san’s son: He is a middle schooler, in the phase of “I’m too cool for anything” but still really likes taiko.

Takaya-san (old): This is the guy who invited us. I think he is young Takaya-san’s uncle or something. He’s a bit odd. He plays an instrument called the shaku-hachi (Japanese bamboo flute, also a term used for sexual references….). He doesn’t actually play taiko, but just comes and hangs out. He also comes to my office at the city hall every week to talk to me…though not about anything of consequence. He mumbles a lot and says weird things, but he is entertaining.

Nanba-san: He is like 2nd in command to Takaya-san. He is the more talkative, outgoing of the two. He really loves taiko as well and is good at explaining the songs and their meanings. He seems really interested in having us participate.

Furukawa-san: Mr. Old River. He makes the taiko drumsticks. He is really a sweet man, though quiet.

Shigeno-san: He really loves taiko. Every time he picks us up he is playing taiko on his car tv.

There are a few other members, kids, who participate. I don’t know their names yet (I have met so many people it is hard to remember them all). Also two women participate.

After practice we all sit and drink tea and eat sweets brought in by someone and chat.

My Newsletter

On Thursday I published the first issue of my quarterly newsletter. I felt really nostalgic while putting it all together. It was like being in high school again, working to pull together the newspaper. It seems like a lot of what I am doing here is similar to what I did in high school. My last two weeks with the delegation from Oklahoma was like stage managing again. Pulling together the newsletter was like being the editor in chief of the school paper.

Anyone who is interested can download a PDF of my newsletter from this link
http://www.mediafire.com/?gtonmznoyiw

I guess some people might think that going back to similiar things I was doing when I was 18 might be a step backward. But I actually feel more like myself again, like I took a detour during college and have finally gotten back to where I feel most comfortable. I loved college. I had great friends, great classes, and I absolutely loved Wash U. But I felt like something was missing during those 4 years. I worked myself so hard during high school, with my long nights of studying and average of 3 or 4 hours of sleep a night, that when I got to college I was determined to avoid over doing it. I had burned myself out. But I also held myself back. I became complacent and comfortable and stopped pushing myself.

Well, every day I am pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I'm challenged at work and I love what I do. I have deadlines, and several different bosses and a lot of responsibility. But that is what I love to do. I love to organize projects and carry them out. I love doing newspaper layouts. I love writing and editing and even though it drives me crazy I love translating too. It isn't easy. Adjusting to real work, and in a different culture, is difficult and there are some days I want to scream because I am so tired of being unable to completely express myself at work. I sometimes miss how easy things were in college but then remember that freshman year I felt very similar to how I feel here. I have not really connected with my coworkers yet and I expected us to be friendly and close right away. I forget that they are adults with their own lives and their own work so they aren't just going to sit and chat. Same with the other JETs in the town. We are all good friends, but not like I had in college. But that stuff takes time. I think that as I settle in more and more I will grow to love it here more than I already do.

Election Response

It was a very odd feeling watching the election results from Japan rather than in the US. I sat at my desk constantly refreshing CNN and talking with other Americans through GChat. I led the morning meeting today and since I have been out of the office so much I did not know it was my turn so I had nothing prepared. I told them a bit about my last week with the delegation from Oklahoma and then went on to discuss the election. Most of them seemed only mildly interested. They even tried to ask me questions. Though I found that discussing the American political system in Japanese was quite challenging. I resorted to using CNN's website to illustrate the electoral college and the difference between the two parties, but I think my point came across.

I wanted to be sitting in front of the TV on a couch with my friends watching the results come in. I was so grateful Carly was online so I had a touchstone back home to talk to and discuss the results with. Also because refreshing CNN just isn't the same. I wanted the commentary. But being in Japan has allowed me to develop an interesting perspective. I have never considered myself to be overly patriotic. I like America, but I never really thought of it as anything special. But recently, after living abroad for some months now, I have developed a stronger patriotic bent. When I visited Toki Middle School with the Oklahoma delegation and they played the National Anthem (a song I used to fight the urge to remain sitting during), I literally got goosebumps. Then when Obama won the election and I was sitting in a room full of people who didn't really care, and the images of him in front of the American flag began being posted on CNN and the BBC, I nearly cried. I was so glad Kim-chi was in the office that day. She actually came running up and gave me a hug. (my coworkers were completely baffled by this. In September when the Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda stepped down which was followed by the election of Aso, I did not even hear about him stepping down until it was posted on the BBC. No one in my office talked about it or discussed the issues or anything. When Kim-chi came up and hugged me, my bossed simply said "Wow, it's really different in America. You guys really care.")　　　　

I have to say that while I supported Obama, I was somewhat disappointed in this election (what's new?). When McCain clinched the Republican nomination so long ago I was actually excited. There was finally a Republican candidate I didn't hate. I simply ignored the Hillary/Obama race because it was too contentious for my liking and to be honest I did not see enough of a difference between the two of them to really care. So I waited. And finally it came down to McCain v. Obama. That's when it started to get interesting. But only until September, when McCain chose Palin to be his Vice Presidential candidate. She simply scared me too much. Add her on to McCain's shift to the right and he made the decision easy for me. But I had been anticipating making a tough decision. I was looking forward to really researching the issues and the stance of each candidate and weighing the options. I was looking forward to being able to choose the BEST candidate, not the LEAST frightening. But, with McCain's age and the possibility of a President Palin, I voted Obama. And I am quite happy with my decision.

I was reading the Economist at work today and the article outlined what it is that makes Obama risky, but also why those risks are good for America to take. It outlined the changes in McCain from his time as a senator to his time as a presidential candidate and how it there is not enough evidence that he will return to his maverick ways and more centrist ideals. Also that Obama, while largely elected because of his youth, difference from George W., and possibly even his race, illustrated throughout his campaign that while inexperienced he is quite capable of learning and surrounding himself by those with more experience. "A man who started out with no money and few supporters has out-thought, out-organized, and out-fought the two mightiest machines in American politics-the Clintons and the conservative right...Of course, Mr. Obama will make mistakes; but this is a man who listens, learns and manages well." I am willing to give him the chance to earn another 4 years in office. I am excited about the future, though I will watch most of his term from afar.

My first real assignment at work

I survived my first 70 hour week at work. I feel so Japanese now ;) It all started Thursday, October 23. I traveled to Kansai International Airport with the director of the Board of Education to meet the 3 members of the Sister School Exchange Program (Mrs. Kari Quigley and her two students Tanner and Chad). This was my first real assignment at work that was not translating letters or articles for my newsletter. I had been preparing for their 9 day visit since the beginning of October. This gave me a good idea of what my job is going to be like for the next few years and also a lot more experience in a field I hope to continue in when I return to the states. I actually came into my job halfway through the planning for this exchange event so I was literally thrown in and had to hit the ground running. I quickly figured out (through a few small blunders) that it was my job to know everything, but not let anyone know that I know everything (can't let the Japanese people find out the lowly CIR knows something before they do), and make sure everyone else only knows what they need to know when they need to know it. I became the keeper of the information, and also the one there to smooth out any cultural misunderstandings. It was very reminiscent of my stage managing days in high school when I was behind the scenes making sure everything moved smoothly so that the main event (in this case the student exchange) would get a standing ovation.

Thursday, October 23 After spending the entire day finalizing my notebook of translated letters, schedules, profiles including all allergy related info, etc, I boarded the microbus for the 2 hour drive to the airport. My "boss" seemed even more nervous than I was. Maybe that is because he constantly works with English speakers but has very little confidence in his English. We waited outside the gate for the 3 to arrive. I actually got to be the person holding the sign on the other side of the gate (I always wonder about what kind of people have someone waiting for them with a sign). When they arrived they were very tired but excited to be there. It was a nice change to see what kinds of things they were interested in, now that Japan has become my home I am not as shocked/excited about the little things, like animated street signs. This was my first chance to translate for people other than my co-JET English teachers. I had to find ways to settle in (like figure out who to look at, when I could speak for myself and when to speak as the other people, and how to make it clear which one I was doing). But I found it went fairly well. On the ride back I was bombarded with questions by the teacher. There had been quite a few communication issues during the previous week because of SPAM filters so we were catching up. By the end of the 2 hours back I had a long list of questions I had to either translate or find the answers to. Next we went to dinner. I had to translate the entire menu and suggest food for them and then teach them to use chopsticks. It was really kind of funny. I got home at about 9pm, making it a 13 hour day at work.

Friday, October 24 Friday morning we picked up the 3 visitors and took them to their host school (Toki Middle School). We met with the principal and I translated their meeting. The school put together a welcome party and I got my first shot at simultaneous interpretation. I sat in a chair behind the 3 of them and translated speeches and songs,etc as they were performed. Then the 3 gave their introductory speeches which I translated into Japanese to the entire school (about 700 people). Then we went back to the City Hall where the visitors met with the superintendent and the board of education. I had been given the speeches ahead of time but still had little bits of interpreting to do. Then we had the welcome lunch (more speeches and statements and questions to translate). Finally we took them on a tour of Kameoka city and to the Fall Festival. We actually were taken around by an expert on the festival so I translated his statements and the questions the visitors had. Thankfully I had recently translated the website for the festival (in prep for this visit) so I was able to keep up with the specialized language. I actually got a lot of star treatment because of the visitors. We even got to go inside one of the portable shrines and got free food everywhere I went. While at the festival we ran into some students from the middle school we had visited earlier and they very excitedly came up and talked to us. They were screaming and both sides were trying hard to make themselves understood til finally they all just went through me. So I was basically making their conversations possible. It was a pretty cool feeling. We got back fairly late and I had to be up really early to take the 3 visitors on their tour of Kyoto city the next day so I went to the local bar with a few friends for just an end of night drink and then went to bed. It was a good thing we went to the bar though because Yoshiro, the bartender was putting on a concert the next day and we would not have heard of it if we hadn't gone.

Saturday, October 25 Today we started our sightseeing extravaganza at 8am, We began with the Hozu Kudari (a boat ride down the Hozu River which winds its way through the mountains that surround Kameoka. It was a beautiful day and the leaves were just changing colors so it was pretty amazing. I continued my role as translator and added tour-guide and meal planner to my resume. I basically had to make sure the 3 visitors got to do EVERYTHING they wanted, but since they didn't know anything about Kameoka or Kyoto I had to give them options as well. After the river ride we went to Monkey Park, up in the mountains at Arashiyama. This is a shrine/park where there are a LOT of wild monkeys around. You climb the mountain and then you can feed them at the top. Then I had to decide where to take them to eat. I decided on kaitenzushi (sushi on conveyor belts around the restaurant, like a buffet where the food comes to you). They seemed really excited and surprised about it, so I felt I had done my job properly. Next we were off to the Golden Pavillion and finally Kiyomizudera. The only real issue was when the teacher got a bit sick and I had to politely translate that she was having "stomach trouble" in a way that would keep everyone from being embarrassed. Then we went to the City Hall and I got all the members off with their host families and I ran home to get ready for my friend Yoshiro's concert.

Sunday, October 26 My only day off among 14. I only had to call to check in on the 3 of them at their host family's homes. This pushed me out of my comfort zone because I don't like making phone calls even in English.

Monday, October 27 Today I was at my desk in City Hall. My newsletter comes out this week, so I spent all of today doing my final editing and layouts. At the end of the day, the head of the BOE came up to me and handed me the speeches for our elementary school trip for the next day so I ended up being one of the last ones out of the office.

Tuesday, October 28 Today was probably the most challenging day I have had since being in Japan. And that is saying a lot because I have had some tough days. It was amazing though. We started at an elementary school. We had welcome party where I had to do simultaneous interpretation again. Then I got to attend classes with the elementary school kids. We did calligraphy and kanji lessons. All the kids were super impressed that I could speak Japanese and that I knew more kanji than they did. They were really excited about everything and super adorable. We even got to at lunch with them. This was my first experience in a Japanese classroom so it was quite interesting. During lunch they kept asking us questions "How old are you?" "Do you have a boyfriend?" "How old do you think our teacher is?" "Do you like so-and-so?" "Which of us boys do you think is the coolest?" It was adorable. I could barely stop laughing. We took tons of pictures with them. They were so cute. As I was leaving with the 3 visitors we were all surrounded by small children screaming, trying to give us high fives or hugs. It was like being famous. Next we went to Taisei Middle School, which is the official sister school of Stillwater Middle School (where my delegation came from). Upon our arrival I was told that I would have to translate their presentation on Oklahoma history into Japanese in front of 400 middle schoolers. They told me this 20 minutes before I was scheduled to do this. Any of you who speak another language even the slightest bit will know how difficult something like that would be. Now, this will not come as a shock to those who know me the best...I had already translated the speech when I received it from the Oklahomans the week before...just in case a situation such as this one came up...So all I had to do was read what I wrote. This is of course easier said than done seeing as I had not practiced at all, but I got through it ok. However, apparently I used one word incorrectly and the principal decided that was the only thing he needed to tell me when I had finished translating....It is always nice to hear that you screwed up in front of a huge group of teenagers. Needless to say I felt pretty awful and embarassed but had to swallow my pride, take the constructive criticism and move on seeing as we were moving on the the meeting about possible events for the 20th anniversary of the Sister Schools relationship. After Taisei, we moved back to City Hall where the 3 visitors met the mayor of Kameoka. I was in charge of translating these conversations as well. The mayor is a very nice man and is extremely good at small talk so I did not have too much trouble, but it is a little intimidating translating in front of your bosses, and the mayor, while cameras are rolling.... I was still feeling a bit down about the whole day. Stressed, tired from having to go home and do prep for the next day instead of relaxing, working 14, 15 hour days in a foreign language and traveling....just basically overwhelmed. However, the end of the day made me feel a lot better about myself. I was handing the visitors over to their host families when we realized we needed to discuss the luggage situation, as the 3 were going back to a hotel the next night. One of the host families had a high school age daughter who spoke fairly decent english. She was talking to me and her host brother, Chad, when I realized I needed to clear something up with the head of the BOE. So I excused myself from the conversation and went to him and started up in Japanese. The girl's jaw hit the floor. She stared at me like i had 2 heads or something. When I finished clearing things up she approached me and asked how I got to be so good at Japanese. I said I had been studying for 4 years and that I now live in Kameoka and work for City Hall. She was so surprised. And then she said "Now I really want to study English more so I can be as good at it as you are at Japanese." This blew my mind. It was the nicest compliment I have gotten in a really long time. Then her little sister, who was standing next to me, said something like " you're really pretty." So I went home feeling pretty good, even though I had a long night of work ahead of me.

Wednesday, October 29 We spent the entire day at Toki Middle School this day. I helped them with their speeches,and their interviews with the local newspapers. Finally we had a farewell party. Again, I translated for the entire school. The boys had a party with their host families so I went around with Mrs. Quigley. Then, 2 members of the Board of Education came and picked us up and we went to dinner. We tried to get them as much Japanese food as possible, so we got them Okonomiyaki (literally, "stuff you like, grilled"). It was really a fun way for me to get to know some of the people I work with and introduce Americans to Japanese food.

Thursday, October 30 We started out the day with Free time in Kyoto City. So we went to Nijo Castle (the summer home of Tokugawa Ieyasu who united Japan following the years of clan fighting and then instituted the closed country policy and other policies that fostered Japanese culture, which is well known for its nightengale floors that warn of intruders), and the Kyoto Craft Center. While drving back toward Kameoka (a 30 minute drive) I was handed 3 speeches to be given at the final farewell party....then the 3 visitors gave me their speeches to translate into Japanese. So I had 1 and a half hours worth of speeches to translate in 30 minutes....Then, the 3 visitors forgot their speeches at home, so I also had to back translate my Japanese speech into English.....Needless to say I was a tad bit stressed...I probably let it show too much as well, which was less than professional, but I am not a professional translator. But it was a very good learning experience. I learned how to handle pressure in front of a lot of people, in two languages. The only real problem I had was when speeches were given by the host families. They went on and on for about 5 minutes at a time without giving me a chance to translate in small chunks so I had to try to remember all of what they were saying. It was funny that my English was so much worse than my Japanese in those situations. I think I said something like "You are a great kid and they liked having you stay with them because you were so nice and polite and stuff..." and "we hope you enjoyed the beautiful of Kameoka and Kyoto...." Then Mrs. Quigley put me in a bit of an awkward position when she took the microphone and gave a speech about how wonderful I was.....and then I had to translate it to the Japanese people.....But I made a joke out of it so I think it went ok "This is about me so I'm a bit embarassed, but she said......." People seemed happy with the job I did. And the 3 visitors said they had a wonderful time and that they could not have asked for anything more, which is all I really wanted.

Friday, October 31 Halloween I took the 3 of them shopping all morning around Kameoka and then took them to the airport. Unfortunately after they left my week was not quite over yet. I spent the whole trip back doing final paperwork and writing my Halloween presentation for the Halloween party the next day.

Saturday, November 1 I had to be at work at 8 am to set up for the Halloween party. We decorated the office and dressed up in costumes and gave out candy to little kids. I gave a short presentation on Halloween customs in the US. It was actually really fun because Japan does not really celebrate Halloween so trying to come up with a costume when you can't buy anything other than a witch costume is interesting. I actually did not have time to buy a costume at all.....so I went to work with 3 rolls of toilet paper. Yep, I rolled myself up in toilet paper to become a mummy. It was better that way cuz they all understood what I was. But I looked pretty ridiculous. It was fun though. I celebrated my freedom with my first all nighter in Kyoto city.

All in all this has been a very very very big growing experience for me. I actually felt like I was making a contribution to my city and my office. I also learned a lot about what it takes to be a translator and that while I am in the work force I still have a long way to go until I will feel like a really member of the staff. But I also learned that I can face any challenge and deal with any situation in Japanese if I just try hard enough. It also let me see a different type of work involving Japanese that I may want to do in the future. Working with the 3 delegation members reminded me how much I enjoyed my time as a stage manager in high school, and why. I'm a planner, an organizer, a leader, and having to deal with time constraints and unforeseen difficulties while translating and planning the trip was really enjoyable.

I finished my first novel in Japanese this past weekend and I have my first Taiko performance next weekend. And I bought my ticket to France for Christmas vacation. I found out I get 14 days off without taking a single day of yearly leave.....all because I work enough overtime :)

It is starting to get really cold here now. I still can't believe it is already November. The apartments have no insulation so it is really cold even inside my apartment and I am starting to figure out various ways to keep warm without spending all my money on electricity...Wish me luck.

My First All Nighter

So after a long, long, long week and a half with the visiting delegation from Oklahoma and the totally adorable Halloween party for the children of Kameoka, I decided to celebrate the fact that I would once again have time outside of work. The last 9 days had been full of prepping for the next days activities, so having an evening off was welcomed.

I have been feeling old lately...which is sad because I am only 22. But work stress, etc. had been making me sleep earlier and go out less. My college days seemed long behind me. So when Laurel mentioned going out dancing, I was interested.

Laurel and I were the only ones available to go out so the two of us decided to take on Sam and Daves (or should I say Samu and Dabuzu), which is a night club run by an ex-pat from South Africa. We left Kameoka for Kyoto embarassingly early (8:30 pm) and arrived at Sam and Daves shortly before 9:30. When we got there we found out it was actually the 2nd night of a two day Halloween party...and also that we were horribly early. The only other patrons were an old couple of women and 2 Japanese guys sleeping.....I guess in preparation for their night out. Well, being accustomed as we are to being stared at EVERYWHERE we go, we decided not to make a big deal out of it and grab a couple of drinks while we waiting for things to pick up.

Now, in Japan, for some crazy reason, the trains stop at around midnight. So for us to catch our train home and avoid a $70 cab ride, we would have to leave the club around 11:30. Well, 11:30 was when people actually started showing up. I was skeptical about the idea of an all-nighter, but Laurel helped me convince myself to stay out.

It started to get crowded with Japanese men and women doing their awkward bobbing kind of dancing so Laurel and I decided to be the gaijin women that we are and start up the dancing in the middle of the floor. Now, those who have seen me dance can attest to the fact that, while I am not completely devoid of rhythm, I am not a spectacular dancer. Laurel, is not only a good dancer, but she knows how to have fun with it. So when a great 80s song came on the two of us totally broke out the cabbage patch and the running man. Now, back home in the states, we would have been met with disdain or outright laughter...but not in Japan. No, in Japan, the cabbage patch and the running man warrants cheering and for everyone around you to stop and watch. It was kind of amazing.

So the night went on with us enjoying ourselves on the dance floor until about 4 am when I had to call it quits and we thought about heading to McDonald's for some late night/early morning food...btw McDonald's is somehow acceptable food in Japan while I rarely eat it at home.

As we were getting our coats (the Japanese brilliantly put lockers in their clubs) I accidently eavesdropped on a Japanese guy getting yelled at by security not to sit down. I giggled to myself and he noticed and started talking to me. It was the usual "You are byuuutifaru garu. byuutifaru garu." and my personal favorite " oh you look like Tom Cruise" but this guy, when I pulled out my, now perfected, mock insulted look, changed it to Sandra Bullock, who he apparently loves. We chatted for a while about the upcoming election, and about what Laurel and I are doing in Japan etc. Finally when we said we were leaving to get food they said they would come too and they showed us a great ramen shop down the street from the club.

Here is where it gets interesting from a sociology perspective. Now, back in the states whenever I went clubbing it was always a bit of an ordeal trying to avoid the advances to drunk men. When my old Millbrook roomies and I would go out, we would constantly have to circle up and save each other from unwanted advances. I had a guy pull my hair away from my neck and lick me one time. I mean, on what planet is that acceptable? In Japan, however, foreign women seem to scare Japanese men. The guy from Sam and Daves, Ryuuichi (or dragon one as he translated his name for us), took us to ramen and refused to let us pay. Then took us to the Kamo river and bought us some hot coffee. All the while telling us we were beautiful girls (the only high school english he seemed to remember). I enjoy any time when I meet Japanese people outside of work who don't want to use me for my English skills so I was interested in hanging out with him and his friend. And let's face it, with another hour to go before the trains started up, we had nowhere else to go. So at the end of the night we went to the station and said our goodbyes, but that was it. I guess I was just struck by how different it was. Maybe it sounds like I'm complaining but I am just used to having to find a way out of giving out my number or avoiding awkward come ons. It was actually really fun to be able to go out and dance all night and make a new friend without it being uncomfortable. Hooray for Japanese men being timid.....

Around 5 am we made our way to our train station and boarded the train home. Luckily the final stop of the train we got was our own Kameoka so we just fell asleep on the way back. We had to be up early to meet our friend Rie for lunch in Kyoto city the next day so we caught a quick nap and then made our way back into town to meet up with her. She took us to a place that is almost exactly like the Kansas City Power and Light District. Almost made me miss home.

Hiroshima

Work is about to get really busy with the delegation from Oklahoma coming in next week, my first newsletter coming out in early November, and the Halloween party. I think the biggest update is my weekend in Hiroshima. It began when I met a few new JETs on the banks of the Kamo River at the fire dancing/hippie performance (there is no other way to describe it. It was literally a bunch of Japanese hippies playing bongo drums and dancing with fire). We all discussed taking a trip and they mentioned they were going to Hiroshima. I have been feeling a bit like I'm living in a bubble lately (reminiscent of Wash U's famous bubble) and really wanted to get out of my town and meet new people. So I ended up making plans to head to Hiroshima for the weekend with these guys. I also got ahold of my friend Lara who lives in Hyogo Prefecture. She and I went to Japan together 2 years ago when I studied for a summer at ICU. This was the first time we have been able to meet since moving out here.

I started making plans, decided not to spend $200 on a shinkansen (bullet train) and cheap out and go for the bus like everyone else ($70 round trip). Then I realized that I was supposed to attend an event on Saturday. We had a 3 day weekend for Sports and Health Day and I wanted to make the most of it and working on Saturday would throw a huge kink in my plans. So I talked to my supervisor and it turned SUPER awkward. See, I have 2 offices. One is my main office at the City Hall, and on Thursdays I go to the Exchange Center off in the mountains. The Exchange Center plans various intercultural events for Kameoka and as the CIR I am expected to attend most, if not all. My level of involvement varies. I was simply supposed to be a warm body in a chair at this event so I didn't think it would be that big of a deal if I missed. Boy was I wrong. My supervisor and I spent an hour coming up with a better reason for me to miss this event than "I want to take a trip" or "I forgot." Finally we decided to tell them that I was being taken by Japanese friends who were driving and that the time of departure had changed and I had no control over it. Since I wasn't giving a speech this time, would it be ok if I missed this event???? Thankfully it worked out. But it was slightly embarrassing and I learned my lesson.

So Saturday morning I set out for Kyoto at 6 am. Met my friends and got on our wonderful tour bus. I was a bit nervous about traveling with these guys seeing as I didn't know them very well. Though I had made my own arrangements, it would be a bit awkward spending time with them without knowing them. However, the 7 hour bus ride gave us ample time to get to know each other, and we got along really well. We arrived in Hiroshima at about 2:30 and went off in search of our hostel. Hostel, is not the right term for where we were staying. It was amazing. We spent $30 a night on these amazing rooms with views over the river. They were clean, and nice, and the staff spoke fluent english (useful for my non Japanese friends and for me so I don't have to go translate all the time). Then, we set off for our Saturday night activity: the Sake Festival.

The Japanese, well known for their work ethic, should be just as well known for their ability to party. The Sake Festival took over an entire town. There were booths for food, (there is nothing like Japanese festival food...corn on the cob grilled with an amazing sauce, okonomiyaki, fried anything, chicken, etc). After following a street lined with various stalls we came to an intersection. On the right was the sake, on the left was the stage. We went over and got our sake tickets ($16 all you can drink) and went into the sake area. There were booths all around the area representing the different prefectures and these were separated into different cities. Basically they give you one sake cup and you take it where you want to go and they fill it for you. As much as you want. There were well over 200 types of sake at this event. We went around for a while til we were approached by this old Japanese man who asked us to sit with him. So, he chatted with us while his friend kept going and getting plate after plate of sake cups. Then the wife was offering us food, etc. They explained all about the history of the festival and different things about Japanese culture and I did my best to translate. It was really really fun. When the sake ran out, we went over to the stage area for a taiko performance. We had missed it, but ended up meeting a couple of younger Japanese guys. I was enjoying talking to Japanese people my own age. They ended up going back to Hiroshima station with us, which was useful seeing as we had missed the last bus and needed to figure out how to get back to our hotel by the tram. They actually escorted us back to our hotel, though my friend Mike did not trust them and kept asking where they were taking us...No matter how many times I said we were going in the right direction, he was skeptical. This was how I met my new Hiroshima Husband/fliend (he sent me a text message as I was leaving saying that as my Hiroshima husband (ie. host, not anything inappropriate just an interesting word that means more than one thing) and said how happy he was to have made an American "fliend."

The next day we got up and went to Miyajima. That is the island that has the giant red torii out in the ocean. You take a ferry from the main island to the small island of Miyajima. Miyajima is the site of a famous shrine which was sacred and therefore no commoners were allowed to set foot on the island. The gate was constructed in an area where, depending on the tide, it appears to be floating in the water. When we arrived the tide was out, so we decided to take some pictures then get on the ropeway and go to the top of the mountain. From here, you could see out over the ocean and the surrounding islands. I don't think I've ever been somewhere so beautiful. We decided to climb down the whole 2.5 km. We reached the bottom by sunset. The sun was going down behind the torii in the water. Honestly it was indescribable. My pictures certainly don't do it justice. It is also one of the 3 famous scenic views of Japan. You will be hearing about the other 2 soon, when I get back from my trips to visit them :)

On Monday we went to the Peace Park, which has the Atom Bomb Dome and the museum. I had been before 2 years ago but wanted to go again to get another perspective. It was just as upsetting and moving as the last time. But I feel I came away from it with more than I had previously so I am not sorry I went.

We then went and got the famous Hiroshima Okonomiyaki (pancake batter, cabbage, soba/udon, bacon, egg, anything else you want all made into a pancake). It was so good. We went back to catch our bus, and I realized something wasn't right. My name was not on the list on the bus...... Apparently something went wrong when I made my bus reservation. Luckily this is Japan and people work really hard to avoid confrontation here. So I acted really confused (not hard, because I was), the bus driver assumed I did not speak Japanese and let me on the bus...As the bus filled, I began to worry that there would be no empty seat and I would have to get off and then pay $100 to take the bullet train back. Not a huge deal, but I wanted the bus. But 4 pm rolled around and the bus driver shut the door and pulled out. I eventually gave away the fact that I do speak Japanese when the bus tried to leave a girl behind at a rest stop and the girl's friend did not speak Japanese. I had to yell out to keep the driver from getting on the highway....Then we got to the first stop, Osaka. The bus driver came back and asked us "honorable foreigners" if we were all going to Kyoto (there was obviously something wrong with his head count). Well rather than deal with us, he just looked agitated and walked away. Turns out, I got to Hiroshima and back on only $34. I stowed away on the bus and the sheer fact that I look different saved me. I would have gladly paid or explained things, but he didn't ask. So I said nothing...I only figured out what really happened after I had already arrived home. All in all, it was a really amazing weekend. I had forgotten how much fun being a tourist can be.