I was minding my own business at the office this morning when I the phone rang. I only answer the phones when I am alone in the office because I am A. not good enough at Japanese to really be good at answering the phones and B. not aware of the events going on in the office or the city hall so I cannot really be helpful to anyone who calls. I usually just tune out what goes on around me anyway because it is too distracting if I don't.
But something about this call caught my attention.
Tanaka-kakarityou was chatting with the person on the other line, when all of a sudden he says: "Oh, at Mister Donuts?"
Now, this really only caught my attention because I spent like 5 hours at Mister Donuts yesterday (2 of which when I was trapped by that old man).
It couldn't possibly be about me...right? Maybe the guy from the tourism division wanted something...maybe it's unrelated.
He kept talking to the person on the other line for a while and wrote a few things down before hanging up.
And...
he turned toward me...
and said
T: "Did you meet someone at Mister Donuts yesterday, Margaret?"
Me: "Ummm yes."
T: "He wanted me to give you his correct email address. He says he gave you the wrong one yesterday."
I nearly fell out of my chair. I could not believe that. I was laughing so hard I started to cry.
I had not told that old guy where I work...but he tracked me down and called my office to give me his phone number. Because he thinks we are friends now. CREEPY.
Of course then I had to explain the whole story to my office while they all laughed about my creepy old guy stalker man and joked about how popular I am that I can pick up men at the donut shop.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Innu Engrishu? Why I sometimes want to hide from the world.
Today was a lazy Sunday. The Boy had to work for the election and I decided to spend the day getting some studying done.
My favorite place to study lately has been Mister Donuts, a coffee/donut shop where they give you unlimited free refills on coffee. I will go sit there for a few hours and study while making the most of the 220 yen I spend on coffee. Plus their coffee is way better than the instant crap I make at home...
So today I brought a couple of books and my computer and sat at my usual table and got to work. I put on some Josh Groban and started up. I looked up at one point and noticed someone I knew. He is the head of the travel information office at the train station and I went to work help him determine the English ability of a few applicants for part-time positions. He is a really sweet guy but I didn't really want to be bothered so I tried to play the "don't look up maybe he won't notice me game."
I lost.
He and his companion sat down next to me and Fujimura-kyokutyou started up a conversation with me. It ended up being quite enjoyable but still...
He introduced me to his friend. When his friend found out who I am, he became very excited.
Him: "Wait, this honorable person is Margaret? The Margaret? The famous Margaret?"
Fujimura: "Yes, she works at city hall."
Me: "Nice to meet you...wait, famous? Me?"
Him: "Oh yes. So many people in this area know who you are. You are very well known."
Well crap. See, I'm not making it up. I really can't go anywhere without being noticed.
So we chatted for a bit til they left. I thought I was in the clear. Put my headphones back in and set back to reading.
As I am reading, a finger appears in front of my eyes, and I hear a muffled voice near me. "Oh. Innu Engrishu."
I couldn't quite hear over the music coming through my headphones but somehow my brain made the connection. There was a new person sitting next to me and he was speaking. He was asking if my book was written in English.
I pop out one headphone, smile and nod, and say "Yes, in English"
I turn back to my book and put my headphone back in.
But I was too late.
He started talking before I could get the headphone into my ear.
And he didn't stop talking for 2 hours.
The lonely old toothless man was delighted at the opportunity to speak English and he was not going to give up his chance. He only had an iced coffee so I figured I could humor him for 20 minutes til he finished and left...but as I stared at the drink, praying that he would take another sip soon and bring me a little bit closer to freedom...the amount inside it didn't change.
At first I was responsive. I talked with him about how computer screens nowadays really are so much prettier than old ones and how the young golf player Ishikawa really is incredible.
I even acted sympathetic when he told me about his recent doctors visits and how he can not drink alcohol anymore because of his swollen legs. I even forced myself to look at his red splotchy legs legs when he showed them to me.
All I wanted to do was sit with my coffee and get some studying done, but this guy turned me into an English conversation partner.
His English was pretty difficult to understand, and he mostly just mumbled. I would have been ok if he had wanted to talk a little bit, but 2 hours? I just wanted to study. But I couldn't bring myself to yell at this poor little old man. I couldn't tell him to leave me alone. So I just sat there hoping he would leave.
Finally he looked at his watch and realized he had been there talking at me in broken English for 2 hours and he started to get ready to leave. But before he left, he pulled out an envelope from Kyoto Bank. On the back of it he wrote his name and his cell phone email address.
And his wife's name and her email address.
And his son's name and his telephone number.
And he said I should call him sometime and he would take me around Kyoto.
After asking me how to write my name, he slowly got up and hobbled out of the Mister Donuts, finally leaving me to study.
My favorite place to study lately has been Mister Donuts, a coffee/donut shop where they give you unlimited free refills on coffee. I will go sit there for a few hours and study while making the most of the 220 yen I spend on coffee. Plus their coffee is way better than the instant crap I make at home...
So today I brought a couple of books and my computer and sat at my usual table and got to work. I put on some Josh Groban and started up. I looked up at one point and noticed someone I knew. He is the head of the travel information office at the train station and I went to work help him determine the English ability of a few applicants for part-time positions. He is a really sweet guy but I didn't really want to be bothered so I tried to play the "don't look up maybe he won't notice me game."
I lost.
He and his companion sat down next to me and Fujimura-kyokutyou started up a conversation with me. It ended up being quite enjoyable but still...
He introduced me to his friend. When his friend found out who I am, he became very excited.
Him: "Wait, this honorable person is Margaret? The Margaret? The famous Margaret?"
Fujimura: "Yes, she works at city hall."
Me: "Nice to meet you...wait, famous? Me?"
Him: "Oh yes. So many people in this area know who you are. You are very well known."
Well crap. See, I'm not making it up. I really can't go anywhere without being noticed.
So we chatted for a bit til they left. I thought I was in the clear. Put my headphones back in and set back to reading.
As I am reading, a finger appears in front of my eyes, and I hear a muffled voice near me. "Oh. Innu Engrishu."
I couldn't quite hear over the music coming through my headphones but somehow my brain made the connection. There was a new person sitting next to me and he was speaking. He was asking if my book was written in English.
I pop out one headphone, smile and nod, and say "Yes, in English"
I turn back to my book and put my headphone back in.
But I was too late.
He started talking before I could get the headphone into my ear.
And he didn't stop talking for 2 hours.
The lonely old toothless man was delighted at the opportunity to speak English and he was not going to give up his chance. He only had an iced coffee so I figured I could humor him for 20 minutes til he finished and left...but as I stared at the drink, praying that he would take another sip soon and bring me a little bit closer to freedom...the amount inside it didn't change.
At first I was responsive. I talked with him about how computer screens nowadays really are so much prettier than old ones and how the young golf player Ishikawa really is incredible.
I even acted sympathetic when he told me about his recent doctors visits and how he can not drink alcohol anymore because of his swollen legs. I even forced myself to look at his red splotchy legs legs when he showed them to me.
All I wanted to do was sit with my coffee and get some studying done, but this guy turned me into an English conversation partner.
His English was pretty difficult to understand, and he mostly just mumbled. I would have been ok if he had wanted to talk a little bit, but 2 hours? I just wanted to study. But I couldn't bring myself to yell at this poor little old man. I couldn't tell him to leave me alone. So I just sat there hoping he would leave.
Finally he looked at his watch and realized he had been there talking at me in broken English for 2 hours and he started to get ready to leave. But before he left, he pulled out an envelope from Kyoto Bank. On the back of it he wrote his name and his cell phone email address.
And his wife's name and her email address.
And his son's name and his telephone number.
And he said I should call him sometime and he would take me around Kyoto.
After asking me how to write my name, he slowly got up and hobbled out of the Mister Donuts, finally leaving me to study.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Global Session: Being a Foreigner in Japan
Today was THE Global Session. The one I have been dreading for about a month now. The one where I was the guest and The Boy was the coordinator. Which basically means that the two of us would be running the conversation in English together. Considering that I know his capabilities in English (which are quite good, but not quite fully conversational yet) I was nervous for him. But I was more nervous for myself. He is an adult and accepted the position as a coordinator knowing what he was getting into. Me, I was baring my soul to a bunch of strangers.
If you want to read what I wrote, check out this site that I am currently setting up.
It actually went really well. The Boy did his homework. I was actually really impressed. He knew that he would not be able to follow the conversation so he prepared. He created a list of questions and used them to guide the conversation. His questions were really well thought out. We have had long discussions about identity before and his interest in philosophy was probably a guiding factor in his discussion.
Laurel, Kim-chi, and Phil all came along too which made me feel better. My biggest fear was that no one would show up. But actually we had a huge turnout. I was really excited.
The discussion stayed fairly on topic, which is a bit rare for Global Sessions. We talked a little about Kojima-san's daughter's experiences in Serbia. And the ALTs talked a bit about their views on what it is like to be foreign and how far we should go to try to fit in.
We went a little over on time actually and had to cut short.
After the Global Session we went back to Kameoka. The Boy and I went to grab a quick bite to eat at Kuniteru cafe and hung out at my place until Phil's curry party that evening. I really wanted to go because the two new boys were going to be there and I want to get to know them better but didn't want to ditch The Boy. I just didn't know if he would want to go. But he heard me and Phil talking about it and when he asked if I wanted to go I was taken aback. I said I was thinking about it but would he want to come and he said yeah. So we went (^_^)
It was awesome to get to hang out with Paul and David. I have run into them a few times but haven't really gotten the chance to get to know them so this was a good opportunity. We ate some curry rice and taught the South Africans how to play baseball.
The Boy looked exhausted from work that morning and then the Global Session so I kept trying to get him to head out with me, but he kept saying that since I was having a good time we could stay...
Eventually things wound down and we headed out. Poor guy had to be at work at 6:30am the next day (yeah, on a Sunday--thank God I'm not Japanese).
If you want to read what I wrote, check out this site that I am currently setting up.
It actually went really well. The Boy did his homework. I was actually really impressed. He knew that he would not be able to follow the conversation so he prepared. He created a list of questions and used them to guide the conversation. His questions were really well thought out. We have had long discussions about identity before and his interest in philosophy was probably a guiding factor in his discussion.
Laurel, Kim-chi, and Phil all came along too which made me feel better. My biggest fear was that no one would show up. But actually we had a huge turnout. I was really excited.
The discussion stayed fairly on topic, which is a bit rare for Global Sessions. We talked a little about Kojima-san's daughter's experiences in Serbia. And the ALTs talked a bit about their views on what it is like to be foreign and how far we should go to try to fit in.
We went a little over on time actually and had to cut short.
After the Global Session we went back to Kameoka. The Boy and I went to grab a quick bite to eat at Kuniteru cafe and hung out at my place until Phil's curry party that evening. I really wanted to go because the two new boys were going to be there and I want to get to know them better but didn't want to ditch The Boy. I just didn't know if he would want to go. But he heard me and Phil talking about it and when he asked if I wanted to go I was taken aback. I said I was thinking about it but would he want to come and he said yeah. So we went (^_^)
It was awesome to get to hang out with Paul and David. I have run into them a few times but haven't really gotten the chance to get to know them so this was a good opportunity. We ate some curry rice and taught the South Africans how to play baseball.
The Boy looked exhausted from work that morning and then the Global Session so I kept trying to get him to head out with me, but he kept saying that since I was having a good time we could stay...
Eventually things wound down and we headed out. Poor guy had to be at work at 6:30am the next day (yeah, on a Sunday--thank God I'm not Japanese).
Friday, August 28, 2009
Orientation with the newbies
Today was the fateful day: Orientation. I got a call at my office in the mountains yesterday from my boss telling me I didn't have to come in this morning, so I got to sleep in a little bit. That was pretty sweet.
I had nothing in my apartment for breakfast so I went ahead and grabbed a little Misudo before catching the train with Laurel.
The orientation was pretty good. It was weird to be on this side of it. As a second year, I still don't feel like I have that much to offer in the way of advice to newbies. I can warn them that the winter months will make you want to die and drive you to read all four Twilight books in one weekend because you can't bear to get out from underneath your heated table. I can tell them that sometimes Japanese people will make you want to tear your hair out...but then there will be the one who finds you a bar with Guinness on tap just when you needed a taste of home the most. But, I can't tell them how their jobs will be or how to deal with any of their problems. I still feel like I am floundering around just trying to survive most of the time.
So we did our speeches on how to act at work parties, how to keep a good attitude, and how to deal with seasonal changes. I took the new CIR aside and chatted with her a bit about her job and what she should expect. But she is brand new and creating the position from scratch so her situation is quite different. Then we took them on a tour of Kyoto that I am quite sure they forgot immediately.
My tour group was ok. I had two Australians and an American. The American was one of those cocky guys who acts like he doesn't need anything ever. The Australians were really nice. I was just proud of myself for not getting them lost.
During the tour we stopped at BAL and I grabbed my JLPT application. I did the same thing last year...I am going for the highest level and I will fail. But as the Japanese say, 失敗は成功の元。 Or, failure is the root of success.
After we finished the tour we led them to the beer garden for dinner and drinks. I got a chance to catch up with Ashley, which was awesome, but didn't really get to know the newbies at all.
After the beer garden we hit up some karaoke (Me, Alison the new CIR, Ashley, Ian, Trevor, and the girl from Australia). Karaoke is one of those things I really only want to do every once and a while. It was definitely fun this time, but I probably won't need to do it again for a long time.
Laurel and Phil pulled an all nighter, but I have work tomorrow so I made my way home. (T_T)
I had nothing in my apartment for breakfast so I went ahead and grabbed a little Misudo before catching the train with Laurel.
The orientation was pretty good. It was weird to be on this side of it. As a second year, I still don't feel like I have that much to offer in the way of advice to newbies. I can warn them that the winter months will make you want to die and drive you to read all four Twilight books in one weekend because you can't bear to get out from underneath your heated table. I can tell them that sometimes Japanese people will make you want to tear your hair out...but then there will be the one who finds you a bar with Guinness on tap just when you needed a taste of home the most. But, I can't tell them how their jobs will be or how to deal with any of their problems. I still feel like I am floundering around just trying to survive most of the time.
So we did our speeches on how to act at work parties, how to keep a good attitude, and how to deal with seasonal changes. I took the new CIR aside and chatted with her a bit about her job and what she should expect. But she is brand new and creating the position from scratch so her situation is quite different. Then we took them on a tour of Kyoto that I am quite sure they forgot immediately.
My tour group was ok. I had two Australians and an American. The American was one of those cocky guys who acts like he doesn't need anything ever. The Australians were really nice. I was just proud of myself for not getting them lost.
During the tour we stopped at BAL and I grabbed my JLPT application. I did the same thing last year...I am going for the highest level and I will fail. But as the Japanese say, 失敗は成功の元。 Or, failure is the root of success.
After we finished the tour we led them to the beer garden for dinner and drinks. I got a chance to catch up with Ashley, which was awesome, but didn't really get to know the newbies at all.
After the beer garden we hit up some karaoke (Me, Alison the new CIR, Ashley, Ian, Trevor, and the girl from Australia). Karaoke is one of those things I really only want to do every once and a while. It was definitely fun this time, but I probably won't need to do it again for a long time.
Laurel and Phil pulled an all nighter, but I have work tomorrow so I made my way home. (T_T)
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Atago Lanterns
Today Laurel and I headed into Kyoto to meet with Ian, Eric, and Ash to discuss the upcoming orientation with the new JETs. It was basically a nice excuse to get out of the office for the afternoon. I am not giving a presentation but am merely there simply to meet the new CIR and offer her what little advice I can.
After the meeting we decided to grab some Mos Burger before heading back to Kameoka which has a disappointing lack of restaurants.
On our way we got a text from Dara asking if we wanted to go to the Atago Lantern Festival in Saga-Arashiyama this evening. We decided to go, for a variety of reasons, and so we stuck around Kyoto until Dara got off work. We were supposed to meet her at the Daimaru, but there were 2 buildings with the name Daimaru so we got lost. Then when we tried to go to the right Daimaru, we went the wrong direction and got more lost. Finally Finally Finally we met up with Dara and got on the train heading to Saga.
It is the end of Obon, the season when the spirits of the ancestors visit their homes and then the Japanese show them the door by lighting mountains on fire or creating lighted paths out of lanterns.
The Atago Lantern Festival is special because the citizens of the small section of Saga Arashiyama called Atago decorate the lanterns themselves. They are really unique and quite beautiful. It would have been a lot more fun if I hadn't been exhausted from the day of getting lost wandering around Kyoto.
After I finally got home, The Boy came over to hang out for a bit til we called it a night.
After the meeting we decided to grab some Mos Burger before heading back to Kameoka which has a disappointing lack of restaurants.
On our way we got a text from Dara asking if we wanted to go to the Atago Lantern Festival in Saga-Arashiyama this evening. We decided to go, for a variety of reasons, and so we stuck around Kyoto until Dara got off work. We were supposed to meet her at the Daimaru, but there were 2 buildings with the name Daimaru so we got lost. Then when we tried to go to the right Daimaru, we went the wrong direction and got more lost. Finally Finally Finally we met up with Dara and got on the train heading to Saga.
It is the end of Obon, the season when the spirits of the ancestors visit their homes and then the Japanese show them the door by lighting mountains on fire or creating lighted paths out of lanterns.
The Atago Lantern Festival is special because the citizens of the small section of Saga Arashiyama called Atago decorate the lanterns themselves. They are really unique and quite beautiful. It would have been a lot more fun if I hadn't been exhausted from the day of getting lost wandering around Kyoto.
After I finally got home, The Boy came over to hang out for a bit til we called it a night.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Breakdancing and Juggling
Today Laurel's friend Tamon invited us to a breakdancing event at a sports bar called Freeball.
The whole event was basically a bunch of teams battling. The emcee was a friend of Tamon's and a professional break dancer. Having pretty much zero knowledge of what makes someone a good dancer, I had a lot of fun and thought they were all really good. Laurel was able to make some more judgments, but I just watched and enjoyed.
They also had a performance from the world champion diabolo juggler, a guy who can also breakdance, and he showed us how juggling can be really hot. He seemed to be a bit of a cocky bastard, but that just added to his appeal I think. Plus when you're the World's Best Anything, I think you have the right to be a bit cocky.
Until I get the videos, I defer to my friend Laurel's blog.
We got our asses beat at arm wrestling by Tamon's 80 pound friend Mizuho, who also happened to be gorgeous...sad day for us fat, weak Americans....
After about 4 hours of breakdancing we decided to head out. I went off to Loft in search of art for my apartment. I came up emptyhanded because Loft is super expensive, but then came across my favorite art store in Kyoto, with cheap and modern wood block prints. Laurel and Dara headed off to church.
The whole event was basically a bunch of teams battling. The emcee was a friend of Tamon's and a professional break dancer. Having pretty much zero knowledge of what makes someone a good dancer, I had a lot of fun and thought they were all really good. Laurel was able to make some more judgments, but I just watched and enjoyed.
They also had a performance from the world champion diabolo juggler, a guy who can also breakdance, and he showed us how juggling can be really hot. He seemed to be a bit of a cocky bastard, but that just added to his appeal I think. Plus when you're the World's Best Anything, I think you have the right to be a bit cocky.
Until I get the videos, I defer to my friend Laurel's blog.
We got our asses beat at arm wrestling by Tamon's 80 pound friend Mizuho, who also happened to be gorgeous...sad day for us fat, weak Americans....
After about 4 hours of breakdancing we decided to head out. I went off to Loft in search of art for my apartment. I came up emptyhanded because Loft is super expensive, but then came across my favorite art store in Kyoto, with cheap and modern wood block prints. Laurel and Dara headed off to church.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Tea Ceremony Electronica
Today I went to the Exchange Center for the International Understanding Festival. The Exchange Center holds this event every year. I actually participated in it last year, so this is my first repeat event.
It took the train to the center in the morning and started out the day by helping Moe Enoki practice her presentation. Moe draws the cartoons for my newsletter and she is extremely talented. But she is also really shy. She was supposed to read the English translation and I would read the Japanese but she was too nervous and so we ended up reading it the other way....more on that later.
The event started with a presentation by the Hozu River Project. My friend Shigeno-san from my taiko group is also a member. The Hozu River Project is designed to protect the natural environment of the Hozu River. They have an online trash map, which I thought was kind of interesting. Basically random citizens take photos of trash and send them in with the location and then they map it on Google Maps.
They also had a bucket with some of the things that live in the river.
After the Hozu River Project, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, or JICA, gave a presentation on their work in Ghana. What really caught my attention was when she mentioned that one of the children she met was saying that it would be great if everyone in the world spoke the same language. I certainly think it would make things easier, but I don't agree that it would be better. Language is very closely tied with culture and I think the world would lose a lot if everyone spoke one language and only one language.
They let one of the girls participating try on some native clothing from Ghana as well. I just thought she was really cute. And very energetic. She kind of reminded me of myself when I was younger. Energetic to the point of annoying. She had an answer to every question and volunteered for everything...
Then it was my turn. Moe was so cute. She was really nervous so I tried to lend her a little bit of confidence. I figured it didn't really matter what I said because I was actually the ONLY English speaker in the room. So I was translating out loud to everyone...for myself. But it was still fun.
Next was the Korean presentation. I didn't really understand what was going on because a lot of the presentation was actually in Korean, but I think it was the performance of some kind of folk story.
They also performed traditional Korean dance in the Korean version of the kimono.
After the Koreans, a group called Hippo Family, in which all the members speak multiple languages, gave a presentation. It was impressive to see a high school aged girl speaking what sounded like fluent Spanish and Chines, but I wasn't really too interested in their presentation. The only people who seemed excited to be there were the adults. The kids just seemed bored or embarrassed.
They tried to teach us some kind of hand game, but I couldn't follow. They were counting in about 7 different languages...so I got lost. As did everyone else.
After the Hippo Family presentation we took a lunch break and I snuck off to take a nap outside. I was exhausted. Going out to the bar the night before work is NOT a great idea.
After my awesome nap on the bench behind the Exchange Center I went back inside for the movie.
We were watching a film called "The Witch of the West is Dead" and it is about a little girl who goes to live with her grandmother, who happens to be a white woman. I fell asleep halfway through so I don't really know what it was about. So...yeah.
After the event I took the bus back to Kameoka and The Boy met me at the station. He took me to a temple just off the Philosopher's Walk (ie. a path near Kyoto University where famous Japanese philosopher's used to stroll and ponder all those things that philosopher's ponder). The temple was holding a special Electronica Music event.
The traditional Japanese garden was decorated with a bunch of multicolored lights, about the size of the small Christmas lights, that would flash or change colors. The inside of the temple also had some different light shows emitting from projectors onto the walls or the zen rock gardens. At first we sat out on the porch that wraps around the temple overlooking the garden. It was actually really cool because there was the light show ahead of us, and modern, electronica music played on traditional Japanese instruments behind us, and then there were the natural elements when the cicadas started singing and then it suddenly began pouring rain. We were under and over hang so there was just a curtain of water right in front of us. It was an unexpected addition to the show, but I really liked it.
It was a bit surreal to be standing in a traditional temple with such a modern show going on, but I think that was the main point: the juxtaposition of the modern and the traditional.
After a few live performances we went to do the tea ceremony. The funny part about this was that I knew more about tea ceremony than he did, because I have to take part in them sometimes as work functions. So I taught him to eat the dessert first and then to look at the bowl as you turn it in your hands. Then to drink the whole bowl in only 3 sips.
We went back into the main room to listen to the final performance. It's not the kind of music I would put on my iPod but it was pretty cool. The last girl who performed was using a koto with a guitar and synthesizer accompaniment.
(this is not her because I did not have my camera, but is just an example of a koto)
It was raining lightly as we made our way to the bus stop to get back to our train station. We decided to grab something to eat but couldn't find a good restaurant that was still open. Finally I just told him I was hungry and didn't care where we ate, and that we don't always have to eat at nice places...so we went to McDonalds :)
It took the train to the center in the morning and started out the day by helping Moe Enoki practice her presentation. Moe draws the cartoons for my newsletter and she is extremely talented. But she is also really shy. She was supposed to read the English translation and I would read the Japanese but she was too nervous and so we ended up reading it the other way....more on that later.
The event started with a presentation by the Hozu River Project. My friend Shigeno-san from my taiko group is also a member. The Hozu River Project is designed to protect the natural environment of the Hozu River. They have an online trash map, which I thought was kind of interesting. Basically random citizens take photos of trash and send them in with the location and then they map it on Google Maps.
They also had a bucket with some of the things that live in the river.
After the Hozu River Project, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, or JICA, gave a presentation on their work in Ghana. What really caught my attention was when she mentioned that one of the children she met was saying that it would be great if everyone in the world spoke the same language. I certainly think it would make things easier, but I don't agree that it would be better. Language is very closely tied with culture and I think the world would lose a lot if everyone spoke one language and only one language.
They let one of the girls participating try on some native clothing from Ghana as well. I just thought she was really cute. And very energetic. She kind of reminded me of myself when I was younger. Energetic to the point of annoying. She had an answer to every question and volunteered for everything...
Then it was my turn. Moe was so cute. She was really nervous so I tried to lend her a little bit of confidence. I figured it didn't really matter what I said because I was actually the ONLY English speaker in the room. So I was translating out loud to everyone...for myself. But it was still fun.
Next was the Korean presentation. I didn't really understand what was going on because a lot of the presentation was actually in Korean, but I think it was the performance of some kind of folk story.
They also performed traditional Korean dance in the Korean version of the kimono.
After the Koreans, a group called Hippo Family, in which all the members speak multiple languages, gave a presentation. It was impressive to see a high school aged girl speaking what sounded like fluent Spanish and Chines, but I wasn't really too interested in their presentation. The only people who seemed excited to be there were the adults. The kids just seemed bored or embarrassed.
They tried to teach us some kind of hand game, but I couldn't follow. They were counting in about 7 different languages...so I got lost. As did everyone else.
After the Hippo Family presentation we took a lunch break and I snuck off to take a nap outside. I was exhausted. Going out to the bar the night before work is NOT a great idea.
After my awesome nap on the bench behind the Exchange Center I went back inside for the movie.
We were watching a film called "The Witch of the West is Dead" and it is about a little girl who goes to live with her grandmother, who happens to be a white woman. I fell asleep halfway through so I don't really know what it was about. So...yeah.
After the event I took the bus back to Kameoka and The Boy met me at the station. He took me to a temple just off the Philosopher's Walk (ie. a path near Kyoto University where famous Japanese philosopher's used to stroll and ponder all those things that philosopher's ponder). The temple was holding a special Electronica Music event.
The traditional Japanese garden was decorated with a bunch of multicolored lights, about the size of the small Christmas lights, that would flash or change colors. The inside of the temple also had some different light shows emitting from projectors onto the walls or the zen rock gardens. At first we sat out on the porch that wraps around the temple overlooking the garden. It was actually really cool because there was the light show ahead of us, and modern, electronica music played on traditional Japanese instruments behind us, and then there were the natural elements when the cicadas started singing and then it suddenly began pouring rain. We were under and over hang so there was just a curtain of water right in front of us. It was an unexpected addition to the show, but I really liked it.
It was a bit surreal to be standing in a traditional temple with such a modern show going on, but I think that was the main point: the juxtaposition of the modern and the traditional.
After a few live performances we went to do the tea ceremony. The funny part about this was that I knew more about tea ceremony than he did, because I have to take part in them sometimes as work functions. So I taught him to eat the dessert first and then to look at the bowl as you turn it in your hands. Then to drink the whole bowl in only 3 sips.
We went back into the main room to listen to the final performance. It's not the kind of music I would put on my iPod but it was pretty cool. The last girl who performed was using a koto with a guitar and synthesizer accompaniment.
(this is not her because I did not have my camera, but is just an example of a koto)
It was raining lightly as we made our way to the bus stop to get back to our train station. We decided to grab something to eat but couldn't find a good restaurant that was still open. Finally I just told him I was hungry and didn't care where we ate, and that we don't always have to eat at nice places...so we went to McDonalds :)
Friday, August 21, 2009
When a white guy falls in love with a geisha....you get a nice restaurant.
Today I met up with Reg for lunch. I haven’t seen him in a while so it was nice to catch up. We ended up going to the restaurants on the upper floor of Saty. After lunch we studied at Mister Donuts for a few hours til I met up with everyone to go to the bar with Jason. Jason was introducing us to a new restaurant/bar that he goes to in Kyoto. The Boy came and met me and my place and we met Phil and Laurel at Kameoka station.
We were going to meet up with Jason and Dara once we got into the city so we stopped at Nijo Station to call them. Dara was still at work and said she would join us later. Jason came to meet us in a taxi at Nijo since we couldn’t understand his directions. He kept saying to go to the Starbucks on the corner of Yanagibanba street and Shijo street, but I didn’t know where that was. The Boy didn’t know off the top of his head either, and I had kind of been counting on him knowing…
Jason had our taxi follow his and we got to the restaurant without trouble. It was on a small side street coming off of Shijo street, one I have probably walked past many times and just haven’t noticed.
The restaurant, Gogyo, was actually built by the nephew of J.P. Morgan. This nephew came to Japan and apparently fell in love with a geisha. The geisha, however, was in love with another man, and hoping to marry him so she rejected all of the nephew’s advances. The geisha was disappointed though when the man she loved chose to marry someone else (respectable men did not marry geisha) so she contacted the nephew, who had left Japan, and told him she wanted to marry him. The nephew, being an idiot, came back to Japan and married her. The restaurant is in the home that they lived in together.
We sort of did a kind of tapas style dinner where we ordered various dishes and then shared them. We had “sea grapes” or umibudou, from Okinawa. It is seaweed that looks like little bunches of grapes. We also had this amazing salad that had what tasted like Thousand Island dressing on it. Kind of 懐かしいsince that was my favorite salad dressing when I was a kid. The restaurant was also famous for ramen so we all ordered and shared ramen dishes as well. It was called burnt? ramen and had a very distinctive flavor. But it was delicious. The ramen The Boy and I got was in a black colored soup. It was much better than the salt ramen that Phil and Laurel got (^_~).
After we finished eating, we went up to the bar, Kura. They had Guinness on tap, well kind of. It was as close to draught Guinness as you can get without it actually being on tap. So I was excited, until Laurel and Jason took it and drank it…which meant I got another even though I had to work the next day….
(I really only put this in because I thought it was the best picture of Jason ever. I have no idea what he is laughing at.)
We had a lot of fun up at the bar with a couple languages flying around. I tried to keep the boy up on what was going on when we fell into long spells of English. He is surprisingly good about such things. Even when he gets tired and he’ll try to listen. When I offer to leave he says no because I’m having a good time and because he wants to get better at English and, well, immersion is the best way, even when it hurts.
He doesn’t really like crowds so we ended up getting separated from everyone else on the train ride home, which was good because it gave him a break from all the intense English. I could tell that even though he is patient, he was happy to be back in Japanese mode.
I always feel bad whenever I make him deal with so much English until I remember that a few hours with my friends is less than what I do. I am always in Japanese mode when I hang out with him so it is really nice that he makes the effort to do things in English with me.
We were going to meet up with Jason and Dara once we got into the city so we stopped at Nijo Station to call them. Dara was still at work and said she would join us later. Jason came to meet us in a taxi at Nijo since we couldn’t understand his directions. He kept saying to go to the Starbucks on the corner of Yanagibanba street and Shijo street, but I didn’t know where that was. The Boy didn’t know off the top of his head either, and I had kind of been counting on him knowing…
Jason had our taxi follow his and we got to the restaurant without trouble. It was on a small side street coming off of Shijo street, one I have probably walked past many times and just haven’t noticed.
The restaurant, Gogyo, was actually built by the nephew of J.P. Morgan. This nephew came to Japan and apparently fell in love with a geisha. The geisha, however, was in love with another man, and hoping to marry him so she rejected all of the nephew’s advances. The geisha was disappointed though when the man she loved chose to marry someone else (respectable men did not marry geisha) so she contacted the nephew, who had left Japan, and told him she wanted to marry him. The nephew, being an idiot, came back to Japan and married her. The restaurant is in the home that they lived in together.
We sort of did a kind of tapas style dinner where we ordered various dishes and then shared them. We had “sea grapes” or umibudou, from Okinawa. It is seaweed that looks like little bunches of grapes. We also had this amazing salad that had what tasted like Thousand Island dressing on it. Kind of 懐かしいsince that was my favorite salad dressing when I was a kid. The restaurant was also famous for ramen so we all ordered and shared ramen dishes as well. It was called burnt? ramen and had a very distinctive flavor. But it was delicious. The ramen The Boy and I got was in a black colored soup. It was much better than the salt ramen that Phil and Laurel got (^_~).
After we finished eating, we went up to the bar, Kura. They had Guinness on tap, well kind of. It was as close to draught Guinness as you can get without it actually being on tap. So I was excited, until Laurel and Jason took it and drank it…which meant I got another even though I had to work the next day….
(I really only put this in because I thought it was the best picture of Jason ever. I have no idea what he is laughing at.)
We had a lot of fun up at the bar with a couple languages flying around. I tried to keep the boy up on what was going on when we fell into long spells of English. He is surprisingly good about such things. Even when he gets tired and he’ll try to listen. When I offer to leave he says no because I’m having a good time and because he wants to get better at English and, well, immersion is the best way, even when it hurts.
He doesn’t really like crowds so we ended up getting separated from everyone else on the train ride home, which was good because it gave him a break from all the intense English. I could tell that even though he is patient, he was happy to be back in Japanese mode.
I always feel bad whenever I make him deal with so much English until I remember that a few hours with my friends is less than what I do. I am always in Japanese mode when I hang out with him so it is really nice that he makes the effort to do things in English with me.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
ARGH Part 2
Frustrating day number 2. I was right and the printing of the newsletter took forever. My staff arrived and were shocked to find out that we hadn’t printed yet. They usually come to help put the printed and folded pages together into the newsletter and then mail them off—but today they arrived and had nothing to do but fold pages as they printed off. So basically they were there for nothing. Also, the woman who writes the recurring article “I am in Shanghai” was visiting from China. Kojima-san didn’t really introduce us so I just sort of sat there awkwardly while I was trying to make last minute adjustments and printing.
Then my newsletter staff just sat there complaining about how long it was taking and how small the print on one of the articles was and blah blah blah. I wanted to just yell at them. If you don’t like it, do it yourself.
Then, all I had left to do during the day was finish printing—and each page of the newsletter took about 2 and a half hours. And then the Xerox repair man came and I had to stop. So I didn’t even finish printing meaning we had to push back delivery of the newsletter til next week. AARGH.
Then my newsletter staff just sat there complaining about how long it was taking and how small the print on one of the articles was and blah blah blah. I wanted to just yell at them. If you don’t like it, do it yourself.
Then, all I had left to do during the day was finish printing—and each page of the newsletter took about 2 and a half hours. And then the Xerox repair man came and I had to stop. So I didn’t even finish printing meaning we had to push back delivery of the newsletter til next week. AARGH.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
ARGH
Today was just kind of a frustrating day. I went to the International Exchange Center because I needed to finish up the newsletter, which is usually a great thing—I usually really enjoy going to the Center. But today was really frustrating. Kojima-san kept repeating what she wanted me to do, as if I didn’t understand her the first 6 times she told me. Then, she had me hold off on printing, which was the main task of the day, so I could do it tomorrow when my “staff” arrived. We were using the new printer instead of the actually press printer because the press printer is not very good with images. What Kojima-san failed to take into account is that using a regular printer to print 1500 pages takes a REALLY long time. So tomorrow is going to be interesting.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
The Day After...
Today I met up with Dara for some donuts and studying, and also to obsess over every detail of last night, in true female fashion. I sort of felt bad for dishing out all the sparkly, gushy, ie. puke-inducing details, especially since Dara has been struggling with getting over her recent break up, but Dara is the only one I know who has a lot of experience with dating a Japanese man so she seemed like the best person to talk to.
While I was really really happy about my newly defined relationship status, I was also apprehensive. Now things were changing. The Boy and I had developed a kind of status quo that we sort of killed last night. So, now it’s all new territory. Exciting—but scary. Plus being the irrational girl that I am my head was filled with worries that he just wanted to get with the foreigner for the novelty of it and now that we entered a relationship he would change his mind.
Dara berated me a bit for that one. And she was absolutely right. Atsushi has never given any indication of being that kind of a guy…and no man in his right mind would spend as much time, money, and energy just to kiss a foreign girl when if that’s all he wanted he could get drunk, go to the Hub and find a drunk foreign girl.
Afterward we all went to a concert at the Galleria. One of Dara’s old students was performing in his band, and since The Boy is a big music fan I figured I’d invite him along. We met up and went to the café for dinner since Dara had never been and then we walked over to the Galleria. The Boy was quiet. Which is not abnormal, but I was worried. Having Dara with us kind of made things a bit awkward. She later said she had felt like a 3rd wheel, which is odd because Atushi barely said anything and Dara spent most of the night talking to each other. I figured he would feel like the 3rd wheel.
I dunno what we are laughing at...?
The first few bands were interesting. Not really my style of music but worth sitting through. The Emcee turned out to be my friend Takeuchi-kun.
The first guy was ok. He wasn't really my style of musician and had a really high pitched voice. But he was entertaining.
When the band “Calm” took the stage he called out to me and had me pronounce the band name in correct English pronunciation—just another example of how being foreign can get you all kinds of weird attention in this country. Calm was a decent band actually. They had a kind of jazzy sound and the name "Calm" was really fitting. Their lead singer was this really cute girl and they also had a guy playing bongos which I just thought was kinda cool.
Then there was this really emo guy from the college in my town who got so nervous he messed up a couple of times and had to start over. But he wasn't bad other than that. He did some really cool stuff with his guitar. One of his songs was just guitar work and it was really intricate finger work. I was impressed.
I was slightly concerned because Atsushi seemed to not be enjoying himself much and looked like he was thinking really hard about something…
But I guess I just don’t know how to read his body language yet because once we separated off from Dara on the walk home he was fine. I think he was just uncomfortable because it was our first time out together since becoming a couple, which is a big deal here.
The only band that I really enjoyed was actually Dara’s student’s. He is only 23 but is married with 2 kids and he plays in a band called Original Human Rhythm. Again I was shocked by just how quietly the Japanese sat and watched the concert. No one clapped along. No one bobbed their heads or tapped their feet. They just sat there stoically listening to music that Americans would crowd surf to.
After the concert we walked back. Dara was kind enough to take a different route home than normal to allow things to be less awkward between me and The Boy.
It was a really good night and we got a chance to talk quite a bit and it helped me feel more comfortable about the way things are going.
While I was really really happy about my newly defined relationship status, I was also apprehensive. Now things were changing. The Boy and I had developed a kind of status quo that we sort of killed last night. So, now it’s all new territory. Exciting—but scary. Plus being the irrational girl that I am my head was filled with worries that he just wanted to get with the foreigner for the novelty of it and now that we entered a relationship he would change his mind.
Dara berated me a bit for that one. And she was absolutely right. Atsushi has never given any indication of being that kind of a guy…and no man in his right mind would spend as much time, money, and energy just to kiss a foreign girl when if that’s all he wanted he could get drunk, go to the Hub and find a drunk foreign girl.
Afterward we all went to a concert at the Galleria. One of Dara’s old students was performing in his band, and since The Boy is a big music fan I figured I’d invite him along. We met up and went to the café for dinner since Dara had never been and then we walked over to the Galleria. The Boy was quiet. Which is not abnormal, but I was worried. Having Dara with us kind of made things a bit awkward. She later said she had felt like a 3rd wheel, which is odd because Atushi barely said anything and Dara spent most of the night talking to each other. I figured he would feel like the 3rd wheel.
I dunno what we are laughing at...?
The first few bands were interesting. Not really my style of music but worth sitting through. The Emcee turned out to be my friend Takeuchi-kun.
The first guy was ok. He wasn't really my style of musician and had a really high pitched voice. But he was entertaining.
When the band “Calm” took the stage he called out to me and had me pronounce the band name in correct English pronunciation—just another example of how being foreign can get you all kinds of weird attention in this country. Calm was a decent band actually. They had a kind of jazzy sound and the name "Calm" was really fitting. Their lead singer was this really cute girl and they also had a guy playing bongos which I just thought was kinda cool.
Then there was this really emo guy from the college in my town who got so nervous he messed up a couple of times and had to start over. But he wasn't bad other than that. He did some really cool stuff with his guitar. One of his songs was just guitar work and it was really intricate finger work. I was impressed.
I was slightly concerned because Atsushi seemed to not be enjoying himself much and looked like he was thinking really hard about something…
But I guess I just don’t know how to read his body language yet because once we separated off from Dara on the walk home he was fine. I think he was just uncomfortable because it was our first time out together since becoming a couple, which is a big deal here.
The only band that I really enjoyed was actually Dara’s student’s. He is only 23 but is married with 2 kids and he plays in a band called Original Human Rhythm. Again I was shocked by just how quietly the Japanese sat and watched the concert. No one clapped along. No one bobbed their heads or tapped their feet. They just sat there stoically listening to music that Americans would crowd surf to.
After the concert we walked back. Dara was kind enough to take a different route home than normal to allow things to be less awkward between me and The Boy.
It was a really good night and we got a chance to talk quite a bit and it helped me feel more comfortable about the way things are going.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Flipping the switch
Earlier this week The Boy invited me to a baseball game so we met up at about 1 to go into Osaka. He actually came to my door and rang the doorbell (which only made me self conscious because my doorbell was really kinda dirty--I hadn’t dusted it once since getting here so it was all covered in spiderwebs and crap, gross I know.)
As we walked to the station he asked me where I wanted to grab lunch: Kyoto or Osaka. When I answered Osaka he sort of laughed to himself and said “I knew you’d say Osaka--because we always go to Kyoto.” He is quite perceptive.
When we got to Osaka he didn’t have a place in mind, being unfamiliar with Osaka, so we just walked around til we found a place that looked good. We ended up at a restaurant called Shooby Dooby, simply because I started laughing and singing about it.
After lunch we had some time to kill so we wandered around the Osaka Station area. The Boy was interested in why I don’t shop for clothes in Japan so we went into a big shopping center and I showed him. I basically explained that Japanese clothing for women is all covered in frills and bows or it is baggy and looks like a giant trash bag. A lot of it is stuff I would have worn in elementary school. So he watched and laughed as I tried on ugly hats and shoes and pointed out what was bad about them. He got an even bigger kick out of it when I took him into the men’s stores and showed him which clothing would make most Americans think he is gay.
Eventually we got on the subway and headed to the Osaka Dome for the game. My first indoor baseball game.
Japanese baseball is--hilarious. I really shouldn’t have expected anything else. But I was so amused by it all. Thankfully they are not silent like they are at concerts or movies. However, they are not loud and unruly like American fans. Instead the stadium is basically separated into two sections, one cheering for the home team and one cheering for the away team. Within those two sections there was a large group of seats for the diehard fans. These fans had GIANT flags and taiko drums and brass bands. They would play the various cheers for their team, and the other fans would use these two small plastic bats to clap along with the cheer. They ONLY cheered when their team was up to bat and they never yelled. As usual I was the loudest one in the area. Though after a large beer The Boy was more comfortable joining in.
I made him choose a team to cheer for and he chose the Softbank Hawks because they are from Kyuusyuu. That left me with the Orix Buffaloes, which suited me just fine, considering I know nothing about Japanese baseball.
So there I was just enjoying the game, when I suddenly look around and realized...I am surrounded by giant yellow sperm shaped balloons.
Yes. Sometime during I think the 7th inning over half the crowd cheering for Softbank pulled out and blew up giant balloons.
Then, as if it were something they had practiced or as if there were some signal I, as a foreigner, just couldn't understand, they let them go. And then there were hundreds of screaming yellow sperm shaped balloons flying through the stadium.
Not to be outdone, when their team went up to bat, the Orix Buffaloes side pulled out their blue and pink balloons...I don't think I stopped laughing for 10 minutes.
I'm pretty sure we annoyed EVERYONE sitting around us. We were cracking jokes and laughing and yelling at the players the whole time. Plus I was sitting on the Softbank Hawks side cheering for the Orix Buffaloes--and making fun of The Boy every time my team scored. My team won. (^_^)
After the game we headed back toward Kameoka. When we got back to my apartment he asked to borrow more DVDs so he came upstairs. Apparently the invisible wall is easier to cross now....
I got him the DVDs and then it was that time again. Time to say goodbye. Time to awkwardly stand there wondering what he is thinking, and wondering what I am thinking. Wondering how I feel about it all.
We stood there looking at each other, making small talk about nothing. I laughed a bit because it was so awkward. I just need to pluck up the courage and ask him.
Then he laughed and said something like "やばい。これもちょっとawkwardだな。" Which roughly translates to "Shit,this is awkward isn't it." (I taught him the English word awkward for just such purposes).
So I told him, in Japanese, that "yeah, it's a bit awkward but it doesn't have to be. It's ok." So I took a step forward...
And he kissed me ^_^
So I made half the first move.
I would also like to point out that today is August 15th. (The day Japan surrendered to America (^_~)
And I gained brand new insight into Japanese culture. Apparently once things are defined, as in once it is clear that they can kiss you, it's like a switch is flipped. All the walls come down. It's almost a visible change. It was really quite interesting. They way he spoke to me changed slightly. And he could suddenly talk about anything. It's a little difficult to explain how this is different from American culture. Obviously as Americans we do not tell everyone everything about ourselves, but we are more open. The Japanese seem to reserve such things for a select few. His speech became even more casual. Also, I no longer had to tell him it was ok for him to come inside my apartment. He could walk in on his own.
It was good because now all those questions I have been sitting on for months now are coming out, and being answered. And I am his girlfriend (^_^)
Now comes different kinds of worries, but more concrete worries. Things I can deal with. Dating a Japanese guy poses all kinds of concerns for my future (no I'm not thinking that far ahead right now, but I do have to decide about re-contracting in the next few months and start thinking about what comes next. Being attached to someone here changes the stakes a little bit).
The only real problem we had was when, as we were saying goodnight, he told me he loves me...
...
I tried very very hard not to react to this. My head was screaming "Run for it! Get out get out get out get out get out!!!! What?!?!?!?!" But I tried to keep my face calm. I just smiled and kissed him.
I was really trying to figure out how that works. How can you go from not even knowing if you are dating someone to suddenly being in a relationship where he is telling you that he loves you?
Well I got my answer the next day. He came over and we were talking and he asked me if saying "I love you" is strange, or too heavy. I explained that saying I love you in America is a big deal. It is something that you work up to in relationships and we count it as a huge step. So he laughed and said "So that's why you made that face when I said it."--again with the being perceptive thing.
Apparently I am not so good at hiding my emotions.
So he explained that he always hears "I love you" on TV, in movies, in music so he didn't think it was that strong of a word. (He had said it in English). So we cleared that one up.
Which was a relief.
I guess I should get used to such linguistic challenges and also learn to ignore stereotypes. Everyone has been telling me over and over to be careful because there are 2 types of Japanese men; men who like you because you're foreign and men who are looking for a wife. They acted as if a Japanese guy over a certain age (say 25) would be grooming a girl to be his wife. Thankfully that is not the case in my situation. But it does bring up an important point, one that I discussed with Sara (an Italian married to a man from Cote d'Ivore living in Japan) at a recent global session. In international relationships it is important not to think of them that way. Instead of thinking about it as being a Japanese man with an American woman, I need to think about it as just him and me. If I don't then all the cultural stereotypes and misunderstandings will get in the way.
As we walked to the station he asked me where I wanted to grab lunch: Kyoto or Osaka. When I answered Osaka he sort of laughed to himself and said “I knew you’d say Osaka--because we always go to Kyoto.” He is quite perceptive.
When we got to Osaka he didn’t have a place in mind, being unfamiliar with Osaka, so we just walked around til we found a place that looked good. We ended up at a restaurant called Shooby Dooby, simply because I started laughing and singing about it.
After lunch we had some time to kill so we wandered around the Osaka Station area. The Boy was interested in why I don’t shop for clothes in Japan so we went into a big shopping center and I showed him. I basically explained that Japanese clothing for women is all covered in frills and bows or it is baggy and looks like a giant trash bag. A lot of it is stuff I would have worn in elementary school. So he watched and laughed as I tried on ugly hats and shoes and pointed out what was bad about them. He got an even bigger kick out of it when I took him into the men’s stores and showed him which clothing would make most Americans think he is gay.
Eventually we got on the subway and headed to the Osaka Dome for the game. My first indoor baseball game.
Japanese baseball is--hilarious. I really shouldn’t have expected anything else. But I was so amused by it all. Thankfully they are not silent like they are at concerts or movies. However, they are not loud and unruly like American fans. Instead the stadium is basically separated into two sections, one cheering for the home team and one cheering for the away team. Within those two sections there was a large group of seats for the diehard fans. These fans had GIANT flags and taiko drums and brass bands. They would play the various cheers for their team, and the other fans would use these two small plastic bats to clap along with the cheer. They ONLY cheered when their team was up to bat and they never yelled. As usual I was the loudest one in the area. Though after a large beer The Boy was more comfortable joining in.
I made him choose a team to cheer for and he chose the Softbank Hawks because they are from Kyuusyuu. That left me with the Orix Buffaloes, which suited me just fine, considering I know nothing about Japanese baseball.
So there I was just enjoying the game, when I suddenly look around and realized...I am surrounded by giant yellow sperm shaped balloons.
Yes. Sometime during I think the 7th inning over half the crowd cheering for Softbank pulled out and blew up giant balloons.
Then, as if it were something they had practiced or as if there were some signal I, as a foreigner, just couldn't understand, they let them go. And then there were hundreds of screaming yellow sperm shaped balloons flying through the stadium.
Not to be outdone, when their team went up to bat, the Orix Buffaloes side pulled out their blue and pink balloons...I don't think I stopped laughing for 10 minutes.
I'm pretty sure we annoyed EVERYONE sitting around us. We were cracking jokes and laughing and yelling at the players the whole time. Plus I was sitting on the Softbank Hawks side cheering for the Orix Buffaloes--and making fun of The Boy every time my team scored. My team won. (^_^)
After the game we headed back toward Kameoka. When we got back to my apartment he asked to borrow more DVDs so he came upstairs. Apparently the invisible wall is easier to cross now....
I got him the DVDs and then it was that time again. Time to say goodbye. Time to awkwardly stand there wondering what he is thinking, and wondering what I am thinking. Wondering how I feel about it all.
We stood there looking at each other, making small talk about nothing. I laughed a bit because it was so awkward. I just need to pluck up the courage and ask him.
Then he laughed and said something like "やばい。これもちょっとawkwardだな。" Which roughly translates to "Shit,this is awkward isn't it." (I taught him the English word awkward for just such purposes).
So I told him, in Japanese, that "yeah, it's a bit awkward but it doesn't have to be. It's ok." So I took a step forward...
And he kissed me ^_^
So I made half the first move.
I would also like to point out that today is August 15th. (The day Japan surrendered to America (^_~)
And I gained brand new insight into Japanese culture. Apparently once things are defined, as in once it is clear that they can kiss you, it's like a switch is flipped. All the walls come down. It's almost a visible change. It was really quite interesting. They way he spoke to me changed slightly. And he could suddenly talk about anything. It's a little difficult to explain how this is different from American culture. Obviously as Americans we do not tell everyone everything about ourselves, but we are more open. The Japanese seem to reserve such things for a select few. His speech became even more casual. Also, I no longer had to tell him it was ok for him to come inside my apartment. He could walk in on his own.
It was good because now all those questions I have been sitting on for months now are coming out, and being answered. And I am his girlfriend (^_^)
Now comes different kinds of worries, but more concrete worries. Things I can deal with. Dating a Japanese guy poses all kinds of concerns for my future (no I'm not thinking that far ahead right now, but I do have to decide about re-contracting in the next few months and start thinking about what comes next. Being attached to someone here changes the stakes a little bit).
The only real problem we had was when, as we were saying goodnight, he told me he loves me...
...
I tried very very hard not to react to this. My head was screaming "Run for it! Get out get out get out get out get out!!!! What?!?!?!?!" But I tried to keep my face calm. I just smiled and kissed him.
I was really trying to figure out how that works. How can you go from not even knowing if you are dating someone to suddenly being in a relationship where he is telling you that he loves you?
Well I got my answer the next day. He came over and we were talking and he asked me if saying "I love you" is strange, or too heavy. I explained that saying I love you in America is a big deal. It is something that you work up to in relationships and we count it as a huge step. So he laughed and said "So that's why you made that face when I said it."--again with the being perceptive thing.
Apparently I am not so good at hiding my emotions.
So he explained that he always hears "I love you" on TV, in movies, in music so he didn't think it was that strong of a word. (He had said it in English). So we cleared that one up.
Which was a relief.
I guess I should get used to such linguistic challenges and also learn to ignore stereotypes. Everyone has been telling me over and over to be careful because there are 2 types of Japanese men; men who like you because you're foreign and men who are looking for a wife. They acted as if a Japanese guy over a certain age (say 25) would be grooming a girl to be his wife. Thankfully that is not the case in my situation. But it does bring up an important point, one that I discussed with Sara (an Italian married to a man from Cote d'Ivore living in Japan) at a recent global session. In international relationships it is important not to think of them that way. Instead of thinking about it as being a Japanese man with an American woman, I need to think about it as just him and me. If I don't then all the cultural stereotypes and misunderstandings will get in the way.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Indian Food in Japan
I have decided to challenge myself with the highest level of Japanese placement exams so I have been studying quite a bit lately. I get too distracted in my own apartment with the internet etc, so I usually go to Mister Donuts and drink some coffee while I work (free refills….which usually ends up leaving me with the jitters).
I was working on kanji flashcards (so I can input them into my brand new shiny Itouch) and then Dara joined me. We were chatting about what we should do later in the day and decided to go into Kyoto City for some Indian food.
I talk to Dara a lot about The Boy as well because she dated a Japanese guy for about 9 years. They broke up recently, but her experience has helped me become more used to the idea of an international relationship. I mentioned that I thought Monday (August 10) was his birthday but wasn’t sure I heard him right (it was a long time ago and it was only mentioned in passing). So Dara pushed me to invite him to dinner with us and said she would find out.
I tend to be hesitant to invite The Boy out with me and my American friends simply because I don’t want it to be overwhelming for him. Being experienced with being the only “foreign” person in a group I know how daunting it can be when people are speaking very quickly in your non-native language. Also, he is so quiet it is hard to tell if he is enjoying himself.
But at the Indian restaurant he seemed to relax a lot more. Laurel is a big help with that I think because A. she is an English teacher so she knows how to speak in ways that non-native English speakers can understand and B. because she is very animated and can break any tension by making things funny, especially to Japanese people who are fairly reserved when it comes to expression. Though they finally showed him the music video we all made several months ago (I have thus far been able to hide it from him). We had a lot of fun. Plus the dinner was pretty amazing…cheese nan mmmm.
Dara helped me by asking him when his birthday is…and it turns out I was right. It is Monday. So we spent half the night making up things that we should do to celebrate, which just embarrassed him. He kept saying that he never celebrates his birthday so it’s ok not to do anything. The three of us were just like…umm no. We’re Americans, we like birthdays, if you’re gonna hang out with us you better get used to it. We made jokes that we would force him to do Karaoke (which he doesn’t like) and puricura (the Japanese version of those photo machines they used to have at the mall, only WAY more cutesie and shiny crazy), and drag him to go see a chick flick, or sing to him at a restaurant. He seemed a bit scared of us then (^_~)
I was glad that The Boy was able to relax some more. It gives my friends a chance to see him more like I see him. Because he really has a great sense of humor and is very smart and I want other people to see that side of him.
I was working on kanji flashcards (so I can input them into my brand new shiny Itouch) and then Dara joined me. We were chatting about what we should do later in the day and decided to go into Kyoto City for some Indian food.
I talk to Dara a lot about The Boy as well because she dated a Japanese guy for about 9 years. They broke up recently, but her experience has helped me become more used to the idea of an international relationship. I mentioned that I thought Monday (August 10) was his birthday but wasn’t sure I heard him right (it was a long time ago and it was only mentioned in passing). So Dara pushed me to invite him to dinner with us and said she would find out.
I tend to be hesitant to invite The Boy out with me and my American friends simply because I don’t want it to be overwhelming for him. Being experienced with being the only “foreign” person in a group I know how daunting it can be when people are speaking very quickly in your non-native language. Also, he is so quiet it is hard to tell if he is enjoying himself.
But at the Indian restaurant he seemed to relax a lot more. Laurel is a big help with that I think because A. she is an English teacher so she knows how to speak in ways that non-native English speakers can understand and B. because she is very animated and can break any tension by making things funny, especially to Japanese people who are fairly reserved when it comes to expression. Though they finally showed him the music video we all made several months ago (I have thus far been able to hide it from him). We had a lot of fun. Plus the dinner was pretty amazing…cheese nan mmmm.
Dara helped me by asking him when his birthday is…and it turns out I was right. It is Monday. So we spent half the night making up things that we should do to celebrate, which just embarrassed him. He kept saying that he never celebrates his birthday so it’s ok not to do anything. The three of us were just like…umm no. We’re Americans, we like birthdays, if you’re gonna hang out with us you better get used to it. We made jokes that we would force him to do Karaoke (which he doesn’t like) and puricura (the Japanese version of those photo machines they used to have at the mall, only WAY more cutesie and shiny crazy), and drag him to go see a chick flick, or sing to him at a restaurant. He seemed a bit scared of us then (^_~)
I was glad that The Boy was able to relax some more. It gives my friends a chance to see him more like I see him. Because he really has a great sense of humor and is very smart and I want other people to see that side of him.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Fireworks
Tonight was the annual fireworks festival in Kameoka. I met Dara at Kameoka Station and we went to get Kim-Chi, JS, and Laurel who were dressing themselves in yukata for the event.
We decided to go to the backside of Kameoka Station to get a good view of the fireworks going off over the Hozu River.
After the fireworks ended we went and got fair food and shaved ice. While walking around the booths set up during the day Laurel and I were approached by this old drunk guy...
DG: Oooh Foreigners...American? American?
Us: Yes Americans.
DG: Oooh Goodo Moningu, chau, Goodo Ebeningu.
Us: Good Evening
DG: Picture! Let's take a picture! Hey, Wife! Come take a picture!
Then another drunk lady showed up and wanted pictures too. Step right up, come see the circus freaks (^_^)
Eventually we wound up at karaoke. It was my first time going to karaoke in Kameoka. It was good times. Laurel and Kim-chi are hilarious together.
We decided to go to the backside of Kameoka Station to get a good view of the fireworks going off over the Hozu River.
After the fireworks ended we went and got fair food and shaved ice. While walking around the booths set up during the day Laurel and I were approached by this old drunk guy...
DG: Oooh Foreigners...American? American?
Us: Yes Americans.
DG: Oooh Goodo Moningu, chau, Goodo Ebeningu.
Us: Good Evening
DG: Picture! Let's take a picture! Hey, Wife! Come take a picture!
Then another drunk lady showed up and wanted pictures too. Step right up, come see the circus freaks (^_^)
Eventually we wound up at karaoke. It was my first time going to karaoke in Kameoka. It was good times. Laurel and Kim-chi are hilarious together.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Obon Dance
It's obon season in Japan again. Obon is the holiday when the spirits of ones ancestors return to their homes to visit. This is when most Japanese people will take their summer vacations to visit their home towns and families and there are also a variety of festivals at different shrines. Tonight was our Obon Dance Festival. The citizens all gather at a specified point in the town and they do the Obon dance. It's kind of like a line dance that they do in a large circle.
This was my first year participating in the event because we had the dates messed up last year, having only just arrived. The Boy's division was in charge of organizing the event so he was working it. I ended up going over with Paulette and then meeting up with Dara later as well.
I really love the atmosphere of Japanese festivals. It's just nice to see everyone having a good time. Plus the food is awesome. Nothing beats fair food in Japan. Like shaved ice, and yakisoba, and fried chicken. First Paulette and I grabbed some dinner. While we walked around eating it I got a tap on my shoulder. I turned around but no one was there--And when I looked forward again The Boy was laughing as he walked off to wherever he was going for work. I was just surprised he made himself known. We have run into each other in much less crowded places and he has said nothing.
Later, with Dara, we got do it yourself shaved ice, where we got to put on our own syrup. I of course over did it with the Blue Hawaii and Melon flavors so I wound up with a dark blue green tongue (^_^)
As the dance wound down they started up the raffle for prizes. I of course won nothing but that was ok because The Boy was handing out prizes and I didn't want to have to go up there...Though, I was really shocked because as he was setting up the tables in the center he actually waved at me.
Sad isn't it that I get really excited when my "person I sometimes go out with" acknowledges me in public ＿|￣|○
Shigeno-san won a bike. And then I just stood around talking to Takeuchi-san and other friends while everyone cleaned up. I haven't been out with the ramen crew in months so it was great to see Takeuchi again. Everyone started to leave and I didn't want to be the loser standing around waiting for The Boy to finish working so I went home too.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Always Keep Me Guessing
Japan confounds me. I just can't understand it.
I was studying kanji last night and I found out that the Japanese word for "pelvic bone" is 恥骨 or shame bone.
Yep, the bone of shame or embarrassment is your pelvic bone.
And yet, I came home to a mailbox full of pornography today...ew.
Can someone explain that to me?
Also, I went to my favorite cafe to study today. I ordered a drink and was reading when the owner, a really sweet old man, came over and handed me a plastic bag with a sandwich in it. I know it is really a nice gesture and I shouldn't be bothered by it, and part of me was very grateful for his kindness, but why did I get a sandwich just because I'm foreign. No one else got anything free. Just me. (*´ο`*)=3
I was studying kanji last night and I found out that the Japanese word for "pelvic bone" is 恥骨 or shame bone.
Yep, the bone of shame or embarrassment is your pelvic bone.
And yet, I came home to a mailbox full of pornography today...ew.
Can someone explain that to me?
Also, I went to my favorite cafe to study today. I ordered a drink and was reading when the owner, a really sweet old man, came over and handed me a plastic bag with a sandwich in it. I know it is really a nice gesture and I shouldn't be bothered by it, and part of me was very grateful for his kindness, but why did I get a sandwich just because I'm foreign. No one else got anything free. Just me. (*´ο`*)=3
Monday, August 3, 2009
So Long...Farewell...Auf Wiedersein...Goodbye
Today was a day of goodbyes (T_T).
Today was Liz's last day in Kameoka. We went out to dinner at the okonomiyaki place near Liz and Phil's apt. It was a large group of us at this tiny little diner and we really freaked out the owner but he was a real sweetheart. They were out of draft beer and soba noodles so we had to try to find enough food for all of us, but it was pretty delicious. Liz and Phil told us all about their trip to Thailand, including their adventures with the tuk-tuk drivers. (he he they fell for the tricks)
Afterward Liz, Phil, Laurel and I headed to Spread bar for a final celebration. It was hilarious. We haven't been to Spread bar in months, having quit on the Kameoka bar scene (ha ha there are like 3 bars) after Goo Beas Rock bar instituted a cover charge and Spread was always full, and there were new bartenders.
The main bartender decided to talk to us rather than treat us with studied indifference. He welcomed us with a loud "It's been a while!" Though I'm fairly sure we have never met...Then he went on and gave us a special type of plum wine and began the usual round of questions "What country are you from? What are you doing in Japan?" etc.
He started talking about how he has traveled all over Japan. He loves Japan and wants to travel everywhere so he can really understand Japanese culture. He said he wasn't so much for traveling abroad until he understands Japanese culture completely. I started arguing back that I never really felt close to or like I understood American culture until I spent a year living in Japan. I told him it's good to experience your own cultures, but by exploring the world you have a better chance of understanding it because you have comparisons. It was an interesting debate.
When we told him it was Liz's last night in Kameoka he ran into the back room and came out with a watermelon. The two bartenders were all like..."suicawari! suicawari!" (cut the watermelon! a game they play, kind of like pinata). So he was going to cut the watermelon but...he dropped it. So half the watermelon was smashed, and he seemed really embarrassed. But it was still good!
We were bouncing back and forth between English and Japanese conversation all night and suddenly the bartender picked up this piece of wood that had been carved into the shape of a penis...held it up in the air and said..."It's been a while!" then quietly added in Japanese "It would have been better if a girl had said that..."
I couldn't help but laugh at that.
After a while it was time to head home.
Then next morning I got up and went to Softbank to get a new phone charger (I had dropped my phone while it was charging and the piece that connects into the phone broke off...) and then met Liz and Phil for lunch. The restaurant we wanted was closed so we ended up at The Cafe.
Then they took a cab home to get their bags and we all met up with Laurel, Kim, and Paulette at Kameoka Station. We took Liz as far as the Haruka platform and after we helped her get all her luggage (3 big suitcases) on the train we said our goodbyes. It was...sad. I'm a crier when it comes to saying goodbye and so is Liz. So there were 3 of us foreigners standing on the platform waving goodbye and doing little dances to keep Liz from crying. As the train took off we chased her shaking tissues.
After seeing Liz off I had another Farewell Party to go to...for the Germans.
I had been really enjoying their visit so I was sad to have to say goodbye. First, they made me dress up in Yukata (a summer kimono). I shouldn't say "made" but I really didn't want to. I always feel odd when they make me dress up in traditional Japanese clothing. It doesn't look right. I'm not Japanese. Maybe that is the wrong way to look at it, but it's how I feel.
I wore the yukata I got from Watanabe-san a couple of months ago. My obi was not one of the simple ones so there was no way I could tie it myself. They tied it for me in a fairly complicated manner. It was really cool but it meant that all the Japanese people kept making me turn around to show them/let them take pictures.
The party was really fun and it was great to spend one last night hanging out with the German group. There was a long slideshow of all the pictures from their week long stay in Kameoka and the food was pretty good too. The only thing I would have changed was that it was a dry party. Because some of the delegation were underage according to Japanese laws the chaperon, a German cop, would not allow any alcohol.
We had a small fireworks party and then we said goodbye.
Today was Liz's last day in Kameoka. We went out to dinner at the okonomiyaki place near Liz and Phil's apt. It was a large group of us at this tiny little diner and we really freaked out the owner but he was a real sweetheart. They were out of draft beer and soba noodles so we had to try to find enough food for all of us, but it was pretty delicious. Liz and Phil told us all about their trip to Thailand, including their adventures with the tuk-tuk drivers. (he he they fell for the tricks)
Afterward Liz, Phil, Laurel and I headed to Spread bar for a final celebration. It was hilarious. We haven't been to Spread bar in months, having quit on the Kameoka bar scene (ha ha there are like 3 bars) after Goo Beas Rock bar instituted a cover charge and Spread was always full, and there were new bartenders.
The main bartender decided to talk to us rather than treat us with studied indifference. He welcomed us with a loud "It's been a while!" Though I'm fairly sure we have never met...Then he went on and gave us a special type of plum wine and began the usual round of questions "What country are you from? What are you doing in Japan?" etc.
He started talking about how he has traveled all over Japan. He loves Japan and wants to travel everywhere so he can really understand Japanese culture. He said he wasn't so much for traveling abroad until he understands Japanese culture completely. I started arguing back that I never really felt close to or like I understood American culture until I spent a year living in Japan. I told him it's good to experience your own cultures, but by exploring the world you have a better chance of understanding it because you have comparisons. It was an interesting debate.
When we told him it was Liz's last night in Kameoka he ran into the back room and came out with a watermelon. The two bartenders were all like..."suicawari! suicawari!" (cut the watermelon! a game they play, kind of like pinata). So he was going to cut the watermelon but...he dropped it. So half the watermelon was smashed, and he seemed really embarrassed. But it was still good!
We were bouncing back and forth between English and Japanese conversation all night and suddenly the bartender picked up this piece of wood that had been carved into the shape of a penis...held it up in the air and said..."It's been a while!" then quietly added in Japanese "It would have been better if a girl had said that..."
I couldn't help but laugh at that.
After a while it was time to head home.
Then next morning I got up and went to Softbank to get a new phone charger (I had dropped my phone while it was charging and the piece that connects into the phone broke off...) and then met Liz and Phil for lunch. The restaurant we wanted was closed so we ended up at The Cafe.
Then they took a cab home to get their bags and we all met up with Laurel, Kim, and Paulette at Kameoka Station. We took Liz as far as the Haruka platform and after we helped her get all her luggage (3 big suitcases) on the train we said our goodbyes. It was...sad. I'm a crier when it comes to saying goodbye and so is Liz. So there were 3 of us foreigners standing on the platform waving goodbye and doing little dances to keep Liz from crying. As the train took off we chased her shaking tissues.
After seeing Liz off I had another Farewell Party to go to...for the Germans.
I had been really enjoying their visit so I was sad to have to say goodbye. First, they made me dress up in Yukata (a summer kimono). I shouldn't say "made" but I really didn't want to. I always feel odd when they make me dress up in traditional Japanese clothing. It doesn't look right. I'm not Japanese. Maybe that is the wrong way to look at it, but it's how I feel.
I wore the yukata I got from Watanabe-san a couple of months ago. My obi was not one of the simple ones so there was no way I could tie it myself. They tied it for me in a fairly complicated manner. It was really cool but it meant that all the Japanese people kept making me turn around to show them/let them take pictures.
The party was really fun and it was great to spend one last night hanging out with the German group. There was a long slideshow of all the pictures from their week long stay in Kameoka and the food was pretty good too. The only thing I would have changed was that it was a dry party. Because some of the delegation were underage according to Japanese laws the chaperon, a German cop, would not allow any alcohol.
We had a small fireworks party and then we said goodbye.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
I wanna cut a watermelon on a beach...
Even though today was Saturday I had to work all day. I caught the bus in front city hall at 8:20 and we headed off to pick up the Germans from their guest house. It was raining pretty hard, which made it really fun when we loaded their luggage onto the bus. They were leaving the guesthouse and heading off to their homestays today.
The first stop on our tour of Kameoka was Izumi Shrine. I have been there a few times with Shigeno-san and also with the delegation last October. Only today it was pouring. And of course I was being a dumb girl and was wearing the wrong kind of shoes for hiking around a shrine in the rain. But it was fun anyway. Luckily the Kameoka Sports Association bought all the German’s umbrella’s or else the day would have been a complete failure.
Mr. Fujita came with us again. And again he told us all about the famous Kameoka samurai Mitsuhide. I couldn’t help shooting the boy a text telling him that true to form Fujita was boring and confusing us with his broken English history overview of Kameoka.
After walking around the shrine we went to Oomoto, which I think is a weird branch of shinto…or a cult…or something. But it is a large shrine built on the remains of Kameyama Castle (which was of course, Mitsuhide’s castle). They got to sit through another tea ceremony. I was impressed because Benjamin got through the whole thing sitting seiza. I can only last like 7 minutes in seiza before my legs completely fall asleep. Though he did fall over when he stood up. He he
Next they took us to the restaurant Shikisai (4 seasons vegetables) on the 4th floor of the Seiyu supermarket. They only use vegetables grown in Kameoka. The meal of the day was a combination of about 7 different rice balls with various toppings and fillings. It was hilarious to watch them pick off the stuff they didn’t like, including the seaweed wrapping. Ah well. It’s not for everyone ( I love it though).
I got a call from Kojima-san while I was eating and she wanted me to have the Germans come up with a game to teach the little kids at the World Studies (an international exchange even with kids where you teach games from your home country)…
If you know they are coming months ahead of time…why not give them at least a few weeks notice instead of 30 minutes? No, that’d make too much sense.
Of course it stopped raining as soon as we were finished with the outside events. We headed over to the International Exchange Center for their World Studies event. It went really well. There weren’t that many kids, but it was really fun. First there was a quick introduction of Germany and each of the members of the delegation. Then we all stood in a circle and played an ice breaker game. Using a watermelon beach ball we would toss the ball to a person and they would say their name. Then we switched it and you would have to say the name of the person you are throwing to.
Then we played a huge game of keep away. I kept worrying that one of the crazy tall German kids was going to step on a kid.
After Keep Away, the Germans learned a famous Japanese kids song and the sign language that goes with it.
Then, the Germans taught their version of freeze tag. The Japanese play a similar game but you freeze in a specific position. In the German game you stand with your legs apart and someone crawls through you legs to set you free. The Japanese kids LOVED it. They thought it was hilarious.
The only tough part was that the professional translator, either because she didn’t want to step on my toes since we were on “my turf” or because she was tired, stepped back and didn’t translate at all. So the poor Germans were stuck with my English translations. It worked out pretty well, though.
For the final “game,” everyone got a sheet of plasticky paper and wrote their dreams down on it. Then they introduced their dreams to the group. Again, I got stuck translating (both ways, so the Germans had to speak English too). Some of the dreams were really cute…like they want everyone to always be happy. Some were confusing…like the little girl who wanted to cut a watermelon on the beach?
I actually found out a few nights later that what she said “suicawari” or literally “watermelon separate” is the name of a summer game they play at the beach. It’s kind of like a pinata and they blindfold someone who has to try to slice a watermelon. Sounds smart…give a blindfolded child a big knife.
Anyway, we taped all the pieces of plastic together and made a sort of parachute, and then we stood in a circle each holding a piece of the parachute and spun in a circle. We used to play a game like it in elementary school. Then the kids all got under it and we would raise and lower the parachute. It was really cute. The kids were having a lot of fun.
After that they delegation separated out to their home stays
The first stop on our tour of Kameoka was Izumi Shrine. I have been there a few times with Shigeno-san and also with the delegation last October. Only today it was pouring. And of course I was being a dumb girl and was wearing the wrong kind of shoes for hiking around a shrine in the rain. But it was fun anyway. Luckily the Kameoka Sports Association bought all the German’s umbrella’s or else the day would have been a complete failure.
Mr. Fujita came with us again. And again he told us all about the famous Kameoka samurai Mitsuhide. I couldn’t help shooting the boy a text telling him that true to form Fujita was boring and confusing us with his broken English history overview of Kameoka.
After walking around the shrine we went to Oomoto, which I think is a weird branch of shinto…or a cult…or something. But it is a large shrine built on the remains of Kameyama Castle (which was of course, Mitsuhide’s castle). They got to sit through another tea ceremony. I was impressed because Benjamin got through the whole thing sitting seiza. I can only last like 7 minutes in seiza before my legs completely fall asleep. Though he did fall over when he stood up. He he
Next they took us to the restaurant Shikisai (4 seasons vegetables) on the 4th floor of the Seiyu supermarket. They only use vegetables grown in Kameoka. The meal of the day was a combination of about 7 different rice balls with various toppings and fillings. It was hilarious to watch them pick off the stuff they didn’t like, including the seaweed wrapping. Ah well. It’s not for everyone ( I love it though).
I got a call from Kojima-san while I was eating and she wanted me to have the Germans come up with a game to teach the little kids at the World Studies (an international exchange even with kids where you teach games from your home country)…
If you know they are coming months ahead of time…why not give them at least a few weeks notice instead of 30 minutes? No, that’d make too much sense.
Of course it stopped raining as soon as we were finished with the outside events. We headed over to the International Exchange Center for their World Studies event. It went really well. There weren’t that many kids, but it was really fun. First there was a quick introduction of Germany and each of the members of the delegation. Then we all stood in a circle and played an ice breaker game. Using a watermelon beach ball we would toss the ball to a person and they would say their name. Then we switched it and you would have to say the name of the person you are throwing to.
Then we played a huge game of keep away. I kept worrying that one of the crazy tall German kids was going to step on a kid.
After Keep Away, the Germans learned a famous Japanese kids song and the sign language that goes with it.
Then, the Germans taught their version of freeze tag. The Japanese play a similar game but you freeze in a specific position. In the German game you stand with your legs apart and someone crawls through you legs to set you free. The Japanese kids LOVED it. They thought it was hilarious.
The only tough part was that the professional translator, either because she didn’t want to step on my toes since we were on “my turf” or because she was tired, stepped back and didn’t translate at all. So the poor Germans were stuck with my English translations. It worked out pretty well, though.
For the final “game,” everyone got a sheet of plasticky paper and wrote their dreams down on it. Then they introduced their dreams to the group. Again, I got stuck translating (both ways, so the Germans had to speak English too). Some of the dreams were really cute…like they want everyone to always be happy. Some were confusing…like the little girl who wanted to cut a watermelon on the beach?
I actually found out a few nights later that what she said “suicawari” or literally “watermelon separate” is the name of a summer game they play at the beach. It’s kind of like a pinata and they blindfold someone who has to try to slice a watermelon. Sounds smart…give a blindfolded child a big knife.
Anyway, we taped all the pieces of plastic together and made a sort of parachute, and then we stood in a circle each holding a piece of the parachute and spun in a circle. We used to play a game like it in elementary school. Then the kids all got under it and we would raise and lower the parachute. It was really cute. The kids were having a lot of fun.
After that they delegation separated out to their home stays
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