Today was the bowling party for my office. I had totally forgotten about it, so when I showed up to work this morning and they were talking about it I was like "Oh Crap!"
After work today Fukuchi-san and I caught a ride with Hashimoto-san from the human rights division to ALPlaza, where the bowling alley is. Hashimoto-san is fairly young, but I don't really like him. To be honest he seems kind of rude. I mean, I'll see him in the hallway and say good morning to him and he will completely ignore me. It is probably just something weird, but I don't like it.
I helped Fukuchi-san buy the prizes for whoever gets the top score in the games. I won last year and was hoping not to win this year too. I had to give a big speech last year and that was embarrassing...but yeah.
After everyone showed up and I remembered that I had to get my shoes out of the vending machine instead of at the counter, we got started. I was on a team with Fujiki-kacho and Nakagawa-fukusanji. I was kind of disappointed that I didn't get to be on a team with the only other person there anywhere near my age, the other Nakagawa-san who works at the Exchange Center, but Fukuchi-san was on the lane next to me and I had a really good time anyway.
I really wish we could do more things like this. I hate that everything at city hall is so stiff and serious. They are all so much fun when you get them out of the office. I don't understand why things can't be just a little more relaxed all the time. We were making jokes and congratulating each other and cheering each other on.
I was watching everyone's scores trying to make sure I would fall in the mid range instead of on top, but I started to do really well and just didn't want to give up. I ended up getting a turkey and bowling a 150 (with handicap a 180, though I hate having a handicap). So, I ended up winning again.
After we ended our two bowling games we got into a taxi and headed to the restaurant Fukuchi-san had picked out. She ends up being the kanji, or person in charge, of events like these. The restaurant was REALLY cute. It was a little French bistro called Bistro Ete.
I tried to make it so I could sit by the people I am closest with and did a fairly good job. I was across from Mori-butyo (ie. the highest person in my office) which was a bit nervewracking but I was next to Fukuchi-san and near Koshio-kakaricho and Nakagawa-san as well so it ended up being fun. I did have to give a speech and I got a 1000 yen gift card (about 10 bucks) and flowers from the restaurant people. I was spared most of the embarrassment of the evening because all uncomfortable questions about boyfriends went to Fukuchi-san and when Nakagawa-san revealed that he has a girlfriend everyone tried to guess who it was.
Everyone got sufficiently drunk and seemed to have a really good time.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Pictures of Kameoka Festival
This weekend was Kameoka festival. We all got together and walked around to see the different hoko's (portable shrine/floats) on display throughout the town. There was festival food, friends, and fun for all. All photos were taken by Dara Han.
The decorations on these lanterns are made of paper.
Ah candied apples. They look SOOOOO good, but never are.
Aren't they cute?
The decorations on these lanterns are made of paper.
Ah candied apples. They look SOOOOO good, but never are.
Aren't they cute?
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Taiko at Izumo Shrine
Even though I woke up with a ridiculous cold, I went to our taiko performance at the 1300 year anniversary of Izumo Shrine. I was expecting a much bigger event, more like a festival, but there were really only about 7 people there other than the shrine workers. So we set up our drums. And then we played facing the shrine itself, rather than the audience, so it felt like we were playing to no one...Though they did tell me that the gods were watching so we should still play our best...
We still can't figure out how to tie those things ourselves.
Our taiko uniform.
The portable shrines for the upcoming festival.
The "stage," with Saito-san's grandson.
We did end up playing an encore which was really cool and it was a fun performance. Izumo Shrine is really gorgeous but kind of difficult to get to without a car, so it was nice to be up there when the leaves were turning.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Lunch for Koshio-kakaricho's birthday
Tomorrow is my supervisor's birthday. She is the one who went to great pains to introduce me to The Boy. She invited me to join her and some of her friends for lunch today to celebrate. It was nice to get to have lunch with new people even though I did have to stay a half an hour later.
We went to the Chinese restaurant on top of the gas station next to city hall. It was funny because they all seemed almost as excited to meet me as they were to be together for Koshio-kakaricho's birthday. The man sitting next to me, Morikawa san, was excited to meet me but also too nervous to speak to me. He directed his questions about me to Koshio-kakaricho or Fukuchi-san. They would just look at me to respond. Also, Koshio-kakaricho started talking about Matt again...I really can't figure out why she is so obsessed with the fact that he is gay. Oy. She kept saying things like "Well Margaret says that 10% of the population is gay, but that can't be true. There aren't people like that here...." Now, I don't mean to say that she is hateful toward homosexuals, she just doesn't believe they exist in Japan. She is curious more than anything.
They all mentioned that they would like to do lunch again sometime, and I kind of hope it comes together. It would be nice to feel like I know more people at city hall.
We went to the Chinese restaurant on top of the gas station next to city hall. It was funny because they all seemed almost as excited to meet me as they were to be together for Koshio-kakaricho's birthday. The man sitting next to me, Morikawa san, was excited to meet me but also too nervous to speak to me. He directed his questions about me to Koshio-kakaricho or Fukuchi-san. They would just look at me to respond. Also, Koshio-kakaricho started talking about Matt again...I really can't figure out why she is so obsessed with the fact that he is gay. Oy. She kept saying things like "Well Margaret says that 10% of the population is gay, but that can't be true. There aren't people like that here...." Now, I don't mean to say that she is hateful toward homosexuals, she just doesn't believe they exist in Japan. She is curious more than anything.
They all mentioned that they would like to do lunch again sometime, and I kind of hope it comes together. It would be nice to feel like I know more people at city hall.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
They got me drunk at work!
Today after we worked on the newsletter, we went to the Fujiwara Guest House for a "Men's Cooking Class" and for a re-use event.
The food was really good, though they made spare ribs without BBQ sauce which threw me off. I heard they were making ribs and I had the image of BBQ ribs in my head. However, the ribs were made with a sort of salty sauce (not really salty just very light salt).
There were about 17 people at the table and they cracked open 2 bottles of wine for the toast, even though at least half the people remarked that they couldn't drink because they had driven there. But they just had to have wine for the kampai. So, what happened? They gave me 3 glasses of wine. And they "made" me drink it. They guilted me into it saying that the wine would go to waste. And by staring at me. So I gave in. And in the middle of a Thursday at work I got a little tipsy.
After dinner we held the re-use event in the next room. I didn't buy anything because it was all mostly for older women, but I stuck around and chatted with the members of the group. Some of them were trying to exchange phone information by using the infrared setting on their phones, but they couldn't figure it out. So they asked me to help. Their phones were all set up in Japanese so it was a bit difficult to navigate, but I finally figured out how to make them work.
I used to think it was bad that I had to teach my Mom how to text and how to use ITunes at first. But she didn't really need my help that much and she figured most of it out on her own. But these women had no idea how to use their phones. It had to walk them through everything. It was pretty funny. And they couldn't see the numbers on the screen so I had to read it off for them. It was pretty hilarious.
The food was really good, though they made spare ribs without BBQ sauce which threw me off. I heard they were making ribs and I had the image of BBQ ribs in my head. However, the ribs were made with a sort of salty sauce (not really salty just very light salt).
There were about 17 people at the table and they cracked open 2 bottles of wine for the toast, even though at least half the people remarked that they couldn't drink because they had driven there. But they just had to have wine for the kampai. So, what happened? They gave me 3 glasses of wine. And they "made" me drink it. They guilted me into it saying that the wine would go to waste. And by staring at me. So I gave in. And in the middle of a Thursday at work I got a little tipsy.
After dinner we held the re-use event in the next room. I didn't buy anything because it was all mostly for older women, but I stuck around and chatted with the members of the group. Some of them were trying to exchange phone information by using the infrared setting on their phones, but they couldn't figure it out. So they asked me to help. Their phones were all set up in Japanese so it was a bit difficult to navigate, but I finally figured out how to make them work.
I used to think it was bad that I had to teach my Mom how to text and how to use ITunes at first. But she didn't really need my help that much and she figured most of it out on her own. But these women had no idea how to use their phones. It had to walk them through everything. It was pretty funny. And they couldn't see the numbers on the screen so I had to read it off for them. It was pretty hilarious.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Mutsumi Hospital Taiko Performance
Today we had a taiko performance at Mutsumi Hospital. They were having a "festival day" for the patients, complete with takoyaki (fried balls of dough with octopus in them), games, and our taiko performance.
It was a bit chilly outside and the Japanese finally did it...they finally got me to wear a surgical mask (which they do all the time to "prevent" the spread of disease). They made me wear it when I went into the hospital to change.
The hospital workers brought out the patients in wheelchairs and even a few on gurneys. We played a few songs for them, and then let them come up and play along. There was one really cute old man who had played jazz in his younger days and he really seemed to enjoy having the opportunity to play an instrument again. Some of them just went along banging at the drum with no rhythm at all, but we went around to them and tried to teach them simple rhythms. They seemed to really have a good time.
Once we were finished we changed back into our regular clothes and had some curry rice that they made us for lunch.
It was a bit chilly outside and the Japanese finally did it...they finally got me to wear a surgical mask (which they do all the time to "prevent" the spread of disease). They made me wear it when I went into the hospital to change.
The hospital workers brought out the patients in wheelchairs and even a few on gurneys. We played a few songs for them, and then let them come up and play along. There was one really cute old man who had played jazz in his younger days and he really seemed to enjoy having the opportunity to play an instrument again. Some of them just went along banging at the drum with no rhythm at all, but we went around to them and tried to teach them simple rhythms. They seemed to really have a good time.
Once we were finished we changed back into our regular clothes and had some curry rice that they made us for lunch.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Weekend in Nagoya
October 10-11
Monday is a holiday this week, and although I have a taiko performance, Atsushi and I decided to get out of Kameoka for the weekend. He had found information about an annual festival of street performances, the OSU Kannon festival, in Nagoya, which is only about half an hour away by shinkensen, so we decided to check it out. We made it a two day trip so we could see all of what the festival/Nagoya has to offer.
October 10
We left early-ish Saturday morning so we could make the first performance of the most famous act.
On our way there I found this awesome store:
Now this is really only funny because of a certain day in Japanese class, I think it was 3rd year. My friend Cary, who is actually very good at Japanese, was a senior at the time and was not very vigilant about class attendance. Well one day our teach asked us which we were better at in Japanese, reading or listening. Cary responded that he was better at listening. But later on in the class, Niimi sensei was talking about organic food, which, pronounced with a Japanese accent, comes out Oganikku. Cary misheard her. She repeated it, and he misheard her again. He asked me what she said and I repeated it. Then, in a show of understanding he cries out "Oh! Obanikku" Which if you translate literally, means Aunt Meat. So when I saw this store I had to take a picture for him.
We soon got to the spot where they were performing the "main" act.
We could barely see, but we were able to find a spot with a place to peek through so we could catch some of the show. It is called the 金粉ショー or the Gold Powder Show. Basically a group of dancers, are covered from head to toe in gold paint/powder and they are almost naked. Then they perform. The video below was taken by someone else and posted on Youtube. It's pretty weird and awesome.
After that we grabbed our map of the area and performances and made our way around the shopping arcade that hosts the festival. Our first stop was to watch a Chinese juggler. He was not too thrilling, but still entertaining to watch. His Japanese was really good but his accent was a little heavy so I could tell immediately that he was Chinese. This is the most thrilling part of his act, where he stood on three coffee cans while twirling rings on his arms. His balance was quite impressive.
After him we walked across the arcade to where a pantomime (comedian) was performing. Atsushi seemed to find him hilarious. Maybe it's a cultural thing but I missed a lot of what was funny....But there were a few cute bits. He put a bracelet on his wrist that had a little face on it and made his hand into a puppet. That was a bit weird, but his ability to maintain the illusion was pretty impressive. I couldn't keep my hand like that for such a long time. Plus his facial expressions were hilarious.
The second funny part of his act was his umbrella act. And yes, that is what they are supposed to look like :)
We grabbed some lunch at the "Number 3 Pizza Place in the World" (it wasn't bad but it certainly wasn't the best in the world). It was packed but that was ok. We swiped a place to sit and were able to enjoy the meal well enough before going back out to watch more performances.
We saw some more jugglers and some really cool shamisen players who would do some simple acrobatics while performing rock music on a traditional Japanese banjo (that's the best way I can think to describe it).
We also saw this guy performing with a traditional Japanese toy, kendama, though I am sure you have all played it too. Though he was super incredible. He could do all kinds of amazing tricks. I can barely get the ball to land on the big cup and he could get it on all 4 landing points within 5 seconds, with one in each hand.
Later we saw the world champion Diabolo juggler. He's a 20 year old Japanese guy who gets a lot of attention from the ladies...and for good reason. This is a video of him from another event I found on Youtube.
We decided to head off and go see the Halloween display at the Orchid Garden and save the rest of the festival for tomorrow. The orchid garden was....lame. They had a few lights and a really weird Cinderella themed display and a few blown up pumpkins but that was it. But it was cute and we had fun with it.
Then we went off in search of our dinner. Nagoya is famous for Miso flavored fried pork, or Miso Katsu, and it is delicious. We hit up a really famous restaurant for some of that and decided to crash for the night.
October 11
On Sunday morning we went for breakfast at a small cafe in Nagoya Station and tried to decide what we should do for the day. We visited the tourist office but didn't really find anything that we could get to in a day. So we decided to head back to the festival and then go to Nagoya Castle.
Our first stop of the day was wrestling. I have no idea why but it sounded like fun. And it was. It was completely lame but that was what I expected so I wasn't disappointed.
Then we saw an Edo-styel traditional puppeteer.
We saw another performance of people spinning items on old style umbrellas. They were pretty talented and funny. After a while things were winding down and we decided to hit up one last performance. We got two for the price of one when the parade of Oiran passed through the location of the next performance.
The last performance we saw before heading out for lunch was this ladder acrobatics show. A large group of men came out carrying a big ladder which they supported with hooks. Then one by one about 3 of the men scurried up the ladder to do different tricks. I'll admit I let out a few gasps when I thought they were going to plummet to their deaths right in front of me...but it ended up just being good clean entertainment.
We couldn't figure out where to eat lunch and my eye was drawn by a very American looking diner. I couldn't resist the idea of a rootbeer float and a bacon cheeseburger. The place was actually fairly successful at creating an American atmosphere but their bacon cheeseburger was ruined by the Japanese bacon...ie. big thick slabs of floppy pork. I miss crunchy bacon (T_T)
After scarfing down some really bad for you American food, we headed off in search of Nagoya Castle. We showed up just as it was closing down for the night so we did not get to go inside, which suited me just fine because I knew he wasn't really interested and I have seen many castles in Japan and they are all pretty similar, so we just took a look at the outside. We did have an interesting discussion about the 2 golden statues on the top of the tower, or kinshachi. He was trying to tell me what a shachi was...but neither of us could figure it out. My trusty Ipod Dictionary informed me that they are supposed to be Killer Whales.
After Nagoya Castle we contemplated going home, but neither of us really wanted to get back to Kameoka yet. There is a freedom we get when we are out of our hometown that is really important. There is no stress of trying to pretend we aren't together (though I don't think either of us are really trying anymore). So we decided to get off the subway at a stop that seemed to be the city center. When we got out of the station we saw Oasis 21, or the Spaceship Aqua. It looked like an odd piece of architecture, and it was. The roof was basically a large fountain basin that you could walk around and it is constructed of glass or a clear substance so you can see down. It is actually a bus terminal, but they have shops and restaurants and a huge gallery where they were having a classical music performance. The sun was setting so it was really just nice to be walking around outside taking in the surroundings. It was gorgeous.
After we started getting a bit chilly we decided to do something. We had eaten a big lunch and had some snacks so neither of us really wanted dinner. We decided to hit up Starbucks. The woman behind the counter was a little nervous when she saw me til I ordered in Japanese...and then she went off "Wow, your Japanese is really good. How long have you been here? What is it you like about Japan: sushi? kimono? traditional art?" etc.etc. Atsushi was standing a few feet away and didn't hear the conversation but I told him about it later. He finds that stuff really amusing, as he should.
So we just sat there talking about random things like the fashion of the passersby. Nagoya is famous for it's fashion and many of the current trends in Japan started there, actually. There was one group of girls, who, I'm sorry to say it, looked like prostitutes. Japan has an image of being a very conservative society and in many ways it is, but my god I have never seen shorter skirts or shorts in my life. This girl had her hair all done up and was wearing a teenie tiny black dress with stiletto heels. And it was not the kind of little black dress you wear to a nice black tie function....
Then we headed back to Nagoya Station and caught the shinkansen back home.
Monday is a holiday this week, and although I have a taiko performance, Atsushi and I decided to get out of Kameoka for the weekend. He had found information about an annual festival of street performances, the OSU Kannon festival, in Nagoya, which is only about half an hour away by shinkensen, so we decided to check it out. We made it a two day trip so we could see all of what the festival/Nagoya has to offer.
October 10
We left early-ish Saturday morning so we could make the first performance of the most famous act.
On our way there I found this awesome store:
Now this is really only funny because of a certain day in Japanese class, I think it was 3rd year. My friend Cary, who is actually very good at Japanese, was a senior at the time and was not very vigilant about class attendance. Well one day our teach asked us which we were better at in Japanese, reading or listening. Cary responded that he was better at listening. But later on in the class, Niimi sensei was talking about organic food, which, pronounced with a Japanese accent, comes out Oganikku. Cary misheard her. She repeated it, and he misheard her again. He asked me what she said and I repeated it. Then, in a show of understanding he cries out "Oh! Obanikku" Which if you translate literally, means Aunt Meat. So when I saw this store I had to take a picture for him.
We soon got to the spot where they were performing the "main" act.
We could barely see, but we were able to find a spot with a place to peek through so we could catch some of the show. It is called the 金粉ショー or the Gold Powder Show. Basically a group of dancers, are covered from head to toe in gold paint/powder and they are almost naked. Then they perform. The video below was taken by someone else and posted on Youtube. It's pretty weird and awesome.
After that we grabbed our map of the area and performances and made our way around the shopping arcade that hosts the festival. Our first stop was to watch a Chinese juggler. He was not too thrilling, but still entertaining to watch. His Japanese was really good but his accent was a little heavy so I could tell immediately that he was Chinese. This is the most thrilling part of his act, where he stood on three coffee cans while twirling rings on his arms. His balance was quite impressive.
After him we walked across the arcade to where a pantomime (comedian) was performing. Atsushi seemed to find him hilarious. Maybe it's a cultural thing but I missed a lot of what was funny....But there were a few cute bits. He put a bracelet on his wrist that had a little face on it and made his hand into a puppet. That was a bit weird, but his ability to maintain the illusion was pretty impressive. I couldn't keep my hand like that for such a long time. Plus his facial expressions were hilarious.
The second funny part of his act was his umbrella act. And yes, that is what they are supposed to look like :)
We grabbed some lunch at the "Number 3 Pizza Place in the World" (it wasn't bad but it certainly wasn't the best in the world). It was packed but that was ok. We swiped a place to sit and were able to enjoy the meal well enough before going back out to watch more performances.
We saw some more jugglers and some really cool shamisen players who would do some simple acrobatics while performing rock music on a traditional Japanese banjo (that's the best way I can think to describe it).
We also saw this guy performing with a traditional Japanese toy, kendama, though I am sure you have all played it too. Though he was super incredible. He could do all kinds of amazing tricks. I can barely get the ball to land on the big cup and he could get it on all 4 landing points within 5 seconds, with one in each hand.
Later we saw the world champion Diabolo juggler. He's a 20 year old Japanese guy who gets a lot of attention from the ladies...and for good reason. This is a video of him from another event I found on Youtube.
We decided to head off and go see the Halloween display at the Orchid Garden and save the rest of the festival for tomorrow. The orchid garden was....lame. They had a few lights and a really weird Cinderella themed display and a few blown up pumpkins but that was it. But it was cute and we had fun with it.
Then we went off in search of our dinner. Nagoya is famous for Miso flavored fried pork, or Miso Katsu, and it is delicious. We hit up a really famous restaurant for some of that and decided to crash for the night.
October 11
On Sunday morning we went for breakfast at a small cafe in Nagoya Station and tried to decide what we should do for the day. We visited the tourist office but didn't really find anything that we could get to in a day. So we decided to head back to the festival and then go to Nagoya Castle.
Our first stop of the day was wrestling. I have no idea why but it sounded like fun. And it was. It was completely lame but that was what I expected so I wasn't disappointed.
Then we saw an Edo-styel traditional puppeteer.
We saw another performance of people spinning items on old style umbrellas. They were pretty talented and funny. After a while things were winding down and we decided to hit up one last performance. We got two for the price of one when the parade of Oiran passed through the location of the next performance.
The last performance we saw before heading out for lunch was this ladder acrobatics show. A large group of men came out carrying a big ladder which they supported with hooks. Then one by one about 3 of the men scurried up the ladder to do different tricks. I'll admit I let out a few gasps when I thought they were going to plummet to their deaths right in front of me...but it ended up just being good clean entertainment.
We couldn't figure out where to eat lunch and my eye was drawn by a very American looking diner. I couldn't resist the idea of a rootbeer float and a bacon cheeseburger. The place was actually fairly successful at creating an American atmosphere but their bacon cheeseburger was ruined by the Japanese bacon...ie. big thick slabs of floppy pork. I miss crunchy bacon (T_T)
After scarfing down some really bad for you American food, we headed off in search of Nagoya Castle. We showed up just as it was closing down for the night so we did not get to go inside, which suited me just fine because I knew he wasn't really interested and I have seen many castles in Japan and they are all pretty similar, so we just took a look at the outside. We did have an interesting discussion about the 2 golden statues on the top of the tower, or kinshachi. He was trying to tell me what a shachi was...but neither of us could figure it out. My trusty Ipod Dictionary informed me that they are supposed to be Killer Whales.
After Nagoya Castle we contemplated going home, but neither of us really wanted to get back to Kameoka yet. There is a freedom we get when we are out of our hometown that is really important. There is no stress of trying to pretend we aren't together (though I don't think either of us are really trying anymore). So we decided to get off the subway at a stop that seemed to be the city center. When we got out of the station we saw Oasis 21, or the Spaceship Aqua. It looked like an odd piece of architecture, and it was. The roof was basically a large fountain basin that you could walk around and it is constructed of glass or a clear substance so you can see down. It is actually a bus terminal, but they have shops and restaurants and a huge gallery where they were having a classical music performance. The sun was setting so it was really just nice to be walking around outside taking in the surroundings. It was gorgeous.
After we started getting a bit chilly we decided to do something. We had eaten a big lunch and had some snacks so neither of us really wanted dinner. We decided to hit up Starbucks. The woman behind the counter was a little nervous when she saw me til I ordered in Japanese...and then she went off "Wow, your Japanese is really good. How long have you been here? What is it you like about Japan: sushi? kimono? traditional art?" etc.etc. Atsushi was standing a few feet away and didn't hear the conversation but I told him about it later. He finds that stuff really amusing, as he should.
So we just sat there talking about random things like the fashion of the passersby. Nagoya is famous for it's fashion and many of the current trends in Japan started there, actually. There was one group of girls, who, I'm sorry to say it, looked like prostitutes. Japan has an image of being a very conservative society and in many ways it is, but my god I have never seen shorter skirts or shorts in my life. This girl had her hair all done up and was wearing a teenie tiny black dress with stiletto heels. And it was not the kind of little black dress you wear to a nice black tie function....
Then we headed back to Nagoya Station and caught the shinkansen back home.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
International Exchange....
Today I was a part of an event that I thought was going to be a huge waste of my time, but turned out to be very moving and worthwhile.
I started the day by heading into the office as usual. Then at about 9 am I headed over to the Galleria to meet the rest of the group that would be going on the Autumn Trip organized by the International Exchange Association. I never really am given a lot of background information before I attend events like these so I really didn't know what to expect as I boarded our tour bus.
The only thing I have come to expect is that I will be the only foreigner and I will be the youngest person there. And this event was no different in that respect.
Our first stop was a temple called Sanjyuusangendo. It is, like all temples in Japan, extremely old. It is also very big and houses 1,001 kannon statues. No pictures are allowed inside the building so I can't show what it like. But it is really quite a sight. In the center of a very long room is one giant Buddha statue which marks the mid point of the rows and rows of kannon statues. There are 500 on each side of the large Buddha.
I had been once before when my friend Lara and her boyfriend Ryan (friends from college) came to visit Kyoto, but it was nice to visit again. My Japanese companions and I spent a little time discussion the translations on the signs describing the main statues, but for the most part it was a time of quiet contemplation.
Afterward we all went to lunch at a nearby upscale hotel. There were some awkward moments when Fujiwara-san used her so-called 6th sense to tell me that I have a boyfriend....I don't really know where that came from...but other than that it was just a nice, western style lunch.
We boarded the bus again to go to our main stop for the day, the Kyoto Korean Life Center-Elpha. I wasn't really sure what this was, though I knew it was something like a retirement home for permanent residents of Korean descent. Japan actually has a fairly large population of Koreans, who either were forced to come to Japan during the war or who have moved here. They still face some discrimination, which is one of the reasons for this retirement home catering to Koreans, but it was much worse several decades ago. Most of them adopted Japanese names and do not speak their native language. My friend Shigeno-san, who is in my taiko group, is actually Korean but he never learned Korean because his parents wanted to spare him as much discrimination as possible.
The other main reason for this type of home is because as the people get older, some of them get Alzheimer's and forget the Japanese they have learned and can only remember Korean.
It actually turned out not to be a home, but a community center that operates three days a week. The Korean seniors are picked up and brought to the center where they can play games, sing karaoke, eat meals, get massages, and simply have companionship.
So basically, we were visiting an Old Folks Home. This kind of thing is not something I am usually comfortable with. I wish I were, but I never know what to say, and add on the fact that I am speaking Japanese with these people and it was a bit intimidating. But after a while I really warmed up to it, with the help of my colleague Ijiri-san and one of the volunteers at the center. I started playing a game that is kind of like match and mah-jong, only played with cards. I don't remember what it is called but it was interesting. One of the old ladies in the group I was in was fascinated by my hair, trying to figure out how I got it to be the color it is. She wouldn't believe me when I said I don't dye it. She also wouldn't stop telling me how pretty I am. Which was nice. She even said that she wished she could have a face like mine (mostly because of the shape of my eyes).
Before we left we played a huge game of catchball, in which they used small beanbags and an empty milk carton. The old people really seemed to enjoy it. It was really cute. And then before we left we all went around the room and said goodbye. The old lady who thought I was beautiful was crying because we were leaving. A couple of the others were crying too and they all told us to come back sometime, though I doubt anyone actually will. I'll admit that I wouldn't go alone...mostly because I don't think they take random visitors and also because I don't know how to get there.
But it left me with a very good feeling. These people are living in Japan but it is nice to see that they have a place where they can be with people like them. Even though just by looking at them you can't tell that they aren't Japanese, they are foreigners here and probably get treated like it. And I have come to learn how just a few small comforts from home can make a huge difference.
It was nice to participate in an event that actually felt international and like it had meaning.
I started the day by heading into the office as usual. Then at about 9 am I headed over to the Galleria to meet the rest of the group that would be going on the Autumn Trip organized by the International Exchange Association. I never really am given a lot of background information before I attend events like these so I really didn't know what to expect as I boarded our tour bus.
The only thing I have come to expect is that I will be the only foreigner and I will be the youngest person there. And this event was no different in that respect.
Our first stop was a temple called Sanjyuusangendo. It is, like all temples in Japan, extremely old. It is also very big and houses 1,001 kannon statues. No pictures are allowed inside the building so I can't show what it like. But it is really quite a sight. In the center of a very long room is one giant Buddha statue which marks the mid point of the rows and rows of kannon statues. There are 500 on each side of the large Buddha.
I had been once before when my friend Lara and her boyfriend Ryan (friends from college) came to visit Kyoto, but it was nice to visit again. My Japanese companions and I spent a little time discussion the translations on the signs describing the main statues, but for the most part it was a time of quiet contemplation.
Afterward we all went to lunch at a nearby upscale hotel. There were some awkward moments when Fujiwara-san used her so-called 6th sense to tell me that I have a boyfriend....I don't really know where that came from...but other than that it was just a nice, western style lunch.
We boarded the bus again to go to our main stop for the day, the Kyoto Korean Life Center-Elpha. I wasn't really sure what this was, though I knew it was something like a retirement home for permanent residents of Korean descent. Japan actually has a fairly large population of Koreans, who either were forced to come to Japan during the war or who have moved here. They still face some discrimination, which is one of the reasons for this retirement home catering to Koreans, but it was much worse several decades ago. Most of them adopted Japanese names and do not speak their native language. My friend Shigeno-san, who is in my taiko group, is actually Korean but he never learned Korean because his parents wanted to spare him as much discrimination as possible.
The other main reason for this type of home is because as the people get older, some of them get Alzheimer's and forget the Japanese they have learned and can only remember Korean.
It actually turned out not to be a home, but a community center that operates three days a week. The Korean seniors are picked up and brought to the center where they can play games, sing karaoke, eat meals, get massages, and simply have companionship.
So basically, we were visiting an Old Folks Home. This kind of thing is not something I am usually comfortable with. I wish I were, but I never know what to say, and add on the fact that I am speaking Japanese with these people and it was a bit intimidating. But after a while I really warmed up to it, with the help of my colleague Ijiri-san and one of the volunteers at the center. I started playing a game that is kind of like match and mah-jong, only played with cards. I don't remember what it is called but it was interesting. One of the old ladies in the group I was in was fascinated by my hair, trying to figure out how I got it to be the color it is. She wouldn't believe me when I said I don't dye it. She also wouldn't stop telling me how pretty I am. Which was nice. She even said that she wished she could have a face like mine (mostly because of the shape of my eyes).
Before we left we played a huge game of catchball, in which they used small beanbags and an empty milk carton. The old people really seemed to enjoy it. It was really cute. And then before we left we all went around the room and said goodbye. The old lady who thought I was beautiful was crying because we were leaving. A couple of the others were crying too and they all told us to come back sometime, though I doubt anyone actually will. I'll admit that I wouldn't go alone...mostly because I don't think they take random visitors and also because I don't know how to get there.
But it left me with a very good feeling. These people are living in Japan but it is nice to see that they have a place where they can be with people like them. Even though just by looking at them you can't tell that they aren't Japanese, they are foreigners here and probably get treated like it. And I have come to learn how just a few small comforts from home can make a huge difference.
It was nice to participate in an event that actually felt international and like it had meaning.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Compliment
I only have one big thing to report for today. As I was being driven back to the station my colleague and I were discussing other languages and if I wanted to study something other than Japanese. I mentioned that maybe someday I would pick up something else, but that my Japanese wasn't quite strong enough yet for me to feel comfortable picking up something else. My colleague responded with the usual...oh no no, your Japanese is great. But then he continued on to say that of all my predecessors, he was most impressed with me when I first got here, saying that I had the best pronunciation of all previous CIRs (based on beginning not end). :)
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