I want more abandoned buildings

It's been surreal here in Japan. Everything is achieving normalcy, now, but it's been weird.

The first case of swine flu broke out in Ibaraki, which is in the Osaka Prefecture, on May 16. That was a Saturday. By Sunday it was up to 39 people, and Japan was essentially freaking out. Cases were reported in Osaka and Hyogo Prefectures. The governor of Hyogo ordered that all public and private schools be closed for the next week. I live in Hyogo, and that was last week. It was like a long holiday, except that you couldn't go anywhere. Himeji, Kobe, Osaka, etc. were stricly off-limits. I managed to get out of Kamigori once or twice, but not far out. Face masks were sold out all over the prefecture. They're still in short supply. Every public facility has disinfectant right inside the door to clean your hands. It's definitely strange, compared to the States. The good news, though, is that the number of new cases peaked last Wednesday, and the fear is subsiding. Kinda'.

Two weeks ago (May 20), I met a dude named Daniel. He came to Kouto with another English teacher to help me with a class. He's cool. And he's an excellent English teacher. He hooked me up with a lot of good info about where to go for training. He's married to a Japanese woman and has a newborn. After talking for a while, we exchanged numbers and said goodbye. We ended up hanging out last Thursday. I met him in Sayo and we went to a coffee shop called Brick for dinner. We had pizza. Yes, they have pizza in Japan. No, it's not the same as pizza in America. But it was good. The only strange thing that I found on it was corn, but there was probably a few other things I'm forgetting. And cheese in Japan is weird. I don't know how exactly to describe it. Processed, I guess.





I saw him again at Kouto today, and he invited me out to his place this Saturday. That will be cool, because I'll get to meet his family. He's a gamer, so I'm naturally drawn into friendship with him. I hope to hang out with him more often while I'm here.

Last Saturday I went out to dinner with the Imaoka family and one of their friends. That was fun. We went to a place right down the road from my house. I don't recall the name, however. It's a yakiniku joint. You get a big plate of raw meat and veggies and cook it up at your table. Delicious. I mentioned to Matoko Imaoka that he is a master at this type of cooking. He responded with, "Everyone in Japan is." Here's a picture of Imaoka sensei, her son Otaro and their friend Chika.



On Sunday, I went to a BBQ with the Imaoka family. It was at their friends' house here in Kamigori. Is was a blast. We ate delicious food, I met a bunch of cool people, drank some beers, played some catch.





Then I had to cut out early. I made plans at one with a couple friends, Miyazaki and Shuu chan. Miyazaki picked me up, and we went to grab Shuu chan. They are both Gundam fans, like me, so we headed out to an arcade in Tatsuno. Our main goal was to play a game called Kidō Senshi Gundam: Senjō no Kizuna, or Mobile Suit Gundam: Bonds of the Battlefield. It consists of eight networked pods, each with one player. You basically sit in this chair, and you have a 180 degree view of the battlefield as you shoot and smash your way through giant robots with your giant robot. There are two joysticks for the controls, each with four buttons. It's ridiculously awesome. I have an ID card for the game, and am currently ranked as a second-class pilot. That's not bad for only three games. I also ended up playing some Street Fighter IV, and now have around 1500 Battle Points. We also hit up this sweet shop in Himeji. It was like a big warehouse filled with cool stuff that I want to own. Toys, videogames, models, manga, anime and more. It was great.

This week has actually been mellow. I haven't done anything other than teach. On Monday I went to a local elementary school to teach an English class. That was fun, but the class was larger than I'm accustomed to. On Tuesday, I had my first parent English class. This is for the parents of kids at Kouto. Only one parent actually came, so it was easy. It will be a weekly class, and I'm really hoping that more parents show up.

Being a native English speaker in a small Japanese town, I've been asked by a bunch of people to teach classes at various locations. I haven't turned anyone down yet, because I appreciate the experience I'm gaining. But I might need to soon. My schedule is filling up fast. I also do some private tutoring at night, now. On top of that, everyone knows that I'm a graphic designer. So I'm going to redesign the Kouto web page. Which will be fun. Then I'm going to paint Imaoka sensei's fence. Then, who knows. Something else. I'm not complaining. I'm just busy. And tired.

I haven't prepared any drink photos for today, so I'll leave you with a picture of a replica Ainu house from a thousand years ago. And an abandoned gas station in Ako. Sweet dreams.

Sunglasses

I have long known of the Japanese aversion to wearing sunglasses. I have thought it strange that when it's glaringly bright outside, no one here protects their eyes from the flaming ball of death known as the Sun. I had heard that this was due to the almost antiquated idea that only the Yakuza, and those who associate themselves with the Yakuza, wear sunglasses. The Yakuza is like the Mafia, but more organized and stylish. And not nearly as violent. Anyway, I know that this is the case. I still choose to wear sunglasses in Japan, however, because there's no way I would be confused for Yakuza. Besides which, I had never heard anyone in Japan actually mention this phenomenon. Until a few days ago.

Hara-sensei and I were preparing for our English class at Koto, and I still had my sunglasses on. She said to me, "Maybe take off your sunglasses. You maybe scare the kids." I felt that I knew where this was going, but I had to hear it for myself, first hand. "Why?" I asked. To which she replied, "Do you know about Yakuza?" This was a bit of a surprise for me. As I mentioned, I'd never heard anyone in or from Japan actually say this to me. I was kind of happy, too, in a weird way. I felt as though this was another confirmation that I actually do know something about this country, and that my passion for it is not misplaced. And yes, I still wear my sunglasses. It gets really bright here.

I have been super busy lately. I don't see it not being busy, either. Which is really a good thing. I have all of the classes that I mentioned before, plus a new tutoring gig. I met with a woman called Yumi on Thursday evening. She has had my number for a long time, and called me to ask about tutoring. I guess she had the volunteers before me help her with English, and she wanted me to help too. And I'm happy to. We will be meeting up on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school. Not really formal tutoring. She just wants to have normal conversation in English to build her vocabulary, so it won't be difficult. It's just another thing to put down on my schedule.

The weekends are definitely not so busy. I go to Himeji just about every week, because it's awesome. I was thinking of going back to Ako today, but it's been raining all day. And I don't feel like being out in the rain. Particularly now, because it's 70 degrees and raining, and it's kinda' gross. Muggy.

Everyone who knows me is aware of a few important facts; I love video games (called TV games in Japan) and I love zombies. And I really like it when these two things are put together. Like in the new House of the Dead game that may never actually see a release in the States. It's called House of the Dead EX, and I played it yesterday. It's incredible.



Most zombie shooting games involve just what you might imagine. An onslaught of zombies shambles towards the screen, and you shoot them. This doesn't vary much. This game, however, is amazingly different. There is a gun, and zombies, and even shambling. In this edition, though, you actually play as a zombie. Player one is a hulking undead dude with a sexy zombie lady-friend that all the other zombies want for themselves. So it's a love story. Of trying to get away from the horde that wants to steal your girlfriend. It's essentially a bunch of minigames that involve everything from boarding up windows to collecting apples to driving a car to escape a busload of zombie pursuers. It's fun, and different. in a good way.

I know that I posted some pictures of figures I've won in the arcades in Himeji, but here's one shot of most of my winnings so far.



Yes, that is a Playstation 3 you see there. I won it in the arcade. For ¥200. That's around $2. I would count it as the best item I've ever won from an arcade. The other items pictured are: a Doraemon plush head, a collection of Evangelion pins, a Rei Ayanami zippo, Rei and Misato from Evangelion, Nel Tu from Bleach, and a Pinky Monkey tin that was full of candy. There are probably some other little things sitting around that I've forgotten. Arcades in Japan are pretty cool. Good games and cool toys. Just another reason I love it here.

Today's drink of the day:

W Black Coffee - Rookies Edition


Canned coffee. Or, an aluminum bottle of coffee. Whatever. This one is delicious. It's just black coffee. Pretty straightforward. This can is printed with the Rookies logo. Rookies is a really popular baseball show in Japan, right now. I've never seen it, though, because it doesn't air in Kamigori.

Japan and I

My Golden Week was pretty mellow. I did a lot of hanging out around Kamigori, and stayed pretty local. Went to Himeji a couple of times. So, instead of detailing my week, I'm going to make known some insights I've had since arriving in Japan.

First, foreigners. Myself in particular. I have encountered nothing but kindness here in Kamigori. As a fairly weird looking guy (red hair and freckles are not even a recessive trait in Japan), I thought that I would have felt more alienated than I do. Sure, everyone looks at me longer than they do at other people, but not with the xenophobia I was ready for. That's not to say that I held the belief that Japanese people are racist. I just stand out in a crowd, here, so I thought people might be taken aback. But they're not.

The only instances of my feeling different are with kids. My preschool students were shy upon meeting me, but they're kids; they adapt fast. I never really felt awkward with them. When I say "kids" I mean elementary and junior high school age kids. And this is a new revelation for me. Very young kids don't care what people look like. It's the kids that have grown up with so much commonality that find differences strange. For example: I taught my first class at Harima Kogen Higashi Primary School (the elementary school near Kouto) on Friday. As I rolled up my sleeves and the students saw my orange arm hair, they were shocked. One boy even reached out to pet my arm and said "Sugoi!" Which basically means "cool".

My next discovery about Japan is the excessive use of onomatopoeia. Not only am I a huge fan of the word "onomatopoeia", but also of the actual practice. It's an incredible thing to hear whole songs that contain an equal number of sound effects and actual Japanese words. I was asking Hara-sensei about one in particular that I heard at the preschool. Zarazara. This is the sound of running your hand over something with a rough texture. Also, it is the Japanese word for "rough". See where I'm going with this? So I said what I thought to be the opposite of zarazara, which I heard as zuruzuru. Hara-sensei laughed and said "No... It's tsurutsuru. Smooth or slippery." I gave her a slightly confused look and asked what zuruzuru was. She explained that to me, and it was my turn to laugh. With the utmost delight, I might add. "Zuruzuru is rotting skin." Like a zombie? Yes, indeed, like a zombie. I was at once amazed and completely enthused. Sure, the word also works for rotten fruit, but who cares? Zombies!

She went on to explain to me that onomatopoeia are used more in the west of Japan than the east (in the west they speak a dialect called Kansai-ben). This, she told me, is because Osaka is known as a very big theater city in Japan. Many gestures and sound effects are used by people in the west. When she told me about this, it reminded me of the story of silent film actors when "talkies" were introduced in America. None of them could get acting jobs because they used over-elaborate gestures and over-enunciated everything they said.

Now, let me touch on some Japanese words I've learned since arriving. These are all things I am now using with regularity. On the one hand, it is because they are very useful words. On the other, they are all words I really like.

sugoi

This means "awesome". I mean that in the literal sense, and not in the way I use it too often. "Awe-inspiring" might be a more appropriate definition. It can also be used for "terrible".

majide

"Really?" This is a super useful word that I find myself saying at very convenient times very accidentally.

yabai

A word used to show frustration (like your favorite four-letter word in English, but without the social stigma).

ganbare

"Fight!" Not like an actual fight. More like "Don't give up!" A superb use of this word would be when someone mentions that they are tired. Or when someone feels like they cannot accomplish something. Also a very useful word that I love a lot.

naruhodo

"So it is", or "That's true". This is a newly-acquired word for me, but I like the way it makes my mouth feel when I say it. (On a side note: Uncle Ron, I'm usually good with punctuation, but I left my style manual at home. How's it looking up there? Comma before or after the end quote when it's not an actual quote?)

There are actually quite a number of other things that I have come across here that I should mention, but I'll save them for later. You probably wanna see some photographs, eh? The first is a photo of dinner at Suzusho, the yakitori restaurant that Yamamoto-sensei owns. Now with 100 percent more asparabeikon, or one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten ever.





Here are some pictures of Harima Kogen Higashi Primary School. I teach English here on Fridays. This entire complex was designed by the fairly well-known architect Tadao Ando. It's gorgeous.





Some shots of things I've won in the arcades in Himeji:





And finally, your drink of the day:

Georia Max Coffee


This is just one of many many bottled coffees in Japan. This one is coffee with milk and sugar. I suppose this is for when you don't have enough coffee in your regular coffee. I have to say, however, that after tasting this coffee it's one of my least favorites. I like Kirin's offering better, and it's cheaper. So I guess I win.

Golden Week

Well, well. Hot on the heels of my getting sick (and subsequently better) Golden Week is upon us. Let me give you a breakdown:

April 29: Shouwa Day

This was a holiday made to celebrate Emperor Shouwa's birthday. When Emperor Shouwa died in 1989, this day was renamed to Greenery Day. Then Greenery Day was moved in 1997 and this became Shouwa Day.

May 3: Constitution Memorial Day

To celebrate the 1947 constitution of Japan.

May 4: Greenery Day

Before 1997, this was just known as kokumin no kyūjitsu (citizen's holiday). In Japan, law states that any day that falls between two national holidays shall be declared a holiday. Then Greenery Day was moved to this day from April 29.

May 5: Children's Day (also known as Boy's Day)

This is a day to celebrate the growth and happiness of children. If there is a boy in your house, you fly carp flags and display samurai dolls as symbols of raising a strong and healthy boy. This usually marks the end of Golden Week. Except this year...

May 6: furikae kyūjitsu (transfer holiday)

A second Japanese law states that if a national holiday falls on a Sunday, the next working day (in this case a Wednesday) shall be a holiday.

All of this basically just means that the entirety of Japan shuts down for a week. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about a 5-day weekend. But so is everyone else. Time to take some sightseeing trips.

Speaking of which, I took a nice trip today. Rokuda-san invited me and a few others to his vacation house in Hinase. I rode from my place to Hinase with Yamauchi-sensei and her sister. That was fun, because her sister doesn't speak great English and kept repeating things I said. We met at the Hinase Marina and set out. The day was especially awesome because we spent the majority of the day on Rokuda-san's sweet boat.







We went to the house for a delicious lunch. Rokuda-san fired up the grill and made some chicken, hot dogs, corn, and a bunch of other stuff. I wandered the beach in front of the house for a while and found a cool old oyster farming processing plant. Hinase is pretty well known for it's oysters, and the bamboo fishing rafts were all over the place.







After lunch we set out again. I had no idea where we were headed, but I knew we were getting back in the boat. Of course I wasn't going to complain. All of us went out. This included Yamauchi-sensei and her sister, Encho-sensei and her husband, a couple who's names I can't remember, Rokuda-san and his wife, and three of their kids and their niece. And me. It was great. We took an hour ride to Ushimado and the Limani Hotel for dessert and coffee. The hotel was cool because it was quite literally on the water. Boats just docked and went up the steps into the hotel. I ate some kind of chocolate thing. I don't remember the name, but it was good. And coffee was a welcome addition to the afternoon, as beers from lunch were making me sleepy.







After the hotel, we went back to Hinase and home. It was fun. I don't really have any plans for the remainder of the holiday week, but I'm sure I'll come up with something.