めちゃ淋しいよ

The first thing that I notice when I get to Japan is the smell. Not an overpowering smell. Just something ambient that floats in the air. It is very distinct, and it varies little between cities. Be it Tokyo, Hiroshima, or anywhere in between. It is a comforting smell. It makes me feel good. I can't detect it very often, now that I am accustomed to it. But I still catch it once in a while. It takes me by surprise as I am walking down the street, or when I go into a building. I think that the smell of Japan is one of the things I will miss the most.

Yesterday I joined Hara sensei at 舟坂小学校 (Funasaka Primary School) for my first English class in over a month. It was my first time at this particular school. Hara sensei often spoke of wanting to take me there, but my preschool schedule always conflicted with her teaching schedule. I was free yesterday, so I decided to join her. And I had a blast. All of my students have been great, but these kids stood out in one particular way. They were not shy. I emphasize this because almost all of the kids I have met, most especially elementary age kids, have been very shy to meet a foreigner. The majority of these students had never met a foreigner before, but they were as open and talkative and playful as kids I have known for months.

Hara sensei and I taught the kids about different countries, and we had a lot of fun. After the class, on our way out, we were invited to watch these kids during a practice 銭太鼓 (zeni-daiko) dance. Zeni-daiko is a variation of what is commonly known as Taiko drumming. In this particular dance, there are no drums. Zeni-daiko are wooden cylinders that contain 5 yen coins. The coins are significant. In Japanese, 五円 (5 yen) is pronounced go-en. Another meaning for the word go-en is something similar to "the destiny that brings two people together." That is written as ご縁 in Japan.

Here's a video of the practice session. The sound is not as good as I could hope.



*Note: This was written on Wednesday, but I've been sitting on it. I'll follow-up tomorrow.

Short post about stuff

Hey, everyone! I mean, anyone who may be left. It's been a while. I've had some rough times the last few months. I'll break it down for you.

Back in the beginning of August, Jen came out to visit for a week. That was a lot of fun. We went to Osaka, Nara and Himeji together. Plus, she got to go to work with me and meet all of my students. It was a good time. Then she left, and I was sad.

I was able to get it together, and things were looking up. Until September 5. I went for a bike ride to pick up a gift for a buddy. It was night time, so it was dark (as one might imagine). I thought I'd take what looked to be a shortcut between two streets. Not a shortcut. It was a parking lot that ended abruptly at a rice field. Normally, this wouldn't be too bad. This rice field, however, happened to be seven feet lower than the surface of the parking lot. So I fell.

I ended up in the hospital with a sternum broken in two places, and a fractured vertebra. Lame, right? The good news: I'm back at home and feeling a lot better. I just haven't been in the mood to write for a little while. I apologize.

I'll be returning to the US in a little under two weeks. Until then, I'll try to write a couple more times. I'd like to flesh this post out a bit with some details and photos. So come back if you want. I'll try not to be such a stranger.

Experiments and experience

I have nearly finished packing my bags. I'll be leaving for America on Wednesday, so this will be the last entry until my triumphant return to Japan. Unless I get bored at the airport. I'm super excited. It will be great to be at home for a while. See Jen. See my friends. I can't wait.

I'll kick this off with a Preschool Kouto update. It actually hasn't been that exciting, but a few interesting things have happened. First, as it's the rainy season here in Japan, I'll show you what it looks like every day.



There's actually a little blue in that picture, which is unusual. It's dreary. It doesn't rain every day, but it always looks like it's going to. I'm not entirely against it. It would be even better, though, if it wasn't dreary and 80 degrees or more. And crazy humid. Gross.

A troupe of puppeteers came to the school to put on a show for the kids. That was fun. They even called me up to judge which side of the room sang the frog song louder. Also, all of the kids at the school like to collect bugs. They love it, in fact. It's kinda' weird to see four year-old girls running around picking up snails and beetles to add to their collection. But I dig it.





I think that I've mentioned the giant spiders that live around here. Regardless, here's a quick refresher. They are huge, they live in your house, and they don't make webs. They rely on their incredible speed to catch roaches. The good news is that they don't harm people. Now, I had never seen one of these things in person. Until a few days ago. I lifted a bag off of the floor near my desk, and was greeted by this sight:



I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that this thing was as big as my open hand, including my fingers. Ridiculous. Then I proceeded to try and catch it. It was, by far, the fastest spider I'd ever witnessed. Took me ten minutes of running around to finally get it outside. I don't know what else to say about it. It was incredible.

A while ago I met a dude in Himeji named Shintaro. It was a chance meeting. I was a little intoxicated and happened by the Starbucks. Sitting outside was a guy wearing a Chelsea track jacket. I mentioned while passing that Chelsea was my favorite team. He offered me a seat, and we had a long talk about soccer. We exchanged numbers and I left for home. Well, last weekend I met up with him in Himeji again. We decided to go out for a drink. That's when I got to see the underside of Himeji. Not really the underside, I guess, because it's still safe and fairly clean. But the red light district. I have pictures of it in the daylight, so some of the drama is lost. It's definitely a sight to see at night. Like a mini Tokyo. The street was literally bumper to bumper with taxis.



That's about all I've got for now. Here's today's drink of the day (double team):

Matcha Coca-Cola & Shiso Pepsi


Drink makers in Japan are always trying to innovate. They have to keep an edge in a market that is more diverse and dynamic than any other. The big two from the US are no different. They try this kind of thing all the time, often with poor results. Here's the latest from both.

First up, Matcha Coca-Cola. This is Coke with green tea. I tasted this, and was instantly sure that I never wanted to taste it again. It's like drinking Diet Caffeine-Free Coke with a green tea aftertaste. Not good.

Pepsi's response? Shiso Pepsi. Shiso is an herb that has a taste somewhere between mint and anise. Shiso Pepsi has a taste somewhere between gross and disgusting. It's basically Pepsi with a hint of mint, and an aftertaste of ground up plant matter. Also not good.

Next time you're in Japan, avoid these. I will from now on.

Surprise, surprise. It's raining again...

Observations

Let me start this post by saying that I feel better. I'm still a bit homesick, maybe, but I'm feeling good about being here. I'm not physically ill anymore. Except for the lack of sleep, I'm doing really well.

I know that I've only been in Japan for two and a half months, but I've been doing a lot of thinking. There is actually quite a large number of things that I've started to take for granted. Well, no. I don't think that's the case. I don't know that I would say I take them for granted. I think it could be better described as things that I've started to become accustomed to. Let's talk about this a little bit, and see if we can't figure out what I'm trying to say.

Convenience - There are more vending machines within a kilometer of my house than there are in all of Tujunga (where I live in LA). They are almost literally on every street corner. In Tokyo, they are definitely on every street corner. But consider the fact that I live in a town of about ten thousand people. That's small, where I come from. There's even a Seven Eleven in Kamigori, which was actually very surprising for me. I guess what I'm trying to say is this: within reason, it's easy to get what you want, when you want it. It's the "getting things you need when when you need them" part that can be a challenge.

Tidiness - This is something that one cannot easily describe. In Los Angeles (and San Diego, for that matter), there is an underlying grittiness to just about everything. That's how it feels, anyway. Not to say that everything is dirty, and there's litter everywhere. I think it's at least as much about the attitude of the people around you. In Japan, there are almost no public trash cans. There are lots of places to get rid of recycling, but this just goes hand-in-hand with the proliferation of vending machines. You can offload cans and bottles all over the place, but not trash. Despite this, there is virtually no litter. People just seem to care more, here. Which is a good segue into...

Tolerance and consideration - People in Japan are nice. Even if they are not really "nice," they are at least not obstructive. Most, however, are genuinely considerate of others. This is a great change from Los Angeles. I almost feel more welcome here than I do in LA. I'm not talking about my house and my family. I'm talking about the general public. There is a safety here that I've never felt anywhere else. I'm almost afraid of what being back in LA will feel like.

General awesomeness - This includes many things. Badass old Japanese castles are within a half-hour train ride. Arcades (called "game centers" here) are stocked with fully-working, non-vandalized cabinets. And the prizes to be won are incredibly cool. All Japanese snacks all the time. Some of the weirdest and most interesting television shows in the world. Plus commercials. Great restaurants. The list goes on.

As I've been here for almost three months, it will be time to return to the US soon. Two weeks from tomorrow, to be exact. I still don't know how long my stay will be before I'm back here. I'm definitely excited to go home for a while. I miss Jen. I miss my friends. I miss my family. It will be good.

Here's a quick rundown (with pictures!) of some of the things I've been up to lately.

field trips with the preschool


letting random kids wear my sunglasses


finding my way into the abandoned junior high school


lunches with the Imaoka Family


going to the driving range with Ikki


And I added a sweet new calendar to the sidebar. Check it out.

Confusion

I've been experiencing some weird things, lately. I don't mean things that are happening in Japan, but things that are happening to me because of Japan. If that makes any sense. I think that I'm having a weird case of shock. I'm not going to call it culture shock, because I'm positive that's not what's happening. Maybe lifestyle shock? Daniel told me that it's pretty normal to be totally fine for a while, then suddenly feel messed up. Just about all of my normal habits have changed, and I think that my body is feeling it. I don't eat the same, I don't sleep the same. Man, I don't even think the same. That part might be culture shock, a little. Hopefully I'll start feeling better soon.

I have been hanging out with Daniel a bit since my last post. I went to his house and met his family, and that was really cool. He lives with his Japanese wife and her parents. He also has a new baby. So I met all of his family in Japan. We stayed up super late and played Wii games all night. In the morning I helped him mow the lawn and clean up the yard a bit while his family was at church. This is an interesting sentence to write about a Japanese household. His in-laws are Christian, and they live in a western style house out in Ishii. Which is near Sayo. Which is kinda' close to Kamigori, but takes a long time to get to. After mowing the lawn, his family came home and made me some delicious okonomiyaki. Overall, it was a good time.

Last weekend I went to Otsu with the Imaoka family. We went shopping, but I didn't really buy anything. I got something for myself, because it was cheap. But I was looking for souvenirs for people back home. There is just so much cool stuff here that I don't even really know where to start. I'll have to write a list or something. Otsu is near Himeji. We went to a bunch of game stores, too. Imaoka sensei even introduced me to a huge anime store in Himeji that I wasn't even aware of. And it's right next to the station. Guess I just missed it every time I went there.

Jen bought her tickets to come out in August. I'm very excited about that. I'll be back in LA for a short time in the beginning of July, but it will be fun for Jen to come to Japan again. I can show her a whole new side of Japan. We went to Tokyo last October, and that was awesome. But it will be cool to show her around the countryside, instead of the city. I can't wait.

There are no pictures today, because I'm having trouble with my Flickr account. I do have the option of uploading images directly to the blog, but I don't like the way they are handled here. Next time, I promise. And it won't be so long between posts.

Now, I have a private lesson to give. More soon.

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.