I ditched.

Yep, I decided to stay home and continue to rest rather than get up early and drag myself to the school assembly today. I really, really wanted to be there, but I still don't feel that well. I didn't really want to be hacking up a lung during the ceremony or my intro speech either. Plus, well, the doctor wrote a note to get me out of work for 5 days so I could recup and if the Dr. recommends I rest for 5 days... maybe I should actually rest for 5 days! *lol* The weather cooled today too and it's a nice, balmy, rainy Door County day! Great for a nice day resting inside, but not very nice if I was walking in the rain to school!

So I think I did the right thing. I've been trying to cram so much in because I'm worried that once school begins I'll have to no time for myself. (And I confess I really want that Blythe doll I saw in Osaka and you just know she's going to sell out soon! *lol*) I just have to keep telling myself I have a year and that I don't *have* to do everything in the first month! And Steve and I will likely stay for a second year anyway. It seems like it would be a wise decision to stay because I'll have all of my lesson plans already finished by then and know the best times to ask off for vacation time, etc. etc.

Anyway, I need to eat breakfast and get to my anime-marathon to help speed the healing process! (Hope Steve doesn't want to actually use his computer any time today! *L*)



I will leave you with a parting pic of my soy sauce dispenser, which looks strangely like a dalek! (Those of you who don't know the reference, ask your nearest sci-fi buddy or geek on the street.)

Well, it’s been a busy, up-and-down week and a half: Steve came in, we went to Osaka, I had another orientation, I got the flu, and I currently have laryngitis. But let’s start where I last left off: the festival in Nara.
It was really great to walk around historical Nara, which was the capital of Japan from around 600-800 c.e. I wore my yukata and I must say that I did pretty well at dressing myself.



(As I mentioned before, even many Japanese people don’t know how to wear kimonos properly, especially if they’re younger.)
All the JETs around Nara prefecture got together to see the Tokae Matsuri (Lantern Fesrival). Its only been going on since around ’99, so the teachers at my school weren’t even familiar with it, but it was cool.




All the historical sites lit up with little candle lanterns and lights and lanterns all over the hillsides, some even writing out words in huge kanji on the hills.




There were a ton of vendors too. The only thing I bought, though, was some shaved ice in matcha (green tea) flavor. Prob was that after I finished I had a big plastic cup and nowhere to trash it. There wasn’t a public trashcan in sight! So… uhh, I sorta set it down by one of the vendor’s booths. I know, my bad! Anyway, even though it was night, the Nara deer were everywhere.



Nara park is known for their deer and they are so tame they just wander through the crowd and even nip at people’s clothes for food! They’re smaller than regular deer in the US, but some have full antlers, so you have to be careful not to run into them! It was funny watching how the little kids reacted to the bold deer- some thought it was great and some just ran away crying!
The group was a bit rushed through the park, though, since most people just wanted to get to the bar to drink afterward. I was with the last of the stragglers who were trying to see everything and get good pics. Of course, it was night time and the night setting on my camera isn’t that great, so I still didn’t get many pics, but it was still good to slow down and take everything in. Here’s one crazy pic I got with the night setting on my camera!




The best part was getting to see Todaiji temple. Todaiji is very well known in Japan because it houses the largest Buddha in all of Japan! Usually you have to pay about $5 to get inside the inner building to see him, but the whole temple was open to the public for the fest. The Buddha is seriously impressive. One finger is as tall as a man. I took a pic, but honestly you have to be there to really understand the scale.










Before you enter the temple, you cleanse yoursself by lighting incense and breathing it in (afterwards you cleanse yourself again with water at a small fountain with little ladles.)

I was really moved when I got inside the temple. There was a very powerful atmosphere inside. (Don't worry mom, I'm not converting! Holy places are holy places, they feel different, no matter what you want to label the power behind it. That's why I don't like labeling my own beliefs.)







I got to say a little prayer (you throw money into this big wooden box, clap your hands twice and pray) and light a candle.








There’s also other huge statues in and around the temple.


Two guards protect the main wooden gate, one with mouth open, one with mouth shut. I can’t remember the significance of it, sorry. I need to review my history
In short, the festival was really great, but very tiring. I was wearing wooden zorii sandals, which really weren’t that uncomfortable until the very end of the night, then my feet were killing me! And the yukata was hot. I was really glad I wore it, though. I think I was the only JET wearing one, but a lot of other people wore them in Nara. Thank god other people were wearing them there, because I didn’t see one single person in a yukata until I stepped off the train in Nara City itself. Which meant I had to walk through my town and get on 3 different trains (which took over an hour) feeling like a freak! As a foreigner, you stick out anyway, so I felt doubly conspicuous! Imagine getting on the L in full prom dress and tiara, by yourself when you’ve never been to Chicago and can’t understand a word anyone says… yeah. Moreover, it was the first time I had taken the train by myself and I constantly had to ask people in my horribly broken Japanese if I was taking the right train. (Usually, this meant I sounded like Tarzan: “Nara, this train? Yes? Here good?”)
So, after the festival, I took a day to chill and then went to Osaka with a friend who already knew her way around. God, the shopping here is great! Anyway, we were there all day and didn’t really eat dinner. Before getting on the train, we stopped at “the” takoyaki stand (takoyaki= little balls of fried batter and octopus). Over it you add a sweet brown sauce, Japanese mayonnaise, and fish flakes. It tastes better than it sounds! But fried food at the end of a long day when you have to ride 45 min back to town by train is NOT a good idea. I felt icky for days after and was totally worn out, so I rested for the next couple days and didn’t do much. The apt. is so small, though, that I started to get cabin fever and had to go out to a nearby park to get some air.
The rest of the week I spent getting to know my town a bit and hanging out with my new Japanese pal Keiko, who took me to a nice little French-Japanese restaurant. She also took Steve and me to get our cell phones last Sunday. She’s been a great help! (She teaches at an English cram school if I forgot to mention it, so her English is good.)
So, the week was pretty good. Most people had to be at their schools with not much to do, but my principle is cool and let me have the time off, since most of the teachers would be gone anyway to visit their families for O-Bon (ancestors come back to visit and families get together to pay respects at the graveyards).
Then it was back to school and running errands. Wednesday I had to give my introduction to all the teachers (in Japanese), which went well. Steve came in that evening and I’ve been trying to show him around since then. I was very busy when he arrived, so we didn’t have too much downtime together. Saturday we went to Osaka. I thought we’d just be there for a few hours, but we were there all day! Great shopping yet again! (Sales at the Gothic Lolita store were great!) Steve was amaaaaaazed at the vastness of the shopping district! Not only do the outdoor malls go on and on, but there is an entire system of underground malls surrounding the subway as well. However, by the time we got home I was tired and cranky and my throat was sore and by the time I went to bed I had the flu full-on. I really needed to rest, but Monday was this huge deal in Nara with all the Prefectural JETs meeting the superintendent of the whole school system or something. Major deal, I couldn’t miss it. I took a bunch of advil and pushed myself through it. But I lost my voice as the day went on and could barely talk yesterday. Tuesday there were more lectures for JETs to attend in Nara (part of yet another round of orientations for us newbies), but thankfully the recommended, English-speaking doctor was also in Nara, so I spoke with some people in charge and they heard my voice (or lack thereof) and let me out for lunch break early so I could go see him. He was very nice and gave me meds and a note to get out of work for the rest of the week. He was also *very* Japanese in the way that he kept humbling himself by saying “You should go to a doctor closer to your town. I’m not a good doctor, I don’t know much English. You should choose someone else” etc. etc. If I hadn’t known that this is the Japanese mentality, it would have been a little scary to hear my Dr. saying “I’m no good!”, but thankfully I was prepared! One other thing- they took my temp with a thermometer, but here you don’t put it under your tongue, or even in your ear, you put it under your armpit!
So, now I’m home and have some time to rest. I was supposed to help out with a seminar for English teachers on Sat. and do a volunteer clean-up project Sunday, but my school is letting me out of these to rest and recover. Everyone has been so nice about it, but I feel awful because Japanese people usually work long hours and get very little time off when they’re sick. Of course, I’m not expected to work their hours or anything, but I want to make a good impression on everyone and work hard. (Especially because later on I’ll want to negotiate vacation time!) Also, the timing is really bad. Friday is the first official day of school and I’m supposed to give an introduction speech in Japanese to the whole school! They have told me I can stay home, but even if I can’t talk I feel like I should be there. Just being present counts for a LOT in this culture! I just don’t think I can stay home when something so important is going on. And I can rest over the weekend now too so… I guess I’ll just wait and see. I’m less achy today, but my voice isn’t much better yet. At least I don’t have to start teaching until the second full week of Sept! One less thing to worry about!
So that’s the gist of it! I’m trying to recuperate, my laundry is piling up, and Steve and I are readjusting to living together in the shoebox that is our apt! But I’m excited to be brushing up on my Japanese skills and can’t wait to learn more kanji and I also found places where I can study kyudo (Japanese archery) and koto (traditional Japanese string instrument) once I get back on my feet. I should probably be thankful for being sick because at least I get some downtime before school begins in earnest, but it’s frustrating having no voice!
Ok, time to rest! I miss you all and love you! Please be in touch!

Ok, I didn't get a chance to go through my photos of the Tokae Matsuri (lantern festival?), so I'll wait to share all the craziness that ensured yesterday in Nara until later!
For now, since I'm super sleepy, I'll leave you with more oberservations on Japanese life and another pic from out my window the other day...




Week 2 observations...

-‘Loaves’ of bread at the supermarket are higher, far shorter (lengthwise), the slices are twice as thick, and the end pieces are missing. (Oh, and the bag ties at the top, not the side.)
-There's no stop signs at intersections, just convex mirrors set up so you can see if someone’s coming. (Does Europe have that too?)
-Lots of older ladies on mopeds.
-Elbow-length gloves are sold for protection against the sun for women. And many wear them. Even in ungodly humidity.
-No means of drying your hands in public restrooms. Even at my school there aren’t any paper towels or hand dryers. Most people carry little hand towels with them to dry hands and wipe the sweat from their brow when walking out in the sun.
-At some public toilets, you have pay for toilet paper outside. (You won’t find *any* inside! Yikes! More on this in my next post!)
-Many toilets are ‘Japanese style’, meaning they are porcelain, but shaped like a trough in the floor and you squat over it. I don’t mind them, but some people seem to have issues with them.
-‘Western style’ toilets- even in the public restrooms- have a control panel where you can choose from a bidet, 2 kinds of spray for your derriere, and a flushing ‘sound’. (Don’t ask me why you’d need *only* the flushing noise…) I’ve never taken advantage of any of these options.
-(If your apt is like mine) Your shower stall not only has your sink, but also a fan that can double as a dehumidifier and a dryer for your clothes.
-You don’t ‘sign’ you name, instead you pick out a stamp of your name (in kanji) called a hanko and certify it at city hall and always use that. (Don’t lose it! O_o)
-If you tell someone your family is from Ireland originally, they say, “Like JFK?”
-If you put too much money on a train fare ticket, you can put it in a ‘fare adjustment’ machine before you leave the station and get your extra money back. (Or if you didn’t pay enough you have to pay here in order to exit.)
-NHK, the public TV station, is optional and if you want it you’re required to pay for it on a monthly basis.
-Everyone has little charms on their cell phones (even men).
-When you pay for anything at the store, you put it in a little dish by the register instead of handing it over and the bag that your purchase is placed in is always taped shut and handed to you by the clerk with both hands and a bow.
-Vending machines for cigarettes in the mall… on the street… etc. (I still haven’t seen beer or manga in vending machines, though.)
-People wear clothes with lots of random English words: little kids with hats that say “Happy Town” or “fleshness” (mishaps with the ‘l’ and ‘r’ abound!), punk clothes that say things like, “Start your rebellion. I turn on my lamps”, or, my personal favorite, a teenage guy with a t-shirt that said, “My husband is 40”. (You can be sure he had no idea what it said!)
-Pastries are usually filled with sweet bean paste instead of jelly.
-A lot of restaurants won’t let you take unfinished food home.
-Baskin Robbins offers flavors like matcha (green tea) and black sesame and has almost as many sorbets as ice creams.
-Pizza Hut offers a sausage-stuffed crust pizza. (And I mean sausage links, not crumbled!)

Oyasumi nasai!

...zzzzzzzz...

This Week:
I’m feeling a little more confident in my surroundings now. I still feel like I’m going to get killed riding my bike on the narrow streets, but not as often as before!
I also bought a yukata at the mall and after asking my supervisor, Morii-sensei, about how to wear it, she asked around and eventually found another teacher who could show me how. Not many people know how to wear yukatas, and even less know how to wear a formal kimono. If women wear one at their weddings, etc. they usually have to find someone to dress them for the occasion. I wish I had had someone like that for my wedding! But I did ok under the circumstances! Anyway, the other teacher gave me a short lesson on wearing a yukata and how to tie the obi (the wide waistband that ties in the back). The obi that came with the yukata is ‘ready-made’, meaning that you don’t have to tie the bow in the back yourself- the bow comes already made and you just tack it on the back. It should be far easier for me to dress myself, but I plan on getting a regular obi eventually and learning how to tie it properly. Maybe I can even give lessons when I get back in the States if I get good enough!
It was funny the way the yukata lesson came about and I think it demonstrates a lot about Japanese culture. Morii-sensei had told me I could leave for home that day and I was halfway there when Iyazawa-sensei (who we had had lunch with and who also knew I was looking for someone to show me how to wear a yukata) came driving up beside me and told me they had found a teacher at the school to show me. When we got back, we found that Morii-sensei had also gone out to look for me and bring me back for the lesson! (She realized the other teacher had picked me up though and came back right away!)
On the one hand, this was incredibly nice of both these teachers to go out of their way to drive me back to school just so I could learn about the yukata. On the other hand, it totally could have waited until the next day, or at least I assume so, because the teacher who gave me the lesson is usually at school every day anyway. But it seems very much in keeping with the culture to go out of your way to make sure something is taken care of. Before we knew that there was another teacher to show me how to wear the yukata, Morii-sensei and Iyazawa-Sensei took me to the mall after lunch to look for instructional books and magazines on the subject. None of the mags had instructions about ready-made obis, only the traditional kind, but I bought one of them anyway for future reference and just because I felt obligated to after they had gone out of their way to help me.
Oh, I met my first Japanese friend that wasn’t someone from school today! I was at the mall (ok, so I hang out there a lot… I can’t help it! I needed socks and notebooks and… that cute hat I saw the other day that looks like its right out of an Ai Yazawa manga! :P) and a girl came up to me and asked if I was American, then asked what wrapping paper would be good for some gifts she was giving to friends in Texas. We started talking and it turns out she knew my predecessor, Samantha. They both went to the nearby gym, Cospa. So, her name is Keiko, she’s super friendly and teaches English at a cram school (its like night school for kids who want to get into good universities- they go to regular school all day and then get extra lessons at private ‘cram’ schools). She’s also dresses very trendy and hip- not one of these women who cover themselves head to toe to try and keep their pale skin and who never wear skirts above the knee. (Seriously, I saw a woman today in long black pants, long black sleeves, black gloves and a parasol! She looked like she was ready for winter and its sooo damn hot here!) Keiko’s English is very good too, which isn’t always the case even with English teachers! We exchanged emails and hopefully we’ll get together soon. It was fun to talk with someone who wasn’t as quiet as a lot of the teachers at my school. Not that they teachers aren’t talkative, but they have that usual Japanese way of speaking quietly or hesitantly and Keiko was very boisterous. It was a nice change.
I really should say that everyone at school is so wonderful, though! So don’t get me wrong! It’s just nice to talk with someone a little closer to me age.

About the food:

I’ve been very adventurous with my food lately. I kind of have to be. I’m always starving by the time Morii-sensei and I go out to lunch and I have to get used to the food here anyway. It’s really not that bad, either. I mean, there aren’t that many potent flavors in Japanese food so I don’t have to worry that much. Even the raw fish doesn’t have a strong taste, it’s just odd because you know it’s raw and the consistency is a bit odd sometimes.
The only thing I steer clear of is the pork. I think I already mentioned how it turns up all over the place and the issue I have is that its usually not cooked as well-done as I’d like it to be and it can be kind of chewy and fatty.

So, here’s some things I’ve eaten since I got to Japan (besides the sushi):
-Hiroshima-yaki: omelet stuffed with noodles, cabbage and (hidden) pork. I opted for no mayonnaise on top. *shudder*
-Okonomiyaki: Omelet/pancake stuffed with onions and squid. (*Cooked* squid. It really doesn’t taste like much of anything, so it’s really not that weird.)
-Shredded daikon: Japanese radish
-Lots of instant udon and soba noodles: similar to ramen
-Inari: sushi rice wrapped in tofu pockets- I had these in the States
-Kombu onigiri: rice balls stuffed with kombu seaweed and wrapped in nori or sushi seaweed
-Mochi: rice pounded into a glutinous consistency. It’s usually rolled into little balls and stuffed with sweet bean paste… they are good! But, again, I had them at home, so they’re not new.
-‘American style’ pizza (kinda undercooked, like so many things here) and spaghetti.
I have to say here that the foreign-style restaurants are just as weird as you’d expect. The menu for both the Italian-style café and the American-style restaurant consisted mostly of beef patties with different toppings (a bit like a skillet) and other oddities like curry soup with rice and hard-boiled eggs. I had the gelato at the Italian place and it was so artificially flavored that it was just like flavored ice. I think some of my headaches are not only from sometimes not eating enough, but from all the additives. It’s not like I ate totally organic in the States, but at least a good portion of my food didn’t have too many preservatives or additives. Here, even if some items are natural, I don’t know the kanji that would indicate that so I’m outta luck.

Learning Japanese:
This brings me to the fact that I still haven’t had a chance to sit down and review my Japanese, and I seriously need to do it. However, I’m starting to think that I will never be a fluent speaker. You might think I’m just being pessimistic (I have only been here 2 weeks), but I’m not. I’m not adventurous when it comes to speaking Japanese. You can get by with surprisingly little and still be understood, so unless you put yourself out there, you aren’t going to improve and I’m very bad about sticking my neck out when it comes to conversation. Even if I do improve, chances are that once I get back to the States, I won’t have all that much opportunity to practice my Japanese and I will probably forget a great deal. However, I do feel confident that I could probably make very good headway when it comes to reading the language. And this is a skill I can practice alone if needs be once I get back home.
For most people, its easier to learn to speak a language than read or write it, especially Japanese, with its 3 writing systems. However, I’m much better with things that I can learn on my own and being surrounded by signs in Japanese all day and having to grocery shop, etc., is really going to help me. More importantly, I’ve learned that I really like kanji.
Before I go on, I’m going to give a brief synopsis of the Japanese writing system. If you’re already familiar or just don’t care, you can skip it! So, Japan didn’t have its own writing system until it came into contact with China. (This is why it’s so damn hard to know anything about early Japanese culture, since they really didn’t have writing at all for quite some time.) Then they simply adapted the Chinese ‘kanji’ characters to the Japanese language. Later, a phonetic alphabet was created (hiragana). Some say it was developed by the women of the court who were often excluded from learning how to write and decided to start a system of their own, but I don’t know if this is true. Anyway, a second phonetic alphabet was thrown into the mix at some point (katakana). It’s similar to the first, but more angular and is used for foreign words, scientific words, and when emphasis is needed (which is why you see it in advertising so often).
So, today this leaves us with a very complicated writing system! Books for younger readers will have more hiragana, but as you get older, more and more characters are replaced with kanji and if you pick up a newspaper, you’ll probably have to know over 1,000 kanji to read it. I know the hiragana and katakana ok (if I review it, I’ll have it down), but I don’t know many kanji. When I started shopping for food, I looked up the kanji for words like ‘meat’, ‘pork’, etc. The kanji stand more for concepts than specific words, though. So, for instance, the kanji for ‘high school’ is ‘high’ + ‘education’ (I think) and the word in Japanese is koukou. However, if you say ‘that building is high’, the word for ‘high’ is takai, but when you write the word you use the same kanji. Did I explain that alright? Basically, it means that you could (hypothetically) learn how to read a word in kanji, but never actually know the Japanese translation for it! Most people would learn that high=takai, then they would learn how to write it in hiragana, then how to write it in the more complex kanji character. However, for myself, it’s easier to learn what a kanji character stands for in English, and then learn the Japanese word for it later. In the long run, this would also mean that I would probably be able to read better than I can speak in Japanese. And that’s ok with me. As long as I know where my strengths lie, that’s where I’ll concentrate. It’s great being exposed to so many kanji on a daily basis because you really get used to seeing them in context, not just on some worksheet in class. And I like them, they’re like little pictures! So I’m going to focus a lot of effort into learning kanji. I’ll work on my conversational skills as well, of course! It’s completely frustrating to have so much trouble communicating on a daily basis and I feel bad that Morii-sensei constantly has to translate for me.
Anyway, its after 9pm, which means its getting late for me, so I better go! I’ll have lots of pictures coming in the next week because I’m going to a festival this weekend and I’ll be in the cities of Nara and Osaka next week to sight see. I wish Steve was here this week because I’ll have waaaaay more free time than next week, but oh well!
Hope everyone is well!

Ja ne!
Erin

Well, I thought a typhoon was coming today (there's like 3 hovering near Japan) and I ran out to get some groceries, but I think it just might miss the Kansai area. (Hope so, riding my bike or walking in the rain will not be fun!) So even though there was supposed to be rain, we had a gorgeous sunset!




I also have to admit that I spent a little bit of money at the mall today! I bought a skirt (which I can wear to work) and a yukata (light kimono) which I'm hoping to wear to the Tokae Matsuri this weekend- its like a lantern festival or something. One thing I love shopping here, everything is in my size! Like, the default clothing and shoe size is my size! For instance, the yukata came with shoes and I bought it without even trying them on because I knew they would fit me! It makes it even more tempting to buy stuff! *hehehe*


Anyway, I've been online too long! I just got my Skype account set up, so I'll be making some calls soon. Although Skype seems a bit fickle and doesn't like to work sometimes.

Anyway, I'll leave you with a few observations/ differences about Japan:

-Everyone backs into car spaces.
-People really are as subtle/ indirect as they say. (Take a suggestion as a statement or command, it will make your life way easier.)
-All bikes come with metal baskets in front.
-Even though they say ‘Japan isn’t that safe, be careful’, parents will leave little kids unattended at by the video games at the mall and just go and shop wherever.
-Some malls don’t have walls dividing stores from the rest of the shopping center.
-Vending machines everywhere.
-VERY narrow streets, they should be one-way, but they’re not. People bike on both sides of the street and you better be damn careful because the gutters are more like deep gullies and are about 1-2 feet deep right next to the road. It’s so tight when you’re biking in places that I accidentally rammed into someone’s side-view car mirror. Oops…
-Even public buildings will often not have A/C. School hallways don’t either, just the offices.
-Smoking is allowed *everywhere*. In the city hall, in hotel hallways, fast food joints, everywhere. The airport has its own, separate smoking room, as does the teacher’s office. We even had a separate ash try in the hotel bathrooms. I guess some people just have to have that drag as soon as they get out of the shower.
-Grocery stores have more fish than meat. Fruit is insanely expensive: over $10 for a cantaloupe, about $1 for a single apple… and I think most are packed with preservatives.
-They can change the equivalent of almost $100 bill at a convenience store without blinking an eye.
-High School kendo competitions on TV. (and sumo, and go)
-Parasols are as common as umbrellas and come with UV protection like sunglasses. I adore them- I've always wanted a parasol and they were on sale at the mall too, so I have 2 now and I'm tempted to by more! *No, no, stop!* They are just soooo cute an girly!
-All main walkways, corners and public buildings have rows of bumps in the concrete (I’ll have to take a pic). I heard they were for the blind, so they would know where there are crosswalks, stairs, etc. Braille for your feet. Go figure.
-The biscuits at KFC have holes in them like donuts and you eat them with maple syrup instead of butter!

Ok, so let me catch up to speed here. When I last saw everyone, I said that I would be leaving for Japan Friday morning… I was a day ahead of myself as it turned out. Steve and I got to the hotel and I realized my mistake. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, if I had been a day behind, I would have been… [insert expletive here]. As it was, we decided to impose on Cecilia and Mic (Steve’s sis and bro-in-law if you don’t know ‘em) that night, since they live nearby O’Hare, but we had the whole day with nothing to do. I thought, ‘maybe we can get something to eat and find a shady spot to park the car and take a nap’. Steve had grander plans. He suggested we go to Six Flags. We weren’t far away and I’ve been dying to go for the last few years but never could because of my neck probs from massage. So, we hopped up to the amusement park! We got on one ride and it rained, but that was fine. It was hot anyway and the park cleared out so that we got on a lot of rides even though he came in the afternoon. I was pretty damn tired by that evening though and in retrospect, it was probably not the best way to prepare for a 14hr flight. But it was fun!
So, we flew out of O’Hare to Detroit, then straight to Tokyo. I sat next to a nice Japanese business man who warned me that I’d have trouble getting into an onsen (hot spring) with my tattoos. But I’ve asked around since then and it seems that as long as you cover them up and go to a small, less traditional onsen, you can still get in. He’d actually taken a group of born-again, ex-yakuza types to an onsen and they had let them in, tattoos and all, so its not hopeless. And the larger, more traditional onsens don’t usually allow gaijin (foreigners) in anyway.
The flight itself wasn’t bad. There were movies and I got up to mingle with other JETs by the lavatory until we were shooed away for disturbing the business class people nearby! I just thought of the flight as a long car trip and I didn’t even need all my reading materials. However, the last 2 hours I got very, very tired. It was late at night Chicago time and I was fading fast.
We got off the plane, got our luggage and waited in line for buses to the hotel. We goofed around in line and it was nice to have some fresh air (see pic).



The bus ride was another hour at least and by the end of it, I felt like crap. Some people slept on the plane, so they were ok. (Or else I’m just showing my age, but geez, I’m not THAT old!) We got weighed down with a load of orientation materials and some of the people helping out literally patted me on the back because I looked so worn out. The fatigue made me emotional too. I almost cried both getting on and off the plane to Japan because I missed Steve so much! I even had an empty seat next to me, like it was there just for him. And I met other married couples. Oddly, in all of them, it was the wives who were JETs and the husband who were coming along for the ride! One couple was together on the flight and I was sooo jealous! It seems they had contacted the same travel agency the JET Program used and had gotten a great deal on the same flight and hotel in Tokyo as well. I was pissed. Sorry to curse, but I was. The JET Program had made it sound like it would break the bank to bring your spouse along to the orientation, so I was not happy. It made me miss Steve all the more to know I’d been cheated out of his presence. And that empty seat next to me… we could have been together for the whole damn flight.
But I’m wandering. Back to Tokyo.
I didn’t really feel like I was there because I was so tired. Some people actually went out that night. Most just went to grab something to eat, but I heard about some people who stayed out almost all night. Whatever. I went straight to bed. No food, I just wanted sleep. I was asleep by 9:30pm Tokyo time. I have a pic of a cat that demonstrates how I felt upon arrival…





The hotel was super nice, though. There's a pic of the lobby.





The next 3 days we had orientation and I ditched some meetings to go to Harajuku the second day. It’s one of the shopping districts. I don’t have pics because I forgot my camera, but that’s where the Gothic Lolita store was. I bought some clothes, which I think I can wear to work… at least that’s how I rationalized it! The sale prices were great, though. The group of us also walked to a little park and saw some koi fish and little turtles. Very cute. It was good to get out and see all the Tokyo fashion.
The next night the group of Nara JETs (Nara is the prefecture I’m living in) went out for drinks and a bit of food (see pic).



The place we were at was in another shopping district, Shinjuku. (see pic)



I had someone order spring rolls for me, which turned out to be these chewy mushrooms wrapped in pork. I let my friend Matt eat them. That’s one odd thing here- there’s hidden pork in all the food. Even if it doesn’t say there’s pork, chances are they’ll be little bits of it somewhere in the dish. Vegetarians beware!
The next day we were finally off to our respective prefectures. All the Nara JETs took the bullet train (shinkansen) to Kyoto and then a local train to Nara city. Although you can usually time your watch by the train schedule, our train to Nara was *really* delayed. We got into the hotel then there was more orientation: ‘don’t drive if you don’t have to, you should learn Japanese, if you get caught driving drunk or even in the car, you’re screwed and loose you’re job…blah, blah, blah. There wasn’t any dinner provided, so our supervisors said they’d take us out to eat. This sounds nice of them, but when we arrived at the restaurant everyone discovered that, not only did we have to pay for ourselves, but it was ‘family’ style with large platters of traditional food that even people who had been to Japan before didn’t like to eat. And it was exceedingly expensive- the most money I dropped since arriving in Japan in fact. Moreover, I was so tired and worn and hungry that I think my blood sugar was slow and right after the food came and I downed a ginger ale, I started feeling light-headed and dizzy. I seriously was worried I was going to faint. So Ana (a fellow married JET from Atlanta) said she would walk me home. She didn’t really want to be out either. So we both paid the equivalent to over $30 for nothing. I went to my room and ate my roommate’s animal crackers for dinner. I was pretty upset. It was not a good night.
The next day we all met our school supervisors and drove to our individual towns. My supervisor, Morii-sensei, is very nice- as are everyone at my school, Kashiba High. She’s been so helpful and took me out to eat several times. Once for omanomiyaki, the specialty of the area. She called it Japanese pizza, but its more like a stuffed omelet. I got one with udon noodles and cabbage, which I guess is more Hiroshima-style than Kansai-style. (Kansai or Kinki is the region in which Nara, Kyoto and especially Osaka are located. They have a different dialect and are known for being more straightforward and more conservative. Think of it like the American 'South', only in Japan.)
The first night alone in my apt was the worst. You’re cut off from everything and everyone you know. Now that I’ve biked around town a bit and learned how to get the internet in the apt, I feel much better. The whole venture is a lot like starting college life, though: you feel outside your comfort zone in a whole new world where you don’t have any friends yet and you don’t know how to get around or how to shop for yourself. I’m eating like a poor college kid again. Lots of instant ramen, canned soups and bread. And the apt is about the size of a dorm room too!
Friday was the first day I actually felt like I was in Japan. Morii-sensei took me out to eat with her family (husband and twins). We were going to go to an Italian restaurant, but it was closed because the chef injured himself. I’m not quite sure how an Italian place in Japan would be like… Anyway, they suggested sushi or American-style burgers. I went with the sushi- what the hell, right? I mean, I’m in Japan! We had our own little room and they ordered the works for all the adults. I gotta say, being in Japan is really breaking me of my picky eating habits. I mean, if someone is taking you out to eat and you’re starving and they’re treating and you want to be polite, you eat what’s in front of you!
For me, this was: 1) Cucumber with some weird spicy miso rice on top, 2) awesome cooked eggplant from Kyoto with a sweet soy sauce, 3) green apple sorbet, and- the kicker- 4) the sushi. I ate almost ALL my sushi, which included cooked eel (I had tried this before so I began here), cooked swordfish (I think?), raw salmon, raw tuna, and raw squid. I did not care for the squid. Very chewy and weird. The other raw fish, with the pickled ginger, soy sauce and a good cocktail to wash it down, was pretty good. But still weird.
I have to say, though, that after eating the fish, I felt really, really good. My head was more clear than it had been since I arrived in Japan. The fish was not only very high quality, but I think my body is really protein-deprived and the fish just did wonders for me. And it settled in my stomach just fine.
So there you have it! I’ve been indoctrinated into the world of Japanese food!
Now, as for today, I’m nervous about my first day at school tomorrow. School doesn’t officially begin until Sept 1st, but I have to be in the office with all the teachers to make lesson plans and stuff. I’ll feel much better when I’m confident in the route to the school. I made a trial run yesterday on my bike and got lost. (And nearly run over, but I’ll get to that.) I ended up asking a woman at the post office (customer, not worker) ‘where is Kashiba high school’ in Japanese, but I don’t know the language well enough to understand directions yet! I was just going by gestures- this way, that way, etc. She was sooo nice, though! She asked her husband(?) and he took about ten minutes to draw me a map with a few English words he knew. I got the gist of it and thanked them over and over for their help. I got back on my bike and was halfway there when I saw the husband on the corner- they had gotten in their car and waited for me at the main turn to make sure I found my way! Super nice people.
By the time I got to the school, though. I was worried I had pushed myself too much in the heat. It can get near 100 degrees here with almost 100% humidity on certain days. I stopped twice at one of the many, many vending machines and got water. I went back a different road so that I didn’t go out of my way and I really hope I remember it right tomorrow. I’m giving myself an hour, which should be more than enough even if I get lost because I think it will normally only take me about 20-30 min. to get there.
Yesterday I also found a local bookstore and wanted to give myself a little reward for all my hard efforts by buying a manga. Alas, they didn’t have much or a selection and didn’t have the titles I was looking for. I did see this awesome cat magazine, though, called ‘Neko’ and I bought it! My first truly frivolous purchase in Japan! But it made me smile and laugh, so I thought it was worth it. And I’m telling you, they know how to do ‘cute’ in Japan and the kittens in this mag are ‘totemo kawaii’ (very cute)! I can’t wait to show Steve some of the pics, he’ll love it!

So, that pretty muxh brings us up to date.
I forgot that tonight was the start of one of the many festivals in August. All day people were walking around in yukata (the light summer kimono) and heading for Nara city. They just let off a whole bunch of fireworks and I was able to see them from my apt! I stepped outside when I heard them and one of my neighbors was out on as well- a girl that was around my age I guess. She greeted me with a warm ‘konbanwa’ (good evening). I felt bad I couldn’t say anything else but konbanwa back and then a ‘kirei, ne?’ (‘pretty, huh?’) and ‘oyasumi nasai’ (good night) afterwards.
There were also a couple families outside watching the show and I got that warm fuzzy feeling as I stood there in the steamy night air. It was that, ‘people are the same all over the world’ kind of feeling. Even if I don’t fit in with the customs and can’t speak the language, everyone likes fireworks! *L* It was just nice to have that common, neighborhood feel around me again. And I’m really looking forward to taking part in some of the festivals later in the month now!
Sleep calls! Oyasumi nasai, minna-san! (good night everyone!)

Well, I'm finally in Japan! Actually, I've been here for a few days, but now I've reached my little apartment and started to settle in. I use the term "settle" loosely because I feel decidedly UNsettled. I have pretty severe jet lag and haven't been able to eat very well since I arrived. I almost passed out at dinner last night. And without Steve here my loneliness is much worse than it normally would be. It's not just being in a different culture, its starting a new job that I'm not sure I'm really going to enjoy and suddenly being dropped in a place where I don't no a soul for several time zones over.
Being in Tokyo for the orientation was fun, though! I have pictures from some of the shopping districts I was able to get to and I'll post those soon. (I saw my first Gothic Lolita store and actually jumped up and down!) There's so much that's happened in so short a time it will take several posts before I'm caught up, but I should have some free time over the weekend, so that will work out well. I mainly wish I had more time to recuperate after the 14 hr plane ride before they started in with these long orientations that last few days, though. Its almost impossible to be excited about being here when I'm so fatigued. It doesn't help that the one window in my apt is fogged glass so I can't see out unless I open it and, well, its hotter than hell here, so that's not really practical.
Anyway, it will be really nice when I get to know my way around and can visit a few places to sight see. I know I'll feel better soon, I just need to catch my breath and get to know the place. I do love the idea that I'm in Japan! (It would be nicer if I didn't have to worry about work though! *L*)
Ja ne! (later!)
Erin