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!)
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!)
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