Midterm debriefing

みんなさん,今晩は！ (Good evening, everyone!) So, it’s been a couple of weeks since I posted to let everybody know that I was going to Tokyo on spring break. Not only did I make it back alive, but I have a few interesting stories to tell. Unfortunately, if I tried to type out every single thing that happened, I’d be here all night, and since I have to go on a field trip with my art history class tomorrow, I really can’t afford to do that. So, I’m going to have to pare down the details and relate only the most interesting stuff, with perhaps a few excursuses in between. (You thank thank Ms. Deborah “Bee” Mueffelmann for introducing me to Dictionary.com’s “Word of the Day” mailing list. )

Unfortunately, the trip began with some bad news in the form of a phone call from Japanese customs office. My dad had sent some medicine via FedEx, but he accidentally enclosed more than is permissible by Japanese law to enter the country at one time (3 months instead of 2 months). I had two choices, they said: pay $50 for them to destroy some of the medicine and forward the rest to me, or have them send the whole thing back to the States. I thought at the time that it would be faster and cheaper to simply pay the fine; however, there was a catch. First, they had to send me a confirmation form by mail that I needed to sign and return before they could ship my pills. Lovely. I would be in Tokyo the whole week. Oh well, I thought, it’s the only way. Jumping ahead a bit, this Monday I picked up the letter from my school mailbox, signed the papers, and sent them back immediately. There was no enclosed return address, so I used the one on the envelope in which the papers came. Yesterday (Friday), I got a phone call from them asking whether I received the form because they hadn’t gotten it back yet. I said I sent it on Monday. Oh, they said, it probably got lost. We’ll have to send you another one. So, in my best Japanese–pulling out stuff I learned ages ago and fusing it with stuff I learned that week–I attempted to explain that I really, really needed those pills and asked if there was any way they could send them without the form. Thankfully, the woman on the other end understood, and she replied in a very concerned, Japanese voice that she could not help me. It was a Japanese custom (she meant that it was a customs office policy but probably thought I wouldn’t know what she meant or didn’t know how to explain it), and I had to send the form. Therefore, I am waiting for the next installment and have not taken any medicine for about four days plus only half doses for a week before that. Dad says not to worry, but I’m rather tense. I’m seriously considering taking the forms in person to Kansai Airport’s FedEx office on Tuesday–assuming the papers arrive by then.

Aaaanyway, back to Tokyo. The initial group consisted of Sach, Wei, Nick, and me. Trevor had arrived on Sunday and booked a different hotel than ours. After disembarking from the shinkansen, we met up with him that evening in Roppongi and, after a very brief foray, decided to eat at TGIFriday’s on the main drag. Ladies and gentlemen, I want you to understand the sheer joy of that meal–despite the price–and it can be summed up best, I believe, in two words: “FREE REFILLS!!!” In Japan, that is absolutely unHEARD of. Despite the smaller portions and higher prices, the food was just as yummy as back home. Needless to say, we had a great time.

Our hotel was called “Hotel Juyoh,” and for 3200 yen a night, it was well-supplied with amenities. Free Internet access via wireless and computers in the lobby, a robe, TV and fridge in room, all the tea you could drink! The rooms were matchbook-sized but comfy… except for the pillow. Japanese pillows are pretty much beanbags, if you can believe it. Traditionally, the Japanese have slept on sacks filled with rice grains, and apparently they never took to the softer, Western style. Go figure. After discovering how much the “pillow” made my head hurt, I used the small floor cushion next to my desk. It worked MUCH better. The only other problem with the hotel was its policy of cleaning rooms every two days. Don’t get me wrong, I love a clean room as much as the next foreign college student in Tokyo, but whoever was responsible for throwing away my earplugs deserves to be shot. But yeah. Nice place.

The next day, the group split up. Sach and Wei wanted to see Tokyo Disney, so they joined up with some other Sem 4 people who were staying in the same hotel as we were. For the rest of the week, it was just Nick, Trev, and I wandering around Tokyo. We spent Tuesday mainly in Akihabara, the electronics district of Tokyo. Basically just a bigger version of Osaka’s Den-Den Town. Duty-free shops, manga-ya, “DVD” (porn) stores, and tons upon tons of computers/appliances/general technology. Not terribly impressive, really. The prices were a mixed bag, i.e. some things were more expensive than America while others were cheaper. It was hit or miss, really. Still, Sach managed to find a PS3 there, and Robert (who came up the next day to visit his girlfriend and buy a new laptop) found a great deal on his new computer. Oh, and one more thing. Trev and I got to play a Gundam simulator in one of the Sega arcades. Totally awesome. You get to sit in a pod-like thing with two control sticks and pedals and an earpiece to talk to your teammates in the pods next to you. The screen wraps around 180 degrees! Futuristic robotic combat that puts me in the cockpit? Yes, please!

Wednesday afternoon was spent in Harajuku, and that night was spent in Ginza. Harajuku was interesting… we went to a lot of weird clothing stores, mostly goth-loli stuff. Trev bought a jacket with more pockets than an opossum and its extended family (with similar coloration). Not many cosplay kids were out that day because it was a weekday, but there was no lack of interesting characters in all manner of clothing and hair styles. If there’s any one place in the world to see humanity acting out its wildest fashion whims, it’s Harajuku. You can see some of the pictures I took of goth clothing on my Flickr page. Matter of fact, all my Tokyo pics are uploaded, but I still want to get some from Nick and Trev. Anyway, in Ginza that evening, we went looking for a nice restaurant to eat and found an excellent spaghetti joint in the Sony building. For $12 I got some tasty spaghetti carbonara and a tiny glass of the mildest white wine I’d ever had. *shrug* I didn’t expect to find good wine in Tokyo. Not a bad evening, all in all.

Thursday was very disappointing. We took trains all the way out west to Shinjuku in hopes of being able to catch a bus to Mt. Fuji after reading in our travel guidebooks that the mountain was open to climbers in the spring as long as they left a travel plan at a ranger station at the base. Alas, the rules have apparently changed since our books were written. The ticket agent for Fuji tours told us we couldn’t even get near the mountain until July when the snows are melted and climbing season officially starts. Poop on toast. We decided we didn’t want to go out there if we couldn’t climb the mountain, so we forsook the distance photo ops in favor of a trip to the Imperial Gardens near Tokyo Station. The gardens were absolutely gorgeous, and since they were closed on Friday, we wouldn’t have gotten to see them if we hadn’t skipped Fuji. Providence, I’m sure. That night, I don’t remember in which district we ate dinner, but I remember that it was a cozy American-style place called “Doobie’s,” after the Doobie Brothers. They even had a recording studio upstairs! Quite satisfying, and we desperately needed a place to chill out after being on our feet all day. Trev parted ways with us there because he wanted to stay the night in an Internet cafe, “for the experience.” In Japan, Internet cafes are pretty posh. For less than $20, you can rent a room with a computer, game consoles, unlimited game rentals, snacks and drinks, and even a blanket and pillows for several hours. It’s actually a really cheap and fairly comfortable way to spend the night, even though you don’t get a full night’s rest. I kinda wished I’d checked one out.

Friday we went to the Tokyo sword museum and Ueno park before catching the Shinkansen home. The sword museum was… wow, I cannot possibly describe to you my joy and rapture at seeing so many perfectly preserved blades, hilts, and fittings from centuries upon centuries of Japanese history. I felt like a little kid again–but with a longer attention span that allowed me to meticulously examine every single one of the displays. Trev and Nick were past ready to leave by the time I had finished walking around the room. Heh, it was totally worth it. Ueno park was really pretty and very large with lots of temples, shrines, and the Tokyo National Museum. The cherry trees weren’t blooming yet (they’ll be open next week. I’ll take plenty of pics), but we still enjoyed the warm weather and scenery. After a brief lunch of takoyaki (not nearly as good as the Osaka folks make it), we checked out the heiseikan of the museum, which houses the historical artifacts. I got to see things like the haniwa and dotaku that I studied in art history class, in addition to a bunch of other fascinating items from all eras of Japan’s history. I was in heaven. Finally, we caught a shinkansen back to Osaka, getting back to the dorm late in the evening. I think we all pretty much collapsed. Of course, there were lots more intervening details, but I’ll save those for telling when I come home.

Since then, I’ve just been getting back in the swing of things, resuming my usual schedule. Sach and Jacquelyn were baptized at Pastor Takeshi’s house today, and we had a wonderful communion service afterwards–their first. I cannot possibly express how joyous and happy the whole affair was, and I felt deeply encouraged and moved by being able to participate in the welcoming of two nascent believers into the body of Christ. Tomorrow, Sach and I will go on a field trip with our art history class to Kyoto to examine some Buddhist art in a couple of temples dating to the Heian period. It should be interesting, as usual, but after the downpours the whole area received this evening, it might be slightly mucky and uncomfortable walking around all day.

Now that you’re all up to date, it’s time for me to say, “Oyasumi!” Time for bed. Goodnight! Don’t forget to check pictures and videos if you haven’t already!

It’s spring break!

Hey everybody! I just wanted to leave a short note letting you all know that I’m heading off to Tokyo tomorrow afternoon for five days, accompanied by the illustrious Trevor, the suave Sach, the enigmatic Wei, and the punctilious Nick. We’re staying in an inexpensive but modern ryokan (Japanese-style inn) outside of the Asakusa district, about 20 minutes by train from the main loop around Tokyo. We have no solid plans as of yet, except a day tour of Mt. Fuji on Thursday, but we’re certainly not lacking in options. We expect to return sometime Friday evening.

Also, I have uploaded new videos to YouTube! I have a few clips of a brief tour around Houryuji, one of the oldest temples in Japan. Sach, Ben, Eric, Kevin, and I went two weeks ago on a field trip with the rest of our art history class and thoroughly enjoyed it. The quality of my camera’s video in bright light is atrocious, but I hope you’ll still like what you see. Also, there is one video of the speech given by Yamaoka-san, the atomic bomb survivor whose program my history professor’s classes attended last weekend in Hiroshima. Pictures are coming this next weekend or week, but please enjoy the very brief video in the meantime. I have about 15 minutes of footage, but I can’t find a video conversion software that will allow me to encode more than five minutes without paying something. I may be able to split it into chunks, though… I’ll look into it.

Time for bed! I’ve got an early day tomorrow. Nick and I are going to attempt to see the sumo tournament for a few hours before heading off to Tokyo. If we can get there early enough, we can get cheap seats. *sigh* I haven’t gotten nearly enough sleep lately… Oh well. This should be worth it. Catch you later!

At last, some news!

Hey everybody! Finally have the time and discipline to sit down and type something of actual substance to you. Basically, things here are going quite well, although I’m very busy with school work and all the other activities that I get involved in on a daily basis. Japanese classes are very difficult, particularly reading and writing class. I haven’t had the best luck on my quizzes and tests recently, except for my composition test that received an “A”. That was an interesting experience in itself, actually. Our assignment was to write a paragraph or two on anything about our lives as students using a full page of standard block paper (paper with lines of blocks for writing individual characters vertically) in class without a dictionary. We were urged to write an essay beforehand and memorize it so that we would be able to finish within the time allowed and make the essay as well-composed as possible. I made an A- with only a couple of mistakes, but still. Taking the murky thoughts in my head, which are by habit translated instantly into English, and flipping the switches to Japanese, it’s quite a feat. I never, ever, EVER though I would hear myself say this, but I am really tired of speaking Japanese.

Anyway, back to the more interesting things. I’ve been to several different places on trips over the weekend, as you’ve noticed from my pictures. Toudai-ji, Asuka Shrine, Nara Kouen, Houryuji, etc. All of those have been awesome, but I think you probably get the gist of what went on by looking at the pictures and commentary. What you haven’t been able to see is all of the other outings I’ve been on that haven’t been really scenic. For instance, this last weekend, I went with some people to one of our favorite restaurants in Hirakata-shi called Zanbo, otherwise known as “the 280 place,” so called because every item on the menu costs 280 yen. It’s a gimmick, but it’s a good one. Only problem is, the servings are kind of small. I order one or two, depending on how hungry I am, and usually a drink, as well. They have something called a triple berry sour that is absolutely a-MAZ-ing. My friend Molly introduced me to them, and usually only she and I drink them. Everyone else has beer. Actually, I have found one beer that I like–one single brand–called Asahi Super Dry. It’s actually a little sweet and not dry at all. I don’t know why they call it that. Figures that the one beer I’ve ever tried and actually enjoyed would be Japanese, doesn’t it? But anyway, the 280 place is great.

A couple of weekends ago, we went to the 280 place and to karaoke afterwards. Let me tell you, that was one of the most fun nights I have had so far. I spent quite a lot that night, but it was worth it to have such a great time with my friends. The place we went to karaoke was called The Karaoke Room, and it’s across the street from the 280 place. It’s called The Karaoke Room because you pay money per hour to rent a small room with couches, a TV, and a sound system to sing. It’s very cool, if tiny and not incredibly soundproofed. They also have something called nomohoudai, which means “all you can drink.” The alcoholic bevarages covered under that plan, though, barely have three drops of alcohol actually in them. They’re mostly flavoring and water. Of course, that just means that people keep ordering a ton of them, hah. But anyway, we sang lots of fun songs. You’d be surprised how many modern songs in English they have in their machines here in Japan. This is big business here for businessmen and clients, so they try to keep things up to date and build a comprehensive database. Third Eye Blind, Nirvana, Chumbawumba, Dave Matthews Band, just to name a few, on top of a ton of older bands and artists like The Eagles, Bob Dylan, Depeche Mode, and Chicago. They had a surprising number of songs from Chicago, for whatever reason. I decided to put them to good use, since I’m pretty sure they don’t get played much. Everybody loved my rendition of “Look Away,” quite possibly the sappiest, lamest 80s ballad in existence–but that’s precisely why it was so much fun to parody. I think somebody even got camera pictures, but I don’t have access to them. Sorry. Good times, good times. If only the whole night had cost a little less than $20… *shrug* It was worth it.

I’ve been making a lot of new friends recently in my own seminar house, and my social life is rounding out nicely. I have plans with some of them to go to Okinawa for four days over spring break, then probably up to Tokyo to climb Mt. Fuji over the last two days. The trip to Okinawa is part of a travel package from the local travel agency where we get groups of four people and only have to pay $400 for round-trip tickets and a hotel. I am incredibly excited. This is going to be my greatest adventure yet, right next to riding my bike down to Hirakata-shi by myself for the first time.

Which reminds me… Riding a bike in Japan is dangerous. Just wanted to reinforce that point. I am alive only by the grace of God day to day. And another thing! *ahem*

Dear Nihonjin,

I would like to humbly request that you all get together and decide which side of the road pedestrians should walk on. The common sense rule says that you should walk on the right side of the road so that you can see traffic. However, since the flow of traffic is on the left side, you might also be justified in walking down that side. Nevertheless, having pedestrians going both directions on both sides of the sidewalk and road is very confusing and dangerous, not only for motorists but also for cyclists, who have to share your same space.

Furthermore, I have noticed that you all have some unsettling and unhealthy tendency to throw yourselves in the way of oncoming bicycles. No matter which way I attempt to swerve to avoid you, you choose to move the same direction. Moreover, there appears to be no consensus about which direction you should dodge first. I further request, then, that you all come to some agreement about avoidance of bicycle traffic on the sidewalks. Juke left or juke right, but keep it consistent so that we don’t have to come to a complete stop to avoid you. Basically, it seems to me as though you people all have a death wish and lie awake at night imagining what it would be like to be mangled in the spokes of my front wheel. One of these days, honestly, I’m just going to run you over and see how you like it. I bet then you’ll figure out quick to let the bicycle choose which way to go around you instead of you attempting to second guess the driver of the faster moving object. Idiots.

Thank you very much for your time and attention.

Sincerely,

Joshua Manning

And now, a few interesting cultural notes:

– It is very impolite to put chopsticks staight upwards in your rice. This is because bowls of rice that are put on altars for the remembrance of the dead are traditionally placed with the chopsticks straight up and down in them. Doing so in front of another person at the dinner table is roughly equivalent to indicating you wish he would die.

– The Japanese do not put soy sauce directly on their rice. That is more of a Chinese custom. The Japanese eat bowls of sticky rice plain or with a dipping sauce, but never with soy sauce simply poured on top. Gaijin (foreigners) can do it, but the nihonjin (Japanese people) who see it will cringe. Best not to offend if you’re at a nice meal with Japanese friends.

– When you enter a Japanese store, walk past a stall on the street, or even approach the cashier at a grocery store, the tenin (store workers) will say to you “Irasshaimase!” That is, “Please come in!” It’s a very common polite greeting in a culture where the customer is considered king. Funny thing is, there’s no reply. Japanese people don’t say anything back! Many other students and I find ourselves searching for some appropriate response, but it’s not like in America where the cashier says “Hi! How are you today?” and you can simply reply, “Hello! I’m fine, thank you.” As a matter of fact, most Japanese ignore store workers altogether unless they want to buy something. And once they have, they rarely say “Thank you”! For a culture so obsessed with politeness, I still find it baffling that they ignore such simple rules of common courtesy.

– On trains and buses, Japanese don’t speak much. It’s almost always very quiet. Oh sure, parents will talk to children and friends will lean over and have some conversations, but it’s always in very hushed tones. The two standard positions for Japanese people on public transportation are with heads down, sleeping, or heads down, reading a book. Strange, to an American. Also, there are signs everywhere asking people not to use their cell phones on trains, but people do it all the time. Apparently, even people in a strict, law-abiding society find rules they don’t mind ignoring.

– Japanese people don’t wash their hands with soap. You read that right. Very few bathrooms have soap or towels or blow dryers. If they have soap, they still won’t have anything to dry their hands. Most Japanese people carry around hankachi, or handkerchiefs, in their pockets or purses to dry their hands with. Interestingly, that’s the only thing they’re used for. It’s rude to blow your nose with them, and instead, they carry tissues.

– Umbrellas are cheap and ubiquitous. Japanese people think nothing or losing or breaking an umbrella because they can dash into the nearest conveni (convenience store) and buy a new one for 500 yen ($4.30). Of course, some people have a favorite umbrella they try to hold on to, but most people carry very inexpensive ones that they can afford to replace. Cyclists can be seen riding with one hand on the handlebars and another holding up an umbrella (they also ride while talking on cell phones, even though it’s illegal). When it’s not raining, they stick the wrapped up umbrella between bars of the bike frame to hold it in place while they ride. At the entrances to many buildings, they have umbrella racks near the doors for public use. Some are long boxes with holes in the top, others are tiered racks where umbrellas can be hung on bars. One such rack I saw at Nara Kouen had clips around each hanging place on the rack with keys fitted in the side. You could turn the key to close the clip around your umbrella, then remove the key to keep anyone from stealing it. Just be sure to keep the key with you, or else you might have to pay a fee to make a new one. Very fancy.

– The Japanese love convenience stores, espeically ones that advertise as 100 yen stores or 200 yen, etc., kind of like dollar stores in America. They sell a little bit of everything, from shampoo to sodas to school supplies to slippers to sushi. It’s quite astonishing what you can find in them, really. Of course, you get what you pay for, but they’re a pretty good value for a lot of everyday items. The best part is, they’re everywhere! The most popular chains are Lawson’s and 7/11, but others such as the QQ (kyu is the Japanese word for the number 9, and everything costs 99 yen. Cute, right?) have lots of locations, as well.

Alrighty, folks, that’s all I’ve got for today. I desperately need a nap, even a short one, and I’m going home to get one. I’ll try to add some more cultural notes to this section later as I think of them. Oh, and I might add some more about church and Bible study and such. Until next time, ja mata, ne!

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Tools of the Trade

Hey, everybody. I’ve been working on a guided tour of Kansai Gaidai and my first few days there, but in order to get the most out of it, you’re going to need a nifty little browser plugin called Trailfire. You’ll understand it better if you just go to the site and see the demonstration, but basically Trailfire allows you to make comments on any web page with a little speech bubble that can be seen by any other user with Trailfire. Not only that, you can link multiple comments together to create–you guessed it–a “trail,” thus allowing users to follow a bunny trail that hops from website to website, showing them what you want them to see. It’s really ingenious, and I plan to make good use of it on this blog throughout the next few months. That said, I will attempt to put in links to websites through plan ol’ HTML on the blog to satisfy those of you who can’t be bothered to install a new plugin or are paranoid about spyware. The installation is incredibly simple for Firefox users, as in, you do nothing but click “download” and restart your browser. Internet Explorer users, I don’t know. But that’s why everybody should use Firefox, IMHO. So, please go download Trailfire and make my life (and yours) easier and more interesting!

Once you have Trailfire, follow this link to get to my first trail!

Enjoy! I’ll post another little entry with some final details before my plane departs on Thursday. Ja mata!