New 'Do

Just for kicks, I got a haircut today.  Here's the picture.  It cost me 3360 Yen.

What Didn't the Japanese Think Of?

Japan is a country that seems to have though of everything.  From the faucet that lets you wash your hands with water that is then used to flush the toilet, to the use of curbs in parking lots broken in the needless middle, it seems like most of the products in Japan were designed with some kind of foresight.  It's kind of funny to think about all the energy our country could save if we implemented some things like this.  

I feel like sometimes the American solution has to be big, brash and fantastic, and vast quantities of little changes that by themselves make small differences are overlooked.  It seems like we could do some much to limit our carbon emissions (or help the environment, because carbon emission seems like an annoying term to me) by just implementing a few things like this, even if we didn't try to make it retroactive.  Seriously, if more effort was made to make products recyclable, where would we be?  I haven't notices a huge problem in Japan (things cost more, but that's because of Japan's unfortunate situation as a developed island).  I also learned yesterday that Japan has no hydroelectric dams (meaning it has no dams at all, just to be clear.  It's partly for religious reasons, and partly to protect the water ecosystems.  I guess that our country wouldn't have been able to get by without using hydroelectric power (probably at more cost to the environment), but it would have been interesting.

My point is that with just a little effort American companies and the government could use already-existing technologies to greatly reduce our impact on the environment.  Simple things like what goes on over here in Japan, where even beer companies have a zero-waste policy (we visited Kirin's brewery in Yokohama yesterday).  I agree that some of these technologies has probably been developed because of the high price of most things, and the lack of space, but just because we can get away with it doesn't mean that we should continue to be so inefficient.

Our country's way of getting things done always had to involve the public's support, a way that seems to proliferate most of government policy (requiring demand for products and such).  However, it seems like this doesn't extend to war policy.

More on this later.

A Post in 中文

大家，你好！

日本很好。我的问题很多。日本饭好吃，日本茶好喝。我家说营文很好。我做我的中文课作业。我现在不太累。我进礼物。他们一点儿小意思。

在见！

音乐本

Popularity

Apparently jazz is not very popular in Japan.  I guess this is similar to America.  However, unlike in America, most jazz concerts are ridiculously expensive.  We won't be going to one I guess.

In other news...

According to Taeko, the Japanese image of an American drinks lots of Coca-Cola and goes to McDonald's.  I have yet to actually figure out what else they think (that might be it).

Today we tried nato, which is literally translated as "rotting soybeans".  This is the food that Jeff Chang warned me about.  It's not actually all that terrible (Japanese sour mangos taste a lot worse), but it's not the most pleasant thing, especially next to miso soup (yum!) and rice with some kind of beef sauce.  It is a very famous Japanese food, but is not popular in all parts of the country.  Taeko said that in Eastern Japan it is less popular.  I think Jeff went to Osaka, which is in western Japan.

Homosexuality in Japan?

This evening I asked Taeko if gay marriage was legal in Japan.  After a somewhat lengthy explanation (coupled with some strange looks) I learned the following things:

- Homosexuality is very taboo in Japan.  Otasan (father) said that it is something that should be hidden.

-Gay marriage is illegal.  I guess that would make sense.

I also learned how hard it is to explain exactly the situation with homosexuality in our country.  

It's a really hotly debated issue, but at the same time, you can't discriminate against people based on their sexuality (not sure about Japan though).  It was interesting to learn about at least.

More Findings

I haven't really made note of this, but the toilets in Japan are pretty cool.  In addition to the normal features of waste disposal, Japanese toilets also have a faucet at the top with which to wash your hands (the water comes out when you flush).  They also have a feature that allows you to spray various types of water to well, clean your butt.  On the toilet at our house there is one blue button that apparently is for washing your butt, and another pink button with a picture of what looks like a woman.  Not sure what that is for...

Experiencing World Class Shopping (which wasn't really the point)

In the previous two days I actually had fun doing something I never had really done before in my life.  Okay, granted, I bought stuff I needed (like a white-out pen and a bunch of chopsticks), but it was fun touring the commercial parts of Tokyo and Yokohama with friends, both Japanese and not.

Our first stop on Friday was Shibuya, the Japanese equivalent of Times Square.  After waiting about half an hour by some very handy misting machines, our party was complete and we were ready to see [at least part of] the city.

The first thing you notice about shopping in Japan is that almost everything costs a lot more.  Yes, we were in the most commercial district in possibly the world, but that's not entirely the reason.  For some reason, clothing that says it was made in Hawaii is really popular in Japan.  A good deal of people have shirts with some sort of reference to Hawaii.  Most of the T-shirts we saw (we weren't in an area that sold really nice clothing) ranged from about 3000 Yen to 13000 Yen, which can get pretty ridiculous, especially if all the shirt has on it is a picture of a Cherokee Indian holding a music note-shaped bow.

Shoes were the most expensive items.  I suppose they are similarly expensive in the US, but 23000 Yen for some shoes that look like the one's I currently own?  I guess style has some power.

Our "tour guide" (actually one of Taeko's friends) was a very energetic Japanese 20-year-old who was in an internship at Goldman-Sachs.  One of our group members was very interested in economics, and had a good time chatting with him.  He seemed to know Tokyo very well, as he took us to many interesting shops (and some other strange ones).

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One thing you notice in Japan fairly quickly is that the Japanese are fascinated enough with English that they don't really care what it actually means (kind of like what we think about Asian characters).  Thus, you run into a lot of shops with names like Titty & co. or Condomania (hence the picture).  This "Engrish" (as it is popularly referred to) also permeates signs and stickers throughout Japan.  A few great examples:

• On what is roughly the equivalent of a bumper sticker we found the following quotes: 

"Money is good. I love money. I want as much money as possible." (accompanied by a picture of a person with a Yen sign in the middle of their forehead)

"No diving, no matter how sexy she is." (again, pushing the politically correct bill)

"I have janky switch in my brain." (???)

We also discovered that the Japanese have stereotypes about the different blood types.  Type A people are supposed to be very punctual and witty, Type O very generous, and Type B somewhat cowardly (hence the sticker "Be careful of people with Type B blood, they often run away").  To me it seems like a really absurd stereotype, given the relatively recent discovery of blood types, and the inability to actual tell someone's blood type by quick and easy means (unlike racial or ethnic prejudices).  Taeko said it's not a very poignant stereotype, however, so don't expect the Japanese to look down upon you when they find out your blood has only B antigens.

I soon have to leave for another event at Yamate Gakuin (the high school).

Again, direct any questions to the comments.  I will answer them when I get to it (hopefully this evening).

Atiki Masu!

What I've Learned So Far

I thought It might be a good idea to compile a list of all the Japanese differences I've run into so far.  Foods also included.

• Always take your shoes off upon entering a house.
• Never step on the doorstep.
• Bow when meeting people.
• Kekko desu is a very formal way of saying "No thank you."
• Ramen Chinese noodles are very popular in Japan.
• Before eating, say "Italaki masu", afterwards say "Gotusuo sama".
• Always keep your head very close to the dish to avoid spilling.
• Get out of the way.
• Be on time.
• Take off your backpack and put it on the floor on a crowded train.
• Rest your eyes whenever possible.
• Drive on the left side of the road (more of a law).
• Don' t clap at temples, do clap at shrines.
• The buddha grants wishes, and everything at temples is supposed to comfort you or make you happy.
• Jellyfish are a big problem at beaches.
• Japanese game shows are very funny and strange, but very original.
• The Japanese value quality and consistently pursue it.
• There are vending machines and recycling containers EVERYWHERE.
• Trash cans are rare, little waste besides compost and recyclable plastic is generated.
• Japan imports 99.7% of its oil.
• About 12 million people live in Tokyo.
• Japan's foreign isolation ended in 1854, courtesy of US Commodore Matthew Perry.
• Hiragana are the 46 alphabetic symbols for Japanese characters, Katakana are for foreign words, and Kanji are the Chinese characters.
• "Yoko" means "sideways", "hama" means "sandbar", Yokohama=sideways sandbar?
• Parking can be up to 30,000 Yen a month (300 dollars).
• White license plates are for normal sized private cars, green for commercial cars, and yellow for small private cars.
• 1/3 of Japanese automobiles are small cars.
• Cars are Japan's biggest export.
• Almost everything is earthquake proofed.
• Japanese baseball fields have a dirt infield and are smaller.
• Traditional Japanese clothes are only worn at festivals.
• Japanese news television has a very colorful set.
• Streets are for the most part crowded and narrow.
• Japanese do a lot of walking.

Food:

• Tempura: breaded stuff you put in soba noodle soup, really good
• Soba noodles: buckwheat noodles eaten in a soy sauce-ish soup
• Uni: Sea Urchin sushi that doesn't taste all that great, sounds kind of like Unai, which means poop
• Miso Soup: Some sort of soup served with vegetables and tofu-related products.
• Curry is used in Japanese food too!
• Lots of Japanese food is eaten with spoons, not just chopsticks.
• A yogurt drink is drunk every morning after breakfast.
• Seaweed is part of lots of things, tastes good in soup.

More on this later.

Atiki masu.

Ow, my head hurts...

Ahh，我不太好，我很累！ (Granted, Chinese, but still, same writing).  My head still reeks with pain from the thrill rides we went on today.

Today was supposed to be a tour of Yokohama, but I guess I should have been tipped off by the word "tour".  Not that it was bad, but does watching a performance in Chinatown (and afterwards eating at a tourist trap, not that the food was bad) really sound like an immersion?  Oh well, we did other things too.  Our first stop of the day was at a famous Japanese garden once owned by a very rich man named Hara.  This trip also reeked of tourist, but we at least got to see some cool buildings, and a view of an oil refinery from a Japanese building (in what other country can you see an oil refinery and the sea from a peaceful park?).

Our group was grossly late a few times today, which is a very big problem in Japan.  I suppose there wasn't a whole lot I could have done about it myself, as the one time I was late I was also with our group leader.  Mr. Fry said that being late is VERY serious and he was worried our tour staff was going to call us some name that means "nasty foreigner".  I assume that's pretty bad in Japan, given the all too recent (150 years) policy of foreign isolation.

The trip to Sea Paradise, a sort of Yokohama SeaWorld, was probably the most fun part of the day.  I guess we didn't really experience anything very Japanese, besides beautiful views from the tops of rides and the proliferation of drink vending machines, but it was fun to hang out with the members of our group.  We went on one ride that lifted us up hundreds of feet in the air (offering a nice vista of Yokohama harbor), and then dropped us straight down.  The fall was exhilarating, although, like most things, the excitement dulled somewhat after the 4th time.  Falling 200 feet gets old after awhile too.   The thing that was additionally quite exciting was a roller coaster of an unknown name (that is the top picture, not taken by me though, I found it on the internet).  It offered a great view and lots of thrills (although my head was not left in the greatest state afterwards.

I think that it would be very fun to come here on education exchange.  I am really starting to love big cities, something that sounds weird given my love of nature.  There's something a big city offers that a small town just doesn't.  Perhaps I just like extremes.  Extreme nature, or extreme urbanization, I can't be stuck in suburbia.  There's also the atmosphere and life of a city that I just love (not to mention the public transportation).

Another great moment came last night, when we went to Tokyo to babysit two little boys, Goki and Shoei.  We went up to the 26th floor of a very tall apartment building and played card games, but the real beauty was the view.  Tokyo (or at least the portion of it that we saw), is beautiful at night, if you look past the giant beer signs (which aren't that bad looking).  I think it would be very nice to work on things in a tall building like that.

If you have any questions, please post them in comments.

Atiki masu!

The Japanese Culture Show (and other enlightening things)

Yesterday's basic interesting event was the Japanese Culture show, in which we got to try out a few Japanese things (some of which I had already tried) and watch some students from Yamate perform some things.  I will describe some of the things we did first, because the performance has some accompanying commentary better placed after the literal descriptions.

The first thing we did when we got to Yamate was to pick out a Yukata to wear.  Yukata is the traditional Japanese summer clothing.  I tried to ask Taeko if there was clothing for other seasons (I'm pretty sure there is), but she didn't really understand my question.  There is a picture of her in the house wearing a kimono, another traditional clothing, so I assume that there is.  She said that picture was taken at a celebration of her 20th birthday, which is the "big birthday" in Japan.  I guess in Japan you don't "grow up" until half of your age is 2 digits.

My Yukata was tan with various designs on it, with a grey belt-ish thing.  It's really supposed to be worn like normal clothing, not on top of normal clothing, but we really couldn't strip in front of everyone there in the cafeteria.  Maybe I should have thought ahead and wore a light T-shirt and basketball shorts.

Men's Yukata is relatively plain compared to women's.  While men's Yukata certainly looks intricate, women's Yukata is colorful and has many designs and can most definitely be described as beautiful.

We also made origami cranes.  Not much to say here, except that it was fun.  Of more not was the creation of our own fans.  Personal fans are very common over here in Japan, and for good reason.  It is hot!  We were given two pieces of adhesive paper to decorate and then put on the fan.  On mine I drew the kanji for life and love.

We also got to try calligraphy.  Because I am taking Chinese I am somewhat versed in this (not in calligraphy but in how to draw the characters).  The Japanese were very impressed that I knew the stroke order for the character. (I think I drew serenity).  

The last activity was soba noodle making.  I guess they wanted to make the process quick, so all we really did was to cut the noodles.  They tasted good, but the soba we had at home was better (probably because Shintaro's mother made it).

The cultural performance consisted of koto music (kotos are those stringed instruments you always hear when people are trying to create an Asian mood), cheerleading (Go Yamate whatever-your-mascot-is!), kendo, karate, and dance.

The koto music was interesting, but I wasn't listening too closely.  More of the concern was in conversing with my friends to see what they had been doing in the week.

The cheerleading was very good.  I remarked later to Taeko that Japan seems very concerned about quality.  Apparently by this age most people already know what they will be doing as a job.  There is much pressure to decide on your specialty early.

Kendo was, well, interesting.  It involves a lot of pre-battle festivities that consist of lots of shrieks and hitting people on the head.  I'm not really sure how good they were, but it was fun to watch.  It would be fun to learn more about Kendo.

The karate was VERY impressive.  Both the boys and girls were able to perform their moves incredibly quickly, making impressive sounds as their hands or feet whisked past at high speed.  We also watched a few boards get broken by a combination of fists, heads, and feet.

The dancing, well, let's just say that Japanese are very concerned with quality.  I am not really looking forward to our performance (except for playing the piano).  Still, the Japanese probably understand that things are a little different in America.

I must leave soon for a tour of Yokohama.

Atiki masu!

Second Day : Kamakura

Wow, what a day.  Today we got a big taste of Japanese culture, in the form of visits to many temples or shrines.  The temples we visited today were in the city of Kamakura, home to 33 temples in total (many in the city).  

It is very funny that at almost any place in the temple there is something for sale.  It is very funny to always be able to look left or right and see something available for 400 yen.  Every little shrine has a donation box, and giving involves a complex ritual of two bows, two claps, one bow, and a wish.  However, at temples, one cannot clap his/her hands, because temples are supposed to be quiet.  At every place you need to make a wish, something whatever godly power is enshrined there is supposed to make come true.  Also, you are not supposed to step on the doorstep.  Taeko told me that it is like stepping on your father's head :o!

At every temple you have the opportunity to wash your hands.  This is also a complex ritual.  You take this sort of ladle and dip in the water, dousing first your left hand, then your right hand.  You then put the ladle under the water flow (usually out of some stone-carved animal's mouth) and pour it into your left hand, after which you drink it.  It takes longer to explain that it actually does to do.

The picture at the top is of a very large Buddha, a sculpture that was erected 756 years ago!  It was very impressive to see.  We also ran into some other friends from the trip there.

Today I was blessed many times.  I currently am supposed to be happy eternally, extremely happy right now, cleansed in spirit, wonderful in health (that was from the incense), and devoid of worries.  Hopefully the Buddha will bless me.

Atiki masu!

The First Day : 7-20

Well, amazingly, we are in Japan.  After spending a needed night in bed (in which my jet lag woke me up many times) we awoke to a breakfast of miso soup, bagels, and some interesting sandwiches that had a chocolate-like filling.

I suppose I should talk about the family we are staying with first, and elaborate on the use of the phrase we.  "We" amounts to me and Carlos, the other student staying with the family on my trip.  Unlike most people, I didn't really know my roommate before, as I didn't quite get to choose him.  Mary Beth Wright just said she thought that I should be with him because he was a little nervous about the trip.  He seems fine.

The family I am staying with has five members, Shinya, the father (I think I'm supposed to call him Otana?), Takako, the mother (I think I'm supposed to call her Osana?), Taeko, the oldest sister, Mikako, the younger sister, and Shintaro, the younger brother.

Shintaro came to Yakima when the Yamate students came.  Shintaro is cool.  He seems to be very stylish in the way he dresses.  Also, he was not with us for much of yesterday because he had to go to rugby club.  Apparently his instructor was angry at him for not showing up.

Mikako is also not around very  much because she is studying for the college entrance exams.  When I asked her what she plans to study, she said that right now her goal is only to get into college.  It must be very difficult!

Taeko is studying sociology but is seemingly off for the summer.  She speaks good English, and thus has talked to Carlos and me a lot.  It is nice to have Taeko around because we can ask her more complex questions.

I can't say much about Takako, as she speaks no english, other than that she is very pretty and is a great cook.  Shinya is a very funny man, however.  It seems like both in America and Japan kids are embarrassed by their parents.

(The picture at the beginning of the post shows Shintaro's family.  From left to right: Grandma Kiku, Mikako, Shinya, Shintaro, Takako, Taeko.)

Yesterday we did so many things.  In the morning we walked to a grocery store (only 1 block away!) to get some food for Carlos and I to try.  We bought many things: Japanese oranges, Japanese chips, octopus, tea-flavored ice cream, and more!  It was all very good.  We tried this juice drink that was like a mix between grape soda and grape jello.  Segoi!

We also gave our gifts to our host family, and they seemed to greatly enjoy them.  I brought some apple chips, cherries, and huckleberry tea for food gifts.  I also brought a Salsa Band CD, a Dream catcher, and a Mariners hat.  They really enjoyed the CD.

At lunch we ate soba.  Soba is very cool because you have your own little bowl of soba sauce that you take the noodles or anything else (there was this breaded stuff that was really good that I forget the name of) and dip it in the sauce.  It's very tasty, and also very filling.  I am always very full at the end of each meal.

After that, we walked and took a train to the baseball game (Yokohama Baystars vs. Tokyo Giants).  The train system is very cool.  You purchase a card with say, 5,000 Yen on it, and you just whisk it by some reciever that records where you have been and where you get off (so how much you pay).  It's very cool.  The baseball game was also very fun.  The stadium was interesting.  There were not decks or upper or lower levels, or luxury boxes, but it was still big.  The whole stadium was a kind of bowl, with more seats behind home plate than in the outfield.  In Japan, many fans always show up for games, even for bad teams (like the Baystars we were rooting for--they actually won 4-1).  They also have elaborate cheers for each batter.  It's very exciting.  They always say "Kato Visei, (player name)".  It means something like "Hit it again!".  Also, after the game, the MVP's of the game speak to the fans.  In this game, it was the pitcher, Williams.  He came from America to Japan (he played for the Yankees).

We went to a sushi restaurant following the game.  I tried many things, liking all of them except the sea urchins, which tasted somewhat bitter.  Everything else was wonderful, though.  They had this system where this conveyer belt cycles these plates with sushi on them by you, and the color of the plate determines how much the food on it costs.  At the end of the meal, the plates are counted to decide the price of the meal.

Yesterday was a big celebration in Japan.  I think it was a thanks for things from the sea.  Anyways, at the end of the day we watched fireworks, very impressive ones too.  

I must go now, because of fatigue from typing, and because of impending breakfast.

Atiki mas!