Statistically Speaking...

Every now and then, blogging seems to become more of a job, and less of a pastime (at which point, I immediately lose interest). But here is a new one...

This makes more sense if you have actually been to Japan recently, in a commercial area; but there are basically only four types of Japanese people (not including children, cause they really haven't developed their own self-image yet). There are:

-Girls that are actually guys
-Little girls that are actually women
-Business-men
-Old people.

That's it. The sense of what guys should look and dress like here is completely different from the states, and it's completely normal for certain guys to spend more time dressing and grooming themselves than some girls do. Also, carrying of man bags is completely normal and is almost expected. Guys fashion here is way more involved than in the states, and seems to be just as big of a market as womens fashion.

As far as women are actually concerned tho, the sense of what is desirable here is exactly the opposite in the states. Every little girl in the states wants to be older; she wants to mature and look like all the girls in the magazines, cause she thinks that is what is pretty. Which is why little girls try mommy's make up. In Japan, however, being young, and naiive is considered beautiful (part of the reason why every model over here looks like she's twelve). So you have adult women, who look and act like little girls, simply because the value system is different. "it's so kawaii!!!"

The Business-man category is just that. All Japanese students have very rigid dress codes in Jr. High, and High-school, so individuality is hard to pull off. During college, students actually have a chance to rebel a bit - dyeing their hair, and dressing how they like. As soon as job hunting time comes, it's back to uniformity. Since there is such a strong emphasis on community harmony and oneness within a group. You pretty much have a cookie-cutter business man type. They are not hard to pick out. They all have their full suit (usually gray or black) and the standard dress shoes and briefcase. Finding one with long hair is pretty rare, as well. The sad part of it is, getting a job, is pretty much just an outcome of whether or not the business feels you will be able to fit into their particular business community. So if you are different at all, it's going to be difficult to land that position you wanted. I hate the man!!! He's bringing people down even in Japan.

Lastly is old people. There's really no transition phase for women. It's just straight from little girl, to hunched over old lady. Businessmen, you can see aging, but they still look like businessmen right into retirement.

~LjD~

Crab...Battle!!!

Since coming to Japan, I have eaten more whole sea creatures than I had in all my days prior. Whether it's just grilling a whole fish, and slapping it down on a plate (head, tail and all), or the squids and cuttle fish we ate (all but the entrails and beak). Well, the other day, my host dad comes running in the house with this white box. I had pretty much just woken up, but he calls me out on the back porch to show me what was inside. He popped it open and inside were four large crabs, still fizzing at the mouth, and moving their legs. He then proceeded to explain that "they're still alive right now, but tonight we will eat them." wow... The weird thing about it, is that Part of Japan's religion (shinto) holds to the idea that spirits of deity are found in Nature, including plants animals and the like. The Japanese live very closely with Nature; everyone here is super green. We have five different recycling bins, even at school, and even before one eats there is a phrase one should say that essentially means 'please give me your life' (recognizing that that which is sustaining you was also once alive, but had to give up its own life so that you could keep on living). Even in spite of all this, tho, there are so many things here that would have PETA flipping out. Not that I am an extreme rights activist or anything, for the most part I don't care, but it's just odd that there are such stark inconsistencies. You should see the pet shops here, they are like animal Ghettos. I haven't yet been to the zoo, but I hear it's equally as depressing.

Hisashiburi

Apologies to all of you who genuinely check my blog regularly. I cannot begin to describe how busy I actually am here. Well, really I could, but I am just too lazy to do so. Suffice it to say that I have been busy; but without further delay, a new post for all you good people:

I suppose a lot has gone on in the past twenty days since I left you. I just don't know specifically what to talk about. Here are a few things on my mind....

First is that I just got a Shamisen!!! Well, actually, I had to order it so I still don't have it yet, but I will soon. I cannot contain the excitement! A shamisen is the one thing I knew I wanted to buy here, before I ever came. For those of you who don't know what a shamisen is, I will attach a youtube link. http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=09vfa4vuHFY&feature=related

The second thing was something that was moving, but quite sad. For those of you who don't know, my parents recently came and visited me in Japan for about ten days (part of the reason I haven't posted in a while). While they were here, a friend of my host family was kind enough to give my parents a very nice gift. As per custom it is a good idea to give a gift in return as a token of gratitude. But since the friend already is... well shall we say has most things one could want, my host family suggested giving her flowers in return. So that's exactly what we did. We went to a local flower shop, and the clerk put together a beautiful arrangement using flowers we picked out plus some she thought would compliment them nicely. It turned out to be a little more pricey than I anticipated, but all is well. We took the flowers to the friends house, and she was overjoyed to receive them. I, in my broken Japanese, tried to explain that we were grateful for the gifts she gave my biological parents. Now I'm not sure of the details, but I think her husband may have passed on. In either case he is no longer around. She told me that in all the years she was married, her husband never once gave her flowers. I was blown away. Speechless... I understand that Japanese married couples rarely (if ever) say "I love you" or express affection (especially around others), but still. This lady is one of the nicest people I have met, she is so generous and kind, and this year marks the first time in 20 years that she hasn't hosted a foreign exchange student. I couldn't believe her husband never even did the simple act of giving her her flowers. Now, I'm not saying they didn't love each other. I didn't want to pry, so I didn't ask any questions. But still, little gestures go a long way, and I think that each of you who are reading this should go out of your way a bit and do something for someone you love, Today. If you don't have someone special to you around, then do it for one of your friends or family. and just remember not to take any act of kindness that comes your way for granted.

The break down on breaking it down without breaking down... Karaoke style.

Alright, so to all of those who told me do to Karaoke, to whom I most likely said "we'll see" but didn't really mean it cause I never intended to do it... well... I did it. I hope that you are happy. Here's my report:
We went to a place called U-bou, which some of my friends had already been to. The cool thing about the place is that A: you can stay until 5 in the morning, and B: for 3300Yen you get all you can drink, and unlimited karaoke. So yeah, there were about five of us that were hardcore and went fully intending to stay the whole night. All together we started with about 15 people, but the thing is that the subways stop running at about 12:30. Depending on the line, they start back up at about 6:00am. So either you go home early, or you're in it for the long-haul. Most people went home early. It is possible to get a taxi, but they are really expensive. So yeah, the night went on and most people left at least fairly early, but considering we got there at seven thirty, I guess most of them stayed for about four hours or so. We were split between two rooms. There was a lot of meandering and chatting in the hall too, so it was good not only to do Karaoke, but to have fun just haning out with all the foreigners. Everybody that came were exchange students, but they were from all over the world, so it was still really cool. Anyhow, it got down to just the five of us, and only three for a while, but we still rocked out hardcore. Once our time was up, we all payed and headed out into the streets. three of our party went into a local diner to get some early breakfast, but Tom and I just walked around a bit, wasting time til we could go home. It was starting to get light out by that time. After a while the subways opened and we all parted ways. I fell asleep on the second train, and almost didn't get off at my station. Fortunately it's the last stop, so the train lingers there for a bit before starting its next run. I woke up to realize I was in my station and needed to go. Even so, I still had to wait for the bus, which seemed to take FOREVER!!! I may it home regardless; trying so hard to keep my eyes open on the bus so I wouldn't miss my stop.

Story aside - My evaluation:
It was fun. BUT, I think there were two big contributing factors: A) the people you are with make all the difference. B) the drinks help. If the people around you are good friends, just into it and having a good time, it's awesome. But I would hate to do Karaoke with people I don't really know, or people I can't have fun with. It's all about just letting loose and not caring, and if you aren't able to do that because of the people you are with, then you're not gonna have fun. On the flipside, however, if the people you are with are cool, then it's super awesome fun time, oh yeah! And if you're all feeling a little rigid and or bashful, the drinks will help with that bit and get you singing in no time. I'm pretty sure I thought I really was Chris Martin there for a bit. That or a real member of Destiny's Child.... Oh yes I did do Destiny's Child... Who else... Foo fighters, Radiohead, some Japanese bands, Arctic Monkeys (tho I got laughed at by the British guys for not sounding
British enough), etc.
Over all, it was a really great time. Definitely something I would do again. Altho, in Japan it's a very big industry. I would be skeptical about a Karaoke bar in the states. I wish that I could bring my friends from home up here to do Japanese Karaoke with me. Maybe someday.

~LjD~

Post Script:
I got back home around 7 o'clock and slept til 12:30, then that night I went out to dinner with my host mom and a few of her friends, and another ryuugakusei (exchange student). We had a whole bunch of expensive food and drinks, and this tiny little place had a karaoke corner it in, so yes of course we all had to do at least one song. Out of a book that was about three inches thick, there were maybe 3 pages of song list that were in english, so I chose "by the way" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Oh yeah... I rocked out!

Post Post Script:
If any of you out there are english teachers, I apologize profusely for the terrible grammar employed in this post. The more tired I am, the more prone I am to use an ungodly amount of commas, and poor sentence structures.

Living it up! (a.k.a. - When in Rome...)

Karaoke and all you can drink: not a good idea........it's a great idea!
I no longer have a voice.

Captions:
1) (L2R): Alex, Anna, Me
2) (L2R): Me, James, Anna
3) Lauren and I
4) James
5) Tom, rocking out in Japanese.

Orion's Belt

Until now, I had never been out of the country. Everything I had ever heard or seen about foreign countries or places was either on TV or in a book or a game. Every idea I had about what it would really be like was over romanticized by imagination and the mystery of the unknown. Every little bit of information I had accumulated through these sources was skewed by perception and expectation of what it would be like. Even until coming, in the back of my head was the thought that it would be like it was in the old days here… I’m sure it still is in some remote places…Somehow this place didn’t actually seem real to me until I came here. It was a dream, a fantasy, some magical place I had seen in movies and only imagined could be real.
But now I am here. Still somewhat unbelievable. It’s not so different though.
Looking up at the sky last night, I saw Orion’s Belt. Looking out my window in the morning, I see the same sky, the same trees, the same concrete streets and power lines. On the surface, things may appear different from what I am used to, but it’s not really that different at all. A house here is still a house. Sure the architecture may look different, but it serves the same purpose here as it would anywhere else.
It’s nearly disappointing. Even being thousands of miles away from what I call my home, I am confronted with the reality that this is still the same earth. These people are still just as human as anyone else. Their culture may seem completely upside-down and backwards to someone coming from the States, but culture is merely an external facet of human communities. I am still down here, still on the same earth. I still have the same needs, the same desires, the same aspirations.
Being pessimistic it could be easy to say that no place on earth is really magical at all. Anywhere you go the same old doldrums come creeping behind you, threatening fascination, discovery and excitement. Just as in the States, I still wake up every morning disappointed. Each day I wake to realize that the reality I thought was real while I slept is not real at all, and I must resume the labor of existence in this fallen place; a labor that wears you down. Day after day it wears you down. Do you know what I mean?
But, by the Grace of God, I won’t give up my hope.
Average lifespan calculations dictate that one fourth of my life is already done with. It has gone too fast for me to even realize. I’ve only got three more goes at this; and each one from here on out gets more difficult than the last. Being here is a privilege. Many people have gone out of their way to make necessary arrangements. Between financial support, paperwork, etc. so much time and effort has been spent just so I could experience this new place, these new things, these amazing people. I will not take that for granted. I may still not know why I am here, but I intend to make the most of it.

~LjD~

To You: Slow down. Take some time to think. Re-examine what you are doing here. Are you merely existing to perpetuate the cycle? Working, so you can eat and drink and have the things that will supposedly make you happy but never do? Do you ever wake up in the morning and not want to “do this all again”? I know I do. Pretty much every day. Think about how much you have. Think about how many people have helped you along the way. Would you be where you are now if you had to do everything on your own? Maybe you don’t even like where you are now. If that is the case, then change it. Dream big… Do… Do not be hindered but thinking you are unable to do something. “your fear is your cage”. Enjoy Life. Don’t get so caught up in the big picture or in the long term that you lose sight of the little things. More often than not, a small but thoughtful gesture is far more meaningful that something big. Take time to enjoy life, and do not worry. Worry never has any benefits, only detriments. “In twenty years, you'll regret more the things you didn't do than the things you did.” Wake up. Get up. And LIVE. No, you won’t do it tomorrow. Trust me. And yes, I am talking to myself here as much as anyone else.

Some More Pictures

Captions...

1.) My first Japanese reptilian friend: a baby blue-tailed skink.
2.) Fly me to the sky! I hate the sky, and do not want to go, but fly me there anyway
3.) the Japanese word is genki, which can be translated: Healthy, lively, well. Let's Healthy! it was on the side of a health drink dispenser

Luke Likes Comments.

It's true.

Some Pictures from the Day.

Captions:

1.) Sunset over Nagoya. Taken from the 7th floor of the J building on Campus

2.) Friend from Notre Dame U. Lauren

3.) Refer to photo 1

4.) a cool light panel on the ground outside of Starbucks. Underneath there were plants growing.

5.) Left to Right: New friend: Haruka, Anna, myself

kinda mad at myself...(a.k.a. guilty pleasures)

I don't like J-pop, American pop, or any other pop. Most of it is super simplistic, repetitive, and annoying; but for some reason this song gets stuck in my head so bad, and I think I actually like it... I don't know what to do about it.

http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=v2uRoC8OxKo

(it's called Hikari, by Hoshimura Mai)

You know you are in Japan when...

1. The fourth top song on the charts is from a kids movie.
2. You haven't gotten a hug since you can remember.
3. Your toilet paper smells like strawberries.
4. Melon toast = breakfast (Yum!!)
5. The 100yen shop is your best friend.

...more to come.

Oh No! Neko-chan!

I know that some of you out there reading this are actually proper folks, so you will have to excuse to slight vulgarity of this post, but the story must be told....

I walked in the bathroom this morning to do the daily routine. Everybody does it, so it's not that weird to talk about, right? anyhow, the deed was done and I went for the good ole TP, only this is what I got: (side note: in Japan, hello kitty is known as Neko-chan)
Now I don't know about you, but somehow it just seemed wrong to defile poor neko-chan by puttin' her 'tween the cheeks. I'm sure that PETA would have something to say about it. But that's not even the worst part..... If you will notice, Neko-chan is holding some strawberries. Yes, it's exactly what you are thinking - it smelled like strawberries.

.....why.....

when would you ever be in a situation where you would need scented toilet paper? Never in my life have I sniffed a piece of toilet paper. It's just not a good habit to get into. Well, I guess now I have sniffed toilet paper; but fear not, good people, it wasn't after the fact.

~LjD~

Superstar? More like Freak.

So, I guess I had accumulated this preconceived notion over time, that somehow that which made me different from the Japanese would somehow make me popular. People had told me I would be like a star over here cause I am so big, and people would want to talk to me, and take pictures and all that jazz. Well, it's not like I really believed that or anything, but in all reality, it feels quite the opposite. Being on the subway or on the bus, or even just sitting in the park, people just stare at me. some make it more obvious than others. Most people are tactical about it, and try to be inconspicuous. But even still there are some (mostly older folks) that will outright just stare you down like you have a twelve pound tumor growing out of the side of your head, or unnaturally long nose-hair that you've braided or something.

gomen nasai

Sorry that last post was so ridiculously long. If you guys are as busy as I am now, you will probably have to read it in pieces. That or take shifts reading it to eachother. Actually, you should probably do the latter. It may make it more exciting, and increase your comprehension skills. Just a thought.

~LjD~

Doko desu-ka???

Well... hard part is over, I guess... It happened......... I got lost.
And it was only like the third day here. Here's what happened:
On the way home I am supposed to take two subways, and then a bus to get back here. Well, the subways went all fine and dandy. They are color coded, and I am the last stop, so it's pretty easy to figure out. Plus, the announcer speaks in Japanese and English. The buses on the other hand, not so easy. The day before I rode the route with my host father, and since I had absolutely no idea where anything was in relation to anything else anyway, I just looked at stuff along the way to get visual cues of where I was and when I needed to get off. here's the problem: all my visual cues were from the left side of the bus, cause that's the side I happened to be on that day. Well, the next day came around and I was coming back from school and guess what.... I was on the other side of the bus; and the bus was so full, I couldn't even see out any of the left windows. I was fine until I realized that fact, then I just didn't know what to do, so I was looking out the right side window hoping I would remember something, anything, but it was no use. Long story short, I stayed on the bus. Problem is the routes don't circle; they terminate. So I rode that bus to the end, which was like 11 stops past mine (little did I know).
So there I was. The sun had set, and I was deep in the burbs with not a clue as to where I was or how to get home. Pretty much everyone had gone in for dinner so I didn't see a soul. At a lack for what to do next, I did the only reasonable thing I could think of at the time, and began trying to walk the bus route backwards. That was a good idea, I thought, but the bus stops are far apart, and between them there is absolutely no indication of the correct path. Still, it was all I had at the time. I was surrounded by houses, no stores or anything, and no one to ask for help.
So I walked, I tried to remember when we turned and whether we went up or down hills, but everything looked the same after a while. After walking for a while I had made it back a couple of stops, but even after reaching one, it wasn't reassuring because there was no guarantee I would be able to reach the next one. There were many times I would walk up a street for a while, get to the top, and turn around and go right back down. I really had no idea where I was.
It would do no good to panic. So I actually had been pretty calm. In my mind I had played out all the worst case scenarios, and really, none of them were too tragic, so I kept my cool for the most part. Water was my biggest concern, but the lovely thing is that in Japan there is one absolute on every road: vending machines. They are bloody everywhere. So I knew at very least, I had plenty of fluids to keep myself hydrated. Plus, the walking at least made me feel proactive, and kept my mind off the fact that I was lost. (well not really, cause that's the only reason I was walking in the first place. but still, it helped.)
Long story short I walked for about an hour and a half, and finally found a 7 eleven.........
Now, you have to understand, I generally hate advertisements. The cheesy jingles and slogans just annoy me. But for the first time in my life I realized the truth behind the phrase: "Oh, thank heaven" for 7eleven.
digression aside... I stood outside for a bit, using the light to try and read a map they had handed out at the Uni, but it was no use. I couldn't even find the university itself on there, so a lot of good that did. Finally, in desperation I decided to just man up, go in, and ask the clerk for help. So that's what I did. Now, my Japanese was reeeeeaaaaaally rusty, and it wasn't even very good to begin with, so I knew this would be a chore, but it was still better than aimlessly walking around. So in my broken Japanese I said "excuse me, where are we right now?" and laid the map on the counter. after searching for a bit, the clerk showed me that we weren't even on the map at all....... awesome...... so I figured, alright, if I don't know where I am, at least I need to figure out where I am headed. Fortunately I had been carrying around all the papers I had in my bag, cause otherwise I wouldn't have had a clue about how to explain where my host family lived. But I did have the papers, which meant I had their address written out. (not that I knew what it meant or how to find it myself). So the clerk runs over and grabs a street guide off the shelf. thumbs thru it for a while and shows me where we are, then turns a few more pages back and forth and shows me where my home address is. I asked him how long it was walking, and he said it would be a little over an hour. ...Great... another over an hour walk and no guarantee I'll even be able to find the way. Definitely not what I want to do.
Now, having the sheet with my host family's address meant that I also had their number. ...Idea... So I asked the clerk if he had a phone, and he handed me it, and after several failed attempts at using it, he just dialed the number for me. I felt like such a nuisance, but I had no choice. So it rang and it rang and my host father answered ... Thank God!... But wait, I don't know how to tell him even where I am. So I told him I was lost and pretty much just handed the phone to the clerk. they talked for a minute or so and he handed the phone back. My host father was coming to get me.
So long story short once more, I was rescued and then we all went out for ramen and beer. Never short of excitement here, but I hope that never happens again. I felt so bad for making the clerk help me, and making my host father pick me up.

Gettin' Crunky in Japan.

My First View of Japan

My Life as a Gaijin: Week 1

Aaaaaalrighty then. One week down and here`s the dirt:

1) First: you need to understand that currently my computer access is very limited, so updates may take a couple days. Right now the only way I can get online is thru the school computers and you are only allowed to use them at certain times and in certain places. (everything in Japan is very carefully organized and orchestrated; punctuality is a law... well not really, but may as well be)

2) My dwellings: I live in a small apartment building with my host family. My host father is hilarious, and very well versed. And my host mom is very small, but kind. The building has six floors and each apartment is very small. My room is a little bigger than my closet at school. I sleep on a mat on the floor; the Japanese version of a futon. (or I guess, it`s the original version of a futon) Needless to say, I haven`t really slept much since I got here. Every morning I fold up my `bed` and put it in the closet. Save for the bed, all my room has in it is a desk and a small mirror stand thing. Oh! and there is a Totoro tatami. It`s really hot here and we barely use air conditioning. The Japanese are much more energy conservative than people from the States are. ...It`s so hot....

3) My Commute: I ride the bus for about 20-30 minutes from kamiasahi to Nonami, then I go to the subway. I ride the Sakura-dori line for three stops, then take the Meijo line to Yagoto-nisseki. After that I have a 5-10 minute walk to the university. The whole thing takes about an hour.

More updates to come. Don`t touch that dial!

tadaima!

Hello, everyone!
Sorry this post is so late. I have been here over a week now and just now got some access to a computer. I do not have internet in my house so really my only option is to use the classroom computers at school. I have a little bit of a busy schedule this morning, but I may get back on after classes today to answer some of the outstanding curiosities and inquiries you may (and I`m sure DO) have. Thanks for your patience.

mata ne~

Impendent Departure

Last post from the States, folks. See you in Japan in a few hours!