Ganbare!

Many things happened this weekend; oh where to begin?

On Saturday, it was pissing rain. HARD. As in, if it were snow, it would be a blizzard. But this is Kyoto and we don’t get blizzards; only genteel snowfalls (I want a blizzard!). And I had to meet up with some students to interview about their Machiya Light-Up project for Kyoto Journal. It turned out pretty ok for a preliminary interview in my halting Japanese; we will do a more comprehensive one in English, so I can record it next week. I was also invited to their bonnenkai (End-of-Year) party; I might go for an hour or so this Thursday.

That evening, I met up with Emily and we went to the old dorm where Colleen used to live for a Christmas party Emily was invited to; she asked me to come because she didn’t know anyone besides the guy who invited her and she didn’t want to be rude and turn him down. We ended up socializing/eating/mingling for about an hour or so and then we went back to my place (I live 5 minutes away), knitted and watched Grey’s Anatomy Season 3.

Yesterday, Emi my jazz singer/songwriter friend performed at ShinPuhKan. On my way there, I noticed that Higashioji-dori was blocked by traffic; after a few minutes of musing, watching people and reading kanji characters disjointedly, I saw the runners and realized, “Oh! It’s the Kyoto Marathon!” and asked the police officer. Actually it wasn’t; it was the national high school race or something like that. I saw the leader run by me; as runners passed, people shouted “Ganbare!” “Run hard!”

The concept of “ganbare, ganbatte, and ganbarimasu” can be applied to any situation requiring luck; so while it means “Good luck” generally, it can be translated to mean “Work hard” as well, dpeneding on the situation.

At ShinPuhKan, Emi’s whole family was there and it was really sweet; Emily and I were the only “non-family” people there. The songs are the same but it’s always fun to see her perform. After, Emily and I went back to my place: more knitting, more Grey’s Anatomy. My baby blanket is getting bigger and I can’t tote it around anymore. I started working on socks for my “tote about town” project.

Speaking of knitting, I got a nice little surprise today and just in time for Christmas! My package from the Kawaii Swap came in today: in it was a pack of Hello Kitty Christmas themed stickers, a small box of chocolate (which I promptly ate, yum yum!) and a amigurumi stuffed cat, with a letter on Chococat stationery. So adorable! I think I will name the cat “Neko-chan.” (“Neko” means “cat” in Japanese).

It's Not Beginning to Feel Alot Like Christmas

Hearing (and reading) about the snowstorm in the Northeast from various sources made me think.

It's weird. It LOOKS like Christmas - even some houses in my neighborhood are strewn with Christmas lights - but it doesn't really feel like it.

This is coming from a person who, in spite of growing up in a place where the snow turns dirty in less than five minutes, still knows that come Christmastime, you are supposed to be freezing your butt off when you venture outdoors, and when you go out, you wear getups just short of "ski bunny" to protect yourself against the elements. And you don't mind, really.

Mel, coming from a warmer climate, actually has a pair of Quiksilver ski pants for those nasty days. They have proven to be very useful, even if not intended for the slopes but rather the nasty winds that turn around the corner of 5th Avenue; I keep telling myself to get a pair.

No offense of course to those living in warmer climates - it's just what I am used to. I spent Christmas of sophomore year of high school in Florida, and the palm trees with Christmas lights were strange. Weirder was walking around in shorts.

It is 50 degrees here in Kyoto and I am still going around in a light jacket, cardigan and scarf. When I ride my bike, I put my gloves on if only for preventative measures at first, since I get hot later and subsequently remove my layers. I only wear a hat if it is ridiculously cold. Which I haven't done yet.

My advisor looked at me a couple of weeks ago - or rather at my feet - in aghast. It was still sunny and pretty warm out, but I wore my Uggs nonetheless; in this country where you take your shoes on and off all the time, they are easy to put on. I would wear my flats or riding boots, but that day the sky threatened rain and I didn't want to ruin those shoes. My Uggs are old. No matter if they get ruined.

So when he asked me if it was too cold for me, I looked down at my feet and said a bit sheepishly, "Well, it IS November. Back home, it's snowing right now."

I miss snow.

Fall is Here

I started up a new project, for my sister: an iPod cozy. On DPNs (double-pointed needles). Quite ambitious, since I am STILL not done with The Aussie's scarf (never knit a 6 foot long scarf with finger weight yarn!). After several attempts, curses and watching a video on the use of DPNs, I finally figured out how to knit with 5 pointy sticks. I showed my mom via webcam and she was astonished. So was I. DPNs are cool. I don't think I will ever do socks via Magic Loop.

This morning was a meeting of a new Kyoto Stitch'n'Bitch group. Me and two others, met up at the Sanjo Starbucks and knitted for 2 hours. One of the girls uses Magic Loop for her socks, and expressed concern at the possibility of my poking my eye out. We showed each other our projects, and upon further examination of the yarn for The Aussie's scarf (I brought a new skein with the label still on it because I am almost done with my current ball), we learned that it's not just wool, but it consists of mohair (ok, thats normal) and REINDEER. That's what "tonakkai" means. Cool and weird at the same time.

After, I went to Seria (love that 100yen store) and rode my bike back home. It was a beautiful day; and the leaves are really starting to change. So I thought I would end here (and my day of relaxation, back to the grad school grind tomorrow) with some photos of Kyoto in autumn. Hopefully, there will still be momiji (the maple trees) that are red by my birthday which is in two weeks; according to Prof. S. they are turning late this year. Ginko trees, which line Kawabata-dori, turn a luscious gold.

Taking a Break

So I asked my sensei last week about studying some Classical Japanese on my own, when I met up with him for a little catch up on what I should be doing and other academic-y stuff. I end up with spending A WHOLE DAY yesterday on something that is less than a paragraph (ok, and one whole other selection besides) from 1883 - please gravitate to the library for further musings on dealing with Iwakura Tomomi and his letter to the emperor about Kyoto.

Today (Sunday) I puttered about and did laundry, cleaned my apartment, grocery shopped, fixed my bike (got a new basket for 1050yen and free tire pumping) and met a new person today, a Japanese girl named Emi. We actually met on Facebook - she messaged me, I responded and we were chatting for a bit. We had lunch at a cafe by the Kamogawa - the same one that I went to at Easter, called Rue Ergo. It is a great cafe, and all the more amazing that I live right by it. She is really nice and it seemed like we have alot in common (we both like to go to cafes, like Inobun and watch Grey's Anatomy) so it was all cool. I even had LOX with CREAM CHEESE. With the coffee and the fact that it was a Sunday, it was a very "New York" vibe, and I told Emi so - she have been to NYC and even has a friend in Astoria. I might be going to her school's rugby game next Sunday, and I hope we do hang out again. Next time, I think I will try to speak in Japanese more.

I did my grocery shopping after lunch - I desperately needed rice for my bento box lunches; at the same time, I treated myself to some muesli. I normally get the 100yen a box cereal, but that is all the way downtown, and I know muesli is pretty good for me so I might as well spend a bit more for the good stuff. Though next time, I am going to check out the $6 for 500g muesli. I mix it with plain Danone (Dannon) yogurt that I get a 4pack for 100yen and it is a quite tasty breakfast. And the expensive muesli, offset by the cheap (but still delicious and not poor quality) yogurt make a good breakfast, and the muesli lasts longer that way.

When I got home, I continued my puttering; my next door neighbor all of a sudden has his friends over (including squealing Japanese girls) so I decided to not continue with Iwakura's 1883 letter. Besides, I needed a day off before I begin the week because to tell you the truth i felt very mentally tired.

Spring is in the Air...

The weather was so gorgeous that I could not stay in my apartment. The sun was shining, the air was (sort of) warm, the plum blossoms were blooming and I was sick and tired of being cooped up due to the cold weather.

Hooray! Spring is (almost) here!

On Friday, I had lunch outside on the terrace at Rune/Lune (however you pronounce it) with Colleen and some of the KCJS kids - it was so nice that I decided that instead of staying in my apartment, I was going to get my book, and ride my bike to the Imperial Park and read it there.

It was still a bit nippy but if you were in a sunny spot, then all was well. I found a seat in a picnic area with benches and tables; turned my back against the table, faced the outside (so that my back was supported by the table) and proceeded to try and continue "Memory and the Mediterranean" by Braudel.

There were a few other people in the little area that I was in: an elderly couple eating lunch, a gaijin reading a book as well, and two Japanese men. There was also this cat, lying on one of the benches that was carved out of a tree trunk; at first, I thought it was dead or sick because it was just lying so still and calmy in spite of the fact that there was a man on the same bench. Turns out, the cat had quite a "ho-hum" attitude about the people around him; even when the other foriegner when he sat next to the cat tickled him with a leaf, the cat didn't hiss or run away, just got up, turned around and settled himself back to sleep. Ho-hum.

Today, the weather was even better, so I went to the Kamo River (Kamogawa) and took with me "Mao: The Unknown Story," and my lunch for a me-myself-and-I picnic. Found a bench, parked my bike and plopped myself down and read my book for about 2 hours or so, and even took a nap in the sun with the book as a pillow (the book is about 6 inches thick, 1000pages) for a few minutes. Unfortunately, the weatehr forecast says that it's going to go back down to 40 degrees, so one can only enjoy the weather for as long as it lasts.

An Unintended Hike

Chen just moved into her new apartment recently in the Kita-Shirakawa area (slightly NE of me, near Ginkakuji) so she invited me over to watch "La Maison du Himiko," a Japanese movie starring Joe Odagiri (:::sigh:::, the HAIR!).

She showed me on the mapbook that I have where she lives - obviously, no one goes by addresses here. I started to head on up towards her place, but I must have missed the bridge (she lives on the other side of a small river), and ended up on the side of a highway in the hills, with no cell phone reception, twisty roads, a fear of death, and halfway to Lake Biwa.

Even though I was scared out of my wits (cars going at 50kph at you, anyone?), the scenery was quite nice and very peaceful. It reminded me of Florina again, my dad's hometown in northern Greece which has mountains and roads like the one I was on. When I called Chen - before I lost cell phone reception - and told her that I was on a road with alot of twists, cars and a bamboo grove, she was like, "Umm...where?"

I passed a small temple on my way and when I looked on the map, it had the temple as a marker - wooooo, I was CLEARLY off the map. I was about 30 minutes on foot away from Chen's place; it got so hilly at one point during my upward trek I just got off my bike and began to walk. I was in a flimsy little shirt because it got hot for me in spite of the fact that it was 55 degrees and then it started to rain.

Lovely.

I decided to turn around and head back to the main road, where I met Chen. Going downhill on my bike took only 10 minutes or even less - but I was going so fast and it was so steep and twisty at some points that I had to hold my bike brakes to slow me down.

Chen did point out to me that the road was the way to Lake Biwa if you wanted to do it by bike, but it is a bit dangerous, and I don't have a proper mountain bike nor the stamina to do the trip.

Musings for the End of the Semester

The end of the first third of my year in Japan is coming to a close. More so school-wise than time-wise; of course when one is going to travel to KOREA for two weeks, then Mel coming for two weeks in March, surely makes the almost two month long vacation less dreary, for at first, i I didn't know how to fill it up. For the time that I am not in Korea or that Mel isn't here (did I mention he is coming in March? WOO-HOO!) I plan to do the following:

1) SLEEP. Oh yes, sleep till like 1 o'clock in the afternoon like any proper student should!
2) Practice the koto.
3) Reading and research - but that is enjoyable. And yes, I once again reiterate the fact that I am a geek.
4) General sightseeing around Kyoto - Colleen and I plan to go to Nara for a day.
5) HAVE FUN. Ingram, if you are reading this, I MIGHT consider karaoke. Just might.
6) Oh yeah, and review my Japanese, in preparation for the scary transition that is known as "From Safe, Pretty Bubble of Japanese Classes to 'The Real World-Japan.'" Bye-bye, getting away with speaking English most of the time since that is the common language (besides jacked-up Japanese) amongst the international students at Kyodai.

The reading/research part will probably take up alot of time. There is alot of background reading that I want to do. I plan to do it all at cafes - namely Ogawa and Starbucks. I'll probably switch back and forth between the two.

So, I have compiled a list of my first impressions/general observations about Japan. Maybe when March 2008 comes, I will look back on this and laugh. And provide my list of second impressions.

The Musings:


1) Anything that has the word “katsu” in it is extremely addicting and is my nutritional downfall.
2) I was able to bypass the horror known as the Japanese rental system, because I pay attention to the bulletin boards at school and look DOWN as well as UP.
3) Google and I have a great relationship. Without Google, I wouldn't have found the place in Osaka that does eyebrow waxing. On the other hand…
4) …I have a love-hate relationship with iPhoto. I hate the fact that it sort of duplicates my photos in form so I can use the program, but I love how I can make a really spiffy photo album and then order it when I am done. So, unlike my London photo album which is still not done yet, I will have my Japan photo album waiting for me when I arrive home.
5) I notice there is a big difference in mentality between the Monbusho kids (already college graduates and then some) and the KUINEP kids (still in college).
6) Japanese college students really like their drums and brass instruments. I hear a cacophony of them at all hours of the day on campus and I hear them outside the library.
7) People really like my project. For real! I got accepted to the Asian Studies Conference Japan in TOKYO, run by the Association for Asian Studies - woot! (It's posted on the site, they havent given me official notice yet.)
8) But I really need to get my bum cracking on something related to it, even if outside background reading. Can someone give me suggestions?
9) I am definitely going to have to come back hear for another year at least in grad school.
10) Japanese cell phones aren’t as confusing as one thought. I actually do have a manual in English. And I figured out how to use the internet on my phone. Can anyone say, "Yahooooooo!"
11) Speaking of English stuff – I don’t use the English bus map. I try to incorporate Japanese as much as possible.
12) I know all the street signs of the major streets on the Eastern side of the city like the back of my hand and in kanji to boot.
13) I can read the kanji of a street sign before I get close enough to read the romaji.
14) I hate karaoke. I refuse to do karaoke. I have a hate-hate relationship with karaoke.
15) Nitori delivers furniture for free. Not that I need anymore.
16) Feta does exist in Japan. At a price.
17) I can cook Japanese food. Heck, I can cook!
18) My speaking is still a bit off.
19) Jikoshokai is the most annoying thing – how many times do I have to do it?
20) My legs are too long for this country.
21) My left knee has been bothering me since I left Japan – I can’t bend my leg back all the way – and I have no clue why.
22) I can’t sit on the floor with my legs folded underneath – see knee problem above.
23) Free koto lessons! And at the same time, Japanese language practice with someone that is not a teacher or a classmate.
24) Kyoto is really rainy. And really humid. And apparently, really cold.
25) But that means I get to use a really cool umbrella. And contrary to popular sayings from the locals, come on, its NOT that cold! I am used to zero degree weather (Fahrenheit) WITH a wind chill. Beat that.
26) You would be stupid if you didn’t have a bike.
27) You would be crazy to ride your bike in the rain, holding your umbrella with all your crap in the bike basket – that’s why they invented umbrella holders to attach your umbrella to the handlebars. But that doesn’t mean I have one yet.
28) There is no such thing as gas or oil heat. Unless you have a kerosene heater.
29) Shop 99, 3 Coin Shop and any 100-yen shop are a student’s lifesaver.
30) The cafes here are awesome. If sometimes a bit expensive.
31) It is actually cheaper to eat out than in sometimes.
32) Sushi on a conveyor belt!
33) The cafeteria here kicks Sodexho’s butt anyday.
34) That drum cacophony is REALLY pissing me off.
35) I feel more comfortable in Kyoto than in Osaka. And I am not the only one who thinks so.
36) Onigiri is a great snack. But beware if you can't read the label, then it's the most disgusting food on earth, next to natto.
37) Japanese chocolate – wow. It kicks Cadbury's butt anyday.
38) PIZA MAN!
39) When I get back home for good, I am definitely going to get tons of stuff from Sun Mart and Hong Kong supermarket.
40) They need to introduce the uni coop system in the States. Travel agency, dry cleaner, pharmacy, book store, school supplies, books and food all in one spot – come on! One stop shopping for students!
41) Photocopying is really cheap, so long as you make the paper settings to B4.
42) Unfortunately if I did get that umbrella holder for my bike, I would be laughed at from here to kingdom come, since only "obaa-sans" have that on their bikes.
43) I still haven't felt an earthquake.
44) Japanese offices are run so bureaucratically to the point that they become inefficient.
45) I still can't type properly.
46) And I still write my kanji a bit backwards. Gotta love genetics for making me a lefty.
47) However, that might be rectified, since the electronic dictionary for my Nintendo only recognizes the kanji if it's written in the correct stroke order.
48) Cute little pink pigs as cell phone charms? Of course!
49) Cell phone charms in general? Hell yeah!

and for the last one:

50) The McDonald's in Japan are way cleaner, much nicer and is THE place for students to chill and do their homework. The Kyodai area really needs a Starbucks.

People! Visit Me! That's an Order!

Japanese Lesson #5:

Ginkakuji: The Silver Pavillion (that is not really Silver, since they ran outta money back in the day to make it silver plated, as a contrast to Kinkakuji).
Momiji: Japanese maple trees, when they turn vibrant colors that are even better than the trees in New England.

Because I was lazy last week, I had neglected to mention one very important thing.

I had visitors!

This is I hope the first round of many. To the college mates - you can stay with me!
(And that means you Elisa, even if you have to take a sedative to survive the flight.)

:::My audience scratches their heads - Already? You have been there less than a month!:::

Not just any visitors. Cool visitors, to be exact.

My Aunt Stella and Uncle George came from Greece. They aren't really my aunt an uncle by blood, that is - Uncle George is my dad's best friend from childhood, and he has known me since I was born. They used to visit alot when I was younger, but the last time I saw them was back in 2002, when I went to Greece with my mom and my sister.

They were in Okayama for a conference (Uncle George is a biochemist, so he is another academic hero of mine, even though it is totally different fields) so they decided to come to Kyoto for a few days after the conference. Total coincidence - they knew I got the scholarship to Japan, but they didn't know what city I was in or when I was going. Through the grapevine that is known as "The Family in Thessaloniki," they found out that I was in Kyoto the same time that they were going to visit. So Uncle George emailed me and we set up a time to meet up last Monday.

It was fun. I took them to the tonkatsu restaurant that Deena and I went to on my second day in Kyoto (the one at Kyoto Station - it's SOO good! I am going to take EVERYONE there) and they enjoyed it alot. Uncle George and Aunt Stella like to take alot of pictures; if that is one thing that I remember growing up it's that I had alot of pictures with them whenever they visited.

I told them what's going on with me (engaged, scholarship, plans for grad school, etc. etc.) and updated on the "NYC Family." On Tuesday I didn't meet up with them since they went sightseeing all day, but on Wednesday, we went to Ginkakuji before my class at 1pm.

The landscaping of Ginkakuji is gorgeous. Very Zen-like. Uncle George didn't like it because it wasn't like Kinkakuji. However, at Ginkakuji, I can get a more serene feeling out of it. Maybe because it wasn't sivler, so it was more "in harmony" with the natural surroundings. The silver plating would make it stand out ALOT.

Still, I plan to visit both places after a good snow. I saw pictures and it's gorgeous, so I hope to see it for real. And in the fall when the momiji turn colors and in the spring for "Sakura Madness." It's still very warm here - 70 degrees!! - so the leaves haven't changed yet.

Down By The River, Late in the Evening

Alisa, Ingram, Colleen (at Kyodai for her Junior Year Abroad on a Mitsubishi Scholarship - yes, the same company that makes the cars) and I went to eat sushi last night.

First off, we went down to Sanjo with our bikes. One of us (I won't mention who) never knew how to ride a bike, so it was quite interesting to see how s/he handled it. Quite nicely! Good job.

Rode down along the Kamo-Gawa to get there and parked our bikes at Starbucks. Now then, there are two places where one can park a bike between Sanjo and Shijo and pretty much guarantee that it won't get impounded. First is the Sanjo Starbucks. They cordon off an area for the bikes so its like "Parking for Starbucks Customers Only" but no one pays attention to that. The second place is this little alley off of Shijo.

Our main purpose was to go eat sushi. I have not eaten sushi since I got here (go ahead, gasp all you want) and needless to say, when Ingram and Alisa suggested sushi, I was totally game for it. It gets better. We all went to this place where they have the sushi on a conveyor belt, and each plate (with either two pieces of sushi or a bunch of rolls) go for 105 yen each:



I have to say, it was the most fun eating sushi ever since I first tried it. It reminded me of the scene in the Mr. Bean movie where he and Natalie Portman went to Go! Sushi in London (it actually exists, but I never went inside) and his tie got stuck in the conveyor belt. What was cool was at this place, you actually had booths for your party, and the conveyor belt just plodded along the booths. There was even a little fountain with hot water and a box of green tea sachets for your tea. Cold tea and water was self service. If you placed a special order, then it would come down the conveyor belt on a plate that had your table number on it.

None of us placed a special order, but Ingram and I were curious about natto. Natto is made up of fermented soybeans - the stuff that is left over. According to Alisa's former host mother - who had a wet plate of it every morning for breakfast - it made you stronger. According to the members of my forum, it is the most disgusting thing on the planet. Alisa said it wasn't that bad; so when she recognized a natto roll coming down the conveyor belt, I took it. There were two rolls, so Ingram and I each took one. Ingram kinda looked at it warily, but I figured down the hatch!

Bad, bad, bad idea.

It has the most disgusting aftertaste I have ever had in my life. The taste and the smell was so bad - and took you by surprise so much ,since it was a gradual taste - it practically permeated my brain. I am sitting there making faces, sputtering, and trying to eat it because I thought spitting it out was much more gross (half-chewed natto roll? EWW). Ingram looks at me, natto roll in his chopsticks, with a look of horror on his face.

Oops. I think I scared the poor guy. Colleen tried some too and Alisa ate the rest. The look on Colleen's face was classic.

Natto may look innocent, but it is a deadly, deadly thing. It is worse than Sodexho cafeteria food.








Blech. Amongst the wierder things on the conveyor belt (cheesecake that looked like deep fried sponge cake, anyone?) something caught my eye:










Hamburger sushi. Or rather, itty bittie hamburger patties on rice with a dollop of mayonaisse on it. Alisa told me there is a difference between "hambaga" and "hambagu" (I think that's the katakana for it) - one is just the patty, the other is a actual hamburger. I had two plates of it - quite tasty. This was a time to try new things; at 105 yen a plate it's not like one is losing so much. Refer to the natto mini-escapade. Nonetheless, I polished of the following "tower of glory" - 9 plates of sushi.

Afterwards, we went around Teramachi and Shinkyogoku (covered shopping arcades within Sanjo-Shijo-Kawaramachi) in search of crepes. Since the crepe stand were closed, we ended up at Cafe Independants, a cafe in the basement of a building with really cool desserts. Presentation was awesome; it reminded me of the Waltz back home. Kathy would like this place. They have a website too, so I am able to get there again, as we were walking around trying to find a place for dessert.

While eating dessert, we were debating our next move. Go to a bar, or buy something and go to the river? We walked around for a bar, but they were filled mostly with creepy, sleazy gaijin (a topic for a later post, possibly) so we decided to go for the "get something to drink and go to the river." First, we took photo stickers. The machines are WAY better than the ones home. I need to get a photo sticker album now.

Everyone that is probably uner the age of 30 goes to the Kamogawa at the Sanjo crossing. We plunked our bums down (after running into some Kyodai people at the liquor store, no less - Kyoto is a SMALL city); Ingram had "One Cup of Sake" (a glass vial filled with exactly one cup of sake), Alisa and Colleen had beer and I had this thing called Chu-Hi: made by Kirin, it's like a malt liquor thing with peach, or various other flavors. It just tasted like peach soda, which I liked.

Sanjo at Kamogawa reminded me of Union Square. There was a group of Japanese people playing African/Aboriginal music on the conga-drum things and a dijderidoo (the Australian pipe). Some in the group were swinging batons or flags like they were at a rave, minus the glowsticks. At one point, the sticks were on fire, which made the effect even more interesting. To prove that Kyoto is again a small place, I ran into more classmates on Sanjo.

It was getting a bit late, and there was this old Japanese man walking amongs the small groups, chatting about nothing, but more to practice his English. Since we had to go to the bathroom before Starbucks closed (as it was the closest Western toilet around) we decided to leave. We rode back up the river on our bikes, and I pushed my bike up the steps with no problem at all - there are motion sensor lights on the houses along the steps. When I finally got home, I took a look at my watch - it was midnight. I had hardly realized it, since there are still so many people around. Kyoto may be small, but it is surely kicking.