Domo, Makku Desu. Konnichiwa, Pasokon Desu. Bye-bye, iPoddo Desu.

I have just about had it.

My iPod is totally shot from here to kindgom come. I can`t put it on hold anymore because the hold button will freeze my iPod (harks back to the time when I did not use my case and just tossed it into the depths of my bag) and the battery is so gone that I have to carry my charger with me now so that I don`t have a dead iPod for my 2 minute bike ride home.

Just goes to show how dependent on my iPod I am. I am using it again at night to help me fall asleep since I haven`t been sleeping well lately.

This re-emergence of the loathing that I have for my dear iPod was triggered once again by an email I got from Apple, announcing that their nifty clip-on iPod shuffles now come in color a la iPod Nano. About time. They are also very affordable to - $79 or 9800yen. Before everyone goes aghast at the difference in price, I did the math: when you configure the NYC taxes (as the 9800yen list price includes the tax) and convert 9800yen into USD, its actually $80 - 5 dollars less than the $79 iPod shuffle after taxes (which comes to about $85). And besides, my income is in yen - best get things on this side of the world. I WOULD get an iPod video, but I want to wait for the latest generation (or the iPhone!). Furthermore, the iPod shuffle is good for the gym, which I plan to join in March.

On another note, when I was on the Japanese site, I came across the Japanese versions of the Mac vs. PC commercials. Not only did I understand them but they were HILARIOUS. There is this one where the Pasokon (PC - as represented by a salaryman) is decked out in all protective gear with the katakana for `Pa` (as in `pa-so-ko-n`) emblazoned on the front. He tells the Mac (hipster) that it`s for protection against viruses, and they are all the spyware and firewalls. Mac doesn`t wear anything (obviously!) but here is the kicker: unlike the American commercials, where Mac and PC keep chatting till the end, Japan Mac tells Pasokon that there is a virus (off screen) and then Pasokon slowly meanders behind Mac. Mac just looks at Pasokon, who has this look of fear on his face.

For some strange reason, the Japanese Mac ads are much more hilarious than the American ones. I noticed that Mac uses informal language, while PC uses formal language. That surely drives the point home, ne?

DIE, KANJI, DIE.

I just took my kanji final and my grammar final.

Kanji - failed. For sure. I took one look at that thing, and in spite of the fact that I studied maybe over 200 words, the ones that I studied were not on the test.

Not that it matters; the down low for the Monbusho kids is that so long as you try and go to the classes and make some effort, its not like they are going to kick you out of the program. And that will be the only final that I fail regardless. I took Intermediate Kanji as opposed to Basic Kanji III because I wanted a challenge and I did not want to repeat stuff I learned. So while I did learn ALOT of new Kanji and vocabulary, etc. etc. the stuff I did cover was unfortunately not on the test. Maybe I will pass the class by the skin of my teeth - I always do well on the quizzes and I come to every class.And besides! EVERYONE and their mothers use the denshi jishos anyways. You see all the Japanese kids with one (You can tell I am in a bad mood over my kanji final - I busted my ass for THREE weeks preparing for that test and it was all for naught at least in terms of passing the test).

I on the other hand, have my pink Nintendo with the pink pig cell phone charm, which my teachers are just amazed by - my kanji teacher asked that since I got my DS in NYC can I play Japanese games? Of course - I got the jisho game here.

DS`s are very rare in Japan and if you do find one, its twice the price than the US.

Moving along...Grammar - pass. That was pretty easy. Maybe over an 80 - I will be happy with that, but I still get the ~sou desu stuff mixed up sometimes.

Remaining tests*

Listening: Final/Wed
Integrated: Quiz on Ch. 9 & 12/Wed; Final/Thurs
Reading: Quiz & HW/Fri
Coversation: Final/Mon

Pfffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffttttttttttttttt...

Ok, for the LAST TIME...

...I am NOT a professor!

Get it straight!

I did not write it anywhere in my application. I know that you think that that is the safest action so that you do not offend anyone, but when you have the 5 different options for salutation (Mr./Mrs./Miss/Ms./Dr.) and I do NOT choose `Dr.` obviously I am not a doctor!

In other news, I just got my official notification that I was accepted to the Asian Studies Conference Japan in Tokyo this June - in my Spam box.

Shake, Rattle and Roll...Ride that Earthquake Baby!

Karma can really bite you in the arse.

The day that I say that I haven`t experienced an earthquake was the EXACT same day that I experienced one!

I went to bed my normal time, but around 2:14 a.m. my bed shook enough to wake me up. I can be a bit of a light sleeper (sometimes I need a blindfold just to force my eyes closed so I stay asleep, but then the elastic wears out so I go through quite a few blindfolds) so needless to say I was obviously woken up. By the time I gathered my senses - oh, about less than half a minute - the shaking stopped.

`HOLY CRAP! What was that?` I thought.

I sent texts to Colleen and Alisa; Alisa responded, confirming that it was indeed an earthquake. She asked if I was alright; I was perfectly fine, if a bit shaken up because I had never experienced an earthquake. So, I began to laugh because it was a bit funny because I freaked out so much.

According to a link from the Japan Meterological Agency that a forum member posted in a thread aptly titled, `Shake, Rattle and Roll...Ride that Earthquake Baby!` there was an earthquake in Fukui-ken and the measurement was a 4.4 - what I liked about that link what that it measured the seismic activity in the rest of the area, and in my neck of the woods, it was a 1.

Of course, my mom got all freaked out but with good reason - she was in a 7.1 earthquake back in the day when she used to live in California.

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.

Lil' Miss Goody Two-Books

Finals are approaching. I have 5 tests in three days, and then one more the following Monday. That is just pure hell.

I had a three day weekend since this Friday was the day of reckoning for all high-school students:

the once-a-year-do-or-die-National-Examination-Day.

In an ironic twist of fate I think, the exams were held at Kyodai (as far as I know, for there could be other test sites) - the one place that all high schoolers want to go to to, second only to Tokyo Uni (Todai). That could motivate students more, as Alisa pointed out but I tend to look on the darker side of things. I took the SAT once at Columbia and I had that awful experience of two rejection letters on the same day.

So, what did I do this weekend? I surely did not go out and see the pretty sights of Kyoto even though the weather was nice.

STUDY.
STUDY.
STUDY.

I wasn't the only one - the library on all three days was packed. When I got there in the mornings, the bike racks in front of the library were all full; on a normal non-finals-are-coming-up day, they are usually pretty empty. By the time I left at around 4pm (Saturday and Sunday, I left the library at 8 on Friday, but got there at 1), not only were the bikes racks PACKED, but the space in between them (for there are two sets of bike racks at the library) were so filled with bikes that you couldn't even walk in between them. Funnily enough, there are signs everywhere that say to not park your bike in that area. You always park your bike where the signs say to not park your bike.

Nonetheless, I work my arse off in the library but when I get home, all the stuff on my "To Do" list is done. Comapred to my procrastinating habits in college it sort of feels good to come home and then just chill because all your stuff is done. Sometimes I worry that I am not studying enough for finals because I come home and then chill for 5 hours before I go to sleep or so but I need to kind of remind myself that you worked in the library for 6 hours. Chill. It will get more hectic during the week with class and all but it is manageable.

So now my dinner is cooking - tonight I will slurp udon whilst watching "Monsoon Wedding."

You Know You`re a Mac User When...

...you are on AIM on a PC and you forgot all your friend`s screenames and get them mixed up, because on iChat you have it configured so that it shows the real name and not the screen name.

Also, when you are on a PC you unconsciously move the mouse to the upper right hand corner and get mad when nothing happens, because you have too many windows open and you just want to get to that particular one that you need in a flash.

The Air Routes More Traveled

I cannot contain myself!

I AM GOING TO KOREA!

I AM TRAVELLING!

I AM GETTING OUT OF THE COUNTRY!

I WILL SET FOOT ON MAINLAND ASIA!

On a sarcastic note as Deena pointed out, it's not like I can get to the rest of Asia through Korea - good ol' Kim Jong-Il is standing in the way with his oversized Ray-Bans and frizzy combover.

I got my plane ticket today from Kyoto Uni's Co-op today; Alisa told me that they have good discounts for students. Another thing I like about the co-op is that I can pay my ticket in cash right then and there and thus would not have to use my credit card. Pay it and get it over with. I like that Japan is more cash-based: don't have the money, then you don't buy it because they don't take debit or credit cards 90% of the time anyways.

I was going to do it this morning actually - I had gone to the co-op, asked for the information, got the information and was just about to fork over the money when I realized that I should err on the side of caution, and ask my homeroom teacher just in case about when the classes officially end and when break begins. So I took my printout and told the lady I would come back probably on Thursday, since I would see my homeroom teacher tomorrow for listening class.

Turns out, I ran into her today; so right after grammar class, I went back to the co-op. I have to say it was quite interesting to actually fork over the money to a travel-agent-person and just get it all done and over with.

Deena already has a bunch of stuff planned. Ice skating, skiing, the DMZ, her kindergarten class graduation, shopping, museums, palaces, and maybe a temple stay overnight.

So excited!

Go Ahead. Make His Day.

So, the guy from the company that runs my building dropped in promptly at 7pm this evening, as per our arrangment over the phone earlier today. He comes in, takes his shoes off and heads to my itinerant bathroom with the pissy pipes, bucket and plunger in hand.

Pissy pipes - not really. More like stuffed up strainer.

He lifts up the metal lid on the floor and I actually gasp out of embarrasment. It wasn't a case of "the shower is clogged, get the Drano and sulfuric acid" (one time, I poured candle wax down the sink, now THAT was embarrassing). The plumbing here is a wee bit different - the pipe from the shower and the sink empty into this hole that the strainer was covering together. There is no separate pipe for the shower, like back home. I was thinking that it was going to be a major operation, as memories of my dad with the infamous "snake" came into mind.

No, this was a simple case of the strainer wasn't cleaned. I was so embarrased, and started to ramble off in Japanese: "I am so sorry, this is so embarrasing, this is my first time living alone, Japanese plumbing is quite different..." I felt so bad that I had to make the guy come, I took the strainer and began to clean it myself - and since he also touched it, pumped some of the liquid hand soap that I had luckily bought earlier in the day and directed him to the kitchen sink so that he can wash his hands.

I then proceeded to wash the strainer in the kitchen sink; he kneeled on the floor and we chatted about this and that, since I wanted to make sure that it was just the strainer and not some bigger problem.

In retrospect, it was a total "gaijin" moment and quite funny. I'll bet it will be the watercooler topic for tomorrow at the company.

One other thing that I noticed: when I was rambling quite coherently all in Japanese, I noticed that I did just that - ramble in the way that I just let myself go and didn't stop to think about trying to translate a sentence or a word. I probably made some mistakes but I didn't stop, which I think, is a good thing.

This little fiasco probably made the guy's day - go to building, soothe nervous female gaijin and get to sit down and chat while she cleans the strainer.

Beef: It's What's for Tabehodai

Japanese Lesson #12 (I think):

1) Tabehodai: ALL.YOU.CAN.EAT.

Other than the nice, juicy steaks that I had back when I was home for Christmas - prompting my mother to comment that I am eating too much red meat, but there isn't much to be had on this side of the sea regardless - I don't and haven't had the chance to eat red meat ever since I left for Japan. Like beef for example. Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. Yum yum. My "farewell" dinner cooked by Mel back in October was a steak, potatoes au gratin, corn and A-1 steak sauce.

Of course a lot of red meat is bad for you, and it's really expensive here so I don't bother. It's chicken and fish for me, with the occasional meatballs.

On Saturday, the day before the "my bathroom is flooded" fiasco, I went to Prof. S.'s house in Gion (I love that house) for a presentation on a course that he is preparing for next fall: Kyoto's Modern History. When he told me about it, I had the following reactions (internally of course):

1) My mouth dropped.
2) I began to hate those future KCJS kids, damn lucky people.
3) "PLEASE PLEASE can I just at least sit in on the class? I will be quiet, not say a peep and do all the readings and the homework!"

Just as I was getting the balls to ask if I can sit in the back corner of the J-pod next fall, he turns around and says, "You know, since you are doing this exact thing, you could be my TA, help out with the students, etc...."

So my internal reactions changed to the following:

"HOLY CRAP, REALLY?!?! Thank you so much this is such an awesome opportunity!!!"

First off, I'll get more hands-on-force-me-to-think in depth study. Secondly, I would get paid (not that it matters, hell I would have done it for free since it's such a great oppoortunity). Thirdly, its nice "shiny" (as Cat would say) TA experience that would look great on my resume and grad school apps. This was all before vacation but I really didn't say anything till now because of the presentation and that it is still all up in the air. Scheduling and all, but I will make this fit. Not like I have to take zillions of classes, especially in Fall '07.

Fourhtly, I have now more resources to look at. Part of the presentation included a tentative syllabus. What was cool was that about half of the stuff can be found in my bibliography. At least I know I am doing something right. ;-)

The presentation was in Japanese but I got about 50% of the specifics and a good general sense about it. Prof. S. actually introduced me (and this other student) to the crowd of the academic people attending and actually passed around two copies of my thesis (the edited/long one, as of June 2006). At first I was a wee bit surprised but I figured fine by me. One woman actually took a copy, saying that my work was very interesting. I also met a girl, who said that she was in the seminar hosted by my professor at Ritsumeikan (Prof. S. asked me who was my teacher in front of the whole crowd when introducing me); I asked what kind of teacher he was and she said "Very kind." That's a relief - one guy mysteriously guffawed loudly when I said my teacher's name to the crowd.

After, I called Alisa and asked if she was still up for watching Grey's Anatomy together. She totally forgot, saying that she was at Fuji Daimaru with Ted and Tracy (two JETs) - but since I had told her that I was on Shijo anyway, want to come for dinner? (We watched GA the next day).

No prob, I said. Sounded like fun. And now, Fuji Daimaru is my new favorite department store. I want to buy stuff from there, and furnish my future house/apartment with that stuff. Japanese house stuff is awesome.

We all got hungry. MEGA hungry. And we wanted to pig out. So Ted knew this Korean BBQ tabehodai place for about 2000yen. We had to wait a bit when we got inside, but it was totally worth it. We had a starter of three plates of meat and kimchi veggies, and THEN comes the all-you-can-eat. My favorite was this beef called "Den-niku" which uses the characters for "heaven" and "meat" so Alisa and I called it "heavenly meat." It sure was heavenly!

The Japanese are smart about tabehodai. To prevent customers from staying there FOREVER, there is a 90-minute time limit. Fine by us. We got stuffed, and we had all three desserts on the tabehodai menu.

That was the best meal I have ever had while going out for dinner in Japan. Gotta love tabehodai.

Being An Adult Sucks

You have to pay bills.

Yiu have to pay health insurance.

Don't forget the rent!

Oh yeah, and if you rent an apartment and something goes awry, you have to wait till the landlord recieved your email so that he can fix the clog in your shower that lead to a flood in the bathroom because all the piping is connected. Daddy isn't here anymore with the snake.

Luckily, my landlord is the sort to reply to his emails promptly.

What Country Are You In Now?

So I never did any of my homework over the vacation.

Oh, bloody well. I needed to detox - this vacation was sorely needed to "take the edge off" as Mary says.

Study for million hours? Yeah, I needed that two week break. Plus in the first week, I was stil getting over my cold and had really bad jet lag - on Wednesday last, I slept for 20 hours straight. I really didn't do that much if you think about it, since the first week was rest and detox from my first three months in Japan. When I go back, it's only a month and a half of class left then six weeks vacation. Awesome. I am making a list of places to go and things to do already. I refuse to stay put, except for maybe the last week or two where I will study to prepare for my placement tests in Japanese at Rits (nickname for Ritsumeikan, which is what I will use from now on.)

So how was my vacation? I'll make a list for ya:

1) According to a Fordham insider I am still famous at Fordham. Yikes. I was mentioned in the Fordham Magazine like three times for the same thing. Sort of excessive in my opinion. Oh well, all universities toot their horns any chance they get - and Fordham slipped two spots this year in the US News & World Report rankings.

2) Saw friends. They loved all their little goodies from Japan. And I missed going out in NYC. I love the downtown/Wall Street bar scene, because the pubs date back from the 1800s and pub food is so good.

3) Went to Whole Foods. Twice. Woot!

4) Jaywalked. Four times. Double woot!

5) J.Crew "After Christmas" sale. 'Nuff said.

6) GREEK FOOD. Oh, greek food.

7) STEAK. Mashed potatoes. REAL FOOD.

8) My friend Kathy thought the line, "I was born in Astoria, but I live in Japan now" is really cool. In a way it is. ;-) It's kind of funny, how I have two cell phones, for two totally different countries. In London, I used the same cell as I did in the States since the network is the same, I just had a different SIM card. The bar has been raised in terms of the fact that I am a resident of two countries.

9) Downloaded alot of 80's music. I am on an 80's music kick.

10) I got the Nintendo DS Lite in PINK! Triple woot. Now I will be occupied when I am bored, and will get the dictionary game so I can use it in class.

11) It was SEVENTY DEGREES FAHRENHEIT (about 23 C for the non-US crowd) today in the city. It is JANUARY. I wore a cardigan and no jacket. The world is coming to an end. I never needed my warm weather clothes and again, I overpacked.

12) Saw Phantom of the Opera on Broadway with Leah and my parents. It was awesome - the music is amazing, and Leah got us good seats.

So again, I am packed and I go home with more stuff, like some of my Spring clothes (which isn't much, because I don't like warm weather clothes that much). My next return to the States will be July, but in March I go to Korea and in May I go to the Philippines (90% possible).

Lots of countries. Not enough passport pages.

A Whack in the Face

I know I am home.

First off, on the way back home from the airport, Mel and I were yelling (a bit) at the other stupid drivers with out of town license plates (yes we are evil when it comes to the highway) because they drove too slow and don't know how to handle NYC traffic.

Secondly, I went into the city and preceeded to be swarmed by tourists and people who actually STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SIDEWALK to take photos of the "really tall buildings." MOVE IT, people!

Thirdly, I totally lost my uptown-downtown/East Side-West Side orientation. Shame on me.

Fourthly, in my futile search to find a pink Nintendo DS Lite (obviously sold out because every kid wanted one for Christmas) I got whacked in the face by a father at the Toys R Us in Times Square (stupid, stupid move Maria, you do NOT go to Times Square!) wielding those plastic security cases with a video game inside. There is a scratch along my right eye, and the father proceeded to say "Sorry!" so fast and so loud as if I was going to pounce on him because he wacked me in the face.

I was exclaiming rather loudly, but no I wasn't going to kill him.

I am a NICE New Yorker.

But sometimes, I do give out the wrong directions on the subway. That's an accident.

Guess Who's Back, Back Again...

Here is my version of the Mastercard commerical:

1) Plane ticket from Osaka to NYC: 1400 USD
2) Shuttle bus from apartment to Kansai International Airport: 3000 JPY
3) The looks on my parent's faces: priceless.

The flight was really long. There was a guy in the next section over playing Final Fantasy 3 (in Japanese) on his Nintendo DS Lite. At that very moment, I resolved that I had to get myself a Nintendo DS. I was somewhat concerned about the lack of a pink DS in the States because DS's are rather expensive in Japan as compared to the States. However, when I finally went on the internet and to the Toys 'R' Us site - pink! I am going to get it today. On a side note, the DS will prove usefull - there is a game that serves as a denshi jisho. Until I scrape the money to get the real thing, it will do for now.

Regardless, I couldn't sleep. Too excited and was still suffering from my cold. Detroit was well, Detroit. Gray and industrial. Our flight was delayed because of baggage issues from connecting flights and I landed at LGA at 4pm, a good 20 hours after I left Osaka. Flying to Japan is one thing. Flying to New York is quite another; with the jet lag, I think it's harder to come stateside than it is to go to Japan. It is now 5am here in NYC and I am still jet-lagged.

I met up with Mel at the airport - so happy! We drove back to my house - I live 10 minutes away from LGA - and Mel didn't park the car in the driveway. My mom tends to look out the front window when she hears a car pull in and we didn't want her to see any vestiges of me. So I sort of had to duck as I went to the basement door (the entry to the garage and the basement outside slopes downward. Mel and I entered quietly and then we began to make our way upstairs.

Mel: (coming through the basement door) Can I give you my present now?
Mom: Sure! (Goes out of kitchen into dining room to get Mel's gift, returns to kitchen) Oh my GOD!
Me: Hello! I come from Japan, bearing gifts and a cold.

My parents were totally shocked. They had NO CLUE. As in, my dad was in disbelief for a few good hours and still laughing about it and my mom nearly had a heart attack and said it was a good thing she wasn't holding anything.

Pretty much, anyone in my circle under the age of 30 (with the exception of Mel's parents, as we asked his mom for help in finding a plane ticket) knew. My mom called her friend Katherine who is Ellie's mom:

Mom: Katherine. Ask Ellie if she knows anything about my Christmas present.
Katherine (calls over to Ellie): What's this about Helen's Christmas present?
Ellie: I dunno.
Katherine (turns to mom): What are you talking about?
Mom: Ask Ellie if she knows about Maria.
Katherine (turns to Ellie): What's this about Maria? isn't she in Korea?
Ellie: Um, no. She is in Astoria.

I even called my relatives in Florida and they were shocked too. My mom is going to have the best story to tell at work; like I mentioned, she told all her coworkers (as they like to keep updated on my status) that I was going to Korea.

Got them!

The Name is Fuji. Mr. Fuji.

Japanese Lesson #11:

1) San - "Mr." or "Miss," "Mrs." etc. Honorific tied onto the names.
2) Yama - mountain

I was trying to doze off and keep an eye out for the flight attendants who were giving out the lunches at the same time when the captain of the plane made an announcement:

"If you look onto your right, Mt. Fuji will be coming up on your left." Naturally, everyone in the plane began to go gaga, myself included. Who gets an aerial view on a clear day of one of the most well-known symbols of Japan? Sometimes I wonder if those maiko I saw back in October were really tourists dressing up as geisha (which is quite common) so the prospect of seeing geisha in general is extremely slim.

Mt. Fuji is one of the most famous symbols of Japan. Everyone knows what Mt. Fuji is regardless of whether or not they have anything to do with Japan. One can climb that mountain - :::cough cough::: volcano - and it's famous for being really pretty from afar, but gross up close. The place is covered with trash.

It's also famous for the "Black Forest." Not the one in Germany - no, this Black Forest's floor is covered with iron from the volcano, rendering regular Boy Scout compasses and cell phones useless. People go in there to commit suicide. The police conduct a round-up of the bodies once a year, and have to tie ropes around their waists so that they don't get lost in the forest.



There is something funny about Mt. Fuji. The Japanese call Mt. Fuji "Fuji-San," as opposed to "Fuji-yama." There are mountains that have the name + yama to create the official name of the mountain, but dear ol' Fuji is the only one with "san" at the end of the name. I know that this harks back to respect for the mountain and several thousand years of custom and traditional Shinto belief, but it's kinda funny when you say "Fuji-san, and it can also mean quite literally, "Mr. Fuji."

I wonder if the mountain likes his lava shaken, not stirred.

Over the Ocean and Across the Continent...

...to my parent's house we go!

One important thing about this blog entry:

I am not publishing this until December 24, 2006. My mom reads this blog and thus, publishing this on the date when I begin this journey of 6000+ miles and my American Express card doing some tough exercise to the tune of about $1400 entirely defeats the purpose of being on my parent's doorstep on December 24, ringing the doorbell and saying "Yoo-hoo! Guess who is here?" in a high-pitched, grandmother-ly voice (which, I think, is hilarious). Or, I can come up through the basement, and then just APPEAR in the living room.

Oh, the options and elements of surprise. I just hope I don't give my parents heart attacks.

(Note: Obviously, this is going to be a LONG entry. You were warned.)

November 21, 2006: Operation - Surprise the Parents

It all began with the following premise: I have two weeks off at the end of December. Before I came to Japan, I was exploring my options of what I will do over the holiday break, which I probably have sketched out in previous entries. To clarify:

1) Go to Hong Kong with Deena

OR

2) Go to Philippines with Mel.

Over the course of my first two months in Japan, another option presented itself, because a ticket to Hong Kong is $1300 from Osaka (WTF?!?!?!?!?):

3) Mel comes visit me in Japan.

The idea of visiting Deena in Korea over Xmas was nil, precisely because I have those 6 weeks off between Kyoto Uni and Ritsumeikan Uni. So I knew I was going to Korea in February or March. Hong Kong was out because of the ticket price; I found an amazing hotel that was reasonably priced from The Frugal Traveler column in the NYTimes so that was ok to go, as Jodie Foster would say. However, since I did not know when my vacation was exactly (and neither did Deena hers), I couldn't make any travel plans before I came to Japan (when tickets would have been cheaper). So, bye bye Hong Kong. I'll visit it through Wong Kar Wai movies for the moment, even if they do take place in the 60's.

Obviously, I did not want to just sit on my butt during the holidays. Yeah, I know "OMG, COME ON you are in Kyoto! Celebrate it Japanese style!"

I got a year and a half here. Don't worry. There is still another October-March set come next year. So I get two chances to see pretty autumn leaves and two chances to see the temple bells ring 108 times at New Year. Besides, I am coercing the familia (that is my parents, Leah and probably Mel, if he can) to come HERE for Xmas and New Year '07, as opposed to my mom and sister coming in spring '07. I want my dad to come too and since he runs the ice cream truck in the spring and summer, he isn't able to travel for extended periods of time during the hot months. We go out when it rains. It's a quirk of the family. All families have quirks.

Quirkiness aside, the idea of Mel coming to Kyoto was slowly being put on the back burner because of this revelation and another option:

4) It is cheaper for me to come home than for Mel to come to Japan,

SO...

I will come home for two weeks. Specifically, 17 days.

It's holiday season in the U.S. In Japan, people go back home for New Year (remember the inaka from your lessons!) and Christmas is more of a couples holiday. So travel is normal, not crazy. Hence, ticket prices aren't unreasonable.

And besides! Nothing kicks butt more than Christmas in New York. I have been to Times Square on New Year's twice already. It rocks. And I still need to go ice skating in either Rockefeller Center or Central Park's Wollman Rink. Last time I went skating, I was 5 years old at the Queens rink. There is a video of me, going around on my toepicks and whining the whole time. Oh, the embarrasing memories.

I had mentioned in passing to my mom (gotta love Skype) that I am considering coming home, but I haven't brought up the subject again. Since she knows that it's too expensive for Mel to come to Japan, I told Mel, Deena and my sister (who I told that I wanted to surprise the 'rents) that I am going to KOREA. To visit DEENA. NO NYC.

So now, I am in the process of finding my ticket. Mel is better at searching than me, so he was able to get the Osaka-Detroit-NYC and vice versa; I was getting results that would have me either in a 12 hour layover in Honolulu going to NYC (via Minneapolis, so then it would be two connections), or an overnight layover in Columbus going back to Kyoto (then Detroit, then Osaka so two connections again), and me losing out on time with the familia.

Granted, a 12-hour layover in Honolulu would be sweet. I was looking foward to getting a lei. But I would have arrived in NYC on December 24, at 10:30 am (at LGA which is like a hop skip and jump away from my house, but still). Yes, it makes the whole ambiance of "coming home for Christmas" very sweet, but no.

Need.To.Maximize.Time.In. NYC.

Hence, I am skipping class on January 5, a Friday. We have vacation from 12/23 to 1/4, but we come back on the 5th and THEN we have a three day weekend. They should have just given us the Friday off. Bah. I double-checked the requirements for that class, and since its just weekly quizzes and no midterm, I can skip safely. Plus I am going to tell my teacher; we had to write an essay in Japanese on our "O-Sho-Gatsu" (New Year) but for the kids from the US and Europe, New Year is just one big party where you're up all night then you pass out the next day (because you were up all night), she told us we can write about Christmas. I wrote two pages on Christmas in NYC, so I think I will be in the clear, as I got really nice comments about my essay.

Stay tuned - still need to get my ticket.

November 22, 2006: The Most Essential Piece for the Plan

I got my plane ticket. Or rather, Mel got the ticket for me and charged it on my credit card - I was on Skype when he did the whole thing. Unfortunately, I will not be arriving on the 23 of December as originally planned, but on the 24th. Nonetheless, there are two upshots:

1) ticket is $100 cheaper

and

2) I do not have crazy layovers lasting more than 12 hours. This is a neat and tidy KIX-DTW-LGA and LGA-DTW-KIX plane ticket.

So, turns out I will be surprising my parents on Christmas Eve. However, I will not jump out of a box, as someone (I won't mention who) hysterically mentioned.

I'm still debating on just coming up through the basement (point being, totally shock them by just simply acting as I would if I was already in the house, leading to the reaction of "Where did you come from?!?!?") or ring the doorbell. Unfortunately, I cannot take a poll on this, as it will spoil the surprise.

Think, think, think. As Winnie-the-Pooh would say.

November 29, 2006: Of Bed-Lifts and Coercion

I was complaining to my mom about how the curtains in Japan are ridiculously expensive (4000 YEN A PANEL?!?! WTF?!?!) or this cheap crap from the 100yen shop that will fall apart within a week. I got curtains for now (lime green and totally clashes with the pink and brown motif of my apartment, but I need them for now), being that I know that when I go home, a trip to Ikea is in order. My mom was going to send me a care package anyways with cereal (as in right proper Corn Pops, Costco size!) bed sheet set, etc. because she is a mom, and was clamoring for my new address.

I then told her my fib: "Ma, don't send me anything. I am going to Korea to visit Deena for about a week so if you send me anything, I probably won't be home to accept it. So mail me the stuff AFTER the Christmas break."

She totally bought it. Even asked me when I was going to go - "Oh, December 24th so I can be there Xmas Eve and all," was what I said. Haha. I am going to be flying in her direction the 24th.

But I almost let it out. Instead of just a mattress, I might be buying a bed frame and keeping that bed unit thing up against the wall, since the mattresses at Muji and Nitori (Japanese version of Ikea) don't fit the unit's bed frame exaclty. However, if my futon mattress fits in the part that is slightly sunken in so that the mattress will lie plumb with the frame and won't sink, then I will get just the mattress. Maybe.

Point is, I was looking at bed lifts (you know, the ones college kids use to raise the beds in the dorms so that they have extra storage underneath) and I told my mom as I was explaining my mattress problems, "I am looking at Bed Bath and Beyond right now so that I can buy bed lifts to raise the bed frame...which you are going to have to ship to me in January." OoOoO, I almost left her hanging there.

And I think I will go with the coming-through-the-basement route. Cat told me that when she surprised her parents on Columbus day, she just walked into the living room and since her mother wasn't expecting anything, the look on her face was priceless. I will probably get the same reaction if I ring the doorbell, but I think coming up the stairs in my slippers and with a "Ho-hum, what's for dinner?" attitude, the reaction will be even better.

December 3, 2006: A 25-Day Late Cake

I am still going to have a cake, but in NYC. I’m thinking that Mel and I will celebrate our birthday’s together, as his is on December 31. And I will go out with the girls as well so not only do I get to see them but I also go out for my birthday. 25 days late but who is counting?

December 16, 2006: SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!!!

I really need to shut up. I almost let it out to my mom on two separate occasions. However, according to Leah, the parents are totally oblvivious - even though we got 4 tickets to go see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. My mom found out about that; she was planning to go to Florida after Xmas and Leah was like NO!

Mom: "Why?"
Leah: "Because...oh drat, we got you and daddy tickets to Phantom of the Opera."
Mom: "OoOoO...Daddy is going to love that! But why four?"
Leah:".......Mel is coming too!"

December 23, 2006: Subbering brom a Stubbed Ub Dose

I was reading over this blog, checking for spelling mistakes because I am a horrible typer. I noticed that I wrote that I would come up from the basement in my slippers - but I don't wear slippers at home.

Point is, I wear slippers in Japan because everyone does. Shows that I am getting used the Japanese lifestyle here.

Nonetheless, I return home to the States a sick person. My parents will be recieving an "Ill Maria" for Christmas.

It never fails. Almost ever December/Janaury, I get sick. I have been taking Vitamin C pills, using Purell, washing my hands AND I live in a country where people wear face masks when they are sick so they don't get the people around them sick. My immune system is WEAK. Boo, immune system.

On Thursday night, I felt the all too familiar tinglings of a sore throat. All too familiar because I have a LONG and extensive history with them, especially as a child. I was in a bit of a panic, because I didn't want to get any worse - anyone remember when I had the abcessed (sp?) tonsil before I came to London? I didn't want to get any more sick than I was.

So, Friday morning, I hightailed it to the doctor at the health center. He probably thought I was a paranoid American pill-popper. Seriously - the first question that my flatmate asked me back in England was, "Are all Americans pill poppers?"

It's not that I am a pill popper. It's that I have a history of bad sore throats. Do I want to get any worse? Plus, I have over 24 hours of traveling ahead of me. Thank god I was able to get an aisle seat at least.

Cost of session with doctor and prescriptions: 320 yen. Awesome. I got medicine for 4 days. One of the medicines is actually this salty powedered stuff - heaven help customs if they try to take that away from me. My prescriptions don't come in the standard bottle that they have in the States with the printed label, its just in an official little envelope bag with my name (in katakana) and indicating how long the medicine is for and how many times a day I have to take it (3x, with food). My pills are Mucosolvan anyone heard of it? I googled it before I took it and apparently, its one of the most common medicines in the world used for coughs and colds. Go figure, I don't know it because the FDA hasn't approved it yet.

Good thing is that within a day or too the tingling was gone. Preventative measures worked! So now I have just a cold. My mom just noticed on Skype so I had to admit that I had a small cold, which is nothing major anyway. Just that sore throat thing worried me.

So my bags are packed, I'm ready to go, and I'm standing here in the airport with a lot of packets of tissues in hand. My mom is totally clueless. She told her coworkers at work that I am going to Korea for Christmas. The only people that know I am coming are a few friends (both college and family), Mel and Leah. None of my relatives know, and none of the relatives of my family friends (which are like family) know.

Tee-hee. EVERYONE is going to be surprised.

"Hi - achoo! - I'm home!"

Nintendo: More than Just Mario and Luigi

Japanese Lesson #10:

1) Karuta - "card game," derived from the Portuguese word "carta." Incidentally, "Carta" is the Greek word for card as well. Gotta love the Europeans and their amagalm of languages.
2) Waka - traditional Japanese poems, predominantly dating from the Heian period.
3) Kotowaza - Japanese idioms

My Japanese reading teacher is one of my favorites, next to conversation and the crazy grammar teacher. Instead of having class on Friday, which was the last day before vacation, she decided to forgo the lesson and teach us karuta for the New Year. In particular "uta-garuta" and "iroha-karuta." (There are tons of karuta, but two are especially played in the New Year.) We still had our weekly vocabulary quiz - I totally forgot about it, but I knew the words regardless. I got lucky this week.


The first is "uta-garuta." There are two sets of card in this deck, amounting to 200 cards. One one set of 100, there are "waka," with a picture of the composer underneath. The other set has the last two lines of the waka printed on it. You scatter the cards (the ones with the last two lines of the poem printed), face-up, and then a person takes the waka card and reads the poem aloud. The first person to get the matching two-lines card from the scattered pile wins the round. Whoever has the most cards after reading out all 100 wins the whole game. There are actually professional uta-garuta competitions that can get quite nasty; even from hearing the first syllable of the waka, professionals can grab the card from the pile of two-line cards. Even towards the end, most of us were competing with one another when we both saw the card at the same time.

You can play another game with the same deck, using the cards with the waka and the illustration on it. Get 4 people and arrange the cards into 4 stacks, facedown. Draw a card - if its a male, draw another; bald man, lose your turn. Draw a female, and you take all the cards that the person before you has. Play until all the cards are drawn; whoever has the most cards, wins. This one can get quite interesting, since it is all due to chance, rather than skill.


Iroha-karuta uses kotowaza for its phrases. It's played the exact same way as uta-garuta. Each card that is spilled out face up has one hiragana character, which corresponds to a kotowaza that begins with that same character, and has a picture that expresses the meaning of the idiom. Unlike uta-garuta which is probably a really old game, iroha-karuta dates from the Edo period, which is around the 15th century.

Little bit of trivia: who usually makes the karuta decks, at least the uta-garuta sets?

Nintendo.

Nintendo is actually much older than people in the States think, and is not just known for Mario and Luigi. Nintendo dates back to the Meiji period (19th century) and mostly started making the card games. I had known that but totally forgot about it; so I did a double take when my teacher said that she got these from Nintendo.

Nintendo should make a video game of the karuta. Play against the computer. Since the DS Lite has a little stylus, you can definitely pick the cards from the deck with the phrases on it. Or since DS has infrared, play with other people.

No Speak English

Japanese lesson #9:

1) Unn...Chotto...: VERY useful phrase to indicate "Umm..." - used in awkward situations, when you are put on the spot or when you just don't want to answer the question. No effective version in English, unfortunately.

Today after class, I went to the post office to get some money. For those that aren't in the know, the post office also serves as a bank. It's called the "postal savings." Every person in Japan (at least every adult) has one. You can pay your bills, make wire transfers, etc. etc. What's great especially for foreigners is that in a pinch, you can use your international ATM card. They won't work anywhere else. And there is a pretty useful guide in English. I am comfortable enough with my Japanese to use the ATM in Japanese; I just dont want to screw up. Every Monbusho scholarship student has to have one - it's how we get our stipends.

Went to my local post office, which is less than a minute bike ride away. I could in theory walk to the post office, but whenever I do go there (as well as Family Mart, the local combini) I always use my bike. Why? I get there faster. Plus, it's not like I have to lug a bike up and down a hill anymore. Each officially designated neighborhood in Kyoto has its own post office. Within my neighborhood of Yoshida, there are three to five smaller cho, or groups of blocks. My neighborhood also has a local shrine, aplty called Yoshida Jinja. I plan to go to it (finally!) tomorrow. I kind of feel stupid not going to the local shrine, especially when it is a one minute bike ride away.

So I did my personal housekeeping (as they call it) schtick at the post office, and went back outside to go home.

Head down, key in bike, unlock bike.

Head up, and all-smiley Japanese lady practically right in my face.

Japanese lady: "Hello. Do you speak English?"

Me (thinking that she was going to solicit me for English lessons, which is something that I don't want to do here): "Unn..chotto...hanasemasu." (Umm...I can a bit)

Japanese lady: "Oh, no speak english? I am from a Christian group...yada yada yada..."

I decided to blank out at this point. For one thing, it would contribute to the "Umm, I don't speak English so well," so it would shorten the conversation and make me look a little clueless, and second, I didn't like the fact that this lady stopped in the middle of her bike ride just because my face isn't Japanese to talk to me about some evangelical Christian group she belongs to. Furthermore, even though I did perfectly fit into the stereotype of "Caucasian = Non-Japanese = English speaker = Christian," what if I wasn't really an English speaker or a Christian of one stripe or another?

This is why typecasting and stereotyping is a) somewhat rampant here and b) utterly ridiculous and inherently flawed. My friend Alisa is trying to get internet in her building and in spite of the fact that her Japanese is very decent for her to get the account, she told me of how the internet representatives (when they were at her building for an information session) actually panicked, and had to shove one of the guys in the front to talk to her. She is constantly being pushed from one person to the next over the phone, even though she is speaking to them in Japanese. She says something in Japanese which is totally coherent (for her Japanese is better than mine and she is more comfortable using it than me, I am still a bit shy) and they tell her, "Sorry, no speak english." Same thing went down at the bank - the ladies at the information desk actually said, "YOU go speak to the gaijin."

Being Caucasian an American automatically does not make. In theory, I can say I am Canadian and actually would be telling the truth. I can thank my mom for that.

This is also why I kept replying in Japanese to religion pushing Japanese lady. When she finally finished talking and handed me a Jehovah's Witness magazine, she finally asked me where I was from. For a minute I kind of blanked out (because I was finally coming back down to earth), and then she repeated her question:

Japanese lady: "Dochira kara kimashita ka?" ("Where are you from?")

Me: "Girisha" ("Greece." Serves her right for her thinking automatically that I am an English speaker.)

Japanese Lady (In English): "Ah! Greek! ...Welcome to Kyoto!"

It's not that I am against the religion. Practice what you wish. What I don't agree with are solicitation tactics.

And don't bloody stereotype me.

Treloi anthropoi.

ニューヨークはクリスマスで

米国のクリスマスはお正月より人気がある。家族と一緒にクリスマスを祝って、友達と一緒にお正月と祝う。日本では、たしか反対だと思う。

ニューヨークはクリスマスの祝いで有名です。５番街の商店はクリスマスの飾り付けでまどを飾って、ロックフェラーセンターに一番大きいクリスマスツリーがある。大学生だッた時に、私はロックフェラーセンターで働いた。クリスマス時期に毎日ツリーを見たわけです。ツリーは大抵色々な電気で飾っている。でも、２００１年９月１１日の後のクリスマスツリーは特別な電気で飾った。電気の色は米国旗に似ているために、赤と白と青いだった。

マンハッタンの道と繁華街は旅行者とクリスマスの買い物する人が多いので、いつもすごく込んでいる。ニューヨークでは、買い物がスポッツに似ている！人は道を速く歩いて、時々珍しい商品のために競う。皆は大安売りで買い物する。私は、群衆がきらい。しかし、めちゃくちゃな景色を見るのは楽しい。

一番大好きなクリスマスの思い出は子供時代から来たのことだ。クリスマスの前の２週間、家族と一緒に５番街に行った。第６０通りから始まって、FAO Schwartz という有名なおもちゃの店に行った。第６０通りから第４９通りまで５番街に沿って歩きながら、商店の飾りつけを見た。第４９通りに着いたら、ロックフェラーセンターのツリーを見た。それから、ツリーの前写真を取った。

大抵、家族はクリスマスの前夜にプレゼントをあける。高校の２生時、家族はフロリダに行って、母の家族と一緒にクリスマスを祝った。とても違った！伝統的なクリスマスツリーの代わりに、やしの木でクリスマスの電気があった。

それでも、若い人にとって、大晦日が人気がある。ニューヨークでは一番有名な新年会タイムズスクエアの新年会だ。たしか３百万の人がタイムズスクエアに行って、クリスタルびょうよみのボールが落ちるのを待っている。これは「Ball Drop」と呼ぶ。２度タイムズスクエアの新年会に行ったことがある。寒くても、楽しい！

Here, Piggy Piggy Piggy...

Japanese Lesson #8:

1) Iruka: Dolphin

I always wonder why the Japanese sometime use katakana for animals when they have proper kanji to begin with. For example:

Cat‡ Neko‡ネコ‡ 猫
Dog‡ Inu‡ イヌ‡ 犬

The same thing goes for the word dolphin, which I provided above:

Dolphin‡ Iruka‡ イルカ‡ 海豚

My Japanese grammar teacher is rather eccentric, and likes to make fun of everything, including us. So if we have trouble understanding the grammar, she makes examples and draws us on the board. However, it does keep us on our toes, and from falling asleep. Everyone knows she is one of the best teachers in the department. Today, when explaining what a dolphin was to a Chinese student, she drew a pig with fins on the board.

“Sea pig!”

Everyone else knew what a dolphin was, but to hear it described as a “sea pig” was quite hilarious. Everyone burst out laughing – a pig for a dolphin? When I typed in the word for “pig” (“buta”) it was right, the same character popped up. The first character is for sea, so a dolphin is literally a sea pig. Given the fact that the Japanese borrowed a lot of words from the Chinese, we have to ask Chinese people or speakers why a dolphin is a pig in the sea.

The question of pigs is rather appropriate these days – 2007 will be the year of the boar. Pigs are very popular now. Cute pigs are even better.

On a wry note, I also noticed that if you pronounce the word for pig in Japanese with the wrong accent and add “na,” it becomes a bad Greek word.

Here, piggy piggy piggy...here piggy!

Have Bike, Will Slog

Something possesed me last night:

"Here is an idea, Maria - ride your bike to Kitano-sensei's (my koto teacher) house! It's ok if its south of Kyoto Station and is going to be 46 degrees out!"

Maybe it was the fact that I am going over budget recently, and I needed to save the bus money. Maybe it was also that after several days of incessant rain (and it rained last night too!) I was itching to enjoy the (cold) sunshine.

So, I hoofed it. On bike.

Oh but wait, the story gets better.

Higashi-oji Dori has narrow sidewalks at one point or another - so narrow in fact that there is only room for one person. It can be a bit risky at times; for the first time in my life I actually rode my bike on the street for several lengths of time. Of course I went slow. I always get to Kitano-sensei's house rather early, and I didn't want to sweat alot with the going-up-the-mini-hills brou-haha. Didn't the city works committees way back in the day when they paved the roads hear of LEVELLING it? Oh well.

At least there are only two big hills (Shijo and Gojo), as opposed to too many little hills on Kawabata/along the Kamogawa. I still had to take my sweater off. When I wear my navy blue plaid peacoat (many of you have seen this peacoat) I wear this gray, zippered cardigan from J.Crew. It's friggin' cold out, man!

It's important to mention this sweater right now. Most of you probably know that I am a very big devotee to that store (and that is still an understatement). All that aside, there is a nice memory associated with the sweater:

When I was 15, I got some birthday money from my Nouna (godmother) and my dad took me to the J.Crew store on Prince Street in SoHo - WAY before it decided that $158 cashmere sweaters were the norm as opposed to $48 merino wool sweaters (basic wool sweaters are now $68 - I wait till stuff goes on sale, as I always have). We were looking around trying to figure out what I could get with my birthday money, when my dad picked up a gray, zippered cardigan with pockets and a drawstring:

"Ah, I had a sweater like this when I was your age, but with buttons. This is a good sweater."

My dad used to work in the garment district as a furrier, making mink coats for designers like Oscar de la Renta, Calvin Klein, Valentino, etc. He once made one specifically for Vera Wang (the person). So when I go shopping, I go either usually with my dad, or ask him what he thinks either before I get it (online) or after, when I buy it.

I knew then that that was a good sweater. So, I got it.

Seven years (and many wears and trips to the dry cleaners) later, and I still have the sweater. There is not one hole in it. So I usually wear it in the winter when I wear short sleeved stuff, or as an extra layer. I was getting hot as I rode to Kitano-sensei's house so I took it off and shoved it in my bike basket. Never thought to put it in my bag.

Plink, plink, PLONK (my right hand is really not used to all the grunt work) and an hour later, I am making the reverse trip back up Higashi-oji. I had an errand to run - I needed to get my re-entry permit, since I am going abroad for Christmas. The subject of re-entry permits and my beef with them are the subject of a later post.

On the way, I remember that there was a shop I wanted to go to but it wasn't open yet. I keep forgetting that shops here open at 11, not 10 am. I go to a cafe and sit there for the next 45 minutes, drinking a weak and expensive (500 yen!) Cafe Au Lait. Coffee and Japan - another post. 11:15 am rolls around and the shop is still not open. Bah! I then head onto my errand for the morning: Kyoto Immigration Office.

I go to Immigration and fill out the application. In order to get the revenue stamp that says you paid the money for the permit in order to get the permit, you need to go outside the building, walk around the corner to another building and go to the Revenue Stamp Office. Japanese bureaucracy and my beef with that will be another post as well. Stay tuned.

I go to the office and get my stamp; I was in a bit of a rush. I had a craving for nabe-yaki udon from the cafeteria and I wanted to see if Chen was around for the usual time of lunch at 12pm. It was now 11:45am. I am biking back up to my house to get my books and laptop before I head to Rune (the cafeteria) when I realized something. I actually exclaimed aloud:

"WHERE IS MY SWEATER?"

I practically brake so hard that my bike squealed in protest. Good thing I parked it under the shelter last night - as I mentioned before, it rained AGAIN. I turn around, and go to the Immigration Office.

Not there.

I go back to the cafe where I had my coffee.

Not there.

The shop that I was waiting for earlier was actually open by now so I decided I might as well check it out. The minute I parked my bike, it hit me:

I left my sweater at the REVENUE STAMP OFFICE, not the Immigration Office. I was so tired at this point, I had no choice but to continue my morning slog. I leave the shop, head back to the Revenue Stamp Office. It was closed. I had forgotten that Japanese offices actually have a set lunch hour, usually from 12 to 1. I actually bang on the door, praying that someone was there. Luckily, someone heard my banging and when I said I regrettably forgot a greay sweater (as that was the direct translation) she handed it to me.

O thank god. My sweater has been restored.

Unfortunately, no nabe-yaki udon. It was already 12:45 by the time I got back to my apartment so I went for the next best thing:

Piza-man and Bifu-karee-man from the Clocktower coop shop.

How You Like Your Coffee???

This week's Metropolitan Diary was particularly hilarious.

Dear Diary:

After the New York City Ballet’s opening-night performance, the promenade lobby at the New York State Theater was beautifully set with decorated tables for the gala dinner. Exquisitely dressed patrons and socialites were making their entrances, and lovely music set the scene. The tables were adorned with sprays of delicate flowers, and waiters stood at attention to serve the guests.

We ordinary audience members from the upper rings passed by this lush setting, and a mother with two 8- or 9-year-old girls was overheard to say, emphatically, “There are a lot of speeches, very little eating, mediocre food, and WE'RE NOT INVITED."

Dear Diary:

Leaving a delightful concert at Carnegie Hall recently, I walked to the 57th Street station to catch the F train back to Queens. In the station, I first heard and then saw a man playing Vivaldi on his violin. A group of young people were gathered around the older man, quietly listening to the lilting sounds.

When the piece was finished, one young man admiringly said, “Yo, you play that violin like Tupac raps!”

Dear Diary:

The other morning there is the usual purposeful chaos at the corner store’s deli counter on 14th Street.

The counterman shouts, “What you want?” and people shout back, “Black with a buttered roll,” “Two, light and sweet,” and so forth.

A young guy in construction-worker clothes steps up to the counter. The counterman shouts, “What you want?”

Young guy answers in a thick Eastern European accent, “I - want - coffee.”

Counterman shouts, “How you like your coffee?” The young guy looks puzzled.

Counterman shouts louder, “HOW YOU LIKE YOUR COFFEE?” The young guy doesn’t understand, so the counterman really shouts, “HOW - YOU - LIKE - YOUR - COFFEE?”

The young guy now understands and is pleased to answer with complete confidence:

“I like my coffee ... very much!”

スーヨンちゃんの手紙***

拝啓

もう十二月の冬になりましたが、京都はこのごろ寒くようになります。最近、京都にたくさん雨が降りました。時々ロンドンの天気のように天気さえです。たしか、ロンドンは雨がたくさん降ります。ロンドンはもちろん悪い天気で有名です。雨の長靴をはかないで済みました。でも、足をいつも濡れるなります。京都の天気は別に悪いですけど、今雨が降りそうです。

私にとって、それはいいです。昨日クリスマスショッピングのために、クラスを終わったら、私とマレージアから「チェン」と呼んだ友達一緒に四条の繁華街に行きました。妹のクリスマスプレンゼントのために、傘をかいました。私のためにも！日本の傘はきれいだし、独特なです。でも、新しい傘を使いたいけど、いつも雨が降るわけではありません。

日本語は勉強すればするほど、日本語を使うことに慣れるのではないかと思います。私に成績をつけるから、毎日勉強しないわけにいきません。京大で授業を完成した上で、リラックスできます。それでも、よく日本語を分かることに気がつきます。日本語の文法は覚えにくいですが、せっかく練習します。そして、この手紙を書いて、新しい習った文法を使います。いったん手紙を書けば文法は覚えやすい。楽しい代わり難しいです。例えば、漢字がなかなか覚えません。つまり、毎週末、いつも十時間ぐらい図書館にいます。人たちは私に「いつのまにか、ペラペラになる！」と言います。私は時々反対と考えます。今、勉強ばかりです。研究を始めるかまだ分からなくて、困っています。時々、「日本語でペラペラになりますか」と考えます。

しかし、勉強は難しいことは、楽しいです。いつも図書館にいると限りません。何度も授業をおわったら、私と友達一緒に遊びます！京都は四条の繁華街近いし、レストランの値段が安いし、それに面白い所が多いので、賑やかな町です。しかし、もちろん天気によって違います！：ー）雨が降れば、私と友達は自転車を乗れなくて、バスに乗らなければならないので、遊びが高くなるわけです。自転車を乗って初めて、衝突について心配しました。道が込んでいると、遅く乗ります。

じゃ、この手紙を終わったばかりです。手紙でとても書けません。来年の秋に京都に行けばいいのに！

敬具

二〇〇六年十二月十六日

***It's bad. I know. But I tried.

A Disclaimer

I have been writing a few essays in Japanese for my classes recently. And when I get them back, I get corrected - obviously.

You are probably wondering where I am going with this.

I am going to post those corrected essays on my blog - in Japanese of course. I figured it forces me to go over my corrections slowly and in depth, as I am not a fast typer in Japanese. It's rather tricky and time consuming to switch between hiragana, romaji and katakana on an American keyboard.

To begin, I post a letter I wrote to my friend. I have a midterm this Wednesday and I thought what better way to practice all that grammar than to use it in a real life situation? So, using my grammar notes, I conducted a letter filled with uncomprehensive gibberish. This is not corrected by the teachers; so in my own head it works. As for the real world, I'll bet I got 90% of the letter wrong. I try. This letter took my FOUR HOURS to write so I hope I did ok.

For those that can't read Japanese: tough luck for you. Consider it a break from the barrage of posting that I do.

:-D

For those that can read Japanese: 分かれば、コメントを書いてください！ありがとう！

KAJI!!!

Japanese Lesson #7 (we continue from 7!):

1) kaji - fire
2) KAJI!!! - FIRE! Get your buckets and join the brigade!!! (Every house has its own little fire bucket. If there is a fire, a brigade is formed until the fire department comes.)

In the midst of my reading class yesterday, a BIG siren started to wail.

Everyone was a bit alarmed, even the teacher. I thought it was the signal for an earthquake; I know Kyoto doesn't get as many earthquake, but it never hurts to think the worse and be prepared. So our teacher goes to the window, peers out and says,

"Oh, it's just a fire drill."

I know I heaved a big sigh of relief.

When class had its fifteen minute break, I went downstairs to get my coffee and go to the bathroom. before that, a big spray of water hit the side of the building where I have my classes - probably part of the drill. According to Chen, one guy was caught in it and got totally drenched. He was also wearing a suit. Poor guy. It was pretty chilly out there too.

So when I went downstairs, I turned my head to left and burst out laughing. There in front of the administration building was a big flag with the character for "Kaji" haning out a window and about 200 people all in suits or in fire department gear. The whole seriousness of the drill - as comparaed to my memories of elementary school fire drills - was very funny, albeit in a perverse way. I know that fire drills are meant to prepare you. But I couldn't help it; I went back to my class and snapped a few photos of the organized chaos.

Rather, chaos it was not - the whole place was silent. All the suits were just standing there watching the fire truck drive by. I think what striked me as very funny was that sure, the administration will know what to do in the case of a fire, but what about the students?

Take it When You Get it

FINALLY!

No more rain.

But when I went to see Noh/Kyogen on Thurdsay it was pissing down proper. I REALLY need rainboots and that little thing that attaches my umbrella to my bike - imagine when it's rainy season come June and I have to go to Ritsumeikan. I really don't want to spend money on the bus, especially when I have the bike in the first place.

So I convinced Colleen to go to "the theatre," Japanese style. She told me about it at the weekly Ki-Zu-Na tea party and said it was free. She had some reservations about it since she has a paper to write (in Japanese! I tremble, though my essays are getting a bit better) and has to hand it in by Wednesday.

Colleen: Um...I don't know, I have my paper....
Me: This is a RARE opportunity. You take it when you get it! When are you going to be able to see Noh and Kyogen for FREE?

So off we went, with some kids from the Nikkensei group (Japanese Studies, 1 year Monbusho students). We walked. The blocks here are really long. Three days later, and my Uggs are still drying. I really need rainboots.


Turns out, the free Noh and Kyogen was sponsored by Kyodai and was offered to the Kyodai community (and I guess whoever knew someone who was in Kyodai in one form or another). The hall where the performances were held were specifically for Noh and Kyogen.

Kyogen is a form of comedy - it is always performed before Noh, which is VERY slow and VERY serious. The Kyogen piece was about a man and wife who were in the midst of a nasty fight and it then becomes a question of who is going to commit suicide with a sickle. I understood maybe like 1% of the dialogue since it was a bit arcane, but I did get one sentence, and laughed along with everyone else.

After the intermission, the Noh performance began. It was abut a priest who was walking around the ruins of an old palace, and meets up with Lady Rokujo, one of Prince Genji's lovers from "The Tale of Genji." I have tried to read that thing for several years on end now; it is a good book. So, since I knew a bit of the story, I was very interested.

The whole thing started at 6:30pm. It was 9pm, and Lady Rokujo JUST arrived on the stage. I told you it was long. Colleen and I left because it was late; the weather was still crap and I was getting a bit antsy. But I do know where the theatre is and I might go back again.

So, Noh and Kyogen are down. I am learning the koto. Need to see kabuki and sumo, and geisha dances. There is a tournament in Osaka in March.

Lessons in Cat Prevention

My Japanese classes not only teach me how to speak, read, write etc. in Japanese properly, but interesting tidbits of Japanese culture. I know quite a bit about sumo now, for example. I plan to go see the Osaka Basho in March.

So, in addition to sumo, I learned something really interesting a few weeks ago in my reading class:

Want to know why there are 1L bottles filled with water surrounding the base of some of the houses in the neighborhood?

To prevent cats from peeing on the houses.

There is actually one house in my neighborhood that is totally surrounded by 1L water bottles. I never knew why until now.

My Japanese classes ARE good for something!

:::wink:::

Only in Kyoto kids, only in Kyoto.

Ame, Oh-Ame

Japanese lesson # 5 (6? Whatever. You still learn):

1) Ame: rain
2) Oh-ame: big rain

It was raining cats and dogs yesterday. In my opinion, Kyoto gets more rain than London. Then again, I wasn’t in London during March 2005, when my former flatmate emailed me during vacation and told me “Good thing you went home, the weather here is so bad, we don’t know whether or not to go out.” I am presuming that what she meant by
“weather” was rain. I never got to experience a right proper downpour until my last day – I had been wanting one for so long (yes, it does seem twisty, but I haven’t experience right proper rain until then) so I did leave home happy. There is a picture of me on the 73 bus going back to my dorm sopping wet – and with a big grin on my face.

But that downpour was in June. Earlier that day, the weather was very nice. It is December here, and then add to the rain a cold atmosphere. However, it’s not that cold – yet. According to a girl who used to live in Westchester for 5 years, Kyoto gets colder than New York. We shall see about that. And in the meantime, I won’t rush out to by an electric heater (though Professor S. highly recommended a kerosene one, he uses it and I noticed one in my koto teacher’s room as well) – I finally figured out how to heat my room with the lowest fan setting at 20 degrees Celsius, as opposed to 30 degrees Celsius and the highest fan setting. The key is in the orientation of the vents – one day I was playing with my remote and pressed a button and noticed that miraculously the vents changed their orientation. Eureka! That’s why there is hardly any hot air in my room, it was blowing down as opposed to out because the vents were facing down as opposed to out.

I have been drinking a lot of HOT English breakfast and Greek tea to warm my un-acclimated innards. So the experiment is working, for the moment. Let’s see what happens when I get my first real electric bill. I got one for 349yen for like my first three days but I have no clue why I got one so fast. I just went to the combini and paid it.

I figured that by the time I become totally miserable, it will be mid-February and I plan to travel that month and a half around Japan and Asia (latter part if possible) so I won’t be around much to justify the purchase of an electric heater. Then spring comes, and I would have survived my first winter, so that means I can get through another one.

So back to yesterday. In spite of all the rain, the people at the International Students Center still hosted the mochi-tsuki event. Mochi is sticky rice cake, often covered with powder to prevent it from sticking it into your hands. I had some when I went to the temple bazaar on Imadegawa a few weeks ago; that mochi had a strawberry in it. Yum!

Traditionally, they make a batch at New Year with a stone bowl and a BIG pestle. You want big? See big:



It was about 400 yen for pretty much all-you-can-eat mochi, tea (as always) and this miso soup thing that you pour on top of the mochi, the kind that is not rolled into rice cakes and covered with the powder. The miso soup was a little too salty though. I was really happy when they started to make the little rice cakes. I had mine with kinoko – something that is like a cross between cinnamon and brown sugar, I think – and adzuki, red beans. Red bean is used a lot in Japanese sweets; I like it a lot because it’s sweet but not too sweet.



I didn't pound the mochi myself – the pestle thing is really heavy and I am left-handed so I would place my hands somewhat backwards on the handle. It was already rather crowded under the tents since there was little space to stand around. Just as I was leaving for class, they began to make matcha-mochi and adzuki mochi. The bastards! I wanted that from the start; luckily during a class break I had some adzuki mochi, since they were still pounding away even at 3pm. No more matcha-mochi, unfortunately.

I asked if there was any kinoko left and I dipped the (big!) mochi in it – the lady manning the mochi trays said “Ippai!” (More!) good-naturedly.

So I had my mochi, and kinoko too.

Furnished!

When Colleen and I went to Nitori, we used our bikes. It was about 55 degrees outside, but still, we went with our bikes.

Always.Use.Bike.In.Kyoto.

it's the way of life. However, not when you are going very very long distances - i.e. from Kyodai to Kyoto Eki. Phew! I did that and I got all icky and sweaty because it was cold so I was wearing layers, and then I slowly took off the layers as I got hot.

But when we went to Nitori, all was well. All was even better when we finally got there; it's on the western side of the city, and I live on the eastern side. It's even further past the koto shop that I went to when I got my koto picks. When Colleen and I got there we were amazed - it's like a shopping mall! And Nitori is right there!

So we walked in and OoOoO...it IS like Ikea! Cheap furniture, good quality for students. I began to tick the things off my list:

1) Comforter (I have the one Mayuko gave me, but I really needed another one, so cold!) - check
2) Two pillows - check
3) Pillowcase (already had one) - check
4) Mattress - check
5) Desk - check
6) Chair check

Not check - storage rack thing. I am not going to use the television that came with my apartment, as I need a cable wire to get the signal. I normally do not watch alot of tv anyways (yes I know the listening practice is good for me but I can get that listening to Japanese podcasts) so that means I only need one horizontal surface, for when I get my "oben renji" (oven range - a microwave that also acts like a grill, oven and toaster!). So, I will stack up all 4 of my plastic drawers, get a wooden cutting board to put underneath the oben renji and there we go.

Colleen pointed this out to me as I was looking at the desk options that I had - one was a regular table with one drawer and the other was a slightly smaller table but it came with a chest - both were same price. Colleen goes to say, "You can put your dried goods in the chest and then you dont have to get the storage rack." I kept on thinking, "What am I going to use a chest of drawers for? I already have my school stuff put away."

So Colleen saved me 2,990 yen. And I think that shipping is free - nothing of the sort showed up on my reciept, and in true Ikea-ish fashion, I assembled the furniture on my own. Good thing I noticed the other week that the Shop 99 (100 yen supermarket) on Kawabata and Marutamachi has screwdrivers, pliers and hammers.

Collen and I brought back my comforter and pillows on our bikes. Have bike, will carry. we stopped at Shijo for some dinner at Nakau - the fast food-ish place Deena and I went to my first week, where you put your money in a machine, push a button for what you want to eat and then you bring the ticket to the counter. Next to sushi-on-a-conveyor-belt, students have two good places to grab some dinner on the cheap. Afterwards, we went to Ogawa Coffee, this really really AMAZING coffee shop on Sanjo. The barista there drew a dog into the foam of my cappucino and it didn't taste like burnt Starbucks. Nuff said. I will go there from now on - it may be a bit more, but the service and quality is so worth it.

So my furniture came on Monday, a half hour before the scheduled delivery time. Good thing I was home already! Colleen and Ingram came over to help assemble the furniture, and celebrated the fruits of our labors with Dominoes Pizza. I never knew I missed pizza that badly, I practically attacked it and devoured my portion. So we pigged out and used my new furniture and jsut had fun. So now, I have furniture. My legs and back are crying with relief. I have gotten used to the futon (which is now cut up so it can fill the gap between the bed frame and my mattress) but sitting on the floor for extended periods of time is something that is more difficult for me. I have bad knees.

Nonetheless - dum da de dum! My apartment (or at least the bed/table area):

Chanting for a Viennese Coffee

I really wanted to stay at the reception for the conference on Saturday night, but I had made another engagement that I couldn’t get out of, and was really looking forward to as well.

I had probably mentioned something about an International Poetry Festival going on at a café near my house. Colleen knows a guy from Okinawa (and when I met him, the first thing that came to my head was “He doesn’t look like Japanese” and Colleen conferred, Okinawans are different) and was hosting a poetry festival and was looking for people that speak other languages. Colleen had mentioned me to him and I emailed, interested. One way or another, I ended up chanting in Ancient Greek Andromache’s speech to Hector from Book 6 of Homer’s “The Iliad.” I was last; each of us had to explain what the poem meant in either English or Japanese. I knew that I had to do that but at the last minute, decided to do my explanation of the passage in Japanese. With a little bit of help from Jesse (another kid on the Monbusho) I was able to pull it off pretty nicely, for last minute. Maybe that’s a good sign.

I did it because this was something that I would not have done normally at home; Colleen had mentioned that the café culture in Kyoto is really good and she wanted to “get in on it” and to some extent, so did I. The café where the poetry festival was held at was amazing – I felt like I was at an old café in Europe. It was very homey and the building it was in actually had a turret-style room and on the outside was red ivy. I definitely plan to go there again – maybe next weekend when I have to study for my midterm and try to tackle an article from Nippon VOGUE. It’s closer to me than is Sanjo Starbucks or Ogawa, and a lot homier. It has a great atmosphere.

There was an artist there sketching each of the speakers. Afterwards, I asked if I could see the drawing he made of me out of curiosity, and I ended up bringing it home with me.

It’s tacked onto my wall in my apartment now and when I move home in 2008, I plan to frame it (as my Kate Spade ads from Nippon VOGUE; I like the design of the advertisements, and I am a Kate Spade junkie. To each her own fix).