Now, Isn't that Cute?

Amongst all the cute Hello Kitty products and stationary in Japan, an interesting tidbit:

I share my birthday with HIH Princess Aiko of Japan.

Of Politics and Cacophonous Megaphones

Political season is upon us - and no, I don't mean the madness and rat-race that is known as the 2008 presidential race. (Speaking of which, that will be my first time voting for president, as in 2004 I was in London and since NY is such a blue state, absentee ballots don't count.)

This summer is the House of Councilors Elections and that's the Upper House of the Diet,and is sorta like the Senate in the States and the House of Lords in England. Sort of. There was a big to-do about the new PM Shinzo Abe and the fact that a) his popularity is going down and b) the elections in July will be life-or-death for him. Even before I arrived in Kyoto, there were signs of the candidates (though obviously I did not know that they were candidates, and that there was an election coming this summer) all over the place, even on houses in the neighborhoods off the main roads, my own included. There are a bunch of political parties in Japan, the one in power being the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (LDP), the one who has continuously had power since the end of WWII. Here is their very logo, to the right. Enough with the cute little kids and the cartoons, they are totally unconvincing.

Japan really does have this thing with cartoons of one stripe or another.

The main opposition party is the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), which is pretty young (since 1998) and one of their main issues is that the LDP has been running the show for a bit too long. Their logo is a bit more "political-ish," or at least more convincing. I pass by one of the Kyoto offices on my way to Rits when I ride my bike. (no, school hasn't started yet, but I have gone there twice already). Then again, I can't say much for logos being to convincing in terms of imagery - there are donkeys and elephants in the States.

You have your meet-and-greets, and I guess there are fund raisers; one needs money to run campaigns after all. The analysts in the States are probably having a ball with the way Clinton and Obama are changing the scene in that respect.

And then there are the megaphones.

In Japan, people like to drive around in cars with megaphones blaring on top of the car (and they are huge) - it can range from the little truck that comes around with a cute little song and an uber-peppy (they always are uber-peppy) female voice squeaking out that the recycling truck is coming, to the political vans that either are saying some sort of new slogan, campaign or propaganda.

Given that the conservatives/nationalists (I keep forgetting which, because like almost every other American, I am guilty of trying to align foreign political parties with the donkeys and the elephants back home, even subconsciously) are not very big fans of foreigners (as far as I know, see the Yasukuni Shrine broo-ha-ha and all that goes with it, it's a mega issue that runs in all sorts of directions) and the previous short-lived appearance of the "Gaijin Hanzai Fairu" (Foreigner Crime White Paper), whenever those trucks are blaring "gaijin this, gaijin that" I am always a bit wary, because it sometimes is never a good thing especially when it's by those people who are the Nationalists (conservatives?). Apparently, their presence is even worse in Tokyo, especially when you are right near the Yasukuni Shrine. Since I did a research paper on the place, I plan to visit when I go to Tokyo in June; according to Chen, you are not even allowed to take pictures inside, and invariably, I'll bet it's so that you don't take pictures of the museum captions (they have a nifty website that I used in my research, filled with propagandist tones).

So, with the elections making it a make-or-break for Abe, the trucks are blaring. Incessantly. They are on the corner of Marutamachi/Higashi-oji in the mornings, sometimes with the politician just waving his hand, while a deputy reads quickly and loudly through the microphone. They have just stopped blaring in my neighborhood after about oh, two or three hours of gibberish that I don't understand yet, although in one of the cars, the actual politician was a female, and waving from the car even though there were like two people on the street (she was in the depths of my neighborhood, off the main road), wearing white gloves. More power to the girls in Japan, even with white gloves and waving hands a la Miss America.

I think it will be a real long while before there is a Japanese version of Barbra Boxer, Hilary Clinton or Nancy Pelosi.

I Can Get No Peace

The weather is beautiful today. Sunny skies, 68 degrees Fahrenheit (don't ask me to convert it to Celsius for you Metric users), the birds were chirping, etc. etc. Since I live near the Kamo River I decided I would go again and chill out on a bench, and do some readings that I have been procrastinating about since last December for my research. Packed some green tea in my thermos, brought and orange, whole wheat crackers and bought a new highlighter, and I was off and running. Or rather, riding.

The usual suspects were along the Kamo River: dog walkers, elderly couples, a few tourists on bikes, young families, old biddies cleaning up the trash, college and high school students. I was minding my own business when a man walking a Shiba Inu (a Japanese dog, I want to get one - or an Akita - and name it either Daisuke or Miyako/Miya for short) took a look at me and started to walk in my direction.

"Hello," he said in a pretty clear voice.

Several things ran through my mind:

1) Ok, I am a mild sucker for Shiba Inus, and I like to look at them. He has a nice dog.
2) Hmm...his English isn't that badly accented.
3) Oh dammit - AGAIN strange people are talking to me! Please, just leave me alone.

Luckily for me, I was actually packing up my things, because it got too windy. I politely answered his question of "Are you a student?" (pretty obvious because I was wielding photocopied text and a highlighter) and turned back to put my bag in my bike basket. I guess he got the picture that he either probably freaked me out or that I was leaving so he just walked away and threw his ball with his dog.

I then rode my bike up along the bike path on the eastern side of the river under the blooming cherry blossoms (not totally out yet) and bought some tulips from a houseware/Home Depot/Ikea-ish store that is near me.

Why You All Up in Mah Grill?

Seriously!

SERIOUSLY!

(ok, I have been watching too much Grey's Anatomy).

But why, oh why do strange people come up to talk to me in English for no reason other than thinking "OoOoO...gaijin - American! Let me practice my English with someone." For those that don't remember, I was once practically acosted by a Japanese Jehovah's Witness outside the post office. I never mentioned this before, but when I was on my way to visit the War Museum in Seoul, a woman in the subway almost grabbed my arm for no apparent reason and that freaked me out. They just don't DO this sort of thing back home - talking to strangers for no apparent reason. You ALWAYS have to have a pretty legitimate reason to strike up a conversation with someone.

I was at the Sanjo Starbucks today because it was nice out and unlike the Kyoto cafe's I can get alot of regular coffee and sit there for ours without having to worry about the waiters and waitresses wanting to kick me out. Plus, the one cafe that I like - Ogawa - is a wee bit pricey and better to go with another person. Starbucks is for when you are by yourself.

So I was sitting on the little green couches in the front overlooking the Kamo-river, reading some stuff for my research, when I hear an accented voice in my direction. Lo and behold, an old Japanese man is talking to me with the strangest grin on his face that looked like "Eureka! I got her attention!" Stupid me, I didn't have my iPod in my ears because I wanted to listen to the river and the general hum of Starbucks instead of The Reindeer Section being blasted into my ears to cover that hum.

So this man is trying to talk to me, and I answer in mumbled sentences so he deduces what he thinks I said, and lying about the school that I go to (I am not a very good liar, but I lie when I can). It was a bit rude of me but I just kept going back to my reading after I answered his question and again after answering again, until I decided that I was going to text a friend with "Call me, save me!" and pray that they got the text so that they can call me and cut the conversation short. Just as I picked up my phone and started to fiddle with it, the old man just said, "Nice to meet you" and then we shook hands.

After that, I stuck my iPod headphones promptly in my ears, but I didn't turn it on. The hum and the sound of the river was still nice.

New Yorkers: We Are Wierd, But We Are Not Evil

The American Society of Magazine Editors Released the "Top 40 Covers of the last 40 Years." Being a born-and-bred New Yorker, this one especially caught my eye:

According to the caption about the cover, it is supposed to make fun of Manhattanites perception of the United States outside New York.

Well...sometimes most of us think that way, in all five boroughs. But we still do give subway directions when asked (and even without prompting when hearing lost tourists right next to us), and take the photos in front of the Rockefeller Christmas tree.

A Decade of Resonating, An Afternoon of Boredom

It's raining out and while listening/watching to my CNN/ABC/NYTimes podcasts, (I really wished I knew how to knit so I can do something with my hands other than play video games and fiddle with the blog) I came across the 1997 article by Wired entitled "101 Ways to Save Apple." As I was reading the list, I was intrigued at how some of the things (not all, and I am too much of a Mac newbie to get all the subtleties) are resonating in one degree or another 10 years later (my comments/reaction in parentheses):

2. License the Apple name/technology to appliance manufacturers and build GUIs for every possible device - from washing machines to telephones to WebTV. Have them all use the same communications protocol. Result: you monopolize the market for smart devices/homes. (Can anyone say "iPod" and placing the "i" in front of practically anything in spoofs, and the soon emergence of the iPhone?)

7. Don't disappear from the retail chains. Rent space in a computer store, flood it with Apple products (especially software), staff it with Apple salespeople, and display everything like you're a living, breathing company and not a remote, dusty concept. (Well, with the Apple stores the "coolest" place to hang out these days and the place to get your Mac fixed - I actually called the one on 5th Avenue in a panic the night I got my computer because Apple Care was closed and 5th ave is 24/7, AND I got people to help me - this idea is actually one-upped. Sure, the retailers have spiffy little Apple sections, but when one willingly schleps from Kyoto to Osaka and spend all the money on train fare to get your iPod from the actual Apple store, you know Apple was really on to something there).

12. Build a fire under your ad agency. People don't need warm, fuzzy infomercials about the Mac family. And who cares what's on Todd Rundgren's PowerBook? People want to know about power (the CPU kind, not George Clinton's), performance, and price.
13. Exploit every Wintel user's secret fear that some day they're going to be thrown into a black screen with a blinking C-prompt. Advertise the fact that Mac users never have to rewrite autoexec.bat or sys.ini files. (I put these two together because the new Apple campaign is downright funny and even better in Japanese - see Domo, Makku Desu" post - and at the same time drives the fear. In my case, it just makes my frustration more apparent and gives my a viable solution other than throwing the Vaio out my bedroom window. Look at the new ones about Windows Vista too.)

19. Get rid of the cables.Go wireless. (The Apple TV is pretty sweet.)

30. Reach forward by reaching back. Secure the hearts and wallets of college students through a highly targeted AppleLoan program. (Or rather, the incentive of free or steeply discounted iPods when buying a new laptop.)

31. Build a PDA for less than $250 that actually does something: a) cellular email b) 56-channel TV c) Internet phone. (Not quite there yet, but the iPhone is pretty close.)

34. Port the OS to the Intel platform, with its huge amount of investment in hardware, software, training, and experience. Don't ignore it; co-opt it. Operating systems are dependent on installed base; that is your biggest hurdle now. It is not the head-to-head, feature-set comparison between Windows and Mac OS. (MacBook, MacBook Pro and all the new ones that make people cringe and drool depending on the opinion. But my first Mac is the Intel MacBook, so I am drooling - especially when I upgrade my memory to 2GB either this or next summer.)

39. Build a laptop that weighs 2 pounds. (Well...close, but the MacBook is pretty sweet to tote about - at least I have my CD player with me now as opposed to the 6 pound monster that was the Vaio.)

53. Recharge your strategy for Europe, where the PC market penetration is lower than in the US and the population is educated and interested in high tech. There's an opening there that doesn't exist here. (Kinda hard when they are pretty pricey compared to the US prices and PC prices abroad. Some people even buy them while traveling to the US, as I remember in an old NY Times article from a long time ago, since the laptops can just use adapters, but it's different for computers. My old flatmate got a Mac after I told her about the Mac/iPod deal for students, but she paid a pretty penny for it compared to my friend who got the same Mac/iPod back in the States. And Japan/Asia likes teeny, tiny laptops.)

79. Exploit your advantage in the K-12 education market. That's the future. Most students use the computer as a true multimedia tool, and their technological expertise is very sophisticated, especially when compared to the typical business user. (My mom uses the new Macs at school, and prays for the day when our Dell dies so we can switch and truly become a Mac house. She says they are really easy to use for the kids.)

87. Price the CPUs to sell. Offer novice users the ability to enter the Mac market at a competitive price point and move up the power curve as their level of sophistication increases. The initial price keeps new buyers away. (There are more options now, but I know that I could have gotten a 'Wintel' laptop for much cheaper with the same specs. But I was tired of rebooting the Vaio about twice a year because the hard drive became so filled with crap - updates, HA! - and my hard drive crashed so I had to replace it. Pfft.)

101. Don't worry. You'll survive. It's Netscape we should really worry about. (Well, I don't know about NetScape but you can surely see that Apple is the cool kid on the block - or in the halls of school, the subway, along the Kamo River, washing your dishes, doing the laundry, at the gym, walking the dog...)

***

And for those that are against the whole iPod thing (picking up quite a bit in Japan, I am beginning to see the "white buds" everywhere in addition to the mp3 player remotes typical of Sony, etc.) and have very justified and understandable reasons why you think it's evil (mainly price and lack of a radio, sometimes I think about that too, but I don't listen to radio) - I was brought into it by 'force' (insert sarcastic/wry tone), one could say when I received an iPod as a gift. So, all my files are in the AAC format because I am stingy with my hard drive space and liked the idea that my music collection can be on the drive without taking up alot of space. I didn't want to de-compress all of my music, so when I needed a new mp3 player I pretty much stuck with Apple because it's easy to use, I could buy it in Japan and get English instructions, and damn, that little shuffle is so cute. Plus, it's really easy to switch between songs when you are riding your bike at top speed, but I really hate the new headphones, they keep falling out of my ears even when I smile.

Reading: It's What's Good For You

Got this off Ferule&Fescue, one of the many new blogs with an "Academy/Grad School" angle. I love those blogs.

The Book Meme

1. One book that changed your life?
Oh, this is easy - "Memoirs of a Geisha." I was at Costco with my dad at 15 and I saw it on the books table and since it said "Memoirs" and was written by a guy I was sorta interested and piqued - that or I had a weird mind. I convinced him to get it for me, in spite of the fact that he knew I already had too many books at home. I didn't notice that it said "A Novel" in teeny letters. When I read it, I was totally mesmerized and enraptured - never had an experience like that with a book before. Afterwards, I got very interested in Japanese culture, and wanted to know if the stuff Golden described was actually real since this WAS a novel. Plus, I was tired of the American/European history being crammed down my throat (AP Euro and American History, ya gotta love it, although I really want to read about Modern Greek history, more for myself), so I thought Asian history was interesting. This began my own form of teenage rebellion, where I told people in my family that I didn't want to be a pediatrician anymore and I will not go pre-med when I go to college. So because of that book, I decided to go with History, and here I am now in Japan for 18 months (12 and counting left, oh dear...)

2. One book you have read more than once?
Most of the books in my bookcase. I buy books that I want to read again and again. More specifically: Memoirs of a Geisha (still have the same copy from Costco, in 5 pieces now), books by Diana Gabaldon (Outlander series) and the chick-lit from Anna Maxted - it actually does not instill the fear of lowering my IQ as other chick lit might (but I still read anyway especially when I need a break from heavy reading).

3. One book you would want on a desert island?
A really good historical novel (not Japanese historical novels, I deal with the real stuff already) that is over 1000pages. Preferably American Colonial/English Tudor/Italian Renaissance or some Medieval French historical novel. Nagai no hou ga ii!

4. One book that made you laugh?
Anna Maxted books. Before I lived in London, I couldn't get the humour, but after London I reread them and enjoyed them even more.

5. One book that made you cry?
Hmm...hard to say, but Pride and Prejudice garnered some emotion. I am more apt to cry at movies or Grey's Anatomy.

6. One book you wish had been written?
A basic, introductory, but extensive history of Kyoto AFTER 1868. Cut a girl some slack, please! (Hmm...maybe I will write it in the future, maybe?)

7. One book you wish had never been written?
Anything by Ann Coulter.

8. One book you are currently reading?
One? Come on!

Mao: The Unknown Story
Memory and the Mediterranean
The Culture of Civil War in Kyoto
The Dante Club
Sayuri ("Memoirs of a Geisha" in Japanese)
A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Abridged Audiobook - I listen to them to help me fall asleep, but if I can, I always prefer unabridged, just that some of the books I really like are so long they don't exist in that form, and yes, I have both print and audiobook versions of all the Outlander books by Diana Gabaldon, obviously 6 600+ page novels would take up ALOT of space in my suitcase, so I compensate)

9. One book you have been meaning to read?
Vanity Fair.

10. Now tag 5 people.
Ok, I don't know how to do this, can someone tell me how?

Zito H Ellada!

First off, I want to point out that my comments feature underneath the posts is gone? I checked my settings and I have enabled comments, but its not working for some reason.


In other news: Happy Greek Independence Day! (We got our independence from Turkey in 1821 after 400 years of rule by the Ottamans.) Some common slogans for those that don't know:

"Zito H Ellada!" ("Long Live Greece!)
"H Makedonia Einai Elliniki!" (Macedonia is Greek!)
"Ekso, H Tourki, Apo Tin Kypro" (Loose Translation: "Turks Out of Cyprus.")

A quick note on the pronounciation: the "H" that is pronounced as "ee" as in "see." Same thing with the "y" in "Kypro." Greek has about, oh, 5 different ways to spell the "ee" sounds.

The last two are highly politically motivated. The first one deals with soveriegnty of some sort - my dad is from the Macedonian region of Greece (Alexander the Great and all that jazz, I mentioned this before) and there is a country called Macedonia, complete with the Hellenistic sun (Alexander's emblem) in their flag. The Greeks got pissed. So pissed that when I was about 9 or 10, my family with a neighbor drove down to D.C. to attend a rally about this whole question. Even though today is a Sunday when the Greek parade is traditionally held, because it's Lent the parade will be held after Easter, which is the same day as regular Easter this year. Yeah to getting Easter candy with everyone else! On the negative side, Easter candy won't be on sale for us this year.

So in the Greek parade, you get the high school bands, the high school and local college Greek clubs, little kids dressed in traditional Greek costume (I had one myself), maybe the "Miss Greece" winner and the highlight of it all, the tsoliades - the royal palace guards, which like the ones in London stand outside the old palace, Syntagma which is now Parliament all day and don't talk to anyone. My aunt was able to get one to talk to her back in the 80's. My grandfather was one.

That's one of the traditional outfits; the tsoliades (which are SO good looking) who come to NYC usually wear the white pleated skirt with 400 pleats, one for every year. They all march in step and are all the exact same height - my dad was considered too short, and he is 6'1.

As for the third slogan, to make a long story short, Cyprus is divided into two, the Greek and the Turkish part, and in 1971 Greece and Turkey almost went to war over it.

The parade is good fun - I usually go every year. However, I am here, and there is no real Greek community (or at least enough Greek expats of one stripe or another) to even have a Greek restaurant in Kyoto. So, I went to Shijo with Alisa and had some free coffee at Ogawa while she got her beans ground (when my Starbucks stuff is finished I am getting my next round of coffee from there) and then after she left for a party, walked around a bit, and I got a new wallet for only 945yen, in the style that I want - checkbook. I think it's handmade, and it's great - a vintage, 70s vibe to it and it holds all my cards and all my change and still closes! I thought it would be too flimsy since it is made of cloth, but it does have some stiffness to it, and with the cards inside, it gained more structure. It may seem like I am high maintenance sometimes (see my previous Kate Spade wallet wish) but even the little things make me happy. Just hard to find sometimes, especially in Japan where it is major label overload.

Ay, Carrumba!

Chen was able to wrangle a few friends together to go to El Coyote, a place just off Sanjo last Friday to go salsa dancing.

Salsa dancing? In Kyoto? Yep, things such as that do exist here in Geisha-land. Too bad the international scene is overrun with French cafe's/boulageries, Italian restuarants, Korean BBQ and Thai, Indian and Mexican. Still no Greek to be had. The salsa teacher was Cuban, spoke fluent Japanese, can really move and had a hat that reminded me of the Jazz playing boyfriend with ADD that Carrie once dated who lived in Queens (yeah!) on SATC.

Unfortunately, I discovered a few things about myself when it comes to salsa dancing:

I cannot move. I have no rhythm, and I have two left feet. Especially when I wear heels - I don't wear heels that often. I am a student, why should I? But girls in Japan do wear heels alot, so I might wear my pretty Lucia J.Crew sandals more often, but it's kinda hard to ride a bike whilst wearing heels because your feet slip off the pedals (I learned that the hard way), and I don't think I can handle that for a 45 minute ride to Rits. Plus, on the occasions when I do ride the bus to school it will either be a) raining or b) hot so my feet will either swell. Oh well.

So the salsa lesson began (it was free for the evening, otherwise it would be 1000yen + 1 drink) and the teacher was going quite fast. I wasn't moving fast enough so I was caught by surprise, tripped on my heels and almost fell, and somewhat shocked my left ankle. So I sat down for a bit and missed out on the part where you pair up with people to dance. I did dance with the girls though later on and it was quite fun.

The music was a mix of salsa and rhumba, and later they hit on the reggaeton and actually played "Lamada" by Kona (I actually have that song for sentimental purposes: when I was 5, I took dance classes and the advanced students danced to that song for a recital and did the famous Dirty Dancing lift, since apparently, the "Lambada" was all the rage in 1989. Imagine my delight when I used Wikipedia to find the exact song that they used in the recital.) When the reggaeton and the other Spanish/Hispanic music started, I felt like I was back in NYC - most of the music I was sort of familiar with since when I do go out to clubs/cafes/bars this is what they play about 50% of the time.

The dancing was good - some of the Japanese can really move! Totally different from the time I went to Metro (600yen and you get 2 drinks and a cd, plus it's near my apartment, 5 minute bike ride). There was this one couple - the guy looked like he came straight out of the South Bronx or Washington Heights and the girl was I believe Eastern European/Russian - and they were awesome: fast steps, total coordination and lifts as well. The floor eventually cleared to make room for them. It was amazing to watch. El Coyote wasn't seedy, the music was good, the drinks were cheap and strong so all in all, despite my fall, it was a good evening.

Morning Rumbles

I use a blindfold to help me fall asleep. Back when I was in London, I flew back and forth 6 times in total via Virgin Atlantic. And actually, I was on the plane 7 times because once, my flight was delayed for 14 hours because something was wrong with the engine so they had to fix it. I then flew back on the fixed plane, which didn't help my somewhat frayed nerves.

Point being, I got those little packets of goodies from Virgin Atlantic 7 times, and eventually got them in all 4 colors - blue, yellow, red and green. Came with toothbrush, earplugs, slippers, bunch of other stuff and blindfolds with cute little phrases such as "cat nap," "beddy bye," and "forty winks."

Since I flew back and forth so many times, and have been on airplanes alot since London, I have used the blindfolds to force my eyes closed and in essence, force me to go to sleep. I have gone through the two Virgin Atlantic blindfolds that I brought with me to Japan (both yellow and saying "cat nap")- the elastic behind my head stretched out. So when I was in Korea, I went with Deena to this awesome store called ArtBox where they had tons of cute stuff, and bought a new blindfold which was only about $5:

Kinda hoping that Deena picks up the rest for me, they are so cute! Haven't found anything like that in Japan, I kinda wish ArtBox was here too.

Regardless, this morning I was sound asleep, or rather dead asleep. But I felt a rumble, and something shaking on my wall. "Hmm," I thought, with the blindfold still over my eyes and me still half asleep. "Is that another earhthquake?" When the rumbling didn't stop after that thought - unlike the last time which was a sharp, but mild jolt at 4 in the morning - I promptly bolted out of bed and ripped off the blindfold.

Okaayyy...so I THINK that was an earthquake. I did what I did last time - logged onto my mac, and then promptly posted an "Um, did I feel an earthquake?" post on my forum's earthquake thread. Then I went to the Japan Meteorological Agency, whose site is very well done in English. (Usually a hit-or-miss with government websites.) According to the JMA, there was a 6+ (later confirmed to be a 7.1 on the scale) earthquake in the Noto Peninsula. Where the hell is the Noto Peninsula you ask?

According to this administrative map (with a bit of help from Wikipedia), the Noto Peninsula is where Ishikawa-Ken is, on the largest island - Honshu. It's right smack in the middle of the picture, a little finger of land sticking out from. I am a little south and to the left on the map, in Kyoto-Fu and specifically Kyoto. So, I am totally fine for those that were worried about me - just another regular day in Japan.

Time Sure Flies

I just realized that I have been blogging for a year, exactly on this date. Well, actually it would be the 25th of March Japan time, since I am in Japan now. But still, you get my point.

And it took me a year to find more blogs and get into the swing of things. Time sure flies. I only have one year left in Japan.

Oh, boo.

Meme: Things I Like

Originally, the purpose of this blog was to keep everyone back at home/various other parts of the world that I know people in or have lived in myself updated on my (mis)adventures in Japan. But I think I'll try to get in on the tagging and meme's that other bloggers do, especially since I have come across alot of other cool and fun blogs, most of which are under "The Reading List."

Bloggers do this thing called "meme" - think those surveys that we used to email one another in high school and forward to everyone else. I would link back to the blog that I got this from (A Study of Schoolbooks and Shoes) but I am new to the meme/tagging thing, don't know how to put links in posts, and I don't normally do tags, though that might change (It's also kinda hard to navigate on the blogger website via Firefox b/c it's in Japanese, though I can do it in Safari, but I am too lazy to put Safari back in the Dock, and I like Firefox better for Blogger because it has SPELL CHECK). So, here is my first meme of Things I Like (via Vanity Fair, so this is a more make-up/fashion oriented meme):

Jeans: Citizens of Humanity Kelly bootcut, or my poor J.Crew Japanese stretch (not so much) cotton skinnys that got ripped and I can't wear anymore :-( But I am looking for a good pair of classic Levi's in the same color as my J.Crew ones.
Sneakers: Asics
Watch: I lost mine, but it was a cheap 2000yen one I got at the shopping arcade in Shinkyogoku on Shijo-Dori b/c my first week in Japan, I kept asking Deena (who was visiting me from Korea) what time it was since I didn't have a cell and she told me to get a watch. Literally.
T-Shirt: Hard to say, since I really don't like to wear t-shirts on their own. I do like the Ralph Lauren Skinny polos though.
Day Bag: Jack Spade Day messenger bag, Sky Blue Herve Chapelier bag, or one of the 2 other Kate Spade bags (I left my green KS bag behind and my sister stole my KS "Have Courage" bag) that I brought with me to Japan. But normally for school lately is the JS messenger, since I can have that on my back which leaves my bike basket free if I want to do grocery shopping or get books from the library and then I go home with alot of stuff in my basket.
Evening Bag: Gold Kate Spade shoulder bag (which can be a clutch or a wristlet as well) or my red and blue mini Herve bag.
Cell Phone: My Japanese cell phone is Sharp and my American cellphone was the magenta Motorola Razr, but my sister uses it now because a) I am not in the States anymore, and her's was washed in the laundry. so when i go back to the States, i use my really old Nokia since I still have my American cell number in use (I actually have it with me in Japan, to use it when I fly back and forth, but the battery is dead).
Blackberry or Treo: Hell no. I like my KS organizer (aka "The Big Gold Book" by Alisa) to keep me organized, BUT I am holding out in the future for the Apple iPhone.
Lipstick: Very rarely, Clinique Blushing Coral. Normally its chapstick, with either Rosebud Strawberry Lip Balm or C. Bigelow Mentha Lip Tint.
Mascara: Eh, not really. But the one I do own is CoverGirl.
Nail Polish: HA! Manicures and pedicures in Japan go upwards of about 10,000yen which is about $100. So its clear stuff by Sally Hansen, but when I do get my nails done ($20 manicure-pedicure in NYC right across the street from my house) it's usually Essie in either a pale pink/nude color or a coral color.
Soap: Ivory, and St. Ive's Medicated Apricot Scrub for my face. Sadly, I have run out of the former, and there is no Ivory to be had in Kyoto.
Shampoo: Garnier Fructis Body and Volume, or Bumble and Bumble Volumizing Shampoo
Moisturizer: The one I got from Clinique as a free sample is really good for me, I should get a bigger bottle of it because it is light.
Hair Product: Aveda Phomollient Volumizing foam (I have pathetically thin and limp hair, and Japanese hairstylists have a problem cutting Western hair. So it won't get cut till I get back home.)
Perfume or Cologne: Burberry Tender Touch, but it's at home because I didn't want the bottle to break in my suitcase coming over here. So I use mandarin or gardenia body splash from Bath & Body Works.
Toothpaste: Not Japanese toothpaste. It doesn't have fluoride.

Going to the Big Mikan

New York is known as the "Big Apple."

Tokyo is known as the "Big Mikan." Mikan is a small tangerine-ish fruit that is really easy to peel and very tasty.

It is OFFICIAL everyone!

I am going to Tokyo from June 22 to 27, barring any crazy schedule conflicts with school. I made my hotel reservation yesterday at a place in Ueno that is only 2700 a night, but not a hostel and I have my own private room. So for sure I can afford this Tokyo trip, so happy!

The conference is from 23-24 but I think I can get some sightseeing done in the afternoon/evening of the 24th, since I plan to go to the reception - good for contact stuff. I now have to go make my own business cards; when I was at the conference in December I didn't have any to give out and I was a bit embarrassed about that so I am going to make some as soon as I get my Ritsumeikan email address. I am going to put only that and my private email address, since the Ritsumeikan one is only for a year. Besides, I would tell people that the primary email address is my private one anyways; I have never used my Kyodai email address at all.

In terms of getting myself there, I think I am going to take the first Shinkansen train out in the morning of the 22 regardless of the time so that a) I can see the nice scenery during the day, and b) get there to my hotel early enough so that I can hop over to the National Archives to do some research in the morning. Other than 23 and 24 - which is a weekend anyways - I plan to go spend the mornings in the National Archives to do some research.

Awesome, I am going to Tokyo!

Rising Like a Sunflower

I did a headstand in yoga today! I still need to go up against the wall and my teacher has to help me bring my legs up because my abdominal muscles are mega weak (which makes me think that I should start the sit-ups routine that I downloaded from theKnot.com) but I did the headstand!

Once my legs were up and I was standing on my heads and forearms it was quite nice actually. The bobby-pins that I use to pin my bangs back were sort of cutting into my head from the pressure, but I really enjoyed the head stand. There were two women (foreigners too) that were doing the head stands in the middle of the room, no wall or help at all. After class I asked one how long it took for her to do it, and she told me that she was doing headstands for about a year, and that it gets easier once your abdominal muscles get stronger. I was on my head for no more than 5 minutes.

Speaking of abs, I am getting better at the throwing-my-legs-over-my-head-while-on my back position; not only is my back straight but I can put my legs totally behind my head and I have my back almost totally straight with my legs straight up in the air. It's Hatha Yoga that I am doing I think; not specified on the gym schedule. The legs over my head is properly called the shoulder stand: "It is performed by first lying on the back with hands under the mid-back, then lifting the legs and lower body so that the weight of the body is supported on the head, neck, upper back and upper arms."

The Quiet Month of March

I am blogging to amuse myself. It has come to that point.

March has been a rather quiet month, overall. I don't have much money in the budget for fun, far-reaching stuff (meaning trips outside Kyoto), and I don't want to touch the money that I have been able to save up so far. Usually, when I begin to save money, my fingers get a bit itchy, ESPECIALLY when the new kate spade (not capitalized for a reason, that's how the label is spelled out) collection is out, there are three pairs of shoes that I would like to get and my Jack Spade wallet really isn't holding up to the grunt of god knows how many ID and memberships card that are in there. But once I do start saving, then I don't want to touch it.

If I don't put the change that I have in my business card case (niftily used as a change purse) my wallet won't close. I need a wallet like the ones my sister and my mom have - lots of card slots (so I don't have to double and triple up anymore and a nice big space for change. Something like a checkbook wallet. Something like this one:
The "jane street maria" checkbook wallet in kelly/amethyst. A girl can dream. And then post it on her blog.

In other news, I have been going to the gym that is 5 minutes away from me by bike, and on my way home from Rits, so I have no excuse in not going to the gym. The first week was rather hell, since I haven't exercised in god knows how long. And I went to yoga. It's the basic yoga, nothing too flashy like hot yoga (good stuff) but the room is kept rather warm, so I do work up a bit of a sweat and my heartrate does go up. I also go to aerobics; I have discovered in the course of my first few weeks that I HATE HATE HATE the treadmill. There are no ellipticals in the machine room. Me + treadmill = hell. I powerwalk on the thing, and the timer ticks on by but because there is a timer, I am more conscious of the time and thus start to whine in my head and then give up. For yoga and aerobics, the time goes quickly by and I am not bored. And the teachers mix things up a bit - which is both good and bad. Good because I am not bored, but bad because once I get over my fear of throwing my legs up and over my head while on my back (still working on it rather) my yoga teacher goes and throws in headstands for kicks. THAT is something that is going to take me awhile to get used to. I am afraid that I am going to break my neck.

But back to the saving - there is a wedding coming up and flowers, a dress and pretty paper are involved in it on my end. Plus, I already did my traveling for the really-long-break in Korea so I did my "I am OUT of here!" part.

That doesn't mean that I am done travelling. You kidding me? The last week of April is Golden Week, a week long mush of holidays which this year has two days off in between. It's April 28-30 and May 3-6. I was originally going to skip the two days in between and two days before to go to the Philippines and meet Mel, but tickets are expensive during Golden Week. The next option was Hong Kong, because Deena has off the exact same days that I am off for the first half of GW. I just came back from the co-op a bit disappointed: they did have tickets for only $450, but there was no seat available going to Hong Kong. The only other option? $900. HELL NO. Instead of April, Mel and I are going to the Philippines at Christmas for sure next year since we have alot of time to save up the money. It will surely be more kicking then.

Another option is to go to Okinawa - I emailed Colleen about it and she told me (ran into her today on campus) that she saw it but hasn't had the chance to email me back. I quickly told her that if that didn't work out, there is the fourth option, which can be done by myself as well (as is Okinawa, but Okinawa would be fun with more people): train-tripping it around Kansai and the Chugoku (where Hiroshima is) area. There are tons of places that can be a day or two day trip and it won't be that expensive either. One of them that I really want to go to is Koya-san, a Buddhist monastery/city in the mountains, and you can stay at the temples and get traditional cuisine there included. Then there is Ise (the main Shinto shrine in Japan). So there are things to do, it's just a matter of getting things organized.

I have spend most of my vacation reading, watching Grey's Anatomy and just chilling out before the onslaught at Rits begins - not only do I want to take two regular classes (one out of the two that my sensei recommended and a culture course that I thought would be cool) but I also want to take Japanese classes. I finally figured out - and everyone agrees with me who is also just a research student - that there is nothing that is really expected of me in terms of a "final result." Like I said before, even my sensei doesn't know what is expected of me. If there is, I can just show my published paper and the fact that I went to two conferences. So, my plan is to pretty much do what I need to do to prepare for grad school applications. Have to be honest though - every time I look at history department's websites at places like Harvard, UPenn, Stanford, I slowly begin to scream in my head. It can be rather nerve-wrecking to say the least. And friggin scary - the average amount of people that apply to these programs is 300-400 give or take. And on average, the schools accept about 30-40 people. That is 1 in every 10 about if I do my math right. To borrow a quip from Prof. M (medieval prof, not Asian prof): "I only count in base 10."

Twinkle, Twinkle, Diamond Ring...

As you can tell from "The Reading List" to the left on the page, there are a bunch of websites and other blogs that I am reading. I am also currently reading about 4 books as well:

1) Sayuri (Memoirs of a Geisha in Japanese)
2) The Dante Club
3) Memory and the Mediterranean
4) Mao: The Unknown Story

So that is alot of reading. One of the blogs that I read posted this book that the blogger got as a wedding gift, which I think is rather cute and cheeky:
and aptly quoted one of the "nursery rhymes" from the book:

"Twinkle, Twinkle, Diamond Ring,
In a blue box tied with String.
Tiffany's new princess cut,
Twice the size of baby's butt."

The full title is "This Little Piggy Went to Prada: Nursery Rhymes for the Blahnik Brigade." If Carrie Bradshaw on "Sex and the City" were to ever become a mom or a bride this is something she would definitely recieve as a gift. Though I think the rhyme got the "string" part wrong - Tiffany boxes are always tied with ribbon. Oh well, one has to rhyme in order to make the poem work.

I'm Not Convinced - Do You Think the Rest of Asia Is?

When I went on the tour of the DMZ, not only did I see scary South Korean soldiers, puny-looking North Korean soldiers and jovial American soldiers, I also saw the cartoon renditions of the SK soldiers. I had to laugh because I had seen the actual soldiers up close and they were really intimidating. And here is a rendition of the soldier, made cute to Hello Kitty proportions. Yeah, right like I am going to warm up to that when I have seen them in their tae-kwon do stances less than two feet from me.

The same thing happened in Japan - that is, making the military look cute. Quick lesson for those that aren't in the know (or you probably are given all the news coverage on the comfort women and Yasukuni Shrine): up until the end of WWII, the Japanese Army had a pretty bad reputation from China all the way down to the northern tip of Australia. So, when the Americans rolled in, they instituted the infamous Article 9 in the new constitution which pretty much forbidded Japan to have a "military." However, a loophole was created; in place of a military toting guns and shooting about, they have the "Special Defense Forces" since Japan needs to have some form of self-defense right? Riiight. According to a history professor of mine, if you really take into account the size and the amount of money spent for the Japanese SDF, it's in the top 5 in the world for military size and expenditure. Nonetheless, they don't shoot.

They are only in a support mode, as indicated in the following advertisement. Note that this is an advertisement, NOT a cartoon mocking the army or making jokes:According to the Japan Times, this was created as a part of an ad campaign to make the Japanese military look less evil and more approachable, since there are still MANY cans of worms open regarding the opinion of the Japan and its military. When one of my friends who is from Asia (but not Japanese) told me that she told her family that she had some reservations about the scholarship (got the same one as me, but going for the Master's degree) because sometimes she feels like she isn't really doing anything productive (seriously, neither do I, I literally have no obligations to anyone in terms of producing anything final as far as I know which is sort of ridiculous and my advisor doesn't even know what is required of me as well); one of the members of her family then said to her, "Don't worry about that, remember what they [the Japanese] did to us." Translation: "The Japanese owe us big time for what they did to us."

Point being, it's going to take a lot more than a cute cartoon to change the opinion of the Japanese military in Asia, stripped-down as it is.

Another University, Another Sweatshirt

By the time I finish my Ph.d, I will have attended 5 different colleges/universities.

1-Fordham
2-SOAS
3- Kyoto Uni

Number 4 is Ritsumeikan University, the place where I will be conducting research for the next academic year. Still going to take Japanese classes of course. And even an undergraduate class in Japanese - not yet graduate, maybe next semester. We shall see what happens. (Of course, number 5 is a very big question mark, since I will be applying in the fall for grad school).

I met my advisor for the first time today. He is a pretty nice guy and really enthusiastic about helping me out; he kept showing me books of relevant interest and when I mentioned that I am also interested in looking at the maps of the period, he said they are at his house but when I come to Rits the next time then I can look at them. I also told him that I have some reservations about the Japanese library system (it's TOTALLY different from the American one, and not everything is online) and he showed me these two thick books which is the catalog of the Kyoto Prefectural Library. I also mentioned that I want to do some research at Nichibunken (this other library devoted to Japanese studies) and that I require a letter of introduction from the school.

He asked me at one point what I want to do at Ritsumeikan, since I really don't have any obligations to anyone, except to attend my classes, and do research (i.e. paper collecting in my opinion since I don't have to write really). I told him that I am going to start from scratch again (but that doesn't mean that I am chucking what I did for the past two years, I am just going to look at Professor S's comments when I get the chance and write up all the problems I have), and that I mainly want to start my reserch since I most likely have to come back. I told him that I am also not going to do an advanced degree here (quite pointless really since I would have to start from the beginning when I go back home) and that I want to continue with my Japanese classes and try to take a course from the department. We ended up talking for an hour. I also mentioned that I want to stay in Tokyo for a few extra days, since I want to do some research in the National Archives (and go to Tokyo Disney but I didn't say that of course, I plan to look up all the stuff online before I go and make a typed list so things can go smoothly when I go there - I would do that regardless because I wouldn't want to waste any time).

In all we spoke for about an hour, which I think was a pretty good indicator. I was quite nervous actually. And when I am nervous, I can't speak in Japanese. Trust me, I think alot better in Japanese than I speak.

Oh Man...Pizzaaaaaa....

I really have a craving for pizza right now.

A huge, greasy slice with crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside pizza from a local pizzeria in Astoria. Thin, but not too thin and the cheese and tomato sauce is just right.

Dammit!

I am on my diet too and there is no way in hell I can find a slice like they way they make them in NYC. I have either Pizza Hut, Dominoes or the all you can eat at Shakeys, which I hear is not that tasty (depends on the person, I can eat almost anything).

Maybe when Ingram comes back we can go to Shakey's. And then I will do a kick-ass aerobics workout. So long as I am good for the rest of March with the diet and exercise.

I REALLY REALLY want pizza.

:::hangs head in shame:::

You Know You're Becoming a Kyoto-ite if...

You can ride your bike one-handed, in the rain, with an mp3 player of one stripe or another blaring in your ears, junk in your basket, and holding an umbrella at the same time.

I have FINALLY mastered this crucial skill.

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.

Tadaima!

One of the things that define one as a New Yorker (so say those "You know you are from New York if..." lists) is that when you fly into JFK, LGA or Newark (the last one as a severe last resort or if you have no choice) and when you see the NYC skyline you feel relieved, no matter where you went, even if it was something like a luxury vacation in Tahiti.

I certainly have felt that feeling several times myself - one of the more acute times was when Mel and I went to Vegas. Vegas was nice, but I wasn't 21 yet so I couldn't do alot of stuff and was a bit of a hamper on the trip.

When I got back to my teeny-tiny-itsy-bitsy apartment in Kyoto, I had that same rush all over again. When I got back from NYC after Christmas break, I didn't even have an inkling of the feeling, but I guess I am truly settling in here.

My Dad's Potatoes

It was a while since I had really good Greek food. When Deena told me that there was a Greek restaurant aptly named Santorini in Itaewon, I was totally game and ready to pig out ever since I landed. But we waited till after the DMZ.

Itaewon is the forienger's district in Seoul, kind of like Roppongi in Tokyo. But Itaewon as mega dirty and I told Deena that compared to Roppongi (I have seen pictures and heard stories, but of course this is a empty opinion since I won't be there till June) this place was worse in terms of the "creepy gaijin/ickiness" factor, and she said that some of her coworkers that just went to Tokyo said the same thing. Guess my opinion wasn't that off. Again, will confirm in June.

Deena has been to Santorini before, and I was eagerly awaiting the yumminess that was Greek food. Oh, taramasalata. After many hills and stairs (Itaewon is actually above Seoul, yikes) we finally reached our destination. When I walked in, I felt like I was in Taverna Kyklades, one of the best Greek restaurants in Astoria. Of all the Greek restaurants in New York City, 80-90% of them are in Astoria. Oh, HEAVEN!

The decor was perfect. Deena said that unlike some other foriegn restuarants that take the foriegn food and "Korean-ize" it and then make it worse, this place was practically untouched. I totally agreed. The menu was not only in Korean and English, but also in Greek. I think the owner must be Greek - how else would it be as good as a place in Astoria? Never asked though.

Have to say it was a wee bit expensive - then again, even when I go to the restaurants back home, I never order the feta cheese or spreads appetizers because it's such a rip off even there. Since we arrived during lunch time, we got the lunch specials - SOUVLAKI! And even better, the potatoes that they had were like the ones that my dad makes. You heat up a pot of olive oil, put the potatoes cut into french-fry size and make them like french fries; when done sprinkle parmesan and basil on top. Yum, yum. I love my dad's potatoes, though these weren't cut french-fry style but rather in small round slices. Still delicious and you can tell that they used olive oil - french fries cooked in olive oil tend to be a wee bit soggier than those in regular cooking oil, but the flavor is great. You just have to be a bit more careful and not keep the french fries in the pot too long.

Since the lunch was pretty cheap, Deena and I split a platter of spreads with warm pieces of bread, from left to right: Tzatziki (cucumber/yogurt), Taramasalata (caviar), Eggplant Spread and Skordalia (garlic):

And to top it off, I had a FRAPPE as a dessert. It was about 6 bucks, but it was big, light and sweet just how I like it and best of all, the straw was sticking straight up in the center of the foamy part of the frappe. That's how you know whether or not a frappe is well made. Totally worth it, as I forgot to bring Nescafe and a frappe shaker back to Japan with me.

"In Front of Them All"

Our civilian tour guide told us that he was not so sure whether or not we would make it back to Seoul alive.

Welcome to the DMZ: one of the most trigger-itchy places on the earth. Trigger-itchy because there aren't any gunshots flying around, but I'll bet that Lil' Kim is hankering for a reason to attack Seoul. Why else were there 4 tunnels discovered by the South Koreans, dug by the North Koreans and covered in black paint to look like a coal mine?

I'll get to the tunnel in a minute.

Everyone in the bus chuckled, as we went through our two military checkpoints, but I couldn't help but be a wee bit wary; if one thinks about it, this will probably be the closest ever (God-willing as the saying goes) that I will be in a "war zone." There was only an armistice signed at the end of the Korean War so technically, SK and NK are still at war and the DMZ was created as a buffer. Doesn't mean that "incidents" don't occur. The last one was in 1984, when a Capt. Boniface (the man that Camp Boniface, the American base just outside the DMZ and the point where we had United States MPs join us with the stern "Do NOT point, gesture, talk, ANYTHING to the North Koreans.") wanted to cut down a large yew tree that was blocking Guard Station 4 on the American/SK side of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) and the "Bridge of No Return." They were accompanied both by SK and NK military peeps, but in the middle of the tree cutting, the NK army lashed out with an axe attack, killing Boniface and another American high-ranking officer. There is a memorial where the tree once stood, with a circular stone base of about 3 feet in diameter, indicating how large the tree was.

Now to the Bridge of No Return. In the 1970s, SK and NK exhanged POWs at this bridge. The POWs had the option of defecting and staying in the country that they were a POW in, or going back home. However, once you step onto that bridge, you can't go back. Hence the name.

Allow me to backtrack a bit. During the many "briefings" that we tourists (of all the places to make a tourist attraction, really!) one of the things I liked was the slogan that the Americans use in the DMZ/Camp Boniface/Joint Security Area (JSA)-Pan Mun Jom (too many names, IMO) was that they are "In Front of Them All" - "them" being the North Koreans and the very high possibilty of enemy attack right under their nose.

I emphasize - right under their bloody noses. The MDL which divides the 4km wide DMZ runs right through the JSA, cutting buildings literally in half. At one point NK soldiers would literally just come up to the border and look right into the face of an SK soldier. These guys (SK soldiers) are INTIMIDATING from here to kingdom come. They stand in the UN building that is used for "talks" between NK and SK and outside on the SK side of the MDL - in order to be considered for a post in the DMZ, they have to have at least 1st-degree black belt tae kwon do. When I stood back in the single file line to go back into the main building on the SK side, I turned around to get one more look at the room. This guy turned his head in my direction, slowly, and so smoothly it was robot-like I think I muttered an "eep!" and turned back around quickly.

An interesting thing about the UN building that we were in was that it straddled the MDL. So when I crossed to the other side of the building, I was technically in North Korea. Hello, Kim Jung-Il. One interesting factoid that I learned: some of the roadsigns in NK that indicate how many kilometers to your destination don't inidcate how many kilometers to the DMZ (and effectively, the end of NK) - they indicate how many kilometers to Seoul. Creepy stuff.

After the 1 hour tour in the JSA, lunch and another briefing, we headed to the "3rd Tunnel." In the 1970s, SK discovered that NK was building tunnels to prepare for an invasion of Seoul and SK, like I said. Now, we can walk 73m below ground and go into the tunnel for ourselves. As with most places on the DMZ tour, we couldn't take pictures; the MPs and our civilian guide told us when and when not to. We had to wear hardhats in the tunnel - it sort of reminded me of the Caves of Diro near Sparta, where I with my mom and sister rode a boat propelled only by a stick a la Venetian gondolier, with the boatman pushing off the walls or the ceilings. Good thing I did wear a helmet - the ceiling was low, and I am tall so my head actually got knocked about and very far back a few times. It didn't hurt, it was rather the shock of it.

So at the end of the day, and with my trip to the War Museum the day before, I was quite Korean War-ed out, and filled with enough military shorthand and acronyms to maybe give Cat a run for her money - a quick summary of the trip:

"When I went to the DMZ, I visited the JSA and crossed the MDL in a UN building under the eye of a ROK soldier and an MP."

How Can I Sing, "It's A Small World, After All" in Korean?

Deena and I came to the conclusion that Everland is the Korean version of Disneyland. Note that we say DisneyLAND, not DisneyWORLD. Disney World is much bigger (and better in my opinion, though I have not been to Disneyland yet since I am an East Coaster) than Disneyland. Everland is miniscule compared to Disney World, even though it is comprised of more sections than the one we went to.

Every time I think of anything related to Disney, the tune "It's A Small World, After All" and the corresponding ride from the Magic Kingdom pops into my head. I mentioned that I have an uncle that works for Disney and thus get in for free, so you can imagine that I have been on the ride at least 5 times and no more than 10. It sort of sticks - those little animatronic kids are cute, and they don't run "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" because it cost too much to maintain. Said uncle is working on getting me a ticket to Tokyo Disney; to my surprise, TD isn't actually owned by Disney in the States outright - they just licensed the name so the rule might be a bit different. No matter - if I don't get the ticket, I am still going.

Everland has its own share of cute, fuzzy characters, the most memorable being this really fat, round sheep that I got in a cell-phone charm version. I was going to keep it for myself, but figured my sister would appreciate it more - and she did, by the squeals of delight heard over Skype as I showed her via my webcam. Not like they walk around and give autographs to the little kids. According to Deena, Everland is very popular with the kids around the area - her kindergarten charges always talk about it and have season passes. With the different parks that are open different times of the year (including a waterpark) and the fact that its about $100 for a yearly pass it's not that expensive and a good way to keep the kids occupied, especially when school is out.

Which does not mean that Everland is for people under the age of 13. When Deena and I were waiting on line for this ride that not only rocks back and forth, but spins 360 degrees at the same time, there were plently of high school and college age kids around. There are rollercoasters a la Six Flags (none of which are like Kinga Ka, which I refuse to ride on, and Mel has been on twice in a row) but Deena and I were a bit wary of Korean rollercoasters. So after the first ride, we then proceeded to the one next door, an American rodeo theme ride (as we were in the "American" part of Everland, while the European part looks like a cartoon-y Switzerland) and proceeded to get extreme headaches, and my stomach lurched to somewhere in my esophagus and stayed there for the rest of the day.

So we decided to pursue tamer attractions, and went on a "safari" (which was kinda cool since the lions were like right up in front of the safari bus we were on in the enclosure) and looked at all the zoo animals. There was a parade (what theme park DOESN'T have one?) but the interesting thing was that all of the people in the parade were foriegners, and they all had blond wigs.

After the (sort of lame) parade, Deena and I went on the carousel. I like carousels - regardless of which carousel I am on and where I am, I am reminded of the $1.50 carousel in Central Park, near the 65th street entrance. Which reminds me - next time I am in NYC, I am due in for a ride on the carousel, since I did not get to ice skate at Wollman Rink (even though the last time I skated I was 5, at the Queens rink in Flushing-Meadows Park) this past Christmas.

The Men With the Spinning Horsetail Hats

Today, I went with Deena and a few of her friends from work to the Korean Folk Village. As with most of the attractions outside Seoul, Deena lives close by as she is in Yongin City, but in order to get to the places by public transportation, we have to go into Seoul to get to the place. It's the ultimate double-back and a bit annoying.

The Korean Folk Village was designed to look well, just like a village in Korea back in the day. It was complete with dirt roads, thatch-roof huts, pigs, pheasants and people making traditional Korean crafts.

However, this is the 21st century and while striing for some historical accuracy, places such as the Korean folk Village have their novelties as well so that everyone can be entertained. Even the bratty, snot-nosed kids that were painted on the banners on the bridge leading up to the kiddie part of Korean Folk Village, which was designed with Playland-like attractions, such as a mini Ferris Wheel, bumper cars and a carousel. We had to pay extra to go on the rides, and since I only budgeted for the basic pass, I didn't go on the rides.

We had lunch at an open-air food court where you first bought meal tickets, then went to the particular booth that made the specific food that you ordered. I ordered a leek pancake, which was leeks in this sort of batter and made into a pancake. One thing I noticed is that Koreans like to cook with ALOT of oil it seems. The woman jsut kept on pounding the cooking oil into the pancake mound and spreading it out, whereas I know that I could have made the same pancake with a helluva lot less cooking oil. It tasted rather greasy, but it was very good.

After lunch, we all headed over to the performance area and saw traditional Korean farmer's dance, seesaw jumping (where girls stood on a seesaw and using each other's weight, propelled themselves into the air) a tightrope walker and horse performances. It felt like a circus at times, but the tricks were very well done. My favorite part was when, in the farmers dance, men wearing horsetail hats spun the rod that connected the tail and the hat and sent the tail swirling, while at the same time propelling themselves about the performance ring like gymnasts.

A Museum Without Walls, But Alot of Repeat Exhibitions

On Sunday, Deena, Geraldine and I went to Gyeongju, a city designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, since it was the capital of the Korean Silla Dynasty. It is 4 hours outside Seoul, near Busan and the Korean version of Kyoto.

On the bus ride, I got a decent look at the Korean countryside - it's more flat than Japan, but still rather mountainous. When the three of us got there, we hightailed it to the Tourist Information Center, got some information and walked around. We first got on the local bus to Bulgaska, a Buddhist temple with various levels, and VERY STEEP STAIRS. I am terrified of stairs. Extremely terrified. So terrified, that I made Deena hold my hand while I went down the first few steps, then I held on to each step behind me while I went down. I even considered going down on my butt. Of course, while Deena and I went down and passed some Koreans going up, we got the obligatory, "Hello, where are you from?" questions.

Unfortunately, we just missed the shuttle bus to some grotto that was an hour's walk, or another hour's wait for the next shuttle. So we decided to skip the grotto and head onto the National Museum and Anapji Pond, a palace site. The museum was very well done and nicely curated, with detailed English explanations - I compared it to my experience at the Kyoto National Museum a week before.

After the museum we walked. Alot. Again. My poor knees and shoulders. It was all good - but the one thing with Gyeong-ju was that yes, its very vast and very open, very different from Seoul, but we covered most of the basics and the major stuff within three hours. Which included tomb mounds of dead kings, one of which we could go inside and was quite creepy if you think of it as "Hmm...we are in a dead person's coffin." Also the oldest observatory "in the Orient" as per the little guidebook that I got at the TIC which was like a mound of stones in the shape of a flat-topped sake bottle no more than three meters high. So since we were done, we went back to the bus station and got our bus tickets changed. Good thing too - with the traffic because of Lunar New Year, it took us over 6 hours to get back to Seoul.

Before we went onto the subway, I had to go to the bathroom. While walking in the bus terminal, this little Korean man took one looked at me, yelled at me in Korean, then walked off. It was rather disconcerting.

This is NOT Seoul. This is Flushing.

Queens is one of the most diverse counties in the United States. Once, in the NYTimes, there was an article about it, with the dozens of flags representing the myraids of nationalities in the shape of the borough.

Astoria - Greece
Woodside - Ireland
Jackson Heights/East Elmhurst - Colombia, Ecuador, India

etc. etc. You get my point.

Of course, the above said places are obvious in their ethnicities, but no place is Queens is more obvious in its nationality than Flushing. That place is Korean, right down to the local McDonald's that serves rice in addition to French Fries.

This past Thursday, I didn't fly to Seoul. I went back to Flushing, and it only took me two hours.

Of course, I went to Seoul. What I am saying is that Seoul is eerily like Flushing, from the office buildings covered in signs from top to bottom to the trash in the street because there are simply just too many people.

The kimchi is a wee bit too spicy for me - I prefer the Japanese version. I left my apartment at 12:35pm and went to the airport via the MK Sky Gate Shuttle anf didn;t get to Deena's apartment unti about 10:30pm because of traffic. That is a bit pathetic, considerting that the flight was only 1 and a half hours out of that 10 hour haul. This is what you get when you live really far from the airports. The bus was quite comfy though and really cheap - 11,000 won which is about $11.

We met up with her friend Geraldine and then went to get dinner at this Korean place and had chicken ghalbi. So I have eaten actual Korean food by now, but I am totally unfamiliar with it so I am a bit wary. To top it off, Deena actually lives near a restaurant that specializes in DOG meat. Oh, gross and poor dogs.

On my first full day, we went to Insadong, the old neighborhood in Seoul and walked around. Before we went to a palace (I forgot the name but it was really long and ends in "-dong") we had lunch at a McDonald's. In Korea, they actually charge you more if you take the food out, use plastic bags at the supermarket and take out coffee and other drinks at places like Starbucks, because they actually use real cups in the places. At McDonald's we had plastic cups that have their own special garbage can. There are so many Western chains here it's ridiculous; according to Deena, there are probably more Starbucks in Seoul than in NYC. I just checked on the Starbucks site: 200 about give or take in NYC proper and 135 in Seoul. Pretty close if you ask me. There are only about no more than 10 Starbucks in Kyoto. Crazy.

Before the tour of the palace, Deena and I walked about. I borrowed her Converses becasue I wanted to wear sneakers and I didn't bring my Asics because of fear that my suitcase would go over the 20kilo weight limit. I ended up with a huge blister on my right pinky toe and very achy legs and feet becasue the tour of the palace was a 2.5km hike. And it was not flat.

By the end of the day we got so exhausted we decided to head on back to Suji where Deena lives, an hour outside Seoul. Not even halfway through, the bus stopped and the driver ordered us all to get off. Turns out there was some sort of emergency and the driver called another bus on the route to pick us up. The bus was so crowded, we ended up standing for another hour and a half in the traffic. I was so exhausted, I was ready to drop. There is a;ways traffic going into Suji. Luckily, there was a Korean man who spoke English and explained the situation to us since we were totally clueless.

To be honest, I was ready to go into a panic; going to Korea was my first time travelling or living in a country where I knew not one shred of the language, not even how to say hello. I can say hello in Chinese, for crying out loud. Add to the fact that the streets in Seoul are even crazier than Japan's and it makes for one rather nervous traveller. People have come up to me to just say hello - they don't do that in Japan and it sort of caught me off guard. Plus, I think I stick out even more in Seoul than in Kyoto; one can chalk it up to that there are alot of tourists in Kyoto, but there are also ALOT of foriegn students, since Kyoto is like Philly - it has the highest concentration of students per square kilometer. And to top it all off, I was homesick.

For Japan.

That totally took me off guard. I got this nagging feeling during my first day in Seoul, and was totally shocked. Whou would have thought? My previous experience living abroad sort of ended in a bit of a disaster, so I wasn't really expecting much in terms of "missing the place" for Japan. But wow - I am homesick for my teeny little apartment, my bike, riding on Kyoto streets along the river and everything else in Japan. And that is just after living here for five months. I can only imagine what the feeling will be like in 13 months from now.

Oh. Holy. Crap. I ONLY have thirteen months left.

A Heart of Jam

Happy Valentines Day!

Chen came by since I had invited her over for brunch and I made pancakes. We both realized that it was Valentine's Day; since we had not chocolate, just syrup, butter, and strawberry jam, we improvised:



And just like chocolate, the pancake was very yummy.

Valentine's Day is done a bit differently in Japan. For starters, it's not really a couple's holiday in the sense that both partners take part in buying gifts for one another, going out to dinner etc. etc. There are actual, prescribed rules for Japan Valentine's Day:



1) If you are single and female you give chocolate that is not too expensive (i.e. Kit-Kat, Snickers, M&M's, 100yen chocolate from QQ Shop) to give to your guy friends, and other men in your life. This can range from your father, your boss or your advisor.
2) If you are single, female and you like a particular guy then you give him a little special chocolate in addition to the Kit-Kats that everyone gets - or is it just that special guy? I am thinking the latter, bit fuzzy here.
3) If you are female and in a relationship, then you give the one you love VERY expensive, VERY special chocolate.

Said chocolate is the type that you get at department stores, in the special events floor. Alisa had gone to one of the department stores in Osaka and gorged on the free samples. On her advice (and good one at that!) I went to the JR Isetan after the kimono taiken and got my chocolate fix. There were hundreds of women going crazy for little bitty pieces of overpriced chocolate from around the world, apparently.

But on February 14, it's all the women that go gaga and shop for all the chocolate that is to be found in Japan. What do the guys do?

Here we enter the world of "Funky Holidays That Only The Japanese Could Make Up." It totally trumps the American greeting card industry and their penchant for designating my birthday as "Happy Peanut Day" or something of the sort.

Enter White Day, Marc h 14. Exactly one month later, all the guys who got chocolate are required to reciprocate back to the ladies. As to how mandatory this is, I don't know. If the guy who got chocolate from a girl who like him and wants to tell her the same thing, then chocolate of the same grade is given back. How sweet - they then become sweeties over sweets.