Day Trippin'

There's nothing like a visit from a spontaneous friend to inspire adventure. Our original plan to visit the northern coast was foiled by infrequent buses so decided to head south instead. We hopped a train and a bus for our day trip to Awaji Island, just south of Kobe.

After disregarding the map, finding a dead end, and relaying on signposts, we made it to our first objective, the Water Temple. Honpukuji was a small Shingon temple built in the most untraditional way I have ever seen. Walking up the stone path, we were confronted with a modern cement wall. We climbed up to the top and were met with a round pond that would be filled with lotus in the summer, but was empty now. In the middle of the pond was a long staircase down - the temple was under the pond! Built in a round shape with undecorated cement and bright red wooden interior, this temple was a wonderful combination of modern architecture and traditional decoration. We were surprised that we were the only visitors to such an interesting temple.

We wandered down to the coast for lunch at a little restaurant, where we learned from the owner that Awaji Island is famous for its onions. Apparently, they are especially sweet. In order to demonstrate this, she gave each of us a package of dried sweet onions as a gift.

After lunch we went over to the beach, where I collected some random sea shells, and then we decided to go try to find what we called "The Tall Man." We had seen the picture in a brochure of a 100 meter tall statue of a man at the Awaji Peace Park. We didn't think it would be too far to walk, so we started out. 45 minutes and 3.5 miles later, 15 minutes after it had closed, we got to the Tall Man. He was actually a statue of Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion. We took pictures of him, the small Statue of Liberty to the side (why it was there, I have no idea), and the sunset off the coast. Then there was the problem of getting back. We tried to hitchhike, but that didn't work, so we found a bus and made our way back to the bridge to cross back to the mainland.

The Pearl Bridge is really an amazing bridge. I don't know how long it is, but it's pretty long. The best thing about it, though, is that they light it up at night in all sorts of colors. And the colors change! The best view is when it is rainbow colored, but this only happens for 5 minutes every hour. We waited through the blues and greens, and the reds and purples for the 5 minutes of beautiful lights. It was truly spectacular!

On our way home, we stopped in Kobe for some wonderful Sri Lankan food, and then headed home for a great sleep. It was a wonderful way to spend a vacation day. I was worried I was going to be studying or reading or sitting around doing nothing this winter break, but thanks to vacation friends, it looks like I'm gonna be quite busy!

Speed check

I realized today that when I'm in Japan I'm in a completely different time zone. No, I'm not talking about my physical relation to the International Date Line. It seems that no matter how busy I am, I never have a problem with traveling time. In Boston, a 30 min train ride was horrible, and a 45 min car ride was ridiculous. But an hour walk was no problem. Everyday here I ride the train for at least two hours. Tonight I went down to Kobe for dinner, and thought nothing of the two hour trip, one way. I was just thinking that I could be in Indy from Fort Wayne in that time, but the drive always seems much longer. I guess I don't mind the train ride because I can send emails on my phone, read a book, or sleep. Or like tonight, all of the above!

Merii Kurisumasu

Merry Christmas!

I just saw the massive amounts of snow in Ohio on Japanese TV. Lucky people! It is probably about 36 degrees Farenheight here, with no hope of snow. In fact, just looking out my window, it looks like fall or spring: a clear blue sky dotted with fluffy clouds here and there, and the sun making a nice warm spot on my carpet. Of course, this is all spoiled by the fact that my fingers are freezing as I am typing this.

Oh, it is already noon, and I have Christmas cards to write (Yes, yes, you will all get very very late Christmas cards. Think of them as being especially special since I will actually write them on Christmas!) And tonight I'm going to a sukiyaki party, so I must get going.

Again, Merry Christmas! I hope you all have a wonderful time with family and loved ones!

Christmas Eve

Happy Christmas Eve Day!
Christmas is a completely secular holiday in Japan. This makes sense, of course, when you realize that less than 1% of the population is Christian. Hence, there are no nativity scenes, and Christmas Eve is not spent at church or with your family, but with your boyfriend or girlfriend, or lacking one of those, with your friends.

This year I spent Christmas Eve Day in a particularly religious fashion. Not all the same religion, but... After having lunch with a friend, we went to see an art exhibit at a wonderful little temple, Honen-in, just off of the Philosopher's Path. The artist had made light exhibits from plants, such as leaves, roses, and these orange things whose name I do not know. Next we went down to Rokuharamistu-ji, a Shingon temple in southern Kyoto so I could do a little research. The temple was holding open services of the nenbutsu odori, a dance and chant first performed by the monk Kuya in the Heian Period to ward off diseases and plagues. We listened to the explanation, watched the dance, and recieved a fuda, a piece of paper blessed to protect you against illness.

Afterwards, on my way to the Christmas Eve service, a Japanese woman stopped her car on the side of the road and came running after me. "I'm looking for English speakers to give them this." She hands me two magazines. "Please read them." And then she walked away. They were Jehovah's Witness magazines.

I went to the Christmas Eve service at Japan Evangelical Lutheran Kyoto Church. I've gone to this church a few times, but it's not very welcoming. After the service I stood eating some cookies and no one, not even the pastor, said anything to me. The service was okay, though. They had some people playing Bach on the violin and piano, which was a nice contrast to the Christmas carols in Japanese. You know how some languages are just so nice to sing church music in? Japanese is not one of them. It always sounds so broken up and forced. This is really odd, since their popular music fits the language so well. And you would think music would fit well with a syllabic language.

Anyway, I came home and made strawberry shortcake, and watched a movie, and had a nice relaxing Christmas Eve.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Wasuremono

I'm usually pretty good at remembering things like my keys and wallet, but today I somehow slipped up. I usually use train passes to go everywhere so I hardly ever pull out money. I was coming home from koto lessons, sitting on the train when I realized I only had 90 yen left on my card for a 200 yen ride. So I go to get my wallet out to pay the difference, and it's not there. It's probably on my coffee table. Luckily the nice station man let me leave, only after I had written down my name and address and promised to bring him 110 yen tomorrow. Which I will. I'm just grateful that I'm not stuck in the train station for the rest of my time in Japan.

Elmo Revisited

Remember the days when parents lined up for hours and sold their souls to buy their kids Tickle Me Elmo? Well, although I haven't seen the giggling version, it seems that everywhere I go there are masses of junior high school girls with furry red monsters hanging from their necks. This Elmo's head opens up to store all the things teenage girls want to carry. Too bad he clashes terribly with their pink Hello Kitty tote bags.

O-Tsukare-Sama

I am incrediblely tired. Friday, Saturday, Sunday : three days, three parties. Each compleletely different, but all equally tiring.

Friday, Decemeber 17, 9pm~
What: combo birthday party for Wei ting, Dan, Matt, and some other person I don't know
Where: middle of nowhere Osaka, near Osaka Gaidai
Theme: Tapas Trafficking
Dress: green for "available," yellow for "taken, but tempted," red for "unavailable"
Entertainment: "The Art of the Pick-Up" A documentary posing as a mockumentary. Alas, the guy who made it did not realize how ridiculous his theories were.
Participants: Gaidai students from around the world (New Zealand, Belgium, Singapore, Phillipines, US, and Japan), Japanese neighbors, and visitors from California
Travel time to party: 2.5 hours
Comments: Good cake, funny New Zealanders. No Japanese practice, no way to get home. Happy Birthday Wei ting and Dan! Thanks for letting me sleep on the couch!
Total hours of sleep: 4

Saturday, December 18, 8pm~
When: After a long wonderful day of frisbee practice, where we played co-ed and if girls scored, the team got 2 points. Consequently, my team's strategy was overwhelmingly to huck it to me in the endzone. I love running deep, skying guys, and scoring.
What: Frisbee Christmas party
Where: Some random party place
Food: Nabe and Chinese - the wierdest combination ever
Most commonly discussed topic: who's dating/has a crush on who (this team is so odd; at practice the men and women will not speak to eachother at all. but amazingly, there are at least seven couples on the team! how does this happen?)
Entertainment: Christmas bingo. I didn't win anything. Although someone got a space heater.
Randomness: Some guy dressed as a cat came around and pretended to steal our stuff. No idea...
Second party: After the first party, there is always a second party for those desiring to miss their trains and spend the night at karaoke. After six hours of singing, talking, more gossiping, and people falling asleep at the table, I took the first train home.
Second party highlights: a conversation in which he spoke Japanese, and I answered in English, so he could practice his listening skills; lots of Queen; being awake for the sunrise.
Total hours of sleep: 0

Sunday, December 18, 6pm-11pm
* Don't worry, I went home and overslept my English lesson at 10:30a, and then slept until 4pm. I felt like I was back on my 3rd shift forklifting job!
What: Christmas party with the Morimoto's
Food: Tacos, pizza, and curry; three of my very favorite foods, how did they know? And homemade cake for dessert.
Who: I met the Morimoto's last time I was hear through a friend. They invited a Sri Lankan family, an Australian guy and his girlfriend, and their neighbors. The Sri Lankan guy has lived in Japan for ten years and his Japanese was perfect. I was envious.
Entertainment: Magic games, Christmas songs, and a present exchange. I got a little shelf thing, which is perfect for my desk, and a tiny silver Christmas tree.
Future plans: Morito (the dad) wants to bike around Lake Biwa sometime this spring. It is something like 250 kilometers or more, and he plans to do it in one day. I told him I'd come along. Lake Biwa is supposed to have some beautiful scenery along its coasts.
Total hours of sleep: the normal 7, thank goodness.

Summary: My Japanese is probably pretty good right now, since I pretty much only spoke Japanese for two days. This is great. I usually say that my Japanese improves when I drink some alchohol, which is true. However, it gets worse when I get tired. It's interesting when I mix the two; I found out that my grammer improves, but I have a hard time pulling out vocabulary. Anyway, I got a chance to talk to some more frisbee people, something I don't always get a chance to do at practice, and I met some other random foreigners, which is nice. All in all, a good, but very very tiring weekend. Now, I just look forward to Christmas!

Cellular Nation

My professor checked his keitai (cell phone) today during class. Someone was reading the text out loud, and I hear this click! that signifies a phone being opened. I look around, and there's the sensei, reading his email. I guess he has the right, being the teacher, to do whatever he wants, but I was still surprised. Because there are so many keitai in this country, there are problems with people using them rudely, as in the US. This is especially prevelent with students who will spend the entire class emailing their friends.

The cell phone is really an amazing thing. I can't imagine how it was that we lived without them. I was watching some early 80's American movie on TV the other day. This guy was kidnapped and taken to an island, and no one could find him. And I found myself thinking, why doesn't he just call them on his cell phone? But they really are a crutch, too. For instance, the news is doing all these stories about what would happen if another really big earthquake hits. The cell phones wouldn't work because everyone would be trying to use them, but because everyone has cell phones there are less public phones, so no one would be able to get in touch with anyone. The "how to be prepared for an earthquake" guy says that you should have 10yen coins ready to use the pay phones, but I can't think of a single phone within 3 blocks of my building.

I love my cell phone. It is not particularly fancy, that is, it only has a camera and internet. It doesn't have a TV, play mp3s, or a video phone feature. In an interesting marketing strategy, Tu-ka has just started offering what you would imagine to be the opposite of what is in demand. Instead of a more advanced phone with more gadgets and features, they have introduced the "simple phone." Nothing but a phone. The keypad has no extra buttons and there is no screen. The website even has a lovely diagram equating use of a regular phone to use of the cell phone. The phone is targeted at the elderly, or more likely, at their children who will give them the phones. It's amazing how technology has to go backwards sometimes.

Forget-the-year Parties

The holiday season is officially upon me. Starting last Friday in a span of ten days, I will have attended no less than six Christmas/End of Year parties. I've already dealt with two.

The first was a Christmas party thrown by Dave and Katie. We all invited Japanese friends so that they too could experience the joys of eggnog, christmas cookies, christmas songs, and reindeer antlers. Amazingly, we managed to fit about sixteen people into Dave's small apartment. I think someone took a picture of the mountain of shoes in the genkan (entryway). It was a nice opportunity to talk to a few of the frisbee team members away from practice, and meet lots of students from other universities. Katie made excellent appetizers, Dave's eggnog was delicious, and every single one of the guests brought some sort of dessert-like food with them. It was such a good party that we didn't even have to resort to playing Kings.

The second party was the Mukaijima Gakusei Center's Christmas/Year End BIG PARTY, as they called it. I helped out all week with decorations and preparations. Some people cooked foods from their countries, and the boss of the building offered free whiskey. I was also roped into doing the unthinkable; I performed. I made the mistake of telling my koto teacher that people could volunteer to do some sort of performance at the party, and all of a sudden, I was signed up. So my teacher and I played a nice duet, some people listened and others didn't, but I got through with only making one decently large mistake, that of course, no one heard. The other performers were: an Indian dance, a Peruvian dance, some Latin American music, some popular guitar music, and a Korean song. After the performances we played Bingo, and both Katie and Dave won a huge box of instant ramen. The dance party followed. Fortunately, it wasn't as popular as the Halloween party, so I managed to get to bed by 2am. Whew. As we say in Japanese "Tsukareta" I'm tired.

Sugar Coma

I like to bake. That is, I like baked goods. So when my room came equipped with an ovenless microwave, I was disappointed. Last week I finally asked if I could exchange it for better one, and they did. Today I put it to the test. I baked about five dozen christmas cookies. The oven worked wonderfully. I just had two other problems. Firstly, there was a lack of cookie cutters. Consequently, the christmas trees are lopsided, the snowmen look like their heads are gonna fall off, and we'll see if anyone can recognize the bells. The second problem was the frosting. I ran out of powdered sugar so I had to go get more. The kanji was odd, so I took the package with me and matched the words. I got home, opened it up and realized it was closer to granulated sugar. Why are two different sugars called exactly the same thing in Japanese? I don't know, and my cookies have no frosting because of it. They taste good anyway. I can say with confidence that they have plenty of sugar, and my hea
dache and tummy ache will concur. You would think after years of eating excessive amounts of conkie dough I would build up a tolerance.

Cultural Exchange

Japan is going through a Korea phase. Korean television shows and movies are rated number one and travel to Korea has increased. The driving factor behind this trend is one man, an actor called affectionately "Yon-sama" in Japanese. He's not exceptionally handsome, but he has hypnotized thousands of housewives. Yes, this 20 something, glasses wearing star is most popular among middle-aged married women with families. When he came to Japan they swarmed him, took desperate pictures, and cried with happiness. The news could find no other event to compare since the Beatles visit. In China and Korea Japan's infatuation with him is on the news. Have you heard about it over there?

Happy Christmas

After months of searching, I have finally decided on my favorite Japanese television drama for the season. It's called "Last Christmas," and you can guess what the theme song is. The story is really not all that great, nor is the main actor amazingly attractive, but it's the best I could find. It's about a man and a woman who live next door to each other and work at the same company. They fall in love, of course, and on yesterday's show, she found out she has a fatal disease. Oh what will happen next?! Yes, yes, very predictable, but really, Japanese TV isn't good enough for me to find much else to be excited about watching. The really big downfall of watching this show is that the theme song gets stuck in my head for incredibly long periods of time. It doesn't help that the supermaket, the department store, and the convience store are all playing it whenever I go in. And of course, it being in English means it rattles around in my brain even longer than a Japanese song would.

Speaking of Christmas, it's all over here. I noticed, though, that nothing is ever "Merry Christmas." It is all "Happy Christmas." I think it's because the word "happy" has made it into the average Japanese person's vocabulary, but "merry" has not. I was thinking of buying a small Christmas tree. I can get a fake little two foot tall one for about ten dollars. Is it worth it? Maybe I'll just buy a couple strings of Christmas lights and decorate my room. I'll have to think about it.

Am I proficient?

I just spent the morning taking the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, Level 2. I went into it with no worries and no expectations. This is for two reasons: 60 percent is passing, and I didn't study. At all. I signed up for this test in September when I thought I would devote my first three months in Japan exclusively to Japanese. Well, the only studying I've done since then is watching TV. But I have to say that I'm confident I aced the listening portion. So at least my passive studying worked. As for the other parts..let's just say I started seeing pictures in the answer sheet dots. I'm hoping for a 65 percent. This will sadly prove my lack of study while still leaving me with some confidence in my Japanese ability.

"Hair and Make"

In Japanese, the word for hospital is only an elongated "o" different than the word for beauty shop. Today I went to the latter.
I had always heard that going to get your hair cut in Japan was an "experience." I guess this is true, especially with my hair. After relinquishing my coat, I was led to the shampoo room where my hair was washed and my scalp treated to a massage. I was then unwrapped from my protective layers and taken to my chair. It took her 10 minutes to comb my hair, 7 to trim it, and 35 to blow it dry. Ha. I don't think she knew what to do with all my hair. Luckily, she didn't layer it or give me the ever fashionable mullet. And when we were done she saw me all the way to the elevator door. Ah, the Japanese service industry! There really is something to be said for treating all your customers like celebraties.

Shake, Rattle, and Roll!

I'm getting ready for bed and my friend emails me, did you feel the earthquake? And I reply, no, was there one? Two minutes later as I am brushing my teeth my bathroom starts to shake and my dishes rattle. The TV says it was a level 3, whatever that means. Don't worry, "there is no danger to buildings" they say. Exciting!

Notes for the day

-I lost my bike. For two frantic hours I thought I was going to have to walk or take the bus everywhere. Then the little man in charge of lining up the bikes told me he moved it to the other side of campus to make room for an event. Whew.

-For the past three days I have stood next to the same two middle school girls on the train. Today they were memorizing kanji that I'd never seen before. I need to study more.

-Japanese people like to have warm butts. Heated toilet seats, train benches, carpets, and cushions are very common. They make me happy.

-I gave directions to two people today, once in English to Chinese tourists and once in Japanese to Japanese leaf viewers. It's very handy to speak more than one language.

-I love sending postcards. I like to stand at the postcard rack and pick out just the right one to send. Who wants a postcard? Tell me your address and you'll get one. I'm in the postcard sending mood!

Leaf Crazy

I don't have school on Fridays, just koto lessons in the afternoon and pottery in the evening. So I usually spend my morning running errands, and then head out to koto lessons a little early to stop by some of the temples in the area on the way. Last week I went to Tofukuji, a famous Zen temple, and this week I wandered around Senryuji, a Shingon temple. Unfortunately, I picked a horrible time to do temple touring. It is leaf season.

Kouyou, or "pretty fall colored leaves," season is one of the two largest tourist seasons in Kyoto. The other is sakura, cherry blossoms, in the spring. In the autumn, thousands of nature loving Japanese and foreigners congregate in Kyoto to take pictures of the brilliant red momiji (Japanese maple) leaves. They travel in hordes aboard tour buses led by flag-waving guides. They disrupt the quiet of the temple grounds by beckoning to their friends in loud voices, "Kochi kochi! Mite!! Sugui wa!" (Over here, over here! Look! So wonderful!) And they stop every three meters to take pictures. Drawn in by posters of red leaves, and tempted by Light Ups of Kiyomizudera, Eikando, and other famous places, they scurry all over Kyoto trying to see the best of the best of the fall colors.

All of these extra people in Kyoto make it very difficult for residents to get anywhere in a timely or uncrowded fashion. The buses are packed, the trains are full, and I can't walk down the street at a decent pace. Unfortunately for both them and me, the leaves were slow in changing this year. So although the leaves are peaking just right about now, people have been flocking to Kyoto for about a month already.

I can't say that I also am not excited by the beautiful red of the tiny little momiji leaves. I do my share of picture taking when I see an especially nice autumn scene. But except for going to Eikando when my friends were here, and my two Friday wanderings, I have tried to stay away from the popular temples. It just isn't worth being mauled by little obaasans (grandmothers) on the train, or swarmed by tour groups on winding roads. I'll just watch the chaos from a distance and try to find some quiet little hidden temple that no one takes the time to see.

Ladies' Night

I have been watching the same DVDs that I brought with me over and over again. So I decided to treat myself to a new movie. Wednesday is Ladies' Night, and Miyazaki's new movie, Howl's Moving Castle, came out this weekend so I grabbed my friends and the last tickets and went to see it. I have watched quite a few Miyazaki movies and this one was very much his style, but it had one particular element that his earlier films did not-a kiss! I have already said that Japanese TV does not show PDAs, and Miyazaki had never shown anything either. I wonder why he decided to include it this time? Regardless, it was a very good movie. If it ever gets to the States I suggest you see it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Even though it was Sunday, five days from the official holiday, it was Thanksgiving for a bunch of us Fulbrighters in Japan. Friends from Sendai, Nagoya, Kanazawa, and Kobe all came to Kyoto and we celebrated in a very American fashion. Dave managed to find a turkey at Takashimaya, a large department store, for about $80. Luckily, they cooked it, since no one has an oven. Dave's mother had also brought pumpkin pie filling, cranberry sauce, Stove Top stuffing, and gravy when she came a few weeks ago, so we were set. We cooked all day and spent the entire evening eating. We invited a few Japanese students, and there were suprised by the massive amounts of food, espeically the half of a turkey sitting on the table. In Japan, the only lunch meat you ever get is ham, and since there are no ovens, you never cook an entire bird. So turkey is a rarity. Afterwards we had enough food leftover for all twelve of us to make bento (packed lunches), which we took with us on our hike today.

After all that eating, we decided we needed to do something nice for our bodies. So Monday morning we went on a nice little hike in northern Kyoto in the small town of Kurama. We climbed the mountain to Kurama temple, and then went back down and had a nice soak in the hot springs. I've been in hot springs before, but this was my first time in the rotemburo (outdoor hot springs). It was nice to be able to sit in extremely warm water while admiring the leaves on the mountain. It was also nice that your head was cold, since your body was so warm. There is a system to going to a public hot springs: you get naked, shower, and get in the hot pool. Then for about an hour you alternate sitting in the pool until you can't stand the heat anymore, and sitting on the edge until you can't stand the cold anymore. Then you shower again and get dressed. It's really a very relaxing experience.

Tuesday was a national holiday, Labor Day. I went shopping, and spent the evening having dinner with a woman I tutor in English and her family. She cooked dinner, Japanese steak and potatoes, because she didn't know if I liked Japanese food. I find this particularly amusing, since I will eat basically any Japanese food. She was so worried about whether or not I would like what she made. I had a really good time talking with her family. They were so extremely nice. They emphasized time and time again that anytime I needed anything - a place to stay, help getting something, problems with anything - that I should come to them. And, they invited me to go skiing with them sometime this winter. Yay! I've never been skiing before! I am very happy to have a "host family" again.

And that was my Thanksgiving holiday. I skipped a class for it, but I found out later that no one else showed up either...so I don't feel bad about it at all.

School Time is Tea Time

There is something particularly nice about going to an extrememly small school. Despite the fact that I cannot not pay attention, the small classes are very friendly-like. I particularly like my Chinese Buddhism class for this reason. I can't really understand everything, and the classroom is always freezing cold, but going to class is more like just going to visit someone. Really, the teacher, Ishiki Sensei, is the reason for this. When only one or two students have shown up by 9:10 for a 9am class, he putters around his office making tea for us, asking how our research is going, and showing us books that might possibly at one time in our lives have an interest for us. At 9:20 he begins to pull out his teaching materials, but it isn't until 9:30 that we really get started. Throughout the entire class he shuffles around his office grabbing books that he has just mentioned from his crowded bookshelf. I don't think the Japanese students realize how lucky they are that their teacher takes such interest in them and what they are doing. Especially in Japan, where undergraduate teachers are known for not ever responding to questions and never being in their offices, this is a rare opportunity. It is really appalling that in a class of five students, one will be asleep and two will be holding their own private conversation while the teacher is putting so much energy into trying to help them out.

Wicked Smart People

My friend Dan has connections. So he hooked a couple of us up to work at a huge international conference yesterday in Kyoto. As a Summary Writer for the Inaugural Meeting of the Science and Technology in Society forum, I attended sessions and meetings, looked professional, took notes on the speakers, and wrote beautifully phrased, yet concise summaries of the goings-on. For my help, I was priveleged to attend a swanky dinner at Daikakuji Temple in Arashiyama complete with maiko-san dancing on a boat in the pond.

One of the best things about this conference, however, were the massive amounts of intellegent/famous people in attendence. Let me just name a few and list some titles of others:
Prime Minister of Japan, Chairman of Toyota, Senior Vice President of Intel, former President of the United Nations General Assembly, two Nobel Laureates in Chemistry. I would say that 75% of the people in attendence had Director, Chairman, or President in their titles. There were also many high government officials present. I laughed when I looked through the book of speakers and saw Daniel Goldin, former head of NASA, and object of much controversy in BU's recent search for a new President.

This convention was very good for my friends, who are all science people. They each had at least one meishi party ( business card exchange) and made good contacts. Alas, someone studying religion doesn't have much of a chance at a science convention.

My Week As a Tour Guide

Fulbright requires us to write a report on how we're doing, etc, every month. I just finished report #2, October 15-November 14. It wasn't very interesting. I have been so extrememly busy this past month, but thinking back, I can't figure out what the heck I was doing. I guess it was the usual homework, artsy things, and frisbee things, sure. Grad school applications, yes. But really, it had to be more than just my average everyday life stuff! How come I feel like I've been running around like crazy, but have absolutely nothing to show for it?

This last week was probably the most tired I have been in quite some time. My Japanese teacher from high school once said that being a translator was the most ridiculously difficult thing she ever did. Now I'm not saying that I did a lot of translating for Kat and Matt this week, they were pretty self-sufficient, but the massive amounts of energy I, as a compulsive planner, put in to figuring out where to go, when to go, how to go, how much it would cost to go, just wore me out. Tour guides and translators have tough lives, I think. Yesterday, after they left, I went home and crashed. I didn't sleep, but I did sit (on my hot carpet) and watch all six hours of my favorite movie, Pride and Prejudice, while drinking numerous cups of green tea from a tea cup I had made myself.

I had a really great time while Kat and Matt where here, though. I hadn't had/taken the time to do much sightseeing since I had gotten back here, so it was nice to go to many of my favorite places again. I was once again impressed by Nara's massive Buddha, the gardens of Ginkakuji and the torii of Fushimi Inari. And I was happy to get to see the Light Up at Eikando, something I hadn't yet seen. Kat and Matt were exciting also. It was great to see them and catch up on Boston stuff. They were funny too. Kat's mom had warned her about all this etiquette stuff, like not showing too much skin, and no Public Displays of Affection. I was thinking, in Boston, most of my closest friends are couples, so I was used to all that smoochy, cuddly stuff. But there is none of that in Japan. (Did I tell you that at the end of a 16 episode drama, the couple that falls in love just hug?) And so I have once again become used to the absence of PDAs. So although Kat and Matt tried to curb their PDAs a little, it was weird seeing people kissing and holding hands in Japan.

Anyway, all in all, even though I am tired, it was a good week.

O-Tanjobi

Happy Birthday to me,
I'm now twenty-three...
I don't feel older, but when I say to myself,"You're 23," I suddenly feel much older. I was reading an article about early Japan, and it mentioned that the life expectancy was thirty. I'd be dead in seven years. What a horrible thought.
I celebrated my birthday over the course of two days. Yesterday I went out to lunch at a ridiculously expensive tofu restaurant with some friends. It was absolutely delicious. Today I went to a Kabuki play with Kat and Matt who are visiting from the US. The play was great except for the fact that I have no idea what was going on. All I know is that the man turned into a giant frog and fought off his enemies with lightning from his hands／webbed feet. Think Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles meet Kermit the Frog.
Overall it was a very good birthday. Thank you to all who sent or gave presents, especially the completely unexpected ones. And to those who didn't, I still love you anyway (^.^)

Temple Kids

Most people know the term "PK" or "Preacher's Kid," but today I was introduced to "TK," or "Temple Kid." Whenever I tell any Japanese person that I am studying at Otani University, they always ask if there are lots of monks or people studying to become Buddhist priests there. And I have always answered, well, I've never seen any...
Today, I learned the truth. I met an American guy studying at Otani to become a priest, and he told me how the system works. That is, while in America, a PK is just a preacher's kid, a TK in Japan means that you will eventually take over the temple. So the oldest son goes to school to get an university education and to get certified to become a priest. Most temple kids are ordained at an early age, because they have the experience, but they must get certified by taking certain classes. According to my new American friend, about half of the men at my school will recieve their certification when they graduate.
The reason I never "see" any monks around is that in the Jodo Shin School of Buddhism, even if you are ordained, you do not have to have a shaved head and wear robes until you are running a temple. So, everyone just looks normal most of the time. My friend said he shaved his head when he was ordained, but he has since let it grow out again.

The Perfect Disguise

There have been a number of robberies in Japan lately. There are the traditional bank jobs, and the people that knock over ATMs. My favorite, however, is the guy who robbed a music store wearing a pair of blank panties as his mask.

Culture Day

There are innumerable holidays in Japan. Today is one of them: Bunka no Hi - Culture Day. This really means nothing other than a day off, but we are particularly lucky that this year it falls perfectly in time to follow the results of the US presidental elections. Right now, we are all gathered at my old school, the Stanford Center, watching TV, eating pancakes, and checking the internet for the latest predictions. Japanese television is happily broadcasting ABC, so we can watch as the states are colored in.

Most of us here (well, I think all of us, actually) are desperately hoping that Kerry will win. There is a completely different feeling about American politics from abroad than from in the States. For instance, everyone outside the United States cannot understand how anyone in the US could possibly vote for Bush. I, too, often wonder at the large difference in opinions. I think it has to do with viewpoints. Those in the US are focused on things in the US and they see things from the viewpoint of their own town, state, and country. While those abroad, both Americans and others, can see the US from the outside, from the international context. There is more focus on how the US government interacts with other countries, how US culture is transmitted throughout the world, and how Americans as people are percieved by others.

I won't press my political views, but let me just say that from the viewpoint of Japan, the US, and particularly its current president, has an ego problem. That is, they think that the US thinks it has all the right answers, and will not listen to common sense or compromise.

No Strings Attached

I am always wary when people say things like, "Come visit anytime" or "You can stay with me however long you need to" or "You can have this expensive appliance, I don't need it." I always question the sincerity of the offer. Especially in Japan where people seem so nice, but there are these underlying rules of politeness that, as a foreigner, I just don't understand.

For example, when I left Japan last time several people offered their houses as temporary stops whenever I would come back. People I had known for a long time, people I had only met once, and one woman who started talking to me at a bookstore. It was hard to know who I could I take up on the offer without being meiwaku, a nuisance. For some of the people who offered it was apparently rude to not accept, as I found out later when they asked exasperatedly why I didn't stay with them.

I also have problems when accepting things, whether appliances, help, or lessons. I was particlarly reminded of this this weekend. On Sunday a woman who I used to tutor in English dropped by with a TV for me. And later that afternoon another woman I tutor gave me a small table. On one hand, this makes me very happy because now my room is completely furnished. On the other hand, I am wondering about the obligation these gifts create. The woman who gave me the TV assured me that there was no hidden intention; "no religion" she says. This made me laugh because of a past experience I had with someone expecting conversion in return for a gift. Maybe that's why I'm always wary. But really, I just want to be sure to keep all of the Japanese obligatory customs for gift giving. This looks to be very difficult. I guess the best thing to do is to say thank you, try not to break the gift, and keep my eyes open for a chance to repay the kindness.

Castle for sale

Every Friday evening I forgo the pleasures of Kiyamachi-dori and stay at home to take a Japanese pottery class. In five classes I have made an ocha (green tea) cup, a utensil holder, a plate, a miso soup bowl, and a miniature castle. The castle I made with the little bit of clay I had left over from the plate. My sensei took it home and put in the kiln. He brought it back yesterday.
Let me translate our conversation:
Me: "Thank you sensei."
Him: "No problem. It's so cute. May I ask what it is?"
Me: "It is a castle for my goldfish."
Him: "Oh! To put in the fish bowl. What a good idea!"
Me: "Yes, I thought so. However, my fish died yesterday."
Him:"How unfortunate!"

Congratulations Red Sox!!!

Of course, just when I leave, the Red Sox not only make it to the World Series, but win too.
Congratulations to the Boston Red Sox!!
I hope everyone in Boston had a great time rioting and burning things, you lucky people!!

Cold and the Absence of Heat

All of a sudden it is cold. One day of rain and the temperature plummeted. It's really not so bad when I am riding my bike (except for the freezing hands) or walking energetically, but there are instances when I wonder why Japan does not have central heating?

For instance, when I woke up this morning and could see my breath in my room.
Or during my Chinese Buddhism class, when my nose nearly froze off after thirty minutes, and I still had an hour to go.

I used to wonder why the Japanese were so fond of the ofuro (bath) in the evening. But now I know. If you shower and then sit in a tub of hot water for a half and hour and then get into your pajamas and go to bed, you are comfortablyy warm as you go to sleep, despite the freezing temperatures around you. Despite the fact that my gas bill will probably rise drastically, I think that I too will begin this practice on a regular basis.

Oh! And my electric carpet is now comfortably situated on my floor. It is wonderful. For a mere 4000 yen (approx. $40), I have a carpet that entirely covers my floor and at the push of a button, warms my oshiri! (guess..) There are so many electric warming objects in Japan. Electric carpets, blankets, pillows, and tables are the most poplular items. I don't quite understand; one of the main reasons there is no central heating is that the energy costs too much, yet they buy all these electric things that have to cost a decent amount to use. I guess the difference is that all of those are only turned on when you are cold, unlike central heating which runs all the time.

Excitement!

So many exciting things!

-Friday I went to two festivals. The first, the Jidai Matsuri (Festival of the Eras), was a two hour parade of people dressed up in period clothing. They started with the Meiji period (18something) and worked their way back to the Heian period (800-1100ish). Initially, it was interesting. There were lots of beautiful clothes, excited performers, and unique decorations. But after awhile, it became a bit monotonous. You would think that in 1000yrs clothing style would change dramatically. This is not so. Sometime this week I will attempt to post the 50 or so pictures I took while watching the parade, and you can decide for yourself how much the fashions did or did not change. The most exciting thing about the parade, was not the actual procession itself, it was the people watching it. For instance, the two maiko-san (geisha-in-training) who were standing about three meters away. I felt sorry for the fact that everyone kept seeing them and going up to have their pictures taken, so I didn't. But I did take a discreet picture at a distance.

-Friday night was the Kurama Hi Matsuri (Kurama Fire Festival). I am not quite sure of all the traditions behind this one, but it involves leading the souls from hell down the mountain and to the shrine with large torches. Throughout the course of the evening the torches got larger and larger until four men were needed to carry each one. Then all the gathered torches were thrown into a huge bonfire that I was certain was going to burn down the whole town. All of this would have been much more fun if it wasn't for the fact that every foreign person and most of the Japanese residents of Kyoto all coverged on one small street to watch this. At no less than ten times I was physically unable to move, except by the pressure of the crowd which often threw me into the back, head, or shoulders of some poor Japanese person. I will say, though, that most of the pushing was done by little Japanese grandmas who have no problem shoving their way through. I guess they think that their age and tradition should afford them immunity from social disdain at rudeness. And unfortunately, it does. Picture of this event will come sometime in the near future, I hope.

-Saturday I bought I an electric carpet in preparation for winter. It hasn't been delivered yet, but I am very excited for it!!

-Sunday, I watched the Red Sox beat the Cardinals in Game 1 of the World Series. Go Sox!!!

-And today, I should be recieving my monthly stipend. It is nice to all of a sudden have large amounts of money bestowed upon your bank account.

The Next Eight Years

I spent all day yesterday researching my choices for graduate school. It is a bit daunting to read descriptions of the programs saying things like, "This program can be completed in six to eight years." I like to think that I have a free spirit, a sort of wandering not staying in one place sort of mindset. So setting up the next eight years of my life is scary. There are so many things to think of when choosing to live in a place for a long time, and unfortunately, I won't be able to visit any of the places to which I am applying. So, if anyone has opinions on the locals of these following locations, please inform me. I would be very appreciative.
Harvard (okay, I know Boston)
Columbia
Princeton
UC Berkely
Stanford
UCLA
Unfortunately, my choices in schools are rather limited by the fact that I want to study the obscure topic of Japanese religion in the Heian Period. There are very few professors/programs that are capable of helping me with this. So, if anyone knows anyone studying this particular topic, that would also be helpful to me. Anyway, I am off to watch festivals. Have a good weekend!

Mild-Mannered Kyoto

Sadly, the typhoon was not as exciting as I wanted it to be. Yes, there was massive amounts of rain, excessively strong winds, and this one peal of thunder that lasted, I'm not kidding, for at least 45 seconds. But Kyoto is pretty protected by mountains and fairly well drained, so we didn't get any dramatics. There were no mudslides, no floods, old people did not have to be evaculated, cars did not drift by in chest deep water, and other than the Shinkansen, trains did not stop. I guess we were lucky, seeing that all of that and much more happened in quite a few places around Japan. My mother says they showed all the really bad stuff on the news in the States. Don't worry, nothing exciting/dangerous ever happens in Kyoto. Besides, even if it did, I live on the 6th floor of a huge cement building; nothing is gonna move this thing.

The only good thing that came of this was that school was cancelled. Unlike the US where college is only cancelled when hell gets a bit of frost, Japanese schools are a little more reasonable. Besides, when most of your students are commuters, you need to make sure they can get home safely. Anyway, this class cancelling thing wasn't all that great for me, since I only had one class. I came in, checked my email, and 10 minutes before class was supposed to start, they cancelled it, so I went home. Basically a waste of my time.

But there is always next time, as I hear that Typhoon 24 is already on it's way!

Typhoon 23

Typhoon 23 is about to hit Kyoto. Unlike the three others that have drifted this way since I came to Japan, this one is actually going to be slightly dangerous. That is, the 'eye,' if you call it that, is going to pass over Kyoto. How exciting! It has already been non-stop raining for the past two days, and by 8pm tonight we should have high winds, driving rain, and flooding. Frisbee practice was cancelled for the afternoon, and there is a possibility that some trains will stop this evening. As soon as my class is done I'm gonna head home so I don't risk getting caught at school.

Eh!?

They just announced that the rest of classes are cancelled for the day, and all the buildings will be closing in 30 minutes. At least that's what I think they said. I better go find out. Here's hoping!

Early Halloween

Last night was the Mukaijima Gakusei Center's Welcome Party / Halloween Dance Party. I volunteered my services for decoration and preparation throughout the week, and bartending during the party. Because the Gakusei Center is run by Kyoto City as a means of increasing exchange between foreign and Japanese students, we recieved large amounts of funding for this party. That is, Saturday morning we went shopping and spent around $400 on alchohol alone, not to mention another $200 on snacks, and probably a couple $100 on decorations earlier in the week.

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the preparations and the party. Surprisingly, I was the only American who helped out. The main contributors were a bunch of Japanese, a German, a Finn, and some Chinese students. It was really great that the common language among everyone was not English, but Japanese. It's wierd sometimes to talk to a Caucasian person in Japanese, but it's fun too! Anyway, we decorated the basement very creatively, using lots of black lights and colors that glowed. And then last night, I dressed up in my fairy costume, and became a bartender. It was great! When I get back to the States, I am definitely going to do this as a part-time job. Mixing random things and talking to lots of people makes for an interesting evening. Of course, I also did some dancing, exchanged compliments on costumes, and answered the same questions about myself at least twenty times. The party was so successful that it started at 8pm and didn't finish until 3am. A long, but pleasant evening. The most suprising thing, however, was that after the party was over there were at least ten of us to take down everything and clean it all up. It took us a week to make the room look nice, but only 30 minutes to restore it to its former ugly state.

I'm Official

Furuburaito

To make up for my lack of picture taking and frustration with the computing options at my school, I offer the website of this year's Fulbright Fellows grantees, furubraito dot com. Designed and updated by Dave, this site has many pictures of the times when two or more Fulbrighters are gathered together.

Kyoto Cuisine

I went out to dinner tonight with my two advisors. We went to a place known for its Kyoto atmosphere and traditional cuisine. Let me briefly describe to you the twelve course meal that we ate over a period of three and a half hours.

Courses:
1. Goma-dofu : A square of sesame tofu, lightly covered in soy sauce with a decorative green vegetable on top.
2. Appetizer tray : Spinach, mushrooms, tofu, chicken, fish, renkon (lotus root), fish eggs, and ginger, all delicately arranged on an elevated tray.
3. Shabu-shabu: Mushrooms, fish, tofu, leafy veggies, cooked at your leisure in your own little pot.
4. Sashimi: Two kinds of raw fish (one was tuna).
5. Grilled Mushrooms: Large, Kyoto specialty mushrooms, grilled at your leisure over hot coals in a shared pot.
6. Steamed Daikon: A section of a daikon (lit. big root = radish) steamed in a light broth.
7. Sato Imo: A certain kind of potato, accompanied by a special Kyoto leafy vegetable.
8. Miso shiro : Miso soup.9. Salad: Vegetables and an unidentifiable, but delicious, kind of fish.
10. Mushroom rice: Japanese rice cooked with those special mushrooms and a light broth, creating an extra sticky, light brown yummy rice.
11. Fresh fruit: Kaki (persimmon), nashi (asian pear), and melon served with a clear gelatin.
12. Mochi and Macha: Mochi (rice cake) covered with kinako (sweet soybean flour), served with a frothy cup of macha (powdered green tea).

* We also recieved a very nice cloth handkerchief and a Japanese candy to take home with us.
- The reason for all the mushrooms is that it is mushroom season. I am generally not a big mushroom fan, but these were very good and very fresh.
+ Drinks, of course, were traditional sake and three varieties of tea: green, brown, and a different brown.

I knew going into this that it would be a good meal, but I was surprised every time the next dish came out. I seriously thought dinner was over after the shabu-shabu. Something of this nature had to cost at least $60 a person, probably more. I gratefully thank my advisor for her generosity, and gladly consent to any further dinner invitations I might recieve.

I would also like to note that a large part of the wonderfulness of traditional Japanese dinners like this is not the taste of the food, but its presentation. For example, on top of the sashimi was a carrot piece cut in the shape of an autumn leaf. The colors of the food in each dish were perfectly matched, as were the tableware on which they were served. We spent a good amount of time admiring the beauty of the food before we even began to think about eating it. I have heard it said that the Japanese must make their food beautiful looking to make up for the lack of taste, but I would like to argue that the meticulous presentation is just one highlight in the delicious flavor of Japanese cuisine.

Holiday Season

There are many many holidays in Japan. Yesterday was Sports Day, I think. Or maybe Health Day. I'm too lazy to look up the translation, I just know that I didn't have school. And I don't have school tomorrow either. It is Otani University's celebration of its 101st year of existance. I wish I would have known about this earlier. I would have taken a vacation!

Two Fish, One Fish

I woke up this morning to the sad fact that my orange fish had died. Goodbye nameless fish number one. Ganbatte nameless fish number two.

Despite my grief, I went out to watch the festival parade. (pictures forthcoming) It is not so much a parade, as a procession. The Omikoshi (portable shrine) is carried around the town so that the kami can bless the area. This particular shrine is known for its especially good water, and in this sake producing town, good water is key. So I think many of the participants had connections to sake brewing. I could be wrong, though. Either way, it was a nice small-town festival.

Today must have been a good day for festivals, because on my way to Arashiyama with some friends our bus was stopped for a half an hour by another Omikoshi. This one was near Saiin in Kyoto. We finally got frustrated with the wait, and got off the bus. This gave us a better view of the festival, but a much longer walk to Arashiyama. A somewhat futile walk, in fact, when we arrived to find out that the wild monkeys had gone away for the fall and we wouldn't be able to see them. Sigh.

One Fish, Two Fish

Today I went across the river to the Gokomiya Shrine festival. I was one day early for the parade, but that doesn't mean there weren't lots of vendors! I bought my favorite festival food, taiyaki (lightly fried batter with sweet bean paste inside, in the shape of a fish), and started wandering around. And then I saw it. A huge tub of brimming with goldfish of all sizes and colors. I couldn't resist. If I couldn't have a dog, cat, or hamster, I might as well have a fish! So, I paid the 300 yen for a paper scooper. The object of this game is to grab a fish before your paper scooper melts. So, remembering the strategy I had read in a magazine, I waited till a moderate sized, black fish with googley eyes swam up to the surface, then I scooped him up. The paper failed just as I placed him in the bucket. Yay! I won a fish! And just because I had tried so hard (or because the fish are so cheap) the man gave me an orange fish too. So now I have two fish swimming nicely in their little bowl that sits on my shelves. I'm not going to name them yet, because that is a sure way to make them die. I really hope they last awhile, although I don't know what I'll do when winter comes and there's no heat in my room.

The Manpurse

In the States "metrosexuals" are a recent trend. In Japan, they are the rule rather than the exception. It all starts with the manpurse: a necessary item for all men not carrying a briefcase. Then come the tight pants, stratigically torn or dyed according to page 241 of the latest men's magazine (300pgs of fashion, I kidd you not). Match this with a nice 80's top, and your average Japanese young man is ready to go. Of course there are some that feel eye liner and lipstick are necessary also, but I won't dwell on that.

Back to Kindergarden

As of 10:26 this morning, I have officially completed my first week of classes. This sounds like an easy thing, but let me assure you, it is not. Despite being an exceedingly small school, things are very disorganized here. For example, I couldn't find my class. Twice. That is, I went to the room at the correct time, and no one showed up. After five minutes, I went to consult with the nice lady responsible for keeping track of my academic process. She looked up the class, consulted with her coworkers, went to the empty classroom, and finally called the teacher. Oh, it turns out that the class has been moved into his office. How nice of him to tell ANYONE ELSE! I was okay with this the first time, but when it happened again yesterday, I was pretty mad. Especially since when I went to ask the nice lady again, all I wanted was to know the professor's office number, since I assumed that is where the class probably went. But no, she would not believe the foreign girl and had to go through the whole process again, just to find out, sure enough, the class is in the professors's office. Ridiculous. And of course, since I can't find my way to the next building, nor could I possibly have the skills required to read the office numbers, I had to be accompanied like a little kindergardener to the class.

But now that is all over, and I only have to deal with the fact that I can in no possible way read all 150 pages a week assigned for my Chinese Buddhism class, I can't get past 4 lines in my Kanbun (Chinese writing of Japanese) class, and my Shugendo teacher I think assigned homework, but I don't really know. The only class I am certain to succeed in is the independent study with my advisor. Really, the largest problem here is time. It wouldn't be so bad if I had endless hours between classes, but at the rate of one page an hour (how long it takes me to read academic Japanese), I only get about six pages done a day. And this of course leaves me no time to do any of my own research.

I shouldn't be complaining too much, though. It is only the first week. My Japanese will improve, and soon I'll be able to read two pages an hour! On a very happy note, apparently everyone shows up to class late, so if I sleep in a little longer than I should, I don't have to worry about it.

Small Conveniences

Everyday I ride my bike to the train station where I pay a small fee to park in a building. My parking space is on the second floor. To get up there I go to the stairs where a thin conveyor belt waits to carry my bike along as I step up beside it. The electronic voice never hesitates to remind me to hold my brakes on the way up.

Watching the Grass Grow

It is very frustrating to me how my Japanese ability fluctuates so dramatically. Last week I was feeling crappy because I couldn't manage to get a good, grammatically correct, normal sounding sentence out in Japanese. And it took me forever to understand everyone too. But this weekend, it suddenly clicked in, and for two whole days I was amazingly fluent. It was the most wonderful thing!
Here's how it happened, I think:

On Saturday I spent from noon until midnight with my frisbee team. We played frisbee, talked about playing frisbee, went to the public baths, and then to a nomikai (drinking party) to celebrate the end of the summer/beginning of the new semester. So I guess I was pretty much saturated with Japanese all day long. The alcohol at the end of the day was also a big help. Not that I'm pushing drinking, but if you are feeling like your foreign language speaking skills could use some help, have a few beers and start talking. I find that I improve by at least 200% when intoxicated. It also helps if your partners are also drinking; it makes them less afraid to talk to the crazy foreigner. But anyway, I was seriously complimented several times on the improvement in my Japanese by some of the more serious guys on the frisbee team. I trust their judgement, and I am glad for the encouragement.

Sunday was also a day spent with lots of Japanese students, but I think I actually ended up talking more English. I went to a "Sports Day" hosted by DESA, the "let's get to know foreigners" club at Doshisha University. There were quite a few Japanese students there, but there were an equal number of Americans, Russians, Brits, and a few others mingling around. I met a group of students from Principia College, a small Christian Science college just outside of St. Louis, who are in Japan for only two months, but they are traveling around to lots of places. In addition, I made a few more contacts for firsbee players in the area looking to set up pick up games, which was nice. But anyway, most of these people spoke little or no Japanese. But that became very little of a problem when yours truly was nominated to be the translator for the day. Yippee. I don't know how it happened, but it was nice practice. And after the sports fun, that is, after my team lost and was consequently assigned to clean-up duty, we went over to the river for a nice barbeque.

Japanese barbeques are much smaller and yet much bigger than American ones. That is, the grill is tiny. It's about the size of those portable ones you can buy at Walmart for $3. But instead of cooking large slabs of meat (which wouldn't fit anyway) they chop up lots of veggies, thin slices of meat, fish, and chicken, and throw it all on together. When it is done, you take your chopsticks over and pick out what you want. It's a very social event.

Speaking of the BBQ, apparently, the day before some kid had burned his face on fireworks or a grill or something only meters away from where we were set up. There must have been nothing else exciting going on in the news other than this story, because there was TV film crew wandering around for two hours taking shots of people eating and setting off fireworks. And then they worked for at least a half an hour on how best to capture that two by two meter square where he was burned. Seriously, that camera was pointed at that spot of grass for at tens of minutes at a time. Different angles, different lighting, from the river, from the hill, from directly in front...I'm sure that grass has never been more famous.

And now that I have entirely digressed, I shall go to dinner.

On The Way Home

In Boston a stopped train is just another inconvenience in the transportation system. In Japan it means one of three things-there's a typhoon, there's an earthquake, or someone's been hit. Unfortunately, I was on the train just now to experience the last one. As we finally pulled up to the platform I could see the guy: from the head wound it looked like he had been standing too close to the platform. I'm just glad he wasn't a jumper.

News from the 3rd Floor Kyoshitsu

So I went up to the kyoshitsu (study space/computer lab) today to update my website and send some emails. I inserted my USB drive, uploaded my pictures, and turned off the drive. I then proceeded to pull it of the computer, but it was stuck. So very stuck, in fact, that three students, a library worker, and I could not figure out how to get it out. Soon a little group of five or six of us were gathered around the CPU, staring at it, scratching our heads, and seeing if just one more pull might get it out. The girls at the computer next to us were staring and giggling, all the assistants at one time or another came to help, and I'm sure we drew the attention of most of the students studying in the room.

Finally, the computer teachers were called in. They unplugged everything and performed surgery on that poor computer right there on an empty table. With much avail, a screwdriver, and some good luck, my USB drive finally came out, apparently unscathed by such a process.

It was determined that my USB port has two little indents on the backside, which is contrary to the one indent on the Japanese USB mouse offered for comparison. This may or may not have caused the problem, but either way, I believe I will be using my USB drive much less in Japan than I had originally thought.

Summer Vacation Is Officially Over

I am now officially enrolled at Otani University, a small Buddhist University in northern Kyoto. By small, I mean that it takes me two minutes to walk from one end of the campus to the other. By Buddhist, I mean that it was founded to study Shinran's Pure Land Buddhism, and now has the largest library of Buddhist texts in Japan.

I wasn't expecting to actually enroll in classes. I thought that I would study some Japanese, do some independent research, and consult my advisor when I got stuck with something. This will not work, apparently. The university says that in order to keep my visa I must take classes, my advisor says that I don't know enough to just jump right into my research, and I really don't have too many reasons to disagree with them. Yes, I would rather have an infinite amount of free time in which to travel at a moment's notice. But I am also excited about learning all these interesting new things!

Monday 9am: Reading the Vimalakirta sutra
Tuesday 9am: Lecture in Early Buddhism
Tuesday 10:30am: Reading Modern Works on Buddhist History
Wednesday 1:00pm: Reading Historical Sources on Shugendo
Thursday 9am: Lecture on the History of Chinese Buddhism

Aren't you intrigued? I am.

But on the down side, I have truly discovered the inefficiancy of the Japanese education system. I believe that I have already been completely convinced that I could not actually go to school here. Let me explain. Most schools end summer vacation and start their second semester the first week of October. Having been told nothing different, that is what I assumed. But no, school started last week at Otani, and nothing was done to hurry the process of registering so that I could actually attend the first classes. Also, I have been waiting patiently to buy a commuting ticket and change my cell phone plan until I had my Student ID card (a magic piece of plastic that reduces prices by half). I was promised I would get it today. Today they say, you can have it Friday. One more of these delays, and I am going to have to make one myself. It costs me $10 a day just to get to and from school! A little consideration on their part would be nice! End of rant.

Perception vs. Reality

My balcony has a screen door that is very effective at keeping the bugs out, however, it has failed miserably when it comes to dampening noise. The screams of schoolchildren and the laughs of my neighbors float freely through the screen along with the breeze. There is one sound that I don't mind much, though. I first heard it the evening I moved in - a small high-pitched ding! that resonated quietly every once and while. I immediately associated it with the small bell my host mother would ring when presenting rice to the ancestors before dinner. I was very glad that so many people were still honoring the old traditions even in small apartments where a butsudan would take up valuable space. The sound of that small bell made the cement buildings seem a little more homey-like.

It wasn't until a few days later that I realized the bell I heard from my balcony and the bell of the elevator were one and the same. I am such an idealist.

Great Expectations

One of my professors told me that entering into a Japanese university always entails a large element of surprise. I experienced one aspect of that today when I met with my advisor for the first time. Apparently, as he says, I am expected to take 5 classes and eventually enroll in the masters program. Someone needs to explain "research student" to this school; I think I'll give Fulbright a call.

Coordination

Firstly, let me tell you of at least one of the joys of the keitai(cell phone)-I'm using it right now to post this. Then let me tell you about two interesting things I saw in Osaka today. One was called The Floating Garden, a circular observatory on top of a very modern building. The other was a man who rode by on his bicycle, calmly reading a novel while weaving through traffic.

Mukaijima- Suburb of a Suburb

I have moved into my mansion! No, not a luxuriously large house, but an apartment in a concrete high-rise building. The former is the US definition of the word, the latter, of course, is the way it is here in Japan.

As my address listed to your right suggests, I am living in somewhat institutional housing in what is considered International student housing. I have my own apartment, complete with kitchen, bathroom, and way too much furniture for my liking in an area about the size of a decent sized dorm room. But, I have a balcony! And although my view overlooks a tennis court and a few more mansion buildings, it at least provides a good breeze and some nice light.

I live in an area called Mukaijima, which is basically a suburb of Fushimi, which is a suburb of Kyoto city. Mukaijima is filled mostly with mansion buildings, so it is not what you would call a pretty area, but there is ample shopping in walking and bicycling distance. And I have been taking full advantage of said shopping areas; I believe I have spent close to three hundred dollars in two days...

Over the river and through the woods

I have been staying with my friend Mayo and her family in the center of Kyoto for the past two days. They live in a wonderful traditional style house with a family-run shop in the front and the living quarters in the back. The middle is an area that is a cross between indoors and outdoors: it has a roof and a kitchen, but there are also little gardens and stone floor walkways. Her family makes traditional bamboo blinds called "sudare."

Anyway, we went out to her grandmother's house in Shiga prefecture yesterday. I was led to believe that her grandmother lived on a farm, but in fact, she just had a really big garden. What really intrigued me was the house. More than Mayo's it was really a traditional Japanese house. In fact, it was like lots of little houses within one big rambling house. There were outdoor passages all over that led to sections of the house with two or three rooms and their own little gardens. It was both fun and annoying that everytime I wanted to go to a different part of the house I had to take on and off the offered slippers and sandals at least three times.

The Bellhop Was My Best Man

I went downstairs to check out of the hotel this morning and was stopped by an employee as I walked into the lobby. -Could I go around please? A wedding was about to start.- Okay, so I went up to the 2nd floor where there was a balcony overlooking the lobby. From there an amazing picture met my eyes. In the middle of the painted scene of a columns and beautiful flowers, a stained-glass window was projected on the wall. In front of it was an altar with a church-related looking man patiently waiting. As I watched, a bride dressed in a beautiful white dress entered from a side staircase and met her groom to walk in to the lobby. At that moment, "snow" began to fall from above as a woman softly sang Amazing Grace with a slightly Japanese accent.



It astonished me that this hotel could, did, and was popular in arranging for the transformation of their lobby and cafe restaurant into a wedding chapel on Saturday mornings. Just imagine the couple watching their wedding video a few weeks later: beauty, style, and the 'ping' of the elevator door as it opened and closed for hotel guests.

Moving Pictures

I was riding on the subway this morning on the way to orientation, blankly staring into space while attempting not to fall over the man crushed against my side, when I was suddenly surprised by the view outside the window. Now normally we all know that the view outside of a subway window is either blackness or a blank wall, and this is what surprised me: instead of boring cement, a commercial was playing in the subway tunnel. I guess it was like those little flip books of Disney scenes that you could buy as a kid, but these were painted on the wall of the subway tunnel and were brought to life by the movement of the train as it passed the pictures. What exactly it was advertising I couldn`t tell, but I was impressed nonetheless.

The Ambassador's House

Last night the Japan-United States Educational Commission hosted a formal welcome reception for this year's Fulbright grantees at the United States Ambassador to Japan's house. After passing two security check-points we walked through the tree lined lane to a very beautiful and peaceful house in the middle of Tokyo's Roppongi area. It was a lovely reception attended by a Minister of Education, certain commission Chairpersons, and all the current and former Fulbrighters from both Japan and the US that were in the area. We drank wine, exchanged business cards, and repeated our fields of study at least fifty times. It was a nice evening, but the jet lag hit around 8:30pm and most of us went to bed soon after.

On a side note: I am staying at the Tokyo Daiichi Hotel where the hallways are entirely pink and the room keys are old fashion skeleton keys with large pink emblems. My roommate conjectured that we are staying on the Princess Floor..

Tadaima!!

Hello from the wonderful country of Japan! My flight arrived safely, my luggage was sent easily, and I made it into downtown Tokyo without any hassel. The only thing I was worried about was falling asleep and missing my stop on the bus, but somehow I managed to keep awake. Right now I'm staying in a swanky hotel just down the street from Ginza, the 5th Avenue of Tokyo. For the next two days I have orientation with the other nine Fulbrighters before heading off to Kyoto on Saturday.

It still seems a bit surreal being here. I see kanji everywhere and the population is much shorter, but I'm still surrounded by Americans and I haven't had to speak very much Japanese yet. That's probably a good thing, because every time I have tried I usually get it all messed up. I'm hoping that by the time I get to Kyoto the language section of my brain will have started working again. I'm going to blame it on the jet lag for now.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

In exactly 7 hours from now I will be boarding a plane that will take me to another plane that will take me to Japan. You may ask, am I ready? Am I packed and prepared? The answer is a resounding No. Packed, maybe. Prepared, not a chance.

And yet, I have accomplished so much. I have called my good friends, visited with my family, and ended the summer on a reasonably relaxing note. I think that despite the last minute packing frenzy and endless lists of things to do and not forget, I have managed to keep something of the subdued and easygoing mood that defined this summer. I will exit the country satisfied and refreshed.

It always works out somehow

I feel like I'm back in my sophomore year. It's 11pm and I haven't started the huge project that's due tomorrow. I really should be pulling an all-nighter, but I have this firm belief that everything will work out just fine, and so I decide to go to bed instead.
Only this time the huge project involves taking my life and moving it to Japan in two suitcases, one backpack, and one box. I know it's gonna take longer than the six hours I have set aside for packing tomorrow, and this worries me. But at the same time, that unrealistic feeling that everything will somehow just end up working out has taken a firm hold in my mind once again. So, against all logic, I'm going to bed.

Flight Schedule

For anyone who would like to know when I'm leaving and where I'm going- an approximate flight schedule:

Depart Monday, Sept. 13 7:30am from Fort Wayne
Arrive Monday, Sept. 13 8:30am at Chicago O'Hare
Layover
Depart Monday, Sept. 13 11:00am from Chicago O'Hare
Arrive Tuesday, Sept. 14 4:15pm at Tokyo Narita

The flight from Chicago to Tokyo is surprisingly short-only 13 hours. I would have thought it to be longer, since the flight from LA to Osaka was 12 hours. However, because of the Great Circle ("An arc of a circle for which the center is the center of the earth. A great circle is the shortest possible surface route between two points on the earth.") it's not as long as it could be. I looked it up on the Great Circle Mapper and here's what I found:

Chicago (41°58'43"N 87°54'17"W) to Narita (35°45'53"N 140°23'11"E) is 6274 mi

LA (33°56'33"N 118°24'29"W) to Osaka (34°25'38"N 135°14'39"E) is 5742 mi

That's only a difference of 532 miles. At the average speed of a commercial airplane of 600 mph, that equals only about an hour difference. Just what my flight schedule says.

Progress

List of things to do before I go:

1. Unpack
2. Repack
3. Set up website
4. Visit relatives in Ohio
5. Buy gifts
6. etc...

Five days seems way too short. And yet way too long.