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.