Sourthern Hospitality

Louisville, Kentucky is a city on the southern bank of the Ohio River. It is home to Churchill Downs of Kentucky Derby fame, the largest Victorian architecture historic district in the country, and my good friend Jill. Jill lives in the historic distric in a three story, six bedroom, original hardwood floored, nine fireplace, soon to be restored historic house with her Egyptian cat, William. William likes to attack his toys and your hands with vigor and then apologize by curling up on your feet while you're going to the bathroom.

I took a leisurely bike ride around the area this morning and was awed by house after magnificent house built of solid brick and limestone with expressive arched doors and columns. Old Louisville is a beautiful place. The people are real friendly-like too. I got three hello's and had a little conversation with an aspiring author on my tour this morning. Even just across the river it seems that southern hospitality is alive and well.

Surprise suprise

Today I did something that I told every single person I have ever met that I would never ever do. But you'll have to wait to find out what it is.

* A cookie to the person who can guess.

Country Mouse returns home

This weekend I took a trip out to the countryside of Indiana and Ohio, where houses dot the expanses of corn, soybean, and wheat fields.

It was my cousin's birthday, and her family took her to an Amish restaurant for dinner followed by a buggy ride. I passed on the dinner (which everyone said was delicious) and arrived just in time to hop up into the little three person buggy for a short jog down the road. Dave, the Amish grandpa who was driving, told us little jokes and let my cousin drive. It was nice experience. There are quite a few Amish in the area near Fort Wayne, and it was good to meet a few in person.

Most of the Ohio relatives came over for my cousin's birthday party, and I got to catch up on all the news: who's had another baby, who's bought a house, who's engaged...I tell you, there is something in the Ohio water that makes people get married and pop out the babies before the age of 23. As an Indiana girl, I'm planning on holding off until, say, 30. This doesn't make the grandparents happy..

Anyway, it was a nice weekend. I loved the fact that I could drive down the road and there were no mountains anywhere. It was all so open and unconstricting. Actually, the other day there was a storm passing and the clouds settled on the horizon in such a way that made it look like I was back in Kyoto walking down the street toward a huge wall of mountains. For a second I was scared that it had all been a dream. But no, the drying corn stalks in the fields are still rustling in the wind.

The Truth Hurts

For quite some time now, I have been a Japan enthusiast. I come home and I tell people, "Japan is great!" I write on this blog, "Japan is so much better than the US!" And in many ways, I completely believe this. Even coming back to the US for awhile and eating the food, which is half the price of food in Japan (except tofu), and driving the cars on big wide roads where there are no mountains to block the view, I am glad that I will go back to Japan. Because I like living there.

However, in my time on vacation, I thought I'd do some reading about Japan that I don't get to do so often in Japan. So I went to the library and checked out some books about the history, culture, and society of Japan, just to see what other people were saying about it.

And I found this book - Dogs and Demons: Tales from the Dark Side of Modern Japan, by Alex Kerr. Mr. Kerr is a well known author on Japan, and I thought he'd come out with a new book on old stories or something. But no. This is truth. This is mind-boggling, fear-inducing truth. I am almost scared to return to Japan. Why?

Japan cements in rivers and builds dams because they need to use money.
Japan hasn't updated their toxic waste policy since the 1960's.
Japan's banks are bankrupt, but in order to save face, they stay open.
Japan's nuclear power plants have safety procedures that involve people looking through windows to see if everything is "ok."
And there's so much more...

I thought the US was worse than Japan.
Everyone thinks that Japan is on top of technology.
I think we might have all been fooled.

That being said, I still like living in Japan. I just think I'll be buying bottled water, instead of drinking out of the tap from now on. And not living near a nuclear power plant.

What moment in time?

I thought that after having been in Japan for one full year my culture shock in coming back to the United States would be pretty severe. Suprisingly, it really hasn't been. Other than the driving and speaking English all the time, things seem pretty comfortable. I was trying to figure out why this might be, and I believe I've come up with an answer.

The last time I was in Japan I hung out with American friends pretty often, but we relied mostly on the Japanese way of doing things. This time, I knew my way around Kyoto; I knew where I could buy cheap foreign goods, I knew how to cook them, I knew where to get English language books, and I spent more time with American friends. I think that even this little extra bit of my home culture mixed in to Japan made it easier for me to adjust when I got home this time.

Of course, there were exceptions. For example, this weekend was Fort Wayne's annual Johnny Appleseed Festival. The last festival of the summer, this two day even marks the apple season with the celebration of pioneer days in Indiana. All of the things being sold are hand-made crafts, everyone selling things is dressed up in settler costumes, and most of the food is cooked over fires. It had been a good five years since I had been to this festival, and I was struck with such an odd feeling of being out of place - not only was I in the wrong country, I was in the wrong time period!

In any case, I've been home now for five days and I am competely adjusted to the time, the food (mostly), the driving, and the English speaking on television only startles me for a second now.

Seasons change

When I left Kyoto the temperature was a steamy 90 degrees F. Arriving in Fort Wayne, it was only ten degrees cooler. Three days later, however, the temperature has plummeted to 59 degrees. I had forgotten that fall comes much sooner to this area of the world.

I'lll be doing this again tomorrow

I've been complaining to my mother about how Americans use so much energy, particularly gas, when all they have to do is walk a little. And so today, I decided to park the car and do some of my errands on foot. It turned out to be a confidence boosting experience; in the ten minutes it took me to walk from the Post Office to the Library, I got whistled at three times.

Home, Sweet, Home

For your information: If you ever have to chose between flying JAL or Northwest between Japan and the US, by all means, fly JAL. It's not that Northwest is bad, it's that JAL is so much better.

My twelve hour flight home was non-eventful. That is, it was downright boring. Eight hours into the flight I had already finished my book and magazine and watched all three of the inflight movies. What do you do with four hours of time on an airplane when you aren't allowing yourself to sleep?

So now I am back in the US. People here are bigger, less polite, more to the point, and nosier. The land is flat and there are no mountains to be seen. Cars drive on the right side of the road.

My mother took me out to lunch.
-I forgot that such a thing as taking your leftovers home existed.
-I forgot that tipping is necessary.
-I tried to take the bill to the register on the way out, which is how it is in most restaurants in Japan, but my mother gave me a strange look and paid the waitress at our table.

This country is going to take some getting used to.

We are prepared for Takeoff

I'm leaving in fifteen minutes for the airport.
I'm just going to pack up my computer, haul my stuff down the stairs and wait for the people to come and pick me up.
Am I ready to go home? I think so.
Am I worried whether all my stuff will be here when I get back? A bit.
Am I dreading twelve hours without my own personal screen on the seatback? Absolutely. Dang Northwest Airlines and their main cabin movies...

My friends are famous

The director of the Japan Fulbright Commission, David Satterwhite, a.k.a the man who gave me money, was on BBC last night commenting on the effects of the Japanese election on Asian business.

I am always astounded when people I know are on tv, especially on BBC world television. Apparently, I know some people in high places.

Clarification and Explanation

Looking back on my last month of entries, I realized that I never clearly explained what it is that I will be doing in the near future. Although many of my readers are also frequent recipients of emails from me, some of you may be wondering about what this "leaving, coming back" thing is about.

Therefore, "Laura's Plans for the Future:"

1. Sept. 13 - Nov. 1 : The U.S. - Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Boston. Visiting, reminiscing, catching up. Interspersed with studying.
2. Nov.1 - Dec. 4 : Japan - Intensive Japanese study in preparation for the highest level of the Japanese Proficiency Japan.
3. Dec. 4 - Feb. 10 : Japan - Intensive study in preparation for entrance exam into Kyoto University's Graduate School, History Department.
4. Feb.10 - Mar. 1 : Waiting for results of said test.
5. If I pass, I will be in Kyoto for another two years until I have comepleted the master's program.
6. If I do not pass, I have no idea what I will be doing.

All plans subject to change, except for returning to Japan on Nov. 1. That's a non-refundable plane ticket.

Sayonara Sale

Today I had my last lunch with the last of the Kyoto Fulbrighters. Katie and Dave leave tomorrow for adventures in South East Asia, and I leave for home.

I'm kind of in a weird position when it comes to leaving. My friends have all been dealing with packing, massive accumulation of things, turning of utilites, closing out accounts, etc. In all fairness, I should be doing these things too. But no, my house and all the things in it will stay as they are. I have closed no bank accounts, I have not boxed up one item.

The fact that I am coming back fairly soon makes the job of leaving quite easy for me. In a sense, I guess it makes it easier for my friends too, who can dump off all the stuff they can't take back with them at my house. As my house is already a suppository of years of left behinds, a little more can't hurt! And so I gained bookshelves, a kotatsu, dishes, cleaning supplies, food, plants, books, and all sorts of randomness. So while everyone else is busy packing, I am busy sorting out what they gave me.

I think it's odd for all our friends too. It is highly unlikely that they will see Katie and Dave again anytime in the next two years, but I'll be back in two months. And yet, we're leaving at the same time.

Anyway, this is a meandering post, as it reflects a meandering thought process: I'm leaving, but I'm not. I'm packing, but not too much. I'm bringing presents, but if I forgot something, there will be chances for more. I want to go to my favorite places "one last time," but I doubt they will have gone out of business by the time I get back. It's an odd feeling.

Accomplishment

Today was my debut as a member of a semi-professional music group. I participated in a concert of traditional Japanese music as a member of my koto teacher's studio group. We performed the piece "Yugao," with koto, shamisen, bamboo flute, and kyoko. I can't really say how we sounded, since I was concentrating so hard on not slipping around on the borrowed koto's strings, but I think my mistakes were not horribly obvious. We'll see when I hear Dave's recording of the event..

Anyway, I feel proud of being the only foreigner performing, in a yukata I made, and a mere two days before I leave the country. As my koto teacher said, "It's a great memory to have a made."

Where do they come up with these uniforms?

As promised from my day at the beach, here is a picture of a Japanese lifeguard on Kobe's Suma Beach. Particularly note the lettered spandex and the beanie hat secured with elastic.

Three Days

Things I'll miss (even just for 1.5 months):

-Evening bike rides by the river
-Bowing, smiling, overly helpful sales clerks
-Onigiri
-Being able to ride my bicycle anywhere, anytime
-Curry donuts and an-pan
-Friends who think karaoke is fun and not wierd
-The smell of incense from the nearby cemetary
-On time trains and buses (not to mention clean)
-My cell phone
-Japanese television shows
-The absence of open container laws
-Being able to see over a crowd of people

Later in the Evening

sunset after the storm
my eyes see orange, but my camera thinks
purple shadows tint the neighborhood

P is for Prepared

I am addicted to world news, particularly the wonderful television stations of BBC and CNN. However, the news lately has been dominated by up to the minute reports about the Hurrican Katrina Evacution, and I am sorry to say it, I am tired of watching it. It's not that I don't symphathize, or I am not astounded, it's just that I know there has to be other things happening in the world that are equally as bad.

Anyway, while looking for something else to watch today, I stumbled across the a special weather program on Japan's weather, particularly Typhoon 14, which is currently covering the entire nation of Japan with its rain and winds. The weatherman put up two pictures on the screen - one of Hurricane Katrina and one of Typhoon 14 - just to compare. Guess what? They are approximately the same size, with the same wind strength, and the same rainfall.

What is the difference, then, between the effects of such a storm on the US and the effects in Japan? Let me give you an example. Massive amounts of rain flooded parts of Tokyo yesterday night as the drainage canals overflowed. Entire streets were flooded up to waist level and many houses were filled almost to the second story. This morning? The water is gone, taken away by efficient storm drains, fire departments with pumps on the scene as soon as the rain stopped, and neighbors helping eachother empty houses bucket by bucket.

Yes, Japan is quite familiar with typhoons and natural disasters in general, so they know how to be prepared. Maybe the US should consider sending some people over here to learn how it's done.

The Meaning of Politics

Prime Minister Koizumi failed trying to pass his Postal Service reform bill. As a consequence, he dissolved the lower house and called for snap elections. They're next week.

What does this mean? It means that every day I am annoyed by any number of politians driving around screaming their good points from loudspeakers.

There's one driving through my neighborhood right now. This woman has taken the distinctive call of the Yaki Imo man and insterted her own name. It is echoing off of the mountains behind my house. If I could vote, I wouldn't vote for Takeda Saoru.

Midnight Snack

It’s so humid right now, at 2am in the morning as I write my research paper, that the crispy graham cracker I unwrapped from its package a mere five minutes ago has become a tender, flexible morsel falling apart in my hand.

Getting Out of Hand

I was watching some American TV last night on cable. There was this scene where a guy was working late at night, and a woman came in to see what he was doing, and he offered her a few slices of pizza. She said no.

I almost cried. I could just taste the pizza in my mouth. How could you reject the cheesy greasy goodness of that pizza? If you don't want it, give it to me!!

See what a year in a cheese deprived country will do to you? Begging food from the television.

Unable to Process your Request

I've been getting quite a few requests for things to be brought back from Japan. This is great because I love to bring things back for people and it makes it so much easier when they tell me just what they want. The problem is "just what they want" has fallen into horribly vague categories.

For example, "I really liked the rice snacks you sent me once." Rice snacks being the operative description for 85% of all snacks produced and eaten in Japan. Senbei, rice crackers with seaweed, with sesame, seasoned, unseasoned, shaped like bugles, circular, spicy, shrimp-flavored, soup flavored, mixed with dried beans, mixed with little dried fish, go well with beer, taste good on a long train ride...Is it that they are so mysterious that a detailed explanation is impossible? Or am I asking too much of my non-Japanese reading friends?

I am more than happy to bring things back for whoever asks, in fact, the more I think about it, the more I realize that half of my luggage will probably end up being gifts for people. So please, request as much as you like. Just be aware that if you can't give me the name, the shape, and the color of the packaging, you may not be getting exactly what you asked for.

Dinner and a Motivation

It's always a toss up whether I am going to enjoy myself or be bored out of my mind when I go visit my advisor emeritus. Today, being the last time that I would be meeting her this year, was no exception.

We started out at her house where she apologized profusely for the fact that she had not conveyed to me all the knowledge she had stored inside her brain. She then attempted to transmit a bit of it, but it only served to remind me of the fact that I know absolutely nothing, comparitively speaking, and the path to scholar-dom is a long and tortuous one. It was at that point that I felt I had absolutely decided that studying in Japan was a lost cause and I should just go back to the States and find some sort of random job.

Then we took a little wander down to Uji where I was treated to my second kaiseki ryori (multiple course Japanese style dinner) meal of the year. I can't even remember all of the dishes, but I do remember my favorite. It was the one I expected to like the least: salted and grilled ayu fish dipped in a green sauce made from leaves. The only part of the fish I did not eat was the head; the rest of it was delicious, especially the tail.

Anyway, my advisor asked me my plans for after the Fulbright ended, and I casually mentioned that I was looking to go to grad school in Japan, and would she be able to recommend any professors? Oh hoh. That got the ball rolling - she's looking into the best places for me to go and she'll give me a call next week.

It's not that I can't do these things for myself. It's just that I have zero connections and getting connections is like pulling teeth. My advisor, however, has been around quite awhile. She has been blessed by the Pope, recieved 3rd century Buddha statues as gifts, her house has enough books to become a freestanding library. She has connections. And with any luck, these connections will be handed to me and I shall have an easier time mucking through the bureaucracy that is the Japanese educational system. I have been rejuvinated.