Hello everyone! My name is Kelly Parlin, and I am a junior studying abroad for a year in Kyoto, Japan through the Associated Kyoto Program at Doshisha University. As part of the program, I am also living with a host family. Mine is a retired couple, Hikaru (Mom) and Shirou (Dad) Nishizawa.
I have another blog going that I started before I left, and I haven’t had a chance to update here so what I will put are my LONG entries that I have recently made during my first few weeks in Japan. Enjoy! (P.S. I am an aspiring writer, so I have written a lot!! Be prepared!!)
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The House:
The house is rather narrow, and looks like its next-door neighbor. It is a tannish-yellow color with brown moldings. It has some landscaping and, as I recently discovered, a tiny lawn-like backyard, though there’s really only a deck where my mother hangs out the clothes to dry, since they don’t have driers. To come in, you open an iron gate and then a sliding door. Inside, you remove your shoes and store them in a cubby on the side before stepping up onto the platform and into waiting slippers. These slippers are worn throughout the house’s hallways, and are removed before specific rooms, like the living room, the bathroom and the computer room. In the bathroom, you wear different slippers.
Though the house is narrow, it has three floors including a basement, which I have yet to see it and only recently learned that it existed. There are numerous rooms that aren’t used, and instead piled with all kinds of things. I assume that they were used before when they were raising their son, and I believe one of them was even their bedroom, but in the summer I learned that my host parents sleep in the basement since it is so hot! There is a living room/dining room which is the main room of the house. It is pretty small, and filled mostly with a knee-high Japanese table and three places to sit around it. My host father and I both use chairs designed to be on the floor, with adjustable backs while my host mother leans against the partition that divides the room into the living room and the kitchen. Also in the main room, there is a large T.V. in the corner, which is often turned to the news or sports.
The kitchen is very tiny, about the size of my single dorm room, though it seems to have every appliance except a dishwasher. I have not yet gone into it and don’t think I will when my parents are home, since they would prefer not to have me go in there.
There are a few rooms that have tatami-mat floors, though I haven’t gone into any yet. In the living room, there is two other doors you can take. The one that I have my back to can slide open to reveal this tatami room, where the family’s shrine is located, called a butsudan. I haven’t seen it up close, but I will eventually! The other door leads to the back porch, which I have also not been on yet.
There are three bathrooms in the house. Two are mainly water closets, in that they contain only a toilet, though these toilets have interesting capabilities. When you flush, there is actually a faucet on top that activates and releases water the whole time the toilet is running.
Hmm…what other details can I provide? Oh yeah – my room! My room is on the second floor, up a narrow, twisting staircase that has no railing (and which is slightly treacherous in the dark!). I basically have the second floor to myself, though there isn’t much. There’s a storage closet, the air-conditioned computer room where my father blogs, another bedroom that isn’t used, and my room on the corner next to the water closet.
In my room, I have a large closet and a really huge bed compared to what I’m used to – it’s about two times wider, and it’s Western style so it’s not a futon on the floor. It has storage drawers underneath, where I put some of my clothes. The bed also has a cute shelf, two cubbies and a little reading you can switch on at the end of the bed behind my pillow. I have two windows in my room, one of which is over my bed. The rest of my room consists of a Japanese-style table and pillow, a desk with a strange rolling chair and a bookshelf attached to the top of the desk.
The great thing about my room, besides the fact that it fits everything and even has room to spare, is that past students have really left their mark! When I got here, the desk was FULL of stuff past students have left behind. There were textbooks, manga, flashcards, journals, folders, a wallet, contact lens solution, cups, perfume, headphones, guidebooks, maps and even a jewelry box where I put my jewelry. I had a lot of fun sorting through all of the odds and ends and was very pleased to find a number of useful items, including an electric adapter for a two-prong outlet to a three-prong plug for my laptop and even an Ethernet cable which I now don’t need to buy. I am pleased with my room, even though it was absolutely horrible during the massive heat wave when we arrived. My room, unlike some of the other AKP students, is NOT air-conditioned and has no internet, so not only was I sweating like a pig all night and all day, but I was also unable to contact anyone and was kind of stuck in place (literally…I do not exaggerate how hot it was! Luckily it’s much cooler now!!)
My Routine:
In the morning, I wake up to get ready for the day. I have been getting up rather early lately, since the sun finds a way around my curtains and blasts heat into my room. Also, there are lots of sounds – babies crying in the house across the street, garbage men greeting each other in the morning, people walking their dogs and yelling at them when they bark and especially, the loudest of all, mopeds! I can hear them coming from a long way off, and when they pass right by the sound is deafening!
Times for breakfast differ depending upon my class schedule. I get dressed and go downstairs in my house slippers, removing them before the living room and greeting my host family with a ‘Ohayou gozaimasu!’ (Good morning). They wish me the same and I am served breakfast. I learned quickly that my duty is to set the table. My mother (or father) puts serving dishes onto the partition between the kitchen and the living room and we go from there serving ourselves buffet style. However, in the morning, it’s usually just me eating since I have to eat kind of early. My mother gets up earlier to make breakfast, and I have had the same thing everyday, though I am not complaining since it’s delicious!
My breakfast consists of a thick slice of Japanese bread with butter and apple cinnamon jam (the BEST part!), a vegetable salad (with two of the following: lettuce, cucumbers, cabbage and onions) with Japanese dressing (the taste I can’t explain…it’s okay), half of an apple (eaten with a tiny fork), a small container of yogurt (I have eaten both blueberry and some green kind…I don’t know what it was, but it was tasty so I just ate it! This is eaten with a small spoon), one scrambled egg and apple juice (bought specially for me, since I mentioned I like drinking juice in the morning). All the above is eaten with chopsticks, unless otherwise mentioned, and though I can use them, I have had my off mornings where I am ridiculously clumsy and drop food on my lap.
Before eating, I must say ‘Itadakimasu’ (I humbly receive this food) in order to respect my mother’s effort to cook me a meal. Usually while I am eating breakfast, the T.V. has been on, and for a few mornings in a row my host mother let me watch Pokemon! It’s funny watching it in Japanese, since many names are changed (Ash=Satashi and Brock=Takeshi) and even some of the Pokemon themselves have different names. (Wobuffet’s usual punchline in the States is replaced by an enthusiastic ‘Soo deSu!’ while Meowth’s voice actor makes me want to stab myself). It was quite amusing, though I hope it didn’t annoy my host father, who is oftentimes reading the paper in the tatami room with the door leading outside to the porch cracked open.
When I am done eating everything, I say ‘Gochisoosama deshita’ (Thanks for the food) and then help clear the table by stacking dishes and setting them on the partition. I then go gather my things (with my mother calling after me, telling me not to forget anything), come back downstairs and tell my mother that I am leaving. I then transfer from my slippers to my outdoor shoes by stepping off the platform, and my mother opens the door and then gate for me. I then utter ‘Itte kimasu!’ (See you later) and my mother responds with ‘Itte irasshyai!’ (Have a good day!) and ‘Ki o tsukete’ (Be careful). All of this, of course, is ritual language that must constantly be spoken.
From there, I go to one of two bus stops near me, both an equally short distance away. The bus ride is about 20 minutes until Katsura Station, where I transfer to a train called the Hankyu. That ride is about 10-15 minutes to Karasuma Station, which turns into Shijo Station where I transfer to the city subway. My last stop is Imadegawa Station, where I take the north exit and walk about two more minutes to my campus. All in all, including my walking and waiting time, my commute is about an hour long. I have discovered it’s not that bad though. Since I transfer so many times, I am never in one place for too long, and I have found out that I can read during all of these times, including when standing and waiting for my trains or whatever to arrive. I can now do my homework for class, or read for fun (like a book I found in the bookcase – Howl’s Moving Castle! I didn’t know Miyazaki based it on a book?? It was really good!!)
At Doshisha University, our classes are mostly in one building, called the Meitokukan, which contains a basement cafeteria (with outside vending machines for drinks, hot and cold, and ice cream!), several student lounges, a stationary store, a convenience store and the help desk under three floors of classrooms. We also spend a lot of time at the AKP office where the staff and teachers reside, as well as the AKP lounge down the hall which has a few computers we can use and hundreds of books left behind by other students. In particular, there is a book on Japanese street slang (so, so, SO dirty! Can NEVER be spoken in public!!!!!!!), a Japanese copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, many American/English novels, an entire shelf of guidebooks to Japan and the surrounding countries for potential travel opportunities during breaks, and even an English version of Twilight and New Moon, which hurts me inside. Why is it necessary to have those here? And MUST there be a Robert Pattinson calendar on the wall????
I have three main classes: Japanese, Anthropology and Sites and Sights, which is a class based on the religion of Japan seen through the temples and shrines in Kyoto. So far, Anthro has seemed…okay. I am kind of sad that I didn’t sign up for the Joint Seminar, since apparently, the AKP students and the Doshisha student counterparts have to watch Animes and other movies and then discuss them with each other. The description of the course sounded so much harder, and I didn’t think I would be able to interact with other Japanese students so quickly. Sigh. What can you do?
Lunch varies everyday, and not only what I eat but where I eat. I have eaten at the cafeteria several times, restaurants in the surrounding area, and at the cafeteria at the other campus called Shinmachi, which is a short walking distance away. I have tried numerous things, not all of which I know what they are, but so far I have made some delicious choices!
For the rest of the afternoon, I am either busy with class or free to do what I wish. I am very busy on Mondays and Wednesdays, when I have all of my classes until around 4:30. Fortunately, this leaves my Tuesday and Thursday afternoons completely free! Generally, I have done a bit of walking around, hanging out, trying to get wireless internet on campus (which has yet to work…grr internet is stupid) and reading for class.
Then, whenever I am up for it, I head home for 7 o’clock, when dinner is served. I return home saying ‘Tadaima’ (I’m home) and my parents respond ‘Okaeri’ (Welcome back). I then have to wash my hands, since the Japanese are very conscious about spreading germs. From there, I pick up my laundry, which has been left on my chair. My mother does my laundry, yes, and the Japanese insist on being very clean, so they wash clothes daily. I guess I brought too much underwear then…that would have been good to know before I left…
Dinner has been interesting, and usually involves watching the news as well as conversing. More so than during breakfast, my host mother interrogates me about my day to get a conversation started. Now that I’m used to it, it’s not so bad, though I used to think it was a bit troublesome and even dread having to answer her many questions. Now, though, I prepare in advance for what to say. She asks things like ‘How was class?’, ‘What did you eat for lunch?’, ‘Who did you eat with?’ and even if I rode home with anyone (which I only did once, since we happen to live in the same direction!). My father is pretty quiet, and when he does speak, he mumbles a bit. But he is a very sincere person and I make sure to show both he and my mother that I am enjoying things by smiling and being enthusiastic. Since we are still getting to know each other, we have not yet achieved a huge level of comfort, though we are definitely softening toward one another.
I am very happy that I have been able to understand my host mother very well. My comprehension is definitely getting much, much, MUCH better! I also realized how kind my mother was being. In Kyoto, there is what is called ‘Kansai ben’ or ‘Kansai accent.’ Basically, the normal structures we are taught in standard Japanese are slightly altered in ways that can be confusing for us students. I noticed after a few days that both of my parents have a Kansai ben, though my mother goes from talking to her husband with her accent to talking to me without it, making a conscious effort on her part to switch it. Seeing as she has had so many students, I suppose she just decided to make it easier for us.
It also helps that both of my parents dabble in English. They know words here and there, and my father even has an electronic dictionary he consults from time to time. I have found that, when they insert even just one English word, I suddenly understand entire phrases when I didn’t before. In this way, I am picking up some new vocabulary, though I forget things quickly…
I would also like to add a few more observations that I have made regarding dinnertime. 1.) The Japanese eat REALLY fast and 2.) I am not going to lose weight in Japan, I am going to GAIN some, what with all the food served!
On the first count, it is amazing how fast they eat. I thought I was fairly quick in the States, but here I eat sluggishly! At one meal, I think I finished some ten minutes after they did, and it wasn’t like I was purposefully eating slowly!
And to address number two, all I can say is that I am constantly being asked to eat a lot. Restaurants serve HUGE portions that I can barely (if at all) finish, and my host mother is always asking me to eat more. The food has been very good, but I find it to be so filling that sometimes I just can’t eat anymore! At least I can console myself with the fact that it’s healthier…right?
During dinner, we oftentimes watch the news, and the television stays on even after we’ve cleared the table. This is when we eat dessert, and I have to say that it has been interesting! Even after all the food, I must eat more! Since it’s autumn, we’ve been enjoying certain seasonal pleasures, like grapes, Japanese pears (nashi) and apples. The grapes are not like grapes back home – they are large, bluish-purple, and filled with two or three small seeds. When I first bit into them, expecting it to be like a grape from home, I was instead rewarded with an EXPLOSION of juice that squirted everywhere! After that, my dad decided to show me how to eat them. You peel away part of the skin, then suck out the insides, using your tongue to push the seeds toward your lips so you can remove them. I didn’t realize at first that typically the skins aren’t eaten, and felt kind of silly when I noticed the pile of them on my parents’ plates, so now I have adapted to NOT eating them, haha!
My host dad has been kind to show me how to eat a number of foods, including a small fish eaten in autumn. Using the chopsticks, you are supposed to peel off the skin and remove the meat from the bones. It’s much harder than it sounds! I tried to do it, but my dad just took my plate and decided to do it for me, which worked out much better! I also should mention that I need to learn how to slurp properly…haha! Slurping is a sign that the food is good, and is encouraged in Japan! Time to unlearn my American manners…
I suppose now is as good a time as any to admit how clumsy I feel in Japan compared to everyone else. I fumble when swiping my subway passes, choose the wrong coins when paying, can’t find things in my voluminous bag and search forever, hold up lines slightly longer than necessary and generally stumble around. This is not to mention at home where I continually drop things (in one meal, I dropped three different pieces of food on my lap… Chopsticks can be tricky…) and trip over everything, from slippers to the main platform of the house. Sometimes just walking can be difficult, especially if I am coming off a subway, which completely throws off my balance. I’d like to think I am getting better, but it’s hard to tell when things keep slipping out of my hands in my room and clatter to the wooden floor. At least in America, the carpets muffle the noise, but here it’s like an explosion! I wonder what my parents think, hearing me dropping things all the time. Do they wonder what I am doing in my room, and if I have slipped and died?? I never thought I was that clumsy or disorganized in America, but here… Let’s just hope that I improve over time!
Now where was I? Oh yes, television! I have seen a few interesting shows so far, though my family really only watches the news (Arnold Schwarzenegger came to Japan to check out the bullet train!) and sometimes Discovery or the travel channel (last night we watched a show on tourism in the Czech Republic, which I thought was coincidental, seeing as one of the AKP students is from there). There was a drama that came on that confused me and was rather silly at one point when one of the characters had a major headache. I had to laugh at the corniness of his acting! Commercials, too, are equally funny. There is one that gets stuck in my head!!
At around 8:30, my mom presses a button in the living room that starts to heat up the water in the ohuro (bath). When it’s hot enough, a little melody plays, which signals my father’s turn. After him, I go in, saying ‘Osaki ni’ (I’m going in before you…something like that). It’s the same concept as going to an onsen (hot springs), in that you wash and scrub yourself with a shower nozzle and buckets before sitting in the bath. For the first few nights here, when it was miserably hot, I took cold showers to cool down! Luckily, my parents haven’t had the bath too hot – it’s actually felt pretty nice, and I’ve learned to take my time with it, since my mom commented on the first night how fast I went. What’s neat is that the bath water is tinted green, from both the green tub and pine-scented something in the water. It smells really nice and it’s helped heal blisters and bug bites that I have sustained!
When it’s really hot out, my mother invites me to the living room to cool off after the warm bath and I am obliged to sit in there for a bit while my mother goes to take her bath in the same water. Usually during this time I read a book and my father does the same or occasionally works on Sudoku. The first few nights here, at this point I had trouble keeping my eyes open. At around 9 I began to get incredibly sleepy and would go straight to bed right after cooling down for a few minutes in the air conditioning. I think that was from the jet lag, so after a few days of this I began to fight it and stay up a little later. Now, I can stay up later, though if I have a busy or stressful day I hit the pillow and immediately fall asleep, despite my wet hair!
So that’s basically my routine every day. It changes slightly every day, especially during the weekends when I come back later and sometimes eat dinner out.
Alright – now, to catch up completely on my time here, I will sum up the events of the past week leading up to today, Monday September 20, 2010 – Respect for the Aged Day, which is a holiday where I have no classes!
Saturday, September 11: I decided to be adventurous on my first day at home. I wanted to start figuring out the bus schedules etc. to prepare for my commute to school on Monday and also try to pick up a cell phone. After lunch, my host dad brought out a number of papers which were bus schedules. They showed nearby stations and stops and at what time certain numbered buses would stop at them. I was horribly confused at first, but I concentrated fiercely on his explanations and then later I analyzed them in my room and actually made sense of them! That was all dashed when my mother was like ‘Those are confusing, take these instead!’ and I was given smaller ones that didn’t list the times at every stop. These took more analyzing, though I understand them now.
Having figured out how to get there, I headed to the bus stop and made it to Katsura Station, the western exit, where there was a Softbank (a cell phone service provider). Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get a cell phone – for some reason, the girl working there couldn’t approve me without certain documentation that was still in-progress for me, like my Alien Registration Card which I can’t pick up until September 30. I was very confused, since my classmates had gotten phones without this paperwork. To make matters worse, the girl couldn’t speak English and I couldn’t quite understand the technical terms she spoke in Japanese. She was clever, though, and used the computer to translate what she wanted to say into English, which she then copied onto a piece of paper that I could read.
After that unsuccessful venture, I explored a few shops in the area and then made it back to a bunch of bus stops. I analyzed my schedules again and panicked slightly before finally boarding a bus, praying that I was going in the right direction. I even asked an old man I was sitting next to if we were stopping at Fureainosato, my stop, and he confirmed with me that I was right.
When I got back safe and sound, using my bus pass, I was very proud of myself. I felt so alive and able to do anything! Take THAT cow-town Lebanon! I could navigate bus systems and public transportation!
When I got home, my host mother asked me what bus I took, and I proudly told her “West Bus 6.” She stared at me for a moment and then cocked an eyebrow. There was a sinking feeling in my gut as she asked me incredulously, “Did you have to pay?” and I slowly shook my head.
As I discovered, my bus pass was only to be used for red Keihan buses, and I had come home in a purple city bus. I thought I was fine, especially since I flashed the bus pass to the driver and they said nothing. Basically, I got a free ride when I wasn’t supposed to, all because the bus driver decided to spare me as an ignorant foreigner. While a part of me was touched by this gesture, I also felt embarrassed. Needless to say, I have learned my lesson and double-check to make sure I will be riding a red bus. Number 26 has been particularly reliable for me, and I am pleased whenever I see its red beauty coming down the road!
Sunday, September 12: I really wanted to hang out with people, but had no means of contacting anyone, since I wasn’t sure when I could use the internet and I had no cell phone. I decided to go out for two reasons – 1.) To practice my commute to school, and 2.) Visit the Shokoku-ji Temple near my campus for class. As an ulterior motive, I was hoping to bump into someone from AKP…
I was happily successful on all these counts. At Imadegawa, there was Rachael sitting outside, reading for class. We chatted about our host families and I started to realize how different families really are. She was meeting Martin Rouse, and when he came we talked some more and then decided to go out for lunch before exploring the temple together. It was nice to share my own experiences and hear about theirs – some things were very different about our families, and yet others were incredibly familiar, especially the food. We all had to deal with giant quantities and were amazed at how fast everything was eaten! It was also interesting to hear how they were getting along with host siblings.
We wandered around for a long time, though we were surprisingly unable to find any place to eat. We almost got lost, and even accidentally stumbled upon the other campus, but eventually found our way back to a main street near Imadegawa after traipsing through back alleys. We purchased food at a convenience store, which we ate on campus. Then, we went to the temple and explored the area a bit. It was REALLY REALLY HOT that day, and we were sweating from all our efforts, so we relaxed at an air-conditioned café called Papa Jon’s, where we drank really expensive but delicious cold drinks – I had a coke float, basically!
From there, we decided to try to find a store called Loft near Shijo Station on the subway line. We had heard from Seanacey that it was a cool store – that was where she had bought the stationary on which we wrote letters to ourselves. We wanted to check it out, but unfortunately, we couldn’t find it! This was the first time I realized how difficult it is to locate anything in Kyoto, even with a map! I think the map that we were given is not very good, though, because many side streets aren’t even drawn up on them and distances are impossible to measure. A lot of roads don’t even have signs giving their names! Even after asking a policeman we were unsuccessful. I felt so silly, too, because we kept second-guessing ourselves and ended up passing that same policeman about three times. I wonder what he was thinking??
We finally parted to go home for dinner, and my mom had been out shopping. She had bought me new slippers to wear in the house that had musical notes on them, since she knew I liked music. She also showed me a flier for a musical event coming up that I will definitely attend! I feel very happy at these little gestures of kindness!
Monday, September 13: The first day of classes, though we all had to go to a Bicycle and Traffic Safety Workshop first. My commute went well and I made it with time to spare! The workshop was conducted by two policewomen who explained the rules of the road in Japanese. I understand most of what they were saying, though some things just went over my head. It was interesting though a bit overwhelming, because bicycle laws are different here since the Japanese drive on the left side of the road.
From there, we were separated into random groups to review Japanese. It was designed so we would have a different teacher every day for the three days of review. Ooyama-sensei was the first one we had, and she was incredibly nice! I was in a group with Becca, Hannah Chan, Stephanie, Kristin, Ila and Kate Bewley. We did introductions again and then reviewed some grammar points and kanji. It was an odd experience for me, since Japanese classes usually trigger survival mode where I must not lean, wear hats, chew gum, eat food and especially not speak in English! This class was very different though, very casual and a pleasant surprise! I couldn’t help but freak out when a girl started speaking English, though I reminded myself of where I was and realized that it was okay! Being in the class also allowed me to analyze different peoples’ skill levels, and I wondered which class I would be placed into at the end of the week. My host parents kept asking me about which class I wanted to be in, and I said whichever one is fine, though my mom was like ‘If you’re in the top one, it’s really hard and you have to study a lot, and the bottom one is a bit embarrassing. Are you sure you don’t mind which one you’re in?’
I honestly didn’t care! If I needed to be in the bottom one then so be it! I definitely had things to improve upon, like kanji! And, to be frank, AKP doesn’t level them in that way. There is no ‘top’ or ‘bottom’ class – students are just grouped together based on their strengths and weaknesses so that teachers can better cater to their needs.
After the Japanese review session, I had an hour for lunch and then my Anthro class. What I said before still applies, in that it seems okay…kind of interesting, but kind of boring at the same time. I wasn’t overly fond of my Anthropology 101 class at Conn, though in a way we are kind of conducting an anthropological study by just being in another culture and trying to fit into it.
Sights and Sites seems much more fascinating. It also helps that the teacher, Jamie Hubbard, is a very energetic and engaging teacher who is obviously obsessed with his subject. He is a cute little man with a silly chuckle who can talk endlessly about his passion for Japanese religious cultures and especially graves! I can’t wait to start going on fieldtrips for the class!
Tuesday, September 14: Not much happened. I had my afternoon off after Japanese and spent it all studying and reading for my classes on Wednesday.
Wednesday, September 15: Classes again. Delving more deeply into our subjects and readings. I checked out a book/DVD/CD/video game store near Imadegawa with some people after classes before heading home. I was lucky because I got home just before it began to rain extremely hard! I didn’t have an umbrella with me, so I was lucky not to get caught in the downpour (which has actually happened several times already. Lucky me!) Over dinner, it was still raining really hard and my host dad looked up in his electronic dictionary how one would comment on the rain in English. He found the familiar expression ‘It’s raining cats and dogs’ and he and mom were both amused and perplexed over it, both knowing the meaning of the words ‘cats’ and ‘dogs’ and trying to understand how it would apply to rain… I could only shrug.
Thursday, September 16: We all had short 15-minute interviews with different Japanese teachers as part of our placement tests, which we would continue on Friday. After that, I met my dad at Katsura Eki, since we had arrangement to travel toward Kyoto Station to pick up a cell phone at a branch where other students had successfully purchased phones without the paperwork the other place needed, for some reason. I had asked him to go with me because I heard that it was easier with a native speaker, since a lot of technical terms would be thrown around. Luckily, my dad was willing and we took a bus to the station. Unfortunately, I had heard that the Softbank we were looking for was near Kyoto Station…though I had no idea of its exact whereabouts. We looked for it for a while, asking a few people who pointed to other people we could go to for directions. Finally, we found it. It was a small outlet that we had actually passed about three times without realizing it was there! I ended up getting my cell phone, though there was a lot of technical jargon that I didn’t understand even when my host dad explained it to me using more accessible vocabulary. Luckily, I have the manual in English so if I have any questions, I can at least consult that!
Friday, September 17: This day started out with placement tests. Let me tell you, it was a brain blast at 9 in the morning! The listening section was first, and we had to write in the particle we heard in a sentence that was spoken very fast. It was so fast that you couldn’t actually think about it. If you stopped to think, you would miss the next one! We did about 50 of those straight off the bat and my brain was buzzing and alive after that intense stimulation! The rest of the test was fine, except that the second part I just had to laugh at! We had to write an essay in Japanese on why we decided to study abroad. I honestly stared at the directions for a moment and almost laughed! I have never written an essay in Japanese in my life! I barely knew enough kanji to suffice! I was able to write something, but I didn’t really use kanji…and the ones I thought I knew I didn’t use either because I kept second-guessing myself (even though they would have been right).
I made it through the test and we had a few hours to kill before we had to meet back in front of the AKP office. We decided, after lunch, to go on a pilgrimage to a store called Book-Off, which sells used DVDs, CDs, videogames and, what I was most excited about, manga! The store was a short walk from campus and after its discovery, I think it might be one of my favorites now, since I ended up buying a manga that’s not available in the States for only ¥105, which is roughly $1.50! Usually, back home, they’re at LEAST $8.00!! It was such an awesome deal!
We met back up at the AKP office and as a large group set off for the subway. From the station we took taxis to the Disaster Prevention Center in the middle of Kyoto. There, we were divided into two groups and were led around this very modern facility. We started off seeing a video of all that was possible at the center, and then we headed into a small movie theater to watch a film on disasters Kyoto has experienced in the past, including fires, earthquakes and typhoons. The video clearly showed its origin date in the 90’s, as it was horribly cheesy and very odd. We were expecting something a little more dramatic and awful, but it started out with this old J-pop song about the wind, and the narrator, speaking in English, was supposed to be the wind that has protected Kyoto for a long time. Uhm…it was kind of lame. There was only a minute or two that sobered us up (since we were giggling a bit at the strangeness), and that was when they were showing actual footage from the earthquake that hit Kobe in 1995 and killed a number of people and nearly destroyed the entire city.
Anyways, from there we headed to this room that simulates winds at typhoon speeds – 33 meters/second. Four people stand in this glass room behind railings and get wind blasted from a turbine in the wall at their face. It was quite insane! Even at half of the top speed, it was so fast and I gripped the railing for support! We were all wearing goggles and luckily my hair was up or it would have been pelting me in the face with the force of the wind. It was hot and loud and we were all screaming since the lights also dimmed and we really felt like we were in the middle of a storm! Of course, we did not experience the torrential rain or objects blowing about that would normally happen, but we got the gist and it was certainly a rush!
We next went to a room that simulates an earthquake. Four people could go in at a time and had to sit at a western kitchen table. Then the whole room is designed to shake really hard at a magnitude of 7. When you feel it start, you duck under the table and fit as much of you as you can, especially your head. We were then told that we would have a ten second interval to turn off three buttons that represent two stove burners and a heating lamp (which should be turned off to prevent fire), and to open the door a crack (which would be done in case of the building collapse. If the door is closed, and something falls on it, it could get twisted and then you have no means of escape). We all raced up and got everything done and then WHOOSH back under the table to ride out the aftershock. It was really fun, though our center guide told us some sobering facts. Apparently, a lot of people end up dying because they try to go prevent fires and race out from their position of safety only to get hit by heavy furniture. All I can say is that I really hope we don’t have a large earthquake while I am here! We don’t even have a tall kitchen table under which to hide! We could maybe fit our heads, but after that?? I would be petrified! Our guide told us that, preventing fires is good, but first and foremost you need to protect yourself and your own life. That would probably be my main concern…I would be terrified of judging the time interval you have between the earthquake and the aftershock. GAHHH!!
After that fun little simulation, we went upstairs to a room where we watched a demonstration of how you should exit a hotel in case of fire. There were two couples – one that was prepared and escaped, and the other stupid and ignorant and stuck in their room as the hotel is burning. We then got to enter a small maze filled with sweet-smelling, non-toxic smoke and try to follow the correct example on how to escape. The maze was really small and full of different doors to throw us off, and some routes were dead-ends because there were computer-generated fires burning there. It was actually really easy to figure out and we were shocked at how quickly we got through it.
Our last firsthand experience involved using a fire extinguisher. Since we were just practicing, they were filled only with water. There was a screen on the far wall that showed different situations of fire starting – papers blew into a heating lamp, a woman neglected her cooking for too long and the oil she was using caught on fire, and a man discarded a cigarette in a warehouse full of clothing – and, divided into groups, we had to aim our extinguishers at the screen and ‘put out’ the fire. If we were hitting the correct spots, the fire died down and then was properly extinguished. However, if you did it wrong, like the first group, the fire spread and you failed the game.
Overall, the center was really fun and I do feel like I learned some useful information. I just hope I never have to put this knowledge to the test!
After that, we all headed back to the AKP office to see the results of our placement tests and to see if we had any homework. I ended up in a class with Ooyama-sensei, my favorite, though they were all incredibly kind! I was very glad to have her, and also to have Becca (unsurprisingly) and Ila in my class! It should be fun! Now we just need to think about what we want to work on. I am going to suggest kanji, but in a fun way, and perhaps vocabulary and memorization skills.
From there, I went with Simon to find a larger Book-Off in Sanjo. When we got there, we looked around for a restaurant first, since the Book-Off was actually part of the station. We ended up buying food at a convenience store and eating along the Kamogawa River. It was really nice and we had a lot of fun just chatting and enjoying the sights and the cooler weather. We probably looked very much like a couple, since that’s apparently what everyone does alongside the river!
Saturday, September 18: Simon, Becky and I met up at the International Manga Museum in Kyoto, which we had seen on the map and knew we had to go to. When we got there, it was very silly. There’s a courtyard fenced off toward the side and there were a bunch of really good cosplayers gathering there, dressed as all kinds of characters. A lot of them had brought very professional-like cameras and tripods and were taking pictures of each other. It was interesting to say the least, and I was excited to spot some characters that I knew!
The museum was FULL of manga, from floor to ceiling! The pamphlet we got said the museum houses over 300,000 volumes of manga from as early as the 60’s to present day. There was a section on manga from around the world, including English volumes of Japanese manga sold in the States. There were also exhibits of how one draws manga and its stats today. There wasn’t much to do since it was geared around visitors picking up random manga from the shelves and just reading it. I was really overwhelmed and we couldn’t really read in Japanese, so we just decided to explore the whole place.
At one point, we ended up attending what is called a ‘kami-shibai’ or picture show. It was definitely more for children, but there were adults there too. A museum employee, dressed in a casual kimono, then started off with crazy Japanese in alternately loud and soft voices, making the kids giggle. There was a quiz at first, and whoever answered got to choose a prize – for the kids, there were all kinds of manga stickers etc. and for adults there were pretty plastic rings with shiny fake stones. The next part was a story told through pictures. The man performing it knew we were foreigners and was kind enough to show additionally the same pictures with English subtitles.
It was a rather silly and eccentric performance, but it was wonderful! I understood some of the Japanese mostly from the pictures and his actions as he acted it out. At several points, he gave this booming, chuckling laugh that the main character did every time he was coming to save someone. The man had us all laugh like that, and he got in some people’s faces as he boomed out laughing like that. He even came and got right in my face as we all just kept laughing ridiculously! It was a really awesome event and I’m glad we stumbled upon it and attended!
From there, we hit the shopping district of Teramachi Street in Sanjo/Shijo. We ended up finding Loft this time, and also what is called a Neko Café – a café where cats roam around and you pay to play with them for a certain amount of time. I definitely want to go there eventually, when I need a petting-cat fix!
We had a lot of different food, including expensive but delicious parfaits, and saw some weird things. There was a foreigner dressed up in a suit that looked as if it was being buffeted by a giant wind, but he was just standing still, frozen in place like a statue getting pelted by invisible wind. A lot of people stopped to take pictures as we wondered why he was doing it. Publicity stunt? Was he getting any money out of this?
Seeing as we were a bit tired from walking around, we decided to see a movie, and luckily Studio Ghibli’s latest movie, Karigurashi no Arriety, was still in theaters! Paying for the movie was interesting, as we had to go to the same ticket counter otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to sit together. At Japanese cinemas, you actually have to choose your seats and you get your seat numbers! Who knew?
The movie was really great and I enjoyed it immensely! Even though it was entirely in Japanese, I understood most of what was going on, and the visual elements certainly helped! The story was really cute! I loved it! The only thing that slightly soured the evening was that, the ONE preview before the movie was for – get this – Twilight: Eclipse. Oh kill me.
Sunday, September 19: A bunch of us (Me, Simon, Becky, Audrey, Ila and Faith) decided to meet to go see the Heian Jingu shrine, because apparently it was the one day of the year that it had free admission (or something like that…) We got to the shrine after passing under this immense torii (Shinto gate) that was at least thirty stories tall. Right before the shrine grounds, we went to purify ourselves and that’s when a marvelous coincidence occurred.
Just as we were about to enter the shrine, a group of Japanese university students approached us and asked, in English, if we spoke English. We got to chatting and they told us that, to practice their English, they wanted to give us a tour of the place. Apparently, they are all part of a national English club, and met today for this very purpose. There was about 8 of them in total, so we ended up pairing off and heading toward the inner temple grounds. The one I was with was named Masuda Akinori. He probably spoke the best English of the bunch, and was most outgoing. Many of the others were shy, but we were all encouraging and patient listeners.
I learned from Akinori that, the best offering to give at the shrine was a five-yen coin, because the word go-en (5 yen) also means good luck. So, we all went through the ritual offering, and it made me feel better that the girls I performed it with weren’t completely sure how to do what I had just learned! We got through it together and then headed into the gardens, which were immense and beautiful!
It was on our long walk through here that we really began to talk with them. I was really open with them, and was completely myself! It was fun spending time with them and helping them practice their English. Sometimes, I spoke Japanese as well, and they seemed a bit surprised at that. We learned a lot of basic information about each other it was really awesome!
The gardens were also gorgeous, even without many blossoms, though I could tell it would double in beauty in the spring. We crossed over stepping stones and saw beautiful trees and paths and at one point even passed by a wedding, which was mostly just a bride and groom in kimono getting their photos taken by professional photographers. I wasn’t sure about it, but some people actually stopped and took their own photos of the couple! It’s like they were on display for us tourists…haha! They were beautiful as well!
By the end, we were all really hot but content. I think they all really warmed up to us in the end, because we were being so sincere. We exchanged contact information after taking a group shot, and then we left to go get lunch.
I got a message on my phone later from Akinori and it made me very happy. It said: ‘Thank you very much for joining us today!! I had a very good time talking with you!! I’m a student of “Tokyo University of Foreign Studies” and belong to the club, “English Speaking Society.” So when you come to Tokyo, please send me E-mail!!! We are willing to guide you around Tokyo! Bye! Sorry for poor English.”
Aww so sweet! Considering how many different peoples’ contact information I have already received, I guess making friends is not too hard, as long as you actually get together with them again! I will definitely look him up when we eventually travel to Tokyo!
We left the swarm of tourists and our lovely Japanese guides behind and headed toward a restaurant. We came to an udon (thick noodles) restaurant and decided to try it. Unbeknownst to us, it was a very small place, and it was traditional sitting! We sat on cushions on tatami mats with small tables. It was a bit uncomfortable and cramped, but a good experience. The food was tasty, albeit a bit pricey, but it was worth it.
From there, Audrey and Becky were a bit tired and headed home while the rest of us decided to go to the Kyoto Zoo! It was very hot and a lot of the animals were sleeping in the shade. Our favorite was this badger that was literally sleeping in his water dish. The contentment on its face was priceless!
There were baby tigers, and large snakes, and lions and elephants and giraffes and zebras… I haven’t been to a zoo in forever so I relished this experience again, feeling very much like a kid amongst hundreds of families and their children that were also visiting the zoo. I felt bad for some of the animals, though, since their cages seemed so small and unclean… The heat is probably what made it smell a little bit too…
It was really fun though and I’m glad I did it, even though I came home with a rather nasty sunburn on the back of my neck!
So today is Monday, September 20, Respect for the Aged Day. I have been lounging around, getting this huge long thing typed up and vowing to not get so behind again. I plan to only update now when I do something interesting, so we’ll have to see what happens!
Thanks for reading! Let me know if you have any questions!
