August 10, 2011

(trash = garakuta, party = enkai)

I am so completely exhausted! I’m taking a break from attempting to separate the trash (garakuta). This is a big deal in Japan. I’ve read and heard horror stories of the friendly Japanese neighbor coming over and wagging a finger if the trash is not separated correctly. There are a couple of factors that have made this job slightly more difficult than it should be. 1) The instructions for separating trash are in Japanese. 2) At the moment I don’t know how to read Japanese characters. 3) I’m slightly nauseous after the enkai last night. 4) The trash has been piling up since Gordon and I arrived…its not pretty. Lets just say I’ve been exposed to more mold in the past half hour than I have been in my entire life thus far :(. 

So much trash, so little time.

Trash instructions. I'm not a rocket scientist, but I think you have to be one to understand this.

Gordon and I did end up finding a car the other day. However, the car dealer had to make some exceptions for the broke and naïve Americans. They expected us to have all the money for the car then and there. We were supposed to drop 300,000 yen. That wasn’t going to happen especially when Gordon and I were under the impression that the BOE (Board of Education) was going to purchase the car and we would pay that back in monthly installments. SO, with a little negotiating and some help from Endo, her sister and her sister’s Australian husband (our translator/mate) we are going to be paying off the car in 3 installments.

I’m sure you’re wondering what kind of car we got? Well, we went expecting to hopefully get a four-door car with four seats (in hopes we’d have friends/visitors to transport around). So we looked at a Honda for a while that was a three-door and then “IT” happened. Endo and her sister zeroed in on the car they wanted for us. They obviously got excited when they saw it because their eyes lit up like fireworks on the fourth of July. It was the van to beat all “mom” vans. A Nissan Largo. With racing or, as I learned, “highway stripes”. Hawt. Now at first I was skeptical. I couldn’t picture Gordon and I (well mainly Gordon, I’m too scared to drive here) navigating the tiny streets in Tonosho in a Texas sized van. But one look inside and I was sold. The van can fit a total of 7 people. There are four sky windows (yes, four. I counted.) and the seats look rather comfortable. Plus we got it for the same price we were going to get the Honda. Why not get a bigger (and nicer car) if you’re going to pay the same price? So, we will drive the car off the lot (hopefully) before Gordon starts teaching, at the end of August. FREEDOM! Watch out Tonosho! The mommy van is gonna get ya! If the people of Tonosho don’t know Gordon and I by now, they will when they see us cruising around town in our new ride. One other thing, the van has a cassette player. How old school is that?! But because of our American charm (or maybe it was the begging and pleading done by Endo) we’re getting a CD player installed at no extra cost.

Last night, Gordon and I got to experience our first Japanese enkai (party). Traditionally there is lots of food, drinks and socializing. This is the chance for Japanese people to let their guards down and have a good time. A Choshi Plaza Hotel bus picked up the aomugikai group (a social club Gordon and I now belong to) at the Tonosho Town Hall at 6:00 pm. Choshi is about 30 minutes away from Tonosho and is the eastern most city in Japan. Choshi is famous for its fish market. We arrived at the Choshi Hotel around 7ish. Hideki Ito, the aogmugikai clerk/organizer, speaks a fair amount of English and was our translator for the night.

We ate at a long table (there were about 20-30 people in total) on the rooftop of the Choshi Hotel. It was a beautiful evening and the weather was perfect for eating outside. There were three cooking stations at the table and several plates of food for us to cook. There was cabbage, eggplant, bean sprouts, pork and beef. We could also order off a menu and they would bring food out to us.

Hideki told us we would have to make a short speech that was customary at these types of gatherings. Gordon told everyone he was excited to be there and thanked everyone for letting us be a part of their group. I said about the same thing. At first everyone was shy and just talked to the person next to them. Hideki kept saying that Japanese people are extremely shy. I thought this was weird given that fact that Gordon and I were the new faces and the ones that needed to be accepted. After a few drinks and once everyone got some food in them, people started to open up. Everyone was very interested in why Gordon and I were together (what characteristics we liked about each other, how we met, etc.). As the night went on everyone was laughing and there was a big circle of people around Gordon and I. We talked about the differences between America and Japan, the presidential campaign in the U.S. and what types of sports/activities we liked. Gordon and I had an amazing time getting to know everyone and really enjoyed our first enkai.

Gordon and Tako (aka "Bruce Willis") at the Choshi Plaza Hotel.

Gordon and Hideki.

Having way too much fun...and making new friends :)

August 6, 2011

(summer = natsu, festival = matsuri, city = shi)

Today is the summer (natsu) festival in Omigawa and Tonosho. Gordon and I got up this morning, ate breakfast and decided to walk around Tonosho. We walked past the park where the sumo wrestlers practice and walked to the train station near us. We can walk to most of the necessary places in Tonosho: the dry cleaners, convenience stores, gas stations and the grocery store. We stopped in Family Mart and bought a Coke to drink while we walked around. It was hot, humid and there were a couple of rain clouds in the sky. It’s a little difficult walking from place to place because there aren’t really sidewalks. There’s just a narrow area of the road that’s technically a drainage area for water (cement blocks with holes every so often). We stopped in the local grocery store before heading home. There were lots of people doing their shopping. We decided to pick up a few things. We bought creamer (in the little disposable containers), cereal (coco crispy type things) and chips that taste and look like French fries (Gordon’s nephews told us about these things, there’s a giraffe on the container :). 

Yummy!

2:30 pm

We are currently getting ready to leave the house and head to Omigawa where the festival (matsuri) is taking place. Gordon is writing in his journal, trying to write down all the things that have happened here thus far. We’ve been talking about some of the weekend trips we might be making. Sometime in September we want to go to Chiba City (shi) to visit Gordon’s predecessor, Patrick. Chiba is probably one of the closest bigger cities to Tonosho. They have a Starbucks (need I say more?) Tomorrow we are going car (kuruma) shopping! There are two types of cars in Japan, yellow tag and white tag cars. Yellow tags are smaller, more gas efficient and are used for driving around town. White tags are usually bigger (or nicer), less gas efficient and you can make road trips with them. Obviously we want a nice car and even though the yellow tags are more common (and very compact and cute) a white tag car might be better for us. However the car we get depends on the price and because of the earthquake/tsunami there is a shortage of cars. That means prices for new AND used cars have gone up. We might end up with a moped, hahaha!

Endo-san conned Gordon into dressing up as a Kabuki theater character at the festival.

AHHH!

Real Kabuki characters.

Gordon (still in character) eating cold bean soup with sticky rice balls.

Gordon and Endo-san walking down the hill from the festival (they are both eating cucumbers on a stick).

August 5, 2011

(chopsticks = hashi, salad = sarada)

This morning Gordon and I woke up around 5:00 am and decided to go on a morning walk. We walked around Tonosho and down some side streets where we could see some of the beautiful Japanese homes here. The bushes, plants and gardens surrounding each home are well manicured and are amazing to look at. It was humid out and a little foggy, but it was nice to get some exercise.

Beautiful flowers are everywhere. These remind me of my mom.

Standing beside one of the many rice paddies in Tonosho.

Gordon looking out over an expansive field of rice paddies.

 We came back to the apartment and ate ramen for breakfast and had coffee. Gordon was reading the Japan Times (he’s getting a free trial) and I decided to search the apartment for a Japanese-English dictionary. You would think in an apartment previously occupied by former JETs/ALTs that there would be several dictionaries lying around. Well, I didn’t find one, BUT I did find two guitars. Let me explain. Because the apartment has had several other occupants, stuff/junk/wonderful treasures have accumulated over time. There are several closets upstairs that can hold quite a bit of stuff. I haven’t gotten the chance to go through the closets yet, mainly because the air conditioner isn’t working upstairs :(. It gets REALLY hot during the day. 

So, I opened one of the closets looking for a dictionary and was pleasantly surprised to find an acoustic guitar instead. I was immediately over come with joy and the first thought that popped into my head was, “I can learn how to play the guitar!!!” I grabbed the guitar and hurried downstairs to show Gordon. He thought it was cool and couldn’t believe a random guitar was hiding upstairs (I also would like to think he was a little jealous/impressed that I was/am about to become an amazing guitarist). As if finding one guitar wasn’t enough (upon closer inspection the guitar is a Yamaha) I went upstairs to search for more treasures (a dictionary being the furthest thing from my mind…there’s GOLD in them there hills!). I saw a guitar case/bag and decided to bring that down to show Gordon where I would store my awesome new guitar, but when I went to pick it up it was heavy. Something was in it! HAHA!  Drum roll please…an electric guitar. Now the first thing that came to my mind was, “I’m going to start a Japanese punk band.” I rushed downstairs once more and revealed the treasure to Gordon. Once again, he was amazed and thought I was weird especially when I started to strum the guitar and then started wailing on it (it wasn’t pretty…I can’t play yet). The electric guitar is a brand I’ve never heard of, which isn’t saying much considering I know little about guitars, it’s a Fernandes. That sounds Spanish. Needless-to-say, I now have a new hobby.

Last night, Gordon and I went out with our landlord (who we lovingly refer to as “Mr. Miyagi”…seriously, he has a gray goatee, hair down to his shoulders and wears glasses that flip up and keeps them flipped up) to eat a Japanese meal. He (Mr. Ishi) arrived at our door promptly at 7 pm and motioned us to follow him. He speaks very little English. We got in his van, which was quite spacious, and he proceeded to drive us somewhere. Gordon and I had no idea where we were going. Once again, I felt like I was in a Japanese movie.

We arrived at what looked like a restaurant. Mr. Ishi told us to go inside. It was a small Japanese restaurant with a bar and one table. At the table sat Mr. Ishi’s son and we sat down across from him and Mr. Ishi. There were two plates already on the table loaded with sashimi (tuna, snapper, octopus and other fish). Mr. Ishi ordered Gordon and I beers, Asahi beer, and said, “Dozo” (after you). We picked up our chopsticks (hashi) and Mr. Ishi and his son were very impressed that we knew how to use them. Dinner was amazing. At Japanese restaurants the food comes out plate by plate. The next thing we were served was a long plate with different sections. There was sesame tofu (a block of dark colored tofu), a scallop with cod roe on top, egg salad and a slice of pork. Then we were served a roll with beef stew inside and then boiled spearfish, which was my favorite (it tasted just like the tuna my Granddad makes) and then beef and fried rice. Everything was delicious!

Luckily Mr. Ishi's son studied English at University and could understand most of what we said. There was a tv in the restaurant and the show “Bloody Mary” was on. The show consisted of a panel of Japanese comedians who were watching people get the living daylights scared out of them. They would watch a film of people in scary situations (in a haunted house, etc.) and make comments. It was intriguing and freaky at the same time. Everyone at our table laughed several times especially when something really scary happened because a huge “REPLAY” would appear on the screen so you could watch the madness unfold again.

Our conversation at dinner consisted of baseball, the food we were eating, alcohol and the town of Tonosho. The night ended with Gordon and I presenting Mr. Ishi with a gift, salad (sarada) dressing from home.

While Gordon is at work I’m going to go over to the nursery school to play with the kids. Mr. Ishi and his daughter Aki invited me to come whenever I want to. I’m going to take some stickers and a bag of M&Ms. Those kids are going to love me…even if I have to buy their love!

11:00 am (child = kodomo, a little = sukoshi)

I just got back from playing with the nursery school kids. I was there for 2 hours and had so much fun! At 9:00 am I walked across the street to the school and asked for Aki. Aki showed me around and walked me past each classroom and told me the ages of each of the kids. There was a classroom for infants (only 2 are in that classroom) and a separate classroom for 1 year olds, 2, 3 and 4 year olds and I was placed in the classroom with the 5 year olds. The 5 year olds learn some English twice a month. The teachers at the school probably thought I needed all the help I could get! To say the children were adorable is an understatement. They were too cute!

I walked up to the classroom and took off my shoes. One of the kids ran into the classroom and brought me some slippers to wear. Once I was in the classroom kids started coming up to me and trying out their English. They would say, “My name is….” I tried my best to listen to their names and repeat them. They also knew “Good morning” and “hello”. One girl knew quite a bit of English and would point to objects/pictures around the classroom and tell me their names like “egg”, “airplane” and “elephant”.

There were about 16 kids in the classroom, but close to 70 or more children at the nursery school in total. I had a hard time pronouncing the teacher’s name and it came out Toshi-san and she laughed and said that was good enough. She spoke only as much English as the kids, but we could communicate enough to understand each other.

I started playing with building block pieces and most of the kids joined in. They would rattle off Japanese expecting me to understand, but weren’t bothered by whether or not I knew what they were talking about. Toshi-san then called them over to sit down by the piano and sing. Toshi-san played the piano very well and the kids sang two songs, one of them being Bibbity bobbity boo from Cinderella, so I joined in.  The kids also knew the Mickey Mouse song. Toshi-san called role and after she said each kids’ name they would reply, “Hai, genki desu” (Yes, I’m well), so when she called my name I raised my hand and did the same. She then told the kids what I had brought them and let me give each of them a sticker and she gave them each a handful of M&Ms. They held up an M&M and told me in English what color it was. Then I asked what the color was in Japanese and they told me. The only colors I remember are blue, “ao” (pronounced “ah-o") and red, “aka”.

Next, it was time for “Latin Percussion”! The kids gathered around different types of drums. Each child (kodomo) knew his or her place and Toshi-san gave me a tambourine. Toshi-san got on the piano and played a tune and the kids knew exactly what to do. They had better rhythm than I did. They beat the drums to two different songs and I tried my best not to make myself look bad and tried to keep up with the beat.

After that we all went outside to play with all the other kids. Every child put on a cute cap that was a different color and showed what classroom they belonged to. The teachers wore hats also and Toshi-san gave me one to wear. I walked around and played with the kids. We kicked a ball around, played in the sand, played rock, paper, scissors and had thumb wars. Several of the children would follow me around and one girl in particular held my hand most of the time and refused to let go.  Toshi-san let me hold one of the infants. He was the cutest little boy and seemed a little (sukoshi) confused and perplexed by me. 11:00 came quick and it was time for me to leave and time for the kids to take their naps and then eat lunch. I said good-bye to the kids and thanked Toshi-san. The kids waved good-bye to me as I left.

My second trip to the nursery. Everyone was fishing!

Little girls playing house.

 

August 4, 2011

Since arriving in Tonosho it’s been a whirlwind. I started to notice the change when Gordon and I arrived at the airport in Detroit.

At the Detroit airport.

Unlike the airport in Charleston there were a lot more people traveling to other parts of the world. I would glance at a gate, see the destination and then look at the people waiting. If the destination was Shanghi, the people were mostly of Asian descent. This seems pretty obvious, but it was my first introduction to what life was going to be like as the minority. When Gordon and I got to our gate most of the people waiting there were Japanese. I felt even more isolated not having a cell phone and had to use a pay phone to update my mom on my flight and how I was doing. This was my first flight to another country.

We didn’t wait for long before it was time to board the plane. The plane was a two-level plane and could carry many people. We found our seats and settled in for the flight.The flight wasn’t too bad. I knew it was going to be long so I prepared myself. I got to eat airplane food for the first time. It actually wasn’t that bad. I choose the vegetarian selection, which was pasta in tomato sauce, a roll and a salad. I tried to sleep most of the flight especially because I stayed up all night packing and double-checking everything I had packed.

When we started our descent I opened up the window to see Japan for the first time. It was one of the most amazing sights I had ever seen. I had been studying the map of Japan and specifically Tonosho for some time and I automatically knew what part of Japan we were flying over. We flew over the eastern most tip of Japan, over the Tone River and over our new home, the town of Tonosho. It was awesome getting to see where we’d be staying before we even touched the ground. All I could see was tiny groups of houses, the river and miles and miles of rice paddy fields. It wasn’t long after that we touched down at Narita airport.

We’ve been in Tonosho for three days now and the transition has been easier than I thought. Half the time I feel like I’m in a Japanese foreign film walking around in a town I would only normally see in the movies. Nothing is in English except for the occasional word on a sign like “café” or “shop”. The night Gordon and I arrived, his supervisor, Endo-san, her sister and her sister’s husband picked us up from the airport. They were worried about us taking the train home and went out of their way to pick us up. Endo’s brother-in-law is from Australia and has been living in Japan for the past 20 years. He came to Japan to teach English and never left. It was a blessing having him there because he was the only person who spoke English. On the drive to Tonosho, he talked to Gordon and I about the earthquake and tsunami and the towns near us that were affected. Thankfully, Tonosho was barely touched. Miraculously only a few roads were cracked (Gordon and I would later see these roads on a run alongside the rice paddies).

Gordon and I arrived on the night a festival was taking place. Fireworks were being shot off from the Tone River and before we got to Tonosho Endo-san stopped the car and we watched the fireworks from the steps of a local high school. I was still trying to take everything in. I was watching the people around us and saw the cutest little Japanese girl. She was pulling a puppy, a baby dachshund, around on a leash (well, basically dragging it) and the dog lead her over to me and I pet it. Then like a scene from some scary insect movie, the biggest beetle I’ve ever seen fell from the light pole it was buzzing around and down onto the pavement. The little girl, being curious, dragged her puppy over to investigate. The puppy sniffed it and the bug, startled, flew across the pavement on its back and into a nearby bush. I was worried from that point on I’d find some mammoth sized beetle in the apartment and thought immediately about investing in some industrial strength insect killer. Luckily, that’s been my only encounter (so far) with an insect that size.

The fireworks were an amazing start/welcome to life in Japan. When they were finished Endo-san took us to our apartment. Gordon and I thanked her and went inside to unpack and get to bed. The apartment was just as I imagined it and even a little bigger than I expected. There’s a kitchen, living room and bathroom downstairs and upstairs there are two bedrooms and a small balcony. Gordon and I were exhausted so we quickly got ready for bed, set the alarm and went to sleep.

Our first morning in Tonosho, I woke up to a rooster crowing. Yes, a rooster woke me up. That was my signal that Gordon and I were in the Japanese countryside. I went out on the porch to investigate and sure enough, I couldn’t see him, but from the sound of it he lives in the house behind our apartment. It turns out that roosters like to crow at the first sight of daylight, so I ended up waking up around 4:15 am.

Gordon and I had plenty of time to get ready before we had to be at Tonosho town hall at 8:30 am. We searched for some food for breakfast, I made coffee, and we took a shower and got dressed. Lucky for us, town hall is only a 10 minute walk from the apartment. We left the apartment at 8:00 am got turned around, but finally got on the right track. Our landlord also happens to own/run the nursery school right across from our apartment so Gordon and I got to see all the little kids hurrying in with their parents. As we passed people on the street they smiled and greeted us with “Ohayo gozaimasu!” (Good morning) and Gordon and I said the same back. We were officially part of the town. Gordon and I arrived at town hall hot and sweaty from our walk. 

Gordon outside of Tonosho Town Hall.

Unfortunately, town hall wasn’t any cooler than outside due to Japan’s efforts to save energy by reducing the energy they use. But Gordon and I got used to the temperature and were introduced to everyone in the office. I got to meet Fumiko Suzuki, one of the only people in Tonosho who can speak English.

Endo-san took Gordon and I on a tour of the town. We went to the bank first to exchange our American cash for yen. After that we went to the grocery store (keep in mind everything is in Japanese) and Gordon and I shopped for items to carry us through the week. We bought lots of ramen (there is a whole aisle dedicated to ramen) and other essentials such as milk, bread and bottled water. 

YEAH! RAMEN!

It was challenging figuring out what we were buying because some of the items don’t have pictures. 

Gordon wondering down the ramen aisle.

We tried buying half and half for coffee, but ended up with low fat milk because we couldn’t tell the difference! Endo-san knew we were exhausted from traveling and from our first day in Tonosho so she let us go home early (around 3:00 pm).

July 26-27, 2011

The first morning I awoke around 4:15. The sun was already rising! This really is the land of the rising sun! I couldn’t get back to sleep, so I located the hotel gym on the 7^th floor. I hopped on a treadmill that looked like it was made in the 1990’s. After finally figuring out how to use it (buttons were all in Japanese) I had a nice run with a view of some buildings in downtown Tokyo. I definitely needed the workout after many hours of sitting down on the 13-hour flight. For breakfast, the hotel had French fries, salad, steamed vegetables, ham, fruit and cereal. A strange assortment but I was happy to get some food in my stomach.  At another station they had milk, orange juice, tea and coffee. The orange juice and milk were in little glasses. I drank six or seven glasses of orange juice and wondered if the Japanese hotel staff thought anything of it...The orientation was full of seminars on everything from “Japanese etiquette” to “Driving and living in rural Japan”. After the opening ceremony (there’s always some form of opening and closing ceremony in Japan for everything) they even had a short lesson on how to bow. There’s more to it than you would think!

The morning of the 26^th I decided to go for a jog outside the hotel. I made sure to stay fairly close, as I figured it could be easy to get lost in Tokyo. In-between sessions, I ran into Nathan, from the first flight to Dallas. It was good to see a friendly face. We decided to take a walk outside and explore. I have to say it ranks as one of the most exciting walks I’ve ever taken…the infrastructure is on a smaller scale, the Japanese characters, the different smells as we walked by restaurants, the styles of the people (I saw one girl who looked like a giant toy doll. Kinda scary.) and the little shops. That evening the U.S. Ambassador, John Roos, came and talked to all of the American JETs. His key point was that we were all ambassadors and that we should strive to represent the US well, especially during this crucial time for Japan. Later that night I went out with a couple guys and explored. We decided on a curry place to eat, called C&C. My first Japanese restaurant! This little curry cafe had a vending machine-looking box as we walked in. I couldn’t read what it said, but it had pictures. I inserted 500 yen and pushed the button for chicken and curry. I sat down at the counter and handed one of the young girls the ticket from the ticket box. She held up a sign with different spiciness levels and I picked the hottest one. Only a few minutes later and my food was ready, and it was delicious! A fried chicken cutlet over steamed white rice and curry on the side. Pleasantly surprised! The two guys I was with had studied in Japan together a couple years back, but I felt like a little kid, taking everything in and mesmerized by all the lights, people, food and shops. I also couldn’t help but shake the feeling that it was incredible, yet a little random, to find myself in the heart of Tokyo—a place I can’t say I ever expected to visit at this point in my life. Let the adventure begin!

July 23-24, 2011

Victor and I had a wake-up call set for 4:30 am. I think the ringer on the phone for the wake-up call is made to be louder than regular calls, at least that’s the way it seemed! We made it downstairs by 5 and caught the next shuttle bus to the airport. From Atlanta we flew to Dallas. I sat in an aisle seat and had a great conversation with Nathan and Frank, two JET Participants who sat next to me. On the next flight to Japan, I sat next to another JET Participant, but he didn’t seem too keen on having much conversation. He seemed more interested in listening to Japanese music (which the flight offered) or reading his Japanese novel. The first flight seemed short and I had fun talking with my two new friends. It seemed there would be no good conversation on the much longer flight to Japan. But I wasn’t totally out of luck. At the beginning of the flight, one of the flight attendants rolled by with a cart full of national and international newspapers—for free. That’s when I knew the flight would be ok. I gladly helped myself to an International Herald Tribune. To break up the long trip, the American Airlines flight had a TV on every seat, with games, music and movies. The flight also had three meals, snacks and drinks.

The flight arrived at Narita International Airport July 24. I left Dallas with daylight and arrived in Japan during daylight. Let the jetlag begin! Standing in the long immigration line, with English, Australians, Chinese and other citizens from around the world, I was both excited and exhausted. Immigration was painless and the officials at the airport were pretty helpful. Orientation volunteers from the JET Program had on pink t-shirts and greeted us after we picked up our luggage. From the airport, all JET Participants took buses downtown Tokyo to the Keio Plaza Hotel. I checked in with the JET Program in a large room on the second floor, grabbed my orientation bag, room key and other documents and headed to my room for some much needed sleep.

July 22, 2011

On July 22 I drove to Atlanta in a rental car. It was a brand new Ford Focus and I thought it was fun to drive. A little less than six hours later I dropped it off at the Atlanta-Hartsfield International Airport and then took a shuttle bus to the hotel where the new JET Participants would soon meet for orientation and a reception. I shared a room at the Crowne Plaza Hotel with Victor Pope, who would also be placed in Chiba Prefecture…coincidence? The orientation was chalk full of information on just about anything you can imagine about living and working in Japan. I tried to take good notes. Before the reception, the Consulate General of the Japanese Consulate in Atlanta spoke. He thanked all JET Participants for deciding to travel to Japan, considering the awful earthquake and tsunami that ravaged the Tohoku region just a few months prior. He was not only thankful that we still wanted to promote internationalization, teach English and build friendships in Japan, but graciously expressed to us that the spirits would be raised of his fellow Japanese when they see that Americans still want to travel and live in Japan and help the Japanese people in any way we could.