Japan Reflections

A lot has happened in the past week. Last wednesday I went to Kichijoji with Dave because he heard good things about the place. As we were walking to the appropriate line in Shinjuku station a Japanese man comes out of nowhere and asks us where we are going, in English. We tell him and he starts walking the right way. I can't really say we followed him because we knew the way to get there. At the ticket booth he shows us the right stop, point out the fare and asks for my money. I pull out of 500 yen coin and he puts it in the machine and buys two tickets. Then he says this 220 is mine now right? At this point I immediately start talking Japanese and tell him that is hot how it works here. We knew and to get here on our own, and did not need your help. Then he says ok just 100yen. I still refused but then he asked simply for 20yen. Upon such a pitiful request I acquiesced, because he probably needed it more than I did. The weirdest part about the whole thing was his hand covered in bandaids.

After getting out of the kichijoji station we started walking down a street and the first that I noticed were the buses driving towards us. The street was barely wide enough for them to pass and there were about 5 or 6 all in a row. A bit odd, and bothersome at the same time. The first thing of significance was a bookstore that Dave spotted. It was small and intriguing so we decided to go in. Inside were many books and manga of very unusual contents. These seem to mirror part of the bizarre Japanese way of thinking that I have only been aware for too long now. He showed us a guidebook of underground culture around the world, which included a page about his store. But he suggested if we want to go the best store we must travel to Nakano, which is he more famous than his store he said. Me and Dave decided to check that out at some point.

We continued from the book store and found a custom shirt store whose slogan is: "A good many stimulating clothes exist in this store." My purchase was a green shirt with a cartoon crocodile on it. It reads, " Noisy Calmness. The crocodile walks lovely freely and easily." An outstanding example of the stupendous English of Japan, this is.

From there Dave was getting a bit hungry so upon seeing the restaurant named pancake days he decided he had to go in. Sure they had pancakes but nothing really stood out on the menu. He said you can sit and watch me eat but I'm going in anyways. So we enter, and after a closer examination of the menu I see a BLT. Keep in mind that everything here is pancakes, so thats what you got instead of bread. Not only were the pancakes perfect but what we received was not quite bacon, but delicious thick cuts of meat. This sandwich beats any BLT in existence. to top it all of was the smiley face seared into the upper pancake. Like many restaurants in Japan they serve you pathetically small water glasses. Dave is a drinker, so it was particularly insufficient for his satisfaction. I told him to express his thoughts to the cashier, who happened to be pretty cute, but he thought it was rude, so I decided to. I told her, in Japanese, "The size of this water glass is unsatisfactory." She laughed and said so its would be better if it were larger? (Followed by apology: sumimasen (obligatory, especially when you havent actually done anything wrong)). We paid and left, I would like to enjoy their pancakes again.

From there we continued walking outside and came upon inokashira koen, a very large park. I wanted to take a picture there, but alas, I forgot my tripod so in such a dark environment it was completely impossible. We spotted two people off in the distance practicing martial arts and stopped to watch. I accidentally stepped on a stick and if we were hiding in fear of our lives we would have died, because that sound was impossibly loud. They werent a very exciting event to watch so I told Dave he should attack them and then things would get interesting. Fortunately for him hes not that stupid. After a bit more of a stroll we decided to head back.

Walking between the parks edge and the road we spied two cats in the grass. We went to approach them but they would run away. We are not the type to give up so easily so we followed, as they ran through a path stomped into the ground. Out of the darkness two more cats appeared along the path and joined the fleeing procession. Eventually they led us to an opening with a pedestrian bridge. We noticed two guys with guitars sitting on it so we walked up to them. After standing there for a bit one of them said some people have stopped. I asked them to sing a song so they let loose some type of love ballad type thing. They were decently skilled and one was a pretty good singer. I told them how we never would have found them if we did not follow some stray cats. I got a flyer from them, perhaps I will go to their show.

On the way back to the station we found some odds and ends that were left out for the taking. I grabbed a suntory whiskey glass. Next we went to a used clothing and antiques store that sold their clothes for fairly absurd prices, considering they were used. Nothing much worth noting happened after this store.On Friday I went to Ikebukuro with Dave, Joe, Chris (from Florida) three American girls: Casey, Ali, and Lena, and three of Dave's Korean classmates. Our goal was nekobukuro, the top floor of a department store were you can go into a room of cats and play with them as long as you want for $6. Some didnt mind being held, but most did. At first they seemed disinterested in plays with the provided toys, but that turned out to be wrong as many of them enjoyed it. More than that the best part was watching them chase each other around the room, because as we all know thats what cats do best.

From there the Americans split off except for Dave and Ali. I went to eat with him and his classmates. It was a standard experience at an izakaya, as we tried to figure out what the hell to order on a menu that is so difficult to understand. We went home afterwards but I decided to go to the bar in Fuchu. There Daisuke, one of the bartenders made a comment about how much my hair has grown since I cut it. I told him it grows fast, and he said well you know what that means right? I said no, and apparently in Japan if your hair grows fast you're a pervert. (Note: this only applies to men. The reason was not disclosed but I believe its because women cannot be perverts, especially if youre Japanese, because if they all act so childish they must have very pure minds (sarcasm off)).

On Saturday I woke up and saw the amazing weather outside and decided I had to go somewhere. I called Dave but he didnt answer his phone. I chose Yanaka, because it has more temples than anywhere else in Tokyo. To be exact this one area has about 70.I get out of the train station and make my first stop out arguably the most famous temple in the area, which has the largest buddha statue. From there I walked thru the large cemetery, and as I approached the end a Japanese man asked me what I was doing. He hands me an English map of the area, and I told he I wanted to the temples. He tells me to wait and runs inside the nearby building. He comes back out with another map, and circles the most noteworthy temples. Guess what....? This service was FREE. But not everyone is honest, right?

I made my rounds to several of the temples, which was a great activity to do on my own. Eventually I got pretty hungry and went to find something to eat. At first I found a tofu store where I bought two tofu ball things that were quite tasty. But since it was just before 5pm it was difficult to find an actual restaurant. I started to get lost, with only the knowledge of how to get back to the station I came from. Yet that was far away so I was determined to find some other way of satisfying my hunger. Eventually I came upon a cafe, where I bought some pasta with a puttanesca sauce I believe. It came with a small salad, and I also ordered a kiwi drink, which consisted of a single kiwi mixed in a blender with ice and fruit syrup. This drink was 600yen.

Afterwards I started browsing the collection of art books, and eventually I noticed the gathering of several people who looked like musicians. I was tired and decided to go back, but as I stepped outside I realized there is probably a show tonight, so Id better ask just to be safe. As it turns out there was one starting around 7:30-8:00. It was 6 so I decided to wait as I wrote some sort of Japanese journal entry. Finally they started to practice, and it was wonderful. They played a type of jazz, like french gypsy cafe music I would say. It sounded similar to my parents French CDs I think.

They had an upright bass, two guitarists, a violinist, and clarinetist. One of them gets a phone call from one of the other members who said they would be late so I'll just have to perform sans practice. As it turns out this was the singer. Once the actually performance had started the cafe was packed to maximum capacity, or maybe technically beyond that. Every member of the band was a great musician, but the violinist was unbelievably amazing. This was one of the best musical acts I have probably seen in my entire life. Eventually the singer showed up with 4 other girls, two Japanese, as well as one who looked like she must be the singer's sister. The singer was the only white band member compared to the rest who were Japanese. She still spoke Japanese very well though. Three of these woman sat in the open seats in the front row which happened to be the only seats left. This bothered me because not only did they obstruct my previously perfect view, but somehow they seemed very pretentious. The fact that the Japanese girls spoke perfect English was made even worse by the fact that they mostly spoke to each other in English. I can't really say how this bothered me, but in someway it greatly did. In addition the white girl who sat in the front with them must have been at least 40, judging by her unusually wrinkled face, and she had braces. This may sound like unwarranted prejudicial ranting, but something about these three girls really put me off in a way that the two sisters did not. To top it all off, when being told something by the bartender, who I believe was not a native speaker judging by her african appearance and slight accent, this Japanese girl responded with yes, shorty followed by, "uoh, hai". This was troublesome for two reasons. For one she instinctively responded in English even though spoken to in Japanese, and second she assumed that the bartender wouldn't understand yes, even though I believe most people around the world understand this word.

Enough of the rant though, because this show was far better than any suspicious girls could taint it for me. By far the worst part of the night was when my camera batteries died 5 seconds after I started recording one of the songs. Unfortunately I did not have any spares. During the show I was contacted by my Brazilian friend Chris so I decided to meet him at the bar after the show was over. I would have stayed longer to talk to the band after the end but I wanted to meet up with my friend.As far as the singer, she was very pretty, and a good singer on top of that; however, her first song was not too good. It was painfully obvious hearing her miss the high note in the song twice in a row, only getting it right the third time around. But from the first song she seemed to get better and better. The songs were either in French or English, leading me to believe that she may have been French. I forgot the name of the first song she sang but it was by Frank Sinatra. They ended with the same song, which she sang perfectly that second time.

Afterwards I told the band in Japanese that they were amazing and the show was a lot of fun. I asked when they were performing again and they said at this same cafe. But when is it I reiterated? They said they did not know, so I will have to check back again. Then I went to talk to the singer who was across the room. I also told her she was wonderful, and she nailed that song the second time around. She told me she was nervous, which was obvious enough since she messed up the words on another song. But anyways she told me it means a lot to hear that I enjoyed the show.

So then I headed back to Fuchu.I talked to Chris and his friend Maru-chan, who speaks English very well but hardly makes any sense when she gets drunk. She told me about 5 times how much she respects Chris because he loves his wife. I suppose this makes sense when I remember that I'm in Japan. After all, Japanese men are supposed to not love their wife and be quite distant. In fact, the wife is only supposed to raise the kids and make dinner and clean. The husband also generally doesn't raise the kids at all, and when he does its by example, because although Japanese people generally have a communication problem, the father has an especially difficult time talking to his kids. Is it becoming a common theme among my emails that this city has major problems? I can't help it, I have a hard time lying, but I'm trying to work on that, as you'll hear more about later on.

The significant comment by Chris was when he told he has a chipped pelvis. Apparently this happened when he was really drunk one night, and woke up in the morning to discover a body full of pain all over, as well and considerable bruising. When he went downstairs he found his bike all smashed up. His best guess was that he was hit by a car. Of course he has no idea what actually happened. But onto the good news he told me we're going to have a BBQ by the river next month. I am really looking forward to that, especially as the weather seems to get nice every day.

As Chris and Maru-chan headed home, a foreigner of a large build, at least 200lbs and fairly tall came into the bar. He stopped Chris as he walked out, apparently they knew each other.Anyways I began to talk to him after he sat down near me at the bar. His name is Greg and hes originally from Calgary. He has his own business teaching (English?) and hes been here for about 15 years I think. He had a lot of great information to share with me. I'll give you one chance to guess the gist of it.

Giving up already??

Japan is full of crazily ignorant people. Note the same applies to Koreans as well, but I believe to a lesser extent. I could be wrong about this since I really only know Koreans who study Japanese and generally students of a foreign language are much more informed than their peers, thanks to the broader sense of the world.He had so many stories I dont have the time or desire to tell them all, but a few in particular stand out. One of his Korean students said the window was invented by a Korean. One Japanese student said the northern lights were discovered by a Japanese person. Another Korean responded to a question about where Koreans came from. We've always been Korean. No but you had to come from somewhere a long time ago. Oh... it was Mongolia. So you went thru China then? NO. We came from Mongolia, but we did NOT go thru China. (Note: It is completely unacceptable to think Koreans may be related to Chinese, because they're so much better than them. But too bad for Koreans Japan is actually the master race. This only makes sense because Japanese came from Korea. Does it make sense yet? If so, please send me all the answers because I'm still lost myself.)

Greg also went on a trip to Morocco, Spain with some Japanese. His Morrocan friend was their guide, and during the trip he pointed out a Jasmine plant. One Japanese girl says no thats not jasmine, jasmine is a plant in Japan. He says no, this is jasmine right here. Nope, you're wrong, I know what jasmine is. Look here, I'm Morrocan, we're in Morroco, and this is jasmine.The final story of Greg I will discuss here is perhaps the most pertinent. He has five friends married to Japanese women, and they are all very sorry about this. They all tell him do not get married to a Japanese women, because thats exactly what they want you to do. Then they have succeeded in marrying a foreigner, thus they have won the game of life. At this point sex ceases to exist, regardless of how things were before. Now sure 5 people is not a good sample as far as polling goes, but this can't be a mere coincidence.

Now I'm not saying that all international marriages to a Japanese woman are like this, nor am I saying that I wouldn't get married to a Japanese woman, or get married to one for that matter. What I will say is that I will never get married to a woman from Tokyo until someone comes along who proves me wrong that they are not all shallow ignorant slaves to society, the material world, and ignorance. Greg tells me that in Japan the people aren't stupid. They are simply educated to the perfect level. If they knew more they could be dangerous to a society that works so well (evil mocking laugh). The worst part is I'm more sure about this than every thing else I doubt about this country.One can only analyze what is presented. The only women I have met that do not fall into my stereotype are those who have traveled outside of Japan (the more the better), lesbians, or those over 30. That being said fitting these criteria does not mean that they that are intelligent, for I have met exceptions to all except for one. The one lesbian who I got to know, who was awesome as a person, but unfortunately was not very interested in men, or perhaps even me as a friend since she stopped responding to my mail quite some time ago.)

So when it comes down to it the only women I can say I truly like here are my teachers, Tomoko-san, and certain classmates. Funny how they all seem to be related to my school, or not Japanese. Sorry in advance, but the rant doesn't stop here. In fact, it gets better. Sunday night I was invited to meet a japanese girl and 4 of her friends. Two of them got sick though so in the end it was only three girls. I was accompanied by Joe and Dave. We met them in funabashi, chiba-ken, since they do not live in Tokyo. The girl who I had met from japan-guide.com came to meet us at the train station. She was very goofy, her way of speaking English was very odd, perhaps due to the things she chose to say and how she said that. Grammatically she was usually correct, but did not speak in a very natural way.Upon arrival at the izakaya, we met her two friends, one Japanese, and one French. The French girl was a French teacher in Japan. The girl I met online, Miki, worked at an airport, at the ticket purchase/check in counter I think. The other Japanese girl, Chika, works at a dental clinic. She was also very cute. One thing on my mind was the difference in Japanese body temperature, which Greg heard from one of his students. The Japanese girls said they did not believe it was any different, but Angelique followed by saying in fact, the Japanese have longer intestines because they have eaten rice for so long..... um what?! She also said that when she first came to Japan she thought it was weird, but now she doesn't anymore. I was curious so I asked why and she said she wasnt quite sure but probably it was because she was young at the time and didn't understand a lot of things. Now that shes old (late twenties maybe) she was discovered all the hidden secrets. Actually Japan is completely normal, theres nothing wrong with it she says. This is very disturbing, because as a foreigner you're supposed to realize more and more how screwed up this place the longer you stay here. In conclusion she has become one of them. Looks like we lost another one.

But enough about Angelique, she left early on and because she is not Japanese yet seems to think like one she is not worth my time. Miki and Chika asked me the standard bullshit questions, this is a triad actually.

Almost every single Japanese person has asked me when I have a conversation, but fortunately I can think of exceptions for every one. They are: What do you think of Japan? How old are you? What do you think of Japanese women? I will address all of these separately.First: What do I think of Japan? Its fun, its awesome, and its incredibly ****ed up. (in Japanese substitute hen or okashii (strange/weird, or strange/funny). The problem is when I actually answer in this way, which I always have, except from now on. Regardless of guys I will simply refer to women at this point because there are no problems with discussing such things with men. With that aside, they always want to know why its weird, because they already know its a fun place. This puts me in a tough situation, because as you already know the reasons for it being strange aren't the most appropriate things to talk about with girls I have just met. Yet if I drink it become more difficult to refrain, and I have to stop short or just make up some weak answer as to why its weird. But to some it all up: Shallow minded, perverted, oblivious, undeservedly nationalistic. But let me remind you again that I love Japan. This is an amazing country, especially when you make it outside of Tokyo. Yet this does not discount the fact that Japan still does not trust foreigners, and the thoughts and laws are unfairly biased against us whether Japan believes it or not.

Greg told me that I should purposefully make mistakes when I speak, because a Japanese once told him we dont trust foreigners who speak perfect Japanese, because they must be a spy or something?Onto question number two: How old am I? 23. Why? 20 is to young to be of any use to anyone, especially women. I am still a child after all. Forget the fact that 20 makes you a legal adult in Japan. Upon disclosing my age the nearly universal response is extreme surprise. I suppose this is for two reasons: Japanese think foreigners look older than they really are, and foreigners think Japanese look young. But moreso than that is the way I act. I think and talk older than I am, but I still have the heart of the child. Inversely, Japanese, especially women, generally act younger than they are. A big reason for this problem is society which wants Japanese women to seem like children, need I remind you that they are inferior to men? So I look older, I act older, but the age doesn't add up. This is a problem, because it is a fact that a 25 y/o in Japan who possesses less knowledge, wisdom, intelligence, maturity, skills, charm, (insert character/personality trait here) is automatically a more worthy person of your time. Never mind the fact that girls generally dont like giving out their age, rather, they like to hear how old you think they are. Yes, I have been asked this question, more times than I would like. As a result I have grown three years older since this weekend, as well as dave.To top it all off I thought I was onto something about this whole thing. I made some comment, and Miki said wakai no ni "He's so young, but..." (Implying something in opposition to what one would expect). I asked her if this was a good or bad thing and she said its not either, or maybe its both. I asked her to explain and she really couldnt. Chika helped her out by saying "soto de asobinasai!" (Go play outside!) Miki says yes, exactly! At this point I started to laugh uncontrollably. What a farce. Either she didn't understand my question, or she was even more ignorant than I thought. I have my reasons to be surprised, but I don't like to pick on one person when they all seem the same.

What it comes down to is she could not even explain why it was such a big deal that I was 20.Question number 3: What do I think of Japanese women? This one is my favorite, especially because it seems like women actually ask me more. As of this weekend I decided the appropriate response is: Why? Do you want to have sex with me? Otherwise why else do they give a damn? If I say anything besides this I find myself in a worse situation, because the only honest response I have is they are beautiful. I mean sure its ok when guys ask me, especially because many of them prefer foreign women.But lets see what happens when I turn the tables. I ask Chika what she thinks of Japan, and she said she likes it. Why? Because its easy to live here. Why? Its fun, and the rice is good. Dont you like to eat rice? (Mental jaw drop. To really do so would have been rude). Why do they have to keep reinforcing my stereotype? I have never been so prejudiced against a group of people in my entire life, but it does them too much credit to assume they exist otherwise. The way I think now, I get to die of a heart attack when I meet this women who will turn my thoughts upside down. (I find it important to add that the girl Aki who I lost against in bowling defied every complaint I have here, but she is so busy it is actually upsetting).

This concludes the section of the three stooges.Onto Monday. No school because of graduation ceremony. Went to Nakano with Dave, Joe, and Javie. Go to said bookstore. Sure enough its bizarre in a way they can only be experienced. The Nakano broadway center is awesome. Tons of various clothing, toy stores, book stores, music stores. All in all a great area. Later I meet my classmate who lives in Nakano. Javier goes home because hes not feeling well. My friend came with her housemate, and we decide what to do next. I suggest karaoke, Joe doesnt want to go so he goes off on his own. I hope he found an arcade, because he loves those. But upon getting to the karaoke place, my classmate, Choron, tells me her friend doesnt actually want to go, so lets just go to a coffee shop. I had no objections, so we did. I order m-size blood orange juice, which was fantastic. The glass was actually fairly large for japanese m, so I told the cashier, and afters a moments pause simply said hai with a smile on her face. This amused me. Me and Dave had a good conversation with these two Korean girls, although the one I just made hard spoke in Japanese, even though she could. Instead she only spoke to her friend who would often translate. I learned several Korean words which sound almost exactly the same as Japanese since they are based on Kanji. But onto the important stuff.

Choron asked Dave if a tomato was a fruit or vegetable, because I've had this conversation with her before, and every Korean in my class thinks its a vegetable because thats what they learned in school. Dave says its a fruit, for the same scientific reason as me. It has seeds. Just like cucumbers, squash, and chili peppers. She could still hardly believe this, since they taught her otherwise, a question even came up on a test once, yet her only reason for it being a fruit is thats what they told her. I have scientific reasoning on my side. I told her you cant just accept something as it is because someone tells you, especially without a reason. I'm not sure if she still believes its a vegetable or not, but she is closer to accepting the truth now it seems. Before this next conversation occurred, Dave went home.

But more absurd than this, was the confirmation of fan death. Choron believes it possible to die if you go to sleep in a room with a fan running if you shut all the doors and windows. Her reasoning is based on hypothermia, but not every could die like this. It depends on your physical condition. So she is not completely wrong, because the only people who have died by fans, actually died because of existing conditions, or alcohol poisoning. But the Korean media perpetuates the myth. I told her only people in South Korea believe in this. So she said its a lie then? Lets just say you probably can't die like that. 9pm rolls around and she says they're going to home now. Choron almost falls down the stairs. We have a nice laugh over this, and she points me towards the train station. Its all too easy. I start walking away and within 15 seconds this Japanese guy runs up to me, starts speaking in Japanese and confirms that I speak Japanese, right?He was listening to our conversation and was impressed by my Japanese ability. He wanted to speak to me more, but I told he I was hungry so lets go to a restaurant. I'm tired now so I'm going to cut this short. But the point here is the bill was 2300 yen, but he said I only have to pay 1000. I told him about the triad of bullshit questions, and he seemed to completely understand my point. Better than that was he didnt ask me any of them, and I asked him what do you think if Japan. He says what do you mean? That question is too vague. Exactly! I exclaim. Thats why its so annoying how often I get asked. We exchange emails, we spoke English, we spoke Japanese. Awesome. I hope you enjoyed. This has been one of the most significant weekends so far. It also marks a major turning point in me. I am now 23. Japan is nothing but amazing.

I can't wait to see my family when you all arrive this week.

KCP Level 4 and More Deep End Dining

So last night I stayed over at the apartment of one of the koreans from KCP. I met him last night when I went out drinking with one of the Americans and his classmates along with Joe and Dave. Joe and Dave left early to go to an arcade, but I stayed to continue talking with the Korean KCP students. Because we stayed out past twelve I was not able to ride the train home. One of them allowed me to stay with him for the night. This is the fourth time I have received such hospitality, twice by another Korean at KCP, and once by one of my Chinese classmates. This has been a good realization knowing I have friends who I can stay with as opposed to staying out all night.This Korean lives with 3 other Korean guys. I met one of them, and these two guys play World of Warcraft a lot. The KCP student who invited me over is 33, but he doesnt really look older than 25. They made me Korean style ramen, which was very good. After eating the noodles I refilled the bowl with rice, it was great.

As for school at KCP, level 4 has changed considerably from level 3. To start, about the first 2/3 of level 3 we studied kanji every day, but then only twice a week. Once again we now study kanji every day, and often the words are generally used only in the news or writing. The format of the kanji test has changed as well. Previously you only had to know the appropriate kanji for given hiragana and vice-versa. But now there is also a backside to the test where you have to select the most appropriate word from a group of four to complete the sentence. This can be difficult if you do not study sufficiently because the words to choose from are always similar in meaning.

The format of sakubun (compositions) has also changed. Previously we were given a topic to write anything we wanted about it. Now we receive a statement that we have to agree or disagree with and write our opinion. Before we write we split into small groups to discuss our opinions. This is done once a week although twice we have not had to write one. This week was one of those times. But we still had conversation time. This time it was about negotiation. There were three scenarios: In one you are at a restaurant and order spaghetti for lunch and it comes with a cup of coffee. You expect to pay 800 yen but the cup of coffee was 200 extra. You didnt order it but you drink it anyway. When you go to pay it is 1000 yen. Because the person who took the order made a mistake the restaurant believes you had placed the order.

Next you have gotten off the train and realize you have lost your ticket. You explain this to the station attendant. The other person is this attendant and you have to explain to them they still need to buy a ticket because there are many people who ride the train without paying for a ticket at all. Finally one person explains to their neighbor that their music is too loud and you’re trying to study. This person has just gotten home and wants to relax and listen to music.This was a frustrating exercise because I dont like it when such situations arise in the first place, but then again, who does?It reminds of one night when I went to an izakaya with my friend last quarter. At the entrance we were trying to figure out how much it would cost, and another worker came up to us. I was told to speak in English, because they could as well. They told us it was 500yen entrance fee, but that included a free drink. It was quite a boring place so after one drink, my friend and I decided to leave. Including the service charge and what not the bill came out to 2,400 yen. I told the waiter we didnt expect to pay this much based on what we were told at the entrance, and he said there is no free drink policy. When it seemed like I wasnt getting anywhere I asked to speak to the manager. I explained the situation again and he responded the same way. I told him the worker told me to speak in English and then gave me wrong information, which is the same as if it were said in Japanese to begin with. I said I know Japanese, so your worker made a poor decision by telling me to speak English. After complaining for longer than I ever wanted to the manager told me to please wait a moment and brought back another check for 1200. Needless to say I will not go back to that place.

Back to school, we had our midterm on tuesday. I feel that I did pretty well, but slightly disappointed by my performance on the kanji section. I was not able to answer 4 questions, two of which should have been no problem. But either way I am confident I passed all sections. The reading comprehension and grammar sections have changed from before in two ways. First, the grammar and reading are given in the same time slot, whereas before they were separated. The reading comprehension included all three readings we have studied so far. Previously it was only one, as well as one we hadnt studied yet.The listening had also changed a bit, in that some of the listening comprehension we had done in class were also on the test. Previously it was all new material, but generally seeming fairly easy.I will find out my test results this Thursday.

As for some general things about KCP, there is no food, but they do have drink vending machines, which have the cheapest prices I have ever seen in Tokyo, so that is nice. Come to think of it, they sell corn chowder in a can, so I guess that is food. There is a lounge with a microwave, which is the only room you are allowed to eat in at the school. There are trash cans on every floor with adjacent benches, those areas also permit consumption of food.The tea ceremony is on March 3rd. This means I only have one more week to prepare, but I feel like I should be ready, more so than I was the first time. Although the overall method of serving tea has changed this quarter many aspects remain the same, so I have a more solid grasp on things than I did last quarter.

This friday there is a school trip to a certain place which I have forgotten the name of. We will go by bus, and its famous for having Japan's oldest winery. This means I will have the opportunity for my first wine tasting. Expect a bottle that we can share when you arrive in Japan, or maybe an extra one to take back to America. Because the trip is on Friday I will not be able to practice the tea ceremony that day, so monday is my last practice session.

After the midterm last tuesday I participated in the filming of a Japanese tv show. They select the most unusual Japanese foods and give them to foreigners to see their reactions. Overall it wasnt as bad as I thought it would be, but thats not to say I didnt eat the grossest food of my life. There was a total of around 30 different foods, but they only filmed each person trying four. The first one I had was roasted salt water eel liver, which was definately the best. Next was monkfish liver, which was far worse than the time I had it at Pink Godzilla in Santa Cruz when Chris ordered it. The next thing was quite possibly the most foul thing I have ever eaten. Kani miso, which is essentially mixed and smashed crab guts, which happens to look like shit, literally. After eating all these things the director told me what they were, as well as giggling every time I ate something. The final dish was white, with lumps that resembled beans perhaps. It was very soft, and exploded in your mouth when you chewed it. I honestly had no clue what I was eating, and the director told me to take a big bite, then maybe I could figure it out. I did, as well as most of the hot sauce it was served with. Yet I still hadnt the slightest clue what I had just eaten. That concluded the filming session, but I realized the director left out the name of what I ate last. He tells me, but I didnt understand the word. Tanaka-san from KCP told me I ate fish testacles. They really weren't as bad as one might think, especially compared to the crab guts.

Yet as I went to the restaurant to meet my friends in celebration of finishing the test, every time I thought of what I had eaten, I felt as though I might throw up. Fortunately that did not happen, but burpings up that foul flavor was just about as bad I think. One of our teachers was at the restaurant, and I told her about the things I had eaten. I told her the kani miso was the worst, which suprised her because apparently she thinks its delicious. From that restaurant we went to another one, and we sang karaoke. As it turns out this teacher is an amazing singer.

I stayed out past midnight on Tuesday, so this was when I went home with my Chinese classmate. The interesting thing is that he actually lives with his mother and sister in Japan. I guess they all moved here together. Wednesday morning we ate some sort of soup with potatoes, carrots, Japanese squash, and some type of small grain which I actually dont know the name of. I believe his mother or sister had cooked it. It was good, but the flavor was a bit thin. I think with some type of spicing it could have been excellent.

The State of Things

Overall things have not been as exciting as they once were. While I used to be amazed with every passing day, daily life has reached the point where everything no longer surprises. I guess once you remain in one place long enough eventually you normalize yourself.

I shall start off with the most important subject, school. The other day, I received the second grammar test back and got an 89 on it. Unfortunately, about a week ago, I received my first grammar test back and only got a 64 on it so I had to retake it on Tuesday. I am confident that I passed it the second time around. On the most recently returned kanji test I got a 95, I only missed one problem. I took another kanji test, unfortunately I'm pretty sure I will get a 95 on that one too.

We also took the first grammar test regarding the Japanese proficiency test. I have a feeling I performed well on this test as well. I am planning to take the Japanese Language proficiency test in June, but I'm not sure exactly how this is possible because I thought it was only offered once a year. Regardless I paid the fee for the application form and later I will pay the test fee, which is around $50. I also filled out the application for the part time work permit earlier this week.

Last Sunday, February 3, was the Japanese holiday setsubun. This is a holiday marking the change from winter to spring based on the old calendar. Traditionally setsubun is a time to wish for good fortune in the upcoming year, however it is also said that on this night oni (demon) come out. In order to keep them out of the house sardine heads and holly are placed in the doorway. Yet this often doesnt seem to be enough to stop them, so when the demons get into the house you throw dried beans at them while saying oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi (Out with the demons, In with the good fortune). Since real demons probably don't exist, the father of the house often dresses up as a demon on this day in order to allow the tradition to be carried out. Additionally, the dried beans are eaten in accordance with your age (so If you're 25 you eat 25 beans).

Last friday at school we experienced the setsubun tradition in the classroom. We all ate the appropriate number of beans (some people ate more) and during the middle of class two demons burst into the room. Traditionally there is the green demon and the red demon. The only clothes they wear are usually shorts made of zebra or tiger skin. They also carry a golden staff. Fortunately we had plenty of dried beans in the classroom so by throwing them at the demons we were able to keep the evil out of our lives. Afterwards the students and the teacher cleaned up the beans together.

I have come to really like this one bar near my dorm. Although all three bartenders are really great one in particular has become a good friend of mine. I enjoy telling him about my experiences in Japan as well as showing him the poems I write, which he gladly corrects any errors I might have. Moreover, in order to complete my homework assignment for the setsubun I went to the bar and the people there taught me five common phrases using the word oni, and the barmaster drew a picture of oni for me.

Additionally someone else of significance from the bar is this Brazilian guy Chris. His mother is Japanese and father German, yet he was born in Brazil. I believe he has had some experience living in an isolated small community in the jungle, but now he has been living in Japan for around fifteen years. He has a Romanian wife so in addition to speaking his native language Portuguese he can also speak Romanian, as well as Japanese and English. Right now he does some type of construction related job for Toshiba.

We have had some very interesting conversations about Japan/Tokyo mostly centered on the fractured state of this city.On the surface Tokyo seems to be a wonderful glamorous place. The economy is doing well, crime is very low, and its probably the cleanest city I've ever been in. But if you can speak Japanese and you dig deeper certain surprising aspects appear seemingly out of nowhere. I believe the root of this problem is based on the size of Japan. Its only roughly the size of California but the population is disproportionally enormous. This has lead to a severe overcrowding of the train system which is the main mode of transportation for the city. This train is integral to their lifestyle and some people feel as if they can't even escape it.

This point was fantastically illustrated by one of the short animations I saw when I went to the independent film theatre. It was about a man who lived underneath the seat of the train. Someone would deliver him meals three times a day and he would always pay attention to everything that went on around him in the train. He would be partically bothered by those people who would blatently break the train manners, such as talking noisily on their cell phone. He often wondered what life would be like outside the train in a room that wasn't so small. Yet one day he sees himself sitting on a seat in the train and suddenly he is disillusioned. His life was so intrinsically linked to the train that he felt like he lived under the seat.

And now back to the so called real Tokyo. Fashion and materialism have taken a deathgrip of this city. I have never experienced a place where material possessions are believed to be so important. Often I walk down the street in Shinjuku and look at the passing girls and think to myself the outfit they are wearing probably costs more than all the clothes I have in Japan combined. I have talked to a few Japanese people about my thoughts about this superficial existence, and one of my friends told me he believes that most relationships in Japan dont work out well because people are so obsessed with appearance they easily forget that someone’s mentality and personality is far more important than the clothes on their body. As a result it is very refreshing to speak to girls that can just dress casually and be satisfied with that, but regardless I have received many phone numbers without a moment of hesitation from several girls who end up never answering my phone call. Other people I have met will talk to me at first and then after some point just break off communication, as if they suddenly no longer care whatsoever.The point is I can't think of any Japanese girls as a real friend that i've met in Tokyo outside of class, except maaaybe one, but she is 44.

Interestingly, to flip things around I have talked to many Japanese guys who I really enjoy as people. Two are just as good as any English speaking friends I have. But the interest in Japanese guys among the female KCP students is actually very low. According to one Malaysian girl, she doesnt like Japanese men because she always sees them looking at the adult magazines in the convenience stores. This is particularly interesting to me because as far as I know all the adult magazines are kept sealed in the store, yet right next to them are manga which almost invariably have a picture of a barely clothed woman on the cover. Yet, on the inside there's maybe only a few more pages similar to the cover while the majority is just comics.

Despite all of this, it doesn't stop Tokyo from being one of the most amazing cities in the world.

My lead picture taken from my flickr collection is of Tokyo viewed from across the Ueno Station train tracks.

Demonstrating Ochakai for the American KCP Students

The first week of school at KCP was a good one. I have one of the same teachers from last quarter, and two new ones. I like all of them. On thursday was the ochakai for the American students and I was there to help. I served the food and then took it out and also gave them the cups of tea and removed them when they were finished. The tea ceremony class also started the same day and continued on Friday. It is different this time around, I suppose because its the winter. Instead of pouring water from a kettle you remove it from a larger pot on the floor with some type of ladle. So far its been tough on my legs. I can sit long enough to do the whole procedure I learned in those two days, but by the end I cant feel my legs at all. So far I have been alone in the morning tea ceremony instruction, but there will be a new American student joining me next friday. There is no practice this coming monday.

Everyday in KCP Level 4, we study new kanji and a lot arent words so commonly used in conversations but more so in writing. We now have small group discussions about selected topics once a week before we write a composition about it. These are opinion conversations and writings, so we have to either agree or disagree, which is different than our writings from last quarter. It is definitely a noticeable change from last quarter in Level 3. I think I will be more challenged, as Level 3 was a lot of review for me. Having to work harder, I will enjoy class even more this time around, not that it wasnt enjoyable before. There is one other American in my class, but he is a Japanese descendant from Hawaii.

The other day I went to a korean restaurant with some american students and we had yakiniku. The grilled meat was very good. After that I went back to Shinjuku and met one of the new korean students in my class. She brought her friend and we had a couple drinks at the bar. We stayed a little too long though so I missed the last train. I slept in McDonalds for a while and then went to a cafe and my friend came and met me. He’s the one who works in Shinjuku trying to save up money to go to Australia in April for maybe 2 years. He works at night so he was able to meet me at 4am.

I finally went to Shimokitazawa which is only 2 subway stops from the Shinjuku station. I went with Dave and my friend Joe who also lives in the Fuchu dorm with me. We saw a series of very odd short animations, including one about tooth man, the man who lived under the subway car seats, and a fish talking on its way from the market to being eaten. This trendy area is full of cheap stuff and interesting restaurants. I bought a jacket and jeans for $7 each. We went to this one Japanese restaurant and they were hiring staff. I forgot to ask but maybe I will go back to see if I can get a job there making use of my UC Santa Cruz dining hall work experience and my short time as a busboy in Long Beach.

No word from gaijinpot on the teaching jobs I applied for. Living in the dorms is proving to be far more expensive than staying with a host family. Even when I try to spend my yen carefully it just disappears in an instant it seems. Hopefully I will have a job soon to offset the terrible negative flow of funds. We have our first test on tuesday, so I will do some more studying again tonight. I guess thats it for now.

KCP Winter Quarter Begins

My parents called me on my mobile last week, as I was getting on the train to visit a guy in Shibuya who emailed me from the japan-guide.com. As you can see from my flickr pictures I met another girl through the Japan guide who is 19 and majoring in Spanish. Leading off this posting is our picture taken at one of the arcades where you can do artwork on it.

My second quarter has begun at KCP and I moved up as expected to Level 4. I did very well on the final: 95 on the kanji and composition, 96 on the grammar, but only about 75 on the reading and listening. This week, I am planning to go to an area I have not yet visited in Tokyo with Dave called Shimoto Kitazawa. He says its awesome; we're going to see a movie at a short film theatre there.

I have applied for some part time english teaching jobs, and I bought the monthly train pass which was about $150. Hopefully I will have a job soon though so that I will have more spending money. Also, this week is the new years party for tea ceremony, and the day after is the tea ceremony for the new american KCP students which i will participate in and also be wearing a kimono once more. Maybe I will get some more pictures from that up onto flickr.

Ive talked to some of the new American KCP students, they seemed pretty cool but I still dont know much about them. I also saw some of my Korean friends for the first time since school ended. The other day I studied my Japanese at Chikara's school, Chikara is one of my Japanese friends, and I went there with Chris. I’m starting to get to know more and more of Japanese locals in Tokyo. This one friend works 6 days a week, and with a break in his schedule, he called to take me out for dinner and a couple of drinks. He is planning to go to Australia in April, and he likes to practice English with me. His name is Yuki, just like my friend from Santa Cruz.

I would like to write more, but I am pretty tired now and still have to study a bit more and will upload later.

Lost in Translation

Over the past week or so I havent really left my dorm in Fuchu during the day except to get food. But when night comes around I've been going to this local bar. I've met a lot of great people there so far, but I've been spending too much money. Without school its harder to keep from spending so much money. One guy from the Fuchu bar who is really cool is from Brazil. He has a German Father and a Japanese mother; he has been living in Japan for several years, is 35, works for Toshiba and has a Japanese wife. He offered me a job because Toshiba needs more workers to help construct a new shinkansen (high speed train), but he said working 4 hours a day would not be enough. Another guy I met is from Canada and he said he might want Japanese lessons from me. He hasnt responded back yet though.

Two nights ago I had an especially strange experience, almost out of “Lost in Translation.” I was at the bar alone when the woman sitting next to me noticed this hat my friend gave me. It was gachapin, which is some frog guy from Japanese TV. She said she really wanted it but I didnt really want to give it to her. She spoke decent English so we talked more in English than Japanese, but still used Japanese. She was talking about an exchange where if you give somebody something you will end up with more in return, i.e. part of Japan’s culture of gifting. She was 38, and accompanied by her boyfriend/husband. She asked whether I wanted to go somewhere else to get something to eat/drink with her and her boyfriend/husband.

There was a place nearby called Misato that was also owned by the bar, so we decided to go there. I told her she could have the hat at the end of the night, but I just ended up giving it to her before we even left the Fuchu bar. She seemed so suprised that I actually gave it to her and kept asking if it was really hers. She was already pretty drunk at this point. So we went to Misato and since I dont know anything about sake besides the fact that I like the dry kind, I told her boyfriend to pick something for me. They asked me what I wanted to eat and I said I like sashimi. Yoko (the girl) asked me what kind I didnt like and I said kai (shellfish). Then she asked me why I dont like tai, and what that is in english. Tai is seabream and I told her, but I said I didnt say tai I said kai. I said I really like toro, maguro, and tako. She asks me what the difference was between tai and tako, I told her I like the way tako feels in your mouth but I dont really like the flavor of shellfish too much. On a side note I do enjoy shellfish more than I used to, but its still not a particular favorite. So the sashimi comes and it is in front of Yoko. I'm eating it, and I think she is very surprised at how well I use chopsticks, as I reach across to pick up the sashimi.

As I was eating she says I look like the emperor and she tried to adjust my posture. Either I was slouching too much or sitting up too straight... I really dont know. Then out of nowhere she starts saying I shouldnt eat the fish. During oshogatsu (Japanese New Year celebration) the fish market closes down for several days, so she said it was old. It doesnt taste good. And I said I never said it doesnt taste good, I like it. I know but it doesnt taste good says Yoko. Tell the chef you dont want to eat it. I was getting really confused at this point. Once again she asks if the hat is really hers to keep. I said yes. I said I came to Japan by myself, that I have no family here. My parents are planning to come to Japan and she says no they cant. I was very suprised and said why not. Because you dont have a koseki. Whats a koseki? Oh its very hard to explain. I (yoko) have a koseki but you dont. If a foreigner marries a Japanese person, then they would get one. At this point I looked up koseki and it is family register. Then I told her they were just coming to visit me so she says ok thats fine then.

At this point, Yoko is very drunk and is staring at me. She then wrapped her fingers around my necklace and gazed at it for a few moments. I said you want this? No answer. Finally I took her hand away from my silver Japanese necklace (which was a holiday gift from my parents a year ago) and asked her, what do you want now? She started talking about how much she loved her boyfriend, mixing in English with the Japanese, such that at times I was not sure what she was really saying. Around this time her boyfriend said that its time to go. But she says no you go on ahead, I'm gonna stay here. He says no we're going right now, so lets go. He almost had to drag her out the door and without saying anything he apologized to me with a look alone. I still had my second glass of sake and the food, all of which they paid for so I continued to sit there and eat and drink. I asked the man working behind the counter if he had any idea what really happened and he said no..... It was so bizarre.

There are several websites like Gaijinpot.com that have been useful for living and visiting Japan. I got an email today from a Japanese girl responded to an ad I posted on one of them, Japan-guide.com looking for friends. Straight up she said she has a guitar but never plays it, so she is willing to give it to me so someone can make use of it. That would be fantastic, so I'm going to respond to her and see what happens.

I still havent gotten my KCP Level 3 grade back, I dont think I will know until I go back to school when the next term starts. I will be absolutely shocked if I didnt pass though which is scoring better than 80%.

I might check out the Tokyo zoo this week based upon a suggestion from my father. When he visited 30 years ago, the pandas were the rage in Tokyo. I have no idea whether there are still pandas, but maybe it would be a good place to go.

My friend Tim who returned back to New York said he is sending me some books. Tim was my best friend at KCP, we ate lunch together almost everyday just because we would run into each other before class. He is also a linguist and is fluent in Russian and English. He also knows some German, and Italian. Of course he knows Japanese as well, but he had no experience before coming to Japan. Out of all the level 1 students I knew though he had the best Japanese. He has been studying in Holland but he didnt know if they were going to let him back in the school. Hopefully that works out for him. A picture of Tim leads off this posting.

And if Jacki Breger is reading this blog, a big hug from Tokyo, as you saw my parents at a downtownLA holiday party. Its too bad it never worked out having a small City Life reunion before I left for Japan.

New Years on Takaosan

So on New Years eve I decided to go to Takaosan which is a mountain nearby Tokyo that has a Temple. You can take a cable car which only takes maybe ten minutes or walk the nature path which requires about an hour. I talked to a older man as I was waiting for the cable car, and we walked together up to the main temple area. My plan was to rest on the mountain and then go to a different section but I was in the rest room when a family of two small kids, maybe 5 and 7, the husband and wife, and then probably the wife's father sat down in front of me. I started talking to them and like most people they seemed very surprised by my Japanese. The husband has some sort of trading business so he often takes trips to California. He has been to Long Beach once. I ate one of my mikan (mandarin orange) and offered the other two to the family. The kids didnt want them so the mom says well if you kids wont eat it then I will. At first the kids were very shy of me, one of them couldnt stop staring at me but wouldnt say a word. The mother said dont worry he's just like Bob, except his Japanese is much better than Bob's.

One of them bought some mini donuts and offered me one. As I got the donut, I was in the middle of writing in my notebook simply because I havent written Japanese in a while. I was actually surprised how good my characters looked this time because sometimes when I write fast, its really sloppy, but this time I was very pleased. I basically wrote about coming to the mountain by myself but no longer feeling alone, to protect my family, friends, and everyone, and then a request for world peace. I showed it to the husband and wife and they were very surprised by the kanji I could write. I think they made some comment about me knowing more characters than them.

They asked me if I wanted to join them in the temple where the monks would come and do some sort of ritual. It happened around midnight but we entered the room at about 11 20 pm because it was filling up so fast we needed to get a seat on the floor. Eventually a man started beating a taiko drum, and then the monks entered sounding conch horns. They gathered in the middle of the room and starting chanting. I couldnt really understand anything they said but the vibration of the sound was very powerful. They would also hit these weird bells that rang for a long time. Another monk started playing the taiko in the middle of the room and te conch horns started up again. There was also a fire in the middle of the room which one monk kepts going with a fan. I think there was some significance to the fire consuming your desires or past grief or something like that. To sit in the room and just close your eyes was an amazing expereience.

During this whole time the kids could not sit still, they were getting very restless and the mother was obviously doing her best to control them. Before the monks came in I was showing the grandfather, mother, and one of the kids some of the photos I've taken. The child was very interested. After the new years opening ritul some bells rang outside and everyone was cheering. Obviously it had become 2008. The older brother of the youngers asked me if I wanted to eat soba with them. Even though I wanted to see the sunrise I decided to go eat with them. So I also forfeited the nature walk down the mountain, but I can always go back to Takaosan again, it is fairly close after all.

On the way back to the cable car the father bought me a cup of sake, and it came in one of those wooden box cups. It had the taste of the wood, maybe its cedar. It still has a strong pinish smell, it must have been freshly made. So we got to the bottom of the moutain and sat down in the soba shop. They ordered tororo soba, I'm not sure exactly what made it different from other types of soba but like often there was a raw egg. Ive come to enjoy eating eggs recently, even raw eggs dont bother me. Especially in soba its pretty good. I asked the father what his wish for the new year was, and he said to raise his children well without them getting hurt. I told him my wish was to find a girlfriend in Japan. Despite the amazement of this night I failed to really take pictures. However I did take a picture of the family (which led this post), minus the husband because he hadnt sat down yet; I didnt even know of his existance.

On a side note, my two years of summer savings are dwindling, and won't get me to June. ... I have been looking at jobs a little bit and I think maybe english teaching would be the best thing for me. I need to update my work history. Another time, I will tell more about my travels to Echigo, Yuzawa, and Niigata, but for now I need to get something to eat... so hungry...