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.
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.
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