Last Week I Went to China. No, Really!

Whew! So after a whirlwind tour of Beijing with my lovely friends Sarah and Kristina, I finally have found the energy to return here and update again! So last week, I went to Beijing. It was quite possibly the most insane trip humanly possible; I'm not sure if that was Beijing or just us. Our trip began with Sarah and Kristina almost missing their flight because someone had committed suicide by jumping in front of Sarah's train and so it was late. (Sidenote: if a train is ever late in Japan, somebody probably used it to kill themselves. Because otherwise Japanese people are never late, and that goes for planes trains and buses, too.) In the meantime, I ended up spending the night sleeping under police supervision at the Haneda Airport koban (police box - yes Japanese policemen are just so badass that they work in a box. And also the emblem for it is a cop giving a kid a lollipop. Hardcore man.). As it turns out one cannot camp out overnight in Japanese airports, as they close. I was informed of this at midnight, after all the trains had stopped running, by a surly Japanese man in a uniform who stood about shoulder high to me. After much groveling, pleading and ninety degree bowing, I and the two other stranded foreigners who had glommed onto me because they spoke no Japanese, we were permitted to camp out on benches at the koban. They took down our passport numbers so that we can't ever do it again though. The next day I finally arrived in Beijing and to the hostel, where I met up with Sarah and Kristina. We decided to ride bikes over to the Forbidden City.

This was a horrible idea. Beijing traffic is what the ninth circle of Hell must be like, and helmets have yet to be invented in China. It is like a nightmarish game of Frogger, if Frogger had a love child with Grand Theft Auto. To make things worse, it was way below freezing! We got lost for several hours, and spent them being chased down by buses, cop cars and taxis, bouncing from Beijinger to Beijinger trying to get directions - which we did get, in both English and Chinese, and all of which were horribly wrong. We eventually arrived, but it had already closed. We went and wandered in Dongshan Park instead. Sarah had to give me handwarmers because I was so cold! Eventually we found our way to Starbucks, and warmed up before returning to the hostel.

That night we went out for hot pot with some new friends from our hostel, and those same friends talked me into going out with them that night. It turned into a ridiculous late night of drinks and dancing. I made it back just in time to grab a few winks before we departed for the Great Wall! One of the perks of visiting Beijing in February (which translates roughly to "visiting Beijing in the dead of winter")  is that nobody else is crazy enough to do it, so you have major attractions like the Great Wall entirely to yourself!

After the Great Wall, we went back into town and wandered, ate some snacks at a local restaurant, and rested up for the Peking Opera that night!

 

I filmed this guy. He caught me. And winked.

After the opera, we went out for Peking duck with two of our new hostel buddies. Well, Kristina and I (by the way, dude, I still have to stop myself from calling you Kemmi all the time...) did. Sarah was sadly too tired and didn't come with us. Sad face. Suffice to say... Peking duck was AMAZING. EAT IT. Don't miss it. It's really, really good.

The next day, we got up and went to the Forbidden City. Folks, this is a palace. It makes Versailles and Fontainebleau look like total and complete pikers. The sheer scale of the place is overwhelming.

After the Forbidden City we went for lunch. We picked a random restaurant. They didn't speak English. We don't speak Chinese. We coped. Though I have no idea what the NAME of what we ate was, it was tasty. Though our attempt to order 400 grams of chicken apparently only came through as "four" and "chicken", resulting in four orders of chicken, we managed to eat it all. We were hungry from all the exercise we were getting!

 

When we tried to leave the restaurant, a random guy started talking to us and flagged us a cab. Then the cab driver tried to screw us and was generally being difficult so we got back out; but some random old lady was biking between the cab and the curb and we hit the back of her bike with the door. She went flying! For whatever reason, our random street corner friend shouted her down in Chinese for us and made her go away. What actually happened here I have no idea. We went back to the hostel and rested, then went tea shopping! The first tea shop we tried, the owner told us to go away! I don't think he wanted to sell tea to foreigners. After over six months of living in Japan, this is the first time I've been chased out of an establishment for being foreign. It wasn't that big of a deal; the next tea shop was cuter anyway and the girls were really friendly. Win! Also they gave us free candies and let us taste the teas.

 

After that we went back to the hostel for a dumpling/Chinese New Year's party with the AMAZING gang of Chinese Box Hostel . If you go to Beijing, I don't care if you can afford a luxury hotel. Stay here. Trust me. You will not be sorry.

Anyway, the New Year celebrations were a wonderful success! We learned how to fold dumplings... er, well, we tried. Most people had more luck than I did!

Later in the night, we set off fireworks of our own, and at midnight, the entire city lit up as Beijingers writ large greeted the Year of the Tiger in style. As a proud feline representative myself (1986) I am especially delighted to have celebrated the lunar New Year in China! Sadly, this was the end of my trip - I caught a cab to the airport at 4:45am to return to Akita. Back in the office the next day, if you can believe it! 8:15 just like always.

While this post is basically just a trip report, I found a lot of interesting and compelling things about visiting China. It has certainly given me some new perspectives on all the talk you hear about "emerging China" and so on. Since you read my blog, and this is where I talk about stuff I want to talk about, and I want to talk about that, expect a post in the next few days addressing my social and political observations from my trip! But till then, enjoy the pictures. There are more on FaceBook!

Sarah, Kristina, I had so much fun. Sarah, like me, is recontracting; I'm going to try and chase her down for another Asian adventure come fall! Sadly Kristina is leaving us - but I'm very excited for her, as she will be attending grad school next year! Seriously, dude, I'm crashing your pad in London. Thanks also to the Box Hostel gang and all the new friends met there! This was an awesome trip. Let's hope the awesome ball keeps rolling for my upcoming adventures in Cambodia and Thailand next month!

A Year in Review

Today marks the 6 month anniversary of my stay in Japan. Given that, it seemed like a good time for a quick recap of the last year.

I had reconstructive ACL surgery last January and spent most of my time in physical therapy and being unable to walk. This sucked. I was also beginning the final semester of my fairly protracted tenure as a college student. At the end of January, I was notified that I had qualified for an interview with JET.

Knee surgery is a bitch.

In February, I went to Chicago for my JET interview and continued the usual business of studying (well, sorta) and physical therapy for my knee.

March marched along more or less the same. In April, I was notified that JET had accepted me, and I also ended my tenure with TeachStreet. In May, the longest romantic relationship of my life came to an abrupt and unexpected end. Four days later I graduated from college.

Me and Jackie, my wonderful beloved roomie.

June brought a three-week trip to France (though, for the sake of bragging rights, we went via Copenhagen, even though I saw nothing save the airport) with my family, during which I celebrated my 23rd birthday in Paris.

In July, I went to Yellowstone Park with my mom. At the end of July, just one week after the end of the Yellowstone trip, I threw most of my stuff into two gigantic suitcases and boarded a plane for Tokyo orientation with JET.

Yellowstone.

Tokyo.

In August I arrived at my new home in Akita Prefecture, and began my work with the JET program. September and October continued much the same, with some travel within Akita Prefecture.

Welcome to school.

Halloween was pretty awesome.

In November, I took a trip to Kyoto and Osaka.

December saw me coming home to Seattle, with
an overnight stay in Seoul, Korea on the way home. I am now back in Akita, with JET, and am eagerly looking forward to a trip to Beijing next month.


I guess you could call it a busy year.

Onward! (That's for you, Dave.)

We went birdwatcing at Nisqually while I was home!

Brought to You By Request

As any of you (are there any of you?) who are regular readers may have noticed, I've been a bit... Well, let's just cut to the chase. I haven't updated at all in a while. In fact it's been so long that the notion of trying to catch y'all up has become kind of daunting. But thanks to the wishes of my wonderful friend Meg, here you go; the longest update in the history of humankind. Ready, steady....GO!

As of my last update, December 16th, I was a few days away from returning home to visit the USA!! That trip went swimmingly, despite the fact that the kaki (persimmons) and mikan (mandarin oranges) I tried to bring for my family were confiscated in Customs because I declared them. I tried really hard not to yell at the Customs man lecturing me on fines for not declaring things. Since he was wearing a uniform, and I was not yet through Customs, I was unfailingly polite. My internal narration went something like this...

"You facking idiot, I am only over here BECAUSE I declared my oranges. If I had not declared them, you never would have noticed. WHY ARE YOU LECTURING ME ABOUT DECLARING MY ITEMS??!! The people who need that lecture are already halfway to baggage claim you asswipe!".

These are not things one should generally say to uniformed persons in airports, however. And so I bit my tongue.

At any rate, I was welcomed home to Seattle (albeit both persimmon- and orange-less) by my mom and dad waiting as I came up the escalator. I have never been so happy to see two people in my entire life! We drove home, where I was also so happy to see both of my baby brothers! It was the most beautiful thing in the world to be home, with my whole family around me. I was biting back tears (sorry guys - 7,028 miles and 17 hours' time change of separation warrants a wee bit of sentimentality). We spent a glorious winter break together, joined by one of my best friends ever (DL!!!). We went skiing, ate tons of delicious food, watched movies, went to see Avatar, drank lots of good wine, and went to the rock climbing gym. Luckily, two of the coolest people ever, Kim and Dave, also carved out some time to see me, as did my old high school friend John! I have never had such a wonderful vacation in all my life!! Thank you to all I saw, and sorry I missed you to those I didn't. It was very hard to say goodbye and return to Japan.

Of course I did. On the way home I spent a night in Seoul, South Korea, before returning to Akita Prefecture. I had begun seriously reconsidering my decision to recontract - I miss all of you at home so much! But the next few weeks held enough good things that I think I will probably stay after all.

Shortly after I returned to Japan, I was so fortunate to be invited into the Takanos' (one of my coworkers at Yuri Elementary, Mr. Takano's) home for a mochi-making party! We made traditional rice cakes using a mortar and giant hammer, then ate a huge, delicious supper featuring our very own rice cakes. The Takano family is a very talented bunch - they shared with me everything from Frisbee golf in their living room (Mr. Takano's father is the Japan National Frisbee Golf Champ), to juggling (Mr. Takano's mother can juggle one-handed), to magic tricks, string games, strategy board games and traditional Japanese toys with his son and daughter. (Note: I am purposely not mentioning names, as I don't have permission from the persons in question, and Japanese people are very careful about Internet privacy.) It was a wonderful evening, which culminated in the grandfather giving me a sixpack of beer for the road, the whole family seeing my taxi off in the snow, and a fifteen-minute chat with my taxi driver on the way home - hooray for immersion language learning!

That weekend was my skiing debut in Japan - I went to my friend Alfonso's for the weekend. We went skiing, played my new PS2 karaoke game, and ate way too much sushi.
It was a practically perfect weekend! The following weekend was similar, although the weather was much less cooperative, so we gave up (the wind was blowing us UPHILL at the ski area!) and went to Odate for arcade games and dinner instead.

This past weekend, I attended a Shinto ceremony with my fellow teachers, followed by an enkai (work drinking party). The Shinto ceremony was very interesting, and I had to participate as well! I was kind of watching everyone else out of the corner of my eye, trying to time my clapping and bowing correctly. The ceremony is specifically to help our sannensei (third graders) pass their high school entrance exams... So much for confidence in our own teaching prowess. After the ceremony we treated ourselves to a sumptuous feast in a gorgeous tatami room at Anraku Onsen, right near my house.

I spent the rest of the weekend mostly on housekeeping and errands. Some things never change, even overseas.

This week, I'm looking forward to an organized snowball fight among JETs in Akita City on Sunday. I'm not sure yet what I'll do before that - on Saturday, Alfonso and I may meet up at Lake Tazawa for some real skiing (as opposed to the limited bunny hill offerings of our local areas).

Today, I got the final step (my visa application) of planning for next month's trip to Beijing out of the way - China, here I come!!! I am very excited to visit Beijing. Stay tuned for pictures of me on the Great Wall of China...

Coffee Break's Over

I think, given the Japanese alchemy that transformed the item in this picture from "Amanda's car" into "Amanda's igloo" over the course of a standard work day, it's safe to say that fall is over and winter has come at last to Honjo. This, admittedly, is not an occurrence I can honestly say I greet with joy, for a variety of reasons. As one of my mother's favorite jokes ends, "Coffee break's over, everyone back on your heads." The arrival of winter here in Akita definitely (despite its tranquil beauty and capacity to elicit almost childlike delight) certainly carries with it a modicum of the "coffee break's over" sentiment.

To start with, those of you who don't live here are probably unaware of this fact, but few if any Japanese homes are equipped with central heating or insulation. This translates to a whole lot of freezing-my-tush-off once the temperature goes below about 60 Fahrenheit. Furthermore, I am not now, nor have I ever been, a huge fan of scraping snow off of cars or shoveling out parking spaces. I see an abundance of both in my future. At any rate, enough whining about the weather. Hopefully I'll at least get to enjoy some good time at the ski-jo when I return from America with my equipment.

**ANNOUNCEMENT!!** For those who missed it, I will be visiting my hometown of Seattle from December 24th to January 2nd. If you want to see me please get in touch so we can lock something down!

Moving on from weather and travel nonsense. Today, I found myself further in the debt of the ever-wonderful Miss Ayako Sasaki. I was seriously stressing because Yashima Elementary (my least favorite school, if you'll recall from earlier posts/complaining...) wanted me to spend ten minutes each in three different classes talking about what Americans do for Christmas. There are two issues here. One, none of them speak any English worth mentioning, so anything I said would be a waste of air. Second, my Japanese (and more importantly my confidence in my Japanese) is nowhere near good enough to really explain Christmas. I have a serious aversion to promoting and enforcing stereotypes in Japan - though sometimes, it's the only route to take (see previous post regarding who my favorite singers are when I am on school premises...). But I have a much bigger issue selling the old tried-and-true expected explanation of Christmas. It leaves a sour taste in my mouth, as if I had just confirmed that black people only eat fried chicken and grits. I feel a strong desire to explain that not all Americans celebrate Christmas - some celebrate other holidays, like Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, and some celebrate nothing at all - and that among those who do celebrate, there are many different traditions.

I was getting pretty distressed at the idea of having no choice but to affirm Japanese stereotypes and pre-assumptions about American holidays, when Miss Sasaki flew to my rescue. Like the angel that she is, upon seeing my distress and asking me to explain the reason, she made a suggestion.

"How about you write down what you want to say, and I will translate it into Japanese so the homeroom teacher can explain to the children?"

God bless you, Ayako-sensei.

As a result of her generosity, I will now be able to explain at least to some extent the diversity of the holiday season in America to Yashima Elementary. How well it will go over and/or stick remains to be seen...but at least I won't go home feeling as if I've just been a willing participant in a minstrel show.

Hilarious sidenotes:

1) In my explanation of American Christmas, I did address the many people who celebrate a different holiday (Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc) and those who celebrate nothing at all. This produced shock and confusion in my Japanese coworkers, including the question "What is a Jewish?"
2) I described some classic Christmas traditions, including leaving milk and cookies out for Santa. Apparently, none of my coworkers have ever heard of this. They were all extremely puzzled. One of them asked me if Santa did not eat meat because all we fed him was cookies - evidently milk and cookies = vegetarian.
3) I described hanging stockings. One flabbergasted Japanese coworker asked me in shock, "So you put your socks on the stove?!?!"
4) I explained that my family does not do much to celebrate Christmas. My coworkers reacted with consternation and confusion. They were also surprised that most people in the US consider Christmas a time to visit family - apparently in Japan, Christmas is closer in spirit to Valentine's Day...as in, a holiday for lovers. Eek.

Clearly, one cannot make any assumptions regarding cross-cultural understanding. Of course, I am equally guilty; I have had enough preconceptions shattered here to know that my notions about Japan were nearly as misguided as Japanese preconceptions about America are.

As a wise man (Wayne Moyer!) once told me in a different context, "Where you stand depends on where you sit." Sitting here in Japan has certainly changed where I stand on many issues, including gender roles, sexual politics, religion, manners, and multiculturalism or diversity.

Stand where you may, forget not that others may sit elsewhere. Amen.

Rant, Cont'd.

Ok. So, last night's update in fact glossed over several other (equally hilarious, albeit unintentionally hugely offensive) episodes that I have endured of late. These include glorious moments such as the following conversation with one of my JTEs.

JTE: Have you eaten yakiniku?
Me: Yes. I like it a lot.
JTE: Ah. Where have you eaten?
Me: You mean where in Japan?
JTE: So.
Me: Well I haven't eaten yakiniku in Japan.
JTE: Ah. So you have never tried yakiniku.
Me: No I've had it, just not in Akita.
JTE: Right. So you have not tried.
Me: Have you ever heard of frikking Benihana?!?!

The total disconnect here was the notion that one might possibly live in a country that is NOT Japan in which one might be able to consume Japanese foods. My school staffers were amazed to hear that in the average American supermarket you can buy rice and soy sauce. Blew their minds. I felt it unnecessary to further shock their systems by explaining that many American user manuals, signs, guidebooks, menus, etc are available in Japanese, sushi and sashimi are popular, and we DO know what miso soup, gyoza, ramen, udon, soba, yakiniku and mochi are in the US. I was afraid I was the only one whose head wouldn't spontaneously explode, which would mean I'd get stuck cleaning Japanese brains off the teachers' room walls. Let's just say there's a reason that if you have any Japanese friends and you tell them you know an American girl who lives in Akita, their facial expression will probably move in this progression: shock, pity, and politely composed lemonade-making of the lemon most people consider life in Akita to be. (I actually sort of like it here, weird and alien and isolated as it is. But people's comments about "Wow. There are old people, trees and rice paddies there. Pack a coat." aren't too far off the mark to be honest.)

This is why, despite my annoyances with the place, I don't think Japanese people are racist. (One small amendment there; I think they ARE racist towards other Asians, ESPECIALLY Koreans and Southeast Asians. But not non-ethnically-Asian people.) When it comes to non-Asian people, Japanese people don't even really have "negative" or "hateful" or "condescending" attitudes. There's simply a short-circuit. Japan, for example, really doesn't have American or Mexican or Indian food readily available - as a consequence, Japanese people tend to assume that Americans only have access to American food (which, as far as they can tell from their media - remember American media sells us some pretty absurd international stereotypes, too - is hamburgers and french fries). Logical enough; in their country, they mostly only have their own ethnic cuisine...so the notion that Americans eat only McDonald's is a reasonable inference. McDonald's is American, they know McDonald's, so it follows that Americans, living in America, must eat McDonald's. And since most international food doesn't exist here, and many Japanese people (at least in Akita) have limited if any exposure to the world outside Japan, they extrapolate from their own situations and assume that other countries don't eat Japanese food, just like Japanese don't eat other countries' food particularly.

This is cold comfort in that it makes the assumptions understandable, not less annoying.

Similarly, the Japanese shock and horror that I don't know their celebrities, TV shows, idols, bands and comedians by name and face is aggravating. When I was first introduced, kids would ask me what singers or TV shows I liked. Originally I was truthful...a tactic that, as my friend Tom recently commiserated, elicited mostly blank stares and disappointment. Scrubs, Jeopardy!, Top Chef and Entourage, apparently, are not big here. Much easier to lie and say you love friggin' SpongeBob Squarepants...Similarly, don't say you like Green Day, Pearl Jam, Jimmi Hendrix or Sweatshop Union. My favorite singers, for convenience purposes and only on school premises, are Madonna, Michael Jackson and Britney Spears. And yet, somehow, despite the fact that THEY know none of MY pop culture idols, icons and standbys...they, including my JTEs, never cease to be amazed and/or horrified by my lack of knowledge of Japanese celebrities and pop culture.

Hello people. This should not be a mystery. DO I LOOK JAPANESE?!?!

Sofia Coppola had the right idea but failed to express it in its full depth and spectrum....

Sometimes I feel like my whole life is lost in translation.

After Almost Half a Year...Time for a Rant.

This is hatahata, a specialty fish and popular early winter food in Akita. The roe has a similar consistency to natto. This is a great item when playing feed-the-foreigner. Made an unwelcome appearance in my life two nights in a row. Thank you Japanese friends, I love your pranks.

After having been here nearly half a year (which some days seems like it has passed in the blink of an eye, and other days feels like an eternity) during which I have scrupulously not lost my temper, I feel it is time to release some pent-up frustration about certain aspects of life in Japan. Disclaimer: On the whole I am quite happy here. Frustrations frequently distill to individuals, circumstances or miscommunications, frequently with good intent. Venting about them is in no way intended as an indictment of Japan, Japanese people, or even the specific person who may be involved in a given incident.

Disclaimer aside, some of these things are absolutely monumentally annoying and frustrating, all high aspirations of cultural exchange be damned. (This is by no means a comprehensive list of frustrations or annoyances; recently I've simply encountered a spate of them that merited at least a digital venting session, if not a few laughs...)

To begin, a short narrative. I was out at an enkai (work drinking party) with a select subset of my colleagues from one school, and an old friend of theirs who used to teach at my school but now teaches in another town (whom I had never met). It was a fun evening, but eventually, the new guy started chatting me up. He asked me about my feelings towards Japanese food and dining in Akita. The conversation proceeded something as follows.

Japanese Man: Have you eaten at many restaurants in Akita Prefecture?

Amanda: Some. I don't eat out much, though, since I live alone. Eating at restaurants is less fun alone.

JM: Ah. I see. But I know what your favorite restaurant in Akita is.

A: *eyebrow raise* Oh? (thinking to self: is there one I've been to an inordinate amount?! I don't eat out that often...)

JM: *triumphantly* McDonald's!!!

A: *stare*

A: I haven't eaten at McDonald's since I came to Japan.

JM: Oh. KFC then.

A: Uh....No, I haven't eaten there either.

*long pause*

JM: *critical stare* Are you really American?!?!

Right. Ok. I have eaten neither KFC nor McDonald's since my arrival here in July. Given that everyone in this area, for several towns around, apparently tracks my every move (down to a random sushi restaurant owner two towns over knowing which convenience store I stop at on the way to work to buy breakfast when I'm running late, and that breakfast is usually two onigiri (rice balls) and I only ever buy salted salmon or shrimp and mayo....) and knows me by my height, body type and distinctive ponytail...I infer everyone knows there hasn't been a single KFC or McDonald's related sighting of Amanda-sensei. This means only one thing; even if nobody caught me doing it, not even the employees, being American, I must by definition be eating KFC and McDonald's, because that is what Americans eat. Oh stereotypes, thank you so.

Besides, McDonald's looks like Le Bernadin compared to this nightmare they served me at that enkai:

This is shirako. That translates as "fish testicles filled with sperm/semen". I couldn't bring myself to eat it. My table neighbor, however, in his enthusiasm, was stirring it excitedly to eat it, and splattered it on my pants. I got spooged on by a fish. A dead fish. Thank you, Japan, for bringing necrophilia and bestiality into perfect harmony in a single meal.

Next up: at work. One of my JTEs and I are chatting. She then, quite nonchalantly, asks me to describe to her in details what Americans do in church for Christmas.

...

In addition to making me a hamburger-and-crispy-chicken-family-basket-snarfing lardass, apparently being American also means I must, necessarily, attend church. Especially for my religiously significant holidays like Christmas. Despite numerous explanations, including explaining the Latin roots of "theos" and "a-" for "atheist", somehow the concept just hasn't quite sunk in. Sigh.

This was further substantiated later that week at my main elementary school. I stayed a bit later than usual, chatting with my kocho- and kyoto-senseis and some random teachers in the teachers' room. They started asking me about my musical training. I explained many US primary schools, and almost all middle schools, lacked mandatory music classes. They were horrified. Then, inspiration and clarity struck. Their faces lit up with comprehension. They gleefully announced....

"I see! You learned how to sing in church!"

...

Shoot me. Please.

I have also discovered that none of my schools have the foggiest notion that some Americans celebrate Hannukah, Kwanzaa, nothing, or any number of other holidays during this time of year. For convenience's sake I may just not hassle with explaining this. I feel it will probably go galloping down the same road of futility as my attempts to explain that I am not, never have been, and never will be a Christian. In Japan, being American has some very simple defining characteristics. Apparently, being Christian and a McDonald's addict are two of them. I'll get my revenge yet though for the hatahata and shirako torture; when I return here from the US, I got permission to have my middle schoolers taste-test American foods like ants-on-a-log, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and corn chips with jarred nacho cheese dip. Take THAT, Japan.

Nacho cheese in a jar. That's America's answer to natto, y'all.

Testing Testing: We're Back

Sorry for the neglect. I've been really busy! Not with work, actually, since as my friends here all know I have the single cushiest posting on the JET Program and only ACTUALLY work about four hours a week, and two of those probably involve playing games, drinking tea and eating cookies or candy with my elementary schoolers. The remainder of my work hours (40 a week) are spent surfing the internet in the Yuri Chu teachers' room.

Dave, I hope you're taking notes on how to treat an employee. ;-)

At any rate, for all the idleness of my gainful unemployment, I try to compensate on my days off...of which I also have an excessive number compared to other JETs in the area it seems. Consequently I've been traveling quite a bit. Destinations include Akita City, Odate, and last weekend, a journey to Kyoto and Osaka via Tokyo. To get the trip report type stuff out of the way, here's the scoop on Kyoto and Osaka, and then we'll get into my latest reflections on Japan and the experience of living here.

I took the Akita Komachi shinkansen (bullet train) from Akita City to Tokyo, where I transferred to the Nozomi shinkansen to Kyoto. Because I hadn't reserved a seat in advance, I ended up standing (well really sitting perched on my suitcase) in the compartment between two cars, crammed in with Tokyo salarymen who were all drinking, smoking, playing Nintendo DS, or in many cases passing out leaning against the wall. One could, I suppose, refer to this as a "cultural experience". I call it simply hilarious, since I paid 120 dollars to sit on my suitcase for two and a half hours inhaling smoke and surrounded by drunk Japanese businessmen. God bless the land of the rising sun.

Since we had planned very last minute everything was booked up hotel-wise in both Kyoto AND Osaka, but a friend and fellow Seattle JET who lives in Osaka (George) generously sorted out with his landlady for me and my travel partner, Elliott, to stay in his apartment building's guest room. So upon arriving in Kyoto I took a local train to Osaka, where I met up with Mari in Osaka Station. George was busy that evening, so his neighbor/friend/senpai Sam met up with me and Mari. He showed us to our temporary home (his and George's building) and then he, Mari and I went out for some izakaya (a Japanese pub serving small plates). Near their apartment exists a wondrous place known as the 280 - a modern fusion izakaya where EVERYTHING costs only 280 yen. Want some beef skewers? 280 yen. A huge beer? 280 yen. How about some fried cheese with butter on top that you push inside with your chopsticks to melt? 280 yen. Oh and by the way let the last item be a clue - leave behind your illusions about the refinement and healthfulness of Japanese food. If it can be eaten, it can be found in Japan deep fried, slathered in mayonnaise, topped with butter, and/or covered in a thick sugary sauce. Japanese people love fried anything; fried chicken, fried potatoes, fried cheese (even though they hate cheese), fried croquettes, fried pork loin, fried fish, fried fritters, fried vegetables, fried squid, fried meatballs, fried tofu, fried boiled quail eggs, fried fish cakes, fried hot dogs, fried onion, fried shrimp. If you can eat it, they have breaded it, fried it, topped it with mayonnaise, Worcestershire and skipjack tuna flakes. Japan even has multiple WORDS for fried foods, depending on the exact style of frying. 天ぷら, or tempura, is probably the best known outside of the country - originally Portuguese, it's a light panko batter with a pale yellow color. Usually applied to veggies like Japanese pumpkin, shiso leaf, etc, as well as the famous tempura shrimp, though I have also had tempura squid which is quite good. Next is カツ, or katsu, a slightly heavier, more brown-looking breading usually used on meats like chicken or pork. They also have フライ, or furai (katakana pronunciation of fry), which is the heaviest breading you'll likely find in Japan. They also have 唐揚げ, or karaage, a special soy-sauce layered technique of breading used primarily for chicken. Karaage is a popular dish at many izakaya. Lest you think we were done, they also have many kinds of stir-fries and shallow fried dishes, including yakisoba, fried rice, gyoza, and pan-fried chicken or fish. And while I am on the topic, Japanese people are OBSESSED with mayonnaise. I mean OBSESSED. You will find mayo on hamburgers, teriyaki, takoyaki (octopus fritters), pizza, okonomiyaki, sandwiches, salads (potato salad, pasta salad, tuna salad and egg salad are very popular), as salad dressing, as a sauce on pasta, and as a dip for fried chicken, French fries, and pretty much anything else including raw veggies. So much for the myth that the Japanese live forever due to a healthy diet.

If living like a Japanese person ensures longevity, I should probably start smoking like a chimney, drinking beer like water, and sucking down deep-fried foods and mayo as if I were a child freshly escaped from Bosnia.

At any rate, the next morning I took the train into Kyoto and met up with Elliott. We then went sightseeing, including Kiyomizudera and Sanjusangendo, both famous Kyoto sights. Sanjusangendo contains 1,001 statues of the Buddha Kannon, and many National Treasure statues of Buddhist gods and goddesses. Kiyomizudera is a beautiful temple, and it is said that if you drink the clear waters there you will have long life and great beauty.

For dinner we found a Spanish restaurant, and while we were having a discussion about grammar differences between English, Japanese and Chinese, a Chinese man from two tables away walked over, sat down and began chatting us up. He reminded me of nobody more than Professor Hsieh, one of my favorite teachers and mentors! That night we went out with Mari and George in Shinsaibashi in Osaka. We visited Zerro, a gaijin bar featuring a Corona-and-lime foosball table, before going to Bamboo, a Middle Eastern restaurant owned by an Israeli. We shared lamb kebabs, good conversation, and hookah. After Bamboo, we went for karaoke. We stayed late enough to miss the last train, so we just stayed up all night singing to take the first train home the next morning! When I told my JTE, Ms Sasaki, this story, she told me I am like a Japanese college student. Whether that's good or bad, I'm not sure.


The next day we got a late start due to our late night, so the only Kyoto sight Elliott and I managed on Sunday was Ginkakuji, or the Silver Temple. It was raining, but still beautiful! We had the best ramen I've had in Japan for lunch, and discovered a French cafe on our way home. With French radio playing in the background, we enjoyed coffee, beer and the best breads I've had since France!

That night we took it easy, just going for a few drinks and some good eats at a local pub. Mari and I shared several small plates, including a mochi cheese that was just yummy! Elliott was tired so he went home early, but Mari and I went with George to the 280 to keep hanging out a while longer. For the record, ice-cream filled frozen strawberries for 280 yen a plate were a FABULOUS idea, Mari!

Monday, our final day and day of departure, Elliott and I went to Kinkakuji, the legendary Golden Temple. Because all the train station lockers were taken, we had to drag our suitcases along for the trip! I'm sure we looked absurd! But the Golden Temple was as beautiful as can be, and we really enjoyed our visit. Even our heavy luggage couldn't ruin the experience!


Finally, exhausted but happy, we caught the Nozomi shinkansen back to Tokyo (two and a half more hours sitting on a suitcase...no seats available...), where Elliott and I parted ways. He boarded the Tohoku shink to Yamagata, and I got on the Akita Komachi back home to my rural, rice paddy-full home.

So that was my trip to Kyoto! The sights, company, food and experiences were fantastic. I'm really happy I went.

So, as if this post wasn't long enough, on to my latest and greatest puzzlements with Japan. There are many, and the longer I live here the more I find, so expect more to come if I get un-lazy about this blog. At any rate, the question of the moment is Japanese attitudes regarding homosexuality.

On the surface level, Japan is incredibly tolerant and accepting of what might appear to be homosexual behaviors. My junior high school boys frequently hold hands, give each other piggy back rides, and link arms; I've even come into a room to find a few of them snuggled up on the floor in a corner spooning. Ironically, Japan is VERY intolerant of actual homosexual relationships. Two persons of the same sex taking a room at a love hotel*, or in some cases a normal hotel, may very well be asked to leave. Homosexual relationships, ESPECIALLY for women, are beyond taboo. And yet, my junior high boys spoon, snuggle, hold hands, and collect Hello Kitty pens and pink cell phones. How does this all resolve?!

Ultimately, I think it dilutes down to the Japanese sense of masculinity and femininity, which is very different from the US sense of this dynamic. Masculinity is being a father, a breadwinner, a husband. It has nothing to do with snuggling other men or liking pink. It's much more concrete; consequently, "cool" high school boys in Japan frequently look like drag queens, in some cases even wearing makeup, with heavily styled hair and a feminine (to my Western eye) affectation. Much like the question of Japanese "racism", this question of Japanese "homophobia" is a very ambiguous and confusing area to examine. Actions and preferences that would be definitely considered "gay" (probably if not certainly to the social detriment of the parties in question in the US) are totally normal, acceptable, and even cool here. And yet, the notion of an actual gay relationship isn't even necessarily discriminated against per se ...because it's simply so taboo that it never happens, at least not openly. I confess I find this dichotomy - acceptance of homo-suggestive behaviors, and total rejection of homosexuality - somewhat confuzzling. That said, it is nice to see people (both male and female) feeling comfortable being affectionate with their friends gender notwithstanding, as well as feeling free to like the colors or characters that they like, without being forced by gender norms to or away from one or the other (ie, pink being girly in the US). Japanese society doesn't abuse or hate on homosexuals; it's simply so taboo, and the social pressure to conform is so strong, that it's rarely (if ever) an issue. Do you think this is better or worse than the situation in the US, where homosexual behavior is stigmatized even in the most liberal of places? (Think associations with pink, male handholding in junior high, etc...Even the most liberal and accepting American has some pretty thoroughly ingrained biases about what is "gay" or not.) Is it better or worse to embrace open displays but make relationships so taboo that they rarely emerge as a question, or to have a society that at worst openly harms gay people (ie Matthew Shepherd) and at best clings to subtle biases despite its claims of acceptance?

I'm not sure; both situations have their drawbacks and their advantages. Thoughts?


*A love hotel is a by-the-hour hotel, usually with a theme like tropical, etc, intended specifically for couples. Since many single young people in Japan still live at home, in many cases in multi-generational living situations, love hotels are a solution for young couples looking for some privacy. They tend to be cheap, affordable and reputably quite fun.