A first

I have been riding the train for two hours every weekday ever since I got to Japan 4 months ago. And today for the first time a random person on the train started talking to me. A businessman wearing a sick mask (people do that here when they have a cold) sat down next to me and noticed that I was practicing kanji.
"Wow, you're studying very hard, aren't you?" he said.
I was very surprised, and delighted too that someone was being friendly.
"It's because I have a test today," I said.
"Well, do your best! How long have you been studying?"
"Three years."
"Wow, that's amazing. Where are you from?"
So we had a short little conversation before he opened up his newspaper and left me to my studying. When he left the train he gave me a thumbs up sign. It pretty much made my day. While people-watching on the train I've often wished that I could chat with them, since I'm interested in everyone here. But it seems like the Japanese just don't start up conversations with strangers much- particularly with gaijin. Sometimes I've seen people sneak glances at my homework as I study on the train, but when I look at them they always shift their eyes quickly. One time a high school boy sitting next to me was working on English homework, and I really wanted to volunteer to help him out, but was afraid that I might come off too weird since no one else does it.
In fact, the train is often extremely quiet. And for some reason, the degree of quietness is directly proportional to the degree of crowdedness on the train. So we'll just be chugging along, squished together like sardines, in complete silence. It's like how no one talks in a crowded elevator.
Time to take that kanji final!

Engrish Strikes Back

Images of Christmas from Japan

No, I don't know what this is.

In Japanese they call snowmen "snow daruma."

The Japanese love elaborate Christmas light setups. Well, who doesn't, I guess?


Back when I was in Nagoya, my church had a Christmas concert. As Robert would say, it was "pretty much amazing."




Merry Christmas everyone!

Precious bodily fluids

I have a cold for the third time in four months.

This is crazy. I never get sick this often.

Experiencing Japanese family life?

Sometimes I wonder why my host family isn't embarrassed to act the way they do around me. The children throw tantrums, my host mom emasculates and henpecks my host dad, the host dad blatantly ignores my host mom. And that's just a few examples. Meanwhile, I'll just be sitting there at the dinner table thinking, "aren't they ashamed of themselves?"

Perhaps they're trying to treat me as part of the family, not as a guest. So sometimes I feel bad that I don't spend more time with them. But seriously, if they wanted me to be part of their family, maybe they should have made their family life more appealing.

One thing that really frustrates me is the way Origami Boy is allowed to treat his little brother. Origami Boy has serious anger problems. I truly worry about him. I think he inherited them from his mom because the actions he takes and the voice he uses when he's angry is an obvious imitation of hers. When Origami Boy is angry with Whiney for whatever reason, he screams at him and hits him mercilessly. If Whiney is doing something Origami Boy doesn't like, Origami Boy will physically force him to stop. One day he was particularly angry and was torturing Whiney so relentlessly that Whiney locked himself in the bathroom just to escape.

And the weird thing is, my host parents don't do a thing about this! I don't know why. Today Origami Boy screamed at Whiney, hit him on the head and kicked him in the stomach. My host mom saw it all and didn't do a thing. I think this explains why Whiney cries so dramatically. He's trying to get someone to notice and stick up for him. I'd do the same if I was in his situation.

I'm only here for a semester. Of the exchange students who are studying for a whole year in Japan, a surprising amount of them have applied to move out of host families and live in dormitories instead. If I was here for another semester, I think I would do the same. Luckily I only have one more week with my host family.

Memiors of a Gaijin, cont.

I promised that I would explain the photo of me dressed up as a geisha. I've been putting it off because I kind of doubt whether anyone besides my parents is interested.

It was probably one of the most awesome Saturdays of my life. My good friend Saki offered to show me around Kyoto in order to make the most of my ever-diminishing time left in the Land of the Rising Sun. Kyoto is about 2 and a half hours away by bus, so we left on a Friday evening and stayed in a hotel. We got up early the next morning and headed out towards Gion, an old district of the city and perhaps the only place in Japan where real geisha and maiko (a geisha-in-training) can still be seen.

We had made reservations at a shop where you can pay to dress up like a maiko, with the fancy kimono, makeup and hair. About eight other women and one man were doing it as well. It was quite a process. Saki described it as kind of "a maiko factory" because the employees' efficient system of transforming customers into maiko was much like an assembly line. Makeup. Next. Wig. Next. Kimono. Next. At the end we had professional pictures taken. For a higher price you could take a walk outside in your costume, but Saki and I chose not to. I think that was a good idea, as our kimonos were a little old and, well, I just looked...extremely unusual. Maybe a little scary. Saki was barely recognizable.

It was a super fun experience. I will never get tired of playing dress-ups. Never. Getting all that white makeup off wasn't easy though.
Saki and I did a lot of things that day, and I'm sure you probably don't want to hear every detail. But I'll tell you about Kiyomizu-dera because I've got some awesome pictures I want to show off, like this one of high schoolers on a field trip lining up for a picture. Little did they know of their impending doom.

Kiyomizu-dera, being one of Kyoto's biggest attractions, was very crowded! There was at least one high school field trip going on at the time. Kiyomizu-dera is a huge old temple constructed of wood on the side of a hill. Thus it commands a wonderful view of the city, and must be truly packed when the cherry blossoms or fall foilage is in full bloom. You can see in the picture below that the very large building has a roof made of thatched grasses.

Interestingly, behind the Buddhist temple lies a Shinto shrine. This shrine seemed to be particularly dedicated to the spirit of love and relationships, with amulets and fortunes to buy for luck in love, marriage, and conception. There were two special boulders set a couple yards away from each other. I saw a group of high school girls giggling as they lead their blindfolded friend through the crowds from one rock to the other. Apparently this is a ritual believed to bring luck in love or something. The whole area was packed with women of all ages, which just goes to show that girls are the same all over the world.

On our way home, we picked up some freshly-baked soymilk donuts, which were hot and fluffy and light and delicious. I wish we had them in the US.

Saki and I returned home that evening, and I was very tired but very happy too.

Thank you Saki!

Makes a good wallpaper:

Is the semester over yet?

Next week is finals week, and thank goodness. I think everyone, students and teachers alike, are sick and tired of Japanese class. Eight hours a week together is just too many. Blazer Sensei's fuse was particularly short today- and it was first period! Usually it takes us at least two periods to wear her down.

This morning I walked into the classroom.

The bell rang.

Knowing that 2 out of 10 total homework points hung precariously in the balance, I positioned myself squarely in front of the Pink Box of Doom and set my backpack in front of it so the professor would understand that I was in the process of submitting my homework and would mercifully keep the box open five seconds longer.

And as I opened my backpack to get out my homework, Blazer Sensei closes the Box right in front of me.

Dirty little...

In a move of unabashed rebellion, I opened the Pink Box and slipped my homework inside. Blazer Sensei undoubtedly saw it, and will probably mark my homework as late nonetheless. Sayonara, 2 homework points.

I guess it serves me right for being late to class.

Oh wait.

I WASN'T.

Yes, I think everyone needs winter vacation badly.