There's Hope Yet (But Not for Japanese Television)

As far as things on my side of the planet, I've been pretty busy the last 5 days, but before that, I wasn't doing so hot. It rained for about 9 days straight, which doesn't usually bother me too much. But, it really started to get to me because I felt especially isolated. I really only have 2 friends here, and they live in the next town. Both are Americans and they are really cool. It's just that every day is a struggle to communicate. I struggle with my Japanese Teacher of English, even though she tries so hard and she is an absolutely wonderful teacher. If it weren't for her, I don't think I could make it here for a whole year! Another thing about my town (and rural Japan as a whole) is that there are no public spaces. The kids don't have any parks, less the school sports field. But, they spend at least 3 hours every day playing baseball or volleyball at the school. The bars (both of them) close at 7 PM. There isn't a coffe shop, shopping mall, train depot, or convenience store less than a 45 minute drive away. SO, if I want to read a book or just do ANYTHING away from my tiny apartment, I have to really make a trek. Then, I have to leave that place and go home at 7 (or 8, if I'm lucky).

Anyway, on Wednesday I decided I couldn't sit at home and feel sorry for myself anymore, so when the sun came out I went for a 2 hour walk around town and started discovering little hidden places. My town is actually quite wonderful, although the bars/restaurants (both of them) close at 7.

Then, on Thursday, a beautiful woman named Miki-san invited me to dinner at her house with her family. She speaks a good deal of English and just moved to Tombara from Tokyo. She grew up here, but lived in Tokyo for the last 13 years. Her three children are all in elementary school and I am their "sensei". So, she extended a welcoming hand to me and we feasted for 6 hours at her house. He father, mother, and grandmother live there too, so the 8 of us had a great time. They were even patient enough to listen to me ramble on about how great Philadelphia is!

Friday night, I played some poker <> (aka Magic the Gathering) with Trevor and Signe and I didn't get home until around 3 AM. The phone rang at 7:30 AM and it was Miki-san asking me if I wanted to go on a hike with the family. Of course I accepted, so she picked me up about an hour later. The hike was a KILLER! It was about a 1,800m trek to the summit of Kotobiki-san which is 1,013m tall. Needless to say, the climb was steep. It seemed more like rock-climbing than hiking, but we didn't actually need any special equipment. Anyway, once we got to the top, the view was spectacular. Plus, there was a shrine at the summit and about 25 other people made the hike that day. Of course, it was organized, but I just didn't know it. So, the group had already started making Miso Soup for 30 over propane burners that they lugged all the way up there. We rested. I did some more jikoshokai's (introductions). We filled our bellies with homemade lunch. And we made our descent. Later that night, a man who works at the Kominkan (community center) invited me to have drinks with him. But, the bar closed especially early on Saturday, so we went to his house and feasted some more. His wife is awesome! She made at least 12 different dishes of food for us, so for about 5 hours we just ate and drank sake and felt good. It was a wonderful day.

On Sunday, I attended an Undokai (sports festival like a field day, but with more events) at one of my elementary schools. There are only 25 students in the entire school, so teachers and adults joined in most of the games. Afterwards, I was wandering about the town since I had never been there before, and I came upon about 60 people having a little BBQ-style party. When they saw me, they invited me in. Lucky for me!!! But, I had to stand up with a microphone and introduce myself to everyone in town. It was crazy! The old ladies got me up to do some traditional bone-dancing and the old men sang karaoke songs in the Yasugibushi style, which sounds more like whining. But, once you get past that, the lyrics can be quite beautiful and it definitely has that "Folk" feel to it.

So, now were to Monday and I've had a whirlwind long weekend. Today I worked pretty hard and met another man who is a Japanese English teacher at the High School. We traded numbers and he wants to get together sometime. So, there might be hope yet of meeting some really great Japanese friends during my tenure here. I don't think I'll ever break out of the "other" category of people in Japan, but so far, the people I've met in Tombara have warm hearts and open doors. It's not quite Southern hospitality, but it's a welcomed retreat from sitting at home watching Japanese television (see note below).

Thanks for reading this far down! As always, much love,
Maikeru
^_^

NOTE: Japanese television stinks! There are three kinds of shows.

1. Baseball. No other sports, just baseball. Plus, it's Japanese baseball. Fortunately, I know the rules to baseball, so I can follow it. I bet you all didn't think I knew the rules. HAHAHAHA! I've fooled you all for so many years!!!

2. Closed Circuit TV from cameras all around the different area towns. This is so if you don't feel like getting up and looking outside, you can just change the TV station and see what the outside of your house looks like.

3. Food Shows. Everything is "oishii", or delicious, for the the English readers. They take a bite of some random food, say "oishii" with some look on there face that is indistinguishable from a look when you stub your toe really hard, and then nod at everyone else on camera. Now, that is not the weird part. The weird part is when they have a little picture in picture of someone else watching the person eating. This way, you get the reaction of the other people to the reaction of the first person eating the food. It's like a twisted recursive function of "oishii surprise". Man, this country is strange!

The Big Brother Box

Well, if you've been following the World Weather Report you may have noticed that we're just wrapping up a Typhoon here in Shimane-ken. I haven't followed the news about how bad it was on the coast, but up here it wasn't really that bad. I mentioned that it probably wouldn't be that bad up in the mountains, but as my friend Janelle aptly pointed out, "the clouds are ABOVE the mountains!" In fact, it was just a little windy and it's been raining for a couple of days.

Yesterday, I was over at my friends' house, Trevor and Signe's, and we were playing Magic the Gathering during the early part of the Typhoon. Mid-point through the game, a bell rings in the house. At first, I couldn't quite tell where it came from. Then, a voice in Japanese comes over a loudspeaker and made an announcement. The voice said that a Typhoon was coming and the roads were dangerous. "Do not leave your house. Stay indoors. The weather is dangerous outside." Then, the bell tolled again and the announcement was finished.

The voice came from a box on the wall with a big speaker. Of course, now I'm completely miffed and ask what was going on! Trevor explains that when there are emergencies, the local government makes announcements over the "Big Brother" box. It's fascinating... and SCARY... at the same time. Every house has one - even mine. :-)

Check yourself, before you wreck yourself...

Last night I worked late. Perhaps the school office didn't close until after 7:00 PM, and I was one of the last people out the door. Perhaps it was my loopiness from working a very long day, or perhaps it was actually this weird, but I received an envelope on my desk marked "From the Board of Education". This is not uncommon, so I dumped the contents of the envelope out onto the desk. I looked down and saw three things:
- A piece of paper entirely in Japanese other than my name
- Another paper with a blank calendar on it
- A blue plastic bag with medical "things" inside

I didn't quite know what to make of the medical things or the papers, so my JTE (Japanese Teacher of English) helped me to figure out what everything was. Well, sort of. Inside the blue plastic bag were two syringe-looking things without needles. Each one was filled with liquid. Then, there was another blue "collection" bag (I think), and a small folded instruction manual.

We opened the "manual", and it was all in Japanese. My JTE looked at it and said, "Ahhhh, health check." OK, what kind of health check was this? I mean, I have been to many doctors and even the hospital for at least one extended stay, but I have never seen anything like this before. Upon closer inspection, the manual has a sufficiently obscure cartoon of a guy, straddling two different kinds of toilets, like he's riding in the Kentucky Derby. Beneath his bottom there is a white oval object. OK. I think I get it. I'm supposed to produce a stool. Right. Next step. Ummm. The next step is to use the syringe-looking things to for something? Maybe I'm supposed to bake a cake? I have no clue!
There is a picture of some kind of brown spot with white arrows moving in different directions all around it. OK. This is getting gross. I point this out to my JTE while simultaneously concealing a nervous laughter and she just says that it is very difficult to explain, but that I have to go to the hospital and make an appointment. I ask her if the medical "things" are for the hospital. Her reply was a simple, "No, they are for you."

Right. For me. OK. I don't know how I'm supposed to work the syringe-looking things, especially since they have some kind of liquid inside. Is it dangerous? And, am I supposed to "prepare" ahead of time or do I have to produce a stool at the hospital on demand? If so, how am I going to make an appointment more than 3 weeks ahead of time for something like that? Perhaps I can eat a TON of fiber the night before, then rush to the hospital right after I wake up. Who knows?! My JTE is going to "research" the issue and look up the proper words in the dictionary to help me understand. For now, I'm left wondering what kind of trouble I've gotten myself into by moving here.

So, wish me luck. In Japanese we say "Gambatte, kudasai!" This translates to "Do your best, please!" I suppose the Japanese don't believe in luck, but rather in the virtue of your own hard work. This sounds like hard work.

Gambarimasu!
Maikeru
:-)

Sheyna’s 5 Can’ts for Surviving Japan

So, I haven't been very good at posting the past 2 weeks. My friend Sheyna is here visiting from Philadelphia. She is inspiring me to keep writing. In honor of her visit, I'm giving her a guest Blog Spot in "Mangos in Japan". Here are Sheyna's 5 Can'ts for Japan:

1. Can’t have a sensitive palate…
because you will starve in japan. NOTHING, or rather very few things, will taste the way you expect them. For example, I went to a coffee shop and a bought a Danish (it actually said “Danish” in English on the package) thinking it would have some weird fruit jelly inside. I wasn’t thinking far enough outside the box; it had potato, mayonnaise and ham-type paste inside. It wasn’t bad, but it really didn’t compliment my cappuccino.

2. Can’t be offended by porn…
seriously. It’s everywhere in the big cities. And not just your regular Jenna Jamison type stuff either. Apparently the men here also get off on cartoon porn.

3. Can’t have stage fright…
otherwise you will miss out on one of the best cultural experiences Japan has to offer – the onsen. Onsens are the natural hot spring spas scattered all over the country where many people used to bathe (and some still do in the rural areas). From sea salt scrubs to the sauna to the springs themselves, it is by far one of the most serene experiences you’ll ever have. And, it’s cheap! There’s only one catch – you have to go naked. Yeah, I did it.

4. Can’t be a sourpuss…
well, you can be if you’re fluent in Japanese. For the rest of us, however, this is a key element to getting where you need to go. The Japanese people are extremely helpful and even more POLITE. So you will have to do a lot of smiling, nodding, bowing and puppy-dog faces.

5. Can’t have bad knees…
unless you plan on staying in Tokyo. Otherwise, you may die of a bladder infection or something slightly worse. The Japanese-style bathrooms, which are very common once you leave the cities, are holes in the ground, literally. That’s all I have to say about that. You’ll also want to carry a pack of tissues with you, always.