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!