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Published: November 9th 2008
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Rice fields
Living in a somewhat rural area. I have been living in Japan for about 2 ½ months now. It doesn’t even feel like it has been that long and I haven’t even gotten homesick yet. Must be because my mom sends me tortillas from overseas. (Thanks, ma!) Or maybe because when I walked into the cell phone store they were playing Marco Antonio Solis. Odd, huh? Anyways, the crazy thing is that the ‘city’ I live in actually reminds me of El Granjenal (Mexico), except with Japanese people and tons of bikes. There are super narrow streets, rice fields, old homes, giant spiders everywhere (I hate spiders), and countless power lines overhead. There is also a river, a.k.a. breeding ground for pesky mosquitoes (I hate mosquitoes), about 40 feet from my front door and train tracks about 60 feet down the street. I love walking out of my front door on a chilly morning and being greeted by the smell of burnt crops (or whatever it is that they burn). This totally brings back memories of December in Granjenal. Unfortunately, there isn’t much to do around town except admire the rice fields. Sadly, most of those rice fields are being cut down, which leaves me with
Beautiful day
Absolutely perfect. absolutely nothing to do now…
So, I usually take a 40 minute train ride and head to Nagoya on the weekends. Nagoya is Japan’s 4th largest city. It is an industrial city, housing Toyota headquarters and a division of Mitsubishi, among other companies. It has a population of over 2 million, with a notable amount being Brazilian. I guess this explains the random non-Japanese people I see around town. From what I read, Brazilians have been living in Japan for a century now. I am so tempted to talk to them, except I don’t speak Portuguese or Japanese. There goes that idea.
Back to Nagoya…The first couple of times I journeyed out that way I got lost and ended up in who-the-hell-knows-where. Let’s face it, I am forever lost. Ma, you know this. Luckily, I have learned that a confused look on my face along with an attempt to use the few Japanese words that I know will get me back on track. Literally. About 40 minutes later, I was back home.
An interesting thing I found out is that LA and Mexico City are sister cities to Nagoya. Crazy how I move from
an area near LA and Mexico only to move to another area that has ties with LA and Mexico. There is actually a park that has LA street signs and city symbols, minus the graffiti. I know there are also a few Mexican restaurants around but I have yet to eat at one. Speaking of Mexican things, Thalia’s daughters’ middle name is Sakae, which is also the name of an area in Nagoya. Sakae (the area, not Thalia’s daughter) has at least 3 Louis Vuitton stores (hint hint, deddy). It seems the meaning of ‘Sakae’, prosperity, suits the area well. I have yet to walk into a Louis store here but I am sure once my mom arrives we will check them out.
So, what do I do in Japan? Well, I usually just run into things. Like that one time I ran into some old lady with my bike. Or that other time I happened to run into a wedding ceremony at Atsuta Shrine. Or when I ran into a children’s festival procession on my way back from the grocery store and ended up joining them for a couple hours (while still carrying my grocery bags). And
I can’t forget the time I ran into T.I. while sightseeing (FYI ma, he’s a rapper). Ok, not sure if he was the real T.I., but I swear, he looked just like him. Also, that one other time I ran into some high school kids performing 'Tequila'. Basically, I enjoy whatever happens to come my way! Even if it is a little dog. I actually petted a cute dog one day (and I'm scared of dogs...actually, animals in general). But that's what happens--You get out of your comfort zone, start to wake up, and realize that you can no longer shy away from the unfamiliar.
Well, that's all for now...I'll be sure to fill you in on more of the randomness in life. Hope you all are well! Enjoy the pics. God bless.
AL
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TI!!!!
dang yayners, im not gonna lie but that looks supperrrrr fun evn tho its kinda low key. im sooo bummed that i cant come visit you with the parentals all cuz of my stupid MCAT's, but maybe i can make a trip out there after my tests are done....skip school for a couple weeks. Anyways, looks like you're having fun and enjoying, and keep getting out of your comfort zone, enjoy it all over there. BTW, was it really TI??