Week 1

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I have not yet been in Japan a full week, yet it feels like I've been here either forever, or just a few minutes. Excluding the last time I came to Japan, which was last summer for the Fifth International Conference for East Asian Calligraphy Education, held in Hiroshima, these last few days have included some of the most exciting and challenging experiences I can remember. Even living abroad in Ireland posed no challenge compared to the culture and language shock I went through here, these last few days.
The first few days of the program, from Thursday to Saturday, all participants in the UNC Tokyo Summer program participated in an orientation, held at a traditional Japanese honten. The food was exquisite traditional Japanese fare (much of which I did not recognize) and we were housed in tatami rooms with futon. The bath was traditional Japanese ofuro, posing the first major challenge for me: bathing in front of other women, which I have never done before. However, I know it is considered normal in many parts of the world, and managed to let my cultural inhibitions go and try it. It feels more like pampering myself than taking a bath, really. It was quite surreal, really, finding myself in the ofuro, talking to a middle-aged (looking Japanese woman) who only spoke Japanese, only to find out that this woman I thought must be in her late thirties or early forties is actually seventy years old. Must be the healthy cuisine, I suppose.
I also found it interesting that when me and my roommates (the other three girls on the program) watched television before breakfast, we found programs talking about the rise in the popularity of fast food chains, which, juxtaposed against the honten, was the thing that made us realize, "yes, we really are in Japan." Not just old Japan, with all its ancient tradition, and not just the new, fast paced Tokyoite life, but the real Japan.
During the orientation, I received a small amount of information about my homestay family, as well as a picture, and the realization that I was going to live with a family hit me all over again. I was terrified. Nervous. Anxious. But above all, excited. I couldn't have asked for a more ideal learning environment in my homestay. The two little girls (6 and 2 years old) are adorable, and create a continual learning environment, at least that's what I thought. Finally, on Saturday afternoon, I was able to meet Takano Izumi (the mother) and Yuzu, the oldest daughter, and my suspicions were confirmed. They are a wonderful family, easy to learn from and talk to, even though my Japanese isn't very good. Actually, I've only been here just over a full day, and my Japanese skills have improved immensely from where I was when I arrived. When I was studying Japanese in school, I completed the first four semesters, which supposedly covers most of the grammar, but being here and actually using Japanese all the time, its becoming much more natural for me, and I'm even picking up new words. Playing with the children is a wonderful way to learn, because they help me too, when I have questions, and they are willing playmates, very excited to have a new big sister (oneesan) and playmate.
My room was also a big surprise. It is very nice, nicer than I thought I could expect, and bigger too, considering I am in Tokyo. Yet, I am happy to see that I have a futon style sleeping area rather than a bed, which would feel too much like America.
I feel welcome here, which is a wonderful thing. My Japanese is improving, and I feel like I have a wonderful, welcoming family.
This entry has run a little long, for which I apologize. This is the first time I have had access to the internet since arriving in Japan. From here on out, I have wireless access here in my room, so updates should be regular.

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