Wow, the way of things

Asia » Japan
July 12th 2006

Published: July 12th 2006

06/7/9

Jya, this weekend I saw my host family again. It was really fun! And apparently my Japanese is somehow better now than it was before. Maybe they meant intonation-wise, because my vocab is regrettably small. They made sushi for me, and I went shopping with Chiho (and we now having matching purses), made bagels with okaasan, and helped make shabu shabu. More over, I slept finally on a real futon, in a room with tatami, and entered the o-furo. There’s something infinitely relaxing about the o-furo. Even in hot weather, soaking in it relaxes your muscles and makes the heat seem cooler.

I noticed when I went to sleep that night that it felt very cozy; very right to be there. I felt relaxed in a way I don’t think I’ve felt since coming back to America. I’m not saying that Japan is better, it’s that in America (specifically right after Japan last time) I had worries that I don’t have here.

My host family and I managed to talk about some fairly stuff, and they asked me about the friend I visited in Tokyo last summer. That was interesting to explain! From what I can tell, the Japanese don’t make friends quickly, but once they do they’re fast friends. So of course when I said that I didn’t talk to him anymore, they wanted more explanation than I wanted to give, and more than I knew how to go. They settled for me saying that he just wasn’t a good person and that I couldn’t explain, which is over-simplified but essentially true, so I’m ok with it.

Japanese clothes are too cute—in that ‘I really need a new pair of shoes, and golly they’re cute anyway’ way. Oh!! I went into a store with Chiho today called kutsushitagiya (I know, long name). It means, literally, sock store. Yes, the Japanese have sock stores. They have socks that cover your ankle, leggings, socks that have laces (?) like ballet shoes, socks that cover most of your foot but not your toes or ankles….I didn’t know that there were so many choices. Very interesting, and tempting to be perfectly honest. I kind of want to try out these things.

I got to play teacher with my host family as well. I corrected Sumie’s homework and Chiho’s self introduction for her interview. We were joking (or my h-family was joking) that I must be Japanese because I’m learning to cook Japanese food, I sleep on a futon, I bathe at night, and I have successfully learned native-style intonation. I disagree, but I think it’s a sign that maybe I’m doing something right. Some people like to think that because they like Japan and speak some Japanese, and know to wear slippers inside that they are Japanese, and the Japanese laugh at them. But when they aren’t laughing, and say things like ‘yappari nihonjin da ne’, even if they don’t really think you are Japanese, you are doing something right. Not being baka gaijin, anyway.

My host family asked me if I wanted a Japanese boyfriend and I didn’t know how to answer. It’s rare for Japanese to date non-Japanese, and further I’m not sure how my host family feels about it. And the question annoys me. I wouldn’t mind it if the guy were the type of person I liked. But it’s not that I’m looking for an ethnic boyfriend—unlike a lot of western guys who date girls for their ethnicity. That pisses me off. People are people, ne.

06/7/10

Nothing of much consequence has happened today, but I’ve been mulling some things over, so you all are subject them. First and foremost, Japanese people are both delightful and annoying (as are all people, I’d assume). The lady at the Lawsons today spoke in English when I bought my tea, but in a tone that screamed ‘wow I get to use my English—how exciting!’ so it was charming and not annoying. Something that is either vaguely annoying (though I suppose it could be out of consideration) is that when gaijin pass Japanese on the street, they often stop talking. Maybe it’s out of courtesy because they think we won’t understand, but it seems suspicious in ways. I get the feeling they don’t trust us. Oh well. Next thought.

New paragraph. Okazaki High School sends the highest percent of its graduates onto Todai in the entire country. Todai. Wow. Way to go Okazaki. I didn’t expect that. The city is big-ish, and has some decent money, so I suppose it makes sense kind of…Todai is probably the most prestigious university in Japan, more than Waseda or Keio (though they’re certainly not shabby either!). Kyoto Daigaku and Ritsumeikan aren’t far behind either. It’d be great to do research at any of those schools. The ones in Tokyo will probably be in highest demand (for some reason people think Tokyo is the best place ever. I disagree.), so maybe shooting for Kyoto or Ritsumeikan (where I have friends anyway!) would be good. If I could get into the top three though, that’d just be awesome.

Japan suffers from ugly city syndrome. Honestly. I was thinking about it today as I walked to the station that I know I was getting closer to downtown because the buildings were more crowded, there were more power cords, and things were generally getting dingy. I miss my old (much longer) walk through the rice fields. Oh, kitano cho, where your name literally means north field. Anyway, all the cities I’ve been to, with the exception of parts of Kyoto and Tokyo, have been like this. It’s funny because the Japanese are so fastidious about their houses and everything—the level of cleanliness in Japanese homes would make Anna proud. 

Next thought. It is gift giving season in Japan—one of them anyway. Yes, Japanese society revolves around gifts and bribes. The practice of giving omiyage was started as apology for leaving while everyone else was still working. But you still give omiyage from business trips! Or, you give omiyage when you first meet someone so that they will be inclined to treat you nicely. And there are 2 gift giving seasons each year, in addition to New Years and other special occasions. It’s good that the sale season and gift giving season coincide. I both like and dislike the present/omiyage/etc cycle. This like/dislike thing seems to be a common theme in these entries, sorry. For the most part I like it. It keeps the wheels greased, so to speak.

Ok, back to studying for me. The work ethic here is contagious—after all, I have a proposal to write, creative writing to do, and Japanese to study, and I should shower (all before I go to bed—currently it’s 11). I got a kanken book (a book of Kanji written for the Japanese) so that I could learn more effectively to read and write. Currently I’m working through 8kyuu—so, roughly equivalent to the kanji learnt in 3rd grade. I’m strangely proud. Since I’ve never really studied kanji, that’s a pretty high starting point. I am having a hard time remembering the reading for anzan (mental arithmetic), but I’ll get there.

06/7/11

Exhausted. It’s draining to pretend that ‘Yes, it is a car.’ and ‘No, it is not.’ is an exciting grammatical pattern to teach for 4 and ½ hours. Also, it’s annoying switching trains 3 times to get home. I don’t mind commuting, but damn. If the city I lived in and the city I teach in were at least connected by the same train line I wouldn’t have a 1 ½ commute home for a 15 minute drive. Ok, so it’s probably 30, but you get the idea.

I bought a few pair of shoes today—that was exciting. Between my Japanese and the women’s English, I managed to find a pair of shoes that fit without knowing anything about Japanese shoe sizes. Rock.

I got annoyed with one of my students today. She just wouldn’t do anything!! I kept thinking that if I waited long enough she would finally answer. But she didn’t. It’s not like with Shota where he is autistic but I know he understands (and I even got him to laugh last week!!). Anyway, this girl kept talking and talking in Japanese, and then she started talking ABOUT me, which is when I lost my cool and busted out with my Japanese. I’m not supposed to speak Japanese to the kids, but I just told her not to speak in Japanese. For a while she was too shocked to say anything, then she just went back to being a brat. I shouldn’t have lost it. I think if students don’t want to be there, they shouldn’t be forced. It’ll just make them hate the language even more.

Wow, the way of things

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