The End, Part 1: List of Special Achievements Unlocked While in Japan

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So I’m home now. Le sigh. I wish I knew how to quit you, Japan. ;_;
But anyway, here is some pretty cool stuff I did (in no particular order):

• Ate Christmas cake as my birthday cake with my family on a shinkansen (bullet train)
• Saw a Lizst-themed classical concert at the famous temple Kiyomizudera, all lit up at night (thanks host mom!)
• Saw apprentice geisha dancing and playing instruments expertly in a lovely theater in Gion (thanks again, host mom!)
• Petted a capybara (they feel like hay, but are cute and chill)
• Had a hairclip stolen by a sneaky squirrel-monkey:

• Had a ridiculous night with some classmates involving cosplay and deluxe karaoke, paid for by some weird random nihonjin guys
• Wrote an essay in Japanese (for a class other than language class)
• Got interviewed about farts by a random Japanese comedian in a black bodysuit:

• Performed in 2 choir concerts with the esteemed Kyoto University Gasshoudan
• Sang "I’m Yours" with 2 American friends at an in-choir event—and won the grand prize by popular vote (Watch here)
• Soaked in hot springs in the snow, and later in a windy cove by the water
• Went to KOREA! Without really knowing any of the language.
• Walked around the city in kimonos for free with my KCJS buddies, staring at the plum blossoms and also getting stared at:

• Went to a J-Rock festival and saw 3 of my favorite bands in one day
• Worshiped at the shrine where the sun goddess Amaterasu is housed in Ise
• Made Valentine’s chocolate for the first time:

• Led the search for my dad’s missing passport all over Tokyo (he did not get it back)
• Signed the emperor’s birthday registry (it's the one on the far left):

• Went on a date with a cute Japanese guy
• Dispelled stereotypes to said guy, such as the American diet consisting of burgers and Coke
• Got prize money for being one of four people in KCJS to “exemplify the spirit of the program” (which apparently had something to do with throwing myself into my CIP activity, the choir)
• Lugged over 100 pounds of stuff back home, with a transfer in San Fran ("Strong women, strong girls!")

(Late Post, February) "Clever Putty"

Oh jeez! Sorry guys, I realized I typed up this post back in late January or early February and forgot to complete it. Well, better late than never! Eheh...

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So here's the lowdown. Not much has happened the first couple weeks of the semester except that my coffee dependency has reignited and is back with a vengeance. Oh, and that women's issues class in Japanese that I mentioned? No assignments so far, and it will probably stay that way. SWEET. I just have to understand what the teacher says and the handouts she gives us. (Is this the life of a real Japanese college student? According to my sources, it is. Lucky bastards! Just kidding, they go through hell to get into college, so it's even.)

I do have a couple vignettes though. Yesterday I went with some friends for lunch at our awesome Thai place ("Asian Restaurant"). The previous time, I had tried to order this Thai red curry with pork and vegetables on rice, just without the meat. When I asked the waitress, she acted awkward and told me it wouldn't taste good. (まずい。おいしくない。) I pressed the issue a little bit but gave up and ordered something else.

But this time my resolve was strong! I was back for a rematch and I was going to win! Rachelle told me to put my foot down, like literally put it on the table, that'd show them. As it turns out, I didn't need to go that far. The same waitress came and I asked for the same thing, and she pulled the whole "it's not tasty" thing again, but I explained that I had ordered the green curry without meat before and liked it, and now I wanted to try this one. After struggling a bit and saying she didn't know if they could make it, she asked another nearby employee something in Thai, and then told me they could. Yesss, thank God. And then I ate every bite because guess what, it was friggin' delicious. Take that! (Clearly the lady has never tried anything vegetarian before.)

After that victory, we dashed frantically and uncomfortably back to campus ("curry running," we called it) for the Friday afternoon Kyoto Artisans class, where Akira Kurosaki, a woodblock print craftsman, had set up his stuff to do a demonstration! Holy shizznit! After lecture-type stuff, he showed us how he carves a block and how he gets the ink onto the paper in different layers. Then we got to try our own with black ink! Sooo cool! Mine weren't the best, but they are now hanging in my room. Oh, and when our teacher Bethe-sensei kept mentioning the Silly Putty (a.k.a. sticky-tack) he was using to hold the board down, at one point he just smiled and said, "Not silly. It is very clever." Bahahaha. Mr. Kurosaki, you are awesome.

Also on Friday, I escorted two of my friends to Kyodai choir practice, which they seemed to really enjoy! It was my first time seeing the choir since Dec. 18-ish, so it was nice going around and saying hi to the gang again. Three more KCJSers are coming next week, so it'll basically be a gaijin takeover. Woohoo! On another note, although it's already been a month since b-day/Christmas, got the Happy Birthday song sung to me by the altos and then later by everyone--me and this other guy sat in the middle, which was equal parts nice and embarrassing. I also had to sing a part in this song from the choir book called Vive la Compagnie that birthday peoples always sing. It was really high and I was nervous so I flubbed the lyrics at first (I can read, promise!), but did alright when the conductor let me start over. It was so.... gaaahhh, why is there no word for awkward in Japanese?

以上です！ That's all for now folks.

Hisashiburi (Long Time No Write): Winter Break Tales

So it's been a while...no, I don't expect you to forgive me. From now on I'll probably do mini-posts so this blogging thing doesn't seem as daunting for a lazy arse like me.

I guess we should get this catch-up over with, then...End of the semester was stressful as usual, but also sad due to all the fall students leaving. Immediately after the closing ceremony/luncheon at the nearby Bon Bon Cafe, I headed out to the airport with three friends...and went to KOREA! Woohoo! I wasn't there for more than a few days, but I want to go back sometime after I've actually learned some of the language, and when it's not the dead of winter. (Thanks, Seoul, for nearly giving me frostbite.) I've been describing it to my Japanese compadres as "like Japan's cousin," but to my native English-speaking peeps I've said it's like an alternate reality Japan with some China thrown in there somewhere. I mean, obviously it has its own culture too; that's just the impression I got. We saw Busan (port city) and Seoul and had a great time (went to lookout towers in both cities, haha).

Angel-in-Us Coffee (appears in City Hunter!) :3 The interior was adorable...and three floors

 ...and Christmas tree in a square in Busan!

N Seoul Tower. Imagine this amount of city-ness in 360 degrees. Whoaaa.

There was a plethora of cute cafes (they love koppi! aka coffee), pretty Christmas lights/decorations, and couples. Well, surely there's couples in Japan too; they just do a damn good job of hiding it. Like ninjas. (Woo, stereotypes~) We also went to a club--my first real one--called Cocoon which was basically epic squared.

Oh, and then Kim Jong-Il died just in time for me to get out of the area beforehand, ehehe.

On another note, I'm afraid of my budding addiction to K-dramas--two friends from the trip got me and the other friend hooked on City Hunter afterwards, which is sort of the Korean Batman plus Death Note cat-and-mouse plus a revenge plot, romance and humor, but even better than it sounds. Now after whipping through that, I'm on a period drama called The Princess's Man, but I'm worried nothing will ever make me feel the same again. Sigh.... (Well, it'll be okay; I thought the same thing after finishing FMA: Brotherhood. And I'm fine now.) I mean, check out the soundtrack here--so BAMF.

Love it like a fat kid loves cake. No, like a heroin addict needs their fix. Too bad it's over...

Then there was the Kyodai Choir Christmas-kai (Xmas party?) that I helped plan for, involving small group performances of songs, skits, etc., plus party games (like musical chairs), with small prizes at the afterparty afterwards. It was a 大成功 (big success)!

Few days of rest, and then off to Tokyo to meet my dad and be his guide before the rest of my family showed up! Helped him with some meetings and got to do some sightseeing, which was great until he lost his passport. Urgh. (For the love of Jizo, why can't the adults be responsible?!) So that wasted some time, and we missed the Emperor's speech at the Palace on his birthday, but made it in time to sign our names in his birthday registry.

Mine's the far left--it says my name and Amurrcuh. Yeah!

The others showed up and we were total tourists and went to Tokyo Tower (right next to the hotel, how can we not go?). My family basically Gaijin Smashed all over Japan, with my sister eating more seaweed packs per day than a chain smoker smokes , and my brother proclaiming everything "honorable" or "dishonorable," and my mom and dad just generally being awkward and speaking random phrases (i.e., domo arigatou--which no one says, it's arigatou gozaimasu). From Tokyo we went to Hakone (on Christmas/my birthday mind you, so it was stressful, but we ate "Christmas cake" on the bullet train so it's okay), where we stayed at a mountain ryokan (Japanese inn) near Lake Ashinoko (with a fake pirate ship and a cablecar, whee!) with onsen/hot springs and elaborate kaiseki meals. Getting used to the whole nakey thing was hard for them (I totally understand that feeling), but eventually even my sister was willingly going in. And man was it worth it--so relaxing!

The "money shot": pirate ship, Fuji (in the middle), tori-i (red arch).

Figuring out what the meal was and how to eat it was a feat for us.

Then off to Kyoto, where I showed them the Doshisha campus, Kiyomizu Temple, et cetera...And on my mom's birthday, we went to a monkey park on a mountain and saw adorable baby Japanese monkeys (nihonzaru), then dyed our own indigo T-shirts/banners with white designs at a local craftsman's. Oh, but before that we went to Nara and got attacked by hungry deer (think seagulls in Finding Nemo) and saw one of the world's largest Buddha statues at Todaiji Temple...it was my fourth time, NBD. My dad crawled through a child-sized hole in a pillar that brings you enlightenment in your next life, which finally gave my brother the courage to do so too. Yay!

While we're on the Todaiji subject, next to that pillar there was this little kid who just looks at my dad incredulously and goes "Gaikokujin?" (foreigner?) Which I then point out to him and my siblings, who are of course amused. My dad (who actually knows zero Japanese beyond "domo arigatou") replies, "Nihongo?" (Japanese language?) The kid nods in wonder. Dad corrects himself and goes, "Nihonjin?" (Japanese person?) The kid nods again in amazement, then goes back to his dad.

...I dunno, just thought it was cute and funny. (*⌒―⌒*)

Sure they seem cute, but wait till they see food---like sharks that have smelled blood... 

Yay Gollins at Todaiji. That building's the world's second-largest wooden structure FYI.

We parted ways on New Year's Eve as they went to Tokyo to fly out (there may have been some tears...I seriously miss those guys already), and I went to Kanazawa to crash with a Tufts friend while my host parents visited their parents' homes for the three-day holiday. Tufts folks, hear me: even in Lewis, you are FAR better off than in a Japanese university's international dorm. Just...I don't even. The people I met were really cool, but the weather sucked and there wasn't much to do (as the students agreed) beyond Kanazawa Castle and Kenrokuen (one of the top three Japanese gardens), and maybe karaoke or drinking downtown. Also, snowww. So much of it. And no shoveled sidewalks. (After going there and Seoul, I don't mind the cold in Kyoto nearly as much!) Then the snow followed me back to Kyoto, and there I stayed until...now! I hung out with people a few times though, like when my kouhai (underclassman) from Tufts' JCC came down to visit and we went sightseeing--there were people in gorgeous kimono for their 成人式 Coming-of-Age ceremony! And we went to Fushimi Inari, a shrine dedicated to the fox god up on a hill. You've seen it in Memoirs of a Geisha--the one with aaaalll the orange tori-i arches.

Hatsumoude--first shrine visit on New Year's...so crowded! 

Awesomeness of Kenrokuen, take 1

Awesomeness of Kenrokuen, take 2

And then the new spring semester students showed up, we had some getting-to-know-you dinners, and here we are in the first week of class. Huzzah! (Here we go again...) This time I'm going to take a course on women's issues in Japanese--woah snap, can she handle it? Find out next time on Natasha's Awkward Adventures!

Magic, or Kyodai Gasshoudan 82nd Annual Winter Concert

Wow. Just…wow. I feel like I bore witness to and took part in something amazing. Never mind the fact that I am shivering from cold and hangover as I write this.

I spent about 20 hours with choir people on Sunday—an epically long day that was the culmination of everything I had worked towards in my CIP (Community Involvement Project) since joining the choir in late September.  All the extra catch-up practices on top of the two regular weekly ones, and the retreat, and the dress rehearsal, it all led up to this, the year’s biggest event: the Kyodai Gasshoudan 82^nd Teiki Ensoukai (Regular/Scheduled Concert). I feel like it went really well and I wouldn’t do anything differently!

…Well, the day did start off a little hectic as I was supposed to wake up around 6:20 to get to the concert hall in Joyo (area south of Kyoto) by 9, but somehow my alarm didn’t go off and I woke up sleepily and then had a heart attack when my phone said 8:05. (Even though I had been thinking, “I am DEFINITELY not going to be late for this!” …Oy vey…) But I got there around 10:30 and quick-changed into Uber Ugly Costume and joined the girls still doing warm-ups and ridiculous exercises, just like always.

The rest of the day went according to the meticulous schedule given out to us. There were some final announcements and a few words exchanged among the voice parts—I was bad at improvising mine for the altos, but oh well. My crazy Westernized alto friend who was sick managed to show up about 45 minutes before the show started at 3, which was a relief since I wasn’t sure if she was gonna be able to come.

Finally we walked onstage for the Kyodai “E-ru” (jisho.org says “yell” or “cheerleading shout”), which is the choir’s theme song. I was in the front row and had just barely learned it, but whatever! I think it was okay! Maybe. And then the real thing began…

I wish I could say we all looked really snazzy, but I can’t say that about the girls. The costume is just not flattering…one of my friends who attended feels the same. It looks like wearing a white trash bag with a cheap corsage tucked into a long and shapeless black skirt. The guys looked way hotter than us—black pants with white shirt and blazer and red ties (ow-ow!). Then there was Miyako, the girls’ conductor, wearing a beautiful crimson A-line gown that had a couple of shoulder-slip wardrobe malfunctions during the women’s pieces…scandalous! And the conductor for the mixed pieces, Sally, who looks like a little girl, was wearing a tiny tux, which was basically the coolest and cutest thing ever.
No fair. We need to petition for better women’s choir outfits…

Anyway, the girls’ pieces in Japanese—a set called Hikari to Kaze wo Tsurete, “Going with Light and Wind”—were gorgeous as always. We couldn’t watch the guys’ songs since we had to do stretches, but we’d seen them at the dress rehearsal before. My friends, like I, thought their pieces were a little weird—one was about a small fish and one was about a serious man, walking seriously, crying seriously…and then killing someone seriously. Japan, man oh man, are you effed up sometimes.

Finally it was time for the slightly odd mixed pieces in Hungarian by Kodaly—two short and one really long one. I didn’t remember every single word, but I faked it well when I didn’t! Yay. And then the magic happened! I was already trying to be expressive with my face, but by the time the last one finished, I couldn’t keep the grin from my face and my eyes. As we continued into the encore (my favorite—it’s got a lovely melody and bittersweet yet happy romantic lyrics in Japanese), I just kept on beaming brighter than the stage lights, trying to share my happiness and satisfaction with the audience.

As soon as it ended, we walked off and then ran from backstage to the lobby to sing a couple of just-for-fun songs as people came out: men’s, women’s and mixed. Man, it was weird singing spirituals from the slave days surrounded by Japanese accents. Oh, and the Lupin the Third theme song with the girls. We sang one more and then hummed it as the PR boy and girl thanked everyone, then people started getting tossed in the air. There was so much love! On top of that, I saw my Japanese teacher saying hi from the audience and thanked her profusely, and then I saw my KCJS buds and Japanese friend coming through the crowd. I was so darn happy I just hugged them all—who cares if that’s not how they do things here? They had to skedaddle, but it was good even just seeing them for a bit.

After that people gathered their things, including goodie bags filled with dan-pure (dan purezento, or choir present) and rolled out. Those gifts are so adorable—it’s like secret Santa, except you make cute little notes to people and put it with a small gift or treat and distribute them to people’s bags. I’ve gone through most of mine now and it feels like Christmas came early, despite it having nothing to do with Christmas—so much love! I got stuff from people who I haven’t even talked to and people whose names I can’t match with faces. Now I feel sort of bad I only had time to make little ones for the altos, but that’s still a lot—19 people! Now imagine making stuff for 80!

So we all took the train up to the location of the reception, a large floor of an izakaya with dinner tables and couches and whatnot. Now this was not quite the afterparty I was expecting—it was more like a wedding reception than a wild party like I’m used to. Well, at least I got to sit with a couple of other new recruits, including a fellow alto who likes manga and is really good at drawing but is going to be a nurse. We had some nice good dorky chats. New otaku friend ftw!

Anyway, at this reception, there was alcohol and food, but it was mostly about toasts, congratulations, and present-bestowing at the front of the room. Fairly early on, one announcement from the women’s conductor turned into the men’s conductor proposing to her. Once I figured out what was going on, I was like, “Whoa, they were dating? Wait, what the crap? That’s adorable! But wait, what?? How old are they?” Apparently they’re around twenty-one. Dang!

So things went on like that, and I had lots of umeshu (plum liquor, good stuff) trying to get up the courage to talk to a certain person beyond the awkward interactions we were already having. I wanted to see how the rest of the night would play out, so I go, screw the last bus, I’m sticking around after the reception! Which I would learn was both a good and awful idea.

While the workers were cleaning up the space, people poured beer on two of the tenors while they stood in boxes, though I’m not really sure why. That’s probably the most frat-like thing in Japan I’ve seen. Appropriate, since one of the guys getting beer-ified seems like he could be in a frat. Then people sang more together, and then paused on a certain note as the former conductor called up their successor, hugged them and said things we couldn’t hear, and literally handed off the baton. People were crying, and I was actually pretty moved too. So that happened for men’s, women’s and mixed pieces, and then the PR pair called up their successors. It was so surreal, watching the end of an era.

Afterwards, we went outside until the real afterparty (nijikai) began at 1AM, and braved the cold while we went around the circle and shared some more words with each other. Even a few alumni were there and got all nostalgic! Mine was better this time and I thanked people for taking me in despite being an exchange student, and the fact that I was able to sing in the whole concert was thanks to them, among other things.

Then it was time for the nijikai, which was painfully expensive, but still pretty fun, and a bit more like the party I had expected. Still didn’t get to talk with that one person, but I had some fun times, and when Frat Guy started chilling at our table (these ones were low Japanese-style) I told him how I missed American college parties and how I think he’d probably enjoy them (trololol). We also talked about J-rock some, and a couple of other random dudes around me started chatting as well—it was weird being the center of attention, since I sometimes feel a little left out in choir. After drinking and eating still more, we headed outside at 3 and went to the Kamo River to sing until buses and trains started up. I probably should have taken a taxi home here, but I didn’t want it to end, and after all a cab would be pretty expensive…

We sang some stuff from the book of optional songs, conducted by the new peeps, with people occasionally chilling on the side or going to the convenience store. Eventually the trains started running so people rolled out, as it was really cold, but a couple of nice people stayed with me as I waited for the bus (in the warm train station—hehe I’m smart!) Originally I was going to go straight to campus and survive class, but I changed my mind on the bus and decided to stop at home first. Then my body decided that I was not making it anywhere and that I’d better stay and collapse.

So other than the fact that I’m sort of dead, along with my cell phone (seriously what is wrong), I’m still feeling the afterglow of choir-ness! I won’t see them much until later in January, besides the Christmas party in two weeks, but I feel a much stronger bond with them now. But damn, I am never staying out all night in the cold again. Not even the liquid jacket helped me there… There was also no liquid courage, but maybe being in Japan sucks that out of you and makes you repressed? OTL

Well, enough vague references for now, I have to go freak out about schoolwork—it’s the last official week of class! (Help. Please. Anyone.)

[*Update: that cell phone battery thing did not get better and resulted in me having to go through the hellish prepaid-phone-buying-process over again. uugh.]

Awkward Moments, Part II

Random aside: It’s Thanksgiving today, and my first one away from home. Man, do I miss crazy loud extended family and pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes…oh and did I say pumpkin pie? ;P

So, I’ve been off the radar for a little while. Got busy and lazy at the same time—the continuous paradox that is my life. Well, lazy in regards to writing this stuff up, that is.

Here’s a quick summary before we get back to our regularly scheduled program. For fall break (right after the previous entry), I was one of the many groups of KCJSers that headed off to the Tokyo area. Night bus for the win! It’s cheap and you don’t have to pay for an extra night’s bed. But I do not recommend it if you have just gotten sick the previous night. Actually, I don’t recommend traveling at all in that case. But shikatanai (c’est la vie)…Anyway, we did cool stuff like nerd out in Akihabara, where all the gamers and otaku go—there’s even a Gundam Café there. Didn't actually go; just thought that was worth noting. Actually, we ended up going to one of the many maid cafes, despite being a group of six girls. It was themed after a bunny burrow and ... kind of adorable. They were even wearing Halloween colors~

The bulletin board. They didn't allow photos inside because it would "scare the bunnies," hahaha

My dessert from the bunny cafe! So cute and fruity~

Bustling neighborhood of Shibuya

I also went to Yokohama and met with two alumni from my high school’s sister school, Yokohama Suiran High. We actually went back to see the school for a bit in the evening, which was like a weird trip back in time to my high school sophomore and junior summers! I got to visit my friend from my summer internship, Yukiko, at Keio U on the last day for a bit. Good times! And other than that, my recommendations are Harajuku (crazy style statements everywhere) and Tokyo Disney Sea (it’s not actually a water park; rather, it is simply made of epic), AND—last but not least—the Ghibli Museum just west of the city—it was a magical wonderland of animation and nostalgia. I got to sit in the catbus (from Totoro) and see an adorable short film by Ghibli!

Yes, a Gundam Cafe exists. In Akihabara (where else? haha)

Recognize this guy? Hint: Castle in the Sky

Yep, magical wonderland.

Condomania in Harajuku. Tempted to go in, but sense got the better of me. (They're saying "Georgee~" "Emilyy~")

The day after getting back, 9 of us—6 Americans and 3 Japanese students—went to Takarazuka to see a show by the ladies of the Takarazuka Revue. It was every bit as campy, flashy, fabulous and gender-bendy as I expected! For further info, see here: http://kageki.hankyu.co.jp/english/first/index.html

Or here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takarazuka_Revue

We saw this double feature: Classico Italiano and Nice Guy

Then it was back to business as usual, except the following weekend we had a choir retreat (which was a little pricey, but oh well). It was mostly work and little play, but there were some gossipy conversations later in the evening. Namely, I found out that a bunch of the choir members are actually in relationships—with each other. So I’m like, whoa, what? W, when—how does this happen? It doesn’t seem like there’s much chance for male-female interaction the way things are set up. Plus they’re all really nerdy and awkward like me! Clearly there’s something I’m doing wrong here. Please, tell me, oh wise Kyodai students! Also, there were no individual showers, so I had to go through that whole awkward-nakey-time bathing thing with the girls. (At least I haven’ t had to do that for over three years.) Pro tips: cover whatever possible with hands and keep eyes down or unfocused. That saves you the most embarrassment.

And other than school stuff, that’s…about it. Yup. See y’all next time. Now presenting part 2 of “That Awkward Moment When…”

…the reading is on Japanese women in an underwear factory, and the class discussion turns to which bra makers people prefer. No, the professor in that class has no shame.

…you go into a weekend retreat of choir practice thinking you’ll get to talk to a certain someone, but since you are both shy and awkward, that just does not happen.

(small lapse of time…then the events from within the past week or so):

…your host dad sneaks some natto (Japanese fermented soybeans that smell like compost and taste like death) into an omelet as a side dish, and you can only eat one of the three slices. At least he gave some warning beforehand!

…a random old man taps you and your friend on the shoulder at the bus stop in front of school and says, “Welcome to Japan!”, then  once he knows you’re American, proceeds to tell you about how he lived in Texas in the 1960s and witnessed Kennedy’s assassination, among other things, before you get on the bus. It was kind of awesome, actually.

…a semi-new member of the choir finds out you are a junior, hence older than her, and apologizes for having said anything too informal/not using keigo (respectful language) and the like. Girl, I’m American! That shyte makes us uncomfortable! Call me Natasha and talk to me casually please for Pete’s sake.

…you go to sit in the back of the bus and a special needs guy turns around in his seat and just stares at you…and stares. (At least he’s more up-front about in than other Japanese who will just take little glances at you or look from the corners of their eyes.)

Awkward Moments

This is a new and mostly humorous segment of The Gaijin Diaries (alternate title: "Oh Goodness, What Is My Life"). Seeing as my life and I are quite awkward, there will probably be similar posts in the future.
These are all things that have happened the past couple weeks, except the foundation one.

That awkward moment when…

…the buses are late and everything else in Japan is on time.

…there’s an empty seat on the full bus or train, but no one is taking it, perhaps out of politeness although they clearly want to, and you’re too far to take it yourself. (Come on guys, the seat’s going to waste!)

…you realize that when you’ve been telling the cashier at the convenience store that you don’t need a plastic bag, you’ve been saying “mother” (o-fukuro) instead of “bag” (fukuro).

…you’re in Osaka with some peeps, and a group of Americans/Japanese comes up and asks for help on a scavenger hunt, and you help them and another group as well, and you see the first group again, and it turns out the two are mortal enemies. (We have no loyalties!!)

…you suddenly look around on the train back from Osaka and realize you’re inside a women’s-only car—yes, they do exist—and there’s some random dude standing at the far end of the car who just did not get the memo.

…you’re in the store, replacing another of the items that was in your lost makeup bag, and with the shop lady’s help you finally choose the right eye shadow—but she also asks if she can help with foundation while you’re at it. (Yes lady, my skin is not the best, I know, don’t rub it in. I already have some foundation, but don’t wear it all the time. Mind yo’ business!)

…your American professor sometimes says phrases in Japanese that sound really, really American, and you want to laugh, and then one of your classmates actually does.

…you’re half-taking a nap in the tatami room in the new awesome building while your friend is studying, then you realize there is a boy holding up a sign on the other side of the table, and he and some cute friends are interviewing  your friend in Japanese…then realize you woke up with crazy sleep-hair and look totally bewildered. (A wild gaijin appeared! What will you do?)

…you’re at the optional-singing-for-the-heck-of-it part after your chorus practice, and the boys suddenly break into an American spiritual from the slave days in perfect harmony…with Japanese accents. (and you’re stifling laughter and no one will ever know why…)

…you come back on Sunday night from the first chorus bonding/nomihoudai and subsequent karaoke, still a little drunk, and your host parents have been drinking wine and are in good spirits, and ask if you’ve found a boyfriend yet and say they’re looking forward to it and will want to meet him. (Whoa what?) And also when they say don’t worry about coming home late and they’ll only worry if you don’t come home at all, especially the host dad—and especially if you’re with a guy. Or maybe they were encouraging that? Don’t remember. Either way, aaawkward times!

…a Japanese friend asks you about prom at the aforementioned chorus party, and you tell her, and then she asks what you did after. “Uh…go home?” (it wasn’t that kind of a prom… //foreveralone)

…almost everyone is in a group of friends (well, clique really) except you. (//foreveralone again)

…you ask your host dad why your host mom hasn’t seen the thank you card you left for her, and he says she’s on a business trip to Tokyo till tomorrow. You don’t know when she left. (//foreveralone still…)

…you are alone in your homestay some days from when you come home till you go to sleep, and everyone’s Facebook statuses and pictures are of their crazy families and cute pets. (also //foreveralone)

…you get all excited about monthly allowance from the KCJS office, only to find that textbook deductions took out more than half of it.

…some friends in chorus  let you know that the color purple, your favorite, is somewhat of an erotic symbol in Japan. And you’ve been wearing a purple backpack, among other things.

…your throat starts hurting like a mofo the day before your night bus to Tokyo, and it’s Saturday so none of the many local clinics are open. (also an FML)

Things They Don’t Tell You

Here are some things no one tells you about Japan right off the bat, which may be helpful for those of you planning to come here at some point. And for those who aren’t, well, I hope it’s interesting. (And you should come. I don’t take no for an answer!) Some of these are somewhat complain-y, but they’re really overarching truths that I’ve observed.

1.        The Japanese like to drink…far, far more than you might think. Nomihoudai or “all-you-can-drink” is a fairly common way of going out and getting plastered. I’ve seen guys chugging pitchers of beer…seriously, American frat boys gotta step up their game!

2.        Makeup is wildly expensive here. Do not lose your makeup bag at the abovementioned drinking establishment—or anywhere, really—for you will regret it.  ¥1100 for a fairly small eye shadow, one shade…that’s just over $14, folks. Similar prices for eyeliner that doesn’t work very well.

3.        Fruit is also more expensive than it should be—many apples cost over $1. It’s much more common to have a giant fluffy piece of buttered white bread toast at breakfast than a nice ripe orange or apple. Same goes for peanut butter—it’s pricey and hard to find, and there’s none of the natural “just peanuts” kind.

4.        Which brings me to the next point—no whole grain anything, ANYWHERE. And we KCJSers are wondering why we’re hungry all the time, and some of us are gaining weight…or at least I am.

5.        Speaking of which, you are not guaranteed to lose weight here, even if you walk around a lot. The food is not actually as healthy as it is portrayed in “common knowledge” about Japan. The convenience stores sell fatty meat curry in fried bread, for Pete’s sake. And don’t forget the mayo everywhere! (it was hiding in my sushi one time….yick.)

6.        Okay, it’s a lot about food, but being pesco-vegetarian here is a lot less convenient and more surprising to people than I’d thought. While there’s a decent amount of seafood and veggies (and CARBS), meat shows up in a lot of cuisine. And people really just don’t understand why you wouldn’t eat it, other than disliking the taste of it. C’mon people, I’ve done this since elementary school, calm down.

7.        In public bathrooms, there is nothing to dry your hands on, and sometimes no soap. So carry some Purell! Also, a lot of people bring a little hand towel with them…very handy indeed. (No pun intended. I hate puns…unless they’re in Japanese, then it’s interesting to figure them out. Teehee.) Also, best of luck finding a Western-style toilet...yeah.

8.        In contrast to the very nice but somewhat awkward Kyoto U students in my choir, the students at Doshisha, and many people elsewhere in the city, are super oshare, or stylish. Even if you wear your cutest clothes—or suavest, for you menfolk—you may still feel underdressed.

9.    Riding a bike can be scary--I’m pretty sure I’ve almost died a few times. There’s not much space, since the sidewalks and little side roads are narrow, there’s poles in the way, and of course there’s pedestrians, cars, moped riders, and other bikers. Plus the bikes are designed in this way that makes you sit straight upright. Craziness.

10.    If someone compliments you on your Japanese, it is probably not sincere. Specifically, the earlier they say it, the less sincere it is. One of my classmates said that his host family was oh so amazed at how “fluent” he was right after saying “Douzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu” (similar to “Nice to meet you”). Stop lying to us, people! Actually, when we discussed this in class, the prof concluded that it was just a perfunctory thing to make the Japanese person saying it feel comfortable because they’re “supposed” to say it. The result from the Japanese students taking the class was silence or small awkward laughter. Bingo!

11.    On that note, another thing that you’ll hear fairly soon from many people here, despite them being so reserved otherwise, is the question "Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?" So far I’ve heard this from my host parents, their friends who came to the mini-welcome party, a nice old obaachan (granny) I’ve met a couple times on the bus, and a girl in the Kyodai choir who’s befriended me. That’s not counting all the people who asked when I came here in high school. Each time they ask, the answer’s been no, so it’s getting a bit embarrassing. Do they just do this to Westerners or what?

This has been “Natasha’s meager attempts at giving you an insider’s education on Japan.” Hope you enjoyed it!

Awkward Tales from the Country

I think I win the prize for most “interesting” homestay family situation for the class trip to Okayama prefecture.


It’s not exactly a class trip, though, because we were divided and subdivided. The A group took a bus to the seaside area, and my B group took a bus to the mountain area. And within the B group, I was in a group of 8 people who went to the mountain town of Hokubou and played with elementary schoolers (their school has only 33 kids! Gotta do something about the declining birth rate…), then went to the grape vineyard right nearby and sampled kinds of grapes I never imagined. There were firmer/crunchier ones, ones that tasted like wine, and some longer thinner ones—and they were all about twice the size of ones I’m used to. Also, the nashi (Asian pear apples) they sold were bigger than grapefruits. Daaaang. They also let us walk around where they grow the fruits—they cover the nashi and grapes with newspaper until they’re ripe, in order to keep the bugs away. Smart! One of the workers there also took lots of pictures of us showing off the grapes. Hope we get some royalties—I mean, c’mon, we don’t just do modeling work for free.

Love that kid's photobomb face, second from right

The nashi was on steroids, I swear...

The ones in the lower right are funky/interesting

So then we walked back from there to the town office for about 20-30 minutes, taking pictures of the scenery and singing songs from Miyazaki movies. At 6, there would be a small ceremony to welcome us and put the students and host families together and whatnot. However, Shore-san (the second in command of KCJS) came up and let me know that my family wouldn’t be able to make it until 6:30. So inside I was like, okay, that’s not a big deal, but still, why’s it gotta be me who gets awkwardly left out of the welcoming thing? Anyway, Mrs. Tsuji showed up after the other students had left and was hushedly discussing things outside the door with one of the officials and Shore-san. At first it seemed like someone got sick and had to go to the hospital, so I was really worried, but then it turned out that her husband Hajime had gotten in a car crash at about 4:00, went briefly to the hospital, and was now dealing with all the legal formalities that come with such things. So then I just figured that the host family (and me) had really, really bad luck, not to mention bad timing. Seriously, a car crash right before the homestay? Do I have bad karma?!


I met the mother, Michiko, posed for a picture with her, thanked her for coming to pick me up in such a taihen (overwhelming/difficult) situation, and we left, while she explained that she hadn’t made dinner yet. Perfectly understandable, and I wouldn’t have minded at all except for the fact that I’d been hungry since 5:30 or so. Still, I was very patient and understanding. After we got back, she explained the house (very spacious compared to the Kyoto homestay, and I get to stay in the washitsu—Japanese tatami room) and started preparations, but with all the phone calls and distractions, we didn’t eat till sometime after 8:15. So that really tested my gaman (endurance) skills. The food was really good though—there was rice with red beans and chestnuts in it (seasonal fall type of dish) and chawanmushi, which is sort of a steamed savory custard in a cup with seafood and other stuff thrown in there. Oh, and miso soup with shijimi—little river clams just caught that day!

A tokonoma (display alcove) in the tatami room I slept in

Michiko’s older sister Keiko also came over before dinner. I found out later that she lived about an hour away…whoa! Good thing she spent the night over here. The family also has two sons, but the elder one—age 28—is working in Tokyo, and the younger one—my age—is living in Ochiai, the next town over. I didn’t fully understand the explanation, but it sounds like the younger one might be slow or developmentally challenged. There’s also a dog and three cats, but I’ve only seen two cats so far and they seem to be pretty shy. Aw, maan…


Needless to say, Mr. and Mrs. Tsuji were a little preoccupied with all the things related to the accident—hospital checkups, going to the company and the other person involved to apologize, et cetera. It was also a really weird situation to be there when the dad was describing to his wife and sister-in-law about the various post-accident issues he was having (left side and hearing in left ear was funky, possibly some glass in the finger, and more). I do remember saying “taihen deshita ne” (that was rough, wasn’t it), and “tsukareta deshou” (you must be tired), and “ganbatte kudasai!” (hang in there/do your best!). I mean, what else can you really say when you just met someone, and you don’t really know the details of the accident or whose fault it was? And even if it were his fault, obviously you don’t want to draw attention to that. Also, it would seem sort of patronizing to say “kawaisou” (aww/poor thing/I feel sorry for you) to the host dad.


So basically, everything was really awkward. But at least Keiko took an interest in me and asked me lots of things about America and my hometown and family. The next morning when we were talking at breakfast (salad, hard-boiled egg, giant buttered toast and little dessert-like yogurt…oh Japan), she said she did a little research on Maryland! How sweet! She said Babe Ruth came from there, and I was like, “oh, well even I didn’t know that!” *hahaa awkward self-deprecating laughter, derp derp*


I wish I had slept a little better and wasn’t on the floor and there wasn’t a dog barking at like 6 A.M. …whatever. Saturday was fun. We got going sort of late for some reason and drove half an hour to a town called Niimi, where we met Keiko’s daughter Fumika and her husband, and the new granddaughter Ayaka (eight months…d’aaww!) There was a little washi (Japanese paper) shop with a huge water wheel and two smaller ones. We got to make our own decorative paper! Mine had two dried leaves and some blue and red ink with some gold flakes strewn on there for good measure. It looks interesting, but everyone else’s looked more…artistically balanced. Then we drove a bit to another part of town called Koigakubo and ate at a little restaurant there, where most of us got the udon lunch set. Some of the other things looked good, but were only for a certain season….sigh, Japan and its love of “limited edition.”

Adding colored ink to the washi paper

*heart melts*

Mine's on the left...everyone else was more pro.

Me and my host mom with the giant water wheel

I bought a little box of cookies that had some kind of hakutou (white peach) filling in them, since hakutou is one of the Okayama area’s meibutsu (lit. “famous thing” but really just a regional food or product). Basically, if you go somewhere that’s further away than a day trip, you should bring back an omiyage (gift, especially from one’s travels) to your host family. Then we all drove to Koigakubo’s shitsugen, which I sort of figured from the kanji (“moisture” + “plains/wilderness”) meant “wetlands” before we actually went in and confirmed it. We didn’t actually walk that far because we stopped at this big pond where you could buy koi food and watch them swarm and fight to the death where food was thrown. Okay, maybe not to the death, but those were some hungry mofos, I swear.

Look at those mouths...OM NOM NOM

The funniest part was when we were on our way back out, we see a giant nasty spider in its web, and then I hear Fumika’s husband say, “Oh, look, a snake,” in Japanese. It sounded very nonchalant, especially compared to the rest of our reactions once we saw it…oh goodness. Thankfully the park lady came out of the reception cabin-thing and said it wasn’t poisonous.
Then we parted ways and went home. I was super hungry again, but while we waited for dinner, the host dad got out his giant collection of pirated DVDs that he makes and stores (yup, you read that right) to find ones to copy and give me. I ended up getting a total of nine, but they’re Japanese with no subs, so we’ll see how that goes. But yeah, he’s a cool guy—he has a really broad taste in Japanese and Western movies, and we bonded over that. Finally we ate kimchi nabe (nah-bay) for dinner! It was a delicious hotpot of veggies, seafood and tofu simmered in a big pot of kimchi-flavored sauce.

The next morning, Sunday, the dad Hajime was actually available, so we went chestnut-picking! Well, more like searching the ground for chestnuts and shaking them from the two trees and peeling open the bristly shells with gloves. Reminds me of home since we have a chestnut tree (and I live on Chestnut Avenue), but usually my mom just gets the chestnuts. This time, it was a three-person team, yaaay!

Host dad in the tree and host mom below for max efficiency!

Then we drove back though the pretty countryside, which felt like Colorado, the Appalachians in western Maryland, and Canada all at once. Back in town, we stopped at the field of “cosmos” flowers, the local specialty. It was just my host mom and I, since Mr. Tsuji was tired and had to rest in the car. The flowers weren’t all blooming since it was a bit early—they’re best in mid-October. The trip could’ve been timed better, but oh well, the flowers were still pretty.

Back at home we had okonomiyaki for lunch (my fourth time since arriving, but it’s cool), which is hard to describe: just read here. Anyway, it was yummy and ridiculously huge, or at least the second one was—good thing my host parents split it, or else someone’s stomach would burst.

Hard to gauge the size, but look at the receipt on the right for reference!

Then it was time to say goodbye to the pets, grab my stuff and take a family picture in front of the house. We ended up being a little late to the gathering spot at the cultural center, but at least I got more time with them? So it was a solemn goodbye, but we all kept waving out the window of the bus at the hosts as we pulled out of the lot.

Hehe, I'm taller than them. Also, Hana the dog was a cutie-pie

Conclusion: I think we’re all gonna miss the countryside. I know if I go to Hiroshima, which is a little further west, I’m definitely stopping in Hokubou town on the way there or back. And my host mom is coming to Kyoto in November, so we can meet then! Woohooo. (Hopefully my host dad will still have his job then…ehehe.)