Not Just Ninjas

We met this absolutely priceless lady on the train in Sendai. She spoke a bit of English and likes rap.

Sendai Rapper

Some of you may have noticed that the frequency of posts has been slowing of late. We’ve been living here for 7+ months now, and there’s only got so many quirky foreigner moments you can have before this formerly foreign place starts to seem normal. Allow me to catalogue for you a few of the smaller Japan Moments that have come our way:

The Steam Truck
For the longest time, Chris and I could hear this eerie off kilter whine in the distance. And it would creep closer. And very occasionally, we would catch up with this truck on its way through town… steam whistling out the top, with some kind of machinery in the back, like a huge kettle on wheels. But why? Was this person delivering hot water for busted winter pipes? Or maybe making deliveries to more rural areas with an inconsistent water supply? (::cough:: Futatsui ::cough::) Mystery solved as soon as my Japanese skills caught up with my curiosity. I just went out and asked the dude behind the wheel last week… it’s a yam truck. Like, quick, go out and get your piping hot yams. Even though this technically answers my question, I still can’t quite believe that the high demand for yams requires a roving truck.

The Shocker
There’s usually a variety of pools in an onsen: indoor and out, hot and cold, sauna, waterfall, jets, different minerals in different pools, you name it. But I had a new kind of onsen experience last weekend. I noticed the kanji for electricity by this pool, but didn’t think much of it; maybe it meant something different when it’s next to that other thing I can’t read, whatever. We get in, and notice little holes on the side of the wall. When you get close enough to the holes, BAM!, electric shock. I don’t know what this is and why it doesn’t kill you or how it’s supposed to be good for you. All I can tell you is it was uncomfortable and creepy. We got out right away.

Further research indicates that this is a “denkiburo” or “electric bath”. It’s reportedly popular with older folk who have rheumatism.

Illegal Buns
We ran into an ex-pat in a pizza parlour. We discussed how, in Japan, you can have hot dogs on sticks or spaghetti in a bun, but under no circumstances do you see a hot dog actually in a bun. This guy further explained that he had tried to start up his own business to fill this gaping hole in the Japanese economy, and when filing his papers, he discovered to his chagrin that hot dogs in buns are not allowed. He’s can’t even sell hot dogs and buns separately, because what if the customer combined them? What if the officials noticed? Someone would have to be held responsible. His papers were denied. “You really should have known better than to open up a store selling hot dogs and buns. Together. I mean, really.” This story borders on urban legend for me, it sounds so ridiculous. I asked my Japanese teachers about it, who also thought it was silly, but also were unable to explain the dearth of dog+bun. I don’t know if it’s a phallic issue or what. Hello out there, if you know what’s up with this, please fill the rest of us in.

Here’s a brief video of Steph teaching a class on Ghanaian music last weekend. The sound seems to be a second behind the video (a problem I seem to have with all the videos I upload to YouTube), but you get the idea.

[youtube 4cYuIucnWEc]

So I bit the bullet today and wore a damn mask to work. It seems a bit counter-productive as a foreign language teacher to go to class with my mouth covered, but whatever. Coming from America, I feel absolutely ridiculous wearing a mask out in public. And then there’s the smelling your own breath all day aspect. Which becomes more of an issue after lunch… mmm. Miso and milk. But I had no choice, the chalk dust was killing me.

Today’s junior high classes were especially pleasant. I hadn’t particularly been looking forward to Christmas lessons, as I kind of secretly hate carols (unless they’re old ones) and am not a particularly festive holiday person. But today was awesomely fun.

First of all, I got to be Santa, thanks to a red coat and hat I found in my closet. Thanks, anonymous predecessor! I didn’t have a beard, but the mask made for a nice stand-in. My Japanese Teacher of English (JTE) asked me to bring in a True/False Christmas quiz. I had already quizzed some other students at another school, so I knew about some of the common misconceptions re: Christmas in America. So I got to dispel some myths: Not everyone in America celebrates Christmas. No, we don’t eat Christmas Cake, per se, not with strawberries and whipped cream, like everyone here does. Nor do we tend to consume massive quantities of fried chicken on Christmas Eve. I don’t care what you say, Santa’s not from Finland. And these little dudes named “elves” help him out with the presents. That freaked everyone out. “Like Snow White and the 7 Elves…?” Um… kinda. Close enough.

After which, the kids sat around making cards. I even was the proud recipient of one, which incorporated newly introduced concepts such as the 3-tiered snowman (here’s the Japanese version for contrast) and Santa eating cookies with milk.

ほほほ.

A year or two ago, my good friend Nik forwarded me this utterly hilarious video about that most Japanese of foods. The other day I discovered it’s on YouTube, friend of blogs everywhere. It’s a somewhat satirical (and spot-on) etiquette guide on how to behave in a sushi shop.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8c2fMDatoU

These guys are the Rahmens, a well-known comedy duo in Japan, and I re-discovered them this week because they are starring in the Japanese versions of the latest round of Apple TV ads.

Just a short note today that I have now officially lost 15 pounds since moving to Japan. About 2/3 of that happened within the first month, to my amazement. It’s amazing what small food portions and walking/biking all over town will do for you.

We’ll see what winter does in this department… it’ll be a lot harder to just jump on the bike when there’s a foot of snow outside.

If I cut my hair I’d probably lose another couple of pounds:

I’ve been going to Japanese class for about 4 weeks now. It is a struggle to get myself to go; it’s never fun to feel stupid, and this is inevitably part of a sharp learning curve. However, I feel like I’ve been getting a lot out of class, and it’s at a good pace for me. In addition, the class is full of kids who come with their families, and there is a real sense of camaraderie that you don’t get with the usual college student foreign language class. We’re all there learning Japanese because we have to make our way through this confusing country day after day.

Several of the other English teachers in town make a regular appearance, and we’ve taken to going out to dinner afterwards. This is a great time to hang out, because we are all busy with our different schedules and don’t always get a chance to see each other. Plus there’s the bonding experience of just having survived Japanese class together.

So imagine my surprise when my Japanese teacher pulled me and Frank (British ALT) aside last class and basically forbade us from going out after class. “Promise me you will go straight home on Tuesday nights after class,” she said. Before any of you get too mentally creative, let me stress that drinking is not the main focus of our excursions. I never have more than 1 glass of beer, and I am always home by 11pm to prepare for teaching the next day.

This is a totally perplexing situation to me. The complaint’s premise was that the Japanese class is a family environment, and we may upset others, they may get the “wrong idea”… what idea, you ask? That we are in class only to play around afterward, and will not study hard. We give the class a bad name by being social after our studies. There was also something about how Japanese women must not carouse after 9pm (which is ridiculous, because I see my students out all the time). We tried to get a little more info with some Q&A:

What if we go straight home and go out again half an hour later? (no)
What if I want to go out with someone who wasn’t in Japanese class? (no)
What if we remove the female equation, and only the guys go out? (no)
What about cultural exchange? We can teach others that this is common social behavior in America/Brittain! (no)
What if we don’t drink, we just go out and eat? (no)
What if I go out by myself to eat alone and have absolutely no fun whatsoever? (no)
What if I have come straight from school and haven’t eaten and there is no food in my house? (no)

I am so upset, more upset than I should be. Especially because our Japanese friend Reiko has been out with us twice already. If this was such a universal social faux pas in Japan, why would she have come with us? The message I am getting is… if you want to socialize after class on Tuesday nights, don’t come to Japanese class. I feel like there is no respect for the fact that I am foreign and do things differently, that is it not good enough to study Japanese and take an interest in the culture and try to communicate… I must act Japanese. Which is ridiculous. I’M HERE FOR CULTURAL EXCHANGE, DAMMIT! Plus I just hate to be told I can’t do something, especially something that is fun and is so harmless. I live in a small town. Let me socialize. It’s one of the few diversions we have here.

So, what to do? I can say screw it, and do what I want, and openly defy my Japanese teacher. But I have to live here in this community, and I don’t want that kind of reputation. Do I suck it up and do what I’m told? That doesn’t go down too well either, and results in me resenting class and my teacher. Perhaps we’re going to have to work on some Underground solution.

икони

I never thought I would utter these words: Today for lunch, I am eating a spaghetti sandwich.

Moving on, today was another one of those days when I just can’t believe I am getting paid. As part of the after-finals festivities, the whole school walked over to the community center for a two hour gospel-shamisen concert. Just trying to imagine that combination makes my head want to explode.

The gospel choir totally threw me for a loop. Okay, yes, they were singing about God. But the similarity to gospel music ended there for me. I would say that this 4 person ensemble sounded more like Manhattan Transfer or the Real Group. I never saw any real fire or spontaneity. At one point, I realized they were doing some kind of gospel-modified pop medley, and in the space of 10 seconds, they worked in Janet Jackson’s “What have you done for me lately”, and somehow added in “You down w/ OPP?” “Yeah, you know me”, except the lyrics had been changed to “You down w/ G-O-D?” “Oh yes I am!” I was caught in the netherworld between fascination and horror.

The shamisen was definitely the coolest part, which I didn’t expect. I thought the shamisen was going to be this stiff, dated, twangy instrument. And apparently for many traditional performances, it often is. But this guy played his shamisen like an electric guitar and rocked the house, busting out like Clapton, and finessing his melodies like McFerrin (I know he’s not a guitar player, stick with me.). I returned to my mortified state, however, as soon as the shamisen/gospel choir collaboration began. It almost defied description: the shamisen produced a sort of heavy-metal/Old-West-cowboy soundtrack, then the gospel members layered a drum kit on top, while back up singers added just a touch of new age flair. I looked around to my neighbors with that look that’s like “are these guys for real?” And then I realized I was the only one in the audience who found the performance strange and side-splittingly funny. This was definitely one of those Only In Japan moments.

Speaking of spreading the gospel, someone somewhere read that my hobby is African dance, and now all of a sudden I have been drafted to give a one hour lecture for the international house in Akita City. It’s going to be in November… anyone want to fly out from San Diego to help a girl out? I promise I will try to stay true to the SDSU Monday-night-captive-audience-world-music-lecture-vibe as much as possible. :) Luckily, I brought a few items along just in case such an occasion came up: a double bell, my up and down from Ghana, and a Bamaya belt and fan. We’ll see if I can get a room full of Japanese to do the Ewe basic. Imagine a whole roomful of people in kimonos doing this.икони

This last weekend was a long one, due to “Respect for your Elders” Day. Since we have no elders here to honor, Chris and I took advantage of the holiday and fleeting good weather, and made the drive to Sendai, on the east coast of Japan. Here are some pictures if you want to follow along.

Renting a car in Japan is way, way easier than it should be. We expected a mountain of forms and hassles, but really you just show someone your passport and licence, pay in cash, then off you go. Well, first they sit with you in the running car and explain the air conditioner, radio, gas tank, seat adjustments, and turn signals, then stop traffic for you as you pull out, and THEN off you go. :)

We made the trip in about 4 hours, burrowing through central japan’s mountain ranges via tunnel on the expressway. I had been expecting something dramatic, like crossing the rockies, but no. Just massive 4 kilometer-long tunnels.

We stayed in a cute little youth hostel, where you take off your shoes at the entrance, and you use public baths. Perhaps now is a good time to go over bathing protocol for those of you planning on visiting. Men and women go to separate bathing areas. In the first room, you’ll take off your shoes at the entrance, and strip NAKED, leaving all your belongings in an unlocked cubby. Towels most likely won’t be provided, so bring your own. Then you go through this door to the group showers… keep in mind that the door will slide, not swing open. This doesn’t sound very important until you are naked in a room full of Japanese people frantically pulling in vain on this door that refuses to open.

So you go through, and there are open showers next to each other, with a nozzle placed about chest high. There will be stools for you to sit on while you bathe yourself. Once you are totally clean, then and only then should you get into the public hot tub, perpendicular to the showers. This is for soaking, not cleaning. The group nakedness is supposed to help facilitate conversation, so don’t freak out if someone wants to talk to you (although i pretty much stick to the speak when spoken principal here).

The public baths sound scary, but they’re actually pretty nice, especially when you have the whole room to yourself. I hear that the Japanese onsens (hot springs) pretty much follow the same procedure, though I haven’t actually tried one yet.

So, what does Sendai, the largest city in our region, have to offer? Well, to a certain degree, one big city is just like other big cities. Mostly, Sendai offered Chris and myself food unavailable in Noshiro. This included mexican food, all you can eat cake, some beer variety, Balinese food, and some honest-to-god coffee. We also managed to find a lovely glass museum, which was easy to enjoy, because the art form kind of transcends language. I can see it’s glass, what else do I need to know? :)

There are some very “Japanese” sites that make a good day trip from Sendai. We went to Matsushima, one of the THREE most SCENIC spots in Japan! Wow! It was pretty scenic, I have to say: on the ocean, with tons of little islands dotting the bay, and red arched bridges connecting some of them. Some of the islands have temples, and you can tour the bay in a dragon or peacock boat. Noshiro doesn’t really have any geishas or pagodas or any of the flashy traditional Japanese stuff (other than a few temples), so mostly we just had a good time walking around Mastushima and feeling the whole Japan vibe.

On the way back home, we swung by our own local scenic spot, the Oga Peninsula. This area didn’t disappoint, and was full of drop dead gorgeous scenes of cliffs and ocean and all of these crazy demon creatures. We even found an aquarium nestled amongst the cliffs, which we’ll have to attend another time.

So now it’s Tuesday, and it’s good to be home, even though the clouds refuse to go away, and I hear that a typhoon’s a comin’ tomorrow. I hope I can still bike to work, as my car ownership papers are still in the works. A typhoon doesn’t sounds like the best time to take out your contraband car, but I may have to do it.

• You find yourself trying to teach your supervisor how to use the phrase “Out like trout” or “shotgun”
• You get paid to surf the internet, but you’re forced to take time off to actually teach English and promote internationalization
• You get laughed at in the school cafeteria for ordering the *wrong* noodles (silly gaijin)
• You do nothing all day, only to be asked to plan tomorrow’s lessons as soon as you head home

Or maybe I’m just grumpy. Is this the dreaded Culture Shock they keep telling me about?

On the plus side: my wallet was found… the NEXT state over, in Aomori. I got a call from my supervisor first thing on Monday morning. He had been contacted by the police and we had to drive to Aomori to pick up my wallet ASAP. You cannot imagine my surprise. All the money was, of course, gone, but at least I got my foreigner card and driver’s licence back.

Happy ending? You decide.