Japanese Exposure and The Move

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

I last wrote on Sunday, my second day in Tokyo. Monday was a very interesting day for me. At 10, we met briefly as a class to discuss some new assignments and our moving arrangements for the next day. After that, I got to talk to Andrew for a little bit while I got ready for the rest of my day.

At noon, I was supposed to meet a business associate of my dad and his children in the lobby of my hotel. His name is Yoshio Kondo and I think he has known my dad for close to 20 years. I was in the lobby at noon, waiting to meet him and his children when three people walked into the hotel, who looked a little older than me. I thought maybe this was them, but they were all close to my age, so then I thought maybe not. Plus, I didn’t want to just assume that people speak English here and go up and ask if they are looking for me. Finally, one of them approached me and asked if I was Britney. I said yes, and she got very excited and introduced me to her siblings. We exchanged awkward greetings and I gave them the bottle of wine I brought from California. They explained that they were sorry, but their father could not make it to our meeting because his health is not so good.

The oldest is Kumiko (Kumi). She is 27 and works at a trading company, and so she is essentially fluent in English, which was lucky for me since I speak very, very little Japanese. Yasu is the brother who is 25 or 26 I think, and he is working very hard at learning English right now. Emiko (Emi) is a year older than me and is finishing law school right now. She will work for Citibank and they told her that speaking English was not optional, as she may be asked to work in another country. They are all incredibly nice and I was so glad, because we ended up having a lot of fun together and teaching each other a lot about our different cultures and languages.

They took me to a part of Tokyo that was new to me: Asakusa. There, they took me to lunch at a Russian place that they have been to many times. It was an incredibly nice meal, with multiple courses. First I had a seafood salad, followed by a cold and sweet pumpkin soup and then the main course of a hamburg (which is a burger without the bun) with vegetables. Finally, we had tea or coffee and desert comprised of a caramel pudding and fruit. It was definitely one of the best meals I’ve had here. It was also very pleasant because as we grew more comfortable with each other, we started joking and talking about the differences between our cultures. Poor Yasu; he has only been studying English for a few months and already he has caught on very well, but he would be in the middle of asking me a question and then would have to ask his sister for a certain word, and I could tell it was a little frustrating for him. He was also a little self-conscious about his English at first, but he grew more relaxed as the day went on, which actually helped to improve his speech.

After lunch, we went briefly to a tourist spot, which was very crowded because it is Golden Week in Japan, meaning everyone is on vacation right now. There were many traditional Japanese street vendors lining the way towards the Sensoji Temple, with the Kaminarimon Gate marking its entrance. We did not stay long because it was very crowded, but the temple was very nice. It was actually somewhat unique to see the stands lining the walkway right in front of the temple, as it seems that they are usually pulled farther off the religious property. The temple itself looked very similar to many of the temples we have seen, with its wood structure painted red and white and its traditional tile roof becoming a dominant feature. What was unique about the Sensoji Temple was its ceiling. On the inside, there are large paintings done on the ceiling, above a large golden shrine for worship. We threw coins into the shrine and prayed. Kumi explained to me that some coins are better than others to throw. You should not throw a 10 yen coin, for example, because of multiple meanings of the word for 10. Usually, “ju” is used, but one can also use “to” (pronounced toe) which also means people. The word “yen” can also be read to mean relationships. So if you throw a 10 yen coin, it is implying that you will have difficulty with human relationships. I thought this was very interesting, and though it was a little difficult for her to explain to me, I’m very glad that Kumi took the time to help me understand.

After our sight-seeing, Emi invited me back to their house because Yoshio very much wanted to meet me. I was very happy to have been invited since I had really been looking forward to meeting them all, so we all took a taxi to their home in central Tokyo. Their neighborhood is very nice, though not exactly what I expected for downtown Tokyo, I must admit. It is quiet and cute, with little single family homes rather than the high-rise apartments one might expect. I’m sure that this was just their immediate area, but it was very nice to get to see a typical Japanese home in Tokyo.

When we entered the house, we were greeted by the barking of their dog, which they had warned me about. I met Yoshio and his wife, with the dog barking wildly in the background the entire time. They offered for me to give her a treat or two so that maybe she would calm down. I took one, set it on the ground and said “matte” which I guessed means wait. When I felt like she could take it, I said “yoshi”. She pounced on the treat, so I did the ritual again, trying to develop at least a mutual indifference. She also pounced on this treat, but after it was gone, she went right back to barking at me and actually bit me. Fortunately, she is a wiener dog…not very threatening. Her bite didn’t even break the skin and was actually somewhat pathetic. They took her into a different room after making sure that I was alright and apologizing profusely. They said that she barks and acts like that with every guest…I’m surprised that the dog is still alive or at least that they still have it.

Anyways, their mother (I feel terrible, but I don’t think I ever caught her name) served us iced lemon tea, which was delicious, and we all sat down and talked. I asked Yoshio how he had met my father and how long they had known each other. It is amazing that they have known each other for almost as long as I have been alive. They asked me what I had seen in Japan, and what my plans were for the rest of my time here. Yasu also showed me a youtube clip of the “Japanese Beyonce”. It was very funny. It is this female Japanese comedian who does impersonations. She studied Beyonce’s movements and dancing until she could imitate it almost perfectly. She lip-synchs the songs and does the movements to them and it is really funny. If you get a chance, go to youtube and search for Japanese Beyonce. After that, Yoshio said that he would like me to join them for dinner. Again, I was grateful for the invitation.

Yasu also asked me about places he should see in Kyoto since he was going there for a short trip the next day. I suggested Kiyomizudera, Sanjusangendo and Fushimi Inari, since they are all in the same area and he only had a day. I told him that he should try to see Katsura some time, but it seems like it takes a lot more time for citizens to be able to schedule a tour for some reason.

To give Yasu time to pack before dinner, Kumi, Emi and I walked around their area. We saw some shops and they told me that the area is becoming more of a sight-seeing and touristy area. They took me to this beautiful street, which is actually called Gravestone Street, because there is a cemetery that is cuts through. It was quite beautiful though, with large cherry blossom trees lining it. Unfortunately, the cherry blossom season is over, but I could imagine that the walk along that road would have been incredible about a month ago. At the end of the street we stopped briefly at a small temple. We passed by a few more on our walk, but it was past 5 pm so they were all closed. I’m glad I got to spend some time with just the girls because I think we got to know each other better. Emi invited me to an event this Saturday. It has something to do with candles and a gym…I think it is some sort of custom that she does as a hobby, but I am not exactly sure what to expect. I told her that I would do my best to go because it sounds very interesting. The three of us talked about boys and school and jobs and English, until finally, we headed to the Indian Curry restaurant where we would meet the rest of their family for dinner.

At the restaurant, they asked me to teach them some slang, so I did. I tried to keep it pretty harmless, but you all know I have a mouth on me lol. It made me laugh because Kumi was taking notes…it was pretty cute. She kept saying “I want to know, I want to know!” It was a lot of fun. Earlier at lunch, I taught them “screw it” as being equivalent to “forget it” and Kumi wrote down “Let’s screw it”…I told her that she probably would want to drop the “let’s”, as it implies something else lol. Before dinner, I tried to teach them some things that are a little more harmless like “I’m stoked” or something is sweet, or tight, or baller. Of course we all ended up laughing.

The rest of the family showed up and we ordered our curry. I was so excited because I love curry, especially Indian curry. I got a chicken masala curry, mostly because it sounded delicious and was also not very expensive, since this was the second meal of the day that they were treating me to. Emi had to leave a little early to go tutor junior high school students in English, which is her part-time job. Hopefully I’ll get to see her on Saturday. After dinner, Yasu and Kumi went with me all the way back to my hotel, which was not necessary but was very sweet of them. Before we left, I thanked Yoshio for his hospitality and told him that I was very glad to have met him. At the end of the night, I gave them all my email so hopefully I will get to see them all again before I have to leave. The entire day was just an amazing experience and I was astonished by their generosity and attention. They fed me, gave me a tour of their city, invited me into their home…it was just amazing. By the time the day was over, I felt bad, to be honest, because they had paid for everything, insisting when I even tried. It was very sweet, but if you know me, you also know that it makes me uncomfortable when other people pay for me, so of course, I felt bad. I will just have to try to return the favor before I leave, and if Emi does end up in California, I would like to show her the same generosity and welcoming that they have given me.

I got home at around 8 and did some work, but I have been having insomnia lately so I stayed up til 1 or 1:30 watching House. I’m all caught up now so hopefully that will be the end of that.

Today, we moved from the Toyoko Inn to the National Olympic Memorial Youth Center near Yoyogi Park in Tokyo. Check out was at 10, but we weren’t leaving the area until 1, since we couldn’t check in at the Youth Center until 3…kinda complicated huh? So Jeff, Blake and I wandered around for a while and then just hung out until 1, when we left for our new housing.

The National Olympic Memorial Youth Center is probably the worst place I have ever stayed lol. The rooms are only $11 a night. They are tiny and we have a communal bathroom and shower. None of this is too big of a deal to me, but there is also an issue with internet. We have to pay for the internet, $5 a day. It’s not too bad, because it’s still much cheaper than any other place, and I’m pretty sure I can deal with almost anything for a month. It is also somewhat difficult to get anywhere besides the park from our new “campus”. What’s nice about the place is that it is almost a campus. We have a classroom here every morning and there are restaurants and a gym and a pool…none of which are free or even cheap, but that’s ok. The major issues are the internet and all the rules. The front gate is locked at 11, which isn’t a huge issue because we can still use the service gate. The worst part is that the rooms are dirty. The comforter on my bed is…nasty to be honest. There’s crap all over the walls and dust in the corners of the ceiling…it’s pretty bad. Also, we are not allowed to have food or drink in our rooms, classrooms or lounge area. I’m just not really sure where I’m allowed to eat in this place lol. I think we may have the internet situation figured out, and if that’s the case I can definitely deal with being here for a month if it means I get to see Tokyo. Unfortunately, it also means that I won’t be able to be online as often, so I am writing my blogs in word, and then posting them when I can. I apologize to my faithful readers lol. Anyways, that’s it for now. Pretty much everyone in the group is really upset with the living situation, but I don’t think it’s really that big of a deal. Tomorrow we have class at 10 in the morning and I have no idea what’s in store after that. Jeff and I decided to work on our final project together, but I don’t think either one of us is that motivated to work too hard on it. We’ll see how it progresses. Hopefully we can make it out to the site tomorrow so Jeff and I can pick an area and a specific site/program. My plan is to keep it as simple as possible lol. More on Tokyo to come.