Hello Org!

For those of you who still remember who I am and maybe even what I was planning to do this year: Yes, I am now in the country where normal things don't happen very often.

To be precise, I am in Iwata outside of Hamamatsu on the south/east coast of Japan's main island Honshu. I don’t even know where to begin telling you how very different things are over here. I literally feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone every time I wake up in the morning, for better and for worse. Sometimes it feels a bit overwhelming, but most of the time it is challenging in an interesting and exciting way. It's trippy though; if you expect A to happen and prepare for B and C just in case, then you'll probably end up with Q and W.

Either way, the town is really nice. It was a big change to move from Tokyo, where the five day training was held, to a community with a population of a measly 120.000, but I actually like it. Despite being so small, Iwata has pretty much everything you might need, except for a movie theatre. Supermarkets, book stores, DVD and CD stores, drycleaners, entertainment centers, second hand stores, etc etc - it's all here.

My apartment is very centrally located but the neighbourhood is quiet anyway. The floor of the bedroom is made up of so-called tatami mats and there are thin sliding doors between all the rooms and two big glass doors open up to a small patio. When you come in through the front door you find yourself standing in a small square that is lower than the rest of the apartment. This is where you remove your shoes and make sure you don’t touch any part of the apartment with any outdoor items. (there are so many rules for everything in Japan that it makes your head spin). I have a noisy water pump right outside my door which goes on every time anyone in one of the building’s six apartments uses water (yes, that includes flushing the toilet our pouring a friggin’ glass of water to drink), but apart from that it is a good place to live. I had to buy everything from lamps, curtains and basic kitchen equipment to stove, fridge and washer though, so along with the insane amount of money I had to pay up front (one month’s rent as a customary "gift" to the landlord, one month’s rent as "commission" to the real estate agent, two months’ rent as "deposit" which you rarely get back and one month’s rent in advance) it has completely drained my bank account. It’s ridiculous really, but what can I do? That is how things are done here, apparently.

My first day at work was pretty crazy. The minute I arrived in the morning, the vice principal greeted me quickly and then immediately brought me to a great big gym hall where the principal was giving a speech to the whole school, which including students, teachers and administrative staff came to around 500 people. When he was finished I was asked to get up there and introduce myself. So I stepped up on the podium, cleared my throat and said "ohayo gozaimas" (which means "good morning"). I swear that all 500 responded "OHAYO GOZAIMAS" exactly simultaneously. It was a pretty powerful feeling. I then decided to mostly address the students and spoke slowly in English about how it was my first time in Japan, that I like Iwata, where I am from and that I have travelled a lot, and that I think we’re going to have fun together this year. I also encouraged them to come up and talk to me whenever they want, which I think was an appreciated comment since the vice principal whispered "good speech!" to me when I came back down.

It’s usually difficult to know for sure if you’re well-liked or not in Japan since they’re always so damn polite, but I’m pretty sensitive to people’s opinions of me and can therefore see through the façade and connect with them quite well anyway, or at least as well as you possibly can when you barely speak Japanese at all and their English is so poor that they couldn’t even order a coffee if they wanted to. Even the English teachers have a hard time speaking English. One teacher that I am working with, Ms Nakazawa, has such limited knowledge that it is a challenge to decide when and where to meet, let alone discuss what we’re going to do in class! Islanders...they’re all so funny. They drive on the wrong side of the road, they have their own stubborn ideas about things, they look at foreigners as if they are from a different planet (the often-used word "gaijin" which means "foreigner" has connotations similar to those of the English word "negro").

Other islanders like the Brits and the Aussies can be pretty set in their cultural ways too, although I admit that one of the few people I have actually formed a friendship with over here is a guy from Leicester, England. His name is David and although he is a bit dull sometimes, he is essentially a good guy. That is always the first thing I look for in people; the fundamental goodness inside. If they have that, they can add as many layers of toughness or flaws as they like, I still feel like I can trust them and sympathize with them, at least on the level that counts.

Anyway, since you're probably bored out of your skull after having read thus far, here are some brief and random but interesting things that I have noticed/experienced in Japan:

* I have never heard anyone use the Japanese word for "no". They simply don’t say "no". If they mean "no" they might say something like "hmmmm", "that could be difficult" or "maybe".

* It is very rude to eat while you are walking, to blow your nose, to accept business cards with one hand, to speak in a loud voice, to jaywalk, to point, to be even one minute late. However, it is NOT rude to stare, to laugh at other people’s mistakes, to push people aside to get off the train, to ask for people’s age or marital status the first time you meet, or to call people very late at night.

* Paedophiles seem to be accepted here since even in regular convenience stores there are several magazines with pictures of young girls (we’re talking 12-14-year-olds here) posing in sexual positions and wearing schoolgirl uniforms. It’s weird to say the least.

* Everybody is well-dressed. Even people that do manual labour for a living often wear expensive suits and shiny shoes to work. If you have a wrinkle on your suit jacket you’d better smoothen it out quickly, or else people will notice.

* Everybody reads comic books. You see businessmen and housewives in their mid fifties on the train, reading superhero "manga" books with black and white drawings in that typical Japanese style.

* Everything is small, especially food. If you order a burger at McDonald’s, it’s half the size of what we’re used to. If you order a steak, it is less than one fourth of the normal size.

* No attempt is made to control sound pollution. Sometimes late in the evening they make public service announcements at full blast through loudspeakers that are placed all over the city, and at the temples there are people who strike the gong a gazillion times every day at 6 a.m., to name a couple of things.

* When you can find a western-style, non-squat-toilet they usually come equipped with seat heating and built-in bidet. Yes, I found out about that last feature the hard way.

* Rice is very expensive and chicken is very cheap. Nobody seems to know why.

Now you're probably wondering "so....where are the pictures?". Well, so far I haven't taken any good ones. But when I do, I'll be sure to add them.

Sounds like a wonderful time so far!

I have always wanted to experience Japan. I'll live vicariously through Retina.

not do they sell the magazines, but there are vending machines which sell worn panties...sex toys...etc..etc.

Interesting stuff Retina!! Sounds like a strange culture to get used to...

I have a friend who studies history and Japanese here in Edinburgh, and he spent a year studying in Kyoto, I think. He liked it so much that when he graduates this year he's going back to work and live there!

CarrieMpls said:

It's an emotional roller-coaster ride, but yeah - it is mostly wonderful.

PurpleRein said:

I dont want to know.

jerseykrs said:

Come over then, whydontcha? The airfare will empty your wallet pretty fast, but once you're here it's really not that expensive to eat and get around. And there are cheap hotels too.

not to mention the japanese tv programs..they have game shows where the contestants do things you wouldn't believe

PurpleRein said:

Actually, I think that is an urban legend. I spent several days exploring Tokyo (and also Nagoya and Hamamatsu) and actually looked for that kind of machines since I'd heard about them and thought it would be interesting to take a picture of them and buy some souvenirs from them (), but no matter where we went or who we asked they were nowhere to be found. There's plenty of other stuff to satisy your every fetish though.

Japanese panty vending machine...

Dude, I am sooooo not bored out of my skull from your post.

I find it absolutely fascinating and your vivid descriptions had me totally hooked.

Give us frequent updates. I'm fasicnated.

Imago said:

Same here!

Thx Retina

Very interesting. Hi!

Imago said:

Agreed!

CarrieMpls said:

Happy Easter CarrieMPLS. In time, you will learn to appreciate me.

Imago said:

Happy Easter Imago. I may learn to appreciate you, but I will never learn to appreciate your balls.

CarrieMpls said:

Hi Retina
Knew you'd find it interesting there. Can't wait for the pictures!

Sounds like a buzz. All the best out there, behave and keep everyone updated Take care

Hi, Retina.

Hello Sensei!

Your descriptions make me feel like I'm there.

A few questions:

How large is your apartment? I hear they're very small in Japan.

Are the panties in the machine of good quality?

How often do people need fresh panties over there?

If you get the sniffles, can you stay home from work because it's rude to blow your nose?

How old are your students?
[Edited 4/16/06 11:22am]

Wow! Incredible read... would love to read more of you observations.....

Can't wait to see the pictures.

littlemissG said:

Fascinating! Glad to hear it's going well

Imago said:

here! here!!

so fantastic to hear how you are getting along - we have missed you on the boards!
have you been to the kindergarten class yet??
please tell more stories as you have time!

oh and.....

happy easter retina!

retina said:

oh... and what did you just say??

CarrieMpls said:

Awww, thank you both!

AndGodCreatedMe said:

And to you too!