A Gun Is Fine, Too...

SHUT THIS CHILD UP!

Dear God,
My host family's nephew is over, and I need a quick solution that is relatively cheap and won't make a mess.

Seriously though... I won't have any kids unless I adopt one after age 2. WHY THE HELL IS HE CRYING?!

Ok,
headphones: check
volume up?: check
forget about it?: check

This blog is a long long LONG overdue one. I feel like I should put in an 'effin table of contents... actually that sound's like fun.

Part 01........ Mie Prefecture with Otoosan
Part 02........ I Got This Skirt at the Guy's Section of Avail
Part 03........ So, How's Japan?
Part 04........ I Sorry... The Awaited Lip Ring Update
Part 05........ Puff, Quench, Clap, Clap, Wave
Part 06........ Universal Studios Japan
Part 07........ Coming Home Early?


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Part 01: Mie Prefecture with Otoosan

I went to Mie ('mee-aye) Prefecture with my host father as the title explicitly implies. I went September 20 and stayed overnight with my host family's son, Kaoru. He works for Honda and I only saw him for an hour total (even though we went on a Saturday and stayed all day Sunday...) The majority of the time was spent with Kaoru's wife and kids. His wife is named Tomoko, and he has a 6 year old girl named Mayu, and a 1 year old son named Kei.

The drive there was gorgeous. Imagine a dull gray sky swallowing an emerald green mountain of bamboo and vegetation that delves into a brisk river. On the other side of the river, you drive through a thick bamboo forest with trees on either side and above you. It was really cool and I wish I would have said something like, "pull over, I wanna take a picture," but I didn't. Before arriving to the relatives' house, we stopped at Ueno Castle. The castle is famous for its ninja. It has a sort of educational shrine in which a tour guide will show you trap doors, different techniques for hiding, and plenty of ways for a quick escape. It was interesting and useful for when I become a ninja. The shrine also had glass encasements of ninja toys / weapons (w/e you want to call it.) My favorite was the claw because once you get the claw, shit goes down real fast. It was cute because some little kids dressed up as ninjas before they went and had their plastic swords and whole bodies wrapped up.

The castle itself, though, was really amazing. It was of course surrounded by a moat of water and had a foundation of rock at least 100 feet high till the courtyard. The main castle had another 40 feet of a rock wall before construction had begun. The inside of the castle had been turned into a museum, essentially. Samurai this, pottery that, until the top floor, which is where I took these two panoramic pictures: Panoramic 1, Panoramic 2.

After the castle, we layed down some ninja dust and disappeared into the night. It was actually day, so we just continued to the awaiting family. When we arrived, the rest of the family wasn't there, so Otoosan and I wandered around the yard and I found one ofthese bugs. It is almost like a grasshopper, walking stick and praying mantis all mixed. They are harmless and don't bite, but they sure are weird looking! When Tomoko, Mayu, and Kei got back, we went for a walk to a nearby park. The day before we came, a typhoon had swept through, so all sorts of brush was scattered everywhere. At the park, we fed bread to some big ass koi and returned home for dinner.

CULTURE SHOCK:
Why does a nearly 7 year old girl take a bath with her grandfather? The bath culture of Japan is really different than that of the US. A family can be naked in front of each other until about age 10. My sexuality and culture professor claims that America cannot separate sensuality from sexuality; however, Scandinavian and Japanese cultures can distinguish the two and demonstrate that through their bath culture.

Get the godam can of beer yourself! You may or may not know that I am a pretty hardcore feminist (and I don't care if your lack of understanding of the term creates a negative connotation,) so watching Kaoru (my host brother) sit at the kitchen table and ask his wife for a beer that is four feet away from him when she is on the other side of the counter cooking him food was vexing to say the least. "Western feminism cannot be applied to Japanese culture," is what all the texts say. I didn't believe them at first until I read this one line that said, "The Japanese value consistency over freedom." I really don't know how I feel about that. Coming from America, where freedom means almost literally everything, it is heresy to state otherwise. Not only, though, is consistency valued more, services are gender marked. Getting that can of soda was a service, and Kaoru would have been feminizing himself to do such a womanly chore. I don't buy this for a minute, though, because what happens when she isn't home? Does he end up wearing a dress by the end of the day because of all of the exchanges of "services"? Though it would be funny if he did, it's enraging to know that the men here are keeping such a bearing on the wife to do everything from cooking, cleaning, raising kids, shopping, doing laundry and any other "service" the man sees fit.

Your 'effing 1 year old does not like cars. I hate how people in all cultures will gender a child so much from day 0 till they they die. If you shove cars in front of a child's face with a smile 8 times a day, 7 days a week, classical psychological conditioning states that the subject will eventually elicit a learned reaction (laughing/smiling) from a conditioned stimulus (car), but to procure that the child innately likes cars, just like his father who works for Honda, is absurd. I'm just going to leave this point alone because I will end up writing an essay. The point, though, is that masculine and feminine are one in many types of genders, and instead of giving a child neutral toys, they give them gendered toys and make the subjective decision that the boy will be raised to become a masculine male, rather than his own individual.

Aside from gendering Kei, they also don't really know how to raise a kid (from American standards.) If he whines because he can't have something, they will give it to him. There is no such thing as teaching your little girl table manners, or manners at all, (like cover your mouth when you cough at, esp at the dinner table, esp when a person is directly in front of you) until around age 10--eating spaghetti out in public with her was embarrassing for a moment until I realized it was normal (the poor kid didn't even know how to use chopsticks in the first place, and trying to use chopsticks with spaghetti was like counting money with no fingers.) Apparently a one year-old knows how to bite off chunks of bread into pieces that he/she can swallow? I'm not going to go into this topic much more either. Japanese childbearing is way different.

Back to the story...
The next day was Mayu's Track Day for school, but because of the typhoon, it was pushed back another day. Instead, we went to the beach and then to karaoke/arcade. At the beach, there was a parasailing-like event going on. A huge parachute was attached to a vest and a group of people would lift up the parachute into the wind as another group of people would hold a rope attached to the vest so you wouldn't fly away. I did that for only 3 or 5 dollars. I'm pretty sure it was a donation for something, but I don't know. It was pretty cool being that high up in the air, though! Right here is me. The beach was SOO dirty! There was just trash everywhere that floated in from sea. There were cool shells though all along the beach; however, it started to pour rain, so we went back to the car to go to karaoke/arcade. That was fun! It was all-you-can drink/play arcade/sing for 3 dollars an hour, which is a really good deal. After that, I returned back home to make s'mores with the marshmallows, graham crackers, and Hershey's chocolate I brought. It was fun because we had to use the gas stove and kabob sticks to make them. Everyone liked them, especially Mayu (and after I left, a few days later she invited a few of her friends over and together with Tomoko, they made s'mores, ha). Before I left, I mostly played DS with Mayu like Mario Kart and such. About an hour before I left, Mayu got very quiet and began to cry because she knew I had to leave. It was the cutest thing because, first of all, a little kid has never cried over my departure, and second of all, she was absolutely balling her eyes out! Tomoko kept telling her it would be all right, and that we would see each other in a few days, but the waterfall of tears wouldn't stop running. Don't believe me? Look here. Anyhow, I had to leave, but the drive home was TERRIBLE!!!! I wasn't feeling too well because the dinner I had wasn't agreeing well with me, and of course Japan has twisty-turny roads, so when my host father floored it around the corner, I got really car sick. I wanted to say, "SLOW YOUR ASS DOWN!" a few times, but didn't. I really did almost throw up, though. THAT WAS MIE-KEN

I write, now, as Tomoko, Mayu, and Kei are sitting in the room. No, she isn't lulling that demon Kei, she is just letting him sit there crying over nothing... crying crying crying crying crying CRYING CRYING CRYING CRYING CRYING. Jayme, you are lucky... or maybe you're just damn good.

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Part 02: I Bought This Skirt at the Guys' Section of Avail

Japanese fashion is, to say the least, quite different than that of America. A guy can carry a bag that, hands-down, is a purse and not be labeled as feminine or gay. I saw a guy with an ivory bag with gold lacy threads--it was a damn purse! Or my host father's shoes. HAHA. He also has a pair of Nikes that literally have a 2 inch heal.

Avail is a clothing store close to the Seminar Houses that is very fashionable (?)
but inexpensive. It's divided into two halves: guys' and girls'. On the guys' section, there are various things such as this beaver bag vest thing, some scarves that you wear around your waste to resemble a skirt or kilt (over the pants, of course), some shoes that (literally) prostitutes wear, leopard-print skin-tight shirts, leather pants, and not to mention the pre-made random gothic outfit. On the girls' section, there are lots of really cool clothing and fashion ideas, and girls here, for the most part, are dressed very stylish. However, there are quite a few outfits that, well, are inexplicable. I passed this one layout and said, "Damn! That is soo hobag!" My friend, Jamie, said, "No no, that's something [our friend] Ayana would wear. Ha ha." There was a small pause, but then we both realized that we DID see Ayana wearing something like that! It was a black and jean themed outfit. The shorts were jeans that were really low cut and very short, but they had a fold at the bottom. There was also black nylons and a black shirt with large hoop earrings, and of course hooker boots. It is hard to explain, but if she was walking around in America, she would definitely be asked a price.

Another crazy fashion joke people here like to play is the single shirt outfit. I saw a girl that was wearing only a shirt and nylons. I was really taken back at first because it was like she was naked with only a shirt, but it came down a little past her crotch. I thought maybe it was just her, but my speaking partner, Kayo (below), also wore a shirt thing like that. Although you can show as much leg, and sometimes more, as you want, it is considered rather taboo to show cleavage or anything from the top-half.

Essentially, guys spend more time putting together their hair and clothes than girls do here (at least among the youth at KGU), and girls don't like to wear clothing.

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Part 03: So, How's Japan?

Japan :) Japan >:) Japan :| Japan /:( Japan :(

I get very frustrated in the midst of being happy.
I miss home when I'm alone.
I miss home when I'm with people.
I don't want to go home, I just want to stay here forever!
I want to leave immediately!

My mind is constantly shifting on how I feel about Japan. Some days I hate it. Some days I love it. People here have been great, and assholes, and supportive. There is a program here that arranges us with a Japanese student learning English whom we are encouraged to hang out with and talk to. I signed up for the program and got my speaking partner, Kayo Ikoma. She is really really cool and we are on the same page with a lot of things. She wants to be a tour guide when she graduates and marry when she is of age (25 or so). She knows English very well, but I teach her various idiomatic expressions like the word "stiff," as in "a stiff exam," or "that clerk stiffed me." As another example, the slight variation between "you can come." and "if you want to, you can come," (the first can sound like "please come" while the second is just as it appears, or maybe more polite). We sometimes eat lunch together and go to karaoke together. She shows me around and I practice my Japanese. We hang out about once a week. She is really cool!

The Japanese academic calendar, which starts in March/April, is very different than America's, which starts in August/September. So, their second semester started after we were already there. September 17: population 500. September 18: population 10,000. It was madness! The convenience store floods on the hour every hour. Three cafeterias are open, but all are full with no place to sit but the ground outside. The bike parking lot is like a bike junkyard, with bikes lined up from end-to-end. The CIE is flooded with Japanese people who want to survey English speakers for their classes, or just Japanese people who want to make gaijin (foreigner) friends. It's really cool, though. However, I don't speak fricken Japanese! I come to Japan and 90 percent of my daily speech is English. Since this is a FOREIGN LANGUAGE institution, the students want to practice their English, so they talk to you in English. People will introduce themselves in English, ask surveys in English, converse in English, etc. Even when I bump into someone, I say, "sumimasen" which means excuse me, the response is a timid voice of "sorry." Use your own language in your own country! I came to Japan thinking I could learn the language a lot faster. I think I could learn it a lot faster going to Novi! I had no clue that I would be undermined everyday as a gaijin and reduced to a study method.

I joined a running club. They meet really early in the morning, so I quit. I joined marching band, but they don't have any instruments for me to play, so I quit. Actually, I want to rant about this! They told me that I can play any instrument I want, and I don't have to try out, but when I came back to say, "Ok, I'm here to play the quads," they said that all the instrument positions were full. WHY THE HELL DID YOU SAY THAT THEN? YOU WASTED MY TIME AND GAVE ME FALSE HOPE! I did get to introduce myself in Japanese to a room full of Japanese people who subsequently clapped and cheered for me. It made me feel good about my language skills as well as joining the club; but it's too bad because they don't have any positions left! However, with the help of my friend Mariah and my professor, I started a gender and sexuality film discussion group. We gather once a week to watch a movie about, well, certainly not gender and sexuality in Japan. It's cool, because a lot of people have been coming and it's fun.

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Part 4: I Sorry... The Awaited Lip Ring Update

I had been taking out my lip ring / earrings for a few days. I'd stuff them in my pocket on my way out the door, and shove them in when I got to school. Likewise, I'd take them out before I got home, or go straight to my room before saying hello in order to remove them. After a couple days, my host mom didn't say anything about my earrings, so I decided to make up some drama to bring up the situation. I said that my friends at school couldn't figure out what was different about me--haircut, hair dyed, shaved beard. I then said that it was because I had no earrings or lip ring that they said so. My host mom said... actually I don't remember what she said, but it was kinda like "Oh, hmm, huh. Okay." After a couple more days of playing Bruce Wayne/Batman, my host father, at the dinner table, said that I could wear the piercings if I wanted; though, he likes my face as is. I wasn't too surprised because my host mother seems very sane, and as though she can talk sense into someone. He explained "because she works at a nursing home, she comes into contact with newer ideas, like dyed hair and piercings," (I had no idea at this point what he was talking about) "but I am not used to that. She works with young people more often," (ahh, that makes more sense) "like when they come into her work as volunteers with the elderly. I didn't understand. I'm sorry, and you can wear them if you'd like."

Of course this is all in Japanese, but there was a little English phrase at the very end which was kinda cute: he said "I sorry." I was a little confused about what to say, but I knew that I should respect other people's opinions, especially if I'm living with them. So, in response, I said, "I won't wear them. If you don't like them, then I won't wear them. It's not a big deal."

However... after a few more days, I kept forgetting to put them in, so my ears were starting to heal up. I didn't want that to happen, so I left them in a couple times. Then a few more times. And then I left them in at all times. I guess I wanted to respect his sole desire, but I didn't want my ears to heal up, so now I wear them all the time. And it seems like I spited him, because I got some new shiny black ones that are even larger than the ones before (oh well). I think he doesn't care, and what does it matter, anyway? I'll be gone in a little bit.

I'm glad it's not a big deal though, anymore. It still baffles my mind, though.

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Part 5: Puff, Quench, Clap, Clap, Wave

I went to Osaka the other day. There is a place called Shinsaibashi that can only be described as a short Times Square. It is full of lights, water, people, hosts, weirdos, restaurants, and has the ever-famous Glico sign. I went with Kayo and her friend Miho to do some walking around in Amemura (or American-town) as well as other parts of downtown Osaka. It is really cool in Amemura. There are both foreign (white) store-workers and a Japanese one. The shops all target the alternative scene in the states, with punks and underground music. Even as I was walking into McDonalds, I wasn't sure if it was a dance club rave or a fast food restaurant. There was also one huge store that was a few stories and had really cheap body jewelry, and, of course, fashionable clothing. After wandering around Little America, we went shopping and stopped at Shinsaibashi. I had picked up a 40 dollar tripod that is seemingly worth much more, and stationed it on the bridge flooded with people. The illuminated signs filled the night and my camera lens. I guess it's as pretty as advertisements are going to get. After taking in the scenery, we went to an okonomiyaki restaurant (okonomiyaki is a pan-fried batter cake with various vegetables and meets added). I knew there was something that tasted awful in takoyaki (fried octopus balls), but I couldn't put my finger on it. However, the same taste was in the okonomiyaki as well. I could only eat half of mine before I felt ill. Come to find out, however, one of the main ingredients is pig heart and coagulated pig blood. Actually, it isn't that, it is a thing called dashi, which is essentially dried kelp and aged tuna, and used in many Japanese dishes... too bad, though, I think I could choke it down easier if it was the first.

After we finished eating we went to another area where the host clubs are. Host clubs, in case you didn't know, are places where prostitutes, hostesses, or very ritzy females go to drink away their misery, essentially. People come to the clubs to meet a host who tells her she's pretty, serves her drinks, and parties with her. The women pay handsome amounts of money one champagne and of course the hosts themselves all for a date (with sometimes the assumption that they will have sex later on in the evening). People who go to host clubs often spend from 300 to 5000 dollars a night, and some have even spent nearly $40,000 in ONE night. Here is a wikipedia page explaining it all. Anyway, we went there because hosts are the prettiest things your eyes will ever lay on. They have the most flowing hair, intricate accessories, exotic perfumes, and thickest foundation you have ever seen. When you pass them at Kyobashi station between the JR line and Keihan line, you KNOW it. They have an aura that eminates golden rays from their broad shoulders... or maybe I just get high from all the hairspray they use and I start seeing things. BUT, it is really funny how they collect customers. They are smoking a cigarette, toss it on the ground and smolder it, clap twice, and then raise their hand: Puff, Quench, Clap, Clap, Wave. Surely, Westerners think Japanese people look alike, and wonder how I could tell hosts from other people... but trust me... when you see a host, you KNOW it's a host. ANYWAY, we walked down the street to just see all the humor of it. Men, who look like women, but are considered very manly, selling their time on the streets of Osaka. It was interesting, to say the least...

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Part 6: Universal Studios Japan

BLAH, I'm lazy. I went to USJ with Kayo, Chika, and my friend Pat(rick). Pat had never been on a roller coaster (he's scared of heights and from Vermont), and it was one week from Halloween. The whole place was themed like Halloween and I'm just going to streamline the basics...

arrived
took pictures
ate at Moss Burger (OMG, it's the closest thing to a REAL American cheeseburger)
actually entered the park
waited in line for Spiderman for more than the advertised 30 mins
Spiderman was the freakin' shit with 3D glasses and heat/wind/mist
checked out some Halloween-ish things around USJ
went on a Jaws ride that was kinda corny, but it had oil tanks that "blew up" but it was really just a ton of propane that was lit on fire, it was really cool because i've never seen that much fire in my life
went on the Jurassic Park ride which is one of the largest water rides in the world. Kayo said I'd only get a little wet... bitch. I got her back by repeatedly screaming and grabbing her and Chika both.
they ate giant turkey legs like we were at the Rennaisance Festival.
went on the one actual roller coaster there. Pat was scared, but we didn't hesitate the second round.
watched a weird performance with a bunch of star-impersonators from the movies.
went home

It was surprising how much Japan celebrated Halloween, especially considering it isn't even a national holiday. I went to Cedar Point last year for the "Halloweekends" but it was nothing compared to the detail USJ put into theirs. They hired actual gaijin (white guys) to be the monsters and scare everyone. The costumes were wonderful, even though it was pretty dark.
DONE

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Part 7: Coming Home Early?

That's right, bitches. I'm closing shop and heading home on December 17. Being here makes me realize how badly the world treats women, and I want to fight for women's rights in many places. Asian studies won't get me very far, so I changed my major to women's studies. I'm scheduled to fly in from Tokyo to Toronto, then Toronto to Windsor. Any relatives want to volunteer to pick me up? I get in at midnight... :D

Seriously, though... I came here to learn the language, but I find myself speaking English way more than Japanese. I come home from school, and because my host family doesn't talk to me, I just go straight to my room and sit at the computer till dinner, come down and sit at the silent dinner table where my host father watches TV while drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, wash the dishes, and return to my room. I have small talk at dinner, but it's not enough. I don't want to be the pessimistic exchange student, but I unfortunately don't have much to be optimistic for. I see some people be put in Morman families and I wonder why I couldn't be. I feel bad reciprocating the boredom, but I've given up. Only a month more to go, and I'm free from THAT GODAM DOG THAT WAKES ME UP ALL THE FUCKING TIME. It barks and barks and barks and barks and barks and barks and barks and they DON'T TELL IT TO SHUT THE HELL UP! Only the occasional soft-spoken "You're annoying," gets muttered from someones mouth.

Besides that... KGU doesn't offer any courses in women's studies, so I would be wasting my time here. Women's studies, btw, isn't just the study of women. It focuses on the real-world problems that gays, lesbians, trans-gendered, and racial/ethnic minorities face everyday, whether going out to get the mail or running for president. I applied to the University of Michigan the other day in hopes of enrolling in their women's studies department as well as the Asian studies one. I want to further educate the world on everyone's issues and help bridge the gap between the privileged and the oppressed, and staying in Japan won't get me nunny-where.



Thoughts of Japan today...

I sat in my room all day and did nothing. Though it's a Tuesday, there was no class because it was the school's birthday--I DON'T QUESTION POLICY! I don't really have an opinion of Japan today, other than that my family didn't even call me down for dinner... maybe they thought I was sleeping or out. I'll just shrug it for now...

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Pictures from Facebook:

Mie Prefecture
Osaka 1
Universal Studios Japan
KRP pt.1
KRP pt.2
Plus+
Panoramic Pictures

Kids These Days: やくざみたい

An interesting situation happened this evening...

My host mother occasionally goes to work overnight, but cooks for us and leaves it on the table. Well, today she did that. My host father called me to eat, and when I got downstairs we had basic conversation involving English, the news, the president, the food, etc. In the midst of our conversation, I touched my ear and realized the back to my earring was gone. My host father decided to seize the moment.

The following script is in Japanese, and I will translate it afterward. I put it in Japanese because I don't know how to look at the situation objectively, and I don't know the culture well enough to infer the exact translation, without trans-literating it. Those who understand the language more can take this word-for-word, untranslated portion and make their own interpretations...

日本語で
父：わぁ、それはだめ。
私：えぇ、何？
父：その耳のピアッシング。
私：本当？hmm、アメリカでは耳やこんなの(point to lip)ピアッシングは男と女の人は大丈夫だと思うんけど、はなのピアッシングは男の人のためにはちょっと。
父：わぁ、お父さんは大きらい。お母さんとお父さんのできた子供でもだめ(or something like that involving できた子供 and referring it to me, somehow)
私：hmm
父：家に来る前に、ネッキの写真をもらった。写真でリップのピアッシングがあった。でも、来た時耳のピアッシングがあってびくりした。やくざみたい。ネッキのそのままのかおが好き。でも、そんなのがきらい。
私：ピアッシングがあっても、なくても同じ人間だと思う。
父：[There was only body motion here, but he meant "Do you have the ability to take them out?"]
私：リップのはねじくぎ(screw)みたい。
父：わあぁ、本当。だめだめ。
私：そして、耳も出せる。(I took them out just to show him.) 私は、ピアッシングがあっても、なくても、同じ人間だよ。ハハハ。
父：ええぇ、そのかおが好き。そのかおが大好き。家に来る前に、リップピアッシングがあって、お母さんとお父さんは大学生が家に帰られるのを考えていた。耳のピアッシングもあるから、かおが大きらい。そのままのかおが好き。
私：でも、同じ人だよね。
父：たぶん、アメリカで大丈夫。でも、日本で女では大丈夫。男の人ではちょっと。。。
私：ええ、そうなんだけど、私に似合うと思う。
父：お父さんが大きらい。たぶん、デートに行く時や出かけた時は大丈夫。でも、帰る時はちょっと。。。
私：ううううんん、はい、分かった。

In English
H: Waa, that's no good.
N: Uhh, what?
H: That ear piercing.
N: Really? Hmm, I think in America ear and lip piercings are okay for guys and girls, but maybe nose rings aren't very accepted for guys.
H: Waa, I hate it. Fujimi and I don't think it's good for our kids, like you and our other kids.
N: Hmm.
H: Before you came here, we got a picture of you. In the picture, you only had a lip ring, but when you came we were surprised that you had a earrings, too. You look like a yakuza (gang member). I like how your face as it is, without piercings.
N: I believe I'm the same person with or without piercings.
H: [There was only body motion here, but he meant "Do you have the ability to take them out?"]
N: My lip piercing is like a screw.
H: Whoah, really? It's no good, bleck.
N: I can also take off my earrings. [I took them out just to show him.] I am still the same person with or without them, hahaha.
H: Wow, I like your face like that more. I like it a LOT better. Before you came here, because you had a lip ring, Fujimi and I were debating whether or not to let you come live with us. Because you have a earrings, I don't like how your face looks. I like it how it is naturally.
N: But, I'm the same person, you know?
H: Maybe in America its okay, but in Japan, girls wear earrings, not guys. You look like a yakuza, ha.
N: Hmm, maybe. But I think it looks good.
H: I don't like it. Maybe, when you go on a date or go out it's okay, but I'm not sure about at home.
N: Ahhhh. Okay, I understand.

I'm not really sure what to think of this whole situation. A few factors complicate everything: The host mother wasn't home, the host father was drinking a little bit, my earring fell out so maybe it grossed him out. PLUS the fact that they didn't know I had earrings, too, when they decided to let me stay was the only thing keeping me from saying, "Well if you knew I was such a gangster, why did you let me come into your home? Doesn't my earnest, honest and sincere personality factor anything in?"

While one part of me wants to take this as a learning experience, professionally and objectively, I really just want to tell him that I don't give a flying shit what a conservative, close-minded, women-belong-behind-the-stove-or-hands-soaked-in-laundry-thinking old man has to say. Japan, specifically the conservative Osakan area, isn't very fond of piercings, even among the youth (I hear). Well, I'm not very fond of the fact that my simple freedoms are being usurped because I'm a white guy in a foreign country. I'm forced to bite the bullet everyday simply out of the fact that I can get my ass deported back to the states for anything.

I am the same damn person with or without a lip ring, with or without an earring. "Why, then, Nick is it a big deal that you have it in if you are the same person?" I like how it looks and the right to have one is conscripted in the Japanese constitution. I wrote in my housing essay that personal identity, freedom, and expression are important. Beyond that, it's a principle that is being shattered and forced down my throat.

Why NOW? I know I'm a good kid, they should know I'm a good kid, and I've demonstrated responsibility and other quality characteristics in these 3 weeks, so one would imagine that once they observe these qualities, they would overcome the prejudice they have toward "people like me." Why would my host father even consider imposing his personal feelings and tastes cross-culturally on me? Perhaps telling me he doesn't like it, but getting the nerve to tell me to remove it (actually, Japanese people do very little 'telling,' rather they make it very obvious, for example, he said "you can wear it when you go out, but..." this kind of allusion is very common.) Was it the alcohol? Was it the fact that my host mother wasn't home, so he thought he could get away with telling me? Was he just waiting for a time when the topic of earrings came up?

I will go talk to the CIE (faculty advisors) tomorrow and tell them what's up. Some of you may be like, "Oh, you're taking it too far," but VOLITION, FREEDOM, and EQUALITY are essentially what I live for and go to school for.

PS, I was supposed to go get my eyebrow pierced two days from now. Looks like I'll leave that to my gang.

"Freedom! Forever!"
-V for Vendetta

I'm Being Fed

Don't worry aunt Janet, they are feeding me! Yes, that is a tentacle sticking out of a fried dough ball.

My last day at the seminar house was spent doing laundry and packing. I rushed around looking for wrapping paper to give them the gifts I bought. I payed 5 bucks for 2 2x3 ft sheets of clover print paper. I was pissed. I left the Seminar House to meet them at the school. My friend Eriko was going to be the bi-lingual contract goer-overer between my host family and I. I waited anxiously in a room trying to imagine how they would be. Eriko finally called me out and I met my host mother!

As we went over the contract, I found out that I don't have any chores but to walk the dog, no curfew, I would receive my own key, I would clean my own room but wouldn't have to do laundry, and that they have internet. All this = happy Nick.

My host family lives real close to the school, which I am very grateful for. They could live 2 hours away, and I could have to commute by a combination of bike, bus, train, and walking. Instead, I have a nice, relatively traffic-free, 10 or 15 minute ride to school. I'm only 5 minutes downhill from the Seminar Houses where my friends live, too.

Minoru (M) and Fujimi (F) Sonada are their names. They are very nice and I'm their 8th international student. Fujimi likes to cook (and is really damn good at it) and she works at a nursing home just down the street. Minoru apearantly likes to fish, ski, and drive, but I've only seen him drive. Because they don't speak English, most of what I say is based on my limited communication among each other, but I believe my host father is retired, but he has a part time job delivering furniture.

When I first got back to their house, I gave them the presents, which were books about my hometown's lighthouse and Michigan, candy, "I <3 NY" shirts, Frank's Red Hot Sauce, my mom's homemade strawberry jam, and I shared a picture book with them. Gift giving in Japan is very common and free giving. When I gave them these gifts, I was honestly expecting something in return out of what I had learned about the culture. Kansai Gaidai even emailed us saying, "although it isn't necessary to purchase a gift for your host family, it is strongly recommended getting them a gift as they will most likely have one prepared for you." I didn't get any from them. I wasn't sure how to react to this either: Did their last homestay students not get them anything, while they bought the students something, which made them embarrassed, therefore they didn't get me anything because they didn't want to embarrass me? Did they just not think it important? Were they embarrassed after I gave them something and they had nothing to give in return? Would they buy me something as a gift in the future? Would it alter the relationship bringing me to a temporarily heightened status as they feel obligated to treat me to things? As strange or selfish as this may sound, it's simply looking at the situation through both objective and subjective socio-cultural and anthropological lenses.

They have two kids that no longer live under the same roof, but they do have a golden lab named Smiley. When Eriko went over the contract, she said they have a dog named Love, but appearantly she meant the dog was a lab (the sound is the same in Japanese,) but I kept called the dog, "Love, [come here] Love" and it would just sit there. After about a week of them saying Sumairi (Smiley) instead of Love when addressing the dog, I inquired again. I felt like an idiot, obviously.

They live in an average house that is modern but traditional. They have maybe one or two rooms with a tatami floor, but my room is wood with a rug on the 2nd floor. I haven't peeked in the other rooms to see how they are yet, obviously it's their personal space, so unless I'm invited--actually, why the hell would they invite me into their room? Ha. Anyway, when you walk up to the house, there is a spongy gate that collapses and folds in and out. Once you enter the "driveway" there is an overhang that protects you from rain with onions hanging from it. The bikes are parked near the left side. On the right side is their garden which is very Asian. When you walk into the house, there is an area where you remove your shoes with a dog cage. Once their off, you step up about a foot or so into the house. The [high tech] toilet is in a separate room than the bath, shower and sink. Though, when you flush, instead of having the water flow directly into the tank, it comes out of a faucet that drains into the tank, so you can rinse your hands after you do your business. Very economical, I might say. The kitchen and living room are very condensed. The kitchen table is the only furniture in the whole house aside from coffee tables and my Western style bed. That means that when you watch tv, you grab a pad and sit on it... The bath/shower/sink/laundry room is appended from the kitchen/dining/living room. The bath is so different than the west. Imagine a small bathroom with no sink or toilet. The place where all that stuff belongs is the shower, and the bath is in it's normal spot. Japanese bath culture is for relaxation, not cleansing, so when you want to take a bath, you take a shower first so you are clean getting in the water. Water is also shared by members of the family. It's kind of awkward to get used to knowing that someone is either going to get into the water you were just in, or that someone was just in the water you're in, and even when you are done, the water will be used for laundry, so don't drain it, ha. The bathtub is set up so it's more vertical than horizontal, so you are fully submerged which is nice. When you exit the bath/shower, there is the washing machine and a sink and mirror. My family doesn't sleep in the same room at night, and I'm not sure if that is what a normal Japanese husband and wife do after their child-bearing age has passed, or maybe since they go to work at different times. But anyway, my host father's room is a tatami floor with a futon, tv, piano and closet. My room is a [damn stiff] bed with a table and wardrobe. The curtains are pink, and my bed spread is floral...

My host mother works 18 hr shifts after she cooks and cleans and when she comes home, she takes a nap and cooks again, then finally retires for the night. I don't know how she does it, but she takes these shifts maybe twice a week, plus working "regular people" hours a few days. Though I don't have any chores, I still felt helpless while she did all the work. I had to think of something to do, so I decided one day that I would wash the dishes. I was really taken back by her response to me saying, "I will wash the dishes tonight." One might think she would say "Oh, no, it's okay. I'll do them," but she simply said "Ok." Japanese culture impounds the idea of enryou into people's heads from childhood. It is basically the tendency to hold back for the time being. For example, having someone go in front of you on the elevator, or resisting someone's offer for a drink when you visit. If you say "have a drink" enough times, they will take it, but they have the initially resistance. Similarly, I was expecting my host mother to say that she would do it herself, but when she said "Ok," I was really surprised and it made me wonder a few things: Is she getting annoyed that I haven't done something politely or correctly? Did I forget to take the dog out or something? Is she just tired? Is it because she has had 8 students before and knows that they will just do the dishes anyway? Again, it was a very simple situation but it stuck in my head for a few days. However, from then on, I do everyone's dishes in return for cooking the meal as well as other favors.

I've talked far too long and totally invalidated one of my posts saying "you'll never get another post this long again." So I will just post this one and get it over with.

Pictures (On Facebook)
Homestay 1 (very incomplete)
Fun around town
Around Campus
Kyoto Trip 2
Cemetery (again. look at the last page. AMAZING pictures were added.)
New York (from Aug)


Thoughts and feelings of Japan today:

ERRRR, back it up. Not everyone is so godam friendly. There are some old bastards that walk the river trail who don't move for anything. They will take one look at my white face and red hair and dash their eyes to something more entertaining like a white fence. Other people are too friendly and because I haven't gained the social skills to say euphematically, "I'm sorry, I have to put away these groceries. I'll talk to you later," I end up talking to long to strangers with cute dogs.

I don't miss my family TOO much. I don't miss my friends TOO much. But I miss Tawas City, MI tremendously! I go home every fall and be nostalgic, but not this year... It's killing me.

People are mostly indifferent. I must have just been overly friendly at first.

Who the hell gives out vehicle licenses here? They obviously are a monkey, seeing that I've almost been hit like 4 times.

Seminar House Stay

WTF is this! It's a dead cicada I found while walking back from the post office. HUEG. SCURRY. MEANNY. The animals are also evil. It's a dove... of DEATH, a crow...from HELL, a spider...that can EAT ME. The dove sounds like a normal morning dove for the first two notes, then a demon razes its soul and it suddenly needs to be exorsized. The crows... I don't really want to start on them, because they are just mechanical beasts, and the spiders are pretty much self-explanitory. It's too bad I didn't get a picture! But in reality, I'm over exaggerating the spider portion because I only saw big ones in one area, and other spiders are comparable to American ones and seem harmless.

Well, it's been a while since my last post. Orientation, classes, moving twice, lack of internet and time, and heat are all factors into my late post. Anyway, I will try to start from the bus.

As soon as I got off the bus, an old friend from Eastern was there greeting us: Yuzuru Kamei went to EMU last year as an exchange student, and now this year we are exchange students at HIS college. We left our bags under the bus and walked with him to the Seminar Houses. I stayed in Seminar House 3 (out of 4). "Seminar House" is just the name for say, Best Hall, or another dormitory. Before we got to our destination (a 3 minute walk) the bus driver had already delivered our bags...weird. So we signed in and the four of us Eagles were separated immediately with no warning...

The Seminar House stay was pretty rad. It was like the UN without any masters degrees. We had two people from the UK, three from the US, one from Finland, 1 from South Africa, 2 from Canada, 1 from France, 1 from Germany, 1 from Hong Kong, and 1 from Japan...I believe there were others but I can't recall. One guy that really stuck out, though, was the Canadian Jewish break-dancer--though I didn't really like him, I still say that is pretty sweet! The way the suites are set up in SH3 is pretty cool, but for starters, I'll describe the entrance to the building.

As soon as you walk in, there is a sign that says, "No Shoes Beyond This Point," so you have to take off your shoes and place them in your room's shoe slot. After that, you are required to wear indoor slippers. The floors are spotless, of course because there are no shoes allowed.

As you walk into your suite, it is surprising how much space there is. There are 4 bedrooms with 2 roommates each (3 for the week of orientation because of the homestay students.) In each room you have an entrance, a tatami (which you cannot wear your slippers on,) a computer/desk area, and an entrance to your balcony. Outside of your room, there is a large kitchen and dining room, living room with tables and a big couch equipped with a television, cable, DVD player and of course air conditioning. The bathrooms are semi private, too. There are two toilets, three showers, and four sinks. What's nice about living in these suites is that you don't have to worry about your roommate not taking out the trash or cleaning up because a cleaning lady comes two or three times a week to clean the floors, bathrooms, and take out the trash.

Japan is simply a whole 'nother world. I wish I could take pictures, but I would be doing a 360 panoramic on the highest detail setting and still be telling half the story. From the overall architecture of the housing, to the minute shifts in gate and fence structure and the color of the grass, the support beams for trees, the dogs, the bugs, the BUGS, the spiders, the SPIDERS, the bats, the birds, the roads, the cars, the people, the heat, the HEAT. I could really go on for a while. I did manage to take pictures of a cemetery near the seminar house (see the post below) and some other dorm stay related stuff.

The first night I joined a tour to a train station and ate Mexican food. It was yummy and nice that I didn't have to tip! The next few days were spent in fear of the placement test and in misery of the humidity. Hirakata-shi (the city I stayed in) was SOO much more hot and humid than the island at Kankuu. Everyday was spent hiking the 30 minute trek under the sun to the school for tours, briefings, meetings and sessions. I found a shortcut though that took 10 minutes off ^___^. Speaking of that face...

Japan is so godam cute. Even people's mailboxes have Hello Kitty or little cute things on them. Not saying that everything is かわいい (cute) but even serious signs like "DANGER! DO NOT ENTER!" are written in a squiggly font with doofy pictures. TV is especially strange, but I won't get into it...

The names of everyone you meet are soon forgotten upon meeting the person next to them. I have to call people by their kanji names in English. For example, Yasuda 安田, is "cheap field." A little rough and insulting at times, but it gets me by for at least a portion of the names.

On my first day staying at the dorms, I went for a run around town at 7 in the morning and got completely lost. I ended up asking an old crazy women who spoke with a heavy Osaka-ben accent (kinda like the deep south?) who kept mumbling and pointing and I thought was just insane. I kept asking for Kansai Gaidai which is way different from the Seminar House because as I've said they are a 20 minute walk apart. I ended up going to KGU's main campus and was redirected back to where I needed to be...whew.

Campus is nice but I will write about that in a few weeks once it starts to repopulate because the Japanese students aren't there yet.

I went to karaoke one night! It was my first time and definitely a lot of fun! I didn't know any songs in Japanese, but I did sing some Gunz'n'Roses with my raspy Axel Rose voice. The Japanese were very impressed to say the least (joking, unfortunately.) I'm going again tomorrow night with a few friends. I can actually drink here, too! The drinking age is 20, but they don't usually card foreigners, I hear--and well I got a drink from a restaurant and wasn't carded--perhaps my beard throws people off (Thank you mom and dad!)

Wearing my Nikon camera around my neck gets people to talk to me. I met a lot of people from them just saying, "Oh nice camera. Do you like Nikons?" and commencing conversation. It is pretty cool, though because in America I was definitely not as かっこいい (cool and cute) as I am here. Red hair? Bag? Camera? Clothes? I don't know...

I went to Kyoto! I met some cool people on the way that insisted I play baseball for them. We went by express train from Hirakata to Kyoto and went to see a temple. On the way, we saw a geisha being filmed for maybe a soap opera or for tv, and stopped at a mochi dessert restaurant. The Kyoto/temple pictures are below, and I apologize for the lack of captions but I didn't even know what half the crap was.

The coolest article of clothing was bought the other day. It consists of a beaver and a plastic garbage bag and knitted together to resemble an Old Navy TechVest. It's so rad, I don't know if I will be able to wear it when I return to America because I will be so popular. Here it is...

I've met some cool people in the dorms and keep seeing the same people over and over again. It's weird that even though we are all spread over Osaka and other prefecture and cities, we all end up seeing each other so many times a day.

Well, I guess I lied in the last post about not writing as much again, because this obviously trumps all...

Feelings of Japan Today:
I'm getting a hang of it.
Why is it so hot?
Why is it so humid?
What the hell am I eating?
Is it still alive?
It's definitely alive!
Well its not moving...
This Canadian Jewish break dancer is a douche.
Futons are surprisingly comfortable.
Why don't Americans take off their shoes?!--Everything is much cleaner.

Pictures...
Seminar House Stay: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=51325&l=6253d&id=555152650
Kyoto 1: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=51320&l=edf58&id=555152650

Kansai International Airport

Ok, so here is how I'm going to organize my blog:
Each week, maybe every few days, I will create a post just saying what's up and how I feel. I will also include a link to some pictures on facebook. If I go on a cool trip or some major soap opera drama happens, you'll be the first to know (IDK why I'm calling my blog "you," but I'm sticking with it.)

Kansai Internatioal Airport (Kankuu) is the basis for Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away (for all you Japanese people, 千と千尋の神隠し). So, I come from America (real world in the movie) and arrive at the airport only to find that my parents have been turned into a species of son-less humanoids (alas, I cannot forget their faces for fear that they may stay son-less.) This story isn't really going anywhere, so I'm just going to explain how it's like Spirited Away. I leave the island, as Kankuu is a man made island only with an airport and hotel, to go out for the day because I was stuck here till the 30th. On my way out I see the ocean's slow, undulating waves slowly batter the bridges frail pillars, the gray dreary sky, the awkwardly silent bus (train in the movie) ride and the sparsity of people. (This part is like Chihiro's train ride to Zeniba's house sans the dramatic piano solo.) In order to get the tickets to get on this bus I had to to a secret handshake and speak in a tongue foreign to most. Once I got this invaluable piece of paper, I had to search many-an-hour to find the bus stop using scripts unknown to the west. (That part is like when the boiler man searches through all of his crap to find those little red tickets--the only tickets available--and gives them to Chihiro.)

Basically, Kankuu correlates to Yubaba's boathouse, amidst in a dreary ocean, and my busride was like Chihiro's trainride. This is all a frail attempt to tie together my trip to some random anime I saw (Actually, though, it is very good and won academy awards and stuff. Check it out.) Kankuu is so effin borring, I could kill myself! You can only walk around the same aeroplaza and look at lanterns so much before you're admitted to the psycho ward. However, my trip into the near town of Rinku was really cool, and Aero Mall was HUGE with many cool and not-so-expensive stores.

Using Japanese is really interesting. I can say many things but sometimes there are phrases I just do NOT understand! I was looking for soymilk yesterday, and I didn't know the word for it. I was trying to say, "It's milk. It doesn't come from a cow. It might be said soya or soyu miruku, but the store clerk just gave me a weird look and shook his head. I was a little embarrased, but I just pulled up the gaijin card in my head and felt better. (For those of you who don't master the Japanese language, gainjin means foreigner, and is used to excuse many things.) As it turns out, like cow's milk is gyuunyuu, soy milk is tounyuu, which makes sense because it's the same "tou" as in "toufu," SOYbean curd. I also got myself into a conversation I wish I could have easily gotten out of. I asked a store clerk if he knew of any good snowboarding locations and he tried telling me, but I didn't understand right away. I continued the conversation, but it got to the point where I couldn't understand anything that was being said. I wish I could have just walked away, but I just tried to stick it out and understand him the best I could. Triumphant Nick persevered and won over the desired information. The conversation also got more comprehendable. It feels so embarrasing, though, when you ask a question and can't even receive the answser. :( Oh well.

I hate groups. It took us 20 minutes just to meander to the food court and another 15 to decide where we were going to go! I'm fine with one or two friends! After eating, we were right next to the ocean with 15 minutes to spare. I said, "let's go to the ocean real quick!" and since no one said anything, and because I was fed up with "group activities," I said screw it, I'm going by myself. It was a nice 3 minute walk to the ocean. I saw some cool seaweed and saw the pretty blue water and took this picture to the right. (I love you Chelsea, Jamie and Niki, but DAMN that was annoying!)

So, I sit here on a busride to Kansai Gaikokugo Daigaku (Kansai Gaidai--the name of my school) and write away because it's boring. You'll never have another blog this long. Not that it's full of content, more of the natural thought process that would come out of my mouth during conversation. 2/3 of all above is superfluous to content.

Thoughts of Japan today:
I miss my friends and family--there was no closure to my social life. :(
I'm so glad to be out of the airport.
I am a foreigner and little kids don't know how to stop staring!

Bleh, the bus is stopping and this is coming to an end anyway.

Facebook Pictures:
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=49954&l=97704&id=555152650

Here are some cemetary pictures (don't mind the first half from Ann Arbor, MI.)
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=46490&l=32e4a&id=555152650

First Day

I hate blogs, so I'm just going to objectively say what I did putting as little emotion into it as possible, only commentating on worthy remarks.

I left my mom and sister at the airport.
Scary.

I boarded the plane.
Scary.

I rode the plane.
Boring as hell.

The plane went through some rough turbulence before landing.
Scary as hell. The guy next to me spilled his coffee and I almost choked on some rice.

The plane landed.

I went through customs pt 1 easily.

I got my bags.

I lost a paperwork for customs pt 2.
Thankfully, there was another one to fill out.

I was smuggled into the room labeled "single" because we are four poor college students who try to find loop holes.
This worked out to $50 for two nites for me. :)

We walked around the airport hotel and hotel looking for restaurants and food.

Look at these pictures: (i will put in pics later)

I had a salad, or what I thought was a salad.
It had baby sardines in it and no salad dressing. It was only $3.

I took a poop on a Japanese toilet.
I was too scared to press one of the buttons that sprays your bum with water--maybe another time. :p

I took a shower.

I went to check on wifi: $5 per day in the lobby.
I will have to search for free wifi!

I went to bed.
Only to wake up at 3 in the morning fully rested, so here I am typing.

I found wifi at the hotel.
Thank God.


Feelings of Japan today:
polite
hygenic
polite
hygenic
I am a minority.
Is this fish food or human food?