July 7th: I arrived in Narita at 4:00 pm. It was a very pleasant flight. On the flight to Dallas I had the row to myself, and to Narita I sat next to a polite business man from Conneticut. When I arrived, Naoko was waiting for me. She drove me to the guest house in Yotsukaiddo. I wandered up to the convenience store and bought dinner. I called Fujiko, Kazuko and Kyouko and made plans, and then went to sleep.
July 8th: I got up and met John, who is staying at the guest house. I then got a phone call from Kazuko. We met at the train station and went for a walking tour of Yotsukaiddo. Kazuko had lived there forty years before, and was excited to see how the city had grown. She took me to the department and grocery stores to teach me what everything was, and then we went to a nearby park. We sat and had dango for a snack and watched the kids play while we talked. Yostukaiddo is beautiful; the air smells of the ocean, and there are flowers everywhere, from hibiscus and amaryllis to gladiolas the size of your hand. Trees heavy with oranges and cherries sway over the houses. However, the humidity here is extraordinary. After the park, we went to an Italian restaurant for lunch, where we had pasta with clam sauce. It was excellent. Kazuko then left, and while I had some time, I went to a manga shop where I chatted with the woman there and bought a set of Petshop of Horrors manga (which is really good), and then returned to the train station and caught the rapid express to Tokyo. I arrived in Yurakuchou, which turned out to be the station for Ginza, the swankiest party zone in Tokyo. I arrived too early so I explored the shops until Kyouko, my penpal, arrived. She took me through the center of Ginza, an area of massive skyscrapers and shops like Tiffany's; the Times Square of Japan. We went to an artsy bar and restaurant at the top of a building for sushi and drinks. It was nouvelle cuisine, and it was excellent (and, like Shinjuku, expensive). We chatted for about four hours over our drinks. Kyouko, sweet girl that she is, bought dinner. I then went back, which was a great adventure since it was rush hour, and I had to stand squished between a mass of business men, who, when the train sways, fall on you. My feet are now terribly blistered, but it was still worth it. I never spoke a word of English, yet I talked all day. I may get this Japanese down yet!
Shrimp and raw scallops with wasabi mayonaise, chased with sake and orange juice or strawberry sours: YUM.
July 9th: A strange thing happened at the guest house. Two elderly women were passing by and they stopped at the house. I talked to them. It went like this:
Woman 1: Well hello! Why are there foreigners here?
Me: We're new teachers in training.
Woman 2: Ah....are you married to the boy in there?
Me: No. (the women look sort of pleasantly shocked, like they walked in on something they shouldn't have) Not like that. This is a hotel.
Women: Oh!! So...you don't have a boyfriend?
Me: No.
Women: There are many nice Japanese boys here. (one of them hands me a book) This lists good places to meet handsome boys. I bought it for my daughter but I can get another. Say, does that boy need a Japanese girlfriend? My daughter needs a husband! Actually, so do I!
And so on. Very peculiar.
So anyway, later in the morning, I met with Fujiko, who took me to Chiba. Neither of us had ever been there. Fujiko asked the local people what was the best thing to do. First we went to a shopping center for lunch. They had a clock that was made to look like the Small World ride at Disney World--and it played the song, every hour. I'd kill myself if I had to work there. we went to the top of the building, which was silent except for the soft murmur of fountains that created streams and waterfalls around the perimeter. Fujiko bought me a lunch of freshly made soba and tenpura. The tenpura was sea eel and shrimp. I also had soba-maki, which was soba noodles, sweet omlet and mushrooms wrapped in seaweed. Yum! We then shopped; I needed a new alarm clock, since mine runs 12 hours slow on these 100 volt outlets. Fujiko bought it for me "as a souvenir." We then went out and asked a very sweet old man what he thought was best. The conversation went like this (edited):
Fujiko: Excuse me, what's the best thing to see in Chiba?
Sweet Old Man: I think it's Chiba Castle. Where is your foreigner from?
Fujiko: From America. She's come to be a teacher. She arrived on Sunday.
Sweet Old Man: My son went to Atlanta. He stayed there, too. Very sad. I miss him. (to me) You want to be a teacher? That's great. You speak lovely Japanese, too.
Me: Thank you. I hope I can get better.
Sweet Old Man: You will. You just need to talk to everybody, like this. It's good advice, I think. Good luck.
Me: Thank you again.
(he and Fujiko exchange directions, and we leave)
Fujiko: You see, old people know everything. You remember that. And whenever you're in trouble, you just call your grandma and I'll fix it.
I love Fujiko. She's such a sweet lady. We took the bus to Chiba Castle and explored the musuem of samurai armor there. Afterwards, I returned to Yotsukaiddo. I stopped and bought an umbrella and some groceries, and returned home. Shinobu called me shortly after, and we chatted for awhile. He hasn't changed a bit. I thought he was going to Canada but he may have changed his mind. Later, Jocelyn, from Canada, arrived from the guest house, and we went to a bar, then hung out till bedtime.
July 10th: Basic training. The three of us learned games, studied the text and work books, and took a teacher's exam. Afterwords, we went drinking and for dinner. It drizzled all day, the warning of the approaching typhoon. Luckily, we got home just in time--half an hour after we arrived, so did the typhoon. Bascially, it's incredible wind and rain, so much so that Fujiko says signs and trees and such fall over, as well as the trains delay. It's quite a sight, and one I'll see a lot...
July 11th: Basic training, day two: Small children, junior high, and high school. I may have a rhythmic class to teach in Komaki; that's ages 1-3. Could be exciting. The typhoon was wild, but was all gone today. I talked to Susumu yesterday; he and I were supposed to meet but can't. So, I called Masashi instead, and we're meeting in Tokyo on Saturday. I talked to him for well over an hour, all in Japanese. I'll meet Shinobu tomorrow evening for dinner. In the meantime, I've been hanging out with Jocelyn. She's a really sweet girl.
July 12th: Training, day three: adults, survival training, and getting ready to get visas in Chiba. Jocelyn and John are leaving tomorrow, but I leave on Sunday. Apparently there are some complications arising in Komaki, so I'm not really sure what's going to happen, but they are expecting me, anyway. I went to Tokyo and met Shinobu for dinner. Same old Shinobu; was late, ran into the hotel where we were meeting and went right past me. ^_^ Afterwards we went to Daimaru to look for food. He bought me a "new job" present: a $60 pen. It's very pretty, although frankly I'm afraid to take it out of the box; I'm afraid I'll break it. I've never had an expensive pen before. Then, off to the restaurant for some sukiyaki. Shinobu finally got his Kobe beef! It is truly incredible stuff. Turns out Shinobu is heading to Canada in December to study English for three years. Bad timing on my part, huh?
July 13th: Yay! It's time for everyone's favorite game, musical train stations! I was trying to get to Tokyo by 3:00 to meet Masashi. Shouldn't be hard, considering how many times I take that train! However, the courier who was supposed to come and get my and Jocelyn's luggage was late, so I had to move it in so it wouldn't get rained on. I was a little late, and I missed the rapid express. Well, I think, it can't be that hard. I'll go to Chiba and catch it. So I take the local to Chiba and try to switch. But I'm on the wrong train; luckily I bail off before it leaves , but I miss my connecting train. Sigh. So, I grab the next train to Akihabara. I think, surely this has to connect to the rapid express at Kinshicho. But this one stops at every station known to man. Sure enough, there's the rapid express--just leaving as we pull up. Errrgh. It's nearly 3:40 and I have no way to call Masashi. Akihabara connects to Yamanote. I call Masashi at 4 from Akihabara; amazingly, he's still waiting there. I finally make it to Tokyo. Masashi is very sweet about the whole thing. He gave me two handkerchiefs and two easy Japanese/English phrasebooks. We went out to dinner and then to Ueno Park. It's a beautiful place built above the city, with remnants of some of Ieyasu's temples. It's quiet and extremely pleasant. Masashi and I crashed on a bench in the park and chatted until about 9:00. (In America, I couldn't get a date to save my life. In Japan, it takes me a week--and it's with a really nice (and handsome) guy! Yatta!) Masashi then took me to the train station, and even took me to the train and waited until it left to make sure I didn't get lost. He said he'd be worried if he didn't make sure I got home okay. (Hey Dad...remind you of anyone we know? ^_^) I did get home just fine, and tomorrow I leave for Komaki. Only one problem I've discovered this week--ALL my shoes give me blisters! I think it's the humidity...they've never given me trouble before. All in all, despite the train, I had a wonderful day!
July 14th: Off to Komaki! I took the Shinkansen to Nagoya, (Rachael, remember the Hikari? Same train) and then the local to Iwakura, where Mr. Katsuda picked me up. He and his wife are very nice. They seemed to really like the geode I brought. My apartment is lovely; Japanese style. It's ancient, however, and the walls have seen better days, but it's clean and it's mine. A kitchen, eating area and hall with wood floors, seperated from the tatami bedroom by glass doors that look like shoji doors. I have a futon on a raised bedstand and a tv/vcr combo. Free cable. They gave me a cel phone I can't use yet; they don't give us real phones here, I guess. :P I have a nice shower room. All in all, I like it. Phones look like they may be trouble. Matthew says to just call from pay phones. Errgh. Tomorrow is training; off to bed!
