Japan XVI: Tokyo (東京)

Well, this is really late but I'm going to finish up this little blog about Japan. Hopefully after this post, I'll do one or two more Q&A posts and then a post about my concluding thoughts about Japan and TEFL.

During my second to last weekend in Japan, I took a trip to the world's most expansive and populated city; Tokyo! Unfortunately, the prelude to this weekend was me being sick but I was able to feel stable enough to endure the journey later that evening.

There are many different ways to travel to Tokyo from Okayama. The shinkansen is the fastest and most expensive, a ticket from Okayama to Tokyo costs around $150 USD for one way), the limited express train comes in second place, a regular train takes nearly all day but the night bus is probably the most practical for money-savers like me. So, I headed out to Okayama Station around 9pm and caught my overnight bus at 10:20pm. this bus drove the whole night and arrived in Tokyo before sunrise, around 6am.

Once I shuffled my way off the bus (the driver even asked me if I was ok, haha), I made my way to a two story McDonalds for some coffee. For laughs, this was the second time I ever bought something from a McDonalds in Japan. After I fumbled through my order in Japanese, I claimed a seat on the second floor and slumped over my hash brown and coffee like a weary animal. I distinctly remember watching the sun rise through the windows of that McDonalds. It wasn't anything spectacular but still, it was watching the streets of TOKYO slowly light up.

Since I couldn't check into my hostel in Asakusa until 3pm, I ended up jumping trains from Tokyo Station to Akihabara and exploring the electronics district. What you read in guide books is true; the electronics are cheaper the further you explore from Akihabara Station but the people are also less accommodating to non-Japanese speakers.

[Asakusa River outside my hostel]

Later that afternoon,  the weather started to spit showers of chilly rain and snow so I decided to catch a train to Asakusa and see if I could check in early. Once I found my hostel, I wasn't allowed to go to my room yet but the staff let me rest in their basement. I gladly accepted because I was cold and already exhausted from fighting the left over illness of Friday. The basement was cozy, laid-back, comfy and even had two vending machines, of course...When my room was ready, I grabbed some food from the nearby Lawson, ate and then took a nap in my hostel bed. After I felt rested, I did my favorite thing-caught a train-and went to see the brand new Sky Tree!

[The Sky Tree covered in fog]

[Signs for the Sky Tree]

For those of you that don't know, the Sky Tree is a brand new tower that opened in May of 2012 in Japan. This tower not only spreads signals farther than Tokyo Tower (the Japanese version of The Eiffel Tower), it serves as a shopping plaza of all varieties and a market with fresh produce! My personal favorite was the Studio Ghibli store.

The next day, Sunday, I set out early to explore Tokyo Tower, Roppongi Hills, Yoyogi Park and Harajuku. I ended up spending most of my time at Tokyo Tower because it just so happened that there was a perfect view of Mt. Fuji that day!

[Tokyo Tower]

[My lunch]

[Mt. Fuji, look close]

Japan XV: Q&A Part 1

I recently posted on some of my favorite social networking sites for people to ask me any questions they had about Japan. These next few posts will be devoted to answering those questions the best I can! I've also been told that I have students from Huber Heights reading this blog. I was very shocked and surprised to hear that students are reading this blog for school. I only expected my friends and family to be reading! So, students of Huber Heights, please continue to enjoy reading my blog! I'm happy to hear you are reading! If you have any questions you would like answered about Japan, please post your questions in the comment box below the post.

Keep in mind when reading that I have lived in Okayama, Japan for almost 4 months. I live within a 5 minute drive of Okayama City.

"Food, typical everyday life Japanese food. What is it, and where do I get some?"

There's many neat aspects to Japanese food. I'll start out with where you can buy food.

First off, Japan is full of convenience stores (kombini in Japanese)! These stores are absolutely everywhere. Unlike grocery stores, the staff typically say welcome (irashaimase!) when you enter the store and thank you as you leave (arigatou gozaimasu). A convenience store in Japan carries candy, snacks, milk, water, alcohol, juice, hot and cold coffee or tea drinks, energy drinks, house slippers, over-the-counter medicine, DVDs, manga (Japanese comics), basic clothing items, bento style meals, rice balls, breakfast pastries, small anime toys, ice cream, copy machines...You can find many helpful things at Japanese convenience stores which is why I guess they call them convenient! Here are some pictures of typical convenience stores:

This is the Daily Yamakazi. This convenience store is at the end of my street. Daily Yamakazi is probably the cheapest of all the convenience stores is Japan. Their selection is a bit smaller and they are also a 24 hour store. The writing on the left of the sign says they carry tobacco. This particular Daily Yamakazi has a sliding, automatic glass door to enter the store. In order to exit the store, there is a rectangular button that says "PUSH" on it in Japanese and English. All it takes is a light tap on this gray button to make the glass door slide open.  

This is a Lawson. This particular Lawson is also just few minutes away from where I live. At Lawson, not only can you buy bus tickets but you can also sometimes pick up fresh fruit and vegetables! The clerks at Lawson all wear blue stripped shirts. Believe it or not, Lawson actually started in America. I didn't know this until I came to Japan.

7/11s are also a typical convenience store in Japan. The 7/11 store is just to my left in this picture. Of all the convenience stores I've seen in Japan, I think that 7/11 seems to be the most common. 7/11's seem to have the best selection of goods but are usually a tad more expensive. There is also a chain of convenience stores called FamilyMart that are not pictured in this post.

This is Love Drug. No, it does not sell what you think it sells. Love Drug is very similar to a CVS or Walgreens in the USA. Food here is particularly cheap but the selection of toiletries and medicine is much larger. Unlike the convenience stores, Love Drug typically has some items on shelves outside of the store that are discounted. The medicine section even seems bigger than the medicine section in grocery stores. At Love Drug I've also noticed that the staff doesn't wear full uniforms unlike most service workers in Japan.

Happy Town is the largest grocery store where I live. There is also another Happy Town located near Okayama Station in Okayama City. Happy Town has the best selection of fresh food and also hosts several small stores inside it. For example, there is a McDonalds inside Happy Town as well as some clothing boutiques,a special bakery, an arcade and a Daiso (the equivalent to a dollar store in the USA). Happy Town also always plays synthesizer versions of American hit songs from the 80s which I find amusing. Today's songs I recognized were "Black Or White" by Michael Jackson and "Land Down Under" by Men At Work.

This is a grocery store called Marunaka. I think this chain of grocery stores is more common than Happy Town. At least, I see Marunakas on my train rides more frequently than Happy Towns! Marunaka has a smaller and cheaper selection than Happy Town. Lately, this Marunaka has started to play synthesizer Christmas tunes. The parking lot (very small!) is to my left and the bike parking is pictured in front of the store. Sometimes it's a pain trying to finding parking spot for your bike or pulling your bike out of the parking lot. Marunaka occasionally sells garden plants outside its doors too.

People often ask or post about creative bento boxes found in Japan. I have seen these however they are usually expensive and not for a typical, everyday lunch. Here's an advertisement for some fancy bento boxes in Happy Town. The average USD equivalent of these bento boxes is about $150.

Here is another advertisement inside Happy Town. This advertisement is for decorative cakes. Cute cakes can be found all over Japan and are often great gifts.

 [A box of Christmas chocolates]

People also always ask me about Japanese McDonalds. Here is a McDonalds inside Happy Town. The pronunciation of McDonalds is a little different in Japanese. Trying saying "Ma-ku-do-na-ru-do!" I have only ate at a McDonalds in Japan once; This was when my boyfriend was visiting me. A Japanese McDonalds typically has a little better service but for the most part, a Japanese McDonalds sells the same things as an American McDonalds. I haven't seen any super-sized drinks though. The McDonalds in Okayama Station features a fancy sliding glass door which puts a bit of an exquisite dash on your visit!

 [Japanese Happy Meal toys]

Now on to candy. Like anywhere, candy comes in all different shapes and sizes in Japan. Some candy can be overwhelmingly sweet but Japanese people actually prefer their food to have a subtle taste. One of my Japanese teachers told me this and I was surprised because Westerners often stereotype Japanese people as people who love ridiculously sweet candy. She then told me that a Snickers bar or Milky Way bar were examples of candy that are way too sweet! 

 [This anime is very popular now; I see it everywhere! Can you also see the Thomas the Train candy in the background?] 

As to be expected, the seafood section in Japanese grocery stores is more expansive than those found in American grocery stores. You can often find whole fish, crab, shrimp, prawns, squid and octopus. I always find it unnerving to see my food returning my gaze but I guess the Japanese are used to it. You can also find a wide variety of shellfish and crustaceans in Japanese grocery stores. Once I found prawns on a styrofoam plate packed with plastic wrap. The special thing about these prawns is that their little legs were moving every so slightly as if they were trying to escape...Riveting! 

 [Shells!]

 [These drinks are very common in Japan. They are energy or vitamin drinks. They are in a form of a jelly that you drink available in a wide spectrum of colors! You twist off the white cap at the top in order to 

drink.] 

 [A sports drink. I was first repulsed by this drink because it was called Sweat and also looked like sweat...]

 [A chocolate pudding dessert]

 [Typical, cheap, pre-made bento boxes]

 [Any kind of pre-made sandwich usually looks like this]

I've mentioned this before but vending machines are EVERYWHERE in Japan. Most of them usually only sell drinks.The only other thing I have seen sold in a vending machine were Calorie Blocks or simple energy/protein blocks. Sometimes these vending machines will be in the middle of nowhere which makes me wonder how people refill them.

Here's a close up of a vending machine. If you look close, you'll notice that some drinks have a blue label under them and some have a red label. A blue label indicates a cold drink and a red label indicates a warm drink. Warm drinks are usually only different kinds of coffee and tea. If you look REALLY close you'll also notice Orangina being sold at the bottom of the vending machine, Pepsi being sold at the top and Fanta on the far side. These particular vending machines are outside Happy Town.

Japan has the same kind of fruits and vegetables as America. However, the produce sections are usually a bit smaller than what you would see in a Kroger or Meijer. Citrus is often very pricey and corn is very popular! The following pictures are some things I picked up at the grocery last week.

 [Dango, one of my favorite snacks! These balls are made of rice dough and are a little sweet.]

 [A typical package of bread]

 [Eggs! Eggs come in special sealed containers so they can endure bike rides home without being cracked. I've found them very effective!]

 [A soda drink I picked up for fun. This bottle advertises a TV show and there were several different designs you could buy.]

Some other notes about Japanese food include Japanese food usually being in smaller proportions in comparison to American food and a decent meal is more easily accessible due to convenience stores. Another food I didn't picture is rice balls! Rice balls are sold in all convenience stores (I haven't seen them at the grocery...) and come with a variety of fillings such as tuna. In my personal opinion, the Japanese are better at packaging their food to make it look attractive or just simply cute!

Hang on for part 2! I'll be answering questions about how Japanese people view America, what American shows Japanese people like to watch, religion in Japan and gender roles. 

Japan XVI: Myths!

Hello friends! I'd first like to say that I wish had more time to post entries here. For the most part, I'm gone all day on the weekdays and when the weekend finally arrives, all I want to do is just let myself veg or go downtown because I am so worn out. Since I have the day off Thursday, I hope to put up a few new entries this week. Expect to see posts about train conductors, Christmas and a post about everyday-life-stuff.

For now, I'm going to write a little bit in reaction to a recent article on Cracked. Keep in mind, this is an opinion from someone who has been living in Okayama Prefecture for a little more than 3 months.

"#5 - Everything is Frightfully Low-Tech"

Yes...Believe it or not, this is true. Japan is not the technological wonderland we think it is in the west. Most of the sparkling gizmos we might see online or in the news in the west usually can only be found in large cities like Osaka or Tokyo. Outside of these cities, non-natives might occasionally experience an encounter with a neat trinket but it's not very common. For example, at Eisugakkan (my middle school) and Ridaifu (my high school) the classrooms consist of desks, a podium for the teacher, windows, a chalk board and two sliding doors. That's it. No TVs in the classrooms, no projectors, the teacher does not have their own little office area with a nice computer and definitely no SMART boards.

What I would give for a white board sometimes...

The only place I've seen a computer in the junior&senior high schools is in the teacher's office. As far as the college class rooms go, it varies, but most are the same set up but maybe there might be a TV. As for what the article on Cracked mentions about fax machines, yep, those are everywhere here too. However, many of the professors I work with use email.

Wifi is also nearly nonexistent in Japan. Unlike in the States, the places where you can walk in, sit and surf the internet on your laptop are very, very, very few. This is partially due to most Japanese cell phones being very versatile. From what I've seen, most Japanese people check their email on their phones, use the internet on their phone, translate things on their phone and these phones are usually iPhones. Everyone prefers the 3G network so there's not much need for wifi. Don't even get me started about the time Galen and I forgot to write down our hotel address and were desperately trying to find SOME PLACE in Osaka station with wifi in order to figure out where we were going to stay that night...

In electronic stores, I think that one would find the same kinds of things you'd find at Best Buy. Of course, a great exception to this rule is Akihabara in Tokyo which hosts many fantastic electronic goods. But, again, that's in Tokyo.

As for the 24 hours ATM machines...Just last week in my Japanese class we talked about how ATM machines are 24 hours. However, I never use them so I can't vouch here. It is very common for people to carry around cash though. I've never paid for anything with a card in Japan and have seen people carrying around much larger amounts of money than I had at the time. Since the crime rate is so low in Japan, you don't really have to worry about someone robbing you. Just don't be stupid, of course.

In conclusion, I think that Japan does have claim to cool technology BUT that technology is NOT wide spread. For the most part, it just exists in places like Osaka or Tokyo. So don't cry, those cool knick-knacks you found online are still out there, but they are a part of everyday life outside of metropolitan areas.

"#4 - The Houses Have No Heat"

Yes, but maybe central heating is a better description. Here at the Kake International House, there are two rooms that are warm: Hannah's bedroom and my bedroom. That's it! Every other room is freezing. I've also noted that classrooms are heated but hallways aren't.

So anyway, Hannah and I have moved from watching movies in our living room to staying in our rooms.
I often feel like this when I have to leave my room to go to the bathroom or make food:

I can now understand why many Japanese stores sell plastic canteens for hot water as well as cases for the canteens. They are for keeping you warm at night!

"#3 - The Hospitals Close on Evenings and Weekends"

Yep. Fortunately, I've never been in a situation when I needed to go to the doctor but the hospital was closed. I think I would need to live here longer to talk more about Japanese hospitals. For giggles,  my Japanese teacher fondly told me one day that the hobby of old people is to go to the doctor. Everyone loves it.

"#2 - You Will Always Be an Outsider"

Wah, wah, waaaaaaaahh. Once again, this is true. Even today, after I left karaoke with two friends I was approached by a middle aged woman asking with delight where I was from in English, of course. 

"Simply put, the country just isn't very accommodating to people who can't speak Japanese."

Right on, unfortunately! Most people don't speak very good English here. However, I think it's the patient and helpful nature Japanese service workers possess that makes it so foreigners can scrape along. I saw a classic example of foreigners discovering how un-English Japan is last weekend in Naoshima. The poor older couple from The Netherlands were utterly lost and confused. I tried to help them navigate the island the best I could. At least they kept their spirits up.  

I also every now and then drink the mild prejudice juice here. Now note, the majority of the Japanese people I've encountered have been very nice or helpful. No one has ever been mean to me. However, I have experienced moments when I tried to use my Japanese or even just use the train and everyone around me looks at me like I'm some kind of mutated bird. For example, the first time I went to the post office to send a letter to Galen, I used the wrong kind of envelope. The clerks giggled at me, pointed at the envelope and chatted among themselves for a minute or two before helping me. Occasionally, students at Eisugakkan will brush me off thinking I can't understand what they are saying but the joke is on them. People either automatically don't talk to me or try to speak very broken English to me.

If you are someone who does not look Asian, it is impossible to escape the stares. No matter where you go, you can expect someone staring at you. I remember being on a train once and noticing that almost everyone in the back of the car was staring at me and one man had bent over in order to get a look at me. After the first week, I tuned out the staring. 

At least once a week, I see at least one foreigner. Yet, I think this is because I have to use a major train station almost everyday. 

 Final thought:  In Japan, when in doubt, expect to stick out.

"#1 - The Country Really Isn't That Weird"

That's right. Outside of Tokyo and maybe Osaka, Japan isn't that weird so go ahead and ignore that pie chart that says weird stuff is going on 100% of the time in Japan.  I even asked my students about the now infamous Bagel Heads and they were baffled. They had never heard of the Bagel Heads and they also thought it was utterly bizarre. The same goes for that Japanese guy trying to sell the Earth on Ebay. 

The cute lunch box pictured on Cracked isn't normal food, but cute lunch boxes aren't that hard to find. You can find cute cakes, pastries or bento lunch boxes in large malls or train stations. I once saw a cupcake with a Totoro figure artistically placed in the cupcake. Food here is cute, but everyday food is plain-looking. 

As far as the sexual mumbo-jumbo...Well, I wouldn't know. Now don't I sound innocent? I will say that the human body isn't treated with as much sensitivity here I guess. For example, nudity isn't a big deal. Advertisements or manga (comics) in convenience stores are just there. And no one seems to freak out about it. My 5-year olds see each other pantless all the time (why, I don't know but I came into the Nursery one day and half of the kids had their pants off and were running around the play area) Japanese people aren't really shy about talking about body parts either, from my experience. In Japan, the body is the body.  

I'm not sure I agree with the sentiments about anime and manga here. I've met many college students that love One Piece or other anime. Granted, the don't obsess over it. For example, I had one college student who just married tell me he recently bought a GPS that was One Piece themed. A manga store I visited was full of young adults browsing comics and not all of them seemed like social outcasts.

So, weird stuff in Japan. Once again, the weird junk maybe speaks for 20% of Japan's population that probably dwells in Tokyo. To loosely quote one of my professors "Japan is very safe and normal but when something out of the ordinary does happen, it's huge and has an incredibly low frequency."