Dealing with Reentry Shock and All That Jazz

So yes, I have been somewhat silent lately, and I have a good reason.

I am re acclimating to American culture...slowly and badly.

It's not just one big thing, it's several small things piling up on top of each other.

It could be going from being able to go anywhere whenever I wanted, to being stuck on my farm with my family, who is lovely, but not in large amounts to someone who has just spent nine months in Japan (because their demeanor is the exact opposite of everything I've been culturally conditioned to behave like for my stay in Japan); it could be the severe whiplash and extreme digestion problems I'm still having due to the food (and maybe a little bit of lactose intolerance?). When I saw the "Asian Foods" section of my local grocery store, I cried. I still can't touch cup noodles here (despite it being one of my staples during winter break in Japan). The quality of packaged food was simple better in Japan and I can literally taste the differences.

My reentry shock could also be that I'm processing too much information--in Japan, a majority of what I read, heard, and saw were blocked out through what I call my "lazy filter"--if I couldn't understand it automatically, my attention slid away. Now, though, everything I hear, see, and read are all in my native language. I understand it. And the information overload is kinda driving me insane.

Now looking at differences between America and Japan is causing some cultural clashes as well.

Japan was really backward in gender roles and all that stuff, and while in Japan, I built up what and how I though America was superior to Japan in women's lib. Boy was I crushed when I cam back to America and took a new look. It was as if nothing was as I remembered it. America, while still better than Japan, really has a lot to do before it can match up to my standards. And imagine my surprise by the passion this mental inequality awoke in me. America's going to get better--and I'm going to help, one person at a time.

Another thing that's awoken a passion in me is the discrimination I received in Japan. I was a foreigner, and thus subhuman to most Japanese who didn't know me (and even some of the ones who did!). But when I brought this up with my Japanese host family, they pish-poshed me, saying that Japan didn't have discrimination (this was brought up during a conversation about discrimination in America, to which I responded, "It's kinda like the way they treat foreigners in Japan," to my host family's dismay). Coming back and taking another look, it's kinda horrifying to see how most every TV show is about some straight, white, cisgender person with backup or background characters being shallow stereotypes of minorities, with not much character development. After Japan, I feel I'm more sensitive to these types of matters and (despite fully knowing that others do not share my emotions or experiences), I still feel shocked (and a little hurt) when I point this stuff out to my friends and family and they just shrug it away as if it doesn't matter.

But I feel the crux of the matter to my reentry shock was that as soon as I came home (after my sleep escapade), I fell back into the regular routine I have been doing for the last four summers. Less than a week home, and I was already going back to work, to about the same job I was interning at last summer.

I'm not complaining about my job--it's really fun!--but I do feel almost as if my nine months in Japan was merely a dream and I've been just drudging along in America the entire time.

It's not a pretty feeling. It makes me feel all sick and twisted inside. It makes me feel as if I'm all alone.

Thank goodness for the invention of the internet and Skype then! I keep in contact with my friends, teachers, and host family and after talking to them, I do feel more connected.

I go back to college August 25, and I have to admit I'm looking forward to that. I will finally see all my friends and my beloved campus that I missed while in Japan. It will be my senior year and then I'll be...done.

It's a curious feeling to be almost at the end of one adventure and heading out towards a new one, but hey, I did it in Japan and I'll do it again...in America.

Rub a Dub Dub--The Japanese Bathtub

The next part of my belated installment!

The Japanese bathtub might be one of their greatest creations yet. Traditionally, the Japanese have been a very clean people, bathing every day even early in the 1600s. There were large communal baths and hot springs so everyone could keep clean. But wouldn’t so many people in the water make it dirty? You ask. And here is the brilliance of the Japanese—they wash themselves before entering the water—they luxuriate in the water’s heat from enjoyment alone! The same practice continues in the Japanese household. You undress, shower yourself off, and then enter the steaming tub where you soak until you feel refreshed and renewed. You can set how warm you want your water to be and the tub will regulate the temperature, reheating water and adding it to the tub. It is glorious.

The main setup of most Japanese bath places--yes, it is as cramped as it looks. Sorry for the blurryish picture!

I prefer 41 degrees Celsius. 

Look at how deep the tub is!

Plush the shower next to it allows and expects water to slosh down from the side of the tub when you enter. Sure, the same bathwater is used for the entire household, but it’s really not that bad because everyone is scrubbed down prior to entering (stop making that face, Mom!).

Before you get in, you shower.

I love Japanese bathtubs and will miss them sorely (no pun intended!) when I return to the US.

Toilets

And now, a series of topics that I wrote, but was not able to post before returning home.


Okay, to be frank, the toilets in Japan are amazing. In public stalls you are give the utmost privacy and at home you’re likely to have a seat that will even wash and dry your butt for you. Plus they’re heated during the winter and that’s a luxury I wish could be carried over with me to America.

There are two types of toilets in Japan: Western style and Japanese style. Western style is most used in modern public buildings, but train stations and public parks seem to favor Japanese style. I’m not sure the hows or whys of this phenomenon, but it sure is interesting. Japanese toilets are squat toilets and basically holes in the floor.

Japanese toilet

Public Restrooms:

If you’re lucky, you can encounter a really nice restroom with heated toilet seat, buttons, and all! There’s usually a button that makes the sound of flushing to hide the tinkling sound in the girls’ bathroom (labeled “to conserve water”) along with stall walls that go from floor to ceiling to give you privacy. That’s not always the case, though. Some restrooms I’ve been to have been absolutely hideous, making my skin crawl afterward. If you’re traveling in Japan, be certain to always keep a small towel and some hand sanitizer with you at all times—the Japanese may be neat freaks, but they’re not germaphobes, so it’s usually hit or miss if there’s soap by the sink.

Floor-to-ceiling coverage

The seat is heated during the winter

Conserve water!

Home Bathrooms:

The toilet itself is in a different room completely than the bathtub and sink due to (I believe) Shinto and Buddhist taboos on purity and uncleanliness. The rooms are rather small and you need a separate pair of slippers to enter.

The slippers are super important!

Vending Machines

Oh, the things I’ve heard about Japanese vending machines! They’re everywhere!

Of course, there’s the typical drink vending machine (that serve both hot and cold drinks) as well as the cigarette ones, the ice cream ones, the cup noodle ones, and, my personal favorite, the book ones.

Ice Cream

Tobacco

Cup Ramen

Book Vending Machine, Tokyo Subway

Supposedly in the twisted, dark alleyways of Tokyo there’s condom and used panty vending machines as well. But I haven’t seen one in person, so I’m not too sure…

There are various ways one can get their drink as well. You can get a bottle or a can—but paper cups are available as well. You can tell the difference between cup and can because the display top is wide and flat. That’s another thing—you don’t see your drink until it drops—you only see a plastic representation. This differs from the “press a button and you’re done” vending machines of my youth.

Cups

I have not seen that many food vending machines except for on campus (waffles and ramen); drinks seem to be the most popular plus the abundance of conbini and hyakuen stores make it very easy to find and buy cheap food.

You can pay in various ways as well. There’s the traditional coin or bill, but you can also use your train pass (that you credit with money) to pay.

Paying with train card

And here are some of the whacky vending machines I’ve seen:

Electronic Vending Machine

Nara Vending Machine

Also collecting donations

Tale of Genji themed Tea Vending Machine

10 Things I've Adapted to in Japan

1. Close, whizzing by, missing-by-just-a-hair traffic. I have no fear of cars driving next to me as I walk down the road. This, of course, will have to change before I return to the Land of Crazy Drivers.

2. Silence and relative peace on public transportation.

3. Wearing makeup everyday. I'm really not much for makeup, but just about ever girl in Japan wears some sort of makeup, so you feel super conspicuous without it.

4. Absolute strangers smiling and greeting you (though I still have trouble implementing it in real life...).

5. Being stared at like a wild animal in a zoo (though it still irritates me).

6. Seeing women carry parasols on the street and while riding and texting at the same time.

7. Delicious cafeteria food that looks nice as well!

8. Posing with the peace sign for pictures

9. Dollar stores that sell useful things with quality.

10. Being able to sleep on public transportation and not be judged or molested for it.

Bonus Fact!

11. The fact that grades aren't everything.

Day in Danjiri-ville

So, remember how I mentioned danjiri, waaaay long ago in September?

Well today I went to the town famous for danjiri--Kishiwara!

It also happens to be Ikue's hometown! With only 10 days left, I'm determined to seek out adventure plus get good test scores!

First we went to Kishiwara Castle. Isn't it pretty?

In the walls of Kishiwara Castle there are holes for shooting arrows. Ikue generously shows how.

3 different types of holes: triangle, circle, and rectangle

There was also a pretty lotus garden in the moat surrounding the castle

Then we went to the Danjiri Museum which had some pretty epic interactive features such as a special exhibit on the current televised drama happening on the NHK network and a studio where you could bang the taiko and bells of the danjiri. It was pretty fun.

After that, we headed to the ocean and had a picnic lunch and then browsed around a nearby shopping mall.

At the final point, I actually got invited over to Ikue's house (something that you don't have happen often in Japan) and we hung out until her parents got home. Ikue seemed really excited that someone could come and visit her hometown (she lives about an hour and a half away from Hirakata and it's somewhat pricy to get there) and she was smiling and I was smiling and
it
was
perfect!

I'm so happy.

The Wheels on the Bus

I may have previously enthused on the Japanese bus service. Please let me do so again. Except for a couple of unpleasant times, my buses have always been on time, give or take three minutes or so. And one of those unpleasant times was because a nearby house was on fire and there was a traffic jam for nearly eight blocks long in three directions, so I can hardly blame them.

So, have I mentioned how clean Japanese buses are? I can freely place my backpack and/or purse on the floor without worrying about it getting dirty. I believe while this is in part due to diligent bus care, it also comes in part from the riders. In Japan it is bad manners to eat, drink, or talk on the bus, which brings me to my third point:

The bus is pretty darn near silent. Often times you can only hear the rumblings of the engines (and even then, while waiting at busy intersections some drivers even seem to switch the noisy part off). So many people fall asleep on the bus—that’s how quiet it is. While I have little to no experience with American city public transportation (the perks of being a farm girl), even I know that I am becoming spoiled by the Japanese system.

Example One:

Example Two:

I’m talking mostly about the Keihan bus service, because that’s what I’ve used the most (they’re local to Kansai, you see).

Now paying for the bus is easy.  At the front of every bus is a change machine where you can get the exact change you need for the bus. There’s also a special card you can purchase that you scan as you get on and off the bus that works sorta like a debit card. You can also purchase a one day ticket. If you use the bus a ton, though, I’d recommend getting a bus pass—you pay a set fee for your time period (a month or more) and all you have to do is flash it at the bus driver as you leave—if you rid the bus twice everyday like me, it’s a great money saver (I save around $60 a month on bus fees while using it).

The front of the bus

The entrance to the bus where you insert your ticket/prepaid card if you're using one

And while I'm at it, let me rant a little more on the narrowness of the roads. They're so narrow the stop line is a good five feet from the intersection. And when buses turn a corner, it's pretty scary!

Aoi Matsuri and Lost in Transition

I wanted to see the Aoi Matsuri. It happens only once a year in one place and involves both Kyoto and the Heian Age. I swore to myself that I would go, even if I had to skip afternoon classes (nothing will ever allow me to skip my Japanese classes--I'll miss so much if I even skip one class!).

So I went.

I managed to have the best timing ever, exiting the station right as the parade was passing. There was a huge turn out--the thinnest part of the crowd was four people thick! It was also super sunny and I swear I could see people steaming--I can only imagine what the parade participants were feeling!

Since I arrived when the parade arrived, I was at the back of the crowd and at a disadvantaged place for photos. I tried my best though, even if I ended up with an inordinate amount of photos of the back of random strangers' heads.

So many people

Look at that awesome hat

And the birds of prey were circling as usual

What's this coming down the lane?

Beautiful women with sunshade!

Some important lady in a palanquin?

And now, women on horses!

LOOK. AT. HER. ROBES. Aren't they gorgeous?

This is the main woman of the show--the princess--wrapped up in 12 layers of kimono. She must have been dying inside, but you couldn't tell by her face. She's the main hero of the shrine ceremony as well.

After the parade headed to the shrine where htey would preform the ceremony, I meandered after. I didn't see anything (there were too many people), so instead I walked around the perimeter of the shrine and listened to the sounds of the flutes and the gongs.

I may have gotten lost, but I hold fast to the philosophy of "You're not lost until you're late" so I had a pleasant time.

I love Kyoto

And look at what is inscribed upon the walls of the train station

Look familiar?

I was schediuled to meet Sara (of A Tale of Two Sarahs fame), but there was a snafu involving wrong trains, dead cell phones, and confusing Japanese that led me to going to an exhibit on Heian Japan at the Kyoto National Museum alone. I decided to go to the exhibit because a) I love the Heian Age and b) Okaasan's parents gave me two tickets for free They've been doing htis for a while (I think they're members and getting this as a part of their member package or something), and I'm very grateful towards them. Anyway, the exhibit was a nice, if not a bit boring towards the beginning, and I headed back to the train station where I was run down by Sarah who had been waiting to apologize for being late (while I frantically apologized for not waiting longer). Thus we rode the train home together and then went and made purikura to document our story.