Tokyo - Museum Madness

Today I gained my zen back—Isa and I spent the entire day museum hopping. And, oh, how much fun that was!

We started off by walking to Tokyo Daigaku (often called Tokyo University or Todai) because Isa wanted to see smart boys (Todai is the best school in Japan, you see). Unfortunately, it was break and thus, no boys.

On the way there, I saw this sign. "Bear Medic Corporation" I don't know about you, but if I was a patient, I probably wouldn't want a bear as a doctor....

After there we walked to the Tokyo National Museum—and it was glorious! Spring is usually known for its cherry blossom viewing, so the museum put on a special cherry blossom viewing exhibit—it was like a treasure hunt! In each of the main gallery rooms (13) there were special objects related to sakura in some way inserted in. And once you found them, you went and got an embossed stamp on a pamphlet.

Sakura manhole cover

Sakura Exhibit Sign

Boston Museum of Fine Arts Traveling Exhibit Sign

Stamp pamphlet

Stamper

I talked to one of the docents (and boy was she surprised I could speak Japanese!) and I was telling her how awesome I thought the exhibit was, she told me that if we got all the stamps, at the end we’d get a pretty, little sakura button.

Of course I got it. What did you expect? They combined my love of pink, buttons, and museums. Of course I'd get it.

  
After going through the sakura exhibit, Isa and I headed to the archaeology exhibit, stopping to take a peek at the conservation exhibit (sadly, mostly in Japanese).

The archaeology exhibit was pretty fun because I recognized most of the objects from the beginning of the art history class.

Isa and the dogu

As I said before, the conservation exhibit looked interesting, but it was all in Japanese, so Isa dragged me away before long.

Then we headed up to the special exhibit—a traveling collection from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston! It was pretty crowded, but I enjoyed looking at all of the screens, statues, and paintings, even if my feet did hurt afterward.

Leaving the Tokyo National Museum, we got lunch and headed to the National Museum of Nature and Science. It. Was. Huge. It consists of two buildings—one with three floors and one with six. And Isa and I traversed them all in under three hours. I am very impressed with us.

If the Tokyo National Museum was amazing, the National Museum of Nature and Science was astounding. I loved how the building played in with the exhibits to keep museum goers interested and engaged.  I also liked how there were translations in English, Korean, and Chinese for most exhibits (even if you had to pay a fee for the ear guide) and I really loved the graphics and design that went into the exhibits (can you tell I’m a museum studies minor yet?).

There was a large exhibit on chickens...loooots of taxidermy in this museum

And speaking of taxidermy...meet Hachiko (yes, the same from Shibuya Station...)

Of course, I prefer interactive museums to art museums, but I was deeply impressed by the sheer score and variety that he National Museum of Nature and Science had to offer.

Some of my favorite exhibits were the plesiosaur, the evolution of Japan room, and the taxidermy room. I feel that taxidermy is treated differently in Japan than it is in America or that maybe I’ve worked at the Nature Center too long and it all seems blasé to me.

Originally discovered by a Japanese man!

These are just a few, but the room was both gigantic and FILLED with various foreign and native animals

This was maybe a fifty foot long wall made of plant specimens encased in glass. It was glorious, and also very hard to take pictures of

However, the human models were amazing—I mistook them for real humans when first saw them! The attention to detail was astounding!

These are models!

This too!

Part of an exhibit on how variations of a species occur in nature

Also there was a super cool theater which was shaped like a sphere and made you feel as if you were constantly moving. I got a little bit of a headache, but it was so cool!

So, Isa and I traversed the three floor building and then the six floor building g as well, determined to get our six hundred yens worth out of it. I am pretty darn sure we did.

After becoming all museumed out and in the zen-like haze of good feelings museums put me in, we headed back to the hostel where I had stored my baggage for the day. After a quick dinner and repacking of my various shopping bags, I was off to Tokyo Station to catch my bus!

Luckily, this time I got a window seat, so I was able to snooze without becoming living drapery to my poor seat mate. I actually got some sleep, so as I waited for the bus (I had just missed the once-an-hour one headed home as I got off the train), I chilled awake.

Then I got home and promptly collapsed. I supposed unpacking will come later in this story.

And thus ends the Tales of Tokyo.

Tokyo - Day 1

My trip started late at night with something called a "night bus." As the name implies, a night bus is a bus that runs at night and stops periodically, waking you all up from your uneasy slumber. I was in the cheapest seat which was also the most cramped, you see. I'd wake to find myself somehow draped over my poor seatmate or hanging out into the isle. It was a particularly unrestful six or so hours.

When I blurrily awoke for the nth time, I was greeted with weak light and rain. Drizzly, drizzly rain--and I had left my rain boots at home! Oh no! That was my first glance of Tokyo. So we arrived at Tokyo Station at 7am--check in to our hostel wasn't until 3pm--we had some time to spare. Luckily, the hostel allowed us to keep our bags in a spare room before we checked in. And then we were off!

My first sight of Tokyo

My companions on this quest are Mari, Paulina, and Keifer--we're going to have so much fun!

After checking in our bags, we went to explore the quarter we're currently residing in--Asakusa! It was still miserable outside, so--alas!--no pictures, but we went to a used bookstore, one of the prettiest pottery shops I've ever witnessed, the supermarket (to buy dinner) , and then to the post office where I shipped my pottery purchases home (keep an eagle's eye out, Mom!) because they wouldn’t fit in my small suitcase otherwise!

After that, we returned to the hostel, checked in and I completely crashed. Keifer went to Tokyo Tower, but apparently the rainy view wasn't too impressive. After arising from my blanket cocoon, I concluded that I still don't understand why military time is used in Japan (on closer thought: probably because of MacArthur) but I don't understand it--and I've been living under military time's oppressive regime for over 6 months now!

We had a late dinner, discussed what we want to do over the next couple of days and then Paulina and I went down for  free drinks at the bar (we got a coupon for staying at the hostel and needed to take advantage of it).

It was pretty much my first real experience with alcohol, seeing as I'm the legal age in Japan, but not in America. I had some sweetened plum wine that strongly reminded me of cherry cough syrup, orange juice with vodka that just tasted of orange juice, and orange juice with a flavor of rum that practically punched you in the roof of your mouth as an aftertaste.

I didn't manage to finish them all--Paulina and I grazed over them all, but I feel that perhaps alcohol is not my forte (unlike several other residents here)...

After drinking, I promptly went to bed--tomorrow's a busy day and we're going to the Oedo Flea Market (if it's not rained out) and Akihabara!

Sorry I'm short on pictures--nothing much of interest happened today. There will be tons in the upcoming posts, though, I promise!

10 Things I've Learned About Life While Living in Japan

1. Those Japanese women aren’t just paranoid about the sun. Hirakata is closer to the equator and getting sunburn on your face, but not realizing it (and just thinking you’re flushed), will always equal pain when you try to wipe off your sweating face. 

2. Always carry around a handkerchief with you. And bring a spare as well; you never know when you’ll need it. 

3. Umbrellas can be used for sun as well as rain. And you’ll need it for both during typhoon-season. 

4. Gifts are the best way to reaffirm your friendship with someone, especially during a first meeting. 

5. Ignoring someone’s very existence on the bus isn’t rude—it’s polite. 

6. No, the bus really isn’t going to run you over, it’s just very close. 

7. Sidewalks are for the weak. 

8. Just smile and nod; you can bullshit your way through anything. 

9. Some things take patience, other things also take patience. Being impatient will give you both bad results and some confused stares. 

10. Talking to people helps organize your day. 

And a bonus 11. If you do anything wrong, it’s because you’re a gaijin. Don’t worry, they’ll forgive you.

Daily Life and Culinary Adventures!

The animals in Japan sound different from the ones in America and I wonder… Is it merely culture shock of a sort? Different acoustics due to the houses cramped together? Or is it just Japan? I’ve heard crows, crickets, and cats, and they all sound different than the ones I’ve heard at home in America. I wish I could record soundbits or something so you guys could hear the difference, but for now, you’re just going to have to take my word for it.

Today’s classes lasted until 12:50pm, so I had a lot of free time before I headed home. A couple of my friends from the Seminar House (Jesse, Emma, and Kolbrun) met me in the CIE lounge. They brought their speaking partners along, and before I knew it, we had a huge circle of chatting buddies. Then Lia came with her speaking partner and some of his friends, and before we knew it, she had around 6 guys circling her and hanging on to her every word. Go Lia!

Today I rode the bus alone, without any guidance to or from the stops from Okaasan. I would just like to give a shout out to the nice Japanese couple who kept me from getting on the wrong bus today. You guys were patient and kind to a foreign woman. Thank you so much! Today I left earlier than I had yesterday and so I actually managed to find a seat instead of holding onto the hand grips and nearly falling whenever the bus lurched. Thank goodness.

I also sampled many different cuisines today. For breakfast, Okaasan made me pancakes. They were huge! I could barely finish the plate. Okaasan has been feeding me very big portions partially, I think, because I am a guest and an American. However, I keep on hoping she’ll feed me smaller portions—I don’t want her to overoblige me! Lunch was an adventure. I went to the 7-11 (yes, they even have those in Japan!), and picked up a foccachia-like bread called a (translated) “bacon-mayo-roll.” As it sounds, it was not the height of culinary creation. I will not buy this again. In my mouth, bacon and mayo only go together lettuce and tomatoes! Dinner was a traditional Japanese meal with lots of fish—picking out the bones was kinda hard! During this, Okaasan mentioned that she thinks that I can do Japanese cooking (despite being a gaijin [though this part was unsaid]), and that she’ll teach me, starting with onigiri (rice balls with filling). Success! I have successfully started my Japanese kitchen infiltration plan!

Written September 7, 2011.

School Schedule

This morning was heralded by dreams about fried raptors (of the dinosaur variety). It was really surreal. But the birds were chirping, the crows were cawing and I think it’s going to be a beautiful day. …I hope. Today is the first day I’m really going to use the bus system to get to and from school. Yesterday, Okaasan drove around, telling me the stops that I use and what I’m getting off at. She also wrote down the kanji, so I can be a confused gaijin and ask people who actually know how to use the bus system exactly where I am. I fully expect to get lost a couple of times, but I really hope it’s not today!

Also, Kansai Gaidai has this charming system of setting up classes so that the times and the rooms change every day. I admit, I’m not looking forward to that, but today I have Spoken Japanese and Sumi-e. I hope I can figure out where they are located before the class starts!

Here’s my (current) schedule:

Monday: Reading and Writing Japanese from 9-9:50, Spoken Japanese from 11-11:50, Culture and Everyday Life in Japan from 1:15-2:45.

Tuesday: Spoken Japanese from 11-11:50, Sumi-e from 1:10-2:45.

Wednesday: Spoken Japanese from 11-11:50, Reading and Writing Japanese from 12-12:50.

Thursday: Spoken Japanese from 10-10:50, Sumi-e from 10:50-12:30, Culture and Everyday Life in Japan from 1:15-2:45.

Friday: Reading and Writing Japanese from 9-9:50, Spoken Japanese from 10-10:50, Sumi-e from 10:50-12:30.

As you can see, I am very fortunate to not have any class past 2:45pm on any given day, and a partial 3-day weekend starting at 12:30pm, every week.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

A word to the wise: if you’ve never ridden public transportation other than a school bus before, riding Japanese buses is terrifying. I have a transit bus, which means I have to change buses at Hirakata City Station (Hirakata-shi Eki). As I said before, Okaasan drilled me through the steps, but this morning I was sure that I had gotten on the wrong one.

 A bit of Japanese to learn: 「すみませんこれは、[place you’re going to] に行くバスですか？」or “Sumimasen, korewa, [place you’re going to]ni ikubasudesuka?” (Excuse me, is this the bus going to [place you’re going to]?”　If you’re having trouble, there’re all sorts of nice, motherly Japanese women who will help lost-looking gaijin (if they know they speak Japanese).

On my transit bus to Kansai Gaidai, I was panicked, sure that the bus full of old people was taking me to the wrong place. I had only 15 minutes until my first class started. I was close to full out panic. Luckily, that wasn’t the case and I arrived on time to class.

My Japanese speaking teacher, Saigou-sensei has a good sense of humor. I think I’m going to like this class even though he says there is going to be a ton of homework and “we will think that Saigou-sensei is like the devil.” In both the writing/reading and the speaking Japanese classes, we have to only speak to our teachers in Japanese. It will be challenging, but worth it. I’m just proud that I could follow Saigou-sensei talking to us in Japanese. I think it’s in a teacher’s training to speak in the sentence patterns that you know your students know; I understand more of what Saigou-sensei says to me than Okaasan. 

After Japanese speaking class, I called Mom and Dad. I keep on forgetting that to them, I’m calling from the future. They wished me a happy birthday and Dad showed me all the canning I was missing. Apparently at home it’s all tomatoes all the time. I almost wish I had taken a screen-shot to show Okaasan. Talking with them ate up all my lunch time, so then I was off to sumi-e!

Sumi-e is a type of brush painting course, created in China and then adapted by the Japanese. Katherine Scott is the sumi-e instructor. She seems like a very interesting person. Since most of us don’t know calligraphy (which is usually the base knowledge for sumi-e), she’s teaching us a little differently than she would someone with that background. This week we’re learning about the different materials, brush strokes, and tones with ink. Next week we start bamboo!

I met my new friend Marion in my speaking Japanese class. She’s a fellow Midwesterner from Chicago.  Today we hung out after I got out of Sumi-e and explored Hirakata City Station together. We were looking for a certain department store where purikura were taken, but I couldn’t remember the directions, so we wandered around. It was there I finally got my lunch (around 4pm). You’ve read my previous rant of Japan and bread, as a breakfast food, and now, as a lunch food. I didn’t actually know what it was (but it was 100 yen, so it was cheap!) but I decided to take a leap of faith and try it. I was not disappointed. It was green and delicious. Okaasan took a look at the picture I took of the kanji on my phone and told me it was a “black bean and green tea” bread. I didn’t know such things existed in this world. Of course, Japan is known for its strange tastes in flavors.

Riding the bus home was still nerve-wracking, but I think I got it. I also think I have the “lost gaijin with a piece of paper clutched desperately in her hands” look down pat. I wasn’t swarmed, per say, buy old Japanese women, but I definitely got a ton of help from several old women. THANK YOU OBA-SANS!!

And now a word about being the only Caucasian in a sea of Asians: I’m starting to feel a might conspicuous.  At Kansai Gaidai, I’m okay, because there are a bunch of people dressed like me and taller than me, however out of the bubble… I’m usually the tallest person (a novel experience because I’m the shortest in my immediate family), I’m dressed differently (right now the fashion is bulky-looking, ill-fitting clothing that just looks terrible on me! So my clothes are a little more tailored than the fashion norm), and I can’t understand the rapid-paced speak of anyone! Plus I’m white, white, white! If you pushed me into the snow and I closed my eyes, you probably couldn’t find me! People either stare at me like I’m in a zoo or ignore my existence completely. I’m sure there’s a happy medium somewhere, but I haven’t found it yet!  

I need a way to figure out how to tell Okaasan that she’s feeding me too much. She feeds me more than I eat at home! I might need to start cutting down even more on my lunch! Dinner tonight was a “summer dish” of ramen mixed with toppings and ice cubes. “The Chinese invented ramen,” Okaasan told me, “but the Japanese made it delicious in the summer.” And indeed it was delicious. Also, in terms of food today, I had miso soup for breakfast! It tasted awesome.

Written September 6, 2011.