Things I have been up to

I haven't spent all my time in classes and giving English lessons; I've been going to a lot of festivals and parks with friends.  It's been lovely. 

This park is in the middle of Tokyo, next to the bay.  It's near the huge fish market (the largest in the world) where I didn't really go; we did eat lunch there though. 

The contrast of city and park is very typically Tokyo; there are several parks in the middle of the city where the dichotomy is really strong.  These pictures were from a few weeks ago when the sakura (cherry blossoms) were still in bloom. 


Yasukuni Shrine (靖国神社) is a really political place; it's a shrine dedicated to Japan's war dead,  and was established in the Meiji era (beginning 1868).  In the 70s or so several class A war criminals from WWII were enshrined, and there were huge protests and outcries; recently, prime ministers have made official visits to the shrine, which many claim blurs the church / state boundaries.  It's a very interesting place, and includes a museum documenting Japan's military (which many believe is very slanted).  Obviously I had to go; I went over the week-long break we had a week or so ago (I was sick for most of it, and so couldn't travel).  This is the meeting hall; I don't have a good picture of the actual shrine or gates. 

Yesterday, I went to a major Shinto festival called the Sanji Festival (三寺祭り), which is an abbreviation of 'three shrines'.  As one might guess, it is put together by three shrines, and is a Big Deal.  Alters are carried about through the street; some weigh several tons.  A major goal of mine was to eat lots of festival food, which I am happy to say I accomplished.  Here are some of the festival participants:

It was a beautiful day and the festival was crowded.  The train was rather full leaving, as well:

Tyis is me photo-shy friend from Edenborough, Claire; we got seats near the end of the trip, but since we were riding the line from one end to the other (in pursuit of another festival), this isn't saying much. 

This is the dog at one of our favorite bars.  The owner is the only person who works there, and he brings Pheobe with him.  The bar is really small and fun; there are masks from all over the world on the walls so well call it 'Tribal Bar' (which is not it's name).  

I've been giving him English lessons; we meet at the bar, and last week Phoebe spent the whole hour snoring in my lap.   Ko always plays excellent music in the evening, which is a great change from the American and Japanese R&B and pop that most places play. 

久し振り

Or, 'it's been a while.'  As many of you already knew, I'm terrible at communication.  Right now I have an embarrassingly long list of emails to send and terribly overdue thank-you notes to write. Please don't take it personally.

My Tokyo life has been getting busier; classes have started and I've been teaching, and I go out with friends a lot.  The commute to school and Tokyo proper can be 40 minutes or more, so I'm often tired when I come home and don't want to do anything responsible.  So I don't.  This hasn't had many unfortunate consequences so far, so the probability I stick with it is dangerously high.

Classes aren't particularly stunning.  I'm in the non-Japanese language program, so most of my classes are in English.  I take four Japanese classes (the most I'm allowed to take); one integrated Japanese class that counts as two and is mostly review, one Kanji (Chinese charterers) class (also mostly review, but Kanji are so hard they need constant review) and one more specific grammar class.  These classes all unfortunately tend to directly follow the textbook for the lesson, and so can be boring.  But I have good friends in all of them so they aren't as dreary as they might otherwise be.

My other classes are all in English.  They are offered through the International Center, and also open to Japanese students.  Some of these classes have quite a few Japanese students in them, which is really fun for all of us.  I've met several interesting people in these classes, and the interactions and language practice are really much more interesting and useful than the actual classes.  These classes range from pretty good to pretty terrible, but again I have good friends in each of them, so they're fun anyway.

The worst part of school is actually getting to class.  The train station is about 15 minutes by foot from my dorm, and I'm (almost) always running late.  It doesn't matter than none of my classes in Tokyo start before 1.00, and that I only have to be there before 2.45 once a week.  I'm always late.  I have to leave for the train about an hour before class starts; the train only runs every fifteen minutes, so if I miss it I have to run at the other end.  The walk from the station to class is about 10 or 12 minutes, and always really crowded, so it can be hard to run properly.  Plus it's getting hot, so running is increasingly unappealing.

Once a week I have class at nine AM at another campus, only about 17 minutes on foot from my dorm.  Nine AM is dreadfully early, especially when I have to actually leave by 8.30.  It's been years since I've had classes before 10 AM (and even ten is really uncalled for...).  This campus might seem dreadfully convenient compared to the other one, and it really is, but there's one huge drawback: the giant stairs one must climb to reach the buildings.  There are four Keio campuses around Tokyo, and I've been to three; so far they all have large flights of stairs leading up to the campus proper, but this one is the worst.  I tried to take some pictures to illustrate how deadly it is, but it's not possible to capture all the stairs in one photo.

The first is a view from (almost) the top.  There are actually two more flights of stairs above it that turn to the left.  The second picture is taken from where the first ends, where the path goes behind the trees.  It's a long way down (and, more frustratingly, a long way up).

I've also been teaching English to try to make some extra money for all the going out I do and to buy food.  I have three regular students; a salary man who works for a pharmaceutical company, the owner of a really excellent small bar we like, and a four year old girl.  They're all fun and it's nice to make some extra money.  Explaining nuances in English or the multitude of uses for the word 'like' makes me realize how absurd the language can be. 

しまった, part II

For those of you who forgot the previous 日本語 lesson, しまった means I did something stupid.

For anyone to whom it is not clear, pictured here is a broken egg.  Underneath it, one can see my kitchen floor.  This is the second time an egg has deemed it necessary to jump out of my refrigerator door and smash itself at my feet, necessitating a rather messy and difficult clean-up.  I, for one, am over eggs and their drama.

Bonus: The Mysterious Egg Suicides: The Film Noir Version
(Alternate title: I should really go to bed before two am when I have class at nine the next morning)

Who, or what, will be next? 

(But really, the eggs did just fall out through no fault of my own.)
(Also, how long are eggs safe to eat? Someone should let me know.)

(Second bonus update: egg yolks in Japan are really orange, and they freak me out.  I read somewhere that egg yolk color is dependent upon the hen's diet, but I still don't trust these orange guys.   They're far too ... pigmented to be healthy.)

Keio and classes

Some of you may be wondering why there has been no mention of any of my classes yet.  Thus far, they have been unmentioned because I didn't have any; the first full and official week of classes ended today (Wednesday).  There was a week of 'trial' classes the week before, but many of those were only twenty minute introductions to the class plan, and were equivalent to reading the syllabus.  I'm planning to take nine or ten classes (the minimum is seven), each of which meets for 90 minutes a week.  Four are Japanese classes, the rest are in English and (mostly) vaguely history themed. 

Keio is right in the middle of downtown Tokyo; it's only a few blocks from Tokyo Tower, a large orange-and-red-Eiffel-Tower-looking broadcast tower, and is right on the main Tokyo train line.  Everyone seems to be extremely wealthy: Burburry is everywhere, and I see those really expensive shoes with the red soles and European name at least twice a day.  Keio is apparently notorious for being an extremely expensive elite university, and it shows in the clothing.  Unfortunately, it does not show in the buildings.  They are generally pretty ugly and 50s-esque; certainly Bryn Mawr wins hands down in attractiveness.  Here is an image of the only attractive part of the campus, the East Gate:

This was taken on one of the few days so far where the weather has not only been dry, but clear and sunny. 

Recent festival adventures

The other day, my delightful little brother Jeff-a-saurus informed me that I was not updating to his satisfaction, and chided me for not even acknowledging his birthday on my illustrious blog.  Sorry, Jeff; but you try keeping up with writing things when you're trying to register for classes in two countries, exploring the biggest metropolitan area in the world, spending hours talking to Japanese teacher (in Japanese) trying to convince them to move you up a level, becoming an English teacher, and beating Japanese students at drinking games; it's a lot of work.  Also it's been raining, and rain makes me lazy.

I have been having all sorts of adventures, though, and have been meaning to post for a while.  So here are some of my explorations.  (Side note: if anyone is wondering why all my pictures seem to be of food, it is because food is one of my favorite things to explore.)

I've been to a few festivals so far; they've all been small ones and pretty low key.  There will be a lot more later in the summer, when fireworks season arrives; I'm looking forward to them.  Here are some pictures to the first one I went to; unfortunately, it was rained out not long after I arrived, and everyone scurried home (including me).  I went with two friends from Barcelona with whom I have been spending a lot of time.  (Unfortunately it was dark, so the pictures aren't very good). 

Here are a bunch of kids trying to shoot things for prizes.  Pretty standard.  Another popular game is catching goldfish on paper rings, or baby chick on a string.  Obviously one keeps the animals they've caught. 

There was a monkey show by the lake.  They probably did tricks or something. 

Far more interesting than monkeys was the food.  Especially:

Pikachu pancakes!  (Seen here with my friend Pol [pronounced Paul]). This weird close-up was the only way to get an image at the festival.  I was going to take a better photo at home later (along with the excellent Pokemon bag they came in) but I accidentally threw them out.  Imagine my distress when I went to eat my Pikachu pancake leftovers for breakfast the next morning only to find last night's yakisoba garbage instead; I assume you it was dreadful.)  Little pancake bites are common festival food; they're made with honey and not so sweet (things here usually aren't so sweet as in America), but clearly being Pikachu shaped takes them to a whole new level.

More food.  Mmm banana.

These pictures are from a different festival that is quite famous and large; however, we arrived a bit after most of the festivities had died down.  It didn't rain much, though, so we were happy. 

This pond was filled with carp and turtles.  I love turtles, so I was really excited (note how I am looking at the turtles in the pond, and not the camera).

Mochi balls (on a stick):

Delicious.  Which is why I'm making a funny face.  (I console myself that maybe, somewhere on another camera, there are good pictures of me).

There Jeff; happy?

Mini Update

Cooking vegetarian food with only one burner, no oven, limited counter space, a tiny refrigerator, on a budget in a country where you don't understand half of the food is Really Hard. 

Somebody send me some cheese.

My kitchen

One of the reasons I chose this particular dormitory is because it claimed to have a private kitchen.  I had visions of baking and cooking masterpieces; cookies and toasted cheese, sushi concoctions and delicious meals every night.  Unfortunately, in my food dreams I forgot to take into account that this is Tokyo, and the most expensive thing here is space.  I am sorry to say that my visions of culinary grandeur are not to be, and my food dreams will be forced to die an early death (oh well; I forgot my cheese in Seattle, so I couldn't have made toasted cheese concoctions anyway).  But I still have to eat, so I thought I'd share a few of my cooking adventures so far.

The kitchen:

I want to note here that I am standing about as far back as I can in my very-mini-bathroom (across the hall / entrance way from the kitchen zone) to take this picture.  As you can see, my kitchen consists of a sink, one electric burner, a very-mini-fridge, some hooks, and a small shelving unit.  Thankfully, the dorm had a whole variety of stuff I could take and use for my kitchen so I was able to assemble the necessary equipment at minimal personal cost.  Needless to say, this lack of preparation space and various heat sources makes cooking a bit difficult, and leads to unfortunate situations like this:

This is my attempt to cook one thing (eggs) while re-heating / keeping another thing warm (potatoes) while toasting a third thing (bread) all at the same time, in the same pan.  It was at least moderately successful, though I'm afraid I'll have to get used to having at least one part of my meals be cold. 

Side note: I learned the other morning that no matter how thinly one slices a potato, it still takes forever to cook.  Second side note: I feel bad for giving the knives at home such a hard time for being dull; with the knife I've been using here I live in fear of rogue dull blades whenever I cut something more solid than broccoli.  I haven't slipped while cutting anything yet, but I'm still anxious that I'll lose a finger.  Actually, I would probably just maul myself if the knife slipped: it isn't sharp enough to cut the whole way through. 

After a variety of noddle / egg / vegetable / tofu concoctions, I finally worked up the courage to venture into the fish department of the grocery store.  That day there was a store-wide '98 yen sale' going on, which was accompanied by speakers playing an annoying and repetitive song to which the only lyrics were '98 yen'.  I was convinced that it would be stuck in my head for days, but I had thankfully forgotten it by the time I walked home.  However, the sale lured me into the fish department in hopes that I could afford something, and I bought two salmon mini-fillets for 98 yen each.  And then I cooked them.   (They actually look more like rack of lamb, but I'm not sure 'rack of salmon' is actually a cut.)

It was quite the concoction.  I made tempura and rice, and had basically poached / sauteed salmon (a style used to cook dumplings and stuff, where you cook a bit with lots of liquid, then pour it off and saute a bit).

In the end, I came up with this:

The salmon was too salty and the tempura wasn't really fried (I didn't have enough oil, or the right pan) and had become cold, but it wasn't the worst thing I've cooked. 

Other concoctions include curry, vegetable stir-fries, and a lot of tea.  If I get anything out of living here, I hope it will be the mastery of the 'one pot wonder'; I'm already tired of cold food.

My neighbourhood

Every Japanese city I've been in is a strange combination of almost third-world mayhem and cutting edge technologies, with a weird dose of cute (more on those others later [probably]).  Walking home from the station, I pass two fruit stands, one fish stall, one meat stall, and one flower seller, all selling from open market stalls built into the side of buildings; not actual door-and-window shops.  Everyone is on bikes (I've developed a habit of looking behind me every few dozen feet so I won't get hit), but they all seem a bit run down.  Children often ride in seats attached to the front of back of the bike, and older people often sit on the back wheel when someone else is riding.  The houses and apartments are never attractive, and always seem out of place in one of the world's biggest cities; they feel like they belong in old Soviet areas, or Southeast Asia in less developed areas.  They're hard for me to describe, so I've put a few pictures below. 

Today was one of the nicest days I've had so far - recently it's been very cold, rainy, and windy - so it seems that everyone is doing laundry.  Since I was coming home at the same time as masses of young Japanese schoolchildren, I received some strange looks for taking pictures of the street. 

The first is an apartment building, the second a house (note the Japanese car: they are almost all really short and squat and square-like).   Everyone always dries their laundry outside (or in the house if it's wet or too cold); there aren't many dryers around.   So on a day like today, there are sheets everywhere, including my mini-balcony.

Lots of apartments or flats are above a street-level business, like a bakery or a doctor's office.  I pass this auto shop every day, but I thought today it looked rather funny:

I was standing a bit out of away so no one would think I was creepy (except all the school children; I couldn't escape their strange glances) so it might be hard to read the big AUTO WORKS sign above the garage.  Above that sign are about half a dozen futons airing out, all in old fashioned floral prints.  The next window is full of sheets and clothes hung to dry.  All above the two men working in the garage.  Oh Japan. 

Also on my way home, I pass a side-street that leads to a small graveyard.  Today I decided to investigate; I'm fond of graveyards and always like to explore them (during the day).  Unfortunately, this one had a locked gate and so I couldn't go in.  But I still took pictures.

This tree was actually across the cemetery from me, which is why the exposure is a bit off, but I thought the falling cherry blossoms were quintessential Japan.  (Side note: because it's cherry blossom season, there are sakura flavored versions of everything all over the place.  Which is great.)

Being Japan, the graveyard backed right onto a parking lot (these seem common in residential areas, as almost no one has garages; one pays for a long-term spot near one's house) where construction was being done, probably to reinforce the boundary between the two lots.  The supports are visible in the first image just above.

The view from my window is also pretty typical Japan.  Lots of buildings, lots of wires, not very much coordination or green areas.  Also, lots of laundry. 

The building across from me is pretty typical of a house here; multi-level, probably split into one-family flats, with an open roof and some plants.  When I was in Osaka a few years ago, I stayed on the top level in a mini-apartment like the one in this picture. 

A note on Japanese addresses: they don't really exist.  Almost none of the streets have names.  Instead, a city is divided into wards, which are then divided into mini-sections a few blocks across.  The number of a building tells which block of a section, or 'ku', it is on, and then has a number indication which building it is within the block.  Which still doesn't help much, since for a long time numbers were assigned based on when a building was constructed.  While American forces during the occupation tried to westernize the system (with names and stuff), Japan reverted to their original system soon after the Americans left.  This is the main reason why some of the larger streets do have names.  Obviously, finding an address in Tokyo is not very easy, so most businesses provide mini-maps on their websites or information.  Giving directions is also the main job of policemen.

Things I have bought based solely on the packaging

I've always thought I was reasonably good (for a modern American child) at resisting the temptation of advertisements and alluring packaging.  I always try to buy things that are more practical and aren't just expensive cool packaging.  But, in Tokyo, I've fully abandoned the practice and am buying all sorts of things (OK, only a few, and they're still mostly only￥100) based at least partially on the packaging.

I've already showed you my new favorite drink, but here's another variety:

I've actually bought about four of these, I love them (read: the Seattle label) so much.  They're pretty good in the evening after a Japan style bath (a new addiction).

Moving on, we have another clear favorite: I think anyone who didn't know before now knows I love Thomas.  So how could I possibly pass this up?

AND LOOK! On the back! TOBY!  Jeff, if you're reading this, you better be excited.  This cheerful, if rather obsolete, brown character is the namesake of my (beloved) car, Toby.   Plus the top says 'A fun snack!', so I had to buy it.  (The back seems to be a story about 'Toby and the New Roof) It's basically just chocolate Pocky.  But with THOMAS.


This one is just rather funny, and pretty typical of Japanese English-language advertisements.  Some are more standard English like we might use, and some don't even make sense, but this one finds a happy medium:

I think what they mean is 'there's no accounting for me not buying this just to take pictures in the privacy of my apartment box'.  But it was pretty good.  I had it for breakfast yesterday.


Spring is arriving in Tokyo, and so cherry blossom are coming out in all the department stores and train stations.  I bought this in  huge discount store that sells everything from washing machines and baby socks to makeup and food, and it was a bit of a splurge at about ten dollars.  But it's so beautiful! I'm also rather fond of Sakura flavoured things in general, so it seemed worthwhile.

Sakura wine!  Notice the sakura blossoms floating toward the bottom.  I haven't opened it yet, but I'll try to remember to give an update.



BONUS: Strange Japanese thing that I didn't buy, despite the strange packaging (and product).  Behind the sakura wine was the rest of the alcohol section, and I went to see what the prices were like on the off-chance I could afford a beer (nope).  On my way back, I ran across this amazing creation:

I'm not even sure what this is, so I've dubbed it 'egg booze'.  Why anyone would want egg booze is beyond me, especially when it comes in a bottle like that.  You can see that the inside of the label gives many suggestions for use (for mom and dad and to share with friends) and the back has a helpful receipe (mix with sprite or fanta; wow!).  I'm still skeptical.  Perhaps it's similar to eggnog or something, but in my mind that is no improvement.  But even though I resisted this neigh-irresistible product, I seem to have fallen for most of the other advertising ploys I've encountered.  Oh well.  At least they're delicious. 

しまった

Swearing in Japanese is rather strange.  As far as I can tell, there is no distinct lexicon of curse words.  Instead, context and formality seem to determine most of Japanese swearing.  My favorite curse word, しまった, (shima'tta) is actually just the informal past form of a verb which means 'to complete', or 'to do', but often carries a connotation of a negative event having happened.  For example, I could use it as an auxiliary verb with 'to forget' to inoffensively convey that unfortunately, I have forgotten my Japanese phone number.  However, when used as a stand-alone in the short form as in above, it means something closer to 'damnit', and is much less polite. くそ, a word which in English I would not say in front of my grandmother or anyone for whom I wished to babysit again, seems to be much more flexible in Japanese; I once even heard it on a children's show (although it was the Bad Guy saying it to his Inept Minion).  A word meaning 'loud and annoying' can be used to say 'shut up' rather forcefully, but can still be used as a descriptor when talking in normal conversation.  I'm never quite sure if what I'll say will offend someone or not, so I typically try to keep away from those words and contexts.  However, there are some times when I know they're fully applicable and appropriate, and this brings me to the inspiration for this mini language lesson: I've run out of hot water.  Again.  しまった。