life in japan so far

Due to not wanting to spend precious money on new, nice running shoes (and due to a muscle strain I suffered about a month ago) I've taken up Pilates. I am amazed how much of a workout a person can get without moving from the same three-square-foot space. Seriously, 30 minutes every other day and my abs haven't looked this good in years. The one problem I'm having with this is that, based on my thigh development in Taiwan, I assumed the same may happen here in Japan, so I bought jeans with stretchy waists. Now I may need belts. Whoops!

I went shopping the other day and I am continuing to enjoy Japan's love of random English on t-shirts. Like, I adore it. My new goal is to collect several nonsense-English shirts that I can wear both here and in the US. Currently I have this gem, which is super-patriotic but also super-nonsensical.

Day after day, I witness a parade of nonsense English on my students' clothes. My kids' t-shirts will proclaim "Carolina State" in collegiate font, and beneath it some random words that look like they were haphazardly copy-pasted off a random English website. My shopping tote is covered in letters of the alphabet, that, while strung together in long lines, do not form any actual words. I've seen kids with backpacks proclaiming "New York" and t-shirts that say "Sweet Girl is Love!" or some variant of this. I have not, so far, actually seen a child wearing a shirt with profanity on it, but believe me, I am waiting for the day. Mostly because I haven't yet made up my mind if, in that situation, I should tell a teacher what the child's shirt says, or let it go to avoid an awkward incident.

My quest for cute tea cups that I can use to serve tea to guests has bore fruit: these adorable cups were discovered in a shop in Fashion Cruise, the nearest mammoth of a mall that has an overwhelming number of "cute things" stores. Japan has many shops that sell the same kinds of things, but all of these items have unique designs. So, even if there are two stores next to each other that sell teacups, kitchenware, bath supplies, and office supplies, all the items in the stores will be unique to each other, allowing the businesses to co-exist. Store A sells pens with cat figurines at the top, while Store B sells pencils with star charms hanging off them. Store A has flowered teacups and mugs, while Store B has flowered teacups and mugs but in different shapes and designs.

Tea in heart shapes. Because why not.

The cup collection is growing.

The first anime series I was exposed to was Rurouni Kenshin (Wandering Swordsman Kenshin). It tells the story of Kenshin Himura, an one-time assassin who has made a vow to never kill again, and fights to uphold his ideals and protect his friends in the Meji Era of Japan. I think that's part of what drew me into anime, the oft-used theme of friendship, community, and becoming a strong person for the sake of protecting your friends and family. Anime characters often have defining moments when they remember all the people depending on them, and it gives them the strength to push through whatever hardship they're experiencing. In practice, Japan can sometimes make this idea of doing one's duty for the sake of the group exhausting and suffocating (with office workers literally working themselves to death and students killing themselves when they fail high school or college entrance exams). The ideal, though, is admirable, and in many ways very empowering, because it's one thing to be strong for yourself, but caring about others can make you vulnerable, so it takes strength and courage to let others depend on you.

Speaking of Rurouni Kenshin, the sequel to the live-action Rurouni Kenshin movie is coming out in August and I am so stoked about this I can't even put it into words. Remember how RK was my first anime series? Remember how it was part of the beginning of my love and admiration for Japan, and now that I've achieved my dream of coming to Japan, I'm going to see the second Rurouni Kenshin movie premier IN JAPAN?

Words. I don't even have them.

I intend to marathon the entire Kyoto Arc (what this movie is based on) before seeing the movie. Obsessed? you better believe it!

The song in the background is "Mighty Long Fall" by ONE OK ROCK and it hasn't been released yet and I'm watching iTunes very closely.

When I finally see this movie in theaters, I realize I'll understand almost none of the dialogue since my Japanese comprehension is still coming along... slowly. Since I know the whole series, though, I doubt it'll be hard to figure out what's going on and why. Also, I'll be watching the Rurouni Kenshin movie. Will I care about details like a language barrier? The answer is no. I should probably bring hard candy to the theater to keep myself quiet during the movie because otherwise I will squeal every time a familiar character appears on screen.

It's getting muggy during the days but the nights are still cool, which I appreciate. I fling open the curtains at night and let the night air in, along with the sounds of passing cars and frogs. Fields are full of rice, corn, eggplants, tomatoes, and cabbage. Hydrangea bushes are everywhere in a variety of colors. We are in tsuyu, the rainy season, and it has been either cloudy or rainy almost every day. I like it better than sweating to death in the heat.

Stay tuned, the journey continues.

girl's night

A the end of May, I was invited by my Koya school co-workers to what they called "girls night" on June 20th. Since I had such a good time at the Koya enkai, I was happy to attend. I didn't know what it would entail, though, since "girls night" can mean "crazy party" in English.

Turns out it was just like the Koya enkai, but with just the ladies. Koya knows how to party: fancily.

The party was at a restaurant called Carrot's, which had a picture of a charging bull beneath the name. Our group was given a special back room set apart from the rest of the restaurant, which featured long, short tables, tatami mat, lots of wood paneling, and flat cushions to sit on. (This morning, my knees are protesting a little the amount of time I spent sitting Japanese-style with my legs folded under me.) When I entered the room, I was asked to select a ticket from a bag. The ticket had a picture of a flower on it, and whichever spot had that flower, that was where I sat. I ended up with two teachers I didn't know, as well as an office woman I did know, and one of the sixth-grade teachers whom I definitely knew well.

The thing about nice Japanese dinners is that they specialize in beautiful food that is not necessarily plentiful. However, the surprising thing about nice Japanese dinners is that they are actually quite filling.

Our appetizer was "vegetable jelly." Imagine if someone cooked vegetables into a mini jelly-loaf, and then sliced it like bread. Some salad dressing was drizzled on top. It was quite delicious. Next came the main course, which was awesome: steak, vegetables, and a fist-sized ball of meatloaf, all of which was excellent. There was even steak sauce on the steak, and I made sure I got every bit that I could. Finally, we had dessert, a tiny scoop of peach ice cream with a small bowl of yellow custard that had a layer of hard sugar on top. There were also some small slices of kiwi and one lone grape. After that we were served tea or coffee, depending on what we'd expressed a preference for, and my tea (a red, I believe) was delicious without me needing to add sugar or cream.

Through the dinner, the teachers got up one by one to make little speeches--I think they were the new teachers, although "new" is an experience that teachers in Japan deal with often. Most Japanese teachers are rotated among local schools every three or so years. Depending on their specialty, they might stay only in JHS or ES schools, but they could end up bounced back and forth between. I was also told by a JTE (a junior high school Japanese Teacher of English) that if a teacher's assignment includes a subject they're not strong on, like music or sports, other teachers can help them, or the school can bring in a part-time teacher to fill in the gap. So even if some teachers are "new" one year, they probably won't be new for long, and it's likely that within a few years they'll be "new" again.

I was asked to make a speech, also, and since I didn't know what anyone else had said, I just told them that moving to Japan could have been scary but all the teachers at Koya have made it a warm, positive experience. Which is completely true. The principal and vice-principal at Koya are both wonderfully down-to-earth people, and the atmosphere flows downward. The general atmosphere at Koya is professional but relaxed, and I think the reason the Koya teachers don't feel a need to go crazy at an enkai is because they're very good at keeping it real while at work.

It's still a bit difficult to hold a conversation when you can only interject occasional Japanese words and have to watch your speaking so everyone can understand it, but I enjoy talking with my co-workers. I've also learned that if you eat really slowly, you can always have something to do when the conversation turns all-Japanese and you're only catching on through the occasional word and everyone's gesturing. It's a good listening exercise, though, so I really don't mind.

One distressing thing I found out is that my co-workers only have five days off in August. I've got nearly the whole month, plus some "workdays" in July that are practically PTO unless I'm called in to do something. It makes me feel really bad--these wonderful people work incredibly hard and stay jovial through it, and I think they deserve a long vacation to recover from educating the nation's youth.

All in all, though, it was a really nice night, and it made my Friday night feel like I'd gotten a head start on the weekend. It was also a nice distraction from the fact that I slammed the corner of my car into a tree that morning, putting a nice little dent into it... something I will document and deal with at a later time that is not this moment right now.

On a final note, I've also promised to make American chili for my co-workers at Koya, and I am so excited about it. They probably won't eat as much as American co-workers would, so I should only need to double my original recipe, and this time I'm gonna add a bit of spice or else it won't be real chili. I love cooking, and feeding people is how I demonstrate affection (my family doesn't ask "Are you hungry?" we ask "What do you want to eat?") so I'm stoked to be able to bring something in for Koya.

the spice factor

Where have I been? What have I been up to? Who cares, I'm back, and I'm here to tell you about spicy food in Japan.

Now, I haven't been to every restaurant in Japan, nor have I tried every food the country has to offer. Based on some observations and what I've been told, however, I'm starting to think spicy food (actual spicy food) is a mostly foreign concept in Japan.

Last week, for lunch, my kids and I were served curry. As the third graders at my table tucked in, I noticed that the girl in the corner kept fanning her mouth after every bite. I thought, "Oh, the food is still too hot." But then the girl to my right began fanning her mouth as well, and since she knew the word in English for it, she explained to me, "Spicy!"

I was flabberghasted. Yes, the curry had a spice factor. But most Americans would consider it mild. These kids were acting like it was a few steps up from mild. They were drinking milk after almost every bite. I finished the whole bowl before I thought, "Yeah, I could use some milk to wash it down." This wasn't make-your-lips-tingle spicy. It was more, "Oh, hey, this food is spicy."

Fast forward to tonight, when I am finally opening my "Chili Powder" in preparation to make chili. Cautiously, I shake some chili powder onto my hand and taste it, so I know how much I should add. I taste chili pepper, and I wait a moment for the spiciness to kick in.

It doesn't. This product is labeled "Chili Powder" and has pictures of hot red chilies on the front. It tastes like chili peppers, but all the spiciness has been removed from it.

Oh, Japan. Your idea of spicy is adorable.

I'm probably going to have to buy real chili powder from Costco to give this chili a real kick. I don't like "melt-your-tongue" spicy, but come on, chili isn't chili without some fire.

And so the adventures in Japan continue.

i left my heart in taipei

I'm going to level with everyone reading this, as well as myself: I fucking miss Taipei. I don't miss my boss, but I miss Taipei like whoa. I miss the MRT. I miss the buses. I miss the food, the fashion, the insanity of cars and scooters in the streets. I miss street performers in Ximen and fruit for sale in the markets of Xinzhuang. I miss the adorable cafes of Da'an and the walls of accessories in the shops of Shida Night Market. I miss Coda cafe with its expensive food and walls of used books for sale. I miss the incredible graffiti on the walls of Ximen side streets, the bike trails of Danshui, the shaved ice on hot nights and bowls of noodles in an unknown orange broth in a cramped Thai restaurant in Gongguan. I miss getting hideously lost in Wu-Fen-Pu but being amazed by the fashion there none-the-less.

I miss the tea. I miss the endless wifi. I miss the cafe culture, where you could hang around practically anywhere using the cafe's wifi as long as you kept buying food or drinks. I miss street vendors selling cheap food from carts and running from the police when the flashing scooters come through on a sweep. I miss big crowds of people around random noodle shops because everyone has to eat noodles at this one noodle shop because it's famous for... something.

I miss Taipei.

And the thing is, I never intended to go there. I had to Google Taiwan when I was offered a job there. I had no idea what I was walking into. But I fell in love with it. I fell in love with Mandarin, too, insane voice-defying language full of a million slightly-different-sibilant-sounds that it is. I miss hearing plain-old Mandarin being spoken in regular conversation.

I have to go back. Whether it's for a week or another year, I need to return. Japan is my first love, but Taipei has definitely stolen my heart, and I feel that now that I've finally achieved my dream of Japan, I'm more capable of loving Taiwan for what it is. Sometime--maybe this year, maybe next--I'm going to visit Taiwan and immerse myself in it one more time.