Just Another JET Blog

My friend Hee-Young was in Japan for a few days and we decided to meet up in Kobe for two days to see each other (and Kobe). This meant that I finally learned how to look up and understand train schedules on my own. I also got to use the shinkansen (bullet train) for the first time since I first came to this country. The shinkansen is as awesome as I remember. Turns out that 200kmph is pretty fast.

The Board of Education was kind enough to pay for half of my trip out there because I was required to have a meeting out in Gifu on the Friday. Thanks Board! Hee Young and I only met up at 4:00 on Saturday so I spent most of that day wandering around Kobe Hyogo looking at shrines and a giant Daibutsu (Giant Budha).

On the way back from the Daibutsu I saw a little girl staring at me on the train. I did my usual maneuver, which is to send her a smile, which she returned. Then she whispered something to her mother, who whispered something back. A new word is learned and she says to me shyly, “hello”. I say “hello” back. This is all normal so far, but this is where things change. Then her mother turns to me, and in perfect English asks me where I’m from, what I’m doing in Kobe and other small talk. The pair of them are from Hokkaido, and we talk for 2 minutes before the train arrives at the station and we part ways. The girl waves goodbye to me and I wave back. I walk down the stairs… the girl races down a different set of stairs so that she gets to the bottom first and waves goodbye to me again. I wave again. I turn the corner. She runs ahead to the exit. Waves goodbye again. I wave goodbye again. I leave the train station, but then remember that I wanted to go out the other exit. I turn around and there she is. She runs up and hugs my legs. Another day in Japan.

This is the second time I’ve met someone from Hokkaido and they’re two for two for being the most pleasant people to meet. Much later on, when I got back to Takayama I’d meet another while eating a hamburger at Center 4. We chatted for about an hour in Japanese and English and we agreed to shoot some pool on Friday. So, I guess they’re three for three now. I want to go to Hokkaido.

Anyways, Hee Young got a little a little lost on the way to Kobe and ended up at Sannomiya station a bit late. I had reserved her a room at the same hotel I was at, so we checked her in (although I got lost once on the way to hotel) and admitted to each other that we were very very hungry. I also admitted to her that when I was telling Japanese friends that she was coming to Japan I accidentally used the word for “Prison” instead of “Korea” (Prison = Kangoku. Korea = Kankoku). A note to other people learning Japanese out there that this is an important difference.

Kobe is famous for its beef, so we wandered around. Looking for a restaurant but found that the prices for one piece of it were from 50 to 100 dollars. We eventually gave up and asked a group of young people for a restaurant recommendation. They were DELIGHTED to help us. Suddenly taxis are being summoned and they walk us to a busy road where 7 different taxis are called for us until one of the drivers knows the restaurant. Hee Young thought they were drunk, and she might be right, but they were also incredibly good natured. They also were all dressed up like they came from a wedding. The restaurant? When we got there it was completely full and no wait time was available. We ended up at just a regular Japanese restaurant after all. I did get to eat some pretty good udon curry.

After eating we took a train to the popular Kobe Harbor Land. We took a ride on a ferris wheel there to see the sights of the city (pictures will be going up on facebook). It was beautiful. A different beauty than Tokyo at night, but beautiful all the same. After a quick beer (and lots of picture taking) the day was over.

On Sunday we got up early and went to the foreign houses section of Kobe. It’s an area of Kobe that many former ambassadors and consulates used to live in. It features various styles of European housing in a very small area, like a miniature theme park. I got to try some nice strong tasting Austrian ale at the Austrian house while Hee Young drank Austrian strawberry wine. After that, we went to the Dutch house where I was convinced to put on some Dutch clothing with Hee Young to have our pictures taken together. Wooden shoes hurt a lot, especially if they’re too small for you. While posing together like the lovely Dutch couple we looked like we were various passerbys snapped pictures of us too. So now there are more pictures of me in silly outfits out there for the world to view.

After checking out the houses we went back to Harbour Land for lunch and then parted ways. I walked back up to Shin-Kobe, and was only a shinkansen and two bus rides away from home. I wish Canada had public transit as good as Japan!

One final note. I arrived at school today and found out that all the students seemed to know about my Tokyo trip a few weeks ago (through various students spotting me at various times) as well as the fact that I went to a bar on Thursday. I wonder what they all know sometimes….

Thing I love most about Japan today: Kobe, Hokkaidoians(?), and shinkansen.

Thing I miss most about Canada: Everyone not knowing everything about me.

May 12^th.

Well, it’s been almost exactly a month since I last told you all what I was up to. Looking back on my last post… I was even still cheering for the Senators… which shows just how long it has really been. There have been at least four major events since we last talked:

First one’s a quickie. For those of you who didn’t read it on facebook, Aiko and I broke up but remain on good terms as friends.

Second one is the legendary Furukawa festival! I attended and witnessed as nearly naked men climb on up giant poles, balance themselves on their stomaches at the top, and twirl around on it as their drunken friends swayed the pole back and forth. No casualties that I know of. There was also a massive blitz for a drum as about a dozen teams of Japanese men competed to touch? a drum that was being carried by some others. That’s the best I can do to explain it because that’s the best that I understand it.

The Gurukawa festival also featured several of my students apparently doing shishi (lion?) dances and getting drunk. Although I only saw them sober and have only heard second hand from teachers about the other part.

Moving on to the probable candidate for highlight of the last month would be my involvement in the Kamioka festival. I basically just had to drink a bunch of sake and eat food. Then, put on some white clothes and push a float filled with JR. High School girls for a while. And then I drank more sake. Easy enough right? Well, my involvement was noteworthy enough to get my picture in the paper (twice actually!) and have a nice write up about me which included a few lies. They rounded my 193 cm height up to a full two meters to make me seem even taller. Apparently my clothing and shoes were also specially made for a sumo wrestler in the past. I don’t know if that part is true or not to be honest, since they just gave it to me on that day. I did have to special order in my own “tabi” (Japanese style socks) to fit my 29 cm feet. The festival was 2 or 3 weeks ago, and I still have people showing me my picture in the newspaper. People were friendly before… but now everyone comes up and talks to me everywhere in Kamioka it seems. George and Erin even came out to cheer me on at the festival. Thanks guys!

Later that night, Will, Dan, and I checked out the night portion of the festival. This featured “drunken” (or possibly just acting drunk) Japanese men carrying a very expensive portable shrine which held their Shinto god.

A third and truly exciting event was that two weeks ago was Golden Week (or Green week as they now like to call it) in Japan which means a 4 day holiday for everyone (including ATM machines). I was in Tokyo with George, Carol, Fiona, Alex (a friend of Carol’s), Becky and Alison (both friends of George’s out from England). Highlights? Roppongi hills tower at night. An absolutely jaw-dropping view of Tokyo. Me, without a camera. The tower also featured a collection of previous winners of the Turner prize (art). The art in no way could compete with Tokyo at night. I went into the tower exhausted and a little tired of Tokyo… but came out supercharged to stay in Tokyo for years. Rent for an apartment with a view like that everyday costs about as much a month as I get paid a year. It’s filled with all the greatest stars in Japan (apparently). But I know what I want now. I want an apartment with that view.

Other notable points of the trip was a visit to Firehouse, where Gaku from Center 4 Hamburgers learned how to cook hamburgers. There was also a trip to Akehabara, which was so overflowing with Otaku-ness (geek-ness) that I couldn’t stand being there for more than 10 minutes. We also took a ride on the roller coaster that goes through Tokyo Dome (only a 90 minute wait!). In one of the parks we found two neo-nazis posing for pictures with kids (don’t ask). In Roppongi we were harassed to go into bars by some huge Nigerian bouncers, whose job it is to apparently scare people into the bars that employee them (didn’t work on us). Shibuya was cool, and I found a new pair of shoes in my size. Turns out I can get whatever I want in Tokyo. We also stayed at the Sakura Youth Hostel, which was fantastic. At 30 dollars a night, it cut the cost of our trip exponentially. It also has cheap beer, cheap food, free Dominoes delivery (ALRIGHT!!), and a staff that is entirely fluent in English! It’s in Asakusa and just a stone’s throw away from Senso-ji temple! However, Japan also proved that it ain’t really all that big since any number of my students saw me throughout the Tokyo adventure.

One final note is that I got my haircut at a new place today and I believe it’s the greatest I’ve ever received. It was also the first time that a guy cut my hair since I was 8 years old.

One final final note is that a place in Takayama has been discovered that plays LIVE music EVERY SATURDAY! I’ve gone twice so far. Mind was blown both times. This last time featured a dude from Nagoya who did a BETTER THAN CLAPTON Clapton cover. Perfect English (at least when he was singing. When we talked to him later his English went down a few steps from what we thought). And I’ve never seen such great footwork while playing guitar… while sitting. Another band was like a Japanese Dire Straits. The lead singer was out of control, cussing out his band and the audience. His hit song is the Japanese word for “Prostitute”. He saw us in the bar and asked us if we knew what it meant.

One last last thing. I’ve been rededicating myself to studying Japanese with all the success I’ve experienced recently with my little knowledge of it. I’ve also been toying with moving to Tokyo for a 3^rd year in Japan. Don’t get angry Mom! I haven’t decided to do it yet! (and Happy Mother’s Day yesterday).

Thing I love most about Japan today: Tokyo at night. Live music. Awesome haircuts! Everything!!

Thing I miss most about Canada: Big open basements, and bars that are bigger than apartments.