Pre-school

Spilled yogurt on pants, teacher wants me to be independent, vomit on another child's bib, an upset stomach, 5 times to the toilet only to wet himself as we're finally ready to go outside, he's forgotten his fork, he won't eat his lunch, she won't put on shoes, they won't listen, they don't want to go to the park, they cry and cry, she sleeps at dismissal every day, mothers want explanations, fathers want a checklist to measure success... they are 3 years old.

This is my daily experience and it is no wonder I come home and take a 2 hour nap every day.

Some how though... she smiles brilliantly and asks "Why?", he crouches and becomes a lion, he says "please", and "it's only ok for teachers to scream" (!), she rolls her eyes to the sky and laughs, he makes a tunnel through my legs, he makes me a sandy icecream cone, they say goodmorning Miss Kate, they say "Mommy will be happy," and give eachother smiles.

This is also my daily experience and it helps me to come back to school each morning.

Time in a Bottle

The number one question Japanese friends ask me is, "Why did you come to Japan?" and, for that, I have several generic answers. 1) I loved Japanese food 2) I wanted to know more about Japanese culture 3) I wanted to travel and I had the opportunity to go to Japan. All of these things are true but, the more I think about it, the less clear my true intentions become. The number one comment my friends in America make to me is "You're so brave to move to Japan." But really, I came to Japan to just run away from the alternative... settling down. Now, as I creep closer to 30, I find myself wistfully looking at my married friends, or soon to be married friends, and wondering how I got so far from that life. Sometimes Japan seems like Never Never land. You're a kid in a candy shop and then, suddenly, you look up at the calendar and 3 years have passed. It's not so rare to meet people like me. We come to Japan to experience something new, teach English, and then get sucked into the easy life. Hate your job? Quit! There's bound to be another English teaching job around the bend. Then there's the matter of transportation... nothing could be easier (I realized this when I went back home for a month this summer and rode the subways in New York) My passion, playing music and writing songs, has taken off here and now it's gotten so busy I have to turn down gigs. I wonder if it would be more brave to move back to the U.S. and start all over again? Is that just me running away from committments again? This has been the question on my mind recently but it couldn't have come at a worse time. I am in a good relationship with a great Japanese guy, I finally found a well-paying honest school to work for, and my band is going to release an album on a Japanese label in a few months. It sounds like life couldn't be better but still I get stuck in the doldrums when I feel time slipping away. I'm sure it's a mixture of homesickness, stress, and crappy weather but these thoughts don't ever seem to be too far from my thoughts. The thought of living a cookie cutter life scares the hell out of me but so does taking the unbeaten path. I suppose I should stop analyzing and measuring where I should be at this stage in my life but, as a woman, it's impossible not to notice all the weddings and baby showers or keep from wondering when is it my turn? or, more accurately, when will I be ready for that?

a letter to a friend

Hi there kerr bear,
first of all I am genki (that means I'm fine) I'm living in a tiny space with Makoto and all my stuff is still in boxes and hidden away in places I can't find. We are hoping to move into a house that we found (it comes with a piano!) but the one big downfall is a little thing called "key money" that the Japanese dreamed up to make people go completely broke when moving into new digs. Key money is like a 1.5 month deposit that you never ever get back and it's usually accompanied by a 2 months deposit as well (which you do get back but still, your checking account is pretty slammed when you take out all that money at once)

I'm working now as a preschool teacher at *********** (which is approximately a 15 minute bike ride from my old apartment, and a 1 hour commute from where I live now...) My kids are 4 and 5 and way too smart for their own good.. cheeky brats. 7 of the kids are Japanese and 1 girl is Australian.. my heart goes out to her because the other kids arent the nicest to her.. but she's a survivor

Music is going really well. The band sounds better and better and Lindsay and I are recording our debut album at the moment. We have an indie label called Contrarede putting out our cd but we have yet to sign any contract and the album is almost finished.. we'll see how that goes! Makoto and his band want to come to the US in August but they really want to see the great midwest. I've been there, done that, and I really want to see my family and friends so get ready! I sent in an audition demo to play the Fuji Rock festival (on a tiny stage of course) so I'm waiting to hear if we got in. If we do, I'll be heading home after the festival. If not, I'll be heading home by mid July until mid August. It's not enough time but I'll take what I can get.

I took a yoga class on Sunday and I'm still feeling it today (Wednesday) so I think I'm going to keep going. I need to get in shape if I want to be a rockstar right.
I miss you like crazy kiddo. I hope you find a good job and that you can be boss of the world. I'd work for you.
Love you love you love you
Kate

Oji-chan

Well, it's taken me about 20 years but I've finally regained my belief in Santa Claus. Did you know he's a Japanese octogenarian? Sitting in the priority seating section of the train I was next to 3 little girls who were hiding smiles behind their fingers and peaking at me now and then. I was absorbed in Paul Auster's The Red Notebook (love it so far) and didn't notice the tiny wrinkly man approaching. To my left was a very slim fashionable mother of two young children who were clinging to her legs. Deep in the pages of my book I was totally zoned out after a full day of teaching. I heard a grunting noise and when I looked up I saw that the old man was motioning for the 3 girls to move over and make space. I thought, being that this was the priority seating part of the train, he was trying to tell us young whipper snappers that we should make space for him, a deserving priority passenger who should be sitting there (injured people, the elderly, pregnant women, and parent's with small children). Instead, when the girls moved over, he motioned to the mother with the two small children that they should sit. Of course there was only about enough space for the tiny boy alone. I jumped to my feet, realizing my rudeness, and offered my seat to his older sister. The ojisan (old man) smiled at me and said "Thank you" in English. The little girls looked at him like they had been chastised for taking up space until he pulled some sticks of chewing gum out of his pocket and offered a piece to each child on the bench seat. The girls thanked him graciously, unwrapped their treat, and popped it into their mouths. When they reached their destination, they thanked him again and left the train. Oji-chan (grandfather) turned to me and motioned that I should sit down. "Daijoubu desu" (it's alright) I replied though, at this point, more seats had cleared and I ended up sitting across from Oji-chan and the little boy and girl. He started to engage them in conversation and the children's shy expressions soon turned into laughter and chatter. I couldn't help but smile. That experience was my piece of gum for the day.

Inspire and hold it...

I’ve been spending some time in clinics these days. Not the mental ones, they don’t seem to have many of those in Japan or so I’ve heard, the medical ones. I think it’s the novelty of actually having health insurance again in my life. Even though I pay for it myself, it’s still a whole lot cheaper than in the states. Yeah, ok, the bedside manner here isn’t always the best.. I had one doctor actually ask me what I wanted him to do during my health check up... but I did have 2 wisdom teeth pulled (and got the drugs too man) for a measley 5,000yen (that’s about 50 USD). My dentist was completely shocked when I told him to pull out both of those suckers at the same time. It seems that, in Japan, they like to pull one out at a time so you can chew on the other side of your face (ha!) The sound of having them yanked was much worse than the pain. I’ll have to remember that when I go to get the last one pulled this summer.
Last week was the annual "Kate completely loses her voice for a few days and then gets a husky new one for a few more days" event. I knew I was done for when I was doing my trial lesson at a kindergarten where I was interviewing. Somewhere between music time and art project time my voice left me and didn’t return in time to get the phone call telling me I’d gotten the job (whoo hoo!) I was afraid to pick up the phone because all I could do was whisper. Finally I went to my doctor who gave me some more drugs.. 3 different kinds!
This morning I went to yet another clinic for the school’s mandatory physical. Miss Etsuko from the school came along with me to interpret and she was lucky to see not just one, but both of my cupcakes when the nurse nonchalantly lifted my shirt to check my breathing. How’s that for bonding with coworkers! Later I got to flash my boobs a few more times as they attached an EKG-thangy. Atleast there will be no question that I’m healthy.. in fact.. the doctor said I have the blood vessels of a 24 year old! Wowzers! it’s miniskirts and pumps for me this Spring! Finally it was time to do an x-ray to check anything else they may have missed during the other exams. The doctor told me to "inspire and hold it for a few moments" while he pushed the button to take the x-ray. "Ok, now INSPIRE!" The sweet man, of course, meant to say "inhale" but I didn’t have the heart to tell him and anyway, it was pretty inspiring just to hear him say it.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch Changes...

The end of February and most of March have been a blur. I'm sitting in my room in Sangenjaya with boxes and dust bunnies piled up around me... wondering how this will all fit into Makoto's tiny apartment (minus the dust bunnies I hope). Seems like I'm always trying to pack "the stuff" in my life to fit into yet another smaller space. I wasn't born with nomadic skills.. only a nomadic spirit. I find that the less material stuff I have, the freer I feel but somehow I can't manage to unload it all. I've started with little pieces.. giving away the very cute striped dress to Ya-chan and the excellent books I've already read to Linzer.

Two days ago I said goodbye to Tanya and I'm feeling pretty bummed about it. She's my friend I can bitch to without regret because she knows she can bitch to me too. I am happy that she's going to be experiencing many new adventures in New York and I know I'll see her there before I know it.. but I'm still sad just the same. My Japan is ever-changing with every friend who comes and goes.

A few weeks ago I finished working at a language school. There were good times and bad times but, overall, I was happy there. I loved my students and the friends I made. I decided I wouldn't settle for anything other than amazing this time around. This morning I signed a contract with Komazawa Park International School and I'll be teaching 4-5 year old children. These kids are from various countries and I'm psyched to be teaching something other than English. Psyched as I am, I'm still a little nervous about the newness of everything. New apartment, new job, new new new. It's funny how all of these changes are happening with the onset of spring. I can't wait for Sakura season!

Lindsay and I went into the studio to record our album. I'm really proud of what we've done so far and I can't wait to hear the finished product. We are being supported by the Contrarede record label and the manager is the nicest person. He invited us over for dinner cooked by his lovely wife yesterday. Unfortunately I have laryngitis and all I could do was bark and whisper. I sound like a 60 year old chain smoker. For some reason most people seem to think that is sexy.

Invitation

I'm an invitation to drama
a silent sealed envelope
irresistible for tearing
unstuck glue and shredded address
I wish to be returned or given
carefully steamed and secret
unharmed with enclosures intact
but changing so many hands
grabbed and passed around
the address is illegible
I'd like to sit between pages
an open book
gentle hands
or even flame

My Target Deer

Year of the Rat 2008

Can it be that the last blog I wrote was in November? I used to take time to write a lot more. I'm more of an ink on paper kind of girl though.. I know, excuses excuses. At times I feel sick of trying to put everything in a tangible form, be it photos or blogs. I know that I will be forever grateful to be able to look back and see where I've been and remember how clueless about the future I was (and forever will be). I never thought I'd be in Japan so long and now I'm contemplating extending my stay even more. My life isn't glamorous and I don't think it ever will be. I know some folks back home may think the contrary simply because I'm living in a place as exotic as Tokyo. Tokyo has lost it's shiny new sheen for me though and it's been replaced with something a little deeper. Maybe this is why the blogs are slowing down. I no longer find the quirky wonders awaiting on every undiscovered corner that once were so abundant but this place feels more and more like a home. This tears me apart because I have another home on the distant shores of New Jersey and I love my family and friends there so much. I love my friends here so much too which makes it hard to imagine leaving this place. I enter 2008 with lots of energy wanting to be directed into something. On January 4th, Makoto and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary of our first date by going to Asakusa. A sea of shiny haired heads lead us up to the shrine where I tossed my 5 yen coin and made my wish for the new year. We pulled our fortunes out of tiny drawers... Good Fortune. The strangely apropos paper said, "Red clouds move and cover your way, and sign of being fortunate is always on your way. An arrow you shoot always gets a target, everything you do will get quite well. Your target deer runs far away thousands miles ahead, so you should watch the direction of your arrow. Nobody knows that a deer will run away so far. You should not have an excessive desire."

I've been saying for years that I want to "make it" with my music without having any idea what that means. When will I know I've "made it?" Is there anything, besides lack of money, stopping me from doing all that I want to with my music? My hope for this new year is that I learn what it is that I want from life, truly, and that I direct my gaze toward that arrow I'm flinging out there into the world. I'd also like to recapture the little wonders in my day to day life and express them with music, art, laughter... I hope that my family and friends who may or may not read this will also start this new year with hope and a desire to live life incredibly.

Throwing beans at the sky on a sunny day...

There were butterflies in my stomach... I've done this a hundred times at least but the butterflies start their fluttering when I start to doubt myself. "This place is too nice." "No one is coming to see me play tonight." "I'll disappoint the organizer and they'll never let me back." "I hope I don't mess up." Sometimes the language barrier is a safe place to hide. Just smile and say sorry. A lonely chair beckoned me... sound check... clear... my fingers stuttered. I was first in line. Crispy Creams waited in the back room... real musicians meditated. I spoke to the young girl who was really a real woman disguised as a willowy delicate flower. I had no idea what power drove her but I would witness it later when she took the stage... but first, it was my turn. The screen rolled up, I cleared my throat and began. Soon it was over. I remember I hit the notes, I fulfilled my part of the bargain... no musical mistakes but plenty of verbal ones. Sunday is not Doyobi... it's Nichiyobi. The weather is cold, not fine. But, all in all I returned to the sitting room shining. Next up, two water nymphs skipped out to greet the mass of people who collected at the chairs and tables. They giggled, strummed, pouted, and, at times, almost burst into tears. They pranced away and then the young woman took the stage. "I can't believe she's so composed!" "How does she know all this about life?" "Where does that deep woman voice come from?" "I'm happy I went on first." My butterflies came back fluttering their nonsense but for a different reason. This was music from the core... uninhibited.. sharply accurate... but warm enough to make you resonate with it. I'm not sure where I fit or how old my soul is but I know that I am an eternal student. As I thanked the people who DID come to see me and the man who made it all possible I smiled at him and said in Japanese something like,"Thank you for the food." Another verbal mistake (I had meant to say Otsukare sama deshita... (well done) but possibly this was more truthful after all.

A North American in Northern Japan

Hokkaido

camera phone pictures of Hokkaido


Dear Diary,

What's new? How are you? How is the family? Anything special happen recently? Well, I had a pretty busy month in October and there seems to be no sign of stopping. I had a brief respite a few weeks ago this past Halloween. My beau and I took off nice and early on a jet plane to remote, quiet, natural Hokkaido... all the things that Tokyo is not. We needed a vacation from the crowded trains and air pollution. Upon seating myself in 22J* I realized "doh!" that I left my camera** back at home. I was resigned to the fact that I'd have to use my camera phone to visually record the wonders of Hakodate, Esashi, Onuma, and all the winding roads and fish markets in between. Despite that minor set back (turns out my phone's camera isn't too bad), Hokkaido turned out to be the perfect escape. This was mostly due to the fact that no thinking was required at all throughout the entire trip. That was mostly due to Makoto's powers of planning... powers that I was, sadly, born without. The flight, 3 hotels, rental car, and most of our meals were included in our Hokkaido vacation "pack" and it all came to about $350 per person. This is a deal that you definitely have to be Japanese to know about. An airport staff member drove us to pick up our car. Once in the car, a voice said "Konnichiwa" and promptly told us today's date and time. The attractive digital hostess on the GPS screen greeted us and asked us where we wanted to go. Makoto pushed a few buttons and our map to Esashi was charted out for us including the estimated time we'd arrive. Bless Japan and its ever astounding technology!
*not really my seat number ** not really my camera, it's on loan from Nic

The drive was beautiful from the start. Hokkaido was dressed in full autumn colors...all visible from the road. We wound through mountains and down into valleys. It was as if I'd never seen trees changing colors before although I grew up in Northeastern North America where we're no stranger to reds, oranges, browns, and golds. There just aren't enough trees or fresh air in Tokyo to satisfy my autumnal needs. We stopped in Esashi, ate some soba, and then found a little island called Kamome Island (Seagull Island). Looking down into the light blue green water, we saw dozens of sea urchin ("uni")... Hokkaido is known for its fresh uni... I'm not a fan though it wasn't terrible. The water was so clear and pools of ocean water gathered in the rocks. I saw brilliant blue and orange starfish, hermit crabs, and barnacles. Makoto and I took off exploring in different directions but met up again at the top of a cliff. There was a wide open field and a lighthouse. After frolicking in the autumn mist, we climbed down about 200 stairs, passed a quaint cottage, an old stooped grandma burning leaves, and a lonely looking dog. Makoto bought some ika (squid) and hokke (white fish) and we both bought some hotate (scallops) to eat on the go.

Hotel Toyako Manseikaku, our destination for day 1, was surrounded by gorgeous trees in full color and sat next to the pristine lake Toyako. The skinny bellhop was eager to carry our bulky bags to our room. As we stood in our tatami hotel room, the bellhop went through a litany of directions and invitations (I smiled, nodded, and grunted occasionally to show I understood though my thoughts were wandering) bowed respectfully several times and continued bowing while backing out of the door. Again, Makoto and I parted ways as we mosied down to the onsen baths (mineral hot spring baths). Sinking into the water was incredible! It was night time and this outside bath was adjacent to a pond. I peered into the dark shadows deepened by the lamps dotting the shore. The more I stared, the more I imagined shapes moving in the dark behind the trees. It was eerie but my little nightmares were put to rest when two ruddy obachans (grandmas) entered the bath and began their noisy but welcome chatter. A moment of "true Japan". That night we opened our hotel window to the crisp night air...we could hear the repetitious tinkling music of the lake ferry boat's music. It was reminiscent of the ice cream trucks of my youth. Anyway, we waited and waited and were finally awarded with a spectacular fireworks show over the lake. We could see everything from our hotel window. This first hotel was my favorite of the whole trip. The second day, we took advantage of the baths one more time before leaving for our next adventure. This particular bath was right on Lake Toyako. I sat in the outside bath looking out over a pond and gazing down at the koi (carp) swimming slowly and languorously several feet below my fingers.

"Good morning! Today is Thursday November 1st. Where would you like to go?" Our friendly bodacious digital navigator greeted us as we fastened our seat belts. Next stop was Usuzan (Mt. Usu). It was cold a rainy but we rode slowly over the tops of trees on a cable car to the top of the beast anyway. We were the only people up there in the middle of hell. It was a kind of hell that you'd like to visit though. The steam rose up and mingled with the fog bearing down on the mountain. It seemed timeless and ancient but this mountain is just a wee baby in terms of large rock formations. Only about 80 years ago a volcano burst up from underground and created the huge mound we stood on. Scary to think about. I imagined having the earth explode beneath my feet. I don't know that I'll ever trust the ground again since I've moved to Japan.
After conquering Usuzan we made our way back down the mountain and into the Toyota Carola, popped some Joanna Newsom (one of 3 cds I had with me.. the others being American Highlights bluegrass and a mix by Megumi) into the cd player. The road took us to a secretive onsen off the beaten track and finally to Onuma Quasi National Park. There, we walked in the crisp air admiring the colorful trees and the strangely peaked mountain that is Onuma. Here, my memory gets a little hazy and my fingers a little lazy... more onsens, delicious kani (crab), some izakaiyas aka "dive bars" (Makoto should seriously write a book about the izakaiyas of Japan.. he's visited more of them than anyone I know), nice hotels, and walking around aimlessly.. We traveled to the top of Hakodate Mountain, froze off our tookases, and took in the famous night lights of the city. Riding down the mountain in the car took some time (it's a very popular destination) so we passed the time listening to NHK radio broadcast featuring a very dated English lesson. New English phrases included "Hey Annette, let's go to the sock hop" and "Sorry Mark, dancing bores me. Studying is my only joy in life."
Our last day marked our last sip of Hokkaido milk (Makoto's "favorite part" of the whole trip he says), our last walk around Hakodate, a visit to the Ainu museum, and a dip in a local sento (public bath house). The local obachan's showed me how to cool the scalding bath water while they silently tisked tisked at my lack of soap. They saw through my charade of pretending my shaving gel was actually soap... no lather.

Summer was...

kakigori in Asakusa
heat waves and oscillating fans, aircon at night, public swimming pools, street festivals, frozen sake, misplaced bike keys, shortcuts (and longcuts) to the library, improv singing at the wine bar, street performing, Kamakura, a rainy beach party, fireworks, a night time picnic in Yoyogi, carrot cake, kakigori, japanese gardens, outdoor onsens, yaki tori, spoon markets...all over before it began.

This year in Japan is moving too quickly. I was hoping it would buy me some time before I have to make the inevitable big decisions for my future. I've never been much of a "planner" which is precisely why I've enjoyed this summer despite its brevity. I'm continually amazed by the spontaneity around me. Some of the best moments in the past few months have been unplanned.. impossible to reproduce again. Thus, I've been a slacker with the blogging. I've taken lots of photos though so I'm stickin em up here in place of my words because you know what they say about pictures and how many words they're worth. (Summer Photos)

Awadori Festival, Koenji

Summer Fireworks, Futako Tamagawa

Summer Time

Birthday #27

It's the eve of the eve of my 27th birthday. The birthday week began yesterday when my phone rang. It was Makoto saying that he was almost at my apartment. I asked, "should I wait for you downstairs?" and he replied "yes." Upon opening the door, I was pleasantly surprised to find my favorite Nihonjin already standing outside my door holding an orange rose. Once again Makoto has proven just how well he knows me by giving me an ORANGE rose and not one of the classic red variety. Since dinner reservations were made for two hours later we passed our time playing dress up... I dressed up and he patiently commented on my choices. I changed my shirt about 5 or 6 times (I have so many clothes and nothing to wear) before Makoto said, "sono jitsu..." As I was completely perplexed as usual when presented with most words in Japanese, he whipped out his handy dandy cell phone dictionary to look up the English translation.... "In fact," he continued "I have something for you to wear." This "something" was a blue silky button-down shirt with white daisies on it. He explained that this was the style of shirt that he thinks looks "cool." I thought I looked like a grandma in it but was charmed nonetheless and decided to wear it to dinner.

The restaurant he took me to is called "Tofu Yaukai" (there was some kanji so this may be a little wrong). It's a gorgeous wooden structure with dozens of fountains and impeccable Japanese gardens. The place is designed to make you feel like you and your date (or family of 6) are the only ones there. I only noticed the family of 6 because the children ran through the gardens screaming like banshees... this, however, only added to the charm. Each table is in its own room which looks out into the central garden. When the doors are opened, you can hear the hum of the cicadas and the trickling of fountains (and the screaming of banshees). We also had a view of a spindly spider tirelessly winding and winding its dinner plate. I tested its strength by throwing a bit of tempora crumb into it. The spider pounced on it, checked it out, decided it was not edible for a spider, and flicked it off its web... once again, its trap was invisible. Unlike the spider, my plate was constantly replenished. I counted about 7 or 8 courses of tofu, soup, tempura, sashimi, rice, sake, dessert... each course looked so tiny and perfect but I could barely move by the end of the night... onaka ga ippai deshita! (I was full) I don't know how it's done but Japanese food is magically nourishing and fulfilling. It reminds me of a tiny clown car with an endless line of passengers streaming out of it... but much more elegant of course. Speaking of courses.. I've uploaded pictures from dinner here.

Onsen

It's amazing how feelings of inadequacy, jealousy, and bad luck can melt away simply by immersing yourself in a tub of hot water. Today I locked up my work clothes and lingering bad mood in locker number 22111, donned a too-tight rented bathing suit and padded out to the outdoor communal onsen bath (an onsen, for those who don't know, is a Japanese bath). This particular bath is located in Futako Tamagawa and is most unusual. My dear Makoto spent a good 15 minutes trying to explain to me that, yes, you CAN wear your bathing suit in this onsen. At most traditional onsens you must remove every stitch of clothing and scrub yourself silly before you dare setting foot in its mineral goodness. After the bathing suit thing finally clicked it was easy for me to sink into the bubbly waters with my good friends Makoto, Aki, and Sakurai.. all men. Onsen with men! It was a first for me but my breath-denying bathing suit covered me up modestly. I couldn't help but feel a little jealous of Aki, stretched out like a Greek sleeping satyr along side of the bath without having to contend with constricting nylon gathering in folds of skin and squishing out the not so firm bits. To put it not so poetically.. getting older sucks.. take notes my fresh faced 15 year olds. Anyway, this isn't what I meant to share. Did I mention that you could drink beer in the baths?!? pure bliss after a day of correcting English grammar.

After the communal outdoor bath, I wandered inside to take part in the more traditional onsen. I washed and then sunk into the steaming water... my skin wrinkled up like a pickled plum (ume boshi). I rejoined the boys downstairs for some more beer and snacks and then I took a little nap on the softest couch ever. After Sakurai and Aki left, Makoto and I sat on the tatami mats and smiled at a little baby boy who was flirting with us. Our mutual amusement had a lasting impression on my mood and I felt like I was exactly where the universe intended me to be. When we finally got up to leave the little babe, who was being diapered by a patient mommy, let out a gleeful shreik in our direction... what a marvelous little creature!

Makoto and I, slightly buzzed and hungry for real food, decided that a trip to Futako Tamagawa wasn't complete without a visit to Midori Sushi. We waited about 30 minutes but it was worth it. The toro (fatty tuna) was incredible and I didn't even wince when I ate the uni (sea urchin). I'll be paying both the onsen and Midori atleast two more visits when Kim and Kerry come to Japan in September.

Bridges

Walking through Harajuku.. it seems like everyone is dancing. A man in black lipsyncs all the words to a Sting song, his face estatic, his body swaying... he looks a little ridiculous at the mouth of Yoyogi park with no other dancers to fill in the curvy spaces his body makes in the air. I admire him. Teen youths with black raccoon eyes, red velvet, and laces beg to be pictured but I refuse.. partly out of stubborness (I refuse to do what I am expected to do) and partly because the effort of digging through my purse for my camera seems colossal at the moment. It's me, the Linzer Cookie, my beer and a half, and pepper chips that concern me at the moment. Linzer and I pass through the gates of Yoyogi.. the Japanese greasers are there as usual but today they seem more animated, more drunk, and younger! Their hair has reached new altitudes and their numbers have grown but the song remains the same. They twist and shake drunkenly, I'm not so impressed as I was a year ago but the strange schoolgirl dancing off in the distance has caught my eye. She dances alone but is unconcerned... upon closer inspection Lindsay and I decide that she is, in fact, not a school girl but a middle aged man. Nice legs. As we reach the fountain a feeling of deja vu occurs to me. Lindsay's eyes meet mine and I know she feels the same thing. We sit by the stagnant water, drinking our "disappointment remedies" and take in our surroundings. The drum circle has become smaller and tighter, a little boy/girl in a pink shirt waves at us, some sweet little children point at us and smile, and a young woman drags her boyfriend from flower to flower admiring each petal... we imagine what people are thinking and imagine that we'll be doing the same thing when we are old cronies. "It's amazing how many akward and strange looking foreign men wind up with beautiful young Japanese girlfriends."

Slightly beyond the fountain there is a bridge. Upon crossing it, the innocent techno sounds of dance music vibrate beneath us and we dance our way across... I feel exhilerated and free!

Rainy Day

Yesterday was a rainy day so my plans for a picnic in Shinjuku Gyoen with friends were postponed. Instead, Dan and Alyssa came to my ku (my "hood"). We took a stroll through the back streets and wound up on a sweet little brick path. There were colorful decorated tiles on either side of the walkway. A stray cat slunk around avoiding my camera as he flitted from one great photo opp to another but hardly pausing long enough for me to snap a shot. Typical of a cat! I finally got one of him sitting on a shark tile but it wasn't nearly as nice as the one I could have gotten of him sitting next to a cat tile. A short time later, we came across a statue of Tanuki. He's a shape shifting character from Japanese folklore who is supposed to be a kind of raccoon dog (what!? I know, but it's what the dictionary says) This statue must have been somewhat old because it depicted his, ahem, um rather large "appendages" which are omitted from most of the more recent Tanuki statues. Look him up on wikipedia and you'll know what I mean, it's fun.

As we walked along, I had some inner sense that this path was there for a reason. I figured there would probably be some kind of neighborhood shrine up ahead and I wasn't disappointed. After about 10-15 minutes of walking, we found ourselves at the base of an Inari Shrine. At the time I had no idea what kind of shrine it was but it piqued my interest and I went home and did my research. Inari Shrines were built to pay respect to the god, Inari, who is the Kami (Shinto god) of rice. The shrine is guarded by foxes who are typically represented as the messengers of Inari. Before you arrive at the torii (orange/black/or red gates in front of the shrine) you are usually greeted by some ferocious looking statues (komainu).. usually lions or dogs. The guardians of this shrine were lions. This tree shaded area was so peaceful, I felt very calm and quiet as I looked at the various statues and paper crane offerings. I feel happy that there is something like this in my neighborhood. Good "thinking places" are hard to find.

Visions of Sancha

Before the loss of my camera, there was Chichibu.. and after, there was my keitai (cell phone) camera. I have uploaded some pictures to show you what I've been up to now and again.

I'm finally getting to a point where I feel settled in my tiny Sangenjaya room. Sangenjaya, or "Sancha" as the locals say, is becoming like home to me. I'm starting to recognize faces on the morning commute. The bakery near my subway stop continually pumps out delicious odors and I always kick myself for leaving only enough time to skate through the turnstyle and make it to the train as the doors slide open. I often curse the city planners for being so darn polite because I'm always stumbling over the raised yellow pathways which cover the sidewalks like the yellowbrick road. They're meant to help the blind.. but I've yet to see anyone make proper use of them. My neighborhood, Kamiuma (yes, the neighborhoods have names), has atleast 3 competing discount stores and each one has it's special allure. One is great for cheap beer, one stocks my favored pineapple gum, and one provides me with my veggies for a decent sum. I live about 5-10 minutes from the station and I pass 2 really unique neighborhood bars everyday, Tamagata and Junko. The proprietors could probably set their clocks based on my morning and evening passings though I doubt my passing is all that special. I think there are some gaijin (foreign) models who live nearby who are much more interesting to look at. I've been to Yamagata several times with Makoto. It's very rustic looking. They serve yakitori (meat and vegetables on sticks), Hoppy (the blue collar man's drink), and various kinds of tofu, daikon, and, Makoto's favorite, konyaku (a zero calorie jelly-like substance that is supposed to come from potatoes I think). The atmosphere is very intimate and it's a great place to chat (or mime in my case) with locals. Junko appeals to my sense of curiosity as there are no windows, the shape of the building is like a triangle, and the only feeling of welcome comes from the handmade curtain over the door which has a cat raising his paw to entice people to come in. I haven't mustered up the courage to go in yet but I will soon. Sancha is a haven for music lovers and there are many livehouses and rehearsal studios. I feel like it's the perfect place for me, being equidistant from work in Aobadai and Makoto in Ogikubo. Now if only I could import my family and friends from home over here...



Basically, I feel as though I've just only scratched the surface of the surface here and there is so much to explore. I'll have a red bicycle in a few weeks to expediate my explorations and I'm sure to be updating this here blogger now that I've got some things to say and some pictures to share.

Lazy Owl

Hello my friends, it's me again. I'm back in Japan and have been for almost 2 months now. Much has happened and yet not much has happened. Seasons are changing from a luke warm Winter to a tempermental Spring. The cherry blossoms have bloomed and tiny green leaves are poking out, sending the pale petals to the ground in a belated "snow" shower. I'll be inserting some pictures here once I manage to have a long luxurious moment... trouble is, I don't enjoy spending those rare moments on the computer. I apologize. I also only have a handful of photos taken since the unfortunate event of having my camera stolen from the site of our hanami party (Cherry blossom viewing party). Before you become too shocked "you mean there's CRIME in JAPAN!!" please understand that it was my unfortunate bad habit of tending to forget where I put things that led the future theif to my camera in the first place. In the past I've lost favorite sweat pants, sweaters, water bottles, capos, hats, toothbrushes.. you name it. This, however, is the first time I've lost something expensive... damn damn damn! I guess when I'm in Japan I become even more lax because there is very little crime here. I probably should have learned from that bicycle seat switcheroo that occurred last year. There are sticky fingers all over the world. Anyway, the optimist in me still feels that it will turn up and some good samaritan will finally turn it in to the police station. For now, I rely on my new keitai with the wood-grain facing (how ironic! a wooden cell phone!) for any and all photographs.

I have once again joined the ranks of the eigo sensei (English teacher). This time I'm working for a very different company... more teachers, different students each time, fuller days, and TWO DAYS OFF! So far I have been spending my days off with old friends and new friends. Yasuko chan and I have started a little knitting/crafting group we call "The Lazy Owls." It's not quite a group yet but the two of us get together, I knit the legwarmer (note the single noun here) that I've been working on since January and Yasuko makes adorable felt pins and things. Her wonderful mom makes us traditional Japanese food and always wraps up leftovers to take home "for Makoto". Speaking of the boy... he works some crazy over night hours and we mostly have time to drink some coffee together for an hour before I go to work. He's usually so tired! Poor guy. We do get a day off together every now and again but he's in a band and sometimes has practices... we're hoping to make plans to go to Hakone in a week or so. This year I plan on seeing alot of the touristy things I missed out on last year. I also want to go to Hokkaido and Okinawa while I'm here. The best experiences though are interacting with Japanese people. I've made many friends just by chance and, despite my terrible Japanese ability, I've learned so much from our meetings.

A few weeks ago I was wandering around lost in Ogikubo looking for my friend Jen's apartment (no street signs or grid patter to aid me) and was helped by a lovely young Japanese couple who happened to have a map of the area. They led me right to Jen's doorstep. Kimiko, the female half of the couple, gave me her card and said she'd like to photograph me as she is a photographer. I assumed it would be an amateur shoot but a few weeks later I met with her and her stylists. It was strange to be scrutinized and asked questions about my measurements and favorite colors. All the while, the 3 of them had such big smiles on their faces and would shoot back comments to eachother in Japanese and saying "kawaii!" (cute!) emphatically. I just had a big goofy grin on my face the whole time. I didn't know where to look or what to do. I felt like a bug under a looking glass. We'll be shooting in a week or two. I'm nervous! I'm not the model type.

Ok, the lazy owl in me is getting restless and I must get off of this computer. I'll fill you in on the adventures of Chichibu, Zuiho the neighborhood Taiwanese meeting place, dirty jokes from an old ojiisan, and the drunken student later on. Oyasumi! (good night!)

Golden Week!

The first week of May in Japan is known as "Golden Week." During this time, most people take a much needed vacation. The only problem is that when the entire country takes a vacation, the roads are predictably crowded and spaces are limited on buses, trains, and planes. Once again, Makoto has proven that having a Japanese boyfriend in Japan is quite helpful. He was able to book 3 seats on an overnight bus from Shinjuku to Osaka for my friend Lindsay, Mako, and myself. This is probabaly the cheapest way to travel although not the most comfortable.

On Tuesday, May 2, 2006, we set out for Osaka. The bus ride was long and winding at times. The bus driver's voice sounded like sandpaper on rusty iron probably due to emphazema but that didn't stop him from lighting up during pit stops. Although this wasn't the highlight of my Golden Week experience, visiting Japanese rest stops was on my mental list of things I wanted to do before I left Japan. For the most part, they aren't much different than US rest stops but I thought the electronic map of the bathroom was fascinating...

11 hours later we arrived in Osaka. We checked out the takoyaki (octopus balls...mmm) stands for future eating reference and met up with my friend Kebin from the band "Panda, No Panda." He took us to his pad and we said hello to Dabey who was just waking up...must have been nice to sleep until 2pm. Thanks to Kebin and Dabey we had a nice place to rest our weary heads and our wallets during golden week.
(from top to bottom) Dabey and Kebin

Our first meal in Osaka consisted of takoyaki and Chu-HIs. Chu-HIs (Chooo-Highs) are fruity alcoholic drinks which are yummy and refreshing. If you're not careful, you forget they have alcohol and can get quite drunk. I had my reservations about eating takoyaki (a mixture of octopus, flour, and egg rolled into a ball)..I'm not a big fan of octopus...but it wasn't bad. I've been pretty adventurous about trying new food. I'm sure I've eaten some things I would never had though about eating before I came to Japan. I put my foot down about eating horse, sea urchin, or ika sashimi (although I have tried ika..it's gross). Sitting in the sunshine with Makoto and Lindsay after such a long trip was perfect.




Keito and Mako (with Chu-HIs) Takoyaki





















After lunch, we were off to Kobe where Lindsay and I would be playing later that night. Our first stop was Helluva Lounge, the live house where we had our show. We had some time before sound check so we walked around Kobe looking for kintsuba, a local treat made from beans.



















even Colonel Sanders gets into the holiday spirit


"Joan" goofing off"

strange placement of statue













We returned to Helluva Lounge for what was a crappy sound check...it had me worried that we were too worn out for our show that evening. Poor Lindsay's voice was tired, my head was pounding, and the keyboard was hissing. The spirit of "Joan" (our band) was with us for our show, luckily, and everyone seemed to really like us. We were invited to play there again and I sold 3 cds.
The next day we headed to Nara to see the Great Buddha (Daibutsu) in Todaiji Temple. First we cut through a matsuri (festival) looking for Iori, a cafe/restaurant Makoto looked up. We ate there for lunch. It was the best place! I wish it was close to where I live. It was an old style wooden building..cozy..with a black cat wandering around and a small group of people having a ceramics class. The food was also incredible! There was a stage where bands play, presumabley they have music at night. If I ever get a chance to go back that way I'm going to book a show at Iori. Afterward, we sought out the temple. Unfortunately my cameras batteries crapped out so the rest of my pictures were either taken by Lindsay or taken by me with Lindsay's camera. The Temple claims to be the largest wooden structure in the world...and certainly it seemed like it although the next day Makoto and I went to another temple in Kyoto which boasted the same thing. In any case, it was incredible to behold. My American eyes aren't used to seeing such old or intricate structures and it made me jealous of Makoto's culture. To think that Japanese high school students go on a field trip to Nara while I went to the Morris museum seems unfair. One of my students, a businessman, told me that he could not appreciate the wonder of what he was seeing when he went there as a student. Maybe all teenagers are the same?




Later that day we headed to Shin Sekai, which, as far as I know doesn't have any famous touristy sites but we went there anyway because Mako has a thing for dive bars which, in Japan, translates to mean "Ojisan bars" (old man bars). I have to admit, I'm quite fond of them myself. Since I've met Makoto, we've gone to several ojisan bars around Tokyo but Lindsay had yet to go to one. I really feel like eating and drinking at one is essential for a traveller to fully experience Japan. Anyway, Shin Sekai is full of ojisan bars but they close rather early and the ones that were open had a line out the door. We finally found one to our liking and didn't have to wait too long. The waitress, an older woman, looked stressed out running back and forth. That didn't stop Mako, normally the sweet polite type, from shouting out "Sumimasen! Sumimasen! Beeru!" I guess when he wants a beer, he wants a beer! We san nin (3 people) enjoyed our beers and the local cuisine (aka bar food) kushi katsu (fried food).Obasans (old women) shouldn't work this hard...







Billiken (god), Shin Sekai











Later that night we met up with our friends Kebin and Dabey for 200yen drinks at the Moonwalk bar. We treated our hosts (the least we could do) and the bill, for 5 people was only about $50! We were completely exhausted from our ramblings but Lindsay and I stayed up with Kebin and Dabey watching "Cheaters." If you've never seen it, I don't really recommend watching the show unless you are amused by poorly educated people shouting at other ridiculous people because they cheated on them or unless you're with Dabey and Kebin... They picked out the highlights for us. The two of them always make me laugh and I'll never forget their air guitar/air drum rendition of the longest and most ridiculous rock song ever by a killer band called "Newport"...the drum solo was the best!

On our last day of vacation, we went to Osaka station with Lindsay to bid her farewell. She took the Shinkansen home. Makoto and I didn't have to head back until later because we had booked a flight for that night. We went to Kyoto and spent most of our time looking for a locker to stow our baggage (mostly my baggage because he's a boy and knows how to pack light). I also learned about the convenience store postal service. You can send anything by mail and it will get to its destination the next day. My guitar had become my albatross so we send it by mail back to Mako's apartment. I was really worried about that but it turned out to be great and it freed me up so I could walk around Kyoto. We rambled around back streets and took a bus to Kiyomizu-Dera. We wound our way through the crowd, up the hill, and past the many shops leading up to the temple. Like most of the tourists there, I took lots of pictures with Lindsay's camera until the sun started to set and the bells rang out telling us it was time to head home.





















































Heading home was an adventure all on its own. We took the train back to Osaka where we managed to find a magical Ojisan bar within Osaka station. Weird. We were hungry and thirsty and assumed we had time for a quick beer and some bar food. We soon found out that our little detour cost us some precious time and we had to run to catch the train and then run again to catch our plane. We made it with not a minute to spare and some silly mishaps including Mako falling on his butt as we raced into an elevator...awwwwww! Quite the adventure, this week was my last real vacation before my roommate got mono and was hospitalized, the cat pooped on my bed, and my work load doubled but that's another story for another day.

Sikora Sakura

Oh hanami matsuri you are so good to me. Last weekend was a nice break from the 6 day work week.Makoto (some of you may know him as Tsuji) and I went to our favorite little wine bar (Bar Le Matin) in Nishiogikubo on Thursday. I gave Hiroko, the cool gal who owns the place, a copy of my cd. She played it and some guy next to me inquired as to who the artist was. Hiroko told him it was my cd and he bought one from me. Yeah! The bar is smaller than my bedroom (which is pretty darn small) and only about 4-5 people can actually sit in there at a time. There is a back room too but it's not as intimate. I seriously love that place. She's always playing great music and I'm happy that my album is now part of the collection.

The next day, Mako and I headed to Guma prefecture to a little ryokan (inn) called Shima. I could be wrong about the name but I'm pretty sure it's called Shima. This area is known for it's many onsens (hot spring baths). That's about all there is to do there. The place we stayed at was really old and very cool. Despite the slight "Shining-esque" feeling I experienced walking through the winding halways and up and down the many stairways, I thought the place was amazing. There are 3 different baths. A beautiful indoor/outdoor one, a private one, and a really old indoor one with about 5 scalding hot baths. The indoor/outdoor one was my favorite. The outside bath was surrounded by many rocks and a japanese garden. Serene. The really old bath kind of scared me. For one thing, we went there at night. Men and women have seperate baths so I was alone. When I got there, a woman and her young daughters were rinsing off and getting ready to leave. I thought I was alone until I saw a skinny little girl crawl out of a tiny door, pour some water into a bowl, and crawl back through the door. Intrigued, I watched as a different scrawny little girl came out another door. A few moments passed and then both girls came out, chattering to eachother in Japanese. After they left the bath, I crouched down next to one of the doors and opened it feeling very Alice-in-wonderland-ish . It was a dark, steamy little room with just enough space for one person to recline on some dingy looking tiles. No thank you... I knew for sure I'd be claustrophobic in that space and anyway it didn't look too sanitary. Later on, Mako and I dined on Japanese bento-box dinners that were quite delicious and drank sake from the local liquer store. For dessert, we feasted our eyes on "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" which was dubbed in Japanese. Luckily I've seen it before. Despite my terrible Japanese and Mako's less than fluent English, we always manage to have a great time together. Could it be the sake? haha. I seriously don't know how we do it but we have pretty in-depth conversations without too much confusion.

Over the weekend, the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. We returned Saturday afternoon and went to a hanami party in Shimokitazawa. Our friend Takachiho, from the band SF, was hosting a picnic under one of the many beautiful Sakura trees there. It was amazing! There were people all over the place having picnics under the trees, drinking, laughing, and playing music. Children were playing games and showing off doing cartwheels for the adults and, I'm sure, downloading unforgettable memories into their impressionable minds. I know I won't ever forget Japanese spring. When it got dark, we packed everything up and went out for more festivities at an Izakaiya. I had a great time talking to Takachiho's friends.. I wish I could speak better Japanese! I went to another hanami party on Sunday but the weather was cloudy and rainy. We were also in Yoyogi park where all the Harajuku and Shibuya boys and girls hang out. They were loud and rambunctious with their glaring orange skin, dyed and fried hair, and expensive (and rain soaked) shoes. Atleast the people I was with brightened the day. My pal Lindsay was there as well as our friends Jonathan and Yukiko. Yukiko's girlfriends were really sweet too. We went to a bar afterward to see some art display but I didn't stick around long enough to really see any of it. Some of us went to see a friend perform at a bar nearby. I was pretty exhausted by the end of the evening and headed home sorry to see the end of such an enjoyable weekend. I almost took the wrong train home which would have really messed things up but I managed to get one of the last trains back. I wish we had Sakura trees lining the streets of New Jersey. I guess I'll just have to come back to Japan next hanami season (and the next, and the next..)

Hiroko "Bar Le Matin"


















bus ride to Shima Onsen














bento dinner













the love corridor (actually kind of creepy)


















Makoto was cold













really cold













Shima onsen













the water was crystal clear













view of the bridge


















Makoto wishes there was such a place...














a town in Guma... (name?)












one of us is always making a face















Shimokitazawa Hanami Party...... (funky people)