RATS!

Apparently our apartment now has them.

You say Oita, I say Oita.

It was Friday and I woke up at 7am. For me, waking up on Friday at 7am is a rare treat. You see, Thursday was a 1/2 day of work and our school's Christmas party. There was paella, beer, pizza, tandoori chicken (which stained my fingers yellow for 3 days), sushi, and samosas... the international food gamut was run. After a rousing game of "Dirty Santa" where no one was really happy with the gifts they received...except Alex who got a pair of shiny gold high top slippers, and Adelfa who got a 1,000 yen gift certificate and a bottle of booze (I got a rum cake which I had no chance to eat), we all went home to begin our much earned winter holiday.

I went home to pack for a 5 day adventure to Oita. Megumi planned the whole thing and, thus, Lindsay and I shut our overworked brains off for a few days of soothing hot spring baths and yummy food that is supposedly only found in Oita. We were to hear this repeatedly during our trip as Japanese people not from Tokyo LOVE to educate foreigners on how their home town specialties are far superior to the metropolis's "over-priced" and "not so fresh" cuisine. Oita's miso, shoyu (soy sauce), chicken, tofu were, in fact, perhaps the tastiest food I've had in a long time but, just for the record, I think you can find incredible food all over Japan. Megumi's mother picked us up from the airport and took us to our first Oita onsen. Our bare bodies froze in the cold mountain air as we prepared to sink into the steamy hot spring. It was worth the wait! The first night, we stayed in Oita City and played a show at At Hall. The night was a lot of fun and we ended it by going to a cozy little place called "Beautiful Purasu" (beautiful place) Everyone giggled over wine, "sato imo" (sugar potatoes), and yummy "nabe" (basically a big bowl where lots of veggies and tofu are thrown in to make a soup) Everything, except the laughter, came to a stop for a few minutes when a fuse blew. I'd love to go to that beautiful place again some day. For the next 2 nights, we stayed in a great guest house in Beppu (Beppu Guest House) where Megumi's friend, Tomoko, works and lives an artist lifestyle. We met some travelers from Spain, Mexico, Holland?, and Switzerland and an adorable Japanese family celebrating their anniversary of moving to Beppu. I was charmed by little Kiwa and her mother Kyoko as they played hide and seek around the sofa.

We were very lucky to have Megumi's family as tour guides throughout the trip. Her parents drove us up and down mountains, gave us tours of old castles, a samurai village (Usuki), and stone Buddhas, took us to the top of a volcano, to mountain view restaurants where we could watch our lunch's final struggle as it wriggled on sticks smoking in the fire (I almost cried), to a hidden restaurant where we opened our bento boxes to find the most succulent treasures inside, and to a place where we could eat miso and shoyu ice cream (yum!). Her parents invited us into their home to eat fugu sashimi (or blow fish as we know it) and drink a potent flaming fugu sake. Megumi's dad charmingly and proudly announced that we'd be having "globe fish" for dinner. We all got slightly hammered as Kiku, San San, and Charmy, their 3 lovable cats, hovered around the table looking for handouts.

I could finally see the place Megumi has lovingly talked about throughout our friendship. I can understand her nostalgia and love of her birth place and artistic growth. Visiting these places with her and her family made me miss my home and family. The timing was perfect as I had planned to head home to surprise my parents for Christmas a day after returning to Tokyo from Oita. So here I am in Jersey...eating especially good meatballs and spaghetti which can only be found in the boondocks of Boonton, NJ in the Sikora household, made by my dad.

My apartment.

In my apartment I can sit on the floor and drink tea to the sound of old Japanese men singing Enka through the paper thin walls. My bathroom's name is Rush Limbaugh and sometimes I can hear rock and roll music during week nights when I sit on the toilet. There are cockroaches in summer and, to my dismay, they like the silver ware drawer. On Saturdays when I sleep until 10:00 my apartment shakes because of the construction of a 60 floor monstrosity in my block. The new apartment complex threatens the life of a tiny house standing strong in the shadows of the growing building. The owner wants to live in that house forever and will not be bought. The construction already claimed the lives of the coffee house I liked and a neighborhood record shop where I bought a cd of Brazilian lullabies, Tom Petty, and Papas Fritas for 700yen. The first time I felt the tremors, I thought it was an earthquake and so I went back to sleep. I have neighbors. I know this because I hear them washing and climbing with heavy feet up the stairs before my alarm goes off on week days. This is annoying but I'll never say anything about it. I hang my laundry on the balcony. It's sunny and I can see the rooftops of the other houses. I often think I'll sit up there some night with a bottle of wine. Some times I can see renegade cats with short tails creeping into our "garden." They don't want to be noticed but I like to see them drinking rain water that collects in the stone basin. I always wonder why their tails are so short? In my apartment there is a piano. The owner bought the piano a long time ago and, when she moved, she couldn't get it through the door. The piano stays. It was the main selling point when we decided to rent this place however, we never play it. The piano is out of tune. It makes a really nice desk. Some day I hope we get it tuned. The apartment is 1 minute from Asagaya station. I timed it once. I can hear the song that plays every time a train arrives at the station. That's about every 10 minutes. It's a nice song though, much better than Enka. I leave my apartment at 7:10 exactly and it gives me enough time to get to the station, climb the stairs, and some times buy a hot yuzu drink before I board the 7:13 train. Yuzu tastes like lemons but better. One day I left my house at 7:10 and, as I walked toward the station, I realized that I'd left my train card in my house. I hesitated for a moment before dashing back into the house...running up the stairs...only to find that the card had been in my pocket the whole time. I ran all the way to the station and caught the train...completely out of breath and with no yuzu drink. I'm living in my apartment with two Japanese men. One of them is my boyfriend. He and I have different tastes in decorating. He's a minimalist and likes name brands. I am cluttered and most of my things are bought second hand. I think the living room should be cozy and I want a comfy sofa and a rug. My boyfriend likes the straight-backed chairs we bought and doesn't want to buy a rug. Our other roommate would probably agree with me but he's never home. Like the typical salary man, he works too hard, smokes too much, never eats at home, and, sometimes I think he sleeps in manga cafes. I miss him. He's a good person to talk to. The landlord has no idea that I live here. She's probably a nice person because she likes pianos, however she, like many Japanese land lords, doesn't want to rent to foreigners. Maybe she doesn't know that I plant tulips and scrub tiles. Or that I wash dishes and I distain cockroaches. Maybe she wouldn't mind my living here if she knew.

Writer's Block (Blog?)

The fact that my last blog is some kind of "prose" on the joys and sorrows of teaching preschool says a lot about the current state of things in my creative life and I'm not pleased. I think that my job 007ed its way into my creative life and there is a risk of it taking over. In fact, I think my job has become my creative life. I realized this when for the millionth time, I picked up my guitar and nothing happened...I plugged in my microkorg and zoned out with the thunderstorm/bombs falling sound...then I tried the ukulele with a tad more progress... I found myself beating the living room chairs with drumsticks and whistling through a recorder playing "Red River Valley" (a leftover tune from 3rd grade that is still apparently taking up precious space in the corners of my mind)... I'm in a creative rut. In fact I've used the word "creative" 5 times already within the first paragraph of this blog which is proof of my predicament. I'm finally going to put my priorities back in order... yes, the teaching thing pays the bills and it's a good job but I can't let it suck the artist out of me.

Last month I and Lindsay (aka The Loyal We) had the incredible good fortune to go on a mini tour with One One and Can Can from Tokyo to Nagoya and Osaka. One One is made up of members of Deerhoof (Greg and Satomi) and Tenniscoats (Saya and Ueno). Not only were they exciting to watch on stage but they are all very down to earth good people. It was the first time I got to hang out with (and by "hang out" I mean go on a road trip with) people who actually make a living making music and touring. Being on tour with them and hearing their positive reactions to our music made this dream of mine seem attainable. The Loyal We finished recording our album months ago and the whole process of final mixes, mastering, art work, PV shooting etc etc is moving along at a snail's pace. Somewhere along the way I lost my focus. Playing that tour and finally meeting with our label after several reschedulings seems to be getting me back on track. Hopefully my abilities of making ponchos out of brown paper bags and deigning ways to distract 3 year olds from killing each other will translate into song writing once again.

Ok now I've spent enough time on the computer and it's time to go change those guitar strings. Here are some photos from the tour :)

One One Tour

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.