Of Toilets and Alarms

Ok, so SERIOUSLY. The one complaint I have about Japan is that the toilets here are ridiculously complicated. Everytime I use a public restroom, it takes at least a few minutes to find the flush button, which conventiently changes locations every time. There are several other buttons, not even half with pictures, in various locations in the toilet stall.

Now, I just ate lunch in the student cafeteria, on the second floor of a 3 floored dining hall. Having to, understandably, relieve myself after the meal, I headed to the washroom. After going, I stood, as always staring down at the machine in front of me, taking in the plethora of options. Which button to push? Which one will carry away my goodies into Never-never Land?

I first tried the unmarked one, situated on the lower part of the back wall. This is usually the best bet. I pushed, and a tube with a few spray holes began to emerge menecingly out of the toilet seat. I pushed again in panic, and the spray tube retreated. Phew.

I took in the usual bidet, spray, and flushing SOUND buttons. No, not them. There were several more buttons on the opposite arm of the toilet, whose function was obviously indicated by the character inscribed on each one. There were three on the right wall of the stall, and one rather large one on the left wall. After wieghing my options, and exausting all methods of logic, I decided on the big one on the left wall. It was isolated, almost switch like, and larger than the rest. It looked like an important button.

I took a deep breath, nervously extended my pointer finger, and pushed.

An alarm sounded.

Completely confused, stunned, and frankly freaked out, I impulsively pressed again. The other button have retracted the water blow tube, why shouldnt the alarm stop sounding?

Oh, no. It got louder.

My heart racing, I frantically took one last look at the buttons, and then ran for it.

Just as I disappeared into the stairwell, a few women raced towards the toilet. They did not see me, but I am sure they saw the little present I left behind.

And THAT, friends, is a story to tell your children.

A Day on Fuji-San

This past weekend was non stop from the beginning. Friday night, Sian, Shelvin and I visited an izakaiya, or traditional style Japanese bar. You take your shoes off at the entrance, and sit at low tables (with a pit underneath for your legs). It was a very serene and clean place - in the bathroom, there were slippers provided, and the most sophisticated toilets I've ever has the pleasure of using.

The next day, we woke up extremely early to catch the 7:45 bus from Shinjuku Station to Fuji-Gogome. After minor issues involving locating the bus terminal in the dauntingly vast tunnels of Shinjuku, we finally began the 2.5 hour journey to Mt. Fuji. The ride was beautiful; Japan is a very lush country.

Stepping off the bus at Fuji-Gogome, the stop where daring hikers begin the strenuous climb, we felt the chill of the mountain air. Only in the months of July and August can you climb up the volcano, because, as we could tell, the rest of the year it was simply too cold. The ice is perilous higher up the mountain.

There were a few shops and restaurants here. We hung out and enjoyed the picturesque view, bought postcards, and mused over the blueberry cheesecake flavored Kit-Kat bars. We walked a bit up the mountain and played in the forest. There was a beautiful little shrine, where we made wishes to Fuji-San for 500 yen. Ian wished for Westgate to allow Sian and I to be roommates - which came true already this week! She's moving in Tuesday! Next time I have anything important to ask for, Mt. Fuji it is!

Well into the 2.5 hour ride back to Shinjuku, Sian realized she really, really had to use the facilities. Forsaken on our bus, sitting in bumper to bumper traffic, we noticed that the bus stops were Subway station names... and hopped off at one we recognized close to my place. We stepped off the highway, and went through a door... into a dark neighborhood. Oops. This was not a subway station. Not matter, we wandered around, and a friendly car salesman gave us directions and free umbrellas. It had started to rain.

We found the station 10 minutes later, and parted ways for a couple hours - meeting up again in Shibuya with friends for the night. It was an awesome time! I arrived home this next morning (having to wait for the morning train) and was pooped. But, being exhausted is a good thing. It means I made the most of my weekend. And that, I did.

Random Thoughts

Well, payday is Friday, and I'm literally strung out to the last yen. Japan has been WAY more expensive than I thought, and, with the American dollar not being as good as it once was, coupled with the fact that Japan is a cash-based country and my bank charges a nice fee everytime I take out cash... it's left me quite skint. This weekend, it'll be nice to eat a nice (and healthy!) meal again.

Something worth mentioning : Yesterday, I did a lesson on families and family trees. For the fluency part of the lesson I had the student draw each other's family trees. As they were asking each other, "What's your grandmother's name on your mother's side," I realized that less than 1/3 of them actually knew their relatives names. Grandmothers, grandfathers, uncles aunts - all anonymous! I guess they only see them once a year, but still! Crazy!

Another thing worth mentioning: LINES are sacred here in Japan. I accidentally cut once (not paying attention, and felt bad afterwards) and was chastised by a very grouchy, older man. What looked very suspiciously like the same man was managing the lines to the buses on the way to work yesterday. He was walking sideways, arms extended, and face stern, making sure that the 3 lines were straight. Shalvin, finding this amusing, stepped slightly to the right, dis aligning with the rest of the cue just as this man passed. The man whipped his head around and lounged, his face furious. Definitely the same guy!

Busy, Busy Busy - But That's The Way I Like It!

Well, I realize I've been a bit behind on posting. To be honest, the work week takes its toll! I leave my house at 8am, and return at 8pm. With squeezing a job in most mornings, I'm pretty much at a loss for energy in the evenings. Saturday is a day for fun, and Sunday for rest. I'm not saying that I am not enjoying life; Personally, I prefer to be this busy. I do better when I have something to do at all times.

During the work week, nothing much exciting has been happening. I'm enjoying all of my classes, though attendence is really low. I've been using my break time to really study Japanese, and have got the Hiragana downpat. The Japanese have 4 writing systems. Hiragana is for new Japanese words, and Katakana is for foreign words brought into the Japanese language. These are both phonetic, like our alphabet, so, once you learn the sounds for the symbols, you can read anything.

Then, there's the Kanji, or Chinese symbols, and Romanji, the roman alphabet. Yikes! I'm working on Katakana next. It's really interesting, like cracking a code. One day, it all looks like a bunch of symbols, and the next you can sound out a sentance. Exciting!

Other than that, I found a language tutor, and we're going to meet 3 times a week. Teaching and learning is what I do during my day.

As I said before, Saturday is a day for fun. The weekend before last, I had a long weekend (monday and tuesday were free days due to a national holiday and a school festival). My friends and I took advantage, touring the Imperial Palace Gardens, Ueno Park, and having a fun night out in Shibuya. We had a great time together - take a look!

This weekend, we headed to Yokohama, a city just south of Tokyo, for their Oktoberfest. It was fun, though outrageously expensive. We managed to have a good time anyway, and meet some interesting Westerners, mainly those from a nearby Navy base. Then, We headed to Roppongi, the very American and slightly seedy section of Tokyo, for dinner and a few drinks. It was a good time! I'll get those photos uploaded soon... right now, I've got to get ready for work. My first full work week, here I come!

Home and Work - My Everyday Japanese Life

After my first full week of work, and ending my second week in Japan, I already feel quite at home. Japan really is a lovely place to live, with so much variety in what it has to offer. Even Tokyo is widely varied - Hino City, Tokyo couldn't be more different to the Down town area.

The train station is the life-blood of Hino. Supermarkets, dry cleaners, and convenience stores are crowded around the area, and are scarce anywhere else. Here in Hino, the residents are friendly, and the landscape green. Most housed have spectacular gardens squeezed impossible into minuscule lots. Everything is very clean, and, though there isn't a Starbucks, I can buy coffee on almost every corner from a vending machine (enabling a growing addiction...). It's quiet, calm, and quaint. Yet, just a short 30 minutes away, the Tokyo Metropolis looms.

Work is one hour away, door to door. The Tokyo University of Technology is a small university, with around 5.000 students and an oddly large amount of nude female statues. Shalvin, my co-worker, and I believe this to be due to the nature of the school. Being a technology-focused school, most of the students are, to be kind, slightly awkward males. We believe that the university is using the statues to give these men a social education they most likely are not receiving at the moment.

My classes, an extra curricular conversational English course, average about 4-5 students. It's a basic level, so they don't speak very well yet. Everyday, though, I see them improving, which what I love most about teaching. I really enjoy my students, and we get along really well. We laugh a lot - the Japanese are very quick to laugh, and laugh loudly. It's on of the things I love most about their culture.

All in all, I'm loving everyday. Japan was a GREAT choice!

A Day in Harajuku

Last weekend, Ian, Sian, and I took a day to explore Harajuku, one of the famous wards of Tokyo. New friends and new places always make for promising new experiences - and so it was!

I've wanted to see Harajuku for a long time, ever since Gwen Stefani made her love for this area public in her song, 'Harajuku Girls'. The fashion is supposed to be wild, the atmosphere eclectic and artsy. I was not dissappointed when I finally got to go and see for myself.

The area was dominated by shopping. From huge chain stores like Gap and Forever 21 to tiny boutiques, THIS was a shoppers paradise. As for me, I preferred the quirky Takeshita street, crowded by funky pedestrians and boutiques alike.

(I LOVED the rabbit mannequins!)

(A whole in the wall coffee place... or should I say stuck in the median?)

Not only does Harajuku have everything a shopper can ask for, it's also home to a breathtaking park. We walked around for a bit, side by side with kimono-clad ladies and tourists alike. We caught a wedding procession too, which was a sight to see.

Then, we made our way to an art gallery - full of crazy and unique art. There, we found a japanese pancake house, and tried oconomiyaki (a Japanese pancake). You're given a bowl layered neatly with batter, an egg, veggies, crispy rice, and seafood. You mix it together for a minute, and then pour onto the heated griddle in the center of your table.

Then, after five minutes, you flip. Wait another five minutes, and cook and egg beside the pancake.


Then, you've got to put the egg on top of the pancake (easier said than done!) and flip again for one minute. Good food, and great fun!