Japan: Week 13

13 - Ayana and Hana

This week was rather work-heavy but luckily I had a most interesting weekend to make up for it. On Saturday I had the unique experience of meeting up with two girls from Tokyo who I originally met in England and giving them a tour of Nagoya, where they had never been before. Ayana and Hana are both fabulous frisbee players, so naturally we're good friends.

We visited Nagoya Castle, of course

First stop was the castle. I felt proud of all the knowledge I've managed to pick up about Nagoya, and the castle specifically, so that I could keep coming out with Japan facts which genuine Japanese girls didn't know. Luckily my head was saved from becoming too over-inflated by my stumbling attempts at Japanese versus their fluency in English, which extended to topics such as the social comparisons between the two nations. Their conversation skills are exactly as impressive as that sounds.

Possibly because it was a Saturday, and possibly because it was a beautiful day, it was all happening in Nagoya Castle grounds, with food stalls, tombola (we won a packet of Nagoya Castle tissues each!) and some sort of play involving historical figures. As Hana and Ayana were unsure of exactly what was going on, I didn't feel the need to worry about it either.

Free theatre!

A new part of the castle was also open, the palace, with incredible replicas of the sliding doors it would have once contained. Art which encapsulates Japanese culture, in my opinion.

After a brief stop for a lunch of famous Nagoya chicken, we headed back out, this time to the Orchid garden which I've been dying to see for a while. Aichi prefecture is Asia's leading producer of orchids, explaining the existence of this gorgeous flower garden displaying many varieties (I'm afraid I didn't count) of orchid.

It was peaceful and relaxing, and enjoyable to see people who probably lived nearby, sketching and even reading the newspaper. We continued to explore Nagoya on foot, and I had some minor epiphany moments when I realised how different places I'd visited previously joined up when the right path was taken. We window shopped in Osu and took purikura (the hilarious photo booths which give you bigger eyes and rosier lips), but unfortunately all good things come to an end, and I had to say goodbye to the wonderful girls after one final stop at a cafe.

But time will fly, and I'll be back playing frisbee with these two at uni in no time. Thank you so much for visiting, you two!

Japanese photo booths. I'll be building some in England.

Sunday's weather allowed us our third hike, in Nara this time. The walk was slightly different from the previous two, which were very mountainous and through forests. This one was much less hilly, and is apparently one of the oldest paths in the prefecture. It was the sort of trail where you're walking through forest one moment, a rural village the next, and all of a sudden you're at a shrine with cockerels in trees.

Okay, so maybe that's not really a type of trail, but you see my point here. It was interesting and full of surprises. The feeling of accomplishment upon completing a walk makes these excursions delightfully worth the effort.

So it was back to I-House after an exhausting weekend, where I'm almost scared to add up the miles I walked. On with a week of work, as deadlines are fast approaching, and what will be another exciting weekend...

Yours,

Abby

One Year

What's a year? It's nothing at all. Not even a blink of the universe's eye, barely a flutter of its eyelashes. This show is infinite. In a truly never-ending spectacle of distance and time, how could we have the audacity to think that one year of our tiny earthly home is worth anything at all? Our own planet will not remember us forever. Our own tiny waterlogged stamping ground, who's largest leap has so far only taken us to the planet next door. There are entire galaxies undiscovered, why do we think surviving one rotation of our greenish blue planet around one small star is in any way spectacular?

There are several billion people living out their lives here every day. Sorrows they feel we may never come close to, certain happinesses will never be ours. Even their triumphs could never be matched by us. The longest-living couple have been together 87 years, did you know that? So just one of those little years together, how dare we think it's special at all?

I'll tell you why. This is our infinite we're living. This relationship has outlived whole lifetimes of some creatures, it's all relative. In reality, someone else's triumphs don't make yours any less great, and we can't  go around not feeling as proud of what we've achieved in order to congratulate others. Luckily, happiness isn't limited in this world, and there's no reason we should feel less content than a couple celebrating 100 years together in the future.

We've gone through four seasons, a handful of arguments, a thousand kisses, a cluster of frisbee tournaments, too many lengthy separations... and come out the other side. I'm all for holding myself to unrealistic standards, and this aspect of my life is not one of them. One year's an achievement, and one I've not experienced before. I enjoy your ongoing film education of me, I enjoy cooking with you, I enjoy hotly disputed frisbee tactics on-pitch, and the promises and that it was nothing personal once we're calm and off-pitch. I enjoy your little eccentricities, and travelling with you. How safe, how happy, how comfortable I am with every aspect of being with you; it would be impossible to deny that this is something I've got right.

Level up: Round 2...

Japan: Week 12

12 - Rainy season, 'Tsuyu'

We enter a new month already, and I cannot express my thanks at gaining over 1,000 views again in May. It makes me feel a little more connected, knowing that lots of you want to keep up with my antics, so thank you.

The rainy season has begun in Japan. I think my fellow Brits would scoff at what the Japanese consider a rainy season. I haven't kept track faithfully (maybe I should start a weather diary...) but there's only been a couple of occasions so far when the rain's been heavy enough to warrant an umbrella; I think what Japan means by 'rainy' is 'not gloriously sunny at all times'. The humidity doesn't let up though, and I can no longer tell the temperature outside by looking out of the window. Overcast, yes, but you do NOT need a cardigan.

This week was very much normal, as perhaps we can tell by a post on time for once. I did my show and tell for English tutoring, and took my frisbee as I thought it might make an interesting topic. Lots of new vocabulary, at least. I tutored a different group as well, this one made up of local residents of all ages. Many of them want to visit England, and seemed very happy to have someone British to speak to. It was interesting speaking to a different type of people, rather than just students as it has been up til now, and seeing the variations of questions they ask.

On Saturday I took a trip to Sakae with a couple of friends. They both had things to do and I had a little time to myself in which to wander. There's always something cool to see in Japan.

Shop budgie guarding the watches

I discovered that there was a Hawaiian festival taking place in Oasis 21 that day, and saw many groups of dancers to take to the stage and a variety of stalls selling dresses and jewellery and paintings. I suppose, just about to enter the rainy season, Japanese people need a reminder of what summer will be like eventually.

Today was relaxing. I did some work, I went out for lunch, and I ran up a big hill which I need to return to at some point with a camera. There were some amazing sights and I want to share them with you.

Until next week, friends.

Yours,

Abby

Japan: Week 11

11 - Culture party

The weekdays didn't contain too much excitement last week, although I have started a programme with the Arts & Sciences section of the university, and the first session was on Thursday. It's supposed to be an English tutoring system, but in reality it's much more entertaining, as a group of English-speakers just chat to a group of Japanese students. The idea of this class was to improve fluency and understanding of native speakers' speech patterns, which meant that we could legitimately teach the students slang. Next week we're doing Show and Tell!

On Saturday there was a cultural party given by the International Society of Nisshin (The town in which I currently reside) and hosted at NUFS. Members of the society performed Taiko drumming and set up an origami table, and NUFS did, in my opinion, what it does best, and set up food which looked like THIS:

The party was attended by a large number of us international students, and we were at least matched in volume by residents of Nisshin, who brought there whole families along. It was a lovely experience; in Japan people tend to completely ignore each other unless there is a deliberate removal of the boundary. There were no boundaries in the room that day, and if you were stood without someone to talk to for 30 seconds, someone would come up to you and introduce themselves, and ask you about your country and how you're finding Japan. This was also clearly a group of particularly open-minded Japanese people, who seemed to relish the difference in ethnicity we provided.

I also met the family I'll be visiting on a home-stay next month. The mother attended the party to meet me, and her daughter showed me ever so carefully how to fold an origami helmet. I'm hugely looking forward to seeing them again.

Sunday brought good weather, and so the chance for another hike! Enjoyable as the first, the views from 600m were spectacular, and there was definitely never any danger of falling off the edge. Ever surprised by Japan's superior natural beauty, we saw a hawk from very, very close, and continued to spot them all the way up the mountain.

We also visited a shrine in the middle of the forest, containing an earthly beauty I'm sure can be imagined. I have no idea how difficult it must have been to build, though.

The hike was finished in perfect fashion by a visit to the onsen. It was gladly received, as the trails we take aren't easy, and we covered 12 miles or so and 684 metres in 4 hours. I've never experienced too much hiking before, but the sense of accomplishment is something I could easily become addicted to, the exercise is refreshing, and the new things I learn about Japan all add to the experience. We saw a baby snake. How cool is that?

So, back to work for now, and more updates will follow next week.

Yours,

Abby

P.S. For all the photos, visit my tumblr! http://abbyinjapan.tumblr.com/

Japan, Week 10

10 - Noh Theatre

Late again! Moreover, we're getting to the point now where it's not even because I'm busy having a tremendously Japanesey time, but rather because, however society paints us, being a student really does require doing a lot of work... This grows ever more depressing when, back in England, my whole peer group is just about finishing up; handing everything in, throwing concluding parties and ceremonies, and starting summer jobs. Some people I've made good friends of over the past two years will be moving on altogether, and I'm reminded how soon the comforting rug of full-time education will be pulled from under me.

We need not dwell on that quite yet, however. By my count, two exciting things happened to me this (well, last) week. The first was that, on Thursday, I rose at 4.15 am to go for a run with a friend. The sun currently rises at about ten to 5, and it gets earlier every day. I wanted to experience the refreshment of being awake before everything, even the sun, safe in knowledge you never could be in England, that it won't rain if the weather says it's not going to. So we went to a nearby park, and of course there were lights on already. This is Japan, they were probably still studying from the night before. But the streets were ours for about half an hour, and still half an hour later the normal rules did not apply; I received a couple of 'Ohayo Gazaimasu's as I jogged past. Obviously I was thinking incredibly deep thoughts, such as how far I'd have to go before I reached the circumference containing a different supermarket's customers, as we runners do. You can blame my mother entirely for this kind of thought process, in another life I too would have studied Geography.

After a while the sun rose, and its heat was immediately felt. It's already been pointed out several times (mostly by Australians) that I am far too British, and there's nothing I can do but agree. The humidity doesn't really kick in until June, and I'm already complaining about it. The healthy behaviour of the morning was made up for by a breakfast visit to McDonald's, and still the whole day was stretched out ahead of me.

Interesting Thing No. 2 occurred on Sunday. There had been another hike planned, but unfortunately the trails we take would have been too dangerous even in the moderate rain forecast. Aforementioned Britishness keeps me bold in the face of these types of undesirable weather conditions though, so I took a trip to Nagoya, umbrella in hand, to revisit the Noh Theatre I had located with my family.

'Nagoya Noh Theatre'

The theatre itself. Surprisingly modern, I'm sure I'm not the only person who expects everything in Japan to be old.

There was some free theatre going on that day. From what I could make out (I'll be much more knowledgeable on the topic post-dissertation) the day was made up of many different acts, rather than one play, and audience members could walk in and out as they pleased. Noh is almost excruciatingly different from Western-style theatre. The focus is on form; the perfection of every step and every chanted note, rather than structure. This means that everything moves very slowly, and I'd compare the style to a traditional ballad, try and understand what's going on there if you're not fluent in the language! But it was fascinating to see, and interesting to observe that there were many different groups of people in attendance. Older generations, who were probably there for the entertainment, groups of middle-aged women, and even some families with quite young children, who I suspected were imploring their youngsters to appreciate their nation's culture.

I gave myself time to peruse a few shops on my way back. I took great enjoyment from a visit to the Japanese 'Lush', and its lack of language barrier. "Oh you like the smell of it? Buy it, that's all you need to know!" I now own some terrific ocean-coloured soap.

Walking back to the station in the rain gave me a sense of serenity. I don't spend much time in my own company in Japan, and walking in the rain is one of those small pleasures for me which lets me know I'm still doing okay. As the rain keeps falling, so too will I keep completing these essays, as probably goes some proverb or other.

I would promise you darling readers a post on time next week, but I'd hate to break it. So let's all just be fairly optimistic about the whole thing, shall we?

Yours,
Abby

Oh, trusty converse. You are full of holes now, and I doubt would be suited to a UK climate any more

Japan, Week 9

9 - Week of Work

This week, I had a great deal of work to do. Reading, essays, lesson planning, typing up all the class observations and practices I've completed thus far... there was a lot of it. So unfortunately, as it doesn't make for great reading, almost all I did this week was go to lessons and do a lot of work. However, luckily for my readers and my sanity, there was a small diversion planned for Friday night, in the form of a party for a special guy's Birthday. Travelling thousands of miles and having your first teaching experience in front of Japanese university students can give you a bond with someone, and as such another uni friend and I wanted to give Ryan a 20th to remember.

Chocolate cornflake cakes were made, origami was folded, and we got unnecessarily dressed up for the setting (I-House). But hey, it was a party. It was a welcome end to a difficult week, which would become slightly less taxing over the weekend.

Birthday boy and Birthday cakes 

Saturday we got up early considering the lateness of the hour the party ended the night before, and headed to Nagoya. All worth it of course; Iron Man 3 isn't in my usually preferred genre of film, but for some reason this trilogy has nestled in my heart. Possibly has something to do with my adoration of Gwyneth Paltrow and the perfection of Robert Downey Jr when he's feeling whimsical. Further goodness was poured into the day by the arrival of an unexpected package, which turned out to contain sugar, sugar, earrings, and chocolate. Housemates. They're worth having. Thanks, Vee ^__^

EXCITING BOX

Saturday afternoon and evening was, more work! Sunday was another one of those memory-days. Like when a film is made and everyone knows it's going to be a classic, hiking through a Japanese forest on a gorgeous day, listening to frogs which sound like birds, and almost vertical paths laid out ahead of you, I will remember. Apparently we walked about 13 miles of hilly, hilly path in 5 hours, and as long as I can keep ahead of the work, I want this to be a weekly activity.

Hikers, and our Japanese guide Kazu

That's all for this week. Strange, I was so much busier than this post suggests! But I don't think it would be too interesting for you, dear readers, if I started typing my homework up on here.

Until next week!

Yours,
Abby

Check out my tumblr for all my photos: http://abbyinjapan.tumblr.com/

Japan: Week 8, Part II

8 - Family in Nagoya and Kyoto

I left I-House early on Friday morning to get to Nagoya, from where we would catch the shinkansen to Kyoto. A little too early perhaps, I forgot my camera! I don't mind so much, I can fairly easily store the memories, but it will mean for this post I use photos from the 'net for illustrative purposes, you understand.

The shinkansen takes forty minutes to make its way from Nagoya to Kyoto, and we headed for our next hostel. It turned out to be a little further than we'd thought, but it was never a problem on successive journeys to and from the station when we didn't have suitcases to drag around.

After we'd checked into traditional-style Ryokan Ohto, we went for a walk in Gion, the Geisha district. It's closer to the city centre than I'd ever realised, having always taken the bus or train there, and we proved that the only way to explore a new place has to be on foot. As is the custom, we did a lot of shopping in Gion!

On Saturday we took the tourist route with our hop-on-hop-off bus passes. We started with Kinkaku-Ji, the most photographed landmark in all of Japan, with good reason:

Kinkaku-Ji

Together with Nijo Castle, and a few other sight-seeing locations, this was my fourth visit to the spot. However, this in no way negatively affected my experience. I had a lot I could tell my family, and I was still noticing new things.

Nijo Castle

It was wonderful to go somewhere new to me also, though. Nishiki Market is a hugely tall covered walkway with a roof of patterned stained glass, with infinite stalls to look at as you and a hundred other Japanese and foreigners alike make your way down the narrow path. There was a lot of food on sale, both ingredients and stalls for take-away skewers, as well as the normal tourist purchases, clothing, and necessities for Japanese life. For dinner that night we went for a Japanese 'curry', which contains absolutely no spice whatsoever; perfect for myself and the little sister.

We had a tough time deciding where to go for our last day in Kyoto, but as the weather was going to be beautiful, decided on Arashiyama. Named for the mountain it lies at the foot of, Arashiyama is an area famous for its bamboo groves. We alighted first at Tenryu-Ji Temple, a World Cultural Heritage Site with beautiful gardens, leading directly into the bamboo.

Tenryu-Ji 

Thus we ventured forth into Bamboo Avenue for the incomparable experience of walking down a path lined with shoots upon shoots of bamboo which I'd judge to be about 25 feet tall. My day was made when we came across a postcard artist who'd sold me postcards back in 2008, and was still in the exact same spot. He was so delighted when I explained (in Japanese) who I was that he pulled me into a hug; something hitherto I've not experienced in Japan.

After that it was time for us to make our long way back to the hotel so I could pack up my things and return to the station. I bade farewell to Mum and Claire, as they would have one last night in Kyoto, go to Tokyo and stay one night there, and then fly on Tuesday morning.

I've never known anything like showing my family round Japan. Sharing something I know so well which is almost unknown to them, is strange and beautiful and stressful and heart-warming. Their visit here will be another of my favourite memories upon leaving Japan, and I know they've enjoyed themselves, too.

This week is a return to normality for me; catching up on work, going on a hike, all normal Japanesey-type things. We're crossing the half-way mark too at this point, strange... It has gone quickly, but with the amount of work I'll have to do it's not like the second half will slip by without me noticing.

Thanks for reading thus far, it does mean a lot to me :)

Yours,
Abby