1:20pm restaurant in Higashioji-dori
I feel like I've had a full day already! First thing I headed out to see some temples and shrines. G was on a bike but he kept pace with me until we got to Chion-in Temple. It wasn't open yet (it was 8:15am and said it opened at 9) so we walked around it for a while. There were many buildings and one main temple. I waited for it to open (although there were already people going in and out) while G looked for a big Buddha he said he saw. I waited about 20 minutes for him, but when I heard bells from inside the temple I went in. Two monks were chanting and using percussion instruments (bells and sticks). People in the inner part took turns walking up and doing something at a side shrine. I watched for a while and went out to find G. He still wasn't back and when I looked for his bike it was gone. So I took off. I got a little lost but eventually was able to identify Ryozen Kannon and go in. The admission was Y200 and I got an English pamphlet (yea!) and a stick of lit incense to put by the temple. I have extensive field notes about what was going on there, but it turned out to be a festival day! I learned a lot from a group of fortune-tellers, one of whom spoke decent English.
After explaining that it was a flower festival from 11am-3pm with karaoke, the fortune teller man convinced me to have a reading for Y700. I didn't learn too much because his English wasn't THAT good, but I took notes and got a bag of salt for my luck. I'm supposed to spread it around- I think.
After I left I got lost again before working my way up to Kiyomizu Temple. By the time I got there I was so exhausted I walked around, but didn't pay any admissions or look too closely. I took some pictures though. Now I think I'm on the right track to get back to Higashiamya YH, but I'm not sure. I haven't found G yet. But this ham, egg and mushroom rice is pretty good. I'm waiting for my Oshibori to cool down so I can use it (it's hot!).
10:15pm HYH
That was pretty much it for today. I walked slowly back to the hostel and slept once I got here. The rest of the day was a combination of studying, sleeping, and avoiding studying. Now it's time for more sleeping in this very hot room with an officially broken air conditioner.
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Monday, September 25, 2017
9/15/2001
5:45pm HYH
We started yesterday by packing up, turning in sheets and keys, and having a little class. After class G and I hunted for my towel and through our lacking use of the Japanese language found it in the cafeteria. On the bus to Haneda Airport, then on a plane to Osaka. The plane ride was very short. It was too cloudy to see Mt. Fuji so I worked on homework. Back on the ground we boarded buses for Hagashiama Youth Hostel. Right away we sat down in the dining room to a great dinner with cream of corn soup, chicken nuggets (hot, not lukewarm), and grapes. The grapes were a real treat. We brought our luggage up the stairs (no elevator). My room on the fourth floor (ugh!) is a quad with bunk beds, a sink and mirror, a hot plate and TV. I'm on the top bunk right under the air conditioner. It's not very effective. We had a quick orientation session about curfew and meals. I took a bath in the tiny bathroom right after that. It had four showers and a little tub. I couldn't get the water in the shower hot enough, but the bath was great. It seemed a little grimier than the last two places we have been, but much more homy.
After the bath G convinced me to explore with him. We turned left out of the hostel and walked into "town". We passed tons of closed stores and restaurants. And decided this would be much more fun when things are open. After 20 minutes we turned around so we would be back in time for curfew. We got in around 10pm and went to sleep.
9:30pm
We did a whole lot today. After breakfast (yogurt and toast!) G and I again turned left out of the hostel. We turned left again and took an early morning walk through the "red light" district in search of a theater. We found one but it was Kabuki and nothing was playing this month. We continued West over the river and walked through the empty shopping streets. It was just after 9am so nothing was open yet. We did notice that people drive a lot faster here and somewhat more recklessly, probably because the streets are a lot less crowded than Tokyo.
We headed North and ended up at the Noji Castle. Admission was only Y600 so we went in. It was pretty crowded with tourists, mostly American and Australian. We went inside one of the main buildings and joined up with a group of older adult men on a tour. This was where the Shogun lived and the absolutely coolest thing about the building was the floorboards. They actually sounded like birds chirping when you walked on them. The guide said that why ninja always walk on the roof- to avoid the protective nightingale sound. There were also many beautiful paintings on every wall and sliding panel. They were all different subjects depending on what went on in the room they were in. We walked around the gardens for a while and noticed the huge fish in both of the two moats. The inner castle was also open for viewing, but we didn't want to pay the additional Y300 each.
After relaxing in the air-treated lounge we headed out. We immediately found a sword shop, and G almost immediately bought a Tokugowa sword (katana). The woman who sold it to him was very nice. After she warmed up to us she asked about New York, then asked if we were happy. She eventually got out the word honeymoon and we told her we were students. She was very impressed with our itinerary and more impressed with the Sword Museum information I showed her. When we left she walked us out the door and waved until we were down the block. Ichigo Ichie. Sigh.
We walked back South, again looking for a Noh theater. We didn't find it but we found a few shopping malls. We walked around for a while until we got really hungry. We stopped at a tiny Tempura place where we were quickly sat at the same table as two other Japanese people. We didn't talk to them because they didn't look like they wanted to talk. The meal was good- breaded and fried pork with rice, cabbage and potato salad with noodles instead of potatoes.
As we walked through the malls we came across a small girly store and I found a great t-shirt. It says SALAMANDER UNIVERSITY in USA. Later we found a movie theater and decided to see a Japanese movie. We walked to the third floor and bought Y1800 tickets for Red Shadow out of a vending machine. It was all in Japanese so we were a little worried about what we were doing. We handed the tickets to a ticket man who looked at them for a while, then ripped them and gave us the stubs. We followed everyone else into the only theater and took some seats. People stared, but we were ok. The only foreigners in the place.
I think the movie was very good. It was about a comical trio of ninjas fighting an evil shogun and some samurai. One of the trio died (the girl) and it got very sad very fast. Then there was another girl whose father or husband died and she fought with the remaining two ninjas. That's just about as much as I understood. Maybe when I get home I'll try to find a subtitled version.
We hurried back to be in time for a 5:00 dinner- but realized dinner isn't until 6pm. So we swapped suitcases to kill time. Dinner was pretty good- breaded fish fried, cream of potato soup (really good) and other things. Now I'm trying hard to study and get stuff done so I can wake up early and hear the temple bells chime first thing in the morning.
We started yesterday by packing up, turning in sheets and keys, and having a little class. After class G and I hunted for my towel and through our lacking use of the Japanese language found it in the cafeteria. On the bus to Haneda Airport, then on a plane to Osaka. The plane ride was very short. It was too cloudy to see Mt. Fuji so I worked on homework. Back on the ground we boarded buses for Hagashiama Youth Hostel. Right away we sat down in the dining room to a great dinner with cream of corn soup, chicken nuggets (hot, not lukewarm), and grapes. The grapes were a real treat. We brought our luggage up the stairs (no elevator). My room on the fourth floor (ugh!) is a quad with bunk beds, a sink and mirror, a hot plate and TV. I'm on the top bunk right under the air conditioner. It's not very effective. We had a quick orientation session about curfew and meals. I took a bath in the tiny bathroom right after that. It had four showers and a little tub. I couldn't get the water in the shower hot enough, but the bath was great. It seemed a little grimier than the last two places we have been, but much more homy.
After the bath G convinced me to explore with him. We turned left out of the hostel and walked into "town". We passed tons of closed stores and restaurants. And decided this would be much more fun when things are open. After 20 minutes we turned around so we would be back in time for curfew. We got in around 10pm and went to sleep.
9:30pm
We did a whole lot today. After breakfast (yogurt and toast!) G and I again turned left out of the hostel. We turned left again and took an early morning walk through the "red light" district in search of a theater. We found one but it was Kabuki and nothing was playing this month. We continued West over the river and walked through the empty shopping streets. It was just after 9am so nothing was open yet. We did notice that people drive a lot faster here and somewhat more recklessly, probably because the streets are a lot less crowded than Tokyo.
We headed North and ended up at the Noji Castle. Admission was only Y600 so we went in. It was pretty crowded with tourists, mostly American and Australian. We went inside one of the main buildings and joined up with a group of older adult men on a tour. This was where the Shogun lived and the absolutely coolest thing about the building was the floorboards. They actually sounded like birds chirping when you walked on them. The guide said that why ninja always walk on the roof- to avoid the protective nightingale sound. There were also many beautiful paintings on every wall and sliding panel. They were all different subjects depending on what went on in the room they were in. We walked around the gardens for a while and noticed the huge fish in both of the two moats. The inner castle was also open for viewing, but we didn't want to pay the additional Y300 each.
After relaxing in the air-treated lounge we headed out. We immediately found a sword shop, and G almost immediately bought a Tokugowa sword (katana). The woman who sold it to him was very nice. After she warmed up to us she asked about New York, then asked if we were happy. She eventually got out the word honeymoon and we told her we were students. She was very impressed with our itinerary and more impressed with the Sword Museum information I showed her. When we left she walked us out the door and waved until we were down the block. Ichigo Ichie. Sigh.
We walked back South, again looking for a Noh theater. We didn't find it but we found a few shopping malls. We walked around for a while until we got really hungry. We stopped at a tiny Tempura place where we were quickly sat at the same table as two other Japanese people. We didn't talk to them because they didn't look like they wanted to talk. The meal was good- breaded and fried pork with rice, cabbage and potato salad with noodles instead of potatoes.
As we walked through the malls we came across a small girly store and I found a great t-shirt. It says SALAMANDER UNIVERSITY in USA. Later we found a movie theater and decided to see a Japanese movie. We walked to the third floor and bought Y1800 tickets for Red Shadow out of a vending machine. It was all in Japanese so we were a little worried about what we were doing. We handed the tickets to a ticket man who looked at them for a while, then ripped them and gave us the stubs. We followed everyone else into the only theater and took some seats. People stared, but we were ok. The only foreigners in the place.
I think the movie was very good. It was about a comical trio of ninjas fighting an evil shogun and some samurai. One of the trio died (the girl) and it got very sad very fast. Then there was another girl whose father or husband died and she fought with the remaining two ninjas. That's just about as much as I understood. Maybe when I get home I'll try to find a subtitled version.
We hurried back to be in time for a 5:00 dinner- but realized dinner isn't until 6pm. So we swapped suitcases to kill time. Dinner was pretty good- breaded fish fried, cream of potato soup (really good) and other things. Now I'm trying hard to study and get stuff done so I can wake up early and hear the temple bells chime first thing in the morning.
9/14/2001
1:00pm Bus to Hanida Airport
Wednesday was an unusual day. We had class in the morning and a little discussion about how we were going to proceed with the trip. We were told that grieving and fear is a natural process, but to continue on as normally as possible. The terrorists want America to change. We were all very tired, but we sat through class. When it was over, G and I went to Roppongi and ate at the Pot Pot- creat curry, rice and fried cream dough. Then we checked email and wrote home to tell everyone that we were okay. It was hard to write a coherent letter with all that was going on.
Then we went to some almond cookie store to buy gifts for Yuko and Prof. Winship. We walked to International House to give Yuko her gift and she was very grateful. She asked how we were doing and was very concerned about our group. We left and tried to find an English newspaper to take home- kind of just as a record that this is where we were when it happened. There weren't any left in English so we picked up a Japanese paper. As we looked through it on the subway home we saw that it had naked women on all the inside pages.
The subway was an experience all its own. The people on the subway usually just stare straight down. They day, I saw people obviously staring at us. We were the only westerners around. People either hid their newspapers from us or deliberately held up the pictures. We didn't know how to react to that. We were trying to act normally but with all these people staring at us we felt like we should look sad on purpose. I'm sure we naturally looked kinda bad since we'd been awake all night.
When we got back we went out to dinner along the road towards Romi. It was a really homy restaurant. The 'mama-son' walked downstairs to the picture menu to help us order. There was a little confusion about what we wanted, and we walked back upstairs without really knowing what we just ordered. Inside it was very unusually decorated. There were Indonesian masks and pictures all around. Huge paper lanterns hung low on the ceiling. We were the only ones in there for a while but soon a group and some salary-men came in. Mama-son asked "where from?" and when she found out we were from the US she said "aw" and hugged me. Then she told everyone in the restaurant and said "aw" and looked sad.
It was a really nice place. Mama-son sat and talked to people, smoked, and drank beer with tea in it. The tables were large and wooden, and G and I sat on the same side of it watching everyone. I felt like I was sitting in Mama-son's kitchen.
From there we walked to Romi for drinks. The bartender was the only person in there and he was watching a little portable TV/VCR/video camera. When we came in he took the TV over to the bar and turned it to an English translation of the news. We were really sick of the whole situation, but it was nice to hear English words telling the story. There were also interviews with people in New York and that was also interesting. We watched for maybe 45 minutes and left. We were really too drained to do anything else.
I woke up yesterday morning scrunched at the bottom of my bed. I don't remember if I had any dreams accompanying that situation, but I was there anyway. We packed up our stuff to change rooms, took our sheets with us. Luggage went into storage for the day and G and I took off for the Embassy. We were again conscious of people staring at us- but it wasn't so bad. We left around 8:30am so rush hour was in full swing.
6pm Bus to Kyoto
We were so goal driven that we didn't notice if people were staring or not. We left our bags in class so they would have less to search when we got there. We passed a guard station where the guard was wrestling with a bullet-proof vest. On the street was a mixture of TV trucks and unmarked trucks and busses. Near the entrance were tons of tripods and cameramen. Luckily, no one was taping yet so we slid by to security. He checked our passports and let us through the gate. There was a pile of backpacks and purses by the gate so I assume people were not allowed to bring them in. Once inside the gate, things were the same as last time. It only took G a few minutes and we were done. We glanced down the main street and saw that the block was restricted to vehicles and that police and black sedans were parked on the curbs. As we walked back we followed a plainclothes American who was giving orders to Japanese security guards and telling a woman that "prescreening began at 8:45am". Whatever that meant. We bought a Japan Times on the was back and read in English more news from home.
We were back in time to see a music group in Culture class. The music was very beautiful. The classical piece was calm and flowing. Almost too soothing for us who were already sleepy. The other more modern pieces were more varied and emotional. Altogether, with three people, there was 1 shakuhachi (flute), 1 shamisen (guitar with plectra) and 2 kotos. When I go home I have to remember to buy a CD of classical Koto. The three people were one guy who was bigger and about 24, and two tiny little women about 29 years old. The women had studied with Dr. Prescott.
After a quick lunch, G headed off to check on his embarkation/disembarkation card and I followed the group to the geriatric center. It was a little hard to get us all there: two train rides on the JR line. Once we got there we walked through some really nice gardens and Koi ponds, past great little fountains. The walkway was very shady and cool. We had a brief introductory lecture and then a tour of the facilities. These included the training rooms, residences (trainees and folks who used their services), the activity hall for patients, the handicapped bathroom, the hospital, and the roof. The center has a very long history starting in the 1920's and is now one of the most advanced research facilities on Japan's aging population. We have them another picture of Old Main, and they gave us 1,000 paper cranes- twice. One we're going to bring to Hiroshima, and the other we might bring back to school.
After a confusing train ride home (in which both I hopped off a train at the wrong time and tried to get on the wrong train) G and I went to McDonalds. We also had to get new rooms for just one night. It was nice to taste American fast food and not have to deal with sympathetic Japanese. When we got back I had to borrow G's towel because he lost mine that morning. We were back in the baths-per-floor so I tried to run the bath water myself. I don't know if I was the only one to use it or not, but it was too darn hot for me to stay in there very long. After that I went to bed.
Wednesday was an unusual day. We had class in the morning and a little discussion about how we were going to proceed with the trip. We were told that grieving and fear is a natural process, but to continue on as normally as possible. The terrorists want America to change. We were all very tired, but we sat through class. When it was over, G and I went to Roppongi and ate at the Pot Pot- creat curry, rice and fried cream dough. Then we checked email and wrote home to tell everyone that we were okay. It was hard to write a coherent letter with all that was going on.
Then we went to some almond cookie store to buy gifts for Yuko and Prof. Winship. We walked to International House to give Yuko her gift and she was very grateful. She asked how we were doing and was very concerned about our group. We left and tried to find an English newspaper to take home- kind of just as a record that this is where we were when it happened. There weren't any left in English so we picked up a Japanese paper. As we looked through it on the subway home we saw that it had naked women on all the inside pages.
The subway was an experience all its own. The people on the subway usually just stare straight down. They day, I saw people obviously staring at us. We were the only westerners around. People either hid their newspapers from us or deliberately held up the pictures. We didn't know how to react to that. We were trying to act normally but with all these people staring at us we felt like we should look sad on purpose. I'm sure we naturally looked kinda bad since we'd been awake all night.
When we got back we went out to dinner along the road towards Romi. It was a really homy restaurant. The 'mama-son' walked downstairs to the picture menu to help us order. There was a little confusion about what we wanted, and we walked back upstairs without really knowing what we just ordered. Inside it was very unusually decorated. There were Indonesian masks and pictures all around. Huge paper lanterns hung low on the ceiling. We were the only ones in there for a while but soon a group and some salary-men came in. Mama-son asked "where from?" and when she found out we were from the US she said "aw" and hugged me. Then she told everyone in the restaurant and said "aw" and looked sad.
It was a really nice place. Mama-son sat and talked to people, smoked, and drank beer with tea in it. The tables were large and wooden, and G and I sat on the same side of it watching everyone. I felt like I was sitting in Mama-son's kitchen.
From there we walked to Romi for drinks. The bartender was the only person in there and he was watching a little portable TV/VCR/video camera. When we came in he took the TV over to the bar and turned it to an English translation of the news. We were really sick of the whole situation, but it was nice to hear English words telling the story. There were also interviews with people in New York and that was also interesting. We watched for maybe 45 minutes and left. We were really too drained to do anything else.
I woke up yesterday morning scrunched at the bottom of my bed. I don't remember if I had any dreams accompanying that situation, but I was there anyway. We packed up our stuff to change rooms, took our sheets with us. Luggage went into storage for the day and G and I took off for the Embassy. We were again conscious of people staring at us- but it wasn't so bad. We left around 8:30am so rush hour was in full swing.
6pm Bus to Kyoto
We were so goal driven that we didn't notice if people were staring or not. We left our bags in class so they would have less to search when we got there. We passed a guard station where the guard was wrestling with a bullet-proof vest. On the street was a mixture of TV trucks and unmarked trucks and busses. Near the entrance were tons of tripods and cameramen. Luckily, no one was taping yet so we slid by to security. He checked our passports and let us through the gate. There was a pile of backpacks and purses by the gate so I assume people were not allowed to bring them in. Once inside the gate, things were the same as last time. It only took G a few minutes and we were done. We glanced down the main street and saw that the block was restricted to vehicles and that police and black sedans were parked on the curbs. As we walked back we followed a plainclothes American who was giving orders to Japanese security guards and telling a woman that "prescreening began at 8:45am". Whatever that meant. We bought a Japan Times on the was back and read in English more news from home.
We were back in time to see a music group in Culture class. The music was very beautiful. The classical piece was calm and flowing. Almost too soothing for us who were already sleepy. The other more modern pieces were more varied and emotional. Altogether, with three people, there was 1 shakuhachi (flute), 1 shamisen (guitar with plectra) and 2 kotos. When I go home I have to remember to buy a CD of classical Koto. The three people were one guy who was bigger and about 24, and two tiny little women about 29 years old. The women had studied with Dr. Prescott.
After a quick lunch, G headed off to check on his embarkation/disembarkation card and I followed the group to the geriatric center. It was a little hard to get us all there: two train rides on the JR line. Once we got there we walked through some really nice gardens and Koi ponds, past great little fountains. The walkway was very shady and cool. We had a brief introductory lecture and then a tour of the facilities. These included the training rooms, residences (trainees and folks who used their services), the activity hall for patients, the handicapped bathroom, the hospital, and the roof. The center has a very long history starting in the 1920's and is now one of the most advanced research facilities on Japan's aging population. We have them another picture of Old Main, and they gave us 1,000 paper cranes- twice. One we're going to bring to Hiroshima, and the other we might bring back to school.
After a confusing train ride home (in which both I hopped off a train at the wrong time and tried to get on the wrong train) G and I went to McDonalds. We also had to get new rooms for just one night. It was nice to taste American fast food and not have to deal with sympathetic Japanese. When we got back I had to borrow G's towel because he lost mine that morning. We were back in the baths-per-floor so I tried to run the bath water myself. I don't know if I was the only one to use it or not, but it was too darn hot for me to stay in there very long. After that I went to bed.
Friday, September 22, 2017
9/12/2001
6am YNYC
Yesterday started out ordinarily enough. We had class during the typhoon and the afternoon was reserved for sleeping. I've never seen rain and wind like I saw yesterday. It looked like tons of hoses all just dumping water on Tokyo. Walking felt like swimming. The wind bent the trees over and it was very difficult to hold on to umbrellas. G ran outside in him swimsuit to play in the storm. I took a nap.
Later in the afternoon the rain stopped and the clouds broke apart, so G and I hopped a subway train back to the American Embassy to get his passport. They had just closed, unfortunately, and told us to come back the next day.
We took the subway to Shinjuku to try again to tour that area. We went out a different exit and found Oh Lord shopping center. We saw a live radio broadcast in a courtyard, and lots of hippie-looking shops. Through that mall we found a little technology district. We decided to look for an internet cafe (which we never found). We walked all over that few block area, and then crossed a big street into more of a game district. There were tons of little restaurants with people in the street advertising for them. At one point we stopped to ask one of the men where an internet cafe is. But- as we asked in Japanese- he answered in Japanese, and we didn't understand him at all.
We just kept walking and soon realized that we had stopped seeing foreigners, and started seeing strip clubs and 10-minute massage parlors. We just kept walking. Soon it was dark and most of the people we passed were sleeping on the street and they were the only people we saw. We turned right around and found our way back into the subway. We were actually one stop farther North than we started. But it was nice to be in a bright station after being so lost in an obviously bad part of town. We rode our way back and walked to everyone's favorite noodle shop for dinner. The meal was so-so. We were so relieved to not be lost that we just decided to go home and go to bed. As far as I can remember, that's all I did aside from shower and bathe (with newcomers to the communal bath system who were about 12 years old and very funny). At about midnight G came into our room and woke me up. I don't remember much about it except that he talked loud enough to wake up my roommates and say we all had to go to the television. He said two airplanes hit the World Trade Center, one hit the Pentagon and another was "unaccounted for" and perhaps was going to be shot down. He also told us they were passenger jets.
I won't go into detail about the incident- by the time I reread this it will probably be well-rehearsed news. G and I ran to the 4th floor lounge where a loud group of Japanese had gathered around the TV. They made room for us right in front so we could watch the pictures close up. After a few minutes, I composed myself enough to go downstairs where the rest of the group was listening to CNN on US military radio. Many people were crying, some just sat shocked. We were all packed into the lounge hearing everything we could and listening totally silently. People began trying to call home but the phone lines filled very quickly. Everyone, it seemed, knew of someone who could have been in the airplanes or in New York or worked in Washington or Chicago, or for United or American Airlines. Our first concern was for our friends and family who could or could not have been there.
Maybe it happened when Prof. Winship came in or maybe we just needed to find something else to think about, but soon we began worrying about our position in Japan. Would we be safe here? Are we going to go home? What parts of the program will be affected. When he came downstairs from contacting school he assured us that we are totally safe. Safer here, in fact, than probably at home. At the Youth Center we are unexpected guests. It's a Japanese Government run house so we're not in any danger of being targeted. The breakfast scheduled for this morning a the Tokyo-America Club with members of the American Chamber of Commerce was canceled. We heard that the American Embassy was closed, so G's passport would have to wait another day. Prof. Winship offered to help call home if we needed it and said he'd stay up to date on everything. He suggested we watch the news and listen to the radio as long as we wanted, but that class would resume as normal in the morning. Dr. Prescott came down and translated some of the Japanese for us, but we just listened to the radio so she left after a while.
Some Japanese walked by or joined our group once in a while, but they stayed silent and watched us and the news. Eventually we all dispersed, and, around 2-2:30am most people decided to try to sleep. I tried too, but nightmares kept me awake for most of it.
Now we're told we have class this morning and will probably not go to the Geriatric Center this afternoon. G and I plan on going to the embassy Thursday before our Friday flight to Kyoto.
Yesterday started out ordinarily enough. We had class during the typhoon and the afternoon was reserved for sleeping. I've never seen rain and wind like I saw yesterday. It looked like tons of hoses all just dumping water on Tokyo. Walking felt like swimming. The wind bent the trees over and it was very difficult to hold on to umbrellas. G ran outside in him swimsuit to play in the storm. I took a nap.
Later in the afternoon the rain stopped and the clouds broke apart, so G and I hopped a subway train back to the American Embassy to get his passport. They had just closed, unfortunately, and told us to come back the next day.
We took the subway to Shinjuku to try again to tour that area. We went out a different exit and found Oh Lord shopping center. We saw a live radio broadcast in a courtyard, and lots of hippie-looking shops. Through that mall we found a little technology district. We decided to look for an internet cafe (which we never found). We walked all over that few block area, and then crossed a big street into more of a game district. There were tons of little restaurants with people in the street advertising for them. At one point we stopped to ask one of the men where an internet cafe is. But- as we asked in Japanese- he answered in Japanese, and we didn't understand him at all.
We just kept walking and soon realized that we had stopped seeing foreigners, and started seeing strip clubs and 10-minute massage parlors. We just kept walking. Soon it was dark and most of the people we passed were sleeping on the street and they were the only people we saw. We turned right around and found our way back into the subway. We were actually one stop farther North than we started. But it was nice to be in a bright station after being so lost in an obviously bad part of town. We rode our way back and walked to everyone's favorite noodle shop for dinner. The meal was so-so. We were so relieved to not be lost that we just decided to go home and go to bed. As far as I can remember, that's all I did aside from shower and bathe (with newcomers to the communal bath system who were about 12 years old and very funny). At about midnight G came into our room and woke me up. I don't remember much about it except that he talked loud enough to wake up my roommates and say we all had to go to the television. He said two airplanes hit the World Trade Center, one hit the Pentagon and another was "unaccounted for" and perhaps was going to be shot down. He also told us they were passenger jets.
I won't go into detail about the incident- by the time I reread this it will probably be well-rehearsed news. G and I ran to the 4th floor lounge where a loud group of Japanese had gathered around the TV. They made room for us right in front so we could watch the pictures close up. After a few minutes, I composed myself enough to go downstairs where the rest of the group was listening to CNN on US military radio. Many people were crying, some just sat shocked. We were all packed into the lounge hearing everything we could and listening totally silently. People began trying to call home but the phone lines filled very quickly. Everyone, it seemed, knew of someone who could have been in the airplanes or in New York or worked in Washington or Chicago, or for United or American Airlines. Our first concern was for our friends and family who could or could not have been there.
Maybe it happened when Prof. Winship came in or maybe we just needed to find something else to think about, but soon we began worrying about our position in Japan. Would we be safe here? Are we going to go home? What parts of the program will be affected. When he came downstairs from contacting school he assured us that we are totally safe. Safer here, in fact, than probably at home. At the Youth Center we are unexpected guests. It's a Japanese Government run house so we're not in any danger of being targeted. The breakfast scheduled for this morning a the Tokyo-America Club with members of the American Chamber of Commerce was canceled. We heard that the American Embassy was closed, so G's passport would have to wait another day. Prof. Winship offered to help call home if we needed it and said he'd stay up to date on everything. He suggested we watch the news and listen to the radio as long as we wanted, but that class would resume as normal in the morning. Dr. Prescott came down and translated some of the Japanese for us, but we just listened to the radio so she left after a while.
Some Japanese walked by or joined our group once in a while, but they stayed silent and watched us and the news. Eventually we all dispersed, and, around 2-2:30am most people decided to try to sleep. I tried too, but nightmares kept me awake for most of it.
Now we're told we have class this morning and will probably not go to the Geriatric Center this afternoon. G and I plan on going to the embassy Thursday before our Friday flight to Kyoto.
9/11/2001
7:10am YNYC
Yesterday was an unusual day. We had a typhoon so it rained very hard on and off all day. They held classes even though the teachers were running all over with G and Lynn. After lunch G and Prof. Winship and I all trekked down to the American Embassy. It was really interesting to finally learn what Ambassadors do and who they are. Security was very heavy. We first had our bags searched, then x-rayed. My two water bottles were taken away and my camera was held at the security check-point. Most of the security men were Japanese, but there was one American serviceman behind a glass wall. We got in and G began filling out forms. A few hours later we were all done. The rain let up a little bit and we walked back to the station.
We headed for the Tokyo subway station where we heard a big mall existed. We wandered around the station for a while but never found it. Se we hopped back on the subway and headed for Shinjuku station. We've never been there so we were excited. However, once we got out onto the street we were somewhere in the middle of high rises. And it was pouring. We found a diner-looking place that had a "blooming onion" in the window. Unfortunately, they did not have it on the menu. Instead we ordered soup, fried dumplings, some Spanish rice and corn omelet, and a club sandwich. It reminded me of a little nicer version of IHOP or Denny's (they did have pancakes, but they were expensive). When we were done there it was still pouring so we just went back to Yoyogi. After a great shower and long bath we went back out to Romi with some other people. Our businessman friend, whose name we found out was Mycheio Tarama, was there also. The rest of the bar was empty. The bartender was happy to see us and the 7 other people ordered lots of drinks. We brought a lot of business into his bar on a Monday night. Mycheio was very interested in our views on advertising, corporate mergers, and kabuki theater. We talked for a few hours and noticed the other Americans got very loud after they toasted with their first ever glasses of sake. But we were told that the bartender enjoys that type of atmosphere so I didn't feel so bad. He gave us free glasses of red wine and G drank a lot. We left at 11pm (early for that bar) and went to sleep after stopping at the convenience store for custard, sushi, and more sandwiches.
Yesterday was an unusual day. We had a typhoon so it rained very hard on and off all day. They held classes even though the teachers were running all over with G and Lynn. After lunch G and Prof. Winship and I all trekked down to the American Embassy. It was really interesting to finally learn what Ambassadors do and who they are. Security was very heavy. We first had our bags searched, then x-rayed. My two water bottles were taken away and my camera was held at the security check-point. Most of the security men were Japanese, but there was one American serviceman behind a glass wall. We got in and G began filling out forms. A few hours later we were all done. The rain let up a little bit and we walked back to the station.
We headed for the Tokyo subway station where we heard a big mall existed. We wandered around the station for a while but never found it. Se we hopped back on the subway and headed for Shinjuku station. We've never been there so we were excited. However, once we got out onto the street we were somewhere in the middle of high rises. And it was pouring. We found a diner-looking place that had a "blooming onion" in the window. Unfortunately, they did not have it on the menu. Instead we ordered soup, fried dumplings, some Spanish rice and corn omelet, and a club sandwich. It reminded me of a little nicer version of IHOP or Denny's (they did have pancakes, but they were expensive). When we were done there it was still pouring so we just went back to Yoyogi. After a great shower and long bath we went back out to Romi with some other people. Our businessman friend, whose name we found out was Mycheio Tarama, was there also. The rest of the bar was empty. The bartender was happy to see us and the 7 other people ordered lots of drinks. We brought a lot of business into his bar on a Monday night. Mycheio was very interested in our views on advertising, corporate mergers, and kabuki theater. We talked for a few hours and noticed the other Americans got very loud after they toasted with their first ever glasses of sake. But we were told that the bartender enjoys that type of atmosphere so I didn't feel so bad. He gave us free glasses of red wine and G drank a lot. We left at 11pm (early for that bar) and went to sleep after stopping at the convenience store for custard, sushi, and more sandwiches.
9/10/2001
Midnight YNYC
First thing this morning we went back to International House for a presentation on Kabuki. Matazo Nakamura is a 68 year old professional Kabuki actor. I took tons of notes and pictures during the presentation so I don't forget anything. We sat right in front so we didn't miss anything. He was such a cute little man with his "boss" wife in kimono. We all had a good time learning and playing with him. For lunch, G and I went back to Mitsukoshi (the huge Ginza department store). We walked around Ginza for a while, but it felt just like the first time- things were too expensive to even look at. But we looked around anyway until it was time for the show. G bought a sushi box, spring roll, and pastry for dinner.
Kabuki was really fun. We sat kinda far away so we couldn't see facial expressions. The costumes were very ornate sometimes. The music was traditional Japanese. Sometimes they (the musicians) were seated in front on stage, but usually they were hidden. We had radio sets to hear explanations (not translations) in English. We saw the stagehands dressed all in black- with cloth covering their faces as well. Unusual for an American performance- their hands were not covered. There was also a separate type of helper that was dressed in brown formal robes and stayed on stage for most of the performance. These sometimes faced the audience but the almost always moved with their back to us. The scenery was interesting- mostly 2 dimensional painted flats for background and foreground. There was a huge turntable in the middle of the stage so I suspect the next scene was prepared as we looked at the current one. Scene changes were pretty quick but always totally covered by a curtain pulled across the stage by the stagehand.
I was a little disappointed by the lighting involved. Most was completely static and even, though some effects were used (lightening bugs and strobes). They mostly had tons of huge Japanese flood lights. Some had color changers on them. I was surprised that the lighting was so traditional, though now I think it makes sense. I wonder if the roofs of the houses were open so that down-light could be used as area light. Despite the sometimes lagging pace of action, I was really fascinated by the performance and only got a little uncomfortable at the end.
Quick note: other American students appeared not as interested in the performance as their postcards home and journal entries. Enough of that. G and I left and found a passport picture booth in the Shinjuku station (the closest we've been to Shinjuku yet). We got a little lost but four subway transfers later we arrived in time to see the bath close.
11:00am YNYC Classroom
While we're sitting here together, taking shelter from the storm and waiting for people to come back from hospitals and passport offices, I thought I'd jot some notes about density. Housing: stacked housing, windows, plants, thin buildings. Subway: quiet, look down, Mycheio Tarama says it's only a few minutes so they know they can handle it. Restaurants: sit close, eat fast, no dawdling.
First thing this morning we went back to International House for a presentation on Kabuki. Matazo Nakamura is a 68 year old professional Kabuki actor. I took tons of notes and pictures during the presentation so I don't forget anything. We sat right in front so we didn't miss anything. He was such a cute little man with his "boss" wife in kimono. We all had a good time learning and playing with him. For lunch, G and I went back to Mitsukoshi (the huge Ginza department store). We walked around Ginza for a while, but it felt just like the first time- things were too expensive to even look at. But we looked around anyway until it was time for the show. G bought a sushi box, spring roll, and pastry for dinner.
Kabuki was really fun. We sat kinda far away so we couldn't see facial expressions. The costumes were very ornate sometimes. The music was traditional Japanese. Sometimes they (the musicians) were seated in front on stage, but usually they were hidden. We had radio sets to hear explanations (not translations) in English. We saw the stagehands dressed all in black- with cloth covering their faces as well. Unusual for an American performance- their hands were not covered. There was also a separate type of helper that was dressed in brown formal robes and stayed on stage for most of the performance. These sometimes faced the audience but the almost always moved with their back to us. The scenery was interesting- mostly 2 dimensional painted flats for background and foreground. There was a huge turntable in the middle of the stage so I suspect the next scene was prepared as we looked at the current one. Scene changes were pretty quick but always totally covered by a curtain pulled across the stage by the stagehand.
I was a little disappointed by the lighting involved. Most was completely static and even, though some effects were used (lightening bugs and strobes). They mostly had tons of huge Japanese flood lights. Some had color changers on them. I was surprised that the lighting was so traditional, though now I think it makes sense. I wonder if the roofs of the houses were open so that down-light could be used as area light. Despite the sometimes lagging pace of action, I was really fascinated by the performance and only got a little uncomfortable at the end.
Quick note: other American students appeared not as interested in the performance as their postcards home and journal entries. Enough of that. G and I left and found a passport picture booth in the Shinjuku station (the closest we've been to Shinjuku yet). We got a little lost but four subway transfers later we arrived in time to see the bath close.
11:00am YNYC Classroom
While we're sitting here together, taking shelter from the storm and waiting for people to come back from hospitals and passport offices, I thought I'd jot some notes about density. Housing: stacked housing, windows, plants, thin buildings. Subway: quiet, look down, Mycheio Tarama says it's only a few minutes so they know they can handle it. Restaurants: sit close, eat fast, no dawdling.
9/8/2001
Noon, YNYC
We left without a hitch yesterday morning and arrived at Gunma Prefecture Institute of Agriculture a little early. They had cushioned "inside slippers" all ready for us and signs of welcome. First was an opening ceremony with kind words from the president, then Prof. Winship made up a speech, then the president presented our group with good luck dolls that are produced in Gunma. Fill in one eye when you make a wish or start a project and fill in the other when you're done. We gave them soil. The principal gave a lecture on Japanese Agriculture and local production of items in Gunma. It was a little dry and sometimes it was hard to connect thoughts because the whole lecture had to be translated. Then a narrated video about the school itself. We had a nice lunch with ham and pineapple, then toured the gardens, outsides of dorms, museum, and (the highlight) the cow barn.
Back on the bus and three hours later we were back in Yoyogi, in quads, then showered and bathed and back to Romi to meet our friends from last Friday: Eri and Shiori. When the bartender opened the bar at 7pm he told us that Shiori called and said she wouldn't be able to meet until 10pm. He gave us "No Pay Beer" and we drank it. There were two new girls in the corner, but they didn't say much. The bartender (whose name sounded like Master so I'll call him that) told us that Bob and a few others from our group had visited during the week. He had written down their names and what they had ordered to drink. We ran out to Mi Rei Te for a good meal and got lost on the way back to the bar. Finally we made it and Shiori, Eri and a few more friends were happy to see us.
It was an exciting night- and I made two new friends: Emika and Ayamei. Most of the night they practiced their English on my by crying about recent breakups. I taught them the words to Aretha Franklin's "I Will Survive" and we learned such beloved American phrases as "You Go Girl!" and "I can live without him!" also "CHEEEEEEEEEERS!" In return they taught me some strange one-liners a popular comedian uses. One was to put my hand palm down under my chin and say, "Aie!" They thought it was really funny and promised it had no meaning. Kowa'i means afraid- something we agreed we wouldn't be toward the future. "Hey baka!" means "you fool!" and can be easily used to imitate American personalities as seen to the Japanese. We talked about Americans being shy to bathe together and I learned that "Su ppon ppon" is the rough translation of "buck naked". Somehow that led to a discussion about Denny's and they drew me a map with the phrase "Denny's wa dokodesuka?" meaning "where is the Denny's?" Before we knew it, it was 2:00am and we were exhausted. We took pictures and hugged a lot- exchanged "I love you"s and finally we left. Of course, I started crying. We became so close so quickly and had such a fun time teaching each other (Emika was training to be a kindergarden teacher and Ayamie works at Sunska drug store) new things. Leaving that place where everybody knows your name (even if they can't pronounce it correctly) was heartbreaking for me. It made me realize how short our stay in Tokyo (and Asia) really is- and that darn concept of ichigo ichie caught me again.
So, three hours later I was on my way to the Tsukiji fish market. It was very early but there was still a fairly large crowd. We took the subway there and walked to the end of the pier. It was very crowded and there were tons of little trucks zooming around with huge tuna on them. Past rows and rows of little fish buyers and sellers with every type of fish imaginable- live and/or dead. Eels, squid, octopus, everything. Eventually we reached the auction area at the end of the pier. The auctioneer stood in the middle of dozens of frozen tuna. Huge, enormous, gutted carcasses. He sounded more like he was chanting or singing than the standard fast-talking American guys. The pace was very even and not too fast. Apparently fish buyers get tuna, then it is driven over to the stall where they cut it up with saws and sell it to restaurants and other people.
On my way out I also saw unusual looking vegetables for sale next to stationary, high heels, and live crab. I stopped with some people and ate a sinfully delicious pancake and sausage McDonald's breakfast. I brought Lazy G back an Egg McMuffin and now I'm watching clothes spin in the dryer.
11:30pm YNYC
So after laundry we went to the sword museum in Yoyogi. I never thought I'd get into it- but they handed us English pamphlets about the history and art of sword-making. Once we got in I noticed the patterns on the blades and could match them up with the time period they were made in. I kept the pamphlets, so I guess I can look back at them and remember the details when I want to. G and E wanted to go to the sword store, so Emily and I went on ahead to the Ota Ukiyoe Hakubutsukan museum to complete our Culture assignment. We had to get special slippers right away and noticed right away the unusual environment there. It was a relatively small building, only 2 small floors. There was tatami in front of 3 ukiyoe and we took off our slippers to kneel in front of them. There was a small rock garden in the center of the first floor with a water fountain and benches. Upstairs was before-and-after type sketches of ukiyoe. Lots of these were of women and comical figures. Some were definitely caricatures. I related it back to information in the book about ukiyoe art being more of an art "of the people". We spent a long time there studying the prints and taking notes. It was very peaceful and wonderfully different from the information overload on the streets of Tokyo.
After a quick stop at the toy store (again), we searched for gym shoes for G and funny t-shirts for me. G got bowling-looking shoes for about Y9600, but the designer t-shirts and resale ones were VERY expensive. We eventually gave up and sought refuge in TGIFridays for cold drinks. There were so many Americans there! The menu was totally in English and the decorations were exactly the same as at home.
We headed back to Yoyogi and had vending machine soba for dinner. The end of today!
We left without a hitch yesterday morning and arrived at Gunma Prefecture Institute of Agriculture a little early. They had cushioned "inside slippers" all ready for us and signs of welcome. First was an opening ceremony with kind words from the president, then Prof. Winship made up a speech, then the president presented our group with good luck dolls that are produced in Gunma. Fill in one eye when you make a wish or start a project and fill in the other when you're done. We gave them soil. The principal gave a lecture on Japanese Agriculture and local production of items in Gunma. It was a little dry and sometimes it was hard to connect thoughts because the whole lecture had to be translated. Then a narrated video about the school itself. We had a nice lunch with ham and pineapple, then toured the gardens, outsides of dorms, museum, and (the highlight) the cow barn.
Back on the bus and three hours later we were back in Yoyogi, in quads, then showered and bathed and back to Romi to meet our friends from last Friday: Eri and Shiori. When the bartender opened the bar at 7pm he told us that Shiori called and said she wouldn't be able to meet until 10pm. He gave us "No Pay Beer" and we drank it. There were two new girls in the corner, but they didn't say much. The bartender (whose name sounded like Master so I'll call him that) told us that Bob and a few others from our group had visited during the week. He had written down their names and what they had ordered to drink. We ran out to Mi Rei Te for a good meal and got lost on the way back to the bar. Finally we made it and Shiori, Eri and a few more friends were happy to see us.
It was an exciting night- and I made two new friends: Emika and Ayamei. Most of the night they practiced their English on my by crying about recent breakups. I taught them the words to Aretha Franklin's "I Will Survive" and we learned such beloved American phrases as "You Go Girl!" and "I can live without him!" also "CHEEEEEEEEEERS!" In return they taught me some strange one-liners a popular comedian uses. One was to put my hand palm down under my chin and say, "Aie!" They thought it was really funny and promised it had no meaning. Kowa'i means afraid- something we agreed we wouldn't be toward the future. "Hey baka!" means "you fool!" and can be easily used to imitate American personalities as seen to the Japanese. We talked about Americans being shy to bathe together and I learned that "Su ppon ppon" is the rough translation of "buck naked". Somehow that led to a discussion about Denny's and they drew me a map with the phrase "Denny's wa dokodesuka?" meaning "where is the Denny's?" Before we knew it, it was 2:00am and we were exhausted. We took pictures and hugged a lot- exchanged "I love you"s and finally we left. Of course, I started crying. We became so close so quickly and had such a fun time teaching each other (Emika was training to be a kindergarden teacher and Ayamie works at Sunska drug store) new things. Leaving that place where everybody knows your name (even if they can't pronounce it correctly) was heartbreaking for me. It made me realize how short our stay in Tokyo (and Asia) really is- and that darn concept of ichigo ichie caught me again.
So, three hours later I was on my way to the Tsukiji fish market. It was very early but there was still a fairly large crowd. We took the subway there and walked to the end of the pier. It was very crowded and there were tons of little trucks zooming around with huge tuna on them. Past rows and rows of little fish buyers and sellers with every type of fish imaginable- live and/or dead. Eels, squid, octopus, everything. Eventually we reached the auction area at the end of the pier. The auctioneer stood in the middle of dozens of frozen tuna. Huge, enormous, gutted carcasses. He sounded more like he was chanting or singing than the standard fast-talking American guys. The pace was very even and not too fast. Apparently fish buyers get tuna, then it is driven over to the stall where they cut it up with saws and sell it to restaurants and other people.
On my way out I also saw unusual looking vegetables for sale next to stationary, high heels, and live crab. I stopped with some people and ate a sinfully delicious pancake and sausage McDonald's breakfast. I brought Lazy G back an Egg McMuffin and now I'm watching clothes spin in the dryer.
11:30pm YNYC
So after laundry we went to the sword museum in Yoyogi. I never thought I'd get into it- but they handed us English pamphlets about the history and art of sword-making. Once we got in I noticed the patterns on the blades and could match them up with the time period they were made in. I kept the pamphlets, so I guess I can look back at them and remember the details when I want to. G and E wanted to go to the sword store, so Emily and I went on ahead to the Ota Ukiyoe Hakubutsukan museum to complete our Culture assignment. We had to get special slippers right away and noticed right away the unusual environment there. It was a relatively small building, only 2 small floors. There was tatami in front of 3 ukiyoe and we took off our slippers to kneel in front of them. There was a small rock garden in the center of the first floor with a water fountain and benches. Upstairs was before-and-after type sketches of ukiyoe. Lots of these were of women and comical figures. Some were definitely caricatures. I related it back to information in the book about ukiyoe art being more of an art "of the people". We spent a long time there studying the prints and taking notes. It was very peaceful and wonderfully different from the information overload on the streets of Tokyo.
After a quick stop at the toy store (again), we searched for gym shoes for G and funny t-shirts for me. G got bowling-looking shoes for about Y9600, but the designer t-shirts and resale ones were VERY expensive. We eventually gave up and sought refuge in TGIFridays for cold drinks. There were so many Americans there! The menu was totally in English and the decorations were exactly the same as at home.
We headed back to Yoyogi and had vending machine soba for dinner. The end of today!
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