Wacky Wednesdays!

Forget the weekend -- everyone at CJS looks forward to Wednesdays. Everyone gets out at 11:00, and there are no more classes for the rest of the day. Today I went to Osu, which is the "young" area of town. Lots of shlocky clothing and ridiculous shops. Today's results?

I am currently listening to a band called Bullshit. The picture of the band on the disc showed them all wearing cowboy hats and snarling. It was only 500 yen, so I figured, why not?

If you've ever heard the Pixies' "Silver", the entire CD pretty much sounds like that -- punk rock with a country backbeat and steel guitar solos. It wasn't what I was expecting, but for 500 yen I'll take it. A single by a more popular band in that store cost 800. PS - one of the songs totally sounds like "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything".

Before I left for Japan my grandfather gave me a nice chunk of money to buy a kimono. I bought a yukata (the outer layer) in Kyoto and bought the obi (sash) and tie for it today...for significantly less than what I was given (score!)

We also went to a nearby doujinshi shop. Doujinshi is independently produced manga; they're usually about popular anime, manga, or movies. Copyright infringement? Absolutely. Also, the stories are usually "slash" (same-sex erotic pairings.) At Mandarake there was a large selection -- even RPS (Real Person Slash) -- Viggo Mortensen and Sean Bean, anyone? I got a Boromir/Aragorn manga. I also got some souvenirs for a certain Harry Potter fan and a certain Mario fan.

When I asked for the Harry Potter section, the clerk smiled at me in a "Oh -- of course you'd look for Harry Potter" kind of way. Later, when I asked her if there was a section for Disney or Mario, the conversation went like this:

"My friend likes this stuff, so...do you have any Disney or Nintendo characters?"
"Nintendo?!"
"He doesn't like it as porn! I just think it'd be a good joke."
"Oh...well...I think we have some Super Smash stuff this way."

I also found something called "Girls Only" in the "by-and-for-girls girl on girl" section. This was my mistaken thought process: "Well, if it's made by women, it can't be as horrendous as the regular stuff. Might as well give it a go."

After I paid for the book, I joined my friends who were still browsing. I opened the shopping bag and paged through the book (most books in Japan are shrink-wrapped) -- and immediately began to dry-heave. I handed the book to one of my friends. When they were ready to check out, one of my friends realized she had misplaced the manga she wanted, so she want back and got a different copy. As we were leaving, my bag set off the barcode detector.

So not only was I feeling mildly disgusted with myself for buying raunchy, raunchy hentai, but now I had to explain that I wasn't a shoplifter, since saying I accidentally put my friend's book in my bag by mistake. Fortunately, they believed me eventually. Anyways, I'm thinking it's best if I don't go back to Mandarake, but I recommend it if you're into doujinshi or laughing. Or narsty hentai.

As for the book, I "read" it when I got home. I thought I'd give you guys a play-by-play as a joke, but it's actually not funny. At all. It seems to me that the Japanese view sex as an icky but necessary thing (I wish I knew why -- they love eating nato and that shit is like eating baked beans and jizz). So most depicitons of sex in porn (regardless of who's involved) looks a) painful, b) really goopy, and c) is usually against someone's will.

Here's the first story in the anthology: a manager at a tennis club has a crush on one of the tennis players. The tennis player is sleeping with her coach, but when she finds out the coach is also sleeping with one of his other students, she gets pissed. The next scene shows the manager hanging out in the locker room.

Here's how this would go if it were an American story (Mom, Dad, don't think too hard about how I know this): A) manager walks in on tennis player crying, "kisses" her tears away; B) tennis player confesses love to manager, since she realized she's not that into dudes anyway or C) manager comes on to player. They have rough sex on the locker room floor. Maybe with a tennis racket.

Here's how it actually ends: turns out manager masturbates with the tennis player's racket and clothing when she's not around. Tennis player walks in on her and begins to spank her with the racket, then forces the racket into places where manager was putting it anyway. In the end, tennis player becomes manager's BDSM dom.

The next story was even more bizarre.

It's not like the majority of these were necessarily disturbing, it just begs the question: why? Seriously -- who thinks of this stuff?

Guess I'll go back to that Aragorn/Boromir slash.

Circles

Again with the circles. I once met a kid whose grand unifying theory of life was that instead of reincarnation, we constantly travel in an orbit. These orbits intersect with other peoples' and when we feel deja vu, it's because we are remembering that instant from a previous orbit. It may sound silly now, but it was pretty impressive when I was 11. This past weekend IES led a trip to Kyoto. I went to some of the places on our itinerary back in high school; I was looking forward to going back. I know that [i]they[/i] hadn't changed, but Lord knows I have.



Here's a picture I took of Kintakuji in high school. The fall foliage hasn't really come out yet, so the place doesn't look so different. Except this last time it was a mob scene.

And here's us in front of Kiyomizudera:



I miss that t-shirt; there's a hole in the armpit and I believe a bleach stain on the side. I guess I could still rock it with that jacket, though. Except the jacket feels to small now. (Doesn't that sound profound?)

So let's see...at the time, I had a massive crush on a fellow named Aram, I knew I was going to go to U Chicago, and I still liked anime. If Cowboy Mouths Voodoo Shoppe hadn't come out by then, it did shortly thereafter. I had also just discovered this band called The Refreshments. Since Tessa, Christina, and I were the only girls on the trip, we were in close quarters pretty much the whole time, and by Kyoto we were starting to lose it.

Now? Well, I can't explain that whole having crushes on guys thing, but I do know why I was so angry and scared all of the time. Part of me misses having that ball of spleen in my stomach that drove me forward, but mostly I'm glad I've calmed down. In college I've managed to make some excellent friends (hopefully they're reading this!), really advance my Japanese (I managed to get myself to a hospital and explain my symptoms -- couldn't do that in high school!); I've come out and I've helped run one of the biggest and most important clubs at Haverford. And my GPA isn't too shabby either. For some reason I've had a giant collapse in self-confidence (maybe I never had it, and the aforementioned spleen covered it up). It'd be nice if I could regain that by graduation, but I'm slowly picking up the pieces. There's no question I've matured a lot over the semester.

There were a bunch of bizarre deja vu moments -- random shops or buildings along the Kamo River (the main river in Kyoto) that I had seen four years ago. At Kiyomizu-dera, I made a point of buying green tea ice cream from the same place I had bought it the first time.

As I left Kintakuji (and remembered leaving it four years before), I wondered what I had been thinking back then. At the time, I knew I was going to study abroad here. But now? I know I want to come back to Japan, but I'll only have so much money and time -- especially as a grad student/teacher. Also, there are so many places to go in the world, and other than Canada this is the only foreign country I've been to so far -- not to mention there are so many places within the states I want to go to.

I'm not so sure if life is a circle, like my friend thought. Maybe it's more like a Moebius strip; certainly we can see how the present overlaps the past, but the future is still twisted. Either way, it's a single unit, and there's no question in my mind that the beginning and the end connect.

Fall Break: Pt. 2 -- Better than before!

Side comment: I ATE FISH SPINE YESTERDAY.

Moving forward.

So much for catching up on sleep over break.

We took the local train to Nara, which is to the south of Nagoya. (For only 1700 yen it was definitely a deal.) The train took us through the real boonies of Japan -- despite how crappy the towns looked (endless rice paddies, abandoned factories) it was nice to see that Japan isn't some kind of Stepford country.

Nara was the terminus of the silk road in Japan and was the capital of the country back in the 790s. Here's an example of how wealthy the city was:

That pagoda was RESTORED in 1719.

As you can see, the weather was not too fantastic when we got there. Shortly after this picture was taken (and on our way to Toudaiji, the most famous temple in Nara) it basically pissed rain. Since we hadn't expected to check in to our hostel 'til 9, all of our stuff got wet.


Nara is also famous for its deer. As in Miyajima, since deer are considered messengers of the gods (Princess Mononoke, anyone?) they're allowed to roam the city (they mostly stick to the touristy parts, though, since that's where the deer food dealers tend to hang out.) Here's one fellow waiting for food in the rain:


Unfortunately, by the time we got to Toudaiji, it was closed. We checked into the hostel early and dried off. The only other foreigner staying there was a Canadian named Mike who spoke about two words of Japanese, so we invited him to dinner. We went to an Indian restaurant.

The next day we got up bright and early to see Toudaiji. The temple is massive, which is good since it needs to house a gigantic Buddha statue. Here's his hand:


Most of the important shrines in the city are lumped together in a large park. We spent our only full day in the city walking through the park. We also climbed Mt. Wakakusa. It only looked like a small hill from the bottom.


This is not a trick of the camera; the hill is actually that steep.

In one of the shrines we had visited earlier, I befriended some middle-schoolers (we taught each other the word for "maple tree" -- or momoji). They were from Osaka, which is known for the yakuza (Japanese mafia) and cheap goods (connection?) Osaka has a special dialect; it's basically the equivalent of a Bronx accent. They taught me "nan de ane?!" which basically translates into "Hey! What the fuck?"

While we were climbing the trail we ran into those kids again. They saw me first and called out, "Hey! Hey! Nan de ane?!"

The ensuing conversation was basically this:

"What the fuck?"
"What the fuck?!"
"What the FUCK?!"
"What the fuck!"

Living proof that not all Japanese middle schoolers are trolls, just the ones exchange students have to live with.

Climbing the mountain was probably the high point of my time here so far. Here's one of many pictures:


Nara is small but it's a really cool city. There are art galleries, independent fashion designers, clubs, indie record stores...all of the stuff a city is supposed to have...unless you live in Nagoya. Or so I thought.

The guest house we stayed at was a fantastic place -- I almost had more fun chilling with the other guests than I did wandering around Nara. One of the women I met was interested in Buddhist art, so she quit her job and published a book on Buddhist statues for the layman. Another guy was an architect from Tokyo who grew vegetables on his terrace. On the second night we were talking about cheap places to stay and he turns to one of the other guests (whom we had just met) and said, "Hey, how do you say 'love hotel' in English?" Winner of the best Japanese sentence I have ever heard.

I felt disappointed when I left Nara since it was nice to see a city with some kind of subculture. After class on Wednesday (we got back Tuesday night), one of my friends and I took a walk around the neighborhood near Nanzan and found a store called Village Vanguard (named after the bar in New York, I assume) -- it's like Ricky's or Hot Topic in the sense that it's pre-packaged counterculture, but the manga selection is incredible -- all of the "indie" stuff that you'd have to wade through the Shonen Jump to find anywhere else. They also have some indie music. So next time I feel like I have money to burn, I'm planning on heading there. All I had to do was look a little harder.

Only five more weekends here...I guess I'll spend them looking for the counterculture in Nagoya. But tomorrow, I'm off to Kyoto!

Fall Break: Full Circle

Monday night: I was in a bit of an off mood for whatever reason. I was stressing out about picking classes for next semester. I was trying to figure out what I'd do for the first three days of break before I headed to Nara with my friends Denise, Linda, and Janai. At around 4:00 that day I realized I should try to pick a date to go to Hiroshima so I could see Himeji and Miyajima, the two places in Japan I wanted to see most (aside from Nara). Also, I had offered to make chili for my host family, but that night they had "forgotten" for the fifth time.

Around dinner time, my friend Mike sends me a text message: "Want to go to Hiroshima with my host mom and me?"

"When?"

"Thursday through Saturday. It's $200." (The first three days of break.)

I mulled it over conveyor belt sushi with my host family, but finally said yes. Over dinner I had an actual conversation with my host sister about independent comics (turns out there's a small convention in Nagoya this Sunday, but I'll be in Kyoto.)

Both Mike and I thought it would be just the three of us traveling down to Hiroshima. Turns out it was actually a three-day bus tour down to Hagi (the southern tip of Honshu, the main island of Japan) and back.

Day 1: Himeji and Hiroshima.



Himeji is considered to be the most beautiful castle in Japan. Want to guess why?

It's especially known for the way the roof curves upward on at the edges and is popularly known as the "Crane Palace". It's one of the few castles in Japan that wasn't destroyed during the Meiji Restoration or World War II and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Next stop was Hiroshima. I had some mixed feelings about visiting the Peace Park. Most of the Japanese people we were with took pictures of the A-Bomb Dome. After working at the NMAI, I've realized that photographs really do take on a meaning and power of their own. Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, it seems to me that a photograph cheapens the experience you had while taking that pictures. Himeji was gorgeous, but I spent most of my time looking for a nice shot.

Furthermore, it really pisses me off when tourists visit Ground Zero in New York. It's not fucking Disneyland; people died there.

Fortunately, I did not have to leave Hiroshima without a picture of the Dome. While I was in the park, a Japanese (I think) guy walked up to me and asked me where I was from in English. When I told him, he pulled out a picture of the Dome and of Sadako out of his fanny pack and asked me to tell everyone back home about Hiroshima. I kept my promise.

The city itself is beautiful. Since it's built on a river delta, you don't have to go too far without seeing some water or a mountain. Compared to Nagoya, Hiroshima feels like a very livable city. If I do JET I might request to live there.

Day 2

The next day was probably the coolest day of my life. First, we went to Miyajima, arguably the most beautiful place in Japan. Mike and I wished we had had more time on the island (there were some mountains there just waiting to be climbed.) Some other time. Deer roamed the island, and the tori that Miyajima is famous for did not cease to amaze.



And that's not even my favorite shot of it.

Next stop -- Iwakuni. A charming (yes, I used that word. I don't really want to believe that I did) mountain town famous for this bridge:



And can boast 100 ice cream flavors:




As if the day weren't already full, we moved on to a limestone cave that was way the heck up in the mountains. At first, the cave was narrow and twisty. There were a few interesting stalactites, but they didn't compare to Howe Caverns or Crystal Caves back in the states, so Mike and I weren't too impressed.

Then we rounded a bend that opened onto an impossibly large cavern. We could see a tour group that had entered before us filing along all the way on the other side of the cavern. I took a picture, but it just doesn't do the sight justice. It looked like my conception of Hell. Which, of course, made me think about The Inferno. Dante as tourist: guided by the well-meaning but long-winded Virgil; stopping and gaping at the regional curiosities; collapsing when he can't take it anymore. I think I could write a master's thesis on that.

We spent the night in Hagi, which is famous for its blowfish. That's probably the most fugu I will ever eat in my entire life, which is a shame because it was delicious. (Don't worry mom -- it's only the organs that are risky! The meat is fine!)

Day 3 - We rushed through a couple of historical districts through towns whose names I never learned, but they were pretty. I'll put those pictures up (along with many more) on Facebook. Most of the day, however, was spent driving north and getting on the bullet train for Nagoya.

I'll write about Nara in the next entry (maybe I'll write that tomorrow) but I'll close with this: as for the chili? I made some pasta sauce and guacamole tonight using pretty much all of the chili ingredients except for the chili powder. For some reason it came out really watery (thoughts, Mom?) My host mom tried putting in some chili pepper and liked it a lot. I convinced her to try the actual chili seasoning and she loved it. I'll probably make it within the next few weeks.

It's always worth trying new things.