More Adventures with Mom and Dad

This entry is getting back to my sight-seeing trip with my parents. After spending a day in Shikoku, we headed back to Honshu and got off the train in a city called Okayama. This city is famous for the origin of the legend of Momotaro, the baby who was born in a peach and grew up to be a great fighter who conquered demons and monsters. Even though it was raining the entire day we spent in Okayama, after walking through a beautiful park and getting completely soaked because amongst the three of us there was not a single umbrella, I made Mom and Dad walk down to the edge of this peninsula just to see a small statue of Momotaro. But before we walked to the statue's location we did buy some umbrellas at a small roadside stand. That's a good thing about Japan, they sell umbrellas almost anywhere, including in convenience stores.

After two days of straight rain, it finally became dry and sunny after our tour of Okayama, and we headed far west to a small town called Iwakuni outside the suburban area of Hiroshima. Iwakuni is famous for a five-part bridge called the Kintaikyou. After walking across the bridge, you enter an area full of former samurai residences and art museums. We took a cable car up the side of the surrounding mountain in order to see Iwakuni Castle at the mountain summit. This castle was reconstructed, the original having been built in the 1600s. We learned that it was reconstructed because a past shogun of Japan, in order to keep his subjects from becoming too powerful, did not let more than one castle be built within a single prefecture, and I guess Iwakuni Castle was the second castle built in its prefecture at the time, so it was destroyed soon after it was erected, despite taking all those years to build it in the first place.

Learning Japanese

Sometimes it's so difficult to accept it when I make a mistake while using Japanese. I try very hard to use everything that I know and that I've learned in order to produce correct Japanese. But despite all my effort, sometimes I'm just not correct. I've been told a billion times that failure and mistakes are good for me - that I should be grateful for the opportunities to make mistakes and to learn. But sometimes the way the criticism is delivered just gets to me. I just want to be correct, but when I find out I'm not, I become frustrated, and that frustration is quite visible to those who correct me. The people who are kind and patient enough to correct me tend to be the people that are closest to me here, or people with whom I interact on a regular basis - people from whom I can learn a lot, if I wouldn't let my frustration push them away, which it unfortunately can and does. I just have to remember what Okaasan always tells me - after learning English for twenty years in the U.S., I should not expect to become fluent in Japanese after only such a short time in Japan.

Vacation with my Parents

I'd like to backtrack a little, because there was an important happening about which I have not written too much (if anything) about on my blog yet. At the tail end of January and for the first few weeks in February, my parents were here in Japan for the first time! As a result, I was able to do a lot of sight-seeing with them!

I went to Shikoku for the first time in my life with my parents on January 30th. Shikoku is a small island to the southeast of Honshu, the biggest island of Japan. It is close enough to Honshu, however, that there are several bridges connecting the two islands, and we rode across a bridge in a bus and were able to see the famous Naruto Whirlpools in the inland sea area below the bridge.

After arriving in Shikoku, we went to a beautiful sculpture garden full of stone works by a Japanese sculptor named Noguchi (surname) Isamu, who spent time in both Shikoku and in New York. The garden was fairly separated from the town in which we were staying, so we only had time for the one sightseeing location that day.

It was really interesting to translate for my parents while they were here with me. I have always felt comfortable speaking Japanese as opposed to reading it, so just translating menu items and information about tourist sight locations was not a huge ordeal. However, it's more confusing than I would have guessed. My mind was running a million miles an hour, easily processing everything that I heard in Japanese. But when it came time to say what I heard in English, that was more difficult. I found myself searching for the right words and sometimes saying things backwards or in an odd grammatical order due to the grammar discrepancies between English and Japanese and my desire to quickly repeat what I had heard word for word. It was a fun challenge, though, and I felt like a guide, explaining what I had been studying for the past few years to my parents, who were experiencing it for the first time.

Soft Tennis Lesson

Yesterday Shoji gave me my first lesson in soft tennis. According to Shoji, soft tennis is a minor sport, and not very widely known outside of Asia. The ball used in soft tennis is, well, a lot softer than the yellow ball used in hard tennis. The ball is also white, and the players use air pumps before each practice to make sure the balls are filled with air to the point at which they are firm enough to use for playing. The racket used for soft tennis is smaller and lighter than the racket used for hard tennis, and the court net is taller. Soft tennis is played exclusively on clay courts, and players play in pairs, not singles. One of the teammates will play up closer to the net, and the other teammate will play closer to the serving line at the back of the court.

I observed the last twenty minutes or so of Shoji's practice, and then he gathered up a few teammates to play one game as a short demonstration for me. The scoring works almost the same way as hard tennis, with 0, 15, 30 (maybe 45, not 40), and then game. There are also deuces and advantages as well. After Shoji's group finished practicing, he invited me onto the court and taught me a few of the basic techniques. First I just worked on hitting the ball against the wall to get the feel of how to swing the racket and hit the ball with the correct amount of power. Then, he taught me how to serve (it was very difficult to coordinate the ball toss and hitting the ball at the right time). He also taught me two different strokes, one of which I don't really know how to say in English, but it's either "bare-" or "bore-" with the Japanese pronunciation. This stroke was easier to learn than the serve, and it involves stepping slightly forward with your right foot while slightly moving your racket hand forward with the racket facing directly at your opponent's side of the court to stop the ball from moving deeper onto your side of the court and to send it back to the opposite half of the court. Finally, I learned how to do a smash, which is like a serve, and it sends the ball crashing quickly downward onto the opponent's side of the court. This move, like the serve, was really difficult, and finding the right position in relation to the ball in order to hit it was tricky. But Shoji is a very patient teacher, and he answered all my questions about how to swing the racket or position and move my body. He was also very encouraging, both when I made good shots and when I made mistakes, leaving me very pleased with my first soft tennis lesson when I walked off the court.

Human Rights Museum and ”クシカツ立て飲み”

First, I would like to thank Koyomi Sensei for her eloquent and thorough explanation of giri chocolate that now accompanies my blog entry previous to this one.

Now, today was a day full of adventures in the east, and by the east, I mean east of Kobe, which becomes Osaka.

During the afternoon I went to the Osaka Human Rights Museum with my teacher and classmates from my Japanese Society and Law course. Lately in class we've been discussing minorities and groups in Japan that have faced discrimination. Various groups we have discussed include Koreans living in Japan, the buraku people, the Ainu, and people with disabilities, to name a few. The museum displays and explanations were mostly in Japanese, so it was somewhat difficult to understand the details being presented. In an article we were assigned to read for class about Koreans in Japan, some of the main points included past discomforts Koreans felt due to having a different language and cultural background as well as an inability to integrate into Japanese society (segregated schools, being forced into menial or subservient jobs, etc.) In the buraku exhibit area, it seemed as though the museum was trying to educate the public about the history of the buraku people, which includes leather tanning and working with dead animals, a job thought "unclean" by many Japanese in the past, leading to prejudice. I suppose the museum's aim was to promote awareness, which would then lead to acceptance. When I was reading the article about Koreans living in Japan for class, the article mentioned specific surnames that are associated with Koreans. I asked the professor if there was such a concept for buraku, but she said no. The professor went on to elaborate that no Japanese nationals were required to have surnames until the Meiji era (which started in 1868), so at that time, people tended to choose whatever surnames they could find.

After I left the museum, I was scheduled to meet up with Otousan for another restaurant outing. This time, our destination was a kushikatsu restaurant. Kushi means "skewer" and katsu means fried (as in fried meat), so this restaurant specialized in fried, breaded meat and fish on skewers. This restaurant was also special because it was standing only. Therefore, the entire restaurant comprised of a stainless steel counter with small curtains hanging behind it to separate the customers from the people passing by outside. Indeed, the restaurant was situated right at the entrance to an underground walkway, so there was a lot of traffic passing by. This type of restaurant is not for those who wish to have a long, hearty relaxing affair. It's more of an eat, drink, and go type of place, and the food is inexpensive but filling.

Of course, a trip to one of these places with Otousan guarantees interesting discussion on various aspects of Japanese culture. Indeed, tonight Otousan even gave me his definition of what may be considered true Japanese culture. He says an object or activity that has survived and been passed down for generations is true culture and will survive as culture. However, he claimed that something such as maid cafes or these kushikatsu restaurants, which have only come into being recently, are just trends that will gradually fade away, and thus may not be considered true Japanese culture.

Valentine's Day, Japanese Style

Valentine's Day is celebrated in Japan too! However, it is celebrated in a slightly different, much more one-sided way. In Japan, Valentine's Day is a holiday during which women give men chocolate. Men do not do any of the giving, it all comes from the women.

If you have a boyfriend, you usually give him chocolate. You could buy an expensive box of chocolate, such as Godiva, or you could do it the way I think most men prefer: tezukuri (handmade) chocolate. I didn't actually make it myself, but if you do, I heard it's really easy. You just melt some chocolate bars, add cream, stir it up, let it harden somewhat, cut out hearts and other shapes using cookie cutters, and let it fully harden.

Women also give out giri chocolate, or "safety" chocolate. I think you can give it to your friends who don't have girlfriends, and I think that coworkers also give it to each other. That area is a little fuzzy to me, but I keep hearing about all these salary men who come home from work with their briefcases stuffed full of chocolate. If the salary men are giving each other chocolate, then it's not an exclusive from women to men exchange, so I'm not quite sure how that works. But a briefcase full of chocolates sounds like a deal to me!

Back to Kyoto Again!

I returned to Kyoto this past Saturday to see Kiyomizu-dera, or the "Pure Water Temple." It's one of the most famous temples in all of Kyoto, and many Japanese and tourists alike venture there to drink the purifying water that comes from the mountainside on which the temple is located. There are even "holy silver water cups" for purchase for use when drinking the water. However, most temple goers opt for the long-handled silver ladles provided by the temple. With this many people using the same water ladles to drink the water, there is a special ultra-violet radiation cleaning system set up to ensure that germs are not passed from one person to the next.

Walking to the temple is difficult. I had to walk through an area called Gion, which is a rather exclusive area of southeastern Kyoto. Of course anyone may enter, because it's simply a district, not an enclosed area, and Gion attracts many tourists. However, the real estate is very traditional and expensive looking, and the area is said to be home to the geiko, or geisha, of Kyoto. It is said that if you walk through the streets of Gion at dusk, you may see geiko flitting from tea house to tea house, but I have yet to see any of them.

Kiyomizu-dera is located on a hill, so after walking through Gion, I climbed a lot of steps and wound my way through the curvy, hilly streets in search of the temple. When I finally found it, I was greeted by a bright orange, ornately decorated gateway leading to the temple complex, as well as a three story pagoda. From the temple I was also provided with a beautiful view of Kyoto City and the surrounding mountains. The temple does not really have walls, so the areas where people pray are outside (albeit under a roof) and thus chilly in the winter. Kiyomizu-dera was teeming with visitors, and many women were wearing kimono as they walked across the wooden floors and soaked in the gorgeous mountain scenery.

New Adventure in Kyoto

It has been raining a lot lately in Japan, more so this year as opposed to previous years, according to my Japanese friends. The rain was coming down especially hard this past Thursday, which made sight-seeing in Kyoto rather difficult. However, I had a reservation at an "exclusive" temple (it has a delicate moss garden, and tourists are kept to a minimum to avoid damaging the abundance of moss species present), so despite the pouring rain, I ventured to Saihoji Temple in western Kyoto on Thursday afternoon to see this famous garden.

I was led into a small room with the other tourists who had reservations for the one p.m. tour. We all sat behind small, wooden calligraphy desks. There was a black stone basin to the right side of each desk with a wooden calligraphy brush and some black ink inside of it. After the Buddhist priests entered the room, they instructed us to chant with them some Buddhist prayers, all written in Japanese (I sat silently and politely listened). Then we were told to use the calligraphy brushes and write on a wooden plaque we had received at the reception desk. On one side we were supposed to write a wish, and on the other side we were supposed to write our names and addresses. After completing the writing on the wooden plaque, we were taken out to the garden and, after receiving a brief explanation of the garden, allowed to wander through it at will. There was a beautiful pond in the middle of the garden, and the moss looked so lush from all the rain. Walking around this moss garden at Saihoji is said to cleanse one's heart, and I did feel quite serene after my walk.

Sapporo Snow Festival

I took my first trip up to Hokkaido, the northernmost main island in Japan, this past weekend to view the beautiful creations of the Sapporo Snow Festival. Held annually in early February, this week-long festival celebrates the chilly, snowy Hokkaido winter with many snow and ice sculptures, some mammoth in proportion, set up in a central area of the city near the Sapporo train station. There are sculptures of popular Japanese animation figures, such as Chibi Maruko-chan (a girl cartoon character), Anpanman (red bean paste-filled bread man), and Doraemon (a futuristic cat). There was a sculpture with Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters, as well as a sculpture with a bunch of animals such as an eagle, a bear, and a leopard. There were also sculptures of beautiful buildings with Far East-style architecture.

It was snowing pretty much the entire forty-eight hours I was in Sapporo, Hokkaido's largest city, so it was quite cold, and the wind was strong too. On Saturday afternoon I wandered through the park area and viewed the snow sculptures. After warming up with a nice fish and vegetable lunch in a restaurant located in a seafood market, I returned to the festival area and viewed the ice sculptures, which were in the shapes of animals and mythical creatures such as dragon-like water spirits and mermaids. I also went to the Sapporo Bier Garten for dinner on Saturday night and completed my weekend with an order of Gengis Khan lamb. The weather in Sapporo reminded me of Chicago's bitterly cold winters, and as fun as my trip to Sapporo was, I was relieved to return to the warmth of Kobe on Sunday evening.

A Little Lesson on Shrine Entryways

I apologize for the long absence, I've been busy traveling the country!

When I first came to Japan, I was really excited about seeing shrines, because I don't believe that there are very many in the U.S., at least not that I know of. After a while, though, I had visited so many shrines that I couldn't keep them all straight, and my interest began to wane. However, after learning this interesting information this past week, my interest has been renewed!

The toori is the big, stone gate that stands at the entranceway to a shrine. Some are made out of stone, but others are made out of wood and painted vermillion. That vermillion color is used to show the sacredness of the shrine area and the power of the Shinto gods. If you make a wish and place a stone on the toori gate, the wish is supposed to come true, which is why I've seen a lot of stones placed on top of toori gates this past week. However, the toori gates are sometimes very tall, so people who can't reach the toori gates will place rocks on stone lanterns lining the shrine area. Also, next to the toori gate are two stone dogs that look like lions. These are mythical dogs called komainu, and they are said to guard the shrine. These dogs exist outside shrines and other buildings in China, too. There is always one dog with its mouth open in the shape of an "ah" vowel and another with its mouth closed in the shape of an "mm" consonant. The "ah" vowel is the first letter of the Sanskrit alphabet, and the "mm" consonant is the last letter, symbolizing that the komainu guard the shrine from beginning to end.