Settling In

It's hard to believe that it's been just a little over a week since I've been in Japan; so much has happened in a few days! I'm just starting to settle into my new life over here and, with the purchase of a cell phone and the "white plan" (is the name coincidental? I'm not sure, but it's what all the foreigners get!) and my handy dandy denshi jisho (electronic dictionary) I'm pretty much set to start my exploration of Japan in earnest.

With a couple of friends, I've already started to do a little tanken (exploration) around Doshisha. On Tuesday, we went to the imperial gardens and walked around a bit. The grounds are expansive and to go inside we have to get reservations ahead of time, so we stuck to the gardens. It's a pretty impressive area that covers a lot of ground and, once again, it's crazy to think that something this old has survived in the midst of modernity's ongoing rush...Though I did notice that in one corner of the map there were a bunch of tennis courts, which I thought was kind of random.

Don't we look like one of those old Cingular commercials? From left to right: Meli, Me, Max and Adam at the Imperial Gardens.


A temple in the imperial palace compounds.

Then yesterday, Adam and I went exploring between classes in the other direction. We found this cute little shop that had the most amazing notebooks! They were all hand made and hand bound and had vintage/"retoro" (retro) pictures on the front. Upstairs, there was this quirky little art gallery. Here are some pics:

Yes, that's right, those pants don't have bottoms! They're seamless too!

Siamese shirts

Besides exploring with friends, I've been getting to know my family a little better. Last Sunday I went biking and running with my Otoosan (host dad). He's 71 and in the time he ran 6 miles, I ran under 3 miles...yeah, it was pretty pathetic and I was completely wiped out for the rest of the day! But it was a lot of fun. We ran along Kamogawa, the Kamo River, which is a really beautiful place; the river is lush with vegetation and white herons fish serenly amongst the reeds. The water is so clear that I could see minnows swimming in it from almost 15 yards away, and these really pretty black dragonflies were floating everywhere with motions so fluid it was as if they were inscribing calligraphy in the air! A lot of people jog and walk their dogs (which are all really tiny and toy-like and sooo cute!) along the river and, as the gap between me and my Otoosan gradually got wider, I occupied myself with observing the people around me...I now understand how Japanese women are so white. It's because they run in full body suits! Even though it was blazing hot (upper 80s, 90s?) they were wearing dark long-sleeved shirts and pants and jogging around. I don't see how they don't have heat stroke! Even though it seems like putting yourself through unneccessary discomfort, however, I guess in the future you won't get skin cancer that way...and also bug bites. Which is another thing - I have come to the conclusion that you can tell who the foreigners are by the amount of bug bites they have. It seems like none of the regular Japanese have bug bites and their skin is flawless! Sigh, it's just another one of their innumerable mysteries...

One last thing before I finish up - my host parents have a piano!!! Which is fantastic because it seems as if pianos are hard to find and there are no practice rooms (that I know of) at Doshisha. I was kind of concerned before coming that I wouldn't have access to a piano and so wouldn't be able to play, but I got soooo lucky! Since the houses are really close together and it's pretty quiet, sound really carries in the neighborhood. Thus, the first day I played the piano, Coharu, the little girl from next door, begged her mom to let her come over and listen. She is the most adorable little girl ever! As pretty much all the little Japanese babies are (this, by the way, is the consensus of the AKP group, and so I'm not presenting biased views here). But really, she was incredibly cute and after I finished she proceeded to bang on the piano and giggle in pure delight...I only wish I was better with kids. As some of you know, when it comes to kids I'm at a loss at what to do, and it's especially hard when you're trying to interact with a kid who speaks another language and you accidentally start speaking to them in polite form (which is reserved for speaking to strangers or people superior to you in age or station). Anyway, Coharu, though adorable, started wailing when she had to go back home for dinner and refused to be taken away from the piano. I felt kind of bad, but it was amazing how utterly entranced she seemed by the piano and it makes me wonder if I'm witnessing the beginnings of an amazing musician! But that's just me dreaming my idealistic dreams.

Anyhow, it's getting late now and I'm still slowly recovering from jet lag, so until next time, take care! Oyasuminasai (goodnight)!