Hello from Kyoto!

It's been such a busy week! On Monday, I moved out of the house I'd been living in for the last three years, put most of my earthly possessions in storage, and got on a red-eye flight bound for Washington D.C. to start my Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) in Advanced Japanese. I was very pleased to arrive to an amazing breakfast and plush accommodations at the Embassy Suites, conveniently located closed to a number of sights in Washington D.C. After a nap, I managed to arrange impromptu get-togethers with Alice, an old friend who interned with me at the Environmental Protection Agency in 2003, and Tessa, a fellow University of Washington Political Science major who is now working as a lawyer in D.C.

Tuesday night and all of Wednesday consisted of an orientation at the American Councils headquarters. Though the State Department provides the funding, American Councils appears to handle the U.S.-side organizational responsibilities for the CLS Program. The staff were all incredibly friendly and helpful, though they were only able to give us a limited amount of information on our program, since this is the first year that CLS has included a Japanese program. Still, we used the time to meet one another--there are 14 students in the Advanced Japanese group, 5 graduate students and 9 undergraduates. Everyone seems remarkably nice and friendly, and some of the participants speak fabulous Japanese--I'm particularly impressed with the undergraduates who haven't ever been to Japan before and yet seem to have mastered an impressive level of language skill.

At 3:30 am on Friday morning, the 14 of us got on a bus bound for Dulles airport and embarked on a 16-hour plane journal (with a 2-hour stop at San Francisco International Airport) for the Kansai International Airport in Osaka. It was a surprisingly pleasant plane ride, in no small part due to the fact that I was seated in United Economy Plus, which was well worth the money to upgrade (yay for 5 extra inches of leg room!). Anyway, an hour-long bus ride found our group at the Hearton Hotel in Kyoto, where we met our Resident Director. Saturday was our orientation at the Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies (KCJS), which included a 2.5-hour long placement test, a campus tour, and (finally) lots of information about our classes to come (and our first homework assignments, of course!).

Today, I finally met my host family. I'm staying with a very nice couple in a house just a short walk from Doshisha University's Imadegawa campus, where KCJS is based. I'm excited, as this is my very first homestay experience, and I hope to make the most of it! And it looks like an amazingly relaxing place to live and work--I have a surprisingly spacious room all to myself, and even a separate study area:

The house is also home to a very well-behaved dog named おじゃる (Ojaru):

Overall, I've been very impressed with the coordination and effort put in by American Councils and KCJS--and the State Department has been amazingly generous in paying for pretty much every expense that we could possibly encounter. They've even set us up with temporary cell phones for our stay! (Although, as anybody who's lived in Japan knows, cell phones are basically mandatory for Japanese life.) I'm quite glad that I decided to attend this program. It's like the study abroad program that I never did as an undergraduate.

Anyway, I should unpack and get started on my homework! No rest for the weary!

A Voice from the Deep

I've decided to resuscitate this blog because... I'm moving back to Japan! That's right, after an extended hiatus away from the Land of the Rising Sun, I'm going back. This summer, I will be studying doing a homestay in Kyoto and studying advanced Japanese through the Critical Language Scholarship program based at the Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies. Then, I'll be in the U.S. for a bit, tying up loose ends in Berkeley, visiting family in Seattle, and presenting at a conference and doing some interviews in Washington D.C., before heading back to Tokyo to start 12 months of fieldwork. Exciting stuff!

In any case, I will be updating this blog regularly with tales of productivity and adventure, and as always, a ton of pictures. I look forward to sharing them with you! For now, I'd like to get things started with a slideshow from my time at an English teacher in Niigata-ken from 2005-2006--it's a "greatest hits," of sorts. Enjoy!

Yokohama Port Opening Festival and Ocean Day

Yesterday, I attended the annual festival commemorating the port opening of Yokohama. 6,000 fireworks were released over the course of an hour and 10 minutes, which made for a pretty good show. My school hosted a party for its students, which was particularly convenient, since our school overlooks the part of the Yokohama harbor where the fireworks were set off. Snacks and drinks were plentiful, and it was a pretty good time overall, even if my teacher spent some of the party correcting my speech for tomorrow, LOL.

Today is Ocean Day, a recently introduced Japanese national holiday to celebrate the ocean. The day marks the return of Emperor Meiji from a boat trip to Hokkaido in 1876. It's a pretty uneventful holiday, all in all.

A trip to the National Diet

I went on a class field trip to the National Diet building yesterday (the Japanese equivalent of Congress) and toured the Upper House (the House of Councillors). The Diet isn't currently in session, so it was something of your typical historical/national building tour, but it was definitely interesting to see where all of the action (or inaction) of the Japanese government happens. I frequently see the chambers of the Upper and Lower Houses in newspapers and on the TV. I was tempted to buy a set of Japanese sweets imprinted with Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's face. But I managed to restrain myself.

One interesting fact: Everything in the National Diet building is constructed of Japanese materials except:

1. The stained glass
2. The doorknobs (which were made in the U.S.)
3. The mail chute system (also made in the U.S.)

And here's me pretending to be a genki Diet member:

Kyoto

I went sightseeing in Kyoto this past weekend and saw Fushimi Inari Taisha, Ginkakuji (which I don't recommend visiting until after the construction is finished), and Kiyomizudera. I am loving my language program and living in Yokohama, by the way. For now, I have a speech to write!

Novelty gravestones: Morbid or eternally cute?

I have homework to finish before this morning's first session, but I just wanted to share photos of these gravestones that I saw in a shop on the way to Sojiji the other day. The "Baseball Santa" tombstone is a a particularly strange amalgamation of concepts:

The Japanese can make anything cute...

So, every day on my way to class, I walk through or past the tallest building in Japan, the Landmark Tower (and an amusement park with one of the world's largest ferris wheels, but that's not the subject of this particular entry). While I definitely think it's pretty cool, the Landmark Tower is not what I think of as "cute" - it looks more like a medieval fortress crossed with a skyscraper and tends to ring more "imposing" or "impressive" in my mind. Exhibit A, the Landmark Tower:



But of course, I was simply seeing the building with my non-cuteness-creating American eyes. The Japanese, however, know exactly how the cuteness of this building would manifest, if the latter so desired. Exhibit B, an advertisement for the Landmark Tower's 15th anniversary:



I particularly like the declaration of "I Love You!" at the top. And the way that the top section of the building so nicely imitates a mouth just where one is needed.

Second day of classes was good, but I have so much homework!

First day of language classes...

It went well, but I am so so so so tired. I woke up around 4:30 am (partly because I'm not fully adjusted to Japanese time and partly because that's when the sun comes up in this crazy country), had a busy morning of classes, and then went on a class field trip to Sojiji, Yokohama's largest Buddhist temple, for a rather intense tour (all in Japanese, of course). Highlights included witnessing some type of Buddhist ceremony and experiencing zazen (which included getting whacked by a Buddhist priest with a large piece of wood - and it was a good whack). Anyway, I still have a lot of homework to do, and my brain is fading quickly, but here are some pics:


Our tour guide


One of the buildings of the temple


One of the shrines within the temple

It's been an interesting first week back in Japan. But for now I'm off to try and finish this homework before I pass out.

A much overdue conclusion

So, it's been a long time since I updated this blog - I left Japan on July 29th, and now I'm back in the U.S.! I've moved down to California and started a Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. All is well and fine. If you want to read about my new adventures in Berkeley, I am planning to set up a new blog soon. I'll post the link here as soon as it's available.

I had a few more adventures before I left though - including moving farewells at my schools and a final trip to Tokyo with Nuria and Star. Here are a few more pictures to keep things visual:


Team Yakiniku: Junko, Noriko, Kristi, & Rosalind


Yamaya-san, Julia & Kristi


Final Farewell, Tsubame-Sanjo Station


Kristi & Nuria, Tokyo


John Lennon Museum, Saitama


Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre


Star & Kristi, The Lockup, Tokyo


Kristi, Shibuya


Siblings, Reunited


Siblings, En Route To Berkeley

Anyway, in conclusion, I'd like to thank all of you for reading my blog. It was a crazy year in Japan, filled with a lot of fun and a lot of personal growth. I look forward to more adventures in the future!

Ise and Nagoya Report

I think I'm in danger of not posting about my 3-day weekend in Ise and Nagoya, so I better just churn something out, eh? Friday night, I boarded the overnight bus on a 6.5 hour journey down to Nagoya, arriving at the pleasantly deserted hour of 6 am. After a quick breakfast, I went another two hours south to Ise, home of the holiest shrines in Japan. Legend has it that the Japanese imperial family is descended from a particular god - this god gave the family three sacred treasures: a sword, a mirror, and a jewel. The mirror is enshrined at Ise, although no one has seen it for hundreds of years. The shrines themselves (there are two) are overwhelming Japanese in architecture, in stark contrast to many of the other famous shrines in Japan (particularly Nikko, their apparent rival for spectacular-ness). To top it all off, the shrines are completely torn down and rebuilt every 20 years according to Shinto tradition, which necessitates two separate (albeit adjacent) locations for the buildings. It's quite the piece of Japanese culture and history. The most disappointing thing? You can't take pictures near the inner shrines, so the memories will just have to live in my mind. :)


Main Shrine Entrance, Geku
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Anyway, I decided to make a day of it by seeing some of the other things Ise had to offer, including Oharaimachi (a traditional-style shopping area where I had very yummy shaved ice), Meoto Iwa (the famous "wedding rocks") and Mikimoto Pearl Island (home of the world's first cultured pearls). All in all, it was an extremely busy, tiring, and fulfilling day. I'm very glad I went.


Shops, Oharaimachi
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Meoto Iwa, Ise
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Diving Demonstration, Mikimoto Pearl Island
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

On Sunday, I started out the day with a visit to Nagoya Castle, which was much more impressive and interesting than I expected (when you've seen one ferro-concrete Japanese castle reconstruction, you've seen them all - or so I thought). I also made a quick stop by the Nagoya Noh Theater to take a look at its small museum.


Nagoya Castle
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Kristi, Noh Museum
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Of course, the main event of the weekend was the sumo tournament. I've gotta say, I really love sumo now. I thought it would be interesting in a cultural sense, but I really developed an affinity for the sport itself. In the morning, I squatted in the very pricey first row seats, getting an amazing view of the lower-ranked wrestlers - several actually fell about 6 inches from my feet, that's how close I was. And it was just enthralling! I mean, with matches that only last 3-5 minutes, there's no time to get bored. There was definitely some skill and strategy involved. And honestly, I didn't mind the copious amounts of man-flesh.

A few hours later, I was joined by Grace, Rosalind, and Johanna who had been living it up in Osaka for a few days. We eventually migrated up to our seats in the balcony. The higher-ranked wrestlers definitely carried themselves as such - as the day went on, the matches got progressively longer and involved more pre-match intimidation. It was hilarious to see a wrestler suddenly get worked up, beat his chest in front of the crowd and then throw a handful of salt into the ring with such drama - the spectators' folding fans would start fluttering with excitement and you knew it was going to be a good match. :) We saw several of the famous sumo stars, including Asashoryu, the only current yokozuna in the sport (who dispensed with his opponent relatively quickly and still remains undefeated during this tournament, I believe). You can read more about sumo and the July tournament here.


Sumo Tournament, Nagoya
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Sumo Tournament, Nagoya
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Sumo Tournament, Nagoya
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Ok, after that things were relatively mundane. The four of us headed to Outback Steak House in Nagoya for an extremely delayed but delicious dinner. The three musketeers went back to their capsule hotel in Osaka, while I bedded down in my Nagoya dormitory. Monday morning was spent shopping in Sakae, taking advantage of the amazing summer sales. And then I had another 6.5 hour bus ride to my home sweet home in Niigata.

And there you have it folks, the full report. Check out the full photo set here.

Sumo!!!

So, I just got back from a totally awesome weekend in Ise and Nagoya. Pictures and details to come, but for now, enjoy this short video I took at the sumo tournament! It takes you through the basics of a bout - with the exception of the little victory song at the end.

Hope you're all doing well!

Busy week-end...

Man, it's kind of frightening how quickly I can pack for trips now. Seriously. I got back from an enkai with the people from my Board of Education in Nagaoka about an hour ago and will be departing shortly to catch the overnight bus to Nagoya, the fourth-largest city in Japan. I'm hoping for a relaxing, culturally-enlightening weekend - it'll be my first (and likely last) major solo trip in Japan. Can't wait to tell you all about it.

Oh, and I have to tell you about my dinner with the mayor of Kamo last night, don't I? Well, it was delicious and amusing and resulted in a proposal to hire a new ALT for the city of Kamo (since I'm leaving and don't have a replacement). They also asked me to stay for another year to take on the position, which was quite flattering (but generally impossible). But I'm excited for the kids - what a great opportunity for them. They're putting forth a proposal to the Kamo city council, so we'll have to see how it goes. *crossing fingers*


Dinner with the Mayor
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

I'm really short, aren't I? Even in the land of short people, it seems...

Off to Nagoya!

And the story continues...

Yeah, so I'm not going to wax philosophical about this goodbye business because ... well, it's pretty much the running theme for the next couple of weeks, right? :)

Yesterday I parted ways with a class that was formerly my noisiest, least-behaved of all my schools (they've subsequently mellowed quite a bit though). I actually really adore these guys - I have a soft spot in my heart for the difficult ones. ;) After receiving a few declarations of love and cuteness, I was quite loathe to leave. I'll see them around for the next week or so though:


Class 2-2, Kamo Jr. High
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Last night, a yet-again-sick Aaron and I met up with Nishigata-sensei, a JTE (Japanese Teacher of English) who we both happened to work with this year, due to the wonders of the educational transfer system. We feasted on yakiniku and had a very relaxing time chatting.


Team Teachers!
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Aaron and I followed it up by hitting the late show of Mission Impossible III in Tsubame, probably the last time I'll be seeing a movie in Japan for at least a few years. It's a rather interesting process really - a weekly "Ladies Day", assigned seating, Japanese people who don't laugh or leave til the credits are completely finished... Oh, and of course, a thankfully reversed set of logic that makes the latest show of the evening also the cheapest one (+1 point, Japan!). I thought the movie itself was fairly entertaining, lots of twists and turns. It seemed very ... reasonable, as odd as that sounds.

Anyway, I just found out that I have absolutely positively NO classes today because all of my kidlings are painstakingly composing farewell letters for me. *tear* Yep yep. I guess that means I should finally plan my weekend agenda - this weekend I'm heading to the general vicinity of Nagoya to get myself into all kinds of random adventures and witness the awesomeness that will be a sumo tournament.

Oh, and I'm having dinner with the mayor of Kamo tonight. And a big enkai tomorrow night. And God knows what else. Oh, Japan.

Let the goodbyes begin...

This weekend was all about goodbyes - to possessions and friends both. Spent a lot of the weekend cleaning my apartment and selling/giving furniture to various people/places around Niigata. I don't have a successor, so this place has to be emptied of all but the bare essentials (i.e. refriegerator, washing machine) by the time I leave. It doesn't sound difficult, but there have been ALTs living in this place for 15 years - so stuff tends to build up. And since I've still got some major travel plans and work obligations left, I figured I should get a timely start...

Last night I went out to Kashiwazaki for a beach barbeque. And yeah, it was kinda like things came full circle. I remember going to another (very rainy) barbeque back in August - and I'd only seen some of these people only once or twice since then. So strange to think. But I can only be happy that we shared each other's company for a little while and hope that we'll meet again in the future - perhaps in some other far-flung corner of the world. :)


The Gang
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Kristi, Mara & Siobhan
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Sanjo Survivors
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Kristi & Aaron
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

I have another host of goodbyes to say tomorrow at Wakamiya Jr. High - and I'm fairly dreading it, I've got to say. But time marches on - goodbyes now and reunions to come, so all is right with the world.

Happy Fourth of July!

So, in celebration of the Fourth of July, Melissa, Kate, Errol, myself, and Kayvohn (our honorary American) got together for an American-style hoedown in Maki, complete with beef, (accidental) pork burgers, corn, apple pie, Coca-Cola, "Spirit of America" brownies, music, and sparklers. There were flags everywhere, and good times were had by all (lighting sparklers by the Shinto shrine was especially notable). I think it was quite possibly simultaneously the most and least American event I have ever experienced, if that makes any sense. Happy Birthday, USA!


The Americans
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Spirit of America Brownies
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Shisa & Kristi, Maki
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

The days are running dreadfully short all of a sudden, and I find myself desperately penciling in appointments, errands, and get-togethers left and right. It's nice. But kinda strange, too. Am I really going home in just three weeks?

Another weekend in Niigata...

Pink Girls!
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

So, it was another semi-relaxing, semi-random weekend in Niigata. This time, however, Star came up from Tokyo to join in the festivities. Persevering through the start of the rainy season (it arrived on Friday), we spent a largely chill weekend ambling through some of Niigata's attractions, including Kamoyama Park, Yahiko Shrine, the Echigo Brewery in Maki (Japan's first microbrewery), the Kamo Onsen, and Niigata City. We met up with Melissa, Kate, and Errol for parts of the weekend and mostly just had fun. It's so nice to have visitors in Niigata - I think that some of my favorite Japan memories have been simply hanging out in Kamo with good company. Here are the obligatory pictoral tidbits:


Kristi, Kamoyama Park
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Star, Kamoyama Park
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Star & Kristi, Echigo Brewery
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

By the way, today is my last day at Tagami Jr. High, and it's somewhere between awkward and tragic. I traded speeches with the teachers and students this morning, and even got a very nice bouquet of flowers which is currently looking somewhat stranded on my desk. But at the same time, I've seriously only been to this school about 15 times this entire year (with teacher transfers and student graduations in between), so I don't feel like I know them well enough to be all worked up. But maybe that's the really sad part - that I won't have the time to get to know them any better.

Anyway, enough rumination for now. After this year in Japan, I have concluded beyond all reasonable doubt that too much thinking is indeed bad for a person. Off to do!