Everybody was tired today. We
had been burning the midnight oil day and night, going from one place to another non-stop. A little
under a week into our trip and fatigue began to rear its ugly three eyed, two
tongued head. I'd like to say that I wasn't tired and that the excitement of
being here kept me going, but in reality I was a little slow during the first
half of the day.
We had done a lot of walking in the past 6 days. Since waking up, I could feel the blood pumping through the soles of my feet. Continuing to walk even more made it worse, and the first half of the day was particularly unbearable. The atmosphere on the bus this morning was subdued. The rides to and from the different areas we'd been visiting were filled with levity. Jokes and conversation was so intense that at some points I cried from laughing. We were all having a good time, but there wasn't as much of that laughter going around today. Its not that we were in a bad mood, we were all just very tired.
Our first stop today was Osaka's Eco Plaza. On display here were different technologies and methods of conservation. I think most of the students on the trip felt this was going to be boring, but I was heavily interested in it. I think a lot of the world views Japan as a technologically cutting-edge and modern country, so it makes sense that they would be ahead of the curb when it comes to finding ways to remove waste responsibly while combating climate change. Some of the things we saw today not only improved the quality of human life but also did no (or little) harm to the environment.
From what we saw, it seems as though Japan has a lot of ideas for experimenting with many new developing technologies. That's always the case with new tech; you need to play around with things a little bit first to make sure they actually work, and if you want to mass produce something the hurdles of experimentation are a vital necessity. Take these 'plant factories' that we saw as an example. They're basically indoor farms. We were shown lettuce as an example. No soil is used, and the water that feeds it is re-circulated and re-used. Since the plants are in a controlled environment, no pesticides are used. Since no pesticides are used, you don't have to wash the lettuce before eating it. You can just unwrap it and chow down. These 'plant factories' have the ability to help sustain areas that cannot grow crops by normal means or have no access to food after natural disasters such as earthquakes. Pretty neat, no?
One of the neatest things we saw in the Eco Plaza was disappearing ink on re-usable paper. Sure, disappearing ink has been around for a while but not in this form. The machine we saw takes a piece of paper that was printed out from a computer and completely erases everything on it so the paper can be used again. Optical sensors detect normal ink and cannot erase it, but by using this special disappearing ink you can print out things on the same sheet of paper up to five times. I can't really think of a situation where I would want to print out something and re-use the same sheet of paper over and over, but hey, if the option is there any step that helps maintain the environment is welcome.
I kind of realized something here today: there is no be all end all solution to climate change. It cannot be reversed on a worldwide scale. We're passed that point already. Even if the Japanese developed giant magic CO2 vacuums that patrolled the skies we still wouldn't have it under control. Biodegradable products are a nice boost, but individual action and responsibility also play a major role in solving climate change, which brings me back to Japanese culture. Much of what we saw in the Eco Plaza had less to do with amazing new technology and more with personal responsibility. I've also noticed the difference in waste management practices around the areas of Osaka and Tokyo that we visited. Instead of placing generic trash cans all over the place, all you see are waste receptacles that have one side for aluminum cans and another side for plastic bottles. Sure you see these in the US as well, but not everywhere. Here they're smaller and inside buildings. Every single corner on each floor of every hotel also has one of these.
So as it turns out, the Japanese are ahead of the curb, only it's not via technology but through the actions of its citizens. American society is just too lazy as a whole to do things like this. But, as many of my conservative friends back in the Carolinas would argue, we have the freedom not to recycle just as much as we do to recycle. Touché.
We had done a lot of walking in the past 6 days. Since waking up, I could feel the blood pumping through the soles of my feet. Continuing to walk even more made it worse, and the first half of the day was particularly unbearable. The atmosphere on the bus this morning was subdued. The rides to and from the different areas we'd been visiting were filled with levity. Jokes and conversation was so intense that at some points I cried from laughing. We were all having a good time, but there wasn't as much of that laughter going around today. Its not that we were in a bad mood, we were all just very tired.
Our first stop today was Osaka's Eco Plaza. On display here were different technologies and methods of conservation. I think most of the students on the trip felt this was going to be boring, but I was heavily interested in it. I think a lot of the world views Japan as a technologically cutting-edge and modern country, so it makes sense that they would be ahead of the curb when it comes to finding ways to remove waste responsibly while combating climate change. Some of the things we saw today not only improved the quality of human life but also did no (or little) harm to the environment.
From what we saw, it seems as though Japan has a lot of ideas for experimenting with many new developing technologies. That's always the case with new tech; you need to play around with things a little bit first to make sure they actually work, and if you want to mass produce something the hurdles of experimentation are a vital necessity. Take these 'plant factories' that we saw as an example. They're basically indoor farms. We were shown lettuce as an example. No soil is used, and the water that feeds it is re-circulated and re-used. Since the plants are in a controlled environment, no pesticides are used. Since no pesticides are used, you don't have to wash the lettuce before eating it. You can just unwrap it and chow down. These 'plant factories' have the ability to help sustain areas that cannot grow crops by normal means or have no access to food after natural disasters such as earthquakes. Pretty neat, no?
One of the neatest things we saw in the Eco Plaza was disappearing ink on re-usable paper. Sure, disappearing ink has been around for a while but not in this form. The machine we saw takes a piece of paper that was printed out from a computer and completely erases everything on it so the paper can be used again. Optical sensors detect normal ink and cannot erase it, but by using this special disappearing ink you can print out things on the same sheet of paper up to five times. I can't really think of a situation where I would want to print out something and re-use the same sheet of paper over and over, but hey, if the option is there any step that helps maintain the environment is welcome.
I kind of realized something here today: there is no be all end all solution to climate change. It cannot be reversed on a worldwide scale. We're passed that point already. Even if the Japanese developed giant magic CO2 vacuums that patrolled the skies we still wouldn't have it under control. Biodegradable products are a nice boost, but individual action and responsibility also play a major role in solving climate change, which brings me back to Japanese culture. Much of what we saw in the Eco Plaza had less to do with amazing new technology and more with personal responsibility. I've also noticed the difference in waste management practices around the areas of Osaka and Tokyo that we visited. Instead of placing generic trash cans all over the place, all you see are waste receptacles that have one side for aluminum cans and another side for plastic bottles. Sure you see these in the US as well, but not everywhere. Here they're smaller and inside buildings. Every single corner on each floor of every hotel also has one of these.
So as it turns out, the Japanese are ahead of the curb, only it's not via technology but through the actions of its citizens. American society is just too lazy as a whole to do things like this. But, as many of my conservative friends back in the Carolinas would argue, we have the freedom not to recycle just as much as we do to recycle. Touché.
This is where our group's overall fatigue began to be seen
across the looks on everybody's faces. Lunch was more traditional Japanese
food. There was a little groaning from some of the Kakehashi participants, and
to be fair cold fish and rice 3 times a day is a little much...but that's what
we came here for, right? I certainly wasn't complaining.
I'm not a huge fan of eating fish, but I know the Japanese are so I knew what I was getting into when I signed on. Today I was served one side of the body of a fish without a head and without a tail. When I saw what the waiter was bringing over to our table I winced a little bit. I knew this was coming at some point, but didn't know if I had the gumption to go ahead and swallow it. I had skipped breakfast this morning and was a little more hungry than usual so I decided to give it a try. It was good. However, eating half of a fish with only chopsticks was a little difficult for me. I ended up mashing it up and cleaning the remains off of my plate. Sore wa oishkata des yo! (that was delicious!)
When we got back on the bus after lunch I was ready for a nap. I laid back and got as comfy as I could be and dozed off for a little bit. When I awoke, the people behind me were singing N'Sync. Huh? What'd I miss? It didn't matter. We were at another temple. Cool! More ancient stuff to check out.
This temple was smaller scale than the rest. It also sat right in the middle of a suburb. You know, all those tightly interlocking streets and housing complexes they have in Japan? They were all within the immediate vicinity of the temple. Unlike the one we visited in Tokyo which was a lot bigger and really only had 3 or 4 places for worship and rituals, this temple had many smaller shrines for more personal experiences. This area was also incredibly serene. I could live in a place like this. I went out and explored on my own. More soft wind rustled through the trees as I peered into a small garden behind one of the shrines. A blur of brown quickly dashed behind one of the bushes next to me. Huh? Could it be--a tanooki?!
Nah, it was only a cat. Wait, a cat--in Japan! I'd finally seen one. Its well known that the Japanese love cats, and while that's true its also incredibly overblown. This had been only the second time I'd seen cats so far; I had seen one earlier behind some bikes at the tumulus clusters. I had noted though that this small garden had statues of a cat and a dog in it. Was this some sort of shrine to pets? Are these statues meant to attract animals, or is this just a place they like to hang out? Also, were these animal statues hundreds of years old like the adjacent temple or were they put here more recently? The temple's brochure said nothing about cats.
I'm not a huge fan of eating fish, but I know the Japanese are so I knew what I was getting into when I signed on. Today I was served one side of the body of a fish without a head and without a tail. When I saw what the waiter was bringing over to our table I winced a little bit. I knew this was coming at some point, but didn't know if I had the gumption to go ahead and swallow it. I had skipped breakfast this morning and was a little more hungry than usual so I decided to give it a try. It was good. However, eating half of a fish with only chopsticks was a little difficult for me. I ended up mashing it up and cleaning the remains off of my plate. Sore wa oishkata des yo! (that was delicious!)
When we got back on the bus after lunch I was ready for a nap. I laid back and got as comfy as I could be and dozed off for a little bit. When I awoke, the people behind me were singing N'Sync. Huh? What'd I miss? It didn't matter. We were at another temple. Cool! More ancient stuff to check out.
This temple was smaller scale than the rest. It also sat right in the middle of a suburb. You know, all those tightly interlocking streets and housing complexes they have in Japan? They were all within the immediate vicinity of the temple. Unlike the one we visited in Tokyo which was a lot bigger and really only had 3 or 4 places for worship and rituals, this temple had many smaller shrines for more personal experiences. This area was also incredibly serene. I could live in a place like this. I went out and explored on my own. More soft wind rustled through the trees as I peered into a small garden behind one of the shrines. A blur of brown quickly dashed behind one of the bushes next to me. Huh? Could it be--a tanooki?!
Nah, it was only a cat. Wait, a cat--in Japan! I'd finally seen one. Its well known that the Japanese love cats, and while that's true its also incredibly overblown. This had been only the second time I'd seen cats so far; I had seen one earlier behind some bikes at the tumulus clusters. I had noted though that this small garden had statues of a cat and a dog in it. Was this some sort of shrine to pets? Are these statues meant to attract animals, or is this just a place they like to hang out? Also, were these animal statues hundreds of years old like the adjacent temple or were they put here more recently? The temple's brochure said nothing about cats.
It figures. I come all the way around the world to visit
historical sights of unquestionable cultural significance and all I can think
about are cats.
Typical.
There was one more interesting activity here to take part
in. In Japanese culture, this particular temple was used as a gateway to good
fortunes, romantic luck and a boost to fertility. One of the activities, which
I'm sure is based off an ancient ritual of some kind but has now become
something to keep tourists busy, is sifting through pebbles. That's
right...pebbles. There was an area somewhat cordoned off by wooden blocks.
You're supposed to stick your arms in and sift through thousands of pebbles
looking for ones that have kanji characters painted on them. I didn't know what
it meant, (I assume that if you found a pebble with kanji on it you got good
luck) but it looked fun so I decided to partake. Since I have the body of a
skinny 12 year old girl I was able to squeeze in between the wooden blocks and
fit inside up to my waist. I reached my hands into the plethora of pebbles and
searched for the kanji. I have to say, it was actually difficult trying to find
them. I eventually did find one, and it featured the kanji for 'big' or 'grand'
on it. This is ironic, I think, because as I proved by fitting through the
wooden blocks I'm not big or grand physically. Was the universe just fucking
with me?
No, because the universe knows its shit. I may be small on the outside, but I've got it where it counts on the inside. Call me conceited, but my personality is just as big and grand as the kanji pebble insisted. Either that, or I just found this one by random happenstance.
Nah. The Japanese gods smiled down on me today. I put the kanji pebble in my pocket and headed back for the bus.
No, because the universe knows its shit. I may be small on the outside, but I've got it where it counts on the inside. Call me conceited, but my personality is just as big and grand as the kanji pebble insisted. Either that, or I just found this one by random happenstance.
Nah. The Japanese gods smiled down on me today. I put the kanji pebble in my pocket and headed back for the bus.
We only got to spend a half hour at the temple. That may
seem like a bum rap, but in the end it was totally worth it. Some of our
original itinerary needed to be moved around because we had an unexpected
addition to today's activities; we were going to sit in on an old fashioned
martial arts competition. Cool! I think that aspect of Japanese culture is
partly what drew many of us to it in the first place, so to be able to see some
professionals perform it live was a treat.
We met up with the daughter of a Japanese congressmen. She was a government official of some kind, but I can't exactly remember what her title was. She was very welcoming to us, though. Her English was decent and she explained what we would be seeing as she led us into a gymnasium. As she led us to our seats, 2 combatants entered the center of the large room and faced each other. I'm pretty sure the actions they took were staged, but that's kind of not the point. It's not like we came to see a fight, but rather a live presentation of certain styles of fighting. I don't know much about martial arts, so I'm not exactly sure what these particular styles were. I overheard our tour guide explaining to another student that one combatant would use his opponent's power against him to defeat him. That's kung fu, right? One man was thrown to the ground and 'punished' by the other. It was cool. I got a taste for how ancient Japanese men (and women) fought each other back before there were guns.
We met up with the daughter of a Japanese congressmen. She was a government official of some kind, but I can't exactly remember what her title was. She was very welcoming to us, though. Her English was decent and she explained what we would be seeing as she led us into a gymnasium. As she led us to our seats, 2 combatants entered the center of the large room and faced each other. I'm pretty sure the actions they took were staged, but that's kind of not the point. It's not like we came to see a fight, but rather a live presentation of certain styles of fighting. I don't know much about martial arts, so I'm not exactly sure what these particular styles were. I overheard our tour guide explaining to another student that one combatant would use his opponent's power against him to defeat him. That's kung fu, right? One man was thrown to the ground and 'punished' by the other. It was cool. I got a taste for how ancient Japanese men (and women) fought each other back before there were guns.
Although they didn't have firearms thousands of years ago,
they did have deadly blades. Next we were shown a demonstration of different
sword techniques. The shining metal was withdrawn from the combatants sheaths
then waived around in the air. The men posed at different intervals with much
panache, but cutting air wouldn't be the only work they'd get to do today;
bamboo was placed in front of each of them. One by one they cut the bamboo down
to size, slicing through it as if it was butter. I can only imagine how they
cut through people's limbs and body parts back in the battles of ancient times. One of the students in our group got to keep a piece of the
castrated bamboo. I was so jealous! After the competition we were given what
seemed to be gourmet towels emblazoned with the mascot of this particular
martial arts school on them. It was very nice, literally stuffed with quality.
The hospitality of the Japanese knows no bounds.
Osaka is a city with rich history. It rivaled Kyoto back when Kyoto was the capitol. The last stop on our agenda today
was to get a taste of what daily life was like in Osaka back in the 1830s. The museum of Housing and Living gave us a peek into these distant times.
We were treated to a short film about Osaka's history, complete with terribly poor production values. I can't really make that a legitimate complaint when its goal is educational, though. The film was centered around a small boy from Edo whose parents were killed while away on business. He then moves to Osaka to live with his grandfather. It was supposed to be sad, but at the end the parents just kind of show up out of nowhere. Once again, I can't really complain here since the loosely constructed plot of this film really wasn't the point. The point was to introduce us to 1830s Osaka, a time period we would soon visit.
Deeper within the museum, there is a replica of the Osaka we saw in the film. It was completely interactive; you could go in and out of houses, view and touch replicas of ancient articles and even dress up in a kimono. To put icing on the cake, this reconstructed Osaka even had street performers to make visitors feel completely immersed. A cute old lady performed an old time dance with replicas of ancient Japanese street instruments. At one point, she handed out jingle bells and wooden sticks to members of our group who had congregated around the 'town center'. I was handed two wooden sticks. What do I do with these? I thought. I began smacking them together to the beat that she began in the same fashion that a drummer bangs his drumsticks together. Apparently that wasn't how its done. One of the students in our group came over to me and showed me the correct way to do it. I was supposed to hold the sticks parallel to each other and slap them together like that. Frankly, I think they made the exact same sound the way I was doing it before, but whatever.
We were treated to a short film about Osaka's history, complete with terribly poor production values. I can't really make that a legitimate complaint when its goal is educational, though. The film was centered around a small boy from Edo whose parents were killed while away on business. He then moves to Osaka to live with his grandfather. It was supposed to be sad, but at the end the parents just kind of show up out of nowhere. Once again, I can't really complain here since the loosely constructed plot of this film really wasn't the point. The point was to introduce us to 1830s Osaka, a time period we would soon visit.
Deeper within the museum, there is a replica of the Osaka we saw in the film. It was completely interactive; you could go in and out of houses, view and touch replicas of ancient articles and even dress up in a kimono. To put icing on the cake, this reconstructed Osaka even had street performers to make visitors feel completely immersed. A cute old lady performed an old time dance with replicas of ancient Japanese street instruments. At one point, she handed out jingle bells and wooden sticks to members of our group who had congregated around the 'town center'. I was handed two wooden sticks. What do I do with these? I thought. I began smacking them together to the beat that she began in the same fashion that a drummer bangs his drumsticks together. Apparently that wasn't how its done. One of the students in our group came over to me and showed me the correct way to do it. I was supposed to hold the sticks parallel to each other and slap them together like that. Frankly, I think they made the exact same sound the way I was doing it before, but whatever.
We would have some more free time after dinner tonight.
Fatigue was still looming large over most of the students, so some opted to
stay back at the hotel for the night. At dinner, I was considering doing that
myself. I was about 50/50 regarding going out tonight. Part of me wanted to
stay at the hotel to get some rest, but the other part of me wanted to go out
and see more of Osaka. There was much conversation at dinner about going to
a store called Manboraku, a store with used books, manga, movies and games.
All they had to tell me was 'used game store'. As dinner was winding down to a close, the people going to Manboraku abruptly got up and began to leave. If I was going with them, I needed to make a decision quickly. But I still had food on my plate! We were served raw fish tonight. It wasn't quite sushi, more like "sushi light". I was enjoying it when they began to walk out the door, I made that quick decision and decided to join them.
We had to board the subway again to get to the same area we had visited the previous night. Tonight however, we were without our fearless leader. There were 10 of us though, so navigation shouldn't be that difficult. We ended up getting lost right off the bat. This area of Osaka was incredibly condensed. We found ourselves looking for this store by wandering through 4 way intersections of incredibly tight spaces bustling with people, and time was running out. The store closed at 8 and it was already passed 7. We asked random bystanders where to go. After asking 3 different people, we finally found our way to the store. When we arrived, we had about 20 minutes to look around and find things to buy. The store was 2 floors and packed to the brim with cool stuff. The used games were upstairs, so I went there first. There was a lot of cool stuff up there, but I couldn't make up my mind. A copy of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Fire Emblem for the Famicom still in their boxes caught my eye. They weren't even that expensive. Each was the equivalent of about $11. I decided against them however, and went downstairs to look for my friends. Most of them were down there looking through smut.
And oh boy, was there a lot of smut. Aisles and aisles of hentai as far as the eye can see. Nearly everything you can think of, all situated in one convenient location. It seems as though many of the students were on the hunt to track down and purchase at least one dirty comic. I wasn't in such a rush, however. You see, I have specific tastes. While I wouldn't rule out finding some for myself, I kind of just want to find one that contours to my specific niche. I've seen some from Japan, and would love to have a physical copy, but I wouldn't kill myself trying to find it. Call me classy that way.
Oh, and while we're on the subject of dirty manga, is it just me or does anybody find it strange that at a large Japanese convenience store chain named Family Mart you can find some of the dirtiest, darkest porn? Like, you can even see it from outside the store on the street. I'm not judging, I just find it odd that the word 'Family' is in the name of the store is all.
As one of the Kakehashi participants pointed out, that is how you make families. Good point.
All they had to tell me was 'used game store'. As dinner was winding down to a close, the people going to Manboraku abruptly got up and began to leave. If I was going with them, I needed to make a decision quickly. But I still had food on my plate! We were served raw fish tonight. It wasn't quite sushi, more like "sushi light". I was enjoying it when they began to walk out the door, I made that quick decision and decided to join them.
We had to board the subway again to get to the same area we had visited the previous night. Tonight however, we were without our fearless leader. There were 10 of us though, so navigation shouldn't be that difficult. We ended up getting lost right off the bat. This area of Osaka was incredibly condensed. We found ourselves looking for this store by wandering through 4 way intersections of incredibly tight spaces bustling with people, and time was running out. The store closed at 8 and it was already passed 7. We asked random bystanders where to go. After asking 3 different people, we finally found our way to the store. When we arrived, we had about 20 minutes to look around and find things to buy. The store was 2 floors and packed to the brim with cool stuff. The used games were upstairs, so I went there first. There was a lot of cool stuff up there, but I couldn't make up my mind. A copy of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Fire Emblem for the Famicom still in their boxes caught my eye. They weren't even that expensive. Each was the equivalent of about $11. I decided against them however, and went downstairs to look for my friends. Most of them were down there looking through smut.
And oh boy, was there a lot of smut. Aisles and aisles of hentai as far as the eye can see. Nearly everything you can think of, all situated in one convenient location. It seems as though many of the students were on the hunt to track down and purchase at least one dirty comic. I wasn't in such a rush, however. You see, I have specific tastes. While I wouldn't rule out finding some for myself, I kind of just want to find one that contours to my specific niche. I've seen some from Japan, and would love to have a physical copy, but I wouldn't kill myself trying to find it. Call me classy that way.
Oh, and while we're on the subject of dirty manga, is it just me or does anybody find it strange that at a large Japanese convenience store chain named Family Mart you can find some of the dirtiest, darkest porn? Like, you can even see it from outside the store on the street. I'm not judging, I just find it odd that the word 'Family' is in the name of the store is all.
As one of the Kakehashi participants pointed out, that is how you make families. Good point.
Later that evening, we returned to the Hotel Osaka Castle around 9:30.
This was pretty early compared to the other nights. I showered the day's
pacific sweat from my body and got into my loungewear. Clean and refreshed, I
headed down into the lobby so I could connect to Wifi and do some writing on
the day's activities. I expected there to be a group of us foreigners huddled
around the 4 small couches centered directly in front of the front desk, busily
lost in their smartphones. To my surprise, there were only 6 other people down there,
and not all of them were distracted by technology; they were actually communicating
with each other face to face! I opened up my laptop, stuck my headphones into
my ears and got lost in my thoughts.
Some time went by. Members of our little congregation departed one by one over the course of the next 15 minutes or so. After around 30 minutes, I was by myself. Fatigue had taken hold now, its iron grip tightening, but I didn't let it phase me. I kept organizing my thoughts on all the strange new things I witnessed over the past couple of days. I'm a light sleeper by habit anyway. Sometimes my inability to fall asleep causes me great distress, but tonight I welcomed it like a familiar acquaintance from back home; it allowed make some new friends very far away.
It was almost midnight. I was busy typing away when the lobby elevators opened. About 6 or 7 Japanese men walked out. They were all older; I would estimate they were each somewhere between their 30s and 40s. One of them however was much older. His hair was gray, and he reeked of experience. I noticed him make eye contact with me as he got off the elevator, his brigade following in tow behind him. I returned his glance with a nod and then put my focus back onto my computer screen. He went over to the lobby desk and talked to the man behind the counter. The rest of the men with him conversed amongst themselves. The hotel clerk walked off, most likely to get these men's rooms ready for them. The man with the gray hair walked over to me. I had my headphones on, but clearly noticed him trying to talk to me. I pulled them out and listened up.
"Where are you from?" he asked in decent English. I attempted to respond in my best Japanese. "North Carolina ni tsundeimas." (I live in North Carolina) He understood me. "Are you with the Kakehashi Project?" he asked. "Hai." I responded. He was speaking English, (quite decently) and I was speaking Japanese. (not so decently) He gestured that I could speak in English. The man introduced himself and went on to say that him and his men work at the University. He knew all about Kakehashi and why we were here. He wanted to know how I was enjoying my stay in Japan but I couldn't begin to describe how much fun I was having and how thankful I was to be here. Some of his colleagues joined us.
He asked where we had been so far on our trip. I explained what we had done so far, and that we had come to Osaka from Tokyo. "Did you ride the shinkansen?" one of the other men asked. "Yes. It was amazing." I told him. I went on to describe how I grew up riding trains in and out of New York City, and that none of them were ever like the bullet train. "I don't know why America hasn't adopted this technology." I told them. The hotel attendant still hadn't returned. The rest of his men joined our conversation, and now I had all of these Japanese University associates surrounding me, intent on hearing what I had to say. I continued to bitch about America.
"Our country is so big. We waste so much money burning fuels to get our cars from one city to the other, when we could do it quicker and more efficiently with a technology that is more than readily available." Each of them nodded and muttered in agreement. I wondered how familiar they were with the United States, and figured that they each had a different level of understanding of not just what America is, but also our culture. Just like meeting up with the international studies students we met the day before, I could tell that these men had the same amount of intrigue for my culture that I had for theirs.
The older man said how grateful he was to have us here. I was deeply moved. I knew America was an important ally for the Japanese, but I don't think it quite hit me until now. To have this distinguished older gentleman, a Japanese professor no less, enamored with my opinions and background almost floored me. Not only that, but to be able to have an intelligent conversation with him and his colleagues and feel as an equal made me realize just how strong and intelligent I can be when I want to apply myself.
The tone of the conversation lightened a little. One of the younger men popped out from out of the crowd and pointed to my laptop. I saw his face light up a little. He was gesturing to the big Squirtle sticker I have on my computer's outer shell. "Do you like Pokemon?" he asked. "Yes!" I responded quickly. Aha! We were going from important intelligent conversation to video games. Now the ball was in my court! "Pokemon ga dai ski des!" (I love Pokemon!) Its funny how much easier it is to speak Japanese when you're talking about something you love. They all chuckled. "Dai ski des!" some of them replied smiling and chuckling a little. Yes! The ice had been broken.
The man looked at some of the Pokemon stickers I had put on my laptop that morning. When we went to the Pokemon Center I had gotten some stickers out of a capsule machine. Some of the Dell logos and writing were beginning to peel, so I covered them up with some of said stickers. He went on to explain that he had a 5 year old daughter, and that she loves each of the particular Pokemon that I had decided to stick onto my laptop. He asked me if I had X or Y. I told him that I had both, and that yes, I was that big of an otaku. I wish I had my game on me, but I left it in my room. Damn! I could have impressed him with all of the shinies I've bred!
One of the Kakehashi participants in our group began to walk down into the lobby. I heard her call my name from the steps. She walked toward us, eyes opened wide from the peanut gallery of older Japanese men that were surrounding me. Her name was Alice, and I had been spending a lot of time with her on the trip. We had been making each other crack up nearly every minute. It got to the point where I couldn't do anything without making her laugh, and the crazy shit she had said made my gut hurt from laughing so much myself. I swear I would have a six pack of abs by the time we got home because of this girl. We have this strange brother/sister thing going on, teasing each other at every corner. I'm really glad she was selected to come.
The group of Japanese men split up now, some of them talking with Alice and the older gentleman and some others talking to me. I overheard one of the other men ask Alice if I was her boyfriend. Ha! Beautiful super skinny people can only be with each other, I guess. She told him no. I interjected. "No, we're just good friends." I said as we slapped each other high five. The man began to ask for her number, but his friends slapped him on the head and pulled him away. She swooned a little bit.
I continued my conversation with one of the Japanese men. He wanted to know where North Carolina was. I attempted to explain it to him, but he wasn't really getting it and I couldn't figure out how to do it better. I pulled up a map of the United States on my phone and pointed it out to him. "Oh!" he said. "Right between Miami and New York." he nodded. "Yeah, we're right in the middle of the east coast." I replied. I was right; these men weren't 100% familiar with the US. And why would they be? Its not part of their everyday lives.
Typical gaijin, thinking his world is the center of the universe.
Some time went by. Members of our little congregation departed one by one over the course of the next 15 minutes or so. After around 30 minutes, I was by myself. Fatigue had taken hold now, its iron grip tightening, but I didn't let it phase me. I kept organizing my thoughts on all the strange new things I witnessed over the past couple of days. I'm a light sleeper by habit anyway. Sometimes my inability to fall asleep causes me great distress, but tonight I welcomed it like a familiar acquaintance from back home; it allowed make some new friends very far away.
It was almost midnight. I was busy typing away when the lobby elevators opened. About 6 or 7 Japanese men walked out. They were all older; I would estimate they were each somewhere between their 30s and 40s. One of them however was much older. His hair was gray, and he reeked of experience. I noticed him make eye contact with me as he got off the elevator, his brigade following in tow behind him. I returned his glance with a nod and then put my focus back onto my computer screen. He went over to the lobby desk and talked to the man behind the counter. The rest of the men with him conversed amongst themselves. The hotel clerk walked off, most likely to get these men's rooms ready for them. The man with the gray hair walked over to me. I had my headphones on, but clearly noticed him trying to talk to me. I pulled them out and listened up.
"Where are you from?" he asked in decent English. I attempted to respond in my best Japanese. "North Carolina ni tsundeimas." (I live in North Carolina) He understood me. "Are you with the Kakehashi Project?" he asked. "Hai." I responded. He was speaking English, (quite decently) and I was speaking Japanese. (not so decently) He gestured that I could speak in English. The man introduced himself and went on to say that him and his men work at the University. He knew all about Kakehashi and why we were here. He wanted to know how I was enjoying my stay in Japan but I couldn't begin to describe how much fun I was having and how thankful I was to be here. Some of his colleagues joined us.
He asked where we had been so far on our trip. I explained what we had done so far, and that we had come to Osaka from Tokyo. "Did you ride the shinkansen?" one of the other men asked. "Yes. It was amazing." I told him. I went on to describe how I grew up riding trains in and out of New York City, and that none of them were ever like the bullet train. "I don't know why America hasn't adopted this technology." I told them. The hotel attendant still hadn't returned. The rest of his men joined our conversation, and now I had all of these Japanese University associates surrounding me, intent on hearing what I had to say. I continued to bitch about America.
"Our country is so big. We waste so much money burning fuels to get our cars from one city to the other, when we could do it quicker and more efficiently with a technology that is more than readily available." Each of them nodded and muttered in agreement. I wondered how familiar they were with the United States, and figured that they each had a different level of understanding of not just what America is, but also our culture. Just like meeting up with the international studies students we met the day before, I could tell that these men had the same amount of intrigue for my culture that I had for theirs.
The older man said how grateful he was to have us here. I was deeply moved. I knew America was an important ally for the Japanese, but I don't think it quite hit me until now. To have this distinguished older gentleman, a Japanese professor no less, enamored with my opinions and background almost floored me. Not only that, but to be able to have an intelligent conversation with him and his colleagues and feel as an equal made me realize just how strong and intelligent I can be when I want to apply myself.
The tone of the conversation lightened a little. One of the younger men popped out from out of the crowd and pointed to my laptop. I saw his face light up a little. He was gesturing to the big Squirtle sticker I have on my computer's outer shell. "Do you like Pokemon?" he asked. "Yes!" I responded quickly. Aha! We were going from important intelligent conversation to video games. Now the ball was in my court! "Pokemon ga dai ski des!" (I love Pokemon!) Its funny how much easier it is to speak Japanese when you're talking about something you love. They all chuckled. "Dai ski des!" some of them replied smiling and chuckling a little. Yes! The ice had been broken.
The man looked at some of the Pokemon stickers I had put on my laptop that morning. When we went to the Pokemon Center I had gotten some stickers out of a capsule machine. Some of the Dell logos and writing were beginning to peel, so I covered them up with some of said stickers. He went on to explain that he had a 5 year old daughter, and that she loves each of the particular Pokemon that I had decided to stick onto my laptop. He asked me if I had X or Y. I told him that I had both, and that yes, I was that big of an otaku. I wish I had my game on me, but I left it in my room. Damn! I could have impressed him with all of the shinies I've bred!
One of the Kakehashi participants in our group began to walk down into the lobby. I heard her call my name from the steps. She walked toward us, eyes opened wide from the peanut gallery of older Japanese men that were surrounding me. Her name was Alice, and I had been spending a lot of time with her on the trip. We had been making each other crack up nearly every minute. It got to the point where I couldn't do anything without making her laugh, and the crazy shit she had said made my gut hurt from laughing so much myself. I swear I would have a six pack of abs by the time we got home because of this girl. We have this strange brother/sister thing going on, teasing each other at every corner. I'm really glad she was selected to come.
The group of Japanese men split up now, some of them talking with Alice and the older gentleman and some others talking to me. I overheard one of the other men ask Alice if I was her boyfriend. Ha! Beautiful super skinny people can only be with each other, I guess. She told him no. I interjected. "No, we're just good friends." I said as we slapped each other high five. The man began to ask for her number, but his friends slapped him on the head and pulled him away. She swooned a little bit.
I continued my conversation with one of the Japanese men. He wanted to know where North Carolina was. I attempted to explain it to him, but he wasn't really getting it and I couldn't figure out how to do it better. I pulled up a map of the United States on my phone and pointed it out to him. "Oh!" he said. "Right between Miami and New York." he nodded. "Yeah, we're right in the middle of the east coast." I replied. I was right; these men weren't 100% familiar with the US. And why would they be? Its not part of their everyday lives.
Typical gaijin, thinking his world is the center of the universe.
Noooooo I missed out on older Japanese professors?! That's like my favorite thing. Joe I am so jealous.
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