Where you Ko"uen?

Previously on Nan Desu Ka?

I had just arrived home after 6 hours on trains. After finalizing my plans via e-mail for the next day, I was off to bed. The plan was to meet at Shinjuku Station at a certain time by a certain platform.

When I awoke, I proceeded with my morning ritual and triple checked the meeting plan myself and two others guys had agreed on. Again, meeting in Shinjuku at a given time. After saying my goodbyes, I was off on a train headed for Shinjuku. I was pretty excited about that day, since I was going to get some travelling in, and get to know some cool people. After arriving at Shinjuku about an hour before the meeting time, I began to explore the station and make sure I could find the guys. But as I really took a look around, I realized that, by setting the meeting spot here when I lack a keitai (cellphone) to call them with, I had made a massive mistake. Remember that, Shinjuku is the busiest station in the world. Apparently even the weekend doesn't deter that fact. Not only that, but in my haste to go to bed the previous night, I had overlooked the fact that there were several entrances to the same platform. So for the next hour I patrolled the station looking for my friends. Screw the stair master, if you want a good workout, try finding someone at Shinjuku. Up stairs walk across the platform, avoid massive amounts of Japanese people in a rush to go shopping, go down stairs, scan for friends an repeat. Finally I found the German exchange student I was meeting up with. Frankly, that was a miracle. But I quickly remembered that I had another person to meet up with. So the search began anew with the German in tow. For another 45 minutes we went up and down stairs looking for this other foreign student. One wouldn't think it would be so hard, after all he's a tall white guy. But in the end we couldn't find him, and I felt like a jackass. Why was I stupid enough to ask people to meet me at Shinjuku! For my UConn kids, imagine Spring Weekend (which is coming up soon for you guys), going to Carriage and trying to meet up with your friends. Easy right? Now remove your cell phone from the equation. The situation becomes a little different doesn't it? Now I've done both the cellphone-less Carriage meet up, and the cellphone-less Shinkuku greet up and I will say that both really suck. So my recommendation to all of you is always be prepared with a specific plan and a backup plan!

After giving up, the German and I headed to our train with our heads hanging in failure. Today we were going to explore Ueno Kouen, or Ueno park. When we arrived at Ueno, the German fellow informed me that he needed to go to bank to exchange his money (also he wasn't carrying his credit card, which to me is just...odd). This should be a simple task right? If you've read any of my other entries you'd know that OF COURSE IT WASN'T THAT EASY! Of course, we found plenty of banks. But on a Saturday, they were all closed! So for hours we marched on in our quest to find an elusive open bank. After roughly 3 hours, I decided that we should try and find an internet cafe to Google any open money exchanges in the area. We found a manga/internet cafe pretty quickly (which is a huge surprise considering our luck). The cafe consists of a series of booths which range from small spaces to sit down, to having beds in them. Apparently, in modern Japan, alot of people who cannot afford to rent an apartment use manga cafes as cheap hotels. Many manga cafes are open 24 hours a day, each booth has a computer for internet access and watching movies, and you have a library of manga to read. Literally you can walk away the next day paying as little as 20 dollars for spending the night. After renting a booth for a 30 minute period (the minimum I believe), I went to my booth with the German in tow, and looked for places which exchanged currency. Successfully we found that several hotels in the area were able to do this. I also quickly grabbed the number for the guy who we couldn't find at Shinjuku to call him later. As we paid to leave I saw something which kind of, creeped me out about the place. It was a fairly innocuous sight. A box of tissue packets which are given freely. However, I quickly looked back at the booths and realized that closed and private booths + free internet access + box of tissues = me wanting to wash my hands thoroughly. So we quickly scurried away at the very least learning of a cheap place I could stay should I ever miss my last train home.

As we reached a hotel that we hoped would be able to change money, our hopes were high. The German proceeded to ask the front desk if they could exchange his money, to which they replied in the negative. However, the front desk was kind enough to draw a map to a department store which may change money. We were ushered out a different door and attempted to follow the map to our next destination. However, the German fellow and myself quickly realized something. We had been ushered into a redlight district street! That's right folks, you always heard about how the Japanese are efficient, well they are SO efficient that right out the back door of a rather nice Japanese hotel is the redlight district. They really don't mess around when it comes to messing around do they? As we reached the exit to this adult oriented alley, we saw a man walk by with, who we think were, his two daughters in tow. Now, I'm not going to make any accusations, but I will say that the German and I seemed to agree that he was about to sell his daughters as ladies of the night to pay off his massive gambling debt that he owes to the Yakuza. That may or may not be true, but damn is it a good story. But onward we walked to the department store, our last ray of hope. We reached the department store and ascended to the top floor to find an open currency exchange center! Of course all was well after this point right? HAVE YOU BEEN READING THIS ENTRY AT ALL?! OF COURSE SOMETHING WENT WRONG! The German fellow quickly hurried over and pulled out his money in anticipation of the exchange. I gazed above the clerk who was helping my German friend to see a sign that read "dollars only", which I then heard repeated from the clerk. Yes, the one currency exchange open in apparently all of Ueno was dollars only. This wouldn't be a problem if it were I who needed to exchange my money (but I never need to because I always have a backup for yen!), but my German friend had a problem. You see, in Germany they use a little currency known as the Euro. Since the his Euro could not be exchanged, we were faced with a problem, he couldn't eat, and he couldn't pay to get into the museums. Again, this adventure was becoming more and more tiresome.

But even when the chips were against us, my German friend and I decided to hit up Ueno Park anyway (the park is free but there are lots of places to go which require money to get in). The park was stunning really. It was large and there was an amazing amount of people just enjoying the day. Think of central park on a summer day and you'll understand what I mean. The first sight we saw after we entered the park was someone dancing. It was a very feminine dance, and the person was wearing a beautiful kimono. All around people were watching the sight. Of course, the catch is that the German and myself are pretty sure that the dancer was a man dressed and made up as a woman. To quote my German friend "its either a very ugly woman....or a very ugly man"

We wandered around for a bit and just took in the sights. After accidentally merging with a group of Japanese people heading in a certain direction, we found ourselves herded to a beautiful shrine/temple. The sakura had bloomed, and together the temple and the sakura looked quite stunning. After leaving the temple I sought out something I've wanted to see since I first became interested in the Bakumatsu, the statue of Saigo Takamori. *WARNING EDUCATIONAL CONTENT AHEAD* Takamori was a samurai who fought against the shogunate during the Meiji restoration. However, following the downfall of the shogunate, he disagreed with the direction Japan was moving under the new Meiji government, a government in which he held a key position. So, he famously led an army of samurai against the Meiji forces in what is known as the Satsuma Rebellion. Of course, he and his samurai army were subsequently slaughtered (he actually committed seppuku), but its still an interesting story. Have you seen the Last Samurai? That movie is based off of Takamori's story...because Takamori also had Maverick at his side during his last stand ^.^ *NOTICE: EDUCATIONAL CONTENT OVER PLEASE RESUME YOUR DRINKING*

After this, the German and I headed to the Tokyo National Museum and took in the beauty of Japanese and other asian art. I really missed EP at this point though. EP and I love museums, and I love going with her. We're one of those pairs that can sit in a museum and look at a single painting or display for quite a while. As such, I'm used to a certain level of discourse and observation when I visit a museum. But my German friend is a pretty quiet person (maybe he's just not confident in his english at which he's more or less fluent). But all in all it was stunning to see, and I hope to be going back again soon.

Today's word is: Okane (pronounced: oh-ka-nay). This word means "money"and is a noun. Usage: Kore wa anata no okane desu ka: or is this your money?

Today I realized the importance of making sure I always have enough of the local currency. Today's word may not be deep or insightful, but its definitely a practical word to know when you need to exchange money.

By the way, have you figured out the title yet? Here's a hint, look up a hiragana chart.

Gambatte

-DPN

The Insanity Gritty

The following is the weekly post for April 6-12, 2008

Most of last week was a sort of vacation. We had four days off (not counting the weekend). Now of course I must have done a significant amount of travelling in that time ne? WRONG! It rained for a majority of the week. I'm not talking drizzle here, I'm talking Jehovah broke his promise and was flooding the world again kind of rain. The weather was so bad one day that the news showed a man whose car windshield and windows were shattered by the rain and wind. Nutty huh? My okaasan commented about the weather in this country, which I will now attempt to remember, "Japanese weather is like a woman, nuts (or ever changing...but I like the first one)". Honestly, the temperature seems to change every five minutes. At one point its hot, next its cold, then its lukewarm, then it repeats! However, I must say that when the weather is nice, this country is truly a beautiful sight. One thing I noticed this week though is that whatever the weather is at this time of year, everyone ALWAYS wears a jacket. I brought my thin green jacket and a thin fleece just in case it gets chilly, but I don't always have them on. Quite frankly, it gets ridiculously hot sometimes, and unbearable for me to wear my jacket on a crowded train. However the Japanese don't complain and don't look uncomfortable wearing their jackets even in the warm weather. Now THAT'S discipline.

On Friday we had our first classes. This day and the following week are known as the "shopping period" in which we don't officially register for classes, but attend ones we think look interesting and shop around to see which ones suit us. On Friday I attended three classes: my mandatory Japanese (Nihongo) class, a Japanese art class, and a class called the History and Society of Edo (Edo being the old name for Tokyo). All the classes were quite fun but, I decided later to not take the class on Edo (the inconvenient time added to a large reading load which would conflict with my ability to enjoy my planned literature class). My Japanese class has some interesting people in it. There's a guy who can speak the language fluently (but cannot write it which necessitates his being in a beginner class), a guy with green and yellow hair, and just a whole bunch of others. I will note that there is this one guy who would turn out to be a "that guy"(I'll publish a work on my concept of a "that guy" later). Not "that guy" who is a know it all (while I believe we have one of those as well), but a "that guy" in a sense that he just says things without thinking and trying to be funny but, to me, just comes off as annoying and quite moronic (uh oh, am I becoming Holden Caulfield? Nah, I didn't call him a phony...yet). But all in all, the group seems to be a really great and diverse group of people, so a resonating hello to my Japanese class, and a hope that they don't read this blog until we're back in America so they can't physically harm me.

After classes were finished for the day (around 5:00 pm), I headed back to the house and had to immediately leave to get somewhere. I had somewhere to be at roughly 8, but the problem was that it was, at best, a 2 hour train ride. Of course, since its me it took me 2.5-3 hours to get there. I didn't get lost (on the way there), but it does take me awhile to navigate a train station I've never been to before. So thanks to Matt's awesome directions, my slowly developing ability to speak Japanese, and Kami-Sama, I made it to my destination. However, because I was so late to my destination, and wanting to give myself a decent buffer of time to make it home I could only stay in Noda for 5 minutes. You see, my general rule of thumb is to try to be home by midnight. Why such an early curfew you ask? Japanese trains tend to close down around then, and since I didn't know the specific schedule and last train times for any of my rides home, I want to be sure I have enough time to get home before I'm stranded across the country.
So, 3 hours of effort worry and some money resulted in five minutes at my destination.

However, an interesting thing happened to me at the train station at Noda. I will say that, in retrospect, this incident was quite amusing, but at the time I was a bit...disturbed. I was waiting at my platform when a woman started talking to me. Saucy ne? As you'll soon find out it was not at all. You see dear friends, if a beautiful Japanese woman had started conversation with me, I probably would've delved into this sooner instead of burying it in a mountain of text. The woman was short, a bit husky....oh and did I mention a tad bit of a fruit loop? That's right, a random and potentially mentally unsound person started yelling in my direction! How do I know she was one tatami mat short of a completed room? Well let's look at some indicators shall we?

1) Carrying 8 or so bags...not like grocery bags, but purses and backpacks
-But of course this could just mean that she is a common thief

2) Dishevelled appearance and lipstick not properly applied
-This could just mean that she lacks a mirror or the girls at Noda just aren't as...fashionable as the girls around Tokyo

3) She was pointing her ticket at me and saying something which sounded like gibberish

-But granted, my Japanese is so bad that it might just be a misunderstanding

Now, any one of these things alone, and I might just say that it was a misunderstanding. However, together, they seem to paint a portrait...a very, very nutty portrait. Now I know I might just be paranoid, but honestly she was speaking gibberish. You see, when I don't understand something someone says to me, all I have to do is say wakarimasen (I don't understand), and the speaker will usually use more basic words, or just bow slightly and give up. However in this case the woman held her ticket like a badge and started talking. When I clearly said I don't understand and that my Japanese is terrible, she just held her ticket up and kept going. Again, I said "wakarimasen" to which she replied "wakarinai" (informal I don't understand). This repeated several times, I swear she was acting like an informal parrot or something! These things lead me to believe that she was a tad bit daffy, but I'll let you make up your own minds. Feel free to comment about whether you think she was a nut case or not though, I'd be interested to hear your interpretations about this. Another thing to note is that, there was no one else at the station around. So if this lady decided to go...how shall I say, go Michael Myers (in the stabby way not the Wayne's World way, and yes I AM aware they are spelled differently) on me, I would probably be pretty screwed (ironic considering why I was in Noda). I must say that this was indeed a pretty frightening experience. However, don't let this one incident deter you from coming here, Japan is a ridiculously safe country comparatively (more on this later).

After getting back to the house at maybe midnight or 1 in the morning, I promptly went to my room to go to sleep. But, not before finalizing my plans for the next days trip with a few friends. But that is another adventure requiring its own post. Which I'll be starting in 5 minutes!

Gambatte

-DPN

Random Observation 3: Spaceballs and Japanese Society

For those who have never seen Spaceballs, it is a brilliant sci-fi comedy by Mel Brooks. In order to fully grasp the point of this post, I recommend watching this movie classic. Now, one of the running jokes in Spaceballs was that each character would nonchalantly reference Spaceballs products WITHIN the movie. For instance, Spaceballs the doll, Spaceballs the toilet paper, and so on. How does this relate to Japanese society you ask?

The other day I went shopping with my okaasan and oniisan #1. At the grocery store and I noticed something which, although I knew to exist in this crazy nation, didn't truly comprehend how frequently it occurs. Cartoons and various other TV characters have the oddest products dedicated to them! Now, I'm not talking about things like cartoon character binders or even cartoon forks and spoons. We're talking food products and other things. Reference the pictures below:




Hello Kitty the Hot dog? Makes you yearn for the days when there used to be ACTUAL cats in hotdogs ne?






Pokemon the bread? Remember to pika"chew" your food thoroughly!



From these examples, I have determined that Mel Brooks and Spaceballs are secret foundations for modern Japanese society. For you Otaku (hardcore anime fans/freaks) out there, I'm still waiting to see Bleach the bleach!

Gambatte

-DPN

M.O.B Time and Questions!

Hey folks, its time for another M.O.B entry. For the last week or so, I've been trying to stabilize my posting schedule (so they're not quite as erratic as when I began) and deciding if I should put out the multiple entries for any given week at once, or tease you guys a bit and release them over the course of the week. So for instance, should I release a weekly story kind of entry on one day, then the next day release a Random Observation entry then on another release an M.O.B entry? Or should I just throw them all out at once? Here's the question you must ask yourself, can you take so much of my wisdom and insight at one time? Are you sure that if I was to release so much of my brilliance, you wouldn't have a seizure like so many children watching Poke'mon? I don't know the answer to this, but I will ponder it for awhile. Feel free to vote in the comments section (since I only have one, maybe two readers at this point, it shouldn't take too long for everyone to vote!).

Also, I'd like to mention that the things I say and observe about Japan may or may not be true. They are my interpretations and simplistic understandings of a very complex culture. I try where I can to confirm things with the family, but my family does not represent ALL of Japan.

Questions: NONE! Thanks for making my life slightly easier.

Gambatte

-DPN