The following post is an entry for April 14-20
This week was nothing too out of the ordinary. I shopped around for more classes, but decided on taking only three classes each worth four credits each (hopefully
full filling my requirement back home). The big thing was trying to finalize my club schedule. You see in Japan, clubs are the primary form of networking for college kids. I've heard that most people don't know too many people outside their own circle. You see, the dorm system here is different. If a student lives in a dorm (as many live at home and just commute) the dorms are usually privately owned. From what I've heard from other foreign students, its hard to interact with
a lot of the Japanese students there as well, but what do I know? Anyway, since I lack my
iaito here (I can't imagine getting that through customs), and I haven't found a place to buy one here, I decided to check out
kendo. Its really interesting to see
Kendo live. The group seems very nice and they practice with great intensity. I have to go to the Tokyo
Budokan on Tuesdays, etc etc. But that's the dull stuff.
On Tuesday I attempted to buy my
keitai or cellphone alone. Of course it ended in a spectacular failure. So on Friday the 18
th I again went to buy a
keitai, but this time I asked my
okaasan if she would come with me to translate. She, in turn, brought along
oniisan #2. So the three of us went on our merry way for what was thought to be a quick excursion to a department store. We arrived, and picking out a phone we talked to the salesman. What's great is that, one can get an old model phone on the cheap in this country. My phone cost me 0$0.01
USD. We spoke with the salesman, and by we I mean
oniisan #2. Forms were brought out and I was instructed on the various places to sign. I should note that I honestly had no idea what I was signing and it could have very well been a contract for my eternal soul. But, I trusted that my host brother would watch out for that kind of thing. At which point the pricing plans were brought out. They had an English version of the pamphlet which I still didn't understand. Apparently, vague pricing guides are a universal philosophy for phone companies. I picked one that I think works out pretty well, but I'm not sure. As I said, the phone itself was cheap, but the subscription and the eventual cancellation fee are going to cost a pretty penny. However, once this series of events ended, the salesman told us that he was going to prep my phone and to come back in 30 minutes. My
okaasan had a wonderful idea and said "let's go to Starbucks". There was a Starbucks downstairs and I immediately felt at home. I ordered my signature Mocha, but I went with the Tall size (where tall = small). It was certainly comforting to know that there was a Starbucks less than 10 minutes away from the house. After 30 minutes, my
okaasan and I went back to the phone shop thinking we could just pick up the phone and go. We arrived to find the shop worker talking rather quickly on the phone and holding my paperwork and copies of my visa paperwork. I closed my eyes since I KNEW what was coming. He quickly attended to us and told us that my paperwork was not enough. Apparently they needed another piece of paperwork from
town hall or my Alien Registration Card (which wouldn't be ready for another week). You see my friends, a bunch of the other foreign students here managed to buy cellphones their first week in Japan. Somehow each of them had found a store which bypassed or just ignored some of the regulations I was being held up for. I don't know how they did it, but they did. I however, was having no such luck. So my
okaasan and
oniisan #2 went back to the car and I assumed we were leaving for home, to resume this battle another day. However, I later found out my host mother was taking me to town hall to get the paperwork I needed! What a sweetheart
ne? After receiving the paper we needed, we walked back to the shop and slammed down the paper in a very dramatic fashion. The paper was accepted, and again we were told to come back in 30 minutes. So the three of us wandered the store and 30 minutes later came back. The salesman was fiddling with the phone and again said it would be 30 minutes. At this point, I just decided to let my
Okaasan and
Oniisan go home, which they gladly did. So there I was, alone in a Japanese phone shop, knowing that if they were about to tell me some secret about the secret switch which would electrocute me if I pressed it at the wrong time (this IS Japan after all) I wouldn't understand. I was given my phone and, surprisingly, there was no secret. You push buttons to dial numbers and you talk into the mouth piece. I guess that's pretty advanced for someone from the American south, but I think I understood the important parts. Before I left, I picked up a dessert for the family. Because after putting them through what I'm calling the "
Keitai Incident", they deserve a good dessert. By the way, time
ellapsed over the course of the "
Keitai Incident", 3 hours.
Today's word is:
Habamu. This word means "to frustrate" and is the informal form of this verb. Usage:
Keitai Incident
wa watashi o
habamu or The
Keitai Incident frustrates me.
In Japan there are plenty of things that frustrate me. My lack of ability to speak or read the language, the sheer amount of people, and sometimes the hardships of trying to make friends here. So this word is apt for this entry. Remember that even the best things in life (for instance, travelling to a country you've wanted to go all your life) can and will be frustrating at times. You just have to roll with the punches and get over it, or you're going to give yourself ulcers, which will inevitably give you more frustration resulting in more ulcers.
Gambatte
-DPN
On the 19th I decided to get some light travelling in. I called up my friends, thanks to my new handy dandy keitai, but sadly no one was available. Fortunately I didn't mind going out alone and that's exactly what I did. On that day I went a Sword Museum. One would think that this museum would be somewhere in a metropolitan area with an absurd amount of tourists in attendence. Fortunately for me, it was not. I had to get off in a suburban area, Sangubashi Station, and wander the backstreets for awhile to find the actual museum. The museum itself is quite small. In fact it consists of a first floor with seats and a small pictorial display and explanation on how Japanese swords are forged. The second floor houses the museum proper, and is only one small room with glass cases housing, you guessed it, swords. These swords were from various times in Japan's history, some from Hein, some from Kamakura etc. All of them were beautiful. There was an interesting poster about the evolution of the Japanese sword overtime. We all know the Japanese sword for its distinctive curved appearance. But, what is not known is that in the earliest times of Japanese history, the sword started out as a straight blade. I know that most will overlook this post as there are no jokes or anything of the like. But, the Japanese sword was said (by most) to be the soul of the samurai. Even if that fact has been embellished over time, since Bushido and ceremony came in vogue, when the Hagakure was written, the Japanese sword, and indeed any true weapon from any culture, MUST be treated with the most respect. After all, at its most basic (as in without any of the extra spiritual meaning given to tools of war over time) a weapon is something with the power to take life and protect life. I've heard that officers in the U.S. Military don't refer to their sidearm as a "gun", it is this same kind of honor, care and seriousness which should be given to any weapon. Sorry to digress. But for you sword aficionados out there, I highly recommend seeing this museum.
