Ridiculously full weekend - Part I

aka 凄いいっぱい週末 aka When Shu-en Came to Visit!

So the weekend of the 15, which was two weeks after the G-event and three weeks (maybe more) after Catherine came to visit, my former roommate Shu-en came to visit. She was supposed to come in on Friday night but as her flight was coming in very late she told me not to worry about meeting her. This actually worked out well since my friend Gabe had friends coming in from Cali.

The plan was to go to a nomikai in Shimbashi and then to Odaiba. Odaiba, is a man-made island in Tokyo. I think some of it was actually built by garbage but.... Anyway, there are a ton of things to do there, and there's a ferris wheel! So we started the night off in Shimbashi. It was a little awkward at first since I knew a couple of people in the group but we were all sitting far away from one another. But as you know, in Japan, once the drinks start to flow everyone and everything is better. Maybe it's that way everywhere but I feel like it's more pronounced in Japan. But I have to admit, I love seeing people drunk. It's one of the funniest things ever. Honest.

We all had fun, I think, maybe a little too much. But too much fun is better than none. In fact, we had so much fun that we overstayed at the izakaya by about 30 minutes. Usually you go for an two hours, all you can drink and there's food as well. And because we stayed a little later than we were supposed to we got to Odaiba quite late. Too late for the ferris wheel ride unfortunately. But there was a little beach we were able to admire and I was able to get this really dark picture of a well-lit bridge in the distance. So that's something.

The next day was Saturday and I had plans to meet Shu-en in Ikebukuro. I was really excited because I hadn't seen her for a year. We had a really good run as roommates and were pretty close at the end of my second year, and I knew we'd have a lot to catch up on. I was a little worried about finding her in the crowd in front of the station entrance, but luckily I'm easy to pick out from the masses so she was able to find me.

We ate at one of my favorite restaurants in Ikebukuro, really in Tokyo in general, called Ootoya. The dishes there are ridiculously delicious and the atmosphere is really nice. The first time I went there, I went with Mia who had been there before and I got this really amazing dish that came with a salad and soup. I don't know if that dish was a special but I haven't been able to find that combo since. I guess I'll just have to keep going there until I do. This time I got the katsu so-su don/かつソース丼 and it was really good. Shu-en got some rice thing. I dunno, I was too preoccupied with my dish to take notice of hers.

After lunch we did some shopping. To be quite honest, as far as tourist attractions go in Tokyo, there aren't many; really all that you can do as a "tourist" is participate in the consumer-driven atmosphere that permeates the city. I think that might be because the city's quite new. It was rebuilt after WWII because of all the fire bombing and such. As a result there aren't a lot of old buildings in the center of the city. There are some shrines, but my opinion on shrines is if you see one, you've pretty much seen them all. So we shopped instead; we did go see a shrine the next day, but that comes later.

A lot of window shopping and one purchase later, we had to part ways; Shu-en had plans with another Singaporean in Tokyo and I had kempo practice. But we planned to meet up later to go clubbing with Gabe and his friends. Unfortunately, Shu-en was too jet lagged to meet up with us that night. But we all had a good time regardless rocking out to some serious house, techno and electronica, the last of which is my second great love next to books. I'd have to label the night as a success as I was able to get this flashing-light ring for free just by asking this guy and as some girl gave me her whole book of oil blotters for your face randomly as we stood in line together for the bathroom. Actually, with that last bit, I don't know whether I should feel flattered or insulted....

So, after only 4 or so hours of sleep, Shu-en called to wake me up at 12 so I could meet her in Harajuku. I had lunch with her and a several Singaporean transplants at this famous ramen shop in Harajuku. Despite it's fame, none of us really enjoyed our dishes. I don't think it lived up to the hype, especially for the amount I paid. It does look delicious though and I did finish it all, but whether that was out of guilt for having paid so much for it or because it actually tasted good is debatable.

We walked around a bit after lunch to a) let Shu-en see what Harajuku was like and b) make some room in our stomachs for crepes later on. We stopped in this one store and found these crazy sunglasses. I've seen people wearing them in Tokyo, not as a joke, but seriously wearing them as a fashion statement. I mean, they look pretty good on us so, I can see the logic... maybe....

The end of the day met us at a shrine near the infamous Harajuku bridge. The shrine itself was uneventful, but what was interesting was this prayer tree. Well, it wasn't really a prayer tree, but a really large tree encircled by a wooden structure built to hold placards. People can buy these placards and write wishes on them for good health, or happiness, or in this case, to marry Harry Potter. Hey, whatever makes you happy.

Everyone wanted to go to Shibuya after we left the shrine, but I simply did not have it in me. Being out all night the night before and then all that walking around had left me tuckered out. Besides Shu-en would be here through the week so I wasn't too worried about not spending enough time with her. So I left them at the bridge and boarded the train completely exhausted but with the knowledge that it was due to a really good weekend, and that made it all worth it.

Long Time no Blog....

Eek, sorry guys. There's been a distinct lack of post activity. So these next couple of posts will serve to catch you all up on my time here in Tokyo. My goal is to create a post everyday for the next week. Let's see if I can do it.

I'm close to the three-month mark of my time here. And I still can't decide whether I like Tokyo or not. People keep telling me that it's not really indicative of Japan. That Tokyo has it's own culture and attitude that doesn't really mesh with the rest of the country. I hope so because, honestly, there are times when I want to get the heck out of here. But there are other times when I feel like this is a great place to be.

For example, times when U.Va. friends come to visit. Catherine, a recent graduate from U.Va., came to see me in Nihon back at the end of May, and we went to Yasukuni Shrine together. Unfortunately, maybe, I dunno, we entered from the back, so we saw the shrine and the grounds from back to front. Which was okay, but once again, Japanese people don't tell you when you're making a mistake! So we had no idea that we did that until we got to the front gates and were all, "Oh, oops, this is the front..."

Yeah.....

The day was kind of overcast, but it was still pretty. This is the shrine in the picture here. If you don't know the backstory on Yasukuni, I'll fill you in. So, Yasukuni is a shrine in Tokyo to honor Japanese who have perished in war. This includes WWI and WWII. The latter war dead are why this shrine is so controversial today. Whenever a new prime minister is instated into office in Japan, it's always a big deal whether or not he goes to the shrine. Korea and China see it a big f-you so to speak, as Japan committed some serious atrocities in both countries, some, such as the comfort women in Korea, that it won't fess up to or apologize for. So this seemingly innocuous place is steeped in controversy and international tension.

Also, it's not really a tourist hot-spot. Catherine and I were the only foreigners that I saw who came to visit that day. It's definitely one of the more reverent shrines, which makes it all the more controversial. When you first enter (through the front anyways), as with all shrines, you're supposed to wash your hands and cleanse your mouth. Left first I think, although I could be wrong. Then you enter through some really big gates and walk up a path to the shrine.

In the previous picture of the shrine, all you can see is concrete and gravel. But really there are quite a few trees on the grounds. Tied to some of the trees are small pieces of paper with prayers or wishes written on them. There was also a museum on the property but since it cost money to enter it, we decided to forgo that.

After the visit to the shrine, we met up with some of Catherine's friends and went to Ueno. Unlike Yasukuni, this place with teeming with foreigners. It actually made me a bit uncomfortable. And I wonder if it was because there were so many foreigners in one place and foreigners get a really bad rap here or if it was due to some other reason of which I'm not wholly cognizant. Hmm, I'm not sure. But I was really glad Catherine came to visit. It was like a little slice of home had made its way to Japan.

春パ

A video from my dance event. The big pay off so to speak, but I don't have the whole thing, so when I get it, I'll be sure to upload it again.

Enjoy!

UPDATE: 6/15 Here's the whole video!!!





The event, Harupa, was at Studio Coast in Shin-kiba, aka Ageha where I've partied with several of the G-Splash exchange students before. It was a blast. A very loud, very long, very visually assaulting blast. It started at 1:30 and we were the first group to go after a short opening dance act that involved half-naked men. Unfortunately, I missed that one, but....

As you can imagine after watching the video, it all went by really really quickly. I see now why they made us practice it so many times. With all of the lights and the adrenaline and the crowd, all thought quickly vanishes from your head. I'm pretty sure all of us got through that dance solely on muscle memory.

After we danced, we quickly ran back out to the audience area to cheer on the rest of the group and watch the dance as well. All in all a superb experience. The rest of the day, we could spend as long as we liked at the event watching other groups. Several of the members in G-Splash were in second groups. Jen and I were pretty amazed by that. I was sitting next to her at the time and we couldn't help remarking on how crazy their lives must be being in two dance groups. We thought G-Splash took up a lot of time, but imagine that doubled.


I'll take a moment here to backtrack about how much time G-Splash actually filled during our weeks. The first two weeks that we joined, we had practice everyday and then an :"audition" at the end, where everyone proceeded to be accepted. Then we had to choose our genres, either hip-hop or pop and lock, and we had practice for these twice a week. After a while we had the regular practices plus a second extra mandatory practice that we all had to go to. Then as the date for Harupa drew nearer, we had practice everyday and on Saturdays from 11 to 8 or something ridiculous.

So, all of those members in other dance groups did all of that, plus whatever crazy commitments they had for their second dance group. Insane, I know.

There were several really good performances, however. One about a train stopping post (the word in English escapes me right now) who falls in love with a school girl who always crosses the tracks. But she's in a relationship with this jerk. So some magic guy gives the post a potion to drink and he becomes human only to sacrifice himself for the girl's jerkish boyfriend who nearly gets run over by a train during a big fight with the girl. Because he wasn't really human to being with, the post turns back into a post, but at the end of the dance, the girl gives him back his hat, a prop that was central to the story, and kisses him on the cheek. It was all really cute, but unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me so I don't have a video of that one.

The night of Harupa, we had a nomi kai and it was really cool. We got to chat it up with our sempais who are usually really distant and strict. Turns out it was all a facade. The picture to the right is of me and my sempais A-ko and Tombo. His nickname comes from Kiki's Magic Delivery Service. If you've seen it, you know he looks like the Tombo in the movie and he sounds like him too. I mean, we knew they seemed really cool, but after talking with them, we knew it first hand that we were in the presence of some pretty cool kids.

Although, our G-Splash experience to date has been really intense, I think Harupa and the nomi-kai afterwards, made it all worth it.

Oh Boy.... (Part II)

(Warning: This post is pictureless.)

After Friday's night of fun, I had Kempo on Saturday. Usually we have practice from 3-8 every Saturday, so a really intense sort of workout. But this Saturday was the 入門式/nyuumonshiki, a welcoming ceremony for the ichinensei/一年生 or the newcomers in the group. We had to give a self-introduction to the group and then listen to a speech by two of the masters. There was also this ceremonial part (well, it was all pretty ceremonial) where we had to drink rice wine out of these teeny tiny, delicate bowls, which I thought I was going to drop and smash on the ground. Luckily, I didn't.

We had this ceremony in the upstairs gym and then practice led by one of the masters in the downstairs dojo. It was really intense, I'm pretty sure it was the first time I ever broke a sweat during kempo practice. Thankfully, it ended early so we could all go drinking with the masters and such.We all had to dress up for this practice, so we looked like a pretty smart bunch in our suits and for Mia and I, our skirts and sweaters.

If you haven't deduced it by now, Japanese people are completely different when they drink. They take the word "uninhibited" to a whole new level. So during the nomi-kai we all had to talk to the masters. Conversation went well, I mean, it was nothing special, I didn't feel like I made a distinct impression on them. At the end of the party, however, the most senior master came up to me and told me, in Japanese and several times, that I had a good body. It was super awkward and all I could do was smile and say thank you because of the rules of politeness.

Before then, I had never been hit on by an 80-year-old man, but I guess there's a first time for everything.

More Pictures....

....From Shorinji Kempo Taikai and Kempo Camp

I didn't put up all the pictures from those two events in the earlier post, so here's this post to finish the job. If you remember, I went to a Shorinji Kempo Taikai or intercollegiate tournament during Golden Week, the week everyone has off of work. It was really cool to see everyone perform. But don't take my word for it, see for yourself. (Oh, there's also a new post below this one. Part 1 of a very crazy weekend.)







Two members of our Kempo group


The train ride to Kempo camp.


From left to right, top row: Abe-sempai, Quentin, Gan, Ari. Bottom row: Hunter and Mia.


I allegedly made this face at someone. I don't believe it.


The campsite!

Oh Boy.... (Part I)

...what a weekend.

Several things happened last weekend, and all of them involved some... funny, interactions we me and boys. Well, some interactions were funnier than others and some have turned out to be downright creepy. It all started on Friday night....

As I mentioned before, in a very roundabout way not everyone understood, I'm a member of a dance group on campus called G-Splash. They have 5 genres, hip hop, girl's hip hop, pop and lock, house and break dancing. We have a performance on June 7, and all of the first years, along with all of the members, are performing. As first years we could only choose from two genres to perform, hip hop or p&l. I chose hip-hop mostly because it's something I've always wanted to do and have found interesting, but also because it's something I don't think I'm good at naturally. I think it's good to have to work hard for something every once in a while; if not you just get lazy and cocky. And boy am I working hard, we had a practice the other day where I sweated straight through the shirt I was wearing. Straight through it, the thing was soaking wet at the end of that 3-hour practice.

But even though I was spending a lot of time with this group, I wasn't really making friends with the Japanese ichinensei/first years. As a result I didn't feel wholly part of the group. This all changed on Friday when some of the first years organized a nomikai.

I'm not sure if I've explained this before, but nomikais are basically drinking parties. The drinking culture is very big here as it allows people to say and do things they don't normally get to say or do because of the very strict cultural codes. In Japan, you don't want to stick out. You want to be a part of the group. In earlier decades, teachers used to punish unruly children by excluding them from the group either physically or indirectly. There's a Japanese saying that sums all this up: "If a nail stands up, it's nailed down." But when people drink, they're allowed to be rude, to stand out and to say and do what's on their minds without thinking of others. This doesn't mean what they're saying or doing is negative, it just means that they're thinking of themselves first instead of the group.

So I didn't quite know what to expect from everyone. I did hope that it would be fun and that I would get to meet a lot of people. Both of those hopes were realized. I had a really great time. It was such a fantastic night and I wish I could travel back in time and relive it second by second. We arrived at this izakaya in Shinjuku and were seated at two large tables. Very delicious food items were brought out and they brought drinks by the pitcher for each table. At first most people were sticking to their small groups formed and strengthened from long nights of practice. But as the drinks flowed and cups emptied out we all began to move from table to table mingling with the other members. I made a lot of new friends and had some great discussions, including one about honne and tatemae, which led to a very interesting moment.

Tatemae can be translated as a facade. It's basically, the face Japanese show the public. It has nothing to do with what they're feeling or thinking and is often a smile or a generic positive expression. Because of tatemae it's really hard to tell when someone doesn't like you. I was talking about this with two guys, the topic brought up when they asked me what the difference was between Japanese and Americans.

Me: Americans show whatever they're feeling on their face. If someone doesn't like you, know it. With Japanese, if someone doesn't like me, I have no idea.

Guy 1: Which one do you like more?

Me: Definitely the American way because then I don't waste time working on a relationship that's not going anywhere. And I don't bother people who don't want me around anyway.

Guy 2: (He reaches for my hand. I think he's going to shake it and he does — at first) I like the way you think.

"I like you," he says kissing the top of my hand.

I honestly didn't know what to say or do. So I just laughed. I'm not sure that was the best reaction, but it was the only one I had available at the time. There was then another awkward moment later on when they were talking about how pretty I was. And then Guy 2 says something to the effect of how he doesn't really like his face or body, I can't remember exactly. But my oh so classy and witty response was, "Pshaw, you're fine."

Nice, Jeannette. Good job.

Regardless of those two funny moments, or maybe because of them, it was a great and memorable night.




But with this as the start of my weekend, I knew it could only get better and crazier. And boy did it ever.

The Picture Post

You know, all of this writing business is taking too long. It's hard to keep on top of it. No lie. So this is the picture issue; captions included. FYI, there are about two new posts before this one, so further down the page.



My time in Tokyo is going by so quickly. I've already been here for a month and a half, almost two months and I don't feel as if I've accomplished anything yet. I really wish I could stay longer, really get better at my Japanese and make some Japanese-speaking only friends.




I have met some really cool gaijin here, however, so all is not lost in the way of making connections. We all went out one night to a club called Ageha. It was so much fun and prior to going I didn't think the Japanese guys were too fond of me. But after Ageha, I know better.




I'm not just hanging out in the city though. During Golden Week, Mia, Hunter and I went camping with the Kempo club. Kempo Camp! It was... an interesting experience. There are some personalities that I just don't like in Kempo. They're not the Japanese people but some gaijin. I don't want to get into it because it's just better to leave the negative in the past; there's no need to let it... percolate, so to speak.




The weather was pretty gloomy on the way there but despite the cloud cover, everything was still beautiful.