I wrote a big, long update the other day, only to delete it by accident b/c my browser is all in Japanese. Huge updates are exhausting to read and even more exhausting to type anyways. The more you write, the more risk there is to delete it by accident because all the buttons on Blogger are in kanji. So maybe it's better to start with the small things, then work my way up.

I've decided to talk about my bicycle. I remember I paid $100 for it way back in July, and it was a hassle actually getting my hands on it, but it's worth every penny. A mountain bike, 21 gears (although I don't even know what that really means), an insanely uncomfortable seat that's meant only for people who lack bones in their butt, and a basket in the back. Ah, the basket. Quite possibly my favorite thing about it. Unfortunately, since mine is a boy's bike (meaning it has a horizontal bar running from the seat to the handlebars), it means that I have to go through extra trouble to dismount by swinging my leg over the front, coasting side-saddle for a moment, and then hopping off without completely losing balance. It's fabulous.

I've also made myself a nuisance to a nearby bike shop. Well, I don't really know if they think I'm a nuisance, but if I was an old Japanese man and a retarded girl came by and tried to talk to me in English, I'd be annoyed. The first time I went there, I wanted to register my bike (you actually do this with the police, but I didn't know). I also didn't know how to say "register" in Japanese, so after ten minutes of confusion with this old dude and his wife, they just told me I had to go to the police. They were probably convinced that I stole the bike and wanted to take the name sticker off of it to erase my trail.

In my Japanese: "This (points to sticker) Mariko! I not Mariko. I Tammy. Mariko from, bicycle I bought. Yes. Yes. I do not understand."

The Japanese have no written rules about riding bikes, or at least none that I've seen anyone follow. No one locks their bikes; if they do it's not actually locked to anything. People will carry umbrellas, eat an ice cream cone, and even send texts on their mobile phone while peddling away on a mami chari (ie. cheap, WW2 era scrap of metal and rubber). If you ride on the street, no matter which side it is, cars might as well pretend you're not there. If you ride on the sidewalk, there's no official side to pass people on. If you're walking and someone on a bike is behind you, they will creep up without a word, and would rather trail behind you at a snail's pace than work their way around or say something.

Sometimes if you encounter another bike going towards you, you kind of have to waver to the right or the left and get a feel of which direction that person feels like going. It's like if you're about to walk into someone on the sidewalk, only you're going much faster and are prone to fall over on your side. Unfortunately, that wavering results in a lot of near misses, slamming on the brakes, or in the worst case, crashing into the other bike, which is what happened to me yesterday. The guy didn't even stop! I tend to shut my eyes in the face of peril, so I didn't see his reaction upon impact. By the time I "emergency dismounted" and was hopping on one leg, the victim of a bike-tire-knee-sandwich, he was already halfway down the block. He said "Gomennasai!" over his shoulder, but I'd say his face showed only slight worry. I was wincing a lot at the time, so I could be wrong.

There's also bugs that will hit you. Gigantic Japanese bugs, the kind which answer any questions of how this country came up with Mothra and Godzilla. I've already been hit twice by massive cicadas, once on the arm, and once squarely on my left cheek.

Massive update

So... it's a bit difficult juggling emails and updates and such, so I realize, massive as this entry might end up being, writing on this blog is necessary to keep the most people updated.

So yesterday I came back to Numazu after surviving a 2 and a half day prefectural orientation in a teaching center in Kakegawa, a city about an hour and half train ride south. Actually it is just near Kakegawa, in the middle of nowhere. It was work too.... sitting in rooms all day, listening to people, never going outside... At times, it was really hard. There was a point where I felt so out of place, and that I didn't connect with anyone there. But it did get better.... I met a handful of cool people, who unfortunately live far away from me, but what matters is that there are actually sane people in JET. I met a lot of people with the same problems and adjustment issues as me, but who also had funny stories about it. I experienced communal showering. I even finally used the Japanese squat toilet on the last day. By that afternoon, I felt a lot better about being in Japan, and on the long train ride back to Numazu, I even saw Mt. Fuji poking out from among the clouds at sunset.

Needless to say, every day has had some challenge in store for me. Most often it is battling homesickness and the feeling that I won't be able to do this JET thing as well as my predecessor or any of the other ALTs. There is also difficulty in looking like everybody else, so I don't get any special treatment bestowed on those who actually look like foreigners. Not being able to read anything in the grocery store make shopping about three times slower. Since I dont have any cooking supplies yet, my meals at home have consisted of rice balls or bento from the supermarket. It's amazing how a discount sticker can make you feel so... loser. Especially when the only other people buying them are old men who probably live alone. Or with a rabbit.

However, there are good points. I'm getting adjusted to my apartment and the smells within. I don't have it as bad as some other people. No gokiburi (cockroaches) or tatami bugs to speak of. And I managed to take the burnable trash out properly (now there is the matter of UNburnable rubbish, three types of plastic recycling, metal recycling, paper recycling, and large items, which all may or may not have different pick up areas).

I finally got my bike, which I am taking full advantage of when I can. When I got home last night, I just rode around the neighborhood in the dark... it was cool and quiet, with not too much traffic, and very refreshing. Best of all, this area is really flat, so riding's not much of a challenge. I got alittle lost on the school campus this morning, as they've started construction on some of the buildings to reinforce them in case of an earthquake. And by earthquake, I mean the BIG ONE, aka the Tokai Earthquake that is overdue by 2 or 3 years and lies right under Shizuoka. Meaning it could strike any minute. In which case, it is expected to be one level higher on the Richter scale than the 95 quake in Kobe (one level means ten times the magnittude). Not only that, it could trigger massive tsunamis within minutes, and possibly even set off old Fuji. If you check a map of Japan, you will notice that Numazu is perched right between Suruga Bay and Mt. Fuji. So a little reinforcement on the school might not help us very much after all. They told us all this at orientation, and stressed that we prepare earthquake kits now... cheerful, ne?

I've been writing down the funny Engrish I've seen, since taking photos is more challenging, especially impromptu shots. Like the grocery store called Potato, which has a sign out front that reads: "Welcome friends. I am Potato." Or a Mickey Mouse shirt that said "Crispy Rider" on the back. Unfortunately I accidentally erased all the photos on my camera last night, including some shots of a very strange display at the drug store. I'll venture in again though. A lot of my recreation in Shimizu involves daily trips to the drugstore or hyaku yen store (ie dollar store). And admiring rice paddies. There are many many rice paddies here. Despite the aforementioned stores and many houses here, Japanese people consider my neighborhood to be countryside.

Today I may try my luck at a summer festival in Mishima, the next town to the northeast. Is there a bus there? Can I get a bus back? Who knows. Otherwise it's hyaku yen time.