Kyoto

This is what happens when I don't update in a while. Things just pile and pile up. It was a whirlwind ten days last week. First a weekend trip to Kyoto, then Mid-Year Seminar in Kakegawa right after, one day at school, and then off to Korea for Thanksgiving.


Kyoto was nice. The weather wasn't on our side though.. It was cold and sometimes drizzly for most of the time we were there (which wasn't very long). And the place was crawling with tourists. Tons of them. Busloads of them. Wave upon wave of Japanese tour groups assaulted us on the bus and at the temples. It's peak autumn season and everyon in Japan has the same idea, which is to go on a pilgrimage see the leaves at the epicenter of Japanese history and culture. We were lucky to book a ryokan only a week in advance... I got about twenty "all booked" replies from most of the places I emailed. Anyway, I have to hand it to the Japanese. In Kyoto, I felt that I truly experienced suffering in silence. Shoulder to shoulder on the bus, squeezing through the crowded streets, getting pushed around by tourist obaa-san, I didn't hear anyone complaining (except me). If we were in America, there would have been a riot.


But the foliage was indeed beautiful, although just getting started really. The first place we went to was Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Temple. It's hard not to take a good photo of that place, but it's actually quite tacky up close. We visited Ryonji, which has a famous rock garden and clay wall. We saw geisha in bright, bustling Gion district, and we also went to Kiyomizu-dera, the big wooden temple, which has a great view of the hills. And I bought pickles at the famous Nishiki covered street market.


Our last sight was my favorite though, Fushimi Inari Taisha. If any of you have seen "Memoirs of a Geisha" (which we watched the night before going to Kyoto, and whose merits and de-merits I won't go into here) you might remember a scene of young Chiyo running through a corridor made of orange torii (gates). That's Fushimi Inari. Hundreds and hundreds of bright orange gates only inches apart from each other wind up a big hill to the temple at the top, dotted with little shrines and cemetaries on the way. "Inari" means "fox," which is a respected creature with special powers in Japanese culture. There were statues of foxes everywhere, and merchants were selling abura-age tofu, which they say is the fox's favorite food. It's about a 4km hike to the top (Chiyo-chan probably didn't know what she was getting into), so you can imagine how many gates that is. They're all donated too, and replaced every three years. Damn that's a lotta gates! Anyway, it was also the one place that wasn't packed with tourists. We got there early Sunday afternoon, and it was already drizzling. We saw families with young children all decked out in their best kimono for Shichi-Go-San, the holiday where families with children ages 7, 5, and 3 go pray at shrines. I love this about Japan... beautiful surprises when you least expect it.


The rain and silence and un-crowdedness about the gates really had an impression on me. It probably would be glorious at sunset, with dramatic shadows and blazing orange, but there was something about that drizzly, gray day, hearing nothing but birds and rain on the leaves high above our heads, the gentle swish of branches, and sparse footsteps. And those great orange torii, set against the green, green forest.

Our stay in Kyoto was so brief, it was impossible to see everything in that amazing city. I hope I can go back someday.


So, I'm too tired to write about Korea right now, so stay tuned for the next update.

In other news, it's been getting increasingly chilly in these parts. I should be thankful that autumn came late this year, and it's relatively mild for almost December. The colors of the trees are deepening, and it's nice biking to school with a backdrop of colorful hills. But my house tends to retain the cold, just like it retained the heat in summer. I read somewhere that Japanese houses are designed to be cool in the summer and warm in the winter. To that, I say bullshit. Japanese houses aren't built to insulate anything (unless if it's in all the wrong ways). I'm starting a dangerous habit of sitting myself under my kotatsu and... not doing anything else for the rest of the night. : (

dust in the wind

Today was another windy day. I kept finding sand in my hair and on the back of my neck.

Despite the blusteriness, it was sunny and slightly warmer, and my house doesn't seem as cold, either. I'm dreading winter though; people have told me stories of how they practically never took off their long underwear for three whole months of winter, other than to wash them. A girl told me on Monday that last year, she stayed in japan for winter break but wished she hadn't because it was just way too cold all the time. I was thinking "um... great."

This morning I had to get an x-ray. All new teachers are required to have this health inspection, and many ALTs have to come to Numazu to get it. Really though, it was an RV parked out in front of the prefectural office, and it took all of two minutes. Still, I didn't have to go in to work until after I got it done, and I got to see a couple ALTs from Izu that I haven't seen in a while. I also got some sweet cards from the stationary store : ) I'm going to go broke on stationary and postcards because they are so adorable here. If you want to perpetuate my impulsive stationary binging and would like a postcard, please give me your address!

So I've decided not to go home for winter. It was a hard decision to make, but ultimately, probably the most practical one. I'm going to miss everyone terribly though, especially when I'm alone on Christmas day.

I've been feeling ambivalent towards the "group" here. I find myself deleting a lot of their emails without reading them, simply b/c I'm tired of the same old stuff. I really couldn't care less about how well their lesson went, or this or that about their school. I have no problem with them in person, but I think the email list gets pretty clique-y. And seeing a certain group of 2nd years at bowling on Friday (last year's ALTs were notorious for being clique-y) not really interacting with anyone else but their own little group, confirmed my distaste for this type of stupid exclusion.

I'm really excited about Kyoto.

So for the first time in... a while, I pulled an all-nighter. And what an all-nighter.


Friday night was dinner at Chukate, and then bowling with Papa-san, Mama-san, Yoshi, Rin, and a whole bunch of us ALTs. I had an all-time hi score of 42! And then an all-time record low of... 14. So I'm not a natural bowler, but that was just warming up. When everyone went home, Jeff and I got dropped off at Numazu station where we loitered around for 2 hours to catch the 2:56 (that's AM) Moonlight Nagara to Tokyo. The plan was to get to Tsukiji Fish Market by 5:30, which is when all the good action starts.

The train was very fast (too fast) and had real seats. We passed out of course, b/c we're getting too old for this staying up late business. An hour and a half later, we were in Tokyo, and by an incredible stroke of luck, I didn't have to pay for my ticket. CHEAPEST TRIP TO TOKYO EVER.

Tsukiji is amazing. At 5:30 in thhe morning, it's already busy busy. It's one of the most famous places in Japan, yet does not cater to tourists at all, b/c it is a real, live, functioning fish market and auction. It doesn't even have a main entrance (that we could make out) and it is not for the faint-hearted. We just had to weave our way through the maze of trucks, industrial buildings and crazy motor carts that the workers drive around. It's get out of the way or get run over; no exceptions, even for tourists. That's a lot to go through, especially if you've woken up/stayed up late and probably aren't at your sharpest.


Anyways, we saw where they auction off fresh and frozen tuna. Those are some big-uns! Lots of fast and spastic Japanese spoken, and oggling tourists. However, it is sad to see one of the worst examples overfishing in the world. They don't throw back the little ones to grow big, and thus there won't be any big ones (or little ones) in the future.


After walking around a little more, squeezing between motor carts, splashing through fishy puddles, we went around looking for breakfast. It was probably 6:30AM too. We found what we were looking for right around the corner in a little alley between buildings. It was called Daiwa, and already there was a line outside the door. Many people say Daiwa is the best sushi restaurant in Tokyo, and therefore quite possibly the world. Being practically in Tsukiji fish market, what more could you want? Jeff said it was the fourth best, but I say it was the best sushi I've ever eaten.

We waited for about half an hour in line with Japanese and foreigners alike. There were some jerks in the front who were holding spaces for their friends who would cut in every now and then, and I had to hold back Jeff from telling them off. We were eventually let in to one half of the restaurant... Imagine two sushi counters on opposite sides of a narrow room, with probably an arms' length of space between. Then split it in half with a wall, and you've got Daiwa. There was literally one foot between the stools and the wall, and you eat your sushi straight off the counter where the sushi chef puts it.



We ordered the omakase, or chef's recommendation, and gobbled up whatever he gave us. 12 pieces of the best fish of my life, I tell you. I can still taste the fatty o-toro (tuna), the creamy-sweet but not fishy uni (sea urchin), and my favorite, the melt-in-your-mouth anago (conger eel), which I later learned is a specialty of that restaurant. They also gave us this crispy, smoky, sweet morsel of what I think was crawfish, still in the shell. God bless Daiwa.

So, I don't remember when we left, but after eating the best sushi in the world, we found ourselves at the Starbucks in Shibuya (the most profitable branch in the world) at 8 in the morning, sipping coffee and watching the umbrella-filled interssection (the busiest one in the world) below us. In the same building, one floor down, was a Tsutaya, where people were already lining up for the release of the PS3. Not a bad day to be in Tokyo.

Needless to say, with our main goal accomplished, I was a zombie for the rest of the morning, and we went home soon around 2PM. Today wasn't too exciting. I bought a ceramic knife, which I'm very impressed with, after nearly slicing off my thumb.

I can see Fuji from my house! Yesterday, after a typhoon-like morning and sunny but incredibly blustery afternoon, the mountain unveiled itself. Covered in snow, and larger than I expected, it is truly breathtaking. Majestic. Stunning. I can't adequately describe it. Riding home from school yesterday, I was pedalling behind some little kids who were yammering away "Ii, ne! Ii, ne!" and when I rounded the corner, the view literally took my breath away. It was like the first snow, I was so excited! It made me feel so lucky to be in Japan and living so close to a postcard-like view of one of the most beautiful icons of the country. You really have to see it for yourself.


This has been a good week. It started off with going to Tokyo on Sat-Sun for Tokyo Design Week. I met up with Jimi and Melissa and Aya, all from CMU School of Design. It made me so happy to see them, and I can honestly say it was one of the most fun times I've had in Japan. After so many months of feeling very different from the people around me, I finally felt like I was in my own skin again. It was very comforting to be in good company even on the other side of the globe, but it made me miss Pittsburgh [and the old days] a lot. So much so that I'm seriously considering going back for winter break. I don't know though.. Should I do it? Anyway, Design Week was good, and a welcome dose of inspiration. Saw some great things at Design Tide, and even explored a new neighborhood of Tokyo that is what I imagine Harajuku was once like. I came home very happy and filled with good thoughts, albeit a little lonesome.

On Monday, just as I was about to leave school, Mimi-chan (girl who works in the office) came to my desk with a big bouquet of flowers. Mike had sent them for our one year anniversary. What a surprise! I was blushing like mad, and the teachers around my desk were like "Wooh! Lomantiku!"

Last night I finally booked a ryokan in Kyoto. Hooray! It's so busy this time of year that I was stressed that we wouldn't be able to find a place to stay. This place isn't luxurious by any means, but I think it'll be an authentic Japanese experience nonetheless. So weekend after next, my two friends and I will be on our way to beautiful Kyoto!


Today, the first year students visited the local kindergarten and played with the little kids in the morning. I tagged along, obviously. Each student was oniisan or oneesan (big brother, big sister) for a little kid. It was funny to see my students, who I usually have to treat like children, be the "grown-ups" for a little while. My god. I want to steal a Japanese three-year-old, bless their round-cheeked, yellow-capped, adorable little hearts. It was a little sad though, that I couldn't communicate with any of them.

And let's now forget, perhaps one of the most important things that happened this week, besides elections back at home. Finally!