well, i’ve obviously been neglecting the blog for a while. i don’t really have internet at home, and when i get done at work, i generally like to go home to get as much sleep as possible. and then, of course, i went into one of those spirals where it just seems like there is too much to say to ever actually sit down and write. so, for now, i write to break the ice—it will most likely be random, and in bullet form. hopefully, more to come soon.
some general learnings:
--full-time jobs (especially with little kids (who don’t speak the same language as you)) are exhausting.
--summer in japan is hot.
--there are a lot of people in tokyo. not as many of them speak english as you might assume.
--learning japanese is hard (but fun).
things i’ve unexpectedly gotten comfortable with or better at since moving to japan 3 months ago:
--bagging groceries. they give you the bags, you do the work.
--sitting in tiny chairs at tiny tables. this might be more of a preschool teacher thing than a Japanese thing.
--controlling my facial expressions when i see girls in ridiculously short skirts in public
--reading on the train. commuting over 2 hours a day will help get over any motion sickness…
--going to sleep as soon as i get home at night. i used to need some ‘wind down time.’ no more. this might be more of a “first real full time job” thing.
--packing lunches. granted, this consists of putting a small container of tofu and some frozen veggies into a little Tupperware thing, but i’m making progress.
--doing laundry by hand.
things that seemed really difficult at first but are starting to get easier:
--navigation on the trains. i get really excited any time i don’t have to look up which trains to take to get somewhere in tokyo (which doesn’t happen often.) i also can’t believe i ever complained about having to transfer ONCE in chicago. one transfer is a blessing these days.
--japanese. it’s still hard, but i’m starting to really, really enjoy it. i started lessons a couple weeks ago, and i’m starting to really enjoy it. i only wish i had more time/energy during the week to spend with it. current favorite word: daijobu—“okay” or “alright”.
things that seemed really crazy at first and…still seem really crazy:
--beer vending machines. yes. vending machines on the street that sell beer. no ID necessary. i’m pretty sure that every time i pass one, i think of a new reason why they would be unthinkable in the US.
--the short skirts. a place where fetishes are definitely born.
--how quickly and deeply people sleep on the train! it’s amazing!
japanese people (total generalization, obviously) love them some:
--scrunchies
--umbrellas (rain or shine)
--packaging. it’s great that they always separate everything and recycle like crazy, but EVERYTHING here is wrapped in some type of plastic wrap. it’s a bit paradoxical, i think.
--socks/stockings—there are a lot of stores dedicated to nothing but these.
--salons. if i tried to count the number around where i live, it would be ridiculous. i walked with a friend to one last week, and in the building where her salon was and the one next to it, of 6 store spaces, 5 were salons. how they stay afloat, i have no idea.
--dorky white guys. now, i know a lot of really, really cool white guys here, but i’ve also met/seen some really dorky ones who have japanese girlfriends/wives that are…well…out of their league. i know that sounds horribly judgmental, and it is, but i can’t tell you how many times i’ve found myself thinking, “hm…japan. the place where dorky white guys go to find beautiful japanese girlfriends/wives…”
some deeper thoughts (in short bullet-point form.) if you’d like to discuss in more depth, let’s get coffee (in japan) or set up a skype date (anywhere else)!:
--living in a rich, affluent country is hard. i’d even say harder than in poor countries. ballsy statement, i know. but, i think it is so easy to get wrapped up in artificial things and start giving importance to things that simply aren’t important. i was beginning to really feel the same back in chicago recently. i could really go on for a while about this, so i’ll try to get the thoughts out for a later post.
--it’s difficult to live in a city of 30ish million people and not want to be creative. i have made some amazing friends and seen some amazing artists that really inspire me.
--i’ve been really thinking (and creating) a lot about the idea of beauty. it’s one of the things i often come back to when i’m traveling—ie, what are we culturally trained to find beautiful versus what is “true” beauty? does such a thing even exist?
--life as an immigrant, even a well-supported, well-paid, and highly educated one, is tough. and scary at times. i went for a routine physical to a hospital, WITH a friend/coworker there to translate, and i found it a little scary. i honestly can’t imagine what it must be like for so many people around the world living in a place where they don’t speak the language, have no one, have no education, no money, and are continually exploited. anyone who has any influence on immigration policy should really try it, i think.
ok, that’s all i got for now. thanks for reading. please have a dance party now in my honor, as thanks for checking in on me.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
and it continues
i know it's been a while since i've written. and really, that will continue, most likely. but, below are a couple photos from a recent hiking day i spent, IN tokyo. the city continues to amaze me. (ps, i also got a new camera, which makes me really want to share some pictures!)
as you can tell, i'm pretty happy to have some connection with nature
i'm also loving this new camera!
a beautiful view, about half-way up
and i've decided that this one is an almost perfect visual representation of my spirituality.
as you can tell, i'm pretty happy to have some connection with nature
i'm also loving this new camera!
a beautiful view, about half-way up
and i've decided that this one is an almost perfect visual representation of my spirituality.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
the incapacity to understand
i've posted this poem before, but i continue to come back to it, as it continues to be so utterly relevant.
the departure of the prodigal son by r.m. rilke
To go forth now
from all the entanglement
that is ours and yet not ours,
that, like the water in an old well,
reflects us in fragments, distorts what we are.
From all that clings like burrs and brambles—
to go forth
and see for once, close up, afresh,
what we had ceased to see—
so familiar it had become.
To glimpse how vast and how impersonal
is the suffering that filled your childhood.
Yes, to go forth, hand pulling away from hand.
Go forth to what? To uncertainty,
to a country with no connections to us
and indifferent to the dramas of our life.
What drives you to go forth? Impatience, instinct,
a dark need, the incapacity to understand.
To bow to all this.
To let go—
even if you have to die alone.
Is this the start of a new life?
notice, it is sheer uncertainty to which we go forth, away from entanglement and that which we know, perhaps to other suffering or even lonely death--but always to life.
rilke understood my future existence almost too well. maybe i am him? most certainly, i think.
the departure of the prodigal son by r.m. rilke
To go forth now
from all the entanglement
that is ours and yet not ours,
that, like the water in an old well,
reflects us in fragments, distorts what we are.
From all that clings like burrs and brambles—
to go forth
and see for once, close up, afresh,
what we had ceased to see—
so familiar it had become.
To glimpse how vast and how impersonal
is the suffering that filled your childhood.
Yes, to go forth, hand pulling away from hand.
Go forth to what? To uncertainty,
to a country with no connections to us
and indifferent to the dramas of our life.
What drives you to go forth? Impatience, instinct,
a dark need, the incapacity to understand.
To bow to all this.
To let go—
even if you have to die alone.
Is this the start of a new life?
notice, it is sheer uncertainty to which we go forth, away from entanglement and that which we know, perhaps to other suffering or even lonely death--but always to life.
rilke understood my future existence almost too well. maybe i am him? most certainly, i think.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
a glimpse of my life
here you go! it's a rough video, taken on a small digital camera, but i think it gives some idea of part of my life here. i hope you enjoy!
Monday, May 9, 2011
ah, entertainment
i'm planning a couple really good posts soon, but until then, enjoy these videos. i wish i could say they're joking, but i'm pretty sure these are/were for real. and it's reason enough to love this country.
Friday, May 6, 2011
BLAM!!
the last couple days have been really fun and productive. which is great combo.
the main highlight from yesterday:
i bought a bike! i had been trying for a couple days, stalled by weather and holidays (on which the shop was closed). so, i was extremely excited when i was finally able to get it yesterday! for now, i’m toying with the name “akka”, which means “red” in Japanese, “sister” in tamil, “here” in Spanish, and… “(a surprised exclamation [a-ha] with a hard Yiddish accent)?” in English. all good things! it’s a bit small, but i love the retro style (which is the norm here). i immediately took it for a long ride, to where i work, to test out the route. it’s a long and somewhat difficult ride, so i’ll probably only do it a couple times a week. it felt so great to ride though! today, riding it to run an errand, i found myself thinking, ‘life is better on a bike.’
while on my long ride to and from where i work (a little over an hour each way), i had time to see a whole other part of my city, at a nice pace. funny signs/things i saw:
- a denny’s. one of a few i’ve seen actually. of all chains to be here, denny’s? seriously? i don’t know the last time i was at a denny’s in the US, but i’m sure i’ll be craving some pancakes some day and will give it a try here. they better have some damn pancakes.
- a hardware store called “hard & tool.” i laughed out loud. i don’t know what it says about the English language (or just me?) that when traveling, a large majority of English-attempted signs are easily interpreted as penis references. i remember noam Chomsky once saying, “in language, we create slang for things we fear. that’s why the two things we have the most slang for are death and the penis (sex).” still—hard & tool? hilarious.
- a car dealership/shop called ‘TAX’—Total Automobile Excellence. again, i wanted to stop by and say, “hey, if you’re trying to bring in English-speaking customers with the English sign, best not using the acronym TAX. people don’t like those.”
- there was also a sign for ‘BLAM!!’ (yes, 2 exclamation points)!! it was an indoor sportscenter or something, but with a pretty technical sounding acronym for BLAM that i can’t remember.
- i also passed a bunch of random fields of crops. they smelled so wonderfully like farms and outdoors. i was pretty nostalgic for the Midwest US.
- i also really liked the courteous nature of people as i rode. there isn’t always a sidewalk, and rarely is there room for multiple people. so, if someone was coming opposite, someone would have to stop and let the other person go by. and i came up to a lot of old people walking that would stop, wait for me, and then we’d give a little head bow as we passed. it was very sweet.
and today—even better! i finally went into Tokyo. i went into a neighborhood called ikebukuro, which i haven’t heard great things about. i’ve heard it’s a bit grungy and without much to see. if this is “grungy”, then i can’t freakin’ wait to see the rest of Tokyo.
highlights:
someone actually talked to me! in English! (it doesn’t happen often). when i came up from the big, crazy train station, which seems more like an airport than a train station, this is what i saw:
and this was one of about 8 exits. i had my trusty guide book, ensuring that i look as touristy as possible, but i decided to look at the big map outside the station to orient myself before looking around. (luckily, there were these huge maps EVERYWHERE, so i really couldn’t have gotten lost if i’d tried.) as i was studying this map, trying to figure out which way i wanted to wander first, a guy came up and asked if i needed any help! i got so excited that he had offered, that i wanted to make up something specific i was looking for, but i didn’t actually have anything. so, i said, “thank you so much! but, i’m just kind of trying to get oriented before i head out. thank you though!” honestly, it seems insignificant, but it was a great way to start the day. i have looked lost plenty of times in my neighborhood, and have never had anyone say a thing to me.
as the picture above only KIND OF captures, the amount of life in this one area was incredible. there were people and signs and sounds and things everywhere. i didn’t even try to play it cool and look like i knew what i was doing. i was gaping like the most touristy tourist in the world. i was saying, ‘holy shit!’ out loud. things were just too amazing not to audibly exclaim.
diversity! i hadn’t seen too much in my city, but i actually saw some here! different races (it seems Africans have a pretty strong hold on the hip hop clothing market here, which is really interesting and somewhat ironic to me. a future post may be coming on this topic), different religions (some people in traditional muslim clothing, to whom i found myself giving a ‘hey, how’s it going fellow outsider’ type of look, until i felt like an insensitive idiot, and realized it’s probably a bit different and maybe more difficult thing for them), and different sexual orientations (i saw a same sex couple for the first time since i’ve been here). i also (FINALLY) saw some tattoos and piercings. i also saw an Indian restaurant and a Spanish bar! i’m definitely heading back for those. (i actually ate lunch at a Chinese restaurant, by accident, thinking it was Japanese food, and all my fears about eating out without someone to translate were confirmed. even though the menu had pictures and English translations, the vegetarian things i tried to order had meat in them. i tried to eat around the meat, but even still didn’t feel too great afterwards.)
i stumbled upon an awesome little used book/record/art shop. normally, i don’t go into the little bookstores because, you know, i don’t read Japanese. but, i noticed this one had records. they had a ton of awesome ones, for really cheap. i’ve never bought old vinyl records in the US, but they had Beatles records for $10. that’s got to be pretty good, right? i ended up getting some awesome art there. i got this picture and a little book with some cool pictures in it that i’m planning to cut up and make something out of.
and to finish the day, i sat at a little French café with a fruit parfait and cup of coffee, writing down all the great things i had seen/heard/experienced/tasted/etc.
if you’ve made it all the way through this post, i thank you! i’m not one to be brief with words, when i actually take the time to sit down and type them out. obviously, i had a great couple of days. along with a bbq with some coworkers tomorrow, i’m wrapping up a great vacation week. and although it’s been nice to have the time off to rest, adjust, explore, and bike, i’m also pretty excited to go back and see the kids.
sayonara!
ps-i've put together a fun little video about my life here so far, but i need a good internet connection to upload it. so, next week, when i get to work, i should be able to post it.
the main highlight from yesterday:
i bought a bike! i had been trying for a couple days, stalled by weather and holidays (on which the shop was closed). so, i was extremely excited when i was finally able to get it yesterday! for now, i’m toying with the name “akka”, which means “red” in Japanese, “sister” in tamil, “here” in Spanish, and… “(a surprised exclamation [a-ha] with a hard Yiddish accent)?” in English. all good things! it’s a bit small, but i love the retro style (which is the norm here). i immediately took it for a long ride, to where i work, to test out the route. it’s a long and somewhat difficult ride, so i’ll probably only do it a couple times a week. it felt so great to ride though! today, riding it to run an errand, i found myself thinking, ‘life is better on a bike.’
while on my long ride to and from where i work (a little over an hour each way), i had time to see a whole other part of my city, at a nice pace. funny signs/things i saw:
- a denny’s. one of a few i’ve seen actually. of all chains to be here, denny’s? seriously? i don’t know the last time i was at a denny’s in the US, but i’m sure i’ll be craving some pancakes some day and will give it a try here. they better have some damn pancakes.
- a hardware store called “hard & tool.” i laughed out loud. i don’t know what it says about the English language (or just me?) that when traveling, a large majority of English-attempted signs are easily interpreted as penis references. i remember noam Chomsky once saying, “in language, we create slang for things we fear. that’s why the two things we have the most slang for are death and the penis (sex).” still—hard & tool? hilarious.
- a car dealership/shop called ‘TAX’—Total Automobile Excellence. again, i wanted to stop by and say, “hey, if you’re trying to bring in English-speaking customers with the English sign, best not using the acronym TAX. people don’t like those.”
- there was also a sign for ‘BLAM!!’ (yes, 2 exclamation points)!! it was an indoor sportscenter or something, but with a pretty technical sounding acronym for BLAM that i can’t remember.
- i also passed a bunch of random fields of crops. they smelled so wonderfully like farms and outdoors. i was pretty nostalgic for the Midwest US.
- i also really liked the courteous nature of people as i rode. there isn’t always a sidewalk, and rarely is there room for multiple people. so, if someone was coming opposite, someone would have to stop and let the other person go by. and i came up to a lot of old people walking that would stop, wait for me, and then we’d give a little head bow as we passed. it was very sweet.
and today—even better! i finally went into Tokyo. i went into a neighborhood called ikebukuro, which i haven’t heard great things about. i’ve heard it’s a bit grungy and without much to see. if this is “grungy”, then i can’t freakin’ wait to see the rest of Tokyo.
highlights:
someone actually talked to me! in English! (it doesn’t happen often). when i came up from the big, crazy train station, which seems more like an airport than a train station, this is what i saw:
and this was one of about 8 exits. i had my trusty guide book, ensuring that i look as touristy as possible, but i decided to look at the big map outside the station to orient myself before looking around. (luckily, there were these huge maps EVERYWHERE, so i really couldn’t have gotten lost if i’d tried.) as i was studying this map, trying to figure out which way i wanted to wander first, a guy came up and asked if i needed any help! i got so excited that he had offered, that i wanted to make up something specific i was looking for, but i didn’t actually have anything. so, i said, “thank you so much! but, i’m just kind of trying to get oriented before i head out. thank you though!” honestly, it seems insignificant, but it was a great way to start the day. i have looked lost plenty of times in my neighborhood, and have never had anyone say a thing to me.
as the picture above only KIND OF captures, the amount of life in this one area was incredible. there were people and signs and sounds and things everywhere. i didn’t even try to play it cool and look like i knew what i was doing. i was gaping like the most touristy tourist in the world. i was saying, ‘holy shit!’ out loud. things were just too amazing not to audibly exclaim.
diversity! i hadn’t seen too much in my city, but i actually saw some here! different races (it seems Africans have a pretty strong hold on the hip hop clothing market here, which is really interesting and somewhat ironic to me. a future post may be coming on this topic), different religions (some people in traditional muslim clothing, to whom i found myself giving a ‘hey, how’s it going fellow outsider’ type of look, until i felt like an insensitive idiot, and realized it’s probably a bit different and maybe more difficult thing for them), and different sexual orientations (i saw a same sex couple for the first time since i’ve been here). i also (FINALLY) saw some tattoos and piercings. i also saw an Indian restaurant and a Spanish bar! i’m definitely heading back for those. (i actually ate lunch at a Chinese restaurant, by accident, thinking it was Japanese food, and all my fears about eating out without someone to translate were confirmed. even though the menu had pictures and English translations, the vegetarian things i tried to order had meat in them. i tried to eat around the meat, but even still didn’t feel too great afterwards.)
i stumbled upon an awesome little used book/record/art shop. normally, i don’t go into the little bookstores because, you know, i don’t read Japanese. but, i noticed this one had records. they had a ton of awesome ones, for really cheap. i’ve never bought old vinyl records in the US, but they had Beatles records for $10. that’s got to be pretty good, right? i ended up getting some awesome art there. i got this picture and a little book with some cool pictures in it that i’m planning to cut up and make something out of.
and to finish the day, i sat at a little French café with a fruit parfait and cup of coffee, writing down all the great things i had seen/heard/experienced/tasted/etc.
if you’ve made it all the way through this post, i thank you! i’m not one to be brief with words, when i actually take the time to sit down and type them out. obviously, i had a great couple of days. along with a bbq with some coworkers tomorrow, i’m wrapping up a great vacation week. and although it’s been nice to have the time off to rest, adjust, explore, and bike, i’m also pretty excited to go back and see the kids.
sayonara!
ps-i've put together a fun little video about my life here so far, but i need a good internet connection to upload it. so, next week, when i get to work, i should be able to post it.
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