Japanese Fashion, Part One (of many, I'm sure)

Miki, I, and an alumna from Oberlin were strolling around Shinjuku the other day discussing Japanese fashion. Although the conversation was in a mix of Japanese and English, the translated version goes a little something like this. *note: some names may have been shortened to protect the identities of the speakers (ex. mine).

Alex: Did you see that? I would have never matched leopard leggings and a baggy, purple shirt! That was such a cool idea!

Luna: Yeah, you'll see a lot of that.

Miki: A lof of what?

Alex: Japanese fashion. It is pretty cool, but I don't know how to duplicate it yet.

Miki: I don't see much of a difference in what you're wearing and what Japanese people usually wear.

Alex: Awww, thanks, Miki.

Luna: You do look nice, but there are major differences in Japanese and American style.

Alex: True story.

Miki: For example?

Alex: Um, okay, well, for example that boy with the leopard leggings and the purple shirt. He'd probably get laughed at in Ohio. In New York, that might be more common, but most people would think he can't match his clothes well. And a lot of guys, I mean a LOT of guys, at school wear fanny packs over their chests like a purse. That hasn't really caught on in America yet.

Luna: That's true. And overalls are actually popular here. I mean, back home that's what people wear to work in or do something on a farm, but look at that girl! She's has overalls and the cuffs rolled up to her calf.

Alex: Yeah, that is something I would have worn when I was 5. Much of the style here is very young and cute.

Miki: But I wore overalls on Thursday....

Alex: I know, I know, and you looked so adorable! But in America, if you wear that, people will think your a little strange. Or maybe even poor.

Luna: In a few years, people in America will be dressing like the Japanese do now (a little), but by then, you will be doing something COMPLETELY different.

Miki: So if I wear my clothes in America, people will think I'm strange?

Alex: No, no, no, no. You're style is so sweet, Miki. And since you're from Japan, people will expect you to have slightly different clothing combinations.

Miki: Ahhh. I still don't think there is much difference....

Luna & Alex: Trust us, there is.

Now, none of this is to knock the Japanese fashion world. I love the fact that ankle boots, hair bows, headbands, little straw hats, and sweaters are all on the "hot list" for this coming fall line. Some girls on my floor and I were pouring over a Japanese magazine, and the outfits looked so adorable. Another positive aspect about fashion here, I can pull off leggings with anything here! Girls might wear super short skirts or have strapless shirts, but they always have something underneath. Leggings, undershirts, t-shirts, anything! You hardly see a Japanese person exposing a lot of skin, and when they do, it is because they're making a statement or trying to look more like Western girls. My friend Gina was stopped by someone the other day and told that she looked very nice, but have the Japanese fashion down pat yet. Why not? Her collar bone was showing in too many of her outfits.

Now, you see some really strange stuff here (you do everywhere), but the Japanese take great pride in their appearance. It starts in junior high school where students are drilled in proper uniform attire, hair style, and (no matter how busy one gets) always looking sharp and well groomed. Once they're older, I can definitely see how many of them carry these teachings into the work world, and even into different fashion sub-cultures. No matter what the trend, they look great.

There are so many things I'd like to say, but I'll stop here before I ramble. The next fashion entry will have to be about the shoe culture here, but I'll save all that for later!

Lost and Found: A Duck's Story

Horror of horrors!

Yesterday was Keyaki's 2nd floor yearbook photo. So as many of the residents who remembered (not a whole lot, actually) came back to the dorm during lunch to get a group snapshot by the yearbook staff. Most of the girls were already gathered, when I started asking around for Kaya-chan. That's not the name of a girl: it is the name of our floors mascot -an adorable little duckie. All the girls start looking around, but he's not in the social room, the common area, or the kitchen. One girl even sent a floor-wide text asking if anyone gathered or absent had accidentally moved little Kaya. But none of the floormates remember seeing him for some time. So we had to take the picture duck-less.

That night, everyone received this email asking for anyone who knew were Kaya-chan was to return the duck safe and sound:

皆さんこんばんは、有加です。

実は私のぬいぐるみの「かやちゃん」が消えてしまいました。私が長い間放置していたのもあり、本当に申し訳ありません。すみませんでした。  見付けたり、見かけたりしたら私までに連絡をくださいf^_^;ルームメイトにも聞いてくれたらとても嬉しいです。御礼に何か差し上げますf^_^;  お忙しい中本当にすみません〓  有加

Soon after that, someone posted a Wanted sign for the beloved, pajama-clad mascot. But, in the end, all the worry was for not, because Kaya-chan was promptly returned to his usual spot on the social room's sofa. The terror had ended, and there was much rejoicing.

(Side note: Since Keyaki dorm is so new and pretty high security, many people at ICU have never seen the dorm. After taking the yearbook shot, the two photographers asked for my permission to snoop about the place while they still had clearence. It was so funny to see them oohh-ing and aahh-ing over everything in our kitchen, laundry, and pod areas! I would have offered to show them my room, but Miki and I had to make a mad dash for Mitaka! Haha, hopefully what the yearbook kids saw will help raise the hype for our dorm among next year's new students.)

My Miki!!

I almost forgot to tell you about my roommate, Miki-chan!

Even though she's just a sophomore, Miki is the RA for my floor, and she knows everything that is going on here at Zelkova. Besides being a very clean, quiet, and relaxed kid, she has dynamic dreams and always tries to help other people. Last year, she helped to teach English in Tanzania (I know, right?), but really wants to go to California to study for a term or a year. In order to apply for study abroad, she has been studying like crazy for the TOEFL Examination. Every night she'd pour over vocabulary, listening practice tapes, and essay notes. I only got to see her cramming for the last month, but it was like nothing I've ever witnessed! She just got her results back today and she passed!! Now she can start the application process and hopefully be abroad starting this spring.

Miki is really patient with my Japanese, and we became pretty fast friends. We're in Wadaiko together and she was floored when I told her that I knew Kai from Wittenberg (apparently he's a star here at ICU). It will be sad having her gone in my final term here at ICU, but hopefully she'll be at the school of her choice studying English. Good luck this year, Miki-chan!

Japanese Crows, A Warning

These birds are terribly frightening! There laugh sounds unnaturally evil, they eat small dogs, attack Japanese children, and they have a bad habit of stealing things left outside (cell phones, keys, ipods, your dinner, etc). And they are around. All the time!! If there is anything about Japan I dislike, it is the CROWS!

They are huge!! I swear, the smallest one stands up to my knee! They are bold too. Most birds fly away when they see you coming. Crows look at you and say "bring it on!" with their eyes. Too scary for me. I don't like them one bit. Imagine if some mad scientist took a wolf, shrunk it down, turned it into a bird, accidentally let it loose, and all the subsequent birds developed a New Yorker's attitude: that is the Japanese Crow.

I tried to imitate an American crow's call and a Japanese crows call for my roommate. She was not too impressed with my bird noises and said that they sounded alike. But I don't remember American crows actually laughing at people the way the Japanese ones do. And when I was in the park, a girl named Olivia and I heard one of the crows repeatedly say "Ohayo", which is a typical greeting in Japan. Scary, scary stuff. I don't trust them in the least.

Fear the Japanese crows. You have been warned.

By the way, I found this rather adorable bird that looked almost like a piper. So cute! But they move very quickly. I'll try to find it again, but now that it is getting cooler and very rainy, I don't if it has migrated or not. We'll see.

My Clubs So Far

(Sorry for initially back tracking in this post, but I'll get back to the present in just a second.)

Back home, I was in all sorts of international and Asian-themed groups: martial arts club, East Asian studies club, Japanese discussion table, American International Association, and FLA (oh, wonderful FLA~). But here, I'm surrounded by all that is Japan!! So do they have an EAS group here? Nope. We don't have an American Student Union back in the states (do we?). However, I was surprised to find out that they don't have an American Culture Club or at least an American Movie Club. Get on that, Japan!!

As you saw from my tsukimi photos, all the clubs came out to vie for new members. You have to be really careful about your wording (which I found out the first night). As you left the auditorium, there was a mob of club members sitting outside the door ready to nab and new foreign student. And, boy, did I feel foreign that night. One group I saw was the ICU Handbell Choir. They rushed up to me and asked, if I'd like to see them play. I didn't know what to do, so I didn't answer the question, but instead said, "Oh, there is a handbell choir at my school in America. I think they have 30 members." These. Girls. Flipped. Out! They were so excited to learn that not only had I seen handbell before, but that I came from a magical land where young people wearing white gloves could play bells in a group 30-strong. I was soon captured by the eager handbell members.

As the choir members ushered me down to their mat, I heard a few phrases that I think I should clarify for anyone else going abroad.

"Kyoumi ga arimsuka?" "Do you have an interest (in our club)?"

"Shimitai desuka?" "Do you want to try it?"

"Onamae to addoresu wo kaitekurenai?" "Won't you write your name and email?"

"Hairitain desuka?" "Do you want to join?"

Okay, here is the danger. Question 1 REALLY means that, "you have given thought to their club and want to learn more about joining." Question 2 REALLY means that, "you are very interested in their club and want to come to a meeting/practice/demonstration." Quesiton 3 REALLY means that, "the club can contact you as if you were a current member." And question 4 REALLY means....well..."do you want to join?"

Now, through a series of adventures too long to post, I was able to free myself of the handbell girls (but not before sitting through their rendition of "It's a Small World After All").

Flash forward a few weeks: We are now on or around September 24th, and I've joined only three groups officially: Yearbook, Wadaiko, and Soul Run. The Yearbook group is helpful because it is FREE to join, while other clubs cost about $30 just to join. Yearbook also lets me meet a lot of people, use primarily Japanese, work with really nice cameras, and see most of the groups here on campus. Wadaiko is the traditional Japanese drumming group that I joined last week, and it is a blast! Such a work-out and getting to use the drums is a great stress reliever. Soul Run is the Souran Bushi Dancing gorup here. I taught Souran Bushi back at FLA (oh, wonderful FLA~), but this group has its own twists on some of the movements. I'll say this right now: it hurts. Terribly. But this is a great way to strengthen my legs since most of their movements are done extremely low to the ground. Plus, they meet during lunch, so I don't have to worry about staying out late, I just swing by the gym. I'm still looking at Aikido (they have lovely mats to use and a great group of kids) and Judo (but I've yet to join in on their practice session). I don't want another martial art to ruin my taijutsu, but it would be nice to have someone to practice with regularly here on campus.

One of the great things about joining these clubs (even though they are much more demanding and strict than the ones at Witt), is that I can see different leadership styles. Club activities, meeting procedures, and organization are a bit of a change (and some of the clubs are held just in Japanese :S). I've already got a list going of what things I want to take back to America and use at my clubs in Witt. If they let me.

Zelkova House, the Basics

One of the main problems when I first got to ICU's campus was finding my dorm.

"Do you know which dorm is yours?" Mr. Spengler asked.

"Um...I think it is called Zelkova." I replied. "Excuse me, Mister Entrance Guard, do you know where Zelkova House is?"

"Hmmm. I'm terribly sorry, but I do not think we have a dorm by that name."

Well isn't that just tanoshi?

Actually, ICU does have a dorm called Zelkova, but th

e Japanese name for it is Keyaki. In Japanese, keyaki is the name of a specific tree known for growing in the area, and in English we call that tree a zelkova (not that I have ever heard of such a tree before - maybe the Russians named it first?).

Anyway, when I found out this little bit of information, I got really excited! I wanted to find these keyaki trees and send a picture home to my nature-loving sister. But everyone I asked said the same thing. "Oh, yes, those trees are everywhere! But I don't know what they look like."

So, they are everywhere. You know they are around. You have named a dorm after them. You have named restaurants after them. The local elderly home is named after this tree, too. But no one knows what they look like?

Correction: one person does. I sought out one of the older professors on campus (such an adorable and knowledgeable old man!) and he gave me three clues to finding the mysterious, but abundant, keyaki tree.

1. It's core-middle (aka trunk) is of a medium size.

2. The branches grow upwards.

3. It gives anyone who looks at it a "round feeling"

.....um....yeah....thanks, sensei.

My only other clue was a picture of the keyaki leaf that is drawn on my dorm key. But armed with these pieces of information, I set out on a tree search the other day, and I think that I found the keyaki! But I'll let you all decide. Go to my "Campus and Heya 2" photos to see what became of my Great Tree Trek!

Matsuri in Kichijoji

I know that I am making everyone wait in between posts, and I've got another one coming. Here is a small something to tide you over, though. This was a group of musicians playing at a main stage in Kichijoji. You can't see the main taiko drummer, but you can hear it, and (at the time) you could feel it, too.

Ramen, the Basics

Be. Yond. Words.

But I'll try.

Ramen is not what you think. Ramen is not what I thought. Ramen is, by far, the best things I've had since I came to Japan. Everyone who has been to Japan before me wouldn't stop saying that they all got hooked on Ramen. "What is so special about Japanese-pork-and-noodle-soup?" I would wonder. "Maybe that is the Japanese comfort food or something."

Wrong. So, here's the story:

If you look in my Mitaka photo album, you'll notice that I got caught in a torrential rainstorm on my way home from the store one day. It was a long walk back to school, and I had already made pit-stops everywhere I could trying to stay dry as I lugged (full-out, lugged) a laundry basket filled with groceries and such back to ICU. After making it about 2/3rds of the way home, I thought of just stopping for a while and waiting till the rain calmed down a bit. But by then, I was right outside a ラーメン屋 (Ramen shop). Were they even open? Would they want someone who was all wet? How does one order Ramen? Just then, a young man came outside the shop to fix the "open" sign that had fallen from the winds. He saw me standing there. I saw him see me standing there. He looked at me. I looked at the sign. He looked at the sign. It was priceless.

A couple quick bows later and I was inside the store, my umbrella sopping wet in a rack, and my laundry basket-'o-stuff right next to it so as not to moisten the entire store. I threw my stuff down at the bar (for those who don't know, there is a bar that surrounds the Ramen store's kitchen) and pulled out my wallet. Now, buying food in Japan is a little different than back in the States. In this store, right next to the main doorway, was a vending machine. But not an ordinary vending machine, no Sir, this was a menu machine! You placed any amount of money into the machine, then pushed the button for the items(s) you wanted, and received the change and tickets for your meal once you were done. Then, just had the ticket to the cook and wait at your seat. Sounds easy enough, but the menu was all in Japanese. What was worse, it was mostly in kanji~! So I picked one that I could read, gave the man my ticket, and (after a while) he gave me a hot bowl of Ramen.

It looked soooooo good! Everything was in one bowl, sure, but it was neatly placed and orderly. And everything I needed to enjoy the Ramen fit on the bar top (tissues - for when your nose starts to run from the hot soup, soy sauce, pickled veggies - in the black and red container, and all you can drink water and tea). The taste was unbelievable, too!!! I'm a noodle-lover by nature, but this was more than my palete had ever handled from soup before; there was a buttery feeling, the veggies were still somewhat firm, but the meat was so, so soft, and the entire thing smelled like fall (don't ask me what that means, just have some for yourself). I was so dissapointed that I came there alone! I just wanted to turn to someone, ANYONE, and say, "Isn't this fantastic?! Can you believe this was just $7? They gave me so much, I don't think that I can finish all of this!!" There was a lot, by the way. It took me a good half hour to get it all down. But I loved every drop!

The moral of the story? Eat real Ramen, REAL Ramen, before you say that you don't like Japanese food. Don't like sushi? Fine. Can't find a taste for tempura? I can understand that. Eal just not your thing? I can dig it. But there is no way that in this world, someone exists who does not like Ramen. Get on over to Mitaka, if you can; I know a great little place just up the street.

Kichijoji Festival!!!!

Okay, so I thought that I loved Kichijoji before. But I was wrong. I LOVE KICHIJOJI!! It is so artsy, filled with interesting shops, and has all these little secrets that you have to snoop around to find! It is so a great place to explore, and if you get bored with the main streets, take a back road, or go underground. It's a blast!

I went this Sunday night with a friend named Shin from my dorm. Shin helped me buy a bike in the afternoon, and asked if I had time to kill during the evening. We rode my new bicycle all the way to Kichijoji (taking back roads and hidden paths to avoid the police - two people riding one bike is illegal in Japan), and got there in about 20 minutes. For free!! I didn't have to buy a bus or train ticket! He showed me how to get to the park, zoo, basement shops, washoku (Japanese cuisine) restaurants, and we even caught the tail end of the matsuri! I told you that there is a festival going on everyday in Japan; this past weekend was Kichijoji's matsuri, and I got to be right in the middle of it!

I'm so in love with that city, that I've made a photo album for it.

Anyway, after all of that excitement, I was thuroughly lost and couldn't have gotten back to my bicycle if Shin wasn't there. I guess living in a city is the best way to know how to get around in it, but I'll just have to visit Kichijoji in order to do more exploring. On the way back to the parking lot, we bought steamed buns (soooooo delicious~~~) and Taiyaki, which was warm, adorable, and tasty.

I really need to get back to Kichijoji soon, but maybe I should practice riding my bike first. I know that people never forget how to ride, but I don't completely remember. Who knows? Maybe I'll be back by this weekend to get more steamed buns!

Taiyaki

Taiyaki (literally “baked sea bream”) is a Japanese fish-shaped cake. The most common filling is red bean paste that is made from sweetened azuki beans. Other common fillings may be custard, chocolate, or cheese. Some shops even sell taiyaki with okonomiyaki, gyoza filling, or a sausage inside.Taiyaki is made using regular pancake or waffle batter. The batter is poured into a fish-shaped mold for each side. The filling is then put on one side and the mold is closed. It is then cooked on both sides until golden brown. Taiyaki was first baked by a sweet shop Naniwaya in Azabu, Tokyo in 1909, and now can be found all over Japan, especially at food courts of supermarkets and Japanese festivals. They are similar to imagawayaki (今川焼き?), which are thick round cakes also filled with sweet azuki bean paste or custard.

Camera Video Test 1 - "Apples?"

Kichijoji with Mr. Spengler

It's a small world - no joke!

I go to a pretty small university in southern Ohio, but for some reason, there were enough alumni from my university in Japan to create the Wittenberg Alumni Tokyo Group. Isn't that cool!? Oh, come on, it is a little cool. No? Fine, whatever.

Lucky for me, the group is based in and around Tokyo (with ICU very close by), so the president of the Group has been able to help me get my footing here in Japan. He met me in Shibuya, gave me a ride to my dorm, and has even been able to give me advice about ICU since he went there in the 80s!

The other day, he was generous enough to take me out to diner in Kichijoji to make sure that I was adjusting well and getting enough to eat. We went to a lovely restaurant that focused mainly on one thing: chicken. Except for the last two pages of the menu (desserts and tofu) everything was made out of or included chicken, and tasted amazing! Let me explain: The shop door was supper small and we had to open the sliding door, then go under the hanging red flap in order to get in (Mr. Spengler is quite tall, so this was the awkward part for him). When we entered the narrow restaurant, there was a bar on the right and small tables on the left. The shop owners/workers greeted us and led us to another space upstairs. Can I just say that I love stairs by the way? They are great! And these stairs were small with dark brown boarders. At the top of the stairway we had tables with large, hanging, blank scrolls that helped divide the areas. *Interesting fact* Japan doesn't have a strict "no smoking in restaurants" rule yet. They have it in classrooms, covinience stores, government buildings, and trains, but not restaurants. However, shop keepers use those little "air-purifier fans" to eliminate all the smell. Good show.

Anyway, we ate a bunch of chicken themed dishes, but halfway through the meal I realize that I could have been taking pictures of these beautiful and tasty foods. I quoted my friend Gina Gray and said, "Can I have a gaijin moment?" He completely understood and even helped me move the food into the light for the best picture. These two pictures are of chicken croquet with various grilled veggies, chicken haru maki (spring rolls), and a great dish called Oyakodon (親子丼) or "parent and child bowl". There is a bowl of rice and on top is chicken and eggs (the parent and the child). It is a great dish with a weird name, but very popular. I used this as an example in Japanese class today and my teacher was shocked that I and the other students knew what it was. Apparently it is one of her favorite dishes (bonus points?).

And have I said how much I love, love, love Kichijoji yet? Because I do. You'll definitely see more stories about this town, and its food, coming later!

Dorm Initiation

Sorry for being so out of it; we had our first set of classes this week. But more on that another time.

"My, Alexandra, what an interesting outfit. Did your luggage get lost on the plane and you had to borrow this from the first high schooler you saw?" No, not quite. It is part of group bonding.

Allow me to introduce you to some basic Japanese facts. First, Japanese is its own, distinct, language. The written form was taken from the Chinese character system in about 600 BC, but the spoken language is from Japan. 100%. Or, nowadays, 60%. 50%? Why are we unsure? Well, Japanese has been watered down over the past century by English, Portuguese, German, Russian, and other languages. They have borrowed words for new ideas or tools like "compu-ta-" or "di-bui-di" and "sandaru" (those would be computer, DVD, and sandal). Word like this can be helpful to denote that something comes from abroad or is relatively new. But some words just creep into Japanese and replace the Japanese words almost entirely. Take bo-ru (bowl), for example. The ancient Japanese had bowls, and we know that they had words for the different types of bowls. But suddenly, the word of choice for modern speakers is a Japanization of a foreign word. Why? It sounds cool, foreigners understand what you mean, and ... uh.... that's it.

But as we all know, words hold special meaning, so some can't just be thrown around willy-nilly! Which brings us to today's discussion: initiation. According to an online dictionary site that I chose because of the cool-looking phonetics: (-nsh-shn) n.

1. a. The act or an instance of initiating.

b. The process of being initiated.

c. The condition of being initiated.

2. A ceremony, ritual, test, or period of instruction with which a new member is admitted to an organization or office or to knowledge.

3. The condition of being knowledgeable.

Thank you, internet source. Now didn't that sound nifty! Well, my dorm actually has such an initiation for all newly added members in the spring and fall terms. It involves spending a week dressed as the dorm theme (which is chosen by the members) and to then give a dance presentation at the end of the week on bakayama (lit. "stupid mountain" the nickname for the little hills that occupy the main campus green). To be honest, the Japanese made a slight naming mistake for this "ceremony, ritual, test, or period." Because when they say "initiation" what they really mean is "group embarrassment that might somehow unite the harassed individuals into friendship and unity." Also, instead of using a Japanese word that means "initiation", the Japanese prefer to just spell it out: inishiaishon. Add that to your next Mad-Gab game.
Our dorm theme: Japanese "gals", school girls, and geeks. Make it end now....

Meeting the Dorm's Protector

Today was the second day to register for classes. I was rushing around all morning to different offices and buildings, but I finally got it all done. I'll be taking Japanese level 3, Readings in Japanese History, and a Society and Culture course. I was so pumped to take some Japanese PE classes, but the freshman and sophomores filled up every class! This term, I'm only taking 12 credits out of the alloted 13, which is such a shock. I normally overload on classes back home, but I really need to pace myself here, have time for extra studying, and give myself a chance to have a social life. (Editor's note: I have since joined the Yearbook Club and the Soul Run -Souran Bushi Dance- group).

On a side note, while I was running around like crazy, I forgot that the girls were supposed to have health examinations today, so I have to take it next week right before the boys go!

Anyway, I was coming into the kitchen to make a quick snack before my 3 hour long class (I know, right?), when I saw something a little strange. There were a few girls in the kitchen, cleaning, cooking, chatting, but what caught my eye was about 3 inches long, had small green stripes, and was hiding on the floor. In order to make sure it wasn't a joke, I got pretty close. IT MOVED!!

To get the other girls' attention, I thought I'd practice some Japanese. Shall I demonstrate? Eh hem....he hem.....this is my theory.... eh hem..."Heeee! Nande kore?!" It was very casual and very quick, so they all turned around in succession. Soon each girl had given her own surprised "heee" or "ooiii", but none of them were scared of it. They thought it was cute and one girl even started taking pictures with here phone. The poor little guy was so scared that he dashed behind the recycling bins. We had to move each one out of the way to find him again. I suggested that we use a "kuppu" and "sara" to get him out of the kitchen. One girl held the plate/sara while I used the cup/kuppu to scare him towards her. After that, we let him outside and all the girls wished him safe travels and told him to be careful in Japanese.

Daddy, if you are reading this, I hope that you are smiling, because the little critter was a yamori: house gecko. After my little run in with him, I asked my roommate what it was. From my description, she said that I had met the dorm's protector. It turns out that the kanji for yamori is 家守り which means "protecting the house". Well, he is outside the house now, but hopefully he'll still be around.

The Newest Member of My Crew: CJ

Some of you may have noticed that I now have pictures of my trip posted at the bottom of the blog (hint, hint). Others of you may have seen a small panda in those photos.

"But isn't that one much smaller that the one that made the bridge and helped you pack, Alexandra?" Hmmm..come to think of it, he is. That's because this is not the same panda as before: it is CJ!!!

CJ is my new traveling buddy. Crew could not fit into my suitcases or carry-on, so CJ (Crew Junior) took on the position instead. CJ enjoys posing for pictures, sitting on my desk, and going for rides in my purse (as long as it isn't too crowded). Please look for him in my pictures.

Welcome to the group, CJ!

Getting There is Half the Fun

So, you know how at the beginning of every trip, you stop and say "I can't be leave I was about to leave the house without taking the ______"?

Well, that didn't happen for me.

Actually, I was flying along quite pleasantly for 13 hours, thinking myself the cat's meow until I got to the Japanese Customs and Immigrations Offices, convenient located at the lovely Narita Airport. I got through the line, showed my visa and boarding pass, smiled for a photo, and scanned my fingerprints (none of that ink business in Nihon-land-of-the-digital). Then as I was about to gather up my carry-0n baggage and head through the shiny, glass doors of Japan....I was asked for my Certificate of Eligibility. I'm sorry, what? I needed that paper months ago to get my visa. And, there is my visa, so obviously I had that paper. Why do I need it? You have my visa. They say the EXACT SAME THING! Are you calling me a LIAR?!

No, I didn't say that! It was all running in my head. Apparently, the fine print on the bottom of said certificate states that: in order to enter Japan, this certificate and the visa must be shown to the customs officials upon arrival. Ooohhh......yeeeeaaah.....ummm. About that. I might have, just by accident, kinda-sorta left that in my room. At home. In America. (oops)

And that was why I was detained by the customs officials at Narita for 30 minutes. Yeay!! :) Lucky for me, the Japanese consulate in Detroit had sent my return address slip proving that I had sent them my certificate and that the visa was valid. But that wasn't good enough for the Japanese; they wanted my certificate in person. So I agreed to send it to their extremely difficult to write address in exchange for my temporary freedom in their country (it wasn't this cool in reality, but it sounds more interesting if I phrase it this way.)

I've just avoided an entanglement with the Japanese govenrment and I'm feeling pretty shaken (not sturred), so I retrieve all my luggage (I'm carrying slightly less than 100 pounds at this point) and I try to find a way to get to Shinjuku. "All I have to do is get to the Shinjuku train station," I told myself, "then a Wittenberg alumni will help me get to ICU.

Haha, as if life were ever so simple.

Poor me, trembling in a new country, I was so scared from sitting alone in that quiet room with all the benches, that I coincidently bought a ticket to Shibuya and not Shinjuku. What is the big difference between those cities? Well, let's just say I should have taken a left turn at Albuquerque. Shibuya is a cool place, don't get me wrong, but it isn't where I want to go with suitcases dripping from my every limb. Once I saw my mistake, I jumped off the bus at the nearest stop and tried to reorient myself. Here's the short story:

1. Stored my stuff at the nearest hotel doorway

2. Dashed to the next door LAWSONS for some 100 yen pieces

3. CALLED FOR HELP!!!

And it came, funny enough. It took me a total of 5 hours to get from Narita airport to ICU near Mitaka-shi, and it sure did feel like 5 hours, too. On my first day in Japan, I broke all of the traveling rules and looked like an idiot on at least 6 points in my day. But, at least I got to see the city, and proved that I knew what to do if I got lost.

On a positive note, when I got to my dorm that night, my dorm mates were all outside having a huge barbecue and I got to start my ICU campus life with several huge plates of grilled sausages, meats, noodles, and veggies. Everyone was super friendly, and my roommate was so welcoming that I couldn't help but feel better. It was just what I needed to make the day worth the while!

Final Stages of Packing and Prep

Is it so wrong to be organized? So what if my junk draw has the rubber bands sorted by size, and my bathroom drawers are organized by the times I've used each item? Maybe that is a bit much for the average person, but it feels to safe and structured to me. The important part is to be realistic about this sort of obsession: I can not expect others to be at my level of intensity, and I know that some things if life just can't be completely stacked and alphabetized, and some things are going to be lost or forgotten. But when it came to packing for this trip (packing, by the way, is my part-time job in life - as in part of my life has always been spent packing) I wanted to make sure that I forgot as little as possible.

My first order of business was to go through all of my clothes. No, really...ALL of my clothes. Luckily, I had a great little helper named Crew to help me fold and arrange everything into 5 very distinct and very large piles. I then repeated this process 3 times. In 2 different rooms. Over 5 days. Don't look at me in that tone of voice! This is just how I do things!

But, as luck or fate would have it, I did forget several things. Several important things, actually: my certificate of eligibility, my flip-phone, tennis shoes, and other items that would have been nice to have. Most of that was not entirely my fault though, they wouldn't have fit if I had tried! However, I was the one who was packing so I have to take responsibility for it.

No, Crew, you don't have so say anything; I know you tried your very best.

"But why were those things so important?" you might ask. That I will have to save for another night.