Costco and Ehtesham
Wednesday, April 14th, 2010 in: News, Travel
The next day, I got up with a sense of excitement and nostalgia. My old host family was kind enough to put me up for a couple days, so when I got up, I found a small breakfast waiting for me at my old place at the dining room table. I once again had that feeling that it was all a memory from another life, but at the same time, I was re-experiencing it with a keen familiarity. It’s funny how sometimes my own memories are a mystery to me. Sometimes they slip through my fingers, and sometimes there is some small thing that triggers a rush of deja vu, a flood of 懐かしい. There’s no telling what will set this off. I need to find the key to my past. (more…)
Revisiting my Host Family
Tuesday, April 13th, 2010 in: News, Travel
It’s hard to say just how important the host family experience was for me as an exchange student; living with a Japanese family taught me so much more about Japanese customs and lifestyle than any class could have. One of the most memorable parts of that experience was 産前産後 (sanzen-sango, before and after birth). My host brother and his wife were about to have their second child, so they stayed at our place for the last month of her pregnancy, and for the first month after their baby girl, Ayano was born. During that time, I got a chance to experience child-rearing in Japanese. To this day, I don’t know how to raise kids in English. When I left, their son, Haruto was two years old. It’s been 3 years since I’ve seen them. Would he remember me? (more…)
Hanging with Takahiro
Sunday, April 4th, 2010 in: News, Travel
The ride back to Shibuya seemed to go much faster. I got in touch with Ehtesham to see if he and Willy wanted to hang out in the city, but he still wasn’t quite back to himself, and Willy had since caught whatever had Ehtesham bedridden for the Waseda graduation, so he wasn’t up for it either. Takahiro was done with his tasks so he came to meet me at 溝の口 to grab some dinner. We were between Tokyo and Kawasaki, but it had a very comfortable atmosphere. A happening place full of people going about their business and having a good time, without feeling too crowded. We ducked into a Teishoku restaurant and grabbed some cheap grub while I told Takahiro about my day in Sawara. (more…)
To Chiba!
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 in: News, Travel
When Aya was traveling the West Coast, she stayed at my place and offered return the favor if I’m ever in the area. Sooo I’m taking her up on it! Her parents were gracious enough to let me stay in their lovely home for a night, and spoiled with the kind of hospitality I’ve only found in Japan so far. Tthe day after the Waseda Graduation, I headed out to Chiba on the Subway. It took about an hour to get to 東葉勝田台, the last stop on the Tozai line. I transferred to the Keisei line to 臼井, Usui station, closer to Aya’s house. About a 10 minute drive to her house, which means a half hour walk, Aya had a hell of a commute to Waseda every day. Location really makes a difference in a commute, and it’s not uncommon for people to have one or two hour commutes to school or work from their houses. I couldn’t imagine taking that big a chunk out of my day just to get from one place to another. (more…)
Waseda Grad Ceremony
Monday, March 29th, 2010 in: News, Travel
In Japan, there are several cultural events that help to perpetuate the perception of Japan as a homogenous society. These events help create a strong shared public memory, and tighten the bonds between colleagues, further embossing the Japanese character with the concept of 外 and 内, in and out crowds. National holidays, seasonal events, and shared experiences that everyone experiences so they can relate to each other, but even moreso, to bond with the people with whom they celebrate the events.
The entering and graduation from schools plays a big part in the average Japanese person’s life. Everyone gathers together, wearing similar outfits and listens to speeches about their memorable experience and optimism for the future, looking forward to the next logical step in their collective lives. For the school-bound, it’s the next level in their education; for the career-oriented, it’s their entry into the workforce, their completion of 就職活動 and their graduation into the official adult world. Afterward, everyone gathers into their sub-groups and celebrates accordingly: they take photos with each other, then drink themselves silly. (more…)
To Tokyo!
Saturday, March 27th, 2010 in: News, Travel
My last weekend in Iwakura. It kind of crept up on me like a calendar made out of ninjas. One minute I’m thinking I have all the time in the world, and the next I’m rushing to make some hard decisions about what to pack, making lists of things I need to do before I go, people to see, people to write to, and places I should’ve visited while I had the chance. I thought I would only have to do this once for this trip when I first left Sacramento, but the reality is, this entire trip is made of a series of departures. Packing, list-making, incomplete tasks and a promise to return. I’m going to have to get used to this because it will never end; life is full of endings, the only constant is constant change.
Haircut
Saturday, March 27th, 2010 in: News, Travel
Yeah, I’m a goof.
Fresh from the Barber:
After shaving down the soul patch a bit:
Visitors!
Saturday, March 27th, 2010 in: News, Travel
All of a sudden I’m feeling very popular. A brief break from the regular group of yo-yo and other toy enthusiasts; we’ve got GIRLS in the shop! Hilary (one of my Waseda CSU BFFs and Hiro’s girlfriend) came during her spring break to visit and do a little job hunting. Kaoru, a good friend from our time in Waseda also came to hang out a little bit and enjoy some delicious meals with us. AND just the weekend before, my friend Aya (who studied in Oregon the year after I was at Waseda and visited Sacramento after her time abroad) stopped on her way back to Tokyo and I spent the day with her, walking around Nagoya Castle and Meijo Kouen. She also helped contribute to my J Alumni Video which you can see in this post. (more…)
West Japan Yo-Yo Contest
Saturday, March 27th, 2010 in: News, Travel
This past month there has been a yo-yo contest every weekend in various places in Japan running up to the Asia Pacific Contest in Singapore on March 27th. East Japan in Tokyo, North Japan in Hokkaido, West Japan in Osaka, and South Japan in Fukuoka. I wasn’t able to go to them all, but since we got our REWIND-mobile, or as I call it, the yo-yo clown car (it’s the size of my hatchback back home and it seats 7), we all piled into to and drove out to Osaka for the West Japan contest.
Once there, I realized what celebrities my friends are in the yo-yo world. Some of the people there were starstruck at Shinya, but as approachable as everyone is, they were soon all laughing and joking around. Sometimes I think that many yo-yo players are usually very shy, but when they get together they come out of their shells and show their true personalities to each other. Uchi and Soto, in-crowds and out-crowds. Another interesting point is that yo-yo is a great icebreaker, since everyone is familiar with it and easily impressed with a few simple tricks; most players carry their yo-yos around and practice in public, but the way people react to them and their interaction with those around them is indicative of the cultural norms. In the states people will just walk right up to you and start talking “oh that’s awesome! you must be popular with the ladies!” (why that’s a logical conclusion to come to I have yet to figure out). In Japan, they will usually just watch from a distance and wait until you acknowledge them, and then it’s your own reaction that determines the extent of your interaction. Some players are more outgoing and will talk to the interested strangers, and some will just smile and nod and go back to their practice, conversations ended before they can begin. (more…)
My 2010 アジア一周 Packing List
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010 in: News, Travel
I was going to make this video before I left for Japan but ran out of time. Since I have REWIND to serve as a home base in Japan, I’m able to be even more selective with my packing and leave some stuff behind. To keep track of my stuff and act as an aid in sorting through my stuff, I decided to record it for posterity. I’ll see how this stuff works for me on the road and post updates. (more…)
