From the Beginning: A Canadian in Osaka Circa 2005 (Rough Cut)

This was my first email home when living in Osaka. Also written at the time when blogs were all about dating or updating family back home about your overseas adventures. There were no smartphones so there were a lot fewer places for people to find out about a place. It was a point in time and I'm sure a lot has changed. Bit unpolished, but relatively untouched, and very long. It's a true first impression from a newbie and the observations are a little rough as well, and unresearched as this was before the time of looking to your phone for the answer to everything. Every answer required a bit of detective work. 

Obviously, I've polished my experience off quite a bit for my book, and my voice and writing have morphed as the years have piled on. But it's still so much fun to read the energy of someone new to a foreign place. Reminds me of why I love to travel.

My favourite part of this email is when I say "I'm not really much of a drinker...but..." Hmm, I wonder if my time in Japan started something. Also, my amazement with cell phones (not yet smartphones) is pretty hilarious...

Ohayo (HI)!

Greetings from the land of cherry blossoms and crowded streets, mountains and manga, big business and beauty, technology and trepidation, earnings and earthquakes, trend and tradition. A blushing dichotomy in many instances.

I have officially been in Japan for four weeks (wow time never ceases to fly) and I wanted to send a quick hello and update on how things are going. Sorry for not getting in touch sooner, but a mix of new job jitters and trying to find my footing has left me with little time to compose!

My flight over was pretty uneventful (which is usually a good thing when airplanes are involved). I was a little frazzled, however. It started to hit me that I was actually flying to Japan as I slowly woke up from the dreamlike state that I'd been in over the weeks leading up to my departure. There had been so much to do that I'd barely had time to think. However, as soon as the flight landed I launched right back into having to do a million things you need to when setting up shop in a new country, and I still have not fully processed that I live in Japan. 

Anyhow, as a result of this lack of sleep/frazzled state, I did everything backwards. I put on my coat at the security gate with one arm in, the other out which I didn't realize until I got on the plane, I had toilet paper stuck to my shoe after visiting the restroom for the thousandth time, I lost my brand new "I'm fancy and I'm going to Japan brooch" and my ballpoint pen leaked and stained my shirt. I ended up sitting in the one row on the entire flight that did not have a view of the onboard entertainment, so I quickly turned to observe the movements of my seatmate, who mid-flight decided to start picking his nose, what a treat. We finally landed on the water (Kansai airport is built on a man-made island in the middle of the ocean. Apparently it is sinking and may one day be defunct) and I quickly realized that I was not in Kansas anymore. There were no English signs and barely any of the airport staff spoke English. I managed to make my way to my bus and headed towards my new dorm-style house in a city near Osaka called Moriguchi (sounds a little Italian if you ask me).

My Digs

I arrived at my house (actually two traditional-style Japanese houses connected and housing 12 PEOPLE) late the first night. As I was the last to arrive in the house, I ended up in the room that no one else wanted. A little cleaning and some "on the cheap" throw rugs later and it is now one of the swankiest rooms in the house if I do say so myself. I have a big sliding door on one wall of the room and it opens to a Japanese-style garden (which houses a beautiful little pond, which is however filled with pond scum and is probably playing host to thousands of developing mosquitoes). I'm in the new part of the house, the old part used to be an underwear factory, complete with a standing hole toilet right off the side of the living room. I made the supreme mistake of watching "the Grudge" right before I left. This house is almost identical to the house of horrors depicted in that film, so if you want to get an idea, just picture that house after having been lived in by foreigners for a decade or so, and without the ghosts (I hope) and dead bodies (at least I think…). 

My housemates are generally nice, however, they were a little resentful when the last three housemates arrived, as they did not count on a full house. I don't really blame them as there are two toilets and two showers for twelve people. It, therefore, takes some slick choreography to get through a day in the house and not a little patience. On any given Sunday there are about 8 people fighting to score one of two washing machines that hold a maximum of two towels, three pairs of pants, and a couple of tops. Then, as there are no dryers (a convenient household item not unlike the dishwasher, central heating, and air conditioning that seems to have escaped this home), we have to attempt to hang our clothes out on the balcony on either a soggy cord or a rusty railing (I splurged and bought a drying rack). I've already lost two pairs of socks and some undergarments (presumably off the balcony). 

A little bit nervous about the undergarments as there's a pretty strong rumor going around that they used to have vending machines in Tokyo that sold used schoolgirl's underwear. Apparently, there is now a law that prohibits selling used goods in vending machines, so I think that I may be ok then on that front. Anyhow, there is basically someone up at every hour of the day and I am therefore beyond grateful that I packed earplugs! The benefit of having 12 people under one roof is that you never get too lonely and if you want there is always something to do!

             

There is however one debilitating drawback to this house. Apparently anytime now our house (and many other houses in Japan) will become overrun by cockroaches. Anyone who knows me and the spider-checking ritual I go through every night before I go to bed will understand how distressed I am by this news. I'm hearing they crawl on you when you're watching a movie in the dark, they scatter across the floor when you turn the light on in your room (my light is never going off again) and you can hear them scuttling within the walls as you sleep. When I found out I headed straight to the 100-yen shop (a.k.a magnificent dollar store where you can get everything but the kitchen sink) and had to mime a cockroach dying for the shop assistant who hurried me over and showed me an assortment of cockroach trapping contraptions. I now have cockroach hotels (with curtains and everything) and cockroach poison. I think I am going to have to learn to sleep with my lights on. As a result of the lack of peace and the looming bug issue, I may shortly be moving into a nice apartment in downtown Osaka with two of my current roommates.

Working 9 To 5

I started training for my job 3 days after I arrived and it was pretty intensive. We had a bunch of "genki" (overly energetic) trainers who forced us to give it our all but it was all very overwhelming. The main training for our school was two weeks, but I got pulled out after one week (the second week was Kid's training) to go to the division I was to be working in, the Corporate Sales Division. What that means is that my well-developed and weathered teaching abilities (ahem) are getting sourced out to universities, companies, and high schools. It's a good deal for all as the schools pay a cheaper rate than hiring a full-time professor, and I get paid a fraction of what is charged. For me the bonus is that I get weekends off, I pretty much work only during the days, I have office hours to plan, I get paid for my travel, my travel time is part of my 29.5 hour week, and I get 7 weeks vacation. Not bad in comparison to some of the deals people get coming over here. I didn't feel so hot about it however when I was basically told in the second week that I had 9 different classes to prep for and that I could do whatever I wanted for them. 

There was this really "helpful" teacher however who said to ask him if I had any questions. I asked him one day what he would do in a given situation and he replied with a bit of annoyance that I could "do whatever I wanted, it was my class." Not exactly the constructive advice I was seeking. Despite this, I made it through my first two weeks of classes and a few more start this week, so we'll see how they go. I think the bane of my existence will be my university class as I'm told students are forced to take the credit. I give them instructions and they respond with blank stares. If I dumb down their instructions to a minimalist level (i.e. what would be appropriate for my high school class according to my training) they roll their eyes or yawn. Fun times. The schools however treat teachers like royalty here, which is enjoyable. They even bring you a cup of green tea when you arrive. On my way home from my first class, I celebrated with a can of One Cup Sake from a vending machine outside of my school. I'm not normally much of a drinker, but the novelty of drinking hot alcohol on the street from a vending machine was just too much to pass up.

Doing all the Things

I have managed to do some pretty fun touristy stuff since I've been here. I went to the Grand Turismo Sumo tournament the day after I got here. I had to spend a mint on tickets so I went to the whole match to get my money's worth (most people just come for the last two hours when the big guns arrive) and was just about falling off my seat with boredom by the last chunk (a combination of jet lag and the fact that Sumo is unable to keep my attention for more than a 1-hour stretch) and had to leave early. 

I went to Kyoto my first weekend here and actually cried when I saw my first shrine. It was just one of those moments when you really realize where you are and that you're exactly where you'd been dreaming of being for so long. Kyoto is only about 30 minutes from where I live so I expect I will be back often. 

I went again last weekend to see the annual Geisha spring performance. After spending another arm and a leg for a ticket I arrived late at the show as it was the biggest cherry blossom viewing weekend. As usual, I tried to do too much in one day I got stuck about an hour away from the Gion district by the Golden Temple. I got on a bus with an hour to spare to catch the show before realizing that the only way I was going to make my show on time was to sprout wings. The buses in Kyoto are the most ineffective form of transport I've ever been on. There were about 150 people on one little bus basically moulded together. You pay your fare after you get off so it took about 7 minutes to stop at every stop as people had to weave their way through the masses to get off through the front. I even had to yell out at one point that my body didn't contort in the way I was being pushed. I don't think they understood, but I'm sure they were muttering under their breath Gaijin (an often negative way of saying foreigner). Embarrassed after my outburst I was tempted to pull out my UCLA cap and throw it on so they could simply attribute my bad mood to me being American (just kidding to all my American friends ;)). 

I finally got fed up with the bus as it was headed nowhere fast and hopped into a cab (those cabs that everyone and their sister tells you to avoid as they will strip you of house and home) and we moved about one city block in 15 minutes. As I was already late at this point and becoming increasingly desperate, I hopped out of the cab (after paying 20 bucks for travelling like 100 meters) and I ran something like 12 city blocks to get to the theatre. I luckily did not miss much of the show (except the tea ceremony) however I felt supremely sorry for my neighbours in the theatre who had to contend with sweat pouring down my face, heat radiating from my flesh and a likely less than perfumed aroma coming from my person. The show however was magic. After reading so many stories about the Geisha it was incredible to see them up close.

Cherry blossom pandemonium was something else here. The first flowers started to bloom two weeks ago and they are already gone. But I do have to admit that they were an affair to remember. Walking into a park that is covered by a canopy of white and pink blossoms resembling fluffy whipped clouds, which with a slight breeze would release a symphony of petals that fell like sisters of snow. I have never been in a flower shower before and it was surreal. The atmosphere around the towns was storybook. Every piece of grass beneath or around a cherry blossom tree was covered with tarp and picnickers. One park I went to in Kyoto had thousands of people, and food stands (selling octopus balls, fried calamari, chicken skewers, noodles, etc.). Even our little tiny park on the corner was a beehive of activity. We went out one night and had a little picnic and sing-along under the blossoms. It was really fantastic (though I think I got one too many flower photos. Everyone here seems to be a little obsessed with the blossoms and would take dozens of close-up shots of the actual flower which I copied out of a need to be part of the excitement. I don't know what I will end up doing with a roll of film dedicated to a flower).

In the parks, on any given Sunday you can find a multitude of people about and you will hear the plaintiff songs of old-time karaoke being performed all over. There is actually a huge park near my house where they once had an expo and there are gardens donated by all different countries around the park. It is really spectacular. They have a huge windmill and temple and gardens and restaurants and lakes and horseback riding. Unfortunately, as I was jogging through this park for the first time last week I looked down at one point and noticed that I had bird droppings all over me. I felt a little sheepish and went home early.

Newbie Observations

So far I am fascinated and frustrated, enamoured, and sometimes put off by the Japanese culture. I'm much keener on the traditional culture, the geisha arts, the temples, the sushi, not so keen on the manga (comic books), anime, etc.

I fit in pretty well in this country as the national pastime according to my phrasebook is shopping and a major "hobby" that I read in one article is sleeping. Despite this, I'm completely in awe of the work ethic I've seen (and a little intimidated). Their only day off is a Saturday and I've heard so many talks of long/late hours. 

As a westerner (this is what I have been referred to as here), I get mixed reactions from the Japanese. Generally, I'm treated quite well, however, there are random trucks that drive around with the Japanese flag plastered on the front that is apparently yelling through a microphone that foreigners should go home. I just read an article about how the Japanese don't really need foreigners anymore and the relationship has therefore changed. If they want a Big Mac, they go to any major intersection, if they want to travel to California to see movie stars they can afford to, if they want to skip California altogether they can go to Tokyo Disneyland.

Many of the male foreigners can be very popular with the ladies. These men then get a bit of an attitude of superiority and become rather obnoxious, gaining them the term "charisma man". There's even a comic book series depicting their adventures. It is a really good thing I'm not in the market for a relationship.

As with any country, I've found a number of dichotomies in the Japanese culture: they have a very long life expectancy, yet I've seen so many people smoke like chimneys. I've even seen people smoke while riding their bikes (which are a deathtrap in themselves). I'm told it's utterly rude and am given a bit of a disgusted look when I take a bite out of food (any food, even portable food like a pastry) as I walk down the street (apparently you should wait until you are seated or standing still to attempt snagging a bite of your meal), yet it is culturally acceptable for a man to pee in the street (I've seen this a lot). They have bakeries by the dozen with treats like a hot dog baked in a filo pastry with mayonnaise and corn and there are so many carbs-friendly meals (noodles, rice, rice desserts, bakery food) yet most look thin and fabulous and healthy. Their take-out can be as cheap as 3 dollars for a decent noodle meal but it would cost you like 10 dollars to make the same dish at home.

They work mad hours and have amazing technology and are always on time yet I've seen a host of "extra" workers everywhere you look. If there is a driveway at a major store there is a guy standing there waving cars out of the parking lot – even when the streets are not busy at all. At temples, I've seen multiple groundskeepers trimming the moss on rocks. People I've met seem very uncomfortable with touch, like a handshake, but every part of their bodies touch on the train in the morning (apparently it is ok when it is strangers?). Speaking of the train, everyone looks so civilized. But look down at the books being read and there's a significant volume of porn. And of course a ladies-only train to deal with a bit of a grabbing trend. There's a huge recycling program in effect yet everything I've bought has been wrapped in layers of beautiful packaging. If you buy a shirt they put the shirt in a plastic sheath, put it in a bag and then tape the bag up. CD's get wrapped in plastic. Books all get a brown paper cover. And when you open a package of anything, there's another package separating you from your food.

Bikes are everywhere and they come in every direction. I'm constantly dodging thin metal bikes with shopping baskets with everyone from a salaryman dressed in full suits to shi shi party girls in stiletto heals to 5-year-old maniacs who treat pedestrians as bowling pins with their bike as the ball. It's a seriously life-threatening phenomenon and while I've seen literally thousands of bikes, I've not seen a single helmet. However many bikes have hand covers so that your hands don't get too wind-chapped as you ride (very important I know).

Cell phones are another phenomenon. In a tourist dwelling, it is not uncommon to see 30 phones held up in unison in front of a temple to take a picture. At first, I thought everyone was nearsighted or were holding their phones up in some form of worship. On the trains, you not only don't make eye contact with strangers because it's not considered polite, but also because 80% of the passengers have their heads buried in their cell phones. I can't say I blame anyone though. I got a phone a few weeks ago, the cheapest of the bunch (free with a very cheap plan which will likely end up costing heaps when all the extras are added in) and I have an FM radio, two types of cameras, internet connection, email, a video capability, etc. I think the basic phones here are about 5 years ahead of those in Canada.

                                                   

All in all the cultural differences are pretty fascinating and make each walk down the street an adventure: Locked umbrella stands outside of shops, mechanical lifting parking lots at apartment complexes, 4-tier bike parking lots, the yogurt lady delivering yogurt to the office, the women using huge metal eyelash clamps on the subway, the school kids yelling out "Hi" proudly when they see you, the little kids who unabashedly stare at you from the back of a speeding bike, the sleek phones accessorized with about 10 charms a piece (I've even seen a salaryman with black suit, briefcase and stony expression with a Hello Kitty plush toy dangling from his phone), the love of performing Karaoke, the cheesy ads with American actors…the one's they hope their North American audience never see (Kiefer Sutherland promoting CalorieBlock – which sounds like a pill of some sort and is packaged in a mean green and yellow package akin to a protein power bar, but out pops two lovely, flaky bars of shortbread), the micro miniskirts worn alongside the traditional kimono. The fun music playing at the crosswalks that have become sort of zenlike distractions for me. The bird chirping sound they have piping through the sound system in the subways (I'm sure some delusional executive somewhere thought this would be relaxing for passengers but once you actually notice it, it is unbelievably annoying). The TV dinner shops, the SPAM restaurant, the 24 hour 100 yen shops, etc.

Anyway, I am still relatively fresh here and therefore am pretty ignorant to the background behind a lot of the things I'm seeing, so I'm just telling it like I see it right now. I'm still a mixture of homesick, exhilarated, disoriented, and frazzled. I can't wait for the day in my life where at least three of these states have subsided and given way to a bit of calm and relaxation. I have SO much more to tell you, however as most of you are probably asleep at this point I will leave it for another time….

Please send me your news!!

Carrie (or as my students keep calling me…Cassie)