Stress Relief

I must admit, our job is pretty easy. Usually the most stressful part of my day is catching the train. Trains in Japan are rarely late, and if they are it is hardly ever by more than a minute or two – it’s just the way things are in Japan. I am reminded daily how un-Japanese I am. No matter how much time I seem to have, I constantly find myself running for the train. Whether I lose track of time, or am told by one of the numerous uniformed bike patrollers not to park in my normal spot on the street, the result is the same: me running. As good of exercise as this may be, it is somewhat stressful, because I know that if I miss my train, it means that I will have to wait for the next one, a local, which takes longer than the express I have been running for. 5 seconds too late for my train means a 20 minute delay in arriving. Two days ago I began to realize the satisfaction that I receive from catching the train at the last minute. As usual I was running for my train. I arrived on the platform just at the doors were sliding shut, and in a split second decision I dove in, forcing my body through the closing doors. “I made it!” I triumphed. As I looked up I saw a hundred Japanese faces staring at me, and I realized that I didn’t just think those words, but I yelled them. Nobody said a word – alas, I had just given them their crazy foreigner fix for the day.

Observations and Ponderings

-Rod is ambidextrous on chopsticks. How can he be so good at everything?
-Today, for the first time since being in Japan, I sat on grass. I also pet a dog. They were both quite enjoyable experiences; it’s just too bad that the grass smelled like dog.
-It’s hard to fall asleep when the last thing that happened before going to bed was finding a 2” cockroach on your ceiling and killing it.
-If we’re constantly late with just the two of us, how will we ever manage when we have children?
*please note: we are not expecting!
-We hung up pictures (in frames even!) on our wall today. I think that makes this officially our first home.

Are You Woman Enough for Japan?

More often than not, the common conception of a Japanese woman is one who is slender and sophisticated, delicate and dainty. As with all generalizations, while this may often be the case, it is by no means a steadfast rule. In my few short weeks here, I have noticed that there are some things in Japanese life that it takes a real woman to accomplish.
Last night, for example, Rod and I were biking home from grocery shopping. As we were driving down the road nearing our house, there was a man in need of a ....how shall I say...pit stop? His fly was wide open, button undone, and he was feeling a whole lot better about himself. This leads to another aspect: public washrooms. The majority of ladies' rooms here are what I would call "squatters." There is no holding bar, no seat, no lid, just a toilet in the floor. I am very thankful to have learned the "squatting skill" while in the treeplanting camps...I just didn't expect that I would have to use it ever again!
Even daily transportation on the bicycle takes a special skill. It is not uncommon to see women, with skirts well above their knees, sitting primly on the seat with nothing questionable showing. And then there are those who can talk on a cell phone and hold an umbrella while doing this...something I can only dream about and strive for at this point.
And who can forget the festivals: particularly the fighting festival. I was surrounded by literally hundreds, if not thousands, of men of all shapes and sizes and ages in loin cloths! As if that wasn't enough, an 80 year old (ish) drunk man tried to come on to me. How do you politely say "Sorry, I'm not your type" when you don't speak Japanese?
It's all in a days' work. Kudos to these women of Japan!

Are You Man Enough for Japan?

The interesting thing about moving into a new culture is the radical change in perceived normality. Just by stepping off the plane you instantly realize that “we’re not in Kansas anymore” (or Canada). It might have been the fact that brilliant pink is quite a normal colour for men to wear, or that the average man carries a “wallet” (we might call it) which to the untrained eye is nearly indistinguishable from a woman’s purse… but quickly the conviction strikes you that the westernization of Japan you have heard so much about may have just been a veneer. Am I man enough to wear pink ties and matching loafers? Am I man enough to take fashion seriously enough to spend more money on my wallet than I will ever carry in my wallet? Am I man enough to participate in festivities that involve the wearing of a loincloth while in very close proximity to many other near naked men?? Hmm... My Redeemer education has only prepared me in limited ways for these situations, although my experiences in Dorm 27 have helped me a great deal with the last one perhaps:)

These Are a Few of My Favourite Words...

I’m not sure how many of you have had the opportunity to speak with Japanese folk, but when you do, one thing you will quickly notice is that there is little, if any, distinction between the “r” sound and the “l” sound. Usually, it really is not a problem. There are some words, however, that are just a little too difficult to say!
These are a few of my favourites so far!
Really
Squirrel
Retired
Rural
River
Wrestling
Exploration
It takes tongue twisters to a whole new level!

Fighting Festival

Last week we went to a Fighting Festival in southern Himeji, near our home in Western Japan. This is a large and famous festival, in which the members of seven different villages compete for the title of last shrine standing.
Looking back on the event I must say that it is an immense "MANFEST", with everything that a "man's man" would want in a festival. It is a festival in which any man can dress down to nearly nothing, yell, scream, spit and scratch wherever he wants, show great pride in his village, and with all his buddies lift things which are way too heavy for them, all the while flirting within inches of almost certain death. I must say, this makes a football and beer weekend look rather tame! In the year before the festival the men of each village build these immense and detailed shrines, with wood, tin, and gold and fitted with a huge drum in the middle. Scores of men lift these things while four drummers sit in the middle beating a tune. They "fight" by pushing up against the other villages' shrine while the men are lifting it. As you can imagine, if you are lifting a one ton shrine, this can get pretty dangerous.
The winner seems to be the team who doesn't drop their shrine, or trample one of their own members. One of the craziest things about this is that the massive and pressing crowds are not safely in the grand stands, but down in and amidst the fighting, getting pushed around and in rare cases, getting injured. It is pretty intense, and the men (who often arrive at the event rather drunk, which is strange seeing as it begins just before noon!) get pretty riled up. It was not unusual to see fist-fights breaking out, or hear the shrill of Fox 40 whistles as limp bodies were removed from amidst the chaotic sea of men.
Before I get too far along, I must mention that it is not "just" a man's event, it really was set up for the whole family. This is one of the few events in which grown men, dressed only in loin cloths, cuddled their infant sons in public, and encouraged their teenagers to be even MORE rowdy and noisy. Young mothers walked amid the screaming throng holding their toddlers in one arm, and a video camera in the other, and old men (who were thankfully not required to wear the loincloths) gathered together, joking and reminiscing about when they were young. Yeah, I must say, this festival really was one of a kind.

Our New Place

Well, have I got a treat for you!
It's a tour of our new apartment! It is located in the prestigious Leo Palace which is owned by a lovely lady named Fukiko. Apparently it is her hobby to "collect" foreigners. She has many of them in her building now, in fact, nearly the whole second floor. Well, what I said about prestigious may not exactly be the case... you see, the main draw of this Leo Palace is neither the location, nor the amenities, nor the size... but the price. At 48000 Yen a month, it is less than half of what we were paying at our last place, although to be fair, it is less than half the size. For any Canadians out there... the Yen is trading around 98 to a Canadian dollar... so it is pretty much on par.

So anyways, for the tour: (Please excuse the mess, we just moved in)
We begin at the door, which is located up a couple of flights of stairs, on the second floor. As you open the door, you will notice that the entranceway is very small and multipurpose: it serves not only as a place to put your shoes on or off, but also as the laundry room and storage area. Two steps further and you "enter" the kitchen, be careful not to take a third step or you may leave the kitchen :) Across from the kitchen (which consists of a small sink and single electric hotplate) you will find the entrance to the bathroom, which is ingeniously set up to take up the least amount of space possible. It still has a tub/shower, sink and toilet, but turning around in it is a bit of a tricky operation.

Two steps beyond the kitchen (and pantryish area) and through a classy looking glass door, you enter what I might call "the great room". I would call it that perhaps because it is the only actual room in the place, the others being more of a hallway or closet. The GREAT room serves us well, taking the roles of living room, den, dining room, library, sleeping quarters and occasionally guest room! With a room this multi-purpose you might be thinking it huge and grande.... but in fact most westerners have bathrooms bigger :) Of course with 15 foot ceilings it feels much more stately than it may otherwise seem.

Our bedroom is located in this same room, but as a loft area. There is a ladder, and above the ladder a six foot by twelve foot sleeping area, and we are getting used to the climb.. There is just enough room for two futons and a couple of clothes drawers. We cannot stand up on our bed, but we can sit easily, so that is all well and fine.
So that is the tour! I am glad you could come along! Be careful not to hit your head on the doorway as you exit, and always watch your step as you descend the stairs (they are not as generously sized steps as you may be used to in North America) Do come again!
-Rod and Bec

Home Sweet Home

"Where are you from?" is a question that is often asked of us, almost as soon as we introduce our names. Usually "Canada" is a sufficient answer, but if anyone asks anything beyond this, I get a bit nervous. Where are we from? Where is home? "Port Perry" is an adequate answer for me, but then Rod answers "near Cobourg" and it just seems odd that a married couple would be from two different places. And then what about the four years that we each spent in Hamilton? And the years we've lived in Papua New Guinea, British Columbia and Mexico? Or, could it be the few months that we spent as a married couple in the wee town of Grafton? Where is home? For that matter what is home? My brother and I have wondered about this, and the best answer we came up with is "Home is where your pillow is."
And so, with that as a guide, let us introduce you to our new home - Himeji.
It's a city of about 450,000 people: a country town by Japanese standards. When I told a student that neither Rod or I were accustomed to living in a big city, she outright laughed at me. I guess I was told. In many ways the city is an odd mix: European style statues are along the main roads; small, traditional shops are everywhere, as are western stores and fashions. There are quite a few expensive and elegant hotels and stores, but equally as many dilapitated buildings. It's not like any city either of us have lived or been to before.
The city's main attraction is Himeji Castle. It is truly a beautiful building, and was built four hundred years ago as a defensive structure. The inside is ingeniously designed to confuse any attackers, and the simplicity of the wood inside is striking.
And so, this has become our home. A plethora of Japanese shops and signs, a world-renown castle in our backyard, and our pillows.

Getting Started - Rod and Bec's First Blog

Well, after much thought and discussion, we have decided to join the world of blogging. Unfortunately, we aren’t as brilliant or witty as some of our blogging counterparts, but we do want to keep you informed of our lives here in Japan: what we’re doing, what we experience in our day to day lives, and some of our thoughts and struggles. We hope you enjoy it.
The Voice Room is a room in Nova that allows students to practice their conversation skills in a relaxing atmosphere and to discuss any topics that happen to come up….we thought it a bit of a fitting metaphor. Welcome to our voice room!
Rod and Bec