Conclusion
Enjoy!

A Gaijin in Tokyo

Saturday, February 9, 2002, 03:26 p.m. :||: materialism!
A few words on fashion.

It is very nearly impossible to find a Japanese female in Tokyo over the age of fifteen whose hair is the natural shade of black. Because most of them have taken to dying their hair various degress of brown. Some of them do only highlights; others go the whole way. The ones that die their hair entirely light brown usually also make their eye-lashes really long, and other make-up to make them look more western. Maybe it's mean for me to say so, but they look like an odd version of Dolly Parton.

Tuesday, February 5, 2002, 02:40 p.m. :||: Sunshine 60
This is mainly for Innie-chan's amusement. And mine, too.

Innie-chan, remember that scene in sailor moon, where Haruka and Michiru almost kick Usagi's butt, and then fly off in a helicoptors? I went to that building. In fact, I see it everyday, from the window of the Exchange Student Office-- the Sunshine 60.

I went there this Saturday, along with my tutor. You want to know what the building is? It's a mall. That's it. A mall with lots and lots of Sanrio stores. (they have, at least, a taretare panda store, a normal sanrio store, and a store that sells old-looking Japanese stuff with the Hello Kitty emblem on it. That place nearly exploded my mind).

It's more than just that, though-- on the sixtieth floor is an observertory deck (ooooo?). I didn't go obeserve-- too expensive-- but I did go up the elevator. And never a tackier elevator has existed. As you go up, the lights dim, and on the walls representations of the zodiac light up. Also, there's a tracker that shows at what speed the elevator is moving. It went so fast my ears popped!

So that was the Sunshine 60.

And speaking of malls-- my host family took me to a large one in Shinjuku. I wouldn't mention it, but ye gods, was the parking system impressive! It took the poor father over 45 minutes to park (yes, Tokyo gets that congested). Okay, so getting in sucked. It's getting out that has me confused. I don't know how they did it, but some machine delivered the car to us-- the car was on a conveyor belt and everything. I will have to go back and properly investigate this curiosity.

Tuesday, February 5, 2002, 02:20 p.m. :||: unexpectancies
Everybody knows the Gap, right? It's a trendy clothing store in the US (with branches all over the world), geared mostly towards middle school-college students. Very snotty, rich, etc. (though I'll admit that their pants are delightfully comfortable).

I was walking around my small section of Tokyo when I came across a Gap store. "Bleargh," I said. "Not you!" As I passed by, I saw the poster on the window: it was of a black guy, in a smug blue turtle neck, smiling at the viewer. Okay. It struck me as odd, for some reason, but it took me a good ten minutes to figure out why I was surprised.

Never, ever, in the US would a black guy be featured on a Gap poster.

Tuesday, January 29, 2002, 02:03 p.m. :||: *squooooosh*
Yaaaaaaaay! I think from now on I`ll have daily access to the internet. So I will be able to feed my addiction better. Yummy, yummy!

Random:

My name has been kanjified! It`s a present from my imouto (younger sister) Aayu. With help from me and her Masako-san (my host-mother), but oh well. It`s a bit complicated, but I love it! Here goes:

I: the kanji has no meaning, but it`s a phonetic that appears often in names.
za: the kanji for sand. (the water radical is on the left, and the kanji for `sukoshi` is on the right.)
beru: we cheated on this one. Mwahahah. We took the kanji for `bell,` even though the pronounciation is `shizu.`

As for my last name, the kanji in it include the one for `new,` `hand,` `wild,` and `water.` It has a wonderfully chaotic feeling to it, doesn`t it?

The tackiest thing I`ve seen so far, definitely, is a life-sized reproduction of Hans Solo frozen in that weird metal thing (end of the 2nd movie, beginning of 3rd). I cannot imagine the purpose behind it. It was in a toy store, so maybe children buy it, hoping to pretend that Hans Solo is their currently impaired older brother? Or maybe housewives do, and fantasize that one day Hans Solo/Harrison Ford will be freed, and sweep them off their feet.

Also, the dumbest thing I`ve done so far is drop my wallet into an (asian-style) toilet. Aaargh! Fortunately, the thing didn`t get very dirty, and a quick cleaning made it all shiny and new again. Still, from then on, I`ve been extra careful around such toilets.

I would verily love to write more, but as always, this is a short show. So, until next time, remember that even though Tokyo trains are very crowded (squoooosh!), they are very enjoyable (plus, it is impossible to fall, because if you lose your balance, all you'll bump is your nose into someone's back), and, katsu curry rice is de*li*cious.

Tuesday, January 29, 2002, 02:03 p.m. :||: *squooooosh*
Yaaaaaaaay! I think from now on I`ll have daily access to the internet. So I will be able to feed my addiction better. Yummy, yummy!

Random:

My name has been kanjified! It`s a present from my imouto (younger sister) Aayu. With help from me and her Masako-san (my host-mother), but oh well. It`s a bit complicated, but I love it! Here goes:

I: the kanji has no meaning, but it`s a phonetic that appears often in names.
za: the kanji for sand. (the water radical is on the left, and the kanji for `sukoshi` is on the right.)
beru: we cheated on this one. Mwahahah. We took the kanji for `bell,` even though the pronounciation is `shizu.`

As for my last name, the kanji in it include the one for `new,` `hand,` `wild,` and `water.` It has a wonderfully chaotic feeling to it, doesn`t it?

The tackiest thing I`ve seen so far, definitely, is a life-sized reproduction of Hans Solo frozen in that weird metal thing (end of the 2nd movie, beginning of 3rd). I cannot imagine the purpose behind it. It was in a toy store, so maybe children buy it, hoping to pretend that Hans Solo is their currently impaired older brother? Or maybe housewives do, and fantasize that one day Hans Solo/Harrison Ford will be freed, and sweep them off their feet.

Also, the dumbest thing I`ve done so far is drop my wallet into an (asian-style) toilet. Aaargh! Fortunately, the thing didn`t get very dirty, and a quick cleaning made it all shiny and new again. Still, from then on, I`ve been extra careful around such toilets.

I would verily love to write more, but as always, this is a short show. So, until next time, remember that even though Tokyo trains are very crowded (squoooosh!), they are very enjoyable (plus, it is impossible to fall, because if you lose your balance, all you'll bump is your nose into someone's back), and, katsu curry rice is de*li*cious.

Friday, January 25, 2002, 04:13 p.m. :||: culture shock
Have very much to say, but not enough time to do it in. Gyargh. Will do my best to be speedy! Let`s go in chronological order, okay?

Plane trip was not so much painful as it was hell. The first leg of the trip was fine and dandy, though we had to stay an hour extra in layover (due to "slight mechanical failure"), but whatever. So we fly over to Tokyo, which happily chose to be rainy for the first time all month. Turbulence aplenty, but I enjoy that, so okay. But! It was raining but *so* much that we had to go stop a bit at the Haneda airport. We stayed on the plane for another six hours. This would have been a more pleasant experience if the cabin crew had just told us what to expect, instead of lying about it. Luckily, the fourth Harry Potter book is a good read, no matter where you are.

Ironically enough, when I finally got to the airport and met up with Ooda-san, she told me that the Haneda airport is closer to my homestay family`s home than Narita is.

The next on the list to talk about would be the homestay family. But I don`t have much to say on that. They`re good people, and I`m slowly integrating myself.

Okay, screw chronological order! From here on in it`s free style, folks. Buckle your seatbelts, hold on tight, and watch out for the purple bat-winged mice-- they bite.

Right now aside (amazing what siting in front of a computer can do to you) my mind is set in Japanese mode. Not just speaking, but thinking too. I was really shocked when I tried to think of which direction to go in, my mind automatically supplied me with "hidashi." Not left. "hidashi." Which is great, actually! The only problem is, when I want to think an intelligent, well-structured, college-level thought, I can`t. It`s as if the English Setting for my brain is broken. Not to mention the Portuguese one (I talked to mom and dad okay in Portuguese, but when talking to a Japanese person who majored in the Portuguese language, my brain would supply me nothing but Japanese).

Despite thinking mostly in Japanese, my language skills remain deplorable. I tend to be quiet, more so than normal. My goal for now is to learn 5-10 kanji (most of which up to now have been train station terminal names), because then by the end of the year I`ll have learnt an astronomical ammount. Also, I should sit down and review my grammar, but laziness is an evil, evil thing.

A few quotations from my journal-journal (the hand-written version-- which I use only when no where near a computer):

"I just washed my hands with toothpaste. For the life of me I can:t find soap!" I thought it was soap. Really, I did. It`s not my fault... also, there isn`t any soap on the first floor bathroom. I boggle at this. Just because the toilet has a convinient bidee/oshiri cleaning system does not mean that the soap is not missed.

"Oh my god. The girl just asked if I was dead. XD" -- It was my first morning in Japan, and because I came in so late, I hadn`t had a chance to meet the girls yet. I slept in very late, so Yuzu apparently took this to mean that I had died. Cute!

Damnit, I don't have much time left... I'll wrap up this entry by saying that um, love to everyone, and, I went to Ueno Park! Perhaps not exciting, but something I've wanted to do for a very long time.

Sunday, January 20, 2002, 07:42 a.m. :||: first encouters of the first kind
Called Masako-san, my host-mother, to remind her of all the details of my arrival and whatnot. It went fairly well, I guess. It's the first time I've really communicated with my host family.

Masako-san was a bit more formal than I expected. I only realized that she was using distal form halfway through the conversation (in Japanese I switch without much thought between all levels of politeness. It's something I have to work on), and tried to modify my speech. The next time I see her I'll be much more polite!

She sounded happy to hear that it was me, and became excited. I notice she also spoke more simply. XD She laughed at my "hai, hai!" (I guess it's not that common...? Pity, because I say it automatically, even to non-Japanese speakers).

It was just as the sensei said-- everywhere you go, the Japanese will be surprised at how much of the language you know. Here I was messing up conjugations left and right, speaking rudely, when she just goes and says, "joozu desu ne!" I denied it, both because it's the polite thing to do, and because I think it's true. I have a long way to go~.

But I forgot how to say goodbye [on the phone]. You'd think I'd have looked over all those Core Conversations I memorized for class, wouldn't you? But, nope. That would be sensible, or something!

And so, at the end of the conversation, we both kept saying all forms of goodbye, me wishing I'd remember the magical keyword and wondering if I was doing anything wrong, and who knows what Masako-san was thinking.

I feel more pepped up about going. It'll be a while before I can really express myself properly in Japanese (ie, my Feelings and Deep Philosophicl Thoughts (tm)), but until then, I won't drown, y'know?

All I really need, I think, is to just get there. I've always wanted to get things done and over with; to jump head first into the freezing cold water and start swimming as soon possible. The faster you start swimming, the sooner you get warm.

Saturday, January 19, 2002, 06:40 p.m. :||: countdown
I go to Japan tomorrow. Rawr. I haven't a clue what sort of access to the internet I'll have. I'm hoping for the best. I figure that once 'school' starts, I'll be able to use email/write in this thing once a day or so. Until then, the situation is questionable. Orientation is the 24th. I will meet my fellow international students, and begin the classes called the Japanese Crash Course. I'm sure I shant crash and burn~. Giuliana is flying today. Lucky girl, she gets there before I do! I don't have her phone number, so I won't be able to call her once I get there. I might have to wait until orientation.

Wednesday, January 16, 2002, 10:45 a.m. :||: weather forecast
Hmph! weather.com tells me that it's going to be rainy, cloudy, and overall yucky when I get to Tokyo. And for the next few days after all. I wonder how long rain lasts there? I didn't think it was the rainy season, yet. Hah! Cluelessness abounds!

Friday, January 11, 2002, 01:33 p.m. :||: tuck your bin!
Forgive me, but I must laugh.

Last semester we learnt a set of words involving transportation to and from the airport. One of them was, "takyuubin" (which I memorized by associating it with, "tuck your bin." Hey, if it works, no complaining). Takyuubin is a service that carries your luggage from the airport to your home/vice versa. It seemed a silly thing to memorize.

But now Mariko-san says that when I'm picked up for the airport, we'll be using the takyuubin services. I feel Japanse already.

Friday, January 11, 2002, 12:27 p.m. :||: Theorizing over the Future [needless agonizing?]
Ho hum, let's see. In ten days I'll be in Tokyo. And I haven't a clue for what to expect.

I've been in Japan before, but that was in Okazaki/Anjou, small peaceful places that were more like towns than cities. Nothing at all like Tokyo. Plus, my memory resembles that of cheese-- not in terms of smell (yuck!), but in terms of holiness. (and maybe age, too-- the older the better?)

So for posterity I'll write up my pathetic predictions.

Language: Japanese, of course, duh. But I'm also guessing that there'll be a lot of English floating around. Most of it will be in the form of engrish, true, but there must be a large international community. Whether I'll run into it or not, I don't know.

Transportation: Eeep. Tomoko warned me that the subway line I'll be taking twice daily uses oshiya-- ie, squeezing people onto the train because it's so packed. I'll be counting on the infamous Japanese politeness, here, but if any lecherous old man/young man/curious female/ anybody grabs me, I'll scream. Nice and loudly. Hah!

At any rate, I'll be spending 80+ minutes on a subway everyday. That's a lot of time. I'll try to find something to do other than staring at the other passengers (though I'll do plenty of that, because I enjoy observing people. It makes me feel like a scientist in the jungle taking careful notes on this and that animal). Maybe I'll bring a walkman with me (but I don't want that to get stolent...), or make flash cards with which to study with.

Crime: Some sections, of course, are worse than others. But I doubt it'll be like it was in Okazaki, where nothing ever got stolen. For example, customers leave their umbrellas in the store entrance, and it's still there when they come back.

People: Eep. In my experience, the Japanese get a kick out of foreigners. Usually, the louder the better. [I got the feeling that they like their brightness and strangeness]. But I'm quiet, inclined to muteness. So there's less of an amusement factor in me. Still. I'm hoping for the best.

Cityscape: Buildings, buildings, and more buildings. Trees, grass, and flowers will be a rarity expositioned in parks. Maybe there'll even be people taking photographs of the greenery! ...Okay, silliness, go back into the box.

Host Family: Good people, I'm sure. The two young girls will be perky and drag me from side to side and clamor for their oneesan [namely, me]'s attention. The mother will be very sweet and kind, and though she might try to talk to practice her English on me, she'll talk mostly in Japanese. The father will be fond of his family, but will come home late, around 8pm.

Home: A small apartment, with only a few rooms (a bathroom, kitchen, and maybe two rooms). I'll sleep on a futon. There will be a full-entertainment system (tv, video, music player, kareoke machine, etc), because it's always like that in well-off Japanese families.

Food: Oh, god, yes. This will be good.

Me: People are constantly telling me that I'll have a maaahvelous time in Japan. I hope they're right. And perhaps I will? If I have the determinatin, I'm quite good at being bouncy and enjoying myself. And, yes, I definitely want a positive experience. I've been working towards this for so long. So bouncy I will be, with a wide grin.

Friday, January 11, 2002, 12:27 a.m. :||: experimentation
Mwrawr. Making sure this thing works.