I Think I'm Turning Japanese
 
It is officially cold in Kobe! I knew it was cold, but when you wake up and see frost on the bushes, it is officially officially cold. And when you are walking to work and realize that the ground is covered in snow despite the sun being out and not a cloud in the sky, you realize it's a special kind of cold. I'd like to call it ninja cold. Why? Because you're just hanging out in your warm heated apartment (as I am apt to do), and you look outside and see the sun is shining, and you hear birds chirping, and you think, "Wow, what a lovely winter morning!" When it looks that beautiful outside when I'm in Oakland, you can bet that even in the middle of winter it means that it actually FEELS beautiful. As in, maybe I can go out in a t-shirt today type of beautiful. But here in Kobe, you go outside and the ninja cold performs a sneak attack on you.

Yesterday the weather appeared as I described above: sunny, clear, bright, cheery, inviting. I thought I'd briefly test the weather by running out to my mailbox, about 20 yards away, in just my pajama pants and a long sleeved shirt. As Vivianne Ward would say: "Big mistake. Big. Huge!" Almost immediately the ninja cold snuck up and took hold of any exposed skin and beat the living crap out of it with its tiny ninja cold fists. In the 20 seconds it took to run to my mailbox, grab my mail, and run back to the warm welcoming arms of my apartment's heater, the ninja cold gouged me with its ninja cold throwing stars. My cheeks were a deep shade of pink and I could stop shivering and trying futiley to rub out the goosebumps. Call me a wuss, but I am just not properly trained to fight off the ninja cold. 

From now on, you will see me fully decked out in Japanwear. This means a fur-lined hooded down jacket, furry ear muffs, a thick scarf, wool tights worn under pants, and boots. I never even bundle up this much when I'm in Tahoe! Ridiculous. But it's the best I can do to combat the ninja cold that can sneak up on you at any moment.
Ninja cold is watching you.
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The first few days back in Kobe were rough. I got back on Monday night and went in for work on Tuesday. The students weren't back from their vacation yet, so I knew for the next few days it would be pretty quiet in the staff room. Little did I know it would be SO quiet! I walked in as 3 or 4 teachers were leaving (not to return till the next day), and until 5:30 that evening it was me, Kyouto sensei, Kocho sensei, and the 1st grade science teacher who was doing science-y stuff with coaxial cables.

I really have no idea how I kept myself entertained. I wrote in my journal, read my Kindle, but for the most part... what the heck did I actually do?

When I finally did go home, I realized that none of my friends were back yet. Most were still on their trips to exotic locales.

So here I sit, waiting. I'm not really sure what I'm waiting for. Waiting for friends to come back? Waiting for kids to return to school? Waiting for the next time I go to America? Maybe a little bit of all of the above. 

Hmmm.
 
I love Japan. There are few things I would put on my Japan "sh*t list," and every day feels like a new adventure here. However, there was no way I was going to spend the holidays away from my family and friends. I have never had to do that before! That's not to say that I wouldn't have been able to handle it. But, I haven't been this far away from home for this long before, and to be honest the lack of Christmas spirit in Japan was starting to bum me out.

So, I hopped a first class flight over the pond and spend 16 wonderful days at home!

The trip started with another night bus ride to Tokyo. This one was less exciting than the last one I took, since not only did I have to sit next to someone this time, but knowing there was no Dan waiting for me right on the other side was a bit of a bummer! The ride itself was uneventful, and I woke up to see the Disney Tokyo parking lot with very sleepy eyes. That was another bummer. Being so close to Disneyland and knowing I wasn't going to be going inside! I took a 1 hours bus to Narita from there, and that is when awesomeness started.

The check-in counter didn't open until 10:00, so I wandered the airport aimlessly. I was pretty hungry, since I had been subsisting off rice, potatoes, and Filipino corn nuts ever since I'd lost my wallet a week and a half before. I debated spending some of my last precious yen on a real hot meal, but couldn't stomach (no pun intended) paying double the price for a potentially crappy meal I could get outside the airport. Little did I know that I would not have any want for food for the next 2 weeks!

I checked in successfully and made my way to the Admirals Club. Right away my spirits were lifted when I saw the huge Christmas tree all lit up and decorated, and I was greeted in English by the wonderful ladies at the counter. I was practically home already! I looked for a cozy place to sit. There was no shortage of comfy leather couches, lounge chairs, swivel chairs, ottomans... I settled for a little leather armchair that was somewhat far away from everyone else. I was starting to get thirsty, and I thought I spotted a place for drinks as I came in, so made a mental note to go get some water when I was all cozy and settled in my seat. I saw that a woman and her daughter were also eating something, so I thought, "Hmmm, maybe they have some free nuts or something I can eat." I don't know why I waited as long as I did (almost an hour!) before I got up to explore the rest of the huge Admirals club. 

I felt like I found the lost city of Atlantis! Sushi, sandwiches, cheese, crackers, fruit, cereal, pastries, juice bar, and the piece de resistance: all you can drink nama biiru! I quickly stocked up on cheese and sandwiches, but held off on the beer until later and instead grabbed a giant water and some juice. 

I think I snacked and drank nonstop for literally 5 hours. My once-empty belly was slowly inflating again. I also watched four or five episodes of Dexter (a show that I watched from its first to last episode within 3 weeks). I was about 2 hours into my Dexter-and-finger-sandwich binge when they called me on the loudspeaker. When I went to the counter, I got more happy news: instead of having to go all the way to Chicago, having a layover for 3 hours, and going back to San Francisco, they were re-routing me through LAX! I'd be getting home 8 hours earlier! Oh happy day! In celebration, I decided it was time to start hitting the nama biiru. I didn't want to be wasted, but I ended up drinking three glasses before boarding.

Once on the plane I managed to feel even more excitement than I did in the Admirals Club. After being led to my little first class pod, I did some exploring. I had a seat that fully reclined into a bed! I had Bose noise cancelling headphones! I had a down duvet cover! I had a travel kit with eyeshades, wool socks, and Burt's Bees products! There was a menu outlining the 4 dinner choices! I had unlimited movies!

I was like a little child pushing all the buttons and smiling like an idiot to myself. They offered me a glass of champagne an I giddily accepted (and I don't even like champagne). Then I continued the binge eating and drinking with a rapid succession of hummus and pita before takeoff, smoked salmon appetizer, grilled chicken salad, macadamia nut crusted chicken with sweet potatoes, and an ice cream sundae all accompanied by sake, wine, and tea. By the time all of that had somehow crammed into my belly, I was drunk and insanely full and ready for some sleep. I'd already watched Salt and (I'm blanking on the other movie I watched), and then I put on Going the Distance, which I'd seen before, reclined my seat to the bed position, and fell into a deep sleep.
I was awakened by a gentle nudge and my flight attendant. I pulled off my headphones and turned my head towards her, realizing at that point I was a wee bit hungover. 

"Ms. Reyes, would you like your breakfast now?"

My BREAKFAST? Didn't I just eat? My stomach still felt distended and full, so I told her I'd take it a little later. 
"We are landing in just under an hour, so I suggest you take your breakfast as soon as possible."
I took a second to debate this. For one, I had been sleeping long enough that there was an appropriate gap between meals. But I was still full! At the same time, I'd have a 2 hours layover in LAX... what if their first class lounge didn't yeild the same smorgasbord as Narita's (which turns out, they didn't)? I wouldn't be able to eat until I landed in San Francisco several hours later. 
So I accepted my breakfast of feta omelet, sausages, potatoes, croissant, fruit, and juice. Somehow, I didn't burst! Then I snuggled up in my duvet to relish the last few minutes of my first, and quite possibly my last, time in first class. As the plane touched down on American soil, a part of me had wished I stayed with the longer flight to Chicago so I could enjoy my experience for just a few hours more.
When I deplaned, I felt like such a spoiled princess. I was forced to mingle with the commoners while waiting in Customs? How rude.
 
Japan has made me completely scatterbrained. I miss trains, I take the wrong trains, I leave my iPhone in cabs, I forget important things at home, and, most recently, I lose wallets.

That's right, I have lost my wallet. With everything in it. Now, this is a big enough deal when you are in your native country and you have many people around you who can help you and you speak the language. But this happened here in Japan, where my language ability is very limited, and as a cash-based society, if you lose all your cash and access to your cash... well, you're screwed. My mom was inquiring about writing a check just so I can buy groceries... well, Japan doesn't use checks. They would think you were crazy pants if you said "Can I write you a piece of paper that promises I have money somewhere? I swear, this piece of paper is just as good as cash." Sounds crazy when you put it that way, no?

The worst part is, I have lost my wallet around the most consumer-driven holiday in the world. I can't buy Christmas presents! I was relying on buying some cool Japanese stuff for everyone back home. Nope. Not gonna happen.

Now begins the long process of replacing all my stuff. And I must now humble myself into borrowing money from others until this is all resolved. Grrrr.
 
Here comes the cold...
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I wouldn't truly be turning Japanese if I didn't invest some yen in some seriously ugly fuzzy slippers with dangly thinginabobs on them!
 

Although I celebrated Friendsgiving with my JET friends on Monday, and yesterday was the last Thursday of November for me, at home my family and friends are currently stuffing their faces with official Thanksgiving dinner. In the spirit of things, I decided to make a list of things I am thankful for at the moment. I could go on forever because I have an insane amount of gratidude for the life I lead, but living in Japan has made me feel grateful for the following things in particular:


- mashed potatoes (the one dish you can't screw up because you don't have the exact ingredients you need)
- the Internet 
- Japanese elementary schools
- Zicam (I've had 3 cold since being here, all killed quickly with this miracle drug)
- parenthetical statements
- turkey (can't find them here)
- hugs (I used to average one a day, now I'm down to about one every two weeks)
- Skype
- my parents' belief in orthodontia 
- Shutterfly
- patience (for myself and for others)
- Hulu (oh, the simple things I took for granted!)
- Bernoulli's principle of flight
- the gift of sight
- chocolate
- love (this should have been first, I know)
- past experiences and opportunities (which have molded me in countless ways)
- California
- open-mindedness
- Snuggies (I shall bring mine back when I go home)
- family
- babies
- adventure!

I hope everyone ate a ton, felt sick, laid down, and then got up for round 2. That's the spirit of America! :-)
 

Last night I went to see kabuki for the first time. I was pretty excited because we were apparently seeing one of the most popular shows put on by the most popular kabuki troupe, Nakamuraza. They had previously done a sold-out run in New York City, and in the theater community they are highly respected. Kobayashi sensei prepped me (and Alisha) on how famous this particular show was and gave us a summary in English so that we'd be prepared for the storyline. The only other experience I've had with Kabuki was the movie theater in Japan Town, and that totally doesn't count! The tickets were steep, but I knew I couldn't miss out on this opportunity, and it was one of the things I told myself I had to do while in Japan.

The day of the performance I got to duck out of work early and meet Kobayashi, Alisha, and Andrew in Osaka. Kobayashi didn't have tickets yet, and was hoping to get some standing room seats. He ended up not being able to get a ticket for himself and his son, and in hindsight I can't believe they would have been willing to pay that much to be standing for 3 and a half hours! It is a looooong play!

The venue itself is a portable building that has been erected and taken down and moved around multiple times. I would have never figured this was the case, as it was well constructed and very comfortable. The stage extended out in a catwalk that went from the main stage to the back of the theater. Each seat had its own cushion, which is a relief because those chairs would have been insanely uncomfortable without them. Before the show began some of the castmembers wandered around the audience like Japanese court jesters, and when Nakamura himself came out the audience went crazy! The little old ladies were adorably starstruck and stretched out their hands to try to touch him.

Once the play started, the houselights stayed on, which I was grateful for because it meant I got to glance at the notes we were handed at the entrance. It was so much easier to follow what was going on and what was about to happen next. Like Shakespeare plays, this play was conducted in old-style Japanese, so I think even fluent speakers would have a hard time picking up on little things. I could only catch a word here or there, but otherwise it more or less sounded like jibberish to me!

Like traditional kabuki, all the actors were men, but the ones who played women did such a great job that I forgot that they weren't really women. It is amazing how much you can pick up based on their intonation and expression alone (thanks, glasses). 

The first part of the play more or less goes like this (names have been changed for obvious reasons): Bob is sent to prison but is bailed out by the Smith family, to whom he now owes a great debt. Bob finds out that another guy, Steve, with whom he gets into a scuffle immediately after getting out of prison, is also indebted to the Smith family, so they decide to become blood brothers of sorts by trading kimono sleeves. Meanwhile, this beautiful hooker named Alexis is being persued by everyone,  including this rich jerk named Peter, but Alexis wants to be with Jimmy (who is supposed to be effeminate and weak, so I have no idea why she loves him). So, Alexis and Jimmy hide out at the Thompson's house (friends of Bob), but their constant bickering is too much for the Thompsons to bear, so Mr. and Mrs. Thompson decide they have to figure out how to separate them. Steve's beautiful wife, Tammy, happens to make a house call to the Thompsons at that very moment, and Mrs. Thompson gets the bright idea to have Jimmy go with Tammy to keep Alexis and Jimmy apart. Well, Mr. Thompson is not too happy with this idea because he thinks Tammy is just way too young and hot, and suspects Jimmy might fall for her and that strangers will judge them for being seen together. Tammy really wants to be helpful, and to prove to Mr. Thompson that she isn't too young and hot, she takes a poker from the fire and burns her face. Yeah, she's crazy! Well, Mr. Thompson now sees that Tammy is ugly and scarred, and lets Jimmy go with her. While Mr. Thompson is seeing them off, Bob's father- in-law, Gary, comes with a palanquin (man-carried buggy) and tells Mrs. Thompson that Bob has sent him to get Alexis. However, Gary is a dirty dirty liar and is in fact being paid by Peter to steal Alexis for himself. Mrs. Thompson doesn't know this, though, and lets Alexis go with Gary. Just after they leave, Bob comes by to say what's up, and Mrs. Thompson is like, "Oh, why are you here? Your dad- in- law was just here to take Alexis to you." So Bob figures out what's up and goes to chase Gary, the dirty dirty liar.

This last part was one of the coolest scenes, and it was right before intermission. This is when Bob finally catches up to Gary. The set opened up to an actual pond set in the stage floor. As the two are fighting, the house lights are dimmed and real lanterns (real fire! Abunai!) are used to illuminate the characters' faces and movements. (This is a nod to the way the stage was lit hundreds of years ago for the first Kabuki shows, and the dancing firelight is supposed to further evoke the tension in the scene.) Bob knows that Gary has always been a dirty dirty liar, and they begin screaming things at each other. The fight scene is rather intense, and ends with Bob and Gary fighting over a sword, wherein Gary accidentally gets cut and starts bleeding everywhere. He starts screaming, "Murderer!" and in a panic, Bob finishes him off and throws him into the pond. Water and blood everywhere. The front rows had to put ponchos on for this part!

We had intermission at this point and we all ate our bento dinners at our seats. My neck was starting to get stiff from sitting up at the balcony and having to turn to see the stage. I thought it was pretty cool that it was perfectly acceptable to eat our dinners in the theater. I guess it's just assumed that the Japanese aren't slobs like we would be in America!

After the intermission there were only 30 minutes left of the show. The play culminated in the final fight scene that had me watching open-mouthed and in awe for the last 10 minutes. Basically, after Bob kills Gary, he tries to play it off like nothing happened. However, his blood brother Steve discovers his bloody clog at the scene of the crime and realizes what happened. He knows that to kill a family member is the greatest offense and Bob would surely be executed for it, so he schemes for a way to get Bob to divorce his wife (Sandy). While Bob is home, Gary asks Sandy to mend his kimono, which has him taking off his clothes in front of her. They are flirty and are found in a compromising position, and instead of Bob getting mad at Steve for coming on to his wife, he writes up his own divorce papers then and there, and thus he is no longer related to Sandy's dirty dirty liar of a father, Gary, and he won't be as punished for killing him. Sandy takes their son and runs away, as Steve warns them that police are coming to arrest Bob. Here is where the coolest part comes in. It is a mix of puppetshow and live action, with choreographed ninja scenes and jumping around on rooftops. It is amazing how much action is going on in a very small stage and very little tech. After Bob finds himself cornered by the police, the  back of the play house opened up to reveal the real outdoors. You could see the trees and (if you were seated in the right place) a perfect view of Osaka castle as a backdrop. Steve joins Bob, and they decide to jump from the police, and it is assumed that they get away and live happily ever after. This occurs with Steve and Bob running up a bridge and literally jumping off the back of the stage towards the real castle. It was awesome!

When it was all over, the crowd was at its feet. Overall it was a wonderful experience. I did not expect to be so enraptured by the performance, but I was. Though someone had warned me that kabuki can be incredibly boring and to get a translation (which wasn't available for this show), my interest was held the entire time. It also helps to thoroughly read a synopsis of the play beforehand and to map out the relationship between the chracters, otherwise it is easy to find yourself completely lost. So, go prepared (both mentally and monetarily) and you should have a great time!
 

Dear teachers on prep period hanging out in the faculty room,


Why do you guys choose to stand up during your break? You're standing all day! And yet most of you come back to the staff room and just stand next to your desk awkwardly. Sometimes you have your arms folded like you're angry that you have to stand, and if that is the case, may I kindly point out that there is a nice cushy desk chair right next to on which you may sit? Sometimes there are several of you standing at a time, and it makes me think that there is an impromptu meeting going on, so my eyes dart around frantically and wonder if I should stand up too so we can bow at kyouto sensei beore the meeting starts. But, oddly, I usually find that you guys are just all standing staring in different directions. For no apparent reason. Sometimes you guys congregate in the middle of the staff room, and all look in the same direction (like the whiteboard in the front), so I look to see what special announcement you are reading. But, I have come to find out, you guys are just looking in that general direction as you awkwardly engage in conversation that has nothing to do with work. 


I guess I am just dying to know why you don't take advantage of your 50 minutes off to grade papers, rest your feet, nap (as many of your colleagues do), or something less creepy and confusing than standing and staring blankly at nothing. 


If you find the time between your random bouts of standing for no reason, can you please reply with a logical explanation? I'd really appreciate it!


Thanks so much!


Love,
Erica
 
I love the Bay Area. I love the diversity, I love the freedom, I love the weather, and I love the people. I love that you can be sitting at a cafe, and watch and old lady with a mohawk and a man dressed as a nun walk by without batting an eye. There are so many things that make the Bay Area the best place to be.


But, there is one thing that the Bay Area is missing: seasons. Yes, it gets hot in the summer (except for the foggy city) and rainy in the fall and winter, and sometimes it might be cold enough to leave frost on your window. But those aren't REAL seasons. That's just a slight change in the weather. It's just Mother Nature's way of gently telling us, "By the way, I like you better than any other area in the country, but I don't want to make everyone too jealous so we'll just change up the temperature slightly." 


Each leaf in the Bay Area seems to live with the mindset of "I guess it's cold now, so I'm gonna turn brown and feebly crumple to the ground." At least, that is what goes through the minds of those leaves that aren't attached to a palm tree or an evergreen. Which, if you've been to California, you know can exist at the same time in the same yard. Just go visit my house in Danville. You'll see. But the trees in Japan aren't like that. Right now the trees are exploding with color. They have a zest for life and will prove to anyone looking just how much they love being leafy by turning awesomely hypercolor every fall. Even though the wind is blowing maniacally, they cling to their boughs with brilliant furvor and refuse to let go until they have finished turning every shade of green, yellow, orange, and red that exsits in the world. What show-offs! 


I love riding the train in the morning and being able to look up at the yama and see the lush green slowly change colors with each passing day. I make a conscious effort to sit on the side of the train that can see the mountain, and I will even give up sitting on the wrong side so i can stand (gasp) and see the view. Outside one of the second floor windows of my middle school, there is a tree that was dark green on Wednesday. When I came back the following monday it had turned into the most vibrant orange I had ever seen! It looked pretty awesome against the bright blue sky (Weebly colors!).


The sad part is, the turning leaves last for such a short period. One week things are green, the next week they are changing, and then the week after that the trees are naked. But for a fleeting moment in time, Japan is alive and with colors that would make the Rainbow Goblins jealous.


In the spring time, the branches give way to buds that burst into sakura, and the once brown landscape is dotted with the delicate pink and white cherry blossoms. I'm sure I'll be writing a blog about that come March, so stay tuned.
 

I love milk tea. When I first had it on a hot, humid, sticky summer day in Tokyo, it refreshed my pallette. Now that the weather is getting colder, you can get it hot out of the vening machines. I think I like it even better this way! 

I have just finished a bottle of milk tea at my desk. I think the Kirin brand is much better than Lipton, as Lipton tends to start tasting like soap after a while.


As Forrest Gump would say, "And that's all I have to say about that."