2005: Seeing with new eyes

I can't believe almost two weeks of my vacation have passed already. The time goes by so quickly! It doesn't seem possible that I'll be going back to Japan in another week. Sometimes I feel lost between two worlds--belonging to neither one. Coming back to the U.S. has made me see with new eyes, and I'm shocked at what I see.

One of the things I see everywhere is obesity. It's staggering! There are so many really, really overweight people, including very young children. Despite all the so-called "low fat" foods and "diet" soft drinks, people are growing bigger and bigger. My own weight had been creeping up for years, even though I eat a healthy diet of fresh vegetables and fish. I blamed my weight gain on too little exercise, which probably was correct since I've lost weight in Japan. All my slacks were suddenly too big and I've had to have them altered. I walk quite a bit now and have more stamina.

The other thing I noticed when I returned to the States is the sheer excess of purchases. Walk into any CostCo or Wal-Mart and see the enormous shopping carts overflowing with goods. This isn't to say that the Japanese wouldn't love to buy even more things, but it's much more difficult to carry things home if you're walking or using the trains. You learn quickly to buy only what you can carry. And another thing, most Japanese houses or apartments are too small to store a lot of extra stuff.

I've felt lost without a car here, and miss the convenience of the trains in Japan. It's a love/hate relationship with them since at times the trains are too crowded, but at other times I feel such relief that they're so available. They make it easy to get around, no matter where you need to go.

In the U.S., people are clogging the highways in their one-person-to-a-car travel, but in most cities around the nation, there's no other choice. Mass transit, except for bus stops that all seem to be located too far away from most neighborhoods, is pathetic in such a rich, industrialized nation. No wonder so many elderly people feel so isolated. How can they maintain an independent lifestyle when they're unable to drive? How can they get to the doctor or, for that matter, the supermarket, when they don't have a car? America is such a strange place, where the government assumes that everyone has the means to be independent. The reality is that there are many millions of people who have no access to public services, even though they need them desperately. In Seattle there's been talk of a "light-rail system" for at least 25 years, yet no difinitive movement in that direction. Too many worries that expensive homes will lose value if light rail moves into their neighborhoods. How shortsighted and selfish. Meanwhile, traffic is snarled in all directions while people curse their commutes.

Coming home for the holidays has been filled with so many emotions. I'm so thankful to have this time with my family, and to be able to hug and hold each other for a little while longer. With the terrible tragedy unfolding in Asia, I'm especiallyg grateful for the time to appreciate the simple things in life: the love of family and friends, good health, a roof over my head and a bed to sleep in. These are the basic needs for anyone, yet for many millions now in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Sumatra and several other countries, their lives have been turned upside down.

Much to think about in this new year of 2005.

Countdown for trip home!

It's December 15 already! Where did the year go? This has been one of the most exciting years of my life, but I'm ready to go home and spend the holidays with my daughter in the U.S. While I love teaching, it will also be nice to take a break for a few weeks.

My students are so puzzled about Americans and their vacations. They can't understand how we manage to take even two weeks at a time. Rarely does a Japanese worker take more than one week. I've asked them many times about why they take so few days at a time and the usual answer is that they can't leave their work for others to do. It's a custom I can't wrap my brain around, but in Japan people are much more team oriented. If a member of the team is absent, the team falls apart, apparently. It's for this same reason they don't take sick leave when they're really ill. They'll drag themselves to work (or to class!) no matter how sick or hung over they are--all for the sake of "gambatte" (the title of my Web site).

"Gambatte!" is an expression used to encourage others to give it their best, and it's ingrained in the Japanese psyche. Appearance is everything, even if the worker or student is unable to focus on work or the lesson. They think, "well, at least I showed up. Gambatte!"

So, I've wished all my friends here in Tokyo a merry Christmas and a happy New Year and will leave for the U.S. in just a few days. I'm wondering how it will feel to see things from a new perspective. I'm sure everything will look very big to me after living in Tokyo where everything is very small. It will also probably irritate me the first time a store clerk slaps something in a bag and throws it at me--that is, if I can find a clerk to make my purchase. In Japan service reigns supreme and there are "shop girls" everywhere to wait on me, bowing and smiling.

Yes, it will be a big culture shock to go back home where I will once again look short, be ignored by store clerks, and stunned by "personal space."

No mention of Pearl Harbor anniversary

Understandably, there was no mention made here yesterday of the 63rd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, or that today, December 8, was the anniversary of the day that the American Congress officially declared war against Japan.

Only once or twice have any of my students even mentioned that there was a war between the United States and Japan. I think all parties seem to want to forget that it ever happened.

As I look around me, I can't imagine that such a thing could have happened, and I can't imagine that there were two devastating atom bombs dropped on civilian populations.

I suppose it's a good thing that both countries have been able to forgive.

Japanese government wants more babies

As hard as it is to believe, Japan is worried about its dwindling population. It currently has one of the lowest birth rates in the world. The decline in Japan's birth rate is so severe they have invented a word for it - 'shoshika', meaning a society without children.

Unless women here start having more babies, the population in Japan is expected to shrink more than 20% by the middle of this century. Nearly half would be elderly, placing impossible burdens on the health and pension systems. -BBC News

While it seems to me that every third woman in Tokyo is either pregnant or pushing a stroller, apparently this is not enough to replace the dwindling population.

According to this morning's Christian Science Monitor, another troubling trend is that educated, career-driven Japanese women do not want Japanese husbands. They're far more interested in marrying American or European men because they believe they're more likely to be treated respectfully, maintain their careers, and have more help at home.

In Japanese culture, women are expected to forego their career once they marry. Even if they manage to keep their jobs, they must be home before their husbands and carry the burden of all housework and childcare. Often, they're also expected to care for their husband's aging parents. With this load to carry, it's no wonder Japanese women prefer marrying Western men.

So, what are Japanese men going to do about this? Will it be possible for them to change enough to woo back Japanese women? In a society where change is measured in centuries rather than decades, it will be interesting to see how quickly this culture can change if they expect to save themselves--quite literally!

Shop 'til you drop

It seems very strange to be shopping for Christmas presents in Japan this year. Last year at this time, I had no idea I'd be living in Tokyo when the next Christmas rolled around.

I've ventured out twice now to shop for gifts to take home when I leave on vacation in a couple of weeks. What do you take to friends and family in America?

One of the places I just had to go to shop was Shibuya. There are Christmas decorations everywhere, and it looked very festive. Even though it was windy today, the temperature wasn't that cold, so it was quite comfortable. Well, that is until I walked into the stores. While it's around 50F (10C) outside, the stores maintain an even 80F (26C) inside, which might be fine for the lightly-dressed shop clerks, but for the people wearing coats, mufflers and gloves, it's unbearably hot.

Even at work, the Japanese staff want to keep the building at 80F, which is their comfort zone but certainly not the comfort zone for most of us who come from other countries. In America, almost all business offices keep their thermostats set at 68F (20C), all year long.

I was happy to get a good part of my shopping completed in only two trips, the one today to Shibuya and Harajuku, and the one last week to Harajuku. Next week I'm going to Shinjuku to shop with another friend who will show me some of her favorite places.

In Harajuku, while walking down one of the narrow streets today, I noticed quite a few people running out of shops carrying t-shirts and marking pens. It seems that somebody famous was shoping there, which stopped traffic everywhere while people asked for autographs. I didn't recognize him, but he looked African-American, was very large, and dressed in a silver-colored jogging suit and baseball cap. I figured he was either an athlete or a rap singer, but don't know for sure.

Harajuku is, so far, one of my favorite places in Tokyo. Its wide, tree-lined streets remind me of cities such as New York or Paris. It's also where I've seen the most foreigners. It seems very beautiful and cosmopolitan, and there are so many interesting shops, including a plethora of retro 80s shops. Remember those leggings I mentioned last summer? Well, I guess they're just part of this hugely popular retro look. I suppose big hair and shoulder pads will soon follow.

Are we in Kansas, Toto?

Typhoon-class winds hit the Tokyo area Saturday night and sleep was impossible because the wind gusts were 90 mph (144 kph) at times. Even the very solid, traditional two-storey Japanese home I now live in shook like a bowl full of jelly. (I thought that was an appropriate simile since it's so close to Christmas!)

None of my windows are double-paned, so the curtains billowed out inside my room, knocking over a small vase of flowers. With each gust I thought the roof would lift off. In the dark, I heard crashing sounds outside, and wondered if I would end up in Kansas by morning. I also worried about the landlady's cats surviving the night because they live outside. One of the teachers at work told me about a cat she found on her eighth-storey balcony one morning after a typhoon hit during the night. The only way the cat could have gotten onto her balcony is if it had been blown up there! Fortunately, the cat survived, and my friend carried it downstairs the next morning.

An inspection of damage the next day revealed about a dozen heavy ceramic roof tiles that had been ripped off the roof and smashed to bits on the ground below. There was also a large steel downspout lying in the backyard, but I was relieved to see that all three cats were fine.

I read that more than 300 airline flights were cancelled and 100 trains brought to a stop.

Everyone says this has been a freaky weather year in Japan, and no one seems to remember a typhoon-class storm hitting in December. Instead of the usual low 50s temperatures for this time of year, yesterday it made it all the way up to 75.7F (24.8C), the warmest December temperature ever, and felt like summer in Seattle. Today, the wind is still howling, and the temperature is expected to be back into the seasonal 50s.

Looking more Japanese?

Strangely enough, I was recently mistaken for a Japanese as I stood on the platform waiting for the train. I heard a woman speaking to me in Japanese, and when I turned around she had the most shocked look on her face! She immediately backed away and darted over to someone who really was Japanese, to ask her question.

The number of redheads in Japan has grown to unbelievable proportions, so why wouldn't I have been mistaken for a Japanese woman? It seems that red hair has now become so popular that it probably outnumbers black hair, at least among women, although it also seems quite popular with young men. And, if not red, there's also the blondes, and one Japanese guy even had blue contact lenses and platinum blonde hair. He looked like an alien!

Observations and ruminations

Lately, as I walk home from work in the evening, I've been seeing the same woman walking her little dog. Following behind the leashed dog is the family cat, which keeps a close pace. What I'm wondering is: which animal is freer, the dog at the end of the owner's leash, or the unleashed cat, following willingly behind?

On another note, the crisp evenings have brought out the sweet potato vendors, pushing their carts through the streets to the musical sound of "Iiiissshhhiiiyaaaakkkkkiiiiiiimmmoooo." They're served piping hot after being baked over hot stones. The aroma--a mixture of sweet and burning--wafts through the small, crowded streets. The carts are usually gone by the time I leave work, so I still haven't had the pleasure of tasting one, but I've heard they're delicious.

Reality check

It's been a while since my last post, as many of you have noticed. While there's plenty to write about Japan, a couple of things have kept me from my keyboard. The first is my work schedule, which sometimes leaves me feeling too exhausted to write. The other reason is that I've been processing so much stuff over the past five months or so that I felt like I just needed some time to step back and look at it from a new perspective.

Most of my first few months in Tokyo were spent trying to get around, find housing, deal with the intense heat, earthquakes and typhoons, adapt to my new job, and adjust to the problematic bureaucratic system here.

The past couple of months, while I wasn't writing in my blog, I've been processing everything I've experienced so far in Japan and trying to decide what to think about it all.

While I never thought it would happen, I think I went through a bit of culture shock recently. Everything about Tokyo really started to get on my nerves and irritated me.

Especially the unnecessary noise.

In a city where there are about 12 million people, there's already enough noise. Trust me. We don't need added noise from such things as pickup trucks driving around neighborhoods with PA systems announcing their desire to acquire your old, used "mini-compus" (computers), CD players, etc.

Then there are the garbage trucks with their own PA system that sounds like a phone ringing, with a recording reminding people that they're picking up trash. On the trucks that don't have a PA system, there's the repeated yell of the trash collectors as the truck backs up to the pile of trash, which sounds something like "OYE OYE OYE OYE OYE" barked out in the loudest voice. What's that about?

Been to the supermarket lately? There's another whole world of noise, especially on weekends! It seems that almost every aisle, and particularly the fresh fish, meat, and produce aisles, have men yelling out the specials of the day. Try walking down the frozen dessert aisle, and you'll hear a boombox advertising "aisu creamu" or something that sounds like that. It seems that no matter which aisle you try, there are boomboxes or shouting clerks everywhere! I want to shout back: can everyone just be quiet? (or worse, depending on my mood at the time)!

Another annoyance is the thriving ambulance business here in Tokyo. Together with the constant police car sirens, it would seem that there are more "emergencies" than people living in Tokyo! Is it really necessary to race through narrow streets, sirens blasting, to deliver an elderly sick person to the hospital? I would think the patient riding inside would suffer more stress and physical harm from the rush to the hospital than from any illness of an emergency nature. UPDATE NOTE: I talked with a medical doctor about the use of ambulances in Tokyo; he said that most ambulance visits are not true emergencies but rather people with fevers! It seems that the government pays for ambulance trips so people use them freely!)

There are also the street vendors selling fresh tofu or hot, grilled sweet potatoes. The tofu vendors use some type of mouth-blown horn to announce themselves as they pull their cart through the streets. The sound is two notes, with the last note higher than the first. The sweet potato vendors have another attention-grabbing pitch, but I seem to have blocked it out at the moment.

Trains are another constant source of noise. They have all sorts of Train Platform Jingles, announcements and other mind-numbing noises--including the intense screeching of wheels as they go around curves. The jingles are irritating in that they always sound so urgent! People are rushed enough, yet the train system seems to think they need to be rushed even more.

But, worst of all I think, are the incredibly nasal shop girls as they hawk outside their shops in the train stations or on busy street corners! Where did they get those voices? They're absolutely eardrum-piercing!

Now that I've gotten some of the unnecessary noisemaking off my chest, I will post a column soon about the unrestrained and unavoidable bureaucracy.

I know that writing about these things is cathartic, and that I will soon grow to love Tokyo again, but for now there are so many things that just make no sense at all. Because I want to remember all the feelings I've experienced while in Japan, I've included them in this blog. It doesn't mean that I'm not having a good time over here. I really am, but in all honesty, I feel I must include those things I've had to confront as a foreigner--the things that can make living here a challenge. To omit them would be to give the impression that everything is perfect here, and it's not. But then no where's perfect, right?

Failure to communicate

Most of the time I have little or no problems with communication, even though I don't speak Japanese. However, there have now been two minor irritations that have left me feeling a little frustrated because I didn't know basic Japanese.

The first incident happened a couple of weeks ago, and it involved buying sushi from the corner vendor that I buy from all the time. Usually an older woman waits on me, but this time she was busy in the back and a man--I'm assuming her husband--waited on me. I had chosen one small package of salmon sushi from the refrigerator case. In bold red letters, I saw what I have now come to recognize as a "sale" sticker saying something about two for one. In this case it was 2 packages for 500 yen. I didn't want to buy 2 packages. Only one. So, I gave a 1000 yen note to the man and he gave me back 250 yen as change. I looked at it and said, "I'm sorry. I'm only buying ONE package, not two, so you owe me 500 yen." He pointed to the "500" that he had rung up on the cash register, even though he had mis-entered the amount, and gestured that I had been given the right change. I picked up the ONE package of sushi and pointed to the bold red Kanji, saying 2 for 1. He resolutely pointed to the cash register where it said 500 yen.

This went back and forth for several attempts. Finally, the older woman happened to look up and saw us through the window to the kitchen area. She came out to assist, and I showed her the 2 for 1 packaging. She knows I always only buy one package. I gestured to show that he had rung up 500 yen instead of 250. She gave the man a withering look, shoved him out of her way, and reached into the till to give me my 250 yen.

Another incident was at the train station where, for some weird reason, the train attendant thought I had tried to cheat the system by not paying my full fare. I had used my pass to travel to a destination beyond what is covered in my pass. However, when I got to my destination, I bought another ticket to cover the remainder that I owed, and used that to pass through the ticket gate. When I returned to the station to reverse my travel, I knew I couldn't use my pass so I went to the window where the ticket agent sold me a one-way ticket. As I attempted to use it to go through the ticket gate, he waved me back over to his window where he showed me the calculator, indicating that I owed him another 150 yen. I said, "I just paid you 150 yen." My reply fell on deaf ears. He hammered at the calculator, as if to demand another 150 yen. I told him, again, that I had already paid for the ticket like 10 seconds ago! You know the expression that all Asians look alike to Americans? Well, I've heard the same thing said about the way Westerners look to Asians, so I figured he had just had an extremely short memory, or could not recognize me again once I left his window the first time.

This disagreement over who had paid what went on for a couple of minutes and then I finally just threw 150 yen at him for another ticket and huffed off, determined not to look back if he decided to call me back yet again. People at work told me that he probably assumed I had tried to cheat the system, even though it was clear when I showed him my pass what I had done. They said next time it happens to just keep walking. They rarely go after people, and especially not Westerners. It might involve too much explaning, and they're terrified of having to try to converse in English.

Learning Kanji: a different perspective

I heard the most interesting comment from one of my students, a middle-aged Japanese business man. I was teaching some vocabulary words in an upper-level class, and happened to ask my student if learning to spell in English was very difficult. He acknowledged that it was, especially with all the exceptions to every rule. I asked him if it was just as difficult learning Kanji , one of the three different Japanese written forms, and the most beautiful and elaborate form. There are somewhere around 50,000 different Kanji characters, and a college graduate should know at least 2,000. It takes a very long time to learn even the required 2,000 Kanji.

This is what he said:

While the Japanese were busy learning Kanji, the Western world passed us by. With only 26 letters you can say everything!

This was a rare insight into the Japanese perspective, and one that I will never forget.

Japan's Mount Asama spewing

Did I mention that we also had a volcano erupt this month? Most people remember the winter 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, a mere 48 kilometers from Mount Asama.

Mt. Asama began erupting September 1, just a few days before our big earthquakes, and continues to spew ash. In one day, there were 183 "volcanic quakes." Scientists said the eruption was unrelated to our large earthquakes just a few days later.

Shake, rattle and roll. . .

Even though I had decided not to write about all the earthquakes in Japan (usually about 1,500 a year!), the past week requires me to make a comment. On September 5th we had two rather large earthquakes , the first occurred around 7pm and measured 6.9 and another one occurred around midnight measuring 7.4. The Kobe earthquake in 1995 measured 7.2 and killed nearly 6,000 people, so I was relieved that these two did so little damage and that there were no deaths. The next few days brought more earthquakes measuring from 5.4 to 6.3. Overall, I think there were six earthquakes this week measuring 5.4 or more.

I've felt numerous aftershocks. Each time I've wondered if this would be the "big one" and have devised a strategy for an escape route from my apartment. Who knows if it would actually work, but at least it's good to try to think things through ahead of time.

I've found that most Japanese people I've talked to about earthquake preparedness don't seem to have much information about how to survive, so I'm writing an article on the topic. If anyone has an idea for where to publish this article, please send me an email. It's loaded with information about fallacies and facts for surviving an earthquake. Everyone needs to read this! I've communicated with the world's leading survival expert and have information that can help save thousands of lives!

Riddle me this

Riddle Me This: When I finish using the ATM machine, I see an animated picture of a man and a woman (dressed in bank uniforms) bowing to me. When I make a purchase in a shop or convenience store, the clerks always fold their hands over at their waistline and make a polite bow. If I give my seat up to an elderly person on the train, they smile and bow with deepest appreciation. So, the puzzle is this: why is it that Japanese people will let a door slam right in your face and make no offer to hold it open until you can either get through it or grab the door yourself? Why is it that they will bang into you while walking without the slightest attempt to apologize? And another thing, why is it that they walk all over the sidewalk or street without making any attempt to stay on "their" side? It reminds me of an ant hill with people walking everywhere, in every direction, with no thought to an organized flow of traffic. For people who are so super-organized about almost everything, I find it very perplexing that trying to walk anywhere is a contact sport and requires me to bob and weave in every direction to stay out of the line of fire.

Legwarmers: These were popular in the early 80s I think, but I'm seeing them on teenage girls now. Usually they're thick white cotton and go up to the knees. The girls are wearing them even on exceedingly hot, muggy days! How can they stand it? Are these a revival of the style worn in Flashdance?

Den-Entoshi Train: Is there some reason why this particular train line doesn't use the AC at all, or only on low? I can't tell you the number of times now that I've had to ride it in the sweltering heat with little or no AC!

Modesty: I find it refreshing that Japanese women are somewhat modest about their summer fashions. In hotter parts of the U.S. women seem to think they're entitled to appear almost nude in public. They wear the shortest shorts and the most revealing tank tops or camisoles imaginable! This summer, despite record-breaking heat, I've rarely seen any Japanese females in shorts, and those that I have seen wear only a more modest version. Usually women here wear slacks, jeans, or long skirts. There's also the fashionable jeans or leggings worn under summer dresses accessorized by the requisite tall, spikey heels.

40 days and 40 nights. . .

Don't mean to harp on the weather in Tokyo this summer, but I read that it's been one of the hottest on record. In fact, for 40 straight days, the temperature was over 30 degrees Celsius or 86 degrees Fahrenheit. Add to that the misery of high humidity, and you can understand why people are fed up with summer. There's talk that the high temperatures will continue into September or posssibly October, but I'm hoping that's not true. Enough is enough!

I feel the earth move under my feet. . .

This time the quake woke me out of a sound sleep at 3:25am. At first I thought my guesthouse had been hit by a truck or other large object, but in a split second, I knew that it was another earthquake.

It was different from the last two earthquakes which felt more like gently rolling waves. This one didn't roll at all, it was just a short, very hard shake. As soon as I realized what was happening, I bolted off my futon and leapt into the relative safety of the doorway to my room. My heart pounded wildly. I felt no aftershocks and, after a few minutes, got back on my futon and wondered if it had been a dream.

The next day I found out that this one was measured at 4.9 by the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Record-breaking heat in Tokyo

It's taken me a while to post it, but July 20 was officially a record-breaking day with the temperature reaching 39.5 degrees Celsius or 103.1 Fahrenheit. Apparently, this was the hottest day since 1923, when the government began keeping records. I try not to think about this too much because it just makes me feel even worse.

I don't know why it is that hot weather seems to follow me no matter where I go, and I'm a person who can't stand hot weather! When I went to live in Las Vegas, Nevada to be near my daughter, there was record-breaking heat. The day I was driving around and my indoor temperature gauge read 122 Fahrenheit, I decided to move. Then I went to Eugene, Oregon and that summer got up to 106 Fahrenheit, another record-breaker. Now I'm in Tokyo, and. . .well, you get the picture.

I miss seeing the stars at night

I miss seeing stars and the beauty of the night sky. Since I've been in Tokyo all I see is the ambient light of a big city. Coming home from work late in the evening, I've been lucky enough to see the past two full moons, but that's about all I've been able to see. There's no depth to the sky. It looks pale and flat. I want to look up and see brightly twinkling stars, or perhaps a few planets. I suppose I should get used to the fact that I'm living in a city of over 20 milion and the odds of seeing any stars at all or a deep indigo sky are remote.

Over the past few days there have been major solar flares ejected out into space by our sun. Some parts of the world have been lucky enough to witness an astounding aurora borealis display. I remember seeing those a few times when I lived in Seattle and will never forget those shimmering colors sliding across the twilight sky.

Put away the fireworks and other silly attempts to entertain. Nothing matches the beauty or magnitude of what Mother Nature dishes out.

Konbini and clusters of manga shoppers

What would Japan be without the konbini, or convenience stores? They're everywhere, and people flock to them no matter what their socio-economic status, it seems to me. I see business men, students, housewives, office clerks, and "salarymen" using them to buy everything from bottled water, to take-out dinners, to the ever-present manga, or comic books. Manga are read everywhere by almost every age group. For an example of what manga look like, click here.

They're a huge business in Japan and even business men sit on trains openly reading manga without any embarrassment at all. Their themes range from science fiction to super heroes (for men and women), to violence and sex, and dozens of other themes. They're designed for all age groups, including very young children, teenagers, college students, and "for adults only."

The konbini has flocks of customers standing around the magazine rack where they peruse the latest catalog-thick isues before slapping down as little as 200 yen (roughly $2) or so for their reading pleasure. How can books compete at that price?

Capturing worldwide attention is the spinoff of manga, anime , the animated version of manga. Its market in the U.S. is over $2 billion annually and growing by leaps and bounds. Along with the TV anime market and the fast-growing video and DVD rental segment, is the anime toy shops that are popping up all across the U.S. Girls seem to prefer Sailor Moon, Fushigi Yuugi or Revolutionary Girl Utena. Men prefer such anime as Inuyasha, Dragon Ball, Yu Yu Hakusho, Tokyo Pig, and Hamtaro.

This Japanese export is a hot ticket in the American economy and I'm sure manga and anime will become as big in the U.S. as they are now in Japan. What an interesting phenomenon.

Cacophony of sounds

Opening my window today, I was greeted by a cacophony of sounds. One of the sounds came from the cicadas, enormous flying insects that are often called locusts, although they aren't actually locusts. I've seen some dead ones lying on the sidewalks and they appear to be two or three inches long, with large brown wings.

Their sound is an ear-piercing "acoustic song" that's made only by the males, and is "the loudest produced by any insect." I believe it! I can't even begin to imagine the number of them singing in the trees outside my window right now.

Another mind-numbing sound is the cawing made by huge crows that harass smaller birds and cats. One day I heard a cat and crow in a screeming match. My worst fear was that the crow was carrying off a kitten, as they are known to do. Their nest raids are also well known. Despite their murderous tendencies (perhaps the reason for a group of crows being called a "murder of crows"), I have to admit to being quite fond of their intelligence and trickery. I've even written a children's story about how a crow saved the earth, a re-telling of an ancient, indigenous tale.

Adding to the cicada and crow cacophony is the cooing sound of pigeons and the woeful sounds of mourning doves. There's the screech of another bird, but I can't identify it. I hear it's call, which sounds like a car door buzzer or an annoying alarm clock.

Discovering new places that sweat

As I write this, at noon, the temperature is 97F or 36C. I'm discovering parts of my body I never knew had sweat glands. Did you know that knees can sweat? If it's humid enough, your entire body can sweat copiously. Even though I keep thinking my makeup will last until I get to work, by the time I get there it's been blotted off with the wash cloth I now carry in my purse at all times. I've taken to wearing waterproof mascara, so at least my blonde eyelashes remain tinted brown.

When I first saw women carrying opened umbrellas when there was no rain, I chuckled to myself, amused by the quaintness. I'm from Seattle, and unless it's raining buckets, we pride ourselves on never opening an umbrella. That's for tourists or whimps. Now, however, I've taken to carrying an opened umbrella under the blazing sun. It's at least 5 degrees cooler, I think, under the umbrella.

I've also noticed women, and some men, wearing white gloves, but I'm not sure of the exact reason. My guess is that, for the women, they're trying to avoid getting those ugly age spots on the tops of their hands. For the men, maybe it's because of previous skin cancer and they're now protecting against further overexposure to the sun's damage.

The heat is so oppressive. When I'm not working, I stay in my air conditioned room at the guesthouse because the rest of the house is blazing hot. The management apparently has a no AC mandate because, while there are two large AC units in the living room, no one has ever turned them on. Trying to use the kitchen to cook, or the living room to watch a little TV, is futile because of the bloody heat. Only the most heat-resistant tenants, such as the Sri Lankans or Indians or Pakistanis, can handle these temperatues and continue to cook and watch TV. They don't even use the AC units in their rooms, choosing instead to leave their apartment doors open to the hallway and bank of windows that run the length of the hall.

Those of us who are American or British or Australian remain in our rooms, isolated from any possibility of good, friendly conversation.

Earthquake Blog?

I hope this doesn't become a trend, but for the second Saturday in a row Tokyo experienced an earthquake. This one was a 5.5 on the Richter scale and occured at 3:11pm just as classes ended and teachers were writing up their class notes in the teachers' lounge. The building shook and swayed in a rolling motion. It seemed to go on for a very long time, and I wondered if this was going to be the big one . Fortunately, it subsided and everybody laughed. In fact, quite a few teachers barely seemed to notice it at all. Some of us looked out the second storey window and people in the street down below were either unphased or hadn't noticed anything. To read more about the quake, go here.

Earthquake update

I did a search on the Japan Times Website and discovered that the quake Saturday night registered 4.9 at its epicenter, but only 2 in Tokyo. You can read more about it here if you're interested.

Never tempt Mother Nature

There's been a ferocious thunderstorm circling the area for the past few hours, but at the moment it seems to have waned. Each ear-splitting crack sounded like mortar fire and made me want to dive under my bed like I remembered doing as a child. Glancing over at my one-inch thick futon planted firmly on the tatami floor, I realized I had no place to hide.

For a while, a nearby dog cried with the most pitiful whimper. There are huge trees all around the area where I live, but I know there are many houses up the hill just past those trees. The dog must live in one of those houses. After a short while, I didn't hear its whimper anymore, so I hope its owner rescured the poor thing.

The storm dropped torrents of rain and the air now feels cooler. I turned off my AC and opened the window to let in the nice breeze. What a relief from the hideous 37C temperatures and humidity of the last few days. I know the cooler air won't last long so I'm enjoying it while it's here.

Amazingly, during the worst of the storm and while grotesque fingers of lightning flicked across the skies, I saw several people walking down my hill carrying opened umbrellas! Trees, umbrellas and lightning. Now, that's just crazy!

My first earthquake in Japan

Forgot to mention that Saturday night around 8pm, while sitting in the Irish pub, an earthquake rattled the joint. It seemed that no one really paid too much attention since it was pretty mild. I've lived in California and Seattle where earthquakes are taken in stride, so this didn't seem too noteworthy. My co-worker and I felt several light aftershocks. I didn't happen to notice if it made the news since I rarely watch TV and haven't talked to anyone since Saturday night.

Caution: Drinking in Japanese

Last night after work another teacher and I went to an Irish pub for a drink. For some reason, Irish culture seems to be of interest here, and quite a few Irish pubs and restaurants have sprung up in the Tokyo area.

Along with our brews we ordered fish and chips which unfortunately turned out to be nothing like that served in Irish pubs. No matter. The place started filling up and we soon realized it was their anniversary celebration. Along came two Irish musicians with a violin, guitar and accordian to entertain us. (Made me feel like doing a little step-dancing!) They were very good and even spoke Japanese!

After each song, they asked questions about anything Irish, such as how many pubs in Ireland (over 10,000) and how many Irish pubs in New York City (over 1,000). My friend and I managed to answer several of the questions and won a few prizes.

First I won a telephone fob with a miniature "pint" of beer that lights up when a call comes in. Then we each won a couple of bottles of vodka "Ice" which I had never heard of before, but they tasted just like something else I had been buying at the grocery store. When I questioned my friend about them, she burst into laughter. What I had thought were cans of carbonated grapefruit juice turned out to be alcoholic drinks! We both went into hysterics visualizing the possibility that I might have brought one to work to drink while teaching a student!

I'm really going to have to learn to read Japanese packaging!

What's your sign, er, blood type?

During introductions with one of my chattier male students, I was asked the strangest question. What's your blood type?

Now I've been asked a lot of questions since arriving in Japan, but this is the first time someone has asked me my blood type! A teacher I work with told me that it's common in Japan to ask people their blood type, sort of like in the 80s when everyone asked "what's your sign?" Apparently it's quite important to know people's blood types, and in Japan my understanding is that Type A is considered good. Go here or here to read more about this.

I told my student that I was Type A and he looked so surprised. He kept saying "Type A? Type A? You're Type A?"

Another teacher told me that for men Type A is considered the best, but for women it's not so good. Too aggressive. Hmm.

Each day in Tokyo is like opening an encyclopedia of new information!

Shibuya: Meet at Hachiko and people watch

Before going to work Tuesday I decided to get on the train and head for Shibuya. How to describe Shibuya? It's an unbelievably crowded and bustling area of Tokyo that's quite popular with the younger Tokyoites who use it as a meeting place. In a web site called Tokyo Essentials, they describe it as:

" Vibrant, lively, fun, faddish, crowded, cramped, and busy, and the streetwise love it! Shibuya is another shopping and entertainment district situated in the west of Tokyo. . .Alongside its huge department stores it's also famous for the studios of NHK, the Olympic gymnasium, "Love Hotel Hill" and "Hachiko" - the tear-jerking statue of a dog." (Note: The statue is a memorial to a loving and faithful dog who met his master at the train station every evening. When the master died suddenly at work, the dog continued to look for him at the station each evening for nine years, until his own death. For more about Hachiko, go here or here.)

Another description is: "Shibuya, where youth fashion is born."

I browsed through the shops in the train station, especially the one that's a wonderland of culinary delights. It's massive not only in size, but also in the variety of foods it has on display. Every conceivable delicacy is there to taunt you as you stroll by the hundreds of mini-shops and counters. I watched a young woman inside a glass-enclosed bakery area as she meticulously aligned every succulent whole strawberry atop a gorgeous torte and then bathed it in a glistening coat of glaze. It reminded me of the exquisite displays I had seen in Paris.

Presentation is paramount in Japan, and these food shops have refined it to the utmost art form.

I spent a couple of hours just wandering around inside the train station, taking in as many of the shops as I could. I wanted to get out to explore more of Shibuya, but the heat was so intense that I decided to attempt it another time. I had been to Shibya once before when I needed to find a CitiBank to cash my paycheck and vowed to go back. It's a place where you could do nothing but people watch and have memories to last you a lifetime!

Don't forget to wear clean underwear

In a June 27 post, I wrote that men were not allowed to try on shirts before buying them. Today I asked one of my students, a young electrical engineer, if that was true. He said men could try on shirts as long as they were wearing an undershirt. Maybe in some cases it also depends on the store. In this heat I can understand why stores would be reluctant to let anyone try on clothing!

Tokyo's poster child

I saw the cutest little boy get on the train yesterday afternoon. He was about 7 years old and dressed smartly in his little navy blue short pants, white short-sleeved shirt, black loafers, navy knee socks, and a white yachting-style cap. He also had the standard Japanese private school accessory strapped on his back--an enormous and heavy-looking black leather backpack that looks more like luggage than a backpack, emblazoned with a Mercedes-Benz symbol.

He threw himself down onto an empty seat across from several small school girls dressed in their female version of the same uniform. In their case, navy skirts instead of short pants. As he sat there, more slouched than sitting, with his legs sprawled out in front of him, he held up an ice pack to his little sweaty head. His face was a picture of utter defeat at this ungodly heat.

There was a poster child for all the misery people are feeling during this dreadful month of July.

Bow-lingual

Still trying, off and on, to learn more about my new cell phone. I just discovered that it has a feature called "bow-lingual," which will translate a dog's bark so you can understand its mood. Of course, this is an extra subscription cost and I'm not feeling the dying need to subscribe. A friend told me they also have it available for interpreting a cat's meow. Seems easier to just get to know your pet better.

More features than Cineplex theaters

First off, let me say that I am not a technophobe. I love technology. I even worked in technology for several years, so that's not the issue. What infuriates me is that so many technical writers are incapable of writing software manuals that are in the least bit helpful. They assume you already know everything about their product, including how to use it!

For at least the last four hours I've been trying to learn how to use all the bells and whistles on my new cell phone. It's really a work of art, compared to what I had in the U.S. This baby even has a barcode and text scanner! Now I'm just trying to imagine when I would ever use such features. I can record movies, take photos, surf the 'net, listen to music, play games. . .well, you get the idea. It's got more features than Cineplex theaters.

So far, after four hours, I've managed to set the ring tones, adjust the text size, enter about ten names with phone numbers, accidentally delete three of those ten numbers, lose a telephone message, call a wrong number, and choose a new wallpaper design. The fact that my phone is bilingual is of very little help since all the really important key shortcuts are in Japanese. I finally had to ask a resident of the guesthouse to help me figure out what key I was supposed to use to enter phone numbers, and of couse it was one of three that have only Japanese characters on them.

Using the manual has been of no help. While the Japanese section is 95 percent of the book, the English section is abridged and difficult to navigate. I went to the Vodafone Web site and downloaded the manual as a bunch of PDF files, but they're in about 15 different files, and finding what I need is like going on safari and hoping I'll stumble into the right area. The terminology is not bilingual and nothing is straightforward or easy to find. Feh!

Pass me the remote

As I've said before in my blog, I'm somewhat surprised by the types of hobbies or interests my students list in their profiles. As a comparison, in Seattle I would expect to see such things as skiing, snowboarding, hiking, bicycling, and backpacking or even reading, movies, and food.

In Tokyo I've seen such things as "drinking beer," "sleeping," and "watching TV." There are many who say they like to travel, but almost always it's related to business trips.

Is the lack of interest in active hobbies because people are just too tired? Or is it something else that I don't yet understand about Tokyoites?

The ubiquitous wash cloths

Everywhere I go, people are mopping their brows, faces and necks with wash cloths. Now I've even seen a few people carrying small towels, not just wash cloths. I started off carrying tissues, but this is the kind of heat where wimpy tissues are useless. You'd need to carry boxes and boxes of tissues to handle this clothes-soaking sweat.

In a way, I'm glad to see others are now suffering as much as I've been over the past few weeks. Before, it seemed that I was the only one noticing the heat, but now everyone is miserable. People are cranky. People are hot and tired and dreading the next two months of this unbearable heat. Temperatures are in the 90s with humidity nearly as high. There's so much moisture in the air that it's hard to breathe, and the same hill I've been walking up to get to my train station now seems like Mt. Everest. By the time I get midway I have to stop to catch my breath. By the time I reach the top I'm drenched and gasping like a fish out of water.

Will I ever be able to adapt to this suffocating blanket of heat?

Bear looking for auto parts?

As most of my friends know, I'm quite intrigued by bears. For a while I lived in an area along the coast of Oregon where there's a hefty population of black bears. They wandered through the neighborhood at will, eating huckleberries and blackberries. I even managed to get a few pictures of one who decided to lounge in my front yard.

Now that I'm living in the greater Tokyo area, I didn't expect to be reading anything in the newspapers about bears, but this article appeared Monday. I couldn't help wondering if maybe all the bear really wanted was a few replacement parts for a car damaged while sniffing out snacks in the back seat!

Wild bears injure 4 in Iwate, Hiroshima

Monday, June 28, 2004 at 05:00 JST
TOKYO — Four people suffered various injuries Sunday after being attacked by bears in Hiroshima and Iwate prefectures, police said.

A 30-year-old man sustained head and back injuries when a bear entered an office at an automobile parts factory in Akitakada, Hiroshima Prefecture, and attacked him.

We will. . .we will. . .rock you

The GuestHouse anniversary party was in full swing by the time I got home from work last night. I was so tired I just went to my room, thinking I would go downstairs later. When I finally did, it was around 9pm and things were absolutely wild. What a loud and raucous party! They even had an emcee (or DJ) or whatever, and the whole house was rockin' to the beat! I took one look in the living room and there were people everywhere. Most of the food and drinks were already gone, so I just slowly backed away from the door and went back to my room. It was too much to handle, and I was, by far, the oldest person there, so I didn't want to be--to use a Las Vegas term--a "cooler."

Most of the noise died down around 11pm, but there were quite a few people running, literally, running up and down the halls, screaming and laughing, and pounding on doors. Sounded like everyone was having a good time. There were some fireworks, and one guy I know here ended up burning his chin and neck a little bit when something he was doing caught him on fire! He's OK, just a couple of small burns, but I saw him this morning and he was telling me about it. Don't know exactly what he was doing, but it had something to do with breathing fire. . .wild party, right?

I'm surprised the neighbors didn't call the cops--or maybe they did and that's why things quieted down so suddenly at 10:30.

Well, I took a little break and went downstairs to bring in my laundry and there were a couple of people I know hanging out in the kitchen, so I asked them about the party. They said the police were called by the neighbors because of the noise. Guess that means it was a successful party, right? Anyway, the management begged people to leave, so most of them finally did around 11 or so, but a few hung on until around 12. I went to bed around that time anyway and didn't hear anything more because I had the AC on.

Food is my happiness!

Last weekend I was doing a lesson about food and all the various flavors we enjoy such as salty, sweet, sour and spicy. My student was a very hip young man who manages a store in the upscale Roppongi Hills area of midtown Tokyo. After we worked on all the different flavors of food and talked about examples of these types of foods, I asked him if he had a favorite food. His response was something I'll never forget: "Food is my happiness!"

Of all the things we can say about food, I thought that was an eloquent and succinct summation.

In training

The storm has settled down and things are heating up. It was the first day of summer, officially Monday, so people seem to think that's why it got hot so fast. I slept with my window open last night and didn't have to get up at all to turn on the AC, so that was great! The rain cooled things off just a tiny bit to enjoy the evening.

Today, however, I've had the AC on for most of the day--at least the part when I've been home. Work felt like a walk-in refrigerator--but I'm not complaining. It felt quite nice, actually.

I saw a Starbucks packaging ripoff at the grocery store today. They have a pre-packaged latte in a paper cup with lid and straw that looks, at first glance, exactly like a Starbucks product. Upon closer inspection, the green circle logo contains a picture of a snow-capped mountain and the words "Mt. Rainier." Can't believe they're getting away with it, especially since Starbucks coffee shops are so popular over here.

I opened something today that I thought was orange-flavored yogurt, but in a bigger carton, and it definitely was not yogurt. I'm still trying to figure out what it was. It had the consistency of Jell-O, kind of, and it was orange. No milk or cream at all. It was just this orange, wiggly stuff inside. It was sort of sweet, but not too much. The Japanese are not big on really sweet stuff. Then I got to wondering if I had eaten orange juice concentrate. But it wasn't frozen or in a long, thick can like frozen orange juice concentrate. It was in a carton that looked exactly like a yogurt container. Anyway, I bought three different flavors, so I guess I'll be eating the rest of them soon.

There are just so many images I want to capture, but I'm still reluctant to whip out my camera. Like tonight, for example. I've seen this a lot, but for some reason tonight it really hit my funny bone as the business men piled into the express train around 9:30 (I was heading home from work). I always let the express go, even though I want to take it because it's so much faster, but if you could see what it looks like as the train pulls out of the station, you would either recoil in horror, or laugh. And laugh is what I did tonight. It's so darn funny to see all these people smashed against the doors, literally with their cheeks pressed into the glass. No matter how tired I am or how soon I want to get home, nothing is worth that kind of discomfort! (quote me in a few months!)

So when I did get on the train, it was the local which is also quite crowded at that hour, but not as bad as the express. After a few stops where people got off, I got a chance to sit down. I love to observe all the cute young girls (20s or so) who end up sitting next to some big, ugly guys who want to fall asleep on their shoulders. The girls have this down to a science and it's absolutely hysterical to watch! For the most part, they have all the body language of someone saying, "eiwuuuuuuu! don't come near me you creep!" The guys usually ignore that and proceed to "fall asleep" faster than you can say "now's my chance." They lean and sway and bob to the rhythm of the train clacking down the tracks, all the while their heads are getting closer and closer to the girl's shoulder.

The girls, for the most part, are on alert (even though their own eyes are closed and their heads tipped downward) and ready to jump into action. There's a whole series of "proper etiquette" and those girls who are really cute and more outgoing will simply give a heave-ho with the shoulder closest to the "wannabe prince charming." This usually knocks him back over into his own space. The guys who are really good at this game never skip a beat. Their eyes remain closed, mouths gape open a bit and it starts in all over again. If the guy reeks of beer, it's usually even more fun to watch! I've seen girls move forward in their seats a little just to get some leverage from their elbows which end up in the guys ribs! This will usually put a stop to the game.

The less pretty girls have a little different strategy, usually. I've seen them take quite a bit from the big oafs before fighting back. They all, whether pretty or not, get this look that crosses their faces. I wish I could capture it on camera. The look is as though they have just smelled something so entirely offensive that they might throw up. Their brows furrow, the tip of one lip pulls up from the "smell" and they become completely revolted by the would-be "sleepy lover." There's usually a series of shoulder bumping, but I've also seen girls who literally make themselves smaller. They seem to suck their shoulders together in an attempt to keep any part of their body from coming in contact with these slobs. As the guy weaves dangerously close to falling on her shoulder, the girl will throw a punch with that shoulder. I've also seen girls lean away in the other direction, as far as she can go, to keep away from the sleeper--all the while holding that same disgusted look on her face.

I couldn't take my eyes off the performance tonight. You can't pay for entertainment this good!

Another thing I've noticed is that most of the young girls have this full-time pout on their faces. Even if they're walking with the cutest guy on the planet, they maintain a perpetual pout. There's nothing any of these guys can do to be good enough for this kind of gal.

And one more thing, many girls seem to walk with this funny foot-dragging thing--whether they're in sandals, heels or whatever. They have created an art form out of this. Many of them wear thong-sandal-heels and they seem incapable of actually lifting a foot to take a step. It's quite odd to see, actually. Most of the time they come across as these little baby girls dressed in their mother's heels, trying to walk. Most amusing.

The exaggerated pointed-toe shoes have taken their toll on so many young feet. I was shocked to see how many are disfigured. Their big toes are bent over, often pointing to the second toe. It reminds me of the 60s when so many women ended up with the same disfigured feet from wearing those pointy-toed heels.

Anyway, that's enough of my latest observations. There's just so much, I could go on and on.

Sexual revolution

I always ask students to tell me a little about themselves, and it's been quite interesting to hear how they prioritize their lives. The men almost always completely focus on their work (like the U.S. I suppose), but when I ask Japanese men what kinds of hobbies or interests they have, most of them look a little startled and really have to think about that question. I have to prod them a bit and give them some ideas of what might be hobbies or interests, then they'll say something like reading books or playing golf once or twice a year. They just don't seem to be able to look at their lives as having room for hobbies or other interests. I've also never heard any Japanese man talk about things they like to do with their families. Kind of sad, isn't it?

Also, I would say that at least half of the female students are unmarried and still living at home, even though they're in their 30s. From what I've heard, they are the women who are now considered "unmarriageable." As for the men, while the older ones are no longer living with their parents, many of them are unmarried. I heard that for many Japanese women, they'd rather stay single because the men have been too spoiled by their mothers. Maybe there's a sexual revolution going on in Japan.

As an aside about the marital status of the Japanese, I must find out if married men usually do not wear wedding rings. The reason why I'm wondering is because I see very few Japanese men wearing them.

Dogs on parade!

It seems that everyone in Tokyo has a dog, and they love them dearly and take them everywhere! I'm going to have to start taking pictures of them. Most of the dogs are tiny, but I've seen a woman walking her black lab early every morning near the guesthouse. I've also seen a yellow lab, but big dogs are rare for obvious reasons. Tonight when I came home--around 6pm--it seemed that my entire neighborhood was out walking their dogs. It looked like a dog parade. How cute!

I saw a cute little kitty on the way home from work Thursday night. I was so startled to see it running toward me on the sidewalk! It was around 10pm, and I have never seen a cat in my neighborhood. The street is narrow, but cars go up and down it very fast, so I was terrified that the little kitty might dart out into the street. How nerve wracking! I spoke to it, and it had the most interested look on its face, like it wanted me to pick it up and take it home. Oh, how I wanted to! I just kept walking and didn't look back--as cars drove madly down the street. People here don't let their animals stray, so I worried that it had gotten out accidentally.

I hope it got home safely.

Sewers and trash

It's getting hotter and hotter every day, and this will continue now through July and August. I don't know how I'm going to manage. It will really be a test of my stamina and endurance.

The sewers are getting pretty stinky now with the heat. If the breeze comes from the "right" direction it can be pretty awful! It's only happened in certain areas as I've walked, and especially around sewer vaults. Remember, Tokyo is quite old, and the infrastructure is pretty rustic. For example, the sewer and water pipes are not completely underground. Well, they are in a way, but it's hard to explain. The sidewalks are lined on one side (toward the houses) with a long row of large, concrete tiles with "hand grips" on two sides. Those tiles cover the sewer/water system, and workers can get easy access to them if there are problems.

It's quite amazing how little garbage people put out for pickup. Nobody uses large trash cans like at home. They just use plastic trash bags (like kitchen trash bags or smaller) and it's usually full of empty beer cans.

Anyway, I'm amazed at how little trash people have, especially considering all the extra packaging everything seems to come in! The trash is picked up often, though. Where I live, it's picked up four times a week. I guess it has to be often if people don't have trash cans. Today when I walked to work someone had set out several white plastic bags that were filled with really nice-looking blankets and other linens! I so wanted to stop and rummage through them (I know, I'm sounding more like a bag lady everyday) but if you had seen them, you might have wanted them too! They were really beautiful! I couldn't imagine why anyone would throw such nice things away. I mean, at least give them to needy people! (Despite Japan's attempts to convince the world that there are no poor people in Japan, I actually saw a couple of young women sleeping on blankets in front of the supermarket near work. Now, either they were anxious to get in as soon as the store opened in the morning, or they were street people. There was something on the news a couple of days ago about a new law being passed to provide some housing for street people, so I know they're here.)

Living on a tight budget

Yesterday I taught 9 classes although I was scheduled for 10. The last one of the day cancelled at the last minute so I got to go home early. Among the teachers, that's known as a "gift from the gods." Today I taught 10. That's quite a bit of teaching over two days. The other 15 classes are spread out over 3 evenings.

I never thought I'd be able to take on so many classes so quickly, but it's amazing how fast you get into the hang of it. There's only 5 minutes between classes to write a short note about the previous class, prepare for the next student and run to the bathroom. I had one 40-minute break for lunch today, so I ran across the street to the supermarket and got a small takeout meal of rice, shredded egg strips, and a couple pieces of sashimi artfully arranged on top. It was quite tasty, and at only $3.40. I also bought a bag of very tiny grapes which I brought home tonight to snack on.

Most of the food is so incredibly expensive! I gasp every time I have to go shopping! I'll never complain again about food prices in America! It's a little startling to walk down the produce aisle and see 4 kiwi for $6.98, or a large apple for $3 or $4. Cantaloupe-type melons are about $8 each. A watermelon slice (maybe about 1/4 of a small melon) is about $4. The half pound or so of grapes I bought was $4. Peaches will be ripe soon, and I'm dying to have one, but I know they will cost about $4 each.

Clothing is also extremely expensive. My feet are swollen from the heat so I've had only one pair to wear that I can still fit into. (I've worn them everyday for a month now.) Women have to wear heels (short ones, at least, with NYLONS) to work everyday, so I've been trying to find a beige pair of heels to buy. The cheapest ones I've found were at the train station where there's a cut-rate kind of store. Even there, they were $59. In the department stores, they're at least $100 for the cheapest ones.

Oh, a note about nylons. I finally found knee highs and they were quite inexpensive. I got 5 pair for $2.98. The really great thing about them is that they're cut shorter so they're not all the way up past my knees, which is nice. Also, they're a much lighter weight and don't feel as hot as my American ones. I'm thinking about buying Japanese pantyhose because they're probably also cooler than the ones I brought with me.

Simple, basic women's shirts are $69 and up. I bought a pair of summer-weight pants for work that were on the 50% discount rack and were $75 on sale. They were the only pants I could find in my size at any of the stores where I've gone. Probably another reason why they were on sale.

Most of the clothes are in size 0-4. They're cut differently, too. Sleeves are shorter as well as slimmer, and the arm holes are tighter. Pants are cut with no room for hips. Many foreigners have to mail order clothing or buy things when they take trips home. The only problem with that is the weight of the fabrics is heavier, and the styling is much different.

One of the teachers from Canada told me he had to throw away all his summer suits because they're unwearable here. The fabrics of our clothes from home are much heavier--even the summer fabrics. He said his Japanese suits were extremely light-weight and much cooler. I happened to notice a Japanese businessman on the train yesterday who was wearing another version of a summer-weight suit. In his case, the fabric was so light weight that I could see his white shirt through the back of his black suit. The lining was cut away. Overall, the effect was not particularly pleasing. Maybe he was just wearing one of the cheaper models.

Usually, the classrooms are air conditioned, but sometimes there's a battle going on between who likes it warm and who likes it cold, so I never know what to wear. None of the clothes I brought with me are anywhere near cool enough for my comfort, and I'm usually drenched with sweat by the time I get to work. Even the trains are often hot. Everyone told me the trains are air conditioned, but that's not entirely true. For some ungodly reason, they seem to think it gets cold at night (down into the high 60s or low 70s, but still very humid), so for early morning commuters, the heat is often on! It's not until the trains are completely packed and everybody's boiling to death that they finally turn on the AC.

On the mornings that I have to work, I leave around 6:30 or 6:45 and try to catch a train no later than 7, but it's usually very humid and hot even at that time of day. I've liked working evenings because, until lately, there's been a nice cool-ish breeze when I walk home around 10pm from the train station. My room, however, is always hot and smells strange because of the tatami mats. They smell like mildew (probably why I have developed an allergy), so I have taken to lighting incense to get rid of the smell. I'd like to have an air cleaner but I'm sure they're very expensive. When I priced curling irons, the cheapest was around $80 so I'm sure air cleaners are several hundred.

Nothing seems very affordable, but the other teachers have told me it will all seem different when I start thinking in yen instead of dollars, and especially when I'm paid in yen. We'll see.

Muggy Sunday

It was muggy and raining most of the day--well, not real rain, more the misty kind of rain. I went to the grocery store and spent at least an hour there, just looking around at everything, trying to figure out what I needed to buy--or rather, what I could identify. When I think of fixing a simple stir fry or something, I can't find the ingredients I'm used to using, especially the seasonings. I'm going to have to go with one of the housemates here to get a shopping lesson.

I did manage to buy oranges, kiwis and tomatoes, so that was good. And I bought a couple of pre-made salads. I had one tonight for dinner and it was quite good, but I had forgotten to buy salad dressing or vinegar. I had olive oil, but didn't have any vinegar, so one of the residents here let me have a couple tablespoons of her rice vinegar. It tasted very good.

Tonight there were so many people cooking in the kitchen. It was amazing to watch them. I didn't want to look too inept, so I only
came in and glanced around a couple of times. I'm sure they're wondering what the heck I'm doing there. One girl has been really
helpful. She was an exchange student in Kansas (of all places) and speaks English very well, so she's an enormous help. Most of the other residents are Japanese, Korean, or Indian. I would say that the ratiois two men to one woman. They've just been super to me, and are always very helpful.

Let's see. What else is there to tell you about? Oh, I'm also trying to find out how I can get a phone-- soon ! It's making me crazy not to have one!

When I came back from shopping today, I was so tired--again. The humidity really knocks the stuffing out of me. I unpacked all my things and put them away, and then laid down for a nap. That was around 4:30 and I didn't get up until 7:00. I think I need to get some kind of air mattress or frame to get me up off the floor. My hips are really screaming at me and I'm doing so much tossing and turning at night. I think it would help if I had a little more padding on the floor. These American bones just aren't used to sleeping on the floor (even with the tatamis).

I saw a guy walking his dog today, and it was completely outfitted in a rain coat and pants. Poor thing. It must have been roasting to death inside! I've seen so many dogs being walked, and most of them are really tiny. People do seem to love their little dogs here. I haven't seen any strays at all.

Is all business done in person?

I just got back from making my "gaijin," or foreigner, application. Good thing Hisae went with me because the guy there didn't speak any English. Why do they have people working in an alien registration department who can't speak anything but Japanese? Is that just too much to ask? What about publishing some kind of booklet in several languages for people to refer to when making application for their "foreigner" card? How many years have foreigners been working/living in Japan? Hasn't anyone had time to consider the need for such a booklet? I'm not complaining, just making an observation.

Anyway, it took about 1-1/2 hours to APPLY and get my 4 "Stamps" (which I must give to the bank, the cell phone place, my apartment and anyone else who asks for "proof" of my status in Japan--for $3.00 each). In two weeks, I have to go back in person to pick up my card. Has anyone here heard of using the postal service? I have to keep going to all these places in person! What a waste of time!

So, now I'm back in my apartment, doing laundry. The sun is out today and no rain, so it's a good time to get laundry hung out to dry. Then I'm going to take a short nap and dream about having my gaijin card so I can finally be official. Once I have that document I'll have to go register with my local ward. Another bureaucratic challenge, I'm sure. Foreigners are required to make their presence known in the neighborhood where they're living. Sort of like registering sex offenders.

Another sample, please

Just got back from the grocery store and I'm ready to fall in front of the A/C! It's muggy, but at least there's a nice breeze. The fact that it's a 6 block walk--each way--and that I was carrying bottled water, cooking oils, a few cans of beer and other heavy stuff--made me wonder if maybe I need to buy one of those "granny carts" to drag along behind me.

My little 1.5 cu. ft. fridge just doesn't hold more than a day or two of stuff in it, so I need to shop a couple times a week to restock. Most of the time I try to do it when I'm coming back "home" on the train, but this past week I've been getting back so late, the stores are already closed (and I'm too tired anyway).

Today I went to a different store than I usually go to (it's supposed to be cheaper than the one at the train station), and this old security guard must have decided I was there to steal everything or to bomb the store. He followed me everywhere. I even caught him looking over my shoulder. He must have had to get up on his tip toes to see what I had in my hand (my palm pilot/shopping list). Every aisle I walked down, there he was "surreptitiously" following me. I checked out and realized that a few things I still needed were upstairs. I'm still trying to get used to the idea of having to go up stairs or escalators to do all my shopping. Most stores are not laid out all on one floor. Anyway, I had my paid-for groceries in my Trader Joe bag and went upstairs to get a couple more things. Paid for those, went back down the stairs and started to head out of the store with my two bags. The guard barked something at me behind my back and I just kept on walking--didn't even look back. I was just waiting for him to accuse me of something! I was in no mood for any crap and would have really blasted him, considering I had all my receipts in my bag! Anyway, he didn't follow me or say anything further. Don't mess with a middle-aged, sweaty, tired woman!

Oh, but the good part was, as I was buying my 2 cans of beer (a 6-pack is around $12 for the cheap stuff!) a young store clerk offered me a sample of something at a little sample stand (like at Costco). I asked what it was and I thought she was trying to tell me it was apple juice. So she poured some from a can and I glugged it down. It was beer!!! Now that's a cool sample stand! She was so cute. Couldn't have been more than about 20 years old, but she was so happy to have me try this wonderful new product! She kept trying to tell me something, and then she finally pointed to the back of the can where she said there were only "105" of something. I think it must have been a low-cal beer. Then she said something about "very popular in America." I thought about asking for seconds, but decided not to.

Service, and then some. . .

There are so many things I want to tell you about. I wish my eyes were cameras so they could record all that I'm seeing.

It's astounding how many people are employed doing almost meaningless jobs. For example, at the train station during the rush hours, there are young men in crisply starched and ironed uniforms and white gloves standing in a line parallel with the train platform, only a couple of arm lengths apart. Starting from the last train car, almost like a choreographed performance, a man will raise one gloved hand in the air and then drop it straight down. The man next to him will do the same thing. . .so on and so on, all the way down the entire line, until the last man makes the signal and the train pulls away. Is this an all-clear signal? The other day, added to this ritual, I saw what must have been the "big man" standing on a two-step soapbox kind of thing (nicely painted, of course). I think it was his job to stand there to monitor all the young men raising and dropping their arms. Talk about an inflated payroll!

Then there are the old people who are constantly sweeping and picking up cigarette butts or any other offending material. You will almost never see any trash in the train stations or on the platforms. In fact, there aren't even any trash bins! (I heard they were removed because of terrorism.)

Also, when you go into a shop there must be at least a handful of "shop girls" to wait on you--one to carry your item to the counter, one to take your money (as they ask you to have a seat "and relax"), one to go get the change, and at least one to wrap your item and put it in a bag. This goes on everywhere ! It's no wonder everything's so expensive. They've got all that overhead!

There are no CHEC medical-type places in Japan. If you feel the need to see a doctor, you usually go to the hospital where another half dozen or so people will tend to your needs. Someone at work told me that some of the hospitals close on weekends, so they drive patients to other hospitals that remain open over the weekends or holidays. I guess you're not supposed to get sick or injured during "off" hours. I was also told that the police departments are only open during "regular working hours." Apparently, Japanese criminals only commit crimes during work hours. I still need to find out if this is true or not.

As I looked out the window at work today into the window of a hair salon across the way, I noticed that, again, there were a number of people involved in the simple process of cutting and blow drying hair. I even watched two people blow dry one head of hair!

If you want service, come to Japan! But, be ready to pay dearly for it.

Latest discoveries

David told me that men are not allowed to try on shirts before buying them. I guess you just have to hope that you picked the right size! You can't return them for another size either. Weird system, isn't it? I guess men are supposed to know their exact measurements and buy accordingly.

One of the teachers at work told me how much it costs to get a driver's license. Are you sitting down? Unbelievably, it costs $3,000 to get a driver's license and about $2,500 to get one to drive a motorcycle. I said, no way, that can't possibly be true. That must include driving school or something else! But, several of the teachers told me it was true. I still can't believe it! I don't know if it's to discourage people from driving (and clogging the roadways even more), to fill Japan's government coffers, or what the deal is! Does that mean only the rich can afford to drive a car? Seems like it.

All the little critters

I saw a woman this morning out walking her two Welsh corgies. They're such strange looking dogs with their big chests and those short legs. I also saw a guy walking his very beautiful golden retriever. A couple of nights ago, I saw a man walking his smallish husky-type dog. I felt sorry for it with all that hair in this hot climate. I've also seen quite a few beagles. There was one little dog I got to pet who looked like a small fox. It had longish red fur, a very long pointy nose, small perky ears, and a bushy tail. I asked the man walking it if it was a puppy, but he shook his head no and held up two fingers, so it must have been two years old.

A few mornings ago there was a little black kitty who ran after people walking down the sidewalk, just crying and crying. It really broke my heart because it just looked so desperate to find its owner or to be picked up. I had my window open and heard it crying for at least 30 minutes. It wasn't the kind of cry of a cat in heat, it was a "I'm lost, somebody help me!" kind of cry. This was the second kitty now that I've seen in my neighborhood, and both times I've wanted to pick it up and take it home. It's so hard not having my own kitty!

Short-term solutions

I finally had to speak to one of the managers about the late-night noise at the guesthouse. I was very nice about it, and just asked if there was a way to ask people to be quiet after 11pm since so many people had to get up early to go to work. The gal said she would take care of it, and that night by 11pm everything was quiet. I was stunned! I got a good night's rest. However, the next night people were back to partying out on the patio until 3 or 4am--right under my window. So, I'm not sure how effective the "lecture" was from the manager. Now that it's getting so hot, even in the evening, I'll probably just have to close my window and run the AC. The only problem with that is I think the AC is exacerbating my cough. It must be an allergy because I don't feel sick, but if I take Contac it helps to stop the cough.

Things that go bump in the night

When I got back to my room tonight I changed clothes and reached into the closet for my little basket with soap, washcloth and toothbrush. As I picked it up, out ran this enormous cockroach! I screamed and threw the washcloth down on the floor, which happened to land right on top of the creature, so it stopped running and hid under the cloth. I didn't know what to do, so when in such a situation, call a man! I ran down the hall to a room where the door was open slightly and knocked on the door. It happened to be the room of a really nice Indian guy. He came, laughing, to see what it was that had scared me so badly. When he picked up the cloth, the cockroach ran over to my futon and hid under it. Aaarrrgghhh!!! UNDER MY FUTON! The guy just laughed and laughed and said not to worry, he would get it, which he did. On parting with the creature dangling dead, between his fingers, he said it was "that time of year." He said, "they come out with the heat." GREAT! That kind of news I don't need!

So now I'm trying to decide if I can go to sleep tonight--on the floor--and not visualize things crawling on me. I hate this!

Call me sensai!

Well, I'm officially a teacher! Thats what sensai means in Japanese.

I taught four classes tonight and it went well, I think, considering it was my first attempt at teaching English! My first class was with two 40-something women, both professionals. They were difficult students because they were such beginners. I really had to work at explaining things and getting them to construct complete sentences. The way it usually works is for a student to take two classes in a row, so I had them for a second class also. One of them was tape recording, so it made me a little nervous.

Then I taught a thoroughly polished professional woman, probably in her 40s also, who works in the technology field. She was very, very sharp and progressed nicely over her two lessons. We had a few good laughs and I think she enjoyed the lessons. She wants to prepare for a conference to be held in Europe next year.

Hit the jackpot!

I had a very productive evening at the guesthouse. For $25 I got a coffee table, a lamp, a chair, a folding chair, a 5-drawer dresser (plastic bins) on rollers, a couple of cute baskets with handles, 2 pants hangers (heavy duty),and some clothespins. Not too bad, huh?

The coffee table is very low, wood, about 3 x 2 with legs that fold up so that it can be stored flat. The chair is padded, with no legs, so it just sits right on the floor, but it's quite comfortable. Right now I've got my laptop on the coffee table, with the little lamp, and sitting
on my new chair. The only thing better would have been if I could have had first dibs on the air mattress to put under my futon, but someone else got that.

I wish you could have seen the guy's room who owned the coffee table. I cannot believe what all he had in that little tiny room (about 100 square feet) ! I tell you what, when you have to live in such small spaces, I guess you become very resourceful at how much stuff you can get into a room. He had a wrought-iron bed (slightly bigger than a single), a desk, dresser, and tons of storage cubes all over the place stacked clear to the ceiling. He also had rods that went completely across the room near the ceiling where he had tons of baskets hanging from hooks that held everything imaginable! On top of those rods, which were spaced close together, he had storage boxes. I couldn't believe my eyes! I'm sure there were lots more things--oh I saw a TV--but I didn't want to be rude and go inside to look. Unbelievable!

Everyone was wheeling and dealing, but for the most part, things were really cheap. I was looking for a laundry basket and a full-length mirror, but no one had one for sale, so I'll have to find one. I was also hoping to find a futon bed frame so I could get up off the floor. There's a gal who's going back to Australia next month, so I should ask her if she's got one. She said she had lots of stuff that she'll probably give away.

It was really fun to see everyone haul their stuff down to the living room and start bargaining. Oh, one guy gave me a Norah Jones CD. He said it was a bootleg CD from China, but the sound was perfect. He was a really cool guy who also teaches English. He's got a British accent but is Japanese. I took some pictures tonight while we were all eating dinner, but forgot to go back and get my palm pilot to take pictures of the flea market sale. Wish I could post pictures to this blog!

My wonderful friend, Hisae

My training is still ongoing, and I'll finish this Thursday. Then I have to wait for my paperwork to come through at immigation before I can actually start working--and that should be either late this week or early next week, I hope.

I stayed at my friend David's apartment the first 2 nights I was here, and then went to stay with one of his students. She's around my age, maybe a little younger, and was absolutely wonderful. She and her husband live in a house and it had an upstairs bedroom for me to use, including an air conditioner--the only one in the house! She's the most un-Japanese woman I've met here! I think she would much rather be living in Cuba, so she's taking Spanish lessons and going to salsa dancing classes. While most of the other Japanese dance students wouldn't recognize a Latin beat if their lives depended on it, Hisae (he-saw-eh) swings and sways to the rhythm like a native! Her heart and soul are filled with everything Cuban! I think she'd like to live there some day.

She was so wonderful I hardly know where to begin in telling you about all the things she did for me. The most important was helping me find housing. I moved into a gaijin (foreigner) house yesterday and am trying to get settled. It's hard to be in a place with so little privacy, and I'm hoping I won't be here long. I'd like to move into my own apartment, but in Tokyo it's necessary to have at least 3 or 4 months rent paid up front to rent an apartment Then there's the additional money for the real estate company, and another month's rent for "key" money for the landlord. It's essentially a "gift" to get approved to rent the apartment.

My room at the gaijin house is 6 tatami's big, or about a 10 x 10 room. I have a fairly good-sized closet, a small frig, and an AC. It also has a single futon on the floor. That's it. No other furniture. I fold my futon in thirds to make it a padded "chair" and lean up against the wall for back support.

Each day I have a 15-20 minute walk to and from the train station. At least half of the walk is up hill, so it's quite a workout--especially with the high temperatures and high humidity. By the time I get to the train station in the morning, I'm totally drenched. You could wring me out! Not the best way to start the day, I might add. I'm sweating buckets and trying to stay hydrated, but it's just about impossible. Everyone keeps telling me, "Just wait, it's not even summer yet!" Everytime I hear that I want to run, screaming, back to the Pacific Northwest! How do people live in this climate? Yesterday was a record breaker I heard, with a high of 91 and humidity around 80%. I try to leave extra early every morning (around 6:30) for my train ride to my training center. It takes about an hour from door to door. I thought it would be cooler at that hour, and less crowded on the train. Hah! No such luck!

My first morning on the rush hour train left me literally in tears. I was being crushed and bruised as throngs of men in black wedged themselves into every square inch of space. I got pushed along in the mass of bodies and held on for dear life. I don't even know how to describe how packed in we were! As I was shoved and battered, my eyes welled up as I did everything to keep from going into a complete panic attack. A nice, 50-something business man crushed next to me looked at my face and saw the tears and a look of stark terror cross my face. In the sweetest and most endearing way, he smiled and whispered, "It's OK, it's OK" as he managed to thread his arm behind my back and push against the crowd to give me a little more space. I was so grateful for his genuine act of compassion!

As we stopped at each station, the train took on even more passengers. The train employees would race over to the doors as they closed to make sure everyone was pushed completely inside. It was a nightmare beyond belief. The sides of peoples' faces were literally pressed tight against the glass doors, and you couldn't slip a dime between them. After that exprience, I decided to forego the express train and take one of the locals. That's where most of the women and children ride, leaving the express to the crazy business men.

I've managed to ride and transfer trains like a pro after only one week. Now I can get just about anywhere by train. Unfortunately, the trains are really, really expensive, so it's costing me a bloody fortune to get to and from work. After my training is completed, my employer will pay my monthly train fare, so that will help a lot. It costs about $12/day round trip.

Last Wednesday was a really rough day. I went to my training classes in the morning and then had to go to immigration in the heart of Tokyo. After waiting in line for 2-1/2 hours, I got up to the counter and the agent told me I was at the wrong office. I needed to go to Yokohama since that was where I was living. At work I had been told that everything had been centralized and was now located in Tokyo. Another big, fat hah! By that time I had to leave to go meet with my boss at 5:30pm at the learning center where I'll be working. I got to sit in on a class and spent some time with my mentor who will be monitoring my lessons for a few weeks. I had to stay until the last lesson, which made it 9:30pm by the time I got out of there. By the time I got to the house where I was staying, it was almost 10:30.

My friend Hisae had gone to a tango performance, so I guess her husband must have worried a little about what had happened to me since I wasn't home at the usual time of around 6:30. I'm still not sure about the details (things have a way of getting lost in translation), but he was there waiting for me at the train station at 10:30pm when I arrived, and handed me a bottle of hot tea that you can buy from vending machines. He doesn't speak any English, so I'm not exactly sure how he knew I would be on that train. Sure hope he wasn't there to meet every train!

Without exception, everyone I've met has been unbelieveably helpful and kind. After the late night train arrival, Hisae's husband dictated a note to her to give to me saying something like "I would like to take you out for sushi and kareoke Friday night." Every Japanese person asks me if I eat sushi, and when I say "yes," they're absolutely bowled over. They don't think Westerners can eat raw fish! Hah again! They were also stunned when I told them I eat miso soup and drink green tea! As for kareoke, I'm not giving up my day job! Hisae's husband, on the other hand, was quite good. While we sat in their very tiny neighhborood kareoke bar, some people came in and sat next to us. They were very surprised to see a foreigner there and began to ask me lots of questions. The man was a retired business man who had taken many trips to America, so his English was pretty good. When I tried to get up to leave with Hisae and her husband, the other people begged me to stay "just for 20 more minutes." They were so excited to have an American in their neighborhood!

Now that I'm in a gaijin (foreigner) house, I'm having to fend for myself for meals. Hisae saw to it that I was kept well fed. Her breakfasts were wonderful, but I kept asking her to please fix smaller meals, which she, of course, never did. Every day she went to the market and bought fresh vegetables and fruit, so I always had salads, fresh tomatoes, melon, mangos, yogurt and asparagus or some other vegetable. One day she made fresh spaghetti. It had chopped tomatoes, chili peppers (her Cuban influence, I think), fresh basil and slivers of ham. It didn't taste like any spaghetti I've ever had, but it was, nevertheless, delicious.

The day after my especially long day at work, I woke tired and frustrated at having to deal with finding my way to yet another immigation center. This time it involved several train transfers and a long walk to a place I couldn't find on any map. It was just one of those mornings, I guess, and I was feeling so tired of the beauracracy and inconvenience that I burst into tears at breakfast. Hisae jumped up from the table and grabbed a Hershey's chocolate bar to give me for comfort. It just cracked me up! I hadn't had any chocolate at all in Japan, and we had never even discussed chocolate, yet here she was using chocolate as comfort food! I still laugh every time I think about it. She seems to speak a universal language when it comes to chocolate. Her favorite expression was, "don't wowry!" I loved the way she said it, and that, too, made me laugh.

When I moved to the gaijin house, she called a taxi to drive me to it instead of letting me lug all my things on the train. She took me shopping for a sheet for my futon, and gave me a couple of gift boxes of towels and wash cloths and an individual plate, bowl and mug set. She also gave me a pair of jeans (that fit perfectly!), a few blouses, and a pair of dress slacks. Since she started salsa dancing, she's lost some weight so these clothes no longer fit her.

Every day is a whole new adventure here, and I keep wondering what the next day will bring. It's a land of so many contradictions. On the one hand, everything new is "improved" and desired. But, at the same time, the old ways of doing things (especially at work where an employee may not leave before the boss--and then only after waiting a full 10 minutes) are deeply entrenched. Even though ingenuity in electronics is famous worldwide, new ideas are looked at with a healthy serving of suspician. TV is the worst I've seen anywhere! News broadcasts are so completely boring and repetitious that you just want to weep. Newscasters read from hand-held notes and the camera work reminds me of stuff I did as a TV production student back in the 80s! I haven't seen a single Japanese-made TV program that is even remotely interesting. How can it be this bad? Hisae only had limited channels, so maybe cable channels are better. I don't know.

For anyone who has ever watched the Star Trek TV series, the Japanese remind me of the Borg, or collective. They're great at following orders and organizing details, but somewhere in the mix, they forget that we're supposed to be creative beings. I think that's why they love foreign fashion designers so much (they're never met a label they didn't love), because they create something new and different. The Japanese just lack the confidence to be daring and innovative. They're too afraid of making a mistake and being shamed.

That's also why so few of them speak English, even though they could diagram any sentence with the skill of a master grammarian. They're afraid to make a mistake and unwilling to take any chances. The government has mandated that all Japanese must learn to speak English and even offers monetary incentives to learn, yet when they study English they're far more concerned about how to use "present perfect tense" than in uttering a complete sentence.

It will be so interesting to actually teach English to Japanese students. I'm hoping that I can make it fun and useful.