Go Your Own Way

Alternative title “Cats are Racist”

Japanese Word of the Day
English: Nerd or enthusiast
Japanese: Otaku
Note: Otaku is often used with a word before it; “ketai otaku” is a cell phone enthusiast. In America, “otaku” has come to mean an anime otaku and used alone in Japanese, otaku can mean the same thing. It used to be kind of an insult but now it’s more used with pride, like ‘nerd’ in English.

Let’s talk about misconceptions. When you move to a foreign country, you will have many of them simply by virtue of having set things that in your home you feel safe to assume and often don’t even realize you assume. I got smacked in the face a bit by that on this trip. When Namba-san first invited me to his home I made the American assumption it would be a standalone house. Upon actually walking around Kyoto to his home I realized how completely ridiculous a notion it was that anyone other than the emperor would have a standalone house in the middle of Kyoto city. I also made another assumption, but I’ll get to that in a minute.

Last entry brought us right up to arriving outside Namba-san’s apartment complex. It was snuggled between two other buildings but fortunately the name used Katakana that I could read so I knew I was in the right place. So in the door I went to a lobby with… a glass set of doors jutting out in a half circle. Ok, that’s cool. Let’s just walk up so the sensor will notice me and open and… why aren’t these doors opening? Do I need to poke them? Nope, that didn’t do it. Oh hey, there’s a camera watching me, awesome. I bet I look like a really lost gaijin trying to break into someone’s apartment complex.

After a moment of being baffled I noticed an intercom looking machine next to the door with a keypad. Using my amazing college-education deduction skills I determined that this must be to call up to tell tenants you are here so they can let you in. At this point I realize I don’t know Namba-san's actual apartment number. Ffff-… frick. So I whip out my cell and send him an email saying I’m at the apartment but stuck behind a glass door. I awkwardly stand around trying to plan a next course of action when I get his reply; he’s sending his son down to get me. Success!

Remember that other misconception I said I had? Well, when Namba and I were first planning he said he would send his son to get me from the hotel (before he knew about the beer garden event). This led me to assume he meant his son would drive there and collect me and led to me assuming his son was of driving age. So after a minute this maybe early junior high boy comes down and over to the glass door. He doesn’t seem to speak English but nods at me and opens the glass doors. Wow, I really hope this is Namba-san’s son and I’m not just following some random boy back to his apartment.

Fortunately, it was Namba-san’s son (whose name I am not going to use for privacy matters; there are probably lots of Nambas who live in Kyoto). I followed him into an apartment where I quickly spotted Namba-san seated at a table and relaxed – I made it. Now what? Oh crap, I didn’t think about this.

Upon walking into the room I immediately noticed a beautiful black and white long hair cat. The cat also noticed me and immediately… bolted. Well thanks cat, I appreciate the assurance. I set down my bags and took a seat on a nearby couch and was generally awkward while Namba-san was a polite host and offered me many things like to watch tv, or collapse in bed. I don’t understand a word of Japanese television and I didn’t want to immediately ignore Namba-san and sleep so I politely declined and continued to sit around awkwardly for a bit until I was offered a shower which I decided to take. I don’t think I’ve mentioned it, but I walked all day (as well as the 10 minute walk to Namba-san’s house) carrying a decently bulky bag in the humid Japanese summer so when I arrived at Namba-san’s I was pretty much drenched in sweat. Namba-san’s wife showed me to the shower room and presented me a towel before offering me privacy.

I’ve shown you all my shower room, though I use it like an American and shower in the tub rather than sitting on a bucket on the floor. Namba-san’s family seemed to use the shower room correctly (being Japanese and all) so I decided to give it a try. I can’t even imagine how Japanese families keep mold from getting everywhere with all the water that gets splashed around the room. I’ll stick to my easy maintenance strange American habits, thanks.

After getting cooled off and feeling much better I returned to awkwardly sitting on the couch for a bit until I saw Namba-san’s wife yawning widely and wondered if my presence was keeping her awake (for the record, it’s about 10PM at this time). So the next time I was offered sleep I gladly took it and was shown to Namba-san’s son’s room. I noticed (being the nerd that I am) that he had several comics and figures from shows I was familiar with. When I popped back into the main room I relayed this (in Japanese!) to Namba-san who laughingly called me an “otaku” to his son. I was too busy being proud of myself for remembering “hagane no renkinjutsushi” was the Japanese name of “Fullmetal Alchemist” and think I at least got a few coolness points with his son.

Happily, I retired to bed exhausted. It was now around 10:30 and I decided I could read until 11:00 and set my alarm for 7:00, be fully rested, and have plenty of time before I needed to be at my orientation at 8:30. Things did not quite go like that. At right before 6:00 I began to hear movement through my sleepy state but mostly ignored it. Then a soft knock at my door jarred me to consciousness. Namba-san told me that his family ate breakfast at 6:20 and to be ready. In my sleepy state my voice was near non-existent and crackly but I tried to manage confirmation. Time to get up!

I rose and dressed quite quickly and found myself at the table around 6:05 so I had 15 minutes to watch Namba-san’s wife cook. I genuinely wish I knew how to offer assistance in Japanese as I sat there awkwardly feeling like a terrible rude guest. At one point the cat reappeared and seemed to give me a chance, carefully approaching. I offered a hand to sniff and gave a small smile and the cat returned it by… bolting even faster. Dammit all.

At 6:20 almost on the dot a delicious spread was placed in front of me and breakfast began. I was given a plate with a cooked egg, a meat of some capacity (I have no idea what it was), some sliced cucumber with a sauce drizzled on, a small serving of a pasta salad type dish, a bowl of rice, a bowl of miso, and some tea. It was all really delicious (except maybe the strange meat I couldn’t place the taste of) and quite a lot of food but I ate it all. After that, I watched tv for a bit with Namba-san’s son and was told I should play a game with him. He showed me his selection of games and I selected the safe Mario Brothers, since I knew the basic controls. Sadly, the disc was missing in action so he asked me to pick again. I asked which his favorite was and he selected a Dragon Ball Z fighting game. Ok, I have an older brother, I’ve played tons of fighting games, I got this.

Using his father to translate, the son relayed that our first match would be a practice round so I could get a feel for it. Through mixed language and pantomime he showed me what each of the buttons did and we started playing. I could tell he was going easy on me at first and let me have 5 characters to his one but I still managed to win each round, though only barely a few times. It was actually a really fun way to spend the morning as Namba-san and his wife each left to go to work. We played until 8:00 when I had said I wanted to leave and the son showed me to the door.

Back on the streets of Kyoto, but this time I’d done the anxiety inducing part of the trip so I felt on top of the world. I easily navigated up the road to the hotel area and decided to stop in at a nearby conbini to grab a drink for orientation. By the time I reached the hotel I was still 20 minutes early but there was already a large collection of other early risers. I much preferred to be among this group than the late.

For the first half of Tuesday’s orientation we were split into groups to give our self introductions and be students for the other presenters. Before each presentation the room moderator would flash a sign describing the type of behavior our class would have. Some of the examples were uninterested, quiet but attentive, and rowdy. I had signed up for a later presentation (simply because all the earlier ones were taken before I got to the signup sheet) so I had to wait through 8 presentations before it was my turn, all the while nerves mounting. When it was my turn I approached the front of the room while the moderator showed a sign to the ‘class’ telling them how to act. At the sign many people made noises of surprise and one person called it a ‘wild card’. Oh good, I wasn’t nervous or anything. Thanks. As previously stated, Allen was playing the role of my JTE (Japanese teacher of English) and introduced me before setting me loose on my powerpoint introduction.

I’ll spare you the blow-by-blow of my presentation but you should know that I am teaching at 2 elementary schools as well as a junior high school, so I had made every effort to make my presentation very understandable. For each English line I had a translation in Japanese; in my opinion, while teaching English is highly important I think that for an introduction being understood should be the main goal. I spoke slowly and clearly and asked questions of my ‘class’ which they answered… in perfect English. Yes, my ‘students’ were actually native speakers but for these exercises people played the role of students with minimal English. For each question I asked I received a perfect English reply using words and concepts far beyond the capacity of Elementary school kids. Hmm… I wonder what type of class I got. After having a “student” ask me the meaning of life it became a bit hard to continue treating my ‘class’ as Elementary school kids and my façade slipped a bit. But come on! They were asking me quantum physics questions!

At the end of my presentation it was revealed that my class type was “the material is too easy”. I pointed out that even if the material was too easy for elementary schoolers they still wouldn’t be as advanced as my ‘class’ was but mostly just to defend my honor. The last presentation after mine unfortunately drew a “rowdy” class type and we were all so tired of presentations we gave the presenter quite a run for his money. Many a paper airplane was thrown and plenty of diversion occurred before our valiant presenter finished up and we were set free. Sweet, sweet freedom! Except not really since first years such as myself had another afternoon orientation to attend. Boooo!

I joined a large group that grabbed lunch at the nearby conbini before heading off to the second orientation which was in a separate building. I feel like I should take a moment to explain conbini in Japan. As you may guess, “conbini” is a shortening of “convenience stores” and oh my goodness are they convenient. In America you go to a convenient store for… maybe snacks on a trip or to pay for gas? In Japan you go to a conbini for delicious on-the-go meals heated up for you in house, freshly cooked junk food, to get the latest magazine, to pay your bills, to pay for something you ordered on amazon.jp, to be in a place with AC instead of outside... you name it, you can probably do it. Conbini are completely awesome.

I had selected a curry rice (with a katsu!) dish that was heated up for me before rejoining the group. I’m really glad we had a big group to follow because finding the building the second orientation was in would’ve been tricky alone. We all piled into the orientation room and ate while waiting for the rest of the crew to show up.

Once everyone showed up we started with a session by Mark (the offended Scotsman) who explained that normally this orientation is held a week later and we all would’ve had to come back to Kyoto. Fortunately for us (myself in particular), Mark had redone the scheduling so we could knock it out in the afternoon. That one decision saved me 1800 yen (~$18USD). Thanks Mark!

The afternoon orientation was a series of small sessions designed to help new ALTs. At one point we were divided between primarily Junior High and Elementary to hear about the experiences of older JETs who had worked with those groups. After that, we had sessions on healthcare in Japan, traveling around, and general advice for living successfully and happily in Japan. All of the sessions and information were incredibly useful (especially the healthcare/doctor stuff) so it wasn’t boring at all. There were also plenty of entertaining stories to keep it light. One of the better quotes from the sessions was about keeping your foreigner resident card on you at all times. Mark was joking that the police may approach you asking to see it if there was a crime nearby and the police decide “Oh, you match the identity of foreign”. I really can’t properly explain how homogeneous Japan is that that is actually an entirely plausible scenario.

Another particularly entertaining anecdote highlighted the relationship between a BoE (board of education) and the JETs in their employment. An older JET was telling us how he had caught a stomach virus when it was going around and diagnosed himself as needing liquids and rest. So he called in sick to work when his supervisor, upon hearing he wasn’t feeling well, began suggesting he might need to go to the hospital. The JET assured him he would be fine and ended the call. An hour later the supervisor called back with the head of the department, again asking if the JET was ok and they really thought he might need to go to the hospital. Again, the JET convinced them he was fine… until an hour later when the supervisor called back, this time with the 2^nd in command at the BoE. The supervisor explained that if the JET was worried about getting to the hospital they could call him an ambulance. The JET assured them that no, he really didn’t need an ambulance and got them off the phone. As you might have guessed, an hour later the supervisor called back with the head of the BoE. Our JET friend threw his hands in the air and said “fine, call me an ambulance” and allowed them to escort him to the hospital where the doctor told him what he already knew.

The point of sharing this story was to illustrate how much the BoE worries about us and our well being. Talking to my mom I made this analogy; we’re like a really expensive family pet. The BoE ships us over from far off lands, teaches us some tricks, makes sure we don’t ruin the carpet tatami, and invites us to join their family. In turn, they get concerned if their little Maddykins is coughing or they think she isn’t eating all her food. This is a very good thing (especially in my mother’s opinion) but due to cultural differences it can be troublesome.

After lots of other good information I’m too lazy to share the orientation drew to a close. It was now around 5:15 and the last bus to Ujitawara would be leaving Uji station around 10:30PM. According to (all hail the mighty) Google it would take me an hour to get from my spot in Kyoto to Uji. Well, I’m already in the city, might as well do a little shopping.

So Madeline, since you’re a new ex-pat setting up house in a country wherein you couldn’t speak or read the native language where would you go shopping in Kyoto?

…a book store? Really? You do recall that you can’t read Japanese right?

…Picture books? How old are you?

That’s right ladies and gents, I saw mentioned of a nearby neighborhood with a large bookstore and set my sights there. I looked at the distance on my phone and it didn’t seem too far. After sitting all day I could use the exercise!

15 minutes later I was kicking myself as I lugged my heavy overnight bag in the hot sun on the roughly 30 minute walk from the orientation area to the bookstore. Oh well, I saved a whopping 230Y, that has to count for something right? Actually the best part of the walk was I happened to go by a large park area in Kyoto and snapped some pictures as I passed by the openings.

This is what you saw from the road; just off camera is a busy street

I peeked inside and saw this. I confess I was too lazy to investigate more.

Once I finally arrived at my bookstore I found my way over to the magazine section to look for a magazine I’m fond of. Instead I found… holy crap, is that an Alphonse Mucha goodies set?! What the hell? That’s so awesome!

Childlike glee filled my face as I found not only did the bookstore have a set of various Mucha goods but also several books dedicated to him in both English and Japanese. For comparison, there was one Da Vinci book in Japanese and 4 on Mucha. There was also the biggest Mucha book I’ve ever seen in my life (and also the most expensive at 9000Y/~$90) but I had to leave it behind as I can’t even imagine how much shipping it would’ve cost. For people who have no idea what I’m talking about, Alphonse Mucha is my favorite artist; A Czech artist who painted in turn of the century (early 1900s) France and basically pioneered the art nouveau movement. He’s also apparently really popular in Japan which is completely awesome. In the end I settled on the Mucha set, a Mucha book, and a magazine by another artist I like who is actually Japanese and makes sense to be in a Japanese bookstore.

My art nerd heart is so happy.

So bags now heavier with my lovely loot I looked up the nearest station and headed that way. I contemplated when I should find dinner as I approached an intersection. My train station lay to the right across one road but across the road in front of me was… a Book Off. Book Off is part of a really awesome chain of used good stores that all have –Off in the title. The flagship store is hilariously called Hard Off and no matter how long I live here will that cease being funny.

The pedestrian crossing light flash in front of me signaling I could go and well… what’s the harm in just a peak in the store?

Trying to stay focused I barreled past the rows of video games, DVDs, and CDs and tried to focus on finding my magazine series. After searching in vain in the last store I learned my lesson and flagged an attendant and asked them through a combination of bad Japanese and a picture on my phone. The attendant showed me over to a section that had… Cosmode! Yes!

Those who know me may know I have a strange affinity for donning wigs and silly costumes I made and traipsing around with other such people. This is called “cosplay” (it’s a combination of costume and play) and Cosmodes are a magazine of cosplayer pictures, sewing patterns, crafting tips, and other awesomeness.

Because I’m a clever little collector I had made a note of which numbers I already had and quickly found that there were 7 present that I didn’t have. I began to compare them while calculating based on my otaku allowance how many I could get when I noticed the price. Normally a Cosmode costs around 1100-1300Y new, depending on what the insert is (patterns, photography guide book, etc). These Cosmodes were marked at… no, that can’t be right. They can’t be only 108Y each. No way. Oh my God, yes.

So I marched up to the register with my massive stack of magazines and happily paid half the price of a new Cosmode for a healthy collection of 7. By this point my bags were starting to be really heavy and I decided I should head home immediately lest I get more carried away and purchase an entire book shelf.

Best shopping trip ever. Also, stop judging me.

As I’ve said previously, navigating the subway and train systems in Japan is very easy for me. I found a certain joy in traveling by myself that evening, arms laden down with awesome books, as I easily purchased my tickets, surfed along the train ride barely need to hold a bar. I felt very much like I belonged; if a stranger saw me they would think that I lived here and this was no big deal to me. It was a good feeling.

This was right before my station and the Book Off; I thought it was pretty.

I got to Uji around 8:53 and had to make a choice. My bus was due at 10:00 on the dot and I wanted to grab dinner food before I got into town. The next bus wouldn’t be for 40 minutes so I’d have to wait if I didn’t take this bus. In the end I decided food is good and went to the neighboring conbini to grab some things to constitute a meal for when I got home. I selected a salad, a large roll of some capacity I can’t recall, and a mineral water of sorts. With my food I got back to the bus stop at 10:02 and settled in to wait for the next bus. While waiting and sipping my water I saw a cat emerge from the side of the station and walk out towards the bus area. The cat noticed me noticing it and quickly steered its course away from me. It then noticed a businessman walking by and I swear it smiled before taking off after him. Despite the fact I was holding food in my hands, Miss Kitty decided Salaryman-san was more likely to give her food. Japanese cats are racist, man.

At 9:30 on the dot the bus pulled up and I boarded with the others waiting. I’ve been meaning to get a bus card to use to pay rather than constantly worrying about having the right change so I approached the driver to buy one and – oh hey we’re moving. Guess that’s not happening today. I retreated to a seat and enjoyed the ride home.

This is what a bus trip from Ujitawara looks like, though not taken during the Kyoto events.

So ends my adventures in Kyoto. Well, mostly. When I got home I popped into my bathroom to brush my teeth after inhaling dinner and when I opened my slightly ajar toothbrush cabinet a freaking cockroach jumped out and scared the shit out of me. He evaded capture and found a spot I couldn’t reach so I gassed him with my anti-mosquito spray. Normally I try to just escort them off the premises but the little jerk had shit in my toothbrush cabinet (possibly from fear when he saw me but still). I was not pleased.

Now my adventure ends, with stacks of orientation booklets and art books littering my floor. Next time! Either the Ujitawara Elementary School summer matsuri or food blog part 1! I haven’t decided yet. Check back in half a week or so!