I'm learning a lot about Japanese culture. There is a competitive gift giving culture here. Someone gives you a gift, you thank them and give them a gift, they thank you and give you a gift. This goes on until one of the parties finally admits defeat by just writing a nice note to the other.
I think Russ and I have gotten ourselves into one of these competitions. Our neighbor down the street is retired, but teaches English part time at the local junior high school. Wendy and I met him one day on my street when Ayden walked up and said hello to him. Since then, I see him occasionally. I finally agreed that once Russ came home, we would go out to dinner together. So, on Saturday, we met at their house and headed out for a nice Japanese meal. He chose the Natural Kitchen. I had been there before, but I was anxious to go again.
Imazato-san had called ahead and reserved us a traditional booth. Luckily, the Japanese have adopted the regular table. They compensate for this by having a well into which you put your feet, but you still take off your shoes. For the less adventuresome, there are also regular, western style tables. Russ and Mrs. Imazato ordered an egg and tofu dish over rice. Mr. Imazato ordered something soupy with pork. I had the eel over rice dish, one of my favorites. Each dish comes as a set on a tray. I love this aspect of Japanese life, it feeds into my love of dishes and kitchen ware. Rather than serving a large dinner plate with the meat and sides on it, each dish is served in its own, little plate. The eel was in a bowl over rice, there were 3 kinds of Japanese pickles (tsukemono, I think) in a 3 sectioned little plate. I also received a broth of sorts, I never did figure out what to do with it. Oishikatta desu! (Delicious!)
After dinner, we went back to their house for tea and a little bit of wrap up conversation. While we were there, they mentioned that they love instant, flavored coffee. Now the fun begins. The next day, Russ and I needed to go on base, so we stopped at the commissary to see if they carry instant, flavored coffee. They carry Folgers. The coffee the Imazato's showed us was Nestle. We got them the Folgers anyway and a tin of the International Cafe mocha. We put this in a cute bag and walked it down the street. The Imazato's were so grateful for the gift (they had already taken us to dinner, remember?) that they just HAD to give us something in return.
So, Imazato-san got our his trusty, rickety ladder and climbed up into the plum tree. What occurred next was the perfect scenario to put into a safety video. I don't know how many times I had to look away as that ladder wobbled around with him on the tippy top step. You know, the one that says "NOT A STEP"? He had a net on a pole with which he pulled on the fruit until it dropped into the net. He wasn't satisfied until we had at least a dozen succulent plums.
Now, it's our turn. How am I supposed to top that? He risked his life (or it seemed that way to me) to get us some plums. I think I'll cook them an American style steak dinner.
What a treat! When the port visit in Hong Kong was canceled and the ships were sent off to Myanmar, I wasn't sure when I'd get to see Russ again. They sat out there off the coast for a month, unable to do anything to help the people of Myanmar. What a frustrating time for the service people. Then, we got word they were being sent home, with a stop off in Pattaya, Thailand.
I was really excited about the opportunity to see Russ again. I was supposed to be taking scuba diving lessons that weekend, so I didn't think I could go. He was getting to Thailand on Tuesday, and I was supposed to have the 2nd half of scuba the following weekend. There was no way I could get there for a visit of any length and still get home in time for class Saturday morning. Luckily, or not, I freaked out from gulping water through my nose. I know you get some water in your nose when you scuba. That doesn't bother me. What bothers me is when the combined pressure of the bubbles and the suction from removing your mask forces water up your nose and down your throat. That's not supposed to happen.
The instructor sent me home, where I called my dive master friend Nancy and cried to her for a few hours. She convinced me that I shouldn't be in the class, that the instructor was unable to meet my remedial needs, and that I really did need to be able to snorkel first. Something I told the people who signed me up, but they signed me up anyway. I went back to class that morning and got a full refund. Also, the next day, I came down with a horrible cold thanks to the pool chemicals I had ingested. I couldn't finish the class anyway.
Then, I went on the Internet. The earliest flight out I could get to Bangkok without paying through the nose was on Wednesday morning with Thai Airways. Also, Russ ended up having duty on Tuesday and couldn't leave the ship, so I wouldn't have been able to see him then anyway. My flight over to Thailand was wonderful! I was in economy class, but we were treated at least as well as business class in the US. Also, it was a non-stop, 5 hour flight. All the other wives I knew who went had to stop off in Taipei. The only glitch was that when I got the airport, my driver wasn't there. The hotel mistook my e-mail and canceled the car. Luckily, a lady from another hotel called a driver for me and I was on my way!
What a wonderful two days in Pattaya. I got there Wednesday afternoon, about 20 minutes before Russ came to the hotel. I was able to stay until Friday night with a 1:00 am flight on Saturday. Wednesday night, we went to a farewell party for one of the men on the ship. The had excellent food and a nice pool in which we went night swimming. I like Pattaya best at night when it's not morbidly hot. Thursday, we went on an MWR tour of elephant riding. We rode in an oxcart, played with an orphaned gibbon, rode an elephant and learned about how to make silk. Our final stop for the day was at the self proclaimed "worlds largest gem store." They sold mostly Thai sapphires and rubies, but they also had other stones and jewelry available. The most affordable pieces were set in silver with zircon, the most valuable pieces were set in 18K gold with diamonds. In the middle, were the pieces in white or yellow 14K gold with zircon. I'll let you guess which one I bought. :)
That evening, Russ and I each got a massage at the hotel. The massage felt wonderful and helped break up the cold that had moved down to my chest. Side note, the air conditioning in the hotel worked so well that I had to sleep on the balcony. The room was so dry, I couldn't breathe!
The next day, we went to a crocodile farm. They also had a neat rock and water garden, huge snakehead fish, some elephants, tigers, and bears. No lions. :) I scratched the back of a tiger and bottle fed a cub. Russ hugged the golden bear and shook his hand. As long as you gave the bear bananas, he would do anything for you. We finished off the day with a little shopping and some dinner. Then, my driver showed up and took me back to the airport to come home and get the house ready for Russ to return.
My PartyLite business is doing really well. I'm doing it as a hobby, and I'm having some good parties and meeting lots of nice people. I only do a few shows a month, but they're good ones. If anyone wants to order anything, or have a catalog party from the states, I help you out! OK, I'm done advertising.
Next up - Australia!
This one is for Libby. You all know how miserable I was in Florida in the summer. We weren't even in Miami, and I was looking for proof that skin melts. Well, I should have been grateful for what I had.
Summer in Sasebo makes Florida look like North Dakota in Winter. At least, that's how I feel about it right now, and it's not even that hot here. Rainy season started in the end of May and goes through most of July. It's humid, muggy, hot, and miserable. In Florida, I would try not to turn on the AC. I finally caved. I'm sticky before I get myself dry in the morning. No wonder all the spouses evacuate to the US this time of year. It's just too hot here.
Which leads me to my next point. I thought the Japanese are a pretty smart people. There is one aspect where they should have stuck to their guns. Japan has largely adopted western style dress. I think they should have told us all where to stuff it and made us adopt their dress. There's nothing lighter and more comfortable than a nice, cotton, summer yukata. These are worn with a simple cotton obi with a simple tie. It's basically a light cotton bathrobe that you wear around all day. It's much lighter than anything I have in my wardrobe, including my linen pants. If only I could find a cute obi to wear with my second hand yukata, and if only I could learn how to tie the obi, I would convert immediately.
You Tuscon folks, not even a snicker out of you!
Yes, we drive on the WRONG side of the road here. OK, I hate when people say that. We actually just drive on the OTHER side of the road here. It's easy, except when you keep hitting the wipers instead of the turn signal. But, you get over that. What has amused me is the difference in some of the driving laws and patterns here. For example:
Japanese are much stricter on drinking and driving. I like this. If you are caught in the passenger seat of a vehicle driven by someone under the influence, you are subject to the same legal liability as the driver. First, if you are drunk, then neither of you should be driving. Second, if you're sober, you should be the one driving, and you're responsible for that.
Japanese don't understand the concept of headlights. I do not like this. I turn on my headlights at dusk and when it's raining. They look at me like I'm crazy. They don't seem to get it that I can see them better when they have their headlights lit.
Speaking of visibility. The Japanese don't use reflective paint. I really miss this. It's really hard to drive at night here, especially when it's raining. The only time this doesn't make a difference is when we're on a two way, one lane road.
It is OK to change lanes in an intersection here. I like this. If I need to pass someone or get out of the way in an intersection, I am permitted to do this.
It is illegal to turn left on red. I have mixed feeling on this one. If there is not traffic, it would be nice to be permitted to turn. However, if I'm not comfortable turning, I don't have someone behind me, honking at me because he/she THINKS I should turn.
Cell phones. This one is interesting. It is illegal here to talk on a cell phone while driving. Regardless of the use of a hands free system. You are not permitted to be in the drivers seat of a moving vehicle while yacking on the phone. To get around this, the Japanese just pull over to the side and put on their flashers. They do this on any road except a toll way. So, I can be driving down a windy, no passing, narrow road with lots of oncoming traffic. I will come upon one of these drivers, and I have to wait for traffic to clear around a blind curve so that I can get around them. At least I've learned to assimilate on this one. If it's good for them, it's good for me. Especially when I'm lost in Osaka, on the phone with the hotel, demanding directions, driving, and making U-turns as necessary. Amy would have soiled herself. I love Amy. And, I found out that driving in Osaka is considered the worst in Japan. At least I got a lot of respect for my bravery for that story.
So, it's just different over here.
I'm sorry I've been off the map for so long. I've been off having fun! Before Russ left for 2 months, we went to Hirado island on an MWR tour. That was cool. We got to see a castle and William Adams' grave. I ate Whale sashimi and ramen. It was delicious! Don't worry, it wasn't an endagered variety of whale, and think how many people can eat one whale. Russ went out to sea on the 25th of April.
In early May, I finished grad school and got my Masters' Degree. Woo Hoo, but you already know that. I also applied for a position teaching algebra at UMUC (University of Maryland University College.) I got that job, and I start in the end of August. I'll be an adjunct instructor for two courses for 8 week terms. I'm really excited about that!
In mid-May, Jean came to visit from Indiana. We had fun running around Japan. We took the MWR tours to Hirado and the Dazaifu shrine bazaar. The bazaar is a huge, really nice flea market with all kinds of antiques and such. Like a lot of the wives over here, I collect Obi. So, I bought a kimono with matching obi and three more obi and a darling $10 kimono that is not fit to wear in public. I use it as an extremely comfortable bathrobe.
Jean and I also rented a car from the autoport and drove up to Osaka with stops overnight at Iwakuni both directions. We also stopped at Himeji castle. That was beautiful! In Osaka, we saw some shrines and temples and had dinner with Norio 3 nights in a row. Unfortunately, we never could get that meeting together properly. I was really upset that I couldn't even get it right once! Oh well, I hope I get to see him again soon. We also took a side trip to Nara.
Since then, I've been busy just living everyday life while the ships circled off the coast of Myanmar. About a week ago, they were finally sent home with a port call in Pattaya, Thailand. I got myself on a plane and went to see him. We had a fabulous time! We rode elephants, Russ hugged a bear, and I got to bottle feed a tiger cub! I'm home now and getting ready for Russ to come home soon.
I'll talk to you all soon!
I have much to catch up on posting, but here's a little bit for your entertainment...
Sightseeing went well yesterday. We slept in until 8:30 and missed breakfast. That was OK. Jean woke up early and just stayed in bed not wanting to wake me. I'm glad she mentioned it because I told her to just get up. So, today she did. She is already showered, which is nice.
We first went to the Sumiyoshi Taisha shrine which was really pretty. Then we went back to Nanba station and saw the Nanba Parks building. That was really cool. Apparently, it was by an American architect, and there is a garden on the roof, but it goes up and up as the roof gets smaller and smaller. It is really beautiful. There's lots of restaurants and high class shopping. We went up the roof to the top and rode the elevator down. We went to McDonalds for a quick lunch.
After that, we went to Shitenno-ji temple. It is the first Buddhist temple in Japan. It is unique in that it has a Torii gate at the entrance. As we got off the subway, there was a man who asked us if we were going to the temple. When we said yes, he said he was going there too and we were to follow him. That was good because I didn't know where to go. He said that yesterday was a special day for the temple. Every month on the 21st, they open up areas of the temple for free where we would normally be charged to enter. One of the areas is a national treasure statue of Shotoku-taishi, the man who brought Buddhism to Japan, and 4 guardians (the shitenno). On the walls are paintings of Buddha's life. It was gorgeous. We also were able to go up the 5 story pagoda (my first time in a pagoda) and into the special round building with the Bodhisvatas. He explained everything to us as we went. Bodhisvatas are people in training to become buddhas. They have the halos, but they wear jewelry to indicate that they are in training. We also hit the jackpot in that they were having the monthly shrine sale. It turns out that the Japanese call them flea markets. We looked around and I bought two tote bags made from obi and kimono, one for me and one for mom.
After that, we stopped at the Daimaru department store to pick up some nice green tea for Norio, went back to the hotel to rest and change, and went to dinner with Norio. We went for breaded and fried meat on a stick. I recognize the kanji now, but I forget what the food was called. It's food that men eat with a beer before they go home to their families. We stood around a counter and had the beer, and watched them fry up the food. We had all sorts of things, mushrooms, eggplant, onion, pepper, beef, fish, chicken, etc. We dipped them into a small vat of sauce. Each place has their own sauce, so you can't just buy it. Afterward, we went to a coffee shop and sat and talked for a while. We came home exhausted as ususal.
Now, I need to hop in the shower as today, we're off to Nara and then meet Norio again for dinner.
It's OVER! It's finally over! I am done with grad school. Now, I just have to wait for my final grades to come in and my diploma to arrive. I am so relieved, I think I'll go pass out for a few hours. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be sent to PSC 476 Box 884... Smirk.
Now, I just have to get in my application to teach for University of Maryland.
Talk to you soon!
I have decided to join the Officers' Spouse's Club, or the OSC for short. Also, as a member of the OSC, I can become a member of the ILC (International Ladies' Club) which also contains 4 Japanese ladies' clubs. I think this will be lots of fun and provide me with plenty of material for this blog. Now that school is winding down, I'm finding lots of ways to keep myself busy. Oh, did I mention that I've decided to become a PartyLite consultant? Anyone want to buy candles? OK, advertisement over...
Back to the OSC. Last Thursday, they had a luncheon with a cultural experience. I went as a guest of the wife of the Juneau's departing XO, Abby. I had a blast. We started the event with a meeting, so I got to see a few new faces. Then, we saw an Obi tying demonstration (Obi are the sashes that go around Kimono.) They had hired two professional dressers to come to the event. After that, we listened to koto music by two of the spouses who are learning, their sensei and a few other players. The koto is the flat Japanese harp that lays on the floor. If you've seen Geisha or heard Japanese music, you know this one. After that, lunch and cultural experiences began.
When we came in and paid for the event, we each got a card that allowed us to sign up for two craft activities that involved buying supplies. The activities to choose from were washi paper, silk balls, and calligraphy. I chose the washi paper and silk balls. We could also try our hand at Ikebana and obi tying demonstrations for no charge. Additionally, we each had the opportunity to try on a kimono and have the obi tied for us.
The silk ball station involved pressing pieces of silk fabric into patterns in Styrofoam balls. This activity reminded me of when I was little and we were poor. We couldn't (or wouldn't) afford Christmas tree decorations, so we would press fabric into Styrofoam balls to make the ornaments. I got a ball that already had 3 pieces of fabric in sections like a beach ball. The other sections were pre-scored for me. The instructor showed me how to push in the rest of the pieces, and then she added a tassel and a hanger for me. It was really pretty and fun. As a side note, this weekend, a similar artisan (maybe even her) had a stand outside the Exchange selling these silk balls. I know now that this is an art and not a craft. You should have seen the intricate patterns these balls held. There was one with irises and another that was amazing. It had a crane in sections of silk no bigger than my pinky tip. It made me want to become a master silk ball decorator. At lunch, I also bought a pin with two little ball tassels. I plan to wear it in my hair once it's long enough to pull up.
Next, I went to the washi paper station. Washi paper is what we call origami paper. This is the good paper that feels like fabric. Not the cheap, dollar store origami paper. The instructor had pieces of paper pre-cut for us, and we each chose one that we liked. I chose a piece with Japanese flowers on a gold background. We marked off the paper with a pencil and then cut "teeth" along one edge. After opening the paper and erasing the lines, we applied glue all over the paper. Then came the fun part. We were each given an egg that the instructor had blown out. We applied the paper around the egg, wrapping it completely in beautiful washi paper. After drying the glue with a hair dryer and applying and drying laquer, we each had a perfect, egg shaped, washi decoration. I figured out how to get the dimensions for this, now I just need to learn how to blow out an egg without removing 1/2 a lung as well.
Finally, it was my turn to try on kimono. Literally translated, kimono means something to wear. "kiru" is the verb "to wear", with and mono means "thing". "watashi wa kimono wo kimasu" means "I wear clothing", but it's more commonly said without the "watashi wa" at the beginning. OK, enough grammar for today. I know it looks complicated, but it's just a bunch of different endings for basic words. I chose a dark purple kimono with fall colored leaves on it. The dresser chose a white obi and green ties for me. Estella was nice enough to take photos and I'll post those once she sends them to me. After that, the dresser draped a wedding kimono over the regular kimono, and we got some pictures of that too. The kimono were heavy and hot, and the obi made me feel the thinnest I've felt in several years. It was fun, but I'm glad I don't have to drag all that around with me daily.
I had a blast, and I can't wait to see what we do next time.
What are your neighbors like? (The ones you live near or next to, not the ones in your Vox neighborhood!)
This is a good one for me to talk about. All my neighbors are quiet people who go about their daily lives.
Across the street is out landlord ("house owner"). The Japanese don't translate landlord very well. He is an older man who lives with his wife and very cute dog. I'm pretty sure the dog is an Akita, or at least I think so. It's definitely a Japanese breed. He has the coloring of the Akita and the curled tail and longer coat, but a lot of the dogs around here have a narrower face, more like a fox. At any rate, he's cute and friendly. The house owner also takes care of our garden. That is good, because if he made me do it, the plants would die.
On our left is a middle to older aged couple. I'm pretty sure he still works, and she keeps house. I haven't actually spoken with them, but they are polite. Of course they are polite! This is Japan, silly me.
On our right is Soo-san. She is middle aged, and I'm pretty sure she lives alone. I don't know if she works. She has a white, 1/2 tailed cat who lives outside and likes to yowl. At first, I thought one of mine got out, but then I realized.
Finally, behind us lives an older lady and I think she has a husband. The people who introduced me around the neighborhood told me she is an Ikebana teacher. They also have a very old and feeble Akita who I don't think will last much longer. He can't hardly walk, and he whines a lot.
Those are my neighbors. I can only hope I'm as well behaved as they are.
What do you love about where you live?
Submitted by Emu with a Clue.
Japan has something for everyone. If you are part of a couple where one of you loves the mountains and the other loves the ocean, this is the place for you. Russ and I love both (I do hate the beach, but that's a sand thing,) so Japan is the perfect place for us.
