The Lucky Ones

Today, Janice left me, and now I’m sad. Somehow it was much harder saying goodbye this time than it was in the summer.

I think that now I know a little bit more about what Janice might have went through when I left for Japan. For me, as soon as I stepped into Vancouver airport and said goodbye to her and my parents, everything was new and stimulating. I was meeting people from all over the world, I was exploring Tokyo, and then Iwaki, I was settling into my new apartment, discovering my new job; I was on a high and nothing could bring me down.

But now it’s Janice who gets to leave me behind for the excitement of returning home. I know that she’s going home to good friends and family, delicious foods that I never new were such a part of me, and the comforts of being immersed in one’s own native language. I can see her getting picked up at the Vancouver airport, driving home along Marine Dr. and walking across the front yard to our basement door. The lock will probably be a bit sticky as usual, and the hinges will creak slightly, and it will be dark and cool inside. If it were me, I would throw my shoes into a pile of other shoes, but Janice will probably put them back properly on the rack beneath the window that has a sheet of plywood for a window. From there, she will walk through the laundry room and open the door to our place. The air will be a bit stale from not being down there for a while and the carpet will feel both cool and soft. It will also have that “home” smell, which would be impossible for me to explain here in any amount of words.

On the walls will be a couple of my guitars, with a small bookshelf in between with my practice amp, books, and an aloe plant on top – unless she’s moved it. Luggage will be set down, maybe in the living room, or maybe in the bedroom. Maybe she’ll go into the kitchen, onto the hard linoleum, and open the fridge door, which must seem impossibly huge compared to what she’s been used to in Japan. Then she’ll probably find a glass from the strainer by the sink or in the cupboards above the toaster and the George Foreman grill, and pour a glass of water.

If she’s feeling up to it, she’ll turn on the computer that sits on the kitchen table; it sits here because the reception for the wireless internet signal is sometimes slightly better here than in the living room – although often it is not. Then she’ll go into her email to write me an email letting me know that she got home okay and that she’s going to lay down and that she’ll talk to me in a few hours when I wake up for work – short and sweet. Although, now that I think about it, she’ll probably get an email in her inbox telling her that I wrote this blog and she might decide to check this first – and comment on it later.

Then she’ll walk into the bedroom – if it were me I’d lie down on the covers, but she’ll probably get changed first and curl up under her comforter that she brought over from her dad’s place several years ago, and under the brown blanket that her mom gave me for Christmas a while back. She might look up to see a poster of Metallica – or the Red Hot Chili Peppers (I can’t seem to remember which one is where), which sit beneath the wall shelf that I built and that has books sitting precariously above where our heads lie in bed at night – something that, after living in an earthquake prone country, I will definitely consider remedying when I get home. She won’t look for long though, because it will be about 3 in the morning Japan time, and in minutes, she will be asleep. I think that in Vancouver tomorrow, it will be about 10 in the morning – today.

As for me, as I walked into the supermarket after work (by myself), I couldn’t help but think back to almost 6 months ago when I first stepped into the Maruto by my house. I didn’t know where to find anything and I didn’t know what anything was – and I couldn’t read or speak. I would walk aimlessly down the aisles looking for something that might be nourishing, taste good, and that I might know how to cook. I would walk down one aisle to find noodles of some sort, and then walk down another aisle to find noodles of a different sort – and sauces, always sauces everywhere. Then I would just stand in the middle of everything, make a move for the meats and seafood, only to see something colourful and shiny that would grab my attention for a few moments.

I would eventually end up back at my apartment with a couple bags full of heavy groceries. I would fumble around with the light switches trying to find out which ones turn on the kitchen. Then I would attempt the process of packing all that I had bought into my tiny fridge. I would then begin to prepare for dinner, but I would ask questions like, why don’t any of my pots have lids? Why don’t I have a good knife? Why is there Winnie the Poo on almost every dish that I own? And why did I forget to buy garlic?

Today, there were no bright and shiny objects to distract me in the supermarket. I bought vegetables and meat like a pro. Everything fit in my fridge as planned. I even remembered to buy ginger. There weren’t many surprises waiting for me today – until I opened up my computer this evening:

Another Day

Here's a few photos of some friends of ours here in Iwaki. The daughter is eight years old and speaks amazing Enlgish. She lived in London for 2 years with her mom, who is an English teacher at my school. They are real nice people who have had us over for dinner a few weeks ago, and then a couple of days ago, took us to a museum in Ibaraki where we saw some amazing paintings of an artist who's name i can't quite remember. I have his name on a couple of postcards that i bought from the museum, and when i learn how to read the kanji, I will be able to share his name.

The photos were actually taken at a location close to the museum where an artist used to live and paint, and later became the namesake of the museum that we visited. Again, when i learn how to read the Japanese, I'll be able to share his name.

I took the day off today so that i could be with Janice on her last day in Iwaki. She leaves tomorrow morning for Narita airmport, where she'll catch a flight to Vancouver. Today's been about errands, packing, and now figuring out what to do for dinner tonight. I also borrowed some new music off a friend, so we've got some cool new tunes playing in the apartment to go with the sunshine shining through the windows.

In an Instant we were there

Living in Japan for the last 6 weeks has been an amazing experience for Janice. She’s met lots of people, traveled across most of the country to some of its biggest cities, and eaten almost every style of food that Japan has to offer. What’s good for her has also been great for me. I’ve basically been able to do everything (and then some) that I did in my first month here, but with the added wisdom that being here for 6 months has brought me. Also, it is Janice that has taken over the role of wide-eyed astonishment, while I get to be her somewhat seasoned guide.

Also, because she is new to Japan, all of the Japanese people that I know and that have grown bored of my particular breed of foreigner, treat Janice with the same great hospitality that I received when I first arrived. Not only does she offer a fresh perspective on where we come from, but she also has such fresh enthusiasm for everything Japanese. It probably doesn’t hurt that she has light hair and blue-green eyes. I sometimes imagine that the Japanese people around me feel partially ripped off by the fact that their foreign Assistant Language Teacher doesn’t look quite like the North Americans that they are used to seeing in the movies. As such, the two of us have been invited to many dinners and have been afforded great hospitality over the last few weeks.

One teacher I work with offered to take us for sushi in Onahama the other night. I had been in the area a few times before where there is a massive building on the water that sells fresh seafood. One of the Japanese people that I was there with mentioned that this is the market where many people will shop at when they come to Onahama; the locals that live in the area however, know that the fish is usually cheaper and fresher at a smaller location just off the water across the street. I was delighted when we found out that the sushi place we were going to was just above this market.

Not only was the fish delicious – I had a tuna sushi donburi, while the other two had a sushi sampler with many kinds of sea foods over rice – but the teacher we were with also brought her new Fujifilm Instax camera. A year or so ago, Polaroid discontinued all production of their instant film cameras and film and now, in reaction to this massive hole in the instant photo market, Fujifilm is filling the void. I’ve never owned an instant film camera – and neither has anyone close to me. In fact, the only film camera that I owned was one that I bought about 6 years ago, which I replaced with my first digital camera about a year or two later. Now in the year 2010, I’m seriously considering buying my first instant film camera, which seem reasonably cheap.

We took a few photos of each of us as we ate, and we ended up with four of them by the end of the night. I think they look great. I’ve included some images that I took of the photos while they’re still here in Japan. The two photos with each of Janice and I are my favorites and I think they look great together on my kitchen table. Unfortunately, one of the photos will be leaving on a plane in the next few days and they won’t have a chance to be seen beside each other for another 6 months.

Lazy as per usual

Just a quick one today. I get home a bit late on Thursdays, so we're just going to stay in and watch a movie i think tonight. We've got a nice bottle of wine here that cost us all of 400 yen. We were going to head out to an Iwakians social gathering, but the strong winds kind of scared us inside.

On another note, i owe a lot of people some emails that i'll probably get into writing sometime next week after Janice leaves.

Here are a couple more photos of the tori gate at Miyajima.

Just Because

Before I came to Japan, the only images that I had of the country were either of tall buildings and bright lights, or of small huts in the middle of rice paddies. When I arrived here, I realized that I would be living in a place that was basically in between these two extremes.

My apartment building is quite new, built just over two years ago, but this is far from the norm in my neighbourhood. Many of the buildings, roads, fences, signs, bridges, etc. all show signs of being quite old – whether it be from jagged cracks, or discolourations from weathering and age.

What is great about living in Iwaki is that within a few minutes I can be in the middle of the downtown area surrounded by buildings, or if I head the other direction, I can be riding along a river beside rice paddies and vegetable plots. It’s the best of both I guess.

The photo is of an apartment building near my place. I’ve walked by the building many times and I’ve always wanted to take a picture of it. I had my camera with me the other day while the sun was setting and the sky was purple and managed to grab this shot.

Eternal Flame

On the Island of Miyajima, where I previously posted a photo of the torii gate standing in the water, we ventured up Mt. Misen where we had a spectacular view of the city and the islands surrounding us. In the interests of saving time, we opted for the cable car that took us most of the way to the top, where of all places, stood several shrines and temples. Some of these shrines are very old and I can’t imagine how difficult it would have been to get the materials for these structures up the mountain without the assistance of the cable car.

One temple in particular, the Reikado Temple (the Temple which Protects Flame), houses a flame that is supposed to have been burning for over 1200 years. This was the flame that was used to light the Flame of Peace in Hiroshima Peace Park.

When we arrived, the flame was housed in a room that was smoky and filled with old Japanese men who sat on benches that lined the walls surrounding the flame. People would use the flame to light candles, which they placed in front of the fire. There is also a giant black cauldron that sits above the flame filled with water. There are plastic cups on the side where one can get a fill of the murky, lukewarm water from inside the pot.

As we were going to the peak, we sat in the temple and drank some of the water, but the flame was mostly just embers. On the way back down, someone had place two logs in the fire, and I was able to get this photo.

My hair had the comforting aroma of campfire smoke for several days afterwards.

Tori

Yesterday I wrote about drums when I probably should have been sending updates for people at home. Janice’s dad left us yesterday morning to catch a plane from Tokyo where he’ll be heading to Hawaii. It was good to see him and we had a lot of fun throughout our travels. I don’t think we would have made it all the way down to Hiroshima if he hadn’t come to Japan. Janice and I have another week together before I take her to Tokyo next Monday so that she can catch a plane leaving the next day. I’m definitely not looking forward to her leaving, but we’ve got a some stuff planned for this week – so we should be able to enjoy ourselves in the meantime.

The picture here is of Janice’s dad walking up to the massive tori gate that sits in the water at Miya Jima in Hiroshima. We arrived early that morning and there were very few people around. The tide was out when we arrived and so we were able to walk right up to the tori. Within a few minutes of being there, the water had risen up past the tori. After going up the mountain on the island, we came down to see it standing in the water as well.

Heavy Drums

Janice and I had the pleasure of attending a taiko drum concert today on behalf of the generosities of our friend Oisin. The concert took place at Alios, a brand new auditorium that opened maybe a couple of years ago.

Since I’ve been living in Japan, I’ve been noticing more that there are certainties that are universal to human beings from all different cultures. There are obvious cultural similarities in the fact that most people adopt some sort of clothing or attire to decorate themselves, or in the houses that they live in. Then there are aspects such as language, ritual, dance, and spirituality that naturally develop independently within and among different cultures. What I find interesting is that it seems that it is a very human thing to construct a wooden barrel-type form, cover this with dead animal carcass, and then to hit this apparatus with a stick in order to make a sound. In English, we call this a drum.

Japan is no exception in this regard. The word “taiko” refers to pretty much all Japanese percussive instruments – the style of which is very unique to the country.

The typical Japanese taiko player steps onto the stage adorning kimono-style attire – often with the sleaves rolled up to reveal massive chiseled arms that flail about in very controlled, but dramatic fashion. They wear headbands and arm bands that soak up the sweat that glistens from the massive lights shined down upon the stage. And their drums look like they’ve been purchased from a medieval craftsman. The drums themselves are propped up on wooden stands and some seem to have ropes that control the tightness of the instrument. Some of them are also decorated with patterns in the wood, or emblems imbedded in the surface.

It is quite amazing to see a full ensemble comprised of only drums. Some groups had only 3 members while others had almost 20. They had all sorts of drums ranging from the very small high pitched ones, to the very large ones that probably require its own truck just to transport it around. When the musicians bang on these drums with sticks that are the width of broomsticks, and with the force of chopping wood with an ax, the resounding boom that fills the auditorium sounds like a truck has been driven into the building.

Taiko drumming to me, is the heavy metal of drum music. Everything is embellished and grand – and there seems to be a lot of militaristic influence in the attire, the motions, and the music itself. The kimonos that each player wears looks like they could have come from a martial arts academy; the way that they use their drumsticks involves the entire body and is very coordinated, lively, and sometimes almost verges on violent. Janice even pointed out to me the way that their toes move as they play – although I’m not really sure why she was looking at their toes. This full-body attack of the drum contrasts traditional western style drumming that I’ve seen at home where most of the drumming motion originates from the wrist and forearm; the hands rarely verge far from the drum itself. Also, the music that the taiko players play is often heavy and driving and often brings to mind images of samurai battling to the death. In fact, they often bring out small cymbal instruments that almost simulate the sound of steel katanas ringing off of each other in a duel. I also picture these samurai as giants among men, moving mountains and oceans.

We saw a total of 6 taiko drum groups today; 5 were amateur groups and the last was a trio of professionals – all touring Japan to raise money for charity. From the look of the slide show that they showed, the charity looked like it was for disaster relief. All of them were great.

Where we've been

It’s been so long since I’ve written here that I’m not sure how to go about starting. I guess that’s why I’ve been hesitant to even begin. I’ve seen a lot of Japan since I last wrote – and have taken many pictures. I guess this will be mostly a brief catch-up before I go to bed.

Janice is still in Iwaki with me and her dad is also here visiting. When he first arrived on the third, we came back to Iwaki for a day before leaving on a train for Hiroshima. We spent a couple of days there where we went to Miya Jima, the Peace Memorial park, and ate okonomiyaki at okono-mura (a big building that houses about 20 different restaurants all serving only okonomiyaki).

From Hiroshima, we went to Kyoto, where we saw many shrines and temples – too many for me to even remember the names, or even the faces of. Some of the highlights were the hall of 3000 arms, the Golden Temple – or Kinkokuji, and the gardens of the Silver Temple, or Ginkokuji.

After Kyoto, we went to Nara, which has the largest wooden structure in the world, which also houses a very large – if not the largest, statue of Buddha in the world. Nara was an incredible place with deer that roam the streets freely.

Finally, we ended up in Osaka for our last bit of traveling. Here, we went to Osaka castle and roamed the streets all day. There was also a festival happening, so Janice and her dad got a taste for the Japanese festival experience and the good food that goes along with it.

We arrived back in Iwaki a few days ago and it’s been back to work for me. Janice’s dad has a few more days until he leaves for Hawaii on Sunday.

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I was going to keep the Tokyo photos happening in the order that I took them, but so far I’ve only managed to get through our first evening and the next day. So much for that idea.

Here I’ve included a photo of the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto. I can’t remember when the temple was built, but it was burned down by one of the monks in the 1950’s. It was rebuilt a few years later. I think it’s one of the biggest tourist sites in Kyoto, which is understandable given the immaculate scenery around it. We arrived early enough in the morning so the light was good and there weren’t too many people around.