Like robins heralding spring there are signs that the new year has started in Japan - the students are back on campus and brand new salary men are sporting shiny new suits. I overheard two conversations on my way home today that reinforced these two images.
Conversation one - between two young men, university students, probably starting their third year.
*****
Student 1: I thought you took human anthropology last year?
Student 2: I did, and the prof was really cool, you know, the grandpa? Well, he told us we pretty much didn't have to come, and so I didn't. But then I figured I should at least show my face in the classroom, so I did and, you see, it turns out the old geezer had collapsed and had to be replaced, and the new guy was really strict, and was like, expecting students to go to every class and all, so then I like, failed the exam, ya know?
Student 1: Well you should take the first term of cultural anthro, its good, and really easy.
Student 2: Yeah, I kinda took the second term last year, but I was like - THIS IS TOUGH! So then I failed the exam.
Student 1: But there's no exam in first term. All you have to do is submit a paper, and it can be on anything.
Student 2: Anything? But that makes it tougher, eh...
Student 1: Well yeah, but I wrote something like 3 pages on the history of the town I live in and like got an A, so you could do ANYTHING.
Student 2: Huh, maybe I could just hand in the paper I did for my sociology last class, not make any changes or nothing. Cool. I think I will take the class if it fits in my schedule.
Student 1: Yeah, I'm so not happy with my schedule this term. I mean, I've got classes all day and stuff and its just way too much. I mean, come on, its just way too hard to have to sit in classes all day! By fifth period I'm like exhausted and just can't stand it.
Student 2: Totally! And, then first or second period, I'm hardly awake yet, and there's the chance I'll be late, so it'd be nice if I could just have classes in third period.
Student 1: Yeah, but like on Thursdays I only have class second period, and then I'm done for the day and I have nothing to do cuz all my friends still have class, so I'm like "I'm going home now" and then that really sucks.
*****
They really have it tough, don't they?! (they were already on the train when I got on, so I'm guessing they aren't students at my school, but just for comparison for us period one is 9-10:30, period 2 is 10:40-12:10, period 3 is 1-2:30, period 4 is 2:40-4:10, period 5 is 4:20-5:50, period 6 is 6-7:30 and period 7 is 7:40-9:10.)
After 4 years of that type of schedule, the students graduate and join the real world. Having spent most of their fourth year going to interviews and otherwise job hunting (and not attending classes), these new graduates become shinjin (literally "new people") and will likely spend a few weeks or even a few months in training, learning the ropes (and being taught all the things that they DIDN'T learn at university).
Which leads me to conversation number two, between a youngish salary man and a newbie salary man.
*****
salary man: Hey! Long time no see! What's up?!
newbie: Jeez, you scared me there!
salary man: Wow, you're a shinjin now, hey?! Look at that suit...! It sure doesn't suit you, ha!
newbie: Yeah, it takes some getting used to.
salary man: How's training going? How ya holding up?
newbie: Its exhausting! I'm getting up at like 5 am and trying to beat the rush, but the trains are packed!
salary man: You have to transfer through Shinjuku don't you? That sucks, its always crowded.
newbie: Yeah, so I go early, have a coffee and read the paper. But then I'm exhausted by like 8 at night!
salary man: Ha! You'll get used to it soon enough.
newbie: I know, but right now I don't know what to do with myself. I mean, we finish training at 6pm, and after that I don't know what to do. I could do something I like, but I feel bad, like I should stay at work and be useful.
salary man: I wouldn't worry 'bout that, its not like they're actually going to let you new guys do anything important. But, the really important issue is, what are your co-workers like? Any girls? Anybody promising? Hey??? And how about your superiors, do they seem strict? Have they taken you out for drinks, shown you the local watering holes yet?
...
*****
And another over-worked, alcoholic, womanizing salary-man is born... yup, spring is in the air, a new year has begun.
Thursday, 9 April 2009
Another Year Gone
The other night I went with a couple of friends to Kokuryo, in western Tokyo, to see the special one-night light up of cherry blossoms along the Nogawa river. The trees in their glory are lit in a stunning display that is breathtakingly magical.
I had gone last year as well, it had been the evening of the entrance ceremony at school, and I was nervous about what the coming year would bring. My friend (my sempai, or student senior to me) reassuring me that I could handle what I was about to undertake. This year as we walked slowly along the path - dodging small children, slow moving elderly women, older men with huge cameras, and young women waving cell phone cameras - I found myself thinking about the past year, and the year to come. As an announcement was made over the PA that it was almost 9 pm and the lights would be turned off shortly, my sempai turned to me and said "I look forward to coming back next year with you!" I smiled but reminded her I didn't even know if I'd be in the country in 11 months. Again she reassured me, but I found myself wondering whether I would be able to see the stunning display again next year, and generally what the coming year would bring.
With this train of thought, it was quite fitting then, that as 9 pm approached, the strains of "Auld Lang Syne"* came over the PA system and slowly, one by one, the huge lights were extinguished. My friends and I had paused near the half-way point of the display, to watch the lights go out. We were lucky enough to see a incredible display, however, as the section where we had stopped was also equipped with huge spot lights that had coloured lights, and the blossom-laden trees were suddenly purple, then white again, then blue, and then pink, and orange... It was beautiful. At one point the trees became a mass of waving light, and then at the end the orange spots were concentrated at the centre of the trees which suddenly appeared as if on fire at the core. It was stunning and the watching crowd broke into applause when the lights finally went out.
*(At the end of the day at the museum where I work, and any number of other museums/businesses/restaurants/whatever in Japan, closing will be announced over a PA system. There will be a ten or fifteen minute warning accompanied by the strains of a song, that to a Westerner, brings up champagne clouded thoughts of New Year's celebrations. In Japan "Auld Lang Syne" signifies not the end of the year, but the end of the business day.)
In Japan cherry blossoms are said to represent a truly Japanese love of transient beauty. As the height of blossoms in Tokyo was this past weekend, the petals have started falling. The museum where I work is situated in a park famous for its sakura. When I went for lunch today petals were falling with every light gust of wind, settling in people's hair and carpeting the ground in pale pink snow. Transience was certainly in evidence and I found myself thinking again about the start of a new year...
I had gone last year as well, it had been the evening of the entrance ceremony at school, and I was nervous about what the coming year would bring. My friend (my sempai, or student senior to me) reassuring me that I could handle what I was about to undertake. This year as we walked slowly along the path - dodging small children, slow moving elderly women, older men with huge cameras, and young women waving cell phone cameras - I found myself thinking about the past year, and the year to come. As an announcement was made over the PA that it was almost 9 pm and the lights would be turned off shortly, my sempai turned to me and said "I look forward to coming back next year with you!" I smiled but reminded her I didn't even know if I'd be in the country in 11 months. Again she reassured me, but I found myself wondering whether I would be able to see the stunning display again next year, and generally what the coming year would bring.
With this train of thought, it was quite fitting then, that as 9 pm approached, the strains of "Auld Lang Syne"* came over the PA system and slowly, one by one, the huge lights were extinguished. My friends and I had paused near the half-way point of the display, to watch the lights go out. We were lucky enough to see a incredible display, however, as the section where we had stopped was also equipped with huge spot lights that had coloured lights, and the blossom-laden trees were suddenly purple, then white again, then blue, and then pink, and orange... It was beautiful. At one point the trees became a mass of waving light, and then at the end the orange spots were concentrated at the centre of the trees which suddenly appeared as if on fire at the core. It was stunning and the watching crowd broke into applause when the lights finally went out.
*(At the end of the day at the museum where I work, and any number of other museums/businesses/restaurants/whatever in Japan, closing will be announced over a PA system. There will be a ten or fifteen minute warning accompanied by the strains of a song, that to a Westerner, brings up champagne clouded thoughts of New Year's celebrations. In Japan "Auld Lang Syne" signifies not the end of the year, but the end of the business day.)
In Japan cherry blossoms are said to represent a truly Japanese love of transient beauty. As the height of blossoms in Tokyo was this past weekend, the petals have started falling. The museum where I work is situated in a park famous for its sakura. When I went for lunch today petals were falling with every light gust of wind, settling in people's hair and carpeting the ground in pale pink snow. Transience was certainly in evidence and I found myself thinking again about the start of a new year...
Tuesday, 7 April 2009
The Grand Canyon, Tokyo, India, England!
I've mentioned before the gorgeous birthday wool a friend bought for me while on vacation at the Grand Canyon.
I was originally not terribly thrilled by the orange in with the blues, greens, and purples, but I began to change my mind when I wound the skein into a ball. By the time the scarf was knitted up I was quite charmed by the colours!
So, the ball of wool from the Grand Canyon was knit up here in Tokyo and then winged its way to England for a good friend from India. That's one well travelled yarn!
The friend in question was one of my co-workers (co-volunteers?) in India, and my traveling companion for one short and one long trip. We spent about a week in Bangalore and Mysore during a break, and then 6 weeks travelling almost around the entire country (Goa, Kerala, Pondicherry, Kolkata, Darjeeling, Sikkim, Delhi, Shimla, Amritsar, and, of course, Agra and the Taj Mahal). In those six weeks I think we spent a total of less than an hour outside of each other's company. The fact that she managed to put up with me and not strangle me is pretty impressive, and definitely deserving of... well, something more than simple knitted goods, but I figured it was at least a start! While I've never seen her wear any cold weather gear beyond a pair of socks and perhaps a sweatshirt, I'm hoping that she'll need a scarf and toque to keep her warm in non-Indian climates.
Her new scarf:
and, since I had some yarn left over when I was done, and I also had some (unclaimed) yarn in matching colours in my stash, I decided to make her a toque too.
She had just moved into a new place and said she was excited to get her first parcel...
I was originally not terribly thrilled by the orange in with the blues, greens, and purples, but I began to change my mind when I wound the skein into a ball. By the time the scarf was knitted up I was quite charmed by the colours!
So, the ball of wool from the Grand Canyon was knit up here in Tokyo and then winged its way to England for a good friend from India. That's one well travelled yarn!
The friend in question was one of my co-workers (co-volunteers?) in India, and my traveling companion for one short and one long trip. We spent about a week in Bangalore and Mysore during a break, and then 6 weeks travelling almost around the entire country (Goa, Kerala, Pondicherry, Kolkata, Darjeeling, Sikkim, Delhi, Shimla, Amritsar, and, of course, Agra and the Taj Mahal). In those six weeks I think we spent a total of less than an hour outside of each other's company. The fact that she managed to put up with me and not strangle me is pretty impressive, and definitely deserving of... well, something more than simple knitted goods, but I figured it was at least a start! While I've never seen her wear any cold weather gear beyond a pair of socks and perhaps a sweatshirt, I'm hoping that she'll need a scarf and toque to keep her warm in non-Indian climates.
Her new scarf:
and, since I had some yarn left over when I was done, and I also had some (unclaimed) yarn in matching colours in my stash, I decided to make her a toque too.
She had just moved into a new place and said she was excited to get her first parcel...
Monday, 23 March 2009
Holy Aomori
In northern Japan there is a small village once called Herai, now Shingo, that lays claim to a rather interesting piece of history. As Wikipedia affirms, the town asserts that it is home to the grave of Jesus. Yes, the one who the Bible says was crucified and then resurrected 3 days later. The northern end of the Japanese main island is a far cry from Jerusalem, or anywhere traditionally associated with the Son of God. Mary King, in an article in the Metropolis, remarks that:
The legend further says that it wasn't actually Christ who was crucified, it was his brother. Jesus escaped with locks of the Virgin Mary's hair and the ear of his crucified brother. He travelled overland, through Siberia back to northern Japan. He returned to Herai where he became a rice farmer and married a Japanese woman. They had three daughters and Jesus lived to be well over 100 and died of natural causes. He was buried on the side of a mountain, in a simple grave that is today marked only by a wooden cross. The grave next to it is known as that of his brother, holding the relics of the brother's ear and Mary's hair.
Some people believe that this explains many things about the village, like why some people have blue eyes, or the local tradition of drawing a cross on the foreheads of newborns and their swaddling clothes embroidered with the Star of David, or even the original source of some local songs with lyrics that are eerily similar to Hebrew. But there are others, even the local man who is said to be a direct descendant of Jesus, who deny any truth to the legends. The village has no church or Christian population, but it does gain income from curious tourists (and it sure makes interesting blog fodder!!)
"It's hard to imagine anyone, let alone Christ, would have schlepped out to one of the remotest parts of northern Japan in days of old, as even today it demands a great deal of effort to reach the village. Herai epitomizes the middle of nowhere. The place is little more than a lonely grocery store, a sprinkling of farmhouses and scraggly garlic fields and rice paddies blanketed with snow at this time of year."Local lore in Shingo explains that Jesus made two trips to the area. The first time was when he was a young man, and he apparently spent over a decade studying either theology or Japanese language and literature.
The legend further says that it wasn't actually Christ who was crucified, it was his brother. Jesus escaped with locks of the Virgin Mary's hair and the ear of his crucified brother. He travelled overland, through Siberia back to northern Japan. He returned to Herai where he became a rice farmer and married a Japanese woman. They had three daughters and Jesus lived to be well over 100 and died of natural causes. He was buried on the side of a mountain, in a simple grave that is today marked only by a wooden cross. The grave next to it is known as that of his brother, holding the relics of the brother's ear and Mary's hair.
Some people believe that this explains many things about the village, like why some people have blue eyes, or the local tradition of drawing a cross on the foreheads of newborns and their swaddling clothes embroidered with the Star of David, or even the original source of some local songs with lyrics that are eerily similar to Hebrew. But there are others, even the local man who is said to be a direct descendant of Jesus, who deny any truth to the legends. The village has no church or Christian population, but it does gain income from curious tourists (and it sure makes interesting blog fodder!!)
Saturday, 21 March 2009
Nose Plugs
You know how you never notice something until it happens to you or somebody points it out, and then you seem to see it everywhere around you? Well, maybe it was the the Metro's March manners poster, but the other day, in two completely separate incidents with two completely different people, I saw Japanese guys with plugs of tissue in their nostrils.
The first guy was in a suit and tie, looking like your average salary man. He was crossing the street and seemed completely normal. He was talking with another guy in a suit, and I guessed they were co-workers going for lunch. What made me do a double take (yeah, I actually did a double take and stared, sigh... you'd think that being the subject of a double or triple or quadruple take and lots and lots of staring, you'd think that'd make me somehow sensitive and less likely to do it myself... apparently not! sigh...) What made me do a double take, was that the guy had a wad of tissue stuck in one of his nostrils. I continued across the street and went on my way, somewhat bewildered.
The second guy was only a few hours later. He was dressed in ripped jeans and a colourful shirt, a jaunty hat perched on his head. His girlfriend was snuggled up to him as they sat across from me on the train. They had a big suitcase in front of them and I'm guessing they were about to head off on a trip as the train was going to Narita airport. This guy had tissue in both of his nostrils, and periodically he'd sniffle and fiddle with the wads in his nose.
Is this the Japanese reaction to the Metro posters? Are people across the metropolis of Tokyo suddenly being struck by the desire to be considerate to their fellow man? Are those sniffling and suffering from seasonal allergies realizing that blowing their noses in public is rude and inconsiderate and, paralyzed by the fear that given the lack of garbage cans in public spaces the inability to find somewhere to properly dispose of any tissue they might use to blow their nose would cause them to be lugging around bags and bags full of used tissues?
Or did I just happen to see, in the space of an afternoon, two different weirdos who decided it'd be fun to break the norm and shove tissue paper up their nose instead of conforming by wearing a mask and sniffling endlessly?!
The first guy was in a suit and tie, looking like your average salary man. He was crossing the street and seemed completely normal. He was talking with another guy in a suit, and I guessed they were co-workers going for lunch. What made me do a double take (yeah, I actually did a double take and stared, sigh... you'd think that being the subject of a double or triple or quadruple take and lots and lots of staring, you'd think that'd make me somehow sensitive and less likely to do it myself... apparently not! sigh...) What made me do a double take, was that the guy had a wad of tissue stuck in one of his nostrils. I continued across the street and went on my way, somewhat bewildered.
The second guy was only a few hours later. He was dressed in ripped jeans and a colourful shirt, a jaunty hat perched on his head. His girlfriend was snuggled up to him as they sat across from me on the train. They had a big suitcase in front of them and I'm guessing they were about to head off on a trip as the train was going to Narita airport. This guy had tissue in both of his nostrils, and periodically he'd sniffle and fiddle with the wads in his nose.
Is this the Japanese reaction to the Metro posters? Are people across the metropolis of Tokyo suddenly being struck by the desire to be considerate to their fellow man? Are those sniffling and suffering from seasonal allergies realizing that blowing their noses in public is rude and inconsiderate and, paralyzed by the fear that given the lack of garbage cans in public spaces the inability to find somewhere to properly dispose of any tissue they might use to blow their nose would cause them to be lugging around bags and bags full of used tissues?
Or did I just happen to see, in the space of an afternoon, two different weirdos who decided it'd be fun to break the norm and shove tissue paper up their nose instead of conforming by wearing a mask and sniffling endlessly?!
Monday, 16 March 2009
Please Do It No More
Here is the final installment of the Tokyo Metro's "Please do it at..." manners poster series. And, like the Green-eyed Geisha, I'm not impressed.
She comments that the poster looks like a instruction manual for how to dispose of your tissue on the train. I agree. Is the poster trying to get people to stop dropping tissues on the train? (Something I've never seen happen on a Japanese train anywhere) Or they are saying that it is acceptable to drop your garbage on the ground if it is your own home?
At first I thought it might be a commentary on nose blowing in general, as it wasn't all that long ago that it was considered impolite to blow your nose in public in Japan, and people would go to all sorts of lengths to hide nose blowing (the most common, of course, being constant sniffling, a habit that is one of my father's biggest pet peeves, and something he trained out of me only to see me pick it up again after coming to Japan). People would often leave the room and go to the bathroom to blow their nose in private, and I heard stories of Japanese guys being disgusted when the gorgeous blond foreign woman they were idolizing blew her nose right in front of them. While ideas such as these appear to have been disappearing, and it is no longer uncommon to see people blowing their noses in public, it still more common for people to sniffle their way through a runny nose.
This is a month of duds, as Tobu's fairy tale inspired manner poster had me scratching my head.
The fairy tale was obvious, Aladdin and and the Genie are immediately recognizable. Instead of coming out of a lamp, however, the Genie appears to be issuing from Aladdin's cigarette, as a poor damsel coughs and attempts to wave smoke from her face. I don't understand what the message has to do with Aladdin. Don't get me wrong, however, I'm COMPLETELY behind the message of the poster, that all Tobu stations are non-smoking. I'm also very excited that JR stations in Tokyo will be also going smoke free. I take JR most days and the entrance I use has me at one end of the platform, the one with the women's only car in the rush hours of the morning, and the smoking corner for the rest of the day. I am thrilled that as of April 1 I am going to be able to stand there without having to avoid the dozen or so suits puffing away as if their lives depended on the nicotine.
She comments that the poster looks like a instruction manual for how to dispose of your tissue on the train. I agree. Is the poster trying to get people to stop dropping tissues on the train? (Something I've never seen happen on a Japanese train anywhere) Or they are saying that it is acceptable to drop your garbage on the ground if it is your own home?
At first I thought it might be a commentary on nose blowing in general, as it wasn't all that long ago that it was considered impolite to blow your nose in public in Japan, and people would go to all sorts of lengths to hide nose blowing (the most common, of course, being constant sniffling, a habit that is one of my father's biggest pet peeves, and something he trained out of me only to see me pick it up again after coming to Japan). People would often leave the room and go to the bathroom to blow their nose in private, and I heard stories of Japanese guys being disgusted when the gorgeous blond foreign woman they were idolizing blew her nose right in front of them. While ideas such as these appear to have been disappearing, and it is no longer uncommon to see people blowing their noses in public, it still more common for people to sniffle their way through a runny nose.
This is a month of duds, as Tobu's fairy tale inspired manner poster had me scratching my head.
The fairy tale was obvious, Aladdin and and the Genie are immediately recognizable. Instead of coming out of a lamp, however, the Genie appears to be issuing from Aladdin's cigarette, as a poor damsel coughs and attempts to wave smoke from her face. I don't understand what the message has to do with Aladdin. Don't get me wrong, however, I'm COMPLETELY behind the message of the poster, that all Tobu stations are non-smoking. I'm also very excited that JR stations in Tokyo will be also going smoke free. I take JR most days and the entrance I use has me at one end of the platform, the one with the women's only car in the rush hours of the morning, and the smoking corner for the rest of the day. I am thrilled that as of April 1 I am going to be able to stand there without having to avoid the dozen or so suits puffing away as if their lives depended on the nicotine.
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