Rollercoaster - The Happenings

Japan is a rollercoaster ride!

Exchange, it seems, is not exactly a holiday. I mean, I’ve only been here for about two weeks, but my mood has been going up and down, up and down, and probably sideways as well (round and round, this way and that way, like my emotions are in a giant blender - mainly due to the fact that I'm now way out of my comfort zone, and have been thrust into a new lifestyle). This is, perhaps, a good thing, because I’m not experiencing Tourist Japan, rather, I’m having a shot at Real Japan. Daily Life Japan. I think, in the long run, what I’m experiencing will definitely do me some real good.

So, you ask, do I want to come home yet?

Definitely not!

Well, let me share some things I have learnt whilst staying here:

In Japan, New Super Mario Brothers on Wii is SRS Business.

Never, never have I played such a hardcore game of Super Mario Brothers in my life! During our three player (Mina, Yumi and I) Wii New Super Mario Brothers gaming session, we were so loud and excitable (screaming 'じさつしないで’ and many 'あぶな～い’s) that eventually the people in the unit upstairs rang up to complain about the noise, bringing our voices down to still very shrill whispers. Yes. It was Mario, alright. Mario, Hardcore Style.

Every night, my stomach is filled with delicious food.

Soon, I’ll be able to roll home. We eat snacks every day here, so I’m really glad that my daily routine includes riding a bike to school. Really, really glad! However, the food itself is delicious. During my stay in the Machida household, we’ve made Japanese style pizza, takoyaki, macha (green tea), held a Temakizushi sushi party at the grandparents house (where you make your own sushi rolls), among other foods of impeccable deliciousness. Om nom nom nom.

During the sushi party, I also tried the much feared Natto. For those who haven’t heard of it, it’s actually one of those fabled “must try” Japanese foods that is famously known for being disliked by foreigners to Japan – stinky, rotten, fermented soybeans covered in goo that hold a pretty repugnant scent, a powerful taste and slippery texture. Before coming to Japan, having read my share of Japan related blogs, I knew about the powers of Natto. And I also knew that one day, my turn to eat it would come. And it came.

Perhaps, because I’d braced myself to eat something I thought to be an unspeakable horror, when it came to tasting it, it really wasn’t that bad. It wasn’t the tastiest thing I’d ever eaten. But it surely wasn’t the worst. If you come to Japan, don’t fear the Natto! To me, its bark was worse than its bite!

Interestingly, I found that tackling the Sakana Kobukuro dish presented a greater challenge than Natto. Sakana Kobukuro is the fish version of pig uterus, apparently (although I could be wrong). Whatever it was, it was intestiney. And creamy. And let us never speak of it again.

Japanese schools are very different to those in Australia!

For one thing, the sakura tree outside my classroom is just breathtakingly spectacular. No photograph could do it justice. For another thing, I found that Japanese school rules are much more strict than Australian schools, and the atmosphere much more formal. Although my first day was not my official "first day" at school (I had to come for a uniform fitting), there was a lot of bowing in the hallway to be done to every student or teacher that passed (I felt like one of those Wooden Bird Things that dip up and down a lot... you know, like the one in The Simpsons that obese Homer uses to press the Yes key on his computer whilst he goes to the movies/does other stuff instead of working? No? Damn) and so, so, so many おはようございますohayou gozaimasu's ("good morning"s).

In Japan, there's formal and informal speech, and sometimes I muddle up each one (you speak informally with your friends, but must be extra polite to the teachers and use polite form - です、ます). But nevertheless, I really felt the importance of Japanese formalities that first day. You must bow, smile, speak formally to your superiors. It's a culture of respect. I was so surprised that in my Nyugakushiki (First Year Opening Ceremony) everybody was so disciplined when it came to standing still and listening to the teacher during the ceremony. Nobody moved a muscle. Well, except to stand up, bow, and sit down. It went like this:

"Mr Kobayashi is going to speak. Stand up!"

We stand up.

"Bow"

We bow.

"Sit down"

We sit down.

Mr Kobayashi gives his speech. He finishes. We stand up, bow, sit down. The next speaker takes the stage. We stand up, bow, sit down. He finishes. We stand up, bow, sit down. This continues on for 40 minutes.

Still, it was extremely interesting... and good exercise, yeah?

Self introductions are also extremely important.

On my first day, I was forwarded into the staff room to do a jikou shoukai (self introduction) in front of a staff room full of teachers, which was nerve wracking. Man, was I nervous. I managed to stutter it out and completely butcher the Japanese language ("K-k-konichiwa"!)but still got the obligatory polite "Nihongo jouzu desu ne" from the teachers, which was nice of them. :D I also had to do a speech today, in front of the whole school at one of the Opening Ceremonys, which I'll write about later, because I'm running out of time.

I also went to Karaoke for four hours with Mina and her friend Mari for about four hours, which was quite fun. The best thing about the karaoke joint, in my opinion, was the fact that you could have as many free drinks from the vending machine as you wanted during the karaoke session... in my mind I was like, "Dude... I am so going to abuse the system." And the system I did abuse!

Free drinks over singing any day! I drank a truckload of Calpis (a yoghurty drink).

Well, signing out... oh! And thank you very much for your comments... I'll work on replying to them tonight! Really, they make me so happy and encourage me to write this thing, rather than abandon it. :） So thank you very much!
I miss you guys, and for the people I haven't met in real life who are still commenting, another THANK YOU to you! :D I'm honored that my blog is being read by other people!

じゃ、またね！

Lucie