The Wayfarer Blog

Here are the snow pictures I promised. I took these near Ichigaya Station, in Tokyo, after my morning class. There’s a Tully’s that I go to sometimes. I had coffee and read for a while. Then, when it was getting close to time to go to my next lesson, I took a few pictures of the small playground and shrine by the coffee shop.

It was snowing and pretty cold, so I didn’t stay out too long, but I managed to take a few shots. Can you believe I had been meaning to go up and look a at the shrine for a long time, but I never did until the day it was snowing? Needless to say, I plan on going back again, and taking more pictures.

But here are a few I took at the height of the snowstorm. (If you can call it that!)

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You wouldn’t know it by listening to everyone around here whine about how cold it is, but we have had a relatively mild winter so far. We have had a few cold days, and it does get cold at night, but it is nothing like what my friends and family back home have been going through!

Yesterday (Wednesday, January 23, 2008), we finally got some snow. I had heard we might get some snow, but I was sure it wouldn’t amount to anything. Sure enough, it snowed all morning, but it failed to stick. All morning, the HUGE flakes fell; by afternoon, they had changed into light rain.

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Today (January 14th, 2008) was a National Holiday in Japan. It’s called 「成人の日」(seijin no hi), which literally means, “Adults’ Day,” but is usually translated as, “Coming of Age Day.” In Japan, 20 is the age of adulthood, rather than 21, like in the USA. It is a special day to celebrate the coming of age for young adults who turn 20 years old this year. Young people dress up and attend a special celebration in their honor.

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I took these the other day at Takashimaya Department Store, in Shinjuku. Enjoy.

A close-up.

I started a new class tonight, teaching at the Tokyo Dome. I didn’t bring my camera, but I will next week. I can’t wait to take pictures. That is an area that I have been meaning to get around to, but never did.

What’s the big deal? Well, maybe nothing. But it is a famous area, with a huge stadium, amusement park, the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame, etc. It’s a place that I have passed on the train a hundred times; I always told myself I would go check it out, but I never did.

There are so many areas to explore. I want to spend more time doing new and interesting things this year. That isn’t so much a “resolution” as just a basic goal.

Useful Websites

Tokyo Dome Official Website (English)
Wikipedia: Tokyo Dome Article

It happens several times a year.

I have been teaching at the same high school now for almost two years, and every few months, they neglect to tell me that I don’t need to come. So I go all the way there, and then have to turn around. I think the last time it happened was back in September, and it had very serious repercussions, both financially and physically. As i wrote back then, I was still on crutches because of my leg, and my balance was not very good, so I slipped on the slick pavement near my apartment. Although I didn’t fall down, I slid into a bad position and put my back out, which led to a lot of expensive chiropractic treatment and perhaps the other complications I suffered.

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Back home, I heard it has been pretty cold already this year. So far, we haven’t had too much to complain about in Tokyo. It has gotten colder, but we still have flowers blooming.

No matter how cold it is, spring is coming…

The other day, I needed to run a few errands in Shinjuku, but I wasn’t in a big hurry. Hard to believe, but I had never taken the time to explore this area of Ogikubo, even though it is close to where I live. Because it was January 2nd, a lot of the shops were closed, so I’ll have to go back again. But it was very interesting. I love exploring new areas, and these small neighborhoods and back roads in Tokyo have a lot of surprises to offer. From small, family restaurants, to statues, to cat shrines, you never know what is around the next corner. Plus, Tokyo is very safe, so you never have to worry about walking around, even at night. I want to spend more time this year exploring–and taking pictures!

Kyokai Dori. The name literally means “Church Road.” I didn’t see a church, but I probably didn’t walk far enough.

One of the first things I noticed as I walked down Kyokai Dori was this soba shop.

A soba shop. Too bad it was closed!

The sign 「蕎麦」means “soba.” Soba is a kind of buckwheat noodles. These shops are ubiquitous in Tokyo, which is good, because they are delicious, satisfying, and very nutritious. You can enjoy a hot bowl of soba in winter, or cold noodles in summer.

A very nice and quiet neighborhood.

During New Year’s, many homes and businesses display special decorations. Relying on homonyms and puns, these words take advantage of the limited number of sounds in Japanese in their good luck charms. For example, the concept of 結び, musubi, or tying, is very important in Shinto. The word literally means “to wrap; bind” or simply, “knot,” and in Shinto it symbolizes the creative power of life. But even onigiri, or rice balls, which is a very common food, can be called musubi. This helps make Japanese a very rich and interesting language (though frustratingly complicated at times!) Many people observe the New Year holiday by displaying ornate rope decorations like this one. The knot (musubi), has a deeper meaning…

You never know what you will find when you take the time to explore a new area of your neighborhood. I spent so much time last year, unable to do much recreational walking. This year, plan to make up for lost time. I love walking, because it helps clear my mind and it invigorates my body and spirit. How about you?

Wikipedia article: Soba
Britannica Online: musubi
My Ogikubo Pictures on Flickr

Oops! I forgot to post this. This is the last picture I took in 2007. (But there are some more pictures I haven’t posted yet…)

This is a cram school near Ogikubo Station, in Tokyo.

From left to right, the first character, (無), “Mu,” means “Not~.” The second, (敵), “teki,” means “enemy/rival.” So together, it means, “Unrivalled/invincible” The third character, (塾), “juku,” means “cram school.” Get it? If you go to this cram school, you will be invincible when take your next exam. That is important, because if you can perform better on your tests than other students, you can get into good schools, which will help you get a good job in the future.

What is a cram school? Well, a cram school is a school where students go for extra instruction–usually to pass an exam. Cram schools are not uniquely Japanese. We even have some in the U.S. (Kaplan is a good example.) In Seattle (85th and Greenwood Ave NE, across from Blockbuster Video), I used to pass by Kumon, which is a famous cram school chain in Japan. My first place in Japan was down the street from a Kumon school. I always thought it was sad when I was walking home around 10pm, and I saw tired little children leaving there. We’re talking elementary school kids, here.

I wanted to find out more about the history of cram schools, so I fired up google and found this Japanese site. According to the site, the history of cram schools and home schooling goes back to the Heian Period (794-1185). If you read Japanese and want to find out more than you ever wanted to know about how to choose a cram school in Japan, check it out. I skimmed over several pages, but quickly lost interest. (Did I mention that it’s about 12 pages long?)

Farewell, 2007…

Another year has come and gone.

Don’t worry. I won’t take you on yet another nostalgic look back at everything that happened this year. But I do think this was a year full of growth and changes for me. It wasn’t always easy, and it certainly wasn’t always fun. But I am very satisfied and grateful to be where I am today.

I spent about four months using crutches. I lost a lot of chances to take pictures and travel, and be active. And I used up my vacation/sick time. But I also got back in touch with my health, and I’ve been able to address some physical issues. (Nothing serious; I am talking more about my fallen arches, and the fact that I needed to strength certain muscles and loosen up others.) The simple act of walking was, at times, difficult, painful and even frightening. I’m not used to feeling weak and helpless, and that was perhaps the hardest part for me.

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