My First Natural Disaster

So as the entire world is aware, well except maybe for Charlie Sheen, the biggest earthquake in 100 years took place 300km from the coast of Japan. The result was 8.8-magnitude quake with repeated after shocks and tsunamis reaching heights of 10m.

The result has been the total devastation of Japan’s east coast. Too many people have lost their lives. More have lost family and not to mention their entire world has been swept away in debris.

Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times wrote an article about the quake, which almost perfectly sums up my views on how Japan has handled the event. I am not going to quote the entire article; you can read it for yourself by clicking here.

The one quote that stood out for me was this: “Uncomplaining, collective resilience is steeped into the Japanese soul”. And it is exactly that which I admire in the Japanese people.

Life for me has continued as normal. Saturday I cleaned my windows. Yesterday I did my washing. Today I had work. I am continuing to think about and plan my next vacation. It is life as normal.

Don’t be fooled into thinking I am the insensitive foreigner that doesn’t take notice of things that don’t affect me. I had friends that were out of contact for hours and potentially missing (though all have, at this point, been accounted for).

I live on Kyushu, the most southern of the 4 big islands, and life on Kyushu has continued as normal, for both myself and those around me. We are all incredibly aware of the whole disaster but it is the Japanese way to deal with what nature gives you and get on with your life. Disasters here do not end the world they are just a part of it.

Schools have not been closed, people continue to do their shopping and buy new cars. The Japanese people have not allowed themselves to be overwhelmed or allowed their world to come to a grinding halt. One of my teachers told me today how he went shopping this weekend to prepare for his son entering university. His son is studying in Yokohama – which is right next to Tokyo. The tsunamis have not washed away the excitement he has for his child’s future.

And somehow all the hope around me is very calming. One of my students went to Shikoku this weekend and brought me back omiyagi. She will study nursing. This morning her thoughts are on her new university life, which like all teenagers she is really excited about. 

It is something that I admire but at the same time, as Nicholas Kristof mentions in his article, it is not without its problems. Though if I am going to be caught in the middle of huge natural disaster there is no other place that I would rather be. As they say the sun always rises in the east, and I will do so again tomorrow.

My Party of One

One does not come on a programme like JET and not expect to do things alone. It is not a buddy system. Though, I have been fortunate of late to have my best South African friends move within a 40 min drive of me. The point is that you are by yourself and have to learn to handle it.

As a result I have become quite used to doing things “一人で” (alone) though the one thing I have not quite overcome is sitting at restaurant alone – save for Starbucks etc when waiting for flights or trains.  Besides if you don’t do things by yourself you can end up on missing out on the world.

So when the opportunity came up to see one of my favourite bands, MGMT, in Osaka over the week I grabbed onto it like a shopping addict at a shoe sale. And although I could not rustle up a travelling companion I would not be deterred form my mission of seeing them perform live.

I have never been to see an international band before, and of course having left SA almost all of my favourite musicians descended upon the motherland. This was followed by the rest coming to Japan when I returned to SA for my holiday. So, thoroughly sick of everyone else enjoying themselves (Steve Hoffmeyer not included), I was not willing to waste this opportunity.

And I am not going to lie to you, it wasn’t the cheapest trip I have ever made but it was certainly the most worthwhile and I would spend every yen again.

It was cheapest in the end to fly, and for once I made use of the fact that I live 15 minutes from the airport. It was the most relaxed trip I have ever made and I still managed to sleep in on Saturday morning. 

Whenever I have to take the trains it is always a rush to get to the station, which is in the next town. And of course getting there is a pain. So it was really nice to fly. It only took 45 minutes and slept the entire way there and back.

The concert started rather early and honestly by the time I got to the venue I was feeling a bit alone, especially considering the large groups that were attending.

But, then the glory of JET is that you end up meeting a bunch of awesome people who are spread out over the entire country and the chances of running into any of them is rather high, particularly at such a high profile event. So sure enough, before the main act had even started, I found two of the guys that I had come over with from SA. There really is a great unity between South African JETs.

On Japanese crowds: I had this impression that they would be rather relaxed and subdued - and they were to start with. I was able (in true gaijin style) to push my way rather close to the front by manipulating the personal space rules – which is great on trains if you want more space. The closer you get the more they move away. Yes it was evil but I wasn’t about to miss out by playing polite. Anyway, back on topic. They were pretty calm and relaxed, the nosiest people being the group on my left, which contained a rather loud and drunk Scot. However, by the time the show ended with the band’s most popular song I had been closer to sweaty Japanese people than I had ever intended. I was nearly crushed in the chaos that reigned and actually barely got to enjoy the song what with trying to survive the mob. But it is like anything in Japan, when they let go of the conservative they go bos and it all comes pouring out and you don’t really want to be caught in the wave of crazy.

The concert was spectacular. The band was fantastic – and just as good, if not better, live. I was very tempted to do a Saffer and mug the tiny Japanese girls for the stuff they had caught during the show. I am still suffering from the disappointment of it being over.

Leaving the show, the three of us were stopped by two girls for photos – and I don’t mean we took them. We were in them. This happens on occasion and it does make you feel like a complete rock star when random strangers want a photo with you.

After the concert I latched onto Paul and David and joined them in saying farewell to a friend of theirs at the most fantastic gay bar in Osaka. Well it must be if Lady Gaga frequents it. It was this tiny hole in the wall down an obscure ally in some random building. The décor looked as though it hadn’t made it out the era of tie-dye – like a rainbow had sneezed. Trolls (the toys popular in the 90’s) lined the walls and because the disco balls weren’t sparkly enough, they had had tinsel added to them. And the ultraviolet night made me, in my white top, stand out even more than I already did. It was awesome.

I really love Osaka. Tokyo is crazy and bizarre but Osaka’s crazy is gritty and stuck in the 80’s. Shinsaibashi is still living the glory of the punk trend and the area around Umeda is full of “girl’s bars” and male hosts fill the allies trying to attract customers in their fancy black suits. The atmosphere is electric and on the whole much more interesting than Shibuya in Tokyo.

I made my way home with impeccable timing (again) and got back to my flat with the rest of the day to enjoy the afternoon working my way through my remaining Valentine’s Day stash.

It really could not have been a better experience, even if it did start out as a party of one.  

My Doodle

Although I seem to have diverted from my intended career path, I still try to do some design in my spare time. Lately I have been putting together blog headers for friends and I thought I would just advertise what I have been up to (I am somewhat proud of them). And, I am not going to lie to you, truth be told I have enjoyed designing for the web.  

Let's Enjoy Together

Big Red Dots & Squiggly Inkblots

My Morning Maple

My Valentine's Day Haul

I really love Valentine's Day here in Japan. This year I got more gifts than I have ever received (a little sad but one tends not to notice when you are full of chocolate and cake). Below is some of what is left i.e. what i haven't got around to eating.

My Valentine's Day

Aaah VD (as termed by my students). That joyous infection of a popular holiday that spreads like a virus turning everything itchy shades of pink and red. and then any attempts to remedy the infection by use of the guaranteed love potion sold to you by the vendor (who swears it is the best possible remedy to your heart ailments), does nothing except for taste really good while simultaneously emptying your pockets.  Eventually you just have to wait until the itch goes away. 

My Valentine’s Day preparations consisted of an afternoon spent in collaboration with Furiida (see http://squggly-inkblots.blogspot.com/) baking over 100 sugar cookies for our respective colleagues. This would be as joyous as it sounds if we weren’t baking 6 biscuits at a time due to the limited baking space in my microwave oven. 

We decorated them in true South African sugar cookie style – with icing and Smarties (well Smarties substitute, a recent discovery). Most of these were individually bagged, as is the Japanese style, for distribution at school. 

Valentine’s day here is very different. The “special date night” in Japan is Christmas Eve.  In Japan, on the 14 February, girls are expected to do the giving – usually chocolates or home baked cookies and cakes.  But before you complain at the complete lack of expectations placed on the boys it must be noted that they have to return gifts received on the 14 March, which is called White Day. These return gifts are expected to be of a value 2 to 3 times higher than the original gift. So Valentine’s Day here is really an investment in future returns. 

However, the giving of chocolates on Valentine’s Day is not as simple as just giving gifts. For Japanese woman there are a variety of kinds of gifts that depend on a variety of social hierarchy structures. Tomo-choko is exchanged between friends. Honmei-choko is Favourite chocolate and given to loved ones or those you wish to empress. Many women feel they have to provide gifts to ALL their male colleagues resulting in the distribution of much giri-choko or obligation chocolate. Though my personal favourite is the chocolate reserved for the unpopular co-workers: ultra-obligation chocolate or chõ-giri choko.

I, of course, just gave everyone the same and stashed a box of cookies in the staff kitchen. I like to think it was in promotion of ubuntu and spreading equality through international exchange.

The one joyous thing about all this is that my 7/11 has been stocking Godiva chocolates for the last month, which is like finding Godiva chocolates at the Engine 1-Stop in Brakpan. That and of course my reputation has increased to “honourable”, now that my teachers think I am not entirely as useless as previously thought.

New Kitkat day 2.0

Blueberry Cheesecake

Cheese

 Almond something or other