A night with Sam & Dave

After the first day of classes last Friday, a group of us at the I-House decided it was perfect timing for a night out in downtown Kyoto. The buses stop running at 9, and taxis cost money...so we cycled across town to the Kamo River and found a nice spot near a Lawson convenience store and Sam & Dave (a bar/dance club).
Unlike the lovely US of A, Japan has no open container laws--it's perfectly acceptable to walk around the city (or sit by the river) drink in hand. We all had a couple of drinks, shared some snacks from the Lawson, and traded tales about our classes before heading to Sam & Dave. Sam & Dave takes up the 3rd and 4th floors of a building. The 3rd floor hosts the full bar (shown above) and a pool table or two; the 4th floor is home to the dance floor and a smaller bar. We got in for free with our student IDs (savings of 1000 yen for the ladies and 2000 yen for the gents!) and drinks weren't outrageous--between $5 and $7 for most. We danced the night away...literally.

This is what time we finally made it back to the I-House. We might have made it sooner, but a few people wanted to make a pit stop at McDonald's on the way. We'll definitely being doing that again! But maybe next time we'll stay out 'til the bars close (5:00am) and THEN cycle home...or perhaps we should splurge on a taxi, as a gang of foreigners cycling around in club attire at sunrise might draw unwanted attention. Cycling under the influence is a crime, after all.

I want to ride my bicycle...

I cycled to Kawaramachi last night. I was paying more attention to my surroundings than to the time, but I would guess the ride there is a little under an hour.

Legally, unless there's a sign noting otherwise, bicycles are not allowed on the sidewalk. In practice, however, the sidewalks are often filled with cyclists--not to mention pedestrians, parked bicycles, telephone poles, etc. When you ride in the street, you must stay as far to the left as you can, going with the flow of traffic. However, not all cyclists follow this rule, either. Not only do you have to go around cars parked at the curb, you also have to look out for cyclists going the wrong way.

So, when I cycle around Kyoto (whether it be on the sidewalk or in the street), I always feel a bit like I'm playing a video game of some sort. Ride on the sidewalk without crashing! Cross the giant intersection before the light turns red! Avoid cars! It's a rather exciting game...Only the stakes are a little higher than your average game, since collecting coins or talismans will not earn you an extra life. Luckily the Japanese are used to looking out for cyclists.

Reason #397 Why Flip-Flops are a Poor Choice

Once upon a time, an American girl moved to Japan, where she had the options of walking, taking public transportation, or riding a bicycle. For the first week or so she walked to nearby places and took a bus whenever she wanted to venture away from her little neighborhood. Then one day she found a bicycle shop that would accept her American debit card, and decided to buy this 6-speed beauty for a mere $155 (most geared bikes she'd seen elsewhere were at least $250):

(Complete with front basket, headlight, skirt guard, lock, and free delivery!)

She was afraid to ride it in a foreign land where you must look right first instead of left. But she knew her life would be much more convenient with the addition of her bicycle, and decided to take it for a quick ride down to the supermarket.

She was amazed at how quickly she got to the store! On foot, it would have been a 15 minute trip--but with her bicycle, it took less than 5 minutes! She parked her bicycle in front of the shop. When she looked outside a few minutes later, she saw that for once, the meteorologists had meant it when they called for rain and thunderstorms.

First, she tried to find a poncho for sale at the drug store across from the supermarket. When that failed, she decided to try to just wait out the storm. After 20 minutes she realized the rain wasn't letting up any time soon, and decided to buy a cheap umbrella and head back...pushing her bicycle, since it's illegal (not to mention dangerous) to ride while holding an umbrella.

Thirty minutes later she made it back to her dormitory, thoroughly soaked and annoyed at the seeming uselessness of her new umbrella.

Feeling like an idiot, but I'm not the only one...

The meteorologists were wrong again! I guess Sinlaku took a turn away from Japan. There wasn't much in the way of rain today, and instead of crazy gusting winds, we got a few cool breezes. Overcast skies and wind made the temperature much more tolerable.

The placement tests were awful. I have so much to learn! Most people are keeping their fingers crossed not to be in the lowest level language class--but I don't see the big deal. We're all going to improve our language skills, no matter where we get placed. I am quite worried, though, that I'm in over my head here. Comparing my skills to others' has really highlighted the weakness of my program back home. I'm not used to feeling like such an academic failure! Being here is very humbling.

The best part of the day was free lunch! Lots of different Japanese foods and time to mingle with other SKP students. We decided to celebrate the fact that two-thirds of the placement test is behind us, so we took a trip to Liquor Mountain when we finally got back to the house.

Off I go--I'm sure my Captain Morgan is chilled by now.

Tropical Storm Sinlaku & Japanese Lunch

It seems like every day this week people have been expecting to get hit with rain from the Tropical Storm Formerly Known as Tyhpoon Sinlaku--but tomorrow, as far as I can tell, is the real deal.

Tomorrow, as in the day orientation (and placement testing) begins at Rits.

Tomorrow, as in the day I was planning to ride my shiny new bicycle (pictures and story later) everywhere.

It's supposed to rain all day and get worse and worse into the evening and night. I was hoping to go out with some of the students in my program tomorrow to blow off some steam after our first day of orientation, but it I'm not sure Sinlaku will allow it. Only time will tell.

PS - I got my temporary alien registration card today. Afterward, we found a little Japanese restaurant for lunch.

My 900 yen bento.
(Clockwise, from top left: salad, soba noodles and tofu, bitter green veggie, noodles, and sausage, pork in a kind of sweet sauce, some pickled thing, and sticky rice.)

I was feeling brave today...

So I decided to venture to campus, then to Kawaramachi/Sanjo again...alone!

It's actually really simple, because the bus goes by Ritsumeikan on its way to Sanjo. I even managed enough Japanese to buy a day pass for the bus (my last attempt was a failure)!

The campus is smaller than I realized, but it will still take me awhile to really get a feel for where everything is. I'm directionally challenged in the worst way.

Once on campus, I came across these students in what appears to be taiko ensemble rehearsal in front of the gym. I watched them practice for a few minutes before beginning my self-guided campus tour.

I left Ritsumeikan and headed for Kawaramachi around 4 p.m. I had a lot of fun last time I went, but it was nice to go alone, too, because when I shop, I like to look at everything--even things I have no intention of buying.

After an hour or so of browsing, I decided to grab a little a la carte dinner from a grocery store. This fountain and seating area happened to be right in front of the store, so I parked on one of the stone cubes with my salad and maki sushi, all of which I successfully at with chopsticks. My chopstick skills are better every day!

After I had exhausted my options in Sanjo, I decided to roam up and down Kawaramachi-dori a bit. I found another mall area, but this one is underground! I suppose they figured since they were digging a hole for the subway, they might as well dig a little more to add some more square footage for restaurants and stores.

I headed back above ground and caught a bus back to Rits. The housing information I received over the summer said I-House 2 is a 30 minute walk from campus, and I wanted to test it out. It was a 45 minute walk. I definitely need to conquer my fear of riding a bike here! I like riding in rural areas and small towns, but the idea of riding around Kyoto freaks me out a little. It's not so much the traffic (because that's not bad on the way to Rits) as using the opposite side of the road. But I'm getting used to that, so maybe tomorrow I'll borrow a bike from the house and see how long of a bike ride it is.

Amerika-jin and other foreigners

I wonder if I'll ever get used to the stares of Japanese for whom foreigners are a novelty.

Being noticed so much is strange for me. In the States, I generally don't stand out much; I don't look much different from any other random person walking around. But here in super-homogenous-looking Japan? I'm taller, curvier, and just look different from everybody else. It's impossible to blend in with the crowd.

It's kind of funny, having people stare at me here, because I know at home the only reason people would stare is if I were having a wardrobe malfunction or acting bizarrely. Here, the only thing you have to do for a little attention is not be Asian.

This afternoon I noticed several bus drivers, pedestrians, taxi drivers, etc., watching me as I walked down the sidewalk. One older Japanese man wearing glasses and geta turned around and said to me, in Japanese, "Are you an American? USA!" When I told him that's right, I'm an American, he repeated, "USA!" and turned back around, glancing back at me over his shoulder. Talk about awkward.

But it's not just the Japanese who gawk at foreigners. Other gaijin can be guilty as well. Later on my walk, I saw three guys approximately my age sitting at a bus stop across the street. As I passed, one shouted, "Amerika-jin?!" I confirmed their suspicions and kept walking, laughing to myself. This time I spared a few glances back over my shoulder. Each time I tried to sneak a peek, they were watching me. Theirs was a different kind of stare from the old man's, though; instead of looking at me because of my differences, they watched me because of our similarities--our shared status as outsiders.

I do the same thing. Every time I see a non-Japanese, I look a little longer than is polite. I wonder where they're from, what they're doing here in Kyoto.

Suck it, jet lag!

It's my fifth night here and I think I have finally conquered jet lag. I won't know for sure until I see what time I wake up tomorrow, but this is the first day I've been able to stay up until something like my normal bed time without taking a nap.

Went for an early afternoon stroll with Doria then returned home to assess the damage my feet have suffered since my arrival. After that excursion I put no less than seven bandaids on my poor little lazy American feet. I'm simply not used to walking around so much, and I have the blisters and calluses to prove it. I hope this is only temporary, or I'm going to be spending a lot of money on bandaids and/or better shoes.

Feet rested, bandaids and flip flops in place, I decided to go on a solitary adventure shortly after sundown to familiarize myself with more of the area. A nighttime stroll is much more enjoyable than suffering through the heat and humidity of the afternoon. I discovered a huge drug store, several conbini, two large Chinese restaurants, one large and many small Japanese restaurants, a floral shop, two pizza places, McDonald's (go figure), what appeared to be a large sports apparel store, two small casual clothing shops, KFC, a shoe store, a pachinko parlor, a giant centipede that legitimized the warning bulletin at the house, and two Japanese teenagers making out in a park.

Ahh, the wonders of Kyoto.

Letter of Adoration

Dear Onigiri,

Thank you for being inexpensive, filling, tasty, and nutritious. Forget Wheaties, you are the breakfast (snack, lunch, dinner, or fourthmeal) of champions.

I'll be perfectly honest with you: at first, I was extremely turned off by your seaweed exterior. It seemed fit more for fish than for people. But I overcame my nori bias, and I'm so thankful that I did. However, we need to work on the mayonnaise thing. Mayo will always disgust me, and I'm always worried that when we meet, you'll bring mayo with you. I wish you'd stop so I wouldn't have to worry. Or maybe I should just learn how to read.

But I digress. Onigiri, thanks for everything, and for all that is to come.

Until we meet again (later today or tomorrow, most likely),
Your biggest fan, Jessi

Accommodations

What you see is pretty much what you get with this one, with the exception of a small area to the right of the door, which houses a sink. At first I thought there was no way I could be comfortable in such a small room.

But I've already found that there's plenty of room for me and my belongings (if only because I packed fairly lightly). I don't know yet if overnight guests are allowed, but I do believe there's even room enough for a futon on the floor next to my bed. The wall to the left is all built-ins, with both open and closed storage, a small desk, and a space for the small fridge/freezer. There's storage under the bed as well. I may have to send for more things from home to fill all the empty space!

The sliding glass doors on the far wall open onto a small balcony that faces the driveway of the house. I also have a private toilet (which has a sink on the back...WTF), and remote control air conditioning. Speaking of which...

This little thing amazes and frustrates me. It's a small switchplate just inside the door, right next to the main light switch. Those are my keys; the key to this is the same key I use to lock my door when I leave for the day.

I'm probably being a spoiled, wasteful American, but when I come in from a hot day, I like my room to be nice and cool. But since the lights and air conditioning in my room require my key to be in this position, I'm stuck coming home to a hot, stuffy room. Or I could leave the air on and risk having my food, clothes, and cash stolen. True, the crime rate in Japan is very low, but I'm living with a bunch of non-Japanese, and I'd rather be safe (if sticky) than sorry. And I suppose it's the green thing to do.

The adventure begins

Today is my third full day in the city of Kyoto.

It feels incredibly surreal; I just can not believe that this is really my life. That this will continue to be my life for months. That my life will change because of this.

I wonder how long this feeling will last.

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Yesterday I went to the Kawaramachi/Sanjo area with two other students in my program and a Japanese student of Ritsumeikan University.

We ate lunch at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. At the bottom of the picture is the belt with various sushi and other foods going around the restaurant. On top of the belt is a toy-like shinkansen which the staff uses to deliver special orders to the tables. That is our chocolate mousse arriving!

This lovely dish is my tako nigiri sushi -- octopus on a rice ball with a small dab of wasabi between the two. Never in my life would I think that I could enjoy this! Yum! Each plate here is only 94 yen, except for desserts and other non-sushi items. Most sushi plates were 2 pieces of nigiri or maki. Higher quality pieces were still 1 for 94 yen. I got a delicious and filling meal of sushi for less than $5!

We shopped in the Kawaramachi/Sanjo area all afternoon. I got some hand towels, kerchiefs, and a couple other everyday necessities, as well as a t-shirt from Uniglo (790 yen), three (!) pairs of shoes from Cross Over (1990 yen each), and two dresses from the Gap (originally 6800 yen, I got them for 1900 yen each). We got ice cream at Baskin Robbins (where we received coupons for 1000 yen off admission to Universal Studios Japan--I think we're going on Tuesday!) and later had dinner at Second House, a restaurant specializing in spaghetti and cake.

I decided to try their pizza -- mozzarella, ham, and mushrooms.

The crust was incredibly thin and all the ham and mushrooms were in a lump in the center of the pizza. There were also chunks of tomato thrown in there, and very little sauce. Definitely not like any pizza I've ever had before, but still delicious!

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There's a co-op nearby that I'll go to later today to pick up some more things for everyday life--like an umbrella. The forecast calls for showers and isolated storms today, high in the mid 80s. In other words, gross. It'll be a good day for studying, I guess. The language placement exams are in less than a week and I have a lot of brushing up to do!