Guest post by Karyn: Japan on 10,000 yen a day

Greetings all of Melissa’s blog followers.  If you have noticed that she has been remiss in posting for the last week, I take full responsibility as she and Jeff have been very busy entertaining us, her parents.  So, to make up for her absence, I offer this guest blog on just a few of my observations:

Non-conformity

Aaron is right: Tokyo is like many other large American cities – just filled with Japanese people.  However, the cultural homogeneity and conformity that we Americans have been led to believe in isn’t at all what I have observed.  There is clear evidence of the genetic influence of Caucasian, African, and other-Asian on the faces I’ve seen on whichever form of mass transit we are riding that day.  And the dress ranges from traditional kimonos (most often observed in sites of historical, spiritual or cultural importance) to some wild get-ups that would impress Lady Gaga and make heads turn in even the most liberal enclaves of San Francisco or Greenwich Village.

 Non-standard Precautions

In health care [Karyn is a nurse] we refer to the routine level of personal protection devices (masks, gloves, etc) as Standard Precautions.  For you non-medical persons, basically this amounts to washing your hands between patients and wearing gloves if you may touch something “yucky.” But the CDC recommendations on the practice of wearing masks in public includes those for whom going out in public would represent a danger to themselves or others; and even then only when staying home (the preferred course of action) is not an option.  That means persons who are very compromised (i.e. on chemotherapy) or are incredibly contagious (i.e. have tuberculosis).  I am very amused by the number of people wearing masks as they go about their daily business.  Even more amusing is that only rarely is the mask employed in the recommended manner.  Covering only the mouth?  Using it as a beard warmer? Having it loosely draped across the face?  In other words, useless.  

Engrish

Let me start by saying that like most Americans, I only speak one language.  I do know a fair amount of medical Spanish – more like Spanglish – that I successfully use when communicating simple things to my Spanish speaking patients.   Even so, I am quite amused with the Engrish that I read on everything from signs to clothing.  I have been photographing my favorites to include in my scrapbooking such as these found in Melissa & Jeff’s neighborhood:  a clothing store named “Nincompoop Capacity” and a barber shop called “Bad Nice”.  When buying bottled water your choices include “Calpis” and “Pocari Sweat”.  My all time favorite (which I was unable to photograph) was the toddler wearing a baseball cap that said “Suicidal 

Tendencies”.  As Dave Berry would say – that would make a great name for a rock band.

The Honeymooners

Melissa and Jeff are very happy, and seem very much at home here in their teeny apartment in this big city.  Yes, Melissa, you are right – I could fit two of your apartments in my family room – with room to spare!  And while I fully expected Jeff, the scholar, to speak fluent Japanese, I am wholly amazed at the amount that Melissa is able to read and speak comfortably in just six months.  And for a person who has never lived in a large metropolitan area, I am astonished at the ease at which she navigates the maze of a subway system – in another language!  Finally, while I always knew that Jeff and Melissa both enjoy eating well – it has been amusing eating our way thru Tokyo and Kyoto - except the fish eyeballs. Usually Jeff and Melissa are planning their next meal before they have finished the one in front of them.  And I have no idea how the Japanese remain so thin on such a carb heavy diet (Melissa and Jeff work out every day so that is obviously their secret) – and I am scared to weigh myself when I get back home. 

Well I could go on about the impressive range of toilet facilities, the cold rainy weather we have had these last couple days, and the unbelievable beauty and antiquity of the sites we have seen – but I have to save something for Melissa to write about….

Karyn

"after life"

When you die, if you had to choose just one memory to take with you for eternity, what would you choose?

This is the question posed by the movie we watched a few days ago.  It is one of Jeff's all time favorite movies, called Wandafuru Raifu.  That's a Japanese pronunciation of "wonderful life" for those keeping score, but that is actually how it is listed in English characters.  It is however known as After Life in English speaking countries, due in part to the original title's similarity to the well-loved Christmas movie.

Anyways...  It is a really good movie, and you all should watch it.  Yes, it does have subtitles, but I don't want to hear about not wanting to read while you're watching a movie.  That's ridiculous.

Also, there are no "action" scenes, nothing gets blown up, and for a movie about dead people, it is not in the least bit scary.  It is instead an interesting take on the omnipresent question of what happens after one dies, and begs the question: how do you distill a life down to just one memory? And it has some cute old people telling real stories from their lives in addition to the actors reading lines.  

I expect to hear of a run on Blockbuster/Netflix.  Let me know what you think.

Mata ne,
Melissa

caution: foreign cyclist

Yesterday I got pulled over by a cop.  On my bike.  For making a "suspicious U-turn."  I repeat, on my bike.

Hilarity ensued. 

The situation went something like this:

I go the wrong direction down an unfamiliar street on my way to meet Jeff.  I realize I am going the wrong way and turn around.  Someone behind me says konnichiwa.  I think he is simply saying hi to someone he knows on the street (people generally do not say hi or acknowledge others on the street unless they see someone they know).  Bike Cop 1 approaches from behind while his partner, Bike Cop 2 positions his bike across the sidewalk in front of me forcing me to stop. 

Bike Cop 1 begins speaking to me very quickly in a language I do not understand.  I tell him I don't understand Japanese (in Japanese).  He asks me my name (in Japanese) and I respond.  He asks me (in Japanese) if this is my bike.  I tell him it is.  He asks for my gaijin card (an ID for foreigners) which I produce.  Bike Cop 2 gets on the walkie talkie to confirm if this is in fact my bike.  By this time a crowd has gathered.

Bike Cop 1 continues to speak to me in Japanese.  Only words I understand in the five minute conversation: bike, turn, name. I call Jeff. 

Jeff speaks with Bike Cop 1 on the phone.  Words I understand from this conversation: turn, wife, I'm sorry.  He hands the phone back to me.

Jeff explains the suspicious turn situation.  Bike Cop 1 and Bike Cop 2 bow and apologize to me, commenting on the bike parking sticker from the gym on my bike.  We all pedal away confused. 

Mata ne,
Melissa

Guest Post: Tokyo, according to Aaron

m: What are you gonna call it?
a:  Tokyo.
m: You can't just call it Tokyo.
a:  I just did.  That's what I wrote in the subject line.
(several minutes of this)
m: Fine, we'll call it Tokyo.
___________________
___________________

Now I'm not going to try to reconcile an entire week of my life, regardless of its location in Tokyo (or New York or Syracuse or Richmond or EARTH for that matter!), but I will try to relate to Melissa's close friends and family several topics interesting to me, and likely only me, through the lens of my visit to Tokyo. Whether these tidbits say more about me or the city I'm visiting will be up to the reader to decide.

1) The technology of Japan is ok to lacking, at best. For years and years I/we've all heard about how exceptionally advanced the technology and gadgetry of Tokyo was as compared to the laggards in the USA. Well, other than a miraculously effective train and toilet system (and those are both world class) let me inform you all that everything else should be classified in the "less than or equal to" 8th grade grading system.  The cell phone industry, once dominated by NTT Docomo, is several years behind the ubiquitous iPhone and Blackberry world that the "handset-set" enjoys in the USA. I've seen plenty of iPhones, but BB hasn't penetrated this market yet, and I have to think that they won't. I know a lot of people in the USA that have more than 1 BB, and I personally have had to beg and plead to not be handed a FREE one.

2) There are Japanese people, everywhere. This may sound like the most banal or obvious statement that anyone has made since the latest steroids outing or politician-infidelity-admission, but I cannot fully explain the sight of waves of Japanese people walking around minding their own business, listening to Godknowswhat on their iPods. Unless Melissa has led a more international and diverse life than she's led me to believe, this blog is read by white people (make that white people used to seeing other white people constantly). I joked to my friends that the subway conveniently displays information in Japanese and English, but that the effort is wasted because the only English speakers on the trains are me, Melissa, and our bilingual Jeff. Anyway, if day 6 of this excursion has taught me anything, it is the limit of the narrow scope that my FM to Richmond to East Village life has shown me.

3) The world is smaller than you think. As I sat here this morning having a Skype conversation with my mom, I reflected and realized that had I been sitting in my apartment in New York, I'd be having the same verbal interaction. I suppose that I could hop on a bus/train/plane and go to Syracuse from NYC, but couldn't I do the same thing from Tokyo (albeit a longer journey)? And if the transit is the only thing that's different, there's really no difference anyway if you're talking to someone in a place that you're not going to visit anyway.

So, feel free to look back and realize that my observations are whittled down to (in 8 words or less) "Tokyo is the same but with Japanese people." Or not.

ongakuka - musician

Today I went to the library and signed up for my very own library card.  Actually, Jeff signed me up for my very own library card.

I skipped over to the three rows of English language books excited about my new found freedom to actually select one and remove it from the premises.  I happened upon a collection of sketches by John Lennon that he used while studying Japanese.  (Yoko Ono, remember?  It took me a second too.)  It's called Ai, which means love, and has funny sketches that illustrate the words and concepts on the page.  From the cover of the book you'd swear it was titled Japan through John Lennon's Eyes, but Yoko set the record straight in the introduction.

I now have two weeks learn all the words John Lennon can teach me before moving on to the extensive collection of Lonely Planet guides and cookbooks (many of them baking recipes for which we have no oven).

There were also several shelves of Japanese literary classics (translated) that I've got my eye on.  I think I'm going to start with What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami.  I need all the inspiration I can get in that area right now.

(editor's note:  Jeff claims there were more than three rows of English books.  We will have to wait until we return to settle that score.)

Mata ne,
Melissa

take it easy

Ahhh.  Quiet Sunday.

Today we relaxed and did some work (yes, I studied Japanese) at a coffee shop. I spend an increasingly large amount of time looking at the side of my husband's face.

Still thinking about the wonderful Thanksgiving celebration even though I couldn't be with family.   So thankful to have friends to share it with!

Big day tomorrow.  Heading to Yokohama in the morning - details to come.

Mata ne,
Melissa