Dreaming in Japanese

I woke up at 5am and realized I had been dreaming in Japanese. This had also happened a few times when I was in Japan. I would wake up and find a particular Japanese phrase repeating in my mind over and over again. This time, I remember the dream more vividly. I was in some sort of underground tunnel, and I wanted to get back to the surface, but I wasn’t sure if I needed to pay first before I left (like in the subway). I was trying to figure out how to ask someone this, and I came up with “Sumimasen, harawanakereba ikemasen ka?” (Excuse, do I need to pay?) This phrase kept repeating in my mind as I woke up from my dream. I’ve only been home for one day, and it seems my brain still thinks I’m in Japan.

I think the reason I had these dreams is because all day I would struggle mentally with the language – I would listen to people’s conversations on the subway and try to understand them, I’d read street signs and practice my katakana and kanji, and I’d talk with my homestay family in Japanese. I just read a Slate article that said that worrying and thinking about certain problems during the day increases your likelihood of dreaming about them. Furthermore, dreaming about these problems increases your chances of solving them. Supposedly, the scientist August Kekule dreamt of a snake eating its own tail before he hypothesized that the molecule benzene has a ring structure.

I wonder if dreaming in Japanese has also helped my language ability. In any case, it was somehow fun to wake up this morning and be thinking in Japanese, and it was a pleasant reminder of my trip.

Biggu Makku wo onegaishimasu (I’d like a Big Mac)

A few months ago, when I first found out where I my homestay family’s house was, I looked up the area on Google Maps. I saw that there was a McDonalds just a few blocks away from the house, and I thought, “If I don’t like Japanese food, atleast I won’t starve.” Therefore, you can imagine my excitement when I visited the actual Japanese McDonalds I saw on street view.

The Texas Burger is the newest offering at Japanese McDonalds, but I didn’t try it.

After I entered the store, I approached the counter and waited patiently, as a father was ordering for himself and his two young children. I didn’t completely understand what they were saying, but there seemed to be some confusion about one of the combos. The woman working at the counter spent about 5 minutes talking to the man, and the entire time I was thinking about how people would not stand for this delay in an American McDonalds!

After I finally placed my order, I received a large paper bag. The large bag had two smaller paper bags in it, one for my food and one for my drink. A paper bag for my drink? This was actually pretty cool! I was also surprised at the size of my cup. Although it may not look like it from the picture, this “regular” sized soda was much closer to a small at our McDonalds.

The main event! I ordered what I think is the equivalent of the quarter pounder with cheese, and it tasted basically the same as its American counterpart with a few small exceptions. The bun was considerably drier and overall not as good as the American hamburger bun. This came as a surprise, as the bread in Japan has typically been better than American bread. Burger = B

The fries were considerably different. The Japanese ones were cut more thickly, and the potatos were more oily than usual. Overall, they tasted more like American Wendy’s fries than the McDonalds fries that everyone loves. Like Wendys fries, but worse. Fries = C+

Overall Grade = B- . I thought that typically foreign McDonalds tasted better than American McDonalds – I remember when I visited England, the McDonalds was considerably better. In Japan, you pay more but end up with lower quality food. Nevertheless, it was fun to eat a burger and fries again.

Chuzenji (Part 2)

This is Lake Chuzenji. It’s hard to tell from the picture, but a wind was blowing continuously over the water, forming ripples that made the lake look almost like a moving Zen garden. It must be nice to play by the lake in the summer when Tokyo becomes very hot and humid - you can even rent a paddle boat to ride. However, in early spring the cooling effect of the lake makes this area freezing. When I came here there were only two other Japanese tourists, taking pictures of this scene with their huge digital SLR cameras.

I ate lunch at this noodle shop near my hotel. When I walked in, the shop was completely empty except for an old man sleeping at one of the tables, next to an enormous portable heater with an open flame. I said “Sumimasen” several times, but he still did not wake up, even as I got closer. It seemed like a perfect image of a sleepy town, the owner sleeping in an empty restaurant, not even waking up when a customer arrives. I exited and went through the other door which has a bell, and he woke up, greeted me, and invited me to a table next to the heater.

We chatted in Japanese and I told him my usual story – I’m visiting from America, my family is originally from Japan, I’m here to sight see and study Japanese. It was interesting to hear how differently his voice and mannerisms was from other Japanese I met. He spoke in a deep, gruff tone that I’ve heard old men use in Japanese TV shows, and his attitude was friendly, but very low key. I asked him if a lot of American tourists come here, and he said they do, in the peak travel season in Autumn. We also talked about how hard reading Japanese can be, and he showed me his newspaper, which was filled with kanji, most of which I did not recognize.

I ordered a bowl of yuba udon, which is the specialty of Nikko according to my Rough Guide book. After I told the owner I wanted to try it, he called out to his wife, who appeared from a back room and began to prepare it. Yuba ryouri, as its called, is a dish of milky, thin strips of tofu rolled into sheet - you can see it at the top of my bowl in the picture. The udon was underneath the yuba sheets. When I asked the owner if yuba was a famous dish, he said it was. He also told me that Japanese people think it’s good, but it gets a mixed reaction from Westerners. By the time I got to the restaurant, I was famished, as I had hardly eaten anything the entire day. Overall, the meal was very good. The yuba was soft, yet had a slightly chewy texture that was enjoyable. The broth of the soup had a slightly strange flavor that immediately brought back memories of strange Japanese food my family would make on Japanese New Years. I finished the entire bowl quickly, thanked the old man, and went on my way.

I spent the rest of the afternoon writing and watching Japanese television in my room. I was surprised at how tired I felt, even though I did not do that much sight seeing. I suppose the trip from Tokyo to Lake Chuzenji took over 4 hours, and the entire time I was carrying my three bags of heavy luggage. Having so many bags makes it difficult to move around, and I noticed that most of the Japanese tourists were only carrying a miniature roller bag, a type that I have never seen in the US. When I travel with Jen in April I will be sure to only take a light suitcase and an almost empty backpack.

The hotel provided a yukata to wear around the room, so I decided to try it on. It was very comfortable!

In the evening I went to the hotel’s onsen. Going to an onsen was high on my list of things to try in Japan, but I didn’t even realize until later that this particular hotel had one. I was slightly confused about the rules at first – you are supposed to change into the onsen attire (a brown robe and slippers), then walk down to the onsen from the hotel lobby. After walking through a maze of wooden tunnels, you arrive at the bath itself. The onsen is divided into seperate sections for men and women, which is appropriate since you enter the bath naked. After you enter the right section, you take a shower in the public area, then hop in!

I had a mixed reaction toward the onsen. I understand that this isn’t the nicest onsen in Japan, so I’m reserving judgment against all onsens until I try other ones. For me, the water was a little too hot. Since the bath was indoors, the hot air in the room collects and makes almost a choking effect, which is amplified by the sulfur smell of the water. However, it did feel nice to be in the warm water when it was so cold outside. I went at night, so even though there was a window that looked outside, I could not really see anything. At some point, three really fat Japanese men came in and entered the bath. It may just be may American prudery, but it was slightly off putting to see these big ol’ fat naked guys jump in the water next to me. However, as I walked back up to my hotel room through the outdoor tunnel, I felt very refreshed and relaxed. I think I will try it again tomorrow.

Nikko and Chuzenji (Part 1)

There are tiny little shops that sell amazing food all over Shinjuku. 100 yen is just a little more than a dollar, so as you can see, you can buy a delicious bowl of ramen for less than 3 dollars, or a grilled beef bowl with egg for less 4. Not to mention the food tastes much more fresh and flavorful than the Japanese food you can get in the US.

The morning I left was the only day where the sky was completely clear. Shinjuku looks totally different in nice weather.

After 3 hours of traveling, by subway, then bullet train, then another local train, I finally arrived at Nikko Station. I was shocked at how much less urban the surrounding area was, just outside of Tokyo. On the train ride over, I could see beautiful old Japanese houses covered with roof tiles, and it reminded me that all of Tokyo once looked like that too.

Once I got to Nikko, I then hopped on a bus to take me to the town I wass staying in called Chuzenji, named after the nearby lake. I was still carrying both of my huge suitcases and my heavy backpack, and none of these items fit into the tiny overhead compartments in the bus. Since the bus was full, I had to cram the suitcases in the leg space and sit cross legged for the 50 minute ride up. It was an interesting ride. To get from Nikko station to Lake Chuzenji, the bus takes a path that my map calls “Irora Zigzag Road.” It’s a winding path that travels up a giant mountain near Nikko.

So far on my trip, my main guidebook has been a book called Rough Guide to Japan. In many ways, it’s excellent – it is packed with useful information about the cheapest and most convenient ways to get around, and it points out great places to eat and stay. It even sometimes has really interesting historical information about the cities and tourist sites. Basically, it has been fantastic in preparing me for things I may not have anticipated in this country I am not familiar with.

It did not, however, warn me that the area I am staying, Chuzenji, would be freezing in early spring! It’s cold enough for snow to cover the ground, and there’s a sharp, biting mountain wind which makes it even worse. However, it seems that the local Japanese have made the best of things and made these delightful snow men.

I hope they melt soon.

Chuzenji is a tiny, one road town. A few shops like these dot the road that leads back to Nikko station, but otherwise the area is fairly empty. To give an example, when I checked into my hotel, the receptionist informed me that all the local places to eat close by 5PM. For dinner, I would have to make a reservation at the hotel’s restaurant or walk 20 minutes to an Indian buffet inside another small hotel. This hotel’s restaurant serves Western food at about 15-30 dollars for dinner, so I ended up going to the Indian restaurant. It wasn’t nearly as good as Indian food back in America, but it was very interesting to meet the Indian owner, who spoke excellent Japanese and very little English.

It shouldn’t be, but in my mind when I see another person who looks like a foreigner to Japan, I assume they are able to speak English fluently, like they are Americans. Obviously this is not true, but it’s just another example of the biases I’ve built in my mind being an American, and it’s a strange feeling when these are proven false. Anyway, I told the restaurant owner in Japanese that I loved Indian food, and when I came back from getting my second helping of food, he left a small plate of tandoori chicken on my table.

Lake Chuzenji itself is incredibly beautiful, and this bridge was only a few minute’s walk from my hotel. It was sort of unreal how pretty the surroundings were.

My hotel, from the outside. My room also looks out onto the lake.

Shibuya (Part 3)

Next, I visited Shibuya, a section of Tokyo known for its vibrant night life and popularity among young Japanese people. The tall, lit up buildings with their large projector screens were really impressive to watch, especially amidst the dense crowd of people in this area.

Shibuya 109 is a huge clothing department store in the heart of Shibuya, which is supposedly very popular amongst teenage girls. Outside of the store, they were holding a small scale fashion show, modeling the clothes you could buy inside the store. I find it funny how some of the even the ultra modern aspects of Japanese culture have a seemingly retro feel to them, like having a live fashion show. Something seems quaint and old fashioned about the idea of it, even though it’s done in a few modern and cool way, in the middle of an incredibly fast-paced, urban area.

The father of the Canadian family that I briefly traveled with commented on the fashion of the people in Tokyo. He said he loved how bold it was compared to the relatively conservative Western style. This is definitely true – just walking through the train stations you can see a huge variety of styles. I know the bold fashion choices don’t always translate well when Asian people move to America (fobby clothes?), but in the context of Tokyo it makes a lot of sense and looks great.

When I first came to Japan, I summed up Tokyo as “a whole lot of people crammed into a tiny space.” On my trip so far, I feel slightly differently. I think that it’s a whole lot of people crammed into a whole lot of space. Every area of the city that I visited was incredibly crowded, with swarms of people pouring out of the train and subway stations every few minutes. There truly is no comparison in the United States, not even New York or Los Angeles. It seems like it would be hard to live in such a crowded place, but I guess the people here get by just fine.

Ah! The Colonel! It was like meeting an old friend. Except he was trying to sell me “Krushers,” and although they appear to be a delightful blended smoothie, that name is just too creepy.

Shibuya seems like an odd place to be thanking nature.

I just had to visit the Shibuya Yamaha store. There was a Michael Jackson manikin in front store window, wearing a single, sequined glove. They really love Michael over here, it seems. Inside, it was mostly just pretty ordinary looking keyboards and sound equipment. Except for one thing…

A Japanese take on the electric guitar! Near the bridge, the strings are physical, so you can pluck or pick them normally. However, the fret board is made up of a series of buttons, which you push down instead of fretting the strings. It was a lot of fun to play with and the buttons were very easy to push down and felt very natural. One big problem though is that you can’t do string bending on this type of guitar. So much for the blues.

That didn’t stop me from trying though!

The picture doesn’t do it justice, but this was the most delicious katsudon I have ever eaten. I wanted to eat at the department store in Shibuya, but I couldn’t find it. I went to a smaller side street and found this small restaurant, and for only about 5 dollars had this incredible meal. It could be because I was tired from walking around all day and hadn’t eaten much, but I was so happy after I ate this that I almost felt like crying.

Shibuya, all lit up at dusk.

Shinjuku, my home for three nights, and my first stop in Japan. I will miss walking around shady Kabukicho.

Ueno Park and the Toyko National Museum (Part 2)

Next, I visited Ueno Park, where the cherry blossoms were just starting to bloom. Today was the first clear day since I got to Japan, and I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to go to the parks because of the weather. In certain parts of the park, people were picnicking under the sakura trees. It was a lot of fun just walking through the park and enjoying the beautiful scenery. It’s hard to believe that this huge, open park is in ultra urban Tokyo.

More sakura in bloom. This one tree was really starting to open up.

I visited the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park as well. In college, I took a course in Japanese history, which covered Japanese pre-history to the 1980’s. It was really interested to be able to see actual artifacts from the periods I studied in that class. I even brought my old book and notes, and I read them on the plane to refresh my memory.

When I asked to buy a ticket, the woman at the counter noticed I was holding a Tokyo Metropolitan pamphlet, and she told me there was a coupon for a discount in it! After the discount, entry to the museum was only about 5 dollars. That was very nice of her.

There were many beautiful kimonos on display. The ones in the picture are over 800 years old, from the Kamakura period

There was an entire section dedicated to the weapons and armor of the Edo period. It was amazing to see up close the intricate patterns on the armor.

A painted Japanese screen. Very beautiful!

Imperial Palace, Asakusa (Part 1)

I went around Tokyo today, trying to see some of the major tourist points. Going by myself without a guide, I think it’s taking me twice as long to get places, but I guess getting lost is part of the fun! I’ve been able to get by using Japanese pretty well. About half the time I get the general gist of what they said, a quarter of the time I completely understand ,and another quarter I have no idea.

First I rode on a double decker tour of the Imperial Palace and Ginza.

A picture from the bus, of the sakura trees just starting to bloom. If I had come to Tokyo a few weeks later, they would be at their peak. I didn’t get any good pictures of the Imperial Palace, because I was sitting on the wrong side of the bus. When I asked the tour guide to move to an empty seat on the other side, she didn’t let me. Look at all those empty seats on the left side, please explain the logic of that to me!

My handy English mechanical tour guide. She had a British accent. I think I was the only non Japanese speaker on the bus.

A big ol’ building near the Imperial Palace. I think it is a government building of some sort. I forgot… but it looked really impressive from the tour bus!

This was taken from the JR station. There were a lot of girls today dressed in kimonos - it seemed like they were all going to some kind of special event. They were really beautiful, like the girl on the left of this picture. I tried to take a few pictures of the girls like a creeper, but none of them came out very well. I was trying to be inconspicuous, and pretend I was taking a picture of… food.

So much delicious food in the subway station! I couldn’t resist and bought one of the green cookies. It crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and had an amazing cream filling. I want to eat another one right now just thinking about it.

Next, I visited the small part of Tokyo called Asakusa, a place where “time has stopped since the Edo period”, according to my Toyko Metropolitan Government pamphlet.

There were a lot of cute, old fashioned stores like this in the town.

I’m not sure what this guy’s sign says, but it seems like it’s important. Could he be warning me not to enter Asakusa?

The street leading up to Asakusa’s main temple is lined with almost a hundred stores. It looked pretty cool, but it seemed most of the stores were selling mostly touristy stuff. There were a whole lot of white tourists here, more than I saw anywhere else in Tokyo! I heard an old man mutter something about “hakujin,” and he did not sound very happy.

It’s really strange how much white people stand out in a crowd in Japan, it’s the complete opposite of America. Personally, I’ve found I get excited when I see white people, I feel like they’re a familiar face in a strange country. On the other hand, it’s also weird how much I feel like I blend in with the crowd in Japan, whether or not I actually do. I’m better understanding how conscious of my race I am in America. In Japan, I don’t really worry about not looking like the person next to me like I do in the US (outside of Monterey Park). However, in Japan, I do have to worry everytime I open my mouth to speak, so there you go.

The main temple in Akasuka, called Sensoji Tera. It was also very beautiful and impressive. As you enter the temple, there is a large slatted box where people throw in yen as donations. There were monks inside conducting a Buddhist ceremony, accompanied by chanting and pounding drums. I saw older Japanese people approach the shrine, bow their heads and clasp their hands and pray. It made me remember the excited, spiritual feeling I experienced when I visited temples in Japan ten years ago. There is something about the sense of history of the temple, the beauty of the surroundings, the sounds of traditional drums and the smells of incense that is all very moving.

I ate all day long. I bought this apple pie in a small store off to the side of the main temple walkway, and it was delicious!