Someone from my college was doing sort of survey about people's expectations before coming to Japan and how those expectations were different from the reality. I started writing and then went a little nuts, so I thought I'd also post it here. Keep in mind that this was a thread on facebook and that I'm talking to a bunch of Japanese study abroad people and at points sort of commenting on what was previously said. I think it holds together though.

For me, the before was mostly that there would be crazy things happening at all times. It was along the lines of, some people were traditional and stern, but most people were just plain off the wall, but in a good way. In other words, I would constantly be bombarded with weird and interesting things and experiences.

The reality is, it's been just like anything else, good, bad, and in the middle. The people here are people, even if they do seem to conform more to the status quo. In that regard, actually, I was disappointed. I feel like there are weirder things going on in America, mostly because people feel a need to rebel against it. Without that, as feels to be the case here, the interesting objects and clothing and venues are just the thing of the moment or merely a fashion identity.

These people do things because it causes the least amount of strain on them. I find that if you show them you can speak their language, they are far more willing to interact with you. I think it's true that people who want to be your friends want something of you, either language or culture exchange, but isn't that what we want of them? As far as the man to woman thing goes, it's true in certain cases and not true in others. Have you guys tried picking up chicks in kabuki-cho, Tokyo? I've seen my American friends, both those that have no Japanese and those that could teach the class fall on their miserable faces almost every night that first month. It depends, I think.

That barrier that exists beyond language, that culture barrier, and the tatte mae, is indeed stronger than I was led to believe. But there are some weirdos here, that are harmless and perhaps even dorks or losers (but isn't that also us?), that we can be accepted by.

I met a male Japanese friend when he hooked up with my, also male, friend, and we didn't connect because he wanted to practice English, as his English is already exceptional. We slip in and out of both, and when he asked me whether or not it was easier to speak in Japanese and English, and I replied in Japanese that sometimes its hard to understand him, but I wanted practice, and he smiled and said, "ah, then it's Japanese!" While it's true that he does have a fascination with foreigners, don't we, as well? He loves European politics and history and economic theory. He reads Western literature. He has a strange fascination and an encyclopedic knowledge for American Presidents. He strives to understand himself by juxtaposing himself with items of stark contrast. Just like me.

The reason we became friends is because we all strange. Who are we to try to penetrate this dense culture, and yet we do try. Who is he to live in Canada, and to rebel against his Japanese traditions and live out his honne as much has he can? His difference is ours, the authentic interest in things not our own.

But that's the fallacy we came here with. We thought that because we were different, we could fit in somewhere else, a place we perceive as more strongly analogous with our tastes and ideals. But people are the same anywhere. Why would it be easier to make friends or talk to people here than in America? It should be harder, if anything, because of language. Beyond that, we'll only truly strike up with weirdos because that's what draws us in. On the surface, the Japanese are more bureaucratic, closed off, and conformist, but those are all generalities and mean nothing. Finding cool Japanese people as friends or as sexual partners or just to talk to on the street is as easy and hard as it is at home. Some people spurn you and some people are kind out of politeness, but some people truly want to help you and want for you to help them.

There are a couple reasons I haven't been posting. Here they are...SEMICOLON! No, it would go like this: Here they are; I promised last time to detail my trip to Nico and also to post more pictures. The very idea of doing either so filled me with anxiety that I neglected this blog as one would a red-headed stepchild. The tedious nature of both those actions was enough make me lose interest in blogging all together. But that isn't right to you, those of who you care about me, and by my not blogging, I neglect. So, easy, short version of things to catch up, and then new things, and then no pictures, yet.

Nico sort of sucked at first, but then got awesome. It was always beautiful, but not having a hotel for the first night was tiring, and the hotel we did get was only ok. We essentially couldn't do anything the first day because of how much time it took to get to the hotel, and then the hotel had a curfew(?). We got drunk and went to the onsen they had in the hotel. I sort of hated it. I know I'm supposed to like it but I don't, and being drunk in that situation only made it worse. It's not like I don't like being naked in front of other people, because the shower situation in my dorm makes it so I have to be in naked in front of people I don't know all the time. Something about it, I don't know. Later, Chris locked himself in out room and fell asleep. We thought he was gone, so we asked the people at the hotel to open our room, and they asked if he was asleep, but I said I didn't think so because the tv was on. The woman in the backroom said something like, I bet he's asleep because he's drunk. One of the guys opened our room for us, and looked inside and said, yappari, meaning, yeah, our friend was in their passed out wrapped in a blanket.

The next day was better because we found the hotel we had reservations for, The turtle inn, and it was sort of trying to be western style, which was adorable, just like the lady working there. When we asked about a curfew, she said, You can come and go whenever you like, but if you go out at night, please close the door to my house, with sort of a special emphasis on the words "my house", as though it were the name of the place. She would repeatedly say that, my house. This is about the time when tim arrived, and everything became awesome. It's not like I wasn't having fun, but the whole thing felt off, for some reason. I had been wowed by anything happening, and even though the scenery was amazing, I felt really distant from everything. Tim had gone to Nagano, and passed through a couple towns on the way, and the pictures he had revealed incredibly bizarre and interesting things. I was jealous, because that is what I had wanted.

We went to a korean restaurant where the owners loved foreigners and pictures of them tapped up everywhere. We chatted with the male owner for over an hour, mostly in japanese. We gave him some of the sake Tim got in nagano, and he informed us it was some of the most famous sake ina ll of japan. It was amazing, so it must have been true.

When we got back to the hotel, they went out to the baths and to the conbini, but I stayed back and fooled around with tim's ukelaly(sp?). When they got back, they had purchased all this porn. It was pretty interesting, because porn is everywhere in japan, and its sort censored in weird ways, like all genitals are censored, but also if a hand is near a genital, it is censored all the way to the elbow. Otherwise, it's the same, empty sex with flashes of humanity shining through every once in awhile.

The next day was great though. It was fun being with Tim and Josh and Chris all together and there was a good dynamic. We went to the Tokugawa tomb, which was incredible. We saw the famous sanzaru woodcuttings (the three monkeys, you know, see no evil, hear no evil, say no evil) and the architecture was great. The weather was clear and not too cold. After that, we went to a micro brewery, and while Josh, Chris and Elyssa kind of ran ahead, thinking we werent going to have enough time to catch our train, Tim and I hung back and walked leisurely. I really like Tim a lot. We connect on an interesting level, and often things that would be boring are interesting because he's around. We laugh pretty hard, as well. It's going to be a loss when he leaves in a few weeks.

Anyway, the micro brewery was great. The beer was amazing, and the owner came out and gave us apples to eat with the beer, saying after you drink the beer, the apples taste amazing, which was true. Probably the best beer I've had in japan. Afterwards, the owner gave us all a ride in his van back to our hotel, which is completely unheard of in the states. We got our stuff and went to the train. Afterwards, Josh and I realized that we had both irrevocably changed, yet we could not say how or why.

Wow, don't I look like a jack-ass. I said I didn't want to write about this, but here I actually wrote a lot.

Anyway, I got myself a host family. It's gonna be great. I actually sort of got used to the idea of not having on next semester because the people in the office acted like it wasn't happening, but then yesterday, they were all like, we need all this stuff from you to give to your host family, and I was like, so, does that mean I have one, and they were like, uh, yeah, i guess, as if they didn't really want to tell me for some reason.

Which brings to something that pisses me off about japanese people. I was sick yesterday, but I came to school anyway. However, at the end of the day I felt completely wasted, but I had a kind of interview oral, so I asked if I could take it tomorrow. The person in the office and the person who was administering the interview said it was ok, but some other person, I guess the lady who wrote out the schedule for the oral, had her panties in a twist. When I asked her, she said, well, its not like a test we can just hand to you, I'll have to reschedule you with someone. And was like, yeah..., so, is it ok? because I was really asking the question if it was ok, not telling her I was taking it tomorrow. But at that point she got fed up with me or something and just walked away, either because she thought I didn't understand her, or whatever. Someone tried to explain it to me in english, but it wasn't like I didn't understand what she said, I just didn't know what she wanted from me. I sort of realized later that by her telling me what an inconvenience it would be for her, I should naturally just not do it. Which is fucking bullshit. If someone isn't direct with me, I can never figure out what they want. Especially if it's a situation when I'm effectively asking for a favor.

I'm excited for my host family. It's only one person, no kids, which is what I wanted. A couple would have been cool, but this is also nice. I don't understand these people who spurn their host families by staying out late all the time. I feel like they are missing a chance to become close to a Japaneses person. Also, the meals, oh god, the meals they relate to me, it's enough to put me on edge. I've been literally counting calories backwards, my dear friends, to make sure I'm getting enough energy. I'm never sated here. But then there are these ten course meals for these ryugakusei, I just had to become apart of it.

I was depressed last week, about how impossible this language is. I feel better now, because I've accepted that i will make mistakes, and that it's ok. Like, there's always this culture that it's not ok to make mistakes in class, because then I get bad grades, and it reflects poorly. However, thats how I learn. I got a test back, and it was like, a 66. I looked at it for about 5 minutes, took a retake, and got a 96. I knew what I had done wrong, just by knowing that it was wrong. They don't correct your tests, just put a red mark where something is incorrect, and that's all I needed. The only way I ever learn is through my mistakes. The failure fills in the cracks. Almost always, when I'm speaking or writing, I figure out my mistake immediately after ive done it. Just this past weekend, I asked this couple for directions, and right after, I turned to my friend and said, shit, I just asked them in an unacceptably rude way, I should have said this, and I knew exactly what I should have said. This is my way. Having a host mother will be the thing that improves my japanese, more than this school. It's being here in the real world thats improving me. Not that the school isn't good, but it's nothing compared to the universe.

This past weekend a couple of friends and I took a trip to Nico (Nikko?). The name means sunlight, which is cool, I guess. This was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. I'll detail the trip in words later mostly because I have to go to class now, but enjoy this sequential photo series from the first two days in the mean time.

I got lost yesterday, for like 3 hours. The river forks, and I guess I didn't notice, like a dumbass. At one point, I actually had walked in a giant circle for an hour. I was in a sketchy part of town, too.

Alright, uh, who wants pictures?



This is pretty much what Shinjuku looks like.



My friends actually tried to hit on these girls.




God, he looks like a giant furry pedophile.



We found a kitty!



And a sex shop. Where they sell Gundam condoms!



Condoms are on earth.



ITS A CONDOM!!!!!!



Harajuku.



There are a lot of these, so just tell me when to stop. Now? Ok.



I think they were in love or something.



These people might also have been in love.



Maybe there was just love in the air. What do you think, Josh?



The Statue of Liberty? A-hubba-whaaaaaa?



The koreans and some white chick. Who let her into the picture?

Today I went to the 江戸東京博物館。 Or, the Edo-Tokyo Museum. Excuse my gratuitous use of Kanji.

I was supposed to go with the rest of my class after our culture class, but when I woke up at 8:30, I turned of my alarm and just went back to sleep. The class started at 9, and my commute is about an hour, so it just wasn't worth it. I slept until noon, took a shower, and decided to go to the museum by myself.

It took me almost an hour and a half to get there, but I actually enjoyed the trip itself. I had to use train lines I'd never taken before, which is sort of exciting, and because I was alone and not meeting anyone there, I felt very relaxed. I'd get there when I got there. I read some Becket and listened to the Super Furry Animals on the train.

When I got to Ueno, the neighborhood struck me as pretty cool and laid back. There wasn't a whole lot going on besides the museum, but it was nice, sort of like the immediate area around the field museum in Chicago. The museum was right outside the exit to the station. Upon navigating my way to the ticket counter, I discovered that the museum was hosting a special exhibition on Natsume Soseki, an incredibly famous Japanese author (a bit of exposition for all of you who are not Jason). I dropped down the extra 700 yen in order to get a ticket for the permanent exhibit along with the Soseki exhibit. Fact: Tenji is the Japanese for exhibit(n.).

At first, the exhibit was disappointing. Not only were the initial articles on display inane (a certificate of acceptance to some school no one's heard of) and sort of pointless (a bunch of novels in English that he had purchased) but there was an incredibly slow moving line snaking across the rows of display cases, which ran counter to my desire to wander through the museum at my own discretion. However, despite the linear exhibit, I found myself becoming entranced by Soseki's life story, as well as the original manuscripts of his works. They were all written on common genkoyoshi and often he would supply the hiragana for the kanji or scribble over them in pencil when he decided to make edits. For some reason, the visceral and direct confrontation with Soseki's writing engaged me and lead me to be more interested in the exhibit. I even caught myself saying in my head, "This is awesome."

A couple of highlights; 1. Original manuscript for "I am a cat." 2. Someone had done 8 pencil drawings of Soseki doing random things like going to the onsen or writing on his porch, and each one depicted him with googly eyes and a comically bushy mustache (which he had in real life). 3. One of the blurbs about Soseki's life. In his later years, from age 40 to 49, Soseki had apperently joined what I understand to be some kind of writers colony. The information placard had this to say (paraphrasing): Soseki would go on to write many of his works during this period. However, despite his constant writing, Soseki enjoyed many pleasures and engaged in a full life. We would talk and take walks with many of his deciples, play with his children, and even eat his favorite food, icecream." It seemed to me that they were trying to say, "and from then on, Soseki's life was all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows." 4. Soseki's death mask mold. 5. One of his notebooks they had on display was titled "貸した本" or books he had lent out. It was just that, a listings of all the books he had lent, to whom he had lent them, and when. It felt like something I should do, as almost all of my friends here have borrowed books from me.

After the exhibition, I found myself in the gift shop. "Oh boy," I thought, "I bet I can find something to waste money on here." However, during the exhibit I realized that, despite it being possibly his most famous work, I had never read "I am a cat." To my incommunicable joy, they had a copy there in english with Japanese notes in the back. So not only can I read the novel, but also pick up a couple Japanese phrases along the way. Awesome.

The permanant exhibit was pretty standard fare. Going along with it's namesake, it was all about Tokyo and Edo. The coolest part about it was the scale reconstructions of certain sectors of Edo and the precise detail of the houses and people, all the way to the design on their kimonos. They had binoculars for use to view the intricacies of the models. I found myself drawn to a certain part of the peasant's quarter diorama; three guys standing around in a back alley regarding a tree. My first thought was, "What are these dumbasses doing?" I thought maybe there was a cat in the tree or something, but upon closer inspection they were just standing in a secluded area doing nothing. I suddenly felt a deep kinship to these men. I realized that, if I was living in Tokyo at that time, that's probably what I would be doing, wandering around away from the crowds with my two buddies cooking up some ridiculous scheme. To be honest, I thought of Chris and Seth first, but I also realized that in Madison that's all we do, so any and all of my friends there could fit the bill just as easily. That's not to say that it couldn't be any of my other Chicago friends, either. Consciously or unconsciously, I seem to surround myself with those kinds of people.

A specific display that I found to be hilarious although I realize it is unintentionally so, were the selected prints of a ukiyo-e series called "Famous places in Edo compared with One Hundred Beauties." It was essentially a picture of some supposedly hot chick (all women in ukiyo look the same to me) with a small rendering of an Edo landmark shoved in the corner of the print. I found this to be hilarious, especially when I read that while the series is attributed to one guy, his assistant is the one who did the pictures of the places, while the master crafted the scenes of the ladies. The whole thing seems like a huge jab at how serious people took the scenery of capital of Japan and what usually prompted people to by ukiyo-e prints.

Upon leaving the permanent exhibition, I was lead to a gigantic escalator that turned into a moving walkway, and then back into an escalator, descended down a large tube, and then emptied into a courtyard outside. The courtyard was grand and I felt really good suddenly, a feeling of pleasure at having been in a museum and also feeling of awe towards the architecture of the museum from the vantage point of the courtyard. I felt sated on an existential level, like this was an excursion that I needed to have taken, and in completing it, satisfied something in myself.

Later, I met up with my friends in Shibuya and we stumbled around a bit. We found a great location for food and drink, but I was feeling a little let down. The place had a great atmosphere, a great smell, the food and drinks were cheaper than I'd ever seen, better tasting then I'd ever tasted, with a nice soundtrack and a great, memorable name, but it was still the same old drag; a place to get drunk and watch my friends try to pick up girls with whom they cannot have a coherent conversation.

I read "I am a cat" during the train home.

I felt like a real person for the first time today.

I started reading The Wild Sheep Chase and then I took a shower and got dressed. I went out into town to a sushi restaurant and ordered my sushi two plates at a time. When I was finished eating, I sat there pondering the color of maguro while sipping tea. The guy sitting next to me ordered a giant bottle of beer even before taking off his coat. He dipped his chopsticks into the head of his beer before picking up his sushi. I had been wondering if the reading was chutoro or nakatoro, and he confirmed that it is chutoro. I thanked the chef for the meal, paid (1,224 yen), and left.

And that's the story.

Not to start another blog post with sorry, but.. ok I won't. I'll tell a story first.

Once, on the train with my friends, an elderly gentleman and a couple of elderly women came onto the train and sat down next to us. At first, it seemed they were perturbed, perhaps, wary of our presence. However, things began to happen, as they often do. One of my friends began loudly studying Japanese vocabulary word note cards, and soon the elderly gentlemen was peering at the note cards thoughtfully, slowly becoming invested, until he was proactively correcting and affirming my friends Japanese. At the same time, I had somehow come into possession of a bag of candy. Upon witnessing the way in which the gentleman reacted to a foreigner, I decided to offer the two ladies sitting next me a piece of that candy. The first lady politely refused my numerous “dozo’s,” but from what I had heard at that point in regards to Japanese culture, people will often refuse something the first or second time it is offered, until finally submitting. The way this interaction played out is as follows: the first woman, to be immediate left, refused, refused again, and then complained of a stomach ache. At this point, I thought it best to discontinue my offering; if she had a stomache, I couldn’t very well ask to her have some candy. I then extended my arm out with the bag of candy to the second woman, who, instead of resisting, immediately indulged, as if to say, “Don’t mind if I do,” and the first woman, after seeing her friend take and acquisitively consume the candy, reached into the bag and took a piece of candy, as if to say, “Well, if she’s doing it.” To be honest, I’m not really sure as to the significance of this story, but it feels poignant.

So, I feel like a huge jerk because I was all like, "whine, no one reads my blog, wah wah wah, I want comments, a doo hoo hoo hoo" (that's me crying because I'm a loser), but really its my own fucking fault because somehow I turned on the "you must moderate comments" feature, and since I didn't have the internet until now, I didn't even fucking realize it. So, all those beautiful, nicely-phrased, insightful, and altogether loving comments are there for all the world to see.

So, once again, I feel like I should respond to them, nay, I have a desire to respond to them, and if there's anything I've learned, it's to give into my hedonistic urges.

So, lets get things rolling.

Chris - SONIC THE MOTHER FUCKING HEDGEHOG! I fucking knew it. I was all in the dark about it, until I went online for a sec, and I was like OH SHIT!! And then all the shonen jumps I've been getting have ads for brawl and sonic's all over those pages and he's fucking kicking Mario in his FUCKING face. Also, his moves look kick ass, and really simple, which is beautifully old school in terms of sonic. I feel really weird that I haven't talked to you in a long time, but I have skype again now, so, shall we?

Jason - What you think my haiku says is a million times better than what it actually says, so I'm just going to leave it at that. I'm starting to figure out the whole public and private thing. It's called tatte mae (in front of the building), and honne (I forget), but it's like, the you that you show people, who has the right opinions clothes and habits, and then theres the real you, which you show to your family and close friends and things like that. I realized that we Americans have that too, just not as extreme, and we switch more easily. Class is good, but easy. We keep going over grammar that we've already learned, but at the same time, my vocab and conversation basics are getting fantastic. I have all these korean friends, so I have to talk to them in Japanese and can't rely on english at all, so it really helps try my hardest to communicate, and figure out what doesn't work. Go to kaiwa no kai. Also, I've become sort of like the book dealer here. No one but me brought books, so I've had to lend like 8 people books so far. They are all like, "Man, I miss reading english" and I'm like here, take this one, its on me. Let's talk more real time about you coming to visit at some point.

Ok, I don't have time to do anymore right now, I have a paper due and a test to study for and now I only have one hour to do that. See, I got the internet yesterday and I spent all my time downloading episodes of Dexter and watching them. Also I went katana shopping yesterday, which ruled because I went with one of my teachers who really knows his shit. Anyway, more later, no haiku. :(

I come all the way out here pull up my blog, click "post new" and I suddenly have nothing to say.

I`m getting the internet soon (internet company was unable to tell if one of my 9`s was a 9 (it was)) but, to be honest, I kind of like not being connected. I just went on facebook, got the jist of everyone`s halloween (Jimbo`s was the best), but I didn`t feel a longing for life in the states. You guys have your thing right now, and I have mine. Can`t we respect each other`s boundaries? I need space! Halfway across the world just isn`t enough.

A lot of people here are as big of a loner as I am. They keep talking about how they went for a walk and discovered this cool store with this awesome thing that they bought. I haven`t found a cool store (although I haven`t been to Akihabara yet) but I am the only one to find the river, and sit under a bridge and listen to the cars going by overhead. This made me realize that how much I enjoy cities has nothing to do with consumerism or even locations with a lot of people. I guess I feel pretty good about that, although I might need to rethink my "city person" persona.

I can get around here pretty easy now, aside from one or two mishaps. This lady at the grocery asked me if I wanted a straw, and I had no idea what she was talking about. Also, the guy at this internet cafe kept saying something about the price and I just had to eventually go "...hai."

Although, I did go to a movie store and ask the guy if they had Tetsuo the Iron Man. The guy checked in the computer, and literaly said, "it appears that its not there...," in that regretful tone of voice. I love the indirectness sometimes.

I met a guy from sweden who has lived in Japan for 6 years. His accent is perfect. He said that Japan has a lot of pros and cons, and one of the cons is that people won`t tell you what they really think. He thinks that over all, the pros outway the cons. The company that he worked for got shut down by the government beause it was a company that illegally cracked cell phones.

The Koreans in my class are the best people in the world. They are so friendly and full of love and good will that it breaks my heart to think that someday they will die.

So I guess no one wants anything, or, and all together more likely, everyone stopped reading this blog. Fine!

I miss weird stuff, like the smell of movie theaters and also spaghetti. I mean, I miss a lot of food.

I`m doing a homesaty next semester.

So, when I sent my pictures in for my student id, I was bald. Also, in my application, I indcated that I had studied Japanese as a child at the Midwest Buddhist Temple. These facts, along with my interest in "philosophical thinking," were connected together by someone who works in the office, and it made her think, "Oh, is this guy a Buddhist monk?" and she spent some time preparing for that kind of person. How dissapointing to meet the real me!

ha sen no kami
no you na gekko de
tau shimasu

Sorry. I`ve pretty much been completely neglecting this blog. I`m without a personal and constant internet connection, and it`s really overwheling to sit in an internet cafe and type all my thoughts and experiences. First, to add some structure to this post, I will address the comments from the previous post.

1. Jason; that`s why you are a poet and I`m not. Also, Moby Dick rocks my socks. It`s fun reading it on the train, too, for aesthetic reasons. Tanizaki rules, too. One more quick aside; someone let me borrow that book you have with the dreams and In The Grove and Rashoumon with both the english and japanese. How have the Japanese films been, and the Russian Sci-Fi, as well?

2. Jeremy; Every night, each cell in my body writhess in torment, agonizing over what could have been. Also, there`s a guy here with Josh`s name and your face that talks like no one I`ve ever met, except sometimes I have to do a double take because he does or says something so like you it makes me shiver.

3. Chris: Yeah, no, it was that day. Not sure how your mom got that impression. I`ve laid out the true account of the events leading to my departure, only names were changed to protect the innocent. Also, Sonic in Brawl. Also, I really want to be able to turn to you and say, Having fun, Guy One?, and then have you, without mising a beat, say, Most fun in the world, with a half extremely serious and half wonderously goofy grin on your charming and unforgetable face. I thought about that today in the shower(?).

One big thing here in Japan is how much of a racial minority I am and what that actually feels like. Not good, is an accurate way of describing it. People are too polite to really do anything besides ignore, or conversly, stare at, me, but I can still tell that people regard me with disdain. Most people are less than willing to talk, much less engage me or my white friends, but that`s becoming less and less true, I suppose. The other day, we even managed to charm the heck out of some old japanese people with a combination of candy and loudly studying japanese vocabulary. Also, when they are drunk, they want to talk to you more than anything, which is actually kind of cool.

To be honest, I`m still figuring this thing out. I`m perpetually surprised at how Japanese people react to and view me, and I haven`t been here long enough, perhaps, to have completely figured it out. So, maybe I`ll have more on that later.

I miss all of you. I can`t use skype because there is no internet in my room. I got a cell phone, and it`s orange. I`m going to do a homestay next semester because all I hear from those guys is, Oh man, my host family cooked this amazing ten course meal, and here I am, eating convience store food all the time. Needless to say, things are going to have to change.

And now for a piece of buisness. Do you guys, like, want stuff? You know, like specific stuff? Or should I find things that remind me of each and every one of you, the precious and unique stars that you are, and return with it under my arm to give to you? I found an M.C. Escher capsule toy vending machine, and it made me think, hey, one or two (or more?) people I know back home would get a kick out of this.

My shadow`s figure
cast across the dark river
chasing the half moon

Sorry, campers, but I haven`t had the means nor the resources to blog until now. A combination of lack of internet, time, and sleep has required me to neglect my blogging duties. I know a lot of you are sitting, waiting on baited breath, for updates in regard to the glorious nation of Japan, and how one David Reed has managed himself in navigating it`s harsh current. To begin, we must go back to the very begining, before he even got on the boat.

Getting to the airport was hell and back, and this time it was neither the fault of my mother or I. The freaking Chicago Marathon was the day I left for Japan. If that comment leaves you puzzled, dear reader, allow me to explain. Mayor Dayley, along with his cabinet of advisors, in their infinite wisdom, decided the route of the marathon should be a giant circle around certain parts of Chicago. One of those parts was the neighborhood in which my house is located. What this amounts to is that there was literally no way for my mother`s car to leave lakeview, for multiple hours, due streets being blocked by the runner`s paths. My mother and I were in the car at 9 am in order to get to the airport by 10, to be two hours early to my noon flight. Considering the state of RST (Reed Standard Time; i.e. late), this was pretty freaking good. However, we preceded to drive around north clark and the surrounding side streets for 2 hours in an attempt to find a weak link in the marathon chain, but to no avail. Eventually (read: 11:30), the marathon was over enough to allow us onto lakeshore drive. One hour and one plane reservation change later, I was at the airport and in the clear, nevertheless stressed, anxious, and furious at the state of city affairs. I have heard that even besides the traffic situation, the marathon was alogistal nightmare, and one person died while 300 others were hospitalized due to lack of water available. Bravo Dayley, bravo.

Japan is cool. My dorm is lame, kind of. I have a sink in my room, which is good, but the room is small and the ceiling light is virtually useless. No one talks to anyone, much less to me. The school seems pretty good. I`m in sort of an easy class, which is a result of my vocabulary and that it differs from that of the school`s prescribed curriculum. The grammar is easy, probably too easy. Tokyo is fun. I haven`t explored enough to give a detailed account yet, what with orientation and that kind of stuff. I`ve only been in about three neighborhoods so far, but what I have seen is interesting.

More later, my time
here is coming to a close
like the leaves in fall