Thoughts on illiteracy

Since we started travelling overseas to countries that do not use our alphabet, it has become increasingly clear to me that to be illiterate reduces your interaction in the comminuity considerably. It causes HUGE frustration and, if I were of a different disposition, great angst! Take shopping for instance - the words don't mean a thing so you have to go by pictures. So what exactly is in a tin with a lovely lady smiling and holding something orange in her hand? Could they be carrots? Or peaches? Or mangoes ? or even pumpkin? A quick look across the shelf and I notice that this is THE shelf for vegetables. So remove mangoes and peaches from the list of possibles (and oranges too, if that's just crossed your mind) and you have a choice. So, if it's carrots - that's OK but I'm not a fan of tinned carrots. If it's pumpkin, well I can use that in soup if push comes to shove. So I put them in the trolley. This scene and thought process is repeated across the store and you have to hope that there hasn't been a lazy shelf stacker who put the tin there out of convenience to him rather than logic!

I have just spent a whole hour and half trying to assemble an office chair. The chair is a lovely, black chair on wheels which, in the shop, was fully assembled and ready to use. Today it was delivered, on time and as agreed . The chair is now in a rather large and heavy box. It is in five major pieces accompanied by fifty five screws and washers all of varying size - and the thoughtful manufacturers have also included a small bolt tightener. It's OK though because it comes with fully comprehensive instructions - all in Japanese. There are diagrams that almost resemble the pieces in front of me so we may get close.

So, different sized bolts and screws then ...... hmmmm. Those of you who know me well know that I am spatially challenged (no Ryan, that doesn't mean I take up a lot of space!) It means I cannot park a car and I have no idea how big anything is. This serious flaw in my make up does come in handy sometimes but not this time.

I won't bore you with the details but I am sure you can imagine the scene. I tried this bolt, then that bolt, then this bolt with that washer and so on. Fifty five times ..... If you're good at statistics you will have worked out the possible number of combinations and it's a lot.

The final ignominy of all this is that having worked it all out and got something that resembles a chair standing in the lounge, I place the top bit on top of the bottom bit and all the wheels fall off. Aaaaaaaagh!

Honoured Guests

Last night we were the Honoured Guests of a lovely Japanese family.  The school that David is running shares a site with another, Japanese, school called SKG.  It is run by a friendly and welcoming family - The Tamuras.  To welcome David to Tokyo a formal Japanese Dinner was arranged.  The other guests included the No2 at the British Embassy here in Tokyo and his delightful Japanese wife and the Chair of Trustees at our school and his American wife - so we were a mixed bunch who arrived at the banquetting Hall at 6.00 pm last night.

We were taken to the Dining Room by a member of staff at the Hall.  It was on the lower floor of a huge and ancient building which sits in the grounds of the Meiji Shrine.  It is an old and very prestigious place which now does Shinto weddings and entertains other revered guests to Japan - presidents and prime ministers have also sat at our table.

We made our way along a stone pathway past other dining rooms, waterfalls, bonsai and stone sculptures to a set of steps.  We were invited to remove our shoes (oh how I wished I'd had a pedicure that morning instead of a manicure!) and to enter a large room which was covered in tatami mats.  There was a long wide (and very low) table in the middle of the room with traditional Japanese dining chairs - no legs, just a back and a cushion.  I had visions of sitting cross legged for hours (that yoga is going to come in handy, I thought) but, phew, there was a deep hole under the table - to put our legs in.  There was much relief amongst the diners - both Japanese and western!

Etiquette states very clearly that the guests sit opposite the hosts and the honoured guests sit in the middle - this was when we discovered that we were to be the honoured guests - what a privilege! It meant that we were consulted first about our likes and dislikes and served first.  I lost track of the number of different courses but there must have been about ten or so.  Each course was presented like a picture.  As it is autumn here, every plate showed a little of that season in its colours - reds,oranges and yellows.  There were beautiful Japanese maple leaves used in the decoration as well as other traditional plants and flowers.  Some we could eat, others we couldn't;  mostly we ate everything in the dish.  We had all the traditional dishes - sushi, sashimi, mizo soup, rice and a whole host of other things I couldn't begin to name.  None of the portions was huge - but they were stunningly beautiful and of excellent quality.

One dish was served in a crickets cage.  The Japanese love their insects and they used to keep them in cages (note here - the Chinese still do!).  This dish was leek, two tiny slices of excellent beef, pine needles (yes, we did eat them) and chestnuts.  These were all placed in the dish so that it looked like a large insect. The pine needles were the antennae, the chestnuts the eyes, the leek the head and the beef sliced so it looked like the body.  It was lying on a nettle leaf and a small red maple leaf was also in the dish.  It was simply stunning - and delicious!

Throughout all of this we were drinking delicious Japense beer and sake but we kicked off the evening with a toast in the special wine made at the Emporer Meiji's Shrine.  This we drank from tiny, delicate porcelaine dishes marked with a chrysanthemum - the mark of the Imperial House. 

When we had eaten far more than we thought, the lady who had been looking after us (akin to a Geisha, if you will) came towards me and showed me a basket with two wedding kimono in it.  They were stunning - one was a silk brocade affair with embroidery on it representing old Japan - the cranes, the maple leaves, rickshaws - very thick and luxurious and the second was a thinner, bright red silk komono with flowers - cherry blossom (sakura) and chrysanthemums, maple leaves and others all over it.  They were both so valuable and very precious.  I was absolutely stunned when they invited me to put them on!  I suddenly knew what it felt like to be a traditional Japanese woman.  Two dressers descended on me and wrapped me in layers of clothing  - a beautiful white silk undershirt and then the obi - a large cushion that sits on your shoulder blades before placing the heavy silk kimono around me and wrapping me in that.  The obi has the amazing feat of making your bum look much smaller - I like that!!  My American colleague was also dressed in the same way in the other kimono and we were photographed front and back - the back view is the best - it shows the kimono off in all its glory.  I felt so honoured to be a part of this - that our Japanese hosts were willing to share, what is after all, something very particularly Japanese with us.  To wear a wedding kimono is a true privilege and I was hugely moved by the gesture of friendship.  David was called upon to have photos taken with me but he didn't have to dress up!  He already looked the part.   I hope the photos come digitally so that I can add them to this blog - it was truly a wonderful experience.  This is obviously not me but it will give you an idea!

If you'd like to see more about the Meiji Kinenkan, here's the webpage!  http://www.meijikinenkan.gr.jp/english/restaurant/hanagasumi.html


And finally.... the shot you have all been waiting for....

Sports Day in a Japanese School

Sunday - oh gosh - why did we say yes to this?  We were to be honoured guests at a sports day held by a school on the same site as the Showa part of BST.  Dave had already met Ichihara Sensei (the head) and we were included in the guest list this year.

The sun shone and the temperatures were quite high - the wind was blowing too.  We arrived to hear the noise of music and children cheering so we knew we were in the right place.  As we collected our 'Guest' badges we were escourted to our seats by a young woman in a track suit wearing a mask so I will never recognise her again!  The seats we had been allocated were in the sun so our first act of disruption was to make everyone else move up so that we could have a seat in the shade!  This was organised by our gracious hosts, not us, I hasten to add.  Although we had slopped on the sunscreen we had come without hats - but that was soon sorted by the amazing attention to detail of our hosts - a straw hat was proffered and accepted by me.  At this stage, I realised that the wind was blowing quite hard and when you have a wide brimmed hat on the best one can hope for is that you don't look silly.  To look silly and be seen chasing around after your hat is probably not good etiquette!  So I sat with one hadn on the hat and the other working the camera.

This was not a sports day in the English sense of the word.  It was a fun day with a few sports and a lot of synchronised activity - flag waving, dancing, gym movement, all done brilliantly by beautiful, beaming children who were obviously having a great time.  Why do we make ours have mini olympics? Why do we have so few winners?  Do we set our children up to fail?   The parts of the day that were running were very much team events - the relay for instance was across the year groups and was a real spectacle but the sense of competition was very real.

Kyoto

So you have all read Memoires of Geisha, right?  And you think you know what they do?  Yes, we thought that too and then we went to Kyoto.....

The shinkansen (bullet train) left Shinagawa station here in Tokyo and flew through the countryside for two and half hours before depositing us at Kyoto Station - a huge place with so many lines, local and national that it was a very confusing moment and we followed the crowd to one of many exits.  We had planned this carefully and decided, as it was our very first visit to the city, we would keep it simple and stay at the very western and very smart hotel actually at the station.  It was a fabulous place but it was on many floors and in many wings so finding your way around it was a little tricky to start with.

Dave decided to try the masssage and I decided to explore on foot and see what could be found.  After all, I had heard such magnificent tales of the city that I was keen to find something to impress me.  I walked for miles and the whole place seemed to have a sad, run down air; shutters closed with grafitti sprayed on them and a river that was begging for water to flow down what had obviously once been a wide and thriving channel which now had only grass and few small areas of water in it - where the cranes lurked looking hopefully for fish.  It seemed a sad and tired city - the days of old weighing heavily on its shoulders.

So it was a somewhat disappointed Trysh that returned to the hotel almost two hours later.  Had we really come all this way for this? 

Following a conversation with the concierge we tried to book a tour of the city but it was full.  The concierge was helpful and suggested that with a taxi we could visit the city's attractions easily.  We set off with a map marked in Japanese and our limited phrases to see what could be found.

Our first stop was  Nijo Castle - the home of the Shogun and what a place this turned out to be.  We learnt about the system - lots of ladies in waiting and lots of swords.  We learnt too about the nightingale floor boards - boards that squeak when walked on so that spies who arrived in the night could be easily discovered and dealt with.  The spies were called Ninja - and that is why they learnt to move around by climbing walls and scaling heights - to avoid those squeaky floor boards!

We met some young students who wanted to practise their English on us.  When they discovered David was a Principal and I was an English teacher they nearly died of shock but they came running after us to present us with a small bird done in origami by one of the girls as a thank you.

We moved on to the next awesome moment - a visit to Kinkakuji Temple - the Golden Pavillion (see photo).  What can I say?  Beautiful and stunning seem to be an understatement really.  Yes, it really IS gold.

David and me at the Kinkakuji Temple

Lunch called so we headed off to Kyomizu dera Temple which was set high on a hill overlooking Kyoto.

In the winding back street near the temple, we had a proper Japanese lunch - a Bento Box with a selection of delicious things in a lovely local resturant overlooking a Japanese garden.  Tempura is definitely our favourite kind of food here but we are getting a taste for the less western flavours - like tofu which is very soft here and can be very tasty especially when made with sesame.  I'm still not really into the noodles - but if I have to, I prefer the cold ones over the hot!

   Praying at the Goddess of Mercy

In the evening we met up with a Canadian ex pro footballer who, 16 years ago, married a real, live Geisha and now does walking tours around Gion (an area of Kyoto) telling people about the real life of the Geisha.  He pointed out the houses where they train, the tea shops (which sell anything but tea!) and the schools they attend and we did see both Geisha and Maiko (Geisha in training) just going about their business in the streets around the place.  Once you know what you are looking for, you can spot them easily - it's all in the hair.  They train for years in the art of dance, music and conversation and they are seen very much as the keepers of the tradition rather than the innovators of society, which they were many years ago.  We were totaly enthralled by what he had to tell us and David is now re-reading the book by Arthur Golden.  Sadly, I was too shy to take photos of the girls and my snaps were blurred and not good at all - but I did one from the back which isn't too bad!

Great trip - great to see outside the city of Tokyo and to learn a little more about Japanese culture. 

Shopping

We live 9 floors up and have a commanding view across the city - this includes a lot of other people's roof terraces and balconies. We have just had a three day national holiday and I can honestly say that I have only seen one other person in these outdoor spaces in all that time. Where do the Japanese spend their time? I've given this some thought - I'm obviously not busy enough - and I think they shop. When I go to places like Omotosando and Shibuya, the place is heaving - they are out in force and shopping til they drop - I think this phrase was invented for the Japanese. Rumour has it that there is a credit crunch - you simply would not believe it to see the number of people shopping - not just browsing but seriously shopping - loaded with bags.

The shopping here - like everything else - is amazing. We went shopping for a shirt. Bit tricky I thought given that Dave is not a diminutive Japanese man but we went anyway. The shop we bought the shirt in was fascinating. English was limited so we had a lot of sign lanuage and laughter but we got there in the end. Did Sir want long sleeves? He did? Well, how long would that be then? Dave and I had no idea - so a tape measure was produced and the exact measurement taken. A lot of scratching of heads - did they have a shirt that would fit? Ah... (lots of rummaging...), how about this one? Dave then tried it on - and had difficulty keeping the lovely female assistant out of his changing room. She was hovering outside the door and kept trying to go in! Not that he would have minded at all but a man has to keep his dignity!

The shirt was great, it was admired by Dave, me and four assistants in the shop and the decision to purchase was made. We took it to the paying desk where a man started to refold the shirt and insert all the pins to get it back into the bag so that Dave could take it home and take them all out again.... I don't think so. The instruction to cease this activity was received with surprise and disappointment but the customer is always right here in Japan. The shirt was then folded beautifully into a very smart, navy blue paper (for recycling) bag and held on to by another assistant who then walked us very grandly to the front door of the shop and handed Dave the package with a bow and a very long phrase in Japanese. Two more assistants appeared and also bowed and they watched us walk away down the pavement as though we were revered guests who had just left a house party! I wanted to turn and wave but Dave thought it probably was not the thing to do...!

The whole thing was quite charming - time consuming may be, but boy could those guys in M&S learn a thing or two!!

Shall we dance?

Went to the local cinema last night. We had tickets to see "Shall We Dance?" - the Japanese version. The original had Richard Gere in it and... I think.... J Lo but this was a remake based on a Button Factory Manager and his journey to Ballroom Dancing. It was in Japanese but with English subtitles and I can honestly say, it's the best film I have seen in a long time. This film won all the major awards for Japanese films and I can see why.

Moving In

Photos are views from the balcony and our new lounge....

It's been a busy week so far. We got the keys to our new apartment last Friday and started to move into it. First of all, things from Tokyo, bought here in anticipation of our lovely new home. Then things that kind people had left for us - Dave's predecessor and others - to get us started. Finally on Saturday morning all our things from China.

As we looked around we decided we had brought just enough 'China' with us - a few small items which fit into our new and very modern home here in Tokyo. We are very keen to get a little bit of 'Japan' here too and I have already identified two pieces of furniture that are rather nice.... not sure where we will put them yet so holding off the actual purchase!

What can I tell you? The apartment is on the 9th and 10th floor of a 12 storey building (not too high - good for earthquakes - talking of which we are due to have one later today...) and the view across Tokyo is amazing. We live 15minutes from all the best places - Roppongi Hills (a VERY nice area with lots of high class shopping and eating to be done plus the odd gallery thrown in for good measure; Omotosando - more high class shopping plus a few like Gap and Zara and Shibuya which is the centre of mass for all young Japanese so its lively and bright and mad

Oh and I've signed up for Skype.... must keep in touch with all our lovely children in the UK...

Mobile phones and things

I simply couldn't get away with it any longer. I'd existed quite happily without one for three whole weeks and to be honest, I was rather enjoying that sense of not being available however, life for others was less enjoyable and it had to be done - the purchasing of a mobile phone.

I did all my homework and asked a lot of people about the best way forward and it seemed that a contract would be the way to go. The package choice was huge and complex and included a lot of things I really did not want. I didn't want to check my stocks and shares; I didn't want to use it as an ipod and I certainly did not want a continuous weather forecast! Still, seemingly, for 2 months I have to have them. What I really wanted (free calls and SMS mesages), was not to be, not now, not ever - I have to pay for every call and message. So we began the process - lots of form filling (all in Japanese) and , as an alien, lots of bureaucracy checked, double checked and triple checked - all on line and it took ABSOLUTELY AGES!! Two hours later we left, had lunch then returned to collect it all when the clearances were through. So I'm MOBILE - yippee!!

It's a very sweet little white phone and I'm sure we will get on, but my first text was oh so painful. New systems, ridiculous predictive text, obviously a direct translation from the Japanese , so no use to me whatsoever! I managed to compose one then decided to email the kids with the information and let them send one first! The good news is that I AM getting faster (and I have found out how to turn off the predictive texting); the bad news is that I prefer email!!!

Brollies

Today we caught the tail end (or side swipe?) Of a typhoon. It rained non-stop for about 36 hours. This was not the drizzly, annoying stuff; this was serious rain coming straight down in stair rods. I grabbed a brolly brought from England and scurried to the local supermarket - a girl has to eat!


(This photo is the famous Shibuya crossing)


I should have known that here in the land of protocols for everything, there is a Brolly Protocol. You can't take your brolly into a store dripping with water and shake it over anyone who gets in the way, oh no. You have to turn at the door, mutter, excuse me (sumimassen), shake the brolly, fold it neatly and place in a plastic bag (brolly shaped) thoughtfully provided by the store. You then hang it on your trolley where, at the checkout, a lovely assistant removes the brolly bag (now wet and sticky) and places it in the recycling for you. Now that is service!

No one in Tokyo is without a brolly. The joy of it is that they are on sale every 10 metres or so along the main routes through any sort of shop imaginable - smart beauticians, newsagents, cigarette stalls ... The brollies come in a wide range of colours and circumferences and for £ 3 or
£ 4 you can buy a great looking one - with cats, hearts, plain, see-through, neon coloured - the choice is yours. The great thing is that if the sun comes out and it's a nuisance to carry, you can leave it on the side of the pavement in the knowledge that it will still be there tomorrow - unless of course, it rains - then someone else will recycle it for you! I love this place.

Welcome to Tokyo!

After much anticipation we arrived early on a Friday morning having flown overnight from London. Our first impressions were - 'Good, there's a Starbucks' which, if you remember from our China Blog, is always a good start to any of our adventures.


Our temporary home is excellent. It's a fully furnished, fully serviced apartment in the heart of Tokyo and we are very happy here. We are surrounded by restaurants, shops and interesting things to see and do - never a dull moment.

Our first challenge is to go house hunting - more on that later.


Recycling is a BIG deal here and in our particular Ward (or Ku) we have to separate combustible, non combustible, cans, glass and foil. You do this in your home and anywhere outside. It takes forever to leave Starbucks - decisions about whether the rubbish will burn or not seems to be a bit arbitrary so I am sure there is major confusion even amongst the native Tokyo-ans!

The house hunting has gone well. We have found just the place. The decisions were many as the choice was large. Would we go for a house or an apartment? Which part of the city would be best? Having made one decision a number of others followed; we saw Japanese style houses (very charming but a little on the low side for one of us...) , colonial style houses (OK but very large and there seemed always to be 'an issue') apartments on the lower floors of low rise blocks (safer in an earthquake, we have been told) or apartments on the higher floors of high rise blocks (I saw something absolutely astounding on the 29th floor...). We have gone for none of the above. We saw and fell immediately for a maisonette that is on the 9th and 10th floors of a 12 floor block. It faces south so there is so much light; it has floor to ceiling windows in the front of the apartment so the view is tremendous - even from the bathroom - note to self: must get curtains sorted! Move in date is 11th September.

We braved the Metro and went to see our first Festival last weekend. The metro was a delight - very clean and light but the signage could do with a little help - what there is, is in two languages which is great but some of the more important signs are not there - like, where now?!

The festival was hot, humid, packed and lively. There were thousands of stalls selling food from everywhere in the world but it was soooo busy that it was difficult to move around. We grabbed a bit of bar b q meat and headed back to the civilisation that is Shibuya! (Another packed area of Tokyo.... come to think of it, it's a very busy place!)

We have used our first vending machine - very big in Japan. They sell almost anything from drinks to food to cigarettes and they all work efficiently! They are on every street corner and in between too. One more tick in the 'Things to do in Japan' box!

The Alien Registration was smooth and efficient thanks to our lovely HR lady, Mariko, and the wonderful efficiency and helpfulness of the Japanese. We came away with books and maps and lots of other information which is absolutely necessary for foreigners here. There's a lot about recycling......

It's all gone well and it looks like a pretty good start!