Tokyo; A City that Dispels the Stereotypes

A few weeks ago a friend and I took a four-day trip to Tokyo. Tokyo wasn't necessarily a city I wanted to visit because I prefer the mountains and the beaches to skyscrapers and department stores, but I figured I couldn't leave Japan without visiting one of the most famous cities in the world.
Before visiting Tokyo I had heard many negative stereotypes about the city, for example that it was loud, very crowded, and filled with unfriendly people that had been hardened by years of living in such a busy environment. When I actually stepped out of the train station and onto one of Tokyo's main streets I could see right away that many of the stereotypes I had heard would be proven wrong. The street was huge, bigger than any of the other city streets I had encountered in Japan, and the buildings dotting the street were made of glass and brick as well as concrete. In Japan it's not uncommon to find cities composed mostly of concrete, so it was refreshing to see a city that used many different materials for it's buildings.
Once we arrived in Tokyo we were constantly on the go. We explored Akihabara which is the tech capital of Tokyo. Street after street is lined with glowing electronic stores, and maid cafe's. Akihabara is where you go if you want to buy a robot, indulge in anime videos or comic books, or get served your food by a woman dressed in a revealing maid's outfit.
We explored the garden's of Tokyo's Imperial Palace, where the Japanese Emperor and his family live. We visited Tokyo's National Museum in Ueno Park, where we spotted some of the first cherry blossom trees in bloom for this season. We also woke up at 4:30 in the morning to attend a fish market, where fish is brought in from all over Japan and stores and businesses bid on the freshest catch of the day. At night we walked along the city streets which were throbbing with people and a kind of electric energy that seemed to reverberate off buildings and hang in the air.
The stereotype that Tokyo's citizens are cold and unfriendly also turned out be very, very wrong. On our last day in Tokyo, Kim and I decided to head to Ginza, one of Tokyo's wealthiest area's that houses such stores as Armani and Louis Vuitton, and check out the art galleries. We were expecting the art galleries to be filled with wealthy customers and snobby owners who wouldn't give us the time of day. We were completely proven wrong! We walked into a tiny gallery where a woman showcased her paintings from her travels in Spain and France. The gallery owner and the artist were friends, two sweet sixty-something year olds who both hold a love of art and travel. The women didn't speak much English, and Kim and I don't speak much Japanese, but between the four of us we managed to carry on a pretty long conversation, albeit a few pauses. After talking with the women for a while, they generously went out and brought back lunch for us!!! We munched on sushi, green tea, and Japanese sweets for about an hour before we thanked the women and headed to the train station to make our way back to Himeji.
Overall I had a great time in Tokyo, I loved the city, I found the crowds to be not nearly as overwhelming as I expected, I met some great people, and I came away with every rumor and stereotype I had heard about the city dispelled!!

Hanami - Cherry Blossom Viewing

Cherry blossoms or Sakura are not just beautiful flowers in Japan, but an event that leads to drinking and joyful parties in parks. This is known as Hanami and forcasters predict the best time to go weeks or months in advance. The fleeting natural beauty only lasts for about two weeks, starting around May and going through the beginning of April depending on your location.

Walking through Tsurumai Park, in Nagoya City, the last few nights has been a delight. Japanese people are out celebrating flowers. They are drinking, laughing and playing sports. They are seriously drunk and singing, and holding hands under the beautiful trees. Festivities start in the day with bento box lunches under the trees in the warm sunlight. In the evening, lanterns are light amongst the trees illuminating areas where groups gather to relax. In Japan, where fashion is serious, it is nice to see men sitting in the grass in business suits, and girls not wearing 4-inch heels (although some still do).

I plan to go every chance I get in the next few weeks. It seems like Fourth of July but with cherry blossoms instead of fireworks, and two weeks instead of one day. I never thought I'd find an activity I'd enjoy as much as karaoke in Japan, but I think Hanami might just be it. It is as much fun to watch the cherry blossoms as it is to watch the Japanese celebrate together with such enthusiasm.

Karaoke Etiquette

If you've never been to Japan then it's a safe bet that you only know Japanese karaoke from that classic scene in Lost in Translation. Before Japan, I only knew karaoke as an embarrassing experience involving lots of alcohol and a drunken crowd of strangers listening to mediocre singers destroying classic songs. In Japan, it is roughly the same, but the crowd is much smaller and generally speaking, controlled by you. You can go with a group of friends ranging in size from one (yes, you can go alone, and no, this does not make you a loser) to 15 (perhaps more or less depending on the facility). However, going with your friends or coworkers does not guarantee a perfect experience, which is why I am giving you a wonderful guide to polite and fun karaoke.

1. If you love death metal, remember that there is a good chance many of your companions do not share you enthusiasm. Please pick one or two songs to inflict upon the group as they will no doubt inflict some Barbie Girl or Disney classics upon you. However, most importantly, as your friends will hopefully not sing your System of a Down with a Barbie Girl voice, do not use your death metal screams while they try to sing Let it Be or I Will Survive.

2. If you a smoker, unless all of your karaoke buddies are smokers, remember that the room is small and enclosed. Lighting up five cigarettes in the course of two hours will choke everyone in the room. On one evening with 6 smokers continusouly indulging, my eyes were glued shut. Even some of the smokers protested. So even if there is an ash tray in the room, check with others before lighting up or better yet, just assume they don't want to breathe it all in.

3. If the phone in the booth rings, remember this is most likely the staff calling to tell you your time is almost up. No matter how much chu-hi or sho-chu or cassis-orange (japanese drinks found in most bars and izakayas) you've had, do not answer the phone in English and yell at the staff for speaking Japanese. Calmly say "arigato" and hang up when they finish talking. Then turn to your friends and discuss going for another hour...or 3. (I think 75% of the time I end up buying more time. It's seriously addictive).

These are some basic suggestions I've realized in my 6 months in Japan. Most important however, is just have fun. Don't be shy! Everyone sings every song in most rooms anyhow. Your voice will not usually sing out much louder than anyone else's unless its a small group or the night is very young or very late. And remember: friends don't let friends sing 15 death metal songs to pop music fans.

Variety Shows

The vast majority of Japanese television is dominated by variety shows. These come in various styles or with an amazing array of themes, but are most easily spotted by the subtitles. Perhaps to enhance the ridiculous things people say in strange situations, subtitles pop up as people talk while doing bizarre things on TV.

Sometimes I'll turn on the television and find what looks like a nature program, only to discover later, that there are in fact a large room of people who are watching the show and then must comment on it afterwards. A whole five minute movie about wild birds in Canada will be followed by people of various talents playing trivia games or responding in any number of ways.

Some games are quite simply and its amazing to think about who thought to put them on tv. For example, on New Years I saw a show about people driving cars in difficult places. They had to back cars into spaces by going diagonally backwards through other cars or drive around sharp turns. Another time I watched a show where people guess whether a vegetable has been cut enough into a bin to reach a certain amount. Even more frequently are games where players must draw Kanji (Chinese Characters) in the correct order and think of all the possible pronuncations. This can be surprisingly difficult for the native speakers (let alone those of us who are new to Japanese). Most of these shows star minor or major celebrities. SMAP (a popular J-Pop group) members are often on at least one show a night, and famous comedians might be on a different show every night of the week!

The funniest show I've seen yet involved one SMAP member doing all sorts of activities while wearing a heart moniter. He had to get people out of a building in a fake police situation and he had to jump from a high ledge. However, what got his heart beating the hardest was the girl who walked up the stairs in front of him wearing a very short skirt. Later I saw him on another variety show. This one, however, was a little disturbing. A number of contestents, mostly male, had to guess the cup size of a model wearing pajamas. They would tell her to jump and bend over before finally deciding on her size. She would then shed her clothes so that she was only wearing a bikini with a label in her bikini top revealing her size. While most of the time I find Japanese television hilarious, I was a little shocked by this one. To check out a video of this check out: Pastries and Cups. I think SMAPxSMAP will always beat this one for me.

The Hounen Fertility Festival

Today I went to one of the most famous festivals in Japan. Each year over 100,000 visitors from all over the world attend. (It is in fact, the largest number of foreigners I have seen in one place since arriving in Japan). From day one in Nagoya, I've been hearing about the famous male fertility festival better known to English teachers as "the penis festival." After watching the events today, I would have to say that the title is aptly given.

Located in Komaki City in Aichi Prefecture, this festival is held annually on March 15th at the Tagata Jinja Shinto shrine. The true English translation might be closer to the "Bumper Harvest Festival." It is a dedication to a god "Mitoshi-no-Kami" and a goddess, "Tamahime-no-Mikoto." The belief is that good crops will come from mother earth being impregnated by father heaven. Thus there is a celebration of male fertility.

A mikoshi (portable shrine) is carried by villagers on their shoulders from one shrine to another. On top of the mikoshi is an owasegeta (penis) measuring 60cm(24") across and 2m(80") long. The villagers carry it shouting and occasionally spin it around in a circle. Free sake is handed out in its path to lucky revelers. The owasegeta is offered to Tagata Jinja shrine for world peace, the growth of all things, and a bumper crop. Women follow in the procession carrying miniature owasegeta and it is good luck to rub them. An old lady commanded me to before shoving herself to the front of the crowd for her own lucky rub of the wooden phallus.

For continued good luck, fertility, and protection at home, one can collect fabric from the Shinto branches that follow the owasegeta in the procession. The old ladies love these luck pieces and go so far as to chase them as fast as they can. Additionally, you can purchase cell phone charms, sake pitchers and other assorted goods shaped like male genitalia. Not to be left out, female genitalia-shaped ashtrays are sold alongside. For snacks, visitors can visit any number of booths selling fried goods and sweets, just like fairs back home. There is more fried octopus than at home, but also lots of chicken skewers, wieners and crepes. The best, and given the festival, most appropriate snack, was the chocolate covered bananas. Eating them here though, might grab you some unwanted attention.

However, the best part of this festival comes at the end, where everyone crowds into a square to have mochi (pounded rice cake balls) thrown at them. It is a dangerous and thrilling event. The banister is crowded with lucky individuals who have been given the privilege of hurling hard mochi into the crowd. The shots come in volleys and chaos ensues. There is a lot of shoving, pushing, ducking and scrambling. Last year one poor teacher came to school the next day with a broken nose. I walked away with two very bruised toes as a result of some enthusiastic leaping from a neighboring participant, but unfortunately, no delicious mochi. The clever people positioned themselves well to collect mochi that bounced off other hands or searched the grounds for dropped samples. One man finished with a hat full of mochi collected by his two sons despite warnings at the beginning of the ceremony that it is best if the young and the elderly step aside. It is a wise warning as the whole process was as dangerous as a mosh pit at a rock concert. For a visitor to Japan, this might just be the most fun you can have at a festival.

The Naked Man Festival

Perhaps one of the most discussed and certainly one of the most popular festivals for foreigners and tourists, the Naked Man festival is everything you look for in a festival.

To the Japanese, it's known as Hadaka-matsuri and it has been celebrated for over 1,200 years in Japan. One man is chosen as the Naked Man, the shin-otoko, and he becomes a vessel for all the bad luck of the not-so-naked men. They can rid themselves of ill luck by being fast enough to touch the naked man, thus transferring evil spirits from themselves into the naked man. This man however, is not cursed to be unlucky for all time, he will undergo a lengthy purification ritual upon reaching the shrine. He only has to survive hundreds of 42-year old, drunken, loin-cloth clad men chasing him all the way to the shrine.

There are dozens of Naked Man Festivals across Japan. In the northern part of Japan, across Hokkaido especially, the festival, occuring in January or February is as much a celebration of man's fortitude over the cold. The freezing men stripped down to their loin-clothes must drink endless amounts of hot sake to endure the temperatures before the running begins. If you are visiting Japan in the winter months, try to ask a local about the Hadaka-matsuri, it is surely an event you don't want to miss.

Japanese Gardens

March in Japan is very warm. Lately, while my family suffers through fridgid below zero tempertatures in the northeast, I've been enjoying weather in the 40-50's (Fahrenheit, 8-15 Celsuis). Therefore, I have found a need to revisit nature.

While it's still too early for cherry blossoms, leaves have been bursting out of trees, flowers of various kinds have bloomed and birds are singing. Last week I took a nice hike in Jokoji where there is a national park. This week I opted to stay closer to home and visit a large park in Nagoya.

The park includes baseball diamonds where I enjoyed watching Japanese players bow at one another before beginning pitching practice. After strolling through the park for awhile, I happened upon Shirotori Garden, a beautiful little respite in the middle of the thriving city of Nagoya. For 300 yen (about $3) you can enjoy walking through a garden replica of the Kiso River, complete with a minature representation of Mt. Ontake and a tumbling waterfall. There are numerous benches to sit and contemplate amist the sound of falling water. Even better, there are rock paths that lead through tree covered paths along the ponds.

Much like Ikebana, Japanese Flower arranging, Japanese gardens seem to recreate nature, rather than simply trying to artifically manufacture perfection the way western style gardening can. There are streams, three ponds of varying sizes, a lawn filled with cherry blossom trees (so close to blooming but not ready yet) and a traditional Japanese teahouse in the center.

Hinamatsuri - A Day for Dolls and Girls

March 3rd is a special holiday in Japan. Hinamatsuri is known both as Girl's Day and the Doll Festival in English. It is a day to pray for the growth and health of young girls, and is celebrated in most households with female children by putting up a tiered platform covered in red felt and adorning it with dolls.

The dolls themselves are especially ornate. There are specific dolls that represent the Emperor, Empress, court ladies, samurais, and attendents. The process of arranging them can be quite complex. All are dressed in clothing typical of the Heian period[794-1185 AD]. Some platforms even reach 7 tiers with as many as 12 dolls as well as carriages, and additional accessories. Even the dolls have to follow court hierarchy with each doll assigned an official tier.

One student explained to me that traditionally the disassembling of the dolls is most important. If dolls are left up beyond March 4th, the girls will not marry before the year is over. (Perhaps a good thing if you have young daughters I would imagine). More traditionally, the ceremony is celebrated to ward off evil spirits from girls. Most people celebrate this holdiay quitely in their homes, while some may choose to visit a shrine on this day. Best of all, girls can get cake. One kind student bought an ornate pink cake to work for the staff and the lady teachers. As with all Japanese holidays special food is important. One for this festival is hishi-mochi or diamond-shaped pounded rice sweets. Pink, green or yellow hishi-mochi can also be placed on tiers and added to the Hina doll display.

I Think I'm Turning Japanese

My roommate bought a copy of You Know You've Been in Japan Too Long... by Bill Mutranowski last week, and while the bug-eyed cartoons creeped me out a little, some of the jokes were insanely funny for a foreigner just 5 months in on her time in Japan. So I thought I'd share some with you.

1. You say things like "How many families do you have?"
It is the sad truth that after months of teaching English as a foreign language, your own language skills begin to fade. All but my most essential vocabulary has slowly been stripped from my everyday speech. This is for the best during the day, but occasionally, I'll have a high-level student and be unable to come up for the word I'm looking for. "Just a minute, its uh...um...something like espionage, but not about spying..." Good news is, I'm told English skills return when I go home. Now, if only I could improve my Japanese in the meantime.

2. You think a bench, a tree and a patch of dirt constitute a park.
Again, in Nagoya, this is definitely the case. Evey 'large' parks have concrete sidewalks, edifices and fences every few feet to remind you that you are still in the city. As a Japanese friend of mine said when she studied abroad at my university in the States, "laying on the grass is so American!" She enjoyed it, but it generally seems to be a foreign concept in Japan. Not that people don't go outside. There are places to hike, bike, and see the mountains, but you do have to venture out of the city a good way to find them. In the city, concrete is your friend... but luckily cherry blossom season should begin soon and the city parks will at least be bursting with natural beauty.

3. You rush like hell onto an escalator, then just stand there.
Having spent a summer in Boston, this is something I still am not used to, but see everyday. In Japan, 99% of the time, escalators are ridden, never walked up or down. Even at subway stations when people are in a rush to catch their trains or to get to work, the stairs are generally avoided, especially on the way up. Last week I saw a man run onto the escalator to wait until he reached the top. The stairs, just alongside it, would have been about five times faster. My recommendation: Take the stairs whenever you can, in a rush or not. Save some time for other things.

Anyways - these are some funny examples of things you notice in Japan after living here awhile. Some of the jokes in the book are still beyond my understanding, so it will be interesting if when I read it in a few more months if I will discover more things I can laugh along with.