Taiyo Park; Where the Pyramids and the Great Wall Meet

Last week, my roommates and I decided to go for a leisurely bike ride through Northern Himeji. We rode along the mountains where cherry blossom trees were beginning to bloom a muted pinkish-white, a nice contrast from the greenery already covering the mountainside. We were feeling at one with nature and old world Japan as we had just spotted a rather large water rodent ambling lazily along a riverbank, before seeing in the distance a clearing in the valley dotted with traditional Japanese farmhouses. We decided to bike in the direction of the farmhouses. On our way there we were sidetracked by what appeared to be a replica of The Great Wall of China on the mountains to the West of us. Upon closer inspection we found out that we were on the outskirts of Taiyo Park. Taiyo Park is probably one of the strangest, most bizarre, tourist attractions located in Japan. Taiyo Park costs 500 Yen, or 5 U.S. dollars to enter, and is composed of replicas of famous monuments from countries around the world. The statues from Easter Island line the walkway as one first enters the park. Go around the corner and you'll find the Statue of Liberty proudly holding her Torch. After the Statue of Liberty, the roadway widens and white, wrought-iron tables and chairs line either side. Ahead in the distance one can see the Arc de Triomphe, oh look, now we're in Paris!! After going under the famous archway, we climb a hill and are confronted by the Pyramids and two surly looking Sphinx's guarding them. We next come to area that has literally hundreds of stone statues of soldiers, all lined up in perfect rows. Cats crawl amongst their feet, some are chipped with age. I have no idea where in the world these soldiers exist. Our last venture is along the Great Wall of China, which will eventually lead us out of the park. As if there weren't already enough world monuments, the park plans to have a European style castle completed by 2009, along with courtyards and commons. Taiyo Park is quite an experience, more for it's strangeness than anything else!!

M-flo, some J-Pop

Yesturday I was strolling around Sakae, the downtown shopping district of Nagoya, when I happened across a crowd of people hovering around a building. It looked like the images from the 50's where people huddled around shops with color TV's. However, it was not a TV, but Japanese pop/hip hop group M-Flo doing a radio interview.

The band consists of two members, Japanese Taku Takahashi and Korean-Japanese VERBAL. Verbal caught my eye as I was walking by. He was wearing a big sideways baseball cap, giant sunglasses, and a big blinging necklace. I couldn't understand much of the interview, but the duo charmed the crowd with peace signs and waves for everyone. Everyone was having such a good time, I lingered for a bit doing my best to translate with my limited Japanese and their body language.

It was only after I returned home that I realized how BIG these guys are. I found videos on youtube and even a facebook group! When I told my staff they were jealous. If only I had taken photos, and/or stalked them after the interview for an autograph. That would have been a good story for lessons and quite an exciting experience. Verbal even speaks excellent English after studying Boston so we could have talked about my favorite city. Hopefully I can get a chance to see them in concert. Perhaps this is a good opportunity to study up on other Japanese bands, so I can be prepared for my next glimpse of celebrity. To check out their songs click here!

Gaijin

There is a debate occurring in Japan amongst foreign workers and this revolves around the word Gaijin, a shortened form of a word which translates to foreigner, but extends beyond nationality to include ethnicity as well. A poll for Japan Today found that almost half of people find the term derogatory or racist.

Living in Japan can be quite an experience for those from very diverse cultures. Overnight, outside of the major tourist locations, one becomes very noticeable. The best part about this is the children. I have had a few approach me and say hello while bowing, but most just stare wide-eyed while their moms smile and encourage them to speak some English. Sometimes drunken men will shout out their only English if you pass them on the street at night. "Helllllooooo! Helllllooooo!" Usually if you give a short 'hello' back they will continue on their way. Although sometimes they can fall under the impression that as a gaijin there is a chance that perhaps you are also a prostitute. At these times it is best to say "I"m sorry, you are mistaken" in Japanese, according to my Japanese friend.

Although I have used the term Gaijin frequently when talking to my language-teacher friends about ourselves, I've only heard it from Japanese people twice. When I lost my monthly train pass the ticket man called another station to ask if they had seen it. He looked quickly at the name I'd written on the sheet and instead used "Gaijin-san," as it was much easier. Another time a child in a small town saw me walking by and turned to his mother with wide eyes and whispered loudly, "Gaijin da!" There's A Foreigner!

It seems that for those only in Japan for a short time, the term is amusing or mildly irritating, but increases in offense with the length of one's stay and the extent of one's involvement in the Japanese community. Furthermore, there seems to be a hierarchy of foreigners in Japan, with English-teachers being somewhere near the top and Chinese or Brazilians living in Japan experiencing a greater degree of racism. I've had lessons where students unabashedly blame the increased crime rates on foreigners.

Japan is also a country that is extremely welcoming as well. English is almost everywhere and most people are more than pleased to use any English they remember if they can help you. People are so kind, inviting and excited to share their culture with you and to learn more about your culture.