Reflections: The wonders of public Transporatation

Okay, after nearly dying from all my jet lag, seriously, I'm not used to being so tired all the time...STOP LAUGHING!  Anyway, I decided to do another reflection tonight.  After a long drive home and several busy days with lots of commuting between my parents house and my apartment, I found myself pining for Japan again.

Yes, I've been pining for Japan since I left, but let me tell you a little something about the wonder's of public transportation.  While Japan does have cars, it's hard for any foreigners to use, usually.  They drive on the opposite side of the road, the steering wheel is on the opposite side and often cars have to navigate incredibly thin stretchs of road, where wall and metal are mere centimeters apart.  In short, owning a car in Japan can be useful, but it is a lot of trouble.

While I was in Japan I went for a bike.  It was great exercise, the roads and sidewalks were better designed to support them, I.E. we actually had side walks and crosswalks specifically for bikes, and above all else, the cities were so small and well designed you could really get anywhere you needed to be with a bike in practically no time at all.  But what about for when you wanted to go on a road trip, see the sights, you know, travel?  Well, this is where public transport comes in.

There are three basic levels of public transit in Japan.  Buses, trains, and the more expensive Shinkansen.  Buses are for convenience more than necessity.  They allow people to easily navigate almost any city so long as they understand basic Japanese and Kanji.  The fee is usually very reasonable, usually around 1-4 dollars to get around the whole city, and they follow a timetable that is easy to plan around and reliable.  I road a bus for the better part of my semester whenever I needed to get to the train station.  They were reliable and usually had enough space for everyone.  Main problem is expense.  Using a bus regularly can prove expensive.  I must have spent at least $40 or more a month on buses before I stopped and started walking.  Still, compared to the buses I've ridden in bigger cities like New York or the noticeably crappier school buses of my youth, the Japanese bus system is leagues above our own, offering reliable transportation around a city for commuters or tourists.

Trains are next and they are invaluable in Japan.  Like buses they have clear timetables and schedules, locations are easily laid out for people to see on handy little maps, and pricing is easy and typically very cheap.  Unlike buses, they connect towns in a region and are important for allowing commuters to: go to school, go to work, visit exotic locales, and visit with family/friends.  Trains in Japan make it easy for people to take a trip on the weekend or whenever to a place they might not be able to reach by bike or bus, such as Kyoto, Nara, or Fushimi Inari, all of which were connected to Hirakata by train.  Sometimes you need to change trains a few times or take subway lines, which are basically underground trains, but with a proper knowledge of trains, they are invaluable for getting around.  While they can be crowded, the cheap price makes it easy for people to explore Japan or to commute between places.  Trains can be as cheap as 2 bucks a trip or as expensive as 10, usually.  The lack of cheap trains in the states puzzles me a bit.  The transportation is cheap, usually clean, and reliable.  It worked very well in Japan.  Granted, they sank millions into public transit and had tracks all over the country connecting it by train.  The states invested more in cars...for some reason.  I guess I miss being able to just walk or bike down to the train station to go someplace new or fun, instead of getting in my car and driving for an hour...

Shinkansens, or bullet trains, while novel, aren't that special compared to Japanese trains and buses.  Sure, they go fast, but the price is comparable to train prices in the states for traveling great distances, or cheap plane tickets.  The only real difference is speed, as the Shinkansen is faster than trains in the US.  They're actually kind of boring, once you've ridden one.  To me, they're not that different from planes...just on the ground and a bit faster getting on and off.

So...the public transportation in Japan is wonderful and I really loved it, but is it that big a deal?  Well...I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss the freedom of my car.  While not as motivated to explore as trains, as they can only go to a few set stops, the freedom of the car in the US allows me to go anywhere quickly and to really live my life.  In Japan, with crowded roads and much more readily available public transportation, I can see why cars are downplayed and trains made king.  Here in the states, though, cars can take people anywhere, with privacy and comfort not offered by public transportation.  Sure, the Japanese keep to themselves and public transport is relatively quiet, but the closeness people put up with for it annoyed me to a degree.

In the end, I found it to be more of a cultural thing.  I found public transportation convenient and got a chance to people watch, so to speak.  Watching the Japanese on a train can tell you alot about them as a people, as even small children take trains or buses unattended, due to the ease of their use and the character of the people on trains.  I would like to see more cheap trains in America, which would make for easy holidays for some people, but really...it's not going to happen anytime soon.  I feel we're stuck with our cars.  Besides, I doubt Americans could make the trains run with the same efficiency of the Japanese, who apologize for even a minute's tardiness on the train platform.

While I miss them, trains aren't that much better than cars.  It really depends on the culture, layout of the country, and your personal preference.  At least, that's my opinion on Japanese public transportation. 

Home again, home again

Well, it's official, dear readers.  I'm home.  I have to say that making landfall in the states was...a bit less happy than I thought it would be.  If anything, I was a little sick to my stomach, having left the mystic land of Japan and the great friends I made to return to the land of grease and excess.  Granted, I have friends and my family living in the states, but I couldn't shake the sentiment.  Still, I've been here only 1 day and after getting some REAL soda and barbecue in my stomach, I can safely say, it's good to be back.

Perhaps I should explain a bit more about my trip and leading up to departure.  I had my hands full before leaving Japan.  I had to clean up my room, the kitchen, basically get rid of the traces that I had been there...then go.  My flight was in the morning, so I was allowed to stay the night, but it was somber, getting ready to leave.  My friends were very kind though, giving me gifts to send me off and spending as much time with me as they could before I left.  It was sad, parting with these people I had come to know so well.  We stay in touch through skype and facebook but...when I was hugging my close friends at the bus stop, I felt an unbearable desire to just stay...even if that would be impossible.

Once I was on the bus, I had to carry three bags and my laptop all the way to the planes, and beyond.  In total, I was in the air about 18 hours, which in truth spanned almost two days since we crossed the international date line in my flight across the pacific.  I took one bus, three trains, three plains, and a long car ride to get home.  I was tired, broken, and a bit ready to just die by the time my parents found me.  Strangely, my depression had subsided somewhat.  I knew that I'd meet my friends again. I'd make that happen.

Still, the trip gave me a lot to think about.  How Japan was different than the states, how my life had changed in the last few months, how I had changed in the last few months...I intend to do some more reflections on them, but suffice it to say, I've been thinking a great deal in the last day or two.

It feels like I'm battling a lot...Jetlag, this sudden loneliness of being separated from my peers, and the culture shock...it's quite a bit to handle.  Just for an example, today I got my first taste of North Carolinian BBQ in almost 4 months.  I was astonished by the taste, by the amount, the size, and by the soda.  In Japan, soda costs almost as much as beer or wine at restaurants.  And NO refills.  This was a good shock, but...seeing the congested roads, I also had a bad shock, pining for the time when only bikes and scooters really crowded the streets.

I'll recover soon, and when I do I'll post more about my reflections.  Suffice it to say, I miss Japan terribly, but I recognize that the states aren't so bad.  I'm glad to be home.  As for my trip?  Well, it was a struggle at first.  Adjusting to the classes, the pop culture, the customs, and especially the food of Japan was tough.  I had problems making good friends and fell in with a few jerks.  But, I got to see some amazing sights and experience the whole of Japanese culture.  That, on its own, would make the trip worthwhile.  But, I also got to meet a number of wonderful people, both Japanese and from other countries.  I forged some great memories.  Obviously, my reluctance to return home should show how much of an affection I gained for Japan.

On the whole, my trip had a few snags getting started, but about halfway through, it picked up and I found a happiness I'd not experienced in a long time.  Traveling to see the sights with my friends was a wonderful experience.  I would do another trip like this in a split second.  I recommend everyone give it a try, actually.  Japan is a wonderful place to visit, even if I couldn't imagine living there...not that I didn't try.

That's all for now...I'm tired and still trying to adjust, so I'll be absent for a few days.  After Christmas though, I'll wrap up this trip with my reflections on, culture, sights, travel, and Japan as a whole.  I'll also give a brief reflection on my most treasured memories.  Look forward to it, dear readers.

Fushimi and Departure Blues

First, a thank you to all my readers who decided to stick with me through this odyssey.  I hope to see and speak with all of you when I get home...assuming I can make it home without getting lost.  Anyway, I have one last story before I go, then departure woes.

My story relates to the grand site of Fushimi Inari, a set of shrines that are placed on a massive mountain, with a hall of Tori gates leading up to each.  It was a long, hard climb with one of my dearest, closest friends I've made here along for the right with me.  We both got tired and sore and lost, seeing several unseen and hidden shrines that were off the beaten path, but there wasn't much to it.

For those who don't know, Inari is a rice deity and his helpers are mystic foxes.  We went because A) I wanted to go and B) my friend wanted to go and had a ton of 1 yen coins to get rid of.  The trip was uneventful, save for how much fun I had just being around my friend.  We did get lost going off the beaten path, but actually managed to cross the entire mountain, ending up in the next town over, to our surprise.  We got help from a Japanese man who spoke good English and found a zen gate repaired by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of Japan's most famous Shoguns.  Though we were tired and exhausted, it was a great trip.

Pictures are as follows:

 The Tori Gate leading into the Fushimi area.

 The start of the shrine and its Inari guardians.

 Start of the Tori Gate tunnel.

 Just look at that...that is spellbinding.

 One of the Inari Shrines.

 Praying for Inari's mercy and aid in the future.

 Top of the world, Ma!

 The bibs and hats are really cute.

 The Zen gate.

Even the train station has Inari's guardians watching over it.

Okay, now for the heavy stuff.  I depart for America in almost 30 hours.  I'm depressed.  I've made many friends, but my recent traveling companion has moved me beyond mere words.  I know we'll keep up, but I'll miss her terribly.  I think meetings like that are what make life worthwhile...but it still saddens me, to the point where I wonder if I can get on the plane.  There's a lot of that going around and once again I feel like a man walking towards a noose and just waiting for the hangman to finish me.  Morbid, perhaps, but that's how I feel.  I'll survive, but the countdown has begun.

My time in Japan has given me many cherished memories, but beyond all the famous sites I've seen, it's the small memories I cherish the most.  My first REAL friends, because I did have fake ones here, my encounters with the crepe lady and the Takoyaki/yakisoba man, my clubbing experience and times with newer friends...and my dear friend.  All of these are precious to me, as precious as seeing the Ushitora show or going to Kyoto alone.  I think that's something important to remember.  The people around you make all the wonderful sites of the world even more wonderful.  It's all about the company you keep sometimes.  I won't let my friends forget me anytime soon.

And before I get too maudlin again, I do have some good news.  SOPA has been stalled, so at least I have one less thing to worry about.  The internet will still exist when I get home.  Speaking of which, I should go.  This will be my last actual post in Japan.  I'll try to post when I land, but it might be the next day.  I depart soon and should have all my plans in order.  I'll see you all in the states, hopefully.

Till then, be well, everyone.

Reflection: The People of Japan

I'm starting to worry about my flight.  My friends are out having goodbye parties, probably with booze.  And the whole SOPA issue seems to be going poorly.  Life has a lot of worries for me lately.  However, I've decided that instead of just sitting and sulking, I should do something constructive.

I had planned to start my reflections on my trip after I actually got back, but I figure now is as good a time as any to start.  Before I begin, however, I don't want people to misconstrue me.  These are not meant to be hard facts or anything like that, merely observations that I have made about Japan and her people.  These are from my experiences and I want to educate future travelers and others who have an interest in Japan through them.  So, with that set, let me talk about the Japanese people.

The Japanese people are an odd bunch, at least they seemed that way to someone like me.  For starters, they are largely contained within a separate bubble from others.  People on the train, people walking, biking, or just out, even those at my school all seemed to keep to themselves.  Listening to music, playing games, or just doing their own thing.  They value privacy and personal space.  And are a bit shy.  This is especially true when meeting foreigners, as they can be a bit intimidating and obviously stand out in a crowd.  Even children heading to cram school or traveling alone seem in their own little world.

Do not let this be misconstrued, however, that the Japanese are rude.  They are unfailingly polite.  Store clerks of all varieties, teachers, students, almost everyone, will say hello, or good morning, greet you, thank you for anything you've done, it is really shocking, actually.  Going into a store and having everyone working there welcome you, help you, and thank you for shopping with such earnest endearment is charming.  Street vendors are especially welcoming and grateful, often shouting their thanks for all to hear.  They still maintain personal space and privacy, but are very gracious people.

Do not let this be taken that there are not problems with Japan, however.  More than once I have been given the blank look of someone exasperated with, annoyed with, or just confused by the stupid foreigner.  Friends of mine have told stories of being bad mouthed or even assaulted by the elderly, and there was even an attempt at sexual assault during my stay that was, thankfully, unsuccessful, but still unsettling.  Much of this can be chocked up to a few bad apples, as the Japanese look poorly on misconduct of any kind, but it should be noted that Japan is not a paragon of politeness and safety.  They try, but there will always be risks and frustrations.

A personal frustration on my part is how distant even close friends can be.  The Japanese value their personal space so much that they are often shocked or uncomfortable when hugs are due or when people want to be close.  It is starkly different from the west in that aspect.  Though, my college wasn't the best example of this, as at Kansai Gaidai, the college students were cutting loose a bit, after having killed themselves just getting in.  But, when I wanted to say goodbye to friends or comfort them, I had to do so at a distance.

Japanese girls in particular are very genki, or energetic.  Though they need to rest and sleep a great deal in the middle of the day, like many Japanese as they work very very hard, whenever they rise they are full of energy and can even make a tired fogey like me get off his butt and sing, dance, and party.  Speaking of high energy, there are only a few things I've noticed that Japanese people get genuinely excited about.  Education and festivals.

Teachers in Japan do their very best to make classes fun and to encourage teamwork and engaged learning as a group.  Though the exams and homework are often very hard, the classes themselves are very high energy, often filled with laughter and joking.  Students share this enthusiasm, working hard in their classes and going the extra mile in school events.  Sports days or cultural festivals are full of people doing their best to try and make the event a spectacular success.  Just today, I saw a group of students campaigning for something school related with great energy and vigor.  Education really captures the hearts and imaginations of the Japanese in my mind.  Though, at times I think it goes too far, as with the cram schools and exam hells which often exhaust and depress even the most genki of students.

Despite their shyness, Japanese people who open up to others or who become friends with others are very happy to help them.  They are reliable and friendly, going out of their way to make their friends feel happy and welcoming.  I greatly appreciated this during my time in Japan.  Though, because they study so much themselves, they have to limit what they do to an extent.

I think that about covers all my experiences with Japanese people.  While there can be some bad apples, due to age or drunkenness or what have you, most Japanese are very polite and great people to be around.  They might not always understand what you're trying to say, as fewer Japanese than people think speak English, but they always try to help or understand.  I will probably miss being welcomed and thanked in stores the most, because it brings out a great feeling of mutual appreciation in people.  They thank me and I thank them for being so polite and welcoming.  The Japanese can be very genki, even if they are a bit closed off and private.

I would not say they are better or worse than people in the West or in any other country in Asia.  All I know is that I was impressed by them.  By their warmth, their politeness, and their self sufficient and energetic nature.

To those who think they might want to travel in Japan, I recommend making Japanese friends as they are kind and often make you feel happy to just be alive, especially the girls.  Be wary of those who might cause trouble, but on the whole, the Japanese are very polite and trustworthy, dare I say, honorable, people.  If ever you drop your wallet or leave a key or glove behind, expect a cashier or even a customer at the same store to pick it up and return it to you, with the money still in it.

The Japanese truly are an amazing people.  I just wish they wouldn't kill themselves on exams.

Getting ready for the long goodbye

Life has been hectic the last few weeks.  I've managed to keep my head above water with my papers and exams, but my friends here have had trouble and I've been spending my free time trying to help them through.  It's led to a few sleepless nights, but I think I've really managed to help.  But, on top of all that, the looming day of my eventual departure has finally come into sight.  I leave Japan a week from tomorrow.  God help us all.  I've got my trip planned out and everything should be fine, I'll leave early and get to the airport with more than enough time for departure...but still, it's terrifying.  I have to say goodbye to my friends and the people I've spent the last half a year with.  Some I'll really be sad to leave.

For those who haven't found out yet, I have finally given into facebook.  While I still think it's largely a waste of time, it does help me keep up with people, which has been essential, since some of my friends have already moved out of the seminar house.  I grudgingly recommend it for those traveling abroad, as they can keep up to date about stuff happening at home.

I did make one trip this week, to visit Na-chan in her home town again.  We had lunch at Mister Donuts, which actually serves ramen, believe it or not, and got some takoyaki and pancake like bread in the shape of Hello Kitty and Doraemon.  I also spent my last frivolous dollar, buying a game that, in the US, would sell for a few hundred dollars, but in Japan sells for under twenty.  I feel lucky to be here.  I have a few dinners wit friends planned before my departure, but the day still looms over me.  Gonna have to try and have fun without worrying to much...while I pack.  Oy.

Ikebana is still fun and relaxing for me, so here is my latest composition.  It's meant to be a Christmas arrangement.

I do hope to make some commenatires about my trip on this blog after I get back to the states, so look forward to that.  But, because of my tight schedule, packing, and finals, I may not be able to make another post before I depart, though I will try.

For friends and family wondering, I will arrive in the states on December 21st, a little past midnight.  I look forward to going home but whether I fall into a miserable depression afterwards depends on if I can keep up with my friends still in Japan or in different states when I finally get settled again.

Only time will tell.  I'll keep this short for now, but know that I'm thinking about Japan and my experience a lot.  Started a journal chronicling what I did, still want to do, people I met and want to keep up with, and foods I have tried.  Just as a reference.  I don't intend for this to be my last time in Japan, after all.

Till next time, I hope all my viewers wish me luck for finals and for getting all my goodies packed.

The crunch and a ray of light

I'm back!  After what seems like ages, my sickness has abated and I've finally gotten enough free time to post for a bit.  Life has been hectic here at Kansai Gaidai.  Finals are creeping up on us, in fact my first one is in a week, and large papers loom overhead.  Granted this means I don't need to be in class as much, as it's usually review or just not taking place because of scheduling conflicts, but in Japan, tests are always more extreme and the crunch is starting to wear on me.  It's been wearing on my friends too, who often wonder why they'd have such a nightmarish period right before Christmas.  I have to agree.  It seems foolish to me and against the spirit of the season.

I've also started up facebook...while I personally have been against social networking sites, it will be necessary to keep up with my overseas friends.  I don't want to lose them, so I need to keep up with what they're doing.  More on that later.

Before the final crunch, I had hoped to go to Fushimi Inari, a famous temple near Kansai.  However, time has been against me and fatigue as well.  I didn't get to go to an onsen either, which makes me sad.  I probably won't go this time during my trip to Japan.  And, I went to Kabuki.  It was terrible.  Nothing like what people think.  The makeup was there, but it was a large number of dull, uninteresting stage plays...none of the wild dancing or rapid action that was supposed to set it apart from Noh.  There was a scene where Goemon, a master thief, was attacked by two guards and the entire stage rose to reveal the mastermind behind his attack, that was cool, but that was all in the first fifteen minutes.  The Kabuki plays lasted SIX HOURS!  By the end of it, I was done with Japanese theater and ready to go home.

Here's the theater where the nightmare began.  I was there with friends and even so, it was an unbearable experience, contrary to all my expectations.  A terrible disappointment.  I fell asleep twice during the plays and really...without an english translation, of which there was none, it's utterly unwatchable.  For those morbirdly curious, the first play was about Goemon, the master thief, enjoying the sakura blossoms while his nemesis plans to capture him.  The next was about Sanemori, a samurai who was sent to kill a newborn child and mother but really just ended up TALKING for a good hour and a half, to a child.  Then we had the tale of the 47 retainers, who killed a man to avenge their lord.  Sound interesting?  Oh you poor deluded fools...it was two hours of them explaining what they'd done to a judge, just sitting and talking for a good two hours.  The final two plays were alright, but by then I'd given up on Kabuki.  There was a dance romanticizing the love between a set of poets and a humorous story about making a corpse dance to make money to bury it.  None of them was worth the almost 6000 yen I paid for the trip.

Newcomers to Japan, I'd recommend skipping Kabuki...unless Goemon is in it.  His stories are always riveting.

In spite of all this crap, all the lost opportunities, all the work, all the...kabuki, there was one trip I recently took that has made me smile everytime I think about it.  It started when a friend of mine was left behind by her traveling companions for a Kyoto trip and she knocked on my door because she needed someone to complain to.  So, I agreed to take her to Kyoto myself, having been almost five times previously.

That trip was absolutely perfect.  My companion on her own, again, not spoilers on who she is here, is wonderful to be around, but we got to visit a number of temples for leaf viewing and dozens of great shops which we both giddily squeed at, as there were amazing things for sale.

For starters, we headed to an old okonomiyaki shop, the one with a statue of a boy getting his pants pulled down by a dog in a previous post.  I had my doubts about the shop, but she loved it, so I had a good time overall.  Then we went to the Yasaka shrine to view leaves changing colors, which was fantastic.  From there we kind of wandered around until we found the temple of Kannon on top of a hill.  It had a massive statue of Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion, atop it nearly as big as the Daibutsu of Nara.  While that was fantastical enough, there was a peace memorial here to all the unknown soldiers who died on Japanese soil, with sand and dirt from graveyards the world over and a repository of all the fallen soldier's names.  It was a very somber, but awefelt experience for both my companion and myself.  We both appreciated the majesty of the peace museum and its tribute to the future.  So we never forget.

Following that, we stumbled over to Kyo Mizudera again, I seem to go there alot these days, and into its shopping district.  We both went crazy in a Studio Ghibli store and bought too many souveniers.  Still, it was fun.  We saw Kyo Mizu up close, did some more shopping, met up with her friends who had left her behind because of a misunderstanding, and all went home together.  It was a grand tour.  If only all my travels had been like it.

 These are just some of the multi colored leaves we saw on our oddyssey

 A surprising statue of a Buddhist monk.  Very elegant.

 Lady Kannon, up close

 The memorial

 The graveyard soil and my friend getting pictures of a stained glass window in the peace memorial.

 Rosters of all the soldiers who died on Japanese soil

 More gorgeous leaves.

 The Ghibli store had everything any fan could possibly want and more...sadly, it was also far too expensive for regular people to buy.  I stuck with a plushy and key chain while my friend got a mug with Jiji the cat from Kiki's Delivery Service on it.

Kyo Mizudera lit up at night.  It's pretty, trust me.

Before I return to studying and the crunch, I'd like to take a moment to step back and say this.  One thing I never realized when coming here was how much I would change, but also how much the people around me would come to mean to me.  I've actually gotten physically ill when I think about leaving them behind.  That's part of the reason I got facebook.  I wasn't prepared to just forget about them.  And I won't.  But, since coming here I've been exposed to all sorts of people.  People who want to change me for their own interests.  People who are just mean spirited, no matter how kind I acted towards them.  People who are nice, but tend to ignore me, even when we're alone...but I've also met wonderful people here too.  People who love being around me and go out of their way to be with me...those people are the friends I don't want to forget.  Some of them are feisty, some of them are cute, some of them are timid, but all of them are wonderful.

I suppose my point is, prospective travelers, to be careful.  If you stay in any place too long, you'll build bonds like this and be loath to leave.  And, if you really care about the people you've met, you'll want to see them again.  That will cost A LOT of money, since most of them probably won't be in your own backyard.  But, despite the costs, emotional and financial, I'd say it's worth it.  I've never been happier than having a quiet dinner with my good friends here in Japan.  It truly makes me smile.  Though I may have to leave that behind for a time, I'm going to see them again.  I care too much about them to say goodbye forever, even if we've only been together a few months.

That's just my perspective on all this.  I'll be back soon with talks about the finals, my final thoughts on Japan, preperations to leave, and readjusting to the states.  Be looking for them, okay?

Till then, be well, dear viewers.  And pray for all the men and women in finals week.  They could use the support.