Browsing through a grocery store a few weeks back, I came across this amazing new diaper line for toddlers. "Goon" promises to keep your little goon "dry and active." Just the kind of tough-guy guarantee you'd expect from a nappy named after a type of thug or bully-like character. More "Engrish" to come in the future.
EXAMS It is midyear exam time here and everyone is busy. The humanities department has our exams on the last of three exam days. Everyone is upset because (this is true) humanities teachers usually have more to grade because we (the good ones at least) try to improve our students' writing skills by having them write. This takes longer to grade of course. By putting us last for exams, it means that we can't spend the other exam days grading our writing-intensive stuff. I mean really, I've seen the science and math teachers "grade" their exams! They put the stack of scan tron papers in the machine and the smooth tray gently sends each one through. When they are all done gliding through the machine, the "grading" is over. These are the teachers who should have their exams last! Enough Shop Talk
CORE TEMPS And now for my theory of core temperature thermodynamics. Having lived in Japan without central heating two different times, I can now safely say that human core temperatures are greatly affected by the lack of central heating. The proof for me was last week when Justyna and I first arrived back from Mom and Dad's centrally-heated house in Carmel. I woke up and walked around the sub-zero house in my underwear without getting a chill at all, even though the heater on the wall was off (as it is every night). This was the case for the first few days. But then, all-of-a-sudden, I started scampering to the toilet in the middle of the night and bundling up as I watched TV after school. No, the actual temperature in the house did not decrease. It has always been jsut above freezing. What has happened (and I am now sure of this) is that my core temperature went down. Think of your core temperature as a little fire that burns inside of you and keeps you warm. The fire needs rejuvenation to keep its temperature up, and this is provided by living in centrally heated homes and working in centrally heated buildings. When those sources of rejuvenation are lost, like in Japan where both home and work are not centrally heated, then your core temp slowly decreases to the point where you are constantly chilly. In the age of environmental awareness, it seems excessive to constantly have the hot air blasting as we do back home in North America. The fossil fuels that are wasted, just so we don't feel chilly, can seem like they are being used for an unnecessary luxury. But having your core temp lowered may make you think twice about this. Perpetual chilliness is not a state I would recommend, but at least I think I know what the science is behind it all. Brrrrrrr.......
I was jogging yesterday, down the newly paved streets of Brighton Avenue, and it finally hit me that I was leaving, that this fabulous gathering of friends and relatives was over and Justyna and I were heading back to Tokyo. It was a very sad moment.
This has been one of the best Christmas times that I can remember. Jamming and then performing with Steve and Nancy on their newly mastered instruments, going to Lucas Oil with Mike and Curt, dancing to Katyusha with the entire McMillan clan + Luda and Justyna, watching the Colts with Dan, Anna and Keppler, singing the duet with Justyna at least 47 times, and of course the games, all the glorious games!
Justyna fit in right away and some of my best memories are serving the McMillan clan all of her amazing Polish yuletide treats, thanks to help from cousins Adman and Brad of course. And how could I forget Adam's Wii! It wouldn't have been the same without that. I was so glad the Clarks had one to play with on New Years Day. Mat and Nora, that was the best game of "Getting to Know You" that I have ever played! You are awesome! It was the perfect storm with Bryce, Lorna, Steve, and Nancy all contributing to the collective creativity. Lastly, thanks to Fart Machine for gracing us with your powerful presence whenever there was a pregnant silence to fill with your glory! It wouldn't have been the same without you either!
Now it is back to school and back to a new regimen of working out and eating tofu. I will let you know how that goes. In the mean time, here is something for you to look at. Our friend Brad White made his own version of the "Killers" music video for "Read my Mind." I make a few cameo appearances in it as the drummer. It was filmed in our hood, so it gives you an idea of where we live.
We said goodbye to Regis yesterday morning. It has been such a blast having him in Tokyo for the past four months or so. It truly won't be the same without him: His artistic eye for detail, his sense of humor (one of the few people in the world who agrees with me about what is funny), and his reaction to my jokes--the perfect barometer by which to measure my skills.
Regis has compiled a video of all his pictures and a lot of his video footage from his stay here in Japan. It is really a great window into Tokyo and Justyna and I are lucky enough to make a few cameo appearances too.
The rosemary Christmas tree is trimmed and the Kagoshima driftwood tree has its lights on that we bought at the 100yen store! Its Christmas in Tokyo! I must say that, for a people who claim to be mostly Buddhist and partly Shintoist, the Japanese seem like they could have invented Christmas. As soon as Dec. 1st hit, there were Christmas songs in every store and lights all over the place. The Japanese word for Christmas light display is "irumineishyon!" and the locals are always flocking to this years best lights. Usually it involves a sub-par tree and a few pokemon dolls with very gimpy lights thrown in, but "irumineishyon!" never fails to enthrall the revelers. On the subway trains, there is even a Christmas tree contest showing various Christmas trees decorated from around Tokyo. It is aptly titled: "I love you! Tree" What can I say, its the most wonderful time of the year and I can't wait to be back in Indy! Only 9 more days!
Waking up at 3:45am is always hard, especially after hanging out with the boys. But any gaijin is capable of doing it if they know that they get to go to Tsukiji fish market: largest fish market in the world, and supplier of sushi to most of central Japan. We went with Mike and Dan two weeks back and we decided to take Regis there this morning, as he is heading back to France in a few weeks. You could say that Tsukiji is in my blood. My dad was probably the gaijin who visited the fish market most frequently in all of Tokyo during his five years working here. I am sure if he showed up there today all the old-timers would recognize him. I went with Bryce a few times and was not really in to it back in the late 90's, but now that I am an adult, I really can see why he was so excited by it. Acres upon acres of exotic fish, shellfish, crustaceans, and seaweed species you've never seen before...most of it is alive and crawling, squirming, and squirting. Giant tuna being auctioned in giant hangar-like rooms; one section for frozen tuna from the Atlantic, Indian and Arctic Oceans, and the other for fresh tuna caught close to Japan. Most of the tuna are the size of deer and have their tails sliced off so the whole-salers can sample the meat with their picks and figure out what kind of a price they want to offer. Regis, in his usual magical way, was able to capture the moments we all shared this morning. Brendan and his friend Julie (visiting from Korea) came along and we all had sushi for breakfast when we were done. Dan and Mike will want to watch the video, as we followed basically the same route that we did two weeks back.
Japan is, for the most part, the land of opportunities if you happen to be a gaijin. The perks of being a foreigner far outweigh the cons. Where else in the world can a guy who looks like Harry Potter be considered a sex symbol or a guy with very limited acting and social skills make it to the pinnacle of Japanese show business simply because he is not Japanese?!
(Below: Patrick Harlan, an American celebrity here in Japan. He started out as an English teacher and has an entire show devoted to documenting his zany gaijin life!)
The "zeros-to-heroes" story is demonstrated to the casual observer everyday here in Tokyo. Television is full of goofy foreigners who wouldn't even dream of being on the tube back home where their skin color is not a novelty. A comic strip that is popular among expat teachers features a super hero named "Charisma Man" who has no powers of seduction and charm on his "...home planet of Canada."
(click to enlarge)
Rarely do people experience the dark underbelly of gaijin life in Japan. People are so polite and courteous that you don't seem to notice it at all. But every so often, you come across a sign like this:
Regis and I saw this sign when we were in Ikebukuro. Granted, it was in front of a porno/prostitution shop, so any gaijin who wanted to go in here is probably not the type of gaijin I would want to associate with. Nonetheless, in an age when politics in the USA has "transcended race," and discrimination issues seem to be associated exclusively with the third world, finding a sign that bars you from a business because of your race in a developed country like Japan is a bit disturbing.
Apparently these signs are not so uncommon. Scanning articles on the web and in periodicals over the years, many restaurants, bathhouses, adult video stores, prostitution venues and beauty salons in Japan have signs barring gaijin. Rowdy gaijin clientele with different drinking and eating habits most likely precipitated the restaurants to bar foreigners. The xenophobic association of foreigners with STDs on the part of the Japanese is probably the most likely cause of video stores and prostitution houses to hang the signs. Bathhouses are notorious for having the Japanese only rule because the foreign customers (usually military guys from the USA or Russia) show up drunk and do things in the "pure" water that quickly make it impure.
It is easy to dismiss these racist signs as just a part of the quirky "Japanese culture." Many foreigners often say: "Hey, we are guests in their country! Who are we to judge?" But shouldn't we have standards that we hold all countries to? Are human rights and human needs different when you cross an arbitrary border? I don't think so! Japan needs to get rid of these signs if it ever wants to be considered a true modern democracy! I am not saying we should organize a "bath-in" at the local bathhouse that prohibits gaijin from entering, but I am saying that we should be diligent watchdogs for these "Japanese Only" signs and criticize them publicly whenever we get a chance.
This was the case for the first few days. But then, all-of-a-sudden, I started scampering to the toilet in the middle of the night and bundling up as I watched TV after school. No, the actual temperature in the house did not decrease. It has always been jsut above freezing. What has happened (and I am now sure of this) is that my core temperature went down. Think of your core temperature as a little fire that burns inside of you and keeps you warm. The fire needs rejuvenation to keep its temperature up, and this is provided by living in centrally heated homes and working in centrally heated buildings. When those sources of rejuvenation are lost, like in Japan where both home and work are not centrally heated, then your core temp slowly decreases to the point where you are constantly chilly. In the age of environmental awareness, it seems excessive to constantly have the hot air blasting as we do back home in North America. The fossil fuels that are wasted, just so we don't feel chilly, can seem like they are being used for an unnecessary luxury. But having your core temp lowered may make you think twice about this. Perpetual chilliness is not a state I would recommend, but at least I think I know what the science is behind it all. Brrrrrrr.......
