Guess what I'm eating right now.
No, it's not sushi.
Or rice.
I said not sushi!
The answer: a blueberry muffin the size of my face.
I know what you're thinking: how the hell did she get back to America so fast? Don't worry, I'm still in Japan! For those of you who can't read "Engrish", the title of this post is the Japanese version of the word "Costco".
That's right: they have Costco in Japan. I don't know why, I don't know how, but they do. I haven't been there myself (here or in the US) but my friend Nicole just knocked on my door and offered me my choice of muffin from a humongous tray. She said it's just like an American Costco (though she's from Switzerland) and she would be happy to take me with her next time.
If you think a Japanese Costco is surprising, check this out: I found a Wal-Mart in Tokyo disguised as another grocery store!
There is a small grocery store conveniently located right down the street from my dorm, but it's a little pricey. Some of the dormmates suggested I check out a department store called Seiyu, located near the train station, which has a grocery store in the basement floor. Lower prices for a longer walking distance. Being the poor college student I am, I grabbed a couple of homies and hightailed it over there.
We had to walk through the first floor to get to the escalator. The center space was filled with cookie and candy counters, but around the edges were various women's accessories. At one point, we passed the hoisery section and I noticed George brand stockings. I noticed because I have a white George brand t-shirt that I bought just before coming to Japan. Now where did I buy that from...
Downstairs, we made a beeline to the fruits and vegetables; we have found that the best way to check out the price range of a grocery store is to compare produce prices. They were comparable, if not a bit cheaper, than our local grocery store. And written on the black boards between the prices was the phrase "Every day low prices".
Every day... Low prices... Where have I heard that before?
Then I walked over to the bagged salads and picked up a small package of... Great Value!?!
Oh my god, it's Wal-Mart!!!
All over the store, I saw Wal-Mart brands and slogans. I had totally assumed there just wouldn't be any room in Tokyo for a grocery store as huge as Wal-Mart; I was half right. No Wal-Marts, just mini Wal-Marts desguised as other stores. Fabulous.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go pass out into a sugar coma. Cheers.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Nippon
What? Not all Japanese love Americans? Get out!
Yeah, that's what I said too before I saw an Uyoku group having a demonstration in Harajuku shortly after I came here. My friends and I were walking along Omotesandou-dori when we heard chanting and a voice speaking through a bullhorn. We walked towards the noise and saw a procession of about thirty people walking down the street with a police escort. They had signs and many large Japanese flags.
Maggie was able to make out a few of their major points: they were saying that they don't like Western influence in Japan, especially in the media. They don't want foreigners in Japan or for Japanese people to act like and want to be like Westerners.
I felt really weird walking down the street opposite of them. I wondered, if they noticed me, would they glare at me? Are they angry that I'm here? How do they feel about students like me wanting to learn about Japanese language and culture?
It was the first time I had ever seen a political demonstation before; we don't get much of those in Texas ^^. I guess I was pretty intimidated at first, but I've seen them a couple of times since then. A few weeks ago, there were several people walking around Shibuya carrying Japanese flags and making accouncements over bullhorns. But it's so crowded and busy at the Crossing, I don't think they got much attention.
Yesterday, though, I had to go to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau and when I came out, there was a group of about fifteen Uyoku members with flags and bullhorns chanting at the building. Which is fine, in and of itself, except that they were standing right next to the busstop ^^;;;;; That made it a little awkward. I waited down the street from the stop until a bus showed up.
To clarify: Uyoku dantai are Japanese nationalist right-wing groups. It is estimated that there are over 1000 Uyoku dentai in Japan at the moment, and their political agendas vary, but they have a few points in common. They also tend to refer to Japan as "Nippon" instead of the usual "Nihon". For more information, check out this Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyoku_dantai
I would like to meet someone in one of these groups and ask them how they feel about exchange students like me. I think I can understand why they don't want lots of Western intervention in their society, why they may be afraid that they are losing some of their cultural values. But maybe if more foreigners like me try to learn and appreciate these values, they will no longer want to keep us out of their country. Let's learn from each other!
Yeah, that's what I said too before I saw an Uyoku group having a demonstration in Harajuku shortly after I came here. My friends and I were walking along Omotesandou-dori when we heard chanting and a voice speaking through a bullhorn. We walked towards the noise and saw a procession of about thirty people walking down the street with a police escort. They had signs and many large Japanese flags.
Maggie was able to make out a few of their major points: they were saying that they don't like Western influence in Japan, especially in the media. They don't want foreigners in Japan or for Japanese people to act like and want to be like Westerners.
I felt really weird walking down the street opposite of them. I wondered, if they noticed me, would they glare at me? Are they angry that I'm here? How do they feel about students like me wanting to learn about Japanese language and culture?
It was the first time I had ever seen a political demonstation before; we don't get much of those in Texas ^^. I guess I was pretty intimidated at first, but I've seen them a couple of times since then. A few weeks ago, there were several people walking around Shibuya carrying Japanese flags and making accouncements over bullhorns. But it's so crowded and busy at the Crossing, I don't think they got much attention.
Yesterday, though, I had to go to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau and when I came out, there was a group of about fifteen Uyoku members with flags and bullhorns chanting at the building. Which is fine, in and of itself, except that they were standing right next to the busstop ^^;;;;; That made it a little awkward. I waited down the street from the stop until a bus showed up.
To clarify: Uyoku dantai are Japanese nationalist right-wing groups. It is estimated that there are over 1000 Uyoku dentai in Japan at the moment, and their political agendas vary, but they have a few points in common. They also tend to refer to Japan as "Nippon" instead of the usual "Nihon". For more information, check out this Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyoku_dantai
I would like to meet someone in one of these groups and ask them how they feel about exchange students like me. I think I can understand why they don't want lots of Western intervention in their society, why they may be afraid that they are losing some of their cultural values. But maybe if more foreigners like me try to learn and appreciate these values, they will no longer want to keep us out of their country. Let's learn from each other!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
The Basics
I know I just posted, but I realized I haven't said a single thing about my classes at Keio yet! My bad!
Most of the exchange students, including me, are enrolled in the Japanese Language Program, or JLP. We took a placement test at the beginning of the semester to determine which level of core courses we would take. There are 14 levels (though no one is in the top two yet, I think), and many of them overlap. For instance, I got placed in level 3 this semester, but after taking another placement test in February, I will probably move onto level 6 or 7.
The core courses are paired up so that each time I have class, I have two periods in a row, each period being an hour and a half long. Level 3, like most levels, is three days a week, and we have a different professor for each day. Thursdays are Kim-sensei, a Korean woman who went to school in Australia and is a former alumn of the JLP herself. Saturday is Ikeda-sensei; she has two speaking speeds: the speed of light and I-know-you're-a-foreigner-so-I-will-heavily-emphasize-every-single-syllable. We prefer the latter. On Tuesdays, we have Ohba-sensei, this wonderful happy woman who is absolutely adorable. The first day, she was so frazzled because we were running out of classtime. She kept saying "Oh, not enough time! Not enough time!" and wiping her brow (it was hot).
All my core classes are first and second period, from 9am to 12:15pm. I've never had a college class that lasted three hours before, so it's quite a challenge to sit still that long and concentrate, but the professors are pretty good at keeping us on our toes. A couple of weeks ago, they came to the mutual decision that since our reading and writing skills were great, we should emphazise speaking and listening in class. The good part: less homework and I can improve on my two greatest weaknesses. The bad part: they are always calling on students to answer questions, meaning if you lose concentration for even a minute, you're likely to make a fool of yourself in front of the class.
I know because I've already made this mistake. I let my mind wander for about 20 seconds and then Kim-sensei called on me to make an example sentence or something. I had no idea what she wanted, so I just said "wakarimasen" (I don't know) until she moved on to someone else. Never gonna make that mistake again!
I kind of screwed up the placement test, so I've actually already learned all the grammar we're going over in class. But like I said, I'm really weak in listening and speaking, so the pace of the class is alright for me. I get a great review of grammar so everything really sticks and I improve my weak points. Melanie, another American who has also taken two years of Japanese in college, is in the same boat as me. We'll just have to study better for the next placement test. At least there won't be a four-month vacation between our last class and the test this time ^^;;; Thank you summer vacation.
We also take courses that focus on specific elements of Japanese. I am taking an orthography course: kanji writing. Kanji are the class of characters in Japanese that are originally Chinese. To be fluent, you have to know about 2,000 kanji. I know 500+. The kanji class is pretty simple and straightforward: do practice homework, take test. Practice homework, test. And we use the same books I had at CMU, so I've already got the text.
I am also taking two Optional Courses about Japanese culture that will help fulfill my major at home. They are taught in English and half the students are actual Japanese Keio students. Today I have Intercultural Communication II. So far, we've discussed racial minorities in foreign countries and Japan's history of interactions with other cultures. I find the topics very interesting, and Professor Tezuka always makes sure we have mixed discussion groups of Japanese and foreigners.
On Thursday night, I have Arts/Art Workshop Through Cross-Cultural Experience, another mixed class. I have no artistic ability whatsover, but my AP European History class in high school taught me how to appreciate different art forms, so I thought it would be interesting to see foreign art. Also, more than half the classes are field trips ^_^. So far, we've made collages and photo albums, photographed a historical neighborhood in Tokyo, and last week we went to the Mori Art Museum in Roppongi Hills to see an installment by a French artist.
All in all, I really like my classes, my professors, and the other students. I think by the time I return to America, I will have a much higher degree of fluency than if I had stayed and taken the normal Advanced Japanese classes at CMU. I'm not knocking them, but there is a big difference between three one-hour classes a week in America and ten and a half hours a week in Japan, where I am actually forced to use Japanese on a daily basis. All language majors should study abroad for this reason. And if you're not a language major, just having the opportunity to experience a different culture, a different lifestyle is a priceless experience.
My only regret: I miss my natural peanut butter. Send me more peanut butter, Mom!
Most of the exchange students, including me, are enrolled in the Japanese Language Program, or JLP. We took a placement test at the beginning of the semester to determine which level of core courses we would take. There are 14 levels (though no one is in the top two yet, I think), and many of them overlap. For instance, I got placed in level 3 this semester, but after taking another placement test in February, I will probably move onto level 6 or 7.
The core courses are paired up so that each time I have class, I have two periods in a row, each period being an hour and a half long. Level 3, like most levels, is three days a week, and we have a different professor for each day. Thursdays are Kim-sensei, a Korean woman who went to school in Australia and is a former alumn of the JLP herself. Saturday is Ikeda-sensei; she has two speaking speeds: the speed of light and I-know-you're-a-foreigner-so-I-will-heavily-emphasize-every-single-syllable. We prefer the latter. On Tuesdays, we have Ohba-sensei, this wonderful happy woman who is absolutely adorable. The first day, she was so frazzled because we were running out of classtime. She kept saying "Oh, not enough time! Not enough time!" and wiping her brow (it was hot).
All my core classes are first and second period, from 9am to 12:15pm. I've never had a college class that lasted three hours before, so it's quite a challenge to sit still that long and concentrate, but the professors are pretty good at keeping us on our toes. A couple of weeks ago, they came to the mutual decision that since our reading and writing skills were great, we should emphazise speaking and listening in class. The good part: less homework and I can improve on my two greatest weaknesses. The bad part: they are always calling on students to answer questions, meaning if you lose concentration for even a minute, you're likely to make a fool of yourself in front of the class.
I know because I've already made this mistake. I let my mind wander for about 20 seconds and then Kim-sensei called on me to make an example sentence or something. I had no idea what she wanted, so I just said "wakarimasen" (I don't know) until she moved on to someone else. Never gonna make that mistake again!
I kind of screwed up the placement test, so I've actually already learned all the grammar we're going over in class. But like I said, I'm really weak in listening and speaking, so the pace of the class is alright for me. I get a great review of grammar so everything really sticks and I improve my weak points. Melanie, another American who has also taken two years of Japanese in college, is in the same boat as me. We'll just have to study better for the next placement test. At least there won't be a four-month vacation between our last class and the test this time ^^;;; Thank you summer vacation.
We also take courses that focus on specific elements of Japanese. I am taking an orthography course: kanji writing. Kanji are the class of characters in Japanese that are originally Chinese. To be fluent, you have to know about 2,000 kanji. I know 500+. The kanji class is pretty simple and straightforward: do practice homework, take test. Practice homework, test. And we use the same books I had at CMU, so I've already got the text.
I am also taking two Optional Courses about Japanese culture that will help fulfill my major at home. They are taught in English and half the students are actual Japanese Keio students. Today I have Intercultural Communication II. So far, we've discussed racial minorities in foreign countries and Japan's history of interactions with other cultures. I find the topics very interesting, and Professor Tezuka always makes sure we have mixed discussion groups of Japanese and foreigners.
On Thursday night, I have Arts/Art Workshop Through Cross-Cultural Experience, another mixed class. I have no artistic ability whatsover, but my AP European History class in high school taught me how to appreciate different art forms, so I thought it would be interesting to see foreign art. Also, more than half the classes are field trips ^_^. So far, we've made collages and photo albums, photographed a historical neighborhood in Tokyo, and last week we went to the Mori Art Museum in Roppongi Hills to see an installment by a French artist.
All in all, I really like my classes, my professors, and the other students. I think by the time I return to America, I will have a much higher degree of fluency than if I had stayed and taken the normal Advanced Japanese classes at CMU. I'm not knocking them, but there is a big difference between three one-hour classes a week in America and ten and a half hours a week in Japan, where I am actually forced to use Japanese on a daily basis. All language majors should study abroad for this reason. And if you're not a language major, just having the opportunity to experience a different culture, a different lifestyle is a priceless experience.
My only regret: I miss my natural peanut butter. Send me more peanut butter, Mom!
Tanjoubi Omedetou!
In our parents' age, Valentine's Day must have been "the day" to make babies, 'cause it seems like every other day is someone's birthday around here.First was mine (I was born two weeks early). It was my 21st, and being American, tradition dictates that I get completely wasted on my birthday. But, seeing as how I am a good, southern girl from a respectable family (and I had class at 9am the next morning), my friends took me to my favorite cafe in Harajuku instead.
A group of us happened upon this lovely European-style cafe on Omotesandou street a couple weeks earlier and we absolutely loved it. A little pricey, but the atmosphere is great and so are the coffees and cakes. I had a cappuccino and scones the first time: soooo yummy! But for my birthday, I ordered a cappuccino (my favorite drink) and a chocolate-banana parfait, or sundae for us Westerners. You can keep your alcohol; give me coffee and icecream and I am in birthday heaven!
A couple weeks later, it was Mark's turn. Mark is a kid from England in my core Japanese course, and though we didn't really know each other, he invited me and my friend Melanie to his 21st birthday shindig: all night karaoke and clubbing in Shibuya.
Twenty-five people turned up at Hachiko for the party! That is a huge amount of people for karaoke, but we were able to find a place that happened to have a twenty-five person room. We payed an outrageous sum for two hours of nomihoudai karaoke, but it was so much fun! People mostly picked songs that everyone knew so we all got to join in and sing to our hearts' content. Some of us even belted out a couple of Japanese songs, including one of my favorites by Utada Hikaru. It ended up being a karaoke-and-clubbing-until 11:30pm party instead of all night, but it was awesome. Cheers, Mark!
And then a week ago, it was Maggie's twenty-first. Again, a Monday, so we decided to go to a cake buffet in Shibuya. That's right, a CAKE buffet. For $15, you get ninety minutes to eat all the cake, jelly, cream puffs, chocolate, and icecream you can. There was also a lovely assortment of coffees and some regular food like pasta and curry, but I was too busy checking out the chocolate fountain to pay much attention. Ask any TriDelta at CMU and they will tell you how much our house digs chocolate fountains.
So there we were trying not to die before we could sample each and every dessert, when an alarm started going off. Then a woman began to ramble happily in Japanese at us over the intercom. Maggie, the group translator, said the woman was thanking us for coming, and then she kept saying something like "quickly, quickly, eat up!". We were highly confused: was the food about to disappear or something? But people started lining up in front of this strange metal box that a worker was fiddling with. And then, as we stared in confusion and the twenty-odd people in line drooled in anticipation, the worker opened the back of the box and pulled out...
a potato.
Turns out, it was a baked potato machine! Everyone was lined up to receive ordinary, white baking potatoes. Tiny ones, too. But they were so excited to get them! I watched the first guy in line ask for four!
We hypothesized that maybe the potatoes had cake baked into them or something, 'cause we just couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. Baked potatoes. Yum. Bring me more cake!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
A'ight, who fibbed?
Before leaving, I was assured many many times that Americans that go to Japan lose tons of weight because of how healthy and nutritious the food is.
Wrong!
Okay, so in general, Japanese food is healthier than American food. But that rule only applies when you actually eat like an American! Unlike most Americans, I never eat fried food (except for tempura, which is Japanese), I eat only whole grains, and lots of fruits and veggies every day. I also, unfortunately, have a deep, uncompromising love for sweets, but I'm pretty good at ignoring it (i.e. I eat them, but don't admit it).
What no one told me was that most of the healthy food you can find in Japanese restaurants and grocery stores isn't appetizing, at least not to my American palette. I consider myself a seafood fan, but some of the fish that regularly appear in dishes here are rather... scary-looking. And not tasty. And though I like western mushrooms, I find most of the ones used here to be too intensely flavored and sour. Chicken usually comes in dark meat form (I only like white), and beef, though most often delicious, is usually the fatter cuts.
The healthiest, tastiest way I've found to get my daily protein is in omelet form; I make a vegetable omelet for breakfast everyday. It's an easy way to start myself off with protein, omega 3 fatty acids, vegetables, and a side of whole wheat bread. Yes, they have whole wheat here (who knew) and it's actually reasonably priced for Tokyo: $2.78 for 8 slices (yes, that is reasonable in Tokyo). Luckily, my favorite type of Japanese noodle, soba, is also a whole grain, so I'm not having trouble keeping that in my diet. And fruit, though pricey, is easy to purchase and munch on.
The real problem is vegetables. As everyone knows, vegetables are a very important part of a healthy diet. Unfortunately, I have great difficulty recognizing many of the vegetables used in Japanese dishes, and many of them I don't like. One of the easiest ways to get vegetables is to buy tempura veggies at the grocery store. The only catch: they're fried. Until today, I've shied away from buying anything fresh other than onions and bell peppers for my omelet, but today I decided to splurge for a zucchini ($2.80 for a small one) and a 3 pack of what appear to be thin Japanese eggplants (much cheaper).
In America, I have no trouble purchasing green beans, broccoli, or zucchini at the store and sauteing them with garlic and some spices. But here, the familiar vegetables are tiny and cost an arm and a leg. I also can't find any spices I'm familiar with, not even cinnamon! So I'm stuck sauteing my zucchini and eggplant in plain olive oil with a bit of salt and pepper. With my tiny kitchen and lack of raw materials, it's about all I can do.
So to all the Americans reading my blog, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but unless you subsist completely on McDonald's in The States, moving to Japan will not help you lose weight. If anything, you will turn away from the healthy, native food and attack the INCREDIBLE desserts they have here. Seriously, they have taken every delightful pastry and confection from Europe and made it twice as good. I don't know how they do it. It may be crack; personally, I find them highly addicting. But that could just be the sweet tooth talking.
Time to go saute some veggies...
Wrong!
Okay, so in general, Japanese food is healthier than American food. But that rule only applies when you actually eat like an American! Unlike most Americans, I never eat fried food (except for tempura, which is Japanese), I eat only whole grains, and lots of fruits and veggies every day. I also, unfortunately, have a deep, uncompromising love for sweets, but I'm pretty good at ignoring it (i.e. I eat them, but don't admit it).
What no one told me was that most of the healthy food you can find in Japanese restaurants and grocery stores isn't appetizing, at least not to my American palette. I consider myself a seafood fan, but some of the fish that regularly appear in dishes here are rather... scary-looking. And not tasty. And though I like western mushrooms, I find most of the ones used here to be too intensely flavored and sour. Chicken usually comes in dark meat form (I only like white), and beef, though most often delicious, is usually the fatter cuts.
The healthiest, tastiest way I've found to get my daily protein is in omelet form; I make a vegetable omelet for breakfast everyday. It's an easy way to start myself off with protein, omega 3 fatty acids, vegetables, and a side of whole wheat bread. Yes, they have whole wheat here (who knew) and it's actually reasonably priced for Tokyo: $2.78 for 8 slices (yes, that is reasonable in Tokyo). Luckily, my favorite type of Japanese noodle, soba, is also a whole grain, so I'm not having trouble keeping that in my diet. And fruit, though pricey, is easy to purchase and munch on.
The real problem is vegetables. As everyone knows, vegetables are a very important part of a healthy diet. Unfortunately, I have great difficulty recognizing many of the vegetables used in Japanese dishes, and many of them I don't like. One of the easiest ways to get vegetables is to buy tempura veggies at the grocery store. The only catch: they're fried. Until today, I've shied away from buying anything fresh other than onions and bell peppers for my omelet, but today I decided to splurge for a zucchini ($2.80 for a small one) and a 3 pack of what appear to be thin Japanese eggplants (much cheaper).
In America, I have no trouble purchasing green beans, broccoli, or zucchini at the store and sauteing them with garlic and some spices. But here, the familiar vegetables are tiny and cost an arm and a leg. I also can't find any spices I'm familiar with, not even cinnamon! So I'm stuck sauteing my zucchini and eggplant in plain olive oil with a bit of salt and pepper. With my tiny kitchen and lack of raw materials, it's about all I can do.
So to all the Americans reading my blog, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but unless you subsist completely on McDonald's in The States, moving to Japan will not help you lose weight. If anything, you will turn away from the healthy, native food and attack the INCREDIBLE desserts they have here. Seriously, they have taken every delightful pastry and confection from Europe and made it twice as good. I don't know how they do it. It may be crack; personally, I find them highly addicting. But that could just be the sweet tooth talking.
Time to go saute some veggies...
Monday, October 13, 2008
Tokyo Game Show 2008
As an American gamer, I have been hearing about video game conventions from websites for years; all the big companies bring new footage and playable demos to these things. It serves to give us previews and updates on anticipated titles and, of course, make us want to buy them.
One of the biggest events of the year is the Tokyo Game Show, which is attended by all the Japanese video game companies, including Sony (Playstation), Konami, and of course, Square Enix (gets on knees and worships). It was held last Wednesday through Sunday, and Maggie and I went on Saturday; she for her seiyuu (voice actor) appearance and me for Final Fantasy.
While I am really glad I got to see TGS, and the cosplayers were really cool, most everything else was... disappointing. We planned to arrive just as the show opened so we could stand in line for tickets to the seiyuu performance. Though we got there on time, after a good while of wandering about, we discovered that the tickets to the seiyuu performance had been sold out by 9:30am. But even worse (for me), Square Enix's infamous Closed Mega Theater, where they show the game trailers, and the demo area had also sold out. We had no idea where people got the tickets, since the show didn't open until 10am. We didn't even have a chance. So the main reasons that we went all the way there were gone. Very, very sad panda.
(People cosplaying as the main characters from Final Fantasy XIII and Versus XIII)
Also, we had not realized how freaking PACKED it was going to be! My god, it was worse than a train through Shibuya during rush hour! Unimaginable, unless you experienced it for yourself. It was violating. I never want to be that close to that many people ever again.
We did, however, get to shop at the Square Enix store. It could not heal my wounded heart, but I did come away with the poster set for the new Final Fantasy XIII and FF Versus XIII and a Kingdom Hearts Oathkeeper keyring.
Even though I actually paid the money and spent the time to go to TGS, I still ended up having to read about the new Final Fantasy trailers online. Judges rule: failure. Better luck next year.
(Models on display for sale at the Square Enix store at TGS)
(This wasn't even the crowded room)
Monday, October 6, 2008
Close Encounters of the Strange Kind
Okay, so, I wasn't going to mention this phenomenon, but it's happened to me twice in one month, so I'll go ahead and tell you:
If you thought the staring thing was weird, get ready for this: Japanese men have been randomly coming up to me and talking to me. It's... uncomfortable. The first time it happened, I was walking along Takeshita Street in Harajuku, doing a bit of shopping, and I was about to go into a shop when a mid- to late-twenty-something guy asked me, "Do you live here? In Tokyo?"
I said, "Yes," thinking he wanted directions or something. But then he asked, "Are you an exchange student?" I said yes, and he asked, "Waseda?", meaning Waseda University, Keio's rival school. So I corrected him, and he seemed taken aback, and obviously pleased said, "Oh, I am Keio, too," and explained that he was a graduate student.
This whole time, we were standing almost right in the entryway of the shop, and I kept trying to take another step in. Finally, I said, "I'm going to shop now," and I turned to go in. But he said, "Wait, can I get your contact info? Can we stay in touch?" gesturing with his cell phone.
The obvious answer was of course, "NO! I don't know you! I am not giving you my cell phone number!" but not wanting to be rude, and understanding that "no" is not a word you should really use in Japanese, I responded with "chotto..." which can be loosely translated in this context to mean "not really...", and I avoided eye contact. Then I said, "I'm going shopping now" more forcefully and went into the store.
Since it was the first time this had happened to me, and the guy was kind of creepy, I felt very uncomfortable. Not threatened or anything (he didn't try to move towards me or touch my arm or anything), but I was very obviously trying to go into the store, yet he remained rather persistent. I told my girlfriends about it when I got home, but then forgot about the incident.
Last Saturday, though, Maggie and I went shopping in Ikebukuro, a district where you can buy girls' comic books and there are some really fun shopping malls. We had finished shopping and were on our way to the station walking on a crowded street. Suddenly, a male student appeared on my left and said, "Sumimasen" (excuse me). I gave him my attention, and then he moved a little closer and asked me for the time. I told him, and then he asked, "Are you busy right now?" I was confused, but said, "I'm going home now" (all in Japanese). Then he asked, "Where do you live?"
When Maggie and I re-evaluated the conversation later, she said he was asking me where my house was located. I thought he was asking me what kind of residence I lived in because it's obvious I'm an exchange student and I am so not used to people asking for my address. So I told him I live in a student mansion (apartment complex).
He asked, "Do you have time now?" I wasn't sure what he wanted, so I asked, "Why?" He said, "I want to talk to you somewhere." I thought he maybe wanted to practice English conversation, because a lot of Japanese like to practice with native speakers, so I asked, "In English?" But then he replied, "Japanese is okay, too". And then I got confused and didn't know how to respond. Luckily, he suddenly noticed Maggie walking on my right side. He asked, "Oh, is this your friend?" and Maggie and I both responded that she was. Maggie said, "We're going home now" and pulled me toward the station entrance. I hadn't realized that we had reached it yet. The boy immediately gave up and continued walking with the crowd.
I was so confused at that point. I was just dazed. Maggie, on the other hand, couldn't stop laughing! She thought it was the funniest thing she had ever seen. We discussed it on the train, and she said she was sooo glad she was able to witness it. But she's sad that that will probably never happen to her because she's Asian, not white!
I felt a little bad afterward. He seemed like a nice, respectable student, and he didn't creep me out at all. I can't say I really understand why he wanted to talk to me somewhere (there are a variety of explanations, ranging from harmless to offensive), but I'm sure it took a lot of courage to come up and talk to me like that. He was very polite, and under normal circumstances (like, if we met on campus or something), I wouldn't have minded chatting with him at a cafe or something. But it's very confusing to have a stranger come up in the street and ask you such questions!
I don't know if the student and the creepy Harajuku dude had planned ahead of time to find a foreign girl and try to talk to her, or if these were spur-of-the-moment acts, but it's really not a good idea to try to start a conversation with a foreignor in the street. I'm sure they wouldn't approach a Japanese girl like that (no American guy has ever done that to me, at least), so I don't know if they think white girls are easy or more open to directness or what. But it doesn't work. Take notes, boys!
If you thought the staring thing was weird, get ready for this: Japanese men have been randomly coming up to me and talking to me. It's... uncomfortable. The first time it happened, I was walking along Takeshita Street in Harajuku, doing a bit of shopping, and I was about to go into a shop when a mid- to late-twenty-something guy asked me, "Do you live here? In Tokyo?"
I said, "Yes," thinking he wanted directions or something. But then he asked, "Are you an exchange student?" I said yes, and he asked, "Waseda?", meaning Waseda University, Keio's rival school. So I corrected him, and he seemed taken aback, and obviously pleased said, "Oh, I am Keio, too," and explained that he was a graduate student.
This whole time, we were standing almost right in the entryway of the shop, and I kept trying to take another step in. Finally, I said, "I'm going to shop now," and I turned to go in. But he said, "Wait, can I get your contact info? Can we stay in touch?" gesturing with his cell phone.
The obvious answer was of course, "NO! I don't know you! I am not giving you my cell phone number!" but not wanting to be rude, and understanding that "no" is not a word you should really use in Japanese, I responded with "chotto..." which can be loosely translated in this context to mean "not really...", and I avoided eye contact. Then I said, "I'm going shopping now" more forcefully and went into the store.
Since it was the first time this had happened to me, and the guy was kind of creepy, I felt very uncomfortable. Not threatened or anything (he didn't try to move towards me or touch my arm or anything), but I was very obviously trying to go into the store, yet he remained rather persistent. I told my girlfriends about it when I got home, but then forgot about the incident.
Last Saturday, though, Maggie and I went shopping in Ikebukuro, a district where you can buy girls' comic books and there are some really fun shopping malls. We had finished shopping and were on our way to the station walking on a crowded street. Suddenly, a male student appeared on my left and said, "Sumimasen" (excuse me). I gave him my attention, and then he moved a little closer and asked me for the time. I told him, and then he asked, "Are you busy right now?" I was confused, but said, "I'm going home now" (all in Japanese). Then he asked, "Where do you live?"
When Maggie and I re-evaluated the conversation later, she said he was asking me where my house was located. I thought he was asking me what kind of residence I lived in because it's obvious I'm an exchange student and I am so not used to people asking for my address. So I told him I live in a student mansion (apartment complex).
He asked, "Do you have time now?" I wasn't sure what he wanted, so I asked, "Why?" He said, "I want to talk to you somewhere." I thought he maybe wanted to practice English conversation, because a lot of Japanese like to practice with native speakers, so I asked, "In English?" But then he replied, "Japanese is okay, too". And then I got confused and didn't know how to respond. Luckily, he suddenly noticed Maggie walking on my right side. He asked, "Oh, is this your friend?" and Maggie and I both responded that she was. Maggie said, "We're going home now" and pulled me toward the station entrance. I hadn't realized that we had reached it yet. The boy immediately gave up and continued walking with the crowd.
I was so confused at that point. I was just dazed. Maggie, on the other hand, couldn't stop laughing! She thought it was the funniest thing she had ever seen. We discussed it on the train, and she said she was sooo glad she was able to witness it. But she's sad that that will probably never happen to her because she's Asian, not white!
I felt a little bad afterward. He seemed like a nice, respectable student, and he didn't creep me out at all. I can't say I really understand why he wanted to talk to me somewhere (there are a variety of explanations, ranging from harmless to offensive), but I'm sure it took a lot of courage to come up and talk to me like that. He was very polite, and under normal circumstances (like, if we met on campus or something), I wouldn't have minded chatting with him at a cafe or something. But it's very confusing to have a stranger come up in the street and ask you such questions!
I don't know if the student and the creepy Harajuku dude had planned ahead of time to find a foreign girl and try to talk to her, or if these were spur-of-the-moment acts, but it's really not a good idea to try to start a conversation with a foreignor in the street. I'm sure they wouldn't approach a Japanese girl like that (no American guy has ever done that to me, at least), so I don't know if they think white girls are easy or more open to directness or what. But it doesn't work. Take notes, boys!
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