Well, I'm here. In Japan. And I must say, it is very enjoyable. Except for one major thing:
they all speak JAPANESE! Holy cow, it was nearly impossible to get around the first few days..
Anyway, we took a guided tour of Nagoya, the city I live in. Our guides spoke english, so they showed us how
to use the subways and stuff. We stayed on campus, at the Logos Center. It's an older building, and we slept
on tatami mats. These are Japanese style mats made of finely woven straw. We simply laid a futon mat on it
and slept. Note: NEVER wear shoes on tatami mats. Always bare feet or socks.
There are tons of vending machines in Japan, presumably because it is so INCREDIBLY HOT! I was kinda sick the
first few days, but I was only dehydrated. Drink lots of water here! (cardinal rule 1)
Something I really liked about the logos center was that it had a piano, and I've really been into playing
lately. I was kinda worried, because I was just getting into it, and then I had to leave for the other side
of the world. But it's ok, because i can always play here.
On the third day of Christmas, (Christmas? I meant Japan..) we went to Kyoto. In case you don't know anything
about Japan, Kyoto is a former capital, and one of the most historic sites in all of Japan. Fortunately, much
of it was spared the bombings of World War II. We went to several temples, such as Kyomizu, and the Golden
Pavilion. While we were at the Golden Pavilion, we noticed that there were tons of keisatsu, or police. I thought
maybe they were worried someone might try to steal the 100 foot temple made of gold, but quickly
dismissed that as simple foolishness. We finally asked someone, and they explained that Putin(the Russian guy) was
in Tokyo for a while, and his wife was touring Kyoto. So we got to see all the cars and armored cars and stuff ride in.
Next, we went to the Japanese rock garden, famous for a particular display.. there is a large courtyard with white
gravel and 15 rocks surrounded by grass and flowers. No matter where you stand on the platform, it is impossible to
see all 15 rocks fully at once. You can see many, or parts of all, but never the entire thing.
This is a Buddhist lesson: Often, you think you can see it all, but if you change your perspective, you lose some and
realize that you have not seen it all. In life, many times we concentrate on one or two of our rocks, but as soon as we
back up and change perspective, we realize that there are many others which we have missed. Life is too large for us to
comprehend as a whole.
We stayed in a hotel in Kyoto called the New Miyako hotel. I was pleased, except for the minibar, which was the only source
of water I could find. So I went thirsty that night, not wanting to pay 350 yen ($3.50) for 8 oz of mineral water.
We ate breakfast one day at Mister Donut, and the next day, we grabbed breakfast at a bakery.
Japanese sweets are not very sweet. For example, this morning, I had a little cube of Jello with a cherry in it with my breakfast.
My host mother told me it was very amai, or sweet. I tried it. It was much like regular Jello, except for the sweet part. And the
cherries in Japan have the pits still in them.
----
I met my host mother on Wednesday night. She came and picked me up at the logos center. On the way home, I asked her about my host
father. I had not met him, or talked to him at all on the phone. She became slightly upset, and told me the story in a half-Japanese,
half-tear-choked voice. Basically, I think he died in May, and she has me here to keep her company and to keep her busy. She is very
nice, and very understanding. She is 60, and lives alone in a nicer part of Nagoya.
I have my own bedroom, with a desk and coupla bookshelves. I noticed right away that there was a 1960s style gun sitting on one of the
shelves. I am not a huge fan of guns, so it's sitting behind some books for now. I finished reading my book last night, entitled
"Macroscope" by Piers Anthony. If you haven't read it, read it. If you have, read it again.
I registered for some classes and got my books today. I am taking Japanese(obviously), Japanese religions, Japanese Politics, and
Shodo. Shodo is an art class, a form of Japanese calligraphy. Hopefully, it will be a relaxing release from the constant hard work
which I plan to do. (Note: I said I PLAN to study..)
Well, folks, I will write more later. I am going to go get some lunch and some friends and I are going out to Sakae, a big shopping
district downtown in Nagoya. Catch ya later, and keep praying: classes start Monday, and I'm gonna need all the help I can get!
Chas
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