NEARLY TWO MONTHS NOW

So much has happened this last month.  It has been such an emotional roller coaster.  The end result is always so exciting and rewarding. 

We recently had our AOB (area orientation brief).  It was exceedingly interesting.  They told us all the crazy things some of the military has done over here and of course how not to get caught up in the foolishness.  In Japan, they can put you in jail for up to 23 days for something as simple as having an intense argument with a police officer.  The police take their jobs very seriously, so when you argue with them you are saying what they saw is a lie or that they are not honorable and character is questionable.  So they figure you might want to go to court and settle the matter there.  The only thing is…they do not have to tell anyone you are there until they figure out the charges and when you can go.  I might not have explained that right, but who wants to be in jail for 23 days for a speeding ticket.   So my favorite words are arigato and gomenasai (Thank You and I’m Sorry).

I went to the grocery store a couple weeks ago and though I know things are more expensive; I was blown away by the $8 tomato I saw.  It was not the only one thank goodness.  There were other types of tomatoes to choose from.  Otherwise, I was going to have to become a tomato-hater like Nyjai.  LOL!

We finally got moved in our new home.  I awakened to the most beautiful sunrise right outside my bedroom window the first morning.  I knew this place was special, but God did a little extra this time.  I so appreciate that.  We moved in on Monday and by Wednesday at 7am and we were a few boxes shy of being completely unpacked and put away.

Sunrise from my bedroom window

This unpacking process has taught me so much about myself and our American lifestyle.  You know, we live in abundance even with this economic struggle our country is experiencing.  I unpacked two and three of things I did not know I even had.  Japanese homes are small, but designed to maximize space.  So, you will find storage in the floors or ice makers that do not need a hose to the water to function.  Instead, there is a little container you fill with water stick in the fridge and the fridge siphons the water into the icemaker.  It makes a lot of ice too.  Maybe you have this in your home, but I did not.  We had that copper hose that ran around the kitchen to the sink.

We take up so much space because we are individualistic and they take up so little because they are collectivistic.  That means, they are always thinking of how to make things better for the whole of humanity.  We are thinking of how to get our slice of the pie.  Not wrong, just different.

Imagine taking everyone in the US and moving them to California to live for 20 years.  That is what Japan is like.   Then only allow them to inhabit about 15-20% of the country due to environmental preservation and farming.  It is so tight that you must consider your fellow man or there would be chaos.  It is a peaceful fit too. 

The blue dots... read on.

The Pusher

Standing in line for Subway

At the subway and bus stop, people stand in line to get on.  No one breaks the line trying to get to the front or have the best seat.  I don’t mean just stand in line, I mean stand in a single file line behind the blue dot.  On the trains, if it appears as though it will be a tight fit, they have higher pushers.  Now, these are not dope dealers, they are men and women who literally push all the people onto the train so everyone fits in that one stop.  No one gets left unless you want to be left.

Lunch in Kamakura

Japanese Wedding 

Baby Baptism

Budah and Me

I recently went to Kamakura to see the shrines, temples, and of course the Big Budda.  We really enjoyed ourselves.  I saw a Japanese Wedding procession, a “baptismal” and even had my fortune cookie read.   It said I have a good fortune…LOL! 

Purification

I got purified also.  It is a hand washing mouth purifying ceremony.  The funny thing is you are not supposed to drink the purifying water and a couple of us did.  Our guide laughed and told us "happy diarrhea".  So we had to redo the ceremony.  She said she was joking.  I did not get sick though.    O yeah and the shrines had a lot of sake...liquor.

Sake

One of the things I saw the other day was really cool.  Well if I had a baby it would be.  There was a chair to sit the baby in in the actual stall of the ladies room.  So if you have a little one, you can sit them down and go to the restroom in peace.  Pretty cool.

Today, they changed the light in my office and did not have to turn off the power.  They just have a standard connection in the ceiling and snap in a less than 3 minutes I had a brighter, more efficient light.  I thought that was cool too.

All in all, it has been an intense month.  All the moving, studying, and getting acclimated to the customs and language has my head spinning. There is more to come.