The end of another year fast approaches

It's hard to believe how fast this year has gone by. And I'm not really sure what I did to pass it. Did I do anything significant? Did I accomplish anything? Did I learn anything? Did I experience anything new? Did I help anyone else? Did I give any significance to my existence?

I fear not. 

But what should I have done? I basically don't believe in having regrets. Obviously we have them and I've regretting doing or not doing something. But I always fight against that tendency to dwell on those. I think regrets should actually be treated at lessons or experience. So I ask what I should have done in order to determine what I should do from here on out. 

Plug of Sorts

his is just a short shout out to two of my friends.

One of my friends ("the Sendai Guy") is a writer. He's currently trying to get his first book "Across America" published. Part of that process includes getting excerpts of it published in various places. The prologue of the book has been uploaded on Docue!, a site for "extreme adventurers". For anyone who can or who is trying to read Japanese, please check it out!

"Across America" by Kairi Yada: Prologue

Okay, friend one down.

I'm trying very hard to read the Sendai Guy's writing, but my Japanese isn't quite at that level. My level is high enough to know that he writes very well and beautifully. But because of that, I have trouble grasping the meaning. And here in comes the second shout out. Another good friend of mine ("the English Curator") has been slowly but surely helping me work my way through the Sendai Guy's writing. The prologue isn't so long, but there's a lot of metaphors and imagery to work my way through. So, it's gonna be a long process. So I have to express my appreciation at the English Curator's patience. I'm also really glad he's got such a great command of both Japanese and English.

By the way, if you're interested in English learning, here's a site for you: Wailingual

Is this how you woo the ladies?

I had deactivated my profile on the dating website a while back and for kicks and giggles reactivated it recently. And today I had a mini conversation with someone that ended with "Well you can go to Hell for all I care Devil."

Now, my profile states clearly that I am an atheist. There's also a section where you can answer some questions about various things. So when obviously very religious people email me because I'm "such a beautiful lady", I have to wonder what they're thinking. Usually I just ignore them. But this morning I was feeling a bit confrontational.

So I got an email from someone in a completely different country. "You're so beautiful. blah blah. I'm interested in a real relationship. blah blah. Let's start as friends. blah blah. I'm sincere and not a lair [sic] blah". I checked his profile, noticed his country of residence, looked at how he answered some questions, and drew the conclusion that there was not a chance in hell.

So, I responded with "It seems pretty clear that you didn't look at my profile much. There are clearly some issues we don't see eye to eye on. Also we live in completely different countries."

He said he did read it and that he was coming to Japan for vacation. Now, first of all why do I want to have a real relationship with someone who's coming here for vacation? Really. Anyway.... I told him that I hoped he had a lovely vacation then.

Not knowing that was his cue to stop, he said that it seemed like I didn't want to meet him. (Ya think?) Apparently he was a bit slow on the uptake, so I went with "Actually I'm not interested in meeting someone who places religion above science and who views homosexuality as a sin. I hope you have a lovely time in Japan though and good luck finding love." For the record he also said that contraceptives are morally wrong, that God and religion the most important part of his life, and that he always does what his parents tell him. I'm pretty flexible about a lot of things, but none of those.

I thought my message was frank but polite. But he felt it deserved a "Well you can go to Hell for all I care Devil".

"I don't believe in hell. But thanks anyway. Have a nice life!" (I should have included a smiley....)

"Brave" Christians living in the Bible Belt.

This should not be a thing.....

Okay. My goat has been got. I've seen way too many posts on facebook from people back home about "like if you're not afraid to praise Jesus" or something to the effect of how they may be persecuted but they're brave enough to let everyone know they're Christian. I'm not sure I can take it much more. 

Let me make this clear. If you live in the Bible Belt of the US, you are NOT being persecuted, nor are you being courageous by praising Jesus. When Creationists are invited to review biology textbooks (Texas, I'm talking to you), and you're legally allowed to refuse to someone birth control because it conflicts with your religious beliefs (maybe think about a different job), your opinions clearly have either the majority's support or the loudest support. 

When you're attacked for talking about science while on break by coworkers you're not even talking to. When you can't read a book by Richard Dawkins in a cafe. When you have to "come out" as an atheist to your family and friends and actually risk losing them in the process. THEN you can maaaaaybe talk about bravery. And in the Bible Belt, heaven forbid you be Muslim! Or even "look Muslim"! (Can people stop being racist, just a little bit?)

And we're still talking the USA. As an atheist in the US, I might face some "persecution" but I don't face danger. Immediate anyway. Putting aside political decisions that degrade access to good healthcare, education, and quality of life. Someone might yell at me in the cafe but they're not likely to torture or kill me. And Christians in the Bible Belt very seldom even need to worry about the verbal attacks. 

Now there are definitely some places where both believers and non-believers face persecution. Those people bravely follow their faith or non-faith. No one should be under fear of bodily harm or death because of something they believe. 

But Christians back home, you are not living with any kind of fear and your persecution complex is coming across as entitled, inconsiderate, and childish. So kindly knock it off. 

My trip to Sendai (Day 2)

See the first day's post here.

e woke up a little later than we had intended, but after quickly getting ready our kind host took us to the local market. Apparently the market has been running for a long time and after the disaster it was finally restarted in spring of this year, through the support of the Canadian government or a Canadian organization amongst others. It was smaller than usual due to construction, but it was still decent sized. I was really hoping to get some coffee from one of the vendors that I saw, but we ended up getting suckered into an sumi-e lesson. I'm not really into art and I was as awful as I expected. But everyone was kind and pointed out the nice parts of my crab picture, like the kanji that I use for my name. I'm not sure if people are actually this kind, or if they're just humoring the foreigners, but anyway, that wasn't the point of today.

After the market and the lesson, we needed to quickly get back to the junior high school that we had visited the day before. This was the meeting point for the volunteer work we were to join. We joined a volunteer project organized by STEP. There are still 41 residents of Yuriage who are missing. So our job is to look for them. By uncovering and digging through drainage ditches. Naturally we weren't going to find a body in those small areas, but at this point they're looking for anything, personal artifacts or remains. I know it's grim to talk about but it's very important and this is what these people are facing everyday. Being able to send loved ones off with a proper funeral rite is very important in Japanese culture and until something is recovered so that one can be done for each person whose life was taken that day, closure can never be had for those families.

The work was in no way fun. It was quite physical - some tasks more so than others. I initially was set on cutting "grass and weeds" (I think they had grown beyond those labels) down with a shovel so someone else could lift the concrete panels up. After that another person dug all the dirt out of the ditch. The ditches are about a foot across and about two feet down. I was then shifted to the task of raking through the dirt looking for anything as I scooped the soil back into the ditch to be recovered with the panels. Not much was found that day - some toy car, a broken necklace, and some dishes. I found nothing more than pieces of glass and lots and lots of weird bugs. I guess I also found a renewed interest in doing volunteer work though. I hadn't done any physical volunteer work since graduating university. I had done some proofreading in the past but I never felt like that was really doing anything. I guess because so many people aren't physically able to help and while I'm not in shape, I am definitely able-bodied enough to do something.

We left the work a little early because at the center there was a guest who would be telling her story from the day of the earthquake and tsunami. We arrived a few minutes late, but we made it for most of her story. I only caught a fraction of what she said, but I got the gist of what was going on. She worked at a nursery school near the coast and when she found out about the approaching tsunami she made a quick decision on where to go. There were three evacuation spots - the community center, the junior high, and the elementary school. The elementary school was the furthest spot away from the nursery school, but she figured the road to the other schools would have been extremely crowded. So she decided to take the long route to the elementary school. She talked about how they tried to protect the kids both from the physical and mental damage from the earthquake. She worried about them looking outside and seeing the destruction happening around them. She worried about what to do if the children started crying for their parents. She worried about how to feed all the children with only 7 bread snacks. She worried about what to do about diapers for those still in them. She talked about how she and the other teachers there dealt with this. She talked about the lessons she learned - about the power of children's hearts and about the importance of preparation. She, along with everyone else, realized we can never underestimate the power of nature.

After the volunteer work, I was physically exhausted. After listening to the woman's story, I was emotionally drained. So after checking back in with the volunteer group who had finished up for the day by that time, we chatted a bit, said another prayer at the memorial in front of the junior high school and then set off for the nearby spa/public bath. We said our goodbyes and thanks to our gracious host, got cleaned up, and then headed back onto the road. It was a long trip home filled with traffic and some swear words at said traffic. Everyone was drained and nerves were frayed. I don't know how my friend handles this everyday. I suppose that he's become numb to it on some level, much in the same way that the locals have had to in order to survive and begin to move on. I don't know that I'd ever be able to do that, but I definitely want to help again.  And I can't even begin to express my gratitude for my friend inviting me up to Sendai and for organizing this whole experience. 

Kairi Yada's blog: tsunami2011.jp

STEP's blog post: http://54renzock.jugem.jp/?eid=1942

My trip to Sendai (Day 1)

This past weekend I went to Tohoku for the first time thanks to the invitation from my good friend who's been working up there. He invited me and a few others to get a glimpse into his life in Sendai by showing us around the area he's been involved with and then having us spend some time doing volunteer work. I was quite honored to be invited for such a tour and experience. The host is a very special person and a very important friend so I want to be able to support him even in this small and maybe inconveniencing (especially for him) way. Anyway, it ended up being quite an emotionally interesting trip so I'd like to chronicle it here.

Day 1:

I woke up early so that I could hop on the train and be at Nishi-funabashi station by 7:30. I would be riding up with three other women - one Australian and two Japanese - via a rental car. None of us had met each other before, so I was a bit worried about being able to find them. Luckily I had the driver's phone number, and after calling her, I quickly found her. We found two Japanese women talking to each other and glancing our way, so I went over and asked if they were part of our group. They were. "Sweet, let's get this show on the road!" We got the rental car and got onto the road pretty quickly. Thanks to modern technology and an iPad with a nice GPS system we somewhat easily navigated our way onto the highway. I'm sure the driver felt otherwise, but chatting with each other and listening to music helped time pass, and our excitement grew as we went through the mountains and the green fields of the countryside.

When we arrived, everyone was a little tired (especially the driver) and we were more than happy to take a break in our host's apartment. I must say, I was jealous of his place - it was really nice and about the same size as my place for half the price. Eh?! And he wasn't being arrogant when he had told me he had a good eye when it came to furnishing and decorating a room.

There are so many unclaimed school bags.

Anyway, after we all got rested up, we decided to set off to Yuriage, a part of Natori, where my friend's been doing the majority of his work. This area had been completely devastated by the tsunami in 2011. Even in areas where the water "only" reached 1.5 meters or so, devastation was complete. A place that was once filled with homes was now just fields of green overgrowth. We stopped and went into the elementary and junior high schools. At the elementary school, one person lost their life. At the junior high school, 14 people passed away.

As soon as I entered the elementary school, I was filled with a sense of sadness and something like pity. It was my first time to see the effects of the disaster with my own eyes and not just on TV or the internet. I couldn't help but imagine the fear that those children felt on that day. And the fear and sorrow they continued to feel with their lives in a complete upheaval because of it. They had lost so much. Belongings that had been collected in the days, weeks, and months after that terrible day had been collected and sorted at the school. While I was told there used to be much more in the gymnasium, I knew that there was still too much. Too many things unclaimed. Too many things lost.

Symbols of support came from all around Japan.

We next went to the junior high where a monument had been erected as a memorial to those who lost their lives there. We lit incense and said a silent prayer for them. We looked around the outside a bit before walking to the little center that had been set up by the road in front of the school. 閖上の記憶. Memoire de Yuriage. It's a little prefabricated trailer that serves as a place for people to gather and share memories, hopes, anxieties, dreams, etc. It also is a place for visitors to hear and learn about the town and the events that took place on the day that changed, and sadly ended, so many lives.

We watch a movie about the center and some of the activities that they've promoted. We also watched video clips of the tsunami that destroyed the town. I remember seeing lots of clips from other areas like Iwate where the ocean came and swallowed everything in its watery path. The tsunami that hit Yuriage was so different. It was a sludge of a monster that consumed everything as it churned through the town. I saw houses being moved, cars disappearing, and fires burning in the relentless black waters. It was amazing and horrifying at the same time. As nature often is.

A place that was once filled with homes now is nothing but old foundations and grass.

Sunflowers have become a symbol of hope and recovery.

After leaving the center, we decided it was time to switch gears and do some relaxing. That meant a drive to an onsen! I love onsens and I was really looking forward to a nice outdoor bath. And that's just what we got. It took us a little bit of effort to find it, but it was well worth it. The Australian and I had time to really get to know each other. I think foreigners in Japan often connect quickly, but not many things make you bond much faster than chatting while naked in a bath together. We took in the sounds and surroundings while talking about work, dating, families, and Japan. After about an hour we all met up in the lobby to go home and eat.

The host had prepared for a pasta dinner so he and I set to cooking. My new Australian friend was tuckered out so she answered some emails while dinner was being prepared. The Japanese women wanted desperately to help. And while I of course appreciated that, I tend to get a little territorial in the kitchen and you know what they say about too many hands/cooks in the kitchen. If I seemed irritated, I'd like to apologize though. Anyway, a delicious pasta and salad was made and the five of us sat down to dinner. And I don't want to toot my own horn, but that pasta was the bomb. 美味しかった！

After dinner we chatted for a while before getting some mats and blankets out for some shuteye. It took no time at all for any of us to fall asleep and before I knew it, I was being woken up for day two...

8/31/2013: Post was corrected. I misunderstood the number of fatalities from the elementary school. I in no way intended to spread false information, or to make it seem like some life was insignificant. I just misunderstood.
More pictures from day 1:

A Confession

“I’m an atheist.”

I remember the first time I actually said these words out loud. January 3^rd  2013. I was visiting a Japanese temple along with a few Japanese people as the token “gaijin” (foreigner). We were going to one of my favorite places and we were walking along the main street with the other hundreds of people trying to complete the annual “hatsumode” tradition within the first 3 days of the year. Narita’s Omotesando (main street) never fails to both comfort and please me. The smell of senbei, a slightly touristy vibe that’s somehow like Asakusa yet distinctly different. One of the Japanese gentlemen in our group was walking next to me, asking me the usual questions: Where are you from? How about Japan  (who taught this question!?)? Can you eat Japanese food? On autopilot I answered these questions, when out of the blue I was suddenly asked, “Are you Baptist or Presbyterian?” I was completely flabbergasted. I’d not been asked about my religion but a handful of times while in Japan, and even when living in the buckle of the Bible Belt I’d never been asked that question. Usually it was some other presumptuous question like “Which church do you go to?” Am I Baptist or Presbyterian!? In my surprise I was able to spurt out an “uhhhh. I’m an atheist”. His could even try to hide his surprise and disappointment. To find out, no only did I not subscribe to either of those Christian groups, or even Christianity itself, but I didn’t even believe in God!

If he was confused from his view, he would have exploded in my head. I had surprised myself by my confession. I almost felt guilty as if I had said something dirty. The word nearly felt shameful. It wasn’t just an announcement to him, but an official one to myself. I had realized I had “lost my faith” a while back, even before coming to Japan. Before coming here I was at an “I don’t really like/agree with organized religion” stage.  Being in Japan where most of the population says they’re Buddhist but don’t actually believe or know anything about it made me realize you don’t have to be Christian. It’s not a default position and there’s no real reason for me to take it.  Being away from the Bible Belt where it’s just assumed that you’re a believer in Christ gave me the freedom to discover what I truly believed or didn’t believe.

The reason I was prompted to write this post is because of this video. I’ve heard from lots of people in the US, and of course other places, who were ostracized from their families and communities for coming out as atheists. I specifically point out the US, because one, that’s where I’m from. And two, isn’t one of the founding principles freedom of/from religion? Regardless of where it is, how can a parent reject their child because of their lack of belief in a god? I can’t imagine how a parent can justify something like that. If god by some chance does exist and judges us after death, how can you think you’ll be granted a place in heaven after damning your own child on earth? And if god did allow you into this heaven, why would you want to be there worshipping someone who condoned such treatment.

I’ll tell you one of the first things that got me questioning religion and god. I was taught that god is my “heavenly father” and that he is the perfect father and that men should look to him as an example and role model. But I couldn’t understand why he would damn homosexuals to an eternity in hell based on who they loved. Why should you be sent to eternal hellfire for love? I couldn’t wrap my head around it. And what made it worse was that I knew that my imperfect dad would never reject me if I came out as a lesbian. He would probably be disappointed and he’d wish it weren’t so. But I knew he’d accept and love me and my partner. How can my dad be more loving than an “all loving” god?

So, how did my family take it when I announced my atheism to them? Well there was no formal announcement, because I didn’t think there needed to be. It came out though and there was quite a reaction from my mom. My mom is quite liberal and of her and my dad, I was least concerned about how she’d take my discovery. My dad, a conservative who still identifies himself as a Catholic despite not having been to a church as far as I can remember and was actually baptized along with the rest of the family in another church, worried me a little bit. But my mom? It didn’t even cross my mind that she’d care. But after it was all said and done, I wondered how I couldn’t see her reaction coming a mile away.

This is basically how it went down. I was telling her my story about the Japanese man over Skype and when I got to the part “So I told him, ‘uh I’m an atheist” (a word that had gotten a bit more comfortable to say at that point), when she blurted out “Wait! What!?” Taken aback (again), I managed a confused “Huh?” This is how the rest of that conversation proceeded.

“What do you mean you’re an atheist?”

“I don’t believe in god?”

“What happened?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing tragic happened?”

“Huh?”

“You know, around here, usually when a person stops believing in God, it’s because something tragic happened so they think that there must be no god”

“No nothing tragic happened. I just got out of the mindset that I have to believe in god. I started looking at things more critically, and I realized I don’t believe in god. Not to say I believe there is no god, but I don’t believe there is one.”

“Oh okay. Carry on.”

“What?” (I was still a bit confused at that point)

“I was worried something bad happened and you hadn’t told me.”

My mom didn’t care about the atheism part so much as the possibility that I may have been too ashamed or scared to tell her that something had happened to me. So dramatic, mom. But in a way that makes me realize how loved I am, and how amazing “imperfect earthly parents” can be.  I haven’t spoken to my father directly about this, but in the same way that I don’t talk to him about who I’m into or if I drank too much on a Friday. He knows and it’s not like an elephant in the room. But it’s not a topic of choice.

I’m really glad that I’m in Japan right now. I think many Japanese people basically assume Westerners are Christians but they so rarely ask about it or make any real judgments based on it. I very freely read the God Delusion on trains and in cafes. I can talk about evolution or science related articles with just about anyone without being told I’m buying into the science community’s conspiracy to lead man away from God. These are all things that I didn’t have the luxury of back in my hometown. I’d like to think that when I go back, people will be respectful and accepting enough. I don’t think atheism defines me, though I know sometimes society thinks it does. I just hope that people don’t try to “save” me as they often did when they found I went to the “wrong” Christian church. But judging from what I see online from the atheist community and from the religious posts that pop up on my Facebook feed, I see no reason to be going back to Texas anytime soon.

English

Today I met one of my friends and we talked about his English, Japanese people's English in general, learning English, etc. we often talk about this, because that is what my friend's job is about. I mean, I guess it's what my job is about to, but it's a bit different.

Anyway, I went into a bit of a rant because I had recently come across people who get all pissy because a Japanese person doesn't speak English. If this is at some place that specifically deals with foreigners - like immigration for example - then, yes I can see your complaint being valid. Japanese bank? Post office? Supermarket? No, you don't get to complain about them not speaking English.

I think from the Japanese side, it would be beneficial for the individual to know some English, for their own personal careers, experience, opportunities, etc. And it would definitely be good for businesses and organizations to have English speaking staff on hand. But for a foreigner to expect, or worse demand, that there be someone to aid them in English is awful imperious, don't you think? You're in Japan. The language of Japan is Japanese. Japanese people use Japanese. You should expect to hear Japanese from Japanese people who live and work in Japan. What right have you to come to Japan and demand that they speak a different language?

I, of course, am not good at Japanese. There're some things I don't think I could do in Japanese - like open a bank account or deal with contract stuff - without a friend's help. So I'm grateful to the English speakers who have helped me - both staff and friends. I realize they are under no obligation to me to speak English. So I appreciate that they do even more.

Okay, rant over.

The wonder of to-do lists

I often write to-do lists, though I seldom use them after writing them. I guess it's merely just a way to clear my mind a bit. Ive got a butt-ton to do these days and I'm not sure where to start. I feel like I need a mountain home that I can escape to and work without distractions. Like writers do in the movies. But those always turn out to be horror movies, and that situation is in no way relaxing. Or conducive to work.

So I'll just suck it up, write some to-do lists, and attempt to follow them.

First item of the evening:
Check out my friend's new blog - WTF People?

The end draws near......

That's how it sounds to me when I say I'm turning 30 this month. It's weird because I don't think it's old for others, but it sounds scary for me to be entering my 30s. It sounds like the start of the terrifying decent into an abyss of nothing but deteriorating bodies and lost dreams and time. Okay, it's not nearly that dramatic. It's more like - oh wow, my age starts with a "3" now.

I would like to use this as a perfect time to start taking care of myself - both mind and body. I was doing well about body last year but then I got busy, and then I moved and I just haven't taken care of myself lately. With my amazing rice cooker, I'm able to eat actual food again. I ought to be able to balance that out with some smoothies and water. I'm riding my bike more often (when it's not raining) and I'm planning to try out different physical activities this summer.

As for mind - I'm trying to challenge my abilities more often. I want to focus on my work, but I want to do things for myself as well - language exchange, writing, etc. This month I'll be presenting at Pechakucha, and that'll be a huge challenge for me. I'm quite nervous, but I want to create more chances to step out of my comfort zone this month.

So, I'm going to try to blog - here or on my other blogs - at least once a day. Wish me luck!

An ode to the Rice Cooker

Rice Cooker, Oh Rice Cooker
How you've lit up my life.
In the kitchen of all -
from student to wife.

You quietly silently
sit on the shelf.
No doubt you're acutally
proud of yourself.

It seems people use you
daily for rice.
Not knowing you can cook
other things quite nice.

But I see you have more
potential in you
To cook other things
Perhaps even stew

Today I tried pasta
It left me well fed
Tomorrow'll be something new
I'm thinking banana bread.

I hope you don't mind
of your skills I do boast.
Of all my kitchen tools
It is you I love most.

The adventure continues

So, there's been one or two more normal messages. Then I get this:

Guy: What's your go to karaoke song?

I name off some songs and he makes a comment about them, to which I also respond. Then...

Guy: Feel like doing something other than karaoke tonight?

Me: (thinking: yeah.......not so much) I'm really busy today.

That was actually true, but I would have said so anyway.

Guy: Well, I'm leaving tomorrow so...

Me: That's a shame. (thinking: but not really)

Do these kind of messages actually work? I guess they must on occasion, right?

Newest adventure

So caving into to peer pressure from some of my best friends, I've signed up to a dating site. I have to say, the whole process of signing up and creating a profile is extremely 面倒くさい (bothersome). I really couldn't be asked. So one of my friends ended up creating the profile for me. He actually knows me really well and the answers were pretty well suited to me, so that's that.

The profile has been up for three days, and I've received three messages so far. Out of the three, one seemed interesting and somewhat human. The other two however left a bit to be desired.

Guy 1: 'Sup?

Really? Is this supposed to pique my interest? You're not talking to me at the bar. Can't you put a little more thought into your opening statement?

Guy 2: I'm gonna be honest...

Thanks, I appreciate that, but I can already tell you that I probably don't need to read the rest of the message. But I will anyway

Guy 2 continued: I'm not looking for a girlfriend.

Okay...I can guess where you're going with this....

Guy 2 continued (slightly paraphrased): I'm looking for some sexual pleasure and if you are too and you're interested in a 39 year old, contact me.

Never mind that my profile says nothing about casual hookups (though that's an option listed on the site) and that you're out of the age range I've listed. I do appreciate the upfrontness, but I'm gonna pass.

So, let's see what the next day or so brings.

Sakura #3

 

Yay! Another yummy delight!










This time is was a simple castella cake piece. It was really sweet and reminded me of the Starbucks chiffon cake. But without the icing, of course. The texture was a bit buttery and less airy too. Given a choice, I'd go with chiffon cake, but this was great too.

Sakura delight #2

Well, like I said yesterday, it's the season of the sakura-flavored goods. Today I stopped by a shop that carried souvenirs from different areas in Japan and found 桜八つ橋(sakura yatsuhashi)! Yatsuhashi are the typical souvenir item from Kyoto. They come in all sorts of flavors - cinnamon, strawberry, chocolate and banana, etc. There's usually seasonal ones as well. When I visited Kyoto it was the fall so I found persimmon yatsuhashi then.

Anyway. These were sakura! Sakura and anko (sweet red bean paste) go really well together. The sakura flavor is subtle but noticeable. And in general, I like the texture of yatsuhashi, so I was a happy camper.

Yum!!

Sakura season has begun!

I love this season in Japan. There's so many delicious sakura-flavored snacks. It is one of my all time favorite things!

Today I went to Starbucks to meet with someone and they've started selling their sakura goods. They've got sweets and drinks. I want to pace myself a bit, so today I went with the sakura chiffon cafe. It is really sweet! The pink cake and white icing look great together. And the preserved sakura flower on top? Pure delight! I'm looking forward to next time for one of the drinks!

Apartment hunting in Tokyo

Isn't she cute? A snake pastry for 2013!

Apartment hunting.

It's a pain in the butt. Granted, apartment hunting is pretty stressful and time-consuming anywhere. Or so I imagine. I've only done it in two places actually. But let me tell you, apartment hunting in Tokyo as a foreigner can be quite discouraging. Luckily I had a lot of help and all of the agents I met were really nice. (They wanted some money, so of course they were, right?) But that doesn't mean it's been an easy or fun process.

Apparently January and February are the peak seasons so there are a lot of open places out there. However there's also a lot of competition. Let me explain how the process goes if you go through one of the big agents. There's a giant database of available apartments and you look through that database with an agent. Then you pick a million (or so it felt like) possible options, the agent calls to see if they're available, and then you go look at them. Basically it goes from thousands of options, down to a hundred or so (after you specify what your looking for), then a couple dozen (that you might possibly like), then maybe five (after calling the management companies, because owners don't manage their properties). Then if you like a place and decide you want it, you submit an application, and then after a week you find out if you can get the place or not.

Now as I said, this is the peak season, so I can't tell you how many times the agent and I heard "Sorry, it's already taken." Okay no big deal. Disappointing, but that's competition for you. The thing that really frustrated me was "外国人？ダメです (Foreigner? No"). I was prepared for this, so it was no surprise. But it was still tiring. The process was exhausting enough to begin with without adding the  discrimination element. Anyway.

I had just about given up and decided to settle on a place that was in an interesting location but that's it, when my current landlord and good friend offered to help me out by taking me to a small local agent in the area I wanted to move to. Let me tell you, this is the way to go! It might have just been a lucky day, but we found a place and got approved for it within two hours. I'd been searching for three weeks with three different apartment agents! And all it took was popping into a random local place and two hours with the gentleman there. The system was completely different. The company is small and just deals with a few places. They contacted the owner directly to ask if I could live there and aside from the wonder saying that she would contact my friend if there were problems instead of me, there was no problem whatsoever. I just need to transfer some money before I move in. (Oh, another plus side to this local company - it gonna end up more than $1000 less to move in, so I can buy some appliances since Japanese apartments are void of any of the necessary ones.)

So, my main goal of the first part of the year seems to be nearly accomplished. There's still a chance that something is going to go wrong, but I'm optimistic. 

Opening one's senses

Yesterday, Tokyo had its first snow. And it was a doozy. Trains stops, stores closed up shop, and Facebook exploded with pictures. I had plans in town so I headed out there early. Mid-route, I got a message saying that the plans were canceled due to the snow, so I turned around and went back home. Part of my route used the subway so there was no problem for that stretch. But the last four stations are above ground and the train was having all sorts of delays and issues. So I decided it would be best to walk home while it was still light out. How bad could it be, right?

Pretty bad. The snow was wet so an umbrella was pretty necessary. Unfortunately 5 minutes into my more than an hour long walk, my umbrella was destroyed by a nice gust of wind. It wasn't constantly windy, but when the wind did blow, it was strong. Basically it felt like I was being shot in the face with the snow. It was quite painful. And cold. And I was not happy.

But I made it home! And after a nice hot shower and some tea, I eventually thawed out. Although my joints did hurt for the rest of the night. They're good now though, so no worries. But anyway, I've decided that I want to use my senses more this year. To experience more. So even though this was not a fun experience, and one I hope I don't need to repeat anytime soon, it was a new experience so I'm glad I did it. But once is definitely enough.

But I did get some nice pictures, I think.

Third day = failure

So, yesterday I completely failed at taking a picture. At all. I did manage to go for a jog. But it was so cold and so windy, (and I was a bit dehydrated) so I ended up having to walk half of it. I was a bit disappointed in myself, no lie. So today after work I'll be trying again! I'm trying to change my mindset a bit this year. Just because you fail or miss one day doesn't mean that you completely fail, right? Just try again the next day! Let's do this!

2013

This blog has been reset once again. It has no real purpose so whenever I have a new idea, this page changes. Maybe this time will stick. I'm going to try and participate in a photo challenge or two, so I'll post the pictures here. I'm not a photographer by any means of the word, but it sounds like an interesting way to think about things differently and to document one's life in general. I'll also be putting up simple thoughts and musings here and there. So enjoy?

There's two 365 challenges with themes that I'm following: CaptureYour365 and FatMumSlim. I figure of the two, I can manage one of the themes for that day. So today the theme was "Resolve" and "Today". I chose this photo from my walk this afternoon. It was such a lovely day, and I've decided that I am going to take a little time to just walk and take in the sights and sounds around me. I tend to let myself get busy and I don't take any time to even think about the small things, let alone enjoy them. So, today I went out and made it a point to leave my phone in my pocket and just walk. It was really great and refreshing. I even found a few new areas! 

Here's to a new and exciting New Year!