First Impressions: Japan

     It seems strange to me that just a week ago, I was in the United States and Japan was a bunch of unknowns that had me worried.  Would I be able to adjust to another culture?  What would the people be like?  Would I be able to get around by myself in a country that doesn't use the Latin alphabet?  How would the teachers, the superintendent, and the students feel about me?  Would I even like Japan?

    In just a few days, I've been blessed with a good beginning to understanding Japan and the Japanese people.  Upon my arrival in Japan, I was greeted by Ken, one of the people who helped set up this experience for me.  Ken is a recently "retired" Tomisato native whose ambition is to "be a tour guide" for people who either look like they're lost or, like me, are coming to the area for a short time and want the chance to understand Japanese life.  He has been a wonderful guide.  Not only did he spend all of Sunday showing me the schools I'd be going to and making sure I was comfortable using the public bus system, but he also allowed me to eat in a traditional Japanese style with his mother, brother, and sister-in-law.  What a blessing to be able to sit on the floor and eat miso soup and various other Japanese dishes with people I couldn't communicate with, all the while feeling that the simple act of eating together was somehow greater than my inability to communicate my gratitude, and that my inability was okay.  

     Ken also took me to a Shinto Shrine and a Buddhist temple that was quite crowded.  The beginning of the new year has brought many to the temple in the hopes of making the coming year a successful one.  Going to the temple was an experience for me.  I was able to begin to understand how many of the people here think and what they believe.  But in some ways, it was difficult.  It's difficult for me understand how buying a small plaque for $10 will bring good health or a good marriage match to a person.  It's difficult for me to watch people throw money into a box as an offering to Buddha, all the while knowing that most of that money is going straight to the city's development fund.  What happens when a marriage match goes sour or a family member falls ill?  But I'm grateful for the chance to understand what kinds of things are important to these people I hope to know better by the end of my time here.  

     Yesterday was filled with more answers to my many questions.  It was my first day with the students here.  As elementary students, they don't know a lot of English, but they came up with the most interesting questions to ask me, many of which made me chuckle.  What's your favorite video game character?  What's your favorite insect?  How long do you run?  What area of Japan is your favorite?  Do you like Disneyland?  Would you choose hamburger or steak?  You like curry and rice? (I was over-the-moon when I found out it's a staple here!)  They were also full of energy, despite (or perhaps because of) the cold weather.  Here, they keep the classrooms just warm enough, and they don't heat the hallways.  

     The highlight of my first few days was sitting at lunch with a group of 2nd graders who couldn't tell me much more than their names, but, in their eagerness to talk to me, repeated things in Japanese in increasingly giggly tones and tried singing the few American pop songs they knew.  What a hoot it was to listen to a 7 year old sing Katy Perry with "wahhhhh" replacing any word she didn't know in English!  "Califona girls?" she asked.  "wooooaaaah, you gonna hear me roar..." 

     And the teachers have been eager to make sure I'm doing okay.  Every person I've met has been incredibly kind to me.  They've given me a taste of Japanese culture and have wholeheartedly taken me under their care.  

     A week can make a lot of difference.