November 17, 2012

• The Monica Chronicles

  The Monica Chronicles

  

  This entry is for Erin, the brave girl holding the horseshoe crab.  She was kind enough to send Monica the Manatee to visit us in Japan.  You can read about Monica's adventures below.  I have put all of Monica's adventures into one entry, so be sure to read to the end to be sure that you don't miss anything.

  Monica Arrives in Japan!

  

  Monica the Manatee has arrived in Japan. Here she is trying on a kimono! People used to wear kimonos every day, but don't anymore, because they are very expensive. They are just for special occasions like weddings, tea ceremonies, New Years or other special occasions.

  

  Monica has made some new friends! These are a few traditional Japanese dolls and a few squirrels. There are not many squirrels running all over the place like there are in the US. Do you see the bars in front of the dolls? They are to prevent the dolls from falling and breaking during an earthquake. There are small earthquakes happening all the time. They get your attention, but don't really cause any damage because the buildings are all pretty strong.

  

  Monica has made some more friends. See how the bookcase has props between the bookcase and the ceiling? Everyone props their furniture so it won't topple in an earthquake. More people are hurt by falling furniture than are hurt by collapsing buildings. During the big quake of 3/11 last year all these dolls got shaken up inside the bookcase, but it didn't topple. People also stock extra food and water, and keep their bathtubs filled with water for toilet flushing in case there is a big quake and the electricity goes off.

  Monica Explores the House a Bit

  

  Oh, Monica, please come in, but remember to take your shoes off and change into slippers. That way all the dirt stays outside. (^-^) You can put shoes that you are not using in the shoe cabinet to the right.

  

  Monica, come inside and takes a look at the top of the cabinet where shoes are kept. These are some samples of artwork done by ancient Japanese cultures, Jomon Culture and Yayoi Culture. Pretty cool, huh? These are all tied to the white pole in the background, because if there is an earthquake them may fall over and break.

  

  See? This is what happened during the big quake on 3/11/11! The three sculptures that did not fall over were anchored to the white pole behind the biggest one. Had they not been anchored, the biggest one probably would have gotten broken. For more quake pics click here.

  

  What's that, Monica? Oh, it's the first door to the left, but please change your slippers again for bathroom slippers to keep all the bathroom dirt where it is. Actually, I think the bathroom slipper deal comes from the time when there were only squatty outhouse type potties that really were dirty. But everyone still uses them anyway, even though they may not really be necessary. Hey, what is that thing sticking down into the bowl?

  

  This is called a "Washlet." If you do number two, it will wash away the poo! You just push a botton and water squirts out and you are nice and clean! I think they tried to sell these gadgets in the US, but they didn't catch on, but don't knock it if you haven't tried it. They are really popular here!

  

  Don't forget to wash your hands. The water that fills the tank comes out of a fountain on top before it goes into the tank, so you can use that to wash up. This helps save water. Oh, you may have noticed that there is nowhere to bathe in the bathroom. These are actually two separate rooms, so you can take your time in the shower without worrying about anyone dancing outside the door.

  

  You can shower or take a bath. There is a drain in the floor. In a Japanese family everyone uses the same water, and the cover is there to keep the water from getting cold between people. All of the washing is done outside of the tub, and you only get in for a nice hot soak after you are clean. This is another way to conserve water. Recently people keep their tubs filled even if no one is taking a bath, because if there is an earthquake, the stored water can be used for laundry, toilet flushing or whatever. Sorry to be talking about quakes so much, but it's better to be prepared!

  

  Here is the washing machine. Japanese homes are small and there is not a lot of space to store dirty laundry, so just like shopping, many people like to do their laundry every day. They also hang their clothes outside to dry, because this saves space and energy. There is just no room for a clothes dryer, and the sun can do the job just as well, and more cheaply at that!

  

  Here is another way to save energy. Japanese use large thermos bottles to store boiling hot water so they don't have to waste energy by heating up a kettle on the stove every time they want a cup of coffee. Hey Monica, be careful!

  

  Another appliance in every Japanese kitchen is a rice cooker. You can put your rice in, set a timer and have it cooked up at your convenience.

  

  Yum, it looks like there is a bit of rice left over from breakfast.

  

  Many people cook with gas. Hey, Monica, let's go outside before you get hurt!!

   

  Monica Sees Mt. Fuji

  

  Here are some houses in the neighborhood. Land is very expensive in Japan, so no one really can afford to have a large yard. We also have to be very careful not to start fires, because a fire can easily spread from one house to another.

  

  Let's take a closer look at the houses. Yep, there is the laundry out. People also like to hang their futon bedding out to air. Just be sure to listen to the weather forecast before you go out for the day or you will suffer a cold and soggy sleep.

  

  We are lucky to have parks and some open space in the neighborhood. There are also many apartment buildings, like those in the background. Apartments are cheaper than houses.

  

  Here is another group of apartment buildings. Monica, you are looking like Godzilla.

  

  Here is another apartment building with laundry hung out.

  

  Here is the local train station, our connection with everything. After the earthquake all the trains stopped running any many people could not get home until the next day. The Wakabadai Train Station on the Keio Line. You go into the station at the left side of the picture, through the wicket and then up the stairs to the train platform. Hey, what is that white mountain in the distance?

  

  Let's use the camera zoom. Whaddya know, it's Mt. Fuji! We used to be able to see it more easily, but lately many new buildings have gone up that block the view, so you have to know what crow's nest to look from.

   

   Monica Goes to the Supermarket

  

  Monica is going to the supermarket. In Japan people live close to the supermarket and can go every day. There is not a lot of room in small Japanese homes to store a lot of food, and they also like to get their fish, meat, fruits and vegetables fresh every day. Not everyone has a car in Japan. Gas and insurance are expensive, plus you have to pay for a parking place for your car if you don't have a parking space by your house. Many people live in apartments and don't have a parking space, so they have to rent one. Also, public transportation is very well developed in Japan, so you can get anywhere you need to go by bus or by train, and you don't really need a car. This is another reason to go shopping frequently. If you don't have a car, you have to get your groceries home on food or by bike, and you can only buy as much as you can carry. Lately there are bicycles with small rechargable electric motors, but Monica's host mom only has a three speed bike. Ok, let's go shopping!

  The first stop is the cleaner's.

  

  Japanese like to recycle, so we brought the hangers back to the cleaner's shop. Be careful, Monica, or you will get cleaned, too!

  

  OK, here we go! The shopping carts are much smaller than in the US. The aisles in the stores are smaller, and like Monica told you, people don't buy so much at one time. You can just carry the basket or put it in a cart. The green baskets are for groceries before check-out, and after you buy the groceries they are put in a grey basket so the store knows that you paid for them. Monica will take some pictures in the supermarket, but the market doesn't like us taking pictures too much, so we will be discreet.

  

  Japanese enjoy the same treats as people in the US do, but the packages are smaller. They also have breakfast cereal, but it is considered more of a snack than a meal. Here are some Japanese goodies. Treats made with azuki beans are really popular.

  

  This is the coffee/tea aisle. Please look at the ceiling and you can see that many of the lights are turned off. Stores began doing this after the big earthquake because we need to conserve electricity. There was a big nuclear power plant destroyed by the tsunami, and Japan has turned off most of its other nuclear power plants so they can check to be sure that they are safe before using them.

  

  Here are some nice fresh fish. Check the eyes to make sure they are clear. That's a sign that the fish are fresh.

  

  Wow! Look at all the big bags of rice! Do you see Monica?

  

  And look at all the brands of soy sauce! Monica's host mom prefers Higeta brand. It is made by a small company in Chiba Prefecture. Oh, can you see the one quart carton of milk in the shopping carts? That is the biggest size you can buy. The refrigerators don't hold as much, and since we shop very often, one quart at a time is not enough.

  

  Seaweed? There are all different kinds for all different purposes! They are all yummy!

  

  These are persimmons in the fruit department. We can only eat them in the fall, so they are a nice treat.

  

  Here are some more treats made of bean jam with boiled chestnuts inside.

  

  Here is another thing you can get at the market. It's that sniffle and cough season, and you don't want to pick up any germs on the crowded trains, so people like to wear face masks to keep from spreading their germs or picking up someone else's.

  

  Now we are all checked out, and here is what we bought: soy sauce, bananas, rice, a lemon, some pork, spinach, raisin bread and lettuce. Let's go home and make supper.

  

  Here are other folks packing up their purchases.

  

  Ok, dinner is served. What's on the menu? Fried pork, salad, spinach with sesame and sashimi! We got that at a different store, because the sashimi at the local supermarket tastes fishy and not fresh.

   

  Monica Goes to School

  Monica's host mother goes to school to teach English to Japanese junior high school students, and so Monica went to school for a day, too. We went to school on the train. Have a look. it takes about an hour from our train station platform to the school gate. First we get on the Keio Line and ride about 10 minutes. Here we are getting off the train to change to the next one. We take three train lines in all. An hour or train riding is considered a normal commute, and everyone brings something to do on the train. They can sleep, read a book, listen to music or mess around with their smart phones. 

   

  OK, let's get off the Keio Line train and transfer to the Nanbu Line. It's about a five minute walk to the next train station. 

    

  Here is the next train, so let's go into the station. 

   

  Here are the wickets, so let's go! 

   

  Hey, the trains are pretty long! 

   

  The trains can also be pretty crowded. This doesn't look so bad. We probably can't get a seat and will have to stand up, but at least we can read a book to pass the time. We ride this train for twenty minutes, change one more time and walk about 10 minutes to school. 

   

  We have arrived at school!  Here is Monica at the gate of Tamagawa Seigakuin, a private junior and senior high school. You can read more about the school by clicking here. There is a guardsman at the front gate who checks on the comings and goings of students, teachers and school visitors. 

   

  Here is another view of this part of the school. It has other buildings and tennis courts across the street and a gym next to this building. Monica is still guarding the gate. 

   

  Here is another view of the school. Can you see the two halves connected by a second story hallway? This is so the students don't have to cross the street and block traffic when they pass to classes. Students don't pass to classes as often as students in the US do. The students are in their homeroom most of the time, and the teachers are the ones who do the moving around. The homerooms are not only for taking attendance, but are also units for tackling different jobs around the school. Japanese schools don't have many janitors for cleaning. Most of the cleaning is done by the students themselves. They all have assigned areas to clean, as well as other duties, and many hands make for light work. Can you find Monica in this picture? She is there in plain sight! (^-^) 

   

  Here she is, climbing that cherry tree on the right side of the picture! 

  Let's go inside the school for a look. 

   

  All of the students at this school wear uniforms. The uniform on the right is worn by junior high students and the next one over is for high school students. The blue blazer is worn by all the students in the school. The light blue skirt is for the girls' summer uniforms. See the school bags and shoes? These are also used by all the students. 

   

  Just as people take their shoes off and put on slippers in a Japanese home, the girls change their outside shoes for indoor shoes at the door of the school. All of these little boxes are for shoes, and each girl has a box with her name on it for her shoes. They can also leave wet umbrellas in the racks at the door. Doing these things helps keep the school floors clean and tidy. Can you find Monica in the picture? 

   

  This picture was taken from the second floor hall that the students use to cross over from one building to the next. The school is associated with the American Church of God, and the girls all have a chapel time first thing in the morning from 8:15. It's pretty early and sometimes they have a hard time staying awake, but it's important to begin the day with prayer, a hymn and a short talk from the Bible by one of the teachers. There are two chapels, and each one has a beautiful pipe organ. 

   

  Here is another picture taken from the teachers' room. You can see the steeple, the second floor crossing hallway and the school gate. The crossing hallway has the name "Praise Way." 

   

  Let's visit one of the classes. The students study English, Japanese, math, geography, science, history, gym, health, art, homemaking, music and many other subjects. This is a class in calligraphy, or brush writing. The girls learn to write Japanese characters beautifully, and practice writing the letters many times. They use a brush with black India ink. Be careful not to get it on your clothes, but if you do, you can get it out by rubbing the spot with a paste made of soap and rice. (That's a laundry secret!)

    

  All the girls are taking a calligraphy lesson. Japan has a very high literacy rate and the people spend a lot of time learning to read. There are two alphabets with 50 letters each, plus a few thousand Chinese characters that must be learned. It's not so bad if you get used to it. Recently people are forgetting how to write them all because they can use computers and keyboards to write Japanese. All you have to do is pick out the right characters and the computer remembers how to write them, so you don't have to really remember them yourself. This is convenient, but may not be good for the culture. 

   

  The girls are practicing the characters for "deeds." Calligraphy is not only a matter of writing beautifully, it is also about one's attitude towards life. The girls can think about their deeds and if they are good or bad as they practice their brush writing. 

  Hey, it's time for lunch! 

   

  There are no cafeterias in Japanese schools, and the students eat in the classroom or in a large hallway type lounge. The school does not serve lunch, and most of the girls bring lunch from home made early in the morning by their mothers. There is also a small shop in the lounge run by Lawson's convenience store, but the stuff sells out pretty quickly, so bringing one's lunch is the best way to go. Let's see what some of the girls are eating. Can you find Monica in this picture? Look near the middle.... 

   

  The lunches are in plastic or metal boxes that are reused every day. Some of the girls have changed into their gym suits. I wonder if gym is right after lunch. Hey Monica, it isn't polite to eat unless food had been offered to you! 

   

  More girls at lunch 

  

  Oh, lucky Monica! She got a rice ball and an orange! 

  

  Let's see, what have we here? Some egg, some pork cutlet, some spinach and some sweet potatoes. The lunch boxes are usually two-tiered, with one container full of rice and the other full of meat/fish and veggies. Japanese usually enjoy fruit for dessert, and not a lot of sweets. 

  

  Thanks for the lunch tour, everyone! Time to get back to class, so get lunch cleaned up and the desks back into rows.

    

  Oh, before class you might want to visit the rest room! There are western style regular toilets and there are also these traditional Japanese style toilets. Many prefer these because you just squat over them and don't have to touch them directly, but please to aim well. (^-^) Hey Monica, hang on tight and don't fall in!!

   

  Monica visits a Buddhist Temple

   

  Monica's host mother has a free period at school, so let's check out a nearby Buddhist temple just down the street. Hey, look, there is a lady taking in the bedding that she has hung out to air in the sun.  

  There are many Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, and Japanese go to both of them. Generally speaking, Shinto shrines are for blessings at birth, blessings for various stages at life, weddings and New Years. Buddhist temples deal more with funerals, the dead and the supposed afterlife. If a relative dies, the priests comes around to your house and says sutras once a month. You also have to hold scheduled memorial services. 

   

  The school's tennis courts are on the left. Let's head straight ahead to see the temple. 

   

  This is the outermost temple gate. 

   

  It looks as if there is some kind of event going on inside. The second gate is covered with a catwalk and tarp, so it must be undergoing repairs. 

   

  When you visit a temple or a shrine, you are supposed to wash your hands an rinse out your mouth to get rid of impurities in your soul before entering. You can scoop the water out of the stone trough with the dippers. 

   

  This stone statue is dedicated to prayers for the souls of babies who were not born for whatever reasons. 

   

  Here is another statue to which people offer prayers. You can burn inscense in the little roofed chamber in the front. 

   

  Here are more statues, all probably very old. 

   

  This is a large suspended bell in a low bell tower. It is rung every day with a big wooden pestle suspended from the ceiling of the tower by a rope. When the evening bell is rung, it gives a sense of peace to the surrounding neighborhood. 

   

  This is one of the temple halls. You can read an explanation about it below. 

   

  We'll climb the stairs to see the statue of the temple's founder. 

   

  This picture was taken through a window, and you can see Monica's reflection. I am not sure what all the wooden tablets are for. They may have prayers written for the repose of the founder's soul, or they could be prayers for others. There is no one around to ask, so I am not sure. 

   

  Here is a picture of the entire altar area of this Buddhist hall. There is another container in the center of the picture, but the doors are closed. Maybe it contains a Buddhist statue that is only shown at certain occasions. Temples have had to become more careful about security, because sometimes Buddhist images are stolen and sold as art objects. 

   

  This is another temple hall. They seem to be holding a ceremony, because we can hear one of the priests giving a talk over a loudspeaker. He tells his listeners that they should be thankful for what they have, and that they should realize that the life they live is dependent on what others have done for them. If we eat a bowl of rice, we should be thankful for each grain that has grown, and we should also be thankful for the farmers who labored over it. We should not be so proud of ourselves that we forget the help and support that has enabled us to get this far. We should also remember to give the same help and support to others. 

   

  The brilliant yellow leaves in the above picture are those of a ginkgo tree. Here is one of the fan shapes leaves, and a ginko nut. The green nuts inside are quite tasty, but they are covered with a hard shell that is covered by a soft, pulpy, extremely stinky outer skin. There is no word that quite describes it, you will just have to smell it for youself or ask Monica when she gets home. 

   

  Since the temple is having a special service today, this hall is open and we can see the Buddhist image inside. The green cauldron in the foreground is for burning inscense sticks. 

   

  Turn around 180 degrees and you will see three more halls. This is the center hall of the three. The name of this temple, Kuhonbutsu, means "nine Buddhas," and each of these three halls contains three Buddhas each. 

   

  Here are three of the Buddhas in the center hall. The two other halls were closed, and Host Mother has to get back to school before the next class, so there is no time to take pictures of them, sorry. They all have the same face, anyway. (^-^) 

   

  Here is a graveyard located behind the "nine Buddha" buildings. Japanese have a custom of cremating the dead, and putting the bones in urns. The urns are then placed in an opening at the lower front of the gravestone. The families often visit the graves to leave flowers and pray to the dead. 

   

  This is the grave of the Asai Family. Someone has visited recently, and has left some flowers. OK, time to get back to school!

   

  Illumination at Tama Center

  Let's stop in at the Tama Center Station to check out the Christmas illumination display.  When December approaches, people like to put up "illumination." They enjoy the happy feelings and seasonal decorations that go with Christmas, and the stores are happy to be able to enjoy profits from the gift giving.

  

  Oopsie! These are the stairs going up from the train station, and one of them has shifted out of line. This probably happened during the earthquake, too. There are a lot of small cracks in the sidewalks here that were not there before 3/11.

  

  Let's head up the hill to see the illumination. The Christmas trees are out. The blue lighted tunnel is supposed to be an aquarium tunnel, I think.

  

  Here is a Christmas illuminated crab. Go figure....

  

  And here is the Christmas seaweed they put up every year. Monica is scratching her head. I don't get it either. People enjoy the pretty seasonal decorations, but they don't really have a clue.

  

  Here are some more pretty lights. They are put up by fellows in a cherry picker lift.

  

  Yep, it's all about Santa! There were also Jehovah's Witnesses standing around trying to hand out literature, but they don't even celebrate Christmas.

  

  Here is the big Christmas tree in front of Mitsukoshi, a classy department store. On Christmas Eve everyone eats fried or roasted chicken, and then after that a Christmas decoration cake with whipped cream and strawberries. There are other kinds of cakes, too, but strawberries and cream are most popular. Christmas all gets put away promptly on December 25 to make way for the New Year's decorations. There are no school holidays for Christmas. December 23rd is the Emperor's birthday, so we have that off. During the New Year's celebrations kids get about a week off, and everyone makes a trip back "over the river and through the woods" to see their grandparents.

   

  Monica Goes to the National Theater

  Today there was a Kabuki performance at the National Theater in Tokyo's Hanzomon district. Monica went along to have a look. Kabuki is traditional Japanese drama. The language used is from over a hundred years ago and highly stylized, so it is sometimes difficult even for modern Japanese people to understand. The Kabuki theater takes us back in time to give us a look the costumes and customs of the past. To help those who have trouble understanding the language, there are earphone guides in both modern Japanese and in English, so we have no trouble following the plots, some of which can be quite complicated.

  

  Here is the entrance to the theater, so let's go in!

  

  This is a poster for today's performance. The play is about two sons and which of them will be chosen to succeed their dead father. The samurai retainers of both sons battle in love and in the matter of which son will be the successor. Today's performance features Matsumoto Koshiro, who is one of Japan's greatest actors. He can do anything: Kabuki, musicals, TV drama, you name it. You can read more about this great actor by clicking here. In today's play he will be doing two roles, and you can see him in the two different costumes in the poster. The ladies in the poster are also played by the same person. Matsumoto Koshiro's son was probably also supposed to perform in this play, but recently he fell off of a stage on his head, so he is taking some time off to recover from his injury. All of the actors in Kabuki plays are men, and like the Shakespeare plays of old, all of the female roles are performed by men, and some of them pretty old at that. This is something that everyone knows but ignores. It is only important that the stage is beautiful. Another reason given for men performing female roles is that some of the costumes can be quite heavy, and a lady would have to be a body builder to be able to wear them and perform on the stage.

  

  Here we are inside the theater. Isn't the curtain lovely? Too bad that we are not allowed to take pictures during the performance!

  

  The brocaded curtain has been raised, and here is the main curtain. It is always orange, black and green. (It would be interesting to find out the reason for that.) It is not pulled up at the top, but is pulled aside by a "kuroko," which is a stage hand dressed in black. Kuroko often appear on the stage to help with props and costume changes, but the fact that they are dressed in black tells us that they are not part of the story and that we are supposed to ignore them.

  

  Between acts we get 25 minutes to eat our lunches. We got some box lunches at a nearby convenience store. Pretty yummy! Let's look around the theater lobby after we finish eating.

  

  Here is a Monica posing with a "Kuroko" stagehand!

  

  This is our view from the second floor of the lobby.

  

  Here is a model of a Kabuki actor. Wow, look at the beautiful costume, wig and makeup!  This is a large painted wood carving, and would carry a VERY heavy price tag were it for sale.

  

  Monica is wandering around the lobby and looking at some photos of other performances. Hey, do you think these guys would make a good rock band?

  

  Wow, this actor is riding a flying fox!

  

  And here is an actor acting like a kite!

  

  There is another kind of Japanese play called "Bunraku," and it is a traditional puppet theater. Sometimes it takes three people to move one puppet. The puppet masters don't try to hide, but again, we are supposed to ignore the puppet master and just concentrate on what the puppet is doing. If there are many puppets on the stage and three people are operating one puppet, it can get pretty crowded!

  

  Here is a booth in the theater lobby selling "hagoita" battledores. These are fancy badminton type paddles that are used at New Year's festivities. They are made of wood and the players hit a bird back and forth. The bird is made of a large tree seed and feathers. These battledores are too fancy for actual play, an are used as New Year's decorations. If you want to know more about these battledores, you can visit a battledore market by clicking here.

  

  Here are some more decorations for the New Year. Next year is the Year of the Snake, so everybody decorates their home with a little snake.

  

  This is a souvenir shop on the first floor of the theater.

  

  Here is the second floor souvenir shop. Shall we go for a look? Oh, no, there's the buzzer telling us to return to our seats for the last act of the play. If you want to know more about the National Theater, Kabuki and the Bunraku puppet plays, you can click here.

  This is the end of Monica's visit, and she is now on her way back to Erin. (^-^)

  • 05:31
  • 1 Comment