Down time in Harajuku
Date: Dec 21st, 2007 1:48:41 am - Subscribe
Mood: Still swaying
The last few days have been so intense. I cant wait for classes to start so I have some downtime. Ugh. We went on a Tokyo tour the other day with a bunch of the Waseda students. We visited Asakusa and the huge temple there…plus the long line of tourist traps. The temple was cool though, even with the 10 million people walking around. There’s a place in the temple with a statue fountain of purifying water which you use a handle to dip and wash your hands with. There was a helpful sign with pictures of a cartoon person going through the motions of washing their hands and then drinking the water (much to the disbelief of Jiro-san who didn’t think you could drink the water). Then their was the smoky pit where you light a stick and put in the ash filled put upright. Then you waft the smoke towards you, patting your shoulders, face, and top of your head. The Waseda students said that if you patted your face with the smoke it made you prettier.
Oh man Im so tired. We walked around ALL day yesterday. A bunch of us went out to Harajuku which is basically the fashion district of Japan. Ive never seen so much goth stuff in my life. Also, a creepy black guy directed a few of us to his back alley shop where the clothes were $160 a piece. His repetitions of “you would look great in this coat!” and “You want this shirt! You’re interested right!” were more than a little sketch for us so we crept away the first chance we got. Harajuku was a little too much like an American outdoor mall for me, so I don’t think Ill be returning much over the year, but the HUGE temple there was definitely worth going to. It’s called Meiji-Jinju garden and is absolutely beautiful. We walked around there for a while and stumbled across a traditional Japanese wedding at the temple itself. I took some covert shots of the bride. More hand purification!
The test went okay, I got placed a little below what I think I should be in but Im supposed to wait until I get to the first class and then talk to the professor. The levels here are so different than back home thought that I might be exactly where I should be. Also, Im taking two other none language courses. I chose War and Peace, all about the mindset, leadup, and different kinds of wars, and a class called Theories of Post-Colonialism. Im so excited for them to start! Im also shadowing an extra Kanji class with a few of the other international students, Ken, Molly, David, and a couple others. I cant take it myself cause of schedule conflicts but Ill study with them and do all the work nonetheless.
It’s impossible to orient yourself here. There’s nothing to identify with north and south. There’s no horizon really. Its just buildings, buildings and buildings. Ive gotten turned around so much and I have great directional sense!
Oh yeah, the Russian prostitute. Well it started with a bunch of us going to this Italian restaurant near campus, where this very friendly lady stopped by our table and asked to sit down with us. We assumed she was just another international student what with her broken English and Japanese. Throughout the dinner we observed her being very touchy and friendly with everyone and then, on the way out, Jenny aside-ed to me that her name was Tanya and since she sat next to Tanya was able to hear her say “I have a Japanese husband but he’s never home, so Im looking for a ‘friend’”. I was excited, my first experience with a real prostitute! She later appeared at various tables at the bar, Hub, we visited later that night.
Hub was really fun James, Kevin, Zach and I shared many drinks and stories together while we dodged the sight of Tanya. The ride home on the train was interesting too, swaying, swaying, swaying.
GAH! I have to go meet up with Molly and Sue for our health exam (to use the gym later).
Ja ne
-Spork
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