The Weekend: Onuma. We went to a "Quasi-National Park" which was really an excuse to gather all the foreign students at this swanky resort and hang out and have shenanigans for the day, which I was totally okay with.
The park itself, though, was also gorgeous. Please note that this man has died his poodle's ears pink.
We didn't go on the paid bike tour, which is a shame- those wacky Japanese have invented individual bike carts that link into the one in front to make an enormous chain, as many as 52. Dad- I think you would like this one.
And Dad, you'll also like the next one. Hokkaido is also famous for its bears- we couldn't resist posing along with a couple of kuma. Please note that I'm wearing my Happy Bear Hat, which I now take with me every time I travel to show the bears being happy in as many locations as possible.
Though we missed out on the chain bikes, we did rent some buggies- you can't see it here, but Phil's buggy is riding on the rear bumper of Pedro's and my buggy after he rammed us. We then swapped our buggy for a tandem, which was pretty exciting considering my partner had never ridden a bike.
Then I found all the children's play places! This jungle gym castle is not only meant for children, who are smaller than me, but also Japanese children, who are much smaller than me.
And then the スポーツ・スライダ！This is what I took on the way up the hill, sitting on basically a skeleton luge on a chairlift before plunging down the metal track.
Dinner at the resort was highly nom-worthy. Tempura, sashima, shabu shabu, rice, fruit, scallop, pickled vegetables, and udon- a 和食 feast!
After dinner was the talent show- classes IIB and IIA sang 世界に一つだけの花, one of the most popular songs in Japan. I haven't yet decided whether the translated lyrics are genuinely inspirational or wildly cheesy, but I really like the song anyway.
Once I got back, the family had just got Wii Sports Resort, which equates to lots of thrashing flailing video game fun that require very little language ability. Here, my sisters canoe enthusiastically.
But apparently I'm no longer worth my salt as a gamer- I nearly redeemed myself through the bike racing game tonight enough to make up for the number of times I've lost to 9 year old girls, but then my homemaker host mom schooled me at bowling. I am ashamed.Sunday, back in Kunebetsu, I went to a Band Festival that host sisters Nozomi (trumpet) and Hikari (clarinet) were playing in. Their band director is frickin' intense. My elementary school band never would have attempted the level of pieces they play, and it would probably would have been appropriate for some of the lower levels of my high school band. Sheesh. But I continue to be a celebrity among the children- that day I was deemed their very tall god when I demonstrated my prowess at lifting them to the top of the monkey bars. Girl in the front row, second to the left kept on yelling ”外人，やってやって！” （Foreigner, do me next!") And then host sister Hikari explained because "かれはあたしのイートン君“(He's my Eaton!) she got to go next. I was struck dead with adorableness.
Today's kimono class: although there's a huge amount of elaborate care put into how the girls are supposed to properly wear kimono, for the guys it's a little boring. Put on the coat. Tie it with a belt. Tada!
And now a discussion of things. The Light Fellowship inquires what preconceptions I've started to shed, but if anything, I'm just more aware of the ways in which I still feel trapped by preconceptions. I feel like college suitemate Nick (currently in Tokyo) hit the nail on the head when he said that the Japanese don't expect foreigners can actually do the things associated with Eastern culture. Like in the aforementioned kimono class, the instructors tried to do everything on us rather than demonstrate or explain (and the male yukatas are simple).
Conversely, I feel indoctrinated that we as foreigners need to be so hyper-sensitive to cultural mores that its been suffocating a lot of my own personality. In Japan, I've been far more reserved and quiet than I would be anywhere else. For instance, I realized there's no such thing as a high five here (I tried to give my host brother Yume one after we went hiking, and he was scared to walk down a step hill, so I piggybacked him down). But then with all the things I've had shoved down my throughout about propriety and personal humility in Japanese culture, I felt as if trying to explain the high five would be a taboo of self-aggrandizement and personal space. That can't be right- high fives are awesome!
This feeling relates back to my previous rant on being a child in this culture. When I'm out in public with my host mom, we inevitably encounter some of her friends and stop to chat. Sometimes I'm not introduced, and just hover awkwardly in the background, noticing that this other mother's 2nd grade child is doing the same, either not following or not caring about the adult conversation. And when I am introduced, it's always to a chorus of praise about how good at Japanese I am, and then the adults lose interest in me before I have the chance to prove that I'm a somewhat intelligent individual. I never felt like this before the homestay, when I went out exploring on my own, set my own schedule, and spoke with adults as an adult. Now I feel like a one-trick pony paraded out in front of the crowd. I am so sick of ”上手ですね！”, the compliment they give to any foreigner who can speak a single word of Japanese. Empty sentiment dictated by social norms dominate the Japanese style of speaking- there's a lot of fluff to any sort of polite situation which still seems pretty unnecessary.
My image of a stereotypical family structure is a little harder to relinquish. I don't quite get the adult dynamic in my family- host dad Yoshinao leaves early (as in before I'm up in the morning, 6:30) and gets home late (often after I've gone to bed, anytime between 10-1). So basically he never exists in the house, I go days at a time without seeing him, and there hasn't been anything resembling a conversation between us since my first day. I feel indebted to him in that he's the breadwinner for the roof under which I'm staying, and everytime host mom Naoko makes a delicious dinner or brings home a sweet from the コンビニ its from his income. They have separate bedrooms, but when I brought up the topic host mom was quick to assure me that was about ease of sleeping and personal space, not anything negative in their relationship. It's just strange for me to see the work/home dynamic polarized so far between the couple. I can't say how "typical" this is of Japanese families at large, and there really isn't a particular profile of family that tends to host the various students, but I've heard from several sources that for a country so progressive in technology Japan remains pretty far behind on gender equality. I guess my understanding of these things is still a work in progress.
2 comments:
A series of really interesting comments. Let me reply to a few:
"The Light Fellowship inquires what preconceptions I've started to shed, but if anything, I'm just more aware of the ways in which I still feel trapped by preconceptions."
Not to sound cliche, but that's obviously THE starting point. Thanks for posting about it.
"Conversely, I feel indoctrinated that we as foreigners need to be so hyper-sensitive to cultural mores that its been suffocating a lot of my own personality."
It's an odd feeling, isn't it? I remember people in Korea asking when I would apply for dual citizenship and become more like a 'real' Korean. But I wanted to be the real me ... just in Korea. It was a balancing act that I never completely did effortlessly.
"Now I feel like a one-trick pony paraded out in front of the crowd."
My good friend in Korea once called it the "Let's see if the elephant will move once I hit it in the face with a peanut" Syndrome. You sometimes feel like that exotic animal on display.
The flip side? I hope you reach this point: When your Japanese is SO good that this little dance is completely skipped and, sometimes, the Japanese person feels almost uneasy. THAT'S when some really interesting stuff starts to happen...
"I guess my understanding of these things is still a work in progress."
Another cliche: You're understanding American culture and yourself better, now that it is under a microscope of force fed preconceptions and subtle demands for your submission. Fun stuff!
<3
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