This first Video Blog of Japan was taken very early during my stay, on September 2nd. If you didn't hear me say in the video "today is my first full day living with a Japanese family," then look at my hair! I didn't get a haircut my entire time in Japan, so my hair progressively becomes a little longer with each passing month, until I was ready to leave in December just so I could see again.
Now that I brought up haircuts, I'll go on a tangent about hair in Japan, because I can. I'm sure many of you have seen anime where the hairdos have either defied all laws of physics or look like they're sharp enough to cut your hand if you're curious enough to touch it. In Japan, such God-hair exists. How is it possible, you ask? With a little hair styling product called Gatsby of course, described on the container as Moving Rubber. So my friend comes into class one day and says, "I have never had such amazing hair everyday as I do in Japan thanks to Gatsby." Well, she has the attention of the whole class now. She proceeds to explain each kind - "with this Gatsby, it's like you've been dragged through a bush backwards, but a really, really sexy bush. This other one is like you've been riding a motorcycle all day and got off to show your hot hair. Or try this, which makes it look like you just got out of bed and didn't have time to do your hair, but it doesn't matter because it still looks sexy. Another one makes you look like Kurt Cobain on a bad day, which is still amazing." Needless to say, everyone went out and got some that afternoon, myself included. Gatsby came in 6 amazing flavors when I was there - Air Rise, Loose Shuffle, Wild Shake, Spiky Edge, Cool Wet, and Grunge Mat. I got the first three because it seemed like they'd do the best with my hair, and do they ever. Just take about a dime's worth when your hair is dry, slip it in, and in minutes instant cool. Depending on the type, it'll make your hair look totally different.
Walking around campus, riding the train, and hanging out at the mall I saw some of the coolest hair that I could only dream was possible. And not only the style, but the color and flow and everything about it! You could even tell who were the high school punks based on their crazy hair style, and they always sat in booths that had slits and holes in the seats, that I imagined probably came from threateningly poking their chop sticks or something. So if I was so impressed by the styles, why didn't I get a haircut? For starters, they cost a fortune, starting at about $30-40 for guys from what I can remember. Cheap alternatives offer deals like 10-for-10, where you pay $10 for 10 minutes and whatever you have then is what you're wearing home to host mommy. So I stuck with Gatsby, myself.
In this video however, I'm not wearing any Gatsby, as I have yet to hear of it. But let's get started, shall we?
Video on YouTube
Here are some notes on the video:
- The shoe area is called a genkan in Japanese.
- My shoes, a size 12, were so freakishly huge there that if I wanted to buy new ones I'd have to go to a special import store that would make haircuts look cheap.
- Those fish and shrimp did not grow at all by the time I left.
- Notice the lack of a dishwasher in the kitchen. Since my host mom was such an amazing cook I felt like it was the least I could do to help out with hand-washing the dishes (when my homework wasn't overwhelming), during which time I got a lot of practice using my Japanese.
- I had to duck under the door frames in my house because otherwise I'd hit my head.
- Even though they didn't have cable TV, there were plenty of channels, including ones that showed both of the anime I was watching.
- Yeah, the toilet is a bidet, with a lot of extra features. I tried it one time, but I didn't fully commit and sit back so I got water sprayed all over the back of the seat. And then the dryer didn't work so I had to use toilet paper, but it broke apart in my hand. Oh God... never did that again. And if you saw the handle, you could turn it one of two ways, depending on whether it was the kanji for "small" or for "big".
- The stairs are quite steep, as they are in most Japanese homes and buildings as a way of saving space.
- Draw your attention to the way privacy works in Japan. The door to my room? No lock, slides open, and has a window (albeit with a small curtain on the outside). The bath room? A door with no lock, and double curtains beyond that. My school folders? Transparent. Hot springs? Wearing nothing, carrying a small towel (more on that in a later post). Initially I thought the Japanese had very relaxed views on privacy, but I began to notice that they seem to actually respect privacy a lot more than we might.
- I mentioned conserving electricity in the video. One big thing that took some getting used to was making sure that the air conditioner or heater was on just barely enough to be comfortable, and to turn it off right before I went to sleep. Especially when I first got there, I would wake up sweating and it was rough.
- Another way of conserving energy in Japan is the absence of dryers in ordinary homes. So I would hang my clothes on a rack that I usually put on the balcony outside, unless it was cold and/or rainy.
- I've been asked whether I found it cramped, and to be honest though I noticed it was smaller than what I'm used to, I was completely comfortable. I respect Japan for conserving space and other resources on a matter of principle, and understand that in order to have something more extravagant you have to be making really good money. Plus there were so many things I was involved with that I didn't spend most of my time in the house.
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Pictures on Photobucket
I loved your host parents house. It was supper cozy.
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