Repeating myself

After spending more than one year in Japan, you notice how the cycle repeats itself. Interesting that even some events for foreigners are exactly the same. Anyway, after a while you start doing the same things again. And this post goes back to two experiences last year that were repeated recently.

First there was a trip to Amanohashidate (June 15th and 16th). Last year I went with other Brazilian students for a one-day trip, and this year I returned for the iAT "gasshuku" ("summer camp", although I disagree with this translation). I also travelled with this group last year (to Keihoku-cho), so I might count this as a double repeat.

Guess it can't be helped since it's a relatively famous touristic spot in a good distance for short trips (not so close, but not so far either).

While I had no further business in Amanohashidate, it was nice to be together with friends, especially the ones from my former dorm (and that'll unfortunately leave Japan in September); although I made some new friends as well...

A walk at the beach, "kimodameshi" (test of courage. It usually consists in going further into some place with "scary stories" about it. Usually in pairs, reason for why I think the real objective might be another. Or it's just because I think the living are scarier than the dead so I don't find this kind of thing scary...), some hanabi and card games at night gave a nice atmosphere to the event.

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Then there was Gion Matsuri from July 14th to 17th. Since last year I went for yoiyoiyama and yoiyoiyoiyama, this year because of tests I only went for yoiyama (the night before the parade... usually the most crowded night) to take some pictures.



Too bad I couldn't find some presentations (including some maiko dancing) I was told that took place on yoiyama... Checking later, I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Better luck next year...




I said I went alone, but being on such a place one is surely to find friends around. But being in the middle of the crowd is tiring, and just having done a test doesn't help things either. I was tired and decided to go home earlier...

Guess I'll still have to return to Gion Matsuri next year...

I am a bookworm

I am a bookworm... or at least used to be. I enjoy staying hours at bookstores or libraries checking what's around and eventually reading a good book on the spot. Lately, other appointments (a.k.a tests and reports) are keeping me away from that; plus the fact that most good libraries are not so close from the campus or my house.

The fact that I'm still not able to read at a level good enough in Japanese in a country where at least 70% of all books are in that language also limits one's choices...

Since I'm usually stuck at the foreign books section, I often notice the books to "help Japanese learning". It goes from the traditional like the classic Minna no Nihongo (elementary levels), "An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese" and "英文中級日本語" (one that I've been promising myself to study for years...) to more specific things like "Colloquial Kansai Japanese: The Dialects And Culture of the Kansai Region".

Moving on to funnier things, there are books like "Outrageous Japanese" (言ってはいけない!!危ないにほんご) and "Making out in Japanese".

I thought the funny section existed only from English to Japanese aiming at foreigners... and yes, they are funny.

But one book given as birthday present (to another Brazilian) recently just got everyone's (all international students) atention at the party...

男と女の英語会話術

... or some sort of alternative title in English: "English Conversations Between Men and Women".

Why? Despite the well-behaved meaning the title can give, it goes from "approaching" through "dating", "proposal", "marrying", "quarreling" until... when things get hot, if you get what I'm saying.

And some of the lines are funny by themselves... Classic pick-up lines, quarreling lines... and "doing-it" lines.

Besides, although it's also foreigner-friendly to a certain extent, it's obviously designed for Japanese in the first place. It's more perceptible by the end of chapters where there's usually some small conversation only in Japanese about... just to give an idea, one was "if you're in a 69 and your partner farts, what yould you do?"

That question cracked everyone at the table...

Now for some British humor

I'm still having a hard time with reports, tests and seminars. So don't expect long posts for now.

To relax a little, I followed Antonio's suggestion and checked the blog "an englishman in osaka"... It's very funny, but I don't know if I'd recommend to people who haven't been in Japan. They might start believing strange things... haha!

Anyway, just for you to feel the humor there, two sample entries:

One is handbag elbow. Humor about everyday life in Japan...

The second one is about Engrish... and I just wonder if I could ever avoid laughing if I met someone wearing of those T-shirts in front of me... love poetry on a T-shirt

G8 Meeting

There are some things you only realise after some disturbance occurs...

First: Kyoto is a city without tall buildings. That is enforced by law. It has lots to do with city planning, especially considering Kyoto is a traditional city with historical places. I occasionally hear an interesting story here or there about it, like the fact that Kyoto Univerisity Hospital actually don't comply with those rules.

Considering that I have some classes about architectural design I should know about it better... or not.

Anyway, recently I noticed another one...

Usually no aircrafts fly over Kyoto.

I don't know if it's also to preserve the city (roars of planes might damage historical buildings?) or if it's just lucky enough to be out of major flight routes. Still, hearing an airplane or anything similar is really unusual in Kyoto.

But last week I heard - and saw - some helicopters flying over the city. A good bunch of them.

What happened? And they seemed to be on patrol. Besides, there were lots of cops around the streets. In buses, blocking roads, lots of patrols here and there, some carrying guns or shields (in Japan it's unusual)...

Answer: G8 Foreign Ministers Meeting.

Since I'm in report season, that didn't bothered me much because my life now consists mostly of my lab, my home, the university's library, media center and classrooms.

Still, I couldn't help noticing a certain sign on campus...


For the Japanese impaired (I'm not exactly familiar with the vocabulary, so it may look a little strange):

"6/26 (Thu) 6/27 (Fri)
G8 Foreign Ministers Meeting
Smash!
Beat up the summit and general Kyoto University authorities and reactionary faculty
Go on strike/protest!
Regular meetings every Wednesday
(...)
Strike executive commitee
(e-mail address)"

So, even though it's said that Japanese youth is not politically engaged, there are still those who protest... I'd like to know against what though. That sign doesn't give any clue about the ideology they're following, and it's a minus for me. Just say that I don't agree is easy. What to do instead is the tough part.

I actually heard them going to protest. I was running some simulations in the library when I heard whistles, drums and some words of order. Still I couldn't see them, but it seemed a lot more orderly than my image of a protest rally. Talking to another Brazilian friend, she said the number was not so large either.

Maybe it's just that we have different standards...

Now what's happening?

I've been wondering...

This Japan Times article tries to illustrate how the importance of seken (the society, the people one deals with) in Japanese society may have influenced the killing in Akihabara.

It's true that the feeling of being part of a group is much more valued here than in Brazil or US. Still, that's not only a Japanese phenomenon as Virginia shooting may point out.

Maybe it's not only in Japan, but throughout the world, that as people begin interacting with a greater number of peers (internet, international travels on the rise), the relationships also become more shallow. These things not necessarily have any connection. Still, I found it harder to see people with friendships as the "best friend" thing was when I was a kid. Even among kids it's not as common as it was before. Or it might be just that I'm not seeing it.

On the other hand, pressure is on the rise. People have to excel... or at least are supposed to. Less free time, more pressure...

That's not the only factor - might not even be one of the most important - but it's happening. I can see some similarities between Virginia's and Akihabara's case in that point...

Or maybe I'm just using the incidents and slightly manipulating the facts so it fits to what I want to say. Just like Dubner mentioned.

PS: I'm on report and test season. That's the reason the number of entries have decreased and I avoided elaborating too much over this one. This may last until mid-July, but I'll try to keep posting.