Life in Nagoya

Have I mentioned yet that trash is kind of a big deal here? You have to buy special bags (which took me about 6 weeks to find but now I see them every where) and then you have to sort it yourself. The clear bags are colored coded, and you can see inside clearly if someone isn't following directions.

Green = non-burnable trash (basically landfill material)

Red = burnable. This is the majority of my waste because really how many things can you throw in a fire and watch melt?! Almost everything!!

Blue = recyclable cans and bottles, but oddly enough they won't recycle my plastic containers from the US because it doesn't have the proper label on the bottom.

At work, we take it a step farther and recycle paper in 4 different categories: office paper, magazines, newspapers, and others.

You won't find any dumpsters in Japan. Just bags of trash in designated areas. I guess they don't have any issues with raccoons or stray animals!!

Trash sorting area #1

Trash sorting area #2. Who doesn't love a close-up pic of bags of trash?

The highways are often over head when I am walking around Nagoya. Just a tiny bit noisy.

Two bullet trains in the station at one time. One is eastbound and the other is westbound. Considering they come and go every 10-15 minutes this probably isn't such a rare sight, but they only stop for 20-30 seconds each, so I had to snap this picture quick!

Bicycle for young families. One kid sits in front, and the other in the back. My questions is: where do all of the purchases go?! I am happy to see this family has helmets though. They aren't very common here, and neither are car seats or even children buckled up in cars.

It's funny to me to see live flowers outside in February, but they love plants here, and there is always something in bloom.

For the busy mother on the go who's gotta go... here's a seat in the bathroom stall to put your kid in. We use strollers in America, but they are a rare sight here because there are so many stairs and so few elevators. I do see a lot of young sleeping babies wrapped to their mother's chest with fancy contraptions, but many of them are just held in their arms.

Even the gas stations are "5S". For you non-Toyota people, that's when there is a place for everything, including a box designated on the pavement where the cars should park when they are filling up with gasoline.

One foggy morning on my walk to work. The tallest building in Nagoya "Toyota Century" just disappeared into the mist!

Hiking Club goes to Mt. Kinka

I received an invitation from the Hiking Club for another level 1 hike (easy), and I decided to give it a try. This time we were heading to the neighboring area of Gifu, which took about an hour to get there via train & bus. There were 7 people this time, and one repeat girl from my first hike 2 weeks ago.

Here's a stained glass window in the Gifu train station. In addition to their several mountains and famous castle, Gifu is also known for their cormorant fishing. A cormorant is a bird which has a rope tied to it, and they send them out in the river while keeping the other end of the rope in the boat. After a period of time when the cormorants have caught enough fish, they pull the birds back in the boat and remove the fish (often up to 6) which are caught in their throat. Very popular, especially for tourists, and they have many festivals in the spring to celebrate the beginning of the season. Although I'm not really a fan of birds, it sounds kind of like torture for the cormorants.

See that teeny, tiny castle on top of that giant mountain? Yeah, that's where we are going: Mt. Kinka (or Kinka-zan in Japanese). At this point, I was totally freaking out. Maybe I should have researched this "level 1" hike business a little better. What the heck was I thinking??

Waterfall on the way to our trail plus a ceramic turtle and frog! I suppose this should have been nice and serene, but I was not calm at this point.

The leader said we were going on the shortest trail, but he failed to mention that it was also the steepest!! (And hardly a trail at all in my opinion!!)

Here I am halfway up the mountain and near the throes of death. They were hiking incredibly fast, and my lungs and heart were ready to burst. I am not built for uphill climbing. I kept thinking I may die before I get to the top of the mountain.

Here's a view of the castle at the halfway point. If I had been with friends, this would have been my quitting point. I considered it, but I had no way to meet back up with them because we were planning to take a different trail down to the bottom, and I didn't trust myself to make it back to Nagoya via bus and train by myself. So the death march continued...

At one point, another woman asked me if I brought my inhaler and what type of asthma I had!! I told her I didn't have asthma; I was just out of shape and not used to climbing straight up mountains. She then said that I probably had "seasonal asthma". Well if "lazy girl climbing a mountain" is a season, then sure let's say I have seasonal asthma!

It's a miracle!! We finally made it to the top. Here's a pretty view through the trees.

Unobstructed view from the top.

Gifu Castle at the top. Originally built in the 1200's, but eventually deteriorated due to the WWII bombings in surrounding areas. It was rebuilt in the 1950's by volunteers who carried all the materials and supplies to the top!! Insane?! Who would volunteer for that gig?

Also at the top is a restaurant and Squirrel Village. At first I thought... seriously, who is hard-up enough for a job to climb this darn mountain to go to work as a waitress every day?! But then I found out about the "Rope way". It's a giant lift (similar to those for skiing) that takes you to the top in less than 5 minutes. Why the heck did we just climb for 75 minutes through pain and torture?!

And Squirrel Village?! Seriously... I will watch them from the dining room window in Michigan, but please don't stick me in a giant cage full of squirrels to pet. No thanks!

I also saw this nice "trail" of stairs at the top and it even had a railing tall enough for me to reach without stooping over, but we didn't end up going down this way. Instead we took another rustic trail, and literally ran down the mountain in about 30 minutes.

Although it was pure torture for me, I'm glad I went on this hike today because I realized that Mt. Fuji is WAY out of my league!!

Mt. Kinka is 329 meters (1,079 ft) tall.

To put that in perspective, the Eiffel Tower is 324 m tall, but that includes the mast. The observation deck is only 275 m to the top.

The Empire State Bldg is 381 m with the spire, and the observation deck is 369 m.

Mt. Fuji is 3,776 meters tall. Even if I started at the 5th station, which is the highest point for buses to run, it is still another 1,471 meters to climb!! I don't think I could survive!

Finally back at the bottom of the hill, we went to an insect museum. Yes, you read that right. Japan has a museum for everything, including creepy crawlies!! I liked the butterflies the best.

Here's a nice example so you can see how big some of these bugs were. This one is about 130 millimeters, which means just over 5 inches. Ewww... I would run the other way if I found that in my house!! I don't even know if stomping on it would kill it!

Here's some pretty colored bugs but still disgusting.

Can you find the praying mantis?

I'm finally at the bottom of the mountain and done with the insect museum. It's been a crazy day for this girl. Hopefully I will sleep well from all of the exercise & fresh air and not have nightmares about enormous insects coming to get me!

Friday Night at the foreigner bar

As the blog title suggests, on Friday night I decided to check out a new (to me) foreigner bar, and it ended up being a great decision!

Foreigner bars always have a nice mix of ex-pats, plus some local Japanese who can speak English. It feels absolutely decadent to walk into a place and order a beer without gesturing, pointing at a picture, or mumbling through an unfamiliar language! I made a new friend and met some interesting people from Australia, England, America, Canada, UK, and of course, Japan.

They only have one beer on draught, but luckily it's good (Sapporo) and is on special all month. Beer seems to be the only thing they don't serve in small glasses in Japan! Fridays are called "Spin the Wheel Night". After each drink you order, you get a chip to place on the mini Roulette table. They spin the wheel, and if it hits your lucky number you get your drink for free! (There are also discounts if it hits on a number of the same color, double zero, or the number directly next to yours.) It's super cheesy, but I like anything that makes me feel like I'm gambling.

My favorite part of the night was watching the Olympics with everyone in the bar. Men's figure skating was riveting. Oh wait, I'm sorry, a loud crazy woman from the UK actually corrected me and said it was "men's ice dance"! Silly me for getting it confused!! There was no sound for the commentary since there was music playing in the bar, so we instead had fun guessing what country each man was from based on his looks, outfit (sequins or ruffles), and dance moves. One guy was particularly "interesting", and we pegged him for Russian or Eastern European. However, when they scanned the crowd, I saw several American flags!! I was so embarrassed to tell everyone that he was representing the United States. They thought this was a great revelation!! There was plenty of reason to celebrate in the bar since USA took gold (not the crazy guy we were making fun of) and Japan took bronze in this event.

I also forgot how much I love sarcasm. I rarely use it any more since no one "gets" it, but in the foreigner bar I was back to my usual habits.

After a few beers and lots of fun, I had lost track of time. At about 23:44 I asked everyone what time the last subway runs, and they said 23:50!! But they also assured me that if I left immediately, I could still make it. LOL. So I felt like a true Japanese person running through the streets, down the stairs, and through the subway wicket in order to make it on the last train. I actually hopped on the 23:56 train, so I'm guessing the last train runs at midnight. Maybe I should find out for sure for next time... Anyway, I also discovered that the last few subway trains are busier than rush hour!! It was packed with people not wanting to spend money on cab fare. My new bar friends suggested before I left that I ride my bike next time instead. Uh, yeah... apparently they don't know that I barely have enough coordination to ride my bike sober and in broad daylight. I don't think it's a wise idea to try it on a dark night after several beers ;)

Japanese Work Ethic

It's been a busy week for me, mostly consumed by work. I can't get mad about it because that is the reason I am here!

The Japanese have a reputation for their hard work ethic, and I agree with that statement... for the most part. In Japan they say company comes first and family comes second. Yes, this is very true! Do businessmen work late into the night? Yes, at Mitsui I often see emails sent at 8pm or 9pm, and occasionally even as late as 11pm or midnight. (No one is allowed to work from home or take their computers out of the office.)

I'm almost always the first person to pack up and go home each evening in my department of 8 people. I try to wrap things up by 6:30 or 7pm. (I wonder if they secretly refer to me as "the lazy American"!) But the determining factor for me is always hunger. Lunch ends at 1pm and there's usually no afternoon snack, so I let my growling stomach tell me when it's time to leave.

Technically, the "bell" rings at 5:30pm, and we free to go home, but the weird part to me is that we don't start work until 9:15am. So ultimately I don't work much more than my usual 9-hour day in the U.S. However, I am a morning person, and my productivity plummets after 5pm!!

The Japanese prefer to stay up late every night, sleep in each morning, and sneak into work at 9:14, right before the "bell" rings. I would say that 90% of people come in to work during those last two minutes. I laugh thinking about my days in Indiana when I woke up at 4am so I could make it to work by 6am. That would be utter nonsense here.

Even the construction workers hold that same late morning & late night schedule. They are constructing a new building next to my apartment, and each night when I come home they have giant grids of flood lights to illuminate their work areas. When I leave for work at 9am, the place is a ghost town. All I can think is "burning daylight"!! The sun rises at 6:30am here, so in energy-conscience Japan I believe they should be working by the light of the sun, rather than wasting energy on artificial lighting in the evenings!

I suppose this is partially why they don't do daylight savings time here. They really don't care when the sun is out.

In addition, it's rare to find a female worker at Mitsui who is married. The tradition for women is to join the workforce, find a husband, and promptly "retire" to become a good housewife and maybe mother. (And never see your hard-working husband again!)

I've also been told that the age of 30 is an "old maid" here. When people found out I was 29, they were worried. They said it's my last chance to find a husband, or I'll be single forever!! I guess the big push is on... I need to find my soul mate in the next 4 months!

St. Valentine's Day

This week I found out that Japan celebrates Valentine's Day a little bit differently than America... but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by that by now!

First of all, the holiday is called "St." Valentine's Day, and secondly, the tradition is for women to give chocolate to their sweethearts. That's it!! No teddy bears, no flowers, no candy conversation hearts, no little cards, and nothing for women!! But before all of you lovely ladies out there have a meltdown, I did find out that there is a special Japanese holiday on March 14th called "White Day", and on that day men are supposed to return the favor of chocolate to their sweethearts.

I thought I was in the clear for this holiday since I do not have a "sweetheart" in Japan, but as it turns out, it's also polite for the women of Mitsui to give the men in their department a gift of chocolate! So one evening after work this week, I went shopping with the other 2 ladies in my department, Ema & Mari, to pick out chocolate for our men.

This shopping experience was unreal. I'm not talking about picking out candy from the holiday aisle at Meijer or Wal-Mart. The Japanese take shopping to a new level!! We started in the basement of a local department store, Meitetsu. Usually the basements are "markets" and have a variety of foods to purchase, but during this time of year, the entire basement was transformed into a candy gallery!! As far as you could see there were counters filled with boxes of chocolates and about 200 tiny Japanese women looking for the perfect arrangement for their sweethearts. I could not believe it because I've been to this market a few times on my way home from work. I almost didn't recognize the transformation, and the amount of people was crazy!! All of the chocolates were arranged in fancy boxes, ranging from $3 to over $50!! I obediently followed Ema and Mari around, weaving in and out of people and gazing into glass counters. I have no idea what we were looking for, maybe a good price or a "handsome" arrangement. How do you choose chocolates without tasting them?!

Finally, Mari said "Okay, let's go". Thank goodness... we were ready to leave. Umm... no... we were done looking at that floor. Next, we moved up to the 7th floor where, unbelievably, there was three times as many candy counters and about 500 more Japanese women!! Seriously, I was flabbergasted! We milled around some more, and then we stopped to have a conference. Should we get each man something different? This question just made me laugh!! I made that decision... NO, everyone is getting the same thing. If it was this difficult to choose 1 type of candy, there was no way I could handle shopping for 5 boxes! So with that decision out of the way, we just had to find an acceptable choice. We settled on a small box for each guy with 8 pieces of chocolate for about $6.

The entire time I was shopping, all I could think about was thank goodness we don't have this tradition in America. Can you imagine me at Transfreight last year? I'm the only woman in my department, and I'd be buying chocolate for 10 men!! If I spent $6 on each of them, what would I get in return on "White Day"? It better not be a $6 box of chocolate that they all went in on together!! But then again, do I really need $60 worth of chocolate? (Hello, 10 extra pounds and 4 cavities!!) For future reference, if this ever occurs, I'll take a Butterfinger and a new pair of shoes ;)

Back to reality... the guys at Mitsui did seem to appreciate our chocolate on Friday, and we'll see if the ladies get anything in return on March 14th! (I'd love to see how much time they spend picking out our boxes of chocolates!!)

On Wednesday, I also found out that one of my new friends in Japan is getting married this Sunday, February 14th! I asked her if she was excited about it, and she told me "so-so"!! Apparently, she is disappointed that she's not moving after the wedding. She's going to continue living with her parents, and her new husband is moving into her room! So she had to spend Thursday (our National Founding Day holiday) cleaning her room and making space for his things!! Again, I can't imagine this ever happening in America... too funny! They are also not taking a honeymoon next week, but she did say they would take a trip some time this summer.

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!!

Thanks to Mom and Gma for sending me yummy care packages! The chocolate-covered seafoam from Mom didn't stand a chance! It didn't even make it to V-Day!! My favorite treat from Gma was instant dry milk. (I know I'm crazy!) I immediately made a batch and used it to make mint chocolate Jell-O pudding (which I'll eat on V-Day)! You never realize how many things you want to eat require milk until you don't have any! (FYI--they do have milk in Japan, but I think it tastes awful and refuse to drink it. And I'm not the only one... Kawakami from work won't drink Japanese milk either. He won't even put it in his coffee! He says the milk ruins everything and makes it taste bad!)

National Founding Day

I got a day off in the middle of the week, too, but it wasn't due to snow! Today is National Founding Day in Japan, which as far as I can tell, is like Independence Day in America. I asked if there was anything special I should be doing to celebrate, like visiting a shrine or randomly throwing beans, but my co-workers said no. According the my research, this holiday is still quite controversial in Japan and at the most people will fly a flag. It's not appropriate to show your patriotism in any other way. So I used my free day to sleep in, call some friends, stay in my PJ's till the afternoon, and finally I decided to get a haircut!!

It's been 4 months since my last haircut in Kentucky, and that seems like FOREVER to me!! I've been researching places online for a few days, and I finally picked a salon that had a website in English and says they can accommodate gaijin (foreigner) hair. When I called, the receptionist had a repertoire of about 6 English words, but I managed to figure out that she had availability today and wanted me to come in at 5. Perfect, except today was laundry day, and I had NO clothes to wear, and no way to dry them!!

So I was forced to wear my "house" clothes: sweatpants and a t-shirt. As it turns out, my sweatpants might be okay for shuffling around my apartment, but they would not stay up as I walked to the train station. That is the one pair of pants I did not replace with a smaller size when was home at Christmas... When I reached the train station, I was forced to roll the waistband a few times like a high school girl just out of necessity! Looking back, I suppose I could have worn work clothes, but seriously it's my day off!

Without too much trouble, I found my hair salon. I was still 15 minutes early, but they knew exactly who I was and started taking care of me. First, they gave me a towel to wipe my face off with... but I don't recall being sweaty or dirty! Then a girl came over to take my purse and coat (which I never saw again until it was paying time) and said she talked to me on the phone. She apologized for her poor English. I told her she did fine! They all kept commenting on my short sleeve shirt and bringing me blankets, but like all Japan workplaces, it was 82 in there, so I waved them off and said "atsui desu" which means I'm hot.

Next, my stylist, Masahiro, came over and introduced himself. He knew a little English, and I met him in the middle with a little Japanese, which impressed him. I told him a wanted a trim, just 2 centimeters taken off and freshen up my look. I also told him it had to be easy for me to do each morning, wash & go only. He seemed to understand this but said he wanted to cut 3 centimeters instead. This made me smile because I read online that the Japanese get a little crazy with the scissors once they get you in the chair!! Plus, no one had ever negotiated my hair with me like that!! But I said sure.

So off to the shampoo chair I went with a new guy. He covered me with a blanket, put a paper towel over my face to not mess up my makeup (like I was wearing any...), and started his job. His English was limited, but he was excited to talk to me. I got to hear about his trip to New York, how he wants to move to Tokyo, and how he'd like to study English but it's hard since they work 6 days per week (including holidays!).

Back to Masahiro, who started cutting away. I had also read online that salons love when gaijin come in because they don't usually get the opportunity to work on foreigner hair. This salon was a happening place, with staff of about 20. But whenever anyone wasn't busy, they stood in the background and watched me get my hair done. Most of the time, they stood just outside my line of vision in the mirror, but the place was all windows, so I could still see them in the reflection!

Once Masahiro and I were satisfied with my new 'do, he sent me back to the talkative shampoo boy, where I got the blanket & face towel treatment again and my hair conditioned. Then I got a shoulder, neck, and head massage before finally getting my hair blow dried. Again, all of the workers were gathered around watching, and they kept passing around the blow dryer, so in total I had 3 different people blow dry my hair!! LOL. The whole experience took about 90 minutes and was so funny! Masahiro kept telling me he could do my hair coloring next time, too. So either my grown out highlights look like crap, or he really wants the opportunity to work on my hair again!

Finally, it's paying time. I am escorted to the desk, and my coat and purse reappear. (Only in Japan could they get away with this... most Americans would never let their purse out of their sight!) The damage was about $42, and there's no tipping. I've gotten used to the high prices in Japan, so I didn't this was a bad deal. Besides I did get some great treatment and that back & neck massage!! Masahiro and the shampoo boy might be seeing me again in a couple months!!

Sorry my new haircut pic is at the top this time, but blogger.com had a little attitude today, so it's the best I could do!!

Flower Arrangement Lesson

I am told that there are 3 things that every Japanese woman must learn:

1. How to dress in a Kimono

2. How to host a proper Tea Ceremony

3. How to make Flower Arrangements

I started with number 3. I attended a class tonight with some other ladies from work on to how to make a St. Valentine's Day flower arrangement.

Yuri and her work in progress.

My completed arrangement!! Even with the language barrier, I still can get things done! I started with only a heart-shaped box and moist foam inside!

KG shows off her masterpiece.

The lesson is finished! The 5 ladies were the students, and the 2 men were the teachers.

They host these classes quite often around holidays. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the Christmas one and the New Year one, but I look forward to joining again in the future. This is one hobby that is a good speed for me!

Continuing with the Valentine's Day theme, I was invited (by one of the girls who thinks I'm a vegetable hater) to a FREE sneak preview of the American film "Valentine's Day" on Tuesday night! The only catch is I have to get out of work on time... How sweet would it be if I can see an American film in Japan before it's even out in theaters in the USA?! Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Hiking Club goes to Tokoname

I joined a new group this week: CHIC. It stands for Chubu Hiking International Club. Yes, you read that correctly, and you're not in the twilight zone. The girl who hates hiking will go to great lengths to meet new friends in Japan. Today was a "Level 1" hike, meaning easy, short and great for beginners or wimps like me!! I would say it was more like a sightseeing walk than a hike, but I'm not complaining!! We had 14 people show up, which is a great turnout for a winter hike and a level 1. 5 guys, 9 girls, and people from America, Canada, Mexico, Korea, Philippines, China, and of course, Japan.

We took a train to the town of Tokoname, which is about 40 minutes away. First we went on the "Pottery Path" which is a labeled walk around town giving you a glimpse of its pottery history. Tokoname has been a pottery town for over 1,000 years. It became famous in the 12th century for its pottery, but history says it dates back to the 8th century. Tokoname is thought to be the oldest and largest pottery town in Japan because it is located on the sea and could send their products on ships frequently.

The tour starts off with a greeting from this waving cat. (above) This town is known for pottery, but I believe it also has an unnatural obsession with cats. This entire walkway has ceramic cats every 12 feet. (below) Here's my favorite ceramic cat!! More of the "Pottery Path". The edges are lined with old clay pots and even the ground is made of clay rings. Much the path was hilly because (for reasons I don't understand) kilns need to be on an incline.

Pottery wall.

Clay path.

"Dokanzaka" one of the most famous hills in Japan! It's lined with clay pottery on both sides and the bottom! We stop and warm up by this "hibachi". (In traditional Japan style, hibachi aren't grills and aren't used for cooking!) We also were served some unique tea that is a by-product of sake (liquor) production!

Awesome pottery wall! I have no idea how they got all of these cool colors!

Here is the "Climbing Kiln". It is the largest in Japan, was built in 1887, and was used up until 1973.

Inside the Climbing Kiln. Tokoname is the best preserved pottery town in Japan!

You can tell which homes used to have coal kilns from these giant chimneys! Now all kilns use gas and do not require chimneys.

After the Pottery Path, we switched to another trail that was more scenic and less touristy. For a hiking club, these people were awfully pokey walkers. We were constantly stopping to let people catch up.

Tokoname shrine

It seems strange to see a garden in February! But things were growing and many old people were tending them.

We stopped by the Tokoname Museum. Tokoname is known for making large pots, not on a wheel but by hand (featured below). The clay is usually gray and once fired it turns red. In addition, you will find very few glazed pieces of pottery in Tokoname. They like the "rough" look and feel. The pot below was used to mix jet fuel in WWII.

Another giant preserved chimney kiln.

Awesome traffic warning everywhere in the town. Don't let your kids run into the street...

Another clay brick walkway, this time with Japanese characters. Please don't ask me what it says!

Here are some artistic public bathrooms!! They are decorated with pottery and mosaics!

Getting closer... hop a few stones and you can finally pee! The pictures don't do it justice. Everything was so colorful and unique. Really fun!

Cool sculpture next to the train station.

What's a good hike without a little shopping?! Here's my purchase of Tokoname-ware. It's actually a mixture of leftover clays, which is why it's multi-colored, and then the outside is scalloped to show off the design of the clay. It's fired and unglazed in true Tokoname style.

About half way through the hike, we stopped and ate our packed lunches. Even with all of the different nationalities, I felt like a freak show again with my peanut butter sandwich. Everyone else had rice triangles wrapped in seaweed or special sushi rolls leftover from Setsubun. Sandwiches are virtually unheard of here! People were also eating carrot sticks, oranges, and most puzzling one person was gnawing on a giant sweet potato. (I didn't even know those were available in Japan!) At least no one asked me where my vegetables were...

We started talking about Mt. Fuji over lunch, and nearly everyone in the group had climbed Fuji, but no one had made it to the top!! Wow, that really freaks me out. I know some people don't make it top the top, but these people were all on different hikes and had truly terrifying stories to tell! Even during the climbing season (July & August) they said it's wicked cold, and you're gonna get wet either from rain, snow, or hail. Some people had frostbite, others had altitude sickness, but often it was dangerous weather that made they stop climbing and have to turn back around.