Furisode and Plastic Topknots
Jul. 4th, 2010 12:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
foolish_m0rtalSo I'm still working on the other posts about my trip to Asakusa, Ueno, Ginza, etc.
The Italian students came this week, and so Z and I have been showing them around, teaching them how to navigate the trains. ^__^ Everything we were taught when WE came! How funny is that?
Today we met Gustabo, who has moved to rural northern Japan to be with his Japanese girlfriend, but came down to visit us for lunch because his girlfriend had a job interview in Yokohama.
We went to an Indian restaurant called Guragaon (haha, I have relatives there) where I was actually useful for once and was able to help order food and talk to the Indian waiter. Gustabo told us about his life now. "There's only one train station in the city, and the next train station connects to the next city, I ride a very old bicycle everywhere, and I do a lot of the cooking and cleaning in the house while my girlfriend works." I think I see why he got a Japanese girlfriend now. From what I hear, housewives have pretty tiresome lives. The husband works all the time, and when he comes home, he many times criticizes how she does the housework. So eventually she becomes happier when he is NOT home. I heard all this from the Americans at the international house, so I don't know how much of it is true, but apparently this is why Japanese women like foreign men. Who knows?
Right. Then we went around to see the Imperial Palace, which is 500 years old and is surrounded by a really beautiful park (Jp. koen) and a bridge. I don't know- Zhuo kept saying randomly passive aggressive things like, "It's amazing people come to see this place if they don't actually get to go inside." I felt kind of awkward, because okay, it's freaking 500 years old and the emperor and his family still live there. If they don't want people touring around their house, that's their business. But thank god the people we were with didn't have a very keen sense of sarcasm. I just didn't think it was very kind. I know the Japanese can get very hurt if you say negative things about their country, so I don't really like it when someone asks, "What do you like about Japan?" and he starts with, "Well, what I don't like is..." Grr. Maybe this is his way of saying, I like everything else. He's kind of strange sometimes.
This was the last day I was able to see Izumi-san before she goes for her internship in Shanghai. T_T She was so thoughtful and remembered I had lost one of my earring backs, so she got me a whole bunch of plastic ones. *^_^* SUCH a nice person! I will miss her a lot! She had to attend her friend's wedding and was wearing a furisode, so we waited at a coffeeshop while she got ready at the hotel. I had coffee jelly, which is basically jelly that tastes like espresso with vanilla ice cream on top. So GOOD. I will have to remember to make it at home.
So then we went back when she was ready, and we took a lot of pictures for her. She looked really lovely. She had her obi in a very ornate bow and was wearing about four kimono layers. She had some kind of flowers in her hair too. Then she had to go, and I guess I won't be seeing her for a long time. *sniff* She was really so kind to us and always enthusiastic about everything. I think I've become a lighter person because of her, and hope to still keep in contact with her, perhaps even see her again if I visit Japan in the future.
Then we went BACK to Akihabara (a place Z doesn't like very much) and I was able to take a picture of one of the dressed up people. The maids that are advertising for their cafes don't let you take pictures of them, because it's only allowed in the cafe. I got a cute picture of a campaign girl, though.
I got something for my friend at the anime museum and then helped Gustabo find a computer keyboard. Gustabo left us because his girlfriend called and then Keita-san had to leave because he was off to Omiya to catch up with an old friend he hasn't seen since high school. So then we went back home.
The Italian girl Uliana knocked on my door and asked if I'd like to go out with them for dinner. So she and Federico, the Italian guy, and the two Russian students Anna and Nikolay, and I (god, that's horrible comma misuse!) went to an izakaya for dinner. I wish I had brought my camera, because it was SO COOL. We take off our shoes beforehand and step up into a long tatami room that is separated into rooms by gauze curtains. Each room has a low table with cushions where we sit and eat. The table had a space under it so we could put our legs underneath. I sat in seiza for about thirty minutes before my feet started cramping up. (weakling) We ordered beer, and I ordered okonomiyaki, takoyaki, and some kind of wafer-thin cream filled fried dumpling. I was able to use my Japanese (badly) with the waitress and just chill with everyone.
Okay, so everyone at the table started to smoke, and I said I"d never smoked a REAL cigarette before. (I'd smoked the clove ones with my chorus at beach week) Uliana was like, 'Here, you want to try mine?' but then she was like, no, I don't want your first time to be like this!
And I started cracking up, because god, that's a line straight out of a yaoi manga. XXD OH MAN. I'm still laughing right now.
One of the waiters had this plastic wig on that made him look like he had a topknot, which was FAN-tastic. Even though everyone else at the table was older, somehow I ended up handling the money (I guess they trust me a lot/they were drunker than I was?) and said gochisosama to the guy, which made him really happy. ^__^ Yay, my meagre Japanese makes old women and topknotted men happy! (On the train, I said 'dozo' to this old woman and offered up the empty seat, and I have never heard such a happy little laugh from anyone ever. I ADORE old Japanese women!)
So now I'm back and will be calling my parents on Skype. Phew. I'm tired, dude. Pictures of all the abovementioned things are forthcoming.
The Italian students came this week, and so Z and I have been showing them around, teaching them how to navigate the trains. ^__^ Everything we were taught when WE came! How funny is that?
Today we met Gustabo, who has moved to rural northern Japan to be with his Japanese girlfriend, but came down to visit us for lunch because his girlfriend had a job interview in Yokohama.
We went to an Indian restaurant called Guragaon (haha, I have relatives there) where I was actually useful for once and was able to help order food and talk to the Indian waiter. Gustabo told us about his life now. "There's only one train station in the city, and the next train station connects to the next city, I ride a very old bicycle everywhere, and I do a lot of the cooking and cleaning in the house while my girlfriend works." I think I see why he got a Japanese girlfriend now. From what I hear, housewives have pretty tiresome lives. The husband works all the time, and when he comes home, he many times criticizes how she does the housework. So eventually she becomes happier when he is NOT home. I heard all this from the Americans at the international house, so I don't know how much of it is true, but apparently this is why Japanese women like foreign men. Who knows?
Right. Then we went around to see the Imperial Palace, which is 500 years old and is surrounded by a really beautiful park (Jp. koen) and a bridge. I don't know- Zhuo kept saying randomly passive aggressive things like, "It's amazing people come to see this place if they don't actually get to go inside." I felt kind of awkward, because okay, it's freaking 500 years old and the emperor and his family still live there. If they don't want people touring around their house, that's their business. But thank god the people we were with didn't have a very keen sense of sarcasm. I just didn't think it was very kind. I know the Japanese can get very hurt if you say negative things about their country, so I don't really like it when someone asks, "What do you like about Japan?" and he starts with, "Well, what I don't like is..." Grr. Maybe this is his way of saying, I like everything else. He's kind of strange sometimes.
This was the last day I was able to see Izumi-san before she goes for her internship in Shanghai. T_T She was so thoughtful and remembered I had lost one of my earring backs, so she got me a whole bunch of plastic ones. *^_^* SUCH a nice person! I will miss her a lot! She had to attend her friend's wedding and was wearing a furisode, so we waited at a coffeeshop while she got ready at the hotel. I had coffee jelly, which is basically jelly that tastes like espresso with vanilla ice cream on top. So GOOD. I will have to remember to make it at home.
So then we went back when she was ready, and we took a lot of pictures for her. She looked really lovely. She had her obi in a very ornate bow and was wearing about four kimono layers. She had some kind of flowers in her hair too. Then she had to go, and I guess I won't be seeing her for a long time. *sniff* She was really so kind to us and always enthusiastic about everything. I think I've become a lighter person because of her, and hope to still keep in contact with her, perhaps even see her again if I visit Japan in the future.
Then we went BACK to Akihabara (a place Z doesn't like very much) and I was able to take a picture of one of the dressed up people. The maids that are advertising for their cafes don't let you take pictures of them, because it's only allowed in the cafe. I got a cute picture of a campaign girl, though.
I got something for my friend at the anime museum and then helped Gustabo find a computer keyboard. Gustabo left us because his girlfriend called and then Keita-san had to leave because he was off to Omiya to catch up with an old friend he hasn't seen since high school. So then we went back home.
The Italian girl Uliana knocked on my door and asked if I'd like to go out with them for dinner. So she and Federico, the Italian guy, and the two Russian students Anna and Nikolay, and I (god, that's horrible comma misuse!) went to an izakaya for dinner. I wish I had brought my camera, because it was SO COOL. We take off our shoes beforehand and step up into a long tatami room that is separated into rooms by gauze curtains. Each room has a low table with cushions where we sit and eat. The table had a space under it so we could put our legs underneath. I sat in seiza for about thirty minutes before my feet started cramping up. (weakling) We ordered beer, and I ordered okonomiyaki, takoyaki, and some kind of wafer-thin cream filled fried dumpling. I was able to use my Japanese (badly) with the waitress and just chill with everyone.
Okay, so everyone at the table started to smoke, and I said I"d never smoked a REAL cigarette before. (I'd smoked the clove ones with my chorus at beach week) Uliana was like, 'Here, you want to try mine?' but then she was like, no, I don't want your first time to be like this!
And I started cracking up, because god, that's a line straight out of a yaoi manga. XXD OH MAN. I'm still laughing right now.
One of the waiters had this plastic wig on that made him look like he had a topknot, which was FAN-tastic. Even though everyone else at the table was older, somehow I ended up handling the money (I guess they trust me a lot/they were drunker than I was?) and said gochisosama to the guy, which made him really happy. ^__^ Yay, my meagre Japanese makes old women and topknotted men happy! (On the train, I said 'dozo' to this old woman and offered up the empty seat, and I have never heard such a happy little laugh from anyone ever. I ADORE old Japanese women!)
So now I'm back and will be calling my parents on Skype. Phew. I'm tired, dude. Pictures of all the abovementioned things are forthcoming.
