Getting There

I'm feeling more comfortable in Japan now.  I've been here longer than I was the first time, and I think that at this point, I would feel weird to be back in America.  I don't know if the adjustment is caffiene-induced or a result of having more friends or maybe a bit of both.

Sunday I went to Makuhari beach on Tokyo Bay to do a cleanup and survey of litter for my class 環境から考える生活と世界 (Environmental issues; Think globally, act locally).  Most of the trash on the beach was fragmented and difficult to collect in my frozen, stiff-gloved hands.  Despite the rain and cold, and my wishing that the event could be postponed by virtue of having woken up early on a Sunday morning, I felt satisfied with the event afterward.  I think that past environmental-related activities in the cold and rain helped me acclimate to these kinds of conditions.  And the temperature in Chiba doesn't seem to drop much lower than 34ºF.

 But the most exonerating aspect of the event was the aftermath victory meal, when some friends and I went to a warm restaurant to indulge in some rich, Italian-influenced Japanese food.  I also had a nice chat with one of my Japanese classmates, whom I got a cool impression from.  I kind of felt drawn to her style.. or at least her hat.  Either way, I talked to her more and discovered that her major is in agriculture (economics, management, etc).  How unexpected and interesting; I think a testament to the fact that farmers can enjoy good fashion.  Lauren--also very fashion conscious--is also currently participating in an internship at the American Embassy in Tokyo, regarding importing food from America.  It's a connection based on her father's work in international food (and agriculture).  Life is pretty uncanny.

Furthermore, I have finally contacted and gotten a response from a promising WWOOF host in Wakayama!  Their profile offers a lot, a good balance between sustainability and cooking (which I sorely miss).  They have developed a cafe that serves pizza made fresh from their farm ingredients.  No cheese, though *American audience leaves the room, appalled, mouths agape*  And unfortunately, they are closed in the winter season.  But maybe I can still cook something *crosses fingers*

According to their incredibly articulate English blog, they won the building materials for their "pizza hut" by entering a local contest.  The prize was cordwood thinned from a 1000 year old coniferous forest.  I get the impression that these people are very steeped in their philosophy, so I'm looking forward to a good experience come March!

Also good news--the cockroaches seem to have subsided a bit after I deployed the smoke bomb.  Next will be the boric acid, that I finally found at a drugstore for around ¥300.

Aftermath of the "smoke bomb"

I'm also looking forward to catching up with homework.  Once that happens, if that happens, I think I will finally be able to relax.  It's funny how much I used to enjoy Japanese at Maryland, back when I could keep tract of what I was learning.  Japanese was always the first thing I did (because I could get it out of the way).  Now I just have a glut of vocabulary to memorize for every class. 

My schedule is as follows..

Monday: General Japanese (8:50-10:20), Intercultural Communications (12:50-2:20)

Tuesday: Japanese Composition (8:50-10:20), Kanji (12:50-2:20)

Wednesday: Japanese Grammar (8:50-10:20)

Thursday: Oral Practice (8:50-10:20) , Think Globally Act Locally (12:50-2:20), Seminar of Global and Japanese Economy (2:30-4:00)

Friday: General Japanese (8:50-10:20), Kanji (12:50-2:20)

The global economy class is actually really interesting.  The professor is fluent in English, and is kind of wild about giving out handouts, but touches on a lot of interesting topics besides economics.  In the first class, we received a presentation about Bhutan, in which he dressed in traditional Bhutanese clothing.  In our last class, we listened to a song from the group SMAP that characterized Japan's acceptance of not always having to be #1 (economically, etc.)

It's almost too perfect here though... a little on the verge of utopian.

Makuhari Beach and the Marine Stadium in the background.  Apparently it's quite nice in the summer.  Not too much litter, despite the rain.

The other beach cleaning Japanese crew calls themselves the "Makuhari Hana-chans"

This is their mascot, Hana-chan.

"Doria" from a restaurant near Inage Station called "Cocos."

Essentially rice with cheese and meat sauce on top.  Quite amazing and cheap.  But the dish could have been deeper...

Things I got from a "free bazaar" held at the international center

Halloween is highly commercialized in Japan.   Of the treats offered at Japanese Baskin Robbins are "Halloween variety pack"..."candyman"..."magical mint night"..."magical shake",

Obviously tangible flavors.

Happy Halloween!