Last Day in Mito

I am constantly amazed everyday how beautiful it is here. Today especially the sun was shining and it is warm and I could just walk around the city for hours, which is what I did for most of the day. I had to say sayonara to two of my newly made friends this morning because they were moving to their work locations. But it is okay because I still have a few friends here until I leave. This morning Justine and I walked to the park, where there are giant mutant swans, regular sized ducks, pigeons, and other birds in the lake. There is a 4km walking area around the lake with trees that are starting to sprout cherry blossoms surrounding the path. It was beautiful now, but I can't imagine what it would look like during Summer time. I actually got a little sunburn today.

After our walk we met up with Will, who wanted to go to the 100 yen store (like a dollar store) and since I was eager to take some pictures on the other side of the station I went along for the fun. We ended up not finding the 100 yen store, but I did find a Starbucks and had a white mocha that reminded me of home.

I noticed some pretty unusual things like a 3 year old girl and her 5 year old brother wandering around alone and a little girl riding her bike around the city. These were explained by our trainers as a part of the culture here. The children take care of themselves and require little to no supervision from adults. They said that during recess there is never any trouble and the children will police themselves. For example, if one kid is being a bully the other kids will surround them and yell them into submission. It's an interesting culture for sure. In America, two unsupervised children next to a body of water is a big deal but here it is normal and acceptable.

Also, the Japanese are really dedicated workers. They feel obligated to stay at work as long as there is someone else at work and so it is hard for anyone to go home. The company office that I have been going to for training is interesting because they are there from 8am until really late. For example, I had training yesterday until 8pm. I only started training at 3pm, but the staff were there from 8am until later than 8pm, because they were there when I left. No one will leave. In fact, I went in at 1pm today and some of the employees seemed to be wearing the same clothes as the night before. And it's Saturday! They feel obligated to stay at work at least until the sun goes down but from what I have seen they stay a lot later than that. It is very common to see people sprinting in suits in the morning to make it to work on time because punctuality is extremely important.

I guess the hardest thing about the culture for me to wrap my head around is the sense of conformity. There is a Japanese proverb that says "the nail which sticks out gets hammered down." Coming from America, where individuality is so important, it is difficult to imagine this concept, but it is evident in every aspect of life here. From the cars looking similar, to the way people dress and the way people say phrases in the same intonation and their work ethic, it is obvious that this is a society based on conformity. For this reason, I have been warned by my trainers and fellow ALTs that I will be a celebrity in the small town that I will be working in. Even to the point that children will want me to give them autographs and even sign their shirts.

I received my hanko today, which is pretty much like a stamp but is personalized and has your name written in katekana. It is necessary to have one and is like an official signature to do things like open a bank account.

I also went to the Japanese McDonalds for the first time today to get lunch from the 100 yen menu. They have a special now called the Big America. They change the special based on a different state and now their special meal is the Big America Texas Burger! It looks tasty and Will tried it and said it was good but I only had the shaka shaka chicken, which is a piece of chicken that you put into a bag and pour seasoning flavor into the bag and "shake" it until the chicken is flavored. It was delicious and I admit i'm lovin' it. However, I am going to try to stay away from Americanized food as much as possible. Of course, I say this after a day of Starbucks and McDonalds. But i'm going to a tempura house for dinner tonight!

At five Will and I walked back to the Heart office to get our cars. It took a little while, and another new ALT was there. Staff introduced us to him and he is from Charlotte, North Carolina! I guess it's a small world after all. He went to Appalachian State. So we finally got into a small van-like car with a guy who drove us to a garage with many small box-like cars parked in the front. We looked at the information that staff provided us and found our cars. Mine was some car called a Move. I actually got lucky because mine was a sort of mini SUV, while most of the others were tiny box cars. There was a Honda Beagle which I really wanted because it was 4WD but alas, I will settle for the Move. We all attempted to follow the guy back to the hotel, but only the lucky and speedy were successful, and because of stop lights and there being 5 of us, some lost the leader. Fortunately, I was one of the lucky few and followed closely. Driving was intimidating, the wheel was on the opposite side, and the roads were backwards to me,the gas pedal was small, and although I had been warned, I still turned on the windshield wipers when I attempted to flip the turn signal. However, I made it successfully to the hotel, which could not put my car into it's garage because it was too tall. I had to park in a gravel parking lot a little farther down. After this we all went to the tempura house for dinner. I have to say that it was the best food I have had so far in Japan. It was deep fried shrimp, eggplant, veggies, tofu, and butternut squash all over a bed of rice along with a bowl of seaweed and tofu miso soup and tea. Delicious from start to finish. And only 500 yen!

I apologize for writing a novel but this is probably the last time I will have internet access for a while. I am leaving tomorrow morning bright and early for my four hour journey to Osaki-shi City, where I will be living and working. I will then have to register for my Gaijin card (Alien registration) and receive this card before I can get internet. This will take at least two weeks to receive the card.