Wonderland

I've only been here for two days, but I'm adjusting to Japan rather quickly. I wasn't able to sleep much last night-jet lag kept me from sleeping more that six hours. I got up around 7 AM, and ate breakfast while chatting with Haruhi's mother. It was really interesting - we talked about similarities in the economic states of Japan and America, and about Japan's impression of gay people, compared to what I'm used to in Boston. Somehow, I was able to manage using Japanese even though the subject was kind of complex.

I spent the majority of the day with Hidehiro, Haruhi's brother. I was pretty nervous at the start, as the first part of the agenda was to meet up with his friends in Kyoto for lunch. After introductions, we headed to the restaurant, which turned out to be a Wagyu restaurant. I got to try all sorts of things, from raw beef to konyaku to Wagyu. I have no more worries about missing steak for a year - Japanese beef is awesome! For desert, I got a Mizu Yokan that I would swear was topped with gold (dead serious). I was pleasantly surprised that one of Hide's friends was practically fluent in English. Unfortunately, I was very bimyou (awkward) during the meal. I hope I'll be able to meet these friends again once I'm a little bit better at Japanese.

Afterwards, Hide and I did some window shopping in Kyoto, very close to where I stayed last time. He explained the fashion trends in Japan. It seems that fashion in Japan is the polar opposite of what it is in America: things like check shirts and skinny jeans are considered nerdy and gay fashions, respectively, whereas floral patterns and polka dots are really fashionable. Guys carry tote bags that are exclusively for women in the US. I guess there are some common points, because things like polo shirts are stylish too.

We then took the train to Osaka, and looked checked out some more shops. Japan is huge: all the buildings had six to eight floors! We also went to an underground shopping center that went down for three or four levels. I may have confused one of the shopkeepers when I pointed out that one of his shirts had both Jewish and Christian imagery on it. When we got tired, we took a break at a cafe, had a coke, and I explained my Tabula Rosa theory: in Japan, I can become whoever I want, and forget all my worries back in America. Contrary to popular belief, Japan is not as strict as it appears to be: people in Japan actually have an incredible amount of freedom to do whatever they want to. I don't think I've felt that so strongly before.

We stopped by a game center for a bit, reminding me once again of how amazing arcades are in Japan. Entire buildings filled with games of all kinds. We played something like Time Crisis, which I was fairly awesome at. We also played Taiko no Tatsujin, one of the most entertaining rhythm games I know of. Some people there were shockingly amazing, playing on the highest level without missing a beat. I think I'll stick with the normal difficulty.

Next stop was Uniqlo: one of the cheaper places to get clothes in Japan. Hide helped me pick out some chinos, and we had to figure out what size I needed (curses, I never did learn metric conversions). I also tried on some shirts, but nothing really blew me away. Hide discovered my hidden talent for looking like Daniel Radcliffe, something I haven't heard since I was a kid. We decided we'd look elsewhere for shirts and bags.

Before dinner, we opted to sing some karaoke. I was a little worried, since my vocal talents are poor to none. Luckily, Hide didn't mind: we paid for half and hour and sang Beatles songs, Kiseki, and I even got to try out Eyes on Me, which went better than expected. We then had a quick change of plans, deciding to go for ramen instead of sushi. I didn't really understand the logistics, but I didn't really mind. The shop we ate at is fairly well known in Osaka, and I can certainly see why! It was so very rich and flavorful, putting Porter's Sapporo Ramen to shame. If I'm not careful, I'm going to get very, very fat.

The last stop on the agenda was bowling, not something I had imagined would be popular in Japan. I haven't gone bowling in years, but I wasn't that bad at it. Well, not until I got 8 gutter balls in a row, but that was the last game. I was shocked by how amazing some of the other players were, seeing them get strike after strike. I've come up with a new rule of thumb: if it exists, there is an otaku for it. On the way out, we checked out the other floors (bowling was on floor 13). Some guy won a Chopper plush, and walked around with it hanging from his crotch. Let me tell you, THAT was a sight to see.

Having returned home, I was completely wiped out, so I took a shower before bed, at which point I made my first big Gaijin mistake. The water was cold, and I wasn't sure why. I thought that it might have something to do with saving power. I showered anyway, which actually wasn't so bad after the long day. But when I mentioned the incident to Haruhi's mother, she was shocked to hear that I hadn't used the Hot Water Switch (TM). I explained that we don't have them in America, which was why I'd never seen it before. And so went my first cultural fumble. Learn from my mistakes: in Japan, you have to turn on the hot water before you turn on the hot water.

I'm fully aware that everyday life is not nearly as exciting as today was. I'm sure that life in Japan is hard work. But still, for my second day in Japan, nothing could have made me feel more comfortable and at ease that today's adventure. Oh, and my jet lag is cured.