(Written on Sunday)

It feels strange to write a blog about my life in Japan when I am not in Japan. It feels strange to be sitting in Minnesota, looking outside at the snow, thinking about my life in Japan that existed only three days ago.  But, here I am and there certainly is a lot to tell.

I think the last time I wrote I was not back to Tokyo yet—I think I was in Fukuoka.  Well, the next day I arrived in Hiroshima, pretty non eventful- walked around, took in the sites, saw the Atomic Bomb Dome (a building that had been completely destroyed by the atomic bombing in 1945.  It was the next day that everything changed.  The next day was Friday, and in the afternoon Japan faced the most powerful earthquake that has ever rocked the nation.  It also faced a tsunami that killed thousands of people.  This news was devastating, and it was really really hard to be away from my Tokyo family and friends as I was watching the news, seeing this all unfolding.  Everyone in Tokyo thankfully was safe, and there was amazingly only the most minimal of damage. But still, I felt very anxious and upset and wanted to return but could not, so I spent my next day at the Hiroshima Peace Museum, learning about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and learning about the devastating effects nuclear radiation has on the human body and on the environment.  That night when I returned to my hostel, I read the news to find a nuclear power plant in Fukushima had suffered damage and was not able to properly cool, causing many to worry about nuclear radiation leakages.  This was very frightening, but it was not until a few days later that this really became the forefront concern from the tragedy.  I traveled through Osaka and Kyoto, seeing a friend and viewing many beautiful and amazing places, but really all I wanted to do was get home.

And get home I did, Tuesday evening. I would have been home in the early afternoon, but one of my best friends from the program was leaving Japan.  She had technically finished her program, having only been planning to stay for the first semester and cultural practicum, but she was originally going to spend another six weeks in Japan, traveling and living with her host family.  Unfortunately, her family in the States was extremely concerned for her wellbeing, and seeing as she had completed her program they insisted she go home.  I couldn’t believe she was leaving and fortunately was able to say goodbye to her only an hour after I had gotten back to Tokyo. 

I returned home to my host family, so happy to see Machico san and Kojirou kun! The next 36 hours were so wonderful- talking with my host parents, hearing about the earthquake, playing with Kojirou (who had changed so much!!!).  I was so happy to be with them! And my life in Tokyo didn’t really seem too different after the quake.  There were some scheduled blackouts- different parts of the city of Tokyo would be blacked out at different times of the day for three hours to help save energy.  Some trains did not run all day or only ran part of their normal route.  The supermarkets and convenience stores were a bit sparse because some people were panicking a little and were buying up non-perishable items.  But otherwise people were very normal and calm.  I believe this is because Japan is very much a group-based nation, a nation in which the individual’s primary concern is not that for themselves but for the nation, the group.  Thus, everyone was happy to suffer small inconveniences for the sake of making the life of the nation better.  No one wanted to complain as there was probably someone suffering worse than they.  Everyone was trying to live normally, offering only positive support to their neighbors and to strangers.  No one wanted to panic and cause any inconvenience towards the group.  I believe this is what I was witnessing.

Perhaps because of this, I really saw no reason why I should need to leave Tokyo.  At that time, there were reports of small traces of radiation beginning to be traced in Tokyo, but they were so small that they were less than spending a few hours at the beach.  Thus, I did not feel my safety to be in any way at risk. 

Talking to my parents though, it was difficult to hear how worried they were.  I realized that in the US, the news was difficult to watch, perhaps at times overdramatizing the unfolding events.  I was so humbled by all the support my family and I were receiving through phone calls, emails, facebook messages, hugs, and positive thoughts and prayers.  Thank-you so much for all who supported myself and my family- really, I was truly humbled and am so sorry for causing you anxiety and worry.  It was through hearing all the people who were worrying about me and through talking with my parents that the gravity of the situation really started to weigh on me, and at first it was really difficult to decide what to do.  I didn’t want to go home and felt no danger in my life. I mean, my program had not advised us to return, my host family with a not-yet three-year-old son was not anxious or considering moving locations, so I did not see why I should come home.  Yet only twelve hours later, at about midnight on Thursday, various things going on in my family combined with my parents worry and the fact my program was offering to reimburse us the amount it would cost to buy a round-trip plane ticket to America, I painfully decided to come home temporarily. 

From there it was craziness. I got about an hour and a half of sleep on Wednesday night/Thursday morning.  Then early Thursday morning I surprised my host mom by being awake and dressed for the day, on my computer in the living room before she got up to make breakfast. It was then that I told my family I would be leaving.. THE NEXT DAY! They understood and were so supportive- I almost started crying in front of them because I was so happy to be with them and it was so crazy to have been gone for so long, seen them for less than 48 hours and then have to pack up and go, not knowing when I would be coming back. 

At seven thirty I left my house and met my friend to go to the immigration bureau office.  He, along with everyone else in my program, had received the message that Japan Study would pay for our tickets to and from America.  We were really so lucky that Japan Study did not cancel our program, as other US programs did.  They were so generous in giving us this option.  So my friend and I  needed to get re-entry visas to allow us to re-enter Japan when we came back. We were there by 9 am, the opening time, and were so shocked to see a huge line of people outside the office.  This line kept going and going and going and going and going- probably somewhere between half a mile and a mile long. We waited outside for six hours- SIX HOURS- to get our visas! I had no idea it was going to be like that! And fortunately I had eaten breakfast (my friend had not) and was wearing my winter coat, as it was cold. 

Also, it was so lucky I was with my friend, and we entertained each other for those long six hours, making it seem not as long as it would have had we each been solo.  We were even interviewed by an Australian journalist!  What I was really amazed with though was the fact that once we got in the building, the paperwork took less than ten minutes.  Really, it seemed like it was just a huge line of people, but it was actually extremely well handled by the Japanese immigration bureau, helping us cross streets, monitoring the lines, making the process as quick as possible.  They must have processed thousands of people that day- I give a lot of credit to the Japanese government for making it a relatively smooth process.

That night I spent talking a lot with my host parents- we had a great time. Then I packed and slept.  I only slept three nights in my bed in Tokyo. 

The next morning was departure day.  I got up and had breakfast with the fam- sad to say goodbye but again I was humbled by their concern, support, and understanding for my situation.  They told me that if their son was in a similar situation, they would want him to return home.  We said our goodbyes and Kenichi and Machico went to work, Kojirou going to his day-care.  I did a few last minute preparation things and then headed out the door.  I walked pulling my suitcase twenty minutes to the train station, the whole time feeling like a refugee or something- I mean it was pretty obvious what was going on: I was a foreigner lugging a bright blue suitcase to the train station- I was getting out of Japan.  I tried to take a bus from a town near mine to the airport, but when I got to the stop I was informed that, due to an effort to conserve gasoline, that bus was not running, so I had to get back on the train and take the long way.  The difficult thing was that many escalators that take people to the train platforms weren’t operating in an effort to save energy, which normally would be awesome, but I had a big suitcase with me, and it was very tiring carrying it up and down huge flights of stairs!

I made it to the airport uneventfully and started orienting myself so I could check in.  Again, I faced a huge line of foreigners also doing the same.  There were cameras and news reporters everywhere- it was crazy.

I boarded the completely full train, full of foreigners wanting to get of Japan for a bit.  The twelve hour flight took me to JFK in NYC, and then from there came to Mpls at 10 pm, Friday.  It was a really long and exhausting day.  Seeing my parents was great, as has been seeing ALMOST EVERY OTHER FAMILY MEMBER this week! Haha, really, it was funny because the next day, Saturday, I saw almost all of my family members on my mom’s side of the family, and then Sunday, today, saw almost all of my dad’s! I was afraid it would be overwhelming, but really it was so wonderful and makes me very happy to be here.

I obviously desperately want to go back, and in many ways am sad and frustrated the way this is working out, but I have many things to be grateful about: It is still Waseda spring break, so I am not missing anything, my plane ticket was free, I got to see most of my family members, I will get to see my friends and maybe make a stop at Olaf, I get to visit my sister at college, I AM SAFE.  I am also cautiously very very optimistic about going back.  There was some good news today, the Japanese sending some car manufacturing laborers back to work and the success in gaining control of the temperature of two of the nuclear reactors (although they were the two in the best condition..).  I know I will be back. Haha, and anyways, I did not pack up my Tokyo room, so I really HAVE to go back and get my things! 

I will write more as it happens- I will be in America until at least April first. I really hope to be in Japan after that, but we will see how things unfold.  I have learned how random and how fleeting daily life, plans, life in general can be.  And I have been humbled by the support shown to me and to the nation of Japan by family, friends, and even strangers. Thank-you so much for all your prayers and support.  

The last few days

The last few days have been challenging. While I have witnessed my fellow countrymen endure disasters of all kinds- Sept 11th, the Rushford/Stockton floods in 2008, Hurricane Katrina, Columbine, etc, this is the first that has reached a nerve deep inside me.  I don't really know the reason- maybe because I had friends that were actually in Tokyo when this happened, maybe because I haven't seen my friends or host family for six weeks, maybe because I have been traveling alone, maybe because it was so unexpected, but it's felt very personal watching the news and hearing about the quakes, even though I didn't know anyone who directly suffered any physical harm (I don't know anyone who lives up north).

The earthquake struck Sendai, Japan at 2:46 on the 11th.  At that time, I was in Hiroshima and didn't hear anything about it until around 6:30 pm, when the owner of the hostel I had stayed at in Fukuoka, Ken, called me and asked me if I was okay and explained what had happened in the north.  I went back to my hostel and turned on my computer, staring in disbelief at what I saw appear on my screen.  I tried to contact one of my friends in Tokyo and my host family, texting and calling, but didn't receive an answer for hours. The phone lines were so congested no one was able to really communicate.  I finally heard from my friend and host mom that night, and although we still couldn't talk on the phone, it was great to receive a text from them.

At that point I was feeling really anxious- I just wanted to get back to my friends and family in Tokyo. But, I had found out via all the facebook status updates informing friends of everyone's where-abouts that a girl I know from Waseda was also in Hiroshima at the same time I was, so I contacted her and we met up for a late dinner. It was so great to finally see someone I knew from Tokyo and to talk to her about what was going on. Also nice to have some company and someone to talk about less serious things with!

Saturday I woke up and tried calling my host family again.  This time the call went through, and I got to talk to Machico, Kenichi, and Kojirou! I almost started crying when I heard little Kojirou's voice on the other end of the line! While I was happy to know they were all safe and sound (although Kenichi had to walk for hours to get home from work as the trains had stopped running!), mostly I was just happy to hear their voices as I hadn't talked to them on the phone since I had left Tokyo in early February.  At that point I became really "homesick" for my Tokyo family and wanted to do nothing more than pick up and leave Hiroshima and go home. But, I still had five days of travel ahead of me, and even if I canceled it would still take two days via the trains to get back.  I called my family in Winona and was lucky to be able to talk to everyone- my mom, dad, and sister.  Also good to hear their voices! They helped me to snap out of my melancholy and try and enjoy my days ahead.  And I did!

Fom Hiroshima I took a little side trip to Hiyajima, an island just thirty minutes outside Hirojima's city center and is famous for a "tori" (a Japanese Shinto gate) that stands, really that seems to float, in the ocean.  Very beautiful. Also, the island has many old temples, buildings, and interesting shops to keep a traveler entertained.  And, there are semi-tame deer that roam around the island, kind of like pigeons- so used to people and to being fed by them they have no fear of humans and even become a bit aggressive sometimes!  Very cute, also very surprised by them!

From there I made the trek to Kyoto- about six hours by local trains.  Uneventful- when I got to my hostel I was again a bit "homesick" and wanting to head back to Tokyo, but walking around the city today I realized what a wonderful place Kyoto is! Literally, everywhere you look there are old buildings, temples, winding alley-ways, geisha and maico, small shops, souvenir shops, everything! A really gorgeous city.  Just about every city I have been to in the past six weeks has so much more character (architecturally) than Tokyo does, so it has been wonderful to walk around and see the differences. And I do a lot of walking- it is fun to just pick up and walk in any direction for a few hours and see where it will take you. I find I do not get tired easily, and I have literally spent up to eight hours in a day just walking and exploring.  It's really wonderful and really relaxing- it can be overwhelming to try and tackle a new city as a solo tourist, but just taking a walking tour makes it feel much more manageable.

Then early this afternoon I went to a city about an hour outside of Kyoto called Osaka to meet a good friend of mine from Tokyo- It was so so so so so fun to be able to see her and catch up on the last six weeks! Osaka was a really lively city that was fun to walk through- we spent most of our time on one of the popular streets for food, fashion, and youth culture.  Then we met two other girls for okonomiyaki- basically a cabbage pancake that is famous in Osaka.  So amazingly delicious!!!

Safe

I am lucky and am safe in Japan.  A huge earthquake hit northern honshu island today at 2:46 pm (Japanese time).  I am in Hiroshima now and didn't feel it- many of my friends were in Tokyo and their encounters with the earthquake sound terrifying, especially my friends who were on the 15th and 26th floors of buildings.  But my host family and friends in Tokyo are all safe and sound. Please be thinking of the people in Northern Honshu- entire towns were swept away by the Tsunamis.. And it's not over.

The end of Okinawa and what comes next:

I am currently writing this on word-processor in the den of a hostel I am staying at in a town called Fukuoka.  Meaning, no longer in Okinawa and currently sans internet connection on this computer, so making due with what I have! I guess I will try writing and then uploading my various posts when I can. 

My last days in Okinawa were really great ones:

Friday was my last day of school.  Taught a few classes, said goodbye to my favorites (the sports boys!), received a card and “leis” of candy from one first year high school class (so unexpected!).  I wrote cards for all the teachers who had helped me out (there were many!) and passed those out.  I also got to meet the Principal and Vice Principal- such formal occasions! I haven’t had to be on my best behavior like that for a while, but it was great to meet them and they had many kind and encouraging words to offer me.  Finally I had to give a little speech at a teacher’s meeting at the end of the day.  It was scary, as I had to use my polite Japanese, but it was a good practice in using proper grammar and vocabulary!  Sad to leave Okisho, but many many happy memories were made there.  I wasn’t able to be sad for long though because right after I met my friend Yuka and her boyfriend for dinner.  I mentioned meeting her in one of my earlier posts ,but never followed up on it.  I’ve actually been able to meet her three times now in Okinawa.  She is going to school on the US military base and works at a restaurant at night.  She is also an avid salsa dancer, which is how she met her boyfriend, Ray.  He is in the US military and it was really interesting being able to meet him and hearing about army life and getting the perspective of a soldier working in Okinawa.  I have talked with my Okinawa host dad about the US military base and about his opinions on it, and his responses were really enlightening, and I liked getting the opinion from a real-working US military member.  Anyways, seeing Yuka has been a really fun and wonderful experience- I got to meet her mom and sister and it was so wonderful to reconnect with her. It is such a good feeling that I have many people I can count on all over the world, and I am happy to count Miss Yuka as one of them!

Saturday I spent the morning and afternoon with the host fam.  We went to a really nice hotel on an absolutely beautiful beach.  When I say absolutely beautiful beach, I mean post-card knock-your-socks-off beautiful.  I don’t think I really posted about this last week, but I got to go to a tropical island on Feb 26^{th (Mimi’s birthday!!!)}.  How great is it for a MN girl to spend the 26^th of February biking, swimming, napping in the sun, eating ice cream on literally the most beautiful island I have ever seen.  Great, right?  So hanging out, eating brunch with the host fam at a restaurant overlooking the beach this last weekend was really great.  Then we headed a little further south to another ocean front.  This time, we were able to walk out onto a giant stone dock-like structure- treacherous walking but beautiful scenery.  So beautiful, plus to top it all off there was a band practicing in the background for a concert happening that evening, so we even had lovely background music with which to take in the sights.  After that, I attended a dinner party hosted by Buscuri Sensei, the head teacher of the international studies department at Okisho. She invited myself, the four other US teachers, and the three other international studies department teachers.  Dinner was delicious, company was wonderful, and afterwards the other americans and I went out for karaoke! Fun fun for one of my last nights in Okinawa.

Sunday was spent packing, talking to my lovely family on the phone, and hanging out with Miyu and her boyfriend, Chiba.  Miyu and I shopped a bit, then met Chiba for a showing of the movie, Social Network.  We took pictures together and then went bowling.  Her parents met us after and we all went to dinner together at a steak house- one where the waiters prepare all of your food right in front of you.  It was very delicious, but the best part was the end of the meal.  Miyu gave me a card and a key chain she and Chiba had made for me, and then gave me a card that the students in her homeroom had made for me. It was so touching- I can’t really even describe. I can’t lie, the tears came and I was so grateful to my Okinawa family in that moment I really couldn’t speak. My host dad and mom had really kind words for me and it was such a special way to end the night.  What wonderful people I have been able to share the last four weeks with.

Monday started early- had to be at the port at 6:30 am, boarded at 7:00.  From Naha to Kagoshima (the southern-most city of the Japanese island of Kyushyu) it took about twenty eight hours. Twenty eight hours. On a boat. Now, I have never really ridden a boat. Boats are very very very turbulent. I was happy for the first few stops of the trip that  no one was really boarding, so I had a room to myself (when I say room, I mean a room with space on the floor for about twenty people to sleep).  But starting from about 12 noon onwards, it got busier.  Really though, because the waves were so choppy all anyone really wanted to do was sleep. I could only be up for a few hours of a time without feeling sick.  It was a long voyage, but 9:55 am I was able to leave, and did so with a new founded appreciation for anyone who has to work on a ship, especially waiters.  A difficult task, as I wasn’t even able to walk around without looking like I had consumed more than one-too-many….

The bus to Fukuoka from Kagoshima was unremarkable but beautiful.  Actually, a woman I had met on the ship was taking the same bus as me showed me a small act of kindness by giving me half of an ice-cream snack she had bought, explaining the coldness of it would help ease my stomach, which it did.  Nice people! I am now in Fukuoka, the place in Japan where my dad lived for a few years! Really neat to be here! I’ve met lots of interesting people already- people from Germany, Canada, England, Australia.  The hostel owner, Ken, took us out to dinner at a sushi restaurant and we had a great chance to chat and get to know each other better.  It is really great way to feel out what is worth seeing in the city and what can be skipped. Tomorrow am exploring the city! So excited!