Giri-post
Greetings and salutations,
I find myself posting today because I feel like I should, after all it’s been a while since my last post and I am sure you all have just been feeling rapt with anticipation over what would come next. The problem is I am feeling very little to write. I know I should have plenty to write considering I have been on vacation and fairly active, but I suppose it’s just a nasty case of bloggers block I’ll have to force my way through. On with the show.
As I said, I have been on vacation the past week (and still have two days to go) and for the most part I’ve tried to keep it a nice break from work, active but not exhausting. I’ve continued my hunt for temples and am happy to report that another four have been found, including one hidden gem just a couple minutes from my house. Pictures will come forthwith so you all can see. I did have a very enjoyable night on the town Thursday as Jeff from my initial training group ventured back to Nagoya for the night and we barhopped a bit in Sakae. It was the basic evening consisting of increasingly hilarious elevator rides, poorly executed bilingual pick-up attempts and a drunken Japanese chef having his hand lit on fire. I also was able to experience the Japanese internet cafe for the first time, but more on that in the culture notes below.
In other news, I did make the final preparations for getting my internet set up, now it’s just a matter of waiting for the installation, which due to the long holiday and general Japanese slowness, will not be for about two and a half weeks. My front patio wireless access has returned, however, so I suppose there is little reason for concern.
Also today I visited the Nagoya International Center (great gaijin resource by the way http://www.nic-nagoya.or.jp/en/) and looked into Japanese courses. Sign up and interviews for the courses are next week and I am hoping to get into both the basic conversation and writing classes. The nice thing about these classes are that they are cheap (if I do both classes it would be about $70 for 11 classes per course and that includes materials) but besides that I figure it will also be a good way to get out and meet some new people. I am pretty excited about this, so I’ll keep you posted with the results.
Now on a culture note I would like to explain to you all the amazing concept of the Japanese internet cafe. Sure, we have internet cafes in the States, a place where you can check your email and maybe have a cup of coffee, but the Japanese variety are a whole different animal. First you will notice that when you walk in you pay by the hour, with package deals of up to six hours. After this you will be assigned to a cubical containing the PC and usually a TV. Also all around are racks of magazines, manga books and DVDs, all open for use and also stands of instant noodle bowls and other such quick foods available for purchase near the counter. Now from an initial western sense, one might wonder just what people are doing in these places, closed away for hours on end in front of a computer, but look a little deeper an the actual purpose is clear. It’s not simply a place to check emails or play a quick game, but rather it’s simply a relatively cheap place to be, open 24hours and off the streets.
This resource is invaluable to those who have been out drinking, missed the last subway home and need a place to chill out until they start up again. This was the group I found myself in Thursday night when Jeff and I needed to kill a few hours near Sakae before we could get home and for a couple of bucks we had a comfortable space, plenty of entertainment and no hassles. Also it’s worth noting that once you are inside, there’s really nothing to sketchy about the places as everything was clean and well kept. I am sure I will someday return under similar circumstances.
Well I feel like that’s about all I can force myself to write at the moment. Apologies for the crappy, somewhat disjointed post. Promise I’ll do better next time.
Ja ne,
-Cory
ps. “Giri” is the Japanese concept of obligation, such as in gift giving. It’s great to learn, cause knowledge is power.
May 4, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Cory,
I’ve just logged in to your blog site…nice set-up. I wouldn’t worry about not having much to say…as my Godmother Sue Shupe says “A lack of words can be a sign of contentment.” Hopefully this is true in your case. I’ll put you on my desktop for easy acces in the future…isn’t the internet something! Do you like warm sakee?
May 5, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Hey Cory. Just got the address to the blog and got caught up. Looks like you’re having an experience of a lifetime. I’m jealous. How many days do you work a week and how many hours? Have you been to any karaoke bars yet?