Yukata Party!

Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well and thriving despite everything going on in the world right now. I am very sorry it has taken me so long to post another update but hopefully I will make up for it with another post soon!

Today I am going to talk about a yukata party I went to the first weekend in August! (I know, I'm very behind schedule!) When I ordered my kimono a few months back, I had been attending classes to practice wearing kimono. I.E. Putting it on properly, tying my obi in different ways, wearing hakama, etc.

When I ordered my yukata, I signed up for a membership card at the shop. Doing this gave me access to a lot of nice additions I otherwise wouldn't have. For example, it gave me a discount on my first order (the yukata and everything I bought with it), I get discounted kimono cleanings, and I get to attend the kimono parties the shop holds throughout the year!

Recently, I took a friend back to the shop to help her order a yukata as well. The staff at this shop (Suzunoki -すずのき) are amazingly friendly and helpful and they were all very excited to be able to help another foreigner pick out and wear kimono. If there is one thing you should know about Japanese people, it is that they are the kindest people you will ever meet and they love when foreigners wear kimono/yukata. Just be sure that you are doing it properly and respectfully. While we were there,the staff reminded me that there was a yukata party on August 1st and they extended the invitation to my friend as well since she was returning to America on the 6th.

Getting Ready

The staff at the shop held my friend's yukata after it was finished until we went to get ready for the party. They helped us to get ready since it was her first time wearing yukata. The staff and kimono teachers that were helping members dress were exceedingly efficient and wonderful. The woman dressing me took such care in thinking of the perfect obi style for me and I could tell she was excited to share this part of her culture with me. She kept commenting on how my legs and arms were longer than the average Japanese woman's and she found it to be a nice challenge to make sure everything was perfect. 

The first thing she did was look closely at my obi. It is double sided with two different colors and patterns so she was deciding which side she would use. In the end, she chose to do a color-change style with the deep pink/purple being the main color. I was very happy that she did it without my asking her because color-change is my favorite style! 

She wrapped it around me tightly and I felt her tugging and pulling on it behind me. I was thinking about how many times these women have done this for others while she worked because they were so quick and efficient and it was tied in tighter than I could ever do for myself! Since I was distracted though, I was a bit surprised when she suddenly pulled out rubber bands! Never once had my teacher shown me any obi styles with rubber bands and since I couldn't see what she was doing, I was very curious. It took her a few minutes and when my friend Anna (a staff member) came back into the room, I could see her face light up. She told me that the design was so beautiful and that I was going to love it.

Finally, I was able to turn around and take a look in the mirror and my jaw dropped. This talented woman had tied my obi as a rose! It was amazing and so cute! 

I bowed and thanked her profusely and it was just so sweet because she bowed and took my hand in both of hers, thanking me for letting her dress me. Truly, the Japanese people are such warm-hearted people.

Ashley was waiting for me outside the room, dressed in her very own yukata for the first time and looking wonderful! I have added a picture of her (with her permission of course) so you can see her beautiful coordination as well!

The Party

After we were all dressed, we rode together with my friend Anna to a hotel venue that was close to the shop. We met my friend Maya and her husband there and took our seats. The room was amazing with a high ceiling and this amazing chandelier piece lighting the venue. 

The food was delicious as well. There were many courses: salad, sushi, a tiny pickled vegetable/pilaf cup, a salmon patte, chicken, grilled tuna, soba, and a wonderfully perfect pineapple sorbet with a baked merangue for dessert. Plus all the drinks we could handle! We were definitely fully by the time we left! Here's a small glimpse!

Near the end of the courses, the staff announced that it was time to start the games! This year's game? Get all the toilet paper off the roll before the others. Of course, they wanted to get their foreign friends involved so Ashley and myself were pulled on stage for the second round (which my friend Maya won! She's a very lucky person and wins these things often.) After our defeat, we went back to our seats and watched Maya and the first round winner go head to head. She lost by just a couple of seconds!

Before the end of the party, we took a group photo, Ashley and I at the top and right in the center! (Sorry for the quality. I only got printed versions of the photo and didn't have a chance to scan it.)

Overall, it was a wonderful experience with many wonderful people. Anna told me recently that, after the party, they received calls from some of the older store members saying how happy they were to see foreigners wearing traditional Japanese clothes and taking part in parties with them while doing our best to interact! I look forward to many more kimono parties before I leave!

Yukata (浴衣) - History and How-to

Hello again everyone! I apologize for the lack of posting the last few months but it has been a bit difficult to get out and try new things with Coronavirus. Today though, I come to you with a very exciting post (for me at least!) about Japanese Yukata.

Just over a month ago, I ordered a custom yukata from a local shop. During this process, I was able to choose my fabric and they took my measurements to make sure it would fit me perfectly. It took just over a month for them to complete it and I was able to wear it for the first time at my kimono class yesterday!

Before I show you the pictures of me wearing it though, I thought it might be kind of cool to tell you all about the history of the yukata and what you will need to wear one of your own!

Yukata

A yukata is a casual kimono that is worn only in summer. It is usually made of cotton or synthetic fabrics and it is unlined so that it is as cool as possible in the summer heat. Nowadays, you usually only see yukata being worn for summer festivals (祭り- Matsuri) but sometimes people like to get together and have yukata parties or go out to eat in them.

Yukata are made with straight seams and wide sleeves and women's yukata have slits under the arms to allow for the obi to be tied tightly without ripping the fabric.

Traditionally, yukata were mostly made with indigo-dyed cotton. But today they come in a wide variety of colors and designs to suit every person's tastes. 

The general rule with yukata is that younger women wear bright, vibrant colors and bold patterns while older women wear darker, more mature colors with duller patterns. Men and boys, in general, tend to wear dark colors and solid patterns. The left side of the yukata is wrapped over the right side (BE CAREFUL! Wearing ANY kimono left over right is a no-go! That is how they dress bodies for funerals.) 

How-to

To start wearing yukata, you will need a few items. For those that aren't familiar with wearing kimono, they don't realize exactly how much is required even when wearing this "simpler" kimono. Below are the items you will need to wear your kimono!

Above is what is called a Juban (襦袢). It is an undergarment for kimono. For yukata, like above, they are made with breathable, cooler material and usually only come to midthigh. 

There are 3 koshihimo (腰紐) and an obi-ita (帯板). Koshi means "wasit" and himo means "cord" so these koshihimo are used to tie around the waist and hold the kimono in the proper position before you put on the obi. The obi-ita goes beneath the obi to keep it flat and smooth. Mine does not have a band but you can buy itas that have a ban attached so you can put them on first instead of trying to slip it under after the obi is on.

Finally, there is the Eri-shin (襟章). This is for the collar of your yukata. If you like your colloar to be stiffer and straighter, there is a small hole on the inside of the yukata collar for you to slide one of these inside to help with that!

These are all the pieces you will need to HELP you wear the kimono but it is definitely not all you will/can wear!

The Yukata

Here you can see a picture of my yukata~ It is folded properly but you can still see the dandelion (蒲公英 - Tanpopo) pattern very clearly! You will obviously need a yukata in order to wear one. They can be a bit pricey but they are definitely worth it and they really are one of the cheapest kimono you can buy. So if you're not sure if kimono are something you absolutely want to wear a lot, I'd recommend a yukata first to practice your techniques and comfort.

Next you will need an obi. An obi is a traditional sash for kimono. Women's obis can be up to 12 inches (30cm) wide and 13 feet (4 meters) long. Mine, pictured above, is a hanhaba obi (半幅帯), or a half-width obi, which just means that it is only about 6 inches (15cm) wide. It is, however, 13 feet long. Depending on the obi and the person, you should wrap your obi around yourself 2 to 3 times before tying. These obi are usually used only for yukata, but if you have one with an elegant enough pattern, you could use it for more formal kimono. Mine is also a double patterned obi so I can wear it with either color/pattern on the outside. As you'll see in later pictures, you can also do color change in your obi tying with these kinds!

Next are geta (下駄) and tabi (足袋). Geta are a form of traditional footwear that resemble clogs or flip-flops. They are a kind of sandal with an elevated wooden base held onto the foot with a fabric thong. 

Tabi are traditional Japanese socks dating back to the 15th century. They are toe-divided so you can wear them easily with geta or zori (other Japanese traditional footwear). 

These are optional so if you don't have them or want to buy them (Geta can be expensive!), you'll have to wear regular shoes or sandals with your yukata. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that! But if you want the full Japanese aesthetic, they're very light-weight and easy to wear. Actually, since geta are worn with the informal yukata, you don't actually need to wear the tabi at all if you don't want to. That way, your feet will stay nice and cool in the summer heat! 

Above you can see my geta and tabi as well as a picture of how it looks on from the side. I wear my tabi with my geta for comfort (I hate my feet! lol) but I will probably forego them at summer festivals to keep cool.

 Another optional item is an obi-jime (帯締め) and an obi-dome (帯留め). An obi-jime is a thin rope that can be used as decoration for the obi as well as further helping you to secure your obi. The obi-dome is an ornamental piece that can be slid onto the obi-jime (i.e. the glass bead on mine above) for further decoration. You can find these in many colors, styles, and patterns.

My Yukata

Below are pictures of me wearing my yukata and accessories. My collar is a bit too open and I need to practice tying the obi but for my first try, I think it wasn't so bad! As you can see on my obi, when I tied it, I flipped my double-pattern obi so that it changed colors at an angle in the front and gave me the two-colored ribbon in the back. This is what I mentioned earlier when I introduced the obi. It is a bit hard ot see but you can also see my obi-jime and obi-dome wrapped around my obi. Everything must be center when you wear kimono so the ornamental part of it should be in the center, lined up with your nose.

I hope that you all found this post interesting and that maybe, you too, will find the beauty in traditional Japanese clothing! If I have time over the next couple of weeks, I will try to take pictures of the full dressing process to further help you understand how to use these items together. Maybe you will even be inspired to try your hand at wearing a yukata or kimono! Until next time, friends!

弘前市梟カフェ (Hirosaki Owl Cafe!)

Hello again everybody! Sorry for another delayed update! This actually should have been up weeks ago and I have no excuse aside from laziness. For those of you that know me, you'll know that birds have been and continue to be some of my absolute favorite animals. I find them fascinating, beautiful, and they're extremely intelligent! If you do know me, you may have already seen these photos on social media. However, I wanted to make a blog post about my time at Hirosaki's local Owl Cafe and go a little more in depth regarding how it all worked. So, for my sake and the sake of others that may some day find this blog, please bear with me!

Arriving

When we arrived at the owl cafe, we were greeted by a very polite woman. She asked us if Japanese was alright but the shop also had laminated English instructions as well for foreigners and tourists, which I thought was a very nice touch. The cost of the owl cafe was ￥1500, which is equivalent to about $13.50 currently, and this buys you an hour of unlimited self-serve soft drinks and owl pets! Food and other drinks were also available but were an extra charge. Even then, from what I saw they were never more than ￥500 or so, so they were pretty affordable.
You are greeted when you walk in by these two cuties!

The Owls

There were roughly 20 owls in this cafe and they are all rescues from what I've been told. Looking at a few of them, you could definitely see that they would have trouble flying and hunting in the wild due to wing/feather issues or, blindness, or, for one, a small and deformed beak. So I am a bit more willing to believe that they are truely rescues.


The cafe's Instagram (fukuroucafe.hirosaki) also shows that the owls are taken outside and to events as well so they aren't always cooped up inside! The handler in the cafe knew everything about each owl, from how much they weighed to what types of pets they like best, which was really sweet. She did a really good job of putting us at ease because, as much as I love owls, it was a bit intimidating at first trying to pet them. She showed us the proper techniques and made us much more comfortable. She was also regularly going around and cleaning up after the owls as they made messes.


The owls were not in cages but they were tethered to their respective spots by generous lengths of soft cord. There was plenty of space between them where they could have the option of cuddling up with each other or spreading out and stretching their wings. The signs by each of them told you what type of owl they were in Japanese and English, as well as their names (like the American Owl named Jenny-chan)! Some even had little messages like "You can pet this one's feet!" or the helpful but concerning "Do not pet unless holding" (only one owl had this message so I assumed he was just a grumpy boy).


They  had a Great Horned Owl, a Great Grey Owl, Snowy Owls, Spectacled Owls (which I relate to, as they look perpetually concerned), Northern Spotted Owls, Rufous-legged Owls, Tawny Owls, Pygmy Owls, and Barn Owls. The two suspicious looking owls in the second picture are usually a lot more fluffy but they were trying to be intimidating towards the mean old delivery man that day!

Petting and Holding the Owls

After paying your ￥1500, you have unlimited access to owl pets and holds! I didn't hold that many owls since I was kind of distracted and, generally, in overall awe. But I did hold 3 of these beautiful babies!


The Great Horned Owl, Ruby, was the first. You can see me holding her in the picture below. She really liked having her forehead and beak rubbed and was a very gentle girl. Ruby is about 3 and a half years old and she is actually blind! It was amazing what she could sense though because she would feel what direction your hand was coming from and turn towards it before you even touched her! She is the biggest owl in the cafe and was just beautiful to look at.

The next owl I held was Afuro, a Great Grey Owl. He was slightly smaller than Ruby, even if it is hard to tell in the pictures. They said he loved to look outside so he had a nice window seat where he could stare outside to his heart's content. He was actually the first thing we saw when we walked in! He could perch on your shoulder and was also very calm and gentle. I think his expression was my favorite because those wide (small) eyes in that big face just killed me!

The third and final owl we had the chance to hold was this little guy. His name is Hatsu and he is a screech owl weighing in at less than 1 pound!

Miscellaneous

Aside from the various owls, the cafe also has a hedgehog you can play with/pet and French Bulldogs that come into the cafe as well. The dogs had puppies within the last few months and we were able to pet and play with one for a few minutes, too! They were all very sweet animals and I think it is a good way to socialize the puppies, especially since I believe they would be up for adoption when they are old enough. They were obviously returned to mom and dad within a few minutes but it was still nice seeing such a cute, wobbly-legged baby! Especially since I really miss my own fur babies back in America.

Overall Impressions

Usually, any type of animal cafe has a stigma behind it regarding their treatment of the animals. It isn't usually beneficial to the animals to be kept confined to a small cafe for the duration of their lives. This cafe however, does seem to be more on the up and up. The owls are rescues, so it is nice knowing they will be living their lives being taken care of instead of being unable to survive in the wild. It was still a bit sad thinking of how tey probably still wanted to be out flying and hunting but I would say this type of cafe, or this cafe in particular, is probably better than others you hear of. Overall, I think I would go back again to give these babies some more of my love!

Kitakyushu!

Hello again everyone! I am extremely excited about today's update because it is particularly special to me!
The reason for this fantastic update required me to take a solo journey to the Fukuoka prefecture in southern Japan to a city called Kitakyushu. This city is approximately 963 miles (1549 km) from my city.

The Journey

I walked about 10 minutes from my apartment and took a bus to the train station. From there, I boarded another bus to the Aomori city airport. At the airport, I took a plane down to Osaka for an hour layover and another flight to Fukuoka City. Thankfully the airport has a subway that took me directly to Hakata (another city) for my final train to Kitakyushu. Unfortunately, I didn't get in until around 11pm and by the time I maneuvered the station and figured my life out (still debateable) I wasn't able to take the shinkansen and my train ride ended up taking an hour and a half! Thankfully, on the return trip (which also included 2 trains and 2 planes), I was able to take the shinkansen and it only took 25 minutes to get back to the airport!

The Reason

It wasn't something I particularly talked about outside of with my online friends that shared the passion (and my poor mother, who was forced to listen to a soundtrack in a language she doesn't know on repeat in the car). Namely because very few people in America or my life shared the interest or would have any idea what I was talking about!

But something I have loved since about 2011 are Japanese musicals. Not just any musicals though. Musicals based off of my favorite anime/mangas! There are musicals for Black Butler, Prince of Tennis, Bleach, Sailor Moon, InuYasha, Yu Yu Hakusho, and more! My top two though are Kuromyu (Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler Musical) and Tenimyu (Tennisu no Oujisama/Prince of Tennis Musical).

So imagine my absolute excitement when I learned that Tenimyu would be running again during my time in Japan. Imagine my greater excitement when I found out it was my favorite set, complete with my favorite team as a feature! I have watched the cast change and the musical (including talent, lights, production, etc.) evolve over the years, telling and retelling different parts of the story.

Tickets went on sale in November on a Sunday at 10am. By 10:15, many of the locations were already sold out. I was lucky enough to snag one for Fukuoka's showing though!

The Musical

My hotel was about a 25 minute walk from the musical's venue. The weather has been oddly mild in Japan this year, especially that far south, so the walk was actually quite pleasent. I made sure I brought along my team's jersey and plenty of space for the goods I was going to buy! (Which I did, as is evident with the below picture). The jersey was already mine but it fit with the whole aesthetic I was going for.

Now for some background, Prince of Tennis is a manga that centers on tennis teams. I know that probably sounds boring but the characters are loveable and, let's be honest, the things Konomi-sensei (the author/artist) makes possible for these players keeps it entertaining. There are 7 teams total that star recurringly in the manga but 4 of them are the main/most popular. Among those 4 is my favorite team. Rikkai!



The characters on this team are wonderful, their uniforms are my favorite, and I feel like, if I'd been in this universe, my temperament and personality would fit in best with them! They are featured heavily in this musical so once I sat down, I slipped on my jersey as a show of support.

The entire musical felt like a dream, it didn't feel real. I've watched this musical and listened to the soundtrack for so many years that it felt like I couldn't possibley be there.
Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures or videos and I was definitely not going to be that foreigner breaking the rules so I had to settle for the sparse few I took before it started. However, it was an amazing experience. I am not as familiar with this cast as I am with the last few but they all have amazing voices and their energy was great to watch and be a part of. I even got to high touch (high five) one of the cast when they came into the audience at the end!

The musical was about two hours long but didn't feel like it. I have posted some videos below of a couple of my favorite songs from this run's Rikkai cast. They are not stage recordings since they haven't finalized those yet but you can hear how amazing their voices are and see their character shots much easier!

Final Words

I left the venue extremely happy and with a bag full of goods. I called my mother when I got back to my hotel and I couldn't stop smiling as I talked about it! I felt so incredibly lucky to be able to see something I love so much but that I never would have thought I'd be able to see live. I am hoping to be able to go to another version of this musical within the next few months because this just wasn't enough, so you may eventually be seeing another update! Wish me luck in my ticket purchasing endeavors and, as always, I'll see you all next time!

Japanese New Year

Hello everybody! Happy New Year! あけましておめでとうございます！The roaring 20s are upon us again and, with that, I wanted to make a post to talk a little bit about New Year's in Japan. Believe it or not, I had this post written up when it was actually still a relatively new year but didn't get around to posting it until now, almost a month in. Please forgive me!


Like Christmas, New Year's is a big holiday in Japan. Actually, it's probably more important culturally than Christmas! Below I have outlined some important Japanese traditions and symbols of the New Year.

Kadomatsu

The start of the new year is a spiritual time for Japan and her people. It is when New Year’s gods are said to descend from the heavens and exist in the earthly realm. In order to guide the gods toward them, many households, businesses, and sacred sites put up pine and bamboo decorations known as kadomatsu on either side of entranceways. They may also only have one within their entrance.

The decorations, with multi-tiered bamboo shoots, are supposed to represent heaven, earth and humanity. They are believed to attract the gods and draw in lucky spirits. The gods dwell in the pine until January 7th, after which time the decorations are taken to a shrine to be burnt, releasing the spirits back to their realm.

 

Shime-Kazari

These are hung in doorways or entraces. They are made of rice straw ropes and carefully crafted zigzag-shaped paper strips called shide. On the porch or the entrance door it is placed the shimekazari, a small rope made from rice straws, with carefully crafted zigzag-shaped paper strips called shide. The shime-kazari are designed to keep the bad spirits from entering homes and shrines.

Kagami-Mochi

The New Year’s rice cake is another festive item said to contain the spirit of the gods. Its round shape is a homage to one of the holiest items in all of Japan, the mirror of the sun goddess Amaterasu. This mirror is part of the Three Sacred Treasures of the imperial regalia of Japan and the Emperor. The other two are the sword Kusanagi and the jewel Yasakani no Magatama.

They all represent the three primary virtues: valor (sword), wisdom (mirror), and benevolence (jewel). According to Japanese mythology, the earth went dark when Amaterasu retreated from the world and hid in a cave. The sun goddess was eventually drawn out from the cave with the use of a mirror that attracted her with the beauty of her own reflection, which she had never before seen, ultimately bringing light back into the world. With its rounded, mirror-like shape, kagami-mochi symbolizes the renewal of light and energy present at the start of a New Year. 

Historically, a bitter orange (daidai) is placed on top of the two mochi because they are considered auspicious, as the meaning of the word can be translated to "generation after generation", representing the family's wish for a long, prosperous bloodline. However, because the fruit is quite large and bitter, the more appetizing and proportionally pleasing clementine (mikan) is more widely used. Not everybody makes these and stores actually sell small, plastic versions for those of us in small apartments that don't know how to make our own!

Joya no Kane

At midnight on December 31st, Buddhist temples all over Japan ring their bells a total of 108 times to symbolize the 108 human sins in the Buddhist belief. It is also to get rid of the 108 worldly desires. The bell is rung 107 times onDecember 31st and 1 time past midnihgt on the first day of the new year.

Hatsumode (初詣)

This is the first visit to a shrine of the New Year. People often pray for good health, luck, and longevity during this visit. A few of my friends and I went to hatsumode at our volcano's shrine! Iwaki shrine is beautiful any time of year but it was magical with the snow and new years festivities. This is the entrance to Iwaki shrine. You can see the tarped stalls set up to sell food! --->

<---This is just past all the stalls heading up towards the shrine itself. The trees were absolutely beautiful! 

Omamori

Omamori are good luck charms consisting of a piece of paper, wood, or cloth in a small cloth pouch. They are kept as protection from illness, accidents, or disaster/evil spirits. You can always buy these at shrines and now they have omamori for things such as success, money, love, and happiness for example.

Omikuji

Omikuji are fortunes written on slips of paper. People burn them at shrines and, occasionally, temples. They also tie them to branches of nearby trees in hopes that good fortune will come true or bad forture will be kept away. These are also usually available at shrines all the time but on new years they pull out all the special ones in many varieties! I was able to make a small offering and get an omikuji specifically for my day of birth!
Mine said: "Your personality is independent and hardworking. You have the ability to take advantage of every opportunity and you are very adaptive. You can do things at your own pace and can remain calm and reflect to use your good common sense. Always reflect on and nurture sympathy and never make enemies. Keep in mind that you need to save money (massive callout, thanks omikuji). If you work hard, you will be able to gain happiness." The one below is not mine but you'll understand what they look like.






Ema (絵馬）

Ema are small wooden plaques with pictures on which people can write their prayers or wishes. These are left hanging up at the shrine, where the Gods are believed to receive them. I've put the kanji for this particular piece because I find it interesting. It means "wooden horse". This name comes from a historical event too, so it isn't just random! In ancient times, people would donate a horse to the shrines for good luck/favor. Over time, this was transferred to the current wooden plaque with a picture of a horse (now there are just many different pictures). So they because a kind of stand in for a real horse, thus being named a "wooden horse".

Spiced Sake

A special spiced sake is traditionally served on New Year’s Day, especially at shrines. It is known as O-toso and, with the help of the medicinal herbs used in it, tt is said to expel last year’s bad luck and help with health and longevity in the New Year. It is said to assist in digestion and protect against colds (too bad it's not legal for minors because my kids really could have used some of that luck in December! Flu. Flu everywhere!). This sake is served from a lacquered pot and poured into three, different-sized drinking cups. You sip from smallest to largest. Guests at shrines are offered this drink too and I didn't get the chance to try it unfortunately.

Nengajou

Nengajou are Japanese New Year post cards, kind of similar to the tradition of Christmas cards. These are sent out to family and friends every year with the intent to reach them before or on the first day of the new year. Many nengajou often depict the zodiac animal of the coming new year. This year is the year of the Rat so there were/are many adorable rat related nengajou like this one!

Though you can buy nengajou like this one in stores with preprinted messages (this eliminates the need to do anything other than sign if you have a lot of cards to send), many people have their nengajou custom made! As a relatively new foreigner, I did not expect to receive any nengajou, since my coworkers don't know me as well as they know each other. However, I did get one in the mail! It was from a math teacher I sit next to at my school. Her son, who si close to my age, studies English and was in the process of preparing to move to Austrailia to work and go to school to study further. She invited me to dinner with them one evening so he could speak with a native speaker and her nengajou (custom made) had a small message of thanks to me. It was very sweet and I was really happy!

As you can see, Japan has many different and interesting New Years traditions! I was excited to be able to be here during an important time of the year and I am looking forward to spending more time in this beautiful country. Happy New Year everyone! I hope your new year is starting off on the right foot and that you find these Japanese traditions as interesting as I do!

Life Updates

Happy 2020, everyone! It's been less than a month since my last post, which is a step up from how I've been doing! Things just get so busy here and by the time I remember I had something to write about, I've been too tired to get to it! Now however, I really wanted to make sure I put my thoughts into words.

Today marks the five month anniversary of my moving to Japan and it's so hard to believe it has already been that long! The time is absolutely flying by. You may remember me mentioning in earlier posts that I initially had a rough start coming here. I wanted to go home immediately. The long days, new information, bad hotel food, and massive amounts of people in one place played off my anxiety and I felt like I was already set up to fail.

I have struggled with anxiety my entire life. This isn't something I hide because it isn't anything to be ashamed about. It doesn't have anything to do with myself as a person, it's just a deficiency in my body's chemicals that makes me overthink things or makes me think the worst of situations. I had finally reached a point in my life where everything was under control, or as well under control as it could be. I had lived as a responsible young adult since I was about 17 and started working. I held down jobs for lengthy periods of time (2 years, 5 years, and about 1 year right before I came here) and I’ve never been a flighty person that couldn’t be counted on. My point is, I learned over the years how to handle myself with low-dosage, medicinal assistance and have learned how my own mindsworks to be able to talk it out of its crisis modes. I really hadn’t been sure I was going to be able to do that this time.

But I DID, and for that, I am so thankful. This experience is turning out to be one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. There are still rough days. Days when students don’t behave, when a class may not have gone the way we wanted, days when I look around my apartment and get melancholy not seeing my family, friends, or most importantly (sorry mom and dad) my fur babies! Right now, things feel a bit sad because of Christmas and New Year’s. But I am pushing through because it is not a homesickness that makes me want to turn tail and run. It is a small melancholy that reminds me that I am doing something I never would have thought I could and that, while I miss some things back in America, I am content where I am now. 

All that being said, I would also like to also make the following announcement to everyone. I have been keeping it under wraps since I was heavily debating with my friends here, myself, and family and friends back home.

But I have finally come to the solid decision that I will be staying in Japan for another year!

It was a difficult decision to make for me personally. Even though Japan has always been my dream and a country I have been in love and obsessed with, I originally came only wanting to stay for one year. Especially after how rockily I started off. However, that was before I started going to classes regularly, really got to know my kids, made amazing friends, and just fell even more in love with the country than ever before. Five months have already flown by and I’m not sure if another quick 7 months will be enough to experience everything and do everything I want to do.

I know my decision is hard for some people back home (I’m looking at you, mom!). But I think this is a decision I had to make for myself. Two years is a drop in the bucket compared to how long people live and I want to be able to share my experiences and have wonderful memories and stories to tell.

So that’s it for this post! This update was more about being honest about my life here instead of a cultural or experience post. There will be more updates coming and one in early February that will be a massively exciting one for me because I will be doing something I’ve always wanted to do but never thought I could! I'm very excited to share it with you all so please keep an eye out!