So, today was the Emperor’s birthday, a national Holiday in Japan, and since I’ve got some time at the end of it, I figured I’d make it into a bit of a blog. I was in the middle of what I considered a fairly mundane day when I realized that what I now consider mundane is, in fact, quite different from a day in the U.S. So, here goes, a day (actually a day off) in my life in Miyanojo. It’s a bit long, so feel free to break it up as you will.
Today was admittedly a bit out of the ordinary. A good number of my friends have taken off to their respective holiday destinations (they cashed in some vacation days I’m hanging on to by working through the week) and the holiday fell in the middle of the week. Because of this, my usual tendency to take off from my small town in search of more to do on the weekend days off was abandoned in favor of a day to myself.
So, I started my day at about nine-thirty with breakfast, NPR, and a house chores. Thankfully, it warmed up a bit today, so while I tidied up I was able to open some sliding doors and let some fresh air into my apartment. We had a bit of a cold spell over the past week or so, which means that the one room in my apartment with a proper, wall-mounted heater, tends to pile up with all my books, coats, purchases, laundry, etc from the week, because it’s a bit too cold to work up motivation to put things in other rooms, where they actually belong. As a side note, the coldest day yet was about two days ago, and my unheated bathroom was so cold that my mouthwash hurt my teeth, which was an interesting, unexpected experience. So, I’ve gone from a four room (granted, they’re Japan-sized) apartment to pretending to live in a one room apartment, and I definitely needed to get a few things done. For example, since I sleep on futons, on warm days such as today, as general mold prevention, it’s necessary to hang out futons so they can air out. I also tackled the small pile of dishes that had started to gather in my sink. Although with the cold as it is, it sounds like winter could be awful here, and I will admit to thinking so as well. However, I am learning how to stay warm and comfortable in Japan, and I must say it’s increased my appreciation of the season.
Before I explain a few “stay warm” tactics, I’d like to point out that it wasn’t until I was explaining that I used to joke with my friends about wearing sweatshirts in summer and t-shirts in winter in America to a Japanese teacher that I realized how ridiculous it is to use the amount of climate control that we Americans are used to at this point. That being said, I surely miss it. Eco-friendly or not! Nonetheless, there are some good ways (exempting central heat) to stay warm in Japan. One approach is to use a kotatsu, and although mine seems to have died on me sometime in the past week, I plan to get a one and will explain what it is. Basically, It’s a coffee table-futon combo—and here’s the kicker—the coffee table has heating unit mounted underneath. The basic idea is this you sit on a futon with another duvet like cover going between two layers of the tabletop and never want to get up because it’s warm and cozy. It’s one of the best and worst ideas ever. It’s definitely not very conducive to getting work done. If something isn’t nearby enough to grab, I’m likely to decide against working on it, but it’s incredibly comfortable. Needless to say I’ll be replacing mine for a working one quite soon, (and since I recently purchased a camera, I’ll try to get a picture up once I do!)
Another new strategy I’ve adopted for warmth is really enjoying the onsen experience, which is what I decided to do after housework today. Because, as I mentioned before, there is no heat in my bathroom, I’ve realized that quick showers are fine for mornings (I’m definitely awake afterwards) but after a few days of teaching in schools without heat, I start to crave something that will warm my body to the core. That’s where onsen come in. Onsen were nice for relaxation in the summer and fall, but in the winter, they are turning out to be a godsend. After soaking in a steaming hot natural bath, baking in a wood-paneled sauna, and taking a slow, hot, relaxing shower (all usually in a rather aesthetically pleasing environment, I might add,) I feel like I can take on a few more days of whatever cold weather comes my way. I’ve been to onsen around the prefecture so far, but today was the first time I decided to go in my own town. Many Japanese people have told me that my town is famous for them, so I figured it’s about time I got acquainted.
After following signs to shibi onsen (shibi is the name of the closest mountain by my town,) I found myself in the middle of a little valley on the mountainside, with four different onsen to choose from, a little shop selling various local food, and some fun looking campgrounds. After spending about and hour soaking in a natural hot spring, I drove around for a bit and got better acquainted with that little corner of Satsuma. I think the best way to describe heading out to shibi for people back home, is it’s like living in Maryville and heading out to Greenback, excepting that you need to shrink both towns substantially. Each little area of satsuma-chou (mine is Miyanojo-Yachi) has it’s own little neighborhood, compete with a corner store or two, in this case onsen, and plenty of rice patties—I do live in the country. My “village” is a in the main part of town, and so is more of a subdivision attached to the center of town, but these smaller communities are quite cute, small, and tight-knit. Now, because there are three more onsen there, I have good reason to head back out to Shibi again before making the rounds to other villages around the area that also have onsen. I think onsen hopping will make a good hobby for the winter, and regularly getting the chills out is definitely going to keep me in good spirits until spring.
I should also mention that there was a cute shrine near Shibi spa, so I spent a few moments admiring the architecture before hopping back in my car to go pick up a few necessities from the store. While shopping, an elementary student from one of my schools spied me, ran up and forgot how to say “hello,” and then went running after his grandfather shouting something akin to “Grandpa, grandpa, the English teacher is here!” With his huge, front-teeth-missing smile and unconcealed curiosity, he’s like lots of my kids, many of whom have similar reactions to seeing me outside of school. Especially the younger ones, who are occasionally surprised to realize I’ve not just flown in from the US when I visit their schools but am, in fact, temporarily residing in Japan. At the store check-out, a woman wearing a pink, fleece track suit, a rainbow, faux-fur coat, and pigtails, despite looking to be in her 40s, came out with some surprisingly well-pronounced English phrases. Now, Japan is known for some funky fashion, but this was quite odd none-the-less. I always try to be polite and said “nice to meet yoy as well” and other basic phrases as waited behind her for the cashier. Afterwards, she cornered me in the parking lot for a few minutes, insisted I take her phone number, and invited me to come to her house for “American” food at some point. I doubt I will, but I think the experience illustrates the constant odd encounters I get as a result of being white. While I spoke to the woman, a troop of teenage girls out of school for the day walked to the photo booth behind me, giggling nervously, and one literally shrieked when I waved back to them as I drove off. What happens when you go to the local supermarket?
I decided to wind down my afternoon by reading at our local “joyful cafe,” which is like a Japanese version of iHop (the seating style and quality of the food, but not the food itself of course.) Coffee is hard to come by here, but Joyful has a drink bar with espresso machines, so since there isn’t a coffee shop in my town I go there to read, study Japanese, and drink unlimited coffee (also a rarity!) While there, I again ran into some of my students. This time it was some first year middle school girls, who I confused by using English outside of the classroom before trying out my Japanese to talk to them. After a short conversation, I went back to my book and coffee, eventually ordered dinner, and then headed home.
Now, I’m back in my apartment, surfing the internet and watching TV shows. I only have one more day of work (tomorrow, Christmas Eve) and then my real vacation starts! I’ll be leaving for Hiroshima, Kyoto, and Osaka on Saturday. I’ll be traveling with a guy I met in Tokyo and have since kept in touch with, and I’m terribly excited about being in a large city for New Years. Anyway, I’ll have plenty to talk about when I get back. Also, since I’ve finally got that camera, it’s likely my next blog will be accompanied by appropriate photographs!
As always, thanks for checking in!
