Before I begin reporting what's been going on here lately, I have to send a super thanks to Catherine, Caralyn and Audrey for their much appreciated contributions to the "When in Rome - beg for care packages" Fund.
Not only did the contents bring a smile to my face, a sigh to my stomach and a twinge to my heart, but now I can hold my head up high each time I go to work knowing I've got my Dick Tracey "Glamora Girl Kit" to make me feel confident about being a real woman.
The first week of my third month in Japan has been so busy that my only plan for the upcoming weekend is to lock myself in my apartment and sleep. If I do have to go out into public, where there is little doubt that I'll be the object of far too much attention, I plan on donning a very clever disguise so as to go unnoticed by my many fans here in Shintomi.
I plan on disguising myself as an old Jewish jeweler named Saul.
Wish me luck, or should I say, "B'Hatzlacha."
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| My birthday celebration at Kacho's home during the Harvest Moon. |
Last Tuesday night, everyone at the Board of Education office was invited to Kuranaga-Kacho's to celebrate Shukakutsuki, the Harvest Moon. Japanese legend is that if you look closely enough at the moon during this time of the year, you can see a rabbit mixing a bowl of rice for rice cakes.
His doing so is supposed to ensure a good season of crops.
It was a truly magnificent evening as a cool breeze made its way across the fields of rice and vegetables surrounding the house. There wasn't a cloud to be seen and high, high, high in the sky sat the blue-white moon.
A bright, solitary eye set there to watch over the evening's festivities.
We arrived at Kacho's at dusk and found laid out on the lawn of his lovely home, a feast fit for the Emperor himself: fruits and fish, vegetables and meats, spirits and sake (much of which I'd never seen the likes of before) crowded the long, low table.
As we spent the next few hours indulging in the lavish dinner before us, which was the traditional and exceptionally delicious dish of Sukiyaki, I could sense secretive glances here and there and couldn't help but wonder what my companions were up to. As their secret smiles became more and more obvious, especially after Kacho disappeared into his house, I guessed that they had planned a little something for my birthday.
They had.
Not only had Kuranaga-kacho's wife baked me a cake, but she and her nieces (some of my students at Tonda) presented me with two lovely potted plants, which I hope to keep alive for the very first time in my less than stellar experiences with house plants. The folks at the office also chipped in and bought a cassette/cd player for my apartment.
Their continued kindness and generosity really got to me and in the middle of thanking them, I began to cry.
Embarrassed by this sudden outburst of emotions, I looked away from the long table of friends to Yoshino-san, sitting to my left.
She, too, was crying.
When our teary eyes met, we both began to laugh and the happy evening was back on track.
And the birthday celebrations didn't end there.
In fact, they continued on for quite a few days, during which time I was given:
- lipstick from Yoshino-san and Akiko-san
- earrings and a scarf from Oki-Hosa's wife and daughter
- rice bowls and hashi (chopsticks) from a girl that works in the computer room down the hall (whose name I'm sorry to say I don't even know)
- a birthday cake from the kitchen staff at Tonda Junior High
- pajamas and towels from Sam
- an ugly doll from one of the Masta's (owners) at a Karaoke bar we frequent
- a bottle of wine from Tomioka-san's wife,
- a bottle of champagne and roses from Tomioka-san
- fruits and nuts from Junko-san
- 27 pinks roses from Toshi and the other fellows who work in the computer room down the hall from my office, whom I've gotten to know during cigarette breaks
- and all the students at Tonda sang me Happy Birthday
What on earth am I going to do when I return to being a nobody back in the States?
Who cares.
And the celebrations didn't end there. (Even though, in hindsight, they probably should have.)
Samantha came down from Hyuga over the weekend to help continue the celebrations and after a few beers in my apartment, we headed out to a local karaoke bar. Now you might be asking yourself why we seem to be addicted to making asses out of ourselves with microphones, but the sad fact is, that we have no other choice in Shintomi.
It's either karaoke or nothing.
There are no quiet, corner pubs or dusty ol' saloons, no cozy wine bars, or lively juke joints - just these dark, windowless, characterless, little sing-a-long spots.
The first one we walked into was nice and peaceful.
The first one we walked into was nice and peaceful.
Sam and I were enjoying the lack of attention.
Please understand that it's not overblown egos at work here. The simple fact is that as one of very few female gaijin living in the area, we tend to get noticed.
It also doesn't hurt that Sam is a tall, beautiful blonde and I'm... well....
I'm tall.
However, we soon found the quiet atmosphere and only the two of us to look at, rather unappealing and decided to call it an evening. We were resolutely steering a course for home when we heard strange cat-calls from the third floor of a building just behind us.
At first, Sam and I continued toward my apartment.
Indignant and disapproving.
But, almost simultaneously, we looked to one another, shrugged, and with a "What the hell?" headed up the staircase.
At the top, we found a group of men who had apparently been imbibing for quite some time. It was clearly a celebration of some sort and the focus was a young man who wore a painted-on beard, with a scarf and belt wrapped around his head - sheik style.
We never did find out what that was all about, but we did find ourselves in another Shintomi karaoke bar previously unbeknownst to us. This one, however, was packed to the brim with men.
Hallelujah!
From the moment of entry (maybe I should rephrase that), our glasses were kept filled and we were treated like starlets aboard a Navy destroyer that was on leave for the first time in 12 years.
I also met an older gentleman, a local businessman, who said he'd been wanting to speak with me since my arrival. It seems he's interested in finding an English teacher for his employees and although I explained I was under contract and kept quite busy with my present job, he urged me to consider something for next year and handed me his card.
Sam and I, however, stayed.
And drank.
A lot.
Which I am now dearly paying for with a headache the size of Godzilla.
And a smoldering stomach which Yoshino-san keeps force-feeding green tea.
Each time the evening's libations threaten to reappear in a fiery flame of vomit, I lay my head down on my plastic-coated desktop and curse the day my mother gave me life.
My office wants to me to go out with them again tonight.
All I want to do is crawl into the fetal position from which I sprang.
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