Amagi - Amigo

August 6th, 2008

So yesterday I moved into another co-workers place. She lives in an apartment in a different town (so I had to ride the bus for about half an hour. Not too bad). She has a rather nice place too. It’s quite modern but still has a Japanese feel to it (tatami room, shower and sliding doors). Oh, a note on sliding doors, I believe that they are awesome!!! They take up less space and they do keep noise and heat out. Sure, maybe they don’t keep noise out that great but I still think they’re awesome.
Anyhoo, so my current homestay is in Amagi. And an awesome thing is that I have a JET friend who’s living in Amagi. So Yamaguchi-san (current homestay-host) told me to invite him over to her place last night. So we e-mailed during work ours figured it all out. Once I arrived in Amagi, I e-mailed him to let him know we can meet now (BTW, cell phones here have e-mails. It ROCKS!). So Yamaguchi-san also invited her sister to join us for dinner. So it was a neat little party. With great food too. We had tofu, gyoza and onigiri. :] Oh, and beer. (they love to give me beer to drink…)
So today we rode the bus to work. It wasn’t too bad except that the walk from the bus stop to the school kinda hurt my back (I’m lugging around my laptop and messenger bags have always hurt my back). But hey, it’s worth it, I get to check e-mail and whatnot (and look like I’m busy ;P ).
Later today, I’ll be going to my weekly Japanese class. There should be some other JETs going as well. The only I’m concerned about right now is that the older JETs (that ones that are here on their 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th year) want to take us out to eat after class. It’d be alright if I were living in the Jutaku. But since I’m in Amagi and have to travel back a bit far (pretty far from where the class is) I’m either going to half to leave the group a little early, not go at all or stay out late and come back late…and get little sleep…
Hmm…


…


Well, now a word on customs and Japanese etiquette.
So, as in anywhere else, everyone has their own customs and whatnot. Here in Japan, one etiquette that I’m finding hard to do is not openly yawn. I’m supposed to cover my mouth but half the time I’m absent-mindedly yawning and so don’t really cover my mouth ‘til have way through the yawn! ><” But I’m trying (and that counts, ne?).
Another one that’s sort of weird is that they say nothing when someone sneezes…I so want to say, “Bless you” every time but…since they don’t say anything…I’m not…I just sort of whisper it to myself… So, if/when I return to the states and don’t say anything when you sneeze: I’m sorry. I’ve apparently adopted the Japanese custom.
I’m also trying really hard not to point with my index finger but with all my fingers instead. Although I do find some Japanese pointing themselves…
Also, so much etiquette involved with chopsticks! I found that I absent-mindedly point with them too! Grr!!! ><” bad me bad me. There was something else… well other things you shouldn’t do is use them to pull a bowl closer to you, stab them into your rice, pass food to someone else by way of chopsticks and don’t impale your food with them! (just in case you come to visit…yea…). The two underlined ones have to do with funeral customs…so yea…big no-no.

…ok…I don’t know what else to say…(actually there’s lots of little things but I don’t want to bore you with it all…)


Xoxoxoxo

- The Crazy Kinoko!!! RAWR!!!