日本 [Japan]: 春の日 Spring Day

Believe it or not, one of the most enjoyable ways for me to spend a day off from working at Tokyo Disney Sea was simply to wander around, or ride my bike through, the surrounding town of Urayasu. I was quite lucky to be given the opportunity to live, entirely on my own, in an apartment provided by the company in the residential area of Urayasu. Most Disney cast members were housed in the Disney Village, where they were insulated against the native Japanese and instead surrounded by their fellow imports. While I'm sure there's a lot to be said for that experience as well, I was very happy with my immersion. Urayasu is a smaller suburban town outside of Tokyo proper, and it's a popular choice for young families looking to settle down. Given this nature, there were many schools and family-friendly features to the area that made it all the more quaint and lovely to explore. Even in my first week I couldn't help but notice how frequently you'll see small Japanese children out and about on their own, whether they're commuting to school or simply playing outdoors. All those rumors about safety? For the most part, they're absolutely true. I never felt threatened while exploring Japan, and even when I was unlucky enough to be assaulted it was by another foreigner, not a Japanese person, so that's something. The respect the Japanese have for one another, whether it's exemplified through the use of headphones and quiet chatter on trains, or the cleanliness of shared spaces, is something to admire wherever you wind up. 

This family-forward, community-first approach means that even the youngest school children are encouraged to feel like active participants in their community. Friendly signs hang from school fences greeting the morning, and familiar cartoon characters are eagerly painted onto neighborhood flowerboxes for the enjoyment of all. The bright, primary colors provide a sharp contrast to the pastel pinks of the blooming cherry blossoms in spring, adding to the childish feel of enjoyment. It's hard not to feel carefree riding your bike through the scattered shadows of an incomprehensible burst of flowers cascading down and perfuming the world around. 

日本 [Japan]: アパート 庭園 Apartment garden

Once upon a time, in the mystical and far-off land of Urayasu, Chiba-ken, Japan, a naive young female thing was flown over to draw at Tokyo Disney Sea. In her free time, this strange little duckling would waddle off to explore the nearby area and sometimes even venture into the big city, where untold mysteries abound. The moist, humid air gave much-needed hydration to the environment and allowed all manner of beautiful plants and blossoms to bloom, further adding a layer of magic as each season brought new delights in an incredible array of colors and shapes. The desert, with its own mysteries and subtle beauty, never provided such abundance of growth in foliage or shades of color, and thus a desire to embrace this propensity towards growth began. Lugging bags of potting soil, and the various pots themselves proved an interesting challenge on a bicycle, but it was pulled off, somehow. Seeds were bought, and seedlings, too, because the more the merrier in her green kingdom. Day by day, week by week, the garden grew. New varietals joined the gang, and growth was eagerly charted. There were tomatoes, cucumbers, bitter melon and peppers, aloe and even an indoor ficus tree. To her utter delight, these things flourished and grew, something that seemed an ever elusive goal in the arid, assaulting heat of Nevada. The patio was rapidly colonized with swirling, exploratory vines, and bright, happy yellow and white flowers. When petals recoiled and fruits began to take their place, it was an endless source of curiosity as the plants evolved from one form to the next.   

And like her vines, her hair grew, too. Soon it began to tickle her elbows as she rode her bike or tickling her back in the shower. It had been years since the growth was tended, a wild forest of overgrowth sprouting from the scalp. At times this served as a security blanket, a protection against the harsh glare of an angry coworker or the perpetual curiosity of casual citizens probing with their eyes to try to decipher what her purpose or meaning was, and at other times it gave way to confusion as young children assumed she might be a Princess, as she skirted nervously through the corridors of the mermaid lagoon. No changing of color was permitted in the magical kingdom, so only natural hair in its untouched shade straight from the scalp proliferated. It grew and it grew, with little desire to trim it manifesting in its host. Over time, it came to be the longest it may have ever been, though such things are a bit difficult to delineate.  

Thanks for visiting!

💖

XOXO,

NAU

日本 [Japan]:駅のゲートを修復 Station gate repairs

I don't know about you, but it's not every day that I'm given privy to the inside of every-day machines, like the ticket gates at Maihama station, so whenever I come upon these situations I can't help but be excited and try to capture some photos to commemorate the occasion. These are machines we rely on, day in and day out, as we go about our daily routines, run our errands or dash off to explore new parts of the city, and without hard-working servicemen and women they'd rapidly decay into unusable hunks of rust, I'm sure. It takes maintenance, and lots of it, to keep a city as densely packed and rapidly paced as Tokyo (and all of its surrounding suburbs that feed the workforce into the city proper) running smoothly. My respects to these folks, who often go through life quietly tending to the gears of society without much fanfare or praise for all their diligence. 

And that's a crying shame that they aren't given more respect, too. It's not always glamorous work, keeping cities going, but someone has to do it. It saddens me so much that people, especially in my home country back west, seem to denigrate and insult these very necessary jobs that facilitate the lifestyles we're used to. The world, nor society, would function very well if every single one of us were to become doctors or lawyers. Who would ensure our roads are smoothly paved, or our bellies filled with something hot, tasty, and quick? Laborers, servicemen and women, food-workers, without them we'd all be much worse off! So, next time you see someone directing traffic, maybe give them a smile and a wave for their efforts to keep you and the other drivers safe. 

またね

Until next time!

💘

XOXO,

NAU

Japan: Inagekaigan Hari 2012-07-2 日本語も

Have you ever had acupuncture?

針をしましたか？

Working at Tokyo Disney Sea, I often had to overexert myself physically just to match product demand. People would be lining up for drawings before we even opened in the morning and there were many times when the wait time was over three hours…that's right, three HOURS! x_x;

Most of the thrill rides have wait times that long, but for a simple drawing? They really like their drawings! ^_^

デイズニーシーの仕事中は難しいでした。。。

朝からお客様が多いでした！

本当にときどき三時間が待てました。

三時間？！！ x_x;

びっくりしたよ！！

みんなさん絵が大好きだからね？ ^_^

Drawing endlessly for 40-50 hours a week caught up with me pretty quick, and my muscles and joints became increasingly more painful and stiff. My coworker, Gamini, lived out in a quiet suburban village in Chiba and recommended an acupuncturist/physical therapist there. Being 20-30 minutes from Tokyo, the doctor was more reasonably priced than some in the city and had an affable and earnest demeanor that was endearing. Despite the shock-white hair that perfectly matched his scrubs (and socks, because no shoes in the clinic, thanks) he was an energetic young gent at a spritely 70 or 80 years young. During the massages that would accompany the acupuncture, he would often climb atop the table and dig his big toes into knots in my shoulders with deft dexterity and surprising agility. 

Japan: 浦安の夏 2012 June 23-25th Urayasu Summer

lazy days

     Summer in Japan is a bit different than what I'm acclimated to, to say the least. The cold, dry winters melt into a soggy spring which then slowly turns into a steamy summer with scattered storms. The four seasons make themselves proudly known.

     Summers in Tokyo; humid, damp sweaty…but also lovely.

Japan: 2013-03-22 Ueno Hanami 上野お花見

Ueno Park

March 22nd, 2013

    Every spring there is a short window of time when Tokyo, and most of Japan, explodes. After the brisk, icy winters the gentle rays of springtime sunshine reawaken the senses and the fauna inhabiting the area…oh, yes, that's right; Cherry Blossoms! What blog or trip to Japan would be complete without some mention, however brief, of ye olde infamous cherry blossoms? Believe it or not, their season is actually quite brief- only two weeks or so of their full glory before their petals drop and the trees begin sprouting fresh new leaves for the year.  It's often used as a poetic metaphor on the brevity of our own mortality. Hmm.

People gather en masse to celebrate this beautiful yet ephemeral time of year. There will be picnics, public drinking, singing, dates, bike rides, and so forth in any excuse to gather and spend time among the blossoms. It's really quite lovely. There's not a whole lot I can say about it that hasn't already been said a thousand times over by better narrators than I, so enjoy this photo bomb. Imagine the sun on your skin and the low chatter of Japanese around you.