Japan: ９か月 ; Nine Months.

     9 months; that's how long I've been living in Japan now.

     Initially, it was quite overwhelming... Tokyo is a huge city, packed full of sensory stimuli, after all. Every single outing I discover something new, see something different. From stumbling through the process of getting my transit pass, to setting up a bank account, getting a cellphone and getting lost in the subways it's been an exciting, challenging and fascinating learning process filled with fantastic food and adventures with an eclectic cast of characters.

     The changing of the seasons is extremely visible here; when I arrived the hills were dreary yellowed-grey things, quiet and cold. Through the spring (はる　 ; 　春) the plants revitalized with flowers bursting into vibrant life EVERYwhere and a tapestry of lush greenery stretching rapidly towards the sky. There was the rainy season (つゆ　 ; 　梅雨),  a drizzly humid period that involved many days of cursing at having forgotten my umbrella (coming from the desert,the only umbrellas I owned were given to me by well intentioned family). The summer (なつ　;　夏) is now rapidly drawing to a close but it's presence has been announced by the chorus of cicadas that croon from seemingly every possible corner...it is a nostalgic sound for me, reminding me of summers as a little girl out west curiously seeking their shed skins to admire. Here in Japan the skins are much larger and sturdier compared to their frail cousins in Nevada. It is also a sound you hear in many anime to set the mood; it is unquestionably the sound of summers in Japan, conjuring the heat, the humidity, the sunshine and sweat...

     Fall (あき　;　秋　)is now rapidly approaching, announced by the presence of many seasonal foods, including matsutake mushrooms. 

     Expensive puppies, they are. The grocery store by my アパート has bundles of them for 780¥ (roughly $8.50US) for two. They are a famous food both in Japan and abroad, rumor of their incredible prices and unique depth of flavor and cultivation abound. Their appearance unmistakably hint at the upcoming changing of the seasons... soon it will be winter (ふゆ　；　冬　) all over again, with the dreary hills and bone-chilling cold. After the oppressively steamy summer weather, I'm looking forward to nestling in to many layers of comfy clothing and cooking soothing, warming foods again. I love making soups and always make my stock from scratch, ensuring that every time I brew up a batch it will be a direct reflection of the season, my eating habits of the last few weeks and a uniquely flavored blend. 

     Emotively, it's been a strange journey. I took one brief vacation to the US to visit friends and family and was left feeling all the more adrift than I had already. It is not a bad thing, necessarily; I have always been a bit of an outsider, observing the behavior of others as they cavort without feeling intrinsically immersed in it all. I am highly attuned to details and can read into people quite well and this tends to make many exchanges utterly exhausting to me; but it's also hard to pull one over on me. I have no fear in my adventures here and as far as safety...Japan is hard to beat. You can pass out pretty much anywhere and be completely safe (like this salaryman after a night in Roppongi);

     At this point in my life, it is a wonderful place to be. While I feel a nagging sense of distance playing on my affections for various people back home I knew what I had signed up for when I came. I welcomed it with the full knowledge it was precisely what I needed, as challenging as it may prove to be from time to time. Evolution is never easy or painless, but the end results are worth it.

     As they say in the native lingo; がんばります！！ I will do my best!!

    

     じゃ、また！ See you soon. Be well, my friends.

Truth is...

I've officially been in Japan for four months now. What in the name of valhalla does this mean?

I have eaten horse meat and fish sperm [shirako], I have drawn over 2,000 people- including celebrities and comedians and in between those adventures I've wandered the streets of Tokyo- sometimes in a group and sometimes solo. I have felt many earthquakes and seen the vestigial reminders of the big one from last year. I've heard stories from people who were living here when it happened and seen many of the repairs still underway.

The condensation of all I've seen thus far has been this;
Life is relatively simple...until it's not anymore.
I need very few things to actually enjoy myself.
The generosity and resilience of the Japanese are things to be admired; things to learn from.
It is beautiful to see my perfectionism mirrored at large by a culture. I enjoy this immensely.
Enjoy every minute detail in every moment because you never know.
Take joy in a beautifully prepared meal,
the laughter of friends,
the supple slip of silk against skin,
the breath of fire, the gust of cold,
because these are all aspects of being alive...something we won't be forever.

I have no regrets in my life; I live, I love, I learn.

I'm proud of my humanity. I intend to explore it as fully as my unknown lifespan allows.

Ramen! Aishteru!

Are there any foods that embody comfort to you? As strange as it may sound, ramen is one of those foods for me. This may seem odd considering I'm a white girl from Vegas; however, it's true; I love ramen. I have no epic tales of my parents cooking it for me from scratch, no grand exposure in a ramen-ya or izakaya, simply; childhood.

a bowl of tan tan men from a random shop in Urayasu-shi, Chiba-ken, near Urayasu station

Viva Lost Vegas

(The world famous strip)

I've spent roughly 20 years living in or around the world famous city of Las Vegas. The bright lights (the brightest city in the world as seen from Space)! Gambling! Casinos! Ridiculous summer heat! Swarms of drunken tourists screaming and falling over themselves! Indeed, I call this den of madness my home town. In fact, I was BORN here which is a somewhat unique honor. The majority of 'locals' in Vegas are from far off lands, looking for gainful employment and the American dream. In fact, there are are almost 2 MILLION people living in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, making it the 28^th most populous city in the entire United States. The 90s and early 2000s saw a boom in the population that later contributed to one of the worst housing busts of the US economic decline, with home prices dropping faster than most stripper's tops. The sad result of this is that there are brand new homes, neighborhoods and developments that have been left largely unoccupied (at least by humans). This creates a fascinating modern ghost town atmosphere that has been underutilized by Hollywood so far. For more information, check out this article; The Stunning Crash and Burn of Las Vegas by Michael Snyder.

The beginnings of a new adventure

I can confidently say that one of the things I adore most in life is traveling. From the pre-trip jitters, planning, and packing to the moment you feel the plane lift off the ground or the car hits the freeway, you know that an adventure is going to be had. This is why I've recently jumped head first into an opportunity that could take me far from my desert home all the way to Japan.

Why Japan?

I could wax poetic about anime (Samurai Champloo! Miyazaki! FLCL!), about food (takoyaki, okonomiyaki, kaku-ni, ramen, etc), about the eccentric clothing, architecture, cultural history and an ongoing list of other fascinations, but essentially; I believe it's important for everyone to live in a culture that's completely different from the one they grew up in, for some period, during their lifetime. Whether you study abroad, spend a summer working in Europe, or travel for a living, the perspective you gain when forced beyond your cultural comfort zone must be incredible.

I've spent practically my whole life living in Las Vegas. The arid desert landscape, wide highways, glittering strip; it's going to be quite different moving to a small, humid island nation. I'm used to extreme seasons but the humidity will be a new challenge. I've experienced humidity in Florida (central Florida during the summer is incredibly swampy), but we'll see. There's no denying that living just outside of Tokyo, in a city of 13 million compared to Vegas's measly 2 million residents will be quite a change of pace.

As of current, I've sent my paperwork to be processed by the company that's hired me. They'll be my sponsors, so now it's a waiting game. In the meantime, I have plenty to occupy myself with; will my phone/computer/electronics work? (Some may, some most likely won't) Will I be able to find clothing/shoes that fit me? (I'm over 5'9"!) Can I sell my car before I leave? What will I do with all my other stuff? All sorts of things are running through my mind. The contract I signed has me beginning on September 16th, which isn't far from now at all!

I'll update this blog often, focusing on specific details and aspects of my adventure as I work them out, so check back often! I hope to soon be sharing all sorts of fun, unique and eclectic observations about a country that's intrigued me since I was young. Hopefully you'll find the adventure as amusing as I will!