Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1
Vietnam
Chapter 2
New Home
in Kofu
Chapter 3
Hong Kong
China,
&
Korea
Chapter 4
Yamanashi
Chapter 5
Society
Chapter 6
Hospital
Chapter 7
Nikko
Chapter 8
Holiday
Greetings
Chapter 9
Culture
Chapter 10
Holiday
Trip:
Kansai
&
Kyushu
Chapter 11
Mores
Chapter 12
Hankos
& Brush-
writing
Chapter13
Friends
Chapter 14
Festivities
Chapter 15
Okinawa
&
Nagasaki
Chapter 16
Hong Kong
&
Australia
Chapter 17
Special
People
&
Events
Chapter 18
Coming
to
Japan
Chapter 19
Letter to
Editor
Chapter 20
Teaching
English
Chapter 21 Hamamatsu
Chapter 22
Women's
Relation-
ships
Chapter 23
Reflections
on
Education
Chapter 24
Nephews'
Visit
Chapter 25
Thailand,
Korea
&
Home
Chapter 26
Taking
Stock
Chapter 4
Settling In Yamanashi
October 3,1995
Hello again,
Greetings from Kofu! Capital of Yamanashi Prefecture. -- one of the two prefectures that share Mt. Fuji. (A prefecture is like a state in the US.) We are lucky to be able to see Fuji from our street. Kofu is on the Yamanashi plain and surrounded by mountains.Yamanashi means "pear mountain" and the plain is profuse with orchards - pears, apples, peaches and kiwi -- and vineyards. The area produces 90% of Japan's wine grapes. Gradually, housing is encroaching on the farmland as people move into the region. It is about 90 miles southwest of Tokyo and easily accessible by train. The population is over 200,000 but it still has the flavor of a small town.
Our apartment is in a new apartment building that is very nice and fairly spacious by Japanese standards. Here most people live in apartments, and Tom has been known to have claustrophobia because things are so close together. Our apartment has two 6-tatami rooms, a kitchen, a bath/laundry room, and a small cubicle for the toilet, which is down the hall from the bathroom. A tatami is a floor mat about 3 feet by 6 feet. It is the standard measure for determining the size of building lots and rooms. The other floors are hardwood. Furniture is minimal and we fold up our bedding (futon) and store it in the closet when we rise in the morning. On nice days the bedding is hung over the balcony railings to air out. We have two narrow balconies which have clothes poles for drying clothes. From our second floor windows and the balconies we have views of a shrine, two temples, the former prefectural silk inspection building, (which even our Japanese friends thought was a school), a coke machine (of great importance), a pharmacy, tofu shop, barber shop, a restaurant, and other assorted shops and homes. And that is just on our block.
Our Japanese bath is a godsend at the end of our walks, and probably helps to explain why we don't have any sore muscles. The bath is one of the Japanese conveniences that is truly a convenience.Clothes dryers are just about unheard of, as are dishwashers. The washing machine that we have is archaic, even when compared to the one Marie's mother had on the farm forty years ago. It is plastic, uses only cold water, and has a spinner. Tom says that if Japanese men did the housework, there would be more modern appliances for housework. The refrigerator, also plastic, is about a fourth the size of ours at home. There is no oven, but Marie has figured out how to bake in the toaster oven (six muffins or cookies at a time, if we can find the ingredients we need.) There is a 2-burner countertop gas grill and a small microwave, in addition to the Crockpot and electric skillet we brought from home. Are you getting the picture? We think that Japanese women spend their whole lives doing laundry, shopping, cleaning and cooking. Or maybe they are supposed to, anyway. The hardwood floors are supposed to be wiped down every day, and the tatami rooms are supposed to be vacuumed daily. That doesn't happen at our apartment.
Meanwhile, the Japanese men have the most modern toys imaginable - including heated toilet seats with remote control flushing and navigating devices for their vehicles. Remote control air conditioning is not too uncommon, and of course you are familiar with the Japanese electronics.
Please don't think we are complaining. We are having the adventure of our lives, and it is fun to plan food, entertain, and cook with the local resources in mind. The other day, Mr. Nakayama said that it must be like camping for us. An interesting thought....
Hope this letter finds everyone well and enjoying the fall, after a very hot summer. It is still fairly warm in Kofu, but has been beautiful. We have been doing a lot of walking and enjoying the mountains, Japanese gardens, and other characteristic sights of Japan. This weekend we are going to Kamakura for a three-day trip. Kamakura has had an exchange program with PV for about 18 years, and it is Tom's second home in Japan. It is one of the old capitals of Japan and famous for its temples and shrines, including a huge well-known Buddha. It is a lovely city, and we are looking forward to the trip. But mostly we are excited about seeing friends. Mrs. Inoue is almost like a sister to Tom, just as Mr. Nakayama (here in Kofu) is Tom's brother, and we are excited about seeing some of the teachers..
Before we forget, we wanted to let you know what our tentative schedule is. At this point, we have confirmed that Carolyn and her daughter will be visiting in February and will be here for Tom's birthday, which coincidentally is the same day as setsubun, a Japanese holiday. So it will be fun to celebrate Tom's 60th, and "bean-throwing" day with friends.
During the first week in March we will be going to Okinawa for a week with Eiwa for the 10th graders class trip. At some point in March, we will have a break between classes, but are not certain of the exact dates. If we were going to have company, we would stay home over the Christmas holiday, but it appears that no one is coming during that time. Therefore, we plan to take a trip (probably to Thailand) but we haven't decided for certain. If anyone is planning to come see us during that time please be certain to let us know as soon as possible.
Speaking of Okinawa, it is in the news every day now. Tom says that both the US and Japan are doing a lot of posturing, but it is kind of embarrassing that the US servicemen are involved in so many crimes in the area. Apparently there have been many rapes of Japanese women by US servicemen, which have gone unreported due to the deep shame involved. Now activists are saying that if the previous rapes had been reported maybe the 12 year old girl would have been spared. Meanwhile, the newspapers are printing statistics about the number of crimes committed by the US and how they the people of Okinawa are being held hostage, in essence.
On the other hand, the official statistics issued by the U.S. military show a fairly significant decrease since the early 1980's. However, the people who are most vocal are those who have opposed the U.S. bases for a long time, including the governor of Okinawa.
The other news that we hear daily concern the Aum Shinrikyo trials and the financial crisis of the country. Aum is a cult that has attracted many well educated people. Members totally submit to the authority of their leader, Shoko Asahara. The group has been charged with the sarin gas attack at a Tokyo subway station last March and the deaths of people opposed to them. The reasons for the gas attack are unclear, but the newspapers are reporting that it was associated with plans for Armageddon.
The Aum trials are going to be to Japan what the OJ trial was to America. We wonder how much coverage they will receive in the U.S. It is difficult to keep up with the various crimes and charges brought against the cult and its leader.They recently found the bodies of a lawyer, his wife, and year-old son who were allegedly murdered by Aum members under the direction of Asahara. Asahara has also been indicted for various other crimes, including the sarin gas attacks. There are members of Aum who are in hiding and wanted by the police.We are particularly interested in the story because the headquarters of the cult is about 40 miles from Kofu, near Mt. Fuji.
This is a country replete with contrasts and paradoxes. But then maybe that can be said of many countries. What appeals to us the most are the people. We sense a gentleness of spirit that is pervasive and underlies the character of the country. There is a graciousness among all the people with whom we come into contact daily -- from storekeepers, to passersby on the street, to our friends. It is difficult to put into words the peacefulness that we both feel here, and the culture shock we go through upon returning to the US. (For Marie - even after just a couple of weeks here last time. For Tom it was much more difficult, considering that he had gone from teaching Japanese students back to teaching American students.)
On the other hand, the Japanese are not liked very much by many of their Asian neighbors because of their aggressive business practices and the atrocities committed during the war, which are not acknowledged by most. (Although Tom says that no country acknowledges the awful deeds it does in war.)
Another thing we have noticed is that people are much more aggressive in their driving. Tom wonders if the Japanese women are aggressive in their cars to make up for the ways they must be subservient. There are more cars on the streets, and the old rules no longer apply - (Where pedestrians had the right of way!)
Nevertheless, there is a freedom and sense of safety that Marie has never experienced before. She can walk for miles in any direction and never have to worry for her safety. Sometimes she walks into the mountains, to hilltop shrines, along the 10km river trail, or just prowling around the streets and shops of Kofu. A year is not going to be long enough to explore all the wonders of the area. It is not unusual to walk 15 to 20 miles in a day, and it seems like nothing because it is so interesting. And she has some interesting encounters with people. Her favorite so far was with the groundskeeper at a temple.
The temple is almost hidden at the top of the mountain beyond the Takeda Shingen Shrine, which is the most famous shrine in Kofu. (There will be more about that later and in future letters.) "Marie's temple" is probably about a three or four mile walk from our apartment, and she found it when she was hiking and exploring the city. It is solitary and quiet. A beautiful, peaceful place to sit and meditate. The only other person Marie has encountered when visiting there is a groundskeeper, who is very friendly. He always wants to interact. We both try to communicate but with little success. On one occasion Marie tried to write a kanji to explain something, but it wasn't good enough to get the message across. So they are now content to smile and communicate nonverbally, if they see each other.
Last Saturday, we walked to Shosenkyo gorge, which is about 10 miles from Kofu. It is listed as one the ten most beautiful gorges in Japan and should be seen by anyone visiting Kofu.We started out with the intention of walking along the bus route until we got tired and then ride to the gorge.Well, we didn't get tired and walked all the way to the gorge. We had a lovely day, taking a video of the waterfall and other scenery, riding a cable car to view some marvelous vistas of Yamanashi and just sitting on the rocks to watch the water. When we were ready to return home about 3:30, the bus was jammed. We were certain no one else could be pushed on, so we decided to walk on what we thought was the return bus route, until we reached the next stop where we would take the bus back to Kofu. Five miles, five tunnels and many switchbacks later, we arrived at a bus stop. We checked the schedule and prepared to bide our time for forty minutes when the next bus would arrive. While we were waiting a woman came to tell us we had missed the last bus of the day! We had not realized the buses were on a weekend schedule. She offered to drive us to Kofu because she was going to the train station. That is a sample of the kindness we have experienced many times here.
Tom is amazed that he can walk so far, and is excited about planning other walks. And Marie is having a ball. We are thinking of walking in the Eiwa :"marathon" the first weekend in November. It is about 24 km, from what we have been told and is a fund raiser for a school in Thailand that Eiwa supports. Ten thousand yen ($100) provides a scholarship for a year for a junior/senior high school student. All the students in the school walk it every other year. If anyone wants to sponsor Tom or Marie, we would welcome any pledges.
The language is a challenge. There is one universal spoken language, although there are various dialects, as in any country. But there are four written language systems, and they are combined and interspersed when communicating by the written word. Quite complex! Tom is working on polishing his conversational Japanese, and has a pretty good grasp of Katakana (the system for writing foreign words) and is going to brush up on his Hiragana (the system for writing Japanese words). In addition, he is familiar with many of the common Kanji (Chinese characters). Marie is fascinated with the Kanji and is studying them just because they are so interesting. At this point she is familiar with about 300 (about third grade level), but there are 1850 common-use Kanji (including 881 essential characters), and our references say that there is no use learning Kanji, unless you learn all of them. Lotsaluck! They need to be learned by rote as there are no clues how to pronounce a character -- but it is fun to try to find ways to make them make sense. The fourth style is Romaji, using Latin letters like we use.
Railroad Sign in Four Writing Styles
No Grant letter would be complete without talking about food. The biggest change we have seen in Japan is the variety of food offered here. Two years ago when we would go to the restaurants located in the department stores (the best place to get reasonably priced, good meals), the food was mostly Japanese. Early during this stay, Marie was taking one of our "Japanese daughters" out to lunch and was hungry for something Japanese - tempura, sukiyaki, or something like that. They both ended up ordering Italian!. Italian food is quite common and pizza is very popular. We were surprised to find two Mexican restaurants in town, and there are many Denny's, McDonald's, and other restaurants in that vein. We haven't eaten as much Japanese food as we would have thought, except what we cook at home, because it is difficult to find a reasonably priced Japanese restaurant. We are planning to frequent the neighborhood restaurants when we become more familiar with Kanji. However, Tom has a box lunch (o bento) delivered to school each day and it always has a variety of Japanese "treats" -- typically it includes vegetables, lotus root, bamboo shoots, a piece of fish (cooked or raw) pickled plum and rice. For variety a hamburger or spaghetti might be substituted for the fish.
There is no limit to the entertainment here. We have been to one jazz concert and plan to see the Ray Brown trio in November. We are looking forward to that and hope that pianist Benny Green will be with him -- because we enjoyed that combination when we saw them in Harrisburg last summer. We will be going to a Japanese puppet performance with Eiwa next week, and there is a dinner in our honor next week at a Chinese restaurant. The 1995 judo championship competition just ended, and we enjoyed watching it on TV. The autumn sumo tournament ended about a week ago and it was something to behold. A friend is taking us to an Aikido demonstration in a couple of weeks. And the list goes on....
Then there are the festivals. There is no way to keep up with all of them. Many are Shinto and celebrate nature's wonders and changes. The first weekend we were here, we were exhausted, and were startled by the hammering across the street that began at 5:30 Saturday morning. It didn't stop until about 8:00. A whole crew of men and women were constructing a platform, but we didn't know what it was for. Later that day there were processions of sake-fueled men carrying a portable shrine down our street, chanting the traditional chant. Marie thought it sounded like "Penn State; Penn State," and almost had Tom convinced. About 7:00, P.M. the dancing began across the street. It was like a Japanese block party, with dancing and singing traditional songs. In spite of our exhaustion, we enjoyed watching it from our balcony. Later we read that it was the "end of summer" celebration.
The day of the full moon in September is moon viewing day. There is a ritual for viewing the moon from specially built platforms. We got the grass through which one is supposed to view the moon, and planned to watch from our front balcony, but it was too cloudy to see it that night. We missed the Autumn equinox celebration, because we had something else going on. There is a national holiday "Respect for the Aged Day" which was celebrated in September, but we are not certain exactly what activities occurred. Shichigosan,"7,5,3 day", is coming up. It is a day when little girls who are ages 7 and 3 dress in elaborate kimonos, boys dress in suits and go to the shrines with their families. It is quite impressive to see and we don't want to miss it. One Saturday a few weeks ago we walked to a famous shrine in Kofu (Takeda Shrine) and discovered that it must have been a special day for having babies and new cars blessed by the Shinto priest, because that is what we watched.
Well that is all for this time. Hope to hear from you. Even though we are having a wonderful time and are pleased to share our experiences with you, we also want to know what you are doing-- and we miss our family and friends.
Stay Well!
Tom and Marie
Oct 6 P.S. We just got a months' worth of mail today. Nobody had told us that we have 2 mailboxes! For the first two weeks our mail had come to our box outside our door. Today the landlord called Eiwa to complain that we were not picking up our mail. There is a box under the steps on the first floor. It was stuffed with mail and overdue bills! The first part was like Christmas - the second a shock.
So we guess that people do love us after all. It is a pleasure to hear from you.
For many views of Mt. Fuji, try this site. The hyperlink on the first page will take you to the second page to see all the views. The first page contains spring and summer views of Fuji San and the second has fall and summer views. Click each picture to enlarge.
