Sunday, January 27, 2013 10:15p -- Kobe

Today, Anne-Louise, Mimi and I traveled by train to Kobe to visit a couple of museums.

First, we went to the Hakutsuru Sake Brewery Museum. I've got some pics below. I was especially impressed that they had each of the stations narrated in Japanese AND English! What a relief to be able to actually understand what I was seeing for a change. I am challenged to find information stated in English, so sometimes when I admire a monument or a building, I simply have to admire it for what it appears to me to be. The reality is that there is probably some wonderfully amazing and historical story behind that particular item, and I have no idea what it may be because I can't read Kanji symbols.

Pics below are of the Sake Museum.

Next, we visited the Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution. Here we watched a couple of videos (also narrated in English as well as Japanese!) about the earthquake in Kobe in 1995. The sights on those videos moved me to tears. I never really payed attention to the news about this earthquake 18 years ago -- perhaps it is because I am a typical American and too wrapped up in my own affairs to notice anything important going on in another part of the world. The impact of that earthquake was so important to the very community in which I was now standing. Over 6,400 lives were lost, tens of thousands were injured. The institution was about so much more than depicting the devastation. It was about Japan pulling together and creating the first (yes, the first) real organized volunteer program of this magnitude. It was about rebuilding, it was about recognizing that disasters like this cannot be prevented, but sharing knowledge and being prepared can reduce the impact of disasters like this in the future.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Yesterday, we were allowed free time to do a little sight seeing. The group split up and went to their destinations of choice. I went with a subset of folks to the cities of Kyoto and Nara.

Kyoto:

There are so many temples and shrines in Kyoto, that we had a hard time choosing what to do first. We visited the Kiyomizudera temple (the pure water temple) and when we arrived, we realized that there was so much to see that we would not be able to take in any additional temples in the time we had, so we thoroughly enjoyed this one. I got to drink the pure water that runs in small streams. You catch the water in a ladle and the drink, make a wish. Let's see if my wish comes true ;-).


Nara:

In Nara, we wanted to visit the Tōdai-ji and see the largest bronze Buddha in Japan, but the area was closed just before we arrived (perhaps we can sneak back before we leave to get a glimpse). The Wakakusa Yamayaki festival was going on in Nara, so we had plenty of other things to see. The streets were lined with food venders and you could get just about anything on a stick. Hmm, reminds me of home. The basis for this festival is the act of burning the mountainside which is a very cool sight from just about anywhere in the city. The burning was proceeded by a grand fireworks display. I have never seen so many people in one place in my life! Everything was orderly, no pushing, no safety concerns, so wonderful.

Pics:
1-10 Kyoto
11- 18 Nara

Friday, January 25, 2013, 11:55p -- Shopping, Tea, Sushi, and Sake -- What could be better?

Today was an awesome day, and an awesome evening.

We met at the University for a 2.5 hour class session filled with amazing stories, perceptions, and understandings. From there, some of us left for downtown Osaka for a little lunch and a brief shopping spree.

Let me say, in my heart, I am really not much of a shopper. I like to know what I want, go in, buy it and get out. But in Osaka, the shopping has so much more to offer than just the wares. Most of the time, I stood outside the shops while my classmates shopped. I took time to absorb the sights and sounds of the area. I discovered that the light poles are shaped like people and each one is different. The pics below aren't great, but I'll offer a couple to show you what I mean. There was a buzz of activity everywhere and, being the extrovert I am, I was charged by all of the commotion. In the back of my mind, I wondered if I was overdoing the activity on the first full day off any meds -- no wait, I actually took Advil in the morning -- oh well, it is nearly midnight and I am wiped, but feel great.

We had lunch at one of the many restaurants in the Daimaru shopping center -- a multi-floor facility with just about everything you could want. This was located in an area that reminded me of 5th Avenue in New York City! I had the most amazing shrimp tempura (see pic below).

At 6p, we attended a traditional Japanese tea ceremony at the home of the director of the Working Women's Network. Some of the rituals are incredible. I can't remember them all, but here are a few:
- Enter the room on your knees, and slide your body in with your hands.
-Kneel at the scroll, flower, setting that has been prepared by your host.
-The entire ceremony is done on your knees (but they gave us a break, thank goodness, and let us sit however we were comfortable)
-The sweets come first. Very fancy (but I found them rather tasteless).
-When you are presented with the tea, you are to bow to the next person and say something about going before them (sorry, I forgot already). Then you bow to your host and since you were given the bowl with the decorative side facing you. You turn the bowl so that the decorative side is facing away before you drink the tea.

The ladies that hosted the tea ceremony offered to take us to a street cafe for sushi and sake afterward. Wow! I can't say that I have ever had better sushi before in my life! The saki wasn't bad either :-) and since it was all outside at about 30 degrees, warm saki was very much appreciated.

Well, I've got so much more to share, but I'm very sleepy and will have another big day tomorrow. We are going to Kyoto and Nara, some very historical locations.

Pics:
1) My lunch
2-4) Interesting light poles (not the greatest pics)
5) Sweets at the tea ceremony
6) Our ceremonial host
7) Making our tea
8) Me with our host
9) The street cafe
10) Table full of raw tuna, sushi, saki (oh, and beer) yummy!

Thursday, January 24, 3:00p -- A bit about my accommodations

Before I get started, let me first say that I spent the night without one shiver or shake, without being drenched in sweat, and without a pounding headache or body aches. Yippee, I think I am finally getting better!

Since I have spent so much time in our mini me apartment, I think I'll spend some time telling you about it. I'll add some pics at the bottom of this post.

First let me say that I didn't expect much. After all, the deal was that we were to reside in student housing for the duration of our trip. Since I had moved 2 daughters into student housing not all that long ago, I thought I knew what to expect. This is similar to the housing accommodations in the U.S. -- only much MUCH smaller! Even the doorways are shorter -- well then, I am an oversized American.

The bed consists of an ill fitting mattress on top of what is supposed to be a stand for a futon (a mismatch). The first night, I didn't mind as I was so exhausted from the travel and the fever that the bed actually felt comfortable. After spending the majority of 72 hours in it, not so much. I couldn't wait to feel well enough to sit up in a chair.

We were all supposed to have single rooms, but I ended up with a room mate, Melanie. She's awesome and so kind to put up with my sickness. I'm blessed to have been placed with her. We each have separate doors, though, with separate keys -- weird. The only thing that separates our living quarters is a curtain. I do believe that there is something about the curtain that makes some sort of "official" boundary, but I'll have to look that up.

Melanie and I also share a bathroom. There is a very unique toilet -- when you flush, water is dispensed from the top for the purposes of rinsing your hands. The shower is another separate area. If you want to soak in the tub, you must first shower, then soak. The water is blessedly hot! The air, on the other hand, is frigid as the only rooms that are heated are the ones you spend the most time in. Guess what, we spend very little time in the bathroom!

I felt well enough to do some laundry today. I had to watch a youtube video in order to figure it out (still don't know how to get anything but a standard wash with cold water, but that will do). The dryer is coin operated, so I thought I'd reserve my coins for those things that absolutely needed to be dried.

We are on the 3rd floor, and the stairs to get up to the mini me apartment are very steep and for someone like me with balance issues -- yikes! I have to take the stairs very carefully. When you enter the living quarters, there is a boundary where you do not cross with your street shoes on. This is customary Japanese. House shoes, or in my case, slippers, can be worn beyond that point. I remember when we first arrived, Melanie walked right in and our hostess just about had a heart attack. She couldn't think of the English words for "no shoes" fast enough. The funny thing is, we all knew the rules, we've been paying attention for weeks so we'd be careful not to offend, etc. We were just so tired from the flight that we forgot.

Hopefully, it doesn't sound like I'm complaining about my accommodations. If I were on vacation, I wouldn't choose this type of living, but as part of experiencing the culture, it really is awesome. I think now that I am feeling better, I'll get to see more than the inside of mini me.

I get to rejoin the group tonight for a real Japanese cultural experience. I'll write more tonight if I am not too worn down, or I'll share more tomorrow.

Pics:
1) My ill fitting mattress/futon stand bed
2) The steep stairwell
3) Mini Kitchenette
4) The interesting toilet with the water flowing from the top to rinse your hands
5) The shower and mini tub (mini but very deep)
6) No shoes zone (entry to our living quarters)
7) Washing machine

Wednesday, January 23, 2013, 7:20p -- An uneventful day in bed :-(

The only thing to report today is that I remained behind again and missed the daily event, a tour of Sumitomo Chemical.

The fever persists, but I knock it back from time to time with meds.

Right now I'm watching TV. I believe the show I'm watching is the home shopping network in Japanese. Hopefully, I'll have something interesting (and some good news about my condition) tomorrow. Good night!

Tuesday, January 22, 2013 - A side of Japan I did not intend to experience

Just when I thought I was out of the woods, this darn fever slammed me back down -- harder this time. I spent Monday night wracked with fever and body aches and by Tuesday morning, I had little left in me. I called my sister Lisa for advice (but mostly for comfort) and she recommended getting to the doc in case it was influenza. I was worried that I was becoming dehydrated from all of the fever sweats.

My roommate notified the Prof and Lauren, the director of the CET here at OGU. Lauren and our landlady, Ariyama-san picked me up and took me to the clinic. Lauren stayed to translate all of the strange proceedings, directions for prescriptions, and to make sure I knew how to pay the bill.

Here's how it works in Japanese clinic.

FIRST: Triage of sorts in what looks to be a multi use room (office, exam room, consult, etc). Although Lauren tried to calm me by letting me know that privacy is not a concern in Japanese medicine, I was still uncomfortable being examined in a group setting. Other than the setting, the normal triage steps were expected -- history, current meds, allergies, etc.

SECOND: Ahh, a familiar procedure -- a swab of the inside of my nares to test for influenza. While the test was culturing, I was brought to an overheated waiting room (but was grateful for the heat as I was still shivering with fever). Test results showed NO INFLUENZA, YAY!

THIRD: So then, what's causing the fever? Next up, chest x-rays to check for pneumonia. Another awkward situation not knowing what to do and needing Lauren with me to translate. Then, back to the room to wait for the developing. The x-rays showed NO PNEUMONIA, YAY!

FOURTH: Now what, an IV? Really? Lauren says not to worry, as this is pretty standard in Japan. Rather than wait for you to absorb antibiotics through your stomach over time, they put it right into your bloodstream. Besides, I was a bit dehydrated (but not dangerously so) so the additional fluids would be a benefit (or so I told myself). The room where they administer the IV was interesting. One sick person would get out of bed and another would get in -- no changing of bedding or disinfecting at all. I sure hope I don't catch something else!

FIFTH: The doc (BTW a female doc, more on that later as this post is getting long) prescribed something for fever and something for cough (see pic below). Lauren wrote out the directions in English (thank God for Lauren!).

SIXTH (and last): The bill (see pic below) came to a total of 10,950 Yen. That's just over $120. This amount covered the office visit, all of the procedures, and the meds. I can't even walk in the door of my clinic at home for that price. Makes me wonder about socialized medicine. Of course, I recognize that increased risk accompanies some cost containments (right Lisa?)

When Lauren had to go back to work, Ariyama-san stayed with me until everything was finished and brought me back to the apartment. She was soooo sweet! She does not speak english, but she can communicate well anyway. She brought me food and beverages and wrote notes with English letters so I might better understand what I was doing. She also warmed up something reminiscent of grits, although I'll bet it was a rice of some sort. Then she opened a package of pickled plumbs that could be added to the rice mixture, but I elected to keep them separate. The rice could have used some cinnamon, I'd say. I am so blessed to have had Lauren and Ariyama-san with me today!

I am writing this post about Tuesday on Wednesday morning as I am stuck in bed again. I elected to skip the outing today (tour of Sumitomo Chemical) in favor of regaining my strength and ridding myself of this awful bug.

Pics below:
1. Drugs from the doc with English instructions written by Lauren.
2. The bill for my services.
3. A store of food from Ariyama-san
4. Drinks from Ariyama-san

Monday, January 21, 2013 - 8 different ways to use tofu (really?)

Enjoyed a unique dinner tonight - mostly tofu. Who knew there were so many ways to serve it? Actually, most of the dishes were tofu, but not all.

I'm feeling better today. No fever or headache for several hours, but my appetite hasn't returned yet.

Today we toured Osaka Gakuin University campus and also became educated in the ways of the complex train system. We even lost a person or two along the way, but no worries, we found them again.

Tomorrow we are off to the consulate to participate in the inaugural celebration (yep, the U.S. Presidential inauguration).