Thoughts on Driving in Japan

This is just slightly old, and I posted it on Facebook but thought I'd do it here as well.  Driving in Japan is frustrating.  I imagine it's frustrating no matter where you go but each place has different reasons it's frustrating.  The majority of thoughts I have on driving are frustrations but there are a few good points.

1. Please turn... please turn... please turn... YES!!!  Finally!!! *2 minutes later* Please turn... please turn...

2. I'm going to pass this bicyclist... if he ever gets off to the side far enough so I can.

3. Why are people obeying the speed limit?!  It'd be faster to walk than obey these things.

4. That was a close one!  I haven't had someone suddenly turn in front of me since maybe... yesterday!

5. Should I just hit the gas and go through or should I stop?  Well, I guess I'm still going.  Yeah that was pretty red, I should have stopped actually.  *Looks in rear view mirror to see 3 cars followed me through*

5. Did that woman just turn off her car at the red light, then start it again when the light turned green??

6. Japanese joke: Calling THIS a two-way street.  There's barely room for a bus.

7. Turn signal BEFORE brakes, please.

8. Good thing my shaken (car inspection) is so expensive this year!

9. I'm paying to sit in a traffic jam on this toll road for SOME reason, I'm sure.

10. The magic of hazard lights are amazing.  They allow you to park anywhere, even in the middle of a busy street!

11. Nice roads.  So that's why the tolls are so expensive.

12. Sensors on traffic lights sure would be nice.

13. Does that guy not see the irony of pimping out a yellow-plate car?

14. Backing up is the only way you've ever parked in your life and it still takes you 3 tries?  Wait, one more time.  You're 2 centimeters off the middle.

15. I completely agree with the mother in the car in front me!  Your kid doesn't need a seatbelt!

16. Striped white line on this curvy road, solid yellow line on the road with vision for miles.  Makes sense.

17. Slower than a snail in the single lane roads, faster than a Ferrari when there's a passing lane (reminds me of home).

18. Wow people are actually willing to stop their lane on the opposite side to allow me to turn, and even give me a signal (flashing lights) to make it clear!  This does NOT remind me of home!

19. How to pull out into a busy intersection: Creep forward ever so slightly every few seconds until you are sticking out in the road, forcing people to stop to let you in.  Forget to blink your hazard lights twice to say thank you.

20. Is this guy gonna complete his turn before Christmas?

21. It's probably a waste of money to have 3 guys standing almost within arm's length telling me to go the obvious direction in this construction zone.

22. Why are all the "Baby in car" signs written in English?  I know how hard you studied in middle school and I don't know if you can read that!

23. Cop cars back home tried to hide.  Here, they try to stick out like a sore thumb.  I actually do like this better.

運転【うんてん】 (unten) driving

Sayonara Japan!

I'm sitting here in the airport, about 15 minutes before boarding starts on my flight.  Of course, the feelings of wishing I could stay longer are extremely strong right now.  But this is how it's supposed to be.  These feelings of not wanting to leave the place I called home for 3 years is proof of how much I loved Japan, loved Kesennuma, and how much I loved all the people I met there.

It's almost unreal to think about going home.  It's not the first time I've done this whole process, but the bonds I made this time are much stronger than the ones I made the previous times.  What I'm not looking forward to is the moment when I'm back in my room and the entire trip to Japan feels like one big dream.  I hate that part.  Also not looking forward to learning how to drive on the right side of the road again!

I thought about ending my blog soon after I got home, but I noticed the title of this blog, and I think I'm going to continue writing in it.  I'll write about the reverse culture shock I experience, the impacts Japan will ultimately have on me, and of course, the time I end up coming back here, because I most definitely will.  Speaking of which, I need to write a list of places to visit when I come back, because I imagine it'll be many years before I'm able to.  My guess (because I like doing that) is that I'll be back in 5 years when the Olympics are being held... or maybe 4 years.  Tickets during the Olympics will probably be through the roof.

This is the last post officially from my journey in Japan.  I'm about to board now, so with this, I'll say thank you Japan, for everything.  Thank you Kesennuma for allowing me the opportunity to call you home for 3 years.  Thank you to the people, the teachers, and the students who watched over me for 3 years.  It has been an incredible journey that not everyone will get the chance to experience.  I will never forget any of you!  I love you all!  SAYONARA!!!

さようなら (sayounara) good-bye

Minato Matsuri, Feelings of Leaving

It's 2 am as I write this.  Minato Matsuri, a 2-day summer festival with street dancing the 1st and fireworks and taiko (Japanese drums) the next, just wrapped up.

The festival was fun.  I got to dance with my students and see a lot of them that I'll likely never see again.  I went to Jonan before the thing started to record a video for the kids who are doing the speech contest, and the teacher will show it to the kids before the speech.  I hope they are happy and it inspires them!  I really want them to do good and I can't wait to see the video of them!  Ok end tangent.

The second day of the festival was taiko and fireworks right outside my apartment.  I saw more of my kids and got to take a lot of pictures with them.  It's hard to leave them.  One of the speech contest kids said she didn't want to be friends with the new ALT, that she preferred me.  I don't know if she was joking or not but she didn't seem to be.  I felt bad for the new ALT but I was happy that she was sad I was leaving.  She also wanted a woman but, too bad!  She said men were hard to talk to, and when I whined about that, she said I was ok because I wasn't a man.  Damn kids.

It's not the first time I've been in this situation, but the feelings don't get any easier.  It's weird being in places and seeing people for what I know will be the last time ever in my life.  It's almost like I can feel a part of me dying.  It's painful.  But it's good in that, those sad feelings are the validation that this journey was meaningful in a good way to my life.  I'm incredibly lucky to come on this program that not everyone can come on, and I'm so thankful for the opportunity.  Anyway, got to get back to packing.  Kuroneko is coming tomorrow!  I leave Kesennuma on Tuesday and Japan on Wednesday!  Here I come Oregon!

そろそろ (soro/soro) soon; momentarily; before long

Regret

One of my English teachers cried before we said goodbye for the last time today at a goodbye party.  It was then that I knew I had messed up.  One of these days I will make the right decision when it comes to women.  It won't be today.

Edit: Well, maybe I didn't make a mistake after all.  I never received a reply for one last meeting even though the message was read.  Whew!

やってもうた (expression) (yatte mouta) oops!

End of School, Goodbye Parties, Speech Practice, Getting Ready to Go Home

School has ended.  I've taught my last class I'll likely ever teach as an ALT.  I had to give goodbye speeches in front of all my schools and they presented me with flowers and goodbye gifts.  It was nice, but I'm glad it's over, I hate giving those goodbye speeches.  I also received a lot of those cards where everyone writes goodbye to you on those big cardboard things.  I'm going to miss all my students and teachers.  I had one student cry.  Secretly, that is what I wished for and I would have been really sad if I didn't get that.  Thank you for all the great memories, it has been fun!

Even though I'll have had two weeks to do things, I'm super busy and haven't had time to do everything I wanted.  I'm trying to fit in a bunch of goodbye parties in between trying to clean, it's a hard deal.  I've met a lot of awesome people over the 3 years I've been here.  It's hard to say goodbye to them, especially when I think about how everyone has moved on quite a bit back home.

I'm done with school but still going in for speech practice.  I've got one student who I'm hopeful for, she's got really good English.  She's writing about her grandparents' cooking soy boiled food.  Hope the new ALT can lead her to prefecturals because she definitely has the talent!

We've had a few meetings at the BOE on getting ready to go home, said our goodbyes there, and just today they came to pick up our trash.  They said they were going to the dump, but they were really going to the garbage/recycle place.  I didn't put my trash in bags so we all had to help do it before loading it onto the truck.  More lost in translation!  I'm going home on the 6th.  Going to Tokyo on the 4th after Minato Matsuri to hopefully meet some people, then Oregon awaits!

It's been a long journey.  Can't believe it's all coming to an end.

送別会【そうべつかい】 (sou/betsu/kai) farewell party

Vacation, Preparation for Returning Home

So I ended up going to Osaka, Okinawa and Matsushima on my way back.

In Osaka I went to see the Sky Building in Umeda and Takarazuka, an all female theater.  It was a good view, and interesting that a large part of the audience is all women.  I ended up losing my camera sometime though, and bought a new one right before going to Okinawa for around $350.  I like it, but it doesn't take panorama shots, which I really liked my old camera for.

Okinawa was cool too.  I ended up going to one of the smaller islands called Zamamijima for a night.  It was a calm little island and I probably should have stayed another night or two.  The next day I went to the Churaumi aquarium and that place, well the aquarium itself anyway, is BIG!  There were 3 whale sharks and a few really big stingray like things.  The next day I had planned on visiting a castle and possibly just enjoying the beach, but I came down with a migraine.  Of course, that was the only day that it was sunny.  I managed to drag myself out of bed around 3 or 4 and made it to Shuri castle.  A cool place, but not sure it was worth it at that point, I probably should have tried to just find a beach.  The place I wanted to eat at, a shabu shabu place, was full of people and I couldn't eat the dinner I wanted to either.

All in all, it was a decent trip, but I am never going to do this sort of thing again alone.  It was really depressing seeing all the couples walking around while I had no one.  Traveling by yourself sucks.

I've started getting ready to go.  Slowly cleaning my apartment and just sent 2 boxes of around 15kg (33 lbs) back to the states.  That'll lighten my load for suitcases.  I've also started the process for getting the pension refund, I'm set to get over $8,000 dollars so I'm quite pleased with that!

I'm telling the kids that even though I'm leaving, a new ALT will be coming.  They say that they'd rather have me.  Even if that is tatemae, at least this time, I'm able to let it make me happy.

水族館【すいぞくかん】 (sui/zoku/kan) aquarium

Bye bye Maria, Osaka and Okinawa soon

It's been a while.  It's actually getting really close to the time I leave Japan finally.  I'm feeling really good about finally going back.  I have no regrets about not signing up for another year and I'm anxious to see my friends (what few I have left back home) and family.

I'm actually getting rid of Maria, my car, tomorrow.  It's been a great 3 years babe, you treated me great.  No major problems and you only cost $1,000.  I'll miss you, but you aren't worth the ridiculous shaken I'd have to pay to keep you another month and a half.  I'll be renting a car from the Ishida garage for around $250 for the next month and a half.  Not a bad deal actually.

I'm taking tomorrow, Friday, off until next Friday and am going to Osaka and Okinawa for a few days.  Just bought the tickets today and still haven't booked any hotels or things to do yet.  I'll be by myself which dampens things a bit but should be a fun getaway.  I'm bad at traveling by myself so hopefully I can will myself to have some fun.

The schools had a track and field meet the other day and my school cleaned up.  They took a bunch of first places in the relay races, I was pretty happy for them.

Guess I should start looking for a place to stay this Saturday...

旅行【りょこう】 (ryokou) travel; trip