Contact is Made with the Locals

Monday I started my AOB (area orientation brief) class which culminated yesterday with a field trip to anywhere we wanted to go in Japan.  The class itself was pretty good.  We had two locals teach us about the country, places to go, basic phrases, and what to expect when we go out.  Some things I found interesting:

1.  The Japanese language is very structured and strict.  While the English language has thousands of different sounds the Japanese language has only a few hundred, and letters are always pronounced the same.  Also the words are always the same, they don't have as many verb irregularities as we do.

2.  Japanese people have a very hard time pronouncing the word "irregularities".

3.  We were talking about what to expect shopping wise, and they were talking about how most the stores are small and specialty stores.  She explained that we shouldn't walk outside and expect a Walgreens, or a Walmart, or a Target, then she got quiet, her eyes gazed off into the distance and she said, to no one in particular "I wish we had a Target here".

So we were in a group as we headed out.  A couple of the people picked a shrine to go to and I'm all about tagging along.  The world is filled with too many leaders right?

Quick summary:

The major "religion" here is Shinbutsu Shugo, and I use quotes because it's sort of a combination of two religions, Buddhism and Kami.  Buddhism is known fairly well so I won't really explain it, and Kami is this kind of "God is everywhere in everything".  It's centered on these spirits (there are over 2,000 of them) and each has it's own shrine, they're scattered all over Japan.  We went to a shrine dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji, the emperor of Japan from late 19th century to early 20th.

Before you go in to any shrine there are these gates, called Torii gates (below).  These are very large and are in front of any place that the Japanese people deem to be sacred.  Before walking in it is custom to pause, remove your hat if you're wearing it, bow respectfully, then enter.

Following these gates were these long wooded walkways leading in to the actual shrine.  It's kind of hard to explain the immediate impact, but within seconds you go from these incredibly crowded streets to this silent secluded area.  It's pretty neat.

After about a quarter of a mile or so, couple bends in the road you come to a purification station (I made up that name myself) before you go in to the actual shrine.  You wash both your hands, and then take a bit and gargle it (because our mouths are FILTHY) before you enter the "holy area".

The actual shrine itself takes advantage of space more than anything.  It's not incredibly ornate or architecturally innovative, but it's simplicity is equally as impactful as large statues or murals would be.  There was also a marriage taking place which was pretty cool.

Within the shrine itself is a place to make prayers to the particular Kami spirits for that shrine.  As the ceremony goes you go up to a specified area, ring a bell to awaken the spirits, bow twice (once to say "hello", and another to thank them in advance for hearing your prayer), place some money in a slot, clap twice to scare away evil spirits, then press your hands together and say your prayer.  Once again you bow to thank them then go on your merry way.  They asked that we not take pictures in this area, so I got nothing for ya, but it was pretty cool.

Later we went down some random alleyway and found a restaurant with no english, pointed at some pictures, and had this awesome egg noodle pork dish thingy.  No idea what it was.  Well, that's not entirely true, I do know it was delicious.

Sayonara

Every Journey Starts With a Single Step

At the end of 2011 I reported to Milton, Fl for yet another phase of my flight training, and early on I learned that one of the possible follow on locations would be Japan.  As soon as I heard that I knew it would be a place that I would want to go, and last Sunday I finally managed to make my way out here.

That morning I made my way to the airport. I showed up several hours early in hopes that I could drop off my checked luggage and wrap up the last few things I had left to do.  But as they say, the best laid plans of mice and men and all.  The airline wouldn't let me check anything until later that morning, so I waited.  Eventually, with everything checked and all things sorted out, I said my final goodbyes to my friends who had made it out to see me off and checked into my flight.

At this point I'd like to compliment Japan Airlines.  Before we boarded, as we sat in the waiting area they sent a representative around to check out passports and mark our boarding pass to expedite the boarding process.  As we boarded a gentleman who wasn't Japanese bowed and said some sort of welcoming or well wishing phrase to everyone as they got on the plane (I don't speak the language, but I'm pretty sure that to me he said "welcome great red head" or something like that).  The stewardesses, all Japanese, were all incredibly kind and helpful, they apologized for some delays that we had.  And not that official hollow apology, they apologized as if it was actually their fault.  And best of all, not only did they hook me up with an aisle seat, but a seat in a row where I was the only person sitting.  It was glorious!  No fighting over armrests, no large man snoring in the seat keeping me up, no child screaming, just me and my three other empty seats.  Well done Japan Airlines.

So I landed, went through customs (when the gentleman who stamped my passport said "America?" it took everything in my power to not finish the song from Team America), grabbed my luggage (using the free carts to wheel it around) and made my way to the appointed desk to catch my bus two hours south from Tokyo to Atsugi.  Here in a new country there would be so much that I wanted to see, so much culture that I would want to absorb, so naturally for the entirety of the bus ride south, through various cities and country sides, I immediately fell asleep.  What?  I was tired.

I checked in to my room, and thus far I've only managed to check in to the base, but as time goes on I will eventually venture out into the town.  Next week I go through a week long class introducing me to the new country, and I'm looking forward to Thursday: "field trip day".  They drop us off at a train station in the morning and have us go out on our own, we just have to make it back before the trains stop running.  

Sayonara