Lots n lots of random stuff.

Tomorrow morning I'll be leaving to go see family near the Tokyo area (as Lauren would say, "Jeech and botch"). I'll be gone til the 5th. Probably means I won't be posting stuff or getting/sending any email for a good week or so. Hopefully, I'll take pictures and post them, but I've never been much of a shutterbug so who knows? Gotta get back to my Japanese roots I guess. Chiizu!

I was looking at the calendar just now, and I realized that I'm gonna be around in Date for only 3 more months! Two words. Really weird. To give you all back home a heads-up, I'll probably be back sometime in mid-April. After I pack up my stuff from Date and leave, I'll be attending the yearly Spring retreat hosted by my mission, go sightseeing in Japan, and go through re-entry training in LA... all before touching down in the Yay. More details as the time approaches.

Been checking out the Urbana website. It's cool that we can sorta follow along with the happenings of the conference via the internet. Streaming video is awesome. I know quite a few who are there right now. Know that I'm praying for you.

I'm almost finished with my essays for seminary apps. Two 250 word (1 page) essays for Fuller.
1. "Reflect on your past Christian experience, including the most significant spiritual event/influence in your life, the role of Christ in your religious experience, and the effect your faith has on your worldview. Include your involvement in Christian service, your perceived gifts/calling for ministry, your reason for attending your church, and any involvement in Christian ministry or leadership."
2. "Reflect on how attending Fuller Theologicval Seminary would complement your present Christian experience and/or help you to achieve your future professional and vocational goals."
My problem now, isn't getting the words on paper. My problem now is trying to condense it all into one page. I'm baffled by how anyone can write on topic #1 for only one page. Topic #2, I've found is quite a bit more do-able. I said that it'd be done by Christmas, but when Christmas rolled around, I had a 5 pager and a 2 pager. I should be done by the time I get back from visiting family.

Japanese TV.

Ok ok. So most everybody knows that there's weird stuff on Japanese TV. SNL skits have been made on the subject. But what surprised me when I came here is the channel selection. There are only 7 TV channels. Seven. You can get 3 more with the basic cable option (known as BS... yeah yeah, I think I've heard all the jokes already). There's the premium cable option... but I dunno how many more channels you get. I'm guessing not too many. I'm yet to go to house equipped with CS. And of course there's satellite TV.

I once talked with some Japanese friends about how a few of my friends back home have something like 600 channels right now. Unimaginable. Jaws dropped to the floor. Yeah, America is the couch potato nation. Where else can you get channels in the hundreds? On the flip side, the American audience is quite a bit more diverse in their tastes than many other nations of the world. So, it could be argued that all those channels are necessary to keep America's diverse audience entertained... maybe. Yeah, maybe not.

I got an email from my mom on Christmas eve saying that she tried to call, but couldn't get through. Just the other day, a few people in Japan said that they tried to call but the line was busy.

Starting on the 23rd, I noticed a clicking sound when I sat down at my desk. It kinda sounded like those Snapple tops. I didn't think much of it though. And went about my business. This goes on until yesterday the 26th. After 3-4 days of clicking noises, I got annoyed and searched for the source of the sound. So, I put my ear against various things on my desk. Naturally, I start with the computer... specifically the CD drive. Nothing there. I put my ear up on the mouse. Nothing. Next was my MD player from way way back. Again nothing. By now, I'm figuring there's nothing left that might click. So, I resort to stupidity. I put my ear against my stack of post-it notes and scotch tape. Then it hits me, my phone! Sure enough, my desk phone was off the ringer. It wasn't completely off... I'm not blind. It was in the area but it just wasn't resting in the cradle.

Christmas is an interesting time over here in Japan.

Supermarkets, department stores, and local stores have the Christmas decorations out with the trees and jiggling Santa statues but there isn't any noticeable difference busyness. In terms of business, it's pretty much like any other day.

The food. For some reason, Kentucky Fried Chicken makes a killing in Japan at this time of year. Somehow, KFC convinced everyone in Japan that Christmas = fried chicken. It's like mind-control or something. As an aside, to set the record straight, I roasted a turkey for the Christmas party last night. It turned out alright. It was about 10 lbs. Kinda small but just the right size for my oven.

Oh, and then there's the Christmas cake. Yeah, at first, I was like what? Christmas cake? But the Christmas cake has become a staple in the holiday season here. It's just your basic 6-8" round sponge cake with white frosting with all sorts of decorations on top. But this is the Christmas cake. I don't know how many times I've been asked, "Do you make your own Christmas cake?" Or, "What do you put on your Christmas cake?" The concept is so widespread that in Date, your can buy your own Christmas cake in the supermarket, coffee shop, even convenience store. That's right, at 7-11 in Japan, you can pick up your chips, coke, and a Christmas cake. No slurpee though. They don't have slurpee machines yet. But to compensate you can buy oden and all sorts of bentos. Sure beats that shriveled up Big Bite that's been rolling around for who knows how long.

The Christmas weekend is upon us.

Although a fun and joyous time, it's also a busy time. Much appreciate your prayers... more than you probably know.

Today, among other things, was the gospel choir Christmas party. Lotsa great food. I'm gonna sleep well tonight. I brought a honey baked ham... thanks to Tim for supplying me with the ham from FBC. I couldn't find whole cloves so I decided to do a light, ground cloves rub on the ham. Turned out well... a tad salty though.

Here in Japan, most of the time, you take off your shoes when you enter a building. Not so interesting. As a result, sometimes, you'll notice somebody's socks. At times interesting.

Today, I noticed these rather peculiar socks. Actually, I've seen them before, but it's been a while. I guess the best way to describe em would to say they're feet gloves. Whereas normal socks would be like feet mittens, these are feet gloves. At the end they're separated for each individual toe. I'd imagine that they're quite a bit warmer than normal socks. These things would blow away those Dan Marino isotoner slippers. And so, I'm sorta tempted to get em. But then, I'm worried that if I wear them, I'd just stare at my feet all day.

It was surfing through people's xanga and blog sites... is anyone not super duper stupendously excited about the upcoming Lord of the Rings movie? Maybe it's because I'm away from the hype. It's like the time when Finding Nemo came out in America a number of months ago. Seemed like everyone was all excited like a bunch of preschoolers with a chocolate caffeine rush.

By the way, Finding Nemo just came out on theaters here in Japan. Why the long wait? Because it's a kids' movie, subtitles won't do. So, they need to dub over the voices. Hence, it takes time.

On the other hand, Lord of the Rings is coming out in late January I think. I might be wrong. But it's somewhere around there. Maybe the hype will hit Japan in a couple of months. Then again, even if the hype hits Japan, there'll be no way I'll know about it. Our city doesn't have a movie theater. The neighboring city of Muroran has one. Not two, but one. I probably wouldn't go all that often anyway. It costs about 2000 yen (about $18) for a ticket!

To follow up the December 13th, post, there are a lot of misconceptions Japanese people have about America. I'll touch on some of the lighter misconceptions...

As Charlie commented, there's the misconception about American eating habits. In a few words, "beef and bread." More specifically, beef in either steak or hamburger form. As for the bread thing... plain white bread. Not potatoes. But bread. I don't know how many times I've been asked, "Do you eat rice or bread?" As if it's an either, or thing. For a while, I tried explaining that I eat both rice and bread, along with beans, potatoes, tortillas, etc.. To which, I get this blank stare that says, "What are you talking about?"

Second, there's the whole chopsticks thing. "Do you know how to use chopsticks?" "Chopsticks are very hard to use." Any foreigner coming to Japan will get asked this question at least once. For a while I was courteous, and replied with a quick little, "Yes, I do." But now, every now and then, I want to say something like "Yes, I do... do you know how to use a fork?" Luckily, I don't get asked the question as much as I used to.

Third, the usage of land. Most Japanese have this image of America as this huge wide open space. And compared to Japan it is. But recently, I showed this picture of San Francisco chinatown to some Japanese friends, and they were surprised by two things. Chinese characters in America... and the density of the city. "Oh, it's crowded in America too?" On the other hand, they can't grasp how country the country is in America. After hearing that in some parts of America, a family's neighbor could be miles away, my pastor had this look of bewilderment.

Fourth, gun ownership. After watching movies, TV shows, and news reports, most Japanese people think every American household has a gun. 'Nuff said.

Oh, bonus one... the military. I've been asked on a number of occasions, "Have you served your time on the military already?" "Are you afraid of going to the war?" Looking at the nearby examples of Taiwan, China, and Korea, many Japanese naturally assume that America also has a mandatory military service period. After explaining that military service isn't mandatory in America, many openly ask me, "How does America support their armed forces then?" Most Japanese I've talked to are surprised that all current American military personel are volunteers.

I had the weirdest dream the other day.

I dreamt I was in Tokyo. The buildings. The lights. The crowds. It was all there. I'm walking down the street, when I notice a store. I walk inside, and it looks like a mom & pop grocery store except there's nothing on the shelves. But on the far wall there's a refrigerator section filled with different Mexican salsas.

A la Broadway, I suddenly break into song and dance to express my delight, although I don't know where the song came from or what the words to the song were. A Mexican lady is at the register and she tells me, "Go ahead, take the salsa of your choice."

And for the rest of the dream, I stand there, trying to choose which one I want.

I was talking with some Japanese people, when the topic of different cultures came up. One person said something pretty interesting. She was talking about the reasons behind action in different cultures:

Germans do things because it's commanded.
Americans do things because they want to be heroes.
Japanese do things because everybody else is doing it.

Naturally, I wanted to ask the question, "What if everybody was jumping off a cliff? Would you jump too?" But, perhaps wisely, I decided to hold my tongue.

There are a lot of misconceptions about Japan and Japanese people...

First, in response to Ben's comment, most Japanese people really don't understand war and conflict... today. For nearly 60 years, Japan's been without an official army. The whole thing with their "Self-defense forces" and if that's really an army or not is another post. Most Japanese people are under the delusion that their Self-defense forces are not a military force. (Most Japanese people actually think their self-defense forces are more like a relief aid structure... never mind the fact that they're armed and trained in military weaponry.) Japanese people haven't had a military casualty in nearly 60 years. With the exception of those old people, the WWII vets, Japanese people can't understand the concept of war. The reason? In that 60 year time span, the schools have indoctrinated their children with the "Peace always" mantra, mostly out of shame from the atrocities they committed in WWII and well, with losing WWII. It's kinda strange actually. Japan just recently sent some of their self-defense forces to Iraq. Many Japanese people fear that this may be a step in the direction of re-establishing their armed forces. It's like they're afraid of themselves... afraid of what they might do if they have an army.

Second, the Japanese flag is practically nowhere to be found. It doesn't fly on the school flag pole. It doesn't fly inside a single classroom. It doesn't fly outside the city hall. It doesn't fly anywhere. Apparently, those images of lines and lines of people waving those small little Japanese flags when someone important comes to Japan from another country... is staged. I asked around, and what I found is that before the guest comes, and more importantly, before the video cameras roll, designated people come, handing out the mini flags to the surrounding people. In my 2+ years of living in Japan, I don't think I've seen the Japanese flag flying anywhere. I've seen it on occasion in the corner of a room like the principal's office, but I haven't seen it on a flag pole where all can see.

Third, Japanese people eat meat. There's the misconception that Japanese people will (or can?) only eat Kobe beef which goes at something like $150/steak. Although meats are typically a bit more expensive here than say... oh, Costco in America, it's not too bad, and the selection is mostly there. Beef, pork, chicken, lamb. It's there... especially here in Hokkaido. Getting the cuts of meat I expect, however, is a little different, as I found out when I was preparing for the BBQ back in the summer. Anyway, meat, especially among the younger generations (that is, under 60, yes, in Japan, if you're not retired, you're considered to be in the younger generations) is eaten quite often, and in many cases is preferred over fish!

Fourth, not all Japanese people know how to do Karate. Actually, very few do. Japanese people were very quick to point this out to me. But upon further investigation, I found that nearly all men and boys know at least the basics of Judo. They learn it in school for PE. In the meantime, the girls are sent to home ec where they learn how to sew and cook among other things. Speaking of which, are there any high schools in America with home ec as a mandatory class anymore? At El Cerrito, I don't think they even offered it as an elective.

Can't we all just get along?

Unity, world peace, everybody just holding hands swaying back and forth with a smile on their face. This is the dream most Japanese people hold especially in the face of a continuing conflict in the middle East. Although practically nobody will say, "No I don't want that to happen," I think most of us realize that the process is a little more complicated than just respecting one another.

Japan is an island nation. And on top of that, a very homogenous island nation. Japanese people born and raised make up at least 95% of the population in this country.

"Everybody is the same" is a saying I hear often. To which I want to say, "Well, yeah in Japan." Language, values, ways of thinking, all pretty much the same in Japan. Obviously this makes it hard for foreigners to get established here, but that's a whole different post. Group think isn't a thing people work towards here, it's a given. Since this is what most know to be "reality," most don't understand why wars and conflict are necessary.

An interesting conversation I had a few months ago... a Japanese friend watched the movie "Remember the Titans." She commented, asking me, "Why is there so much racial segregation and conflict in America? Why can't everybody just get along?" I tried to explain exclusivity, but it just went over her head as well as the others who were listening in on the conversation. Finally, I said, "What would happen if you married a foreigner? What would your family and friends think?" Suddenly, it looked like most everybody understood. But then someone chimed in saying, "Well that's different."

Unity and the such is an easy thing to talk about. It's easy because when most people talk about it, they come in with the thought that everybody thinks like them, holds the same values as they do, and is "normal." But as anybody who lives in foreign countries can attest, that simply isn't the case. Even with the language barrier gone, the cultural barrier proves to be a far formidable force. Simply put, to an American like myself, Japanese people aren't normal. They're weird. Really weird. And conversely, Japanese people think I'm not normal. They think I'm weird. Then again, I am weird. Oh, well. So much for that.

Oh and I forgot, we'll have winter ball. The new season starts mid-January in time for March Madness. Are you ready to watch some diaper dandies come out and show what they're made of, baby?! March Madness minus the Dick Vitale and the East Coast bias... I promise.

It's over.

The first season is finished. The college season however, continues. And I won't even go into that. If you wanna read rants about the actual college BCS system, you can probably go to some random guy's blog... and half of em will have something about the topic. As for me, well I'm a number of seasons removed from American football. But the blog BCS served me well in providing a substitute. Well, not really. Oh well. When I get back home, I'll have plenty of lazy autumn Saturdays and Sundays... in front of a TV, jumpin', yellin', and screamin'. Ahh, maybe I should've followed through and become a mic-man when I was at Cal. Then again, Asian guys never did a good job in front of the Cal crowd. I remember there was an Asian mic-man when I was there, and well, quite frankly he looked lost up there... like he didn't know what to do. Should he watch the game and cheer? Or should he turn his back on the game and start a cheer? Oh the choices!

It really didn't matter because there was the veteran mic-man who held the fort for the 4 years I was there and then some. I seriously think that the senior mic-man guy beat out Al Grigsby in terms of his tenure at Cal. They should retire his rugby shirt in Memorial Stadium.

I've been on a fudge making frenzy over the last week. The best thing about making fudge? Even if you give the stuff away, you get to eat the edge pieces! Maybe that's not such a good thing. Well, we'll see. All of my dress pants still fit me, although I have to admit, one of em is starting to get a little tight. Then again, I've had that pair since high school so I think I'm alright.

Cool thing about snow... the crunching sound it makes under your feet when you walk. It goes something like "Errg... errg... errg." But if you're power-walking it goes something like "Rgrgrg."

Not so cool thing about snow... when it is no longer under your feet because you slip and fall. That's what happens if you're running.

Random thing... I hate programs and software that automatically starts downloading onto my computer! I just caught a program trying to do that. And in the process of trying to get rid of it, I discovered a whole myriad (yeah! used the word myriad today) of programs I never downloaded purposefully.

I have to admit, the snow does make for beautiful scenery all around me. Even though it's crazy cold when I wake up and crazy cold when I need to take a shower and crazy cold when I need to get around town, white winters easy beat out brown winters aesthetically.

That said, our church did the stupidest thing ever this past morning. We passed out flyers starting at 7:15 AM in front of an elementary school for an English class I'm teaching in the area. Why is this stupid? Because it was 25F outside with gusty winds and a nasty wind chill factor of I dunno what. Everybody who knows me, knows that I'm not a morning person, and that I'm really groggy when I wake up. Well, I think I figured out how to solve that problem this morning cuz I was wide awake. I had gloves on the entire time, and after 30 minutes of being outside, I still couldn't feel my fingers. Somehow, I think things would be so much easier if I was in Guam. Hee hee.

One thing that's great about living here is that I can see the stars practically everyday. Absolutely amazing. The clarity, the brightness... some days I don't think you can get the views I do in Yosemite. Nothing quite like a dark, quiet, brisk night looking up at the stars... well, except for experiencing that through a window of an apartment with the heater on full blast.

Today I had lunch with another Asian Access missionary, Tim.

We went to a restaurant, decided what we wanted to order from the display out front, and sat down. I sat on one side of the table and he sat on the other. When the waitress came by, she squared her shoulders toward me so that her back was to Tim. When I ordered noodles, she asked, "Two orders of noodles?"

This entire time she's completely ignoring Tim, whose Japanese language skills are very good. Tim orders his lunch to her back, she writes it down, and she leaves. Not once did she turn to look at him... even when he ordered his lunch in Japanese. I thought it was rude of the waitress. Then again, it has happened so often that I'm getting used to it. They see my Japanese face and assume I can speak Japanese... they see his caucasian face and assume he can't.