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Well today I used Japanese more than any other day thus far in Japan. It began with our second Japanese lesson. We exchanged very few actual sentences, but I did produce some follow-the-pattern sentences and named several pictures using Japanese. The real use of the language, however, came much later in the day. I’ll share my two stressful stories.

This past weekend, David and I had gone to Akihabara (known as electric city) to purchase a digital voice recorder for my research. This part of Tokyo is THE place to go for such things as a digital voice recorder, camera, and electronic dictionary, all items that we have purchased in Akihabara. This is where you get the best prices and the most recent models for the Japanese brands. And sometimes, only sometimes, a sales clerk speaks English. David had done the homework initially to help me determine a couple of recorders to consider. He also found prices on Amazon.jp in order to give us a price range in order to barter. I also read some reviews, so even though we went to four stores comparing prices and available models and did not find a clerk who spoke English, we were able to communicate and make our purchase without much anxiety. And even though the only available manual was in Japanese, we were fairly confident we could get an English manual off the Internet.

Like most of our trips to Akihabara, the time we spent there was much less than the time spent to get there! I was, indeed, both proud and excited about our little purchase, especially because I had been well instructed on how to get reimbursed from Waseda once I made my purchase. I went home with this great little recorder that is just what I need for my research and I would be reimbursed because I had gotten my “reshito” (receipt).

So today I took the recorder and the reshito to the woman in charge of research funds who had given me clear, specific instructions and warnings about making my purchase. I proudly showed her my reshito, but her face showed concern and anxiety. She doesn’t speak very much English and I speak so very little Japanese. She spoke in Japanese to me, and I could understand that my reshito was not what she meant by reshito even though I didn’t know the words she used. I tried to explain in Japanese that I had asked for the reshito and had gotten this paper. She kept saying it wasn’t a reshito. She then told me she was going to call the store where I had bought it. I understood the Japanese she used to tell me she was going to call the store, but I really did not understand the problem that would make her need to call the store.

I sat in the office while she called the store. I listened and understood bits and pieces of the phone call. After more than 10 minutes on the phone, in which her concern and seriousness did not disappear, she hung up and made another call. That one lasted only about 5 minutes; then she came back to me to explain. She spoke in Japanese, and I was not getting her meaning until she said in English “next time.” Whew! I was going to get reimbursed so I could listen a little better. Apparently the reshito I got was a tax-type receipt the stores in Akihabara are required to use, so they do not give cash registrar receipts. However, Waseda requires a cash registrar receipt for reimbursement. Next time, I will get both! She had gotten all the information she needed by phone; then called a supervisor to get approval to reimburse me for the 26,000 yen for my cool little recorder. That was really a good price—almost 3,000 yen less that at Amazon.jp and it is such a small, cute recorder! (David was also able to find the manual in English!)

I will also remember not to go do business in the SILS (School for International Liberal Studies) office on Wed afternoon when the office personnel who speak English are in a meeting!! Well, actually, I might just go on Wednesday afternoon again because it MADE me use Japanese and I did get through it.

So I left the SILS office to do a run to the 100 yen store to pick up some office supplies. On my way back to my office—less than a half block from my office, I realized I didn’t know where my keys were. I searched and searched and searched and could not find them. I retraced my steps and stopped at three stores to say in Japanese, “My keys. . .” and shrugged. Everyone searched then said “Nai.” (None.) I searched my purse again and this time found them! It was a very stressful afternoon but at least I know I am in a different country today! I could not imagine how I was going to get into my office. I would have had to talk to a security guard and convince him/her to let me in! That would have been more challenge than I was ready for!

As stressful as the events were today, they turned out all right, and I was being sincere when I wrote that I am glad for the times I actually have to use Japanese. It isn’t that everyone here speaks English. Very few people actually do. It is just that we work most of every day by ourselves, and the people I am in contact with most of the time do speak English. Even shopping we can do without knowing much Japanese. It is amazing how much a person can do here without knowing Japanese. I do, however, hope some day to actually be able to talk to people!

I often think of things to put on the blog while I am walking, but then there are so many other things I want to do, too, that I don’t quite get the blog entry written. It has been more than a month since I posted, and Margo and Lisa have asked when we were going to do a new entry. If people are reading, we better write!

Life is Japan continues to suit us well! I am loving my work here. David’s job, unfortunately, is not as exciting as he would like it to be. It’s not a fulltime job, so he does have time to do some projects that are exciting. He is not complaining as Tokyo suits him better than Galesburg or the Midwest in general ever has! We both enjoy our non-work time. There is always something to do! Mostly we just walk in or to places to discover another part of the city. We found these great Korean red bean pancakes on a walk a couple of weeks ago that I am anxious to have again!

Last weekend, the Japan Study Program had its fall retreat in Nagano, a mountainous area about 3 hours by bus west of Tokyo. It was cold and rainy on Saturday, but Sunday was sunny and beautiful. We have a wonderful group of students, so even though David did not attend because he was sick, I enjoyed talking and interacting with the students and Michiyo, the Program Associate. Michiyo, her daughter, Sarah (Michiyo’s assistant), and I snuck off Sunday morning to go to an onsen (a hot springs public bath). It was fabulous!

Lisa, Ben, and Sophia arrived in Japan on October 5th, David’s and my 26th wedding anniversary. It was a great way to celebrate! We met them at the Nippori station with little trouble and at first Sophia looked like she wasn’t going to come to me, but when I spoke to her, she clearly recognized my voice, and let me hold her! Since their luggage, including Sophia’s stroller, was tied up in a workers strike in France, there were many opportunities to hold her! We had to go shopping to get necessities and for the first few days we didn’t have a stroller. I loved holding her, although, she really is a bit heavy for hours of carrying. The stroller that Ben and Lisa purchased on the third or fourth day helped us all out.

In addition to shopping, while Ben, Lisa, and Sophia were in Tokyo, we went to the National Museum in Ueno Park one day and went to Asakusa to visit a famous Buddhist Temple and grounds and to shop in a traditional shopping area of Tokyo. Both trips were very nice.

Lisa, Ben, and Sophia, went to Gosen City a few days after arriving in Tokyo. We missed them, but that was a busy week for us. I had a lot of responsibilities for the Japan Study Program and David was interviewing and going through orientation for his new job. I had coordinated two events for JS, a dinner with the Program Associate from the States and a trip to the Edo-Tokyo Museum. While leaving the museum, I ran into a student I knew from my first year at Knox College. He is the student that asked me to be the advisor of the Chinese Club at Knox. I believe he is from Singapore, so in Tokyo, a city with 12 million people that is not in the country that is home to either of us, it was incredible to just run into each other! He is in a graduate program at a university in Tokyo. We exchanged contact information and should see each other again.

The weekend before the Nagano retreat, David and I joined Lisa, Ben, and Sophia in Niigata for a few hours of shopping then went to Muramatsu (that may not be spelled correctly) where the Sekuras live. Their city is being combined with some other cities and will be Gosen City now. We were there for three nights and had a wonderful time! It was the best weekend we have had so far. Mrs. Sekura is a wonderful cook and the family is so gracious, fun, and interesting to be with that every minute was fabulous! Time with Lisa, Ben and our granddaughter, of course, topped the bill, but it was great to share the time and space with other people who lover our kids and granddaughter so much. So-chan (Sophia shortened with the Japanese honorific term for children added) charmed us all, and kept us all busy! While in Japan, So-chan learned to crawl, pull herself up to furniture, and to walk pushing a little toy or holding onto someone’s fingers. She matured more every day, and she is a good eater. Just feeding her kept many people busy, and, of course, what she ate caused other needs, too! Her favorite food was the wonderful Niigata rice! It is excellent and we were eating rice that had been in the field the week before. Rice lovers, you don’t know what you’re missing until you have had rice that fresh! We have tons of photos of Sophia, but they still don’t seem to be enough. We miss her so much!

While at the Sekuras’ we went to an onsen. It was fabulous! Lisa, Sophia, and two Grandmothers enjoying the baths together may not happen again. We spent a large portion of the day there, as after bathing, we ate lunch in a large room with low tables that were perfect for So-Chan. A lot of other children were around in the play area, too. We just ate and hung out after bathing. It was a very relaxing day.

We returned to Tokyo with Lisa, Ben, and Sophia after our visit at the Sekuras’ and went to parks and shopping close to our apartment. We had meals late after So-Chan had gone to bed and David got home. (He doesn’t get home until 9:30.) Since the Goold family returned to Oxford, my attention has been on teaching (finally read some of my students’ papers), working on a research project, and catching up on JS items, and of course going to the retreat in Nagano. I am still enjoying the course I teach and am excited about all of the components of my work here. It feels so good. Every day I feel a bit more relaxed and excited; it’s a freedom I have not felt for a very long time.

This weekend, I will be preparing a speech, the first of a series of three. I should be more concerned than I am because I have only written a paragraph so far, but it is on critical pedagogy, a topic I know well and can talk about easily with confidence. I am actually looking forward to having a captive audience and meeting students and faculty from education! You can get the details at this site http://www.waseda.jp/sils/en/student/info_05KarenENG.html.

David and I have also decided to begin private Japanese lessons. We met the teacher on Wednesday and will begin classes one hour a day on Mondays and Wednesdays. It will make us more busy, but we want to increase our speaking ability. Just studying on our own means that we forget the things that we learn so easily because we’re not really using Japanese except when we’re studying. Classes are expensive, but we think it is something we need to do.

Time to work on that speech!