Kimonos and Jingle Bells

I've been in Japan for two weeks now and so much has happened in that short time. I have helped to move chairs and filing cabinets from the old office to the new farm shop building, cooked food for 20 + people, collected one chicken egg, and got attacked by a rooster. So life is pretty eventful here, which is an extreme understatement. Every day is interesting in its own way and is filled with singing and praying and idea sharing. Asian Rural Institute seems so alive to me on many different levels.

After navigating my way from Narita Airport to Utsunomiya by bus and then to Nishinasuno by train, Jeen Hae and Ban (a Korean couple) and Nicole (my American roommate) took me to ARI. I got there at around midnight, Japan time, and basically I made my bed and went straight to sleep. On my first day at ARI, I experienced a very minor earthquake and had a talk about radiation with Steven (one of the staff "in charge" of volunteers). Never a dull moment!

There are so many cool things about ARI, the best of which is that it is a community of people both from Japan and all around the world. In the mornings, we have exercises which consist of stretching to a recording of instructions (all in Japanese) and music. I have to watch everyone else to know whether I'm supposed to be bouncing up and down or touching my toes. Even though exercise is at 7AM, I usually enjoy it because I find the exercises to be rather undignified. I always end up trying unsuccessfully remain serious and not smile. I've really enjoyed fixing breakfast with Kazu, one of the main cooks at ARI. It's really nice drinking tea and making pancakes while watching the pink sun come up amid the puffy purple clouds. I've just recently started appreciating mornings, and I guess I've come to the conclusion that it IS worth it to get up early so you can watch the rest of the world wake up to a brand new day. Before each meal, one person chooses a song to sing (there are 10 posted on the dining room wall) and prays. Then everyone says "Itadake mas" which loosely translates to "Let's enjoy the meal." We all eat together in Koinonia House, which, like all the buildings at ARI, is very cold in the winter because it has thin walls and one small wood stove for heating purposes. After breakfast, we have morning gathering--usually my favorite part of the entire day. Basically, it's a kind of devotions time; one person shares thoughts or reflections on a topic of his/her choice. Often it relates to ARI or Christianity in some way, but it doesn't have to. One of my favorite ones so far was Jil's description of his childhood in the Philippines catching fish and riding water buffalo. For me, it's a time to learn about the other people I'm living with. I always come away with a greater appreciation for the morning gathering "chairperson," partly because he/she always speaks in English (usually quite a departure from his or her own native language). Then we have morning "foodlife work," which recently has been moving supplies from the old office to the new one. "Foodlife" is a term coined by ARI to describe the importance of food for sustaining and providing life for people, plants, and animals. We then have lunch and afternoon foodlife work, during which time I clean the kitchen vigorously and thoroughly. Much to my own surprise, I've discovered that I actually enjoy this kind of work. I really like taking a broom to the filthy corners under the refrigerators or scrubbing a black tray until it shines silver again. It doesn't make sense because I hate cleaning my room. Maybe it's just not dirty enough to be satisfying? Perhaps I should shovel some compost onto my desk or grind some dirt into the floor...something tells me Nicole wouldn't appreciate that, though. Then there's supper and free time if you're lucky! I joined gospel choir because I'm a crazy person. We have practice on Tuesdays, which usually runs for 2 hours, and our concert is this Sunday. Also, I have Japanese class on Wednesdays--it costs 100 yen for one class. My favorite word I learned this week was "tanoshi" (interesting), although I also enjoyed the contrast between the short little English word "egg" as compared to the Japanese mouthful "medamayaki." On other nights, I might be found playing ping-pong or watching Seinfeld with Nicole and Franz (a volunteer from Germany). Sometimes Jeen Hae and Ban invite everyone over to their house for supper and treat us to Coca-Cola or pizza. Some nights, I'm just tired and cold so I sit in front of our kerosene heater and wish for summer to hurry up and get here already.

This week, we decorated our community Christmas tree. Mai Mai used white snow spray on the tree, but Jonathan told her to use it on the windows instead. So the poor tree looks like it's afflicted with some strange blight in a few patches on some of its branches. It's also got a huge gold ornament with the words "Merry Christmas" on it and a giant hamster ornament that I found in one of the decoration boxes. Plus loads of tinsel and lights that we've only turned on once, to my knowledge. That tree has character!

My first week in Japan was even busier. I went to church in Nishinasuno with Jeen Hae, Ban, Fatamata, and Mai Mai. The sermon was in Japanese, but there was a translator for us. Afterwards, we went to McDonald's for lunch and then to Nasu Mountain (about an hour away). We got to see snow near the summit, and then we went to onsen, or the public baths. At onsen, the men and women go into separate bathing areas, which are like hot tubs with different temperatures recorded in degrees Celcius. Everyone leaves their clothes in a bin in the locker room area and pretty much just sits in these tubs together. It was somewhat awkward at first, but eventually you realize it's not a big deal and get on with your life. It was actually very nice, to tell the truth. Then on Tuesday I went to a party/function in the surrounding Tochigi area. I got to eat all kinds of wonderful food, wear a kimono, and participate in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. The kimono made me feel like I could neither breathe nor walk properly. It's like wearing a corset and tiny little platform shoes which are too small for your feet. You look lovely, of course, but it comes at a price. After the tea ceremony, I put on regular clothes so I could eat more dessert. Then we were asked to sing Jingle Bells in English with orchestral accompaniment. It was really something!

Tomorrow, I'm going to take care of the chickens and fix lunch--should be very tanoshi. More later!