For the past two years I’ve been growing my hair (though only consciously for a year) and it’s been a real mendokusai (pain in the ass). Being naturally possessed of curly Irish hair, it’s a little unmanageable. I grew steadily more weary of its likeness to the gorse bush springing from Emma Watson’s scalp in the first Harry Potter movie. Potter-heads (such as myself) will rage against how ‘stylish’ Hermione’s hair became throughout the films. But now I sympathise.
So, last week I went to Kawaramachi-dori and tamed the wild beast.
Ok, enough of that. The real reason I'm writing is because I haven't or so long and may not be able to for the next few days because I'M GOING TO TOKYO!!!!
This past week has been quite hectic. For one thing, I had my first meeting with the volunteer circle I joined. We cycled to a children's after school playgroup ( where the only kids still there after 5 were the ones whose mums were still working .. aww =( ) and helped them make parachutes.
I got what I should have interpreted as a Japanese-style Warning before the reached the playgroup. One of the guys said "These kids are the most genki I have ever met". "Genki" as in "Ogenki desu ka?" (How are you?) means energy, healthy, vitality, vigour.
Oh god were these kids genki. If genki was a drug (and sometimes in Japan I suspect that it is ... it can't be natural to be so cheerful all the time!) they were high on it. But they were so adorable, if a little bit like 3 foot yakuza bosses trying to beat up the older male members of the circle.
There favourite word, as amply impressed upon me during those 2 hours, was "unko". Turd. They said it all the time and to every one, and drew it on every available surface so I guess it's the Japanese equivalent to "poopy face". Oh and "buta" (pig) that was another thing they called a lot of the guys.
Thankfully, I didn't get called any names (not that I picked up on anyway) but did have an amusing encounter with a tough-faced little cutie in the hall.
*Boy staring at me*
Boy: Dare? Dare? Dare? (Who?)
Ella: Era desu. (I'm Ella)
Boy: Dare?
Ella: E-ra de-su.
Boy: Nande Era? (Why Ella?)
Ella: Ousutorariajin desu kara. (Reader, you can work that one out for yourself. Japanese 101!)
After that he laughed hysterically and ran away. Then I had some kids mill around me and yell Eigo shabete! (Talk in English!). I did and they too laughed hysterically and ran away.
I was really surprised to find this kind of student group in existence, to be honest. A university club that plays with kids? That would never go in Australia. All the members would have to undergo police checks to make sure they're not pedophiles. There are even apartment blocks RIGHT ABOVE the playgroup. Oh no, what if someone living there is a pedophile and touches himself while watching the children play on the swings!!!
I tried to explain this to some Japanese people about the Australian media/society paranoia about pedophilia, to general bemusement. Another exchange student explained to me that "In Japan, children are seen as belonging to everybod, so people look out for them." That also explains the existence of the TV show "Hajimete no otsukai" (First errand) where kids of the ages of 2 and older are sent out on their own (ok, they do have a TV crew following them obviously, but still) to do errands, sometimes catching buses by themselves.
Haha, what a wuss. His 2yrold sister had to tell him "Mamotte ageru" (I'll protect you).
Tomorrow evening, I'll catch the shinkansen to Tokyo Station and stay with my friend Megumi. I've known her from CHS days, when she came to the schools with the Suginami rugby team to play our team.
Other things I play to do while in Tokyo:
*Meet up with Dani and and other Japanese friend called Megumi and go around Omotesando, Daikanyama and the Park Hyatt
*Ueno Park and Tokyo National Museum
*Mori Art Gallery
*Yasukuni shrine, where the souls of numerous Japanese war criminals are "housed". Favourite hangout of Japanese neo-nationalists and a symbol of Japan's struggle with its history. Look forward to a thought-provoking entry about that one.
*Finally meet Alex and Beb from Learn Japanese Pod!
*The unmissable districts of Ginza, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Asakusa, Harajuku and Akihabara (in order to bring back a robot for Sel)
*Tokyo Tower
*Go to Yokohama, Japan's historic international port
*Eat some whale
I'm sure I won't have the time to do absolutely everything here but I will do my best!
Will update on it all when I come back - probably over a number of posts.
Ki wo tsukete ne.
Take care of yourselves.