Tumblr

So, in order to feel like a cool kid on the internet, I've started a Tumblr. It'll probably be mostly focused on music, but some random stuff will probably make it's way in, anyway.

If that interests you, here's the link: Life In Plaid.

Visa

So, at around 7:30 PM today, the UPS guy returned an envelope I sent to the Japanese Consulate in Boston last week. Inside this envelope was my passport along with a freshly applied allowing me to stay in Japan without the Japanese government throwing me out in 90 days.

It's always a bit of a nerve-racking experience for me dealing with customs or border control or visas and such. Not that I have any reason to be, I'm just terrified of answering a question the wrong way and getting moved to another room where they... do whatever it is to people who actually try to cheat that sort of stuff.

Also, my passport photo was taken when I was 16. I'm 22 now. I don't know about you, but I definitely don't look the same as I did six years ago. So, I'm always afraid that I'm going to go to some country, and they're going to be like "THIS ISN'T YOU AT ALL! OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!" I was especially afraid of this when I was leaving Israel, when I had really long hair and hadn't shaved in a while and they don't mess around when it comes to that type of stuff.

Anyway, while this process wasn't as HARDCORE as that, but I was still afraid because I had to send my passport by mail and GOD KNOWS what could happen. But basically, I filled out the visa application ("Oh god, I hope I'm answering this correctly"), affixed the passport photo I had to go to my local Rite-Aid to get taken ("oh god, I hope this is the right size"), and included the return envelope ("oh god, I hope this is what they want") and waited. A few days later, I got a call from the Japanese Consulate in Boston, which at first FREAKED ME THE FUCK OUT, because no news is good news, right? But they only wanted some other information from me. In addition to confirming my birth date and my name and such, they also wanted my address I'd be staying at in Japan. Since my school wouldn't tell me the exact information until I got there, I had just put down the address of the campus. Apparently, this wasn't sufficient enough for the Japanese Consulate. I told them I'd ask the school and email the information to them.

I sent an email to the school asking what the specific address was for the dorms, hoping that they would email it to me overnight (due to the time difference). When I woke up, I found out they hadn't (later I found out that the Japanese holiday Obon/お盆 was taking place and didn't get a email until Monday from them), I got on the FaceBook and asked my friend who went to this school last year. He gave me the address and the only difference between the one I wrote and the one he gave me was that he had "International Residence Hall" at the top or something. Anyway, I emailed them the address and called them up and let them know I did, the nice Japanese woman on the phone checked the email and said it was all good.

...great.

Almost a week later, and I have my visa! YAAAAAAY!

On a more serious note, this really puts everything in perspective. It doesn't seem long ago that I was applying to this program and doing lots and lots of forms. Now, other than a few little things like grab some Yen, clean up my room and pack, there's nothing else in the way from now and me leaving.... that is unless I forgot something.

Really, this blog will get more interesting. I've somehow got to think of other things to fill it with until September 20th.

Prologue

In 49 days from today, I will be sitting in Detroit Wayne County Airport, most likely eating my last American meal, waiting to board a flight headed to Tokyo, where I will spend a minimum of one year; hopefully becoming slightly more fluent in Japanese and hopefully be able to secure a job teaching English.

Originally, I wasn't going to start this blog so early, but in the midst of visa crap and a whole lot of other shit I need to take my mind off of, I thought it'd be a good idea. Plus, under 50 days seems like a nice number to start from, doesn't it?

As a Japanese major, the number one question I get asked is "Why Japan, man?" in order to find the answer to that question, we have to go back to 1989. The Sesame Street special Big Bird in Japan is released on video cassette. A one-year-old me watches this and thinks "OH MAN THIS JAPAN PLACE LOOKS AWESOME I WANT TO LIVE THERE ONE DAY" putting the thought in my subconscious that remains there to this day.

Okay. So, I don't actually have any proof this ever happened. But it's like, if you look at the list of Japanese Emperors, the first 14, are all "presumed legendary" as in, they most likely did not exist, but, you know, it makes a good story. Or something. And the fact that I absolutely loved Sesame Street when I was a kid, the show seriously taught me how to read. I must have seen this special at sometime in my life. So basically, Big Bird is my Emperor Jimmu. Deal with it.

Japanese culture also came into my life via my parents. Who unknowingly bought dubbed Japanese cartoons for me as a child. The most prominent of these is the Studio Ghibli classic, My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ）and Bumpety Boo (へーい！ブンブー). Of course, at the time, I had no idea that these were Japanese in the slightest. I didn't even know Totoro took place in the late 50s (this is what I get for living in Vermont) it wasn't until later that I discovered that the Cat-Bus and talking car that I've watched 500 times each were Japanese.

Fast forward to middle school, and I discover that this small company called Nintendo that I've been spending my parents money on for at least a decade, yeah, they're Japanese. As was this little known game/TV series/card game they released called Pokemon. Maybe you've heard of it? Also, around this time, I discover sushi is pretty damn delicious, and my friend introduces me to this rock group named B'z.

All this basically led to me enrolling in Japanese my freshman year of high school. I didn't really learn a lot, just the basics really. And over time, I kind of lost interest in Japanese culture. I ended up taking all three years of it, but it was more out of the fact that everyone in my class were friends, and it was more fun to hang out with them than do nothing.

Despite my lack of interest in Japan, I still wanted to go there. I finally got my chance, the day after I graduated high school, I went on an exchange to Hokkaido for around three weeks. The entire time, I had an absolute blast. My first words upon seeing my parents in the airport were "I want to go back." As I had just graduated high school a day prior to leaving Japan, without any idea on what I wanted to do. Being the lazy student that I was, I was planning to go to community college for two years, before eventually transferring to a four year university. But my actual plans for the future, were pretty vague. Before I had gone to Japan, I think my plan was to become a radio host or something. But upon returning from Japan, I had decided that my plan was to eventually study abroad in Japan, become fluent in Japanese, and move to Japan to teach English.

After spending two years at community college under a communications degree (though, I ended up just taking a bunch of English classes) and then transferring to a four year university under a Japanese degree, in my fifth year of college, I'm making part of my goal come true.

I know there are lots of blogs of people living in Japan around. In fact, I can recommend some to you. However, I'm hoping to add another opinion on the matter. Seeking out maybe things commonly passed over by the typical people who write about Japan, especially as I've been there (twice) before. Sure, everyone has the "HOLY SHIT THESE TOILETS ARE CRAZY" moment, and those aren't necessarily a bad thing. They're necessary even. But I'm looking to try and describe the things that aren't covered by everyone. And I hope it's as interesting to read, as it is for me to experience.

I promise it will be more interesting once I'm, you know, in Japan.