I tend to associate mannerisms with a person’s nationality or region. For instance, I see people of the Hispanic culture as being laid-back and family oriented, Germans as being bold and serious, the British as being understated and itinerate, and people from New York as being rude and self-absorbed. ;-) Your culture determines in large measure who you are and how you act. People from California seem to smile a lot. I would smile too if the weather was sunny and 72 degrees most of the year. People in Colorado all seem to be physically fit and have at least one large dog (S, K, A & K’s dogs being the exceptions to the rule.) I love Japan, and the reason I love Japan is the same reason that those who choose to live in Oklahoma fall in love with it, the people. Real Oklahoman’s share many mannerisms with the Japanese. Both believe in the value of hard work and honesty. The Japanese are extremely polite, so are most Oklahomans I know. Oklahomans welcome guests with open arms and provide each new friend with a good ol’ dose of Oklahoma hospitality and a tall, cool glass of iced tea-sweet or unsweet (wink, wink to my lovely wife.) The Japanese do things the same way, only with a delicious cup of green tea, served on Noritake china. I am enjoying my stay in Japan immensely, due primarily to the Japanese that have touched my life in one way or another.
Yesterday, there was a woman on a train that observed me studying the Odakyu train route map. With a very proper English tongue, she asked me if there was anything she could do to help. It is always nice to be in a foreign country and have a local approach you in your native tongue. So after a brief conversation regarding my route, we began to talk about each other’s careers. She explained that she was an artist and would be moving to the Sagami-Ono section of Metro Tokyo. Long story short, Fuji invited me to her art show at a gallery in Downtown Tokyo next month. I hated telling her that I would only be in Japan for another week. Fuji was cheerful, helpful, friendly and optimistic, and so I couldn’t help but think that she would love Oklahoma.
Tokyo is compressed living. From the razor-thin skyscrapers, shoe-horned between two larger buildings to the ultra-compact cars driving on streets barely wide enough for one ultra-compact car, to houses that seem to be scaled models, life in Tokyo demands that you think smaller. In ten normal sized steps you might pass a dry cleaner, sushi bar and hair salon. Turn the corner and you might see a car dealership who, to conserve space, has stacked their cars three stories high on some sort of motorized, steel beam conveyor belt. Then look up and see only a sliver of blue sky filtered by signs, electrical lines, buildings and trees. You have less space in Japan, but you adjust. I have found myself growing increasingly happier with enough elbow room on the train to turn completely around. It no longer bothers me to dodge bicycles at intersections in a crowd of people. And let’s just say I have a different perspective on the size of bathroom stalls. We all adapt to the space we are given.
There are areas of Tokyo that are quite open and roomy. Take the grounds surrounding the shrine of Emperor Meiji, an enormous green-belt in the middle of the concrete forest. A huge Ootorii, or wooden gateway arch, begs for you to enter, take a long walk and relax under the canopy provided by trees that are old and tall. About half a mile along the path, you’ll find the Shinto shrine of Emperor Meiji. Emperor Meiji was the 122nd Emperor of Japan and the Great-Grandfather of the current Emperor. It was under Emperor Meiji that Japan first reached out to Western civilization and began to accept Western culture and technology. This is a place of great peace and tranquility. You are first encouraged to wash your hands and mouth at a fountain using bamboo ladles. Then, you venture into the shrine. The pictures I have provided show my journey onto the grounds and to the shrine. This was, by far, the most relaxing part of the trip to date. I caught many locals strolling, briefcase in hand, that just looked like they needed a break from the pressures of life in one of the world’s largest cities. Think Central Park in NYC and you are in my zone.
Tomorrow is my first day at Yamato Nishi. I can't wait!!!!
-k
Yesterday, there was a woman on a train that observed me studying the Odakyu train route map. With a very proper English tongue, she asked me if there was anything she could do to help. It is always nice to be in a foreign country and have a local approach you in your native tongue. So after a brief conversation regarding my route, we began to talk about each other’s careers. She explained that she was an artist and would be moving to the Sagami-Ono section of Metro Tokyo. Long story short, Fuji invited me to her art show at a gallery in Downtown Tokyo next month. I hated telling her that I would only be in Japan for another week. Fuji was cheerful, helpful, friendly and optimistic, and so I couldn’t help but think that she would love Oklahoma.
Tokyo is compressed living. From the razor-thin skyscrapers, shoe-horned between two larger buildings to the ultra-compact cars driving on streets barely wide enough for one ultra-compact car, to houses that seem to be scaled models, life in Tokyo demands that you think smaller. In ten normal sized steps you might pass a dry cleaner, sushi bar and hair salon. Turn the corner and you might see a car dealership who, to conserve space, has stacked their cars three stories high on some sort of motorized, steel beam conveyor belt. Then look up and see only a sliver of blue sky filtered by signs, electrical lines, buildings and trees. You have less space in Japan, but you adjust. I have found myself growing increasingly happier with enough elbow room on the train to turn completely around. It no longer bothers me to dodge bicycles at intersections in a crowd of people. And let’s just say I have a different perspective on the size of bathroom stalls. We all adapt to the space we are given.
There are areas of Tokyo that are quite open and roomy. Take the grounds surrounding the shrine of Emperor Meiji, an enormous green-belt in the middle of the concrete forest. A huge Ootorii, or wooden gateway arch, begs for you to enter, take a long walk and relax under the canopy provided by trees that are old and tall. About half a mile along the path, you’ll find the Shinto shrine of Emperor Meiji. Emperor Meiji was the 122nd Emperor of Japan and the Great-Grandfather of the current Emperor. It was under Emperor Meiji that Japan first reached out to Western civilization and began to accept Western culture and technology. This is a place of great peace and tranquility. You are first encouraged to wash your hands and mouth at a fountain using bamboo ladles. Then, you venture into the shrine. The pictures I have provided show my journey onto the grounds and to the shrine. This was, by far, the most relaxing part of the trip to date. I caught many locals strolling, briefcase in hand, that just looked like they needed a break from the pressures of life in one of the world’s largest cities. Think Central Park in NYC and you are in my zone.
Tomorrow is my first day at Yamato Nishi. I can't wait!!!!
-k
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