(picking up from where our adventures last left off, pre-spider scare...)
My first Friday in Japan, however, was the long awaited day… the day I would meet my host family! I was just excited as everyone else and maybe a little nervous too…Would I have a curfew? Would my host mom be able to cook? Do I have to sleep on a Japanese style-futon? Would I have enough closet space for all my clothes?
After a final orientation at the college and a pizza party courtesy of WIC and Niji no Kai, we made our way back to the hotel lobby to await meeting our host families
Of the 24 people in this program, about 12 chose a host family. The families came about every 10 to 20 minutes apart. They would walk in the door to be greeted by Kazaoka-sensei, while we all sat, expectant and nervous, wondering if our own turn had finally come…
Waiting, Waiting…. I thought they were going to be here at 3:30 but it’s almost 4!
Waiting…………………
But my worries were put to rest when Kazaoka-sensei finally called my name after a middle aged woman and her daughter entered the hotel lobby….
By the hand of fate (namely Kazaoka-sensei’s) I am spending my year with the Harada family in Kawasaki City, in Kanagawa prefecture, about 30 minutes from Shibuya Station, and 1 hr and 15 minutes from school.
In the car ride from the hotel to my new, year long home, I think the first impression that I had of mother Yumiko (who I call Yumi-san) was that she was very patient and understanding. My 19 year old host sister Yuri-chan is very energetic (in Japanese, 元気 genki), because she is not shy at all and loves to talk (at least that first day). We talked a lot in the car as we drove, and I think in that first conversation, I talked about my boyfriend, Cosplay, anime, why I decided to study Japanese, my family, all my Japanese friends back in America, what I might do with a degree in Japanese…. Basically all Claire things ^_^ I am me, and I can never change that, nor would I want to.
I arrived at their house and was mildly surprised… It is very western; a 3 story house with high ceilings, 
wallpapered wall, and a kitchen table with chairs. The first floor is the entrance way with 3 bedrooms (mine, my host parents, and Ojiisan’s), as well as a bathroom. Upstairs is the kitchen, dining room, and family room with the TV, as well as the bathroom and washing machine. The third floor is Yuri-chan’s room and her brother Shuhei’s room (he’s studying abroad in Las Vegas this year, so I don’t know much about him other than what my host family tells me, like how he’s a food connoisseur ^_^) My room is good sized, with enough closet space, a chest of drawers (I can store all my clothes!), and windows for lots of light. I also have a bed yay! Not a futon! And it’s long enough for me!
I like this house because the doorways and ceilings are not that low, like some other older houses in Japan. The shower room is nice and wide, which is nice for me because I like to pace around a bit for some reason.
I may live a bit far from school and “the life”, but I don’t mind because I don’t have to live in cramped place and mindspace. I love Tokyo, but I don’t want to always live in that and the box apartments. (They don’t call it a shower closet for nothing…) I need to keep my living space calm and quiet so that I can form a peaceful mindset after a busy, activity-filled day. When I’m out, I’m out, when I’m home, I want to feel “at home.” This is something I’ve discovered about myself…
Later that first day, I met my host father, Hitoshi (who I call Otousan) and Yumi-san father, my host grandfather (who I call Ojiisan).
But it has been over the past couple days, I’ve slowly begun to get to know my host family a little more and more. Yumi-san is a part-time English teacher at Yamaha private English school for ages 1 to adult. (The toddlers and kids usually learn though rhymes and chanting to music, and the school age and adult classes use more traditional methods, but with music. It is Yamaha after all ^_^) She is really, really, REALLY good at cooking. I’m so lucky, I wanted a host mother who could introduce me to delicious Japanese food … and I lucked out! Yumi-san also takes a hip hop dance class twice a week, and occasionally plays the music while she cleans the house. She also spent time in England when she was in college, so she loves British tea ^_^ She made me scones for breakfast twice!!! Sometimes in the morning, we share a cup of tea together over breakfast or at night after dinner
Yuri-chan is definitely an energetic, spirited young woman. She took a year off from high school to study abroad in Los Vegas. She loves ballet and is pretty good at it too it seems (on the wall of the toilet room downstairs is a poster of some famous ballet star, but instead of the star’s head, Yuri-chan’s picture is there ^_^) She has an American boyfriend named Chase who’s 22 that she met while she was studying abroad… so she completely understands my situation. (She said that she was Chased and got caught ^_^) She will be graduation from high school soon and also works part-time at a Japanese BBQ (yakitori) restaurant, so she’s pretty busy. She’s saving up money so that she can spend her Christmas vacation in Las Vegas… to see her boyfriend of course ^_^
Otou-san is in his early 50s and works in the office for a Japanese oil company. He went on an overnight business trip to Hiroshima, so maybe he has a pretty good position. He loves soccer (especially our town’s team) and volunteers at the very close by Kawasaki City soccer stadium. (When they have games there, I can hear the crowd’s cheers from my window). He seems like a gentle man who likes nature. He also spend time in New York City in college. Also, he has a black belt in …Aikido!!! Maybe he can help me with my form later…
Ojiisan is 75 but still rides a bicycle, even when a little drunk (like after going out to eat dinner). When I first met him, he asked me to guess his age, so I told him I thought he looked 50 ^_^ He said he would buy me a present for being so nice. He used to work for a plastic factory making the plastic that is used for cameras, cellphones, computers, applicances… all that stuff. I also discovered that he is good at playing the harmonica. He’s a little hard of hearing and he doesn’t speak in nice smooth sentences so it’s still hard to understanding him. But I try to greet him politely every time I see him and ask him something, just to keep open to conversation with him. Maybe sometime I can learn enough Japanese to ask serious questions about Japan’s difficult past………
Overall, I think I live in a quiet residential town not too far from “it all” with a very international family who are experienced at hosting students (this is their 6th year) as well as being international students, and are understanding of their students various interests.
If I had chosen to live in the temple, I think I would have been VERY lonely, especially at meal times. By chance, fate, or efficient study abroad program directors, I think my life ahead of me is rooted in a good place with good support.
Now, if I can only catch up with writing this blog…….
I think that I have been stifling my inner otaku for too long.... so last Saturday was the day to release the pressure and just geek out.
For a long time, I've heard of this open to the public event, where for the price of 1,200 yen ($12) you can test all the new and upcoming games, plus they give away tons of promotional stuff for playing. It's a giant PR event where the customers win.
What's wierd is that every company's booth hires a harem of women to dress in skimpy vinyl costumes to hand out flyers... and tons of men line up and gather to take thier pictures. A little skin can still sell anything, I guess. Their were even Maid Cafes where you could play 2 player cellphone games with girls dressed up as maids at little tables on cute little chairs...
big cosplay event for video game cosplayers. ^_^ I chatted with some of them to find out about cosplay events. The tall guy with the elf ears was really cool, he wasn't shy at all to talk to me... that's often a problem, since cosplay in Japan is not mainstream and the people who do cosplay are not always the most social people. I'm still searching, so maybe I'll find some good connections soon. ^_^
