So I decided it was high time to get my hair cut, since I can't remember the last time I got my hair cut (but I think it was at least six or seven months ago.) So I asked around a lot, and this girl I met this past week at a Wharton gathering in Tokyo referred me to her stylist. I was like, "Well, her hair looks good, so it must be ok."
So I got to the place, annnnd almost all the stylists were dudes who looked more likely to be at a skater park or backstage at a rock concert than at a hair salon. I was like uhh... the guy who greeted me at the reception had short, cropped red hair (like dyed red red), and he was wearing like, skinny jeans, a fedora (TimKots style) and possibly an earring. I took a quick look around the room. In the corner, a guy was getting his hair permed into an afro. I spoke English instead of Japanese to stall and decide if I should make a hasty exit. It's fair to judge a hair salon based on the haircuts of the stylists right??
I think I was more anxious before this haircut than I was pre-wisdom tooth extraction surgery. I decided that I didn't want to go to the trouble of finding another hair salon, and that since the girl who referred me had been going there for years, things might be ok. I tried to explain to the hair stylist that I was a business school student looking a relatively conservative haircut. (I looked up "conservative" on my electronic dictionary and showed it to him, but I think it said that I tend to vote for a certain political party. LOL)
The stylist who cut my hair was wearing a beanie-like hat (except it had no top). He was super nice. I think he could tell how nervous I was. I explained to him what kind of cut I was looking for (this is not my first time getting my hair cut in Japanese, but I never know the vocab bc I never practice it), and he responded slowly and in a soothing tone of voice. hahahaha We had the standard Japanese-person-who-I-just-met conversation, i.e. "WhoOA! You're not Japanese! AND you're Asian but you're a native English speaker!" As all hairstylists do, he noticed that the hair on the back of my head is naturally wavy, but the hair in front is straight. "You're lucky, a lot of women perm their hair so it will look like this! Embrace your natural waves!" he said, while fluffing it out lol
I'm actually pleased with results, although it's not really that different from my standard cut. I guess I shouldn't judge a hair salon by the people walking around inside. ...? haha
Woke up to an earthquake last week. Nothing big, but still trippy!
Visited the inaka aka countryside aka 鄉下 . YAY!! A much needed break from the city. Went to onsen in the mountains, nothing beats relaxing in natural hot springs amidst mountain scenery. Unfortunately, with nature comes... insects. GIANT cockroach in the bathroom, mukade in the living room (Japanese poisonous centipede - google it XD). The pastor's wife from my old Oita church was totally unfazed - she's almost 70, but she grabbed a shoe and nailed both of them without even blinking. Then I came back to Tokyo and there was a flying cockroach in the living room. Gahhhh!! I was like, "Cockroach, my old nemesis." <clenches fist> hahaha Back when cockroaches used to invade my Oita apartment last time I was in Japan, I would like, summon up a lot of anger and engage in prolonged battle with them (cockroach traps, extensive whack-a-mole style attacks using my flip-flops). However, in my cramped Tokyo apartment somehow I felt more vulnerable, like the cockroach had a home turf advantage since this place is so small and there are a lot of nooks and crannies and such lol I got a roommate to kill it.
My Japanese classes are in a very swank and high-tech building. The toilet lids open by automatic sensor so you don't have to touch them. I think if they could invent toilets that suspend you in the air so you don't have to touch anything period, they would. XD There is a shower in the top floor bathroom, and the shower walls became transparent if you flip a switch. (I think this is supposed to be so you can enjoy the sunlight while showering, but it is the butt of endless jokes about voyeurism ^^;;)
Some Japanese grocery stores have LED displays for prices on the store shelves instead of price stickers, and automatic change counters - clerks just dump the coins into this conveyor belt thing and the appropriate change amount comes out. Amazing!
Went to a corporate visit with a law firm. I felt very important standing at the top of a building overlooking Tokyo Tower haha Out of the 25-30 people in the room, there were only three women. I saw a lot of women on the way in, but they were all sitting behind the reception desk. Doh.
I'm all out of shame XD I went to a recruiting session with a huge investment bank just for the food, and I don't care anymore - I will squirrel away free water bottles when I can lol
Tokyo is fun for a vacation, but living here long term would be really taxing. It's unbelievable how crowded the subway cars get and how many people are constantly on the streets. The apartment I'm living in is teeny tiny and the walls are super thin. The flip side is that awesome and cheap food is easy to find.
Trash disposal in Japan requires patience, determination, and problem-solving skills. Before disposing of water bottles, one must first remove the label and the cap (which go into separate categories). Disposing of a plastic bento tray requires washing it out and putting leftover food in a separate pile (the burnable trash pile).
A true story? At the very least, a joke XD A foreign missionary came to a Japanese church and used his most polite Japanese to ask a young girl from the congregation to read a Bible passage out loud. The girl’s father later indignantly complained to the pastor of the church about the missionary’s rude behavior. “What did you say to her?” the pastor asked the missionary. The missionary replied, “I said, ‘およめになってください’” BadumCHHH!!!
What the missionary meant to say: “Please read out loud＝お読みになってください” What he actually said, due to mispronunciation of a single syllable: “Please become my wife＝お嫁になってください” XD
The above joke/anecdote courtesy of Pastor Sono and his wife who I met while attending Oita Megumi Church during my time on the JET program. I saw them this past weekend when I visited them in Shizuoka where they are now living!
Nobuyuki Tsujii, a blind pianist from Japan, won the 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition earlier this month. He has been all over the Japanese news waves since I got here. (See video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XuEUWQCJSA ) The Japanese love a good inspirational story, and darn it, I feel like such a pansy in comparison to this amazing pianist and what he has overcome.
His parents always supported him, and encouraged his interest in music even when others thought it was impossible. His mother originally took him to violin lessons, but the teacher refused to take on a blind student. It was hard for him to find a piano teacher who would accept him, but his mother persevered. In an interview, he was asked what he would choose to see if his vision was restored, and without hesitation he responded, "I would like to see my parents' faces." ...If that doesn't tug at your heartstrings a little, then you are made of stone. <Points finger> XD
When I saw him on the news, I was reminded of Heeah Lee, a woman who was born with only two fingers on each hand, but still became a concert pianist and plays a beautiful rendition of Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu. (Video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FSnalrPYpc) I originally saw her on Japanese TV when I was on the JET program. Heeah's mother took medication during pregnancy and doctors didn't know there were potential complications. Instead of lamenting her situation, Heeah decided she wanted to play the piano and created her own approach to playing. She's performed with pop stars in Korea and Japan, and she clearly loves to perform. You can see the sheer joy on her face, and what's equally touching is seeing her mother watch her daughter's performance from backstage. Heeah's mother stands there with tears streaming down her face, her expression an overwhelming combination of pride in her daughter but also sorrow at the struggles she's had to surmount.
It's not so much about being lucky or unlucky - God gives His children the strength to face and overcome all difficulties, and our bodies are fragile and temporary - but it's truly inspiring that these pianists have summoned the determination and focus to grasp their dreams despite what conventional wisdom may tell them.
Went back up to my hotelroom to get my camera.I walked in on the cleaning lady meticulously pulling hair out of my hairbrush as she tidied my room.LOLShe was like “ARA!ARIGATOU GOZAIMASUUU!” and embarrassed. I was like wow… I’m not sure my own mother would even do that for me hahaha
Went to McDonald’s yesterday, had a “bacon potato pie” (shaped like an apple pie, but with like… cream potato soup inside) and a fried shrimp filet burger.Delish!
It was raining yesterday so one of my classmates bought a black umbrella at a convenience store. He wasn’t paying much attention, and when he opened it up, it turned out the umbrella was lined with doily-like lace on the outside. HAHAHAOh Japan. He joked that it also came with a pair of elbow length gloves.
Went to a Shiseido make-up counter and got a makeover with those hi-tech face/skin analysis machines.The clerk was awesome, she put the little camera thing to my face and we waited for the results, and she was like “CONGRATULATIONS!You have very plump and moist skin!”LOL…I feel like I am not translating that well.XDI thought to myself, Japanese women have pretty good makeup… should I give it a shot?And then I realized it’s because it’s like a whole layer of makeup that took like an hour to apply using like a million dollars worth of product.It felt like I was wearing a face mask (although the upside is that you don’t need to wear sunscreen on your face because it’s already included, and there’s a physical layer of protection).Also, she did the left side of my face and then had me do the right side.Hahha it was terrible!!
Anyone know of a good place to get a haircut in Tokyo?I wondered if I should try the hair dying thing… come back with feathered, light brown hair in bangs or waves hahaaa.But I think it would be interesting for like five minutes and then I would be like “GAH! Undo!!Ctrl+Z!!” ahah
I feel really bad for the people who stand on the street and hand out advertisements.Usually I turn them down, except when they’re passing out free tissues.Always say yes!!In Japan and Taiwan ALWAYS CARRY TISSUES!A lot of bathrooms don’t have toilet paper!!A matter of life and disgusting.XD
