untitled (yet too much to say)

Thanks for coming back! It’s been a while since my last update. Pull up a chair…stay a while.*

So, having recently turned 24, I celebrated by going to an izakai (Japanese bar), buying myself a hat, a new piece of jewelry (of course) and learning to ride my new bicycle. (which I ride almost everyday on my way to the train station**!). It has a basket and everything. (Myriah calls the ones with baskets on both ends a “Mommy-tron” bicycle – literally, moms have their kids on either end of the bicycles here! Seriously, little Asian kids – the cutest thing you will ever see! I digress). My friend Sam and his girlfriend Umi helped me find a really good deal ($50 CAN!) and once I registered it (yes, like a car!), and managed to weave my way through the pedestrian traffic here. Yes, I have to weave! I thought to myself…no kidding, I’m riding a bicycle in Japan, singing “I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike”… a very Lonely Planet-esk moment.

Speaking of lonely planet, my travel book lead me to visit to the Human Rights Museum the other day. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I arrived, but little did I know how big of an impact this visit would have. The museum goes through the history of various human rights issues in Japan – women’s issues, people with disabilities, homosexuality etc. I must say, that it got me thinking a lot about how lucky we actually are in Canada to have the resources we do. Even in regards to the way we think about human rights issues. The other day, for example, in the subway I noticed there was a man in a wheelchair who was waiting to catch the Midosuji line. As I waited beside him, I noticed how accessibility is so limited here. One of the station masters had to wait beside him with a ramp in order to help him on the subway car. And, in a matter of 30 seconds, he had to get him on the car. Somedays, it just breaks my heart when I see people with a disability who struggle to walk the long hallways of the underground, or try not to be pushed by the crowds (and believe me, somedays, it can be ruthless here in the subway!)

So (not sure what the transition should be here) I’m sure many of you have heard about the situation with North Korea at the moment and the nuclear threat that Japan is experiencing***. The other morning, two of my students simply just wanted to have a free conversation about this. We talked about the general feeling of the Japanese people right now, and what this whole nuclear crisis could mean for the country. I have to tell you, its been pretty remarkable learning about this whole thing directly from Japanese residents. I never thought it would be as meaningful as it has been.

Random things…
-found Canadian maple syrup in a train station store the other day
-latest english t-shirt sighting “Go on: Extrude my boot.”
-I bought a beer tonight, from a vending machine in the street, for 100yen ($1).
-I miss peanut butter
-I miss utensils
-I miss thanksgiving. No mom, theres no turkey sushi here!
-I met another teacher from Edmonton today, during my Kids Training at another Nova branch – get this, she lived just down the street from Kings!!! No way.
-another person came up to me in a train station on my day off, asking me if I need help (I did, in fact.). This random stranger not only pointed me in the right direction, he lead me to the exact train I needed to be on. The kindness of strangers. Its a good thing.

* I like talking to you all… as if you are sitting next to me.

**my butt is sure hurtin’

***wow, to see this written out is a little frieky. I hadn’t thought much about it until now

Miss you all. More than you know.

Jane.