Why am I definitely not in Tokyo anymore? Because I'm in Kyoto!!!
I took the highest-speed shinkansen (bullet train) available yesterday from Tokyo Station to get here. If you're ever in Tokyo, take a ride on the bullet train. I'll give you three good reasons. First, you get to take a 200-300 kph ride. Second, you go through some very lovely countryside, a nice sight after spending several months in the city. As it's autumn right now, the trees are also turning all sorts of awesome colors, making it an extra special trip. Finally, you can see Mt. Fuji out the window. Unfortunately, I was riding on the wrong side of the train, so I had to be a bother and take photographs through people. However, I can tell you this: it really IS as cool as everyone says it is. I hope global warming doesn't hurt its snow cap.
That same day, I managed to fit in a trip quick to Ginkaku-ji. This temple was originally supposed to be covered in silver, but, alas, the best laid plans and whatnot. It was also supposed to be NOT undergoing renovation when my respectable self visited, but that memo fell through. Nonetheless, there was a little garden, some fine Fall foliage, and a Zen garden to look at. There was also a cone of sand which (if I'm not mistaken) is supposed to be a way for deities to come down to earth.
I spent the night at a place called "Budget Inn," in one of their dormitory rooms. Eh. Fortunately, they only had space for one night, so I got to switch lodgings for tonight. I much prefer where I am now: The Palace Side Hotel. It is quite literally beside the Imperial Palace park. Because they had no singles, I have a twin all to myself. There's a cafe inside the hotel that serves relatively fancy fair, as well as Thai massage. Don't get me wrong - this isn't a Hyatt or anything. It's still quite nice, though.
Today I managed to get in three sites. First up was Chion-in (which, if I'm not mistaken, is the main temple of Jodo Buddhism). This is a complex of Buddhist temples up on a hill. There was plenty of notable stuff to look at and absorb. Right off the bat, you're wowed by a massive gate. (There's some interesting history associated with this gate: its creator and his wife committed suicide because he exceeded the budget for making it.) The "wow" is quickly extracted from you, however, by the steep ascent you have to make up the stone steps. It's worth it, though, as there are numerous temples to look at. I got lucky and, when I went into one of the larger buildings, found myself watching and listening to some sort of ceremony; chanting and some instrumentation were involved.
In the rafters of this same building was an umbrella with two alternate histories to it. The first involves (if I remember correctly) the building's architect leaving it there. The second involves a fox leaving it there. I like the second one, personally.
Not too far from the temple is the brilliantly colorful Yasaka Shrine. Here I saw another Shinto wedding ceremony taking place. Just outside the shrine I bought ￥8400 in old currency. I don't know if the stuff's legit, as the vendor was beside other vendors on one of the approaches to the shrine, but if it is, it's awesome. This is just the kind of souvenir that's awesome. In any case, I got two Edo-era coins, a war-era bill, and another coin.
Next up was the Imperial Palace. Once again, I got lucky, for today I did not have to take one of the two daily tours. Instead, I got to go in and tour freely, in both senses of the word.
Let me tell you, this was a very nice place to live. The buildings, naturally, had awesome architecture, as did the gates. Inside the buildings were fabulous screens; outside there was some lovely landscaping, including a massive garden. It's good to be the king. I also got to see an ox-pulled carriage there; it was quite brilliant.
My final cool stop for the day was at a place called Sanjusangen-do. That's actually not it's real name (which, for the record, is Rengeo-in) - it is called this because of the 33 spaces between the pillars of the hall. It is the largest wooden building in Japan, and what it houses is incredible. Inside, you'll find a six-foot high (I think) statue of the Goddess Kannon; she's accompanied by 10 rows of 1000 smaller statues of, well, herself. One tenth of these are the original statues, which were carved in 1249; the rest were lost in a fire. (Courtesy Wikipedia.) And that's not even everything. There are also statues of 28 other gods. These are quite impressive. The coolest one was the one with a dragon wrapped around him. Completely badass. The detail on these statues was incredible. The muscular ones even had bulging veins.
I got three souvenirs here: a piece of calligraphy (the character for "road"), a bow and an arrow which is supposed to guard against evil; and a fortune. (The fortune read "good," which wasn't the highest, but was still...good. Maybe it's because I walked outside with my socks on to put my stuff in a coin locker, then went in the temple without taking them off...)
Now, don't get me wrong, today was by no means a smooth adventure. My attempt at visiting one temple was cut short by its being used for a lighting-up event (which was open to the public, but I couldn't just stay for it; besides, I was in the "daytime photography" mindset. Also, there was the shop I couldn't find. In any case, it was still a good day. Tomorrow's gonna be good, too.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
WHOOSH!
That's what this blog's gonna be like, since I haven't posted in a while. I'm also going to separate
-----------------------
the different things I've done with that irritating line
-----------------------
thing. So, first things first.
-----------------------
There's a complex in a very glitzy, lit-up part of Tokyo called Sunshine City. Contrary to what one might think, it is not the haunt of millions of brain-thirsty zombies, but a wonderful place to spend some time. I went there later in the day, so I didn't have much time there.
There's a lot one can do there. The most important reason to go is to take the super fast elevators to the 60th floor of the big skyscraper in the complex, where one gets a view of Tokyo at the same level as the uppermost deck of the Tokyo Tower. There are not as many tall buildings in the immediate vicinity of Sunshine 60 as Tokyo Tower, but one can see clusters of skyscrapers from the windows.
Also present at Sunshine City is a good aquarium. Unlike most aquariums, it is housed on the 9th floor (and above) of a building, and part of it is open air (even at that height). There was plenty of cool stuff there, but, then again, I'm easily impressed sometimes. Nonetheless, I will list what I saw: a troop of tiny monkeys (housed, curiously enough, in the same enclosure as some otters), penguins, a small moa, a ring-tailed lemur, several armadillos, Fennec foxes, a skunk, eels, Japanese spider crabs, more otters (different species, I think), and a darling seal that would sometimes follow the motions of your hand with its face. The lemur, armadillos, foxes, skunk, and some other animals were in an area you could walk through. A weird feature was a pair of tanks housing those algae-eating fish into which one could stick one's hands. The result was bizarre, as the little guys proceeded to (I presume) feed on your dead skin cells. Tingly.
Sunshine city also features an extensive shopping mall, both above and below ground (at which I got a stuffed, grinning Totoro), along with a number of restaurants. There's a museum, too, but I didn't get to go to that. Also present is an arcade and a gyoza place. It could easily be a full day's excursion in and of itself.
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This weeked was the ICU festival. Apparently schools in Japan hold their own festivals; this makes some sense when one considers all the festivals that are held in general in Japan. I played harpsichord (poorly) for the Early Music Society as I accompanied a singer on some John Dowland pieces and an ensemble on a Corelli piece. (Random side note: ask me to say "Corelli" in Japanese sometime. Their pronunciation of it is interesting, but I think I know why.) - I also slept through part of a lecture on the Model UN which I was supposed to help with in a minor capacity (don't judge me) and helped the English class section from which my airport escort comes from sell "Banana Choco." What's Banana Choco, you ask? It's a banana dipped in chocolate. Surprise! I acted ridiculous as I pitched the product to passersby, but they sold out before the festival ended Sunday (although it was after my one and only shift).
I also got to browse the food at the festival and see some performances. There was good stuff to eat, ranging from churros to yakitori. I saw a koto (it's a Japanese zither) concert, a dance performance, and some drumming action involving LAMBS, the Latin American group I'm in. (They wouldn't let me perform with them at the festival - I'm too much of a noob, and there were no costumes. :( )
Word is that other schools have bigger festivals. It's really not fair to compare them to ICU's, though, since ICU's student body is about 2000.
-----------------------
Today was a national holiday, "Bunka-no hi." This translates as "Culture Day," and one wonders if a country like America could actually have something like this. I mean, think about it...what would we celebrate - the stuff sung about in the Team America theme song?
Anyway, I and a bunch of guys from the dorm took a trip to Kamakura, which is only an hour outside of Tokyo. Even so, this is only the second time I've traveled outside the city (not counting my travel into it from Narita airport). The trip was definitely good.
We first went to Engaku-ji, a temple dedicated to the Kamakura government's power and those who died fighting the Mongols. We missed out on seeing 700-year-old bell, but we did get to see a beautiful temple and part of a Shinto wedding ceremony, complete with music. (These weddings keep following me.) Don't worry, there are lovely pictures which I swear to post. Sometime.
Next, we went to see the Daibutsu, a 37-foot tall Buddha dating back to 1292. He is awesome. Interestingly, you're allowed to go inside the Buddha and take a look at his insides, which, naturally, don't exist. There's an explanation provided of how he was made, which states that he was made by piecing together separately-cast sections.j
Our last stop was Hase-dara, an incredible temple which I would call an incredible bargain for the 300 Yen you pay to access it. Here I saw a gold-covered, 30-foot wooden statue of Kannon (see previous posts) and a golden/gold-plate/something Buddha, neither of which I could photograph. I also couldn't photograph the incredibly awesome cave we got to go into, where statues were carved into the rock. There was a bell there, too, and I saw this one. I don't know its age, but I got to photograph it, along with hundreds of stone Jizo statues (a Buddhist bodhisattva who protects children) and a great view of Sagami Bay. As I said, there was a lot to see, and it was well worth 300 Yen.
-----------------------
Whoo! Long post, eh? Sorry in advance for any typos. I'm hoping to do some more Tokyo exploring this weekend, and I promise to write about it as soon as I've experienced it. Meantime, I've got a bunch of work to do...
-----------------------
the different things I've done with that irritating line
-----------------------
thing. So, first things first.
-----------------------
There's a complex in a very glitzy, lit-up part of Tokyo called Sunshine City. Contrary to what one might think, it is not the haunt of millions of brain-thirsty zombies, but a wonderful place to spend some time. I went there later in the day, so I didn't have much time there.
There's a lot one can do there. The most important reason to go is to take the super fast elevators to the 60th floor of the big skyscraper in the complex, where one gets a view of Tokyo at the same level as the uppermost deck of the Tokyo Tower. There are not as many tall buildings in the immediate vicinity of Sunshine 60 as Tokyo Tower, but one can see clusters of skyscrapers from the windows.
Also present at Sunshine City is a good aquarium. Unlike most aquariums, it is housed on the 9th floor (and above) of a building, and part of it is open air (even at that height). There was plenty of cool stuff there, but, then again, I'm easily impressed sometimes. Nonetheless, I will list what I saw: a troop of tiny monkeys (housed, curiously enough, in the same enclosure as some otters), penguins, a small moa, a ring-tailed lemur, several armadillos, Fennec foxes, a skunk, eels, Japanese spider crabs, more otters (different species, I think), and a darling seal that would sometimes follow the motions of your hand with its face. The lemur, armadillos, foxes, skunk, and some other animals were in an area you could walk through. A weird feature was a pair of tanks housing those algae-eating fish into which one could stick one's hands. The result was bizarre, as the little guys proceeded to (I presume) feed on your dead skin cells. Tingly.
Sunshine city also features an extensive shopping mall, both above and below ground (at which I got a stuffed, grinning Totoro), along with a number of restaurants. There's a museum, too, but I didn't get to go to that. Also present is an arcade and a gyoza place. It could easily be a full day's excursion in and of itself.
-----------------------
This weeked was the ICU festival. Apparently schools in Japan hold their own festivals; this makes some sense when one considers all the festivals that are held in general in Japan. I played harpsichord (poorly) for the Early Music Society as I accompanied a singer on some John Dowland pieces and an ensemble on a Corelli piece. (Random side note: ask me to say "Corelli" in Japanese sometime. Their pronunciation of it is interesting, but I think I know why.) - I also slept through part of a lecture on the Model UN which I was supposed to help with in a minor capacity (don't judge me) and helped the English class section from which my airport escort comes from sell "Banana Choco." What's Banana Choco, you ask? It's a banana dipped in chocolate. Surprise! I acted ridiculous as I pitched the product to passersby, but they sold out before the festival ended Sunday (although it was after my one and only shift).
I also got to browse the food at the festival and see some performances. There was good stuff to eat, ranging from churros to yakitori. I saw a koto (it's a Japanese zither) concert, a dance performance, and some drumming action involving LAMBS, the Latin American group I'm in. (They wouldn't let me perform with them at the festival - I'm too much of a noob, and there were no costumes. :( )
Word is that other schools have bigger festivals. It's really not fair to compare them to ICU's, though, since ICU's student body is about 2000.
-----------------------
Today was a national holiday, "Bunka-no hi." This translates as "Culture Day," and one wonders if a country like America could actually have something like this. I mean, think about it...what would we celebrate - the stuff sung about in the Team America theme song?
Anyway, I and a bunch of guys from the dorm took a trip to Kamakura, which is only an hour outside of Tokyo. Even so, this is only the second time I've traveled outside the city (not counting my travel into it from Narita airport). The trip was definitely good.
We first went to Engaku-ji, a temple dedicated to the Kamakura government's power and those who died fighting the Mongols. We missed out on seeing 700-year-old bell, but we did get to see a beautiful temple and part of a Shinto wedding ceremony, complete with music. (These weddings keep following me.) Don't worry, there are lovely pictures which I swear to post. Sometime.
Next, we went to see the Daibutsu, a 37-foot tall Buddha dating back to 1292. He is awesome. Interestingly, you're allowed to go inside the Buddha and take a look at his insides, which, naturally, don't exist. There's an explanation provided of how he was made, which states that he was made by piecing together separately-cast sections.j
Our last stop was Hase-dara, an incredible temple which I would call an incredible bargain for the 300 Yen you pay to access it. Here I saw a gold-covered, 30-foot wooden statue of Kannon (see previous posts) and a golden/gold-plate/something Buddha, neither of which I could photograph. I also couldn't photograph the incredibly awesome cave we got to go into, where statues were carved into the rock. There was a bell there, too, and I saw this one. I don't know its age, but I got to photograph it, along with hundreds of stone Jizo statues (a Buddhist bodhisattva who protects children) and a great view of Sagami Bay. As I said, there was a lot to see, and it was well worth 300 Yen.
-----------------------
Whoo! Long post, eh? Sorry in advance for any typos. I'm hoping to do some more Tokyo exploring this weekend, and I promise to write about it as soon as I've experienced it. Meantime, I've got a bunch of work to do...
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Pwned x 47
I'll go ahead and tell you right now, this will be a long post. Sorry for not blogging day-by-day. This will cover Saturday, Sunday, and today (Tuesday).
First, I'll start by revealing the mystery purchase from Jimbo-cho: a Japanese print which is supposed to be from around 1888. Is it authentic? Who knows. At some point I'll have to look into verifying the authenticity of my purchases.
Second, I will note that I did not end up going to the temple of the 47 ronin or the Edo-Tokyo Museum immediately after the previous blog posting. I have, however, been to both since then, and I will describe them shortly.
OK, the good stuff:
After practicing with the EMS sub-group I'm in (which required another Saturday trip to ICU), I tried to go to the 47 ronin temple (Sengaku-ji) and the Edo-Tokyo Museum again. Unfortunately, I got on the line that circles Tokyo in the wrong direction, and, having dithered about wondering about my next move, I decided to skip Sengaku-ji for the moment and head to the Edo-Tokyo Museum.
To say that this '90s-era museum only covers two floors is an understatement of the vast collection offered for viewing. I was there for hours and still didn't really take in everything. I sort of had to rush my viewing at the end. Essentially, though, I can tell you that the museum describes the history of the city it is named after (Edo is the old name for Tokyo), including (to a remarkable extent) the lives and doings of those other than the warrior and noble classes. I didn't really take pictures, but you might want to search the web and see if you can see anything from the museum.
I did have a non-touristy purpose in visiting the museum (alluded to in the previous post) was to give me material for a museum review I have to turn in for my history class. With regards to the scope of my history class, the museum did have a section on Tokyo during World War II. Ugly stuff. Let me tell you, it felt pretty awkward standing behind some Japanese people as we watched bombs fall on a television. This trip's bringing me to very dark conclusions about the conduct of the U.S. during what the Russians called "The Great Patriotic War."
The next day I went to the Tokyo Game Show for two hours. It actually wasn't that great, in my opinion, but I had been told from someone on Saturday (after asking) that this wasn't the show's best year. I only got to try one game, Battelfield: Heroes, and I wasn't terribly impressed. Then again, I'm not used to PC shooters, so that may be part of it. It also looked like a bit of a Team Fortress 2 knock-off. Anyway, regarding the show itself, I also might have had a better impression of it if I had gotten more time to wander about. As it was, I had to leave early for a friend's classical music concert (they're in the university's College Music Society).
It was getting on in the day by the time the concert was over, but I still had time to go to the Tokyo Tower, which is open until 10 PM. The Tokyo Tower was built in 1958, partly to broadcast radio and television and partly to show Japan's determination to recover from the war. It looks like the Eiffel Tower, but, having been built by Japanese people, it's taller and lighter. It affords a spectacular view of the city, although I was only at the top (or "tops" - there are two decks, one at 150 meters and one at 250 meters) after dark; that made the experience more sparkly, though. There was also a little "aquarium" in the building under the tower, but it was basically just someone's very, very impressive collection of rare fish. It did have a little Japanese garden, though, which was awesome.
Today (Tuesday), amidst appropriately gloomy weather, I finally made my way to Sengaku-ji, the temple of the 47 ronin. Let me tell you the story of these samurai in case you don't know it. If you do, read this anyway, because it's still a cool story.
Several hundred years ago, the baron Asano Takumi-no-Kami had to commit suicide after injuring courtier Yoshinaka Kira in Edo Castle. This left 47 masterless samurai (ronin) who avenged his death the following year by overwhelming Kira's villa and decapitating him. Their punishment was also suicide, but they were more than willing to do so, having avenged their master. Meanwhile, Kira's head was sent back to his family in order to allow for a proper burial.
The 47 ronin and Asano are buried at Sengaku-ji in a small graveyard. Everyone has a headstone, and incense is left burning by visitors. There appeared to be a statue of a deity near the graveyard as well. The main temple had incredible architecture; overall, the place looked great. There was also a museum with various relevant artifacts, including armor, weapons, scrolls, and (I kid you not) a receipt for Kira's head. Awesome.
The souvenirs I collected this weekend/today are: a Tokyo Tower keychain, a Tokyo Tower 50th anniversary coin, a small Taiko war drum with someone's family symbol on it, and a set of two miniature swords - a katana and a wakizashi.
Coming up this weekend: a trip the Ueno area and its temples and/or a tour of the imperial grounds and the controversial Yasukuni Shrine.
P.S. I have finally realized that, since I don't have anything after Japanese on Tuesdays save a meeting for ICU Model United Nations, I can do a bit more touring. I don't know why I didn't realize this earlier.
First, I'll start by revealing the mystery purchase from Jimbo-cho: a Japanese print which is supposed to be from around 1888. Is it authentic? Who knows. At some point I'll have to look into verifying the authenticity of my purchases.
Second, I will note that I did not end up going to the temple of the 47 ronin or the Edo-Tokyo Museum immediately after the previous blog posting. I have, however, been to both since then, and I will describe them shortly.
OK, the good stuff:
After practicing with the EMS sub-group I'm in (which required another Saturday trip to ICU), I tried to go to the 47 ronin temple (Sengaku-ji) and the Edo-Tokyo Museum again. Unfortunately, I got on the line that circles Tokyo in the wrong direction, and, having dithered about wondering about my next move, I decided to skip Sengaku-ji for the moment and head to the Edo-Tokyo Museum.
To say that this '90s-era museum only covers two floors is an understatement of the vast collection offered for viewing. I was there for hours and still didn't really take in everything. I sort of had to rush my viewing at the end. Essentially, though, I can tell you that the museum describes the history of the city it is named after (Edo is the old name for Tokyo), including (to a remarkable extent) the lives and doings of those other than the warrior and noble classes. I didn't really take pictures, but you might want to search the web and see if you can see anything from the museum.
I did have a non-touristy purpose in visiting the museum (alluded to in the previous post) was to give me material for a museum review I have to turn in for my history class. With regards to the scope of my history class, the museum did have a section on Tokyo during World War II. Ugly stuff. Let me tell you, it felt pretty awkward standing behind some Japanese people as we watched bombs fall on a television. This trip's bringing me to very dark conclusions about the conduct of the U.S. during what the Russians called "The Great Patriotic War."
The next day I went to the Tokyo Game Show for two hours. It actually wasn't that great, in my opinion, but I had been told from someone on Saturday (after asking) that this wasn't the show's best year. I only got to try one game, Battelfield: Heroes, and I wasn't terribly impressed. Then again, I'm not used to PC shooters, so that may be part of it. It also looked like a bit of a Team Fortress 2 knock-off. Anyway, regarding the show itself, I also might have had a better impression of it if I had gotten more time to wander about. As it was, I had to leave early for a friend's classical music concert (they're in the university's College Music Society).
It was getting on in the day by the time the concert was over, but I still had time to go to the Tokyo Tower, which is open until 10 PM. The Tokyo Tower was built in 1958, partly to broadcast radio and television and partly to show Japan's determination to recover from the war. It looks like the Eiffel Tower, but, having been built by Japanese people, it's taller and lighter. It affords a spectacular view of the city, although I was only at the top (or "tops" - there are two decks, one at 150 meters and one at 250 meters) after dark; that made the experience more sparkly, though. There was also a little "aquarium" in the building under the tower, but it was basically just someone's very, very impressive collection of rare fish. It did have a little Japanese garden, though, which was awesome.
Today (Tuesday), amidst appropriately gloomy weather, I finally made my way to Sengaku-ji, the temple of the 47 ronin. Let me tell you the story of these samurai in case you don't know it. If you do, read this anyway, because it's still a cool story.
Several hundred years ago, the baron Asano Takumi-no-Kami had to commit suicide after injuring courtier Yoshinaka Kira in Edo Castle. This left 47 masterless samurai (ronin) who avenged his death the following year by overwhelming Kira's villa and decapitating him. Their punishment was also suicide, but they were more than willing to do so, having avenged their master. Meanwhile, Kira's head was sent back to his family in order to allow for a proper burial.
The 47 ronin and Asano are buried at Sengaku-ji in a small graveyard. Everyone has a headstone, and incense is left burning by visitors. There appeared to be a statue of a deity near the graveyard as well. The main temple had incredible architecture; overall, the place looked great. There was also a museum with various relevant artifacts, including armor, weapons, scrolls, and (I kid you not) a receipt for Kira's head. Awesome.
The souvenirs I collected this weekend/today are: a Tokyo Tower keychain, a Tokyo Tower 50th anniversary coin, a small Taiko war drum with someone's family symbol on it, and a set of two miniature swords - a katana and a wakizashi.
Coming up this weekend: a trip the Ueno area and its temples and/or a tour of the imperial grounds and the controversial Yasukuni Shrine.
P.S. I have finally realized that, since I don't have anything after Japanese on Tuesdays save a meeting for ICU Model United Nations, I can do a bit more touring. I don't know why I didn't realize this earlier.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Old School
Last night (Friday), I went to a Dean's Reception for the foreign students and September freshmen at ICU. Everyone was divided into groups based on Japanese animal names; there was actually someone from my dorm in my group ("Snake"). Thankfully, there was little by way of speechifying, but a good amount by way of free (though not always decent) food. There was also a quiz (participated in by group) testing our knowledge of ICU; we won 1st place, and got the spiffy prize bag. We divided the loot back at our table, using the democratic method of rock, paper, scissors to solve any conflicts over who wanted what. The bag contained an ICU sweatshirt, an ICU T-shirt, two ICU mugs, and several ICU folder-things. I ended up with a mug - not bad.
Today, a Saturday, I got up and headed to ICU - a somewhat abnormal move for a non-school day. I had a reason, though: LAMBS (the samba group I'm in) was going to have a parade. Our drum banging outside the D-Kan (basically, the student union) was cut short, however, by a man who told us that people were taking the SAT II in the Honkan (main hall). I don't see why a Latin American percussion ensemble couldn't relax the test-takers as they tried their hardest, but somebody must have disagreed. So, that activity was cut short.
I also went to Jimbocho today. Jimbocho is a short strip of used/old/antique booksellers situated near the Akihabara area. I discovered that one can easily drop a lot of money there through first-hand experience - I went to one store and was persistently presented with new items to gawk at by the owner/employee, and I apparently am not good at resisting these sorts of pitches. In the end, though, I got plenty of cool stuff. To whit:
- A map of Edo (old Tokyo) from the Edo Period (pre-1868)
- A ______________________ (this might be a "half-"present for someone who reads this blog, so its specifications will not be revealed for the moment)
- Three journals on the Russo-Japanese War from the period of said war (1900s or so); one journal contains some sort of map, possibly of the conflict area
At another store, I found old issues of Time magazine which I also purchased. Yet another store had some old Life issues, which I bought as well. I bought the magazines before everything else, but I had looked at the Russo-Japanese items (as well as a smaller version of __________) before that.
I got some prescriptions filled at a drug store today, and that itself was interesting. I was expecting that I had been directed to some Eckerd's-type place, but I instead ended up in a small pharmacy. It stocked not only pills, but all sorts of health supplements - roots, eel, etc. It was like a "fusion" pharmacy.
At dinner tonight, I found out that I could have gotten my Nintendo DS for a cheaper price at a place right near ICU. Damn. However, I was also reminded (not by that misfortune) that the Tokyo Game Show starts this week. It will last four days, with the last two days only being public-access. Apparently Nintendo doesn't typically participate, but, oh, well. I think I'll go anyway.
My plan for tomorrow is to go see the place where the famous 47 ronin of Japan are buried and to go to the Edo-Tokyo Museum. The latter actually falls into something I need to do for a class, but...more on that later.
Today, a Saturday, I got up and headed to ICU - a somewhat abnormal move for a non-school day. I had a reason, though: LAMBS (the samba group I'm in) was going to have a parade. Our drum banging outside the D-Kan (basically, the student union) was cut short, however, by a man who told us that people were taking the SAT II in the Honkan (main hall). I don't see why a Latin American percussion ensemble couldn't relax the test-takers as they tried their hardest, but somebody must have disagreed. So, that activity was cut short.
I also went to Jimbocho today. Jimbocho is a short strip of used/old/antique booksellers situated near the Akihabara area. I discovered that one can easily drop a lot of money there through first-hand experience - I went to one store and was persistently presented with new items to gawk at by the owner/employee, and I apparently am not good at resisting these sorts of pitches. In the end, though, I got plenty of cool stuff. To whit:
- A map of Edo (old Tokyo) from the Edo Period (pre-1868)
- A ______________________ (this might be a "half-"present for someone who reads this blog, so its specifications will not be revealed for the moment)
- Three journals on the Russo-Japanese War from the period of said war (1900s or so); one journal contains some sort of map, possibly of the conflict area
At another store, I found old issues of Time magazine which I also purchased. Yet another store had some old Life issues, which I bought as well. I bought the magazines before everything else, but I had looked at the Russo-Japanese items (as well as a smaller version of __________) before that.
I got some prescriptions filled at a drug store today, and that itself was interesting. I was expecting that I had been directed to some Eckerd's-type place, but I instead ended up in a small pharmacy. It stocked not only pills, but all sorts of health supplements - roots, eel, etc. It was like a "fusion" pharmacy.
At dinner tonight, I found out that I could have gotten my Nintendo DS for a cheaper price at a place right near ICU. Damn. However, I was also reminded (not by that misfortune) that the Tokyo Game Show starts this week. It will last four days, with the last two days only being public-access. Apparently Nintendo doesn't typically participate, but, oh, well. I think I'll go anyway.
My plan for tomorrow is to go see the place where the famous 47 ronin of Japan are buried and to go to the Edo-Tokyo Museum. The latter actually falls into something I need to do for a class, but...more on that later.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Fat People *Do* Get to Have Fun
Yesterday (Sunday) I, a friend, and another gaikokujin from my dorm (who I hadn't met before Saturday) left home at 6:00 AM to go see sumo. By the time we got to the arena, there were over 140 people in line. (Among them was a friend of mine whom I had invited.) Nonetheless, there were plenty of tickets left, and we got nosebleed access to sumo matches that ran from mid/late-morning to the evening.
Sumo is actually quite a rapid sport - once the match starts. Prior to each match, a man in a kimono comes out and sings something or other (which shows you how sumo used to be more closely associated with ceremonies than it is today). The contestants get on stage, then take their time stomping their feet, slapping their bodies, and putting their fists on the ground. Sometimes they throw salt into the ring, though I can't remember what the purpose of that is. They'll put their fist to the ground, facing each other and seemingly raring to go, then break off - and do so multiple times. Finally, through some process I don't understand, they fight.
There is generally no pussy-footing in a sumo match. The fight always begins with the two fighters charging right into each other. Naturally, there is grappling, but there is also plenty of hitting as well: you can assault your opponent anywhere above the belt so long as you don't make a fist. As is famiiliar to most people, the goal is to either knock one's opponent to the ground or push him out of the ring (which, incidentally, is made of bags of rice (I think)).
The lower eschelons fought first. As time went on, higher level wrestlers came out, leading up to the grand sumo matches, when the stadium was, while not filled to capacity, flush with cheering fans. There were charges, slaps, attempts at tripping, times when the man about to be pushed out of the ring swivelled or whatnot and turned the tables, dodges, and plenty of instances of smaller opponents using their lower center of gravity to their advantage. Two of the matches required the five judges to confer on the results; one of these meetings led to a rematch promptly followed by a false start, leaving no victor until the third round.
At the end of it all, we saw, as we left, a bit of the ceremony celebrating the (or a...there were three final matches between six wrestlers, so I'm not sure what article to use) champion's victory. He got to hold a giant cup, take some sort of symbolic arrow (though I don't know how permanently), and receive cheers. As we left the stadium, we noticed a Toyota of some sort parked facing the gate, with a row of cameramen ready to film what we presumed to be an imminent scene of the victorious champion driving off. (Although sumo has lost popularity due to a recent scandal involving Russian wrestlers who smoked marijuana, wrestlers still have plenty of fans who will cheer for them individually when they get in the ring to be introduced in their fabulous aprons.) Baseball games back home may involve a fake sumo contests with people in padded suits acting ridiculous, but many Japanese love the sport. I must say, there were some good matches.
I got a good souvenir from the trip, too. The first 100 people in a certain line received an autograph from a former sumo wrestler. I and a friend got in that line, and we have the illegible posterboard signatures to prove it. (Seriously, though, it's sorta cool.)
This is a normal week (save the lack of the usual Monday morning Japanese quiz), so there won't be as much traveling. Nonetheless, I hope to do something (or many things) interesting Saturday and/or Sunday. I'll be sure to write about them!
P.S. I do have some photos to post, but I'm a very lazy person. Also, I have no photos for some of what I've done because my camera's gone a bit haywire, and my new, flat-as-a-pancake Japanese phone had a low battery yesterday. Stay tuned.
Sumo is actually quite a rapid sport - once the match starts. Prior to each match, a man in a kimono comes out and sings something or other (which shows you how sumo used to be more closely associated with ceremonies than it is today). The contestants get on stage, then take their time stomping their feet, slapping their bodies, and putting their fists on the ground. Sometimes they throw salt into the ring, though I can't remember what the purpose of that is. They'll put their fist to the ground, facing each other and seemingly raring to go, then break off - and do so multiple times. Finally, through some process I don't understand, they fight.
There is generally no pussy-footing in a sumo match. The fight always begins with the two fighters charging right into each other. Naturally, there is grappling, but there is also plenty of hitting as well: you can assault your opponent anywhere above the belt so long as you don't make a fist. As is famiiliar to most people, the goal is to either knock one's opponent to the ground or push him out of the ring (which, incidentally, is made of bags of rice (I think)).
The lower eschelons fought first. As time went on, higher level wrestlers came out, leading up to the grand sumo matches, when the stadium was, while not filled to capacity, flush with cheering fans. There were charges, slaps, attempts at tripping, times when the man about to be pushed out of the ring swivelled or whatnot and turned the tables, dodges, and plenty of instances of smaller opponents using their lower center of gravity to their advantage. Two of the matches required the five judges to confer on the results; one of these meetings led to a rematch promptly followed by a false start, leaving no victor until the third round.
At the end of it all, we saw, as we left, a bit of the ceremony celebrating the (or a...there were three final matches between six wrestlers, so I'm not sure what article to use) champion's victory. He got to hold a giant cup, take some sort of symbolic arrow (though I don't know how permanently), and receive cheers. As we left the stadium, we noticed a Toyota of some sort parked facing the gate, with a row of cameramen ready to film what we presumed to be an imminent scene of the victorious champion driving off. (Although sumo has lost popularity due to a recent scandal involving Russian wrestlers who smoked marijuana, wrestlers still have plenty of fans who will cheer for them individually when they get in the ring to be introduced in their fabulous aprons.) Baseball games back home may involve a fake sumo contests with people in padded suits acting ridiculous, but many Japanese love the sport. I must say, there were some good matches.
I got a good souvenir from the trip, too. The first 100 people in a certain line received an autograph from a former sumo wrestler. I and a friend got in that line, and we have the illegible posterboard signatures to prove it. (Seriously, though, it's sorta cool.)
This is a normal week (save the lack of the usual Monday morning Japanese quiz), so there won't be as much traveling. Nonetheless, I hope to do something (or many things) interesting Saturday and/or Sunday. I'll be sure to write about them!
P.S. I do have some photos to post, but I'm a very lazy person. Also, I have no photos for some of what I've done because my camera's gone a bit haywire, and my new, flat-as-a-pancake Japanese phone had a low battery yesterday. Stay tuned.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Fish, Swords, and A Park
Since my last post, I made some changes to my weekend plans upon the invitation of a dorm-mate. He invited me to get up early on Saturday (today) to go to the fish market at Tsukiji and to get up early again tomorrow (Sunday) to try get tickets for a sumo match. We'll see how the latter offer turns out, but here's what happened today.
I did indeed get up early, and a group of us gaikokujin (the form of the word you probably know better is gaijin) headed off to the Tsukiji fish market. This is a place to which the fish that were caught the day before have been brought overnight. Most of Tokyo's seafood comes from this market. In the earlier part of the morning it is auctioned; we missed that, unfortunately, but we still got to wander the stalls of the wholesalers and see all sorts of sea creatures, sliced and frozen and whatnot in various ways. It was disturbing, though, to watch a man half-cut off the heads of fishes and sever their spinal chords, then leave them to breathe in bloody water. That wasn't so cool. (There was also a guy using a saw to cut frozen fish. That was cool,.)
Afterwards, we went and had sushi nearby. Surprise.
I split off from the group after that and, after converting some money to yen and wandering about like an idiot trying to find a landmark, I headed for the Japanese Sword Museum in Yoyogi. Unfortunately, I found nothing by way of swords to purchase or tips on doing so; also, most of the text was in Japanese, so I didn't learn enough about each individual blade. Still, there was a lot of very old, shiny steel in that museum, and I got some literature in English.
Next, I went to the Meiji Shrine area. This consists of a large, very wooded park dedicated to the memory of the emperor Meiji. (He's the one who came right after the end of the Tokugawa shogunate in the late 1860s, bringing Westernization to Japan.) There was a "Treasure House" where things like vases, one of the emperor's desks, etc. were on display. The main attraction, however, was the Shrine itself, another post-war reconstruction (although it wasn't ferroconcrete). I got to see one + Shinto wedding processionals while I was there. There was also a large gate at one of the entrances to the temple. Adding to my growing list of souvenirs, I purchased some good luck charms, as well as what I believe to be a copy of the Imperial Rescript on Education.
My feet are really tired, and need tonight's break. Unfortunately, I get to stand in line tomorrow morning and walk through a museum. Urgh. At least I got to see the Meiji Shrine. (Go Google it.)
I did indeed get up early, and a group of us gaikokujin (the form of the word you probably know better is gaijin) headed off to the Tsukiji fish market. This is a place to which the fish that were caught the day before have been brought overnight. Most of Tokyo's seafood comes from this market. In the earlier part of the morning it is auctioned; we missed that, unfortunately, but we still got to wander the stalls of the wholesalers and see all sorts of sea creatures, sliced and frozen and whatnot in various ways. It was disturbing, though, to watch a man half-cut off the heads of fishes and sever their spinal chords, then leave them to breathe in bloody water. That wasn't so cool. (There was also a guy using a saw to cut frozen fish. That was cool,.)
Afterwards, we went and had sushi nearby. Surprise.
I split off from the group after that and, after converting some money to yen and wandering about like an idiot trying to find a landmark, I headed for the Japanese Sword Museum in Yoyogi. Unfortunately, I found nothing by way of swords to purchase or tips on doing so; also, most of the text was in Japanese, so I didn't learn enough about each individual blade. Still, there was a lot of very old, shiny steel in that museum, and I got some literature in English.
Next, I went to the Meiji Shrine area. This consists of a large, very wooded park dedicated to the memory of the emperor Meiji. (He's the one who came right after the end of the Tokugawa shogunate in the late 1860s, bringing Westernization to Japan.) There was a "Treasure House" where things like vases, one of the emperor's desks, etc. were on display. The main attraction, however, was the Shrine itself, another post-war reconstruction (although it wasn't ferroconcrete). I got to see one + Shinto wedding processionals while I was there. There was also a large gate at one of the entrances to the temple. Adding to my growing list of souvenirs, I purchased some good luck charms, as well as what I believe to be a copy of the Imperial Rescript on Education.
My feet are really tired, and need tonight's break. Unfortunately, I get to stand in line tomorrow morning and walk through a museum. Urgh. At least I got to see the Meiji Shrine. (Go Google it.)
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Back After the Silence
Sorry I haven't posted in a while. The best way to make up for that is to post right now.
I made a second trip to Akihabara and hunted intensively for a Nintendo DS. I ended up getting one (used) for about 12300 yen - which, combined with the train fare, added up to nothing by way of savings. But, I did get a Japanese copy of Pokemon Diamond and the famous kanji dictionary. (Don't know about this dictionary? It's a cartridge you plug into your Nintendo DS that allows you to write kanji on the touch screen in order to look them up. It does a decent job of recognizing the Japanese characters, although its recognition of English letters is atrocious. It's sorta cool.)
I have also discovered two used game stores. One was, well, a store, while the other was awesome. The latter is called "Super Potato," and it lures you in with a looping Super Mario theme. It has multiple floors of retro games, retro game console emulators, and even Game & Watch systems. (I almost bought a Game & Watch system, but they were expensive.) On top of all that, there was memorabilia, of which I bought a stuffed power-up mushroom. (I'm such a geek.)
This past weekend I planned on going to the Shibuya/Aoyama/Harajuku area, but the plan, for the most part, failed miserably. In the end, though, I did get to browse some antique shops in Aoyama. I bought an old miniature mask from one of them; another shop displayed old Japanese currency, but was auctioning it online. In any case, I plan to try visiting the area again this weekend, for a number of reasons which shall be revealed in the next post.
Then there was today. Today is the autumnal equinox, which merits a school holiday in Japan. Consequently, I had the opportunity to go to the Asakusa shrine area. A bit of background: the whole complex focuses on the bodhisattva Kannon, who is known for her mercy. (A bodhisattva is essentially a person who has attained enlightenment, but chooses to remain on earth in order to help others gain enlightenment.) The story goes that two fishermen found a statue of her in a river, and their village chief enshrined her in what became the temple complex. (The souls of those three people have been enshrined as well.)
As the word "complex" implies, there were many buildings to look at, ranging from the main hall to smaller temples. There were three gates to look at, one of which was the famous Thunder God Gate. This gate has a giant paper lantern hanging from it, and inside the sides of it are statues of the Thunder God and the Wind God. There was also a lovely little garden with multiple bridges over a stream containing koi. I even got to see what I believe was a man chanting a sutra. There was plenty of other worshiping to observe, too, ranging from rubbing a statue of Buddha to throwing coins into a collection and praying.
Unfortunately, many of the buildings are not the originals. Apart from various disasters, the Second World War led to the bombing of many of the buildings, save a few. A lot of what one sees now is made from concrete, but still looks fabulous.
There was a road leading to the temple which was lined with souvenir shops. Many different tourist-y things were offered, including swords, ninja stars, kimonos, fans, statuettes, toys, and more. I bought a paper lantern and two rubbery action figures, Godzilla and Gamera (another Japanese movie monster). I also bought an image of the bodhisattva in the temple.
Afterwards, I went to the Kappabashi area. This is a place where restaurateurs can stock up on supplies. Unfortunately, most of the shops were closed at the hour I was there, but I did manage to pick up what I was after: plastic food (like the stuff you see in store windows). I got a bunch of sushi fridge magnets. I could have done without the magnets, but oh, well.
As to my school life, I am now participating in the samba group and in the Model United Nations (ICUMUN). I'm not officially in the samba group, since I'm only here for the semester; I am most certainly participating in ICUMUN. (By the way, our topic is Climate Change and a midterm carbon emissions goal; my country is Venezuela. Fun fun.) The Early Music Society Concert is tomorrow, so we'll see how I get associated with them.
Sorry for the long post. The next one (hopefully to be written this weekend) should be shorter.
I made a second trip to Akihabara and hunted intensively for a Nintendo DS. I ended up getting one (used) for about 12300 yen - which, combined with the train fare, added up to nothing by way of savings. But, I did get a Japanese copy of Pokemon Diamond and the famous kanji dictionary. (Don't know about this dictionary? It's a cartridge you plug into your Nintendo DS that allows you to write kanji on the touch screen in order to look them up. It does a decent job of recognizing the Japanese characters, although its recognition of English letters is atrocious. It's sorta cool.)
I have also discovered two used game stores. One was, well, a store, while the other was awesome. The latter is called "Super Potato," and it lures you in with a looping Super Mario theme. It has multiple floors of retro games, retro game console emulators, and even Game & Watch systems. (I almost bought a Game & Watch system, but they were expensive.) On top of all that, there was memorabilia, of which I bought a stuffed power-up mushroom. (I'm such a geek.)
This past weekend I planned on going to the Shibuya/Aoyama/Harajuku area, but the plan, for the most part, failed miserably. In the end, though, I did get to browse some antique shops in Aoyama. I bought an old miniature mask from one of them; another shop displayed old Japanese currency, but was auctioning it online. In any case, I plan to try visiting the area again this weekend, for a number of reasons which shall be revealed in the next post.
Then there was today. Today is the autumnal equinox, which merits a school holiday in Japan. Consequently, I had the opportunity to go to the Asakusa shrine area. A bit of background: the whole complex focuses on the bodhisattva Kannon, who is known for her mercy. (A bodhisattva is essentially a person who has attained enlightenment, but chooses to remain on earth in order to help others gain enlightenment.) The story goes that two fishermen found a statue of her in a river, and their village chief enshrined her in what became the temple complex. (The souls of those three people have been enshrined as well.)
As the word "complex" implies, there were many buildings to look at, ranging from the main hall to smaller temples. There were three gates to look at, one of which was the famous Thunder God Gate. This gate has a giant paper lantern hanging from it, and inside the sides of it are statues of the Thunder God and the Wind God. There was also a lovely little garden with multiple bridges over a stream containing koi. I even got to see what I believe was a man chanting a sutra. There was plenty of other worshiping to observe, too, ranging from rubbing a statue of Buddha to throwing coins into a collection and praying.
Unfortunately, many of the buildings are not the originals. Apart from various disasters, the Second World War led to the bombing of many of the buildings, save a few. A lot of what one sees now is made from concrete, but still looks fabulous.
There was a road leading to the temple which was lined with souvenir shops. Many different tourist-y things were offered, including swords, ninja stars, kimonos, fans, statuettes, toys, and more. I bought a paper lantern and two rubbery action figures, Godzilla and Gamera (another Japanese movie monster). I also bought an image of the bodhisattva in the temple.
Afterwards, I went to the Kappabashi area. This is a place where restaurateurs can stock up on supplies. Unfortunately, most of the shops were closed at the hour I was there, but I did manage to pick up what I was after: plastic food (like the stuff you see in store windows). I got a bunch of sushi fridge magnets. I could have done without the magnets, but oh, well.
As to my school life, I am now participating in the samba group and in the Model United Nations (ICUMUN). I'm not officially in the samba group, since I'm only here for the semester; I am most certainly participating in ICUMUN. (By the way, our topic is Climate Change and a midterm carbon emissions goal; my country is Venezuela. Fun fun.) The Early Music Society Concert is tomorrow, so we'll see how I get associated with them.
Sorry for the long post. The next one (hopefully to be written this weekend) should be shorter.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Classes, Meetings, and Maid Outfits
The class registration system at ICU is somewhat bizarre. At UNC, you get the approval of your advisor before the registration period, and then register online at any computer – even your own. At ICU, by contrast, you must use computers in either the Integrated Learning Center (ILC) or Othmer Library. After that, you take the courses you have selected to your advisor for approval, then hand-deliver your selections to the first floor of the ILC.
In any case, I ended up taking a regular Japanese class (6 credits), a class on contemporary Japanese history (3 credits), and a class on Asian music (3 credits). Regarding the Japanese class, I had to take a very hard placement test in order to determine what level I should register for. I managed to get into the fourth of six levels. As to my other classes, I had hoped to take a class on Japan’s international relations, but it falls within the times I will be taking Japanese. >:-(
I will be in class from 10:10 AM to 3:00 PM, Monday through Friday. The only exception to this rule is Tuesday, when I finish at 12:40 PM. There is supposed to be a lunch break scheduled into each day, but all of my non-Japanese language classes consume them. The only reason I can leave early Tuesday is because of the weekly service at the university’s chapel. I don’t have any Saturday classes, fortunately. (Yes, they’re possible here.)
On top of this schedule, I’m pondering joining several clubs. One is Model United Nations, which I’m almost certain I will join if possible. There’s also a club where everyone studies a certain country for a while, a funk band, a big band, and an intramural soccer group, any of which I might join. We’ll see.
It’s tough to meet any Japanese people here. I’ve met a number of other gaikokujin, but I haven’t really bonded with any of the Japanese people I’ve met. That may change, though. Yesterday we (meaning I and several foreigners/transfer students) could attend a get-together with Japanese people from English classes. I feel like the meeting had a number of awkward moments, and there were times when the foreign/transfer students talked among themselves. However, we are meeting for lunch on Tuesday, so maybe we can all get closer then.
Yesterday (Saturday) I and some guys from the dorm went Shinjuku and Akihabara, which are neighborhoods/wards in Tokyo. Both were very consumer oriented; the latter is geared towards geeks, gadget lovers, anime fans, and otaku (nerds). (One of the guys in the group claimed there were cafes where one could sit down and pet real cats.) There are many cafes in Akihabara where women dress up as maids, and we saw one where they dress up as cats. Maids were also handing out leaflets and things outside. There were stores there where one could buy…certain kinds…of DVDs. (To be fair, though, we saw seedy places in the Kabuki-cho district in Shinjuku as well; the district is particularly a place of sin and recreation at night.)
In any case, I looked at some prices for the Nintendo DS Lite game system and got varying results. One shop charged about $170 US for it, but another place charges less than $120 US. That’s a savings compared to $130 in America, but a used unit runs for $109 at ebgames.com, while a used regular DS is $80 or less. Plus, as one of the guys pointed out, I have to consider the price of the train ticket. We’ll see if I get one.
One last thing: while cruising around Shinjuku, we saw a temple/shrine complex. The approach was between two modern buildings, with lanterns and lions of stone at the front. After passing through many red gates and going by many lamps, we saw a door on the right with a large gold pattern/seal on it. Nearby was a source of water with which to wash one’s hands. What seemed like the main temple had bells to ring (I didn’t, being an uneducated gaijin with unwashed hands), as well as some stuff inside which I did not look at well enough. There was also a place on either side of the temple to post one’s wishes on wooden plaques.
This is a city with far too much to see in one lifetime.
In any case, this entry has gone on long enough. I’ll post some photos soon, and I’ll describe the ICU campus. Today will be fairly quiet, I think. Peace out.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Tokyo Time
My Japan trip kicked off yesterday, so my blog kicks off in earnest as well.
Leaving for Japan started very poorly. When the check-in computer at RDU asked for my passport, I rummaged around in my backpack and couldn't find it. This sent me into a wild panic. My parents ended up calling a neighbor/friend who cat-sits for us, and we guided him to various locations where it might have been. It turned out that it had been left in the scanner. He was kind enough to drive out to RDU to bring me the passport, so I owe him big-time. Like, really cool kimono big-time.
After a fairly standard hop to Dulles, I got on a Boeing 777 (lucky sevens?) for Narita airport. The food was meh, but they did serve ramen once, which was awesome. (Later in the flight, I asked for it instead of pasta or a turkey sandwich.) Thirteen or so hours later, I was at Narita airport.
Now, some people were supposed to meet me and take me to my dorm. After I cleared customs, I hoped the assigned people would recognize me from the photo I sent, but nobody spoke up. There wasn't anybody holding a sign with my name on it, either. So, I wandered around the airport in a bit of another panic. Fortunately, I eventually met up with a girl named Hina (thank you, information desk), who has since proven invaluable in helping me with...well, everything.
For starters, she helped guide me to my dormitory. This required a very long train ride with at least one transfer thrown in. Narita airport, you see, isn't quite in Tokyo, but neither is my dormitory. Hence, we rode - or, more precisely, stood, since the train was crowded with rush hour traffic.
The trains themselves are completely different than anything in the U.S. For one thing, they are clean, which is more than can be said for many of our trains. There are also a ton of public and private lines in Japan. The Japanese put us to shame in terms of public transit. Finally, the amount of advertising on the trains is incredible (as a friend noted, and as I concur). There were even TV screens (separate from the ones displaying information pertinent to the train) running ads.
After we got to the station, there was still a bunch of walking to do. To make it worse, my guide (bless her heart) didn't quite know where we needed to go. This actually isn't that strange - addresses are really hard to find in Japan, particularly with the bizarre street layouts. There are even maps at several points in the city where I'm staying, and Hina herself has used them. (A friend remarked on the maps, too.) In any case, we finally got to my dorm, and I got somewhat-settled in.
This dorm is quite different from what I'm used to back in the states. You have a single room, but it is very small - about 8.6 square meters. It's actually not too bad, though, once you're used to it. You're supposed to take your shoes off in the tiled part of your room before entering the main, carpeted area. The bed is a futon. There's a dining hall downstairs (like in Granville Towers) that serves traditional Japanese meals at breakfast and dinner time. Unlike UNC's dining hall, though, it's open until 11 PM, which is awesome. The only things that suck are that the halls and bathrooms aren't air-conditioned, there are only showers on the first floor, and there's a midnight curfew. And no girls. (Oh, hell, who am I kidding - that won't be an issue.) It's also an off-campus dorm which is pretty far from International Christian University, where I am studying.
At dinner, I met a bunch of fellow gaijin (or, as is said officially, gaikokujin), which is cool. One of them is American, one is British, and one is Belgian who goes to college in England. (At breakfast the next day, I met another American.) We all agreed to meet for breakfast and head to the matriculation ceremony together.
That was yesterday. Today I went through the matriculation ceremony, which was tough in an un-air-conditioned chapel for a guy wearing dress pants and a dress shirt and undershirt - and for everyone else, really. (It's as hot and muggy here as one could experience in North Carolina.) I got to feel the heat even more walking to the local ward to register as an alien and join the national health insurance; this walk also pounded my feet, which were shod in dress shoes. I had Hina to help with translation, fortunately.
Tomorrow I have to take a placement test to determine my proficiency in Japanese. This apparently means that I should study. The main thing for me (and everyone else) will be kanji, the Chinese picture-characters. My ego's probably about to be sliced to bits and reassembled.
One last thing - despite all the negative stuff I've written about, this is a very worthwhile experience. It's good that I'm getting to see the culture up close. I'll have to describe the people, the buildings, the advertising, the cityscape, and everything else later. This is all quite enough for one post.
Leaving for Japan started very poorly. When the check-in computer at RDU asked for my passport, I rummaged around in my backpack and couldn't find it. This sent me into a wild panic. My parents ended up calling a neighbor/friend who cat-sits for us, and we guided him to various locations where it might have been. It turned out that it had been left in the scanner. He was kind enough to drive out to RDU to bring me the passport, so I owe him big-time. Like, really cool kimono big-time.
After a fairly standard hop to Dulles, I got on a Boeing 777 (lucky sevens?) for Narita airport. The food was meh, but they did serve ramen once, which was awesome. (Later in the flight, I asked for it instead of pasta or a turkey sandwich.) Thirteen or so hours later, I was at Narita airport.
Now, some people were supposed to meet me and take me to my dorm. After I cleared customs, I hoped the assigned people would recognize me from the photo I sent, but nobody spoke up. There wasn't anybody holding a sign with my name on it, either. So, I wandered around the airport in a bit of another panic. Fortunately, I eventually met up with a girl named Hina (thank you, information desk), who has since proven invaluable in helping me with...well, everything.
For starters, she helped guide me to my dormitory. This required a very long train ride with at least one transfer thrown in. Narita airport, you see, isn't quite in Tokyo, but neither is my dormitory. Hence, we rode - or, more precisely, stood, since the train was crowded with rush hour traffic.
The trains themselves are completely different than anything in the U.S. For one thing, they are clean, which is more than can be said for many of our trains. There are also a ton of public and private lines in Japan. The Japanese put us to shame in terms of public transit. Finally, the amount of advertising on the trains is incredible (as a friend noted, and as I concur). There were even TV screens (separate from the ones displaying information pertinent to the train) running ads.
After we got to the station, there was still a bunch of walking to do. To make it worse, my guide (bless her heart) didn't quite know where we needed to go. This actually isn't that strange - addresses are really hard to find in Japan, particularly with the bizarre street layouts. There are even maps at several points in the city where I'm staying, and Hina herself has used them. (A friend remarked on the maps, too.) In any case, we finally got to my dorm, and I got somewhat-settled in.
This dorm is quite different from what I'm used to back in the states. You have a single room, but it is very small - about 8.6 square meters. It's actually not too bad, though, once you're used to it. You're supposed to take your shoes off in the tiled part of your room before entering the main, carpeted area. The bed is a futon. There's a dining hall downstairs (like in Granville Towers) that serves traditional Japanese meals at breakfast and dinner time. Unlike UNC's dining hall, though, it's open until 11 PM, which is awesome. The only things that suck are that the halls and bathrooms aren't air-conditioned, there are only showers on the first floor, and there's a midnight curfew. And no girls. (Oh, hell, who am I kidding - that won't be an issue.) It's also an off-campus dorm which is pretty far from International Christian University, where I am studying.
At dinner, I met a bunch of fellow gaijin (or, as is said officially, gaikokujin), which is cool. One of them is American, one is British, and one is Belgian who goes to college in England. (At breakfast the next day, I met another American.) We all agreed to meet for breakfast and head to the matriculation ceremony together.
That was yesterday. Today I went through the matriculation ceremony, which was tough in an un-air-conditioned chapel for a guy wearing dress pants and a dress shirt and undershirt - and for everyone else, really. (It's as hot and muggy here as one could experience in North Carolina.) I got to feel the heat even more walking to the local ward to register as an alien and join the national health insurance; this walk also pounded my feet, which were shod in dress shoes. I had Hina to help with translation, fortunately.
Tomorrow I have to take a placement test to determine my proficiency in Japanese. This apparently means that I should study. The main thing for me (and everyone else) will be kanji, the Chinese picture-characters. My ego's probably about to be sliced to bits and reassembled.
One last thing - despite all the negative stuff I've written about, this is a very worthwhile experience. It's good that I'm getting to see the culture up close. I'll have to describe the people, the buildings, the advertising, the cityscape, and everything else later. This is all quite enough for one post.
Friday, August 8, 2008
An Interesting Day
Mom and I were only in the car for a total of about 20-30 minutes on Wednesday. All we had to do was pick up my visa, and, after driving around the aquarium, Mom just decided to park back at the motel and have us walk. (The visa, by the way, is not a minute sticker, but a full passport-page-sized one. Also, the photo from Wolf Camera was reduced to a very low quality.)
The Georgia Aquarium is quite nice. They have everything from whale sharks to beluga whales to a fish thought to have been extinct for a long time. We got to touch small sharks (they weren’t very rough) and shrimp, but there were two much more notable happenings at the aquarium.
The first involved the belugas. There was an aquarium man standing by the tank giving info to the crowds about the whales, and he mentioned that this was mating season. Apparently, beluga mating behavior involves the male raking the female he fancies with his teeth. Well, sure enough, that happened, and then he…shall we say, exposed himself. The female apparently wasn’t in the mood, so he made a fool of himself for nothing.
The second interesting event was the whale shark feeding. Not only did we get to watch four 15’+ beasts open wide to consume in great quantities, we ended up sitting next to a biologist who was recording their feeding behavior. We got to learn a lot from this – for example, the whale shark tank is designed to hold six average-sized (36’) whale sharks; they mustn’t feed by swimming up to the surface, as the tank is too shallow for that; their esophagi are the size of quarters; and so on. I also learned something interesting from the man MC-ing the feeding: he claimed that only four other aquaria had whale sharks, and three of those are in Japan. Poor me.
There was another cool part of the exhibit in which they discussed how they got the sharks to the States. They used UPS. I kid you not.
When it came time for dinner, Mom and I perambulated awhile in the vicinity of our motel, seeing if we could find any places to eat other than the ones we had already seen. It turned out that we were staying near a police station. What was even stranger was the sight I saw not too far from the police station – a man in a white suit with what I remember (or want to remember) as a white umbrella walking towards and talking with another man with white clothes. I can’t prove he was a pimp, but… Also during that stroll, we learned (from enquiring about walking through an inter-building bridge) that a tornado had touched down in Atlanta earlier this year, causing some $250 M in damage.
The last thing Mom and I did that night was take a trip up to the 72nd story of the Westin hotel (which had been hit by the aforementioned tornado). It was dusk, and I got a brilliant view of the city from the observation area above the rotating restaurant. (Yes, you just read that.) We didn’t eat there, but we did go up to the rotating cocktail lounge and have some drinks. Mine, as usual, were non-alcoholic. That’s about all we’ll ever get to do in that hotel, though – Mom looked, and the price to stay there Is expensive.
The final thing Mom and I did in Atlanta was visit the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial. We got souvenirs for my dad, and I got a textbook on the civil rights movement. We looked around some as well, and got to see his tomb.
I’ll be leaving for the beach tomorrow (Saturday) and will only have spotty internet access. After our week-long stay on Hatteras Island, there will only be two weeks before I go to Japan. No more blogs until just before leaving.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Japan Day
The trip to the Japanese consulate didn't go very well. What was supposed to take 10 minutes took an hour, due both to my poor navigation and to the ineptitude of our new GPS system when confronted with a complex interstate system. Eventually, we found the right address and discovered that (contrary to the picture on the consulate's website) the consulate was not in a colonial-style building, but a 20-story skyscraper.
Mom and I entered the building on the heels of a Japanese mother and her kids. (When the elevator started to move, albeit rapidly, the kids were startled.) To get into the consulate, we had to go through a metal detector and get our bags x-rayed - something I hadn't thought about, but which makes sense. It didn't take us long for us to get our business done - at least, not until we realized that the visa required a photo of me. (Just so you understand, I have distributed numerous photos to Japanese entities recently to get ready for this trip. I think everyone in the country will know me when I arrive.) This ended up delaying us, as we had to get a passport photo taken. Fortunately, there was a Wolf Camera near where we did some banking aftwerwards.
Following lunch at the Rock Bottom Brewery (a decent/good chain microbrewery and restaurant), Mom and I returned to the consulate offices on the 16th floor of One Alliance Center. There (as I had feared) I had to redo my visa application because it was too sloppy. Even when I redid it, I was told that it wasn't neat, but they took it, the photo, my passport, and my "Certificate of Eligibility" (a document required in order to apply for a visa, but which is also significant in and of itself). We'll pick up the passport tomorrow morning - probably, as Mom says, because of the time difference between here and Japan.
We ate dinner at a cool chain place called "Nakato." It had both a hibachi steakhouse area (think Kanki) and an area with traditional fare and a sushi bar, as well as private tatami rooms in the back. There was also a little garden to the side of the restaurant. Mom and I ordered a bunch of dishes a la carte, and, though I didn't like everything, there was some good stuff. (If you ever go to one of these places, have the gyoza.) Moreover, before the meal I asked a traditional dressed Japanese woman with a short haircut where the bathroom was in Japanese. When I returned to the table, she talked with my mom and I and forced me into using my meager Japanese skills - which actually was good; she's right that I need to practice. She also took us to see the tatami rooms after our meal (although we couldn't go in).
Tomorrow, as I said, Mom and I will pick up the passport. Then we'll go to the Georgia Aquarium, and...who knows what else. Dad wants something related to Martin Luther King, so we'll be doing something along those lines, too.
Mom and I entered the building on the heels of a Japanese mother and her kids. (When the elevator started to move, albeit rapidly, the kids were startled.) To get into the consulate, we had to go through a metal detector and get our bags x-rayed - something I hadn't thought about, but which makes sense. It didn't take us long for us to get our business done - at least, not until we realized that the visa required a photo of me. (Just so you understand, I have distributed numerous photos to Japanese entities recently to get ready for this trip. I think everyone in the country will know me when I arrive.) This ended up delaying us, as we had to get a passport photo taken. Fortunately, there was a Wolf Camera near where we did some banking aftwerwards.
Following lunch at the Rock Bottom Brewery (a decent/good chain microbrewery and restaurant), Mom and I returned to the consulate offices on the 16th floor of One Alliance Center. There (as I had feared) I had to redo my visa application because it was too sloppy. Even when I redid it, I was told that it wasn't neat, but they took it, the photo, my passport, and my "Certificate of Eligibility" (a document required in order to apply for a visa, but which is also significant in and of itself). We'll pick up the passport tomorrow morning - probably, as Mom says, because of the time difference between here and Japan.
We ate dinner at a cool chain place called "Nakato." It had both a hibachi steakhouse area (think Kanki) and an area with traditional fare and a sushi bar, as well as private tatami rooms in the back. There was also a little garden to the side of the restaurant. Mom and I ordered a bunch of dishes a la carte, and, though I didn't like everything, there was some good stuff. (If you ever go to one of these places, have the gyoza.) Moreover, before the meal I asked a traditional dressed Japanese woman with a short haircut where the bathroom was in Japanese. When I returned to the table, she talked with my mom and I and forced me into using my meager Japanese skills - which actually was good; she's right that I need to practice. She also took us to see the tatami rooms after our meal (although we couldn't go in).
Tomorrow, as I said, Mom and I will pick up the passport. Then we'll go to the Georgia Aquarium, and...who knows what else. Dad wants something related to Martin Luther King, so we'll be doing something along those lines, too.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Coming Down to Atlanta
As I may have said earlier, the Japanese consulate for my area of the country is in Atlanta, GA. This is sort of weird for us, since the embassy in Washington, DC is slightly closer. In the grand scheme of things, though, it's good that I have to be down in Atlanta rather than in DC again. (I also got to get a look at some lake levels on the way here, and some appeared to be suffering from drought conditions.)
My mom found a Days Inn beforehand and drove the two of us here. We've got a cool view of the city through our balcony: skyscrapers with plenty of lights at night, a building where I can see into the rooms (not well, though, without glasses), and another with a giant "W" on it. (I don't know what this "W"stands for.) The neighborhood nearby is a bit questionable, but the solution to that is simply to not be out too late - and to watch out for the giant cockroaches near the storm drains.
Hopefully, Mom and I can get all of the visa/miscellaneous stuff squared away at the embassy tomorrow without any tasks spilling over into Tuesday. If that is the case, then we will be able to go to the Georgia Aquarium on Wednesday, which apparently is a big deal. (I love zoos and aquariums.) I'm not really going to have much time at home after this trip, though - we return Thursday, then leave for the beach on Saturday.
I'll post how the bureaucracy-navigating goes tomorrow.
P.S. The current dollar-yen exchange rate hovers around 108 yen to the dollar. I know that because of this little sidebar-thing on the family laptop (which I must use, as my computer is in the shop). There's also a clock that shows Japanese time, held by a mildly disturbing fuzzy pink thing with fangs. Clock-beastie aside, Windows Vista seems pretty cool, if only for these gimmicks.
My mom found a Days Inn beforehand and drove the two of us here. We've got a cool view of the city through our balcony: skyscrapers with plenty of lights at night, a building where I can see into the rooms (not well, though, without glasses), and another with a giant "W" on it. (I don't know what this "W"stands for.) The neighborhood nearby is a bit questionable, but the solution to that is simply to not be out too late - and to watch out for the giant cockroaches near the storm drains.
Hopefully, Mom and I can get all of the visa/miscellaneous stuff squared away at the embassy tomorrow without any tasks spilling over into Tuesday. If that is the case, then we will be able to go to the Georgia Aquarium on Wednesday, which apparently is a big deal. (I love zoos and aquariums.) I'm not really going to have much time at home after this trip, though - we return Thursday, then leave for the beach on Saturday.
I'll post how the bureaucracy-navigating goes tomorrow.
P.S. The current dollar-yen exchange rate hovers around 108 yen to the dollar. I know that because of this little sidebar-thing on the family laptop (which I must use, as my computer is in the shop). There's also a clock that shows Japanese time, held by a mildly disturbing fuzzy pink thing with fangs. Clock-beastie aside, Windows Vista seems pretty cool, if only for these gimmicks.
Washington, Day 3
My final day in Washington was a bit hectic. There was some confusion about what the one other remaining house-guest, the host, and I would do that day. It turned out that the host's plans disintegrated, but I and the other guest didn't know this until later in the morning. The guest and I eventually went to the National Zoo without our host, who slept in.
I really pushed the limits on how much time I spent at the zoo (and didn't get a lot out of it). I definitely did not leave myself enough time to get to the airport two hours early, and I ended up in an insane rush to get to DCA. It all turned out fine, though - I had a decent amount of time in the waiting area before my flight boarded. Still, it gave my parents and I a scare.
I really pushed the limits on how much time I spent at the zoo (and didn't get a lot out of it). I definitely did not leave myself enough time to get to the airport two hours early, and I ended up in an insane rush to get to DCA. It all turned out fine, though - I had a decent amount of time in the waiting area before my flight boarded. Still, it gave my parents and I a scare.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Washington, Day 2
The morning of the conference wasn’t terribly exciting. It could have been, considering that a) we were supposed to have been at the AED Conference Center earlier to set up for the fair and b) we didn’t hustle, but it turned out not to matter - the conference started late. Our five-person gaggle even had time to stop at a Starbucks on the way for “breakfast.”
There was a bunch of stuff that happened - you can look at the agenda to see what went on. I managed to hash up the presentation of our water policy at the fair, and nobody actually went through my PowerPoint, but I got something out of it all. Not only did I get to tell some people about the policy, I also learned that tiered pricing for water has been implemented in Tucson and in Austin. (Later searching on the internet led to the discovery that Cary and Durham have such pricing systems as well.)
There were also three separate panels to which the attendees could at some point go. I chose “Policy 101.” I took some notes, but I won’t bore you (or I) with them. One of the panelists was interesting, though - she was a higher-up in the AFL-CIO’s policy branch. I talked with her about jobs and the environment a bit.
Towards the end of the conference it was revealed to us that the national Roosevelt Institution is splitting up into policy centers (as we have). There will be six, one of which was on energy and the environment. The organizers gave the attendees a chance to break up into these centers and strategize for the year ahead. Beforehand, a person relevant to each field spoke briefly. Ours was a man who had just testified before Congress about government subsidies for oil or something; anyways, his speech centered a lot on independence from oil. -- But, to get back on track, each center’s action plan would be voted on by the delegates, and the winners would get $1000 to work with.
In our center we ended up deciding to focus on encouraging conservation in the communities near our colleges. Our idea was to form a “Town Green Textbook” of these programs as a guide. This wouldn’t really work with water in Chapel Hill, of course, but we could probably do something in Raleigh, in Apex, or on the state level (even if a drought bill has passed). When it came down to a vote, we came close to winning, but the education center won in a run-off by five votes. It sucks that we didn’t get the money, but at least a lot of people like sustainability.
Later on there was a party for all the Roosevelters. It took place in a modestly spacious townhome in Georgetown. There was plenty of alcohol to be had, but, of course, none for me; nonetheless I got by decently through a little chit-chat. It even turned out that there was another UNC Roosvelter at the conference whose presence I “discovered” at the party. (There were also at least two people at the expo who had been to a Roosevelt conference in Athens, GA which I had attended in April.)
Something curious happened outside, though. Someone backed into someone else’s parking spot, and apparently some kind of trouble occurred - the driver of the offensive car was handcuffed. I’ll never know why, but he ended up being taken away in a squad car.
Overall, the expo was a good experience. I think it gave me some ideas about where to go with the environment, water, and public policy in the short term, and I may even have some long-term ideas about my distant future as well. In any case, soon you will hear about the thrilling events of Day Three - and they did seem thrilling for a bit. Stay tuned.
By the way, to get my visa for Japan, it looks like I have to go to a regional Japanese consulate. The one for our area of the country is in Atlanta, so it looks like this blog just expanded.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Washington, Day 1
I’m going to do a three-part series on my trip to Washington. Day 1, I’ll do Thursday, Day 2, Friday, and Day 3, Saturday.
On Thursday I left on an American Airlines flight and arrived an hour later in DC without incident. At that point, I checked my messages on my phone and found something from Karl Stark, who arranged the meeting with the Agriculture person. It turned out that, although the meeting was scheduled for 1:30, I needed to be at the Roosevelt offices by 12:00 or 12:30. This was not cool, as I arrived at Reagan International a bit after 11:00. After taking the blue Metro line to Foggy Bottom station, I walked a few blocks through Washington with a rolling suitcase. Thankfully, I wasn’t wearing my suit, so that at least didn’t get sweaty.
I took a cab to the USDA building, which is near the Smithsonian. It is a large building, and fairly old. I met with was Doug McKalip, a man with the resources branch whose job involves telling congressmen about what the Department does. I sat down with him and discussed the water policy my center had worked on (though I’m afraid I did a poor job at that). He had several suggestions for working on the policy. After the meeting, I returned to the Roosevelt offices for a debriefing.
I should note here that there was a bit of an assumption by others, to some extent, that I would continue on with the water policy. To be honest, I really hadn’t intended to - I guess I figured that I was done with it. However, I assented, to some extent, to continue working on it and to get it into place (not in Orange County, of course, where such a system is already used), and I think I might well try to do so before I head for Japan. This issue will pop up again this blog.
Next, I went to my host’s residence. I was unable to reach her by phone, which was a bit problematic considering that I was supposed to contact her before arriving. Regardless of that, I took a taxi to her place and went inside her townhouse to find that she was not there. It was a rather awkward situation, but it turned out all right in the end.
In the evening, there was a reception/office warming party in the Roosevelt offices. The walls, as was pointed out in a speech the next day, are a bizarre shade of green, and there is little space - particularly for the purpose of holding a large number of students for an event. Hanging on the walls were poster-board print-outs of some of the 25 Ideas; I later noticed (with pleasure) that ours was the one facing the entrance to the office. There was wine, sparkling grape juice, sparkling apple cider, and hors d’oeuvres for consumption. I met a number of people there, including the people involved with the student-run sustainability journal at Columbia.
I left the reception with Elise, my hostess, and two other guests of hers, Brenden and Olivia. Olivia goes to Michigan State, Brenden goes to Columbia, and Elise goes to Harvard. Brenden was also an author featured in one of the 25 Ideas publications. (There are actually multiple 25i publications this year - one on equal justice, one on democratic reform, and one on community development (in which my center was published).) Olivia herself had participated in (and, I think, been published as a result of) a conference on the Great Lakes. Later, a student named Lateisha joined us from CSB-SJU. There is no Roosevelt chapter at her school, but she would like to start one.
I went to bed too late that night, but I managed not to fall asleep at the expo the next day. I will talk about Friday in my next post.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Introduction
I will be taking three interesting trips within the next seven months. The first will be to Washington, DC; the second will be to Tokyo, Japan; and the third will be to (again) Washington, DC.
The first trip is the most imminent. It is connected to the Roosevelt Institution, a national, student-run think tank with chapters at many schools. This includes mine, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where I am a co-director for the Center on Environmental and Energy Policy. (We are a small policy center, but we make up for that by being the coolest.)
During the fall semester of last year, we mainly worked on a policy for dealing with the nasty drought that was in NC at the time. Our basic policy proposal involved creating a tiered pricing system whereby customers would, for using more water, pay higher rates per a given amount. The advantage to this system was that it would make people conserve, but they could choose how. (If you want, I can send you a copy of our policy brief. It will also be available in the national Roosevelt Institution's "25 Ideas" publication - see below.)
Anyway, we sent our policy brief to the national Roosevelt Institution in the hope that they would publish it. It turned out that there were few submissions to the "25 Ideas" publication, so our paper was picked. That by itself was pretty sweet.
Then, late last month, I got an email invitation (as a 25i author) to the 2008 Expo the national organization is holding in DC. Fortunately, I had enough money saved up to get a plane ticket to DC (and the national organization is also giving me a $100 stipend). Housing will be provided by another Roosevelter in the area.
I will be on this trip from July 10-12. I'm coming in early on the 10th and (in order to allow for touring) am leaving in the early evening on the 12th. The actual expo is on the 11th, but I might be able to meet with a policy-related person on the 10th. Unfortunately, the people who might have come with me could not (for various reasons), so I will be by myself. Those who can't attend know who they are, and they deserve just as much (or more) credit than I do for the policy brief.
I'll post a blog (and, maybe, photos) for each of the days I am at this conference. I'll also tell you about the other two trips (and maybe even a past one) sometime in the near future.
The first trip is the most imminent. It is connected to the Roosevelt Institution, a national, student-run think tank with chapters at many schools. This includes mine, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where I am a co-director for the Center on Environmental and Energy Policy. (We are a small policy center, but we make up for that by being the coolest.)
During the fall semester of last year, we mainly worked on a policy for dealing with the nasty drought that was in NC at the time. Our basic policy proposal involved creating a tiered pricing system whereby customers would, for using more water, pay higher rates per a given amount. The advantage to this system was that it would make people conserve, but they could choose how. (If you want, I can send you a copy of our policy brief. It will also be available in the national Roosevelt Institution's "25 Ideas" publication - see below.)
Anyway, we sent our policy brief to the national Roosevelt Institution in the hope that they would publish it. It turned out that there were few submissions to the "25 Ideas" publication, so our paper was picked. That by itself was pretty sweet.
Then, late last month, I got an email invitation (as a 25i author) to the 2008 Expo the national organization is holding in DC. Fortunately, I had enough money saved up to get a plane ticket to DC (and the national organization is also giving me a $100 stipend). Housing will be provided by another Roosevelter in the area.
I will be on this trip from July 10-12. I'm coming in early on the 10th and (in order to allow for touring) am leaving in the early evening on the 12th. The actual expo is on the 11th, but I might be able to meet with a policy-related person on the 10th. Unfortunately, the people who might have come with me could not (for various reasons), so I will be by myself. Those who can't attend know who they are, and they deserve just as much (or more) credit than I do for the policy brief.
I'll post a blog (and, maybe, photos) for each of the days I am at this conference. I'll also tell you about the other two trips (and maybe even a past one) sometime in the near future.
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