Glory, glory

I've made it to Ryuo. I've met important people. Ridiculous things have happened.

The Yamanashi group took a bus this morning and headed to Kofu, the prefecture's capital. The ride was through some beautiful mountains, and I had some time to bond with Tiffany (a journalism and arts major from NorCal) and Irish Dave (he's Irish).

But flash forward for a second while I explain how I am even able to be posting this right now.

Mark (my predecessor) left a nice map in the apartment (more on this later), so I took it upon myself to walk to the "internet cafe." I found a curry restaurant along the way, and I sat down and ate curry. I walk in and say, "Sorry, I don't understand Japanese." The waitress says a lot, very quickly, and seats me. I find a picture of rice and curry that looks appetizing and I point to it. The waitress opens the menu and points at some random numbers, so I say "I don't understand" (in Japanese). She points at them again, and I say "OK" (in Japanese). The curry is delicious.

Here comes the fun part. I decide that saying "Do you understand English?" might be better than "I don't understand Japanese," as the latter could imply that I only speak some other Asian language. I say this to the clerk at the internet cafe, and she runs away. She brings back another clerk, who I assume speaks English. She certainly does not. A dance of limited vocabulary ensues, as she keeps saying "use" and "time," and I keep saying "yes" and "one hour." This goes nowhere. I start to consult my Japanese-English dictionary, and she flips through it to find the Japanese meanings of "use" and "time." This does not help. She keeps telling me prices while I keep saying OK, but apparently I am missing something. This goes on for roughly ten minutes. Finally, she runs to the computer and does a Yahoo search (do they not Google over here?) for Japanese-English translation.

This is what pops up:

"Sightseeing trip."

She points at it and says "Yes?"

I say "No." I really wonder what she put in there.

Next comes "It is near Yamanashi this?"

I say "Ryuo," which in hindsight is really stupid because that's where we both are. I thought maybe she wondered where I lived.

Finally, "Only this time, free for use" pops up on the screen. It's a short term fix because I might want to walk in here tomorrow. I decide to call my supervisor (more on Kagami sensei later) and have her translate over the phone. It turns out I needed to fill out an application with my name and address and show my passport. I heard the clerk say "passport" over the phone! Why didn't she didn't say it to me? It's all I needed!

Then again, it was totally worth it to see "Sightseeing trip" on the screen.

Let's take it back to the start. I think I just quoted Coldplay.

Kagami sensei was waiting for me at the Kofu station with a giant yellow sign that read "KEVIN." That's me. Kagami sensei is fluent in English, and she whisks me away for lunch. We go to a sushi place, and it's some of the best I've had. The sushi spirals around this long track in between all the booths, and you just grab what you want. If you place a special order (on a touch screen at your table), this toy bullet train shoots up to your table carrying the dish.

Kagami sensei has a son and two daughters, and her son seems to share all the same interests as me. He plays music, loves soccer, etc. Kagami sensei is very interested in my time as a music journalist, and she is extremely gracious that I express an interest in her son's music.

Next, we go to get my alien registration card, set up my bank account, and turn on the utilities in my apartment. This comes as no shock to me, but there is a LOT of paperwork involved. There are minute details with no room for error. What's funny is that even Kagami sensei is surprised by the amount of detail. I fill out the same form at the bank about four times, once because I didn't capitalize my entire name. I made an error on the year (it's year 19 according to the Japanese calendar), and I have to stamp my name next to the error. Yes, I have a stamp. I need to use it on everything. (Later, my English signature will make people laugh. I do not know why.)

We head over to the school, where I'm delighted to see a huge soccer field out front. There is a game or practice going on (there are no fans yet full uniforms).

We enter the teacher's room, and the teachers give me a passing glance. Kagami sensei introduces me, and the looks are priceless. This guy speaks English?, they seem to say. One teacher says something to Kagami sensei, and she says to me: Do you know "ni hao?" I certainly do. It means hello.

I meet the headmaster, who gives off this almost palpable sense of honor. They plan for when I will meet with the teachers more formally. We visit another room where I fill out some more paperwork. I am served cold tea (didn't know this was a thing here) and given a school calendar. Everyone seems incredibly nice and happy to meet me. The attitude is very jovial.

Ah, now the apartment. It's gorgeous. There's one room with a traditional mat (which feels amazing on your feet), a living area, and a large kitchen/eating area. The apartment feels very large since all the rooms are connected by sliding doors. I have an outdoor deck where I can hang my clothes. When you flush the toilet, the tank fills up from above/outside so you can save water by washing your hands right there!

The utilities man shows up, and he's overly sincere. I figure utilities workers are simply nicer in Japan, but Kagami sensei later mentions how uncommon it is. She jokes that he was almost like a woman!

Lastly, I got a cell phone. This is a ridiculous cell phone. It was free. I don't think I will ever understand all the features on it. If this phone could talk (by itself, smartass), it would be like, "Whaddup, iPhone. You lame." Kagami sensei jokes that we can change my plan to a family one when I get a girlfriend or wife. She's funny. I like her.

Tomorrow, I will hopefully find out how to use the train to get to school.