En route to Frankfurt

In the plane I sat down next to two empty seats. Among the people moving up the aisle were a man and a woman - not very tall wearing brown-toned caps and lugging heavy-looking bags. Each had a wheelie roller case and a backpack. The man took one of the woman's cases and adroitly placed it in the stowaway but there was little room left and the woman, who probably had noticed my interest, indicated her rolling suitcase in a way which asked me if I could place it in an available space some seats behind where I was sitting. Listening to their exchanges and studying their appearance I had been guessing they were Tibetan; a monk and a nun. Both had close-cropped hair, and now the woman beamingly seemed assured that I would help. I arose and her carry-on bag was even more overweight than mine have ever been.
Having disposed of it two seats behind me, I went back to sit, but she gave me another equally heavy backpack and laughed when I involuntarily made a amused sound of amazement - both over its size and her smiling matter-of-course attitude. They both, of course, sat down in my adjacent empty seats and I immediately began thinking of how to find out where they came from. Shortly after take-off, the man put an end to my deliberations by asking me where I came from. I responded, and copying his straightforward manner, I found out they were Vietnamese. This took some time for me to realize, though, because he said something I heard as "yuenan" and first took to be Burma. When this was denied, I then assumed it to be the Chinese province of Yunnan. When their origins were finally settled, I asked they were a monk and nun and this he confirmed. For how long? He for 22 years and she for 20. Then his second and equally straightforward question came. I answered 46 whereupon he told me he was 45 and she 41, and then all three of us laughed loudly.
To cut a fairly short story somewhat shorter, the monk and I began speaking in Chinese - his English was a bit difficult for me to follow - so when I found out he spoke Mandarin as well I proceeded to dredge up a few Chinese bits and pieces. This went much better, I thought. Not so much the communication. Rather, I thought it was better for me to be at a disadvantage in terms of language in a conversation which was doomed to be halting no matter what language we chose. At that moment I was in the mood to be the one learning, not explaining.
He said I'd have to stay at his house in Vietnam, when he heard I'd like to go there one day. I, in turn, told him to contact me if he came to Japan, and we duly exchanged email adresses. He had not been there yet - but he had been to China. So had I, and when I mentioned Wutaishan, which is a large Buddhist enclave I visited with fellow students in the winter of 1998, he pointed one finger in the air as his eyes lit up in astonishment, whereupon he pressed both hands in front of his face, bowing his head slightly.
The nun, who he said did not speak Chinese, none the less followed our conversation intermittenly and smilingly and for some reason she laughed once in while when I spoke... When we landed in Frankfurt I readily fetched her the aforementioned two pieces of luggage. We then left the plane, whereupon I immediately realized I had forgotten a bag of tax-free purchases by my seat. To get it I had to wait by the plane for all to disembark. When I finally came out into the landing gate my travel companions stood there waiting for me; now suddenly joined by somber-looking dark-suited asian men. They both bowed with hands joined (with the suits just staring at me). Both disappointed and relieved, I went on alone to find my connecting plane to Kyoto.

Christmas mass

So today I set the clock to wake me up in time for church, but I woke up on my own. While drinking coffee, I heard a choir downstairs so I rushed into the shower and put on a nice shirt and went downstairs. People were gathering and I got the Bible and a book of psalms in Japanese along with a programme (18 pages) which both listed the prayers and the order in which things proceeded with references to particular sections in the Good Book and the numbe of the psalms. It was a bit tricky to trace my way through all these items. I also received a cordless device which transmitted a voice translating the proceedings into English. The church room was fairly big and the seats about half-full. There were young and old. It was fun trying to connect the various Japanese texts to (the quite limited number of) Christian text I know. Towards the end we received the blood (grapejuice) and body (squares of home baked bread) of Christ. I was a bit unsure if I should participate in that, but my indecision evaporated when an elderly white haired gentleman in a dark suit (who earlier had shown me what page we were on) gave my shoulder as he passed me a light but unmistakable push towards the Host and the Wine. Standing there, there was another elderly man, who stood as first in line in the half-circle of recipients, holding his tiny empty glass. He gradually bended more and more forwards, his head soon coming lower than his own waist. Was he carried away in gratitude? I only realized he could not hold himself up, until another man suddenly walked over to relieve him of his glass. A low grunt escaped the man as he became able to grope for his cane which he had let go of to partake in the communion. Now he managed to rise his head slowly, a bit higher to middle chest height, all the while clutching the cane with both hands. 

The mass ended with a goup shot below the altar, followed by a lunch and bingo. The prizes were in 8 bags each marked with the characters "メ"　"リ"　"ー"　"ク"　"リ"　"ス"　"マ"　"ス" (merii kurisumasu) and those who got bingo could select among these variously sized bags. The adults all invariably chose the smaller bags, and the third last to choose was one of the twins I have mentioned earlier, who of course chose the biggest of all. The gifts so far had been a packet of eggs, two carrots, a mandarin, some pickeled plums. Everybody laughed each time they saw a gift being pulled out. And the boy laughed too when a big, green, and leafy chinese cabbage came out of his big bag.  

That's it for now.

Visitors

Today my washing machine would be fixed. The landlady showed up a bit after 2 with the electrician who was to put on a new lid on the washer. She brought with her her adorable twins Wataru and Satoshi. Who's who? They were quietly busy immediately, running around playing and were interested in the mirror on the floor that I bought along with my fridge and rice cooker. It had been hanging in a local bathhouse and has an ad at the bottom for a local okonomiyaki joint. I know where it is to hang at home and I have at home the right screws with covers to hang it with! 

The landlady told me they are having a christmas mass(?) tomorrow, and I will go. I'll be interesting to see what happens. There are sandwiches, I was told.

After the washing machine was fixed I washed and after hanging the laundry in the clear sunlight, I went out to examine an interesting shop that has locally made jeans. Forbiddingly expensive, but just looking. I forgot my map, but refused to return home so rode up and down the small streets, straining my memory to recreate what I had just found out about the location at home using the computer and the forgotten map. It was a good exercise, I think, and I found it. They did have nice stuff, but the pants were perhaps too glamorous. There was a belt, however, I might have to get back to. It was simple thick leather, but crumpled - really cool.

Then I returned to the tabi shoe shop - to exchange the shoes I showed in the last post. I kept feeling a bit ambivalent in the following days and finally decided...that no. I will buy a pair later. Promise. Finally, I got home and here I am. But today's picture is of the twins in the mirror.

Shopping and a welcome meal

Today I went shopping with my Swedish friend Magda who lives in Kobe. Yesterday I was at her place eating rice porridge, waffles, pepperkakor and drinking gløgg, celebrating the third sunday in advent (?English term is what?) and we agreed to meet again. She dragged me to at store called sou-sou and I left the store with a pair of plaid tabi sneakers and a pair of woollen tabi socks. Next we came across a bookstore which sold everything at 50% off and I bought at photobook by Shomei Tomatsu whose pictures I like a lot. 

Next, I had dinner with my professor and three of his students and that was really comfortable and fun. As before, I experience the Japanese knack for making a stranger feel welcome. When we left my bus was twenty minutes away and all made sure to wait with me to see me off - otherwise they would worry about me, my professor said. 

Last weekend, at last.

Here are some pictures from my weekend with the Karino's last Saturday/Sunday. Homecooking, sleep-over, kid's morning TV, mall-shopping and a trip to Kobe to see spectacular Christmas lights with thousands of others: "Everybody, please do not stand still taking pictures, move on!"

Yesterday evening at Dinnerbar

2 weeks gone, 102 to go. I am doing quite well instigating talk with strangers who are Japanese. As soon as I make an overture, they are usually interested in responding, so that I will keep doing. Yesterday I was home all evening more or less immobile on the computer ordering used books etc, so by ten o'clock I thought I better go for a walk. I was a bit chilly to begin with because the apt is a bit on the cold side, so I walked briskly down past Demachiyanagi station to cross the bridge crossing first the Takano River and then the Kamo River. They meet right next to it and my plan was to return home over the other bridge close by which just crosses the Kamo River. Well, I had planned earlier in the day to find hot cocoa and a layer cake to celebrate my nephews birthday, but there was not much open at this hour. Then I came by a sign for a Dinnerbar on the 2. floor. They had wine! And an eggplant dish (なす田楽). I like both, so I climb the stairs and open the door - to a small room with an elderly mama-san behind a counter and six chairs lined up along it. A couple is on the left and three guys on the right. An angel walked through the room, as we say in Danish, but the mama-san pulled herself together within a fraction of a second and the others began talking again. I ordered and mainly watched a Japan-Korea iceskating grandprix transmission from Korea on the large TV, waiting to see what would happen. Well, mamasan was busy preparing various dishes to everyone, but after a good while, when the guy on the far left went to the loo, his girlfriend began chatting me up. So we talked and the guy joined in when he came back. I was a bit curious about his attitude since he was a bit yakuza with pinstriped jacket, a mysterious emblem, spiky long/short hair with lighter tips and red/black sunglasses. But superfriendly, too, as most people are here. 

Well, another example that the locals do cannot help bringing someone in if they are unattached to somebody; it made me feel good, so I ordered another glass of wine (having eaten my eggplant already - very good: broiled with miso-sauce on top) and then left and bade farewell.

On the way home I stopped in at Mr. Donuts, but they only had coffee and tea and donuts, so no birthday drink or cake for me. Next door was a great bookshop where I bought a manga called Nue (鵺) and takes place in old Kyoto when it was Heian-kyō. The story weaves a supernatural story into the story of Genji Monogatari - the story of prince Genji and is wonderfully drawn. I walk home and go bed. I read a bit in the manga and there Genji is walking over the Kamo River.  

What did I do today? - among other things

I am still buying stuff. Mostly essentials now. Something's always missing: a pair of scissors, salt, hangers, a hook to hang my coat on, etc. This afternoon I made dashi which is a kind of fond made of konbu (seaweed) and bonito (flakes of dried fish) - I need it to make miso soup. Then I found out I needed wakame (seaweed), but I'll just do without.

Today I also completed a cozy-corner, comprising a low table with a spaceheater under the tabletop -a so-called kotatsu - and a chair without legs, called zaisu. Under the tabletop you place a thin futon which covers the table down to the floor. There you sit with your legs comfy-warm while reading, watching tv, eating or talking with someone, if you have them handy. Here I inaugurate my kotatsu with miso and tv. 

Min nye bolig

Her er min bolig. Den er større end jeg troede og tom som varslet. Der er dog vaskemaskine, som jeg skal bruge i aften - til det har jeg købt et skånsomt vaskemiddel. Det ses her ved siden af den brugte riskoger og ovenpå det brugte køleskab jeg også købte idag. I går, på vej hjem på cykel fra mit første møde med professor Ninomiya susede jeg forbi en marskandiser med masser af ting ude på fortove, bl.a. et køleskab, så jeg vendte om. Jeg fik lagt riskogeren og køleskabet til side og i dag derhenne valgte jeg også et spejl med reklame for en restaurant forneden fra et japansk badehus og et tv. Med andre ord, jeg bliver boende her et stykke tid. Var lidt i tvivl i starten, men den føles rigtig, lejligheden, og den vil føles endnu bedre med et køleskab og et tv!

Her er der en serie billeder af lejligheden, indkøb og min natteudsigt (klokken halv seks om aftenen) til bl.a børnehaven i stuen og på første sal.