Day 7: Waseda Orientation

Orientation at the Waseda University Center for Japanese Language is almost entirely in Japanese. Fortunately, they have a PowerPoint presentation with pictures and I can follow along.

We break for lunch, which is mostly sushi and some other popular Japanese, Korean and Chinese dishes. I met only one other American in the group of about 80, not including the six others from the Moore School of Business IMBA Japanese Track like myself. They were from places like Denmark, Poland, New Zealand, Australia, South Korea and China.

It was interesting to find that nearly everyone was at least conversationally fluent in English.

After lunch we tour the library and the student coop which is pronounced "co-o-pe" in Japanese. We have our student ID cards. I am now an official Waseda University student.

At this point I get separated from my group, then lost. I figure I'll make the being lost usefull, so I tour the plaza visiting various student organizations. I'm specifically interested in the Kendo and Kyudo circles. Kendo is Japanese fencing, and Kyudo, pronounced "Kyuudou," is Japanese archery.

I had been interested in Kendo for a while, but Kyudo was recommended by a Japanese classmate at USC. His rationale for Kyudo was "maahketing" (imitating the accent of one of our professors). One of my classmates from USC who in Japan at this moment iss already involved in Judo. Another is into Karate. I needed to "distinguish myself in the marketplace" through an unique activity. Preferrably it would be an activity that would get me publicity and let me meet eligible ladies. Kyudo is popular with women as well as men. He also recommended Sumo, pronounced "suMO," but I think he was joking... I hope he was joking! I think I would die of embarassment if I had to wrestle large men dressed only in a loincloth.

My priority here is to learn Japanese and to have fun meeting people and learning the culture. -- Although I have to admit, if a pretty young lady does somehow find her way into the picture I won't complain. As my dad has said, "It sure beats a poke in the eye."

Anyway, I run into someone carrying a very tall bow. A VERY tall bow. It's the Kyudo circle, and they welcome the opportunity for me to join one of their practices. They meet every Sunday afternoon at Kinshicho station. They seem like a fun group of people.

I can't find the Kendo circle, so I ask the Traditional Japanese Dance Club for directions. They also seem like a wonderful group of people.

NOTE: In Japan students don't join varsity or junior varsity sports, they join clubs. Clubs are very hierarchical in terms of upperclasment, senpai, and underclassmen, kouhai. People who join clubs are very serious about their sport, and they compete with other schools in their area and across the country. Waseda University Rugby Field Club (WURFC) has a famous and long-standing rivalry with Keio University, I understand. Circles, on the other hand, are much more relaxed and are preferred by people who like a certain activity but have other priorities too.

The folks at the Traditional Japanese Dance Club knew a young lady from the Kendo Club, who in turn showed me where the Kendo Circle was recruiting for members. No one spoke English, but we worked out an exchange of information and agreed to meet for one of their regular practices at the Shijuku-ku Sports Center. Their practice is on the day of the Fire, the Tree and the Earth, or Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

NOTE: A ku is a ward, one of 23 governmental subdivisions of Tokyo-to, or Tokyo prefecture. A prefecture is roughly akin to a State in the US and all prefectures in Japan are known as ken, except for outstanding historical cases like Tokyo.

I also met the Monster Movie Club (I may have their official name wrong, gomen!). They produce movies and puppet shows. While I know amost nothing about theater, this looks like fun! If I understood their literature, they put on several performances each year and are very popular with children. I can see why!

If I keep meeting wonderful and fascinating clubs and circles I will "extracurricular" myself right out of school!

I found a used bike shop near the university a man and his wife. He first offers me his best bike, for a fair but still high price. I tell him "Totemo kireina jitensha ga, chotto takai..." or, "It's a very pretty bicycle, but the price is a bit high..." He starts lifting tarps and showing me other bikes that show a bit more age and use. I point out the features I would prefer, and it turns out he has one he is just finishing up that has most of the needed items. He won't come down on the price, but he agrees to throw in a used basket for the handle bars and a new bell.

Don't laugh. BOTH are near-critical items for anyone living in Tokyo. How would you get home from the suupaa, or supermarket, without a basket for your groceries? And how would you politely ask pedestrians to make way for you on the sidewalk without a cute little bell? I like the bell. brrring! brrring! You really don't feel like saying sumimasen or gomennasai with the proper degree of politeness after an hour or so navigating through Tokyo traffic.

An other 500 yen and he helps me complete the registration. For some bizzare reason, I decide to call it Fang. It's a silver 27-inch "girls bike" with straight handle bars and a wheel generator-type headlamp, and is identical to about 60 percent of all bikes in Japan.

NOTE: You can get arrested and deported for riding a bike that is not registered to you.

I haven't ridden a bike in nearly twenty years. The experience is a bit unnerving and I nearly run into several people and one or two fixed objects. But I am no longer a slave to Japanese public transportation! I feel like I can tackle the whole city!

Near the campus I find an interesting building, but I'm not sure if it's a Buddhist temple or a Shinto shrine. Behind the brightly painted building is another more sedate but elegant structure guarded by two massive "foo" dogs.

They really look ferocious!

Not far from Toyama park I find myself following a mother trailed by two daughters on smaller bicycles. There's a special seat on the back of her bike with an even smaller child riding tandem. To me she looked like a mother goose being trailed by goslings. It was a cute scene but I don't think my picture captured the moment.

Later that evening my roommate takes me on the shortcut to the part of Shinjuku that is gaining a reputation for being "little Korea." He points out a few good restaurants and a few to avoid, and Don Kiote (doan kee-oh-tay). Don Kiote is a trainwreck between a Wallmart, a Big Lots and a kaliedescope. They have a little bit of everything at very low prices and almost no order to anything. There are handwritten signs and display models everyhwere. Bins and stacks and shelfs and racks, stuff inside, stuff outside, stuff next door. It seems like they just started to fill the space with inventory based on some esoteric rhyme lost to the ages. It took me two trips to find toilet paper.

We took a shortcut through Kabukicho to get to Shinjuku station. Most of the mainstream movie theaters in the area happen to be in Kabukicho.

He pointed out the three Starbucks around Shinjuku station, all within sight of one another, a good Tex-Mex restaurant, and a few of the popular landmarks used for rendevous with friends. If there isn't something big, bright or famous to use as a landmark, directions are given in reference to the train station exit, for example, Exit B2 or Minami Exit (South Exit).

The land marks are really important because there are no street addresses as there are in the US. If you don't meet up at a common reference point and walk to the destination together, it's likely that someone will get lost. It's also common to try a few places to see if there is room. If it's too crouded there's usually no accomodation for waiting.

And so ends my first week in Japan.