I just deleted a fairly sizable chunk of text because I realized that it's unfair to task my readers with long diatribes that I write with the subconscious intent of rationalizing my feelings. You want to hear about my crazy life in Japan.
It's not that crazy. When I have a full day to do stuff on the weekends, I often want to relax and play some games, watch some TV, or just be lazy in general. I am human. If Misae doesn't have to work, then we'll plan a day out and go somewhere that I found on the internet or that she recommends. We have gone to Okinawa and Fukuoka, along with Miyazaki, a closer prefecture. Fukuoka was kind of a random decision. I had a 9 day vacation, so I urged her to get 2 or 3 days off. Her work schedule gives her 8 days off a month, so consecutive days aren't too common. Fukuoka was mainly a chance for her to do some shopping in a big city, and I got to go to some historical sites and the like. Actually, since I had already gone with Eric, I ended up revisiting some more famous places that she had never seen. In Miyazaki, we traveled to a small village preserved to show how ancient Japanese people lived. There were a couple archaeological sites that showed how people dug pits in the ground for food storage and cooked meals on rocks. They also displayed the straw cottages used for shelter. The most interesting was a core sample of earth with labels on the different layers. There were several layers of stones and ash from Sakurajima eruptions. Kyushu is also home to a number of calderas, and one of them had a massive eruption a long time ago that was also noted on the core sample. If I didn't read incorrectly, the debris traveled somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 miles.
We have entered the rainy season in Japan. Last year, there was hardly a rainy season to speak of. And when I was studying abroad, it wasn't that bad. This year, it looks like I can appreciate what the term "rainy season" means. It has rained hard and almost constantly for the past several days. It's times like these that I don't regret the investment that was necessary in getting my license and car.
I don't get any visitors to my apartment anymore, at least of the Jehovah's Witness variety. NHK is the company that runs basic cable television here, and citizens are expected to pay for the service. However, this is an honor system payment and is not enforced by any law. So, I have adopted the strategy that, apparently, a lot of young Japanese use: ignore the NHK representative when they come to your house. I only answer the door when I am expecting a package. Anybody else gets ignored, even if my lights are on and I am clearly home. They will come several times in the course of a week and then typically give up until the next year. Too bad. I don't even watch NHK TV, so I'm not going to answer the door and let them try to guilt me into paying.
I also recently saw a commercial for a product called Placenta 100. It's picture is up there. It's basically a vitamin supplement from what I can gather, but it's also a little disconcerting. I know that placenta is rich in nutrients, and there are people who eat it, but to concentrate it into pill form or drink form sounds horrifying. I started thinking, "Oh, Japan" until I noticed that sheep placenta supplements sell on Amazon. Ok, whatever.
Well, that's just a short update on my end. I spent a lot of time typing only to delete a lot of it. I still need to dig more into the trips I've made, so I'll do that. Hopefully I do it before Christmas...
Later, America!
