What an incredible day and a half I've had since landing on Wednesday. My host family has welcomed me with open arms, which made the transition to Japan much easier than it may have otherwise been. When I arrived at my homestay, I was immediately offered mugicha (barley iced tea) which seems to be the beverage of choice at each meal and between meals. My host mother knows some English and I have been studying basic vocabulary so our conversation is comprised of a mix of the two languages and lots of gestures. My host brother is learning English in school and he has taken to teaching me Japanese so I reciprocate with English.
My first meal was amazing, as every one since has been. In addition to being pleasing to the taste buds, meals are aesthetically pleasing, since presentation is very important in Japan.
Mmmmmm oishikata (it was yummy!) Inside the leaf, there was a rice patty with trout, ginger, and vegetables. As my host mother told me, Japanese food aligns itself with the seasons, which became very clear when we shopped at a grocery store and fish market yesterday. There are not as many fruits and vegetables available at any given point, but there is more variety within the foods in season than I'm used to seeing at supermarkets.
Before we went shopping yesterday, my host mother and I visited Meiji Jingu, a Shinto shrine in the middle of Tokyo that is located in forest that extends 173 acres! Shinto is Japan's ancient original religion, but something I hadn't realized is that Shinto has neither a founder nor a holy book. However, there are an unlimited number of kami or divine spirits that can be seen in mythology, in nature, and in human beings. The divine virtues of Shinto include harmony with nature and magokoro or sincere heart.
My host mother told me to listen when we began walking to the shrine. At first I thought I was being too loud or talking too much, but then the sound of steps on the moist rocks in addition to the birds chirping helped me to understand how special this place is. The densely packed trees mute the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, and I soon forgot we were in Tokyo altogether. It takes some time to walk the path that leads to the shrine, which allows the visitor to prepare him or herself to enter the shrine respectfully and with a relaxed spirit and open heart.
This is the magnificent Torii gate that leads to the shrine, traditionally found at the entrance of Shinto shrines. This particular shrine is dedicated to Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shoken. They passed away in 1912 and 1914 respectively and the shrine was built in 1920 to commemorate their virtues and their leadership during the Meiji restoration, which oversaw the opening of Japan after 200 years of isolation policy and ultimately helped Japan to emerge as a modernized nation in the early twentieth century. Japanese people donated 100,000 trees from all over Japan and around the world and they worked voluntarily to create this forest.
Fukuda-san (host mother) and I in front of the shrine!
After this trip we walked through Harajuku Ward and took the metro back home. While walking we saw a long line of people, probably 25 or 30, waiting to enter a shop dedicated to popcorn! Fukuda-san and I could not believe it and we had trouble stifling our laughter. I think the shop was called Garret's Chicago Popcorn, which is definitely different than something one would typically find in Japan, but the employee lining everyone up said it would be about an hour wait if we were to join the line. Then, just a few blocks later, we saw another line for popcorn! This was a different shop called kukuruz which means corn in Serbian and probably Russian as well, and this line was an even longer wait! This time we couldn't hold our laughter in and we told the story to the rest of the host family and some of their neighbors who all found it quite bizarre.
After a long, wonderful day, it was time to return home for the evening and have dinner and play with the most kawaii or cute little host brother imaginable. His name is Rinta and he's nine years old and full of energy every minute of the day. Yesterday we worked on an English speech contest he has in September which has many parts including playing the rabbit in an abridged rendition of "Alice in Wonderland" and singing and dancing to Pharrell Williams' song "Happy," both of which were a blast to rehearse.
Striped tuna from the fish market, fried tofu, and somen noodles! Oishikata!! My host brother couldn't wait to dig in and neither could I.
To make the day even more magical, the metamorphosis of a butterfly topped it off. When I arrived on Wednesday, Rinta showed me the cocoon and the next day he showed me this!
Kirei! Beautiful! An amazing end to a fantastic first day. I'm beyond excited to see what unfolds in the next nine weeks!
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