I have quite a few days to cover. On Saturday, Becca and I met the Japanese student who invited us to his apartment for Nabe earlier in the week. This time, he invited us to go along with him to the Sapporo Art Park to do pottery. He and a friend also hoped to attend a wood-working seminar. Becca and I met him at Sapporo Station. On our way to the subway entrance, Becca and I bought pumpkin flavored doughnuts from what is the Japanese equivalent of Dunkin Donuts, but one million times better. To reach the Art Park, we took the subway first, and then a bus. It took perhaps half an hour to get there. The weather was beautiful and sunny, but somewhat cool. It is slowly but surely becoming fall here, and the weather is gradually catching up to Minnesota (though I doubt it will get as cold as Minnesota). I wore a black dress with flowers on it that my aunt Diane (Didi) gave to me. I really love the dress and I was happy for a chance to finally wear it. During the subway and bus ride, I did my best to chat with our new friend, though I am generally shy. He is a very outgoing Japanese student, and very open. So far he has been extremely kind to invite us along. When we got off of the bus, we were in a very calm part of town. We crossed over a bridge, overlooking a stream, to enter the park. It is a beautiful place, with separate buildings for all sorts of crafts, such as furniture making, glass blowing, pottery, weaving, printing, etc. I was so envious of all of the artists that work there. I sometimes wish that I had just gone ahead and become an artist, or become one of these incredible craftspersons. The students we were with informed us, also, that Hokkaido's most renowned furniture maker was there today (we ended up eating lunch a few tables away from him and a whole group). We wandered a little at first, watched the glass blowers through the windows with awe, looked at the ducks in the pond and stream, and then located the building where guests can make some cups, plates, or bowls out of clay. We all we given a ball of clay, and a tray of tools, washclothes, and a brush to make a small object. The building we were in had a front desk, and other rooms with art exhibits. The sitting area had large glass walls so we could see the scenery outside and the daylight. We all had so much fun--at some point, we all could be heard chiming how much fun it was to be sitting together making cups. At first I did not really know what to make. I did not start out with a clear plan, but started slowly making a cup. Once everything was smooth enough, I thought for a while about what I could do to make it look like more than a generic clay cup. Everyone here is so obsessed with bears, and I really like bears anyways, so I chose to find a way to put bears around the outside. I was pretty happy with the result, although I do hope that it does not explode in the oven when they fire it. The park will finish it, and send it to us after a month or so. After that, we played around with some of the wooden toys and objects made by the craftspeople at the park. Then we headed over for lunch. The paths, streams, fountains, buildings, and woods around the park were all lovely. I was so glad to be there. For lunch I had tofu Udon. We arranged that for a while Becca and I should speak only in Japanese, and the students would speak only in English. We had a lot of fun helping the students with their pronunciation. The student who invited us, Kotaro, kept struggling and repeating the word "really" over and over again. Everyone was really amused. He tried so hard to get it right--and came a bit closer in the end. I needed to be back to the University by 2:00 because I had promised the Germans I would meet them to show them around Sapporo (show them what little I know, I should say). We made it back in time. I walked to the hotel lobby and I tried to figure out what I should show the Germans. I decided on Hokkaido Shrine, since I knew how to get there, and I figured it was one of the more exciting sites for a visitor to see. I had certainly enjoyed it on my first visit, except for the rain. Ironically, walking to the hotel it started to rain on me. Luckily, it stopped by the time we headed to the shrine. Earlier in the day, Nana had showed the Germans around Sapporo Station and the Sapporo Tower. We took a taxi to the shrine, for which I am thankful. I was not sure otherwise how to get them to the shrine in a timely manner. It is about a 2 mile walk from the hotel, and although that is not a difficult distance to cover, it is time consuming and it was already 2:30PM by that time. Remember, it gets dark here just after 5PM. At the shrine, I tried to show the Germans some of the rituals that I had picked up, like washing your hands and mouth before entering, or throwing coins, clapping, and praying. we were lucky to see to traditional weddings. I have seen pictures of the beautiful clothes that the bride and groom where at Japanese weddings, but I had never seen these in person. I think that (hopefully) the Germans were especially excited. They took many pictures, so I think that I made a good choice. Leaving the shrine, I walked us through the park. Then we started in the direction of the hotel, as best as I could navigate. Fortunately, they offered again to take a taxi back. I was spared having to navigate back. Besides, it was beginning to get dark. When we got back to the hotel, the Germans invited me to come along for dinner and asked me to pick a type of restaurant. As I have explained, I don't know all that much about Sapporo yet, but Becca had introduced me to Soup Curry, which can only be found in Hokkaido, so I decided to try to find a place. Luckily, there is a Soup Curry in Sapporo Station which is very close to their hotel. I was nervous again about being a guide when I myself frequently become lost. However, somehow or other I managed to navigate the confusing station, with all of its shops, towers, and turns, to locate the Soup Curry restaurant. When we arrived, there was a short wait for a table. During that time, we wandered to the floor below, which happened to be the Sapporo Pokemon Center! I had been meaning to locate this to buy gifts for friends, and so it was surprising to suddenly stumble upon it. When we came back up a table was ready. I was pleased with my ability to help them order their meals, and I was even more pleased because there is a Vegetable Soup Curry. They really enjoyed the meal, and I was so glad to have chosen well and to have guided them well throughout the afternoon. Since they were only staying for about a week, I felt it was important to use their time wisely. I dropped them off again at their hotel and headed back to the International House.
The next day (Sunday), in the morning I submitted my first Fulbright monthly progress report. Then I got to spend time with Becca and her friend Aki. About noon, we met to do some grocery shopping, then grabbed a quick lunch at Aeon. One of my goals for the day was to locate a nearby 100 Yen shop to buy some baskets and things to keep my tiny room organized. After dropping off our groceries, we first headed to Yodobashi Camera to see about a frying pan that would work with our finicky, frustrating single-burner stoves. You have to buy a pan that is categorized as very specifically as 'IH', and apparently it cannot be larger than 18cm radius. We have so far had no such luck located a pan of this size, and all other pans cause the burner to turn on and off. Frustrating indeed. From there, we met Aki and then went to Sapporo Station to find the 100 Yen shop. We passed through the basement level of the department store there, which is always filled with cases of desserts and foods. It all looks so delicious, and one day I plan to buy a few foods from there. Next we took a break at Mister Donut, to have another pumpkin doughnut. They are seasonal, and so we want to eat as many as we can before they are gone. One of my last goals for the day was to purchase a coat. I sacrificed bringing a coat with me to Japan for the sake of space in my suitcase, and to meet the weight limit for luggage. So as the weather has become more fall like, I've been left with only two sweatshirts to switch between. I wanted to have a coat that I could just take on and off as needed throughout the day. This took some work. First we went to the Japanese version of Gap, but here the clothes at Gap are actually very expensive. I was a little dismayed at the high prices, and how few coats they had to choose from. We found one that might work, but I wasn't particularly happy with it, so Becca suggested we try Uniqlo in the station, which is a huuuuge, cheap, clothing chain in Japan. It was so packed, and hot, in Uniqlo but they had a much larger selection and the prices were far more reasonable. It was a little stressful trying to choose a coat in such a crowded place, but finally I found one that was perfect. It reminded me of the coat my grandpa used to wear, and it is not to heavy but not too light. I bought it, waiting in a long, long, long line that trailed through the store. While we were in the station, the weather had apparently shifted from sunny to very rainy. Not trusting Sapporo's skies, I had packed my raincoat. We biked back to the International House. It was getting dark, and I still had one more goal on my list. This was to locate the student coop, where textbooks are also sold. I needed to purchase my Japanese text book. Becca and Aki stayed to have tea, and I went off on my own to try to find the coop. I biked down the main street to the other side of campus and searched and searched and searched for the North Cafeteria. The coop is supposed to be on the second floor. No matter how many times I circled on my bike, I could not find it. It was rainy and cold and dark at this point, and because it was a Sunday night, so empty on campus. I read all of the signs, but none of them provided any hint as to where the North Cafeteria might be. I learned that it was closed anyways on Sundays, and by that time of night. I was still extremely frustrated with the situation, because it felt like such a failure not to be able to locate such a simple place. I found it very upsetting, even more so in light of my most recent struggles with the Japanese Language department here in the the International Student Center. After my class on Friday, I knew right away that it would be too easy so I was frustrated to have been placed in such a level, and nervous because I needed the textbook to find the vocabulary list for the quiz on Monday. I returned to the International House feeling very angry. I am very fortunate, however, because I was able to contact a student that I had met before who is in the same class. He is from Germany, oddly enough. He sent me a copy of the pages in the textbook that I needed! It was so nice of him. The most ironic part, however, is that the translations were in German! It was good enough for me, though!
On Monday morning, I had my Japanese class. The professor was very kind, and very animated. I think that, if the class were not so easy, I would really enjoy learning from her! The quiz was very simple, and I had hardly needed to review to learn the words. This reinforced to me that I wanted to be in a higher level. That weekend I had emailed the professor, after speaking with her after Friday's class. After Monday's class I went to speak to her again. She informed me, to my surprise and great disappointment that she had spoken with the office and that it was not possible for students to switch to higher levels. Everything was decided by the placement test and unfortunately that was final, even though she wished she could help. This really took me by surprise, and I could actually feel the start of tears in my eyes. After working my hardest these past four years in college, and fighting desperately for the opportunity to research abroad it was such a huge blow to be told that I might have to "waste" my time sitting in a language class with material that I already knew. Helping with research in the lab takes a considerable time commitment, and so to give up that time for a class that would not help me improve is something that I did not want to do. However, with Fulbright you must participate in Japanese language study, and besides that I personally wanted so much to work hard to improve. This episode of my time here was one of the absolute worst so far. I asked her if there was anyone I could speak to, or anything that I could do. She said that I could speak with the department, but did not seem hopeful. With tears in my eyes, I wandered the hallway quickly to see if I could find the director but he was not in his office. Becoming overwhelmed, I even ducked into the bathroom to try to collect myself and wipe away the tears. It was so upsetting, and I felt it was not only unfair, but also so pointless and outright unproductive not to let students who were in too simple a class to change. After all, I thought, do professors really want to teach students things they already know? Doesn't the department want to help people learn, not stagnate? At 11AM, about 20 minutes after class, I was supposed to meet with Professor Koike and some students to learn a method for measuring leaf thickness and estimating the air space of a leaf. So I was extremely stressed after Japanese class, but had to rush off to the lecture with these fears still fresh on my mind. I tried to appear calm while attending the lecture, and though I tried to distract myself by listening very closely and focusing on the lecture. Afterwards, Professor Koike brought us to lunch in the cafeteria. I was very happy about this, but still stressed and wanted to go back to the International Student Center to start sorting everything out. Besides that, I had only learned about the lecture for that day a few hours beforehand, so it unfortunately conflicted with mine and Becca's lunch arrangement. After lunch, I hopped on my bike and sped back to the center. I was so overwhelmed by trying to figure out who in the large building I should speak to, and what I could do one my own. As I stood in the lobby, Becca popped in on her way to class and said that she had something for me, but was late for class and I told her to run along. On my own once again, I decided to go to the support desk, because there was a sign in the window that directed those who were confused there, and also because there was a sign that they spoke English. I wanted a place where I could explain my situation clearly, and not have to worry if I could not express the situation in Japanese. There were two Japanese students at the desk. I sat down, and started to explain my problem--first of all, my course is too easy, and I would like to switch up a level if possible, I explained. Second of all, I am only registered for a grammar course and a kanji course, and I would like to have more classes than this. I did my best to speak in the best Japanese I could. The student that helped me was very kind, and she called various offices to ask what I should do. She explained my request over the phone to the director. I listened to her side of the conversation as she spoke, and understood with a feeling of dread when it became clear that she was being told it would not be possible. Sure enough, after she hung up, she sadly told me this news. Apparently, the rule is firm about switching, and there have also been a huge number of students trying to switch up. I asked that if so many students feel they were placed incorrectly, then why continue using such an inaccurate placement system? At this point, I could no longer stop myself from crying. I thought again about how much work had gone into being able to come to Japan and how ridiculous it would be to take such a simple class. I tried to explain again and to plead my case. I told her how hard it had been to finally have a chance to travel abroad, and to receive the Fulbright. I tried to explain the purpose of the Fulbright, and why I wanted so desperately to improve my Japanese. The poor student felt so bad for me, and I felt so embarrassed to be so visibly distraught and upset. I used quite a few tissues. The student tried a few more times to call and ask again if anything could be done, and eventually received permission for me to meet with another professor to at least try to add a third class. Luckily, she was very considerate and let me go wipe off my tears in the bathroom while she waited. I felt so bad to make others worry. But she was so kind and sympathetic towards me. We went upstairs, and then I needed to meet with the professor of the class I wanted to add alone. The whole process of applying for these classes back in August, I should add, vexed me and I had not been certain even then of what classes to request or what they entailed. The professor looked me up in their system after I explained my troubles. As it turns out, the classes I had requested were all intermediate level but because of the poor results of my placement test I could not enter into one of them, and as for the other I was required to enter at the Introductory level. I told the professor, being careful to use only Japanese, that I had not felt confident at all about the computerized test and that during the test I had been extremely stressed and run out of time. You are required to answer 100 fill-in-the-blank questions in only 50 minutes. The questions had not been especially hard, but they had taken much longer than I had expected, and the clock ran out before I could even read them all. Thus, my score had been poor. Nonetheless, I was so puzzled why, after speaking long strings of Japanese to them even they would not admit that the Introductory course would be too simple. I pleaded and pleaded with them, at one point breaking into tears again, and finally they resolved to speak to the director about it. They were not in charge of the program themselves, but professors of other courses, so I understood that they did not have total control over the situation. Still, I was so angry that they would not admit that, as educators, their goal ought to be helping people meet their potential--not sticking to silly, inaccurate, placement tests without any flexibility. I thought to myself, don't they want me to learn? Still, I was grateful with them for speaking with me, and they seemed at least a little sympathetic like my class professor had been. They said they would do what they could, but did not seem particularly hopeful. Up until this point, I had not broken down into such tears about anything. Of course there have been times when I became a little teary while her in Japan, secretly or on my own, but never so hopelessly.
While I had been waiting in the professor's office, my phone had gone off. I called back, and it was Professor Koike and Sakuma-san from my lab. I had wanted to help with the Germans again that day, but because of my class could not go with them out to the forest site, and there had been no way for me to travel to the site on my own. I offered earlier to help when they came back to sample trees on campus. They had returned, and were wondering if I could help. I was so stressed at this point, but I got on my bike and rode back to the other side of campus where they were sampling. By the time I arrived, they were nearly finished, but I did my best to help. I brought the equipment back to the lab with them, then received a call from Becca. She was waiting by the bridge near the trees we had been sampling. I told her that I would be headed to my red bike, and so we met there. I felt so bad, because periodically through the day I had been sending Becca messages on my phone describing my frustrating situation. I knew I had probably worried her, too. Because I had not been able to find the bookstore/coop the night before, we were going to go find it together. We road back again to the north side of campus, and Becca was able to find the north cafeteria (tucked away behind the larger buildings on the main street) and the coop. We tried to find our textbooks, but I still did not buy mine because I wanted so desperately to switch classes. As we were leaving, Becca asked a cashier if she could use one of the microwaves, and I wondered what for. It turns out that, having heard about the hard time I was having with sorting out my Japanese classes, she had gone back to the department store from the day before where we had watched some bean-paste and chestnut filled snacks being made. The outside is made of a pancake like bread, filled with bean-paste or chestnut and shaped like a jumping koi. I had wanted to go back and buy some, because they looked so delicious. Becca had bought some and brought them to cheer me up! I was so happy for this. By this point, though I had tried my best, I felt so discouraged and beaten down. I felt as though even though I had taken all the steps I could, I was being treated by the department as though I did not matter. As though procedure was more important than a student's actual ability. We sat on the benches in the coop and ate them together. They were so good. Afterwards, we returned to our bikes. As it turns out, a bird had even pooped on my bike seat. That just made me laugh, because it was so ridiculous, and I showed Becca. We parted ways after biking back towards her education building and then I rushed back to the international house to change for a quick run. I had very little time before my 4:30 afternoon lecture with Professor Koike, and so even as I was running I was stressed and hurried. I got back, quickly changed again, and then walked quickly to the lecture. Listening made me more calm, and Professor Koike always prepares us tea and gives us chocolates so this made me feel a little better. Afterwards, we were to meet with the Germans to have dinner in the cafeteria. This was fun, and I was happy to see them again, and to spend time with the professors and graduate students. After dinner, we all talked for a long time. Then at last I made it back to the dorm, made some hot chocolate, finished up some homework, and packed my bag. The next day the German researchers, Professor Koike, myself, and four other students were all going together for a two-day field trip. Secretly, I was very stressed about leaving at a time when I was still trying to sort out my courses. But I felt obligated to go, had arranged to go before the whole Japanese course ordeal transpired, and anyways wanted to go along so badly. We were leaving at 8:45AM. I had sent my professor an email earlier in the week to warn them that I would be gone.
Although I am still stressed, I am very happy that I was invited to go along on this field trip. On Tuesday morning, we drove towards Mt. Youtei. I had been planning eventually to bike there from Sapporo, as it is only about 40 miles away. We stopped at many beautiful places along the drive to take pictures of the hillsides, changing trees, and landscape. During the drive, Professor Koike explained at great length about the aesthetic choices of Japan, and Japanese forestry. We stopped at a parking lot and road stop where Professor Koike bought us breaded, friend whole potatoes, famous to that area. In the distance, we could see the cloud-covered peak of Mt. Youtei. Professor Koike explained that this is Hokkaido's version of Mt. Fuji (though it is not as tall). We passed through beautiful countryside, and came closer and closer to Mt. Youtei. It is very interesting to see flat, farmland, with small wooded areas and then suddenly a forest covered mountain, with a crown of low clouds. Nearby, we stopped at a wonderful stream, with cups for drinking the cold, mountain water, some small Japanese landscaping, bridges, and ponds. We had lunch, and I ordered vegetable curry. Myself and one of the other students also bought some squash and vegetable at the store--they were so cheap compared to in Sapporo, because they are so close to the farms!! I was very excited by this. We all piled back into the small car (we fit 8 people inside) and headed off to the next, yet-to-be-announced site. We passed the large Lake Toya along the way, near active volcanoes. Professor Koike showed us to a tiny, tiny town and old highway that in 2004 had suddenly turned into a pound after a small dome formed from the volcanic activity under the road. There were wooden trails here, and to either side we could see little spots of steam in the grass.There were some abandoned buildings around the pond and steamy spots. In the distance, we could see the steam.
Next we headed to the Ainu Museum at Lake Poroto. I was excited to go here, because I have read and heard quite a bit about the Ainu--the original people of Hokkaido. Today there are still folks of Ainu descent, but the Japanese government and society does not speak very much of the history of colonization and forced assimilation. As a result of forced assimilation, Ainu culture and language nearly disappeared, but I know that some are working to teach the language and maintain their culture. I am not a big fan of museums displaying native cultures, because they are often incorrect, or run by non-native curators and owners. In the United States, many such museums also display cultural or personal items that were taken from the tribe or original owners. I am not sure who runs the Ainu Museum at Lake Poroto, but I am going to ask around. When we arrived, unfortunately there was also a highschool field trip group so it was rather busy. The "museum" itself has large scale replicas of Ainu houses, with various rooms and purposes. It is on the shore of the lake. Many people were taking pictures of the staff wearing traditional clothes. Outside of a presentation building, there was a staff member standing by the door and hoards of people would come up and take pictures with him as though he were a statue. I was really frustrated by this. I don't know how the man felt--I am sure he is more than accustomed to this from working at the museum everyday. Maybe he does not mind, who know--he seemed unamused by it all, but put up with it. I was embarrassed when the group I was with wanted to take a picture. I find it so rude that all of the visitors to the museum just assume you can take pictures, as though the worker was just an attraction. It makes me a little upset to be in such "museums", also, because I start to think about so many of the unsolved hurts in the United States, and the history of forced cultural assimilation and destruction that has taken place in so many places within what is now called the United States, as well as around the world. I was also upset because there were three or four caged bears on display. Bears need so much space to thrive, they seemed so miserable and I wanted nothing more than to let them free. I don't know how they are treated after hours, but I can only hope that they are shown a little love and respect. If I can find a way to help them, I hope to. But I doubt that there is much I can change, and from what I heard from Becca, the museum itself does not quite know what to do with them either. They were apparently just given to them. We listened to one presentation by individuals in traditional dress, explaining the purpose of the building we were in. They also showed us some Ainu songs, instruments, and dances. While I am here, I hope to learn more. As I have perhaps mentioned, along with studying ecological effects of global warming, I really want to learn more about the relationships that different cultures have with the plants and forests around them. Obviously this varies considerably on the individual level, yet I feel that many cultures have unique ways of expressing their relationship with the earth. From Professor Koike, I am gradually gaining an idea of some of the Japanese tendencies towards the earth. I am very curious about Ainu opinions as well, especially since, as Vine Deloria Jr says, a society's religion and culture is a reflection of the shapes of the land in which they live. Since the Ainu are the original people of this land, I hold their opinion in high regard.
Finally, just after darkness fell, we made it to the Ryoukan (inn). We were served a multiple course Japanese meal. Much of it contained seaweeds, meat, and fish. The meat was a disappointment for me, but I found some things that I could eat. The Japanese student sitting across from me definitely enjoyed the meal, because I gave her all of my meat! My favorite part were the prunes (maybe they were plums? No one knew the difference in English at the table so I took their word). Fruit here is very expensive, and so it was an excellent dessert. We all went to our rooms (two to a room) to go down to the onsen (bath). All of the women go to one bath, and the men to another. I was a little frustrated, because I had never been to an onsen before and the Japanese student really did not care to explain. She was more interested in just getting in the onsen herself. So there was never any explanation about anything. There were four of us girls, one Japanese, two Chinese exchange students, and me. I was really apprehensive to ask if we would have to change out of our clothes together. Of course the answer is yes--and the baths are communal, so you better be comfortable naked! I wasn't too excited about this, but it's a cultural experience, so I just tried to act calm and unconcerned. No one else seemed nervous at all and in fact no one even said anything about it. It was as though it were completely normal (which of course, it is here). Luckily, from my indoctrination in cross country, I'm used to communal showering and so it wasn't too bad. Still, I wish folks would have stopped to give me a heads up about what you're supposed to do, what soaps you're supposed to use, etc. You first enter into a lockerroom sort of area, where you get undressed. You take your tiny washcloth with you into the bath room, where the big bath itself is located, as well as low sink/shower nozzles and stools along the wall. You sit on the little stool and scrub yourself clean. The bath is not for cleaning, it is for relaxing, and the shower is for cleaning. Then you get into the water, just like a naked hot tub. The water was alright, but the bath was indoors and I would have really preferred to go to an outdoors onsen. If it's indoors, I'd rather just take a bath on my own, thank you very much! But it was a good experience, and one that most people should probably have when visiting Japan. I wondered how the Germans felt about it! After the bath, we changed into the comfortable yukata and all met in Professor Koike and Sakuma-san's room to eat snacks, watch TV, talk, and for the others drink some sake. Everyone has been pretty respectful to me and has not pressured me to drink thus far, so that is good. Professor Koike himself cannot drink very much, because otherwise he becomes sick and his face turns bright red--this is a fairly common condition in Asian countries, actually. It was fun to talk with everyone, and on TV we ended up catching a Brazil vs. Japan soccer match. Brazil won, of course.
On Wednesday, we all woke up relatively early to have breakfast at 7:30AM. The breakfast at Japanese hotels, I think, is very yummy. Actually, I like breakfasts at most hotels (maybe primarily because I love breakfast). We all sat together and ate, and watched the little birds at the birdfeeder outside the window. When we finished, we had some time to wander around the garden and trails, then go down to the lakeside before we met up again at 9AM. We bade farewell to the ryoukan about 10AM. Our next stop was what Professor Koike called a "primeval" forest. He explained that for about the past 300 years, it has been left more or less un-managed (although I must point out, there is still a road that goes through it, and it appears quite a few campers that come to spend the night). But most Japanese forests are fairly closely managed, so it was interesting to see a less tampered-with condition of forest. Still, because global warming, and global pollution reaches all ends of the globe, there is not a single place on earth that is not somehow effected by human actions. All the earth is connected, and all actions have reactions, whether they are big or small, noticeable or more discreet. I think of it similar to how Thich Naht Hanh explains it: I am the earth, and the earth is me. Therefore I am you, and you are me. Everything flows into everything else, and therefore you must respect all things. I think the name of the forest station was Bifue Forest Station and campsite. Along the lake shore, we saw dark ominous clouds hanging around the mountains and the air was chilly. The forecast was for rain in the afternoon and bad weather. Next we headed to the large ecology research forest in Tomakomai. This is either the largest, or among the three largest research forests in Japan. They have an annual budget, if I understood correctly, of about 1billion dollars. We met with the director and then they drove us to see one of their experiments. I have to say, I was so incredibly excited when I saw it. If you look at my pictures, you will understand why. The experiment they showed us is similar to some of the global warming research experiments that I have been an intern at through the University of Minnesota up north. Plots of forest or plants are artificially heated underground by cables, and above ground by lamps (at the U of M) and in this case since they were heating whole sections of forests, coiled around large trees! To monitor changes in photosynthesis, temperature, etc. they do so with a giant crane and cherry basket above the forest canopy!!!!! I was so excited--in fact, just over a year ago when I had been doing research for where I would like to study, I read about this same experiment and it was one feature that drew me to Hokkaido. I never thought I would get to take a ride in it! One of the researchers explained the experiment, and then brought out some harnesses! Professor Koike handing me one, and four of us at a time put them on. We were going up above the canopy in the crane basket! Myself, two Japanese students, one of the Germans, and the researcher got into the small basket, hooked our harnesses to the rails in case we fell out, and up we went! This was absolutely amazing, and a highlight of my time here so far. The researcher explained some of the procedures and measurements they take as we went up, and circled around. I told him how envious I was of researching in such a way, and he said that perhaps I could come help! I don't know for sure if he was serious, but I intend to try! I think he was amused with how excited we all were. The stormy weather was just about to arrive, and so it was pretty window, and the skies were grey, with little raindrops starting. That made it all the more fun. We came back down, and then the other four members of our group including Professor Koike loaded into the crane basket. We watched them climb up into the air. After this, we went back to the station, then headed out for lunch. It was about 1:30PM already, and we were aiming to arrive back at campus by about 3PM. That, I knew, was not about to happen. If you have not gathered by this point, I will tell you that Professor Koike often neglects to explain the itinerary of a day, so over the past week I have often had little idea of where or when we are going places. I just hop in the van with the researchers, and learn as I go! It was very similar with this field trip. We would pile in and out of the van, going to unexpected places throughout both days. It certainly kept things interesting! After lunch we came back to the station and Professor Koike gave us a tour of the Forest Museum on site. It has the largest wood-identification and sample display in Japan. Simply amazing--there were boards from every single tree species, with cross sections from all directions, and all sorts of samples neatly arranged around the walls of the whole room. Students come here to learn the characteristics of all the wood, and then are tested by being shown unlabeled samples and trying to identify them. I wish I could spend a month in this place learning to identify everything! There was also a door that lead into a small office specifically designed for the emperor's use when he visits. After that, we at least started the trip back to the university. On the way, we dropped off the Germans at a hotel next to the airport. It was their last day in Japan, and they were flying back to Munich early in the morning. I will miss them, because it was fun getting to know them. I hope one day to go visit them, and maybe they can show me the Mosel river.
When I got back to campus, it was raining. I went back to my dorm and made some dinner. Later, Becca stopped by and I gave her a little charm that I had bought at the Ainu Museum--the shopkeeper went to great lengths to get me to buy it, and told me all about the meanings of the symbols, but I remain dubious. Then I showed Becca the surprise that I have wanted to share with her for a couple of days. It is my newest acquisition--you will have to look at my pictures to guess what it is!!! I managed to find an inexpensive one, and had it delivered here by takkyubin on Sunday. I hope to keep learning it in secret, so please do not tell to many folks yet. I want to become mediocre before then. There is a bluegrass group that, with any luck, we will be able to receive some lessons from in exchange for English lessons.
Today I finally was able to attend my Kanji class. The teacher from her emails came off as rather mean, so I was nervous, but in class she seemed to be a nice, middle-aged lady. I think I will learn a lot, and enjoy it. I only wish it wasn't at 8:45AM! Oh well. Actually, all of my Japanese classes during the week are at 8:45AM. Then I don't have lectures in general until 4:30PM. I sure hate waking up early, but it does give me a lot of time during the rest of my day to explore and get things done. It may come in useful for getting research done during the day, too. Well, I am off for a run.
The next day (Sunday), in the morning I submitted my first Fulbright monthly progress report. Then I got to spend time with Becca and her friend Aki. About noon, we met to do some grocery shopping, then grabbed a quick lunch at Aeon. One of my goals for the day was to locate a nearby 100 Yen shop to buy some baskets and things to keep my tiny room organized. After dropping off our groceries, we first headed to Yodobashi Camera to see about a frying pan that would work with our finicky, frustrating single-burner stoves. You have to buy a pan that is categorized as very specifically as 'IH', and apparently it cannot be larger than 18cm radius. We have so far had no such luck located a pan of this size, and all other pans cause the burner to turn on and off. Frustrating indeed. From there, we met Aki and then went to Sapporo Station to find the 100 Yen shop. We passed through the basement level of the department store there, which is always filled with cases of desserts and foods. It all looks so delicious, and one day I plan to buy a few foods from there. Next we took a break at Mister Donut, to have another pumpkin doughnut. They are seasonal, and so we want to eat as many as we can before they are gone. One of my last goals for the day was to purchase a coat. I sacrificed bringing a coat with me to Japan for the sake of space in my suitcase, and to meet the weight limit for luggage. So as the weather has become more fall like, I've been left with only two sweatshirts to switch between. I wanted to have a coat that I could just take on and off as needed throughout the day. This took some work. First we went to the Japanese version of Gap, but here the clothes at Gap are actually very expensive. I was a little dismayed at the high prices, and how few coats they had to choose from. We found one that might work, but I wasn't particularly happy with it, so Becca suggested we try Uniqlo in the station, which is a huuuuge, cheap, clothing chain in Japan. It was so packed, and hot, in Uniqlo but they had a much larger selection and the prices were far more reasonable. It was a little stressful trying to choose a coat in such a crowded place, but finally I found one that was perfect. It reminded me of the coat my grandpa used to wear, and it is not to heavy but not too light. I bought it, waiting in a long, long, long line that trailed through the store. While we were in the station, the weather had apparently shifted from sunny to very rainy. Not trusting Sapporo's skies, I had packed my raincoat. We biked back to the International House. It was getting dark, and I still had one more goal on my list. This was to locate the student coop, where textbooks are also sold. I needed to purchase my Japanese text book. Becca and Aki stayed to have tea, and I went off on my own to try to find the coop. I biked down the main street to the other side of campus and searched and searched and searched for the North Cafeteria. The coop is supposed to be on the second floor. No matter how many times I circled on my bike, I could not find it. It was rainy and cold and dark at this point, and because it was a Sunday night, so empty on campus. I read all of the signs, but none of them provided any hint as to where the North Cafeteria might be. I learned that it was closed anyways on Sundays, and by that time of night. I was still extremely frustrated with the situation, because it felt like such a failure not to be able to locate such a simple place. I found it very upsetting, even more so in light of my most recent struggles with the Japanese Language department here in the the International Student Center. After my class on Friday, I knew right away that it would be too easy so I was frustrated to have been placed in such a level, and nervous because I needed the textbook to find the vocabulary list for the quiz on Monday. I returned to the International House feeling very angry. I am very fortunate, however, because I was able to contact a student that I had met before who is in the same class. He is from Germany, oddly enough. He sent me a copy of the pages in the textbook that I needed! It was so nice of him. The most ironic part, however, is that the translations were in German! It was good enough for me, though!
On Monday morning, I had my Japanese class. The professor was very kind, and very animated. I think that, if the class were not so easy, I would really enjoy learning from her! The quiz was very simple, and I had hardly needed to review to learn the words. This reinforced to me that I wanted to be in a higher level. That weekend I had emailed the professor, after speaking with her after Friday's class. After Monday's class I went to speak to her again. She informed me, to my surprise and great disappointment that she had spoken with the office and that it was not possible for students to switch to higher levels. Everything was decided by the placement test and unfortunately that was final, even though she wished she could help. This really took me by surprise, and I could actually feel the start of tears in my eyes. After working my hardest these past four years in college, and fighting desperately for the opportunity to research abroad it was such a huge blow to be told that I might have to "waste" my time sitting in a language class with material that I already knew. Helping with research in the lab takes a considerable time commitment, and so to give up that time for a class that would not help me improve is something that I did not want to do. However, with Fulbright you must participate in Japanese language study, and besides that I personally wanted so much to work hard to improve. This episode of my time here was one of the absolute worst so far. I asked her if there was anyone I could speak to, or anything that I could do. She said that I could speak with the department, but did not seem hopeful. With tears in my eyes, I wandered the hallway quickly to see if I could find the director but he was not in his office. Becoming overwhelmed, I even ducked into the bathroom to try to collect myself and wipe away the tears. It was so upsetting, and I felt it was not only unfair, but also so pointless and outright unproductive not to let students who were in too simple a class to change. After all, I thought, do professors really want to teach students things they already know? Doesn't the department want to help people learn, not stagnate? At 11AM, about 20 minutes after class, I was supposed to meet with Professor Koike and some students to learn a method for measuring leaf thickness and estimating the air space of a leaf. So I was extremely stressed after Japanese class, but had to rush off to the lecture with these fears still fresh on my mind. I tried to appear calm while attending the lecture, and though I tried to distract myself by listening very closely and focusing on the lecture. Afterwards, Professor Koike brought us to lunch in the cafeteria. I was very happy about this, but still stressed and wanted to go back to the International Student Center to start sorting everything out. Besides that, I had only learned about the lecture for that day a few hours beforehand, so it unfortunately conflicted with mine and Becca's lunch arrangement. After lunch, I hopped on my bike and sped back to the center. I was so overwhelmed by trying to figure out who in the large building I should speak to, and what I could do one my own. As I stood in the lobby, Becca popped in on her way to class and said that she had something for me, but was late for class and I told her to run along. On my own once again, I decided to go to the support desk, because there was a sign in the window that directed those who were confused there, and also because there was a sign that they spoke English. I wanted a place where I could explain my situation clearly, and not have to worry if I could not express the situation in Japanese. There were two Japanese students at the desk. I sat down, and started to explain my problem--first of all, my course is too easy, and I would like to switch up a level if possible, I explained. Second of all, I am only registered for a grammar course and a kanji course, and I would like to have more classes than this. I did my best to speak in the best Japanese I could. The student that helped me was very kind, and she called various offices to ask what I should do. She explained my request over the phone to the director. I listened to her side of the conversation as she spoke, and understood with a feeling of dread when it became clear that she was being told it would not be possible. Sure enough, after she hung up, she sadly told me this news. Apparently, the rule is firm about switching, and there have also been a huge number of students trying to switch up. I asked that if so many students feel they were placed incorrectly, then why continue using such an inaccurate placement system? At this point, I could no longer stop myself from crying. I thought again about how much work had gone into being able to come to Japan and how ridiculous it would be to take such a simple class. I tried to explain again and to plead my case. I told her how hard it had been to finally have a chance to travel abroad, and to receive the Fulbright. I tried to explain the purpose of the Fulbright, and why I wanted so desperately to improve my Japanese. The poor student felt so bad for me, and I felt so embarrassed to be so visibly distraught and upset. I used quite a few tissues. The student tried a few more times to call and ask again if anything could be done, and eventually received permission for me to meet with another professor to at least try to add a third class. Luckily, she was very considerate and let me go wipe off my tears in the bathroom while she waited. I felt so bad to make others worry. But she was so kind and sympathetic towards me. We went upstairs, and then I needed to meet with the professor of the class I wanted to add alone. The whole process of applying for these classes back in August, I should add, vexed me and I had not been certain even then of what classes to request or what they entailed. The professor looked me up in their system after I explained my troubles. As it turns out, the classes I had requested were all intermediate level but because of the poor results of my placement test I could not enter into one of them, and as for the other I was required to enter at the Introductory level. I told the professor, being careful to use only Japanese, that I had not felt confident at all about the computerized test and that during the test I had been extremely stressed and run out of time. You are required to answer 100 fill-in-the-blank questions in only 50 minutes. The questions had not been especially hard, but they had taken much longer than I had expected, and the clock ran out before I could even read them all. Thus, my score had been poor. Nonetheless, I was so puzzled why, after speaking long strings of Japanese to them even they would not admit that the Introductory course would be too simple. I pleaded and pleaded with them, at one point breaking into tears again, and finally they resolved to speak to the director about it. They were not in charge of the program themselves, but professors of other courses, so I understood that they did not have total control over the situation. Still, I was so angry that they would not admit that, as educators, their goal ought to be helping people meet their potential--not sticking to silly, inaccurate, placement tests without any flexibility. I thought to myself, don't they want me to learn? Still, I was grateful with them for speaking with me, and they seemed at least a little sympathetic like my class professor had been. They said they would do what they could, but did not seem particularly hopeful. Up until this point, I had not broken down into such tears about anything. Of course there have been times when I became a little teary while her in Japan, secretly or on my own, but never so hopelessly.
While I had been waiting in the professor's office, my phone had gone off. I called back, and it was Professor Koike and Sakuma-san from my lab. I had wanted to help with the Germans again that day, but because of my class could not go with them out to the forest site, and there had been no way for me to travel to the site on my own. I offered earlier to help when they came back to sample trees on campus. They had returned, and were wondering if I could help. I was so stressed at this point, but I got on my bike and rode back to the other side of campus where they were sampling. By the time I arrived, they were nearly finished, but I did my best to help. I brought the equipment back to the lab with them, then received a call from Becca. She was waiting by the bridge near the trees we had been sampling. I told her that I would be headed to my red bike, and so we met there. I felt so bad, because periodically through the day I had been sending Becca messages on my phone describing my frustrating situation. I knew I had probably worried her, too. Because I had not been able to find the bookstore/coop the night before, we were going to go find it together. We road back again to the north side of campus, and Becca was able to find the north cafeteria (tucked away behind the larger buildings on the main street) and the coop. We tried to find our textbooks, but I still did not buy mine because I wanted so desperately to switch classes. As we were leaving, Becca asked a cashier if she could use one of the microwaves, and I wondered what for. It turns out that, having heard about the hard time I was having with sorting out my Japanese classes, she had gone back to the department store from the day before where we had watched some bean-paste and chestnut filled snacks being made. The outside is made of a pancake like bread, filled with bean-paste or chestnut and shaped like a jumping koi. I had wanted to go back and buy some, because they looked so delicious. Becca had bought some and brought them to cheer me up! I was so happy for this. By this point, though I had tried my best, I felt so discouraged and beaten down. I felt as though even though I had taken all the steps I could, I was being treated by the department as though I did not matter. As though procedure was more important than a student's actual ability. We sat on the benches in the coop and ate them together. They were so good. Afterwards, we returned to our bikes. As it turns out, a bird had even pooped on my bike seat. That just made me laugh, because it was so ridiculous, and I showed Becca. We parted ways after biking back towards her education building and then I rushed back to the international house to change for a quick run. I had very little time before my 4:30 afternoon lecture with Professor Koike, and so even as I was running I was stressed and hurried. I got back, quickly changed again, and then walked quickly to the lecture. Listening made me more calm, and Professor Koike always prepares us tea and gives us chocolates so this made me feel a little better. Afterwards, we were to meet with the Germans to have dinner in the cafeteria. This was fun, and I was happy to see them again, and to spend time with the professors and graduate students. After dinner, we all talked for a long time. Then at last I made it back to the dorm, made some hot chocolate, finished up some homework, and packed my bag. The next day the German researchers, Professor Koike, myself, and four other students were all going together for a two-day field trip. Secretly, I was very stressed about leaving at a time when I was still trying to sort out my courses. But I felt obligated to go, had arranged to go before the whole Japanese course ordeal transpired, and anyways wanted to go along so badly. We were leaving at 8:45AM. I had sent my professor an email earlier in the week to warn them that I would be gone.
Although I am still stressed, I am very happy that I was invited to go along on this field trip. On Tuesday morning, we drove towards Mt. Youtei. I had been planning eventually to bike there from Sapporo, as it is only about 40 miles away. We stopped at many beautiful places along the drive to take pictures of the hillsides, changing trees, and landscape. During the drive, Professor Koike explained at great length about the aesthetic choices of Japan, and Japanese forestry. We stopped at a parking lot and road stop where Professor Koike bought us breaded, friend whole potatoes, famous to that area. In the distance, we could see the cloud-covered peak of Mt. Youtei. Professor Koike explained that this is Hokkaido's version of Mt. Fuji (though it is not as tall). We passed through beautiful countryside, and came closer and closer to Mt. Youtei. It is very interesting to see flat, farmland, with small wooded areas and then suddenly a forest covered mountain, with a crown of low clouds. Nearby, we stopped at a wonderful stream, with cups for drinking the cold, mountain water, some small Japanese landscaping, bridges, and ponds. We had lunch, and I ordered vegetable curry. Myself and one of the other students also bought some squash and vegetable at the store--they were so cheap compared to in Sapporo, because they are so close to the farms!! I was very excited by this. We all piled back into the small car (we fit 8 people inside) and headed off to the next, yet-to-be-announced site. We passed the large Lake Toya along the way, near active volcanoes. Professor Koike showed us to a tiny, tiny town and old highway that in 2004 had suddenly turned into a pound after a small dome formed from the volcanic activity under the road. There were wooden trails here, and to either side we could see little spots of steam in the grass.There were some abandoned buildings around the pond and steamy spots. In the distance, we could see the steam.
Next we headed to the Ainu Museum at Lake Poroto. I was excited to go here, because I have read and heard quite a bit about the Ainu--the original people of Hokkaido. Today there are still folks of Ainu descent, but the Japanese government and society does not speak very much of the history of colonization and forced assimilation. As a result of forced assimilation, Ainu culture and language nearly disappeared, but I know that some are working to teach the language and maintain their culture. I am not a big fan of museums displaying native cultures, because they are often incorrect, or run by non-native curators and owners. In the United States, many such museums also display cultural or personal items that were taken from the tribe or original owners. I am not sure who runs the Ainu Museum at Lake Poroto, but I am going to ask around. When we arrived, unfortunately there was also a highschool field trip group so it was rather busy. The "museum" itself has large scale replicas of Ainu houses, with various rooms and purposes. It is on the shore of the lake. Many people were taking pictures of the staff wearing traditional clothes. Outside of a presentation building, there was a staff member standing by the door and hoards of people would come up and take pictures with him as though he were a statue. I was really frustrated by this. I don't know how the man felt--I am sure he is more than accustomed to this from working at the museum everyday. Maybe he does not mind, who know--he seemed unamused by it all, but put up with it. I was embarrassed when the group I was with wanted to take a picture. I find it so rude that all of the visitors to the museum just assume you can take pictures, as though the worker was just an attraction. It makes me a little upset to be in such "museums", also, because I start to think about so many of the unsolved hurts in the United States, and the history of forced cultural assimilation and destruction that has taken place in so many places within what is now called the United States, as well as around the world. I was also upset because there were three or four caged bears on display. Bears need so much space to thrive, they seemed so miserable and I wanted nothing more than to let them free. I don't know how they are treated after hours, but I can only hope that they are shown a little love and respect. If I can find a way to help them, I hope to. But I doubt that there is much I can change, and from what I heard from Becca, the museum itself does not quite know what to do with them either. They were apparently just given to them. We listened to one presentation by individuals in traditional dress, explaining the purpose of the building we were in. They also showed us some Ainu songs, instruments, and dances. While I am here, I hope to learn more. As I have perhaps mentioned, along with studying ecological effects of global warming, I really want to learn more about the relationships that different cultures have with the plants and forests around them. Obviously this varies considerably on the individual level, yet I feel that many cultures have unique ways of expressing their relationship with the earth. From Professor Koike, I am gradually gaining an idea of some of the Japanese tendencies towards the earth. I am very curious about Ainu opinions as well, especially since, as Vine Deloria Jr says, a society's religion and culture is a reflection of the shapes of the land in which they live. Since the Ainu are the original people of this land, I hold their opinion in high regard.
Finally, just after darkness fell, we made it to the Ryoukan (inn). We were served a multiple course Japanese meal. Much of it contained seaweeds, meat, and fish. The meat was a disappointment for me, but I found some things that I could eat. The Japanese student sitting across from me definitely enjoyed the meal, because I gave her all of my meat! My favorite part were the prunes (maybe they were plums? No one knew the difference in English at the table so I took their word). Fruit here is very expensive, and so it was an excellent dessert. We all went to our rooms (two to a room) to go down to the onsen (bath). All of the women go to one bath, and the men to another. I was a little frustrated, because I had never been to an onsen before and the Japanese student really did not care to explain. She was more interested in just getting in the onsen herself. So there was never any explanation about anything. There were four of us girls, one Japanese, two Chinese exchange students, and me. I was really apprehensive to ask if we would have to change out of our clothes together. Of course the answer is yes--and the baths are communal, so you better be comfortable naked! I wasn't too excited about this, but it's a cultural experience, so I just tried to act calm and unconcerned. No one else seemed nervous at all and in fact no one even said anything about it. It was as though it were completely normal (which of course, it is here). Luckily, from my indoctrination in cross country, I'm used to communal showering and so it wasn't too bad. Still, I wish folks would have stopped to give me a heads up about what you're supposed to do, what soaps you're supposed to use, etc. You first enter into a lockerroom sort of area, where you get undressed. You take your tiny washcloth with you into the bath room, where the big bath itself is located, as well as low sink/shower nozzles and stools along the wall. You sit on the little stool and scrub yourself clean. The bath is not for cleaning, it is for relaxing, and the shower is for cleaning. Then you get into the water, just like a naked hot tub. The water was alright, but the bath was indoors and I would have really preferred to go to an outdoors onsen. If it's indoors, I'd rather just take a bath on my own, thank you very much! But it was a good experience, and one that most people should probably have when visiting Japan. I wondered how the Germans felt about it! After the bath, we changed into the comfortable yukata and all met in Professor Koike and Sakuma-san's room to eat snacks, watch TV, talk, and for the others drink some sake. Everyone has been pretty respectful to me and has not pressured me to drink thus far, so that is good. Professor Koike himself cannot drink very much, because otherwise he becomes sick and his face turns bright red--this is a fairly common condition in Asian countries, actually. It was fun to talk with everyone, and on TV we ended up catching a Brazil vs. Japan soccer match. Brazil won, of course.
On Wednesday, we all woke up relatively early to have breakfast at 7:30AM. The breakfast at Japanese hotels, I think, is very yummy. Actually, I like breakfasts at most hotels (maybe primarily because I love breakfast). We all sat together and ate, and watched the little birds at the birdfeeder outside the window. When we finished, we had some time to wander around the garden and trails, then go down to the lakeside before we met up again at 9AM. We bade farewell to the ryoukan about 10AM. Our next stop was what Professor Koike called a "primeval" forest. He explained that for about the past 300 years, it has been left more or less un-managed (although I must point out, there is still a road that goes through it, and it appears quite a few campers that come to spend the night). But most Japanese forests are fairly closely managed, so it was interesting to see a less tampered-with condition of forest. Still, because global warming, and global pollution reaches all ends of the globe, there is not a single place on earth that is not somehow effected by human actions. All the earth is connected, and all actions have reactions, whether they are big or small, noticeable or more discreet. I think of it similar to how Thich Naht Hanh explains it: I am the earth, and the earth is me. Therefore I am you, and you are me. Everything flows into everything else, and therefore you must respect all things. I think the name of the forest station was Bifue Forest Station and campsite. Along the lake shore, we saw dark ominous clouds hanging around the mountains and the air was chilly. The forecast was for rain in the afternoon and bad weather. Next we headed to the large ecology research forest in Tomakomai. This is either the largest, or among the three largest research forests in Japan. They have an annual budget, if I understood correctly, of about 1billion dollars. We met with the director and then they drove us to see one of their experiments. I have to say, I was so incredibly excited when I saw it. If you look at my pictures, you will understand why. The experiment they showed us is similar to some of the global warming research experiments that I have been an intern at through the University of Minnesota up north. Plots of forest or plants are artificially heated underground by cables, and above ground by lamps (at the U of M) and in this case since they were heating whole sections of forests, coiled around large trees! To monitor changes in photosynthesis, temperature, etc. they do so with a giant crane and cherry basket above the forest canopy!!!!! I was so excited--in fact, just over a year ago when I had been doing research for where I would like to study, I read about this same experiment and it was one feature that drew me to Hokkaido. I never thought I would get to take a ride in it! One of the researchers explained the experiment, and then brought out some harnesses! Professor Koike handing me one, and four of us at a time put them on. We were going up above the canopy in the crane basket! Myself, two Japanese students, one of the Germans, and the researcher got into the small basket, hooked our harnesses to the rails in case we fell out, and up we went! This was absolutely amazing, and a highlight of my time here so far. The researcher explained some of the procedures and measurements they take as we went up, and circled around. I told him how envious I was of researching in such a way, and he said that perhaps I could come help! I don't know for sure if he was serious, but I intend to try! I think he was amused with how excited we all were. The stormy weather was just about to arrive, and so it was pretty window, and the skies were grey, with little raindrops starting. That made it all the more fun. We came back down, and then the other four members of our group including Professor Koike loaded into the crane basket. We watched them climb up into the air. After this, we went back to the station, then headed out for lunch. It was about 1:30PM already, and we were aiming to arrive back at campus by about 3PM. That, I knew, was not about to happen. If you have not gathered by this point, I will tell you that Professor Koike often neglects to explain the itinerary of a day, so over the past week I have often had little idea of where or when we are going places. I just hop in the van with the researchers, and learn as I go! It was very similar with this field trip. We would pile in and out of the van, going to unexpected places throughout both days. It certainly kept things interesting! After lunch we came back to the station and Professor Koike gave us a tour of the Forest Museum on site. It has the largest wood-identification and sample display in Japan. Simply amazing--there were boards from every single tree species, with cross sections from all directions, and all sorts of samples neatly arranged around the walls of the whole room. Students come here to learn the characteristics of all the wood, and then are tested by being shown unlabeled samples and trying to identify them. I wish I could spend a month in this place learning to identify everything! There was also a door that lead into a small office specifically designed for the emperor's use when he visits. After that, we at least started the trip back to the university. On the way, we dropped off the Germans at a hotel next to the airport. It was their last day in Japan, and they were flying back to Munich early in the morning. I will miss them, because it was fun getting to know them. I hope one day to go visit them, and maybe they can show me the Mosel river.
When I got back to campus, it was raining. I went back to my dorm and made some dinner. Later, Becca stopped by and I gave her a little charm that I had bought at the Ainu Museum--the shopkeeper went to great lengths to get me to buy it, and told me all about the meanings of the symbols, but I remain dubious. Then I showed Becca the surprise that I have wanted to share with her for a couple of days. It is my newest acquisition--you will have to look at my pictures to guess what it is!!! I managed to find an inexpensive one, and had it delivered here by takkyubin on Sunday. I hope to keep learning it in secret, so please do not tell to many folks yet. I want to become mediocre before then. There is a bluegrass group that, with any luck, we will be able to receive some lessons from in exchange for English lessons.
Today I finally was able to attend my Kanji class. The teacher from her emails came off as rather mean, so I was nervous, but in class she seemed to be a nice, middle-aged lady. I think I will learn a lot, and enjoy it. I only wish it wasn't at 8:45AM! Oh well. Actually, all of my Japanese classes during the week are at 8:45AM. Then I don't have lectures in general until 4:30PM. I sure hate waking up early, but it does give me a lot of time during the rest of my day to explore and get things done. It may come in useful for getting research done during the day, too. Well, I am off for a run.
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