Live from Japan

Atsui des ne’! The heat sapped my energy today. Mat and I are in a new area of Kyoto now. Actually, we are outside of Kyoto in Japanese suburbia, near Uji. This is the fourth place we’ve stayed since arriving in Kyoto. I’m in the common room of the guesthouse now. Mat is at the Kyoto International Community House meeting a prospective student, and I find myself with time to update you on our journey.

At the very beginning of this trip I found it providential that we were given free food everywhere. Mat’s mom took us out for dinner before our flight from Denver to Houston. Then since our plane arrived late in Houston we were given free meal vouchers for the airport, which was quite nice since we were spending the night there. After being guided to the cushiest seats in the airport (couches near Starbucks) we were offered a free dinner of pizza by a fellow traveler also sleeping at Houston. In the morning I went to buy orange juice at Starbucks for a little morning cocktail and the girl hadn’t prepared her drawer yet, so she gave it to me for free. Then we had free breakfast with our airport vouchers. It was a lovely fare-thee-well from America.

Yesterday while riding the subway here after dinner at our favorite street restaurant I referred to us as poor fools. Mat suggested I try foolish poors or some other title that emphasized how really foolish we were to come to Japan without $3,000 apiece saved up. Instead, we arrived with about $1,500 (Thank you, Mom for one third of that. We could not have made it without that gift!) to share and it’s no exaggeration that Japan is expensive.

Here in Japan, for the first week we lived on bread and coffee in the morning (free at the hostels), a rice ball or triangle each for lunch (105 yen each), and a Japanese kind of pancake/omelet and noodles for dinner (150 yen each). We then ended the day with a shared beer or sake cup by the river (197 or 155 yen each). In this way we’ve averaged spending 700 – 1000 yen ($7.50-$11) a day on food. However, some days we go crazy and spend more. For example, while couchsurfing we cooked our hosts dinner on the last evening there and spent more than 2,000 yen. Or some nights we spend 700-900 yen at our cheap and delicious restaurant. While couchsurfing, since we weren’t paying for a room, my stomach got used to eating well. We had rice and vegetables every night. One night we even had a Mexican dinner! Today Mat and I shared a fluffy loaf of raisin bread (Japanese bread has very little substance) and drank a can of coffee each (300 and some yen). I had another iced coffee a few hours later (free) and then ate a shoyu and sesame covered rice ball (105 yen) for lunch. Right now I’m very hungry, but will try to wait for Mat for dinner.

As for housing, we stayed in hostels for our first week here, but after the slow search of finding jobs and more permanent housing, we tried couchsurfing in Kyoto. We were incredibly lucky and were able to stay with four guys for about a week. A boy from Germany was also surfing with them, so we got to spend time with some fabulous people. Shingo, the main host, has traveled around the world playing didgeridoo and practices reiki healings with didgeridoo. He’s very interested in creating and living in a sustainable community one day. All around, he’s a laid back and generous man. We were lucky to meet him. His roommates are a hilarious trio. One is a DJ and bartender, one is a hairsylist and radio show host, and the other is an artist and gardener. Every night they dance together and laugh and wrestle and ultimately provide slapstick comedy for us all. We were thankful for our time there. Now we’re in a new guesthouse near Uji. It just opened on the 6th of August. The rooms are super cheap, only 1,000 yen/night or 6,000/week or 20,000/month. The couple that runs it is adorable and kind and asked Mat or I to teach English on the weekends. I’m quite excited to help them in their dream of having a guesthouse and café since that is our dream also. One of their regular customers speaks English quite well and said he’d teach us Japanese and the Zen lifestyle.

At this moment, we’re okay and making it in Japan. On Wednesday I have an interview for a job. and if I get that job they are able to sponsor me for a working visa. Right now, I think that’s the only way we can stay here much longer. So please pray or send positive thoughts or cast magical spells for us. We want to stay in Japan. We like it here even though it hasn’t been easy. There have been so many days where we thought something was going our way and then we didn’t hear back from people or people we thought were all right seemed sketchy and untrustworthy. We’ve walked so many, many miles in shoes that should not walk many miles. For only being in Japan two weeks, I think we’re making progress, but other days I think it’s not enough. But ultimately, we are in Japan! We are living here and barely making it and meeting excellent people. We’re weary and hopeful and hot and thrilled and hungry. We’re alive.

Di dove doo, Devin.

I'm so glad this worked! This is a video that Scott sent to Buffy and I in Korea. I especially love that it features Devin whom I have not seen nor heard for a long time. It also reminds me of Buffy and our times in Korea. Even though she is still physically present on this earth, I haven't seen nor heard her for a long time too. I love you, Buffy. And I have your cd copy of this if you'd ever like it.

Leaving

For the last seven years I have not lived in one place for longer than 16 months. Three of those years I spent teaching in another country which means that I've always left boxes behind. There are boxes in Ben Yancer's garage and boxes in my brother's basement. I'm leaving again soon and this time, am determined to not leave so much of my stuff, which I realize is part of myself, behind. On Friday we start the garage sale and most of it's going to go. This marks day two of sorting and it's hard. I love my stuff. I love my books. I love the gifts people have given me. I love my mementos of travels. I love my clothes. I remember who I was when I read those things or bought them or wore them. I liked knowing that wherever I was that they were there.

But for this next journey I'm letting them go. In my spiritual practice, Jesus is my guru. Not necessarily by choice, but I accepted him all the same. I can't help but think of Jesus telling the rich man to sell all he has and follow him. I don't consider myself rich, which is why I'm selling all (most) of what I have and giving the money to myself, but still, I feel the conflict. To the best of my ability, I will take the plunge anyway. I will follow romance and adventure with a little trunk of who I was left behind. But even if that were to perish, I will still be what I will be.

Night school and a conclusion to the mystery fruit.

A couple nights ago I dreamt that I was walking downtown with a coworker. As we walked a maze of streets to find our destination, a jeep and a white SVU zipped by us followed by a police car. We spotted them and avoided them randomly on the journey. Then we walking down an alley way. To the left of us was a brick wall and to the right was a golden prairie. In the prairie were three old people sitting on a couch, one man and two little women. All of the sudden the jeep came tearing by us and the white SVU drove out into the prairie. He sped close to the couch and hit the lady in blue. I screamed for Morgan to run and call 911 and then ran out to them. But to my surprise the woman was hurt at all and all three of them were rather giggly. I sat with them and in a few moments what I thought was a covered wagon began coming over the hill. I thought that this must be what they were waiting for. However, as it emerged I realized that it was something like an electric train sort of floating on top of the ground. In front a black man was sitting on a small seat guiding it by leaning his body to the right or the left. He was light-skinned and muscular and sang with a deep voice about going home and about leaving his boyfriend who had "type A." We floated along him for a bit and then I woke up.

I think I dreamt this because the night before I was scared twice that a car was going to hit me. I also think this reveals my fear that cars will destroy an older, more natural, and happy way of living. It also reassures me that that way is not easily brought down.

As for the mystery fruit in my last post long ago, I believe it is a kiwano, except that ours had no horns. The description of the fruit matches well, though.

Mystery fruit

Does anyone know what fruit this is? We got it at the market and didn't think to ask what it was.

Mat and I just finished packing. Tomorrow we get on a bus around 9:30 and head to Mexico City for the beginning of a good 37 hour journey.

Then I'll see many of you soon.

Merry Christmas.