Japan Part Three (San): Everything in Japan is cooler, why don't we have these?

Just some examples...

Have you ever been annoyed that the air hand dryers in our public restrooms never get the job done? If not (a) you're wierd and (b) you've never experienced a jet-engine like Japanese hand dryer in Japan:

This picture doesn't really do it justice either. You simply stick your hands in there (and you dont have to touch any buttons and undo the germ-elimination you just completed) and these crazy jet-engine like dryers come on and wick away every drop of moisture. They're never too hot or too cold and the dryer stays on until you remove your hands.

Oh, that reminds me, every faucet and soap dispenser is automated. And not in the annoying way that it is here---where you spend at least 30 seconds waving your hands frantically around trying to get the damn sensor to sense that you are there and want to wash your hands. Nope. In Japan, the sensors actually do their jobs.

It's actually a bit disconcerting how automated the bathroom experience is. You'll go to the counter and there are no buttons, levers or anything to touch. Hence there are most likely less germs for you to pick up. I love it!

Speaking of bathrooms, the cool factor doesnt end there. It actually starts here:

First off, the toilet seats are all warmed. And not from someone else's ass. They are constantly warmed for your comfort. Plus, all the other options: flushing sound in case you're modest and dont want others to hear your business, 2 different types of cleansing options (with water pressure options too) and a deodorizing option:

The only down side is the rare occasion when you're in the sticks or in a place that hasn't joined the rest of Japan and given everyone Western toilets. I used to fear these last time I was in Japan. This time I was pleasantly surprised that they are a much more rare occurrence nowadays. May I present the typical Japanese toilet:

May you never have to use these without having been in Japan for at least 3 days. It will throw you off your game. I'm totally used to them by now, but I still prefer the First Class version of toilets. :-)

I couldn't possibly put in pics of all the cool things in Japan. Next time, a couple more cool things and then funny things. Stay tuned!

Japan Part Two (Ni): Everything is funkier in Japan

It's taken quite awhile for me to get to this second post, but if you've read some of the other posts, you know why.

Japanese Fashion: I wish I had taken pictures of some of the tragedies I witnessed on any given subway in Tokyo. The shock value alone would have been worth it. But I felt wierd pointing a camera at some strange girl/guy while trying to stifle my laughter and balance the load of bags & packages we always had in transit. (or the yummy bakery goodies we always stopped to eat--note to BT). Let me just describe a typical outfit by a young fashionista: horribly dyed blonde hair with standard black roots, her hair pulled up in a sequinced red scrunchie, plaid fitted flannel shirt with a totally contrasting shirt underneath peeking out, over a tu-tu styled black skirt overlaid with a giant alligator belt, then tights and high top converse rolled down. Now, the tights weren't any tights. I dont know how, but she managed to find tights where one leg was black & white striped while the other was bright purple with multi-colored polka dots on it. Oh, and she had a gigantic faux-patent leather bag to tie the outfit together.

Something like this, but worse:

Or this:

The time I saw that girl, I literally started laughing and had to walk away. There were obviously lesser offenders, but not too much better. Even the boys were guilty, wearing tight pants, or skinny jeans, in wierd colors.

It was never really this bad, thankfully:

But if I saw that, I would not have been surprised.

The one thing I didn't mind too much (because it made sense) was that everyone carries a bag on the subway. Men, women, children, elderly. Everyone. And it's because you need to. When you ride public transportation all day, everywhere and are never in one spot to gather your things, or you do your shopping all around town (many do), you will inevitably end up with lots of crap. So even men carry "man bags." (think Joey on Friends and his "fashionable"man bag) That I didnt mind so much. But everything else? . . . WOW. 'Nuf said.

Next time: cool stuff in Japan

Hey Cal, your mom called . . .

Dear Cal Football,

It's official. You suck. I love Cal Football, so it pains me to say it. But seriously. I have watched you perform hot and cold for the last 10 years, but this year is especially terrible because as many of you know, you are the best talent in the Pac-10. So why, god why, do you f-in suck so bad? My god! Today's game against Washington is tragic. Pathetic. Heartbreaking. What is with all the turnovers, mistakes, penalties?!

Are you trying to get Tedford fired? Do you have a vendetta against him? Cuz damn, you're doing everything you can to make sure that's gonna happen after today's loss and (predictably) Big Game against Stanford.

Thank god many of you are leaving after this year. Maybe what we need is fresh blood and hopefully a football team that doesn't go mental and lose their shit every f-in game when things start going south.

Sincerely,
Heartbroken and Pissed

Bay Oil Spill: I'm a bleeding heart, I admit it, but if you can help...

**Be warned, this is my own personal PSA**

It's no secret, I'm a die-hard animal lover. So if you are willing or able to help at all, then I urge you to let Baykeeper.org know you're interested in volunteering with the cleanup efforts after the terrible oil spill in the Bay yesterday.

www.baykeeper.org

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/09/BA51T8USI.DTL

I've also checked with the Oiled Wildlife Care Network, and right now it's not clear what they will need volunteers from the public for, but I'll definitely stay tuned.

http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/owcn/

Even if you can't volunteer your time, you can help track the oil spill (O'Brien's Group of Southern California at (985) 781-0804)or call OWCN if you see an injured bird (1-877-823-6926).

I love living here, so I'm hoping I can contribute to keep the Bay Area the gorgeous and amazing place it is.

The expected ..... unexpected

When you visit someone who is very sick, gravely ill, you know you should expect what is coming next. But for some reason when the expected happens, it seems strangely unexpected. In the wake of our Japan trip, which in and of itself was intense and gratifying at the same time, I am now faced with the unexpected expediency of the expected. My aunt died this morning. We all knew we should be expecting this, but at the same time, seeing her just last Thursday, merely 6 days ago, so happy to see M and I, so talkative, so exuberant at our last meeting, I was more than a bit floored when I recieved the news this afternoon that she had died.

Admittedly, we have not shared the same level of closeness many people share with their loved ones, but I knew that she cared about me from afar. And I for her. And I had (perhaps unrealistic hopes) that the next time I went to Japan I would see her again, alive.

For many hours this afternoon I did what many people do when faced with this kind of news--I took on the responsibility to keep myself busy. The responsility of making sure what needed to happen (from the US) happened. People were informed. Arrangements were made. Long distance phone calls were made. But for an hour or so while waiting for the lines of communication to clear up between here and Tokyo, I did what I originally planned to do today, attended an exercise class. I didn't know what else to do with myself for that period of time. And then another unexpected thing happened. About half way through the class, on a hard drill, I pushed myself harder than I have before. I got into a zone and basically punished myself for being able to do what she could no longer do-- breathe, live, strive and have possibility and opportunity. And it literally made me cry during this class. Luckily for me, the room was very dark and my tears mixed in with the rivers of sweat pouring out. But I felt guilty because I can do what she no longer can. So I pushed myself more. My knees almost gave out in exhaustion. But what else can you do when the expected unexpectedly happens way too soon?

Weee!!!

Ok, this is shamefully self-promoting, egotistical, etc. But if you're reading this blog, you know me and you won't give a crap. So... weee!! I came back from Japan to find out I'm ranked #2 in my position at Company X. Yeah! If (fingers crossed) this keeps up through the end of the year, I might get a free trip to Maui on Company X for M and I. True, M and I have been to Maui many many (many) times, but never for free! Imagine that, we'll actually have reserved seats. I can bring however much crap I want. :-)

So how come I can't shake that nagging, dreadful feeling everytime I see my bosses' name pop up on my caller ID or an email from her in my inbox? I think it's because I spent too many years living in a constant state of fear at BigLaw where, as biting tongue said it best, assholes were running the show.

Now if only our Bears could have hung onto their #2 spot.... *sigh*

Japan Part One (Ichi): Overwhelming gratitude... It's a lot harder than it looks

Japan is cool. I heart Japan, seriously. I implore you to visit this country and not come home with warm fuzzies and amazement at their country and culture. First, everyone is unbelievably polite. It's the Japanese way, as my cousin's husband said, to think of others first and yourself last. That's not new to some people, but to experience that in action every day is quite amazing. I have so many observations and interesting stories from our short trip to Japan, I've decided to break them up into parts.

One thing I was not prepared for on this visit was the level of gratitude and honor each member of my family felt and expressed to us for making the trip out to see them. Each and every one of them was so grateful and so happy and so overcome with emotion, it was completely overwhelming.

For example, M, my mother and I went to visit my great aunt in her care facility about 2 hours outside downtown Tokyo (Tokyo is huge, so everywhere we went there was pretty much still considered Tokyo, but it can take a long time to get to your destination with all the train transfers). When we arrived at the train station, my great uncle picked us up and the first thing he did was pull out a 27-year old picture of me at my uncle Hiro's wedding that he keeps in his wallet. That wasn't the last time I saw them, but it was the last picture he had of me with his wife, my great aunt. But still, I haven't seen him in at least 17 years and he still keeps a picture of me in his wallet. (It should be noted that my brother and I are 2 of the 3 grandchildren in the entire family. ENTIRE family, including all of my grandmother's siblings). He said (in Japanese) that he was so impressed that we came to visit him on this short trip, they were so grateful. To express his gratitude my great uncle and aunt gave M a *very* expensive watch (http://www.seikowatches.com/asia/press/news_gs2005.asp
--keep in mind, M has never met any of these Japanese relatives) and gave me an equally expensive piece of jewelry. I felt terrible because Japanese tradition is to bring people you are visiting a gift, not the other way around. But we simply did not have time to get something before this visit. But of course, we graciously accepted their gifts in awe.

Later, we went into my aunt's room at the care facility. She was so overcome with gratitude that she had to turn away to cry. It was heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. She could NOT believe that we had travelled all that way to see her, and it was pretty evident that it would be the last time we will see her. She was so excited to meet my husband (who, in Japan, is practically at rock-star status). We communicated our well wishes for her health in the minimal Japanese we learned on the way over, and she was thrilled.

After the visit, we were supposed to have dinner with my great uncle in his hometown at some very fancy restaurant. We brought a change of clothes for the occasion. But at the last minute, he had to conduct some business downtown, so he drove us downtown to the Ginza area, put us in a beautiful Chinese restaurant, ordered us an unbelievable meal, complete with 2 bottles of French wine and a traditional Chinese liquor with dessert, paid the bill and went to his meeting. He later joined us for the Chinese liquor and dessert. Okay, he just bought us crazy expensive gifts and now he's taking us to a thousand dollar meal? I mean, soup was 4200 Yen (approx $42 bucks). OMG. This is just too much. But the thing is, in Japan, you gotta roll with it. So we ate and ate and ate, for fear of being rude for not trying everything. We rolled ourselves out of dinner, bade him farewell with multiple thank yous, and walked around in Ginza (famous part of Tokyo) to help digest.


A few days later, we went to visit my aunt at the hospital. She's very sick, and it was again clear that this would be our last visit with her. She too was completely overcome with emotion. She literally choked up and cried, bringing us all to tears too. I hadn't seen her in about 17 or so years, so seeing her in this condition was very difficult. But, in keeping with Japanese ways, she also gave us an all-too-generous gift of cash.

Can you see how this week went? I felt so mixed up by the whole thing. I mean, it's not that difficult for us to fly out to Japan, and given that we had a free place to stay in Tokyo the whole time (along with my great uncle's offer to put us up in some fancy-pants hotel next time we come back to Tokyo because he thinks my Grandma's house is too small to accomodate us), we could certainly make the trip more often. I felt bad that we hadn't done so earlier. I felt bad that we didn't bring gifts with us (although I did write my aunt a card). I also felt amazed at their expressions of love and affection. It may be true that Japanese (and Asians in general) aren't too good at expressing love with words and physical actions, but these grandiose gestures make it pretty darn clear how they feel. And that was a big lesson learned for me. My mother has never been able to tell me how she felt about me, but she has done things that I know are hard for her, and now in retrospect (damn 20-20 hindsight) I have gratitude for that.

Next time on "Lucky_girl's odyssey to Japan:" CRAZY JAPANESE FASHION and funny idiosyncracies unique to Japan (singing toilets anyone?). Stay tuned Wintermute.

*okay, I know I saw a typo in here earlier... somewhere there is a word with two "m's".... so forgive me. i am too hungry to hunt it down right now*