Although I've been living in the States since I was four months old, I haven't completely been isolated from the contemporary Japanese lifestyle. This is partly
because I've always spoken Japanese at home, and partly because I attended
Japanese schools in the States. Another big factor that has helped
me maintain my sense of "Japaneseness"
is visiting friends and relatives in Japan
every few years. They keep me rooted to this place
that I have never really been a part of.
Every two or three years, my father's company
pays our travel costs for an ichiji-kikoku (temporary visit home). Most Japanese firms offer this perk to their overseas
employees. The typical Japanese family
in New York goes back more often than my family does, though, and they must
often pay their own way. In the past 10 years, I've spent a total of only two
months in Japan.
When I arrived at Shinjuku Station this time, I felt confident and ready to take on the world. I've gotten a good feel for New York, Boston and
Chicago _ all cosmopolitan cities _ so I
thought I could easily handleTokyo.
Unfortunately, after changing trains in Shinjuku and getting off at another stop, I realized I was lost. I couldn't even find a public phone to call my friends, Yoko and Akiko
Yoshida. They were waiting for a call before picking me up.
Finally I approached a random
passerby and asked him if he knew where a public phone might be, but he
said, "No." I told him I was visiting from the States so everything was new
to me. I suddenly felt like a country bumpkin,
but I realized it's better to be humble
sometimes. And it paid off, because the man
then handed me his cellular phone and told me how to use it.
I had never used a cellular
phone before _ in the States it seems that they are mere toys for the "nouveau riche." But it allowed me to call the Yoshidas and arrive
safely at their house. I was struck by the man's
kindness, and so was everyone else I've told this story to.
After
spending a fun night at the Yoshida's, I went to my paternal grandparents' house in suburban Tokyo. I hadn't seen any of my
relatives in three years, so it was nice to be
pampered by them. My grandparents are not getting any younger either,
and I guess they were enjoying the rare chance to see me.
I have really
been trying my best to be a good guest for my various hosts on this trip. Unlike my past trips to Japan, I didn't come with my three
brothers and mother this year. Instead, I came
on my own and set
my own schedule. This has enabled me to
spend more time with the people I came to visit and to waste less time ironing out logistics for a
five-person group.
So I spent my time running
around Japan, often with two or three meetings a day. I wasn't really able to enjoy the
slower-paced beauty of the country. A couple
of friends invited me to visit Kamakura with them, but I didn't have time.
I did work for a day as a "campaign girl" for a Tokyo department store,
though, and I think I got a taste of what an
average summer day is like for a female arubaito (part-timer). I'm glad I
experienced it, but I hope I won't have to go
through that kind of job too often in the future.
My trip to Japan this
time was also rather short. Before I started college, I toyed with the idea of spending a whole year in
Japan, but now my grad school work has taken
precedence. School starts at the end of August, so I must get myself in academic shape by then.
So far I've always visited Japan in the
summertime, never in winter. My gut
impression is that Japan is hot, crowded,
and expensive. However, this time especially, I felt
comfortable here. I think there are enough things in Japan to make
anyone want to stay longer. Maybe this time, when visiting Japan, I could feel
more acutely the deep love and small
kindnesses that I have always taken for granted
before.