Overheard in Kyoto

I’ve reached the point where I’m able to understand words and phrases from the conversations of people I pass walking on the street. Unfortunately, that’s also all I can understand when I’m trying to have an actual conversation with someone.

日本語

Even though we have not started Japanese classes, my language skills are improving dramatically; I’m noticing almost daily improvement just from listening and talking to my host parents. I can even understand some shows on the T.V. if I know the vocabulary and I can recognize the kanji from many of the stops on the bus I ride to and from school 「まもなく、千本今出川です。」

よかった日

Today, I got back and forth from school without incident and my ability to understand Japanese is improving. I feel like I’m settling in a bit and I’m able to relax. After a delicious dinner with my host family (Japanese soup broth with chicken and vegetables), we watched a samurai show on the T.V. and had a little chat. It was a good day.

Rice

I’ve been here four days and had a total of 12 meals. All but 2 have involved significant quantities of rice. So far, the food has been excellent.

Juice

When referring to anything that isn't water, when talking to foreigners who can’t understand your language or 18-month-old children who can, you can always call it “juice”. 「ジュースを買って名前を書いてこのれいぞうに入れて飲んでください。」

部屋

My Room:

賀茂川

Today’s adventure included a trip to the city office, an informal tour of Kyoto University, and crossing the Kamo River. The Japanese government requires all aliens who will be in Japan for more than 90 days to register with the local city or ward office. Hiroki, a student from Kyoto University, took Stephanie Cheng and me – we both live in Kita-ku (北区) – to the local ward office. After helping us fill out our alien registration forms, he showed us the Kamo River (賀茂川) and gave us a tour of Kyoto University. (Hiroki informed us that Kyoto University is commonly referred to as Kyodai, a contraction of “Kyoto University” in Japanese, “Kyoto Daigaku”. Similarly, Tokyo University is Todai, from “Tokyo Daigaku”.) Here, Hiroki and Stephanie cross the Kamo River using the path made of large stones, some of which are shaped like giant turtles.

Customs Inspections

As we wait in line to pass through customs in Kansai Airport, a large, bright yellow sign with red lettering informs us, “Strict inspections being carried out for the prevention of terrorism.”

Jackets

I sit down and look around me as everyone else finishes boarding the airplane. A few rows in front of me, to the left, a pair of younger guys are sitting down. They both take off their jackets and, after crumpling them up, unceremoniously stuff them into an overhead bin. In the row in front of me, an older Japanese couple has just sat down. They carefully remove their jackets, folding them into neat little squares. A brief discussion ensues on the suitability of the folded jackets. A decision is made and after one jacket is refolded, both are carefully placed into the overhead bin that contains the owners’ luggage.

Mailing Address

Jeffrey Spehar
Stanford Program in Kyoto
Doshisha University
Karasuma Higashi-iru, Imadegawa-dori
Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8580
JAPAN