Not a lot of time (what else is new?) so I am just copying from an e-mail I wrote earlier commenting on random facts about Japan. Most of this I think has been mentioned at one point or another on one blog or another, but just in case you forgot, here's some random facts about Japan!
Traffic
Bikes are incredibly typical and may actually outnumber the number of cars on the road -- although they ALWAYS ride on the sidewalk and are considered pedestrian traffic. Therefore it is safe to ride your bike, even at night, because cars know you are there and know to look for you. Bikes are also expected to go very slowly so that they could stop on a dime (so as to avoid hitting old people, actually) and thus speeding Elders racing along still manage to get into bike accidents -- albeit rarely. Bikes are the main transportation for missionaries, to the point that sometimes people we stop on the street ask if a bike is actually part of being a missionary for our church (these are people that have seen us riding around before).
Cars drive on the left side here. Cars are pretty small, and leg room is not really a high priority. Sometimes this frustrates me, but their gas consumption is amazing, so. Parking lots are packed and often several stories high (you park in the bottom and a lift carries your car up to the respective floor and puts it on a little shelf) and people are able to back into a parking spot that is exactly the width of their car. It terrifies me when they do this and I always have to close my eyes when they do it. The other day I saw a parking lot that was 6 stories high, which was a first for me. Up until now the most I have seen was 4. This isn't a parking lot where you drive up to the respective floors, but the elevator kind. There are also plenty of normal typical parking lots, too, although there is never enough parking and it's usually pretty far from where you want to really be. People are used to walking around here -- a 20 minute walk is considered pretty typical to get from store to train station or from bus to home.
Living Quarters
Do you remember that reality show thingy they showed at the MTC? The District or something. Do you remember looking at that apartment and thinking, "Geez, that is as big as the house I live in now."
Yeah, Japan is the opposite.
All Japanese houses have a Genkan, or a...front...area? A place that is usually lowered where you put your shoes. You ALWAYS take off your shoes at the genkan -- wearing your shoes in the house is simply unthinkable. The rest of the house is raised slightly, so you step up to go inside. People will generally wear slippers around the house. These slippers do NOT go into the bathroom -- you take them off. There is sometimes a pair of slippers for you to wear while you are in the bathroom so that you don't have to touch the floor.
The bathroom is a weird setup; if you don't know about it remind me and I will explain next time.
The flooring is not wooden; it's tatami. Tatami is like tightly woven dried grass. It's not very comfortable (don't lie down directly on it; it is kinda sorta itchy?), but it is slightly cushion-y. People sit on this all the time. They sit in a position called seiza, which is basically kneeling as if you are going to pray (sit on your ankles). You take off your slippers before entering a room with tatami. Most people have a wooden floor kitchen and a tatami for most of the other rooms. Our apartment is pretty western. The only room with tatami is our sleeping room.
Did I mention we sleep on the floor? I desperately miss beds. We sleep on a futon, which is about the width of most simple blankets and use a...I dunno how to spell duvet (DOO-vey). We use that for a blanket.
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Japan is really humid and REALLY hot right now (yesterday was what, about 95-100F?). I feel bad for the Elders on Sundays because suit coats are required. They always greet members drenched in sweat. All well, at least being drenched in sweat is pretty standard in Japan and in the summer no one really comments on it. Still, it can't be pleasant for them.
Can't think of much else right now. There is a shrine next door to our apartment that is pretty big, and they have a festival tomorrow and the day after. Our entire neighborhood is lined in rope and twisted paper like Christmas lights. I can't remember the point of the paper; I think it welcomes good spirits, chases away bad spirits, or marks the land as spiritual, not sure which it means and it might be all three.
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So there are your cultural facts for the week. Life is going well for me as a missionary. We had a mini zone conference yesterday that focused on finding people. We went out determined to find lots of people and got turned away all day -- most people wouldn't even stop or look at us, they just walked around us -- but we weren't sad because we were trying hard. Today we got a totsuzen (sudden, unexpected) member referral and two people we have been having trouble getting ahold of called us and set up appointments. I guess we get blessed in different ways, and the Lord really is paying attention to our efforts. That's how I felt, anyway.
Love you all lots!
