Entrance to Meiji Jinku Shrine
I continue to be struck by just how different it is to reside in a foreign country versus vacationing in one for a week or two. I did study abroad for four months a long time ago, but that was at an American university's campus in the suburbs of Rome. I wasn't left to my own devices to figure things out - I had the help of the English-speaking staff there. I went to Europe another time with a BFF to backpack for a couple of months while in between jobs, but traversing the continent and staying in hostels is not the same as experiencing life as a resident.
Paul and I continue to learn new things every day - such as how to do self checkout and/or return items in stores, navigate the subway system, how work the restaurant and train ticket kiosks, how to work the oven... Another example: I looked into possibly buying Taylor Swift tickets for one of her concerts here this week, but after reviewing the intimidating process for ordering the tickets, downloading the Japanese app (I assume something akin to the Japanese version of Ticketmaster), uploading said tickets and presenting them to the staff at the gate, I said to heck with this - too much to figure out. I'll redirect what would have been hundreds of dollars to plane tickets and hotel rooms instead.
Yesterday I had a small win when I was able to successfully find and participate in a Kintsugi class at a nearby ceramic arts studio. "Finding" places is difficult because building addresses aren't often displayed in English and there aren't an abundance of street signs, believe it or not. But Google Maps got me there with time to spare.
I had seen a segment about Kintsugi on CBS Sunday Morning about a year ago and loved the concept - which is the Japanese art of restoring broken pottery pieces (vases, cups, dishes and the like) to a repaired state that is even more beautiful than they were before they broke. Little did I know at the time I'd actually have the opportunity to attend a class - in Japan no less!
I found the Taku Nakano CeramicArts studio online and while the website did its best to convey course offerings in English, I could not find an easy way to register, so I ended up sending an email. I received a prompt response, detailing the two classes that were available and encouraging me to sign up soon. I responded with my course selection, confirming the date and time. Then, crickets...I sent another email the next day and again received no response. So, yesterday, at the appointed time, I just showed up - and of course they didn't have me on the class list. But when I showed the string of emails to the gal who greeted me (emails that I'm sure she couldn't read), she took pity on me and set up an additional spot at the work table.
The class was taught in English by Taku Nakano, the studio's excruciatingly hip head potter and namesake (and Japan's answer to Jeff Goldblum). I was one of three students in attendance - there was a woman from Pueblo, Mexico and a guy from Australia - both of whom were here on vacation.
Over the course of two hours, we learned about our teacher, his approach to life and art, and how to "perform" Kintsugi.
I left with my own little masterpiece, which you can't see very well because it needs to stay in a sealed baggie with a wet paper towel for two weeks in order to set properly. Here's an image of what Kintsugi looks like when done by a professional artist...
So with that small win under my belt, I got in a walk around the nearby Yoyogi Park, which houses the impressive Meiji Jinku shrine. And then I happened upon this lively crew performing outside of a subway station:
When dinnertime rolled around, I grabbed my trusty new cookbook, "Japanese Cooking for Beginners," and started to prepare a new traditional dish. I was confident I'd have better luck than the night before when our oven "timed out" and turned off on its own unbeknownst to me, resulting in a lukewarm potato pie (Japanese style) that was pretty unsatisfying. This appliance has a mind of its own! Case in point: Yesterday evening while sauteing some veggies the gas burner just stopped working. The gas was still flowing but the flame would not hold. I had to reach out to our concierge for help. It took two of them to determine that two batteries needed to be replaced. Long story short, they fixed it - but it took so long that we ended up ordering pizza from Domino's (yes Domino's). There's one that sits directly across the street...
Anyway, all of this just illustrates that we're taking it all in, one day at a time, savoring our small victories and overcoming our daily challenges. Next up: Our upcoming long weekend in Kyoto.
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