mathieutozer.com

A week already! Wow its going quickly! its been really good for my Japanese
too, I feel more confident again already.
Funny thing happened today, Yukino was asked by a friend to fill in as a
dancer in the corporate opening of a new Logitec speaker system launch thingy in Japan today so I went along! It was a good experience to see how events like that are oganised. I was behing the scenes all the time. And I got to see the final show (most of it anyway) where there was a professional translator,
so I got to see how things like that work. Listen, translate, listen,
translate etc. Looks bloody hard though. Started writing a few post cards too. Ill finish them tonight. Didnt sleep well last night. It was hot and a typhoon was roaring outside (its sunny now but the wind is knocking little old ladies and bicycles down the main street of ginza!) and I just didnt sleep well. So Im just taking it easy today. No rushing around today.
I did eat some of the worst curry rice Ive ever eaten though - I knew it was a mistake before I even went into the place but I didnt really have much choice at the time! I couldnt eat the chicken it was foul and I never leave anything on the plate as you know so you can probably imagine!
I might just go back and do some origami and write some more postcards I think. Ill try and push myself into a light jog later on tonight too.
Ill be back in a week!

Today Im a little sleepy - could have something to do with getting back to home base last night after eating Shabu Shabu Tabehoudai (All you can eat Shabu Shabu) and going for a run over to and around the Roppongi Hills tower. Was a great run though and I only got mildy lost twice!!

Sorry about the bad punctuation - I cant find the proper English punctuation on this keyboard!

Made my way over to Asakusa on the JR Yamanote line, and visited the sensouji temple. First thing to greet me were these guys running around pulling carts with people on them. You can get a two person cart drawn by a strapping young man starting at ¥1000 for a 15 minute tour around the historic Asakusa area. However I reluctantly declined and walked through the shop lined walkway, stuffed with gimcky wigs and chopsticks, to traditional biscuits and sweets. Went right up to the kaminari mon (Thunder gate). The temple itself isnt that old, the one built back in the 1600s survived the 1929 earthquake but not the WWII bombings. So as it was rebuilt in 1969, it`s elegantly reengeneered with reinforced concrete. The east gate, however, is still the original, and largely ignored by tourists, so I took a good look at that.

Afterwards I bought some traditional Japanese crackers to take home, and a pack of chopsticks too, and pretty much went straight to the subway.
In the end I was more impressed with the yasukuni shrine, it had more meaning I think and it was less tourist-tacky.

Caught the subway to Ginza, and frantically bought some rice balls and some spinach and cheese bread thing. I was ravenous!
The glistening 6 level frosted silver Apple Computer store complete with rotating apple sign was right outside the door of the exclusive mitsukoshi department store that squats right on top of the ginza subway station. Thats where I am now. Level 4 has free live seminars going all day in a theatre teaching people how to use apple software and computers. Im at the top where they have free internet access.

Anyway I`ve got a nice sweet bread sitting in my bag waiting for me so Ill get out of here. Ill try to keep out of the rain though.

Today I decided to visit Japans past and took myself through the subway to Ootemachi - I got lost, of course, and had to pay extra to get through the turnstyles because I had taken another companys train... took the long escalators out of the smelly subway and into the noisy streets. Luckily I had come right to the spot I wanted - The Imperial Palace grounds. Walked in through the huge stone and wooden gates, entry was free (boon!) and there was also a free but rudimentry English tour going around. Half of the grounds are not open to visitors except for 2 days of the year, as the Emperor still lives there, but I got to stroll around his garden. Camera battery was going flat but I got a few photos.

After that I walked around the moat running along the busy city street, where there were many people jogging and sweating, and walked up to a street well known for its second hand books. I slowly browsed and found an old hard cover book of Genji Monogatari with big old pictures in it going quite cheap so I bought that.

Hungry, I found a little kaiten sushi place and had a few plates, then kept on walking to my destination (I worked out later I could have caught the subway, of course) the Yasukuni Shrine.
Quite a contriversial place, since it officially pays homage to Japanese who have died in past wars, including class-A war criminals, so understandably Korea, China and other Asian countries that Japan tried to colonise early last century take offence when the PM Koizumi and other politicians visit there. You could say its the equvalent of Melbournes war memorial. It was very well maintained, but the peacefulness that you usually get from shrines was kind of replaced with (I felt) a bit of tension. There were alot of elderly people walking about too. What struck me was off to the right of the shrine there was a small exhibit / museum with an old warplane (interestingly with a Mitsubishi motor in it) and an old steam locomotive that used to run on the Thai-Burma railway. They both looked quite sinister, even more than the bullet hole scarred cannons in there too. I tried to imagine what it would have been like to have zoom through the air in a big clunky plane like that.
There were some earlier pieces too, like old samurai swords which were intricately carved with dragons and polished silver, and the heavy armour was on show there too. Beautiful, but deadly.

After that I left and took a few more photos on the way out.

Caught the subway back to Shirokane-takanawa and dumped my stuff, then headed out again to Shinjuku in the subway WITHOUT error, so Im feeling pretty clucky about that. You have to get good at reading the signs. Im now on the 6th floor of BIC CAMERA, a giant 6 level electronics store - Im in Gaget Heaven!

Hi!
Im well hope you are too.
I think I told you I was staying at Yukino Tsukiyamas place - I stayed with
her last time I was in Tokyo.
Im not going to Wakayama, it would be too expensive.

Its raining here today, and not just qualls here and there but RAIN all day! I
went and looked at this place called DAIBA, its a man made island on the bay
of tokyo and theyve got all these exibit-ish like places. I was way early and
had to wait around having a latte for a little bit. Went in and had a look at
the most ridiculous department store Ive ever seen in my life, it had a fake
painted blue sky and was playing silly music. Toyota had a show on there and
also a universal design exhibit too.

Saturday was fun too. Caught the subway and then train to Shinjuku, a major
district in Tokyo, and then went west out of the city on the highway. The lady
next to me in the airoplane invited me to go with her and her group to go
grape picking in Yamanashi prefecture. Beforehad we stopped in a country town
and had pork hootate, a hot and wholesome noodle soup, and then we got in the
car and after getting a little lost and asking at a 7 11 for directions, we
got to the grape picking place... ate heaps and heaps of grapes, then took
some up and squished them with boots, drained the juice and drank it. Then we
went inside and drwe labels for the wine thats made there (its a winery).
afterwards we went to an Onsen (hot spring bath) and just sat in the water for
ages looking at the mountains and the (cloudy) sky.

It was already dark when we left there. Had to doze in the car on the way home
I was exhausted!

Went out on the town in Roppongi at this trendy bar called HEARTLAND I know
its very Japanese and had some HEEARTLAND beers. It was at the new Roppongi
Hills shopping complex which is in walking distance of where Im staying. Im
staying in SHIROKANE TAKANAWA. Its actually a very exclusive part of Tokyo, in
fact the most expensive so practiacally Im staying in the most expensive part
of Japan! So its very safe and sound. Theres alot of international consulates
around and alot of GEINOUJIN or famous people like actors and actresses life
around there not to mention well to do buisinessmen etc.

Ive decided to try and walk to places at least once because it helps me
orientate myself (plus its way cheaper than the trains and subway, which are
separate and you have to pay each time)

anyway ill try and email again when I find a computer next, its strange
because everywhere you look theres machines and techoology, but its so hard to
find a computer with internet access and a telephone! Ive been told public
phones are on the way out in Japan with more and more people using Mobile
phones instead.

hear from you soon!

Mathieu

Do they have women's and men's dog races?

First class of the week

I joined the gymnastics club today. It was so much fun. Can't wait for friday's training. A bit sore though!

Went for a run the other day to IKEA to buy some cheap bath towels, found some cheap hot dogs too!

Yesterday at Monash University - I won the award for originality. Here is the transcript of my speech. I'll try and make a translation available soon.

弁論大会２００４年
マシュートーザー
Mathieu Tozer
スピーチの原稿

オーストラリア人が床に座って食べたり飲んだりしているのを見て、みなさんどう思いますか？
日本から帰ってきて間もないときに、日本人の友人と大学のキャンパスを歩いていると、彼が、「どうしてオーストラリア人は床に座って食べているのか」といいました。私はオーストラリア人なのに、彼と同じく、違和感を感じました。

私は一年半日本に留学したことがあります。
その時は自分の頭の中で大きな変化があった時期でした。初めは、カルチャーショックで、混乱したり、悩んだりしていましたが、最後には自然と日本の生活に溶け込んでいました。こちらに帰ってきて、生活が急にオーストラリアの環境に戻ったので、今度は逆にオーストラリアの習慣に対してカルチャーショックを受けたのです。

学者によると、カルチャーショックには五つの段階があると言われています。一つ目は新婚旅行のような楽しい段階です。二つ目は嫌な気持ちを持つ段階です。それから慣れていく段階で、その次は自分の国にいるように自然でいられる段階。最後がオーストラリアに帰ってから自分の国に違和感を感じる「逆カルチャーショック」の段階です。

その逆カルチャーショックの時に、私は自分の国なのに、習慣と社会のことをよく分からなくて変だと思っていました。まるで水から出された魚みたいな感覚でした。
また、友達や家族が少し変わったような気もしました。それから、オーストラリアの習慣に苛立ちを感じ、どのようにしたらいいのか全くわからない時期もありました。例えば、５時になると店が全部閉まります！

ある日、大学帰りに友達を一緒に電車に乗った時、数人の留学生の隣に座りました。彼女たちは母国語で楽しく大きな声で話をしていました。それを友達はうるさいと言いましたが、私はあまり気になりませんでした。この世界ではたくさんの言葉が聞こえて、そしてそれは素晴らしいことだとその時に思っていたのです。

こちらに戻ってすぐの頃に、オーストラリアが変わったと思っていましたが、本当は自分が変わっていたのだと今は思います。それに気づいたことで、新しい社会観が生まれ、オーストラリアを客観的にみることができるようになり、オーストラリアの生活に違和感を感じなくなりました。

日本での生活から数え切れないくらい多くのすばらしいものが備わったと感じます。精神的に強くなったり、寛大な気持ちで人に接することができるようになったりしました。また、考え方が柔軟になり、オーストラリアではよく目にする多文化を受け入れることも出来るようになりました。

ここで私はさきほど五つのカルチャーショックの段階に六つ目の段階を提案したいと思います。それは逆カルチャーショックが終わってからの私が感じたように異文化を受け入れて尊重できる、偏見のない広い視野をもつようになる時期です。


私にとって、日本に行ったことはとてもいい経験になりました。それは、間違いなく、カルチャーショックを受けたからです。このような変化には、ショックが必要だと思います。この国際化されている世界ではたくさんの異なる文化を毎日目にします。まず個人的な段階から日本とオーストラリアの国際理解を深めるため両国の学生に交換留学をする機会をたくさん作ってほしいと思います。
ありがとうございました。