Today I visited a middle school and sat in a sixth grade class for an hour or so, answering questions and generally being a Gaijin Spectacle. It was great. I ate lunch with them, and they taught me a couple of Japanese kids' card games, which should be useful next time I'm attacked by Evil Japanese Children From Space whose anger can only be assuaged by quiet children's card games. Incidentally, the kids in the photo are all one class - the middle school has about 900 kids in it, which the teacher I sat with said was only a little over normal. Class sizes throughout Japan are uniformly thirty kids and up, yet they are some of the world's best educated children. Of course they don't have computers either, so that's a thumb in the eye of the technophiles who would seek to replace real learning with docile computing.
I read an article in the local newspaper today that outlined the growing trend of treating animals just like part of the family, which includes high-priced, health-conscious dog food cafes, doggie weddings complete with tux and dress presided over by a 'real' priest, and let's not forget doggie funerals that cost multiple thousands of dollars, which really just ensures that you are treating your dog like a true loved one. The next time someone launches on some anti-American rant that makes out that America is the land of conspicuous comsumption, remember this little anecdote.
Went shopping for some nice winter clothes, which made me feel like a total sellout. I got some nice slippers that will make lazing around the dorm and kitchen in various stages of undress even easier. I went to a department store and discovered a vast treasure trove of Engrish clothing. I actually had to tear myself away from a rack of sweatshirts, every one of which was a beautiful little nugget of Engrish goodness; I'll be working my way through these photo backlogs for a while. Tragically, the hoodie photographed to the right came only in size Gianormous, so I couldn't get it, but I did get another one, which I will post tomorrow.
I watched My Neighbor Totoro a couple of days ago, and was thrilled to discover that I can actually understand the entire movie! Yay! Sure, it's designed for 6-year-olds, but so what?
