first update on Japan,2 weeks later

Hello everyone! This is what I wanted to post last time and for some reason I didnt, it was written on the 10th of March.

Its been a week since I arrived here, but I feel like I ve been here for ages.. Im all settled in my host family, a lovely lady and her 15-old daughter.. They are just so lovely..and it doesnt matter if their english are barely enough for a basic communication, we manage to get by. My japanese is improving quickly (from zero, to 0.01). Today I learned the days, months and seasons and the previous days I ve been working on the Hirakana alphabet. A bit tricky that one, but with time and practise, I ll get there.
Just for the record, the japanese language has 3 alphabets. Hirakana, Katakana and Kanji. Kanji is the most complicated one, that has a lot of similarities with the chinese alphabet. The Hirakana is used for foreign words, like restaurantu, miruku (milk)and for names. Katakana is the easier, normal alphabet for japanese words.

So my main source of satisfaction this last week has been the food. I looove japanese food. As incredible as it may sound, I havent had sushi yet. But, suprise suprise, sushi is not the only japanese food. Today I had Nabe for dinner, some kind of thick soup with tofu, soy milk, some kind of noodles made of beans (if i got that right), a vegetable that looks like celery and other goodies. (there were also pieces of pork thrown in). Delicious! Or as they say here “Oishi”! The local Osaka yummy foods also thrill me.. Takoyaki, deep fried octopus balls and okonomiyaki, some kind of flour dough mixed with anything you want, are local specialties.. Udon, thick noodles with meat or chicken and Oden, some kind of boiled things, still havent figured this one out, make me cant wait for dinner time.. I also love the sweets, the bakery goods with sweet beans or green tea flavour, seaweed salads, fried rice with egg, miso soup, onion soup, everything.. i m loving it.. All I can think about is food! mmm...

Since this is my second time in Japan, there was no major cultural shock, even though not speaking the language and not understanding anything can be frustrating. Im still surprised at the little things that I had forgotten, how people just bow endlessly at each other (again and again and again), saying kind words to each other, humble and respectful.. How public toilets NEVER have towels or paper to wipe your hands and that you have to carry your own towel.. but they are super modern with heated seats and plenty of buttons to play with! How you have to make loud noises when you slurp your noodles and I really had forgotten how tiring it is to sit on your knees while you are having dinner or lunch (but its a cultural experiene- so its fun!)

Walking through streets where everything is written in Japanese and where everyone is Asian doesnt excite me anymore, it feels normal and natural. The first time, I had brief moments where it really hit me, and I couldnt believe it, “holy crap, im in japan” kind of thoughts. Now it doesnt even occur to me that Im in such a far-away, different place. It really feels like home. I got my own bike in this city, so I can go to work by myself, and I really feel like a local, biking to work every morning.. they have crazy bike rules though! Or maybe they just dont have any rules.. Bikes go back and forth in all directions, on the pavement, in the middle of the street, and no- one complains! You ll never hear a beep here, thats very disrespectful (how i wish it was the same in Cyprus!).

My job is interesting. The people I work with are just great! Theres a cool Norwegian guy, Henning, a sweet and funny chinese-american guy, Guang, a loud and energetic American, Jake and me. We are the executive staff. Then theres the japanese staff, Hideto, who is incredibly well traveled and well read, and takes care of logistics and Hiro, the big boss. I met Hiro while I was traveling with Up with People, and back then,I never thought I would see him again. And now Im working for him. Isnt life peculiar?
Atsushi is coming at the end of next week,he is the translator and the last member of the team. We are the staff.
And tomorrow, a team of 20 people from all over the world is arriving in Japan, and we, the staff, are responsible for them. Im the Education Coordinator (I quite like the title, sounds fancy!). I ll be organizing and supervising the educational sessions, like discussions on various issues, lectures by locals, activities with university students etc. Im excited!

Before I go to bed, I just have to brag about visiting the Osaka aquarium Kaiyukan yesterday. It was fantastic, and I got to see the biggest fish in the world, the whale-shark. (Whales alone dont count as fish, they are mammals). It was a fulfilling experience, especially since Henning has been talking about it ever since I met him. According to him, seeing a 5-meter long whale shark brings you a step closer to self-realization. Also, our free day in Osaka included visiting the traditional area of Shinsekai, a bit touristy and full of older people who hang out there, the Namba area that was vibrant and alive with young people, the longest shopping street in Japan, the Dotombori and the Tsutenkaku tower, that was known as the Eiffel tower of Osaka (nothing to do with it though). Those are a very small part of what you can do in Osaka, but luckily I have one more free day next week. A very beautiful place to see is the Osaka castle, but since I already saw that last time, so I dont think I will bother this time.

Lets all together now learn some useful japanese phrases.

Goodmorning --> Ohayo Gozaimas
Hello --> Konnichiwa
Goodbye --> Sayonara
Im hungry --> Onaka peko peko (very useful in my case).
Im full --> Onaka ippai
when you dont want something (still not sure when to use this one)--> dame dame! (could be translated as dont dont!)

So thats it for now. I ll try to post something every week, even though time and internet access are both problematic. Again, Im sorry for the english, but its better than greekglish, isnt it?

thats me in a kimono doing japanese kalligraphy, hours of fun!