Japan Interlude

I spent last week in Tokyo, Japan. I stayed with Shihoko, one of my good friends from GC, and also visited Takahiro, a friend that I know from the U of I. The week involved eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, and the head of an 87-kilo tuna. But perhaps that's another story. :)

God knew that I needed this vacation. My days at school have been long, and culture shock has been doing a fair job of torturing me lately. And my trip to Tokyo couldn't have come at a better time.

I could wax eloquent, but I'll try to make a long story short. I love Japan. It is a beautiful country with culturally-rich traditions and interesting lifestyles. I want to visit again. This afternoon, if possible. :)

In a way, I suppose I had an American experience in Tokyo. I spent my days hanging out with Japanese friends I met in America and American students I met in Japan. Shihoko's family is hosting a group of Wheaton College students (math majors) for part of the summer, so we hung out together a lot.

They're interesting personalities, to be sure. Some Koreans I know would probably say that they have type AB blood. Type AB blood makes you either genius or crazy or both! But I like geniuses and crazy people. They keep life exciting.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was attending a traditional tea ceremony. Japanese tea houses have a small door close to the ground. Regardless of your size, you have to bend down to get through the door. Everyone who enters the tea room becomes the same height. They become equal. I like that. For a moment, you can eat sweet red bean desserts and drink bitter green tea and embrace these aspects of life without fighting for status or position.

The tea room is a good place, I think. I wish the rest of the world were like that. And I wish Korea were like that, too. A little less competition could go a long way.