SO, I had my first set of real days off and on Wednesday I took the subway down to Osu Kannon because I heard that there’s a flea market on the grounds of the local temple on the 28th of every month. Apparently Osu Kannon used to be widely known for their brothels and it was a popular place to go and purchase a girl. Sounds like fun right?!?! The temple was easy to find and the flea market was pretty good. There was probably more than 50 little booths of people selling stuff. Lots of kimonos, obis, scrolls, geta, pottery, and miscellaneous collectibles. It didn’t feel like it was obscenely cheap but a good price for most everything if you were buying for yourself or friends. I think I saw maybe a dozen or so foreigners wandering around – none of whom were too friendly (though I wasn’t trying to be friendly myself).
So after I walked around the little flea market I ventured into the regular shopping area of Osu Kannon. A lot of the shops were closed – I guess because it was a weekday. But there were a lot of little ‘cool’ shops for younger Japanese people. Clothing is pretty expensive. I saw a lot of $30-$40 t-shirts. There were also a lot of kimono shops. I found a sumi painting store that had little ink blocks for $300 and up (a few cheap ones too). !!!
So I didn’t take too many pictures as I didn’t have too great of a time in Osu Kannon. I walked around a bit outside of the main shopping area which is apparently not a popular thing for tourists to do. I had a couple people stop what they were doing, turn all the way around to watch me walk past and then spit on the ground after I got past them. could’ve been a weird coincidence but I really doubt it. I tried out a little restaurant for lunch and it was terrible. Chewy, strange flavors, some squishy stuff, and I don’t even want to know what else. It was shaped like a taco but was a thin omelette instead of a tortilla with a ton of stuff inside. All sauced up with a rancid-BBQ liquid. I dunno. At least the beer was good.
I was excited that I finally saw a little color – four whole black people!! And everyone of them said something to me (hello, how’s the food, hi, and ‘hey, white girl, genki (cute), where are you from). All kinds of fun. I think that’s the most conversation I’ve had with strangers since I got here (excluding while shopping or working). So there was a lot to look at and laugh over but I felt more like the whole day just highlighted my alone-ness. It’s rude to make eye contact in Japan and of course I don’t speak Japanese but it just feels really strange to have several days in a row where no one looks at you, let alone smiles at you. No ‘konnichiwa’s, no eye contact, no smiles, no head nods, no nothing.
On the plus side, I found a tattoo shop in Nagoya – couldn’t figure out how to get into it though. Only saw the sign but wasn’t sure which door or stairway belonged to the sign. Nagoya is supposed to have a pretty good night life so I guess one of these weeks here I’ll have to venture out and take a look. The only annoying thing is that the last trains are at midnight and then they don’t start again until six a.m. – which means it will either be a very short or a very long night….. I guess that’s it for this entry. Mt. Fuji climbing season started not long ago – my roommate Kerry is going to go next Monday with another girl from work. I’m going to try to go sometime during July or August as those are supposed to be the easiest months to try.
Sometimes people wear us out and we want to be left alone. Now you’re experiencing how much we need each other! It will be interesting to see how you can bridge this gap between cultures.
I understand that it’s a cultural thing not to make eye contact, but that happens here too, usually because you feel you are better than the next person!
Hi Katie
I hope you have a very long night. They tend to stay out a little longer in Japan. If you have a good crowd with you your going to have a blast. Watch out for the Sochu.