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Wednesday 19 October 2011

Picture post.

My flat

Dejima the local night spot and near starbucks

Entrance to Peace park

Yokai. Yakitori with work mates

Shimabara castle

The ocean by shimabara castle...oh yea and me

A shrine in shimabara

Stalls for okunchi matsuri

On the way to the shopping arcade

Right near where I live just over the road and down the stairs.

Okunchi float


Geisha dance for okunchi


The main event where they throw this damn heavy thing in the air. Little fact all the blokes are single booya




Our black russians


The first night in dejima

On the way to shimabara

Shimabara castle


The very nice and very funny staff at the castle.


My disgusting uniform where I am not even allowed to wear any make-up.

Work... written 16/09/2011

I awoke on the Monday, the day that would be my first day of work with excitement, nerves and trepidation. Thoughts of, ‘would the staff talk to me’; ‘would I understand enough’; and ‘what if a cute doctor saw me in my unflattering powder blue uniform’ swirled around in my mind. The rota was done so that we had Monday mornings off. However we had been asked by Oka-san to go to the hospital early as she would be taking us to register for our Alien Registration Card. Since arriving in Japan we have had the whole ‘be early’ speech drilled into us. We have been constantly told that we must be early. If that Japanese say a time then we should be there at least ten minutes before. So me and Flora trying to be good volunteers arrived ten minutes early.  We were then told we were too early and would have to go away and come back when the clock struck exactly nine a.m.        
    With bemused expressions, a shrug of our shoulders we turned and went down to the first floor to get a drink from the vending machine. Flora got water, I got aquarius. I hate just plain water, she loves it, I love sweet, sugary drinks she hates them. It’s another one of our differences.

   Having got our drinks we slowly made our way back to the third floor constantly checking Flora’s watch. When the big hand was at the twelve and the little hand at the nine we tried again. This time we were met with a big smile and Oka-san who had turned us away ten minutes ago acted as if this was the first time we had come to the office and a bemused and laughing expression from office crush. Oka-san still stated that she was not yet ready so she took us into a room to wait….why she couldn’t do that when we had come the first time I don’t know. It is another thing I calk down as a Japanese thing. There are a lot of chalk marks under that title.
   After waiting about 10 minutes Oka-san came in, checked to make sure we had everything needed to register and then we were on our way.

Oka-san is a tiny lady, just coming up to my chest. I’m 5ft, 5 inches but she out walked me without any effort. After being drive to the government office where the taxi driver proceeded to describe our skin as so white we were the colour of snow and would belong better in Hokkaido. The strangest part of the registration is that the staff are Japanese, can’t speak a word of English and then proceed to rewrite everything you have already written.

  When we had registered, it’s not that interesting to write about, we were taken to the hospital. We had our first lunch there where another bout of hilarity ensued. Trying to teach Flora how to use her chopsticks to cut into the fish so she didn’t up the entire slab. It was funnier because Mr, office crush was sat across from us watching the entire thing with his now common expression of bemusement.  Flora got very embarrassed and every red when I told her. I do love messing with her sometimes. Humour is always important in this situation.

   Going back to the office so Oka-san could take us to our respective wards and introduce us. There we were met with a widely smiling Mr Office crush who asked us if we enjoyed lunch and if Flora enjoyed her fish. He always seems to be a happy fellow.

 I was taken to the ward 7 west or7西階. No one could speak a word of English but made up for it with their easy smiles and gracious attitudes. When they realised I could hold a basic, very basic, conversation that were all thrilled and eager to just chat to me so that instantly I felt welcomed.

   I was placed to follow a tine woman called Tanae-san, 田苗さん, who could speak no English, not even hello.  She moved around and did all of her work a speed, ferocity and pride which is not seen in England especially as her job is nothing more than a glorified skivvy.

   We were told they were healthcare assistants and we thought of the carers in British hospitals. They are nothing like that. The only interaction they have with patients is to take them for their x-rays or to show them where they would be staying if they were new to the ward. On an average day their jobs/duties consisted of clean and make beds, scrub clean soiled underwear, sheets and clean used commodes. They also printed and scanned paperwork for patients, cleaned the fridges and the urine bottles. That’s it.

  In England one would do those sort of jobs half-heartedly and with self-loathing about the degradation of the work. In Japan it is nothing like that. The staff whilst resigned to the fact that this is their life has pride. It’s refreshing.

 On my first day following the spritely Tanae-san around I felt almost like a stuffed lemon. Though I suppose they wanted me there. There is not much I can do as I cannot speak fluent Japanese. Some of the duties I felt were given only because they felt I was holding them back and they really didn’t know what to do with me. In the past 3 days I have stamped more than 500 patient name cards, paper clipped 1000 sets of instructions together and restocked the cupboards more than 5 times. Whilst my brain hurts from constantly trying to translate everything everyone says I also feel that some of my brain cells are dying.

  On Tuesday mornings we are to work at the nursery next to where we live.  It’s a fun job but certain things definitely make the two of us raise our eyebrows. The kids are a lively bunch, jumping around for attention and staring at us with confusion about why our skin is different to theirs. I do not mean this is in a creepy way but the Japanese kids are so cute you just want to eat them all up. Much cuter then British kids.

  The one thing that made us raise our eyebrows was the toileting/potty training. In England only the trained professionals do that in a separate room, but the Japanese staff saw no problem telling us to take the kids underwear off.  Another mark under ‘Only in Japan’.  It’s a good job I have nephews and nieces who I’m used to changing the nappies of.

 On Thursday afternoons we are to work in the kitchen. It is only for two hours but more brain cells die in the process. First of we die in embarrassment being forced to wear plastic white shoes, a 3 times too large white coat and a blue hair net. Our duties for the next two hours were putting lids onto plates. That’s it. No more, no less. Those two hours are the longest of my life.

  The best day so far has to have been Friday afternoon. We were told to go to the office where Mr, office crush came out and asked what we were doing Tuesday 20th. After saying we were free he used if we wanted to go out for food with some of the office. We said yes. He nodded, stated he would tell us more when he had decided where we would go and went back to work.

  We spent only an hour doing menial tasks. We were then send to the doctors room where the kind girl made us coffee, gave us biscuits and proceeded to talk to us for the next three hours, her friend Eri-san a doctors clerk joining us. The time flew by and we hope it means we will soon have Japanese friends to go out with.

  It was the end of the week and we were going to have a 3 day weekend due to Monday being a public holiday. Though on Monday we have been invited by a lady at the hospital to her house for lunch with Oka-san as well.

Well that’s it for now. I shall tell you more when I can.

Thursday 6 October 2011

The Beginning of an Adventure written 12/09/2011

Sitting in a large room with a tatami floor it takes me a few minutes before I realise that this room is mine for the next six months. As I walk into a room saying the obligatory “ohaiyo gozaimasu” it never fails to steal my breath as I realise this will be the norm for the next year. I am in Japan. I live in a dormitory for Japanese nurses and I work in a hospital surrounded by Japanese co-workers who find it both surreal and amusing that I, a foreigner, can speak basic Japanese including the important saying “oskare sama desu.”


I had arrived in Nagasaki on a plane full of Loud, obnoxious American teenagers and I wondered what happened to the Japan where foreigners were a rarity. Were they going to be in the same city? Was I going to be just another face in the crowd?

When the plane landed, the first thing that hit me was the heat. It was not the humidity of Tokyo, instead it was as if we were on the sun itself. It shone down with unrelenting intensity. I was told, by the news when I watched T.V later that day, that it had been 36 degrees Celsius. In my hometown it wouldn’t even get to 26 degrees. If we were having a good summer we might have a couple of weeks of 23 degrees and then the cold would come straight back.

Walking through the doors into the arrival lounge I was met by my host. A smiling, tiny lady called Oka-san (岡さん) who was impressed that I knew and understood the phrase “yoroshiku onegai shimasu”. She used the work “jouzu”, a word that at the time I didn’t realise I would be hearing quite often when saying good morning; excuse me or my goodbyes when leaving the locker room and the ward. I was led to a typical Japanese car, small and boxy with sat nav and air conditioning where they proceeded to take the scenic route to the placement. It was at least an hour drive with the mountains one side and the ocean the other. It was a spectacular scene.

Arriving at the hospital, I dragged my handbag and heavy hand luggage, 2kg overweight, around the hospital. Bright red cheeks, melting make up and messy hair. I didn’t know it but I would be meeting every one of importance in the hospital looking like that and having my picture taken.

Fun times.

First though I was taken to get my uniform fitted. I had sent them my measurements beforehand but they needed to make sure it fit me just right. The tiny woman took one look at me and pronounced loudly that I was huge and didn’t know if the uniform would fit. Now in England I am a size 10/12 average to small. It was unsettling and made many old emotions and self-loathing flare up. As I listened I realised she meant my height. It was then that I realised I should really listen to the whole conversation.

After the uniform fitting, which was a powdered blue smock top with no shape and high waist trousers, I was taken to the office where I was given my white trainers, which of course had to be men’s, and introduced to the office. My eye was snagged on one of the office workers. Whilst he is not conventionally good looking he has an easy smile and says cheesy jokes which just intrigued me. I nicknamed him Mr fitty.

After being sat down, had the rota for the next few months explained and our insurance and passports photocopied for legal reasons and if anything should happen we were told to wait down stairs as Oka-san got changed so she could take us to our home for the next six months. Both me and Flora, the girl I am partnered with and who I shall explain a bit more about a little later, were dreaming of a nice hot shower and sleep. We were both expecting a small flat with everything we needed. Instead we were given a tatami floored bedroom with a small kitchen, a bathroom with only a toilet and a sink, which only had cold water, and a balcony. The room was one of many in a dormitory for some of the young nurses working at the hospital. The shower room was a traditional Japanese shower room. With a deep bath and three shower heads, with the small stools and bowls to clean yourself before you take a bath. There are no shower curtains and mirrors situated so that you will see every part of the woman behind you. I do so love to see vagina in the morning….

In that instance walking into the room I silently proclaimed that although I am willing to try everything and really want to live like a japanese person this is the one area I shall stick with my British sensibilities. I lock the door. Another bad thing is that there is no internet which is why these posts are delayed. I write them into a little notebook and them copy them here. Tiresome yes but what can I do.

At this point let me describe my partner for the next six months. Her name is Flora and for the foreseeable future all we have is each other. We live next door to each other, we work in the same hospital (though on different floors) we have lunch and dinner together and spend the weekends together. Some of the things we get up to are slightly surreal but I shall talk about them as they should be spoken about.

She can’t really speak any Japanese and every word that she does say is pronounced with a clear upper class British accent. I find it incredibly amusing which she often shrugs off and continues to use that accent whilst asking me what this means or how to say that. Have always had friends who can speak Japanese with a fluency and ability that is astounding and makes me bow my head in deference and shame it’s a nice change. She states that she is glad she is placed with me. Now three weeks in I admit, although silently, that I too am glad we are placed together. At the time though I thought it would be interesting. Two girls from different backgrounds and different classes being forced.

On our first Saturday night in Nagasaki we both thought it a good idea to go down to Dejima Wharf, a row of restaurants and bars by the water, and have one relaxing drink by the water with the night lights and mountain in front of us.



Neither of us realised as we waited for the tram to the bar, that it would turn into a night that we remember with fondness and hilarity.

After the fifth Moscow mule and Tequila Sunrise respectively we both decided it was a brilliant idea to miss the last tram home and walk 10 minutes to the entertainment district.

Walking the Japanese streets at midnight we were not as alone as we thought we would be, nor were we surrounded by drunks like we would have been in England. Our companions were school kids still in their uniforms, salary men and families taking a walk. We even stopped for a few minutes to watch hip hop dancers before walking down some of the backstreets trying to find the perfect place to while away the hours. It was in one of these alleys that we found the ‘WITH BLDG’.

Going to the top floor, we thought the safest option, for there were many hostess bars, would be to go to a piano bar. We were met at the door by a woman who proceeded to tell us that it was a very expensive bar and maybe not the best place for us. However she was a nice lady asking us what we were doing in Japan and where we worked at the moment. When she found out where were working her eyes widened as did her smile. She then told us that the director of our hospital, was a regular patron who she always kept a bottle of expensive wine behind the bar for. She was kind enough to wish us well and point us in the direction of a ‘shot bar’.

By means of eeny, meeny, miny, mo we chose a door and opened it with apprehension hoping we weren’t walking into an embarrassing situation of a hostess bar. We were met with bewildered smiles but were promptly ushered into a very small, very intimate karaoke bar. We were shown to two bar stools at the far end where we could see everyone and everyone could see us. The female manager gave us her business card and proceeded to tell us to call her mama. In return I taught her and the master, a guy who made the drinks, what a black Russian was and she then proceeded to get everyone in the bar to try it. We were spoken to in very fast Japanese and made friends with a large man with a ready laugh who told us he was a director and would reserve us tickets to his play. Apparently it’s a comedy. We are still in two minds where to go or not. At the same time Flora pulled a lovely young man called Koki, whose mother was a ball of energy and wanted the two to get together. This is where it gets a bit surreal.

Now everyone does not want to be the third wheel. Being ignored and sitting there like a lemon. I on the other hand was a third wheel with a difference. Because Flora could not speak Japanese and Koki couldn’t speak English I was forced to be their translator. Awkward most definitely.

At around two in the morning the bar closed. Me and Flora, very drunk and happy proceeded to ask Koki and his incredibly cool, tattooed mother if there were any nightclubs still open. They asked his friend Yuki who looked as if he really didn’t want to be seen with us or associate with the two foreign girls begrudgingly showed us to this little bar where we met two other foreign girls. A girl from Liverpool who spoke with a very thick American accent and a black girl from Chicago wearing only a black tank top, superman knickers and platform boots as she swung around and did tricks on the pole.

Me and flora stayed till about quarter to five in the morning when we decided we had enough fun in the bar and giggling at the slightest thing we thought to go to Lawson’s where we proceeded to proclaim that we were not drunk and got some water. It was coming out of Lawsons giggling over the creep baby in roller skates phone charm attached to Flora’s bottle of water that we ran into two men from the club. A lovely Nigerian man and a Japanese man who offered us a lift. An incredibly giggly Flora said yes and before I knew it we were following them to their car. Before she could say anything more I told them that our address was 3 tram stops away from where is actually was and proceeded to explain that I was a pretty tough chick. They believed me.

It was a stupid thing to do. We should have waited until seven am in McDonald’s or something for the trams to start running but we learn from our mistakes and hindsight is 20/20. We got home safely though. Nothing happened and as we said our good byes to get some sleep we both smiled at the thought that this would be our life for the next six months and it was a perfect hello to a new way of life.