For me vacation time doesn't just mean to relax and unwind it also means to get some things done that would otherwise be difficult. For instance, going to the dentist during my work schedule means going during the evening or go on the weekend. I figured why not get this done while on my time off.

After some inquires at work I found out that a good place to go is called, "Tufts Dental" located in Gangnam. Checking the website I could tell they looked like a good place. The last time I got my teeth cleaned was in Bundang, and they did an okay job except wanted me to come back for something I felt unnecessary. Well over a year has passed since then and I knew it was time for a check up.

Experience: The office wasn't busy for a Wednesday afternoon and I was taken care of right away. After filling out two papers with some information I was seated for a consultation. I was asked if I would like to have xrays done since it was my first time there. Turned out the xrays were partially covered by the country's National Health Insurance. So why not! After the xrays were taken the official "dentist" came in and went over what she saw. Since the xrays were taken digitally there was no time to wait for the processing. Turns out I have a small cavity growing but it won't be of concern for a while. She left and then the assistant gave me my cleaning.

The cleaning was very thorough, gentle and well done. She made sure to update me on what tools she was using during the procedure. Most dentists in Korea put a cloth over your face (with a hole for the mouth) so to protect your face from getting splattered. This caused me to become slightly sleepy as I usually sleep with a face mask. Anyways, it was altogether a good experience. Made even better since everyone from the front desk to the assistant spoke English.

Cost and Location: The cost for a consultation, xrays and a cleaning was 65,000 won, which I felt was pretty good. You can make appointments for throughout the week or on Saturdays, except they are closed Thursdays.

The location is near Samseong and Seolleung stations, kind of in between. The directions are on their website but I would definitely say to keep an eye on the building numbers, which are visible.

It turns out that because the new E2 health checks require the testing for marijuana usage that certain hospitals can't do the check anymore. This was the case for me as a local hospital in my area declined several teachers from my school.

As you know I opted to get the test done on a Saturday and that left me with the big hospitals in Seoul. All in can say is that, yes you can get it done on a Saturday and I recommend you going to the International Health Clinic at Yonsei Severance Hospital near Sinchon and Ehwha.

• Bring your passport.
• Bring two photo id pics (just in case...I didn't hand them in)
• Don't eat for the blood test. (On the phone they said I didn't have to, but I just didn't eat anyways.) (There is a great food court on the same floor as the International Clinic, that has a Kraze burger of all things....so you can grab some grub afterwards)
• If you are a woman don't show up if you are on your period, as it can alter the results of the pee test. 
• Expect to pay 140,000 Won, which is not cheap!
• Show up at 9:30am to be the first in line. Otherwise you will have to sit around and wait your turn. I believe the office will run till 12pm on Saturdays. 
• Obviously come in a healthy state. 
• Another point is to just not tell them you have a certain medical condition or that you are on certain medicine. You want to pass the test and not complicate things. I actually goofed up on this since Yonsei is the hospital I visit for my GI disease, but they said it was okay.

• I think a lot of people are kind of worried about how they will do the Cannabis test. Apparently it was just as simple as peeing. But you have to divide your pee in to two containers. 
• First they check your vitals, weight and eyesight. Then you sit in with a doctor and she asks about your medical condition.
• Then the doc has you change into a hospital gown, where you then get a chest examination along with testing your bowels area.
• Afterwards, you go do your blood test, peeing and chest xray. 
• Tada ... all done. They didn't check my teeth this time...thank God!
• The results should be finished in about 4 - 5 days and they will give you a slip of paper for when you should return to pick it up. (Which you can do on a Saturday as well.)

Keep in mind schools tend to take their teachers to some hospital for their health check, but mine makes us go by our selves. In this case, you likely have to miss work to get to a local hospital in time. I didn't want to miss work and so that is why I did it on a Saturday.  Also know that if you live near a major hospital they will likely perform a health check during weekdays, and you can get it done faster if you made an appointment.

What a day!

At my school they have an activity group for teachers. I chose to do the Yoga class and finally had my first experience of it yesterday. They had met already a few times previously but I ended up not going due to school duties.

About 9 years ago I took a yoga class as one of my first college courses. I really enjoyed it and since then, on occasion, try to brush up on it at home. But I found out quickly, yesterday, just how out of shape I am in.

The yoga class is set inside one of the homeroom classes, where we push all the desks aside. I bought my own yoga mat, a bright pink thing with a swirl of blue on it. I changed out of my jeans and put on my sweatpants (in the bathroom of course).

The yoga instructor looked thin and healthy and very happy. In the class there were about 6 more teachers, all Korean and we got ready for class.

Ambient music was being played in the background as we got started. The instructor taught the class in Korean, but most of what she said were the Korean numbers which I understand. So I wasn't at a complete loss, and I knew that yoga is about breathing. Therefore, I remembered to breath in on one movement and out on the other. She would come up to me as she moved around the classroom and straighten me out now and then.

The moves she did were a variation of what I was familiar with from the past. But she did do a lot of leg exercises. My legs have always been an issue for me, meaning that I can't really lie down and lift my leg all the way in a straight line. It tends to bend inward. I hope that sounds right...haha. My point is that not only am I out of shape but my legs didn't want to cooperate, but I adjusted the movements.

It felt good to take the class, however, now my upper back is in pain and I feel fatigued. Probably worth it since I could use an exercise class in my life.

This brings me to a question, which might have an obvious answer. How should I incorporate an exercise routine into my life?

• I get home at 5 pm. 
• I am usually very hungry because school lunch is meager. 
• I like to cook fresh meals which sometimes take an hour to make.
• Embarrassing: I typically go to bed between 9 - 9:30. I just get very sleepy and don't push myself to stay awake.
• There is a gym across from my building, it's a public gym. I haven't been there yet. I have been to gyms in the past but I get really bored just cycling over and over. Also I have a hard time pushing myself.
• I live near a walking trail that goes around a river. 

The question is, how do I exercise, not starve (pass out), cook dinner and do it all in 4 hours?

My lifestyle so far includes me coming home, making dinner, eating, watching some American drama or doing my art.

I feel that I can't exercise after eating and if I wait a while later that if I exercise before bed I will feel too awake. Really I can't get my head around how to make this work.

Any suggestions would be great.

Tomorrow I will leave Japan and embrace the next chapter in my life in South Korea. As much as I should be full of anxiety I am also full of excitement.

What will the kids be like?
How can I make my lessons fun and exciting?

But Japan has been a wonderful time. I know I commented in my last post about the differences and kind of made a negative comment about Koreans. I want to say that neither Koreans nor Japanese are better than each other. They are who they are but that doesn't mean I think one race is better than the other. It is just a bit shocking to find the world ticking differently. Sometimes the differences are a relief and other times they really don't make a splash.

Today I made it out to Kyoto for a little trip to the Chion-in temple which is near the Gion district known for it's Geishas. I had a good time and sat inside the temple observing the rituals that were taking place.

Again I was reminded how far I have come in life and what is next for me.

After I move and get settled there is so much I want to start. I really want to focus on a healthy diet and exercise plan. Not something crazy to loose a lot of weight but a plan that is focused on being healthy.

Out here I can't read the labels on the foods so I don't really know the calorie count. But this can be overcome with translation. In general though I want to find healthy and tasty foods that can be easily bought here and translate them into a healthy diet. I think for must of us expats (or some) we kind of just forget about healthy eating since shopping can be daunting.

The reality is that I want to snap out of my dependence on eating out (since it is thought of as cheap here) and cook at home. I use to cook at home back in America and I am sure I can get back into it here.

Well my cup is full of stuff to do. For now I just need to focus on getting back to Korea and moving all my stuff. I promise to write up posts from my trips out here with the pictures...darn internet here still has been lagging.

Here is a picture I managed to upload... a transportation pic~

Hello readers.

It seems one can't escape from the H1N1 Flu mania while working at a public school here in Korea. I am sure you are sick of hearing the stories and opinions. Probably agreeing with how crazy they overreact here and why can't the citizens of this country practice good hygiene to begin with.

Let's pretend that you are the Principal of a public school. I would suspect your job is to protect the children and staff at your school from this "crazy" virus. What measures would you take?

You could shut down the school till all the sick victims have recovered.

You could give out hand sanitizer bottles to all the classrooms. Make the teachers educate the kids on washing their hands and covering their mouths when they sneeze or cough.

In general it is your duty to protect the health of your pupils and staff so that the learning process can truck on without hindrance.

At my school, from my observation, the Principal has been implementing his Flu prevention program not because he genuinely cares about the student's or the staff's health but for public relations sake.

How do I know? The Principal installed hospital grade hand sanitizer stations in the hallways on every floor in the school. It is an automated device that when you put your hands in they are sprayed with sanitizer. Also he provided every classroom with sanitizer bottles just in case.

But did that stop the virus? Does dousing your hands in sanitizer every chance you get really a way to stop the virus?

No.

Last week 17 kids came down with the virus at our school. Spread out amongst the grades these kids were sent home, and a few classes were told to stay in as well.

Did the school close?

No

The teachers were told to tell the parents that the school has installed these fancy hand sanitizer gadgets and that their kids would be safe. And that we all wear masks (not true) and wash our hands frequently.

I was told by my coteacher that he installed these gadgets because he wants his school to be the first in the district with them. In other words he is caring more about his image than the actual health of his pupils.

It's pathetic if you asked me, but doesn't come as a surprise. My last day is tomorrow so I don't have to take his hypocrisy anymore.

All in all, though it makes me wonder how many more schools are reacting to this flu thing as a way of boosting their career image. In fact when I think about it I am sure the private schools are using whatever "protective" measures they enlist at their schools as PR campaigns advertised to the mothers. Yet we have to remember that this is how things function here and how they have worked for a long time.

In the end, this is just another cultural difference to add to the pile. It is also one that can't be reasoned with. Like so many cultural differences we expats experience out here many are left like unsolved mysteries. Thankfully and hopefully the leftovers of all this hysteria is a more "germaphobic" society.

This weekend has gone by and there isn't much that was eventful to report, just the same-oh same-oh.

In other words, I did stuff but didn't take pictures of what happened. Although, I wish I had but on the occasion I wanted to I was without my camera.

Saturday JH and I got up early to go visit my new doctor at the Yonsei Severance Hospital in Ewha, Seoul. We had to get up early so we could get to the hospital by 8am to do a blood test.

Yonsei Hospital is huge and also very accommodating place to wait for an appointment. Since I could not eat anything before giving some blood I was hungry after I finished the test. The hospital has a whole huge food court in it, with many restaurants to choose from as well as a few marts. We chose Burger King because I was craving a breakfast like item. It is rare for me eat to fast food, but I figured this one time wouldn't hurt.

We had a lot of time to waste waiting till 12pm for my appointment with the GI Doctor. The hospital has wifi and computers available for internet access. So I spent some time on the internet looking at the Yongin School's website and trying to figure out the classes schedule. I couldn't find what I was looking for, however I did figure out that there are a lot of class groups at the school.

I was so tired at that time, because I hadn't slept well the night before due to thinking about what to do with this Yongin offer.

It sounds good to take this offer because it is in area that is new and near Bundang. For those who don't know where I am talking about. You have Seoul, you know kind of in the center, then you have Bundang which is South underneath Seoul. This area is pretty new as far as development wise goes and is a popular residential area. Also there are many buses that go straight into Gangnam, Seoul.

But the school is at the end of the yellow line, and so is still kind of far out.

What are my real fears?

Whenever I am faced with these big decisions I fear that I will make the wrong choice. That after I sign the contract a few months later a better position will come up and I will regret my choice.

Yet, I am starting to realize that although every school varies that in general the job remains the same.

Fear is gripping though and when I can't get my mind out of it I start to second guess everything.

Thankfully the recruiter got me in touch with one of the teachers at the school. Apparently, there are more than one native teacher at the school but I am unsure of how many. I think there may be 4 of them and I am going to be replacing one.

Anyways, the recruiter gave me her email contact, and so I emailed her with my questions. She got back to me letting me know that most of the teachers live in the same building which have big and clean rooms.

Other information included that I might be teaching 2nd, 5th and 6th grade only. That was a bit of a red flag. Hearing that I would teach 2nd grade makes me worry a little. But she also said that they just read a story to the 2nd grade and the coteacher helps out with translation. Sounds simple.

Then she went on to tell me that classes finish at 2:30 and then we are left to plan till 4:40. That means that I would teach 6 classes a day. Four in the morning and two in the afternoon, which equates to 30 teaching hours a week. This is overtime due to that I am contracted to teach 22 hours a week. Of course it wouldn't be a surprise to have a few extra classes on a few days.

Basically what is going on here is that I have been working at a very small school, while it is typical for most schools to be bigger. So I would end up making a leap from a small school, where I was the only foreign teacher, to a bigger school with more Native Teachers, staff and kids.

Yet I realized that it is time to be professional and not whine or care about the schedule. Point being that I have the experience and knowledge now to be able to take on a bigger school.

However, this girl is new to the school so she may not entirely understand everything. She didn't tell me what my exact schedule is so I have to wait till I visit the school to see what it is.

If the schedule and the housing are agreeable, so far I can't see why I would say no. The area has two Emarts and a Lotte mart within the surrounding perimeter. On the map you see a lot of greenery and parks. JH says he is fine with this place even though he knows that if I took more time I could find a school closer to where he lives.

I guess this post became more about my job hunting than this weekend. In the mix this weekend was as you know a hospital visit (which went well -- everything is fine), a wedding ceremony for JH's coworker and just sitting around at home with JH pondering my future.

All together I am starting the last 2 weeks at my school and living in my shith*le. That second part is what I am so excited for.

Goodbye Beeping parking garage! Goodbye Stinky Seafood and Octopus Restaurant! Goodbye Shabu Shabu noisy-music-outside restaurant. Goodbye creepy neighbors. Goodbye!!

Koreans do not stay home when they are sick. It is a fact of life here. Practically every foreign teacher deals with this on some level.

Nowadays because of the H1N1 scare I am hoping that Korean people will take on a new trend of staying home when feeling sick with a fever and other symptoms. But I know from experience that I will believe it when I see it.

CNN has a lovely article about how washing your hands does little to protect you from the virus and it more comes from breathing those airborne particles.

Kids love to sneeze and cough freely. In one of my classes you have some kids wearing masks. The unmasked kids are coughing. It seems the proportion is not balanced.

Anyways I like this last bit of common sense written in the CNN article:

This brings me back to my experience at my daughters' school. The e-mails from the principal said some of the sick children reported to the school nurse that they'd woken up ill, but their parents sent them to school anyway.

What's up with that? If your child is sick, keep her at home. If you're sick, don't go to work. Using that particular tool in the toolbox will go a long way toward stemming the spread of H1N1 flu -- probably more than washing your hands.

The hospital I frequent to renew my prescription for my Crohn's disease has for the past 5 months not really impressed me with their care. I come in and sit down, the doctor says something to my boyfriend in Korean and they have a conversation, but not much questioning goes on about my health. Instead, the Doc just renews my prescription and sends me on my way.

That is why we decided it was time to find a new Doc and one that spoke English. So JH did a lot of research to find out which hospital can help a foreigner out and in my specialty department. He found Yonsei Severance Hospital which is located near Yonsei University and the Ewha area.

Meeting a new Doctor meant I had to bring along my documents and be prepared to retell the story of my illness. When we arrived at Yonsei hospital the building was huge (sorry no pics). Indeed, walking inside through the check in area felt like I was walking through an airport. But I have to say this was one well planned hospital. My comparison of hospitals comes from the free health care received due to being a poor student when I was sick. Let's just say that San Francisco General Hospital looks like a hell-hole compared to Yonsei. For there weren't any vagrants or screaming crack addicts to be found. I saw a few sleeping business men, but they looked harmless.

At Yonsei they have a special section just for foreigners. A whole other office where the staff speak English. I went there first to check in for my appointment. I was met by an intern who took me to the GI department, where I waited just 30 minutes before seeing the specialist doctor.

The visit went great and his English was all right. I will be returning there next month for a routine blood test and doctor-patient consultation.

The whole thing cost 12,500 Won because they give a discount to patients with my disease. The cost of this visit is what amazes me. In America just to consult with the Doc would have cost $300, even though it was paid by the city of San Francisco.

After our time in the hospital we contemplated going to COEX for KIAF. But I was feeling a bit too tired to see art and just wanted to kick it around Ewha. So we parked at the Ewha University parking garage and took a stroll around Ewha.








These guys were great and their performance was lovable and whimsical. They take their inspiration from street theater. What they do is essentially put on an act where they don't speak. Yet they did make sounds during their first act.

To warm up the crowd in their first act they gave us slapstick kind of magic tricks. They engaged the audience and kept everyone laughing. They played off of each other and created a competitive relationship. After they finished their first act the audience was ready to accept a performance where the characters do not speak, and subtle comic references are to be seen in facial gestures and bodily movement.

The rest of the acts were little short stories, one including a dancing teapot. Certainly you could get taken away by these guys due to their sheer brilliance at wacky imagery. I am not sure if it is something JH had ever seen before, but he had a great time. I even saw some Grandma's and Grandpa's in the show and wondered how they took it.

Warning: This one is kind of personal. So just to sum up I am for reform.

Let's talk healthcare! PPO this and HMO that. Hey I worked at an insurance company before becoming an English robot here in Korea. It's a mess folks and the way it is set up now doesn't help EVERYBODY.

Roboseyo has made a post on his blog. But I have to say if you are American than this subject has to ring inside your head. If you are in America right now it is all over the news. If not it must be on your loved ones' lips when you talk to them over the phone or skype. Even if you aren't American I am sure this is of some interest to you, especially if the country you are from has it's health coverage figured out.

I have my own personal take on this based upon the fact that I have endured what a poor person goes through when they are very ill. Let me just say it's awful. In October of 2006 I became severely ill with intestinal problems. Let's just say it was like the stomach flu but 10x worse. I couldn't eat or drink without feeling pain down there. I became dehydrated because it was too painful for me to get up and get a glass of water. So I was rushed to the ER. After 12 hours in there I was diagnosed with depression, despite the fact that (WARNING: DISGUSTING) I had blood coming out of my a**. It even stained their beautiful bleach white hospital sheets. But was I rushed to the GI part of the hospital? No. I was sent home with a huge ass bill, because I had no insurance. Let me tell you folks you too would be depressed if your life was slowly and painfully dwindling away from you for unexplainable reasons. (I am still paying off this hospital.)

It wasn't till 4.5 months later that I was properly diagnosed. And this was because my primary doctor at the San Francisco General Hospital realized that I was in need of urgent care and pleaded with the GI doctors at the hospital to move me up to the top of the list. Since I wasn't a senior I was put at the bottom.

They diagnosed me with Ulcerative Colitis borderline Crohn's disease. I was given a fist full of drugs to take everyday and I recovered while at the same time managed to graduate college in the spring of 2007. So it is that I know what it is like to be poor, uninsured and processed like cattle at a hospital.

But, I bet my last penny or Won that there are other worse case scenarios out there and that hospitals in many parts of the world lack the basic necessities needed to just check someones temperature.

Therefore I am all for Reform and to get it done quickly.

Here is what I wrote in response to Rob's post, in case you don't understand my little tirade here anyways.

I think this reflects a frame of mind regarding health care amongst Americans. (which I am one...as you know Rob...just letting others know.)

It is sad to admit but I think for most in America they view health care and coverage as a privilege. I am sure for some of these folks who don't want reform they are thinking of why should they pay for other peoples expenses when those people can't survive the "proper" way in society to begin with.

When I was deathly ill I was finally taken care of at a General Hospital in San Francisco. This was no HMO PPO place. It was for the poor, criminals and uninsured.

I would be waiting in line to get my blood drawn while a felons were brought in wearing orange jump suits and handcuffs. They got to go first.

The waiting area was shared with homeless crack addicts who were jerking and yelling as they waited for their refill of methadone..or whatever it is.

I have lived through poor healthcare and healthcare that is for the poor. My health insurance at that hospital ended up being the poor peoples insurance provided by the city.

So I have to say that America needs to solve this healthcare problem by not just making it socialized but making sure that equality is present inside the hospitals.

Because I know how slow and stubborn hospitals and nurses can be I can only imagine that when these changes take present the transition period will be a nightmare for Doctors and patients alike.


All in all, it is this frame of mind that the privileged deserve health care and the poor deserve to wait in long lines at dirty hospitals where no one gives a crap about you, needs to go away too.

In the meantime people are dieing and unable to pay for their pills because some idiots want to yell at other idiots in Town Hall meetings.

But I have to say I do feel hopeful with Obama in the seat. I just wish he would put his foot down and get this over with.

DEEP Breath........ a fun liberal type cartoon to get your blood boiling...

.....if your still with me... I posted a more light hearted fun post below this one...

Just now some students handed me an economy sized hand sanitizer bottle. It is pretty big, and not your tiny little bottle type. They said it is meant for our classroom.

Apparantly all the classrooms are getting one. I guess the H1N1 scare has finally made school's realize it's time to take care of their cleaning habits.

Ah well I'm glad to see it and hope this keeps up even after the virus goes away, if it does.

Something tells me that the Swine Flu or H1N1 virus is starting to have an affect on native teachers out here as news of quarantined teachers starts to show up.

Not only that but just today my coteacher got a call in the middle of class.

Her: "Joy! Do you have the H1?"
Me: "What are you talking about?"
Her: "The pig virus, do you have any symptoms?"
Me: "No." (serious and confused look)
Me: "Why?"
Her: "Somebody is asking, there are some cases."
And she proceeded to tell them something on the phone and then we continued class.

I don't know about you but I think local governments are on a hunt now to check for any teacher showing "signs". Sure I can understand the concern for the safety of the children, but I know this search is going on in the typical frenzied way.

My real concern is that I am going to America on my summer vacation and am now wondering if I will be quarantined after my return. I am going to do some reading up on quarantine procedures so that if I end up in that situation I know what my rights are.

Good luck to those who are quarantined, especially if you are new to Korea and this is part of your first few months experience here.

**Update: 5/26
School nurse called our classroom and inquired whether I had been to America in the past month. Um no. You have seen me here everyday. Sometimes you gotta wonder.

(Here was what I wrote at the end of Day 3, but didn't finish it because I was very sleepy)

So far my excursion into Tokyo has been a pleasant ride. Finding my way around hasn't been as difficult as I imagined it to be, and people have been generally kind when I ask for help.

It is strange but in some ways Japan feels a bit more like America than a completely different place. I haven't exactly figured out why, but I think the infrastructure here is similar to America. The streets and city layout seem similar. Korea, too has an organized infrastructure like America but I think it is Korea's huge apartment complexes with the large numbers on the side, which leave me feeling out of place.

In other words, I am trying to say that I feel very comfortable here. Maybe that is easy for me to accomplish considering I am just here for 4 days and staying in a cozy hotel.

But here we are at day 3 of my journey and already I am starting to feel like I will miss this place. I think come tomorrow night (Friday evening) I will wish I had seen more. Yet, having 4 nights and 5 days to myself here is a blessing in itself.

On with it! We have a lot to cover for day 3. Today I went to the Edo-Tokyo Museum in Ryogoku and then to Asakusa to see the Senso-ji Temple.

I woke up to a gray rainy scene outside, but decided to give my plans a go-ahead despite a soggy forecast.

Approaching the Museum:
Along my path to the museum's entrance I walked by the metro's bridge. There were bikes lined up along the side. Interestingly, along the wall was a mural.


Palanquin Exhibit:
You can be proud of me on this one, because I didn't risk taking any pictures inside the special exhibition. Not only because there were "no photo" signs everywhere, but there were too many people around that I thought would give me the stink eye.

So what you are going to get instead is my literal take on the exhibit.

First let me explain the scenario inside the exhibit. It was very popular and everyone was crowded inside. But not in massive clumps, rather everyone took to forming a line and circumambulated their way around the exhibits. If you weren't in the line than it was very difficult to see what was under the glass cases. The objects in the glass cases were scrolls and various peices of laquerware. I got my nose in here and there, but the line moved so slowly I didn't feel like joing the snail pace.

Thankfully, the actual palanquins were large enough that you could stand anywhere and get a good look at them.

One word: Opulant!

Rich in its own history and relating somewhat to a rickshaw, these palanquins were more than just vehicles. For the amount of decoration and splendor put into the surface and interior of these vehicles certainly make them symbolic of Edo's opulant nature.

If you are more interested please read about it here.

I spent a good deal of time looking at the interiors of the palanquins. This is because inside the walls were lined with screen paintings. The ones that caught my attention were those done in the Genji Monogatari story. Since I was able to recognize the imagery instantly I felt all that time studying Japanese Art in college finally came to use.

I left the exhibit feeling priveledged at catching the exhibit but also in dire need of getting away from the crowd.

Explore:
This museum was huge and so I started from the lobby and went up to the 3rd floor.

6th Floor: Edo Zone
Taking a few escalators up from the outdoor 3rd floor took me to the 6th floor. This where the museum showcases life size and model size replications of what Edo period looked like. Also there were exhibits of kimonos, laquerware, and objects from the working class.

Now let me get this out of the way...pictures were allowed! I repeat pictures were allowed. There were signs with a camera on it and an "ok" symbol followed with the words "okay". Some had the same imagery but with a "No Flash" icon. And so all the pictures I took were photo-safe!!!!!!!!! >.<








After seeing the entertainment section I looked on to the other part of this floor and pondered whether to go on. I still wanted to go to Asakusa, so I decided to cut it at that point and exit the museum.

Asakusa: Temple and Souvenir street

To get to Asakusa I had to take the JR metro and transfer. I noticed that most of the metro stations were above ground, except for other lines that were specifically underground. This kind of above-ground travel is similar in feeling to San Francisco's Muni. I enjoyed waiting for my trains because the scenery was more interesting than if I were stuck underground.

I got off at Asakusa station and found my way out of the underground exit system. Along the street I caught site of an incense / Buddhist store and made a mental note to stop by one my way back.

I think one of the more splendid aspects of traveling, or living in another country, is being able to have an outsider eye. When visiting someplace new you are keen to the broader picture. For example, what would appear as a normal street corner or sidewalk area becomes to the outsider a unique picture. I found such an image while walking towards my destination.

I really liked how the yellow cab was placed in front of this shopping market, along with the pyramid like architectural detail above.

Kaminarimon Gate: Entrance to the Temple grounds.
This whole area is set up for a tourists delight. First you enter through this large gate, which has a huge lantern hanging from it in the middle. Everyone stopped to get their picture taken in front of it, or in my case just to capture the image.
After you pass under the gate you immediately see this gateway of souvineer shopping. Along with people passing through it and also a lot of foreign tourists. I have to say that Tokyo felt more diverse than Seoul. That is because I saw more varieties of foriegners from Western parts of the world and also Eastern. Walking through this shopping street I heard dialects in Chinese, Australian, French and other ones unknown to me.
Like any good tourist attraction and souvineer street the shops catered to that kitsche aspect of selling one's culture to the public.



Sensoji-Temple: Prayer and Purification
I was so delighted to see this place. History and spirituatlity seemed to mingle together here in seemingly gentle harmony. (Japanese website for reference)

Sensoji Temple
Sensoji Temple was built to enshrine a statue of the Kannon that was discovered in the Miyato River. The temple prospered and declined over the years until it became directly affiliated with Hiezan Enryakuji, the head temple of the Tendai sect of Buddhism. At present, it is independent as the head temple of the Seikannon sect. The official temple name is Kinryuzan, but it is also known as Asakusa Kannon and the residential building is called Denpo-in. As one of the most famous temples during the Edo era that attracted many worshippers among the common people, it is also the place where popular Edo culture originated.

Before I went up the steps to enter the interior of the temple I checked out what was going on in front.

Temple Rituals:
As a person with no formal training in Buddhism (just an historical knowledge) I was very curious as to what the people around me were up to.

Omikuji:
On a rack were tied papers, an image which was familiar from watching Anime and Japanese movies.


As I looked around more I saw that participants were getting the papers by going through ritual of drawing out a fortune stick from a steel container. After some research online I found the name for these things:

Querents shake labelled sticks from enclosed metal containers and read the corresponding answers they retrieve from one of 100 possible drawers.

Keep in mind that there are no instructions hanging about telling you what to do. At a glance you may think it is just a tourist gimmick. But it has meaning towards Japan's history of Shintoism and Buddhism. When you think about it, a long time ago before there were the instruments to predict the weather or extensive health care, people realied and other sources to diving what would happen to them in the future. And of course that would be fortune telling.

The Omikuji papers were retrieved by first getting the stick which had Chinese characters on it (which were numbers). My semester in Chinese paid off because I found myself easily reading the numbers. After matching your number with the draw you open it and pull out a slip of paper. Both in English and Japanese it told you whether you had good or bad fortune for the day. Let me just mine were a little ominous (I tried twice).

But I tied my fortunes to the rod in hopes that would cure me.

The omikuji predicts the person's chances of his or her hopes coming true, of finding a good match, or generally matters of health, fortune, life, etc. When the prediction is bad, it is a custom to fold up the strip of paper and attach it to a pine tree in the temple or shrine grounds. A purported reason for this custom is a pun on the word for pine tree (松 matsu) and the verb 'to wait' (待つ matsu), the idea being that the bad luck will wait by the tree rather than attach itself to the bearer.

Anyways I found that participating in these rituals enhanced my experience.

Incense Purification:
Turning around and using my nose I caught site of a incense purification spot. The scent was heavenly and sensual at the same time. Temple incense seems to have a scent that is calming. Visitors here would buy a small pack of incense and then burn it to free the smoke. Afterwhich they would place it inside this couldron. Where then they stood in front and fanned the smoked over their body. I participated, but should have not breathed so much do to ingesting the temple smoke. But hey maybe that means my innards are now purified as well. ;)I think what was so great is that when I went home my hair still smelled of incense, something nostalgic and mindful.


Gomagi (prayer stick):
At the same stall where you can buy the incense to burn for purification were some sticks laying in front of the window. As the curious person that I am I inquired with the sales lady inside as to what they were for.

She told me that people buy the stick so to make a prayer. The next morning the temple monk will burn them in a fire so that your blessing may be seen. You can choose between different labeled sticks. Some for health, wealth, luck etc. It was only 200¥ so I thought why the heck not. After you chose your stick you write the name of the person who you wish to be blessed on it along with thier birth year and age.

I bought one for good health and put BK's name on and birthdate on it. Recently he has been dealing with a cold/flu due to working so much. So this went out to him.

Chozuya: Water purification ritual

Also near the booth selling incense and ritual sticks was a water fountain with ladels. After watching others take part in the ritual I thought I had a feel for what you do.

Inside the temple was an area to throw a coin and make a wish while giving a prayer. I did this but didn't do it for long because I was worried some of the Japanese there would cringe.

I left the temple and looked at the Five-story pagoda:

I saw some little birds hopping about~
Shopping on Nakamise street:
Well I headed back the way I came and down that long shopping street. This time I was ready to empty out my wallet and use the ¥. Along the way there many stalls that repeated themselves:

• Cell phone charms and other doo-dads
• Japanese cloth crafts like purses and mirrors
• Traditional Japanese cakes and sweets
• Toys
• Kimonos
• Ukiyo-e prints (not authentic)

Here for you are some of things I saw which caught my attention.



On my way back to the hotel:
I spent alot down that street and came out with some gifts for myself and others. There were some things I walked away regretting not buying. But it was just fun to be a tourist and do the tourist thing.

Heading home I felt very fulfilled with the day I had spent in Tokyo. As I left the first gate and walked towards the street I saw these guys standing there. They are the rickshaw pullers that run the streets here for the tourist. You can get a ride in a rickshaw, but it is really expensive.
Then I came upon that incense store and the aroma coming out of the store was so fragrant and lovely that I was drawn in. Let me tell you they took a bite out of my stashed ¥ in my purse.

After a subway ride home and walking back to my hotel I spotted this street art:
And so I finally end my story of Day 3 in Tokyo. Looking back I have to say compared to the Ghibli Museum visit this was the best day I had there. Mostly because I saw the museum and experienced temple rituals at Asakusa.

Dinner that night wasn't anything fancy, just ramen and a store bought salad.

*Stay tuned for Day 4 and 5 as I wrap up my trip to Tokyo. I am currently busy unpacking and readjusting to a snowy Korea.