Tuesday, 10th July: LATS—and it’s not Michael

Yesterday, I was walking to the hotel’s Laundromat. It’s about three blocks from the actual hotel, through a few back streets where people’s homes are, so not a commercial district. I pass a few people on their way to work or school, and I smile at a few of them, but none of them make eye contact or really look at me. I am thinking “hmmm, people in Hiroshima are not as friendly as people in Tokyo or Yokohama”; not that they weren’t being un-friendly, I had just gotten so used to people smiling at us, talking to us, taking photos etc… that I was a bit surprised that no one paid any attention to me as I was walking past them.

 

Then, it dawned on me—I was suffering from LATS (Lack of Attention Syndrome)—the reason no one was looking in my direction is because I didn’t have the baby with me, so there was no reason for them to do so. It was actually a bit good to walk anonymously through the streets for once. Later on, when I had Michael with me, all the attention was there again! I wonder if the Japanese people who have these very long conversations with Michael realize that I don’t speak a word of Japanese and have absolutely no idea what they are talking about! I just nod my head, smile a lot and say ‘hai’ every now and then. They must think I am a moron. Yesterday, on the tram, Michael was so tired, but an elderly Japanese woman kept talking to him (in Japanese), the only word I understood was “Kawaii” (like Hawaii with a K—not sure of the spelling) which means cute. Anyway, she ended up talking him to sleep, the poor little mite! He tried so hard to stay awake, but in the end the sandman won.

Monday, 9th July: Lost in Translation

Monday, 9^th July

The hotel we are staying in at Hiroshima, “The New Hiroden Hotel” is nice enough—a bit like a posh Best Western by Australian standards—basic, but comfortable and clean. This hotel also claims to be an international hotel and have English-speaking staff. After the “Shinagawa Prince Hotel” in Tokyo and the “Park Royal” in Yokohama, we have probably become a bit spoilt about the definition of ‘English speaking’ and what this actually means. I am pretty certain a staff member I spoke to yesterday at “The New Hiroden Hotel” had absolutely no idea what I was talking about; and the polite Japanese way prevented him from actually admitting this—I think a Japanese person would think they are being a problem by not understanding me—this has happened a couple of times in shops too, so I am getting good at picking up the signs. The Japanese person who doesn’t understand what is being said/requested (but really wants to, and really wants to be helpful) will tilt their head to the side, purse their lips in a thinking way (not in anger) and mumble a few ‘thinking’ sounds. They might end up saying something that only has a vague connection to what I am asking, so after one or two false starts, I now just agree as though that is what I wanted to know (I wouldn’t do this with fluent English speakers, but for those who aren’t, there is no use in running over a dead cat). With a fluent English speaker, you can give more information, and they can ask clarifying questions (and vice versa).

 

Anyway, to return to the purpose of this blog—lost in translation in Hiroshima. It seems that no one who works in the hotel can actually speak English beyond a very elementary, broken way (and I’m not complaining—so I hope it isn’t coming across as though I am. We are, after all, in Japan!*). I think they learn a few hotel-type phrases and that’s it. If you ask them where somewhere is, and they can’t point to it on a map, then you’re buggered; or if you ask where the ‘laundry’ is, not ‘coin laundry’ they have no idea what you are talking about (just as an example). So, this afternoon Gary, Michael and I went to the lobby and asked a hotel staff member “Could you please tell us where there is a Western-style restaurant?” (I know, I know, we’re in Japan, so we should be eating Japanese food—but we just wanted some familiar tastes tonight). After the hotel staff member clarified with the person behind him what “Western” meant, he excitedly got the map and circled where to go, saying “Level 11”. I clarified that 11 meant 11, by writing it in numerals next to where he had circled the map, and “hai!” that was correct. So, Gary and I went about two blocks away to a large Department store, went to level 11 to find this western-style restaurant, and we circled around the level, which was actually a food court, and the only Western-style restaurant was…yep, if you said the Golden Arches, you’d be right! The hotel attendant had sent us to Maccas for dinner. As we had already arrived there, and the view from the 11^th floor was gorgeous, we decided to stay. Michael got corn kernels from Maccas for dinner (they are steamed in the microwave with nothing added, so very healthy); and Gary and I ended up having a Japanese-style curry. It was the view that kept us there. During our meal, Gary wondered why the floor space wasn’t rented out the high-end restaurateurs, the we thought about it, and realized that 11 stories up isn’t that exciting in Japan, as it is so common to have tall buildings.

 

That’s the first story of ‘Lost in translation’. The poor guy, probably thought he was doing us a favour. When we got back to the hotel, I picked up a brochure in the lobby that had information about Hiroshima, and in it contained lists of restaurants—many of which were Western (and not Maccas!). Oh well.

 

 

*Alright, if I am to be completely honest, it is a little bit annoying to be staying at a hotel that states it has English speaking staff, and for not one member of staff to be able to string one sentence together in English, and is not able to understand even a simple sentence in its entirety (maybe they are UIL graduates?)

Sunday, 8th July 2012: A cultural lesson for those who don’t learn the first time

OK, so a few posts ago, I wrote about the tipping culture of Japan, and advised against tipping—as the Japanese person will not accept it—and to make them accept a tip is culturally inappropriate. Well, if only I would take my own advice! Gary, Michael and I travelled by taxi from the Sumo stadium to the train (with all of our luggage). The taxi driver’s boot was too small for both our suitcases, so we had to put one in the front seat, which meant that the driver had to move all his stuff off the front seat and transfer it into the boot (there was a little bit of space left after Gary’s luggage was jammed into it). He didn’t speak English, but we pointed to the map where we wanted to go, and he took us there, happily and without grumbling about the inconvenience we were causing him. When we arrived at the train station, he even pointed us in the direction to go, and told us in the few words of English that he had how we were to make our way there (the use of hand gestures is also useful in language barrier situations).

 

Gary paid him the fare, received the change and then tried to give the driver a tip (only a small one, because we didn’t want to be over the top in a culture where tipping doesn’t occur). Gary got the money in the driver’s hand, and then the driver realized what had happened, and refused to take it—insisting on giving it back to Gary. So, the moral to the story is—don’t give anyone a tip—hospitality staff, taxi drivers, anyone! It is definitely not a part of Japanese culture, and they don’t want it—so save yourself the trouble and them the embarrassment. OK, consider our tipping lesson learnt!

Sunday, 8th July: Sumo Tournament in Nagoya

Today, we travelled from Yokohama to Nagoya (about a two hour train ride on the Shinkansen—Bullet Train) to watch a Sumo Tournament. We went with all the Aussies (yes, all 17 of us) who had travelled to Japan for Mai and Shingo’s wedding. Mai and Shingo came too—which was great as they were able to tell is which train to catch, organise the Sumo tickets, tell the taxi driver where to take us, etc… Basically, we could switch our brains off and just relax and enjoy the day without worrying about anything being “lost in translation” (see my next blog). I did not know what to expect, other than what I had read about Sumo in the Geisha novel that was really popular a few years ago. The tournament is held in a big Gymnasium, with the “dohya”, which is where the Sumos do battle in the centre of the Gymnasium. So that the spectators can see what is happening on this relatively small area, the seats are in rows that get higher towards the ceiling the further back you are (like in a theatre). Two Sumos face off each other and try to outmaneuver each other until one loses balance and falls outside the roped off ring. It was very interesting to watch, and there is quite a bit of skill involved with it. Gary said he saw them sizing each other up to see where their opponent’s weakness was in their centre of gravity, before the match began—when they were doing their posturing at each other, stamping their feet.

 

The crowd is interesting. I am used to loud, uncouth, beer swilling Aussies at NRL matches yelling out abuse to the players and referees—and having a great time doing so. The best footy players are always in the audience, wearing supporter jerseys, sporting a tummy that looks like it is nine months pregnant with twins! Audience participation at an NRL match is almost a requisite of attending a live match, and the cheering, jeering and yelling out is one of the reasons (I am sure) people enjoy going so much. Not in Japan. I yelled out a couple of times when one sumo won over the other; but I quickly realized that no one else was doing so; instead clapping is how the audience celebrate a win. I asked Mai about this—she said that this was normal—but perhaps the people in the other seats (ones where people sat in a roped off area on mats—very Japanese) were the more vocal ones. I did hear them yell out a few times—but not very much. It is interesting the cultural differences in sport audience behaviour across different countries (mmmm, is there an international project in that?). Also, Japanese people don’t bet on Sumo—we thought this was strange. Mai thought it was strange that we would think it was strange. I guess betting is such an ingrained part of Australian culture, that we expect everyone to share our love of a punt.

 

Anyway, Gary and I had a great time at the Sumo—we could only stay for a couple of hours as we had to get to Hiroshima and it is 3.5 hours away from Nagoya (and that’s on the bullet train). But, we wish we could have stayed for longer. Even though we don’t know the intricacies of the game, it was still interesting to watch—and we were slowly figuring it out as we observed what was happening.

 

There were stalls selling Sumo paraphernalia. Given we don’t have very much space in our suitcases, we didn’t get very much. But, there was a CD for sale (I wish I had have bought it), and the video clip of the song was playing (I think it was retired Sumos). The song went: Hack—ee—oo, Hack—ee-oo, oo-oo-Sumo. Shingo said this meant “Get Ready, Sumo”. Michael still likes me singing it to him (which is why I wish I had bought the CD—it would make a change to the Christmas Carols currently on loop in my car, ready to go whenever Michael cracks it in the car).

 

On the way out of the gymnasium-type building where the Sumo Tournament is held, we saw two Sumos in the taxi line ahead of us. I think one was Chinese. All I can say is that however big you think a Sumo is, double it—they are absolutely enormous! The biggest one smiled at us, waved and when he got into the taxi, he wound down the window, he kept waving at us and smiling. I wish I had have taken a photo of him, because I think he would have been fine with it (especially as we had our own sumo baby with us). I don’t think the taxi driver was happy to have him in his car—you should have seen how far the car dropped when the Sumo got in! I wonder if Roald Dahl was thinking of Sumos when he wrote “The BFG”?

Photo Diary: Tokyo Disneyland

Share the joy we had while in Tokyo Disneyland!

Welcome to Tokyo Disneyland!

Heather and Michael about to enter Tokyo Disneyland!

Cinderella’s Castle, Tokyo Disneyland. We have seen the original castle (Neuschwanstein in Austria) and now the imitation. Both are fantastical!

Cinderella in the Grand Parade (I had a close look, and I’m pretty certain that Cinderella was actually a fella! You would need to be very physically strong to hold that pose for such a long time.

The Peter Pan Float

Winnie the Pooh and Friends

A giraffe from The Lion King

A rhino from The Lion King

Pinocchio

Buzz Lightyear from The Toy Story

Michael sleeping through the excitement!

Sitting at the piano in Mickey Mouse’s house

Pluto’s bed in Mickey Mouse’s house

Walt Disney, Mickey Mouse and Michael

Hope you have enjoyed a selection of photos from Tokyo Disneyland–didn’t want to bombard you all with too many!

Photo Diary: Tokyo Day Tour

This post is made up of some of the photos we have taken while we have been in Japan, on your Tokyo Day Tour. I hope you enjoy them! Do they inspire you to visit Japan? Let me know, I’ll come back as your tour guide 😉

“I love youse all”: Baby Michael speaks to his fans in Japan.

Mai* had informed me before we left Australia that Japanese people love children and that they would give Michael a lot of attention wherever we went. I didn’t doubt what she said—what I didn’t realize is just how much attention we get wherever we go. It’s mind-boggling and somewhat surreal. We are basically mobbed all the time–in the hotel lobby, on the train, walking down the street, in the shops, in the lift, anywhere we go–people want to talk to him, have their photo taken with him, touch his legs or arms, wave to him, pull faces to him, poke his ribs, clap their hands to him. You have to see it to believe it. Even businessmen on trains turn to mush when they see Mickey. I wish I could videotape it all–you won’t believe it until you see it. Everyone is really friendly! For example, at Disneyland two lots of people came up to have their photo taken with Michael—one was a father who had a young child and wanted the child to get in a photo with him; the other was a young Chinese woman who wanted a photo taken just with him and then with me and him. It has also happened walking down the street: people have stopped and asked to take his photo.

Today on the train, there was an elderly woman sitting opposite us who kept making faces at Michael and laughing to get him to laugh back (yes, it worked). Then, when more people got off the train, she came over and sat next to us and proceeded to pinch his arms and face (pinch in a good way) to make him laugh and have a good time: he certainly obliged the woman by laughing on cue and smiling at her.

Now, when people stop to talk to us about Michael (and often they comment on his roundness), I say that he is training to be a sumo. ‘Sumo’ is one of only about ten words that I know in Japanese, so they like my attempt at speaking something of their language—or maybe they are just humoring me so that they can see Mickey for longer.

I don’t mind Michael getting all this attention, as we are on holidays, but as I said to Gary later, if you lived here and were trying to get from A to B quickly to run an errand or to make an appointment on time, all the attention could get a little tiresome. I also wonder if, when we get back to Australia, Michael will suffer from LATS–Lack of ATtention Syndrome (yes, I did just make that up) when he doesn’t get as much attention as he has become accustomed. I may have to employ some Japanese people to walk past him and fawn all over him!

Actually, a question—can a baby get repetitive strain injury (RSI) from clapping and waving too much? I think he has waved more than the Queen of England since we have been here. He now waves his hands whenever we are near a crowd (oh dear, have I created a monster?).

I could go on for ages about the attention he has been getting from all the different people—but I won’t go on! I will say that I do get some kind of enjoyment out of it. Knowing people get enjoyment out of my baby is kind of like spreading the joy of Michael around to others. So, if anyone has kids (cute ones, that is 😉 ) and you are thinking about going overseas for a holiday, I certainly recommend Japan—they are friendly and very accommodating to babies.

*Mai is my Japanese friend who is marrying my other Japanese friend, Shingo in Yokohama on Saturday (tomorrow) and is the reason we have come to Japan.

Zip-a-Dee Doo Dah: Visiting Tokyo Disneyland

 

Yesterday (Thursday), while Gary was still climbing Mt Fuji, Michael and I decided to visit Tokyo Disneyland. Well, I decided, and Michael had no choice but to come along for the ride. When I was younger, I always wanted to visit Disneyland (the one in California), but I never did get that far. So, when the opportunity presented itself to go to Tokyo Disneyland, I decided that I would go for a visit. As I was on the train on the way to Disneyland, I did think to myself “I wonder if it will live up to all the hype I had created around it in my mind”. Well, it certainly did! What a fantastic, magical place Disneyland is. Everything is done on such a grand scale, the people who work there are friendly, everything is spotless, the buildings are all in pristine condition.

Of course, the rides were out of the question (being I had a 9 month old with me), so Michael and I concentrated on looking at the attractions. We went to Tomorrowland, Fantasyland and ToonTown. I finally got to see Captain EO–only about 30 years after it was created. You can really see the Star Wars influence in it (obviously, as it was directed by George Lucas), and it was nice to see Michael Jackson when he was younger (and, dare I say it, still black). But let’s just say: he is a far better singer than actor. For those of you who have not yet seen Captain EO–it is a 3D film and the seats move, lights flash at the back of the seats, water spurts up–it is a genuine cinematic experience. You can kind of tell it was made a while ago. I wonder who they would cast now as Captain EO if they were to do a remake? Maybe Justin Timberlake?

Anyway, back to the story. We watched the Grand Parade at 2pm and it was a visual delight. So many floats with all the Disney favourites–the old skool ones and the new ones. Michael saw it all on the shoulders of one of the Australians who is also over here for Mai and Shingo’s wedding, Steven Bull, and Michael had a big grin on his face the entire time–especially when bubbles were blown across the crowd. In fact, Michael has continued his ‘celebrity tour of Japan’ while at Disneyland. Several people stopped us to take a photo of him and others came over to squeeze his legs, or to chat to him, or to just generally admire him. Michael always responds favourably–smiling, waving, clapping (a new found skill he learnt on our first day in Japan), bouncing his legs up and down, laughing and reaching his hands out. This makes whoever his current admirer is even more pleased and they stay for longer, giving more attention to Michael. We were waiting in line to see Mickey Mouse’s house and a group of Chinese women were behind us, and seeing that I was alone with a baby, offered to help me–pushing his pram through the house, amusing him, taking photos of us etc… It was really very sweet of them. Mickey’s house is so gorgeous–and for a mouse he sure has things in a large scale (when I find a photo card reader, I will post some photos).

Oh, a tip for anyone visiting Tokyo Disneyland–if you’re looking for a staff member–don’t approach anyone wearing outrageous Disney costumes, like over the top Minnie Mouse–these people are not staff–they are crazy fans having a great time out at Disneyland. Approach people who are dressed in ‘normal’ clothes!

My verdict on Tokyo Disneyland: 5 out of 5 Mickey Mouse Ears (although I could not buy plain Mickey Mouse ears, only one set with a wizard’s hat–but it was not the Sorcerer’s Apprentice–there were all different type of Minnie Mouse Ears–I guess Disney knows its market). Even though we couldn’t go on rides, it was definitely still a wonderful, magical place to visit–I definitely got sold the Disney dream! So, I can only imagine that if we could go on rides, it would have been even better!

To tip or not to tip, that is the question.

OK, so today I am going to give you all a Japanese cultural lesson. The topic is whether or not you tip at Japanese restaurants when you get good food and good service (which by the way, is all the time–Japanese people take their hospitality jobs seriously–unlike in Australia, where some service staff make you feel like they are doing you a huge favour by just turning up to work). Gary, Michael and I went out to dinner on Monday night with some other Australians who are also in Japan for Mai and Shingo`s wedding. During dinner, the conversation turned to whether to leave a tip or not, and one of the people we were dining with said that it is not customary to leave a tip. They gave the example of their mother leaving a tip at a restaurant and the waiter came running out after them as they were leaving to give them the money back–she tried to explain it was left on purpose, but he insisted that she take the money back. OK, so it seems you don`t leave a tip.

 

Last night (Tuesday),　Michael and I went out to dinner to the Outback Cafe (yes, I am solo parenting in Tokyo while Gary climbs Mt Fuji–will someone tell him how good he has it, he doesn`t seem to understand ；）　）．　ＴＨＥ　ＢＩＬＬ　ＣＡＭＥ　ＴＯ　２６１３yen. They bring the bill to your table in a leather wallet. Remembering the conversation about leaving a tip, I put 2700 yen in the wallet (which means I should get 87 yen in change). But, I don`t want to wait for such a small amount in change (about 1 aud), as I am embarrased to wait for such a small amount. So, I leave the table with Michael. As we were walking out the restaurant, the waitress came running after me with my change (all coins) and tried to give it back to me. I refused to take it and kept walking. As I looked back she was in conversation with her manager about it, and she was quite stressed. In hindsight, I should have taken the money from her when she offered it, as it is not customary to leave a tip, and as I am in her country, I should abide by her customs–because I have now made her uncomfortable. So, lesson learner–don`t leave a tip in Japan.

 

This morning I asked the hotel`s guest relations officer (who speaks excellent English) about the Japanese custom of tipping. I explained to him what had happened the previous evening. He said it is not a Japanese custom to leave a tip, because quote: `The Japanese people have got enough`. What a lovely sentiment.

Baby Michael`s starting to grizzle now, so here ends today`s cultural lesson.

 

Sayunara!

Flying on an international flight with a baby: brave, crazy, suckers for punishment, insane or carefully considered parenting?

So, we boarded the flight at 9.30pm fully anticipating a night of crying and tantrums (and that`s not even considernig the baby!). But, our fears were not realised. Qantas had a very friendly crew on board, who were happy to help us out if needed. One crew member (who has a two year old) told us that the best way to fly with a baby was to put him in the overhead locker! (lol). But, baby Michael continues to break all the baby rules, and flying with him was a breeze–he slept from about 10pm until 4am, only waking twice when I tried to put him in the bassinet, which was too small for him. I ended up just holding him in my lap for the duration of the flight. Of course, being an adult cramped in cattle class, our sleeping was not so good–but at least we started the day with a semi-refreshed baby.

When we arrived at Narita, Tokyo airport, we took the bus (I love it how they call coaches `limosines` in Japan) to our hotel, and our first day in Japan begins!

Read the next post for information on Baby Michael`s new calling as a fat, white, waving baby–wowing the jaded Tokyo-ites! (or, something like that).

Verdict on holiday so far: 5/5!