It has been a little over two months since I arrived in Japan, and as was expected, this time has been filled with a flurry of new information and experiences. This post will focus mainly on my growing love of Niigata because trying to fit in teaching, travel, and cultural experiences would be way too long.
Upon arriving in Niigata, I was surprised to see how industrial it is. For the most part the buildings are boxy and plain, and some are dilapidated and neglected with overgrown vines and rusty metal roofs. This was not the Japan that I had envisioned. In my mind, there would be quaint Japanese style houses with bonsai trees, beautiful gardens, and temples on every corner. I thought I would be able to go monk-spotting and geisha-watching on the weekends and look out onto vast green rice paddies in the evenings. Then I remembered that I asked to be placed in a city and that after a few days I would probably go mad from the silence and space of country living. I was hesitant to stray too far from home on my first attempts at exploring. I walked around my house and found nothing of great interest. I was a little disheartened because this seemed like an empty forgotten city filled with workers and offices instead of culture and community. Then one evening, I took my bike out for a ride to test the distance from my house to my main school. Along the way I discovered beautiful gardens, parks, and unexpected pockets of greenery that I had not seen through a bus or car window. That bike ride changed everything and I decided that every week on my half-day Fridays that I would ride my bike to a part of the city that I had never been to before. I found beautiful shrines, interesting art exhibits, a cat cafe, amazing restaurants, a peaceful river, a beach 10 minutes away from my house, and so much more, all on the seat of my bike.
I did some research and found that Niigata has a vibrant arts and culture scene and they are constantly holding events, and creating opportunities for artists in Niigata and Japan to showcase their work in museums and around the city. As part of an art initiative, the city commissioned art pieces to be built along the Shinano River to celebrate important landmarks of Niigata (the Shinano River and the Bandai Bridge). They created a gigantic bamboo hut that is every kid`s tree house dream, a multi-coloured glass gazebo called `the heart washer`, and there are more that I have yet to visit. The art museum brings in new exhibits every season, and the center for Performing Arts is an impressive building surrounded by cherry trees and serene sitting areas. Everywhere I ride there is something interesting to be discovered about this city. I like that its beauty is understated and places of interest are a little bit harder to find, it feels rewarding and surprisingly joyful when I stumble upon new discoveries and learn something new not only about Niigata but also how it is connected to the traditional Japanese culture that is treasured here.
Upon arriving in Niigata, I was surprised to see how industrial it is. For the most part the buildings are boxy and plain, and some are dilapidated and neglected with overgrown vines and rusty metal roofs. This was not the Japan that I had envisioned. In my mind, there would be quaint Japanese style houses with bonsai trees, beautiful gardens, and temples on every corner. I thought I would be able to go monk-spotting and geisha-watching on the weekends and look out onto vast green rice paddies in the evenings. Then I remembered that I asked to be placed in a city and that after a few days I would probably go mad from the silence and space of country living. I was hesitant to stray too far from home on my first attempts at exploring. I walked around my house and found nothing of great interest. I was a little disheartened because this seemed like an empty forgotten city filled with workers and offices instead of culture and community. Then one evening, I took my bike out for a ride to test the distance from my house to my main school. Along the way I discovered beautiful gardens, parks, and unexpected pockets of greenery that I had not seen through a bus or car window. That bike ride changed everything and I decided that every week on my half-day Fridays that I would ride my bike to a part of the city that I had never been to before. I found beautiful shrines, interesting art exhibits, a cat cafe, amazing restaurants, a peaceful river, a beach 10 minutes away from my house, and so much more, all on the seat of my bike.
I did some research and found that Niigata has a vibrant arts and culture scene and they are constantly holding events, and creating opportunities for artists in Niigata and Japan to showcase their work in museums and around the city. As part of an art initiative, the city commissioned art pieces to be built along the Shinano River to celebrate important landmarks of Niigata (the Shinano River and the Bandai Bridge). They created a gigantic bamboo hut that is every kid`s tree house dream, a multi-coloured glass gazebo called `the heart washer`, and there are more that I have yet to visit. The art museum brings in new exhibits every season, and the center for Performing Arts is an impressive building surrounded by cherry trees and serene sitting areas. Everywhere I ride there is something interesting to be discovered about this city. I like that its beauty is understated and places of interest are a little bit harder to find, it feels rewarding and surprisingly joyful when I stumble upon new discoveries and learn something new not only about Niigata but also how it is connected to the traditional Japanese culture that is treasured here.
I was also looking for places to go see live music. I don`t know anything about Japanese music and wanted to see if there were places I could go to listen to local bands. Although I am stoked to go to Tokyo for those amazing indie rock shows I wanted to get my fill for live music so I don`t have to wait months until my next show. On my way to find a live house I stumbled upon a few bands playing outside of the train station in an open seating park. I decided to sit for awhile because the crowd was quite large so I thought it would be worth checking out. The bands were awesome and ranged from acoustic acts to full on rock bands! The atmosphere was relaxing and everyone was having a great time. The crowd became back up singers for the band and each band stayed to watch the next performers and chatted with the crowd. It was really cool. If I am ever bored on a weeknight, I can pop down to the station and sit in the park and listen to music, PERFECT! Apparently it is common for up and coming bands to put on impromptu shows outside the station every week.
I also found this awesome district called Furumachi which is filled with cool vintage (furugiya) stores, restaurants and cafes. This area used to be the city`s vibrant hub but the youths have moved on to the Bandai area with all of the new fancy department stores and bars that opened up. Although I enjoy the shopping and nightlife of Bandai, Furumachi has an old city feel that compels curiosity. If you were to drive by, it would look like nothing more than a bunch of junk-tique shops, small restaurants and apartment buildings, but on foot or bicycle Furumachi transforms into a fantastic village of vintage style and forgotten history. There are shrines tucked away on side streets and hidden record stores in underground malls. I love it there!
Some of the perks of living in the city is that I have lots of movie theaters, malls, karaoke bars and restaurants to try so I am never bored. Many of the other ALT`s come to visit the city to get away from rural living so I get a ton of visitors and its always an easy sell for them to come to me. My friend Sabina comes every weekend to get a taste for city life. I plan on visiting her in the country in a couple of weeks. We are going to go to the one Korean BBQ restaurant, the squirrel park, and a popular onsen. I am excited to see what her life is like in Kamo.
I thought that it would be difficult to meet people here because I do not speak Japanese and although I do spend most of my time with other foreigners I have found that the younger population are excited and willing to try to speak to me. Several times I have been out and when people realize I am not Japanese (even they can`t tell that I am not Japanese at first) they become very interested in me. I`ve gotta say, I feel pretty popular, the way people react to the things I tell them about myself, you would think I am the single most interesting person on the planet. I also often see my students out and about and they love chatting me up (even though they always pretend not to know English in class!). I have realized that I never have to feel alone, this city is full of people who I can talk to :)
Niigata has great cultural and art events as well as an interesting community and although it is a bit more difficult to get involved because I don`t speak Japanese I can still be a part of it through discovery and enjoyment. There are so many wicked places to be found here and each week Niigata seems a little bit smaller and more familiar. I am lucky to be here and I know it.
I thought that it would be difficult to meet people here because I do not speak Japanese and although I do spend most of my time with other foreigners I have found that the younger population are excited and willing to try to speak to me. Several times I have been out and when people realize I am not Japanese (even they can`t tell that I am not Japanese at first) they become very interested in me. I`ve gotta say, I feel pretty popular, the way people react to the things I tell them about myself, you would think I am the single most interesting person on the planet. I also often see my students out and about and they love chatting me up (even though they always pretend not to know English in class!). I have realized that I never have to feel alone, this city is full of people who I can talk to :)
Niigata has great cultural and art events as well as an interesting community and although it is a bit more difficult to get involved because I don`t speak Japanese I can still be a part of it through discovery and enjoyment. There are so many wicked places to be found here and each week Niigata seems a little bit smaller and more familiar. I am lucky to be here and I know it.
RSS Feed