Today was a day of awkwardness, there's just no way around it.
Well, first I should begin by telling you that since Tuesday, we've had a team here from Bishop, California who are just awesome. They flew into Tokyo on Tuesday night and Pastor Shelley, Pastor Bill, Pastor Carol, and I all went to go pick them up in Ikebukuro. We successfully managed to get them back to Komagome on the train (an amazingly engineered feat of skill), feed them dinner, get them to the JAG campus, and settle them in. Wednesday (yesterday), we got everyone to the church by bus (amazing again) and had orientation. Then, it was out for bentou lunch (Japanese lunch boxes) and then we began cleaning the church and tracting (stamping, folding, and handing out tracts in the neighborhood around the church. In Japan, it's not illegal to put things in individual mail boxes.). Wednesday ended well and early (praise God) with homemade chicken curry (made by Pastors Bill and Carol) at the mission house.
Now, on to today: the day of awkwardness. We went to a school. A Japanese Jr. high and high school. It was an all boys school. It was awkward. Firstly, it was awkward because we're white Americans in a school full of Asians. Secondly, it was awkward because we were the only native English speakers on the campus save for three English teachers at the school. That made us a rare and special commodity that turned us into a type of celebrity for the day. Thirdly, it was awkward because it was a school full of boys and I was one of three girls in our group. It was just an awkward day, guys.
It's probably sounding like it was an awful experience, but on the contrary; it was one of the best days so far! We got to go around the school from class to class and introduce ourselves to the English classes (in English, of course!). The students were all very glad to see us and had a great time talking with us and trying to say our names. After a while, we ate lunch and tried talking with more of them as we ate. Then it was off to more classes and finally we sat with two graduating seniors who spoke very good English and had some spare time on their hands. We gave everyone our names so they could look us up on Facebook and invited them to our English party on Saturday at ICA church. It's going to be an awesome time. Many of them really enjoyed talking with our high school students (the Japanese guys especially loved talking with the girls and taking pictures with them) and wished to have more time with them. So we're hoping and praying for a good turn out on Saturday!
After school, we were worn out. It was a lot of nervous, awkward situations (you try being stared at all day long by people who think you're fascinating!) but we made it through the day. Now, on to the evening. There is yet more awkwardness to come.
The leaders from the Bishop team who elected to stay back decided not to go shopping for dinner but rather have everyone go out for dinner instead. This turned out to be a fortuitous plan since we had decided to go to an onsen (Japanese bathhouse) later in the evening. It was still up in the air about who would actually go into the baths, but everyone ate together and then some of us went in to actually take baths. Let me tell you, I was more than a little trepidatious about it since I had never been to one before and heard stories from the other team about how interesting they can be if you don't read Japanese - like me. In case you don't know, Japanese bathhouses are totally separate for men and women - and totally naked. I told you the awkwardness was coming. It so happens that you go in, put your stuff and clothes in a locker, and go wash before getting into the bath. I was mentally prepared for this, as Pastor Shelley explained it all to me before going in. But it still was a shock for about the first 5 minutes. After that, it just became semi-normal and by the time I hit the hot water, I no longer cared about much of anything. It was too relaxing. There were various pools that had varying temperatures, a dry sauna, a misting room, and an entire outdoor area (walled in, of course) that opened up to a cool night sky with Japanese maples, rocks, and screens to separate the sections. It was beautiful. I felt the stress of the week just melt away and all the tension stored up in my neck and shoulders was eased off by the gently falling rain. I think I have a new favorite thing about Japan.
After the bath, there is another little room that connects to the locker area with hair dryers, brushes, and lotions so you don't have to walk out on the street looking like you just came from a bath. It didn't really matter, however, since it was raining when we walked outside. If anyone has seen the movie "My Neighbor Totoro" by Hayou Miyazaki, you will remember the part where they are waiting at the bus stop and the rain is falling on the umbrellas making noise. Walking home reminded me of that. It was calm, cool, and peaceful and I felt a peace settle on me.
I think out of all of the awkwardness today, it was well worth it to see the faces of the Japanese school boys and to experience the wonderful relaxation of the onsen. I would do today again, but tomorrow seems to be another day of interesting and exciting discovery as we go sightseeing and exploring with the California team. It will be a day full of pictures, I expect, and a lot more stories to come!
