In the little town of Ikaho…
January 30, 2006 Japan 6 CommentsBy now, you all must be wondering what I have been up to for the last few days. Well, let me try to give you some idea of what it has been like getting my bearings in Japan.
Working backwards, earlier today I registered with with immigration and opened a bank account (I have a cool little stamp for official business that means “calm mind, enjoyable person,” and I think it was the closest thing Mr. Horiguchi could find to Alan, my other names being almost unpronounceable in Japanese)
Yesterday I accompanied Ben to a company class and met some students I am going to be taking over from him. Afterwards he took me to a dollar a plate conveyor sushi and a pachenco parlor just to hear the terrible noise. Ben described it as his own personal hell, and I guess he wanted to share it a little.
Sunday, Patrick took Ben and me up to a town called Ikaho in the foothills of the mountains. The town is home to beautiful scenery and a peaceful budhist tempel dedicated to the goddess of mercy.
The town is also home to the wildly exciting (drum roll please)…. Penis Museum!
Actually, this is why Patrick took us to Ikaho in the first place, and it was worth the drive. The woman who runs the place tried to explain to us the stereotypes Japanese women have about American men, and although her English was terrible, we got the gist because she was speaking in a univeral language that involved elaborate hand gestures and wild attempts at groping both men and women. Indeed, we soon learned that no one was safe after the over-zealous tour guide chased Patrick’s Japanese girlfriend around the room with a three foot long phallus then asked Ben to “eat! eat!” a vulvic statue while beating him with a penis on a stick.
By the end of the ordeal, our sides hurt and I left feeling like I had a greater understanding of Japanese culture.