I got hit by a car today and survived to tell the tale. This morning I woke up feeling a little woozy from the nomihodai (all you can drink) and hopped on my bike to go to the video store a whopping two blocks away from my place of residence. All Forrest Gump style, I meant to go to the video store but I just kept riding and riding until I was almost at Nagata Gorge which is almost in the mountains which is almost a really long bike ride. On the way I saw some lil' ponies and and other fascinating sights such as a beer vending machine. Last summer when I was in S.E. Asia I took mental note of the fact that indeed Asians were bad drivers, it wasn't just a racist stereotype. I remember taking a cab to the airport and being afraid for my life not only due to the drivers inability to navigate the road, but also because the car smelled like it was going to blow up. So this dude in this little Japanese car apparently wasn't seeing me bike directly in front of his car and he drove right into me. For some reason as it all happened in slow motion I wasn't scared that I was going to be hurt. The back of the bike and my leg were hit with quite a bit of force but luckily he realized that a human being was in front of him and he stopped. I stopped and just stared at him for a second a little confused and then gave my bike a once over and confirmed to him "Die-zyoo-boo" as he rolled down the window. This means many things but in this case it meant I'm ok- and I sped off just as he sped into me. I think I may have been seriously injured had I been in Bakersfield and this car been a hummer, but luckily I am in the land of small things and it turned out to be a small incident. Upon reflection I think that maybe the man didn't stop, perhaps I stopped the car when he ran into me. I probably weigh more then that car. The Japanese folk at my work find it quite humorous that I have feet bigger then most Japanese men and that I do thinks like break chairs frequently from just sitting in them. They will find this quite humorous. I am happy to provide entertainment. Speaking of being an oddity, I am starting to become a little impatient with everyone staring at me all the time and giggling. I didn't mind so much at first or rather I ignored it, but now I am starting to stare back at people who can't keep their eyes off me. I make an exception for children, they can't help it. I know that it isn't done to be rude, but I am not too comfortable with being on display all the time. It makes me feel like I need to comb my hair in the morning. I guess deep down the only part of me that cares is the part that wants my privacy. My friend Lindsay had the same experience when she was in Japan. She said that she had to go to the doctor for a headache or something out of town and the next day the mailman asked her how her head was. I guess there are ups and downs to the situation. Because I am noticed a lot of people want to talk to me and take me around but at the same time I am not Japanese and am a bit of a sideshow. Well not much else has happened since my last post. Last night when Sarah and I went to the nomihodai we ran into some three other "Gaijin" (foreign persons) that work at City Hall and they invited us to a party they were throwing. Unfortunately this was a nomihodai as well and seeing as I have to attend a Halloween party tomorrow at school this was not a good idea so neither of us went. Tomorrow after the party is over Sarah and I are taking the train to Kagoshima which is only about an hour and a half away. This is a pretty big oceanside city and I am really excited to check it out. I have been re-reading the book from my Modern Japan class I took a few years ago and found out that the US rolled up to Kagoshima bay in 1837 and demanded Japan open itself up for trade. Japan responded with a barrage of cannon balls. From the way things seem in the store and after eating Japanese peanut butter today, it feels as Japan still has not opened itself up to trade. Kagoshima is known as the Naples of Japan because there is an active volcano and supposedly the inhabitants of the city have a hot temperament but I'll have to see it to believe it. I heard there is a really good all English bookstore there and some really good ethnic cuisine. Should be fun. I have a three day weekend coming up next month and I am going to take the bullet train up to Osaka on my own. I am really looking forward to that and also checking out Kyoto, Nara (at the advice of Lindsay), Hiroshima, and Okinawa, maybe even Sapporo for unknown reasons.
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