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Highlights: I got my first traffic ticket last week. I turned right at a light, not realizing that it was prohibited 7am to 8pm. The cops were set up to catch people in the act. So I was waved to the side of the road. Then they asked if I spoke Japanese, and I said no. He asked me where I was going and why. Then they spent about 5 min filling out a traffic ticket. After it was all filled out, I had to sign my name and then finger print it. I had 1 week to pay the fine of ~$50. This was to paid at the post office. I was talking with someone the other night discussing traffic tickets in Japan. Apparently, you REALLY don't want to get caught speeding. One friend of mine got an $800 speeding ticket, plus she had to take a day off from work to go to the capital city and take an all day driving class. The price depends on how far over the speed limit you are, but, it is obvious that any amount over will cost you a lot. There was a festival in the town next to mine this past Sat and Sun. The first night we went to the festival and ate some okinomiyaki (a pancake-like food made with cabbage and egg and fish flakes). The vendor was talking with us. He asked us where we were from. Then he said that we were lucky and pretty because we have big breasts. Too bad I had already paid for the food. This festival that I went to was in Oizumi, the town south of mine. This town I believe has the highest percentage of foreigners in all Japan. The vast majority of these people are from South America, specifically Brazil. So this was not a regular Japanese festival. Yes, there were the shrines carried up and down the streets, but the highlight was the samba. I have never seen so many people at a Japanese festival. You could barely squeeze down the street to check out all the attractions. The crowd went mad during the parade. It was a long procession of samba-ing girls of various ages. They were scantily clad, covered with sequins, and wore massive feather head-dresses. I was really cool. I was too short to see the performers in the parade, but I had no trouble seeing there feathers. What was particularly interesting was the make-up of the crowd. There was hardly a woman to be seen in the front lines to see the parade. Tons of older men, Japanese and other, with their cameras posed. I was almost blinded by all the flashes. But it was funny, because when a group of men dancers went by, hardly any pictures were taken, even though their costumes were just as elaborate. In fact, there was a lot of security. The festival was sponsored by several long distance phone companies, and there were many employees helping with crowd control along with the Japanese police. When the parade finished, there was a samba show on a stage. Everyone crowded around the stage to watch the dancing. I tried to squeeze through the crowd, but I think I would have been smooshed if I had gotten anywhere. Though I did get far enough in to notice that I was one of the few females in the crowd. Once the samba was over, there was a mass exodus, even though there was still more entertainment on stage. I have since been to Oizumi on a regular day, and I was amazed at all the foreigners I saw. I took about a mile walk and I saw a lot more Brazilians than Japanese. It is really amazing. I really wish I spoke Portuguese. Most of them cannot speak English. The reason that Oizumi has so many foreigners is because of all the industry. Almost every Brazilian I met works in a factory. (There are also a lot in Ibaraki-ken.) Apparently Japan and Brazil have a long history ( though I don't know any of it). There are also a lot of Japanese living in Brazil. I met a lot of half Brazilian, half Japanese who had come from Brazil. Even though they are mixed, the majority consider themselves Brazilian and get mad when people assume that they are Japanese. Also, the Brazilians are not treated with the same respect as Americans and other "white western countries." I think that the Brazilians should be respected way more than someone like me. They have actually learned the language and really try. Yet, there are groups around my town that help the AETs, but have little or no interest in the other foreigners. Granted, the Brazilians have a much larger support group readily available than I do. But I still think that they are not given the respect that they deserve. If anyone has any info on the Japanese in South America, I'd love to hear it. Valerie |