"If you want to feel Japanese, you have to look Japanese"
"Mom," I would reply, "go away I'm in the bathroom"
My mother's words were not lost on me. Like Jackson at a buffet, I recognize something good when I see it! If we wanted to make good on our vows to assimilate (see post from Days 1 & 2) we would need to change our appearance. Our fourth day thusly begins at a barber shop called QB's House, stationed snugly between the Gap and Auntie Anne's at the Aeon Mall.
All of the hair cutters were playing dress up doctor. "I hope they just cut our hair and don't remove our spleens!" Dickie joked. I sat down in the chair and asked the kind gentleman to give me the cut that the Japanese tweens were rocking. He said back to me something in Japanese that seemed like "I'm so sorry -- I hate to be a bother but what?" And so began the lengthy process of describing a hair cut using hand motions.
He cut me pretty short but very Japanese, then vacuumed the extra hair clippings off of my head using a vacuum that was attached to the ceiling before sending me on my way. Premium service for a small fee of ¥1000 ($10).
When I got up, it was clear as day that Dickie was unable to communicate "Japanese hair cut" to the non-English-speaking barber. I should have known -- the whole while that I was getting my cut I heard him behind me saying to his barber/doctor "Number 5 buzz over here, 7 over here. No... 7 there, 5 here" over and over, which manifested itself in a semi-Japanese mohawk.
Looking more Japanese already!
We were groovin' the Japanese vibe and rented bikes for a 10-mile bike ride around Kyoto. We spent the day touring the back alleys of the city visiting the Golden Temple, Rock Garden, and other historic sites.
Inside the gardens of the Golden Palace, visitors can purchase a prayer candle, light it, and ring in the prayer with a ceremonial bell. There are specific candles for specific prayers that cover all of the basics -- schoolwork achievement, traffic in safety, a got of marriage, and so on. Dick opted for the classic be in safe and sound and I picked safety in family. The most popular candle by far was the find employment that was absolutely flying off the shelves. Not sure if it gets you a random job or a job that you want, but in today's economy it's well worth the risk at just fifty cents (¥50).
After a long day we returned to our hostel, a six-story building that boasted multiple lounge areas, kitchens, and movie screening rooms in addition to the spacious and modern living quarters. The only negative was the razor-thin mattress that barely covered the hard wooden bed frame. Only by observing the more experienced and elderly hostel-goers with a keen eye did we discover how to properly sleep on such a Japanese mattress. Crisis averted!
TIPS AND OBSERVATIONS FROM DAY 4:
- When getting a hair cut, a #4 buzz is shorter in Japan than it is in America. Way shorter.
- K's House Hostels are unreal. Highly recommended.
- It appears that only major streets are marked with street signs, and often times they are only in Japanese. This provides an enhanced traveling experience for travelers.
- Biking and walking directions provide an even more enhanced traveling experience, and are only comprehensible by those able to navigate based on pure intuition.
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