Traveling gives me the opportunity to try new things and see familiar places with a fresh perspective...this is my 9th, yes 9th trip to Tokyo, Japan...each time I have experienced something new: Visiting shrines/temples (picture below is at Meiji Shrine), taking a shinkansen (bullet train) to Kyoto, witnessing a traditional Japanese wedding and today I attended a Catholic mass in Tokyo (Easter Sunday!). Grandma Papp would be proud that I remembered this Holy Day...The church I visited (Catholic Church of St. Joseph) was a $9 (890 Yen) cab ride from my hotel and it is tucked away in an area of Tokyo called Tsukiji...the size of the Church would be more comparable to our chapel's in the US. ...the woman who greeted at the entrance said that mass will start at 9 and a half (or 9:30am).One of the comforting things about going to a Catholic service is that no matter what language its in, you can pretty much tell what's going to happen next. However, there were a couple of un
ique experiences today: The mass was said in Japanese, a baby was baptized and the way they extend peace to other parishioners is quite different...in the US we shake hands or hug or kiss (depending on your relationship with the people around you)...in Japan or at least at this church, you put your hands together as if praying, bow to your neighbors and say "Shu no heiwa" (peace be with you). Like many Japanese phrases, literal translations are hard to come by, but this is the gist. The only reason I remembered this phrase is b/c I was provided a booklet (in 6 languages) that had the order of the mass (traditional Japanese, Romanized Japanese, English, Spanish, Portuguese and Tagalog).
ique experiences today: The mass was said in Japanese, a baby was baptized and the way they extend peace to other parishioners is quite different...in the US we shake hands or hug or kiss (depending on your relationship with the people around you)...in Japan or at least at this church, you put your hands together as if praying, bow to your neighbors and say "Shu no heiwa" (peace be with you). Like many Japanese phrases, literal translations are hard to come by, but this is the gist. The only reason I remembered this phrase is b/c I was provided a booklet (in 6 languages) that had the order of the mass (traditional Japanese, Romanized Japanese, English, Spanish, Portuguese and Tagalog). Going to church in Tsukiji is what I would call an "accidental tourist" experience...about 500,000 people in all of Japan are Catholic (less than 1% of the population)...the main religions are Shintoism and Buddhism. So finding a Catholic church is akin to finding a needle in a haystack.
This first week has been filled with lost in translation moments, lots of sushi, Indian food, multiple visits to a french bakery, hopping on and off public transport, visits to Starbucks...there are definitely things that are uniquely Japan (can you say curry filled donuts?), but worlds are colliding as globalization flattens our economic landscape.When you visit a foreign country, you can expect to be presented with new experiences...from learning how to handle foreign currency (math skills do matter!), using basic phrases in the local language and of course trying new foods. I think I'm pretty good at math and unfortunately the exchange rate is not in favor of the $, so the truth hurts a little. I have learned some new words/phrases to help me get by - for example, if you want someone to bring you your bill at a restaurant, you say "okajo" or "checku" and make the universal sign for check (use your index finger and write in your hand). Two other important phrases, specific to sushi restaurants are: "ocha kudesai" (bring me tea please) and "gari kudesai" (bring me ginger please).
Food is a passion of mine, for no other reason than I like to eat! I was reintroduced to a local favorite called natto (fermented soybeans) by my friend Mari...don't cringe just yet...its supposed to be healthy for you - Mari's selling point was that it keeps your arteries clear. Well, if I remember anything from my childhood is 
that the foods that are good for you, don't taste like jelly donuts...they taste like 'health' food. To be fair, natto is a childhood favorite of Mari's...so I guess the true takeaway from all of this is that natto is an acquired taste...so far I've had it 2x and still working on acquiring a taste. Pictured here is our crew (Sam, Steph, Me, Jake) attempting to eat a natto roll at a delicious sushi place in Ginza...Jake opted out after what looked like a spider web trailed his sushi roll (Sam held up he "L" sign)...turns out, that the 'spider web' is actually part of the natto experience :) The soybeans are covered in some kind of "glue" from the fermentation process (mmm, mmm, mmm) As they say in Japanese "i ta-tha kay mas" (let's eat!)!
