The Velocity Of Life

The last two weeks have flown by. I have been carried through them as if on wings that have caught a fast-moving jet stream. Last Thursday, the 6th, I moved into my first official Kyoto apartment. Unfortunately, the representative of the rental company, Ishimoto-san, misrepresented the space. It was supposed to be exactly like the unit I had been shown. However, it was different in a couple of ways, the most glaring of which is the lack of a second closet. To paraphrase Tim, in Japan it is not the size of the living space that matters, but the area of closet space it contains. Also, in Japan, it is common to not complain about these mistakes. I did. I wanted out of the contract, and all of my money refunded, including our moving costs, especially since Eri had sent things back to her family’s home in Yokohama in addition to sending things to the apartment.

A brief pause to explain the costs of renting in Japan. There are several fees:

- the rent (yachin)
- the deposit; as in the U.S., returned at the end of the contract, although in Japan there is a tendency to receive under half of this back with apartment rentals, even if it is left exactly in the same condition it was at the outset of the contract
- “gift money”; this is a fee paid to the company/owner of the unit, and is not refundable; depending on whether it is an apartment or house one is renting, the gift money can be anywhere from 50,000 to 250,000 yen ($500-$2500 U.S.); sometimes this fee is waived
- “smile pack”; usually only charged with apartments; this is a cleaning fee of 10,000 yen ($100)
- maintenance fee; for the monthly upkeep of the facility, added on to the rent, around 5500 yen ($55) per month
- key fee; 5000 yen ($50), and a second key is another 2500 yen ($25)
- intermediary fee; a one-time fee paid to the representative of the owner of the unit/house, based on a percentage of the rent
- fire insurance; 15,000 yen ($150) paid to an insurance company, usually good for two years, and transferrable to wherever one moves during that time

After much time spent by Eri on the phone that day, I finally asked her to set up a face to face meeting with Ishimoto-san’s boss, Yamaguchi-san. At this point, the only things Yamaguchi had promised Eri he would refund was our moving costs and the second month of rent I had paid up front. That left about 37,500 yen ($375) worth of extraneous costs still owed. It may seem like a small amount, but I had given them all of the money I had, with a small bit left over to carry me through until my first paycheck. I needed to impress upon Yamaguchi-san the urgency of my situation.
The nice thing about these companies is they are very cordial, so Eri and I were picked up in a company car, and driven to the office. We had a sit down meeting, with Ishimoto-san silently seated to the right and behind his boss. I let Eri and Yamaguchi-san dialogue a bit, adding in a small comment of my own here and there, for about 10 minutes. I needed for him to understand first-hand the experience I was having. Then I noticed the silver band on his left ring finger, a wedding band. I spoke in English directly to Yamaguchi-san, my eyes meeting his, as Eri translated. I said, “You’re married, yes?” He confirmed my guess. I then said, “Imagine you and your wife are in a foreign country, trying to find a place to live. You get a place, spend all of your savings on it, then find out you were lied to by the representative of this space. Wouldn’t you hope that someone would set things right?” His energy shifted. After another few minutes of dialogue, he said he would try his best to get all of the money refunded to us. This still was not good enough. I said, “Yamaguchi-san, I don’t want a maybe. I want your word, your promise, that you will personally make sure we get the full amount of money refunded.” I could see his mind turning that over. After a long pause, he gave us his word.
Since that day, Eri and I have been very busy. Eri has had to do all of the communication, so she has spent a lot of time on the phone, in continuous dialogue with several different realtors. Both of us have gone to see many spaces, in between my teaching and Eri’s preparation and successive interviewing for a new job in Kyoto. We also spent many hours at the Falafel Garden, a wonderful cafe near Demachi-Yanagi station, and the only place in Kyoto with free wi-fi.

The second floor of Falafel Garden, our home away from home.

Our favorite corner table.

On Tuesday, the 11th (auspicious number!) we were shown what will become our new home. In the northwest part of Kyoto, nestled into a very quiet neighborhood, a gentleman by the name of Takekawa-san (“bamboo river”), has built the most gorgeous little Japanese-style house. He did it as a labor of love, because of his love of the craft. The house, while traditional in design, has modern amenities and plenty of space. Throughout the inside of the house, he inserted non-traditional styles of wood, so there are different grains woven into the design that add a unique feel to it. When we first stepped inside, we were greeted by the strong smell of sweet cedar. We move in on the 1st of December.
On the 10th, Eri got a call back for a second interview for her new job opportunity. That night, we went out to celebrate at Frigo, a lovely Italian restaurant on Imadegawa. The food was amazing! Fantastic flavors, and lovely presentation. The space itself is cozy, and the couple running the place were warm and inviting. We began our meal with a bottle of Spumante, warm Italian bread with olive oil, peanuts in the shells, and gobou, a Japanese root vegetable. Eri informed me this is usually very fibrous. However, it seemed to have been marinated for a long time in olive oil and lemon, with light seasoning, which made it supple and tender. The chef had then added in sundried tomatoes. It was delicious! Eri had an entree of linguini with iwashi (sardines) minced into a wonderful cream sauce. I ordered a risotto with porcini mushrooms and kuri (chestnuts). Both dishes were divine. We ended our meal with a piece of chocolate cake, both moist and perfectly sweet. For the first time, I even indulged in a cup of espresso. Heavenly!

Cozy atmosphere...

...plus delectable food...

...equals two happy diners!

Friday evening I slept well, a good eight hours, but I was still a bit tired Saturday. I have been teaching about spanda, or pulsation. This is an intrinsic part of life that can be explored at depth and breadth, and still only scratch the surface of the surface of its connotations. I enjoy teaching about it, because another layer of understanding always opens in the process. On Friday morning, after class, the students and I had a short discussion, which became a great teaching for me too. They were still a little vague in their understanding. I talked of how Opening to Grace was allowing ourselves to see from the universal view, then we bring it back to individual effort (kojinno doryoku) with Muscular Energy as we engage with ourselves. Organic Energy is the individual offering (sasagemasu) back into the universal as we actively expand our presence into the great expanse of life. It’s the first time I have actually talked about it in that way. This is why I love questions!
Friday evening I had an interesting vision during meditation. I don’t normally get visuals, so it stood out. The image of a hedge garden arose in my mind’s eye, but it appeared as if I was looking through a smoky piece of glass. Then I recognized it as a mirror. I was gazing into a reflection in which I wasn’t seeing myself, but what was around and behind me. I had the distinct impression of a labyrinth, even though the hedges were all chest height, with several spacious sitting areas within their borders. The reflection then seemed to reflect back upon itself and form what appeared to be hedge gardens going on forever. Eri had left Friday morning to visit her family and friends in Yokohama, so I spoke with her later that evening about this experience. She told me that during her train ride that day she had passed through Shizoka, a province famous for their tea, just south of Yokohama, and she had seen a very similar looking garden as she passed through. To me, it’s just another indication of our connection. The universe speaks to us constantly, and since I have been here, I feel like it has been chatting incessantly, guiding me in the most exquisite ways.
Since Eri is away this weekend, I am attempting to cook some of the traditional Japanese dishes she has made for me. Saturday night I made yakisoba (fried noodles), using cabbage, ninjin (carrots), nasu (eggplant), and tamanegi (white onion). It’s simple to make. Veggies into an oiled and heated wok, and once cooked, add the yakisoba itself, along with the powdered mixture of sauce, stir it up, and in no time dinner is served. It is quite yummy, and nurturing. With my version I drank a wonderful genmai (brown rice) tea. A simple and satisfying meal.

 

Tonight I will attempt a miso soup and onigiri, both of which Eri has taught me to make. Ganbatte!