I was back in Monterey for a few more credits when I had the opportunity to do non-proliferation work in Mexico or return to Japan. This time, I would study in Nagoya. I lived at Wago College Heights in apartment 509. The apartments had a slew of mailboxes, but none of them had locks. The Japanese were not like Americans, there was not a need to have locks on everything. Kico had started his own company, but most of his work was in Fukuoka. With some effort, I managed to get him in touch with a car parts man in Nagoya so that we could stay in touch. In Nagoya I would again love riding my bike, but this bike was not a Mongoose, it was a standard ladies bike. I would ride my bike to the gym and to the grocery store as well as explore areas of Nagoya. There was a man-made lake where Japanese young adults would practice rowing, and there was a track around the lake.
I taught ESL in Japan to young students. In Japan, there is not a lot of time for Japanese youth to relax. They go to school and then they go to juku, or cram school, to learn English usually. I had two great friends, Gillian and In-ter, whose name in Japanese reading of Kanji was Cho. We would travel to many places, but the most beautiful was the Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion. I had seen Hiroshima the first time I was in Japan, but this time I saw Nagasaki. Nagasaki had been more heavily influenced by outsiders , including the Portuguese. There was even a Chinatown! My friend and I enjoyed that greatly.
Nagoya introduced me to water aerobics. I would join the other ladies, mostly seniors, and workout harder than I ever had before
I visited Little World north of Nagoya, and it had tiny replicas of other countries. I really enjoyed exploring Little World. I also loved getting my hair cut in Japan; one person would massage my head, one person would cut my hair, and one person would rinse out and blow dry my hair. Japanese ladies would shave their eyebrows; they don’t wax or thread.
Again, i taught English, this time to adults. I taught in classroom situations, and I learned something peculiar; I learned that I was not allowed to wear deodorant while teaching. One of the professors took me aside and told me that I was not allowed to continue teaching if I persisted because, he said, the students were not used to it and I would be fired if I continued, so I stopped wearing deodorant just during class hours.
The adults I tutored were mostly men, or salarymen as they are called in Japanese. I learned that salarymen had difficult lives as they worked, studied English, and then went all night drinking. I would sometimes have to avoid walking in pools of vomit in the morning hours.
A lot of things were available in vending machines; cold drinks, hot drinks, food. My friends and I would visit the hyaku-en store, somewhat like the dollar store in the states. We would also go to the Bukkuri-donkey, surprised donkey in Japanese. for food and guru in soda, or cream soda that is green.One of the Marine Security Guards that was assigned to protect the Embassy in Barbados was in Okinawa, and I went to visit him. I was able to go to the base exchange, and I was blown away; it was like being at a Walmart! I didn’t appreciate the way that having soldiers in Japan changed the surrounding Japanese community. The immediate surroundings were deplorable and brought out a nasty side of Japan; there were strip clubs, and American food nearby.
Life changing event 