Adventures in Omiya

One of the main thoroughfares near the station

 

 

 

As my first exposure to life in Japan, Omiya was, to me, full of intrigue and wonder. By day, the streets bustled with the fervor of its small city economy. Commuters commuted and consumers consumed. It seemed amazing to me that there were enough people in Omiya to flood the streets, let alone enough people out shopping at any given moment to do so. But shop they did. Perhaps it is just an illusion of the streets' configuration (cramped, crowded, and full of hidden alleys and shops), but, either way, it has that "busy Asian-marketplace" feel you see in the movies.

 

 

 

This road leads to a shrine (or is it temple?) that I did not visit

The neighborhood. Viewed from the rooftop

 

 

 

Fortunately, the training facility I would be living in for the next two weeks was removed from all of the action, nestled in a quiet neighborhood. It was nice to have some room to breathe after the intense journey from the airport. The training center itself was actually an old ryokan (Japanese style inn), with the lower level of the building consisting of a library, the main training room, and a small kitchen for the trainees living there. All of the living quarters were up on the second level.

 

 

My house slippers

My roomate, demonstrating the presentation skills learned that day in training

 

 

 

Living at the training facility was a good introduction to life in Japan. It seemed to me an opportunity to dip your toes into Japan and Japanese culture without having to dive in headlong. Yes, we lived in a Japanese neighborhood, ate Japanese food, and took our shoes off in the entrance way of the house, but at the same time we had something of an English speaking family to go home to at the end of the day, when we could stay up late talking about how "weird" everything in Japan is. It had something of a summer camp feel to it, where we would finish with a long day of training, scamper up to our rooms to change into our jammies, and run back and forth between rooms to chat and giggle with each other.

 

 

Everything here is so cute! Even... cheese packaging

OH MY GOD its a tiny beer! 135ml? That`s like, 8 oz.! Why?!

 

 

 

What followed was two weeks of long training days, frequent trips to the Tobu grocery store (for well deserved and aptly named "ToBrews"), and drunken escapades in the Omiya red-light district. No, Omiya is not some special little town that has an infamous red-light district. On the contrary, it seems that a seedy underbelly comes standard in every town here. Well, every civilized town that is. But let's get serious. What's a modern city without a little filth and underground organized crime? It's only appropriate considering that each town in the Tokyo suburban sprawl is a microcosm of city life, with the train station (a suburb's lifeline) at the heart of each town. And it makes sense I suppose.  In the suburbs, having a train run through the shoulder to shoulder towns allows the cities to all stay connected, while, at the same time, allows each a separate (albeit nearly identical) city center. What the individual gets is a small city with everything that one needs in daily life. Shops, restaurants, bars, gas stations... all the amenities of daily life in first world countries. It seems like sensible way to organize space in an area with so many people.

 

 

Apparently these cigarettes will make you white, muscular, and completely hairless. Note the daisy dukes and sleek, shaven legs. I can in no way explain this advertisement

Crane games!

 

 

 

Another of the great amenities of daily life in the first world is, of course, video games. And in Japan, arcades are not just for children. In fact, strolling down the alley in the Omiya red-light district gave us the option of three large arcades. Haven't finished your beer? No problem, just bring it on in with you! Need to have a smoke? Don't worry, there are fresh ashtrays ready for you, should you need to have a cigarette hanging from your mouth as you blast zombies away or skillfully guide the claw of a crane game to that sweet stuffed anime character you've always wanted. Crane games are ridiculously popular here in Japan. You can win anything from a Chip and Dale pillow (currently sitting on my bed, a gift from my friend Chris) to action figures of scantily clad anime women to the little stuffed bear from those fabric softener commercials ( called Fafa in Japan).

Crane games with adult themed prizes!

 

 

 

(Japanese dating tip: Going to arcades and playing crane games promises to be a night full of fun and romance! Just be sure to win her that stuffed whatever she picked out. In Japan a man's skill at cranes games is considered to be an indicator of his skill with women!)

 

 

The seedy underbelly of Omiya

(Good times!)

 

 

 

Yes, Omiya, a city of adventure and mystery. As I found out later, Omiya is not considered to a city of any repute. Well, perhaps some slightly ill repute... if indeed any. When we weren't hanging out at the grocery store, drinking our "not beers" while the old man ringing groceries at 10pm stared angrily at us, diversion could be found in the red-light district. In fact, one of the most entertaining nights I had in Omiya was spent hanging outside of the Family Mart convenience store. There, we spent several hours laughing at English t-shirts (with such witty slogans as "I am mischief"), observing the midnight revelers, and avoiding the "hosts" who were bold (desperate?) enough to approach foreigners.

 

 

A not beer. A concoction of hops, sugar, water, and grain alcohol that is not brewed.

Hence, not beer. (It dodges the Japanese beer tax)

 

 

 

Mention Omiya to any employee who has trained there and you will be met with a knowing laugh and the question, "So, what did you think of Omiya?" I suppose the location wasn't chosen for its fame or sightseeing. After all, we were really there to train. And train we did. Here's a picture of us right after having successfully completed training!

 

 

I requested that everyone pose "gangsta".