Life in Japan
10/07/20 17:51
Let me tell you, a whole lot has changed over the years and I have lived through it all(Thank GOD). This will be part one of a long series that needs to be told.
It started in 1989(yes I know many of you were not even born yet). The Japanese Emperor had just died(Showa Era) and the Heisei Era was born. I was studying Japanese in LBCC and enjoying the class. After Transferring to UCLA in 1990 I decided to Major in Japanese Language and Culture(was not my first choice but that is another story). After an accident during the summer before School started, I was not able to join my Japanese class due to my leg injury. So I had to wait a whole year before the same class repeated. This turned out to be a good thing looking back. I was able to join a Summer School in Tokyo for one month in 1990. What an experience that was indeed. You must remember, this was at the time of the Economic Bubble in Japan. There were very few "Gaijin""(Foreigners) living in Tokyo at that time. The school was made up of mostly Chinese that were working full time for construction companies. So least to say, there weren't many students in the class. However, I was able to learn a lot and on Sundays was the best. They closed down Main Street leading into Yoyogi Park from Harajuku Station. It was a free space for Entertainment which mostly were in the form of idol groups and live bands. In the one month, I was able to make some friends of one of the bands I started to like and in 2020, I can say I still am in touch with one member!
This is a key point about Japan that you probably have not heard about. If you take the time to keep in touch, you will have a friend for life!
In Part two, I will talk about my Return to Japan in the mid 90's.
