Settling In

関西外大
Kansai Gaidai University



August 23rd. Columbus to Osaka. The "magic" of frequent flyer points brought us our first ever business class flight to Japan on the upper deck of a stretch 747. (No, that's not us in the picture.) We're not sure if it was a good idea in one way, because it's going to be tough going back to "steerage." The fourteen hour flight arrives in Japan the following evening because of the international dateline, and the body's circadian rhythms are pretty well demolished. Is it age? Jet lag from switching day for night seemed to take a week to go away this time. In the meantime, we were prepared with good books to read at 3 am.

Our first week was spent settling into our university-provided apartment on the edge of campus. With a "2-LDK" in Japanese terms (2 rooms plus living-dining-kitchen) on first floor with veranda, large bath, and laundry, we're living more than comfortably. The apartment is furnished but with just the basics. ("Where is the toilet brush?"). The Japanese version of the "dollar store" is the "100 Yen Shop," and we filled a couple of bicycle baskets there on several occasions. We can find everything we need in the neighborhood, and we have our choice of shopping at large supermarkets, medium-size convenience stores, or traditional "mom and pop" stands for everything from tofu to fish.

September 1st. Opening Ceremony and Reception

The unversity consists of about 10,000 Japanese students focused on international learning and careers, and 455 international students, including 3 from Otterbein this year. The international students are from all over the world, including many sister institutions who have exchange agreements such as our college's. Here are some photos of the opening ceremony in which we were formally introduced. Speeches by the president and the general consuls of the US and of Australia followed.

The excitement among the students was obvious as they began this adventure. Both consul generals related stories of their first encounters with Japan at the same age, around 20, and touched just the right themes with humor and perception. After the speeches were over, the crowd moved to a reception lunch at one of the student centers, where never-ending supplies of sushi, sashimi, veggies, noodles, and desserts pleased faculty and students alike.

Hot Weather and No AC!. This region of Japan has very hot and humid, almost tropical summers, and when we moved in the temperature hadn't been below 90 degrees for a month. We had an AC unit not working. I told the office staff, and I suppose they were thinking: "Oh no, not another visiting professor who can't figure out how to work the AC." So the man in charge of the visiting professors came over to the apartment only to learn that it was indeed not working. Next he sent the equivalent of the Otterbein Service Dept over, who was probably thinking the same thing. But, they agreed that it wasn't working. so they sent a professional repairman-- who only needed to open it up and change a setting that caused it to dehumidify but not cool. As in most modern Japanese buildings, the unit is a "ductless split" high on the wall in each room that heats as well as cools. It's very efficient and fits the tradition of heating or cooling only the room you're using at the time. That's some adjustment to make for those of us used to central heating and cooling, but it influences the statistic that a Japanese person puts out about half of the global warming gasses that a US-American does.