Trip downtown, Pt. 1 of 2?

So yesterday I was determined to use my inertia to go downtown and see some things. I had no real destination other than the international center, but I wound up spending over 6 hours walking around. I took a semi-rapid to the Nagoya towers (320 yen one-way) and stopped at the tourist information center there. A guy gave me a map and told me how to get to the international center. The Nagoya Int'l Center has a foreign language library and this message board that I've mentioned in another post. I only knew about these things through chatting with my co-workers. Anyway, the library is alright. It has some stuff that I would like to read and its fairly easy to get there. I didn't bring my alien registration card (which I haven't received yet from the Obu immigration office) or the certificate that proves I've applied for one, so I couldn't take out any books. I took a look at this 'fluids exchange' board and it seemed innocent enough. A lot of 'looking for an Australian teacher to help me learn English, willing to teach Japanese in exchange!' type of things. I can see how that turns into fucking though. Maybe if I'm feeling lonely or horny or something I'll fuck around with it, but not yet.

So after I was turned away from the library I asked the staff where I could get my watch fixed. It looked like the battery died, but how could I possibly know what's wrong with it? They pointed me towards a shop and using my map I was off again. Maybe a 15 minute walk got me there and it was 1000 yen to replace the battery. Really nice people in the shop. Some older woman tried to chat with me, but she spoke absolutely no English. I was able to say that my Japanese is shit, I'm from America, and thank you for your help to them, but that was my limit. Learning Japanese should be my first priority I think. The Japanese people who seem put off by me are ususally calmed right the fuck down when I bow a little, smile, and try to say something to them in Japanese. It makes me feel good too.

I'm still a freak of nature most places that I go, but what hurts me helps me out in other places. While I was walking around Nagoya a whole bus full of high-school girls got my attention by yelling and waved to me. I waved back and the giggled their little under-aged asses off. Also a nice touch.

After the watch shop, I walked for about 20 or 30 minutes down some major road to the Sakae region of the city. My friends here have told me repeatedly that they live in Sakae and how awesome it is to be so central to the city. Yes, Sakae is central, but no, you don't live anywhere near it. I walked there yesterday and I knew at all times where I was in relation to Free Bell and it would have taken over 25 minutes to walk there. Unless Sakae is as big as all of Boston (which it's not) than you don't live there.

After my training was done, I got a beer with the guy who trained me, Ben from Manchester. He told me, among other things, that I should try and not look up to my co-workers (I hope I'm not corrupting his message). He said its natural since they've been here for months and know a lot more about the area than I do. He was right too. I have been looking up to them and letting them tell me where to go and where to shop. I think I'm done with that. Its funny too, because talking with them I find most of them very unimpressive. But when it came to talking about Nagoya and Japan and local things, I took all of their advice as the truth. Well, it turns out they don't really know shit about anything and I think, like I said in an earlier post, I'm going to put some distance between us. I still haven't bought a cell phone here because I'm afraid that after I do they're going to be able to call me whenever they do anything and I'm going to get roped into their tight little group. They're fine people but I doubt that any single one of them has anything in common with me and they're not who I would call friends. They're acquaintances at best and after I leave here, they'll be gone forever. I do like Rachel from Australia, that British guy Tim who went back to San Diego, and Ben, the British guy from Manchester who trained me. They're the coolest people I've met so far, but Ben is older and far away and at a different point in his life. Tim was cool, but he was only visiting, and Rachel is someone I'd like to hang out with, but she's dating my roommate and is that weird? Anyway. Let me check on those Flickr photos. I'll finish this thought...