Katei Houmon and Things That Annoyed Me This Week: Politicians, Cockroaches, and Motorcycles

Katei Houmon and Things That Annoyed Me This Week: Politicians, Cockroaches, and Motorcycles

Here's the Meritto shampoo I was talking about! It's been keeping my hair clean and fresh for half a year now! There was a day at junior high when I compared my name to the shampoo as a joke and the kids started calling me Meritto after that haha.

So back to the blog, the second week of school has begun for me, and this means it’s time for katei houmon, when all the teachers pay visits to the homes of each of the students in their homeroom class. (Also on a more exciting note, Taco Bell reopened in Tokyo, with people braving lines up to two hours to get some Mexican goodness. Mexican food is an extreme rarity in Japan, unfortunately). Apparently it's a very stressful time despite the visit lasting for only about ten minutes each. I'm sure it must be just as stressful for all the moms having to clean house and prepare tea and snacks for just a ten minute visit. My teachers said they weren't so much nervous as tired from making all those trips and visits. And they have to be all dressed up in full suits as opposed to their regular track suits and casual wear. Sounds like a lot of work for everyone, but then again that's what Japanese people do best.

Returning to Japan: First Week Back to School

About Myself

A creative writer by nature, this is my first foray into the world of blogging. I’ve been keeping a journal since I first arrived in japan, and figured now would be a good time to start since I wont have to spend so much time preparing lessons this time around. I’m from Los Angeles and Minnesota, and a graduate of University of Minnesota Twin Cities with an English major and Asian studies minor,, and I’ve been studying Japanese about nine years now (wow! Has it really been so long?). It seems like yesterday I traveled to Japan for the first time, when in reality it was six years ago! It was only a ten day trip, but I such an amazing time I knew I had to come back. During my time there my host family in Kobe showed me warm hospitality and introduced me to okonomiyaki and purikura, now two of my most favorite things. I saw Kyoto and Hiroshima as well, but it wasn’t enough – only enough to whet my appetite for more! And thus here I am, starting my second year living in Ibaraki prefecture.

Merissa no Meritto

I’ve titled my blog “Melissa no Meritto” (meritto meaning merit in Japanese). There’s a shampoo in Japan called メリット, only one character different from my nameメリッサ, which I thought was funny enough I had to buy, and I’ve been using it ever since. So basically it means the merits of being Melissa – or Melissa’s Merit shampoo. Whichever.