It has been more than a week and I stil haven't talked about my trip to Izu, so that I may remember the details that seemed funny at the time, I will now include a quick summary of the trip:
there was a typhoon coming, we all knew this, still, we thought, "what does one do when a typhoon, torrential rains, and flooding occurs?". the simple answer to this is to go to a beach side resort and plan on swimming.
9 people + gigantic bus of a car we named Birdie (and by we, i mean me and eric) made for a fun trip, especially when you have ADD Steven at the wheel... Seriously, this thing was so huge that we barely fit on some of the roads. we became aware of this fact when, unable to make a sharp turn on a mountain road, we slid into the ditch a little...
driving on the left side of the road with the driver on the right means that when the driver wants to look at scenery off the left side, he will lean across the passenger to see. when this is over a cliff, as most scenery in the Izu/Shimoda area is, is does not infer you with a feeling of safety. Girlish screams then ensued from all passengers, male and female, for steven to get his eyes back on the road.
hotels at tops of cliffs that have a curfew are not too much fun to get to in aforementioned vehiles of mammoth proportions
i am not a fan of washoku style dinner. having a full fish presented me on a plate with a side of seaweed is not how i enjoy dinner. dinner was thus very hard for me to come by. what is also interesting is that we would find a restaurant rec on a map, enter its coordinates in the GPS, battle tiny roads wet with rain, shove Norman out of the car to check the prices and then usually go to another one.
playing Snap with Sunny and drinking beer, listening to Stacy swear, is hilarious. repeat as often as possible.
going to an onsen is an interesting experience. while it feels wonderful to soak in jacuzzis and showers and baths, taking off all your clothes and lounging around naked, with other naked people, is kind of weird in retrospect. especially if you are a foreigner with a tattoo, as you get more than your share of covert stares.
being at a revolving sushi restaurant and then looking up to realize that you are in the "eye" of the typhoon and everyone responds by running to the car and going swimming in huge waves, but then getting told by the lifeguard that since their is a typhoon swimmers can't go out too far
after going swimming you realize that the shower places are closed due to the typhoon so you hotwire a hose next to a convenience store to try and wash off only to be caught by the obachan running the place
waking up on your lastday thereto discover the typhoon has passed and the weather and waves at the beach are awesome
not planning on going swimming thelast day so only go in up to your knees but a wave comes and Norman coerces you into swimming anyway, so you jump into the waves, still fully dressed
going out too far into the water and getting caught in the current and having about 5 seconds where you panic b/c you can't get back
listeing to bad hip hop in the van on the way back and listenig to eric proclaim "this is why i'm hot"
getting home,unpacking your bags, and having sand go everywhere and having to wash all your clothes again b/c sand stuck to everything
getting home in time to do course registration for 3rd year and think that maybe, this year will
actually be interesting..
nik
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Friday, July 20, 2007
Shakespeare's Twelfth Night: Kabuki Style
Kabuki in Japan: An interesting 4 hours...
Last Friday the JLSP students, a couple of japanese volunteers went to Ginza with Hosaka sensei and Ishimaru san to the Kabuki-za to see a kabuki version of 12th Night. I was both excited and apprehensive, since I had head that kabuki is usually long and drawn out, and that it was acid for the brain...
But go to Ginza we did. For those of you not in the know, Ginza is one of the most expensive places in tokyo: LVuitton, Chanel, Gucci, Tiffany's, Armani, etc line the streets. I found myself fixated by the most beautiful bags and purses ever. However, not even my scholaship is going to let me buy a 2700$ bag....
The Kabuki za is huge and seems like a juxtaposition- this traditional looking building in amongst the glittering stores. It is also one of the biggest things I have ever seen- 3 floors of seats, a stage twice as long and deep as any stage i have ever seen with a runway that goes out into the audience. I rented a translator to stick in my ear- would give various notes on set, music, and characters and before every monologue it would offer a quick summary of the scene.
The opening set was really quite beautiful- upstage was dominated by a large cherry tree with its blossoms ever falling. I still don't know how they did it to make them look as though they fell so naturally... There were also mirrors everywhere so at some points it seemed as though the audience was in the play, reflected as we were behind the actors. Perhaps it was the director's way of showing the fallacy of it all- we know who is in disguise, who is in love with whom, who is crazy and who is merely conniving, so we are essentially the all knowing Gods in this show.
The second scene was by far the most amazing thing i have ever seen on stage. The upstage wall opens and out comes a boat. Yes, a full fledged ship. The characters of Sebastian and Viola (Japanese names Shinnosuke and Princess Biwa, if i remember correctly) are played by the same man, so this scene showcases how amazing he is. He switches back and forth between the two roles (costumes, wig, mannerisms, and voice several times in one scene in about 20 seconds). At one point, when the brother is swept off into the ocean and floats around in the human made waves. All of a sudden, he is dressed as the sister back on the boat. Amazing.
I wish i had understood more japanese, b/c although the translator gave me a summary, it didn't explain the jokes so most of the time i didn't understand what everyone was laughing at. The big difference here between north american theatre is that you can eat in the theatre, in fact, it is encouraged. They sell bento and food out in the lobbies and people will sit around in the intermissions and eat. The play was 3 acts, totaling about 4 1/2 hours including two intermissions, so food was a necessity!
Another interesting fact was this: when kabuki actors join a troupe/theatre/etc, they take a new name from a very specific list. This name becomes their last name in their stage name and is indicative of the branch of kabuki they belong to and what generation they are (thus establishing actor lineages and prestige, as i understand). People in the cheap seats, mostly kabuki enthusiasts, will yell out an actor's o-ya, or his generation name, when he appears on stage or to cheer him on. It was really interesting to hear someone's name being yelled in the middle of a scene...
i only wish i had videotaped some it for the costumes and set were exquisite- some of the best i have ever seen...
Last Friday the JLSP students, a couple of japanese volunteers went to Ginza with Hosaka sensei and Ishimaru san to the Kabuki-za to see a kabuki version of 12th Night. I was both excited and apprehensive, since I had head that kabuki is usually long and drawn out, and that it was acid for the brain...
But go to Ginza we did. For those of you not in the know, Ginza is one of the most expensive places in tokyo: LVuitton, Chanel, Gucci, Tiffany's, Armani, etc line the streets. I found myself fixated by the most beautiful bags and purses ever. However, not even my scholaship is going to let me buy a 2700$ bag....
The Kabuki za is huge and seems like a juxtaposition- this traditional looking building in amongst the glittering stores. It is also one of the biggest things I have ever seen- 3 floors of seats, a stage twice as long and deep as any stage i have ever seen with a runway that goes out into the audience. I rented a translator to stick in my ear- would give various notes on set, music, and characters and before every monologue it would offer a quick summary of the scene.
The opening set was really quite beautiful- upstage was dominated by a large cherry tree with its blossoms ever falling. I still don't know how they did it to make them look as though they fell so naturally... There were also mirrors everywhere so at some points it seemed as though the audience was in the play, reflected as we were behind the actors. Perhaps it was the director's way of showing the fallacy of it all- we know who is in disguise, who is in love with whom, who is crazy and who is merely conniving, so we are essentially the all knowing Gods in this show.
The second scene was by far the most amazing thing i have ever seen on stage. The upstage wall opens and out comes a boat. Yes, a full fledged ship. The characters of Sebastian and Viola (Japanese names Shinnosuke and Princess Biwa, if i remember correctly) are played by the same man, so this scene showcases how amazing he is. He switches back and forth between the two roles (costumes, wig, mannerisms, and voice several times in one scene in about 20 seconds). At one point, when the brother is swept off into the ocean and floats around in the human made waves. All of a sudden, he is dressed as the sister back on the boat. Amazing.
I wish i had understood more japanese, b/c although the translator gave me a summary, it didn't explain the jokes so most of the time i didn't understand what everyone was laughing at. The big difference here between north american theatre is that you can eat in the theatre, in fact, it is encouraged. They sell bento and food out in the lobbies and people will sit around in the intermissions and eat. The play was 3 acts, totaling about 4 1/2 hours including two intermissions, so food was a necessity!
Another interesting fact was this: when kabuki actors join a troupe/theatre/etc, they take a new name from a very specific list. This name becomes their last name in their stage name and is indicative of the branch of kabuki they belong to and what generation they are (thus establishing actor lineages and prestige, as i understand). People in the cheap seats, mostly kabuki enthusiasts, will yell out an actor's o-ya, or his generation name, when he appears on stage or to cheer him on. It was really interesting to hear someone's name being yelled in the middle of a scene...
i only wish i had videotaped some it for the costumes and set were exquisite- some of the best i have ever seen...
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
A few Annoyances
The things that annoy me the most about Japan:
- smokers everywhere. for the love the god people, do you need to congregate in one place, including restaurants, to smoke? I have never been happier that Toronto has banned smoking in bars and restaurants. At least here you can't walk and smoke, for the most part.
- there are no garbage cans anywhere! i understand everyone's reluctance, given attacks in the past by the Aum Shinri Kyo and such, but when you have stuff to throw out it is certainly annoying
- there is food everywhere. thus, i am in a state of constant hunger
- as a rez student, i am not fond of commuting. this sentiment is strengthened everyday
July 10
So today Nikki is off to experience the glory that is traditional Japanese theatre: trip to the Kabukiza in Ginza. The play we are seeing is a critically acclaimed recreation of Shakespeare's 12th Night so hopefully it will be entertaining!
The downside being that it is a 4hour production and we are leaving tomorrow for our weekend trip to the Izu penninsula.
And did I mention that a typhoon is hitting this weekend?
The downside being that it is a 4hour production and we are leaving tomorrow for our weekend trip to the Izu penninsula.
And did I mention that a typhoon is hitting this weekend?
July 10
OMG le squeeHanakimi started as a drama here in Japan 2 weeks ago, i just downloaded episode one (Raw).
Her love interest is played by HYD's Hanazawa Rui (aka Shun Ogiri). So pretty with black hair.
I saw another episode when I was in Kabukicho at a restaurant last night and it looked funny. TonTon says it's pretty popular.
Thus, due to my nutsukushiiiii feeling, i am d/l the complete manga torrent.
*heart*
Her love interest is played by HYD's Hanazawa Rui (aka Shun Ogiri). So pretty with black hair.
I saw another episode when I was in Kabukicho at a restaurant last night and it looked funny. TonTon says it's pretty popular.
Thus, due to my nutsukushiiiii feeling, i am d/l the complete manga torrent.
*heart*
July 9
Some times the simple things in life can be the best: chocolate mousse cake from starbucks, an interesting debate on the japanese education system, having a fun discussion on japanese fashion and the glory that is shoe shopping and the japanese summer sales, planning a resort weekend in the japanese south with 10 new friends, going out for dinner and beer after classes, and haagen daaz in shinjuku to top the night off.
and yes, it is only monday.
hell, i'm going to miss this place....what is also nice is when your friends go to Yamanashi, pick some plums from a friend's orchard, and then bring them to class as Omiyage. Tanaka sensei took time off from class so we could all eat some sumomo and then when i mentioned tea would be nice, she and Sunny went down to the office to get some. We then spent all of first period leisurely talking abiut fruit and wine and our families.
Perfection.
and yes, it is only monday.
hell, i'm going to miss this place....what is also nice is when your friends go to Yamanashi, pick some plums from a friend's orchard, and then bring them to class as Omiyage. Tanaka sensei took time off from class so we could all eat some sumomo and then when i mentioned tea would be nice, she and Sunny went down to the office to get some. We then spent all of first period leisurely talking abiut fruit and wine and our families.
Perfection.
Tokyo, Vol #4
Copy and Paste for volume 4 of the Tokyo pics:
http://utoronto.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2208719&l=f3dad&id=28111212
http://utoronto.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2208719&l=f3dad&id=28111212
July 7
One reason I will always be grateful for receiving scholarship money from the Japanese government (except for the fact that it pays my rent and groceries and other essentials) is that it allows me to go to Shibuya and eat at an all you eat cake place.
On Friday night, thanks to Michaels' impromptu decision while we were hanging out in Kudanshita park, we headed to Shinjuku to partake in a night of drinking at an izakaya. Much drinking and carousing was had by japanese, finnish, canadian, german, and american alike. So much so that when our time ran out we went back up to street level and randomly hung out with the people up there. Yes, we spent about 40 mins just talking with other drunk, complete strangers, before we made the brilliant decision to go to the karaoke place across the street, dragging some of these new people with us. They were smart and made their excuses to leave about 4 mins in! But Karaoke was awesome, with the Nagoya boys indulging in some hip hop, the Germans singing Genghis Khan and Dragostea Din Tea, and much dancing on the couches. Of course ,the karaoke place was also licensed so people continued to drink there! Then me, Marguerite, and Anna spent about half an hour in front of Shinjuku station arguing with Marco and Ryan over whether or not we were going to go clubbing in Roppongi. The decision was eventually "no", as i was getting tired and sober, so Marguerite and I squeezed ourself into the last Keio train (which was, if it is possible, even more crowded than the morning). Of course, the train only went as far as Meidaimae so we had to get off there and walk home.
Saturday was an early day as me, Sunny, and Ping went to Shibuya to meet Koji and Kazuo for lunch at the cake tabehoudai. Maybe it was because I had built it up too much in my head, but it wasn't amazing. It was still really good, as any place where you can eat all the pasta and cake and custards that you want, but i was expecting a little more. We hung around Shibuya for a while before heading over to Koji's place before we went and cheered him on at his basketball game. Sadly, the day before I had been bitten by some bugs and as a result my arm was on fire with a bad reaction to this new bug so I spent most of the time scratching and cursing japanese insects. After his game we went and joined his team at an izakaya. By the time we got there they were already extremely drunk but it was great fun meeting them, laughing with them, and being rattled by Yuki-chan as she kept asking to me choose the cutest guy from three of the players. Such fun, says I!
Sunday, me, Eric and Stacy finally made it out to Harajuku and Yoyogi! Harajuku was mad busy with tourists and japanese alike and as we enjoyed the famous crepes, we watched some of the gothic cosplayers walk by. However, we knew there was a place where they all hung out but weren't quite sure where it was. We made some stops at a jewelry store, some clothing stores, before i stumbled upon a used kimono kiosk. This was funny because I had just read an article earlier in the week about what they do with old kimonos - sell them, cut them into fabric, or use them to make other clothing. I bought a really cool obi for about 2000yen, although i have yet to decide what to do with it!
We finally found the cosplayers and gotholis on the bridge by the second part of the station and amused ourselves taking pics of them. we then headed into yoyogi park and Meiji shrine (where stacy and eric were chastised by an english speaking monk for sitting on the sacred stairs). The shrine was pretty, given the fact that it was a lot like central park- a haven in the middle of a busy city. Then, joy of all joys, i heard some loud music so we went around the corner and discovered my own personal haven- the bands that play free shows on sundays. It was my own personal mecca and I sat down and watched a few of them. By this time Stacy and Eric were pretty tired of the heat so I cut it a bit short. But. I will say that I met my future husbands in the band 2HT. They were a lot of fun to watch and I had a quick conversation with the drummer after their set when I bought their album. I am looking forward to seeing them again tomorrow! And now that I know where all the cosplayers hang out, i will endeavour to get more photos of them. I continued on to Shibuya and did some shopping at 109 (ichi maru kyuu), which was difficult as it is 7 floors of clothes meant for tall, skinny japanese women with lots of money.
June 27
Yet another new experience was had here in Japan, though it left me with some injuries and loss of body parts: Kendo.
Ping and Bon have been working with Peter sensei at his dojo for the past month and a bit and today me and Eric decided to join them for their wednesday night practice. We went and got ramen after school before hopping the subway to the middle of nowhere and walking to an elementary school. The day was already sweltering and even though it cools slightly with the night, a gym with no air conditioning and constant practice = mucho hot + sweat
It was kinda hard to get my footwork right, which leg to keep straight and what not, but it was an entertaining evening. I haven't been worked that hard in a while (except for when I climbed Takaosan last month, maybe). The only downside is that b/c you always slide your left foot, I lost a large portion of the skin on that foot. I could feel it happening and was able to move the skin around, something which didn't feel fun. Because we don't have men or protective equipment we couldn't participate in the last half hour or so but it was fun to watch the other students!
even though i am sweaty and my feet have holes in them, it was a fun night and i will probably go back next week to practice!
Ping and Bon have been working with Peter sensei at his dojo for the past month and a bit and today me and Eric decided to join them for their wednesday night practice. We went and got ramen after school before hopping the subway to the middle of nowhere and walking to an elementary school. The day was already sweltering and even though it cools slightly with the night, a gym with no air conditioning and constant practice = mucho hot + sweat
It was kinda hard to get my footwork right, which leg to keep straight and what not, but it was an entertaining evening. I haven't been worked that hard in a while (except for when I climbed Takaosan last month, maybe). The only downside is that b/c you always slide your left foot, I lost a large portion of the skin on that foot. I could feel it happening and was able to move the skin around, something which didn't feel fun. Because we don't have men or protective equipment we couldn't participate in the last half hour or so but it was fun to watch the other students!
even though i am sweaty and my feet have holes in them, it was a fun night and i will probably go back next week to practice!
June 26
I find myself in a rather interesting dilemma, here in the land of the Rising Sun. I am here for a relatively short time as far as living here goes (though 3 months for a tourist is an eternity!) and have so much I want to see. I have been here for almost a month and a half yet I haven't seen even half of the things on my list which tells me that I should really hop to it.
However, this doesn't really leave much time for sleep or studying. Honestly, getting up everyday at 7, commuting for an hour, and then going through 7 hours of class is absolutely exhausting. More often than not I am tired and cranky by the end of the day and declare myself not fit for company. I want to see stuff but I also need days to just sit and do nothing, go nowhere, and see no one.
This becomes increasingly more difficult as I meet more and more people, we make plans, or I travel on the weekend. I would like one weekend to vegetate and sleep in until noon, but I know I won't b/c there is so much more of this country I would like to see.
Maybe I should start drinking more coffee?
However, this doesn't really leave much time for sleep or studying. Honestly, getting up everyday at 7, commuting for an hour, and then going through 7 hours of class is absolutely exhausting. More often than not I am tired and cranky by the end of the day and declare myself not fit for company. I want to see stuff but I also need days to just sit and do nothing, go nowhere, and see no one.
This becomes increasingly more difficult as I meet more and more people, we make plans, or I travel on the weekend. I would like one weekend to vegetate and sleep in until noon, but I know I won't b/c there is so much more of this country I would like to see.
Maybe I should start drinking more coffee?
June 25
The greatest thing about shopping in Japan that I have discovered is this:Japanese women, normally, have very small feet. I, being white and strange, have large feet. This means that almost all the shoes on sale are size L or LL. What? My size? So Saturday shopping in Shinjuku means that Nikki got two new pairs of heels for very cheap.
After shopping I hopped a train to Nishi Funabashi, eventually making my way over to Nichidaimae for Marcus' birthday party with team europe. Beer was drunk, yakitori was consumed, marshmallows were roasted, and japanese metal rock was discussed while lying in hammocks. Unlike last time, we actually made the last train and had a somewhat leisurely trip home, despite exhaustion.
Sunday was an early morning as Tip had organized a trip to Enoshima, an island SW of Tokyo. Transferred to the Odakyu line in Shinjuku and spent a couple of hours on the train, watching the city slowly bleed into countryside and water. Upon arriving in Enoshima we got cheap McDonalds and then crossed the bridge that connected the island to the mainland. Of course at this time it began to rain and us, in the spirit of adventure, had left our umbrellas at home. The main uphill street on Enoshima is ful of omiyage stores and japanese restaurants, which i made frequent stops at on the way back. The mountain was dotted with temples and shrines at which we purified ourselves and watched a Buddhist fire ceremony.
My favorite part of the day was being on the western part of the island, on the rocky shore and cliffs and dancing in the spray of the Pacific. I think I channeled some of x-men's Storm as I danced in front of the waves.Just call me Commander of the Seas.
Then it was a long, damp walk back to the mainland where we hopped a train back home, tired, damp, and not looking forward to going to classes the next day.
But I, being a good student, did go to class today (unlike stacey and eric) and got the chance to talk to Komuro sensei who was here visiting. All U of T kids got out of classes for half an hour to sit and chat, talk about our experiences, talk about my getting into third year japanese (which almost seems a guarantee right now! SQUEE), and basically chat for a while.
Now I should be in bed, as 7am comes way too early....
Tokyo. Vol #3
Copy and Paste for volume 3 of the Tokyo pics:
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June 22
Nikki has been a lazy twit and has not updated in a long time. I know. Next time you see me, you may hit me, though please do it gently, for I have grown tired and weak from lack of sleep due to the twin feelings of excitement and boredom.
The very truth of the matter is that the daily tedium of classes is broken only by random hilarious outbursts from students and teachers alike, but being in class everyday from 9-4 is so eerily reminiscent of high school. So here I am, a high school student with a university student's "hey, let's skip class" mentality. Constant inner turmoil, says I. Makes me sad inside.
So the most logical place to start is the first big event since I last posted,
AKA:鎌倉バス旅行 Kamakura Bus Trip
The day started off abominably early, with the alarm going off at 6:30 and me crying for a pot of tea. Nonetheless i was out the door at 6:50, on a 新宿ゆき Shinjuku bound train, missing most of the morning commuter traffic which left me giddy with joy. Headed over to the main building and met the other early arrivers, bonded over quasi sunrises and weird portable breakfast foods. Was put into a group with Stacey, Eric, and Kurimoto-san and boarded our tour bus, me racing to the very back seats just like I did from elementary school through to the high school (except senior year, for that was a southern abomination and I had my own car...). Most of the ride up was spent talking with Kurimoto-san, watching Stacey and Eric sleep and laughing at the faces they made.
Crossing Rainbow Bridge and seeing Tokyo Tower (intact, as opposed to destroyed in balls of flame, anime style) I remembered those high school days, the bitch fic, and seishirou;s last words (aka, I prefer spaghetti, not quiche).
Crossing Rainbow Bridge and seeing Tokyo Tower (intact, as opposed to destroyed in balls of flame, anime style) I remembered those high school days, the bitch fic, and seishirou;s last words (aka, I prefer spaghetti, not quiche).
We were really lucky that day as the sky was exceptionally clear and we got to see an amazing view of Mt. Fuji. This view resulted in everyone vaulting to one side of the bus in an attempt to get some pictures.. About an hour and a half later we arrived in Kamakura and stopped at the first temple on our list: Meigetsuin (明月院） Hydrangeas (アジサイ）were in full bloom everywhere so we all took many minutes for photos and youth like frolicking around the temple. Then it was back on the bus for a trip through very crowded streets to Kenchoji 建長寺。We had to hurry as we were on a strict schedule to participate in zasen meditation 座禅. We entered the main monastery and removed our shoes and were forbidden to speak. The cool wooden planks and tatami felt very nice on our feet, and we were lucky that there was a nice breeze in the meditation hall or else we would have all fried in the 30C heat.
We grabbed our cushion and proceeded through the long explanation given to us by the monk. Koji was on hand to translate into english, Kaneko sensei into Chinese, and then Ivy into Korean. Took very long... The monk asked if anyone had any leg injuries, and I raised my hand as i had been very apprehensive over whether or not I would actually be able to do zazen because of my knee. But i was determined to have this experience! He explained the correct posture and leg positioning, where to look, how to think (or not think, in this case), the use of the stick they use to hit students, and whatnot.
Then he knocked some wooden blocks together, rang a bell, and we began. Almost right off the bat I was in pain due to the position but tried to think past it, knowing I would probably never do this again. When the monk got up and began circulating the room with his stick, i got really nervous. When he would come near me my breathing would speed up and i would get nervous. As soon as he sat down again, i felt better. we did 3, 5 minute bursts of zazen but in all honestly sometimes it felt like hours. My knees and lower back alternated between numbness and sharp pains, so it was rather difficult for me to concentrate and achieve zen. The last time was the worst though, for as soon as i crossed my legs i began to shake and could not control the lower half of my body. I though i was going to get hit with that stick for sure, but maybe he pitied me b/c of my injury. Then we finished and it came time for all of us to stand up and head over to the dining hall so we could partake in traditional zen monk food, or 精進料理。But of course I had to embarrass myself and not be able to stand up.... When you move in zen you always have to hold your hands in a certain position against your chest. However, imagine you can't move your legs and have to get up without moving your hands. Not fun. Everyone had to wait around for me before I was able to get my legs moving and my knee cap back into place.
Then was lunch, which was actually quite good. We first had to take about 7 grains of rice from our bowl, move them in a circle over one hand three times, and then put them in this special dish. This is to represent the fact that even rice was once living, we are thankful for its sacrifice, and to feed the animals that are not eaten by monks (aka any meat). The meal consisted of a really good miso base soup with tofu, carrots, seaweed, and potatoes. then there was rice, pickled vegetables, and tsudanuma. While eating we had to sit in seiza or the zen position, both were very uncomfortable and painful for me. As you could eat as much rice and soup as you wanted, everyone had to wait until the gluttons of the group (aka Steven, Ping, Tae Wan, all growing boys who love the 食べ放題！(all you can eat places)) :)
Of course, when eating you have to hold each bowl in your hand, and can't make a sound when eating. Even the dishes have to be placed quietly. Once Mihi was too loud in putting down a bowl and the monk yelled at him. Finally everyone was done and we were able to put down our chopsticks (any part of the chopsticks thathad touched out mouths had to be hanging off the side of the table). Then they passed a kettle of tea down the line and we had to fill one bowl with tea and use one of our radishes to clean the dishes and then drink the tea. So basically, there is a reason for, if you touch a plate you have to eat something, b.c if you have to drink the tea that is used to clean your bowls, you don't want any food left in them!
After leaving Kenchoji we got back on the bus to head over and see Daibutsu 大仏(aka Big Buddha). Everyone gathered in front of it and we took a group picture and then got to go inside the statue. A little souvenir shopping was done before getting back on the bus to go to our last destination, Tsuruoka Hachimangu Shrine 鶴岡八幡宮神社。Saw some mikos, temples, bought candied grapes. From there on we had about an hour of free time so everyone headed down to buy some green tea/sweet potato ice cream and then get down to some serious souvenir お土産shopping.
Then it was back on the bus, a rest stop, and then the greatest invention for a tourist bus EVER!
KARAOKE ON THE BUS!!
i don't think the people who were trying to sleep enjoyed it, but the rest of us (mainly me and Mihi) had a great deal of fun doing karaoke. We got back to campus and then about 10 of us headed back to our home station of Shimotakaido 下高井戸 to go and get our drink on at the local all you can drink place 飲み放題。It was a night of laughs and drunken falling, and great food. Poor Marguerite got umeshu dumped down her back after a kerfuffle with the waiter and we left two hours later severely drunk and 2000 yen poorer. Which is not bad at all, considering I drank about 9 000 yen worth of alcohol...
ASAKUSA/KARAOKE浅草・カラオケ
feeling very hungover the next morning, I hopped the orange line to Kanda with Ping and then transfered to the ginza subway to go and meet Koji at the gate to Asakusa. He was late, but we met Kurimoto-san and browsed the hundreds of cheap souvenir shops and laughed at the huge masses of tourists and english speakers. The weather was about 34C, which was NOT fun with me being as hungover and sick as I was, so i consoled myself with an icy slush drink. Koji arrived and we headed over to the oldest amusement park in japan, Hanayashiki, 花やしき、bought some tickets, and rode some rollercoasters, tilt a whirls, and ghost trains. Then we went to this restaurant and ate the best okonomiyaki of my life before doing a lot of souvenir shopping. Then we got on the train back to Shinjuku and met Ivy and some other people for karaoke. 'Twas a great deal of fun despite the sweaty conditions of the karaoke room! Many songs were sung in english, chinese, japanese, korean, german, romanian, and russian.
Then i headed home to sleep into oblivion for most of sunday!
The Tea Party and Karaoke Part 2お茶会；カラオケ２
Monday was the first tea party of the year. My group and I headed over to the local grocery store and bought some cakes and chocolate. The period was spent eating and drinking, Mina-san showed me her pics from Kyoto, and I made fun of Kaneko-sensei's green tea reputation. After class about 12 of us headed to Shinjuku to go for some karaoke. Even more funwas head the songs vacillating between mariah carey, koda kumi, AFI, green day, utada hikaru, Avril, and some BEP. After karaoke we went out for dinner with some new american friends who were in town visiting old friends. Dinner was excellent with much conversation in both english and japanese and Ping stealing our table's rice and Koji falling off his chair. The night ended with us leaving the restaunrant due to putrid cigarette smoke.And then it was home again, home again, jiggity jig.
Nothing too special since then this week except for mine and Stacey's trip to Harajuku which resulted in new clothes for me and a white fedora.
Tomorrow, Team Europe/German birthday party in Nishi Funabashi, and Enoshima on Sunday
Maybe study?
June 13
There are some events that are simply too much fun to describe. Imagine this: exchange students from canada, korea, the US, germany, and finland gathered together in one person's tiny apartment with a whole bunch of japanese people from the volunteer program and one aunt from Thailand, add a potluck dinner with lots of good food that will cause you to eat overmuch, and mix with umeshu, reicha, and some beer.
Great night was had, even though it ended rather late and made this morning, among other things, rather difficult to face. I killed a watermelon with an overly large butcher knife and enjoyed every moment of it.
Today in class we had the kendo demonstration by Peter-sensei. Watching the recordings of several tournaments and exams I realized that kendo is a lot different from what I thought it was. For some reason I thought it would be more restrained but as we watched the movies I saw how it has come to be described as an evolution from killing. It does seem the kind of martial art I would like to learn but would ultimately be frustrated by my short attention span as I tried to achieve the kendo spirit. I think at the end of the road i would appreciate the newfound mindset but would probably give up along the way....
Great night was had, even though it ended rather late and made this morning, among other things, rather difficult to face. I killed a watermelon with an overly large butcher knife and enjoyed every moment of it.
Today in class we had the kendo demonstration by Peter-sensei. Watching the recordings of several tournaments and exams I realized that kendo is a lot different from what I thought it was. For some reason I thought it would be more restrained but as we watched the movies I saw how it has come to be described as an evolution from killing. It does seem the kind of martial art I would like to learn but would ultimately be frustrated by my short attention span as I tried to achieve the kendo spirit. I think at the end of the road i would appreciate the newfound mindset but would probably give up along the way....
June 10
I have discovered several things this week:
- bittorrent is the perfect companion for single people living alone
- kathy griffin is still really freakin' hilarious
- making your own dinner takes a really long time
- it rains a lot in Japan- denshi jisho on nintendo DS reeeeaaaly hurts your eyes after a couple of hours working on translations for class
- shopping in shinjuku and having an actual conversation with one of the shop employees in japanese sometimes makes it all worth it
- paying for said shopping with money from a scholarship from a japanese university is infinitely more satisfying than with your own money
And I am seeing a lot of ads for "Hairspray" in Japan right now. From the posters, it looks like the cast is all japanese, and not just a touring show. I wonder: do they change the lyrics into japanese? do they change the character names to japanese ones? And as the show deals with black/white segregation, is that accessible here in Japan? I mean, did they ever have a racial divide like the US did?
And now I am pondering eating. Another downfall of the single-living-alone persona = you are always hungry!
- bittorrent is the perfect companion for single people living alone
- kathy griffin is still really freakin' hilarious
- making your own dinner takes a really long time
- it rains a lot in Japan- denshi jisho on nintendo DS reeeeaaaly hurts your eyes after a couple of hours working on translations for class
- shopping in shinjuku and having an actual conversation with one of the shop employees in japanese sometimes makes it all worth it
- paying for said shopping with money from a scholarship from a japanese university is infinitely more satisfying than with your own money
And I am seeing a lot of ads for "Hairspray" in Japan right now. From the posters, it looks like the cast is all japanese, and not just a touring show. I wonder: do they change the lyrics into japanese? do they change the character names to japanese ones? And as the show deals with black/white segregation, is that accessible here in Japan? I mean, did they ever have a racial divide like the US did?
And now I am pondering eating. Another downfall of the single-living-alone persona = you are always hungry!
June 6
I probably just had the best night of my life since arriving in Japan: partying in Chiba with Team Europe, getting really really drunk on german and japanese beer, giving english lessons to japanese aerospace engineers, then leaving the party too late, missing our train, taking a very different way home then deciding Denny's waffles was one thing we could not live without, nor McDonalds, then walking home from God knows where....
I love partying with the Germans, Finnish, Americans, Koreans, Chinese, and Japanese. Fun times are guaranteed.I
t is 3am, not going to classes tomorrow I have decided. BUT! will spend the afternoon studying. Good things all around, me thinks.
I love partying with the Germans, Finnish, Americans, Koreans, Chinese, and Japanese. Fun times are guaranteed.I
t is 3am, not going to classes tomorrow I have decided. BUT! will spend the afternoon studying. Good things all around, me thinks.
June 3
The weekend seems to be the time for road trips! Me, Tip, Haydn, Stacey, Eric, Marguerite, Ping took 3 separate trains to get down to Yokohama to take in the harbour's sights and sounds. An hour and a half are leaving Shimotakaido we arrive in Yokohama and then had to spend 15-20 mins just getting out of the mall that was attached to the station! It took a decorative compass on the ground to point us in the right direction! But we did pass a nice outside rummage shop that I would have loved to had some time to spend it but everyone was pretty raring to get going.
We decided to make Chinatown our first destination- 3km or so from the station and we would stop anywhere along the way. It was sooo hot outside (I am guessing around 26 or 27) so went into a store along the way to cool down. WE found out at the station that there was a festival celebration with fireworks that night so there were tons of people around. They had street performers and kids a plenty, and the amusement park was crowded.
A long walk later we arrive in Chinatown, which looks mor elike CHina than any othe rpart of Japan. The most surreal thing about being in Yokohama's Chinatown vs. Toronto's was that in TO everyone speaks Chinese. I kept getting weirded out that everyone was speaking Japanese... So we were looking at thousands of restaurants, trying to figure out where to eat, when I hear this loud man making extremely loud and boisterous monkey noises. i figured it was a drunk or retarded person but when I look up it was STEVEN! with Kazuko and Iye. I have NO IDEA how they found us in Yokohama or even in Chinatown- none of us had cell phones. but they knew we were going to be there so they set out to look for us. Then Steven took us to this all you can eat Chinese place where we proceeded to sit and eat for about 2 hours. Even at the parties Mom and Dad throw I have never seen so much food in one place. Tip, Steven, and Ping just kept putting it away! I felt ill just looking at it...
Then we took a bunch of pictures at Yamashita park, walked along the water, and went to Aka-Renga which are two buildings that were used during the war as armouries but now they have been turned into shopping malls. As it was getting dark we could now see more and more people dressed in yukatas for the fireworks.
Even though we lost Haydn and Marguerite along the way, all 9 of us did manage to make it over another park for the fireworks. The propblem was finding somewhereon the ground to sit! There were thousands of people there! And when me and Marguerite went on a search for something plastic to sit on it was so difficult to move around! The police had set out very strict paths and you could not deviate past them! Really frustrating!
Then we found a garbge stand and I asked, in Japanese, if they had an extra plastic bag that we could have to sit on. My explanation was okay, but they ahd to go get their supervisor b/c I don't think they knew how to deal with me... I think that when a Japanese person encounters a non-Japanese person speaking Japanese to them, their brains immediately turn off.
But I did get a plastic bag to sit on!
So we saw the fireworks and walked back with thousands of other people to the train station and took another 3 trains to get home, getting inmy apartment door well after 11pm.
What a day, says me!
June 2
I, on Friday, had my most difficult morning on the train. For some reason people were in more of a hurry, or all had some repressed and pent-up anger, or a bunch of people straight from an anger management class had banned together to unleash themselves on the unsuspecting populace of the Shinjuku yuki train. At almost every station, instead of the gentle shuffling onto the train that I have gotten used to, there was a giant football player movement as people shoved themselves and others farther into the train.
Then, much to my chagrin, i became caught on someone's bag and the crowd moved so that there was only room for oneof my feet on the floor. And then I was tilted at a 45 degree angle. So there I am, on a massively crowded train, standing on one foot, caught between 2 people and their bags, leaning heavily to one side, the only thing keeping me from falling on the people sitting down and getting walked all over was my right fingers which were on the ring above me, hanging on by their finger tips as it was one of the straps meant for taller people. I was actually scared b/c i could barely hold on and if i did let go I would have been walked on. My left toes were the only ones hitting the ground while the rest of me was almost perpendicular to my leg. I was immensely relieved to arrive at Sasazuka as most people left the train and I was able to stand on two feet for the first time in 10 mins.
After classes ended at noon on friday the JLSP students went to Bousaikan- the Disaster museum. I had been pretty excited about some of the simulations but they weren't as awesome as I had built them up to be. First we sat through a movie on the museum but my translator was broken so I didn't understand a thing, and then another 3-D movie on the earthquake of 2000 or 2004- don't remember.
Then we went to the typhoon simulation. The guys went first, donning their brightlly coloured rain gear and were subkected to heavy rain and strong winds. We girls (teacher and staff member included) went next, all dressed in pink suits (except for me, who had neon green jacket with my pink pants). Hosaka sensei told me to stand up front, right next to the water jets. I made her come with me. Then I experienced what drowning must me like: b/c I was right up front and my jacket didn't have a visor, water immediately entered my nose, eyes, mouth, and ears. I had to turn my head to try and breathe, but even then it was pretty difficult. When the water ended we all started laughing until we were subjected to typhoon strength winds. We exited wet and laughing.
Then was the smoke maze. which wasn't as exciting- the maze wasn't really smoky and it was ridiculously easy to find our way out, so i wish it could have been darker and harder to get through. The girls made me lead again, though. Am I supposed to be wonder woman?
Then we learned about extinguishing fires and used real extinguishers filled with water to fight a fire. We all had to yell "Kaji Da!" (Fire!) before going and it was funny watching people be self conscious yelling it!
Last was the earthquake simulator and it was pretty cool b/c it took you up to the highest possible level (7). 3-4 people went onto this platform that looked like a kitchen. It raised off the ground and gradually got shakier. We had to turn off the gas, prop open the door, and then get under the table with cushions on our heads. We couldn't stop laughing but it was pretty cool.
What was even cooler was that there was a dress up corner so I got help from the staffin putting on a firefighter's jacket and helmet and then posed in the mini firetruck with an elephant mascot. What can I say? I am jaunty...
May 31
Been a pretty slow week here in Japan- classes, sleeping, etc.
It is now 9pm and it is still raining. When Norman and I were coming back from campus this afternoon the sky was black with clouds and it has been downpouring for about 3 hours now. I don't mind. After most of the thunder and lightning moved on I went to the grocery store at Matsubara and bought some mini cheesecakes and some ice cream, which could quite arguably be the most junk food I have had since arriving here, unless you count chocolate bars and oreos... And the one time I had iced Tirimasu, but seeing as though that was in a restaurant, I am not counting it!
Tomorrow the JLSP students are going to the Disaster museum where we will get to experience an earthquake simulator, a typhoon room in which we will get absolutely soaked, and then try to crawl out way through a smoke maze! Does travel life insurance cover disaster museums?
A few thing I have noticed in my ramblings around Tokyo:
- women generally wear high heels all the time. They will run around in them, wear them all day, and try to squeeze themselves in the door of the trains all the while teetering around on toothpick heels. How do they do it?
- I sometimes see these three elderly women at Ichigaya Eki wearing kimono, or yukata, or some version thereof. These are Japanese traditional costume- but what is Canada's? The first nation peoples'? Or the traditional outfits of the many immigrants who live in Canada- the french, british (what is the british traditional outfit? shakespearean fanfare?), polish, spanish, ukrainian, portuguese, german, irish?
- elderly women like to wear white gloves, but of winter glove material, not light cotton...
- there are many stores catering to solely men's fashion. In Canada and the US we have suit stores that are exclusively for men, but most other stores that carry men's clothing are integrated with women's fashion (H&M, Abercrombie, American Eagle, Hollister, Sears, even hot topic!) but here in Japan there are stores just for men- business, casual, athletic, formal, etc. Do these even exist in North America? and if they do, why don't I remember seeing any?
- McDonalds employees are very nice if you don't know what the word is for take out. They will point to them, and then to outside. Sign language makes everything much easier.
You know what bugs me? When a person is rude to a teacher during class. I know I have been guilty of falling asleep occasionally (and in the case of Astro, almost always), but putting on your headphones, opening a book, and ignoring the teacher in a class of only 8 PEOPLE AND THE PROF IS LOOKING AT YOU reeeeaallly pisses me off. I almost hit the guy after class. Not only is it rude and disrespectful, but for god's sake you are in another country. Try and have a little common courtesy, you douche bag.
It is now 9pm and it is still raining. When Norman and I were coming back from campus this afternoon the sky was black with clouds and it has been downpouring for about 3 hours now. I don't mind. After most of the thunder and lightning moved on I went to the grocery store at Matsubara and bought some mini cheesecakes and some ice cream, which could quite arguably be the most junk food I have had since arriving here, unless you count chocolate bars and oreos... And the one time I had iced Tirimasu, but seeing as though that was in a restaurant, I am not counting it!
Tomorrow the JLSP students are going to the Disaster museum where we will get to experience an earthquake simulator, a typhoon room in which we will get absolutely soaked, and then try to crawl out way through a smoke maze! Does travel life insurance cover disaster museums?
A few thing I have noticed in my ramblings around Tokyo:
- women generally wear high heels all the time. They will run around in them, wear them all day, and try to squeeze themselves in the door of the trains all the while teetering around on toothpick heels. How do they do it?
- I sometimes see these three elderly women at Ichigaya Eki wearing kimono, or yukata, or some version thereof. These are Japanese traditional costume- but what is Canada's? The first nation peoples'? Or the traditional outfits of the many immigrants who live in Canada- the french, british (what is the british traditional outfit? shakespearean fanfare?), polish, spanish, ukrainian, portuguese, german, irish?
- elderly women like to wear white gloves, but of winter glove material, not light cotton...
- there are many stores catering to solely men's fashion. In Canada and the US we have suit stores that are exclusively for men, but most other stores that carry men's clothing are integrated with women's fashion (H&M, Abercrombie, American Eagle, Hollister, Sears, even hot topic!) but here in Japan there are stores just for men- business, casual, athletic, formal, etc. Do these even exist in North America? and if they do, why don't I remember seeing any?
- McDonalds employees are very nice if you don't know what the word is for take out. They will point to them, and then to outside. Sign language makes everything much easier.
You know what bugs me? When a person is rude to a teacher during class. I know I have been guilty of falling asleep occasionally (and in the case of Astro, almost always), but putting on your headphones, opening a book, and ignoring the teacher in a class of only 8 PEOPLE AND THE PROF IS LOOKING AT YOU reeeeaallly pisses me off. I almost hit the guy after class. Not only is it rude and disrespectful, but for god's sake you are in another country. Try and have a little common courtesy, you douche bag.
Tokyo, Volume #2
Copy and Paste for Vol #2 of Tokyo Pics
http://utoronto.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2189720&l=e2e2b&id=28111212
http://utoronto.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2189720&l=e2e2b&id=28111212
May 27
So remember that time when Nikki was in Japan, and she did all this cool stuff?
I do. My calves are still remembering it. But I will explain later.
First:Classes end at noon on fridays so there I was, still feeling iffy from my previous day of sickness, and Norman asked me if I wanted to go to Waseda and have lunch with some U of T students who were doing a year long study there. So we hopped the subway next to campus (my first time on the subway) and headed over. Of course, Steven was our navigator and things can never go wrong with him, right? Sure. So it was pouring rain with me, Ping, Norman, Steven, and Iye walking in the rain trying to find this restaurant that was supposedly 3mins from the station.
20 mins later we stopped at a police box to ask directions and were told that the one we were seeking was 1km in the other direction. Steven suggested we cab it, but damn it we are poor and walked it instead. So we arrive at the restaurant about 40mins late, but arrive we did, me with puddles in my non waterproof shoes. We had a great time and enjoyed some yummy italian food. I splurged and got tirimasu for dessert too. It was a lot of fun to talk to other exchange students from TO. When someone said "Bloor and Spadina" we all got quiet for a moment and realized how weird it sounded for someone to talk about something back home. For the Waseda kids they haven't been home since last september, and I have only been here 1 1/2 weeks, but it feels like so long ago... And then someone mentioned Futures and we all got nostalgic about TO hot spots.
After we finished out late lunch, it was still raining. However, Ping, me, and Norman would rather walk anywhere than pay for the train so we walked from Waseda to Shinjuku where we could catch a train home from a station covered under our train pass. Said walk took an hour or so but hey, we saved 2$ or so...
We walked in the mall underground Shinjuku and once I have decided I have curbed my spending, I will definitely be making a trip back...
And the second part of this story entails what I did all day Saturday:I climbed a mountain.
Yes, you could even say I made a pilgrimmage of sorts to a temple near the summit, all the while complaining and whining, with me and Marguerite threatning to throw Ping off the mountain.
We set off around noon and took the train west for an hour, leaving the city behind until all that was left were trees and small houses. We get off at the last stop on the line and arrive in Takanosanguchi.
The little village at the base of the mountain was charming, full of people and stores selling cheap souvenirs. But I will admit I was sorely tempted to buy some- apparently THE place to buy souvenirs is in Akasuza. The mountain train had a lot of people on it and didn't look too steep. I thought that I, in my limited physical ability, would be able to do it. But I am not exxagerating when I say that 10mins in I was huffing and puffing. The trail was steep and very rarely evened out so you never really got a chance to rest. It was hot and humid so I was sporting a bandanna to keep the hair out of my face and off my neck and a baseball cap to keep the sun out of my eyes since my sunglasses broke. Attractive? Not really. Once we arrived at the 1/3 mark I knew it would be worth all the effort and pain. But still, Marguerite and I kept a running dialogue as we detailed how we would kill Ping, hide his body, and noone would ever find him again. Ping and Chang were in the army for a couple of years as it is mandatory in their countries (Singapore and Korea, respectively) so they had no problems. Hyden was in the navy, but he and Norman work out everyday so they were fine. We joked that we should have brought Richard Simmons along for inspiration, him and his spandex glittery shorts and big hair.
Several points along the way Hyden set up his tripod and took group photos. The temple was really cool- I got to purify myself and had my fortune done (which indicated bad luck- i shouldn't travel, enter a competition, or lose something- screwed!). Once we got to the summit we (meaning me, Marguerite, and a little bit of Ping) struck Rocky poses, sung Eye of the Tiger, and shouted "ADRIAN". I think we may have scared some people.
After we completed the 4km ascent we headed down, got back the train, and then went to Kichijoji to meet Norman and Marguerite's friend for dinner at a revolving sushi restaurant. Me,not being a big sushi eater, ate the cheapest meal I have had since being in Japan 430yen. YAY! We walked around for a bit before someone said we should go to a nearby park. i really didn't want to go, instead wanting to go shopping or walk around the entertainment district. I mean really, a park has trees. So did the mountain. How many freaking trees can a person look at in one day?!
Then again I had been hiking all morning, was sweaty, and wearing a shirt and shorts and carrying a large backpack, quite different from all the extremely well dressed and groomed Japanese out on the town that night. So maybe going to a park, away from people, was a good idea...
But it turns out only half the park is wilderness- the other half has street musicians, peole having picnics at night, hanging out in large groups. On a day when I didn't smell so nasty, I would love to just sit in that park and listen to the musicians. We walked pass a very humourous rendition of "Stand By Me" and Marguerite and I joined in.More walking and then back to the station where we cheated the gates at our end to get home cheaper followed by grocery shopping, and then into bed at 2am this morning. I slept in until noon. It was beautiful.
But my quads still ache a bit, but that pain is very small sacrifice for how much fun I had this weekend. Today being Sunday, I slept, did the laundry, and made a really good dinner of BBQ chicken, rice, and fried egg.
Now, I should do some homework...
I do. My calves are still remembering it. But I will explain later.
First:Classes end at noon on fridays so there I was, still feeling iffy from my previous day of sickness, and Norman asked me if I wanted to go to Waseda and have lunch with some U of T students who were doing a year long study there. So we hopped the subway next to campus (my first time on the subway) and headed over. Of course, Steven was our navigator and things can never go wrong with him, right? Sure. So it was pouring rain with me, Ping, Norman, Steven, and Iye walking in the rain trying to find this restaurant that was supposedly 3mins from the station.
20 mins later we stopped at a police box to ask directions and were told that the one we were seeking was 1km in the other direction. Steven suggested we cab it, but damn it we are poor and walked it instead. So we arrive at the restaurant about 40mins late, but arrive we did, me with puddles in my non waterproof shoes. We had a great time and enjoyed some yummy italian food. I splurged and got tirimasu for dessert too. It was a lot of fun to talk to other exchange students from TO. When someone said "Bloor and Spadina" we all got quiet for a moment and realized how weird it sounded for someone to talk about something back home. For the Waseda kids they haven't been home since last september, and I have only been here 1 1/2 weeks, but it feels like so long ago... And then someone mentioned Futures and we all got nostalgic about TO hot spots.
After we finished out late lunch, it was still raining. However, Ping, me, and Norman would rather walk anywhere than pay for the train so we walked from Waseda to Shinjuku where we could catch a train home from a station covered under our train pass. Said walk took an hour or so but hey, we saved 2$ or so...
We walked in the mall underground Shinjuku and once I have decided I have curbed my spending, I will definitely be making a trip back...
And the second part of this story entails what I did all day Saturday:I climbed a mountain.
Yes, you could even say I made a pilgrimmage of sorts to a temple near the summit, all the while complaining and whining, with me and Marguerite threatning to throw Ping off the mountain.
We set off around noon and took the train west for an hour, leaving the city behind until all that was left were trees and small houses. We get off at the last stop on the line and arrive in Takanosanguchi.
The little village at the base of the mountain was charming, full of people and stores selling cheap souvenirs. But I will admit I was sorely tempted to buy some- apparently THE place to buy souvenirs is in Akasuza. The mountain train had a lot of people on it and didn't look too steep. I thought that I, in my limited physical ability, would be able to do it. But I am not exxagerating when I say that 10mins in I was huffing and puffing. The trail was steep and very rarely evened out so you never really got a chance to rest. It was hot and humid so I was sporting a bandanna to keep the hair out of my face and off my neck and a baseball cap to keep the sun out of my eyes since my sunglasses broke. Attractive? Not really. Once we arrived at the 1/3 mark I knew it would be worth all the effort and pain. But still, Marguerite and I kept a running dialogue as we detailed how we would kill Ping, hide his body, and noone would ever find him again. Ping and Chang were in the army for a couple of years as it is mandatory in their countries (Singapore and Korea, respectively) so they had no problems. Hyden was in the navy, but he and Norman work out everyday so they were fine. We joked that we should have brought Richard Simmons along for inspiration, him and his spandex glittery shorts and big hair.
Several points along the way Hyden set up his tripod and took group photos. The temple was really cool- I got to purify myself and had my fortune done (which indicated bad luck- i shouldn't travel, enter a competition, or lose something- screwed!). Once we got to the summit we (meaning me, Marguerite, and a little bit of Ping) struck Rocky poses, sung Eye of the Tiger, and shouted "ADRIAN". I think we may have scared some people.
After we completed the 4km ascent we headed down, got back the train, and then went to Kichijoji to meet Norman and Marguerite's friend for dinner at a revolving sushi restaurant. Me,not being a big sushi eater, ate the cheapest meal I have had since being in Japan 430yen. YAY! We walked around for a bit before someone said we should go to a nearby park. i really didn't want to go, instead wanting to go shopping or walk around the entertainment district. I mean really, a park has trees. So did the mountain. How many freaking trees can a person look at in one day?!
Then again I had been hiking all morning, was sweaty, and wearing a shirt and shorts and carrying a large backpack, quite different from all the extremely well dressed and groomed Japanese out on the town that night. So maybe going to a park, away from people, was a good idea...
But it turns out only half the park is wilderness- the other half has street musicians, peole having picnics at night, hanging out in large groups. On a day when I didn't smell so nasty, I would love to just sit in that park and listen to the musicians. We walked pass a very humourous rendition of "Stand By Me" and Marguerite and I joined in.More walking and then back to the station where we cheated the gates at our end to get home cheaper followed by grocery shopping, and then into bed at 2am this morning. I slept in until noon. It was beautiful.
But my quads still ache a bit, but that pain is very small sacrifice for how much fun I had this weekend. Today being Sunday, I slept, did the laundry, and made a really good dinner of BBQ chicken, rice, and fried egg.
Now, I should do some homework...
May 24
Today started out quite awesome- slept in half an hour later than i usually do, got up, had some toast, then hopped the train to shinjuku and harajuku. It was kind of interesting to see harajuku slowly come to life- most of the store don't open until 10 and i was there at about 20mins to, so i spent some time just people watching.
The place is pretty unique with some awesome store but I was surprised at how little I found. Besides a new necklac that I am in love with, a souvenir for someone back home, and that was it. None of the clothes, awesome though they were, really jumped out at me. I'll definitely be going back before I leave, but it kind of made me sad.
Then I made my way to campus for class at 1, nearly fell asleep listening to this old guy talk about japanese culture in such a way that it was evident he grew up in an area rife with polity and propaganda. such a thing of a generation long past was he. Then it was up to my last class for the day which ended after half an hour as I had to leave and was suddenly violently ill.
Let me just say, it is not fun to struggle to explain to the university staff that you were just very sick in one of the bathroom stalls in japanese.
very difficult.
and i also got to experience first hand the things i have only ever seen in japanese tv dramas: their urge to shove pills down your throat. As soon as I was taken to the office, i was given a choice of pill bottles, a thermometer, lots of water, several cold compresses, and was asked if i had to go to the hospital.
I always laughed when the people in dramas go to the hospital because they got the sniffles and a fever after standing in the rain for 20 mins. Is the japanese constitution really that weak?
So then they had another exchange student take me home where i immediately crawled into my bed and wished I was anywhere but in japan. preferably at home where i know people can watch over me and listen to my whining. Eating dinner was not something i would like to try again when i feel this bad.
Alas! And I had made plans to go to the tokyo dome after class today. And do i go to class tomorrow? Can i justify missing a class (i only have one class friday mornings) so early on in the semester? I have only been here for 8 days!
woof.
The place is pretty unique with some awesome store but I was surprised at how little I found. Besides a new necklac that I am in love with, a souvenir for someone back home, and that was it. None of the clothes, awesome though they were, really jumped out at me. I'll definitely be going back before I leave, but it kind of made me sad.
Then I made my way to campus for class at 1, nearly fell asleep listening to this old guy talk about japanese culture in such a way that it was evident he grew up in an area rife with polity and propaganda. such a thing of a generation long past was he. Then it was up to my last class for the day which ended after half an hour as I had to leave and was suddenly violently ill.
Let me just say, it is not fun to struggle to explain to the university staff that you were just very sick in one of the bathroom stalls in japanese.
very difficult.
and i also got to experience first hand the things i have only ever seen in japanese tv dramas: their urge to shove pills down your throat. As soon as I was taken to the office, i was given a choice of pill bottles, a thermometer, lots of water, several cold compresses, and was asked if i had to go to the hospital.
I always laughed when the people in dramas go to the hospital because they got the sniffles and a fever after standing in the rain for 20 mins. Is the japanese constitution really that weak?
So then they had another exchange student take me home where i immediately crawled into my bed and wished I was anywhere but in japan. preferably at home where i know people can watch over me and listen to my whining. Eating dinner was not something i would like to try again when i feel this bad.
Alas! And I had made plans to go to the tokyo dome after class today. And do i go to class tomorrow? Can i justify missing a class (i only have one class friday mornings) so early on in the semester? I have only been here for 8 days!
woof.
Tokyo, Volume #1
Copy and Paste this link for the first volume of Tokyo pics:
http://utoronto.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2185237&l=ac72c&id=28111212
http://utoronto.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2185237&l=ac72c&id=28111212
Wed, May 23
Another day of class down, how many more to go?I definitely think that the jetlag has passed. I almost killed someone with my chopsticks when my alarm went off this morning. A little slower getting started today, but that 5 min difference meant that the train from Shimotakaido to Shinjuku was slightly less crowded. Slightly. I didn't get stepped on today. Getting used to it?
I think it must have been the beautiful weather we had today, because all I wanted to do today was NOT be in class. I almost left after third period but then told myself I couldn't skip a class during my first week- what kind of pattern would that set? So instead I went to the station and bought a snickers bar- the chocolate was exactly what I needed.
Although I now consider myself an expert on how to get TO school, apparently I haven't mastered how to get back. We left later than usual today b/c we had to go pay our rent, but we went to the same platform where what we thought was the same train was sitting. Turns out that the rapid train decided it wasn't going to go to our station today. So it passed it. Three of us were almost asleep so we noticed just as we blew threw it. Sad face? So, quick fix we thought, just get off at the next station and take the opposite train.
Well, the opposite train was actually going in the direction opposite to what we wanted. So then we were two stops away from ours and had to wait for the local train going the right way to get up. Of course, local trains only come through every 6-9 minutes, so it was rather frustrating.
But get back home we did, and I am extremely happy to report that I don't have to go to class tomorrow until 1pm as C class has the morning off. I am planning to go to Harajuku during that time as Stacey and Eric tell me it is very easy to navigate. This makes me happy inside! Hopefully I wont' get too wild with the credit cards, but from Eric's pics of the place this may be rather difficult.
Our last period day was another open conversation class where native Japanese come in and we just sit around and chat. Good thing, I think, but I am constantly speaking in Japanese and am forgetting other languages. i tried to have an internal conversation in french and then spanish but kept switching back to japanese. Though this may signify (i just thought jouzu ni naru, but WTF is that in english!?) improvement, it is also frustrating.
And May is almost over? WTF?
Things from home I miss
-new trashy romance novels for entertainment
-my dog
-hanging out, drinking with the chums
-making $$, as opposed to spending it
- other pairs of shoes
- different chocolate bars besides snickers and kit kat, which are the only ones they seem to sell here
- sprite. you have to search long and hard for sprite, as opposed to coke, which is everywhere
-being able to sit on the subway
bath and then homework. fun?
I think it must have been the beautiful weather we had today, because all I wanted to do today was NOT be in class. I almost left after third period but then told myself I couldn't skip a class during my first week- what kind of pattern would that set? So instead I went to the station and bought a snickers bar- the chocolate was exactly what I needed.
Although I now consider myself an expert on how to get TO school, apparently I haven't mastered how to get back. We left later than usual today b/c we had to go pay our rent, but we went to the same platform where what we thought was the same train was sitting. Turns out that the rapid train decided it wasn't going to go to our station today. So it passed it. Three of us were almost asleep so we noticed just as we blew threw it. Sad face? So, quick fix we thought, just get off at the next station and take the opposite train.
Well, the opposite train was actually going in the direction opposite to what we wanted. So then we were two stops away from ours and had to wait for the local train going the right way to get up. Of course, local trains only come through every 6-9 minutes, so it was rather frustrating.
But get back home we did, and I am extremely happy to report that I don't have to go to class tomorrow until 1pm as C class has the morning off. I am planning to go to Harajuku during that time as Stacey and Eric tell me it is very easy to navigate. This makes me happy inside! Hopefully I wont' get too wild with the credit cards, but from Eric's pics of the place this may be rather difficult.
Our last period day was another open conversation class where native Japanese come in and we just sit around and chat. Good thing, I think, but I am constantly speaking in Japanese and am forgetting other languages. i tried to have an internal conversation in french and then spanish but kept switching back to japanese. Though this may signify (i just thought jouzu ni naru, but WTF is that in english!?) improvement, it is also frustrating.
And May is almost over? WTF?
Things from home I miss
-new trashy romance novels for entertainment
-my dog
-hanging out, drinking with the chums
-making $$, as opposed to spending it
- other pairs of shoes
- different chocolate bars besides snickers and kit kat, which are the only ones they seem to sell here
- sprite. you have to search long and hard for sprite, as opposed to coke, which is everywhere
-being able to sit on the subway
bath and then homework. fun?
Monday, May 21
I seem to be over the worst of my jetlag but i do sit in front of my computer, at 10:30 this Monday evening, my homework for tomorrow mostly done and season 2 of sex and the city under my belt.
A quick review of my weekend:
Saturday- rain in the morning so I took my shiny umbrella out for the morning. Me, Ping, Tip, and Hyden spent about 12 hours walking around Tokyo. We went to Shinjuku first- went to Kinokuniya bookstore, looked in on a few fun stores, had lunch at a ramen place in Kabukicho. Kabukicho is certainly what you hear- love hotels, pachinko parlours, dirty cabarets and AV places, host clubs! I found it extremely amusing to look at all the photos outside the host clubs and admire the pretty people. Of course, they were all over-coiffed skinny people with fake tans, but those guys certainly know how to dress!
After exploring shinjuku for a couple of hours we went back to Akihabara so Ping and I could buy our Nintendo DS with denshi jisho software, hung around an arcade or two, went on a search for a maid cafe. Outside Akihabara station there were flyer girls galore dressed in maid outfits, cosplay, and somethng that looked like retro 60s flight attendants.
Then we went back to Kabukicho for dinner at a gyuudon place where I had my first beer in a couple of weeks with some spicy gyuudon. yum yum face! Kabukui cho was certainly different by night. The streets were packed with young teens and adults on the prowl. Host club men and women were out soliciting in the streets; we followed one couple to see where they were going and Ping was disappointed when they went to a host club instead of a love hotel. I think he mentioned dressing me up as I am the only female and seeing if they can get an old guy to pick me up so they could get some firsthand love hotel experience. As i doubt I'll be back to Japan in the next couple of years, it is a distinct possibility for the future ;P
And outside a shot restaurant there were at least (and i exaggerate not) 8 people lying seemingly cmoatose in the area in front of it, in their own vomit.
I have never seen that much puke in a public place EVER.
ewww.
And then it was back home, feet killing me and desperately wanting a massage.Sunday the guys planned to go to Asakusa but I decided to spend the day relaxing. Woke up around 9 (uber late for me), watched sex and the city, had some breakfast, then cleaned up the apartment. Went grocery shopping and filled up my fridge in an effort to make my own lunches so i won't have to buy it at the campus cafeteria and save some money!
That was pretty much sunday. Lazy, lazy, lazy. Which is nice, b/c the boys tell me there was a festival in Asakusa so it was extremely crowded- i don't think i could have dealt with that many people =/
Today was our first full day of classes- I went by myself this morning and managed to make every train and got to school 10 mins early. But I was definitely one of those people smushed up against the window b/c it was so full.
So, I get to class and I hear this german guy from the class across the hall talking to the guy at the front desk and saying things like "there it is", or "it's not there". SLightly confused, i look towards the door, hear the german guy shriek, and into the classroom comes a rat.
A rodent. A mouse. Something with four legs and a tail.
I am immediately up on the desk, shrieking, and in runs the front desk guy, trying to whack it with an umbrella. It ran out of the classroom, i am still up on the desk, and the german guy comes in and tells me they flushed it down the sink. I immediately decide I am never using that washroom again...
Classes seem okay and will get to know more about them as the week progresses. After school was done at 4:10 hopped onthe train with Stacey and Eric to head home and the rest of the afternoon was spent watching more sex and the city, doing homework, and doing absolutely nothinggood stuff.
A quick review of my weekend:
Saturday- rain in the morning so I took my shiny umbrella out for the morning. Me, Ping, Tip, and Hyden spent about 12 hours walking around Tokyo. We went to Shinjuku first- went to Kinokuniya bookstore, looked in on a few fun stores, had lunch at a ramen place in Kabukicho. Kabukicho is certainly what you hear- love hotels, pachinko parlours, dirty cabarets and AV places, host clubs! I found it extremely amusing to look at all the photos outside the host clubs and admire the pretty people. Of course, they were all over-coiffed skinny people with fake tans, but those guys certainly know how to dress!
After exploring shinjuku for a couple of hours we went back to Akihabara so Ping and I could buy our Nintendo DS with denshi jisho software, hung around an arcade or two, went on a search for a maid cafe. Outside Akihabara station there were flyer girls galore dressed in maid outfits, cosplay, and somethng that looked like retro 60s flight attendants.
Then we went back to Kabukicho for dinner at a gyuudon place where I had my first beer in a couple of weeks with some spicy gyuudon. yum yum face! Kabukui cho was certainly different by night. The streets were packed with young teens and adults on the prowl. Host club men and women were out soliciting in the streets; we followed one couple to see where they were going and Ping was disappointed when they went to a host club instead of a love hotel. I think he mentioned dressing me up as I am the only female and seeing if they can get an old guy to pick me up so they could get some firsthand love hotel experience. As i doubt I'll be back to Japan in the next couple of years, it is a distinct possibility for the future ;P
And outside a shot restaurant there were at least (and i exaggerate not) 8 people lying seemingly cmoatose in the area in front of it, in their own vomit.
I have never seen that much puke in a public place EVER.
ewww.
And then it was back home, feet killing me and desperately wanting a massage.Sunday the guys planned to go to Asakusa but I decided to spend the day relaxing. Woke up around 9 (uber late for me), watched sex and the city, had some breakfast, then cleaned up the apartment. Went grocery shopping and filled up my fridge in an effort to make my own lunches so i won't have to buy it at the campus cafeteria and save some money!
That was pretty much sunday. Lazy, lazy, lazy. Which is nice, b/c the boys tell me there was a festival in Asakusa so it was extremely crowded- i don't think i could have dealt with that many people =/
Today was our first full day of classes- I went by myself this morning and managed to make every train and got to school 10 mins early. But I was definitely one of those people smushed up against the window b/c it was so full.
So, I get to class and I hear this german guy from the class across the hall talking to the guy at the front desk and saying things like "there it is", or "it's not there". SLightly confused, i look towards the door, hear the german guy shriek, and into the classroom comes a rat.
A rodent. A mouse. Something with four legs and a tail.
I am immediately up on the desk, shrieking, and in runs the front desk guy, trying to whack it with an umbrella. It ran out of the classroom, i am still up on the desk, and the german guy comes in and tells me they flushed it down the sink. I immediately decide I am never using that washroom again...
Classes seem okay and will get to know more about them as the week progresses. After school was done at 4:10 hopped onthe train with Stacey and Eric to head home and the rest of the afternoon was spent watching more sex and the city, doing homework, and doing absolutely nothinggood stuff.
Friday, May 18
Damn, but will I be in shape and very svelte when I get back!
Still suffering from jetlag so I was in bed at 8:30 last night and up around 5:30 this morning! Took the opportunity to have a long shower, talk to some people on MSN, etc. Met people downstairs to go to school and at Shimotokaido Norman took the newly arrived students from Korea to get their passes and I continued on with Marguerite and Ryan. All was well until I got to Shinjuku where I lost them. I knew what line I had to transfer to but didnt' know which train to take. I picked one, it was the wrong one, I went one station in the wrong direction, got off, and went back the way I came. It wasn't too bad- I got to class only 10mins late but of course, Ryan was in my class and everyone was worried about me!
By the by, Mike, I am in C-class with Tanaka sensei. Go me!
After 2 hours of class we went to the main building for the opening ceremony where all my other friends in B-class knew I had gotten lost. I apparently didn't have it as bad as Eric and Stacy, who ended up near Akihabara and had to call the university to get back in the right track. Opening ceremony passed quickly and then we had lunch in the cafeteria with some of the office staff. Steven asked if any of us wanted to go to Akihabara so we all set out to walk- soooo far, but good exercise I kept telling myself! I lost track of how long, but at least an hour's walk.
Akihabara was one of th emost interesting places I have ever seen- so loud on the streets, anime, cosplay, and otaku, electronics and cellphones everywhere! If you are a nerd of any kind, this is the place for you! We went to a 5story video game area with video, prize, and arcade games. The funnything about Japan is that you can smoke inside, so the 5th floor was full of salary men in suits playing computerized mahjong and smoking a pack of cigarettes.
From Akihabara we went to Nakano station and went to an all you can eat bbq place- all the yakiniku you can eat = yum! It was certainly different from the korean bbq in toronto b/c we were ordering in Japanese!! Much meat later we came home, tired, full, and kind of sore. Now it is the weekend and tomorrow we have plans to go do some touristy stuff.
And my bro got into Vic- Congrats Chris!
So tired and have to wash my dishes from this morning.See the updated facebook album for pics!
*heart*
Still suffering from jetlag so I was in bed at 8:30 last night and up around 5:30 this morning! Took the opportunity to have a long shower, talk to some people on MSN, etc. Met people downstairs to go to school and at Shimotokaido Norman took the newly arrived students from Korea to get their passes and I continued on with Marguerite and Ryan. All was well until I got to Shinjuku where I lost them. I knew what line I had to transfer to but didnt' know which train to take. I picked one, it was the wrong one, I went one station in the wrong direction, got off, and went back the way I came. It wasn't too bad- I got to class only 10mins late but of course, Ryan was in my class and everyone was worried about me!
By the by, Mike, I am in C-class with Tanaka sensei. Go me!
After 2 hours of class we went to the main building for the opening ceremony where all my other friends in B-class knew I had gotten lost. I apparently didn't have it as bad as Eric and Stacy, who ended up near Akihabara and had to call the university to get back in the right track. Opening ceremony passed quickly and then we had lunch in the cafeteria with some of the office staff. Steven asked if any of us wanted to go to Akihabara so we all set out to walk- soooo far, but good exercise I kept telling myself! I lost track of how long, but at least an hour's walk.
Akihabara was one of th emost interesting places I have ever seen- so loud on the streets, anime, cosplay, and otaku, electronics and cellphones everywhere! If you are a nerd of any kind, this is the place for you! We went to a 5story video game area with video, prize, and arcade games. The funnything about Japan is that you can smoke inside, so the 5th floor was full of salary men in suits playing computerized mahjong and smoking a pack of cigarettes.
From Akihabara we went to Nakano station and went to an all you can eat bbq place- all the yakiniku you can eat = yum! It was certainly different from the korean bbq in toronto b/c we were ordering in Japanese!! Much meat later we came home, tired, full, and kind of sore. Now it is the weekend and tomorrow we have plans to go do some touristy stuff.
And my bro got into Vic- Congrats Chris!
So tired and have to wash my dishes from this morning.See the updated facebook album for pics!
*heart*
May 17th
I am definitely asking myself why the hell I am up at 6am. I was exhausted yesterday and was reading in bed around 7 when I passed out. I woke up a couple of minutes later and said "No! Have to get on a regular sleeping schedule!". Lot of luck that did- was in bed by 8:45. And then I woke up at 4. then 5:30, and finally around 6 i just said fuck it and woke up. I;ll just prance around and have a shower, or something. Eat some japanese yogurt = squee?
I could make toast- bought bread and peanut butter and jam when I went out last night! Definitely happy face.
Yesterday the former students (those doing more than one semester) met us in the morning to take us from shimotokaido to shinjuku to ichigaya stations. Of course, being Japan and our first day, it was pouring rain and I didn't have an umbrella. My "perfectly" coiffed hair got a little...frizzy for the rest of the day and I have to express my extreme displeasure at this fact.
First time on a Japanese train and it was pretty interesting. Not as crowded as it is going to be today (we are leaving at 8, instead of 9, so more people!) but still interesting. Had to transfer at Shinjuku and I don't really remember the way we went so I hope i meet up with some people going today, else i get lost for my first class!
We took our placement tests yesterday- listening and reading. Listening I found rather easy as I did with the first placement test they gave me. The office staff then took us over to the main building of Nichidai where we met the staff of International Division and then went to the cafeteria. Pretty decent food, says I! 550 Yen got me miso, bowl of rice, sprouts, and 4 pieces of yakitori (baked chicken) and a salad. I like it, I like it a lot!
I am still getting used to having to order everything in Japanese, or dealing with Japanese money. When something is 550 yen, I always forget that there is a 500 yen coin and then have to search out the rest....When I came back after lunch I talked to Hosaka sensei and she gave me the next level up palcement test. Yeah. I just looked at that, did maybe one question per page, and gave it back. Too hard, I told them. At least now I know where I fit in the program. Then I had an oral interview with Fukuda sensei and he said, for only conversing in class, I was pretty good. I was full of squee at this moment.
We waited for everyone to finish their tests and we got out ID photos taken, then headed back to Ichigaya station. Me, Stacey, and Eric bought umbreallas (but, at our station it wasn't raining. I cried a little inside, for not being able to use my bright plaid umbrealla...). I got really confused in the station as we had to change from one type of train to the other, but somebody seemed to know what they were doing so we did get home. Of course, getting from our station to our apartment is a feat unto itself and we got lost for about 20 mins before trying to find our way back.
Finally unpacked and put my apartment together- i will be living such a minimal exisitence over the next three months, I don't know how I will do it! Me, packrat extraordinaire!
Today we find out what level of class we are in and have the opening ceremony. could be fun?I can't believe it is 6:45 in the morning. WTF. I should be sleeping....
My mailing address and photos are posted in facebook- drop me a line and i'll love you forever. Leave me a message if you don't have facebook.Ciao babes!
I could make toast- bought bread and peanut butter and jam when I went out last night! Definitely happy face.
Yesterday the former students (those doing more than one semester) met us in the morning to take us from shimotokaido to shinjuku to ichigaya stations. Of course, being Japan and our first day, it was pouring rain and I didn't have an umbrella. My "perfectly" coiffed hair got a little...frizzy for the rest of the day and I have to express my extreme displeasure at this fact.
First time on a Japanese train and it was pretty interesting. Not as crowded as it is going to be today (we are leaving at 8, instead of 9, so more people!) but still interesting. Had to transfer at Shinjuku and I don't really remember the way we went so I hope i meet up with some people going today, else i get lost for my first class!
We took our placement tests yesterday- listening and reading. Listening I found rather easy as I did with the first placement test they gave me. The office staff then took us over to the main building of Nichidai where we met the staff of International Division and then went to the cafeteria. Pretty decent food, says I! 550 Yen got me miso, bowl of rice, sprouts, and 4 pieces of yakitori (baked chicken) and a salad. I like it, I like it a lot!
I am still getting used to having to order everything in Japanese, or dealing with Japanese money. When something is 550 yen, I always forget that there is a 500 yen coin and then have to search out the rest....When I came back after lunch I talked to Hosaka sensei and she gave me the next level up palcement test. Yeah. I just looked at that, did maybe one question per page, and gave it back. Too hard, I told them. At least now I know where I fit in the program. Then I had an oral interview with Fukuda sensei and he said, for only conversing in class, I was pretty good. I was full of squee at this moment.
We waited for everyone to finish their tests and we got out ID photos taken, then headed back to Ichigaya station. Me, Stacey, and Eric bought umbreallas (but, at our station it wasn't raining. I cried a little inside, for not being able to use my bright plaid umbrealla...). I got really confused in the station as we had to change from one type of train to the other, but somebody seemed to know what they were doing so we did get home. Of course, getting from our station to our apartment is a feat unto itself and we got lost for about 20 mins before trying to find our way back.
Finally unpacked and put my apartment together- i will be living such a minimal exisitence over the next three months, I don't know how I will do it! Me, packrat extraordinaire!
Today we find out what level of class we are in and have the opening ceremony. could be fun?I can't believe it is 6:45 in the morning. WTF. I should be sleeping....
My mailing address and photos are posted in facebook- drop me a line and i'll love you forever. Leave me a message if you don't have facebook.Ciao babes!
Wed,May 16th, 1:56 pm
Holy hell I’m here! On our descent I could hardly believe that, when I looked out my window I was looking at Japan. The guy who operated the jetbridge bowed to the pilots when we pulled in, everything is white, clean, and employees wear white gloves. It really is different here. We had to take a train from one half of the terminal to the other and I think I got my first taste of what the subways will be like! Sardines, I tell you! We get up to the customs hallway only they take half of us to go to another hall. I get this really young guy checking my passport and there is a bit of confusion over whether or not I needed a visa, and we alternated conversing in English and Japanese before he stamps my passport and send me on my way.
Both of my bags arrived, thank God but when I exited I didn’t see anyone holding my name. I was all “shit” for a couple of mins, wandered around before I saw him. We immediately began conversing in Japanese- which I later learned that he liked as everyone else spoke to him in English- and we hopped a bus to terminal 2. There are 3 other people coming in so I am currently sitting in a meeting room until 4, then we’ll all go to our apartment (which I am assuming is at Cherry Court).
I’m still incredibly dizzy and lightheaded. I almost fell over a couple of times in customs when I got dizzy from bending over. Feeling like I need a shower + dizzy = no fun! I’m going to sit for a while and then explore the terminal. 2 hours to kill!
BUT I AM HERE!
Both of my bags arrived, thank God but when I exited I didn’t see anyone holding my name. I was all “shit” for a couple of mins, wandered around before I saw him. We immediately began conversing in Japanese- which I later learned that he liked as everyone else spoke to him in English- and we hopped a bus to terminal 2. There are 3 other people coming in so I am currently sitting in a meeting room until 4, then we’ll all go to our apartment (which I am assuming is at Cherry Court).
I’m still incredibly dizzy and lightheaded. I almost fell over a couple of times in customs when I got dizzy from bending over. Feeling like I need a shower + dizzy = no fun! I’m going to sit for a while and then explore the terminal. 2 hours to kill!
BUT I AM HERE!
Japanese Custom Forms
From the back of the Nihon customs forms:
Do you presently have in your possesion narcotics, marijuana, opium, stimulants, or other drugs, swords, explosives, or other such items?
are these things smuggled in often?
Do you presently have in your possesion narcotics, marijuana, opium, stimulants, or other drugs, swords, explosives, or other such items?
are these things smuggled in often?
May 16th, In Transit
The in-flight tracker says we have 4hrs 27mins out of Tokyo, jst over the International Date Line and over the Beijing Sea. This plane is the largest I have ever been on- economy is 2-5-2. I’m lucky I only have to jump over one person to get up and stretch and go to the washroom (which for some reason scares the crap out of me- must be all the bilingual buttons…)
Dude- the one who plays Lorelai’s mother on Gilmore Girls just made an appearance in Dirty Dancing and Wayne Knight just made an appearance with a megaphone…
Dude- the one who plays Lorelai’s mother on Gilmore Girls just made an appearance in Dirty Dancing and Wayne Knight just made an appearance with a megaphone…
So far have slept maybe two hours, gotten through one book on CD, seen Music and Lyrics (cute movie), the last ½ hour of King Kong, and now Dirty Dancing. Entertaining? 12 hours have gone by pretty quickly considering it will be a different date once I arrive. Wish I had a chocolate bar right about now. Almost everybody is asleep or playing video games- wish there was someone to talk to- getting tired of trying to be entertained by sticking things in my ears. Kinda sore right now…
I wish Canadian customs forms were as pretty as the Japanese ones. These just look more sophisticated, might be all the kanji…
Such a hectic morning at 6am! We weren’t planning on leaving until 6:30 but just after 6 mom bursts into my room and tells me that we had to leave now! My flight out of XNA was delayed so I would miss my NRT connection. We race to the airport and they just get me on a flight that left in 20mins. I barely had time to say good-bye to chris and the dog- it was more of a “bye, see you in three months”- and when I got my ticket and baggage checked I only had time to give mom and dad a hug and a kiss before sprinting up the elevator to get through security. Of course, as my new flight was boarding, I got pulled aside by security for extra screening. That takes 5mins of pat-down and going through my bags before I run to my gate only to be one of the last 10 people in. By this time, I don’t even know if my luggage made the plane but, I was off to Dallas! When I called home, mom was pretty sure my bags made it on but it would be the most horrible thing ever if I arrived in Tokyo sans luggage…
3159km left!
3159km left!
Thursday, July 12, 2007
You know you have been in japan too long when...
I found this group on Facebook and was both amused and dismayed upon realizing that many of these apply to me....
Part #1
you run for the Yamanote line pushing people left and right, jump on the train holding the doors open to let your bag follow you on. Because you know there will not be another one for at least a minute
How sad is it that yes, even though the trains run more frequently than anything, why do I rush to everyone? Why do the Japanese run? Yes, we are all on tight schedules but does running two minutes late really that big of a deal? Maybe this has something to do with the Japanese work ethic. One is supposed to be serious and always working hard to accomplish the tasks set before them. The typical Japanese work day is long: wake up early, commute, work, and then go out with coworkers afterwards followed by a drunken commute home. Shinjuku station is always filled with people bowling over others to get to their platform. Then of course once they reach their platform their is the difficult ascent as everyone from the recently arrived train is coming down those stairs running to get on another one. Maybe if the stairs weren:t so crowded with one direction of commuters trying to be like Moses and parting this vicious red sea they wouldn't be running. However, even that is unlikely, me thinks. The Japanese commuter pace of life is in constant movement that even if everyone suddenly became geriatrics with colonoscopy bags,it would be the same.
If you rush, you may gain a coveted seat on the morning commute. Then again, you could be stuck next to a head bobber, a person trying to sleep and whose head keeps tapping you on the shoulder before they are have roused from sleep.
But maybe if you are last one, you will gain a spot against the door where, most of the time, it is preferable to be able to lean against the glass as opposed to being smushed by people on all 4 sides by arms and bags and umbrellas...
I will not miss commuting once I go home...
Saturday, July 7, 2007
May 8th- In Transit
In the Dallas Airport on the way home to AR
If i get bored on a three hour flight, how am i going to last 14 hours? and how many times in one flight can you go to the bathroom?
If i get bored on a three hour flight, how am i going to last 14 hours? and how many times in one flight can you go to the bathroom?
May 6th- Move Out
Location: Residence Room in TO
So Mom and Dad are here loading my massive amounts of stuff out. As i'm brushing my teeth i take note of the fact that i'll have to buy more toothpaste. Then i think, how will i buy toothpaste in japan? will i have to learn the lingo of "cavity fighting", "tartar control", even the names of flavours like mint or cinnamon? do they even have those flavours? Would wasabi flavored toothpaste be marketable? What about other creature comforts like pads and tampons? face wash? shampoo and conditioner? what do their pharmacies look like?
So Mom and Dad are here loading my massive amounts of stuff out. As i'm brushing my teeth i take note of the fact that i'll have to buy more toothpaste. Then i think, how will i buy toothpaste in japan? will i have to learn the lingo of "cavity fighting", "tartar control", even the names of flavours like mint or cinnamon? do they even have those flavours? Would wasabi flavored toothpaste be marketable? What about other creature comforts like pads and tampons? face wash? shampoo and conditioner? what do their pharmacies look like?
May 5th- And So It Begins
LOCATION: TORONTO, RESIDENCE ROOM PRIOR TO MOVE-OUT
So this is to be my Japan journal in which I hope to recount my amazing (*fingers crossed*) adventures in Tokyo this summer. Holly told us at the safety departure workshop that a journal is a good way to ward off anxiety and depression and it makes for a good read when you get back. Jess said she made one for her trip to Italy and let her parents read it when she got back. I haven't decided who will get to read this or how faithful I'll be to writing it, but I'll give it a whirl. Holly also said that the trip doesn't begin when you're on the plane, that it begins with the beginning of your thoughts about the trip. I picked up my acceptance letter from Nihon Daigaku at the ISXO today. The embossed letterhead and official sounding typed words made me very happy but also nervous as hell. I've been having weird dreams lately- my flight being late, nobody meeting me at the airport, talking with the other students in very articulate Japanese. This whole experience will be something completely different and new- I don't like different and new! I'm scared of doing poorly, that I won't have fun, that nobody will like me, that I'll get lost, that I'llspend all that time worrying about money! How do i tell myself it won't happen? Mike and everyone else keeps telling me that it'll be fine but I hate being scared and worrying about money.
Sometimes I wish I wasn't going so I wouldn't have to worry, could stay in AR or TO and make money, hang out with friends. But then again I wouldn't get to travel, something I've always wanted to do, dreamed of doing.
Mom and Dad are here tomorrow to get the move-out process started.
bed!!
zzzzzzz
So this is to be my Japan journal in which I hope to recount my amazing (*fingers crossed*) adventures in Tokyo this summer. Holly told us at the safety departure workshop that a journal is a good way to ward off anxiety and depression and it makes for a good read when you get back. Jess said she made one for her trip to Italy and let her parents read it when she got back. I haven't decided who will get to read this or how faithful I'll be to writing it, but I'll give it a whirl. Holly also said that the trip doesn't begin when you're on the plane, that it begins with the beginning of your thoughts about the trip. I picked up my acceptance letter from Nihon Daigaku at the ISXO today. The embossed letterhead and official sounding typed words made me very happy but also nervous as hell. I've been having weird dreams lately- my flight being late, nobody meeting me at the airport, talking with the other students in very articulate Japanese. This whole experience will be something completely different and new- I don't like different and new! I'm scared of doing poorly, that I won't have fun, that nobody will like me, that I'll get lost, that I'llspend all that time worrying about money! How do i tell myself it won't happen? Mike and everyone else keeps telling me that it'll be fine but I hate being scared and worrying about money.
Sometimes I wish I wasn't going so I wouldn't have to worry, could stay in AR or TO and make money, hang out with friends. But then again I wouldn't get to travel, something I've always wanted to do, dreamed of doing.
Mom and Dad are here tomorrow to get the move-out process started.
bed!!
zzzzzzz
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