Okay, sorry I haven't updated for a while, this past week has been REALLY busy. First off, last weekend: my first Tokyo trip. (Note that since I forgot to bring my camera with me, I don't have any pictures to associate with this update. Next time I go to Tokyo, which is currently planned for next week, I definitely will take pictures.)
So last weekend three of us guy ryuugakusei went to Tokyo. I had really wanted to go clubbing in Tokyo, to see what the nightlife was like, and to go dance since it'd been a while. We got there midday Saturday and wandered around Shinjuku, a popular wakamono (young person) place. We somehow ended up in the red light district almost immediately (I forget the name of the place, but it was pretty obvious with the big "No Foreigners" signs). After jamming on a guitar game in an arcade we split up; one of us went to eastern Tokyo to go to the fencing institution there (he brought all his gear and was hoping to fence with them), while myself and the other ryuugakusei went off on our own adventure to the Tokyo Go Building (Go is a really popular Japanese boardgame).
When we got out of the eki (train station) we figured we'd ask one of the 7-11 workers how to get to the Go building. He showed us a map and gave us directions. It seemed really close by, maybe 5 minutes or so by foot. We thanked him and took our leave. As we were walking down the road he pointed us towards we came across two roads, one a smaller side road, and one a bigger road just a little farther up ahead. Now, some of you might remember how terrible I am at directions. John, the other ryuugakusei, thought we should hang the first left. "Oh no," I said, "I'm sure that the road on the map was this big one up here." Seemed reasonable enough. Long story short, we ended up making a left at the big road, then making a huge 25-minute circle to finally get to the Go building, which was about a little more than a minute up the side road John had wanted to go up. Oops.
After checking out the Go building we went to Ikebukuro's Sun Shine City promenade. I had wanted to go see the new Pokemon movie that was in theaters. When you see the movie you're able to receive a free rare Pokemon via Wi-Fi. One of my friends back in the States really wanted it, so I told him I'd try to get it for him. Sun Shine City is a little electric fun district of Ikebukuro that has various movie theaters, arcades, stores, and restaurants. So, we go to the movie theater and I see the times for the Pokemon movie: 9:30. "Weird," I thought, "it only plays once a day. Well, it's about 7 right now, we can get some dinner, go window shopping, come back and watch the movie, then go clubbing. Perfect." So I go up to the eigakanin (movie theater worker) and ask her for one for Pokemon ($15 for a movie ticket in Japan, to them $8.50 is cheap!). "Kujihangozendake," she responds, which translates into "9:30 AM only." I thought I had misunderstood her so I asked again. Nope, not wrong. The only movie showing of Pokemon was at 9:30. AM.
John and I decided to go ahead and get tickets anyways. We'd just spend the night someplace after clubbing, go see the Pokemon movie, then come back in time for parade practice (I'll talk more about the matsuri (festival) later). So we get our tickets, window shop (John buys a bunch of Hello Kitty apparel), then meet up with David for dinner at an udon shop. By now it's about the right time to go dancing, so we head down to Shibuya, a popular wakamono nightlife area.
The first club we go to ends up being the Sega Club, which just has a bunch of Sega arcade games :P After that we went to an actual dancing club. At this point in time I had changed into the clothes John was wearing that day. In my haste to wake up and pack I had forgot to bring a nicer set of clothes to go dancing in, so John let me wear his regular clothes (a pink polo and brown corduroy pants), a step up from my black Tee and shorts. They fit fine, if not a little snuggly, and the first thing John had said was "Wow, it looks better on you than it does me."
When we got to the first club I had a little bit of trouble getting in since my "ID" (my debit card) only had my picture and not a birthday. See, in Japan, 20 is the age you reach adulthood (18 you can drive and I think smoke cigarettes). Since I had to give the bouncer some kind of ID I figured my debit card would be good enough. Thankfully I don't think he really cared that it didn't have a birthday and just let us in. When we get in I immediately notice something strange; all the guys are out on the dance floor, with not girls to be seen whatsoever. I scan the area a bit more and finally find the women, standing against the wall or sitting down alone at the tables. "Huh??"
I ask one of the guys on the dance floor why this was. "The girls are too embarrassed to dance," he replied. Compared to American culture, this was quite ironic. Since those awkward Junior High one-step-above-sock-hop dances, American girls have always kept the main floor to themselves, with the guys crowding around the walls, staring, but never having enough guts to go out and dance with them. In Japan, it's the exact opposite; it's the girls who are way to shy and self-conscious to go out and dance, even if they're with a big group of just their girlfriends. Omoshiroi (interesting) indeed.
So we left that club and went to the next club over, Club Asia. This one had a better reputation than the other one, and thankfully it didn't disappoint. Although that Saturday night happened to be reggae night (seriously, any other music would have been fine other than reggae to dance to), it was still a lot of fun. After we had our fun we went to a capsule hotel and spent the night.
The next morning we got to the Pokemon movie. We were still tired after staying up late the previous night, so John slept through the entire thing while I dozed in and out. At the end of the movie it flashed a sign saying that you could receive the Pokemon now. So, I flipped open my DS, turned on Pokemon, and started to search for the Wi-Fi connection. Nada. I tried again. Nope, nothing. I asked the worker next to me why it's not working. She responded that my problem was that I had an American version, and that it only works with the Japanese versions. Bahhhh. The DS is region-free, meaning that it can play any videogame from anywhere in the world (most machines can only play videogames from the same country it's from). Also, you can trade Japanese Pokemon to the American version no problem, so it never occured to me that it wouldn't work.
After that we got up and left for back home. We were a little late to practice, but we were at least there for the second half. Apparently right when I walked in one of the other female ryuugakusei turned to another ryuugakusei and said "hey...those aren't Xander's clothes, are they?" Apparently John's clothing looked better on me than the clothes that I had brought. This sparked the first interest in getting a new set of clothes here in Japan, which I'll talk more about next update (note that I have yet to actually buy any new clothes, just that I have a plan to).
Next: Himatsuri (Fire Festival), climbing Fuji-tozan, and the Sept 1st masturi!
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Midterm tomorrow!
Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've been busy in Tokyo / studying for the midterm tomorrow (which is in about 14 hours). Afterwards I'll be doing a massive update, so be ready! (^o^)
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Good to go!
So I just went ahead and re-uploaded all the pictures for my apartment post. I'll be updating tomorrow (in about 14 hours) about my adventures in Tokyo this past weekend, as well as an intense Fire Festival :P
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Picture problems
So for some reason my apartment pictures aren't showing now...I'll fix those tomorrow. Sorry about that!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
My Apa-to
So, at last, here's the run-down on my apartment! It's very practical and comfortable. Like the Hanabi Matsuri, I'll explain my thousands of words in a few pictures (PS - I'd recommend listening to RSA's Lifetime Respect while reading this...it's long!):
So here it is...my apartment, or "mai apa-to" in Japanese. You could also say "Watashi no apa-to", but the Japanese, obsessed with not only English words but shortening everything, use phrases like "mai apa-to" or "mai kaa" instead of their own Japanese method. My room is on the far bottom right, #101.
Yes, that's my laundry hanging there. In Japan, it's unheard of for daigakusei (college students) to have their own dryer. I don't know the exact percentage, but most people living around us in regular homes also air dry their clothes. The first time I tried to dry my shirts, in being the atama ga ii gakusei (smart student, literally "good head student") that I am, I completely blanked on using the hangers, and instead just hung the shirts over the bar. Needless to say, they were wrinkled and still a little damp.
You use a hanger like this one for socks and undergarments. At first it seemed kind of weird for everyone to be able to see your boxers, but you get over it. We're not in 3rd grade, tee-heeing about seeing (back then) "Alex's" tightie whities.
Standing apa-to no mae (in front of the apartment), here's a picture of our road. On either side are regular houses, with a "pasta and antiques" restaurant/store at the very end.
The little walkway from the main area to the doors. Hidari (left) is a little garden where some cats like to lounge lazily in the planters (~totemo kawaii~) (~very cute~).
Here's a shot from me standing right next to my pseudo-night stand. You can see the sliding door that blocks off the room, as well as my small closet on the bottom left hand side of the screen, and my storage space in the top left. And, obviously, to the bottom right is my bed. Speaking of my bed...
Here's a good picture to show the length. It basically has 4 parts: first, the wooden part (I'll take a picture of it later), which I've already managed to snap in two different places, that can fold up for easier storage. That supplies the sturdiness. Next is my thin but comfy mattress. Third is a bed sheet I put over the mattress to avoid sullying it with my sleep sweat. Finally, I have a very comfortable comforter. Never having really slept with a comforter, I'm now a strong believer in them. They're like the opposite of a thermos, keeping you warm when you're cold and cool when you're warm. Also, they're very fun to hug. Though, I think when I return back home, I'll go back to my Caucasian roots and take charge of my regular blanket brigade, despite being much more of a hassle to keep neat and clean. You'll notice my Disney's Lilo & Stitch's Stitch nuigurumi (stuffed animal) that I brought with me on my pillow. That reminds me of who I truly am deep down inside. Hontou ni tokubetsuna monoda (obviously very special). Having a side apartment, it's nice to have the big window next to my bed for extra lighting and for a natural alarm clock that doesn't show the entire world my living quarters.
Here's my workspace. A quick rundown: You'll see my laptop (with iTunes open) in the center of my desk (thankfully my legs feet decently underneath the desk, which is more than I can say for my kyoushitsu (classroom). I have two speakers that my neighboring ryuugakusei graciously donated to me since the set that came with my room were dead on my arrival. I've got my keyboard and mouse comfortably fit onto the desk. On top of my left speaker is my atarashii keitai (new cellphone), which I'll make a quick post about tomorrow. On top of the right speaker is a new, much-needed battery-operated pencil sharpener. Behind that is a lamp that was left here. To my right I've got a very handy storage unit, which I use to hold my school supplies, flash cards, electronic devices, Nintendo Wii videogames, and misc items. Above my laptop you'll see one of my most valuable possessions, a drawing of Batman done for me by a very special girl back home. Top left, I have the first two months' schedule hatteru (posted). Next to it is the kanji for squirrel, or "risu", done by my tutor (gamanshita, haha). Above it is a ninja star, or "shuriken", made by some people in the basketball circle (like a mini-club, I'll make a post on those later as well) for me out of paper. It's surprisingly sturdy. I must learn how to make it so I'll have an endless supply to chuck at the kids back at UCLA's elementary school. That and so I can trick them into being good so that I'd teach them how to make it...pfft, yeah right...Saigo, on top of my handy-dandy storage unit I have my denshijisho (electronic dictionary, extremely useful), nimotsu (is that the right counter, for bundled items?) kyoukasho (textbooks), and the remote control to my air cooler.
Here you can more clearly see the top storage area where I keep my pants, shorts, laundry, and miscellaneous items. It's supposed to be a cubby in the wall for you to sleep in. However, my tutor said it gets really hot during the summer, so it's best to sleep on the ground. Also, my apartment didn't come with a mini couch like most of the other ones did, so I wouldn't have any place comfortable to sit if I moved my bed up there. Moreover, I wouldn't have my special natural alarm clock next to me, nor would I have easy access to find the time via my tetsukuri mezarashidokei (hand-made alarm clock...though Doug, I might have messed up on the reading of tsukuri, though I know it's te + tsukuru kanji). Anyways, I'm still debating whether or not to move my bed up there. I'll probably try it once winter rolls around. I'll keep you updated if I do anything different :)
And, for the final post of the night, my little closet. I keep all my shirts, my UCLA omiyage (UCLA presents for the important Japanese friends I make), and my socks, underwear, and misc clothes in the smaller storage container.
So here it is...my apartment, or "mai apa-to" in Japanese. You could also say "Watashi no apa-to", but the Japanese, obsessed with not only English words but shortening everything, use phrases like "mai apa-to" or "mai kaa" instead of their own Japanese method. My room is on the far bottom right, #101.
Yes, that's my laundry hanging there. In Japan, it's unheard of for daigakusei (college students) to have their own dryer. I don't know the exact percentage, but most people living around us in regular homes also air dry their clothes. The first time I tried to dry my shirts, in being the atama ga ii gakusei (smart student, literally "good head student") that I am, I completely blanked on using the hangers, and instead just hung the shirts over the bar. Needless to say, they were wrinkled and still a little damp.
You use a hanger like this one for socks and undergarments. At first it seemed kind of weird for everyone to be able to see your boxers, but you get over it. We're not in 3rd grade, tee-heeing about seeing (back then) "Alex's" tightie whities.
Standing apa-to no mae (in front of the apartment), here's a picture of our road. On either side are regular houses, with a "pasta and antiques" restaurant/store at the very end.
The little walkway from the main area to the doors. Hidari (left) is a little garden where some cats like to lounge lazily in the planters (~totemo kawaii~) (~very cute~).
Here's the back (or front?) of the apartment. My room is the first one on the left. Since I'm on the corner I get an extra window in my living room, bathroom, and kitchen. Kinda cool. I got the first room since it's apparently a shuukan (custom) of Tsurubu (Tsuru Bunka Daigaku shortened...see, I told you the Japanese love random shortenings!) for the biggest ryuugakusei to live there. I'm the protector of the rest of them. Ore ha mamoru! (I will protect!)
A slightly blurry shot of the scene right outside my door. There's a place where everyone parks their jitensha (bikes). In front of my apartment is also our main meeting spot for when we leave at 9:00 AM every weekday for class (speaking of which, I still have to study for my season / temperature kanji quiz tomorrow...ganbatte dattebayo....)
Aaaaaand, here's my apartment, view from right when I enter the door! Sugeee! (Note: "Sugoi" is the actual word for "fantastic!". Suge is the masculine informal form) Shita hidari (bottom left) is the door to my washroom (sink + washer). Ue hidari (top left), where the trashcan and blue mat are visible, is my kitchenette. Straight ahead is the entrance to the living room. Ue migi (top right) is a little window thing that closes off access to the little loft and storage space. Naka migi (middle right, and note to Doug and other nihongo wo hanaseru hitos out there, I doubt I'd actually say "naka migi", but I'm just breaking it down into basic words for the layman to learn :D) is my toilet room (a closet-sized room with a toilet in it). Saigo (last), uta migi is my shower room, which includes a shower head and a bathtub.
Here's the view from the entrance between the kitchenette and the living room. See the metal bar right above the door, hanging lower than most other pieces in the house, framing the door way? Yeah. I hate that piece of metal. It's sole purpose is to thwart groggy, tired ryuugakusei by leaping out when they try to exit and hitting them on the forehead....almost every....single...time...itain (ouch...)
Straight ahead is the storage device used for mail. Ue migi, you can see a very tall, thin door that's used for kasa (umbrellas) and other random items (tatoeba (for example), mushiyoke (bug spray)). And yes, you can see how much my shoes stick out from the little divots that they're allowed :P
Here's my sink / toiletry storage unit. It's pretty efficient at it's job. I still need to get another light bulb for the other side, though. Note: Apparently the Japanese aren't big fans of deodorant, though I might be wrong. One of the hokano ryuugakusei ha tried to buy deodorant, demo mitsukenakatta (but it couldn't be found). Instead, he found and bought some Axe body spray. I gotta hold onto my Mitchum for as long as I can!
My chiisai sentakuki (little washing machine). Compared to American washing machines, it's fairly week, and sometimes I get random residue left on my clothes. But, it does it's job, and that's all I can really ask of the little guy.
Comparison shot of the space alloted between the two.
Here's a picture of my shower room. In Japan, you're supposed to first clean yourself off with a shower, then, when all nice and kirei (clean), atatakai ofuro ni haitte yukkuri (enter the warm bathtub and rest). However, to me, a shower is nice enough, and just soaking myself is a waste of time, unless I plan for it in advance. Actually, a warm bath coupled with Kanji flashcards sounds pretty good right about now...
A wider view of the shower room. At least there's a high holder for the shower nozzle.
I have about a fists' length lax space between the top of my head and the ceiling.
John (and no, not my otaku ryuugakusei tomodachi). Comes coupled with a bidet (weee!) and a faucet built into the water tank that turns on when you flush it. At first use I was scared because I didn't know how to turn it off...didn't realize it was automatic, I seriously thought 5 minutes into entering my new apartment and I was going to drown it.
My little kitchenette. ~Kawaii!~ It's very useful. Not a lot of counter-space, unfortunately (thought I acredit that to the fact that it's Japan, not that I'm a messy college student ^_<). My "IH" stovetop (whatever that stands for) is unfortunately busted, I think...the light will keep flashing when I press it, then it turns off. Doug, tasuketekudasai! It comes with a fully functional sink (no disposal though, I think at some point I'm going to have to manually empty it....but I'll deal with that once whatever's festering in there climbs out and threatens me in my sleep). I have a small reizouko (fridge), a microwave, rice cooker, oven, and a decent amount of cupboard space, all of which I'll go into further detail when I make a post on Japanese cuisine and my own personal diet (sneak peek: I'm losing weight, and not even trying!)
Behind my sink lies these mysterious wooden...folding....thingies...(dunno what they're called...). But, what could lie behind these magical folding wooden windows? The answer when we return....
...and we're back! Tada (and no, not free, nihongo wo hanaseru hito (people who understand Japanese), I'm keeping this stuff ^_< /inside joke). Immediately accessible on top from the kitchen are paper and cloth towels, as well as one of my mammoth suitcases that currently doubles as my dirty laundry holder (for sweaty, drenched clothes I have a small laundry bin that I bought, stored away in the washing room).
Uta, I have a decent sized storage area. Here I store my water heater (since currently I rarely use it), my swiffer (sp?), extra blankets / pillows, and random other crap. But, wait, that grayish plastic bag in the bottom left corner looks special...what could be inside of it? Sorry, but seeing as how that's a present for a very important girl to me back home, in case she's reading this, I can't reveal it. でも、日本語を読めれば, そのふくろの中は本当にきれいな浴衣ができます。俺は最初の米国の彼女にクリスマスでその浴衣をあげるつもりです。いいお土産ね？後でひみつところで写真 をはります。
Laundry nimotsu (baggage) to (pronounced "toe", imi ha (meaning is) "and") towels, ii (good) smelling spray stuff, and some random other things.
Here's a good view of the main room, taken from the walkway into the kitchenette. Hidari is my bed, an extra chair, and a stand which I use to store my textbooks, mezamashidokei (alarm clock), and denwa (telephone). Migi, I have my desk space, my table with my TV and Nintendo Wii, and some more space which'll be visible in the next picture. Straight ahead is my big window that I use to access my little porch for laundry (you can see it back in the first and second picture).
Here's a better view of the right-hand side of the main room. I use the space next to the TV to hold my trash bags. Japanese trash is a lot more complicated than American's trash. I'll get to explaining that in a future post (probably the next one, a lot shorter and smaller than this one ^_<). Note that the table that the TV is on is actually a special heating table which you can put your legs underneath and have it toast them when winter rolls around. Unfortunately, my room didn't come with a TV stand like most of the other ones did, so I'm forced to use my only table, which means I eat at random places each meal. I'm planning on investing in one soon, though - it'll be useful for the person next year. Buying useful things and leaving them here for the next ryuugakusei seems to be a common practice for the Tsuru Daigaku ryuugakusei.
Aaaaaand, here's my apartment, view from right when I enter the door! Sugeee! (Note: "Sugoi" is the actual word for "fantastic!". Suge is the masculine informal form) Shita hidari (bottom left) is the door to my washroom (sink + washer). Ue hidari (top left), where the trashcan and blue mat are visible, is my kitchenette. Straight ahead is the entrance to the living room. Ue migi (top right) is a little window thing that closes off access to the little loft and storage space. Naka migi (middle right, and note to Doug and other nihongo wo hanaseru hitos out there, I doubt I'd actually say "naka migi", but I'm just breaking it down into basic words for the layman to learn :D) is my toilet room (a closet-sized room with a toilet in it). Saigo (last), uta migi is my shower room, which includes a shower head and a bathtub.
Here's the view from the entrance between the kitchenette and the living room. See the metal bar right above the door, hanging lower than most other pieces in the house, framing the door way? Yeah. I hate that piece of metal. It's sole purpose is to thwart groggy, tired ryuugakusei by leaping out when they try to exit and hitting them on the forehead....almost every....single...time...itain (ouch...)
Straight ahead is the storage device used for mail. Ue migi, you can see a very tall, thin door that's used for kasa (umbrellas) and other random items (tatoeba (for example), mushiyoke (bug spray)). And yes, you can see how much my shoes stick out from the little divots that they're allowed :P
Here's my sink / toiletry storage unit. It's pretty efficient at it's job. I still need to get another light bulb for the other side, though. Note: Apparently the Japanese aren't big fans of deodorant, though I might be wrong. One of the hokano ryuugakusei ha tried to buy deodorant, demo mitsukenakatta (but it couldn't be found). Instead, he found and bought some Axe body spray. I gotta hold onto my Mitchum for as long as I can!
My chiisai sentakuki (little washing machine). Compared to American washing machines, it's fairly week, and sometimes I get random residue left on my clothes. But, it does it's job, and that's all I can really ask of the little guy.
Comparison shot of the space alloted between the two.
Here's a picture of my shower room. In Japan, you're supposed to first clean yourself off with a shower, then, when all nice and kirei (clean), atatakai ofuro ni haitte yukkuri (enter the warm bathtub and rest). However, to me, a shower is nice enough, and just soaking myself is a waste of time, unless I plan for it in advance. Actually, a warm bath coupled with Kanji flashcards sounds pretty good right about now...
A wider view of the shower room. At least there's a high holder for the shower nozzle.
I have about a fists' length lax space between the top of my head and the ceiling.
John (and no, not my otaku ryuugakusei tomodachi). Comes coupled with a bidet (weee!) and a faucet built into the water tank that turns on when you flush it. At first use I was scared because I didn't know how to turn it off...didn't realize it was automatic, I seriously thought 5 minutes into entering my new apartment and I was going to drown it.
My little kitchenette. ~Kawaii!~ It's very useful. Not a lot of counter-space, unfortunately (thought I acredit that to the fact that it's Japan, not that I'm a messy college student ^_<). My "IH" stovetop (whatever that stands for) is unfortunately busted, I think...the light will keep flashing when I press it, then it turns off. Doug, tasuketekudasai! It comes with a fully functional sink (no disposal though, I think at some point I'm going to have to manually empty it....but I'll deal with that once whatever's festering in there climbs out and threatens me in my sleep). I have a small reizouko (fridge), a microwave, rice cooker, oven, and a decent amount of cupboard space, all of which I'll go into further detail when I make a post on Japanese cuisine and my own personal diet (sneak peek: I'm losing weight, and not even trying!)
Behind my sink lies these mysterious wooden...folding....thingies...(dunno what they're called...). But, what could lie behind these magical folding wooden windows? The answer when we return....
...and we're back! Tada (and no, not free, nihongo wo hanaseru hito (people who understand Japanese), I'm keeping this stuff ^_< /inside joke). Immediately accessible on top from the kitchen are paper and cloth towels, as well as one of my mammoth suitcases that currently doubles as my dirty laundry holder (for sweaty, drenched clothes I have a small laundry bin that I bought, stored away in the washing room).
Uta, I have a decent sized storage area. Here I store my water heater (since currently I rarely use it), my swiffer (sp?), extra blankets / pillows, and random other crap. But, wait, that grayish plastic bag in the bottom left corner looks special...what could be inside of it? Sorry, but seeing as how that's a present for a very important girl to me back home, in case she's reading this, I can't reveal it. でも、日本語を読めれば, そのふくろの中は本当にきれいな浴衣ができます。俺は最初の米国の彼女にクリスマスでその浴衣をあげるつもりです。いいお土産ね？後でひみつところで写真 をはります。
Laundry nimotsu (baggage) to (pronounced "toe", imi ha (meaning is) "and") towels, ii (good) smelling spray stuff, and some random other things.
Here's a good view of the main room, taken from the walkway into the kitchenette. Hidari is my bed, an extra chair, and a stand which I use to store my textbooks, mezamashidokei (alarm clock), and denwa (telephone). Migi, I have my desk space, my table with my TV and Nintendo Wii, and some more space which'll be visible in the next picture. Straight ahead is my big window that I use to access my little porch for laundry (you can see it back in the first and second picture).
Here's a better view of the right-hand side of the main room. I use the space next to the TV to hold my trash bags. Japanese trash is a lot more complicated than American's trash. I'll get to explaining that in a future post (probably the next one, a lot shorter and smaller than this one ^_<). Note that the table that the TV is on is actually a special heating table which you can put your legs underneath and have it toast them when winter rolls around. Unfortunately, my room didn't come with a TV stand like most of the other ones did, so I'm forced to use my only table, which means I eat at random places each meal. I'm planning on investing in one soon, though - it'll be useful for the person next year. Buying useful things and leaving them here for the next ryuugakusei seems to be a common practice for the Tsuru Daigaku ryuugakusei.
Here's a shot from me standing right next to my pseudo-night stand. You can see the sliding door that blocks off the room, as well as my small closet on the bottom left hand side of the screen, and my storage space in the top left. And, obviously, to the bottom right is my bed. Speaking of my bed...
Here's a good picture to show the length. It basically has 4 parts: first, the wooden part (I'll take a picture of it later), which I've already managed to snap in two different places, that can fold up for easier storage. That supplies the sturdiness. Next is my thin but comfy mattress. Third is a bed sheet I put over the mattress to avoid sullying it with my sleep sweat. Finally, I have a very comfortable comforter. Never having really slept with a comforter, I'm now a strong believer in them. They're like the opposite of a thermos, keeping you warm when you're cold and cool when you're warm. Also, they're very fun to hug. Though, I think when I return back home, I'll go back to my Caucasian roots and take charge of my regular blanket brigade, despite being much more of a hassle to keep neat and clean. You'll notice my Disney's Lilo & Stitch's Stitch nuigurumi (stuffed animal) that I brought with me on my pillow. That reminds me of who I truly am deep down inside. Hontou ni tokubetsuna monoda (obviously very special). Having a side apartment, it's nice to have the big window next to my bed for extra lighting and for a natural alarm clock that doesn't show the entire world my living quarters.
Here's my workspace. A quick rundown: You'll see my laptop (with iTunes open) in the center of my desk (thankfully my legs feet decently underneath the desk, which is more than I can say for my kyoushitsu (classroom). I have two speakers that my neighboring ryuugakusei graciously donated to me since the set that came with my room were dead on my arrival. I've got my keyboard and mouse comfortably fit onto the desk. On top of my left speaker is my atarashii keitai (new cellphone), which I'll make a quick post about tomorrow. On top of the right speaker is a new, much-needed battery-operated pencil sharpener. Behind that is a lamp that was left here. To my right I've got a very handy storage unit, which I use to hold my school supplies, flash cards, electronic devices, Nintendo Wii videogames, and misc items. Above my laptop you'll see one of my most valuable possessions, a drawing of Batman done for me by a very special girl back home. Top left, I have the first two months' schedule hatteru (posted). Next to it is the kanji for squirrel, or "risu", done by my tutor (gamanshita, haha). Above it is a ninja star, or "shuriken", made by some people in the basketball circle (like a mini-club, I'll make a post on those later as well) for me out of paper. It's surprisingly sturdy. I must learn how to make it so I'll have an endless supply to chuck at the kids back at UCLA's elementary school. That and so I can trick them into being good so that I'd teach them how to make it...pfft, yeah right...Saigo, on top of my handy-dandy storage unit I have my denshijisho (electronic dictionary, extremely useful), nimotsu (is that the right counter, for bundled items?) kyoukasho (textbooks), and the remote control to my air cooler.
Here you can more clearly see the top storage area where I keep my pants, shorts, laundry, and miscellaneous items. It's supposed to be a cubby in the wall for you to sleep in. However, my tutor said it gets really hot during the summer, so it's best to sleep on the ground. Also, my apartment didn't come with a mini couch like most of the other ones did, so I wouldn't have any place comfortable to sit if I moved my bed up there. Moreover, I wouldn't have my special natural alarm clock next to me, nor would I have easy access to find the time via my tetsukuri mezarashidokei (hand-made alarm clock...though Doug, I might have messed up on the reading of tsukuri, though I know it's te + tsukuru kanji). Anyways, I'm still debating whether or not to move my bed up there. I'll probably try it once winter rolls around. I'll keep you updated if I do anything different :)
And, for the final post of the night, my little closet. I keep all my shirts, my UCLA omiyage (UCLA presents for the important Japanese friends I make), and my socks, underwear, and misc clothes in the smaller storage container.
Well, that pretty much sums up my apartment. Thanks for bearing with me through it! Hope you listened to "Lifetime Respect" a few times while reading this!
Now, it's 3 AM...gotta get some sleep before class tomorrow...ja! Oyasumi! (Good-night!)
Now, it's 3 AM...gotta get some sleep before class tomorrow...ja! Oyasumi! (Good-night!)
Current Events / Getting Up-To-Speed
So, while I'm waiting to upload all the images for my apartment post, I'll update everyone on current events :P
Mazu (first), minasan (everyone) please go here and listen to this song, RSA's "Lifetime Respect", while reading this post.
I'm currently addicted to this song. They play it a lot in the Hyakin (abbreviated Hyakuen Mise, or 100 Yen Shop), as well as various supermarkets. Apparently it was an older song by the kashu (singer) Miki Douzan. It has a relatively new, popular version out by the J-Pop group RSP, which is this version. Very fun, happy, light song. The music video is just some random dancing, so just enjoy the music (or gamansuru (tough it out) ^_<). Every now and then I'll post a YouTube link to a good J-Pop song to try to wean some of you onto it :) I must say, though, that it is very nice to be able to listen to J-Pop, J-Rock, and hokano (other) J-Songs and not receive weird stares :P
Today (Wednesday) we gave presentations in front of our teachers, tutors, and some of the Ryuugakusei staff. The subjects ranged from the difference between American and Chinese vampires (hop hop!) to how great Naruto (an anime) is to lessons in fencing. I decided to teach the Japanese people about fraternities, so I did it on the fraternity I joined last spring, Pi Kappa Phi. I wore my rush shirt as my show-and-tell object, and the entire hyougen (presentation) went very smoothly. I'll post the entire thing, both in Japanese and in English, soon.
So, there's a big festival on the first of September here in Tsuru-shi (note that Tsuru is the name of my town, hence Tsuru Daigaku (Tsuru College), and the -shi suffix denotes a city). Us ryuugakusei were invited to participate in the parade, either as samurai or as hime (pronounced "he-meh", means princess). So, all this week we've been going to practices at night. Our job is to do the following: Step forward-left. Step forward-right. Step forward-left. Step forward-right. And, sometimes we just step left and right, without moving forward at all. Sounds fun, ne?
Well, I wouldn't be that bad, if it wasn't for the 11 ft pole that I have to carry as well. AND in my hands I have to carry a big stick with a kanji at the end...okay, sexual joke aside (shiny boxers make that joke okay /inside joke), because I'm the tallest person this side of Fuji-san, I get to hold a big, heavy, 11 foot pole with a triangle at the top, with the kanji for "mugen" (infinity) printed on it. What it signifies I'm not really sure, but what it means is that I stand alone, in front of the 6 other ryuugakusei samurai, and behind the yako-san, or servants (typical yako-san look like the Pringles guy).
Now, I was curious as to whether or not I was still a samurai, since I was more with the yako-san group than the samurai group. Turns out I'm some kind of hybrid. I'm too big for the samurai clothes, and they need the strongest guys as the ones to carry the random accessories. I was kind of disappointed to learn that I wasn't going to dress in the samurai garb, but being a hybrid has it's upsides. For example, I don't have to try to stick in motion with the other ryuugakusei, who, for lack of a better word, are heta desu (not skilled). Instead, I'm more or less by myself, in the center of the street, walking softly, carrying a big stick.
Soreni (moreover), I tried on the hybrid costume today. As one of my fellow ryuugakusei said, it looks like some kind of 70's poolside wear, with short white shorts (think pool-boy) with a little yukata a size too small. All I need is no shirt, a gold chain, and possibly a hand pipe, and I'm golden. The largest sandals they have don't fit either. I can get my foot in it, but my entire big toe sticks over. I'll have to put a few layers of band-aids or moleskin or something on it before I walk the 2-hour parade.
Also, I apparently still get a wakizashi (small sword). The ryuugakusei samurai get both a katana and a wakizashi, but the entire time they're supposed to be solemn, holding a sensu (folding fan) in one hand, their other on the hilt of their sheathed katana. So, even though I'm not a full-blood samurai, and instead some kind of dirt-blood hybrid (or whatever Rowling calls half-muggle / half-wizards), I'm happy with it. Also, the Orihime girls (the name of the princess) ended up being just chamber maids, so it's not like everyone got this totemo kakkouii (very cool) part like we had originally thought.
Side note: The chuugakkou (middle school) that we practice at has what looks like a giant Autobot icon (the good guys from Transformers) painted onto a center structure in between the gym and the pool. I took a picture with my phone, I'll upload it when I can. Knowing Japan, that symbol very may well be the Autobot's :P How cool would it be to say that your middle school mascot is Optimus Prime? I guess your rival school would have to be Megatron ^_<
Aside from the practices, not much else has been going on saikin (recently). I've been playing The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for my American Nintendo Wii that I brought. I'm planning on going to see the new Pokemon movie in theaters in order to receive a free rare Pokemon. I'm also planning on going into Tokyo this Saturday with John (my fellow otaku (nerd) ryuugakusei) to go check out the Costco there, as well as to go to a Japanese night club to go dance to a fusion of hip-hop, rap, and J-Pop (omg, J-Pop in a club!? Sugeee!! (Amazing!!)). We have our final practice and costume fitting on Sunday at 1:30, so we have to be back in time...we'll see how it goes, maybe stay at a hostile Saturday night.
Well, the images are all uploaded, I'm going to work on that next post and maybe another, depends on how well I can memorize my kanji for our daily quizzes tomorrow :) Ore ha, ganbatte ne!
Mazu (first), minasan (everyone) please go here and listen to this song, RSA's "Lifetime Respect", while reading this post.
I'm currently addicted to this song. They play it a lot in the Hyakin (abbreviated Hyakuen Mise, or 100 Yen Shop), as well as various supermarkets. Apparently it was an older song by the kashu (singer) Miki Douzan. It has a relatively new, popular version out by the J-Pop group RSP, which is this version. Very fun, happy, light song. The music video is just some random dancing, so just enjoy the music (or gamansuru (tough it out) ^_<). Every now and then I'll post a YouTube link to a good J-Pop song to try to wean some of you onto it :) I must say, though, that it is very nice to be able to listen to J-Pop, J-Rock, and hokano (other) J-Songs and not receive weird stares :P
Today (Wednesday) we gave presentations in front of our teachers, tutors, and some of the Ryuugakusei staff. The subjects ranged from the difference between American and Chinese vampires (hop hop!) to how great Naruto (an anime) is to lessons in fencing. I decided to teach the Japanese people about fraternities, so I did it on the fraternity I joined last spring, Pi Kappa Phi. I wore my rush shirt as my show-and-tell object, and the entire hyougen (presentation) went very smoothly. I'll post the entire thing, both in Japanese and in English, soon.
So, there's a big festival on the first of September here in Tsuru-shi (note that Tsuru is the name of my town, hence Tsuru Daigaku (Tsuru College), and the -shi suffix denotes a city). Us ryuugakusei were invited to participate in the parade, either as samurai or as hime (pronounced "he-meh", means princess). So, all this week we've been going to practices at night. Our job is to do the following: Step forward-left. Step forward-right. Step forward-left. Step forward-right. And, sometimes we just step left and right, without moving forward at all. Sounds fun, ne?
Well, I wouldn't be that bad, if it wasn't for the 11 ft pole that I have to carry as well. AND in my hands I have to carry a big stick with a kanji at the end...okay, sexual joke aside (shiny boxers make that joke okay /inside joke), because I'm the tallest person this side of Fuji-san, I get to hold a big, heavy, 11 foot pole with a triangle at the top, with the kanji for "mugen" (infinity) printed on it. What it signifies I'm not really sure, but what it means is that I stand alone, in front of the 6 other ryuugakusei samurai, and behind the yako-san, or servants (typical yako-san look like the Pringles guy).
Now, I was curious as to whether or not I was still a samurai, since I was more with the yako-san group than the samurai group. Turns out I'm some kind of hybrid. I'm too big for the samurai clothes, and they need the strongest guys as the ones to carry the random accessories. I was kind of disappointed to learn that I wasn't going to dress in the samurai garb, but being a hybrid has it's upsides. For example, I don't have to try to stick in motion with the other ryuugakusei, who, for lack of a better word, are heta desu (not skilled). Instead, I'm more or less by myself, in the center of the street, walking softly, carrying a big stick.
Soreni (moreover), I tried on the hybrid costume today. As one of my fellow ryuugakusei said, it looks like some kind of 70's poolside wear, with short white shorts (think pool-boy) with a little yukata a size too small. All I need is no shirt, a gold chain, and possibly a hand pipe, and I'm golden. The largest sandals they have don't fit either. I can get my foot in it, but my entire big toe sticks over. I'll have to put a few layers of band-aids or moleskin or something on it before I walk the 2-hour parade.
Also, I apparently still get a wakizashi (small sword). The ryuugakusei samurai get both a katana and a wakizashi, but the entire time they're supposed to be solemn, holding a sensu (folding fan) in one hand, their other on the hilt of their sheathed katana. So, even though I'm not a full-blood samurai, and instead some kind of dirt-blood hybrid (or whatever Rowling calls half-muggle / half-wizards), I'm happy with it. Also, the Orihime girls (the name of the princess) ended up being just chamber maids, so it's not like everyone got this totemo kakkouii (very cool) part like we had originally thought.
Side note: The chuugakkou (middle school) that we practice at has what looks like a giant Autobot icon (the good guys from Transformers) painted onto a center structure in between the gym and the pool. I took a picture with my phone, I'll upload it when I can. Knowing Japan, that symbol very may well be the Autobot's :P How cool would it be to say that your middle school mascot is Optimus Prime? I guess your rival school would have to be Megatron ^_<
Aside from the practices, not much else has been going on saikin (recently). I've been playing The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for my American Nintendo Wii that I brought. I'm planning on going to see the new Pokemon movie in theaters in order to receive a free rare Pokemon. I'm also planning on going into Tokyo this Saturday with John (my fellow otaku (nerd) ryuugakusei) to go check out the Costco there, as well as to go to a Japanese night club to go dance to a fusion of hip-hop, rap, and J-Pop (omg, J-Pop in a club!? Sugeee!! (Amazing!!)). We have our final practice and costume fitting on Sunday at 1:30, so we have to be back in time...we'll see how it goes, maybe stay at a hostile Saturday night.
Well, the images are all uploaded, I'm going to work on that next post and maybe another, depends on how well I can memorize my kanji for our daily quizzes tomorrow :) Ore ha, ganbatte ne!
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Coming Up Soon...
- Japanese cuisine and my diet
- Tsuru-shi and Tsuru Bunka Daigaku
- New happenings!
- Random things learned about Japanese culture (already starting on a list, I'll post once I get a lot of things down)
- My apartment! (Or, as I like to call it, my 'Bato-cabu')
I'll update more once I get some pictures to go with the updates! Expect there to be updates tomorrow!
Random Pix Post #1
During the first week we were served this great meal in the main ryuugakusei meeting room. Basically there are bunches of noodles in freshly half-cut bamboo. You take a cup filled with a kind of soy sauce with you and dip the noodles in there. Also served were these tofu packs with rice inside, very common and very delicious. Not served were drinks and napkins (usually there aren't napkins, but at some places there are).
There was a lot of noodles. I certainly ate my share. Apparently usually there's running water flowing throughout the bamboos, but we didn't put them up to that expectation ;) We were took on the campus tour before we ate, so we all had built up a huge appetite.
Shani and I slurping noodles. In Japan, the louder you slurp, the better! In fact, it's considered rude not to slurp. Much more fun to eat here than back home, that's for sure! Though sometimes I still forget to slurp...I'm just too well-mannered at the dinner table. (*parents snicker*)
John and some of the basketball circle group members at a Viking meat shop (all-you-can-eat). It was pricey, but oh-so-good, and the company was great.
It's the kind of place where you order the raw meat and then cook it yourself. I don't know if we have any of these kinds of places in America (if we're going out to eat, we don't expect to then cook our own food, we're too lazy for that). But man, was this good!! Great way to experience new Japanese foods and cuts of meat as well!
Nekos! (Cats!) And they're lounging around in flower pots! Kawaii! (Cute!!) I wonder if Japanese cats have Japanese accents in nekoben (cat dialect).
Had to take a picture of these movies side-by-side. Cross-eyed Bruce Willis FTW.
"Stick with the peace and the groove'll stay together." - Wise Man Greg
Pika pi, Pikachu! Now all they need is a Farfetch'd mask. Farfetch'd, in Japanese, is "Kamonegi", which is a portmanteau of "kamon", or duck, and "negi", or leek. Duck is often cooked with leek, and Farfetch'd, my favorite Pokemon, is a sword-like-leek-wielding duck. It helps to put words you learn into context to memorize them :) Another side note: I actually had kamon and negi at a yakitori (grilled chicken) shop. It was really good, they even cook skin and serve it separately.
Reads: "Nonth Carolina"
Story behind this: John wanted to buy some flowers for his tutor, Gu-san. Unfortunately, he bought 'death flowers', ones appropriate only for a funeral or during mourning. Koki's pretended to be praying for his dead family members. Needless to say, John didn't give the flowers to his tutor. In Japan, this is also called a "tabuu".
Warning! If you've encountered this man working at the UCLA Wooden Center, then it's his twin. I *KNEW* he looked familiar when I first saw him, so I was relieved when I found out that he has a twin who works at UCLA's gym. I thought I was going crazy.
The company I used to send my suitcases to Tsuru University. Cute icon.
Pac-Man says: No Smoking!
First Engrish shirt I encounted on day one. I think no sense this makes.
More Engrish shirts. I have yet to see a shirt that actually makes sense. Last night one of the guys we were with had a shirt that said "The Tribe of Whiz." We explained to him what "whiz" meant, and he was surprised, to say the least.
This guy looks wayyyy too trigger-happy. Found in the school's byouin (hospital). They have a toy room in there to play with...I guess the college students here get bored while waiting...
Our Tutors and My Tutor Koki
- "Tutors", which are essentially our first Japanese friends, help us out a lot
- My tutor's name is Koki. He's fun, energetic, and one of my best friends here.
Anyways, they've been a really big help so far. They've taken us to Akihabara to help get out electronic dictionaries, helped us shop, practice our Japanese, teach us how to cook Japanese cuisine, help figure out the best keitai (cellphone) plan, and just hang out with us. When October rolls around and our actual classes in different subjects start, apparently they're supposed to take them with us, though I'm not quite sure how that'll workout since they'll have a full load as well. However, if we ever need anything, they're the go-to people, and they're all awesome.
My tutor's name is Koki, short for Kouki (man, if only a chi was added to the end of that...actually, I'll see if I can nickname him that tomorrow ^_<). He's actually the leader of the tutors, which is surprisingly fitting since sometimes, due to my room (#101, the first on the row, which I'll make an update about later), I'm joked about being the leader (maybe due to the whole first-born-is-the-leader mentality here). He's a smaller guy, maybe about 5'5" or so, with a frail build. His physique and his quick smile attribute a sort of mischievous but kind-hearted personality. Think of him as an elven thief who's chaotic good. Koki's rarely seen without his signature uchiwa (fan). He also has a black yukata he often dons before we go out to some special event. His understanding of English is pretty good, but when he speaks you can't help but to chuckle a bit inside. It sounds very stereotypical, like he's really concentrating on getting out the words. He has a hard time pronouncing some words like "heart" and "hurt".
Koki on the first day we met. Each tutor made their ryuugakusei a fan with their name on it (by gluing a piece of paper with our name on it onto a fan)
Hiro is a very fun-loving guy who fits a lot of funny Japanese stereotypes. He's the signature guy who's always smiling and hitting on women (despite having a girlfriend), often goofing around even in the presence of higher-ups. His bouncy attitude and tonal inflection, along with his unforgettable cheek-to-cheek smile, make him seem like an anime character come to life.
Hiro always wears those crazy Japanese shirts with random buttons in the middle and no sleeves
He and Koki are really good friends and the two most fun and popular tutors amongst the group. I feel a bit bad for the girl tutors, since usually when Koki or Hiro are present, they draw most of the ryuugakusei's attention. However, with the exception of Kim-san, most of the girl tutors are quiet, so it's hard to really tell them apart since we don't know their personalities (I'm just now learning their names after really trying to make a conscious effort).
Koki doing the signature Japanese "mweeeeh" sign. Think of it as the Japanese equivalent to our thumbs-in-ears-an-wiggle-fingers-like-antlers motion.
Hiro with his signature smile. It always looks like he's plotting something behind that giddy facade...
I'm really glad that Koki's my tutor. I couldn't have asked for a cooler, nicer, more helpful person. He's sacrificed a lot of his own time just to help us out. I've already give him (and Hiro) each a UCLA T-shirt, which is pretty special since I only brought 4 for guys (M size, though they're still pretty big on both of them).
Sometimes he reminds me of Tristan, especially with this picture
Koki gives a thumbs up while wearing his "Sunshine Girl" t-shirt. He's often the butt of light-hearted gay jokes due to his disposition to wear pink and his random girly (with American thinking) T-shirts. I have the feeling he was the butt of the same jokes from his Japanese friends before we came, since they do it primarily to him as well. But, despite our teasing, we love him and wouldn't be anywhere without him or the rest of the tutors.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Schoolwork and the Other Ryuugakusei
- Schoolwork load is about equivalent to a high school class
- Until the end of September we take nothing but "intensive Japanese."
- After September we take various classes, such as Japanese politics and culture, all taught in Japanese.
- Our teacher draws hilarious caricatures of us, each with a different anime stereotype aspect.
- The group of other ryuugakusei (exchange students) is awesome
This "intensive Japanese" class lasts until the end of September. After that we get a 2 week break, then we start taking hokano jyugyou (other classes), such as seiji (politics), keizai (economics), bunka (culture), and rekishi (history), all in Japanese.
The workload right now is pretty easy. It's about as much as a high school class. This week we have a script for a small speech and a kanji practice assignment due Wednesday and an essay due Friday.
I feel that my Japanese is improving. When people speak at a normal speed, as long as I understand the words, I can usually follow along just fine. It's when I hear a word that I don't know that throws me off. I know that the people that came back from Tsuru were much more fluent in the end than I am now. We've only had a week of class so I'm not holding myself to their standards yet, but I figure if I really put in the effort I can reach that level. Although I didn't do any studying today (oops), tomorrow (Tuesday) we have off, so I'll be spending a lot of time studying then. This entire week is some kind of special week where people go back home to pay their respects to their ancestors. I'm going to send an email to my first year Japanese TA and my second year sensei to see if they're back in Japan, and if so, if I can take them out to dinner.
The *best* thing about my class, though, is all the drawings that our teacher does. On the handouts are her caricatures of each of us. Each of us has been given a stereotypical role of anime characters based off of her initial impressions of us, though they're pretty accurate. There's John, the most fluent out of all of us, who really likes anime. He's always depicted as the "cool" guy with his wavy blond hair due to his, well, blond hair and excellence in Japanese. There's Aaron, who gets nervous a bit easily, so he's shown as the very worrisome guy. Toby, the only student to be in the B class who only took Japanese for one year, is very studious, always on his deshijisho (electronic dictionary) and constantly reviewing. He's always shown studying really hard, much like the stereotype anime character who practices and trains really hard in order to improve.
Brianna, or "Buri-chan" as Shima-sensei calls her (the Japanese are obsessed with shortening things...I know that the Red Hot Chili Peppers is shortened to something interesting, but I can't remember what right now), is a half-Persian half-white mix that apparently is just Asian enough that she's extremely attractive to the Japanese men. She also fits the body type of a Japanese woman, and she can sometimes be shy. She's usually drawn with one hand in front of the other in front of her waist, like she's being very polite. She usually has a little heart next to her and really intricate pretty clothing. Her stereotype, as you've probably guessed, is the very pretty, shy girl. And, on the opposite side of the spectrum, is Shani, who's usually drawn very active and loud, often yelling at someone. Her attitude is one of a typical American - hence, the loud and active appearance when compared to typical Japanese women ("But I'm not always mad, I'm fun!"). Shani's the anime's tomboy / hell-hath-no-fury-mode woman.
Finally, it's my turn. I'm usually drawn with a happy attitude, guffawing and having a good time. I've also been depicted as somewhat of a rebel / gangster, perhaps due to either my sunglasses or my gristly stubbles when I skip a day of shaving. I'm also shown as more muscular and taller (in one grammar point example my feet stick out beyond the bed and I say "I can't relax."). I'll definitely be keeping and bringing back all the drawings (hopefully I can find a scanner soon...). It's funny that now when we answer we try sometimes think of how she'll perceive it and draw us next. Last week I said that my hobby was playing videogames, so I won't be surprised if next time I'm sitting in front of a TV playing Wii.
Well, those are the 6 people in Class B. To finish off us 10 ryuugakusei we have the 4 Class A students. Todd, or "Kumataro" ("First Bear" as he's just been Christened) is a fun-loving UCSC Slug who, thanks to his years of wrestling, football, and rugby, can probably bench more than I can. Jenny is an extremely energetic and nice person. We did a little Taekwondo sparring the other day and she got the best kick on me I've ever felt; it was so cool to actually be kicked efficiently like that! Danielle is a 5th year who's decided to enjoy her last quarter by studying abroad. She loves to watch anime and play games as well (actually, most of us do. Brianna, the ohter UCLA ryuugakusei, even worked at Blizzard for a while as a GM for WoW!). Finally there's David, a fencer from UCSD who's always laughing and having fun. The UC breakdown is: 3 UCSD, 2 UCLA, 1 Cal, 1 UCSC, 1 UC Davis, 1 UCR, and 1 UCSB. An equal number of Tsuru Bunka Daigaku students are sent to various UC schools to study abroad there for a year (sort of taking our place for a quarter). We got to meet a few of them, adding them to our Facebook friends list for some good practicing parters when we return home.
So yeah. The schoolwork ain't that bad (as long as I force myself to be studious) and the group is diverse, interesting, and fun!
Meeting the Gakushachou (School President)
From left to right, top row ("Tutor" if I forget their name): Kim, Tutor, Toby, Gakushachou, Shani, Aaron, Brianna, David, Hiro
From left to right, bottom row: Tutor, Jenny, Danielle, Me, Todd, John, Koki (my tutor)
A more fun picture of us!
Hanabi Matsuri (Fireworks Festival)
The day after the trip to Akihabara we went to a big fireworks festival. Best explained with pictures:
The train ride was packed. Where as most people grab the rails above them, I just put my hand to the ceiling and balance myself.
A TON of people.
.
Size-comparison
All the girls bought and wore kimonos. The ones that don't look Japanese are the 4 other ryuugakusei.
Looks delicious. Despite some hideous food, the niku (meat) was delicious, as well as the flavored shaved ice and chocolate-banana-on-a-stick.
The fireworks are bigger, longer, and uncut. The entire fireworks display lasted about 2 hours, with about 15 different "sets". Each set was given an introduction and a name via the speakers. Different companies put on each set, then you can later vote for your favorite one. Whether or not this is standard practice I don't know.
On the train ride back Hiro (one of the two guy tutors) and I sat next to these two girls. I taught them how to play Go Fish, Crazy Eights, and Egyptian War.
The train ride was packed. Where as most people grab the rails above them, I just put my hand to the ceiling and balance myself.
A TON of people.
.
Size-comparison
All the girls bought and wore kimonos. The ones that don't look Japanese are the 4 other ryuugakusei.
Looks delicious. Despite some hideous food, the niku (meat) was delicious, as well as the flavored shaved ice and chocolate-banana-on-a-stick.
The fireworks are bigger, longer, and uncut. The entire fireworks display lasted about 2 hours, with about 15 different "sets". Each set was given an introduction and a name via the speakers. Different companies put on each set, then you can later vote for your favorite one. Whether or not this is standard practice I don't know.
On the train ride back Hiro (one of the two guy tutors) and I sat next to these two girls. I taught them how to play Go Fish, Crazy Eights, and Egyptian War.
Akihabara (Electric Town)
- Akihabara has good electronics at cheap prices
- It's a very popular town with foreigners for it's anime and videogame influence
- It also has maid cafes, where girls welcome you as their master
We mainly went to Akihabara to get electronic dictionaries. All except two ryuugakusei (exchange students) got the same type, that way we could all help each other out with the user interface (which is in Japanese). They're really slick, you can write the kanji (Chinese characters that are used as shorthand in Japan) in the bottom touchscreen for a fast search, though it did cost $250.
After we bought our electronic dictionaries we wondered around a bit more, checking out the different stores. All the buildings are very narrow and tall. The arcade we went into had 5 floors, each with only a few arcade machines. One of us (no, not me, I promise) wanted to go to a maid cafe, but the line was too long to get in. We did, however, get to see voice actors perform live, dubbing the anime that was playing at that time. It was pretty cool to see the actual people do the voices that you hear, and how they look nothing like how you think they would.
We ate dinner there then returned back home. It takes about 2 hours by train to get from my apartment to Akihabara, and costs about $40 round-trip.
Akihabara...
...is very crowded...
...it's really clean with all the maids...
...and the entertainers are kept in cages, forced to read dialog...
...and all of that can be found inside these skinny, tall buildings.
Posing with Thomas the Gangsta Engine.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
"One Week After" Pictures
Here are some pics that correspond to my second post (that was aimed at my parents, so I'd recommend not reading it, since it's not very interesting). The pictures, though, might be interesting, and only take a few seconds to look at:
My first friend in Japan, Yuriko-san
Comfy hotel room (except the pillow!)
And there he is...grrr....
The view from my window
Japan's current craze: Billy Blank. I just barley missed recording a little kid doing Taebo in front of this.
Japan *LOVES* Stitch. Yes, Greg, expect takusan (many) Stitch omiyage (gifts).
Japan also DAISUKI (loves) capsule toys. They're ubiquitous.
For all the serious chocolate donut lovers out there.
Itai! (Ouch!) Sign for the hospital.
Cool little plantation in the middle of the urban area.
My first friend in Japan, Yuriko-san
Comfy hotel room (except the pillow!)
And there he is...grrr....
The view from my window
Japan's current craze: Billy Blank. I just barley missed recording a little kid doing Taebo in front of this.
Japan *LOVES* Stitch. Yes, Greg, expect takusan (many) Stitch omiyage (gifts).
Japan also DAISUKI (loves) capsule toys. They're ubiquitous.
For all the serious chocolate donut lovers out there.
Itai! (Ouch!) Sign for the hospital.
Cool little plantation in the middle of the urban area.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
One Week After
Hey everyone! So, it's been a week since I've been in Japan. Now that I'm finally all situated and classes have begun, I have enough time to start regularly posting on this blog. I imagine I'll post every few days or so, so check back regularly! (Or just get an RSS feed)
About this blog: I'll start off each post with a bullet-point list summary, that way if you see what I wrote and think tl;dr (too long; didn't read), you'll at least get the gist of it, though hopefully I'll be able to write intriguingly enough to keep you all enticed :P Please note that this first post will be a lot longer than most since I have an entire cram-packed initial week to cover. Also, I might throw in a Japanese word every now and then, though you should be able to figure out the meaning by the context. This way you can learn a little bit of Japanese too :P This post'll mainly be a recital of everything I've done since I first set foot into SFO...think of it as a post to assuage my parents' curiosity of my well-being :P
---------------------
So, after I was on my own at SFO, I went and chilled at the waiting area. My flight had been delayed by about an hour, so I was just going to chill on my computer. Some guy came up to me and started talking to me. I recognized him from a few of my Japanese classes. He had been there since Saturday (I left on Monday), they had messed up his flights, so he'd been pulling a Tom Hanks and had been living there for a two days. Anyways, we killed time, then finally boarded the plane.
On the plane I sat next to a Japanese girl, Yuriko-san. We played various card games to pass the time. I taught her Go Fish, Crazy Eights, and Egyptian War (she already knew Speed, or "Speedo" as she called it), and in return she answered the various questions I had about Japan. The flight itself was fine, having some company with a new friend definitely made time fly beside us.
Narita Airport was pretty chill. I got my passport stamped, then went down to get my luggage. Simple enough. Yuriko-san and I decided to stick together until we got on the Narita Train. She was going farther south to Yokohama, where as I needed to get to Tokyo. We could both ride the train from Narita Airport to Tokyo Station, then I'd switch trains and she'd continue. Anyways, I got all of my luggage, a cart, went through customs (I didn't have to open up anything for customs, they just looked at my passport then let me through), then went to one of the companies that sends off your luggage for you. Yuriko-san helped me figure out the best company to use, how much it was going to be, and then helped when they couldn't find the address to ship my stuff to (that had me worried, if I was by myself I wouldn't know how to help them find the place or give them a suggestion as to where to look).
The train ride was fun. We played more card games, which for her said was awkward for Japanese people to do on a train. How boring it must be to just sit there on a train if you can't even play cards, all you can do is text on your cellphone and play Gameboy. It was fun to eavesdrop on the people next to me, picking up on words that I understood (eavesdropping in Japanese is called "nusumigiki", or to 'steal sound').
Anyways, when we finally got to Tokyo Station, I exchanged goodbyes with my first friend I'd made in Japan, and then left to go find my next train. I ended up buying an extra ticket to get on a special train. Thankfully the guy behind me was American and told me what I needed to do to get to the right place. After following his instructions I found myself at the right place, Musashisakai Eki (train station). Boy, was I glad that I was at the right place!
The hotel was right next to the train station. No problem checking in. Within minutes I was in my room. It was actually kinda cozy, not the super crammed hotel room I was thinking it would be. They had a Western style bathroom (a shower / bathtub instead of a washroom), comfy bed, and a nice air conditioning, which, considering the temperature in Japan these days, was extremely welcomed. The pillow, however, was the hardest thing I've ever laid my head on. I would have had a better night's sleep had I gone and asked the construction worker outside for a spare slab of concrete.
The pillow, plus the fact that it was 8 AM in America when I tried to get to bed (FYI take America's time, add 4 hours, then inverse the AM / PM, and you'll get the Japanese time. Also make sure you add a day, we're in the future). I woke up every other hour, finally completely awaking around 6 AM, still tired but unable to sleep more. Apparently other ryuugakusei (foreign exchange students) had the same issue.
Anyways, it was now Wednesday, August 1st, and I had an entire day to kill. I decided to go exchange the rest of my American money and to do some window shopping. I had took the gamble that the exchange rate would be better in Japan, and thankfully it paid off; as opposed to the 1 Dollar = 108 Yen that I got in America, here it was 1 Dollar = 115 Yen.
So I went to the bank next door to exchange my cash, but the ginkoin (bank worker) said I couldn't do it there, that I had to go to Kuchijijo. I asked a cop how to get there (the cops in Japan are really nice and helpful, unlike the pigs back home that give you tickets just to fill a quota). I asked him how to get there on foot since I thought it was close by, so I followed his directions, only to get even more lost. I asked another cop for directions, and as I was nodding my head in agreement with what might as well have been "goo goo gah gah", some college student came up and offered to help. He said he had lived in Oregon until he was 7, so his English was really good. Funny enough his name was "Sandaa" (my name in Japanese is pronounced "Zandaa").
So I actually had to get on a train and go two stations over. When the ginkoin told me "tonari no tonari" meaning "next to next", I thought she was referring to buildings, not train stops, and thus that it was within a walkable distance. So, I got on the train to Kuchijoji Eki, mondainai (no problem). It was a huge train station, with multiple floors and shopping areas. I wandered around a bit, exchanged my money, bought some sushi for lunch, then went outside to wonder around the shopping district there.
I returned back to my hotel room in the middle of the afternoon and took a short nap, then wondered around the immediate area. I had dinner at the restaurant next to the hotel then went to bed.
The next morning I went to the restaurant to have my free breakfast (from staying at the hotel). The food was pretty good, a ham omelet, and you can't beat the price. On my way back up to the room I ran into the other ryuugakusei. We all boarded the bus to ICU (International Christian University) at 9 AM, got there in about 10 minutes, then wondered around in the jungle-like thick moist heat until we found the right room. Despite the heat, the walk was enjoyable due to the beautiful campus. It's hard to imagine going from an extremely crowded industrial part of Tokyo to a wide campus like ICU. There a few teachers came in and talked to us about the program and generic studying abroad do's and don't's. Pretty basic stuff. We then met the Tsuru studying abroad coordinator and the studying abroad founder and served a bunch of Subway sandwiches for lunch.
We were then bussed over to Tsuru Unveristy. The entire trip took about an hour. It gave everyone a time to talk and get to know each other. Also, the scenery is BEAUTIFUL. I have yet to take some pictures of the area, but it felt like driving in Jurassic Park, or like we were on the path in search of the last Treestar.
We got to Tsuru in the middle of the afternoon. There was a welcome group consisting of 10 Japanese students, jumping up and down, firing off fireworks, and waving fans with our names written on them. This motley, fun-looking crew would become our tutors, each designated to a ryuugakusei by the name on the fan they were holding. We walked with the tutors over to get our luggage (thankfully, everyones' was all there and intact), loaded it up on a truck heading to our apartment, then went inside one of the buildings for our next meeting.
At the meeting we met up again with the ryuugakusei coordinator (who's name currently escapes me, I think it's Takaguchi-san). We went over things more pertinent to Tsuru Daigaku (Tsuru Bunka Daigaku is the full name, which means "Tsuru Culture College"). Rooms were portioned, our week's plan was laid out, and various other topics were discussed. I can't remember them all now, but when I get to the different parts of my daily life, I'll point them out.
Afterwards we were shown around the campus. It's not very big, but it has all the essentials. And *yes*, thankfully, they have weights. It's not much, but it'll do. They have two small freeweight benches, some barbells to curl (I didn't see any dumbbells, though maybe I overlooked), and two or three big units that have a bunch of machines attached to it. I'll be able to make due. They have a soccer field, but there's no grass on it since the ground here is apparently poor. The three male tutors and 6 of us ryuugakusei played on the small field next to the regulation size one the day after, just a little 4 vs 5 skirmish, no gear or anything. It was a lot of fun, especially since you can slide around a lot, though my new silver running shoes are now a rusty brown color (I heard you can put them in the washing machine?).
After the tour we were shown our apartments. I've yet to take pictures of it since it's still pretty mechakucha (messy), but once I soujisuru (clean up) I'll take some pictures of it. I got room 101, on the very side, so I have two extra windows - very convenient. Apparently it's tradition that the biggest guy stay in that room, so I really had no other choice, even though I really wanted room 104, which had the internet hub. However, the internet (WiFi only) is totemo hayai (very fast), so I have no complaints, and in fact I really like having the extra mado (window). I'll make an update later about my living conditions. Just know that it's very spacious, has everything I need, including everything I don't need, like a lot of mushi (bugs) (everyone has numerous mosquito and spider bites. It's entertaining in the morning to try to find all the new ones obtained while sleeping).
The next day we went to the same meeting room as before. There they served us a really fun lunch, where you ate ramen out of sliced bamboo poles. You dip it in a sauce that you carry in a cup then eat. It's worth noting that in Japan it's considered rude if you don't slurp your noodles. The louder, the better! It's just too bad they never distribute napkins (you have to carry a small towel around with you if you want one, which I have yet to buy since I want to get a cool-looking one), so if you slurp and it flicks the sauce up on your face or shirt, zannen (too bad). Afterwards we went to city hall and applied to be Tsuru residents (we're still awaiting our Gaijin (foreigner) card, which we'll use at all places as our I.D.). Later we played soccer (as stated before) then walked around town. We had dinner at a Japanese restaurant, where for only 650 Yen (about $6.50) we got a ton of oishii tabemono (delicious food).
I'll stop there for now (Friday night). The first weekend had a trip back into Tokyo, to Akihabara, Tokyo's famous district to buy cheap electronics (as well as where all the otaku (nerds) go to buy anime, videogames, and visit maid cafes), as well as a fireworks festival. However, ima (right now) I've got to start my first load of laundry (wish me luck!), do my homework, and prepare dinner (spaghetti + meat sauce with garlic bread...oishii!) and tomorrow's lunch (sushi with my now ripe avocado and left over imitation crab legs from last night's sushi, where a lot of us made tuna sushi in my room), as well as take inventory of my iroirona (various) plates, bowls, and silverware left here by previous ryuugakusei and attempt to clean my room. If I have time to night I'll try to update this post with pictures, then possibly start talking about my weekend. Once I get through the weekend's excursions I'll be able to talk about the differences in Japanese society that I've seen and experienced thus far, as well about my apartment, tutor, friends, and other seikatsu mono (life things).
Ja! (Bye!)
About this blog: I'll start off each post with a bullet-point list summary, that way if you see what I wrote and think tl;dr (too long; didn't read), you'll at least get the gist of it, though hopefully I'll be able to write intriguingly enough to keep you all enticed :P Please note that this first post will be a lot longer than most since I have an entire cram-packed initial week to cover. Also, I might throw in a Japanese word every now and then, though you should be able to figure out the meaning by the context. This way you can learn a little bit of Japanese too :P This post'll mainly be a recital of everything I've done since I first set foot into SFO...think of it as a post to assuage my parents' curiosity of my well-being :P
---------------------
- Detailed list of getting situated in Japan (pretty useless unless you're family...wait for the next posts, those'll be the interesting ones!)
So, after I was on my own at SFO, I went and chilled at the waiting area. My flight had been delayed by about an hour, so I was just going to chill on my computer. Some guy came up to me and started talking to me. I recognized him from a few of my Japanese classes. He had been there since Saturday (I left on Monday), they had messed up his flights, so he'd been pulling a Tom Hanks and had been living there for a two days. Anyways, we killed time, then finally boarded the plane.
On the plane I sat next to a Japanese girl, Yuriko-san. We played various card games to pass the time. I taught her Go Fish, Crazy Eights, and Egyptian War (she already knew Speed, or "Speedo" as she called it), and in return she answered the various questions I had about Japan. The flight itself was fine, having some company with a new friend definitely made time fly beside us.
Narita Airport was pretty chill. I got my passport stamped, then went down to get my luggage. Simple enough. Yuriko-san and I decided to stick together until we got on the Narita Train. She was going farther south to Yokohama, where as I needed to get to Tokyo. We could both ride the train from Narita Airport to Tokyo Station, then I'd switch trains and she'd continue. Anyways, I got all of my luggage, a cart, went through customs (I didn't have to open up anything for customs, they just looked at my passport then let me through), then went to one of the companies that sends off your luggage for you. Yuriko-san helped me figure out the best company to use, how much it was going to be, and then helped when they couldn't find the address to ship my stuff to (that had me worried, if I was by myself I wouldn't know how to help them find the place or give them a suggestion as to where to look).
The train ride was fun. We played more card games, which for her said was awkward for Japanese people to do on a train. How boring it must be to just sit there on a train if you can't even play cards, all you can do is text on your cellphone and play Gameboy. It was fun to eavesdrop on the people next to me, picking up on words that I understood (eavesdropping in Japanese is called "nusumigiki", or to 'steal sound').
Anyways, when we finally got to Tokyo Station, I exchanged goodbyes with my first friend I'd made in Japan, and then left to go find my next train. I ended up buying an extra ticket to get on a special train. Thankfully the guy behind me was American and told me what I needed to do to get to the right place. After following his instructions I found myself at the right place, Musashisakai Eki (train station). Boy, was I glad that I was at the right place!
The hotel was right next to the train station. No problem checking in. Within minutes I was in my room. It was actually kinda cozy, not the super crammed hotel room I was thinking it would be. They had a Western style bathroom (a shower / bathtub instead of a washroom), comfy bed, and a nice air conditioning, which, considering the temperature in Japan these days, was extremely welcomed. The pillow, however, was the hardest thing I've ever laid my head on. I would have had a better night's sleep had I gone and asked the construction worker outside for a spare slab of concrete.
The pillow, plus the fact that it was 8 AM in America when I tried to get to bed (FYI take America's time, add 4 hours, then inverse the AM / PM, and you'll get the Japanese time. Also make sure you add a day, we're in the future). I woke up every other hour, finally completely awaking around 6 AM, still tired but unable to sleep more. Apparently other ryuugakusei (foreign exchange students) had the same issue.
Anyways, it was now Wednesday, August 1st, and I had an entire day to kill. I decided to go exchange the rest of my American money and to do some window shopping. I had took the gamble that the exchange rate would be better in Japan, and thankfully it paid off; as opposed to the 1 Dollar = 108 Yen that I got in America, here it was 1 Dollar = 115 Yen.
So I went to the bank next door to exchange my cash, but the ginkoin (bank worker) said I couldn't do it there, that I had to go to Kuchijijo. I asked a cop how to get there (the cops in Japan are really nice and helpful, unlike the pigs back home that give you tickets just to fill a quota). I asked him how to get there on foot since I thought it was close by, so I followed his directions, only to get even more lost. I asked another cop for directions, and as I was nodding my head in agreement with what might as well have been "goo goo gah gah", some college student came up and offered to help. He said he had lived in Oregon until he was 7, so his English was really good. Funny enough his name was "Sandaa" (my name in Japanese is pronounced "Zandaa").
So I actually had to get on a train and go two stations over. When the ginkoin told me "tonari no tonari" meaning "next to next", I thought she was referring to buildings, not train stops, and thus that it was within a walkable distance. So, I got on the train to Kuchijoji Eki, mondainai (no problem). It was a huge train station, with multiple floors and shopping areas. I wandered around a bit, exchanged my money, bought some sushi for lunch, then went outside to wonder around the shopping district there.
I returned back to my hotel room in the middle of the afternoon and took a short nap, then wondered around the immediate area. I had dinner at the restaurant next to the hotel then went to bed.
The next morning I went to the restaurant to have my free breakfast (from staying at the hotel). The food was pretty good, a ham omelet, and you can't beat the price. On my way back up to the room I ran into the other ryuugakusei. We all boarded the bus to ICU (International Christian University) at 9 AM, got there in about 10 minutes, then wondered around in the jungle-like thick moist heat until we found the right room. Despite the heat, the walk was enjoyable due to the beautiful campus. It's hard to imagine going from an extremely crowded industrial part of Tokyo to a wide campus like ICU. There a few teachers came in and talked to us about the program and generic studying abroad do's and don't's. Pretty basic stuff. We then met the Tsuru studying abroad coordinator and the studying abroad founder and served a bunch of Subway sandwiches for lunch.
We were then bussed over to Tsuru Unveristy. The entire trip took about an hour. It gave everyone a time to talk and get to know each other. Also, the scenery is BEAUTIFUL. I have yet to take some pictures of the area, but it felt like driving in Jurassic Park, or like we were on the path in search of the last Treestar.
We got to Tsuru in the middle of the afternoon. There was a welcome group consisting of 10 Japanese students, jumping up and down, firing off fireworks, and waving fans with our names written on them. This motley, fun-looking crew would become our tutors, each designated to a ryuugakusei by the name on the fan they were holding. We walked with the tutors over to get our luggage (thankfully, everyones' was all there and intact), loaded it up on a truck heading to our apartment, then went inside one of the buildings for our next meeting.
At the meeting we met up again with the ryuugakusei coordinator (who's name currently escapes me, I think it's Takaguchi-san). We went over things more pertinent to Tsuru Daigaku (Tsuru Bunka Daigaku is the full name, which means "Tsuru Culture College"). Rooms were portioned, our week's plan was laid out, and various other topics were discussed. I can't remember them all now, but when I get to the different parts of my daily life, I'll point them out.
Afterwards we were shown around the campus. It's not very big, but it has all the essentials. And *yes*, thankfully, they have weights. It's not much, but it'll do. They have two small freeweight benches, some barbells to curl (I didn't see any dumbbells, though maybe I overlooked), and two or three big units that have a bunch of machines attached to it. I'll be able to make due. They have a soccer field, but there's no grass on it since the ground here is apparently poor. The three male tutors and 6 of us ryuugakusei played on the small field next to the regulation size one the day after, just a little 4 vs 5 skirmish, no gear or anything. It was a lot of fun, especially since you can slide around a lot, though my new silver running shoes are now a rusty brown color (I heard you can put them in the washing machine?).
After the tour we were shown our apartments. I've yet to take pictures of it since it's still pretty mechakucha (messy), but once I soujisuru (clean up) I'll take some pictures of it. I got room 101, on the very side, so I have two extra windows - very convenient. Apparently it's tradition that the biggest guy stay in that room, so I really had no other choice, even though I really wanted room 104, which had the internet hub. However, the internet (WiFi only) is totemo hayai (very fast), so I have no complaints, and in fact I really like having the extra mado (window). I'll make an update later about my living conditions. Just know that it's very spacious, has everything I need, including everything I don't need, like a lot of mushi (bugs) (everyone has numerous mosquito and spider bites. It's entertaining in the morning to try to find all the new ones obtained while sleeping).
The next day we went to the same meeting room as before. There they served us a really fun lunch, where you ate ramen out of sliced bamboo poles. You dip it in a sauce that you carry in a cup then eat. It's worth noting that in Japan it's considered rude if you don't slurp your noodles. The louder, the better! It's just too bad they never distribute napkins (you have to carry a small towel around with you if you want one, which I have yet to buy since I want to get a cool-looking one), so if you slurp and it flicks the sauce up on your face or shirt, zannen (too bad). Afterwards we went to city hall and applied to be Tsuru residents (we're still awaiting our Gaijin (foreigner) card, which we'll use at all places as our I.D.). Later we played soccer (as stated before) then walked around town. We had dinner at a Japanese restaurant, where for only 650 Yen (about $6.50) we got a ton of oishii tabemono (delicious food).
I'll stop there for now (Friday night). The first weekend had a trip back into Tokyo, to Akihabara, Tokyo's famous district to buy cheap electronics (as well as where all the otaku (nerds) go to buy anime, videogames, and visit maid cafes), as well as a fireworks festival. However, ima (right now) I've got to start my first load of laundry (wish me luck!), do my homework, and prepare dinner (spaghetti + meat sauce with garlic bread...oishii!) and tomorrow's lunch (sushi with my now ripe avocado and left over imitation crab legs from last night's sushi, where a lot of us made tuna sushi in my room), as well as take inventory of my iroirona (various) plates, bowls, and silverware left here by previous ryuugakusei and attempt to clean my room. If I have time to night I'll try to update this post with pictures, then possibly start talking about my weekend. Once I get through the weekend's excursions I'll be able to talk about the differences in Japanese society that I've seen and experienced thus far, as well about my apartment, tutor, friends, and other seikatsu mono (life things).
Ja! (Bye!)
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