in-japan

I

Thu, 13 May 2010 01:12:09 +0100

Hi,

Its been a while since I last posted and for that Im sorry and yes you are probably seeing a trend. Im currently typing this up on a school computer that doesnt support my blogging website so im sending it in an email to myself. Again this also means this post will be lacking proper punctuation.

This past month has been crazy! Drama at school, drama back home, useless and nonsensical tiffs. However, it has all been worth it because it made an incredible vacation even more amazing.

On April 29th two groups of JASIN students left for OKinawa. I was in the 2nd group and arrived in Okinawa late that night. We got off the airplane and the weather seemed a bit chilly and our cab driver didnt really know where our hostel was so it was a little worrisome. I had never stayed at a hostel before so I wasnt sure what to expect. When we arrived the owner of the hostel showed us the common room, our dorm, the shower, and the bathroom. Everything seemed fine and safe so we headed out to the main tourist street to try to find the other group. Kokusai-dori is the main tourist street in Naha, Okinawa. Its filled with omiyage (souvenir) shops, and several american/hawaiin themed restaurants. We managed to meet up with everyone at a huge Mcdonalds. One of the guys was already hammered (which really isnt attractive at allsince hes a belligerant drunk) so I had a vision of what that groups vacation was going to consist of. He then proceeded to tell me that I got him kicked out of the local bar in Nagasaki because I had been talking about him and the owner overheard and decided he didnt want him to come back. I had only been to that bar twice to eat and meet friends, I never talked about him so I wasnt sure why I was getting blamed for it. That put a damper on the evening and my group headed back to our Hostel, Little Asia.

Then next day we tried to hook up with the other group but were ignored. This irritated the girls in my group so we ignored it. If they didnt want to see us they didnt have to. Our Little Asia group consisted of Rachael, Tracy, Matt, and myself. Rachael is from New Paltz which is right next to Marist so we had an instant connection. Tracy and I had facebooked before we came to Japan so we were already familiar with each other but I hadnt spent much time with Matt before. I hadnt brought a bathing suit to Japan so I was determined to find a cute one. I looked in tons of shops but still couldnt find an appropriate one. I learned that almost all Japanese bathing suits are extremely padded! I am not the bustiest woman around but I deffinitely did not want a padded bathing suit! I got enough stares as it was just from being a foreigner with some piercings and tattoos. I finally managed to find an American brand bathing suit that was under $80 dollars so I was pleased. Other than that we walked around the shops on Kokusai-dori and tried to figure out what we were going to do that night. Little Asia provides a home cooked meal every night for only \280! However Rachael has a wheat allergy which makes it extermely hard to find food in Japan in general but especially in Okinawa.　I was never bothered by it because it gave us the opportunity to stay away from the normal fried foods and delve into the Okinawan culture. So we went to a some what Mexican themed restaurant (ha.)

One of Okinawas famous foods is actually taco rice. Taco rice has all the ingredients of a regular taco except the are placed on a bed of rice. This became an every day meal for Rachael since it was difficult to find food at times and she didnt want to bother us. So we had a few drinks, ate, and headed back to the hostel for the night. The girls were exhausted and went to bed while Matt stayed up and talked with the locals and workers.

Im not exactly sure what we did the next day, I think we explored the city where normal tourists dont dare venture. Our hostel was in a maze of local market of sorts. Any direction you went out our door you could find something interesting to look at or learn about. That day was not as important as that night. That night started everything exciting that happened on that trip. Little Asia had its own bar on the roof of the hostel which Matt had found out the night before. We all went up and found ourselves in a completely wooden, open air bar besides the the small roof covering us. I saw an attractive interesting Japanese guy so I started talking to him. He was from Tokyo and he directed commercials. To me this is an exciting life but he seemed really content to get away from the city. His name was Kyouhe (spelling might be off I lost his information >,.,<) and he informed me that the next day the hostel was hosting a beach party and that my friends and I were invited. We didnt have any plans for the next day so we were all really excited to meet new people and to go to a beach. The bar closed at 1 and Kyouhe invited us out to another bar they were going to. Tracy and Rachael went to sleep so Matt and I followed. We went to a small traditional restaurant which had no chairs, only tatami and seat pads. It was a nice environment even though there were probably 20 of us shoved along 2 tables thrown together. That night I met a deaf Japanese guy and another one who had lived in NYC and was incredibly fond of broadway musicals! and I honestly dont think he was gay hahahaha.　Matt and I ordered drinks we were familiar with while the Japanese ordered tons of what I guess they considered beer snacks. One was a strange type of Okinawan sea weed that they call green caviar. Its on a stalk with what I guess you call branches with tons of mini pods that pop when you bite them. At first it was really good, but then as I kept chewing the liquid inside the pods became gooey and strange... That was my last bite of that for the night and we moved on to other appetizers that were questionably appetizing... A bowl of cylindar shaped meat arrived and we were pressured into eating it. I honestly did try everything! Im not sure if this was because of my BAC or my eagerness to become more associated with the culture. This dish looked like veins to me. They were thick but hollow on the inside so I figured it was the main arteries in the heart or something of the sorts... Chigau.

Please dont vommit on your computer as you read this.

It was pig vagina.

I was aware of this as I chewed and downed some drink while swallowing. The taste was fine but the texture was chewy and ... just strange. That was also my last taste of that for the night hahah After many nights of dining out I learned that Okinawans treasure a type of pig called Aguu. Im not exactly sure what it is about this pig but they eat absolutely every part of it as you can imagine...After 2 or 3 drinks and an onsalught of peer pressured eating we paid and headed back to sleep. We were told that our ride for the beach would be leaving at 10 am and that the price of the ride and food would be only \2000! This seemed like a deal since we didnt have to do anything to help cook or drive. The next morning came very early as we all woke up at 9 to be ready to leave by 10. There was only one shower on our floor but it was huge. Since we had already seen each other naked at the Onsen the girls decided to shower together and save time. So we were all ready to leave by 10 when suddenly a big group of people showed up from another hostel. We were pretty peeved because they took up the entire 1st car trip to the beach and we wanted to get there ASAP. I asked when the car would be back to get the rest of us and was told 2 hours. Taking this information with a grain of salt I plopped down on the tatami to use one of the computers. As I was angrily checking e-mail one of the Japanese guys staying at the hostel came up and tried to talk with me. His English really wasn't that great so eventually he gave up and started playing guitar. At the time it didn't click how outgoing and out of character this was for Japanese people. I was obviously agitated so the guy eventually came back over to see how I was doing. This vacation has taught me that many Japanese people love to play the age guessing game and Americans are almost always wrong. They also don't offer up their name at the first meeting. I guessed he was 26 only to find out he was 32. I don't know how they do it but many Japanese people don't seem to age. After laughing at me and thanking me for the compliment he told me his name was Kunihiko but to call him Kuni.
The car arrived to take the 2nd group to the beach and of course with our luck, one of our friends was MIA. At this point I gave up being agitated and sat down to watch TV and wait. A while later we finally managed to make it to the beach!

It was an incredibly interesting, beautiful day. All the pictures we have were taken around sundown so the lightning isnt the best.

After eating we wound up in the water which was actually an ok temperature and began playing volleyball with everyone. After my wrists started burning in pain from the soccer ball we were using as a volley ball I went back up to the pavilion. I laid around until I heard a huge crash and the guy I met early was on the ground moaning "itai" which means ouch in Japanese.I look over and theres blood running down his back and arm. After everyone tended to him i wandered over to see what had happened. Almost 1/4 of his back was covered in deep gashes and his arm was too. This looked pretty rough even to me. i asked him what happened and his first response was "shisa!" At this time I didnt know what a shisa was so his next response was "tiger fight." This was amusing but not satisfying. Eventually after struggling through Japanese and English he pointed to a rock and then the roof of the pavilion. He was trying to climb onto the roof of the pavilion via a sharp rock. I called him and idiot and told him he was crazy to which he replied in Japanese "yes but my heart and mind are like a child." As the caring person I am I laughed, shrugged, and left him to suffer until my friends got back from the beach. Of course when they got back I just had to show them all these nasty cuts. After this we all started talking which lead to Kuni proposing to me and ensuring me we would get married some day. Again at the time I didn't realize how bold this was. We all laughed and made a big joke out of it. Eventually the sun started to go down and we all piled into two cars to head home.

Class time,
Write later :)

Japanese Boys Are Adorably Strange.

Sun, 18 Apr 2010 15:55:12 +0100

So,

This weekend has been incredibly eventful for better or for worse. Friday was a normal night out with my friends and Saturday was a not so normal night at a professor's house for a party. Yes, we all went to our professor's house for an awfully American party complete with beer pong, beer boxing, and a dance floor. I do mean awfully for better and for worse too. It started at 6:30 with about an hour long bus ride to the teacher's house through a windy, if-the-breaks-go-we're-all-going-to-perish-a-fiery-death road. This also began one odd event of the night when I told a Japanese boy that I met on the first day that I thought he was the most adorable thing ever. No Dad, its not what you think. I also then told him that if I drank any alcohol there was a high chance that he would be receiving the most taboo hug ever (the Japanese don't hug), (I really miss hugs haha.) So of course, it being an American BYOB party where the legal drinking age is 20 everyone was drunk or on their way. After only one drink in my light-weight system I began feeling very happy and energetic and decided to give Yuuki a hug. He seemed fine with it at the moment but as the night progressed and other craziness happened my friend walked over to me and told me Yuuki needed to talk to me ASAP. I wander out into the darkness near the cliff over looking the ocean to find Yuuki standing their waiting for me. I asked him what was wrong and if he was ok and he dove into a long speech in Japanese (which I am impressed I understood) that went something like "Jill, I think we are best friends. I am worried that you will be sad because now I have a girlfriend. But I think you are my best friend and we can always talk and I hope we will always be best friends because I like you as a friend." I honestly could not help but giggle at this adorable tiny Japanese boy as he spouted this manly speech with finesse as to not break my delicate American heart. Yes my friends, Yuuki is by far the most adorably awkward Japanese boy yet.

Tonight Bryan, Lyna, and I attempted to see Sherlock Holmes. Yes I've already seen it but I have yet to gaze upon the glory of Robert Downey Jr. in months. Unfortunately we arrived to find that the yesterday was the last day it was playing so we settled on Shutter Island. During the day movies are around $15 for students but ironically at night the price drops to $12. After we bought our "cheap" tickets we also got to pick where exactly we wanted to sit and were given assigned seats! Just like an airplane! After buying tickets we went down to eat and take a few Purikura! Boys aren't allowed in Purikura areas unless accompanied by girls. Even though we already had assigned seats the American in us took over and we showed up 15 minutes early to "get a good seat." The theater was completely empty so we took silly pictures until some announcements started playing.

No one else showed up until exactly 20:30 when the movie was supposed to start.There was an option to see the movie in Japanese or in English with Japanese subtitles. We obviously went for the English language movie. I had already seen this movie also but it wound up benefiting me. Since I already knew the plot I was able to listen to the English and read the Japanese subtitles. I can see how this helps with learning grammar and Kanji.

-Jill

ps. The party was super fun until all the same old American drama kicked in between the JASIN students. Way to go guys, or rather, guy.

pss. I have an exciting new toast pillow. Don't judge.

finally.

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 04:07:12 +0100

Hi everyone,

    I know its been ages but please excuse my absense and typos as I am using a computer at the school which has a Japanese keyboard so I may not catch all the mistakes. Japan is incredible, Nagasaki is incredible, I absolutely love being here. Before I came I was warned about many stereotypes. A few being that all Japanese hate foreigners. ちがう！(wrong!) All the　JASIN students are loved! All the students here find my piercings and tattoos fascinating. Some adults are skeptical but many just dont care. Many of the students boys and girls think im really really cool and are amazed when I speak Japanese. I have had many compliments about my language skill but I know for a fact that I need a lot of work. We had one day where we were mixed in with the other first year japanese and chinese students and forced to interact by writing down their name, likes, dislikes and where they were from. Many people asked my friends to introduce them to me it was really cute. They are a very shy people but once they are introduced they always wave, say hi, and talk to you as much as they can. I invited a few girls to eat lunch with us that day and their response was "Yata!!!!!" as they jumped and waved their hands in the air and giggled. This is definitely a huge change from asking students at Marist to eat with you.
    When I arrived I also believed that many adults would not respond if you tried to ask them questions or would shoot you nasty looks. Again, completely wrong. I have asked many different adults for help on the streets and buses and they have been more than helpful. One of the students here told us that he got on the wrong bus and asked an elderly woman for help and she went as far as to buy something special for her phone so she could call his host mother and then waiting with him, in the rain I might add, until his host mother could come pick him up. Can you see anyone doing this in America? Honestly?
    One day we went to a park down by Dejima harbor and were ecstatic to find that many people came there to walk their dogs. A few owners were hesitant to speak with us but many were more than happy to. We met a woman named "Abbey" who let us take pictures with her dog and practice Japanese. We learned that a few years ago she lived in Brooklyn and worked with an Asian travel agency and was so happy to speak with us and learn as much about us as she could. She said she came every weekend so I hope we will see her again.
    Ive found out that there are not many foreigners around my school in Togitsu so maybe that is why many people dont mind helping us or chatting. Tonight will be interesting. All the JASIN (continuing and new) will go out to a club for one of the students birthday. All of the continuing students (continuing meaning that they have already been here for a semester) are really kind and excited to help you get oriented around the city. I met one from New Paltz that actually has the same idea of transfering to the University of Hawaii at Manoa in the spring of 2011! Im very excited to talk to him about his plans and hopefully make some of my own. It was funny to meet someone who is only 30 minutes away from me with the same exact plans and dreams when I felt so alone at my own school. Dont get me wrong being different and independent is a good feeling but knowing there are more people with the same "crazy" dream as yours is comforting. He also said he could help me get a job at a local Japanese restaurant when we get back :)
    So today was the last day of orientation and we picked our classes for this semester. I was placed in Elementary Japanese based off of a placement test we took at the beginning of this week. That test was insane and so Im not sure how this class will transfer back to Marist since I technically already took Elementary Japanese at Marist. I also signed up for a culture calss, a film class, a literature class, a martial arts class, a traditional arts class, and a management class. All of these classes total only 14 credits while a lot of my classmates signed up for 16-20 credits. All of the classes are about the aspects of Japan. Im excited to start classes even though I have a feeling it will be slightly difficult.
    I have to get going to my very last orientation session.　Finally! Much love, and I havent forgotten about any of you! PS Dad & Kim please send my box asap!!!

-Jiru ;)

Hitori

Sun, 28 Mar 2010 06:40:41 +0100

Hi there,

Sorry for my absence I have nothing else to say on that regard haha..

This post will be a bit personal so I apologize beforehand and feel free to skip this one.

So I am in Japan with nothing to do today. It is actually refreshing. I haven't been sleeping well lately because my dreams have seem so vivid and realistic I think it is interrupting my sleep pattern. I usually have 1 or 2 dreams a night that I remember but lately its been 4 or 5. I'm not sure if it is possible for dreams to interrupt your sleep cycle without waking you up but I just haven't been waking up feeling rested. It has however, given me time to think about what I want out of life. I've had many different experiences in my life that have led me to believe I just want to help. Whether it is humans or animals I just want to help. If you're sad I want to help you feel better. If my animal is sick I just want to help it heal. I am a compassionate person... Even when I hear a baby crying I just want to help it even if it is truly crying for no reason other than to get attention. I would love to be a zoologist, a teacher, a social worker, but I can't be all of them and I've only got one lifetime. That is what is tripping me up. Which would I rather do? I don't think I will figure it out by the end of my trip but I hope I can be a little closer.

(Note to students reading this, it gets very personal after this)

Lily Allen - Everyone's At It

"I'm not trying to say,
That I'm smelling of roses,
But when will we tire,
Of putting shit up our noses.

I don't like staying up,
Staying up past the sunlight.
It's meant to be fun,
And this just doesn't feel right.

Why can't we all,
All just be honest,
Admit to ourselves,
That everyone's on it.

From grown politicians,
To young adolescents,
Prescribing themselves,
Anti-depressants.

How can we start to tackle the problem,
If you don't put your hands up,
And admit that you're on them.

The kids are in danger,
They're all getting habits,
Because from what I can see,
Everyone's at it.

I get involved,
But I'm not advocating.
Got an opinion,
Yeah, you're well up for slating.

So you've got a prescription,
And that makes it legal.
I find the excuses,
Overwhelmingly feeble.

You go to the doctor,
You need pills to sleep in.
Well if you can convince him,
Then I guess that's not cheating.

So your daughter's depressed,
We'll get her straight on the prozac.
But little do you know,
She already takes crack.

Why can't we all,
All just be honest,
Admit to ourselves,
That everyone's on it.

From grown politicians,
To young adolescents,
Prescribing themselves,
Anti-depressants.

How can we start to tackle the problem,
If you don't put your hands up,
And admit that you're on them."

So being abroad without much to do currently has given me a lot of time to think about life. I didn't really want to delve into personal matters on this blog but I guess I'm going to have to. The lack of talk therapy has left me ready to explode!
I didn't get to speak to my therapist about this before I left so it has been weighing on me. Before I left the USA the true realization of how many of my friends are hooked on drugs and alcohol. It is terrifying and breaks my heart every time I think about it. I wouldn't have as big of a problem with it if I knew it was just a childish phase but I believe some of my friends have made this their life decision. "The goal is to be on that same level of high all day." Ok, so you say you've got problems, you're hurting or believe you cant do anything else in life. Well, I feel like that too sometimes but I tough it out, I suffer and you get to ignore it all by drinking or taking drugs? Not fair. It is also sad to grow up with these kids and hear them talk about what they want to do and to realize they'll never do it... It is all just stupid. All of my sober friends tell me to just ignore them and cut them from my life but my biggest downfall and weakness is that I care too much for everyone around me. Yes I know they don't care even half as much about me but I can't help it and to me compassion isn't necessarily a bad thing. The song lyrics I posted are from a British singer who also talks about her brother wasting his life away doing drugs. It is nice to know some one else cares...
Maybe someday, if I just stand on the side lines, when they realize every one else has left them except me, maybe they will take comfort in it, do you see why I can't just leave?

Lazy Day

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:49:37 +0100

Helloooooo!

Not too much to report for today. Mio is off to see her boyfriend and her mom is at the doctor's so I'm just hanging out. It is kind of nice after days and days of constant walking and sight seeing. Yes you can call me lazy but my thighs are killing me!

Yesterday Mio and I met one of my friend's from Marist in Osaka. He is here visiting his girlfriend which he met during his study abroad time at Kansai Gaidai. While in Osaka we went shopping in America Town and another shopping district. Now when I say we went shopping I mean we looked around hundreds of places and goofed around, I don't usually buy much here. I've been trying to figure out why because when I was in America I loved to shop. I've come to a few conclusions. While abroad I've only used my credit card twice and the rest of the money has been coming out of my pocket. I love to spend money but I also love to save money. I love going to an ATM and checking my balance to see how much money I have earned. I suppose it makes me feel more like an adult. There is also the crucial fact that while in America I wear a size medium but to the Japanese that is an XL. Can you believe it?! How alarming is it to believe you are "above average weight" in your own country but then realize you're double that size in another? My friend was almost completely out of luck while looking for a leather jacket as Japanese men are not known for broad shoulders and chests where as my American friend looked like the hulk while trying them on (he is also a medium in America.) So maybe I am too self conscious to attempt to squeeze my thighs and hips into Japanese clothes or has my humble status as a gaijin (foreigner) cured me of my shopping desires? I think not, as I did manage to spend $180 in credit yesterday - Sorry Dad! It was however, completely necessary! You must be wondering, with my talk of clothing, what could possibly be necessary at $180. The answer to this is the Casio EX-word DATAPLUS4 Electronic Dictionary.

Looks fancy right? Right. This electronic dictionary, believe it or not, is "outdated" according to Japanese standards. Many of these electronic dictionaries come with English, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean all in one. My new best friend contain Japanese-Japanese, English-Japanese, English-English, and Japanese-English dictionaries. The top screen is actually a touch screen and it comes with the option of a back light. That screen on the lower half of the keyboard is a touch screen also but it is for writing characters. One Kanji can mean several things so it can be difficult to determine exactly how it is pronounced. With this feature you can write the Kanji and have it give you all the definitions. It is an incredible gadget. I had never heard of it until Mio came to stay with my family in the US. She lived off of this thing for a while until she got her English feet under her so to speak. I have been carrying around my Japanese-English/English-Japanese paperback book but flipping through the thousand pages gets tedious and by the time I've found the word I'm looking for it is entirely possible that I've forgotten what I wanted to say. The Casio EX-word makes searching and defining a whole lot easier. You might notice, or wonder, that since I bought it in Japan it is completely in Japanese. To answer your question... Yes, I'm working on it xP
Over all it is an incredible piece of equipment and I am excited to begin using it. Thank you!

PICTURES PICTURES PICTURES!

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 09:50:27 +0100

Drink machine add! - Tokyo
Rail way - Tokyo
Temple, so big. - Tokyo
Pagoda - Tokyo
Omikuji booth - Tokyo
Bad fortunes - Tokyo
Giant sandal, popular - Tokyo

I can only upload so many pictures to the website so I have picked the pictures that represent the old culture. All of my pictures can be found on Facebook if you are connected. Thanks!

Kinou wa...

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 09:38:07 +0100

Hiiii,

Yes I know I slacked and took the day off yesterday. GOMEN NASAI. Mio and I got home from Tokyo around 10:30 and I then needed to shower and go to sleep. Any how, yesterday Mio and I met her boyfriend, Ryo, and his friend, Takumi, in Kyoto. We went bowling, ate, shopped, played pool, shopped some more, ate, and went home. It was a lot of fun! I had donburi for lunch which I love. Donburi is a bowl of rice with toppings on top. I had beef, Mio had beef and cooked egg. I say cooked egg because there was the option to have it raw. Yuck! For dinner we went to a Tonkatsuya which is a restaurant that specializes in tonkatsu which is fried pork. It was delicious. It came with miso soup, rice for the whole table, and what i believe was chopped up cabbage for a salad. Interestingly enough, water in Japan is free at every restaurant and cafe! Here is a picture of Mio and Ryo at the Tonkatsu. so cute!

Today has been a very lazy day. I went to the post office and shipped off some things to America so friends, keep your eyes on those mail boxes!

Now, lets talk about the bathrooms. Things may get a little raunchy in the next paragraph but bear with me!

I have never in my life been so excited to pee. Using a at home Japanese bathroom is the most amazing experience. I say at home because the public bathrooms can be veeeerrry different... Anyway, in Mio's house there are, at least, 2 bathrooms (I have not been on the third floor because it is where their parents sleep.) I am living on the 2nd floor and the bathroom outside my room looks like this.

One of the reasons I love this bathroom is because the mat and toilet seat cover both have my favorite Ghibli character Totoro on them! Totoro and I have a long history which I will explain later. Besides the cute toilet seat cover there is also a cover on the rim! This makes sitting incredibly comfy and relaxing. On the handle there are two Kanjis. One is the Kanji for big and one is the Kanji for small. I think you can figure out when you are supposed to use each.

By the way, I had to sneak around taking these pictures because Mio's mom would probably die of embarrassment if she knew pictures of her bathroom were being posted on the web but we digress.

The next bathroom is the one downstairs, my favorite!

Again it is adorned with cute characters to make your bathroom experience as comfortable as possible. This toilet is lacking a rim cover BUT it has something even better. The seat is heated. Since I am from upstate I know how rough it is to come into the bathroom in the winter and sit down only to be scared your butt will freeze to the seat. Worry no more! This heated seat is the epitome of comfort, not too hot and not too cold. When you flush the toilet the sink behind it automatically comes on. So cool. This cuts down on spreading germs. This one also comes with more special features, also seen in public restrooms.

Again the two buttons on top are labeled big and small however the spraying water pictured buttons are much more. I have not tried them but one is labeled with a woman and the other is just the spraying water. I imagine, sorry to be crude, that one is for the front and ones for the back. This is not typical of America but I have seen it before in Europe and now Japan. Interesting...

Here is one example of a public bathroom that many are not used to and probably don't want to be. Yes it involves squatting.

This is just one example. The Japanese do have regular toilets for the public. They are not heated but do feature the bidet (for information on how to use a bidet please click here! It is mildly hilarious. http://www.wikihow.com/Use-a-Bidet.) They also have something I found a little strange at first. The is a button on the side that plays a running water sound. I'm sure you've seen those girls and even women who turn on the faucet while they do their business. Instead of wasting water they have a convenient sound to get you started. How thoughtful :)

I have not even gotten to how amazing showering is here. Unfortunately I cannot blog about it until I have a picture to describe it. The shower is currently being used to dry clothing so taking a picture of the shower with unmentionables hanging every where would be incredibly inappropriate and I'm sure I would be deported. So, you'll have to wait. Sorry!

Until next time,

Stay safe!

Kyou wa...

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 13:34:50 +0100

Hello!

Today I spent 3 long, arduous hours looking for a phone that did not have a 2 year plan. Long story short I finally got one, it is really intricate. You can text, or what they call e-mail, in hiragana, katakana, kanji, and english. It is difficult to navigate but features cute pictures and stamps for your e-mails and text messages! It is totally worth it haha.

I have a few pictures from Tokyo but not many since I forgot my camera usb cord.

the next is my favorite because it says we are tired and everyone appears tired but me, when in fact I was ready to pass out by this point!!!!

These pictures are called Purikura. You take the pictures with a basic back ground in a booth and then move to another booth to decorate them. It is really fun and the camera makes you look flawless. This is a big part of the teen culture as it is a way to bond with your friends. Sometimes parents agree to be in the pictures too. The pictures are printed out on sticky paper and sent to your phone's e-mail address(Yes your phone has it's own e-mail address.) You can choose which size you want the pictures to be printed but obviously the more you want the smaller they get. These pictures we printed out are about 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch. Many teens stick the pictures on their phones but eventually they collect so many they store them in cases or put them in sticker books.

So today is March 14th! It is a very exciting day for girlfriends! In Japan, Valentine's Day is the time for girls to give their boyfriends or the boys they have crushes on gifts. The girls get NOTHING! As you should know this is very different and sounds terrible right?! Don't worry girls, we get our own special day a month later! March 14th is White Day where the boys get something for the girls who gave them a present on Valentine's Day. Traditionally the boy would get the girl something white but now it is not necessary. However, if a girl gives a boy she likes a present and he rejects it she receive anything except a broken heart. Aww...

Today I spent the day with Mio's mom again because Mio went to visit her boyfriend for White Day. When I am with Mio it is easy to speak English with her instead of Japanese so I like to spend time with her mom so I can practice my Japanese. Mio's mom, Izumi, is very very sweet. Today I skyped with my parents to show them her house and she hurriedly ran around trying to pick up an almost spotless house. She was so embarrassed she turned red, it was the cutest thing! This is yet another example of how particular the Japanese are with how they are perceived by others. It is really admirable to me since, according to my parents, I live in a pig sty at home.

March 14th is also the day daylight savings starts so Japan is now only 13 hours ahead of the US instead of 14. With such a large time change Japan can be starting a new day while the US is just finishing the one before. For example, earlier today I was thinking about when the new Family Guy episode would be online when I realized that it was Sunday in Japan but still Saturday in the US so I had a long time to wait.

In the US I have a Netflix account and frequently watch TV shows and movies online through Netflix and Hulu. Since I am in Japan I am technically not allowed to watch certain shows online! There is a licensing issue between the US and Japan. It is kind of depressing because when I feel lonely or sad I like to watch funny TV shows to lift my spirits. I believe I will become very homesick at some point so I won't know what to do! Also, Japanese DVD's cannot be played in American DVD players and vice versa. Japanese DVD players have a different region code. These codes are placed on movies, much like the licensing on TV shows in the US, to let the motion picture studios to have control over content, release dates, and prices.

It's 10:34 right now and its time to take a shower. I will describe the at home bath scene next time. Get excited!

-Jiru

ps. I apologize for any typos or grammar mistakes. It is difficult to speak and write proper English after struggling all day to squeak out a few sentences in Japanese ;) Thanks for understanding!

Back from Shopping

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 09:12:18 +0100

Ok I'm back! Mio's mom and I dropped Mio off at work and went to look around the stores a little bit. Normally I love to go shopping for clothes but I haven't really needed any. There are tons of cute things here that I would love to own but they are expensive and I realized that I need to travel with all of them to Nagasaki and/or ship some back home and that gets even more expensive. I did however splurge on a brand new neon green Swatch! Every time I visited Switzerland I bought a new Swatch so I figured I would continue the tradition here :) We ate at McDonald's for lunch, I had a teriyaki burger. I think the meat they use for the teriyaki burger is different because it tastes a little more like sausage but it is still very good! I forgot to mention that Mio's mom doesn't understand English! I was and still am on my own while Mio is at work but I'm trying my best and using my dictionary constantly.
Mio, Yukari, and Suzuka all speak English very well so it was hard to get them to speak Japanese to me in Tokyo. I also had the tendency to zone and and not try to translate what they were saying to each other. It is very hard to concentrate when any one from another country speaks so fast in their native language. Once you translate the first few words they are already onto the next sentence so it is easy to give up. I may be making it sound like I am lazy with the language but right now i learn about 5 new words a day. This also may sound like not a big deal but along with those five words I have to learn how to incorporate it into a sentence so it is a lot of work but worth it!
There is one thing I forgot to explain about my adventures in Tokyo. Our last day in Tokyo we went to Tsukushima that is famous for having 50+ Monja shops. Monja is really hard to describe. The ingredients vary from fish eggs with cheese to beef with mochi. The main ingredients are the sauce and cabbage. Other than that the toppings are up to you. The tables at monja restaurants have a stove in the middle and you cook the monja yourself unless you ask for them to cook it for you. Our first monja was filled with fish eggs, cabbage, cheese, and mini dried shrimp. I am always very hesitant to eat fish eggs as I am told they are very salty and very fishy. My friends assured me the cooked eggs tasted nothing like fish so I tried it. The eggs were bright red to start with but once they were cooked they turned white it was very strange to look at. My friends were right though it didn't taste anything like fish it tasted like a a sauce and the cabbage gave it a nice crunch. I liked the second monja a lot more because it had beef in it. This time it had beef, the mini shrimps, cabbage, and mochi. Mochi is a paste that is made out of a rice cake and its really good. It is also cooked a special way that I can't really explain so here is a video of someone making it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRQdvxeC72w&feature=related

That's monja. Enjoy!

Back from Tokyo!

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 02:50:11 +0100

Hello Everyone!

So I made it here safe and sound however the morning after I arrived we went straight to Tokyo so I was not able to post anything, sorry! I just finished breakfast which (while at home) consists of a thick slice of bread and a drink. There are a few different toppings you can put on the bread. There is of course jelly and butter but the Tsunomura's also have a delicious caramel topping! It is not as sticky as the caramel you put on ice cream and spreads easily. Its an awesome way to wake up. Unfortuntaley I do not have a lot of time right now to go in depth with detail on my past few days so this will be a quick blog.

I am staying with Mio Tsunomura and her family for the first three weeks I am here. Mio has 2 best friends - Yukari and Suzuka. Yukari, Mio, Suzuka, and I went to Tokyo for 3 days. The first day we got up early and flew to Tokyo. The plane was not very crowded but still busy. Many people commute back and forth to Tokyo for work by air plane. It seems like a lot of effort but in reality the plane ride is only 45 minutes and you do not have to arrive 2 hours early for your flight like you do in the US.
After we left our luggage at the Grand Prince hotel near Shinagawa station we took the subway to Joypolis.
Joypolis is basically an indoor theme park featuring interactive arcade rides and some small roller coasters. It was a lot of fun but by 7 pm I was ready to go to sleep for the night as I had woken up at 5 am that morning due to jet lag. We got back around 8 and once my head hit the pillow I immediately fell asleep.

The next morning I woke up at 5 AGAIN, its really a defeating feeling, and showered, I will cover this process in another blog, and waiting for everyone else to get up. I didn't have much time to kill as we were out on the bus to Disneyland by 8. This again was a busy day and I was ready to sleep by 9 pm. I didn't bring the right camera cable so I can't upload pictures now but I will later. The next day I managed to wake up at 6 am, any one seeing a trend? After we got ready to leave we checked out of the hotel and took the trains to Shibuya to leave our luggage in a coin locker. We took the train everywhere which seems cheap at 160 yen (about $1.60) a trip depending on where you are going but it quickly adds up.

Eventually we got to Asakusa which is famous for it's traditional Buddhist temple, Sensou-Ji, which has a road of shops with traditional goods leading to it, this is called the Nakamise-douri. After surfing the shops we went to the temple and doused ourselves with smoke from incense which is supposed to cleanse your body and give you good health. After that we entered the temple and proceeded to what I guess you could call the alter. You toss a coin into an extremely large bin with triangular shaped guards covering it. After you toss a coin in you put your hands together and make a wish. Outside and inside the temple there are many Omikuji stands. You again donate a coin and pick up a large metal container with a small hole in the top and shake it to mix up the numbers and then shake again to allow a, for lack of a better word, stick with a number to come out of the hole. There are drawers labeled with numbers and the number I got on my stick was 15 so I opened the drawer labeled 15 and took a fortune. Right when I pulled out my fortune Mio and friends immediately and in unison went "oooooooooooooooooh...." This was not a good sign. I had managed to get the Bad Luck fortune on my first try! My life! It was a good learning experience though because next to the Omikuji stands there are strings with papers tied to them. When you get a bad luck fortune you must tie it to the strings to get rid of the bad luck. What a day. After that we headed back to Shibuya to pick up our luggage and look at shops for an hour before we headed back to the airport. It was a good trip but I definitely want to go back to explore more. I have to leave in 10 minutes to go with Mio's mom to take her to work where I will get random necessities. Have a good day everyone :)