I had an eventful weekend. On Saturday I went out with some AIKOM friends. Aside from New Year's, it was actually my first time staying out all night here. In many ways, I think one of Tokyo's most convenient points is its public transportation system. With trains and buses every few minutes, and a seemingly endless number of stations... It can take time to get places, but it's not generally difficult, it's safe, and you can chat or read (or, as often happened on mornings this last semester, cram) on the way. One of the big difficulties of using this system, however, is that it's all closed down between about 12:30 and 5 am. So you have to either get on the last train, or commit to the first train. In this case, we took the first train.
Anyway, after a few hours of sleep at home, I left with Joon Woo to go to Tamachi, which was a lot farther than I expected. We went there to participate in a Chadou demonstration. That's Chadou with the same dou as judo(u) and kendo(u), meaning "way" - in this case not the way of the sword or something, but the way of tea - also a very formalized traditional art which people teach and practice. Mikiko, who I know from Chabashira, had organized it, and apparently does it quite seriously. Her chadou sensei gave us a lecture about it, while she and some other students prepared tea. People always say how beautiful Mikiko is, but she always looked pretty but not extraordinary to me... But, I have to say, in her kimono (which, to me, usually doesn't really make people look better, though sometimes worse) and traditional hair style, she was quite a beauty. It was really amazing. XD
We also got to try making tea, and went though the whole process of drinking it and eating okashi... It was quite interesting, and a lot more complicated than I realized, and I knew that there was a lot to it. I was also very pleased that I understood almost all of the sensei's lecture. Unfortunately, right now, a teacher's lectures usually are often easier for me to understand than the chatting of friends, though. XD+
Afterward some of us went for dinner (where I totally failed to follow the Japanese conversation between Kenji and Akabane), and then, after that, some of us went bowling. I'd been intending to go home earlier, to get some work done, but I'd also been talking about wanting to find bowling in Tokyo for a couple weeks, so... XD
We did normal bowling, at which I did sort of decently, getting second place behind Akabane, who was miles out in front. But then we did bumper bowling, and I think I came in last. XD Not that anyone was seriously counting anyway. Memorable moments include Kenji picking me up off the floor unexpectedly from behind when I got a strike, and me accidentally smashing my knuckles when I jumped up in celebration of someone else's, and finding that the ceiling was lower than I realized. XD+
Yesterday I went to school and wrote my last Special Relay Lectures report, which was due at 3pm. The topic of the last lecture was multilateralism and Japan. I was able to complete the essay, about 1,000 words, which is long for a SRL essay, from initial brainstorming to printing in about two hours. I think this was actually because it was related to my major. Not that I've taken a lot of political science classes yet, but I was sort of able to put on my PS cap and go, applying things I've learned in PS courses. So that made me feel good, as I'm often a little uncertain about my choice of major. The essay may not have been especially inspired, but I think it was at least reasonably intelligent, which is all I can really aim for most of the time.
I then finished my Museums paper, and then had dinner at Gasuto with folks in celebration of Mina's birthday. It had started to rain in the afternoon, and as we were walking to Gasuto, around seven, it turned to sleet. Before long, we looked out the window and saw full-fledged, undeniable snow! The first (and quite possibly last) snow of the year in Tokyo. It was really cute, since for Fiona of Australia and Trang of Vietnam, it was actually their first time seeing snow. It actually did stick a bit, eventually, though probably less than an inch accumulated on the ground. But that didn't stop some (very dirty) snowman building and snowball fights. XD
Today my plans of making a big start on my Literature essay were thwarted by Mina asking me to go to lunch for her birthday. Although we already had dinner... I felt obliged to go. It was a good time, with just four of us, though the food wasn't amazing. When I finally made it to campus, I didn't get a whole done, sadly.
Also, the internet in my room is dead again. Like last month, I paid, and yet... So hopefully that'll be sorted in a couple days. In the meantime, I'm back to computing at the computer lab...
On Thursday I'm with some friends, mostly AIKOM, to DisneySEA! Everyone says it's way better than Tokyo Disney Land (which is supposed to be the same as every other Disney Land), so I'm excited. I'm hoping to finish all my essays by Sunday night... But we'll see. +P Only literature and External Relations left, but I'll need to do a significant amount of research for each... Sigh.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Wall of bilingual text~
I started writing a long entry on Tuesday, but... I'll finish it later. Someday.
For now, instead, something a little different. The last few days I've been using lang-8, to try to improve my Japanese by writing blog entries in Japanese and then seeing how native speakers correct them.
So here are my entries from there (after correction), with English translation by me.
Written on Tuesday (first entry):
はじめまして！
東京で１０ヶ月の交換留学しているコリンです。よろしく！！
もう、来日から４ヶ月も経って、留学の残っている時間が最近少なくなってきた！今日は今学期の最後の日だし、すぐにこの１０ヶ月の半分が終わってしまうから、少しあせっている。XD
日本へ来る目的はたくさんあったけど、主な一つは、日本語が上手に成りたいからだ。思ったより、日本でも上達するには時間がかかっているけど・・・確かに、日本に着いた頃と比べて、今は僕の日本語が上手くなったと思う。この春休みにも、がんばって勉強しようと思っているから、大丈夫だな。
でもその前に、授業と試験がやっと終わったのに、もう期末作文を三つ書かなくてはいけない。その３つは英語で書いてもいいけど、たぶん、なかなか時間がかかると思う。
でも学校について書いてばかりだとつまらないから、ちょっと来月の旅行について書く！春休みに日本語を一生懸命に勉強したいと思うけど、休みだから、楽しむこともちゃんとやりたい。だから、北海道に四日間の旅行する！バス・ツアーだけど、ほとんどのは札幌に近いと思う。２月に、寒すぎるから、北海道に行くのはだめと友達は言ったけど、冬の雪は北海道の特長だと思う。それに、僕はアメリカの北にあるけっこう寒いミシガン州から来たから、大丈夫なはずだ。本当に楽しみにしている！東京の優しい冬を楽しんでいるけど、今年も雪が見たい！
(Oh god translating is so hard couldthesesentencesbeanymoreawkwardinEnglish)
Hello!
I'm Colin, and I'm studying abroad in Tokyo on a ten-month exchange. Nice to meet you!
It's already been four months since I came to Japan, and the time I left left in my study abroad is getting short! Today is the last day of this semester, and soon half of the ten months will be over, so I'm fretting a little. XD
I had many reasons for coming to Japan, but one of the main ones was that I wanted to become good at Japanese. Even while here in Japan, it's taking longer than I thought to get really good at Japanese, but... Certainly, compared to when I came to Japan, my Japanese has gotten better, I think. I'm also planning to study hard this Spring break, so it's okay.
But before that, although classes and exams have ended, I still have to write three final essays. I'm allowed to write them in English, but I think they'll take a pretty long time.
But just writing about school is boring, so I'll write a little about my trip next month! I'm planning on studying my hardest over spring break, but it's a "break," so I also want to have plenty of fun. So, I'm taking a four-day trip to Hokkaido! It's a bus tour, but most of it is near Sapporo, I think. Because it's so cold in February, my friend said it's no good to go to Hokkaido, but I think that winter snow is Hokkaido's specialty. Besides, I'm from Michigan, in the north of the US, where it's pretty cold, so I should be okay. I'm really looking forward to it! I'm enjoying Tokyo's mild winter, but I want to see snow this year, too!
Written on Wednesday:
昨日は最後だったから、今日は、平日だけれど、授業がない。でも、キャンパスに行かなくてもいいにもかかわらず、朝８時に起きた！つらい~
><
でもよかった。８時に起きた訳は、父と話したかったからだ。日本の午前８時は、父のいるアメリカのミシガン州では、午後６時だから、父にとって、都合がいい。父はいつも忙しくて、大変そうだから、東京ではちょっと早い時刻でも、ミシガンで便利な方がいいと思った。インターネットで、お金がかからず、でお互いに声が聞こえて、顔も見ることができるから、とても快適だった。
実は、１０月に来日してから、三回しか父と話していなかった。ちょっと足りないかな...
それから、その後で、２時頃キャンパスに来てしまった。作文を書かなければならなくて、やっぱり部屋で全然勤勉に集中できない。
...でもな...そう言っても、今、キャンパスでは、作文を書いていなくて、この日記を書くことになった。 ^^;;
今日書いている作文は博物館に関する授業の期末作文だ。課題は、自分で、好きな博物館に行って、その博物館について深くて考えて、作文を書くことだ。だから、ぼくは三鷹市にあるジブリ美術館先週に行ってみた。今三鷹市にある寮に住んでいるから便利だし、ジブリのアニメーションの映画が好きだし、友達も勧めてきたからだった。そして、自分の目で見たら、やっぱりすごい思った。美術館内では写真を撮ってはいけなくて、ちょっと残念だったと思ったけど。
ジブリ美術館はけっこう楽しんだけど、いま、その美術館について何を書けばいいかな... と思い悩んでいる。
皆はどう？部屋でよく勉強できる？ちゃんと時々は両親に連絡する？ジブリが好き？ジブリ美術館は行ったことある？
個人的には、部屋じゃなくて、図書館などで勉強するのは別にいいと思う。でも、もっとお父さんと話さないとね。
Yesterday was the last day so today, even though it's a weekday, I don't have class. But, even though I didn't have to go to campus, I got up at 8! Ugh...
But, it was good. The reason I got up at 8 was to talk with my father. 8am in Japan is 6pm in Michigan, where my father is, so it was convenient for him. My father is always busy, so even though it was a little early in Tokyo, I thought a convenient time in Michigan would be better. By means of the internet we could hear each other's voices and see one another's faces for free, so it was really nice. Actually, since I came to Japan in October, I've only talked with my father three times. I guess it's not really enough...
After that, I ended coming to campus around two. I have to write an essay, and I really can't concentrate on my work in my room. But, you know... Even saying that, right now, here at campus, I'm not writing my essay, but have ended up writing this journal entry... ^^;;
The essay I'm writing today is the final essay for a class about museums. The assignment is to go to a museum of our choice, think deeply about that museum, and write an essay. So, I went to the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka. I chose it because I'm currently living in dorm that's in Mitaka, so it was convenient, I like Ghibli's animated movies, and a friend recommended it. And when I saw it with my own eyes, I thought it really was great. Although, I couldn't take pictures inside the museum, which I thought was kind of a shame.
The Ghibli Museum was pretty fun, but now, what relating to the museum should I write about... ...I'm wondering.
What about everyone else? Can you study well in your room? Do you sometimes contact your parents, as you should? Do you like Ghibli? Have you been to the Ghibli Museum?
Personally, I don't mind studying not in my room but in places like the library, but I should probably talk with my Father more...
Written yesterday morning、in a rather different vein:
僕の一番好きなバンドはスピッツだ！
２００５年に、高校の３年生の時、初めてスピッツを聞いてから、ずっと好きだ。スピッツのバンドメンバーは少し年をとっているけど、とてもかっこいいと思う。あんなに感動させる曲を歌える人はすごい才能を持っていると思うからだ。僕はいつもカラオケでスピッツの歌が歌いたいけど、スピッツの歌手の声が高すぎて、けっこう歌いにくい。
スピッツが好きになる前にも、一番好きなバンドは日本のバンドで、「Ｃｏｒｅ ｏｆ Ｓｏｕｌ」というバンドだ。スピッツと違って、Ｃｏｒｅ ｏｆ Ｓｏｕｌは日本でもあまり有名じゃないと思うけど。その前は、L'Arc~en~Ciel だった。 結局、高校の時、あまりアメリカの音楽を聞かなくて、ほんとんど日本のを聞いていた。
アメリカでは、日本のＣＤが買いにくいから、たいていインターネットでファイルを手に入れた ＾＾；； でも、日本に来てから、Ｂｏｏｋ－OｆｆなどでＣＤをちゃんと買っている。
ちょっと恥ずかしいけど、実は、中学校の時、字多田ヒカルを発見して、その時初めて日本語に興味を持った。その後で、その興味が多様化して、音楽やポップカルチャーだけじゃなくなったけど、やっぱり、字多田ヒカルは最初のきっかけだ。
それに、今も、一番好きな歌手は字多田ヒカルだ・・・ あああ、かっこ悪い、僕? ＸＤ
My favorite band is Spitz!
Ever since I first heard Spitz when I was a junior in high school I've liked them. Spitz's band members are a little bit old, but I think they're very cool, because I think someone who can sing such moving songs has an amazing ability and talent. I always want to sing Spitz songs at karaoke, but Spitz's singer's voice is too high, so their songs are hard to sing.
Before I came to like Spitz, too, my favorite band was a Japanese band, called "Core of Soul." Unlike Spitz, I think Core of Soul isn't very famous even in Japan, though. Before that, it was L'Arc~en~Ciel. In the end, in high school I didn't listen to much American music, but almost all Japanese music.
In the US it's hard to buy Japanese CD's, so I usually got the files from the internet. ^^;; But, since I've come to Japan, I've been properly buying CD's at stores like Book-Off.
It's a little embarrassing, but, actually, in middle school I discovered Utada Hikaru, and then first became interested in Japanese language. After that my interest became more diversified, not just music and pop culture, but, ultimately, Utada Hikaru was the initial trigger.
And, even now, my favorite singer is Utada Hikaru... Ahh, is that uncool? XD
For now, instead, something a little different. The last few days I've been using lang-8, to try to improve my Japanese by writing blog entries in Japanese and then seeing how native speakers correct them.
So here are my entries from there (after correction), with English translation by me.
Written on Tuesday (first entry):
はじめまして！
東京で１０ヶ月の交換留学しているコリンです。よろしく！！
もう、来日から４ヶ月も経って、留学の残っている時間が最近少なくなってきた！今日は今学期の最後の日だし、すぐにこの１０ヶ月の半分が終わってしまうから、少しあせっている。XD
日本へ来る目的はたくさんあったけど、主な一つは、日本語が上手に成りたいからだ。思ったより、日本でも上達するには時間がかかっているけど・・・確かに、日本に着いた頃と比べて、今は僕の日本語が上手くなったと思う。この春休みにも、がんばって勉強しようと思っているから、大丈夫だな。
でもその前に、授業と試験がやっと終わったのに、もう期末作文を三つ書かなくてはいけない。その３つは英語で書いてもいいけど、たぶん、なかなか時間がかかると思う。
でも学校について書いてばかりだとつまらないから、ちょっと来月の旅行について書く！春休みに日本語を一生懸命に勉強したいと思うけど、休みだから、楽しむこともちゃんとやりたい。だから、北海道に四日間の旅行する！バス・ツアーだけど、ほとんどのは札幌に近いと思う。２月に、寒すぎるから、北海道に行くのはだめと友達は言ったけど、冬の雪は北海道の特長だと思う。それに、僕はアメリカの北にあるけっこう寒いミシガン州から来たから、大丈夫なはずだ。本当に楽しみにしている！東京の優しい冬を楽しんでいるけど、今年も雪が見たい！
(Oh god translating is so hard couldthesesentencesbeanymoreawkwardinEnglish)
Hello!
I'm Colin, and I'm studying abroad in Tokyo on a ten-month exchange. Nice to meet you!
It's already been four months since I came to Japan, and the time I left left in my study abroad is getting short! Today is the last day of this semester, and soon half of the ten months will be over, so I'm fretting a little. XD
I had many reasons for coming to Japan, but one of the main ones was that I wanted to become good at Japanese. Even while here in Japan, it's taking longer than I thought to get really good at Japanese, but... Certainly, compared to when I came to Japan, my Japanese has gotten better, I think. I'm also planning to study hard this Spring break, so it's okay.
But before that, although classes and exams have ended, I still have to write three final essays. I'm allowed to write them in English, but I think they'll take a pretty long time.
But just writing about school is boring, so I'll write a little about my trip next month! I'm planning on studying my hardest over spring break, but it's a "break," so I also want to have plenty of fun. So, I'm taking a four-day trip to Hokkaido! It's a bus tour, but most of it is near Sapporo, I think. Because it's so cold in February, my friend said it's no good to go to Hokkaido, but I think that winter snow is Hokkaido's specialty. Besides, I'm from Michigan, in the north of the US, where it's pretty cold, so I should be okay. I'm really looking forward to it! I'm enjoying Tokyo's mild winter, but I want to see snow this year, too!
Written on Wednesday:
昨日は最後だったから、今日は、平日だけれど、授業がない。でも、キャンパスに行かなくてもいいにもかかわらず、朝８時に起きた！つらい~
><
でもよかった。８時に起きた訳は、父と話したかったからだ。日本の午前８時は、父のいるアメリカのミシガン州では、午後６時だから、父にとって、都合がいい。父はいつも忙しくて、大変そうだから、東京ではちょっと早い時刻でも、ミシガンで便利な方がいいと思った。インターネットで、お金がかからず、でお互いに声が聞こえて、顔も見ることができるから、とても快適だった。
実は、１０月に来日してから、三回しか父と話していなかった。ちょっと足りないかな...
それから、その後で、２時頃キャンパスに来てしまった。作文を書かなければならなくて、やっぱり部屋で全然勤勉に集中できない。
...でもな...そう言っても、今、キャンパスでは、作文を書いていなくて、この日記を書くことになった。 ^^;;
今日書いている作文は博物館に関する授業の期末作文だ。課題は、自分で、好きな博物館に行って、その博物館について深くて考えて、作文を書くことだ。だから、ぼくは三鷹市にあるジブリ美術館先週に行ってみた。今三鷹市にある寮に住んでいるから便利だし、ジブリのアニメーションの映画が好きだし、友達も勧めてきたからだった。そして、自分の目で見たら、やっぱりすごい思った。美術館内では写真を撮ってはいけなくて、ちょっと残念だったと思ったけど。
ジブリ美術館はけっこう楽しんだけど、いま、その美術館について何を書けばいいかな... と思い悩んでいる。
皆はどう？部屋でよく勉強できる？ちゃんと時々は両親に連絡する？ジブリが好き？ジブリ美術館は行ったことある？
個人的には、部屋じゃなくて、図書館などで勉強するのは別にいいと思う。でも、もっとお父さんと話さないとね。
Yesterday was the last day so today, even though it's a weekday, I don't have class. But, even though I didn't have to go to campus, I got up at 8! Ugh...
But, it was good. The reason I got up at 8 was to talk with my father. 8am in Japan is 6pm in Michigan, where my father is, so it was convenient for him. My father is always busy, so even though it was a little early in Tokyo, I thought a convenient time in Michigan would be better. By means of the internet we could hear each other's voices and see one another's faces for free, so it was really nice. Actually, since I came to Japan in October, I've only talked with my father three times. I guess it's not really enough...
After that, I ended coming to campus around two. I have to write an essay, and I really can't concentrate on my work in my room. But, you know... Even saying that, right now, here at campus, I'm not writing my essay, but have ended up writing this journal entry... ^^;;
The essay I'm writing today is the final essay for a class about museums. The assignment is to go to a museum of our choice, think deeply about that museum, and write an essay. So, I went to the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka. I chose it because I'm currently living in dorm that's in Mitaka, so it was convenient, I like Ghibli's animated movies, and a friend recommended it. And when I saw it with my own eyes, I thought it really was great. Although, I couldn't take pictures inside the museum, which I thought was kind of a shame.
The Ghibli Museum was pretty fun, but now, what relating to the museum should I write about... ...I'm wondering.
What about everyone else? Can you study well in your room? Do you sometimes contact your parents, as you should? Do you like Ghibli? Have you been to the Ghibli Museum?
Personally, I don't mind studying not in my room but in places like the library, but I should probably talk with my Father more...
Written yesterday morning、in a rather different vein:
僕の一番好きなバンドはスピッツだ！
２００５年に、高校の３年生の時、初めてスピッツを聞いてから、ずっと好きだ。スピッツのバンドメンバーは少し年をとっているけど、とてもかっこいいと思う。あんなに感動させる曲を歌える人はすごい才能を持っていると思うからだ。僕はいつもカラオケでスピッツの歌が歌いたいけど、スピッツの歌手の声が高すぎて、けっこう歌いにくい。
スピッツが好きになる前にも、一番好きなバンドは日本のバンドで、「Ｃｏｒｅ ｏｆ Ｓｏｕｌ」というバンドだ。スピッツと違って、Ｃｏｒｅ ｏｆ Ｓｏｕｌは日本でもあまり有名じゃないと思うけど。その前は、L'Arc~en~Ciel だった。 結局、高校の時、あまりアメリカの音楽を聞かなくて、ほんとんど日本のを聞いていた。
アメリカでは、日本のＣＤが買いにくいから、たいていインターネットでファイルを手に入れた ＾＾；； でも、日本に来てから、Ｂｏｏｋ－OｆｆなどでＣＤをちゃんと買っている。
ちょっと恥ずかしいけど、実は、中学校の時、字多田ヒカルを発見して、その時初めて日本語に興味を持った。その後で、その興味が多様化して、音楽やポップカルチャーだけじゃなくなったけど、やっぱり、字多田ヒカルは最初のきっかけだ。
それに、今も、一番好きな歌手は字多田ヒカルだ・・・ あああ、かっこ悪い、僕? ＸＤ
My favorite band is Spitz!
Ever since I first heard Spitz when I was a junior in high school I've liked them. Spitz's band members are a little bit old, but I think they're very cool, because I think someone who can sing such moving songs has an amazing ability and talent. I always want to sing Spitz songs at karaoke, but Spitz's singer's voice is too high, so their songs are hard to sing.
Before I came to like Spitz, too, my favorite band was a Japanese band, called "Core of Soul." Unlike Spitz, I think Core of Soul isn't very famous even in Japan, though. Before that, it was L'Arc~en~Ciel. In the end, in high school I didn't listen to much American music, but almost all Japanese music.
In the US it's hard to buy Japanese CD's, so I usually got the files from the internet. ^^;; But, since I've come to Japan, I've been properly buying CD's at stores like Book-Off.
It's a little embarrassing, but, actually, in middle school I discovered Utada Hikaru, and then first became interested in Japanese language. After that my interest became more diversified, not just music and pop culture, but, ultimately, Utada Hikaru was the initial trigger.
And, even now, my favorite singer is Utada Hikaru... Ahh, is that uncool? XD
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
The true meaning of bimyou.
Good news: it's Tuesday afternoon and I've finished all my homework for the week, including my essays for both Uchino and Asahi, and preparing much more than is my custom for the mini-presentation in Japanese tomorrow, except for one thing.
Bad news: I am writing this to procrastinate on that one thing, the outline of my External Relations final paper, that I need to present (the outline, that is) on Thursday.
I did basically nothing interesting on Saturday, though I did go to Gasuto again. I go to Gasuto a lot lately... In fact, I think I know the faces most of the waitstaff at the Mitaka Gasuto. I guess they probably know mine too, then...
On Sunday I went with Yisha and Ayu to Kichijouji in the morning to buy cake, and then met with all(?) the other AIKOMsei and a few others to celebrate Joon Woo's, Yang Rui's and Robert's birthdays at a really, really delicious Thai food buffet.
Hana stayed up all night baking and as a result couldn't make it, but he sent his cookies and tarts with Alden. The cookies were my favorite. He had made them in the shapes of letters, and then mixed them all in a container which also contained a sheet of instructions. So, following the instructions, the three birthday kids pulled out the letters to spell their names, and the remaining letters spelled the mystery word, which turned out to be "Family." Oh, Hana. XD 僕の誕生日じゃなくても、感動したな。さすがハナ。<#
And then, afterward, Alden passed out the tarts to everyone, which were all wrapped in their crust. After everyone had one, he announced that most of them were delicious... But, as a test of our luck, five (of around 30) contained some spicy, terrible-tasting filling. So we all took big, brave bites or timid nibbles and found out. I was lucky enough to get a delicious one, but right next to me both Ayu and Francesco got bad ones. XD I tried it, and it wasn't so bad, really, though. 結局に、これも、さすがハナだな・・・
Also standing out in my memory is Yamaji, who was there, being Robert's tutor. Unlike many other east-Asian cuisines, Japanese food is really, really mild. When it comes to hot, wasabi is pretty much it, and wasabi is a very particular kind of hot. Even the "spicy" curry in the cafeteria is absolutely nothing but sweet. So Yamaji, not used to hot food, I guess, took some of the Thai-style green curry. I ate it as well (it was really good - way better than the cafeteria curry), and found it a little spicy, but not enough to even make my nose run after eating a big helping of it. But Yamaji was just dying. XD+ When he finally recovered, he just sat still, apparently all tired out from the effort of trying to eat it. 「体力を全部使ってしまった、それを食べて ・・・」
Yesterday was the last day and exam of Boccha-sensei's class, Dynamics of Japanese Cultural History. I wrote a pretty terrible essay on the exam... But the essay prompt was super-ビミョウ anyway. He just told us to write an essay titled "My View of Japanese Cultural History." What. But I'm not worried about it. He's quite famous for giving A's to those who show up and pay attention, and I participated in that class like none other. Based on what I'd heard from senpai and Japanese students about his exams beforehand, the prompt he gave us was not too surprising. And that's why the class is so popular with the Japanese students...
Today was the last real presentation in Japanese. It went fine, I think, though this time we were videotaped, which most of the class was not too wild about. Sensei asked us if we'd ever seen video of ourselves speaking Japanese before. Thinking about it, yes, I have. But it was always skits, not a speech... It's rather different, right? But, actually, no, I guess not. The way I normally deal with nerves when standing before an audience, especially if delivering something like a speech, the words of which are already cut and dry and practicable ahead of time, is basically by acting, instead of staying in myself. This is why my Japanese speeches are usually so animated, even though it's probably better not to be.
Related, though, the end of the term is shockingly near. According to the academic calendar instruction officially ends next Friday, but it's not clear when exactly my last class will be; maybe as early as a week from today. Whoa.
Of course, after that, I have three final papers to write, but still. Hopefully I'll do them quickly so that I can then enjoy the break to the fullest, without any black clouds looming overhead, like the one I have today about the outline due on Thursday...
Bad news: I am writing this to procrastinate on that one thing, the outline of my External Relations final paper, that I need to present (the outline, that is) on Thursday.
I did basically nothing interesting on Saturday, though I did go to Gasuto again. I go to Gasuto a lot lately... In fact, I think I know the faces most of the waitstaff at the Mitaka Gasuto. I guess they probably know mine too, then...
On Sunday I went with Yisha and Ayu to Kichijouji in the morning to buy cake, and then met with all(?) the other AIKOMsei and a few others to celebrate Joon Woo's, Yang Rui's and Robert's birthdays at a really, really delicious Thai food buffet.
Hana stayed up all night baking and as a result couldn't make it, but he sent his cookies and tarts with Alden. The cookies were my favorite. He had made them in the shapes of letters, and then mixed them all in a container which also contained a sheet of instructions. So, following the instructions, the three birthday kids pulled out the letters to spell their names, and the remaining letters spelled the mystery word, which turned out to be "Family." Oh, Hana. XD 僕の誕生日じゃなくても、感動したな。さすがハナ。<#
And then, afterward, Alden passed out the tarts to everyone, which were all wrapped in their crust. After everyone had one, he announced that most of them were delicious... But, as a test of our luck, five (of around 30) contained some spicy, terrible-tasting filling. So we all took big, brave bites or timid nibbles and found out. I was lucky enough to get a delicious one, but right next to me both Ayu and Francesco got bad ones. XD I tried it, and it wasn't so bad, really, though. 結局に、これも、さすがハナだな・・・
Also standing out in my memory is Yamaji, who was there, being Robert's tutor. Unlike many other east-Asian cuisines, Japanese food is really, really mild. When it comes to hot, wasabi is pretty much it, and wasabi is a very particular kind of hot. Even the "spicy" curry in the cafeteria is absolutely nothing but sweet. So Yamaji, not used to hot food, I guess, took some of the Thai-style green curry. I ate it as well (it was really good - way better than the cafeteria curry), and found it a little spicy, but not enough to even make my nose run after eating a big helping of it. But Yamaji was just dying. XD+ When he finally recovered, he just sat still, apparently all tired out from the effort of trying to eat it. 「体力を全部使ってしまった、それを食べて ・・・」
Yesterday was the last day and exam of Boccha-sensei's class, Dynamics of Japanese Cultural History. I wrote a pretty terrible essay on the exam... But the essay prompt was super-ビミョウ anyway. He just told us to write an essay titled "My View of Japanese Cultural History." What. But I'm not worried about it. He's quite famous for giving A's to those who show up and pay attention, and I participated in that class like none other. Based on what I'd heard from senpai and Japanese students about his exams beforehand, the prompt he gave us was not too surprising. And that's why the class is so popular with the Japanese students...
Today was the last real presentation in Japanese. It went fine, I think, though this time we were videotaped, which most of the class was not too wild about. Sensei asked us if we'd ever seen video of ourselves speaking Japanese before. Thinking about it, yes, I have. But it was always skits, not a speech... It's rather different, right? But, actually, no, I guess not. The way I normally deal with nerves when standing before an audience, especially if delivering something like a speech, the words of which are already cut and dry and practicable ahead of time, is basically by acting, instead of staying in myself. This is why my Japanese speeches are usually so animated, even though it's probably better not to be.
Related, though, the end of the term is shockingly near. According to the academic calendar instruction officially ends next Friday, but it's not clear when exactly my last class will be; maybe as early as a week from today. Whoa.
Of course, after that, I have three final papers to write, but still. Hopefully I'll do them quickly so that I can then enjoy the break to the fullest, without any black clouds looming overhead, like the one I have today about the outline due on Thursday...
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Library, Computer Lab, AIKOM Office.
At my home university, UofM, I've always lived in dorms, "on-campus." In reality, my dorm was a little removed from central campus, a 10-20 minute hike away, depending on the walker, weather, and how late the walker is, but it was quite accessible from campus. Indeed, the vast majority of undergrads, even if living in a house or apartment, are located quite near to their classrooms and labs and professor's offices. So, given a four-hour gap between class like the one I have today, I would normally go home, to my dorm, where I might do schoolwork, goof off and play in my own or a friend's room, or, as perpetually sleep-short college students are prone to doing, take a nap.
I live in a dorm this year as well, of course, but it is decidedly off-campus. Between the bike ride to or from the station and the train ride between stations, it normally takes a little under an hour to get to or from school. This changes my college life in several ways, but a significant one is that during even a four-hour gap between classes no one goes home. Instead, we all remain on campus. This, in turn, has its own effects.
Ruugakusei (international students), or at least AIKOMsei have, in many ways, I think, a really excellent life here at TouDai. Even while we still have a substantial amount of schoolwork, I think we have a lot more fun than the average student. This too, however, takes time, quite a lot of it, in fact, and the result is that Ryuugakusei, or at least AIKOMsei, are typically particularly short of sleep.
Which brings me to today, when Erika started laughing in the middle of a very serious conversation between Shahenda, Alden, Francesco and myself (all AIKOMsei). We were discussing something that, I realize, never really came up for me at UofM, but which has become a regular part of life here. We were discussing which are the best places on campus to sleep.
The very best is definitely the library, second floor. It's quite warm, the lights are dim (individual desk-lamps can be turned on and off as desired), and very quiet. There are individual work spaces, which makes it easy to sleep at one without having to worry about imposing on anyone. And, perhaps most importantly, it's socially acceptable to sleep there; if you walk in at any time and look around, there are always, mixed in with the diligently studying students, several people unconscious.
Second best is the Information Education Building (essentially a building of of computer labs), third floor. It's quite warm, and generally quiet. It's also almost always sparsely populated, so there's no worrying about making someone feel awkward about using the computer next to you; no one was going to use a computer within ten feet of you anyway. It's not really commonplace for people (who aren't AIKOMsei) to sleep there, which makes it slightly more uncomfortable, but it's big enough that it doesn't matter much.
Third best is the AIKOM office. The AIKOM office is warmest place we've yet to discover on campus, and has a very relaxed atmosphere. There are usually not a lot of people there, so there's space to sleep in a chair at the table without imposing. Plus, if class is about to start it's even fairly likely that someone will wake you up for it. The downside is that there are often a lot of people coming and going, and there are full-time staff actually working there, so it's not very quiet.
It was at this point that Erika started to laugh at us. We had, she pointed out, actually formed a ranking of the best places to sleep on campus. Of course, there are no places actually intended for sleeping, but still this ranking had come into being. Such is the life and culture of the ryuugakusei. I had to admit, it was kind of funny.
I live in a dorm this year as well, of course, but it is decidedly off-campus. Between the bike ride to or from the station and the train ride between stations, it normally takes a little under an hour to get to or from school. This changes my college life in several ways, but a significant one is that during even a four-hour gap between classes no one goes home. Instead, we all remain on campus. This, in turn, has its own effects.
Ruugakusei (international students), or at least AIKOMsei have, in many ways, I think, a really excellent life here at TouDai. Even while we still have a substantial amount of schoolwork, I think we have a lot more fun than the average student. This too, however, takes time, quite a lot of it, in fact, and the result is that Ryuugakusei, or at least AIKOMsei, are typically particularly short of sleep.
Which brings me to today, when Erika started laughing in the middle of a very serious conversation between Shahenda, Alden, Francesco and myself (all AIKOMsei). We were discussing something that, I realize, never really came up for me at UofM, but which has become a regular part of life here. We were discussing which are the best places on campus to sleep.
The very best is definitely the library, second floor. It's quite warm, the lights are dim (individual desk-lamps can be turned on and off as desired), and very quiet. There are individual work spaces, which makes it easy to sleep at one without having to worry about imposing on anyone. And, perhaps most importantly, it's socially acceptable to sleep there; if you walk in at any time and look around, there are always, mixed in with the diligently studying students, several people unconscious.
Second best is the Information Education Building (essentially a building of of computer labs), third floor. It's quite warm, and generally quiet. It's also almost always sparsely populated, so there's no worrying about making someone feel awkward about using the computer next to you; no one was going to use a computer within ten feet of you anyway. It's not really commonplace for people (who aren't AIKOMsei) to sleep there, which makes it slightly more uncomfortable, but it's big enough that it doesn't matter much.
Third best is the AIKOM office. The AIKOM office is warmest place we've yet to discover on campus, and has a very relaxed atmosphere. There are usually not a lot of people there, so there's space to sleep in a chair at the table without imposing. Plus, if class is about to start it's even fairly likely that someone will wake you up for it. The downside is that there are often a lot of people coming and going, and there are full-time staff actually working there, so it's not very quiet.
It was at this point that Erika started to laugh at us. We had, she pointed out, actually formed a ranking of the best places to sleep on campus. Of course, there are no places actually intended for sleeping, but still this ranking had come into being. Such is the life and culture of the ryuugakusei. I had to admit, it was kind of funny.
Friday, January 8, 2010
「こうなったら、意地でも乗るわよっ」
Ten pages of BS. BS which will get an A or A-, I predict.
This is what my higher education has given me the skills to write. Praise Jesus.
Nah, it's not really that bad. Probably not more than 40% is actually BS.
In other news, my internet service at the dorm hasn't been working for reasons as yet unknown (but being investigated), which is why I've been pretty absent on the tubes for the last several days.
I'm at school now, almost done writing a paper (as alluded to above). After I finish that, maybe I'll edit onto this a proper entry before going home. The free heat in this building alone (as opposed to the expensive heat in my cold-anyway room) is a pretty good reason to stay here by itself, really.
Edited on, later:
On the 3rd I biked to Kasai Rinkai Kouen (Kasai Seaside Park). I'd been sort of vaguely planning the trip in my head for a little while, and figured I'd leave in the morning, maybe around 8 or 9, so that I could bike back hopefully before it gets dark (about 4:45 here, this time of year). But, I realized that if I didn't go that day I probably wouldn't be able to go during the break. So, around 1 pm I went to a konbini, bought a nice map (actually a 60-page book) of Tokyo, and set off. The brilliance of my route was that it was, to a large extent, a lot of pretty straight shots down long, long roads, and it went through some very well known places (through a tunnel directly under Shinjuku station, the walkway around the moat of the Imperial Palace, through the heart of Ginza, etc.), so if I got lost I could always ask for those landmarks. The disadvantage of my route, however, was also that it went through these major landmarks. Biking in Shinjuku is barely possible, and biking at faster than a walking pace is not possible.
But, anyway, I made it all 31 kilometers to Kasai Rinkai, looked around the park (pretty briefly - the sun was setting by the time I got there), rode the Ferris Wheel (the Diamonds and Flowers wheel), took pictures and rode the 31 kilometers back. It was pretty fantastic, actually. XD I went alone this time because it was so spur-of-the moment and also because I was a little worried I might get lost or not be able to get there for some reason, and didn't want to be responsible for anyone else's bad experience. When it gets warmer in Spring, though, I definitely take a picnic with friends in that park (though maybe we'll go by train).
Also on that trip, I had my first encounter with the police in Japan. +O
...But it was actually really harmless. In Tokyo there are quite a lot of maps in public places, which makes it hard to get lost. It's fantastic. But, a policeman apparently saw me looking at one (making sure I was still on my route), and then stopped me as I was biking away to ask if I was lost. D'aww. He asked me some other things and checked the registration on my bike, as well. And it was kind of embarrassing and weird when he asked me what school I go to, I said TouDai, and he actually apologized. I often find that I'm uncomfortable in Japan when people treat me as unequal to them. idk. In the end I didn't even have to get out my alien registration card, which I was carrying.
The next day, the 4th, I went to Odaiba with Yisha, Clara, Yang Rei, Wu Di, Joon Woo and Keisuke. I'd never been, so it was quite nice. We checked out "Little Hong Kong," Fuji Television, ate a tabehoudai kaiten Chinese food lunch, and rode the big Ferris Wheel there. Yes, the second Ferris wheel ride in as many days, for me. XD
The funny thing was, this time we rode after it was quite dark outside, and from the height of the wheel I spotted the wheel I'd ridden the day before, all lit up in the distance. They really are quite close to one another. The only strange thing about this Ferris wheel was the music that played in the gondola. On the way up there was some famous march that felt kind of foreboding and inappropriate, at the top was Pachabel's Canon, and coming down was Pomp and Circumstance. It was really weird, and, I suspect, deliberately scheduled. XD
It was a really lovely day, and I even talked to Keisuke in Japanese quite a bit. I was really glad that I went.
I also note now that as of the 6th of January, I'd been to Gasuto 4 times this year. Three of them were in order to some work (working on anything more involved than a simple worksheet in my room, even when the internet is down, is just futile).
Tomorrow is a field trip to Tsukiji! Looking forward to it.
This is what my higher education has given me the skills to write. Praise Jesus.
Nah, it's not really that bad. Probably not more than 40% is actually BS.
In other news, my internet service at the dorm hasn't been working for reasons as yet unknown (but being investigated), which is why I've been pretty absent on the tubes for the last several days.
I'm at school now, almost done writing a paper (as alluded to above). After I finish that, maybe I'll edit onto this a proper entry before going home. The free heat in this building alone (as opposed to the expensive heat in my cold-anyway room) is a pretty good reason to stay here by itself, really.
Edited on, later:
On the 3rd I biked to Kasai Rinkai Kouen (Kasai Seaside Park). I'd been sort of vaguely planning the trip in my head for a little while, and figured I'd leave in the morning, maybe around 8 or 9, so that I could bike back hopefully before it gets dark (about 4:45 here, this time of year). But, I realized that if I didn't go that day I probably wouldn't be able to go during the break. So, around 1 pm I went to a konbini, bought a nice map (actually a 60-page book) of Tokyo, and set off. The brilliance of my route was that it was, to a large extent, a lot of pretty straight shots down long, long roads, and it went through some very well known places (through a tunnel directly under Shinjuku station, the walkway around the moat of the Imperial Palace, through the heart of Ginza, etc.), so if I got lost I could always ask for those landmarks. The disadvantage of my route, however, was also that it went through these major landmarks. Biking in Shinjuku is barely possible, and biking at faster than a walking pace is not possible.
But, anyway, I made it all 31 kilometers to Kasai Rinkai, looked around the park (pretty briefly - the sun was setting by the time I got there), rode the Ferris Wheel (the Diamonds and Flowers wheel), took pictures and rode the 31 kilometers back. It was pretty fantastic, actually. XD I went alone this time because it was so spur-of-the moment and also because I was a little worried I might get lost or not be able to get there for some reason, and didn't want to be responsible for anyone else's bad experience. When it gets warmer in Spring, though, I definitely take a picnic with friends in that park (though maybe we'll go by train).
Also on that trip, I had my first encounter with the police in Japan. +O
...But it was actually really harmless. In Tokyo there are quite a lot of maps in public places, which makes it hard to get lost. It's fantastic. But, a policeman apparently saw me looking at one (making sure I was still on my route), and then stopped me as I was biking away to ask if I was lost. D'aww. He asked me some other things and checked the registration on my bike, as well. And it was kind of embarrassing and weird when he asked me what school I go to, I said TouDai, and he actually apologized. I often find that I'm uncomfortable in Japan when people treat me as unequal to them. idk. In the end I didn't even have to get out my alien registration card, which I was carrying.
The next day, the 4th, I went to Odaiba with Yisha, Clara, Yang Rei, Wu Di, Joon Woo and Keisuke. I'd never been, so it was quite nice. We checked out "Little Hong Kong," Fuji Television, ate a tabehoudai kaiten Chinese food lunch, and rode the big Ferris Wheel there. Yes, the second Ferris wheel ride in as many days, for me. XD
The funny thing was, this time we rode after it was quite dark outside, and from the height of the wheel I spotted the wheel I'd ridden the day before, all lit up in the distance. They really are quite close to one another. The only strange thing about this Ferris wheel was the music that played in the gondola. On the way up there was some famous march that felt kind of foreboding and inappropriate, at the top was Pachabel's Canon, and coming down was Pomp and Circumstance. It was really weird, and, I suspect, deliberately scheduled. XD
It was a really lovely day, and I even talked to Keisuke in Japanese quite a bit. I was really glad that I went.
I also note now that as of the 6th of January, I'd been to Gasuto 4 times this year. Three of them were in order to some work (working on anything more involved than a simple worksheet in my room, even when the internet is down, is just futile).
Tomorrow is a field trip to Tsukiji! Looking forward to it.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
お正月の祝い方 - A Way to Celebrate the New Year
I'm actually amazed at how good what I'm cooking right now smells. Buying basil was such a good idea. Though it's mainly for tomorrow, seeing how it's 11:30 PM already. The rice that's supposed to go with it, however, is taking foreeeever, probably because I put more in the rice cooker than usual.
Continuing my catch-up of recent events, though...
The 30th I spent a pretty quiet day mostly in. I can't really really remember much from it. In the evening was very small party for Miyamoto's birthday (since practically all the Japanese students went home for New Year's and the AIKOMsei, who all know him at least somewhat, were out), where I got much more familiar with Shoya, who I'd met a few times before at larger gatherings. It was a good, mellow time. "As I've turned 20 [the legal drinking age in Japan], I'll try alcohol!" "ええええ ビール苦いな!" Oh, Miyamoto (the most notorious drinker in Mitaka Dorm). XD
On the the 31st I left the dorm shortly after 11 AM with Joon Woo, Clara and Wu Di, for Tokyo Dome, where the concert we were going to that evening was to be held. We got to the entertainment complex next to it, Tokyo Dome City and there ate soba (traditional new year's food). No one else dared, but I braved the brilliantly named Thunder Dolphin, which I later found out is the largest roller coaster in Tokyo (not that there are many roller coasters in Tokyo). Clara and Wu Di went on a log flume, we ate in a cafe, bought some snacks at a convenience store, and headed to Tokyo Dome itself, for the concert.
When we got to the entrance, to our dismay we found that they were searching all bags, and prohibited items included PET bottles, such as those we had purchased drinks for the concert in at the konbini. Curiously, though, after the guard asked me to take off my bag and put it on the table, he opened it, looked inside, saw the two plastic bags (mine and Joon Woo's), and just shut it again. XD He asked if we had cameras (also prohibited), Joon Woo said no (though I did), and without checking, the guard let us through.
"...Is it because I'm gaijin?" Quite possibly. I guess it's okay sometimes.
The group we were seeing (actually only two guys), KinKi Kids, I have a few songs from that I've gotten as parts of bigger downloads over time (cough), but I never really knew anything about (such as that it's only two guys). The music was quite enjoyable, and the accompanying light show was also spectacular. Apparently a lot of their fame stems from their appearances on television shows, where they're quite funny. Accordingly, after the first four songs or so they stopped and talked for, liek, 20 minutes (I understood maybe 1/3, but it was pretty funny). One part of that stands out in my memory is when one of them said something that the crowd shouted back for, one of them said something like "Oh, I hear a lot of women's voices, but not a lot of men," which is actually not mysterious, since, well, they're sort of that kind of group. So then he asked all the men to shout at once "僕はここにいますよ！" which is basically "I'm here!" using a masculine pronoun for I. Needless to say, Joon Woo and I shouted our loudest. Then another set, and then, in the middle of the concert they stopped and talked for over an hour. Which probably would have been better if I understood more, but still was fairly entertaining, though I liked the music more.
After the concert, Joon Woo and Wu Di went to see another concert (Do As Infinity) which included a New Year's countdown at another location, and Clara and I went to join a big group, most of the AIKOMsei in Tokyo plus some non AIKOMsei, at Zoujouji (増上寺 - it's so fulfilling when I can actually read place names in kanji and even correctly guess how it's said). There was a whole festival set-up with mochi-making, free amazake, and all kinds of food for sale. We arrived just in time to see the inside of the temple before it closed. The outside was also quite beautiful, and right behind it was the very nearby Tokyo Tower. In the end, it was a really excellent place to count down (kudos to Alden, or whoever it was that found out about it!). We did some of the usual games of sharing reflections on the past year and resolutions and hopes (and in this case, as I think I've sort of mentioned before, kanji) for the new year. At Zoujouji there were also a large number of clear balloons that people tied wishes for the new year written on cards to. We were too late to get them, though.
Five minutes before midnight, all the lights on Tokyo Tower went out. The crowd all chanted the countdown together, and then at midnight released all the balloons together. It was really, really spectacular, watching them all ride up, glittering around the moon. Tokyo Tower also came back on right at midnight, with "2010" lit up in giant numerals on the side.
After surviving the crushing crowd leaving the temple, Clara, Yang Rei, Mina and I made our way to Shinjuku, where we happened to meet up with Wu Di and Joon Woo coming back from the DoA concert, and we all went to Kichijouji for karaoke with Sarah, Tommy and Kilar. We stayed in karaoke until 5. I sang lots of Spitz, this time, and, perhaps most memorably, Utada Hikaru's "Boku wa Kuma" for Kuma-san aka Joon Woo. Mina and I also sung a duet of "A Whole New World" which will live in eternity. All in all, very enjoyable. After karaoke we stood around trying to figure out where to go to see the sunrise for so long that it became impossible to go very far and make it in time. Kilar left, and finally Wu Di and Clara decided to skip the sunrise and go for Hatsukmode (first shrine-visit of the new year) at Meiji-jingu, one of the most famous shrines in Japan, and probably the most famous one for hatsumode. For the sunrise team, I suggested Inokashira Park, but since we weren't sure if the trees would be too tall and dense to see it decently we finally got on the bus to the dorm, figuring we could at least see it from the third floor. As our bus was passing the park, though, we could see that it actually would be pretty good there, so we pressed button to get off and ran down the street in the dark, back to the park entrance. XD We hurried through the large park, trying to beat the sun to the lake, which we figured would be the best place to view from. And in the end, it turned out perfectly, somehow. The lake was completely still, and the park was quiet, with very few other people around. We ended up taking hatsumode at a little shrine right there in the park, on the edge of the lake, and finally saw the first sunrise from one of the bridges.
From there, we went to the Gasuto in Kichijouji for our first meal of the new year, a Japanese-stlye breakfast. Finally Mina left to go back tot he dorm and sleep, but Tommy, Joon Woo, Sarah and I stayed there two or three hours, until it was time to go meet some Chabashira folks for a trip to Meiji-jingu (as I said, the most famous place for hatsumode). Although we'd already taken hatsumode on the spur of the moment, after finding ourselves at a shrine in the park, it still seemed like something I'd regret not doing if I skipped. It took a long time, but finally we did meet everyone from Chabashira plus Park (Joon Woo's friend who I met on our trip to Yokohama) and another friend of Joon Woo's. Meiji-jingu was really, really packed. There was a huge security force herding a solid queue of people 50-feet wide that went on and on. Because it was so packed, it was kind of hard to actually see the shrine; I'll definitely have to go back sometime. We prayed there, and then Sarah, Tommy and I, not having slept, said our goodbyes, while everyone else went off for lunch. I fell asleep on the train home for the first time ever, and then also on the bus (also the first time ever), and finally got home and slept at about 2, some 27 hours after I left. XD
Continuing my catch-up of recent events, though...
The 30th I spent a pretty quiet day mostly in. I can't really really remember much from it. In the evening was very small party for Miyamoto's birthday (since practically all the Japanese students went home for New Year's and the AIKOMsei, who all know him at least somewhat, were out), where I got much more familiar with Shoya, who I'd met a few times before at larger gatherings. It was a good, mellow time. "As I've turned 20 [the legal drinking age in Japan], I'll try alcohol!" "ええええ ビール苦いな!" Oh, Miyamoto (the most notorious drinker in Mitaka Dorm). XD
On the the 31st I left the dorm shortly after 11 AM with Joon Woo, Clara and Wu Di, for Tokyo Dome, where the concert we were going to that evening was to be held. We got to the entertainment complex next to it, Tokyo Dome City and there ate soba (traditional new year's food). No one else dared, but I braved the brilliantly named Thunder Dolphin, which I later found out is the largest roller coaster in Tokyo (not that there are many roller coasters in Tokyo). Clara and Wu Di went on a log flume, we ate in a cafe, bought some snacks at a convenience store, and headed to Tokyo Dome itself, for the concert.
When we got to the entrance, to our dismay we found that they were searching all bags, and prohibited items included PET bottles, such as those we had purchased drinks for the concert in at the konbini. Curiously, though, after the guard asked me to take off my bag and put it on the table, he opened it, looked inside, saw the two plastic bags (mine and Joon Woo's), and just shut it again. XD He asked if we had cameras (also prohibited), Joon Woo said no (though I did), and without checking, the guard let us through.
"...Is it because I'm gaijin?" Quite possibly. I guess it's okay sometimes.
The group we were seeing (actually only two guys), KinKi Kids, I have a few songs from that I've gotten as parts of bigger downloads over time (cough), but I never really knew anything about (such as that it's only two guys). The music was quite enjoyable, and the accompanying light show was also spectacular. Apparently a lot of their fame stems from their appearances on television shows, where they're quite funny. Accordingly, after the first four songs or so they stopped and talked for, liek, 20 minutes (I understood maybe 1/3, but it was pretty funny). One part of that stands out in my memory is when one of them said something that the crowd shouted back for, one of them said something like "Oh, I hear a lot of women's voices, but not a lot of men," which is actually not mysterious, since, well, they're sort of that kind of group. So then he asked all the men to shout at once "僕はここにいますよ！" which is basically "I'm here!" using a masculine pronoun for I. Needless to say, Joon Woo and I shouted our loudest. Then another set, and then, in the middle of the concert they stopped and talked for over an hour. Which probably would have been better if I understood more, but still was fairly entertaining, though I liked the music more.
After the concert, Joon Woo and Wu Di went to see another concert (Do As Infinity) which included a New Year's countdown at another location, and Clara and I went to join a big group, most of the AIKOMsei in Tokyo plus some non AIKOMsei, at Zoujouji (増上寺 - it's so fulfilling when I can actually read place names in kanji and even correctly guess how it's said). There was a whole festival set-up with mochi-making, free amazake, and all kinds of food for sale. We arrived just in time to see the inside of the temple before it closed. The outside was also quite beautiful, and right behind it was the very nearby Tokyo Tower. In the end, it was a really excellent place to count down (kudos to Alden, or whoever it was that found out about it!). We did some of the usual games of sharing reflections on the past year and resolutions and hopes (and in this case, as I think I've sort of mentioned before, kanji) for the new year. At Zoujouji there were also a large number of clear balloons that people tied wishes for the new year written on cards to. We were too late to get them, though.
Five minutes before midnight, all the lights on Tokyo Tower went out. The crowd all chanted the countdown together, and then at midnight released all the balloons together. It was really, really spectacular, watching them all ride up, glittering around the moon. Tokyo Tower also came back on right at midnight, with "2010" lit up in giant numerals on the side.
After surviving the crushing crowd leaving the temple, Clara, Yang Rei, Mina and I made our way to Shinjuku, where we happened to meet up with Wu Di and Joon Woo coming back from the DoA concert, and we all went to Kichijouji for karaoke with Sarah, Tommy and Kilar. We stayed in karaoke until 5. I sang lots of Spitz, this time, and, perhaps most memorably, Utada Hikaru's "Boku wa Kuma" for Kuma-san aka Joon Woo. Mina and I also sung a duet of "A Whole New World" which will live in eternity. All in all, very enjoyable. After karaoke we stood around trying to figure out where to go to see the sunrise for so long that it became impossible to go very far and make it in time. Kilar left, and finally Wu Di and Clara decided to skip the sunrise and go for Hatsukmode (first shrine-visit of the new year) at Meiji-jingu, one of the most famous shrines in Japan, and probably the most famous one for hatsumode. For the sunrise team, I suggested Inokashira Park, but since we weren't sure if the trees would be too tall and dense to see it decently we finally got on the bus to the dorm, figuring we could at least see it from the third floor. As our bus was passing the park, though, we could see that it actually would be pretty good there, so we pressed button to get off and ran down the street in the dark, back to the park entrance. XD We hurried through the large park, trying to beat the sun to the lake, which we figured would be the best place to view from. And in the end, it turned out perfectly, somehow. The lake was completely still, and the park was quiet, with very few other people around. We ended up taking hatsumode at a little shrine right there in the park, on the edge of the lake, and finally saw the first sunrise from one of the bridges.
From there, we went to the Gasuto in Kichijouji for our first meal of the new year, a Japanese-stlye breakfast. Finally Mina left to go back tot he dorm and sleep, but Tommy, Joon Woo, Sarah and I stayed there two or three hours, until it was time to go meet some Chabashira folks for a trip to Meiji-jingu (as I said, the most famous place for hatsumode). Although we'd already taken hatsumode on the spur of the moment, after finding ourselves at a shrine in the park, it still seemed like something I'd regret not doing if I skipped. It took a long time, but finally we did meet everyone from Chabashira plus Park (Joon Woo's friend who I met on our trip to Yokohama) and another friend of Joon Woo's. Meiji-jingu was really, really packed. There was a huge security force herding a solid queue of people 50-feet wide that went on and on. Because it was so packed, it was kind of hard to actually see the shrine; I'll definitely have to go back sometime. We prayed there, and then Sarah, Tommy and I, not having slept, said our goodbyes, while everyone else went off for lunch. I fell asleep on the train home for the first time ever, and then also on the bus (also the first time ever), and finally got home and slept at about 2, some 27 hours after I left. XD
Monday, January 4, 2010
Kawaguchiko/Mt. Fuji area tour!
Well, first I'll mention that after getting back from Osaka by shinkansen I dropped my bags at home and then went back out to the Chabashira bounenkai (year-end party). It was fun. The most memorable things that come to mind are that Sho Hayashi came (I can't remember ever seeing him at Chabashira events, so it was a very nice surprise), Akabane got a surprise birthday celebration in the middle of it, complete with getting pied in the face, Sho and I might have (but probably didn't, I suppose) eaten some unidentified seafood in the bottom of pretty glasses of soda we were given, and Joon Woo won two cans of "Extreme" pickle-flavored Pringles in Bingo (I won some Rirakkuma snacks, which were not extreme). Neither I nor Joon Woo nor Sarah went to the nijikai, since we were to be traveling in the morning.
And so, the next morning we gathered in front of the Common Hall, myself, Joon Woo (aka Kuma(-san)), Alden, Wu Di, Yang Rei, and Clara. I was surprised to see Sarah there, since she was going to meet us at Kichijouji, but she apparently hadn't slept, and since she had a little extra time when she was done with all she had to do, decided to meet us at the dorm. I'm always find people who can just decide not to sleep for one night kind of amazing and very mysterious. Certain not something I can pull off without a full day (or two) of recovery.
We got on the bus, bought our train tickets (which also gave us free transport around Kawaguchiko on the bus), ate at McDonald's, and finally got on our train, last stop Ootsuki. It was pretty uncrowded (we all got seats easily) when we got on, and by the time we got off to transfer there were, in our whole car, our group, two older women and a a young couple. This in the morning, albeit after rush hour, on a Monday. Ootsuki is a long way from Kichijouji.
In the hour an a half on the train, the scenery completely changed. Unlike going to Osaka, which was another big Japanese city but with a somewhat different flavor, as we went more and more into the mountains past little towns nestled in little valleys and reached a point where the train doors didn't even open automatically at each stop, but required the press of a button, it really felt like we'd reached another world from Tokyo.
We took one more train, proportioned painfully small and decorated very colorfully with Thomas the Tank Engine (what?), from the window of which I saw Mt. Fuji with my own eyes for the first time(!). And finally, we arrived Kawaguchiko station. It was so bright and air was so clean, and right there from the station was a stunning view of Mt. Fuji. Mt. Fuji, being the tallest mountain in Japan, is often not visible if there are clouds, but we were lucky, and the sky was completely clear. Even what I thought at first was some strange white wispy cloud clinging to the peak I soon realized was just snow blowing off of it.
We ate the specialty udon of a neat restaurant near the station that Joon Woo had seen recommended in travel guides, and then took the bus to a little building from where our guided tour of the forest began.
Around the base of Mt. Fuji is a very (in)famous forest called the "sea of trees." As the name suggests, it's very large. It's particularly famous as a frightening place. Compasses don't work, because on the magnetic rock, and it's impossible to walk in a straight line because the surface of the ground is so convoluted. Before coming to Japan I knew of it mostly as a forest famous for people getting lost and dieing in and as a place where people go to kill themselves. As our guide explained, it's so dark inside that no plants flower and there are virtually no flying insects. Anyway, we went on a pretty short, planned route, which took about 45 minutes, with our guide explaining things in Japanese that I half-understood (Joon Woo and Sarah kindly explained the rest). The tour also included a short walk into a little cave, which was interesting. Other times of year there's apparently a much greater cave portion, but right now the bats are hibernating, so it's bad to disturb them.
Finally a van from the hotel came and picked us up, and we were taken to the hotel, far away from the town and practically everything else. The hotel was just at the base of one ridge of mountains on one side, and just in front of a lake on the other. When we got there the sun was just setting, casting red light on one side of Mt. Fuji. Before doing anything else, we jumped out of the van ran down to the water's edge and watched the light quickly disappear. It was really beautiful, and we all ran around laughing ridiculously, doing silly things. XD
I was really excited by the room, when we got to it. It was my first time in a Japanese-style inn (the hotel in Osaka was western-style), and it was just as I imagined it. The front door, followed by one sliding door, then another, then the main room. Tatami floor, kotatsu with tea set laid out, and behind a set of sliding screens on the far side of the room a small sitting area with huge windows, basically the whole wall, facing Mt. Fuji. The place really was quite perfect; we all had to thank Joon Woo, who found it.
We found in ours, the boys' room, three yukata (casual kimono) prepared for us and changed into them. We stopped by the girls' room next door, just as nice, and then went down to the onsen. This place had a very nice onsen right in the hotel, with an indoor bath (too hot), a fenced-in outdoor bath on the first floor, and an outdoor bath with a view of Mt. Fuji on the roof. The baths on the first floor we could use freely, but the one on the roof we had only a half-hour of free use with that came with the room, which we had to reserve. So, for the evening we went to the first floor outdoor one, which was quite nice. Afterward we went back to the room, goofed around a bit, then down to dinner, which was also included. And, whoa, what a dinner. Japanese food, many small dishes, all delicious, and slightly more than I could eat, though I gave it my all.
Afterward the seven of us went back to the boy's room. I was surprised to find that while we'd been at dinner, the staff had come and laid out our bedding (futons on the floor, this being all Japanese-style). We sat around the kotatsu and talked for a few hours. This included telling some scary stories to frighten the girls (minus Sarah, who told the scariest story and had nerves of steel) while eating snacks and drinking tea, Joon Woo trying to trick people into eating his pickle Pringles... XD
After another round in the onsen I slept really deeply (why can't my futon at home be nice like that?) and woke up to an alarm in the morning. We'd hoped to get some good group photos in front of Mt. Fuji with the sunrise, and so agreed with the girls to get up early. But when we looked out the window, we found that outside there were thick, low clouds, and besides not being able to see the top of the mountain, we could hardly see any of it at all. So, being us, we went back to bed while our futons were still warm (it seems that the girls stayed awake and took pictures of the still-pretty sunrise).
When our appointment in the fourth-floor bath came, we got up and went. It being just after dawn up in the mountains, it was really, really cold, so stripping down there in the semi-outdoor space before going out to the really outdoor space of the bath was awful, but then the hot, hot water, which normally feels sometimes too hot, felt fantastic. The clouds had even lifted somewhat, so that although the peak was hidden, we could see most of Mt. Fuji.
We ate breakfast, again from the hotel, again Japanese food, which was again quite good, and finally checked out. The hotel staff drove us again, this time to a bus stop where a bus was coming soon. Totally unlike Tokyo, where the bus comes every few minutes, these were once an hour or fewer. XD
We went back to town. It feels like I'm forgetting something, but as far as I can recall we then walked straight out to (actually sort of more into the town) Mt. Kachikachi, which is apparently famous in Japan as the location of a common childrens' story about a raccoon and rabbit. We took the cable car up the mountain, and enjoyed a great view of the town below, as well as of Mt. Fuji, which was still partially covered in clouds, but with its peak showing.
It's funny, it feels just slightly weird to say refer to Mt. Fuji as "it," which is ridiculous, since it's definitely an it. I was reflecting the other day on how, in Japan, so for the last three months, in speech I use almost exclusively either Japanese or "Janglish," a mix of Japanese and English, but almost never pure English. I use it (more or less) in writing online, of course, but for three months or so I've, at the least, used Japanese words in English conversation when it's easier or more convenient (for there are many words in Japanese that don't really have good, simple equivalents in English). Somewhat similarly, for many things, like Mt. Fuji, I and the people around me almost always use the Japanese, even when talking in English. In Japanese, instead of the prefix "Mount" for mountains' names, there's the suffix "-山," which is usually read/said "-san." As many people know, the most commonly used honorific suffix on people's names (sort of similar to "Mr." or "Ms." prefixes in English) is also said "-san." So, given that we're all constantly saying "Fuji-san," plus the general mystique and nature of its presence in our consciousnesses, and it's easy to get a feeling that Mt. Fuji is somehow alive. やっぱり、I kind of feel like saying "he," rather than "it."
Anyway, we came down from the mountain and tried to visit a shrine and temple on our map, but they were both closed. We then tried a teddy bear museum, but it too was closed. The problem with going on the 29th of December in Japan, I guess. Still, we had fun walking around in the sunshine, skipping stones (or at least trying), eating lunch, buying souvenirs, visiting the "Cheesecake Garden" and getting a little lost before boarding our train home. In Kichijouji we had dinner at La Pausa before heading our separate ways for the night.
All in all, a really fantastic trip. For various reasons, I enjoyed it more than the much more expensive Osaka trip, I'm afraid. In the end, I'm really much interested in things that are somehow cultural, I guess. Something like that. Experiencing new aspects of Japan that I can only experience in Japan. This was simply a much more novel and amazing trip.
And so, the next morning we gathered in front of the Common Hall, myself, Joon Woo (aka Kuma(-san)), Alden, Wu Di, Yang Rei, and Clara. I was surprised to see Sarah there, since she was going to meet us at Kichijouji, but she apparently hadn't slept, and since she had a little extra time when she was done with all she had to do, decided to meet us at the dorm. I'm always find people who can just decide not to sleep for one night kind of amazing and very mysterious. Certain not something I can pull off without a full day (or two) of recovery.
We got on the bus, bought our train tickets (which also gave us free transport around Kawaguchiko on the bus), ate at McDonald's, and finally got on our train, last stop Ootsuki. It was pretty uncrowded (we all got seats easily) when we got on, and by the time we got off to transfer there were, in our whole car, our group, two older women and a a young couple. This in the morning, albeit after rush hour, on a Monday. Ootsuki is a long way from Kichijouji.
In the hour an a half on the train, the scenery completely changed. Unlike going to Osaka, which was another big Japanese city but with a somewhat different flavor, as we went more and more into the mountains past little towns nestled in little valleys and reached a point where the train doors didn't even open automatically at each stop, but required the press of a button, it really felt like we'd reached another world from Tokyo.
We took one more train, proportioned painfully small and decorated very colorfully with Thomas the Tank Engine (what?), from the window of which I saw Mt. Fuji with my own eyes for the first time(!). And finally, we arrived Kawaguchiko station. It was so bright and air was so clean, and right there from the station was a stunning view of Mt. Fuji. Mt. Fuji, being the tallest mountain in Japan, is often not visible if there are clouds, but we were lucky, and the sky was completely clear. Even what I thought at first was some strange white wispy cloud clinging to the peak I soon realized was just snow blowing off of it.
We ate the specialty udon of a neat restaurant near the station that Joon Woo had seen recommended in travel guides, and then took the bus to a little building from where our guided tour of the forest began.
Around the base of Mt. Fuji is a very (in)famous forest called the "sea of trees." As the name suggests, it's very large. It's particularly famous as a frightening place. Compasses don't work, because on the magnetic rock, and it's impossible to walk in a straight line because the surface of the ground is so convoluted. Before coming to Japan I knew of it mostly as a forest famous for people getting lost and dieing in and as a place where people go to kill themselves. As our guide explained, it's so dark inside that no plants flower and there are virtually no flying insects. Anyway, we went on a pretty short, planned route, which took about 45 minutes, with our guide explaining things in Japanese that I half-understood (Joon Woo and Sarah kindly explained the rest). The tour also included a short walk into a little cave, which was interesting. Other times of year there's apparently a much greater cave portion, but right now the bats are hibernating, so it's bad to disturb them.
Finally a van from the hotel came and picked us up, and we were taken to the hotel, far away from the town and practically everything else. The hotel was just at the base of one ridge of mountains on one side, and just in front of a lake on the other. When we got there the sun was just setting, casting red light on one side of Mt. Fuji. Before doing anything else, we jumped out of the van ran down to the water's edge and watched the light quickly disappear. It was really beautiful, and we all ran around laughing ridiculously, doing silly things. XD
I was really excited by the room, when we got to it. It was my first time in a Japanese-style inn (the hotel in Osaka was western-style), and it was just as I imagined it. The front door, followed by one sliding door, then another, then the main room. Tatami floor, kotatsu with tea set laid out, and behind a set of sliding screens on the far side of the room a small sitting area with huge windows, basically the whole wall, facing Mt. Fuji. The place really was quite perfect; we all had to thank Joon Woo, who found it.
We found in ours, the boys' room, three yukata (casual kimono) prepared for us and changed into them. We stopped by the girls' room next door, just as nice, and then went down to the onsen. This place had a very nice onsen right in the hotel, with an indoor bath (too hot), a fenced-in outdoor bath on the first floor, and an outdoor bath with a view of Mt. Fuji on the roof. The baths on the first floor we could use freely, but the one on the roof we had only a half-hour of free use with that came with the room, which we had to reserve. So, for the evening we went to the first floor outdoor one, which was quite nice. Afterward we went back to the room, goofed around a bit, then down to dinner, which was also included. And, whoa, what a dinner. Japanese food, many small dishes, all delicious, and slightly more than I could eat, though I gave it my all.
Afterward the seven of us went back to the boy's room. I was surprised to find that while we'd been at dinner, the staff had come and laid out our bedding (futons on the floor, this being all Japanese-style). We sat around the kotatsu and talked for a few hours. This included telling some scary stories to frighten the girls (minus Sarah, who told the scariest story and had nerves of steel) while eating snacks and drinking tea, Joon Woo trying to trick people into eating his pickle Pringles... XD
After another round in the onsen I slept really deeply (why can't my futon at home be nice like that?) and woke up to an alarm in the morning. We'd hoped to get some good group photos in front of Mt. Fuji with the sunrise, and so agreed with the girls to get up early. But when we looked out the window, we found that outside there were thick, low clouds, and besides not being able to see the top of the mountain, we could hardly see any of it at all. So, being us, we went back to bed while our futons were still warm (it seems that the girls stayed awake and took pictures of the still-pretty sunrise).
When our appointment in the fourth-floor bath came, we got up and went. It being just after dawn up in the mountains, it was really, really cold, so stripping down there in the semi-outdoor space before going out to the really outdoor space of the bath was awful, but then the hot, hot water, which normally feels sometimes too hot, felt fantastic. The clouds had even lifted somewhat, so that although the peak was hidden, we could see most of Mt. Fuji.
We ate breakfast, again from the hotel, again Japanese food, which was again quite good, and finally checked out. The hotel staff drove us again, this time to a bus stop where a bus was coming soon. Totally unlike Tokyo, where the bus comes every few minutes, these were once an hour or fewer. XD
We went back to town. It feels like I'm forgetting something, but as far as I can recall we then walked straight out to (actually sort of more into the town) Mt. Kachikachi, which is apparently famous in Japan as the location of a common childrens' story about a raccoon and rabbit. We took the cable car up the mountain, and enjoyed a great view of the town below, as well as of Mt. Fuji, which was still partially covered in clouds, but with its peak showing.
It's funny, it feels just slightly weird to say refer to Mt. Fuji as "it," which is ridiculous, since it's definitely an it. I was reflecting the other day on how, in Japan, so for the last three months, in speech I use almost exclusively either Japanese or "Janglish," a mix of Japanese and English, but almost never pure English. I use it (more or less) in writing online, of course, but for three months or so I've, at the least, used Japanese words in English conversation when it's easier or more convenient (for there are many words in Japanese that don't really have good, simple equivalents in English). Somewhat similarly, for many things, like Mt. Fuji, I and the people around me almost always use the Japanese, even when talking in English. In Japanese, instead of the prefix "Mount" for mountains' names, there's the suffix "-山," which is usually read/said "-san." As many people know, the most commonly used honorific suffix on people's names (sort of similar to "Mr." or "Ms." prefixes in English) is also said "-san." So, given that we're all constantly saying "Fuji-san," plus the general mystique and nature of its presence in our consciousnesses, and it's easy to get a feeling that Mt. Fuji is somehow alive. やっぱり、I kind of feel like saying "he," rather than "it."
Anyway, we came down from the mountain and tried to visit a shrine and temple on our map, but they were both closed. We then tried a teddy bear museum, but it too was closed. The problem with going on the 29th of December in Japan, I guess. Still, we had fun walking around in the sunshine, skipping stones (or at least trying), eating lunch, buying souvenirs, visiting the "Cheesecake Garden" and getting a little lost before boarding our train home. In Kichijouji we had dinner at La Pausa before heading our separate ways for the night.
All in all, a really fantastic trip. For various reasons, I enjoyed it more than the much more expensive Osaka trip, I'm afraid. In the end, I'm really much interested in things that are somehow cultural, I guess. Something like that. Experiencing new aspects of Japan that I can only experience in Japan. This was simply a much more novel and amazing trip.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Osaka Trip
Shinkansen (bullet train) tickets are expensive. They're a little cheaper if you buy them a few months in advance, but not a whole lot. As it was, on the way out Zhemin and I bought them in Shibuya station the day before we needed them for about 13000 yen each, one-way. Ouch.
On the morning of the 24th, Mina, Zhemin and I set off to Tokyo station (the first time I'd ever stopped there, actually - I really need to see more of inner/old Tokyo). From there we got on the Shinkansen. I was surprised by how regular they were - about every half hour or so. We had unreserved seats, so we just got on the first one that left after we got there. Zhemin sat a row ahead of Mina and I, to better take pictures out the window (his main objective of the trip seemed to be, as the trip went on, to take photos).
It's always a bit of a trip leaving Tokyo. Seeing small farms out the window can be way more exciting than I ever thought after a month in the city. Still, it's funny how different Japan is from the US in terms of geography and habitation. Though there were yes, some farms, almost all the space that wasn't mountains was fairly densely developed. A small town in Japan is, if I can manage to put my old American goggles on, really generally not that small. The difference is that a four-story building stands out out there in the "country," but the fact remains that there's hardly a square foot undeveloped for miles, and the town stretches continuously a long, long way wherever the ground is reasonable level.
Shinkansen, though expensive, as I said, is a really nice way to travel. It's fast. If the time it takes to get through an airport in Japan is anything like int he US, probably as fast as flying for Tokyo to Osaka, at around two and a half hours. Unlike in planes, however, the seats are large and comfortable, there's plenty of leg room, and there's often interesting scenery to see out the window. I was actually a little sad when we got to our destination so quickly; I'd been enjoying the ride, playing word games with Mina, chatting, watching the changing scenery, and reading A Wild Sheep Chase for my Japanese novels class. I saw from the window for a brief moment Kyoto (I'll be back!), the coast and ocean, many (sort of) small towns, the black interiors of many tunnels, and as we went through the mountains even some half-melted snow hanging on in the shadows, the first snow I'd seen for the year.
When we got to Shin-Osaka station, we realized that we hadn't written down the name of the station near our hotel, though we had a decent idea of where it was. Mina phoned someone at the dorm (Trang, maybe?), who kindly looked it up and told us, and we were on our way. After an encounter with a cantankerous old taxi driver, we arrived at the hotel and successfully checked in (Zhemin using his passport, since, in defiance of the risk of getting deported at any moment, he still hasn't gotten his state-issued alien registration ID).
I had talked Zhemin into getting a cheaper hotel than he'd originally set his sights on, so I was a little worried that if it weren't nice I'd be somewhat responsible. It wasn't the newest or shiniest building, but the room was actually quite nice. At first I was excited by it, even. The concept of sleeping on a mattress after almost three months of sleeping on a pitifully thin economy futon (basically the equivalent of laying a thick quilt over a board and sleeping on that) was especially mouth-watering. But soon it was actually slightly depressing how much more spacious the room was than my dorm room. Open floor space, a bathroom so big you don't have to lean over the toilet when showering (a bathroom that is not, the entire room, the shower stall itself, for that matter), a decent heater, a mini-kitchen with a more than two square feet of stage space, and a real balcony overlooking the concrete office building next door. These are the things I only dream of back in the dorm.
We soon went out again, though it was already dark. We ate dinner at a kind of unremarkable little diner that served mostly Chinese food and was decorated with American flags and old Beatles paraphernalia. From there we walked to Osaka castle, "the symbol of Osaka," which was quite near the hotel. It was shut down for the night, but we looked around the fairly dark grounds a little and up to the base of the main castle, which was brightly illuminated and quite beautiful.
From there, we went to a famous city view that Zhemin wanted to go to. Because it was Christmas eve there was a whole little fair and "German-style" Christmas market set up at the base of the skyscrapers the city view was at, and it was pretty crowded. We went up, after a pretty long line. The really great thing about this city-view was that the viewing platform was outdoors, so we could look directly out, rather than looking through glass windows. The bad thing was that it was really cold. Still, it really was quite beautiful. I spotted Osaka castle, and we also saw an unidentified but interesting red structure in the direction we'd come. So, on our way back we checked it out, and it turned out to be a big Ferris wheel in the middle of the city. We went into the shopping center there, made a stop in a cafe, and then rode the wheel, just in time before it closed at 11. This was the Hep Five wheel, I later found out, 75m in diameter, though the base of it was on, liek, the third floor above the street, so it too had a really nice view. The wheel itself, painted bright vermilion and brightly lit up with flood lights as it slowly turned, was also quite pretty.
Afterward we caught the last train home, looked up some things for the next day, and went to bed.
On the 25th, Christmas day, we set out to the Kaiyuukan, a really famous aquarium in Osaka, one of the largest in the world. As we approached on the train, I saw through the window two things that are known to excite me, which were the sea and a really big Ferris wheel. When we got to the Kaiyuukan station, the atmosphere was so different from in the city proper. It was really bright, the air from the sea was great, the streets were wide... And towering over the buildings, visible from the street, where the huge, sloping towers of suspension bridge. It actually immediately reminded me of Wildwood New Jersey, where I went on a trip the summer before last. This turned out to be somewhat prophetic since, very like the days in Wildwood, the day here turned out to be sort of a giant monster that eats more and more money.
I was, of course, quite excited at the discovery of the second unplanned Ferris Wheel of the trip. This was the Tenpozan Giant Wheel, the largest in the world when it was built. It was really pretty, all bright white structure with various colored gondolas shining in the bright sunlight. So, we rode it, and from the height of the wheel located the Aquarium, where we went next.
The Aquarium was pretty great. My favorites where the giant, 6-foot-wide manta ray and the enormous whale shark. At the cafe in the aquarium I had my first takoyaki (octopus balls). This was just slightly awkward, since we'd just seen a live, friendly enough looking Octopus in one of the tanks. But since takoyaki is supposed to be one of foods Osaka is famous for, I ate them anyway.
After the aquarium we took a ferry from there to Universal Studios Japan. I wasn't really wild about playing the admission price for a theme park, but it was hard to avoid, with Zhemin. Personally, I feel like I really don't care to travel all the way to Osaka to go to a theme park that's startlingly like the one in the US, but I tried to just think of it as a fun thing to do while on vacation.
Enter we did, however, luckily at the reduced price for after 3pm. The park was decorated quite nicely for Christmas. At Zhemin's insistence we waited the hour and a half for the one roller coaster, which was fun but really not great, as roller coasters go. Afterward, Mina and I decided to go to a super-abridged version of Wicked put on for free. It was only half an hour long (about a sixth of the length of the original, I think), and mostly in Japanese (though I could follow most of it), but still pretty enjoyable. Way too abridged to really have any dramatic impact or sense of character development, but a very nice taste of Wicked.
After that we went to the Spiderman ride, which was very good, and the Back to the Future ride, which was very mediocre. Finally, before leaving the park we watched an illuminated parade, which was kind of neat but unmemorable, and bought the only turkey I've found in Japan, a frozen drumstick from a stall vendor.
Mina and I had dinner at Mos Burger (my first time! I never see them in Tokyo...), and we all went home, I think. Overall, I was really surprised at just how unadapted for Japan the park was. I mean, sure, the theme is something like 1930's Hollywood for the outdoors, but two of the seven or so rides were Back to the Future and Jaws. Those seemed, to me, pretty outdated even in the US, and really irrelevant in Osaka. It was kinda weird. There was more Hello Kitty merchandise, perhaps, but overall I guess I was actually disappointed and bored by how very familiar it was.
I'll take a moment here to mention one thing that certainly stood out in my memory.
In Japan, escalators are everywhere. I guess it's just because space is tighter, so things are built much more three-dimensionally than in the US, where we just spread out instead of building up and down. In any case, because I don't often use escalators in the US, and because they aren't usually crowded when I do use them, and perhaps because people in the US aren't quite as rule and group-oriented, I'd never learned any particular escalator etiquette, except that it's forbidden to run up the down escalator. So, the first week I was in Tokyo I had to learn that on escalators wide enough for two people, those who want to stand stand to the left, and those who want to walk walk on the right. But successfully learn it I did.
But then, when I got to Osaka... It was reversed. People stand on the right and walk on the left. What? This was hard enough the first time. Japan's escalator etiquette is faux pas waiting to happen.
The next day Mina decided to take it easy and stay in her hotel room most of the day. Which was good in that when we were all together Zhemin was constantly annoyed at Mina for wanting to enjoy herself. Although my ideal trip is somewhere between his and hers (the two of which were vastly different), closer to hers, Zhemin listened to me better than he did to Mina, so things went more easily.
The two of us went first to Shitennoji, the "first Buddhist and oldest officially administered temple in Japan," which I'd really wanted to go to. Afterward we walked to a tower nearby, which was old and not that tall, but still had a nice view. We had some better Takoyaki from a streetside stall, and eventually headed off to about halfway between Kobe and Osaka, to Koshien, a really famous baseball stadium (僕は全然興味ないけど). It was under renovations, though, so we just walked once around the outside and got back on the train. On the way back we spontaneously got off the train at a station that was built on a bridge over a river. It was a concrete-banked river, but pretty wide, and with gently sloped concrete banks, so it was still sort of scenic. We walked about two kilometers down on one side, crossed a bridge to the other side, and walked back. From there we went to another City View, this time at the top of Osaka's World Trade Center. The whole area around it was really weirdly deserted. At this point, after a skyscraper city view, a view from a tower and two Ferris wheels, the view from this skyscraper was not that exciting, but not bad. At night the ocean (this one was right on the coast) is just black, but there were some cool, illuminated boats.
The following morning we checked out of the hotel after warming up the turkey leg in the microwave, and Zhemin left for somewhere on the train. Mina and I went to McDonald's, where she ate one of their breakfast meals and I ate a turkey drumstick. She then left for Kyoto on the non-shinkansen kyuukou trains, and I went back to Osaka castle to see it in the daylight.
I walked all around the grounds, which are really something. As an American, I almost never see structures more than a hundred years old, let alone three or four hundred. The stone walls and moats and everything are amazing, and the castle itself looks beautiful in the daylight as well. Finally, around 12:30 I bought a shinkansen ticket in Shin-Osaka station and hopped on a train (this time they were leaving, liek, every ten minutes, which was nice).
To some extent, it was a little boring, since it was traveling from one of Japan's biggest cities to another of Japan's biggest cities... But the feeling of Osaka was somewhat different from Tokyo, and there were many noticeable concrete differences (trains much less crowded, streets much wider, people in general seeming more casual). Zhemin said he liked Osaka more, but after the trip I have to say that my heart has definitely attached itself to Tokyo. Although I've only lived here three months, I still really felt some kind of sense of relief of coming home after three nights in Osaka when the train got to Tokyo. XD
And then I got off and in the station everyone was standing on the left side of the escalator and the world made sense again.
On the morning of the 24th, Mina, Zhemin and I set off to Tokyo station (the first time I'd ever stopped there, actually - I really need to see more of inner/old Tokyo). From there we got on the Shinkansen. I was surprised by how regular they were - about every half hour or so. We had unreserved seats, so we just got on the first one that left after we got there. Zhemin sat a row ahead of Mina and I, to better take pictures out the window (his main objective of the trip seemed to be, as the trip went on, to take photos).
It's always a bit of a trip leaving Tokyo. Seeing small farms out the window can be way more exciting than I ever thought after a month in the city. Still, it's funny how different Japan is from the US in terms of geography and habitation. Though there were yes, some farms, almost all the space that wasn't mountains was fairly densely developed. A small town in Japan is, if I can manage to put my old American goggles on, really generally not that small. The difference is that a four-story building stands out out there in the "country," but the fact remains that there's hardly a square foot undeveloped for miles, and the town stretches continuously a long, long way wherever the ground is reasonable level.
Shinkansen, though expensive, as I said, is a really nice way to travel. It's fast. If the time it takes to get through an airport in Japan is anything like int he US, probably as fast as flying for Tokyo to Osaka, at around two and a half hours. Unlike in planes, however, the seats are large and comfortable, there's plenty of leg room, and there's often interesting scenery to see out the window. I was actually a little sad when we got to our destination so quickly; I'd been enjoying the ride, playing word games with Mina, chatting, watching the changing scenery, and reading A Wild Sheep Chase for my Japanese novels class. I saw from the window for a brief moment Kyoto (I'll be back!), the coast and ocean, many (sort of) small towns, the black interiors of many tunnels, and as we went through the mountains even some half-melted snow hanging on in the shadows, the first snow I'd seen for the year.
When we got to Shin-Osaka station, we realized that we hadn't written down the name of the station near our hotel, though we had a decent idea of where it was. Mina phoned someone at the dorm (Trang, maybe?), who kindly looked it up and told us, and we were on our way. After an encounter with a cantankerous old taxi driver, we arrived at the hotel and successfully checked in (Zhemin using his passport, since, in defiance of the risk of getting deported at any moment, he still hasn't gotten his state-issued alien registration ID).
I had talked Zhemin into getting a cheaper hotel than he'd originally set his sights on, so I was a little worried that if it weren't nice I'd be somewhat responsible. It wasn't the newest or shiniest building, but the room was actually quite nice. At first I was excited by it, even. The concept of sleeping on a mattress after almost three months of sleeping on a pitifully thin economy futon (basically the equivalent of laying a thick quilt over a board and sleeping on that) was especially mouth-watering. But soon it was actually slightly depressing how much more spacious the room was than my dorm room. Open floor space, a bathroom so big you don't have to lean over the toilet when showering (a bathroom that is not, the entire room, the shower stall itself, for that matter), a decent heater, a mini-kitchen with a more than two square feet of stage space, and a real balcony overlooking the concrete office building next door. These are the things I only dream of back in the dorm.
We soon went out again, though it was already dark. We ate dinner at a kind of unremarkable little diner that served mostly Chinese food and was decorated with American flags and old Beatles paraphernalia. From there we walked to Osaka castle, "the symbol of Osaka," which was quite near the hotel. It was shut down for the night, but we looked around the fairly dark grounds a little and up to the base of the main castle, which was brightly illuminated and quite beautiful.
From there, we went to a famous city view that Zhemin wanted to go to. Because it was Christmas eve there was a whole little fair and "German-style" Christmas market set up at the base of the skyscrapers the city view was at, and it was pretty crowded. We went up, after a pretty long line. The really great thing about this city-view was that the viewing platform was outdoors, so we could look directly out, rather than looking through glass windows. The bad thing was that it was really cold. Still, it really was quite beautiful. I spotted Osaka castle, and we also saw an unidentified but interesting red structure in the direction we'd come. So, on our way back we checked it out, and it turned out to be a big Ferris wheel in the middle of the city. We went into the shopping center there, made a stop in a cafe, and then rode the wheel, just in time before it closed at 11. This was the Hep Five wheel, I later found out, 75m in diameter, though the base of it was on, liek, the third floor above the street, so it too had a really nice view. The wheel itself, painted bright vermilion and brightly lit up with flood lights as it slowly turned, was also quite pretty.
Afterward we caught the last train home, looked up some things for the next day, and went to bed.
On the 25th, Christmas day, we set out to the Kaiyuukan, a really famous aquarium in Osaka, one of the largest in the world. As we approached on the train, I saw through the window two things that are known to excite me, which were the sea and a really big Ferris wheel. When we got to the Kaiyuukan station, the atmosphere was so different from in the city proper. It was really bright, the air from the sea was great, the streets were wide... And towering over the buildings, visible from the street, where the huge, sloping towers of suspension bridge. It actually immediately reminded me of Wildwood New Jersey, where I went on a trip the summer before last. This turned out to be somewhat prophetic since, very like the days in Wildwood, the day here turned out to be sort of a giant monster that eats more and more money.
I was, of course, quite excited at the discovery of the second unplanned Ferris Wheel of the trip. This was the Tenpozan Giant Wheel, the largest in the world when it was built. It was really pretty, all bright white structure with various colored gondolas shining in the bright sunlight. So, we rode it, and from the height of the wheel located the Aquarium, where we went next.
The Aquarium was pretty great. My favorites where the giant, 6-foot-wide manta ray and the enormous whale shark. At the cafe in the aquarium I had my first takoyaki (octopus balls). This was just slightly awkward, since we'd just seen a live, friendly enough looking Octopus in one of the tanks. But since takoyaki is supposed to be one of foods Osaka is famous for, I ate them anyway.
After the aquarium we took a ferry from there to Universal Studios Japan. I wasn't really wild about playing the admission price for a theme park, but it was hard to avoid, with Zhemin. Personally, I feel like I really don't care to travel all the way to Osaka to go to a theme park that's startlingly like the one in the US, but I tried to just think of it as a fun thing to do while on vacation.
Enter we did, however, luckily at the reduced price for after 3pm. The park was decorated quite nicely for Christmas. At Zhemin's insistence we waited the hour and a half for the one roller coaster, which was fun but really not great, as roller coasters go. Afterward, Mina and I decided to go to a super-abridged version of Wicked put on for free. It was only half an hour long (about a sixth of the length of the original, I think), and mostly in Japanese (though I could follow most of it), but still pretty enjoyable. Way too abridged to really have any dramatic impact or sense of character development, but a very nice taste of Wicked.
After that we went to the Spiderman ride, which was very good, and the Back to the Future ride, which was very mediocre. Finally, before leaving the park we watched an illuminated parade, which was kind of neat but unmemorable, and bought the only turkey I've found in Japan, a frozen drumstick from a stall vendor.
Mina and I had dinner at Mos Burger (my first time! I never see them in Tokyo...), and we all went home, I think. Overall, I was really surprised at just how unadapted for Japan the park was. I mean, sure, the theme is something like 1930's Hollywood for the outdoors, but two of the seven or so rides were Back to the Future and Jaws. Those seemed, to me, pretty outdated even in the US, and really irrelevant in Osaka. It was kinda weird. There was more Hello Kitty merchandise, perhaps, but overall I guess I was actually disappointed and bored by how very familiar it was.
I'll take a moment here to mention one thing that certainly stood out in my memory.
In Japan, escalators are everywhere. I guess it's just because space is tighter, so things are built much more three-dimensionally than in the US, where we just spread out instead of building up and down. In any case, because I don't often use escalators in the US, and because they aren't usually crowded when I do use them, and perhaps because people in the US aren't quite as rule and group-oriented, I'd never learned any particular escalator etiquette, except that it's forbidden to run up the down escalator. So, the first week I was in Tokyo I had to learn that on escalators wide enough for two people, those who want to stand stand to the left, and those who want to walk walk on the right. But successfully learn it I did.
But then, when I got to Osaka... It was reversed. People stand on the right and walk on the left. What? This was hard enough the first time. Japan's escalator etiquette is faux pas waiting to happen.
The next day Mina decided to take it easy and stay in her hotel room most of the day. Which was good in that when we were all together Zhemin was constantly annoyed at Mina for wanting to enjoy herself. Although my ideal trip is somewhere between his and hers (the two of which were vastly different), closer to hers, Zhemin listened to me better than he did to Mina, so things went more easily.
The two of us went first to Shitennoji, the "first Buddhist and oldest officially administered temple in Japan," which I'd really wanted to go to. Afterward we walked to a tower nearby, which was old and not that tall, but still had a nice view. We had some better Takoyaki from a streetside stall, and eventually headed off to about halfway between Kobe and Osaka, to Koshien, a really famous baseball stadium (僕は全然興味ないけど). It was under renovations, though, so we just walked once around the outside and got back on the train. On the way back we spontaneously got off the train at a station that was built on a bridge over a river. It was a concrete-banked river, but pretty wide, and with gently sloped concrete banks, so it was still sort of scenic. We walked about two kilometers down on one side, crossed a bridge to the other side, and walked back. From there we went to another City View, this time at the top of Osaka's World Trade Center. The whole area around it was really weirdly deserted. At this point, after a skyscraper city view, a view from a tower and two Ferris wheels, the view from this skyscraper was not that exciting, but not bad. At night the ocean (this one was right on the coast) is just black, but there were some cool, illuminated boats.
The following morning we checked out of the hotel after warming up the turkey leg in the microwave, and Zhemin left for somewhere on the train. Mina and I went to McDonald's, where she ate one of their breakfast meals and I ate a turkey drumstick. She then left for Kyoto on the non-shinkansen kyuukou trains, and I went back to Osaka castle to see it in the daylight.
I walked all around the grounds, which are really something. As an American, I almost never see structures more than a hundred years old, let alone three or four hundred. The stone walls and moats and everything are amazing, and the castle itself looks beautiful in the daylight as well. Finally, around 12:30 I bought a shinkansen ticket in Shin-Osaka station and hopped on a train (this time they were leaving, liek, every ten minutes, which was nice).
To some extent, it was a little boring, since it was traveling from one of Japan's biggest cities to another of Japan's biggest cities... But the feeling of Osaka was somewhat different from Tokyo, and there were many noticeable concrete differences (trains much less crowded, streets much wider, people in general seeming more casual). Zhemin said he liked Osaka more, but after the trip I have to say that my heart has definitely attached itself to Tokyo. Although I've only lived here three months, I still really felt some kind of sense of relief of coming home after three nights in Osaka when the train got to Tokyo. XD
And then I got off and in the station everyone was standing on the left side of the escalator and the world made sense again.
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