Day 60 - 29th of October

9:34pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
I'm starting to get used to long Thursdays. I didn't get much sleep last night, but I got up early nonetheless. After breakfast I had a shower, then made lunch for later (noodles and salad). It was actually pretty hot today; I want it to be cold already. We're now up to the second last chapter of Genki II - textbook for Japanese. I'll be sorry to say goodbye to the Genki series next semester; even though some of the explanations can be pretty confusing. After my classes, which were all very interesting (surprisingly), I went with Carly, Nadia, and Katie (different Katie), to go pay for the Hokkaido trip. It all went quite smoothly. There are five of us going; another guy (Edward) is joining us. At one point the travel agents were worried that I may have to get a guardians signature since I'm still technically a minor in Japan, but it wasn't needed in the end. So, now the flight and accommodation have all been payed for and I'm so excited; it's less than a month away!!!

After that, Carly and I walked back home, stopping by Shimamura and Avail on the way. She was looking for white tights to complete her Hello Kitty costume for Halloween. Unfortunately she was unsuccessful. As for me, I'm not really fussed with Halloween. We'll be going out that night to a restaurant in Hirakata called "The Hobbit", and then probably karaoke after that. I won't be getting dressed up though; I don't have a costume. Anyway, we came back to the dorm and noticed a flyer on the bulletin board. On the 7th of November, the Kansai Gaidai symphony orchestra will be preforming at the Uni; and it's free!!! I'm so there, and even more so because they'll be playing selections from Princess Mononoke. During koto practice I actually heard a trumpeter practicing the music from it; now I know what it's for. So that's next Saturday is taken care of.

Soon after getting back, I went grocery shopping with Carly, just for a few things I needed at Sanko. I made chicken parmigiana for dinner and it was so good; I was really pleased with myself. The sauce I got from Sanko was amazing. I used the whole bag; Diego thought it was too much, but not me. There were a lot of dishes, but it was totally worth it. I've had a quiet one tonight, Deigo's been working on his economics paper, and I've been doing, well, not much really; I actually ended up doing the homework due tomorrow yesterday. I've been munching on these amazing biscuits (coconut sable); they are so good. Deigo's almost done now. Hopefully I can sleep better tonight; I think I'll have a shower, that might help...

Day 59 - 28th of October

8:36pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
Today was sunny but cool; so I got to do laundry. For both my Japanese classes we got let out early, which was a true rarity indeed. In Speaking, I've got a power point presentation coming up in two weeks, and I volunteed to go first. We have to talk about an experience we've had in Japan. It's only worth 5% of our grade, but I still want to make it good. I'm going to talk about my day at Osaka aquarium; should be good. After class Jo and I went over to Floresta and got donuts. I was doing a bit of homework, and then I realised that I could connect to the internet with my Ipod for free. It's just so annoying that I can't do it at uni or in the dorms. So yeah, that's my new favourite place. After that we went to Reading and Writing, but not before we got our History results back. We noticed the prof with them in his hand, and rushed down to the mailboxes to retrieve them. I got 56/60; YAY!!! I guess I am pretty good at essay writing after all.

In reading and writing we watched a 落語 (rakugo - lit. "fallen speech") performance ~ rakugo is a type of comic monologue that has been performed since the Edo period (over 300 years ago). It was in English, and pretty funny. That was about all we did. Oh, and we got our results back from our mid-terms; 80/100, not bad. I got home soon after, and talked with parents. Then I made lunch and had a nap. I woke up feeling like crap, got my laundry in and then went back to sleep again. An hour later I woke up had a headache; I really hate how naps do that. I had dinner soon after (leftovers), and then came back down to the room. Having a quiet one tonight. Just doing a bit of homework and talking with people over Skype. I think I'm going to have an early night.

Day 58 - 27th of October

11:04pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
From cold rainy day, to warm sunny day. My exam was at 11, so a had little time in the morning. I decided to go shopping at Sanko, since it's cheap on Tuesday. So, expecting it opened at 9, I walked up there; it wasn't. It opens at 9:30; fail. So I walked back, did a bit of study, and then went back at 9:30. They were taking down an old building at the corner of the street. It had a very beautiful traditional tiled roof, and it was sad to see it destroyed; it was completely gone by the time I walked back from koto club... So anyway, went to Sanko, and got heaps of bargains; 99円 carrots, 100円 bananas, and meat for half price. I was very happy, so I'm going to try to shop on Tuesday every week. I split the beef in two portions, and marinated one for my stir fry tonight.

I was feeling lazy, so I bused it to uni; it gave me a little extra time to study. I did okay in the exam. Forgot a few words, and freaked out when there wasn't much time left, but got it all done. I also got my proposal back for CEL and I got a 19/20. I was very happy about that; just have to tweak a few questions and then I'm ready to interview people. Lolz, it was so awesome. In history, we got popcorn! The professor got a popcorn popper as a present, so he shared out a big bag; I got it three times. We're now entering Japan's feudal era. Koto club was really good. We got to practice with the Sensei for a good while, and my feet didn't hurt too badly. The shakuhachi player played Sakura sakura along with us; it was beautiful. We also get to sing it; I'm lovin it. Then we went through the first page of hanagoromo. I'm starting to feel really confident with it. We got to go home earlier, about 7, which was nice. So yeah, had dinner, hang out with people, and then uploaded some pics on facebook. So happy my exams are over, it's a good feeling.

Day 57 - 26th of October

10:40pm　セミナーハウス
天気：雨天
Another rainy day; and I really wanted to do my laundry. Since I had my reading and writing mid-term, there was no Japanese speaking class, so I didn't have to get to uni until 12, which was nice. I had a slow morning, did a bit of study, and got lots of warm clothes on. It wasn't raining when I walked to and from uni, so that was a plus. My test went... okay. I found myself struggling a little to get it done in the 50 minutes, but I managed. Then I had CEL and we got the results back from our quiz. 83 out of 100; not too shabby. We're now taking about gender, and gender roles in Japan. I think this will be very interesting. For instance, I found out that it's the women that controls the money in the household, even though the man is the one that makes it! The man is given his weekly allowance by his wife, and is not expected to go over that amount; I wish it was like that in my family, xD. That is in the traditional model though, and with the way the economy is, for a lot of families it's not like that anymore.

Anyway, after class I waited around, talked with people, and withdrew my grocery money; hopefully I get some time tomorrow to do it. Koto was fun today. Charlie's been really sick, so didn't come, and other people didn't cause of study. So there were only 4 of us in the end, and the Japanese students. "Hanagoromo" is coming along. I've been all the way through a couple of times now; there are some tricky techniques that I need to practice more. Sensei will come in tomorrow and show us how to do it right. Got home and had dinner (lazy - cup noodles), and then studied a bit for tomorrow's speaking exam at 11; basically listening, and having to translate sentences using grammar from the three lessons we've done since the start of the course. Soooo much grammar; it's ridiculous. Oh well, it's all over tomorrow. Then my life goes back to being relatively normal once again.

Day 56 - 25th of October

9:26am　普通電車

天気：曇り

I'm with Katie on the local train to 伏見稲荷 (Fushimi Inari). It looks like it's going to be a cool day; overcast. We're not the only ones travelling. Carly is on a field trip, and Ash is going to a doujinshi convention - doujinshi are fan-made comic books. We all started out on the 9:06 bus, and then went our separate ways at the station.

4:06　普通電車
We're on the train back to Makino now. Today was fantastic... After getting off the train it was only a short walk to Fushimi Inari. The main grounds were quite expansive and we explored for a while before the festival. Soon after 11, the ceremony began in the main building. We were told not to take photo's and I felt compelled to oblige. The priests were first purified, and then they entered the building. They brought out a number of offerings on trays representing the years harvest; fish and vegetables and the like. Then, four women, sickle in their right hand, and bundle of rice in the left, performed a ceremonial dance to song and music from the orchestra. After the dance was complete, the offerings were put away, and after prayers and bowing, the priests left the building, followed by a procession of others; we decided to follow.

As we made our way through the forest, a Japanese woman came up to us and started speaking English. She explained to us the significance of the portable shrine, and how the danjiri didn't used to have wheels, they were carried; people have become weaker. We came upon a small field of rice, yet to be harvested. At this point, it was acceptable for us to take photos, so I recorded the event. The portable shrine (small and carried by two) was opened and some sort of box was taken out. Then the music and dance began again. At the same time, and group of people from the procession began to harvest the rice in the traditional fashion; with the sickle. They completed about a quarter before the music came to a close. Then, taking a bunch of the newly harvested rice, the priest placed it on the "box", before putting it back in the portable shrine. After the ceremony was completed, they continued to work in the field. The lady explained that only 40 years ago, rice was still harvested this way, and the straw was used for so many things; hats, shoes, mats... but no more.

It was about 12 at this point, so we decided to have lunch before heading up the mountain. We went to a small restaurant out on the street, and ordered from the plastic samples out front; I ordered an egg and rice, and noodle set. After lunch we began out hike through the 鳥居 (torii - shrine gates). It was absolutely incredible. There were literally 1000's upon 1000's upon 1000's of vermillion gates all the way up the mountain. We walked all the way to the top, through silent cedar forests and bamboo groves, and past 100's of sub-shrines with there own mini torii, and fox statues, all dedicated to Inari - the god of fertility, rice, agriculture, foxes, industry, and worldly success. I felt a profound connection with the nature around us. It wasn't too crowed and at some points it was so quiet, we felt that we shouldn't speak. At the middle of the climb, there was a great view of Kyoto; we stopped there to eat our apples after looping around the top.

Every single gate had writing on it; the year it was made and the sponsor. As old ones rotted away they were eventually replaced with new ones we gathered. Because of this, there were so many different shades of red. I was a bit disappointed that the leaves hadn't changed yet, but the green actually created a great contrast to the red of the gates. As usual, there were many stray cats around. We didn't end up getting down until almost 4. Katie bought a few trinkets and then we got on the train. Now we're back in Makino...

11:21pm

It's late I know. Came home about 5, had dinner, then studied for a bit. Tomorrow, I don't have my speaking class, so I don't have to be at uni until 12. This will give my time to study some more, and do my laundry.

Day 55 - 24th of October

9:14pm　セミナーハウス

天気：寒い、曇り

Today was a lot of fun. In the morning, I made pancakes for the first time; Diego usually does it for me. They turned out to be a bit of a disaster, but Diego gave me some tips, so I'll do better next time; seriously though his turn out so perfect and round. They tasted fine though (I added banana), although one hadn't cooked all the way through and was a bit soggy; that wasn't so nice. Oh well, live and learn. After cooking (which always takes way too long), we walked to Midori (Carly, Diego and I). I found a firewire cable for my camcorder, so now I can dump the movies onto my laptop and reuse the tapes. Deigo got himself a new mouse, and Carly just got some batteries for her toothbrush - she was going to buy an electronic dictionary but they were too expensive.

There was a soccer match on this morning, between seminar house 2 and 3 that Eddy, in our house, had organised; Bianca and Stephanie were cooking up a storm this morning to feed the hungry mop afterwards. I got there just as they finished; they were playing at the uni fields. I felt a little bad about not showing up sooner to cheer our team on. Unfortunately they lost, 13 to nil; Seminar House three had an unfair advantage with most of the guys actually expecienced in soccer. I hung around for a little while, and then left for the CIE lounge, to wait for 12:30. I met with another girl from koto club, Maarika from Estonia. We walked over to the library and met with a bunch of Japanese students. It turns out a number of clubs were going to the BBQ, and Maarika and I were the only international students. We caught the bus Yamada Lake, and then walk a while to a part of the park I hadn't been to before. It was amazing; wide open space. People had tents set up, and were playing sports in the grass; a true rarity in Japan.

There was a huge blue tarp set up for us; which we never actually used to sit on. And on it... sooooo much food; too much food in fact. I basically spent the next couple of hours eating on and off: Beef, chicken, pork, fish, mochi, noodles, cabbage, sweet potato, peppers, onions, eggplant, mushrooms, apples, bananas... and they all went on the barbeque in no particular order; it was a free-for-all. I was so full by the end of it, and I even got to take home some chestnuts; Diego suggests that we grill them. I was a lot of fun; I didn't practice my Japanese enough though. I don't know, I just seem to choke and revert back to English; gotta try harder. Even from the park, the main administration building of Kansai Gaidai is clearly visible. It seriously is the tallest building around.

We finished at around 4:30, then I walked home and this time I didn't get lost; the sunset was beautiful. I ate leftovers and bread for dinner, and then an apple. Tonight was basically a repeat of last night, just without the Potter Puppet Pals. Amber's gone now, but Carly's still here. We've all been trying to study for our exams next week. I won't be doing too much study tomorrow though; going to a rice festival at Fushimi Inari in Kyoto; I'm so excited. Lol, I burnt off some of my finger hairs in the barbeque today; there were 5 set up and we basically had chopsticks and a plastic plate, and went for it. I hope we do something like that again; it was great. Anyway, I shall be off now, Carly's going to draw a still-life of me; if I can stay still that is!

Day 54 - 23rd of October

8:54pm　セミナーハウス

天気；晴れ

As far as a day off goes, I was pretty productive. I got up at about 8:30, had a shower, then breakfast, then I vacuumed the room, and aired out the futon. We received our winter blankets today, and not a moment too soon; I was feeling a bit cold in bed last night. After lunch I mailed post cards to the Nanny's and the Poppy's, and then walked over Avail; I didn't end up buying anything though. I walked across to a park and took some pics, then walked to uni; so much for not going to uni today. I had to withdraw some money, then I bought some international envelopes and ice cream; Hokkaido melon i.e. rock melon! I met up with Carly, and walked with her to the bank so she could cash in some traveler's checks. Then I walked over to Top World. I was trying to find a glass dish cause I wanted to make Shepard's pie. I had no luck; I might be able to find something at Midori tomorrow.

Feeling a little deflated, I walked home, past the rice fields, now harvested and bare. I brought in the futon and then went out again, to the sentou; a different one to last time. It actually wasn't as good as the one I went to before but still, it left me feeling very relaxed; the top of my right foot still feels weird though. On the way back I went to Sanko and bought mince; I decided I would make Shepard's pie anyway. I started cooking at about 6:30. I didn't have any gravy (only when I was cooking did I realise Mum uses it). Instead I just used the leftover noodle flavouring, and cube of chicken stock; it was a little watery. My mashed potatoes turned out great though. I put the mince and veggies on the plate, covered it with the potato, and then grilled cheese on top in the the microwave; it has a grill setting! Then I finished my rice pudding. The bananas weren't such a good idea; they turned brown. I still ate it though and it tasted fine. After dinner Amber and Carly came down, and for the past couple of hours we've been watching Potter Puppet Pals on the computer. It's absolutely hilarious. Well... I've spent way to long on this blog already; I've been so distracted. This weekend's looking great, but I still need to study for next week's Japanese exams.

Day 53 - 22nd of October

8:33pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
やった！！！Feeling much better now... that's 3 out of 5 of my exams out of the way; in one day! I think today went pretty well. I got up at 9, and rushed around to ready myself for my Japanese oral exam at 11:08. I got to uni with time to spare, and made my way up to the classroom on the forth floor. There was no one in there; that was strange. I quickly realised that the interview might be held in Sensei's office. Luckily it's on the floor below, and I soon found it. Jo emerged, looking a bit shaken, and then I went straight into it. I think it turned out pretty good, considering the fact that basically the entire conversation was in 敬語 (keigo - honorific speech). Unfortunately I didn't understand two of the questions he asked; I felt bad about that. Overall though, I was mostly fluent, and kept the conversation going.

I was soon out of there, and decided to go have lunch before my Reading and Writing class started, even though I'd only had breakfast a few hours earlier; egg on toast. Nevertheless, I went to the cafeteria and ordered kastudon (again). Charlie (from koto), came to sit with me shortly after I'd finished eating, and we chatted for a little while. He's in level 4 Japanese, and is not looking forward to his 作文 (sakubun - writing composition). After eating, we went back to CIE and I went to my class. We ended up revising for the exam next week. I was, at the same time, trying to review for my CEL exam. I really didn't study for it; I was too worried about history.

So I was freaking out a little going into the exam. In fact, it turned out to be really easy. I knew almost everything, and felt confident about my answers; it was a fill in the blank/true or false/multiple choice exam mind you. There were a few short answer questions. Lol, one of the questions was so inane. I think the professor put it there as a joke:

Who does the term "Otaku" refer to:
(a) You
(b) Me
(c) Who knows?
(d) Some third party that shall remain nameless

Or something of the like. If you don't know what お宅 (otaku) is, it's basically a Japanese term used to refer to people with (sometimes obsessive) interests, particularly in anime, manga, and video games. The term is actually derived from the honorific word for someone else's household or family; I used it in my oral exam today. Anyway, that was a bit silly; I answered (c). I finished the exam in about 35 minutes. Then I sat with Jo and Kelly and reviewed for the history exam; this was the one I was really freaking out about.

It turned out to be okay. Basically we had to answer two out of four essay questions, about a page each, and 5 out of 6 short answer questions, which were only two sentences long. The biggest problem for me, was expressing myself in a coherent and logical way; I don't think I'm very good at essay style questions. Anyway, I got it done; wrote plenty. I think I'll be fine. As long as I pass, I'll be happy. After the exam I walked home, before going for groceries at Sanko. I found out that Sanko actually closes all day Wednesday (go figure), so you get the best bargains there Tuesday night. The other night the guy that lives next door to us (Wali's his name) was about to throw away a whole contain of rice he had just cooked; it turned out really mushy cause he used too much water. I quickly stopped him and said I would eat it. He let me take it; waste not, want not. He said it looked like rice pudding, so I decided that I would indeed make rice pudding out of it.

I found an easy recipe on the Internet, and proceeded to buy the needed ingredients at Sanko; I got cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar. I also had to buy a tin. The only one I could find had a removable base, but I got it; 105円. I got home all excited, and started making it at about 6. I mixed the rice with two eggs, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and banana; the banana was my idea. I put the mixture in the tin and what happened, it leaked out the bottom. So, I decided to put some aluminium foil around it. I was cooking it in the "oven" i.e. the microwave, and although it has a specific oven setting, the girls there didn't think it was a good idea to use aluminium foil. So I put it on a plate instead. Then Diego came in and started to freak out that I had put tin into the microwave; I was fine though. While it was baking, I prepared and cooked my stir fry. 25 minutes later, the pudding was done and I'd just dished out my dinner; good timing. I got the tin, and the plate out of the microwave.

The pudding looked, and smelt great; I was surprised it turned out so well. So after my dinner I tucked in; it was so yummy! I was too full to eat it all, so I've saved the rest for later. The biggest downer was the washing up afterwards. The pudding had left a sticky mess all over the tin, not to mention the burns on the plate. With a lot of scrubbing, the majority of it came off; I guess I shouldn't expect much from such a cheap tin. Actually, the fact that you could push the bottom out really helped get the pudding out; too bad it leaked. Anyway, I think today was very successful; I feel so much lighter. And best of all, I've got a day off tomorrow since oral exams continue. I'm going to get a bit done, but mostly relax; might find a sentou somewhere...

Day 52 - 21st of October

10:26pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
One day out from exams, and I've been studying like crazy! I cancelled my meeting with Naomi (to practice the songs); she was really understanding. So straight after my classes were over, I came straight home, had lunch, and got stuck into my History study. I had breaks of course... I napped, then at 5:30 I went grocery shopping; I had to go to Nagagawa (further up the street), since Sanko was closed. Then I had dinner; a big, fat plate of spaghetti bolognese. Then I got back into study; still history. Since we have to write essay-style answers in the exam, I've been writing everything in paragraphs, and inserting the key words. I'm almost done, so I should have tomorrow morning to review for my CEL exam. As for Japanese, I feel pretty good about it. It's not going to be as bad as I thought it would be. I'm just going to go in, and say what I can say; keep it as natural as possible, since it is a conversation. It'll only go for about 5 minutes and then I'll be able to have a nice warm lunch at the cafeteria before my other exams.

Day 51 - 20th of October

9:40pm　セミナーハウス
天気：寒い
Tuesday... Mid-terms are coming up, and I'm really not looking forward to them. But, as long as I pass, I'll be happy. So today; cold and cloudy. I love not having class until 12. I got a bit done in the morning; my PC@LL and the like. Uni was good. Hung out with a few different people, ate a McFlurry with chestnut sponge cake in it ("Gateau marron"), talked with some Japanese people and answered some surveys. Koto club was equally busy. Praciced the new music for a few hours, and then we had our meeting. A bunch of us decided to leave a bit earlier because of exams. Felt a little bad; if sensei was there, I wouldn't have left earlier. My legs are getting more used to the treatment but the top of my right foot is numb, as it has been since yesterday. I am a little disturbed by this; hopefully it goes away. I'm definately going to a sentou on friday after exams!!!

Day 50 - 19th of October

10:48pm　セミナーハウス
天気：寒い
Just another regular day at uni today. Had katsudon for lunch, which was yummy as usual. Went to the library for a bit after classes, which as quiet as usual. Koto club at 4:30, which made my feet very sore as usual, Lolz. Actually koto was pretty good today. We've recieved a new piece of music 花衣 (hanagoromu - lit. flower garments). It's a lot more challenging than Sakura sakura, which is great. There are a number of new techniques to learn, and sensei will teach them to us next week. We've got our barbeque at Lake Yamada on Saturday, which I'm looking forward to. And, at this point, I'm thinking I might go to Osaka castle on Sunday, since there's going to be a Korean music festival on in the park; we got the info from CEL. That will be nice after a crazy week of exams...

Day 49 - 18th of October

10:38pm　セミナーハウス

天気：晴れ

Today was another lazy day. I got a bit of study and reading done, and started preparing for my Japanese oral exam; I have an intereview with the sensei! There was a market going on in the park, and at around noon I went to go check it out; it was actually quite large. There were a lot of stalls (food, clothes, white elephant, second hand). There was a jumping castle and other activities for the kids, and a dog show! Although I didn't end up buying anything, it was a nice break from the mundane. After getting back I had lunch, and then studied some more. Carly hung out with Diego and I in our room for most of the day; her roommate was still in Hiroshima. At 6:30 I started dinner, and again, I forgot to defrost the meat; this time chicken breasts. I decided to defrost them in a pot of hot water, and ended up half cooking them. It all worked out though. I cut them up into small bits, and stir fried them along with veggies and noodles; so yummy and leftovers for tomorrow night. A little later, I put on some rice, and had a bowl. Still hungry I ate one of Diego's manderins and later, some of Amber's instant chocolate pudding. So now I'm very much content. Back to uni tomorrow...

Day 48 - 17th of October

10:17pm　セミナーハウス
天気：雨天
Lazy Saturday... No, I lie, I did get stuff done. I did my laundry this morning, and hand washed my new clothes. Unfortunately, It rained this afternoon, so I had to bring my clothes in to dry. I got my homework done for Monday, so tomorrow will be my study day for CEL and History. Jess came over and studied with Diego, and I read some more of The Gossamer Years. It is pretty interesting though, every five minutes I have to refer to the notes at the back of the book. The author, whom we don't know the name of, is adamant in only writing her most personal affairs (which basically entail her less than perfect union with her husband) in the dairy. At one point she even apologises for writing about a certain event in detail that does not involve her, so while you get a glimpse into the life of a "middle class" woman of the Heian era, other important aspects of the time a sorely missed. The poetry, which they use a lot to communicate with one another, is very beautiful though.

Tonight, I ended up eating the rest of my stew, which was really enough for two people; I was very full afterwards. At about 9, Diego and I went upstairs and played cards with Amber for a while. The other girls were in Hiroshima, or, as the case was for Ash, coming back on the Shinkansen. I would have stayed the night, considering how expensive the train ticket is; might as well make the most of being there right? Anyway, at this point, I am seriously considering a solo trip to Tokyo in the New Year, and see everything I want to see. Unfortunately I won't be able to climb Mt Fuji as the climbing season doesn't start until July. It's a shame, but I know I'll be coming back to Japan again; I have to! Well that's my lot for the day; hoping for brighter skies tomorrow...

Day 47 - 16th of October

5:02pm　特急電車
天気：晴れ

We're now on the limited express to Kyobashi. Kelly and I decided to walk to the station, cause there were so many people trying to get on the buses. We ended up getting there the same time as the whole group. I'm so excited about tonight. We each donated 100円 to the teacher, to present to the danjiri (portable shrine) to receive good fortunate from the gods. It should be really interesting to see some of the Korean culture and lifestyle.

8:25pm　鶴橋

We've just finished our dinner. We've been here for about an hour and a half! We managed to fit 18 people in this tiny room. The food was great; I feel so full. We'll be meeting back with the rest of the group now, and seeing the main event, on the main street outside the shrine. It ended up costing 1,400円 each, which isn't that bad considering the amount of food we got.

11:04pm　急行電車

We're on the train back to Kyobashi, getting on at 桃谷 (Momodani - peach valley). Tonight was... intense!!! So much energy. The main festivities went on from 9 to 10:30. Hordes of people in traditional dress, dancing in the streets, screaming, drums, whistles, gongs; a cacophony of revelry. The dancing performed atop the danjiri was amazing. It was like they were in a trance; this was a traditional Korean dance-style. Three danjiri paraded the main street, each from a different shrine in the area. There were so many kids, and they provided much of the energy, shouting and chanting and dancing around. We followed a particular danjiri around side streets and then back onto the main street, before they made their way back into the shrine.

At one point the men actually picked up the danjiri; they only lasted about 20 seconds before dropping it. Then, they had to run it up a hill to get it into the main shrine area; the danjiri are on wheels, and it took about 5 tries for them to get it up there. They bombarded us with packets of mochi before more dancing ensued. They set up a stage in front of the danjiri, and younger kids danced along; this one little girl was so cute, and she was really good at dancing. Finally, they entered the shed where the danjiri was housed, the drums beat fading into the night.

11:43pm　普通電車

We're now on the train to Makino from Hirakata; we're going to walk back to the seminar house from there, since the buses are no longer running. After the festival, the organisation responsible for putting on the event invited us back to their headquarters. We all received fans, and took a group photo, then thanked them, before walking to Momodani station...

I woke up pretty late this morning, since I didn't have class till 12. It was the student teachers last sit-in on our class, and we thanked her and wished her well. After class I had to wait until 4:30 until the field trip. So, I hung out with Carly and Jessica, and read a bit of The Gossamer Years in a vacant room. Then when Diego came out of class, and Jessica went in, we walked around campus a bit, had icecream, and took some photos of the garden. We also went up to the top floor (11th floor) of the administration building and got a great view of the city. Finally 4:30 came, and we went on our way to the festival...

There was about 40 of us, and lead by the teacher, we toured around the streets around Tsuruhashi station, passing through restaurants and markets, before making our way over to Korea town. We got to the shrine, and there were a number of stalls set up, selling fries or corndogs or lollies, and others with side show games or goldfish catching; it seemed so Westernised. We split up from there; those with reservations i.e my class, went with the teacher to the Korean restaurant. On the way we passed this massive primary school for Korean children; it looked rather imposing. We soon reached the restaurant; shoes off, up the really steep stairs, and sitting on cushions in a tiny room. I was very certain that it was a converted house. As I said, the food was wonderful, and we even got to witness the danjiri parade as it past. By the end of the night I managed to loose two of my omamori; the study one went first, then the victory one. Kelly joked that I couldn't have victory without study, so it was inevitable that I loose that one too. Oh well, at least I still have my health...

Day 46 - 15th of October

9:46pm　セミナーハウス
天気：寒い
Another long Thursday... I woke up at 9, made breakfast (scrambled eggs with rice), and lunch (avocado and rice on toast, and carrots sticks). Wore my overalls for the first time today. Over all good impression; hahaha, I made a funny. Yeah I pretty much love them; they're so comfy. Anyway, got to uni and made my way up the 72 stairs (yes I counted them) to Speaking. The student teacher took the class again today. We've moved on to passive sentences. She's doing really well I think, making the classes fun. Then I went to Reading and Writing. Had a kanji and vocab quiz, read from the textbook, and got test results back. Did really well in my composition and average on the test.

Then went to CEL. I'm so excited about the field trip we're going on tomorrow. We're going to Korea town in Osaka to see the 秋祭り (Aki matsuri - autumn festival). It's gonna be amazing; I'm changing my batteries now! After History, I had an hour and half to kill before my meeting with the members of my booth for INFES. I found Diego just outside the class. He was waiting up here for Jessica's class to finish; he's so committed, xD. We ended up chilling out in one of the vacant rooms (apparently he does this every week). I took photos out the window, and Diego showed me a really great view of the campus from the guys bathroom, lol. Carly joined us in the room, and told us about the trip she was taking to 北海道 (Hokkaido - the top island of Japan). My ears immediately perked up and I enquired about it.

I am seriously considering going along!!! We'll be going the 27-29th of November (Friday to Sunday). Her friend got an amazing deal through a travel agent. It's going to end up costing about $350 round trip by plane and accommodation!!! Now we just need to figure out what we want to do when we get there. At this point, about 6-8 of us are going I think. It's going to be epic. I'll get to see snow, and probably freeze to death; so excited. I feel so lucky; through making all these friends I'm having so many great experiences. Anyway, at 5:30 went over to my meeting (it was literally across the hall). The foreign students got partnered up with Japanese students and then we had to choose two songs to sing at the festival - one for the karaoke competition on Saturday, and the other for exhibition on Sunday. These are the same days I'll be performing koto. Lol, I should so go on stage in the Kimono I'll be wearing.

My partner's name is Naomi (yes, it's a Japanese name too). She's really nice. We had a list of songs to choose from for the karaoke competition, and for the second day we could choose a favourite Japanese or English song to sing. The fist song I've forgotten the name of (it was in Kanji) and I didn't write it down; silly me. The second song I'm going to be singing though will be Angela Aki's cover of Kiss from a Rose, a) cause I love Angela Aki and b) cause I've sang Kiss from a Rose heaps!!! So yeah, should be interesting. We're going to meet up next Wednesday, and go to Karaoke in Hirakata to practice. After the meeting I did a little bit of grocery shopping at "Kirindo" (the shop that just opened). Found 6 slices of bread for 88円. I have only once found a decent sized loaf of bread; most of the time bread is packed in lots of 5-6 slices; and it's usually really thick.

Anyway, got home, cooked dinner (spaghetti bolognese), and watched this really funny Japanese game show. Basically it was the contestants' aim to get three outof five random people in the audience to laugh within a minute, in a number of different scenarios. Presumably, they were all comedians amateur or otherwise. This one woman came in the room screaming a got everyone to laugh within 5 seconds. That kind of thing always seems to work cause people don't expect it. So, apart from tomorrow night, I don't think I'll be going anywhere on the weekend, partly because I want to save money, but mostly because mid-term exams start next week and I found out that I have three on the same day; Speaking, CEL, and History on the Thursday!!! Really looking forward to that one, not! Better get ready for bed now, night...

Day 45 - 14th of October

9:12pm　セミナーハウス
天気；曇り
Well today turned out to quite okay. Speaking with the Japanese students was pretty good. I starting to feel like I can hold a semi-decent conversation, although the awkward silences still made an appearance every now and then. I think I did well in my essay; I ended up writing more than a page (more than 400 characters). I talked about how my life style in Australia differed from that in Japan. I tried to use as many new grammar patterns as possible. I've got more quizzes and tests tomorrow; it's never ending. I got home and had lunch. Avocado on toast as usual, except this time I put rice on top; wow, was really yummy. I'm going to pack some more, along with a carrot, apple, and tuna, tomorrow for lunch at uni.

I talked with Mum and Ben for a couple of hours; the Internet was shocking and kept on dropping out. Then I got my expenses spreadsheet up-to-date for this month; so far so good. Then I went to make dinner. I'd asked my Mum how to make stew and it ended up turning out really well: I fried the onions and then the beef (which I'd forgotten to defrost - again), then put in a can of whole tomatoes; then the rest of my veggies; then the stock; and finally some seasoning. I let it simmer for about 40 minutes before I became too hungry and had to eat. It smelt really good, and tasted even better. Carly kindly donated me one of her mega thick pieces of bread; I was very happy. And the best thing is, I have enough left for at least two more meals; I've put it in a container in the freezer. I'm having so much fun cooking; it's great. I'd better go now; do some study...

Day 44 - 13th of October

10:28pm　セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
Woke up late, had breakfast (pancakes again - naughty), and did a bit of grocery shopping. I'm going to make a stew tomorrow with potatoes, and carrots, and mushrooms, and peas, and beef; hopefully it turns out okay. I'll probably be able to get a few meals out of it. Nothing particularly unusual happened today. I went to uni at 12, had classes and went to koto practice. We got our tsume today, and I bought a little pouch to put them in. Every one's getting really good at playing Sakura sakura, and we continue to watch in awe when the Japanese girls play; they are so good.

I wonder how long it will take for me to get to their level; too long. But still, it is a great experience, it's helping me with my research project, and I'm making new friends. We're going to be having a barbeque on the 24th at Yamada Lake; can't wait. After koto, went home, and cooked some rice, and ate leftovers from last night with it. I've got an in-class essay tomorrow. I have to write about my lifestyle. I feel pretty good about it, since we can take in dictionaries and other vocab lists we like. Then in speaking we'll be talking with Japanese students; I think we're getting graded on it; I'm a little bit more worried about this. Oh well, just see how it goes...

Day 43 - 12th of October

9:27pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
Lazy day today; for the most part. I woke up at 10:30, had pancakes for breakfast; I'm going to get fat eating them I know. Stuffed around on the computer, ate lunch and stuffed around on the computer some more. Even though it's a holiday for us (体育の日 - tai-iku no hi - health and sports day), the Japanese students still had uni, so I assumed that koto club would still be on; I was right. I got there and it ended up being just four of us foreign students; the Japanese girls filtered in as time past. We did a lot of practice, and every so often I'd have to get to stretch my legs. At about 6:30 we had a meeting, about what we'd be doing at INFES. Apparently, we'll be playing there for two of the three days, and we'll also be selling treats. After the festival, we're going to go out for dinner and karaoke after; so excited! So yeah, practiced some more and then went home. Made dinner; stir fry again (enough for two meals). And now I've got some reading and study to do, so I'll finish now...

Day 42 - 11th of October

10:09am　特急電車

天気：寒い

We just witnessed a parade of 神輿 (mikoshi - portable shrines) in the main street of Hirakata. In the Kansai region they are called 壇尻 (danjiri) and we think they might have been preparing for a particular festival tomorrow, in which the participants lift the danjiri and bash into other danjiri in combat; maybe I'll be able to see it. Anyway, we're now on the limited express to Kyobashi. I'm with Jessica and Diego. We are going to the Studio Ghibli exhibition at the Suntory Museum next to the Osaka Aquarium. After that, we're going to アメ村 (ame-mura - America Village), and then the Umeda Sky Building; It's going to be great.

3:37pm　御堂筋線
We're almost at Umeda now; we decided to go to the Sky Building first. After seeing the Studio Ghibli exhibition, we ate lunch and then got back on the trains. We changed over to the 御堂筋線　(Midosuji line) at Honmachi and are now just one stop away from 梅田 (Umeda).

7:05pm　御堂筋線

We're now on the train to 心斎橋 (Shinsaibashi). Now we're going to America Village and getting some dinner. Umeda Sky Building was amazing. We got there during sunset and were treated to a spectacular scene at the top. We stayed around until dark, and saw the city light up. We met with Ash and Katie, and Amber and Joey when we got there, and then split up again when we left...

7:40pm　サイゼリヤ

We found this really great Italian resturant chain called Saizeriya near America Village. We're eating now...

8:16pm　サイゼリヤ

Finished eating. Tirimasu for dessert!!! Sooooo good, and it was all so cheap too.

9:06pm　長堀鶴見緑地線

We're now on the train from Shinsaibashi to Kyobashi ~ the nagahoritsurumiryokuchi line (lol, had to put it in cause it's sooo long). After dinner, we walked around America Village a bit. It wasn't as grand as I had expected, but there were a lot of clothes shops. Unfortunately they were closing; this was disappointing. It is a Sunday I guess. Today was a very long day, but it was a lot of fun... The Ghibli exhibition was so cool. We got to walk through a number of rooms with the original layouts from all the movies, shorts, and cartoons Ghibli has produced, in frames covering the walls. At the end there was a gift shop, and I couldn't go past buying the book; a compilation of thousands of the layouts. I also bought some postcards.

We saw Ash and Katie; they'd came out about 10 minutes after us. We weren't expecting them to be here (they were supposed to be with Amber at Joypolis), and exchanged numbers so we could meet up later. The lines were really long (it took almost an hour to get in, and we waited in the gift shop line for about 15 minutes), but it was well worth it; a once in a life time experience. We had lunch in the nearby plaza; it was almost 2:30 by this time. I had かつ丼 (katsudon - a bowl of rice topped with a deep-fried pork cutlet and egg - so yummy), and Jess and Diego had KFC; lolz very Japanese. Anyway, on the stage above the main food court, there was a dance competition (presumably) going on...

9:29pm　急行電車
Now we're going back to Hirakata on the Keihan line... As I was saying, a dance competition was going on between groups of kids! They were all really talented and the costumes were so cool. I got a bit on film. After eating, we walked back to the station, and saw Ash and Katie again, walking in the opposite direction (they were going to eat, and then would catch up with us later at Umeda). From the aquarium on the Chuo subway line, we went down five stations to 本町 (Honmachi) and then transferred to the Midosuji line and went up two stations to Umeda. Once there, we had a little trouble figuring out how to get to the Sky Building; the station is a huge shopping complex, and it was easy to get turned around. We ended up exiting on the wrong side of the station, and walking through a shopping street for a while. We asked for directions and were turned around back to the station.

Finally, after more directions, we exited on the correct side and walked out onto the street, before entering an underground walkway under a train yard. With the building clearly in sight we made our way over, and sat near the gardens for a while. It's such a cool looking building; two towers connected at the top, like an upside down "U" with a big hole in the centre. We met with the girls and Joey, and made our way up; there was a lot of crossing over involved... You start at the right tower, go up to the 4th floor (I think), cross over to the left tower and go up to the 31st floor by elevator (which is made of glass so you can view outside), then finally take an escalator that spans to the right tower to the 36th floor (so cool). From there, you pay 700円 entry fee, go up some more escalators and stairs (or elevator if you like) and finally you're at the top. The viewing platform is circular and skirts the circular hole in the centre. At night, black lights are turned on, and the floor glows with multicoloured pebbles. There is also a place on top for lovers to have a padlock engraved with their names locked on a wire fence; very cool. In fact, it was a bit chilly :P.

10:46pm　バス

Diego and I are now on the bus back home; we said goodbye to Jess at the station. We might be going to the Danjiri festival tomorrow, but if not, today was awesome, and I can always study tomorrow...

Day 41 - 10th of October

10:35pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
I ended up staying in bed until 10, when I had to force my self up to have breakfast. After breakfast I did my laundry. Then I did some work on my research project; basically just writing down my goals and what exactly I wanted to research. It's a start. Since half the day was already over, I decided to leave Kuzuha mall for another day and instead went into Hirakata. I took a leap of faith and decided to go get my hair cut. I walk in to the 美容院 (biyouin - hairdressing salon), and was immediately shown to a seat. Mum, I apologise in advance; I got it cut short. You're gonna hate me sooooo much. I'm sorry, but it feels great, they thinned it out really well, and I still have a bit of a fringe.

So after my cut, I went to get it coloured on the floor above. I love Japanese people so much. The service is so amazing, and they are always mega polite. And basically, when they asked me a question I didn't understand, I just replied with はい (yes!!!). It got me through, and I'm so happy with the colour. On the chart, it didn't look like much, but they explained I'd have to get that, unless I wanted to bleach my hair white. So yeah, I was a little worried. After putting about five towels over my neck, little plastic bags over my ears, and a gel around my hair line (that prevented the colour coming in contact with my skin - very cool), they applied the colour. It was a very long process, but very well done. By the time he'd finished applying it (for almost 20 minutes I'd guess), it only took 10 more minutes to set; they wrapped it in plastic and then covered it with a towel. Then, I got it washed out and shampooed. Through the whole process my face was covered by a towel, and he must have washed it about 5 times.

Towel covering my hair, I was lead over to the mirror to the grand unveiling. I was amazed; it's so vibrant! The highlights look great, and the rest of my hair looks really warm. I'm so happy with it, and it was surprisingly cheap. Definitely cheaper than I would have gotten in Australia. So, very satisfied I walked out, being thanked by the all the staff as I left, and went over to the shopping centre; I was on the hunt for clothes. I'd seen these jeans before and really wanted them, and now that I had the money, I got them, and a shirt to go with. It was a very fruitful day. I came back, and found Diego and Jessica in the room. Soon after, Amber came knocking and said they were ordering pizza, and asked if we wanted some; we did. We ended up getting four pieces each (it was really nice, with brie cheese on it), and I made a salad to eat too. We had a card playing night, but only played for a couple of hours, as we would be getting up early in the morning; we're going into Osaka tomorrow. I love my new hair...

Day 40 - 9th of October

セミナーハウス
天気：寒い
My lazy day led to an active night. I went to uni at 12 for my Japanese class. I love our teacher so much; he's so funny. He's always bringing props in. Today we were practicing 敬語 (keigo - honorific speech), and he played the role of the "arrogant" manager. He put on a fake moustache, and brought along a heap of other props. He would request things, and we'd have to humbly oblige. It was fun. We got our lesson tests back at the end of the class. I think I did pretty well; just a lot of little mistakes. After class, I went straight home, had lunch, completed my PC@LL stuff, and then had a nap. Later, I decided to create a spread sheet for my monthly expenses. In September, I ended up spending a grand total of 85,206円, which is about $1000, and that's including my holiday expenses. The biggest ongoing cost was food ($355), followed by transport ($128), which I expected. I really happy about that; now I just need to keep it up!

So after finishing that I had dinner. People were talking about going to karaoke, and since I had never been, I thought I'd take the opportunity. So it ended up being Diego, Jo, Katie, Carly, Ash, Eve and her friend from seminar house 4, and myself. We left for Makino at 8, and didn't return until 2 in the morning!!! Gosh, it was soooooo much fun! Basically, $10 gets you in for an unlimited time; well at least until 6am the next morning. I was a bit nervous at first, but it was great once I got into it; no one cares how you sing. Every one had their turns at songs, and we had a lot of group songs too. I was happy that I actually new most of the words, and could sing along, expect for the Japanese ones. Lol, after you complete the song it tells you how many calories you've burned. We believed it was calculated by how loud you sang into the mic. This was confirmed when it was Jo's turn; gosh she's got one healthy set of lungs on her. She belted the songs out, it was so funny. We had to keep telling her to hold the mic a little further back. All in all, it was a great experience and I can't wait to go again...

Day 39 - 8th of October

9:49pm　セミナーハウス
天気：雨天、寒い
So it ended up that we every one's morning classes were cancelled due to the storm warning. It wasn't withdrawn until 8:30, so that meant that I still had my two afternoon classes. I was happy about that, cause with all the holidays we have already, we can't really afford to miss another day. The winds were really strong in the morning. When we found out that morning classes were officially cancelled, Diego went back to bed! He didn't have any classes for the rest of the day. As for me, I had to get ready for the afternoon.

I finished my project proposal for Culture and Everyday life, which I'm going to abbreviate to CEL from now on okay, cause I'm too lazy to type the whole thing, xD. I went up to the kitchen and ate a pear, while looking at the destruction the typhoon had caused on the news. It was not until about 15 minutes before hand, that I realised my class was due to start at 1; the typhoon really put me off! So I rushed to uni and made it just in time; you can actually get there quite fast if you put the effort in. We watched a video for the first 10 minutes, about a preschool in Japan. It was really interesting to see the difference in how the children are managed in Japan, compared to Western preschools. Japan has a very different set of values and beliefs. To be honest, I kinda like their style. For instance, this one kid had been playing up all day, and instead of disciplining him/punishing him, the teacher just let the other children sort out the problem. This would teach the other kids how to deal with these sorts of situations.

History class was equally enjoyable. We have now entered the Heian period (9th century). We now see a slow shift away from China as a "big brother" figure, and Japan begins to come into it's own, eventually breaking all ties with China by the end of the century. After driving the indigenous Emishi (likely ancestors of the Ainu) of the north out of Honshu, the capital now had widespread control over the main island. Through this campaign, the military style was changed from the Chinese standing-army style, to a more focused group style with a general at its head. This lead to the rise of the Shogun... The hand outs we got today were crazy. The family trees are really complicated, cause most of the Emperors had many wives, and of course, incest occured frequently. Basically though, during this century, one tribe stood out among the rest; the Fujiwara tribe.

By marrying into the imperial family, and maintaining several ties, they become a very powerful and influential family within the capital. The first child Emperor is appointed at just 8 years old; Seiwa. This leads to the need for a regent (who weilds power in the Emperor's name), and Yoshifusa of the Fujiwara family, grandfather of Seiwa takes the position. Over the course of the century, the Fujiwara family strives to stay strong, while stamping out any competition. Next time we move into Heian literature, and I've picked up the book "The Gossamer Years" to read, which should be really interesting. So after class, I got some more money, bought the book, and had a late lunch in the cafeteria. Then went to do some grocery shopping.

That was fun! I ended up going to no less than four different stores. I went to this new store that just opened, and got some bargains. Then I went to Fresco, and picked up some more stuff. Then I went to the 99円 store to get some orange juice. I walked all the way back to the seminar house, bags in hands; it was great for my muscles. I got back and put the stuff away, then realised that I didn't have any carrots. So I walked to Sanko and picked some up, along with a bunch of other stuff; it was cheap okay! Got back (again), and talked with Mum before making dinner. I had stir fry with udon noodles. It was really nice. I'm getting good at this cooking thing, :D. Still, I want to try more. Anyway that's about all I have to say, my homework's up to date, and I'm sorting out things to do on the weekend. Hopefully going to Kuzuha mall and getting my hair cut! Yay!!!

Day 39 - 7th of Ocotber

10:36pm　セミナーハウス
天気：暴風
A 暴風警報 (boufu keihou - storm warning) has been officially issued for the Osaka area, with typhoon #18 at our door-step. If the warning continues, we may not have to go to university at all tomorrow, depending on how long it lasts. It's raging out there at the moment, but I feel completely safe and unaffected in my room.;it's still really nice a warm in here too. We've been told to stay inside, so I've been basically studying, and doing homework that might not even have to be handed in, but anyway...

Today was damp and cold outside, yet warm a cosy inside; jumper on, jumper off, jumper on... I only have two classes on Wednesdays though so I got to come home at 1, eat lunch, and then have a nap. At six, we had our monthly seminar house 2 meeting. Overall we've been doing well. We've just been told to put a bit more time and effort into keeping things clean. Otousan and Okaasan are happy with us though, xD. As soon as the meeting was over everyone rushed to the kitchen to make dinner. I heated up my left over rice, and ate that, before cooking scrambled eggs. I don't want to miss classes tomorrow, it just means a lot of catching up, or missing out on something completely. If the warning is withdrawn by 7am tomorrow, it should be fine. But it doesn't look like that's going to happen. The full force of it is supposed to by over us at 6am tomorrow. Well, we'll just wait and see what happens.

Day 38 - 6th of October

10:40　セミナーハウス
天気：雨天
I've been checking my pocket all day just to make sure that my phone's is still there, reassuring myself that I actually have it back. I think I'm going to be paranoid about it for a while now; I guess it's a good thing. Getting it back went off without a hitch... After a bit of searching, Jo(anna) and I finally found the police station in Hirakata. We waked there after getting our alien registration cards, which also went very smoothly; got in there and they gave it straight to us. The police station was actually quite large; a few stories tall. All I had to do though was tell the lady at the information desk that I'd lost my phone, and she past me onto another guy. I waited a little while then... I saw my phone in his hand!!! It was a miracle I just had to sign a form and then it was returned to me. Sooo happy; I'm charging it now.

So yeah, after that we went to a stationary store, then walked back to uni, but not before stopping at "Floresta", a nearby donut shop. We studied a bit, then got to class. We've had a student-teacher come into our class for the past couple of weeks. She's been mainly observing, and marking our quizzes. She got to take the class for a little while last week; I think she did really well considering. She was being filmed too! After class we went to get lunch in the cafeteria. The food is so good and so cheap. I ended up getting an ice cream too. I was amazing; tasted like tiramisu. They have so many flavours of soft serve ice cream here in Japan and you find it everywhere, it's crazy.

Jo and I had history, and then we parted ways. I went to get out the money I needed to pay for my koto picks, on my new bank card. Yay, I have lots of money now!!! Of course, I'm going to be very responsible with it, xD. So I went to koto, and again we cleaned the floors before sensei arrived. Today, we got to be instructed by the sensei in groups. I was in the first group, and a little nervous admittedly. She is really awesome though; so patient and really good at explaining. She speaks entirely in Japanese, but even though I may not understand everything she says, she is very good at conveying information through her actions. I did understand some of what she said though, which definitely helped.

She began by explaining the correct posture while playing the koto, and the correct techniques for strumming with the middle finger, and the thumb. We then went through Sakura sakura, very slowly, pausing periodically so she could point out how to play certain parts, and correcting mistakes. There was a lot to think about. She wrapped up the session with a recap on the major points. As I attempted to get up, I realised I couldn't feel my legs; at all!!! We must have been sitting in seiza for almost 20 minutes, without moving at all. I was the most amazing feeling to be honest. It was as if my legs were no longer connected to my body. I managed to stand, and it was like walking in huge, thick plaster casts. Every one else in the group was affected too. Sensei realised this, and the preceding sessions were noticeably shorter.

My feet are still aching a bit now. It's good for me though, and I know my body will get used to it; it's all part of the discipline found in all aspects of Japanese life. After the Japanese girls practiced, we got our picks fitted for our fingers, and payed for. I'm so happy to have them now; I'm going to find a cool little case to keep them in. We got some chocolate, and then were sent on our way; it was already 8. Got back and made dinner. Well... I had cup noodles. This one was udon with fried tofu. Then I got a massage from Margo; it was excellent. Too bad she didn't do my feet too, lolz. Today was a very good day I think. I'm on a high at the moment and I intend to stay there as long as possible. As I don't have any cereal I'm hopefully going to have pancakes tomorrow for breakfast. That's if Deigo will make them. We shared a packet he bought, so I've bought this one to return the favour. He's really good at making them though, so I want him to do it again :D...

Day 37 - 5th of October

Yay, I know where my phone is!!! This morning after Japanese speaking, I checked in my uni mail box and I got a notice saying that my phone is at the Hirakata police station! Apparently it was sent to the seminar house, but was returned as unknown address. I love Japanese people so much. Some one must have picked it up off the bus, and tried to sent it here. Even when it didn't work, they were kind enough to hand it into the police station; It's so amazing! I was over the moon. After my Japanese reading and writing test, I wanted to go straight down there to get it, before realising that I had another class, lolz. So... I'm going to go down tomorrow morning with Joanna, and we're going to get our alien registration cards on the way. I'm so thrilled!!!

After class, I caught up with Diego and Jessica, and we chatted for about an hour in the cafeteria. I ordered a plate of curry and rice, and at the time it was really nice, but by the time I was in koto club, my stomach wasn't feeling so great. I feel fine now though; I had stir fry for dinner, xD. Koto's really good; we get our picks tomorrow, which I'm really excited about. All the foreign students (the 9 of us) are diligently practicing "Sakura sakura". I think we're moving along quite nicely. Today was probably the first real, cold day we've had here, and on top of that it was raining. A typhoon's heading toward Tokyo, but I'm sure we'll feel a bit of it. Walking home in the rain isn't so much fun; having a nice, hot meal made up for it though. I've started putting onions in my meals, which I really need; good for the immune system. Lol, my hands smelled of garlic today; I've been eating it a lot. Anyway, I'm really, really happy now. Going to do some homework, then have an early one, ready to get up bright and early tomorrow!

Day 36 - 4th of October

10:10pm　セミナーハウス
天気：暑い
Lazy day today. Woke up at about 9:30, had breakfast, went grocery shopping (again), and then talked with family for about 3 hours!!! It was really great to be able to catch up after a long week. Then I had a nap, did some reading, and did some work on the computer. I had dinner at about 7:30 (spaghetti bolognese). I actually forgot to defrost the meat, so I made a little mess when cooking it on the stove. Well actually, I made a lot of mess, but it was fun, and I cleaned it all up afterwards. After washing and drying the mountain of dishes, I went down to the lounge.

Bianca was watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show (again)! She was watching it yesterday as we were leaving for Kyoto. I watched it for a while, and then I went up to clean the kitchen. I thought I'd lost my plastic lunch box, which I was really bummed out about. But luckily, I found it in one of the storage boxes on the ledge above the sinks; I must have left it in the kitchen, and someone put it away. This made me really happy, so I made my lunch for tomorrow; avocado on toast, carrot sticks, and a pear. I've got a test tomorrow, and then koto club in the afternoon. It's going to be a long day...

Day 35 - 3rd of October

11:45pm　セミナーハウス

天気：晴れ

Today was really great! I got up at about 9:30, had breakfast, washed my clothes, and cleaned the room. I hand washed my yukata and overalls. The overalls were great; didn't run at all. The yukata on the other hand, bled like mad, so I think I'm going to have to continue to hand wash it separately for a little while. I found out that tonight was one of three nights of the 月見祭 (tsukimi matsuri - moon-viewing festival) and temples and shrines in Kyoto would be holding events. A group of people were also going to Mount Hiei. Diego decided to join, but I declined as I'll be going there on a field trip with the history class in November. Instead I went out with Amber and met up with her speaking partner at the uni.

We walked to Midori, and Amber got her electronic dictionary, while I played on the pianos there, xD. We then went into "Raifu" (Life), the grocery store, and I got some supplies. We then walked over to McDonalds for lunch. I know, I know, it's no good, but... it won't kill me every now and then. Then we walked all the way back to the dorms, and I took a nap. I talked to Ash about where she was going for tsukimi, and she suggested we go to the 八坂神社 (Yasaka shrine), as it was the cheapest and easiest to get to; can't argue with that. So we finally got going at 10 past five. It was Ash, and Jeremy (from America), and I. Ash had donned her yukata, as did a few other girls, who were going with separate groups to other temples.

We walked to Makino station, to save the 220円 bus fare to Hirakata station. I took about 20 mins. Ash was having a little bit of trouble in her 下駄 (geta - traditional Japanese scandals), which was fair enough; they look pretty awkward. We switched to the limited-express at Tambabashi and then got off at Gion-shijo. At this point I realised which shrine we were going to, as I'd been there before on my previous trip, and indeed, gone past it several times since being here. It was dark by this time, about 6:30. We walked the block, and got there. It was quieter than we had expected but soon after arriving, the ceremony began. I got pretty much all of it on video. It involved a lot of bowing, and chanting, in celebration of the harvest moon. That lasted for about an hour, and then came the music.

First, a traditional orchestra played, accompanied two dancers. Then, a koto ensemble played two pieces. As my video camera's batteries died, I had to use my camera to record which was a bit of a pain, as I can only take 3 minute blocks. I'm really glad that I recorded it though, because I'll be able to use it in my research project. Finally the Taiko drummers came out; they looked like they were having so much fun. It was very energised, and the choreography was really cool. This wrapped up the festival, and then we all received a stalk of芒 (susuki - Japanese pampas grass) from the priests. It's resting at my desk in my room right now! Ash and I bought an omamori for victory, and then we headed back to the train station. On the way we bought 団子 (dango - Japanese dumpling). This particular type was held by a skewer. It's related to mochi, and soooo yummy. I'm going to miss mochi sooo much when I get back to Australia!

Finally got back here at about 10:30. I had a bowl of rice with soy sauce. I was really hungry today for some reason; I still am, lolz. Diego got back soon after. He said he had a really good time going to Mount Hiei, and showed me some pics. After that, the group was supposed to go to Daikakuji temple to see the festival there. Unfortunately, due to indecisiveness, they wasted an hour figuring out where to go. Deigo, Jessica, and Carly decided to split from the main group and try for daikakuji anyway, but didn't make it in time. What a bummer. I'm really glad I went tonight, and with the right group of people! Tomorrow, is study...

Day 34 - 2nd of October

9:18pm　セミナーハウス
天気：雨天
Gotta keep this brief; a bunch of as are going to be playing cards in Amber - and Ash's room shorty. I felt pretty good about my test today. I knew all but one word in Japanese. And I got 10/10 on my map quiz; I was happy about that. Came home at about 3. Stuffed around on the computer then went to make dinner. I had fun experimenting tonight. I basically just put carrots, spinach, and cucumber in the fry pan, and fried them with some rice, soy sauce, and an egg. It tasted really nice. I also had my first attempt at making mashed potatoes, and I did everything wrong. I put them in the water before it had boiled; I left them in too long I think and; I didn't add any milk when I mashed them. I did add butter though, and parsley. Still, they tasted really good.

Interesting fact of the day: The name Wendy was made up by the guy who wrote Peter Pan!!! Ash told us that; that's pretty cool! Anyway, not entirely sure what I'm going to do tomorrow. Every one's got something different planned... I know I have to clean the room, wash my clothes, buy some more groceries, and get started on my assignments. So, maybe I'll just stick around here.

Day 33 - 1st of October

9:28pm　セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
Yay, first day of October. I can't I've already been here for a month; it's gone so fast. Apart from a few mishaps, I'm feeling really great, and I know now that it's definitely going to go too fast; I'll be back home before I know it. Today wasn't so bad considering. I made my lunch, and bought a couple of snacks at the convenience store, which was absolutely packed. It's amazing to see selves full of food in the morning almost empty by the end of the day! My classes are all going well, I'm doing well in tests, getting my homework done, and learning. History is such a great subject. Our professor is always telling us of places to go and see, and provides us with heaps of information. We're up to the Nara period now, and there's a lot of scandal in the court. It would make for a very interesting drama I think.

I got back home, did my PC@LL, then went grocery shopping. I bought some bananas for a change and they're really nice. And cheap I think; a bunch of 5 for 100円. I am finding that, for the most part, food here is pretty cheap. I cooked up the rest of my rice; this time I don't think I used enough water. But it still tastes great! My scrambled eggs have gone from eggs, parsley, and milk to eggs, parsley, oregano, pepper, cheese, ham, tomato, spinach, and garlic. It tastes sooooo good. I think it's about time for me to move on to some other dishes. I want to get some recipes of some kind off the Internet. See, how I go... It was really quiet in the kitchen tonight; presumably every one's studying for their test tomorrow. I'd better do a bit of study too. I'll do some more in the morning; class isn't till 12.