Day 89 - 27th of November

9:35am 枚方駅 天気：曇り
Start off our journey with a photo... of the luggage.

9:38am　特急電車
We're all here - Carly, Katie, Sonia, Eddy, and I, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. We have so much luggage, so hopefully we can get to the airport without any dramas. Got to get to Kyobashi first...

10:05am　大阪環状線
We're on the Osaka loop line, switching over at Tennoji and then Hineno. I'm so excited; it feels like we're going to another country.

10:20am 天王寺
We're in Tennoji and have less than 10 minutes before the rapid express to the airport.

10:30am　特急電車
Apparently, we're on a train that will "uncouple" - the front 4 cars are going to disconnect from the last 4, and continue from Hineno to the airport. Luckily, we got in the 4th car so we get to see how it disconnects; so cool...

11:37am　関西国際空港
We're in the aeroplaza now, enjoying Sonia's Okaasan's sandwiches, and kitkats; it's a very flashy place. It's really quite at the moment. The plane flies out at 1:10, so we're going to go check in shortly.

1:26pm　飛行機
We're about to take off... the TV's are displaying a camera at the front of the plane, so we get to watch the take off. The weather is warm and sunny. We're right at the back of the plane and I got the window seat, Carly's sitting next to me. Here we go...

3:38pm　バス
We're on the coach to Susukino station, and then we have to walk from there to the hotel. It's raining and, wow, it's cold. As soon as we got out of the airport, it hit us and our breath was clearly visible. A whole new adventure is about to begin...

4:33pm　バス
We've been on the bus for over an hour and we're still at least 30 mins away. It's such a change of scenery here, and not just because all the trees are brown or leafless. I have but one word to describe Hokkaido; spacious. In this way, it reminds me a lot of Australia. We're in 札幌 (Sapporo) and yet, it doesn't feel like a Japanese city. Things are spread out, the roads are wide, and people are driving regular sized cars. It's not as built up as you'd expect a Japanese capital city to be. The buildings are of modest proportions; no skyscrapers in sight. It's kinda cool though; it's nice to have a change. We've only got three stops left. That's another thing; taking the bus, rather than the train. There's just not enough infrastructure in place; all the trains are underground. I think the bus is pretty cheap though considering how far we've come.

4:52pm　札幌
Okay, now I feel like I'm in Japan again; the buildings have grown tall. We're here, and it's raining. I'm warm in my jacket though.

9:23pm　ホテル
Tonight was great... we found the hotel easily enough; it was only a couple of block down from the bus stop. After checking in we dropped our stuff off in the rooms and planned what to do next. Eddy and I are sharing a twin bed room, and the girls have three beds; we got a couch and sink, they didn't! We're right next to each other on the 5th floor. We decided that, even though it was raining, we'd go out and find the illuminations.

10:20pm　ホテル
We just went out hoping to do some karaoke. However, since free time didn't start till 11, we decided it would be better to go tomorrow night and make the most of it. We want to try to get up early tomorrow and get out to 定山渓 (Jozankei) for hot springs and hiking. The trip was not completely wasted however; we stopped at a sushi bar for ice cream. So yeah, back at the hotel now just chilling. Earlier on though… We found the Sapporo White Illumination a couple of blocks down in Odori park and it was spectacular; shame it was raining. We’re going to go again tomorrow night. The TV tower is all lit up at the end of the park, there are a number of displays, and heaps of the trees were covered in lights. Near the tower, there is a German market set up for the event. There are some great items there. So since it was raining, and we were hungry, we walked over to the shopping street and got dinner and this great ramen place. The broth was… amazing!

With warm and happy stomachs, we had a good look around the street and stopped by some great souvenir shops. Among the memorable products were – beautiful wooden carvings of bears, owls, foxes, and wolves; so many different flavours of caramel, including lavender; a species of ball-shaped algae that you can keep as a pet and best of all; まりもっこり (Marimokkori). This is a portmanteau of marimo (the algae) and mokkori, a slang word meaning the “tent” an erection makes against pants or bed sheets; no joke. This green character sports a sizeable bulge in his pants, and has a very naughty expression on his face. Only in Japan, or more correctly, only in Hokkaido; I think it’s hilarious. So yeah, that was a heap of fun. We’re going to figure out how to get to Jozankei, watch some vids, and then get some sleep…

Day 88 - 26th of November

10:19pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
Another nice day today; I got to do the laundry. There was so much, and I was going to do some hand washing, but I didn't have the time. I got my Japanese homework done, and then struggled to learn all the vocab for the quiz this morning. It turned out fine, I knew them all; I'm glad that my memory is decent. For the rest of Speaking, we watched this really good short movie called "The Wedding Simulator". I won't go into the plot, but it was really interesting, and I could understand most of it! It had a very unexpected twist at the end too. After my other classes, I got some money out, had a strawberry milkshake from Makkas, and went to the computer lab to fix up our skit; gotta finish that off tonight. At 5, we all got together to plan what we'd be doing in Hokkaido, and I turned out to be very successful. We have a pretty good idea of what we're doing each day, how to get there, approximate times and costs, and back up plans if the weather turns nasty; It should be fine though. Got home had spaghetti bolognese for dinner, and watched TV for a while (there was a show on about the end of the world in 2012). Gotta finish packing now. We have to get to the station by 9:30, then train it to KIX airport, and by 3:10 we'll be in Hokkaido!!! So excited...

Day 87 - 25th of November

9:31pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
I wish the weather would make up its mind; preferably stay relatively sunny like today. Uni was over fast; as it always is on Wednesdays. Talked with the Japanese students in Speaking, now I have to summarize what I learnt about one of them, and hand it in tomorrow, since I won't be going to uni on Friday; Hokkaido. I can't believe how close it is!!! After Reading and Writing, went home with a quick detour to Avail to buy some more socks, and had lunch, before spending the rest of the Afternoon figuring out what we should do when we're there. I moved into the computer room at about 5 and hung out with Amber. I printed off a whole bunch of information about places to see near Sapporo, so hopefully we're all going to meet up tomorrow and decide exactly what we're going to be doing.

I really, really hope it snows, but it doesn't look very promising. The weather forecast for the weekend is just cloudy with chance of rain. I'm going to be so disappointed if I don't see snow but... what can you do; I'm sure I'll see it elsewhere. Anyway, not much else to say. I had leftover yakisoba for dinner, finished off the rest of the cake with Carly (with Milo) and now I'm feeling a little sick; I had earlier shared a packet of chocolate chip cookies with Amber in the computer room. Diego's hanging out his laundry to dry now, so I can do mine in the morning; how considerate he is. I'm debating whether to pack now, and do my homework in the morning, or vice-versa. I guess, since I don't have all my clothes washed yet, It'd be better to pack tomorrow, so yeah, I'll do my homework now. Gosh, I'm tired...

Day 86 - 24th of November

11:54pm　セミナーハウス
天気：雨天
The rain continues to dampen our spirits (no pun intended... well, maybe). Time has escaped me so I'll keep it short. I woke up at about 8:30, had breakfast, did some stretching (really need to do that more often), showered and then freaked out that I didn't have my script done for Japanese speaking. I quickly rushed off to uni at 10:30 with what I had, and hoped I'd meet Rachael beforehand. It was after my classroom came into view that I realised I didn't have class until 12. So, I went back down to the CIE lounge, bumped into Rachael, and spent the next hour working on the script. We still didn't have it done by the time 12 came round but we were getting there. Got in and got our last lesson test done. It was pretty good actually; hopefully my results reflect my confidence. After that, Rachael and I went to the cafeteria and I ate while working on the skit more. We got it pretty much done before I had to go to History; I left her typing the rest out, before handing it into sensei.

In History we watched a really old (well, from the 70's) Japanese Movie, "Ran". It was very confusing, and a little boring, and the SFX were very sketchy. Our professor was very kind to make us lots of popcorn though. We have to write a short reaction paper on it, but unfortunately I didn't get to watch it all since I had koto at 4:30; it went for about 3 hours I think. Oh well, I might borrow it out and watch the ending... maybe. Koto was good. Since the sensei didn't come, we didn't have to clean, and got straight into playing. We got new music today, including a piece from Totoro; yay!!! For this piece, we had to tune the koto in a new way (much like a piano), and that took a while. It also has three parts; koto 1 and 2, and the 17 string (bass) koto. I don't know if we have a bass koto; Mark said there was one upstairs? Koto 1 has the melody for the first bit, and then it goes to Koto 2, and then they come together in the last bit (melody and harmony).

We're going to have another small concert before the end of the year, and I hope we can perform the piece for that. We spent the last half having a meeting, trying to find another date to go out together before people return home. Every time a date was suggested, some one had some thing to do; it was a little frustrating. Finally, we decided on the 17th of Dec, but even that is tentative. By this time it was raining, and I was really glad I brought my umbrella. I went grocery shopping before returning home. It wasn't a very pleasant walk but, I had my music so it was bearable. Made yakisoba for dinner, and ate an apple that wasn't as crunchy as I would have liked. Unsatisfied, I swiped one of Diego's ice creams. Spent the rest of the night enjoying the fact that I don't have anymore homework for the rest of the semester, for Japanese speaking at least; soooo good. We're talking with the Gaidai students tomorrow in class. That should be... interesting. Anyway, enough, time for sleep

Day 85 - 23rd of November

11:11pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
From slow start, to an enjoyable evening... I finished off the rest of my pancakes this morning, and cooked the rest of the cake batter, smothering it with icing after it had cooked and cooled down. I decided that I'd have to give karaoke a miss so I could study, so I let Midori sempai know; I'm a little disappointed I didn't go, but study's more important. I did however, still go out to dinner with them. After study and not study (watching Wall-E), I met the club at the station in front of Kiddy Land; Niky was the only other person who hadn't gone to karaoke. It was about 5:20 and after sorting out the finances, we walked a short distance to the place which can be summarised as this: 1,980円, two hours, all you can eat, one catch; you have to finish everything you order or you pay a fee!

食べ放題 (tabehodai) means all you can eat, and it was certainly true to its word. As it was a yakiniku place, there was a lot of meat. Basically, you had a grill in the centre of the table, and you cooked the meat on it at your leisure, which they serve to you raw; it's a great idea. The service was amazing. Like Saizeriya, you have a buzzer when you want to order something, so you can stuff yourself without even getting up; ingenious. You could order anything that was on the two pages under 1,980円. The first page was all meat, and the second was rice and soups, salads, and of course, soft serve ice cream for dessert. There was 14 of us over two tables; it was a lot of fun. After dinner, we went to a nearby arcade place and had a purikura session. Some how we managed to fit 13 faces (Brittney left) into the screen, albeit barely. We also had a few tries of the Taiko drum bashing arcade game, and then went our separate ways home; well, Mark, Justin and I caught the bus back to the dorms. Very content now, and ready for sleep...

Day 84 - 22nd of November

セミナーハウス

天気：雨天

Today was... tiring!!! Woke up at 8:30 and got ready to be there at 10. It was another freezing day, and on top of that it was cloudy. I dropped my kimono stuff off in the room and then went to find "Finding Jero", my singing booth; though this is the first time in this journal I've referred to them as that. Jero is the name of a popular singer in the Osaka area. He's an American who sings enka (a relatively new music style that resembles traditional music). Anyway, found the members in the CIE building. Before we started singing, we had to go out and advertise. We weren't able to pull in a crowd as large as yesterdays though; I think the weather put people off. So today, singing was just for fun, and we all sung English songs, me included. Since we had the time, they played the all of every one's songs. Of course, I hadn't learnt the all the Japanese lyrics for Kiss from a Rose, so I just sung in English. It was a bit repetitive but oh well. We had one more group sing (skater boy), and then Niky and I had to rush off to get dressed. Sempai's mum and Hashimoto sensei (I think that's her name) were so helpful and supportive throughout the day.

After I'd been dressed and payed for my zori and tabi, I asked if I could buy the obi they had lent me, and Hashimoto sensei gave it to me as a present. I was so grateful; I wish I could have conveyed my thanks better in Japanese. The performance went really really well; I was glad I got to stay and watch the whole thing this time. I recorded all of the songs bar one; both times they performed it, I was too busy serving or making tea. I was amazed at how popular we were. In the third session we had almost 40 customers! It was great. We ran out of cups and water and Mark had to duck over to the convenience store to get water while Chiharu sempai went to get more cups. Deigo, Jessica and Carly came during the third session when I was performing; I got Diego to record me. Apart from the huge crowd, a memorable moment was when Chiharu sempai accidentally whacked Midori sempai in the head with a koto; ouch!!! She was fine though. I thought the girls, and the rest of us, all did a really awesome job today.

In the last session, after a reprise of Sakura sakura, Sean persuaded me to perform Hanagoromo with him. We both made a few mistakes here and there but overall it was really good; I was proud of myself for being able to play it! We got a lot of group photos, then the girls went up to get changed, except for Chiharu sempai, who helped us international students pack up. Since Mark and I needed to go to the INFES closing ceremony, we went up a little early. Saki sempai's mum folded my kimono for me; was so awesome. Saying our final goodbyes (and see you tomorrows), Mark and I went down. Since the weather had turned nasty they had moved the event into the CIE lounge. It was about 5:30 at this point. First on the agenda was the winners of the Karaoke competition; first and second place. Before the announcements were made, they asked us if we were okay with singing our song again if we won, and all I could think was, "oh no, I'm going to have to sing that song again!!!"

True to my prediction, I won the competition; I still couldn't believe it though. I was so overwhelmed at that point, tired, and mentally unprepared to sing; but I did it. I messed up pretty bad. I was again disappointed in myself; everyone was really supportive though. I could feel my face glowing afterwards. Oh well if I didn't do that great, it's not the end of the world; I'll get over it. The prize was 6000円 worth of visa gift vouchers! I'm going to put it towards presents for people. After a slide show of photos from the day, and some final speeches, INFES was officially over; I had a great time. I never did get to try that deep-fried ice cream though...

It was a dark, cold, and rainy walk back. Luckily, Carly got some umbrellas from the CIE. When we got back, Diego and Jess were here; they shortly went out for dinner. I went up and cooked stew; didn't eat it until about 9 though. After that, Carly and I went up to keep Amber company for a while. Her Dad had visited her this weekend and we watched the video of her belly dancing, and another of the cheerleaders. The stunts they performed were absolutely incredible; they even made kanji out of thier pompoms! They were true athletes. Now feeling very tired. Tomorrow morning will be lazy, and then the afternoon will be karaoke and yakiniku with the koto club; it's going to be a lot of fun...

Day 83 - 21st of November

5:18pm　特急電車
天気：寒い

Carly and I are on the limited express train to Kyoto. We're going to see the Kiyomizu-dera and maybe Kodaiji "light up"; it's going to be beautiful. Diego and Jessica are already there. They went to the Todaiji flea market today. Carly and I on the other hand had INFES commitments. I got to uni at about 10 to 10 and found the koto room in building 2, 1st floor. The changing room was on the third floor. Mark and Justin were already half dressed and I was to promptly to follow. Sean showed up a bit later, but Niky was still a no show. With everyone else ready we all walked around to get some lunch. So many food booths; many selling the same thing (especially takoyaki). Some of the salespeople were very pushy, advertising their stalls. I felt a little uncomfortable in my kimono; unfortunately it's too short and my hairy legs show, lol. The tabi and zori fit well though, but they're scary to walk down the stairs in. It's freezing today, especially in the wind. I was pretty warm though in my kimono. We were to play for four sessions every hour; 1, 2, 3, and 4. I was scheduled to play at 1 and 4, but I explained that I would be singing at 2:30, so they changed mine, and Niky's (who would be singing also) times to 1 and 2.

5:37pm　七条

We're in Shichijo now, and have to switch to another train to go one stop down to Kiyomizu-gojo ~ the 条 (-jo) on the end can be loosely translated to mean street, so gojo is 5th street, as shichijo is 7th street. In Kyoto, many of the train stations are on these streets. Continuing... Niky showed up at about 12. She had a bit of a scare this morning, not knowing exactly when to get here. Luckily the kimono sensei were still around and she was dressed no problem. She did forget her tsume and music but that was easily fixed; she borrowed Justin's. So, the performances: we played in groups of three and Niky, Brittney, and I were first up. Since it's just Sakura, sakura it was over pretty fast. After that, the Japanese girls played three pieces while we beckoned in customers and served them tea. Each session took about 25 minutes. I decided not to record today, so I would have battery for tonight. I love the songs they play though; well except for the one really long, boring one, 六段の調べ (rokudan no shirabe).

5:45pm　普通電車

On the train... In the break, Niky and I had a quick look at the art exhibition and some ikebana before playing for a second time, accompanied by Mark this time... We're here; according to Diego the line to Kiyomizu-dera is really long.

6:17pm　清水寺

We're in the line to Kiyomizu-dera and it's incredibly long!!! But, it's moving at a relatively fast pace. We haven't found Diego and Jess yet, we're guessing they're at the other entrance. Wow, we can see the pagoda from here, all lit up. There's also a huge spotlight shooting light into the sky; it's amazing. Half-way there...

10:38pm　特急電車

We're on our way back home now. Tonight was great. We never did meet up with Diego and Jessica, which was a shame; it was too hard to find them in the masses. Kiyomizu-dera was stunning. We must have spent about an hour there; it was well worth it. Unfortunately, silly me forgot to lock the switch on the video camera and it must have came on in my bag, because when I pulled it out, it had less than 20 minutes of battery left. I did take a lot of photos though; that made up for it. After walking around the grounds, we did a little bit of shopping and then went back down into the city to find a place to eat. We almost immediately stumbled upon an okonomiyaki place; I was so there. We were seated straight away, and while our order took a while, it was so good. We shared a special okonomiyaki with everything in it; pork, beef, octopus, squid, prawns, and onions and cheese on top. And for dessert, ice cream; Carly had banana, and I got black sesame seed. Seriously, it is really yummy.

We walked to Gion Shijo (4th street) station, passing a few temples along the way, and a supermarket bearing the IGA brand name; I wonder if it's affiliated with the Australian one? Carly was shivering from the ice cream. We fooled around a bit in a small park, and made a quick stop at a grocery stall so Carly could get some cereal for tomorrow. To tired to do anything else, we got on the train. It's nice to be able to sit down, especially on an express train, which are almost always completely packed. Okay, now back to today... after playing for the second time, Niky and I got ready for singing. She decided to stay in her kimono, while I opted to change. As I said, it was freezing and we were singing in the outside auditorium; "circle stage". I was really nervous, and of course last, so I had to endure. Niky was second, and I thought she did really well. Finally, it was my turn...

10:56pm　淀駅

Whoops! The express train only got as far as Yodo, so we had to change over. Now we're on a local. Anyway... yeah, it was my turn. I did... okay. I forgot a lot of the lyrics; I was really disappointed about that. At least I got the last verse out perfectly. Carly was there recording it. Maybe I'll watch it one day; doubt it. Well, I wasn't the best, but I wasn't the worst either, so I can take comfort in that. Afterwards, I went over with Carly to her booth (Food booth 2) and bought one of her 和 パフェ (Wa Pafe - "peace parfait"), and donated to an orphanage in Germany (which was what the INFES was raising money for). The parfait was really good even in the cold weather. Since we were going to Kyoto, Carly got out early, on the pretense that she would help out extra hard tomorrow; same for me! I got all my stuff together and then we walked back home.

Getting back, we had a quick snack (I reheated the chicken from last night, otherwise it would have gone to waste). We printed off a map showing Kodaiji; we had anticipated going to three temples tonight but that didn't happen. I'm kinda glad we didn't; it would have been too much. We're going to try again on Thursday. Anyway, that's my day; we're in Makino now. Walk home, then collapse. Gotta be at uni again at 8:30 tomorrow; singing first and then kimono and koto!!!

Day 82 - 20th of November

9:08pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
Today was actually sunny, albeit cold. I spent the morning doing homework, and then rushed off to uni. Today was the first day of the international festival; there were so many stalls set up, and most of the buildings had been taken over. As I had class, I couldn't really appreciate it though, as I zigzagged my way through the crowds. In class today we had a bit of unexpected fun. We made 兜 (kabuto - samurai hats) out of newspaper so we could wear them. They're really easy to make; I felt like a kid sitting on the floor folding it; it was great. After class, I did my first interview for my CEL mini-project. Naomi graciously accepted to be interviewed last night at the meeting, so we met today in the CIE lounge. It only took about 15 minutes. I made my way home afterwards. I figured I'd be coming the the festival tomorrow and Sunday, so I'd look around then.

After lunch I felt really tired; it's been a long week and it's not over yet. Unfortunately that means I had a nap, and didn't wake up until almost 5:30. Of course, I felt like crap afterwards. I made a quick trip to Sanko to pick up some stuff for dinner, and then didn't end up using it anyway. I was going to make stew, but I made chicken parmigiana (again) instead; at least I finished off the spaghetti and the sauce. Finished off the cake afterwards; shared it round of course. It tasted even better today; the fridge had firmed it up. We've still got a whole heap of batter in the fridge, and even more icing, so we're going to have to make another soon. In truth, it's more like a brownie than a cake; it's not light or fluffy at all. But still, it's amazing. Anyway, going to try to have an early night tonight, make banana pancakes in the morning, and get to uni by 9 30. I'm so nervous about singing; I'm worried I'm going to forget the lyrics. But, I need to stay positive, and, if I mess up, it's not the end of the world; I'll get over it. I'm not nearly as worried about koto. We're performing Sakura sakura in groups of three, so at least we can cover for each other; it's going to be fun. Can't wait to hear the performances by the other girls...

Day 81 - 19th of November

11:54pm　セミナーハウス

天気：晴れ

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!! Today was another very long, but productive day. Since it is almost at a close, I will be writing this into tomorrow, but anyway... I received a big shock this morning. Just after I went to bed, there came a knock on the door. Diego got up and opened it, and there was Aki (the other of our resident assistants) beckoning me to come out. Quickly getting my clothes on, I went out to the lounge, and was pleasantly surprised when everyone began singing happy birthday; there was even a cake. It is Yuji's birthday today also (he's 20). Both our names appeared on the cake, and we blew it out, and cut it together; it was highly amusing. Aki, and the other girls made the cake, and it tasted really good. Yuji and I both thanked every one. I felt so elated afterwards that it was hard for me to get back to sleep, but I did eventually.

Woke up to the morning at about 8 and made scrambled eggs for breakfast; since I didn't have any milk for cereal. I talked to my parents and grandparents and opened their wonderful cards. Got my history essay printed out, then went to uni. There are stalls and decorations going up everywhere in preparation for the festival. Throughout the day I received birthday wishes, and all my classes went by smoothly and enjoyably. After classes, I had to wait around for the singing booth meeting at 5 30. We all got to practice our songs one last time, and got told the schedule for Sat and Sun. Since Niky and I are in Koto club also, we're going to miss a few things, but it's fine. At the end of it, I received another surprise. Since I was the last to go practice singing, I came back to the room and the board had been covered with pictures and congratulations; I felt so overwhelmed, receiving a third "Happy Birthday" song. They even presented me with a card that everyone had written in; I feel so blessed to be around such caring people. I went grocery shopping afterwards, and managed to pick up all the ingredients I needed for my cake. Got home and found this beautiful flower arrangement with orange roses made by Carly.

Soon after dinner, Carly and I made the cake. It was a rather laborious affair; we made it from scratch. After 2 hours (including baking, in which we had to turn the dish periodically since the revolving plate in the microwave is broken) we were presented with a slightly lopsided chocolate cake. Nevertheless, it is definitely the best cake I've ever made, and one of the best I've ever tasted. And the awesome part is, there's enough batter to make another after we've finished eating this one; I am seriously happy. We made icing too, but that needed a little bit more time to set, so we just drizzled it over our slices. Wow though, it really is perfect; soft and moist, but not too sticky, and a little crispy on the outside. Anyway, all in all, today was a good day. The only drawback was the fact that I didn't speak to my little bro; I forgot. I feel really bad about it, so I'll have to see him tomorrow. Good bye birthday, hello Mr 19 year old...

Day 80 - 18th of November

11:28pm　セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
Yay, just finished my history essay; finally!!! Today was a much nicer day; the sun even decided to come out for a little while. I got up a bit late this morning, so had to rush to get my homework done, but got to class just on time. Second to last grammar pattern in Speaking today; "Until...". In Reading and Writing, we're up to the second last chapter of Kanji; not long left now. After class I made my way back home. On the basketball courts, elementary kids were practicing marching band. That they could perform such a feat simply astounds me. It goes to show just how much pressure is put on Japanese people from such a young age. I guess in many aspects it pays off.

The dog that ripped my jeans hates me now. As soon as it saw me it instantly knew who I was and reared up and growled. I feel really bad about that now; I hope I haven't caused it any undue stress. I got home and put some rice home, then got my homework done for tomorrow. Had lunch (rice, and left over chicken from last night) then worked on my essay solidly until Diego got back at about 6 15. We went up and made dinner at 6 30. I decided to make yakisoba with the beef strips I had; really yummy. Then I had three donuts for dessert; what a fatty I am! At about 8:30 I continued to work solidly on my essay, and now I have finally got it finished; such a good feeling. I'll be turning 19 in less than 30 minutes, and while I'm tempted to stay up till midnight, I think it would be best if I went to bed now. Deigo's already been asleep for over an hour. Good night world, see you again when I'm 19...

Day 79 - 17th of November

11:34pm　セミナーハウス
天気：雨天
Another miserable, rainy day. It was also a very long day. I didn't need to go shopping this morning, since I'd gone on Sunday, so I relaxed a bit, had lunch, then went out into the rain. After speaking, I went to McDonalds and got the new McFlurry (strawberry short cake). I know, I'm crazy eating ice cream in the winter, but it was so nice. I did a bit more research for my history essay, then went to class. I found myself falling asleep. It wasn't that it wasn't interesting, it was just that the room was so nice and warm. I hung out with Amber and Carly a bit after class, then went to koto. We didn't get that much practice in, since we had a big meeting at the beginning about our party after the INFES. We had a short session with the sensei, and then the last 1 and a half was the girls practicing; they need it more than us, and I don't mean that in a bad way. Sakura, sakura really isn't a very hard piece. I'm looking forward to practicing new things afterwards.

After koto Sean, Mark, Justin and I went with Saki sempai to Kuzuha mall to buy our zouri (scandals) and tabi (socks) for our kimono. We were supposed to go yesterday, but since that we inconvenient for me, and everyone else didn't mind going today... well yeah, it all worked out fine. So off we went, through the freezing cold to 御殿山駅 (Gotenyama station). Two stops down and at Kuzuha mall, we met sempai's mum; she's very cool. As soon as we got there, she made Mark carry her heavy shopping bag; it was so funny. We went to one shop that sold tabi-like socks, but they all had stupid designs on them; we wanted plain ones. So we went up to the kimono shop on the 3rd floor; the women who came with sempai's mum to help us with our kimono the other week works there. Luckily, they had zouri and tabi in our sizes, but they were pretty expensive. We also had to buy ties for our kimono. Justin and Mark opted to just buy the zouri and ties, while Sean and I bought tabi also (white). It was after 9 at this point and the rest of the shops had closed, so we hurried back down to the first floor.

We parted with sempai and her mum, and went into the grocery store. I didn't want anything in particular; it was all very expensive. But I did find a small glass dish, which I'm very happy about. I'm going to make a cake for my birthday in it; yay!!! Hungry and tired, I made my way home, picking up a bag of Mister Donut donuts on the way; they were cheap okay. Caught the train back to Makino and walked home. My ears were hurting from the cold by the end of it; stupid me for not bringing my beanie. I was 10 when I got home, and after answering some questions for Deigo I made chicken parmigiana for dinner, and had a heated up donut for dessert. So, I didn't get down here till 11, and now I just want to go to bed. I can do my Japanese homework tomorrow morning, and tomorrow afternoon is for history essay...

Day 78 - 16th of November

10:09pm　セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
Well at least it stopped raining; but it was still so cold. Carly said it was 12 today, and expected to be 7 tomorrow!!! I guess I have to get used to it; Hokkaido in less than two weeks. Speaking of two things, I got two separate letters from Nanny and Poppy today. Well... one's a letter, and the other's a card, which I'm not going to look at till my birthday. Speaking of birthday's, it was Carly's today; turned 20. But more on that later. We've just finished our presentations in Japanese speaking, and now we're already going on to preparing a skit. I'm working with a girl in my class who I can't remember the name of, since we all refer to each other by our last names in class; kinda annoying. Anyway, the scenario is this: She's the single Mum who's at work all the time, and I'm the only child who is lonely and has become obsessed with video games and the like as a result. She's going to get up me for not doing more around the house, then I'm going get up her for never being there and so on. That's what we've got so far, and we're going to try to make it as funny and enjoyable as possible.

After class I went with Jo (who incidentally won a shirt for having the best presentation in the class today) to Floresta for our usual study session. I ordered a cinnamon donut today, which was very tasty indeed. Study was particularly important today since we had a lesson test for reading and writing. It actually wasn't that bad; I felt very confident about it. After that was CEL; we talked about urban life in Japan, how cities are structured in terms of levels of organisation, and touched on religion. I was starving afterwards, so had lunch, and wrote Carly a poem for her birthday. We were supposed to be going out tonight in a group to karaoke, so I left Koto a bit early. When I got back though, Carly said it wasn't happening cause she didn't feel up to it, and a lot of people were busy studying. We had a little celebration in the kitchen though; that was fun. Hopefully we can go out and do something on my birthday. Bleh, another cold day tomorrow...

Day 77 - 15th of November

9:56pm　セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
Today was quite uneventful. I woke up, had breakfast and did my laundry; there was a lot!!! From now on I'm going to do my laundry every week; it was ridiculous, and I didn't even wash any of my jeans. Carly, Diego and I went grocery shopping soon after; the chicken was on sale for a really good price. After that I worked pretty solidly on my history essay. It's very annoying because there's so much conflicting information. I'm getting there though. After lunch I worked on it some more, and then talked with my family for quite a while; my pop's up from NSW at the moment. Him and Dad went fishing today. I made dinner at about 6:30 (udon noodles with fried tofu). I was pretty happy with the result considering I've never cooked with tofu before. I talked with people in the kitchen for a while, then came down here and submitted some of my photos from yesterday on deviant art(http://jande.deviantart.com/); I can't wait to go to Nara again. Anyway, tired, and a little stressed about the big week ahead, I'm going to get some sleep.

Day 76 - 14th of November

10:05pm　普通電車

天気：曇り

We're almost at Nara now. Carly, Diego and I are meeting Jessica there. We woke up at 7:00 this morning and quickly got ready to leave for Makino station at 8:30. We took the local train from Makino to Kuzaha, then changed to an express train. We got off at Tambabashi, to change to the Kintetsu line. We waited on the platform for a bit, and I bought a playstaion mag. We're here...

1:53pm　レストラン

Right now, I'm sitting in exactly the same restaurant in sat in 4 years ago on my high school school trip. It's on the street towards 東大寺 (Todaiji temple - which houses the 大仏 - Daibutsu - "Great Buddha"). Carly's eating with me; Diego and Jessica went elsewhere. So far we've been to a number to a number of shrines and temples in the park. My food's just arrived...

2:10pm　レストラン

Finished. The trees are of a million different shades and the deer are abundant. We walked through a beautiful forest with ancient camphor trees, before deciding that we were very hungry and had to eat. We past a market on the way to this restaurant and I bought a beautiful old scroll. Carly just got a message from Diego saying that they would have to wait 25 mins for their pizza to be made; there's an Italian restaurant in the park across from us. Oh well, I want to explore and take more photos before we enter Todaiji. I should take some video too...

5:44pm　奈良駅

Carly and I are watching for the train home in Nara now. We bought a ticket that would get us all the way back in one transaction (basically paying for both kintetsu and keihan lines at once); very convenient. Diego and Jessica went into Nara to eat; I hope they find somewhere nice. So yeah, after lunch we walked around the souvenir shops and the park for a while, then me up with Diego and Jessica. It was about 3, so we made our way straight to Todaiji. Since my camera batteries ran out, I filmed it; already taken photos there before anyway. Even still, seeing the Great Buddha again was awe inspiring. You can't appreciate the true size of it in photos or film. And the structure itself is absolutely magnificent. We left just before it closed at 4:30, then walked out the side way, back towards the station. On the way, we visited a private garden. It was free entry for foreigners, so of course we leaped at the opportunity. It was so beautiful. We didn't spend too long in there since it was closing we continued walking toward the station, and stopped by one last souvenir shop.

I was supposed making 牛丼 (gyudon - a beef and rice dish) with Amber tonight, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen; by the time we get back Sanko will be closed. She'll have already have eaten anyway. Still got about 20 minutes to wait...

7:01pm　急行電車

We're now on the sub-express to Makino from Tambabashi. We decided that we'd rather sit down and have a longer ride, than stand up all the way and get there sooner. This way we don't have to switch over at Kuzuha either. It's been a long day, and now all I want to do is sleep...

Day 75 - 13th of November

天気：曇り
I had a lot of fun this morning making banana pancakes. I was really glad to use the bananas, cause they were getting old. I put them in the blender and blended them up, with a little bit of milk and Vanilla essence. The mixture was perfect with a bit more milk, and while they weren't of perfect shape, the end result tasted amazing. I talked with Dad afterwards about booking my plane ticket home. We decided that I'd just book online. So that was settled. I went to uni soon after and the new student teacher (Taka-san) took the class. It was fun, but a little confusing. I came home straight after, and got my PC@LL done; it was very difficult.

Got back, and had lunch, then did some more Japanese homework, before I had to go to singing booth practice. It was very cold, and I had a jumper and jacket, beanie and gloves. On the way I had my "Friday the 13th moment". As I was walking towards the uni, down the side road, the dog (a shiba) whom I always comment is so cute, came out of it's kennel and looked at me innocently. I decided to approach it; big mistake! As I put out my hand to let it sniff me, it viciously snapped at me, grabbing onto my jeans tightly. I freaked out and pulled back against it. I was thinking, "this dog might not let go"; I know how strong their jaws are. I persisted and it finally gave up "Riiiiiippp!!!"; hole in my jeans. I felt extremely lucky. 1. because the dog was on a short leash and, 2. because I'd earlier changed out of my black jeans into my blue ones beforehand for no apparent reason. So apart from my jeans, I got out of that one unscathed. I briskly walked away as it barked angrily. Phew; that was exhilarating.

Practice was short. Basically, we just got shown where we'd be sitting, and how we'd come on. It was finished within the hour. I walked back to the fast beat of the song of I was listening to, and decided on impulse, to go to Avail. I love shopping at Avail; it has so much great stuff. And today didn't disappoint. I came home with a shirt and two vests, two long sleeve shirts, and two packs of two pack underpants! And it all cost me exactly 6000円! The only let down are the shoes; they just don't make then in my size. I saw this awesome pair of lime green converse that would have gone great with my orange jeans; oh well. I saw Carly and Amber while I was in there.

Soon after getting back I booked my plane ticket successfully; I'm glad it's out of the way. For dinner I made Shepherd's pie. Since I only had two potatoes (and they are small potatoes), I decided to put in a carrot for mashing too. I also put in a packet soup mix, to bind the mince and veggies together. Put it together with grilled cheese on top and it was great. I even have a little left over; I think I'll put it with some rice. After dinner I went up and watched a movie with Carly on her computer (Pan's Labyrinth), taking up lots of goodies. The movie was really great albeit very violent in parts (it is rated R). Finally got to bed at about 12.

Day 74 - 12th of November

10:54pm　セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
And again, it's a rush in the morning. I did wake up early, but when it came to having lunch, I decided that instead of packing it for later, I would eat it just before I left, which meant that I was eating at 10:30, when I should have been leaving. I made it to uni in time though, as I always do; bless long legs and power walking. We've started the final chapter in Genki II. Today we learnt the causitive-passive verb conjugation taberu (to eat) becomes tabesaserareru (forced to eat)!!! Yes, it's crazy and long, but it's not that hard really. We spent most of the class trying to wrap our heads around it. My other classes went smoothly. After classes, I tried to book my return flight with the travel agency on campus. While waiting in line, I spoke with some follow Aussies. That was nice, and I found myself sounding more Australian just being around them. When I did finally get to talk with the travel agent I was out of luck. It seems that, even though the ticket prices are out online, they won't be issued to the travel agency until March, so if I want tickets at this early stage, I have to book online; bummer. I'm most likely going to do that tomorrow with Dad.

So a little disgruntled, I had some McDonalds (so healthy); it was really good though. At 5, with nothing else to do, I went to the room of our meeting. Many of the booth members were already there. I talked a bit with Naomi, and then with Niky. She told me about a photo shoot she would be having next Saturday after INFES with her host sister and grandmother, to mark her host sisters 12th birthday in the New Year - one's 12th birthday is significant to the Japanese as it marks the first full rotation of the Chinese zodiac. What makes it more significant is the fact that the sister and grandmother share the same sign; the tiger. They will be dressed in Kimono. Niky said while it will be an amazing experience, she doesn't feel worthy of it; I would feel the same way. In the meeting we wrote our names down for name tags, made sure our songs were correct, and I found out that I would be singing last on both days!!! This really puts the pressure on. However, I am somewhat relieved by the fact that, because of time constraints, we'd all have to cut our songs. This is great for me; less Japanese lyrics to learn!

The meeting didn't finish till 7, then I was out and about going to every super market along the way; literally. I went to Kirindo, Fresco, the 99円 shop, Top World, and bought something at every one; got some good bargains too. Finally got home at about 8:30. After buying all that food, all I had for dinner was scrambled eggs (I did use one of the tomatoes that I bought in a pack of three for 100円). I bought a knife at Top World cause I lost the original one, came home and found the exact same knife taped to my cupboard; Carly had bought it fo me. So, she's going to give it to her friend. I still have three bananas left, and they're getting old, so I'm going to make banana pancakes tomorrow. We have a blender, so I'll blend them first I think; that'll be fun! Today, I realised just how long we have left till the end of the semester; 5 weeks! I pointed this out to Deigo and made him sad. Aww... I will miss him; it's been a lot of fun. I'm really grateful that my first experience with a room mate has been such a pleasant one. This weekend I'm going to try to knock over this essay, so then I can start to work on my mini project for CEL; I'm a lot more worried about that one.

Day 73 - 11th of November

10:31pm　セミナーハウス
天気：雨天
Another rainy day. The water-way outside was full and fast running, and we joked that it would be fun to go rafting. Talked with my parents and got a start on my history essay. Jessica came over to study with Deigo, and Carly, Amber and I, went to Kuzuha mall, after lunch. It was only spitting when we left, so we walked to Makino station, stopping at the bank for Carly along the way. Amber took us a different way, that Carly and I insisted was longer than the way we were used to going. But anyway, we got to Kuzuha, and I was intent on finding a jacket and gloves for Hokkaido. We went to "Uniqlo" first, and I found a great jacket and gloves. I decided to shop around a bit more before making my decision to buy them. We went to a number of other clothes shops, but everything we looked at was either more expensive, or of a poorer quality. I did however pick up a pair of jeans and belt for about $30. Guess what colour they are... orange!!! And, a white belt. I know I'm crazy.

We also went to the book store and HMV. I bought some mochi at the super market, and then we went back to Uniqlo. I was extremely happy with my purchase. The jacket is stylish but very practical, warm, and water proof. The gloves are a little small, but what can you do; I'm in the world of little people. Carly bought some fabric to make a "pipe fox". I'm not entirely sure what it is; some sort of furry creature that wraps around your neck. I'm sure I'll see it when it's done. It was getting dark by the time we emerged from the shops, and it was very cold and windy. Amber had to check Tsutaya for a new CD she wanted, but unfortunately the one we went to was a rental place. So, we got back on the train for Makino, and Karaoke.

We spent two hours there, and I got some practice in for the songs I'm singing at the INFES; which is less than two weeks!!! I'm feeling okay about them, I just really need to learn the lyrics. Gosh it was cheap. 100円 each; we paid more for the drinks! Afterwards we had a purikura session ~ purikura are automated photo sticker booths, that are immensely popular in Japan. Sometimes whole floors are dedicated to purikura booths. ~ Incidently, Purikura is a portmanteau of the English, "Print Club". Anyway, this particular booth had monkey bars and a ladder to climb on, and three different cameras; It was a lot of fun. After selecting the desired pictures, you get to beautify them with love hearts, and sparkles, and writing; whatever you like basically. Then they are printed out in a set of 6, 12, 24 etc, with varying sized photos. It's a lot of fun, and cheap too. We finally got home at about 8, and made dinner. I'd better get to sleep now; back to uni tomorrow. So glad I got my jacket and gloves... and orange jeans! Hokkaido here I come...

Day 72 - 10th of November

11:00pm　セミナーハウス
天気：雨天
I slept in later than I wanted to, but oh well. Got to Sanko at 10 and bought what I needed for the week; I'm going to try an udon and tofu dish this week. Got to uni at 12, and had an easy Japanese lesson listening to presentations. Had lunch with Carly and met Edward for the first time. At 2 we went to the history classroom and waited around till class. We're in the 13th century now, when to Mongols invaded, and the lord - vassal system began to collapse. After class I went to pick up my box. I'd actually received it yesterday but, since I was already carrying around my kimono, I didn't want to carry the box too, especially since the note said size: large! And it was large; I was surprised. I was thinking, "What have my parents put in here?" I invited Carly to come and watch koto, and before it started we opened the box; lots of food. Yay for food. Of course, other great goodies too. My Nanny made me a beanie; so happy. I'm going to wear it in Hokkaido for sure.

Koto was really good. The Sensei came a little later than usual, but we got to have a really good session with her. We played (and sung) Sakura first, then, those who could (Sean, Mark, Charlie and I), went all the way through Hanagoromo. We played so slowly; it actually made it harder. Anyway, by the end of it, my legs were numb as; definitely a longer than usual session. And just when my legs were starting to get used to it. After the girls practiced, the Sensei and Shakuhachi master performed a piece for us; it was so beautiful. By this time it was raining steadily, and both Carly and I hadn't brought umbrellas. So after koto we decided to catch the bus home; this certainly saved our boxes. Next time, I'll get my parents to send it straight here. Got home reasonably dry and had dinner (stir fry again). Tomorrow's a day off, so we're going to Kuzuha mall in the arvo, and then Karaoke; looking forward to it. I think I'm going to go have a Milo now, night...

Day 71 - 9th of November

9:57pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
Today turned out to be pretty good... I woke up a bit late this morning, so I rushed to get ready. At precisely 9, the van came to pick up the extra parts Dell had sent Diego for his computer. Of course, Diego wasn't in the room at that point, so I took out the boxes for the guy, before rushing out the door. I made it to class just on time, and waited anxiously to start. I'd expected to go first, but in fact, sensei had us draw from cards to designate our turn; I was third. I went okay I guess. Giving a presentation in English is one thing; Japanese is so much more intense for me. Felt good to get it out of the way though. After class, I met up with Jo in Floresta and we quizzed each other for the quiz in Reading and Writing; that helped a lot. CEL was... bleh. We watched a 30 minute video and the narration was absolutely shocking. This guy is an anthropologist, someone who is constantly socialising with people, and he can't read from a script; it almost put me to sleep. Just so you know, it was about a small neighbourhood in Tokyo; what interactions take place, and the changes that have happened.

After class, I finally got some books out of the library to start my research on Murasaki Shikibu for History. I'm going to get a few more tomorrow I think. I had something to eat in the cafeteria, then stuffed around until koto. I realised I'd forgotten my tsume. Actually, I was more worried that I'd somehow dropped them; I thought I'd put them in my bag this morning. So, tsume-less, I helped Charlie with hanagoromo, before the kimono sensei showed up; they were a little late. It must have been after 5, because Niky doesn't get out of class till then, and she showed up right when they arrived. The two women, were so helpful, a praised all our kimonos; Niky's especially. It's a beautiful peach-orange colour. They helped us all dress and I felt a lot better about my kimono. They even had a brown obi for me to borrow, which suits perfectly. The only problem was, when I got it out yesterday to air out a bit, I didn't fold it back up properly, since I was in such a rush in the morning. The kimono, haori, and jubun were all really badly creased; I felt terrible about it. Luckily, one of the sensei will take it home and iron it for me; sooooo grateful.

So now we're pretty much set. Sean managed to get a new kimono set for $200; a little much. It does look good though, maybe a little plain; both the kimono and haori are grey. Charlie's not participating in the festival; he'll be in Tokyo. Maarika is borrowing a kimono, and I don't know about Brittney; I think she left part-way through for some reason. The sensei are even making 草履 (zori - flat scandals) for us. We're allowed to just wear regular white socks underneath; finding 足袋 (tabi - the traditional socks) in our sizes would be impossible. We packed up soon after the sensei left, and I made my way home worrying about my tsume. It was all good though; they were waiting for me in my desk. I had dinner; defrosted stew, which still tasted really good. It's shopping day tomorrow, so hopefully I can get some good deals. Deigo's got to chose his classes for next semester at his university. The problem is, classes don't open until 10am, so he has to wait up till 1 this morning to get in fast! I'm going to go have a Milo now, and then probably get some sleep.

Day 70 - 8th of November

10:31am　快速急行
天気：晴れ
We're finally on the train to Kyoto. It's Carly, Mark, Justin, Maureen and I. Sean and Charlie didn't end up showing up unfortunately, but after 30 minutes wait for Mark and Justin (with Maureen as a tag along) I was ready to leave.

5:44pm　快速急行
We're on the rapid express back to Makino... Getting off the train this morning, Mark knew the way to the shopping district, so I let him lead. We got there easily enough, then it was a matter of me remembering where the shop was. After figuring out where the cinema was, I was able to find my bearings, and got everyone to the shop; "Harajuku Chicago" - selling used clothes and kimono. We spent about an hour in there, trying to figure out what to get. The obi's were quite expensive, and we felt a little discouraged so decided to shop around some more. The proved a fruitless venture; everywhere else was ridiculously expensive. So, Harajuku Chicago it was...

Mark, Justin, and I all took another took and eventually came out satisfied enough. I ended up getting a 襦袢 (Jubun - under robe), 羽織 (Haori - kimono jacket) with a 羽織紐 (Haori-himo - tasseled, woven string fastener for Haori), and the kimono itself. Men's kimono are really plain; I decided on browns. It seems silly but, the under robe has a design and you don't even see it; all you see is the plain collar. Even the pattern on the Haori is on the inside. So really, men get to be pretty dull. It cost a little more than I wanted it to but at least I have one now. Unfortunately I didn't get an obi; none suited the kimono. So I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do about that, but I'm just going to take my yukata obi tomorrow so at last I can practice with the whole outfit. Maybe I'll be able to borrow an obi from someone?

Anyway, feeling very hungry, we went our separate ways in search of food, only to find each other again in the same restaurant; "First Kitchen" - a ripoff of McDonalds. Although, I have to say, the fries were cool; they came in many different flavours. After lunch, Carly and I decided to see a movie, "Push", which didn't start until 3:15, so we wandered around for a bit, stopping at a few temples. The movie tickets are a little expensive; 1500円, and that's with the student discount. Carly had to buy the popcorn (caramel - so good), and pay for 500円 of my ticket; some gentlemen I am. I'd run out of money, well... I had enough to buy the train ticket home. The theatre was number 6, on the 6th floor; we took the elevator up. So, with our tickets, numbered by our pre-chosen seats, we made our way in.

The movie turned out to be really good. I won't go into the details here, but the ending left you feeling like there was more to come; hopefully there is. We came out at about 5:15 and it was almost dark. We found our way out onto the main street, and figured out how to get back to the train station; Sanjo this time. Carly stopped off at Book Off, and got one of her manga, "Tsubasa". Then we got on the train... We're almost at Kuzuha now, to change over for Makino.

11:04pm　セミナーハウス
Well, I'm almost over my cold, and another weekend is over; it really is going fast. Got back and made dinner (stir fry again), and then did my homework for Japanese. Cleaned the kitchen for the last time in a while, and watched as buildings were being demolished by explosives on TV (intentionally of course). I'm all ready for my presentation tomorrow, and here's hoping I do okay; I'm first up!

Day 69 - 7th of November

10:20　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
Feeling much better today; just the remnants of the cold remain. I made Milo pancakes this morning! They tasted pretty good actually. Now that I've got the hang of making them, each time I do, I'm going to try different flavours; it's going to be fun. At 12, Carly and I made our way to the INFES "party". It was actually a lot of fun, but not something I would define as a party. We actually had a competition of sorts, between each of the booths, with money for prizes; 3000円 1st; 1500円 2nd; 500円 3rd. First was a quiz with a twist. Before we could answer the question, we had to move three glass beads from one plate to the other using chopsticks!!! There were seven people on each team (each booth), and only when you had successfully answered a question, could you move and the next person take your place. The first team to answer 7 questions won. The questions were pretty easy, although biased toward Americans (fair enough). There were two Australian questions though; what is the capital of Australia, and; what continent can you find the platypus on? In the end, it was our booth that came out on top; yay!

After the quiz, it was actually pretty disorganised. The next game we played was basically writing down hints on the board, and the other players had to guess what the word/thing it was. That didn't work out so well, so they decided to just ditch that, and play jan ken pon (rock, paper, scissors), to decide who would go away with the prizes (on top of the points accumulated from the quiz). We ended up coming second, which was really cool. The 1500円 will go towards something for our booth. After that, Carly and I went to the cafeteria for lunch, and no I did not get katsudon. I go a tofu with spicy sauce and rice dish; I was really good. At that point it was about 2 30. So we waited around for the concert to start. We arrived at 3 30, and took our seats right in the middle; the auditorium is very grand indeed. At 4 on the dot, the players took to their seats, followed soon after by the conductor.

Wow, what can I say. The music was absolutely spectacular; I wish I would have recorded it. The conductor was so enthusiastic; it was amazing to watch. The wind orchestra played 4 pieces, and when they played selections from Princess Mononoke I almost died; sooooo good!!! This other piece they played, "Escape from Plato's cave", was epic. I really want to find it and listen to it again. Gosh, and when they finished a piece, the speed in which they all stood up was absolutely astounding. After an interval, the marching band and colour guard performed. For me, this was really special, since I've never had the opportunity to see anything like it. We really should pick it up in Australia; it looks like a lot of fun. There was a section where a drum group came out playing on plastic garbage bins, buckets and stools (along with the kettle, and bass drums); It was so cool. It ended up finishing at about quarter past 5. It was such a wonderful experience; and free too!

From uni, we walked over to Fresco. Carly needed bread, and I picked up some things including chicken bits, which I had with rice and leftover sauce, for dinner. Watched the TV for a while in the dining room, then I finalised my presentation and printed it out. Cleaned the kitchen at 9; a lot more people showed up this time, which was nice. Watched some more TV and sipped on Milo. Had a shower and shave and brushed my teeth, and now I'm pretty much up to date. I'm really looking forward to going to Kyoto tomorrow. Hopefully we don't spend too long there; I still have Japanese homework to do. Anyway better get to bed...

Day 68 - 6th of November

9:51pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
I'm feeling a little better today. I think I've flushed out the worst of it. The morning went by slowly; probably because I didn't do much. After class, I went to the cafeteria craving katsudon. Soon after, I came home and had a nap. I decided to go to the sentou, thinking it would help with my cold. I did feel better afterwards, although I didn't stay that long. I walked to Sanko and picked up a few things. Dinner was chicken parmigiana which took way to long to make. And for some reason, I am missing my large plate and knife and fork. I seriously can't even remember to last time I used them. I'm sure they'll turn up, and if not I'll just buy replacements. Cleaning time at 9 and no one showed up; everyone was out drinking. It was Deigo and I, another guy and Yuji (our RA), and Carly who's not even supposed to be cleaning this week. I took us half an hour but we got it done. It's getting to be more than just annoying. People leave food, dirty dishes and there personal belongings all over the place. Now, I'm just feeling tired. We're going to play cards now...

Day 67 - 5th of November

9:22pm　セミナーハウス　
天気：曇り
Woke up this morning feeling terrible. I got hardly any sleep; the cold developed and I had a mosquito buzzing around my head - at one point it flew in my nose and let me tell you, that was not pleasant. I was seriously considering not going to uni today, but after a nap this morning, I felt a little better and decided to go for it. I made a packed lunch of scrambled eggs on toast, and went on my way. It was a bit warmer with little wind today, which was very nice. Uni was... very long today. But I got through it, sneezing all the way. I returned home at about 4:30 to find Diego and a guy from Dell, fixing his laptop; the hinges had snapped and the keyboard was stuffed. To our surprise, and confusion, a huge box turned up with all the parts this morning - it seemed a little excessive. But it all turned out fine, although now Diego has extra parts that have to be picked up on Monday.

Soon after, Diego had a nap, and I worked on my Japanese presentation; almost done. We had our monthly seminar house meeting and got information about checking out procedures. I found out that even though I'm staying for the winter, I still have to check out and then check back in again. It seems a bit silly to me, but that's the way it is. I should be able to stay in the same room though, which is cool. I had a large plate of yakisoba (noodles) with heaps of vegetables; and garlic and onion of course. I really want to get rid of this cold. Hopefully this is my worst day, and I'll start recovering tomorrow. I'll get my presentation done, and then I can start gathering books from the library on Murasaki Shikibu (for my history biographical essay). I'm gonna get to sleep now. Hopefully I can get a few more hours in than last night...

Day 66 - 4th of November

セミナーハウス
天気：寒い
Tired and sick. Not much to say really. Had my Japanese classes as usual, then came straight home afterwards. After lunch I had a nap; that lasted for 2 hours! I guess I was pretty drained by that time. Talked to my family for about an hour at about 5:30, then went up and had dinner, which was leftovers (the katsudon actually tasted better reheated). I hung out in the kitchen for a little while, then came back to the room to work on my Japanese presentation. Today was linen change day; ten days seems to go by so fast. At 9, we went up to clean the kitchen, and I had supper; jam toast and Milo. Yes, I bought Milo at Sanko the other day; I had to. I'm not really looking forward to tomorrow. Hopefully I can sleep okay tonight...

Day 65 - 3rd of November

10:32pm　セミナーハウス
天気：寒い
Although I woke up with a sore throat, I didn't let that stop me have a productive day, although it did spend most of it indoors; it's freezing outside. It's been 10 degrees all day, and it must be colder now. Diego's not back yet. He and Jessica left for Osaka at about 10 this morning. As for me, I did my washing (including hand washing my new clothes), cleaned the room, and got a good part of my Japanese presentation done. Carly hung out with me for most of the day; it was good to have the company. It was not until about 4 that I went out; to Sanko for groceries. I came back soon after and found Amber with Carly. I wanted to make katsudon for dinner tonight, so I looked up a recipe and realised that i was missing one of the ingredients; bonito flakes to make the stock. Amber needed to go grocery shopping, so out again I went, coming back triumphant.

It took a bit of preparation, and a lot of dishes, but I finally made katsudon. It wasn't as nice as the one I get at the cafeteria, but not bad for a first attempt I guess. the meat I got was so cheap; 4 pork chops, half-price at just over 400円. I only cooked two, and I only ate one, so the other is left over for tomorrow night. Even though it's a national holiday Sanko was still open, and the sales were still on. I bought a persimmon, and tried it afterwards for dessert; it wasn't that good. Oh well, tried something new.

10:49pm
Diego's just got home. They ended up going to Osaka castle, Yodobashi camera, and the Pokemon centre in Umeda. I still have to go there. Well, I think the cold, or virus, or whatever that's been going around has finally hit me. I've just got a sore throat, but I also feel really drained. I'm just going to have a shower, then go to bed. Tomorrow, uni again...

Day 64 - 2nd of November

10:02pm　セミナーハウス
天気：寒い
9 o'clock class; always a joy. Nah, it's not that bad. In my break, I paid my insurance, and had lunch; katsudon as usual. Caught up with Charlie, and talked for a bit. He's finally better, so could come to koto club. I had a kanji quiz in Reading and Writing, and then in CEL we had a pretty interesting discussion about Japanese women in the workplace. After class, I met Peter and we went over to the club building where they keep a baby grand piano. A guy was already there, playing music from Final Fantasy incidentally. I never did catch his name, but he was really good. And there with him was Dan, whom I haven't seen in almost 2 months. He told me he's been very busy with uni and his part-time job; we didn't really talk much. He left soon after with his friends. I'm kinda disappointed that we haven't gotten on better but, not much I can do. Anyway, Peter, the other guy, and I took turns playing; I found it so hard to play without the sheet music. The guy told me where I might be able to find some; in Shinsaibashi.

After playing, I went to koto club. Charlie brought all the things he had made in his ceramic classes, and gave me one of them as a present! It's a beautiful blue glazed dish; so cool. He had a lot of catch up to do in terms of practice; most of us have gotten through the whole piece. And as usual, he had to leave early to participate in his okaasan's tea ceremony. Since tomorrow's a national holiday (文化の日 - Bunka no hi - Culture day) there won't be any koto club. Next week though, we have to have our kimono's because the sensei is coming to teach us how to wear them. So, Mark, Justin, Sean, Charlie and I are going to Kyoto on Sunday to buy them. It's going to be fun. Today I realised just how close the international festival is; just 3 weeks! I'm freaking out a little to be honest.

Walking back from koto, it was absolutely freezing (10 degrees it said on the forecast tonight). I went to Kirindo and Fresco to pick up a couple of things and then took to bus home; I wasn't about to die of pneumonia, lol. And it started to rain too, so it was lucky I did, cause I didn't bring an umbrella. I was happy to get home; it was warm inside. It was past 9 by the time I ate (mince and pasta dish). It was our week again for kitchen duty, and Diego took it upon himself to clean for both of us since I was eating; I think that's the cleanest I've seen the kitchen. Anyway, tomorrow, holiday. I'm not going to do much though. I seriously need to get assignments done, and study. It'll be a nice quiet day inside, all warm and snugly.

Day 63 - 1st of November

10:51pm　セミナーハウス
天気；雨天
I didn't loose my key!!! Oh my gosh, I felt so silly. As soon as I had done explaining the situation to Otousan this morning, I went up to the kitchen for breakfast, and as soon as I walked in, I saw the key hanging in my cupboard keyhole! I grabbed it and immediately run down to Otousan to tell him it was okay. The crazy thing is I didn't even notice it last night, and I was up there making toast. I was so relieved; I munched on my pancakes happily. I spent the majority of the morning getting my blog up to speed, talking with Mum and working on my presentation. Nanny and Poppy came over in the afternoon, and I got to talk with them a bit, before having lunch and going out to meet Naomi in Hirakata.

We met up easily enough (she was waiting by the buses). She took me to a karaoke place on the 6th floor of the building across from the bus terminal. I had to become a member (only cost 200円), then we got a drink and went in. It was a little awkward, but I got practice done, and had a fun singing with her. Now I know what the song is called 「栄光の架橋」 (Eikou no Kakehashi - bridge of glory) by Yuzu. It's a very nice song, but quite high in parts. I know I'll be able to do it though. We spent about an hour and a half there, and then went our separate ways home. Stepping out of the bus, I noticed that Avail was having a sale, and I couldn't help myself; I had to go in. I spend almost an hour in there, and came out with another pair of overalls, a sweater and a pair of socks. I wanted to buy some shirts, but the problem was they were too tight and short in the arms; I tried M and L. The sweater I bought was XL!!! It fits perfectly; too bad they didn't have shirts in this size.

It was still pouring with rain when I came out, as it had been since noon. Diego and Jess were back in the room, and I told them about the sale; they went there for a while before Jess had to go home. Diego returned, empty-handed. I started making dinner at about 6:30; stew. I turned out wonderfully, and I have two more servings left in the freezer. I watched this really cool show on TV, while eating dinner. It was like the Japanese version of Mythbusters. We could get the gist of what was going on. They made a sakura tree bloom in fall; they made a boat out of compacted salt and tried to row to an off shore island (that failed); and they made a camouflage suit out of glass (that was really cool). After the show, I studied with Amber for a while, then come back down to my room. I think it's time for sleep now, since I have early class tomorrow. Overall a nice beginning to a new month.

Day 62 - 31st of October

11:39pm　セミナーハウス

天気：晴れ

Today was... very long. I woke up at about 8 this morning and started making pancakes at 9. Diego guided me through the process, and I too was producing perfectly round pancakes; I was thrilled. I decided last night that, instead of going to Hello Kitty world (which I didn't really have that much interest in), we'd go to Kuzuha Mall. At 10, we left with Carly in tow, to meet Jessica in Makino station (the guys working on the site of the recently destroyed house stopped to pose for us when we got out our cameras - Japanese people are so cool). Just one stop down and 150円 later, we were in Kuzuha. There were a lot of clothes shops; reminiscent of the Sunshine Plaza. We walked around for a while and came across a few interesting shops; one that sold no brand goods, and another that had everything for letters (stamps, paper, brushes).

After exploring the rooftop (car parks) and checking out the view, we went down for lunch on the first floor. I went for Okonomiyaki (with pork), and we all had icecream afterwards. Mine was very much Halloween themed; magical mint-night, and pumpkin! Seriously though the pumpkin was amazing. We walked around the main building a little more, then went out to another adjoining building. On the first floor there was a really cool shop called "Lush", that sold handmade soaps and cosmetics. On the third floor there was another cool shop that sold heaps of retro stuff; a lot of stuff from the West. Carly and I bought some Studio Ghibli manga. Our original plan was to go back to the dorm and then get changed for tonight, but, since it was already pretty late, we decided to go straight to Hirakata by train, but not before waffles; sweet potato! I'm finding that I'm actually starting to like a lot of foods that I never used to like before.

After arriving in Hirakata, on an extremely packed train, we went to the department store across from McDonalds, and I got a nice shirt on sale for 990円; Diego got a 500円 shirt with the Road Runner on it! Then we went to "Book Off", which sells second hand books, games, CDs and DVDs, which are (for the most part) extremely cheap and good condition. I bought a My Neighbour Totoro story book, and Kingdom Hearts novels; really cheap. I'm going to see how well I can read them. Finally, we got to The Hobbit, and Katie and Eaaf met with us soon after. We felt a little awkward not having dressed up; the owner himself was dressed in a Power Rangers suit and witches hat. Diego struck up a conversation with him since he could speak Spanish; the owner's actually been all around the world, with photos on the wall to prove it. He just opened up the restaurant in September. Okay, so here comes the weird part. We had to exchange our yen for "Hobbits" (glass tokens basically): 250円 = 1 Hobbit. The were small (snack size) plates of food put out which were one Hobbit each! Oh, and the drinks were 2. So I ended up spending 1000円 on appetisers and and a drink!!! We realised that, since it was Halloween, they wouldn't be serving the food on the menu.

So we left, and went to Saizeriya; YAY!!! I got a vegetable and mushroom pizza, a drink (with refill), and garlic bread for just 500円; so much better value. After eating Katie and Eaaf left, and Diego, Jess, Carly and I went to Karaoke. It was fun, but pretty expensive for 2 hours; we decided that the one in Makino was much better, and had a better variety of songs. So with croaky throat, and sore feet, we said goodbye to Jess at the station; it was about 10:30). We met up with Peter (whom we incidentally saw at the Hobbit - he was covered in blood and tattered clothing - a zombie apparently). and came back to the dorm on the bus. Unpacking my stuff, I knew for sure I'd lost my keys; I realised when I was at the station before we got on the bus. In the morning I'll have to tell Otousan. The lock will have to be changed and the money will come out of my insurance deposit. So today, Halloween day, certainly had it's ups and downs. Now, I just want to go to sleep...

Day 61 - 30th of October

天気：晴れ

The day before Halloween and everyone was dressed up for the costume competition. I was greeted by a sober Jack Sparrow in the kitchen this morning (Lucas). Walking up to the CIE building, there was a horde of fantastical (and not so fantastical) beasts, socialising, posing, and signing up for the event this evening. I think by far the most popular outfit was pikachu; I must have seen at least 3. Other noteworthy costumes were: a foursome of cross dressing guys dressed as geisha, Waluigi, Kitsune in kimono (Fox spirit - my friend Christina), Jack Skellington, and a girl in a banana suit (phallic symbolism apparent). I went to the post office to send off postcards, and then went to my Speaking class. Jo had dressed up as the Mad Hatter, and with Alice, and a Cheshire cat, would be participating in the competition. Class was fun. We learnt the verb ending used when commanding someone to do something ～ ブロッグを読みなさい。－ "Read my blog!" After class I went home, had lunch, and worked on my Japanese assignment. I actually got a decent amount done before going out at about 5:30 to get to the competition.

Originally, it was going to be held in the CIE building, but due to the vast number of people participating, they had to move it to the outside auditorium; indeed, the crowd of spectators was vast. I sat with Diego and Jessica. It actually took them quite a while to get started. We expected it to start at 6, but it didn't end up starting till 7. There were four sections: fantasy, group, funny, and general. Basically, there was a panel of judges (mostly professors), and contestants had to walk on and present themselves, in a cat-walk-like fashion. First to come out was Snow White (Niky from koto club), who banana lady (the MC) kept on referring to as Cinderalla. Lucas pulled off the Jack Sparrow act really well (he'd actually gone out to get drunk in the day with a bunch of other people from the dorm, which I'm sure helped, lol).

Niky, and Lucas, along with Kaonashi ("Faceless" - from Spirited Away) got into the final three for that category. Out of the group category came the Gaijin Geisha (the four guys), CIE power rangers, and a group of mismatched plushie suits (Donald Duck, Elmo, Sunshine Care Bear, and another iconic Japanese Bear). In the funny category, a guy dressed up in a cardboard box (a robot from Gundam), No name, and that crazy guy from Saw who I can't remember the name of (Kelly was with him in bloodied and tattered clothes - I thought they put on a really cool act), were in the final three. And, in the general category, Christa (dressed as a maid), Eddy as a Yakuza, and a girl in traditional Maasai dress (who sang for us as well), made it through. We also received a dance from one of the girls (from a dance club presumably), halfway through the four categories. I got the majority of the event on camera, but unfortunately my batteries died toward the end. I switched over to my camera and recorded the rest.

The finalists all presented themselves one last time, and then the Judges, along with the audience, voted for a winner from each category (the audience was split in four, each group voting in a different category). We got the funny category, and I voted for Kelly and his friend in the mask. In the end, Kaonashi won in the fantasy category (Jack Sparrow came second); the Gaijin Geisha won in the group category (that was obvious); No name won the funny category (Kelly came in second); and in the general category, Maasai girl won (Eddy came second). I thought it was cool that Kaonashi won - the costume was the most innovative - even though he (or she), had a hard time moving around. After the competition ended, I left with Jessica and Diego to go to dinner at a nearby yakitori place. The food there was reasonably priced and quite tasty. We spent about an hour there; by this point it was about 10. Getting home, I was very tired and soon went to bed.