10:36pm セミナーハウス
天気：雨天
4 hours later, and I’m finally back downstairs; been up in the kitchen since 6:30. It’s so nice to have the room back to normal; Jamie left for home stay this evening… I got up at 10 this morning, just after the announcement was made that check-in would be commencing. I got right onto it, taking my sheets out into the foyer. Then I went into the lounge, to get my keys and check the kitchen box and room. Everything good, I received my 5 hangers and clean linen. Jamie had already removed his futon, so I was finally able to get back into my cupboard properly. The first thing I did was move all of my kitchen stuff back into my kitchen box. Then I sorted out my cupboard; it’s much better now. Went back up to the kitchen to bring the spare bags I’d used back down, and ended up chatting with Ash. Realising there was only 20 minutes till the meeting we decided to just stay where we were. The meeting was over in about half an hour (it was about 12:30 at this point), and I was feeling very hungry; Okaasan had brought back all the cooking utensils. But first I needed something to cook!!!
Hugo had just bought a bike from his friend, and just after 1, we went to Sanko, along with Simon and Rachel. I bought so much stuff; too much really. It was drizzling on the way there, but on the way back it was coming down quite steadily. Rachel and I volunteered to carry some of Simon’s groceries, so he could carry his umbrella, and then half way back he tells us he could’ve just worn his hood up; it was funny. Getting back, we were all straight in the kitchen. I made eggs on toast, with rice I had prepared earlier; forward thinking. It was so nice to have rice again; not that I haven’t had it for the majority of this week but still… It’s so nice to be able to make it myself. After lunch, Hugo and I got to sorting the room out, and vacuuming. A bit later on, I got to talk with my family, which was really great considering I hadn’t spoken with them since the previous Sunday. I did a little bit of study afterwards, and Jamie said his farewells; he was getting picked up by his family from the seminar house. I will sorely miss that red jacket of his!!!
Although I wasn’t really hungry, I decided to head up to the kitchen at around 6:30. I showed Simon how to use the rice cookers, and Hugo too when he came up a little later. Katie was making apple crumble, and Ash and I were just there staring at it in process. Simon sat down with us, and Rachel soon joined. After 20 minutes of baking, the apple crumble was ready, and Katie treated me to some; this was before I ate dinner mind you. Jacinthe came to sit with us for a little while, and I got a slice of some amazing cheddar cheese from her. Not wanting to leave the conversation, I regrettably got up to make my dinner. And by make, I mean defrost my stew in a pan. Yes, I bought a lot of food today, but I was feeling a little lazy and, I had no idea what I wanted to cook anyway; stew seemed to be the best option. So yeah, for the next three hours, Katie, Ash, Rachel, Simon, and I talked about anything and everything, from politics to sex stores, from History to movies, from differences in the English languages, to the royal family; it was great. Chelsea from Hawaii, listened eagerly, and said she was learning a lot from our conversation. Admittedly, I was too; I wish I read the news more.
Finally, it was time for bed. I went up to Katie and Ash’s room, to get Ash’s Religion in Japan text package, and then bid them goodnight. Then I had a shower and finally got back to the room. It’s the last day of the month, and also the last day of winter break. It’s going to be weird, but good, to start classes again. I’m looking forward to getting back into routine. In the meeting today, Yuji and Asami revealed the new chart for cleaning duties. It has the same design, but this semester, they’ve decided that cleaning nights will be Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, not every night like last semester. I don’t know how effective this will be, but hopefully we can keep the kitchen and utensils relatively clean. I’m in group B, so will start next week. Well, Hugo’s already in bed, so I should wrap it up. My first class is at 10 tomorrow; have to get back into waking up early. I’m really looking forward to this semester; here’s hoping it’s even better than the last…
Sunday 31 January 2010
Saturday 30 January 2010
Day 153 - 30th of January
10:14pm セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
I’m just watching (500) Days of Summer with Hugo. Jamie’s just got back, and he’s finishing up packing for his move into home stay tomorrow. Lol, this movie’s pretty cool; a little quirky. It’s a light little boy meets girl comedy, and it jumps from day to day (backwards and forwards) across a 500 day period; keeps it interesting. Anyway, today was good… I didn’t do much this morning, but after lunch at 2, we all got ready to go to karaoke. It ended up being Rachael, Simon, Ash, Katie, Jacinthe, Jo and I; a great group. When we got to karaoke, it was packed, so we had to wait almost an hour to get into a room. In the mean time, we got ice cream, and had a purikura session. It was a little after 4 when we finally got in, so we were only in the there for 3 hours; at 7 free time starts, which has to be paid for separately. It was still great though, and so cheap; 100 yen an hour. Everyone had a really great time, and Rachel and Simon really got into it for their first time.
When we got out at 7, we were pretty hungry, and Jo suggested we go out for dinner. Katie and Ash, decided to go to a convenience store, and Jacinthe had to go into Hirakata to teach, so it was Jo, Simon, Rachel, and I. We ended up going to an okonomiyaki place just around the corner from the seminar house. Rachel and Simon had never tried it before, and they loved it; I’m still feeling very nice and full from it. When we got back, Simon went into the computer room to ask Yuji to translate his fortune from Kiyomizu-dera. Otousan was in there, and was looking at names of people, and when he saw Rachael he chose to call her by her last name, Green. The thing is, there are two Rachel’s here; the one I’ve just met from America, and the one from my Japanese class last semester. And they even share the same middle name; Sarah. So, in order to minimise confusion, Otousan has a different name for each of us; that’s why I’m Jo, and Jo’s Joanna. I don’t think she minds though. After that we all parted ways. The movie’s finished now. It was… interesting, I’ll give it that. I won’t be doing much tomorrow except seminar house meeting at 12, and checking in; yay we get all our kitchen stuff back. Time for bed…
天気：晴れ
I’m just watching (500) Days of Summer with Hugo. Jamie’s just got back, and he’s finishing up packing for his move into home stay tomorrow. Lol, this movie’s pretty cool; a little quirky. It’s a light little boy meets girl comedy, and it jumps from day to day (backwards and forwards) across a 500 day period; keeps it interesting. Anyway, today was good… I didn’t do much this morning, but after lunch at 2, we all got ready to go to karaoke. It ended up being Rachael, Simon, Ash, Katie, Jacinthe, Jo and I; a great group. When we got to karaoke, it was packed, so we had to wait almost an hour to get into a room. In the mean time, we got ice cream, and had a purikura session. It was a little after 4 when we finally got in, so we were only in the there for 3 hours; at 7 free time starts, which has to be paid for separately. It was still great though, and so cheap; 100 yen an hour. Everyone had a really great time, and Rachel and Simon really got into it for their first time.
When we got out at 7, we were pretty hungry, and Jo suggested we go out for dinner. Katie and Ash, decided to go to a convenience store, and Jacinthe had to go into Hirakata to teach, so it was Jo, Simon, Rachel, and I. We ended up going to an okonomiyaki place just around the corner from the seminar house. Rachel and Simon had never tried it before, and they loved it; I’m still feeling very nice and full from it. When we got back, Simon went into the computer room to ask Yuji to translate his fortune from Kiyomizu-dera. Otousan was in there, and was looking at names of people, and when he saw Rachael he chose to call her by her last name, Green. The thing is, there are two Rachel’s here; the one I’ve just met from America, and the one from my Japanese class last semester. And they even share the same middle name; Sarah. So, in order to minimise confusion, Otousan has a different name for each of us; that’s why I’m Jo, and Jo’s Joanna. I don’t think she minds though. After that we all parted ways. The movie’s finished now. It was… interesting, I’ll give it that. I won’t be doing much tomorrow except seminar house meeting at 12, and checking in; yay we get all our kitchen stuff back. Time for bed…
Day 152 - 29th of January
10:21am 大阪環状線
天気：晴れ
We’re on the Osaka loop line, bound for 桜島 (Sakurajima), which goes direct to Universal Studios! I’m so excited; it’s a beautiful day, and pretty soon I’ll be exchanging trains for roller coasters! I got up at 7:20 this
morning, thought about going back to sleep, but decided to get up and have a shower; Jamie had just got back from his night of raving, and I knew he’d want to go back to bed. After showering, I went up and had breakfast, and chatted with Rachel and Jacinthe when she came in. Hugo’s got a cold, but he’s still going on the Kyoto trip; hope he gets better soon. At a quarter to 9, I went down to the lounge, and talked with Simon, until the girls finally showed up at 20 past. We went on our way to Makino and changed trains at Hirakata. Almost there, just got off the loop at 西九条 (Nishikujo).
11:21am USJ
We’re in the line for the Jaws ride; just got off Hollywood Dream (the big rollercoaster). Wow, total adrenaline rush; haven’t felt like that in a long time. It was so cool too, because with some rides you can choose to do single rider, which means you bypass the regular line and serve to fill the excess spots on the ride. We walked straight up to the platform, and got on the first train there; Katie in car 2 and me in 5. It was really scary at first, since I haven’t been on a rollercoaster in ages; I did enjoy it though. In the end, the wait to get off the ride was longer than to get on; crazy. Man, feel so bad for Ash; she forgot her season pass, so decided to just go back home! It’s such a bummer. I’m thinking I might get a season pass, but then again, I got a huge discount when Katie presented her pass while I was paying for my ticket. So happy to be here and definitely thinking I could come back again. Some of the rides are closed for maintenance, and a new ride is coming out soon, and we won’t be here to see the light show at night… Still waiting.
1:10pm USJ
We’re just waiting for the Universal Monsters Rock and Roll Show. Jaws was really good; it was a boat tour through “Amity”. Katie’s been on it 5 times now, and it still freaks her out. Then we went for lunch at a 50’s style diner. Yes, the food is expensive here, but oh well. After lunch, we went to see the Terminator 2, 3-D show and it was so well done; the actors and 3-D effects were amazing. The footage was all dubbed, and it was really funny to see Arnie speaking Japanese. There were even environmental effects; wind, fog, water, lights, and the seats moved. We’re seated in the theatre now, looking forward to another great show…
2:20pm USJ
Now we’re lining up for the Spider-Man ride. The rock and roll show was a lot of fun; they’re so professional. Beetle Juice hosted the show, and was played by a Japanese guy, but the rest (Dracula, Wolfboy, Frankenstein, etc.) were played by foreigners. They sung in English, and it was a whole lot of popular rock songs, dancing and lighting effects; awesome! Almost on the ride now…
2:34pm USJ
Wow!!! The Spider-Man ride was epic; the 3-D affects coupled with the highly dynamic car was great. Now I’m in the line for Back to the Future. Katie decided to sit this one out; it’s a 3-D motion simulator ride. I wish it wasn’t so cold and windy… After this, we’re going to see Shrek’s 4-D Adventure and then I don’t know what else. It’s been incredible so far…
4:45pm 大阪環状線
We’re on the loop-line back to Kyobashi… Back to the Future was awesome; I was in the front row. After that, Katie and I got waffles (chocolate), and walked around to Jurassic Park. Unfortunately the ride (a log flume) is closed for maintenance until the 5th of February. We continued around and back through Amity and over to Snoopy Land and then Oz; really cool scenery. We missed the last showing of Shrek’s 4-D Adventure, so we went on to a few souvenir shops. Finally satisfied, we exited USJ, and went into a few more walks along the boulevard; I picked up some more badges so I was happy. I’m feeling very tired now, and we still have to walked back from the station to uni to pick up our class schedules, and then we can finally get home.
9:59pm セミナーハウス
I’m in the lounge with Katie, Ash, Jacinthe, and Jo, watching the Cat Returns. We just finished watching Spirited Away, and then went straight onto this; relaxing way to spend the evening… After getting back to Hirakatashi, Katie and I walked to the uni and found out our classes. Both of us didn’t get into Monsters, which is a shame. Katie’s on the waiting list; since there are already 30 people on the list I’m not going to bother. Still, she might have a chance to get in. I got my religion class, but I got put into Death in East Asian Though, which would have been good except for the fact that it clashes with koto club practice. So I went to the CIE to get it changed. I got into the waiting list for Onna to Otoko (a gender and sexuality class), and enrolled into a course about manga as a backup. I’m hoping that I can get into Onna to Otoko though; I think that will be more worthwhile.
After getting that sorted out, we started walking home, only to turn around and go back to the CIE; Katie just remembered she wanted to get the details for a writing competition. We finally got back at around 7. I was so hungry, but all I had left were noodles, bread, half an avocado, and tuna; a very makeshift dinner. Still, it was filling, and we had cookies, and donuts (that we bought for Kyobashi today) for dessert. Ash got into the Monsters class, so I’m a little jealous; oh well. Today was so great; I’m so glad I went. I didn’t end up buying the season pass; I thinking I’ll only want to go one more time anyway. My feet are feeling very sore now, so it’ll be so nice to get into bed tonight. I’m looking forward to karaoke tomorrow afternoon. Don’t know who exactly is coming, but hopefully some new people. Now, time to enjoy the rest of the movie.
天気：晴れ
We’re on the Osaka loop line, bound for 桜島 (Sakurajima), which goes direct to Universal Studios! I’m so excited; it’s a beautiful day, and pretty soon I’ll be exchanging trains for roller coasters! I got up at 7:20 this
morning, thought about going back to sleep, but decided to get up and have a shower; Jamie had just got back from his night of raving, and I knew he’d want to go back to bed. After showering, I went up and had breakfast, and chatted with Rachel and Jacinthe when she came in. Hugo’s got a cold, but he’s still going on the Kyoto trip; hope he gets better soon. At a quarter to 9, I went down to the lounge, and talked with Simon, until the girls finally showed up at 20 past. We went on our way to Makino and changed trains at Hirakata. Almost there, just got off the loop at 西九条 (Nishikujo).11:21am USJ
We’re in the line for the Jaws ride; just got off Hollywood Dream (the big rollercoaster). Wow, total adrenaline rush; haven’t felt like that in a long time. It was so cool too, because with some rides you can choose to do single rider, which means you bypass the regular line and serve to fill the excess spots on the ride. We walked straight up to the platform, and got on the first train there; Katie in car 2 and me in 5. It was really scary at first, since I haven’t been on a rollercoaster in ages; I did enjoy it though. In the end, the wait to get off the ride was longer than to get on; crazy. Man, feel so bad for Ash; she forgot her season pass, so decided to just go back home! It’s such a bummer. I’m thinking I might get a season pass, but then again, I got a huge discount when Katie presented her pass while I was paying for my ticket. So happy to be here and definitely thinking I could come back again. Some of the rides are closed for maintenance, and a new ride is coming out soon, and we won’t be here to see the light show at night… Still waiting.
1:10pm USJWe’re just waiting for the Universal Monsters Rock and Roll Show. Jaws was really good; it was a boat tour through “Amity”. Katie’s been on it 5 times now, and it still freaks her out. Then we went for lunch at a 50’s style diner. Yes, the food is expensive here, but oh well. After lunch, we went to see the Terminator 2, 3-D show and it was so well done; the actors and 3-D effects were amazing. The footage was all dubbed, and it was really funny to see Arnie speaking Japanese. There were even environmental effects; wind, fog, water, lights, and the seats moved. We’re seated in the theatre now, looking forward to another great show…
2:20pm USJNow we’re lining up for the Spider-Man ride. The rock and roll show was a lot of fun; they’re so professional. Beetle Juice hosted the show, and was played by a Japanese guy, but the rest (Dracula, Wolfboy, Frankenstein, etc.) were played by foreigners. They sung in English, and it was a whole lot of popular rock songs, dancing and lighting effects; awesome! Almost on the ride now…
2:34pm USJWow!!! The Spider-Man ride was epic; the 3-D affects coupled with the highly dynamic car was great. Now I’m in the line for Back to the Future. Katie decided to sit this one out; it’s a 3-D motion simulator ride. I wish it wasn’t so cold and windy… After this, we’re going to see Shrek’s 4-D Adventure and then I don’t know what else. It’s been incredible so far…
4:45pm 大阪環状線We’re on the loop-line back to Kyobashi… Back to the Future was awesome; I was in the front row. After that, Katie and I got waffles (chocolate), and walked around to Jurassic Park. Unfortunately the ride (a log flume) is closed for maintenance until the 5th of February. We continued around and back through Amity and over to Snoopy Land and then Oz; really cool scenery. We missed the last showing of Shrek’s 4-D Adventure, so we went on to a few souvenir shops. Finally satisfied, we exited USJ, and went into a few more walks along the boulevard; I picked up some more badges so I was happy. I’m feeling very tired now, and we still have to walked back from the station to uni to pick up our class schedules, and then we can finally get home.
9:59pm セミナーハウス
I’m in the lounge with Katie, Ash, Jacinthe, and Jo, watching the Cat Returns. We just finished watching Spirited Away, and then went straight onto this; relaxing way to spend the evening… After getting back to Hirakatashi, Katie and I walked to the uni and found out our classes. Both of us didn’t get into Monsters, which is a shame. Katie’s on the waiting list; since there are already 30 people on the list I’m not going to bother. Still, she might have a chance to get in. I got my religion class, but I got put into Death in East Asian Though, which would have been good except for the fact that it clashes with koto club practice. So I went to the CIE to get it changed. I got into the waiting list for Onna to Otoko (a gender and sexuality class), and enrolled into a course about manga as a backup. I’m hoping that I can get into Onna to Otoko though; I think that will be more worthwhile.
After getting that sorted out, we started walking home, only to turn around and go back to the CIE; Katie just remembered she wanted to get the details for a writing competition. We finally got back at around 7. I was so hungry, but all I had left were noodles, bread, half an avocado, and tuna; a very makeshift dinner. Still, it was filling, and we had cookies, and donuts (that we bought for Kyobashi today) for dessert. Ash got into the Monsters class, so I’m a little jealous; oh well. Today was so great; I’m so glad I went. I didn’t end up buying the season pass; I thinking I’ll only want to go one more time anyway. My feet are feeling very sore now, so it’ll be so nice to get into bed tonight. I’m looking forward to karaoke tomorrow afternoon. Don’t know who exactly is coming, but hopefully some new people. Now, time to enjoy the rest of the movie.
Day 151 - 28th of January
21:01pm セミナーハウス
天気：雨天
Jamie and Hugo are already asleep, so I’m out in the computer room again. Today it was cold and wet, and soon after I got up this morning, I had to get the rest of my washing in; it hadn’t gotten that wet. Since I didn’t have any milk, and I didn’t want to go out, I asked Hugo if I could borrow his milk. He told me that he’d accidently put it in the freezer at first, but now it was back in the fridge; he didn’t know if it would be okay to drink. I was more than willing to take a chance, and it was totally fine. After breakfast, I started revising Genki II. We have a test in our first week, to make sure we’re in the right level, and I really, really don’t want to fail it.
I had lunch, and then went to uni, to pay the rest of my fees, before going to the post office to pay for my insurance. The January stipend for the JASSO finally came in, so now I have a bit more money. I’ll have o more fees to pay for the rest of the semester, so from here on out it’s all survival and enjoyment money; hopefully I have some left over in the end. I walked back past Kirindo, to pick up milk and bread, and then went to Avail. I tried on a couple of things but didn’t end up buying anything; I guess I wasn’t in the mood. I got back and continued revising for the rest of the afternoon. I went up for dinner at about 6, a found some anime to watch on TV. The first show was called 銀魂 (Gintama), and it was so funny because words would be “beeped” out. I wondered if they were swearing, or if it was just a gimmick.
Simon came in and we got chatting. We watched Pokémon, then Naruto, then this really interesting travel show. We got to see 箱根 (Hakone), which is near Mt Fuji, and famous for hot springs and outdoor activities. It looks really beautiful; I might just stay there on my way to Tokyo. Finally got sick of TV, and came down here. So excited; going to USJ tomorrow! I checked the weather and it should be sunny, which is great. Or maybe it won’t be great because the lines will be longer. Anyway, we’ll be leaving at about 9, to get there for opening at 10. This week has been long! I’m just really looking forward to next week, and starting classes again; getting back into routine. Oh well, I guess I’ll make the most of the break. Anyway, Simon, and a new acquaintance (Rachel), have gone so I think it’s time for bed.
天気：雨天
Jamie and Hugo are already asleep, so I’m out in the computer room again. Today it was cold and wet, and soon after I got up this morning, I had to get the rest of my washing in; it hadn’t gotten that wet. Since I didn’t have any milk, and I didn’t want to go out, I asked Hugo if I could borrow his milk. He told me that he’d accidently put it in the freezer at first, but now it was back in the fridge; he didn’t know if it would be okay to drink. I was more than willing to take a chance, and it was totally fine. After breakfast, I started revising Genki II. We have a test in our first week, to make sure we’re in the right level, and I really, really don’t want to fail it.
I had lunch, and then went to uni, to pay the rest of my fees, before going to the post office to pay for my insurance. The January stipend for the JASSO finally came in, so now I have a bit more money. I’ll have o more fees to pay for the rest of the semester, so from here on out it’s all survival and enjoyment money; hopefully I have some left over in the end. I walked back past Kirindo, to pick up milk and bread, and then went to Avail. I tried on a couple of things but didn’t end up buying anything; I guess I wasn’t in the mood. I got back and continued revising for the rest of the afternoon. I went up for dinner at about 6, a found some anime to watch on TV. The first show was called 銀魂 (Gintama), and it was so funny because words would be “beeped” out. I wondered if they were swearing, or if it was just a gimmick.
Simon came in and we got chatting. We watched Pokémon, then Naruto, then this really interesting travel show. We got to see 箱根 (Hakone), which is near Mt Fuji, and famous for hot springs and outdoor activities. It looks really beautiful; I might just stay there on my way to Tokyo. Finally got sick of TV, and came down here. So excited; going to USJ tomorrow! I checked the weather and it should be sunny, which is great. Or maybe it won’t be great because the lines will be longer. Anyway, we’ll be leaving at about 9, to get there for opening at 10. This week has been long! I’m just really looking forward to next week, and starting classes again; getting back into routine. Oh well, I guess I’ll make the most of the break. Anyway, Simon, and a new acquaintance (Rachel), have gone so I think it’s time for bed.
Thursday 28 January 2010
Day 150 - 27th of January
11:40pm セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
Today ran along a similar vein as yesterday… I got up at around 10:30, Jamie and Hugo had already left, so I had breakfast and then showered. I did get to do my laundry, which was great. I did some more study, and then played Heart Gold, and then it was time for lunch. I chatted with Jo for a while, and she suggested we should go into uni together. So at about 1:45 we left, with Ash and Katie. We all had to do the loan session, so that meant climbing up those dreaded stairs to the 4th floor; going to have to get used to that again. After a bit of sorting, it was found the easiest way to pay for my accommodation was to take it all out of my JASSO scholarship money, so I went with that. Now I just have to pay the “Liability Insurance Fee” tomorrow and I’m done. After the loan session, Ash and I waited in the lounge for Katie to pay her fees, and talked with Jacinthe and Nadezhda respectively; Nadezhda was successful in her jump test so will be going into level 6 this semester.
After Katie got back we made our way to 渚の湯 (Nagisa no Yu), the bathhouse/onsen near Gotenyama station. After a bit of walking we came across it; the bigゆ gave it away. We got there at about 3:15, so gave ourselves an hour to enjoy it; girls in the left side and me to the right. It wasn’t that busy, and I just took my time trying out all the different baths. One in particular that was really cool was an outside bath with reddish brown water; must’ve contained a lot of iron? It was certainly the steamiest bathhouse I’ve ever been in; made the atmosphere really relaxing though. I also got to see a yakuza, his full-body 入れ墨 (irezumi – tattoo) giving away his trade; when we got out I told the girls and Ash was really jealous. As usual, it was mostly elderly men; I was actually surprised to see two other young guys.
After about 45 minutes soaking, I was definitely ready to get out. I weighted myself on the scales in the change room and was very happy to find that I've put on weight; now I'm 67kg! After getting dressed, I sat in the lobby and waited for the girls while reading the 渚の湯ものがたり (Nagisa no Yu Monogatari – Nagisa no yu story); too much kanji! The girls came out, and Katie looked very flush. She’s been to hot springs before in Canada (so lucky), but wasn’t used to being indoors and surrounded by steam. It was Ash’s first time, and she said she really enjoyed it, and was feeling very relaxed. We exited, and then went to a nearby Lawsons for some food. Ash introduced me to this amazing treat; mochi with cream and strawberries inside. I thoroughly enjoyed munching on that. Then we started making our way back, seeing if we could cut through the suburbs to make a straight line to the dorms, rather than going back down to the uni and then up again. It was an interesting and trouble-free walk, since we were too relaxed to be worried.
We eventually found our way back to the main road that passes seminar house 4, a made our way back from there. Ash and Katie went back to their room, and I went to the kitchen to find Biancha. I told her where we’d been and she described what was on the female side; it sounded really cool. I did notice there was a chart with day of the week on it, showing which room would be designated to men and which to women, so I’ll have to go back to experience the other room. I then sat down with Simon, and met Pat from Perth. We chatted for ages while watching TV and Jo also joined in. I had dinner at about 7:30; left over curry with toast. It wasn’t until around 9 that I finally left the dining room for my room. Finding no one here, I hung up half my washing inside, and then decided to go bother Ash and Katie, taking some mandarin with me. Ash and I helped Katie to word an email to her uni concerning a mess up with her scholarship; what a bummer. After she was satisfied with it, I got to see her photos from Singapore. Ash was packing a box to send home, and after she’d finished that, I got a manicure; yay! Finally it was time for bed…
天気：曇り
Today ran along a similar vein as yesterday… I got up at around 10:30, Jamie and Hugo had already left, so I had breakfast and then showered. I did get to do my laundry, which was great. I did some more study, and then played Heart Gold, and then it was time for lunch. I chatted with Jo for a while, and she suggested we should go into uni together. So at about 1:45 we left, with Ash and Katie. We all had to do the loan session, so that meant climbing up those dreaded stairs to the 4th floor; going to have to get used to that again. After a bit of sorting, it was found the easiest way to pay for my accommodation was to take it all out of my JASSO scholarship money, so I went with that. Now I just have to pay the “Liability Insurance Fee” tomorrow and I’m done. After the loan session, Ash and I waited in the lounge for Katie to pay her fees, and talked with Jacinthe and Nadezhda respectively; Nadezhda was successful in her jump test so will be going into level 6 this semester.
After Katie got back we made our way to 渚の湯 (Nagisa no Yu), the bathhouse/onsen near Gotenyama station. After a bit of walking we came across it; the bigゆ gave it away. We got there at about 3:15, so gave ourselves an hour to enjoy it; girls in the left side and me to the right. It wasn’t that busy, and I just took my time trying out all the different baths. One in particular that was really cool was an outside bath with reddish brown water; must’ve contained a lot of iron? It was certainly the steamiest bathhouse I’ve ever been in; made the atmosphere really relaxing though. I also got to see a yakuza, his full-body 入れ墨 (irezumi – tattoo) giving away his trade; when we got out I told the girls and Ash was really jealous. As usual, it was mostly elderly men; I was actually surprised to see two other young guys.
After about 45 minutes soaking, I was definitely ready to get out. I weighted myself on the scales in the change room and was very happy to find that I've put on weight; now I'm 67kg! After getting dressed, I sat in the lobby and waited for the girls while reading the 渚の湯ものがたり (Nagisa no Yu Monogatari – Nagisa no yu story); too much kanji! The girls came out, and Katie looked very flush. She’s been to hot springs before in Canada (so lucky), but wasn’t used to being indoors and surrounded by steam. It was Ash’s first time, and she said she really enjoyed it, and was feeling very relaxed. We exited, and then went to a nearby Lawsons for some food. Ash introduced me to this amazing treat; mochi with cream and strawberries inside. I thoroughly enjoyed munching on that. Then we started making our way back, seeing if we could cut through the suburbs to make a straight line to the dorms, rather than going back down to the uni and then up again. It was an interesting and trouble-free walk, since we were too relaxed to be worried.
We eventually found our way back to the main road that passes seminar house 4, a made our way back from there. Ash and Katie went back to their room, and I went to the kitchen to find Biancha. I told her where we’d been and she described what was on the female side; it sounded really cool. I did notice there was a chart with day of the week on it, showing which room would be designated to men and which to women, so I’ll have to go back to experience the other room. I then sat down with Simon, and met Pat from Perth. We chatted for ages while watching TV and Jo also joined in. I had dinner at about 7:30; left over curry with toast. It wasn’t until around 9 that I finally left the dining room for my room. Finding no one here, I hung up half my washing inside, and then decided to go bother Ash and Katie, taking some mandarin with me. Ash and I helped Katie to word an email to her uni concerning a mess up with her scholarship; what a bummer. After she was satisfied with it, I got to see her photos from Singapore. Ash was packing a box to send home, and after she’d finished that, I got a manicure; yay! Finally it was time for bed…
Wednesday 27 January 2010
Day 149 - 26th of January
11:20pm セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY; not that I did much!!! Today was, for the most part, unproductive. It was sunny, but still very cold. When I got up, everyone had already left, so I took my time getting ready and having some breakfast; I guess I’m revelling in the last few days of sleeping in. I talked with Carly for a while, and then had lunch at about 12:30. I finally figured out the best way to toast bread was in the grills under the stoves. After lunch I went up to Ash and Katie’s room, and hung out with them until we went into uni; Peter came up too, and we had some good discussions. At uni, Ash and Katie handed in their forms, and then Katie and I tried to get money out of our own banks, to pay for the accommodation. Unfortunately, there was a withdraw limit on both of our cards. I’ve decided I’ll withdraw another bout tomorrow, and then loan the rest out with the uni; it is interest free and I can pay it back as soon as I get my next JASSO stipend.
We had some Makkas (I just had a milkshake), and then Katie and I went to do some grocery shopping at Fresco. I found an 8 piece loaf of bread! The slices are really thin, but anyway. It was about 5:30 when we got back, and we decided to meet for dinner at 6:30. The place we went to was so tiny! It’s an Indian/Nepalese place just across from Shimamura and Avail. But wow, the food was excellent and so cheap. You got a curry of your choice (I got the meatball curry), a big plate of rice, Nam bread, salad, and dessert (yoghurt) for under $10! The curry was really spicy, but a really good shock to the system. The woman there was so nice, and even put the extra curry in a container for us to take home. So now I have free meal for tomorrow; just have that with some bread.
Feeling very content, we walked home in the freezing, and then I had an early shower before meeting Ash and Katie out in the lounge; they didn’t want to disturb their sleeping roommate upstairs. Simon joined as shortly after, and we had a good conversation together; Luke is the other guy’s name! Anyway yeah, we stayed there watching TV for a few hours, and I got another back massage; this time it really hurt. So we’re going to the onsen tomorrow after the loan session at uni; should be great. I haven’t been able to rope anyone else in as yet, but I guess it’ll be nice to soak alone. We called it a night at 11, and I made a quick detour to the kitchen, and enjoyed some of Biancha’s Nutella on Liz’s bread while talking with her and Jo for a while. Hopefully I’ll be able to do my laundry tomorrow. Well… time for sleep!
天気：晴れ
HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY; not that I did much!!! Today was, for the most part, unproductive. It was sunny, but still very cold. When I got up, everyone had already left, so I took my time getting ready and having some breakfast; I guess I’m revelling in the last few days of sleeping in. I talked with Carly for a while, and then had lunch at about 12:30. I finally figured out the best way to toast bread was in the grills under the stoves. After lunch I went up to Ash and Katie’s room, and hung out with them until we went into uni; Peter came up too, and we had some good discussions. At uni, Ash and Katie handed in their forms, and then Katie and I tried to get money out of our own banks, to pay for the accommodation. Unfortunately, there was a withdraw limit on both of our cards. I’ve decided I’ll withdraw another bout tomorrow, and then loan the rest out with the uni; it is interest free and I can pay it back as soon as I get my next JASSO stipend.
We had some Makkas (I just had a milkshake), and then Katie and I went to do some grocery shopping at Fresco. I found an 8 piece loaf of bread! The slices are really thin, but anyway. It was about 5:30 when we got back, and we decided to meet for dinner at 6:30. The place we went to was so tiny! It’s an Indian/Nepalese place just across from Shimamura and Avail. But wow, the food was excellent and so cheap. You got a curry of your choice (I got the meatball curry), a big plate of rice, Nam bread, salad, and dessert (yoghurt) for under $10! The curry was really spicy, but a really good shock to the system. The woman there was so nice, and even put the extra curry in a container for us to take home. So now I have free meal for tomorrow; just have that with some bread.
Feeling very content, we walked home in the freezing, and then I had an early shower before meeting Ash and Katie out in the lounge; they didn’t want to disturb their sleeping roommate upstairs. Simon joined as shortly after, and we had a good conversation together; Luke is the other guy’s name! Anyway yeah, we stayed there watching TV for a few hours, and I got another back massage; this time it really hurt. So we’re going to the onsen tomorrow after the loan session at uni; should be great. I haven’t been able to rope anyone else in as yet, but I guess it’ll be nice to soak alone. We called it a night at 11, and I made a quick detour to the kitchen, and enjoyed some of Biancha’s Nutella on Liz’s bread while talking with her and Jo for a while. Hopefully I’ll be able to do my laundry tomorrow. Well… time for sleep!
Tuesday 26 January 2010
Day 148 - 25th of January
11:26pm セミナーハウス
天気：雨天
I’m in the computer room again, since Hugo’s already in bed; fair enough since he’s has to get up early for orientation stuff. Hopefully it’s like this for the rest of the semester; it’ll be nice to get to sleep at a decent hour. Jamie’s out and about, so won’t be coming back here tonight; gates are already locked… Well today was the complete opposite of yesterday in terms of weather; cold and wet. I didn’t get out until around 3, when I went into uni for koto club; I spent the morning lazing about, and doing a bit of study. When I got to uni, I started out be handing all my forms in, which all went smoothly. Then I went to the club room to find Marika; she has her own key since she’s always in there. I decided, with her consent (she was studying for her jump test on tomorrow), to practice for a while. I got through hanagoromo and almost all of sandan before Midori and Mori Sempai arrived.
Midori sempai made chocolate, and we all had a good sampling, until it was all gone; this happened during the meeting. The meeting was short, and Chi sempai basically summarised what would be happening for the concert (who would be playing what), and when and where we’d be meeting; Moriguchi station at 2. I’m kinda disappointed that Marika and I will only be playing hanagoromo, but i guess we’re not ready for sandan. After the meeting, there was much talk about English slang, particularly swear words. I always find it so funny when the Japanese use our swear words, when they really don’t understand the impact of them. They are just so blasé and the girls especially will have a little giggle while dropping the F bomb. Anyway, I found out that making the “Huh” sound in Japanese is really offensive; that was interesting.
I got bored of practicing the first koto part of sandan, so soon switched over to the second part. Mori spurred me on by saying I might be able to play it at a later concert since the sensei wouldn’t be there; now I’m more determined than ever! Since today was the last day of term for the Japanese (they’ll be going on spring break), we had a short photo session, which was really nice. Midori sempai is studying for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), so we had a “frenzy” pose; one of the words she has to know. Seriously though, some of the English words she has to memorise are unbelievably stupid; words that we never use in common day language anymore. Anyway, since it is spring break that unfortunately means no more koto practice again until March.
However, I’ll still be able to practice here, as I did shortly after I got back from uni. I walked back with Jacinthe, and a few others, and just as I got in, Simon arrived. I soon met him, and he seems like a really nice guy; hopefully we’ll be able to hang out. He said it was so weird coming from really hot Australia to this; I can’t imagine! So yeah, we chatted for a while, and then I went up to have dinner (cup noodles), and brought it down to the lounge to sit with Katie and Ash and a guy from Denmark with an amazing name that I’m not even going to try to spell. We talked for a little while, and Shizuka (who helped organise the INFES) joined the conversation. Then, Okaasan came in, and as soon as she spotted me she started talking about koto.
Again, I was literally dragged by her to get up and play. Katie and Ash were about to head up, but seeing the opportunity to hear me play (since they haven’t yet), they stuck around. Okaasan wanted to play too, but wasn’t feeling up to it; some pain in her legs. So it was me playing Sakura sakura again. I did get to practice sandan (first part) too though, so that was good. I should be able to get loads more practice in before the concert, and for that I am very grateful. After my “concert”, I went up with Ash and Katie, and received a back massage from Katie. It hurt a lot, but was really great; she’s slowly getting the knots out of my back. She told me to drink plenty of water, since all the toxins would be coming out, so she knows her stuff. With that, I left the room and had a snack (bun, milk, and banana), before going back down. Don’t know what I’ll be doing tomorrow, but at least be going out for dinner…
天気：雨天
I’m in the computer room again, since Hugo’s already in bed; fair enough since he’s has to get up early for orientation stuff. Hopefully it’s like this for the rest of the semester; it’ll be nice to get to sleep at a decent hour. Jamie’s out and about, so won’t be coming back here tonight; gates are already locked… Well today was the complete opposite of yesterday in terms of weather; cold and wet. I didn’t get out until around 3, when I went into uni for koto club; I spent the morning lazing about, and doing a bit of study. When I got to uni, I started out be handing all my forms in, which all went smoothly. Then I went to the club room to find Marika; she has her own key since she’s always in there. I decided, with her consent (she was studying for her jump test on tomorrow), to practice for a while. I got through hanagoromo and almost all of sandan before Midori and Mori Sempai arrived.
Midori sempai made chocolate, and we all had a good sampling, until it was all gone; this happened during the meeting. The meeting was short, and Chi sempai basically summarised what would be happening for the concert (who would be playing what), and when and where we’d be meeting; Moriguchi station at 2. I’m kinda disappointed that Marika and I will only be playing hanagoromo, but i guess we’re not ready for sandan. After the meeting, there was much talk about English slang, particularly swear words. I always find it so funny when the Japanese use our swear words, when they really don’t understand the impact of them. They are just so blasé and the girls especially will have a little giggle while dropping the F bomb. Anyway, I found out that making the “Huh” sound in Japanese is really offensive; that was interesting.
I got bored of practicing the first koto part of sandan, so soon switched over to the second part. Mori spurred me on by saying I might be able to play it at a later concert since the sensei wouldn’t be there; now I’m more determined than ever! Since today was the last day of term for the Japanese (they’ll be going on spring break), we had a short photo session, which was really nice. Midori sempai is studying for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), so we had a “frenzy” pose; one of the words she has to know. Seriously though, some of the English words she has to memorise are unbelievably stupid; words that we never use in common day language anymore. Anyway, since it is spring break that unfortunately means no more koto practice again until March.
However, I’ll still be able to practice here, as I did shortly after I got back from uni. I walked back with Jacinthe, and a few others, and just as I got in, Simon arrived. I soon met him, and he seems like a really nice guy; hopefully we’ll be able to hang out. He said it was so weird coming from really hot Australia to this; I can’t imagine! So yeah, we chatted for a while, and then I went up to have dinner (cup noodles), and brought it down to the lounge to sit with Katie and Ash and a guy from Denmark with an amazing name that I’m not even going to try to spell. We talked for a little while, and Shizuka (who helped organise the INFES) joined the conversation. Then, Okaasan came in, and as soon as she spotted me she started talking about koto.
Again, I was literally dragged by her to get up and play. Katie and Ash were about to head up, but seeing the opportunity to hear me play (since they haven’t yet), they stuck around. Okaasan wanted to play too, but wasn’t feeling up to it; some pain in her legs. So it was me playing Sakura sakura again. I did get to practice sandan (first part) too though, so that was good. I should be able to get loads more practice in before the concert, and for that I am very grateful. After my “concert”, I went up with Ash and Katie, and received a back massage from Katie. It hurt a lot, but was really great; she’s slowly getting the knots out of my back. She told me to drink plenty of water, since all the toxins would be coming out, so she knows her stuff. With that, I left the room and had a snack (bun, milk, and banana), before going back down. Don’t know what I’ll be doing tomorrow, but at least be going out for dinner…
Sunday 24 January 2010
Day 147 - 24th of January
8:26pm セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
Just got back from a really cheap restaurant in Makino; huge meals for 500 yen. When the eight of us arrived, there were already another group of international students, and several more flocked in throughout the time we were there. The place was obviously well know and very popular and for good reason. I recognised one of the guys (can’t remember his name for the life of me) from my old Japanese class back at USC; he’s moved into seminar house 4. He came over, and we chatted for a while, and he told me that, Simon and he were the only two coming to Kansai Gaidai; I’m wondering if there are any more going to other unis. He wants to go into level three, even though he probably is ready for level 4, having finished Genki II; just wait and see what happens. Anyway today… Even though I went to sleep so late, I still got up at 8:30; Hugo and Jamie were already up. I hung around for a while, and got one of Jamie’s bananas for breakfast and then went out to do grocery shopping.
I needed to get some money out first, so I made my way to the uni, and found the east gate closed. So I continued walking and took the back streets to get to the main road. It look a lot longer, but was certainly interesting. At the front gate, the guards totally misunderstood what I was saying, and ended up giving me directions to the seminar house. Rather the to protest, since the uni was indeed closed anyway, I just let them finish, and then went across the road to 7/11. I couldn’t resist buying another Final Fantasy XIII Elixir with model. I got Oerba Yun Fang and the same can again!!! I couldn’t believe it. Oh well, what can you do; give the duplicates to others as souvenirs I guess. With money, I made my way to Kirindo, then Fresco, then the 99円 store, and finally Top World.
Finally satisfied I had everything I needed, I made my way home; I noticed groups of new people everywhere. It was about 12:30, and time for lunch. Nobody was up in the kitchen, so I ate my avocado on toast in peace, watching something about the different percentages of pork and beef, Osakans and Tokyoites use in their curry; weird I know. Apparently, Osakans use way more beef than Tokyoites do. Then they were showing this restaurant that serves pig’s feet; not for me thanks. After that, I signed up for my classes this semester. I ended up choosing “Religion in Japan”, and “Monster, Ghosts, and the Making of Modern Japan” (mostly just cause I like the title). I’m pretty sure it’s a film course, since that’s what the professors two other classes focus on, so it should be really interesting. Ash and Katie, and Jamie for that matter have chosen it too; I’m sure it’s going to be very popular. It wasn’t offered last semester, but it all comes down to chance whether I get into it or not; since all the classes are decided on a lottery-based system. Failing that, I have Onna to Otoko: Gender and Sexuality in Japan”, as my next preference, which should be interesting too.
I talked with my family for a few hours, and chatted with Carly and Alex too. I also found out where the onsen is in Gotenyama; the one Nadezhda was talking about. I really want to go there sometime this week. At about 5, I started getting ready to go out, while Hugo was trying to get in touch with his new speaking partner. He had rung while I was talking with my parents, when Hugo wasn’t in, and then rung again at about 5:30. I wanted to wear my new pants tonight, but I didn’t have anything to go with them, so they’ll have to wait for another time. Out of time, I just got on whatever, and met Jo, Biancha, Ash, Katie, Liz, and two new girls whose names I’ve already forgotten, and we left for the restaurant just after 6. I’m so tired, so I’m thinking early night. I’ll go into uni tomorrow for lunch, and get my forms in and accommodation payed, and then go to koto practice. Probably just have cup noodles for dinner; that’ll be fine. Gosh I’m so full from dinner… anyway, time for shower, then sleep.
天気：晴れ
Just got back from a really cheap restaurant in Makino; huge meals for 500 yen. When the eight of us arrived, there were already another group of international students, and several more flocked in throughout the time we were there. The place was obviously well know and very popular and for good reason. I recognised one of the guys (can’t remember his name for the life of me) from my old Japanese class back at USC; he’s moved into seminar house 4. He came over, and we chatted for a while, and he told me that, Simon and he were the only two coming to Kansai Gaidai; I’m wondering if there are any more going to other unis. He wants to go into level three, even though he probably is ready for level 4, having finished Genki II; just wait and see what happens. Anyway today… Even though I went to sleep so late, I still got up at 8:30; Hugo and Jamie were already up. I hung around for a while, and got one of Jamie’s bananas for breakfast and then went out to do grocery shopping.
I needed to get some money out first, so I made my way to the uni, and found the east gate closed. So I continued walking and took the back streets to get to the main road. It look a lot longer, but was certainly interesting. At the front gate, the guards totally misunderstood what I was saying, and ended up giving me directions to the seminar house. Rather the to protest, since the uni was indeed closed anyway, I just let them finish, and then went across the road to 7/11. I couldn’t resist buying another Final Fantasy XIII Elixir with model. I got Oerba Yun Fang and the same can again!!! I couldn’t believe it. Oh well, what can you do; give the duplicates to others as souvenirs I guess. With money, I made my way to Kirindo, then Fresco, then the 99円 store, and finally Top World.Finally satisfied I had everything I needed, I made my way home; I noticed groups of new people everywhere. It was about 12:30, and time for lunch. Nobody was up in the kitchen, so I ate my avocado on toast in peace, watching something about the different percentages of pork and beef, Osakans and Tokyoites use in their curry; weird I know. Apparently, Osakans use way more beef than Tokyoites do. Then they were showing this restaurant that serves pig’s feet; not for me thanks. After that, I signed up for my classes this semester. I ended up choosing “Religion in Japan”, and “Monster, Ghosts, and the Making of Modern Japan” (mostly just cause I like the title). I’m pretty sure it’s a film course, since that’s what the professors two other classes focus on, so it should be really interesting. Ash and Katie, and Jamie for that matter have chosen it too; I’m sure it’s going to be very popular. It wasn’t offered last semester, but it all comes down to chance whether I get into it or not; since all the classes are decided on a lottery-based system. Failing that, I have Onna to Otoko: Gender and Sexuality in Japan”, as my next preference, which should be interesting too.
I talked with my family for a few hours, and chatted with Carly and Alex too. I also found out where the onsen is in Gotenyama; the one Nadezhda was talking about. I really want to go there sometime this week. At about 5, I started getting ready to go out, while Hugo was trying to get in touch with his new speaking partner. He had rung while I was talking with my parents, when Hugo wasn’t in, and then rung again at about 5:30. I wanted to wear my new pants tonight, but I didn’t have anything to go with them, so they’ll have to wait for another time. Out of time, I just got on whatever, and met Jo, Biancha, Ash, Katie, Liz, and two new girls whose names I’ve already forgotten, and we left for the restaurant just after 6. I’m so tired, so I’m thinking early night. I’ll go into uni tomorrow for lunch, and get my forms in and accommodation payed, and then go to koto practice. Probably just have cup noodles for dinner; that’ll be fine. Gosh I’m so full from dinner… anyway, time for shower, then sleep.
Day 146 - 23rd of January
23:13pm セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
Today was a so much fun… I woke up at about 9:30, showered, washed my hair, and shaved. At about 10:30, my first new roommate arrived; Jamie Lee Sykes (not Skyes – spelt it wrong). He’s from Leeds, from the same uni as Peter and Rachel; Peter’s going into home stay, and Rachel’s staying here. We chatted for a while, and then I went out to wait in the lounge for Jacinthe. So many people were arriving this morning; and throughout the rest of the day no doubt. Jacinthe came down to let me know she’d be ready soon, and then Jo turned up; back from her epic trip. I immediately took her to my room so she could pick up her luggage, before going back down to the lounge.
When Jacinthe came, she asked if I’d borrowed a bike, and I said I hadn’t, but then I thought, “I’ll go and borrow Jo’s”. So I went back up and got her key off her, no problem. It felt weird riding, but it wasn’t as scary as I thought. It certainly made the trip feel a lot shorter; it would have taken at least and hours walk. We stopped at a 7/11 on the way, so I could get some money out, and then we continued on down the highway. Eventually we got there; Jacinthe recognized the building. It’s next to “Round One”, which has a bowling alley, karaoke, and the like. Apart from the theatres, this building had a number of clothes shops, restaurants, a bookshop and pet shop.
We went to the cinemas first to check the times; jump of excitement when I saw that it was there. There was either a 4:10 in 2-D, or 5:20 in 3-D. Of course we went with the 3-D version. It was a little more expensive, but had to do it. So, tickets bought, we had 5 hours to kill. First off, we had to eat, so Jacinthe took me to a ramen place nearby; it was great. Then we went back and hit the clothes shops. I managed to find a great pair of pants. At about 3, we went to the coffee shop, and got soft cream; chatted there for a while. Then we went upstairs and played the taiko game, before going to the pet shop; so many cute, and exotic animals. Still with over an hour to go, we went to the bookshop, and spent a while there, looking at the sheet music books, and language textbooks; Jacinthe is teaching French to Japanese students.
Finally, after watching some school-aged guys playing the taiko game (they were damn good), and going back to a clothes shop so Jacinthe should buy a dress, we got to the cinema right on time. Bought caramel popcorn (as always), and drinks, and got seated; the theatre was absolutely packed. 3-D glasses on, and we were straight into it. The sound quality was absolutely shocking and I was so worried the whole movie was going to be like that (it would have totally ruined it), but they fixed it up after a few minutes; so relieved… three hours later and we were out. I thought it was epic; the 3-D was really cool, and I felt so absorbed into the movie. The story was great, and the graphics were incredible; it was so organic and realistic.
It was 8:30, dark, and the ride back was cold. When we did get back, we found a bunch of people in the lounge, listening to Otousan play guitar; I was really surprised! He was very modest about it (of course), but Okaasan was there spurring him on. After he’d finished, Okaasan brought her koto out!!! I piped up that I was in the koto club, so she insisted that I played; practically dragged me to the ground. But first, I had to go get my tsume from my room. As soon as I got in, I realised someone was in bed. Unfortunately, I had to turn the light on, which revealed two people in bed; one in mine! I quickly got the tsume, and then got back to the lounge.
The koto was old and dusty, and way out of tune. I was able to tune it with relative ease, which made me really proud of myself. And what did I play; Sakura sakura of course. I was a little nervous, but got it out pretty well; it’s easy. Everyone applauded, and then I played Hanagoromo; it was good practice. Soon after, the woman I know for CIE came in, and Okaasan insisted an encore of Sakura sakura. Then, it was her turn. My tsume actually fit her pretty well; she explained that hers had broken. She also told me that she hasn’t played in 10 years, so is out of practice; she got through Sakura sakura pretty good though. So now, she wants me to be her teacher, and says I can play her koto anytime I want. This is great for me; I’ll be able to get plenty of practice in before the concert.
Since I was a bit hungry, I went up with Jacinthe to borrow her knife (which turned out to be a carving knife), and went to the kitchen with her to make avocado on toast. Since they’d taken the toasters away, and even the toaster oven, we had to use the microwaves; one of my pieces of bread got a bit burnt. Jacinthe borrowed my Jam, so she was happy. After that, I snuck into my room again, and got the Jo’s bike key and my flash drive; so I could do my blog on the computers. I first went to sit with Jo and Sarita in the lounge, and Jo told us about her adventures in Thailand; so cool. Then I came in here (the computer room), and started on my blog, getting pleasantly distracted by Rachel and Peter.
Now it’s just me and Peter in here; Sarita’s in the lounge on Skype. I really don’t want to go back to my room, especially since my bed has been taken; by Hugo. I mean, when you come see three beds and two are unmade and the other is made, why would you take the made one? I guess I should have made it more obvious, and I’ve only used it once, but still. Oh well, I’ll be off soon. I’m really glad I finally got to see Avatar; it was definitely worth it. The movie was in English, with subtitles (which really popped out) but, as I’d expected, when they spoke in the Na’vi language, there were only Japanese subtitles. Still, it was easy enough to get the gist of it (I could read bits of the Japanese), though it will be nice to see what they’re actually saying. Anyway, it’s time for sleep...
天気：曇り
Today was a so much fun… I woke up at about 9:30, showered, washed my hair, and shaved. At about 10:30, my first new roommate arrived; Jamie Lee Sykes (not Skyes – spelt it wrong). He’s from Leeds, from the same uni as Peter and Rachel; Peter’s going into home stay, and Rachel’s staying here. We chatted for a while, and then I went out to wait in the lounge for Jacinthe. So many people were arriving this morning; and throughout the rest of the day no doubt. Jacinthe came down to let me know she’d be ready soon, and then Jo turned up; back from her epic trip. I immediately took her to my room so she could pick up her luggage, before going back down to the lounge.
When Jacinthe came, she asked if I’d borrowed a bike, and I said I hadn’t, but then I thought, “I’ll go and borrow Jo’s”. So I went back up and got her key off her, no problem. It felt weird riding, but it wasn’t as scary as I thought. It certainly made the trip feel a lot shorter; it would have taken at least and hours walk. We stopped at a 7/11 on the way, so I could get some money out, and then we continued on down the highway. Eventually we got there; Jacinthe recognized the building. It’s next to “Round One”, which has a bowling alley, karaoke, and the like. Apart from the theatres, this building had a number of clothes shops, restaurants, a bookshop and pet shop.
We went to the cinemas first to check the times; jump of excitement when I saw that it was there. There was either a 4:10 in 2-D, or 5:20 in 3-D. Of course we went with the 3-D version. It was a little more expensive, but had to do it. So, tickets bought, we had 5 hours to kill. First off, we had to eat, so Jacinthe took me to a ramen place nearby; it was great. Then we went back and hit the clothes shops. I managed to find a great pair of pants. At about 3, we went to the coffee shop, and got soft cream; chatted there for a while. Then we went upstairs and played the taiko game, before going to the pet shop; so many cute, and exotic animals. Still with over an hour to go, we went to the bookshop, and spent a while there, looking at the sheet music books, and language textbooks; Jacinthe is teaching French to Japanese students.
Finally, after watching some school-aged guys playing the taiko game (they were damn good), and going back to a clothes shop so Jacinthe should buy a dress, we got to the cinema right on time. Bought caramel popcorn (as always), and drinks, and got seated; the theatre was absolutely packed. 3-D glasses on, and we were straight into it. The sound quality was absolutely shocking and I was so worried the whole movie was going to be like that (it would have totally ruined it), but they fixed it up after a few minutes; so relieved… three hours later and we were out. I thought it was epic; the 3-D was really cool, and I felt so absorbed into the movie. The story was great, and the graphics were incredible; it was so organic and realistic.
It was 8:30, dark, and the ride back was cold. When we did get back, we found a bunch of people in the lounge, listening to Otousan play guitar; I was really surprised! He was very modest about it (of course), but Okaasan was there spurring him on. After he’d finished, Okaasan brought her koto out!!! I piped up that I was in the koto club, so she insisted that I played; practically dragged me to the ground. But first, I had to go get my tsume from my room. As soon as I got in, I realised someone was in bed. Unfortunately, I had to turn the light on, which revealed two people in bed; one in mine! I quickly got the tsume, and then got back to the lounge.
The koto was old and dusty, and way out of tune. I was able to tune it with relative ease, which made me really proud of myself. And what did I play; Sakura sakura of course. I was a little nervous, but got it out pretty well; it’s easy. Everyone applauded, and then I played Hanagoromo; it was good practice. Soon after, the woman I know for CIE came in, and Okaasan insisted an encore of Sakura sakura. Then, it was her turn. My tsume actually fit her pretty well; she explained that hers had broken. She also told me that she hasn’t played in 10 years, so is out of practice; she got through Sakura sakura pretty good though. So now, she wants me to be her teacher, and says I can play her koto anytime I want. This is great for me; I’ll be able to get plenty of practice in before the concert.
Since I was a bit hungry, I went up with Jacinthe to borrow her knife (which turned out to be a carving knife), and went to the kitchen with her to make avocado on toast. Since they’d taken the toasters away, and even the toaster oven, we had to use the microwaves; one of my pieces of bread got a bit burnt. Jacinthe borrowed my Jam, so she was happy. After that, I snuck into my room again, and got the Jo’s bike key and my flash drive; so I could do my blog on the computers. I first went to sit with Jo and Sarita in the lounge, and Jo told us about her adventures in Thailand; so cool. Then I came in here (the computer room), and started on my blog, getting pleasantly distracted by Rachel and Peter.
Now it’s just me and Peter in here; Sarita’s in the lounge on Skype. I really don’t want to go back to my room, especially since my bed has been taken; by Hugo. I mean, when you come see three beds and two are unmade and the other is made, why would you take the made one? I guess I should have made it more obvious, and I’ve only used it once, but still. Oh well, I’ll be off soon. I’m really glad I finally got to see Avatar; it was definitely worth it. The movie was in English, with subtitles (which really popped out) but, as I’d expected, when they spoke in the Na’vi language, there were only Japanese subtitles. Still, it was easy enough to get the gist of it (I could read bits of the Japanese), though it will be nice to see what they’re actually saying. Anyway, it’s time for sleep...
Friday 22 January 2010
Day 145 - 22nd of January
10:36pm セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
Finally settled, back in the old futon’s we had during just semester, two empty beside me, and Jo’s two very pink suitcases in the desk area; the room feels nice and full. Today was a long day… Although I had a terrible night’s sleep, I still managed to get up at quarter to 8. I decided to quickly go have some breakfast before vacuuming. Ryan roused soon after I returned; I was moving my futon out. Once the floor was cleared, we vacuumed, and I also dusted the shoji screens and air conditioner. We ended up getting it done by 8:30; way ahead of schedule. So, we just talked for a while… Ryan explained that he would be going back into home stay if it weren’t for that the home stay he was with last semester won’t be looking after anyone this semester, since she’ll be travelling. He said he didn’t want to risk another; he had heard stories of not very good ones, as had I. He also commented that this was probably the longest conversation he’d had in English since he got here; crazy. He is in level 7 Japanese (the highest level) as I was soon to find out, so I guess it’s expected.
A bit after 9, Okaasan arrived. She checked my side of the room first, then went up and checked my kitchen box and the fridge, and found everything to be immaculate. She was very pleased; I was just relieved. Then onto Ryan, and there was no problem there, so he was soon on his way to seminar house four; I might see him around on campus. So, with only a door key, I went and had a shower. As I was finishing the light in the shower went out. I immediately thought black out but no; the bulb had just died. I went and explained this to Otousan, and he got me to fetch the master keys from Okaasan upstairs, before going into the store room, and pulling out a new bulb. Surprisingly, he asked me to go and change it; of course I humbly obliged. Socks off, and onto the wet shower, and it was done in a jiffy. Made me feel like I was at home; changing light bulbs because I’m so tall. After that, I went up and got Jo’s luggage from upstairs and dragged it into my room. Satisfied with everything here, I went into university.
Jacinthe caught up with me on the way there, and we talked the rest of the way. She went into the CIE, and I went to post Tamblyn’s shoes. It turned out to be quite cheap; cheaper than I’d expected at least. I went back into uni, and ate lunch at the cafeteria with Jacinthe. Of course, I had katsudon; I missed it a lot. After that, we went back to CIE, and I checked my mail; received a postcard and card from Nanny and Poppy. Then I went the computer lab to up for laptop registration for this semester. It was really quiet, and she actually asked if I had my laptop with me then, but I didn’t. I instead selected the 2:40 time slot today. Then, I went and requested an unofficial transcript. Jacinthe told me you could do it, and I did want to know my grades. She had also requested one a week ago, and when I asked the guy how long it would take to get to me (they put it in your mailbox), and he said by Monday. Jacinthe piped up that she hadn’t received hers yet, and I think this got them motivated.
I then left for home, and went up to let Ash and Katie know they could register their laptops today. Okaasan soon came in for their inspection, and she was surprised to see me. I went to leave, but she insisted I stay (it was quite funny actually), so I plopped myself down on a futon, and looked at the calendar of Canada Katie gave me; beautiful photos. They pulled off their inspection no sweat, and then we left for the uni once more; for me at least. I got in and got mine done straight away, hassle free; I mean we’ve already done it once, so they know what we have and all. I looked in my mailbox again, and found an envelope containing the transcript; it really did get them motivated. I was happy with my results; it was exactly what I had expected I’d receive. I sat down with Ash and Katie in the lounge as they waited for their times, and Jacinthe soon joined us; she also got her transcript. Lol, two guys and a girl across from as were sleeping on the lounges; one of the guys was snoring quite loudly.
After registrations were complete, we decided to go to Makkas; a late lunch for Ash and Katie, and a snack for me. I ended up getting a cheese burger and strawberry milkshake, and Ash got a Texas Burger at my recommendation; she really liked it. Jancithe came over and noticed that we all had food, and felt left out, so she went and got something; a Texas Burger also. Then Katie felt left out for being the only one to have not tried it. We stayed there and chatted for a few hours; it was great. It wasn’t until 6:30 that we finally got back home. I went up and bothered Ash and Katie, and was treated to photos of the areas in which they live. Ash lives in Oxford, which is just amazing in terms of architecture, and Katie lives in Calgary and has a view of the Rocky Mountains out her back door, and the landscapes is simply breathtaking. It made me feel very reminiscent, and I was amazed at how fast time had gone past, looking at all the old photos.
I left their room at 9:30 feeling hungry; they felt content with Makkas and snacks. I went done to my room and found a mini cup noodle, and a tuna to go, so I went up and ate them; happy tummy now. Wow, the kitchen looks so empty without all the pots and pans. All we have now is the microwaves and kettles. After that, I went and had a shower, and then finally got into bed. I’m really glad I got so a lot done today. Still have to get in forms and pay accommodation next week, but that should be easy. I invited Jacinthe to come and see Avatar with me tomorrow since Ash and Katie don’t really seem fussed, so hopefully we can make that happen; I’ll email her tonight. I thinking I might get a knife and spoon, and a few other utensils from the shops tomorrow, and some other groceries. Also found out the names of my new roommates; Hugo Philippe Alexandre Bertrand from Spain, and Jamie Lee Skyes from England. Hugo will be permanent, and Jamie will be going into other accommodation. I also found out that Simon (a guy from USC I got in contact with over facebook) with be right across from me. Can’t wait to meet all the new people…
天気：曇り
Finally settled, back in the old futon’s we had during just semester, two empty beside me, and Jo’s two very pink suitcases in the desk area; the room feels nice and full. Today was a long day… Although I had a terrible night’s sleep, I still managed to get up at quarter to 8. I decided to quickly go have some breakfast before vacuuming. Ryan roused soon after I returned; I was moving my futon out. Once the floor was cleared, we vacuumed, and I also dusted the shoji screens and air conditioner. We ended up getting it done by 8:30; way ahead of schedule. So, we just talked for a while… Ryan explained that he would be going back into home stay if it weren’t for that the home stay he was with last semester won’t be looking after anyone this semester, since she’ll be travelling. He said he didn’t want to risk another; he had heard stories of not very good ones, as had I. He also commented that this was probably the longest conversation he’d had in English since he got here; crazy. He is in level 7 Japanese (the highest level) as I was soon to find out, so I guess it’s expected.
A bit after 9, Okaasan arrived. She checked my side of the room first, then went up and checked my kitchen box and the fridge, and found everything to be immaculate. She was very pleased; I was just relieved. Then onto Ryan, and there was no problem there, so he was soon on his way to seminar house four; I might see him around on campus. So, with only a door key, I went and had a shower. As I was finishing the light in the shower went out. I immediately thought black out but no; the bulb had just died. I went and explained this to Otousan, and he got me to fetch the master keys from Okaasan upstairs, before going into the store room, and pulling out a new bulb. Surprisingly, he asked me to go and change it; of course I humbly obliged. Socks off, and onto the wet shower, and it was done in a jiffy. Made me feel like I was at home; changing light bulbs because I’m so tall. After that, I went up and got Jo’s luggage from upstairs and dragged it into my room. Satisfied with everything here, I went into university.
Jacinthe caught up with me on the way there, and we talked the rest of the way. She went into the CIE, and I went to post Tamblyn’s shoes. It turned out to be quite cheap; cheaper than I’d expected at least. I went back into uni, and ate lunch at the cafeteria with Jacinthe. Of course, I had katsudon; I missed it a lot. After that, we went back to CIE, and I checked my mail; received a postcard and card from Nanny and Poppy. Then I went the computer lab to up for laptop registration for this semester. It was really quiet, and she actually asked if I had my laptop with me then, but I didn’t. I instead selected the 2:40 time slot today. Then, I went and requested an unofficial transcript. Jacinthe told me you could do it, and I did want to know my grades. She had also requested one a week ago, and when I asked the guy how long it would take to get to me (they put it in your mailbox), and he said by Monday. Jacinthe piped up that she hadn’t received hers yet, and I think this got them motivated.
I then left for home, and went up to let Ash and Katie know they could register their laptops today. Okaasan soon came in for their inspection, and she was surprised to see me. I went to leave, but she insisted I stay (it was quite funny actually), so I plopped myself down on a futon, and looked at the calendar of Canada Katie gave me; beautiful photos. They pulled off their inspection no sweat, and then we left for the uni once more; for me at least. I got in and got mine done straight away, hassle free; I mean we’ve already done it once, so they know what we have and all. I looked in my mailbox again, and found an envelope containing the transcript; it really did get them motivated. I was happy with my results; it was exactly what I had expected I’d receive. I sat down with Ash and Katie in the lounge as they waited for their times, and Jacinthe soon joined us; she also got her transcript. Lol, two guys and a girl across from as were sleeping on the lounges; one of the guys was snoring quite loudly.
After registrations were complete, we decided to go to Makkas; a late lunch for Ash and Katie, and a snack for me. I ended up getting a cheese burger and strawberry milkshake, and Ash got a Texas Burger at my recommendation; she really liked it. Jancithe came over and noticed that we all had food, and felt left out, so she went and got something; a Texas Burger also. Then Katie felt left out for being the only one to have not tried it. We stayed there and chatted for a few hours; it was great. It wasn’t until 6:30 that we finally got back home. I went up and bothered Ash and Katie, and was treated to photos of the areas in which they live. Ash lives in Oxford, which is just amazing in terms of architecture, and Katie lives in Calgary and has a view of the Rocky Mountains out her back door, and the landscapes is simply breathtaking. It made me feel very reminiscent, and I was amazed at how fast time had gone past, looking at all the old photos.
I left their room at 9:30 feeling hungry; they felt content with Makkas and snacks. I went done to my room and found a mini cup noodle, and a tuna to go, so I went up and ate them; happy tummy now. Wow, the kitchen looks so empty without all the pots and pans. All we have now is the microwaves and kettles. After that, I went and had a shower, and then finally got into bed. I’m really glad I got so a lot done today. Still have to get in forms and pay accommodation next week, but that should be easy. I invited Jacinthe to come and see Avatar with me tomorrow since Ash and Katie don’t really seem fussed, so hopefully we can make that happen; I’ll email her tonight. I thinking I might get a knife and spoon, and a few other utensils from the shops tomorrow, and some other groceries. Also found out the names of my new roommates; Hugo Philippe Alexandre Bertrand from Spain, and Jamie Lee Skyes from England. Hugo will be permanent, and Jamie will be going into other accommodation. I also found out that Simon (a guy from USC I got in contact with over facebook) with be right across from me. Can’t wait to meet all the new people…
Thursday 21 January 2010
Day 144 - 21st of January
8:13pm セミナーハウス
天気：雨天
Finished cleaning; well pretty much… Got up at 9 this morning, and left for Toji at 10; Ryan arrived just before. We walked to Makino and it was drizzling, the sky moist and grey; it had rained the night before. Ash felt right at home, and insisted she didn’t need an umbrella. Soon after reaching the flea markets however, it started to pour; not that that deterred the crowds. Ash and Katie were in bliss, seeking out kimono stalls and the shelter they offered. They got quite a few things. As usual, I just enjoyed browsing; started forming some ideas of what I should get though. Katie found this really cool toy that, when spun, mimics the look of a bubble! It’s basically strips of iridescent plastic that “merge” together when spun. It’s a really cool idea though; looks great.
After about an hour and a half, we left the flea market, out an exit I hadn’t been before. I hadn’t realised just how huge the markets were; this arm extended right the way up to the shinkansen line. We walked further down, past the massive shopping centre that’s opening in spring, and went into Kyoto station. Not far from the door, was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s a bit hard to explain, but basically it’s a fountain of timed water jets, cascading from the ceiling to the floor, that creates shapes, patterns, words and even kanji!!! It was seriously awesome. It wrote ようこそみやこみち and then the translation, “Welcome to Miyako-michi. And then it created images of historical sites in Kyoto, including Toji pagoda, and heaps of different patterns; I was transfixed. We watched it till the completion of the circuit, and then continued through the shops, and over to the other side of the station; facing the Kyoto tower.
Katie wanted to see if she could book tickets for the Beauty and the Beast musical, or in Japanese 美女と野獣 (Bijo to Yajuu). This perked my interest, so we went together to check it out. The theatre is in Kyoto station, and the stairway to it was decked out in red carpet.
Inside the foyer, there were statues of classic anime characters, including Astro boy, and Kimba the Lion. After a bit of thinking, I decided I was in, and we chose a day and got the tickets. We’re going on the 6th of Feb, for the Matinee performance at 1:30. It’s going to be so incredible, and so cool to watch in Japanese! After that, we went to donut king and indulged, before catching the train back home bound. Katie and Ash decided to go on to Hirakata station, but I got off at Kuzuha, and then changed for Makino.
I went and bought the Pokémon: Heart Gold Soul Silver walkthrough, at the Keihan store, and then went on to Sanko, to pick up bread and sauce; bread for lunch and sauce for dinner. I got home at about 3, had lunch, and then began cleaning my kitchen box and utensils. I also clean the fridge. Just as I finished, Ryan came up, and I inquired if he’d moved the stuff out from the bottom of the fridge. He said he had and that he’d cleaned it also. Lolz, well now it’s doubly cleaned. Here I was worrying about him getting things done, and he had finished everything by the time I’d gotten back; he’ll be moving to seminar house 4 tomorrow. When I came back down, I put my laundry away, and dusted the shelves. He was watching Mad Max on his laptop; I recognised the Australian accent. When I told him I hadn’t watched it, he said, “What kind of Australian are you?” That inspired me to watch it, along with many other Aussie classics, as soon as I get home!
At about 7:30, I went up and made dinner; my last home-cooked for a while now! I made spaghetti bolognese. Simple, but it meant I used up my last carrot, most of the onion, and the rest of my meat and pasta; so I was happy and so full afterward. I thoroughly washed my plate and cutlery, and then came back down. Yuji soon arrived at our door, accompainied by our new RA, Asumi. He inquired about by progress with inspection, and I let him know that everything but the floor, and shoji doors were done. We explained that we were going to be getting up at 8 tomorrow to vacuum; he implored us to have it done on time. Then I went up and showed him my kitchen box and the fridge; Ryan had already showed his. He was most satisfied, and I’m sure relieved; one less to worry about. I really hope it does go smoothly tomorrow; fingers crossed. As soon as it’s over I’ll be so happy. I don’t think I’ll do much else tomorrow; probably just mail Tamblyn’s shoes. Well, I think I’m going to go have some dessert now, and then say goodbye to the pots and pans…
天気：雨天
Finished cleaning; well pretty much… Got up at 9 this morning, and left for Toji at 10; Ryan arrived just before. We walked to Makino and it was drizzling, the sky moist and grey; it had rained the night before. Ash felt right at home, and insisted she didn’t need an umbrella. Soon after reaching the flea markets however, it started to pour; not that that deterred the crowds. Ash and Katie were in bliss, seeking out kimono stalls and the shelter they offered. They got quite a few things. As usual, I just enjoyed browsing; started forming some ideas of what I should get though. Katie found this really cool toy that, when spun, mimics the look of a bubble! It’s basically strips of iridescent plastic that “merge” together when spun. It’s a really cool idea though; looks great.
After about an hour and a half, we left the flea market, out an exit I hadn’t been before. I hadn’t realised just how huge the markets were; this arm extended right the way up to the shinkansen line. We walked further down, past the massive shopping centre that’s opening in spring, and went into Kyoto station. Not far from the door, was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s a bit hard to explain, but basically it’s a fountain of timed water jets, cascading from the ceiling to the floor, that creates shapes, patterns, words and even kanji!!! It was seriously awesome. It wrote ようこそみやこみち and then the translation, “Welcome to Miyako-michi. And then it created images of historical sites in Kyoto, including Toji pagoda, and heaps of different patterns; I was transfixed. We watched it till the completion of the circuit, and then continued through the shops, and over to the other side of the station; facing the Kyoto tower.Katie wanted to see if she could book tickets for the Beauty and the Beast musical, or in Japanese 美女と野獣 (Bijo to Yajuu). This perked my interest, so we went together to check it out. The theatre is in Kyoto station, and the stairway to it was decked out in red carpet.
Inside the foyer, there were statues of classic anime characters, including Astro boy, and Kimba the Lion. After a bit of thinking, I decided I was in, and we chose a day and got the tickets. We’re going on the 6th of Feb, for the Matinee performance at 1:30. It’s going to be so incredible, and so cool to watch in Japanese! After that, we went to donut king and indulged, before catching the train back home bound. Katie and Ash decided to go on to Hirakata station, but I got off at Kuzuha, and then changed for Makino.I went and bought the Pokémon: Heart Gold Soul Silver walkthrough, at the Keihan store, and then went on to Sanko, to pick up bread and sauce; bread for lunch and sauce for dinner. I got home at about 3, had lunch, and then began cleaning my kitchen box and utensils. I also clean the fridge. Just as I finished, Ryan came up, and I inquired if he’d moved the stuff out from the bottom of the fridge. He said he had and that he’d cleaned it also. Lolz, well now it’s doubly cleaned. Here I was worrying about him getting things done, and he had finished everything by the time I’d gotten back; he’ll be moving to seminar house 4 tomorrow. When I came back down, I put my laundry away, and dusted the shelves. He was watching Mad Max on his laptop; I recognised the Australian accent. When I told him I hadn’t watched it, he said, “What kind of Australian are you?” That inspired me to watch it, along with many other Aussie classics, as soon as I get home!
At about 7:30, I went up and made dinner; my last home-cooked for a while now! I made spaghetti bolognese. Simple, but it meant I used up my last carrot, most of the onion, and the rest of my meat and pasta; so I was happy and so full afterward. I thoroughly washed my plate and cutlery, and then came back down. Yuji soon arrived at our door, accompainied by our new RA, Asumi. He inquired about by progress with inspection, and I let him know that everything but the floor, and shoji doors were done. We explained that we were going to be getting up at 8 tomorrow to vacuum; he implored us to have it done on time. Then I went up and showed him my kitchen box and the fridge; Ryan had already showed his. He was most satisfied, and I’m sure relieved; one less to worry about. I really hope it does go smoothly tomorrow; fingers crossed. As soon as it’s over I’ll be so happy. I don’t think I’ll do much else tomorrow; probably just mail Tamblyn’s shoes. Well, I think I’m going to go have some dessert now, and then say goodbye to the pots and pans…
Wednesday 20 January 2010
Day 143 - 20th of January
9:55pm セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
Well, I’m still connected to the internet. Supposedly, our laptops are supposed to be disconnected from the network today; that was the “gentle reminder” from CIE, lol. This is in preparation for next semester, and I also have to go in next week (orientation) to re-register my laptop; such a pain. Oh well, has to be done. So, today… well, we ended up getting home at about 4:30 in the morning; it was epic! Surprisingly, though not so surprisingly, Ryan wasn’t back yet. So I showered, and then hit the futon. I managed to get up at 11. I washed my hair, put on a load of washing, and then went up to the kitchen and made pancakes. I was so happy; they all turned out perfect. The trick is really, really low heat; I actually turned off the gas completely a couple of times so it wouldn’t get too hot. I happily munched away at them, saving some for tomorrows breakfast.
I got back down, and took the washing out, and then a bit later, I had a nice long chat with family, during which I opened up the box of Tambyln’s shoes, to check them out; so cool!!! Got Devo's
address, so I should get them mailed off by the end of the week. At about 4:30, I had a snack, and then started clearing out my kitchen box. Since we won’t have a kitchen key for orientation week, we have to move all our food to our rooms. The fridge, but we have to make sure we put everything in there in a bag too, otherwise it’ll be chucked out. We also get our gate key taken away, so curfew of 10; how bothersome. Well, I got all the food moved, so I’m happy about that; I’ll be cleaning the fridge tomorrow. I watched the rest of Hetalia; as much as I could watch. There are 52 episodes, but the last two haven’t popped up on the internet yet, so I wait in eagerness.
I went up to make dinner at about 8. I actually used one of the Continental packets; carbonara pasta and sauce. I fried strips of chicken, carrots, and green capsicum (kindly donated by Jeremy), and mixed that in with the pasta, and it turned out great. I was a little afraid the sauce wasn’t going to thicken, but it turned out fine; successful meal. I helped clean the kitchen, and then enjoyed my dessert of mandarin, red bean bun, and milk. Ryan’s still not back, and I’m a little concerned; I just hope he shows up for the inspection. Well, tomorrow I will be going to the Toji flea market (the big one), with Ash and Katie at about 10. Then later on I’ll be cleaning; be so happy when I get back into the semester and regularity. I think I’ll play my DS for a while now…
天気：曇り
Well, I’m still connected to the internet. Supposedly, our laptops are supposed to be disconnected from the network today; that was the “gentle reminder” from CIE, lol. This is in preparation for next semester, and I also have to go in next week (orientation) to re-register my laptop; such a pain. Oh well, has to be done. So, today… well, we ended up getting home at about 4:30 in the morning; it was epic! Surprisingly, though not so surprisingly, Ryan wasn’t back yet. So I showered, and then hit the futon. I managed to get up at 11. I washed my hair, put on a load of washing, and then went up to the kitchen and made pancakes. I was so happy; they all turned out perfect. The trick is really, really low heat; I actually turned off the gas completely a couple of times so it wouldn’t get too hot. I happily munched away at them, saving some for tomorrows breakfast.
I got back down, and took the washing out, and then a bit later, I had a nice long chat with family, during which I opened up the box of Tambyln’s shoes, to check them out; so cool!!! Got Devo's
address, so I should get them mailed off by the end of the week. At about 4:30, I had a snack, and then started clearing out my kitchen box. Since we won’t have a kitchen key for orientation week, we have to move all our food to our rooms. The fridge, but we have to make sure we put everything in there in a bag too, otherwise it’ll be chucked out. We also get our gate key taken away, so curfew of 10; how bothersome. Well, I got all the food moved, so I’m happy about that; I’ll be cleaning the fridge tomorrow. I watched the rest of Hetalia; as much as I could watch. There are 52 episodes, but the last two haven’t popped up on the internet yet, so I wait in eagerness.I went up to make dinner at about 8. I actually used one of the Continental packets; carbonara pasta and sauce. I fried strips of chicken, carrots, and green capsicum (kindly donated by Jeremy), and mixed that in with the pasta, and it turned out great. I was a little afraid the sauce wasn’t going to thicken, but it turned out fine; successful meal. I helped clean the kitchen, and then enjoyed my dessert of mandarin, red bean bun, and milk. Ryan’s still not back, and I’m a little concerned; I just hope he shows up for the inspection. Well, tomorrow I will be going to the Toji flea market (the big one), with Ash and Katie at about 10. Then later on I’ll be cleaning; be so happy when I get back into the semester and regularity. I think I’ll play my DS for a while now…
Day 142 - 19th of January
5:40pm 和室 － 関西外大
天気：晴れ
I’m here in the koto practice room, just sitting. Sensei is already here; she arrived just after we finished cleaning. It’s unusually early for her to show up; we always get at least an hour of practice in before she gets here. I guess she really wants to make sure we’re getting prepared for the concert. I’m pretty sure the girls are practicing with sensei first, and then Marika and I will get a go. Anyway, today was pretty uneventful, albeit one annoyance… I got up at about 11 and went upstairs to find the kitchen tables and chairs stacked up in the corridor. I had forgotten; a company was coming in today to clean the kitchen. I was told that by Yuji on Sunday that they would be finished by 12, so went back downstairs and set up computer in the lounge; Ryan was still in bed.
I chatted Diego and Carly for a while, then saw Katie come down and asked her if the kitchen was ready; it wasn’t. I was getting very hungry, and it wasn’t until after one we could finally get in. I rushed up to Ash and Katie’s room to inform them of the good news, and then we rushed back down to eat! In the end, I just had cereal; too hungry to make anything. I was impressed at how clean the floors were though; we were almost blinded by the sparkliness. Let's see how long it actually stays that way. After that, I watched some more of Hetalia; I’m almost finished the second season. At 3, I showered and then had lunch before making my way to koto. It was cool, though not unpleasantly so. When I get back, I’ll be making stew for dinner and then we’ll be going to karaoke; can’t wait!!!
10:47pm カラオケ － 牧野
We’re in karaoke; been here since about 9:30. I just found “Heavenly Stars” by Genki Rockets, so I’m seriously happy now; best song ever, lolz! I hope we spent all night here. It’s so cheap and I’ve been deprived for a while. It’s just Ash, Nadezhda, Katie, and I, and we’re taking turns singing; best system. Koto practice was good. We played hanagoromo with the shakuhachi sensei, and then later we played the first section of sandan. As I’d half expected, sensei wanted me to play the first koto part of sandan. This proved slightly troublesome, since I hadn’t practiced it in ages. I think she might let me play the second part, if she’s satisfied I’m good enough at the first part. Then again, maybe it’d be easier for everyone if I just stuck with the first part. Oh well, we’ll see how things go…
11:15pm カラオケ － 牧野
So yeah, after koto, walked home and cooked stew. Ryan was gone again, but I’m pretty sure he’ll be coming back tonight? There was a really good show on TV; an a capella singing competition. It brought back memories of choir… I had just enough time after dinner to get ready, and then we left. It’s actually really mild tonight; the walk here was actually comfortable. Now, back to singing…
天気：晴れ
I’m here in the koto practice room, just sitting. Sensei is already here; she arrived just after we finished cleaning. It’s unusually early for her to show up; we always get at least an hour of practice in before she gets here. I guess she really wants to make sure we’re getting prepared for the concert. I’m pretty sure the girls are practicing with sensei first, and then Marika and I will get a go. Anyway, today was pretty uneventful, albeit one annoyance… I got up at about 11 and went upstairs to find the kitchen tables and chairs stacked up in the corridor. I had forgotten; a company was coming in today to clean the kitchen. I was told that by Yuji on Sunday that they would be finished by 12, so went back downstairs and set up computer in the lounge; Ryan was still in bed.
I chatted Diego and Carly for a while, then saw Katie come down and asked her if the kitchen was ready; it wasn’t. I was getting very hungry, and it wasn’t until after one we could finally get in. I rushed up to Ash and Katie’s room to inform them of the good news, and then we rushed back down to eat! In the end, I just had cereal; too hungry to make anything. I was impressed at how clean the floors were though; we were almost blinded by the sparkliness. Let's see how long it actually stays that way. After that, I watched some more of Hetalia; I’m almost finished the second season. At 3, I showered and then had lunch before making my way to koto. It was cool, though not unpleasantly so. When I get back, I’ll be making stew for dinner and then we’ll be going to karaoke; can’t wait!!!
10:47pm カラオケ － 牧野
We’re in karaoke; been here since about 9:30. I just found “Heavenly Stars” by Genki Rockets, so I’m seriously happy now; best song ever, lolz! I hope we spent all night here. It’s so cheap and I’ve been deprived for a while. It’s just Ash, Nadezhda, Katie, and I, and we’re taking turns singing; best system. Koto practice was good. We played hanagoromo with the shakuhachi sensei, and then later we played the first section of sandan. As I’d half expected, sensei wanted me to play the first koto part of sandan. This proved slightly troublesome, since I hadn’t practiced it in ages. I think she might let me play the second part, if she’s satisfied I’m good enough at the first part. Then again, maybe it’d be easier for everyone if I just stuck with the first part. Oh well, we’ll see how things go…
11:15pm カラオケ － 牧野
So yeah, after koto, walked home and cooked stew. Ryan was gone again, but I’m pretty sure he’ll be coming back tonight? There was a really good show on TV; an a capella singing competition. It brought back memories of choir… I had just enough time after dinner to get ready, and then we left. It’s actually really mild tonight; the walk here was actually comfortable. Now, back to singing…
Monday 18 January 2010
Day 141 - 18th of January
10:08pm セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
Well today took an interesting, though not completely unfavourable, turn… I got up at 9:15, had breakfast and got ready to go out. At 10, I was ready and waiting, and after about 10 minutes, Ash showed up, followed by Katie. We waited another 10 minutes, and there still was no sign of Peter, so I went up and knocked on his door; he was still in bed. He hadn’t gotten much sleep at all, so said he’d catch up with us later; okay, all good. So, we walked to uni, so Ash and Katie could get money out, since they literally had none. The JASSO scholarship stipend was supposed to come today, but unfortunately when they checked their accounts, it was not there. We went over to the CIE, and Katie picked up a package. Since they had no money the trip was cancelled, so I bid them farewell, and went to get some groceries at Kirindo and Fresco. This was a good thing; I was planning on doing the grocery shopping after koto, but it was much nicer to get it out of the way during the warmer hours of the day.
I ended up catching up with Katie and Ash, almost home. They told me that the money wouldn’t be coming in till later this month; it had been delayed for some reason. Because of this, they both had to get out loans; I’m so glad I have enough money left over! So, this meant that I could have a nice lazy afternoon before koto practice. I made rice, and then had lunch. After that I played my DS for a while, and then went and watched the rest of Rush Hour with Alex. By the end of the movie it was time to go. I got all rugged up, and went on my way. Practice was good today. I’m slowly getting the second koto part of sandan, but it’s not easy. I really want to get it good come performance time, which isn’t too far off now. Marika’s a little worried how she’ll go, but I think she’ll be fine. We had our meeting when Chiharu arrived at about 6:30, and then got in a bit more practice for the last half an hour.
Getting back, I went up and heated up lasts night dinner with rice. Jacinthe told me she’d gotten the present for Aki that I helped pay for, so we went and presented it to her; TimTams!!! Yuji dropped a big hint that he wanted some too, but we joked he wasn’t the one that was leaving, so didn’t get any. I’ve found a few places that sell them, so I’ll have to go pick up some for myself. Right now though, I’m really enjoying the red bean buns I’ve got; had two for dessert, with milk and a mandarin. Then got back down here, showered, and got all comfy bed. I don’t think I’ll be doing anything tomorrow until koto practice. Then going to karaoke with Katie and Ash; looking forward to that! Oh yeah, Ryan came back today, just as we were leaving this morning. Hopefully he’ll be sticking around for the inspection on Friday…
天気：晴れ
Well today took an interesting, though not completely unfavourable, turn… I got up at 9:15, had breakfast and got ready to go out. At 10, I was ready and waiting, and after about 10 minutes, Ash showed up, followed by Katie. We waited another 10 minutes, and there still was no sign of Peter, so I went up and knocked on his door; he was still in bed. He hadn’t gotten much sleep at all, so said he’d catch up with us later; okay, all good. So, we walked to uni, so Ash and Katie could get money out, since they literally had none. The JASSO scholarship stipend was supposed to come today, but unfortunately when they checked their accounts, it was not there. We went over to the CIE, and Katie picked up a package. Since they had no money the trip was cancelled, so I bid them farewell, and went to get some groceries at Kirindo and Fresco. This was a good thing; I was planning on doing the grocery shopping after koto, but it was much nicer to get it out of the way during the warmer hours of the day.
I ended up catching up with Katie and Ash, almost home. They told me that the money wouldn’t be coming in till later this month; it had been delayed for some reason. Because of this, they both had to get out loans; I’m so glad I have enough money left over! So, this meant that I could have a nice lazy afternoon before koto practice. I made rice, and then had lunch. After that I played my DS for a while, and then went and watched the rest of Rush Hour with Alex. By the end of the movie it was time to go. I got all rugged up, and went on my way. Practice was good today. I’m slowly getting the second koto part of sandan, but it’s not easy. I really want to get it good come performance time, which isn’t too far off now. Marika’s a little worried how she’ll go, but I think she’ll be fine. We had our meeting when Chiharu arrived at about 6:30, and then got in a bit more practice for the last half an hour.
Getting back, I went up and heated up lasts night dinner with rice. Jacinthe told me she’d gotten the present for Aki that I helped pay for, so we went and presented it to her; TimTams!!! Yuji dropped a big hint that he wanted some too, but we joked he wasn’t the one that was leaving, so didn’t get any. I’ve found a few places that sell them, so I’ll have to go pick up some for myself. Right now though, I’m really enjoying the red bean buns I’ve got; had two for dessert, with milk and a mandarin. Then got back down here, showered, and got all comfy bed. I don’t think I’ll be doing anything tomorrow until koto practice. Then going to karaoke with Katie and Ash; looking forward to that! Oh yeah, Ryan came back today, just as we were leaving this morning. Hopefully he’ll be sticking around for the inspection on Friday…
Sunday 17 January 2010
Day 140 - 17th of January
10:38pm セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ、曇り
Today was very active, and really awesome… I got up at 9, and readied myself for today’s outing with Nadezhda. We were out of the seminar house by about 10:30, making our way to Makino.
It was, at that point, a beautiful, warm day, so much so, that I decided to wear just a jumper (my new red one); this proved to be a bad move later on. Anyway, we went from Makino to Kuzuha, switched to a rapid express, then onto 三条 (Sanjou). From sanjou, we took the 地下鉄東西線 (chikatetsu touzaisen – Subway “east to west line”), three stops across to 二条城前 (Nijoujoumae). The peculiar thing about this subway was that glass walled off the track from the track, and there were automatic doors in front of the train doors. Nadezhda and I wondered why the walls were needed; were they just for decoration. Indeed, the colour of the automatic doors changed at every station. Also the warning signal in the subway had to be the best I’ve heard yet; it’s a pretty little koto motif.
We soon arrived at Nijoujoumae, and made our way up and out into the fresh air, with the castle wall beckoning u
s from across the street. We eagerly made our way over, purchased tickets, and took a few pictures out front, before entering the grounds. We firstly came across a gate leading into the 二の丸御殿 (ninomaru goten – Ninomaru Palace) and the detail, though faded, was spectacular. Entering the palace, we had to take our shoes off and don slippers, and no photography was allowed inside. It’s just one of those places you have to actually go into to see, and I really appreciate that. I was by no means disappointed, and while I have no photos to show, I will try to describe it as best as I can. The first thing I noticed was the design on the ceiling. It was made up of squares, and within each square, a detailed motif; many flowery designs. The palace is made up of five connected buildings, and each building had a different design on its ceiling.
The next thing I noticed was a strange squeaking beneath my feet. We were soon to find out that the floors were deliberately designed to produce a noise. This method of construction, 鴬張り (uguisubari – “nightingale flooring”), was used in the wooden corridors to protect the occupants from sneak attacks and assassins; clever thinking. Although I haven’t heard a nightingale call, I definitely hear the likeness to a bird chirp; so cool. And finally, I notice the paintings that cover the walls of all 33 rooms; over 800 tatami mats. Oh my gosh, it was incredible. Each room had a different theme, here pine trees and mountains, there fans and chrysanthemums. Tigers, peacocks, pheasants, horses, cherry blossoms, rivers, ducks, cranes… all backed by gold leaf. It was so beautiful; the outside world was brought inside. The wall paintings are attributed to artists of the 狩野派 (kanouha – Kano School), one of the most famous schools of Japanese painting. Another cool feature was a set of red tasselled doors in some rooms where the shogun’s bodyguards could come out and protect him.
And this was all done over 400 hundred years ago. Incredibly, all of the original paintings (over 3000) survived, and while most in the palace were reproductions, we were assure
d that they were as close to the originals as possible; using traditional methods, and natural pigments. After exiting, we continued through a beautiful garden, and over the inner moat, to the remains of the 本丸御殿 (honmaru goten – Hommaru Palace). Unfortunately, the interior is only open to the public on special occasions. We made our way through more gardens to the 天守閣 (tenshukaku – keep), well… where it stood at least; it was struck by lightning and burnt to the ground in 1750. So all that’s left now are the stone foundations; provided a good view of the grounds though. We finally circled out and back around to the front, through some many gardens, which will look so impressive, come spring.
We went to the gift shop, and I bought a pin of the palace, then got two more for a machine; couldn’t resist. Further along was a memorial exhibition hall, celebrating the 400th anniversary of the palace (2003). Inside, we got to see the original wall paintings of the 四の間 (yon no ma – 4th Grand Chamber), in the Ninomaru palace. This room featured hawks and pines, and was the where officers were received, and the weapons kept; perfect theme. Being able to see the walls up close, albeit behind glass, was great. The exhibition hall was also set up with the same dimensions as the original room, so we could really get a feel for what it was actually like. More than satisfied, we left the castle, grey clouds not dampening our spirits one bit. Although it wasn’t exactly what I had expected (there was no “castle”), I still found it an incredible experience.
Now very hungry (it was almost 2), we went in search of somewhere to eat, and soon found it down the road; ramen shop. Gosh I’m becoming such a fan of ramen;
I love it more and more every time I eat it. I also drank the green tea there. It was cold and so dilute I could hardly taste the tea; quite refreshing. Nadezhda and I were still rearing to explore Kyoto, so after letting our meals go down, we exited and turned left, following the main road, having no destination. We got to a big intersection, and Nadezhda spotted Kyoto tower to the right. Since neither of us had been to the top before, we decided to go for it. But first, since I recognised the area, I took Nadezhda to the 六角堂 (rokkakudou – Hexagonal hall). It was great going back there again; the swans were particularly active today. After that, we continued walking towards the tower, down the main road, before spotting another temple; the 平等時因幡薬師 (Byoudouji Inabayakushi). It was absolutely dead (there was much construction work also), and we felt compelled to whisper; such an amazing atmosphere.
Shortly after, we come across another wondrous complex; the 東本願寺 (higashi honganji – “East temple of the original vow”).
Such a grand name certainly fit the enormity of the buildings. The gate itself was impressive enough, but the temple within rivalled that of the todaiji in Nara. The building next to it, the Amida hall, is currently decked out scaffolding, but will be opening in 2011; another thing to come back and see). The complex is 99,000m2 and is one of the dominant sub sects in Shin Buddhism. The other, as we were soon to find out, is the 西本願寺 (nishi honganji – “West temple of the original vow”). We didn’t look around too much as it was getting late, and very cold. It was very close to the tower, so we were soon inside, and shot up the elevator to the top observation deck of the 131m tall building; 100m at observation deck.
The views of Kyoto were spectacular. We had come at a good time, when the sun was setting, and the mountains turned to gold. Surprisingly, the binoculars were free, and we spied a number of sites, including Kiyomizu temple, Toji Pagoda, and the Momoyama castle. One problem with the binoculars, for me at least, was that they were too short, so I had to basically squat to see through them. Supposedly, we were able to see Osaka castle from the top too, but we couldn’t find it. We stayed up there till dark, watching the colours of the sky slowly change, and the lights of the city come on; it was equally beautiful at night. The mountains in the background were so black, and we noted that south of the tower was much brighter, in terms of lights, than the north. I guess it’s because all the historical sites aren’t lit up, and they make up the majority of the area; seriously. You can never see enough it Kyoto!
At about 6, we left the tower, and walked over to Kyoto station, taking some photos of the tower from various angles and heights; I took Nadezhda all the way up the sky garden. Getting out of the cold (and yes, I was really feeling it in my just jumper), we found our way over to the Kitetsu line, and got a train to Tambabashi, before hoping on a local back to Makino. The trip back was so nice, and warm, and restful, and when we did get to Makino, I really didn’t want to get up. Both needing some groceries, we went over to life. I just got some meat, cereal, and these great little buns filled with red bean that Jo had offered us one time; Nadezhda spotted them. Finally getting back home (what a relief), I set about making dinner; shepherd’s pie. It wasn’t until after 9 that I sat down and ate; peeling potatoes is time consuming, lolz. I was very happy with the meal though; got a bit left over for tomorrow too. After dinner, I had milk and a bun, and then went down to my room, and did a quick little tidy up.
As I was making dinner, Yuji explained that he needed to come down to my room to talk about the inspection this Friday! Since I took so long, he’d left the kitchen and went to do homework, so I had to go find him in his room and drag him away from it. He cautioned that this inspection would be more thorough than the last and, since everyone will have their inspection on the same day, there is no room for mistakes. He also showed concern for Ryan’s absence, and asked me to inform Ryan as soon as he gets back, to go see Aki to get the information from her. We also went up to check my kitchen box, and then the fridge, and Yuji was impressed by how clean it was; I only have to wipe it down. It helps when I’m practically the only one using it; there’s like two things in there of Ryan’s, and no one’s in the other room that shares our fridge. And talk about being in the right place at the right time, we both got cake from Aki; it was absolutely delicious. Finally, got to have a shower… Well better get some sleep now, going to animate in Hirakata, and then onto Umeda with Ash and Peter tomorrow!
天気：晴れ、曇り
Today was very active, and really awesome… I got up at 9, and readied myself for today’s outing with Nadezhda. We were out of the seminar house by about 10:30, making our way to Makino.
It was, at that point, a beautiful, warm day, so much so, that I decided to wear just a jumper (my new red one); this proved to be a bad move later on. Anyway, we went from Makino to Kuzuha, switched to a rapid express, then onto 三条 (Sanjou). From sanjou, we took the 地下鉄東西線 (chikatetsu touzaisen – Subway “east to west line”), three stops across to 二条城前 (Nijoujoumae). The peculiar thing about this subway was that glass walled off the track from the track, and there were automatic doors in front of the train doors. Nadezhda and I wondered why the walls were needed; were they just for decoration. Indeed, the colour of the automatic doors changed at every station. Also the warning signal in the subway had to be the best I’ve heard yet; it’s a pretty little koto motif.We soon arrived at Nijoujoumae, and made our way up and out into the fresh air, with the castle wall beckoning u
s from across the street. We eagerly made our way over, purchased tickets, and took a few pictures out front, before entering the grounds. We firstly came across a gate leading into the 二の丸御殿 (ninomaru goten – Ninomaru Palace) and the detail, though faded, was spectacular. Entering the palace, we had to take our shoes off and don slippers, and no photography was allowed inside. It’s just one of those places you have to actually go into to see, and I really appreciate that. I was by no means disappointed, and while I have no photos to show, I will try to describe it as best as I can. The first thing I noticed was the design on the ceiling. It was made up of squares, and within each square, a detailed motif; many flowery designs. The palace is made up of five connected buildings, and each building had a different design on its ceiling.
The next thing I noticed was a strange squeaking beneath my feet. We were soon to find out that the floors were deliberately designed to produce a noise. This method of construction, 鴬張り (uguisubari – “nightingale flooring”), was used in the wooden corridors to protect the occupants from sneak attacks and assassins; clever thinking. Although I haven’t heard a nightingale call, I definitely hear the likeness to a bird chirp; so cool. And finally, I notice the paintings that cover the walls of all 33 rooms; over 800 tatami mats. Oh my gosh, it was incredible. Each room had a different theme, here pine trees and mountains, there fans and chrysanthemums. Tigers, peacocks, pheasants, horses, cherry blossoms, rivers, ducks, cranes… all backed by gold leaf. It was so beautiful; the outside world was brought inside. The wall paintings are attributed to artists of the 狩野派 (kanouha – Kano School), one of the most famous schools of Japanese painting. Another cool feature was a set of red tasselled doors in some rooms where the shogun’s bodyguards could come out and protect him.And this was all done over 400 hundred years ago. Incredibly, all of the original paintings (over 3000) survived, and while most in the palace were reproductions, we were assure
d that they were as close to the originals as possible; using traditional methods, and natural pigments. After exiting, we continued through a beautiful garden, and over the inner moat, to the remains of the 本丸御殿 (honmaru goten – Hommaru Palace). Unfortunately, the interior is only open to the public on special occasions. We made our way through more gardens to the 天守閣 (tenshukaku – keep), well… where it stood at least; it was struck by lightning and burnt to the ground in 1750. So all that’s left now are the stone foundations; provided a good view of the grounds though. We finally circled out and back around to the front, through some many gardens, which will look so impressive, come spring. 
We went to the gift shop, and I bought a pin of the palace, then got two more for a machine; couldn’t resist. Further along was a memorial exhibition hall, celebrating the 400th anniversary of the palace (2003). Inside, we got to see the original wall paintings of the 四の間 (yon no ma – 4th Grand Chamber), in the Ninomaru palace. This room featured hawks and pines, and was the where officers were received, and the weapons kept; perfect theme. Being able to see the walls up close, albeit behind glass, was great. The exhibition hall was also set up with the same dimensions as the original room, so we could really get a feel for what it was actually like. More than satisfied, we left the castle, grey clouds not dampening our spirits one bit. Although it wasn’t exactly what I had expected (there was no “castle”), I still found it an incredible experience.Now very hungry (it was almost 2), we went in search of somewhere to eat, and soon found it down the road; ramen shop. Gosh I’m becoming such a fan of ramen;
I love it more and more every time I eat it. I also drank the green tea there. It was cold and so dilute I could hardly taste the tea; quite refreshing. Nadezhda and I were still rearing to explore Kyoto, so after letting our meals go down, we exited and turned left, following the main road, having no destination. We got to a big intersection, and Nadezhda spotted Kyoto tower to the right. Since neither of us had been to the top before, we decided to go for it. But first, since I recognised the area, I took Nadezhda to the 六角堂 (rokkakudou – Hexagonal hall). It was great going back there again; the swans were particularly active today. After that, we continued walking towards the tower, down the main road, before spotting another temple; the 平等時因幡薬師 (Byoudouji Inabayakushi). It was absolutely dead (there was much construction work also), and we felt compelled to whisper; such an amazing atmosphere.Shortly after, we come across another wondrous complex; the 東本願寺 (higashi honganji – “East temple of the original vow”).
Such a grand name certainly fit the enormity of the buildings. The gate itself was impressive enough, but the temple within rivalled that of the todaiji in Nara. The building next to it, the Amida hall, is currently decked out scaffolding, but will be opening in 2011; another thing to come back and see). The complex is 99,000m2 and is one of the dominant sub sects in Shin Buddhism. The other, as we were soon to find out, is the 西本願寺 (nishi honganji – “West temple of the original vow”). We didn’t look around too much as it was getting late, and very cold. It was very close to the tower, so we were soon inside, and shot up the elevator to the top observation deck of the 131m tall building; 100m at observation deck.
The views of Kyoto were spectacular. We had come at a good time, when the sun was setting, and the mountains turned to gold. Surprisingly, the binoculars were free, and we spied a number of sites, including Kiyomizu temple, Toji Pagoda, and the Momoyama castle. One problem with the binoculars, for me at least, was that they were too short, so I had to basically squat to see through them. Supposedly, we were able to see Osaka castle from the top too, but we couldn’t find it. We stayed up there till dark, watching the colours of the sky slowly change, and the lights of the city come on; it was equally beautiful at night. The mountains in the background were so black, and we noted that south of the tower was much brighter, in terms of lights, than the north. I guess it’s because all the historical sites aren’t lit up, and they make up the majority of the area; seriously. You can never see enough it Kyoto!At about 6, we left the tower, and walked over to Kyoto station, taking some photos of the tower from various angles and heights; I took Nadezhda all the way up the sky garden. Getting out of the cold (and yes, I was really feeling it in my just jumper), we found our way over to the Kitetsu line, and got a train to Tambabashi, before hoping on a local back to Makino. The trip back was so nice, and warm, and restful, and when we did get to Makino, I really didn’t want to get up. Both needing some groceries, we went over to life. I just got some meat, cereal, and these great little buns filled with red bean that Jo had offered us one time; Nadezhda spotted them. Finally getting back home (what a relief), I set about making dinner; shepherd’s pie. It wasn’t until after 9 that I sat down and ate; peeling potatoes is time consuming, lolz. I was very happy with the meal though; got a bit left over for tomorrow too. After dinner, I had milk and a bun, and then went down to my room, and did a quick little tidy up.
As I was making dinner, Yuji explained that he needed to come down to my room to talk about the inspection this Friday! Since I took so long, he’d left the kitchen and went to do homework, so I had to go find him in his room and drag him away from it. He cautioned that this inspection would be more thorough than the last and, since everyone will have their inspection on the same day, there is no room for mistakes. He also showed concern for Ryan’s absence, and asked me to inform Ryan as soon as he gets back, to go see Aki to get the information from her. We also went up to check my kitchen box, and then the fridge, and Yuji was impressed by how clean it was; I only have to wipe it down. It helps when I’m practically the only one using it; there’s like two things in there of Ryan’s, and no one’s in the other room that shares our fridge. And talk about being in the right place at the right time, we both got cake from Aki; it was absolutely delicious. Finally, got to have a shower… Well better get some sleep now, going to animate in Hirakata, and then onto Umeda with Ash and Peter tomorrow!
Saturday 16 January 2010
Day 139 - 16th of January
10:12pm セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
A nice clear day; not that I appreciated much of it. Yes, I woke up in the afternoon; again! I think today topped the lazy charts; seriously. I had breakfast (the failure pancakes I made a while ago, which actually turned out to taste fine), then spent the rest of the afternoon playing my DS, occasionally switching over to my laptop. At around 6 I read some more Deltora Quest, until I gave into my hunger, and went up and made dinner; scrambled eggs, toast, and rice. There was a really interesting movie on TV; 時をかける少女 (toki wo kakeru shoujo – “The girl who leapt through time”). It’s a 1983 live action movie based on a novel of the same name. Admittedly, I was more than a little confused for the most of it, but I enjoyed the music, and the setting, so I watched it all, as people slowly filtered out of the kitchen; I was the last one there. I came back down, read some more, exercised, and then showered. Tomorrow going to Nijo Castle...
天気：晴れ
A nice clear day; not that I appreciated much of it. Yes, I woke up in the afternoon; again! I think today topped the lazy charts; seriously. I had breakfast (the failure pancakes I made a while ago, which actually turned out to taste fine), then spent the rest of the afternoon playing my DS, occasionally switching over to my laptop. At around 6 I read some more Deltora Quest, until I gave into my hunger, and went up and made dinner; scrambled eggs, toast, and rice. There was a really interesting movie on TV; 時をかける少女 (toki wo kakeru shoujo – “The girl who leapt through time”). It’s a 1983 live action movie based on a novel of the same name. Admittedly, I was more than a little confused for the most of it, but I enjoyed the music, and the setting, so I watched it all, as people slowly filtered out of the kitchen; I was the last one there. I came back down, read some more, exercised, and then showered. Tomorrow going to Nijo Castle...
Friday 15 January 2010
Day 138 - 15th of January
11:02pm セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
Today was another half-day; got up at 11:30. After breakfast, I did the laundry, and hand washed my new jumper, turning my hands to ice. The sun only reaches my balcony after noon anyway, so it wouldn’t have made very much difference if I’d gotten the laundry out earlier in the day. At around 2:30, I made a quick visit to Sanko, to get bread and milk, and also mailed postcards at the nearby post office. I had lunch after returning, and after that, talked with Mum. Ben and Dad were back from Jamboree, but Ben was sleeping (totally wiped out), and Dad was mowing the lawn (typical), so I didn’t get to talk with them; oh well, hopefully tomorrow. I got the washing in at about 4, and hang it up inside, as I have to do all the time now since it’s too cold, and the sun is too weak. I went up and made dinner at 7. It was sliced chicken, in sauce with crushed Ritz crackers; lolz, aren’t I avant-garde.
The crackers really helped soak up the excess liquid. That, on top of spaghetti, and garlic bread as a side and I was set. I talked with Ash and Katie for a while, making plans for next week. After that, I came back down and read some more of Deltora Quest. I’m up to chapter three now, and my pace is increasing somewhat; I read 6 pages in under an hour. I soon felt hungry again, so returned to the kitchen and made 卵かけご飯 (Tamogo kake gohan – “egg over rice”). Basically crack a raw egg in boiled rice and you’ve got Tamago kake gohan; soy sauce is optional. It’s actually a really popular breakfast meal in Japan, because is quick and cheap to make, and it’s healthy; perfect for the hectic lifestyle of the Japanese. So yeah, now I feel content. I don’t think I’ll be doing anything tomorrow; probably just put on another load of washing. I have however, made plans to go to Nijo castle in Kyoto, with Nadezhda; should be fun.
天気：曇り
Today was another half-day; got up at 11:30. After breakfast, I did the laundry, and hand washed my new jumper, turning my hands to ice. The sun only reaches my balcony after noon anyway, so it wouldn’t have made very much difference if I’d gotten the laundry out earlier in the day. At around 2:30, I made a quick visit to Sanko, to get bread and milk, and also mailed postcards at the nearby post office. I had lunch after returning, and after that, talked with Mum. Ben and Dad were back from Jamboree, but Ben was sleeping (totally wiped out), and Dad was mowing the lawn (typical), so I didn’t get to talk with them; oh well, hopefully tomorrow. I got the washing in at about 4, and hang it up inside, as I have to do all the time now since it’s too cold, and the sun is too weak. I went up and made dinner at 7. It was sliced chicken, in sauce with crushed Ritz crackers; lolz, aren’t I avant-garde.
The crackers really helped soak up the excess liquid. That, on top of spaghetti, and garlic bread as a side and I was set. I talked with Ash and Katie for a while, making plans for next week. After that, I came back down and read some more of Deltora Quest. I’m up to chapter three now, and my pace is increasing somewhat; I read 6 pages in under an hour. I soon felt hungry again, so returned to the kitchen and made 卵かけご飯 (Tamogo kake gohan – “egg over rice”). Basically crack a raw egg in boiled rice and you’ve got Tamago kake gohan; soy sauce is optional. It’s actually a really popular breakfast meal in Japan, because is quick and cheap to make, and it’s healthy; perfect for the hectic lifestyle of the Japanese. So yeah, now I feel content. I don’t think I’ll be doing anything tomorrow; probably just put on another load of washing. I have however, made plans to go to Nijo castle in Kyoto, with Nadezhda; should be fun.
Thursday 14 January 2010
Day 137 - 14th of January
11:01pm セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
I had an eventful day today. Well, I should stay, eventful afternoon; I only got up at 12… After breakfast, I went into Hirakata by bus, my first stop being Animate. I’d gone to the one in Den den town, and remembered Ash talking about one in Hirakata. I found out it was in the department store by Makkas; I’ve been there several times. It was vastly smaller than the one in Den den town, but I still found some stuff. I got two more Hetalia cans (Germany, and Japan), a “China” badge, and the manga. Out the front, they had a bunch of capsule machines, and I wanted to get another Hetalia key chain. The first time around, I accidently put my money in the machine above, and ended up with a badge from an anime I don’t know. Still, it was another badge, so I eagerly added it to the collection on my bag, along with China.
After Animate, I went down to the men’s floor, and bought just one item; a long sleeve shirt. After that, I went over to Makkas for lunch, trying the new Texas burger. It was actually really nice; beef, bacon, cheese, mustard, barbeque sauce, pesto, and some sort of crunchy bread flakes. After that, I had a quick look in Book Off, and then decided to go on an adventure. Out of Book Off, I turned right and followed the train tracks toward Osaka; my destination would be Hirakata Park; just one station down. This was by no means a boring walk; there was so much to discover along the way. First, I came across the 一乗寺 (Ichijou temple), and a park that offered a view of the city from the top of its slide. I continued walking up the hill, and into a forest, up and up stairs, and found the 意賀美神社 (Okami shrine), at the top.
It was such a beautiful complex, with the main shrine, and a number of other smaller shrines attached. Calm washed over me as I walked through. It was so quiet with only a few people coming in to pray and drop off their “holy garbage”. I feel such a connection with nature whenever I enter shrines, much more so than I do when I’m in temples. The location probably has something to do with it (shrines are usually situated in forested areas), but I
think there’s more to it. I continued down the other side of the hill, to find myself in a plum tree grove. Surprisingly, some of the trees had already started to bloom. I continued to make my way over to a park, and took in the amazing view of the city and river, and mountains beyond; I’ll definitely go back in spring. Down the hill I went, past some very photogenic cats, and then through the streets to another temple. I can’t find the reading for this temple (大降寺 - daikouji?), but across from it was a 願生防 (ganshoubou – priest’s residence); I’d love to live in a place like that.
After taking some photos of the ハボタン (habotan - ornamental cabbage) out the front, I made my way over to the tracks, and took some photos whilst standing on them, only to be scared out of my pants when the warning signal sounded. I scurried off, and made my way up another hill, to find yet another temple, which I also can’t find the reading for (臺鐘時 – daishouji? - “standing bell temple”). It was, like the previous one, deserted, and there was a rock garden with some cool statues. Around the back was a cemetery, and I continued walking through it, going into more streets. Hirakata Park’s Ferris wheel was in sight, so I knew I wasn’t far off, and true to my prediction, I soon came to Hirakata Park station. It’s all yellow and purple, and adorned with characters from the park. I made the short walk over to the park and took a quick squiz. I definitely want to go there; it’ll have to wait till spring though.
I was now feeling very cold, and my feet were sore, so I got on the train, planning to take it to Makino and then walk home. When I got to 御殿山 (Gotenyama) however, I jumped off the train; what was I thinking. Gotenyama is one stop away from Makino, and the closest station to the university. I was on a mission to find more Final Fant
asy elixir with figurines and I knew the Lawsons near the uni had them in stock. So choosing a totally random route, I made my way there, not really knowing where I was going; I really do love getting lost. I climbed another massive hill, only to be rewarded with another impressive view, and soon had the university main administration building in sight; good thing it’s so tall. I found my way back to the main drag, and excitedly made my way over to Lawsons and bought the box set. I was over the moon when I found Snow Villiers inside, but disappointed when I found the same design on the can. I’m thinking, I’m going to go back and try and see if I can do and exchange with another can; can’t hurt to try. I walked back through the uni and homeward.
Unfortunately, Avail was calling me, and I couldn’t help myself; they were having a winter clearance; it was also a nice reprieve from the cold. In the end, after trying a number of things, I only bought a jumper; I was going for a really good price, and I love the Engrish on it. I returned home, and talked with mum for about an hour before going up for dinner. I made egg, tomato, and cheese toasted sandwiches with rice. As an added flavour, I crunched up the rest of my corn chips into the rice. It actually tasted really nice; I enjoyed the texture too. For dessert I had two taiyaki (caramel filled) that I had bought just before going into uni; they were so good! I kept Jacinthe company during, and after dinner for about an hour; she’d had a nothing day. I was good to talk. She also showed me the textbooks for Japanese 4; they look heavy! Aki came over and told us she’d be moving over to seminar house 4 next semester, so that will leave Yuji and Asumi (to come) as RAs; Hiroshi will be returning to seminar house 3. After trying to read through a few passages of Doumo (Speaking textbook) I said goodnight, and come back down here and showered. Today was a lot of fun but now I think it’s time for sleep…
天気：曇り
I had an eventful day today. Well, I should stay, eventful afternoon; I only got up at 12… After breakfast, I went into Hirakata by bus, my first stop being Animate. I’d gone to the one in Den den town, and remembered Ash talking about one in Hirakata. I found out it was in the department store by Makkas; I’ve been there several times. It was vastly smaller than the one in Den den town, but I still found some stuff. I got two more Hetalia cans (Germany, and Japan), a “China” badge, and the manga. Out the front, they had a bunch of capsule machines, and I wanted to get another Hetalia key chain. The first time around, I accidently put my money in the machine above, and ended up with a badge from an anime I don’t know. Still, it was another badge, so I eagerly added it to the collection on my bag, along with China.
After Animate, I went down to the men’s floor, and bought just one item; a long sleeve shirt. After that, I went over to Makkas for lunch, trying the new Texas burger. It was actually really nice; beef, bacon, cheese, mustard, barbeque sauce, pesto, and some sort of crunchy bread flakes. After that, I had a quick look in Book Off, and then decided to go on an adventure. Out of Book Off, I turned right and followed the train tracks toward Osaka; my destination would be Hirakata Park; just one station down. This was by no means a boring walk; there was so much to discover along the way. First, I came across the 一乗寺 (Ichijou temple), and a park that offered a view of the city from the top of its slide. I continued walking up the hill, and into a forest, up and up stairs, and found the 意賀美神社 (Okami shrine), at the top.
It was such a beautiful complex, with the main shrine, and a number of other smaller shrines attached. Calm washed over me as I walked through. It was so quiet with only a few people coming in to pray and drop off their “holy garbage”. I feel such a connection with nature whenever I enter shrines, much more so than I do when I’m in temples. The location probably has something to do with it (shrines are usually situated in forested areas), but I
think there’s more to it. I continued down the other side of the hill, to find myself in a plum tree grove. Surprisingly, some of the trees had already started to bloom. I continued to make my way over to a park, and took in the amazing view of the city and river, and mountains beyond; I’ll definitely go back in spring. Down the hill I went, past some very photogenic cats, and then through the streets to another temple. I can’t find the reading for this temple (大降寺 - daikouji?), but across from it was a 願生防 (ganshoubou – priest’s residence); I’d love to live in a place like that.
After taking some photos of the ハボタン (habotan - ornamental cabbage) out the front, I made my way over to the tracks, and took some photos whilst standing on them, only to be scared out of my pants when the warning signal sounded. I scurried off, and made my way up another hill, to find yet another temple, which I also can’t find the reading for (臺鐘時 – daishouji? - “standing bell temple”). It was, like the previous one, deserted, and there was a rock garden with some cool statues. Around the back was a cemetery, and I continued walking through it, going into more streets. Hirakata Park’s Ferris wheel was in sight, so I knew I wasn’t far off, and true to my prediction, I soon came to Hirakata Park station. It’s all yellow and purple, and adorned with characters from the park. I made the short walk over to the park and took a quick squiz. I definitely want to go there; it’ll have to wait till spring though.I was now feeling very cold, and my feet were sore, so I got on the train, planning to take it to Makino and then walk home. When I got to 御殿山 (Gotenyama) however, I jumped off the train; what was I thinking. Gotenyama is one stop away from Makino, and the closest station to the university. I was on a mission to find more Final Fant
asy elixir with figurines and I knew the Lawsons near the uni had them in stock. So choosing a totally random route, I made my way there, not really knowing where I was going; I really do love getting lost. I climbed another massive hill, only to be rewarded with another impressive view, and soon had the university main administration building in sight; good thing it’s so tall. I found my way back to the main drag, and excitedly made my way over to Lawsons and bought the box set. I was over the moon when I found Snow Villiers inside, but disappointed when I found the same design on the can. I’m thinking, I’m going to go back and try and see if I can do and exchange with another can; can’t hurt to try. I walked back through the uni and homeward.Unfortunately, Avail was calling me, and I couldn’t help myself; they were having a winter clearance; it was also a nice reprieve from the cold. In the end, after trying a number of things, I only bought a jumper; I was going for a really good price, and I love the Engrish on it. I returned home, and talked with mum for about an hour before going up for dinner. I made egg, tomato, and cheese toasted sandwiches with rice. As an added flavour, I crunched up the rest of my corn chips into the rice. It actually tasted really nice; I enjoyed the texture too. For dessert I had two taiyaki (caramel filled) that I had bought just before going into uni; they were so good! I kept Jacinthe company during, and after dinner for about an hour; she’d had a nothing day. I was good to talk. She also showed me the textbooks for Japanese 4; they look heavy! Aki came over and told us she’d be moving over to seminar house 4 next semester, so that will leave Yuji and Asumi (to come) as RAs; Hiroshi will be returning to seminar house 3. After trying to read through a few passages of Doumo (Speaking textbook) I said goodnight, and come back down here and showered. Today was a lot of fun but now I think it’s time for sleep…
Wednesday 13 January 2010
Day 136 - 13th of January
11:15pm セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
Ryan’s gone again; he left just after I woke up at about 12. So here I am alone again. It’s kinda cool actually. I just had my workout session, and was dancing around the room in my undies to the music on my laptop; too much information – I thought so. Anyway, couldn’t have done it if I wasn’t alone. Today was both lazy and productive… I went about cleaning the room, vacuuming, and sorting out my shelfs for much of the afternoon, with a lunch break in between at 4. It was sheet changing day again, so I had to do that too. My shelves are very slowly filling up with books and paraphernalia; can’t wait to get some more stuff. I watched a bit of the sumo on TV during lunch, and it was really interesting to watch the rituals that take place before the matches even begin. There’s like a sumo version of kata; looks really cool.
After I was satisfied with how the room was, I alternated between my DS and computer until dinner at 8; made gyudon. Getting back down, I listened to the new music I’ve just downloaded from iTunes, while trying to beat the high score on Facebook’s Bejewelled 2 Blitz. Unsuccessful, I got up and had my workout session, which was a lot of fun. Now I’m just backing up all my photos and music onto my portable hard drive. After that, I’m going to have a shower, and then settle down and watch some Hetalia. Tomorrow, I want to send some postcards, go to animate in Hirakata, and do some sightseeing. I think I’m going to go to Yodo, on the Kyoto end of the Keihan line. There seems to be heaps of stuff to see there, as far as I can tell every time I go past; the number of signs in the station… just wait and see what happens.
天気：曇り
Ryan’s gone again; he left just after I woke up at about 12. So here I am alone again. It’s kinda cool actually. I just had my workout session, and was dancing around the room in my undies to the music on my laptop; too much information – I thought so. Anyway, couldn’t have done it if I wasn’t alone. Today was both lazy and productive… I went about cleaning the room, vacuuming, and sorting out my shelfs for much of the afternoon, with a lunch break in between at 4. It was sheet changing day again, so I had to do that too. My shelves are very slowly filling up with books and paraphernalia; can’t wait to get some more stuff. I watched a bit of the sumo on TV during lunch, and it was really interesting to watch the rituals that take place before the matches even begin. There’s like a sumo version of kata; looks really cool.
After I was satisfied with how the room was, I alternated between my DS and computer until dinner at 8; made gyudon. Getting back down, I listened to the new music I’ve just downloaded from iTunes, while trying to beat the high score on Facebook’s Bejewelled 2 Blitz. Unsuccessful, I got up and had my workout session, which was a lot of fun. Now I’m just backing up all my photos and music onto my portable hard drive. After that, I’m going to have a shower, and then settle down and watch some Hetalia. Tomorrow, I want to send some postcards, go to animate in Hirakata, and do some sightseeing. I think I’m going to go to Yodo, on the Kyoto end of the Keihan line. There seems to be heaps of stuff to see there, as far as I can tell every time I go past; the number of signs in the station… just wait and see what happens.
Tuesday 12 January 2010
Day135 - 12th of January
10:17pm セミナーハウス
天気：雨天
Ryan’s finally back! He got here at 10 this morning; I hopped out of bed to let him in since he left his key at his girlfriend’s house. I didn’t mind getting up; it was getting late in the day anyway, and I had had a good night’s sleep. Since I didn’t have any milk, I went to Sanko to pick some up; and of course bought some other things. I got back and had breakfast, and then went downstairs, and took my laptop out into the lounge, since Ryan had gone to sleep. Following that, I spent the next few hours updating my blog and listening to music. It was a long and detailed entry, and it wasn’t finished till 3:30. I went up and had lunch, having put on rice over 30 minutes prior. I enjoyed my lunch, and then went out again at 4; to uni.
I got an email from Chiharu sempai (now our new club president), informing me that club practice would be starting up again; since Japanese students were already back in school. Of course I wanted to go; so excited about playing again. It was nice to see everyone again too. All of the Japanese students are still there; graduation isn’t until March. As for the international students, it’s just Marika and I; everyone else left, and Brittney won’t be back from America until late this month. So unless new people join, I’ll be the only male, which is kinda cool, xD. Anyway, we got straight back into it. Marika and I are now practicing sandan furiously, in preparation for a concert coming up in February; we’ll be performing hanagoromo too. I’ve decided to give the second koto part a shot; it’s a lot more difficult. I’ll still be practicing the first part with sensei though, so I figure if I just can’t get the second part good enough in time, I’ll have the first part to fall back on.
We had a meeting at about quarter past 6; to discuss dates for club practices since this time of year can be trick with the Japanese, and international student’s spring breaks falling at different times. Many of the girls are going doing study overseas programs, like Midori sempai, who will be doing another short program in Australia; she’d done one over the break. Another will be studying in Italy for a year. So that, and the fact that at least 2 girls are graduating, means that our club is going to diminish in numbers quite dramatically. I wonder if many international students will join. After practice, I went to the CIE to check my mail, and got another letter from Nanny and Poppy; probably should send another bout of postcards shortly. I then went to Kirindo to pick up a few more things; namely cereal and bread. Got back and had dinner (yakisoba), and then helped cleaning the kitchen; felt good. I’ll just be stuffing around on the computer for the rest of the night, and possibly playing DS…
天気：雨天
Ryan’s finally back! He got here at 10 this morning; I hopped out of bed to let him in since he left his key at his girlfriend’s house. I didn’t mind getting up; it was getting late in the day anyway, and I had had a good night’s sleep. Since I didn’t have any milk, I went to Sanko to pick some up; and of course bought some other things. I got back and had breakfast, and then went downstairs, and took my laptop out into the lounge, since Ryan had gone to sleep. Following that, I spent the next few hours updating my blog and listening to music. It was a long and detailed entry, and it wasn’t finished till 3:30. I went up and had lunch, having put on rice over 30 minutes prior. I enjoyed my lunch, and then went out again at 4; to uni.
I got an email from Chiharu sempai (now our new club president), informing me that club practice would be starting up again; since Japanese students were already back in school. Of course I wanted to go; so excited about playing again. It was nice to see everyone again too. All of the Japanese students are still there; graduation isn’t until March. As for the international students, it’s just Marika and I; everyone else left, and Brittney won’t be back from America until late this month. So unless new people join, I’ll be the only male, which is kinda cool, xD. Anyway, we got straight back into it. Marika and I are now practicing sandan furiously, in preparation for a concert coming up in February; we’ll be performing hanagoromo too. I’ve decided to give the second koto part a shot; it’s a lot more difficult. I’ll still be practicing the first part with sensei though, so I figure if I just can’t get the second part good enough in time, I’ll have the first part to fall back on.
We had a meeting at about quarter past 6; to discuss dates for club practices since this time of year can be trick with the Japanese, and international student’s spring breaks falling at different times. Many of the girls are going doing study overseas programs, like Midori sempai, who will be doing another short program in Australia; she’d done one over the break. Another will be studying in Italy for a year. So that, and the fact that at least 2 girls are graduating, means that our club is going to diminish in numbers quite dramatically. I wonder if many international students will join. After practice, I went to the CIE to check my mail, and got another letter from Nanny and Poppy; probably should send another bout of postcards shortly. I then went to Kirindo to pick up a few more things; namely cereal and bread. Got back and had dinner (yakisoba), and then helped cleaning the kitchen; felt good. I’ll just be stuffing around on the computer for the rest of the night, and possibly playing DS…
Day 134 - 11th of January
10:36am 普通
天気：曇り
I forgot to bring my journal, so I’m writing this in my iPod. I’m on the local train to Hirakata, where I’ll be switching over for a rapid express to Kyobashi. From there, I’ll take the subway to Shinsaibashi. I know it’s a bit of a late start, but I had a terrible night’s sleep, so we’ll see how I go… I’m not sure if it’s some sort of holiday today, but when I went over to the bank, it charged me overtime. Anyway, I think today will be a lot of fun; hopefully find some interesting things.
11:18am 地下鉄
I’m just getting on the subway at Kyobashi. I love the sound of the warning signals in the subway; so pretty. I’ve decided to go to 長堀橋 (Nagahoribashi), which is one stop from Shinsaibashi, and walk down to 恵美須町 (Ebisucho), through Den den town.
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6:15pm 地下鉄
I’m on the subway back to Kyobashi now; still standing. I haven’t sat down since lunch at about 2; found a really great, cheap ramen shop in Den den town. Well no, I lie, I did sit down (on the floor) in the Yamaha music shop in Shinsaibashi, before purchasing two Studio Ghibli piano solo books; that was about 30 minutes ago. Today has been… long; so much walking around! I basically made a big “U”, going from Nagahoribashi, down through to Den den town to Ebisucho, before going across to Namba, and then up to Shinsaibashi; actually it was more like a backwards “Y”, since I went all the way down to Ebisucho, but anyway. I spent most of my time in Den den town, which was amazing; total overload of stuff! My bag is now filled to the brim with goodies…
6:46pm 特急
Now I’m on the limited express back to Hirakata, and I’m still not sitting down; so sad… so as I was saying, my bag is filled with goods; I can’t recall everything I bought to be honest. I found lots of Final Fantasy paraphernalia and some Hetalia stuff too. I was really tempted to buy a model (either from Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts) actually, but decided against it this time. My biggest purchase was a DS lite; yes, I finally got one. It’s crimson and black. I did a lot of shopping around for it, and got one for a decent price; unfortunately the one time I found them for really cheap (like half the retail price), they were sold out. I was determined to buy one today though, so I just went ahead and did it. As for games, I bought Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings (really cheap), and Pokémon: Heart Gold (best price I could find); very happy.
Yes, Den den town was amazing, but it was also a lot of the same. It basically.jpg)
went like this: Electronics, CDs, manga, adult shop, video games, second hand goods, furniture, DVDs, manga, CDs, models, records, adult shop, electronics, adult shop, second hand goods, CDs, electronics, video games, manga… with a sprinkling of restaurants and duty-free shops, two Makkas, and at least six convenience stores. Yeah, there were a lot of adult shops (mostly selling DVDs and comics) in plain sight, all the way along the right side of the street, which I walked down first; many of the multi-storey shops had adult sections in their top floors as well. I was pretty indifferent to it; a whole lot of all-too-busty females and yaoi…
7:04pm 枚方市駅
In the station now, waiting for the train to Makino…
7:06pm 準急
Yay, I’m sitting down; in the train… I walked all the way down the right side of Den den town, and reached Ebisucho, where I wondered down a street under the Hanshin Expressway, past stalls, to find myself amidst a festival; how lucky. I’ll have to look up what it was all about; there were so many people and stalls. After walking around the shrine that was hosting the festival, I found a taiyaki stand, bought two custard filled, and walked a bit further south to the 通天閣 (tsutenkaku)…
.jpg)
The tsutenkaku (lit. tower reaching heaven), was a really great sight to see. I really wish I could have seen it at night though; maybe next time. I was disappointed you couldn’t actually climb it (as far as I could tell), but I thought it was cool how a road past underneath it. So to date, I have seen 4 towers in Japan; 5 if you count the Umeda Sky Building. I walked back from the tower, and back up the other side of Den den town. The limits of the “town” are clearly defined by the decorative pipe-like structures of different colours that bordered the walkways. There wasn’t as much on this side, so I went back to the other side for a while, looking for a good price for the DS. There were some video game shops, a few with heaps of retro games and consoles; I’m sure dad would’ve loved it. And in all of them, I was beckoned by Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, and Final Fantasy XIII, bellowing from the speakers, and playing on the flat screen TVs. I really want a PSP now; might be my next big purchase!
.jpg)
I finally left Den den town at around 5; it was almost night. I got to see it with the lights, which wasn’t all that fantastic. I walked back up and across to namba, just taking in the sights and the night life. The 南海難波駅 (Nankai Namba station) was very beautiful; European influenced architecture. And across the way, there was what looked to be a Kabuki theatre. It was closed off for construction though, so I wasn’t entirely sure. I soon found myself in familiar territory, and went to find the hotel the Devoys had stayed at, in Dotonbori. Happy with a shot of the 4 statues .jpg)
out the front, I continued on and soon found myself in Shinsaibashi. I was actually really surprised how close everything was in terms of walking; I guess the subway stops aren’t that far apart when I think about it. I didn’t have that much money left, and I didn’t really see anything of interest anyway, until I found the Yamaha shop. It was a 4 storey shop and wow, there were so many instruments. It also had a great selection of sheet music, so I took me a while to choose the books I wanted; high grade, and jazz arrangements. My feet now sore, and bag felling very heavy, I decided it was time to head home… the walk back from Makino wasn’t that bad, it wasn’t that cold. I noticed a banner on the way back, with information about the Ebisu festival celebrations in Makino; so that was it.
The 十日戎 (tooka ebisu), is a festival that celebrates Ebisu, one of the 七福神 (shishifukujin – seven lucky gods), and a patron of business and commerce. For this reason, he is particularly popular in Osaka, being the merchant capita.jpg)
l. It’s a three day festival, from the 9th to the 11th, with the 10th being the main day (tooka means 10th of the month). The shrine I went to is called the 今宮戎 (Imamiyaebisu), which is apparently the place to go during the festival. I consider myself really lucky to be there, especially considering that fact that I had no prior knowledge of it; I basically stumbled upon it. I mean, I could have gone any day, but I managed to pick a day when a huge festival was on; so cool. And it was huge! The amount of people pouring in, making offerings to Ebisu was incredible; there was a continuous clinging sound from all the money being thrown into the shrine.
.jpg)
The priests were giving out bamboo fronds, and people would then proceed to buy charms to hang from them; I first noticed them when I saw a man walking around with one in Den den town. I found out that these are called 吉兆笹 (kichousasa – “lucky bamboo grass”), and are decorated with models of 鯛 (sea bream), 小判 (koban – former Japanese oval gold coin), and 米俵 (komedawara – bags of rice), which represent flourishing success in business. I’ll definitely have to come back and get one, when I get into the market. Today though, I was just happy to look on. I noticed that there were lots of people coming into the shrine with their old bamboo fronds, presumably from last year; they had browned. There was actually a bin in the shrine, called 古笹納所 (furusasanasho – “old fronds offerings”), and inside there was indeed the old fronds, charms and all; I hope that the charms are recycled. Apart for food, there were an abundance of stalls that were also selling ornaments featuring Ebisu himself, with his benevolent smiling face. I wish I’d brought my video camera, but at least I got some decent photos.
Getting back to the seminar house, I found my room still Ryan-less, chucked my bag down, and went up to have dinner. Katie was back from Singapore, and I talked with her and Ash until they went back to their room. I decided to just make another pizza, since I hadn’t gotten any meat out of the fridge. With the crust defrosted, I went about making it, and talked with Jacinthe. She was making a cake, and I helped her with it. The recipe was really simple, but the end result was amazing; I love Jacinthe’s cooking! After that, I went back down and unpacked my bag. Soon, everything was strewn across my futon; ba.jpg)
gs, plastic, books, and other miscellanea. When I opened the DS box, I realised there was already an adapter included, and, of course, I had bought one separately for it; so stupid of me. So now I have two, which I won’t be able to use in Australia anyway; might come in handy later on in life I guess. Apart from that, I’m really happy with my other purposes, and would really like going back again. I had a lot of fun just browsing; there was just so much stuff. Most of it, I wasn’t interested in buying, but it was still cool to look at; especially all the models. I’m kinda glad I’m not really into manga or anime; otherwise I’m sure I would have spent a heck of a lot more money there.
天気：曇り
I forgot to bring my journal, so I’m writing this in my iPod. I’m on the local train to Hirakata, where I’ll be switching over for a rapid express to Kyobashi. From there, I’ll take the subway to Shinsaibashi. I know it’s a bit of a late start, but I had a terrible night’s sleep, so we’ll see how I go… I’m not sure if it’s some sort of holiday today, but when I went over to the bank, it charged me overtime. Anyway, I think today will be a lot of fun; hopefully find some interesting things.
11:18am 地下鉄
I’m just getting on the subway at Kyobashi. I love the sound of the warning signals in the subway; so pretty. I’ve decided to go to 長堀橋 (Nagahoribashi), which is one stop from Shinsaibashi, and walk down to 恵美須町 (Ebisucho), through Den den town.
.jpg)
6:15pm 地下鉄I’m on the subway back to Kyobashi now; still standing. I haven’t sat down since lunch at about 2; found a really great, cheap ramen shop in Den den town. Well no, I lie, I did sit down (on the floor) in the Yamaha music shop in Shinsaibashi, before purchasing two Studio Ghibli piano solo books; that was about 30 minutes ago. Today has been… long; so much walking around! I basically made a big “U”, going from Nagahoribashi, down through to Den den town to Ebisucho, before going across to Namba, and then up to Shinsaibashi; actually it was more like a backwards “Y”, since I went all the way down to Ebisucho, but anyway. I spent most of my time in Den den town, which was amazing; total overload of stuff! My bag is now filled to the brim with goodies…
6:46pm 特急
Now I’m on the limited express back to Hirakata, and I’m still not sitting down; so sad… so as I was saying, my bag is filled with goods; I can’t recall everything I bought to be honest. I found lots of Final Fantasy paraphernalia and some Hetalia stuff too. I was really tempted to buy a model (either from Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts) actually, but decided against it this time. My biggest purchase was a DS lite; yes, I finally got one. It’s crimson and black. I did a lot of shopping around for it, and got one for a decent price; unfortunately the one time I found them for really cheap (like half the retail price), they were sold out. I was determined to buy one today though, so I just went ahead and did it. As for games, I bought Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings (really cheap), and Pokémon: Heart Gold (best price I could find); very happy.
Yes, Den den town was amazing, but it was also a lot of the same. It basically
.jpg)
went like this: Electronics, CDs, manga, adult shop, video games, second hand goods, furniture, DVDs, manga, CDs, models, records, adult shop, electronics, adult shop, second hand goods, CDs, electronics, video games, manga… with a sprinkling of restaurants and duty-free shops, two Makkas, and at least six convenience stores. Yeah, there were a lot of adult shops (mostly selling DVDs and comics) in plain sight, all the way along the right side of the street, which I walked down first; many of the multi-storey shops had adult sections in their top floors as well. I was pretty indifferent to it; a whole lot of all-too-busty females and yaoi…7:04pm 枚方市駅
In the station now, waiting for the train to Makino…
7:06pm 準急
Yay, I’m sitting down; in the train… I walked all the way down the right side of Den den town, and reached Ebisucho, where I wondered down a street under the Hanshin Expressway, past stalls, to find myself amidst a festival; how lucky. I’ll have to look up what it was all about; there were so many people and stalls. After walking around the shrine that was hosting the festival, I found a taiyaki stand, bought two custard filled, and walked a bit further south to the 通天閣 (tsutenkaku)…
.jpg)
The tsutenkaku (lit. tower reaching heaven), was a really great sight to see. I really wish I could have seen it at night though; maybe next time. I was disappointed you couldn’t actually climb it (as far as I could tell), but I thought it was cool how a road past underneath it. So to date, I have seen 4 towers in Japan; 5 if you count the Umeda Sky Building. I walked back from the tower, and back up the other side of Den den town. The limits of the “town” are clearly defined by the decorative pipe-like structures of different colours that bordered the walkways. There wasn’t as much on this side, so I went back to the other side for a while, looking for a good price for the DS. There were some video game shops, a few with heaps of retro games and consoles; I’m sure dad would’ve loved it. And in all of them, I was beckoned by Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, and Final Fantasy XIII, bellowing from the speakers, and playing on the flat screen TVs. I really want a PSP now; might be my next big purchase!.jpg)
I finally left Den den town at around 5; it was almost night. I got to see it with the lights, which wasn’t all that fantastic. I walked back up and across to namba, just taking in the sights and the night life. The 南海難波駅 (Nankai Namba station) was very beautiful; European influenced architecture. And across the way, there was what looked to be a Kabuki theatre. It was closed off for construction though, so I wasn’t entirely sure. I soon found myself in familiar territory, and went to find the hotel the Devoys had stayed at, in Dotonbori. Happy with a shot of the 4 statues .jpg)
out the front, I continued on and soon found myself in Shinsaibashi. I was actually really surprised how close everything was in terms of walking; I guess the subway stops aren’t that far apart when I think about it. I didn’t have that much money left, and I didn’t really see anything of interest anyway, until I found the Yamaha shop. It was a 4 storey shop and wow, there were so many instruments. It also had a great selection of sheet music, so I took me a while to choose the books I wanted; high grade, and jazz arrangements. My feet now sore, and bag felling very heavy, I decided it was time to head home… the walk back from Makino wasn’t that bad, it wasn’t that cold. I noticed a banner on the way back, with information about the Ebisu festival celebrations in Makino; so that was it.The 十日戎 (tooka ebisu), is a festival that celebrates Ebisu, one of the 七福神 (shishifukujin – seven lucky gods), and a patron of business and commerce. For this reason, he is particularly popular in Osaka, being the merchant capita
.jpg)
l. It’s a three day festival, from the 9th to the 11th, with the 10th being the main day (tooka means 10th of the month). The shrine I went to is called the 今宮戎 (Imamiyaebisu), which is apparently the place to go during the festival. I consider myself really lucky to be there, especially considering that fact that I had no prior knowledge of it; I basically stumbled upon it. I mean, I could have gone any day, but I managed to pick a day when a huge festival was on; so cool. And it was huge! The amount of people pouring in, making offerings to Ebisu was incredible; there was a continuous clinging sound from all the money being thrown into the shrine..jpg)
The priests were giving out bamboo fronds, and people would then proceed to buy charms to hang from them; I first noticed them when I saw a man walking around with one in Den den town. I found out that these are called 吉兆笹 (kichousasa – “lucky bamboo grass”), and are decorated with models of 鯛 (sea bream), 小判 (koban – former Japanese oval gold coin), and 米俵 (komedawara – bags of rice), which represent flourishing success in business. I’ll definitely have to come back and get one, when I get into the market. Today though, I was just happy to look on. I noticed that there were lots of people coming into the shrine with their old bamboo fronds, presumably from last year; they had browned. There was actually a bin in the shrine, called 古笹納所 (furusasanasho – “old fronds offerings”), and inside there was indeed the old fronds, charms and all; I hope that the charms are recycled. Apart for food, there were an abundance of stalls that were also selling ornaments featuring Ebisu himself, with his benevolent smiling face. I wish I’d brought my video camera, but at least I got some decent photos.Getting back to the seminar house, I found my room still Ryan-less, chucked my bag down, and went up to have dinner. Katie was back from Singapore, and I talked with her and Ash until they went back to their room. I decided to just make another pizza, since I hadn’t gotten any meat out of the fridge. With the crust defrosted, I went about making it, and talked with Jacinthe. She was making a cake, and I helped her with it. The recipe was really simple, but the end result was amazing; I love Jacinthe’s cooking! After that, I went back down and unpacked my bag. Soon, everything was strewn across my futon; ba
.jpg)
gs, plastic, books, and other miscellanea. When I opened the DS box, I realised there was already an adapter included, and, of course, I had bought one separately for it; so stupid of me. So now I have two, which I won’t be able to use in Australia anyway; might come in handy later on in life I guess. Apart from that, I’m really happy with my other purposes, and would really like going back again. I had a lot of fun just browsing; there was just so much stuff. Most of it, I wasn’t interested in buying, but it was still cool to look at; especially all the models. I’m kinda glad I’m not really into manga or anime; otherwise I’m sure I would have spent a heck of a lot more money there.
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