Day 117 - 25th of December

1:23pm　特急
天気：曇り
I’m on the rapid express to Tambabashi, where I’ll change over for Kyoto station on the Kinsetsu line. I won’t write much since I’m standing. Gosh it’s hot today though; I’m disappointed…

1:26pm　特急
Okay, now I’m sitting down, just left Kuzuha. So yeah, I put my huge warm coat on and feel disgusting. I think I’ll put it in my suitcase. I realise it’s a bit of a late start, but I should make it there a little after 3; it’ll be fine. This morning was really nice. Seeing everyone and the smiles on their faces as they opened the presents we spoke for about two hours. The two boxes arrived on time, but I forgot to ask them about the postcards; hopefully they made it. I gave everyone in the dorm I could find a candy cane, and left one for my roommate. When I got to Hirakata station, I wanted to go to the ATM; that didn’t happen. The line was coming out the door. I was also really surprised that the bank was even open; Christmas really isn’t that important here. Not much else to say… oh just wanted to add that the train is relatively quiet; the fact that I’m sitting down is a rarity. I guess most people aren’t travelling, but I guess that makes sense.

1:44pm　丹波橋
I’m in Tambabashi, and I thought I was lucky, getting here for the limited express, but when it came in, I realised that you needed a different ticket, which is more expensive…

1:52pm　急行
Oh well, now I’m on the express and I even get to sit down. I’ll get to Kyoto, soon enough…

2:16pm　新幹線
Phew, just made it on in time. Going to take some video…

2:35pm　新幹線
I’m sitting on my suitcase, right in front of the door, watching the world rapidly speed past; it’s spectacular. So many Shinkansen have gone past already; and you can feel it every time one goes past. Since I got a non-reserved ticket, there aren’t any seats, so although the suitcase isn’t comfortable, at least I can sit down, and get a great view. See you soon Alex…

2:47pm　新幹線
Wow, I’m already here; that took only 30 minutes!!!

3:20pm　名古屋駅
Out the front of the station, waiting for Alex. Just had Makkas for lunch; feeling great, xD. I’m in Nagoya; that’s so cool!!! 4th largest city in Japan, and uncharted territory for me; this is Alex’s town.

4:00pm　特急
On the limited express to 金山 (Kamayama) with Alex. It took us a while, but we finally found the right train…

5:04pm　名城線
On the train to 栄 (Sakae). Just came from my accommodation. I can see why it’s so cheap. The rooms are so tiny!!! 4 people are squished into a space half the size of my dorm; it’s probably even smaller than my room at home. Oh well, it’s only for sleeping. I’ve already met one of my bunkmates; a guy from Perth. Alex was having a good old conversation with him. Have to go…

Day 116 - 24th of December

11:15pm　セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
It’s Christmas Eve, but it really doesn’t feel like it. If I were at home, I would have been helping Mum put the Christmas presents around the tree. Instead, I’ve been packing for Nagoya tomorrow; can’t wait to see Alex. We’ve planned to go find a nice restaurant to eat at, and then pull an all-nighter at karaoke; Alex won’t be able to get back into her dorm till at least 7am. At least with ours, we have a key and can come in at any time. Anyway, today… Well, I got up late (I’m starting to make a bad habit of that), had the last of the cereal, and then found out from Yuji that my new roommate would be coming today or tomorrow; okay cool, I thought. Then, as I was going back to my room, Otousan came over and told me that my roommate would be coming today; soon! So I thought, okay, I’ll just have a quick shower and then be ready.

Just as I was getting into the shower, Otousan came through with him; whoops. It was all good though; after getting out I went to introduce myself to Ryan. He’s from New York City, he’s already been here a semester, he’s an Asian Studies major, and has a Japanese girlfriend. I know this because he will be spending Christmas with her; he’s already left. He’s also informed me that I’ll probably only see him on Monday’s and Tuesday’s; this is going to be weird. I’m kinda disappointed, but I guess some alone time will be good for me. So, I left him at his computer, wishing him a Merry Christmas, as I went off to uni at about 1:30. There, I checked my mail, got a new ID card (having been accepted to continue my studies here next semester), and had lunch; ah my beloved katsudon.

Shortly after, I made my way back to find myself alone once more. I finished off as much as I could for dinner tonight; 5 eggs, mushrooms, Diego’s tomatoes, and Jacinthe’s capsicum and spring onion she left for me. And, I just ate a heap of mandarin, and some cake, so just got rice and 4 eggs left for tomorrow; unfortunately I had to throw away Jacinthe’s milk. Oh yeah, and I got to do my washing today; finally. I folded all that, packed what I needed, and uploaded some more video to my computer. Now, time for bed. Merry Christmas…

Day 108 - 16th of December

10:38pm　セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
Another busy day. Just been spending this evening getting the last of my Christmas stuff sorted out. I woke up at 9 this morning (as usual), got ready, and then went into Hirakata. First stop, bank for new cash card. That was easy enough to sort out; hopefully I don't make that mistake again. So, new cash card in hand, I withdrew a heap of money and hit the shops! No really... I just bought one shirt, and picked up a couple of things for dinner. I walked back to uni, and gt my History essay back (finally). I got 30/30; I was so surprised. Not complaining though, that's for sure. I sent off a few post cards, stopped by the convenience store, and then walked home; it was so cold. I ate the rest of the chicken from last night with rice for lunch, watching a program showing the major events of the 00's. It asked, what kind of decade will the 10's be? I talked with Amber for a little while, then had a nap, then talked with family.

I made pizza and garlic bread for dinner with Diego. Bought this great Garlic butter spread from Hirakata today; it turned out great. As did the pizza; I was very content. Wali (our next door neighbour), was the first to leave tonight. I didn't get to know him well. Still it's sad to think so many more people will be leaving very soon. Jacinthe took the ceramics course this semester and she kindly donated me one of her works; a beautiful green striped bowl. She'll be giving away most of her works, as she just can't psychically take them all home. I came back down to find Diego cleaning the air conditioning filters in the the shower. He said they were black. Been munching on fudge, from the Christmas box I opened tonight (it is sooooo yummy), mandarin, and Diego's sesame seed yatsuhashi. Tomorrow I'm going to get up early and study, then ace the exam! After that going out to tabehodai and karaoke with Koto Club; can't wait.

Day 106 - 14th of December

2:51pm　大学
天気：晴れ
In an empty classroom, just taking a break now. Carly's on Skype, and I should be studying for tomorrow's exam, but I'm not... I woke up at 7:30 this morning, thanks to Diego. It was a good thing though, because I had to get ready before the exam at to I got a chance to talk with my family beforehand though; I'd missed them on the weekend. The exam went pretty well I think; it was actually a bit easier than I'd expected. It's tomorrow's Speaking Japanese exam that I'm really worried about. After the exam, I sat with Amber and her boyfriend for a little while, then went t the computer lab to print off my report. It felt so good getting that out of the way. After handing it in to the professor's office, I went to the cafeteria for lunch... The Christmas box came today. I'm so excited, but I don't want to open it yet; I want to wait. It is very tempting though. So yeah, now just waiting for concert at 6.

10:58pm　セミナーハウス
The night is almost done. I didn't end up getting back till about 9, had dinner (defrosted stew), and been doing a bit on the computer. The concert went really well, and while only a handful of people showed up to watch, it was a very rewarding experience. Around 4, Carly and I went to the convenience store, and then I got a vanilla milkshake from Makkas. Then we made our way over to the club building, meeting up with Niky on the way. Marika was already there, with some of the Japanese girls. Mark and Sean arrived soon after; so it was just the five of us representing the international students. We spent until 6 practicing, and then audience members began to arrive. It took the girls another half an hour to tune all the koto, and then we were finally ready to perform (in the mean time Mark was entertaining us with his impersonation of characters from Dynasty wars - a PS2 game fighting game - brought on by the fact that Midori sempai was playing the flute, and one of the characters in the game wielded a golden flute). He'll be leaving in a week; I'll miss his humour.

So, of course, we were first up playing kaze no toorimachi. I managed to get the second koto part out quite well; we all did a good job. My trusty camera-girl Carly was there recording the whole thing. The girls then played Jingle Bells, and Silent Night, and we couldn't help but to sing along (they actually played Silent Night twice, just so we could sing again). Then they played 篝火 (kagaribi - bonfire), with Midori accompanying on flute; such a beautiful piece. We then played hanagoromo, and I botched that up quite a bit unfortunately. Finally, the girls showed off their superior skills by playing an arranged version of Sakura sakura; much more technical than the basic one we played.

And that was that. It was a lot of fun, but at the same time, it's kinda sad that it's over; I really hope I can continue next semester. We do still have practice tomorrow with Sensei though, but I don't think many people will be showing up due to study and papers. After packing up, Carly and I left for Kirindo and Fresco to pick up a few things, then headed home. Got a bag of 蜜柑 (mikan - mandarin) for just 150円; they are so tasty here. So now I have no money, not that I need it. I'll be going to get my new card on Wednesday so I can get money out then. Anyway, bed time; do a bit of study in the morning. Got my exam at 11:40. And then I'll just have to wait around for practice.

Day 101 - 9th of December

10:54am　大学
天気：晴れ
Sitting here in the garden, on a cold marble bench, listening to my iPod, with the water in the background, and the sound of shoes on stone, as the students make their way into university. Just finished my skit; it went well I think. We got a couple of good laughs out of it. As there was nothing else to do, class finished early. I would be sitting in the CIE lounge now, but they’re using it to film a movie, “@ Campus”. So I’m out here, in the warm sun. Just finished a 薩摩芋 (satsumaimo – sweet potato) soft serve; really yummy. Ah, my pen is dying…

11:11pm
Just finished packing the Christmas box; going to send that tomorrow hopefully. After Reading and writing Japanese, I basically came home, ate lunch, studied, and talked with family in the afternoon. Dinner was scrambled eggs with tuna, and I got plenty of fruit, and cookies from Carly, for dessert. At 9 did kitchen cleaning. It was nice to see so many people participating; I really didn’t have much to do. Got back and spent the rest of the evening labelling and bagging the presents. It was fun to try to get all everything to fit; I think it is fine. Tomorrow got my CEL quiz, which I’ve been studying for, and last History and Reading and Writing classes. Now, sleep…

Day 95 - 3rd of December

11:28pm　セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
Just finished watching Pirates Of The Carribean. Today was... alright. I was all ready to do my skit but unfortunately Rachael became sick, so did not come in today. So that was a little disappointing but, can't be helped. So now we're going to have to do it sometime next week. Since there were only two skits, we got out of class early, so I went with Jo and Jacinthe for lunch in the upper cafeteria, which I had never been to before. I ordered オムライス (omu-raisu - omelette rice) ~ basically rice wrapped in egg and covered with sauce; really nice. Got though all my other classes, and got home at about 5. We have a great Christmas tree in the foyer, all lit up. We also have two convection microwaves in the kitchen and some new pans. I'm very excited; get to actually cook some oven meals properly.

But not tonight. Just had leftover yaki-soba, while watching Pokemon. Then got down here, did a bit on the computer, and then watched the movie. Tomorrow will be over quickly and then weekend again; yay!!! Tomorrow night, I'm going out to karaoke with finding Jero booth members. On Saturday talking with family and hopefully getting some homework done. And Sunday going into Kyoto for the day. Dad's birthday tomorrow too. Wish him well in the morning...

Day 93 - 1st of December

6:43pm　和室
天気：晴れ
In koto now; my legs are aching. Just finished lesson with sensei. I think she's teaching Midori sempai a new piece now. Wow, I really have to cut my nails when I get home. Don't know what I'm going to have for dinner. I got chicken out of the freezer so I need to use that. Maybe I'll just do yakisoba? Today is the first of December. The last month here in Japan for so many of the friends I've made. I did my grocery shopping this morning, but will probably go to Fresco and Kirindo to pick up some other stuff after koto. After Speaking, Rachael and I got to practice our skit for a while and figured out what props we're going to bring. Tomorrow more practice, then Thursday perform. In History, we're up to the Christian century, which started out promising, but ended with practically all foreigners being killed or driven out of the country; fun times.

After history, I bumped into Dan and we chatted for a short time. I told him I had to go to koto and left. Before koto though, I went to Makkas, and enjoyed a hamburger, fries and strawberry sundae. Now, I'm just listening to the girls practicing with sensei; not long left. We practiced Hanagoromo today, and are playing that, along with a piece from Totoro (hopefully), in a Christmas concert in a few weeks...

11:35pm　セミナーハウス
Trying desperately to get my blog up to date, but it's going very slow. After koto I did go to Kirindo and Fresco and got some good buys. Got back and made dinner (chicken with pasta and sauce), and watched "Liar Game" . It's a crazy drama involving gambling. It's very funny (in a disturbing way) to watch. Well, now I'm getting to bed.

Day 92 - 30th of November

10:20pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
Wow, the last day of November; it was an okay day. Still wiped out from Hokkaido, and had a bit of a headache in the day. We finished all our vocab quizzes in Speaking as of Friday (I obviously wasn't there, but I'm able to drop it so the 0 doesn't count toward my final grade). We're still learning new grammar though, from the wedding simulation movie. I had my writing composition in Reading and Writing, and was a little bummed out that I didn't write as much as a wanted. CEL was good. We had a short discussion about Koreans in Japan, as a continuation of our previous classes, and then watched a documentary for the rest of the class; "Sour Strawberries" - foreign workers in Japan. It shed a whole new light on Japan, telling of the struggles immigrants have getting into the workplace, especially those without qualifications, and some of the horror stories from the workers and people fighting against racial discrimination. One particular story hit hard - an activist went to negotiate with a boss of a worker from Bangladesh, over refusing to pay the employee their 5000円 wage (a very small amount), and the boss poured gasoline over him, and burnt him, almost killing him. It's really scary.

Japan's facing a crisis (declining population) which means less people for jobs and yet, there are no measures in place to protect the rights of the foreign immigrants they so desperately need. Anyway, it was certainly and eye-opener. Afterwards, my head throbbing, I decided not to go to koto, and walked home. Talked with my parents, and bro for most of the afternoon, then had dinner (udon with veggies). I'm feeling fine now, just really tired. Got the skit coming up on Thursday, so gotta practice hard for that. This weekend we're hopefully going into Kyoto again, to the Toji flea market, and then to see another of the temples lit up. Also on Friday, I'm going to the after party for my singing booth which should be fun. Got my suitcase all unpacked today, and my Christmas box is coming together nicely. Well, time for bed.