Day 261 - 18th of May

11:13pm　セミナーハウス

天気：晴れ

Well, I would have started writing this earlier, but my laptop decided to die from overheating; I almost thought I would too. Anyway, today turned out pretty well, and now I only have one more day left before I’m completely finished with uni; academically, at least… Like yesterday, after breakfast I did some last minute study, and then got to uni a bit early, and sat with Katie and Julie in the lounge. At 10, I had my exam and it actually turned out better that I expected; not that that’s saying much. But still, I feel pretty confident about it. Sensei was so nice, letting the last of us have a few more minutes; we had to move into another room. It was a long exam okay… After that was done, I went and had lunch with Jo, Nathan, Kim and two Japanese girls, one of whom had studied at their university last semester. I opted for Makkas, and was glad I got in early, because soon after the line was way out the door; the Japanese students all finish class at the same time. After lunch, I made my way home, doing a small shop on the way; just bread, milk, and an onion.

Getting back, I got the laundry in and started to get that put away. Carly soon arried, and then we got into some serious packing. Well, to tell the truth, Carly did all the packing while I worked on my essay; she’s a really good packer. It was a good thing she left me her space bags too; they worked a treat. After getting everything I wouldn’t be wearing packed, I weighed the suitcase, and it came to just under 15kgs, which is absolutely wonderful. I’ll fit 5 more kilos of stuff into that, and then buy another small suitcase if need be; I’m pretty sure there will be a need. I’m also going to buy a new carry-on bag since my other one broke; before I even got on the plane to get here! While I wasn’t working on my essay I helped out, getting things sorted, and starting to chuck things out; it’s all going well. As for my essay, I’ve still got a while to go, but I have tomorrow to finish it; I got all the research done this afternoon.

For dinner, I had gyudon (again), and made Carly her Mac and Cheese. Then spent about an hour more on my essay, before finding out that enrolment for USC started yesterday; thank you Alex!!! So I got straight onto that, and had almost completed it when Yuji came by, and went through the inspection procedures with Hugo and I; we went to the kitchen, and to his room. About half an hour later, we were finally done and I got straight back to enrolling. I now have three courses, and will be going to uni on Tuesdays and Thursdays; so much easier than here. It just means I can find a job, and have plenty of days to work; yay for money. Mind you, from this point onwards, all the courses I’ll be taking will be either business or politics; no more Japanese. Still, I think I’m going to sit in on the Japanese classes whenever I can; otherwise I’ll lose everything. I’m really glad I got that sorted out though; and not a minute too soon. If I had found out much later, I probably wouldn’t have had very much choice at all; first come, first serve system. Tomorrow, I’m going to get my essay finished, and then go into uni to get everything sorted out; I hope…

Day 253 - 10th of May

11:16pm　セミナーハウス
天気：雨天
Just been working on my field report, and I’m about halfway through; gosh I wish I didn’t procrastinate so much. On the plus side, I did yet my homework for Reading and Writing finished this afternoon, so that leaves tomorrow afternoon free to finish the report… Today, it was raining, but the usual cold that comes with the rain was absent, so it wasn’t so bad. Getting to Speaking, five presentations took place, thanks to the fact that all of them were a reasonable length. We also got the schedule for oral exams and I’m up on Thursday; not really looking forward to it. I have no idea what I’m going to talk about. After class, I went over my sakubun a couple more times, sitting with Katie in the lounge. Soon, Reading and Writing came, and I actually did really well. I remembered the entire thing, and it ended up being just over 2 pages (800 characters), which is perfect; I’m hoping the content is okay. I got out feeling relieved (another thing to tick off), and went to have some Makkas for lunch. After that I rode home in the rain, and after putting the washing away, had a big long nap; I felt pretty guilty afterwards. But, I did get my homework done, and also made a list of everything I have to do so far as tying up any loose ends with the university; there’s quite a lot. At 6:30 I went and had dinner, and then sat in the kitchen till about 8:30, talking and watching TV; and laughing of course. Getting back to my room, I was soon visited by Rachael, who came to exchange FFVII: ACC disks with me. The one she got recently with the PS3 doesn’t have subtitles, so she swapped it with the disk that she originally gave me. It doesn’t bother me at all, since I’m sure I’ll buy the regular DVD version when I get home anyway. I sat with her in the computer room for a little while, helping her a bit with her presentation for tomorrow; she’s in Saigo sensei’s other level 4 class. Finally, I came back in here, and got stuck into my report. It’s only worth 20% of my grade, so I need to stop fussing and just get it done. As I write this, Carly’s is on her way here from Tokyo by night bus, so we’ll be seeing her at uni tomorrow I’m sure. It’ll be nice to catch up, and we’ll be able to finally plan Tokyo properly…

Day 242 - 29th of April

11:42pm　特急

天気：晴れ

Well, I’m late… We didn’t end up getting home from karaoke until 3:30 this morning, so I didn’t wake up till 10. I got ready and packed as quickly as possible; I’m bringing the bare minimum. After talking with family, and printing off the hotel booking information and a map, I made my way out to the bus stop. It’s a sunny, but windy day, but I guess that’s much better than rain. It’s the open campus day today, and I say Rebecca and Chelsea off this morning. I remember doing it last semester; it seems so long ago now… Anyway, I’m on the limited express to Tambabashi, onto Kyoto, and then Hikone to meet Alex…

12:28pm　新快速

Now I’m on the special rapid express to Hikone from Kyoto, on the 東海道本線 (Tokaido main line). I should be there in about 45 minutes; I’m coming Alex!!!

5:54pm　ホテル

We got to the hotel about 30 minutes ago. We’re staying at the 彦根びわこホテル (Hikone Biwako Hotel), and the room is great; the beds are so comfortable. We’re on the 4^th floor, right across from the elevator. In order for the power to work, you have to put the key in a slot just inside the door, which I think is really cool; just like magic… After getting to Hikone, I found a Makkas across the road from the station and ate lunch there, asking Alex to meet me; turns out she was already in the station, sitting in the waiting room. She soon arrived, and we had a bit of a catch up before making our way down the main street towards the castle. It was about a 10 minute walk till we hit the end of the street, and we noticed a shrine across the road, so we decided to check it out. It was called 護国神社 (gokoku jinja – lit. “Protect Country Shrine), and it turned out to be a war memorial shrine; the name hinted toward this fact. There were a number of statues, dedicated to the men who fell in war, the women and children, and even the animals (horses, dogs, and pigeon) that were involved in war; it was very beautiful. It was so quiet too; we were the only people there.

We soon made our way over to the castle, past the white-washed walls, over the moat, up stairs, and across bridges. Before entering the keep, we had a look around the grounds, did a bit of souvenir shopping, and took in the stunning view of the city and Lake Biwa. Like Himeji castle, we had to take our shoes off inside the keep, and carry them around in bags. It was quite small in comparison to the other castles I’ve been to (only 3 storeys), but it was still pretty cool. Inside, there were artefacts on display, and oh my gosh the stairs were steep, probably the steepest I’ve had to climb. Alex was a little worried, but we went up and down without any dramas, and were soon out. After that, we made our way around the back of the castle, and down a heap of stairs, before crossing a bridge at 黒門 (kuromon – “black gate”). In the moat below, there was a pair of white swan, presumably a male/female couple. The female was making a nest on the shore, and the male was diligently patrolling the waters; it was a wonderful sight to see. After a bit of a walk, we found ourselves at 玄宮園 (Genkyuen), which was an amazingly beautiful garden; so many great photos. Soon after, we exited the castle and made our way over to here, about a half an hour’s walk once we got on the right track; the map helped a lot. Check-in extremely simple; I just had to write my name and phone number, and pay, and we were set. It looks like they have a great selection of facilities, including a pool and spa, so I might go and check them out later. Right now though, I’m happy to just relax…

9:30pm　ホテル

I’m munching on sakura mochi; so yummy! Alex has only just been introduced to the wonders of mochi, and while at first she didn’t like the texture, she’s quickly getting used to it; they sell bags of it in the Lawsons across from the hotel. We’ve just come back from having dinner at a ラメン屋 (Ramen store) called “六本木 (Roppongi) House”, which is kind of epic as Roppongi is the name of a well known district in Tokyo. Anyway, the ramen was amazing; I got pork, and Alex got tomato. We stayed there and talked for a while, and then we went to Lawsons to pick up some dessert. I tried this strange coconut yoghurt/jelly thing that Ash had been talking about the previous night (coincidently), and it tasted pretty good; though not something I would buy again… Earlier this evening, I decided to go down the 2^nd floor and check out the bath, and while the set up was pretty typical, the baths themselves were surprisingly untraditional; they were more like Jacuzzi. The water was coloured green and scented, and water jets were used in two of the tubs. Still, it was very warm, and very relaxing; I didn’t end up staying too long though, as it was also quite boring. Getting back, I lazed around, and read another chapter of Reborn; I’m getting faster! Anyway, we’re probably going to get some sleep soon, as we have a big day planned for tomorrow…

Day 231 - 18th of April

10:26pm　セミナーハウス

天気：　晴れ

I just got back from 鳥貴族 (Torikizoku), a restaurant where all the items on the menu are 280円 (well, technically 294円with the tax). As the name suggests (torikizoku means bird of nobility), chicken is the primary meat, but there are also salads, soups, and rice. But more about that later… I got up this morning at about 9:30, and had a citron, apple and banana for breakfast; I didn’t have any milk for cereal. Then, I spent until 1 doing homework, and practicing kanji. I decided I needed a bit of fresh air, so I had a bit of a ride before getting some take out from the new kebab shop just across from the east gate; Café Istanbul. I’ve been missing kebabs since I’ve been here, so I was really happy. Two international students were in there smoking a hookah, which anyone can do for the price of 800円; not for my thanks. Still, I thought that was kinda of cool; they are quite beautiful devices. I ate my doner kebab in the nearby park and wow, it was really nice; maybe a bit small for the price. After eating, I went to Avail, but didn’t end up buying anything; there were a few things I liked though.

Getting back home, I worked on my blog, and talked with family for a little bit, before getting interviewed by Hugo. He’s doing a group report for his physiology class, and has to interview both Japanese and foreign students; I hope my answers help him. Soon after that, he asked if I wanted to come out with him and Yuji to torikizoku for dinner; they would be going straight away. Since my best decisions are usually made spur of the moment (before I have time to think about them), I decided to go for it; it would be fun. And it was! We were joined by Yuki (Yuji’s friend from a university in Osaka), and Biancha met us there. We arrived at straight on 6 when it opened, and ended up staying until after 9:30; well, Biancha left a bit early. After ordering drinks (I just had water), we could order whatever we wanted, whenever; they have a buzzer system. I only ended up having 3 dishes, and they were all chicken. My favourite would have had to be the filleted chicken covered with tartar sauce. Also, after the first bowl of cabbage, all the rest are free; not that I like cabbage that much.

I got the opportunity to talk in Japanese a bit to Yuki, who wasn’t very good at English; I also translated for Hugo a bit. Yuji got considerably drunk, and this made him very tired for some reason. While the quality of the food was very high, the service was a little slow; Yuji had to wait half an hour for his last meal. Everyone else ate way more than me, but that was more because I was being cheap; I would have liked to try a bit more. I did get to try some of Biancha’s deep fried camembert cheese; gosh that was so tasty. If I go again, I’m definitely going to order it. I also got to try some of Hugo’s chicken naan bread, which reminded me of Mexican food; it was beautifully spicy. When we left, Hugo and I soon separated from Yuji and Yuki; Yuji was going to Tsutaya, and Yuki was presumably returning home. I decided I would make a quick stop to Makkas, to get a soft serve; that made me happy. Hugo and I were soon on the bus back home; unfortunately Yuji missed it. Even though it was a little long, it was a great night out and I’m glad I went; I need to do stuff like that more often. Well, uni again tomorrow, better get some sleep…

Day 214 - 1st of April

9:40pm　セミナーハウス

天気：雨天

Since I’m going to be going to the sentou with Yuji and Hugo in about half an hour, I’m going to do this update now. First off, Happy April Fools!!! I didn’t end up playing any jokes on anyone, but oh well. I did have a good laugh though when I went on dA, and all the avatars had been messed with, so you were either team Jacob, or team Edward (among a few others); I was so glad I was team Jacob. Anyway, today was another rainy day; it just let up this evening… I got up at 8:30, and after getting ready, I studied and read a bit more of Reborn. Just after 11, I had lunch and then made my way to uni. Saigo sensei played us an enka song in class today, which was actually a little depressing. We got the lyrics, and he urged us to sing it at karaoke; it would impress our Japanese friends. I decided I might as well stay where I was after class, since Religion is in the same room; I got my homework done in the time being. Today, we revised for the midterm exam next week, which consisted of the teacher asking us true/false questions, or making us ask questions to other students. From what we did, I really doesn’t seem like the professor expects much of us, so I’m not worried about the exam at all. Julie and I decided that, weather permitting, we would go to Nara early Saturday morning, before meeting up with the rest of the class in Tenri; might as well make a day out it.

Before going home, I got a chocolate milkshake from Makkas, which I enjoyed as I walked to my bike, trying to avoid the rain. Getting back, I found Simon in the computer room. He had been there all day, writing his essay for Culture and Everyday Life in Japan, which was due today. I asked him if he wanted to go to the gym, and he declined; I expected as much. Not perturbed, at about 3:30 I made my way to the gym, and had a really good work out; I was alone for a lot of it too. At the end of the session, I weighed myself, and I’m still gaining weight; I’m so happy. Getting back, it tried to do the readings for Gender and Sexuality, and inevitably ended up dosing off. Just after 6, I wrenched myself from the futon, and rode to Sanko for groceries; the rain had stopped at this point, but the air was still thick with moisture. Getting to Sanko, I noticed that a lot of the trees had come into bloom; walking to karaoke or Makino station will be beautiful now. Satisfied with my purchases, I made my way back, and went straight to the kitchen to make dinner; I was starved.I had bought chicken and pasta, and decided to try to make a pasta bake, just without the baking part. It turned out really nicely; I mixed the pasta and chicken in with my favourite sauce and the leftovers of the leafy vegetable I’d bought for yakisoba.

I decided not to be a pig, and saved some for lunch tomorrow, which was great because when I finished eating I felt really content; not bloated. Katie left as I finished eating, so I sat with Julie, and she showed me a video on youtube with this guy doing a funny dance in locations all over the world; there were four in Australia!!! An American chewing gum company was so impressed by what he did, that they sponsored him to go around the world again and film it; it was great. And I loved the backing music; as soon as I got back down here I bought it off iTunes. I also got to watch Pokémon on TV. Soon Julie left, so I was left with Ash and Rachel; not that that was a bad thing. Ash had just come from Animate and had bought a stack of goodies; as she always does. In particular, there was a Hetalia book with sheet music from the character songs; I want it so badly. On TV, there was a travel show about 江ノ島 (Enoshima), which is an island off the mainland near Tokyo. There was an amazing mode of transport, where a bus could travel on both rails and on the road; so cool. It came around to 9 o’clock soon enough, which meant it was time for cleaning. After that, I left the kitchen and found Hugo and Simon in the computer room. Hugo told me about the sentou, and I decided I should go; I could use a bit of relaxation. Looks like we’re getting ready to go now…