Day 189 - 7th of March

6:46pm　快速
天気：雨天
I’m on the rapid express back to Amagasaki; alone. Today was a lot of fun, even though the weather’s been poor. I’m feeling pretty tired now and just want to get back, eat, and then get some sleep… We didn’t get back from karaoke until after 3 this morning; it was totally worth it though! I slept until 9:30 and the readied myself for the day. I decided to wear my orange pants, which turned out to be a bad idea, and not because they attract too much attention. When I bought the pants, there was already a small tear in the left leg, but unfortunately when I bend down, it sits over my knee, and so you can imagine; there’s a huge rip in it now. The pants are still getting plenty of attention, but now it’s the wrong kind; I’m a little embarrassed.

6:55pm　快速
I decided to just stay on the same train since it’s going all the way through to Kyobashi. So yeah, I’m not happy about the pants at all. I’ll have to get Nanny to fix them when I get back; that could be fun… I rode to Makino, and parked my bike in the gutter; hopefully it’s okay still. Then I took the local to Hirakatashi, where I met up with Erin, and we proceeded to take the rapid express to Kyobashi. I knew we could get directly to Takarazuka from Kyobashi (having seen the line when we went to Kobe) so we went for that. Erin and I had decided to go earlier, apart from the rest of the class, so we could check out the area a bit, and see the museum beforehand; the show didn’t start till 3. There are five troupes that make up Takarazuka, each with their own unique style: 花 (hana – flower), 月 (tsuki – moon), 雪 (yuki – snow), 星 (hoshi- star), and the newest troupe, 宙 (sora – cosmos). We would be seeing the snow troupe performing today, with ソルフェリーノの夜明け (Soruferino no yoake – The Dawn at Solferino), as the musical, and カルネヴァーレ睡夢 (karunevaru suimu – Carnevale: A Sleeping Dream), as the revue.

After changing over at Amagasaki, we were on our way to Takarazuka, and made it there before 1. We crossed over from the JR station to the Hankyu Station (the two opposing each other), and had a look around the department store, before finding something to eat; Ramen! We also noticed some of the students in uniform and actors from the Revue (clearly Otokoyaku from there slicked back, short-cropped hair), and contained ourselves not to bother them; there was heaps of merchandise and posters around the department store. After lunch, we made our way over to some buildings, clearly part of the Revue complex (beautiful architecture), and spent time browsing the shops. We walked past an English pub, went into one of the Revue gift shops (everything was so expensive), and even found a small gallery. The artwork was all animal inspired, and the guy there let us take photos, which I found very surprising; maybe because we’re foreigners? After walking through some gardens in the rain, we found our way into the 大劇場 (Daigekijo – Grand Theatre), stumbling upon the museum. Since we received a discount card from the professor when we got the tickets, we thought why not give it a look. I was once again surprised when they said we could take pictures; it certainly made it worthwhile. It wasn’t too big, but there were any costumes, poster, and photos displayed, and we even got some ink stamps; they had a special sheet to put them on…

7:25pm　特急
Now I’m on the limited express back to Hirakatashi, to change over for Makino… Coming out of the museum, we soon spotted to class (very good timing indeed), and after we signed off with Hester, we entered the main hall; it was very grand indeed. After a few more photos (including that of a grand piano that played itself – creepy), we went to get seated; up to lots of escalators to the second level. We were in what the American’s liked to refer to as the nose bleed seats, and indeed we were very high up, though not right up the back. The building’s interior, like its exterior, was really very beautiful, and the stage was no exception. It was immense; by far the largest I’ve ever been in. And then the show! Wow, I was so impressed; never have I seen anything like it before. In some respects, it was more amazing than Beauty and the Beast. The props, costumes, and even the stage itself were spectacular. There was a also a live orchestra, set up in the pit in front of the stage, which was surrounded by a walkway that the actors would frequently use. And although we were quite far back, the view was still good, and seeing all the action was no problem. Lots of people had binoculars, allowing them to see the intricate details of the costumes and make up.

7:39pm
I’m on the sub-express back to Makino; almost home… All the acting was amazing, but I was especially impressed by the Otokoyaku (male role-players), who really could have past as men; well, apart from their sometimes overtly sparkly costumes. But in singing, speaking, and demeanour, they were very masculine and powerful. The Dawn at Solferino was set in 1859, and focused on the war between Italy and Austria, and the creation of the Red Cross. It was very moving; though I’m sure I would have appreciated it more if I could have understood it all. It lasted for about an hour and a half, and then we had a 30 minute intermission. In the time, we all gathered at the grand staircase, and Hester got a picture of us; well several actually, and with several different lenses. Sitting back down again, we were treated to Carnevale, set in Venice, and very, very colourful. It was in complete contrast to Solferino, having no real plot, but instead an amazing array of singing and dance routines. The costumes just kept on getting bigger, more elaborate, and more sparkly, and the stage floor not only rotated, but also had platforms that the actors could ascend from below the stage on. The huge props moved around so fluidly before our eyes, and the lighting was magical…

After it was all over, just on 6 o’clock, Erin and I went to the gift shop (which incidentally is called “Qautre Reves” which means “Four Dreams” in French ~ this kind of doesn’t work anymore since there are now five troupes; I’m surprise they haven’t changed it). Erin was in a bit of a rush since she was going on to a party in Osaka, so I let her go, and continued to browse for a while. I was very excited when I happened upon the piano sheet music for some of their performances. I decided to go out on a limb and buy a book; the piano and vocals for the musical titled “Elizabeth”. I discovered later that this is the most successful German-language musical of all time, and was performed by the snow troupe; which made the purchase all the more meaningful since I’d just seen them. I exited the shop, and sat down on the floor to sort out all the paper I’d collected and accidently ripped my pants even further…

Getting back to Makino, I found my bike very wet, but otherwise okay. Wiping off the seat, I made my way home; luckily it wasn’t raining at that point. As soon as I got back, I went to have a shower to get nice and warm, and then I made gyudon for dinner. I stayed in the kitchen for a little way, talking with Jacinthe, and then I retired to my room, and got in some more study for Monday’s lesson test. I decided to have an early night; Hugo came back sometime after midnight. I thoroughly enjoyed Takurazuka, and would jump at the chance to go again; there is another theatre in Tokyo! Looking back on it now, it was kind of funny that I was one of only two guys in the class that went; I think that says something. Indeed, the majority of the audiences are women, getting there fix of ideal men played by women. I was there for a completely different reason, and came out with a great respect for the actors and their professionalism. It really was an experience like no other, and I’ll remember it for a long time to come.

Day 187 - 5th of March

天気：曇り

Today was a great day; a great start to the weekend... I got my morning Japanese classes over with in the morning, and then decided to go home for lunch; I also had a little nap. I got back to uni for my Gender and Sexuality class at 1:15, in which we talked about masculinity and rites of passage to manhood; a bit of cross over from last semester. After class, we picked up our tickets for Takarazuka, and also received a plot summary, which will be a great help I’m sure; and another week of uni was over! I went downstairs to meet Rachel, where she proceeded to tell me that she’d forgotten the paperwork. So, we rode back home, she got the necessary papers, and we were back out in a flash. Riding down to the station was again, quite terrifying, and I don’t think it’s worth it, especially since when we got there, the bikes already in the parking space Simon and I had found, had all received tickets. Luckily, we were in and out of the city office in about 10 minutes, and weren’t caught. Since it was only about 3:30, we decided to go on a bit of a bike ride; it was way too early to pick up dinner.

I took Rachel up to the Okami shrine on the top of the forested hill (which was no easy feat with our bikes), and the plum grove there was in full bloom; I wish I’d brought my camera. We enjoyed that for a while, and then took in the view, sitting under a gazebo for a few hours just chatting; it was really peaceful. At about 5:30, when it did start to get cold, we decided it was time to go, and made our way back towards the university, to New Delhi. Rachel, had a list of what everyone wanted, so it was pretty easy to order everything. We had to wait about 20 minutes for it to be ready, so in that time we went to Fresco, and I picked up a few goodies for tonight’s TV viewing, including some great oranges. We left our bikes at Fresco (since they were less in the way there), and got back to New Delhi a bit early. In the time we had to wait, they gave us mango laisse, and when we did finally get the food, they gave us a huge discount; at least $10 off!!! We walked back to Fresco, and promptly rode back home; we didn’t want the food getting cold.

Getting back, I immediately went upstairs to heat up my yakisoba, kinda regretting not getting New Delhi. But, I don’t think I’ll have to wait very long for my next fix. For the price, and quality (and quantity) of the food, we thinking we’re going to make New Delhi part of our Friday night tradition. As soon as I got back down with my food, we started watching Firefly, and by the end of the night, we’d watched the last 4 episodes, and the movie “Serenity”. There were of course, a few breaks, in between. I got to eat my profiteroles, and sakura-an pan, which tasted amazing; just like the ice cream. We also had a bit of an interruption when Simon came in, telling us his keys were locked in his room; his roommate was out. So, he’d found Hugo, and borrowed his keys in order to get back in here, and then had to go back out to give them back. So, he needed someone to open the gate, and side door for him. His coming in the lounge room to ask me though was completely unnecessary, as he was able to get in when someone else returned home. It was about 1:30 by the time we finished, and then Simon came in to sleep on the lounge; I talked with him for a little while, then got to bed myself. I really enjoyed the movie, and it did help to tie up most of the loose ends the series had brought up. But, although I felt closure, I really wish there was more; the series was a lot of fun, and the characters were great.

Day 185 - 3rd of March

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11:20pm　セミナーハウス

天気：晴れ

Today was 雛祭り (Hina Matsuri – Girl’s Day), not that I could do much, since I was stuck at uni, but professor Hester did give out some sweets that, when wrapped, resembled dolls in all different dresses of the world; so that was something. It was also a nice sunny day today, albeit cold… Again, I forgot to turn the volume on my iPod up for my alarm, but luckily Hugo’s woke me up. I got to class in good time, and we went over transitive and intransitive verbs; always fun. In my break, I did the reading for Gender and Sexuality, and continued reading the interview write ups half the class have done for Religion; we’re going to talk about them tomorrow. I still don’t know who I should interview; maybe I’ll just talk to Yuji. Anyway, I went to my Reading and Writing class, and we started chapter 3, which meant a whole lot of new kanji; fun, fun, fun. After that, I went straight on to Gender and Sexuality, and Hester gave us the information for the Takarazuka trip this Sunday; I can’t believe how fast it’s come up. The tickets didn’t arrive during class, as Hester had anticipated, so we should be receiving them on Friday now.

I returned home, soon after class, had lunch, and then napped for a while. At around 5:30, I talked with family, and helped Ben with his story; that was fun. Soon enough, it was coming up to 7, and the Seminar House meeting. Yuji are only RA now since Asami has resigned for personal reasons (this was a shock to all of us), has started planning our next party; a Music Party. A few of us will be performing, including me on koto. I have no idea what I should do for it, but I have a few weeks to work something out; maybe I’ll just improvise. So that’s something to look forward to. Then we got into the serious stuff i.e. the state of the kitchen. Hopefully now, after a few of us spoke up about it, people will try a bit harder to keep it clean. It was almost 8 by the time the meeting finished, and after helping put the chairs back into the computer room, I went upstairs to put on some rice for dinner. Half an hour later, I was making 卵丼 (Tamagodon – Egg on rice). It’s very simple, and very tasty. I didn’t spend too long in the kitchen tonight, but had fun chatting, while Rachel put my hair up into a knot, and later French braided it; it was quite a sight.

Getting back down here, I’ve spent the rest of the night, uploading photos on facebook, and starting to learn the new kanji and vocabulary. I also read the story in this chapter. It’s actually quite good. Basically it’s about an old woodcutter with a lump on his cheek. One day, while he up in the mountains cutting wood, he gets caught in a storm, and has to take shelter in a cabin. He’s exhausted, and falls to sleep as the storm continues to rage. That night, he is awoken by many voices coming from outside the cabin. To his surprise, when he peers through the crack in the door, he sees a group of red and blue goblins, drinking, dancing, and singing around. He is scared at first, but seeing that they are having such a good time, he runs out into the middle of the circle, and starts dancing. The goblins are of course very surprised, but when they see that the old man is such a good dancer, they cheer him on. The leader praises him, and beckons him to come back again, rewarding him by taking the lump of his cheek; it doesn’t hurt at all. The old man returns home feeling much lighter, and overjoyed.

The neighbour of the woodcutter, is also an old man, and has a lump on his opposite cheek. Unlike the woodcutter though, he is a mean-spirited person, and when he hears of the old woodcutter’s tale, he is immediately jealous. So that night, the wicked neighbour, goes to the top of the mountain, and sits in the hut to wait for the goblins to arrive. When they show up, he immediately jumps out of the hut and starts dancing. Unfortunately for him, he is a terrible dancer, and the goblins are not at all impressed. The leader is so put off, he screams at him, and throws the old woodcutters lump at him. The neighbour returns home with a lump on both cheeks, and tears streaming down his face. I don’t really know what the moral of the story is, but maybe it’s something like - don’t be jealous and be happy for others’ good fortunes. Or maybe it’s more like – beware of goblins if you’re a crappy dancer! Anyway, that was really interesting, and enjoyable to read; I got a good laugh out of it. Well, I should get some sleep now; maybe do some laundry in the morning.

Day 173 - 19th of February

天気：曇り

9 o’clock classes are not fun at all, especially when you have a vocab quiz. I managed to get to uni on time though, with the help of my alarm. The quiz was in Reading and Writing, and it went okay, then we spent the rest of the lesson going over old grammar points, just with a lot of new kanji in the mix this time. I went straight from that to a lesson test in Speaking; such a relief when it was over. After that I went down to the lounge, and sat with Rachel, Rachael, and Sarah, watching the live streaming of the ice skating on Rachel’s laptop. Since it was Sarah’s birthday, Rachel had decided to take her to New Delhi (an Indian restaurant) for lunch, and pay for her meal. I hadn’t eaten there, but had heard many good things about it, so asked if I could join; Simon come along too. Rachel decided to stay and watch her ice skating; she’s really into it. So off we went; it’s just outside the main gate. And wow, what a spread! Simon had to quickly go and sort out his insurance so we didn’t end up ordering until he came back, and then the food just kept on coming.

To start off, we all got a soup, and then they brought out our main meals. Simon and I both got the “B Lunch” which consisted of a salad (with some deep-fried eggplant), a huge piece of Naan (it was literally falling off the sides of the plate), a curry (we could chose from two, and the level of spice), saffron rice, this other really spicy thing, and a mango lassi (mango yoghurt drink). And then they brought out another type of bread with coconut inside; and this was all for 700円. Far out, I was so full afterwards; I had to ask to take out the coconut bread because I just couldn’t eat it at the time. It was really good though, but maybe a bit too spicy for me; next time I’ll choose a lower level spice. Rachael had to leave early, to get to her class in time for a test, and Simon was supposed to go to class too (but didn’t because he wanted to enjoy his food), so when we left Simon rushed off, Sarah went to 7/11, and I went to the post office to send some postcards.

Getting back to uni, I sat down with Ash, and we were soon joined by Rachael, and shortly after, Rachel and Katie. After playing some Plants vs. Zombies, and watching some more Olympics, I had to get to class. We signed up for the Takarazuka trip today, and talked about gendered language in Japanese. The professor brought in some native speakers, to demonstrate different aspects of how language can be made more masculine, or more feminine; really interesting. Then we watched a short clip on the making of the 土俵 (Dohyo – the ring where the sumo match takes place). The professor told us that next month the sumo tournament would be held in Osaka, and I think it would be a great opportunity to go and see a match; so that’s something. After class, I walked home, on the way talking with Sydney, before she was given a lift with Maureen on her bike; I’ll be able to do that for people soon. Getting back, I got my blog up-to-date and soon enough it was time for dinner. Somehow I was still hungry enough to eat my leftover yakisoba.

I sat with the group (as they shall be called for now, since I couldn’t be bothered writing all their names), and Rachael showed me some awesome goodies she’d found at Animate today; a Final Fantasy AC novel complete and postcard book. I am so jealous. Then she proceeded to tell me about all her story ideas that she hasn’t gotten round to writing yet; I got cake as a reward for listening. I wish she would, so I could read them. Katie bought Sarah a slice of cake, and we wished her a happy birthday, before getting ready to go downstairs for our Friday night viewing session. When I got down to the lounge, I found Yuji watching a DVD; he asked if it was okay if we waited another 30 minutes. So in the mean time, I went back to my room, and saw Hugo off; weekend in Tokyo, lucky guy. Then I sat in the computer room with Simon and Rachael. When he was finished, Yuji joined us, and I asked him again about the A/C; for some reason the filter warning light wasn’t turning off, even after I cleaned it. So, we went to Otousan, and he knew the solution straight away; the reset button on the controller. It was as easy as that. Thanking Yuji, I roused the troops (went up to the kitchen and told them it was time), and then we all gathered in the lounge with all our treats. I ate my coconut bread; it was really tasty.

It was about 9:30 by that time, and for the next 3 hours we watched 4 episodes of a really cool Sci-fi/Western series (weird mix right) called firefly. The story is set in 2517. The Earth has been drained of all its resources, forcing mankind to emigrate to a new star system. The only two surviving superpowers, the United States and China, have fused to form the central federal government, called the Alliance, resulting in the fusion of the two cultures as well. The plot revolves around a captain and his crew who make a living on the outskirts of the society, as part of the pioneer culture that exists on the fringes of the system. The special effects are pretty good, and as a result of the cultural fusion, Mandarin Chinese is spoken often (usually when they are swearing), and there are kanji all over the place. There aren’t any aliens, which is a nice change, just a really scary cannibalistic group of nomadic humans called Reavers. The only thing I really don’t like about it is the country western music, especially in the opening credits. When everyone started singing, it was sickening; Rachel had the same sentiment. Actually, Rachel and Katie had also never seen this before. Sadly though, the series was axed after the 14 episode; so a lot was left in the air. Luckily, after a huge push by the fan base, they made a movie, which I’m told explains most things. And that was the end of my night; I was very tired.

Day 171 - 17th of February

11:21pm　セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
I’ve just finished some kanji practice for my Reading and Writing class; got a test on Friday. The amount of vocab and kanji we have to learn is so intense, but I guess it can’t be helped; we had to get good somehow. Today went well… I got an unexpected ride into uni with Otousan this morning. As I was walking toward the east gate, I saw Otousan driving and Jeremy on the passenger side, and they beckoned me to join them; so I did. I was quite funny when we went past Jacinthe, since she had past me only moments ago; I beat her to the lounge. I sat with Jo and Henry until class started, and we were treated by another speech; he talked about his life living in an apartment as opposed to the seminar houses this semester. There were some positives, but it sounded like it was a pretty negative experience; too bad. After class, I sat in the lounge with Jacinthe, and got my homework done, before we were joined by Hugo; he was doing his homework too. Just as Simon arrived, I had to get off to class; he went to lunch.

We’ve started chapter 2 of the Reading and Writing textbook, and boy is there a lot of kanji; and so many I’ve never seen before. It was a bit of a struggle, but we got through it, and at least the grammar points in this chapter are ones we’ve studied before. In Gender and Sexuality we talked continued a bit with Takarazuka, and the professor explained more of the field trip. We’ll be going the 7th of March (a Sunday), and the university is going to subsidise the tickets and transportation fares for us quite generously; so I’m definitely going. Then we continued on with the symbolic construction of gender, gender roles and the like, focusing on religion; Shinto in particular. After class, I made my way home. I put some rice on, then sorted out, and did some laundry, before going back up and making lunch. I watched children’s shows on TV, and Simon joined me, eating cereal for afternoon tea while describing to me his near death experience; his handle bars came off his bike as he was coming up to a red light at the bottom of a hill!

This didn’t make me feel very good about receiving his bike, but he said they went right back on, and we could get them fixed properly when we got to the bike shop; hopefully it’s free… After that, I went back downstairs and put my laundry out to dry, then caught up with Alex for the first time in weeks; that was great. Then I finished reading the Final Fantasy AC novel. It was actually quite heart-wrenching, and I felt mildly depressed when I finished it. It brought back so many memories of the past, when I was playing the game; I had such a deep connection with the characters. I guess I still do. So, a little shaken, I went upstairs to eat dinner; heated up 豚まん (butaman – steamed yeast bun with minced pork filling). They were actually really nice, and after just two I felt content. Talking and having a good laugh in the kitchen made me feel better. I offered Simon some Milo, which he enjoyed although he had to drink it out of a very small cup; I’m going to give him a larger one I have.

Just after 9, I came back downstairs and wrote out postcards; send them off tomorrow. Then I had a shower, before settling down and getting stuck into practice. Hugo arrived back at around 10:30, after going out for dinner; I wonder if it’s cheaper than cooking your own? It would be interesting to compare, that’s for sure. Anyway, I have uni at 12 tomorrow, so I’ll have plenty more time to revise for the test. After my classes, I’m going to probably go to the bike shop with Simon, and help him pick out a new bike, and his old one registered in my name. Then I’m going to go back to uni for the Japanese-French language exchange. It’s a great idea Jacinthe came up with. She, and other French speakers, are going to teach Japanese students, and other international students like me, how to speak French. I think this will be a good experience for me, as it’ll be relaxed, I’ll be learning the basics of French (which will be fun I think), and I’ll get to talk to Japanese students. I hope it goes well; I know Jacinthe has put a lot of effort into getting it organised. Anyway, time for sleep…

Day 166 - 12th of February

天気：曇り
I’ve just finished watching Withnail and I, an 80’s British comedy set in the 60’s, courtesy of Ash. It was quite funny, though some of the references were lost on me. Anyway, about today… Definitely didn’t get enough sleep last night. I got up after 7:30, but got ready in no time, and made it to uni in time for my 9 o’clock Reading and Writing class. I wasn’t very receptive for either of my Japanese classes, but got through them, and then went down to the lounge and sat with Jacinthe. I enjoyed my reading for Onna to Otoko. It was about 宝塚歌劇団 (Takarazuka kagekidan – Takarazuka Revue), a form of musical theatre in which all roles are played by females; it’s kind of like the modern opposite of Kabuki. After lunch (親子丼 – oyakodon – chicken on rice), I went to the computer lab, and wrote down the ANZAC biscuit recipe, still determined to find rolled oats. I considered other recipes, like lamingtons, or pavlova, but they were more complicated; biscuits are really easy. Then I went to my Onna to Otoko class, where we watched a documentary on the Takarazuka Revue, highlighting both on stage, and behind the stage life for the women who are able to enter; very interesting. It only went for 50 minutes, so we spent the rest of the time just discussing it; the class went fast. Since Takarazuka is actually the city that this originated in (which is just outside Kobe), we might be going to see one of the shows next month as a field trip; I really hope we do.

And with that, uni was over. I went down to the lounge, hoping I’d find Simon. I agreed to help him get to the city office today, to get his alien registration card sorted, but we hadn’t really decided on a meeting place. I didn’t have to worry though, because he was right there. We set off straight away, walking into Hirakata, and to the city office (which I just realised is located on Sunshine Street). The processing was completed painlessly, and now he just has to go back next month to pick up his new card. That done, we were on a new mission; to find rolled oats!!! We visited all three shopping centres in the station and around the station (that’s a lot isn’t it), and I even had a talk with Simon’s friend Tomo over the phone (who didn’t even know what they were). We found oatmeal and muesli, but sadly we could not find rolled oats anywhere; I was quite frustrated. Seeking relief (and since we were in Saty), I took Simon up to the men’s clothing section, and Animate; that took my mind off things, if only briefly. Not wanting to do anything else, we made our way back to uni on foot, enjoying a red bean gozasoro on the way.

Getting back to uni, we met up with Tomo, and soon after walked back home; Simon insisted that even though he had a bike he would walk with me. We talked a lot along the way, teaching Tomo English swear words; very irresponsible of us. When I got back, I didn’t do much, until I went up to make dinner at about 7:15. Since I didn’t have all the ingredients I needed to make either shepherd’s pie or spaghetti bolognese, I decided to experiment. I mixed the mince and frozen vegetables on a fry pan, in pizza, and yakitori sauce, and added macaroni, and cheese. It was a beautifully moist dish, the cheese bound it together well, and it tasted great; a smashing success. Yuji and Asami were already preparing for the food party, making mini okonomiyaki; clever idea. After dinner, Rachael, Rachel, Ash, Katie and I (the regulars), went down to start our Friday night movie viewing. We started off with Sweeny Todd, which Rachael and Katie had never seen before; they really enjoyed it. Then it was onto Withnail and I; which none of us but Ash had seen. And then it was time for bed. I was going to go to the ice festival in Kobe this weekend, but now I’m not so sure. I’ve got the food party to worry about and a speech for Japanese to write; see how I go…