Day 208 - 26th of March

11:15pm　セミナーハウス

天気：　晴れ

Today was another exhausting day spent in Kyoto; at least the weather had improved, although it was still very cold… I woke up at 8 and had scrambled eggs for breakfast, before getting ready for the outing. I met Sarah and Rachael out in the corridor just before 9, and after talking for a bit, Sarah commented that we were supposed to be wearing formal clothes; I was just wearing jeans. So I quickly got changed into my pants and shirt, but not before giving Rachel a big hug; she had just arrived back from Tokyo. Getting back out, everyone was waiting for me in the lounge (Ash, Katie, Sarah, and Rachael), and as soon as I explained myself, Ash piped up with, “oh you didn’t have to get dressed up”; oh well. The 5 of us were soon on our way to Hirakatashi to pick up Ash’s parents from the hotel. We made a quick stop at the uni, and then continued on foot.

Getting to the hotel, Ash soon collected her parents, and then we went straight to the station, and hopped on the train to Tambabashi, changing over for Kyoto station when we got there. The weather was sunny at this point, and I enjoyed reading Reborn on the way. Getting to Kyoto station, we made our way to the buses, and took number 50 to 上七軒 (Kamishichiken – lit. “Above seven rooves”). On the way, we witnessed a freak hail storm, the ice so small it was almost like snow; though it was definitely falling too fast. So as you can imagine, when we got off the bus, the weather had considerably worsened, although it wasn’t quite raining as yet. We walked across the street, and after a while took a right, going past 天満宮 (Tenmangu – the shrine Katie and Sarah had gone to, to see the plum blossoms) before reaching our destination; the 上七軒歌舞練場 (kamishichiken kaburenba?). It was almost 12 by this point, so we purchased out tickets, and then walked back out onto the main drag to grab a snack from 7/11; the rain starting to come down.

We got back soon after, and entered the establishment, immediately presented with a view of a beautiful garden and pond, as we made our way through a raised passage, and up stairs to a waiting room, which was filled with orchids. We were soon ushered on to another room where a tea ceremony was taking place. After a bit of a wait (the room had fill up), we were allowed entering, and were soon sitting down enjoying anko-filled mochi and sipping green tea while watching two women clad in kimono conducting the ceremony; a beautiful and refined art form in its own right. The coolest thing was that we got to keep the ceramic plate they served the mochi on, each yellow, blue, or green, and bearing the name of the performance, 北野をどり (Kitano wo dori) on the underside; I got a yellow one. After watching the ceremony, we continued on through a corridor, and down stairs (I was loving it) to a room selling merchandise; I decided to pick up some postcards. They also had DVDs of the performances that I really would have liked to get, except for the fact that they wouldn’t work back home; damn region locking.

Anyway, we spent a little bit of time out in the garden, taking photos, and getting a bit wet in the rain before going into the main theatre hall, and taking our seats; I was almost dead centre. The performance that ensued would have had to have been the most beautiful and traditionally Japanese activity I have ever witnessed; it was beyond words. The sets were stunning, the costumes amazing, and the music and singing enchanting; well I guess it really wasn’t beyond words. But still, I was really, really impressed, and thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing; it lasted for a little over an hour. There were three “acts” (with short intermissions in between), and Ash was able to recognise the second one as the story of the 47 Ronin; so in fact the all female ensemble were taking on male roles. A lot of the acting was done through mime and allusion, each movement elegant and filled with purpose. There was a live and visible orchestra, consisting of at first, shamisen, voice, flute, and a few types of drums; this lessened to just shamisen and voice after the first act. However, there was also additional voice and music played offstage.

The women were so beautiful in all their different outfits, and there was a huge range in age, from the beginner maiko to the veteran geisha; one of the really old ones was actually having a bit of trouble getting up during the last act. We all had a bit of a laugh afterwards about the “ninja curtain closer”; a guy dressed all in black, manning the curtains as the performers entered and exited from the side. Another thing I really liked was the added touch of “snow”, or “cherry blossoms” falling onto the stage. We were all in awe by the end of it, and I was a little disappointed when it was over; maybe I’ll be able to see it again soon. It had bucketed down while we were in the theatre, but when we exited it was sunny once again. After finding out how cheap the program was, I had to buy one. So now I have a book full of beautiful pictures; at least I can show people something since we couldn’t take any photos. We walked back to the bus stop, and were soon on the bus back to Kyoto station.

Getting there, we walked across to the other side, to Miyako-michi, and I had a moment of déjà vu, having just been here with Alex and her Nan and Aunt on Tuesday. What was different was the water jet sequence, which we had to show Ash’s parents; there were love hearts this time. But before that, we went to lunch at a Chinese place, and it was really good. I decided to just get some dumplings, and spring roles, but Katie, Ash, and her parents got sets, and they looked really good; I got to finish Ash’s rice. After that Rachael and Sarah, split, and so the rest of us spent some more time in the station, taking in Kyoto city from the sky garden, and walking through a suspended corridor, which offered a really good view of Kyoto tower. Getting back down, we decided to take the subway to Shijo, since Ash wanted to show her parent’s Yasaka shrine.

Getting to Shijo, it was a bit of a walk to get to Yasaka, though very cool; so many shops and interesting buildings. It was almost nightfall by the time we got there, and very cold. It was well worth it though; after walking through the shrine we went onto the park and saw a beautiful old cherry blossom at about 50 percent bloom. It was all lit up, and my photos really don’t do it justice; most of them are terribly blurry. I’ll definitely have to go back in the near future, to see it in the daytime. Going back into the shrine, Ash’s mum picked up a “safety in birth” Omamori for Ash’s sister, and then we went to the nearby Starbucks. I was a little reluctant, but seeing the sakura steamer on the menu, I knew I had to try it; everyone else got it too. Again, I was amazed at the taste of sakura, and have accepted the fact that it is completely unique. The drink was really interesting and strangely, the sakura “powder” (presumably the crushed petals) that was sprinkled on top was salty; very odd. The drink itself though was sweet, but I don’t know how much of that is thanks to sugar and cream. Anyway, it was certainly something to try.

After Starbucks, we made our way back to Hirakatashi on the sub-express, and I read reborn for a while, and then had a bit of a sleep. I’m really happy with my progress; I’ve already gotten through 58 pages; much better than Deltora Quest. Mind you, most of the pages are taken up with pictures, but still; it is very fulfilling to get through a decent amount of text. Once we got back, we bought some takoyaki to enjoy back in the hotel room, which was actually really, really small. This was Ash’s Parents’ last full day in Japan, and I know they really enjoyed it, because I sure did. Ash will be going to see them off tomorrow, and then they’ll be making their way to the airport, and home; it was great to meet them. The three of us then walked back home, Katie and I doing a bit of grocery shopping midway; I went to Kirindo, and then met up with her in Fresco. It was freezing walking back, and I was so glad of the warmth once inside again. I unpacked my groceries, and talked with Hugo in the kitchen for a bit, before getting everything from today sorted out. I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere tomorrow, but that’ll give me a chance to get my blog in order. I’m also thinking about going to get my hair done, but we’ll just have to wait and see…

Day 14 - 12th of September

10:38am　急行電車
天気：雨天
We're on the sub-exp bound for 京橋 (Kyobashi). It's raining!!! So we decided (spur of the moment) to go to the 大阪 海遊館 (Osaka Kaiyukan - Aquarium), and keep the Hirakata Park trip for another day when it's sunny. Wow, the bus today, to get to Hirakata station, was absolutely packed. The traffic was chaotic, lots of ambulance and police cars; never in my wildest dreams would I want to drive around here! So yeah, here on the train with me are Diego and Jessica. It's going to be an awesome day. The aquarium's supposed to be one of the best in the world. I'm taking the video camera, so should get some great footage if I can get it to work, xD...

11:07am　京橋駅
We're waiting for the JR Loop train bound for 森ノ宮 (Mori no Miya). Then from there we're going to take the 中央 (chuou - central) subway to aquarium...

11:12am　電車
On the train...

11:24am　森ノ宮
Now we're waiting for the train in the subway. We met with a girl, Brittney, whose also going to the aquarium, so we're helping her get there. Overall it's been pretty easy to get here, the signs, for the most part, have had English on them. So now we're bound for 大阪港 (Osaka port).

11:30am　地下鉄電車
On the train. We still have 8 stops until we get there. Money-wise, I think it's been pretty cheap. About $10 to get all the way.

11:48am　大阪港
Off the train walking towards the aquarium. There are signs everywhere, which is really helpful.

1:41pm　海遊館
Sitting here in the aquarium's "Cafe de Clever". Just finished my Mexican sand (I love Japanese-English). Lol, it's a weird looking pocket bread thing with a sausage and mince in it. Spicy too. So far the aquarium has been amazing! It's massive; 7 floors. Otters, penguins, dolphins, seals... They even have two whale sharks!!! It's incredible. Brittney went off on her own; i guess she likes doing things on her own? We've still got 4 floors left. Where we are sitting in the cafe, we can see out over the port. The skies are as grey as the sea.

2:42pm　天保山
We're at the top of the 天保山観覧車 (Tenpozan　kanransha - Ferris Wheel), which is apparently the largest in the world? It's pouring, but the view is still pretty spectacular. Ride time is approximately 15 minutes, so you can imagine, it's huge.

3:47pm　大阪港
We're in the waiting room in the subway. The next train is coming at 3:53. My feet are aching a little. After riding the Ferris wheel, we walked around the shops. There were some really cool shops, including a Studio Ghibli shop, and ninja shop. Getting on the train...
There was a really cool stall where you could get your face (photo) grafted into crystal, and another that did anime caricature. There were also lots of clothes shops. One in particular had some really cool shirts and jeans, but a little too expensive at this point in time. I hope Brittney gets back okay. I might see her around Kansai Gaidai. It's been a great day, though silly me forgot to check if there was a tape in the video camera!!! Fortunately, I could get some footage on the memory card, and I ended up taking some more video on my regular camera.

4:58pm　特急
We're on the limited express back to Hirakata; it goes direct to Hirakata without any stops. This is a really cool train; it has two storey seating carriages. After getting off at Mori no Miya, we walked around the edge of 大阪城公園 (Osakajou Koen - Osaka Castle Park). There was a band playing in the park, but you had to have a ticket to get in to see it; we could still hear it though. We could see Osaka castle from where we were and decided that that would be our next adventure. Wow, Brittney caught up with us again. I'm pretty tired now but looking forward to the takoyaki party tonight.

9:35pm　セミナーハウス
Well my legs are aching now, but it's a good ache I guess. After we got back to Hirakata station we said goodbye to Jessica; going back to her host family by train. The lines for the buses in the station were huge. We met Seimu and he said it was because of the opening of a new electronics store. We eventually got on a bus, and the traffic was again hectic. We found out why there were so many ambulance and police cars around this morning. There had been a robbery at the 99円 store. Indeed, we had seen police cars out the front of it this morning.

Getting back, the takoyaki was already cooking. It was really yummy; I had about 7. Then someone decided to make them with oreo's, calling them cookie-yaki. It was actually pretty nice. We danced a little, and got told off by Otosan for jumping around. Well not told off; he just came in and asked that we don't do it. He's really cool. I'd better get some sleep. I really hope it doesn't rain again, because I want to go to the Eisaa Festival, *fingers crossed*. Oh, and we found out that Tenpozan was formerly the biggest Ferris wheel; it's now the 14th largest. They need to update their signage...

Day 4 - 2nd of September

10:53 pm　セミナーハウス
天気：蒸し暑い
Wow, where do I begin. Today was really long, but lots of fun. It started off with a meeting in Multimedia hall. That was pretty straightforward. Diego, Georg and I decided to try find the City Office to complete our alien registration. After getting directions and a map from the CIE, we decided to go on foot. This wasn't such a good idea. It was very humid and we actually ended up getting lost. We misjudged the distance and took a wrong turn; ended up in a suburban area. I asked an old lady for directions but unfortunately I couldn't understand her Japanese. She was so kind though. She actually went back into her house to get someone who could speak English, and then we were on our way. Never got to thank her. We got to the railway line, and decided that we weren't going to make it back in time for the meeting at 1:20 if we tried to go to City Hall. This was Georg and Diego's second attempt to get there , so they were a little frustrated.

We ended up going to McDonalds for lunch (whoops had it again). I had a teriyaki burger, and white grape juice; it was really nice. In the corner of the shop they had wireless internet for the Nintendo DS. Also, the counter was accessible from both the street and a clothes shop on the inside of the depart store which I though was really cool. So anyway, we ended up walking all the way back to the Uni, and we actually made it in time for the session; I think it was because we power walked. This session introduced faculty members, which was good, and then the next one was seminar house info. Oh my gosh, recycling in Japan is crazy. In this area, there are 5 different categories for recycling (PET plastic, plastic, glass, burnable and raw garbage, and cans). It can get very complex sorting the rubbish. And, you have to clean it too. As I was to learn later, Siemu researched trash sorting and found that one area had 46 categories!!!! He also told me that Nagoya (his home town) has 7 categories. I think, you know, 5 or 6 categories isn't so bad. It's a good system.

So yeah I met with Seimu after taking lots of photos of the beautiful garden and pond on campus. We were sitting in the CIE lounge when we saw a whole lotta people getting white sheets of paper from their mail box. It turned out to be the student's homestay information. Christiana came in with her friend Christa. She got a family of 6, with a mum, dad, grandma, and three kids around her age (20). We decided to ditch the session on health (STD's) as it was not "required". Christina and Christa needed to pick up their new phones, so Seimu and I tagged along. They had to go from the convenience store to 7-11 and back again. Finally, they got everything sorted, although they weren' t too happy with the phones in the end.

We went to sit down in the auditorium, watching some Japanese students do break dancing; they were busting out some pretty cool moves. We talked to some other people and a guy from New York came to sit with us. His name's Andrew. Anyway, we all decided to go out for dinner. Andrew suggested okonomiyaki (savoury pancake). Coolies; I love okonomiyaki. So we all walked back to the street, near the seminar houses, along side the park. We found this little place that served (among other things) okonomiyaki and takoyaki (fried octopus dumplings). There were already a number of international students there, and we luckily scored the last table! I ordered ika (squid), the girls buta (pork), Seimu ebi (shrimp), and Andrew mixed okonomiyaki. And we also got a serving of takoyaki. The okonomiyaki was really nice, but I didn't like the squid so much (tried it though). The takoyaki (which it'd never tried before either) was sooooo yummy. I has a very interesting, mushy texture. And, we got free water with refills. The okonomiyaki was only 500円, and for 8 takoyaki it was 300円. Sooo cheap and sooo yummy!!!

After that we went to the park to chill and said good bye to Seimu for the night. It was so nice to see that little kids could be running around at night and be safe. Awww, there was a little Akita puppy called Maro, with little bee wings attached to a harness. So cute, I want one!!! Oh yeah, there are a lot of stray cats around; it's a big problem in Japan. We stayed out till about 10:00, talking bout lotsa stuff. Andrew, 19, seems really nice. He's broken a bone in his hand and it's in a cast that's falling apart. He has to go to the doctor to check it out. He's made up a ridiculous story about how he broke it. He tells everyone he broke it trying to save orphans from a fire, being attacked be a grizzly bear in the process. After walking back to their seminar house (using our quarter inside voice, as Japanese houses have no insulation and there have been complaints), I went back to mine. Lolz, Ghost Busters was on TV, subbed. While watching the last half an hour, I ate some of this really nice cake that tasted like a pancake with maple syrup on it. So cool!!! Anyway it's late now (past 12) so I'm finished for the night....