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…
Showing posts with label bath-house. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bath-house. Show all posts
Thursday, 28 January 2010
Wednesday, 9 September 2009
Day 11 - 9th of September
2:09pm セミナーハウス
天気：涼しい、曇り
Wow, it's the 09/09/09 and the first cool day I've had here. It's really nice to be able to walk to and from uni without melting. I had my speaking class at 10. At the moment we're just revising stuff like the potential and volitional forms of verbs. It's worked out really well; I'm up to pretty much exactly the same place in the Genki II textbook here as I was at USC. Still, I've forgotten quite a bit. After hanging out with Christina, and buying my reading for History, "A History of Japan", I went to my reading and writing class. Motohashi sensei seems really nice. We've got a lot of work to do though. I'm going to have to stay focused to keep on top of everything. I've already got so many handouts to look through. I've also got to buy my reading for the Culture and Everyday Life in Japan course, which I'll do tomorrow. Its been a pretty uneventful day for the most part. Makes it easier for me though, cause I don't have to write much, xD. Oh, on the way back from uni I went to the clothes shop. There's this shirt I really want to get, but I think it's a bit expensive for what it is. I'm going to what until it is, hopefully, marked down. They are clearing out their summer clothing at the moment, so I could get lucky.
5:55pm 山田池
I'm sitting in a pavilion out on Yamada lake. From the seminar house, it took me about 25 mins to get here. It was well worth it!!! The vast lake stretches out before me. It is peaceful. I can hear crows crying, the crickets chirping, the cicadas chiming. And yet, just beyond it all, I can hear civilisation; but I can't see it. Trees all around form a wall of green. I feel detached from the outside world. The restful flow of the lake, a uniform motion, broken only by the flopping of a fish above the surface. There is a grove of hundreds of peach trees, which will be wonderful to see in the spring. Right now though, everything is lush and green; the trees not yet ready to shed the leaves of summer.
There are so many stray cats around; they must take pleasure in calling this sanctuary their home. The breeze is light but crisp, reminding me of the autumn that is to come. The sun has almost set; I should be getting back. And yet, I find it hard to move from this spot, as if the spell of serenity will be broken if I make to depart. This journal is almost full; one page left. I'll have to buy another one tomorrow. At this rate I'll be coming home with a box-full. I stand, and cast my eyes once again over the lake. I look forward coming here again. I see a group of egret over on the opposite shore. Ducks swim in a line back to their homes in the rush. This seems like an adequate end to this journal; immersed in the beauty that is Japan!
11:01pm セミナーハウス
So yeah, I walked to Yamada Lake on a whim. I just had an urge to get out so I did. I'd never been before but it was easy enough to find. Coming back at night though was a different story. I ended up getting a little lost. It was all good though, and eventually I came out onto the main street which I know, and then had to walk back up to the seminar houses. When I got back I went up to the kitchen for dinner, and Stephani and Phil were talking about going somewhere. My ears perked up and I asked them where they were going. To the 銭湯 (sentou - bathhouse). I had never been before so of course I wanted to go. We left about 8 with two other guys from seminar house three. The one we went to was only about 10 minutes walk away.
OMG!!! Such an amazing experience. After getting completely clean, you're allowed to enter the baths. The water is so nice and warm, and now I feel so relaxed; my muscles feel like jelly. Something I had to try there was the 電気風呂 (denkifuro - electric bath). It sounds crazy, I know; electricity + water = death right. Well apparently not in Japan. It was the weirdest sensation. An electric current courses through the water, and the closer your body gets to the source, the more intense the feeling. Your muscles feel like they're spasming and going numb. They also had a sauna, a cold bath (going from hot water to cold was certainly a shock to the system), and a kinda lying down bubble bath with overhead lights. We stayed there for an hour. I feel good now. I'm going to sleep soundly. It was a great experience and I can't wait to go again. Wow, I ended up doing a lot today, xD
天気：涼しい、曇り
Wow, it's the 09/09/09 and the first cool day I've had here. It's really nice to be able to walk to and from uni without melting. I had my speaking class at 10. At the moment we're just revising stuff like the potential and volitional forms of verbs. It's worked out really well; I'm up to pretty much exactly the same place in the Genki II textbook here as I was at USC. Still, I've forgotten quite a bit. After hanging out with Christina, and buying my reading for History, "A History of Japan", I went to my reading and writing class. Motohashi sensei seems really nice. We've got a lot of work to do though. I'm going to have to stay focused to keep on top of everything. I've already got so many handouts to look through. I've also got to buy my reading for the Culture and Everyday Life in Japan course, which I'll do tomorrow. Its been a pretty uneventful day for the most part. Makes it easier for me though, cause I don't have to write much, xD. Oh, on the way back from uni I went to the clothes shop. There's this shirt I really want to get, but I think it's a bit expensive for what it is. I'm going to what until it is, hopefully, marked down. They are clearing out their summer clothing at the moment, so I could get lucky.
5:55pm 山田池I'm sitting in a pavilion out on Yamada lake. From the seminar house, it took me about 25 mins to get here. It was well worth it!!! The vast lake stretches out before me. It is peaceful. I can hear crows crying, the crickets chirping, the cicadas chiming. And yet, just beyond it all, I can hear civilisation; but I can't see it. Trees all around form a wall of green. I feel detached from the outside world. The restful flow of the lake, a uniform motion, broken only by the flopping of a fish above the surface. There is a grove of hundreds of peach trees, which will be wonderful to see in the spring. Right now though, everything is lush and green; the trees not yet ready to shed the leaves of summer.
There are so many stray cats around; they must take pleasure in calling this sanctuary their home. The breeze is light but crisp, reminding me of the autumn that is to come. The sun has almost set; I should be getting back. And yet, I find it hard to move from this spot, as if the spell of serenity will be broken if I make to depart. This journal is almost full; one page left. I'll have to buy another one tomorrow. At this rate I'll be coming home with a box-full. I stand, and cast my eyes once again over the lake. I look forward coming here again. I see a group of egret over on the opposite shore. Ducks swim in a line back to their homes in the rush. This seems like an adequate end to this journal; immersed in the beauty that is Japan!11:01pm セミナーハウスSo yeah, I walked to Yamada Lake on a whim. I just had an urge to get out so I did. I'd never been before but it was easy enough to find. Coming back at night though was a different story. I ended up getting a little lost. It was all good though, and eventually I came out onto the main street which I know, and then had to walk back up to the seminar houses. When I got back I went up to the kitchen for dinner, and Stephani and Phil were talking about going somewhere. My ears perked up and I asked them where they were going. To the 銭湯 (sentou - bathhouse). I had never been before so of course I wanted to go. We left about 8 with two other guys from seminar house three. The one we went to was only about 10 minutes walk away.
OMG!!! Such an amazing experience. After getting completely clean, you're allowed to enter the baths. The water is so nice and warm, and now I feel so relaxed; my muscles feel like jelly. Something I had to try there was the 電気風呂 (denkifuro - electric bath). It sounds crazy, I know; electricity + water = death right. Well apparently not in Japan. It was the weirdest sensation. An electric current courses through the water, and the closer your body gets to the source, the more intense the feeling. Your muscles feel like they're spasming and going numb. They also had a sauna, a cold bath (going from hot water to cold was certainly a shock to the system), and a kinda lying down bubble bath with overhead lights. We stayed there for an hour. I feel good now. I'm going to sleep soundly. It was a great experience and I can't wait to go again. Wow, I ended up doing a lot today, xD
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