Day 256 - 13th of May

11:17pm　セミナーハウス

天気：晴れ

Well, today I feel much better about everything; for some reason, getting my oral over and done with was such a relief. I feel like I’ve jumped over the halfway point, and now I only have another half to go; it’s wonderful. Today’s weather mirrored my happy, warm feelings and I don’t even care that I didn’t get my report done; again… After getting ready, I basically spent the rest of the morning preparing for my oral exam. I typed out everything I wanted to say, and even got a little bit of a chance to memorise it; a very little chance. Getting to uni, I went straight to the third floor, and sat outside Saigo Sensei’s office, talking with Kim; we were talking about the same topic. She went in before me, and soon after it was my turn. After an initial mind blank, I stumbled my way through, but actually didn’t do that badly. I quite enjoyed talking to Sensei about it and I wish I could have had more time to say what I wanted to say. Throughout, he would ask questions or make comments, which steered me way off what I was intending to say, but it did make it feel more natural. He was really surprised when he found out I was only 19 actually; it was quite funny. Anyway, as soon as that was done, I leapt for joy on the inside, and then went with Kim and Nathan for lunch.

We all ate katsudon in the third cafeteria, and talked about what we would be doing when we got back home; the end is so close. Around 12:30, we went back to the CIE lounge, and I found Julie to study Religion with before the quiz. In fact, it turned out to be relatively easy, and I got it done within 15 minutes; now all I have to do is finished that report. Afterwards, I sat in the lounge for a while longer, and then made my way over to Don kihote to buy Tim Tam’s for tomorrow’s party. I also bought a packet for Rose since it was her birthday yesterday, and I’d be going to her party tonight. I met Carly on the way back to the seminar house, and after dropping our stuff off, we went to Sanko; I had to buy the ingredients for my biscuits. As soon as I got back, I got stuck into it and almost 2 hours later, I had baked 31. Already that number has decreased to 27. It was almost 5 when I was done, so I came downstairs and got started on my JASSO scholarship report. I have to talk about what I have achieved academically, and how the uni has broadened my knowledge of Japan; fun, fun, fun…

I didn’t get very far with that, as we were going out for dinner tonight; New Dehli, since Carly’s never been. We left at 5:30 and soon got there; Carly rode on the back of my bike. Finding no one there, we decided to go into uni, and soon found Sarah, Katie and Rachael in the lounge. They were waiting for Rachel to turn up. In the end she didn’t, so it was just the five of us. Dinner was absolutely wonderful as always, although sadly the service was a little soon; understandable since it was absolutely packed. After waiting 30 minutes for our lasse (only Carly got hers), we decided to just leave; that was a bit of a shame. I was already an hour late for the party, so I rushed to Seminar House 1, and got inside just in time to find Mori and Midori leaving; they had already made cake. It was sad to see them go, but I was soon enjoying the fruit (or cake), or fruit cake actually of their labours; it was amazing. Rose was stoked when I gave her the Tim Tams; she immediately ripped the packet open and distributed them. There 10 of us in the room, which was basically exactly the same as our rooms here, with little differences here and there. Us guests, stuck around until almost 10, watching funny movies on YouTube, and taking photos; it was great fun. Finally it was time to say good night, and as soon as I got back to Sem 2, I was roped into watching a drama with Julie, Chelsea, Rachel and Ash; it was actually really intense. It was only the 5^th episode, but already the plot is so complicated. Chelsea caught me up pretty well, but I kinda want to see the earlier episodes. Well, I’m going to get some sleep now…

Day 220 - 7th of April

10:51pm　セミナーハウス

天気：曇り

Professor Hester told us that in Japan, a recent expression has come about, which goes along the lines of, “In spring, there are never three days of sun in a row”. I scoffed at this in class, but true enough, after two beautiful, sunny days, the weather has indeed turned sour; it was windy, cloudy and cold. At least, it didn’t rain… I got up a bit before 9, and put some washing on, before getting ready for uni; of course I choose the day when it’s cloudy. After putting it out, I studied my vocab for today’s quiz, and then made my way to class. I ended up being a little late, I don’t know how that happened, but quickly sat down and got the quiz done in no time; studying the vocab right before class seems to work well for me. After class, I went down and found Rachael, so I gave her the box of the biscuits I baked, and wished her a happy birthday. After that, I decided to go home to have lunch now, since I was so hungry; also I would be doing koto practice after classes. So, I rode back, had lunch, and then basically had to turn around again; I don’t mind at all with my bike. In Reading and Writing, we finished off the dialogue (which proved to be exceptionally challenging, even for the teacher), and then had to answer a whole bunch of questions about it. After that, I went straight upstairs and stalked the Monsters class, before going to Gender and Sexuality.

In today’s class we looked at motherhood and fatherhood in Japan. Of particular interest, is the phenomenon of 熟年離婚 (jukunen rikon – “retirement divorce”), in Japan. Basically, many women in Japan don’t want to have to look after their husbands after they’ve retired. The women have already devoted much of their life playing an active role in raising their children, the man, “supporting” his family by being the breadwinner, away from home. So really, it’s not until they’ve actually retired, that men spend a lot of time at home. So, understandably, many women can’t cope with the re-entry of the husband into the household. This realisation made me feel extremely sad for the way that Japanese society works. Of course there are many happy, lasting marriages, and more men are trying to play a more active role in childrearing, but still. I can’t imagine how intense living the “model” Japanese life must be, especially when the constraints of society and work are so compelling. The professor showed us the first episode of a drama called jukunen rikon that provided models for exactly what I’ve just described; it was very moving. I’d really like to see the rest of the series actually.

After class, I met up with Maarika and we went to the room we would be performing in tomorrow (2207), to practice. Getting there, we found Mori Sempai and Midori Sempai moving desks, and promptly helped them out. Kirianna and Natalie were also there, furiously practicing hanagoromo; they were doing really, really well considering the amount of time they’ve had. We beautified the board, and munch on sweet potato snacks, and got some serious practice in too. The tea club joined us, and began to set up their stuff; they’d be serving tea and snacks to visitors while we played. Maarika and I will be playing from 11-12 tomorrow, for what is basically a festival for the incoming students to Kansai Gaidai; I can’t wait. I ended up leaving at around 5:30. Kirianna, Mori and Midori had already gone their own ways, but Natalie and Maarika decided to stay and practice a while longer. I rode home with Peter, and he further confirmed the instability of spring weather in Japan, recalling a conversation he had with one of his Japanese friends; they said it wouldn’t stay constantly warm until late May!

Getting back, I got started on my homework, and soon enough it was time for the seminar house meeting. This was my second last meeting, and I remember it from last semester. We went over checking out procedures and all that again, but this time it was different because I’d have to actually do it! Actually, technically everyone has to checkout since the seminar houses are closed during the summer holidays; they have to find alternative housing. That’s why I’m so glad I came last semester; I made the right decision. Natchan also let us know of an upcoming event that would see the seminar houses unite in friendly competition; sports festival. It’s next Saturday (the 17^th), and there will be a number of events. I really wanted to participate, so I signed up after the meeting; it’s going to be so much fun. I was then dragged upstairs to Ash and Katie’s room, to sign a card for Rachael’s birthday, and look at Ash’s “shinies” i.e. her purchases. All of us then went down to the kitchen, and presented Rachael with gifts and the card and proceeded to sing happy birthday to her; she had already got it from her Japanese class today, so was quite embarrassed by this point. After that, I got to cooking yakisoba, which turned out great; the ingredients were all so fresh. I gave out the last of my Milo biscuits, and everyone appreciated them, but not as much as I did; I must have eaten about 15. I stayed up in the kitchen till about 9, and then came back down here, and worked on my Reading and Writing homework some more. Well, better get some sleep now…

Day 198 - 16th of March

10:38pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
Hugo’s just gone out again (no doubt for birthday celebrations), leaving me alone once again (not that I mind), looking up at his present hanging on the wall every now and then. His speaking partner’s mum wrote Hugo’s name using kanji on a card of paper, which can fits into a hanging scroll; so cool. The kanji she chose are really great too – 灯 (hi – light); 癒 (yu – healing); 優 (u – kindness); 護 (go – protection). And, it was also a really nice day today, albeit windy; it was so great to be able to walk around without gloves or a beanie… I got up at around 9, and got a bit more practice in for my oral; and changed it again. When it came time to do it, it actually went quite well. I felt comfortable talking with Saigo sensei; he wasn’t nearly as intimidating as Miyauchi sensei was. So, I was very happy (and relieved) when I got out of his office at around 20 past 11. The funny thing was, I took the place of another guy (since he hadn’t shown up), and then Kim had to take my actually time, because the guy after me didn’t show up either; actually, I saw him waiting outside the office after Kim had already gone in.

Anyway, after that, I went down to the lounge and sat with Katie and Rachel, and did my reading for Religion; it was pretty boring but anyway. For lunch, I got Makkas (which was absolutely packed because many of the Japanese students were on campus today), and kinda regretted it afterwards; the California burger was nice, but it really wasn’t anything special. Religion soon came around, and today we talked about AUM 真理教 (AUM Shinrikyo – “Supreme Truth), a New Religion that was behind the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway almost 15 years ago (March 20th); scary right. The organisation is now known as Aleph (the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet – inferiority complex much) and the original leader Asahara was sentenced to death by hanging in 2004; that sentence still hasn’t been carried out. That attack remains the most serious act of terrorism in Japan’s modern history. Our professor related to us what it was like living in Japan in that time (since she was already over here); it was a whole different Japan, she said.

After that very interesting, and scary class, I went home and at around 3:30, went to the gym. I decided would be a good energy booster, and it really was. I came back feeling very sore (still am now), but really motivated to work on my essay for Gender and Sexuality. As for Simon, he wasn’t back when I left, but he actually got to the gym just after I left; since it closes at 5, he didn’t get much time unfortunately. Tomorrow will be my recovery day, and then hopefully I can find the time to go again on Thursday. I got a lot more research done for my essay (pretty much finished that now), and it was my stomach that eventually drew me away from it. I made gyudon tonight, and it turned out wonderfully; I think it’ll be one of the dishes I’ll have to cook for my family. It’s so easy, and so yummy. After eating, I sat with Ash and Rachel (and Katie when she came down), and we chatted, and laughed until 9:30. We were all quite hysterical to be honest, and all the laughter only added to my already aching sides. Well, it’s about for bed now; two days down, three to go…

Day 197 - 15th of March

11:24pm　セミナーハウス

天気：雨天

Well, the nice weather certainly didn’t last; it’s been cloudy all day. It just started raining this afternoon… I woke up early, so I could spend some more time memorising my sakubun, and got to school just before 10; I talked with Rachael on the way. Checking my mail, I got yet another card from Nanny and Poppy; i feel loved. Today, we all had to pick up our new ID cards, so Rachael and I went straight there. They’re kind of plain, and the crappy picture of me is even bigger; I really preferred the other ones. Oh well, can’t be helped. I went to Speaking, and we spent the whole class revising for the exam; we actually got out 30 minutes early. So, I had plenty more time to memorise my sakubun, and I went in feeling really good. Apart from a few kanji (ones that I didn’t have to know anyway), I got the whole thing done perfectly. After that, I went to Avail because I thought some shopping would make me feel better (not that I was feeling bad), but didn’t end up finding anything I liked. So I soon returned home.

After lunch, and watching a bit of sumo on TV while talking to Adam, I got ready to go to the gym. When Simon got back at 3, we made our way over, and after signing in and changing shoes, we got started. I really enjoyed the session, and it was helpful watching others using the equipment; I tried out a few new things. Simon ended up getting bored, which was a shame, but says he’s going to stick with it; we shall see. Regardless of what he decides, I know I’m going to continue with it; I felt really good afterwards. Getting back home, I made a solid start on my Gender and Sexuality essay, spending a bit over two hours scanning the textbook for any useful information or quotes; it was pretty interesting actually. I’m going to talk about how gender norms and attitudes are constructed in Japan through language, institutions such as schools, religion, and marketing; should be good. I was feeling very hungry by about 6, but decided to put on some rice to eat with my dinner (leftovers), so had to wait another half an hour.

It was almost 7 by the time I got round to eating, but that only made the food taste even better. I found the anime channel, and started watching Tamagochi’s; who would have thought they’d make an animated TV show out of those little guys. I remember having them when I was little, and I know that Alex still has them now, so she would have loved to have seen this. The rest of the group filtered in, and we talked for a while, before they filtered out again. I stayed behind a bit longer, talking with Yuji and Julie, and then Hugo and Simon, and then finally went back to my room. There, I started memorising my script for my speaking exam tomorrow. I’m trying not to stress about it too much; I want it to be natural. At around 10, Biancha came knocking at our door, and beckoned my out to the lounge. She had made a cake for Hugo since it’s his Birthday tomorrow. So, we gathered together a few people and had a little, early celebration for him; the cake was amazing. Eventually I got back to my room, and finished off getting the script in order; I’m happy with it now. Well, I should probably get some sleep now; one day down, four more to go…

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.