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 167 - 13th of February

天気：晴れ
I had initially planned on going to the ice festival today, but decided to put it off to tomorrow. I felt the need to get everything done today, so I could justify going out and having fun. Also I had had a late night, and figured that it would be better to get to Kobe as early in the day as possible, so Sunday seemed much more appropriate; with the intention of having an early night tonight… So, this meant that I ended up sleeping in until 10:30. After breakfast, I did my homework, and pondered over what to make for the food party tomorrow. A most excellent idea hit me. Since I couldn’t find rolled oats to make ANZAC biscuits, why not make Milo biscuits; it’s Australian too!!! And, easily enough, I found a recipe online; all the ingredients were easily obtainable. So, feeling excited and determined, I went to Sanko and purchased butter, Milo, and sugar with the money given by the CIE, and a few other things separately. Getting back, I went straight to the kitchen, to find the opening ceremony of the 2010 winter Olympics on the TV. Katie, Ash, and Jacinthe were among the viewers, and Katie was ecstatic; her face lit up in pride.

Not overly fussed about watching the ceremony (I had missed most of it anyway), I got stuck into making my Milo biscuits. The recipe was really easy – cream butter and sugar, add an egg, the Milo, and flour, then bake for 15 minutes at 180 degrees. I had a lot of fun making a mess with the flour and butter, and then killing my arm stirring it all together. The end mixture was looking very promising, considering I hadn’t been exact with any of the measurements; I was playing it by ear, or should I say by consistency. Simon was in and out of the kitchen periodically, checking my progress, and at this point he commented that I didn’t look like enough; I wasn’t perturbed. I prepped both of the microwave ovens, and decided to get one batch done, just to see if it was okay, before proceeding with more. I rolled out 9 balls for this first batch, pressing them down with a fork. I remembering to wet my hands, and the fork, and that helped a lot; thanks Nanny. And into the oven they went…

I watched them, and noticed that they were expanding quite a lot and, when they were done, almost all were connected; okay so the trays were too small for 9 biscuits at a time. Touching them, I realised they were really soft, and panicked, adding more flour to the mixture. My worries were for nothing though, because as they cooled, they hardened. Simon came in at a good time, and he and I tried them; they were really good. Crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside, and packed with Milo flavour; more like cookies really. Thoroughly satisfied, I went about baking the rest. Almost 2 hours later, and a lunch break mid-way, I had successfully baked 51 Milo biscuits! I must have done about 7 batches (8 including the first lot), with 6 biscuits in each; utilising both ovens. I’d bought a nice big Tupperware container to put them all in, and then put them in the fridge, ready for tomorrow; I was very happy. I went downstairs, and talked with my family for a few hours, trying to get my speech for Japanese started. It’s just a 2-3 minute speech about anything. I decided to talk about my 故郷 (furusato – hometown). Soon after talking with the family, Yuji came in, to get me to sign a card for Asami; I wrote in yellow. Not getting much further with my speech, I went up to make dinner, noticing Asami in the computer room, dressed in a Kimono.

I made gyudon for dinner, Jacinthe graciously letting me borrow her soy sauce; I’ve been out of it for a while now. On the TV, were the highlights from the Olympic ceremony, and I realised I’d missed out on a really amazing show; the visual effects were incredible. Katie came in, and swelled with pride once more. Instead of going back down, I ended up staying and chatting in the kitchen with Katie, Ash, and Rachel until 9, when I had to do cleaning; again, Hugo was out. Still, I am most satisfied with the cleaning group. Perhaps it’s just because we only have to clean three times a week, but it feels like much less of a chore than it did last semester. Chelsea was once again helping out; even though it’s not her week. After finishing up, I went downstairs, showered, and got everything ready for tomorrow. Jeremy and Rachael were still up for going (after I explained that it wouldn’t be happening today), and Simon will be joining us too. We’re going to leave around 7; see how well that goes…

Day 108 - 16th of December

10:38pm　セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
Another busy day. Just been spending this evening getting the last of my Christmas stuff sorted out. I woke up at 9 this morning (as usual), got ready, and then went into Hirakata. First stop, bank for new cash card. That was easy enough to sort out; hopefully I don't make that mistake again. So, new cash card in hand, I withdrew a heap of money and hit the shops! No really... I just bought one shirt, and picked up a couple of things for dinner. I walked back to uni, and gt my History essay back (finally). I got 30/30; I was so surprised. Not complaining though, that's for sure. I sent off a few post cards, stopped by the convenience store, and then walked home; it was so cold. I ate the rest of the chicken from last night with rice for lunch, watching a program showing the major events of the 00's. It asked, what kind of decade will the 10's be? I talked with Amber for a little while, then had a nap, then talked with family.

I made pizza and garlic bread for dinner with Diego. Bought this great Garlic butter spread from Hirakata today; it turned out great. As did the pizza; I was very content. Wali (our next door neighbour), was the first to leave tonight. I didn't get to know him well. Still it's sad to think so many more people will be leaving very soon. Jacinthe took the ceramics course this semester and she kindly donated me one of her works; a beautiful green striped bowl. She'll be giving away most of her works, as she just can't psychically take them all home. I came back down to find Diego cleaning the air conditioning filters in the the shower. He said they were black. Been munching on fudge, from the Christmas box I opened tonight (it is sooooo yummy), mandarin, and Diego's sesame seed yatsuhashi. Tomorrow I'm going to get up early and study, then ace the exam! After that going out to tabehodai and karaoke with Koto Club; can't wait.

Day 99 - 7th of December

天気：晴れ
Today was okay; the beginning of a very long week of assessment. And to start things off, a lesson test in Speaking at 9; the last of the lesson tests. I did okay, I think. After that, since I had a two hour break, I decided to go get my cash card problem sorted out. I realised I didn’t have my passbook, so I walked home first. It was a good thing I did, because I had also forgotten to pack my tsume. I took the bus down to the station, and promptly made my way to the bank. The lady I talked with was really helpful, and it ended up being really simple, as soon as I explained my situation to them in Japanese. I just had to fill out a form with my name and address, signature and pin. I retain the pin number, but the card was rendered useless. I thought it was funny that the lady asked my permission before cutting the card with scissors; that’s Japan though. It takes a week for them to process a new card for me, but thankfully I can still withdraw money from my account directly from the bank; and that’s where the passbook came in handy.

It was a little after 11 when I got out, and I was feeling a hungry, so I got some lunch from Makkas, eating it as I walked back to university. It proved to be a messy ordeal, and I got tomato sauce and mayonnaise all over the front of my bag, and badges; whoops. It was very tasty though, so totally worth it. I got back just in time for Reading and Writing, and a kanji quiz; yay… I did fine in that though. After that, my last CEL lesson; wow. We had some more discussion about foreigners in Japan, international marriages in Japan, and issues surrounding naturalisation. We also had the evaluation form to fill out at the end of the class (I’ve already done them for all my other subjects). Overall, it was a pretty interesting class; it’s definitely broadened my knowledge of Japan. During the wait before koto, I managed to interview too more people, a guy from CEL and Amber’s Japanese boyfriend. The later was unexpected and quite spur of the moment, but I’m glad I was able to talk to him.

In koto, I practiced hanagoromo and “Kaze no toorimachi” (from Totoro) for a while, and then got the opportunity to interview Ryoko sempai. We ended up having a very interesting and insightful conversation, which was great for me, and great for her too; she got to practice her English. After koto, I decided to go straight home. I had no beanie, cause I left it somewhere in uni, so my ears got really cold. Luckily, Amber found it and dropped it back to my room. I have a bad habit of leaving things behind, but most things find their way back to me; I guess I’m lucky like that. I had dinner (leftover shepherd’s pie with rice), and then put away my laundry, which I had brought in this morning. Chatted with Amber for a while, then got to sleep.

Day 97 - 5th of December

9:35pm　セミナーハウス
天気：雨天
Just about to watch Twilight now, in preparation for New Moon at the cinemas tomorrow. Basically the plan is, wake up at 7, Flea market, movie, that "light up"; it's going to be great. I'll also try to do the laundry in the morning, if I can wake up. So anyway, today... Woke up at 9, talked with family for a couple of hours, and made banana pancakes. Carly made french toast in my glass dish, and we shared that. It was very interesting; gooey and crunchy at the same time. At about 1, Carly and I went down to Hirakata station to fix up my card, only to find that the bank was closed today, even thought the sheet the guy gave me in the CIE office yesterday said it would be open. I was very disappointed so, regrettably, I going to borrow money from Diego tomorrow. I'm very grateful, but I feel bad about doing it.

We walked back from the station, stopping at the uni, then Soft Bank to fix Carly's phone (it wasn't sending messages - the problem was the sent box was full). We stopped at Kirindo and then the 99円 store. Getting back, we had a very late lunch (4:00) and then worked on assignments. I talked with Alex for a bit, which was nice. Had dinner at7:30, and ate way too much. I feel so fat right now (bleh). Yay, movie time...

Day 96 - 4th of December

10:30pm　セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
Well, I didn't end up going out tonight. 1. Because they were going to an 居酒屋 (izakaya - bar) so I didn't want to risk going underage and 2. because I have no money anyway. You see, after my Japanese class, I went to get out money from the ATM and somehow my brain switched the order of my pin number. So, the ATM denied my card. I didn't realise at first, so I went to the CIE to let them know. It was only when I was talking to the women there that I remembered my actual pin number. So I thanked her, and went back to try again. I knew now for sure that I was putting in the correct number. Still, no luck. Now I was a bit disgruntled and thought about just going home; I didn't though. Instead, I went back to the CIE and talked with a guy this time. He kindly accompanied me to the ATM to see what the problem was. The English version just said please inquire at the office, but when he read the Japanese version it said I had put in the wrong pin more than three times and therefore I had to go to the branch and get a new card; I felt so stupid.

So yeah, since the bank closes at 3 on weekdays, I had no time to go this afternoon, so I'm going to go tomorrow. I got back home, got my reading and writing homework done and ate lunch. It seemed that everyone was out drinking tonight, so it was nice and quiet in the kitchen. I made Shepherd's pie and watched TV. There's an interesting song on at the moment called おなら恥ずかしくないよ (Onara hazukashikunai yo - don't be embarrassed about farting). It's hilarious. The main singer is a cross dresser and, along with his two back-up dancers, farts love hearts. We've tracked down the video on the Internet, and are trying to find the lyrics to translate. The tune is actually really catchy. Before the music video begins, there's a short scene of a woman in a public place, worrying about "passing wind". I guess the song is basically promoting the fact that it's okay for women to fart in public. The song has been on all week on this particular show; only in Japan hey! After that, the ice skating came on, so we watched that for a bit, while Carly made french toast. Going to eat that tomorrow with my banana pancakes. Anyway, time for bed.