Day 269 - 26th of May

11:07pm　普通

天気：雨天

The fact that I’m writing this now on a local train means that yes, I’m still in Japan; I missed my flight!!! I think this would have to be the biggest, most costly mistake I’ve made in my entire life; I feel terrible. At least I have Carly; she’s been a rock, and a shoulder to cry on. So now, we’re going to go back to the hostel, and try to book another flight for as soon as possible. I’m so exhausted; lugging my luggage here only to find I’d missed the flight was heartbreaking, and backbreaking. The airport was already really empty when we got there, and there were only a more flights. These really nice ladies stayed around and tried their best to help, but they had to leave eventually. I bought a phone card, and eventually figured out how to use it; my mind just wasn’t working by that point. The phone started ringing, and mum answered and I was soon reduced to tears; breaking the bad news wasn’t easy on either of us. I really feel like I’ve let everybody down, most of all myself. I had the wrong time stuck in my head; I should have checked the time again. Well, hopefully this has taught me a lesson; something for everyone to be wary of. Anyway, the rest of my day was quite pleasant, and we got a lot done…

In the morning, we got ready and packed and checked out at about 10. Check out consisted of putting our linen in the basket and leaving our key on the bed; too easy. We went over to the main building and Carly booked another night with them; it was the cheapest and easiest option. They were also nice enough to hold our luggage. After we returned with Carly’s luggage, we made our way to Sensouji for one last look around. I bought a heap of souvenirs and found a really great bargain on a carry-on bag; it was a perfect size too. The best thing was, it was free; I finally used the gift cards I had won from singing at INFES. After Sensouji, we went in search of the cat café nearby (I saw the ad in Asakusa Smile), and eventually found it. For 800円, we got to spend an hour in a room full of cats and kittens, playing with them and petting them as much as we like; it was so much fun! The woman who ran it was really nice, and I was able to talk with her a lot in Japanese; she appreciated my Osaka dialect. Most of the cats were pretty placid, but all the kittens were super energetic; they were jumping and running about all over the place. They did tire out eventually though, and they looked so cute sleeping. We left there at about 2, and then made our way to 九段下 (Kudanshita) Station, in hopes of looking around the imperial palace… Well, this is the last stop; we didn’t make it back to Asakusa. Now we’ll have to find somewhere to sit and wait; maybe a Denny’s?

12:54am　マック　

天気：雨天

We’re here in 津田沼 (Tsudanuma), a place that I otherwise would have never had visited, were it not for my stupid mistake; how lucky I am. Well, we didn’t find a Denny’s, but a 24 hour Makkas is right outside the station, and that’s where we are now; thank God for 24 hour restaurants. I just enjoyed a midnight meal (double cheeseburger set), and got a blue coke glass, in commemoration of the FIFA world cup; another thing fate has delivered me. It’s actually really cool, and I’m sure it’ll be a collector’s item someday. Carly’s curled up in a ball, sleeping; I wish I could get to sleep that easy. Oh well, I may as well write about the rest of my yesterday… Getting off at Kudanshita turned out to be really successful; I noticed a sign for 靖国神社 (Yasakuni Shrine), shortly after exiting the station. I had forgotten about wanting to go there, so I jumped at the opportunity. It was a beautiful, but solemn place, filled with the spirits of the war dead; man and animal alike. I was really glad I got to see it. From there, we walked through 北の丸公園 (Kita no Maru Park), walking past the 日本武道館 (The Budokan), and through some wonderful gardens. Since the Imperial Palace grounds were in fact closed, and it was starting to rain, we made our way to the nearest station (竹橋駅 – Takebashi), and took the subway to Shibuya; the 東西線 (Tozai line), and then the Ginza line.

In Shibuya, we searched around a little while for a good, reasonably priced place to eat; I wanted my “last” meal in Japan to be Japanese cuisine. We found this nice, little vending machine operating place and I ordered the katsudon set, which came with udon noodles and trsukemono; simple and delicious. After dinner, we went in search of purikura machines, and ended up finding a bit more than we had hoped. Searching diligently for a purikura place, Carly spotted a Krispy Kreme restaurant; of course we had to go in!!! I was thoroughly impressed. While we were making our orders, we were given a free donut; the original glazed. Since I was going to order that (since it is undoubtedly the best tasting donut ever), I could now order two different things; I got one with strawberry filling, and the other with raspberry. I only ate the glazed one at that point, saving the others for the train ride. We kept on searching for purikura, and eventually found a room full of them. Not too fussed about the style we could have, we just got into the first vacant one we could find; this one made our eyes look intensely blue. By the time we exited it was 7 o’clock (the time at which I should have already been at the airport), and I took a few more photos of Shibuya, and videotaped the crazyness of the crossing.

Trying to find the Ginza line to take back to Asakusa was not fun at all; this was the start of the downfall of the night. We ended up going up and down and around in a great big circle before realising that it was actually on the third floor; why a subway line would be there I have no idea. Since we were going from one end of the line to the other, it ended up taking about 30 minutes to get to Asakusa. I enjoyed my strawberry filled donut, getting jam and icing sugar all over my vest; it was wonderful. It was when I was just about to step into the hostel at almost 8, when it finally clicked that the flight was actually at 9:25, not 11:25. I immediately went into overdrive, packing my carryon bag at lightning speed, and then rushing over to the station to find the Toei Asakusa line to Narita Airport; there were lots of stairs involved. Things fell apart when we realised we were on the wrong train, and we had to switch twice to right it. Waiting around in the train was the worst experience ever, because I knew that everything was out of my hands; meanwhile the clocks were steadily ticking. I hoped against hope that I might just make it, forgetting the dismal implausibility of it.

We were still on the train by the time the plane took off, and ended up being only 10 minutes late, well really, I would have had to have gotten there at least 30 minutes before departure time to make it to the terminal. So that was that; my “last” 269^th day in Japan. Hopefully I can book a flight for tomorrow, and it’ll be all good; lucky I have the money for it. I guess now I’ll just write some general pointers about Tokyo, to sum up my holiday here… Asakusa Hostel is a wonderfully cheap place to stay if you just want somewhere to sleep and don’t have much luggage; having as much stuff as we did is absurd. I think the train system is pretty easy to navigate once you get used to it, and if you make mistakes (like we did) it’s not too hard to right them. Yes, there are over 20 lines operating both above and below ground, but that just means that everywhere is really accessible; the prices are decent too. There are lots of places in Tokyo that don’t smell too pleasant; just putting that one out there. We would just be walking down some street, and then suddenly our noses would come across a most unappealing stink. In general, it seems that residents of Tokyo automatically assume that foreigner = tourist = zero Japanese ability; and that’s what makes it different to Osaka. There wasn’t as much English signage, nor as many foreigners in Tokyo as I thought there would be. Of course, the touristy areas were more catered towards foreigners but still, not as much as I expected; not like Kyoto. And I think that’s about it; for now. We’ve still got a few hours before the trains start up again, so I might try to get some sleep, just like the two old guys either side of me and Carly in front of me…

Day 181 - 27th of February

天気：曇り
Against expectations, it did not rain today, which meant that I was at least active during the afternoon… I tried to get up at 9:30, but ended up falling back to sleep, finally getting up at about 11. Hugo was still in bed, so I had breakfast, and then went out to the lounge, and played Final Fantasy Tactics A2 on my DS; it was really great to be able to read most of the text. Shortly after 12, I went up to ask Ash if she still wanted to go to Yamada Lake. She did, so we decided to leave at 1; Rachel came along too. Since Ash doesn’t have a bike, we walked, and it was a very pleasant walk; the sun was out and it was warm. Soon enough we reached the lake, and circumnavigated it clockwise. There were many cats out enjoying the fine weather, much to the girls’ delight. We walked through the Queensland fauna exhibition (which was very familiar to me), and then made our way around past the bamboo grove. As we approached it, we noticed a large group of people with telescopic cameras on tripods set up. We were unsure of why they were all gathered around this spot but were soon to find out. From out of the trees came 1, 2, 3 beautiful green breasted, purple-winged birds that might have been parrots or doves; it was hard to tell. Straight away we knew that they were the photographers’ focus, as a flurry of flashing noises filled the air; I didn’t get a very decent shot since I was so far back. We figured that they were a rare species, or only came here during a certain time of year. It was really cool to be able to see them; the photographer’s must have put food there to coax them out. We came just at the right time, as they soon flew off.

We continued on to the plum grove, to find the ground a patchwork of pink and white. There were still a lot of flowers on the trees, but not nearly as many as the other day; yesterday’s rain had not been kind. It was still a very pretty sight, and I couldn’t help but to take another round of photos. We ended up spending about two hours in the park, walking through the woods, going out to the pagoda on the lake, and finally making our way back round the lake to the south exit; it was a lot of fun. Feeling hungry, Ash suggested we go to かっぱ寿司 (Kappazushi), a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. Since I had never been, and hadn’t had sushi in a while, I thought, why not; Rachel was keen too. It was only a short walk from where we were too, on the highway. I was really amazed by the set up; three lots of conveyor belts coming out from the kitchen, surrounded by booths. And basically, as soon as you sat down you could start eating, taking what you like off the conveyor belt.

Pretty much all the selections were 105円 each, with some items (like the desserts) being a bit more expensive; calculating the bill was just a matter of counting the number of plates. They mostly served 握り寿司 (Nigirizushi – lit. “hand-formed sushi), which is basically an oblong mound of rice, with a bit of wasabi, and topping draped over it. This could be some sort of fish, including salmon and tuna, octopus, roe, eel, squid, shrimp, or sometimes egg. There was also 稲荷寿司 (Inarizushi), which is a pouch of deep fried tofu filled with rice, and takoyaki, the octopus-filled dumplings. If you wanted to order something in particular, you could a touch screen system to make your selection, which is exactly what Rachel did; she wanted to try takoyaki. It was promptly delivered to our table on the back of a mini Shinkansen that came straight from the kitchen; no need for waiters. I was just content with the selection that came around. I really liked the Inarizushi, and the eel Nigirizushi. I also got a dessert; a sort of tiramisu pudding. Considering how small the portions are, I was full after 6 plates. As Ash explained, it probably has something to do with the break between servings, allowing your stomach to “catch up”.

Feeling very satisfied, we paid and left; I’ll have to go back again sometime. Actually, Saigou Sensei told our class about a really good sushi place past Yamada Lake, which is, in his opinion far, superior to Kappazushi; have to check it out. Ash wanted to go to the uni, and do some grocery shopping, so we walked back down the highway, towards Midori. On the way, I was informed of what, or rather who, Don Quijote was; a fictional character of Spanish literature written in the 1600’s. Apparently it’s really well known novel, though I’ve never heard of it; I’ll have to try and find it and read it now. Anyway, we walked over to the uni, to find it still open, and went to the CIE. Ash was expecting a parcel, and was disappointed when she found out it hadn’t arrived; it’ll probably be there on Monday. Having nothing else to do at the uni, we went on to Fresco, and the Lawson 100円 store (recently converted from the 99円 store), and I picked up a few things. When we finally got home it was after 6. I stayed in the kitchen for a while and chatted with Simon, then went down to my room and read some more. Finally feeling a bit hungry again, I went up and made dinner at 8; gyudon.

After cleaning at 9 (it was Ash’s week, but Rachel and I also chipped in), we contemplated on what we should do, considering Katie and Sarah were still out; they had gone to Kyoto today. We didn’t want to watch firefly without them, so Ash invited the two of us back up to her room to figure out something to watch on her laptop. I suggested we watch Hetalia, and Rachel was immediately taken by the idea, having never seen it before; Ash was more than eager to introduce it to her. So we got set up on the futon, laptop on the table, and proceeded to watch the entirety of the first season; 26 episodes. Keep in mind the episodes are only five minutes each, so we finished up just after midnight. Katie came back in that time, having gone to eat at a Mexican restaurant; that would have been great. She soon went to Sarah’s room, leaving just the three of us. I was really tired by the end of it, and went straight to bed.

Day 137 - 14th of January

11:01pm　セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
I had an eventful day today. Well, I should stay, eventful afternoon; I only got up at 12… After breakfast, I went into Hirakata by bus, my first stop being Animate. I’d gone to the one in Den den town, and remembered Ash talking about one in Hirakata. I found out it was in the department store by Makkas; I’ve been there several times. It was vastly smaller than the one in Den den town, but I still found some stuff. I got two more Hetalia cans (Germany, and Japan), a “China” badge, and the manga. Out the front, they had a bunch of capsule machines, and I wanted to get another Hetalia key chain. The first time around, I accidently put my money in the machine above, and ended up with a badge from an anime I don’t know. Still, it was another badge, so I eagerly added it to the collection on my bag, along with China.

After Animate, I went down to the men’s floor, and bought just one item; a long sleeve shirt. After that, I went over to Makkas for lunch, trying the new Texas burger. It was actually really nice; beef, bacon, cheese, mustard, barbeque sauce, pesto, and some sort of crunchy bread flakes. After that, I had a quick look in Book Off, and then decided to go on an adventure. Out of Book Off, I turned right and followed the train tracks toward Osaka; my destination would be Hirakata Park; just one station down. This was by no means a boring walk; there was so much to discover along the way. First, I came across the 一乗寺 (Ichijou temple), and a park that offered a view of the city from the top of its slide. I continued walking up the hill, and into a forest, up and up stairs, and found the 意賀美神社 (Okami shrine), at the top.

It was such a beautiful complex, with the main shrine, and a number of other smaller shrines attached. Calm washed over me as I walked through. It was so quiet with only a few people coming in to pray and drop off their “holy garbage”. I feel such a connection with nature whenever I enter shrines, much more so than I do when I’m in temples. The location probably has something to do with it (shrines are usually situated in forested areas), but I think there’s more to it. I continued down the other side of the hill, to find myself in a plum tree grove. Surprisingly, some of the trees had already started to bloom. I continued to make my way over to a park, and took in the amazing view of the city and river, and mountains beyond; I’ll definitely go back in spring. Down the hill I went, past some very photogenic cats, and then through the streets to another temple. I can’t find the reading for this temple (大降寺 - daikouji?), but across from it was a 願生防 (ganshoubou – priest’s residence); I’d love to live in a place like that.

After taking some photos of the ハボタン (habotan - ornamental cabbage) out the front, I made my way over to the tracks, and took some photos whilst standing on them, only to be scared out of my pants when the warning signal sounded. I scurried off, and made my way up another hill, to find yet another temple, which I also can’t find the reading for (臺鐘時 – daishouji? - “standing bell temple”). It was, like the previous one, deserted, and there was a rock garden with some cool statues. Around the back was a cemetery, and I continued walking through it, going into more streets. Hirakata Park’s Ferris wheel was in sight, so I knew I wasn’t far off, and true to my prediction, I soon came to Hirakata Park station. It’s all yellow and purple, and adorned with characters from the park. I made the short walk over to the park and took a quick squiz. I definitely want to go there; it’ll have to wait till spring though.

I was now feeling very cold, and my feet were sore, so I got on the train, planning to take it to Makino and then walk home. When I got to 御殿山 (Gotenyama) however, I jumped off the train; what was I thinking. Gotenyama is one stop away from Makino, and the closest station to the university. I was on a mission to find more Final Fantasy elixir with figurines and I knew the Lawsons near the uni had them in stock. So choosing a totally random route, I made my way there, not really knowing where I was going; I really do love getting lost. I climbed another massive hill, only to be rewarded with another impressive view, and soon had the university main administration building in sight; good thing it’s so tall. I found my way back to the main drag, and excitedly made my way over to Lawsons and bought the box set. I was over the moon when I found Snow Villiers inside, but disappointed when I found the same design on the can. I’m thinking, I’m going to go back and try and see if I can do and exchange with another can; can’t hurt to try. I walked back through the uni and homeward.

Unfortunately, Avail was calling me, and I couldn’t help myself; they were having a winter clearance; it was also a nice reprieve from the cold. In the end, after trying a number of things, I only bought a jumper; I was going for a really good price, and I love the Engrish on it. I returned home, and talked with mum for about an hour before going up for dinner. I made egg, tomato, and cheese toasted sandwiches with rice. As an added flavour, I crunched up the rest of my corn chips into the rice. It actually tasted really nice; I enjoyed the texture too. For dessert I had two taiyaki (caramel filled) that I had bought just before going into uni; they were so good! I kept Jacinthe company during, and after dinner for about an hour; she’d had a nothing day. I was good to talk. She also showed me the textbooks for Japanese 4; they look heavy! Aki came over and told us she’d be moving over to seminar house 4 next semester, so that will leave Yuji and Asumi (to come) as RAs; Hiroshi will be returning to seminar house 3. After trying to read through a few passages of Doumo (Speaking textbook) I said goodnight, and come back down here and showered. Today was a lot of fun but now I think it’s time for sleep…

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