Day 219 - 6th of April

10:56pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
Another beautiful day; it was almost too warm… almost. I’m really, really hoping the weather stays like this, because I’m thinking about going to Himeji castle this weekend; should be able to catch the last of the cherry blossoms. See how I go; it might be nicer, and certainly cheaper, to just go into Kyoto. Anyway, about my day… I got up just after 9, and after getting ready, rode to Sanko to do a small grocery shop; I needed a few more things for biscuits. Unfortunately when I got there, they still hadn’t opened. I found this quite annoying, especially considering they’re supposed to open at 9:30; I had to wait around till almost 10. Anyway that done, I got back home and after unpacking my groceries I did a little bit of last minute study for Religion. I made my way to uni shortly after, and truly began to appreciate just how lovely and warm it was today. After Speaking class, I went to the club room and practiced koto for an hour with Maarika, and caught up with Midori sempai, who had just been on a short exchange to Australia. Getting to Religion, I ended up finishing the exam in 15 minutes; as did many of my other classmates. It was a piece of cake, or as I’ve come to learn a 河童の屁 (kappa no he – Kappa’s fart), in Japanese. Actually I lie, there were a couple that threw me a bit, but I feel pretty confident about it. I was done just as the professor came back with the compilation of this group’s interview write-ups for us to read; taking the handouts, I left.

When I got to my bike, I realised I needed baking paper, so I made my way over to Kirindo, and got some; bought some juice too. I decided to take a route through the houses to get home, and it was actually really interesting. I noticed a shrine on the way, and now I really want to go back to check it out; it’s amazing what you’ll find in side streets. Getting back, I had lunch, and then got stuck into baking biscuits; Milo ones again. I think this mixture turned out a lot better than the last, and I ended up making about 30 decent sized biscuits. I’ve got them in a box in my room now, and I’ve so tempted to eat them all. I’ve already put aside the ones for Rachael, so I’m not allowed to touch them. That ended up taking about 2 hours, and in that time, I got my Speaking homework done. Getting back downstairs, I decided I wanted to go to Avail, so I did. I wore my new shoes for the first time today, and they’re already starting to get a little dirty; can’t be helped. I wasn’t doing any shoes shopping today though; I was more interested in the bargains. And there were plenty. They were still clearing out the winter clothes, and some of the prices were amazing; 500円 for long sleeve T-shirts! I ended up making two purchases, which made me very happy; I haven’t bought anything from there for a while now.

Getting back worked on my vocab and studied kanji until I went up to have dinner at about 7. I mixed last night’s leftovers with the rest of my rice, and added carrot and bok choy, and a bit of soy sauce; it turned out great. I sat with Rachel and Ash, and finally payed them back; out of debt once again. I also retrieved Jazz’s battery charger from my room for her. After finishing dinner, I had a Milo (you’d think I’d already had enough from all the biscuits I’d ate) and a banana for dessert, and then helped Rebecca with her dinner. She was making yakisoba for the first time and wasn’t feeling very confident about it, so I offered to help; I ended up cooking it for her. It’s my own fault for being such a control freak; at least she prepared it all. And I gave her some pointers, so I think she’ll be right to do it on her own next time. I’m certainly no professional myself; I wind it most of the time. She gave me her approval after getting into it, so that made me feel good; I would have hated to have cooked a bad meal for someone. Anyway, Ash and Rachel soon left, but Katie arrived, so I talked with her for a bit, and then left myself. It was about 8:30 when I got back down, and I decided I would have a shower and shave; feel much better now. After that, I sorted my laundry for tomorrow, and then did some reading for class. Finally, I uploaded a bunch of photos on facebook, and here I am; better get some sleep…

Day 205 - 23rd of March

9:40am　休息所

天気：雨天

In the lobby, waiting for Sandy and Nan to eat their breakfast on the 13 floor; the buffet breakfast wasn’t included as part of Alex’s and my stay. I’ll just pick up something small later; Alex and I are thinking of going to sweets paradise for lunch, so I should save my appetite. Despite expectations, I slept really well; I guess I really needed it. After going to nakau for dinner again, we got back to the hotel and after talking for a while, fell asleep from exhaustion. Anyway, don’t know what we’re doing today; just have to wait and see…

11:15pm　セミナーハウス

Alex + Japan = one of the best days ever. Seriously, whenever we’re together on holiday in Japan, we have at least one day that is absolutely amazing, and today was that day; everything was perfect. My feet are killing me, and I’m really tired, physically and mentally, but it was so worth it… After checking out, we went into the adjoining department store, and Sandy and Nan did some last minute shopping; not that they didn’t already have enough clothes. Actually, Sandy found an absolutely amazing deal on boots; I wish there were some for men. We went down to the basement floor, to find an ATM, and came across an outlet store; lots of really cool imported miscellany. Of course, I had to by some badges for my bag. After that, more clothes shopping ensued, and Alex got a really great looking hat. I thought it would be a good idea to take them to the new department store across from the station; the massive one. So we made our way over there, walking through the station, past all the restaurants. We found a bakery, and Alex and I decided to pick up something to eat; I just got a sandwich. Then we continued on, past more restaurants, and the really cool water feature; which Sandy and Nan really appreciated.

Going outside, we made our way over to the department store, only to find that it actually hadn’t opened yet; I had misinterpreted the sign. On it, it said in English, “Spring Open”; so I assumed since it was indeed spring, it should be open. So we made our way back to the awesome flan store (called Berry Café), in the station. Sandy just had to try one of the flans; I had a feeling they would be very expensive. Nevertheless, we went in and sat down, and everyone ordered expect me; Nan was shouting, but I didn’t feel right letting her pay for me. Since I was thinking at that point we’d be going to sweets paradise anyway, I wasn’t really fussed. I have to say though, the flans looked incredible; it’s a shame I didn’t take a photo. The slices were also a pretty decent size; though still not worth as much money as they were. I ended up trying a bit of Alex’s, which was a custard tart topped with banana and mango; it was very tasty. Sandy got the same one, and Nan ordered some sort of chocolate filled flan with strawberries, raspberries, and dark chocolate on top; equally as tasty. Also, I ended up drinking Sandy’s hot chocolate since it was “too strong” for her; it was indeed very chocolaty.

After leaving the café, we went in search of another ATM (this time for Nan), and after asking at the information desk, we were directed upstairs to one close to the shinkansen section of the station; the old man who told us the way was so nice. Since we were right there, Alex suggested Sandy and Nan buy their shinkansen tickets, and with our help, they did; just used the machines. We had thought of going to Kyoto tower, but seeing how Sandy and Nan wanted to get to Tokyo at a decent time (it was about 1 o’clock at the time), they decided they would go now. So after, hugs and kisses, they went back to the hotel to pick up their luggage, before they would be spirited off to Tokyo on the shinkansen. As soon as we parted, Alex was feeling all protective of them; she had been with them in Japan since they got off the plane. I assured her they would be fine, and she knew they would be; with hand gestures and pointing, they’d get the message. And besides, in Tokyo there would be many more people who can speak English; they’re going to have a great time.

So, now Alex and I had to decide what we wanted to do for the rest of the day. After a little bit of thinking, we decided that we wanted to do some shopping, because we really hadn’t done enough; we’d mostly just been watching Sandy and Nan. We thought about taking a bus at first, but then I suggested we just take the subway, since it would be cheaper; well actually it was 10円 dearer, which really isn’t that big a deal anyway. We went two stops away to 烏丸 (karasuma – lit. “crow circle”), and soon emerged out into a rain-filled sky. This time, it was my turn to find an ATM, and as luck would have it, there was a Sumitomo Mitsui bank just across the street; it was a massive building. After going to the toilet (which had automated everything – flusher, soap dispenser, water, hand drier), we found the ATM room over in the other corner of the room. After that, we went back out onto the street, and started walking up the street; not entirely sure where we were going.

Of course, we were exactly where wanted to be (all thanks to me needing an ATM), and after a bit of walking, we found the entrance to 寺町 (teramachi – lit. “temple town), which is the huge long shopping street I can never remember the name of; hopefully now I will. The next three hours consisted of some of the most enjoyable and satisfying shopping I’ve ever done; it was great…first we come across ABC Mart, and each bought an amazing pair of converse shoes. Alex got a black pair with a blue tongue, and I got an orange, green and blue plaid design pair. We also bought some bright coloured laces to go with them; Alex glittery purple, and me green. Well, they aren’t boots (which I’m still looking for), they are an awesome pair of converse; and so cheap too. Next, we came across a t-shirt print store, where you could get kanji, hiragana, or katakana printed on a shirt colour and size of your choice. The kanji was limited to a few pages of words and expressions, and a set that represented the phonetic alphabet so you could get your name in kanji; which wasn’t too appealing. Alex and I both wanted something meaningful to us, and after a lot of deliberating, we both came up with some great ideas.

I poured through my iPod to find some expressions that I liked, and shoed the shopkeeper the “go bash your head on a block of tofu and die” expression. He had a little laugh, and then explained that they didn’t have the kanji, and doing it in hiragana might take up a bit too much space. So I continued looking, and the expression, “don’t worry, be happy” caught my attention. I shoed this one to him, and asked him if it made sense. He told me that the expression was actually in an Okinawan dialect (I was really surprised), so I asked him what the Kansai dialect equivalent would be. He came up with どうにかなんでー (dou ni ka nan de), which roughly translates to something like, “it’ll get done one way or another”. I was really happy with this, so decided to get it. I choose a dark red shirt (A small fit me – so I guessed they were Western sizes; it is a shop catering for tourists after all), and got the hiragana in white. 5 minutes later, it was all done; basically just a matter of arranging the characters, and putting the shirt in an iron press. I got the expression on the front of the shirt, and on the back I got 京都 (Kyoto); this was a complementary service.

Alex decided to get two shirts – a light blue one with ゆきまつだ (Yuki Matsuda – her “Japanese” name) on the front, and 夢 (yume – dream) on the back; and a dark blue one with 濠太剌利 (oosutoraria – Australia) on the front, and 日本 (Nihon – Japan) on the back. I’ll have to go back there again and get some more shirts done; I still want to try to get the tofu expression. It was a good price for what it was too, especially since you could get practically anything you wanted on the shirt, and choose from a huge range of colours. While we were in there, a group of Germans and Japanese came in. I was really impressed with the German woman, who was constantly switching back and forth from Japanese to German; I could understand a lot of the Japanese too. Basically the whole thing was about them wanting to get their family, ‘Deiter’ on a t-shirt, and they were trying to figure out the best way to write that in Japanese; ディター, or ジター. I was also really happy with myself for being able to talk with the shopkeeper to get exactly what I wanted. I know I can speak it, I just need to not be so shy; I’m going to try harder from now on! During the time we were there, we also went into the adjoining shop called 人参倶楽部 (ninjin kurabu – “carrot club”), which had a plethora of anime goods; Alex found some very “interesting” designs on coffee cups.

We were on such a high from buying those shirts that we forgot about our aching feet for a time, and pressed on down the street, looking at a few more shops. In a bag and t-shirt shop, Alex got a really cool looking white rucksack (really cheap too), and I bought a maroon coloured shirt with an awesome design of a phoenix on front and back with the word for phoenix (不死鳥 – fushicho) printed in gold; such a great find. We came to the end of the street, and made a right onto an adjacent one, continuing to browse the shops. I noticed there was a Shakey’s on the street, and since we were feeling hungry, we decided to check it out; Shakey’s is an all you can eat pizza and pasta place. Getting inside we realised that we had come at the end of the lunch time period; it was about 4:15. We asked about dinner time, and found out that it started at 5 and went till 10; unlike sweets paradise, there is no time limit!!! We decided to come back then; it wasn’t too long to wait. In the mean time we did a bit more shopping. I found some caramel latte flavoured yatsuhashi; which in retrospect tastes really amazing although the coffee smell is a little overbearing. Alex wanted to go back to ninjin kurabu, to pick up a watch she had seen for one of her friends. So we walked back there and got the watch; that killed a heap of time.

We got back to Shakey’s a few minutes before 5, and the girl who we had talked with before was nice enough to let us in a bit early. We were seated, and then got stuck into it. I have to tell you now Shakey’s was one of the best eating experiences I’ve ever had!!! First of all, for what it is, it’s amazingly cheap; all you can eat for up to 5 hours! The pizza tasted amazing, and there were so many different toppings; there were even dessert pizzas. I only end up having a little bit of pasta, since I wanted to fit in more pizza; they were all thin-based. Apart from pizza and pasta, there was curry, salad, and even potato wedges. If you want to pay extra, Shakey’s is also a nomihodai (all you can drink) restaurant, which extends to alcoholic drinks. Since we knew that drinking would just fill us up, we decided to just buy one drink (orange juice for Alex, and grape fruit juice for me), which lasted a surprisingly long time; we would just take small sips every now and then. We ended up staying for almost 2 and a half hours, after a lot of eating, we just sat there talking and letting our food digest; although I had to go back one more time to try the new batch of dessert pizzas they had brought out.

While sitting there, Alex laced up her new shoes, using the black ones, and purples one to create a really cool pattern; she’d found an app for the iPod that shoes you about 50 different ways to do laces. We also finally divided the purikura photos up; I got scissors from the lady at the front counter. Alex also had to sort out all the stuff she had bought, trying to minimise the number of bags she had to haul back to Nagoya; she got it down to two, and her backpack. Finally, it was time to leave the wondrous Shakey’s, to whence I will hopefully return to soon. Alex wanted to go back to ninjin kurabu one last time, to by a Rei outfit, so we trudged back there again; luckily it was still open. We had decided to split at the store, so after buying the outfit, we had a big long hug. Then I read a sign saying that the Keihan line and the subway were in the same direction, so we ended up continuing on together. Coming out onto the street, we couldn’t find the subway, so Alex decided she would just take the bus; much easier. So we crossed the road, and waited at the bus stop for it to come; it didn’t take too long. With a final hug, she got on the bus, which soon sped off into the rainy night; now it was time for me to get home. I walked over to 三条駅 (Sanjo station), which is just over the bridge, and caught the rapid express back to Hirakatashi; walking back from Makino wouldn’t have been very pleasant at all. I was so tired that I fell asleep for a little while. When I woke up I felt a little disorientated, and was worried that we had already gone past Hirakatashi. Soon enough though, we came up to Kuzuha, and then went onto Hirakata. I was on the first bus back to the seminar houses, and then used up my last bit of energy to walk home; so exhausted. What a wonderful way to start spring break…

Day 182 - 28th of February

天気：曇り

So, what did I spend the last day of the month doing? Well, not much at all really… I got up at around 8:30, and had a frugal breakfast, and decided to just stay in my pyjamas all day; strangely, Hugo wasn’t back yet. I skyped with Carly, and Alex, before talking with my family for over two hours; got to see my Nanny and Poppy! Then it was time for lunch. The TV was on in the kitchen, and in the right hand corner of the screen there was a map of Japan, with colours flashing around it’s coast; a 津波警報 (tsunami keihou – tsunami warning). There were three colours, red orange and yellow, red being the areas in the most danger, and yellow just having a general warning. Since we’re so far inland, we really have nothing to worry about. I find it quite amazing that an earthquake on the other side of the ocean (in Chile), could potentially have repercussions all the way over here in Japan. Flicking through all the channels, there was a warning on every one of them, the colours being slightly different from station to station; I wonder if a tsunami will hit?

After lunch, I spent the next couple of hours trying to get my blog up to speed; speed unfortunately, is not the word I would use for what the internet possesses here. Hugo eventually came back, and had fun ironing his clothes on the tiny little ironing standing; reminded me of Diego when he used to do it. It almost 3:30 by the time I was satisfied, and then I made my way out to fetch Simon. He had informed me of a fundraiser near Hirakata station for Haiti, and wanted to donate. We had already planned to go out this afternoon to find clothes for the gym, so at least we could look around while we were down there. Riding there was, for the most part, okay. That was until we got to the hill into downtown Hirakata, which provides no room for bikes. It was a less than enjoyable experience, as we sped down the slope, liberally applying the brakes and trying not to hit the side walk on our left (crowed with people), or the cars inches away from us on our right. Well, we both made it unscathed, and continued on to the station.

Here, there was a new dilemma; finding somewhere to park. We really didn’t want to have to pay to park our bikes, so searched for empty areas down side alleys; the problem was that there were “no parking for bikes” signs everywhere. Simon had got a warning ticket down here before, and didn’t want another. We finally found a space over by the park that I only just realised is under major renovation, if that’s the right word; we had walked past it when Simon was going to get his alien registration sorted, and I didn’t even notice. Anyway, we made our way back over there, as it was supposedly where the fundraiser was taking place. Well, when we got there we found nothing, no hint of any activity of the sort. After a little bit a searching, we decided to abandon the cause and go on our second mission; information gathered from facebook obviously doesn’t always have merit. We walked over to Saty, and went to the men’s floor, in search of some gym pants. We’ve been talking about going to the gym for a while now, and since there’s one less than a minute down the road from us that we can use for free (it belongs to the university), we don’t really have an excuse not to go.

In Saty we couldn’t find anything, that wasn’t stupidly priced, and Simon resigned himself to using some pants he already had; so now we were just looking for some for me. We tried in Kintetsu, but were out of luck; all brand name stuff. We even tried in Uniqlo, but all they had were track suits, and I wasn’t about to one of them. So, going all the way down to Hirakata station was a big waste of time; however as I was about to find out, the ride back served as excellent exercise. Yes, it was the hill again, though this time it wasn’t scary at all, just extremely exhausting; I really felt like I was going to die when I got to the top. This made me feel really out of shape, and only made my resolve to go to the gym stronger. Simon wanted to pick some stuff up for dinner, so we made our way to Fresco, Simon having a bit of a stack along the way, resulting in a broken reflector. I was well behind him, and got to witness the whole thing; it was pretty funny. In Fresco we bought a few things, and then, as a last resort we decided to go to Avail to see if they had anything. Well, we didn’t find any shorts, and the track suits were definitely a no. However, I did find a pack of two t-shirts for 300円, which is incredibly cheap. The rest of the time in there was dedicated to trying on other clothes, which proved unsuccessful, and having fun with this little Japanese boy, who was really good at speaking English. He was very excitable, and wasn’t shy at all, as he came up to us, and played hide-and-seek; I was really surprised.

We finally got back after 6. We didn’t achieve very much, but at least we had a little bit of fun, and got some exercise. Since Simon was going up to eat his 枝豆 (edamame – green soybeans) for dinner, I thought I might as well eat too. I heated up some stew, and was soon enjoying it with bread. We stayed up there for a little while, and then parted, intent on study. I tried on my new shirts, and they fit perfectly. Hugo was a little worried that they weren’t going to fit; the M size singlet he has is really tight. In Avail, when I saw the pants I had bought a while back, I thought, why not wear them; they’re pretty much sweat pants. Simon agreed when I showed him; they’re black, so they match my shirts too. Now I feel ready to go to the gym; and I spent way less than I had expected to for it. I studied until 9, and then went up to the kitchen for a snack, inevitably staying up there to sit and talk with Ash; she had just gotten back from her day with Peter at USJ. The tsunami warning was still on TV, though the threat had greatly lessened, with the most dangerous colour gone from the map. Just after 10, I went back downstairs, and did another hour of studying, before getting ready for bed; lesson test tomorrow…

Day 172 - 18th of February

11:36pm　セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
Well, it started off being a nice sunny day, but after noon the weather turned, and it was again cloudy and rainy; I’m kinda getting sick of it. Anyway, I slept in till about 9:30, before deciding it would be better to get up and be productive. I had breakfast, showered, and then studied, and did some of my reading for Religion. Although it was sunny, the walk to uni was still chilly, so the warmth of the CIE building was comforting. We had another speech in Speaking, and then ended up just revising for the rest of the lesson; test tomorrow! I made a quick dash to the convenience store, and snacked on some bread before going to Religion; met Katie and Rachael on the way back. We talked about the “this worldly” benefits as a central part of Shinto practice. People use お守り (Omamori – protection charms) and 絵馬 (ema - prayer boards), for things ranging from the mundane to the absurd. Commercialism has definitely crept into it, with Hello Kitty Omamori, and KFC ema! No joke, one year (the year of the rooster), a shrine came out with ema depicting Colonel Sanders holding a rooster with the three kanji characters next to him sounding out Kentucky ~ 健多喜 – Ken-ta-ki – lit. “Health and lots of happiness”; you have to give the priest who came up with it credit though.

There is even a shrine that uses panties as ema, and if you didn’t bring your own, you can buy them at the shrine; so crazy. This is linked with fertility and women’s health, especially concerning gynaecological issues. Another ema depicted 水子 (mizuko – aborted foetuses) being protected by one of the Bodhisattvas (can’t remember his name). These ema were actually addressed to the aborted foetuses, and where a way for people to apologise. And yet another ema at the Thomas Edison shrine (yes, Thomas Edison is a “god” in Shinto belief ~ he was deified for helping to set up electricity in Tokyo) that is primarily used for people to wish for success in exams, actually has the expression “genius is 1%, 99% perspiration written on it in Japanese; so cool. I’m actually thinking, as my assignment, to go around and photograph, and try to translate, a whole bunch of ema to see just what people wish/hope for; it would be pretty interesting I think. All the arrangements were finalised for the Fushimi Inari trip on Sunday, and hopefully I can drag Simon along. I asked him after class, and he said he would be interesting in coming, and possibly going to the flea markets afterwards; totally doable.

This was as Simon, Tomo and I were walking toward the bike shop on the main street that goes past the university, hoping to find Simon a new bike. Unfortunately, the bike shop was closed (on holiday), so that wasn’t happening. Put off, but still eager to buy a bike today, Simon decided to try for the shop in Makino. So he left, with Tomo in tow, while I decided to go do some grocery shopping; I was in need of a few things. I went to Fresco first since it was closer, and then went to Kirindo; yay for cheap stuff. Then I made my way back home, back through the uni; I thought it would be quicker that way. I made it home just as it started to pour with rain, and went straight to the kitchen to have some lunch; the golf was on TV, in Arizona! After lunch, I went back to my room and talked with my parents until it was time to go out again; Japanese-French exchange. When I got there (room 3401 of the CIE building), I was surprised at just how popular it was. Jacinthe, as teacher, went through a few really basic things, and then let us loose. French speakers partnered up with non-French speakers; it turned out that there were slightly more of the later. I ended up speaking with three French people (Hugo included) in the hour we had, I couldn’t help but to feel completely inadequate; starting a new language basically from scratch is damn hard. I mean, I did do French in primary school for three years, but that was a long time ago!

Anyway, it was a pretty fun experience, and I did pick up a few things; it’s just trying to retain it that’s the problem. I don’t know if I’m going to pursue this any further, especially since I am trying to focus on Japanese right now; but it’s something. Hugo seemed to appreciate it, and was very eager to teach; he was very patient with me too. That was finished by 7:30, so I made my way back home, in the cold of the night. When I got back, I spotted Simon in the computer room, and he told me the good news; a new bike that is apparently very sexy? We shall see… anyway, that means I can go get his old one register in my name now; we’ll be doing that on Saturday. After chatting with him, I went up to make dinner (yakisoba), and then sat around a talked for a while. At one point we reminisced about Fantasia, and Ash, Rachael, and I voiced “A Night on Bald Mountain”; that was a lot of fun. Not wanting to leave, but study beckoning, I went back down and got stuck into it; Hugo too. We were interrupted (but not in a bad way) firstly by Simon, who came in to show off his new plaid shirt, and then Marine (I think that’s her name), who came to steal some movies off Hugo’s external hard drive; he must have almost 50 on there. And then all the time suddenly disappeared, and it was time to get ready for bed. Fingers crossed I do okay tomorrow…

Day 146 - 23rd of January

23:13pm　セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
Today was a so much fun… I woke up at about 9:30, showered, washed my hair, and shaved. At about 10:30, my first new roommate arrived; Jamie Lee Sykes (not Skyes – spelt it wrong). He’s from Leeds, from the same uni as Peter and Rachel; Peter’s going into home stay, and Rachel’s staying here. We chatted for a while, and then I went out to wait in the lounge for Jacinthe. So many people were arriving this morning; and throughout the rest of the day no doubt. Jacinthe came down to let me know she’d be ready soon, and then Jo turned up; back from her epic trip. I immediately took her to my room so she could pick up her luggage, before going back down to the lounge.

When Jacinthe came, she asked if I’d borrowed a bike, and I said I hadn’t, but then I thought, “I’ll go and borrow Jo’s”. So I went back up and got her key off her, no problem. It felt weird riding, but it wasn’t as scary as I thought. It certainly made the trip feel a lot shorter; it would have taken at least and hours walk. We stopped at a 7/11 on the way, so I could get some money out, and then we continued on down the highway. Eventually we got there; Jacinthe recognized the building. It’s next to “Round One”, which has a bowling alley, karaoke, and the like. Apart from the theatres, this building had a number of clothes shops, restaurants, a bookshop and pet shop.

We went to the cinemas first to check the times; jump of excitement when I saw that it was there. There was either a 4:10 in 2-D, or 5:20 in 3-D. Of course we went with the 3-D version. It was a little more expensive, but had to do it. So, tickets bought, we had 5 hours to kill. First off, we had to eat, so Jacinthe took me to a ramen place nearby; it was great. Then we went back and hit the clothes shops. I managed to find a great pair of pants. At about 3, we went to the coffee shop, and got soft cream; chatted there for a while. Then we went upstairs and played the taiko game, before going to the pet shop; so many cute, and exotic animals. Still with over an hour to go, we went to the bookshop, and spent a while there, looking at the sheet music books, and language textbooks; Jacinthe is teaching French to Japanese students.

Finally, after watching some school-aged guys playing the taiko game (they were damn good), and going back to a clothes shop so Jacinthe should buy a dress, we got to the cinema right on time. Bought caramel popcorn (as always), and drinks, and got seated; the theatre was absolutely packed. 3-D glasses on, and we were straight into it. The sound quality was absolutely shocking and I was so worried the whole movie was going to be like that (it would have totally ruined it), but they fixed it up after a few minutes; so relieved… three hours later and we were out. I thought it was epic; the 3-D was really cool, and I felt so absorbed into the movie. The story was great, and the graphics were incredible; it was so organic and realistic.

It was 8:30, dark, and the ride back was cold. When we did get back, we found a bunch of people in the lounge, listening to Otousan play guitar; I was really surprised! He was very modest about it (of course), but Okaasan was there spurring him on. After he’d finished, Okaasan brought her koto out!!! I piped up that I was in the koto club, so she insisted that I played; practically dragged me to the ground. But first, I had to go get my tsume from my room. As soon as I got in, I realised someone was in bed. Unfortunately, I had to turn the light on, which revealed two people in bed; one in mine! I quickly got the tsume, and then got back to the lounge.

The koto was old and dusty, and way out of tune. I was able to tune it with relative ease, which made me really proud of myself. And what did I play; Sakura sakura of course. I was a little nervous, but got it out pretty well; it’s easy. Everyone applauded, and then I played Hanagoromo; it was good practice. Soon after, the woman I know for CIE came in, and Okaasan insisted an encore of Sakura sakura. Then, it was her turn. My tsume actually fit her pretty well; she explained that hers had broken. She also told me that she hasn’t played in 10 years, so is out of practice; she got through Sakura sakura pretty good though. So now, she wants me to be her teacher, and says I can play her koto anytime I want. This is great for me; I’ll be able to get plenty of practice in before the concert.

Since I was a bit hungry, I went up with Jacinthe to borrow her knife (which turned out to be a carving knife), and went to the kitchen with her to make avocado on toast. Since they’d taken the toasters away, and even the toaster oven, we had to use the microwaves; one of my pieces of bread got a bit burnt. Jacinthe borrowed my Jam, so she was happy. After that, I snuck into my room again, and got the Jo’s bike key and my flash drive; so I could do my blog on the computers. I first went to sit with Jo and Sarita in the lounge, and Jo told us about her adventures in Thailand; so cool. Then I came in here (the computer room), and started on my blog, getting pleasantly distracted by Rachel and Peter.

Now it’s just me and Peter in here; Sarita’s in the lounge on Skype. I really don’t want to go back to my room, especially since my bed has been taken; by Hugo. I mean, when you come see three beds and two are unmade and the other is made, why would you take the made one? I guess I should have made it more obvious, and I’ve only used it once, but still. Oh well, I’ll be off soon. I’m really glad I finally got to see Avatar; it was definitely worth it. The movie was in English, with subtitles (which really popped out) but, as I’d expected, when they spoke in the Na’vi language, there were only Japanese subtitles. Still, it was easy enough to get the gist of it (I could read bits of the Japanese), though it will be nice to see what they’re actually saying. Anyway, it’s time for sleep...

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 111 - 19th of December

10:54pm　セミナーハウス
天気：　寒い
Today was… pretty lazy. I didn’t get up till 11; again. Diego went out again with Jessica today. This time though, I had a much more fulfilling breakfast; scrambled eggs, and French toast. Carly was also trying to make chocolate pancakes, but they didn’t work out so well so we put the batter into the baking tray and made it into a cake. At about 4, we went over to seminar house 4 to go pick up the bikes. We’d never been inside before; everything was huge. Unfortunately Mark wasn’t there; I left him a note, but we haven’t been able to make contact yet. Might be able to pick them up in the morning; fingers crossed…

Okay just talked with him on the phone, I’m going to go in tomorrow at 8. So that’s sorted. After going to Sem 4, we went to Avail, and I got a few things there. I got this nice yellow shirt that says “I J JPN” on the front. We also bought a zodiac shirt for Diego, the bunny thinking that was his year; we were wrong. When we got back and presented it to him, he told us he was a tiger; because he is born in January, before the Chinese New Year. So yeah, now he’s got a cute little pink bunny on a green shirt. It’s kinda funny actually cause a bunny seems the complete opposite to a tiger. Anyway, we’re going to get a picture with all three of us together in the shirts; Carly got her snake one today too.

So yeah, soon after that we had dinner, and then Diego decided to clean out his cupboard. This motivated me to clean the fridge out. Diego came and helped out; he pulled out the bottom tray and took it the shower to wash it. It was pretty gross; there was cheese stuck on the insides, and mould on the bottom. I felt good to get it done though; cleaning inspection next week and Otousan and Okaasan will expect it to be clean. I also cleaned out my own cupboard. Diego offered up all his stuff; I gave most of it away, but kept some things. It was only about 9 by the time I finished, and I’ve been spending the rest of the night capturing video from my tapes and talking with Alex. Christmas is just around the corner, and I’m really excited to see her. Anyway, bed. Carly and I are going to Osaka tomorrow; gonna be heaps of fun. Good night…

Day 75 - 13th of November

天気：曇り
I had a lot of fun this morning making banana pancakes. I was really glad to use the bananas, cause they were getting old. I put them in the blender and blended them up, with a little bit of milk and Vanilla essence. The mixture was perfect with a bit more milk, and while they weren't of perfect shape, the end result tasted amazing. I talked with Dad afterwards about booking my plane ticket home. We decided that I'd just book online. So that was settled. I went to uni soon after and the new student teacher (Taka-san) took the class. It was fun, but a little confusing. I came home straight after, and got my PC@LL done; it was very difficult.

Got back, and had lunch, then did some more Japanese homework, before I had to go to singing booth practice. It was very cold, and I had a jumper and jacket, beanie and gloves. On the way I had my "Friday the 13th moment". As I was walking towards the uni, down the side road, the dog (a shiba) whom I always comment is so cute, came out of it's kennel and looked at me innocently. I decided to approach it; big mistake! As I put out my hand to let it sniff me, it viciously snapped at me, grabbing onto my jeans tightly. I freaked out and pulled back against it. I was thinking, "this dog might not let go"; I know how strong their jaws are. I persisted and it finally gave up "Riiiiiippp!!!"; hole in my jeans. I felt extremely lucky. 1. because the dog was on a short leash and, 2. because I'd earlier changed out of my black jeans into my blue ones beforehand for no apparent reason. So apart from my jeans, I got out of that one unscathed. I briskly walked away as it barked angrily. Phew; that was exhilarating.

Practice was short. Basically, we just got shown where we'd be sitting, and how we'd come on. It was finished within the hour. I walked back to the fast beat of the song of I was listening to, and decided on impulse, to go to Avail. I love shopping at Avail; it has so much great stuff. And today didn't disappoint. I came home with a shirt and two vests, two long sleeve shirts, and two packs of two pack underpants! And it all cost me exactly 6000円! The only let down are the shoes; they just don't make then in my size. I saw this awesome pair of lime green converse that would have gone great with my orange jeans; oh well. I saw Carly and Amber while I was in there.

Soon after getting back I booked my plane ticket successfully; I'm glad it's out of the way. For dinner I made Shepherd's pie. Since I only had two potatoes (and they are small potatoes), I decided to put in a carrot for mashing too. I also put in a packet soup mix, to bind the mince and veggies together. Put it together with grilled cheese on top and it was great. I even have a little left over; I think I'll put it with some rice. After dinner I went up and watched a movie with Carly on her computer (Pan's Labyrinth), taking up lots of goodies. The movie was really great albeit very violent in parts (it is rated R). Finally got to bed at about 12.

Day 73 - 11th of November

10:31pm　セミナーハウス
天気：雨天
Another rainy day. The water-way outside was full and fast running, and we joked that it would be fun to go rafting. Talked with my parents and got a start on my history essay. Jessica came over to study with Deigo, and Carly, Amber and I, went to Kuzuha mall, after lunch. It was only spitting when we left, so we walked to Makino station, stopping at the bank for Carly along the way. Amber took us a different way, that Carly and I insisted was longer than the way we were used to going. But anyway, we got to Kuzuha, and I was intent on finding a jacket and gloves for Hokkaido. We went to "Uniqlo" first, and I found a great jacket and gloves. I decided to shop around a bit more before making my decision to buy them. We went to a number of other clothes shops, but everything we looked at was either more expensive, or of a poorer quality. I did however pick up a pair of jeans and belt for about $30. Guess what colour they are... orange!!! And, a white belt. I know I'm crazy.

We also went to the book store and HMV. I bought some mochi at the super market, and then we went back to Uniqlo. I was extremely happy with my purchase. The jacket is stylish but very practical, warm, and water proof. The gloves are a little small, but what can you do; I'm in the world of little people. Carly bought some fabric to make a "pipe fox". I'm not entirely sure what it is; some sort of furry creature that wraps around your neck. I'm sure I'll see it when it's done. It was getting dark by the time we emerged from the shops, and it was very cold and windy. Amber had to check Tsutaya for a new CD she wanted, but unfortunately the one we went to was a rental place. So, we got back on the train for Makino, and Karaoke.

We spent two hours there, and I got some practice in for the songs I'm singing at the INFES; which is less than two weeks!!! I'm feeling okay about them, I just really need to learn the lyrics. Gosh it was cheap. 100円 each; we paid more for the drinks! Afterwards we had a purikura session ~ purikura are automated photo sticker booths, that are immensely popular in Japan. Sometimes whole floors are dedicated to purikura booths. ~ Incidently, Purikura is a portmanteau of the English, "Print Club". Anyway, this particular booth had monkey bars and a ladder to climb on, and three different cameras; It was a lot of fun. After selecting the desired pictures, you get to beautify them with love hearts, and sparkles, and writing; whatever you like basically. Then they are printed out in a set of 6, 12, 24 etc, with varying sized photos. It's a lot of fun, and cheap too. We finally got home at about 8, and made dinner. I'd better get to sleep now; back to uni tomorrow. So glad I got my jacket and gloves... and orange jeans! Hokkaido here I come...