Day 225 - 12th of April

10:55pm　セミナーハウス

天気：　雨天

Well, just for fun, it decided to pour with rain all day today; and heavy rain at that. This meant that by the end of the day, my jeans and jacket were quite wet; they’re hanging up to dry now. I’m just hoping the weather improves by tomorrow. I really wanted to get my hair cut today, but the relentless downpour completely put me off. Anyway, another Monday… I finally rolled out of the futon at 9, and hurriedly got ready for the day. I managed to get to class just in time, racing on my bike through the rain, icy drops pelting my face; okay, so I’m being a little dramatic. The test today went pretty well, although there was one sentence that I wasn’t happy about at all; I couldn’t think of the grammar pattern to use. Jo revealed to me later that I was a passive sentence; I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. Oh well, I’ll still get part marks for it. The listening part was okay; not the easiest, nor the hardest I’ve had. And I remembered all the vocab words; that part seems to be the least of my problems now. I finished in a little over 30 minutes, and then went down to the lounge, and spent the next 1 and a half just chilling with Rachel, Sarah, and Katie; and Rachael when she came. I did do some kanji practice, and some readings for Gender and Sexuality, so I was at least semi productive.

In Reading and Writing, we started chapter 5, which contains a whole bunch of crazy kanji; it’s going to be fun learning them. After class, I went home (the rain even heavier now), and had lunch before basically crashing for the next 2 hours on my futon; I guess today decided to be a lazy day. Sooner then I wanted it was time to return to uni. Koto club started up again, at the regular time of 4:30. This was the first day for freshmen (and what a lovely day for them… not), so the uni was absolutely packed; especially all the food venues. I dropped my bag in the club room, and then went to the convenience store to get a quick snack. Getting back (snack already devoured), I was just about get started reading Hitman Reborn when guess who arrived; Brittney. She hadn’t been for weeks, so I was quite surprised. Also, considering that Midori and Mori Sempai, and Maarika all have classes until 6 (which is a real shame), so I wasn’t expecting anyone to turn up for a while. Another unexpected arrival was Riho; I think we met once before. She’s a second year student, and seems really nice, though a little reserved; well, I guess that can be expected from a Japanese girl.

So, I thought it would be a good time to set up downstairs in the practice room. Brittney and I both took down koto, but unfortunately when we got there, and I tried the key… it didn’t work; I guess that would make sense. So back up to the club room we went; I felt a pretty bad. We still got a bit of practice in though. Riho practiced sakura, and Brittney Hanagoromo. Soon, Brittney left, and was replaced by Natalie; she helped Riho a lot with Sakura, which was really great. At about 5:30, Kirianna also arrived, although she didn’t stay for very long; and Natalie and Riho were soon to follow. So, then it was just me again. I decided I would have a crack at Kagaribi, so I tuned it and got stuck into it; so difficult. Maarika arrived a bit after 6, and just sat as I played around. When Mori Sempai arrived we could finally get set up downstairs. She was so happy when I told her so many people had showed up today; she had been worried about the fate of koto club. Soon after getting set up, we had another unexpected visitor; Tami-chan. She’s from Puerto Rico, and was Maarika’s roommate during orientation week. Midori arrived soon after, and we all ended up chatting for a good while; a bit too long, as I really wanted to practice.

Today, Maarika and I got started on a new piece, which I can’t remember the name of, but nevertheless it was quite fun, and very challenging; it’s one of the pieces the girls have played before. I’ll get a photocopy of it tomorrow, along with Kagaribi; with the time I have left, I don’t think I’ll be able to get good at that one. Anyway, since it’s a duet, I immediately decided to take second koto; it seems to be a fact that the second part is always harder. Midori helped us a lot, so we had a general idea of what to expect from it. I’m looking forward to the sensei coming tomorrow, and hopefully she approves of us playing these pieces; last time she saw us, we were still on Hanagoromo. So enthralled in practice, we ended up finishing a little late; not that I had to be anywhere. After packing up, and saying goodbye, I rode in the rain for the last time today, and got home around 8. I went straight up to the kitchen, and made gyudon for dinner, catching Katie as she made her way out; she’s just received her certificate, and a generous sum of money for the article she wrote for a competition earlier in this semester. Ash and Rachel we also leaving, so I spent a little while talking with Julie, eating white chocolate and drinking Milo; great combination. At about 9, I went back downstairs, had a shower and then got settled in bed; I guess I felt I deserved a bit of a break. I’ve spent most of the night just playing bejewelled and uploading photos on dA. Well, hopefully the weather’s improved tomorrow, so that I may be a little more productive…

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 185 - 3rd of March

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11:20pm　セミナーハウス

天気：晴れ

Today was 雛祭り (Hina Matsuri – Girl’s Day), not that I could do much, since I was stuck at uni, but professor Hester did give out some sweets that, when wrapped, resembled dolls in all different dresses of the world; so that was something. It was also a nice sunny day today, albeit cold… Again, I forgot to turn the volume on my iPod up for my alarm, but luckily Hugo’s woke me up. I got to class in good time, and we went over transitive and intransitive verbs; always fun. In my break, I did the reading for Gender and Sexuality, and continued reading the interview write ups half the class have done for Religion; we’re going to talk about them tomorrow. I still don’t know who I should interview; maybe I’ll just talk to Yuji. Anyway, I went to my Reading and Writing class, and we started chapter 3, which meant a whole lot of new kanji; fun, fun, fun. After that, I went straight on to Gender and Sexuality, and Hester gave us the information for the Takarazuka trip this Sunday; I can’t believe how fast it’s come up. The tickets didn’t arrive during class, as Hester had anticipated, so we should be receiving them on Friday now.

I returned home, soon after class, had lunch, and then napped for a while. At around 5:30, I talked with family, and helped Ben with his story; that was fun. Soon enough, it was coming up to 7, and the Seminar House meeting. Yuji are only RA now since Asami has resigned for personal reasons (this was a shock to all of us), has started planning our next party; a Music Party. A few of us will be performing, including me on koto. I have no idea what I should do for it, but I have a few weeks to work something out; maybe I’ll just improvise. So that’s something to look forward to. Then we got into the serious stuff i.e. the state of the kitchen. Hopefully now, after a few of us spoke up about it, people will try a bit harder to keep it clean. It was almost 8 by the time the meeting finished, and after helping put the chairs back into the computer room, I went upstairs to put on some rice for dinner. Half an hour later, I was making 卵丼 (Tamagodon – Egg on rice). It’s very simple, and very tasty. I didn’t spend too long in the kitchen tonight, but had fun chatting, while Rachel put my hair up into a knot, and later French braided it; it was quite a sight.

Getting back down here, I’ve spent the rest of the night, uploading photos on facebook, and starting to learn the new kanji and vocabulary. I also read the story in this chapter. It’s actually quite good. Basically it’s about an old woodcutter with a lump on his cheek. One day, while he up in the mountains cutting wood, he gets caught in a storm, and has to take shelter in a cabin. He’s exhausted, and falls to sleep as the storm continues to rage. That night, he is awoken by many voices coming from outside the cabin. To his surprise, when he peers through the crack in the door, he sees a group of red and blue goblins, drinking, dancing, and singing around. He is scared at first, but seeing that they are having such a good time, he runs out into the middle of the circle, and starts dancing. The goblins are of course very surprised, but when they see that the old man is such a good dancer, they cheer him on. The leader praises him, and beckons him to come back again, rewarding him by taking the lump of his cheek; it doesn’t hurt at all. The old man returns home feeling much lighter, and overjoyed.

The neighbour of the woodcutter, is also an old man, and has a lump on his opposite cheek. Unlike the woodcutter though, he is a mean-spirited person, and when he hears of the old woodcutter’s tale, he is immediately jealous. So that night, the wicked neighbour, goes to the top of the mountain, and sits in the hut to wait for the goblins to arrive. When they show up, he immediately jumps out of the hut and starts dancing. Unfortunately for him, he is a terrible dancer, and the goblins are not at all impressed. The leader is so put off, he screams at him, and throws the old woodcutters lump at him. The neighbour returns home with a lump on both cheeks, and tears streaming down his face. I don’t really know what the moral of the story is, but maybe it’s something like - don’t be jealous and be happy for others’ good fortunes. Or maybe it’s more like – beware of goblins if you’re a crappy dancer! Anyway, that was really interesting, and enjoyable to read; I got a good laugh out of it. Well, I should get some sleep now; maybe do some laundry in the morning.

Day175 - 21st of February

11:35pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
Today was such a nice, sunny day. Perfect weather for climbing a mountain; and that’s just what I did… I got up at 8:15, and readied myself to be out of the seminar house by 9. Well I actually took a little longer, but still managed to make it to Makino station before 9:30; yay for bike. I got on the local train, which took a little over 30 minutes to get to Fushimi Inari; I played Harvest Moon on the way. Getting off at the station, I met with the others (a disappointingly small number), and we set out for the shrine; after waiting for the next train, which no one else got off. I tried my hardest to stay close to the professor for the field trip, to gain as much information as possible; and it was very interesting. Even though we took the same path I’d been on before (it is after all the main route), many things along the way seemed much more meaningful. There was a stone, where you have a question in your head and, if the stone is heavier then you though it was when you lift it, the answer is no, but if it is lighter, then it’s a yes; I got a no.

And later on, there was a “coughing shrine” – basically a manifestation of Inari that deals with peoples coughs. This is interesting because the onomatopoeia for both coughing and the cry of the fox is “kon kon”, and Inari is most often portrayed as a fox; Japan loves its puns. This particular shrine even received mail, from people who either want their coughing cured, or in thanks. Nearby, we got to see a woman practicing waterfall purification; the water must’ve been freezing. Inari is a really amazing god actually. Undoubtedly the most personalised, it has so many different manifestations. I got some film, and of course took plenty of photos; sometimes falling behind a bit. Another interesting shrine, right at the bottom of the mountain, was the one to pacify executed animals i.e. the ones we kill to eat. We finished up around 1, and I decided to make my way straight home, not seeing much point in going to the flea market. All in all, it was a good field trip. Fushimi Inari is a beautiful place to visit; I think I might go back one more time during cherry blossom season.

Getting back to Makino, I bought some bread at Mini Stop, and then went over to where I parked my bike. When I found it wasn’t there, I freaked out and though, “My bike’s been taken away, and it’s only the second day I’ve had it!” Luckily, I soon located it, propped up in a nearby gutter; phew, I was so relieved! The ride back was very pleasant, although my legs did hurt a bit; oh well, it is good exercise. I made some lunch (avocado which corn chips on top), and watched TV for a while. There was a really cool quiz show on, where the contestant had to answer a question while doing jump rope. They had to get 6 people on without stuffing up; that would have been incredibly tiring. Japanese game shows are so active; and we wonder why they’re all so skinny. After that, I slept for a few hours, having developed a headache; probably all the exercise was too much for me, how sad. I got up at about 5:30, and cleaned up the room, and sorted my shelves and desk out; looks much better now.

I had dinner a little after 7:30 (heated up butaman and rice), and caught up with Rachel, who had been to the flea market; she didn’t end up getting any kimono though. We sat with Alvaro and Tristan (my next door neighbours), and talked about heaps of stuff. Simon came in a bit later, back from his exciting day at USJ. Since he didn’t have any dinner, he asked if he could have some bread and some vegemite, and how could I possibly refuse a fellow Aussie vegemite? We got Rachael to try some, and she hated it; the look on her face was priceless. Later, when everyone else had gone, Simon put on some rice, and we talked for a few more hours, and he told me about how Australia is making genetically modified lamb with a chocolate taste, I an attempt to increase exports to Japan. I don’t know if this is true, but that’s absolutely crazy; who would want to eat chocolate-tasting lamb!? Speaking of chocolate tasting things, Jeremy found “sparkling chocolate” at Top World, a soft drink; I want to try some… I finally got back down here at 10, and did some kanji practice for a little over an hour. I guess it’s time for bed now, uni tomorrow, and Hugo should be back in the afternoon.

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.

Day 171 - 17th of February

11:21pm　セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
I’ve just finished some kanji practice for my Reading and Writing class; got a test on Friday. The amount of vocab and kanji we have to learn is so intense, but I guess it can’t be helped; we had to get good somehow. Today went well… I got an unexpected ride into uni with Otousan this morning. As I was walking toward the east gate, I saw Otousan driving and Jeremy on the passenger side, and they beckoned me to join them; so I did. I was quite funny when we went past Jacinthe, since she had past me only moments ago; I beat her to the lounge. I sat with Jo and Henry until class started, and we were treated by another speech; he talked about his life living in an apartment as opposed to the seminar houses this semester. There were some positives, but it sounded like it was a pretty negative experience; too bad. After class, I sat in the lounge with Jacinthe, and got my homework done, before we were joined by Hugo; he was doing his homework too. Just as Simon arrived, I had to get off to class; he went to lunch.

We’ve started chapter 2 of the Reading and Writing textbook, and boy is there a lot of kanji; and so many I’ve never seen before. It was a bit of a struggle, but we got through it, and at least the grammar points in this chapter are ones we’ve studied before. In Gender and Sexuality we talked continued a bit with Takarazuka, and the professor explained more of the field trip. We’ll be going the 7th of March (a Sunday), and the university is going to subsidise the tickets and transportation fares for us quite generously; so I’m definitely going. Then we continued on with the symbolic construction of gender, gender roles and the like, focusing on religion; Shinto in particular. After class, I made my way home. I put some rice on, then sorted out, and did some laundry, before going back up and making lunch. I watched children’s shows on TV, and Simon joined me, eating cereal for afternoon tea while describing to me his near death experience; his handle bars came off his bike as he was coming up to a red light at the bottom of a hill!

This didn’t make me feel very good about receiving his bike, but he said they went right back on, and we could get them fixed properly when we got to the bike shop; hopefully it’s free… After that, I went back downstairs and put my laundry out to dry, then caught up with Alex for the first time in weeks; that was great. Then I finished reading the Final Fantasy AC novel. It was actually quite heart-wrenching, and I felt mildly depressed when I finished it. It brought back so many memories of the past, when I was playing the game; I had such a deep connection with the characters. I guess I still do. So, a little shaken, I went upstairs to eat dinner; heated up 豚まん (butaman – steamed yeast bun with minced pork filling). They were actually really nice, and after just two I felt content. Talking and having a good laugh in the kitchen made me feel better. I offered Simon some Milo, which he enjoyed although he had to drink it out of a very small cup; I’m going to give him a larger one I have.

Just after 9, I came back downstairs and wrote out postcards; send them off tomorrow. Then I had a shower, before settling down and getting stuck into practice. Hugo arrived back at around 10:30, after going out for dinner; I wonder if it’s cheaper than cooking your own? It would be interesting to compare, that’s for sure. Anyway, I have uni at 12 tomorrow, so I’ll have plenty more time to revise for the test. After my classes, I’m going to probably go to the bike shop with Simon, and help him pick out a new bike, and his old one registered in my name. Then I’m going to go back to uni for the Japanese-French language exchange. It’s a great idea Jacinthe came up with. She, and other French speakers, are going to teach Japanese students, and other international students like me, how to speak French. I think this will be a good experience for me, as it’ll be relaxed, I’ll be learning the basics of French (which will be fun I think), and I’ll get to talk to Japanese students. I hope it goes well; I know Jacinthe has put a lot of effort into getting it organised. Anyway, time for sleep…

Day 157 - 3rd of February

3:12pm　快速特急
天気：曇り
I’m on the rapid limited express to 香里園 (Korien), in the hopes of witnessing the 節分 (setsubun) festival at 成田山不動尊 (Naritasan fudoson). I just got out of my Onna to Otoka class, which I am now successfully enrolled in since people dropped out of it; so happy. Then I rushed over to Hirakatashi. It’s a cloudy day today and it even snowed for a while when Jo and I were having lunch in Makkas after our Reading class; so cool. I woke up with an hour to get ready this morning, and again made it just in time for class; another fast-paced revision session. After that, Jo and I sat with a few others in the lounge, and Jo finally gave me the souvenir she got for me in Thailand. Reading class was pretty intense; lots of new kanji I didn’t know. And we’re expected to do a lot of self study; up to us to get the grades. Onna to Otoko looks like it’s going to be a great class. Heaps of people in it (for now), and we’re covering a lot of interesting and controversial topics. There will be a lot of in-class films, and maybe even a field trip. Anyway, I’m almost there now…

4:46pm　準急
I’m on the sub-express back to Makino. Sadly, I missed the festival at Naritasan… After getting off the train, I found my way to Naritasan with relative ease; out of the station, past ザ香里園タワー (za korien tawaa - the Korien tower) ~ it’s an immense skyscraper under construction ~, and through a hilly residential area. On the way, I came across 友呂岐神社 (tomorogi jinja – Tomorogi shrine), and there was quite a hubbub. A large group crowed around the shrine, arms raised or bags open, in an attempt to catch the bags of what I thought were the 福豆 (fukumame – lit. “lucky soybeans”), eagerly thrown by the priests. In fact, they turned out to be bags of peanuts; I caught one. I’m not sure why they are peanuts; I’ll have to ask Professor Hester to see if he knows. They’re just not what I typically associate with the festival that’s all. I was glad that at least see some sort of excitement.

I continued making my way toward Naritasan, which I’m pretty sure is a temple. I could be wrong though; there’s nothing in the name to give it away. The procession of people obviously backing their way back from the temple clearly marked my route. So when I did get there, I wasn’t too surprised that it was all over. There were still stalls set up outside, and one guy persuaded me to by a bag of dried fruit, after letting me try some. He did give me an extra handful of dried strawberries though (my favourite), which was really cool; they are so sweet. Well, I’m in Makino now, so have to continue later…

5:59pm　食堂
I’m now in the dining room; never written in my journal in here before. For some reason, I feel too lazy to go downstairs; or maybe I just feel the need to be in the company of others? Anyway, after getting to Naritasan and buying the dried fruit, I went into the main complex to find the aftermath of the festivities. There were peanut husks strewn across the ground, the wind occasionally picking them up playfully. A few people (mostly kids) were reaping the last of the peanuts from the workers who were, already, cleaning and packing up the event. The smell of peanuts turned to incense, as I watched a trickle of people making their rounds, praying, lighting candles, and giving offerings. The main hall was being vacuumed, and the omamori, and fukumame stalls were still open. I was just satisfied taking photos; it was a very beautiful place. There was an Inari shrine on the grounds, and further down a “waterfall” (it wasn’t running).

Eventually, I left the grounds, and made my way back to the station, zigzagging through the streets, past a few more temples and tomorogi shrine. I also took some photos of the art by school kids, that is covering much of the wall that's surounding The Korien Tower; certainly brightens up the view. At the station, I bought my 太巻寿司 (futomakizushi – lit. “thick rolled sushi”). In the Kansai region (that’s me) they are called 恵方巻 (ehoumaki – lit. “Happy direction rolls”). This is because when you eat it, you’re supposed to be facing the lucky direction for that year, which corresponds to the zodiac sign; as today is the traditional New Years of Japan 立春 (risshun – the first day of “spring”). And that’s exactly what I did. After getting back from Makino, and a side-trip to Sanko, I was feeling very hungry, so I orientated myself 西南西 (seinansei – west-southwest), and happily munched away. It was so yummy; my stomach is very content now. So, all in all, today was a good day. I thinking I’ll just do a bit of study and reading tonight. I don’t have class till 12 tomorrow, so I’ll have time to do some more revision then too.

Day 156 - 2nd of February

10:11pm　セミナーハウス
天気：雨天
Another rainy day; with the cold and wind added in just for fun. Actually, it was quite mild this morning, especially since I was rushing to class; I was stripping off layers. For some reason I was just really slow getting ready this morning, but I managed to get to class on time anyway. It didn’t notice it yesterday, but our Speaking teacher speaks entirely in Japanese too. I guess that means Japanese is becoming so natural to my ears, that I’m just taking it in; so happy. So yeah, my listening is getting really good, but I’m still struggling with my speaking. I think this semester, in this class, I’m going to get much better though; here’s hoping. It was a very fast paced class, but I do enjoy Saigo sensie’s teaching style. We were doing revision, and he would make the class come up with sentences on the spot, using the grammar points we’ve learnt. I felt I bit sluggish, having not done enough during the holidays; I think a lot of people felt that. After class I went and had lunch in cafeteria 3, with Jo and Kim (from my class), and Rachel, Liz, and Sarah.

We chatted and had a good laugh, until it was time for my 1:15 class; Religion in Japan. Already, I like the Professor. She really engaging, and seems down to earth. We have three field trips, and a few papers to write, and we’re covering Shinto, Buddhism, and Japan’s contemporary religions like Happy Science; it’s going to be really interesting. After class (which today’s wasn’t a full 1 and a half), I went down and checked my mail box to find a letter from Nanny and Poppy. I saw Hugo in the lounge, and talked with him for a while, before Biancha bullied me to go home. I made my way over to the convenience store first, to pick up a folder and something to nibble on, and ended up bumping into Jacinthe on the way. I talked to her in Makkas for a while as she was enjoying her coffee from Seattle’s Best. She had a class to go to at three, so we separated and I left for home.

Soon after getting back, I caught up with Simon, and he wanted to go into to Hirakatashi to see if he could get his watch fixed. I decided to join him, and we made our way part way down the east gate, before it started to rain, at which point Simon suggested we turn back. We did, but it didn’t feel like going home, so I suggested we go to Midori; we saw Luke along the way. In Midori, we had a quick browse, and I was able to find a kanji game for the DS; 200万人の漢検 (200mannin no kanken – 2 million people’s kanji test). I also had a much needed play on one of the pianos. We went into Life (grocery store) below, and I found my beloved mochi, that I’ve only ever found here. I also picked up some more あんこパン (ankopan – red bean paste bun). We crossed over to “The Shoes” (that’s what the shop’s called), and actually found some in our size. There wasn’t anything I really liked, but I might go back.

Getting back, I got straight into playing my new game, and found it addicting. It’s going to be so helpful. Some of the games include having to write (with the stylus) the correct kanji, or hiragana, and choose the correct okurigana for a word. I’ve already pasted level 10 (the easiest) kanji quiz, and now it’s suddenly got a lot harder. You have to think really fast since there’s a 30 second time limit, and the fact that in don’t know some of the compounds makes it difficult. Also, it is sensitive to stroke order, especially with the hiragana, so it will improve my writing to no end; a great purchase. I went up and had dinner around 7, and then chatted with Ash and Katie for a few hours. Finally I got back down here, and played some more before the batteries got low, forcing me to stop and let it recharge. I’ve already finished the revision for Reading and Writing, and I’ll go over all the kanji again from Genki II, then I’ll get started on the revision for Speaking. Tomorrow’s a 10 o’clock start, so better get ready for bed. Hugo’s doing his Japanese homework, asking questions periodically; it’s great to help out, just like with Diego…