Day 232 - 19th of April

10:28pm　セミナーハウス

天気：晴れ

Just been in the kitchen, re-watching Jazz’s Japanese game show debut; she had finally received the recording from them. Everyone sat eagerly in the kitchen, awaiting Jazz’s entrance, but we ended up having to wait almost 40 minutes before she did; there was a whole bunch of other stuff on beforehand. Anyway, it was cool to see that again; it’s already been more than two months since it occurred. Well, today was a nice warm day, albeit a bit cloudy… I woke up with little time to get ready, so I just had a banana, got dressed, and got out. There was no need to rush though, because basically as soon as I got to class, it was over. Today, we were meant to go around and interview Japanese people about our topic that we’re going to present in class. Instead, Jo, Nathan, Kim, and I sat around and talked, and also got a bit of homework done, in the cafeteria; I would ask Mori and Midori Sempai later. It soon came around to Reading and Writing though, and we did have a proper class; finished off the reading, and answered lots of questions. After class, I went to Kirindo and Fresco for groceries. When I came out of Fresco, I noticed a taiyaki stand set up, and decided I’d buy a couple; custard-filled of course. I was really glad I did, because the guy gave me and extra one for free; I thought that was really nice. So I enjoyed one fresh during the ride home, and saved the other two for dessert; yummy!

Getting home, I had lunch and then got a little bit of homework done, before having a nap. I also got to read a letter from Nanny, and I got an insight on why letter writing has become such an integral part of her life; it was very interesting. When I get back, I’m going to have to write down all of Nanny and Poppy’s stories of their early life; I think it would be fascinating. Eventually it was time to get back to uni for koto club. After a snack, I got to the room and found Brittney and Maarika. Neither of them was practicing, but I decided I would practice for a while anyway; stumbled through Miyabi a couple of times. 6 o’clock came round, so Mori arrived, and we got everything moved down into the practice room; I think for now on, I will pick up the keys for the room on both days. Natalie and Kirianna, and eventually Mori Sempai also showed up, but there was no sign of Riho or Miki; which was a bit of a shame. I worked on the strumming technique, which I found out is simply a tremolo. It was quite funny, because Mori Sempai told us the name for the technique in Japanese トレモロ (toremoro), and I looked it up, thinking it was a Japanese word.

When I found out it was an English word (well, technically Italian), I smacked myself, and so did Mori Sempai; she knew it was a katakana word, but never realised it was a borrowed word. Anyway, I’m getting slightly better at that; I’ve just gotta try and not be so tense. Since I lent Maarika one of my tsume, I spent the last 20 minutes talking with Mori and Midori Sempai about the Great Barrier Reef, which understandably they didn’t know that much about. Still, we made some interesting assumptions about what would happen if it suddenly disappeared; chain reaction. I’m going to talk with them some more about it tomorrow, and I’ll have to find some other Japanese students to ask questions too; hopefully I can get something out of it that I can use for my presentation, which seems to be the point of the exercise. After packing up, I rode back with Maarika and Mori, and then basically went straight to the kitchen; I was hungry. I made a heap of yakisoba, and I had hoped it would last for three meals, but it never seems to go that far; oh well, two is better than one. So yeah, spent the rest of the night in the kitchen, and now I’m going to get some sleep; Hugo and I are going to try to make an effort to get to bed earlier…

Day 221 - 8th of April

11:28pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
Well the weather turned again, and while it wasn’t as warm as Tuesday, at least it was nice and sunny… I woke up a bit after 9, and took a while to get ready; I wanted to look good for the koto performance. I ended up wearing my new shirt, with a vest over the top; I was really happy with the look. It also kept m warm enough that I didn’t have to bother with a jumper. I got to uni at about 10:30, and after dropping my bag off in the performance room (Midori and Mori Sempai were already playing), I had a bit of a walk, and took photos of the events going on, including the cheerleading, and rock band performance. I got back to the room for 11, and soon enough, it was our turn to perform in front of a small group of freshman; potential entrants to our club. Our first time through Sandan went okay, but Kyoningyo no yume was actually pretty terrible to be completely honest; my pages were out of order so I completely lost it at one point. After Maarika and I had played, Midori and Mori Sempai again took up playing, Mori offering my some glue to stick the Kyoningyo no yume sheet music together; good plan.

During this time, Rose and another guy (I’ve regrettably forgotten his name) came in, and were promptly served tea by the tea ceremony club, all garbed in kimono; and very beautiful kimono at that. Just as Midori and Mori Sempai had finished playing, a girl in the audience dropped her tea bowl; since it was ceramic it smashed. In a way, it was a fitting end to an intense piece like Kagaribi. Then we were up again, and this time we did a lot better at both pieces although, Kyoningyo no yume still wasn’t as good as Sandan; and it’s supposed to be the easier piece! Oh well, we have practiced sandan longer after all. Natalie had arrived by this time, so she played hanagoromo, and Maarika and I helped her; it turned out… okay. As soon as we finished, I had to rush off to class; it was a bit of a shame I couldn’t stay and support everyone. I ended up being a little late, but Saigo Sensei understood; he always does. The class was in the middle of watching a video about origami, but I caught the majority of it; it was quite funny actually. After that, we got into the serious stuff; as serious as Saigo Sensei’s classes can be that is.

In the break between classes, I got my homework done, and read a little more of the interview write-ups. In religion, we went on to discuss them all; some in more detail than others. Mine, which showed a pretty “typical” (the professor liked to put that word in quotation marks) representation of a Japanese person’s religious beliefs, was only glossed over, which was understandable; I didn’t have anything to add. Overall, it was really interesting listening to every ones ideas and input on other’s write-ups, and this is further helping to shape my perceptions of Japanese society. After class, I went down to check my mail, and there was another letter from Nanny and Poppy. Then I made my way back home, as I was extremely hungry. However many distractions lay in my path and it was a battle to get through them. First of all, the marching band and colour guard were performing out on the basket ball courts, so I had to watch that; it was so good. Actually, the band performed the theme from Mario Bros, which was so cool; I got it on video! After that, I saw Rebecca in the crowd and went over to talk to her; she was helping to recruit new members to her circle. I talked with her and a few Japanese people for a little while, and then finally had to excuse myself; I escaped.

I noticed Katie as I was heading towards the bike parking, but thankfully our interchange was relatively short; she had to go to Fresco for groceries. Riding home, I took a few photos of the Sakura across from Komatsu. Of course when I got back, I practically raced to my room to dump my stuff, and then went up to the kitchen to eat; so satisfying. After lunch, I spent the rest of the afternoon chatting with Alex. She wants to go on one last holiday together over Golden Week, so we were looking for a good place and accommodation; we’re thinking 彦根 (Hikone) at the moment. I also talked with Dad for a while, which was really nice; we don’t often get to talk for very long. 6:30 rolled around, and after getting in my laundry, I went upstairs for dinner; yay for leftover yakisoba. I stayed up there and chatted, and watched TV (lucky TV personalities going around Disneyland and eating all the food), until just after 8:30. Then I came back down here, and got my Reading and Writing homework done; that was a bit of a mission. The rest of the night was pretty chill though…

Day135 - 12th of January

10:17pm　セミナーハウス
天気：雨天
Ryan’s finally back! He got here at 10 this morning; I hopped out of bed to let him in since he left his key at his girlfriend’s house. I didn’t mind getting up; it was getting late in the day anyway, and I had had a good night’s sleep. Since I didn’t have any milk, I went to Sanko to pick some up; and of course bought some other things. I got back and had breakfast, and then went downstairs, and took my laptop out into the lounge, since Ryan had gone to sleep. Following that, I spent the next few hours updating my blog and listening to music. It was a long and detailed entry, and it wasn’t finished till 3:30. I went up and had lunch, having put on rice over 30 minutes prior. I enjoyed my lunch, and then went out again at 4; to uni.

I got an email from Chiharu sempai (now our new club president), informing me that club practice would be starting up again; since Japanese students were already back in school. Of course I wanted to go; so excited about playing again. It was nice to see everyone again too. All of the Japanese students are still there; graduation isn’t until March. As for the international students, it’s just Marika and I; everyone else left, and Brittney won’t be back from America until late this month. So unless new people join, I’ll be the only male, which is kinda cool, xD. Anyway, we got straight back into it. Marika and I are now practicing sandan furiously, in preparation for a concert coming up in February; we’ll be performing hanagoromo too. I’ve decided to give the second koto part a shot; it’s a lot more difficult. I’ll still be practicing the first part with sensei though, so I figure if I just can’t get the second part good enough in time, I’ll have the first part to fall back on.

We had a meeting at about quarter past 6; to discuss dates for club practices since this time of year can be trick with the Japanese, and international student’s spring breaks falling at different times. Many of the girls are going doing study overseas programs, like Midori sempai, who will be doing another short program in Australia; she’d done one over the break. Another will be studying in Italy for a year. So that, and the fact that at least 2 girls are graduating, means that our club is going to diminish in numbers quite dramatically. I wonder if many international students will join. After practice, I went to the CIE to check my mail, and got another letter from Nanny and Poppy; probably should send another bout of postcards shortly. I then went to Kirindo to pick up a few more things; namely cereal and bread. Got back and had dinner (yakisoba), and then helped cleaning the kitchen; felt good. I’ll just be stuffing around on the computer for the rest of the night, and possibly playing DS…

Day 131 - 8th of January

10:26pm　セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
Yay, finally finished reading the first chapter of Deltora Quest; 330 translations later… anyway, today was another short day. I woke up at 9, then fell back to sleep, and then didn’t get up again till 1; and I didn’t even go to bed that late! This is getting rather bothersome but still, might as well keep it up; at least for this week. Next week I will be much more productive; I hope. After lunch, I walked to uni, and checked my mailbox, finding a letter from Nanny and Poppy; a nice surprise. I then did some more grocery shopping at Kirindo and Fresco; oh how I love grocery shopping. Oh well, it got me out for a few hours. Getting back, I chatted with Alex, and then had a nap; did I really need it? At about 6:30 I went up and made dinner (spag bol), and watched Doraemon on TV. At about 8, I went up again and ate some bananas, and talked with Ash for a while, which was quite refreshing; like me, she hadn’t been doing very much. She gave me an ice cream, and I gave her a mask in return. I’ve just spent the last hour reading, and now feel very satisfied. Just going to do some exercise, shower, and then hop into bed…

Day 27 - 25th of September

4:09pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れて
Yay, finally up to date with my blog; I was slipping a bit there. Well today went a little better. I still haven't found my phone; gotta go find Yuji and get him to call the police. I did all the homework I forgot and what was due today and got it in to the teachers; that made me feel better. I'm really excited about going on the feild trip tomorrow; riding around on a bike seeing temples, shrines and tombs. The weather's supposed to stay fine, so it should be an excellent day. On Monday I start Koto Club. I've also got to go to an information session to apply for the Japanese National Health Insurance. I don't know how I'm going to do that when it's on during my classes. There wasn't that many Japanese students at uni today, but Joanna told me that many don't have any classes on Friday. Gotta email Dan to see when his classes are on...

7:44pm　セミナーハウス
Lol, that's why I haven't been able to call the phone; cause Dad disconnected it! Oh well, I can't ring my phone to try to locate it, and even if I could the batteries are probably dead. So anyway, I'm going to go to the police station on the weekend, and see if anyone turned it in. Probably have to make it Sunday, cause tomorrows field trip is going to be an all-day thing. We have to meet at Tambabashi station at 8:30, so I have to be leaving here at 7:30. I've already made myself a sandwich for tomorrow, and I'm also taking an apple, and rice crackers. Yay, my rice turned out well tonight; I had it with a salad and chicken nuggets. I went to Sanko with Amber and picked them up, along with some soy sauce. I also did the laundry today; the pile of clothes is always so huge. I'm getting pretty used to it now though, and this time I have a scoop; came in the box. That reminds me I need to get fresh linen from Otousan...

Haha, Diego's just been put off mochi! He bought a box from Top World and said it was gross; that's unfortunate. Got another letter from Nanny and Poppy today. Nanny's handwriting is a little hard to read, but it's fun to decipher it, xD. Hopefully I'll send out my postcards tomorrow. It's 8:30 now, and I'm talking with Alex over skype, while listening to music from Klonoa! For some reason I just had the urge to find the music from the game today. They've made a remake of the original game for the Wii; I kinda want to play it. I loved that game so much, and the music is really great. The game itself was very avant-garde. I read today that it was one of the first PlayStation platformers to feature two-dimensional character artwork on a rendered, three-dimensional backdrop. Very cool. Anyway, better go get my linen...

Day 16 - 14th of September

7:52pm　セミナーハウス
The end of another day... awww, I received my first letter from Nanny and Poppy today. Well done for using the type writer Nanny, xD. As soon as I go somewhere cool, I'll get a postcard and send it back. Have to send one to Nan and Pop in Coffs Harbour too. What did I do today? Well, I woke up at about 7:00am and got ready for uni. I had my speaking Japanese class at 9 and had a quiz, which I think I'm going to get 100% on. My dictionary on my iPod touch has been updated, and it now has a learning function that uses flash cards for memory. All I have to do is make a list of my vocabulary in class, then I can be quizzed on it. It's so awesome, and really helpful. So yeah, then I had a break, ate lunch, then went to reading and writing at 12. Had another test!!! I feel okay about it; there were some kanji I didn't know!

In my culture and everyday life in Japan class, our professor told us that the sumo had started yesterday. It goes for 14 days, and is broadcast over the TV from 1:00-5:00pm. I didn't catch it tonight, but hopefully I can watch it tomorrow, along with another show in which a panel of foreigners speak (in Japanese) about how weird Japan is!!! Our professor suggested that one too. After class I rushed over to the 和室 (Washitsu - Japanese-style room) to meet with Midori of the koto club. Guess who I saw just as I stepped in; Brittney. How weird is that. She was just leaving as I entered. We had a brief exchange and then she left.

So, shoes off, onto tatami floor. The sensei was there, teaching the girls how to wear the kimono. Midori took me over to a koto, and we sat in 正座 (seiza - kneeling position; like in karate). She then proceeded to show me how to play. On your right hand, you wear three picks made from ivory, on your thumb, second, and third fingers. Your other two fingers are used for support on the strings. These koto have 13 strings, and the music is read from right to left, top to bottom, following the numbers (in kanji) that correspond to the strings. The kanji for the 11th, 12th, and 13th strings are not typical number kanji, so I'll have to learn them. You basically play by using your thumb (unless otherwise indicated), to pluck the strings. You use your left hand to push down on the strings on the other side of the bridge, to produce different notes. I found you have to push down quite hard to achieve this; I was being too delicate.

Midori got me to play "Sakura, sakura". She was suprised that I knew the melody. I was glad I did, because it made it easier to play for my first time. Soon after another guy, named Charlie, came in. I kinda wanted to be the only guy to join lol, but it's all good. Midori spoke almost entirely in Japanese, so this will be another great opportunity for me to work on my Japanese. Sensei will of course speak in Japanese, and quite fast I was told. I'm really looking forward to doing this. Practice begins on the 28th of this month and go from 4:30 to 7:30. I don't know which nights yet, but I'm pretty sure it's twice a week, which is fine.

So yeah, finished all my homework, feeling a bit sick in the stomach (I think I ate too much), but overall very happy. Everything is falling into place, and I'm really enjoying myself. I'm just gonna do a quick revision of my vocab list then call it a night. Meeting with Dan tomorrow, so hopefully get up to something fun with him.