Day 184 - 2nd of March

11:00pm　セミナーハウス

天気：曇り

Finally got back from the kitchen; another night of chatting, cleaning, and eating… I woke up with Hugo already gone this morning, and gave in to the temptation of laying in bed for just that little bit longer; meaning another half an hour. When I did finally get up, I promptly got ready, and then revised my vocab for today’s quiz; that turned out to be okay. After class, I went for lunch with Jo, Kim, and Nathan; Liz and Sarah joined us. After eating my katsudon, I decided to try the 桜 (Sakura – cherry blossom) flavoured ice cream they were selling in the cafeteria; along with a plethora of others. It was actually really nice, and I wondered what they made it with; was it just artificial flavours, or did they actually use a part of the flower? Soon enough, it was time again for class, and Religion today was, as usual very informative. Today the professor introduced us to some of the new religions of Japan, including Happy Science, and a number of branch offs from Buddhism. Some were scary, others just plain inane; yay for rhyming words. But they all had one thing in common; pretty buildings. Seriously, I want to go to some of these new religions headquarters; one of them even owns a museum. I actually recognised one of the religion’s buildings ~ 真光 (Mahikari – lit. “true light) ~ from Alex’s blog, since she had been to it in Takayama, Gifu; I thought that was rather cool.

After class, I made my way home, to find that it was once again linen changing day, so I busied myself vacuuming, and making my bed. Then I got my homework done, before Simon returned, and asked if it’d checked out the gym yet; this morning I talked to some people in my Speaking class and found out how to get in. I said I hadn’t, so we went together. Turns out, the gate to get in is actually on the other side; this means walking all the way around the block, and past Seminar House 1. I thought it was a bit ridiculous. But, more ridiculous was us trying to get inside. We ended up walking all the way around the building, before realising that the entrance was right across from the gate. And then we couldn’t even go in! Reading the sign behind the glass, we found out that we needed a second pair of clean shoes to wear inside the gym; now that’s really ridiculous. So, that was that… I needed to get groceries, so I went to Sanko with Simon in tow.

As soon as I put my groceries away, we were out again, riding to Midori. Simon was hoping to buy an electric razor, but after seeing the prices, and not really knowing what would be best for him, he abandoned the idea, and decided to just by some better razors; the cheap ones he’s been buying have been cutting his face. I didn’t feel like it was a waste of time for me, as I got to play on the piano for a while; Simon knew I would. It was getting dark, and the clouds were looking nasty as we rode back, back it didn’t end up raining. As soon as I parked my bike at home, Rachael came out the front door, going to New Delhi for dinner; it took little persuasion for me to join her. So I was off again, on foot this time, to meet up with Sarah at uni, before going on to New Delhi. Tonight, I ordered the mushroom and cheese curry, and with it came that ever-astounding Naan bread, a soup, a laisse, and ice cream for dessert; amazing value for money. And I absolutely loved the curry! This time, it was just the right amount of food, and I left feeling very satisfied, and not at all bloated like last time.

The walk back was dry, and after dropping my stuff in my room, I was soon chatting away in the kitchen. Three hours later (after talking about kanji, spring break plans, and novelty condom stores in Kobe among other things), the girls all dispersed, and I remained to help Biancha with her 銅鑼焼き (Dorayaki – it’s very similar to gozasoro ~ two pancake patties wrapped around red bean paste). We took turns whipping cream, which was not an easy task; how I wished for an electric beater. There ended up being way too much cream, so we shared the rest, making me feel a little sick; I feel fine now though. The cream was part of the filling, along with the bean paste; a new innovation to the recipe. Biancha wasn’t happy with the shape of the pancakes, and while they were indeed not very pretty looking I couldn’t care less; they tasted amazing. I stayed in the kitchen a bit longer, to help clean the piles of dishes that had collected in the sinks; somehow they were still here even after the cleaning group had been through! Anyway, Yuji came up, and got the people in the kitchen to help out; I was grateful for that. Our monthly seminar house meeting is tomorrow, and I’ll be sure to bring up the kitchen problem then; I’m sure I’ll have plenty of support. Well, better get some sleep…

Day 176 - 22nd of February

10:17pm　セミナーハウス

天気：晴れ、曇り

The weather is definitely warming up, the blooming plum blossoms heralding an early spring. Seriously though, even when it was cloudy and windy this afternoon, it was nowhere near as cold as it has been; I’m so happy. Anyway, what did I get up to today… well, I got up with plenty of time to spare, and still made my way to uni with 20 minutes to spare; old habits die hard. Yes it’s loud, and a bumpy ride, but it’s my bike, and I love it to death; I’ve been so deprived. Riding to uni takes no time at all, so I could walk in at my leisure from the bike parking, talking to Kim on the way; no more having to rush. We watched some really cute little video clips in Speaking today, one depicting the life of a business man, and another full of palindromes (which, as you can imagine, work really well in Japanese). I thought I’d have the tunes stuck in my head for the rest of the day, but now I can’t for the life of me remember then; oh well. After Speaking, I went down to the lounge and sat with Katie and Sarah, and got my homework done.

Soon enough, it was time for Reading and Writing. Although the class is intense, I really feel my reading is improving a lot, and more and more kanji are becoming recognisable; it’s great. Where ever I see a kanji I don’t know, or one I do know in a new compound, I’m always eager to look it up (with my trusty iPod dictionary), and that’s helping a lot too. After Reading and Writing, I rode home, and made Milo pancakes for lunch. I haven’t had pancakes in ages, so it was a nice change. Soon after, I was out again, making my way to Midori. On Saturday when I went there, I accidently bought another Nintendo DS case; I can’t believe I didn’t notice it! So yeah, feeling stupid, I decided I had to go back to try and return it. When I got to Midori, I went into Llife first, and found some sauce for my dinner tonight. After I bought the Doritos at Don Quijote, I knew I had to make Nachos, and since I got out the mince from the freezer, I thought I’d give it a shot tonight.

I couldn’t find anything resembling taco sauce, so I settled for a pasta sauce; I always like to improvise. I then went across to the pharmacy, and bought a refill for my soap. It’s unbelievable, but that one, 500ml bottle of soap has lasted me all this time! I love the slogan on the bottle – “Please feel good smell with your whole heart”. I was worried I’d have to get rid of it, so when I found the refill, I was really happy. I’ve been using the aloe vera extract all this time, so I decided I’d try the orange extract; hopefully it makes me smell yummy. Anyway, after that I went upstairs and was at first hesitant to approach the register. As far as I can tell, Japan is a notoriously difficult place to get a refund on goods. I bumped into Jeremy (he was looking for a new pair of earphones), and told him of my mistake, and he figured the odds of getting my money back weren’t promising. Still, I was determined, and, sucking it up, I approached the register…

I didn’t have to say much before the woman realised what I wanted. And… it was all good! After a bit of number crunching, she had a new receipt printed out, and all I had to do was sign, and I had my money back; I was very grateful. Well, that was certainly easier than I thought it would be; maybe because I got onto it straight away. Elated, I went to tell Jeremy, and then celebrated by playing the piano. Well, I had actually intended on playing it anyway; I even brought some sheet music to practice! Jeremy left me there, and a played for a while. Finally tiring of it, I left Midori, and made my way over to Kirindo, to pick up some basics. Then I was on a mission to find everything I needed for Nachos. I went over to Fresco to get an avocado (they’re the cheapest there), and then rode to Top World. I was able to find sour cream (really cheap since it was almost expired), and a small bag of red kidney beans. I also found that sparkling chocolate drink; since it was so cheap I decided I’d give it a go.

Satisfied with all my purchases, I went home groceries in my basket, and bag on my shoulder; it wasn’t so bad. It was about 4:15 when I got home, and after unpacking my groceries, I spent the rest of the afternoon reading and playing Plants vs. Zombies; those dolphin-riding zombies are so fast in the water!!! I had a nap at 6, and by 6:30 I was so hungry I had to make food. And believe me when I say I was very happy with the result; it looked great, and tasted even better. I’ve even got a bit left over, which I think I’ll eat tomorrow for lunch. The only thing I wish I had had was some proper sauce, but Sarah told me they had some at Top World; I’ll have to look harder next time. After cleaning up, and watching the ice skating for a while, I went downstairs to find Simon, and his Japanese friends watching Batman Forever, dubbed in Japanese. I hadn’t seen the movie in years, and it was actually quite hilarious to watch; more because of how bad it was. Still, I kept me entertained, and we all had a good laugh. After the movie was finished, it was time for all the guests to leave (it was almost 10), and for the rest of us to get some homework done. Hugo returned from dinner, a little after I got settled down. Well, better do a bit of revision for tomorrow’s quiz…

Day 174 - 20th of February

天気：曇り
I finally have a new bike, and the best part about it is that I got it for free… I woke up at about 10 this morning, and talked with Simon, who showed his eagerness in getting all the bike registration stuff done this morning; he had Otousan on his back because he’s only allowed to have one bike. So, as soon as I got ready, we made our way over to the bike shop just past Sanko, where he had first purchased the bike. I insisted we walk, since the handle bars on the bike were very loose. Getting there, the old man who runs the store got everything in order for putting the bike in my name. There are actually four stickers you need on your bike – one for the police (a crime prevention sticker), one with your name and address on it, one to register with the university so you can park there, and one so you can park at the seminar house! The bike shop guy proceeded to take off the crime prevention sticker (he had to use a blow torch to get it off), and the address sticker, replacing them with mine. Then I got him to fix my handle bars; a few quick turns with an Allen key and it was sweet. Now I could legally ride the bike, and I did so in earnest, to the university with Simon.

We went straight to the student affairs office in the main administration building, to get a coupon out of a machine, to take to the CIE so I could register my bike with the uni. Getting there, I had to get a photo copy of the paper I got from the bike shop, and fill out a form, presenting that with the coupon; oh Japan, you and your bureaucracy. Anyway, that was all fine, and I eventually got the sticker for my bike; now I could park at the uni. We rode back in the direction of home, deciding to check out Avail. We spent a little while in there, and Simon found something he like (I didn’t), but was in a bit of a rush to get home, so he decided to think on it. He left before me, since he was meeting someone at 11:30. I was in no rush, but ended up leaving not long after him, not really fussed. I ended up meeting him out the front of the seminar house, and he asked me to let Otousan know the switching of hands had taken place, and he no longer had two bikes. I had to talk to Otousan anyway, to get the final sticker I needed; gotta stick ‘em all. So that was that; I was a bona fide bike owner.

I went back to my room, and got talking to Carly. She’s planning to come back to Japan for a two week holiday, with a really good deal on the plane fare. She’s going to come around the end of May, and looks forward to seeing everyone again, and buying heaps more kimonos at Toji; crazy girl. At around two I had lunch, explaining to yet another person what that green stuff was on my toast; I never get tired of that. I really have been enjoying my avocado and rice on toast for lunch; it’s so good. Back in my room, I did some more chatting, getting my blog updated, before changing the futon linen and vacuuming the floor. After that I was a bit restless, so decided to test out my new bike. I had heard of a great discount store called ドン・キホーテ (Don Kihote – Don Quijote ~ I don’t know the significance of the name. It’s a chain almost exclusive to Japan, with a few stores in Hawaii), past Midori on Highway 1. By foot, it would’ve taken over an hour to get there, but now that I had my bike, it would be totally doable, so I went for it. I’ve pushed the limits of how far I’m willing to walk; now I have to push the limits of how far I’m to bike.

Everything just feels physically closer when you have a bike, and I managed to get there with 30 minutes, the penguin mascot and bright colours making it stand out. I parked out back, and entered. It was absolutely packed, floor to ceiling, of stuff; incredibly dense too. It had two storeys, and I casually browsed, not really finding anything of interest; it was after all, a junk shop. My face did light up however when I finally stumbled upon the imported junk foods section, and found Tim Tams and Doritos. And wow the Tim Tams were way cheaper than they had been on Rokkosan; I guess that makes sense. I didn’t get too carried away though, mindful of having only a small basket at the front of the bike. I picked up a few other things, and went to pay. Don Quijote is duty-free for short term residents if they show there passport, and if they spent at least 10,000円 (over $100 dollars in the store); that was definitely not happening. Happy with what I got, I made my way back along the highway, wanting to check out a few more stores I had spotted on the way. I went to a video-game/DVD place (forgotten the name of it), and got chatting with a random Japanese guy for a little while. After browsing for a little while, I left and went in a nearby second-hand clothes shop; a rarity in Japan indeed. Finding nothing I liked, I made my way back to Midori, past car dealers, restaurants, and Sega world. Of course, as soon as I got there, I couldn’t resist going to play one of the electric pianos on display.

After that, I went and browsed the games, and picked up Final Fantasy Tactics A2, and Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness for the DS, along with a case and screen protectors (with Jack Skellington stickers). I finally got back home at 7:30; I was a little surprised at how long I’d been out. The group were just about ready to watch some more Firefly, so I quickly made scrambled eggs, and took it downstairs. At 9, Rachael had kitchen cleaning duty, and I went up to help; I had to wash my dishes anyway. Biancha, seeing that I was help called me 豪い (erai – admirable), and Yuji went on to explain that erai is used when someone does something even though they don’t have to; there’s probably a good English word for that. It’s also really cool because that word uses the kanji 豪, which stands for Australia; so I was honoured. Getting back downstairs, we continued our viewing and had watched 4 episodes by about 11:30; only 6 more to go. Sleepy, and knowing I’d have to get up early the next day, I went to bed soon after…

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…

Day 55 - 24th of October

9:14pm　セミナーハウス

天気：寒い、曇り

Today was a lot of fun. In the morning, I made pancakes for the first time; Diego usually does it for me. They turned out to be a bit of a disaster, but Diego gave me some tips, so I'll do better next time; seriously though his turn out so perfect and round. They tasted fine though (I added banana), although one hadn't cooked all the way through and was a bit soggy; that wasn't so nice. Oh well, live and learn. After cooking (which always takes way too long), we walked to Midori (Carly, Diego and I). I found a firewire cable for my camcorder, so now I can dump the movies onto my laptop and reuse the tapes. Deigo got himself a new mouse, and Carly just got some batteries for her toothbrush - she was going to buy an electronic dictionary but they were too expensive.

There was a soccer match on this morning, between seminar house 2 and 3 that Eddy, in our house, had organised; Bianca and Stephanie were cooking up a storm this morning to feed the hungry mop afterwards. I got there just as they finished; they were playing at the uni fields. I felt a little bad about not showing up sooner to cheer our team on. Unfortunately they lost, 13 to nil; Seminar House three had an unfair advantage with most of the guys actually expecienced in soccer. I hung around for a little while, and then left for the CIE lounge, to wait for 12:30. I met with another girl from koto club, Maarika from Estonia. We walked over to the library and met with a bunch of Japanese students. It turns out a number of clubs were going to the BBQ, and Maarika and I were the only international students. We caught the bus Yamada Lake, and then walk a while to a part of the park I hadn't been to before. It was amazing; wide open space. People had tents set up, and were playing sports in the grass; a true rarity in Japan.

There was a huge blue tarp set up for us; which we never actually used to sit on. And on it... sooooo much food; too much food in fact. I basically spent the next couple of hours eating on and off: Beef, chicken, pork, fish, mochi, noodles, cabbage, sweet potato, peppers, onions, eggplant, mushrooms, apples, bananas... and they all went on the barbeque in no particular order; it was a free-for-all. I was so full by the end of it, and I even got to take home some chestnuts; Diego suggests that we grill them. I was a lot of fun; I didn't practice my Japanese enough though. I don't know, I just seem to choke and revert back to English; gotta try harder. Even from the park, the main administration building of Kansai Gaidai is clearly visible. It seriously is the tallest building around.

We finished at around 4:30, then I walked home and this time I didn't get lost; the sunset was beautiful. I ate leftovers and bread for dinner, and then an apple. Tonight was basically a repeat of last night, just without the Potter Puppet Pals. Amber's gone now, but Carly's still here. We've all been trying to study for our exams next week. I won't be doing too much study tomorrow though; going to a rice festival at Fushimi Inari in Kyoto; I'm so excited. Lol, I burnt off some of my finger hairs in the barbeque today; there were 5 set up and we basically had chopsticks and a plastic plate, and went for it. I hope we do something like that again; it was great. Anyway, I shall be off now, Carly's going to draw a still-life of me; if I can stay still that is!

Day 20 - 18th of Septemeber

6:20 pm　セミナーハウス

天気：涼しい

Today, was a good day. After my 12 o'clock class, I went to get some money out of the ATM. Wow, I made my first online accommodation booking last night. Yes - Alex and I have decided where to go. We 're staying at 木もれび　(Komorebi), in 雄琴 (Ogoto) near the city of Otsu at the edge of Lake Biwa (http://www.komolebi.jp/guestroom.html)!!! It's an 温泉 (onsen - hot spring) resort. So yeah, we're staying in a twin room, breakfast included, for two nights (Monday - Tuesday). It was the last room available on those nights, so I think it was meant to be. It's going to be so awesome. Now back to today ...

I wanted to check out an electronics store some people had recommended called "Midori". I didn't know exactly where it was, but it turned out to be really easy to find; just kept on walking down the road past Top World. Getting there, there was traffic control everywhere. Midori has just opened, and it's obviously very popular. The amount of cars going in and out was astounding. Pedestrians are ushered along, or brought to a halt by traffic cops, while they attempt to keep the flow of traffic as smooth as possible. Up the escalators I went, after receiving handouts from several of the store clerks, into a vast, bright room. It was huge, and white, with mirrors that created the illusion of being even bigger. Guess were I went first; hair straightener!!! I know, it's silly, but I had to have one; good price too. So after finding the one I liked, I browsed around a bit; they have everything. Then I went downstairs to the grocery department, bought some more washing powder and some body wash (aloe vera), xD. WOW, it was packed in the food section; the prices were really good though.

After leaving Midori, I walked all the way back to Avail (the clothes shop near the seminar houses). I finally got that shirt, along with some jeans, and scandals! I must have spent about an hour in there. I couldn't help myself; most items were reduced. Came back to the dorm, and tried out my straightener; works great. Diego came back soon after, and I told him about Midori. He decided he wanted to take a look, today. So we walked all the way over there, and looked around (again for me, lol). He didn't end up buying anything, but then I showed him downstairs, and almost immediately he wanted to look for mochi. 餅 (mochi) is a Japanese rice cake, made from glutinous rice and pounded into paste. This particular type is a sweet (I think it's filled with red bean paste). I haven't had too much of it, but it's now Diego's favourite snack. We found these really nice pink coloured ones, loved them, and went back in for more. Thoroughly satisfied, we made our way back to the dorm.

9:09 pm　セミナーハウス

Oh my gosh!!! I just got an email from the innkeeper saying that it is overbooked!!! Luckily, he's given us a room in another inn (湯元館 - Yumotokan), which is right next to Komorebi (http://www.yumotokan.co.jp/world/english/guestroom/). * Huge sigh of relief *. .. I consider myself very lucky this point. The rate's the same, and we will still be able to enjoy the hot springs. So, it's all good.