Day 263 - 20th of May

11:32pm　セミナーハウス

天気：曇り

Today was a very long day; I’m exhausted. But, I picked up lots of goodies, and saw a wonderful show, so it was worth it. And, it wasn’t nearly as hot as it has been recently, although the air was damp all day… After waking up at 9, to find Hugo missing, I got ready for the day and then took the bus to the station. En route, I rearranged all my badges and pins, so now they cover most of the bag and there is a decent space between each of them; it looks much better in my opinion. I met Carly in Hirakata at 10:30, and we went over to the bank so I could close my account, and she could cash some traveller’s checks. She ended up taking longer than me, because the bank wanted to know her hotel’s address; they couldn’t find it! Eventually everything was sorted out, and we came out a whole lot richer. Taking the rapid express to Gion Shijo, we walked around for a little while, me trying to figure out Katie’s instructions. It was getting close to 12, so I was getting a little anxious. We did end up finding the street though, and were seated just after 12; a bit early but anyway. Since all the regular seats were booked out, we had to sit in the second floor balcony on cushions. We were right next to the stage, looking at it at a diagonal. Unfortunately we were on the side where the walkway wasn’t visible; it was right under us. So we couldn’t see the orchestra or some of the action. Apart from that, and the mild discomfort, it was great; certainly for the price.

Of course, Katie had ended up with front row seats (she did end up having to pay more) and we soon caught her attention as she sat down. Her two friends are visiting from Canada and after the show we got acquainted. Seeing as it was getting close to 2 by that time, we decided it was time for lunch. After meeting up with Sarah near the station, we made our way over to Sukiya; it was cheap and delicious. After eating, we slowly made our way over to the Teramachi shopping arcade, the girls stopping it shops along the way. Once at Teramachi, I took them to the second-hand kimono place, and while they were browsing, I tried to sell my kimono. Well, that didn’t turn out very well at all. Not only did they not want to buy it, they wouldn’t even except it as a donation; this made me wonder where they actually got their kimono from. I don’t know, maybe I just wasn’t negotiating properly, or maybe it’s because I’m a gaijin. It just meant I had to haul it around for the rest of the day, and believe me it’s not light. After exiting the shop, Katie and her friends went to karaoke, and Sarah, Carly and I spent the rest of the afternoon shopping; separately!

Well not at first. We went over to the t-shirt printing place, and I got exactly what I wanted. I had to pay a bit extra because the expression was so long, but it was totally worth it. I now have a bright yellow shirt that says 豆腐の角に頭をぶつけて死ね (tofu no kado ni atama wo butsukete shine – “Go bash your head on the corner of a block of tofu and die”) on it!!! Extremely satisfied, I made my way over to ABC Mart, to see if I could find a pair of shoes for my brother; I couldn’t. I had left the girls at a fabric shop, and when I returned, they weren’t there. I waited around for a bit, then went back to ABC Mart; no sign of them. I walked back to the fabric store again, and they weren’t there, so I decided to just continue on; maybe I’d bump into them again. Well, I didn’t, but I went to a heap of shops, and found some really great stuff. I tried looking for some bags and found a few places, but I wasn’t entirely certain about any of them; I needed a second opinion. So, I’ll have to get them tomorrow for sure. I found another Village Vanguard (it’s also in Kuzuha Mall and has a whole lot of crazy, fun stuff in it), but didn’t end up buying anything. I also had a look around some of the small temples and shrine crammed between the shops; everything looked so lush in the rain.

I ended my shopping in a music store, hitting the jackpot on the 4^th floor; piano sheet music!!! I ended up buying four books: two Kingdom Hearts piano arrangements, the Advent Children piano solo, and Chopin; one of the pieces Austria always plays in Hetalia is Chopin’s Nocturne, so I want to learn it. I was so happy after that, but my legs were killing me. I had a lot of bags, but luckily one of the shopkeepers offered me a really big bag to put them all in; that was a huge help. I made my way back to the station, and after buying some sweets from the bakery, I decided I’d do a little more looking around before heading home; I had just enough energy left. Since Book Off was just upstairs, I browsed that for a while coming back empty-handed; oh well. On the way home, I drifted in and out of sleep; having a chair was very comfortable. I finally got home at about 8, and went straight to dinner; leftovers with rice. I stayed up there until about 9 and when Sarah came in, I asked her what happened; after they left the fabric shop they went into the 100円 shop so I must have walked straight past them. Anyway, it all turned out okay. I spent the next hour sorting stuff out, and then after saying goodnight to Carly, I went and sat down to watch the drama with the girls; this week’s episode wasn’t nearly as dramatic as the last one. Still, it was fun and a chance to practice listening. Well I’d better get some sleep since we’re going to the flea market pretty early tomorrow. And 0% chance of rain…

Day 259 - 16th of May

10:46pm　セミナーハウス

天気：晴れ

Feeling very tired now; today was fun, but draining. At least it was a nice, sunny day; maybe a little too warm. I was so worried we weren’t going to make it the concert today, but everything turned out fine, eventually… I got up at 9 (a little late), and hurriedly readied myself for the day. I let Maarika know I’d meet her at seminar house 1 at 10, so went over there and waited; and waited. I waited until about 10 past, and then decided to just go; I was already keeping Carly waiting. I went to the bus stop, and found that the bus wouldn’t be coming for the next 10 minutes. I got so anxious just standing there that I walked to the next stop, and still had to wait. I didn’t end up getting down to the station until about a quarter to 11; Carly was still waiting patiently bless her. So now all we had to do was get to Nipponbashi; easy enough right? Well, stupid me lead us to the wrong station; we talked with Maureen and Tori, who were going to Eigamura, for a little while. It wasn’t until we got on the train and started moving did I realise we were going in the wrong direction; towards Kyoto. So, we had to get off at Kuzuha, and wait for the next express to take us back the other way; the waiting nearly killed me. We got on the train at about 10 past 11 and, knowing the concert started at 12, I was freaking out.

We took the limited express to Kitahama, and then rushed over to the Sakai-suji subway line. There was finally a bit of luck when we managed to get to the platform just as the train was coming in. We had less than 10 minutes left, but thankfully Nipponbashi was only three stations down. As soon as we got off the train we rushed toward exit 7, emerging into the sunlight to find that the theatre ~ the 国立文楽劇場 (kokuritsu bunraku gekijou – National Japanese Puppet Theatre ~ was just up the road; we had made it just in time. We were soon seated in a beautiful theatre, delicate lanterns lining the walls, and huge curtain in front of us, adorned with pine trees and water. We had come in just after the MC had started talking, so didn’t miss any of the music. The next 3 hours (yes, it was a lot longer than I had expected), were filled with some of the most beautiful music I had ever heard; I was blown away. The orchestra (if that is the right term for it) played 8 pieces, splitting up into various groups for each. It took me a while, but during the first piece I finally noticed Sensei in a sky blue kimono playing the shamisen; she looked so calm and confident. In fact, almost everyone looked to be at absolute peace, and I was transfixed watching each section move in almost perfect unison; the graceful and precise movements reflected the magnificence of the music.

Most of the pieces included both shamisen and koto sections, as well as a solo shakuhachi. One included the 琵琶 (biwa – Japanese lute), and a few included the 17-stringed koto; it’s deep notes resounding. If I had a chance to play koto again, I would love to give the 17-string a go; I’ve always had a thing for bass instruments. They presented a wonderful balance of traditional and contemporary pieces, which I was very pleased about; it really showed off the versatility of the instruments. I actually found myself drawn more towards the contemporary pieces. Of course, the traditional pieces were all amazing, stepped in the aesthetics of Japan, but the contemporary pieces really touched my soul. One piece in particular, called 硝子の星座 (garasu no seiza – “Constellation of glass”) sent shivers down my spine; I was completely swept up in it. I desperately want to hear it again now, as it was just breathtaking; maybe I’ll be able to find it somewhere one day. The last piece played almost had a Middle Eastern flair to it, which again showed off the diverse range of music these instruments can perform; it certainly helps when they can all be tuned to whatever you want. I was thoroughly impressed, and hope I get the opportunity to see something of such a standard again one day.

Upon exiting, we bumped into Maarika; I was glad she had made it. She never got my message, so actually came over to Seminar House 2 to find me; I had already left by that time. Oh well, it all worked out. We found Sensei in the lobby, and congratulated her when she came rushing over to thank us. Then, feeling very hungry, we went in search of a convenience store, and soon found a Family Mart; I got an onigiri and a yummy strawberry donut thing. We made our way back to Makino, this time not in a rush, and then walked home from there; stopping at Sanko on the way; I got some cheap bananas. I was so surprised to find that it was already 5 by the time we were home; the whole day had gone. Still, I managed to get about 4 hours study in; Carly helped by quizzing me on kanji and vocabulary. We had a break for dinner in between, and sat in the lounge reading in the newspaper that they had found that modern man’s genome contains traces of Neanderthal DNA; it was quite fascinating. After that, more study and then donuts, and then Carly left. I’d better get some sleep now. My exam is at 10, but I want to try to get up early to study a bit more. I’m really glad I got to go out today, but it has put a bit of a strain on things…

Day 257 - 14th of May

天気：曇り

Today was a long, but fun-filled (for the most part) day. It was cloudy, but didn’t end up raining, which was nice. So many wonderful memories were made today, and there was no shortage of tears. I’m sure there will be more to come; both memories and tears… I had my last Reading and Writing class at 9 this morning, and got my Sakubun handed in before spending the lesson revising. Straight afterwards, I went home and slept for a few hours; I was really tired for some reason. I had lunch, and then got a bit of revision in, before heading back to uni and taking my Gender and Sexuality quiz; it wasn’t too hard. After that, I was done for the day. I got back home at about 2, and then got my field report finished; so happy. Haven’t sent it off yet; probably do that tomorrow. Then I had some time to get ready for the party. I showered and shaved, and then went up to Ash and Katie’s room for a little while. Sarah and Katie were typing up subtitles for their skit, to put on YouTube; the teacher sent them the recording. Carly was curled up like a cat. Rachel and Ash arrived back at about 6, and I couldn’t help yelling at them in the front driveway from the room; it was rather disconcerting for them. Julie arrived soon after that, and I yelled a greeting at her too.

Since I had 20 minutes before the party, I decided to go straighten my hair; Carly followed. On the way down, I caught Julie and she showed us her model shots; they were so amazing. I still had just enough time to straighten my hair, and get started on my JASSO report (like the first line), before going up to the kitchen with my Milo biscuits and Tim Tams. The next hour and a half involved lots of eating, t-shirt signing, photo taking, and general craziness. First off, Jeremy and I were awarded a certificate of appreciation and a t-shirt each, for being the cleaning group leaders; thanks RAs. Then we got stuck into eating. I was really glad that Carly was allowed to come into the kitchen, because it meant that she didn’t have to wait out in the hallway to enjoy the food. Biancha made two wonderful rolls, Liz a pound cake, the RA’s these amazing mochi/anko sweets, and Okaasan, coffee jelly; admittedly that wasn’t very nice. But everything else was delicious. My biscuits were a hit too, and everyone completely forgot about the Tim Tams until about halfway through when I saw them there looking all abandoned, and let everyone know; all three packets were gone in less than a minute. After eating we all got into t-shirt signing, or in the case of a few people, notebooks.

There was even a special card to sign for Otoosan and Okaasan, which was a really nice though. Also, I was supposed to play the koto. The setting up in the kitchen part was fine, but the part where I didn’t have the music was not. For some reason, my Miyabi sheet music has ran away from me. I was getting really nervous and desperate so I ran over to seminar house 1 to see if Maarika was there; she wasn’t!!! Luckily, Rose was in so I was able to go up to the room and find the music; it was really easy to locate. Then I rushed back to the kitchen and was happy to find most people still there. Since Miyabi is meant for two koto, my performance wasn’t great (especially since I dropped the music on the last page) but I think everyone appreciated it. After that, everyone who had had shirts signed put them on, and we got some group photos. At 8:30, it was finally time to pack up, as people would be going out to Toriki afterwards for all you can eat and drink. Since I had just been, I didn’t feel the need to go again; nor did I feel like to dish out 3000円. Instead, after getting everything put away, I made a quick, quick dinner (gyudon) and went downstairs to watch Stardust with the gang; such a good movie. That finished at about 11, and then everyone toddled off to their rooms; everyone except Ash, Rachel and I. Ash felt like English muffins and tea, and Rachel just felt like tea; I just had a Milo. Then light conversation ensued…

Day 234 - 21st of April

10:16pm　セミナーハウス

天気：晴れ

This incessant switching between rainy and sunny days is getting rather tiresome, although I do very much enjoy the sunny, warm days, like today; just wish it would stay constant. Anyway, apart from the weather, today was wonderful… I woke up with my hair standing up tall; that’s what I get for sleeping on it wet. But actually, it looks really good, so I kept it that way. I got my blog done, and then got some study in for my last vocab quiz in Speaking; kinda sad in a strange way. I soon got to uni, and did the quiz, which went fine, before we went over some more grammar points. Saigo Sensei let us know that the final exam will include stuff from the entire semester, which means 10 chapters of grammar and vocab; I’m scared already. After class, I spent the next hour getting my homework for Reading and Writing; I was much more focused today. We did some revision in class, since we have an exam on Friday, and then I made my over to the ATM before my next class. In Gender and Sexuality today, we watched a documentary about host clubs called “The Great Happiness Space”, which was fascinating and terrible at the same time. Basically, a host club is where a woman can go to “get her dreams fulfilled”, by paying to spend time with a host of her choice. This documentary centred on a host club in Osaka, which is kind of awesome because I’ve been to the area where it’s located; between Shinsaibashi and Namba. The hosts are attractive, products that the women use to “heal” themselves emotionally.

The challenge for the host is to lead the women on as long as possible, in order to maximise profit. They rake the streets for women who look like they have the money to spend (they seek out girls with designer labels), and try their hardest to persuade them to come to the club. The average salary for one of the guys at this particular club was $10,000 a month, with the top ranking guy earning $50,000; how do they do it!!! Well unfortunately, host clubs have created a situation where women are forced into the sex industry in order to afford it. One of the women interviewed said that 70-80% of clients are in the industry! Women who are selling their bodies are of course feeling bad about themselves, so where do they turn; the host clubs. These men will listen to them, and give them advice, and make them feel loved; human nature is such that no one wants to be lonely. While you might think that these men of the host clubs are absolutely despicable (well I guess they are in a way, creating false relationships), it’s just as bad for them. Working in this trade has completely altered their perception of women; they’re playing off each other. The women go around to several clubs, saying “I love you”, “I want to marry you”, to several different guys; and some of them are even in multiple relationships. While some of guys want to have normal relationships, they no they can’t, and they have no trust in women anymore anyway; so they too, are lonely. So yeah, there’s another example of crazy Japan.

After that, I rode home and had lunch while watching a talk show that was discussing the volcanic eruption in Iceland, and how this has impeded many people returning to their home countries; all flights into many parts of Europe have been cancelled. In KIX, they’re letting passengers sleep in the lounge for free, and giving them water and food and use of amenities for free too; people have been waiting there since Saturday. Gosh I would hate to be in that situation; really glad I live in Australia right now. Ash, and a few other people are worried they won’t be able to get back, so I’m really hoping the air has cleared by then. After eating, I talked with my family for a bit, and then went out the lounge to wait for Ash and Rachel; we were going to see Alice in Wonderland. It was about 4:20 when we set off, and we got to the Hirakata Cineplex just on 5; we walked. Amazingly, when we arrived we were able to catch the 5 o’clock screening; it was a bit rushed! Unfortunately, we really didn’t have time to buy food or drink, so no caramel popcorn for me; oh well, saved some money. We made it in time to catch a few previews (including Toy Story 3), and then got comfy for the feature film. And oh wow, I absolutely loved it; everything about it was wonderful. It was definitely worth it in 3-D too; just as good as Avatar in that respect. After the movie, I had a quick look in the shoe shop, and then we made our way back home; it was already past 7. Getting back, I had dinner (pizza), and then sat around chatting until about 9:30. Since I don’t have any homework tomorrow, I’ve been a little lazy, and have been chatting with Alex for the past couple of hours; also downloaded the soundtrack from the movie. Well, better get some sleep now, hoping it’s a nice day tomorrow…