Day 267 - 24th of May

9:11am　地下鉄　－　銀座線

天気：雨天

We’re on the Ginza subway line, from Asakusa to Shibuya. From there, we will change to another line, get to Shinjuku, and make another transfer for 三鷹 (Mitaka), where we will find the Ghibli Museum. It’s a bit of a late start, but I think we’ll make it on time…

9:29am　山手線

Now we’re on the Yamanote line for Shinjuku. Wow, the trains here in Tokyo seem so much longer than those of the Keihan line. I’m thinking, “Isn’t that train coming up too fast?” but no; two extra carriages really make a difference. Also, the city train system is so complex; there are so many different routes you can chose to get to your destination. The trick is, is to find the most efficient, and economical way; I think we’re doing an okay job of that.

9:41am　快速

Finally on the rapid express to Mitaka. The tickets we have are for the 10 o’clock admission, and I don’t know how strict they are with the time. At this point I’m freaking out a bit; what if we don’t make it in time?

1:59pm　快速

We’ve just got back on the train, and we’re making our way back to Shinjuku to see if we can find the Square Enix building. The Ghibli Museum was amazing… After getting off at Mitaka Station, we walked briskly through the rain towards the museum, which was about 15 minutes away in a basically straight line past the waterworks. Every 200 metres there would be a sign saying how much further the museum was, and this only spurred me on; it was a little frustrating too. It was already 10 past by the time we made it, but I had nothing to worry about; they let us in no problem. As soon as we got inside, all the stress lifted, to be replaced with giddy excitement. I really did feel like a little kid again, entering a magical house of spiral staircases, corridors and cubby holes. It was such a wonderful experience, and I’m sure it’s one of the most kid friendly museums in the world; so many things to see, do, and touch. They even had a huge Cat Bus to play on and in; too bad it was for primary school kids or younger. We leisurely explored the entire building, learning about the history of animation, the animation process in an interactive and hands on manner. There were so many beautiful stained glass windows, and even the bathrooms were impressive; there were a lot of them too. On the roof there was a garden, and a statue of the robot from Laputa (I dare say life size), looking right at home. In fact, the whole building was covered in greenery, and it was surrounded by trees; a secluded world all of its own. The highlight of the museum would have had to have been the short film. We got to see こねこバス (Konekobasu – Kitten Bus), which was an adorable 14 minute story about Mei’s adventures with the kitten bus; it made me so happy. The language was really easy to understand too.

After that, we did a bit more exploring, and then of course, went to the gift shop, “Mamma Aiuto”. I didn’t go too overboard, I don’t think. We got really lucky, getting to the counter just as a huge line had dispersed. They even gave us an extra bag, just in case one got wet; so considerate. By this point, we were very hungry, so after we backtracked for our umbrellas, we went looking for something to eat. We found a Lawsons just across the road, and decided that that was more than satisfactory. After we finished making our purchases, we had the challenge of trying to find somewhere dry to sit and eat. The next 20 minutes consisted of us wondering around the nearby park, trying to find seats that were actually undercover; it was a little ridiculous. Eventually, we came to a Benzaiten temple, and ate at its base. It was a beautiful building, painted in a vibrant red. After eating, we spent some more time enjoying the park and the lake in the rain, and then made our way to 吉祥寺 (Kichijouji) Station. We’ve almost arrived at Shinjuku now. After the Square Enix building (if we can find it), we might also visit the Pokémon Centre…

2:41pm　銀座線

Realising it was taking too long, I went over to the map and realised that this line didn’t actually pass through Shinjuku; whoops. So, now we’re making our way back the other direction…

4:54pm　地下鉄　－　都営大江戸線

Now we’re on the Toei Oedo subway line, heading to 大門 (Daimon), to see if we can find the Pokémon Centre. Finding the Square Enix building was a success, although a little anticlimactic… Once we got to Shinjuku, we found an information kiosk, and soon had a map showing us to the “Square Enix Building”; it was a bit of a walk. This turned out to be the actual headquarters of Square Enix; just the 12^th floor of the massive building. The two women at the reception desk looked very confused, and I don’t blame them. I was a bit confused too, until they explained to us that this was the headquarters, and directed us to the goods shop; this was the place Rachael had actually been referring to. The way she described it, it had sounded really big. In fact, it was a single, small floor of goods; in the end I didn’t even buy anything. There really wasn’t anything that jumped out at me, and it was all quite expensive; I did get to take a picture of the semi-naked Sephiroth statue in the floor before the clerk came back though. So while it didn’t exactly live up to my expectations, I can now say that I’ve been to the headquarters of Sqaure Enix in Tokyo!!! I’m hoping it’ll be a little less hassle to find the Pokémon Centre, and that we have a good amount of time to browse…

6:40pm　ラメン屋　－　大門

We’re in a ramen shop near Tokyo Tower, which is almost entirely shrouded in fog; only the base is visible. Walking around Shinjuku this afternoon, it was also very foggy, the sky pressing down on the skyscrapers. I can’t wait to see it when it’s lit up… Anyway, we did the Pokémon Centre with relative ease; it was just up the road from Daimon station. It was definitely the largest of the three I’ve been two; makes sense since its Tokyo. I didn’t buy that much; just a few more things for my brother. I wonder if I’ll ever get around to visiting the other Pokémon Centres in Japan; there are at least two more that I know of. Well, it’s been a super day; Ghibli, Square Enix, and Pokémon. And to top it all off Tokyo Tower is on the menu next. I have to eat the rest of Carly’s ramen now; she says she’ll spew if she has another bite. I’m not complaining; more for me!!!

9:00pm　浅草線

We’re on the train back to the hostel now from Daimon. The tower was amazing… We didn’t bother going up to the top, but we took plenty of photos from the base; the orange glow looked so cool in the fog. We made our approach through 増上寺 (Zoujouji) Temple, the tower a beautiful incandescent backdrop; a fusion of ancient and modern. We made our way around the main building, and through a cemetery, before reaching the tower. It was massive, and the first 4 floors were dedicated to shops; there was a Makkas of course. On the bottom floor, there was actually a Michael Jackson exhibition, the annoying voice over disturbing the otherwise quiet lobby; there was hardly anyone inside. After buying a few souvenirs, we exited and had a crepe each for dessert; my first and last in Japan. After waiting out a sudden down pour, we made our way back to the station… I think that’s it for the night; when I get back, I’m going to collapse!

Day 255 - 12th of May

11:08pm　セミナーハウス

天気：晴れ

Well, once again I did not get my field report completed however, I did get my sakubun rewrite done, and got started on my oral for tomorrow; so that was something. Today’s weather was better than yesterday’s, although there was a bit of a chill in the air; go away winter… After getting ready this morning, I found Carly at the front entrance. She needed internet to get in contact with her parents, so asked if she could borrow my laptop for today. I didn’t see anything wrong with it, so handed it over and then went on my way to uni; I needed to quickly get something to eat for breakfast before class. Today was in fact our last Speaking class, and after receiving the last of the review sheets, and a last few words from everyone we were done. It really was a wonderful class, and I will miss Saigo Sensei; he was a great teacher. We’ll, I’ll still be able to see him a couple more times, that next being my oral exam tomorrow. I worked on that in the break, and got most of my thoughts down. I’m talking about how I think parents should raise their kids, and I have to speak for 3-4 minutes, while sensei interjecting with questions every now and then. I’m not too worried about it, as I have a pretty good understanding of the grammar, and it’s a topic that I enjoy talking about; in English at least. I’ll just have to write down a few vocab words (we get up to 10) and I’ll be sweet.

In Reading and Writing today, we got our sakubun back, and I got exactly the same as last time; lots of little mistakes again. The rest of the class was spent finishing reading the story and grammar patterns. I went straight from there upstairs, and crashed the Monsters class (for the last time). Today, Rose and Tori were drawing Pokémon all over the board, since they would be learning about it in class today; wish I brought my camera. Far from Pokémon, today in class we talked about third genders, transsexuals, and gender identity disorder that is, after Professor Hester finally got the computer to talk to the projector. This was my last Onna to Otoko class, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Probably the most interesting thing I learnt was that, a transsexual in Japan can get their official sex changed if they are over 20, not married, have no minor children and, get this, have no reproductive organs and genitals that resemble those of the other sex. So basically, you have to go the whole way; there’s no middle ground. We ended the lesson with the course evaluation, and then I made my way back down to the lounge.

I told Carly she could meet me back at the dorms, and then went grocery shopping; I was sorely in need of supplies. Getting back, I had enough time to make lunch before Carly arrived; we sat in the lounge and talked for a while. Then I got onto my sakubun, getting it finished in about an hour. I spent the rest of the afternoon on the report, and end up altering quite a bit of it; it’s because I care too much. At 7, I went up to eat, and found out that leftover okonomiyaki doesn’t taste all that bad. We watched a quiz show on TV; the one where they have to jump rope while answering questions. I was soon back downstairs, only to go back to the kitchen once more to make Carly’s dinner; Mac and Cheese. It’s annoying that guests aren’t allowed in the kitchen but, can’t be helped. While I was working on my report, Carly was trying to get her phone to work; international roaming didn’t want to cooperate for some reason. She was on the phone with a techie for almost an hour, but she thinks it’s all good now; I hope so. Finally, 10 came around and it was time for Carly to leave. Silly girl hadn’t brought a jacket so I lent her my jumper; she did bring her slippers today though, so that’s an improvement. I’m going to get some sleep now, so I can spend plenty of time in the morning preparing for my oral. After that, I’ll have a little bit of time to study before the Religion quiz…

Day 151 - 28th of January

21:01pm セミナーハウス
天気：雨天
Jamie and Hugo are already asleep, so I’m out in the computer room again. Today it was cold and wet, and soon after I got up this morning, I had to get the rest of my washing in; it hadn’t gotten that wet. Since I didn’t have any milk, and I didn’t want to go out, I asked Hugo if I could borrow his milk. He told me that he’d accidently put it in the freezer at first, but now it was back in the fridge; he didn’t know if it would be okay to drink. I was more than willing to take a chance, and it was totally fine. After breakfast, I started revising Genki II. We have a test in our first week, to make sure we’re in the right level, and I really, really don’t want to fail it.

I had lunch, and then went to uni, to pay the rest of my fees, before going to the post office to pay for my insurance. The January stipend for the JASSO finally came in, so now I have a bit more money. I’ll have o more fees to pay for the rest of the semester, so from here on out it’s all survival and enjoyment money; hopefully I have some left over in the end. I walked back past Kirindo, to pick up milk and bread, and then went to Avail. I tried on a couple of things but didn’t end up buying anything; I guess I wasn’t in the mood. I got back and continued revising for the rest of the afternoon. I went up for dinner at about 6, a found some anime to watch on TV. The first show was called 銀魂 (Gintama), and it was so funny because words would be “beeped” out. I wondered if they were swearing, or if it was just a gimmick.

Simon came in and we got chatting. We watched Pokémon, then Naruto, then this really interesting travel show. We got to see 箱根 (Hakone), which is near Mt Fuji, and famous for hot springs and outdoor activities. It looks really beautiful; I might just stay there on my way to Tokyo. Finally got sick of TV, and came down here. So excited; going to USJ tomorrow! I checked the weather and it should be sunny, which is great. Or maybe it won’t be great because the lines will be longer. Anyway, we’ll be leaving at about 9, to get there for opening at 10. This week has been long! I’m just really looking forward to next week, and starting classes again; getting back into routine. Oh well, I guess I’ll make the most of the break. Anyway, Simon, and a new acquaintance (Rachel), have gone so I think it’s time for bed.

Day 150 - 27th of January

11:40pm　セミナーハウス
天気：曇り
Today ran along a similar vein as yesterday… I got up at around 10:30, Jamie and Hugo had already left, so I had breakfast and then showered. I did get to do my laundry, which was great. I did some more study, and then played Heart Gold, and then it was time for lunch. I chatted with Jo for a while, and she suggested we should go into uni together. So at about 1:45 we left, with Ash and Katie. We all had to do the loan session, so that meant climbing up those dreaded stairs to the 4th floor; going to have to get used to that again. After a bit of sorting, it was found the easiest way to pay for my accommodation was to take it all out of my JASSO scholarship money, so I went with that. Now I just have to pay the “Liability Insurance Fee” tomorrow and I’m done. After the loan session, Ash and I waited in the lounge for Katie to pay her fees, and talked with Jacinthe and Nadezhda respectively; Nadezhda was successful in her jump test so will be going into level 6 this semester.

After Katie got back we made our way to 渚の湯 (Nagisa no Yu), the bathhouse/onsen near Gotenyama station. After a bit of walking we came across it; the bigゆ gave it away. We got there at about 3:15, so gave ourselves an hour to enjoy it; girls in the left side and me to the right. It wasn’t that busy, and I just took my time trying out all the different baths. One in particular that was really cool was an outside bath with reddish brown water; must’ve contained a lot of iron? It was certainly the steamiest bathhouse I’ve ever been in; made the atmosphere really relaxing though. I also got to see a yakuza, his full-body 入れ墨 (irezumi – tattoo) giving away his trade; when we got out I told the girls and Ash was really jealous. As usual, it was mostly elderly men; I was actually surprised to see two other young guys.

After about 45 minutes soaking, I was definitely ready to get out. I weighted myself on the scales in the change room and was very happy to find that I've put on weight; now I'm 67kg! After getting dressed, I sat in the lobby and waited for the girls while reading the 渚の湯ものがたり (Nagisa no Yu Monogatari – Nagisa no yu story); too much kanji! The girls came out, and Katie looked very flush. She’s been to hot springs before in Canada (so lucky), but wasn’t used to being indoors and surrounded by steam. It was Ash’s first time, and she said she really enjoyed it, and was feeling very relaxed. We exited, and then went to a nearby Lawsons for some food. Ash introduced me to this amazing treat; mochi with cream and strawberries inside. I thoroughly enjoyed munching on that. Then we started making our way back, seeing if we could cut through the suburbs to make a straight line to the dorms, rather than going back down to the uni and then up again. It was an interesting and trouble-free walk, since we were too relaxed to be worried.

We eventually found our way back to the main road that passes seminar house 4, a made our way back from there. Ash and Katie went back to their room, and I went to the kitchen to find Biancha. I told her where we’d been and she described what was on the female side; it sounded really cool. I did notice there was a chart with day of the week on it, showing which room would be designated to men and which to women, so I’ll have to go back to experience the other room. I then sat down with Simon, and met Pat from Perth. We chatted for ages while watching TV and Jo also joined in. I had dinner at about 7:30; left over curry with toast. It wasn’t until around 9 that I finally left the dining room for my room. Finding no one here, I hung up half my washing inside, and then decided to go bother Ash and Katie, taking some mandarin with me. Ash and I helped Katie to word an email to her uni concerning a mess up with her scholarship; what a bummer. After she was satisfied with it, I got to see her photos from Singapore. Ash was packing a box to send home, and after she’d finished that, I got a manicure; yay! Finally it was time for bed…

Day 144 - 21st of January

8:13pm　セミナーハウス
天気：雨天
Finished cleaning; well pretty much… Got up at 9 this morning, and left for Toji at 10; Ryan arrived just before. We walked to Makino and it was drizzling, the sky moist and grey; it had rained the night before. Ash felt right at home, and insisted she didn’t need an umbrella. Soon after reaching the flea markets however, it started to pour; not that that deterred the crowds. Ash and Katie were in bliss, seeking out kimono stalls and the shelter they offered. They got quite a few things. As usual, I just enjoyed browsing; started forming some ideas of what I should get though. Katie found this really cool toy that, when spun, mimics the look of a bubble! It’s basically strips of iridescent plastic that “merge” together when spun. It’s a really cool idea though; looks great.

After about an hour and a half, we left the flea market, out an exit I hadn’t been before. I hadn’t realised just how huge the markets were; this arm extended right the way up to the shinkansen line. We walked further down, past the massive shopping centre that’s opening in spring, and went into Kyoto station. Not far from the door, was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s a bit hard to explain, but basically it’s a fountain of timed water jets, cascading from the ceiling to the floor, that creates shapes, patterns, words and even kanji!!! It was seriously awesome. It wrote ようこそみやこみち and then the translation, “Welcome to Miyako-michi. And then it created images of historical sites in Kyoto, including Toji pagoda, and heaps of different patterns; I was transfixed. We watched it till the completion of the circuit, and then continued through the shops, and over to the other side of the station; facing the Kyoto tower.

Katie wanted to see if she could book tickets for the Beauty and the Beast musical, or in Japanese 美女と野獣 (Bijo to Yajuu). This perked my interest, so we went together to check it out. The theatre is in Kyoto station, and the stairway to it was decked out in red carpet. Inside the foyer, there were statues of classic anime characters, including Astro boy, and Kimba the Lion. After a bit of thinking, I decided I was in, and we chose a day and got the tickets. We’re going on the 6th of Feb, for the Matinee performance at 1:30. It’s going to be so incredible, and so cool to watch in Japanese! After that, we went to donut king and indulged, before catching the train back home bound. Katie and Ash decided to go on to Hirakata station, but I got off at Kuzuha, and then changed for Makino.

I went and bought the Pokémon: Heart Gold Soul Silver walkthrough, at the Keihan store, and then went on to Sanko, to pick up bread and sauce; bread for lunch and sauce for dinner. I got home at about 3, had lunch, and then began cleaning my kitchen box and utensils. I also clean the fridge. Just as I finished, Ryan came up, and I inquired if he’d moved the stuff out from the bottom of the fridge. He said he had and that he’d cleaned it also. Lolz, well now it’s doubly cleaned. Here I was worrying about him getting things done, and he had finished everything by the time I’d gotten back; he’ll be moving to seminar house 4 tomorrow. When I came back down, I put my laundry away, and dusted the shelves. He was watching Mad Max on his laptop; I recognised the Australian accent. When I told him I hadn’t watched it, he said, “What kind of Australian are you?” That inspired me to watch it, along with many other Aussie classics, as soon as I get home!

At about 7:30, I went up and made dinner; my last home-cooked for a while now! I made spaghetti bolognese. Simple, but it meant I used up my last carrot, most of the onion, and the rest of my meat and pasta; so I was happy and so full afterward. I thoroughly washed my plate and cutlery, and then came back down. Yuji soon arrived at our door, accompainied by our new RA, Asumi. He inquired about by progress with inspection, and I let him know that everything but the floor, and shoji doors were done. We explained that we were going to be getting up at 8 tomorrow to vacuum; he implored us to have it done on time. Then I went up and showed him my kitchen box and the fridge; Ryan had already showed his. He was most satisfied, and I’m sure relieved; one less to worry about. I really hope it does go smoothly tomorrow; fingers crossed. As soon as it’s over I’ll be so happy. I don’t think I’ll do much else tomorrow; probably just mail Tamblyn’s shoes. Well, I think I’m going to go have some dessert now, and then say goodbye to the pots and pans…

Day 134 - 11th of January

10:36am　普通
天気：曇り
I forgot to bring my journal, so I’m writing this in my iPod. I’m on the local train to Hirakata, where I’ll be switching over for a rapid express to Kyobashi. From there, I’ll take the subway to Shinsaibashi. I know it’s a bit of a late start, but I had a terrible night’s sleep, so we’ll see how I go… I’m not sure if it’s some sort of holiday today, but when I went over to the bank, it charged me overtime. Anyway, I think today will be a lot of fun; hopefully find some interesting things.

11:18am　地下鉄
I’m just getting on the subway at Kyobashi. I love the sound of the warning signals in the subway; so pretty. I’ve decided to go to 長堀橋 (Nagahoribashi), which is one stop from Shinsaibashi, and walk down to 恵美須町 (Ebisucho), through Den den town.

6:15pm　地下鉄
I’m on the subway back to Kyobashi now; still standing. I haven’t sat down since lunch at about 2; found a really great, cheap ramen shop in Den den town. Well no, I lie, I did sit down (on the floor) in the Yamaha music shop in Shinsaibashi, before purchasing two Studio Ghibli piano solo books; that was about 30 minutes ago. Today has been… long; so much walking around! I basically made a big “U”, going from Nagahoribashi, down through to Den den town to Ebisucho, before going across to Namba, and then up to Shinsaibashi; actually it was more like a backwards “Y”, since I went all the way down to Ebisucho, but anyway. I spent most of my time in Den den town, which was amazing; total overload of stuff! My bag is now filled to the brim with goodies…

6:46pm　特急
Now I’m on the limited express back to Hirakata, and I’m still not sitting down; so sad… so as I was saying, my bag is filled with goods; I can’t recall everything I bought to be honest. I found lots of Final Fantasy paraphernalia and some Hetalia stuff too. I was really tempted to buy a model (either from Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts) actually, but decided against it this time. My biggest purchase was a DS lite; yes, I finally got one. It’s crimson and black. I did a lot of shopping around for it, and got one for a decent price; unfortunately the one time I found them for really cheap (like half the retail price), they were sold out. I was determined to buy one today though, so I just went ahead and did it. As for games, I bought Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings (really cheap), and Pokémon: Heart Gold (best price I could find); very happy.

Yes, Den den town was amazing, but it was also a lot of the same. It basically went like this: Electronics, CDs, manga, adult shop, video games, second hand goods, furniture, DVDs, manga, CDs, models, records, adult shop, electronics, adult shop, second hand goods, CDs, electronics, video games, manga… with a sprinkling of restaurants and duty-free shops, two Makkas, and at least six convenience stores. Yeah, there were a lot of adult shops (mostly selling DVDs and comics) in plain sight, all the way along the right side of the street, which I walked down first; many of the multi-storey shops had adult sections in their top floors as well. I was pretty indifferent to it; a whole lot of all-too-busty females and yaoi…

7:04pm　枚方市駅
In the station now, waiting for the train to Makino…


7:06pm　準急
Yay, I’m sitting down; in the train… I walked all the way down the right side of Den den town, and reached Ebisucho, where I wondered down a street under the Hanshin Expressway, past stalls, to find myself amidst a festival; how lucky. I’ll have to look up what it was all about; there were so many people and stalls. After walking around the shrine that was hosting the festival, I found a taiyaki stand, bought two custard filled, and walked a bit further south to the 通天閣 (tsutenkaku)…

The tsutenkaku (lit. tower reaching heaven), was a really great sight to see. I really wish I could have seen it at night though; maybe next time. I was disappointed you couldn’t actually climb it (as far as I could tell), but I thought it was cool how a road past underneath it. So to date, I have seen 4 towers in Japan; 5 if you count the Umeda Sky Building. I walked back from the tower, and back up the other side of Den den town. The limits of the “town” are clearly defined by the decorative pipe-like structures of different colours that bordered the walkways. There wasn’t as much on this side, so I went back to the other side for a while, looking for a good price for the DS. There were some video game shops, a few with heaps of retro games and consoles; I’m sure dad would’ve loved it. And in all of them, I was beckoned by Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, and Final Fantasy XIII, bellowing from the speakers, and playing on the flat screen TVs. I really want a PSP now; might be my next big purchase!

I finally left Den den town at around 5; it was almost night. I got to see it with the lights, which wasn’t all that fantastic. I walked back up and across to namba, just taking in the sights and the night life. The 南海難波駅 (Nankai Namba station) was very beautiful; European influenced architecture. And across the way, there was what looked to be a Kabuki theatre. It was closed off for construction though, so I wasn’t entirely sure. I soon found myself in familiar territory, and went to find the hotel the Devoys had stayed at, in Dotonbori. Happy with a shot of the 4 statues out the front, I continued on and soon found myself in Shinsaibashi. I was actually really surprised how close everything was in terms of walking; I guess the subway stops aren’t that far apart when I think about it. I didn’t have that much money left, and I didn’t really see anything of interest anyway, until I found the Yamaha shop. It was a 4 storey shop and wow, there were so many instruments. It also had a great selection of sheet music, so I took me a while to choose the books I wanted; high grade, and jazz arrangements. My feet now sore, and bag felling very heavy, I decided it was time to head home… the walk back from Makino wasn’t that bad, it wasn’t that cold. I noticed a banner on the way back, with information about the Ebisu festival celebrations in Makino; so that was it.

The 十日戎 (tooka ebisu), is a festival that celebrates Ebisu, one of the 七福神 (shishifukujin – seven lucky gods), and a patron of business and commerce. For this reason, he is particularly popular in Osaka, being the merchant capital. It’s a three day festival, from the 9th to the 11th, with the 10th being the main day (tooka means 10th of the month). The shrine I went to is called the 今宮戎 (Imamiyaebisu), which is apparently the place to go during the festival. I consider myself really lucky to be there, especially considering that fact that I had no prior knowledge of it; I basically stumbled upon it. I mean, I could have gone any day, but I managed to pick a day when a huge festival was on; so cool. And it was huge! The amount of people pouring in, making offerings to Ebisu was incredible; there was a continuous clinging sound from all the money being thrown into the shrine.

The priests were giving out bamboo fronds, and people would then proceed to buy charms to hang from them; I first noticed them when I saw a man walking around with one in Den den town. I found out that these are called 吉兆笹 (kichousasa – “lucky bamboo grass”), and are decorated with models of 鯛 (sea bream), 小判 (koban – former Japanese oval gold coin), and 米俵 (komedawara – bags of rice), which represent flourishing success in business. I’ll definitely have to come back and get one, when I get into the market. Today though, I was just happy to look on. I noticed that there were lots of people coming into the shrine with their old bamboo fronds, presumably from last year; they had browned. There was actually a bin in the shrine, called 古笹納所 (furusasanasho – “old fronds offerings”), and inside there was indeed the old fronds, charms and all; I hope that the charms are recycled. Apart for food, there were an abundance of stalls that were also selling ornaments featuring Ebisu himself, with his benevolent smiling face. I wish I’d brought my video camera, but at least I got some decent photos.

Getting back to the seminar house, I found my room still Ryan-less, chucked my bag down, and went up to have dinner. Katie was back from Singapore, and I talked with her and Ash until they went back to their room. I decided to just make another pizza, since I hadn’t gotten any meat out of the fridge. With the crust defrosted, I went about making it, and talked with Jacinthe. She was making a cake, and I helped her with it. The recipe was really simple, but the end result was amazing; I love Jacinthe’s cooking! After that, I went back down and unpacked my bag. Soon, everything was strewn across my futon; bags, plastic, books, and other miscellanea. When I opened the DS box, I realised there was already an adapter included, and, of course, I had bought one separately for it; so stupid of me. So now I have two, which I won’t be able to use in Australia anyway; might come in handy later on in life I guess. Apart from that, I’m really happy with my other purposes, and would really like going back again. I had a lot of fun just browsing; there was just so much stuff. Most of it, I wasn’t interested in buying, but it was still cool to look at; especially all the models. I’m kinda glad I’m not really into manga or anime; otherwise I’m sure I would have spent a heck of a lot more money there.

Day 118 - 26th of December

12:57am　Denny’s
天気：曇り
Hanging out with Alex in Denny’s 24 hour café; we’ve been here since 11. Had some dinner here, and dessert, and we’ve just been chatting about everything. We’re in Sakae, which is just 4 stops down from Kanayama on the subway. We explored the station first, which is really beautiful. There are dinosaur statues all lit up, a skating rink, heaps of shops, and the Pokémon centre; we even got some ice cream from Baskin and Robins. The roof is especially amazing. It’s a glass structure with large pool on top; so you can see the water above from the ground floor; it’s aptly named the 水の宇宙船 (mizu no uchuusen – aqua spaceship). After taking some video of that, and the Nagoya TV Tower, we walked over, and rode the Sky Boat; a Ferris wheel on the side of a building. After that, we went to Karaoke for 3 hours, and payed quite a bit more that we wanted, but oh well, it was fun; that’s what matters… I think we’re going to end up spending the whole night here.

2:41am　Denny’s
Still here; just finished the lateral thinking puzzles. We got 28 out of 50 correct. This is so much fun. Randomest night ever…

3:05am　Denny’s
Just finished the trivia question; they weren’t as fun as the lateral thinking puzzles.

3:49am　Denny’s
I love the glasses here. They have indents where you put your thumb and third finger; ingenious, but simple innovation. Anyway, I think we’re going to head out now. We’ve been here for almost 5 hours; crazy!!! Oh wow, there are two police men in here; a guy’s at a table and he’s not responding, so they’re talking with him now… It looks like it’s all been sorted out; I think the manager’s just apologised to the guy; so weird.

5:23am　地下鉄
We’re in the subway, waiting for the first train to Kanayama; I’m going to go back to the hostel, and shower and change. Bought an all day ticket, which can be used on all buses and trains linked to the 名城線 (Meijo line) for just 600円. We just spent the last hour and a half wandering around the outside of Sakae station, and park, taking pictures of cats. We’re going to go back to Alex’s dorm and chill there for most of the day.

6:05am　Hostel Ann
Just chilling in the hostel. I had a shower and gave Alex her Christmas present; kimono obi and yatsuhashi.

8:12am　Vie de France
Just ate a breakfast consisting of spinach and fetta pastry, and an apple cake at Vie de France in 本郷駅 (Hongo station). Going to catch the bus to Alex’s dorm…

12:21pm　I-house
Just had a couple of hours sleep here on the lounge, and feel a lot better now. I’m just about to steal some of Alex’s cereal for “breakfast”. I’ve been introduced to a few people here; they all seem very lively. Don’t know what we’ll be doing for the rest of the day… The “I-house”, as it’s called is pretty nice. Unfortunately for me as a guest, I don’t get to see most of it. I’m only allowed in the lounge, 玄関 (genkan - entrance) and 中庭 (nakaniwa – courtyard); I can’t even go up stairs to see Alex’s room; oh well, rules are rules I guess.

3:21pm　I-house
I here in the lounge, and typing this in real time! I’ve been working on my blog for the past few hours, while Alex has been helping Rosy record her singing voice for a friend’s Christmas present; she has an amazing voice. They’ve had to do it in the hall in front of the guest toilet’s, since guests aren’t allowed in the library, or anywhere they could find that was quiet for that matter; Rosy has just moved out of I-house so she’s technically a guest. Oh, and technically, I’m supposed to be with Alex at all times. I tried sitting with them on the floor for a little while, but then my battery was about to die on my laptop so I come back in here. This lounge is really cool. They have to TV’s and a multitude of consoles; PS2, PS3, Wii, two Nintendo. They even have two of those step pads for a dancing game. I’m starving, so hopefully Alex will be done soon so we can go out and eat…

9:45pm　Hostel Ann
I’m in my bed, in my room, in the hostel and, on second inspection, it’s actually a lot nicer than I thought. Yes it’s small, but the beds are a decent size; I fit in the top bunk comfortably. All the bedding is supplied, and although the mattress is thin, I’m sure I’ll sleep like a log regardless; so tired. And we even have an air conditioner; I’m actually really warm now… Alex and I went for dinner at an okonomiyaki place down the road at about 5, which was really nice. Walking there and back wasn’t very pleasant though; it was cold and windy. Getting back, we chilled out at the I-house a bit longer, watching a guy play this really cool game on the PS3. At about 8:50, we caught the bus back to Hongo station, and then trained it to Sakae to get an Oreo McFlurry with fries to dip at Makkas. We went to the Pokémon centre again, and I got something for Ben. Alex informed me that there are actually 5 Pokémon centres in Japan, the newest being in Sapporo. I can’t believe we didn’t go there; but I have a feeling I might have actually have seen it, I just can’t remember where. Anyway, we split ways after that, ready to meet up again tomorrow in Sakae; we’re going to go to Big Camera (electronics store) and Nagoya castle. I’m going to get some sleep now…

Day 112 - 20th of December

10:11am　特急
天気：曇り
Carly and I are on the limited express from Hirakata to Kyobashi. We had a pretty late start, but we’re off now. Walked to Makino this morning, and it was freezing. Hopefully don’t get back too late tonight. Anyway, first stop: Osaka Castle!

10:33am　京橋
Lol, we just ran onto the train in Kyobashi, thinking we were set, then the guy came down saying it wasn’t in service. So now we’re waiting for the next one, to go one station down to 大阪城公園 (Osakajokoen – Osaka Castle Park).

1:38am　長堀鶴見緑地線
We’re on the subway now, heading toward Shinsaibashi. It was really great seeing the castle again. Although we didn’t go in, we spent a lot of time exploring the grounds and taking in the view of the city. Coming out of the station, the place was packed. There was some sort of convention going on in the hall nearby. We steered well clear of the food booths, already hungry. We went to the 豊國神社 (Houkoku Jinja – “Bountiful Country Shrine”) on the castle grounds, and witnessed the beginnings of a Shinto wedding. We got some great views of the city atop the parapet, and strolled around the jogging track, through the park and past some unicyclists toward Morinomiya were we went down into the subway. I’m so hungry, and we’re going to Sweets Paradise for lunch; all you can eat dessert buffet!!! It’s going to be epic.

3:23pm　スィーツパラダイス‐心斎橋
I’m so full already!!! We’re in Sweets Paradise, with 30 minutes left and I can’t eat another bite; I feel sick! This was supposed to be such a good idea but, oh my gosh. After two plates of cakes, a plate of spaghetti, and ice cream, I feel terrible. Well, it was really cheap 1480円, and I definitely think I ate my monies worth. Finding the place was a little difficult, but with the help of two nice ladies, we were on our way; it was on the 6th floor of a department building (having the whole floor to itself). We had to make a reservation and then come back in half an hour, which wasn’t so bad, except for the fact we were starving, and seeing all the wonderful food was making it worse. So we went to Loft across the way, and found Diego another Christmas present; a tiger amulet. Getting back, we got our ticket out of the machine (which we kept as a souvenir), and were seated. Overawed, we got stuck into it; the set up is great. Next stop, Pokémon centre, if we can move…

6:50pm　大阪環状線
We’re on the Osaka loop line… well now we’re in Noda. We got on the wrong train, and were going around the loop in the wrong direction. Not that it would have mattered; just would have taken longer that’s all. Gosh, the chime for the train is so annoying here. But anyway, we want to get back soon because we’re going to meet Diego in Hirakata and have dinner at Saizeriya. The Pokémon centre was great, once we found it after a little help for Diego on the phone. It was a bit smaller than I expected, but still really cool; I got heaps of great stuff for Ben. This month is Eevee month, and they have all the evolutions (and Eevee) for sale in plushie form. And you know what Carly did, she went and bought the whole lot of them; all eight. It’s in Umeda, and I wanted to go to Yodobashi Camera as well (this humongous electronics store) but we didn’t have time. But, we did go on the HEP 5 Ferris wheel, on top of a building nearby; it was really cool to see Osaka lit up at night from high up. We could even see the castle…

7:00pm　大阪環状線
Okay, now we’re going in the right direction. I’m writing with the lead from Carly’s mechanical pencil, and it’s just not working, so I’m going to stop now…

Just began cleaning, and clearing things out; so much paper going to waste. I did pick up a few textbooks though, which is really cool. Diego’s going tomorrow; his inspection is at 9 then he’s out of here. We’re going to see him and Jessica off at Hirakata, and then go to the Toji flea market. After getting back to Hirakata, we went to Saizeriya and had our last dinner out with Diego; it was quiet so we got in straight away. After that, we got the bus back, out of the freezing cold. Diego got off at the library, and Carly and I went the next stop down to seminar house 4, to try to pick up my bike. After talking with the Okaasan, I got the keys, and went out to the parking area and found it. Walked back to seminar house 2, parked it, and went in to let Otousan know about it. I tried to explain to situation, but I had to get Yuji to come down and help; silly me had not read the procedures for bikes. I was supposed to get the crime prevention slip from Mark, and go down to the bike shop with him, and get the name changed over. Now the bike will just be taken away and recycled. I’m a bit disappointed but, I survived one semester without a bike so I can survive another.