Day 229 - 16th of April

天気：雨天

Rain, rain, go away, come again another season! I’m seriously tired of the miserable weather, and so is everyone else… Riding through the rain I got to uni at 9, and we spent our Reading and Writing class reading a sort of critique of the book, “Why men don’t listen and women can’t read maps”; in Japanese of course. It was basically going against the argument that the book presents, that men and women are fundamentally different, and these differences are wired into the brain. It argued that sociological and environmental factors play a more prominent role than biological factors in defining gender roles; so that was quite interesting, especially in Japanese. For some reason, our class was very small today, and this trend continued when I went to Speaking; maybe everyone was still in bed, I wouldn’t blame them. We started off by watching this amazing group of Chinese dancers called 千手観音 (Senshu Kanon – “Thousand hand bodhisattva”). It was absolutely amazing to watch, and it’ll be easier to just link you to it, than try to explain it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ic8uKHwTX3w&feature=related

Amazingly, the lead dancer is actually deaf! After that, we finished off the grammar points for lesson 9, and then got a sheet to fill out our speech topic on, as well as write three questions to ask the Japanese students around campus. I decided to do my speech on the Great Barrier Reef (since it’s close to home), and describe the environmental issues surrounding it. So, I had no idea what I should ask the Japanese students. By the end of class, I had one question, but Saigo Sensei said it was okay to come back to his office later to submit it; this was a relief.

After class, I went straight home, and put some washing on; since it was still raining, I had to hang it inside. After a bit of homework, I had lunch, and then I was making my way back to uni once more for Gender and Sexuality. I ended up being a little late, but that was okay because Professor Hester almost always is as well. Today we talked about youth sexuality in Japan, which is actually surprisingly different to the sexuality men and women of the previous generation expressed; in some ways, it’s gone to the extreme. The media has heavily influenced the attitudes and behaviours this current generation upholds and in many cases, is sending messages that conflict with those coming from family and school. Such activities as 援助交際 (Enjo Kosai – “dating with compensation” aka schoolgirl prostitution) while not as prominent in the media, are still occurring today. Magazines are positioning women to be more assertive, teaching them how to pleasure men, and take the lead in relationships. Women as consumers of sexually charged material are beginning to take over men; they are now viewing men as objects of desire, just as men have of them. Things have certainly changed; a lot. It is quite fascinating though.

After class, I went to Saigo Sensei’s office, to hand him my questions (I’m pretty happy with them), and then I went to the convenience store to photocopy some pages from my Japanese textbook for Julie; she wanted the list of cooking vocab. Getting back home, I had a bit of a rest, and then was soon on my way out again, to go to a sentou; I really needed it. I decided to try the one near Top World, which I had never been in before. It was in fact, quite similar to the one in Makino; still, it was nice to try some place new. I ended up seeing at least three yakuza in there, two with full body tattoos, and one with his back covered; I wondered if many of the others without tattoos were yakuza too. I also had a shave while I was in there; I’d seen a lot of men in sentou do it before, so I thought why not. I didn’t end up staying in the bath all that long, but I still felt heaps better than when I entered. I also weighed myself to find that I’d actually lost a few kgs; oh well. Leaving, I went over to Top World and walked around for a bit before thinking, “Why am I shopping here, everything is so expensive”. So, I ended up going to Fresco and buying a lot of fruit; I got a type of citron, apples, and bananas.

Back at home, I unpacked my groceries, and decided to just keep the fruit downstairs, since there was no way I was going to fit it all in my fridge or my cupboard. I was soon eating my leftover pasta bake for dinner, and chatting with the group. We stayed in the kitchen until about 8:30, before going down to the lounge to watch movies; I had missed our movie nights. However this night seemed to be very much geared towards the girls, with “The Princess Bride”, and Peter Pan (the 2003 live-action version). It took me a while before I remembered I had actually seen, at least parts of The Princess Bride, and it was actually pretty funny; though pretty terrible at the same time. Peter Pan, which I had seen in its entirety before, turned out to much more enjoyable this time around, and I don’t know why. Most of the other girls hadn’t seen it before, and they all enjoyed it, expect for Rachel, who admitted she’s too much of a cynic. I enjoyed an apple, and the one of the citron; it resembles an orange but is a little sourer. It was pretty late when we finished, and so I was very ready for sleep, wanting to be as rested as possible for tomorrow’s festival…

Day 214 - 1st of April

9:40pm　セミナーハウス

天気：雨天

Since I’m going to be going to the sentou with Yuji and Hugo in about half an hour, I’m going to do this update now. First off, Happy April Fools!!! I didn’t end up playing any jokes on anyone, but oh well. I did have a good laugh though when I went on dA, and all the avatars had been messed with, so you were either team Jacob, or team Edward (among a few others); I was so glad I was team Jacob. Anyway, today was another rainy day; it just let up this evening… I got up at 8:30, and after getting ready, I studied and read a bit more of Reborn. Just after 11, I had lunch and then made my way to uni. Saigo sensei played us an enka song in class today, which was actually a little depressing. We got the lyrics, and he urged us to sing it at karaoke; it would impress our Japanese friends. I decided I might as well stay where I was after class, since Religion is in the same room; I got my homework done in the time being. Today, we revised for the midterm exam next week, which consisted of the teacher asking us true/false questions, or making us ask questions to other students. From what we did, I really doesn’t seem like the professor expects much of us, so I’m not worried about the exam at all. Julie and I decided that, weather permitting, we would go to Nara early Saturday morning, before meeting up with the rest of the class in Tenri; might as well make a day out it.

Before going home, I got a chocolate milkshake from Makkas, which I enjoyed as I walked to my bike, trying to avoid the rain. Getting back, I found Simon in the computer room. He had been there all day, writing his essay for Culture and Everyday Life in Japan, which was due today. I asked him if he wanted to go to the gym, and he declined; I expected as much. Not perturbed, at about 3:30 I made my way to the gym, and had a really good work out; I was alone for a lot of it too. At the end of the session, I weighed myself, and I’m still gaining weight; I’m so happy. Getting back, it tried to do the readings for Gender and Sexuality, and inevitably ended up dosing off. Just after 6, I wrenched myself from the futon, and rode to Sanko for groceries; the rain had stopped at this point, but the air was still thick with moisture. Getting to Sanko, I noticed that a lot of the trees had come into bloom; walking to karaoke or Makino station will be beautiful now. Satisfied with my purchases, I made my way back, and went straight to the kitchen to make dinner; I was starved.I had bought chicken and pasta, and decided to try to make a pasta bake, just without the baking part. It turned out really nicely; I mixed the pasta and chicken in with my favourite sauce and the leftovers of the leafy vegetable I’d bought for yakisoba.

I decided not to be a pig, and saved some for lunch tomorrow, which was great because when I finished eating I felt really content; not bloated. Katie left as I finished eating, so I sat with Julie, and she showed me a video on youtube with this guy doing a funny dance in locations all over the world; there were four in Australia!!! An American chewing gum company was so impressed by what he did, that they sponsored him to go around the world again and film it; it was great. And I loved the backing music; as soon as I got back down here I bought it off iTunes. I also got to watch Pokémon on TV. Soon Julie left, so I was left with Ash and Rachel; not that that was a bad thing. Ash had just come from Animate and had bought a stack of goodies; as she always does. In particular, there was a Hetalia book with sheet music from the character songs; I want it so badly. On TV, there was a travel show about 江ノ島 (Enoshima), which is an island off the mainland near Tokyo. There was an amazing mode of transport, where a bus could travel on both rails and on the road; so cool. It came around to 9 o’clock soon enough, which meant it was time for cleaning. After that, I left the kitchen and found Hugo and Simon in the computer room. Hugo told me about the sentou, and I decided I should go; I could use a bit of relaxation. Looks like we’re getting ready to go now…

Day 180 - 26th of February

11:31pm　セミナーハウス

天気：雨天

Well all good things come to an end, including the beautiful sunny weather. Today was a miserable rainy day, although it still wasn’t that cold; I guess that’s something. Anyway, I didn’t let the rain stop me from having a good day… I got up just before my alarm was about to go off at 7:50. For some reason, I almost always manage to do that; I must have a very good internal clock. I got ready, and then made my way to uni. I decided to ride, even though it was raining; this decision was partially due to the fact that there were no more umbrellas to borrow. It really wasn’t raining that heavily anyway, and I was wearing a jacket. I met Mori Sempai on the way, and we rode into uni together. Getting to class, we basically spent the 50 minutes revising for the lesson test on Monday; I’m looking forward to it… Then it was time for Reading and Writing, we again started off with a speech, and then sensei informed us of the oldest road in Japan; near Nara!!! I really, really want to go and check it out; he’s given us all the information, and recommended cherry blossom season. Saigou sensei is great; I always take away a lot from his classes. I was so hungry after class, and decided I might as well go home for lunch, since my next class wasn’t until 1:15; I wouldn’t have done this if I didn’t have a bike.

I did my homework first (this way I would get it done fast since I was so hungry), and then tucked into lunch; the usual. I had a little nap afterwards, and then it was time to head back to uni once more; still raining. In Gender and Sexuality, the Professor has been letting us watch the Olympics for the first 10-15 minutes of class. Today was the last day of the women’s figure skating and we got to watch 安藤美姫 (Miki Ando), dressed as Cleopatra; she was really good. Then we got stuck into it. After class, we went down to his office to pay for the Takarazuka tickets, which have been successfully secured; can’t wait! Then I was home time again; this time for the rest of the weekend; yay. I went up to the kitchen to eat a mandarin, and caught the end of the women’s figure skating; or more likely a reply. I spent the rest of the afternoon doing well, not much actually. Just when I started to get into Deltora Quest again, I realised it was already time to go to sentou; a few days earlier Yuji had told Hugo and I that he was planning a trip today. I admired Hugo’s enthusiasm, being his first time to a sentou. It ended up just being Yuji, Hugo and I.

Since we all had bikes, of course we rode; still raining. I had let Hugo know all the “rules” of the bathhouse, and Yuji also helped to explain things. We got there just after 6, and stayed for about an hour; so relaxing. I got to see another Yazuka, though his tattoos weren’t nearly as impressive as the last guys; he only had them covering his arms. Hugo seemed to enjoy himself, although the heat of the water made him feel a little out of it; does the same thing to me. I think it’s something you really have to get used too; it’s so hard to spend any longer in there without starting to feel dizzy. Riding back, I relished the feeling of the rain hitting me in the face. Yuji didn’t share my enjoyment, holding his red umbrella over his head; I’m always amazed when people can ride and hold an umbrella at the same time. When we got back, I went into the lounge, and watched a bit of The Fifth Element. Biancha had confiscated the lounge, so no Firefly tonight; oh well.

I soon went up to make dinner, which turned out nicely. I diced up some chicken, put it with some onions, and pasta sauce, then added two eggs, before putting it on top of spaghetti and sprinkling it with cheese; I could become a chef yet. I doubt it though; I just like having fun with food. I stayed in the kitchen and talked with the girls for a while, and then went down with Rachael to watch Episode Denzel: On the way to a Smile (an FFAC spin-off), in the lounge. Biancha, Liz, and Will were watching Edward Scissor-hands, and I couldn’t help but be a little distracted; I love that movie. I ended up watching the last 30 minutes of it, laughing as Biancha was moved to tears by it. Then I watched some more of FFACC with Rachael before calling it a night. After my shower I realised that the top of my right foot was no longer numb. I had just gotten so used to it, that I hadn’t even noticed the change. Feeling it now, it’s still a little strange, but much better than it was; I’m on the road to full recovery, I hope. Well, that’ll do me. I don’t have very much planned for the weekend; might go out somewhere. Most importantly, I have to study for my lesson test…

Day 68 - 6th of November

9:51pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
I'm feeling a little better today. I think I've flushed out the worst of it. The morning went by slowly; probably because I didn't do much. After class, I went to the cafeteria craving katsudon. Soon after, I came home and had a nap. I decided to go to the sentou, thinking it would help with my cold. I did feel better afterwards, although I didn't stay that long. I walked to Sanko and picked up a few things. Dinner was chicken parmigiana which took way to long to make. And for some reason, I am missing my large plate and knife and fork. I seriously can't even remember to last time I used them. I'm sure they'll turn up, and if not I'll just buy replacements. Cleaning time at 9 and no one showed up; everyone was out drinking. It was Deigo and I, another guy and Yuji (our RA), and Carly who's not even supposed to be cleaning this week. I took us half an hour but we got it done. It's getting to be more than just annoying. People leave food, dirty dishes and there personal belongings all over the place. Now, I'm just feeling tired. We're going to play cards now...

Day 54 - 23rd of October

8:54pm　セミナーハウス

天気；晴れ

As far as a day off goes, I was pretty productive. I got up at about 8:30, had a shower, then breakfast, then I vacuumed the room, and aired out the futon. We received our winter blankets today, and not a moment too soon; I was feeling a bit cold in bed last night. After lunch I mailed post cards to the Nanny's and the Poppy's, and then walked over Avail; I didn't end up buying anything though. I walked across to a park and took some pics, then walked to uni; so much for not going to uni today. I had to withdraw some money, then I bought some international envelopes and ice cream; Hokkaido melon i.e. rock melon! I met up with Carly, and walked with her to the bank so she could cash in some traveler's checks. Then I walked over to Top World. I was trying to find a glass dish cause I wanted to make Shepard's pie. I had no luck; I might be able to find something at Midori tomorrow.

Feeling a little deflated, I walked home, past the rice fields, now harvested and bare. I brought in the futon and then went out again, to the sentou; a different one to last time. It actually wasn't as good as the one I went to before but still, it left me feeling very relaxed; the top of my right foot still feels weird though. On the way back I went to Sanko and bought mince; I decided I would make Shepard's pie anyway. I started cooking at about 6:30. I didn't have any gravy (only when I was cooking did I realise Mum uses it). Instead I just used the leftover noodle flavouring, and cube of chicken stock; it was a little watery. My mashed potatoes turned out great though. I put the mince and veggies on the plate, covered it with the potato, and then grilled cheese on top in the the microwave; it has a grill setting! Then I finished my rice pudding. The bananas weren't such a good idea; they turned brown. I still ate it though and it tasted fine. After dinner Amber and Carly came down, and for the past couple of hours we've been watching Potter Puppet Pals on the computer. It's absolutely hilarious. Well... I've spent way to long on this blog already; I've been so distracted. This weekend's looking great, but I still need to study for next week's Japanese exams.