Day 60 - 29th of October

9:34pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
I'm starting to get used to long Thursdays. I didn't get much sleep last night, but I got up early nonetheless. After breakfast I had a shower, then made lunch for later (noodles and salad). It was actually pretty hot today; I want it to be cold already. We're now up to the second last chapter of Genki II - textbook for Japanese. I'll be sorry to say goodbye to the Genki series next semester; even though some of the explanations can be pretty confusing. After my classes, which were all very interesting (surprisingly), I went with Carly, Nadia, and Katie (different Katie), to go pay for the Hokkaido trip. It all went quite smoothly. There are five of us going; another guy (Edward) is joining us. At one point the travel agents were worried that I may have to get a guardians signature since I'm still technically a minor in Japan, but it wasn't needed in the end. So, now the flight and accommodation have all been payed for and I'm so excited; it's less than a month away!!!

After that, Carly and I walked back home, stopping by Shimamura and Avail on the way. She was looking for white tights to complete her Hello Kitty costume for Halloween. Unfortunately she was unsuccessful. As for me, I'm not really fussed with Halloween. We'll be going out that night to a restaurant in Hirakata called "The Hobbit", and then probably karaoke after that. I won't be getting dressed up though; I don't have a costume. Anyway, we came back to the dorm and noticed a flyer on the bulletin board. On the 7th of November, the Kansai Gaidai symphony orchestra will be preforming at the Uni; and it's free!!! I'm so there, and even more so because they'll be playing selections from Princess Mononoke. During koto practice I actually heard a trumpeter practicing the music from it; now I know what it's for. So that's next Saturday is taken care of.

Soon after getting back, I went grocery shopping with Carly, just for a few things I needed at Sanko. I made chicken parmigiana for dinner and it was so good; I was really pleased with myself. The sauce I got from Sanko was amazing. I used the whole bag; Diego thought it was too much, but not me. There were a lot of dishes, but it was totally worth it. I've had a quiet one tonight, Deigo's been working on his economics paper, and I've been doing, well, not much really; I actually ended up doing the homework due tomorrow yesterday. I've been munching on these amazing biscuits (coconut sable); they are so good. Deigo's almost done now. Hopefully I can sleep better tonight; I think I'll have a shower, that might help...

Day 59 - 28th of October

8:36pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
Today was sunny but cool; so I got to do laundry. For both my Japanese classes we got let out early, which was a true rarity indeed. In Speaking, I've got a power point presentation coming up in two weeks, and I volunteed to go first. We have to talk about an experience we've had in Japan. It's only worth 5% of our grade, but I still want to make it good. I'm going to talk about my day at Osaka aquarium; should be good. After class Jo and I went over to Floresta and got donuts. I was doing a bit of homework, and then I realised that I could connect to the internet with my Ipod for free. It's just so annoying that I can't do it at uni or in the dorms. So yeah, that's my new favourite place. After that we went to Reading and Writing, but not before we got our History results back. We noticed the prof with them in his hand, and rushed down to the mailboxes to retrieve them. I got 56/60; YAY!!! I guess I am pretty good at essay writing after all.

In reading and writing we watched a 落語 (rakugo - lit. "fallen speech") performance ~ rakugo is a type of comic monologue that has been performed since the Edo period (over 300 years ago). It was in English, and pretty funny. That was about all we did. Oh, and we got our results back from our mid-terms; 80/100, not bad. I got home soon after, and talked with parents. Then I made lunch and had a nap. I woke up feeling like crap, got my laundry in and then went back to sleep again. An hour later I woke up had a headache; I really hate how naps do that. I had dinner soon after (leftovers), and then came back down to the room. Having a quiet one tonight. Just doing a bit of homework and talking with people over Skype. I think I'm going to have an early night.

Day 58 - 27th of October

11:04pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ
From cold rainy day, to warm sunny day. My exam was at 11, so a had little time in the morning. I decided to go shopping at Sanko, since it's cheap on Tuesday. So, expecting it opened at 9, I walked up there; it wasn't. It opens at 9:30; fail. So I walked back, did a bit of study, and then went back at 9:30. They were taking down an old building at the corner of the street. It had a very beautiful traditional tiled roof, and it was sad to see it destroyed; it was completely gone by the time I walked back from koto club... So anyway, went to Sanko, and got heaps of bargains; 99円 carrots, 100円 bananas, and meat for half price. I was very happy, so I'm going to try to shop on Tuesday every week. I split the beef in two portions, and marinated one for my stir fry tonight.

I was feeling lazy, so I bused it to uni; it gave me a little extra time to study. I did okay in the exam. Forgot a few words, and freaked out when there wasn't much time left, but got it all done. I also got my proposal back for CEL and I got a 19/20. I was very happy about that; just have to tweak a few questions and then I'm ready to interview people. Lolz, it was so awesome. In history, we got popcorn! The professor got a popcorn popper as a present, so he shared out a big bag; I got it three times. We're now entering Japan's feudal era. Koto club was really good. We got to practice with the Sensei for a good while, and my feet didn't hurt too badly. The shakuhachi player played Sakura sakura along with us; it was beautiful. We also get to sing it; I'm lovin it. Then we went through the first page of hanagoromo. I'm starting to feel really confident with it. We got to go home earlier, about 7, which was nice. So yeah, had dinner, hang out with people, and then uploaded some pics on facebook. So happy my exams are over, it's a good feeling.

Day 57 - 26th of October

10:40pm　セミナーハウス
天気：雨天
Another rainy day; and I really wanted to do my laundry. Since I had my reading and writing mid-term, there was no Japanese speaking class, so I didn't have to get to uni until 12, which was nice. I had a slow morning, did a bit of study, and got lots of warm clothes on. It wasn't raining when I walked to and from uni, so that was a plus. My test went... okay. I found myself struggling a little to get it done in the 50 minutes, but I managed. Then I had CEL and we got the results back from our quiz. 83 out of 100; not too shabby. We're now taking about gender, and gender roles in Japan. I think this will be very interesting. For instance, I found out that it's the women that controls the money in the household, even though the man is the one that makes it! The man is given his weekly allowance by his wife, and is not expected to go over that amount; I wish it was like that in my family, xD. That is in the traditional model though, and with the way the economy is, for a lot of families it's not like that anymore.

Anyway, after class I waited around, talked with people, and withdrew my grocery money; hopefully I get some time tomorrow to do it. Koto was fun today. Charlie's been really sick, so didn't come, and other people didn't cause of study. So there were only 4 of us in the end, and the Japanese students. "Hanagoromo" is coming along. I've been all the way through a couple of times now; there are some tricky techniques that I need to practice more. Sensei will come in tomorrow and show us how to do it right. Got home and had dinner (lazy - cup noodles), and then studied a bit for tomorrow's speaking exam at 11; basically listening, and having to translate sentences using grammar from the three lessons we've done since the start of the course. Soooo much grammar; it's ridiculous. Oh well, it's all over tomorrow. Then my life goes back to being relatively normal once again.

Day 56 - 25th of October

9:26am　普通電車

天気：曇り

I'm with Katie on the local train to 伏見稲荷 (Fushimi Inari). It looks like it's going to be a cool day; overcast. We're not the only ones travelling. Carly is on a field trip, and Ash is going to a doujinshi convention - doujinshi are fan-made comic books. We all started out on the 9:06 bus, and then went our separate ways at the station.

4:06　普通電車
We're on the train back to Makino now. Today was fantastic... After getting off the train it was only a short walk to Fushimi Inari. The main grounds were quite expansive and we explored for a while before the festival. Soon after 11, the ceremony began in the main building. We were told not to take photo's and I felt compelled to oblige. The priests were first purified, and then they entered the building. They brought out a number of offerings on trays representing the years harvest; fish and vegetables and the like. Then, four women, sickle in their right hand, and bundle of rice in the left, performed a ceremonial dance to song and music from the orchestra. After the dance was complete, the offerings were put away, and after prayers and bowing, the priests left the building, followed by a procession of others; we decided to follow.

As we made our way through the forest, a Japanese woman came up to us and started speaking English. She explained to us the significance of the portable shrine, and how the danjiri didn't used to have wheels, they were carried; people have become weaker. We came upon a small field of rice, yet to be harvested. At this point, it was acceptable for us to take photos, so I recorded the event. The portable shrine (small and carried by two) was opened and some sort of box was taken out. Then the music and dance began again. At the same time, and group of people from the procession began to harvest the rice in the traditional fashion; with the sickle. They completed about a quarter before the music came to a close. Then, taking a bunch of the newly harvested rice, the priest placed it on the "box", before putting it back in the portable shrine. After the ceremony was completed, they continued to work in the field. The lady explained that only 40 years ago, rice was still harvested this way, and the straw was used for so many things; hats, shoes, mats... but no more.

It was about 12 at this point, so we decided to have lunch before heading up the mountain. We went to a small restaurant out on the street, and ordered from the plastic samples out front; I ordered an egg and rice, and noodle set. After lunch we began out hike through the 鳥居 (torii - shrine gates). It was absolutely incredible. There were literally 1000's upon 1000's upon 1000's of vermillion gates all the way up the mountain. We walked all the way to the top, through silent cedar forests and bamboo groves, and past 100's of sub-shrines with there own mini torii, and fox statues, all dedicated to Inari - the god of fertility, rice, agriculture, foxes, industry, and worldly success. I felt a profound connection with the nature around us. It wasn't too crowed and at some points it was so quiet, we felt that we shouldn't speak. At the middle of the climb, there was a great view of Kyoto; we stopped there to eat our apples after looping around the top.

Every single gate had writing on it; the year it was made and the sponsor. As old ones rotted away they were eventually replaced with new ones we gathered. Because of this, there were so many different shades of red. I was a bit disappointed that the leaves hadn't changed yet, but the green actually created a great contrast to the red of the gates. As usual, there were many stray cats around. We didn't end up getting down until almost 4. Katie bought a few trinkets and then we got on the train. Now we're back in Makino...

11:21pm

It's late I know. Came home about 5, had dinner, then studied for a bit. Tomorrow, I don't have my speaking class, so I don't have to be at uni until 12. This will give my time to study some more, and do my laundry.

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 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.