I have class in about 5 minutes, but two short things...
Firstly last night my Okaasan gave me a complement, sort of. We were talking about the differences between the Japanese and Americans in how they act on things like the bus and in general. She said I make a very good Japanese person, but when I'm around my friends she says she sees a lot more American in me. I think it's just that I'm obviously more confident in my native language... But I took it as a complement, I'll take any small amount of Japanese-ness over none!
Two, I'm going to go to the City Hall today to see about getting my visa status changed in a few weeks to Tourist so I can get the shinkansen JR Pass. So I decided to ask my okaasan the word for tourist, and here it is: 観光核 (Kankoukaku)
観光 = Sightseeing
核 = Customer
Now we know how the Japanese REALLY see us!!!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Picture Post: Kobe and Kyoto Imperial Palace
Kyoto Imperial Palace!
Margo and me...
I love taking pictures of the eves:
The main chambers of the Emperor and Embress on Ceremonial Occasions
You can't really tell, but the whole place was raked quite lovely.
Look, I've seen red leaves now!!!
The main garden, really, really lovely:
Me, and Palace... it goes together well...
More Palace
Me in the palace again, seeing a trend?
KOBE
At 60 feet tall, standing out over the city, GIGANTOR!!! The Tetsujin 28, the iron man!! Stands looking out over the city in his victory pose!!!
Chinatown
Kobe Harbour
Fun in the Paper room with Joanna, Jarred, and Margo respectively.
Me in the paper room
.... Nope, this is EXACTLLY what it looks like
This is what the outside of the crates looked like, I enjoyed this shot because of the cows.
This was one of my favorites, the mirror disco ball room
Origami room, very very cool
The cafe, the one angled on the left hand side was a sitting area, very cool.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Imperial Palace and Kobe
**Note: I'm gonna post pictures in the following post**
I'm sitting in Florista writing this, I do think it's one of the cutest cafes ever. It's a nice and serene place in the middle of the city, and being right next to Kansai and offering discounts on already cheap food sure does help too. I thnk it'll be fun to show everyone the places I'm normally going to when you all come here in a month and a half or so.
Okay, so backlog... I'm thinking I need to start bringing my lappy to school again because when I haven't been the blogging has gotten delayed. But take the blogging being delayed as a good thing too! It means I'm outside eating lunch, relaxing with friends, walking around town with my friends over sitting in the computer lab. But I know you all also trust it as a primary link to me, for for the third time(?) I promise to be more dilligant about it.
Life has been pretty normal really. The weather has been all messed up lately, one day it's 76, the next it's 50. But other than that things have been nice, one rainy day once in awhile, but nothing major. Life is "normal" with the extroidnary splattered through. (I just got my orange Juce and donut, mmmm OJ...)
So, Sunday Margo got word about something in Kyoto that wasn't open very often that her friend said we should go to. After multiple train issues, we made it to the palace. And by train issues I mean I was a half hour early, so I went ahead and had the pleasure of being the ginney pig for getting lost so that by the time they got there I knew the way.
The palace was quite amazing. Kyoto really is the cultural center of Japan. It was the second capital city after Nara. Emperor Meiji himself stayed in this palace as a child. I don't know why they don't open it very often, likely to decrease the liability of something happening by only having limited days. The garden was likely my favorite part of everything, it was so beautiful. My house can be any style of the world, I love too many, but I definately want my landscaping to be Japanese. I really challenge to find another culture with better scenery in the yard. Which is ironic, considering most Japanese don't have yards...
After the Palace we walked around awhile, we got off the main roads and went to some smaller temples. Kyoto is like the vennice of Japan, you just wander around, find a Temple and some really important monk is just entombed there, just on this little back road.
Margo had her first taste of Mos Burger for dinner, of course she loved it, because everyone loves mos burger.
As we were leaving Mos Burger these asian people walked up to us asking if we spoke English. Confused, we said yes, and they explained... Apparentally they were Thai, and were comming to meet another forein exchange student in Kyoto, their daughter/sister. For some reason at the station they never met up, and the daughter didn't have a cell phone. So we asked around, found out where the seminar house for her school was and walked them there to be safe. They were very thankful, we were in no hurry, and after all, it's all about the Karma.
On Tuesday I woke a bit miserable. Congested, tightness in my chest, phlem, aches all the normal cold things. But I wasn't fevered. I went to school, came home and slept five hours, tuesday is one of my light days. Still no fever...
Wednesday, yesterday, was a school Holiday, the founding of Kansai Gaidai. So logically we celebrate the founding of a school by not going to it. A lot of people went to Kobe and stayed the night before, but since I couldn't get a room at the same Hostel and wasn't feeling well I decided just to make it a day trip. Wednesday was rainy, but not too cold, so it wasn't entirely miserable. I woke up still feeling a bit sick, but still no fever. I debated about going outside, I didn't want to get sicker, but I also wasn't feeling THAT sick, and the alternative was sitting alone all day because everyone I know was out doing things. So a bit dizzy I went to the eki and met up with Joanna, one of the Brits. Joanna took good care of me until I was more awake and alive, got me warm yuzu tea and everything. (Yuzu is a Japanese fruit, it's kind of like a cross between a lemon and an orange, really good.)
When we got to Kobe we met up with Margo and company. We went to an Art Museum and walked around. Some of it was really cool, some really beautiful, and of course some modern art just, odd... But it was fun.
It was 800 yen for students, that included admission to the Museum and a ferry ride to the park on the other side of town. The ferry was fun, there were these performance art people, maybe just entertainment, I've got no idea, but they got everyone acting silly. I got another hot tea on the ferry, it was a bit expensive, but drinking warm things was keeping me alive.
When we got to the park we were were all starving so we ate in a cafe installed in three crates of art... (explination -->) The art was SO cool. They took like 63 big metal shipping crates used on ferries and gave each artist one and essencally said that they could do anything they wanted with their interiors. One was a big mirrored room with a ball of light, it looked like the inside of a disco ball. Some were just silly, some very cool. One was a white room with fans, and the artist took like millions of strips of paper to fill it up to about a half foot deep. The point was to throw the paper into the fans, interactive art, of some kind... But we all got in there and had Paper War 2009. I took pictures, and video from the outside. I was laughing until my sides hurt. I've not had that much just silly stupid fun in awhile. Japanese people were outside taking pictures and video of the crazy foreginers.
Following that we went to chinatown nearby. Everyone split dinner, I was cautious about it being under the weather. It was quite delicious and made the belly happy. Chinatown was exactlly what you'd expect from a Chinatown, though it had a bit more of an authentic feel than other Chinatowns I've been to, maybe because of the closer proximity to actual China here.
After that everyone else went off to get their stuff from the hostel, have a drink, and head home. I had one more thing to do... SEE GIGANTOR!! (Or Tetsujin 28 as it's called in Japan)
I found it entirely on my own asking directions in Japanese and listening to the answers in Japanese. And I found it in record time really. It was only about 3 stops down on the train. It was very cool.
Then I headed home, it takes about 1.5 hours to get to Kobe from Hirakata, which isn't bad all things considered. The train fair is about 2000 yen round trip. A bit expensive to make it an all the time trip, but I think I'll go back once more. Heewon wants to go, and we both want to eat kobe beef. We've heard of this restraunt that has a lunch special of kobe beef for 3500 yen, which is expensive for lunch, but cheap for kobe beef, that's like half the normal price. Heewon and I ran into each other on the way home, so we were talking about it.
I was exhausted last night, and essentally collapsed.
Today was okay, normal. I'm becoming a pro in ceramics, I can make some big stuff now. I'll have pictures tomorrow, so please people tell me stuff you want from me!! One guy said a large plate/shallow bowl I made would be perfect for the best nachos ever... I had to agree... and then lamented about Nachos... My body though is feeling the strain from the excess clay for the bigger pieces, as melodramatic as that sounds. My right shoulder hurts from being the primary pushing arm, all the tables are low set, and wedging and then throwing 10kg of clay isn't as easy on the body as it sounds. I'm okay, just a bit surprised I can really feel it in my body.
And that's been life up until now really. I'm still under the weather, but no fever, so I figure it's just a crummy run of the mill cold. I'm using my heater though right now, it feels good, normally I'd just put on a sweater, but when I don't feel well, the heater feels really nice. I crack my door just a tiny bit so that if someone needs me when they come down they see it's okay to poke their nose in, but not enough that all the heat escapes. The heater is pretty powerful, I only need to run it a few minutes and the chill is out of the room, it's no sauna, but it's comftorable, and when you feel crummy it's good. Plus, I always feel worse at night, I feel like I could collapse right now. I'm likely going to shower then crawl into bed.
I love you all, I'll try to always be on skype if I'm by the computer!
I'm sitting in Florista writing this, I do think it's one of the cutest cafes ever. It's a nice and serene place in the middle of the city, and being right next to Kansai and offering discounts on already cheap food sure does help too. I thnk it'll be fun to show everyone the places I'm normally going to when you all come here in a month and a half or so.
Okay, so backlog... I'm thinking I need to start bringing my lappy to school again because when I haven't been the blogging has gotten delayed. But take the blogging being delayed as a good thing too! It means I'm outside eating lunch, relaxing with friends, walking around town with my friends over sitting in the computer lab. But I know you all also trust it as a primary link to me, for for the third time(?) I promise to be more dilligant about it.
Life has been pretty normal really. The weather has been all messed up lately, one day it's 76, the next it's 50. But other than that things have been nice, one rainy day once in awhile, but nothing major. Life is "normal" with the extroidnary splattered through. (I just got my orange Juce and donut, mmmm OJ...)
So, Sunday Margo got word about something in Kyoto that wasn't open very often that her friend said we should go to. After multiple train issues, we made it to the palace. And by train issues I mean I was a half hour early, so I went ahead and had the pleasure of being the ginney pig for getting lost so that by the time they got there I knew the way.
The palace was quite amazing. Kyoto really is the cultural center of Japan. It was the second capital city after Nara. Emperor Meiji himself stayed in this palace as a child. I don't know why they don't open it very often, likely to decrease the liability of something happening by only having limited days. The garden was likely my favorite part of everything, it was so beautiful. My house can be any style of the world, I love too many, but I definately want my landscaping to be Japanese. I really challenge to find another culture with better scenery in the yard. Which is ironic, considering most Japanese don't have yards...
After the Palace we walked around awhile, we got off the main roads and went to some smaller temples. Kyoto is like the vennice of Japan, you just wander around, find a Temple and some really important monk is just entombed there, just on this little back road.
Margo had her first taste of Mos Burger for dinner, of course she loved it, because everyone loves mos burger.
As we were leaving Mos Burger these asian people walked up to us asking if we spoke English. Confused, we said yes, and they explained... Apparentally they were Thai, and were comming to meet another forein exchange student in Kyoto, their daughter/sister. For some reason at the station they never met up, and the daughter didn't have a cell phone. So we asked around, found out where the seminar house for her school was and walked them there to be safe. They were very thankful, we were in no hurry, and after all, it's all about the Karma.
On Tuesday I woke a bit miserable. Congested, tightness in my chest, phlem, aches all the normal cold things. But I wasn't fevered. I went to school, came home and slept five hours, tuesday is one of my light days. Still no fever...
Wednesday, yesterday, was a school Holiday, the founding of Kansai Gaidai. So logically we celebrate the founding of a school by not going to it. A lot of people went to Kobe and stayed the night before, but since I couldn't get a room at the same Hostel and wasn't feeling well I decided just to make it a day trip. Wednesday was rainy, but not too cold, so it wasn't entirely miserable. I woke up still feeling a bit sick, but still no fever. I debated about going outside, I didn't want to get sicker, but I also wasn't feeling THAT sick, and the alternative was sitting alone all day because everyone I know was out doing things. So a bit dizzy I went to the eki and met up with Joanna, one of the Brits. Joanna took good care of me until I was more awake and alive, got me warm yuzu tea and everything. (Yuzu is a Japanese fruit, it's kind of like a cross between a lemon and an orange, really good.)
When we got to Kobe we met up with Margo and company. We went to an Art Museum and walked around. Some of it was really cool, some really beautiful, and of course some modern art just, odd... But it was fun.
It was 800 yen for students, that included admission to the Museum and a ferry ride to the park on the other side of town. The ferry was fun, there were these performance art people, maybe just entertainment, I've got no idea, but they got everyone acting silly. I got another hot tea on the ferry, it was a bit expensive, but drinking warm things was keeping me alive.
When we got to the park we were were all starving so we ate in a cafe installed in three crates of art... (explination -->) The art was SO cool. They took like 63 big metal shipping crates used on ferries and gave each artist one and essencally said that they could do anything they wanted with their interiors. One was a big mirrored room with a ball of light, it looked like the inside of a disco ball. Some were just silly, some very cool. One was a white room with fans, and the artist took like millions of strips of paper to fill it up to about a half foot deep. The point was to throw the paper into the fans, interactive art, of some kind... But we all got in there and had Paper War 2009. I took pictures, and video from the outside. I was laughing until my sides hurt. I've not had that much just silly stupid fun in awhile. Japanese people were outside taking pictures and video of the crazy foreginers.
Following that we went to chinatown nearby. Everyone split dinner, I was cautious about it being under the weather. It was quite delicious and made the belly happy. Chinatown was exactlly what you'd expect from a Chinatown, though it had a bit more of an authentic feel than other Chinatowns I've been to, maybe because of the closer proximity to actual China here.
After that everyone else went off to get their stuff from the hostel, have a drink, and head home. I had one more thing to do... SEE GIGANTOR!! (Or Tetsujin 28 as it's called in Japan)
I found it entirely on my own asking directions in Japanese and listening to the answers in Japanese. And I found it in record time really. It was only about 3 stops down on the train. It was very cool.
Then I headed home, it takes about 1.5 hours to get to Kobe from Hirakata, which isn't bad all things considered. The train fair is about 2000 yen round trip. A bit expensive to make it an all the time trip, but I think I'll go back once more. Heewon wants to go, and we both want to eat kobe beef. We've heard of this restraunt that has a lunch special of kobe beef for 3500 yen, which is expensive for lunch, but cheap for kobe beef, that's like half the normal price. Heewon and I ran into each other on the way home, so we were talking about it.
I was exhausted last night, and essentally collapsed.
Today was okay, normal. I'm becoming a pro in ceramics, I can make some big stuff now. I'll have pictures tomorrow, so please people tell me stuff you want from me!! One guy said a large plate/shallow bowl I made would be perfect for the best nachos ever... I had to agree... and then lamented about Nachos... My body though is feeling the strain from the excess clay for the bigger pieces, as melodramatic as that sounds. My right shoulder hurts from being the primary pushing arm, all the tables are low set, and wedging and then throwing 10kg of clay isn't as easy on the body as it sounds. I'm okay, just a bit surprised I can really feel it in my body.
And that's been life up until now really. I'm still under the weather, but no fever, so I figure it's just a crummy run of the mill cold. I'm using my heater though right now, it feels good, normally I'd just put on a sweater, but when I don't feel well, the heater feels really nice. I crack my door just a tiny bit so that if someone needs me when they come down they see it's okay to poke their nose in, but not enough that all the heat escapes. The heater is pretty powerful, I only need to run it a few minutes and the chill is out of the room, it's no sauna, but it's comftorable, and when you feel crummy it's good. Plus, I always feel worse at night, I feel like I could collapse right now. I'm likely going to shower then crawl into bed.
I love you all, I'll try to always be on skype if I'm by the computer!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Hi everyone
Sorry this is late everyone, I don't really have a good reason, but everything is fine. If anyone is ever worried or wants to talk between blogs I'm like, always on skype, so just poke me okay?
So... pictures from Halloween...
Alan and the "Kansai Geishas"
The cutest pajamas ever... I'm gonna buy the brown ones on the right...
.... He had it commin...
This is a Hitler bannana... aka, one BAD bannana... again, a dean... I just want to know how the thought process works where you get from... Halloween Costume = Hitler + Bannana
So... pictures from Halloween...
Alan and the "Kansai Geishas"
The cutest pajamas ever... I'm gonna buy the brown ones on the right...
These are the people who work in the main office of the CIE... Yeah, I think the yellow ranger is like a dean or something?
.... He had it commin...
This is a Hitler bannana... aka, one BAD bannana... again, a dean... I just want to know how the thought process works where you get from... Halloween Costume = Hitler + Bannana
And these are my two favorite pictures of me!!
So, all in all, Halloween was obviously very fun. I didn't win the contest, I think because the majority of the people who recognized me were Japanese, and they weren't really the ones voting. But, I took like 200 pictures with very excited Japanese people who recognized my costume, so in the end it was all worth it. I made some new friends, and it was just a lot of fun. And no, I didn't ride the bus like that... :D
Tuesday was a Holiday... I was supposed to go out Monday night for an all night birthday party, but it suddenly decided to be Winter. It was like 2C, 22KM winds, and drizzling rain. Needless to say I opted out of the all night party for an hour and a half of Karaoke, that only required a total of 10 minutes outside between busses and buildings.
Everyone at Karaoke was shocked and impressed by my voice and my Japanese songs. My singing in Japanese has even gotten better. I went out with them again the next night. The people I'm going out with now are Margo, Jarred, and Joanna, and more, but those are like the main crew. I still hang out with the sem house girls, but they do a lot of planning and then cancelling so... yeah...
Tuesday Holiday was, overall, good, I didn't do much other than Karaoke, go out for a bit, watch a movie at the Sem house, and try to go buy the pajamas... but the store was closed. I brought Mac and Cheese over to the sem house and Margo and I and Joanna ate it and watched 1971 Godzilla Vs Hedora, classic corny.
I got my midterm standing grade back for my ceramics course. The instructor gave everyone a B- to B+, on account of he said that he hadn't seen major improvement from anyone. I was in the B+ range but it's so frustrating, I think I've improved. I'm hoping maybe he does it so students don't get complacent and slack off. Either way I'm going to go back to working (and failing) at making bigger pieces. I think if I manage that and a few other techniques he'll have to give me the A, becuase that's a BIG improvement over where I was at the beginning.
I tried to reserve a temple at Koyasan to stay with the monks, but the only one I could find that books online is full up. They gave me a number for tourist info, but I think it's in Japanese, and mine is definately not good enough for a phone conversation. If nothing else I'll make a long day trip out of it.
Yesterday I went with Margo to the movie theatres. My Okaasan and Otosan go to the movies once a month on one of my Otosan's days off. We got there and found out that they didn't actually want to see anything, I felt bad for making them drive, but they didn't mind. The movie theatres in Japan are SO much nicer than America, but they're also SO much more expensive. Firstly you walk in and you reserve your seats, your ticket has your seat number on it and everything. Then concessions are the normal things, to crepes and french fries. Margo and I decided to split the fry and drink combo for 500 yen, it was the perfect amount. Then when you get into the theatre you take your seat and there are little hooks on the seat backs in front of you for your bag, every seat is nice and plushy like a recliner. During the movie what I heard was true, everyone is dead silent, no one talks or rustles popcorn bags or has cell phones going off, everyone is quiet.... And what did we go to see? The Nightmare before Christmas, In Japanese, and in 3D, how sick is that!!? The Movie was 1300 yen, but it's the first movie I've been to in two months so it was good. I understood a lot of the movie, but I can't tell if it's because I know the movie so well, or because my Japanese is improving... maybe both? In all it was a fun little girl date. Margo is so much fun, she's from Massachusets, I wish she was closer so we could hang out more.
Classes overall have simply been going, same old same old...
However, a travisty happened today. So, I have a favorite stall/bathroom at Kansai, it's one that's kind of tucked out of the way that's always clean and no one ever goes to. Now, half the toilets in Japan are heated, it's awesome, it's like sitting on the toilet after a big fat man was there for an hour... minus the fat man... Anyways, so I go to the bathroom, like normal, and my toilet warmer was turned down!!! How offensive is that? It's normally cranked all the way up, sitting steamy and ready for a tushie, and it was cold as ice. I was so off-put. I turned the toilet back on and checked back later... this is the second time it's happened... I need to find out who the toilet warmth theif is, because I never see anyone else in that bathroom....
Heewon is going to come over to my homestay tomorrow. She wanted to meet my family. I'm excited for her to. Heewon is a really good friend, if I ever go to Korea I'll definately hit her up. I think Okaasan is cooking something special, which likely translates out to fatty meat.
Speaking of which, curry was dinner tonight, mmmm... But I'm also learning how to politely say "I don't really like this because it's fatty." My Okaasan seems to understand, she's never offended and makes sure I'm full. She normally puts so much on the table I can find another source of protein and be full easily.
Anyways, I should be going to bed, I'm sorry again for slacking on the posts, I'll try to be better. Love you all!
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