Raincheck

I would love to write about my awesome first trip to Kyoto, but I came home later than I thought so must save it for tomorrow. Gotta get that rest for classes! I'll type up a fun report tomorrow!

Light Music and Lovely Mascots

I know I haven't posted in a few days, but I was busy without having anything super fun to post about. However, as I look back on the past few days, there are quite a few things.

I'm finding I enjoy my Thursdays a lot. They balance homework with fun, like my Saturdays, only
with more interaction with people. This Thursday I got to meet our school mascot! The mascot and their helper were kind of busy so I did not have to chance to chat with them or ask them for more information, but they were super cute! I got a picture with the mascot and I love how the school's motto ("Mastery for Service") is on the costume. Also on that day, one of my Nihongo Partners (the other is very busy being in law and job hunting) and I ate at this "secret" cafe in the bottom floor of the library. It was like a spy movie. We scanned our cards into the library, then walked down the stairs to the lowest base level, passed the tall shelves and came to a corner enclosed by opaque glass. Inside, a *gasp* quiet and uncrowded cafe during lunch hour. It was really good, actually. I had shrimp pillafe and a chocolate danish - pretty delicious with good portions. Tough arms/side-abs work-out, some guitar practice, and anime at night - it was a nice day.

Yesterday (Friday) was pretty busy. Four classes, with one being a very stressful test concerning something that apparently isn't frequently used. I was studying in the K-ON room and one Japanese student asked about it. Before I knew it, there were six or seven crowding around me going "what's this?" "eh?" "This makes no sense" "This is useless" (not the best of "study hard" motivation boosters). When someone asked "Why are you studying this?" I could only say "I don't know!" At least it helped me realize that if Japanese students think it's confusing, I can be
confused without remorse. Later on, in Art class, our teacher said "Don't get too comfortable. We're going on a walk." Which we did. Right next to the school (practically on campus) was...a Kofun!!!! This was amazing! A Kofun is a burial mound from the Kofun period of Japanese history, between the Yayoi and Asuka periods in which society began to truly develop, conflicts ensued, and hierarchical structures evolved. This Kofun is especially neat not only because it is one of the earlier ones, but it is one of the only ones in this area in which artifacts (such as jewelry and armor) were found. Although no body or coffin was found, researchers speculate that the kofun was the burial mound of either a shaman or chief. (We thought a shaman since there was an unusual amount of pigeons around the site, especially unusual since pigeons are kind of rare in Japan, so maybe it was a shaman and her special animal was the pigeon?). One of the amazing parts of Kofun is that enormous stones weighing thousands of kilograms and tens of tons were used. Just as mind-boggling as Stonehenge. We could see into it but not actually enter it. Also, I saw some kanji-like scratches in the
stone and freaked myself out since no one else could see them (thankfully, as we were leaving, one other student said she saw them too). Anyway, it was so cool and historically significant. I'm glad I had the chance to see one in person!

Also on Friday I got to have a special of the day at one of my favorite places to eat on campus (Robin Hood) known as oya-ko-don. I mentioned it previously since my host mother made some (which was definitely better), but it was good quality and great proportions. I also found out I can return the dish and get 10 yen. One day, maybe I'll collect enough to pay for a meal from there? Moreover, Friday during lunch, the radio of the school played Maroon 5! I was sitting there, by this lovely pond, eating my food, and realized "omgs, I know these songs, I can sing to these songs, I'm the only one, this is so cool." It was a nice little reminder of home (though I never thought I'd miss American radio).

Now onto today! I skyped with my grandmother and her boyfriend which was very nice. Though before that, I studied with breakfast to get a head start on the day. After skype-ing, I left to meet the
K-ON club for their barbeque at 10 am...however...apparently the 10 am meeting was for the upperclassmen. New members were supposed to meet at 11. So, thanks to my handy-dandy phone, data plan, paper, and pen, I did homework at the train station for an hour. Turned out alright despite some miscommunication. Then, once we all actually gathered and took off at a nice walking pace to go to a nearby river, our large group got separated at a traffic light and then lost. It was a bit confusing, but we eventually were able to communicate with the other group and reach our destination. I was super surprised at the quality of the meat and barbecue sauce. I was also shocked to receive 2 custom picks! They say "Bugs Bunny" since that is the name of the overall K-ON club.

At one point, some people I had been talking to and I went off to a nearby convenience store (for the restroom) and I had a moment of serendipity again. A friend of mine loves sailor moon even more than I do and their souvenir request was "something cheap and sailor moon" and I saw it...in the 7/11 convenience store! I was so happy! It's adorable and I hope they love it! Then, as we left the convenience store we were met with a small problem. The beautiful, warm day had turned to cold, drizzling, and gusty. We rushed back and found that the event was still going on, though everything was being picked up.

It was a lot of fun today. I spoke Japanese practically the entire time and was able to talk to a lot of interesting people (including the first person in Japan I've met to use the English word "whatever" and the first person I've met in Japan who also loves Vocaloids). Also, I'm now technically in a band. The club is much bigger than it looks, so there were little groups formed with those interested in the various instruments evenly distributed. I checked commitment and it won't be a problem at all. There will be a performance in early July before the semester
ends and three meetings in June. Also, since new members are also complete beginners at instruments, there is no pressure. The only thing that was problematic was when, after I got home, they said there would be an informational course on May 13th...when I will be in Tokyo. But they said they'll just e-mail me the information, so it's all working out. I'm so excited! I really like this club and the people in it! On the way home I saw some beautiful flowers that I just had to take pictures of (hence the seemingly random shots surrounding this paragraph).

Concerning food, I had really delicious American-style spaghetti yesterday with a salad including Japanese grapefruit. Today was even better - my host mother and I made kakiage (fried tempura clusters) together! And she had gotten ingredients that I will be able to find in America so I can actually make it when I come back! It was awesome! We also had Japanese pumpkin, tofu wrapped gobon, rice, miso soup, ito-konnyaku (konnyaku in noodle form), and natto! I finally tried natto today! Natto is notorious for being "gross" and disliked by non-Japanese. I will say it was interesting and I may not actively seek it out that much, but it was pretty good. Like, slimy lentils that have a caramel/coffee taste to them. They were really good mixed with the rice.

Before I go (and get some rest for my day trip tomorrow!), here are a few random notes - and Good Night!

• The bees are starting to come out. There are some that kind of look like what we have in America and then there are these giant black with orange, furry collars cannonballs. And they sometimes just hover there...like they're watching you. They are all pretty chill except, the other day, I wanted to take pictures of a tree and this bee got mad at me and starting circling so I had to leave.
• It is also apparently cat season. I see one a day and have been hearing their eerie yowling, not the cute meows - the throaty, off-tune yowls
• Buying something from an establishment you go to to use the bathroom might be a custom in Japan as well as America, or I may just be reading into today's experience too much
• According to my host family, there are a lot of older women in Osaka, especially who like animal print, who are really nice and friendly and "grandmotherly" or "aunt-like" - known as the "Osaka obasan/obachan" type
•  There are some famous foods of Kyoto (like yatsuhashi, matcha, and soy-milk ice cream) and I hope to find some of them tomorrow!

Wednesdays and Night Lights

Wednesday is the middle of the week and so it is apparently not coincidence that we've been having Chinese-style food for dinners on Wednesdays (in Japanese "China" is basically "middle/center country")
Also in Japanese Wednesday is "water day" and for the past two Wednesdays it has been cloudy and rainy. Hmmmmmm

Yesterday, after a long day of classes, homework, studying, and an intense leg day, I went on a short night hike with a group of about five other people to see the night view of the city. It was gorgeous! It was a little spooky walking to the view spot, but we were a good-sized group with flashlights in a small park in the middle of a city so it was safe. But once we got to both the views, it was completely worth it. I also got to play with my camera settings and got some decent pictures! Trying to minimize shake without a tripod was interesting. And, in this case especially, the in-person view and atmosphere was just so much more amazing than any picture I could have taken. It reminded me of Vegas a bit, with city lights extended to the horizon, backed by mountain ridges. Of course there were many differences. For instance, sometimes, we could see a line of lights moving through the city - the Hankyuu train line. It was super cool! On a note of serendipity, a Japanese dance-club student joined us on our hike. She was walking up to us and I was shocked - she was wearing a UNR shirt and I got so excited! Apparently, her boyfriend is in an exchange program there. She was super bubbly and peppy and it's so nice that we met the day after I was worrying about not talking to Japanese students enough.

There was one incident of excitement as we were walking along the road going back to school. Half of us saw one of the wild boars that live in the forest. They alerted us and we all immediately huddled together and turned on flashlights - apparently the boar fled pretty quickly (especially since I didn't see it). Some of us were excited while some of us were more slightly shaken up only because night time reduces visibility and helps increase fear and nervosity, right? Add in the factor of a creature that we are not familiar with and it led us to be shaken up. However, that was the only negative part of the night. What was nice was whenever someone started to say something scary (purposefully or not), they would stop as soon as someone mentioned that this was for fun or that they weren't comfortable with that conversation. In the past, people I hung out with would continue anyway - I really appreciated everyone's cooperation.

Today was another day of academia but also some fun things! It seems Wednesdays will be tough in class because my first class of the day has to do with reading (which, today, meant the teacher trying for some time to get me to understand tone and intonation and me apparently not executing it correctly - but I'll keep trying) and then Kanji. Oh my goodness. I got a 100% on my first test and feel really confident about this week's quiz and homework - it's just when we have to read the new example sentences that I feel lost. I know it shouldn't be this frustrating but there are two students who try to answer my questions for me (in the example sentences with blanks that we fill in - maybe I'm just not fast enough for them?) or, when I ask the teacher something, they try to answer me instead. Gah. But I really love the teacher - he is so animated and nice. Also, he sometimes uses charades and noises when explaining definitions and it just makes class fun.

Then, of course, homework and study but I did it in the K-ON (light-music) club room. This led to many fun happenings. For one, I spent about an hour or hour and a half playing electric guitar and getting tips! Secondly, I got to practice Japanese with fellow students by conversing with them and listening to them. I'm feeling a similar atmosphere with this club as with Manga club (which is interesting, because the rooms are right next to each other). They are both very open and willing to converse; but, they also don't mind if you come in to study and eat.

Had spring rolls, tofu salad, short-necked clams, rice, and take-no-ko soup for dinner and a dessert of tea with traditional Japanese sweets kakki.Super delicious! And, as I'm realizing with many foods, I prefer the Japanese-style sweet-and-sour sauce for the spring rolls.

In other news, I have decided to give a speech on the history of Manga for ryuugakusei Week (study abroad student week) and I have booked a hostel room with some friends for a weekend trip to Tokyo in May!! So excited!


Good night y'all!

One Full Month in Japan!

So today marks my first full month in Japan! I am both excited and a little sad. I've gained one full month of experience yet have completed one month of my time here. I thought I'd write a post today evaluating what I've done so far and contemplating goals.

So far, I've gone to...

• Nara (Todaiji with the Great Buddha, Nara Park, and saw the Nara dear)
• Kobe (Nunobiki Falls and Ikuta Shrine)
• Mondoyakujin Shrine
• Kabutoyama Forest Park
• Osaka (Osaka castle (in bloom), Ikeda's Ramen restaurant, Den-den Town, an Owl Cafe, and Nanba)
• Iga Ueno (Castle and Ninja museum)
• A pokemon store
• Japanese cake shop, bread shop, anime shop, and dollar store

I've eaten...

• Kobe Beef
• Onigiri
• Udon
• Soba
• Kitsune udon/soba
• Tempura
• Japanese-style Western and Chinese Food
• Thick ramen
• Handmade mochi
• Okonomiyaki
• Takoyaki
• Dango
• (Tonight) Japanese eggplant parm and edamame soup
• And a bunch of foods and dishes I had never heard of before and were not on my list, but were delicious regardless

I've...

• Gone to Karaoke
• Taken thousands of pictures
• Used Japanese vending machines (with hot drinks!)
• Paid bills at a convenience store
• Discovered new things to check out
• Experienced Sakura season in Japan
• Gotten lost and found my way
• Rode the trains and subways!
• Went on solo day-trips (for the first time)
• Done laundry without a dryer and dishes without a dish-washing machine
• Worked up the courage to initiate conversation with locals on numerous occasions 
• Met a lot of awesome people
• Read a volume of manga completely in Japanese (a couple, actually)
• Played electric guitar and bass
• Went to a free metal-rock concert
• Ran in the rain

And as my almost daily blogs have shown, a lot more. I'm happy with what I have accomplished in this first month. 

There are a few things I just start working on for the rest of my time here. I feel like I should make more of an effort to hang out with my Japanese friends. At the moment, my Nihongo Partners and I eat lunch together on Thursdays because that seems to be the least busy days for them. However, they both live in Kobe and one is a senior who is not only taking classes but job hunting, which is a strenuous part of Japanese work culture apparently. Anyway, maybe this next weekend's GS Network trip can act as a segue for more frequent contact with Japanese friends.

There are a few big places I want to go to that I am going to start planning in more detail. Fushimi Inari will be a day trip (with maybe other Kyoto day trips) - Yakushima a weekend - Tokyo a weekend trip + Fox village excursion - hopefully Kumamoto. If expenses and time permits there the more dreamy trips of South Korea, Taiwan, Okinawa, and places very far North in Japan. A group of friends have graciously invited me on their Tokyo trip which I am pretty sure I shall partake in - going to Tokyo is not something I want to do alone. I am considering if they would be a good group to Yakushima with as well. There is still a lot of things I want to do and food I want to eat, but I won't list them here (except, I have not gone to a sushi restaurant yet and I want to!)

Concerning classes, I was a little worried about my load at first, but honestly there is a lot less stress and work for this semester than back at UNLV. On the other hand, the language classes are pretty challenging without being overwhelming. The way they handle the Japanese language courses schedule is still a little confusing, but I'm getting along. Though I am learning a lot in my English classes, I am a little sad they meet only once a week (though, it's nice that they meet once a week because that means I can take as many as I'm currently taking).

I wish I could go back in time and tell myself not to be so afraid of my host family. They are so sweet and supportive. The food is amazing and we always laugh when we are together. It's also great living so close to school, train stations, and a forest park.

I'm pleasantly surprised with my financial situation. The cash I took out for this first month is not yet depleted despite all that I've done and needing to buy lunch almost everyday. Of course, I did use non-cash methods for textbooks and my indoor-only shoes for the gym. This just makes me more hopeful of accomplishing more of my travel goals.

I'm honestly not sure if Culture Shock has hit me. I remember being shocked or taking notice of differences in the culture, but I haven't gotten tired of being here or frustrated with the culture. Sometimes I worry about my language ability in class, but I try my best with the natives. Most of the time, I am complimented for the amount of Japanese I do know, which makes me happy (though I honestly reply that there is a lot more that I need to learn).

I'm wondering if I really want to go through with the JET Program once I graduate. I love Japan and am pretty sure I am going to want to return; however, I am not sure if I am truly okay with or prepared for returning as an English teacher. Teaching isn't really my goal. I have spent a month here and I have not yet miraculously figured out my career path, though I have been considering various options. Maybe being a translator/interpreter for a Japanese company. If I'm fluent enough and am sure it's what I want, maybe take Graduate courses here. There is just so much to consider and to learn and to explore.

It honestly doesn't feel like a month has gone by. It still feels like the first week of classes - the first week here, yet with a deeper sense of familiarity and experience. I do miss my family, friends, and home campus but I am truly enjoying my time here.

Let the adventure continue!

KOBE - 神戸

Today, some friend and I went to Kobe! If I do say so myself, it was very well planned. We met our three main goals and were able to explore more in depth the areas we went to. Today, we explored the mountain side of the city. We'll have to go back again to explore the more popular port side. I took almost 800 pictures today and of the 255 good ones I sorted into a separate folder, I can unfortunately only share a few onto this post! Going through the pictures and then going through again while writing is a lot more work than I first expected, but I do like two things about it. One - I can easily access my better pictures later. Two - going through the pictures like this helps me cement the day into my mind. Anyhow, let's get going!

As we were heading to the station, J asked if we could add a shrine his host mother suggested. We said sure and then it turned out to be the same shrine we wanted to go to all along, but we didn't realize right away since we entered via the back. (This is the second or third time that Google Maps has had me enter a shrine/temple from the back rather than the front (which tends to have a super extravagant gate)). It was gorgeous! We went to Ikuta shrine which is apparently both for love and business success. We went from urban side streets directly to a torii gate and mini forest, lush and encircling this cedar with a Shinto rope on it. Apparently, these ropes signify a spot for a spirit or deity to reside in while you communicate with them. It had a powerful sense to it and was very beautiful. It got us talking about Greek mythology, dryads, and hamadryads. There was also a very neat small shrine within the shrine with a mini tunnel of torii. Apparently this technique is popular, but I still want to plan a day for the most famous Fushimi Inari Shrine.

 I want to stress how common it is in Japan for nature and cityscapes to be close to one another. It's shocking to know that we went through such an urban maze of side streets, electric wires, and shops to this peaceful, historical site with literally a miniature forest within it. There were even some tall apartment buildings nearby. We joked that they were probably expensive since they had views into this beautiful shrine. As our Japanese Religion teacher said "Gardens are really important in Japan. If you don't have a garden, make sure to have a window with a nice view of your neighbor's garden." Later on, when we were heading to some famous waterfalls, it was actually a short walk and easily accessible from the city (just like Kabutoyama Forest Park is here in Nishinomiya). Our Environment teacher touched briefly on this idea, known as "Satoyama" and I am excited to learn more.

On a serendipitous note, there was a traditional Japanese-style wedding going on at the Ikuta shrine! Women in beautiful kimono, men in striking yukata, tall black hats worn by 'priests,' shrine maidens everywhere, and the bride wearing a white kimono and white hoop-like veil. They got to walk down a red carpet into the main shrine and disappear from view, yet we could hear the drums, flutes, and chanting of the wedding throughout the shrine area. It was super cool. It was also neat because the shrine didn't close just for this one couple's wedding yet people were courteous - staying out of the way, avoiding the red carpet, clapping for these strangers' happiness, and waiting until the procession passed before continuing on their way.

After going through the shrine area a second time (so M could pray at the wishing cedar/dryad and I at the torii tunnel shrine) we went on the hunt for the famous Kobe Beef! Kobe Beef is one of the few things Kobe is known for and tends to be extremely expensive. (The other two most popular things Kobe is known for is Kobe Pudding and the Port Tower). We did some research before hand and were able to find a place called Red One that had a lunch set for about 1620 yen, including tax. This had rice, a salad, a cup of soup, and the beef with some sugar snap peas and delicious sauce. There wasn't a lot of beef, but we were all glad to be able to taste it at a reasonable price. And it was delicious. Juicy, chewy, and super flavorful. Usually, larger portions or dinner meals are around 6000 yen and up, some even going into the 10,000s. This means $60-$100s for this beef. It was a big deal. As a side note, on the way to the restaurant, we saw some advertisements on the ground made up of petals and leaves. It was really cool, but funny how they were more of advertisements than art, but also a nice surprise addition to the day.

Fueled by the power of the famous beef, we walked to Nunobiki Falls - a place in Kobe that was on my "to-go" list. We saw a steep set of stairs and prepared ourselves (though we had no idea what would come later). This morning, I had an urge to put on my Manitou Incline shirt, but I thought "Nah, I'll go with my cute Harry Potter one instead." The universe was warning me. I should've worn the Manitou Incline shirt! The set of stairs was pretty steep, but not too bad. We reached the falls and were not disappointed. Once you reach the actual falls, after following the falling river for a while, a wave of sandalwood incense hits you from a nearby shrine and the sound of crashing water cascades about you. The water was blue with rusty rocks in the pool and white water rushing down gray slate walls.

What happened next led us on what would be very fun but also taxing and an unexpected adventure of the day. We saw another set of stairs and thought "what's up there." The stairs went on and on and on. The first set was short and we saw two cute shrines (one with a little snake statue (which I adored) and one with a little mushroom spirit figurine (also adorable)). Also at this stop were some vending machines and benches, which shocked us, but we kept going. After two or three more sets of stairs and some ramps, we come to a gorgeous viewpoint. That view of Kobe was simply amazing, combining both forest and ocean and urban areas.

Then, we saw another path leading yet further upward and thought "why not?" And so we went and

turned left at this awesome bridge covered in vines, leading to a path even more enshrouded with trees. This was where the REAL stairs began. The stairs that consumed us for about two and half to three hours. Up and up and up. It was hard, but it was so beautiful. There was green everywhere! The moss, the leaves, the trees, the vines. There was constant bird chatter, though I never actually spotted any. And every now and then there would be a little stone marker saying "Water God" on it. We took this as a sign that we were on the path to a shrine in a lake we saw on

the map - we never found the shrine or the supposed temple, but the hope and curiosity pushed us. At one point, we came to a post which seems to have the kanji for water dragon and castle on it? We thought "this can't possibly be what the signs were pointing to" and pressed on, with the encouragement of the occasional other hiker. After exploring a bit, we finally come to a large road with another post, but this one larger. The pack of it had an El Dorado feel, covered in kanji. It must be very old since it only used kanji rather than the modern Japanese mix of alphabets and kanji. It was really cool, but not what we were expecting. It was getting close to three and we wanted to keep to a schedule, so we headed back. The way back went by so quickly. I didn't realize how slow we had been coming up. Of course, the stairs and breaks were time-consuming but necessary.

 (There were also cute snails on this final slab)
















We were all tired, with shaking legs, and craving ice-cream. We had met out three goals (Ikuta

Shrine, Kobe Beef, and Nunobiki Falls) of the day, as well as saw some beautiful scenery while hiking, so we decided to do whatever and hunt for ice-cream. On the way, we ran into a little area that reminded me of the anime Noragami (just due to it resembling a few specific scenes). We also found an entire underground level to the train station full of mini restaurants that all looked appealing. In the end, we ate ice-cream at McDonalds. It was my first time eating McDonalds in Japan and though I don't really like the chain, I really enjoyed the ice-cream and want to try some of their Japan-only burgers one day. Below is a picture of these plants I took a picture of the first full day I was in Japan (Kobe, specifically, though I see them everywhere). Apparently, they actually bloom!

On the way home, I finally followed my nose into this little bakery by the train station near by house and bought some sweet breads to try with my host family - one with hard chocolate chips, one with raisins and sugar crystals, and one with cream in the middle. They were all quite delicious. I love how so many train stations have excellent bread shops because I will just be walking, mind my own business, and then suddenly be hit by a solid wave of the most amazing smells of bread. Of course, I also don't like it because then I want to eat bread (but this is the first time I caved! I do have will power after all!). For dinner was oyakodon which is a don style dinner (as in food on top of rice) with chicken, egg, and veggies. Oya means parent and ko means child...because you cook the chicken in egg...oh well. There was also cucumber salad, a salad with tofu and spinach, miso soup, and kikurage which was a tofu/mushroom-like food that kind of tasted of chicken noodle soup.

Now, it's time to get some rest for tomorrow's classes! Today was fun and I'm glad I was able to set some goals, meet them, and add in fun exploration with friends. There was a total of four of us today, which wasn't too small nor too big. Now I can relax and focus on school throughout the week. However, our GS network is planning a Kyoto trip for next Sunday! Be prepared!

 

Ramen (Kind of) and Osaka

As I promised, an iconic-Japanese-food-themed story! Today, after a morning of homework, some new friends and I went to the Ramen Museum in Osaka! And yes, I wore my ramen socks on the outside of my skinny jeans to show my excitement. However, I soon realized that it was the Cup of Noodles Ramen museum. I'm not really a fan of Cup of Noodles. But entry was free and I was able to take some neat pictures. About half of the group went through the line and made their own Cup of Noodles cup while the other half just chatted. There were these adorable chick mascots everywhere - little yellow chickens with different personalities. The only thing was...one of the pictures was a cannibal chicken! It is making ramen with chicken eggs~!

Anyway, after that we decided to eat at a nearby ramen shop to keep the theme of ramen. However, there was a long wait line for it so we ended up eating at a popular family-style-restaurant/"cafe" called Gasto. I had "Cheese in Hamburger" which was literally a hamburger patty with cheese in the middle and was actually pretty good (not as good as my host mother's hamburger, of course). There was also 3 edamame pods, 2 small hash-brown patties, and some roasted corn. I was still hungry (and love sweets) so I ordered the "Stone ice-cream parfait" which was a disassembled parfait in a stone bowl: ice cream, a small slice of cheesecake, banana slices, various fruits, and amazing, CoolWhip-like whipped cream. It was quite delicious.






We had thought the Ramen museum would have taken more time, but seeing as it did not, we decided to check out a nearby temple...but ended up not doing that since no one knew really where it was, Google Maps wasn't working on multiple phones, and we were tiring of walking for long distances and then having to backtrack. So we went to a popular train station with this pretty waterfall staircase and checked out the Pokemon Center! Employees were setting up an event (card game) and there were poken (video game) trials here and there. There were also a lot of the new series of pokemon out. I wanted to get something for my brother, but the only non-new pokemon items that were there were Pikachu and Snorlax. Hopefully, when I go to Tokyo I can find something more befitting him. Although, I did use a Gacha machine for the first time and got something for a friend of mine. A piece was missing and I was distraught, but one of the friends (G) with me said he didn't really care about his so gave it to me! It was so sweet! Without G, my friend back at home wouldn't be able to receive this gift! I'm so grateful.

At one point today, we actually walked across the border between Osaka and Hyogo Prefecture (which encompasses where I live in Nishinomiya, KGU, and some parts of Kobe). Usually, we cross the borders via trains so don't notice anything, but, apparently, there were beautiful markers designating the border by showing each prefecture's symbols.The one on the right being Osaka and the Purple flowers representing Hyogo.

 It was nice walking around the cities of Japan, talking with friends about various topics, and eating some really good food. I think I spent about $11 for lunch today, and I'm pretty sure the same food would have been closer to $20 in the US. There was an embarrassing part where I misheard the waitress and thus gave her the wrong answer. I thought she asked if we were done deciding what we wanted (and I said no since we'd be ordering dessert later), but what she really was asking if all our food had arrived (in this form, to decide is "kimeteiru" and to arrive/come is "kiteiru" - I was adding the "me" in there for some reason).

Finally, I made it back home for some delicious Chinese-style food and Japanese senbe sweets. There was a dish wish beef, green peppers, onions, and take-no-ko which went amazing with the fried rice and the soup (which had onions, egg, those invisible noodles, and take-no-ko). There was also a salad with these sprout-like, onion-like vegetables (my host dad loves them apparently and I cannot recall the word at the moment).

Speaking of walking home, I was so happy because A. I used the train system without getting lost at all today and B. I recognized which way to go today by the kanji rather than the smaller English print! I was so happy! I truly like the Japanese train system. People are courteous, even during rush hour where the train gets super cramped. It's a completely different feeling than the cramped trains and subway of London. Also, there is nice scenery (which London did have btw). There are a lot of small rivers that the trains usually cross over. Today, I saw an egret flying over one river and, over another, there was a string of colorful fish flags dancing in the wind. It was quite nice.

I thought before I left for the night, I'd post some pictures of what it is like walking home from the nearest train station. Neat buildings, agricultural areas within urban areas, and a beautiful sakura tree are the highlights. Unfortunately, the sakura season is nearing its end. I miss the pink clouds and scattering petals. I wasn't able to try any sakura-themed snacks either (though, my host mother and I were talking about the ending of the sakura season, and she said there might still be snacks out - so there is hope!).

School Days

Yesterday was pretty successful - studying, skype-ing, completing homework, going to class, arms work out, etc. etc. For fun, I visited the K-ON (light music) club again and spent about an hour before working out playing with an electric guitar. A really talented upperclassmen showed me some basic scale-type things higher up and kept emphasizing how you should just "play freely." It was a lot of fun! Then, for dinner, I had tonkatsudon and it was amazing. Meat battered and fried and then cooked with egg and a sweet sauce in a special pan and then poured directly onto a large bowl of rice. As sides, there was Japanese white radish (daikon), umeyaki (made from that fish paste that is often found in circle form in ramen), a salad with avocado and octopus in it, and miso soup.

Today was also very successful but in a different way. I survived my four classes, quiz, and homework submissions! I love all my classes but having two intense language courses in the morning and then two information-heavy classes taught by the same teacher with only a 10 minute break inbetween in the afternoon is a little tiring. However, I had some delicious kitsune-udon and pino brand ice cream for lunch. I think kitsune udon might be one of my favorite Japanese dishes (and now tonkatsudon and, OH I FORGOT - I had dango for the first time yesterday while eating in the campus garden with my Nihongo Partners - so sweet and chewy and amazing). Anyway, back to my Friday - I also paid the first part of my health insurance. Fun fact: in Japan it is normal to pay important bills at the convenience store...convenient, isn't it? On the official document, there is even a list of convenience stores at which you can pay, one of which was located on campus next to the international program CIEC office. These two days were very nice and relaxing yet productive and fun - nice offset to earlier in the week.

I played another game of I-go and was totally crushed but it was a lot of fun. I'm realizing that the very mentality is different, though the rules are pretty much the same. Japanese I-go game-play
mentality is different from what I learned (though, honestly, it's not like I played that much before).
Tonight I had Japanese Hamburger! We somehow got onto the topic of hamburgers the other day and my host mother said "Then, you should look forward to me making some Japanese hamburgers soon." It was so good! Bun-less, juicy, full of onions, topped with mushrooms, and covered in BBQ sauce! [For those who don't know, I love BBQ sauce] There was also fantastic homemade french fries and some veggies (but that hamburger was so delicious). What was also neat about today was that I started and ended with American-style food. As I walked towards the table to assemble breakfast, lo-and-behold, I saw a small jar of Skippy peanut-butter on the table. I was so excited (and my host parents were excited that I was excited). I got to have peanut-butter this morning~. It was a great start to the busy day and a nice taste of home. I do have plans other than homework this weekend and I will give a taste: it involves iconic Japanese food...

Furthermore, I finished the anime "Your Lie in April" today, which I did plan by the way. I wanted to watch it in April and the beginning coincided wonderfully with the cherry blossom season. The episodes would be full of pink petals and then so would the outside. But the anime had a lot more than just the petals - beautiful music and animation, nice story, realistic relationships (except for that small arc with the sister), and interesting characters. It was really good but not quite resembling the hype people give me. It could have been my mood or because it wasn't one of my first anime, so I critiqued it more than I would have if it had been an earlier anime...I guess? But since I've been watching anime and reading books for so long, I have come to enjoy analyzing them while watching and reading, so it may just have become second nature. Anyway, for anime fans who want a nice slice-of-life that isn't quite slice-of-life genre, and are okay with beauty and sorrow, I'd suggest "Your Lie in April" (四月は君のウソ）

Karaoke and Screamo

This first paragraph is going to be a bit of a rant, so feel free to skip to the next one to learn about my on-campus concert experience and first karaoke! People have just been getting to me. I try very hard to be optimistic and open-minded and non-judgemental as much as I can daily, but, unfortunately, I am an imperfect human being so it's impossible to have 100% control over emotions, thoughts, and internal reactions. First, yesterday, I got to try to register for classes in the fall. I say try because only 4 of my 7 went through. Good news, I was able to successfully enroll in both of my honors courses which in the past have been the main factors of stress. However, one class says I cannot enroll in it yet because I have not completed JPN 302...I am currently taking Level 4 JPN (which has been approximated to be above 302) while studying in Japan - so this is frustrating and I have to contract the language department. The other two were mandatory CHEM courses. I was upset but what made it the worst was 7 days before registration, I e-mailed the CHEM department and I joke you not, I received a reply about 5 minutes before my registration time opened saying "you can't enroll in that before taking the test" (which I can't take because I'm out of the country, which I explained). THEN my study abroad office contact, who I asked twice about helping me with this semester's courses, replied two or three days AFTER the final course alteration period ended here (other than the ability to drop courses around midterm with no penalty, but that's not what concerned me). SECOND, people here have been irritating. There are study abroad students who try to prove that they are somehow suffering so much and should be put on a pedestal - "I'm really cutting back on food costs so am so hungry - I spend all my money at arcades on the weekend:" I say "I dropped a course because it was too much for me" They "Oh really, how many credits?" Me "I'm taking 12 courses." They, smile, say "I'm taking 17 (19, 21) credits." Me "I'm taking 16 credits, 12 COURSES." They "...Oh." then proceed to continue talking about how busy they are or going into detail about their problems even though I don't know them (and am usually trying to study). Going on about how boring their life is right now or how they don't really care about anything because that's cool apparently. And trying to makes plans - I won't go into that right now, just say it's pretty darn difficult. Add on some stress of tensions with an old friend and a fight today (with some seemingly unsuccessful after-talks) and I was just so frustrated. This long paragraph of a rant helped a bit though. For those who actually read this whole paragraph - I'm sorry and thank you.

So let's start with the screamo! This week, I worked up the courage to talk with the people next to the manga club room and discovered they were a light music club, right? They are called "Bugs Bunny" and are one of several different bands on campus. They told me that there was going to be a concert above one of the cafeterias during the lunch period. The next, I went, wanting to see how they performed. What I didn't realize was that it was a concert going from lunch period through 4th period. Unfortunately, Bugs Bunny played during 4th period, in which I had class. I didn't realize who was performing until all the lights went out and suddenly there was just guttural screaming from on stage. I kind of thought "Oh...I don't think this is them...well...let's see what happens." I ended up staying all lunch period before going to actually eat and do some homework and it was awesome! Especially since I had a bit of stressful morning concerning fall registration, it was so nice to just yell and jump and head bang (yes, it was glorious). There was so much head banging (though I think I was the only one with long hair) and lots of fist pumps and giving the middle finger (both to and from the audience). Also, they would use English curse words but mispronounce them and I didn't know if I should laugh, head bang, or correct them...but it was neat. AND THEY CROWD SURFED. This was on a COLLEGE CAMPUS, BY COLLEGE STUDENTS OMGS. It was so neat and they were actually really good.

So I kept this in mind when I went to karaoke for the first time with a new group. I'll replace names with letters because my trying to just say "this friend" and "that friend" is getting a bit confusing. We

actually ran into each other on the same train and I spotted them because L was wearing a panda suit. Like one of those PJ type panda suits, not one of those huge mascot kinds. Apparently, his host mother actually suggested he wear it...It was pretty funny. Then we went to a Karaoke place by a train station that was cheaper than I thought it would be. I thought one hour would be like $20, but it was less than $15 for 2 hours, plus free drinks. Speaking of which, I had this uber-green, melon soda that made me feel like I was about to go full-on Hulk. Sadly, it was just a group of us American study abroad students (no Japanese people proficient in the culture of karaoke) but we did sing one Japanese song - Unravel. There was a surprisingly large amount of English songs to choose from. Navigating the Japanese section was a bit difficult, so we stuck mainly with the English this round. It was interesting though, to see whatever random images were in the background, or read the katakana reading above each English word. My first karaoke song was a duet/all 5 of us - Take on Me. Amazing. G and I realized we liked a lot of similar songs and I think we paired up a lot. Turns out 3 of the 5 had pretty good voices (though me and the panda...well...it was fun!). Considering my mood and my earlier experience, I decided to choose "Chop Suey" by System of a Down and it was hysterical. So, in the opening, there's this really nice guitar riff and opening notes, right? And then he just starts screaming before going into the actual singing. Well I went full on. G said he knew it was part of the song, but didn't think I'd actually do it, while C was just frozen in shock, and L was so shocked he was just laughing nonstop (making me laugh and totally mess up the fast opening). It was great! I honestly didn't think karaoke would be so much fun. Some other songs that were just awesome were Phantom of the Opera (sadly no Music of the Night or any Les Mis), Death of a Bachelor, Clocks, Fly Me to the Moon (with ashtrays for fedoras), Super Bass, I'll Make a Man out of You, and I Can Show you the World (amazing falsetto by the panda btw).

Culture note: apparently, it is bamboo root (take no ko) season! This only happens once a year, so dishes incorporating this ginormous root are common. My host parents got one and you boil/soak it for hours before being able to cut and prepare it. That night we had so many different dishes with the root (and we'll be using it in dinners for a few more days probably).

It's difficult to say what it tastes like because, truthfully, each dish with it in it tasted different. I feel like it is akin to a potato in that regard - multi-functional with malleable taste.

Speaking of potatoes - they say that Japan will soon be suffering a shortage of potatoes due to unfavorable weather conditions in Hokkaido (apparently an important potato spot for Japan?) According to this article (http://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/2017/04/18/japan-suffering-dire-potato-chip-shortage-some-bags-selling-for-14.html) it's mainly affecting potato chips. Also, from what I've noticed, potatoes aren't very essential or common in the Japanese diet. Although any sort of shortage is an issue, it's not like Japan is facing an Irish potato famine situation.




Tonight's dinner was Chinese-food style and since I came home early due to not feeling well emotionally I got to help make dinner this time! There was salad with a variety of sliced vegetables, chicken with onions and roasted nuts and thick sauce, beef/pork mix with take no ko wrapped in lettuce leaf and miso sauce, and leftover take no ko with kinome (the leaf of the Japanese pepper, from my host parents' garden!). So good!

 The first photo I used in the post today is a view from a new shortcut to school my host family showed me (when I returned my first-ever over-due library books). You can see really far on some days. I used this particular picture, focusing on the bright green leaves in the foreground because A. I thought it was pretty and B. how sometimes it's hard to see the bigger picture when there's so many little things taking up your attention at the moment as well as C. how it is important to notice little things and not get too focused on the distant, larger things. This last picture I use is one of the nice little things to not forget - like how organized a little corner of a desk can be, delicious tea at night, and snacks and a calendar from people who care. Nice little things that make the days of life enjoyable.

Shitoshito...jaja - journal-style account of a rainy day

I learned two new onomatopoeia today: shitoshito (the sound of rain) and jaja (the sound of heavy rain). As you might be able to infer from this information, it rained today. It wasn't necessarily a heavy rain, but it rained almost all day (though the morning started off quite nice temperature wise and hints of humidity). Due to the constant rain and some windy areas, there were storm warnings and the school closed early (so I was kicked out of the gym around 5:17 though they had told me I had twenty minutes left seven minutes before...). Anyway~

I studied in the library without using a computer for the first time today. It was so nice. I really do love this library. It reminds me of the UNLV library, just a tad smaller, a tad brighter, and...well...everything is in Japanese. Also, it is apparently very common for students to nap at school. For one, there were some people setting timers and then just sleeping at the study tables. Also, most club rooms have a cot for students to take naps on.

In-between classes, I mainly did homework and ate food (while studying simultaneously: fascinating, I know). However, a few exciting things happened. One, I tried another melon bread! I'm realizing melon bread doesn't actually taste like melon at all. It's just sweet bread that varies in shape, size, and flavor. Today I had one that was super sweet, with thick sugar crystals on the outside, and a thin layer of butter in the middle. It was divine. Also, next to the manga club room, there is another club room that is always emanating laughter and guitar music, so a friend and I worked up the courage to go over and ask about them. Apparently they are one of the several K-ON/light music clubs on campus. This one does live performances and just offers people a place to play instruments and have jam sessions with each other (unlike another K-ON club which I'm pretty sure just goes to concerts). So I got to mess with an electric guitar and bass today. It was pretty darn cool. The atmosphere was so much fun.

There was an awkward situation in which I ran into one of the organizers from the scuba diving club who was apparently going to a club lunch. Being that my schedule and the club's schedule are pretty out of sync, I have decided not to join, but she was still trying to get me to join, like saying I'd probably be able to finish my license before I left. The only thing is, what is the point of completing a license and then not being able to do that activity for several years anyway? *cough cough desert cough cough drought* It is so interesting experiencing the different atmospheres of the various groups and clubs on campus. The manga club is super nice and really doesn't care how often you come to the room or what you do (but the tennis club, which shares a room with the manga club, seem super cliquey and get mad if you encroach on their side of the room). Others are super open, while others try to be nice but end up being awkward or unconsciously forgetting new members are there. It's also funny when people walk in and are like "Omgs there are foreigners here right now." They get excited and then nervous once they realize there's some language difficulties.

As a completely random side-note, I think I have figured out something else I want to buy in Japan and soon: a bento chopstick set. A lot of places on campus where I get my food provide disposable chopsticks, but I don't want to use disposable chopsticks approximately four or five times a week. I'm also trying to be aware of when cashiers reach for the plastic bag because, most of the time, I really don't need it. (Student -> backpack -> convenient bag).

Hope everyone had a nice Spring Break back at home. Good night and send luck my way for fall registration opens tomorrow.

Relaxation

So yesterday was pretty tiring (hence no blog). I spent almost the entirety of yesterday doing homework and studying (and *coughs* watching anime). Then I went to the scuba diving club's first meeting! It was a lot of fun and great Japanese practice (no one spoke English and they were all college age students). Only two unfortunate things came out of the experience: 1, the portions of the dinner were extremely small. I think the establishment holding the event did not realize how many
people would show up so platters that would have fed maybe four people each fed eight to nine people. 2, I realized I cannot join this club. The actual training for the scuba diving license doesn't start for another month or so and then it isn't completed until the end of July, start of August (when I leave), and the actual scuba diving experiences/trips are in late August and then some in January, February, and March (long gone). That was a little disheartening, so on the way home I got some more food and...watched more anime before bed. BUT the best part of yesterday, other than that feeling of accomplishment one gets when completing homework and when making oneself carry out social plans, was eating homemade Okonomiyaki. It was so good, I'm drooling just remembering it.

Today, I actually slept in (it was glorious). Also, it was sunny and really nice out today, so after lunch I went to Kabuto Forest Park again. I wasn't able to get any good bird pictures though I did spot this rare bird that is small and greenish yellow with a very beautiful song (they are sooo flighty...*winks*). I did see spiders (one I did not catch on camera, but it seemed to be a jumping spider variety with sparkly indigo and danced) and moths that crackled when they flew.
I also saw an adorable lizard of some kind (difficult to research so far) and a snake! Thankfully, I had my telephoto lens, but I still didn't get any good pictures of the snake. It fled once it heard my footsteps and all I saw was it slowly receding. I did some research though and it might have been a yamakagashi, or Tiger Keelback. This snake is quite common in the Kansai area apparently and has only recently realized to be venomous due to its rarity of biting and the way its teeth are placed, making it difficult to actually bite humans (https://wildinjapan.wordpress.com/tag/yamakagashi/).

Other than awesome wildlife, calming trees, and amazing views, I also went to the Temple on Mt. Kabuto - Kanno-ji Temple. This is the temple from which the deep gong of a bell resounding through the forest park that I mentioned previously comes from.

An old poet showed me how to get to the temple and I greatly appreciate that. I also learned some cool words thanks to him:

• ga - moth
• namiki - line of trees
• hanafubuki - petals falling like snow/rain
• douoniji - homophone (literally "same sound, different writing")

I really enjoy seeing Japanese temples. They are often close to nature or have a backdrop of mountains and the wood-heavy architecture mixed with stone statues continue to convey that sense of nature. With exceptions such as Todaiji and other famous, historically-important temples, they seem to be comprised of a handful of small shrines and temples set up in an open area.

I particularly liked this one, Kannoji temple, since it was actually inside the forest park, had that awesome bell, and tied to Kannon. I saw a statue of her at the Todaiji Art Museum and absolutely loved it. Kannoji is an exalted being with a bunch of arms holding various items representing multitudinous factors of life.

Behind the temple was a path to the peak of the mountain (which I took and then saw most of the animals I mentioned before). There were amazing views both from the temple and on the way up the mountain, but the actual peak did not have any views. The peak was a field surrounded by a ring of trees, obscuring the scenery but creating a sense of a high paradise. It was actually really neat.

This Forest Park is cool also because there is a walkway with various statues and sculptures along it, with a tall angel statue of love surrounded by misty water fountains (funsui). On my way home, the sun was starting to make its journey down the sky, so the angle of the lighting made for some pretty cool shots. Including a rainbow and some odd trick of the light and mist that looks super sci-fi-like.

I didn't study much today, but I feel pretty okay about it since I've been studying daily since the start of week and I've completed all but two things due this entire week. Of course, I'm still only getting into the rhythm of the semester (while facebook keeps bringing up end-of-semester-blues and almost-done messages).

I am not quite sure if it really connects, but speaking of rhythm, I learned an interesting thing today. In Japan, it used to be believed that there is a giant catfish under Japan that writhes when upset with humans, causing earthquakes and such. So, in political cartoons, officials being represented with the unpleasant catfish was not uncommon. This also explains why the app I downloaded a few ago that documents earthquakes in Japan has a catfish as an icon! I love when symbols of old continue to be relevant.