Second Trip to Fushimi Inari
Kurama Shrine Trip
My last weekend in Japan (Friday, 12/17 to Sunday 12/19)
My Trip Home (To be added soon)
Kurama Shrine Trip
My last weekend in Japan (Friday, 12/17 to Sunday 12/19)
My Trip Home (To be added soon)
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Access to my Japanese Photos (UPDATED AGAIN)
If you're interested in seeing my photos you can access them at this link:
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
My first clubbing experience ever (Friday, September 24th)
I know I have this titled as happening friday, but it technically encompassed Friday night and Saturday morning. I really debated posting a post about this because it kind of ended a little embarassingly to say the least, but the whole experienced showed why it is so important to go out drinking with people you trust, which I did.
My friend Shannon finally got her financial aid money and wanted to celebrate so we decided to go out to a club. I had never been to a club, even in America, so it was a whole new experience for me. Shannon helped me get ready. I wore fairly modest yet dressy attire, and we headed out.
We went to Hirakatashi eki (Hirakata City Station), and met up with a few friends to head out. We were a little late because Sachi, who was leading us to the club was a tad late, but it was no problem at all. We rode the train to Kyobashi and then switched to the JR line to head to Namba. As we were walking to the club from the Namba station I ended up kicked in the shin and slapped in the face by accident. One of our other friends with us was gesturing where something was when she brought her hand back and I was behind her and got smacked. It wasn't too hard just caugh me off guard really bad. Then I stood too close behind her as we headed down some stairs so her foot came back and hit my shin.
From there we walked to Club Pure. It was actually kinda snazzy, but the whole environment was totally overwhelming for me. There were even pole dancers which totally caught me off guard. I have no idea what clubbing is like back home, but this was an experience all its own. Also on a side note we caught the last train there so we had to stay until trains started back up at 5:00am (hence why this encompassed friday and saturday somewhat).
We all drank quite a bit but I watched myself. I got pretty drunk but I always made sure I could still focus and still maintain direction and still tell off guys I wanted nothing to do with. Randomly out of no where some Japanese chick walked up to me and kissed me on the cheek, grinned real big and walked away leaving me standing there confused and surprised out of my mind. Then a few minutes later she walked back up, motioned like she wanted to say something to me. When I turned to look to see what was going on I got made out with. I was terribly confused to say the least. I am a fairly modest person in general. This totally caught me off guard and i was stuck standing there probably very goofy looking like a deer in the headlights.
The rest of the night for me went on pretty much without incident. I won't comment on my friend's experiences since that is there business if they want to share that information with others.
After we left the club we went to a small Denny's style restaurant to chill out until the trains started running again. I was feeling awesome. I was somewhat goofy but otherwise good. This great feeling would have continued if not for anyone aware of my tobacco/smoke sensitivity (I stress sensitivity because I can stand it just not if I am totally engulfed in it or if I am handling it for an extended period of time, like at a tobacco register).
If a few people are smoking around me in a big room I have no problems. This restaurant however was filled with smoke, a fact my drunk mind didn't realize until I sat down and the smoke hit my nose and I breathed in. I instantly felt a lurch in my stomach and knew what was coming. I jumped up and made it into the bathroom, opened the stall and then before I could get to the toilet you can guess what happened. I cleaned up my mess because I don't believe in making others clean up my mess especially one that gross.
I went back out, but forgot about the intial cause of my ill feeling. Once I sat at the table, and was back in the smoke, I felt uneasy but not necessarily sick to my stomach so I sat there with my ehad on the table for a few minutes, lifting my head occassionally to comment on the conversation of my commrades.
However, I was so glad Sachi and Shannon were there. If it wasn't for the fact that those 2 people I knew I could trust were there I wouldn't have drank at all because about 10 minutes after I sat down Shannon turned towards me to say something and my head went to the side of the table and I got sick again all over her leg and the floor. I felt so terrible and embarassed I began to cry and was afraid to sit or stand up, but Sachi calmly comforted me, helped me up and to the bathroom and even helped clean me up.
When we returned everyone at out table, except Shannon and 2 guys who were hanging with us, had left saying they couldn't deal with the fact that I had gotten sick. It isn't like I meant to and I would have been great had it not been for my smoke/tobacco sensitivity. Shannon, Sachi and the 2 guys were very calm about it and understanding. I was so glad I was with people who cared enough to not abandone me in my time of need.
We hung out for a little longer, my stomach now too empty to get sick again at this point. We chilled out for probably another 20 minutes before heading out. The two guys helped make sure we got to the train station and on the right train to go back home, Sachi got off at a different stop because she stays with a homestay family.
Me and Shannon caught a bus back to Seminar House 3 where we cleaned up and went to bed. I will never forget how kind her and Sachi were to me during a tough first attempt at going to a club and I hope my experience highlights to others just how important it is to make sure you travel with people you trust when you go out drinking. Have fun if you go abroad its a new place where you can try new things, but be safe.
My friend Shannon finally got her financial aid money and wanted to celebrate so we decided to go out to a club. I had never been to a club, even in America, so it was a whole new experience for me. Shannon helped me get ready. I wore fairly modest yet dressy attire, and we headed out.
We went to Hirakatashi eki (Hirakata City Station), and met up with a few friends to head out. We were a little late because Sachi, who was leading us to the club was a tad late, but it was no problem at all. We rode the train to Kyobashi and then switched to the JR line to head to Namba. As we were walking to the club from the Namba station I ended up kicked in the shin and slapped in the face by accident. One of our other friends with us was gesturing where something was when she brought her hand back and I was behind her and got smacked. It wasn't too hard just caugh me off guard really bad. Then I stood too close behind her as we headed down some stairs so her foot came back and hit my shin.
From there we walked to Club Pure. It was actually kinda snazzy, but the whole environment was totally overwhelming for me. There were even pole dancers which totally caught me off guard. I have no idea what clubbing is like back home, but this was an experience all its own. Also on a side note we caught the last train there so we had to stay until trains started back up at 5:00am (hence why this encompassed friday and saturday somewhat).
We all drank quite a bit but I watched myself. I got pretty drunk but I always made sure I could still focus and still maintain direction and still tell off guys I wanted nothing to do with. Randomly out of no where some Japanese chick walked up to me and kissed me on the cheek, grinned real big and walked away leaving me standing there confused and surprised out of my mind. Then a few minutes later she walked back up, motioned like she wanted to say something to me. When I turned to look to see what was going on I got made out with. I was terribly confused to say the least. I am a fairly modest person in general. This totally caught me off guard and i was stuck standing there probably very goofy looking like a deer in the headlights.
The rest of the night for me went on pretty much without incident. I won't comment on my friend's experiences since that is there business if they want to share that information with others.
After we left the club we went to a small Denny's style restaurant to chill out until the trains started running again. I was feeling awesome. I was somewhat goofy but otherwise good. This great feeling would have continued if not for anyone aware of my tobacco/smoke sensitivity (I stress sensitivity because I can stand it just not if I am totally engulfed in it or if I am handling it for an extended period of time, like at a tobacco register).
If a few people are smoking around me in a big room I have no problems. This restaurant however was filled with smoke, a fact my drunk mind didn't realize until I sat down and the smoke hit my nose and I breathed in. I instantly felt a lurch in my stomach and knew what was coming. I jumped up and made it into the bathroom, opened the stall and then before I could get to the toilet you can guess what happened. I cleaned up my mess because I don't believe in making others clean up my mess especially one that gross.
I went back out, but forgot about the intial cause of my ill feeling. Once I sat at the table, and was back in the smoke, I felt uneasy but not necessarily sick to my stomach so I sat there with my ehad on the table for a few minutes, lifting my head occassionally to comment on the conversation of my commrades.
However, I was so glad Sachi and Shannon were there. If it wasn't for the fact that those 2 people I knew I could trust were there I wouldn't have drank at all because about 10 minutes after I sat down Shannon turned towards me to say something and my head went to the side of the table and I got sick again all over her leg and the floor. I felt so terrible and embarassed I began to cry and was afraid to sit or stand up, but Sachi calmly comforted me, helped me up and to the bathroom and even helped clean me up.
When we returned everyone at out table, except Shannon and 2 guys who were hanging with us, had left saying they couldn't deal with the fact that I had gotten sick. It isn't like I meant to and I would have been great had it not been for my smoke/tobacco sensitivity. Shannon, Sachi and the 2 guys were very calm about it and understanding. I was so glad I was with people who cared enough to not abandone me in my time of need.
We hung out for a little longer, my stomach now too empty to get sick again at this point. We chilled out for probably another 20 minutes before heading out. The two guys helped make sure we got to the train station and on the right train to go back home, Sachi got off at a different stop because she stays with a homestay family.
Me and Shannon caught a bus back to Seminar House 3 where we cleaned up and went to bed. I will never forget how kind her and Sachi were to me during a tough first attempt at going to a club and I hope my experience highlights to others just how important it is to make sure you travel with people you trust when you go out drinking. Have fun if you go abroad its a new place where you can try new things, but be safe.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
My Class Schedule at Kansai Gaidai
Times in () are U.S.A. central time zone (-6:00 GMT).
Monday
- 11:00 to 11:50 am (9:00 to 9:50 pm ) --- Spoken Japanese (1D)
- 12:00 to 12:50 pm ( 10:00 - 10:50 pm ) --- Reading/Writing Japanese (1B)
Tuesday
- 11:00 to 11:50 am (9:00 - 9:50 pm ) Reading/Writing Japanese
- 12:00 to 12:50 pm ( 10:00 - 10:50 pm ) --- Spoken Japanese
- 01:15 to 02:45 pm ( 11:15 pm - 12:45 am ) --- Religions in Japan
Wednesday
- 11:00 to 11:50 am (9:00 - 9:50 pm ) --- Spoken Japanese
- 04:40 to 06:15 pm ( 2:40 - 4:15 am ) --- Anime Method and Meaning
Thursday
- 09:00 to 09:50 am ( 7:00 - 7:50 pm ) --- Reading and Writing Japanese
- 10:00 to 10:50 am ( 8:00 - 8:50 pm ) --- Spoken Japanese
- 01:15 to 02:45 pm ( 11:15 pm - 12:45 am ) --- Religions in Japan
Friday
- 12:00 to 12:50 pm ( 10:00 - 10:50 pm ) --- Spoken Japanese
- 04:40 to 06:15 pm ( 2:40 - 4:15 am ) --- Anime: Method and Meaning
Hopefully with the addition of the Central Time zone times from back home my friends will better understand why it is a pain for me to be online at the same time as them. Also I just love my class schedule and wanted to share with all my friends back home what kinds of classes I have been taking this semester.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
My adventure to Umeda
So today I was going to go out for a few drinks with this really sugoi Japanese guy I met around 7:30pm. I woke up around 9am, but relaxed until about 1:30pm because I had studied late the night before while doing laundry. Around 1:30pm I got up and decided that I would take a trip to Umeda by myself just out of nowhere.
So I got dressed, asked some of my room mates about the trains and then went on my way to Umeda. I caught a bus at the Katahoko-chou bus stop and rode to Hirakatashi eki (station). From there I rode a bus to Kyobashi. At Kyobashi I switched from the Keihan line to the JR line and rode it the rest of the way to Umeda.
When I was on the Osaka loop I accidentally got on going in the wrong direction so instead of just having to wait 2 stops I had to wait about 10 stops. It was okay. I got where I wanted to go and then wandered the streets of Umeda for a few hours until I found the Pokemon center. It is so good to have room mates' phone numbers because I was able to get a basic idea of where I needed to go. The Pokemon Center was awesome.
I bought some random little items, including a black hoodie. Then I grabbed a Japanese copy of Pokemon Black. It is so cool. I can practice translating it as I play it. Anyhow as it approached 5:00pm I headed back to the Umeda station and annoyingly found out that there was an exit from the station to the street 3 streets closer than where exited at.
I made my way back to the Kyobashi station where I was able to catch a rapid express train (no extra cost thankfully) back to Hirakatashi eki. I then went back to Seminar house to drop off all of my souveneirs I bought in Umeda and got dressed up to go meet Daisuke. I was a little late meeting him, which I felt very bad about. I usually prefer to be early, but I took too long getting ready.
I got there and I met up with him and his friend Saori in front of Starbucks. It was so much fun. I am always so shy, but they were so nice it really helped a lot. I hope I can spend more time with them, and all the other wonderful friends I have made here in Japan.
So I got dressed, asked some of my room mates about the trains and then went on my way to Umeda. I caught a bus at the Katahoko-chou bus stop and rode to Hirakatashi eki (station). From there I rode a bus to Kyobashi. At Kyobashi I switched from the Keihan line to the JR line and rode it the rest of the way to Umeda.
When I was on the Osaka loop I accidentally got on going in the wrong direction so instead of just having to wait 2 stops I had to wait about 10 stops. It was okay. I got where I wanted to go and then wandered the streets of Umeda for a few hours until I found the Pokemon center. It is so good to have room mates' phone numbers because I was able to get a basic idea of where I needed to go. The Pokemon Center was awesome.
I bought some random little items, including a black hoodie. Then I grabbed a Japanese copy of Pokemon Black. It is so cool. I can practice translating it as I play it. Anyhow as it approached 5:00pm I headed back to the Umeda station and annoyingly found out that there was an exit from the station to the street 3 streets closer than where exited at.
I made my way back to the Kyobashi station where I was able to catch a rapid express train (no extra cost thankfully) back to Hirakatashi eki. I then went back to Seminar house to drop off all of my souveneirs I bought in Umeda and got dressed up to go meet Daisuke. I was a little late meeting him, which I felt very bad about. I usually prefer to be early, but I took too long getting ready.
I got there and I met up with him and his friend Saori in front of Starbucks. It was so much fun. I am always so shy, but they were so nice it really helped a lot. I hope I can spend more time with them, and all the other wonderful friends I have made here in Japan.
Friday, September 17, 2010
My night out drinking (yes I went out drinking, that was the awesome way I spent a night in japan)
So today (Friday, September 17th), yeah i know im technically posting this on saturday but I just got done walking home partially drunk so give me a break, was a normal day for the most part. I slept/laid lazily in bed until 10am, got up got ready and dressed and left for my noon class around 11:15am.
I went to my speaking japanese class and did pretty good in there though I found out from my campus mail box that I got a 15/20 on the Hiragana test in my Reading/Writing Japanese class. I went back to my seminar house and then went shopping and chilled out back at seminar house eating rice and chicken for lunch. I then laid lazily about after studying for a bit until about 3:15pm when I left for my 4:40pm - 6:10pm class.
When I got to campus I checked my school mail box again and found out my bank card and checkbook had come in so after my Anime: Method and Meaning class I went and grabbed that before heading back to the seminar house.
I chilled out there and chatted with my best seminar house friend Shannon and her Japanese friend (not gonna type the name because I can't remember it right off), and then with Dana. Dana went out to drink with a few other people. We were going to try to join her but we ended up all going out to drink with Shanon's Japanese friend and her other friend Sachi at an all you can drink place for 2 hours (2 hours for like $9 and then we ordered extra food so all together we ended up each spending about $12 each for around 4 - 5 drinks each and food). I had 5 drinks myself. ^_^
Shanon's Japanese friend had to head out a little bit before Shanon, Sachi and I had to. It wasn't long after that we left too though. Sachi caught a bus so she could get to the train station to catch a ride home to her home stay family. Shanon and I walked back to seminar house tipsy as can be. It was so much fun. I am starting to become a much more outgoing person and I am so happy that is occuring. I want to be a much more outgoing individual and have a lot more confidence than I currently have.
Anyhow I am going to get off here, it is around 12:09 am on Saturday and I have a Kyoto trip today. Buh bye everyone.
I went to my speaking japanese class and did pretty good in there though I found out from my campus mail box that I got a 15/20 on the Hiragana test in my Reading/Writing Japanese class. I went back to my seminar house and then went shopping and chilled out back at seminar house eating rice and chicken for lunch. I then laid lazily about after studying for a bit until about 3:15pm when I left for my 4:40pm - 6:10pm class.
When I got to campus I checked my school mail box again and found out my bank card and checkbook had come in so after my Anime: Method and Meaning class I went and grabbed that before heading back to the seminar house.
I chilled out there and chatted with my best seminar house friend Shannon and her Japanese friend (not gonna type the name because I can't remember it right off), and then with Dana. Dana went out to drink with a few other people. We were going to try to join her but we ended up all going out to drink with Shanon's Japanese friend and her other friend Sachi at an all you can drink place for 2 hours (2 hours for like $9 and then we ordered extra food so all together we ended up each spending about $12 each for around 4 - 5 drinks each and food). I had 5 drinks myself. ^_^
Shanon's Japanese friend had to head out a little bit before Shanon, Sachi and I had to. It wasn't long after that we left too though. Sachi caught a bus so she could get to the train station to catch a ride home to her home stay family. Shanon and I walked back to seminar house tipsy as can be. It was so much fun. I am starting to become a much more outgoing person and I am so happy that is occuring. I want to be a much more outgoing individual and have a lot more confidence than I currently have.
Anyhow I am going to get off here, it is around 12:09 am on Saturday and I have a Kyoto trip today. Buh bye everyone.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Exploring Hirakatashi-eki (station) (Wednesday, September 8th)
Today I got out of my first class (Spoken Japanese) and stopped by Seattle's Best for a nice croissant to munch on and then after about 30 minutes I got a McDonald's hamburger and a vanilla shake while sitting and chatting with my friends Amanda and Matt.
After a bit I had to decide what to do. Matt was going off somewhere and Amanda had to go to her next class. I was sitting there at a little after 13:00 with nothing to do. I decided to explore a little on my own. Up until this point I have been beyond nervous about trying to go anywhere on my own though I plan trying to go up to Kyoto and then possibly Tokyo on my own by the end of October. I went to the main gate, crossed the street and waited at the bus stop thinking to myself I have already done this twice, the only difference is now I am totally on my own.
The bus came and I got on carrying my trusty travel guide the school put in out seminar house booklets showing which stops led to and from the school. The ride to the station was probably less than 10 minutes, or at least didn't feel all that long if it was longer.
Up on arriving at the station I took out my 220 yen and dropped it in the little coin acceptor on the bus and departed for a little wandering in the actual main part of Hirakata. It mostly consisted of me staring up at the tall buildings in amazement of the fact that I am truly in Japan, even if it is the college town equivalent in Japan.
I wandered into a store called Kiddieland where I was able to find some really cute gifts for friends back home and a neat Totoro planner for myself (doesn't start til this December but it beats any planner I could find back home by a long shot, plus its freaking Totoro by Miyazaki).
I wandered out and decided to check out the Japanese KFC down the street. It wasn't real KFC by a long shot. I mean the chicken was the same pretty much but no mashed potatoes and gravy, instead they had french fries. I mean french fries to chicken just doesn't seem right. They had this thing that looked like mashed potatoes but I found out it was some ice cream thing with caramel sauce or something else on it. This was actually interesting on its own because the cashier spoke no english so I had to order all my food by pointing, nodding, shaking my head and saying hi (yes) or iie (no).
I then made my way across the street again to Tatsuya; a book, dvd, cd, manga, etc entertainment store; where I wandered aimlessly for awhile and ended up buying a Japanese copy of "The Hungry Caterpillar", which I'm sure many people can remember reading as a child.
I had to depart shortly afterwards to head back to campus for my second class at around 15:20. I wandered back over to the station and made my way to the departing side where my bus would arrive. I was even able to figure out the bus schedule posted to see when my bus would arrive, reminding myself that 12 or 13 would get me back to the campus.
My bus got there around 15:25 - 15:30 and I boarded again and headed back to campus. I was proud of myself. It may not seem like much but for me this first trip out by myself let me know that I am ready to try to go further on my own. I plan on going to Kyoto by myself probably the week after next when we have one of our long weekends.
Oh and for those of you curious my second/last class of the day today was my Anime: Method and Meaning class. In this class I found out if I just tell my teacher what I want to look for to visit he can help me find it and figure out how to get there. He even told us how to go to Tokyo for 5,000 yen (a lil more than $50) round trip. This is actually really damn good considering a trip to Tokyo can cost you over $80 one way if you take the speed rail. Yea the 5000 yen way may be a lil slower, but you save enough money that you can actually do something once you get there rather than using all your money on traveling to and from.
Anyhow after my last class I attended an orientation for a friend festival being held this saturday and yesterday I signed up to go bowling with some students this friday so I have a busy week/weekend ahead of me this week, which is just how I love it. After all I am not just here to sit in my dorm all day.
After a bit I had to decide what to do. Matt was going off somewhere and Amanda had to go to her next class. I was sitting there at a little after 13:00 with nothing to do. I decided to explore a little on my own. Up until this point I have been beyond nervous about trying to go anywhere on my own though I plan trying to go up to Kyoto and then possibly Tokyo on my own by the end of October. I went to the main gate, crossed the street and waited at the bus stop thinking to myself I have already done this twice, the only difference is now I am totally on my own.
The bus came and I got on carrying my trusty travel guide the school put in out seminar house booklets showing which stops led to and from the school. The ride to the station was probably less than 10 minutes, or at least didn't feel all that long if it was longer.
Up on arriving at the station I took out my 220 yen and dropped it in the little coin acceptor on the bus and departed for a little wandering in the actual main part of Hirakata. It mostly consisted of me staring up at the tall buildings in amazement of the fact that I am truly in Japan, even if it is the college town equivalent in Japan.
I wandered into a store called Kiddieland where I was able to find some really cute gifts for friends back home and a neat Totoro planner for myself (doesn't start til this December but it beats any planner I could find back home by a long shot, plus its freaking Totoro by Miyazaki).
I wandered out and decided to check out the Japanese KFC down the street. It wasn't real KFC by a long shot. I mean the chicken was the same pretty much but no mashed potatoes and gravy, instead they had french fries. I mean french fries to chicken just doesn't seem right. They had this thing that looked like mashed potatoes but I found out it was some ice cream thing with caramel sauce or something else on it. This was actually interesting on its own because the cashier spoke no english so I had to order all my food by pointing, nodding, shaking my head and saying hi (yes) or iie (no).
I then made my way across the street again to Tatsuya; a book, dvd, cd, manga, etc entertainment store; where I wandered aimlessly for awhile and ended up buying a Japanese copy of "The Hungry Caterpillar", which I'm sure many people can remember reading as a child.
I had to depart shortly afterwards to head back to campus for my second class at around 15:20. I wandered back over to the station and made my way to the departing side where my bus would arrive. I was even able to figure out the bus schedule posted to see when my bus would arrive, reminding myself that 12 or 13 would get me back to the campus.
My bus got there around 15:25 - 15:30 and I boarded again and headed back to campus. I was proud of myself. It may not seem like much but for me this first trip out by myself let me know that I am ready to try to go further on my own. I plan on going to Kyoto by myself probably the week after next when we have one of our long weekends.
Oh and for those of you curious my second/last class of the day today was my Anime: Method and Meaning class. In this class I found out if I just tell my teacher what I want to look for to visit he can help me find it and figure out how to get there. He even told us how to go to Tokyo for 5,000 yen (a lil more than $50) round trip. This is actually really damn good considering a trip to Tokyo can cost you over $80 one way if you take the speed rail. Yea the 5000 yen way may be a lil slower, but you save enough money that you can actually do something once you get there rather than using all your money on traveling to and from.
Anyhow after my last class I attended an orientation for a friend festival being held this saturday and yesterday I signed up to go bowling with some students this friday so I have a busy week/weekend ahead of me this week, which is just how I love it. After all I am not just here to sit in my dorm all day.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Alien and Bike Registration day (Monday, September 6th, 2010)
So today I had a little adventure with the bus system. I left for campus all on my own this morning around 9:00 to handle bicycle registration. I also tried searching for my pair of glasses I lost but they haven't turned up yet. Things usually turn up around here, but the CIE staff said that maybe since I lost them at the end of the week last week the cleaning staff may have just not turned them in yet. I'm going to check again tomorrow.
After all that I sat outside CIE to wait for Matt and Amanda so we could all go to Alien registration together. They were a little late, but it didn't matter because none of us had anything schedule wise to worry about. We got a small snack and then headed back to Seminar House 4 so they could get their pictures they had accidentally forgotten.
Then we hopped on a bus and went to Hirakata Station (Hirakata-shi eki). Once we arrived at the station we turned the map around in different directions until we decided where we needed to head to get to the city hall. We did pretty good and it only was a 3 minute walk or so to go from the station to the Hirakata City Hall. The whole process was short and simple.
After that we walked around the station for a few minutes and visited a little store called Kiddie Land that had all sorts of awesome Disney, Hello Kity and other adorable character stuff. Then we caught the bus back. They got off at the actual campus stop, but I decided to take my chances and try making my way to the actual Seminar House 1-3 stop. It was so easy. I felt very accomplished that I was able to traverse the Keihan line on my own with success.
I feel like I could easily make my way about town now without someone to help me. Next challenge shall be to make it around Kyoto on my own. Anyhow that is it for today. Tomorrow my actual classes start. I have Japanese reading/writing followed by spoken Japanese in the morning from 11:00 - 12:50.
Then from 13:15 to 14:45 I have Religion in Japan. After that I am done for the day again. ^_^
Sadly haven't heard about my speaking partner yet, but I should tomorrow because I believe that is the last day for speaking partner notification.
After all that I sat outside CIE to wait for Matt and Amanda so we could all go to Alien registration together. They were a little late, but it didn't matter because none of us had anything schedule wise to worry about. We got a small snack and then headed back to Seminar House 4 so they could get their pictures they had accidentally forgotten.
Then we hopped on a bus and went to Hirakata Station (Hirakata-shi eki). Once we arrived at the station we turned the map around in different directions until we decided where we needed to head to get to the city hall. We did pretty good and it only was a 3 minute walk or so to go from the station to the Hirakata City Hall. The whole process was short and simple.
After that we walked around the station for a few minutes and visited a little store called Kiddie Land that had all sorts of awesome Disney, Hello Kity and other adorable character stuff. Then we caught the bus back. They got off at the actual campus stop, but I decided to take my chances and try making my way to the actual Seminar House 1-3 stop. It was so easy. I felt very accomplished that I was able to traverse the Keihan line on my own with success.
I feel like I could easily make my way about town now without someone to help me. Next challenge shall be to make it around Kyoto on my own. Anyhow that is it for today. Tomorrow my actual classes start. I have Japanese reading/writing followed by spoken Japanese in the morning from 11:00 - 12:50.
Then from 13:15 to 14:45 I have Religion in Japan. After that I am done for the day again. ^_^
Sadly haven't heard about my speaking partner yet, but I should tomorrow because I believe that is the last day for speaking partner notification.
Friday, September 3, 2010
An afternoon in Kyoto
Yesterday, Friday, was a busy day as usual. We had a sex health orientation where they told us where contraceptives, morning after pills, abortions, sti tests and all that could be done. They showed Japanese AID/HIV Psas and told us about places to look for "services". They pretty much took the approach of "We know there is a good chance your going to go out there and have sex. We aren't going to just ignore that so here is how to safely look for it if you want it and how to avoid it if you don't want it." They also wanted us to be prepared because they have had girl students in the past who would freak about not having a period only to find out they weren't pregnant, it was just the stress of being in a new place and such. They had little animated characters like condum-kun and such.
Then I hurried off to get my school id and class schedule before going to get a bicycle from Bi-One aka Bike Land down the street from the main gate. I got a yellow bicycle now and just have to register it with the school on Monday. Bikes here have a headlight by law, a lock for the front wheel and a huge kickstand on the back. I'll post pics on Facebook later.
Then when I returned to campus I goofed around for a bit before being paired up with 2 other American students and 5 Japanese girls who showed us Kyoto. We visited a temple/shrine with gigantic Buddah and diety statues where we forbidden to drink, eat, be on a cell phone, take video or pictures because it is a national treasure.
We then went to a huge shopping district where I bought a little fan that came with a few other items. After a bit one girl had to leave to go to work, and then 2 had to head home early. We walked around for awhile before getting curry and such from a noodle shop. We then returned to the station to head back to Kyoto where the other 2 girls with us had to leave and we managed to make our way back to Hirakata Station and then caught a bus to the campus where I picked up my bike and made my way back home to Seminar House 3.
Then I hurried off to get my school id and class schedule before going to get a bicycle from Bi-One aka Bike Land down the street from the main gate. I got a yellow bicycle now and just have to register it with the school on Monday. Bikes here have a headlight by law, a lock for the front wheel and a huge kickstand on the back. I'll post pics on Facebook later.
Then when I returned to campus I goofed around for a bit before being paired up with 2 other American students and 5 Japanese girls who showed us Kyoto. We visited a temple/shrine with gigantic Buddah and diety statues where we forbidden to drink, eat, be on a cell phone, take video or pictures because it is a national treasure.
We then went to a huge shopping district where I bought a little fan that came with a few other items. After a bit one girl had to leave to go to work, and then 2 had to head home early. We walked around for awhile before getting curry and such from a noodle shop. We then returned to the station to head back to Kyoto where the other 2 girls with us had to leave and we managed to make our way back to Hirakata Station and then caught a bus to the campus where I picked up my bike and made my way back home to Seminar House 3.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Another day, another slew of things to do (Thursday, Sept. 9th, 2010)
Sorry I didn't post anything yesterday. I got to try curry udon with pork I think. It was actually pretty good, though I made a horrible mess trying to slurp up noodles with chop sticks and a soup spoon. I also got my cell phone, though I can't really give out the number because it is for domestic calls only. Went to bed and woke up this morning with my tummy about to commit suicide out of hunger. I haven't eaten much over the last couple days because I have been trying to get over being nervous of buying things I can't read. However this morning I ate some tempura shrimp and rice. Then headed off to campus where I attended a meeting and then had a buttered croissant and hot mocha latte.
So my first week at Kansai Gaidai is slowly coming to a close. I was going to go get a bike today but I decided to hold off until Saturday when all I have is my Language Lab Orientation at 10am. Thursday and Friday are just way too busy to go do much. Thankfully the heat has died down some for the day. Doesn't mean much. It could be hot again tomorrow. Just means I don't sweat as abd today.
Anyhow I am goin to cut this short for now. I'll post more later in the day. Currently it is 11:49am.
Back, it is now 9:15pm. Have had a great day. Walked down to Midori and such to go shopping. We had a great time and got a bunch of groceries. Before that though we had the Opening Ceremony where we met the president of the university, the American Consulate General of Osaka and the Austrailian Consulate General.
Then we had an amazing luncheon. It was awesome. After practically starving the last few days seeing beef, chocolate fondant, sushi galore, whole chickens, ice cream and much more was just amazing. I was practically drooling.
One of the other girls in my dorm unit met her speaking partner today and he was cute and seemed really nice. We also saw an imported black corvette going down the street in front of the east gate as we walked back to our seminar house.
Hopefully Saturday I will be able to get a bike. I really desperately want one even if I just walk it places because it would help me carry stuff. Plus I would love to ride it back and forth to campus. I wouldn't really want to ride it elsewhere because it is dangerous as hell riding a bike in most parts of Osaka because the roads are very very narrow and people drive scooters, bikes and cars down them insanely fast.
Anyhow I have another orientation meeting tomorrow around 09:30 (trying to type in military time because all the times here are in military). I'm off to bed.
So my first week at Kansai Gaidai is slowly coming to a close. I was going to go get a bike today but I decided to hold off until Saturday when all I have is my Language Lab Orientation at 10am. Thursday and Friday are just way too busy to go do much. Thankfully the heat has died down some for the day. Doesn't mean much. It could be hot again tomorrow. Just means I don't sweat as abd today.
Anyhow I am goin to cut this short for now. I'll post more later in the day. Currently it is 11:49am.
Back, it is now 9:15pm. Have had a great day. Walked down to Midori and such to go shopping. We had a great time and got a bunch of groceries. Before that though we had the Opening Ceremony where we met the president of the university, the American Consulate General of Osaka and the Austrailian Consulate General.
Then we had an amazing luncheon. It was awesome. After practically starving the last few days seeing beef, chocolate fondant, sushi galore, whole chickens, ice cream and much more was just amazing. I was practically drooling.
One of the other girls in my dorm unit met her speaking partner today and he was cute and seemed really nice. We also saw an imported black corvette going down the street in front of the east gate as we walked back to our seminar house.
Hopefully Saturday I will be able to get a bike. I really desperately want one even if I just walk it places because it would help me carry stuff. Plus I would love to ride it back and forth to campus. I wouldn't really want to ride it elsewhere because it is dangerous as hell riding a bike in most parts of Osaka because the roads are very very narrow and people drive scooters, bikes and cars down them insanely fast.
Anyhow I have another orientation meeting tomorrow around 09:30 (trying to type in military time because all the times here are in military). I'm off to bed.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Off to Campus (Tuesday, August 31st)
So today I completed my second day on campus and my first trip to campus. I awoke around 5am and ended up falling back asleep and then waking at around 11am, which was bad considering the orientation meeting began at 9:30am. No problem though because the first one wasn’t mandatory. I still had my banking session, fee payment session, and forms to turn in and laptop pre-registration.
I got dressed and headed on out. I never again will complain about heat. I walked into the room where we keep out shoes and put them on. As soon as I stepped out the door felt sweat bead up and trickle down my back.
I then started walking back and forth up and down the road beside the seminar houses before heading off, in the complete wrong direction. Thanks to the great friendliness of Osaka though, as I walked turning the map this way and that to figure out where I was going, a pair of young girls (no older than 13) rode up beside me on their bicycles and proceeded to try to talk to me.
I apologetically told them that I couldn’t speak Japanese yet, but that didn’t bother them. They spoke to me in broken English, occasionally conferring with each other to figure out how to ask what they wanted to ask. They asked me where I was going while pointing at the map in my hands. When I pointed to the map and said Kansai Gaidai they elatedly asked, “Student?”
I said, “Yes, student.” They proceeded to wave for me to follow them and got off their bikes and walked me the entire 20 minute walk to one of the campus gates. You’d never see that kind of pure hearted kindness back home.
After making it to the gate and walking down the path to the campus itself, I made my way around. At first I couldn’t find anything. Then I saw the big golden arches of McDonalds so I went in for food. This was an experience all on its own. At first I couldn’t find out what to do until I asked another International student. Then I picked up my tray and waited.
A few moments later a girl walked up and took my order, then took me down a little further to a register where I paid about 350 yen (a little more than $3.50) for a medium vanilla shake and a plain hamburger. I was happy as a clam to have a nice meal in my tummy. The night before I had rice balls with what I found out was spinach in them (amazingly it is actually pretty darn good).
I then walked around for a few minutes before getting directions to the Shomu office where I paid all my fees except my dorm fee which I had wired over, but hadn’t arrived yet. I would have been required to go to a loan session but thankfully I got an email saying it arrived shortly after I returned to my seminar house.
After paying fees I found my mailbox in the Center for International Education building. Here I also signed up for the Kyoto tour this Friday and turned in some of my forms for insurance and such. I then attended a banking session where I killed a forest filling out each form 4 times because I kept making mistakes.
They are excessively exact on their forms. You must write your signature exactly the same 4 times in a row. If you make an error that you could just fix by going back over the letter you have to do a new form. You must print your name and addresses exactly as it is on your passport (If your name is in all caps you must print it in all caps). I ended up just printing my name for my signature because it was easier because otherwise I would have had to make sure each cursive signature was exactly the same.
After the banking session nearly stole my sanity I met up with some other girls in the common area near the McDonalds and convenience store. I ended up deciding to go to the bike store with them and then walked up to the convenience store and waited in line to try to get a cell phone only to find out they were closed and only doing pick-ups right then. Luckily I met a few of the people I had met the day before at the airport and we all walked down to the local grocery store to get some food before walking back to my seminar house. When we returned I talked to my room mate before going and taking a shower.
I talked to my room mate some more and then went into our common area to eat and drink a little where I met 2 of the other girls in my unit. We chatted and ended up deciding to hang out the next day some as well. Here it gets dark at like 5pm, and there is no day light savings time.
I got to meet my other room mate who will be actually staying after orientation rather than leaving for a home stay family. Her name is Meghan and she is from America as well. After a lot fo chaos getting everything ready for the next day I went on to sleep after showering.
Thankfully tomorrow I will have internet and be able to actually update my blog easier.
First night in Japan (Monday, August 30th, 2010)
So after a 13 hour flight over the Pacific Ocean from Dallas/Ft. Worth airport in Texas, I arrived in Narita International airport in Tokyo, Japan. I nervously made my way to customs after trying my best to fill out the customs declaration form and disembarking forms. It was tough because it felt like there was no air conditioning in this section.
However, once got to the main counter the gentleman who took my picture and finger prints was so nice. They were also very trusting. It was a very comforting moment that for a few minutes helped me forget that feeling I had originally had int he back of my mind that everyone was staring at me.
After getting through customs and immigration I headed down to check in with Japan airlines for the next leg of my trip to Itami Airport in Osaka, Japan. I made my way through, stopping briefly to buy a Coca-Cola and some pocky to help ease my stress. It was so simple getting through security. I only had to take my laptop out.
After getting down to where my flight was supposed to meet up at to get on a bus to go to the plane itself, I looked nervously around. A sea of foreign faces was all I saw until I happened to see one girl who looked like someone who might be from America. I ended up asking and found out she was going to Kansai Gaidai as well.
We both were elated to meet someone else who we could talk to. Also her name was Beth as well. We ended up meeting 3 other people. Josh, Adam, and one other girl whose name I will add to this post a little later on because I can't remember it right off. From that point until we made it to our respective seminar houses (dorms for those who can't figure that out) we all stayed together offering a little bit of comfort in this place that was a new world for us.
After a bus ride and plane ride we arrived at Itami. Once there we headed down to grab our bags and then made our way to the exits where we found the girl who would be helping us get to the pick up bus. Sorry it was late and I was tired so I can't remember a lot of names right off. We left our bags with her and headed off to hunt for food.
While walking we found a set of those little figures you can stand behind to take your picture of 2 female stewardesses and 2 male pilots. The two guys stood behind the stewardesses and us girls took turns taking pictures with us behind the male pilots so we all had our pictures.
As we stood there goofing around an elderly Japanese man walked up to us and began to talk to us. He asked if we were Americans. We did our best to translate bits of what he was saying as a group with our combined Japanese language knowledge because he didn't seem to know that much spoken english. It was as much fun as it was challenging. We ended up finding out he was a retired member of the JASDF. He showed us pictures from 1931 of him in what appeared to be a training graduation photo. It was amazing we. We were basically learning history while learning history while meeting someone new.
He had also had experience in a submarine and was telling us how while most of the men he knew were in wheelchairs he was still up and running well. After he left we had a blast chatting about the experience we had just had the luck to have.
After hunting for food we headed back to wait for the pick up service time. Beth and the other girl had a left over sweet roll and ended up offering it to the girl who was watching our bags, who in turn gave them so treats as a thank you. A little later on we headed to the bus and rode for about an hour or so to seminar house 4 and then walked to 2 and 3. Here some of us split off but most of us headed on to 3.
After checking in I took a good, well earned shower before dressing up in my PJs. I got to meet my current room mate Rose who is a homestay so she will sadly be leaving at the end of the week. From what I have talked to her about so far, she appears to be Thai and is a wonderful person to talk to. We have had a blast chatting in our room so far.
That was my first night in Japan.
However, once got to the main counter the gentleman who took my picture and finger prints was so nice. They were also very trusting. It was a very comforting moment that for a few minutes helped me forget that feeling I had originally had int he back of my mind that everyone was staring at me.
After getting through customs and immigration I headed down to check in with Japan airlines for the next leg of my trip to Itami Airport in Osaka, Japan. I made my way through, stopping briefly to buy a Coca-Cola and some pocky to help ease my stress. It was so simple getting through security. I only had to take my laptop out.
After getting down to where my flight was supposed to meet up at to get on a bus to go to the plane itself, I looked nervously around. A sea of foreign faces was all I saw until I happened to see one girl who looked like someone who might be from America. I ended up asking and found out she was going to Kansai Gaidai as well.
We both were elated to meet someone else who we could talk to. Also her name was Beth as well. We ended up meeting 3 other people. Josh, Adam, and one other girl whose name I will add to this post a little later on because I can't remember it right off. From that point until we made it to our respective seminar houses (dorms for those who can't figure that out) we all stayed together offering a little bit of comfort in this place that was a new world for us.
After a bus ride and plane ride we arrived at Itami. Once there we headed down to grab our bags and then made our way to the exits where we found the girl who would be helping us get to the pick up bus. Sorry it was late and I was tired so I can't remember a lot of names right off. We left our bags with her and headed off to hunt for food.
While walking we found a set of those little figures you can stand behind to take your picture of 2 female stewardesses and 2 male pilots. The two guys stood behind the stewardesses and us girls took turns taking pictures with us behind the male pilots so we all had our pictures.
As we stood there goofing around an elderly Japanese man walked up to us and began to talk to us. He asked if we were Americans. We did our best to translate bits of what he was saying as a group with our combined Japanese language knowledge because he didn't seem to know that much spoken english. It was as much fun as it was challenging. We ended up finding out he was a retired member of the JASDF. He showed us pictures from 1931 of him in what appeared to be a training graduation photo. It was amazing we. We were basically learning history while learning history while meeting someone new.
He had also had experience in a submarine and was telling us how while most of the men he knew were in wheelchairs he was still up and running well. After he left we had a blast chatting about the experience we had just had the luck to have.
After hunting for food we headed back to wait for the pick up service time. Beth and the other girl had a left over sweet roll and ended up offering it to the girl who was watching our bags, who in turn gave them so treats as a thank you. A little later on we headed to the bus and rode for about an hour or so to seminar house 4 and then walked to 2 and 3. Here some of us split off but most of us headed on to 3.
After checking in I took a good, well earned shower before dressing up in my PJs. I got to meet my current room mate Rose who is a homestay so she will sadly be leaving at the end of the week. From what I have talked to her about so far, she appears to be Thai and is a wonderful person to talk to. We have had a blast chatting in our room so far.
That was my first night in Japan.
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