Saturday, May 31, 2008
Fashion
One more post for the day before I try and do something more productive! So when I first got here I definitely was like wow, what IS this fashion? Everything is super flowy and pastely and frilly! I mean, there are a few things we could always agree on, such as pleated skirts and argyle, but in general, I recognized they were completely unwearable in the states. But the more time passes, the more and more I find myself drawn to being temped to buy and it's driving me nuts. I can no longer distinguish between ok and fobby! It's all starting to look ok to me! Ahhh fob goggles.
List Additions
+ Vending machines and juice. Japanese juice is amazing. They have every fruit flavor ever -- except maybe passionfruit which is my favorite ... - But kiwi and peach and mango ... In the states I normally don't like apple and orange juice all that much. But here they are ridiculously delicious.
+ Conbinis. They seriously put their American counterparts to shame.
+ the Philosopher's Walk.
- My bed and mattress pad.
+ Conbinis. They seriously put their American counterparts to shame.
+ the Philosopher's Walk.
- My bed and mattress pad.
Dating
This is a topic that's come up a few times with some of the SCTI people so I decided to talk about it a little here. Not the fact that everyone in SCTI is hooking up with each other as well as with Japanese people, but, that the Japanese people are so into dating. I mean, yes, of course it's a big deal in every culture, but I've never met one where having a significant other is such a given desirable state. Every Japanese person I've met wants to be in a relationship, and stat!
I'll start with the girls. In our SCTI classes, there are Japanese auditors. A few of us were talking about it and we all agreed that one of them in particular from the start came in looking for a boyfriend out of the Stanford guys. Don't worry -- she has a happy ending -- she narrowed it down very quickly and just recently succeeded. And you should see all the DESA girls that swarm around some of our guys! From blatantly asking them out over a microphone in front of everyone to being invited to dates and getting stood up, the women of Japan have been testing out the American boy.
The boys of Japan are a little more interesting. They too all want girlfriends, at least everyone that I've spoken to. Actually, it's kind of funny, you see so many couples here all the time (it really seems to be a culture that supports and encourages coupling off) and yet almost everyone I know personally does not have a significant other at all. I've heard there's no hooking up in Japan -- it just means you're dating but it sounds like there has been some, at least with American guys -_- Anyway, back to Japanese guys. They're waay shyer than their girl counterparts so I don't think we'll be seeing any American girl/Japanese boy matchups. At the river the other night a few came over to talk to us and they were definitiely like oh yeah we don't have girlfriends ... but we want some, all the while staring pointedly at our group. Poor Lawrence.
This is one of the bigger cultural differences I didn't anticipate. To me, in general it's better to be single. Only when you meet someone who's worth giving up that status for should you enter a relationship. As in, you want to be with that person so much, then you'll be willing to go for it. Conversely, once in a relationship, if being in it is not better than being single, it's not worth it. Nothing should be done halfheartedly is how I view my own relationship status. Thank you Japan, for making me rethink my values ;D
Oh and according to bunchan, about 70% of our Stanford guys are looking for a Japanese girl or any girl in general so that probably helps contribute ;)
I'll start with the girls. In our SCTI classes, there are Japanese auditors. A few of us were talking about it and we all agreed that one of them in particular from the start came in looking for a boyfriend out of the Stanford guys. Don't worry -- she has a happy ending -- she narrowed it down very quickly and just recently succeeded. And you should see all the DESA girls that swarm around some of our guys! From blatantly asking them out over a microphone in front of everyone to being invited to dates and getting stood up, the women of Japan have been testing out the American boy.
The boys of Japan are a little more interesting. They too all want girlfriends, at least everyone that I've spoken to. Actually, it's kind of funny, you see so many couples here all the time (it really seems to be a culture that supports and encourages coupling off) and yet almost everyone I know personally does not have a significant other at all. I've heard there's no hooking up in Japan -- it just means you're dating but it sounds like there has been some, at least with American guys -_- Anyway, back to Japanese guys. They're waay shyer than their girl counterparts so I don't think we'll be seeing any American girl/Japanese boy matchups. At the river the other night a few came over to talk to us and they were definitiely like oh yeah we don't have girlfriends ... but we want some, all the while staring pointedly at our group. Poor Lawrence.
This is one of the bigger cultural differences I didn't anticipate. To me, in general it's better to be single. Only when you meet someone who's worth giving up that status for should you enter a relationship. As in, you want to be with that person so much, then you'll be willing to go for it. Conversely, once in a relationship, if being in it is not better than being single, it's not worth it. Nothing should be done halfheartedly is how I view my own relationship status. Thank you Japan, for making me rethink my values ;D
Oh and according to bunchan, about 70% of our Stanford guys are looking for a Japanese girl or any girl in general so that probably helps contribute ;)
Monday, May 19, 2008
日本についてじゃないことでしょう (because all this is completely unrelated to Japan and basically just about me, I'll try and do at least some of it in Japanese alone
じゃ、夕べ奥さんのテストをできた。７５は一番いい点だけど、あたしは＋１だけをもらった。ハハハ。めっちゃ悪い奥さんでしょうね？でも、ある質問はよっぽどお菓子なああ～
例えば、'squeezes toothpaste from the top' とか'has pleasant disposition in the morning - not crabby' ：Pさあ、あたしはまだ奥さんのことじゃないね ＾＾
それに、あたしの計算にとって、二人だけはこれを読んでる。そして、AMARA and Joachim! Hi! (tabun john mo hi!!) ＾＾ 今まで、もっと面白い話を言うつもりね？
So, the other day I had a little run-in with the law. I had just left the post office after sending a couple of packages and when I was getting onto my bike I sort of notice a police officer without really paying any attention. I started biking off and he started running alongside me, passed me, and then raised his hand to halt me. I was like uhh ok? So I got off and he apologized and started examining my bike. I didn't really know what was going on but I was just like whatever. He hardly talked to me, but he did ask me if it was my bike. This went on for awhile. Keep in mind it was on a somewhat busy street in the middle of a Friday afternoon. So I got quite a few stares, being the law-breaking gaijin that I am. Anyway, eventually his partner got out too and started examining my bike. We had to move my bike out of the way and they continued their stuff. Occasionally they would ask me a question, usually one I thought I had already answered. I did text Alex when I started to get worried but he was unable to come help me. I then asked them if something was wrong and they sort of puttered around answering. They also checked all my legal documents and looked at my host family's address. After a bit over half an hour, they asked me if I was heading home and when I said I was, they told me I could go. So I figured it was ok for now and that they'd call my host family and it would be sorted out. Then I realized that they were following me home. That's when I started getting freaked out. Cause the bike belongs to my family; it was one of the exchange student's bikes from the past and I was like what if it's a problem that it's not mine? What if she had actually stolen it or just not registered it?? And I still had no idea why they picked ME out of the crowd of bikes. They stayed outside in their car and then I got really freaked out. It sort of felt like I was under house arrest. Finally they rang the doorbell and sort of apogized and said 'jitensha is ok, ok.' But at this point I was on the phone with Alex and on the verge of tears and that did not cut it as reassuring me that I was ok. I also still had no idea why and if they were leaving for now but would send me like a ticket later or something.
Anyway, Stephen and I had planned to meet up for lunch at a maid cafe he had found but obviously that was pushed back. We did eventually meet up to buy our bus passes and he was very sympathetic and made me feel a whole lot better. Hahah so that was my brush with the LAW. My young and wild days, if you will.
Oh and I wanted to add another item to my list:
~ the smell of freshly cooked rice
例えば、'squeezes toothpaste from the top' とか'has pleasant disposition in the morning - not crabby' ：Pさあ、あたしはまだ奥さんのことじゃないね ＾＾
それに、あたしの計算にとって、二人だけはこれを読んでる。そして、AMARA and Joachim! Hi! (tabun john mo hi!!) ＾＾ 今まで、もっと面白い話を言うつもりね？
So, the other day I had a little run-in with the law. I had just left the post office after sending a couple of packages and when I was getting onto my bike I sort of notice a police officer without really paying any attention. I started biking off and he started running alongside me, passed me, and then raised his hand to halt me. I was like uhh ok? So I got off and he apologized and started examining my bike. I didn't really know what was going on but I was just like whatever. He hardly talked to me, but he did ask me if it was my bike. This went on for awhile. Keep in mind it was on a somewhat busy street in the middle of a Friday afternoon. So I got quite a few stares, being the law-breaking gaijin that I am. Anyway, eventually his partner got out too and started examining my bike. We had to move my bike out of the way and they continued their stuff. Occasionally they would ask me a question, usually one I thought I had already answered. I did text Alex when I started to get worried but he was unable to come help me. I then asked them if something was wrong and they sort of puttered around answering. They also checked all my legal documents and looked at my host family's address. After a bit over half an hour, they asked me if I was heading home and when I said I was, they told me I could go. So I figured it was ok for now and that they'd call my host family and it would be sorted out. Then I realized that they were following me home. That's when I started getting freaked out. Cause the bike belongs to my family; it was one of the exchange student's bikes from the past and I was like what if it's a problem that it's not mine? What if she had actually stolen it or just not registered it?? And I still had no idea why they picked ME out of the crowd of bikes. They stayed outside in their car and then I got really freaked out. It sort of felt like I was under house arrest. Finally they rang the doorbell and sort of apogized and said 'jitensha is ok, ok.' But at this point I was on the phone with Alex and on the verge of tears and that did not cut it as reassuring me that I was ok. I also still had no idea why and if they were leaving for now but would send me like a ticket later or something.
Anyway, Stephen and I had planned to meet up for lunch at a maid cafe he had found but obviously that was pushed back. We did eventually meet up to buy our bus passes and he was very sympathetic and made me feel a whole lot better. Hahah so that was my brush with the LAW. My young and wild days, if you will.
Oh and I wanted to add another item to my list:
~ the smell of freshly cooked rice
Sunday, May 18, 2008
[Weekend wrapup] Actually just Friday
I'm tempted to say that this has been one of my best weekends here, but I have a suspicion that they have all been amazing. But this one is certainly noteworthy.
Friday
The morning started with my Japanese teacher taking Michael, Katrina, and I to 映画村 (Studio Village in English, I think). It's a place built to look like an old Japanese town, and they have people dressed as samurais and geishas who you can take pictures with. We watched a ninja show, then a filming of some promotional clip with the current Power Ranger squad, and then a 玉すだれ show. It's like one of those reed mats that you use to roll up sushi, only the reeds were tied together in a way that they could slide in one direction but not the other. You can use this to your advantage and make funny shapes out of it (wysteria, fishing rods, bridges, Tokyo Tower) , and there was a woman who was doing these tricks along to a traditional Japanese song. Things got much more interesting when she started asking for volunteers, and my teacher egged me on enough that I raised my hand. I was dressed in a ridiculous outfit (Katrina has the pictures), and I was provided with my very own extendable reed mat. We then danced together, and I think I did pretty darn well. I got a little gift for my efforts, and it turned out to be a handkerchief with flowers on it. Nice. We also went in a haunted house there, which was plenty scary for me.
Lunch afterwards was Italian food, where we ate ridiculous amounts. We parted ways with our teacher and Katrina and I went off to the arcade, where I won two more loaves of bread (Katrina has pictures). We took those shopping with us, and the people working in the stores were very nice to us (probably because of the bread). Kat bought some stuff, and then I took her home so we could present one of the loaves to her host sister. I then had to run off and do some shopping of our own, because I had planned a large fireworks event for that night. I nearly bought out all of the fireworks this store had, and spent roughtly $100 (10.000￥). I then lugged 4 bags of explosives across the city on a bus and made it to our meeting place just a little bit late. We had an incredible turnout (30+ people maybe?) and we all had a great time. We were in a park so we couldn't do loud ones, but we decided to save those for another day, and go someplace far away and have a barbeque + fireworks extravaganza. So yes. Fireworks were a great success. We grabbed a late dinner afterwards at the cafeteria, and then the plan was to go to a bar. Somewhere along the way that changed, and we ended up going to the riverbank to sit and chill. That river is apparently the place to be, because there was something like a hundred people all milling around there, either meeting up with more people or chilling with a few drinks. The convenience store on the corner must get ridiculous amounts of business, and we did our part by buying alcohol there and having a little party on the river. We stayed until the last trains were about to leave (something like 11pm), and went home.
That was really all Friday? What a day.
More to come later. I'm sleepy.
Friday
The morning started with my Japanese teacher taking Michael, Katrina, and I to 映画村 (Studio Village in English, I think). It's a place built to look like an old Japanese town, and they have people dressed as samurais and geishas who you can take pictures with. We watched a ninja show, then a filming of some promotional clip with the current Power Ranger squad, and then a 玉すだれ show. It's like one of those reed mats that you use to roll up sushi, only the reeds were tied together in a way that they could slide in one direction but not the other. You can use this to your advantage and make funny shapes out of it (wysteria, fishing rods, bridges, Tokyo Tower) , and there was a woman who was doing these tricks along to a traditional Japanese song. Things got much more interesting when she started asking for volunteers, and my teacher egged me on enough that I raised my hand. I was dressed in a ridiculous outfit (Katrina has the pictures), and I was provided with my very own extendable reed mat. We then danced together, and I think I did pretty darn well. I got a little gift for my efforts, and it turned out to be a handkerchief with flowers on it. Nice. We also went in a haunted house there, which was plenty scary for me.
Lunch afterwards was Italian food, where we ate ridiculous amounts. We parted ways with our teacher and Katrina and I went off to the arcade, where I won two more loaves of bread (Katrina has pictures). We took those shopping with us, and the people working in the stores were very nice to us (probably because of the bread). Kat bought some stuff, and then I took her home so we could present one of the loaves to her host sister. I then had to run off and do some shopping of our own, because I had planned a large fireworks event for that night. I nearly bought out all of the fireworks this store had, and spent roughtly $100 (10.000￥). I then lugged 4 bags of explosives across the city on a bus and made it to our meeting place just a little bit late. We had an incredible turnout (30+ people maybe?) and we all had a great time. We were in a park so we couldn't do loud ones, but we decided to save those for another day, and go someplace far away and have a barbeque + fireworks extravaganza. So yes. Fireworks were a great success. We grabbed a late dinner afterwards at the cafeteria, and then the plan was to go to a bar. Somewhere along the way that changed, and we ended up going to the riverbank to sit and chill. That river is apparently the place to be, because there was something like a hundred people all milling around there, either meeting up with more people or chilling with a few drinks. The convenience store on the corner must get ridiculous amounts of business, and we did our part by buying alcohol there and having a little party on the river. We stayed until the last trains were about to leave (something like 11pm), and went home.
That was really all Friday? What a day.
More to come later. I'm sleepy.
Happy
I'm really, really happy here now. It's going to be so hard to go back. I almooost wish I had decided to stay for the summer. I wonder how things would have been different if I had.
Even though in the beginning I always rolled my eyes when people said stuff like, 'How are we ever going to go back to American ~~~~ after experiencing the Japanese version??' now I'm feeling the same. There's so much to love and appreciate here. I'll start a list of things that I will actually miss:
~ cheap and delicious cafeteria food
~ amazing Japanese toilet contraptions
~ conbinis
~ onsen
~ temples
~ how everything comes in a littler, cuter size
~ how everything, everything can be made chibi and kawaii
~ Japanese arcades
~ the food!!
~ being able to gossip in English in public
~ my amaazing cell phone
~ Luna
~ the feeling of constantly learning
In other news, I'm starting to believe I have no personality in Japanese. Actually, I pretty much know it. 日本語で面白くない。英語でたくさんSARCASMとかWITを使ってる。でも、日本語で意地悪いことを言うのは意地悪いだけ。面白くなくて、やさしくない。残念。いいWITを持ってると思いたいけど、日本語で使わない。ー＿＿－
Even though in the beginning I always rolled my eyes when people said stuff like, 'How are we ever going to go back to American ~~~~ after experiencing the Japanese version??' now I'm feeling the same. There's so much to love and appreciate here. I'll start a list of things that I will actually miss:
~ cheap and delicious cafeteria food
~ amazing Japanese toilet contraptions
~ conbinis
~ onsen
~ temples
~ how everything comes in a littler, cuter size
~ how everything, everything can be made chibi and kawaii
~ Japanese arcades
~ the food!!
~ being able to gossip in English in public
~ my amaazing cell phone
~ Luna
~ the feeling of constantly learning
In other news, I'm starting to believe I have no personality in Japanese. Actually, I pretty much know it. 日本語で面白くない。英語でたくさんSARCASMとかWITを使ってる。でも、日本語で意地悪いことを言うのは意地悪いだけ。面白くなくて、やさしくない。残念。いいWITを持ってると思いたいけど、日本語で使わない。ー＿＿－
Thursday, May 15, 2008
A Culture of Flowers
I've never known a culture/society that is so enraptured by flowers before. I like walking around 
Kyoto because it's just so green. Many straights are completely lined with ginko trees, residential areas (like my home neighborhood) are filled with greenery. Even in town-town, lots of stores are either full-out flower shops or have a bunch of potted plants sitting outside just for atmosphere.
And they have plenty of places that are devoted to the appreciation of flower life. Dozens upon dozens of parks are dedicated to sakura (cherry blossoms) and for that short 2-week or so period are literally filled with everyone trying to enjoy the sakura season. People picnic, take pictures, and whisper sweet nothings to their lovers under the pink umbrella. My personal favorite spot was actually not the Gosho but rather the Philosopher's Path. The stream was lined by sakura trees and peddlers. I was a little obsessed for awhile -- we tried pickled sakura, sakura candies, and sakura ice cream :) 
And it was so, so pretty whenever a draft picked up and the petals started dancing. Also, watching them endlessly float downstream was very easy on the eye. Next was fuji (wisteria) season. This was a favorite to me. I love wisteria already and being able to 
spend an afternoon reveling in their beauty was very pleasant. In Nara, there was a garden dedicated to them where I actually took about 98 photos of fuji. Just lately crocus season (I forgot the Japanese name ...) has started. Yesterday, Alex and I returned to the field his otousan had pointed out previously. It was amazing!! 
I really really like they way that the Japanese fully appreciate the ephemeral beauty of flowering plants. I think it's something Americans don't appreciate enough.
Kyoto because it's just so green. Many straights are completely lined with ginko trees, residential areas (like my home neighborhood) are filled with greenery. Even in town-town, lots of stores are either full-out flower shops or have a bunch of potted plants sitting outside just for atmosphere.
And they have plenty of places that are devoted to the appreciation of flower life. Dozens upon dozens of parks are dedicated to sakura (cherry blossoms) and for that short 2-week or so period are literally filled with everyone trying to enjoy the sakura season. People picnic, take pictures, and whisper sweet nothings to their lovers under the pink umbrella. My personal favorite spot was actually not the Gosho but rather the Philosopher's Path. The stream was lined by sakura trees and peddlers. I was a little obsessed for awhile -- we tried pickled sakura, sakura candies, and sakura ice cream :) 
And it was so, so pretty whenever a draft picked up and the petals started dancing. Also, watching them endlessly float downstream was very easy on the eye. Next was fuji (wisteria) season. This was a favorite to me. I love wisteria already and being able to 
spend an afternoon reveling in their beauty was very pleasant. In Nara, there was a garden dedicated to them where I actually took about 98 photos of fuji. Just lately crocus season (I forgot the Japanese name ...) has started. Yesterday, Alex and I returned to the field his otousan had pointed out previously. It was amazing!! 
I really really like they way that the Japanese fully appreciate the ephemeral beauty of flowering plants. I think it's something Americans don't appreciate enough.
Monday, May 5, 2008
One of My Best Days Here
I'm almost straight-up copying and pasting this from a conversation earlier, but that's ok, right?
So at like 2 or 3, alex and his host parents came by to pick me up. I thought that he'd call me first so i wasnt completely ready but I felt so bad that I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off and hopped in. We drove to a temple to celebrate aoi matsuri, blue festival. We made it just in time for the last horse race. Unfortunately I had thought we were only going to eat lunch so I didn't bring my camera and I tried to take a picture with my phone but allI got was a horse's leg, and a blurry one at that. Then we wandered around. It was a very old temple (but nothing compared to China). We did the whole little spirtiual cleansing, cleaning your hands and sipping a little. It's a lot like Catholicism, actually. Afterwards, we went to this itty bitty udon place which was very cute and cozy. And of course his father knew the owner since he knows everyone ... speaking of which, -- this is the best part of the day -- we were walking by this amazing old japanese style home, right along the stream with a little bridge across to it and I thought to myself, Wow, wouldnt I love to live in such a house someday?? And his otousan said, oh I know these people, they were my students: let's see if theyre home so we can show you a seriously nice japanese style home. As soon as we entered the house, I was bowled over by a scottish terrier. It seriously went all out and the lady was like !! he usually hates other people!! and he was just soo affectionate it was ridiculous. We sat down and had tea and the tea snack with her and dog (it took me a looong time to be able to sit in my seat cause her dog just stayed in it, getting petted). Anyway, it turns out she and her family have been the makers of maiko meishi for generations. (Maiko are geishas-in-training and meishi are their business cards).
She showed us how they're made, with these special carvings with some sort of ink or something on them. It was very neat. They're all handmade and maiko usually order about 100 at a time. Then she was like, why don't you take one? and I was so surprised. So I started looking through them and it was a very hard choice and then she said, well, take 5! And then she went and brought out another stack and was like 8, how about 8? So I am now the proud owner of 8 authentic maiko meishi which she told me to write my own name on. She invited us back, and then, as we were leaving, said it to me especially. I was sooo happy cause from the moment I met her and her dog I knew I would want to come back again and again so I hope she meant it! What a nice lady ... According to Alex she called his house and again extended the invitation, saying we were very nice children ^^
Afterwards, his otousan brought us to a field of crocuses that are on the verge of blooming. It's going to be gorgeous!!
And later, talking about it made me happy all over again :)
So at like 2 or 3, alex and his host parents came by to pick me up. I thought that he'd call me first so i wasnt completely ready but I felt so bad that I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off and hopped in. We drove to a temple to celebrate aoi matsuri, blue festival. We made it just in time for the last horse race. Unfortunately I had thought we were only going to eat lunch so I didn't bring my camera and I tried to take a picture with my phone but allI got was a horse's leg, and a blurry one at that. Then we wandered around. It was a very old temple (but nothing compared to China). We did the whole little spirtiual cleansing, cleaning your hands and sipping a little. It's a lot like Catholicism, actually. Afterwards, we went to this itty bitty udon place which was very cute and cozy. And of course his father knew the owner since he knows everyone ... speaking of which, -- this is the best part of the day -- we were walking by this amazing old japanese style home, right along the stream with a little bridge across to it and I thought to myself, Wow, wouldnt I love to live in such a house someday?? And his otousan said, oh I know these people, they were my students: let's see if theyre home so we can show you a seriously nice japanese style home. As soon as we entered the house, I was bowled over by a scottish terrier. It seriously went all out and the lady was like !! he usually hates other people!! and he was just soo affectionate it was ridiculous. We sat down and had tea and the tea snack with her and dog (it took me a looong time to be able to sit in my seat cause her dog just stayed in it, getting petted). Anyway, it turns out she and her family have been the makers of maiko meishi for generations. (Maiko are geishas-in-training and meishi are their business cards).
She showed us how they're made, with these special carvings with some sort of ink or something on them. It was very neat. They're all handmade and maiko usually order about 100 at a time. Then she was like, why don't you take one? and I was so surprised. So I started looking through them and it was a very hard choice and then she said, well, take 5! And then she went and brought out another stack and was like 8, how about 8? So I am now the proud owner of 8 authentic maiko meishi which she told me to write my own name on. She invited us back, and then, as we were leaving, said it to me especially. I was sooo happy cause from the moment I met her and her dog I knew I would want to come back again and again so I hope she meant it! What a nice lady ... According to Alex she called his house and again extended the invitation, saying we were very nice children ^^
Afterwards, his otousan brought us to a field of crocuses that are on the verge of blooming. It's going to be gorgeous!!
And later, talking about it made me happy all over again :)
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Gamers
We love the arcade. Michael, Alex, and I spend so much time (and money) in them. My absolute favorite arcade game is anything that involves whacking -- moles, alligators, Vega, whatever. Maybe it's because I'm such a violent person. Alex is really good at any game that involves music. But especially this one taiko game. It really interests me ... linguistically (not that I play) and I was actually lost in thought brainstorming an experiment when they were playing tonight.
Anyway Michael, Alex, and I met up after dinner near my home. Went to the market and bought some snacking foods. In the park, Alex had 99 yen sake juice box with dried salted fish (sooo Japanese), I had a wine cooler and cherries
(sooo girly), and Michael had fried chicken with chocolate milk (o_o ya). It was really nice, sitting there, mellowly chatting and chomping. Afterwards we went to the arcade. The boxing game was fun! I actually had a little more fun maybe cheering Alex on though. And Michael was kind of a beast at the dj-ing game :D Good times and more to come, I'm sure!
(sooo girly), and Michael had fried chicken with chocolate milk (o_o ya). It was really nice, sitting there, mellowly chatting and chomping. Afterwards we went to the arcade. The boxing game was fun! I actually had a little more fun maybe cheering Alex on though. And Michael was kind of a beast at the dj-ing game :D Good times and more to come, I'm sure!(I'm too lazy to rotate these pictures, so rotate your heads!)
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Hahahaha
Knows me too well. I'll try and write as much as I can about each portion of the trip and MAYBE Alex will fill in extra details.
After dinner, we decided to move the guys' futons into our room and had a huge massive sleepover. It was very inappropriate for the proper little ryokan but we all had a great time. And John looked like a yakuza boss the whole time.
Actually, I feel like it would be more fair if we switched off, like I wrote about Hakone and he DESA, etc. But whatever ;)
Anyway Saturday morning we all met up at Doshisha's side gate. After a lot of waiting around, we finally boarded the bus and were off. It was a pretty long drive and I had a lot on my mind so I didn't end up napping as planned. I went and played tennis with 7 of the DESA members and I really enjoyed it. I was freezing for a little while but after you start running, it's fine. After an hour or so we went to the lodge and met up with everyone else. Dinner was this massive yaku (?) niku event. They split each table up to have some first years, some second years, and some foreign students. I felt bad cause they basically cooked everything and I just ate ^^;;; Useless ... And after our two hour dinner ... onsen. SO. We got changed and brought our towels and soap, etc. We got there. Little did I know we were supposed to have not one but TWO towels. One is more of a washcloth, but whatever. I did have a small face towel so I brought that. BUT that is not enough!!! It took Maki a long time to convince Yoon-sun (who had both towels even!!!) and I (who did not!!!) to come out into the open. I mean I had accepted the fact that I would be bathing naked. It took awhile to accept the walking around to get from the changing rooms to the baths naked -__- But we did. And it was wonderful. No, Michael and Alex, there was no comparing -_- And the outdoor bath was nice but it was really just like a glorified hot tub. Literally.
Upon returning, the nomikai pretty much started. Japanese parties are so weird o___O They had 3 long tables filled with snacks and we all sat there eating them and sipping at our wine coolers. Then at the leaders table they started chugging and cheering people on. Eventually the ranks broke and we were free to mingle with other tables. I spent the night dancing in a little side of the room with like 6 other people, playing ping pong, and taking a night hike. It was also this night that my dying voice peaked and by the time we were sitting around on the futons chatting, I was rendered nearly voiceless. I think, besides the one drunk guy, I was the first to bed :D
Everyone else was going to Arashiyama but we were headed to ... Hakone! 
Bus rides, train rides, meeting up with Ly and Christine, train rides, bus rides ... finally we made it! Our ryokan was very cute and I don't think we ended up leaving it once from the time we got there. Everyone was very welcoming and kind too. They dressed us up in yukatas and fed us tea. Aaand then we onsen-ed. Good times. This place's outdoor one was a sulfur bath. So we all smelled delightful afterwards, to be sure. And we could hear the guys just on the other side of the bamboo wall. Dinner was pretty crazy. Soo much food!! Good wine, even if a bit corky ;D Also this was the first time we really began appreciating my wacked up voice and they made me say things really seductively. It seems you can make anything sound seductive o_o.
Bus rides, train rides, meeting up with Ly and Christine, train rides, bus rides ... finally we made it! Our ryokan was very cute and I don't think we ended up leaving it once from the time we got there. Everyone was very welcoming and kind too. They dressed us up in yukatas and fed us tea. Aaand then we onsen-ed. Good times. This place's outdoor one was a sulfur bath. So we all smelled delightful afterwards, to be sure. And we could hear the guys just on the other side of the bamboo wall. Dinner was pretty crazy. Soo much food!! Good wine, even if a bit corky ;D Also this was the first time we really began appreciating my wacked up voice and they made me say things really seductively. It seems you can make anything sound seductive o_o.
After dinner, we decided to move the guys' futons into our room and had a huge massive sleepover. It was very inappropriate for the proper little ryokan but we all had a great time. And John looked like a yakuza boss the whole time.The next morning consisted of breakfast and packing up. And Ly and I snuck another onsening in there. We took a ferry across Lake Ashi and found our cabin, which was very sixth grade science-campy :) We had lunch, went paddling in swan boats, and went up a mountain in a sky trolley thing. Then Michael and Christine decided they wanted to HIKE down the mountain. A few hours later they texted us telling us if they
weren't back by midnight to call the cops. -_- A bunch of us onsen-ed but it wasn't nearly as nice as the ryokan one, especially since there was a building with a prime view of the ladies' outdoor bath. We bought dinner at a conbini and then tried some of the assorted alcohol. GIANT SPIDERS! Ly and Yoon-sun killed them. Eventually. Several hours later Alex threw them out. John was the only one who winded up sleeping in that room and in the morning he had welts of bites on his legs. o_o Finally Michael and Christine made it back. Ridiculous. In the morning Ly and I onsen-ed AGAIN :D and we packed and left.
weren't back by midnight to call the cops. -_- A bunch of us onsen-ed but it wasn't nearly as nice as the ryokan one, especially since there was a building with a prime view of the ladies' outdoor bath. We bought dinner at a conbini and then tried some of the assorted alcohol. GIANT SPIDERS! Ly and Yoon-sun killed them. Eventually. Several hours later Alex threw them out. John was the only one who winded up sleeping in that room and in the morning he had welts of bites on his legs. o_o Finally Michael and Christine made it back. Ridiculous. In the morning Ly and I onsen-ed AGAIN :D and we packed and left. We found our hostel in Tokyo with relative ease and were able to leave our luggage there. Had the most amazing curry for lunch eeever. We returned 2 more times (bear in mind 
we were in Tokyo for all of 2 days). So we explored Harajuku and tried to go to Roppongi for dinner and clubbing but so much fell through that it ended up being just me, Alex, 
and Ly wandering around Roppongi Hills. We found a club that had ladies' night and good music coming from it, so went it. For a long time we were the only ones but eventually others in our group made it ... just as Alex and I had to leave to catch the last train home and make it in before curfew. Oh, we also karaoked the first night there. And explored Akihabara. (Can you tell I'm losing interest in writing this?) Shinkansen to Sendai. The next day we went to Matsushima and explored the islands and whatnot. The next day we left for Tokyo early in the morning, stored our luggage in coin lockers (hahah) and explored Akihabara even more. Ly and I did a maid cafe which was very tame compared to stories I had heard and concocted in my mind. I'm a little obsessed with them right now. I know this feeling well. Once I finish my paper though, I'll be free :)
we were in Tokyo for all of 2 days). So we explored Harajuku and tried to go to Roppongi for dinner and clubbing but so much fell through that it ended up being just me, Alex, 
and Ly wandering around Roppongi Hills. We found a club that had ladies' night and good music coming from it, so went it. For a long time we were the only ones but eventually others in our group made it ... just as Alex and I had to leave to catch the last train home and make it in before curfew. Oh, we also karaoked the first night there. And explored Akihabara. (Can you tell I'm losing interest in writing this?) Shinkansen to Sendai. The next day we went to Matsushima and explored the islands and whatnot. The next day we left for Tokyo early in the morning, stored our luggage in coin lockers (hahah) and explored Akihabara even more. Ly and I did a maid cafe which was very tame compared to stories I had heard and concocted in my mind. I'm a little obsessed with them right now. I know this feeling well. Once I finish my paper though, I'll be free :)Aaand we came back to Kyoto late late at night, bussed home. And that brings us to today! All in all, a splendid Golden Week. Unfortunately my voice is still off (I had forgotten about it but my host mom mentioned it) and I'm starting to wonder if it'll EVER be back to normal -_-
Golden week
It was amazing. I don't have the patience to write about it in detail, but maybe Kat will. Pictures will be on facebook soon.
Friday, April 25, 2008
So drunk
One perk to being able to speak Japanese is you can ask for a special discount on all-you-can-drink prices, and actually get it.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Karma
I don't know how much fun I've made of other people for being sick but maybe this is karma.
Anyway ... yeah, Saturday night Alex, Sawako (?), and I met the others in Osaka. We went to the downtown district and it was so amazing!! I felt like tourist but I was completely fine with it. Then they bought taco balls (octopus) which are basically some fried dough wrapped around a tentacle of octopus. I almost tried to make myself eat one but when I speared it, amazingly, the tentacle piece fell out and Michael ate it ... the fried part was ok.
We also had a big dinner there which was pretty great. Lots of litle dishes like pizzas, yakitori, gyoza, etc. And we all had a cocktail and then a little sake. Alex is obsessed with everything Japanese by the way. I mean, I had noticed before, back at like Stanford how everything Japanese was perfect to him, but I thought part of that was like nostalgia or whatever. But no, even here, you should hear him go off about how much he loves this, and that.
Afterwards we went to an arcade (of course) and took some fob pictures. They are amazing. One is now my background picture on my phone. Afterwards, we decided to try and make it home rather than stay out all night as originally planned. Unfortunately, only 4 of us were unable to make it home: me, Ly, Alex, and Chris. So what did we do? Intensive karaoke. 4 hours in a little room and Ly wouldn't let us sleep so we sang all 4 of them. Ly and I chose a lot of hardcore rock like Linkin Park and Papa Roach and the guys sang banjo-y stuff and Beatles. By the end of the night, we had all lost all dignity and sang whatever the heck in any sort of voice.
We left at 5 and I caught my first bus home at 6:30. Needless to say, I nearly fell asleep and missed my stop. I then slept until noon. I went over to Alex's to do homework but instead passed out there too. And in the evening, after dinner, my family, Michael, Alex, and I went over to a nearby karaoke box and did it all over again. gyah.
On Monday was the flea market ... fun to look at it but nothing to buy really. On Tuesday my family and I watched the j-drama episode of zk. Oh man!! I loved this manga. One of my all time favorites. The tv show is a little butchered though ... :( But really, the perfect boyfriend ...
Yesterday, Wednesday, Michael, Alex, Christine, John, Chris, and I went to Kyoto eki to try and exchange our vouchers for JR passes. It's a tricky process cause they're only for tourists and we have visas in our passports that say cultural exchange 6 months so technically we aren't allowed to. But it worked for Michael, Alex, John, and I. Yoon-san too, later.
I have not made it home before 7 on any night yet. This is getting ridiculous. I thought I was going to have free time here but instead I've never felt so rushed before. I'm constantly worrying about deadlines and doing homework an hour before it's due. Ahh!! On M/W I am done with class at noon, but every time something comes up, like flea market, or JR passes.
Oh yeah, so I'm 21. Thank you for everyone who wished me a happy birthday and especially to those of you who sent me cards and whatnot :D Very, very much appreciated. Too bad the legal age for stuff is 20 in Japan ;)
Anyway ... yeah, Saturday night Alex, Sawako (?), and I met the others in Osaka. We went to the downtown district and it was so amazing!! I felt like tourist but I was completely fine with it. Then they bought taco balls (octopus) which are basically some fried dough wrapped around a tentacle of octopus. I almost tried to make myself eat one but when I speared it, amazingly, the tentacle piece fell out and Michael ate it ... the fried part was ok.
We also had a big dinner there which was pretty great. Lots of litle dishes like pizzas, yakitori, gyoza, etc. And we all had a cocktail and then a little sake. Alex is obsessed with everything Japanese by the way. I mean, I had noticed before, back at like Stanford how everything Japanese was perfect to him, but I thought part of that was like nostalgia or whatever. But no, even here, you should hear him go off about how much he loves this, and that.
Afterwards we went to an arcade (of course) and took some fob pictures. They are amazing. One is now my background picture on my phone. Afterwards, we decided to try and make it home rather than stay out all night as originally planned. Unfortunately, only 4 of us were unable to make it home: me, Ly, Alex, and Chris. So what did we do? Intensive karaoke. 4 hours in a little room and Ly wouldn't let us sleep so we sang all 4 of them. Ly and I chose a lot of hardcore rock like Linkin Park and Papa Roach and the guys sang banjo-y stuff and Beatles. By the end of the night, we had all lost all dignity and sang whatever the heck in any sort of voice.
We left at 5 and I caught my first bus home at 6:30. Needless to say, I nearly fell asleep and missed my stop. I then slept until noon. I went over to Alex's to do homework but instead passed out there too. And in the evening, after dinner, my family, Michael, Alex, and I went over to a nearby karaoke box and did it all over again. gyah.
On Monday was the flea market ... fun to look at it but nothing to buy really. On Tuesday my family and I watched the j-drama episode of zk. Oh man!! I loved this manga. One of my all time favorites. The tv show is a little butchered though ... :( But really, the perfect boyfriend ...
Yesterday, Wednesday, Michael, Alex, Christine, John, Chris, and I went to Kyoto eki to try and exchange our vouchers for JR passes. It's a tricky process cause they're only for tourists and we have visas in our passports that say cultural exchange 6 months so technically we aren't allowed to. But it worked for Michael, Alex, John, and I. Yoon-san too, later.
I have not made it home before 7 on any night yet. This is getting ridiculous. I thought I was going to have free time here but instead I've never felt so rushed before. I'm constantly worrying about deadlines and doing homework an hour before it's due. Ahh!! On M/W I am done with class at noon, but every time something comes up, like flea market, or JR passes.
Oh yeah, so I'm 21. Thank you for everyone who wished me a happy birthday and especially to those of you who sent me cards and whatnot :D Very, very much appreciated. Too bad the legal age for stuff is 20 in Japan ;)
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Flea market, Okonomiyaki, Karaoke
Monday was the 21st, meaning that 東寺 (Toji temple) had a flea market set up. We went there with a big group, and they tons of neat things. Nothing I would actually want to buy, though. Since we didn't really have anything to do afterwards, Eric, Mao and I tried to round up more people but they were all too busy. We got Michael and Fah to come out for dinner, along with 3 of Mao's friends. We ate good okonomiyaki and headed over for a short karaoke session. I don't think I'll ever get tired of going. That was the 3rd night in a row, and I had a blast.
Partying 4 days in a row took its toll on me though, and now I've been bed-ridden with an exhausting cold. Yick.
Partying 4 days in a row took its toll on me though, and now I've been bed-ridden with an exhausting cold. Yick.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Ridiculous birthday party for Katrina
First, Osaka is an awesome city. Everything is huge, and there are people everywhere. Not to mention the good food. Getting drunk off of shochu and then rocking the arcade makes for a great evening.
And then! Stuck in Kyoto and pulling a karaoke all-nighter! Sooo much fun. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
And then! Stuck in Kyoto and pulling a karaoke all-nighter! Sooo much fun. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Stanford wins
Giving a speech to a room full a college students, none of whom are interested in hearing what you say. What do you do? 2 attractive girls on stage with you ftw.
Germans will imitate, but they cannot compete ^^ 
Germans will imitate, but they cannot compete ^^
Friday, April 18, 2008
Pre-bday Goodness
Unfortunately, I can't put up any pictures from home (until Joachim helps me remotely ... {:D) so use your imagination for the time being.
昨日、クス君と一緒に四条に行った。ちょっと買い物をして、カラオケもした。実は、カラオケが嫌い。楽しいけど歌うが下手。でも他に人に聞くのは楽しいと思う。クス君とのは楽しかった！いつでも一人で歌いなかった ：） ありがとう、クス君！適当な日本語の歌を一緒に歌った。もう後で、あたしは一人で（心配しないで、ね？）LINGERIEの店に行った！TIFFANYちゃんから聞いた：アジアのLINGERIEはあたしたちの体似合う。そして、とっても緊要してる。結果？よかった！でも。。。とっても、とってもはずかしか！！！！日本のサイズとアメリカのは違う。そして、MEASURINGをした。ー＿＿＿＿ー ちょっとOBSCENEと思う。；P 。。。けど、一つを買った＾＾；； (sorry, A, that the first entry is on such a thing ...)
Let's see ... after that, we had the most faabulous しゃぶしゃぶ ever!!! It was also a much nicer atmosphere than any I've been to in the states. Really good service. All you can eat too ... so we ate sooo much!! And it was on the 7th floor so we had a neat ながめ too. But then on the way out, when we were in the elevator, the waitress bowed to us and I don't really know what I was thinking but I started backing up and my foot hit the edge of the elevator and made this loud clattering noise and クス君 teased me sooo much -___- He told me I'd never be an elegant lady -__- ouch.
I forgot to mention the arcade!! We went and it was so fun! They had a whack a gator game ... and for those of you who know me well, know that it's definitely my favorite sort of game. I beat クス君 by 20 points xDD But he dominates when it comes to musical games, so it evens out. He also CREAMED me at air hockey ... using only his left hand. cry.
We also went to the LOft which everyone has been talking about. It was absolutely amazing. o_o
Then I came home and he met up with the other peeps to partyhearty. I just realized ... he's really mean to me -___-
There's a box sitting in the corner of the room that's yearning to be opened ... but I'm resisting.
昨日、クス君と一緒に四条に行った。ちょっと買い物をして、カラオケもした。実は、カラオケが嫌い。楽しいけど歌うが下手。でも他に人に聞くのは楽しいと思う。クス君とのは楽しかった！いつでも一人で歌いなかった ：） ありがとう、クス君！適当な日本語の歌を一緒に歌った。もう後で、あたしは一人で（心配しないで、ね？）LINGERIEの店に行った！TIFFANYちゃんから聞いた：アジアのLINGERIEはあたしたちの体似合う。そして、とっても緊要してる。結果？よかった！でも。。。とっても、とってもはずかしか！！！！日本のサイズとアメリカのは違う。そして、MEASURINGをした。ー＿＿＿＿ー ちょっとOBSCENEと思う。；P 。。。けど、一つを買った＾＾；； (sorry, A, that the first entry is on such a thing ...)
Let's see ... after that, we had the most faabulous しゃぶしゃぶ ever!!! It was also a much nicer atmosphere than any I've been to in the states. Really good service. All you can eat too ... so we ate sooo much!! And it was on the 7th floor so we had a neat ながめ too. But then on the way out, when we were in the elevator, the waitress bowed to us and I don't really know what I was thinking but I started backing up and my foot hit the edge of the elevator and made this loud clattering noise and クス君 teased me sooo much -___- He told me I'd never be an elegant lady -__- ouch.
I forgot to mention the arcade!! We went and it was so fun! They had a whack a gator game ... and for those of you who know me well, know that it's definitely my favorite sort of game. I beat クス君 by 20 points xDD But he dominates when it comes to musical games, so it evens out. He also CREAMED me at air hockey ... using only his left hand. cry.
We also went to the LOft which everyone has been talking about. It was absolutely amazing. o_o
Then I came home and he met up with the other peeps to partyhearty. I just realized ... he's really mean to me -___-
There's a box sitting in the corner of the room that's yearning to be opened ... but I'm resisting.
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