April 25, 2008
Just to inform you all.....>___>
There will be at least one entry representing every week I've been here, perhaps even separate entries representing days I've been here coming within this weekend (today, tomorrow, or sunday). I've just been enjoying Japan and forgetting to even blog about my experiences, something I can look at (and you all too) after I'm back studying in the states. I'll see if I can adjust the dates on individual entires to make them look like I made them earlier in the month, but if I can't do that, I'll just type the date of when the events in the said post occurred.
April 23, 2008
Gaijin Cards and having an identity in Japan
(This is outside of the International Exchange Center).
Today after school, Beth, Keleih, and I went and got our Gaijin Cards effectively ending the annoying habit of having to carry my passport around with me. This marks the point of when we can finally truly start living in Japan as citizens. Beth and Keleih want to get Keitai (cell phones) soon as possible, but considering that I am still without the Hakuoh scholarship for another week.
Classes are finally picking up speed and in one of them, the culture class is getting to be too much. I can't understand really much in the class and I find myself getting really sleepy because my brain is trying to comprehend everything at once and I become tired. But even then, I talked to Kyuu (one of the Taiwanese) and even though she has been here since last September, she also has trouble with the class and has to translate and look up a lot of the stuff in the handouts. But, I still wish I could understand more in the class.....maybe I have to give it up. Beth and Keleih already came to the solution because Adachi wasn't trying to make sure everyone had an equal footing in the class. Expecting us to understand everything well in the first few weeks is nearly impossible. Also, expecting us to do research in the library would be impossible because most of the books we could use for research were in Japanese. I am talking about books where you would have to pass the second or first level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test to understand, but even then you might have trouble still comprehending it. Not sure exactly what to do though....do I drop it....or do I not?
April 19, 2008
Indy Japan 300
Today was the student trip to go to the Indy Japan 300 race at Twin Ring Motegi. All the exchange students along with Yoshiko and quite a few students went along for the trip.
When we arrived, I was surprised at the vastness of the track. It was only 1 1/2 miles, but still it was quite a distance. We first went to see Asimo, a robot developed by Honda that is supposed to have balance resembling a human.
We later had lunch, and I found it interesting one of the restaurants had American style burgers. I also found the coke in a carton interesting.
We later made our way down to the track. We had really good seats for our tickets; we could see the field pretty well and were a little off from the finish line. However, problems arose from the track as a leak in one of the turns delayed the start and it started raining right after they fixed the leak so the race was delayed until the next day, but our tickets could still be used.
When we arrived, I was surprised at the vastness of the track. It was only 1 1/2 miles, but still it was quite a distance. We first went to see Asimo, a robot developed by Honda that is supposed to have balance resembling a human.
We later had lunch, and I found it interesting one of the restaurants had American style burgers. I also found the coke in a carton interesting.
We later made our way down to the track. We had really good seats for our tickets; we could see the field pretty well and were a little off from the finish line. However, problems arose from the track as a leak in one of the turns delayed the start and it started raining right after they fixed the leak so the race was delayed until the next day, but our tickets could still be used.
April 18, 2008
The first....of many...about...food.
Such a rainy day today. It always seems that whenever it rains, the day just seems to get crappier. The job I thought I was getting fell through, as they only needed one person to actually teach the employees at the company because having two different people would be complicated to deal with the lesson plan, which should be continuous throughout. It was a complexity of those issues (I would like to think I wasn't chosen because my lack of formal experience once again biting me in the ass, but I really have no means to even think that) that lead to the decision, but I'm fine with it. I'll have plenty of chances to teach someone English here and make money (and more friends) on the side. At least Hakuoh will help me find a job, so if I need it.
But, yeah, that was a considerable bummer. I'm still waiting on the JASSO scholarship, so I am relying solely on funds that I am getting from back home. I should hear something about that within the next few days, so should be okay. Hopefully I don't have to wait until NEXT month for the funds to arrive, as it could put somewhat of a financial strain on my family and I.
"This has nothing to do with Lotteria, but it emphasizes that I must talk about food now."
So, considering that it was an appropriate day to go and look for something decently comforting, I decided to go to Oyama Station and try the Japanese take on fried American-style foods. There's not much in terms of American style food restaurants in Oyama station, but I did find a place near the front entrance of the station called Lotteria. The name looked misleading, as it was not an Italian restruant, but a weird version of perhaps either what would be Wendy's or Rally's in the states. I decided it would be best to try out some of the burgers, so I tried the "Ebi" burger or "Shrimp" burger, as I only know of this as when I got it, it wasn't chicken as the picture leads you to believe it is. I also got something called "snack chicken" which basically was chicken nuggets in a smaller form than say what you could get at McDonalds.
Anyway, the burger itself wasn't that bad. I know for a fact that Japanese love putting manganze on a lot of American food, but this burger had only a little on it. It mainly had a kind of cocktail sauce in it (Henz makes the best kind I think) and the shrimp was pretty good. I would definitely go back sometime and eat there again.
The day I try the MegaMac (the bastardization of burgers as a huge amount of meat put into a sandwich that McDonald's Japan is offering) will be a seperate entry within itself.
If you're a foreigner in Japan, and your skills at the language aren't completely great, most restruants have menus that include pictures of some sort. This allows for the simplisity of just pointing to said item you want to eat, and the understanding is simple and well put. Places where menu's aren't available are usually fast food joints, and chances are have something that has picture on a main display or are written in some shape or form in Katakana, so those with some ability in Japanese (because Kanji can be daunting sometimes) can make youself heard.
Anyway, this is the first of many entries about food in general. I'll promise to blog more about different subjects though, because my writing ability isn't limited to food alone.
(This entry is dated about a few days due to being too busy to finish it)
But, yeah, that was a considerable bummer. I'm still waiting on the JASSO scholarship, so I am relying solely on funds that I am getting from back home. I should hear something about that within the next few days, so should be okay. Hopefully I don't have to wait until NEXT month for the funds to arrive, as it could put somewhat of a financial strain on my family and I.
"This has nothing to do with Lotteria, but it emphasizes that I must talk about food now."
So, considering that it was an appropriate day to go and look for something decently comforting, I decided to go to Oyama Station and try the Japanese take on fried American-style foods. There's not much in terms of American style food restaurants in Oyama station, but I did find a place near the front entrance of the station called Lotteria. The name looked misleading, as it was not an Italian restruant, but a weird version of perhaps either what would be Wendy's or Rally's in the states. I decided it would be best to try out some of the burgers, so I tried the "Ebi" burger or "Shrimp" burger, as I only know of this as when I got it, it wasn't chicken as the picture leads you to believe it is. I also got something called "snack chicken" which basically was chicken nuggets in a smaller form than say what you could get at McDonalds.
Anyway, the burger itself wasn't that bad. I know for a fact that Japanese love putting manganze on a lot of American food, but this burger had only a little on it. It mainly had a kind of cocktail sauce in it (Henz makes the best kind I think) and the shrimp was pretty good. I would definitely go back sometime and eat there again.
The day I try the MegaMac (the bastardization of burgers as a huge amount of meat put into a sandwich that McDonald's Japan is offering) will be a seperate entry within itself.
If you're a foreigner in Japan, and your skills at the language aren't completely great, most restruants have menus that include pictures of some sort. This allows for the simplisity of just pointing to said item you want to eat, and the understanding is simple and well put. Places where menu's aren't available are usually fast food joints, and chances are have something that has picture on a main display or are written in some shape or form in Katakana, so those with some ability in Japanese (because Kanji can be daunting sometimes) can make youself heard.
Anyway, this is the first of many entries about food in general. I'll promise to blog more about different subjects though, because my writing ability isn't limited to food alone.
(This entry is dated about a few days due to being too busy to finish it)
April 12, 2008
Dormitory Party and Kyudo
Before I came to Hakuoh, I had decided on entering one of two clubs. I wanted to try my hand at either the wind orchestra (as I have already had musical experience before) or a more traditional Japanese club on campus, Kyudo. Today, I decided to check out Kyudo to get a better perspective on the club and what they do.
When I arrived, many were surprised that a foreigner had shown up (later, I would learn only one other westerner has ever came and practiced with them). It was my second week here and I still couldn't understand much of what was being spoken to me, though I have made efforts in my speech and I got my point across using what I knew or what I could look up in my dictionary on the DS. There were a lot of first years that were learning the trade so I got to see the training practices that they go through.
Basically (this is also research from my later experience) this is the levels of training you go through:
1. You start with basic training of the movements involving stance, the way to get the bow leveled, how to pull back the bow, and what you do after you fire the bow, all without using any equipment.
2. The next level is where you use a gumibow or a grip that has a rubber "string" that mimics the actual pull on the real bow. You practice again all the movements with a few new movements done to add the bow.
3. The third level is actually using the real bow. You learn the full movements regarding the bow including entry to the positions of kyudo along with the exit positions. The gumibow does real well in mimicking the real bow, however, but the real bow's weight is not like a western bow and is slightly lop-sided and you must adjust for that.
4. The forth level combines the bow and the arrow, but you cannot enter the normal firing positions yet until you master firing the arrow. You practice mainly the arrow and bow positions in this level; the goal being you successfully firing the bow in such a way that it will not go astray. To help with this, your target is a straw mato (target) that is within 20 centimeters of the end of your bow when you fire the arrrow, therefore always insuring a hit.
5. The fifth and final level is where you have gotten to a good point with the arrow and bow and are ready to enter the normal firing positions. The targets (not straw, but paper) are about 25 meters (80 feet) away.
The firing positions are also have a certain custom to them:
Normally there are five firing positions, but there can be many has there are targets and few as 3 if needed.
The positions are always from right to left. It might be based from how Japanese kanji were read during the early Meiji period and before.
The positions are (from R-L): omae, mideki, naka, ochimae, ochi. Mae means before or first as in the case with the first position being omae and the position before ochi being ochimae. Naka means middle, as it is the middle position. Mideki, I am not sure what it means exactly.
During the firing process, the person that is writing down the score will announce the position about to fire and add the suffix "pon" to it, the counter for counting long thin things in Japanese (arrows fit into this group). Everyone that's not firing repeats whatever the scorer says. After the scorer sees the position in full stance ready to fire, the scorer yells "saippon" or "ready to fire". This I think more or less stems for safety reasons than old ceremonial practice. If a target is hit, everyone will yell "Hit!" (sha). You sometimes get times where an arrow grazes a target and everyone will try to decide whether or not it is a hit. The people in the firing positions fire a total of 4 arrows per round with a specific grip that allows them to hold two arrows at once. Once all positions are done with firing, the archers that just completed firing all step back together and the scorer calls "Please verify the results" (kakunin onegaishimasu) with the lead runner (someone that leads a group of people equal to the amount of targets that yells out the hits) clapping twice and responding with "I will enter the range" (hairimasu) and leads the others to the end where the targets are located. Each other person (not the leader) kneels in front of the target with the target clearly visible as the lead runner points to the targets and confirms each hit by saying how many hit the target. After that is over, the runners grab the arrows and returns to the dojo.
I had a few things to do before I could join the club (I had an entry fee of around $100 for insurance and bow rental fees, then would have to pay for my uniform down the road), so I couldn't quite join yet. But, it looked fun so I decided on joining as soon as I could.
After the match I was over with, I returned to the dorm to find out that the dormitory party was already underway. D'OH! I really forgot about it! Brian was already there and he showed me where I could find my name tag. Most of the good sushi and food was already gone, but I found some karaage and french fries still left so it was all good. I couldn't understand a lot of the guys that were talking/talking to me, but a guy named Yuusuke came up and talked to me in a mix of Japanese/English and it was pretty interesting. Slowly but surely I am really getting used to life here. After the party was over, Yuusuke, some other guys, and I took the remaining chuuhai and ran off to our rooms with it without letting the landlord know! It was one of those "Everyone was doing it, so I could too" situations that are infectious among the youth here. Definitely feels like home in that aspect.
When I arrived, many were surprised that a foreigner had shown up (later, I would learn only one other westerner has ever came and practiced with them). It was my second week here and I still couldn't understand much of what was being spoken to me, though I have made efforts in my speech and I got my point across using what I knew or what I could look up in my dictionary on the DS. There were a lot of first years that were learning the trade so I got to see the training practices that they go through.
Basically (this is also research from my later experience) this is the levels of training you go through:
1. You start with basic training of the movements involving stance, the way to get the bow leveled, how to pull back the bow, and what you do after you fire the bow, all without using any equipment.
2. The next level is where you use a gumibow or a grip that has a rubber "string" that mimics the actual pull on the real bow. You practice again all the movements with a few new movements done to add the bow.
3. The third level is actually using the real bow. You learn the full movements regarding the bow including entry to the positions of kyudo along with the exit positions. The gumibow does real well in mimicking the real bow, however, but the real bow's weight is not like a western bow and is slightly lop-sided and you must adjust for that.
4. The forth level combines the bow and the arrow, but you cannot enter the normal firing positions yet until you master firing the arrow. You practice mainly the arrow and bow positions in this level; the goal being you successfully firing the bow in such a way that it will not go astray. To help with this, your target is a straw mato (target) that is within 20 centimeters of the end of your bow when you fire the arrrow, therefore always insuring a hit.
5. The fifth and final level is where you have gotten to a good point with the arrow and bow and are ready to enter the normal firing positions. The targets (not straw, but paper) are about 25 meters (80 feet) away.
The firing positions are also have a certain custom to them:
Normally there are five firing positions, but there can be many has there are targets and few as 3 if needed.
The positions are always from right to left. It might be based from how Japanese kanji were read during the early Meiji period and before.
The positions are (from R-L): omae, mideki, naka, ochimae, ochi. Mae means before or first as in the case with the first position being omae and the position before ochi being ochimae. Naka means middle, as it is the middle position. Mideki, I am not sure what it means exactly.
During the firing process, the person that is writing down the score will announce the position about to fire and add the suffix "pon" to it, the counter for counting long thin things in Japanese (arrows fit into this group). Everyone that's not firing repeats whatever the scorer says. After the scorer sees the position in full stance ready to fire, the scorer yells "saippon" or "ready to fire". This I think more or less stems for safety reasons than old ceremonial practice. If a target is hit, everyone will yell "Hit!" (sha). You sometimes get times where an arrow grazes a target and everyone will try to decide whether or not it is a hit. The people in the firing positions fire a total of 4 arrows per round with a specific grip that allows them to hold two arrows at once. Once all positions are done with firing, the archers that just completed firing all step back together and the scorer calls "Please verify the results" (kakunin onegaishimasu) with the lead runner (someone that leads a group of people equal to the amount of targets that yells out the hits) clapping twice and responding with "I will enter the range" (hairimasu) and leads the others to the end where the targets are located. Each other person (not the leader) kneels in front of the target with the target clearly visible as the lead runner points to the targets and confirms each hit by saying how many hit the target. After that is over, the runners grab the arrows and returns to the dojo.
I had a few things to do before I could join the club (I had an entry fee of around $100 for insurance and bow rental fees, then would have to pay for my uniform down the road), so I couldn't quite join yet. But, it looked fun so I decided on joining as soon as I could.
After the match I was over with, I returned to the dorm to find out that the dormitory party was already underway. D'OH! I really forgot about it! Brian was already there and he showed me where I could find my name tag. Most of the good sushi and food was already gone, but I found some karaage and french fries still left so it was all good. I couldn't understand a lot of the guys that were talking/talking to me, but a guy named Yuusuke came up and talked to me in a mix of Japanese/English and it was pretty interesting. Slowly but surely I am really getting used to life here. After the party was over, Yuusuke, some other guys, and I took the remaining chuuhai and ran off to our rooms with it without letting the landlord know! It was one of those "Everyone was doing it, so I could too" situations that are infectious among the youth here. Definitely feels like home in that aspect.
April 9, 2008
Something tells me.....that I'm going to be doing this a lot in the future.
(A picture of one of the karaoke machines)
On the Saturday we got back from Kunigawa, Yoshiko and Laura (a former Hakuoh exchange student from IUPUI) invited us to Monekineko (the name of karaoke place) for Karaoke.
Basically at MonekiNeko, there's a student special for students going to Hakuoh. We still did not have our cards from the school yet, but someone was able to produce a card and we were able to get the Hakuoh special for 2 hours. This includes all you can drink from their drink menu. I previously only been to Karaoke twice , one time that was at a restaurant we went to primarily had Chinese and Korean songs, not much of a selection of American songs and the second one was open mike night at a cafe downtown, but the karaoke versions were vastly different than the actual song.
We got into the karaoke room and we were given mikes and these touch screens that allow you to select songs. There's also different versions of each machine that have slightly different selection of songs than the other machines. I was really surprised at the selection available to sing, it was amazing at the entire selection. They even had several obscure artists like Sonata Artica, a band that Keleih likes. The timing was really decent and for the most part with the exact song. I sung primarily from artists I know like Oasis and Bowling For Soup.
I have a feeling that I am going to get a lot more singing time in the future....
April 7, 2008
Classes begin
(The sakura are in full bloom on the campus)
Today we started classes at Hakuoh. I wasn't too sure on where the classes where, but the class actually was right next door to the International Exchange Center. So, it was very convenient.
The first class had most of us with the rest of the exchange students in it. It's slightly hard to follow sometimes in the class, but with everyone from a different background in the class, it makes it entirely easy to enjoy and is pretty interesting. The second class is just one with the IUPUI students in them (as we are the only students that don't have to take the JLPT to get into Hakuoh, so we have intermediate-ish Japanese courses). The classwork seems almost a step down from Genki, but it's also really hard for Adachi to teach all of us because we're all at different language ability levels. Brian has already been there for over a half a year, Beth has had experience abroad, and Keleih and I are kind of in the same boat as with language ability (except everyone has already been to Japan at least once, and I am the one one that is my first time here). So, I have a feeling this class is going to be easier in general, but I don't know. I mean, it's only the first day.
I finally set up wireless internet in the International Exchange Center. I don't really think the school even knows that there's a ethernet connection in the lounge, but there is, and I think it would benefit everyone if it was plugged into a wireless router and not just the old, junky Dell laptop that has been in the center for god knows how long.
After lunch, Usui-san took us to the recycle shop to look for items to purchase for our dorms. Nothing is really high up on my list for purchasing things yet (also, I was watching my money until I could start receiving my Hakuoh scholarship), so I forgone not purchasing anything, but they sure had some interesting items available for purchase (anyone for a slightly-used vending machine anyone?) After that though, we went to the bane of my existance (in terms of pop-culture and everything) the Bookoff store in Oyama. It had tons (and I mean TONS) of manga usually around 105 yen, but sometimes running up to 1000 yen (really high-quality paper with older, popular series). They also had a second floor part that sold video games, DVDs, old computers, and anime figurines. The name aside ("Hardoff" thankfully not "Hard on"), this seems it would be an otaku's paradise.
(There's even a 24 hour Internet cafe next to the Bookoff. Now THAT'S convenience!)
(Note: This is an afterthought on my first week of classes. It doesn't entirely reflect on my entire opinion on them because I have typed and finished this post months after it already occured. However, I will try my best to remember the exact mood of the time. ~9/28/08)
April 6, 2008
Fuji-Q Highland
Today, I got up decently early (it was really easy considering my Jet Lag) and met Yoshiko, Brian, Akira, Rin, Keleih, Beth, and Yuka to get on a train to go to Tokyo and take a bus to get to an amusement park near Mt. Fuji called Fuji Q Highland. Not sure why the Q was included, but I guess it works. Anyway, instead of buying a normal pass to Tokyo (which I wouldn't know much how to buy them since I am not used to the train terminals at all) we bought something called a "Holiday Pass" This pass can be used on times of National Japanese Holidays or weekends at a cost of 2300 yen. Living in Oyama, we are lucky because it is the northern most station you can buy/use the pass as you use it to ride any train (but the shinkansen) to get to Tokyo. I would later find that it would be a very useful pass. Sure, a one way ticket to Ueno is 1250 from Oyama, so in essence the savings would only be 200 yen, but if you decide to ride any of the JR lines in Tokyo, it saves more money.
Anyway, we got into Shinjuku to the bus hub around 9AM. This was the first time I have seen Tokyo since I arrived in Japan. The streets were pretty crowded and many of the buildings seemed familiar as several were featured in various movies I have seen that took place in Japan. We stepped aboard the bus bounded for Fuji Q Highland after I went and decided to try the water "Pacari Sweat". I knew about the strange name before, but unlike what the name says it tasted nothing like sweat. It's more sweeter than most bottled waters I have ever had in the states.
We later took the bus to Fujiyama. It was about a 2 and a half hour ride, but I did get to see some really excellent sights on the way to Fuji-Q. We passed by Tokyo Disney Land and the location of Square Enix's downtown Tokyo headquarters. From about 2 hours in however, you can really see how big Mt. Fuji is from a distance. At 3,737 meters (over 12,000 feet) it is Japan's tallest mountain. Not any mountain is completely safe, but during the official climbing season (July to August), as many as 3,000 people climb the mountain everyday. It's the most climbed mountain in the world. Japanese people do it, foreigners do it, I wouldn't be surprised if animals do it too.
We arrived around noonish, and departed off the bus to hand in our tickets at the booth. For some strange reason however, when we handed our entrance ticket in we received another ticket to be taken to a series of booths where your picture is to be taken and printed on a special ticket. This seems to be the norm here and I thought it was really interesting. I guess it prevents people from giving their tickets to another person whom is coming into the park.
The lines were really long for just about everything, so we got in line for the closest roller coaster (called "jet coaster" in Japanese) Dondonpa. The wait was about an hour, but the line had various crazy signs printed just about everywhere in the park. I would later look back at all the pictures I have taken and say that they are indeed pretty crazy.
After that we split into various groups because some of us wanted to not ride the other roller coasters while as the others wanted to ride other things in the park. In the end, we had a fun time. Before the bus came we had a good chance to take pictures during the sunset with Mt. Fuji. It was very cold, but it was a fun experience I would never forget.
(Insert pictures here later)
Anyway, we got into Shinjuku to the bus hub around 9AM. This was the first time I have seen Tokyo since I arrived in Japan. The streets were pretty crowded and many of the buildings seemed familiar as several were featured in various movies I have seen that took place in Japan. We stepped aboard the bus bounded for Fuji Q Highland after I went and decided to try the water "Pacari Sweat". I knew about the strange name before, but unlike what the name says it tasted nothing like sweat. It's more sweeter than most bottled waters I have ever had in the states.
We later took the bus to Fujiyama. It was about a 2 and a half hour ride, but I did get to see some really excellent sights on the way to Fuji-Q. We passed by Tokyo Disney Land and the location of Square Enix's downtown Tokyo headquarters. From about 2 hours in however, you can really see how big Mt. Fuji is from a distance. At 3,737 meters (over 12,000 feet) it is Japan's tallest mountain. Not any mountain is completely safe, but during the official climbing season (July to August), as many as 3,000 people climb the mountain everyday. It's the most climbed mountain in the world. Japanese people do it, foreigners do it, I wouldn't be surprised if animals do it too.
We arrived around noonish, and departed off the bus to hand in our tickets at the booth. For some strange reason however, when we handed our entrance ticket in we received another ticket to be taken to a series of booths where your picture is to be taken and printed on a special ticket. This seems to be the norm here and I thought it was really interesting. I guess it prevents people from giving their tickets to another person whom is coming into the park.
The lines were really long for just about everything, so we got in line for the closest roller coaster (called "jet coaster" in Japanese) Dondonpa. The wait was about an hour, but the line had various crazy signs printed just about everywhere in the park. I would later look back at all the pictures I have taken and say that they are indeed pretty crazy.
After that we split into various groups because some of us wanted to not ride the other roller coasters while as the others wanted to ride other things in the park. In the end, we had a fun time. Before the bus came we had a good chance to take pictures during the sunset with Mt. Fuji. It was very cold, but it was a fun experience I would never forget.
(Insert pictures here later)
April 5, 2008
I thought trains ran through hotsprings?
Today I had to arrive early enough to Hakuoh in order to be taken to the freshman orientation at Kunigawa onsen. Kunigawa is famous in Japan for them and ANY new experience in Japan sounds like and idea to me.
But....I was the oddball out again. Despite staying only a day, everyone else seemed to bring stuff to change into except for me. Riding with extra materials in my basket (or on my back) is ridiculous enough to get my killed (ie. read yesterday's post), so I decided not to bring things. And I was okay.
Anyway, we got on the bus (one of many) and were required to do self-introductions. Yay, another chance for my broken Japanese to shine! Kidding aside, the ride there wasn't that exciting until we started getting towards the more mountainous parts of Tochigi. I don't know, I've seen mountains before in my life, but something about mountains in Japan makes my photographer locked up in a cage inside excited.
(Lunch)
So, after lunch, we were funneled back into the buses to go to a main hall for freshman orientation. There, they preceded to show a video about Hakuoh, and then a demonstration by most of the major school clubs on campus that lasted 2 hours. It was entertaining though, despite the language barriers. After that we went back and went and had dinner. During dinner though, a loud shaking of the building occured. I was confused because it was like the sound of an train passing by in a station, but no such train existed near where we were at. This was an Earthquake. My first one anyway.
We had the option of going into the hotsprings earlier than everyone else for some reason, but Brian declined to go, so it was just me and Rin. Both of us never went to one before, and it was a while since I looked up etiquette involving them. I am sure we broke some of them, but it was decent. In order for a westerner to go to one, you pretty much have to leave any dignity you may have at the door. That and also know that there's not going to be any people that are looking at you. Everyone is in the same boat really.
The morning after wasn't that fun filled, except for a rarity in Japanese food occured. I thought I would never see it again, so I took a picture of it.
"This is the rare coffee flavored Jelly."
Later on, there was seminars about various things, including anime/manga, which I went to, and helped out with the English teacher's seminars about speaking English and such.
The bus ride back was uneventful, except for the realization the Tom and Jerry seems to be a popular choice among the students here.
But....I was the oddball out again. Despite staying only a day, everyone else seemed to bring stuff to change into except for me. Riding with extra materials in my basket (or on my back) is ridiculous enough to get my killed (ie. read yesterday's post), so I decided not to bring things. And I was okay.
Anyway, we got on the bus (one of many) and were required to do self-introductions. Yay, another chance for my broken Japanese to shine! Kidding aside, the ride there wasn't that exciting until we started getting towards the more mountainous parts of Tochigi. I don't know, I've seen mountains before in my life, but something about mountains in Japan makes my photographer locked up in a cage inside excited.
(Lunch)
So, after lunch, we were funneled back into the buses to go to a main hall for freshman orientation. There, they preceded to show a video about Hakuoh, and then a demonstration by most of the major school clubs on campus that lasted 2 hours. It was entertaining though, despite the language barriers. After that we went back and went and had dinner. During dinner though, a loud shaking of the building occured. I was confused because it was like the sound of an train passing by in a station, but no such train existed near where we were at. This was an Earthquake. My first one anyway.
We had the option of going into the hotsprings earlier than everyone else for some reason, but Brian declined to go, so it was just me and Rin. Both of us never went to one before, and it was a while since I looked up etiquette involving them. I am sure we broke some of them, but it was decent. In order for a westerner to go to one, you pretty much have to leave any dignity you may have at the door. That and also know that there's not going to be any people that are looking at you. Everyone is in the same boat really.
The morning after wasn't that fun filled, except for a rarity in Japanese food occured. I thought I would never see it again, so I took a picture of it.
"This is the rare coffee flavored Jelly."
Later on, there was seminars about various things, including anime/manga, which I went to, and helped out with the English teacher's seminars about speaking English and such.
The bus ride back was uneventful, except for the realization the Tom and Jerry seems to be a popular choice among the students here.
April 3, 2008
Yay for breaks!
So, at about noon today, I got up to meet Yoshiko and Brian in front of the dorm for some bike training. As mentioned in a previous post, I have never ridden a bike before. We had to go by bike to get to the station at least in order to get to school on time for the medical exam. At first I was really shaky, and none of what they were saying was actually helping. It mainly was just that explaining it in words is harder. After finding out the front wheel controls the balance and direction, I was set...at least for now.
The medical exam was oddly confusing, at least for someone that has just been in Japan for 2 days now. The language was still escaping me and I was thrown with Rin to be "experimented" on, which is what the tests seemed more to me than for medical purposes.
In the first room, we had our height and weight checked. Pretty standard for medical reasons. Next, our heartbeat was checked. Again, something done by most doctors. We next had a eye exam. It was easily enough to do this in Japanese (oh how hidari (left), migi(right), shita (down), and ue (up) make their way into my broken Japanese ~!). We later had to go outside for chest X-ray exams. As much as I have had x-rays done in my life, I don't need anymore radiation plastered to me. After this test, the real "exam" occured, the electrocardiogram (go Firefox for recognizing my misspelling the first time! :D) exam, which seemed out of a horror film, rather than reality, on a white bed, in a classroom, in Japan. First, the electrodes were attached (about as long as the average tentacle monster's appendage) to my chest and body, and some untold amount of electricity was passed through my body. Didn't really feel anything actually, so it must not have been like what happened to Bill Murray in Groundhog day with the toaster.
After that, we were told to go on our separate ways, but we were supposed to be meeting up with several people later that day for a hanami (cherry blossom viewing) party at Oyama Park. We later rode with Brian and Lin to go register for our Gaijin registration cards. After that, I rode around on my bike for a while...
...then it happened, I was making my way back to the apartment when I was ran off the road by a taxi driver, and I reacted quickly enough to hit a wall. Well, it was a chain link fence, but it was good enough anyway. A reflector broke so I had to go back and explain to the landlords in broken Japanese about what happened. By now I had a comfortable handling on my bike, but the insisted on for 15 minutes to practice riding the bike in front of the dorm. I later left with some knowledge of where the park was but took a wrong turn and ended up on a different bridge. By the time I got to the park, it was going on dark, but everyone was glad to see me at least. Food, beer, and wine followed.
"It seemed deserted when I got there..."
The medical exam was oddly confusing, at least for someone that has just been in Japan for 2 days now. The language was still escaping me and I was thrown with Rin to be "experimented" on, which is what the tests seemed more to me than for medical purposes.
In the first room, we had our height and weight checked. Pretty standard for medical reasons. Next, our heartbeat was checked. Again, something done by most doctors. We next had a eye exam. It was easily enough to do this in Japanese (oh how hidari (left), migi(right), shita (down), and ue (up) make their way into my broken Japanese ~!). We later had to go outside for chest X-ray exams. As much as I have had x-rays done in my life, I don't need anymore radiation plastered to me. After this test, the real "exam" occured, the electrocardiogram (go Firefox for recognizing my misspelling the first time! :D) exam, which seemed out of a horror film, rather than reality, on a white bed, in a classroom, in Japan. First, the electrodes were attached (about as long as the average tentacle monster's appendage) to my chest and body, and some untold amount of electricity was passed through my body. Didn't really feel anything actually, so it must not have been like what happened to Bill Murray in Groundhog day with the toaster.
After that, we were told to go on our separate ways, but we were supposed to be meeting up with several people later that day for a hanami (cherry blossom viewing) party at Oyama Park. We later rode with Brian and Lin to go register for our Gaijin registration cards. After that, I rode around on my bike for a while...
...then it happened, I was making my way back to the apartment when I was ran off the road by a taxi driver, and I reacted quickly enough to hit a wall. Well, it was a chain link fence, but it was good enough anyway. A reflector broke so I had to go back and explain to the landlords in broken Japanese about what happened. By now I had a comfortable handling on my bike, but the insisted on for 15 minutes to practice riding the bike in front of the dorm. I later left with some knowledge of where the park was but took a wrong turn and ended up on a different bridge. By the time I got to the park, it was going on dark, but everyone was glad to see me at least. Food, beer, and wine followed.
"It seemed deserted when I got there..."
April 2, 2008
The first full day begins
"BWAHAHAHA! I flash my light in the face of ALL Jet-lagged foreigners!"
So, the first full day in Japan began today, and I was greeted by the sun earlier in the morning. Apparently my Jet Lag doesn't let me sleep past 6AM, so I woke up at 5AM this morning and the sun was barely peaking in the west.
Last night I was told to wake up at 9 so I could get orientation into the dorm done. Sure enough, at 9:30, two guys from the dorm (my "sempai" apparently) came up with the female landlord and were explaining various things about the dorm to me. As usual, I still couldn't understand the landlord, but had a better time with the other two guys. They showed that I could adjust the water temperature with the device right across from the fridge, when and what trash was being picked up, and showing me how to open my post, and showing which bike was mine.
Of course, they did not realize that I could not ride a bike. I never had a bike before in my life, and no one bothered to show me how to ride one. So, that in itself was going to be a hard process. But, it's my first day in Japan, so I decided to leave the learning for another time. Next my landlord (remembering I didn't pack much items for dorm living conditions) was kind enough to give me a basket full of pots, pans, and dishes. I knew I wasn't going to cook for a while (as that process would take longer to learn than riding a bike would), but still, in case the need arise, I would have items available to me.
I later met Brian and Rin at the station. Rin is one of the several students from Taiwan here. We waited on for the Hakuoh Bus at Oyama station.
"Apparently, the peace sign is a contagious disease over here."
We made it on campus and seemed a decent size (but no where near the size of IUPUI) and the sakura were in full bloom. It was really nice. We had a meeting with Usui-san and Miller-sensei. I am able to leech off of a internet connection nearby, but Beth and Keleih aren't able to. We suggested getting full wireless in the dorms, and Miller-sensei said he'd try to pull some strings and get that done. In the meantime, I said I would bring in the wireless hub that was just left in my room when I arrived here. We later went to a Italian restaurant at the station, and I had my first experience with melon soda. It was so frothy and good! Anyway, Yoshiko said that later tomorrow that she and Brian would show me how to ride a bike. I'm excited! Anyway, more about that later.
April 1, 2008
A night's view of Tokyo.....
From the plane approaching in Narita airport, I really wish I had a window seat. It was going on 7PM as the plane was trying to land at Narita, but strong winds were creating fierce turbulence like something else. I've been on boats, cars, and roller coasters, and I have never gotten sick by just sitting down and doing nothing, but this turbulence succeeded in every way of making me feel sick. I blame the capacity of the plane to rock in 8 directions in a 3D area (basically since it was in the air, it could rock in every direction.
(Photo courtesy of tsu from wikipedia commons under the free distribution license of GNU)
"It looked something like this, but only with 2 being open at 8PM"
We got to Narita going on 7:30, but the line in immigration was 45 minutes long. It was a long wait to get past immigration, but once you got to the new immigration procedures it was only a 2 minute process. Except for me. Why? Because they expect gaijin to be 5'5" not at 6' or above.
(An immigration officer shows a traveler how to use a digital fingerprint reader at Narita International Airport on Tuesday. AP PHOTO)
"The system includes fingerprinting and picture taking. Apparently a 'really tall machine' would have been out of the Japanese ethic of making things fit evenly and compactly on surfaces."
I think I caused problems when they had to adjust the camera twice to capture my face correctly. Anyway, after that, customs was kind of a joke. Practically just got our bags, gave the customs official our claims ticket that we filled out on the plane, and left for the main entrance. Yoshiko and Brian had been waiting on us for over an hour. We got on the van that was specifically taking us to Hakuoh, and it was a decent 3 hour drive, but Keleih and I were exhausted from the flight. Sleep was nearly impossible on the flight, I had to use a blanket to cover up my eyes from any strands of light and continue listening to the J-Pop/Rock station to block out other crazy sounds.
The night view of Tokyo from the point of the highways was pretty amazing. I heard that Tokyo really isn't a 24 hour town, but just an 8 hour town, but with various things opening and closing within an 8 hour time frame. Anyway, we saw Tokyo tower in the distance and the rainbow bridge with the yugata boats passing buy beneath us.
We got to Oyama around 10PM and since it was too late to go out to eat, we stopped by a convenience store to get some food from there (school was paying for it anyway). Considering it was my first day there, I had no idea what half the food said or was, so in the coming weeks it was going to be a trial. I was surprised that Japanese convenience stores had so much stuff available. Bread, food, snacks, milk, coffee, manga, magazines, porn, and anime figurine model kits are just a few of the available stuff you're able to purchase from a convenience store.
After that, Usui-san dropped me off at my dorm room. I couldn't understand anything my landlord was saying, so I just worked off gestures and kind of followed her lead.
(Front entrance to dorm room)
"It's sad when your arms, not even fully stretched can touch both walls widthwise"
My room was pretty decent to begin with. It has a kitchen, bathroom, bed, desk, fridge and TV. Basically all the comforts of a home. I don't know HOW much Hakuoh is taking the bill on in terms of rent, but it has to be something at least. I basically unpacked a few things, spent a few hours on the computer trying to find a connection to leech off of then went to bed.
(Photo courtesy of tsu from wikipedia commons under the free distribution license of GNU)
"It looked something like this, but only with 2 being open at 8PM"
We got to Narita going on 7:30, but the line in immigration was 45 minutes long. It was a long wait to get past immigration, but once you got to the new immigration procedures it was only a 2 minute process. Except for me. Why? Because they expect gaijin to be 5'5" not at 6' or above.
(An immigration officer shows a traveler how to use a digital fingerprint reader at Narita International Airport on Tuesday. AP PHOTO)
"The system includes fingerprinting and picture taking. Apparently a 'really tall machine' would have been out of the Japanese ethic of making things fit evenly and compactly on surfaces."
I think I caused problems when they had to adjust the camera twice to capture my face correctly. Anyway, after that, customs was kind of a joke. Practically just got our bags, gave the customs official our claims ticket that we filled out on the plane, and left for the main entrance. Yoshiko and Brian had been waiting on us for over an hour. We got on the van that was specifically taking us to Hakuoh, and it was a decent 3 hour drive, but Keleih and I were exhausted from the flight. Sleep was nearly impossible on the flight, I had to use a blanket to cover up my eyes from any strands of light and continue listening to the J-Pop/Rock station to block out other crazy sounds.
The night view of Tokyo from the point of the highways was pretty amazing. I heard that Tokyo really isn't a 24 hour town, but just an 8 hour town, but with various things opening and closing within an 8 hour time frame. Anyway, we saw Tokyo tower in the distance and the rainbow bridge with the yugata boats passing buy beneath us.
We got to Oyama around 10PM and since it was too late to go out to eat, we stopped by a convenience store to get some food from there (school was paying for it anyway). Considering it was my first day there, I had no idea what half the food said or was, so in the coming weeks it was going to be a trial. I was surprised that Japanese convenience stores had so much stuff available. Bread, food, snacks, milk, coffee, manga, magazines, porn, and anime figurine model kits are just a few of the available stuff you're able to purchase from a convenience store.
After that, Usui-san dropped me off at my dorm room. I couldn't understand anything my landlord was saying, so I just worked off gestures and kind of followed her lead.
(Front entrance to dorm room)
"It's sad when your arms, not even fully stretched can touch both walls widthwise"
My room was pretty decent to begin with. It has a kitchen, bathroom, bed, desk, fridge and TV. Basically all the comforts of a home. I don't know HOW much Hakuoh is taking the bill on in terms of rent, but it has to be something at least. I basically unpacked a few things, spent a few hours on the computer trying to find a connection to leech off of then went to bed.
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