Remember how awesome yesterday was? Invert that, and you have today.
Well, okay, maybe it wasn't THAT bad. It sucked a lot though. First of all, I was woken up at 7:00am. Okaasan shouted "SAM! TIME TO GET UP! RAKUGO TODAY!"
Fantastic.
So I groggily get myself ready. Eat breakfast too quickly. Drag the suitcase with Rakugo stuff through the train station, and wait for the express. And then, out of nowhere, this little blue parakeet (?!) swoops down and lands on the head of this lady sitting next to me, who freaks out. The bird flies away, leaving pretty much everyone shocked. What the hell? Parakeets don't live in Kyoto... Maybe someone's pet got away? Okaasan didn't quite understand my explanation, though. She thinks it was a pigeon. That was no pigeon.
I'll spare you the details on setup. It was bad.
Silver lining 1 of 2: I look great in yukata. Thank god.
Silver lining 2 of 2: I made a new friend, even if she does go to Ritsumeikan, Doshisha's rival school.
The rakugo was actually pretty good too. But by intermission, one of the worst possible things happened. For the first time in over a year, I had one of those killer can't-open-your-eyes migraines. I had to take a walk somewhere quiet until it settled down. By the time I got back, I was late. Which was bad.
The last of the performances was REALLY good. I mean, the premise was funny, and the acting was stellar. It involved getting castle guards drunk, and then tricking them into drinking a bottle of pee. Kind of childish, but hilarious nonetheless.
Skip the cleanup, fast forward to the afterparty. Wait, no. I forgot - when we left KoKoKa, it was pouring. Did I mention we had a typhoon today? We took a cab to the afterparty, with me protecting my manbag with all my might. Note to self - bring the waterproof bag when a typhoon is predicted.
Anyway, afterparty taught me why I don't drink with adults. I only had one beer, but I gotta say...I just didn't enjoy it the way I do when I hang out with my friends. Luckily, Akira was there, so I had someone to talk with. But we kept getting roped into other conversations, which was kind of tiring.
Worst of all, on the way home, the migraine struck again. Worst commute home ever. Okaasan didn't really get what a migraine was, so she kept on talking at me. She actually suggested I eat grapes to feel better. I have never heard a more 関係ない statement in my life.
I guess that was the entirety of my day. Sorry that it was all complaining today. The quality of this blog is usually much higher, but I guess the quality of my days are also usually higher too. Here's to a not-suck week leading up to the accursed Okayama trip!
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Sleeping Butterfly
Today, September 29th 2012, Choucho performed her first live concert. And I was there.
I got up pretty early to get ready. I went with my snazzy red chinos and a plain black t-shirt, with my ring-pendant for accessory. I triple checked to make sure I had my tickets, and then left for the station. After a couple transfers and a long ride, I found myself at Umeda. But no matter how much I looked, I couldn't find Esaka on the train map. When I asked, I found out why - I had to take a different train line to get there.
I never know how complex Umeda is before today. I traveled up, down, and around the maze that is Umeda Station, until I finally found the line I was looking for. Even then, things didn't go smoothly - the train I was riding stopped service at a station, and some dude had to explain to me that I had to get off and take the next train. But I wound up in Esaka some five hours before the concert.
My first mission was to find the concert hall, Esaka Muse. That wasn't easy. I asked at a Lawson for directions, but I wasn't able to figure out what the guy was talking about, turning left on some street and then looking right. There was some sort of Esaka Music Festival going on, so the street was filled with shop stalls and live music. I asked a cop where Esaka Muse was - bad idea. He told me it was in some building 5 minutes walk away. When I went, I realized he had no idea what I was looking for - he sent me to a music university. So I went into another Lawson, and got more instructions. Find the street with Mos Burger, and then it's across the street. So I wandered around for a while, putting the instructions from the two Lawsons together. And it worked! Turns out Esaka Muse is on the 5th floor of a pachinko parlor. I went up and asked about lining up and whether or not photography was permitted - it wasn't.
But then I had another four hours to kill. So I wandered around the music festival, tried to find JoJo at a local Book-Off (and failed), went to some department stores. Still, too much time. I went back to Esaka Muse and bought some merch - a fancy Choucho t-shirt. Just take my money, all of it. I chilled on a bench, and ran into another foreigner, this time from Romania. Apparently, she's interning in Osaka, but she knows virtually no Japanese. I was kind of interested in her story, until she started saying how people here do things "wrong". I acted nice, and tried to suggest that different doesn't mean bad, but she was pretty set in her opinion. I was kind of relieved when she left.
I grabbed a bite to eat at Mos Burger - it was tasty, but a little on the small side. After walking around a bit more, I popped into Baskin Robins to kill the last half hour before the show. I was set on being first in the door - after hanging around for five hours, it was the least I deserved. But there were a few other people hanging around, and when they opened doors, I was second in line. Luckily, the guy in front of me was somewhat rotund, and I beat him up the five flights of stairs. First one in, the gaijin in the fancy pants...
...is how it SHOULD have gone. But little did I know, they let you in by your ticket number. Even though its standing room only. So I dropped from first to maybe 50th or 60th. Lame! I bet if I pretended I couldn't speak Japanese, I could have gotten in earlier!
So after more waiting, I entered the club, along with a guy who had helped me understand the whole numbering system. We were talking about Choucho - it turns out, a lot of people, including him, only found out about her after she did her first Anisong. I've been a fan for over 2 years now, ever since I heard her version of Black Rock Shooter. I have the right to be all hipster about this, don't I?
The club itself was pretty small. I was able to get close to the stage, but not close as I wanted to be. I was kind of surprised by their musical selection: something by Avril Lavigne, Fly for a White Guy, then Sk8ter Boy by Avril Lavigne. Also, the crowd was mostly otaku...of the showers-once-a-month sort. It wasn't ideal, especially for a stylish foreign dude, but I made due.
And then it began. The lights dimmed, the music stopped (thank God), and the band came onstage. The tension rose. Choucho, in a sparkly pink dress with butterflies, came out on stage and belted out "flyleaf". She would generally sing two songs, then talk for a bit. She even broke out a new song - it has my complete support. I was in a good mood, jumping up and down and cheering. I know for a fact she saw me - we made eye contact. I couldn't help but break into a smile - my favorite singer was less than 20 feet away from me, looking at me from the stage. She gave a little smile back. Let me say, not only is her voice crystal clear and powerful, she's really cute. And has really pretty eyes.
Part way through, Choucho announces that her next song would be a cover of a Western song. Her parents had listened to the Beatles and The Carpenters when she was a child - her dad apparently sang to her. What happened next surprised me. She belted out a cover of The Carpenters' "I Need to Be in Love"...in perfect English. I knew she had studied in Canada, but I hadn't expected her English to be that good! I was extremely impressed and moved by her performance.
She changed outfits halfway through the show. Her first dress was cute, but the second was stunning. White sequined dress with a floral headpiece. She looked like a princess when she came out on stage. My jaw might have actually dropped.
The show ended with a bang, but we all wanted more. We called for an encore...and nothing. And then nothing. We shouted for maybe 3 or 4 minutes. The band members came out on stage, but no Choucho. We got louder. The speakers kick in. The room fills with the sound of a subway train. I immediately know what's coming. Out comes Choucho in one of the pink shirts they were selling at merch, and goes right into singing "Hajimete no Koi ga Owaru Toki". It was amazing. Why does this matter? This song is one of her earliest covers, and it's the second or third of her songs I had ever heard. I was moved close to tears; someone in the audience actually started to cry. She follows this up with Sleeping Butterfly, one of the songs she wrote for flyleaf. When she finished, Choucho thanked us all again, and left the stage.
At which point we called for second encore. I was actually leading the chant this time - shouting with all my voice "もう一回” (one more time). She comes out on stage, thanks us all for coming, and tells us this REALLY is the last song. Telling us that this song will change our futures, she sings "Kawaru Mirai". Despite my exhaustion from cheering for two hours and standing for many more than that, I gave this last song my all, jumping up and down cheering. Choucho took a bow, called the band over, and took one more. I was trying to take it all in - with the no photos policy, I have to remember everything on my own. But this was a night I will never forget.
After the show, I was going to buy one of her CDs (even though I already own them, haha) so I could get one of these little cards with her autograph. But unfortunately, they were all sold out! Still, nothing could take away me overwhelming happiness that I got to see my favorite singer live, and the pride I felt as a fan for how far she has come in the last year. I just know her future will be bright.
Although I bought a ticket a while ago for next week's Tokyo show, I won't be able to go, since KCJS is going to Okayama. It's a shame, and a waste of money, but seeing Choucho once made it all worth while. No matter where I am, whether it be Japan or America, as Choucho's #1 foreign fan, I will be cheering her on.
I got up pretty early to get ready. I went with my snazzy red chinos and a plain black t-shirt, with my ring-pendant for accessory. I triple checked to make sure I had my tickets, and then left for the station. After a couple transfers and a long ride, I found myself at Umeda. But no matter how much I looked, I couldn't find Esaka on the train map. When I asked, I found out why - I had to take a different train line to get there.
I never know how complex Umeda is before today. I traveled up, down, and around the maze that is Umeda Station, until I finally found the line I was looking for. Even then, things didn't go smoothly - the train I was riding stopped service at a station, and some dude had to explain to me that I had to get off and take the next train. But I wound up in Esaka some five hours before the concert.
My first mission was to find the concert hall, Esaka Muse. That wasn't easy. I asked at a Lawson for directions, but I wasn't able to figure out what the guy was talking about, turning left on some street and then looking right. There was some sort of Esaka Music Festival going on, so the street was filled with shop stalls and live music. I asked a cop where Esaka Muse was - bad idea. He told me it was in some building 5 minutes walk away. When I went, I realized he had no idea what I was looking for - he sent me to a music university. So I went into another Lawson, and got more instructions. Find the street with Mos Burger, and then it's across the street. So I wandered around for a while, putting the instructions from the two Lawsons together. And it worked! Turns out Esaka Muse is on the 5th floor of a pachinko parlor. I went up and asked about lining up and whether or not photography was permitted - it wasn't.
But then I had another four hours to kill. So I wandered around the music festival, tried to find JoJo at a local Book-Off (and failed), went to some department stores. Still, too much time. I went back to Esaka Muse and bought some merch - a fancy Choucho t-shirt. Just take my money, all of it. I chilled on a bench, and ran into another foreigner, this time from Romania. Apparently, she's interning in Osaka, but she knows virtually no Japanese. I was kind of interested in her story, until she started saying how people here do things "wrong". I acted nice, and tried to suggest that different doesn't mean bad, but she was pretty set in her opinion. I was kind of relieved when she left.
I grabbed a bite to eat at Mos Burger - it was tasty, but a little on the small side. After walking around a bit more, I popped into Baskin Robins to kill the last half hour before the show. I was set on being first in the door - after hanging around for five hours, it was the least I deserved. But there were a few other people hanging around, and when they opened doors, I was second in line. Luckily, the guy in front of me was somewhat rotund, and I beat him up the five flights of stairs. First one in, the gaijin in the fancy pants...
...is how it SHOULD have gone. But little did I know, they let you in by your ticket number. Even though its standing room only. So I dropped from first to maybe 50th or 60th. Lame! I bet if I pretended I couldn't speak Japanese, I could have gotten in earlier!
So after more waiting, I entered the club, along with a guy who had helped me understand the whole numbering system. We were talking about Choucho - it turns out, a lot of people, including him, only found out about her after she did her first Anisong. I've been a fan for over 2 years now, ever since I heard her version of Black Rock Shooter. I have the right to be all hipster about this, don't I?
The club itself was pretty small. I was able to get close to the stage, but not close as I wanted to be. I was kind of surprised by their musical selection: something by Avril Lavigne, Fly for a White Guy, then Sk8ter Boy by Avril Lavigne. Also, the crowd was mostly otaku...of the showers-once-a-month sort. It wasn't ideal, especially for a stylish foreign dude, but I made due.
And then it began. The lights dimmed, the music stopped (thank God), and the band came onstage. The tension rose. Choucho, in a sparkly pink dress with butterflies, came out on stage and belted out "flyleaf". She would generally sing two songs, then talk for a bit. She even broke out a new song - it has my complete support. I was in a good mood, jumping up and down and cheering. I know for a fact she saw me - we made eye contact. I couldn't help but break into a smile - my favorite singer was less than 20 feet away from me, looking at me from the stage. She gave a little smile back. Let me say, not only is her voice crystal clear and powerful, she's really cute. And has really pretty eyes.
Part way through, Choucho announces that her next song would be a cover of a Western song. Her parents had listened to the Beatles and The Carpenters when she was a child - her dad apparently sang to her. What happened next surprised me. She belted out a cover of The Carpenters' "I Need to Be in Love"...in perfect English. I knew she had studied in Canada, but I hadn't expected her English to be that good! I was extremely impressed and moved by her performance.
She changed outfits halfway through the show. Her first dress was cute, but the second was stunning. White sequined dress with a floral headpiece. She looked like a princess when she came out on stage. My jaw might have actually dropped.
The show ended with a bang, but we all wanted more. We called for an encore...and nothing. And then nothing. We shouted for maybe 3 or 4 minutes. The band members came out on stage, but no Choucho. We got louder. The speakers kick in. The room fills with the sound of a subway train. I immediately know what's coming. Out comes Choucho in one of the pink shirts they were selling at merch, and goes right into singing "Hajimete no Koi ga Owaru Toki". It was amazing. Why does this matter? This song is one of her earliest covers, and it's the second or third of her songs I had ever heard. I was moved close to tears; someone in the audience actually started to cry. She follows this up with Sleeping Butterfly, one of the songs she wrote for flyleaf. When she finished, Choucho thanked us all again, and left the stage.
At which point we called for second encore. I was actually leading the chant this time - shouting with all my voice "もう一回” (one more time). She comes out on stage, thanks us all for coming, and tells us this REALLY is the last song. Telling us that this song will change our futures, she sings "Kawaru Mirai". Despite my exhaustion from cheering for two hours and standing for many more than that, I gave this last song my all, jumping up and down cheering. Choucho took a bow, called the band over, and took one more. I was trying to take it all in - with the no photos policy, I have to remember everything on my own. But this was a night I will never forget.
After the show, I was going to buy one of her CDs (even though I already own them, haha) so I could get one of these little cards with her autograph. But unfortunately, they were all sold out! Still, nothing could take away me overwhelming happiness that I got to see my favorite singer live, and the pride I felt as a fan for how far she has come in the last year. I just know her future will be bright.
Although I bought a ticket a while ago for next week's Tokyo show, I won't be able to go, since KCJS is going to Okayama. It's a shame, and a waste of money, but seeing Choucho once made it all worth while. No matter where I am, whether it be Japan or America, as Choucho's #1 foreign fan, I will be cheering her on.
Monday, September 24, 2012
One Summer's Day
Three days late, sorry about that! Saturday was a wild and crazy day, starting at 5:30am. I had to get up for a food-field trip in Kyoto. Ironically, this was the morning my host mother bought bagels, cream cheese, and (passable) lox for breakfast - so I ate my fill. The morning commute was surprisingly tame - nobody wakes up for the 6:30 train on Saturday, I guess. Made it to Karasuma Oike with half an hour to spare. Met up with some KCJSers, killed some time, and then made our way to Yubahan.
I'm not going to give a full write up, if only because I've done it already for homework. Simply put, yuba is kind of the skin of boiled soy milk. It sounds gross, but it's really good. I ate things that don't even have names, because they aren't sold. Fresh yuba, fried yuba chips (tastes better than potato chips), and a bunch of other stuff.
After the field trip, we went over to Starbucks with a Yotsukura-sensei, and had a really interesting conversation about...something. I wish I had written this post earlier, because it seems I forgot. But anyway, getting to know teachers YAY! Afterwards, she took us to an import shop - I looked around for Kahlua. So what if it's girly, its damn tasty. Anyway, no luck. My group left to go pick up some friends. I met a couple of Hiro's college buddies, both of whom were super cool. More on them later. Then we met up with Nick, and his friend Ayaka. Yay, Japanese friends! Gotta keep it as close to the golden ratio as possible (the golden ratio is a secret).
So we started off towards Kyodai. But on the way, Christina was distracted by a manga festival, and we split our group. Bad idea, we would later realize. My team went to a food festival. Takumi (one of the aforementioned friends of Hiro) and I got hot noodles - bad idea, on a hot summer day. We chatted for a while - I really, really enjoyed our conversation. After the food, we continued on to our ultimate destination, Kyodai's Oktoberfest!
Which is where the problems began. I discovered, to my dismay, I was out of money! I had to borrow some to get a glass of delicious German beer which, due to the lack of hops, remains my favorite. Yum. But it was really pricy. Really, really pricy. So we decided to leave. But no, we couldn't we first had to reunite the groups. I'll spare you the details. It took an hour before we could get going again.
Due to my monetary depletion, I had to stop off at a 7-11 to pick up some bills. This is where the trouble really began. Due to factors I had yet to realize, I was unable to withdraw money. Cue freak out. In Japan, no money. WHAT.
We took the train to Shijo to buy beer at the コンビニ, during which I called my card companies. Luckily, I got it straightened out. I went with Kenji and Takumi to get some cash, and bought myself some drinks. I earned it. I was just about to join the others on the riverside to enjoy my purchase when trouble struck again.
In my distracted, money-deprived state, I had forgotten to contact my friend Leila, who was waiting at the station for us. I kept her waiting for two hours. She was going to have my head. Simultaneously, we had decided to split up into two groups for dinner. My team, following my stomach's impulse, went for Okonomiyaki. With me were Nick, two AKP students, Kenji, and Akira (the other of Hiro's friends). Once we ordered, I went off (with Kenji) to redeem myself. We walked halfway across the city (lies) to pick up Leila, and brought her back to the restaurant. I apologized profusely for missing her texts. Luckily, things worked out, and we wound up back on good terms. Back at the restaurant, the food has long since been cooked up, and we dug right in when we got there. Turns out, Akira also likes Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, making him the first of my Jojo Comrades. I can't describe how awesome this is.
Wait, I can. Nowhere near as awesome as the fact that Akira is priest in training, next in line to run a major temple in Nara. Somehow I forgot the name, but it's a big deal. Turns out, he's also the head of the Sado Club (tea ceremony). When I told him about my (very loose) connection to Sen no Rikyu, he asked me to introduce them. I'll see what I can do ^_^
We joined the AKP students at a bar, but everyone seemed to be super happy being around other gaijin. I don't share their interest, unfortunately. It was neat to see Jared there, although he was on his way to the fun part of the evening. I hear antics later ensued when they went to a club. I sat in the back with Kenji, Leila, and Akira, and we shared a few pitchers of beer. Akira showed one of his cool talents - he reads palms (or something like that). I was legitimately impressed. Unfortunately, he had to bail early. We left not too long after - the smoke started getting to me. So we headed home, although we stopped at a yogurt place on the way back. It was from Hawaii!
And then I came home, and slept. Overall, great day. Made some new friends, whom I hope to meet again soon. And I really owe a lot to Kenji, for helping me out with my multitude of unexpected problems.
I'm not going to give a full write up, if only because I've done it already for homework. Simply put, yuba is kind of the skin of boiled soy milk. It sounds gross, but it's really good. I ate things that don't even have names, because they aren't sold. Fresh yuba, fried yuba chips (tastes better than potato chips), and a bunch of other stuff.
After the field trip, we went over to Starbucks with a Yotsukura-sensei, and had a really interesting conversation about...something. I wish I had written this post earlier, because it seems I forgot. But anyway, getting to know teachers YAY! Afterwards, she took us to an import shop - I looked around for Kahlua. So what if it's girly, its damn tasty. Anyway, no luck. My group left to go pick up some friends. I met a couple of Hiro's college buddies, both of whom were super cool. More on them later. Then we met up with Nick, and his friend Ayaka. Yay, Japanese friends! Gotta keep it as close to the golden ratio as possible (the golden ratio is a secret).
So we started off towards Kyodai. But on the way, Christina was distracted by a manga festival, and we split our group. Bad idea, we would later realize. My team went to a food festival. Takumi (one of the aforementioned friends of Hiro) and I got hot noodles - bad idea, on a hot summer day. We chatted for a while - I really, really enjoyed our conversation. After the food, we continued on to our ultimate destination, Kyodai's Oktoberfest!
Which is where the problems began. I discovered, to my dismay, I was out of money! I had to borrow some to get a glass of delicious German beer which, due to the lack of hops, remains my favorite. Yum. But it was really pricy. Really, really pricy. So we decided to leave. But no, we couldn't we first had to reunite the groups. I'll spare you the details. It took an hour before we could get going again.
Due to my monetary depletion, I had to stop off at a 7-11 to pick up some bills. This is where the trouble really began. Due to factors I had yet to realize, I was unable to withdraw money. Cue freak out. In Japan, no money. WHAT.
We took the train to Shijo to buy beer at the コンビニ, during which I called my card companies. Luckily, I got it straightened out. I went with Kenji and Takumi to get some cash, and bought myself some drinks. I earned it. I was just about to join the others on the riverside to enjoy my purchase when trouble struck again.
In my distracted, money-deprived state, I had forgotten to contact my friend Leila, who was waiting at the station for us. I kept her waiting for two hours. She was going to have my head. Simultaneously, we had decided to split up into two groups for dinner. My team, following my stomach's impulse, went for Okonomiyaki. With me were Nick, two AKP students, Kenji, and Akira (the other of Hiro's friends). Once we ordered, I went off (with Kenji) to redeem myself. We walked halfway across the city (lies) to pick up Leila, and brought her back to the restaurant. I apologized profusely for missing her texts. Luckily, things worked out, and we wound up back on good terms. Back at the restaurant, the food has long since been cooked up, and we dug right in when we got there. Turns out, Akira also likes Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, making him the first of my Jojo Comrades. I can't describe how awesome this is.
Wait, I can. Nowhere near as awesome as the fact that Akira is priest in training, next in line to run a major temple in Nara. Somehow I forgot the name, but it's a big deal. Turns out, he's also the head of the Sado Club (tea ceremony). When I told him about my (very loose) connection to Sen no Rikyu, he asked me to introduce them. I'll see what I can do ^_^
We joined the AKP students at a bar, but everyone seemed to be super happy being around other gaijin. I don't share their interest, unfortunately. It was neat to see Jared there, although he was on his way to the fun part of the evening. I hear antics later ensued when they went to a club. I sat in the back with Kenji, Leila, and Akira, and we shared a few pitchers of beer. Akira showed one of his cool talents - he reads palms (or something like that). I was legitimately impressed. Unfortunately, he had to bail early. We left not too long after - the smoke started getting to me. So we headed home, although we stopped at a yogurt place on the way back. It was from Hawaii!
And then I came home, and slept. Overall, great day. Made some new friends, whom I hope to meet again soon. And I really owe a lot to Kenji, for helping me out with my multitude of unexpected problems.
First Shot
This is my busiest week yet! I've got a paper and an exam coming up...will have to join the dance team next week instead. Still, this week started with a bang! I hope that this energy lasts until Friday （笑）
In my Japanese class this morning, we studied Kansai-ben (the accent used in the prefectures around Kyoto), which I've been meaning to learn. I actually learned a lot from my friends in Amagasaki, but getting it in a classroom setting was pretty neat too. I'm serious about learning it, too. If I can master Kansai-ben, I can appear on TV as a famous gaijin celebrity and make ALL the money. Either way, tons of fun to hear my classmates going around saying ～やで and なんでやねん。
And for the second hour of class...we went bowling! Seriously. We piled into taxis, and went down Kawaramachi-dori to Round One. I led the pack, no big deal. They didn't have my size shoes in the vending machines, so I had to ask for them. Luckily, they had some that fit me well enough. We got assigned to bowling lanes, and I was paired with my classmate Leila (aka 昼寝ちゃん）,Tala-chan, and Yamaoka-sensei. I suck pretty hard at bowling, but the kicker was that Yamaoka-sensei used to be a serious bowler. Folks here take their bowling pretty seriously, just saying. It goes without saying that I lost. I wound up in third place, with Leila in fourth. But to be honest, it was her first game, and I beat her by one point. So I'm really the worst bowler.
Except not. Prizes were awarded to the top four and the worst. I was none of them, surprisingly. My kyudo-brother Aarron won the booby prize (yes, there's a word for that in Japanese). As much as I would have liked to stick around and hang out, I had afternoon classes. So I hopped back into the taxi, and rode back over to Doshisha, Imadegawa campus.
Fast forward to the end of class. The only thing worth mentioning there was that Henry kept on walking into the room at the WORST times possible (the second time involved platypuses; I won't mention what we were talking about the first time). Anyway, after class, me, 昼寝, and Kenji went to Futaba, where I made use of my super handy iPad to record my experience at the shop. I need all the data I can get for my Flavors of Kyoto course. After breaking off from those two, I went on to my bakery, Ryugetsudou, and did the same. I asked for recommendations, as usual, and the ladies suggested the walnut bread, as usual. But since the french bread was fresh baked, I picked out a walnut baguette (it was the cashier's personal recommendation), and ate it on route to the dojo. Fresh bread = best thing ever. EVER.
Ironically, I wound up getting to the dojo at the same time as Leila and Kenji. Considering they had bikes, they should have beat me, but whatever, right? Time for some excellent archery. In fact, today was a day for excellent archery. I got stuck with an 11kg bow - but there was no way I could pull that. So sensei swapped it for an 8kg bow a middle school girl had just finished with. Yes, I'm on par with a middle school girl. Bite me.
Sensei continued to criticize my grip on the bow - something was funky with my wrist. She actually went so far as to punch me in the stomach (not so hard, no worries) to make her point. It worked, as strange as it seems. The way I was holding it earlier was weak - if you threw a punch like that, you'd break your wrist. At the step where you ready the bow to shoot, you have to keep your wrist straight with your arm. I finally got it!
And then sensei broke out the yugake, the gloves worn in Kyudo. I tried it on, and had another epiphany, this time related to holding the arrow. You don't actually touch the arrow. It snaps onto the string. The right hand pulls the string, and the arrow stays in place. Neat trick! I only figured that out after dropping the arrow five or six times. While I was practicing, Aarron got to shoot for the first time. Not on the actual range, just on those big straw targets. Still, lucky guy! I kept practicing, and finally sensei came over to see how I was doing. When I got to the drawing stage, she helped me with the bow, and asked me if I wanted to shoot. My reply was fairly obvious. If it was okay with her, hell yes I did! And so I took another step forward in Kyudo. I'll tell you, my heart was racing, and my hands were shaking. But man, did it feel great! Little by little, I've been progressing, but if you think about it, this is only my fourth class! I'll keep on giving it my best. I feel a strong respect for my sensei - after the lesson, she asked me if I was tired, which I was. But then she asked if I was happy - which I also was. She gave us some sweets she got from another student as omiyage. I'm going to get her a little something from Futaba for Thursday.
I took the bus home today - I was wiped out from practice. I ate a huge dinner - miso pork, eggplant, cucumber salad, rice, special festival rice, umeboshi (jumbo sized!), and then some jelly thing. I have no idea why I'm so hungry, but I just keep eating! Archery must be good for metabolism.
I'm gonna rest my hands now - they're achy from practice with the bow. I'll do my best this week as well!
In my Japanese class this morning, we studied Kansai-ben (the accent used in the prefectures around Kyoto), which I've been meaning to learn. I actually learned a lot from my friends in Amagasaki, but getting it in a classroom setting was pretty neat too. I'm serious about learning it, too. If I can master Kansai-ben, I can appear on TV as a famous gaijin celebrity and make ALL the money. Either way, tons of fun to hear my classmates going around saying ～やで and なんでやねん。
And for the second hour of class...we went bowling! Seriously. We piled into taxis, and went down Kawaramachi-dori to Round One. I led the pack, no big deal. They didn't have my size shoes in the vending machines, so I had to ask for them. Luckily, they had some that fit me well enough. We got assigned to bowling lanes, and I was paired with my classmate Leila (aka 昼寝ちゃん）,Tala-chan, and Yamaoka-sensei. I suck pretty hard at bowling, but the kicker was that Yamaoka-sensei used to be a serious bowler. Folks here take their bowling pretty seriously, just saying. It goes without saying that I lost. I wound up in third place, with Leila in fourth. But to be honest, it was her first game, and I beat her by one point. So I'm really the worst bowler.
Except not. Prizes were awarded to the top four and the worst. I was none of them, surprisingly. My kyudo-brother Aarron won the booby prize (yes, there's a word for that in Japanese). As much as I would have liked to stick around and hang out, I had afternoon classes. So I hopped back into the taxi, and rode back over to Doshisha, Imadegawa campus.
Fast forward to the end of class. The only thing worth mentioning there was that Henry kept on walking into the room at the WORST times possible (the second time involved platypuses; I won't mention what we were talking about the first time). Anyway, after class, me, 昼寝, and Kenji went to Futaba, where I made use of my super handy iPad to record my experience at the shop. I need all the data I can get for my Flavors of Kyoto course. After breaking off from those two, I went on to my bakery, Ryugetsudou, and did the same. I asked for recommendations, as usual, and the ladies suggested the walnut bread, as usual. But since the french bread was fresh baked, I picked out a walnut baguette (it was the cashier's personal recommendation), and ate it on route to the dojo. Fresh bread = best thing ever. EVER.
Ironically, I wound up getting to the dojo at the same time as Leila and Kenji. Considering they had bikes, they should have beat me, but whatever, right? Time for some excellent archery. In fact, today was a day for excellent archery. I got stuck with an 11kg bow - but there was no way I could pull that. So sensei swapped it for an 8kg bow a middle school girl had just finished with. Yes, I'm on par with a middle school girl. Bite me.
Sensei continued to criticize my grip on the bow - something was funky with my wrist. She actually went so far as to punch me in the stomach (not so hard, no worries) to make her point. It worked, as strange as it seems. The way I was holding it earlier was weak - if you threw a punch like that, you'd break your wrist. At the step where you ready the bow to shoot, you have to keep your wrist straight with your arm. I finally got it!
And then sensei broke out the yugake, the gloves worn in Kyudo. I tried it on, and had another epiphany, this time related to holding the arrow. You don't actually touch the arrow. It snaps onto the string. The right hand pulls the string, and the arrow stays in place. Neat trick! I only figured that out after dropping the arrow five or six times. While I was practicing, Aarron got to shoot for the first time. Not on the actual range, just on those big straw targets. Still, lucky guy! I kept practicing, and finally sensei came over to see how I was doing. When I got to the drawing stage, she helped me with the bow, and asked me if I wanted to shoot. My reply was fairly obvious. If it was okay with her, hell yes I did! And so I took another step forward in Kyudo. I'll tell you, my heart was racing, and my hands were shaking. But man, did it feel great! Little by little, I've been progressing, but if you think about it, this is only my fourth class! I'll keep on giving it my best. I feel a strong respect for my sensei - after the lesson, she asked me if I was tired, which I was. But then she asked if I was happy - which I also was. She gave us some sweets she got from another student as omiyage. I'm going to get her a little something from Futaba for Thursday.
I took the bus home today - I was wiped out from practice. I ate a huge dinner - miso pork, eggplant, cucumber salad, rice, special festival rice, umeboshi (jumbo sized!), and then some jelly thing. I have no idea why I'm so hungry, but I just keep eating! Archery must be good for metabolism.
I'm gonna rest my hands now - they're achy from practice with the bow. I'll do my best this week as well!
Friday, September 21, 2012
Way of the Bow, Part 2
My apologies for the delay - I've been trying to find the best ways to juggle my time, and sometimes that means less computer time. Yesterday was my third Kyudo lesson, and a lot of what I've been practicing has come together. I got to the dojo early, and sensei sent me to learn how to clean the range. It turns out the mound is made of sand - between practices, they wet the sand and reshape it with this paddle-like thing. Also, Kawaguchi-sensei has lightning ninja reflexes - just after the greeting ritual, a mosquito landed on her arm. In a fraction of a second, she slapped it without looking. I hardly even saw her hand move!
Today, both of the foreigners showed up - Wolf and Sebastian. As usual, I played the interpreter. We practiced kata again, until finally sensei came over and said, "I think it would make more sense if you were actually holding bows." And so, we went out back to the storage shed, which was FILLED with bows. I mean, tens if not hundreds. Sensei picked out a bow for each of us - mine weighs in at 10 kilograms. Before we could use them, however, we had to string them. Let me tell you, it's not easy. You stick the top of the bow in this hole in the wall to keep it steady, crouch down, and bend the bow upwards.When you've reached the correct angle, you attach the string to the bottom of the bow, and then gently let the tension out. It took my three tries. When I got it, sensei showed me that I did it wrong: something about the string being backwards. So she restrung it, but instead of using the wall, she braced the bow with her leg. WHY IS SHE SO COOL?
And so we began practicing with the bow. We got to hold the arrow, too, but she made us drop them before we got to the drawing part. It's dangerous unless you have a glove on, I'm told. And that's just fine with me - practicing with the bow makes a lot more sense, but introduces many more variables into the equation. For one thing, the position of the bow changes a lot - you rotate it as you proceed through the first two steps, and you have to keep it at the correct angle. That also has to do with actually holding the bow properly, another thing I had a bit of trouble with. Sensei got a bit snippy since I kept getting it wrong. She likes to pretend she's strict, but since she's always smiling, I can tell that she's actually quite caring. She's just a hands-down good teacher. Few and far between, those.
But back to the problems: I'm too weak/don't have good enough form to draw the bow well. I don't think I've been able to get it to full width, just because I'm not strong enough. But the amount of force required to pull back the string makes my posture sloppy, and makes my bow tremble. I'll have to practice a lot more before I'll actually be able to shoot an arrow. But if tiny old Japanese women can draw a bow, so can I! Incidentally, sensei was able to, using three bows at once, draw over 30 kilograms at once. Not surprising, since she's practiced since she was 12 years old!
I'm hoping to take my first shot before my 21st birthday, so I have about 20 days to improve. Cue Rocky training montage.
Today, both of the foreigners showed up - Wolf and Sebastian. As usual, I played the interpreter. We practiced kata again, until finally sensei came over and said, "I think it would make more sense if you were actually holding bows." And so, we went out back to the storage shed, which was FILLED with bows. I mean, tens if not hundreds. Sensei picked out a bow for each of us - mine weighs in at 10 kilograms. Before we could use them, however, we had to string them. Let me tell you, it's not easy. You stick the top of the bow in this hole in the wall to keep it steady, crouch down, and bend the bow upwards.When you've reached the correct angle, you attach the string to the bottom of the bow, and then gently let the tension out. It took my three tries. When I got it, sensei showed me that I did it wrong: something about the string being backwards. So she restrung it, but instead of using the wall, she braced the bow with her leg. WHY IS SHE SO COOL?
And so we began practicing with the bow. We got to hold the arrow, too, but she made us drop them before we got to the drawing part. It's dangerous unless you have a glove on, I'm told. And that's just fine with me - practicing with the bow makes a lot more sense, but introduces many more variables into the equation. For one thing, the position of the bow changes a lot - you rotate it as you proceed through the first two steps, and you have to keep it at the correct angle. That also has to do with actually holding the bow properly, another thing I had a bit of trouble with. Sensei got a bit snippy since I kept getting it wrong. She likes to pretend she's strict, but since she's always smiling, I can tell that she's actually quite caring. She's just a hands-down good teacher. Few and far between, those.
But back to the problems: I'm too weak/don't have good enough form to draw the bow well. I don't think I've been able to get it to full width, just because I'm not strong enough. But the amount of force required to pull back the string makes my posture sloppy, and makes my bow tremble. I'll have to practice a lot more before I'll actually be able to shoot an arrow. But if tiny old Japanese women can draw a bow, so can I! Incidentally, sensei was able to, using three bows at once, draw over 30 kilograms at once. Not surprising, since she's practiced since she was 12 years old!
I'm hoping to take my first shot before my 21st birthday, so I have about 20 days to improve. Cue Rocky training montage.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Wabi-Sabi Teatime
I hadn't anticipated anything particularly interesting happening this week, but it seems things have a funny way of working out. For the better, in this case. One of my classmates is using a tea house for her Foods of Kyoto observation project. And she dragged me along, as well as a couple of my Japanese friends, Kenji and Ryuji. We went up to Teramachi-dori and then some, to this store called Ippodo. Upon internet research, they've been around for a while. How very Kyoto.
Anywho, the prices were the first thing I saw. Namely, expensive. But I like tea. A lot. So I ordered sencha (for some reason, the waiter's description of sencha was really appealing). I didn't expect what was coming next: they brought me two cups, a can of tea, and a pot. And then gave me VERY specific instructions. You pour water into one cup. Transfer to the other cup to cool it. Wait till the steam becomes more scarce, then add it to the pot. Wait exactly 50 seconds, then pour till the last drop. Drink.
WHAT.
It was good, by the way. Bitter, but good. Christina's was more complex, with four cups. Looked like some sort of twisted board game. I think Ryuji's tea was the kicker though: matcha so thick it looked like paint. Tasted great though. And the wagashi. My god, I LOVE traditional Japanese sweets. Hands down, wagashi and tea is the best snack, ever. Not that you'd want to have it every day, but the cultural experience is unrivaled.
Also, talking with Ryuji brought back my massive banks of tea-related knowledge. The cultural significance of tea, the history of how it came to Japan, the aesthetics that go with it. I can't believe I forgot how awesome tea is! I'll have to join a circle or something next semester. Coincidentally, Ryuji knows the descendant of Sen-no-Rikyu. If you don't understand the significance of that statement, (http://bit.ly/OchGGj).
So, tea is cool, Sam knows Japanese history, and I'm still not dead despite the amount of work I have. Pretty much all is going well. Except that my host dad probably just told me to put on a shirt. Darn, and here I was enjoying the not-sweltering Japanese summer.
Anywho, the prices were the first thing I saw. Namely, expensive. But I like tea. A lot. So I ordered sencha (for some reason, the waiter's description of sencha was really appealing). I didn't expect what was coming next: they brought me two cups, a can of tea, and a pot. And then gave me VERY specific instructions. You pour water into one cup. Transfer to the other cup to cool it. Wait till the steam becomes more scarce, then add it to the pot. Wait exactly 50 seconds, then pour till the last drop. Drink.
WHAT.
It was good, by the way. Bitter, but good. Christina's was more complex, with four cups. Looked like some sort of twisted board game. I think Ryuji's tea was the kicker though: matcha so thick it looked like paint. Tasted great though. And the wagashi. My god, I LOVE traditional Japanese sweets. Hands down, wagashi and tea is the best snack, ever. Not that you'd want to have it every day, but the cultural experience is unrivaled.
Also, talking with Ryuji brought back my massive banks of tea-related knowledge. The cultural significance of tea, the history of how it came to Japan, the aesthetics that go with it. I can't believe I forgot how awesome tea is! I'll have to join a circle or something next semester. Coincidentally, Ryuji knows the descendant of Sen-no-Rikyu. If you don't understand the significance of that statement, (http://bit.ly/OchGGj).
So, tea is cool, Sam knows Japanese history, and I'm still not dead despite the amount of work I have. Pretty much all is going well. Except that my host dad probably just told me to put on a shirt. Darn, and here I was enjoying the not-sweltering Japanese summer.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Because Japan is Better With Friends
This weekend was awesome, and the title should tell you exactly why. I suppose you could add in "and Sake" as well, if you like.
On Friday, as soon as we finished class, I ran over to Futaba (the wagashi-ya) and picked up some of their famous mame-mochi (ggrks). I headed back to Imadegawa, and took the train to Shijo, where I transferred and continued on to Umeda (Osaka). I called Haruhi's mother from the station, and then took the train to Mukonoso. It really felt like coming home after living in Joyo, which is relatively Inaka (countryside). Haruhi and her mother met me at the station. It was...strange at first, to be honest. Despite chatting online, I hadn't seen Haruhi at all in three years. So it took a bit until that awkward feeling went away.
The three of us went to lunch at an Italian restaurant by the station. I put out my usual "I eat everything", not only because it's true, but because I hate reading menus here. It's all kanji, or weird katakana. But really, I do eat EVERYTHING. Mostly. Bitter things are a no-go, like the goya, a nasty looking cucumber. I digress. Lunch was great: pizza (and not the weird Japanese kinda!), pasta, bread, salad. Oh man, oh man, I ate everything. Haruhi's mother observed that I eat more now than I did two weeks ago - probably comes with getting used to the territory.
We returned home, having borrowed some umbrellas (it started to rain). The three of us talked for a few hours, and I broke out some omiyage - the goodies from Futaba, and the chocolates from Max Brenner's. They were both received really well; I really enjoying giving presents here in Japan. Shortly, however, Haruhi had to go to her part time job. It's tough being a college student, even in Japan. While she was away, I caught up with her mom- I swear, she's like a second mother to me. There are so many similarities between the Fujiwaras and the Allens. So very many. We ate some okonomiyaki and yakisoba, again, during which I ate far more than I did the first time I stayed over. She also helped me do my reading homework, which would have been impossible on my own: it featured a cultural reference that even a young Japanese student (like, college student) wouldn't be able to understand. Basically, she saved my butt this week.
The two of us went to the station to pick up Haruhi, during which her father arrived home. He called us, frantic: we left the fan on, but as he didn't know this, he believed that the gods had entered his home, and used his fan. That's a common thing in Japan; we in America would have said a ghost did it or something. Haruhi laughed at him when she heard about it. After arriving home, the four of us worked on my grammar homework. By which I mean, the three of us worked on making example sentences, and her father made stupid puns. I really enjoyed them though, and jotted them down on my homework. Example: use ～ものの (monono); もののけ姫 (Princess Mononoke) That's the sort of jokes he told, anyway.
Just as we finished up my homework, Hide returned home from Tokyo. The three of us stayed up for a while talking and cracking jokes. I explained to them the "art" of Facebook stalking (which is totally not sketch). We then proceeded to creep on all my friends, especially those studying in Japan. Hide called up a friend, and mentioned the "Gaijin named Sam" he was hanging out with. Nice. Apparently, my toothbrush is NOT Japan sized, because the called it gorilla-sized. And so I went from Gaijin to Gorilla in the course of an hour. We headed to bed at 2am, but as I was sharing a room with Hide, we naturally stayed up talking for a while longer. Just regular guy talk, and all that jazz. It turns out Hide really likes moroheya, if you know what that is.
The next day, I woke up significantly earlier than Haruhi and Hide. I chatted with their mom for a bit, and then we studied for a while. When Haruhi got up, I asked her and her mother to help me devise a strategy to explain my need for a bigger breakfast to my host parents. We worked up a script for what I should say: it pretty much took the angle of "more food for the purpose of cultural understanding of Japanese mealtime". When Hide got up, we left for our daily adventure...
Which took us to Den Den Town, the Osaka equivalent of Akihabara. Which means I had the odd position of knowing most of the stuff there, but being creeped out by the people there. I knew almost every song playing in the stores (to be fair, more than half was Vocaloid). We poked around some shops, and talked about perception of the "Otaku" - there's a significant gap between the Western and Japanese understanding of the word. When we got hungry, we took the subway to our second stop, Tsuruhashi...
AKA Koreatown. Think China Town in New York. Same idea, but Korea. As a side note, they had a lot of pig's feet. No thank you, I'm fine without. We found a neat little place and nommed on raymen (cold ramen), bibimbap, and some sort of Korean-Okonomiyaki. All spicy and good in the usual Korean fashion. It was GOOD. Really good. But most surprisingly, the three of us eating our fill of Korean food cost us less than $20. Let me see you do that in Boston.
Since we had a lot of time left before dinner, we hit up a karaoke place for a couple hours. It was the first time in three years I had gone to karaoke with Haruhi, and the first time I actually sang with her there. It was, as expected, a blast. I warmed up with some English classics (Piano Mans), and I heard one of AKB48's songs for the first time. That was...interesting? Japan is weird. Actually, more than the song, the music video was just very shocking. Also very fun to watch. It also became very clear that Haruhi and Hidehiro are siblings - they like about 90% the same music. Really, it was funny seeing Hide on backup vocals for Haruhi's songs.
With a few more hours to burn, we headed back to Umeda, and went to Namco Game Center. Hide and I played the shooting game again (I lost, though), and then Haruhi and I played air hockey (a neat variant with multiple small pucks and stuff) against Hide...and lost again. But probably the best part of the Game Center was Purikura (ggrks). We all picked out some funny things to wear (Hide and I went with afros, and Haruhi chose a takoyaki hat) and then made stupid poses for five minutes. Most of the pictures came out well (probably thanks to the magical Purikura machine making everything look better than it really is), and I'm really happy to have a copy. I'm probably going to hang it up somewhere.
We headed back to Mukonoso, and met up with Haruhi's parents for dinner at a chicken restaurant. I went in expecting the regular meat-on-skewers. I wasn't disappointed, but it wasn't exactly what I expected, either. Let me tell you, I ate things there I never thought I would eat in my lifetime. Things like...heart. Skin. Cartilage. And more... It was certainly an experience worth having once. Once. This was really a case where it was better not to ask what I was eating. In retrospect though, Haruhi's mother told me that it isn't common to eat this sort of meal - maybe one in a year. Side note: organ meats are called "Hormone" here, and they're popular in the winter to give you stamina. I think I can deal with the heat a while longer, thanks. Ah, and I had this weird beer called happoshu that has a lower alcohol content than regular beer. But I had a lot of it.
And so tipsy Sam and Haruhi went to the movie rental store. I was insistent on finding Firefly, but, as one should have expected, they don't have that in Japan. I enjoyed looking through their CD rental section too. My nerdy side really came out this weekend - it's nice every once and a while not to have to worry about being judged. Pretty much everyone in the Fujiwara family has told me: "Don't worry, I'm used to it by now". Yay, friends!
The next morning, again being the first one up, I studied for a while, and had a fantastic curry sandwich for breakfast. I don't know how she does it, but Okaasan's breakfasts are always amazing. I was tempted to switch host families for a bit there. Once the whole crew was up, we headed out for some shopping before the return to Kyoto. First stop was Book Off, where I was hoping to buy all of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Paradoxically, they were sold out of every volume of the series. I was very tempted to buy a trumpet for 10,000 yen ($100), but I stopped myself - no time to practice. Next was an 100 yen store, where I got some vital supplies (binder reinforcements and lint rollers). Finally we stopped for lunch at an Udon-ya. I was pretty hungry, and my Japanese gets kind of funky when I'm hungry. But they ordered for me, and so I wound up with a big bowl of udon, plus an Ume-flavored Inarizushi. I didn't like udon much before this. But now I've seen the light. Without a doubt, this was the best bowl of noodles I've had since getting to Japan. The flavor, small, texture, everything was just right. Also, ume-inarizushi is WAY better than it sounds - sweet and sour balanced nicely with rice. I drained my soup to the last drop, that's how good it was. I kind of want to go back...
And that was it for my Osaka adventure! Haruhi, who had a party that evening, went back to Kyoto with me. We talked for a bit, but she needed to nap (we stayed up REALLY late again, tends to happen when you see an old friend). Funny thing is, I fell asleep too. This has to be the first sign of the transformation into Nihonjin - I've begun to attain Skill #1. Oh, for those of you who are worrying, relax. This is Japan, it's perfectly safe to sleep on the trains here. Everyone does it. Nobody steals anyone's stuff or anything.
I parted ways with Haruhi at Kyoto Station, and found a cafe to study in for a while. I had a lot of time to kill before I met up with Okaasan for the Beer Garden Party. An hour later, I wandered over to Yodobashi Camera to do some light shopping. By which I mean, staring at things I want. As usual, I sat down an played piano in their instrument section. Nobody seems to care...which is cool with me! I also bummed around in the CD section, until I decided to take a rest on their rest floor. I found the gatchapon Nick had mentioned a week earlier. I had to debate whether or not to try my hand at the JoJo machine...and I decided yes. The force was with me, and all that: I wound up with Dio Brando, the most magnificent villain ever. Victory was mine.
And then beer.
No, just kidding. I found Okaasan at the hotel, where she was meeting with one of her students. Soon, the rest of the crew showed up (including Nick) and we headed upstairs. And then, beer. For real this time. All you can eat, all you can drink. Good times. Two hours of food and drink goodness. Details here are unneeded.
Suffice to say, two hours later, Sam was very happy. Well, Sam was intoxicated and hanging out with a friend, so Sam was very happy. And happy Sam is very susceptible to further fun, and so the younger members of our group (a housewife, two other students, me, and Nick) went off to karaoke. I got to hear both Chinese and Korean songs...and they were really good. The Chinese girl especially had a good voice. Funny side note: I scared a small boy when going to the bathroom. I guess I opened the door too quickly and he wasn't expecting to see a white dude on the other side. Sorry, little dude.
Somehow or other, I made it home fairly smoothly. And then slept like a log. The next morning, I rode the bus on over to the Kyudo dojo to watch a tournament. Sadly, I only got to see the last round. The archers were totally badass though. I want to compete too! Or at least shoot a real arrow.
Then came the awkward challenge of crossing Kyoto. I could have taken a taxi, but I don't really know taxi procedure in Japan. So instead, I walked, took a train, then a bus, then more walking. I wound up at this huge shrine. I have to say, I forgot how great it feels to cross the threshold into a Shinto shrine. The barrier between in/out is so strong that it's practically tangible. Inside is such a strong aura of peace.
Anyway, I found the rakugo group, and watched them perform. I...didn't understand much, sadly. Very fast Osaka-ben is not easy to follow. But the last guy who performed in English was really good! Afterwards, I kind of loitered around, waiting for the after party. My host mother kind of embaressed me the way my real mother does sometimes - she went right up to some Japanese students and told them I wanted to make friends. Real smooth, ma. But somehow it worked out. I exchange some friendly introductions, and wound up speaking with a bunch of Japanese students all night. By the end, they were all quite drunk, coming to me for high-fives and falling over, plus being shocked and awed before my mighty munage.
And that was the whole weekend. Sorry for the lack of detail in some places - it would take too long to explain everything. Suffice to say, it was a GOOD long weekend.
Osakaben
On Friday, as soon as we finished class, I ran over to Futaba (the wagashi-ya) and picked up some of their famous mame-mochi (ggrks). I headed back to Imadegawa, and took the train to Shijo, where I transferred and continued on to Umeda (Osaka). I called Haruhi's mother from the station, and then took the train to Mukonoso. It really felt like coming home after living in Joyo, which is relatively Inaka (countryside). Haruhi and her mother met me at the station. It was...strange at first, to be honest. Despite chatting online, I hadn't seen Haruhi at all in three years. So it took a bit until that awkward feeling went away.
The three of us went to lunch at an Italian restaurant by the station. I put out my usual "I eat everything", not only because it's true, but because I hate reading menus here. It's all kanji, or weird katakana. But really, I do eat EVERYTHING. Mostly. Bitter things are a no-go, like the goya, a nasty looking cucumber. I digress. Lunch was great: pizza (and not the weird Japanese kinda!), pasta, bread, salad. Oh man, oh man, I ate everything. Haruhi's mother observed that I eat more now than I did two weeks ago - probably comes with getting used to the territory.
We returned home, having borrowed some umbrellas (it started to rain). The three of us talked for a few hours, and I broke out some omiyage - the goodies from Futaba, and the chocolates from Max Brenner's. They were both received really well; I really enjoying giving presents here in Japan. Shortly, however, Haruhi had to go to her part time job. It's tough being a college student, even in Japan. While she was away, I caught up with her mom- I swear, she's like a second mother to me. There are so many similarities between the Fujiwaras and the Allens. So very many. We ate some okonomiyaki and yakisoba, again, during which I ate far more than I did the first time I stayed over. She also helped me do my reading homework, which would have been impossible on my own: it featured a cultural reference that even a young Japanese student (like, college student) wouldn't be able to understand. Basically, she saved my butt this week.
The two of us went to the station to pick up Haruhi, during which her father arrived home. He called us, frantic: we left the fan on, but as he didn't know this, he believed that the gods had entered his home, and used his fan. That's a common thing in Japan; we in America would have said a ghost did it or something. Haruhi laughed at him when she heard about it. After arriving home, the four of us worked on my grammar homework. By which I mean, the three of us worked on making example sentences, and her father made stupid puns. I really enjoyed them though, and jotted them down on my homework. Example: use ～ものの (monono); もののけ姫 (Princess Mononoke) That's the sort of jokes he told, anyway.
Just as we finished up my homework, Hide returned home from Tokyo. The three of us stayed up for a while talking and cracking jokes. I explained to them the "art" of Facebook stalking (which is totally not sketch). We then proceeded to creep on all my friends, especially those studying in Japan. Hide called up a friend, and mentioned the "Gaijin named Sam" he was hanging out with. Nice. Apparently, my toothbrush is NOT Japan sized, because the called it gorilla-sized. And so I went from Gaijin to Gorilla in the course of an hour. We headed to bed at 2am, but as I was sharing a room with Hide, we naturally stayed up talking for a while longer. Just regular guy talk, and all that jazz. It turns out Hide really likes moroheya, if you know what that is.
The next day, I woke up significantly earlier than Haruhi and Hide. I chatted with their mom for a bit, and then we studied for a while. When Haruhi got up, I asked her and her mother to help me devise a strategy to explain my need for a bigger breakfast to my host parents. We worked up a script for what I should say: it pretty much took the angle of "more food for the purpose of cultural understanding of Japanese mealtime". When Hide got up, we left for our daily adventure...
Which took us to Den Den Town, the Osaka equivalent of Akihabara. Which means I had the odd position of knowing most of the stuff there, but being creeped out by the people there. I knew almost every song playing in the stores (to be fair, more than half was Vocaloid). We poked around some shops, and talked about perception of the "Otaku" - there's a significant gap between the Western and Japanese understanding of the word. When we got hungry, we took the subway to our second stop, Tsuruhashi...
AKA Koreatown. Think China Town in New York. Same idea, but Korea. As a side note, they had a lot of pig's feet. No thank you, I'm fine without. We found a neat little place and nommed on raymen (cold ramen), bibimbap, and some sort of Korean-Okonomiyaki. All spicy and good in the usual Korean fashion. It was GOOD. Really good. But most surprisingly, the three of us eating our fill of Korean food cost us less than $20. Let me see you do that in Boston.
Since we had a lot of time left before dinner, we hit up a karaoke place for a couple hours. It was the first time in three years I had gone to karaoke with Haruhi, and the first time I actually sang with her there. It was, as expected, a blast. I warmed up with some English classics (Piano Mans), and I heard one of AKB48's songs for the first time. That was...interesting? Japan is weird. Actually, more than the song, the music video was just very shocking. Also very fun to watch. It also became very clear that Haruhi and Hidehiro are siblings - they like about 90% the same music. Really, it was funny seeing Hide on backup vocals for Haruhi's songs.
With a few more hours to burn, we headed back to Umeda, and went to Namco Game Center. Hide and I played the shooting game again (I lost, though), and then Haruhi and I played air hockey (a neat variant with multiple small pucks and stuff) against Hide...and lost again. But probably the best part of the Game Center was Purikura (ggrks). We all picked out some funny things to wear (Hide and I went with afros, and Haruhi chose a takoyaki hat) and then made stupid poses for five minutes. Most of the pictures came out well (probably thanks to the magical Purikura machine making everything look better than it really is), and I'm really happy to have a copy. I'm probably going to hang it up somewhere.
We headed back to Mukonoso, and met up with Haruhi's parents for dinner at a chicken restaurant. I went in expecting the regular meat-on-skewers. I wasn't disappointed, but it wasn't exactly what I expected, either. Let me tell you, I ate things there I never thought I would eat in my lifetime. Things like...heart. Skin. Cartilage. And more... It was certainly an experience worth having once. Once. This was really a case where it was better not to ask what I was eating. In retrospect though, Haruhi's mother told me that it isn't common to eat this sort of meal - maybe one in a year. Side note: organ meats are called "Hormone" here, and they're popular in the winter to give you stamina. I think I can deal with the heat a while longer, thanks. Ah, and I had this weird beer called happoshu that has a lower alcohol content than regular beer. But I had a lot of it.
And so tipsy Sam and Haruhi went to the movie rental store. I was insistent on finding Firefly, but, as one should have expected, they don't have that in Japan. I enjoyed looking through their CD rental section too. My nerdy side really came out this weekend - it's nice every once and a while not to have to worry about being judged. Pretty much everyone in the Fujiwara family has told me: "Don't worry, I'm used to it by now". Yay, friends!
The next morning, again being the first one up, I studied for a while, and had a fantastic curry sandwich for breakfast. I don't know how she does it, but Okaasan's breakfasts are always amazing. I was tempted to switch host families for a bit there. Once the whole crew was up, we headed out for some shopping before the return to Kyoto. First stop was Book Off, where I was hoping to buy all of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Paradoxically, they were sold out of every volume of the series. I was very tempted to buy a trumpet for 10,000 yen ($100), but I stopped myself - no time to practice. Next was an 100 yen store, where I got some vital supplies (binder reinforcements and lint rollers). Finally we stopped for lunch at an Udon-ya. I was pretty hungry, and my Japanese gets kind of funky when I'm hungry. But they ordered for me, and so I wound up with a big bowl of udon, plus an Ume-flavored Inarizushi. I didn't like udon much before this. But now I've seen the light. Without a doubt, this was the best bowl of noodles I've had since getting to Japan. The flavor, small, texture, everything was just right. Also, ume-inarizushi is WAY better than it sounds - sweet and sour balanced nicely with rice. I drained my soup to the last drop, that's how good it was. I kind of want to go back...
And that was it for my Osaka adventure! Haruhi, who had a party that evening, went back to Kyoto with me. We talked for a bit, but she needed to nap (we stayed up REALLY late again, tends to happen when you see an old friend). Funny thing is, I fell asleep too. This has to be the first sign of the transformation into Nihonjin - I've begun to attain Skill #1. Oh, for those of you who are worrying, relax. This is Japan, it's perfectly safe to sleep on the trains here. Everyone does it. Nobody steals anyone's stuff or anything.
I parted ways with Haruhi at Kyoto Station, and found a cafe to study in for a while. I had a lot of time to kill before I met up with Okaasan for the Beer Garden Party. An hour later, I wandered over to Yodobashi Camera to do some light shopping. By which I mean, staring at things I want. As usual, I sat down an played piano in their instrument section. Nobody seems to care...which is cool with me! I also bummed around in the CD section, until I decided to take a rest on their rest floor. I found the gatchapon Nick had mentioned a week earlier. I had to debate whether or not to try my hand at the JoJo machine...and I decided yes. The force was with me, and all that: I wound up with Dio Brando, the most magnificent villain ever. Victory was mine.
And then beer.
No, just kidding. I found Okaasan at the hotel, where she was meeting with one of her students. Soon, the rest of the crew showed up (including Nick) and we headed upstairs. And then, beer. For real this time. All you can eat, all you can drink. Good times. Two hours of food and drink goodness. Details here are unneeded.
Suffice to say, two hours later, Sam was very happy. Well, Sam was intoxicated and hanging out with a friend, so Sam was very happy. And happy Sam is very susceptible to further fun, and so the younger members of our group (a housewife, two other students, me, and Nick) went off to karaoke. I got to hear both Chinese and Korean songs...and they were really good. The Chinese girl especially had a good voice. Funny side note: I scared a small boy when going to the bathroom. I guess I opened the door too quickly and he wasn't expecting to see a white dude on the other side. Sorry, little dude.
Somehow or other, I made it home fairly smoothly. And then slept like a log. The next morning, I rode the bus on over to the Kyudo dojo to watch a tournament. Sadly, I only got to see the last round. The archers were totally badass though. I want to compete too! Or at least shoot a real arrow.
Then came the awkward challenge of crossing Kyoto. I could have taken a taxi, but I don't really know taxi procedure in Japan. So instead, I walked, took a train, then a bus, then more walking. I wound up at this huge shrine. I have to say, I forgot how great it feels to cross the threshold into a Shinto shrine. The barrier between in/out is so strong that it's practically tangible. Inside is such a strong aura of peace.
Anyway, I found the rakugo group, and watched them perform. I...didn't understand much, sadly. Very fast Osaka-ben is not easy to follow. But the last guy who performed in English was really good! Afterwards, I kind of loitered around, waiting for the after party. My host mother kind of embaressed me the way my real mother does sometimes - she went right up to some Japanese students and told them I wanted to make friends. Real smooth, ma. But somehow it worked out. I exchange some friendly introductions, and wound up speaking with a bunch of Japanese students all night. By the end, they were all quite drunk, coming to me for high-fives and falling over, plus being shocked and awed before my mighty munage.
And that was the whole weekend. Sorry for the lack of detail in some places - it would take too long to explain everything. Suffice to say, it was a GOOD long weekend.
Osakaben
Thursday, September 13, 2012
A Day of Unexpected Encounters
Quite a surprising day, this one. Although, it started with a fairly big (although relatively unimportant) disappointment. I ate the last bit of ume jam for breakfast today...and there won't be any more until next July! Such a shame, especially considering I eat bread for breakfast EVERY day.
Upon boarding the train at Okubo as usual, I ran into Yuka, the super-friendly KCJS student worker. I had no idea anyone at KCJS besides me and Hiro lived off the Kintetsu line. Anywho, it was pretty funny running into a friendly face so early in my day.
During lunch, something quite unexpected happened. Ah, but let me back up. I brought lunch today - there's a cheap bento shop close to Doshisha, and to save money, I picked up a lunch there. I was eating with Hiro, Nick, and a whole bunch of KCJS friends today. Oh, and Nick lent me his old Denshi Jisho! Yay, not spending money! Now I can look up words more efficiently, as long as I can learn how to use it. As I was leaving, someone called out to me, and it took me a second to realize who it was. I knew it was someone from my high school...and then it hit me. Jared, whom I had had a class with pretty much every year at BHS. Of course, since entering college, a lot of my high school memories have gotten fuzzy, but I'm super glad to see a familiar face. I had to run off to class, but it's kind of funny that in addition to one of my close Tufts friends, I've got a BHS friend on campus as well. What an interesting year this is turning out to be.
And the encounters don't end there! I had a meeting with Professor Hirano, AKA Katsu, (guest lecturer from Cornell) about life at KCJS. Aside from informing him that we were all about to die from overwork, I pretty much expressed how much I love being in Japan. On my way out, I learned two interesting factoids. One, Katsu is not only aware of Gary Leupp's writings, but is using them for his new book. Two, his daughter goes to the same Kyudo Dojo as I do. Really, today is a fantastic example for showing just how small our world is! I haven't mentioned it yet, but Professor Yotsukura has met Uncle Charles before (that's Professor Inouye to those not in the know). Tight knit community, us Japan-studying folk.
At the Kyudo Dojo, another unexpected foreigner showed up. This man, Sebastian, was friends with the artists I met last time, and he too wanted to try Kyudo. I interpreted as I had last time, and then we all got set to practicing. No bow, again, but probably next week. Although most of the college students didn't show up, I introduced myself to the one girl who we had seen practice on Monday. I'd like to be friends with the other young practitioners at the dojo, if possible. Unfortunately (I can't believe I'm saying this), Monday is a holiday, which means NO KYUDO T_T
But there is a Kyudo competition, and Kawaguchi-sensei may be shooting, so I've decided to go watch.
Anyway, weekend plans are as follows: go to Osaka, stay with the Fujiwaras again. Party hard. Come back to Kyoto. Go to Beer Garden with host mother. Go to Rakugo performance. Go to Rakugo afterparty. So I don't think there will be a full day where I'm not drinking :/ Is this a problem? Probably not, after the work I've done this week. I DESERVE a break, honestly and truly. Look forward to the next installment of shenanigans, because this weekend is going to be wild!
Upon boarding the train at Okubo as usual, I ran into Yuka, the super-friendly KCJS student worker. I had no idea anyone at KCJS besides me and Hiro lived off the Kintetsu line. Anywho, it was pretty funny running into a friendly face so early in my day.
During lunch, something quite unexpected happened. Ah, but let me back up. I brought lunch today - there's a cheap bento shop close to Doshisha, and to save money, I picked up a lunch there. I was eating with Hiro, Nick, and a whole bunch of KCJS friends today. Oh, and Nick lent me his old Denshi Jisho! Yay, not spending money! Now I can look up words more efficiently, as long as I can learn how to use it. As I was leaving, someone called out to me, and it took me a second to realize who it was. I knew it was someone from my high school...and then it hit me. Jared, whom I had had a class with pretty much every year at BHS. Of course, since entering college, a lot of my high school memories have gotten fuzzy, but I'm super glad to see a familiar face. I had to run off to class, but it's kind of funny that in addition to one of my close Tufts friends, I've got a BHS friend on campus as well. What an interesting year this is turning out to be.
And the encounters don't end there! I had a meeting with Professor Hirano, AKA Katsu, (guest lecturer from Cornell) about life at KCJS. Aside from informing him that we were all about to die from overwork, I pretty much expressed how much I love being in Japan. On my way out, I learned two interesting factoids. One, Katsu is not only aware of Gary Leupp's writings, but is using them for his new book. Two, his daughter goes to the same Kyudo Dojo as I do. Really, today is a fantastic example for showing just how small our world is! I haven't mentioned it yet, but Professor Yotsukura has met Uncle Charles before (that's Professor Inouye to those not in the know). Tight knit community, us Japan-studying folk.
At the Kyudo Dojo, another unexpected foreigner showed up. This man, Sebastian, was friends with the artists I met last time, and he too wanted to try Kyudo. I interpreted as I had last time, and then we all got set to practicing. No bow, again, but probably next week. Although most of the college students didn't show up, I introduced myself to the one girl who we had seen practice on Monday. I'd like to be friends with the other young practitioners at the dojo, if possible. Unfortunately (I can't believe I'm saying this), Monday is a holiday, which means NO KYUDO T_T
But there is a Kyudo competition, and Kawaguchi-sensei may be shooting, so I've decided to go watch.
Anyway, weekend plans are as follows: go to Osaka, stay with the Fujiwaras again. Party hard. Come back to Kyoto. Go to Beer Garden with host mother. Go to Rakugo performance. Go to Rakugo afterparty. So I don't think there will be a full day where I'm not drinking :/ Is this a problem? Probably not, after the work I've done this week. I DESERVE a break, honestly and truly. Look forward to the next installment of shenanigans, because this weekend is going to be wild!
Monday, September 10, 2012
Great Success/Way of the Bow: Day One
I feel bad combing everything I did today in one post. If I had the time to, I would split my day up to give it the space it deserves.But, it's getting late and the homework isn't going anywhere. So without further ado, let's talk about why today was awesome!
First of all, classes are finally in "full swing", which means that our Japanese classes are now taught by two professors. The first hour is Fukai-sensei, and the second is Nishimata-sensei. Since I saw him on the first day of KCJS, I've thought he was really cool; turns out, he is. He and Fukai-sensei are married, actually, and are into heavy metal. They're kind of a kickass duo, and I'm glad they're my teachers. I checked with Fukai-sensei about using a book on music theory for my "personal semester goal", and she gave me the go-ahead. So, here's to reading a hyper-technical book in a foreign language!
Also, my search for shops to use in Yotsukura-sensei's class is over! Thanks to a classmates' recommendation, I've located a cute little bakery across the river, which is small and independent, bakes their own bread, and has sitting room available. Bonus: the 2nd floor cafe plays classical records. I'll be glad to be a regular there! Today I got yakitate (fresh baked) kabocha (it's a squash, but think sweet potato in terms of flavor) bread. Yum!
And for lunch, I went to...Falafel Garden. I know, falafel in Kyoto. Crazy! But it actually WAS falafel! Not half bad. Pricy, but I know where to go if I need to get my Israel-food cravings fixed up. I could swear I heard someone reading torah in the background of the music they were playing, but whatever. Not that I can read Hebrew anymore >_<
And now, for the kicker. Really, this should get it's own post. Today, me and Aarron (another KCJS student) went to the Kyudo Dojo our sensei recommended to see if we could enroll. After having us watch the adult class for a few minutes, Kawaguchi-sensei sat us down, and we talked over what we would be doing. We went through the equipment and the basics of Kyudo, which consists of 8 steps. Ah, if you don't know by now, Kyudo is Japanese archery. Anyway, she's having us practice without bow and arrow until we get the posture right. Once we do, we'll go from there. The other students in the group are all Kyoto college students. I'm sure we'll get along just fine!
There was one other interesting thing that happened there: at the end of the lesson, a foreign man slightly older than me approached me, and with accented English asked me how things work in the dojo. It turns out him and his wife are in Kyoto until December, and were thinking about practicing Kyudo. The tricky part was that he doesn't know any Japanese. I assumed the role of the translator, and asked sensei if they would be allowed to practice. Surprisingly, she said the language barrier would be no problem. After chatting with the foreigners a little longer, I learned that they were artists from France: the man was German, and the woman was Italian,but they came to Japan and are staying at an artist's retreat in Kyoto. It was kind of cool getting to meet them, and I hope they show up for Kyudo again.
And that was it for today! Countless repetition of the 8 stages, occasional tips from other Kyudo practitioners. I hope I'll be able to practice with the bow soon!
First of all, classes are finally in "full swing", which means that our Japanese classes are now taught by two professors. The first hour is Fukai-sensei, and the second is Nishimata-sensei. Since I saw him on the first day of KCJS, I've thought he was really cool; turns out, he is. He and Fukai-sensei are married, actually, and are into heavy metal. They're kind of a kickass duo, and I'm glad they're my teachers. I checked with Fukai-sensei about using a book on music theory for my "personal semester goal", and she gave me the go-ahead. So, here's to reading a hyper-technical book in a foreign language!
Also, my search for shops to use in Yotsukura-sensei's class is over! Thanks to a classmates' recommendation, I've located a cute little bakery across the river, which is small and independent, bakes their own bread, and has sitting room available. Bonus: the 2nd floor cafe plays classical records. I'll be glad to be a regular there! Today I got yakitate (fresh baked) kabocha (it's a squash, but think sweet potato in terms of flavor) bread. Yum!
And for lunch, I went to...Falafel Garden. I know, falafel in Kyoto. Crazy! But it actually WAS falafel! Not half bad. Pricy, but I know where to go if I need to get my Israel-food cravings fixed up. I could swear I heard someone reading torah in the background of the music they were playing, but whatever. Not that I can read Hebrew anymore >_<
And now, for the kicker. Really, this should get it's own post. Today, me and Aarron (another KCJS student) went to the Kyudo Dojo our sensei recommended to see if we could enroll. After having us watch the adult class for a few minutes, Kawaguchi-sensei sat us down, and we talked over what we would be doing. We went through the equipment and the basics of Kyudo, which consists of 8 steps. Ah, if you don't know by now, Kyudo is Japanese archery. Anyway, she's having us practice without bow and arrow until we get the posture right. Once we do, we'll go from there. The other students in the group are all Kyoto college students. I'm sure we'll get along just fine!
There was one other interesting thing that happened there: at the end of the lesson, a foreign man slightly older than me approached me, and with accented English asked me how things work in the dojo. It turns out him and his wife are in Kyoto until December, and were thinking about practicing Kyudo. The tricky part was that he doesn't know any Japanese. I assumed the role of the translator, and asked sensei if they would be allowed to practice. Surprisingly, she said the language barrier would be no problem. After chatting with the foreigners a little longer, I learned that they were artists from France: the man was German, and the woman was Italian,but they came to Japan and are staying at an artist's retreat in Kyoto. It was kind of cool getting to meet them, and I hope they show up for Kyudo again.
And that was it for today! Countless repetition of the 8 stages, occasional tips from other Kyudo practitioners. I hope I'll be able to practice with the bow soon!
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Nonde, Nonde, Nonde
Yesterday was the most eventful day I've had since leaving Osaka and coming to Kyoto! Although admittedly, some of those events were school-related (aka, I have to do homework based on them).
I had to decide on a "Personal Semester Goal"that was related to my long-term goal in learning Japanese. Initially, I put down that my long term goal was to work in Japan (because it is), but Fukai-sensei (my language teacher) wants us to work on it in class each Friday, so I had to think of something else. It looks like everyone else is reading a manga; Fukai-sensei tried to convince me to read Nodame Cantabile (it looks like she's seen the drama too, incidentally). But I want to do something in class that will actually give me new skills, as I can read manga on my own whenever. At this point, I'm going to try and get a book of basic music theory, and use that as my Personal Goal. But if I can't find a good book, it'll be back to the drawing board.
For lunch, I walked over to Eze Bleu, another little bakery near my school. It was too small to use for my class, but their bread was AMAZING. Crispy crust, light and airy inside. I bought a "Garlic French" and enjoyed it in the Doshisha lounge. I'll be going back there, that's for sure!
In the afternoon we had a field trip (for my Flavors of Kyoto class) to a food market We first went to to a renowned pickle shop, where we learned about the history of the shop and about their variety of pickling methods. Japanese pickles are very different from those in the US - there's a much larger variety, but their shelf life is much shorter. We also went to one of the most famous confectioneries in Kyoto: Futaba. On most days, there's a line running down the street and around the block. We got to go behind the scenes, to the inner sanctum of the shop. All 16 of us somehow crammed into the back of the store, and listened about how the menu changes with the seasons. Since we're heading into fall, chestnuts are going to be used in the new batch of tradition Japanese sweets. We even got a few free samples (which were AMAZING). If I can find a time to go when there won't be a huge line, I'll be going there every week!
Once our field trip ended, we explored the area for a while. One of my KCJS friends is obsessed with peaches, and upon buying a fresh peach at the market (and getting a number of free samples) she skipped up the street singing "Momo~ Momo~" We made our way over to the river, where all of us took a break and enjoyed the view. Seriously, fantastic scenery there. That is, until the first drop hit. Suddenly, the skies opened up, and raindrops the size of gumballs pelted us as we ran for cover. We hid for a while under the bridge, but the rain only got worse.
Finally, the torrential downpour eased up, and we scurried off to the Izakaya for our party. On the way, I took note of an interesting restaurant: Falafel Garden. Falafel in Kyoto? I must investigate further. The Izakaya was pretty standard fare, although by no means uninteresting: yaki udon, yakisoba, tuna sushi, seared tuna, edamame, fried chicken, and french fries. Not to mention the unlimited drinks. The 15 of us (half Japanese, half KCJS students) ordered our first round of drinks and dug into the food. Umeshu, beer, beer, beer, beer, sake, sake, whiskey, whiskey, umeshu.
We all had a good time: everyone was laughing and getting to know each other, essentially the main objective in coming to Japan. Good times. When we finally had to leave (you only get to drink for 90 minutes!), we decided to hit up karaoke. Although a few people returned home, the majority of us went on to sing for the next two hours. Boy was that fun! Even with the disappointing lack of "Be A Man" and the heartbreak of someone cancelling my "Piano Man", this was the best session of karaoke I've ever been to!
We all headed our separate ways, with me going to farthest since I live in Joyo. And I witnessed something interesting on the train - a fight! In Japan! What is this madness? One businessman standing up accidentally made a really loud noise waking up all the sleeping passengers (90% of Japanese sleep on the train). Now, this one guy, another businessman, got really pissed off. Some works were exchanged (in the rudest Japanese I've ever heard real people use), and then the guy sitting down kicked the other salaryman. A brief struggle ensued, but before the doors of the train shut, the standing man exited, and that was that. Nobody really paid it any mind. But I was fairly surprised to see this happen in Japan (also somewhat amused, but whatever, I was tired). By the time the train arrived at Kutsukawa, it was only 11pm, but it was pitch dark. If it were America, I'd have taken a cab. But since it's safe to walk at night in Japan, I stopped at a 7-11 (to cure my munchies), and walked home, singing to myself. I got in, and went straight to bed. The story should have ended there. But it didn't.
The sun rises early in Japan. Six hours after going to bed, the rays of the sun roused my from my slumber. Which was bad. Since I hadn't had time to sleep off the drink, my head pounded like a judge's gavel. That is to say, ouch. I took an Advil, drank some water, and tried for half an hour to get back to sleep. I wish I had some curtains. Finally, I was able to get some more shut-eye, and when I awoke, I was as good as new.
Oh, one last bit of unrelated news: thanks to one of the coolest friends I have, I've acquired the correct ticket for the Choucho concert! YAY!
*As of typing this, I have poked a hole in the paper screen with my elbow. Whoops...*
I had to decide on a "Personal Semester Goal"that was related to my long-term goal in learning Japanese. Initially, I put down that my long term goal was to work in Japan (because it is), but Fukai-sensei (my language teacher) wants us to work on it in class each Friday, so I had to think of something else. It looks like everyone else is reading a manga; Fukai-sensei tried to convince me to read Nodame Cantabile (it looks like she's seen the drama too, incidentally). But I want to do something in class that will actually give me new skills, as I can read manga on my own whenever. At this point, I'm going to try and get a book of basic music theory, and use that as my Personal Goal. But if I can't find a good book, it'll be back to the drawing board.
For lunch, I walked over to Eze Bleu, another little bakery near my school. It was too small to use for my class, but their bread was AMAZING. Crispy crust, light and airy inside. I bought a "Garlic French" and enjoyed it in the Doshisha lounge. I'll be going back there, that's for sure!
In the afternoon we had a field trip (for my Flavors of Kyoto class) to a food market We first went to to a renowned pickle shop, where we learned about the history of the shop and about their variety of pickling methods. Japanese pickles are very different from those in the US - there's a much larger variety, but their shelf life is much shorter. We also went to one of the most famous confectioneries in Kyoto: Futaba. On most days, there's a line running down the street and around the block. We got to go behind the scenes, to the inner sanctum of the shop. All 16 of us somehow crammed into the back of the store, and listened about how the menu changes with the seasons. Since we're heading into fall, chestnuts are going to be used in the new batch of tradition Japanese sweets. We even got a few free samples (which were AMAZING). If I can find a time to go when there won't be a huge line, I'll be going there every week!
Once our field trip ended, we explored the area for a while. One of my KCJS friends is obsessed with peaches, and upon buying a fresh peach at the market (and getting a number of free samples) she skipped up the street singing "Momo~ Momo~" We made our way over to the river, where all of us took a break and enjoyed the view. Seriously, fantastic scenery there. That is, until the first drop hit. Suddenly, the skies opened up, and raindrops the size of gumballs pelted us as we ran for cover. We hid for a while under the bridge, but the rain only got worse.
Finally, the torrential downpour eased up, and we scurried off to the Izakaya for our party. On the way, I took note of an interesting restaurant: Falafel Garden. Falafel in Kyoto? I must investigate further. The Izakaya was pretty standard fare, although by no means uninteresting: yaki udon, yakisoba, tuna sushi, seared tuna, edamame, fried chicken, and french fries. Not to mention the unlimited drinks. The 15 of us (half Japanese, half KCJS students) ordered our first round of drinks and dug into the food. Umeshu, beer, beer, beer, beer, sake, sake, whiskey, whiskey, umeshu.
We all had a good time: everyone was laughing and getting to know each other, essentially the main objective in coming to Japan. Good times. When we finally had to leave (you only get to drink for 90 minutes!), we decided to hit up karaoke. Although a few people returned home, the majority of us went on to sing for the next two hours. Boy was that fun! Even with the disappointing lack of "Be A Man" and the heartbreak of someone cancelling my "Piano Man", this was the best session of karaoke I've ever been to!
We all headed our separate ways, with me going to farthest since I live in Joyo. And I witnessed something interesting on the train - a fight! In Japan! What is this madness? One businessman standing up accidentally made a really loud noise waking up all the sleeping passengers (90% of Japanese sleep on the train). Now, this one guy, another businessman, got really pissed off. Some works were exchanged (in the rudest Japanese I've ever heard real people use), and then the guy sitting down kicked the other salaryman. A brief struggle ensued, but before the doors of the train shut, the standing man exited, and that was that. Nobody really paid it any mind. But I was fairly surprised to see this happen in Japan (also somewhat amused, but whatever, I was tired). By the time the train arrived at Kutsukawa, it was only 11pm, but it was pitch dark. If it were America, I'd have taken a cab. But since it's safe to walk at night in Japan, I stopped at a 7-11 (to cure my munchies), and walked home, singing to myself. I got in, and went straight to bed. The story should have ended there. But it didn't.
The sun rises early in Japan. Six hours after going to bed, the rays of the sun roused my from my slumber. Which was bad. Since I hadn't had time to sleep off the drink, my head pounded like a judge's gavel. That is to say, ouch. I took an Advil, drank some water, and tried for half an hour to get back to sleep. I wish I had some curtains. Finally, I was able to get some more shut-eye, and when I awoke, I was as good as new.
Oh, one last bit of unrelated news: thanks to one of the coolest friends I have, I've acquired the correct ticket for the Choucho concert! YAY!
*As of typing this, I have poked a hole in the paper screen with my elbow. Whoops...*
Friday, September 7, 2012
Let the Hunt Begin...
The week is almost over! Time for fun, at long last! The pace has been picking up rather quickly - my two electives have been giving me reading assignments on par with the IR courses at Tufts, and this is only the beginning.
There were a few notable events that occurred today, the first being that I finally met up with my friend Nick from Tufts. I was actually looking for him all week, but because we haven't been able to exchange phone numbers, it was more of a game of chance than anything else. It seems I missed him yesterday, as I went to eat at the cafe with my Japanese classmate, while Nick was in the cafeteria. Anyway, it was nice catching up with a familiar face, and I'm hoping to check out the Kyudo (Japanese archery) dojo at which I want to take lessons.
After classes, I went with a couple of my classmates, Christina and Hiro, to check out a bread shop in Kyoto. For one of my classes, I need to become a frequent customer at a local shop, and out of my love for bread, I've begun the search for the best bakery in Kyoto. Today brought us to Fleur de Farine, which I liked quite a bit. Sadly, their bread wasn't crusty, but their pastries were fantastic. The only problem is that the store is really small, so I can't very well be an observer there. I need to find a slightly larger store, preferably one with sitting space.
I also discovered that Hiro lives in the same direction as I do (although somewhat farther) so we took the train together. I really enjoyed our conversation (about college and future occupations), and I'm starting to get the feeling that I'm beginning to make friends here. Of course, this is only the beginning, but nevertheless, it's nice to see progress. Incidentally, Japanese classes meet once a week, so it's not unusual for a college student here to take 12 classes. 12 CLASSES. WHAT.
Looking forward to tomorrow, partying Japanese style with some friends.
*Posted late due to crap internet*
There were a few notable events that occurred today, the first being that I finally met up with my friend Nick from Tufts. I was actually looking for him all week, but because we haven't been able to exchange phone numbers, it was more of a game of chance than anything else. It seems I missed him yesterday, as I went to eat at the cafe with my Japanese classmate, while Nick was in the cafeteria. Anyway, it was nice catching up with a familiar face, and I'm hoping to check out the Kyudo (Japanese archery) dojo at which I want to take lessons.
After classes, I went with a couple of my classmates, Christina and Hiro, to check out a bread shop in Kyoto. For one of my classes, I need to become a frequent customer at a local shop, and out of my love for bread, I've begun the search for the best bakery in Kyoto. Today brought us to Fleur de Farine, which I liked quite a bit. Sadly, their bread wasn't crusty, but their pastries were fantastic. The only problem is that the store is really small, so I can't very well be an observer there. I need to find a slightly larger store, preferably one with sitting space.
I also discovered that Hiro lives in the same direction as I do (although somewhat farther) so we took the train together. I really enjoyed our conversation (about college and future occupations), and I'm starting to get the feeling that I'm beginning to make friends here. Of course, this is only the beginning, but nevertheless, it's nice to see progress. Incidentally, Japanese classes meet once a week, so it's not unusual for a college student here to take 12 classes. 12 CLASSES. WHAT.
Looking forward to tomorrow, partying Japanese style with some friends.
*Posted late due to crap internet*
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Do You Remember Homework?
I do now, that's for sure. I've spent the past 4 hours doing it.
Today, as will be the norm from now on, I had classes at Doshisha. Morning commute, blah blah blah. It's not that bad in the morning, actually. Car -> Train -> Other Train -> School
Language class was more difficult than expected. Our first reading assignment is to read a newspaper article. Like, from a real newspaper. With all the kanji and whatnot. I thought that was the type of thing that you have to do in a job interview, not on the first day of school, even if I am in Japan. Made it through somehow, although I fear it's only going to get more treacherous from here on in.
We had our CIP orientation today - that's a sort of Community Involvement Project that tries to get us to mingle with non-KCJS folk. No need to tell me twice! In fact, I think I've picked too many things to do! Kyudo lessons, Piano club, Social dance, and Language partners; will I even have time for school? (Yes, I will.)
Professor Yotsukura's Foods of Kyoto course looks to be really interesting - it's not just about eating, obviously. We're expected to learn the lingo of storekeepers througout Kyoto, and be able to differentiate based on levels of formality. Remember how I can't understand three consecutive words when I go shopping? Yeah, this will be fun. But actually, I think it will be a lot of fun.
There are three Japanese students in Yotsukura's class, and I spent about two hours after class hanging out in the lounge talking with them and some of my KCJS classmates. I'm glad to be on my way to making friends so early on! I decided to take the advice of my senpai, and so I organized a small drinking party (nomihoudai) - my first ever - for this Friday. I honestly cannot wait!
I guess the last major thing of note today was that my keyboard arrived! I actually just put it together...good old Yamaha! It sounds great, although figuring out the stand took a few minutes. I'm hoping to practice every day, although I feel like I'm going to be really busy. I'll just give everything my best - that's what studying abroad is about, right?
Nope, wrong. Studying abroad is still school. I almost forgot about the title of this post, but let me tell you, KCJS is not known as the most advanced Japanese language program for nothing. They work you hard. In addition to the Japanese newspaper assignment, I'll have about 100 pages of reading every week from both of my elective classes. I'm going to have to make good use of my commute from now on. Let's do this Japanese style: work hard all week, play hard on the weekend! Nomihoudai, here I come!
Today, as will be the norm from now on, I had classes at Doshisha. Morning commute, blah blah blah. It's not that bad in the morning, actually. Car -> Train -> Other Train -> School
Language class was more difficult than expected. Our first reading assignment is to read a newspaper article. Like, from a real newspaper. With all the kanji and whatnot. I thought that was the type of thing that you have to do in a job interview, not on the first day of school, even if I am in Japan. Made it through somehow, although I fear it's only going to get more treacherous from here on in.
We had our CIP orientation today - that's a sort of Community Involvement Project that tries to get us to mingle with non-KCJS folk. No need to tell me twice! In fact, I think I've picked too many things to do! Kyudo lessons, Piano club, Social dance, and Language partners; will I even have time for school? (Yes, I will.)
Professor Yotsukura's Foods of Kyoto course looks to be really interesting - it's not just about eating, obviously. We're expected to learn the lingo of storekeepers througout Kyoto, and be able to differentiate based on levels of formality. Remember how I can't understand three consecutive words when I go shopping? Yeah, this will be fun. But actually, I think it will be a lot of fun.
There are three Japanese students in Yotsukura's class, and I spent about two hours after class hanging out in the lounge talking with them and some of my KCJS classmates. I'm glad to be on my way to making friends so early on! I decided to take the advice of my senpai, and so I organized a small drinking party (nomihoudai) - my first ever - for this Friday. I honestly cannot wait!
I guess the last major thing of note today was that my keyboard arrived! I actually just put it together...good old Yamaha! It sounds great, although figuring out the stand took a few minutes. I'm hoping to practice every day, although I feel like I'm going to be really busy. I'll just give everything my best - that's what studying abroad is about, right?
Nope, wrong. Studying abroad is still school. I almost forgot about the title of this post, but let me tell you, KCJS is not known as the most advanced Japanese language program for nothing. They work you hard. In addition to the Japanese newspaper assignment, I'll have about 100 pages of reading every week from both of my elective classes. I'm going to have to make good use of my commute from now on. Let's do this Japanese style: work hard all week, play hard on the weekend! Nomihoudai, here I come!
Monday, September 3, 2012
It Begins!
Today marks the actual first day of KCJS: we’ve finally
begun classes! I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was able to make it
into the C-class (the second class from the top!) I guess the test went better
than I expected! Fukai-sensei went over the course guidelines with us, and then
dove right in to the reading portion of the class. We lost almost no time in
getting the class underway. An hour or so later, my class was sent to lunch,
shell-shocked and overwhelmed by the insane amounts of Japanese thrown at us in
the past hour or so. So much homework to look forward to!
After a brief lunch in the café, we found that we had an
overabundance of time to kill before the next class began. I took this
opportunity to download a Japanese dictionary on my iPad. You might think that
this shouldn’t have taken an hour and a half, but you would be wrong. I had to
locate the Wi-Fi spots, then navigate the treacherous proxy settings of the
university. I ended up running to the Tech Center, where I had one of the computer
lab people set up the Wi-Fi for me. This included changing my network log-in
password, since I ended up forgetting what it was, and then getting locked out.
But I got my dictionary in the end!
We then had the first class of Hirano-sensei’s Japanese Politics
and History course (that’s not actually what it’s called, but I’m too lazy to
go look up the real name). I was very, very impressed. Although slightly
idealistic, I was drawn in to Hirano-sensei’s view of history and his
objectives in teaching the class. I think I will really enjoy his lectures (I
better, since I shelled out way too much money for the textbooks for his class.)
Having finished lessons for the day, I hung out with some
fellow KCJS students, as well as a Japanese student from Kyoto University. We
decided to run to a 100-yen shop to pick up school supplies. It took some doing to find everything we needed, but it worked out in the end. With a new binder
and other miscellaneous goods on hand, I boarded the train to head home…only to
find, while making the transfer at Takeda, that it was pouring! Not even the
gentle kind of rain, more of the cats-and-dogs kind. Really, thunder and
lightning and all that jazz. Fun stuff.
Luckily, my host dad came by with the car to pick me up, and
we drove on over to the Yamaha store, where I dropped 20,000 yen (like $250) on
my nice, new keyboard. It will be arriving tomorrow – fun stuff! Guess I should
clean my room to make some space for it, huh? I'll be practicing every day from now on - I can't wait to see how my piano skills improve!
Oh, and I got to try some homemade Umeshu with dinner
tonight – that’s plum wine, for the uninitiated. Good stuff, good stuff. Maybe
not so good before doing homework, but a small glass didn’t really affect me
much (plus, drinking buffs my Japanese skills, somehow).
So that was that. A day in the life, I suppose. Before I
sign off though, I encountered something interesting today – the cultural gap
between American and Japanese conceptions of a “friend”. Keep in mind I’m
generalizing here, but I think that for the most part, this is true. I consider
anyone I meet and get along well with to be a friend. Not necessarily a good
friend, not from the start, but a friend. That relationship can grow into being
a closer friend, or I could find that I don’t really like that person and
assign them to the acquaintance category. I’m guessing that a lot of you
readers are a lot like me in this regard. But to a Japanese person, calling
someone you just met a friend is making a huge leap of commitment. Someone you
just met can only be considered an acquaintance (shiriai). In time, that could become friendship, but that takes
time before the will to commit to that relationship is made. Again,
generalizing here. I don’t think it’s a bad thing, but it certainly is
different. And it may surprise Japanese people when you say to them “I’m so
glad I was able to make a friend on my first day of classes.” Because we’re
viewing the same situation from different perspectives, we all assign our own
labels to our interpersonal relationships.
...and that's all for today! I got all deep and thoughtful
there in the end, huh? Well, I’ll keep writing as the story unfolds. Maybe I
should throw in more cultural tidbits? What do you think?
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Keitai Daze
Well, today was a semi-productive day! After a late start, and an early lunch, I took the train into Kyoto station to get a cell phone. I found my way through the labyrinth of the station into Yodobashi Camera, one of the electronic department stores nearby. I picked Softbank...pretty much because it was right in front of me. Maybe because the attendants were kind of cute? Anyway, I asked about prepaid phones, and we started going over the details. The sales clerk was really eager to help me out, but I didn't understand a lot of technical lingo. What I do know is this: every 2 months, I need to recharge the phone. Okay, got it. Oh, and the whole purchase was only about 6500 yen. But a recharge is 3000 yen...oh well. I have a phone now, yay!
So I spent the rest of the day checking out the shops around Kyoto station. There are practically no stores for guy's clothing! What's a trendy guy supposed to do around these parts? I did find a couple of good things, though. The first being a Hugo Boss store, which had some fantastic clothing for prices that made my head spin. Want, but don't want to spend the money. Someday...
The second place is the top of the Isetan department store: it's a rooftop garden. To get there, you have to take this HUGE staircase that pretty much goes up 12 stories. Or use the escalators. You completely forget that you're in a city - it's got an amazing view, and is really serene. Also, every Japanese couple in Kyoto could be seen up there today. That is to say, it's a popular date spot.
After somehow making it back to Okubo station on my own, I asked for directions to the Kaiten Zushi (that's Sushi on the Conveyor Belt for those not in the know) restaurant I was meeting my host parents at. After getting a little lost, I made it there 15 minutes early...only to find out we had to wait another 50 minutes. My neglecting to eat led to an unpleasantly low blood sugar level, but when we finally were seated, I filled up on the creatures of the sea. I'm feeling good and ready to go, which is good considering classes start tomorrow. I'll be giving it my best over here!
Interesting closing point: everyone knows Chicken of the Sea, right? The canned tuna. Well, in Japan, there's a completely unrelated brand of canned tuna called Sea Chicken. Somehow, we both see tuna as chicken. I have no idea why, but it's kind of cool that we share the same misnomer.
So I spent the rest of the day checking out the shops around Kyoto station. There are practically no stores for guy's clothing! What's a trendy guy supposed to do around these parts? I did find a couple of good things, though. The first being a Hugo Boss store, which had some fantastic clothing for prices that made my head spin. Want, but don't want to spend the money. Someday...
The second place is the top of the Isetan department store: it's a rooftop garden. To get there, you have to take this HUGE staircase that pretty much goes up 12 stories. Or use the escalators. You completely forget that you're in a city - it's got an amazing view, and is really serene. Also, every Japanese couple in Kyoto could be seen up there today. That is to say, it's a popular date spot.
After somehow making it back to Okubo station on my own, I asked for directions to the Kaiten Zushi (that's Sushi on the Conveyor Belt for those not in the know) restaurant I was meeting my host parents at. After getting a little lost, I made it there 15 minutes early...only to find out we had to wait another 50 minutes. My neglecting to eat led to an unpleasantly low blood sugar level, but when we finally were seated, I filled up on the creatures of the sea. I'm feeling good and ready to go, which is good considering classes start tomorrow. I'll be giving it my best over here!
Interesting closing point: everyone knows Chicken of the Sea, right? The canned tuna. Well, in Japan, there's a completely unrelated brand of canned tuna called Sea Chicken. Somehow, we both see tuna as chicken. I have no idea why, but it's kind of cool that we share the same misnomer.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Suburban Living
As one of farthest out of the KCJS group from the city, let me tell you what Japanese suburbs are like. They're rural.
I'm fairly in the middle of nowhere. This is Japan, but the nearest convenience store is a 10 minute walk. 10 minutes! The house is nice, don't get me wrong. It's actually really big, and if I haven't mentioned already, they have a piano. But, after living mere moments from the action in Osaka and Kyoto, life here is pretty slow. Today was fairly relaxed, which wasn't that bad. I unpacked, ate, talked with my host parents. We also went to a local shopping mall, although for Japan, it was TINY! Like, two floors. Nothing there for a fashionable guy like me, haha.
What we did do was find me a keyboard, which I think we'll be getting in the next couple of days. We went to the Yamaha store, and after seeing some fantastic keyboards for way too much money, I picked out one that was on sale. It was the last of its type in stock, so it's only 19,000 yen - that's about $210, give or take. For a 76-key keyboard, that's a great deal, plus it includes a stand and headphones. So, I'll be making a bit of an investment, but I'm sure it will be worth it. With all the free time I have, I'll be practicing a lot!
Oh, and I helped cook dinner tonight! It's the first meal I've cooked outside of the States. Hamburg steak, mashed potatoes, tomato salad, pickles and beer. Pretty darn tasty, I must say.
Tomorrow, we're back in Kyoto. I have to get me a cell phone.
I'm fairly in the middle of nowhere. This is Japan, but the nearest convenience store is a 10 minute walk. 10 minutes! The house is nice, don't get me wrong. It's actually really big, and if I haven't mentioned already, they have a piano. But, after living mere moments from the action in Osaka and Kyoto, life here is pretty slow. Today was fairly relaxed, which wasn't that bad. I unpacked, ate, talked with my host parents. We also went to a local shopping mall, although for Japan, it was TINY! Like, two floors. Nothing there for a fashionable guy like me, haha.
What we did do was find me a keyboard, which I think we'll be getting in the next couple of days. We went to the Yamaha store, and after seeing some fantastic keyboards for way too much money, I picked out one that was on sale. It was the last of its type in stock, so it's only 19,000 yen - that's about $210, give or take. For a 76-key keyboard, that's a great deal, plus it includes a stand and headphones. So, I'll be making a bit of an investment, but I'm sure it will be worth it. With all the free time I have, I'll be practicing a lot!
Oh, and I helped cook dinner tonight! It's the first meal I've cooked outside of the States. Hamburg steak, mashed potatoes, tomato salad, pickles and beer. Pretty darn tasty, I must say.
Tomorrow, we're back in Kyoto. I have to get me a cell phone.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)