Tonight I actually had someone contact me of their own free will!! Thank God! I was beginning to think that I had somehow become a social pariah by leaving the country for a couple months. No idea if it was out of spite, or simply that I am only thought of when I force my presence upon people and friends. But hey, I got contacted!! Sure, it was only to see if I could swing up to Nagano and take pictures of the temples around there, but at least they took time out of their day to think of me!
Wait...now that I think about it...
He probably read something about the magnificent temples in the Nagano area and immediately considered sending me up their for photos "since [I'm] in the area".
Ah, whatever. It made my day anyway!
Also, my first karate class was today and I feel really great about it. Yay for fun classes!!
Speaking of classes...I have to wake up at what I call "way too frickin' early" for Kanji class. So I guess I will comment on all of my classes in my next blog sometime tomorrow, since my first week of classes will officially be over.
(Yes, this particular post is highly informal and mostly stream of consciousness. I thought I'd spice things up a bit - and tell you people to contact me! If you don't, you obviously don't like me anymore... *sniffle* My own mother wouldn't even reply to an email... HAHAHAHA! Honestly, though, it really doesn't bother me too much, I just hate having to filter through nothing but spam when I check my emails. :D)
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Classes Have Begun
This past Thursday was our first day of class. While I was looking forward to it, the 5-day weekend (thanks to 3 different national holidays) really made me hate having to wake up at 8 in the morning.
I started the day with a class on Kanji (complex Japanese characters) and immediately followed that with Japanese Grammar and Speaking class. The Kanji class is relatively easy at the moment, since most of it is review, but I am glad we are going over some of the kanji that I already know, because the lessons here are a lot more specific when it comes to the different ways the kanji is read (some kanji have 5 or more ways to say it, and it all depends on context). The Grammar and Speaking is easier because it is mostly going over what I already know about structuring a sentence in Japanese; so I am mostly working on improving my vocabulary in that class.
My weeks work out to where I have at least one Grammar/Speaking class each day (for instance, I had two today - before and after lunch) and one kanji class every Thursday. During 4th and 5th periods are the elective classes that are offered. I am required to take at least 2 electives, but I plan on taking three. Fifth Period on Monday is a Seminar on Japanese Studies, Fourth Period on Tuesday is Japanese Society, and Fourth Period on Wednesday is Beginning Karatedo. So I have yet to experience these classes.
The sad part is that 5th period goes until 6:15pm. My Monday schedules is a blessing and a curse; I have 1st Period Grammar/Speaking at 9:10am - 10:45am..........and then nothing until my 5th period class starts at 4:45pm. The great part is that I will have all day to myself between classes. The crappy part is that I will be forced to wake up on my least favorite day of the week at 8am and then have nothing to do for the rest of the day. I have a feeling that will make me very irritable until I have other repsonsibilities added into my schedule. No work found as an English Tutor as of yet. :(
My brain feels fried already, and I've only had two days of classes. So tonight I'm headed out with some friends to a sports center that they found. For $15 you get unlimited bowling, archery, golf, etc from 11pm to 9am. That's not a bad deal at all, and I know that once classes really start going I will have tremendous amounts of homework.
Just today I had to turn in Kanji and Grammar/Speaking homework from yesterday's classes that took me about 3 hours yesterday to finish. I have another four pages of intense homework for this weekend and another quiz on Monday (we will have a quiz every day). One can only guess how much homework I will be doing next week and the weeks to follow.
I started the day with a class on Kanji (complex Japanese characters) and immediately followed that with Japanese Grammar and Speaking class. The Kanji class is relatively easy at the moment, since most of it is review, but I am glad we are going over some of the kanji that I already know, because the lessons here are a lot more specific when it comes to the different ways the kanji is read (some kanji have 5 or more ways to say it, and it all depends on context). The Grammar and Speaking is easier because it is mostly going over what I already know about structuring a sentence in Japanese; so I am mostly working on improving my vocabulary in that class.
My weeks work out to where I have at least one Grammar/Speaking class each day (for instance, I had two today - before and after lunch) and one kanji class every Thursday. During 4th and 5th periods are the elective classes that are offered. I am required to take at least 2 electives, but I plan on taking three. Fifth Period on Monday is a Seminar on Japanese Studies, Fourth Period on Tuesday is Japanese Society, and Fourth Period on Wednesday is Beginning Karatedo. So I have yet to experience these classes.
The sad part is that 5th period goes until 6:15pm. My Monday schedules is a blessing and a curse; I have 1st Period Grammar/Speaking at 9:10am - 10:45am..........and then nothing until my 5th period class starts at 4:45pm. The great part is that I will have all day to myself between classes. The crappy part is that I will be forced to wake up on my least favorite day of the week at 8am and then have nothing to do for the rest of the day. I have a feeling that will make me very irritable until I have other repsonsibilities added into my schedule. No work found as an English Tutor as of yet. :(
My brain feels fried already, and I've only had two days of classes. So tonight I'm headed out with some friends to a sports center that they found. For $15 you get unlimited bowling, archery, golf, etc from 11pm to 9am. That's not a bad deal at all, and I know that once classes really start going I will have tremendous amounts of homework.
Just today I had to turn in Kanji and Grammar/Speaking homework from yesterday's classes that took me about 3 hours yesterday to finish. I have another four pages of intense homework for this weekend and another quiz on Monday (we will have a quiz every day). One can only guess how much homework I will be doing next week and the weeks to follow.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
My Meeting with the Japanese Police
After I had already made pancakes for dinner (yes, I surprisingly found pancake batter in Japan) I was informed by some of my fellow international students that we were having a cookout. For some reason, most people had been previously informed, but it didn't matter much that I didn't have anything to cook since I had already eaten with two of my friends. But I thought I would be sociable so they wouldn't think I'm some hoity-toity bitch.
Unfortunately, the security guy didn't like us cooking on the grill in the smoking area right next to the Seminar House where we live. He asked us to move it to the park behind campus. Now, according to "Master" Yobi - he's the guy with all the information, so he has sort of become Yoda for the rest of us - they had numerous cookouts in the park, in that exact spot, last semester without any problems.
It must not have been our lucky night, however, because when we were about on our second round of burgers and hot dogs (found at an import store across the river from campus) the cops showed up. Honestly, I didn't even notice them at first. There were so many of us that we were all having our own conversations, and it wasn't until I turned around that I noticed one group was having a conversation with two Japanese policemen.
Thankfully, we had an RA there with us to follow along with what was going on. I didn't fully catch everything, but it sounded like someone from the apartments behind our Seminar House called saying we were setting a fire in the park. They took down our RA's name (no word yet on if he was busted for something) and a count of how many of us were there. But they were nice enough to let us finish cooking what was still on the grill before we left; they didn't even stick around to make sure we left (which is very strange that they were so trusting).
Shibata-san, one of the two major International Student officials, mentioned that there is a crazy person living in the apartment building who likes to complain a lot about noise and other typical complaints. He constantly apologizes to this person, but they keep bitching to him, and half of the time it hasn't been us who have been noisy.
As I mentioned before, the smoking area is right next to the Seminar House. People show up throughout the night, including our security guard, to have a smoke and chat. Sometimes they make noise, other times I swear the crazy person looks out their balcony, sees people, and decides to complain. It really pisses off those of us who are getting punished with increasing rules. We have to leave the smoking area by 10pm now, instead of the initial 11pm, and the security guard pretty much tells us to get inside if it is after 9pm. We can't even stand in our stairwell or outside our rooms and talk. And there is a ridiculous rule about not having anyone of the opposite sex in your room after 11pm. So those of us who make friends with the opposite gender are restricted in when we can talk to one another.
We are pretty sure where this crazy person lives, so we keep our eye on their balcony to see if their light is on. If it's on, we pretty much act as belligerent as possible up until 9pm, which is about the average time people in that building go to bed; it's not as severe as that sounds, really, we just don't watch our noise level until it hits 9pm.
Unfortunately, the security guy didn't like us cooking on the grill in the smoking area right next to the Seminar House where we live. He asked us to move it to the park behind campus. Now, according to "Master" Yobi - he's the guy with all the information, so he has sort of become Yoda for the rest of us - they had numerous cookouts in the park, in that exact spot, last semester without any problems.
It must not have been our lucky night, however, because when we were about on our second round of burgers and hot dogs (found at an import store across the river from campus) the cops showed up. Honestly, I didn't even notice them at first. There were so many of us that we were all having our own conversations, and it wasn't until I turned around that I noticed one group was having a conversation with two Japanese policemen.
Thankfully, we had an RA there with us to follow along with what was going on. I didn't fully catch everything, but it sounded like someone from the apartments behind our Seminar House called saying we were setting a fire in the park. They took down our RA's name (no word yet on if he was busted for something) and a count of how many of us were there. But they were nice enough to let us finish cooking what was still on the grill before we left; they didn't even stick around to make sure we left (which is very strange that they were so trusting).
Shibata-san, one of the two major International Student officials, mentioned that there is a crazy person living in the apartment building who likes to complain a lot about noise and other typical complaints. He constantly apologizes to this person, but they keep bitching to him, and half of the time it hasn't been us who have been noisy.
As I mentioned before, the smoking area is right next to the Seminar House. People show up throughout the night, including our security guard, to have a smoke and chat. Sometimes they make noise, other times I swear the crazy person looks out their balcony, sees people, and decides to complain. It really pisses off those of us who are getting punished with increasing rules. We have to leave the smoking area by 10pm now, instead of the initial 11pm, and the security guard pretty much tells us to get inside if it is after 9pm. We can't even stand in our stairwell or outside our rooms and talk. And there is a ridiculous rule about not having anyone of the opposite sex in your room after 11pm. So those of us who make friends with the opposite gender are restricted in when we can talk to one another.
We are pretty sure where this crazy person lives, so we keep our eye on their balcony to see if their light is on. If it's on, we pretty much act as belligerent as possible up until 9pm, which is about the average time people in that building go to bed; it's not as severe as that sounds, really, we just don't watch our noise level until it hits 9pm.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
BAKA! (Idiot)
There has been so much information the past three days. Orientation was full of bad news. First, I had to pay $100 for a housing deposit that I was never informed of before our entering the classroom. Then I learned about the extra money that I needed to pay for the National Heath Program. Followed by the amazing news that I had a 3 hour exam on Wednesday and a 4 hour exam on Thursday.
Well, that 3 hour exam is over. I feel like a complete idiot, now. But at least I will be put in a class level that I can benefit from. I am not looking forward to the exam tomorrow. The more advanced students are required to write an essay in Japanese; those of us who are not that advanced will be participating in an interview. Other than that, I have no idea what the allotted 4 hours will be used for.
I know that tons of things happened between the orientations of the past 3 days, so I will probably edit this post when I can recall them. For now, I will work on my spoken Japanese for my interview tomorrow.
Well, that 3 hour exam is over. I feel like a complete idiot, now. But at least I will be put in a class level that I can benefit from. I am not looking forward to the exam tomorrow. The more advanced students are required to write an essay in Japanese; those of us who are not that advanced will be participating in an interview. Other than that, I have no idea what the allotted 4 hours will be used for.
I know that tons of things happened between the orientations of the past 3 days, so I will probably edit this post when I can recall them. For now, I will work on my spoken Japanese for my interview tomorrow.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Study! HA! What Was I Thinking?
This weekend wasn't devoted to studying. In fact, the past four days haven't devoted to saving money, either.
Saturday was a surprise group trip out to Don Quixote and a ¥100 shop. I simply walked outside and ran into a mass of IJS (International Japanese Studies) students. I was told that it was about an 8 minute walk, but I think Yobi accidentally misspoke, and instead I walked 25 minutes through Nagoya in what quickly became heavy rain. Few of us owned umbrellas, let alone had them with us, and we were drenched by the time we arrived at our destination.
Not knowing we would be walking so far, and being too lazy to switch out my arch supports, I went through this experienced in my water absorbing converse shoes. Did you know that the material of the shoe actually shrinks as it becomes wet? I didn't. Until my pinky toes were screaming at me in agony. Although the streets are clean here, I was not confident enough to walk back without my shoes on like one of my friends did. I've been wearing my waterproof hiking boots ever since.
My first order of business was to buy an umbrella at the ¥100 shop, along with laundry detergent, slippers for inside my dormitory, chapstick, and the bare essentials. No money was on me, so Kat let me borrow ¥1,000 so that I could buy what I needed. The only thing I still feel I need is a laundry basket.
Don Quixote was a small place that was crammed with tons of products. I mean, it took up almost the entire top floor of the building, but Japanese buildings are not large in comparison to American architecture. The aisles and spaces between the aisles was maybe 4 feet wide, and there were electronics, housewares, makeup, and grocery departments. The prices were pretty decent, too, but I had was I needed.
Character from a childhood Anime
My shoes were nowhere close to being dry by the time we left, but at least I had an umbrella. The cafeteria doesn't seem to be open on the weekends (at least not yet), so everyone made plans to go to Sushi Row for dinner. After changing into dry pants and putting my boots on, I headed off with the group to find the way to this cheap sushi restaurant. Of course, there was a wait, but it's located right next to a large video game arcade. So I perused the several floors of Japanese gaming devices for about a half hour.
Some of that stuff is pretty cool. They have online RPG gaming consoles, and photo booths where you can draw on your pictures with your friends before printing them out as mini stickers. There were some strange pods that I think had something to do with virtual gaming, too. Also, about half of the place was some kind of casino, and another 1/3 was filled with grabbing machines - those money-eating games where you have to use a three-pronged claw to grab impossibly heavy/poorly shaped objects - filled with anything from giant boxes of candy to huge stuffed animals to toast. Yes, really, they gave you a chance to win pre-cut loafs of bread! Welcome to Japan!
The Toast
The sushi was amazing (-ly cheap, too)! Basically, you are seated at a booth next to the conveyor belt that carries around plates holding different kinds of food. There is a picture menu with all of your food and dessert options with prices next to them. If you don't see what you want going 'round and 'round, you can call your order in to the kitchen and it will come down on the conveyor belt on a special plate that tells everyone that it is special order and not to touch it. Most of the plates are ¥105 and even things like udon noodles or salads are only ¥280. Green tea is freely dispensed from a tap at the table and not charged.
Our Food-Delivery System
My Saturday ended with a scenic walk back to campus from Sushi Row and a couple hours of drinking and getting to know my classmates. It seems that most of us will get along just fine, so long as I behave myself.
Sunday was even busier. I was in the shower when someone knocked on my door, so I had no idea what was going on. At the time, I had thought Kat was coming by to hang out and study together, so I got ready to head over to her place or the lounge to do just that. It seems I was just in time for a group trip out for brunch. One student who has been here previously knew of a great place to get okonomiyaki (Japanese Pancakes), and I thought I would tag along since I have never actually tried okonomiyaki. We had to buy ¥600 day passes for the subway, simply because it was cheaper in case we went elsewhere, and head over to Kanayama (a part of Nagoya).
It turned out that the restaurant that we were going to was small, and full of people, so there was the option to wait outside or head back to the mall-like area of the train station where some bands/people were performing for some judges for something. Like most mobs no one spoke up and took any initiative, so everyone was just standing there aimlessly. I decided that I would walk around the block and see a bit of Nagoya.
A Japanese man fell into step next to me and began speaking to me in Japanese. He asked the usual things like where I was from. I tried to tell him that I was from Nagoya Gakuin University and tell him the story of the okonomiyaki restaurant being full and how I was wanting to look around Nagoya. My conversational Japanese is lacking since I am so out of practice, but my point was made. I guess. He offered to drive me around and show me Nagoya. It was at this time when I had fully circled the block, so I politely refused and informed him that my friends were over there and I was headed back with them. So he smiled, said the equivalent of "Later," and I headed back in time for everyone to make the decision that we should ditch okonomiyaki and go get Miso Tonkatsu (which is a well-known dish in Nagoya, I suppose).
We had the Tonkatsu (breaded pork over rice, covered lightly in a miso sauce) at a small restaurant above a Dulce & Gabbana outlet that had some really bad models in their posters. Afterwards, we headed across the way to Oasis 21. It's a pretty amazing place. At ground level, there is a park surrounding a hole in the ground. Said hole in the ground is actually filled with a staircase system and elevator which lead to the top of the structure. About 50 feet (I could be exaggerating) above the park is a strange oval-shaped level that holds a fountain that takes up most of the level, leaving a thinner outter walkway that overlooks the city. The fountain is very shallow and has a few small jet streams of water shooting straight up down the center of it for the length of the oval. If that wasn't cool enough, below ground is a two-story mall.
We didn't really check out the higher of the two stories, but the bottom-most story is not just an underground mall. It actually stretches out underneath the major intersection and connects with the subway and nearby bus stops. There is a store for all the Shojo lovers (girl manga/anime) right by a store for Shonen fans (that would be the male manga/anime that's full of ninjas, violence, and not crammed with lovey-dovey crap). I didn't even look inside the Shojo store. I did, however, enter the store that was in between the Shojo and Shonen; it was the store for Ghibli Studio. This is the famouse anime studio that brought things like Domo and all of the Miyazaki films to America and the rest of the world. Right across from all of this was an honest-to-god group of otaku (roughly "geeks") playing the Pokemon card game on the ground. Not far from them was the Pokemon Center; it looked like some kind of massive command center that was literally filled with fans, kids, parents, and tons of Pokemon merchandise. It was a sight.
I didn't have a camera on me, as it was a spontaneous trip, but I will be going back to the area in the future. Pictures will be had at that time.
After we were done at Oasis 21, we all thought we would stop by the local SoftBank down the road. SoftBank is a place where we can purchase cheap cell phone plans, and the one in Sakae always has English brochures and an English-speaking representative on staff. Once finished there, we walked to a Maruzen bookstore. Many of us became interested in the study material for the JPLT (Japanese Proficiency Language Test), and I think a few people purchased the next level of their Japanese textbooks that they used at their regular colleges.
We split up at that point. Some people decided to head back to campus, since all of our feet were screaming from all of the walking we had done in the past 48 hours. Those of use who stayed headed back to the subway to go to Osu Kannon. Osu is basically the Akihabara of Nagoya. Most of us were looking for an electronic dictionary to help us translate between the languages easily. A lot of them also have an input for drawing a kanji so that it can give you the definition for kanji you don't know. It would be a lot easier than me trying to count/guess how many strokes are in the kanji and look for it that way in my regular dictionary, praying to find it quickly. I could have bought an electronic dictionary at home or online before I came over, but it is usually cheaper to buy nearly any kind of electronic if you buy it in Japan.
We only spent about an hour there before heading back to campus, but I would not mind heading back there later in the semester. I saw mechanical robots, a huge anime/manga city-store, tons of really tasty looking food, and some very interesting clothing stores. If anything, it is a great place to spend the day and explore. I mean, the place is huge! It covers numerous city blocks and has thousands of stores, restaurants, and pachinko places. It would also be nice to find an electronic dictionary for easy research and kanji help.
Needless to say, I passed out upon my return to my room. Orientation began at 9:30am the next morning.
Saturday was a surprise group trip out to Don Quixote and a ¥100 shop. I simply walked outside and ran into a mass of IJS (International Japanese Studies) students. I was told that it was about an 8 minute walk, but I think Yobi accidentally misspoke, and instead I walked 25 minutes through Nagoya in what quickly became heavy rain. Few of us owned umbrellas, let alone had them with us, and we were drenched by the time we arrived at our destination.
Not knowing we would be walking so far, and being too lazy to switch out my arch supports, I went through this experienced in my water absorbing converse shoes. Did you know that the material of the shoe actually shrinks as it becomes wet? I didn't. Until my pinky toes were screaming at me in agony. Although the streets are clean here, I was not confident enough to walk back without my shoes on like one of my friends did. I've been wearing my waterproof hiking boots ever since.
My first order of business was to buy an umbrella at the ¥100 shop, along with laundry detergent, slippers for inside my dormitory, chapstick, and the bare essentials. No money was on me, so Kat let me borrow ¥1,000 so that I could buy what I needed. The only thing I still feel I need is a laundry basket.
Don Quixote was a small place that was crammed with tons of products. I mean, it took up almost the entire top floor of the building, but Japanese buildings are not large in comparison to American architecture. The aisles and spaces between the aisles was maybe 4 feet wide, and there were electronics, housewares, makeup, and grocery departments. The prices were pretty decent, too, but I had was I needed.
Character from a childhood Anime
My shoes were nowhere close to being dry by the time we left, but at least I had an umbrella. The cafeteria doesn't seem to be open on the weekends (at least not yet), so everyone made plans to go to Sushi Row for dinner. After changing into dry pants and putting my boots on, I headed off with the group to find the way to this cheap sushi restaurant. Of course, there was a wait, but it's located right next to a large video game arcade. So I perused the several floors of Japanese gaming devices for about a half hour.
Some of that stuff is pretty cool. They have online RPG gaming consoles, and photo booths where you can draw on your pictures with your friends before printing them out as mini stickers. There were some strange pods that I think had something to do with virtual gaming, too. Also, about half of the place was some kind of casino, and another 1/3 was filled with grabbing machines - those money-eating games where you have to use a three-pronged claw to grab impossibly heavy/poorly shaped objects - filled with anything from giant boxes of candy to huge stuffed animals to toast. Yes, really, they gave you a chance to win pre-cut loafs of bread! Welcome to Japan!
The Toast
The sushi was amazing (-ly cheap, too)! Basically, you are seated at a booth next to the conveyor belt that carries around plates holding different kinds of food. There is a picture menu with all of your food and dessert options with prices next to them. If you don't see what you want going 'round and 'round, you can call your order in to the kitchen and it will come down on the conveyor belt on a special plate that tells everyone that it is special order and not to touch it. Most of the plates are ¥105 and even things like udon noodles or salads are only ¥280. Green tea is freely dispensed from a tap at the table and not charged.
Our Food-Delivery System
Green Tea Anyone?
The food was delicious, the green tea is growing on me (very slowly), and I spent very little money.
Speaking of money, let me go over that.
With the current exchange rate ¥100 = $1.10. So when I said I borrowed ¥1,000, I borrowed roughly $10. So the exchange rate isn't too terrible; it's the cost of some things that make living here expensive.
My Saturday ended with a scenic walk back to campus from Sushi Row and a couple hours of drinking and getting to know my classmates. It seems that most of us will get along just fine, so long as I behave myself.
Sunday was even busier. I was in the shower when someone knocked on my door, so I had no idea what was going on. At the time, I had thought Kat was coming by to hang out and study together, so I got ready to head over to her place or the lounge to do just that. It seems I was just in time for a group trip out for brunch. One student who has been here previously knew of a great place to get okonomiyaki (Japanese Pancakes), and I thought I would tag along since I have never actually tried okonomiyaki. We had to buy ¥600 day passes for the subway, simply because it was cheaper in case we went elsewhere, and head over to Kanayama (a part of Nagoya).
It turned out that the restaurant that we were going to was small, and full of people, so there was the option to wait outside or head back to the mall-like area of the train station where some bands/people were performing for some judges for something. Like most mobs no one spoke up and took any initiative, so everyone was just standing there aimlessly. I decided that I would walk around the block and see a bit of Nagoya.
A Japanese man fell into step next to me and began speaking to me in Japanese. He asked the usual things like where I was from. I tried to tell him that I was from Nagoya Gakuin University and tell him the story of the okonomiyaki restaurant being full and how I was wanting to look around Nagoya. My conversational Japanese is lacking since I am so out of practice, but my point was made. I guess. He offered to drive me around and show me Nagoya. It was at this time when I had fully circled the block, so I politely refused and informed him that my friends were over there and I was headed back with them. So he smiled, said the equivalent of "Later," and I headed back in time for everyone to make the decision that we should ditch okonomiyaki and go get Miso Tonkatsu (which is a well-known dish in Nagoya, I suppose).
We had the Tonkatsu (breaded pork over rice, covered lightly in a miso sauce) at a small restaurant above a Dulce & Gabbana outlet that had some really bad models in their posters. Afterwards, we headed across the way to Oasis 21. It's a pretty amazing place. At ground level, there is a park surrounding a hole in the ground. Said hole in the ground is actually filled with a staircase system and elevator which lead to the top of the structure. About 50 feet (I could be exaggerating) above the park is a strange oval-shaped level that holds a fountain that takes up most of the level, leaving a thinner outter walkway that overlooks the city. The fountain is very shallow and has a few small jet streams of water shooting straight up down the center of it for the length of the oval. If that wasn't cool enough, below ground is a two-story mall.
We didn't really check out the higher of the two stories, but the bottom-most story is not just an underground mall. It actually stretches out underneath the major intersection and connects with the subway and nearby bus stops. There is a store for all the Shojo lovers (girl manga/anime) right by a store for Shonen fans (that would be the male manga/anime that's full of ninjas, violence, and not crammed with lovey-dovey crap). I didn't even look inside the Shojo store. I did, however, enter the store that was in between the Shojo and Shonen; it was the store for Ghibli Studio. This is the famouse anime studio that brought things like Domo and all of the Miyazaki films to America and the rest of the world. Right across from all of this was an honest-to-god group of otaku (roughly "geeks") playing the Pokemon card game on the ground. Not far from them was the Pokemon Center; it looked like some kind of massive command center that was literally filled with fans, kids, parents, and tons of Pokemon merchandise. It was a sight.
I didn't have a camera on me, as it was a spontaneous trip, but I will be going back to the area in the future. Pictures will be had at that time.
After we were done at Oasis 21, we all thought we would stop by the local SoftBank down the road. SoftBank is a place where we can purchase cheap cell phone plans, and the one in Sakae always has English brochures and an English-speaking representative on staff. Once finished there, we walked to a Maruzen bookstore. Many of us became interested in the study material for the JPLT (Japanese Proficiency Language Test), and I think a few people purchased the next level of their Japanese textbooks that they used at their regular colleges.
We split up at that point. Some people decided to head back to campus, since all of our feet were screaming from all of the walking we had done in the past 48 hours. Those of use who stayed headed back to the subway to go to Osu Kannon. Osu is basically the Akihabara of Nagoya. Most of us were looking for an electronic dictionary to help us translate between the languages easily. A lot of them also have an input for drawing a kanji so that it can give you the definition for kanji you don't know. It would be a lot easier than me trying to count/guess how many strokes are in the kanji and look for it that way in my regular dictionary, praying to find it quickly. I could have bought an electronic dictionary at home or online before I came over, but it is usually cheaper to buy nearly any kind of electronic if you buy it in Japan.
We only spent about an hour there before heading back to campus, but I would not mind heading back there later in the semester. I saw mechanical robots, a huge anime/manga city-store, tons of really tasty looking food, and some very interesting clothing stores. If anything, it is a great place to spend the day and explore. I mean, the place is huge! It covers numerous city blocks and has thousands of stores, restaurants, and pachinko places. It would also be nice to find an electronic dictionary for easy research and kanji help.
Needless to say, I passed out upon my return to my room. Orientation began at 9:30am the next morning.
Friday, September 11, 2009
My First 24
Quite a bit has happened, so let's do this in stages.
Flight:
The flight up to Vancouver, B.C. was easy enough to handle, but the flight from Vancouver to Tokyo was 9 hours and 30-some minutes long on Japan Airlines. Now, a lot can be said about Japan Airlines to the positive; their service is excellent and the food delicious. However, their seats are not designed for long-legged people, nor anyone with any kind of hips/curves whatsoever. My knees were giving me some issues, and my unfortunate runny nose caused me to have to get up several times throughout the flight. Of course, I was in a middle seat. But the Chinese man next to me was very polite about constantly having to get up (I did usually try to wait until the end of his movie or before he fell asleep).
There was a bit of a scare in Tokyo, however. My baggage wasn't on the baggage claim! When I checked into Air Canada in Portland, I was told that they could check my bags to Tokyo, as that was my displayed Final Destination, but they could not give me my boarding pass for my flights with Japan Airlines. In fact, I had to go through customs in Vancouver, exit the terminal, check in again with Japan Airlines, and go through Security (in about 2 hours time). Going with the Vancouver tangent, I was expedited through Customs and that helped me to make my flight on time. It turns out that when I checked in with Japan Airlines, they were able to tell the baggage carriers to stamp a tag on my luggage that would get it straight aboard my flight to Nagoya. So it turns out my luggage was safe and sound after all!
My flight to Nagoya from Tokyo was 45 minutes long, and I could barely keep my eyes open. We flew in a 777 with probably 50 passengers total, so there was plenty of room. This plane, unlike the 747 double-decker that I flew from Vancouver to Tokyo, was very comfortable! There were contoured headrests that were adjustable to my height, my butt had plenty of space, and I was in an aisle seat with plenty of space to myself. I honestly didn't want to get out of my seat when we landed. But the girl in the window seat couldn't get off the plane fast enough and I had to let her out.
There were about 15 students from Nagoya Gakuin University waiting to meet me in the Greeting Area once I made it through Customs, yet again. It was nice; I have never had a welcoming party at an airport before. Some of the students are friends with some of the NGU students I met at Coe, so we chatted about the people we both knew and introduced ourselves. The girls almost immediately admired my hair for it's color and softness, and have voiced their desires for hair like mine. There were several other American students from colleges across the U.S. that I also was able to meet. We took a bus back to campus and I was given keys to my new home. My roommate is from Shanghai and studying Japanese. Unfortunately, my Japanese is rusty and so is her English. We seem to get along fine, though.
MY BEDDING IS PINK!
Now that I've voice that complaint, it was also free.
My First Day:
I woke up around 9:30am Japan Time and was able to work my way through taking a shower (which is a little cramped) and starting to study for my exam. I went for a walk through the neighborhood a little before noon and picked up a drink from a local vending machine. Almost as soon as I returned, Yobi (a student from Canada who has already been here 1 semester) came to see if I wanted to join a few of the other students for lunch in the cafeteria. So I learned the ins and outs of how to order a meal and where to drop off my tray once I finished. I had tempura udon (breaded and deep fried vegetables with buckwheat noodles) and it was delicious.
After lunch, Yobi showed us around a little bit; the official tour isn't until Tuesday. We went to the IJS office, where most of our professors like to hang out, and were shown our mail boxes (I'm still not sure about what my mailing address is yet, but I will let you know when I know). Then I passed out for several hours before deciding I should probably wake up and study in the Lounge. On my way, I ran into several of my fellow IJS students who were headed to the grocery store. Not knowing where it was, I thought that I would tag along and find out. All of us hung out in the eating/smoking area outside before deciding we should probably get dinner. The cafeteria was closed, so those of us who weren't too tired went to grab dinner at the 7 Eleven (yes, there is a 7 Eleven here). When we returned, my friends and the other IJS students had arrived. I am finally reunited with my Coe classmates! :)
And that is my first 24 hours. This weekend will be devoted to studying. Hopefully.
Flight:
The flight up to Vancouver, B.C. was easy enough to handle, but the flight from Vancouver to Tokyo was 9 hours and 30-some minutes long on Japan Airlines. Now, a lot can be said about Japan Airlines to the positive; their service is excellent and the food delicious. However, their seats are not designed for long-legged people, nor anyone with any kind of hips/curves whatsoever. My knees were giving me some issues, and my unfortunate runny nose caused me to have to get up several times throughout the flight. Of course, I was in a middle seat. But the Chinese man next to me was very polite about constantly having to get up (I did usually try to wait until the end of his movie or before he fell asleep).
There was a bit of a scare in Tokyo, however. My baggage wasn't on the baggage claim! When I checked into Air Canada in Portland, I was told that they could check my bags to Tokyo, as that was my displayed Final Destination, but they could not give me my boarding pass for my flights with Japan Airlines. In fact, I had to go through customs in Vancouver, exit the terminal, check in again with Japan Airlines, and go through Security (in about 2 hours time). Going with the Vancouver tangent, I was expedited through Customs and that helped me to make my flight on time. It turns out that when I checked in with Japan Airlines, they were able to tell the baggage carriers to stamp a tag on my luggage that would get it straight aboard my flight to Nagoya. So it turns out my luggage was safe and sound after all!
My flight to Nagoya from Tokyo was 45 minutes long, and I could barely keep my eyes open. We flew in a 777 with probably 50 passengers total, so there was plenty of room. This plane, unlike the 747 double-decker that I flew from Vancouver to Tokyo, was very comfortable! There were contoured headrests that were adjustable to my height, my butt had plenty of space, and I was in an aisle seat with plenty of space to myself. I honestly didn't want to get out of my seat when we landed. But the girl in the window seat couldn't get off the plane fast enough and I had to let her out.
There were about 15 students from Nagoya Gakuin University waiting to meet me in the Greeting Area once I made it through Customs, yet again. It was nice; I have never had a welcoming party at an airport before. Some of the students are friends with some of the NGU students I met at Coe, so we chatted about the people we both knew and introduced ourselves. The girls almost immediately admired my hair for it's color and softness, and have voiced their desires for hair like mine. There were several other American students from colleges across the U.S. that I also was able to meet. We took a bus back to campus and I was given keys to my new home. My roommate is from Shanghai and studying Japanese. Unfortunately, my Japanese is rusty and so is her English. We seem to get along fine, though.
MY BEDDING IS PINK!
Now that I've voice that complaint, it was also free.
My First Day:
I woke up around 9:30am Japan Time and was able to work my way through taking a shower (which is a little cramped) and starting to study for my exam. I went for a walk through the neighborhood a little before noon and picked up a drink from a local vending machine. Almost as soon as I returned, Yobi (a student from Canada who has already been here 1 semester) came to see if I wanted to join a few of the other students for lunch in the cafeteria. So I learned the ins and outs of how to order a meal and where to drop off my tray once I finished. I had tempura udon (breaded and deep fried vegetables with buckwheat noodles) and it was delicious.
After lunch, Yobi showed us around a little bit; the official tour isn't until Tuesday. We went to the IJS office, where most of our professors like to hang out, and were shown our mail boxes (I'm still not sure about what my mailing address is yet, but I will let you know when I know). Then I passed out for several hours before deciding I should probably wake up and study in the Lounge. On my way, I ran into several of my fellow IJS students who were headed to the grocery store. Not knowing where it was, I thought that I would tag along and find out. All of us hung out in the eating/smoking area outside before deciding we should probably get dinner. The cafeteria was closed, so those of us who weren't too tired went to grab dinner at the 7 Eleven (yes, there is a 7 Eleven here). When we returned, my friends and the other IJS students had arrived. I am finally reunited with my Coe classmates! :)
And that is my first 24 hours. This weekend will be devoted to studying. Hopefully.
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