Why is the Time Gone?

Sebatical

2007-12-06T16:28:00.000-09:00

Hey everyone,

Sorry I haven't written anything lately. Seeing as it's the end of the semester and all things have gotten somewhat busy on the educational front. My grammar classes got slowed down due to some bad tests and I've been putting in long hours as we make up missed lectures in my seminar class because my teacher was ill. I also have a Kanji test next Tuesday I've been studying for...but fear not! I will be sure to post before I leave promise!

~edit~

I am 80% packed to come home and leave the day after tomorrow! I'm nervous of course, I hate flying but excited at the same time. I can't wait to sleep the jetlag off and spend time with my friends and family. For those of you who have stuck it out reading this blog and hearing about my travels thank you. This trip was such a big thing for me and there were so many of you I wanted to share it with.

Gaijin Bippy Strikes Again!!

2007-11-20T19:16:00.000-09:00

Muhahaha! Last Sunday several of us international students got on a train and went to a neighboring town to participate in a cross cultural festival. There was SO much stuff to do there; tea ceremony, Spanish bingo, Ugandan games, Japanese paper cutting, Korean crafts it was a hoot. However, the big selling point was the oppertunity to try on kimono (and samurai armor for the men) It was amazing. The types of kimonos they had to wear were Maiko (geisha) or wedding kimono. I got to wear the wedding one, let me tell you those suckers are by far the most beautiful things I've ever seen...and also the heaviest. They wrap you so tight you feel like your ribs could break and you can't breathe, and the layers of fabric lay so heavy on your arms you can bearly lift them. But you look beautiful! I also had the luck of being chosen to have my own hair put up in a traditional style.

Now, I get compliments about my skin and hair in this country (I'll do another post about this later) but my hair was being fawned over! It was insane! The two women doing my hair wrapped and pinned and back combed and sprayed my hair into a form I have never seen it. Then they covered it in combs and ornaments so my head felt about 20 lbs and I had to keep it JUST so or I would totaly lose my balance. Best part was, I got pictures!

Things I will miss about Japan (part two)

2007-11-19T00:30:00.000-09:00

Seeing as (through word of mouth, noticing a lack of comments) my entry about bathtubs went over so well I decided to add another entry of things I will miss about Japan. This particular object has become almost an addiction since I came to Japan and I eat one almost every day: Melon Pan.Melon Pan is Asian style sweet bread that (normally) doesn't actually taste like melon. The name comes from the shape, which resembles a hard melon like a cantaloupe. Also, for those asking "what on earth is pan?" Pan is the Japanese word for bread, a loan word from Portugal. Melon pan is given it's sweetness from the thin layer of cookie dough bakers put over the bread dough. It's very tasty, the texture being anywhere from crunchy to doughy sweet. Melon pan are about 100 yen (a buck) a pop and come in different styles. There is the basic style (personal favorite), Chocolate chip melon pan, strawberry melon pan, melon cream pan and various other varieties.
As you can see from the adorable anime picture I have posted melon pan is very popular, almost to the point of being a cultural staple. At first I was very depressed about leaving Japan because I would also be leaving these delicious breads behind. HOWEVER! The fates granted me a wish and I found while rummaging around on Wikipedia a link to a melon pan recipe! See Here for Awesomeness so I will have to at least attempt this when I get home...because...I want to be an ambassador for international breads. Doughnuts be damned! *waves fist*
Additional Resources: Wikipedia Article

Things I will miss about Japan (Part one)

2007-11-15T00:06:00.000-09:00

So, now that it's November and my date of departure now...about a month away people are starting to ask me "What will you miss from Japan?". I'm assuming they want to hear about all the friends I've made and the places I've gone...well I'm not sappy like that! (Or maybe I just connect with very strange things: See Previous post) Of course I'll miss my friends, and the routine I have quickly built up around the skeleton frame that is my school scedule but one of the things I will miss most is: My bathtub.
...yeah I'm waiting for the stares to die down before I continue. Yes, you can lift your jaw off the floor it's OK. If you haven't experienced a Japanese bath well you, are horribly missing out. I don't have a picture of my bathtub, but this one is a pretty good example of the usual, simple model tub that comes standard in Japanese homes.

There is nothing that tops my list of stress relieving measures more than by tub. Being so deep the water comes right to your shoulders and you can practically float. (If I was smaller I might just do so) and because of the nifty cover they put on the tubs the water stays warm much longer. Also, because the Japanese are huge bathers it means they have TONS of bath products! Bath salts, fizzies, bubble bath anything you could want. I'm a personal favorite of the fine grain bath salts. They dissolve instantly in the hot water and leave a mild but lingering fragrance throughout the bathroom. The fact that they also dye the water different colors but leave my skin it's normally pasty shade is a huge bonus. So yeah...I'll go home in December to my lackluster bathtub I can't even fill halfway for fear of overflowing it, and dream of happier days when tubs were tubs and baths were worth drawing.

An ode to Mini-stubby

2007-11-13T00:34:00.001-09:00

I made a friend today.

This evening Tanya and I were going to the post office, and to get there you cut through the park. As we were walking up the stairs to the bridge we notice a cat. Cats are a common sight here, between the feral kitties who live in the park and the cats who chill out when let out for the night there are a lot. Now, normally the cats don't come close to you at all, in fact on your arrival they run like mad. This kitty didn't. Infact he did the complete opposite and ran right towards us, meowing and rubbing against our legs. We petted him, assuming he would be on his merry way but no! He kept getting under our feet as we walked up the stairs and I was convinced he was going to follow us to the post office. "I'm getting him food you stay here" Tanya remarked leaving me in the park with the cat. (the park is right next to the university, is a well lit and well trafficked area for my mother who is cringing at this story) So I'm sitting with the cat, who is rubbing against me, purring, loving on my purse, and jumping into my lap to make cookies. I tried in three different langugaes (English, Japanese, and Spanish) to attempt to communicate to the cat that he should go home, or at least sit and be patient but alas nothing worked. NOTHING. Tanya came back less than five minutes later to this cat perched on my knees meowing to all passers by (I got a lot of stares). Kitty then proceeded to scarf down the entire can of tuna Tanya had produced. I being in charge of getting it from plastic bag to cat. We dubbed him Mini-stubby, partialy in honor of Tanya's kitty with the same name and partially because he was a little bobtail. I think Mini-stubby is a girl Tanya thinks it's a boy so the he pronoun doens't really mean anything. We then left Mini-stubby with the strictest advice that he should return home post haste or at least find a snug place to sleep for the night and went on our way.
Yeah...the park cat population tripples once the street lights are on, furthering my theory that most of the cats DO have homes, they just happen to be let out at night. We spotted maybe 2 ferals and a half a dozen friendlys before we made it out of the park. It was like a cat gauntlet! The post office was closed by the time we got there, but by the time we made it we figured we had gone out for a different reason according to fate. I hope all is well with Mini-stubby and I hope he is now safely home, eating more food or at least conning more people out of their Tuna.

+3 Karma points for Bippy and Tanya

High and Mighty Color

2007-11-03T23:58:00.001-08:00

Wow.

So NGU was having their annual school festival and they invited the band High and Mighty Color to come preform. For those who don't know, they're an up and coming band here in Japan who have done the openings for a few anime I like, mainly Bleach. Ian hooked Tanya and I up with free passes to stand in the front of the stage and man it was an awesome experience. I only knew I think two of the songs they played but the energy was really electric and the band really got the crowd into the performance. There was a lot of jumping I'll leave it at that. They even came and played an encore for us how awesome is that?!
Afterwards we were able to get a glimpse of them as they took photos in the tennis court. This is possibly the only time being foreign in this country has gotten me anything. The band members looked as us American kids, smiled, and waved at us. Tanya almost fainted because she really likes the main male singer and I was just happy because, well I now have bragging rights to all my friends back home. I even got to watch the guitarist and basist play catch for awhile which was awesome...yeah....it was a good day all around.

Now I have to study for my two tests I have this week.

Camera Follies

2007-10-28T20:45:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure I had mentioned in here that I had broken my camera. It was a tradegy, my own personal JFK assasination with me as the sniper on the green. I had, in a folly I still regret knocked my precious camera off my desk sending it crashing to the floor. The damage was irrepareable (Camera's shouldn't rattle when shaken) and the pained whirring of stripped gears tore me assunder inside. My baby, my freshman year of college birthday present had decided today was a good day to die...

This is all that remains of my precious A610...my failed attempts to revive you only further scar your damaged innards, reflecting the utter chaos that must lie within. Though I mourned your passing...life continued on and I forged a new alliance. You were not forgotten A610...I stuck with the canons purchasing the younger model...the A560.

Yes, he is smaller than his predecessor and he lacks the nifty rotating viewer that made me fall in love with A610 but he is sturdy and he is well suited for his job. He also, amazingy had English settings so I could change that up...it's so nice to be able to understand what it is your doing on your camera...so yeah, that is the story of my two cameras, of loss and ultimately finding a decent replacement for the camera which has documented a good two and a half years of my life.

A610 you are gone...but never forgotten.

Shopping Excursions

2007-10-28T02:02:00.000-08:00

Saturday's are generally my busy days, the days I go out on the town and spend money. This saturday was no different and I found myself in Sakae once again going to the Loft. Though this time I actually dropped some cash. The first thing I bought was something that perhaps I should have purchased sooner, mainly a pot. Yes, I've been here how long and I only just now bought a pot. Why? Because I didn't want to buy the wrong type of pot, and I didn't really want to lug a pot back to the states. Why can't they just supply pots? Honestly.
I also bought several people souviners of my trip, none of which I'll specify here because people might read and find out! I will say that those presents I bought reflect wonderfully on the people I bought them for...lets see...
I attempted to find a halloween costume but the costume i wanted ended up being around 100 dollars....I'm not spending 100 bucks on a halloween costume. So my plans to be awesome have been twice thwarted *sigh* perhaps I should have just brought a costume over with me. Not like I realized attemping to find something would be so difficult/expensive. Yeah...a word to those who want to go to Japan:
Japan has the highest cost of living prices in the world!!! Everything over here is expensive! Your eyes will spin at the amount of zeros tacked on to everything over here! I have simply gotten used to the fact I will have to shell out about 10 bucks for a flipping umbrella...and umbrella!!! And thats just if I was a cheapy one, if I want a namebrand awesome one like everyone else carries around here I can pay anywhere from 50-100 US dollars! So yeah...fellow Japan travelers you have been warned.

Poems and Pictures

2007-10-24T05:03:00.001-08:00

So for those who didn't notice, I circucmvented the problem of loading photos and now have some up. Instead of writing about my day (in short I dumped soda in my bag, learned you can indeed dry notebooks on a line, and broke my camera...all the while keeping a smile on my face and a song in my heart as I shoved imported salmon jerky into my face) I figured since I mentioned how I had been writing horrible poetry I would share some with you! Yay! Aren't you lucky! *fake smile* If you can't stand the poems at least enjoy the most current photo of me.

Renegade Exchange Student

Using a futon cover as a sheet,

my closet now a desk,

American resourcefullness

takes on Gypsy-like attribues

while living abroad

To Tanya:

I currently share:

1 bottle of laundry detergent

1 rice cooker

2 closets of clothes

An assortment of cooking utensils

1 box of thumb tacks

A thousand frustrations

Tons of heartache

and A lifetime of memories

A Common Moment: (Tanka)

You know that you're in Japan

when you see a guy

standing in the grocery store

chatting on a pink cell phone

You Know (Haiku)

You know that you've been

in Japan too long when the

subway feels like home.

What Japan does to an English Poets Brain

Poetic muse ebbs and flows

like the tide.

I seem to have stepped off the dock

into the middle of high tide

Importance of Poems

Poetry takes on new importance

when it's part of only ten percent

of time when you write in

English

Fall!

2007-10-21T18:13:00.000-08:00

Yeah, finally it feels like Fall in good old Nagoya, it's only by my internal clock three weeks late...so that means winter should hit around Thanksgiving! Hurray I might have finally figured this out!
I went to Sakae with Tanya and Michael (a guy from Texas). It was a pretty fun trip, we hit up craft world and I am now the proud owner of some spiffy looking yarn, went to the 100 yen shop and bought my mom and grandmother presents. We got lost attempting to find only the coolest department store ever, THE LOFT. But, we did find it in all it's modern hipster glory...each floor full of more goodies than the one below it! The best part? they sell halloween stuff there, I gotta go back and buy my halloween costume there. The other best part? Since it was Saturday there were all these young women handing out flyers and free samples of stuff so I have like a months supply of tissues and enough shampoo samples I may not have to go out and buy a bottle after all!

Kiss me Jade Elephant

2007-10-17T03:29:00.000-08:00

and let me play in your garden of dreams...

Ok that was totaly random but since coming to Japan I have come to deeply appreciate the venacular in which I was brought up in. I've written terrible poetry since I got here, why? Because I can and because it's in English and English is beautiful. Not to say Japanese is not beautiful, it's just a different kind of beautiful. English is very flowery and ornate and complex, in my mind very much the English rose garden sort of beautiful. Where as Japanese is the beautiful you only get in simplistic, intangible things. Japanese as a language perfectly (not grammar mind you, just words) encapsulates the Japanese concept of Wa. Which I will get into once I have a better understanding...it's one of those concepts that takes a while to wrap your head around...

I normally think of rather witty things to put in here, but sadly I think of them during class. A time when I'm scared to even think of writing something down that isn't lesson related for fear of the teacher seeing (Japanese teachers, as sweet as they are will put the fear into you). So I forget. However, this is one I probably won't forget for months to come. My class got a lecture in class today about how poor our writing was. As my sensei put it, it's not beautiful. We got a crash course on improving our writing, and a mini speech on how important handwriting is in Japanese. Now, about a year ago in my Foundations of Japanese History course we were given copies of pages from the untranslated Tale of Genji and those of us who were Japanese majors were asked to attempt to read it. Now, mind you the Tale of Genji is several hundred years old and writing has changed since then, but out of an entire page I could only decipher one character. す。(Sidenote: You can write Japanese in cursive, it isn't done often now but bascialy you link the strokes together.) Here is an example:
So when my teacher goes on about handwriting all I can think of is that page of The Tale of Genji, the first novel and something the Japanese pride as a great literary work and a great peice of their culture...which in it's original form is almost impossible for even the Japanese to read...maybe my humor was ill founded or I've just lost it but I thought the whole exchange was funnier than anything.

着物をきりましょう！

2007-10-15T04:24:00.000-08:00

For those who don't speak the Japanese the title roughly (and probably incorrectly knowing my horrible congugation of verbs) translates to Lets wear kimono! Which, is exactly what I did this weekend.
The Foreign students...ok...the foreign GIRLS were invited to the Atsuta Ward's Learning Center to take the oppertunity to take part in the local kimono club. Basically, a bunch of adorable old ladies who enjoy kimono in all it's various forms. Forms? Yes! Kimono is just a general word for clothing here, but it usualy encompasses a certain group of traditional clothes. What we wore this month were Yukata; cotton kimono that are worn normally in the summer. These are the kimono you often see in pictures of festivals. The kimono most people are familiar with are the multi-layered winter kimonos with different sleeve length depending on mariage status (Yes, such things are still important here in Japan).
Anyway, I was given the oppertunity to do this and I did. The little old lady who put my yukata on pretty much rough-handled me and pulled that obi (the belt) so tight it was like wearing a corset. It's no suprise to me now that the traditional ideal of a kimono-clad Japanese woman is that of small footsteps and small movements. Any large movement like running, or say taking a deep breath is pretty impossible. We took lots of pictures in the yukata and then were invited to stay for tea.

Ugh...I have nothing against tea, but the obi was so tight even sitting down was a pain, and because of the way a yukata is wrapped you can't cross your legs, so you are forced to sit "Japanese style" or on your feet. Your legs get tired after awhile! I ended up sitting the other way, which is on one hip, your legs folded beside you almost like a mermaid, a little more comfortable but no where near the comfort jeans allow. ~Edit: Holy crap I circumvented the problem! let the photos be shown!

Here I am in all my multicolored, sunflower ridden glory. Yes, I know the obi doesn't match the kimono, and yes I know for most people...that is an ugly ugly peice of fabric but I wore it with pride and totaly rocked it. I felt even better when the owner of the kimono sat next to me during tea and said "That was my daughters kimono when she was younger" and the sound of price in her voice made the fact I looked fat and ugly worth it.

Here is Tanya, myself, Cynthia, and the adorable Chinese girl whose name I never remember! Tanya doesn't look so good because she was sick that day. Note how the Chinese girls are totaly able to rock the kimono look.

I never live up to my own expectations

2007-10-10T18:01:00.000-08:00

When I started this blog I had somehow hoped to be able to post maybe every other day, sharing my exploits and adventures in Japan. However, after the first few weeks my world settled down, I got into a routine and suddenly my amazing Japanese trip turned into...well school. Yes, amazing things have happened and I've experienced some wacky events but those are only the icing on an otherwise bland cake of classes and sitting in my room. Perhaps it's my fault for simply not being social enough, but in a country where the two major social lubricants are alcohol and smoking...well I wasn't willing to pick up either habbit for the sake of having friends. My moral compass may become my social hubris.

Anyway, International club stared this lunch table where Japanese students can come talk to the foreign kids. Sadly, it's not much of a conversation when you can't understand what the Japanese kids are saying, nor do you have any information that they would find the least bit interesting. Things that Alaskan kids like, do not translate well over here. Things like knitting, broomball, sledding these are foreign things to a group of kids who shop at Louis Vuitton and are buying the latest pop idols album off of Itunes. *sighs* I relate more to the 60+ set here than my own age group alas...I shall simply cross stitch in silence and continue to chat up the grandfathers at festivals and the check out lady at the grocery store.

See? I can make friends!

I have been here one month

2007-10-06T02:09:00.000-08:00

I have so much I wish to write about, but together none of it would make sense.

First off, today the Atsuta ward held a festival in the park behind the university. I was quick to attend, and with the first beats of the Taiko drums I was out knocking on doors demanding people to go with me. I think the festival was for the national holiday National Health and Fittness day which is on Monday. Alas, it's a national holiday and I have school. Why? Because NGU is a private university. At least I only have two courses.
The festival was small, but they had a lot of stuff. There were a lot of informational booths and we stumbled upon a make-shift bazaar where keen Japanese housewives attacked me with wares. I bought a purse for 100 yen and got the hell out of there. I also consumed my fair share of festival food, which being cheap is also incredibly delicious. There were also a ton of performances there, taiko drummers of all ages and skill levels, various dance teams and groups, even a rock band from the university came to play. I thought it was so...amazing to watch dances and songs that were hundreds of years old being performed by girls who had previously been chatting on cellphones and drinking pepsi. I took quite a few pictures which I will post at the end of this mini-rant.
I was also surprised with how warm people were towards us today. I have somberly gotten used to the questioning stares as I walk through the grocery store and the looks of disapproval as I ride the subway so to be treated with such welcoming and warmth really threw me off. As I was sitting watching the performances this family sat next to me and the grandfather began chatting with me, asking if I was going to school here and where I had come from. He was even nice enough to occasionally explain what the dances and stuff were about in between playing with his grandson, who would sit in his stroller and bounce with the music.
Which brings us to another thing I saw today: I saw my first pregnant woman in Japan. Nagoya is interesting in that while you will see throngs of women with children under 2, you never see a woman who is actually pre-term. At first I thought they must be confined to their rooms or have a much quicker turn around time than the rest of us but low and behold today as I was leaving the festival I see this woman with what looks to be a 39lb watermelon strapped to her lower abdomen. Poor woman looked like she was going to pop.

OK and now the blog won't let me post teh photos...boo!

Sweetened Condensed Milk

2007-10-01T04:48:00.001-08:00

Makes a tasty bread spread, and forget all you nay-sayers!

It's monday which means one thing: Karate! Yes for those who didn't already know I joined karate on a lark and because it's on my list of 40 things to do before I'm 40. (Yes, I have a list of things I want to do before 40 and I think everyone should have a list...and when they get to 40 they need a list of things they want to do before 60 and so on and so forth. People should always have goals to strive towards...one of mine being learn a martial art.) Karate is tough! I expected as much but my legs are stiff! We do a lot of punching and kicking practice and overall protocall for being in the dojo. We also learned three of the four main ways to get out of a hold. Two hurt...very bad. I suppose thats what happens when you push muscles and joints out of their normal place. Before you all cringe and think "oh dear lord what is Brenna doing to herself!?" remember: Karate may have once been used to kill people, but now it's a sporting event, a great form of exersice, and a powerful mental building tool. How else do you think those people can break stones with their hands? I'm no where near that, but at least I now know to severely harm anyone who tries grabbing me on the street. Yay that.

We kind of have a black market for American food here, we have our own stashes we occasionaly let people in on. I got fruit by the foot today from Ian whose mother is either a Saint or a worry wort. (No one, and I mean no one needs 13 boxes of mac and cheese). I'm currently rationing my own box of mac and cheese and I'm hoarding the caramels my mother sent me...those are mine damnit forget sharing!

The weather has finally cooled down to the level I can wear a long sleeve shirt and not die. This is awesome because personally; I think I rock the snow bunny look far better than summer wear. The cooler weather also means I have access to more of the wardrobe I brought over! (Oh what a fool I thought I was for bringing sweaters!) The cooler weather does have a downside, it's near impossible to dry clothes out of doors while raining and cold. Why? Not because they get wet...but because it's so humid they never really dry. I've resorted to drying my clothing in my closet because the wood wicks the moisture away. It's rather funny using my closet as everything BUT a closet sometimes. (All my clothes are carefully packed in the lower half of the closet). But yea...typing amidst socks is always an enlightening experience.

PS: Tappioca pearls in coconut milk....best food ever.

I have been here 25 days

2007-09-30T02:41:00.000-08:00

Crazy Huh?

When it rains it pours over here. I had plans to go out and do stuff this weekend but thanks to the rainstorm I prayed for (which showed up several days late) it's been too wet to do anything. On a positive note it has finally cooled down to a tolerable temperature. I've worn long-ish sleeves for the past two days, and if the weather report is indeed correct I will be doing it for the next several. It's so nice, I mean the rain is kind of a pain and makes tasks like going to the grocery store go from being simple chores to being almost hellish. Nothing makes me miserable faster than wet pant legs. I got in contact with a fellow UAF person, Sean who is currently over here in Japan for the JET program.
For those who don't know JET is a program where college graduates go to Japan to teach English. Sean's blog can be found here:http://www.seanmisen.com/?language=en. Check it out sometime.

I have done nothing of intrest

2007-09-26T23:27:00.000-08:00

Which is why I haven't posted the past few days. I suppose doing laundry by hand in a bathtub or going to the grocery store might be exciting for some people but for me, it doesn't warrant being posted on the internet; I'm somewhat picky about these things. My box from mom arrived a few days ago and I must say I have never been happier to see Mac and Cheese ever. The toothpaste, real lotion, and pain medicine were also lovely suprises. Now if only I could get new English books...I'm currently re-reading the two I brought over. (And yes Dad, I am reading that math book).
Um...tomarrow I'm more than likely going out to karaoke with Tanya and Yuto and several other people. I dunno, I'm not a big fan of it, but something about the experience is just so surreal, so out there that it's fun. It's one of those experiences where no one judges you for your singing talent and everyone just goes to have fun. Maybe while I'm out I can also go find a store to buy a coin purse, because the little pouch in my wallet is not cutting it!

Layer Cafe

2007-09-22T19:51:00.000-08:00

OK, yesterday everyone sans Tanya and I went to Osu, this huge outdoor market. Why didn't we go? It was too flipping hot and we thought we were going to die. Anyway, Ian comes back and invites us to go to back to Osu now that it's dark and go to a maid cafe. For those who don't know, a maid cafe is a cafe (overpriced) where the girls dress in maid costumes and speak very politely etc while serving you. They are really popular among Japanese nerds. So, Tanya and I agree to go because a big group is going. We get to where this maid cafe is and well, panic attack. Why would I want to go into a place like that? When the door opened I peered in and all I saw was a bar and I thought to myself 'well crap, there won't be food here this is a bar!' I was mistaken though, it's a cafe that just happens to serve alcohol. The girls were indeed dressed up, but not as maids. Apparently there are two similar cafes right next to each other, a maid cafe and a Layer, or cosplay cafe. The difference being in a Layer cafe, the girls dress up like anime and video game characters. It was a little awkward, but I stuck it out. The food and drinks were wicked expensive though! Tanya and I split a slice of "the cake of the day"' and I stuck with water.
That cake, was delicious! It was like 6 layers of crepes with cream filling between the layers. That cake so made up for the utter awkwardness of the experience. Upon paying Shin-chan (the girl who had recomended going in the first place) got a point card, so now we're obligated to go back. If anything we must give the waitresses some relief. After all we're just a group of funny americans with women in the majority, not like the nerdy socialy inept regulars they get who chat them up and oggle them. Oh well, those men are willing to pay 700 yen for a glass of iced tea and that is a most excelent business.
Alas, I couldn't take photos. It's a line of work that isn't the most respected over here, it's kind of like strippers in the states. It's not something you want your family or friends finding out you do for a living. Either way, I have to respect those women who dress up in silly costumes and use the highest form of polite speech for a bunch of drooling otaku (fanatics) on a nightly basis.

Good for you Layer waitresses, I applaud you.

New Pictures

2007-09-21T04:50:00.000-08:00

I went to karaoke yesterday afternoon with one of the Japanese kids and some of the Americans. I've come to the conclusion Japan just puts all the fun crap to do in one location, which just happens to be half way across town from where I live. Oh well, a 20 minute subway ride is better than hours on a train. Karaoke was fun, embarressing as all hell but fun. I totaly rocked the Amano Tsukiko song Cho from Fatal Frame 2; though I'll never sing as high as she does. I also attempted to sing in Russian, which actually went pretty well! I only messed up a few times when the song switched to latin.

Then today Tanya, Yuto (the guy who picked me up at the airport) and I got together and went to Sakae to go hang out. We went to The Loft which is a department store here with lots of cool and only mildly expensive things. Tanya bought a new bag but I kept my purse strings tight...though they have halloween costumes there so I will be coming back. Then we went to eat at this make it yourself place, basically: they have little bamboo sticks with various meats and veggies on them and you pick what you want, go back to your table, and dredge the stuff in batter and panko before deep frying it in this little pot they have built into the table. We totaly lucked out too because there was a guy handing out coupons in front! Our meal was like 15% off! It was so good, I'm still full from it and oddly enough, lotus root deep fried and smothered in cheese sauce is pretty darn delicious! So is mochi! Anyway, my title says I have pictures so I should show you pictures...

This would be one of two locations in my appartment I can get internet access. Yes, that is my closet. Yes, it looks like the ones you see in asian horror movies, and yes it terrifies me.

You can't really tell in this picture, but it's pouring rain. This was the remains of Typhoon 18 I think? They don't name typhoons over here they give them boring numbers. Needless to say, I didn't go out that day.

This was the sky before the typhoon hit, I don't know what variables caused this picture to occur but those clouds, look flipping awesome.
This is my radio, my girly pink radio. I bought this at Kojima on the suggestion of a fellow exchange student who said listening to the radio here would improve my listening comprehension. Alas, the radio I wanted only came in pink, so now I have this...toy on my shelf that only gets enka in the afternoon and plays more American music than Japanese! I still love it though.

And for todays finale! I saw this beauty as I was walking back to campus from the city office after registering my alien status. I was just so taken aback by the statement I had to take a photo. I mean, at best that truck is simply boasting, at worse it's a dead faced liar.

Note the New Picture!

2007-09-19T03:12:00.000-08:00

That people, is a こえんねこ or literally: Park cat. They're everywhere in the park next to the university. I assume they're strays that chill out in the park because there are plenty of birds and silly people to feed them but they are wicked adorable and just sort of mosy around. They do get a bit skiddish when you try to get close to them, maybe if I go every day to the park and bring fish or something I can get one close enough to pet it. I keep telling people I'm going to steal one and bring my mom back the best foreign exchange gift ever! (She'd kill me)
Classes were good as usual today, I had kanji class for the first time and though I am pretty good at reading the kanji, I SUCK at writing them. I don't know, after hours of studying and not remembering stroke order I just sort of told myself I wasn't going to bother learning how to write them and focus on reading. After all, I didn't want to be a total dunce when it came to it. Alas, I can't continue that pattern of thinking anymore and will have to put my nose to the grindstone and practice practice practice!
I went to UniGlo (clothing store with cheap stuff) with Tanya and Shin-Chan (Canadian Taiwanese girl) and looked at clothing. With tops, I'm golden at the moment because the fad is baggy layered clothing. This is excelent! I can wear clothing here! Accept jeans. Jeans have become my nemesis! They fit Tanya, sort of and Shin they were too big; I put them on and I can't even get them zipped up all the way. Curse my Irish/German/Childbearing hips! Tanya says if I lost some more weight (Note: I'm back down to 156lb. Another Note: I was brave enough to post that publically) I could fit, but it's impossible to lose bone, and I'm simply not going to fight it. If I want Japanese jeans I'll simply buy from the boy section and get weird looks as a stroll down the street like I always do.

Oh, I'm also pretty sure I've lost all sense of what is supposed to taste good together. Strawberry and Melon spread sammich? Delicious! Seaweed filled riceball? Bring it on! I reached new lows this evening when as I was prepping dinner I thought to myself 'Jam and Mikan orange slices!' IT. WAS. DELICIOUS. You can't judge me! Next up I'll try red bean paste and jam. Or perhaps Miso paste on rice or some weird combination. Orihime Inoue has nothing on me!

Undesirables

2007-09-17T23:23:00.000-08:00

So according to a poll American women are the least desirable women on earth. I heard this from one of the guys who is staying here for exchange, who also happens to be American. Save for maybe three or four of the gents here it's been made obivous the men are wife hunting. But, back to the topic at hand, American women are undesirable because we are loud, we "fight" and we're fat. We also don't take shit from people and we demand that people earn our respect. Women's lib has failed us and turned American women into unmarriable crones. So, I'm either going to be the hottest crazy cat lady America has ever seen or I'm going to marry a gay man and be his cover. It made me think of all the American men who come to countries like the Phillipines, Japan, or China and is looking for the overly romantized submissive oriental princess. Do men not realize that it's a well maintained front? Asian women are just as bitchy, hard headed, loud, and fiesty as any other countries women; they just know how to play the game better, letting their boyfriend/husband think they're the one in control but really they are the ones holding the reins. It's genius but at the same time kind of sad. It's hard being in a country where everything is different from your own, I feel like Alice in Wonderland. I already feel fat and bulky here because well, I am compared to Japanese girls and being stared at in the grocery store is kind of annoying. I rarely feel pretty here in Japan, or even cute, I'm an oddity-like the new exhibit at the zoo. I'm going to learn how to say "If you stare long enough, maybe I'll do a trick" in Japanese so I can pull it out for the annoying middle schoolers and high school boys.

Oh, I started classes today. Only language classes though the electives don't start until next week when school offically opens. The class I'm in is horribly simple and my brain feels like mush as I have to re-learn how to spell things in hiragana instead of kanji. It took me several minutes to remember how to write "Nihon" in hiragana because well, I haven't written it that way in four years. GO FIGURE. Hopefully tomorrow's class will be a bit harder and I won't be sitting through three hours waiting for my liquified brain to come dripping out of my ear. Oh! I bought groceries today to, nothing is better than milk green tea and pears.

In the Closet

2007-09-15T06:29:00.000-08:00

Is where I sit to get internet now.

So I did get laundry done today, the rain stopped as soon as Tanya and I stepped out to buy her radio. We found a really nice, what we thought was cheap sony radio in a fetching shade of pink that did everything Tanya wanted. However when we got to the register the guy starts talking in this super soft voice, which can't be heard over the din of cellphones, TV comercials, and idle chatter. We hear something about five years and assume it's a warranty, we nod and the price skyrockets. In the end, the radio was about 100 dollars US, talk about lost in communication.
I broke a little social rule and put my tub to use as a makeshift washing machine due to the fact NGU only has two washing machines and two dryers. I made quick work of shirts, (though I have to do jeans and pants tomarrow) and left them to dry on hangers outside on my veranda, where oddly enough most of my laundry still sits, because it WON'T DRY.
My roomate bought a new computer today, and wanted to switch the OS to the Chinese windows which took two chinese girls, two american girls, and finally the assitance of an american boy with computer knowlege to get it to work. Oh yeah, it was exciting and oddly enough a great ice breaker for getting to know my roomate. If anything we can sympathize with the feelings of wishing to strangle a laptop.

Hey Mr. DJ...

2007-09-14T18:14:00.000-08:00

Make the rain stop so I can do my laundry!

So my plans to do laundry today were thwarted by mother nature and her tendency to make it pour rain over here. Why is this a problem? The Japanese don't believe in dryers and the one's they do produce are very very small; therefore it is more convienent to just hang them outside to dry.
The welcome party was one big embaressment fest. We had to do self introductions I don't know...three times? Once in front of the entire party. Yeah, I didn't sound stupid in the least bit. I got put at a table with a bunch of less than enthusiastic Japanese kids who chatted with me and Tanya for a bit before we akwardly ate dinner. After that Tanya and I went on the search for a pot and found one at the grocery store. We don't know if it'll work, but at least we can make soup now. Um...other things...Aloe yogurt tastes a lot better than it sounds and makes for a great breakfast treat.
Tanya wants to go back to Kojima to get a radio, the theory being if you're always hearing Japanese you'll have an easier time understanding/speaking it. We'll see how the experiment goes.

Aliens!

2007-09-13T23:48:00.000-08:00

Ok so I got my test scores and I'm apparently in the 1-2 class while Tanya and Ian are in level 2. Why? Because I was stupid and let American life get in the way of studying for Japanese. "OK mom I'll help you out while your sickly, but realize each moment I spend assisting you I could be studying.' Oh the temptation to say that now...Anyway, I'm not too bummed out about it, things could be worse at least my course load will be easy.
Today we FINALLY finished orientation and then walked to the district office to register for our Alien Registration Card. I get mine 10-5-07 yay! WIth that I'll be able to buy a cellphone and give myself carple tunnel from all the text messaging. We also have the welcome party tonight at 5pm which is why I'm typing this like a bat out of hell...forgive the language.

私の頭が痛い

2007-09-11T23:22:00.000-08:00

So I took my first placement test for Japanese classes today. Nothing hurts a head more than trying to do listening comprehension in a langugage you've only heard every once in awhile over the course of three months. Yeah, I'm pretty sure the Japanese teachers here are going to think I'm retarded when it comes to listening. The whole test was only a few hours long but it was like several sections...and for some stupid reason we couldn't use kanji accept in the kanji section...yeah that was annoying. Other than that it went pretty fast, I finally got a class book telling me what courses I could take so that made me happy.

Oh...OIP if you read this...thanks for informing me that NGU was a christian school. It would have been nice to have some preperation before I walked into the entrance ceremony and had to sing hymns in Japanese. Oh, yeah and the praying really made my day too thanks.

My next test is tomarrow at 10am...hopefully my brain doesn't turn to mush before then...I'm gonna go cross stitch.

PICTURES

2007-09-10T02:06:00.000-08:00

This is my roomates room, as you can see they haven't arrived yet, I'm starting to wonder if they are going to make it in time for orientation. The rooms here are pretty small but comfortable. The unlimited use of the airconditioning is a huge plus also.

My tiny, yet suprisingly convienient kitchen. It's also a wireless hotspot which is why if you look at most of the American dorms, we have our laptops in the kitchen...

Here is my bed, I sleep here. It's also my couch...my uncomfortable couch.

This is the Nagoya skyline from the front of my dorm. The happy sun there is Kojima, God of electronics and pharmacutical goods. We pray to him daily for health and good internet.

I have dishes!

2007-09-10T00:24:00.002-08:00

Ok first off I'm convinced that walking is the national sport of Japan, and while everyone else around me is a seasoned pro I walk about mile and feel like I'm going to collapse. Am I that out of shape? My legs are killing me right now and my feet are threatening legal action in the form of an abuse suit.

Now, I was finally able to get to a bank today after much explanation from the international office. (I just want to tell them that the more they explain something the more complex the situation gets). Oh, and my internet just once again crashed…thank you Microsoft Word. Anyway one of the Japanese kids came with us and we went to Kanayama station. OK, in Japan the stations are more than just for trains…they’re like mini open-air shopping centers. I saw in my travels through the station a post office, a pharmacy, three restaurants, florists, and a shop selling clothes. Oh, and the post office here is also the country’s largest bank. So we’re able to get money out of accounts, switch money over all that jazz and grab lunch in the same place.
We had takoyaki, which for those of you who don’t know is a sort of cooked dumpling with octopus inside. Don’t worry this time it’s cooked. I had mine with miso paste and green onions, Tanya got curry on hers and they were really good! Mine were good too but I mean, curry! Tanya had to get some buggy stuff because for some reason the bugs love her and like to nibble on her in her sleep.
Today was also the day after much searching we found the 100 yen shop! I finally after four days of being in this crazy country have dishes!!! I also finally have something to hang laundry on and chopsticks. We rode the subway again today, a little more complicated because we switched lines like three times, but still it’s not nearly as difficult as I was told. I wouldn’t ride the train solo just yet, I’m far too accident-prone something would surely happen.

Getting Lost in Nagoya

2007-09-09T00:25:00.000-08:00

GPS...you are useless!

So a group of students and myself went to go find a place to buy dishes and cooking utensils among other things. I read on Yahoo! Travel about this department store that has a little of everything so I recomend we go. Kevin (one of the gents) puts the location into his GPS and we're off. We walk...and walk...and walk. I realize as we're hoofing it further and further from campus that there is a very good reason why the Japanese are so skinny. About halfway to our supposed destination we find....

A DENNYS! yes! a Dennys in Japan! It was so insane we were compelled to go eat lunch there(the prices on the outdoor menu were cheap too). We go inside and are seated, the Dennys in Japan serves traditional Japanese food, so it was a very surreal experience. I ordered some lunch special which came with what I insist are fish sticks and some rice. We continued on our way deeper into downtown, running into a impromptu rock concert in some open area. Nothing, I mean nothing is more amusing than seening Japanese attempt to mosh. It seemed almost comical to see them dressed up like punk rockers with their hair all colors of the rainbow and pierced lips. We kept walking until we found what I'm sure was the deptartment store...full of expensive shops and NO KITCHEN WARE!!! Oh, we were angry but the anger was soon countered by the find of the one Apple store in Nagoya. Tanya was also super happy to find a craft store in another huge pricy department store.
To let those of you who aren't sure what expensive is, we passed a Gucci store and several Prada locations...Thank you Japanese women and your lots of disposable income...how I envy you so.

Tanya and I were so tired after walking all this way and being prety much lost that we start walking back the way we came to attempt to find a subway station. After much looking (I was convinced they had hidden from us) we located one. I always thought finding your way on the subway was harder than hell, I was told this by several people. Bull. We located the station we needed to get to (we had seen it earlier in the day) and after some deciphering the ticket machine bought tickets. Riding the subway alone was a liberating experience...I'd always had someone hold my hand and this time my group had to figure out where the hell we were going. It took maybe 10 minutes to cover the distance it had taken us like 3 hours previous. It was decided next time we wanted to go somewhere....we were taking the subway.
The subway station we exited from is located right next to the grocery store we bought our food. So, we went in to buy dinner and icecream before taking the ten minute walk back to the dorm.

I'm now laying in bed, because my body won't let me do anything else. I'm so sore but so happy because of the distance I was able to cover and the overall experience of being out in the real gritty Nagoya and making out alive.

Yoo Hoo?

2007-09-07T23:00:00.000-08:00

Hey,

After 22 hours of flying and a 24 hour waiting period of sitting by myself in my dorm room things are starting to pick up. Tanya arrived yesterday at around 8pm and she mercifully brought food with her. (Side note: I was stupid and thought I had packed food so when I had the oppertunity to buy food I turned it down...only to realize I had a bag of chips, a bottle of water and tea to survive on.) I made it ok...

Today we went on a tour of the area and got to meet a bunch of other American kids, Tanya and I are the only American girls here...and so far nothing bad has happened yet! The dorms are super nice and so far I'm sharing with a non-existant Chinese roomate. I'm selfishly hoping she doesn't show so I can have the kitchen and bathroom all to myself! We also got to go shopping which I was infinately thankful for. I picked up an alarm clock (shout out to dustin!) and a bunch of other stuff, but I still need to pick up a trash can, something to hang my clothes on (Japanese don't use dryers) and a towel. I'll post pictures later on!

Bippy~

This is a Blog

2007-08-31T19:49:00.000-08:00

It does blog things. I didn't know how to start this thing so here it is.

Taa Daa!