Thanksgiving and a haircut!

As most of you are aware, Thanksgiving was last Thursday in the US. One of the hardest parts about living abroad is missing holidays you usually celebrate. The hardest for me is always the 4th of July. This year was the absolute worst since not only did I work that day, I also had literally no one to celebrate with. But now that's not an issue as there are tons of Americans at Kansai Gaidai! A group of my friends and I were planning on celebrating in the dorms and making a full on Thanksgiving dinner, but sadly dorm head was pretty set on saying no. A lot of people ended up staying in Hirakata and going to an all-you-can-eat restaurant. We stepped it up a level by going to Umeda in Osaka and going to Outback Steakhouse.

We got there without much hassle. 

Now let me tell you how weird it was walking into that place. It looks just like the standard American restaurant. Which is really weird after having not seen them in almost seven months. They had a little placard on the table that said "pay at the table" like we do in America, which is really strange here. We had silverware rolled in cloth napkins. They still brought us hand towels to wash our hands before the meal though. After all, this is Japan. 

I ordered a cheeseburger. And it was delicious. I miss meat. Just big slabs of meat. I have never cared for it before, but now all I want it meat all the time. So that cheeseburger was amazing. Also, I was reminded of American meal sizes. I couldn't finish it and I was so sad to waste the food. There are no doggie bags here. Drinks were good, even if horribly overpriced. I miss cheap Prague. 

The waitress was super nice. She was also really patient while we counted out a large portion of our meal in coins. We tried to tell jokes to lighten the mood. I think it was fun for all of us as we got to practice Japanese and she got to practice English. And no, we did not leave a tip. It's extremely rude here. 

On the way home we stumbled upon a Christmas lights display at the station. It was so pretty. We danced around like dorks and had a great time.

And the next day I cut my hair!! I was just going to wait until I got home, but after my friend Asa told me about how much fun it was. So this is how it went. I called to set up the appointment the night before. There are tons of salons all over, but this one was recommended by my host mom's friend. It's run by a young couple and one other person and located right next to the train station. I got there a little early. They had a cute little locker for my coat(s). Then they took the key for the locker and my earrings and put them in a little container. I went and sat down in one of the chairs and the wife brought me some magazines to flip through. I had planned on just telling them to do whatever with my hair, but while I was flipping through I saw a picture of the cute short bangs that a lot of the girls at school have. So we went for something like that. 

One big difference between salons in America and in Japan is that not all salons in Japan wash your hair. There are plenty that say "cut only" on the outside. Those are all the cheap ones. I wanted my hair washed because... well it would be weird for me. They had a little glass on the counter in front of my seat for my glasses. My hair was washed twice and the while the conditioner was in, I got a head massage. Massages are pretty standard. Asa said that when she went they gave her a shoulder and hand massage as well. Afterwards was pretty normal. I was really happy to speak Japanese with the man cutting my hair and the old woman next to me. I mean, I speak Japanese all the time with my host family and friends, but it's completely different when you speak with someone you don't know and when there is no one there to back you up if you can't say something. It was a really good experience! 

My hair is now probably the shortest it's ever been all over and I love it. 

Festivals and Some History

Now that my asthma has finally chilled out, I have time to write about my awesome festival experience on Tuesday.

After a hellish midterm, Claire and I skipped afternoon classes and went to Kyoto. The 22 happens to be a pretty big day in terms of festivals. In Kyoto, there is the Jidai Matsuri, or Festival of the Ages, and just up the mountain from Kyoto is the Kurama Hi Matsuri, or Kurama Fire Festival.

At about 1:40 Claire and I rushed out of Sanjo Station to the sounds of the procession passing by. The Jidai Matsuri, or what we saw of it, is a giant parade that goes from the Imperial Palace to Heian Shrine. The people in the parade dress as people from Japanese history between the eras that Kyoto was the capital. The festival started in the 1890s when the capital and palace of the emperor was moved to Tokyo. Let me be honest, even Claire and I, who love Japanese history, had no clue what the hell was going on for most of it. The ladies in front of us for awhile would discuss the different eras, but we couldn't quite place them chronologically. What we did know is that after an hour and a half, Heian Jidai popped up and we knew that that was practically at the very beginning, so we figured that this was a very long parade. Well, just tonight at dinner my host mom explained that it goes from recent history to ancient history. So we DID see the Meiji Restoration soldiers~!!! AND SAKAMOTO RYOUMA! And even better, I'm about 99% sure we saw TOMOE, my favourite character in the Heike Monogatari!!!! Her story in short: she was a samurai retainer under Minamoto Yoshinaka and before his death he told her to get lost because he didn't want to die with a girl. So she ran into battle, yanked off some guys head to honor Yoshinaka and then rode off into the hill where she shed her armor and disappeared. Seriously, how cool is she?

After thinking we still had hours of the parade left (when it was probably only a few more minutes), we left to go on a small adventure before heading to Kurama. Where did we go? MIBU DERA. What is Mibu Dera? The headquarters of the Shinsengumi. But who are the Shinsengumi? In short: one of, if not the, most dangerous police forces in Japanese history. It essentially started when a group of guys became friends of the owner of a dojo up in Edo (now Tokyo). The friends all eventually became the owners retainers (kinda, but not really since he's not an actual samurai). Then they all joined this army that marched to Kyoto (the capital at the time) to protect the Shogun. The army returned to Edo when the Shogun left, but a group stayed in Kyoto and became the Shinsengumi. Their job was to police the streets and keep the rogue samurai of other clans from causing trouble. They did a lot of great things and a lot of bad things. If this were any other country in the world, they would probably be villains since they lost the civil war of the Restoration, but they are actually pretty popular here, as is their enemy Sakamoto Ryouma. I love the Shinsengumi. I love reading about them. I'm currently watch a phenomenal drama about them. Seriously, they are just the coolest.

So we went to their headquarters. It was literally just a normal temple. And that probably made it even cooler. Not really a lot of touristy stuff. There was a guy there who I'm pretty sure was dressed as Okita Souji, my favourite member. He was with two friend in kimono and they were taking pictures. Claire and I thought it was hilarious. On the temple grounds they have a garden that costs the best 100￥ I've ever spent to get in. It is a very quite and peaceful place, even if you don't like/care about the Shinsengumi. They have a pond with turtle and koi, a stone with a song carved into it that my host mom just read and said it was quite sad, which, from listening to her mumble it, yeah, it's sad. I mean, seeing as how they pretty much all died horrible deaths during the Restoration.... Yeah.... There is also a bust of Kondo Isami, the founder and head of the Shinsengumi. He would be the guy that owned the dojo in Edo.
On our way back to the train station we passed a place that we realized was the museum. Sadly, things like that close early and it was already 4:30/5:00 at that time so we couldn't go in. But I am planning on doing a project on them, so I'll go back soon probably~

After that we met our friend Ali for dinner at an Indian restaurant. It was yummy but the guys who ran it couldn't hear the difference between 'check' and 'chai' and also couldn't understand us when we tried to explain it in English or Japanese, neither of which they seemed to speak very well. So we ended up with 400￥ chai. Oh well.

The Kurama Hi Matsuri is a huge festival held every year in Kurama. People parade through the streets with lots of fire. They start with small torches and the progressively get bigger until they take two or three people to carry on their backs. It really sucks for the person in back because the fire and ash is falling onto their bare backs. They would shout to the nearby helpers who would help douse them in water to keep from burning. Despite that, everyone seemed to having a great time! The only drawback was the ridiculous amount of police officers crowding people into certain areas. I understand that it's tough to deal with huge crowds flocking to a small village at night, but we were in that village for almost 4 hours and only walked a bit down one road before we had to go home to catch the last trains to Osaka.
Okay, actually there are two drawbacks, the second being I sometimes forget I have asthma? All the ash and smoke triggered it pretty bag and I had a couple fits in the village and quite a few more the next morning. I also lost my voice, which meant I didn't have to talk in class for a day~ Yay~!!

Claire and I had a bit before the train left so Ali, who lives in Kyoto, took us to the palace. We didn't have enough time to really see it, and it was dark and stuff. It was really fun walking around Kyoto at night though, and Ali is a great tour guide!

Shinsaibashi and Takarazuka

This is going to be an adventure post.

Let's start on Saturday, when I went with my good friends Claire, Jannine, and Tahire to Shinsaibashi, a district in Osaka. Holy shit is this place awesome. We come off the train to meet this giant, covered street lined with shops called Shinsaibashi Suji. It's pedestrian only and probably stretches for over a mile. One thing of note is that shops here typically occupy one floor of a building and most buildings are at least 3 stories tall. There were a lot of shops. They were also a bit expensive so I didn't buy a whole lot.
After a while we moved locations to another shopping district that seemed targeted at college kids, especially those who followed specific fashion trends. Suddenly there were visual kei and lolita shops next too hipster and hippie shops. Loads of CD stores and a few live music clubs. We hung around there for most of the afternoon. I bought a new bag in a second hand shop and we were all handed demo CDs on the street. I was really excited to get it, but I haven't put it in my computer yet, fearing it may not be a CD. ... hmmm
After shopping, we went to a SUIPA!!! Sweets Paradise to be specific. Meaning all you can eat sweets for 70 minutes. Oh yeah. It was awesome. We headed back to the Suji after dinner and played in some arcades and took sticker pictures. Also, as it turns out, the sticker picture area of the arcade we went to is also where all the yankee girls meet up to smoke and and take pictures. It was not fun. YOU ARE NOT COOL BECAUSE YOU SMOKE IN THE ARCADE YOU STUPID GIRLS!! One thing I miss about America is the smoking bans. But it was an awesome day. I really loved hanging out with people outside of Hirakata again. I feel like there is definitely a bubble that needs bursting out of.

Now Takarazuka.
On Monday we had a national holiday again (I swear I've had maybe 2 Monday classes all semester). About a week or two ago I mentioned to my host mom that I wanted to go to Takarazuka, so we bought tickets for Monday and made plans and such.
First, let me explain Takarazuka. Though Takarazuka is actually the name of the town, when most people talk about it, they mean the Revue. Started in the early twentieth century, the Takarazuka Revue was created as an attraction to the last stop on a train line leaving Osaka. Since it's beginning, the Revue has risen to international acclaim for it's performance. The unique aspect of it being that only women perform on the stage at the Takarazuka Grand Theatre. Composed of 5 troupes (Flower, Moon, Star, Snow, Cosmos) of female performers, the Revue has performed everything from West Side Story to War and Peace. They also do more traditional Japanese storied, though none are playing right now. I'm quite sure they have a rendition of the something involving the Shinsengumi, but I've only seen picture at this point.
So onto my experience at the theatre. It took about an hour to an hour and a half by train to get from Hirakata to Takarazuka. My most mom and I left at 8:30 that morning and made it with a bit of time to spare for the 10:30 show. Even though it was a Monday, the theatre was packed with people, mostly women. There were shops here and there selling Takarazuka themed food, gifts, and even a post office where you could send things with the official Takarazuka seal on it. Fan clubs for the performers were there, lining up to go in. Women of all ages were present, ranging from elementary schoolers to grannies, all dressed in a different manner of ways. There were women in the latest fashions, lolita, crossdressers, house wives and kimono. It was literally one big girl's fest. And it was awesome.
The show we saw was Gone With the Wind, which was never one of my particular favorites but the actresses did a fantastic job. I really felt for Scarlet, even though I only understood about half of what she was saying.They sets and the costumes were beautiful and extravagant in true Takarazuka style.
Afterwards I managed to survive the gift shop and come out with some things, including a photobook of one of the actresses. I sort of want a DVD but they are around 100$. So probably going to pass on that. At least until I have a job again.
All and all, it was an amazing three day weekend. I did a few other fun things but these were definitely the most note worthy. Now to studying for midterms!

Vending Machines and Karaoke

As requested, this post will contain information about a bunch of things including vending machines in Japan!

So let's start with vending machines! Firstly, let me say that I don't actually have that many fun vending machine stories. Or, at least ones I find interesting. Except maybe buying beer from one. That was fun. But in Japan, there are a lot of interesting things you can buy from vending machines. These vending machines are everywhere. For example, in the lunch area at school there is a collection of at least 10 vending machines in a row where you can get pretty much everything you need for lunch. They have good melon soda.

A list of all the things I've seen or heard of being in vending machines:

1. Drinks
• Bottled drinks
• Canned drinks
• Hot drinks in cups
• Cold drinks in cups
• Melon Soda
2. Food
• Including ice cream yo
3. Beer
4. Cigarettes 
5. Umbrellas
6. Socks
7. Magazines/books
8. Omamori

My favorite is definitely that last one. I've never seen a vending machine that sells them, but apparently outside some shrines, Shinto good-luck charms called omamori. Usually you buy them from the priestesses inside shrines, but, you know, sometimes you're in a hurry and need a blessing. 

There is a drinking and smoking age here, but with everything purchasable via vending machine I figure there isn't much respecting it......Not being able to smoke means nothing from the cigarette machines, but a friend of mine has used them and was happy to report that they even come with gum so that your breath smells better!

The beer ones are alright. You can also get sake if I remember correctly. 

The other thing I want to talk about is karaoke. Because karaoke is like one of the funnest things to do ever. I've never actually done Western style karaoke, but I've heard you pretty much do it in front of a bunch of strangers. Yeah, that's weird. In Japan (and Korea) you go with your friends. You rent out a small room for a few hours and sing your heart out. I went for the first time this trip some time last week. Me, my friend Claire, and her friend Yukari went to an AWESOME place with all you can eat ice cream. We stayed for about two hours and it barely cost us $5. Yeah. 

This weekend I went with some friends to an arcade where we also got some awesome karaoke. The nice thing is there is English songs for people who don't know Japanese music, so even some of my friends who don't like Japanese music can enjoy! There's also Korean and Chinese music. It's the best. I could spend hours in karaoke. 

So yeah, two pretty interesting things about Japan so far :)

If there's something else you want me to talk about please let me know in the comments!!

Suma

Today started out with Baby We Were Born to Run playing on the radio as we cruised down the highway. If that does not spell out the start of a good day to you, then you need to be rethinking your position in life.

This morning we left early heading for a city south of Kobe to go fishing. Suma is a city on a hill (or rather, a forest covered mountain) that looks down into the harbor. What more could you look for in terms of scenery? We arrived just before 10, and after much difficulty parking, we headed out onto the docks.

Fishing in Japan is very different from fishing in the US. Or, at least from fishing at the Lake. First, quite obviously, we are fishing in the ocean. There was a network of docks that stretch out into Osaka Harbor where families, couples, and middle-aged men were set up, all with varying levels of intensity. We were prepared for a whole day on the docks!

The fishing lines were different as well. Attached to the end of the line were little buckets, which the fishers filled with mini-shrimps. For about the next two feet of line, smaller (about an inch) strands of line hang off with little hooks tied to them. The idea is that the mini-shrimps float off in the water, summoning the fish to the area, where they then mistake the hook for the tasty-smelling shrimp. Then, you can catch a bunch of fish at once. Today we caught 11 fish by ourselves and received one as a gift from the middle-aged man next to us.

On our way back to the mainland, Okaasan and I witnessed two old guys dealing with a squid one of them had just caught. They laid the thing out on their icebox and then one of them gave it a chop in just the right place and suddenly the color drained out of it and I'm pretty sure it was dead. I really wish we could have caught a squid.

After fishing, we went up the mountain, because it's actually an amusement park. No, stop. Whatever you are imagining, it's not that. It was like taking a step back in time. We rode a cable car up part of the mountain and then another ride up the rest. At the top were more fun things, but we settled for the observation deck, where you could see Suma, Akashi, and Awaji Island. There was also an arcade of the first floor.

Side note about Awaji Island: In the Kojiki, which is somewhere between religious texts and historical documentation, Awaji is the first island created when Izanagi and Izanami created land in the world.

On the way home, Olivia Newton-John's cover of Country Roads was on the radio (yes, same station). This pretty much means nothing to anyone who knows nothing of Studio Ghibli movies or Japan's obsession with random American songs. Needless to say, it was a good way to finish the trip.

Okaasan fried up some of the fish after dinner. Oh yeah, and dinner was beef stew. No, not some Japanese beef stew. Regular beef stew with carrots and potatoes and onions.

Today was definitely a perfect day of East meets West.

I freaking love Osaka

I will now give you a chronicle of today with tiny anecdotes about Japan thrown in along the way!

Since I last left off, I've moved into a new house with a new family. I live in Osaka Prefecture, about 30 minutes from Osaka City. On this particular day, I met Chidinma in Osaka City for a day of adventure!

I had to get up early to get to Osaka by 9:30 (the scheduled meeting time) and as it turns out, I got up in time to listen to some AMPlitude with Lina and Carina. They even let me request a song like the awesome people they are!

After that I said good morning to Yuuto, my 7 year old host brother, who was the only one up. Okaasan woke up right before I left, and I told her I was probably eating out for lunch and dinner, so she didn't need to make either for me. Haha....

So I made it to Osaka like a pro. My transfers were swift and smooth. Like seriously, you would think I had experience in foreign forms of transportation. I even got to ride in the women only car!

At 9:30, Chidinma and I met up, as planned, and went to an Ikebana presentation that Gaidai gave me free tickets for. It was in a hotel right in front of Osaka Castle, meaning we had a gorgeous view of the castle beyond the flowers. The flowers themselves were beautiful and the ladies who were running the event were very kind and came and chatted with us in Japanese.

After that, which took a lot less time than I had assumed it would, we decided to meander around Osaka Castle since it was right there. We saw a bad ass kendo tournament and met one of my friends who works in the gift shop.


For lunch, we decided to go to Umeda, a section of Osaka City that some of Chidinma's friends recommended. They did a good job. We roamed around before finally finding what we were looking for: OKONOMIYAKI!!! OH MY GOD! Okonomiyaki is delicious. It's usually described as a Japanese pancake or Japanese pizza. It's pretty much dough filled with veggies and meat and topped with yumminess. We found this legit restaurant where nothing was in English. In fact, the owner who greeted us as we came in asked us quite bluntly, "Do you speak Japanese?" From there, we realized this was a no-nonsense kinda place. So much so that after they took our order....the didn't even let us cook our own okonomiyaki. All around us, everyone was making their okonomiyaki on their little grills, but we were apparently just not approved of. We pretty much laughed all through lunch. You know, I feel like it was much funnier as it was happening.

After that was PURIKURA!! I'm trying to get the photos to post them.

Then we walked around.....maybe going on a wild goose to find Nakatsu station because I wanted to see it.....because it's Nakatsu Station.

Pretty much the best day ever. Except I ended up having to eat at home which I felt kinda guilty about. But home cooked food is always better than pretty much everything else.

This post ended up much less exciting than it actually was. But seriously, the Okonomiyaka experience was probably the funniest and most awkward moment of my life here so far.

Also, I have no idea what people want me to write about, so please comment with things you want to know about Japan?

The End! Not Really!

Well, I end my lovely trip to Japan on post twenty.
The Sunday after my last post, we went to the Ageo festival, where I got to wear a yukata, and pretend I was Japanese. It was so much fun! And there were sooooooooooo many people! I was thrilled to go!
The day after that Ayu, otoosan and I went to Yokohama! we took a boat tour around the bay, and ate in Japanese China Town. Which is the exact opposite of the San Francisco China Town: expensive. So we ate and left.
Ater that exausting trip, Ayu, okaasan and I went to Karaoke with some friends of okaasan and their daughters.
It was a blast!! I did my best, but I had a lot of trouble keeping up with the songs.... we also played dress up!! ^^
Tuesday, Ayumi and I went to the GHIBLI MUSEUM!!!!!!!!! Yeah, I know you're all jealous!! XD
It was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cool!! i have a few pictures.....
After that, everything was mostly winding down to leaving.
my trip home was loooooooooooooooooong..... thats all I wanna say...
and now I'm in South Dakota looking at buffalo and stuff. It's beautiful, but I can't wait to be home!!

But those of you who are scared this is the end of the Mina Diaries, fear not! I go to Europe next summer!!!

Laterz!!

Amelia

SORRY!

Okay, so its been a week... whoops! promise I`m not dead, just slammed!!
So! Catch-up!
土曜日(Saturday):
HARAJUKU!!!! OMG Harajuku purikura is amazing. just wanna start with that! lol
so i met my friend Rikako at Ageo station early in the morning (9) and we took the train (meeting Kanako on the way) to Harajuku. First thing we did was buy these really cool bracelets that someone constom writes your name or w/e on them! so cool! mine says アメリア　on it! so cute!! then Purikura!!!!!! LOVE! and somehow, by the time that was all done, it was lunch time.... oddly enough! so we went to a スイパ　! or something like that.... english: sweets palace. its pretty much a sweets buffet! AMAZING. I kept thinking the whole time, `Mom would kill me....` i have pictures of our plates are being uploaded. Don`t worry, before we ate the sweets, we did have an actual lunch. Pics are up. The shop was adorable, but no pics.... T.T
then we went shopping!!! lol i actually only bought a dress and some things at Claires.... Japan has a better Claires than we do! Not fair!
日曜日(Sunday):
MRS.EMILY AND MOLLY! THIS IS FOR YOU! XD
Let me tell a story. One time when Mrs. Emily went to Japan, she had to do a team building excercise that involved cutting down trees with machetes.
Sunday, I had to get up early and go to a lot close to the church were the members were cutting grass... with those tiny little sythe things you see in museums. I`m not kidding... afterwards we were rewarded with canned tea.... not water... oh well, it was good XD
After church, (which wasnt so bad, I found a book in english about philosophy) my ojiisan took okaasan, otoosan, and me to a really nice chinese resturant. Otoosan and i rode there and met okaasan and ojiisan. On the way I saw a zepplin. It was sooooooooooo freaking cool! It was just like in Kiki`s Delivery Service (and yes that was the first thing that popped into my head!)!!!!
The food was great!
ANd later okaasan, Ayu, and I went to Papa`s, the local shopping center, to get Ayumi some new shoes. Her other pair broke awhile ago. That was my first taste of the stationary stores Mrs. Emliy is always talking about.... Japan has the greatest accesories!!!
月曜日(Monday):
more testing at Ina, so I got to stay home. Ayumi is on summer break.
So first, Ayumi and i slept in. HEAVEN! And then we went to Maruhiro, the shopping center by the train station, and I went on a mini shopping spree. I bought a lot of cute little things at the stationary shope!!! looooooooooove those.!!!
Then we went to Kawagoe..... I can`t express in words how amazing Kawagoe is. honestly.
Its a very historic town, and it`s sooooooooo cute! I think the only thing it was missing was a sea port. It really looked like a sea side town.... but it was so much fun! The shop owners would put everything outside, and you just picked stuff up, as you walked by, and paid for it at the end!
We also went to a famous temple there, which was so cool! Pictures are being uploaded!
火曜日(Tuesday):
School.
Karate.... practice with the Judo club... oww.... very oww.... I still have rugburns on my elbows. It was probably the most intense workout I have had in a long time! After warm ups, I was so exhausted, I was shaking and my heart was all weak and stuff. Luckily I got a little rest time while the judo club taught up some throws. I watched mostly. Then we played a game (okay it wasn`t really a game, but it was to me!!). It was a basic fighting game. The goal was to land a touch, not punch or kick, on the other person as many times as possible within a time frame. It was soooooo much fun! lol
水曜日(Wednesday):
School.
Karate.
I can`t really remember this day.... sorry.... oh! wait! this was the day Ayu and I were messing around on the computer, listening to different songs. I showed her Carameldansen and she was like `Oh! Uma uma!!` it`s well known here, and we went and watch videos... lots. and of course sung it for the rest of the night!!
木曜日(Thursday):
We had double music period today. At the beginning, our teacher handed out a song randomly. Then sent altos and sopranos to different rooms (teacher worked with the boys) and we learned the whole thing in that time. Towards the middle of the second period, we all came back to the class room and sang. It was almost perfect! AMAZING! I still have the sheet music!! YAY! I couldn`t help but think how in choir it would take us weeks to get through a song all the way, and here these kids did it in under an hour and 30 min. And this isn`t even a choir. Its a class that meets once a week. How cool is that? I really wish I could have recorded what we sounded like. It was beautiful!!
Karate, which I was late for because I had to finish a project with my friend Ami. It turned out great, and Karate was a blast, as always! lol at the end we took pictures, which was soooooooooooo much fun!
I was freaking out because I had to give a speech the next day.......... I was writing a little more to it, and Ayumi helped me get it all translated into Japanese. I also had to make a bracelet for Rikako. She wanted one, cause I had made one for Kanako the day before (she saw mine when we went to Harajuku and thought they were cute). At 9 okaasan says we are going to visit a friend. I was a little freaked out cause I was tired, and still had to finish the bracelet and the speech. Okaasan said only for 30 min, so I said okay and we went to the 5th floor of out appartment building to her friends. She has two dogs, one of which hates me.
We ended up staying there for about an hour, so when we got home I had to rush to finish everything, and then take a shower.... i didn`t get to bed until almost midnight.
金曜日、今日(Friday, today):
I thought I was going to die when I got up this morning. I felt like a zombie..... I had only a slice of peanut butter toast for breakfast cause I felt like I would throw anything else up. The peanut butter was great.
So I got to school and was freaking out about my speech. Oh! Sorry, today was my last day as a student at Inagakuen. So I had to give a speech at the closing ceremony (they were getting ready for summer vacation). So I gave my sad little speech, and the Maxie, the German exchange student, gave an amazing one. Shes beet here for a year though.....
So after the closing ceremonies, was probably the saddist part of my time here. I had to say goodbye to everyone.... i got a lot of gifts, and took a lot of pictures, and refused to say `sayonara` on `ja ne!` or `mata ne!` which means `see you later`
I got a certificate from the principle on which my birthday is wrong....
And karate, made me so sad. After practice (which got I thought ended early, even though we still got our three hours in....) I was given a small square poster board with a message from everyone on it. Most of it is in Japanese, so when I`m done, I`m going to ask Ayumi to help me translate. Then I got one of the pictures we took the day before in a cute frame. I was ready to cry. Aina also gave me a really cute hair clip from Claires. It is a Yukata accsory, and I know them to be very expensive... but its beautiful! I wish I had had better gifts to give everyone.
After Karate, Aina and I went to the shopping center close to Inagaku for... you guessed it! PURIKURA!!!!! YAYAAYAYAYA!!! and crepes! which are so good!
The bus home was sad. I am really going to miss Aina...

Comments

Nancy: Thank you for clarifying that for me! I had always been a little curious! lol

JT: You crack me up! As for homework, kids in Japan don`t have a lot. They are to busy studying to bother with things like homework. Instead teachers give them all the answers then they study it for HOURS until they memorize it all for the tests. At least, that`s how I understand it to be. We hardly turned anything in. Some classes they needed to write speeches in English for, but since I already know English, I didn`t have to lol Yes I chose karate, and it was soooooooo much fun! My foot is mostly okay. sometimes a little sore, but okay. And trust me I`m going to see that movie. Also, one of the ALT`s (who is now my penpal and moving to Sweden) name is Jillian. Thought you should no. I forgot the Jost thing.... which makes me very sad. We have to many inside jokes....

Kayla: Believe it or not Kayla, I do want to see you again lol I am going up to Legends to see HP on the 24. dont know what time yet... JT WILL be there to!

Molly: Dude, I found it! And Everyone here knows it! lol I told Ayumi about it and she`s like `Oh yeah! that song!` the tittle is Fish Heaven in english, and I found it online, just not a single... still looking. Karate is amazing, and I`m going to keep it up in the US, so it better be just as cool or I`M gonna be mad... And I still have your address! don`t Worry!!

Mom: you and JT.... LOL

Heather: good to hear! Can you email me more info?

Anonymous: I think mom said this was Sally... Karate is a blast! And you should talk to the ALT Jill who is moving to Sweden with her husband in August! lol

Zach: because I have forgotten this in every post until now... what does ` Griffonner sur une faience` mean? there are two dots above the `i` in faience. It is on the cup I use. I did manage to get a pen pal in Suisse though. She speaks French! Since you are so lonely, you should come see HP on the 24 with us. Also, I need you address, so plz email it to me!!

Nancy: Oh god, the heat these last few days has been aweful! It hasn`t rained, so it was just hot. Not quite hot enough where you are sweating a enough for the wind to cool you off. Ugh! It was miserable.... T.T it rained last night though, so the tempurature went down. Does Lena need any particular thing that maybe I could get for her here?

And I`m done for now! i have other things to do!!!!!!!!! BYE!! じゃ また！！！

Past Three Days!

Okay, so the other day when I wrote about sweating? Yeah, I didn`t know the meaning of the word sweat. On top that I suppose you`re all wondering what club I joined, seeing as how I`ve been back at school for three days. I joined Karate club. After warm up stretches, everone is literally dripping sweat. Like, you can see it fall off our faces and hit the floor. Next to some of the guys are nice little puddles. I`m not kidding, not one bit. But oddly enough, it`s not that hot. . . .
So! Quick three day recap! GO!
Wednesday (水曜日):
Back to school! To tell you the truth I was scared all day about joining a club. How dumb was that? We only had half days at school this week, so when homeroom ended at 12:30ish I went with Riko, who is kind enough to show me around (again!) to the gym where Karate club meets. Well, then we realized club activities didn`t start until 1:30, so we went to the convienient store across the street and bought lunch. I had a bento, so I just bought a drink and some snacks to share. The convientient store is called Lawson, which I thought was really weird... Miles, isn`t that one of you friends last names. . .?
So then I ate with her and her friends, and headed back to the gym. By that time the only girl in the club was there. It didn`t take long for her to realize I didn`t speak much Japanese, as it didn`t take me long to realize she didn`t speak much English. Oh boy! Well luckily Ayumi lent me her electronic dictionary! So I managed to convey that I wanted to join the Karate club. She was thrilled cause that meant another girl on the team.
So then the boys started to show up. Guess what? None of them spoke English either!! The dictionary was very useful! Everyone in the club is really nice! Sensei wasn`t there that day.
After that, the girl, Aina, and I figured out that we both rode the same bus home. We also figured out we are the same age, and that we were both really hot and wanted icecream...back to Lawsons!! We ate those lemon ice things you can find everywhere it seems, but in Japan, they have a real lemon slice in them!
When I got home I had to take a shower, I was so gross and sweaty!! Afterwards Ayu and I went to obaachan`s house and ate dinner because okaasan was at a camp with the kindergarten. After dinner Ayumi and I triend on yukata for the summer festival. It was a blast!!
Then we went home and I can`t remember much of what happened.
Thursday (木曜日):
Let`s skip over how long it took me to spell Thursday right, and talk about my day! XD
... Rikako and some other friends invited me to go to Harajuku on Saterday! I asked okaasan that night and she said it was okay!!! YAY!! I also ordered a class teeshirt! They wont be in until after I leave, but Rikako said she would mail it to me.
To Karate club! My friend Eri came with me because her club didn`t start until 8:00pm, and took pictures. I feel so sorry for her, you could tell she was bored. Sometimes she would be sleeping, other times looking at the sports fields (the gym in on the second floor, and has a great view!!). Pictures of Karate, soccer, and rugby were taken by her!
Sensei was there that day and he revieled that two of the boys actually could speak English, they just didn`t want to. One was, in fact, in my English grammer class, and happened to sit next to me... I just didn`t notice! oops! Every day we do these little sparring matches. on Wednesday I did`t because no one really knew what to do with me and didn`t want me getting hurt. That was smart, but boring! On Thursday I did get to spar, and guess what? I got hurt! Haha!! I got elbowed in the foot, as odd as that sounds. . . it`s really hard to explain.... Anyways, at first I thought three of my toes where broken, but I could still move them so I figured even if they were, it didn`t matter. I finished out the practice (which was great!) and went home. Took a shower, and Ayu and I went to obaachan`s again! This time we got to play the shamisen (pics and videos up!). By this time my actual foot was starting to hurt, and by the time we left I could hardly walk. So! I spent all night hobbling around, which was hilarious! I managed to wrap it so Ayumi and I could go to the 7eleven and use the ATM for when I go to Harajuku.
Friday (金曜日):
Today! Okay, so today was pretty normal, until Health&Care. It`s just like our health class at school, but in Japanese and co-ed.... today we watch a video about some weird Japanese pregnancy thing. It`s like some sorta of therapy/baby bonding/delivery method. It was akward.... for me at least. There isn`t a lot of censorship in Japan, and lets leave it at that.
After that... boring. I`m rereading Pretty Birds since I finished Mila18 ages ago.
At Karate I met the two graduating seniors, one girl one boy. Today we had an actual match... that scared the absolute crap outta me. The day before was sparring, today was fight to win. I only had to fight one, against Aina, luckily. I probably have bruises from where she kicked me! But it was fun! The boys` fights were scary. I was so glad I didn`t have to fight them . . . so glad...
Anyways, then I went home and no one was here. I took a shower, I`m doing some laundry, and just now Nao came home. I`ve been here alone for about 2 1/2 hours now. It`s kinda creepy being alone here.
So! Comments! Thank you so much to everyone who commented! However, I know there are still more people, Mom tells me about you! XD
Mom: Haha I knew you said that! I was doing research and on Wikipedia that was one of the things listed in pop-culture.
Nancy, Lena, and Grammy: Tsugoi! Tell Lena I will be happy to teach her any time!! As for the peace signs, I honestly haven`t a clue, everyone just uses them!
Zach: It`s cool, how was the video stuff? and I haven`t gotten to study French really. . .
Molly: Yeah but the video is to big to upload. . . >< I`ll look for the sakana song. . . wish me luck with that XD
Janice: Darnit! I was gonna ask about the blueberries to!! I really want some right now! There`s watermelon in Japan, but it`s not as big as in America and it`s a sphere. And yes, I have probably had enough fish to last me three life times!! XD
Kayla: i get home on the 23, but I`m going to be so tired then. I`m going to try to see HP on the 24 at Legends though. I wanna see it before we leave for South Dakota the next day.
Diane: I would die if I hadn`t figured it out! My favourite band is German so if I wanna play there DVDs I have to use the computer. It`s not to bad if theres a breeze!
JT: LOSER! You`re almost last! But I`m glad you liked the cookie. I`m going to do my best to get the shirts tomorrow! That`s my mission!!!
Heather: XD smooth
Nancy... again!: I don`t think we have had a day about 90, honestly. But humidity is about 100%... or more! So it`s mostly humidity.... Tell Lena to have fun! And that horses are way cool! So are cats and dogs!!
Okay! So two last notes! I wanna tell about the other night.
I woke up around .... umm. .. probably 3 in the morning because of the wind. I always sleep with the window open incase theres a breeze. That night, holy cow! it was like a tornado... well, as much of a tornado as you can get in Japan. The wind here is really soft, if that makes any sense. But it was REALLY windy and felt soooooooooooo good! On top of that, the sky was cloudless and the moon was out. This was the first time I had seen the moon in Japan... it was beautiful, but really small....
and the other! I want a Congo African Gray! It started when I first read Pretty Birds, and then we read something about talking birds in English class. The birds grow to develop the human speech capability of a 6 year old! How cool is that!?But I don`t want it to talk as much as I want it to make cool noises like Pretty Bird.
And also! I need address! I have post cards, and a bunch of you I forgot to collect from! So please EMAIL them to me!!
okay! Laterz!

Independence Day

Today I have a lot to talk about!!! First to answer the questions of the lovely people who commented on the last post:
Mom: the salmon here is salt water salmon and for three nights in a row, it was so salty we couldnt eat it. I also have it every day with my rice. I think there was a pic of the fish in the Kamakura upload (wich is up). And tell Micheal of course I took those pictures for him!!! ^^ And also, do you know what Miles wants for a gift??
JT: My family! Okay I`ll start with Ayumi! She`s a year older then me, and a second year in highschool(junior). She goes to Aoyamagakuen in Aoyama, Tokyo. In August she goes to Switzerland for half a year. We get along great! I am thrilled to have a big sister! Last night we spent over an hour watching Nomo Neko (the cat on my wallet) dance to Numa Numa, and then watching the Hare Hare Yukai! And other things! XD We also sometimes study together, and she helps me with translating my manga. She likes manga and we both love Utada Hikaru! For the past few days we have been singing Beautiful World, which has been on the radio many times!!
Okaasan, my mother, is a kindergarten teacher at Fujimi Kindergarten. She is studying so she can move up and teach Elementry school, and so on. Shes really nice, and makes me a bento every morning! Sometimes she can be a little scary, but most of the time shes totally cool!!
Otoosan, my dad, is a company employee. I don`t really know where he works, but he leaves home first and is one of the last people home at night. He gets up really early, and when the US played Brazil in South Africa, he woke me up at 5am so we could watch the end together. He is really nice, and he, Ayumi, and I sometimes have long conversations about the most random things!
Nao is a university student, but he likes to play video games. He doesn`t really speak English, so he and I don`t talk much. Thus, I know pretty much nothing about him.
Molly: hmmmm I cant really thing of much else... verb forms? oh! and that stuff about working!!
And to bothe JT and Molly: JT, today while I was in Akihabara, I was getting ready to buy your DVD when I saw the price. It was more then 40$. Sorry, but thats a little to much! And Molly, I was going to surprise you and get you Ponyo, but it was the same. Just to much! Sorry!!
The floor is still open for questions.

And for the news!!
Yesterday the church we go to had an International Foods Banquet! There were two girls from Nevada there for a bit. They were from People to People, and only in Japan for two weeks, for which they traveled through the islands. They thought it was way cool that I was staying for two months. When we were being introduced, I was asked where I came from and when I replied Kansas they both gasped in shock and went `oh! you speak English!!` That was probably the funniest thing I`ve heard in ages! When I told my family about it at dinner, we all laughed! Other then that, I sat with a VERY nice woman who speaks English and helped my translate things. The foods where from Brazil, Peru, and Korea. And I love Avacodo juice!!
Today Ayumi and I went to Akihabara, Otaku capital of the world!!! XD It was. . . interesting. There were a couple girls in Loli, and when one walked past, I told Ayumi ``Kawaii!!!`` and the girl turned and smiled at me! So much better then telling me to go away like the girls in Harajuku. I`m still mad about that.....
So we were in Akihabara to buy Ayumi a converter for Suisse(Switzerland), but she ended up not getting one. Then for lunch. . . oh god ... I let Ayu talk me into going to a Maid Cafe. It was one of those once in a life time, live the second, type moments. So. . . There were all these girls dressed in maid outfits from various cafes on the street, and when you wanted to go to one, you just ask the maid, and she takes you to her cafe! Where you are then greeted by all the ladies who work there, and everything is extremely cute! I was laughing most of the time at how weird/cool this was. There is a pic we got on my photobucket! Pictures werent allowed accept for ones that they took, and pics of the food. Ayumi`s dish is the one in the pic. I just got spagehtti.
While we were there, the Hare Hare Yukai started to play... Ayu and I started laughing. Then (what I find amazing is that I was really wanting to listen to this song the night before) Carameldansen!!! I thought of you and Haley, JT. So of course I had to sing along!!
So! Then we rushed to another part of Tokyo (I can`t remember the name, but its where the Supreme Court for Japan is) and met Okaasan for Kabuki!!!!!!!!! There were other YFU people there, but I didn`t get a chance to talk to them.
Kabuki is AMAZING! If you every get a chance, watch it. There were little tapes you could listen to that explained it for forgeiners (and some from Japanese people too!!)! In the beginning they had a little demo and we were allowed to take pictures! Otherwise no pictures.
The play portion was about Goro, and man sworn to avenge the death of his father, and is part of a series of plays about Goro and his older broth Juro and their vendetta! In this play, he in wishing for luck in the new year, and has a dream about Juro being kidnapped by the Shogun who killed their father. It ends with him running off to save Juro.
After that was the Whisteria Maiden`s Dance. In Kabuki, all actors are male. But you could hardly tell. The dance was beautiful and so were the contumes! I loved the shamisen music, and Okaasan said that when we go to Obaasan`s house next week, she will play the shamisen for me!!!
Then we stared heading back home. On the train, Ayumi and I talked about things that are popular in the US and in Japan. There was a poster for a new drama coming out about vampires, and for awhile I thought it was Twilight, but she said no. Also, Twilight it NOT big in Japan. She said some of her friends went to see the movie (which just came to theatres) and liked it, but that she hadn`t.
At the trainstation in... somewehre... we ate at a cute little shop. I had a green tea icecream, with anko, mandarin oranges, and some other stuff. OMG I haven`t talked about Anko yet!!! Holy crap! Anko is my favourite sweet right now!!! It sooooooooooo yummy, I`m going to die without it when I get back home!! Anko is red bean paste. JT If you remember back to AFW when we ate at the Chinese restuarant, the little peach buns that no one liked? Yeah, they were filled with anko. I am in love with Dorayaki, which is like two pancakes with anko between! so yummmy!!
So, when we finally got back to Ageo, it was dark, and we had to ride our bikes home. I kept thinking, man, Dad would kill me! I found out that my bike actually does have a light, but its pretty crapy if you ask me! But it was fun trying weave around traffic in the dark!! XD
And as a little side note, I`ll admit that since the second day in Japan, I have been feeling terribly homesick. I`d been edgy, and counting down the days til I could come home and talk with people and be in a place I was used to. Slowly things started to get better, but I think today it finally wore off. On the train ride home I was thinking to myself, I`m in Japan. And I guess that`s when it really hit me. RIding my bike home, I couldn`t help but feel relaxed, knowing that I was totally comfortable with my new life.
In the short few weeks I have been here, I have come to realize a lot. Japan is alot like America, and, I`m sure, most other countries in the world. The people here are people, just like you would find in the US. They have normal lives, where they work, go to school, and study. They have daily schedules, just like we do in the US. And I think for awhile that bothered me. But today I came to realize that that`s life. That no matter where you are, things will be the same. There are, of course, differences, and that`s what makes it all the better.
While I have been here, I have come to have a better respect for America as well. I no longer feel that I have to get out of there as soon as I can, I know that no matter where I go, as long as I have friends, and a rutine, I can enjoy myself and live my life.
Truth is I really miss you guys, but life here is so great! I don`t want to leave in however many weeks I have left!!
By the way, Happy Independence Day!!

15th Post!

Wow! 15 whole posts. A new record!! XD
Anyways! Sunday after church we went to a sushi resturant. . . I do NOT like fish bodies. The meat is cool, as long as its not bloody, but the bodies bother me. Especially when there is a nicely displayed one right in front of you, stuck in a permanate backbend because of the spike running through it. Makes it hard to eat. So, while everything was amazingly yummy, I was considering be vegetarian from then on. But things are okay now, and I`m happy to say I can still eat meat. I`m a little tired of fish (especially salmon) but we havent had much this week, so its all good.
Monday, school. Tuesday, school. Today, back to kindergarten! And again, nothing interesting. we played some Japanese games, and thats about it.
Yesterday after school, Ayumi and I went to the book store, and I bought a manga. My new task is to translate it. After about 3 hours lastnight, I`m to page 12. So I`m proud! For those curious I picked up D.Gray-Man. And for anyone who has time, can you PLEASE tell me what `Ekusoshisuto` is (first word of the first volume) and what is on the rest of that page, and the first page after the chapter opening page. Its talking about something that happened in the church, but it`s not very specific. The rest I got down. I also REALLY want an electronic dictionary. Ayumi lends me one when I`m working on this, and it is 100 times better then a normal dictionary!
I`m sorta bummed out that I`m missing the 4th. Mom and Dad have been emailing me about the preperations at the Lake. I couldn`t help but think, today the festivities start. Hope everyone has a blast!!!
And thats about it. I`m uploading the Kamakura pics as I type this, theres 119 of them, so I don`t know how many I can get uploaded. Working on it though!!
So now I say if anyone has any questions I`d be happy to answer them!!!
Much love!!
Edit:
And two things I wanted to talk about and forgot!!!
First, this morning as I was lying in bed, trying to sleep as much as I could, the sound of my favourite Hikaru Utada song drifted into my room. I was so excited, I got up right away and went and listened to it. Even though it`s an old song it was on the radio. . . huh....
and second is for you JT. Remember the ruler story? In French class? Well I was drawing the other day and I really need a ruler. . . so I was looking all around the house... I never did find one, but that came to mind! XD

Kamakura

MJ dieing I actually knew about. He was still REALLY popular in Japan. Okaasan told me over breakfast. It was kinda one of those akward moments. I`m not really a fan of MJ (his early stuff was great, but after awhile. . .) and I wasn`t sure if she was either, and she had no clue if I liked him or not so we both just sorta sat there and ate. . .
Anyways, like I said he was stull big here, and a lot of people at school were talking about it... its in the papers, on the radio, and probably on TV too... sorry its just sorta weird
Anyways! Otherly news. JT thanks for the update! So Tom and Chantelle are really together? Could you email me any articles or pics? And also, purikura isnt a food. Its like a photobooth, but you get to edit the pictures. I put some up on my photobucket. the are discribed a purikura.
And Molly, I can`t wait to see Ponyo and take purikura! The girl in my class, Mina, adores Ponyo and has all this cute merch!!! And do you think, if you have time that is, you could type up and email me some of the older stuff we learned in Japanese class? I accidently left my old notebook at home, which really sucks, cause I need it!! I really need the weather stuff!! Please???
And everyone else, thanks for the updates!!!
Also, Mrs. Emily, if you are reading, I`m sorry for mispelling almost every Japanese word I`ve put in here!! I`ve been trying to spell from memory.... Japanese caligraphy is Shodo and its Konpeito not Konpeto (the i really makes a difference....)
So! Heres what has been going down in my life!
きょお，　わたしたち　わ、鎌倉尾　いきました！！！　Not 100% sure thats the kanji for Kamakura, but I tried. . . It says, "Today, we went to Kamakura!" for those of you who dont know, Kamakura is a city full of temples and shrines. It was the shogunate capital of Japan, and also home to the great Daibutsu, or, the big Buddha statue, sometimes called The Great Budda of Kamakura. The place is just beautiful.
The first place we went to was an old Buddhist temple. I have pictures, but theres a lot so I`ll upload them later. Then we went to a Shinto shrine, where we got to see a traditional Japanese wedding!! I got pics a a little video feed. It was sooooooooo pretty!! the even had birds that flew around the place!!!
Then we went to lunch! Real udon! so good! and we had sweet potato icecream!! really yummy, and also crepes!! which are really popular in Japan.
After lunch.... DAIBUTSU!!! It was huge!!! we took so many pictures!! Ayumi and okaasan had fun trying to get the optical illusion things, where it looks like the statue is sitting in your hand, and such. My favourite is the one where Ayu is trying to eat him. Its great, I`ll get it up later, promise!!! Then we went up to see him! SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO COOOOOLL!!!! and for 20円　(about 20cents) we got to go INSIDE the statue!! It was creepy like a cave.... When you go in, first you go down this set of stairs to the base of the statue, then a turn, and its pitch black as you climb up a set of really narrow and steep stairs into the statue. After a few seconds your eyes ajust, and its not so dark. I have pics of that too!! so ill post them when I get time!!! Promise!!!
We took the bus back to the train station, I almost fell asleep, then the hour train ride to Ageo (i swear it was longer....), then biking home. Joy... so Im way tired!!! And I still gotta shower cause we have church tomorrow!!!
Love you all!!
And Hahn!!! I just wanna say how much I love you, and I am so glad that you are reading these!!!
And Megan and Mom, thanks for bringing them to her!
Much love!!!

Not Much

So, for the past two days it`s been pretty routine. School, come home. That kind of thing. Yesterday night, Ayumi and I got back at the same time and at about 5:30 we went to shudo lessons. Shudo is Japanese caligraphy. It was pretty cool, and I got a lot of kanji practice in!!
Today some friends of mine and I went straight to an arcade after school for purikura. I don`t know how American teens can live without it. I never knew what I was missing!!! And that`s been my life.
At school I`ve been working on memorizing everyones names. I have a lot down! I know a lot of people in home room, and a few others....
Today I was introduced to a girl named Mina, who didn`t speak English very well, but really wanted to talk to me. A boy in our class, Kenta, heped us traslate. We came upon the topic of soccer, and someone (Kenta I think) said something about America beating Spain. I thought to my self, I must have heard wrong, and just nodded along, which I do a lot. When I got home today, I checked my emai. Dad had sent me a message saying the the US beat Spain..... WHAT!? So I went to FIFA.com and looked it up! Sure enough, 2-0, the US beat the worlds best team. I have a new found respect for my home country. . . I have ben so out of the news lately. I try not to spend to much time on the computer, and I don`t usually watch TV so. . . everything is schocking when I hear it. I got on the NYT website a few days ago, just to try to catch up. . . so much.... So you guys should def. keep me posted on things!! It would be a great help!!
Thanks JT for the TH and CB updates. I`ve been trying to keep up, but well yeah..... XD
Molly did you watch the handbell videos?? Did you recognize the song??
Love you all!! And I also love loooooooong comments hint hint!!!
later!!

Where`s Mina!?

Now, Just to be cruel and unusual: guess where I`ve been the last two days! For those of you who guessed a Japanese high school, you`re right!!!! I started attending Inagakuen yesterday, and let me tell you, it`s been an adventure! But before we get started on school, lets talk about Sunday!
JT, just to piss you off more, I went to Tokyo again!! After church, Ayumi and I went straight to Tokyo to hang out! We ate okonomiyaki, which is probably my new favourite food, and then purikura! XD I`m addicted to purikura. Afterwards we went to Ayumi`s school, Aoyamagakuen. There we saw the bands spring preformance. (Ayumi is usually in band, but her instrament is broken so shes not at the moment.) I don`t remember having EVER enjoyed a non-rock music preformance so much!! I really hope it found it`s way to youtube!
It started out with Ayumi`s band, the high school, and they played a song, which was amazing! I wasn`t sleepy throughout the whole thing (I`ll tell about that in a bit)!! Then a smaller band played. . .they were okay, and then the middle school. . . again, only so so. Then it was intermission. After intermission, Ayumi`s band came back, dressed in the coolist outfits. Each section had their own graphic tee, that they disgined, and we all rocked out! They playe3d a bunch of upbeat songs, and had different acts the did! It was AMAZING. I wish Bonner could do something that spectacular!
And then we went home, I was in awe.
And the next day, SCHOOL!
I had to be there early to introduce myself to the teachers, so I took one of the earlier buses (not really that early, but again, I`ll get to that later) and made it school school about an hour before it started. My introduction went smoothly, and then I went back to my class, where a few students were, and I was introduced to people, very few of whom I can remember!
Then The bell rang, and we all got up and went to P.E. which was actually fun! We played handball, but with basketball hoops. I was pretty good, and even scored for my team! Next was English II. I did some of the work, then it turned into kanji, and I got to chill the rest of the time (writing JT!!). After that I had double Japanese. That was interesting. I am enrolled in Japanese for forgeiners, so the class is me, a girl from Germany, and a girl from Swizerland. Both speak Japanese fluently(or so it appears) and would only try to comunicate in Japanese. The teacher was kinda scarey, he gave us work (I worked on work book pages, I think they were writing speeches). I ended up taking that home and having Ayumi help me....
Then lunch! I went back to home room and ate lunch with my new friends! It was raining, so we ate inside. I had a yummy bento, and some tea.
Then English writing. Guess what, I already know that. And the teacher, who speaks English pretty well, knew that. He had me help some in the beginning, and then I got to write and doodle for the rest of the double period. remind me to show you my adorable drawings of the twins when I get back. I tried drawing Geo to, but I had to much trouble. . . During the second period of the class a gurl from Oregon came in and helped the class. It was nice to speak English, but afterwards I felt bad. I realized that I was here to learn Japanese and study Japanese culture, not talk with Americans.
Then Long Home Room (LHR). That was a blast!! Usually, they just have class meetings during that time, but since I was there, we played games!! When you won, you got snacks! So when my friends and I won, we would share snacks with eachother!! And the end, I won two rounds of class Jankenpo (sp?) and got two mini cookies that I brought home for Ayumi and me. I studied most of the night.
During supper, I was introduced to a new game! Sorta like a top. . . yeah. . .
And today! I gto to leave a little later! And first, double P.E.!!! Handball tourny, our team lost first round, so I sat a chilled for the rest of the hour. At the beginning of second period, we went to another room and everyone studied for their tests. I read my book. JT tell you parents its great and thanks for lending it to me (Mila 18 for those who dont know)!!! Then we had Classic Japanese Lit. This was another class I couldn`t really participate in, seeing as how I know a total of about twenty kanji, and the whole class is about reading ancient kanji..... So I read and wrote a little. Studied some.
After that, computers. I really wanted to play on the computer, but they didn`t have the log in info for me, so more reading. The nice girl next to me, Saiko(or Seiko....) showed me that she was reading Angels & Demons, and said it was good.
Then lunch! We got to eat outside!! Totally check out the pictures!! There were a lot of ants, but otherwise it was great!!
Then English Oral. haha there was an actual English speaking woman there too. The class was giving speeches, so not much for me to do. We graded their presentations. Then during the break (another double period) my friends in the class decided that we had to go to Tokyo Disney Land. So when okaasan gets home I`m suposed to ask!
Then SST. Which is hard to exlpain. Pretty much, you go to whatever class you like, and learn something. I ended up in French. You really learn a lot when absolutly NOTHING is in English. The work was all in French, the instructions all in Japanese. And they leanr different stuff then we do, so I was little lost! But it was still fun!
After that two VERY nice girls, Riko and Midori, gave me a school club tour. We went and watched many clubs! They have so many!!!! The soccer team is HUGE, and they have two baseball teams, plus a girls team. Handball, rugby, basketball, gymnastics, then Japanese sports like karate, kyuudo, and kendo. And I`m supposed to join just one! We didn`t get to see all the clubs, so they said that another time we could do another tour. The best thing about Riko and Midori, is they speak English very well, and they are really good at helping me with Japanese. I can calmly ask them questions without them screaming `KAWAII!!!` or `TSUGOI!!` and they answer them. I hope to get to spend more time with them so I can ask questions.

Now to cover other things! Like how I`m tired all the time. It`s getting better, but it used to be almost every time I would sit down I would get so tired! I was almost always tired! The YFU handbook said that was normal (Its really useful). And I think I had cultureshock for awhile. I think I snapped out of it when I met the guy from Oregon. So for now, all is good!

And to JT, you need to understand that Tokyo isnt a city like NY or SF. It`s HUGE! Divided into many different sections. H&M is in Harajuku. I`ve only been in Harajuku once. There is supposedly one in Ginza, but I haven`t been there. I`ve been in Shibuya and Aoyama mostly.
And Molly, I want you`re phone......
I`m uploading pictures. Theres a lot. 67, including two videos I think.....
oh! And mom! I do think my Japanese is improving, but just alittle!!
and thats all for today folks!!! much love from Japan!!!

So much!!!!

Okay, so a lot has been going on! I wanted to post two days ago, but I didn`t have time, and last night I was catching a cold, so I went to bed early and slept alot!
But let me try to recap:
So I`ve been working at the kindergarten with all the kids, who are amazing. But yesterday was my last day, along with the three university girls who were working as interns. there was a good by party, and they played the song from Totoro on the hand bells. Tanaka sensei gave my the piano music for it, so Molly, Mrs. Emily, we need to find a piano so we can learn it one Japanese class!! And Michael, I promise to play it for you when I get back.
Last night we went to Inagakuan, my new school, and its pretty impresive. THe school itself has 6 buildings, and all of their clubs (sports etc) have one national awards! They don`t have a girls soccer club, so I was thinking of joining track (yes mom, they have tennis, but I can do that in America!!) but the my regional YFU lady said I should do a Japanese clud. So now I`m debating between Kyudo, Karate, and Kendo. Anyways, the school is so prestigious, that they are even lending me a uniform to wear, and man is it awesome!! I will try to get pics later! There are two students who will elad me around, Rikako and Ami. They are both really nice, and Rikako lives close by, so on days when she doesnt have lacrosse practice, see and I will go and leave school together. On day she does have practice, I will ride the bus.
And after that we went to grandmas! Where a wonderful meal was waiting! I love Japanese food. and her house was very traditional and cool!! Only problems was: i was sick! At kindergarten, we played in one of those kiddy pools, and i got very wet, then I walked around with wet hair, and BAM! Cold. So I was sickly, and a went to bed as soon as we got home! And this morning, I slept a lot, and now, it:s not so bad.
And today!! wooo!!! We went to Tokyo to see a very popular TV show called Shoten. I didnt understand most of it, but it was still interesting! Afterwards we went shopping and I got to eat Ramen!! yuuuuummm!!! Ayumi and I went into a Shonen Jump store and it was interesting. . . Ariel I thought of you!
On the way home we picked up shoes and socks for school, and then we have just been chilling here. There has been more im sure, ill write later.
to add, I called home. it was good to hear fluent english XD I helped Ayumi translate a letter from her host family in Suisse, she leaves in August. and life is pretty sweet!
Molly, sorry I forgot to answer in my last post, but the bikes arent too heavy. They are by no means light, but I`m used to my hulking mountain bike. . . so....
And Jacey, if your reading, I just found out that you really can just pop the memory card into the computer. My host father just showed me.... i was laughing inside
And Ariel, yesterday, I asked a friend what the date was and she told me the 19th... and I went `oh god!!!!` So heres my way late shout out: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! YOU OLD WOMAN!!!!!!! love you and hope it was great!!!
And Jilly (man to many shout outs...) I have been working on the story. I got to listen to the CB song, its great. And cant wait to hear the TH songs!!!!!

love you all!! so much!!!! look forward to your comments! feel free to tell more of what you are doing!! i would love to read!!!
and also I didnt upload pics. . sorry.....

Kindergarten and Konpeto

When I get back home, I`m dropping out of highschool to become a kindergartener. Today I was Amiria sensei; Eigo sensei; eigo hito, etc etc. Eigo hito was the most interesting. It literally means English person, for those who don:t know Japanese.

Before I go into detail, let me tell about yesterday. I went with okaasan to Nita-chans house. Nita-chan is the friend from the teashop. We had a small party, and i got to help make some of the food. We had sushi, anko no ohagi, kinako no ohagi and some other things. I helped make the ohagi. And yes, mom, I learned how to make sushi. Anyways, the party was really fun! There were a lot of people (pictures uploaded). They were all friends of okaasan and their children. Nanami-chan is a year older then me, but we got along very well. Her mother and I had fun trying to comunicate.
I also recieved a lot, and I mean a lot, of gifts. Luckily most of it was food, so I am sharing it with my family. I brought Nitachan a gift to thank her for the tea, and she gave me more in return T.T so I`m still in debt. But it was great! we were there most of the day, and came home and started dinner.
After dinner, Ayumi and I hung out. We played with her electronic dictionary, which was so much fun! we would look up phrases in different languages. Even though it was a Japanese dictionary, it had a definition in English and Japanese. We spent a good hour doing that and studying German and Japanese.

Today I went to kindergarten, as I said above. I was sort of a teacher, sort of a student. Most of the kids and I got along well. I can:t help but think they said some not so nice things about me not knowing Japanese, but they were so cute I couldn:t stay mad at them.
I was there the whole day, and by the end I had collected so many gifts! To many... It was mostly oragami, which is amazing for little kids, and flowers, that I:m going to have to throw out soon. But so cute! I made a lot of little friends, adn somehow we managed to comunicate. I also made friends with many of the teachers. The teachers in my group look so young, I couldn:t believe they were out of high school, but they were all in their 20s.
I will go again tomorrow, and I can:t wait!!

When I got home, I helped Ayumi make dinner. Okaasan had to stay after and didnt get home until otoosan, Nao, Ayumi, and I had finished eating cake. It was a fun dinner, regardless. Nao kun doesnt talk to me a lot because he can:t speak English and my Japanese is so limited, but at tonight at dinner we all talked. We even watched the news together, which featured a lot of Japanese talking and creepy North Korean displays. Here North Korea is very scarey, seeing as how they launch missles over Japanese airways, but no one is to worried yet.

When okaasan came home, she had mail for Ayumi. One of her friends writes a comic, and a new chapter had just been finished. She has three of them, all in nice covers. They look very professional! I am going to read them when I:m done writing!!

As for the water thing, all good! Otoosan bought a cardboard box full of 2 litter water bottles the other day and said I could drink them (he also said they were only 68 yen, about 70 cents. I wish water in the US was that cheap!!
And Mr. and Mrs. Shope, for breakfast I usually have rice, miso soup (with an array of things in it) and something different my okaasan makes everyday.
Oh! And I totally forgot anout Konpeto!! Its my new favourite candy! Ayumi got it as a gift, but didn:t like it so much. Nao kun and I ended up eating a lot of it tonight! Very yummy!!
And Natsu ate the last of my Rittersport. I really hope he doesn:t get sick. And I must say he has skill. He opened my suitcase, pulled out many things without damaging anything, got out the chocolate, and closed the suitcase. Skillz. Luckily there were only two pieces left, and he seems okay. Sadly, I:m out of chocolate....
well! more later!! much love!!!

Church and Tea

First things first: I`m working on the pic thing! sorry about that!!
Second, to JT: I tried looking for the shirt, but again, the looks we were getting were aweful. And as for my grammer, you try typing on a Japanese computer. . . its so hard!!!
Miles I`ll ask Ayumi to teach me.
And again, Mrs. Emily, how can I get water? And I messed up. It`s mugicha. Good, but not water. In fact today I resorted to drinking some when I washed my hands.

So today! First, we got up and went to church! It was about a thirty minute walk for Ayumi and I, because I didn:t have a bike yet. Curch itself was VERY confusing. . . very very. . .all in Japanese. . . So hard... We did sing Amazing Grace though, and some of the slower psalms, I could sing along reading the hiragana. I`m pretty amazing at it now.
At the end of the sermon, I was asked to come up and introduce myself. That was scary.
Afterwards I met a lot of people. Some spoke a little English, most spoke none. The Pastor and his wife lived in America for two years, and one woman, who was exceedingly nice, had lived in America for 6 years. It was the first time in a long time I could speak English like I usually do.
We then cleaned the church and kindergarten classrooms. The Kindergarten where okaasan works in connected to the church. After that we ate lunch, AND there was a water fountain type thing. So I got water. A lot of water. And my first Japanese onigiri! Salmon filling, my favourite! So yummy! and some more American styled food. Ayumi also left to go meet some friends in Tokyo.

Afterwards I got my bike. From what my okaasan and otoosan said, it belonged to an old man who could no longer ride it, so he was lending it to me. And let me say, Japanese bikes are amazing. It took me awhile to get the hang of kicking off, but after a few tries, its all good. Japanese bikes are hard to explain, but they are the old kind with baskets and you sit up straight when you ride one. I`ll get a picture later.

So, okaasan, otoosan, and I then went on an adventure. We rode our bikes to a tea shop. A friend of okaasan`s worked at the shop, and we were given real green tea and green tea ice cream. Both of which where delicious. Then her friend gave be a cute little jar with some green tea leaves in it, so I can make my own tea when I get home!! I found it ironic that the store had a classical Japanese version of Amazing Grace playing. It was so serene, I don`t think I will ever forget my trip to the tea shop!
Then we proceeded to a supermarket, not the one Ayumi and I went to the day before. There we bought supplies for tonights nights dinner: SUSHI! YES! So, we shopped and left, I got to put a bag in my bike-basket, and we went home.

And, today I decided whould be a good day for gifts, so I wrapped all of them once we got home. It took awhile, but they are all wrapped now and when Ayumi gets home I will give them to everyone.

I`m uploading more pictures; password is off, and purikura pics are being posted!!!

http://s111.photobucket.com/albums/n157/MinaBlack/

OMG! I totally forgot to mention! In July YFU has invited me to a Tea Ceramony and a Kabuki production. I can`t wait!!

Home Away from Home

So exciting! I am finally with my host family!

So yesterday we woke up at the Keio Plaza Hotel. It was so nice! One of the YFU Japan reps went to Australia for a year and had a funny accent somewhere between Japanese and Australian.

Then we went and met some people from the US Embassy here in Japan. It was interesting... After that we went to the Meiji Shrine and then to Harajuku. Meiji was cool, until we had to clense our mouths and I accidentally drank from the cup. I will never do that again!!! I learned.

I`m to lazy to post pictures, so I am going to put up links:

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n157/MinaBlack/IMG_0096.jpg

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n157/MinaBlack/IMG_0096.jpg

In Harajuku, most people gave us weird looks... The Forever21 had a line out front... it was crazy! Then we found and H&M. We went in, but my friend Anna (the only one who would go in with me) was bothered by the weird looks people gave us so we left fast. No we were to nervous to go into the Japanese stores. A lot of weird looks...

The ride back to the hotel was long, and I was so nervous about meeting my family. Only nine of us went home today, and I was lucky to be one of them. I said goodbye to all my friends and waited for my family. There was only o ne man there, and I kept thinking he was my dad, but I wasn`t sure. Then He was introduced to me. We gathered my things and left. My host father speaks a very little bit of English, so we had fun trying to talk to each other.

Mom, I really regret bringing so many bags... the only good thing that came out of dragging them to Shinjuku station and then waiting with them for the hour train ride to Ageo was that I know I got a good work out. Especially when I had to carry them up the stairs! My arms and legs still hurt!

At Shinjuku, we met Ayumi. She is so nice! The three of us borded the train together and went to Omiya where I finally got a watch. No more not knowing what time it is! Yes! lol then we got back on the train and went to Ageo. Yes, I still had my bags.

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n157/MinaBlack/IMG_0102.jpg

When We got to the house I put my bags in Ayumi`s room, which is where I am staying. Ayumi started making dinner when her brother, Nao, came home, followed by her mother. Everyone is soooooooo nice!

We had Japanese hamburgers and miso soup for dinner. Japanese hamburgers are amazing! So much better then American hamburgers!! They have veggies in them and aren`t greasy. Unfortunatly, I wasn`t very hungry. I ended up finnishing mine for breakfast. We slept on futon, which weren:t as comfortable as I thought. I woke up around 5, but Ayumi wasn`t up yet, so I went back to bed. I woke up many times, none of which Ayumi was awake. We finally got up around 10:30, by which time I was VERY hot! And sweaty and gross. I took a shower, which took my forever to figure out, then Ayumi and I went to the super market. I was stared at, but pretty used to it.

When we came back, she showed my her books. She likes manga a lot. Then we made a Strawberry Shortcake for her friends, but since we had no strawberries, it was a Kiwi Shortcake. Goldern kiwi are oishi. Then she helped my with some Japanese.

When ootosan came home, we went to a department store for more food. We bought things for spagetti, and then, the highlight of my life: purikura!!! American would benifit from purikura! It`s like a photobooth, but then you can edit all the pictures with cute little addons. I`ll show you all the pictures when I get home!!

Oh! And Mrs. Emliy, I have a question: I was told when I got here that they dont drink water, only moicha. Do you know where I can drinkm just plain water? I`m dying for some......

for more pictures just take the links and go through my album. JT flickr limits uploads so I:m not using it.

love you all!

JAPAN!!!!

OMFG I'M IN JAPAN!!!!!
Yeah, so plane ride was genki. I got to sit by my good friend Jessica and we had a lot of fun keeping eachother awake for 10 hours. It was great.
The whole "I'm going to Japan!" thing didn't kick in til we were landing. Then I started freaking out. I was so excited, and I still am. Japan is BEAUTIFUL. The ride from Narita to Tokyo was filled with industrial things overgrown with plants. It was cool. Then we got into the city, and it was building after building! AMAZING!
There is still a lot more I want to write and so many pictures I want to post, but they are all on Stacie's computer and I'm using my new roommates. . . We are currently staying at the Keio Plaza Hotel in Tokyo (I think we are in Shinjuku, not sure...)
And yes Zach, we were in dorms at a college in San Jose.
My host family will pick me up from the hotel tomorrow, and then I'm off!!!
Much love from this end!!!

San Jose Day Two!!

Wow! Yesterday for the first few hours I felt totally out of place and alone, and now I have so many friends! I was worried my roommate and I wouldn't get along, But now Stacie and I do almost everything together!


We used her alarm to wake up at 6 this morning to get a shower in before all the other girls and we talked most of the night.

I also made a bunch of other friends, some of whom I don't have pictures yet... I'll try to get more!

They divided us up into groups yesterday. Stacie and I are in the same kumi(group), the Midori Kumi. We take a lot of classes together now. I don't have a lot of time, we have little time til our next class!! Well, more later!

Love you all!!