tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41376252011-04-21T15:51:01.173-07:00Nihon e Ikou!: My Days in JapanMy experiences studying abroad in Japan, from the end of January to Memorial Day weekend. Updated regularly.Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comBlogger391100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-948237212003-05-24T04:09:00.000-07:002003-05-24T04:09:48.126-07:00Well...it's been fun. Four months in one of the most unique countries in the world. And what a better way to end the four months by... Getting a cold. AARGH! It, of course, had to happen now, considering that I've basically gone through 4 months practically illness-free. If I had gotten sick earlier in the semester, I would know what to take, and where to buy it by now, but now, it's Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-947352892003-05-22T06:18:00.000-07:002003-05-22T06:21:06.000-07:00Since a lot of my friends are going to be leaving this week, I might as well get a few shout-outs out of the way. Here we go: Ameerah: Thanks for being there for me the first couple of days. It was great living in Sem House 3 with you; I only wish we could have been roommates. I'm glad you stuck it out for a homestay, I hope that even for a while it was worth it. Agnes and Evelyn: You guys Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-947352412003-05-22T06:17:00.000-07:002003-05-22T06:17:26.766-07:00Well, yesterday and today were my two major days off. Yesterday I spent the day going back to Kiyomizu-dera for one last souvenir run, and came back loaded with goodies. I went to Jishu Jinja, intent on getting a present for Emily and John, and on the way back, met a friendly white poodle, which I gave some love to. I realized that before I had left on the trip, I had petted a poodle, and justRebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-944786632003-05-16T18:12:00.000-07:002003-05-16T18:12:25.523-07:00Well, next week is my last full week in Japan. Capped off with my two final exams and ending with karaoke with my language partners. And in between, one last trip to Kiyomizu-dera, Kinkajuji and the various Book-Off stores to say goodbye. I need to go back to Kiyomizu-dera--their candies are the best, and I'm buying some to take home (and some for myself, of course!) Kinkakuji ought to have Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-938390372003-05-05T19:33:00.000-07:002003-05-05T19:33:11.360-07:00The trip to Hiroshima: SATURDAY While we were originally supposed to leave early in the morning, Ping found out that the local train ride would take longer than previously thought, so she switched our schedule around and got us reserved Shinkansen tickets and tickets for an all-night bus from Osaka to Hiroshima. That left us with a day and some time to kill. We started off with a trip down toRebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-933757092003-04-27T20:19:00.000-07:002003-04-27T20:19:01.056-07:00Well, my last month in Japan is upon me, and I'm going to spend it in style. Today marks the start of Golden Week, the holiday that spans April 29th to May 3rd and May 5th, all of which are national holidays. (April 29th is Midori no Hi, or Green Day, and is the birthday of the previous emperor. May 3rd is Constitution Day, honoring the post-war Japanese constitution. May 5th is Kodomo no Hi,Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-930857912003-04-22T19:33:00.000-07:002003-04-22T19:33:27.030-07:00Oh, last Friday I exchanged my "kimono" for an actual yukata which is very nice looking. I spent Easter Sunday at church in the morning, then having some sushi (bought at the Keihan store grocery shop) for lunch with sekihan (pink rice with azuki beans) since it was a special day. Saturday, I wasted time and money at the game centers in Namba.Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-930856862003-04-22T19:31:00.000-07:002003-04-22T19:31:49.763-07:00In my haste, I forgot to write about the trip to Kansai Terebi with my News in Japan class. Here we go... We rode from Hirakata into Kyobashi, then changed trains to go to Tenma. The TV station was situated on a few floors of a very nice ultra-modern building. Tenma itself was a really unique covered shopping street--the very essence of Japan. We had time to kill, so I found a few game Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-925231192003-04-13T04:36:00.000-07:002003-04-13T04:36:06.000-07:00Comedy of Errors, part 69 1/2: Walked down to bus stop to meet others for Kiyomizu Dera trip. They were Not There. I got on the bus anyways, and waited at the station for them to show up. They were Not There. I go home and complain and find out where exactly I do get off to go to Kiyomizu Dera. Arrive at Kiyomizu Dera, and have a really good time. It rains cherry blossom petals Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-920853972003-04-06T04:48:00.000-07:002003-04-06T04:48:49.780-07:00Yesterday was our ceramics class field trip. Our first stop was the Kyoto Museum, where we saw an exhibit on the evolution of Japanese pottery, from Jomon pots with corded decorations the the brightly colored and beautifully decorated dishes of the Edo period. Then a break for lunch, and then a stop at the house of Kawai Kanjiro, a multi-talented potter, poet and woodblock carver who was a Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-919089932003-04-03T04:17:00.000-08:002003-04-03T04:17:50.856-08:00In my Youth in Japan class, we're talking about going on a "field trip" to the Takarazuka Revue at the end of the month...I hope we can do it, it sounds very interesting from what we've read and seen.Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-919017932003-04-03T00:21:00.000-08:002003-04-03T00:21:22.186-08:00Well, hanami (which was almost a week ago as I'm writing this) was interesting. We went to a park that was right next to a Shinto shrine, and we saw a few young familes come in to bring their babies to the shrine for their first visit. This weekend, it's another journey to Kyoto, this time to the Museum and Kanjiro Kawai's house.Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-915392322003-03-28T03:03:00.000-08:002003-03-28T03:03:54.216-08:00Today was a very, very nice day! So I decided to make the most of it and decided to do some exploring. I decided to walk down towards Makino Station (another station on the Keihan line, two down from Hirakata) and see what there was to see. It was a nice walk. I stopped to pet a Cavalier King Charles, whose owner asked if I was all right without my jacket. Of course I was--I'm from New Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-912469662003-03-23T16:11:00.000-08:002003-03-23T16:11:54.590-08:00Well, Friday was our excursion to Kyoto. We left somewhat early in the day and took the Keihan train to Sanjou, which translates somewhat to Third Avenue. It took us about half an hour to find which bus to take to Kinkakuji, and then when we finally found it, we took a bus to Kyoto Station, and THEN took that bus to Kinkakuji. Total travel time: 1 1/2 hours, but I didn't complain, since we sawRebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-910541582003-03-20T04:18:00.000-08:002003-03-20T04:18:29.280-08:00It actually ended up yesterday that only five of us went. Emily decided to sleep in, and instead of Nayumi coming, she brought two friends, Mayuko and Miwa (who were identical twins!) We went off to Osaka-jo Park, where the plum trees were in full bloom, and we had trouble with eating crepes. Osaka-jo is a restored ancient castle from the Hideyoshi era. When I say "restored", I mean "turned Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-909601122003-03-18T17:33:00.000-08:002003-03-18T17:33:32.310-08:00So spring break has started in earnest. I spent Monday going out and sleeping in, and Tuesday staying in and working on one of the two papers I have due next week. Since I've got reading and all those wonderful workbook exercises to do in my Japanese classes (plus the added burden of ceramics) I've decided to do my papers this week before I jut off to Kyoto. As for the bike store, every time IRebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-907408052003-03-14T17:29:00.000-08:002003-03-18T17:35:01.000-08:00Last night, I decided to celebrate my victory over exams. (I got an 86 on my Spoken, woohoo!) So I relented and went to the local gaijin watering hole, Fujiyama. It's a little hole-in-the-wall bar that charges an arm and a leg for drinks--even if they're non-alcoholic. The WORST part about the whole experience? The bike ride over. It has been five years since I got on a bike. I still Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-905604812003-03-11T18:36:00.000-08:002003-03-11T18:36:08.983-08:00This past week I've been studying and studying for my Japanese midterms. I just had my speaking midterm--it went well. One of my hallmates who's in the same class as I am and I rehearsed for the past couple of days for it, and we were done in less than 5 minutes (and everyone was impressed when we went out the door.) One down, two--kanji/grammar and a written spoken test--to go, and then it's Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-902977362003-03-07T05:09:00.000-08:002003-03-07T05:09:10.763-08:00Thursday's Youth in Japan class was interesting. We segued from a discussion about the now affirmed unconstitutionality of the Pledge of Allegiance in the 9th district to a controversy that erupted at a high school in Japan over the singing of the National Anthem and the showing of the flag--a practice that heralded pre-war days of Japan and that was something that the students didn't want to Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-902141962003-03-05T19:12:00.000-08:002003-03-05T19:12:16.170-08:00The days are becoming more and more routine now. The recent break in the weather was followed by pretty cold temperatures for the past couple of days, so I'm trying to get the weather report every day before I get out. It's hard when you can't turn your TV on to Today and find out. Next week we have our midterms, and then the week after that...HA-RU-YA-SU-MI! Spring Break! Right now it looksRebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-900267862003-03-02T18:45:00.000-08:002003-03-02T18:45:09.390-08:00Location: KG Computer Lab Current Temperature: 45, rain I don't think I'll type up that post again... Friday Nayumi and Yukiko and their friend Mika took me to Umeda in Osaka. Umeda is the location of a huge shopping mall, with an even bigger Ferris wheel built on top. (I didn't WANT to ride it.) It was pretty crowded, and there wasn't really much to see--there were so many people. We Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-898331182003-02-27T04:11:00.000-08:002003-02-27T04:11:43.793-08:00Hanyaaa...Blogger has eaten my big, long post about what happened to me this week. Short Version: Visited Motowaki family on Sunday. Had fun. Ate lunch. Pet dog. Made paper Hina dolls on Monday. Had fun. Four hour Ceramics on Tuesday. Made things. Written Japanese test on Wednesday. Did fine. Test today. Did fine. Shopped. Bought gratin dish. Umeda in Osaka tomorrow with N & Y and someRebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-895478162003-02-22T04:13:00.000-08:002003-02-22T04:14:14.000-08:00Location: (still) My room Current Temperature: low-40's with rain Some nights here, we hear this weird music outside our window, as it passes by underneath our window (we're on the second floor of the dorm) and we always wonder what it is. Finally, I know. It was a few minutes ago when I heard a sing-song voice coming from up the street. I cracked open my window to look outside, and saw a Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-895459682003-02-22T02:32:00.000-08:002003-02-22T02:33:37.000-08:00Location: My room Current Temperature: mid-40's with rain Well, the visit was more of a get-to-know-you session with the daughter who went to KG. We set a date to meet with her family, and it's tomorrow after church! I've got presents for everyone, but I also want to get them the customary gift edible. Fortunately, there's Mister Donut (I should try and cash in those points I got) Keihan (theRebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-893606552003-02-19T00:15:00.000-08:002003-02-19T00:15:56.183-08:00Location: KG Computer Lab Current Temperature: mid-50's Tonight I'm going to be meeting my home visit family. They have 2 daughters, one of which attends college here, and the other a high schooler. The father likes to watch movies and play computer games, while the mother is the "lady of the house." They sort of remind me of some people I know... :) They live in Osaka, and I feel a bit bad Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-891811822003-02-16T01:57:00.000-08:002003-02-16T02:00:40.000-08:00Location: My room at KG Current Temperature: 45 Today after church I went to Mister Donut. I was surprised there to see that the company had been founded in Boston in 1955! Considering the fact that I've never seen one back there (and the fact that Dunkin' Donuts has now become the leading donut shop in the area) I was surprised to find that something from "home" had been imported here. Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-890742862003-02-13T21:02:00.000-08:002003-02-13T21:02:19.853-08:00Location: KG computer lab Current Temperature: 45 Today (of course) is Valentine's Day in Japan. In my Youth in Japan class, I learned all about the two kinds of chocolates given from girls to guys today. Honmei (literally, "true heart") chocolate is usually homemade and given to the guy by the girl as a gesture of "I want to be more than friends with you." Giri (obligation) chocolate is Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-889041192003-02-11T02:11:00.000-08:002003-02-11T02:11:12.903-08:00Location: My room at KG Current Temperature: lower 40's Today in Japan, it's National Foundation Day. Sure, it has such a bland name, but what it signifies is important in understanding Japan's long and sometimes legendary history. It is said that on this day, the first emperor of Japan, Emperor Jimmu, ascended the throne. This first Emperor was--of course--descended from the gods, so of Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-888258792003-02-09T18:22:00.000-08:002003-02-09T18:22:02.160-08:00Location: Computer lab at KG Current Temperature: 50's This weekend was a very interesting one. Saturday I decided to ride the bus down to Hirakata Station under the pretense of turning in my alien registration form. But it was actually a bit of a sightseeing trip, considering that the offices were closed. I went to a couple of stores. One of them was called Kiddy Land and was situated Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-887325712003-02-07T16:24:00.000-08:002003-02-11T02:16:45.000-08:00Location: My room in Seminar House I at KG Current Temperature: 41° F (This post edited on 2/11/03 because of dead link) I forgot to blog about something that is practically commonplace in Japan: Earthquakes! Early Thursday morning, I was momentarily jolted awake. It wasn't until the next night I had found out that the Kansai region had been jolted by a small, magnitude 3 earthquake. If a lotRebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-885864402003-02-05T04:38:00.000-08:002003-02-05T04:38:35.340-08:00Location: My room in Seminar House I at KG Current (Room) Temperature:25° C Oh...I'm beginning to think that I can't do ceramics. I'm going to give myself another week and see how I feel about it. We spend a LOT of time in the studio (Tuesday I had studio time from 1-5 PM) and I get back practically exhausted. I didn't know how much clay took out from you. I've only made two, count 'em, two Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-885859222003-02-05T04:23:00.000-08:002003-02-05T04:23:52.386-08:00If you are reading this, it means that the location of this blog has now changed to http://nihoneikou.blogspot.com because of viewing problems on my end.Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-884561452003-02-02T21:05:00.000-08:002003-02-02T21:05:02.953-08:00Location: Kansai Gaidai University, Hirakata City, Japan Current Temperature:45�‹F/7�‹C My first day of classes! I am taking five classes: Spoken Japanese, Reading and Writing Japanese, Making the News in Japan, Youth in Japan and Ceramics. I've only got 3 classes today, but tomorrow I've got studio time for ceramics. School supplies need to be bought. Japanese notebooks are adorable--even Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-884016782003-02-01T18:05:00.000-08:002003-02-01T18:05:34.480-08:00Location: Kansai Gaidai University, Hirakata City, Japan Current Temperature: Haven't gone out yet--so I don't know I just found out about the space shuttle exploding when I got down to IM my parents. AOL Instant Messenger started up, and as I looked at the news screens, I thought for a second that they were covering the anniversary of the Challenger explosion, until I said "Hoeeee...?" It Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-883119902003-01-30T21:54:00.000-08:002003-01-30T21:54:03.300-08:00Location: Kansai Gaidai University, Hirakata City, Japan Current Temperature: Mid-40's in Fahrenheit--very pleasant Since I didn't have to really be anywhere today before 2 PM, I decided to take the morning and go poking around in the little shops on the shopping street. A lot of them weren't open when I got there, but no biggie--I just looked in others. There were all sorts of little shops Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-881927112003-01-28T19:03:00.000-08:002003-01-28T19:03:26.530-08:00Location: Kansai Gaidai University, Hirakata City, Japan Current Temperature: Just above freezing My first full day passed by somewhat uneventfully, and was also quite a bit tiring. It's still orientation now, so basically all we have to do is get our registration lot number and sign up for classes. Last night, Ameerah and I went down to an okonomiyaki restaurant. Okonomiyaki--made famous to Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-881404432003-01-27T21:18:00.000-08:002003-01-27T21:18:42.360-08:00Location: Kansai Gaidai University, Hirakata City, Japan Current Temperature: Really nice compared to what I've been through back home I'm here safe and sound after a 14 hour plane ride and a bit of weird sleep. My route went from Boston to Detroit to Osaka. I said a tearful goodbye to my parents in Boston before boarding the plane. When we arrived in Detroit, I found Angela and Wendy and a Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-879174692003-01-23T12:59:00.000-08:002003-01-23T13:32:45.000-08:00Doing some template tweaking...please stand by...Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4137625.post-879143012003-01-23T11:51:00.000-08:002003-01-23T13:35:43.000-08:00Location: Dracut, Massachusetts, USA Current Temperature: 11° F/ -12°C This is being done as a service to my advisor, Dr. Mindich at St. Mike's, and the Journalism faculty I've had since my freshman year (Profs. Hyde, Lynch, Kelley, Griffith, and I hope I didn't forget anyone.) Dr. Mindich wanted regular e-mails, but being the web-savvy journalism student I am (go me!) I decided to instead put Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08891717323935339305noreply@blogger.com