A Wanderer's Yarns

Gion Matsuri

2017-08-23T22:03:00.000-07:00

First, here is a link for those interested in learning more about this ancient festival: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3942.html

Once again, we took the over-one-hour-long train ride to get to the Gion area of Kyoto to see the main event of the month - the Yamaboko Junko (or procession of floats known as "yama" and "hoko"). Thanks to the suggestion of my Japanese Religion teacher, we had a good spot to watch the parade. It was a corner where two streets intersected, allowing us to see how the giant floats handled turns.

Anyway, we had designated this corner as a meeting point with other friends but my sister and I ended up missing them the entire day - it was extremely crowded. Waves of people crashing upon the sidewalks and currents rushing past one another. But, thankfully, my sister and I arrived an hour early and found a spot behind a group of Japanese people who had been sitting on the curb of the sidewalk for an extra hour. People slowly began filtering in until suddenly it was so crowded that people were rubbing elbows, shoulders, and more. There were several police officers working as crowd control (one of which who was by us looked like the human version of the bunny from Zootopia - adorable and efficient). Our side of the sidewalk, however, was the 'naughty' one and we had to have a yellow tape and traffic cones tied up alongside us. It was like kindergarten but on a larger size - people would try breaking the rules and arguing with the officers. At one point, the group in front of us started reprimanding some of the people breaking the rules, standing in front of the yellow tape in the street, trying to take pictures from the middle of the restricted street, and so on; they explained how they had been waiting for hours and for others to be so rude is just wrong. I was quite impressed with them. My sister and I did have some issues with some shovers but, when I considered the enormity of the event and the audience size, I am shocked and pleased with the number of such people. We did have a wonderful person experience - a Japanese man with an impressive camera has apparently been coming to the event for forty years in a row and knew almost everything about the parade. I would ask him questions and then translate the answers for my sister; it was really neat. Then, another woman who was talking to him offered me her stool so I was able to take a few good pictures in the beginning.

And then we saw our first hoko, this huge float rolling towards us.

The four figures standing on the front of the float were present on every hoko (sometimes there were only two rather than four though). They would do a fan dance to 'aid' in and show the energetic flow of the turning of the float. Each float had a different group of people wearing differently designed clothing and fans.

According to the helpful brochure we received from a volunteer, this first float is called Naginata Hoko and "take its name from the long large spike (naginata) attached to the roof. It is the only float that doesn't join the drawing to decide the order in the procession and always goes first...only float among the 33 that has a real child riding atop as its sacred symbol (chigo)." The rest had dolls representing this divine messenger.

Unfortunately, to load a picture of every float would take too long, but I will make a bullet list of what I saw. If anyone has any questions or wants to see a particular float's picture, please comment and I will respond to the best of my ability.

2 Urade Yama "is based on the story that Empress Jingu (169-269 [CE]) tried fortunetelling to see if she could win in the coming battle and caught a sweet fish as a sign of triumph. The sacred deity on the float wears a long golden hat and has a fishing pole in the right hand and the caught fish in the left."
3 Moso Yama or Takenoko (Bamboo Shoot) yama came next where a famous scholar named Moso discovered a bamboo shoot to give to his sick mother.
4 Araretenjin Yama enshrines a small buddha figure that was found after non-seasonal hail quenched an awful fire in Kyoto in the early 1500s.
5 Kanko Hoko concerns a famous politician, Moshokun, and has "a figure shaped in the moon and mountain on its roof represent[ing] darkness in the mountains."
6 Hakuga Yama is "based on the story about the Chinese harp player, Hakuga, and his friend during...Zhou dynasty. When the friend passed away, Hakuga was so sad that he decided to stop playing the harp forever. The figure on the float represents the scene in which Hakuga holds an ax in his hand and is about to destroy the harp."
7 Shijokasa Hoko is like a traditional umbrella with a pine tree on top.
8 Ashikari Yama is based on a classical Japanese song - "Ashikari." "It represents a harmonious relationship between a married couple after a long period of separation."
9 Tsuki Hoko, or the moon hoko, has both a moon and Tsukiyomi (the Moon deity) on it with Turkish and Indian tapestries.
10 Yamabushi Yama: "The deity enshrined on this float represents a Buddhist monk who is said to have corrected the learning Yasaka Pagoda with his mysterious power."
11 Aburatenjin Yama had a torii adorning it and "carries the deity that has been worshipped in the local community for many generations. The name of the float comes from the street the shrine is located on: Aburanokoji."
12 Taishi Yama has an interesting description: "When the imperial prince, Shotoku (574-622 [CE]) commissioned the construction of Shitenno-ji Temple in Osaka, he went into the mountain and collected material for its erection by himself. Based on this story, the float chose cedar as the float's sacred tree instead of pine, which all other floats have."
13 Niwatori Hoko represents peace with a circle in a triangle representing an egg in a drum. This is significant because of a legend of a kingdom where a drum was beaten during wartime but there was such a long time of peace, moss grew on the drum and a hen took up residence on it.
14 Tokusa Yama is another old-song-based float and tells the tale of "a man whose son was kidnapped and lived along and lonesome in the province of Shinano (present-day Nagano prefecture)."
15 Ayagasa Hoko "is one of the floats that still retain the oldest form of an umbrella." and had musicians traveling alongside it.
16 Toro Yama was one of my favorites, being topped with a moving praying mantis. "In the 14th century, when Japan's political power was divided, there was a war between two political powers. This float was made as a tribute to the samurai named Takasuke Shijo who fought against the Ashikaga army and died in the war. His bravery was associated with one of ancient Chinese stories related to a mantis so that this float has a large mantis puppet on the top." I love this even more that is honors a great hero despite him being on the losing side of history.
17 Kikusui Hoko was another favorite since it was the chrysanthemum float.
18 Hakurakuten Yama shows a Chinese poet Bai Juyi asking a question to Zen monk Dorin.
19 Kakkyo Yama "is based on an ancient story in China about a man named Kakkyo. Kakkyo was very poor and couldn't afford to feed his family consisting of his wife, child, and mother. One day, he decided to abandon the child and dug a hole to bury him. While he was digging the hole , he discovered a pile of gold that enabled him to live happily." Basically, he was going to kill his family but while digging their graves, he discovered gold and changed his mind.
20 Hosho Yama "is based on a romance between a court noble man, Yasumasa Hirai (11th century) and a female court servant, Izumi Shikibu."
21 Hoka Hoko. "The symbol on its roof represents rays from the sun, moon, and stars that light the world. The body of the float is decorated with carpets form India and Persia bearing delicate flower patterns."
22 Iwato Yama was another amazing float since it was the Amaterasu float. (Amaterasu being the most important deity of Shinto tradition). "Unlike other Yama floats (i.e. carried on the shoulders of people), this float has wheels, like Hoko floats, and is pulled by people. Since this Yama float doesn't have the place to set the sacred pine tree like a general Hoko float, the tree is directly attached to the roof.
23 Fune Hoko, or the Boat Float, is "based on a legend about Empress Jingu (169-269 [CE]), the float bears the figure of a ship. A golden figure of an imaginary bird is attached to the front of the ship and the helm depicts a traditional flying dragon pattern decorating. There is a figure of the empress as well as three other deities (Isora, Sumiyoshi and Kashima) enshrined on the float." After some extra research, Isora is a shinto kami of the seashore, Sumiyoshi refers to three kami of the sea, and Kashima (first sumo wrestler) is a god of thunder and sword and attempts to subdue the giant catfish under Japan (who shakes and causes earthquakes).

We were there for four hours for this parade, which I totally did not expect. But we saw all 23 floats, each one having a different story and design. These floats are the same as they have been for centuries, except for the tapestries that are changed every year and come from all across the world. After the final, pirate-y, boat float made its complex turn, we decided to find some lunch. However, Gion fell onto Marine Day, a national holiday that allows many families to be together and many businesses to close...meaning there was almost nowhere to eat in the area. So we decided to take a break from the crowds and the festival, took a train over to the Uji part of Kyoto, and visited the Byodoin Temple!

This is a very important temple, not only for the fact that it is on the 10 yen coin, but for its historical context. Originally a retreat villa for Fujiwara politicians in the Heian era, this was turned into a temple and occasionally referred to as the Phoenix Hall due to the architecture (like wings), the phoenix statues on the roof, and the rebirth image of the temple image in the surrounding reflection pond. There is also a shrine on the grounds and a grave for Minamoto Yorimasa.

My sister and I spent quite some time taking pictures of the beautiful, graceful, symmetrical temple plus pictures of each other and of one another doing yoga. We came near closing time so were accompanied by a staff member as we breezed through their small museum, but we were able to see some of the bodhisattva relief statues originally mounted in the Phoenix Hall (which was closed when we went). The golden phoenixes atop the roof and the numerous lotus blossoms were also stunning.

More experiences from Uji:

Crossed a long, beautiful bridge with views of other bridges and down the river
Saw a stone statue of Murasaki Shikibu (I, as social media calls it, "fangirled" so hard).
The train station is characterized by concrete hallways full of giant circular windows and passageways
Learned that there is a Tale of Genji Museum in the area! (definitely will go one day)
Accidentally had conveyor belt sushi for the first time. We walked out of the train station and, right across the street, was a restaurant that was open! Without knowing really what it was for, but knowing we were hungry and had few options, we walked in and were pleasantly surprised. There was almost no one there, so it was quiet and cool. We had so much sushi and were able to try new things, such as sea urchin (which was golden yellow and tasted the way really fishy fish smell) and some fish from Okinawa.

Feeling refreshed from the food, bridge, temple, and sounds of thunder, we boarded the train to go back to the Gion area. Eating our candies we received from the cashier from the sushi restaurant, listening to the rain, and seeing someone wearing a very similar outfit to mine and practically sleeping on her backpack - the train ride was interesting. Finally, we returned to the Gion area and started our second part of the festival - the evening and night parade of the mikoshi! (portable shrines).

We were truly immersed, walking with the carriers, clapping, chanting, and even talking! We asked so many questions and learned that most of the volunteers did not know what the chant means, only that it was tradition and so they said it. We also learned that there are four mikoshi and we saw three of them - one for the main deity, another for the wife, and another for the child. Many people were taking photos either of or with their children on the child mikoshi (pretty adorable, by the way) while women were not allowed to walk within the beams or touch the wife's mikoshi for fear she would be angered by jealousy. Once night had officially started, the carriers attached lanterns onto the mikoshi, casting orange, golden light onto the scene.

After beer vending machines, much walking, and giving the ancient official's horses space, we walked to the main shrine of the Gion festival. It was quite large for a shrine and was all lit up, the stairs crowded with onlookers. Once we crossed the first gate, we were met with a path walled by yatai, festival booths. This was what I wanted to see since (excuse my stereotypes) the first anime I saw that had such booths. There were chocolate bananas, shaved ice, shooting games, goldfish catching booths, yakisoba, takoyaki, grilled squid strips, and a dish we tried which was rice wrapped in grilled meat. At the end of the path, we entered the real shrine courtyard with a large architecture in the middle covered in multitudinous lanterns. Quite a beautiful night site.

Once eating delicious food, we walked down the main street once more and saw one of the mikoshi performing in the middle of a large intersection. At first it was empty and only had cars, and then we saw mikoshi and crowds of people coming from two of the streets. One of them entered the intersection and shook, turned, and practically hopped. It was so neat - just like I noticed in the first main festival I went (Kanda Matsuri), seeing an ancient tradition of monks protesting and making civil disturbances in the streets carried out in the modern day.

Exhausted, we took the long train ride back home and were able to get some good rest.

(Futuristic side notes: if my dorm has faster upload speed, I'll re-edit this post to include more pictures. I will continue until I have finished, though I apologize for this delay near the end. But, next up - FUJI!!!)

Fushimi Inari

2017-08-08T10:58:00.000-07:00

Yes, yes, finally, I went to Fushimi Inari Shrine. The fox shrine of gates on gates on gates. It was amazing and, honestly, I had the experience of a spiritual journey through the mountain - but that will come as we go. Also, I will use the word "torii" a lot in this post - just a reminder that those are the red gates of Shinto shrines that separate the mundane world from the spiritual.

After traveling quite some time by train, my sister and I arrive at Fushimi Inari station, decorated with white fox and red gate motifs. Of course, we are quite hungry, so we search the area for ramen shops. After some fruitless searching and one of the only rude encounters I've had with Japanese people, we ran into a very nice shop worker who recommended a nearby ramen shop. The ramen was delicious! We both had tonkatsu ramen, which always has pork, and we saw someone cosplaying walk in. I am not sure who or what he was portraying, but I loved the dragon-decor on his belt. Anyway, we were so pleased with the ramen and with the shop worker's kindness that we returned to her shop for dessert. I had my first shaved ice dish, which is very popular in Japan - especially in the summer. It had sweet matcha sauce, little mochi balls, and some red beans.

Now fueled up, my sister and I headed to the shrine! It was gorgeous! The size! The symmetry! The
colors! While walking past the smooth and sophisticated green-gray fox statues and through the main gate, an older Japanese gentleman with a camera asked to take pictures of my sister's tattoo. Apparently, it is an old hobby of his. I believe he might have said he wishes to end the stigma in Japan against tattoos. Either way, we loved his interest. He told us to enjoy Japan and then we went our separate ways.

We explored the main shrine area, seeing shrine maidens and priests, observing a wall of torii-shaped wishes, and what looked to be a shrine priest but who had white pants rather than the traditional aqua. I wonder if he was an apprentice? We passed by smaller shrines with horse statues and people statues residing within them, souvenir stalls, and a few single torii before finally starting our hike through the tunnel of torii.

The first section had very large, tall torii. Since it was July and thus Gion, many sections of the shrine had electrical lights strung through them. It took a bit away from the ancient and mystical feel, however, it was neat to see. We were relieved though when we realized that the lights weren't strung throughout 100% of the torii. Anyway, this first section was enchanting for its newness and largeness. The second small section was made up of skinny, short gates positioned close together - and there were two tunnels. It was suggested that people stick to the right so those who are exiting the area are not blocked by those entering. That also felt like going through the rabbit hole.

Once we emerged, we saw more wishes (but in the shape of fox faces this time) and smaller shrine buildings. We also saw the tunnel of torii start up again to the left, guarded by another pair of foxes. By the way, these pairs of foxes were dispersed throughout the entire torii hike, each pair unique. It was really interesting. So we entered and continued upwards.

This area was extremely crowded and my sister and I were a bit agitated so we jumped on the opportunity to take a side trail for a few minutes and visited Okusha shrine. Though it was still part of the Fushimi Inari shrine and worships the same deity, it had a completely different atmosphere. We were practically the only people there, surrounded by green bamboo and trees, large clover-like plants with four leaves and purple tints, more diversity in the statues, and no red.

Feeling calmed and refreshed, we returned to the tunnel of gates. It was still crowded, but we felt more prepared for it. And so we continued up and up and up. Truthfully, the path occasionally took us down or side to side, but it was generally upwards. At one point, it began drizzling, cooling us down. And as we continued up the fewer people there were. As the steps became steeper, the gates thicker, and the rain harder, there were even fewer people until a majority of the hike became a journey for the two of us.

Every now and then, there would be a break in the tunnel with smaller side shrines adorned with their own tiny torii, fox statues, memorial stones, offerings, and in the case of one with a roof, two adorable kittens.We gazed at a lovely mountain lake with hydrangeas in the foreground, saw so much vivid moss, raindrops glistening off leaves, heard the rain and the wind and the storm, shops every now and then (usually nearby shrines), and interesting people. The farther up, the nicer they seemed. We did see a man running down the mountain with a snake in his hand...we were wondering if he was bit and had decided to carry it to help identify how he can be treated? Either way it was odd but we hope he turned out alright.

There were some times throughout the hike that I felt like it was the coolest place I've ever been and the best hike while others I was so overwhelmed, tired with the rain, worried about my camera battery, sick of the mosquitoes, or just negative. It was such an emotional roller-coaster, but we finally made it to the main mountain shrine at the top, surrounded by yet more mini shrines and stones. My sister and I each prayed at the top and, as we each clapped to signal the end, there was a clap of thunder. And then, on the way down, the rain lightened and disappeared. Our way back was a bit slippery, but technically 'dry.' There was one point where light was pouring through like gold, thick beams permeating the tunnel - breathtaking. And seeing the light sparkling in dewdrops in spider webs, frogs and snails and cats all coming out, birdsong, and more added to the beauty.

Exiting the forested tunnel was a sad moment, returning to the busy city. We had walked through literally thousands of gates, reassured by guardian foxes, immersing ourselves in the storm and trees and torii - to leave it was a bit sad.

All but one of the tourist shops were closed, so we went to the one open one and had soy ice cream and (regular) gelato.

Before heading home, we went to the area we'd be in the day after to get a sneak peak at the yamaboko (Gion floats - yama and hoko, collectively known as yamaboko). They were covered in lanterns, lit up in the night, and filled with drummers and flutists. Of course, it was incredibly crowded, not only in the streets and sidewalks but the subways too. It was like a river of people, flowing in the correct direction on each side with some going against the current to find a subway or food. It was shocking and interesting, but we were tired and hungry and knew we'd be seeing the floats again, so went home.

After the long, damp (not 100% from the hike yet) train ride home, we showered and had sushi that our host family got us. It was delicious and filling and perfect after the day.

Sorry to break the time bubble, but I am currently writing this in the US in my family home and find that it takes much longer for the pictures to load here. But I will still throw some in here because the hike was just stunning!

Rainchecks for all

2017-07-26T07:19:00.000-07:00

I love writing my blog and love hearing people's comments about it; however, this past week and a half of my sister being in Japan with me has been jam-packed and on our rest days, I just don't have the energy to devote to a post. Even now, I am preparing for bed after packing all day.

Tomorrow I leave Japan. I am so incredibly emotional. I am grateful for this experience and happy to have done so much and talked with so many people. I am going to miss so much of the people, food, and culture and climate. I am not going to miss mosquitoes. I am sad to leave but excited to think about coming back. I am sad to return to the US but excited to see my loved ones and eat certain foods and get my hair cut, finally.

This roller-coaster of emotions is exhausting.

Due to our busy schedule, I will be writing journal blog posts about these two weeks' adventures once I get back to US. This way, I will have time to sort through my pictures and write out detailed posts as well as something to do and look forward to when I return and have time to spend in the moment here and now.

Excitingly, I have a trip in between leaving Japan and returning to the US: Taiwan! It is so close and apparently so cheap and I am ecstatic to experience yet another culture and country. Especially to do so with my sister who is strong, competent and adventurous - making for a good travel companion.

For now, I must adjourn, but I shall return, in more ways than one.

Good night and good day - see some of you soon!

A Sister's Arrival

2017-07-15T08:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, my sister is officially in Japan!

I woke up before six to grab a bus to the airport, and finally getting there and seeing her sitting, waiting, was so nice. She noticed me, put her phone down, grinning, and started running towards me and I towards her. I did not expect it to be a movie moment, but we met with a solid hug and hung on tight for a good while. It has been such a long time since I have had a hug. We both cried, saying how much we missed each other. It was great. I didn't realize just how much I missed her until I saw her. It didn't feel real (still only feels slightly real - like a dream that will snap as soon as I go to bed and awake again).

Then began a long but amazing day. I got to see everything with a new perspective through her. She was so excited about how nice everyone was, how neat and crisp and clean the cash is, how small and tall and unique the buildings are, how there are vending machines everywhere, the trees, the humidity, the birds, the breeze, the everything.

We rode the bus back and were immediately greeted by my host family - excuse me, our host family. They were kind enough to take us to a nearby station so my sister, R, could get a ICOCA Card, or IC Card. This is so she won't have to stop and pay a ticket every time we use a subway or train system.

Once we got home, we had tea and a special type of Japanese snack that was part Western. It was like a cookie sandwich and tasted like a shortbread cookie with cream in the middle. We also had watermelon and then a lunch of cold soumen and some Japanese gobo - which my sister liked.

Then, after washing together (despite some protestations from our host family and R convincing them that since she had coffee, she wasn't super tired), she gave them some gifts. One was a thank you from our family to our host family for everything they have done and loved it, taking peaks at the book. Then, from my sister personally, were some played cards from Las Vegas casinos (which they also thought were extremely cool and uniquely Las Vegas).

Afterwards, we went on a little local adventure. On the way, we saw some gorgeous orange flowers (this time unguarded by wasps) and, finally, I got some pictures of cicada shells. There were at least twenty on this metal framework by a tree, and then more in the tree and under the leaves themselves. By the way, they were so loud this morning, there was a ringing in my ear, and it was hard to hear my host parents as they bid me goodbye for the time being.

I showed her a bit of my campus, the famous central lawn and clock tower, our historical Kofun, and the Shinkansen park (complete with grasshoppers and the bullet train whizzing by). Finally, we made it to Mt. Kabuto forest park. We took a side trail for a few minutes, walking under the trees and standing on rocks, welcoming the breeze, the view, and the country. Also, saw some huge and colorful mushrooms (one of which looked like a pancake and some of which had mold or...goo...of some kind). We enjoyed the path of statues and a beautiful butterfly. We asked a nice lady with gardening gloves the name of a tree and it turned out to be a cedar. She also was talking about how she is 84 years old and comes to the park often so she doesn't lay around the house. She was adorable and so cheerful.

We stumbled upon a grove of hydrangeas and took some yoga poses while just enjoying the fairy landscape of it.

We walked up the road, passing smaller shrines and statues along the way, and made it to my sister's first Japanese temple. We admired the statues of the gate, straddle-stepped over the main middle bar, and ascended the first flight of stairs. The lake I saw a few months ago, with a Shinto shrine in the middle, was completely filled with lily pads and some huge buds. Amazing!

(I thought this looked like a fairy leaf throne)

Rows of Kannon and Fudo Myoo and Jizo statues later, we made it to the top and had the place practically to ourselves. The pair of elderly men rang the bell, took our picture for us, and said we were both very beautiful as they left. They were very nice.

(roof details I didn't notice the first time I visited the temple)

Then we climbed the steep stairs of the tree-tunneled way to the top of the mountain, emerging from darkness and a surprising encounter with a frog to the sunny meadow of the summit. Three sister trees were a beautiful photo-shoot spot, but the beautiful, raspberry-like berries' scent did not positively add to it. The berries smelled like rotting garbage - and I'm not talking about the ones on the ground. The fresh juice from the berries off the branch had a strong stench. Also, the meadow was teeming with slender, green grasshoppers. Either being herself or inspired by all the net-wielding children we saw today, my sister chased one and held one, looking adorable and happy with a proud bug.

On our way back down, we saw an act of predation. A beautiful butterfly was fluttering around, enjoying its carefree life when suddenly it froze and fell to the ground. Concerned we looked at it, wondering why it just fell. Using a stick, we flipped it over, to find a still unidentified, thin, dark bug holding onto it with a tongue or proboscis or something extended and going into the butterfly. We were not sure what it was, so quickly left it alone.

Praying at the small fox shrine between the summit and temple that I first prayed at when I went to the mountain temple on my own, seeing a snake and lizard and various birds, my sister had her first Japan prayer experience. Bowing through the torii gates, and taking some last photos or glimpses of statues, each other, rock gardens, and so on, we made our way down and through the temple gate - down the road and through the park - down the main street of campus, the steep set of stairs, and arrived at home.

We arrived to the preparations of a delicious and traditional dinner of tempura! Eggplant, ooba, Japanese pumpkin, gobo, seaweed, shrimp, Japanese sweet potato, green pepper, onions, renkon, and, probably after hearing me talk about southern food, okra! We had fried okra! I was so happy. I also had a very small cup of Japanese sake with my sister! It was nice to drink with her, but I had about three sips in total. Out of all the alcohol I've tasted, this was the best - but I still don't quite care for the feel or taste. It was so interesting trying to hold a conversation between the four of us, myself and my host dad translating often. Though sometimes, my sister would understand what they were trying to say, even if I didn't. Switching between the languages so quickly, close together, and for such a long time was quite the work out for my brain and tongue. I was not used to it, sometimes talking to my sister in Japanese or my host parents in English. But she gave me a boost of confidence, saying it's cool seeing me talking to Japanese people in Japanese.

Then we had some tea and wafer cookies, some confusing talk between three of us, all tired, but we worked out some details of the coming weeks (not quite done planning though). Now I am here, writing this blog, tired and a bit sweaty despite my shower (by the way, was reminded in the mountain today how painful it is to get sweat in one's eye). Now I must sleep for more energy for more adventure!

For the time being, good night and good day!

Saying Goodbyes to the Cicadas' Cries

2017-07-14T07:19:00.001-07:00

This week was pretty emotional yet also not. I regained some stability from working out and being able to interact with friends again, but having to go to the final meetings of courses, take finals, and slowly say goodbye to everyone I've met was pretty hard. Using the gym the last time, eating at the cafeteria for a final time, playing once more in the K-ON club-room, having my final photoshoot at the garden, and going to the Farewell party. There were traces of apathy just from the sheer disbelief of me leaving. It may not hit until I am on a plane.

The farewell party was pretty neat. A lot of people came dressed up (either Western modern or in yukata and kimono). I did not realize it was a dress-up affair (thankfully neither did others, including my performance buddies). Also, I performed! I had thought this semester would be a break from performances, but I have given a fancy speech with a wall-size power-point-presentation, a mini speech, a live for K-ON club, and now this performance for another club I dabbled in this semester.

This performance, with the kickboxing aka taido club-members, was choreographed and polished in less than 48 hours and we were all proud of it. We had practiced and learned so much that we were able to just use what came naturally. And, since we were focused on having fun plus showing some technique, we did that: had fun with it. The story goes, a panda hero has learned much and excelled in the ways of taido but there is an evil taido master demon king controlling the land. Panda hero's goal is to take this king down, free the people, and become the taido master. He meets one of the king's servants along the way and quickly beats him, offering him a hand once his opponent is down. The demon's servant is impressed by the panda and switches to his side. Next, the two demon twins, servants of the king, meet the panda. Knowing he beat up their comrade, they start a fight with him (this is where I come in!). They take turns kicking, but to no avail. They try a combination punch, but the panda hero ducks and then does an upper cut. Once again, he offers a hand. One says they'll join the panda in his quest while the other (that's me) dramatically, Nicholas-Cage-like yells "never" and runs away. The king makes his way on stage and the one loyal servant appears, telling him what happened. Then the panda and his new friends appear! Panda hero and Demon king fight, but the panda is quickly defeated, with some cheating sneak attacks done by the servant. The devil and demon think they won, but with the power of his new found friendship, Panda Hero regains strength and they decide to fight. The demon twins fight and the loyal servant goes down, bested by their sister. The first demon servant tries to rush at the king but is taken down easily. Panda hero, with emotions from victory and his friend's defeat, finally defeats the king. (Then we threw in some extra comedy on top - after bowing, one friend says "wait, I wanted to be the demon king - we then proceed to take turns punching him, he is 'knocked out,' and two people carry him away while the other two act as guides and make siren noises). It was great. My favorite parts were the audience's involvement (cheering the panda man on and so on) and the obvious laughter from the children. Some parts of the party were boring for them, so to see them enjoying our performance was awesome.

There were also singers, a violin-piano duet that performed Tale as Old as Time, and two dancers who were phenomenal - hip hop like and had some tricking in there (when one did a back flip the crowd went wild, so to speak - you couldn't hear the music!).

My host parents got to meet some of my friends and vice versa. I got to get pictures and multilingual messages from all the people I've met in class and in school this semester.

It is really thanks to everyone that my time at KGU was so amazing. People sharing their personal opinions and experience and advice as well as information about their culture, language, and countries. Inviting me or letting me tag along on adventures. Accompanying me on mine. Helping me in and out of class. Being patient when I got emotional. I am really going to miss a lot of the people I met this semester (of course, like others agreed, there are always going to be some people that one is totally okay with never seeing again).

After the official party, most of the study abroad students hung out on a river-side in Takarazuka. This meant I got to see a bit of that area, get a stamp from the station, got "Chihayafuru" pocky, see a bright moon and beautiful lights off the water, hear some interesting tales and information, get some advice, and take the last train after meeting Japanese police. Wait...let me explain. Some friends and I left the main group to use the bathroom of a conbini nearby. When we returned, one of the students was walking our way and saying "gotta go home, the cops are kicking us out." We thought he was joking, until we saw everyone standing and people with vests and bright flashlights. It was near midnight and our large group of foreigners (many of whom were consuming at least some alcohol) must have prompted one of the nearby apartment tenants to call the police. But we rounded up our stuff and they were very nice and made sure we got to the station. But then, once my friends and I got off at our station, they all had to use the bathroom and I was the only sober one there. They started singing loudly from the bathroom and a security guard starting looking our way (really my way because I was the one visible) and said something I couldn't quite catch. We finally rounded each other up and, once again with a escort several feet behind us, made our way out the station. To say the least, it was an interesting experience.

It is very fascinating to be one of the few people not drinking in a group of drunk or 'buzzed' individuals, especially if you know them sober.

Today was also a day of goodbyes in a way. I went to the post office (unresolved package sending - have to get a second back-up address - but I sent postcards, finally) and to the city hall. The same city hall I went to when I first arrived. I had to cancel my health insurance, have my "My Number Card" handled (kept it for when I come back though I still am not quite sure what it is for), payed my final insurance bill, and changed my address/terminated my address here in Japan. It was sad, but also a bit liberating in the sense that I got to use my skills. When I first got here, everyone did the documentation together as a group with people who spoke English and had everything set up for us. This time, I was by myself (unlike the post office, to which my host dad accompanied me) so I had to communicate even though I didn't know every single word they used and had to be confident. Today was also the last time my host parents and I will have dinner together as just the three of us...because my older sister is coming to Japan! She should be arriving and I will pick her up in the morning! So excited! (Though it is also another sign of my time here ending).

I cannot believe my time here is ending soon.

Before I go to bed and prepare for an early rising, I will talk about some bugs. Mainly cicadas and dragonflies.

First, one of the students at the river 'party' showed me a picture of what he stumbled upon on his front door door frame: a cicada emerging from its old skin. It was amazing! The old, dark husk vertically attached to the door with a horizontal, solid, pale yellow, very much lively-looking creatures emerging from it. Stunning (but also kind of...gross). Second, apparently cicadas in Japan represent the coming end of the rainy season. There is another species that comes around autumn that signify the coming of autumn and apparently they are bigger (bigger than these???) and make a different sound - tsuketsukebooooshi. So they are called tsuketsukeboshi cicadas. I'm serious. These cicadas, of summer, are relentless. They've practically been crying (they saying crying in Japanese) constantly. You go to bed with a faint whine in the background and wake up to thunderous chattering. You walk to school with earbuds in and hear their cries. You are in the classroom, in the house, eating a meal, listening to classical music and they are there, crying. Sometimes they get so loud, I expect to see a horde of them on a tree. But I haven't gotten a good glimpse of a living one yet. I think I saw one flying around and bumping into things and one may have flown in my face the other day, but it could have been another large, noisy, brown bug. Their shells are also hard to come across. I have seen three or four. One had fallen, two were under leaves, and one was visible on a tree. In Las Vegas, ours are about half the size, with translucent yellow husks and cute mahogany bodies that make a nice buzzing. Also, you'll walk in a park in summer and see like twenty husks on a tree trunk. Here they are still kind of cute, reminding me of Oms from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, but twice as big, ten times as loud, and much more mysterious yet connected to each other. I swear, the scariest part about them isn't their size, it's how they stop or start crying in unison. Going from constant, loud chattering to silence is pretty jarring. It's nice that they are harmless though.

Next, dragonflies! I've been loving the dragonflies here in general, but the ones at the campus garden pond is amazing because there are so many and so lively! Flying around the place, battling with one another, resting on rocks, or just trying to defend territory and eat smaller bugs, flitting here and there. They are the reason I accidentally spent two hours taking photos yesterday. And why I have a sunburn now - didn't expect to be out in the sun, oh well. BUT what's REALLY NEAT is this type of dragonfly that I stumbled across called a choutonbo. This translates to Butterfly Dragonfly. And it's because it is a majestic fairy of a bug - it's a dragonfly that looks and flies kind of like a butterfly! But the time spent, the sweat, the several days of picture-taking, the sunburn, the being goggled at by middle school or high school campus tour groups, was worth it for I was able to shoot some pretty good photos, if I do say so myself.

Unfortunately, the butter-dragon-fly never left the middle of the lake so I could not get a stunning close up, but thanks to my telephoto lens, I was able to get some nice shots.

And, I almost cried at this next one, after seeing countless blurry photos and trying to get his picture since I saw him several weeks ago:

Dragonfly photo gallery, concluded.

Well, good night and good day!

Classroom Kyoto Day 2

2017-07-13T22:05:00.001-07:00

Again, hard to get out of bed, but I remembered how great the day before had ended up being, so I pushed through. Also did more studying on the train, but this time no delays and I got to sit down! This is very important when your train ride is pretty much an hour or more long.

Today was for Manga: A Cultural History class and was amazing. The day before could have been done alone, but today we had an awesome opportunity as a class to hold a class in a room that more people are not allowed access to and meet with a manga/anime artist and researcher who works at the museum, called Yasunori Oya. He was such a fun and nice guy. We started off by saying our names, majors, where we were from, and favorite anime and manga series. When a majority of us gave our introductions in Japanese, he was surprised and so excited. He would also sometimes laugh and clap or excitedly agree at certain series. I admitted that I do not have a lot of manga experience but that one of my favorite American comics is Witchblade and then he was saying he just saw a copy of it and my teacher said he also almost brought it to show today but gave up because there were just too many things he wanted to show us.

Then our teacher did as he usually does and went over time...but this time there was no bell to stop him. So many of us thought we'd do the Manga Museum in the morning and then more sightseeing afterwards, but most of us spent the entire day at the museum (which was awesome). He talked of his research and what got him into Japan. We learned about Transformers, Voltron, how America and Japan have interacted through anime, how merchandise plays along with animation, and more. His current research is how skin color and ethnicities are portrayed in manga and how that translates when turned into anime, primarily in the mega series One Piece.

Then we say a kamishibai performance. Kamishibai is a Japanese performance art that is one of the many influences of manga. This performer had so much energy and welcomed people from all the different countries. First there was a fun quiz show, even incorporating Japanese/English puns. Kamishibai is performed in a way that the performer is narrator, prop-master, and all the voice actors all at once. She told the story, said the dialogue, made comments, had audience participate by laughing for the protagonist, and would slowly and quickly change slides of pictures in a presentation box. Much like the way manga is read, she stood on the audience's left and pulled the paper out that way so that we "read" the pictures right to left, scenes unfolding in that direction. It was a lot of fun.

Then we had a lunch break. The famous and ancient soba place we headed to was packed, so we ate at the museum's cafe which turned out to be super neat because many of the artists who have visited the museum had drawn on the walls and even ceiling of the cafe. I had a don (bowl of rice with toppings) while enjoying friends' conversations and this amazing unique art around us.

Then we returned and heard Oya talk about how performance art like kamishibai and kabuki have influenced manga, anime, and film. Particularly the concept of kamite and shimote, the right side of the screen/page/stage versus the left. Strong, important characters are on the right while weaker, less important are on the left. If you watch, many shows, movies, anime, and manga incorporate this even into fight scenes. You may think someone is going to win, but they don't. Watch again and you'll see they were on the left. If they want to win and get stronger, they have to make their way to the right. It was very fascinating.

Then, we all were able to talk with him and our professor. Oya called someone on his walk-talkie-phone-I-don't-know-what-it-was-thing to bring the Witchblade they have. Turned out he was mixed up but what they brought was still really cool. It is a relatively new edition of Scarlet Witch, set in Kyoto, with Japanese on the cover. A gorgeous cover of a red pagoda in white snow, with Scarlet Witch walking through it. It was so cool. A friend (the birthday one) worked up the courage to discuss interning at the museum with Oya and everyone was so proud of her and she was happy she did because they are looking for people and it is very likely she can work there (our professor also showed Oya some of her works she submitted throughout the semester and he loved them).

Next, we explored the museum. There were people just sitting and reading manga from the floor-to-ceiling, hall-length bookshelves filled with manga. There were examples of the history of manga (a lot of which we had learned in class) as well as the flow of economics in the industry. There was also several rooms for a special exhibit of Ishigawa's works and I LOVED HER WORK. Photos were not allowed, except for in the very front gift shop area. Oh I loved it so much. It had her early works to her newer ones, so we got to see her artistic progression. She started with ballet scenery and flowing women, blocky noses, and drew men the same way she drew women. She evolved and started using new body shapes, mediums, settings, and so on. Incorporating Greek legends and styles or more modern styles. She wrote a manga based off of Prince Shotoku but portrayed him as an androgynous individual who was attracted to men - gorgeous. The art was compared to the Czech art nouveau artist Alphonse Mucha and I wholeheartedly agree, as well as Swedish Jon Bauer. I almost got the $35 art sample book of her work, but it was a bit expensive for a single book and didn't even include all the work on display. Oh but I loved it so much.

Then, I had to hurry home as the museum was soon closing, it was raining, and I had to make it to dinner. I grabbed a delicious snack from a bakery at the station (finally - I've wanted to bite into those delicious smells all semester) as well as stopped by the Miya-tan booth (with Nishinomiya's mascot). Even saw a new batch of babies in the swallow nest at the station I frequent. Also, on the long train ride home, I saw beautiful mist and fog rolling over the green mountain ranges. Misty mountains, oh how I love you.

I had warned my host parent's I'd be late, but they had been eating slow because we had yakiniku so I ended up being able to eat with them (though they were almost done). It was fun and delicious. I love yakiniku, grilled the vegetables and meat at the table, then swishing the meat in this delicious sauce on our plate. Mmmmmm.

Another night of good sleep due to a filled day. It was a wonderful experience, but I had to prepare for...Finals!!!

So although I haven't really hit the must-see places in Kyoto yet, I rather enjoyed Kyoto and am excited to explore it more this coming weekend/week.

More blogs to come!

Classroom Kyoto Day 1

2017-07-13T19:46:00.000-07:00

So last weekend I went to Kyoto on both Saturday and Sunday for two different classes. Let's be chronological about this and start with Saturday.

For my Japanese Art class, we went to the Kyoto National Museum. I really did not want to go that day. I was tired, but dragged myself out of bed and forced myself to leave my house on time. Turns out there were train delays, my drawstring broke once (it fell onto an old man's foot - he had an oxygen tank by the way - so I picked it up and tied the string in a new way), it broke again (the corner connecting a string to the bag itself just ripped off), and it would later rip in another way (thus adding to all the little rips it has accumulated), I missed a subway by second because I thought "hey, if I walk down the escalator, it'll be faster" but someone was just standing in the middle, and I was about 40 minutes late to the meet up. Overall, I was not a happy camper during the morning.

However, there was a pick-me-up that helped kick-start the change of mood for the day. I turned the wrong direction when I exited the bus and started to cross a bridge. I was excited to see a heron, and started getting out my telephoto lens. Then I noticed there was a second one! And a third one! Wait, FOUR? Four herons? And a white egret? What is this??? It was amazing! The herons also seemed to be of various ages due to their differences in coloring and some seemed spotted, others more gray, and two were taller than the others. It was so neat. I even saw one fly
at another for no obvious reason. They were both at opposite ends of the embankment, when one just kind of started crouching and flew over, and started flapping its wings and snapping its beak. The other one got away as quickly as possible.

I also noticed the white egret was very polite. It was sticking close to a taller heron (so maybe it wasn't an egret, just a young heron?) and it started to walk away. I, of course, had my lens focused on it, and got to see its excrement. But what was neat was it walked away from the heron to do so and then walked back. So polite.

Seeing them flying around, so graceful and with their magnificent wingspans and necks helped calm me. Then, I met my class...where did they go? Oh, you mean only three other students showed up? Oh okay, that makes sense. Yes, out of a group of about twenty people in the class who said they would come, a total of four students showed up (one other also had ridiculous train problems and was even later than I).

But, finally, I got to see some beautiful art. I could only take pictures of two room dividers on display in the front (one of which had a variety of animals often not seen in Japanese paintings such as tigers, leopards, weasels, black deer, boars, rabbits, and possibly tanuki as well as actually textured clouds), but here are some of the things I saw:

A giant Dainichi Nyorai statue which excited me since I compared two Dainichi Nyorai (or Mahavairocana/Vairocana) statues for my final in the art class. It was even using the duality mudra that my sample pieces used.
Another huge statue, a Fudo Myoo. Very colorful flames with firebird faces in the flickering flames BUT they looked like the faces of the creepy red puppets from The Labyrinth. Also, he was so big, rather than using string or carving it, they gave him an actual rope in one hand and created actual jewelry that were attached to his carved collar.
The two statues mentioned above were on display only because a temple in Osaka is under construction - I am very grateful.
There was a small portable shrine set with a 1000 little Jizo Buddha statues carved on it surrounding a main Buddha, an assistant, and a deity guardian of the underworld (I would say literally 1000 but apparently 6 or so have broken off throughout the years...but nearly a 1000 tiny little engraved figures - it was stunning).
Well preserved and detailed Buddha statues with various icons, some a medicine jar, others a sacred gem (looks like a peach), and so on.
Special exhibit of swords and I LEARNED SOMETHING: sometimes you will see Japanese swords displayed with sharp edge facing up and sometimes facing down. This is based off of the sword itself. Katana and short-swords are displayed facing down because they were used primarily for thrusting and, when thrust, they would be used with blade pointing down. Other blades, like the longer ones, were slashing weapons and so the blade is displayed facing up. Super interesting.
A room of letters and calligraphy. Although I know they are art in and of themselves, I am never particularly fascinated by these pieces. However, my teacher pointed out something he noticed. All the letters written by men and male emperors had lots of kanji while the one by an empress used primarily hiragana alphabet. Of course we learned how hiragana was more of a women's alphabet at first in history, but it is different to actually see it. Also, we saw a huge long scroll and wondered "Is this how they wrote, is this supposed to be emotional and beautiful, or did people look at this person's handwriting and go "wow this sucks"?" I guess we will never know.
Illustrated scrolls depicting various bodhisattvas, buddhas, and heavenly kings/guardians as well as how they are represented and should be drawn/scuplted
Illustrated scrolls depicting the tale of a man going through many fantastic adventures like fighting a giant centipede (drawn like a dragon), fighting people and demons, and so on - very vivid colors
Monochrome ink paintings and room dividers
Dotaku!!! Ancient bells! I love them!
Bronze Mirrors!!! Also ancient and awesome and I love them! There was also a hands-on activity where we could hold a replica. They are relatively heavy, extremely smooth on the bottom side that we never see, and (I felt blind that I never noticed) there are holes in the bump in the middle of the mirror through which a rope would be threaded. I never knew this!
Jomon pottery, Yayoi swords now green, sacred jewels, burial jars, porcelain, and more.
Another hands-on activity showed us how the eyes are put in Buddha statues. There is the gem itself put on the inside, then thin pieces of paper (the color of which determining what type of buddha/bodhisattva/heavenly king it is - blue for buddha and wisdom, red for rage and Myoo, and so on), then more paper, then wood, then more paper, then wood, and wooden pegs to hold that wood in place. It was very interesting. Also, the whorl of hair (what we assume to be a symbol of the third eye) sometimes seems like a colored gem but it is the same clear-ish gem that is used for the eyes. It is more of a peg shape and the peg hole is painted with a color so that once the crystal is placed inside, it looks like that color. Very neat!

We took a break after going through together, talking about our favorite pieces, and we ate at the museum cafe (after getting UV stamps in the shape of the museum building, invisible, on our wrists). A friend and I had delicious club sandwiches while the rest had various curries. It was so nice talking
with people from different backgrounds, one of which who speaks 4 languages and has spent half their life in Nicaragua and half in Sweden, as well as learning more about and connecting with our awesome teacher. At one point, we thought he left to use the bathroom, but when we got ready to leave, we found out he had payed for our lunch. It was so nice of him! He admitted though that he was happy to do it but could only do it because we were such a small group and would definitely not be able to do it the next field trip day.

Then, we all went our separate ways but three of us stuck together, seeing parts of the museum we had to rush through or didn't see then exploring Pontocho, a famous section of Kyoto. It was a large shopping district but had random shrines and temples here and there and many informational signs.

One was pink and was a traditional "women's temple." Another, on the inside, was full of the smell of incense, the glow of candles, small statues, and gold. It had a hand washing station with a dragon (not uncommon) but what was neat was the little orange orb in the dragon's mouth. (I couldn't help but think of the famous Dragon Ball Z as well as a book series Eon).

There were so many shops! A hedgehog cafe, a store just for umbrellas, two filled with electric guitars and bass (had to pull myself away), two stores full of gems and rocks and crystals (lot of will power), and just tons of random stores (at one of which I finally was able to get my hands on some souvenirs for people I haven't gotten anything for yet as well as a Karuta set!!! One of the things I really wanted to buy while here!!!).

We also had matcha ice cream and my first plain red bean taiyaki. I've had various types of taiyaki while here, but this was my first plain original one. It was very delicious.

Then, after our birthday friend got the rose quartz bracelet we had set our hunt out for and we started thinking about taking the long train ride home, a massive storm hit. The day had been nice and sunny and a bit hot all day and suddenly it was pouring rain, whipping wind, thundering and lightning. Thankfully, most shopping districts here in Japan are like outdoor malls with these long halls of buildings with a tunnel-like roof covering the passageways. This kept us out of the rain while we searching for a subway/train station (which was still under the roof thankfully).

After only one or two stops, we were out of the rain and could see a massive dark cloud and combination of mist and fog behind us.

I made it in time for dinner and we ate outside for the first time! It was so lovely! Though, despite our use of an incense to keep mosquitos away, I got six new bites. But the karaage and rice was so good and the atmosphere felt so nice. Listening to the cicadas was interesting, though I was scared when they all suddenly stopped at once. But apparently that's just a normal thing here.

I was exhausted. Thankfully I had studied on the train ride there, but threw in a bit more between anime and then succumbed to an early sleeping schedule.

Fun story, while studying kanji, I use my fingers to spell out the kanji. I was doing this on the train and a middle or high school student standing near me (it was a very packed train) stopped her conversation with her friend, kind of nudged her friend, pointed at me, and started moving her finger and giggling. So, I made eye contact and she just kind of froze. I smiled and said "Sorry. It's a bit weird, but I have a final." And she was kind of surprised and a probably a little scared and just was like "Is that so?" (In Japanese that's not a sassy phrase). I then said "Yeah, kanji can be so hard, you know?" and she replied "Yeah, I know. It really can be. You are studying Japanese" "yes." And we just kind of faded out of the conversation, and she and her friend started talking again. I bet she used to do this when she was learning kanji, albeit she was probably like 6 but we all start somewhere. It was an interesting experience.

Anyway, before moving onto day 2, here are some pictures of Kyoto and tucked away temples and shrines:

Being Sick in Japan

2017-07-10T07:04:00.000-07:00

Before getting to my class-related Kyoto trips this weekend, this post will be about how I was sick last week! How exciting!

It was not fun. I figured it was just a little thing with my throat, so skipped the gym and just tried to rest; but I woke up Tuesday and realized I couldn't talk. These voice issues lasted for two days and my throat continued to hurt. At the request of my host parents and my own frustration with the lack of a voice, I went to the clinic on campus for the first time.

It looked like a very old elementary school for some reason on the inside.

After consulting with the front desk, I took off my shoes and put on the communal green slippers and headed up the stairs. The second floor desk attendants were a lot friendlier than the first floor (not that the first floor were mean - just not very friendly). It helped put me at ease a bit - I am always nervous when going to doctor offices. And of course, as I sat in a little chair, holding my coughs, there was a billboard about diseases across from me and a picture of mosquitoes next to JE. And of course, my mind being what it is, I started thinking "what if this little cough is the beginning of JE? Even though I got a vaccine, I've been bit by a few mosquitoes. But I got a vaccine." Of course, I was not serious about this speculation...I think. Anyway, then I was called in.

There was a doctor and a nurse, both wearing masks the entire time. The doctor had his own office, with a desk and I walk in and sit on a little stool next to his desk (it reminded me of a principal's office but less formal). We talked about symptoms and tried to overcome the barrier of me not knowing medical/body terms. Then at one point, they were asking for me to raise my shirt so that he could listen to my breathing and then there was an awkward conversation where I tried to explain that I did not want to take off my shirt because I was only wearing a shirt and was not comfortable and they were just kind of trying to figure out what was going on and what we should do. It was interesting. But eventually, figured out I could lift without stripping. That might have been what they meant from the beginning, but I don't know. They were very nice, but I don't think I knew the proper etiquette for talking with doctors in Japan because there would often be overly long moments of them expectantly staring at me after I had finished talking. But I was tired, my throat hurt, and I had fourth period so I didn't want to ask "how do people usually talk to doctors in Japan?"

Then, I got some tablets with strict schedules and, interestingly, cough drops and a gargling solution to be used at my own disposal. Thanks to insurance, all of this medicine and the consultation cost me less than taking an hour-long nap in the nap room of my university clinic back home, after I was given an anti-nausea shot for food poisoning that basically incapacitated me. And the medicine helped immediately. I only had to take the tablets for three days (after every meal and before bed) and now, about a week later, am pretty much all healed. Just the occasional cough.

So I feel like my experience was lucrative.

I NAPPED AGAIN! WHAT IS UP WITH THIS??? I took a three hour nap on Wednesday and then went to bed and slept until 10 or 11 the next day. What? Of course, sleep is pretty much the most important tool for healing and it helped a lot, but it was still discombobulating.

Another nice thing was how understanding my host parents and teachers were. After hearing me talk, my teachers would avoid calling on me that much and later inquire about my health and if I had seen a doctor. My host parents kept urging me to rest, took my dish washing duties away, and served me food to help with health and the throat. It was incredibly nice. My host mom even made foods that she said her mom made her when she was sick. They were amazing.

One of the down-sides was not being able to work out for another week, but I'm going to work out this week and try to do some sort of physical activity in the gap between end of the semester and returning home. Just doing nothing is not the best option since I realize working out really helps my emotional stability and energy levels.

I almost forgot one of the most important things about being sick in Japan: I had to wear a mask. To be honest, it did not bother me that much. Maybe if someone else had worn a mask, I might not have gotten sick. Knowing that me wearing a mask is helping keep others from getting sick made me feel a bit better. I wish we did this in America. I will probably continue to do it - though, from what I've seen on campus, those who do it are bullied or made fun of. And in movies, people wearing masks are often portrayed as either suspicious characters or people with extremely dangerous diseases. But no one likes even the small colds so I think masks would be very helpful. The downsides were because of the humidity and the mask, sometimes my breath or speech would fog my glasses or my nose would feel a little too cleared up.

Well, I must get to sleep soon to prepare for a day of studying. I had two finals today and will have two more Wednesday. I cannot tell if that faint, distant buzzing is just regular electricity, or a continuation of the crying of the cicadas that has been going on since the weekend. Hmmm. More on them later.

Here are a few pictures of the extra-healthy foods my host parents made me!

You've already seen the goya (left) and I have had this dried and re-hydrated tofu (right). Below is fu, literally just glutin. Soft and easy to eat with a sore throat.

This is a jiggly, cold tofu custard dish wish a sweetish soy sauce - also perfect for a sore throat, for the heat, or for when your teeth hurt.

More of the cold tofu dish alone with salmon and a soup/porridge mix full of vegetables that was extremely delicious. It was then topped with onions, ooba, and plum.

Natto (extremely healthy as well as easy to chew and swallow), chilled tofu with green onions on top, a vinegary salad of rooty veggies, cucumber, dried fish (eat all of it~), and miso soup.

Most of our dinners look like this, with multiple side dishes and many small plates.

This doesn't really connect to me being sick, but I had some left overs and it felt so good on my throat. These are a type of traditional Japanese sweet that are kept chilled. In the modern age, they are packaged in little plastic domes. You peel off the flat side's plastic, use a thin object and slide it around the edge, and then slide the water manjuu out. It is not mochi but made with similar material, is cool and firm, and filled with red bean paste. Manjuu is often filled with red bean paste or something else, with the exterior being mochi or a type of bread - this is "water manjuu" and is more of a summer treat. Very delicious, though a bit difficult to eat.

My first "gig" and 3rd Month Thoughts

2017-07-07T06:53:00.002-07:00

Remember when I slipped and joined a cover band in K-ON club? Well we had our New Members Live (concert) at a live-house in Kobe - basically my first gig.

It was a lot of fun and so neat!

The place was called live-house 108 and had a lot of awesome details. Stickers all over the metal door, mini fish tanks, anime figurines, tanabata bamboo trees, the occasional deep rattling of a train passing over us, and a patient and helpful owner with killer style and a single hoop ear piercing, making me think of the Shadowhunters/Mortal Instrument's Magnus Bane. There was also a clock that had all the numbers except 10 and 8 removed, which I found very clever, as well as an inspirational quote in English on the rafters.

I got to listen to half of the cover bands primarily filled with new members (the other half had performed the day before). Most people were amazing, especially on the instruments (though mainly the senpais in each group were the best). Also, as I've noticed in many actual Japanese bands, vocal skill isn't emphasized - there were not a lot of great singers. Of course, whenever someone sang well, they were praised and applauded - but what the audience seemed to like the most was the passion. How much emotion did someone put into their singing. There were also some killer instrument solos, including parts done by an electric violin, six-string bass, and classic electric guitar and bass. There were a lot of songs that I did not know, but they did play the most famous Fullmetal Alchemist theme song and it just made my morning.

I was too tired to be nervous, but when my friends showed up and then suddenly I had to go in the dark, narrow, under-the-stairs corridor with my fellow bandmates to prepare, I 'got real nervous real fast.' In a rush, I had energy again and butterflies and was tense, while the fellow first timers who had been saying "yabe, yabe, yabe" (basically "oh no" "ohmygods" or "crap") all morning were focused on remembering what we have all been practicing on for the entire semester.

Then, we stepped onto stage and starting adjusting instruments. When we thought we were ready, our drummer started the opening to our slow song and I froze. I had thought we were doing the fast one first and was completely confused (especially since I, the rhythm guitar, leads in the slow one). We, including the audience, laughed it off, and started again. I started strumming and it was great. We really made sure to listen to each other on that first one. Next, between our two songs, there was some audience interaction and when our vocalist handed me the mic, I froze again. We were all supposed to say our year, our major, and favorite band, but I was just so nervous and just said "I'm Alex. A study abroad student. I'm only studying here for this semester, but this has been so great, and thank you all for being nice to me" BUT I MESSED UP THE GRAMMAR AND I THINK I ACTUALLY SAID "thank you all for making me be nice" adlkfjadlkjfal. I SWEAR I SPEAK JAPANESE. I felt "I swear, I swear, I swear, I'm not the foreigner who doesn't know anything!" But time passed and we moved on. Then we played our faster song and that was even more fun. I flew through the chords and realized just how vital all that practice was. Seeing through the pseudo fog, the colorful lights changing above us and on my fingers and the neck of my borrowed guitar (which was so high quality and smooth as butter), and seeing the audience waving and pumping their hands to our song - it was surreal. Such a different experience from my light saber choreography performances, but similar in that we put so much time into it for just a few minutes. But it was so worth it.

After we performed, there were still a few bands left. Listening to everyone and just being in that atmosphere was amazing. I felt like it was the beginning of something new and that I had connected the most in that moment than at any other time before in Japan. It was a bittersweet emotion because as I was experiencing it, I was thinking how I have to leave soon. It also made me think of my club back at home and how I'm glad I didn't have to leave when that was just beginning.

There was an after-party, but I didn't go because it was expensive, I was still very tired and had a slight headache, and didn't think I'd enjoy myself. We all bowed in unison to the owner (Magnus Bane), took group photos, and some of us rode the train home together.

It was truly great.

Also, side note: thanks to my friends who came and supported me. Who filmed this great moment for me. And who threw a goya at me. Like, seriously. (Pandaman meant it as a joke, innocently asking me the day before what my least favorite vegetable is. I said goya because I just recently discovered it and it is extremely bitter though also extremely healthy and helps people get well and happy and all that. Foreshadowing: turns out it was great because I came down with a cold and my host mother excitedly made goya champloo for me to help me heal...so half sarcastic and half truthful "thanks").

This is over a week overdue, but...Third Month Thoughts!

Seeing that I spent my third month in Hiroshima, I feel like I am keeping up with my goals relatively well. Although, I'm starting to get a little tired and will not be sad when I can take a break from sightseeing. It is amazing, seeing new things and experiencing new things, but focusing on daily life and long-term goals seems really nice right about now. I know once I take too long a break from traveling, I will be yearning and itching for it, but that is why we have the concept of balance.

I've been thinking a lot about what I first did and thought and believed would happen in Japan. My mood seemed so different. Everything was new. I expected intensive studying and intimate friendships with natives. I thought I'd join a club, preferably archery or swimming or K-ON. I thought I'd be going to beaches a lot and eating more Japanese junk food. Most of these didn't happen. Though I am still as enamored with and excited by life as I was before studying abroad in Japan, I have become accustomed to life in Japan. Thought everything had that extremely new quality, when I first came, I had a sense of belonging. I really liked the culture and thought "hey, this is a good fit for me." Now that feeling has turned to familiarity and I feel very comfortable here. I have learned that Japanese colleges are very lax and have not had to do as much homework, assignments, or studying as back home (though finals are coming up and I have to study for those, of course - also, last week, when every single class wanted an essay - that was harsh). I joined K-ON and had an awesome time, but despite all my efforts and activities, I have not been able to form any close, intimate friendships with natives. I think if I had more time, I would have been able to do it - but being here only one semester means once they have finally gotten used to me and we can start bonding, I have to leave. And I think many Japanese people know this and thus don't try to get close. Also, I feel, and many people have agreed with me on this, that since Japan is still kind of isolated and their English education is not very effective, many Japanese people are nervous around foreigners. And finally, I have not eaten a lot of Japanese junk food (though lately I've been trying more think from the conbini).

Ah, the food. I may devote an entire post to it soon. I love Japanese food so much.

I feel like I have matured a bit in my time here. I want to write about it in a self-reflective way rather than an arrogant or bragging way. When I went to Hiroshima, I kind of blew up at a friend for something very trivial. We continued on our sightseeing and I was able to quickly think over my actions and realize it was irrational and over the line. I took a few minutes to cool down, and then went up to said friend and said "I'm sorry about before. That was totally uncalled for" and he replied "It was, but you're good" and we continued with our time. This experience for me was very important. I feel like a few months ago, I wouldn't have apologized, let alone apologized so quickly. If I had even realized my own irrationality, I may have been too embarrassed to apologize or try to blame it on the other person somehow in my mind. Also, I feel like if I did apologize and someone had responded the way he did, I would have gotten angry again. But he was right! And he agreed with me on it, but the important thing was that he forgave me and our relationship is okay. And in that moment, I accepted what he said. Although it wasn't a fun experience, I look back and am so happy it happened. I experienced so many different emotions in that one day, from the pure joy on the beach and under the Miyajima torii gate, to the irrational anger, and to the repentance, connection, and acceptance. It's even more important to me because I am pretty sure that who I was three or four months ago, would not have done this.

Little by little, we change throughout our lives, but we can strive and hope that it is for the better.

My personal and deep story is over. Thank you.

Here is an adorable moth and clovers from the nearby park for those who made it to the end:

Hiroshima, Miyajima, and a NIGHT BUS

2017-07-05T04:01:00.000-07:00

After a day of classes and eating a lovely dinner with my host family, I headed over to the Umeda Sky Building, a gorgeous piece of architecture standing tall in Osaka with a hole in the connecting piece between two towers - with some friends, of course, and because the building as the night bus pick up. (Still figuring out night photography!)

Note: it was fun to spin under the building, fixating one's gaze on the hole.

Before going into the awesomeness of the adventure, I want to say a few things about the night bus. One, I was so excited and wore my platform 9 3/4 shirt to celebrate my first official Night Bus ride (though, as I knew, it was nothing like the purple adventure that is the night bus from HP). Secondly, they divide the bus by sex (males in front, females in back) - seeing that I was the only female in our trip, I sat way behind my friends. Thankfully, the bus was not very crowded and no one was assigned to the seat next to me. This meant I could move and readjust as much as possible. Third, I can't believe it, but I slept on both night bus rides (not deeply, continuously, or well, but I did!). As someone who usually finds it impossible to sleep on vehicles or take naps, this was an accomplishment. Finally, we plan to use the night bus again for future adventures, but it was a strain on the mind and body and sleep pattern. Also, we before 7 am and several hours before any attractions and buildings were open, but we started our adventure anyway.

First (after using conbini for toiletries and food, of course), we headed over to Hiroshima castle and its surrounding park. Just as Himeji castle is known as the White Heron Castle, Hiroshima castle is known as Carp Castle. What we saw was a reconstruction since the original castle (that had survived the castle-deconstruction trend of the Meiji era) was destroyed during the bombing. Here is some more information if anyone is interested: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3402.html

The park inside the moat had stone foundations that were really neat (though one reminded me of an early scene from Robin Hood Men in Tights (when the 'house' was taken, leaving only stone floor planning in grass)).

There were several trees specially marked as survivors of the bomb, despite their proximity to the hypocenter of the bombing. They were twisted and thick, yet still lively. One of them was a eucalyptus tree, with basically a dome of branches and leaves surrounding its rainbow bark.

The reconstructed parts of the Ninomaru were quite beautiful and colorful. We were experiencing a mix of histories while walking through this one area as well as nature (trees, a lovely pond, and a
fuzzy white bug that we could not identify but found adorable).

Unfortunately, we were there too early to actually enter the castle, but we soon stumbled upon a lovely carp shrine. This shrine happened to also have the relocated stone torii that is in a famous picture of the afterimage of the bombing, being pretty much the only structure standing amidst the destruction. It not only survived the bombing, but had survived an awful earthquake as well. Beautiful ribbon decorations hung from the shrine's main complex and on each side were a different carp statue. One had a single carp swimming up a waterfall and represented success with a difficult challenge, achieving a goal, and good luck and success in business. The other were two carp swimming up in harmony and represented family well-being, happy marriage, and fulfillment in love.

Next, we went to the Peace Memorial Park. It is an actual park filled with various monuments and memorials. On our way there, in a very urban and boring side-street, we stumbled upon a plaque commemorating the exact hypocenter of the bomb. The bomb struck at 8:15 am and we walked by it around 8:26 am, sending chills through us. Though the trees acted as a prologue, this was the beginning to a very sober and emotional experience.

The first memorials we went to were one of the several memorials for the children that died and the famous A-Dome. The former had a very beautiful shape, but reminded me of a smoke cloud. This structure had various dove statues on it to represent peace as well as names of deceased children surrounding the angel and cranes.The latter was a government building that lost completely all of its structure; however, since the bomb exploded practically just above it, the dome itself remained intact, as well as some of the basic, internal structure. It seemed like a lot to have survived at the time, but when we later saw two models comparing the before and after, I realized that it was not much at all.

Then, we crossed a bridge and went to another Children's Memorial, entirely themed with paper crane. The curved structure had a bell in it with a metal paper crane figure adorning it while one of the children attached to it stands tall, arms spread open, holding a metal frame of a paper crane. It somewhat reminded me of the A-Dome, with only a metal frame remaining at the top. Around the curved structure were little cubicles fulls of various paper crane donations, being kept out of the rain and wind.

There was another memorial that held a flame from the bombing, but was very different from the
enclosed one we saw in our Tokyo trip.

Then came the museum part of the park. Entry was extremely inexpensive, about two or three USD and we received a postcard made of recycled donated paper cranes, which was both heartwarming and sad at the same time. I took no pictures with my camera throughout the museum, because I was simply not comfortable with it.

There was a lot of information, including a lot of things that I didn't know. First, we saw wall mural photographs of the city before and after the bombing, and also watch a 3-D projected video on a circular table, showing just how wide a diameter this explosion had.

We saw green stone made from the mixing of sand, glass, and heat from the blast. We got to read letters from Einstein. I learned that the US chose cities based on psychological effects bombing them would have on the Japanese as well as topographical features that would maximize damage from the blast. Apparently, the cultural hot spot of Kyoto was on the list of potential bomb-sites, but was taken off because someone with decision-making power had gone there on his honeymoon or some other romantic trip. I learned that the 'pamphlets' distributed in the city by the US never actually forewarned the people of a bombing. Sometimes, they would just have pictures of a bomb or reference that the US had one, mainly for psychological warfare and never for actually warning the citizens. We saw accounts of survivors, details of the dead, last words, and mutated items. There were people walking around simply crying as they read, and I was almost one of them. The final section, after the fascinating part of recovery, was the section with recovered items and tales of victims.

There was a watch that had stopped at exactly 8:15 am.
Bloodied and torn clothing belonging to children
A rusty tricycle that a dad had donated several years after burying it with his three year old son who had loved riding the tricycle before dying the blast
Tales of people that were not initially killed, but were not pulled out from fires and buildings fast enough or were too damaged
Cancerous effects
Personally, the story that made me well up was the tale of a twelve year old who came home bloodied and burned and in pain, but was the one consoling his mother as he died, telling her she has to be strong. I wish I could remember the direct words, but it was incredibly moving.

I feel like this was a very educational experience. I was able to see what we don't learn in American history class and to go even deeper into whatever we did cover.

Before we left, we all just sat in the communal area for a while, composing ourselves and mulling over what we had learned. As we left, we passed by a statue/clock known as the Peace Watch Tower that keeps track of 1. the number of days since the Hiroshima bombing and 2. the number of days since the last nuclear test in the world. The concept is that the main cogwheel, at the top of a series of cogs, will spin faster when the earth is in danger and nuclear testing continues. As it spins faster, it will set the cogs spinning, one by one - if it reaches the immovable bottom one set in stone, the structure with then self-destruct. To stop this from happening, we must fight against nuclear testing. It was an interesting concept.

After such a serious excursion, we went to lunch. We had Hiroshima okonomiyaki, which is very different from 'regular' okonomiyaki. The way they make it is different, as are the ingredients. For instance, in Hiroshima, noodles are added! And for some types, a raw egg is adorned on top (I did not have one of those). It was delicious! And to top it off, I had Hiroshima lemon soda which was both tart and sweet.

We took a little break as we navigated more conbini, figured out how to get to our next destination, and some of us (not me) tried out Pachinko, Japanese gambling. I walked up to the door and as soon as the automatic doors slid open, was hit with the smell of smoke and a cacophony that rivaled the chaotic maelstrom of sound that was the underground arcade we found in Akihabara. I decided to wait outside - but, according to the one's who tried it, there was really no point and it was kind of boring.

Anyway, after walking a LOT and seeing the city (bridges upon bridges and a Shonen Jump store complete with OnePunch Man themed candy, Boku no Hero Academia themed soda, a Goku statue, and overpriced One-Piece goods), we made it to where we first arrived and got a day pass for the tram car. "Why didn't you get it in the morning when you first arrived?" - that is an excellent question. You see, the desk didn't open until 10 am...we arrived before 7 am. So we decided to use our feet until we needed to go the father distances.

With passes in tow, we took the hour and twenty (or so) minute tram car ride to a port and then used that day pass for the ferry which then took us to the fantastical Miyajima! However, on our tram ride there, the outcast skies opened and it began to rain. It would continue to rain for the rest of the day, complicating some things and dampening our spirits a bit, but we didn't let it stop us!

As the ferry brought us to our goal, the rainy weather had one upside: misty mountains. Gorgeous mist and fog rolling over the forested mountains on the island - just stunning!

We planned to go in the afternoon so that we could experience low tide. This is important because Miyajima, home of Miyajima shrine aka Itsukushima, has a large, beautiful torii on the beach. Half of the time, it is in the water but the other half, at low tide, the water recedes and people can walk up to and through the gate. This might be my favorite shrine so far.

Before getting to the gate, we saw the beautiful beach, adorable deer (I preferred these to those in Nara - they were nicer, cuter, and more colorful), the inevitable entry torii, stone lanterns everywhere, and old-fashioned shops.

Walking across the beach, we saw shells (both moving and non-moving), herons, crabs, and little rivers formed by the rain flowing to the ocean.

When we came to the gate, I was awestruck. This gate is huge and has a unique structure that I have never seen in torii before (probably to withstand the ocean's energies). I handed my camera and bag to my friends, slipped off my socks and shoes, and ran in the rain. The feeling of the rain upon me, the sand upon my feet, the little river wrapping itself around my ankles, and the breeze through my hair was just magical. I was very happy in those few moments, on the beach and underneath the gate. Later on, a friend said he listened to some of the other tourists and loved their reactions to my yoga poses (Though I do not post them here, I have been completing a series of pictures of me doing yoga poses in various places I go to in Japan) - which boosted my self-esteem even more. But alas, I had to return to socks, shoes, bags, and "poise."

Next, we saw the outsides of the Hall of the 100 Tatami Mats, were saddened that we could not go up the mountain (using the ropeway (fancy term for cable car) or otherwise) or see the view due to the rain, saw some pagodas, and walked through the old-fashioned streets. We stopped by a shop and all were able to practice Japanese with a very nice shopkeeper.

Then, we enjoyed fresh Miyajima oysters and famous Miyajima, yomogi leave shaped manjuu (both of which were delicious) before going to see the actual shrine. This shrine is as stunning as the gate, with a sense of stepping into a Heian-age-style painting, with beautifully symmetrical red corridors and everything being raised to accommodate for high tide. It was amazing walking through it and enjoying the new view of the sea gate, the old Noh theatre stage, and the various prayer spots and statues within. There was also a pair of women dressed in kimono, making a lovely time-travel scene as they walked through the shrine.

I really~ liked this shrine, hence the excessive amount of included pictures in this post.

What was also beautiful was the aforementioned stone lanterns lighting up as it got dark!

I wish we could have had two days in Hiroshima. Rather than devoting an afternoon to Miyajima, I would've done a whole day, especially if the weather had been more fair. I am glad we got to see a Miyajima that most people don't, but, for a day trip, it would have been nice to go up the mountain. Also, many of the shops closed relatively early, included the treasure house that would have been like a mini-museum. Also, if we had had another day, we could have gone to the Hiroshima Manga Library, some of the art museums, or the Incineration Plant - or even entered the castle. I would not change or go back and not go, but, for my own future reference or for the reference of others, two days might be nice.

We ate at a traditional style restaurant, on raised tatami platforms (some of the taller, long-legged travelers had some issues - also, all of us had wet socks and feet and felt awful about it). But the food
was delicious. And, I even had delicious Asian custard. So far, I usually hate the stuff, but this was actually good!Also, for a traditional-style dinner-time meal, it was reasonably priced (less than $15).

Next, we had some free time before our night bus but most of the places we wanted to go to were closed, so we returned to the bustling shopping district we perused earlier (which had the Shonen Jump store) and did an hour of karaoke. I also got a mango flavored slushie drink with whipped cream from a Lawson conbini - it was amazing. It was a nice way to rap up the day.

I slept more on the bus ride back than on the bus ride here, but it still wasn't the greatest sleep. We returned to Osaka around 6:30 am and, along with a bunch of school sports groups, rode one of the early trains. When I got back, I was able to have breakfast with my host family and then *drum roll* took a nap. Yes, yes, I napped! Amazing!

Before I go, here are a few more pics from the adventure:

KOREA PART 3

2017-07-04T05:11:00.001-07:00

Sunday night was the best night sleep we had that weekend, so we were well prepared for our last day. We wanted more time, but that is true with any fun adventure. You'll always want one more hour, one more day, one more week. So we had to make the most of what we had and not regret anything.

First, we headed to DDP to check around for a jacket my travel buddy wanted. Although it was beautiful during the day, it felt like an apocalyptic film, with an empty city. Though the DDP is bustling at night, it is just as deserted during the day. It was also then that we learned that most of the buildings were closed during the day. There was a mall that opened at 8 pm and closed at 6 am. Crazy!

Next, we returned to Myeongdong, and after failing to find a cafe in the Japanese guidebook from the library we were using, we ate breakfast at a different cafe. Hands-down, the best hot dog I have had in my life. Plus, a waffle with ice cream and blueberry tea (that unfortunately wasn't blue - but we made it up to Percy by my travel buddy having blue lemonade).

We enjoyed the much livelier Myeongdong shopping district and did some shopping ourselves. We also saw the famous Seoul ice cream cones with ice cream that swirls up way too far (or just the right amount - depends on how much you like ice-cream). We were running out of time and had just had the ice-cream waffles, so kept walking.

Our morning rushed by and, before we knew it, we were back on the express subway/train to the airport. There was some beautiful scenery: urban scenery, rice fields full of egrets, colorful wetland plains, and mini islands in the ocean. After returning to my seat from snapping pictures, my travel buddy said the funniest thing had happened. He was people-watching and said as soon as I started taking pictures, people starting giving me weird looks, then looking out the window, and then taking pictures - chain reaction. Yes, inspire the photography - my master plan~.

Two exciting things happened at the airport. One: dancing robots. These little robots dancing to various songs (one of which was Gangnam Style). They were so cute! Secondly, as we were checking in at our airline desk, the attendant asked if we understood Japanese and when we both replied affirmatively, she was so relieved. We were also extremely relieved, because of a weekend of not being able to communicate and, previously, a different attendant talking to us very slowly in English to make sure we knew that we were in a line for a plane going to Japan...so we were all very happy.

We had time and empty stomachs before the ride, so we had the best burgers I've had in Asia: BBQ, bacon, cheeseburger (still not as good as what we find in the US, but better than what I've had in Japan). I also was hit with a nostalgic longing for my campus back in US when I smelled and saw a Jamba Juice.

Next, when getting some sweets for friends and host family, my travel buddy and I were very aggressively marketed to. We were browsing, figuring out what we wanted, and three or four different, sharply dressed shopping attendants kept following us and asking us questions and pushing this or that product or continuously asking if we were going to buy their recommended treat. It was kind of scary, especially since my travel buddy tended to avoid interaction with people, leaving me to handle the human interaction. But, I got the snacks and we got on the plane successfully.

Note: we never reached the altitude that longer flights in my personal experience usually reach, meaning my body and head felt weird during the flight. Almost like the weight I was accustomed to had changed and precisely moving my arm was difficult - like when a body is extremely sleep deprived, yet my mind was still sharp. My travel buddy said he felt weird from the low altitude as well. It was an interesting experience.

The emotions going through my mind and body on the plane were very interesting, I think. We were so happy to be returning to Japan. It felt like coming home, which I didn't realize. I also didn't realize that just in the span of that weekend, I had missed Japan so much. It helped reaffirm even more that I want to come back one day.

On our bus ride from the airport (thank goodness to buying round-trip tickets in advance), there was a beautiful, long, golden sunset hitting all of the non-beach coastline.

Getting home meant an immediate shower, since our hostel did not have one. Then, my host family sat with me while I ate delicious Japanese food and promised to show them pictures once I had finished sorting them (which I did).

I will definitely want to go back one, explore more of Seoul possibly, and see other cities and countryside. I also would love to see the tropical Jeju Island one day!

The language was so rhythmic, like a fun song.
Japan has a nicer, more open feel to it, but Seoul was much more active in its tourist inclusiveness
Obviously influenced by China and other continental cultures (so red was prominent), but there was also a lot of green!
Also not as many skinny people (Japan is full of skinny people, not always fit and sometimes I'm afraid that just walking by them, I'll snap them).
Lots of adults in hiking gear on the subways
Just like Japan, people were quiet on public transport, usually looking at their phones, reading a book, or napping
Lots of pigeons in Seoul
"sumida" is used at the end of a lot of sentences
I wonder what type of experience I'd have with a native friend as a guide? (which then leads me to question, how would I act/where would I go if I were acting as a native guide for a friend who came to visit me?)

Despite the long gap between posts, I have finally finished my Korea trip! It was so much fun and I don't regret it at all. It was really interesting being able to eat the food, see the history, and compare Korea with Japan, as well as taste the language.

After a week of school and rest, my next adventure: Hiroshima!

KOREA PART 2

2017-06-26T07:20:00.000-07:00

Rather than waking up at 6 am and trying to figure out how to get to and hike one of the many mountains in Seoul, we slept in! I am glad we did since we had a full weekend and late night.

The morning started off in Myeongdong - a popular shopping and tourist district in Seoul. If the DDP was the night hot spot, Myeongdong was the place to go to during the day. It was also full of make-up shops.

We had more grilled meat (beef) with leaves and spicy vegetables as well as bibimbap. The bibimbap was delicious: a mixture of a fried egg, rice, salt, seaweed, and vegetables in a hot stone bowl. The rice definitely helped us through the spicy parts; however, there was one point where we each had something and had to spend about ten to fifteen minutes holding back tears and getting through the pain. Why must food hurt? And did you know how sensitive the underside of your tongue can be? However, two more things to say on this lovely restaurant: one, there were a bunch of Japanese tourists also having brunch and this

adorable Japanese kid did not understand the concept of language barriers and kept trying to talk with the lady working the store (he also walked around, carrying a long bell pepper and proclaiming it was a cucumber). Second, the lady working the store was kind enough to show us how to properly eat our food without plates or chopsticks - cut with scissors, use tongs to pick everything up and place it on a leaf, and eat it. We felt like children eating at a kind aunt's house. It was great and the connection across the language barrier and lack of familiarity was much appreciated.

We followed our handy-dandy map and library guidebook to see the famous Myeongdong Cathedral; but we first stumbled upon a smaller Presbyterian church that was also beautiful. We were a bit confused, thinking that it was supposed to be bigger and red brick rather than stone grey. We turned and saw the cathedral's tower behind other buildings across the way and made our way over. It really was beautiful. It has been a while since I've seen such Western and European-style buildings. The brick-work tower was just beautiful. We did not enter either of the establishments since it was Sunday and we did not want to disrupt the masses going on or mess with the other tourists lining up alongside the doors.

While sipping a Korean version of Calpis called Milkis, we made our way to Seoul Tower...a very round about way, walking through a street of rainbow tented booths, seeing Seoul's Theater, and City Hall. Trying to figure out how to cross the long, wide street was interesting - we did a lot of backtracking since crosswalks were few (later on, we learned that there were ways to walk under the street, which were very useful).

To get to Seoul Tower, we first rode up a diagonal, air-conditioned, rider-operated elevator that slightly reminded me of a scene from Code Geass. Then we bought round-trip cable car tickets and rode the crowded, speedy cable car up the side of a small mountain. Next, we walked up a set of stairs and saw the colorful love locks of Seoul and some beacons that used to be use to signal Rohan...I mean...other parts of Korea....why did Seoul keep throwing Gondor vibes at us? Anyway, we found out that we could get a combination set for two people in which we get entry tickets, one bucket of popcorn, and two soft drinks for the price of two tickets plus one dollar. This, and the following, slowly taught us that Korea is a very couple-based society, especially compared to Japan:

Many places apparently refuse to seat you if you are by yourself so, if eating out, you should always have at least one friend
Many places also have great couple's deals
There were couples literally everywhere - holding hands, snuggling, being all cute. Especially since living in Japan for the past few months, we were shocked.

Seoul Tower was awesome. We went up the observation deck, ate candy (including mint-chocolate malt balls), and just sat, chat, and enjoyed the amazing view. Sitting there in my tank top, sipping orange Fanta, escaping the heat, and relaxing reminded me of summer so strongly. On the first level we went to, many windows had international cities' names and distances on them. The lower level had places of Seoul with information. This is where we learned that the museum we would head to next, the National Museum of Korea, is the biggest in Asia and sixth biggest in the world.

Some things we saw from the tower before heading down:

Really tall buildings in the distance
Hordes of extremely similar, white tall buildings that made parts of the city look like a bar code or some computer simulation.
Lots of neat bridges spanning a large river cutting through Seoul
Part of an ancient wall still standing on the mountain/hills surrounding the tower
Some castles and the shrine we saw the day before
An awesome view from the...bathroom...stall.......It was an interesting experience, but we both really needed to use the bathroom. On the windows were little signs saying something along the lines of "Don't be ashamed of snapping that picture! You'll probably here the shutter sound from other stalls! It's a shame to just look!"
A flock of white birds in the distance
Someone spinning a large yellow flag

We descended the paradise of a tower and, still on the tower's base, in the plaza with an old-fashioned gazebo, were traditional performances! I enjoyed these even more than the previous day's performances. These started with dancers and drummers wearing white, yellow, and black garments
as well as round hats with a stick and long ribbon attached. They would slightly "head-bang" and the long ribbon would whip, twirl, encircle, and dance as well. It was mesmerizing. I was particularly impressed by the drummer for not only could he dance and whip his ribbon around, but he did this all while keeping a consistent beat and then giving a resonating solo.

Next were plate spinners who use varying lengths of sticks, would throw the spinning plates to each other or up into the air, balanced the sticks on single fingers or mouths, balanced with the tip of an open fan, and interacted with the crowd. Then, there were the weapon performances. These were extraordinary. Of course, I took photographs, but I also took videos so that I can use them for reference for my light-saber choreography. Long spears, twin swords, long bamboo spears, literal giant twigs, long swords made specifically to combat Japanese swords, and more. There was a warrior woman dressed like a general (?), lots of sword spinning, cutting hay, and a gorgeous imperial dressed actor who performed a heart-echoing dance with two swords to a beautiful, echo-ing, voice-heavy song. The emotion he poured into his every movements and facial features was amazing, even after, when he was exiting his solo and "commanding" an attack. Also, I love when people are obviously extremely happy while performing or doing whatever they are doing. It is just beautiful, that smile.

Our way to the museum was also very roundabout. We saw the beautiful architecture of Seoul
Station, the outside gate to the one place we didn't go on our combination ticket, and the other of the two remaining gates in Seoul. We agreed that we liked this one better. I did like the wall surrounding the other and the pattern of the ceiling of the other, but the general look, swirly patterns, colors, and history of this gate, Sungnyemun, were much more interesting. This gate was ritually important for the emperor during times of floods and drought, was partially torn down by the Japanese, was damaged during Korean War, and was heavily damaged by an arsonist attack. Repairs and reconstruction were completed just recently in 2013.

Our museum trip was short due to it closing at six thirty however, I am glad with what we saw: Buddhist statues, celadon pottery, statues from Korea, India, China, Tibet, Nepal, and Japan (and more), Silk Road goods/tools, Japanese paintings, scary Chinese grave guardian statues, a 10 level pagoda of stone, a

two-story renewed colorful painting, more Korean couples, and the largest amount of security I have ever seen (this museum had a lot). We did not have time to get anything from the shop or go to the special exhibit focusing on Arabian goods, but we saw glimpses of ads and books and so on. I really enjoyed the museum. We also spent time taking pictures on the large set of stairs and enjoying the gazebo and reflecting pond once we had to exit the building.

Next, we returned to the DDP for another meal of meat and veggies. We walked inside the very long "Fashion Plaza" which was less like a mall and more like the largest, longest second-hand store I've ever seen. It was really neat, but not what my buddy was searching for (looking for a specific fashion) and the bored-ness of the shop-minders was a bit off-putting (though I would probably be bored too). We explored other malls and saw a "Marvel" store that had some marvel shirts and merchandise plus star wars and one piece (this was on the "men's fashion" floor that also had some *coughs mediocre coughs* arcade games that were surrounded by Korean men in white button shirts and black pants), a "comics" cafe that did not have windows (so we passed it), an Outback Steakhouse, more couples, nice fashion, and a nice view of the DDP building from the elevator (thought not good for photography due to the double glass and the giant ad stickered to the window). We decided to eat at the same cafe as the night before. As soon as we walked in, we made eye contact with the same person at the register and we all just giggled. Without communicating or really knowing each other, there was a little connection. My buddy and I fantasized of going daily or weekly, slowly learning Korean, and slowly becoming friends with him. Oh well. We had the snow
thing again, but a coffee themed one over which we poured actually hot coffee (surprisingly, it did not melt! Just soaked!) as well as more honey bread. It had gotten later than expected and since we did want to navigate with a taxi or without sleep, we headed back before the subway closed. We had been excited about staying out later, so we turned on the television and watched something like American Idol but with K-Pop. It was very entertaining.

Next up, Korea Part 3, another month anniversary, and Hiroshima+Miyajima Adventures!

Before I leave for sleep, some more pictures from Sunday in Korea!

KOREA PART 1

2017-06-22T08:00:00.002-07:00

Here we are! Part one of an amazing adventure of a weekend!

Friday was my first time skipping class for something other than an illness or health-related appointment (thankfully I was able to talk with my teacher). Then, my travel buddy and I started heading towards the bus at the nearby train station. On the way, we stopped at my house for me to switch bags and my host family were so kind and had cold tea prepared for both of us. My travel buddy (V) lives in the dormitories rather than with a host family so truly enjoyed the experience. My host family also lent us an adapter! I was shocked and my host dad said this house is truly international. We then took the hour and twenty minute bus to the airport, sped through customs and security quite smoothly, and had some matcha drinks before boarding the plane. Once again, we went through the system quite quickly (though the person working the counter was not enthusiastic, kept silent, and tossed us our passports). We bought our T-money cards for the subway system, got some won, and headed to our hostel. It was nice to note that the airport is connected to the city by the subway and there were signs with English everywhere. Also note that the subway system of Seoul has multiple lines that are all connected so you don't have to leave the station (though the stations are huge, with long walkways and tall stairs that are usually ignored for the escalators (for good reason)).

We slept in a bit, until around eight or so, and then headed off to start a day of palaces and sun! The temperature was not too bad, but the sun was so brutal that it felt hotter than it was and we sweat a
lot. I was grateful for my sunglasses because, when I peaked at the world without them, it was just ridiculous, bright, and white. The subway we got off at had an entrance that led directly to a palace so we ate at the palace cafe for brunch. We each had beef bulgogi with glass noodles. V had hot chrysanthemum tea while I had iced Chinese quince tea that was very sweet and delicious.

While waiting for the restaurant to open, we were able to witness the first performance of the day. Based off of historical records, we saw a reenactment of a guard procession and shift change. Bright reds, blues, and greens flowing in the wind: tinny sounds of bells, drums, and a trumpet on the main gate; tall flags bearing the four directional creatures of continental cosmology and mythology (black turtle, white tiger, red phoenix, blue dragon); long weapons.

This first palace complex, North Palace, Gyeonbokgung, was just stunning. It was huge. We just kept entering new courtyards, passing new gates, seeing various buildings, and seeing a lot of Korean people dressed up in traditional dress (some couples, some family members, some friends). We later learned that if you come in traditional dress, you get free admission. However, we bought a $10 combination ticket for several palaces and a shrine, so we were satisfied.
I loved the bright green background with vibrant rainbow detail that adorned many of the structures. It was neat to see kanji labeling many of the architectural pieces as well.
Near the back of this huge complex, there was a library - it used to be a library and meeting place for foreign diplomats and has been converted into an actual library. We looked at the books, enjoyed the
circular windows, detailed ceiling, and refreshed ourselves with some water in the octagonal tower cafe section. We both just adored this building.

We walked through the Folk Museum, seeing a neat zodiac statue circle and inaccessible pagoda topping the building. The palace complex was also neat because of the informational panels, the usage of sundial bowls that also chart solstices and such, and the feeling of walking through a movie set or through time. Nearby the folk museum was a part of the palace where Empress Myeongseong was murdered by Japanese invaders. It was neat to learn about such a strong diplomat who was so unfortunately and brutally murdered - it was also interesting to note the language that was used and showing some hints of Japan-Korea issues.

Next, we started heading towards the next palace, stopping at a temple on the way. Jyogesa temple was very different from Japanese Buddhist temples I've experienced. For one, it had the white tree of Gondor...I apologize...a 500 year old National Treasure of Lace-bark Pine that just happens to be
large and white. Inside were little red lanterns completing covering the ceiling, fans, people praying on seated floor cushions, and three giant Buddha statues that were just stunning. On another tree beside the temple were multitudes of various colored lanterns. In the entrance gate were rainbow lanterns and Buddha wheels as well as four bodhisattvas. The temple building itself was quite colorful and vibrant, having detailed window screens (not just with motifs but with carvings of flowers and birds) and painted panels depicting Buddhist stories. It had an almost Indian feel to it, even having the occasional small elephant or leopard statue.

Next, we walked around Changgyeonggung and Cheokgung palaces which were practically connected. Once again, bright colors and the feeling of walking through time. I loved the architecture in these palaces, but they were quite similar (probably because they were all built during the same era (Joseon)).

After relaxing in some of the buildings we were able to sit inside (after see concubine's courtyards and houses, and the asymmetrical layout of Changgyeonggung which was built along with the natural
landscape), we took the Secret Garden tour. That was the moment when we were surrounding by the most foreigners and English speakers the entire trip. Anyway, seeing the various gazebos, rivers, and smaller buildings among the trees was quite nice. I especially liked this old library by a lily-pad-containing pond.

Then, after getting our fill of palaces, we went to the historical Jongmyo Shrine that houses monarchs and imperial treasures. The size of it was immense - extremely long with tall pillars forming a beautiful corridor. Unfortunately, we could not walk through the pillars. Also, large, barren, stone courtyards were quite popular in the set up of these structures.

We also saw a creature that we still haven't identified. Possibly a tanuki? But we thought that was only Japan? Which brings me to a point: we saw a lot of birds species that we see in Japan and heard

talk of boar and foxes just like Japan.

Once we had used up all but one of the sections of our combination ticket, we headed to
Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) - a bustling night-life shopping district with malls that open at 8 pm and close at 6 am, food trucks with strobe lights or Bob Marley, mini stages with k-pop performances, and more. As soon as we stepped out of the station, we saw a little stage set up and we might have been on Korean TV. A dance audition was finishing, people's names being called and excited, smiling young dancers hopping up onto stage (one with a broken arm, I might add). Then, the camera man turned around and got the audience in a 360. Anyway, the main draw of DDP besides shopping is the huge architectural masterpiece of DDP. The curves of this steely gray, gigantic building were mesmerizing.

We took a plunge and had grilled pork served at a table with a little stove built into it. We could not communicate with the employees other than hand gestures, but we were able to enjoy a delicious dinner (and somehow make it through eating some spicy kimchi). Then we cooled off with honey bread and

chocolate "snow" at a cafe called Wicked Snow. Apparently this thing called "snow" is more popular than ice cream in Seoul. It is a mixture of shaved ice and ice cream and feels like snow but softer and with flavor. It was quite delicious.

While enjoying the area, we also saw one of the two still standing important gates of the city.

Then, we headed back to our hostel for some rest before another full day. Before heading off to bed, here are a few more pictures from the first day (I will write more notes in the next part(s)). Good day and good night!

団子大家族 - Great Dango Family

2017-06-21T07:17:00.000-07:00

Though I do not have much time today and plan to do more picture sorting and blogging tomorrow, I thought I'd write a short post today, primarily on...dango!

My host mother and I made matarashi dango (named after the matarashi festival in Kyoto). We used two kinds of flour and mixed it with water (by hand, making a fun mess). Then we rolled the mixture into small balls that were then put in boiling water. What happened next was extremely entertaining. Small bubbles would rise from the bottom of the pot to the top, turning the dango over by themselves at the bottom of the pot. Next, the spheres would start hopping up a bit or turning on their own. As they began to cook, they slowly starting rising and then falling and then, in a group, moving in a circle. It was like watching jellyfish without the tentacles. Then, once they were done sinking and all stayed floating on the surface, we fished them out.

The sauce was made by heating and mixing water, cornstarch, sugar, and soy sauce - then applied to the dango themselves. It was so delicious and of course matched the traditional Japanese green tea we drank with them. I've had them before from the conbini but these were so much better. As long as I can figure out the flour types, I can definitely make these back home!

Some reasons why I love dango

There are many different types (but these and yomogi are particularly delicious)
They are adorable little spheres of mochi like substance, for extra cute-ness
Pillbugs are called dangomushi or dango bugs
The emotional anime Clannad with a character who loves dango and a song that also happens to be the ending song to the anime (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvzCmV3_12c)

I also took some dewdrop photos in the garden today since it seems that rainy season has actually started. I loved listening to it last night while studying and this morning when waking up. Thankfully, the times I walked to and from school it had either stopped or died down. Unfortunately, stepping into the backyard for about 10 to 15 minutes led to seven mosquito bites. I had had only two or three until then and it was frustrating (but I was able to gain the satisfaction of smacking one of the perpetrators).

Anyhow, of course I will be blogging about my adventures in Korea soon but I wanted to type something brief here. I have felt a lot better during and since the trip. I have a sense of competence and capability that I was lacking the two weeks before the trip. My sleep has improvement and my stress decreased. I feel like I can take on whatever is coming. There are things to do, but I know I can do them and, knowing me and my organizational skills and self motivation, I know they will be done.

It was also amazing to realize how much I enjoyed the feeling of coming back to Japan. Seeing the coast while returning, breathing the air, understanding the language, and greeting my host family were fantastic feelings. Though that will be my last time returning to Japan for a while, it will not be my last time.

Happy Solstice, wherever you are! Good night and good day!

留学ウィーク:Study Abroad Week

2017-06-12T18:42:00.002-07:00

Last week was Study Abroad Week, filled with fun events for both Japanese and International students, international food in the cafeteria (that part is actually continuing this week as well), and topped off by a Friday morning of presentations in Japanese by some study abroad students...including me!

I participated in the Origami/Tanabata and Calligraphy events. Origami, the Japanese art of folding paper, is pretty well known in America. The first thing I did involved scissors and was supposed to be a decoration for the Tanabata tree, but I failed miserably. Next I made a little origami warrior's helmet that won't fit anyone but may fit my cat back home. We'll see. Tanabata is a holiday that I will write more about on the actual date (July 7th).

Calligraphy was headed by a professional calligraphy artist, who instructed us to use passion and grunts. First he demonstrated painting a phrase onto a large piece of paper, then one kanji, then everyone did one stroke a piece on a huge paper, and then we all practiced on regular sized paper. The paper was very thin and fibrous, so the ink easily leaked through, but made a nice effect on the paper itself. The large brush we used for the large paper was made of sheep or goat tail hair (I'm not sure about the smaller brushes). After much practicing, we all did some calligraphy on our own uchiwa (round, Japanese fan). I chose "Thunder" since I love thunder and lightning and storms, love the kanji, was enamored with the Thunder Gate in Tokyo, and feel like it is a nice, powerful word. (On the back I wrote the kanji for dragon, but messed up a stroke - tried turning it into a picture of a dragon - not too bad, but it got some giggles).

After a lot of preparation, some stress, and a stomach of butterflies, I gave my speech on manga history in a large hall (though only a portion of the seat were filled (thankfully)). I also got to present with my slides on a giant screen! Afterwards, I received a lot of positive feedback and even was told by Japanese teachers that they learned something new. It was a great experience. All presenters received a certificate and special pen (mine was blue, of course!).

My weekend was quite relaxing, filled with my doing homework, watching anime, and planning for future trips. I did take a small outing Saturday night with some friends to see nearby fireflies! Apparently the famous Ghibli film "Grave of the Fireflies" is based here in Nishinomiya and one particular scene of fireflies is based on Shukugawa (the sakura-filled river I visited earlier). We did not go there. We heard of the season a bit late and it was breezy, so not many were out, but between the school and landslide museum is a small creek with a walkway alongside it. We saw some adorable fireflies (or hotaru). Some were just small, white, twinkling lights, like stars just out of reach. Others were larger and more yellow, bold and beautiful. It was especially pretty when they flickered, flew in random patterns, approached the water and created a double image of lights, or landed on a puffy flower, and blinked in and out, lighting up the petals (that might have been my favorite). I also held two different fireflies! The first one landed on my outstretched hand, believe it or not, and the second one I picked up from a thick blade of grass. The second one then spent several minutes with our group, kindly going from person to person before flying off. It was a lot of fun. And, although I tried my best with my shabby research, lack of tripod, and lack of experience in nighttime photography, I did not get any good pictures. But it was a learning experience and very beautiful in person.

This week has been full of schoolwork, manga, anime, delicious food (pictures below), and planning for this weekend's trip to...South Korea! Yes! I am so excited! A fellow study abroad student and I will be staying in Seoul for about two and a half days, leaving Friday night and coming back Monday day. We will have wi-fi (and South Korea is famous for its internet speed) so I hope to write at least drafts of posts each night on my phone, adding pictures once I get back. Of course, I'll have to buy an adapter the first night or morning for my appliances, but it will be worth it (my appliances are fine with the voltage).

Well, I must try to get some sleep now to prepare for my weekend adventure! Good night and good day!

(Below are some food pictures from this past week)

Chinese food complete with pork buns!

Hot salad of potatoes, green beans, and bacon.

Soumen (a type of cool noodle dish where you did your iced noodles into the separate sauce, adding toppings into that separate dish, and enjoy)

Tofu with ooba (a delicious herb/leaf in Japan) and umeboshi (plum) on top

Tempura style fish (I believe a type of tai, but I cannot recall specifically - don't quote me! - but it's delicious and has incredibly silvery skin). It was over this dinner that I learned that in Japan, some species' of fish have different names for the different stages of life they are in and how big they are. A bit confusing.

Cakes! This did not come with a guide, so we guessed the flavors. I got a banana-bread one with a little chocolate and a pine-apple/coconut one. It was funny though because, other than the obvious chocolate and matcha ones, my host parents had no clue what they ate and we all had a good laugh.

That is not cheese on top of that konnyaku and eggplant! It is a mix of miso, sugar, egg, and something else. It is sweet and delicious.

This was a bit Chinese styled as well. It was incredibly sweet and not spicy, but there was a warm kick after swallowing.

Today we had an Okinawan fruit called gouyo. It is extremely bitter, though the flavor itself is nice. Apparently, it is known for helping people feel better. It is grown on trees and hangs, like mango.

Quick Report

2017-06-07T07:50:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since daily posts, but a combination of school, school extra, and travel planning makes for a full schedule. Then, I'll think I don't have time for an e-mail or a blog post, but then end up having trouble sleeping anyway. So I thought I'd write here.

Today was difficult but good. I'm excited for a speech on Friday for our Study Abroad Week, which will be given in a big hall along with other speeches and a big audience. And it's in Japanese. I thought it would be no problem and I had my speech practically memorized. But when I stepped up to practice in front of class, I forgot my entire speech and my body pushed tears out of my eyes. And of course, trying to stop them made them come out more. Not being able to read the words due to tears or realizing I was taking time out and probably making others uncomfortable didn't help. But I kept going and afterwards, my fellow classmate (who will also give a speech) said she was so impressed that I kept going despite my crying. Everyone was so nice and one pointed out it's probably good it happened since it's probably out of my system and I can be prepared for Friday. Then, after second period, my teacher and I got together again (and I cried a bit more) but we practiced and improved. It was frustrating and embarrassing, but what surprised me was how nicely everyone reacted. I don't know why, but I expected more annoyance and strictness.

Since my schedule was altered to practice and I had homework, I did not really have time to work out today. I technically could have fit it in, but crying is exhausting and working out on a day of tears is not easy, and probably not healthy.

But yesterday night I went to kickboxing again and it was awesome! We practiced dodging primarily, which was also frustrating since I kept falling. For some reason, I had no balance and my legs would just give way. I tried various different things and everyone's different tips, until, during the break, I just asked the teacher again and we spent about eight minutes just on that. Thankfully, we fixed it! I was so happy! Every time you fall, you have to get back up and try again. Then, we spared (embarrassing but fun for everyone: didn't quite understand the rules and all I wanted was to pummel my opponent, but I also wanted to use what we had learned and use it correctly - confusing). We also...broke boards. We all (including me) punched a small wooden square in half and it was so awesome. I have a feeling he used a certain wood for beginners to help us start or for self-esteem, but whatever it was, I'm happy he did it.

Sidenote: my host mom made fried squid, sweet potatoes, salmon, and a stir-fried salad of Japanese greens and squid innards and it was all so delicious. One of my favorite meals. (The greens were the main reason (the other was the kalimari-like squid)).

Back to figuring out how to sleep. Good night and good day!

Ise and Toba - Mie Prefecture (伊勢と鳥羽ー三重県)

2017-06-04T07:02:00.004-07:00

As my time here decreases, I am filling my weekends with plans to go to places I really want to go. Yesterday, I went to Ise with some friends. This was a very important trip because, in Ise, is Ise Jingu, practically the most important shrine in Japan for it houses Amaterasu and one of the three imperial armaments. Amaterasu is the main deity of Shinto as well as an ancestor to the emperor, explaining why the emperor often visits the shrine, performs rituals there, and is pretty much the only one allowed to actually enter it. The shrine also houses the sacred mirror of Amaterasu's, being one of the three divine and imperial items given to Japan and its royalty (the other two being a sword and a magic jewel in a claw/teardrop shape (charms of which were sold at the shrine)).

On my way to our meeting point, I took Hankyu and was able to sneak a peek at that bird's nest I saw
a couple of weeks ago. The babies have gotten bigger (though there seemed to be only two now). They are even grumpier-looking than before but cuter and fluffier. Some of their nest has disappeared as well. I've seen other nests and babies in train stations, shops, and houses as well. It seems that late May, early June is swallow season as well as hydrangea season.

We were able to take one railway (Hanshin) the whole way....the whole three hours. Unfortunately, what Google Maps didn't explain was that a part of the way had to be paid separately. So, we scanned in at Station A with our train cards and, without scanning out, had to buy separate tickets at one point, and then once we reached our final destination, turned in the separate ticket and scanned our card again. Somehow, the system accounted for that separate purchase, so we didn't spend more on travel than Google Maps said - just in a different way.

The train ride was fascinating because we got to see a lot of the "countryside." We rode in a double-decker train (yes! We rode on the second level of a train! It was amazing!) and rolled through Colorado-like forested mountains with curvy rivers alongside the rails, passing by mountain-enclosed towns every now and then that had old-fashioned architecture and few people, as well as lots and lots of rice fields (tanbo) and even terraced rice fields.

Once we got to the Spiritual City of Ise, we were met with stone lantern adorned streets and lots of greenery. On our way to find food, we walked through a shrine complex that was basically a mini forest full of beautiful trees, enclosing a path with a tall ceiling and having the atmosphere of a forest god's domain. It was beautiful.

Then, when we exited and saw a lone two-story building standing by itself by the road, with no other

buildings immediately next to it, and wide spaces with forested mountains in the back-ground, we realized we had found our lunch. At this little restaurant called "Tsukiyomi Cafeteria" or "Tsukiyomi Eating Hall" we all tried Ise's famous Ise Udon. It is thicker, softer, and sweeter than regular udon. Udon is usually slightly sticky with a chewy texture. But this was soft and easily came apart in the mouth. It was delicious! (Also, interesting to note, on the small TV in the eatery, first they played Japanese dramas, and then a Japanese TV show which featured the Piano Guys and I was excited to recognize them).

Finally, we started making our way to Ise Jingu. Along the way, we saw a bridge (that we will come back to later), a current of people (though not too crowded), and more tall, beautiful trees. Every time we crossed through a torii gate, we had to bow. These torii gates all had branches and paper tied to them and they were tall and plain wood. Not painted red or adorned with black accents. Just pure wood. This is a preview of the famous Ise Jingu shrine, which is pretty much completely wood and reeds, and built without nails or glue.

Flowing through the shrine area is Isuzu river, so strongly associated with the shrine that it seems to have a particularly strong spiritual energy to it and powers of purity. We all washed our hands again in the river and, honestly, the energy felt different than in other rivers I've encountered (though there have been unique ones before). It was really neat. One could also see coins glittering through the clear water.

Getting to the main shrine, we passed by a temple that denied access inside, but had a beautiful and ornate exterior. The roof was of a style I had not seen before and was especially fascinating.
At one point, we saw a shrine maiden (miko) and shrine priest (kannushi or shinshoku) walking along the external walkways.

And then, we came across extremely tall and thick trees and some serious steps, leading to the Ise Jingu Grade Shrine. Unfortunately, pictures were forbidden past the gate, but the entrance was pretty magical as well. Even though we could enter and pray, we could not enter very far or see the entirety of the Grand Shrine's structure. It's that important.

My friends and I were just loving the forest aspect of the shrines in Ise, especially the Grand Shrine area.

We also saw the following in the area:

Other structures and shrines.

A super tall tree with a huge base.

The back side of the Grand Shrine's enclosure.

Then we returned to the beautiful bridge, crossing the Isuzu River. I believe Google Maps had us enter the back way again since I feel like crossing the bridge is supposed to be the first thing one does

as to signify crossing a boundary from reality and the mundane into the spiritual domain of Amaterasu, but our lengthier way had more forestry, a high school track race, butterflies, and pretty spiders.

Next, we explored this touristy street full of old (extremely old) style buildings and shops, eventually making our way to buy akafuku mochi at a famous shop (mochi made with red bean paste surrounding it). Though it was a long way home, we were not quite ready. We decided to see the coast and check out a shrine on Google Maps.

We made our way to the train, walking through a quiet, suburban, librarian-friendly-town-feeling area and then by train for two stops to Toba, a city in Ise right by the sea and had a beach town feel to it without any real beaches. Some of us had a delicious ice-cream/melon-soda float while walking. There were statues involving pearls and a sign for poet's houses and a mystery author's museum. There were many hotels and not many people.

Seeing and smelling the ocean was such a nice feeling. I love the ocean so much. We also got to see herons, egrets, anhingas, and a pair of black eared kites. These hawk-like birds of prey accompanied us along the entire bay, living their lives, swooping and soaring and proudly crying out.

Walking along the bay, enjoying the breeze and the birds, seeing various trees, and so on was amazing but once we arrived to the entrance of the shrine/side stairs to a resort, we found a small shed with a tori gate and a hand washing station composed of a rock with a dent in it and an actual faucet. We were all shocked since it had come up on Google Maps along with many other, bigger shrines and that is was dedicated to Hachiman (a deity we thought was very important to Japanese culture). The panda (one of my friends) reminded me that this similar thing happened when we went to Kobe - hiking in the mountains to see a shrine and temple and finding simply a memorial rock. In both cases, the journey was more important and valuable.

We made our long way home, conversing and playing word games. We separated once we reached Osaka station - they went out to eat and I went home because A. I had food waiting for me and B. I was having some pretty bad stomach pains that I knew would go away if I lied down. The next hour and a half alone on
the train and in pain was not fun, but I made it and some people were very nice in helping me finding my platform or helping me figure out if I had to change trains. My friends were also very helpful and understanding throughout the day, helping me with my stress levels. I truly appreciate them.

Fast forward to today. I slept in, helped my host dad paint the porch, hung out with a friend, and enjoyed yakiniku and akafuku mochi with my host family. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that the red bean paste was surrounding the mochi and so stored the box vertically in my bag. This made the heavy yet soft sweet compress and made three of the four rows compress and become a lot smaller, even squeezing out some liquid. I felt so stupid, but my host parents were so understanding and emphasized "how were you supposed to know." Either way, it was pretty delicious, as was yakiniku.

The trip to Ise was a lot of fun and turned out to be much more relaxing than we thought. It had a rural feel compared to the cities we've been to so far. There was also a much more forest-y feeling in many areas and, in others, quiet spaciousness.

Some random notes before I head to bed to get some rest for school.

On our way out at one point, we saw a tiny red shrine and red torii gate standing boldly atop a gray, slightly shabby building (probably apartment complex), throwing a splash of bright color and an ancient feel to a section of urban gray and buildings.
$1 donuts from convenience store are really good.
Limited Express on Hanshin pretty much means paying for a separate ticket and not with your IC Card.
The yogurt candies from the anime Dagashi Kashi are fruity/yogurt-y, delicious, and super cheap at convenience stores.
Round-trip flights to Korea are pretty darn cheap.
The moon shone bright today - very pretty. It was the brightest and most visible moon I've seen so far in Japan.
Google Maps is stupid yet helpful - you know it will make mistakes or be frustrating, but it also contributes to you getting to where you need to go
We saw an adorable cat on the coast in Toba that I really wanted to take home, but, alas, it is impossible.

Good night and good day!

Sorry, I couldn't hear you over the sound of me BEING IN A BAND (and the rocking Thunderstorm)

2017-06-01T06:59:00.000-07:00

As soon as I started typing this, a flash of lightning lit up my window, and thunder is rolling around me. About half an hour ago, the winds picked up tremendously and sounded like rain. Only after a few minutes did the rain actually start falling, adding to the ambience. And of course, the booming thunder. However, the wind is practically silent know and I believe it is passing on by. Never-mind, that boom of thunder was the loudest so far and now seems to be chuckling like a dragon.

But yes, our mini cover band that formed during the K-ON barbecue had our first practice together in a studio. For two hours, it was less than $8 per person, including free instrument rentals. It was amazing!

The guitar I rented was the color of custard or banana cream and, once it was plugged in and I strummed my first chord, I got this rush of excitement. It wasn't all happy-go-lucky though. Figuring out how to practice with other people playing and then actually playing along with them, finding rhythm and so on, was very difficult. Most of the time, I couldn't hear the bass, and because I am not lead guitar, it is a bit hard to hear my part in the recording I took (next time I'll try to set it up differently). But I think we made a lot of progress in those two hours. It was so neat to be playing relatively in sync with everyone.

Some various notes from the day:

When working with an amp, make sure all the dials are turned to zero before turning it off or on, or else it will break.
Following the drummer is so much easier than trying to figure out the beat by yourself!
I saw a dead crow today while I was walking down this steep set of stairs on my way home. Another crow was cawing continuously, hopped up to it with wings spread, and then started dragging the dead crow a bit. It was a bit mysterious. I couldn't tell if the crow was angry, cocky over a murder, or was concerned for a friend (but the body looked a little ruffled). My host family said they have never seen a dead crow and that crows usually fly to a forest to die. Why do I keep having mysterious encounters with crows? Am I becoming a Disney protagonist and my crow is my chosen animal? I don't know! And then, since tomorrow's trash day, I saw about twenty of them down my street while walking towards the meeting place for our cover band and, let me tell you, after that one swoop-happy crow, it was an intense stroll.
Ordered a bento from Robin Hood for the first time today - it was filling and delicious
As of today, I'm doing bicep curls with a little bar instead of dumbbells (totally did it to help with balance and keeping my muscles even, not to look cool at all~)
Also, here is a picture I took on my phone yesterday, but I want to include it because....it's pretty. That's all.

Anyways, I must get to bed. Good night and good day!

Going Home Orientation

2017-05-31T06:45:00.001-07:00

It was a bit early, but at least we won't have to deal with it during Finals. Today, we had out "Going Home Orientation." It was shorter than I thought and most of this information was covered in the initial orientation, but was a good reminder.

Next week is Study Abroad Student Week in which there will be many fun activities (like Calligraphy, Ghibli Film Screenings, Origami, International food in the cafeteria, and Speeches on Friday). I thought it would be a neat experience, so I signed up to give a speech on the Friday of Study Abroad Week! I've been working on it almost all semester, but have not yet truly memorized it. Thankfully, it's around three minutes and I have a detailed Power Point. The day we had to pick a theme was kind of rushed so I picked something that I was consistently learning about and in which my interest was piquing: the history of manga. I'll do my best!

Today, when I came home to a delicious dinner of gyouza and fresh vegetables, my host family surprised me with a case with a built-in inkpad for my personal seal!

I was so surprised! And blue is my favorite color and I love fish and it's perfect! (Of course, the ink is red just like all other seal inks, but the case is blue on the outside!)

Yesterday night, I went on a little free adventure of attending the kickboxing club! It was within walking distance and I went with some friends. Unfortunately, the teacher was an hour late so we did not do kicks, but we did learn punches. It felt great! At first, I was nervous, but I quickly got into the rhythm with everyone else and then, when we were punching pads, I felt amazing. Everyone was cheering each other on too, which helped. Then, at the end, some of the students did a speed round with the teacher in which he circles around the room with you and tells you quickly what moves you have to do - and I did it! It was so much fun! I think I'm going to try again; it released stress and uplifted my spirits.

On top of that, I'm really getting the hang of the songs I've been learning on guitar and bass. I've been practicing while listening to the song and I can actually keep up. It's such a nice feeling.

I have to start studying and doing more homework again - the peace after midterms has come to a close. However, I am still trying to plan trips for my remaining time here. This weekend. I'll be trying to go to Ise Jingu with some friends (practically the most important shrine complex in Japan and the resting place of Amaterasu - head of the Shinto pantheon).

If anyone was interested, here are some things I've found at convenience stores lately (wonderful places they are):

Osaka Aquarium

2017-05-28T07:39:00.000-07:00

Yay! We went to the Osaka Aquarium yesterday! This has been on my to-go-list for a while so I am so happy that I was able to go.

On on way there, I bought an IC card. This is a card you can put money on and use in pretty much all of the subway and train systems. It is easier to use and more efficient than buying a ticket everywhere
you go.(That's a picture of it in front of the penguin enclosure because the card has a cute penguin on it.)

The aquarium was really cool and fun but, unfortunately, a few of the habitats were insufficient. Especially the penguins: there were a bunch in a small area and all I could think of was the film "Happy Feet."

Once we made our way to the aquarium (passing by a Ferris Wheel, Lego Land, and a building with robot statues and a Jar Jar Binx in the window), we entered and I saw a stamp station. There were several throughout the aquarium, so I got some cute ones. Thankfully, I wasn't the only person over five doing it.

One of the coolest parts of the aquarium were the two whale sharks. They were huge and adorable and so cuddly-looking. Watching them swim slowly was so peaceful.

Watching the stingrays and manta rays swim was also peaceful and magical. They have so much grace, it's astounding. I love the ocean and its creatures and being surrounded by them, with an
ever-present blue color and either quiet or the awesome, calming music they had playing was a great experience. I felt the inner merfolk showing.

We came right around feeding time for some of the animals, including a large otter, white sided dolphins, and a capybara. There was a very active leopard eel who was just gorgeous in its grace and agility. It was like watching a dancing dragon - loved it! At one point, there was also a very playful leopard seal. Someone had brought a cat toy (a stick with some short strings on the end) and was sitting on the viewer side of the glass, playing with the seal through the glass and the seal was like a floating cat! It was adorable.

There was a section where we could pet stingrays and small sharks (which I did). Their skin was more rough and textured than I remembered, but it was awesome. I had a conflicting experience though. A child beside me really wanted to pet the animals, but they were always too far. Then a stingray was kind of close, but she didn't notice until it was swimming away. She reached out to pet its tail and almost grabbed it and I instinctively grabbed her arm to stop her. My friend said I shouldn't feel bad about it, but in my performance organization, we are taught to never touch someone's kid, even when we are trying to make sure they avoid injury. It was conflicted.

After that area we found a Finding Nemo themed section full of animals from the movies! They were so adorable and colorful! I didn't get many good pictures of them though.

Then, there was a whole section devoted to jellyfish and I knew I had entered paradise. Red jellyfish (long tentacles), Calypso Jellyfish, Flower Hat Jellies, and the Flame Jellyfish.

Okay. Now that I'm done fawning over jellyfish, we can continue. We saw many more species, including interesting fish I have never seen before. I couldn't catch all the names, but they were neat to see.

As we left, many of us had Whale Shark - themed ice cream: and it was blue!!!! It was some of the best ice-cream I have had in my life and none of us could decide on the flavor. But I kind of felt like

Percy Jackson, which made it all the better.
Also saw a one-piece themed shop on the way to the station and was excited (though really only saw figurines).

We made our way to Dotonburi, a famous district in Osaka, for dinner. It was neat to see it at night, however, we made the mistake of listening to a "guide" and ate at a "restaurant" that turned out to be an expensive bar. We thought we all got one free drink (my mango juice was awesome, by the way), but they were 400 yen each and then we were each charged 480 yen table charge. Even the Japanese
students with us were confused and it took us a long time and questioning the servers to figure out what it was. They eventually gave us an informational card (only in English and Korean, not Japanese), saying that everywhere in Osaka has a table charge and this establishment's was cheap...none of us had ever experienced said "table charge." Today, my host dad said it is not uncommon for dinners in bar-like establishments in Tokyo to do it, but it's rare here and we should be careful. Well, we know now.

Next, the two Japanese students who came with us (and were both extremely helpful and nice the whole day) took us to Purikura - cheap photo booth machines. To be honest, it was okay and a little awkward. We walked down one of the mall streets of Dotonburi and then go to the basement floor of a make-up store and are met with huge advertisements of extremely altered, barbie-like faces of
young women (and one smaller picture of a man) as well as a bunch of young Japanese women giving us weird looks. Half of the group seemed to have a lot of fun and it didn't take long, so I think it was worth it. Also, it is a popular thing in Japan, so I'm glad to say I tried it. It should be noted that even before adding stickers and affects and whatnot, the machine altered our faces - structure, complexion, coloring, and shape. One gave me an extremely sharp diamond face while someone else's face was turned into an alien structure - it was quite funny.

Then, to make up for some of our frustration concerning the bar and the purikura, we went to a Torikizoku (cheap bar at every train station). I had some matcha-chocolate icecream. In fact, the three people on our side of the table all ordered it while the other side didn't order any food. We also tried some famous jiggly cheesecake that the Panda bought at Dotonburi. However, I disagree. It is not cheesecake. It was a fluffy, heavily egg-tasting sweet bread or cake with raisins in the bottom. We played a fun game called Hot Seat (Truth or Dare without the Dare). Stayed out a little late, but it was a Saturday and I've been missing hanging out with friends.

Today I slept in super late (past 10). I had the portions of bamboo root dishes and shrimp tempura I had helped prepare the day before (our aquarium plans ran late so I couldn't make it in time for dinner so decided to eat out....unfortunately). Anyway, I didn't do much else today because, around 3, my host mother and I started the long and fun process of making...sushi! There were so many steps and we were preparing and making sushi from 3 right up to dinner at 6:30. Washing and cooking the rice, making tamagoyaki (difficult and involves slowly adding layers to this rolled omelette), preparing the shrimp (sometimes de-veining ones that had been missed), chopping vegetables, searing mushrooms and eel, and so on. Then, when the rice was ready, I manually fanned it while she poured a sauce mixture of vinegar and something else into it. Finally, we sat down and started rolling, wetting a strip of the seaweed with water to bind it and keep it together. Oh, also, before sitting down, we had to swish the seaweed over open flames a few time - that was scary but she did most of it. It was a lot of fun and we bonded a lot, giggling and learning from each other. And thanks to my host dad's sister who was visiting again, we had matcha mochi with azuki and cream filling. A very Japanese dinner. The sushi was so good and filling. I also learned why Japanese people don't eat it that often - it takes a long time to make! And that was two of us working together.

Since I had midterms last week and plenty of free time during the school week, I did not do any schoolwork this weekend. It was both extra relaxing and slightly stressful (knowing I could have worked ahead even though knowing there's plenty of time and I don't necessarily need to get everything done over the weekend).

It was a fun weekend. I'm still working on my sleeping schedule, but other than that, I'm doing fine. For now, good night and good day!

End of Midterm Week...but not testing apparently

2017-05-26T08:27:00.001-07:00

As soon as I typed that title (I was referring to a previously unknown online Midterm that we were assigned today and is due by the 8th), I realized I had to finish the take-home part of an assignment due at 11:59 pm...and I started this last blog of the night at 11:36 pm. I have never done that before, even when I was in online high-school or taking online college courses where many people would say they often turned assignments in at 11:58. This was my first (and ideally last) time doing such a thing. I felt awful! We had our Listening/Speaking Course Midterm today in which we recorded a conversation with the teacher and then were assigned to type it up, write corrections on it, and turn it in electronically...the day of. The day of!! And Fridays are my busiest days - 4 classes back to back and then dinner with host family as soon as I get home. The classes and slight lack of sleep pushed it out of my head until I typed that title. Thank goodness I remembered though.

Anyway, today was interesting since I was pretty tired but I made it through my speaking midterm all right. It's hard to talk at a regular speed or converse extemporaneously when you're nervous and know you are being graded, so listening to my broken sentences on my recording made me a bit more nervous. But the teacher is really nice and I think everyone had similar problems. Next was a class that I fought to stay awake in: lately, what we do, is write an essay out of class and submit it to the teacher, and then we read our essays in class and she corrects it in class. Basically, when it's not your paper on the projector, there's nothing for you to do. And it's not like you can do homework for other classes, read, or anything, because you are technically in class and it would be rude. Delicious lunch during the crowded lunch period passed by very quickly. Then onto third period for which I had to bring my laptop to school to show the progress on my digital portfolio so far (he said we could not use the class room projector) and then fourth period, which was the most interesting of the day.

I had planned to go to K-ON but was so tired, I got some ice-cream and sat in the garden. I was planning on going home straight after finishing my ice-cream and figuring out what I had to do when a Japanese student approached me and started a conversation. He just wanted to practice his English and it seemed like he was really nervous. At some point, he said it was his first time actually talking to an English-speaking student; before, he had only talked with teachers and fellow English-learning classmates. It was a nice conversation. I would say serendipitous. He would say "ichigo, ichie." This is a Japanese expression for meeting someone once in a lifetime and conversing with them sincerely knowing it is most likely only a one-chance encounter.

I'm also including a few more garden pictures, since it was just so beautiful today as well.

Came home and had a delicious dinner of mentai spaghetti (remember that? fish egg spaghetti?), salad, sugar-snap peas, potatoes, and bread. I also tried some white wine and found that it was like the sake I tried, just slightly grape-flavored and slightly more bitter (not more bitter than the blue bottle *shivers*). I don't really like the burning sensation alcohol leaves going down the throat or the overall alcohol flavor. It was there, they often drink with dinner, and I was curious, so I tried it and am glad I tried it. Afterwards, we had mini costellos - originally from Portugal, these little sweet-bread/cake treats are dense and delicious and great with tea.

I was feeling so productive (especially concerning my blog) and good and ready to go to bed when that stressful scare hit me. It only lasted about twenty minutes, but it was like a race and quite nerve-racking. That's why I don't like procrastinating and why I love planning ahead. At least it's over now.

Now I'm going to try to get some good sleep and wake up without an alarm tomorrow (and actually sleep in rather than wake up before I want to). Good night!

Takopa

2017-05-26T07:13:00.002-07:00

Takopa is the abbreviation of takoyaki paatei (Takoyaki Party - I wonder what it means?).

Monday night, my host family bought a small Takoyaki grill for the table and we had both Akashiyaki and Takoyaki. My host mom said she really wanted me to try Akashiyaki and knew I wasn't able to find it both times I went to Kobe - she also wanted me to be able to try to make it. I was so grateful and we ended up having a lot of fun!

So Akashiyaki has a lot of egg in it and not much else. Once done grilling, it is put in a soup-like
sauce. The texture is very soft, especially compared to takoyaki. It is not as solid and doesn't really hold together once you try to pick it up. I do not exactly remember what was in the soup/sauce, but those green vegetables are a plant literally called "three-leaves" and have an interesting, strong flavor that mixes citrus and mint...maybe? It's hard to describe, but refreshing yet savory.

Next, we made takoyaki together! The akashiyaki was very hard to flip and turn since it is much softer, but we all soon became pros at grilling and flipping takoyaki. It felt like we were crabs playing with sand, with our stabbing and turning motions with our little sticks. We filled the batter not only with octopus but ginger (which is dyed pinkish red in Japan for some reason), green onions, and tempura topping. Once grilled, we added a green herb, a brown seasoning, and a delicious barbecue-like sauce (I apologize for lack of details!). It was delicious though it made for a dinner longer than usual, ending around 9 pm. Thankfully, I had been studying before and time managing and all that joy so did not have to worry too much.

The next day I took my camera to school because I had noticed the lotuses in the pond of the campus garden were blooming! So beautiful! Little white, symmetry, graceful flowers popping up with bright green lily pads out of shallow and muddy water - gorgeous. I also like that side of the pond because the two large koi fish of the pond like to sleep under the lily-pads and are pretty adorable. Another adorable thing: the tiny creatures everywhere in the pond right now! Baby snails, baby turtles, baby fish, water striders, damselflies, gem-like dragonflies and the occasional duck. I love how bustling it is. Even the plants are more abundant: you can see forests of algae that the fish and baby turtles navigate. It's its own world.

I love this garden so much. The sound of the mini waterfall, the look of the ripples, the lush colors, and the lively ecosystem is so beautiful and peaceful.

I have also been enjoying practicing in K-ON club. I'm finally getting the guitar songs for our July concert down as well as have memorized a few bass songs (specifically, Panic at the Disco's Don't Threaten Me with a Good Time and Gorillaz's Feel Good Inc.). The campus life is different from back home, but it is still enjoyable. For instance, very time I head to K-ON, I hear every other club's activities since their club rooms are pretty much all in the same building. So many interests and hobbies converging near each other just creates a sense of passion and fun. Tuesday was tough since it was the day before my two midterms. I was pretty exhausted after my two tests, especially since I haven't been sleeping easily - but I think I did well.

Kobe Field Trip - Tokagawa + Extra Tower

2017-05-26T06:54:00.000-07:00

(Round two for the night, here we go!)

So this past weekend, I had a mandatory Field Trip for my Environment class. We walked along the Tokagawa River in Kobe, which is an artificially reconstructed river. What we were focusing on was how many cities in Japan have tried to turn flood management and drastic alteration of natural landscapes into something beauty and recreational. Like Shukugawa, which I walked in cherry blossom season, it was very beautiful but reminded me of a prettier and 'safer' version of the drainage ditches back in Las Vegas. I put the marks around the word "safer" because in times of heavy rain, this artificial rivers can experience flash floods. There was a severe one a few years ago in Tokagawa in which the area flooded within minutes and a group of children playing were caught in the flood. I believe two children and one adult were killed in the flood and others injured. Despite this danger, people are still inspired to go down to the river to play (see what I did there..get it...'cause it sounds like "going to the river to pray"...that awesome song...no?...okay).

We saw a heron (scared off just as I clicked my lens into place), ducks, finches, and families playing in the water. It was very nice but very unnatural feeling. There were frequent blocks sticking up so people could cross, and the rocky riverbed was completely constructed - all the stones connected with cement or some other material. It was an interesting mixture of natural flow and man-made construction.

We left the river for a minute in order to meet up with it again higher-up. We entered the Rokko Mountain Range (which I've hiked a bit when I went to Kobe and Nunobiki Falls last time - but today, we were on a different mountain). Before reaching the mountain in order to see three of the twelve dams in operation for the Tokagawa River we passed by the yakuza headquarters of Kobe. I kid you not, this was the most secure building I've seen in Japan so far: high walls, enclosed by trees completely as well as a fence, and security cameras everywhere. Our teacher explained to us, however, that the yakuza having their headquarters there meant that the neighborhood was one of the safest (of course, Japan is already pretty safe, but even so). There was also a nice view of a different section of the river!

Anyway, I wish I had known that we were going on a little hike because I would have worn long pants. I wore shorts and ended up with three bug bites and I'm pretty sure two of them were from two different spiders...Oh well. (Since I'm typing from the future, I can say that I'm fine now and that only one of the bites gave me any 'trouble').

It was very beautiful. The lush greenery, markings left in certain places from boars' early morning excursions, birdsong, babbling brooks, wind in the trees, and beautiful views. We saw three of the dams in the twelve dam system and each one was different. The first resembled a castle facade, another a large wall, and the third was like something out of Jurassic park - tall, slanted, and surrounded by greenery.

We ended up walking through that third dam, which had a few steep steps (thank you split stretches for letting me take those big steps despite my shortness). There was a rope down the middle just in case and slits separating the sunlight filtering down into the narrow space. I felt like a rebel from a sci-fi movie (and of course a character from Jurassic park, but I tried not to focus on that part). Our teacher was saying that apparently the hike keeps going even further back and you can see more of the dams as well as some beautiful views. Not only was it a beautiful hike, I enjoyed some wonderful conversation with some UNLV students,
a Japanese student, a French graduate who is working on her third or so degree, and a student from Iceland. I love it.

Once we were done with the "Midterm" (hike) we hopped on a bus and slowly went our separate ways. The two friends from UNLV and I decided to sight-see a little bit since we were already there and had not seen the famous port and port tower yet. So we headed over. We ate lunch by the port since we could not find Akashiyaki (Kobe-version of takoyaki). Then we walked around. It was very nice. There was also a boy band rehearsing for a concert that would go on later (and apparently AKB48 would also perform - all of us wanted to be home for dinner and were not really interested in AKB48). For those who don't know, they are a large idol group in Japan. I don't really care for their music or how they act (super cutesy and like they are trying to be both like children and sexy at the same time - kind of freaks me out). But, the area had various stalls, one of which was selling beetles, including a Hercules!

Here are few things we saw in the port, besides the beautiful water, stage, and fascinating sculptures including female figures, a giant fish, and a raptor with a fish in its talons.

The famous Kobe Port Tower! It was neat in that it was red, slightly hour-glass shaped, and had a beautiful external framework, almost looking like a digital 3-D model. There were also these large white architectural structures that my friend and I described as "broken roller-coasters of certain death." We didn't go up to the top of the tower, but it was interesting to go from Tokyo Tower to this.

A double-decker street!!! So cool and futuristic! Also, there was this intricate, modern-style cathedral castle building in the background. We saw later on that it had a French name so it may either be an extremely fancy hotel or some sort of French embassy (the latter is probably more likely).

I just liked this picture.

We saw a few seagulls, pigeons, and crows as well as some sort of raptor (I didn't switch my lens fast enough *sigh*, but its silhouette was very pretty). We also saw a huge bird. I mean huge. I didn't get any pictures of it because I was taking a picture of my friends at the "Be Kobe" sculpture, but I am honestly wondering if it was an albatross because it was quite a ways out but was ginormous. And that broad wingspan was stunning.

Frustrated at our failed attempts to find Akashiyaki, we had Baskin Robbins. (Double-scoop of Blood Orange and Temptation Island (basically a bunch of tropical fruit flavors) in a waffle cone - divine). They were having an event where if you got a three-scoop bowl of these three new flavors, you could also get ice cream-themed planner stickers but...I was tempted by Temptation Island. (Turns out, we learned about two "temptation" islands in Japanese Religion - rasetsukoku (women seduce you and then eat you) and nyogogashima (island of women that want to have sex with you until you die)...I think this Temptation Island was better than either of those).

After spending much of the day walking around in the sun, we were all happy to have had ice cream and head home. I did take another photography break in the station I get off at, however, since there was a rare opportunity.

What are those ugly fuzzy things I wonder? Oh, wait, they are baby birds! There were a whole bunch packed into that little nest. They were pretty much sleeping with their little eyes and large mouths shut, but every few minutes they would begin to twitch and open their mouths, pleading for food. Then, their parent would fly in swiftly, taking a sharp turn over the ticket scanners and around to the light fixture of their nest. I honestly only noticed the nest since the parent flew right in front of my face, inciting my shock and curiosity.

The parent had a lot on their plate: all those babies, but flying on their own and being able to only feed one baby at a time. It was amazing to watch though.

Overall, it was a very nice day. I accomplished a field trip, some nice photos, and some homework. The day after was much more relaxed - I focused on homework and studying. I did take a "break" before dinner and studied at the nearby Shinkansen park surrounded by clovers and tall grass (as well as children and puppies). Two of them were looking for four-leafed clovers and I saw the remains of flower-crowns. Another pair of siblings kept calling to their dad and I couldn't tell if it was a game or they just kept asking him to prolong the time they spent there. Either way, it was pretty cute. (However, at one point, a different kid was hysterical about leaving the park). I also took a break around lunch-time, helping make okonomiyaki with my host mom. It's relatively easy and I think I'll be able to make it in the states. Takoyaki is a different story though.

After dinner, we had a very interesting tea. It was a gift from their sister/sister-in-law and no one really knew the flavor. The dried leaves reminded me of a dark forest and, once brewed, they were brownish green with an unusual broad shape. There were also dried red fruits in the tea. I'm pretty exploratory and since it was in the tea it is safe to ingest and I tried them. The small more pinkish fruits turned out to be goji berries and the one single large red orb that we were all nervous about was a dehydrated apple. The tea came with cinnamon sticks, so that was an added flavor once we stuck them in our cups. The tea itself was very sweet and had a strange, slightly numbing taste. I kind of liked it, honestly. It seemed to me to be an Alice in Wonderland tea (which I rather like).

It was an interesting day, to say the least! It was also a nice way to relax after my Tokyo weekend without feeling cooped up.

Sanda Campus

2017-05-26T05:46:00.000-07:00

(Still doing catch-up, but I plan to knock several out tonight - here we go!)

Last Wednesday I decided go to the International Student Coffee Hour at KGU's Sanda Campus. Thankfully, transportation was funded by the school. I say thankfully because I didn't realize it involved a one hour bus ride and then a one hour bus ride back (on the last bus, by the way). It was on a weekday, so not a lot of people were able to go due to classes - there were about eight of us. But, there were around 40 or so Japanese students waiting for us. We felt famous.

The campus was even smaller than mine (Uegahara) but it was very beautiful. It had more of a forest feel to it, even being walled in by tall, piney trees in some spots.

The actual buildings were also very European-castle like and sometimes even Hogwarts-like. It was really neat.

The energy of the people I talked with was so much better than that at the Coffee Hour we had at Uegahara. We pretty much stayed in the same groups and talked in depth, laughing a lot. In Uegahara, it was a huge room with probably well over a hundred people and I would talk with someone for maybe five minutes and then they would move on to meet more people. Many people also went for classes to that one. However, this Sanda Campus is much smaller and they actually wanted to connect and chose to come for fun. Also, the international group/club/organization that had control of the event were so energetic. They met us when the bus pulled up to the campus, waving and jumping. Then, they were peppy and comedic the entire time. They also loved how into photography I was and one of them had a Sony and we were like photography buddies the whole time.

(Bit of a time jump, but two of the people we met are going with some study abroad students and I somewhere tomorrow. This happened when I wrote my first month marker post as well - getting worried about relationships and then someone reaches out and/or says yes to my invitation - hmmm)

Also, on a totally inconsequential note, we saw chairs in the study area of the Sanda Campus that we have at UNLV. The same chairs. There was also a little tea area with tatami flooring and a small garden view; a circus club practicing plate-spinning, juggling, and so on; beautiful sunset; and delicious lemon tea.

It went a little late, so I couldn't eat with my host family - but they left food out for me and I had a delicious pilaffe with beef, peppers, and onions.

On the bus ride, I learned that KGU has a pool, so I will be checking that out next week for sure. Unfortunately, three people were queasy from the bus ride and one actually got car sick. I don't get nauseated from vehicles, but I did feel uneasy during the bus rides - almost like a roller-coaster? There was one part, however, where we drove through a long tunnel and eventually saw the green opening gradually approaching - it reminded me of Spirited Away and made the bus ride more like an adventure.

I forgot to mention, but on Monday, my host family and I had sushi! Their sister/sister-in-law visited while I was in Tokyo and she brought some sushi for us. It was so delicious! There was a sushi roll not pictured in the photograph but was very sweet and full of various flavors. On top of that, thanks to their sister/sister-in-law I was able to try a Japanese green melon that is like honeydew but juicier and stronger as well as biwa, an orange fruit that is amazing. It was like a mix of cantaloupe, mango, kiwi, and plum...kind of. According to my host mother, children like to peel the thin skin, leaving it attached near the bottom, and then cut two little holes to make a squid or octopus. (She laughingly confessed she would often do it as a kid). Of course, I tried it and it looked nothing like a squid or octopus, but it was fun! On top of that, the seeds are large and smooth and slightly resemble Tigers Eye stones. I actually found biwa to be very delicious and refreshing.

Before I leave, here is a picture I took of a small staircase on my way to school. Even the stairs are like gardens!

Two Months! Self-reflective Rambling

2017-05-24T06:55:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that I have been here for two months. This second month passed by even quicker than the first. Midterms are practically over and Study Abroad Student week is approaching as well as a Going Home Orientation - however it's only been two months and I have another two and half left! Why are they pushing? I have no idea.

This post will be a jumble of thoughts concerning this midway point. I am a little behind on posts still, but hope to catch up before my mini-adventure this weekend.

I am really connecting to some people here and making friends; however, it's a very small number. I became accustomed to having a very large network of acquaintances and friends back at home, so this feels a bit odd. Having a few close friends is the most important thing I think but if you have more friends you have more of a chance to not eat lunch alone, to talk with someone, to go on adventures with someone etc. Also, despite befriending some Japanese students, I have not become really close to any yet. My Nihongo Partners turn down any invitations and can only meet up with me once a week for lunch. One of said new friends and I were discussing this and we were talking about how Japan is a very isolated, homogeneous society that seems to subconsciously bifurcate Japanese and non-Japanese. Japanese and foreign. This bifurcation leads to deliberate distance. When I try to connect with Japanese students, I feel like we are each on one side of a river and I am building a bridge to reach them, but they simply reach out their hand. To have a deep relationship, both sides need to build. Maybe if I were going to be here longer students might be more open to becoming my friend?

I have done so much! I'm falling more and more in love with travel. Learning what new cities have to offer, seeing new landscapes, feeling the atmosphere, eating the food. I'm also getting more and more into photography, noticing new techniques and habits. Also, people compliment my pictures and I get super excited.

Although it is not as solidified as I want it to be, I have a pretty good work out schedule that I have been gradually improving with the help of the gym's resources and the various pools of information from those around me. I'm noticing physical changes: stronger, firmer, more toned. And I'm loving it. Gotta keep going! Also, I'm getting small calluses, tough spots, from weight-lifting and this is important because the last time I got a callus my older sister was like "Woah from all your working out?!" and I was like "no, from saber-spinning" and she was all "oh. pff. nerd" so now I have calluses from both Ha! (also my fingertips toughening from guitar and bass).

Sometimes, I will be talking with someone, translating for a friend, reading my homework (that is all in Japanese), or just listening to conversations around me and am hit with a sense of fluency. Then, the conversation continues, a new kanji appears, someone with a faster or more colloquial accent joins, and I am lost again. A boat that had been sailing beautifully suddenly being dragged down by waves, stumbling among the crashing water.

If I was okay with not traveling as much, I could honestly probably afford a full year here, but I don't think I want to. I want to be here, to study here, to live here, to keep working on my language ability, and so on. But I also want to wrap up this major, go back to my university, and explore my second major. I want to figure out what I want to do after college. I am not sure if translation as a primary career is what I truly want. I would love to do something that makes a difference in some way, though I'm not sure exactly how other than environmentally. I am currently enjoying the successful realization of a dream, a goal, that I have been planning for and wishing for for years. I am savoring it and having so much fun, but once it is over, I'm not sure. I was climbing a mountain, my gaze fixed on that paradise at the top and I am enjoying it. But soon, I will reach the edge and am not sure what I will find just yet. It is exciting but scary. So, basically, I chose Asian Studies as a major because I knew two things: 1. I wanted to continue learning Japanese. 2. I wanted to study abroad in Japan. Seeing that my university did not offer Japanese as a major, I chose Asian Studies. This all culminates into: my dream is coming true and I'm nervous about what will happen. As they said in Tangled, I guess I will have to find a new dream. I want to keep dreaming - I will always think big, plan big, and imagine. "I don't wanna know who I would be, when I wake up from a dreamer's sleep." (Twenty One Pilots).

I found out via the travel counter at school that I can go to Yakushima and take tours for practically half the price of what I was researching on my own. Thank you college resources and student discounts! I will definitely be doing that at some point, especially since this will be my only time being a student in Japan...unless of course I come back here for graduate school (just a pondering I had).

I still want to cut my hair. I love my braids but am finding I do not love them anymore...if that makes sense. It seems almost like everyday I either think of a new reason to cut my hair or envision myself without it. It may not seem like a big think to obsess over, but I haven't had a hair cut in like 6 years and this would be a big change, so I'm both glad and annoyed that I have a lot of time to think it over. To be honest, I have occasionally gotten the urge to cut my hair throughout the years, but the wish for elf-length hair prevailed and my urge would fade in two or three days. But this has lasted a few weeks and it ties to how I am altering my self-image so I feel like it is more than just a brief, passing urge.

Apparently, the rainy season is starting. I love the sound, but I am nervous because it will affect sight-seeing plans. In the case of Tokyo, it wasn't that much of a hassle. However, if I were to go hiking or to a beach, the rain would be a bit more of a hindrance.

Without any real rhyme or reason I have written this self-reflective post to commemorate the two month marker here in glorious Japan. Now, I must sleep off the two stressful midterms I had this morning. (Though there was enough of a study-break in the middle for me to check out the garden and see lotus flowers and a baby turtle - adorable!).

Good night and good day!