So exams are pretty much over, with the exception of one more tomorrow afternoon. They've gone just fne with the horrible exception of Monday morning when I slep through my exam. It was awful, I did get to take it but at a reduction. I hope that is alright. The Shamisen performance is coming up fast. But we've made some significant improvements in the last two weeks, so maybe it'll be alright. I'm thinking and packing and thinking some more. I have to get my re-entry permit and I have to go to Osaka to do it. Maybe I'll go out somewhere nice after the Shamisen performance. So much to do in so little time. The concert on Monday evening doesn't help. But it will be so worth it. And then I'm off to Tokyo for Christmas and New Years with friends. And then home for the next stage on my whirlwind winter break. And then, gods willing, back to kgu for the spring semester.

Elizabeth moved out of Wednesday and I miss her already. It sucks that she wont be here for the spring semester. The room is pretty quiet with just me. But I've got a lot to do before I leave on Tuesday I suppose.

The long awaited second picture post! I promise I will never get this behind again! I swear I started uploading again like....a month ago and just recaught up. Never again. And I started tagging things in photobucket so that made it take longer too. Most of these I've already explained so I wont give too much explanation here, but I'll tell what each sideshow is about. These are by all means not all the pictures I've taken, they are the highlights. I have over 200 of Kiyomizu at night and Kyoto Imperial Palace alone. I'll try to go from oldest to newest. So lets get going!

This was our trip to the Kaiyukan a long while back, it was really pretty and very fun to see all the fish, and it mostly focused on things from the pacific rim!

This is probably my second visit to the shopping hub in Osaka that is Shinsaibashi, and it is still probably one of my favorite places to go! Lots to see and lots to eat! Osaka is definitely Japan's kitchen!

This is one of about three temples and shrines Leslie and I visited in a day. This is the main gate at Choin and Kodaiji, which had a really beautiful set of gardens.

This is Yakasa shrine, and there was a wedding going on when we showed up there. So we were really lucky to get to see it and take some pictures!

This was my visit to Nikko and Keigon, as well as Adryn's school (sadly no pictures of that it wasn't allowed) and Tokyo. It was really nice to have a weekend with Adryn in her new home!

This was our school festival and it was a blast! Like many things in Japan, especially Osaka, it had a lot to do with eating things. Its so amazing I haven't gotten fat here.

This is Fushimi inari, there were so many stairs, and so many torii gates and man. I just do not even know how people can do this, but it would be great excercise to just up and down all the time, especially since this shrine is free.

Another temple I visited, this time with Elizabeth. This is Tokufukuji. We are going to have seen all the temples and shrines around here I swear.

This the Kyoto Imperial Palace. We were lucky to see it without having to register and sign up in advance. There is one week in the fall and in the spring. Lots of Japanese people haven't even been here!

Kiyomizu at night is one of the most gorgeous places I have ever been too. The leaves are all really pretty this time of year as well. There is a really god reason this is a world heritage site, it is just incredible.

And finally this is my trip to Kinosaki Onsen with Elizabeth, courtesy of her mom who paid for our Ryokan, and thus pretty much everything except for my train fare. This largely features what we ate since I didn't really (couldn't) take pictures of the inside of the baths.

And this is just a slideshow of images that don't really go anywhere else. But they are fun times that we've had here in Japan!

Not too much to report up until this week-ish. Mostly chilled out and then went into Shinsaibashi again this sunday, we decided that we didn't go to Osaka enough. Johnny's store made me giggle a lot. Made an extremely nice visit to Kiyomizu at night, two actually, one with Elizabeth and one with Tomosuke. It is an incredibly beautiful place, and even more so in the fall lit up at night with all the brightly colored leaves. I feel really lucky that I was able to see it. Exams are coming up, another distraction from enjoying the random adventres of Japan, but oh well. I will miss Elizabeth when she goes home, I'm sad she wont be here for the spring semester. But we will get Elisabeth from ASU so I guess you win some you lose some. But next semester I'll be in homestay so hopefully that will do something for my evening loneliness tendencies so they don't return.

But this weekend we took Elizabeth's mother up on a extremely generous offer to pay for a hotel somewhere we would like to go, and we went to Kinosaki Onsen which is north in the Kyoto prefecture and by the Sea of Japan. We stayed in a real ryokan and went to no less than three different onsens in town while were there. Not to meniton bought the worlds cutest plushies. There were 7 different onsen but we were only there for one night so there was only so much we could see. But we had traditional Japanese cuisine for dinner and breakfast, some of which I liked some of which I didn't. But there was a LOT of crab for dinner, as its the regions specialty. God it was good. And the onsen were so relaxing. I will have pictures of the town as soon as I catch up on picture uploading, which keeps getting delayed by tagging. We did however wake up this morning to snow! I didn't think I'd get to see snow while in Japan, as Osaka is a snow free-to very small amount of snow zone. But we were lucky ne? Nothing quite like getting into a outdoor onsen in the snow (and for those of you who don't know, in Japanese hot spring's you wash off and then go in completely nude in the seperate mens and womens bathing areas). The whole thing was really fun the the yukata they gave us to wear were surprisingly warm and really comfy.

suddenly, surprisingly, I am going to Tokyo this weekend with Ann. It should be really fun as we are going with no particular plans in mind, just a hotel and a train ticket.

Last weekend I went to the Imperial Palace in Kyoto, and it was really really cool. Usually you have to do an application to go. But this was one of the five days in the fall they just open it to the general public. So Elizabeth, Tomosuke and I went together. It was really pretty interesting. And SO big, and not to mention gorgeous with all the fall colors changing. Afterwards we trmoped on over to Kinkakuji, which was a jam-packed bus ride away. Man people talk about Japanese trains, they've never been on a Japanese bus. Just when you think another person cannot possibly fit on that bus, five more people will get on. Luckily Tomosuke and I escaped up the stairs, Elizabeth was not so lucky. But Kinkakuji was gorgeous with all the red and orange leaves. Too bad both Elizabeth and my cameras died simultaneously. So we bought a fujifilm disposible and took pictures with that, but now we have to figure out how to get them printed and to our computers.

And for no reason on Wednesday we went to Shinsaibashi, just to celebrate the finish of another round of tests and no homework I suppose. And on Tuesday it was dinner with Tomiko in Kyobashi, which was REALLY excellent. The resturant we went to was so delicious. A touch of karaoke afterward and that was a nice night. Add to all that Shamisen lessons and it was a full week. But we are finally getting the hang of this song, until the 12 mark, then the shamisen section is still struggling a bit but we'll work through it with practice.

Hello, I'm back again. This month we have had many days off. For the weekend of the cultural festival as well as for founders day so far. The festival was amazingly fun and I spent two very full days there eating and walking around seeing what the students were doing. We had a really good time and afterwards Jessica Elizabeth and I went with our friend Tomosuke out to dinner in Hirakatashi (I know more food right?). But it was very good and very cheap. I will have to remember it for another time.

Later on Sunday Elizabeth and I went to Fushimi Inari. SO many stairs. We were climbing and felt that surely, we must be getting near the top. Then we saw the map and saw that we were only half-way up, so we gave up after that and walked back down. But it was really pretty and we did get some pretty great views of the city. There was also a woman there selling kimono and accessories. She offered me a very pretty furisode kimono for 15,000 yen, which is pretty cheap. But I wasn't sure so I waited, and was very glad I did. When we went to Sanjo to just eat dinner a poke around, I finally went in the thrift store I always see, and was AMAZED by how many kimono they had upstairs. And also by how cheap they were. I got a furisode kimono I liked so much better for the same price. And it is almost like new. I still need to find an obi and an appropriate acoutrements, but I got the under robe there as well. I am very very happy with it.

This weekend it was visiting Tokufukuji, which turned out to be more expensive than we bargained for and then we ate what has to be the largest most delicious okonomiyaki I've ever had. I was stuffed! Then on sunday we went out for dinner and karaoke for Jessica's birthday. Dinner was fun, and even though Tomosuke didn't join us for karaoke we had a great time, Tadayoshi, her home-visit boy was really funny. He sang 'Selfish' by Koda Kumi with me and head-banged to 'Ready Steady Go' and was generally just having a great time.

And then this Tuesday, I went with one of the circle's on campus to a local elementary school. It was way fun, and I got a big surprise when Tomosuke was there. I had no idea he was in that circle. The kids were really really adorable though. I can speak semi-fluently with them, the second graders that is. :( I suppose its a good start though. I had a great time and if I get another opportunity I will deffinitely go again! It kind of felt like being a rock star because the kids were so excited to meet us.

I am going to really try to be more diligent with this from now on.
So I managed to navigate the larger train system in Japan and have now successfully completed a visit to Adryn in Imaichi. I was very happy to see her, and happy to do some real traveling by myself (as if the plane flight over wasn't by myself). The great and unexpected part of the trip was that I was allowed to go with her to school on Friday and see what its like to be a JET, and what a real Japanese high school is like. I'll give you a hint, like Adryn says it is exactly like a drama. I really really enjoyed it, I got to introduce myself in Japanese to the teachers and then go around to all her different classes with her. I also got used as a teaching tool and got to speak to the students a bunch. Very slowly of course but it was still pretty cool. The studentd were very cute and would dart down the hall just to greet Adryn, and then would just as enthusiaticly greet me as 'person I don't know!'. All in all, wonderful experience and I deffinitely want to do JET. After school we went shopping together in Imaichi, and we had some sucess, I bought this ridiculous but wonderful pink and black vest and red ankle boots. YES, shoes that fit me in Japan. And I'm only a LL. We then had dinner at KFC because we were curious about how different it was from American KFC.

On Saturday we got up and went down to Utsunomiya so we could catch a train to Tokyo, and had some seriously delicious gyoza for lunch. The train ride was a bit long (for me used to being able to get to two fairly major cities within an hour). But we finally made it to Tokyo and found our way down to the Nissay Theater. I was very excited because I had managed to procure us tickets to Imai Tsubasa's stage show, which I had only been talking about going to for maybe the past year. Its a very sparkly Johnnys thing, but I've just decided that I don't care if everyone thinks I'm silly. It was awesome, and I was so glad I went together with Adryn instead of by myself, because these are always more fun with someone there to appreciate/heckle with you. I spent money on concert goods and all was happy. Afterwards we went to Shimokitazawa for dinner (FANTASTIC Indian food). This is were Scribe lives but I didn't get to see her this trip.

Sunday we spent going up the mountain to go see Keigon falls, which took a while, and a toll of Adryn's car. I hope it will be alright. But the falls were really stunning and we had a good time chatting on the way up and then back down. Then it was back to the Shinkansen for me and back to school, and BLARGH midterms. But I've managed to overcome the Japanese language ones, and now all that is left are my afternoon classes.

This week I think I'm finally feeling settled a bit. I think talking with Adryn gave me a lot of perspective, because she knows me pretty well and was able to give me some good insight on what my problem has been. So I think that I will make it, and continue on into the next semester gracefully. I hope I will get the chance to see Adryn again, and also see Scribe soon. It is nice to spend sometime with people who I really know well, and can talk to about deeper things because I know they understand where I am coming from. I'm still trying to sort out what exactly my New Years plans are, details and everything. But I'll figure it out soon.

ITS OCTOBER!
That means its time for a trip to Nikko to see Adryn. Which means figuring out the gosh darned shinkansen. And how unfair it is I go almost the entire journey on the Tokaido shinkansen and then for two stops have to be on the Tohoku shinkansen which has trains that I completely don't understand. I'm hoping the JR people will just, figure it out and put me on a train that gets me to Utsunomiya. Because I'm already having some trouble with the route to Kyoto-eki, which includes me getting from one stop I know, to another I don't, using a line that I can't find the name of. This may require some experimentation. Glories of the Japanese train system. So many trains, so little time. taking the 2:30 shinkansen should give me a half hour cushion, but lord knows I'll manage to just miss it or something, what happens when you miss your shinkansen? Do you get on the next one? Or are you just screwed?

So many questions that need answering. So little time. But I'll have to buy the train tickets soon, like maybe tommorow soon.

Eek.

hey everyone, I know its been a bit. But nothing too overwhelming exciting has happened I promise. Its been busy but also rather relaxed, I feel like my classes are satisfying but not too taxing which leaves me time for other things (which is amazing because I still kind of feel like I'm on a giant vacation). This week I went to the Osaka Aquarium, which has not one but TWO whale sharks. It was really really cool. We also rode the ENORMOUS ferris wheel that is right next door. This was all on our bizzarre Tuesday holiday. Whatever that was about, it was fun, but I also felt strangely cheated of a sunday equivalent after that saturday-esque day off.

For the first time this week, I got really excited about doing my thesis one day. I had enjoyed my idea before, but now I feel like things are finally coming together and my thesis is in fact viable. Which is wonderful. As a result I am going to see a Takurazuka play next month. Which could simply be described as a Japanese drag show, but is really so much more than that. It is the answer to Kabuki with its all male cast, and instead has a all female cast. It should be really interesting. At some point we're getting around to seeing Kabuki too.

Its kind of interesting, but practically all I ever think about in Japan is food, but I don't snack as much and I'm still loosing weight think. Which is amazing because I really haven't been trying hard at all. And its all so amazingly good. I'm really becoming a glutton for delicious japanese things. Even the Western food is delicious and amazing. But I'm going to stop that rant right there before I extole the virtues of japanese cuisine anymore.

Not really a post so much as an excuse to post an awesome picture and a....semi-awesome video. So I'm learning to play Shamisen everyone. And its been really fun so far, and we have an extremely amateur video of me playing it for you all to enjoy. This is only my second lesson so go easy on me. But things are going well with that, and apparently my teacher intends for us (myself and my friends who are also learning traditional instruments) to play on stage in december. So maybe there will be a video of that.

Pictures...finally

So heres my attempt with pictures, I'm trying present them as photobucket slideshows. Here goes. I believe you can click on images as they pop up to view them larger.

Above is a slideshow of my arrival in Japan and some pictures to give you an idea of where I live. Theres pictures of my dorm, my walk to school, and the school itself. I also have a couple pictures from my first couple of nights, in the nearby town.

These are pictures of our day trip to Nara and our visit to Kiyomize temple, which was absolutely stunning. Also it was a very fun trip with Asa and Taki, our guides, who have a very funny Kansai-style sense of humor. The joke has something to do with the shirt Asa was wearing and babies. Don't ask

Those are seriously not even all my pictures from Nara, Todaiji temple is AMAZING. And the dear are just so damn cute.

And another slideshow for my other stuff that doesn't fit elsewhere. My keitai is green, my bike is pink and I have seen some WILD desserts here.

I think thats all I've got for now, I'll post some more as a go more places and find more to take pictures of!

Okay, so still no pictures. I'm lazy and keep leaving my camera in my bag and so not remembering. Also, this week promises to continue to be extremely extremely busy. Because I did get into the class I wanted, and thus am probably going to drop the psych that isn't what I thought it would be. I also got my money situation straightened out and now have my keitai. But I'm still trying to bump up my Japanese placement, which means attending both levels plus my written class, and some careful studying and taking my damn sweet time on the re-placement test. I cannot stay in level 2 its like banging my head against a brick wall. 3 is a much better fit. I'm getting a bike today, maybe. I'm also possibly having to re-think my new years plans, since there continues to be silence from Tokyo. But Choushi and Ibaraki are very talkative, so thats good. But I'll figure something out. I've been to Osaka now and this week promises a couple more trips. I really wanna explore some more. We wont have class on monday because we'll be busy respecting the aged. But then I have the re-placement test on Tuesday. Right now I'm waiting for my keitai to ring/buzz. I want to make some more Japanese friends to hang out with, because I love my fellow foreigners but I deffinitely want to hang out with more Japanese people and try to speak Japanese. But I'm a bit hesitent for some reason. But its still early I suppose. Anyway, I'll end my bored rambling. Have a good day everyone!

An excellent and very bad week

So this week has had too tones to it. On the one hand I'm in an amazing place I'm really enjoying and am making some great new friends. On the other hand, several important things are having major roadblocks. The class I really wanted most, which was OPEN when I registered and I registered for, somehow did not get entered into the computer. So now not only am I not in the class, the best they could do to fix their mistake is to put me at the bottom of the waiting list. But I will talk to the professor and see what can be done. Next, when I got my placement for spoken Japanese not only was I disappointed, I was insulted. They placed me in level 2. I feel like I should at least be in 3 if not 4. There is another test in two weeks, and I will try again and hope to be moved up. Surely it will become quickly apparent that I do not belong in that level, having finished Genki II and that class starting with lesson 10 (which is in Genki I). And now NONE of my sources of money work in Hirakata city. I am trapped with no way to get money, except perhaps to take the train to Kyoto or Osaka whenever I need more. This was highly embarrassing when I couldn't pay for my keitai today, not even with my Visa card. There was also some acute homesickness the second day I was here, but as soon as I made some friends I could hang out with day to day that abated. Still miss home and America a bit, but I am now able to fully enjoy where I am.

But I really am having a good time. I have had two wonderful tours so far. The first was to Makino station, which is the train station nearest to our dorms. We had some really fun and cute girls come with us. It was pretty informative and really fun. I had delicious katsu for dinner. The second tour was too Kyoto with my new friends Jessica and two Japanese students. We went to Kiyomizu temple and generally had a really great time. They were so funny, and a little bit perverted. After that we had some kagikouri (shaved iced) and in this heat it was SOOO good. For the evening we all went to another part of Kyoto to meet Jessica's friend the koto master. She got us Takoyaki for dinner which was so wonderful. Also after giving Jessica a nice long koto lesson she sat me down with a shamisen and proceeded to start to teach me to play it. We're going to be going back periodically for more lessons. So I'm going to learn to really play the shamisen. We've also been back to Kiyomizu and to a Kimono shop, and looked at some, one of which, miraculously fits me. Its beautiful and about $150 for the robe itself, which isn't so bad for a real kimono. I want to go back and buy it when I get money again, but I'll have to think about it. I really want to though. But with the undergarments and the obi it could be a bit pricey. But its a blue gray and sooooo pretty. The others think it suits me well. The shop owner was really kind too. Overall Japan is fun, I've been to city hall twice now to do alien registration and boy was that a chore. I've also opened a bank account, learned to use the L.L. and paid all my fees. I've gotten lost and walked more than I can ever possibly explain, in horrible damp heat. But I'm also finally learning my way around. And my suitemates in Seminar House 3 are all nice, we like to sit in the living room around our tv all on our computers. I've watched a couple of shows I know and seen plenty of celebrities I also know. Its been a busy week, but I feel like I'm finally getting started, and that this really was a good idea (thats the question you ask yourself when you are homesick).

Well that wraps up this post, I hope to get back soon with a couple pictures, as I'm uploading those from my camera right now.

I made it!

Hello from the future everyone! Its Monday and I'm feeling more perky now that I've had a good nights sleep. I've met my temporary roommate for orientation, she is from Hong Kong, and she and I got lost looking for campus this morning. Luckily her friend came and brought us here. The campus seems like it wont be too hard to navigate with a little time. But getting around the neighborhood around it will be a challenge. I'm taking a couple of pictures and will add them to this post soon, but first I have to rectify my power cord situation. Silly me forgot to bring a an adaptor for my three-pronged computer cords. So until I can get one I have to limit my use of them. Hopefully that will be fixed soon. When it does I'll have loads of pictures to share. But everything is good and all my luggage arrived safely. I'm still feeling a little overwhelmed by the whole thing. I keep forgetting that I'm not just on vacation and will have classes and work to do within a week. I hope by then I can at least get to the supermarket and school and back without getting lost. I will skype everyone soon, and for my friends in Japan I will get my cell phone soon hopefully so I can send you messages and such. I've already been trying to speak the language but I'm stumbling all over it, although I'm following speech okay. I spoke my first two sentences completely easily but after that it got harder. But with udon for lunch and some soft serve ice cream which was serve yourself, but not in the way we're used to in america, I'm feeling like I'll adapt alright.

Almost There

Hey everyone! Welcome to my new blog for my journey to Japan! As the days tick away I'm getting to thinking how important everyone here means to me. I'm going really miss my family, friends, Boone, and Durham. I've really realized whats important to me in these last few weeks. And I'm glad to be a student at ASU and grateful for the friends and teachers who have helped me get this far. And its been tough packing up and leaving. But at long last its almost time. I'm excited and nervous to go. But I hope I will be good about posting stories and pictures here for everyone to see and follow me on my journey to the east. Wish me luck! And pray my flights don't get delayed.