Sarah's Japan Enikki, Week 1 Part B, Jan. 10-15, 2006
Okaaay, time for the second part! I'm glad everyone liked the first part so much, cause we've got maybe 4-5 more of these to go. Anyway, this would have been posted last night but the internet was being seriously awful. I think it's settled down a bit though. So here we go!!
This part contains the conclusion of the time I spent with my host family in the Tokyo area before we moved on to Kyoto, etc. There's also 66 pictures here.
(Previously, on my LJ: Week 1 Part A)
Sarah's Japan Enikki, Week 1 Part B, Jan. 10-15, 2006
Tuesday, January 10, 2006 - First Day of Class
Today was the first day of class, and the first day of my routine I would follow throughout the week: get up, eat breakfast with my family (no shower in the morning as I am accustomed to, because I showered at night to fit in, and it actually didn't turn out too bad. It was interesting seeing what shape my hair chose to take every day >.>), walk out to the bus stop and get on a bus to take me (alone! ahh!) to Shin Urayasu Station where Erin, Kathryn, and Linsey are waiting, and then take the train together to Kaihin Makuhari, where OVTA and IES are. All of our host families and our class buildings are out in the Chiba area, by the way (Tokyo's suburbs, pretty much). I was led to believe that we'd be taking our classes at Kanda University, but it turned out that was not the case. Instead, we had our own classes comprised only of other students on the Janterm and tailored specifically for us. A little disappointing... oh well.
Japanese class was... interesting. First we went over "pronunciation" which was us repeating easy phrases we already knew (and in my case, already knew how to pronounce correctly). It was like... this is the intermediate class? I was kind of bored out of my mind. The teacher seems nice enough, but she chewed us out for taking too long of a break when I for one didn't even know how long it was supposed to be. Oh well...
For lunch we walked to IES and ate at the Italian restaurant on the first floor (Sciziari's or something like that), which was very delicious (they also had melon soda, my love! <3). Then we went up to IES and used the computers to check email until our afternoon lecture, "Gaijin in Mangaland," led by the guy who is the CEO of the company that produces those 'How to Draw Manga' books, who is a foreigner living in Japan (apparently his daughter speaks Japanese). It was interesting... though I resent the implication that we'll all automatically know what anime and manga are because if we're taking Japanese and going to Japan, obviously we also like anime/manga. And as I overheard a group of boys from our group saying the next day, the lecturer was a little too obvious about his desire to only make money. He ended his presentation with "And please buy my books!" for crying out loud. I realize he was half-joking, but that's rude even by brash American standards. But then again, I'm always disgusted by unabashed capitalism.
Then I stayed late to do research for my presentation topic, the Asakusa district, and then took the train back to Shin Urayasu with Kathryn.
Me and Na-chan before heading off to school in the morning!! Look at her adorable kindergarten uniform! I want to wear a unifooooorm!! ;_;
Wednesday, January 11, 2006 - Asakusa Tour
Today our group met at Nishi Funabashi Station around 10 a.m. and went to Asakusa from there. We walked around the area and explored Nakamise-dori (the street leading up to Asakusa's big temple, Sensoji, which is filled with shops selling all sorts of things), which was very colorful and interesting. Something weird happened though - in one store, I had picked up a lighter shaped like two Pepsi cans put end-to-end but couldn't figure out how to turn it on. Mary Anne took it and pushed a button, expecting the fire to come out one end, but instead it came out the other - the one next to her hair, which promptly caught on fire!! Within seconds she had put it out, but it shook all of us up for the rest of the day.
We rejoined our group and went together to the Japanese Drum Museum, which was on the fourth floor of a building also housing a drum gift shop. The floor was filled with drums from all over the world, and was mildly interesting, especially since we got to play some of them, but not incredibly fascinating... (Sorry, I know I'm a harsh judge, but traditional Japanese culture is just not what I really care about...)
Then we walked up and down Kappa-bashi, a street lined with vendors selling wholesale restaurant supplies--complete with the fake food gracing the windows in front of nearly every Japanese restaurant--before going to Sensoji Temple. Since I'd already been to the temple outside Tokyo Tower, that also didn't really interest me. But I waved smoke from the huge incense burner towards my head (so I can grow smarter!) and donated some yen at the temple entrance all the same. After that we went to eat at Denny's, where we had some confusion involving vegetarian Erin and Mary Anne and waitresses not understanding the concept of "no meat/no fish"... and then punishing us by not bringing us the check or dessert for like 20 minutes. I know we weren't being the easiest customers to deal with, but that's still not cool.
Finally we met back up with everyone at Kaminari-mon (the Thunder Gate at the head of Nakamise-dori) and took the train to Ryougoku, where the sumo place is. We went inside and found our seats--a few rows shy of ultimate nosebleed! I am afraid I didn't pay much attention to the sumo--save to notice the eye-catching blinged-out silver-lights robe of one of the wrestlers. But it's nothing personal against sumo... all sports, much as I try to be interested, ultimately cause my eyes to glaze over.
We were also making plans to go to Akihabara--me, Erin, Melissa, Mary Anne, and (ugh--we did not invite him, he just decided he was coming!) Alex--before coming back to Ryougoku to meet everyone for dinner. We spent all of our scant time in Akihabara exploring the multi-story Gamers store, where my friends loaded up on anime and video game paraphernalia and nothing caught my eye beyond a few gashapon figures. We got back to Ryougoku to find our group dwindled down to us, Sensei, and... Tad (oh, yay) for dinner. The only redeeming factor was Chika-san, the Japanese language resident from last year, joining us--though I regret that she had such unseemly company to dine with, sigh. So I more or less struggled through that... but it was really great to see her again (though she can never beat Hyung-hye!). Apparently she is working as a ticket-taker in Disneyland, so if I ever get to go there, I hope to see her.
Erin and I got a little confused on the train ride back and had to switch trains at one point, but we figured it out and made it back to Shin Urayasu... where I promptly got on the wrong bus to go home. I realized it as we were pulling out of the station and tried to get the driver to let me off, but he wouldn't and said I could still get to my house from one of that bus's stops. When we got to the stop in question, nothing looked familiar and as I showed the driver my map of the area, two other men on the bus rushed up to help!! And a businessman who had gotten off at that stop offered to walk me over to my part of town, which he did. I was only a couple minutes' walk away from my proper bus stop, but I'm sure without those helpful people I would have gotten horribly lost. So even though I was quite embarrassed and mad at myself for making such a dumb mistake (especially since it's not like it was my first time--more like my fourth), it did prove to me that not everyone in the Kanto area is as cold and unhelpful as they're reputed to be. The businessman who walked me back even spoke quite good English!
Kaminari-mon (the Thunder Gate) at the start of Nakamise-dori, the big street lined with vendors leading up to Sensoji. You can see the pink things lining it.
Fans in one of the shops. This was supposed to be a much cooler picture >.>
Taiko drum-playing at the drum museum. There's Fred in the middle and Tad (oh god) on the right. Just trust me when I say Tad is the most annoying person you will ever meet. GHS people... think Ace, but worse. (Fred, however, is way awesome. hearts!)
Mary Anne, Erin, Milin, Sarah K.
Kathryn
Hahah, the lady who runs the drum museum talking to Shin-san (one of the IES people), and then Milin
Ahah, look at Sensei and his baseball cap turned backwards. That is totally the only reason I took this picture XD On the plane he also had these thick glasses that we were all highly amused by. Oh Sensei!!
Front of Sensoji
The area where you put coins in and then clap your hands together and bow
Pagoda of one of the other buildings at Sensoji
At Ryougoku, in the sumo stadium... it's so exciting!! Not... >.>
Priest, walking around purifying the ring (well... I think >.>)
AHAHAH >_> Check out the guy with the red man-skirt and the sparkly circle on top. That was lit up!! He was blinged out! XD XD XD
Doing their little procession-y thing
Not quite sure... right before a fight began, I think
Sup Akihabara~ (the place to buy discount electronics and things, if you didn't know)
We took the "Electric Town Akihabara" exit. ELECTRIC TOWN!! XD ('Denki-cho' in Japanese, I think...)
Inside the uber-nerdy Gamers store. If I was still hardcore into anime, I would have been in heaven there!
Maaya Sakamoto!!! <3
Heh >:D
HEH HEH HEH >:DDD (oh yeah, it was fun forgetting these were on here when I showed my parents these pictures >.> I just skipped quickly over them *cough*)
Thursday, January 12, 2006 - Second Day of Classes
A quite unremarkable day, for the most part--until I went home, because I had said I would make dinner (quesadillas!). My host mom, Na-chan, and I went to the huge department store/grocery store building to get the ingredients. First we went to the 100y store there (yay for hyaku-en stores!! The dollar-store equivalent), where I picked up a transparent umbrella (yess) and some purple chopsticks with butterflies on them--my own chopsticks, yaay. Then at the grocery store, besides quesadilla ingredients and some dessert type things, I got this hilarious sponge with a face on it I'd seen on our last visit and loved. XD
Once home, I cooked dinner!! I even had to cook the chicken, and it was my first time doing it, since usually my mom does it (or we buy frozen chicken breast strips and use those). But it turned out well, and none of us got food poisoning. Making the quesadillas themselves was a challenge but I did it too and my host mom and Nanase seemed to love them. I hope they weren't faking it, but they seemed too enthusiastic, so I really hope they actually did like them. My host dad was really late in coming home so he had to have his warmed-up. I don't know if he loved it as much as the others did... but oh well. I made them as best I could, and almost everyone liked it, soo.
Before my host dad got home, though, my host mom had asked me to take a bath with Nanase (she wanted us to use this special bath salts stuff). Usually she bathes with Nanase, but I think she wanted to wait up for my host dad or something--or maybe it was even a gesture to indicate my inclusion in the family, I don't know. But seriously! I am a very modest person! I shower alone!! So I did it... but in my swimsuit ¬_¬ Nanase sort of looked at me like "Why aren't you naked?" (as she was, of course), but whateva... You know, I'd really like to use an onsen, but I know people would be staring at my gaijin body and I just don't know if I could handle it... ahh..
Friday, January 13, 2006 - Last Day of Classes
Another mostly unremarkable day. Lecture and class were boring as always, lunch torturous because we couldn't shake off certain people (ugh). What was quite enjoyable, though, was taking the subway and bus home alone. Ahh, I just love doing that once I've gotten used to a transportation system. :D
Once home, I watched the Disney channel (in English! <3 There was a Japanese dub but my host mom showed me how to turn it off. Ah, Suite Life and Phil of the Future, how I love you) until my host mom went to pick up this little boy she was going to babysit until his parents got home around 10, Yuho. That boy!! He seemed astonished that I was a gaijin and underestimated my Japanese ability, so he'd be saying things like "Gaikokujin da..." (A foreigner... [he also used the more formal way of saying it, which amuses me, why not just go with the casual 'gaijin'? Don't tell me he was trying to show me respect AS he talks about me right in front of me!]) to himself but of course I understood and replied with "Hai, gaijin desu" (Yes, I am a foreigner). Then when we were eating dinner he actually referred to me as "the gaijin." My host mom and Nanase just went silent and corrected him with "Her name is Sarah-chan." Oh snap!
Then he asked me "Sutaa-Waasu, shite-imasu ka?" (Do you know Star Wars?). While I appreciate the politeness (though it was odd, as he had been speaking in direct style to me the rest of the time), I just looked at him like "...Mochirou!!" (Of course!) and Nanase was all "Well, it's American." But he persisted with "...Eego de?" (in English?) completely incredulous and again, I just looked at him like he was crazy and said "Mochirou!!" I mean... Star Wars! In English! What will they think of next? Silly ethnocentric boy. Unfortunately, that's kind of a small example of all the Japanese who seem to regard Japan as the center of the world and Japanese as the ultimate language everything is issued in. I'm not saying Americans don't do it too, but at least seeing a foreigner isn't a huge shock for us. Honestly!
We had purin for dessert too--yay! (Purin is the custard pudding thing you always see Kero-chan eating in Cardcaptor Sakura.) I'd wanted to try it for awhile, so I was happy. :3
Saturday, January 14, 2006 - Kamakura Trip
Aghh, had to get up at like 6 in order to catch the train to get us to the IES building by 8:20. But we did it! Host families were allowed to come on this trip (to Kamakura, one of the villages around the Tokyo area famous for various things), but mine couldn't come, for whatever reason. I think my host mom had to work or something... it turns out she has, like, three part-time jobs. I wonder if she just likes doing it or if they actually (it doesn't seem this way) need the money.
So we got on our special bus and rode to Kamakura, about 2 hours away. First we stopped at Engakuji Temple, this sprawling Buddhist temple complex set in the hills of Kamakura. It was especially beautiful because of the overcast day making everything look dewy. I walked around mostly with Mary Anne, her host grandma, and her granddaughter, Sakura (so adorable). Mary Anne's host grandma even bought me a fortune--so nice! I tied to it to the rack along with all the other ones.
Then we got on the bus to go to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, which was amazing and I wish we'd had more time there. I did have time to buy an awesome evil-protecting arrow with a new-year's-wish wooden plate thingy attached, though. On the front are painted dogs to represent the Year of the Dog, and the back is blank for you to write your wishes for 2006. Then you hang it on a board at the shrine with everyone else's. Mainly because it was raining by that point but also because I wanted to keep my plate, I didn't write my wishes and hang it.
I went to lunch with Mary Anne, her grandma, Sakura, and Erin. We found this tiny Italian cafe where I had incredibly spicy but delicious penne pasta. When we went back outside, it was pouring. My jeans below the knee, shoes, and socks all got horribly wet walking back to the bus. I was quite miserable.
Even though it was pouring rain, we still continued with the trip, just shortened it a bit. I had gotten so wet, though, that I just stayed in the bus for our last two stops, Hasedera and Daibutsu (the second-biggest Buddha statue in Japan). So I missed seeing those--oh well. Since I want to come back to Kamakura to explore the previous temples more, that's just another reason to do it someday. And most of all? It was too wet.
On the way back to the Tokyo area, we watched the original Japanese version of Shall We Dance? and it was awesome. My AC friends and I saw the American version at the dollar theatre last year, and it was really good, so it was fun to compare the differences. Also, the movie was just hilarious. We didn't get to finish it, though--maybe someday I can.
And at Shin Urayasu Station, my host mom was even waiting in the car to pick me up cause it was so rainy. Then we had the most delicious dinner ever--corn soup, rice, and hamburger patties. So good <3 I ate every single thing on my plate.
After we arrived at Kamakura, we had to walk across these train tracks to get to the first temple, but a big old JR train interrupted our progress!!
Engakuji Temple~
HERE DOUG. HERE IS YOUR TRIFORCE PICTURE. At least, that's what windsinger said it was. I know nothing of these things!
Dead fish in the pond >__> (see that yellow thing? That is a dedfish. >.>)
Sound accompanying this: here (the lovely sound of water trickling in the drain :33)
Ducks!! :D
At the next temple... Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. I loved this place. And because it was raining by that point, everyone busted out with their awesome umbrellas. Look at the colors!! I love Japanese umbrellas :D
The hand-purification place. Before you enter a shrine/temple, you are supposed to pour the water here over your hands to purify them. Sometimes I did it, and sometimes it was just too damn cold. >.>
Pigeons!! Also, a place where you hang the wooden plates with your wishes for the new year written on them.
This is a famous stage where a woman named Lady Shimizu (I think that is her name) danced a dance of love for this guy's brother, the lord of the place or something... and the guy was mad at her cause he disapproved of the relationship and she was supposed to dance a dance praising him. etc... I think it's cool though :3
Steps leading up to the main shrine building
I was trying to get a picture of this priest with a bullhorn but I failed ;_;
yay I love this picture and totally don't even remember taking it!
More wishes~
Hahah, so I totally stole the idea for this picture from soundboz. But here you can see my awesome transparent umbrella that I got for a DOLLA~ Hyaku-en store, what up!!
Pigeons!!
Sunday, January 15, 2006 - Last Day in Urayasu City :(
Finally, a day when I was able to sleep in! I slept in until 11 and got up and made my own breakfast (according to the amusingly Engrishy note my host mom left me XD "It takes it out of the packet and puts it in the microwave," heee). She and Na-chan came home around noon with a friend of Nanase's, Konomi. We had lunch (yakisoba!!! <3 <3) and then went to go play miniature golf. It was this little quasi-ghetto course, but it was still fun. :)
Then we went to Ikspiari, this Disney-owned shopping complex near Disneyland & DisneySea. Konomi's mom met us there--she is so nice! Reminded me a lot of Aunt Sharon. They had a Rainforest Cafe, and we broswed the gift shop and I got a zodiac frog gashapon thing (leading to a discussion of everyone's Chinese zodiac sign. It turns out Na-chan is a rabbit, and as my host mom explained, that's why she's always hopping around, "pyon pyon" [the noise a rabbit makes when it hops, I think XD], ahaha). We walked around some more until we came across the show of "Zat Amazing Guy" (I only know his name because he passed out postcards with it written on it. Actually, you had to give him money to get one, and that was when he referred to the kids clamoring for one as "kodomos." KODOMOS AHAHAH XDDDD), who fascinated me not for his unicycle tricks or block juggling prowess, but for the fact that he was gaijin--an American speaking Japanese. He had the most awful American accent (not as bad as some in my class, but still pretty bad) but I could still understand the majority of his show, which was genuinely amusing. At one point he asked (in Japanese, of course) "Those of you who can't understand my Japanese, raise your hands. ... If you raised your hand, why did you do it??" and it was pretty hilarious.
Then Konomi and her mom went home, and we broswed a few more shops and bought some bread pastries for breakfast tomorrow before going home. I didn't get to explore Ikspiari as thoroughly as I would have liked, but Nanase was getting restless, soo... that's the price of taking kids places. Oh well~
For dinner we had "gratin," this baked pasta-and-cheese-sauce thing. It was quite tasty, but Nanase had inexplicably started crying about 10 minutes before dinner started and would not stop. I have absolutely no idea why she was doing it (I could flatter myself and say it was because I was leaving, but I honestly have no clue) and she kept on for like 20 minutes. It takes effort to cry that long! Why, Na-chan, why? Oh well...
Before I went to bed I showed my host mom some of the American money I still had--a dollar, a quarter, a dime, a nickel, and a penny. She seemed so fascinated by them that I let her keep the coins. Lord knows I've got way too many anyway.
Also, my host family has hanging on cabinet doors a drawing that their last homestay student (a half-Japanese girl named Mika from the College of William and Mary who stayed for a month in early 2003) had done of Nanase, along with drawings by Nanase herself. So they wanted me to do my own portrait of her... oy! I did my best and drew Nanase as a mermaid (cause she likes The Little Mermaid) and Koron as a merdog, but I can't say how it compares to the seemingly-perfect picture Mika drew. I found myself oddly jealous of her, my predecessor, to be honest... oh well.
Koron's doggy cage. He doesn't stay in it a lot but you can see the bizarreness going on here... firstly, the water BOTTLE like a gerbil would have, as opposed to a bowl of water. Then, the pad spread out on the ground is to catch his pee. He doesn't go outside to pee, he does it here and then the pad is thrown away. Where does he poo? On the living room floor. He'll leave a poo on the ground, Nanase will holler, and my host mom will come along with a tissue and some disinfectant spray and clean it up. They always seem to scold him, so the first time it happened I thought he'd had an accident. But that's what always happens!! I guess because he spends all his time on the second floor, and has to be carried down the stairs to go outside, it isn't feasible to have to take him outside to do his business all the time. It's still insane, though...
Aww, hi Koron! After I took this, I tried to move him from that seat (as I'd been sitting there before I went to get my camera) but he didn't like that at all and bit me ¬_¬
Meeee~ Just a random self-portrait thing
Nanase and Konomi, with Koron and a stuffed bear thing
Awww :3
The Zat Amazing Guy dude at Ikspiari... I remain fascinated by his gaijin-ness!
They too, are fascinated by it. -_-
End of Week 1!!
Stay tuned for the next part, the Kyoto Adventure!! (hahah, wtf... >.>)
This part contains the conclusion of the time I spent with my host family in the Tokyo area before we moved on to Kyoto, etc. There's also 66 pictures here.
(Previously, on my LJ: Week 1 Part A)
Sarah's Japan Enikki, Week 1 Part B, Jan. 10-15, 2006
Tuesday, January 10, 2006 - First Day of Class
Today was the first day of class, and the first day of my routine I would follow throughout the week: get up, eat breakfast with my family (no shower in the morning as I am accustomed to, because I showered at night to fit in, and it actually didn't turn out too bad. It was interesting seeing what shape my hair chose to take every day >.>), walk out to the bus stop and get on a bus to take me (alone! ahh!) to Shin Urayasu Station where Erin, Kathryn, and Linsey are waiting, and then take the train together to Kaihin Makuhari, where OVTA and IES are. All of our host families and our class buildings are out in the Chiba area, by the way (Tokyo's suburbs, pretty much). I was led to believe that we'd be taking our classes at Kanda University, but it turned out that was not the case. Instead, we had our own classes comprised only of other students on the Janterm and tailored specifically for us. A little disappointing... oh well.
Japanese class was... interesting. First we went over "pronunciation" which was us repeating easy phrases we already knew (and in my case, already knew how to pronounce correctly). It was like... this is the intermediate class? I was kind of bored out of my mind. The teacher seems nice enough, but she chewed us out for taking too long of a break when I for one didn't even know how long it was supposed to be. Oh well...
For lunch we walked to IES and ate at the Italian restaurant on the first floor (Sciziari's or something like that), which was very delicious (they also had melon soda, my love! <3). Then we went up to IES and used the computers to check email until our afternoon lecture, "Gaijin in Mangaland," led by the guy who is the CEO of the company that produces those 'How to Draw Manga' books, who is a foreigner living in Japan (apparently his daughter speaks Japanese). It was interesting... though I resent the implication that we'll all automatically know what anime and manga are because if we're taking Japanese and going to Japan, obviously we also like anime/manga. And as I overheard a group of boys from our group saying the next day, the lecturer was a little too obvious about his desire to only make money. He ended his presentation with "And please buy my books!" for crying out loud. I realize he was half-joking, but that's rude even by brash American standards. But then again, I'm always disgusted by unabashed capitalism.
Then I stayed late to do research for my presentation topic, the Asakusa district, and then took the train back to Shin Urayasu with Kathryn.
Me and Na-chan before heading off to school in the morning!! Look at her adorable kindergarten uniform! I want to wear a unifooooorm!! ;_;
Wednesday, January 11, 2006 - Asakusa Tour
Today our group met at Nishi Funabashi Station around 10 a.m. and went to Asakusa from there. We walked around the area and explored Nakamise-dori (the street leading up to Asakusa's big temple, Sensoji, which is filled with shops selling all sorts of things), which was very colorful and interesting. Something weird happened though - in one store, I had picked up a lighter shaped like two Pepsi cans put end-to-end but couldn't figure out how to turn it on. Mary Anne took it and pushed a button, expecting the fire to come out one end, but instead it came out the other - the one next to her hair, which promptly caught on fire!! Within seconds she had put it out, but it shook all of us up for the rest of the day.
We rejoined our group and went together to the Japanese Drum Museum, which was on the fourth floor of a building also housing a drum gift shop. The floor was filled with drums from all over the world, and was mildly interesting, especially since we got to play some of them, but not incredibly fascinating... (Sorry, I know I'm a harsh judge, but traditional Japanese culture is just not what I really care about...)
Then we walked up and down Kappa-bashi, a street lined with vendors selling wholesale restaurant supplies--complete with the fake food gracing the windows in front of nearly every Japanese restaurant--before going to Sensoji Temple. Since I'd already been to the temple outside Tokyo Tower, that also didn't really interest me. But I waved smoke from the huge incense burner towards my head (so I can grow smarter!) and donated some yen at the temple entrance all the same. After that we went to eat at Denny's, where we had some confusion involving vegetarian Erin and Mary Anne and waitresses not understanding the concept of "no meat/no fish"... and then punishing us by not bringing us the check or dessert for like 20 minutes. I know we weren't being the easiest customers to deal with, but that's still not cool.
Finally we met back up with everyone at Kaminari-mon (the Thunder Gate at the head of Nakamise-dori) and took the train to Ryougoku, where the sumo place is. We went inside and found our seats--a few rows shy of ultimate nosebleed! I am afraid I didn't pay much attention to the sumo--save to notice the eye-catching blinged-out silver-lights robe of one of the wrestlers. But it's nothing personal against sumo... all sports, much as I try to be interested, ultimately cause my eyes to glaze over.
We were also making plans to go to Akihabara--me, Erin, Melissa, Mary Anne, and (ugh--we did not invite him, he just decided he was coming!) Alex--before coming back to Ryougoku to meet everyone for dinner. We spent all of our scant time in Akihabara exploring the multi-story Gamers store, where my friends loaded up on anime and video game paraphernalia and nothing caught my eye beyond a few gashapon figures. We got back to Ryougoku to find our group dwindled down to us, Sensei, and... Tad (oh, yay) for dinner. The only redeeming factor was Chika-san, the Japanese language resident from last year, joining us--though I regret that she had such unseemly company to dine with, sigh. So I more or less struggled through that... but it was really great to see her again (though she can never beat Hyung-hye!). Apparently she is working as a ticket-taker in Disneyland, so if I ever get to go there, I hope to see her.
Erin and I got a little confused on the train ride back and had to switch trains at one point, but we figured it out and made it back to Shin Urayasu... where I promptly got on the wrong bus to go home. I realized it as we were pulling out of the station and tried to get the driver to let me off, but he wouldn't and said I could still get to my house from one of that bus's stops. When we got to the stop in question, nothing looked familiar and as I showed the driver my map of the area, two other men on the bus rushed up to help!! And a businessman who had gotten off at that stop offered to walk me over to my part of town, which he did. I was only a couple minutes' walk away from my proper bus stop, but I'm sure without those helpful people I would have gotten horribly lost. So even though I was quite embarrassed and mad at myself for making such a dumb mistake (especially since it's not like it was my first time--more like my fourth), it did prove to me that not everyone in the Kanto area is as cold and unhelpful as they're reputed to be. The businessman who walked me back even spoke quite good English!
Kaminari-mon (the Thunder Gate) at the start of Nakamise-dori, the big street lined with vendors leading up to Sensoji. You can see the pink things lining it.
Fans in one of the shops. This was supposed to be a much cooler picture >.>
Taiko drum-playing at the drum museum. There's Fred in the middle and Tad (oh god) on the right. Just trust me when I say Tad is the most annoying person you will ever meet. GHS people... think Ace, but worse. (Fred, however, is way awesome. hearts!)
Mary Anne, Erin, Milin, Sarah K.
Kathryn
Hahah, the lady who runs the drum museum talking to Shin-san (one of the IES people), and then Milin
Ahah, look at Sensei and his baseball cap turned backwards. That is totally the only reason I took this picture XD On the plane he also had these thick glasses that we were all highly amused by. Oh Sensei!!
Front of Sensoji
The area where you put coins in and then clap your hands together and bow
Pagoda of one of the other buildings at Sensoji
At Ryougoku, in the sumo stadium... it's so exciting!! Not... >.>
Priest, walking around purifying the ring (well... I think >.>)
AHAHAH >_> Check out the guy with the red man-skirt and the sparkly circle on top. That was lit up!! He was blinged out! XD XD XD
Doing their little procession-y thing
Not quite sure... right before a fight began, I think
Sup Akihabara~ (the place to buy discount electronics and things, if you didn't know)
We took the "Electric Town Akihabara" exit. ELECTRIC TOWN!! XD ('Denki-cho' in Japanese, I think...)
Inside the uber-nerdy Gamers store. If I was still hardcore into anime, I would have been in heaven there!
Maaya Sakamoto!!! <3
Heh >:D
HEH HEH HEH >:DDD (oh yeah, it was fun forgetting these were on here when I showed my parents these pictures >.> I just skipped quickly over them *cough*)
Thursday, January 12, 2006 - Second Day of Classes
A quite unremarkable day, for the most part--until I went home, because I had said I would make dinner (quesadillas!). My host mom, Na-chan, and I went to the huge department store/grocery store building to get the ingredients. First we went to the 100y store there (yay for hyaku-en stores!! The dollar-store equivalent), where I picked up a transparent umbrella (yess) and some purple chopsticks with butterflies on them--my own chopsticks, yaay. Then at the grocery store, besides quesadilla ingredients and some dessert type things, I got this hilarious sponge with a face on it I'd seen on our last visit and loved. XD
Once home, I cooked dinner!! I even had to cook the chicken, and it was my first time doing it, since usually my mom does it (or we buy frozen chicken breast strips and use those). But it turned out well, and none of us got food poisoning. Making the quesadillas themselves was a challenge but I did it too and my host mom and Nanase seemed to love them. I hope they weren't faking it, but they seemed too enthusiastic, so I really hope they actually did like them. My host dad was really late in coming home so he had to have his warmed-up. I don't know if he loved it as much as the others did... but oh well. I made them as best I could, and almost everyone liked it, soo.
Before my host dad got home, though, my host mom had asked me to take a bath with Nanase (she wanted us to use this special bath salts stuff). Usually she bathes with Nanase, but I think she wanted to wait up for my host dad or something--or maybe it was even a gesture to indicate my inclusion in the family, I don't know. But seriously! I am a very modest person! I shower alone!! So I did it... but in my swimsuit ¬_¬ Nanase sort of looked at me like "Why aren't you naked?" (as she was, of course), but whateva... You know, I'd really like to use an onsen, but I know people would be staring at my gaijin body and I just don't know if I could handle it... ahh..
Friday, January 13, 2006 - Last Day of Classes
Another mostly unremarkable day. Lecture and class were boring as always, lunch torturous because we couldn't shake off certain people (ugh). What was quite enjoyable, though, was taking the subway and bus home alone. Ahh, I just love doing that once I've gotten used to a transportation system. :D
Once home, I watched the Disney channel (in English! <3 There was a Japanese dub but my host mom showed me how to turn it off. Ah, Suite Life and Phil of the Future, how I love you) until my host mom went to pick up this little boy she was going to babysit until his parents got home around 10, Yuho. That boy!! He seemed astonished that I was a gaijin and underestimated my Japanese ability, so he'd be saying things like "Gaikokujin da..." (A foreigner... [he also used the more formal way of saying it, which amuses me, why not just go with the casual 'gaijin'? Don't tell me he was trying to show me respect AS he talks about me right in front of me!]) to himself but of course I understood and replied with "Hai, gaijin desu" (Yes, I am a foreigner). Then when we were eating dinner he actually referred to me as "the gaijin." My host mom and Nanase just went silent and corrected him with "Her name is Sarah-chan." Oh snap!
Then he asked me "Sutaa-Waasu, shite-imasu ka?" (Do you know Star Wars?). While I appreciate the politeness (though it was odd, as he had been speaking in direct style to me the rest of the time), I just looked at him like "...Mochirou!!" (Of course!) and Nanase was all "Well, it's American." But he persisted with "...Eego de?" (in English?) completely incredulous and again, I just looked at him like he was crazy and said "Mochirou!!" I mean... Star Wars! In English! What will they think of next? Silly ethnocentric boy. Unfortunately, that's kind of a small example of all the Japanese who seem to regard Japan as the center of the world and Japanese as the ultimate language everything is issued in. I'm not saying Americans don't do it too, but at least seeing a foreigner isn't a huge shock for us. Honestly!
We had purin for dessert too--yay! (Purin is the custard pudding thing you always see Kero-chan eating in Cardcaptor Sakura.) I'd wanted to try it for awhile, so I was happy. :3
Saturday, January 14, 2006 - Kamakura Trip
Aghh, had to get up at like 6 in order to catch the train to get us to the IES building by 8:20. But we did it! Host families were allowed to come on this trip (to Kamakura, one of the villages around the Tokyo area famous for various things), but mine couldn't come, for whatever reason. I think my host mom had to work or something... it turns out she has, like, three part-time jobs. I wonder if she just likes doing it or if they actually (it doesn't seem this way) need the money.
So we got on our special bus and rode to Kamakura, about 2 hours away. First we stopped at Engakuji Temple, this sprawling Buddhist temple complex set in the hills of Kamakura. It was especially beautiful because of the overcast day making everything look dewy. I walked around mostly with Mary Anne, her host grandma, and her granddaughter, Sakura (so adorable). Mary Anne's host grandma even bought me a fortune--so nice! I tied to it to the rack along with all the other ones.
Then we got on the bus to go to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine, which was amazing and I wish we'd had more time there. I did have time to buy an awesome evil-protecting arrow with a new-year's-wish wooden plate thingy attached, though. On the front are painted dogs to represent the Year of the Dog, and the back is blank for you to write your wishes for 2006. Then you hang it on a board at the shrine with everyone else's. Mainly because it was raining by that point but also because I wanted to keep my plate, I didn't write my wishes and hang it.
I went to lunch with Mary Anne, her grandma, Sakura, and Erin. We found this tiny Italian cafe where I had incredibly spicy but delicious penne pasta. When we went back outside, it was pouring. My jeans below the knee, shoes, and socks all got horribly wet walking back to the bus. I was quite miserable.
Even though it was pouring rain, we still continued with the trip, just shortened it a bit. I had gotten so wet, though, that I just stayed in the bus for our last two stops, Hasedera and Daibutsu (the second-biggest Buddha statue in Japan). So I missed seeing those--oh well. Since I want to come back to Kamakura to explore the previous temples more, that's just another reason to do it someday. And most of all? It was too wet.
On the way back to the Tokyo area, we watched the original Japanese version of Shall We Dance? and it was awesome. My AC friends and I saw the American version at the dollar theatre last year, and it was really good, so it was fun to compare the differences. Also, the movie was just hilarious. We didn't get to finish it, though--maybe someday I can.
And at Shin Urayasu Station, my host mom was even waiting in the car to pick me up cause it was so rainy. Then we had the most delicious dinner ever--corn soup, rice, and hamburger patties. So good <3 I ate every single thing on my plate.
After we arrived at Kamakura, we had to walk across these train tracks to get to the first temple, but a big old JR train interrupted our progress!!
Engakuji Temple~
HERE DOUG. HERE IS YOUR TRIFORCE PICTURE. At least, that's what windsinger said it was. I know nothing of these things!
Dead fish in the pond >__> (see that yellow thing? That is a dedfish. >.>)
Sound accompanying this: here (the lovely sound of water trickling in the drain :33)
Ducks!! :D
At the next temple... Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. I loved this place. And because it was raining by that point, everyone busted out with their awesome umbrellas. Look at the colors!! I love Japanese umbrellas :D
The hand-purification place. Before you enter a shrine/temple, you are supposed to pour the water here over your hands to purify them. Sometimes I did it, and sometimes it was just too damn cold. >.>
Pigeons!! Also, a place where you hang the wooden plates with your wishes for the new year written on them.
This is a famous stage where a woman named Lady Shimizu (I think that is her name) danced a dance of love for this guy's brother, the lord of the place or something... and the guy was mad at her cause he disapproved of the relationship and she was supposed to dance a dance praising him. etc... I think it's cool though :3
Steps leading up to the main shrine building
I was trying to get a picture of this priest with a bullhorn but I failed ;_;
yay I love this picture and totally don't even remember taking it!
More wishes~
Hahah, so I totally stole the idea for this picture from soundboz. But here you can see my awesome transparent umbrella that I got for a DOLLA~ Hyaku-en store, what up!!
Pigeons!!
Sunday, January 15, 2006 - Last Day in Urayasu City :(
Finally, a day when I was able to sleep in! I slept in until 11 and got up and made my own breakfast (according to the amusingly Engrishy note my host mom left me XD "It takes it out of the packet and puts it in the microwave," heee). She and Na-chan came home around noon with a friend of Nanase's, Konomi. We had lunch (yakisoba!!! <3 <3) and then went to go play miniature golf. It was this little quasi-ghetto course, but it was still fun. :)
Then we went to Ikspiari, this Disney-owned shopping complex near Disneyland & DisneySea. Konomi's mom met us there--she is so nice! Reminded me a lot of Aunt Sharon. They had a Rainforest Cafe, and we broswed the gift shop and I got a zodiac frog gashapon thing (leading to a discussion of everyone's Chinese zodiac sign. It turns out Na-chan is a rabbit, and as my host mom explained, that's why she's always hopping around, "pyon pyon" [the noise a rabbit makes when it hops, I think XD], ahaha). We walked around some more until we came across the show of "Zat Amazing Guy" (I only know his name because he passed out postcards with it written on it. Actually, you had to give him money to get one, and that was when he referred to the kids clamoring for one as "kodomos." KODOMOS AHAHAH XDDDD), who fascinated me not for his unicycle tricks or block juggling prowess, but for the fact that he was gaijin--an American speaking Japanese. He had the most awful American accent (not as bad as some in my class, but still pretty bad) but I could still understand the majority of his show, which was genuinely amusing. At one point he asked (in Japanese, of course) "Those of you who can't understand my Japanese, raise your hands. ... If you raised your hand, why did you do it??" and it was pretty hilarious.
Then Konomi and her mom went home, and we broswed a few more shops and bought some bread pastries for breakfast tomorrow before going home. I didn't get to explore Ikspiari as thoroughly as I would have liked, but Nanase was getting restless, soo... that's the price of taking kids places. Oh well~
For dinner we had "gratin," this baked pasta-and-cheese-sauce thing. It was quite tasty, but Nanase had inexplicably started crying about 10 minutes before dinner started and would not stop. I have absolutely no idea why she was doing it (I could flatter myself and say it was because I was leaving, but I honestly have no clue) and she kept on for like 20 minutes. It takes effort to cry that long! Why, Na-chan, why? Oh well...
Before I went to bed I showed my host mom some of the American money I still had--a dollar, a quarter, a dime, a nickel, and a penny. She seemed so fascinated by them that I let her keep the coins. Lord knows I've got way too many anyway.
Also, my host family has hanging on cabinet doors a drawing that their last homestay student (a half-Japanese girl named Mika from the College of William and Mary who stayed for a month in early 2003) had done of Nanase, along with drawings by Nanase herself. So they wanted me to do my own portrait of her... oy! I did my best and drew Nanase as a mermaid (cause she likes The Little Mermaid) and Koron as a merdog, but I can't say how it compares to the seemingly-perfect picture Mika drew. I found myself oddly jealous of her, my predecessor, to be honest... oh well.
Koron's doggy cage. He doesn't stay in it a lot but you can see the bizarreness going on here... firstly, the water BOTTLE like a gerbil would have, as opposed to a bowl of water. Then, the pad spread out on the ground is to catch his pee. He doesn't go outside to pee, he does it here and then the pad is thrown away. Where does he poo? On the living room floor. He'll leave a poo on the ground, Nanase will holler, and my host mom will come along with a tissue and some disinfectant spray and clean it up. They always seem to scold him, so the first time it happened I thought he'd had an accident. But that's what always happens!! I guess because he spends all his time on the second floor, and has to be carried down the stairs to go outside, it isn't feasible to have to take him outside to do his business all the time. It's still insane, though...
Aww, hi Koron! After I took this, I tried to move him from that seat (as I'd been sitting there before I went to get my camera) but he didn't like that at all and bit me ¬_¬
Meeee~ Just a random self-portrait thing
Nanase and Konomi, with Koron and a stuffed bear thing
Awww :3
The Zat Amazing Guy dude at Ikspiari... I remain fascinated by his gaijin-ness!
They too, are fascinated by it. -_-
End of Week 1!!
Stay tuned for the next part, the Kyoto Adventure!! (hahah, wtf... >.>)