☆日本に着きました☆
I've reached Japan at last!
Well, actually, I arrived at Narita Airport (成田空港) last Monday (September 11th)...
All the impressions are overwhelming!
But, wait, I'll try to put my thoughts in order:
２００６年９月１１日
We arrived at Narita at 10 a.m. The long flight was stressful, but not as bad as I would have imagined. I've watched several movies, e.g. Lion King and The Incredibles in Japanese.
I couldn't get much sleep, but somehow I wasn't really tired, just exhausted when we arrived. In case you're wondering: When I write "we" I'm referring to my fellow students and me, a total of eight people.
Guess what was the first thing I bought? A pack of strawberry flavoured Pocky Sticks! XD I just couldn't hesitate when I saw them...
Surprisingly, I didn't suffer from jet lag, only my appetite has decreased. I'm awake till at least 2 a.m., though, but this has nothing to do with jet lag, the Japanese students stay up this long as well. It's propably because of this weird daily routine you get when you're here. Dusk is at 5 p.m. and dawn at 5 a.m. the whole year through. Plus, it takes only 20 minutes until it's fully dark/bright. Two days ago I somehow managed to go to bed by daybreak and to wake up by sunset... It all feels so strange!
At that evening (we're still talking about September 11th) some Japanese students did a small welcome party with onigiri, yakisoba and so on. It was a fine party to say, almost enough to make me forget being seperated from my friends and family for 11 months.
The first night alone was tough, but by the next day break, everything went on just fine.
Everyone is really kind. The Japanese students sure care a lot about us.
The dormitory for female international students (in short: Lkan - L館) is... well... not the Four Seasons Hotel, but quite okay. The only big problem is: When the trimester begins, we'll be 65 people at the girl's dormitory, but there are only 5 (!!!) showers and 3 crappy computers. It's ludicrous.
I share a room with my fellow student Candy. I've bought a plant, so it doesn't look too bald anymore. It's not much, but it's home. XD
On the picture above you can only see my part of the room. Candy's side looks pretty much the same. There also is a small entrance area with two closets and a mirror and a small balcony.
２００６年９月１３日
We went to Tokyo that day. It was rainy and cold, I nearly catched a cold. Since this trip is pretty expensive (1300 Yen), I don't think I'll go there very often. As soon as class starts, I don't have much time, either. We only went to Shinjuku (新宿) to look for some stuff and to ... well see Tokyo at last. It's really impressive - all those high buildings with huge department stores and all those always good looking people @.@
As I was busy with shivering that day, I'll write more about this incredible city after my next trip.
２００６年９月１６日
Our teacher from Germany (who will stay here until October 1st) took us to Kamakura (鎌倉), the place of the shogunate from 1185 to 1333. As for our teacher enjoys hiking, we did't use the train to go to the temples and shrines but actually hiked through forests and hills. It was quite fun, but judging by our teacher's speed I somehow had the impression we were being chased...
Our first stop was the Zeniarai Benten (銭荒い弁天), where people travel to in order to purify their money by washing it in the water of a small fountain.
Before you enter a shrine you have to wash your hands properly, first the right one, then the left one and the right one again. Then clean the scoop by letting the water pour down the handle.
These are Omikuji (お籤), small oracle slips of paper you can buy at every shrine. If you want the oracle to come true, keep them. I you want to prevent a bad fortune, you have to attach it like this to a special tree or wooden framework at the shrine.
These are Ema (絵馬). You can buy these wooden plates at the shrine as well. Then write your wish on it an attach it to a special framework. Most people wish for success at school or work, for health or for love. I've also read one Ema saying "Let this stalker disappear" ... Scary...
These origami cranes, tsuru (鶴), are to bring luck to those who folds 100 of them. Pretty, aren't tey?
Our next stop was the Daibutsu (大仏), a giant bronze buddha staute from the 13th century. It doesn't look like this on the picture, but it's incredibly impressive when you stand right in front of it. You can even enter the statue (I did). Seeing this buddha finally gave me the feeling of acually having made the right decision to study here. It's just breathtaking.
Don't I look horrible? XD It's the high humidity that makes my hair look like straw... But nevermind that. Enjoy the sight of Japan's beauty.
An interesting story about the Daibutsu: 1495 a tidal wave swept away the entire temple in which the statue was located, but the buddha remainded uninjured.
Next stop: Hase Kannon Temple (Hasedera - 長谷寺)
This temple had an awfully pretty garden and a humongous golden Kannon statue. From an observation platform, I could also see the ocean and Kamakura City.
This is the main building of the temple, the Kannon Hall (Kannon-dou - 観音堂), we're there was this beautiful huge, eleven headed golden statue of Kanno. The temple buildings themselves were stunning as well.
Then, finally, we reached the main shrine of Kamakura: Kamakura Jinja (鎌倉神社)
Unfortunately, there has been some construction work, but nevertheless it was great! There was live traditional Japanese music and some stalls offering takoyaki and so on. I was really excited when I saw a miko and some school girls in yukatas. ^^'
We also watched some buzzards being fed. These birds sure looked dangerous...
This is the main building of the shrine. Don't EVER underestimate these stairs! Especially not, when you have just wandered the forests around Kamakura...
This shot is pretty random, but I like it anyway, so I put it here. These dove were persistant!
Well, so much for my first report... I'm actually exhausted now... I wish I could properly describe this country and its people, but it's just impossible. I hope the photos gave you some kind of impression. Please feel free to comment!
Well, actually, I arrived at Narita Airport (成田空港) last Monday (September 11th)...
All the impressions are overwhelming!
But, wait, I'll try to put my thoughts in order:
２００６年９月１１日
We arrived at Narita at 10 a.m. The long flight was stressful, but not as bad as I would have imagined. I've watched several movies, e.g. Lion King and The Incredibles in Japanese.
I couldn't get much sleep, but somehow I wasn't really tired, just exhausted when we arrived. In case you're wondering: When I write "we" I'm referring to my fellow students and me, a total of eight people.
Guess what was the first thing I bought? A pack of strawberry flavoured Pocky Sticks! XD I just couldn't hesitate when I saw them...
Surprisingly, I didn't suffer from jet lag, only my appetite has decreased. I'm awake till at least 2 a.m., though, but this has nothing to do with jet lag, the Japanese students stay up this long as well. It's propably because of this weird daily routine you get when you're here. Dusk is at 5 p.m. and dawn at 5 a.m. the whole year through. Plus, it takes only 20 minutes until it's fully dark/bright. Two days ago I somehow managed to go to bed by daybreak and to wake up by sunset... It all feels so strange!
At that evening (we're still talking about September 11th) some Japanese students did a small welcome party with onigiri, yakisoba and so on. It was a fine party to say, almost enough to make me forget being seperated from my friends and family for 11 months.
The first night alone was tough, but by the next day break, everything went on just fine.
Everyone is really kind. The Japanese students sure care a lot about us.
The dormitory for female international students (in short: Lkan - L館) is... well... not the Four Seasons Hotel, but quite okay. The only big problem is: When the trimester begins, we'll be 65 people at the girl's dormitory, but there are only 5 (!!!) showers and 3 crappy computers. It's ludicrous.
I share a room with my fellow student Candy. I've bought a plant, so it doesn't look too bald anymore. It's not much, but it's home. XD
On the picture above you can only see my part of the room. Candy's side looks pretty much the same. There also is a small entrance area with two closets and a mirror and a small balcony.
２００６年９月１３日
We went to Tokyo that day. It was rainy and cold, I nearly catched a cold. Since this trip is pretty expensive (1300 Yen), I don't think I'll go there very often. As soon as class starts, I don't have much time, either. We only went to Shinjuku (新宿) to look for some stuff and to ... well see Tokyo at last. It's really impressive - all those high buildings with huge department stores and all those always good looking people @.@
As I was busy with shivering that day, I'll write more about this incredible city after my next trip.
２００６年９月１６日
Our teacher from Germany (who will stay here until October 1st) took us to Kamakura (鎌倉), the place of the shogunate from 1185 to 1333. As for our teacher enjoys hiking, we did't use the train to go to the temples and shrines but actually hiked through forests and hills. It was quite fun, but judging by our teacher's speed I somehow had the impression we were being chased...
Our first stop was the Zeniarai Benten (銭荒い弁天), where people travel to in order to purify their money by washing it in the water of a small fountain.
Before you enter a shrine you have to wash your hands properly, first the right one, then the left one and the right one again. Then clean the scoop by letting the water pour down the handle.
These are Omikuji (お籤), small oracle slips of paper you can buy at every shrine. If you want the oracle to come true, keep them. I you want to prevent a bad fortune, you have to attach it like this to a special tree or wooden framework at the shrine.
These are Ema (絵馬). You can buy these wooden plates at the shrine as well. Then write your wish on it an attach it to a special framework. Most people wish for success at school or work, for health or for love. I've also read one Ema saying "Let this stalker disappear" ... Scary...
These origami cranes, tsuru (鶴), are to bring luck to those who folds 100 of them. Pretty, aren't tey?
Our next stop was the Daibutsu (大仏), a giant bronze buddha staute from the 13th century. It doesn't look like this on the picture, but it's incredibly impressive when you stand right in front of it. You can even enter the statue (I did). Seeing this buddha finally gave me the feeling of acually having made the right decision to study here. It's just breathtaking.
Don't I look horrible? XD It's the high humidity that makes my hair look like straw... But nevermind that. Enjoy the sight of Japan's beauty.
An interesting story about the Daibutsu: 1495 a tidal wave swept away the entire temple in which the statue was located, but the buddha remainded uninjured.
Next stop: Hase Kannon Temple (Hasedera - 長谷寺)
This temple had an awfully pretty garden and a humongous golden Kannon statue. From an observation platform, I could also see the ocean and Kamakura City.
This is the main building of the temple, the Kannon Hall (Kannon-dou - 観音堂), we're there was this beautiful huge, eleven headed golden statue of Kanno. The temple buildings themselves were stunning as well.
Then, finally, we reached the main shrine of Kamakura: Kamakura Jinja (鎌倉神社)
Unfortunately, there has been some construction work, but nevertheless it was great! There was live traditional Japanese music and some stalls offering takoyaki and so on. I was really excited when I saw a miko and some school girls in yukatas. ^^'
We also watched some buzzards being fed. These birds sure looked dangerous...
This is the main building of the shrine. Don't EVER underestimate these stairs! Especially not, when you have just wandered the forests around Kamakura...
This shot is pretty random, but I like it anyway, so I put it here. These dove were persistant!
Well, so much for my first report... I'm actually exhausted now... I wish I could properly describe this country and its people, but it's just impossible. I hope the photos gave you some kind of impression. Please feel free to comment!