桜、桜
Ever since we finally got internet connection in our rooms I've definitely spent too much time in front of my notebook. However, this has changed recently due to the facts that
1) I'm going home in 2 months and don't want to waste my time
2) I'm busy with homework
3) I spent a lot of time with either Juyoung or Jungeun. These two are Korean exchange students and sooo funny. Especially with Jungeun (whom I prefer to call by her nickname Kiitan, because it's easier to pronounce) I spent a lot of time fangirling over JE (`^ω^´)
We'll go to karaoke on Saturday and to Harajuku (JE shopping) on Monday ＼（・∀・）／
Tuesday was a goood day. Sayaka, whom I met through Kiitan, went to two KAT-TUN Concerts last weekend and got me the new tour pamphlet with Akanishi in it. It is more than obvious that the photos were taken in NY, what means it was clear since February that he would return KAT-TUN, but then why torture the fans and let them wait until May?? （=3=）
Anyway, I got that pamphlet on Tuesday and looking at the photos made me once again think it was a good thing that Akanishi took a break from KAT-TUN. He looks much healthier now (actually he gained some weight) and laughs more often.
...
It's unbelievable how 8 months in Japan turned me into a fangirl. When I got my copy of the pamphlet today I caught myself blushing out of excitement...! But then again, it might be a good thing, I met a lot of new friends through this new fandom.
Oh, by the way, I bought Yorokobi no Uta today. Twice actually, out of accident. Long story. Anyone need a copy? （=_=）I love the song. I love the PV. Nevermind the fact that they don't really match.
Another thing I just wanted to add: I hate Japanese summer. I hate it even now, although it hasn't really started yet. It's humid. Very humid. Greenhouse anyone? According to the weather forecast, it's about 20° C now, but neverless you start sweating the very instant you leave the house. In July and August it will be 30°C. I think I might as well just die.
Enough blah and fangirlism, on with the report =3
2月1日～4月5日 - ドイツ語紹介ビデオ (German Language Promotion Video)
In order to get the new students study a foreign language, the Foreign Language Center sets up a two day event to introduce the different languages offered at Tokai University. For that purpose, students and teachers from each country prepare something to show it on that occasion. As for the German language faculty has become some kind of tradition to shoot a video. A word and a blow, and Taiki, who is absolutely gifted in matters of art, started shooting for that commercial in February.
I'll just skip telling you about the struggles we had finding a story, a location and a main actor ...
The story was set in Germany, so we had to look out for locations that wouldn't look too Japanese. Easier said than done. (=_=) In the end we decided on a small wood near our dorm.
On the photo above you can see Jana (acting as the mandatory blonde foreign (i.e. German) beauty), Kinsan (our involuntary main actor) and Taiki (director, cameraman, editor...).
Maybe I should mention that Taiki has that tiny little tendency of perfectionism. Thus, it took us about 3 hours to shoot that scene, which in the end was nothing more than maybe 20 seconds in the actual movie. Everytime we shot one setting he would go: "Perfect. Just one more time, please." ... "One more time" was a banned phrase by the end of that day.
Nevertheless thumbs up for Kinsan who endured about 30 "one more time"s each day of the shooting. And of course, Taiki's perfectionism wasn't for nothing: The finished product looks absolutely professional in every aspect.
The second part of the main shooting. Set in a German restaurant we had some problems finding a place to shoot. We finally found our non-Japanese looking loacation in Boogie's Bar, a tiny but nice bar close to the supermarket.
As you can see, Taiki was pretty inventive when it came to finding a way to get a certain angle （>∀<）
Okay, enough talk, go and watch the video:
OR download it in higher resolution here via Sendspace (19.5 MB).
I won't spoil anything about the story. The dialogues are in Japanese/German, but I'm pretty sure you get most of it even without knowing these languages.
3月～4月 - 桜 (Sakura)
I don't think I need to tell you much about Sakura any more, so I'll just spam you with pictures （>∀<）
I was really excited about seeing the cherry blossoms myself, but in the end I actually missed the peak because I went home at the beginning of April. Nevertheless, I think I got an impression about what it was like... I wasn't that keen on participating in a Hanami (花見 - a picknick under cherry blossom trees - usually with thousand of people on narrow space) anyway. I prefer to have some ellbow room.
Pretty aren't they? I always thought them to be more pink, though. Well it depends on the species of course.
As you can see, it was still too early when I took these pictures. Most trees were still full of buds and only had a few blossoms. I actually went all the way to Odawara on the day before I left for Germany because the gardens at the castle there are said to be very pretty.
This view made up for the dissappointmet of having only seen one tree in full blossom: They decorated the shopping streets in Odawara with small balloons and made it look like Sakura petals were floating through the air. （´^ω^`）
This is what it looked like at the campus when I came back about 10 days later (around April 10th that is). Streets covered in petals everywhere you'd look (`*ω*´) I still can't decide which is prettier: Trees in full bloom or light pink petals covering the ground.
Another species of cherry blossoms that was in bloom about 2-3 weeks later.
... And a student trying to get rid of the massive amount of blossoms covering the streets （・д・）
4月10日 - 明治神宮 (Meiji Shrine)
April 10th wasn't the first time I went to Meiji Shrine. It's located in Harajuku, close to Takeshita Street (竹下通り, where you can fulfill all you JE-fangirl needs). I went there for the first time somewhen in January, but since it was rainy that day I couldn't take any proper pictures. When I went again in April, however, the sky was pretty clear and so now I can finally spam you with pictures of the shrine and the beautiful surrounding garden.
The Meiji shrine was between 1915 and 1920, dedicated to Emperor Meiji and his wife. However, it was destroyed during World War II and rebuilt 1958. Thus, most parts of it are fairly new.
The park surrounding the shrine has three entrances and if I'm not mistaken this is the Torii at the main south entrance. They might be not as eye-catching as the red Toriis I showed you before, but the original wood grain harmonises perfectly with the surrounding trees. It is indeed a sight that calms you.
The Outer Shrine (外拝殿). It is totally quiet there and you can't here the noise from the surrounding streets at all, but hey, it wouldn't be Tokyo if you weren't able to spot a skyscraper somewhere, would it? In this case it's the NTT DoCoMo Yoyogi Building you see.
One of the huge gates that lead to the Shrine grounds.
Absurdities in daily life Japan
Taken by Jana
As I mentioned last time, Japanese love signs. You might argue that there's nothing special with the sign above and that it's easy to understand what it's pointing at, but what I am aiming at is not only the confusing sign itself but the fact, that you're absolutely in need for such signs, because the way Japanese streets are arranged shows no visible sign of any common sense, let alone logic. Everyone who has seen a map of a Japanese city knows what I'm talking about... In case you haven't: Image a plate of spaghetti.
Speaking of randomness, I figured I've never shown you a picture of our dorm, so here it is, taken at the same day I went to Meiji Shrine:
It's not much, but it's home (=.=) The girls' dorm, also called L-kan (L館). Our room is on the third floor, leftmost. It looks smaller in this picture than it actually is, though. It has a "H"shape, so what you can see on this picture is only the north part of it.
1) I'm going home in 2 months and don't want to waste my time
2) I'm busy with homework
3) I spent a lot of time with either Juyoung or Jungeun. These two are Korean exchange students and sooo funny. Especially with Jungeun (whom I prefer to call by her nickname Kiitan, because it's easier to pronounce) I spent a lot of time fangirling over JE (`^ω^´)
We'll go to karaoke on Saturday and to Harajuku (JE shopping) on Monday ＼（・∀・）／
Tuesday was a goood day. Sayaka, whom I met through Kiitan, went to two KAT-TUN Concerts last weekend and got me the new tour pamphlet with Akanishi in it. It is more than obvious that the photos were taken in NY, what means it was clear since February that he would return KAT-TUN, but then why torture the fans and let them wait until May?? （=3=）
Anyway, I got that pamphlet on Tuesday and looking at the photos made me once again think it was a good thing that Akanishi took a break from KAT-TUN. He looks much healthier now (actually he gained some weight) and laughs more often.
...
It's unbelievable how 8 months in Japan turned me into a fangirl. When I got my copy of the pamphlet today I caught myself blushing out of excitement...! But then again, it might be a good thing, I met a lot of new friends through this new fandom.
Oh, by the way, I bought Yorokobi no Uta today. Twice actually, out of accident. Long story. Anyone need a copy? （=_=）I love the song. I love the PV. Nevermind the fact that they don't really match.
Another thing I just wanted to add: I hate Japanese summer. I hate it even now, although it hasn't really started yet. It's humid. Very humid. Greenhouse anyone? According to the weather forecast, it's about 20° C now, but neverless you start sweating the very instant you leave the house. In July and August it will be 30°C. I think I might as well just die.
Enough blah and fangirlism, on with the report =3
2月1日～4月5日 - ドイツ語紹介ビデオ (German Language Promotion Video)
In order to get the new students study a foreign language, the Foreign Language Center sets up a two day event to introduce the different languages offered at Tokai University. For that purpose, students and teachers from each country prepare something to show it on that occasion. As for the German language faculty has become some kind of tradition to shoot a video. A word and a blow, and Taiki, who is absolutely gifted in matters of art, started shooting for that commercial in February.
I'll just skip telling you about the struggles we had finding a story, a location and a main actor ...
The story was set in Germany, so we had to look out for locations that wouldn't look too Japanese. Easier said than done. (=_=) In the end we decided on a small wood near our dorm.
On the photo above you can see Jana (acting as the mandatory blonde foreign (i.e. German) beauty), Kinsan (our involuntary main actor) and Taiki (director, cameraman, editor...).
Maybe I should mention that Taiki has that tiny little tendency of perfectionism. Thus, it took us about 3 hours to shoot that scene, which in the end was nothing more than maybe 20 seconds in the actual movie. Everytime we shot one setting he would go: "Perfect. Just one more time, please." ... "One more time" was a banned phrase by the end of that day.
Nevertheless thumbs up for Kinsan who endured about 30 "one more time"s each day of the shooting. And of course, Taiki's perfectionism wasn't for nothing: The finished product looks absolutely professional in every aspect.
The second part of the main shooting. Set in a German restaurant we had some problems finding a place to shoot. We finally found our non-Japanese looking loacation in Boogie's Bar, a tiny but nice bar close to the supermarket.
As you can see, Taiki was pretty inventive when it came to finding a way to get a certain angle （>∀<）
Okay, enough talk, go and watch the video:
OR download it in higher resolution here via Sendspace (19.5 MB).
I won't spoil anything about the story. The dialogues are in Japanese/German, but I'm pretty sure you get most of it even without knowing these languages.
3月～4月 - 桜 (Sakura)
I don't think I need to tell you much about Sakura any more, so I'll just spam you with pictures （>∀<）
I was really excited about seeing the cherry blossoms myself, but in the end I actually missed the peak because I went home at the beginning of April. Nevertheless, I think I got an impression about what it was like... I wasn't that keen on participating in a Hanami (花見 - a picknick under cherry blossom trees - usually with thousand of people on narrow space) anyway. I prefer to have some ellbow room.
Pretty aren't they? I always thought them to be more pink, though. Well it depends on the species of course.
As you can see, it was still too early when I took these pictures. Most trees were still full of buds and only had a few blossoms. I actually went all the way to Odawara on the day before I left for Germany because the gardens at the castle there are said to be very pretty.
This view made up for the dissappointmet of having only seen one tree in full blossom: They decorated the shopping streets in Odawara with small balloons and made it look like Sakura petals were floating through the air. （´^ω^`）
This is what it looked like at the campus when I came back about 10 days later (around April 10th that is). Streets covered in petals everywhere you'd look (`*ω*´) I still can't decide which is prettier: Trees in full bloom or light pink petals covering the ground.
Another species of cherry blossoms that was in bloom about 2-3 weeks later.
... And a student trying to get rid of the massive amount of blossoms covering the streets （・д・）
4月10日 - 明治神宮 (Meiji Shrine)
April 10th wasn't the first time I went to Meiji Shrine. It's located in Harajuku, close to Takeshita Street (竹下通り, where you can fulfill all you JE-fangirl needs). I went there for the first time somewhen in January, but since it was rainy that day I couldn't take any proper pictures. When I went again in April, however, the sky was pretty clear and so now I can finally spam you with pictures of the shrine and the beautiful surrounding garden.
The Meiji shrine was between 1915 and 1920, dedicated to Emperor Meiji and his wife. However, it was destroyed during World War II and rebuilt 1958. Thus, most parts of it are fairly new.
The park surrounding the shrine has three entrances and if I'm not mistaken this is the Torii at the main south entrance. They might be not as eye-catching as the red Toriis I showed you before, but the original wood grain harmonises perfectly with the surrounding trees. It is indeed a sight that calms you.
The Outer Shrine (外拝殿). It is totally quiet there and you can't here the noise from the surrounding streets at all, but hey, it wouldn't be Tokyo if you weren't able to spot a skyscraper somewhere, would it? In this case it's the NTT DoCoMo Yoyogi Building you see.
One of the huge gates that lead to the Shrine grounds.
Absurdities in daily life Japan
Taken by Jana
As I mentioned last time, Japanese love signs. You might argue that there's nothing special with the sign above and that it's easy to understand what it's pointing at, but what I am aiming at is not only the confusing sign itself but the fact, that you're absolutely in need for such signs, because the way Japanese streets are arranged shows no visible sign of any common sense, let alone logic. Everyone who has seen a map of a Japanese city knows what I'm talking about... In case you haven't: Image a plate of spaghetti.
Speaking of randomness, I figured I've never shown you a picture of our dorm, so here it is, taken at the same day I went to Meiji Shrine:
It's not much, but it's home (=.=) The girls' dorm, also called L-kan (L館). Our room is on the third floor, leftmost. It looks smaller in this picture than it actually is, though. It has a "H"shape, so what you can see on this picture is only the north part of it.