Yesterday morning I watched Reize kindergarten perform a little Christmas concert, then did my best to study under the influence of a cough medicine I had been taking. The medicine had worked, but I'm not taking it any more because of how loopy it made me. Still, it was a blessing in disguise, because although I was stressed out and dizzy, I was in ( Read more... )

Friday:Had my speaking test, which I think went alright, and then I spent the afternoon sitting in on Prof. Scott's classes which I am not enrolled it. It was cool, we had good discussions which kind of blended across the classes ( Read more... )

I have a gripe about Japan: the only people on the game shows are all talents.

( Talking about TV )

It sounds like many of my readers are in cold places, buried in who knows many snow falls already. And I'm heading back to those snowy places in a short period of time. Woe ( Read more... )

I mentioned that riding your bike can be dangerous in Japan, but I did not elaborate. Japan has hazards very uncommon to America on the sidewalk: random posts, half-fences I cannot figure out the usefulness of, and steep drops that can be hard to notice.


( Read more... )

I can now say I've helped make mochi. For those who are not familiar with mochi, it's very sticky rice cake, and sometimes people get together for mochi-making events by pounding and folding wet rice in big stone pins, and having people take turns pounding it with large wooden mallets. I was one such person ( Read more... )

Yesterday morning it rained pretty hard on my way to school. There was lightning, too. I do so hate being wet. Thankfully I only had morning classes so I could get home early and change. I needed to get home early anyway for an outing my host family had been planning for while ( Read more... )

One of the things I will miss most (next to melon pan, of course) is karaoke ( Read more... )

Remember Hirakata Kyoukai? http://valpo-buri.livejournal.com/5838.html

I described my first trip to the Catholic church here back in this entry, but have not mentioned it much since then. I thought I'd expand on it a little more now.

( A little more background, then some anecdotes )

The title is from the song they're singing on a game show right now. In costumes. Yes, Japanese TV is crazy and that's part of why I'm looking forward to writing about Japanese Visual Culture next semester ( Read more... )