Pictures from this weekend's trip to Kyoto!

It was super rainy, but Kyoto is beautiful. I think the pictures can describe what I saw better than I can so...




The batteries for my camera ran out on Saturday, so that kind of sucks, but I think I captured most of what I saw.

Ok, some background- for our culture class we took a trip to Kyoto. We left at 8:30 AM and took a tour bus (surprisingly comfortable) to our first stop -Kiyomizu temple. We walked around there and it was cool, and then we split into groups and went shopping and ate lunch. We met at Chionin shrine and walked around there for a while. At around 4:30 we checked in at the ryoukan. The ryoukan (Japanese style inn) that we stayed at was freaking AMAZING! Tatami mats, futons (super comfortable!), gorgeous 15 course meals (Laura and I got vegetarian ones), cute old ladies in kimonos, Japanese robes for everyone, ahhhh, it was amazing. They had a public bath as well, but that's not my sort of thing. Laura has pictures of the ryoukan, I'll have to get those from her soon. There was karaoke at dinner-that was pretty awesome. After dinner, we messed around, visiting the nearby convenience store, some people taking public baths. I went to bed pretty late that night, and had to wake up at 7:45am for breakfast the next morning. Breakfast was pretty awesome too, but I couldn't fully appreciate it as I was mostly asleep. When we checked out of the ryoukan, some of the staff held up a banner saying "thank you!" and bowed and waved; it was really cute. I was in a bit of a daze that day, so I don't really remember where we went, but I do remember being disgusted by a public toilet. Anyway, I'm back now, and I have to get back to my homework.
I miss all of you, and I can't wait to see you in December!
-Jonathan

Gomennasai! Sorry, this is only a short update...

Hey everyone, sorry I haven't updated in a while, school has been nuts! Ok, things I dropped the ball on-
1) Laura's birthday party was the 13th. As much as she hates surprises, it was a surprise birthday party. There were two ice cream cakes, tons of munchies and the awesome atmosphere of a candlelit koi pond at night. It was a little cool, and people forgot to bring jackets, so after the cake, we went inside and hung out and listened to music.
2)Everyone went to a ceramics museum. It was really cool! There were tons of teapots, and they were so sweet, but there were not pictures allowed, so bad luck, ne? There were also tons of grade school kids in yellow hats. Seriously, all the little kids wear yellow hats. All the time. I think it's super sweet. After the museum, we went to a studio and made our our ceramical objects. Mine isn't done yet, but I promise I will post a picture went it comes.
3) English retreat. There was a retreat for the Japanese students who are learning Japanese. The OU kids went to mix and mingle and help the peeps with their English skillz. It was pretty cool-we had a tatami style room with futons directly on the ground, and they only had a public bath. Knowing this before hand, I showered before departing from and upon arriving at the dorm. I've got pictures, but I'll upload those later.

This week- midterm hell. A major test in every class this week, but luckily, this Friday we are going to Kyoto! I'll make sure to blag about it when I get back on Saturday. BTWs, when did the family and I decide to skype each other? I'm sorry I missed it this last weekend. I think it was 7:30 pm on Saturday your time, but I'm not sure.

Anyway, I'm bushed, so I'm going to nap before I meet with my conversation partners.
-Jonathan

The weekend

In class today, I had to pretend I was entertaining visitors. Sandra, Shizuko, and Ryan came over to my "house," and we talked about "iroiro" things (many types of things.) They made me take a picture of them. Conversation class is really fun because we get to role play, but it's especially fun because these guys are in it.
Kit Kat in a jar? What?
We cleared maybe 75%of this field; just Laura, Alex, Koh-san, Grace, and myself.


Well, farmer Laura, what do you think?






Morning glory in Japanese is "morning face."
Crazy kid video games in a department store...weird.



Ok, so it's late, but this weekend was pretty fun. Well, mostly just Saturday. Saturday morning Laura and I went out and harvested rice! By hand! With a little sharp scythe thing called a kama! It was sweet, but also hard work. We couldn't really understand what was going on because it was all in Japanese, so by some twist of fate, the foreign students ended up being the only ones working in the end. We quit at around noon. We were bushed, so we took a nap. We woke up a couple hours later, hung out, started some homework (actually, I think that was just me,) and at around 5:30 we started getting ready for Thompson sensei's party. Unfortunately, by some divine error, I left my camera in the dorm, so the food we ate and the karaoke bar we went to afterward will have to just be imagined. We went to a Japanese style restaurant, and Laura and I, being vegetarians and the only non-drinkers of the group, had to sit at a separate table, but we still have to pay for the "all-you-can-drink." We ordered corn, french fries, and two types of toufu, but all of these, save the french fries, came with meat on top. As I'd like you to believe that I still have my vegetarian scruples, I'll tell you that we sent the dishes back and had them make new ones. After the restaurant, we all decided to go karaoke-ing. That was really awesome- we all sang along to every song. Let me tell you, some people are better singers than others. By the end, it got really loud, so we left and went to bed.

Monday was a holiday- I just studied. It was a glowgi day.

Tuesday we had class. I snuck a piece of bread from the dining hall and fed the koi. It was awesome.


I'm thankful for classes, they give me something to do with my time.

Well, anyway, until next time,
Jonathan

Ropeway video

Blogging in Japan

Pictures are coming, I swear!

I know it's been a long time, but here's a post I wrote shortly after my birthday party. The internets are all used up over here, so posting is chotto muzukashii (a little difficult.)

"Sorry I haven't written in a while,the internets has been on the fritz. Here are the long awaited pictures of my trip to Hiroshima and Miyajima. So classes have been going well so far. I met one of my conversation partners today, his name is Kensuke, he is a biomedical student, the first kanji in his name comes from the first kanji in kenbikyou- microscope, I think we have a lot in common, but unfortunately, I can barely understand a word he says. He did speak a sentence in English, so that was nice, but... I don't know about having a conversation with him. Luckily, there will be another person, so hopefully that will help alleviate some awkwardness. Well, that was my first present of the day.
Classes went well today. Actually, all in all, today was an awesome awesome day. After I met with my conversation partner, Laura and I went to this cute little french dessertery to pick up some cakes that Laura had ordered for my birthday. We went to a party put on by the English Speaking Society, and that was kind of fun. They had cool Japanese snacks. I think the best was the konnyaku jelly. I LOVE konnyaku jelly. It's actually harder than I remember gelatin jell-o being, but it's not an animal product. It's made entirely of mashed up devil's tongue! IT IS SO AWESOME! This was a candy form, but I bought some at the 100 yen store that is for cooking. Actually, I had konnyaku jelly at the toufu place I went earlier. When I cook with it, I'll make sure to take pictures. Well, after the ESS party and dinner, Laura and I started setting up for my birthday party. It was at 9:00PM, so it was dark, and the full moon was smiling down on us, and we lit a whole bunch of candles and put them on these tables outside. We actually had three cakes- one was coffee and strawberry (Laura thought it was chocolate, but it was delicious nonetheless,) one was banana with real bits of banana, and one was Valor-origin white cake covered in chocolate. Think a high class zebra cake. BTW, in case you've been wondering, I have figured out what's Japanese for gelatin (it's zerachin,) and that anything with the fish kanji or pig kanji or cow kanji contains meat. Also, I've gotten pretty fast at reading ingredients. I don't actually know how to say them in Japanese, but I understand what's in the food I buy for the most part. Anyway, most of the student abroad students came, and I even got presents from some of the non-American exchange students. There were delicious snacks and great music; we played fun games; but mostly I think everyone had fun just hanging out. It was a bring your own alcohol party, but luckily, no one brought any.


SO, random moment of Zen. There's this game called Kudos-you're a character in a real life simulation game, and you try to make friends who give you kudos points for doing fun stuff with them. It's kind of like Sims, except your character doesn't move around and doesn't have a house. Well, every day you wake up and go to work and a window tells you the weather, your mood, and how your day at work went. Every day your mood changes, and it's almost completely random whether you'll wake up in a good mood, have a good day at work, and have fun with your friends. The game progresses so quickly that you realize that your mood doesn't really matter, it'll be different tomorrow. This morning I woke up feeling kind of bummed, and I realized in the shower, really felt it, that it doesn't really matter- something will come along and cheer me up eventually, and if not, tomorrow I'll feel completely different. "

So, anyway, classes are hard, but getting easier. I met with one of my conversation partners today-Kensuke. He's cool; we talked about the declining population of Japan and archery club. That may sound impressive, but there were a lot of pictures and a lot of mutual misunderstanding. It was pretty cool though. Oh, and also I had Sadou to today-tea ceremony. A lot of people found it relaxing; and it's supposed to be; it is a form of meditation. But I just found it nerve-wracking. So much to remember! It's all rules you have to follow and it you don't do it wrong you're dishonoring your host and then of course you have to run out of the room crying and you're never allowed to return which means you fail the class and thusly you get deported back to America. Gosh dang silk rag! I could not fold it right to save my life (which is how it felt.) You have to hold it with one hand, grab it a certain way with the other, fold it over your hand, and now magically, it's a circle. Iie, dekimasen. (No, I can't do it.) Anyway, shinakattaganakatta. (It couldn't be helped.) Well, I finished my homework, and now I'm going to shower and go to bed. Until next time,

-Jonathan
ps btw. gikochinai-awkward.

parts 3 and 4

I'm back!

Video blog today... sorry, it's really long.

Class orientation day

Japan means koi ponds! The fish are roughly 18 inches long. I really want to pick one up and squeeze it, but I might be deported for that.




Both the sun and the moon LOVE Kasuagai!

Hey everyone-

Well, I think the touristy feeling is finally starting to wear off. Today I went to orientation for my Japanese classes, and tomorrow I have Japanese culture class. First, lets talk about yesterday.

Yesterday nothing much happened. There was a welcome party for us, but these old Japanese men gave speeches, and I couldn't really understand them. There was some food- fruit and little egg salad sandwiches, and Japanese drinks like tea and fruity orange drink. Everyone got dressed up nicely, but it was really hot, so that was kind of unpleasant. Almost everyone has taken to the power of Japanese fans because the Japanese don't use air conditioning like we do in America. I'd have to say the worst part of the party was when they had us stand in front of everyone and had us introduce ourselves. Imagine that feeling when you're speaking to a crowd and you forget what you're going to say plus literally not knowing any words TO say. Luckily, I didn't have to say anything too strenuous; it's not like I had to give a speech about how great it is to be in Japan and how this small act will boost foreign relations or anything, but it was still a nerve-racking situation nonetheless.
This is our group. Just FYI, the guy on the far right in the suit and pink tie is Chris, my roommate.
We're so cute! We didn't even plan to match, too!



Laura and Shizuko from Malaysia Laura, Lisa (OU), and Grace from Australia

After the welcome party, we returned to the dorm, and Laura and I watched some anime. After dinner, the guys decided to get dressed up and go out drinking with their friend Kazuya. Some of the girls were invited to go along, and I decided to go too. First, we went to Roco Roco, but they didn't have 19 seats. We then went to this place that had nomihodai. Nomihodai means "all-you-can-drink" (for 2 hours,) and it's only about $15.
Because the restaurant didn't want nomihodai-ers to pass drinks to non-nomihodai-ers, Laura, our friend Ryan, and myself had to sit on the other side of this cloth. The three of us got ice cream and french toast while everyone else got pretty drunk. When we left, we were joined by our friend Jen (who was not drunk.) When we returned to the dorm, we played euchre. Funny thing about euchre- Ryan is from Ohio, but it traveling half way around the world to learn it. It was pretty late by this time, so we decided to go to bed. My roommate came back from a separate party and tried to get me to watch the 300 at 2:00AM in the morning, but I was able to resist and get some sleep.

Today
Breakfast, then class orientation. I'm in W3, the lowest level, but that's just fine for me because it was hard enough. It was also a little too easy too. There were two senseis who passed out the syllabi and class schedule and explained the classes. The first class they explained, Nihon-jijou I didn't quite understand so I felt really dumb, but I understood the aim of the rest of the classes. So here's my class schedule:

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
9:30-11:00	Japanese Way Suzuki sensei	Vocabulary Asano sensei	Grammar Ikuta sensei	Reading Ueda sensei	(culture period)
11:10-12:40	Grammar Ikuta sensei	Reading Ueda sensei	(culture period)	Composition Suzuki sensei	Japanese Culture class Homma sensei
1:30-3:00	Speaking and Conversation Matsuoka sensei	Speaking and Conversation Matsuoka sensei			(culture period)

After orientation, we went to building 25 to find King sensei. See, every week we get 5,000 yen for lunch and stuff, but we have to pick it up from King sensei. He was still at the bank, and we were early, so we found Australian monopoly and started playing.

For lunch, I had these really good udon noodles with mild wasabi and green onions. The noodles were just the right texture- chewy, but not slimy; they were so awesome.



Here is a fountain outside our classroom building.

Well, it's taken me a really long time to write this, so I'm going to end it here. My next post will be after I return from Hiroshima- get excited!

-Jonathan

More train video

Here's a little slice of Japan

Blueberry danish of DOOM!

This guy says, "Let's lower our carbon emission! Dokoishou!"




Sunday
I got up at 8:00AM and decided I would do some laundry. I should post some pictures of these washers and dryers. They're pretty small, and everything is in Japanese, but the big red start button isn't hard to find. I did find out that I chose the wrong wash cycle- "zabu zabu" instead of standard. While I was washing two loads, I decided I would take a shower and cook some breakfast as the dining hall is closed on Sundays. It was going all right- I made some tofu with soy sauce and orange juice and some soba noodles. I had just finished making it when I decide to go back to my room and eat. I walk back to my room and discover my roommate has left. And he locked the door. And I didn't have my keys. I figure, "Ok, I can just go to the front desk, indicate that I can't get into my room, and have either of the Gohtos unlock it." However, due to forces I was not aware were in action at the time, the Gohtos were out. (Triumph for me-I said a complete sentence in Japanese to a stranger!) About this time, Laura returns with our friends Lisa and Sandra who had decided to go out to breakfast. Laura informs me that the bus we are taking to the train station which will take us to the subway which will take us to Nagoya Castle leaves in 7 minutes. I perry with a "I got locked out of my room and no Gohtos." She counters with a "get dressed using your clothes from the dryer and I'll pay for everything for you today." Touché. Quickly packing my breakfast into a tupperware from the kitchen, thanking the Japanese for their cultural idea of keeping shoes in lockers OUTSIDE of the dorm room, and sprinting to the bus stop, I hoped against hope that the bus hadn't left yet. It hadn't. We boarded, and on the ride to Jinryou station, Laura, Lisa, and Sandra explained what was causing our bad luck. It all started when Lisa accidently bought a blueberry danish. Sandra tried to get something from the vending machine by pressing 1 and 5 instead of 15 twice. After that, she didn't see a couple steps and face planted, scraping her knee. Suddenly, getting locked out of my room made sense. It also started to rain on and off, and some of us forgot our umbrellas. Regardless of our bad luck that morning, we were determined to have fun at Nagoya Castle. When we arrived, it was raining on and off still-clearly the danish influence. That's when we spotted the cha-shi-tsu- the tea house. Thompson-sensei paid for all of us to have green tea in this tea house.
First this woman in a full kimono served us kaori- bean paste and yam jelly with bean paste inside. The kaori leaves a sweet taste in the mouth to counter the bitter taste of the green tea.
Next, she served us the green tea. It is not called GREEN tea for nothing. The color of wheat grass juice and the taste of seaweed and, well, tea come to mind. A little bitter, but hey, the kanji for tea partially derived from the character for bitter.
Afterwards, we found salvation. Our host told us about this procedure for purifying the spirit. One takes the little dipper, fills it with water, and pours it over the bamboo lattice. One then puts one's ear to the large bamboo tube and listens to what sounds like a cross between a Jewish harp and a bell.
Really it's the sound of the water droplets. The ringing sounds purify the spirit. Needless to say, we were anxious to cleanse the bad luck from the blueberry danish. The first test of whether it worked or not- no one slipped on the stones in the garden. Yosh! Although the green tea was cool, it wasn't filling, so we decided to head to the udon shop for a bite to eat. While the omnivores ate cold soba noodles in miso (plus fish) broth, I ate my breakfast, and Thompson-sensei explained the finer points of Japanese contextual based communication. For example- ikaga desu ka? means "what do you think about...?" and relies solely on the context. If a waitress were to say it, it would mean "would you like me to refill your glass/take your plate away/etc." If I were to say it after we all have finished a meal and were just sitting around, it would mean "are we ready to go?" If I were to say it to a waitress, waving my empty water glass, it would mean "what do you think about how awful you are at your job?" or "I hope you feel like a horrible person..." J/K. Full of filling food, we proceeded to climb the many floors of Nagoya Castle. The castle has been reconstructed from when it was bombed during WWII (btw, if Helen ever wants to watch a movie called A Grave for the Fireflies DO NOT let her. I just watched it; it's really really sad. Really.) Interesting story here: the Japanese had time to remove one of the giant golden shachihoko (ferocious golden dolphin) from the roof of the castle before it burnt down. However, the gold from the destroyed dolphin was melted down and made into a large teapot, in which water is boiled every Friday (Friday=Kinyoubi, kin=gold, get it?) for a tea ceremony. Well, anyway, we made it to the top of Nagoya-Jou and took some pictures of the city.
It was getting pretty late, but first we had to go back to Sakae the mall to get more cell phones for those of us who weren't there on Saturday. We went to a different au cell phone store this time, and they were much more helpful, and, though they reminded those getting cell phones that they are marketed toward senior citizens because they are more "easy to use" (still 5 years ahead of US cell phones,) everything went through without a hitch. Yay for purifying water sounds! To top that, we found an ATM that will take American issued VISA cards. It was at that point that we decided to eat the danish. We ate at a french bakery for dinner (I had a melon cream muffin- SO GOOD,) and left for home.
Mr. Gohto had returned, so we gave him an omiyage we had picked up at Nagoya-Jou, and I had him unlock my room. Well, that's all for now. It's really late, I hope I can get up at 8:00AM.
-Jonathan

PS. Emily called me on skype today. If any of you want to talk to me and see me, look up giraffe1089.