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
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
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
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
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
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
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
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.
"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.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)