Sayonara Party

The weekend before I left Japan in 2008, I had my going away party with a few of my friends and my host parents. My host parents came up with the idea of inviting friends over for food and games, and though they originally said a total of 10 people would be okay, when I had found that many I was told me that 8 including myself would probably be all that could fit in the house. So I invited my Japanese friend Kouta, my Japanese conversation partner Mika, and my ryuugakusei friends Van, Joel, Joo-Young, Celeste, and Suguru. Unfortunately, Mika told me she would be busy that day, and Suguru eventually dropped out because he was exhausted from all-night karaoke the night before. This means I could have invited my friend Kaito but it was already too late. :[

The plan was that everyone would make their way to the nearest station and I would pick them up with my host dad at around noon. The clock hit 12 and Van showed up with Kouta, who had brought me 2 CDs of bands he wanted me to try as a parting gift. I had forgotten my cell phone at home so Van started contacting the others; Celeste was running late, Joel was on campus and apparently didn’t know when this party would be, and Joo was waiting for her host sister to come home so they could leave together. Celeste finally arrived about a half hour later, so we drove back home and started the party.

The highlight of the going-away party was definitely the food. We had cheese balls, pizza, takoyaki (octopus dumplings), karage (friend chicken balls), salad, and drinks. Everything was delicious, even the curry cheese balls despite the fact that I had a hand in making them. ;p Joel called and said he had walked from the station, and as soon as he saw bread and cheese he was good to go. We also had a hot sauce competition with the Death bottle I won at a Christmas party the night before, and Joel was crazy enough to dunk a red pepper in it to prove he could take the most spice of everyone. Needless to say, he was "dead” the rest of the time.

Joo sent messages saying that she was finally on her way, but without her host sister. By this time we were just about done eating so we decided to break out my curry-flavored ramune, perhaps to go with the cheese balls. I had already drank Wasabi and kimchi flavors by this point, the latter of which was a horrible experience, so there was a 50/50 chance with this flavor. I poured a little for everyone, kanpai! Then everyone took their shot. And it tasted like… cinnamon apple? o_O

It was then that Joo arrived at the station and I went with my host dad to pick her up. When we returned, my friends had taken the label off the rest of the curry ramune and were offering it to Joo. The fact that everyone was staring and Celeste was taking a video set off alarm bells so I tried to make light conversation until Joo finally couldn’t ignore this any longer. We told her that what she was drinking wasn’t really apple ramune, but she liked it anyway I think. lol

Meanwhile, Van was doing what he did best, making a phoenix origami out of the chopstick paper laying around. One thing we learned at the party was not to make Van laugh when he is drinking milk, which seems to lead to the entire table getting sprayed. Shortly afterward, everyone, or should I say all the guys, helped make home-cooked takoyaki. I’m not a huge fan of octopus myself, so we also had ebi (shrimp), cheese, and kimchi flavors. It was a lot of fun making them, and they happened to turn out really well. And after all this.. fruit, and sweet mochi anki (thick rice balls with anki red bean on top) I got from my friend Kouta. We were stuffed.

So the sun hadn’t quite gone down at this time, and the weather was great, so we all took a walk to the nearby tower. By the time we got there and climbed to the top where you could see all of Nagoya, the lights of the city were turning on and it was beautiful. As if to add icing to the cake, a huge red moon could be seen coming up over the horizon which, according to Van, only occurs once a year.


It was getting late, so we left the tower around 5:30, took final pictures with everyone, and then my host parents drove everyone to the station. I believe there was an incident with a lost stuffed dog, but he was found safely in the tower the next day. ;]

Until next time, Japan! And now, my study abroad session has finally, FINALLY come to an end.

Pictures on Facebook
Pictures on Photobucket
Videos on YouTube

EDIT:

Now that I've finished with the Japan 2008 blogs, I made a note on Facebook that lists them all out by event, rather nicely if I do say so myself. Here it is for completion sake.

"For those of you interested in what I do staying up until 4:30 in the morning before heading back to Japan, it's this. Organize and finish blogs from when I was there in Fall 2008?! Am I still not over that??

This has taken a while to compile, and it feels good to have them done at last. Everyone who was tagged was mentioned in one of these somewhere. In each of my blog posts, I have links to Facebook picture albums, Photobucket picture albums, and YouTube videos if they're available. In each of the Facebook picture albums, on the first picture caption I have links to all the other photo albums of people who were at the event. :X Photobucket has all of my pictures arranged in order of event, and YouTube still has all my videos. There are a few blogs I didn't write, but I think the captions in the Facebook albums still cover them pretty well."

Events:
[01] 21st Birthday Karaoke
[02] Neko Matsuri
[03] Nagoya Castle
[04] Kodomo Matsuri
[05] Tokyo Game Show 08
[06] Owariasahi Matsuri
[07] Japan Halloween Parties
[08] Inuyama
[09] Iga Ueno Matsuri - Facebook album 1, album 2
[10] Jasmin in Japan - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
[11] Huutendou Shrine - Facebook album
[12] Hikone Castle - Facebook album
[13] Nagashima Spaland
[14] Japan Ocean - Facebook album
[15] Sayonara Party

Other blogs:
Travel Through Japan and Semester Schedule
Tour of Japanese Home (and Hair)
Maid Cafes
Japan Checklist
Japanese Home Appliances
Manga Club
Japan Update
Japanese Movie Theaters
Supaa Sentoo Onsen
Japanese Cell Phone

Now to start my JET experience off fresh!

Video Blog: Japanese Cell Phone

It's been a while since I've done this, but it's quick and easy, so let's have a video blog (with additional notes below)! Those of you who have been around me in the past few months will know that I've been getting really into American smart phones, and I'm itching to see whether Japan is still miles ahead in this area of technology. When I took this video in 2008 my Japanese phone was certified badass, and since then certain features have naturally become common place or old news entirely. That's to be expected, but there are still things that make me go "whoa" when I see it, like free TV wherever I am. So just keep this two-year-old phone in perspective, people.

I would have liked to use the phone here, but unfortunately I was unable to set that up. Not that it's impossible, but I simply never did it for one reason or another. My plan is to see if SoftBank is available in my area and possibly reactivate my phone, which would obviously be the cheapest option, even though I could totally geek out on what's available now. So let's watch the video. I apologize for the low sound.

Japanese Cell Phones

Video Notes:

• SoftBank 920SH YK (Official Japanese Site) with White Plan
  
• The phone was cheaper than the version without stock functionality (???)
  
• Phone specs:
  -3.2 megapixel camera with video
  -MicoSD card slot
  -GSM SIM card
  -Free live TV
  -TV scheduling, recording, and reminders
  -Connect to bank account to swipe like a credit card
  -Barcode scanner
  -3G capable, pay by data usage
  -Infrared port to exchange numbers and files with other phones
  -Bluetooth
  -Connects to computer via USB to transfer files
  -International capabilities
  
• Likes:
  -Turns to the side and looks AWESOME
  -English menu
• Dislikes:
  -Pay extra for call waiting and voicemail
  -No word completion for English
• It actually does turn on now, but the camera doesn't work along with other features

Inuyama

Despite waiting so long to write this post, I can still vividly remember driving with my host parents into the nearby town of Inuyama, seeing its castle in the distance as we parked the car and began walking up the mountain. This event took place on the 19th of October, 2008.

Our walk led us to a shrine, still decorated for the "Shichi-Go-San" festival, or "Seven-Five-Three," which celebrates girls turning 7, boys turning 5, and both genders turning 3. Traditionally these ages were when many infants would have already died of disease, so it's a young coming of age where families dress kids up in kimonos and even suits to bring them to Shinto shrines to pray for their continued health. That must have been why my host parents dressed me up and took me there, because we did some praying too! Those kids in kimonos were so cute. haha


We eventually made our way to the castle, which was a step back in time to ancient Japan. Unlike Nagoya castle, this one has been preserved from when it was originally used, and rather than being filled glass casings and shops it was quite plain apart from the occasional artifact. One of my favorite parts of the castle was getting to the top and looking over the town and land in general. It was really an incredible sight, and site, so please take a look at all the photos.


The latter half of our adventure for the day brought us into the town of Inuyama itself. If I was thinking at the time that we would simply be looking for an early dinner and leaving, I couldn't have been more wrong. lol We firstly entered a building that manufactured dolls, very intricate and mechanized dolls used for everything from serving tea to waving at people and doing tricks during the festivals. Another building held the tall floats that are famously carried in matsuris, and of course models of those floats right next to them.

The town of Inuyama (literally translated Dog Mountain) was very interesting. Like its castle, it looks like it was picked up and dropped right into modern Japan. The streets were narrow and the houses had that certain feudal architecture made almost entirely from wood. We walked through one model house that still had a tub that you heat by fire and tatami mats that covered the entire floor.

One lady that we met made the entire trip to town worth it. We were walking past her shop and she called us in, asking about whether I was studying abroad and whether the couple with me was my host family. She then introduced herself as a calligrapher who hosts students from around the world who come to play instruments. Her English was almost non-existent, but she said that they communicate through music. It turned out that she was an expert calligrapher who goes around the world herself doing demonstrations, and she even offered to write my name in kanji as a gift! Luckily my host parents and I had already decided it would be 愚冷倶 - which means something like foolish cold group, giving a kind of yakuza feel - and we took pictures and videos of her writing it on a block of wood. Just, wow. She's one of the people I think about when I remember how nice everyone in Japan is. I would eventually return to pay her another visit when Jasmin came to Japan.


The last place that we went, after the sun had set, was a shrine called Tagata Jinja that my host parents told me was famous all across Japan. "Why's it so famous, anyway?" I asked my host parents. "It looks rather small, nothing special." "Oh..", they looked at each other. "You'll understand soon enough." As we made our way down the path I could tell that the rocks had some weird formations, and when we arrived at a small building my suspicions were confirmed. It was a fertility shrine.


Specifically, a male-oriented fertility shrine. There's a matsuri that goes along with the shrine, as well as a supermarket nearby that sells edible souvenirs. You know what I'm talking about. My host parents said there was a female version not too far from there, but they thought I would have a nose bleed if they took me there first. XD

And that concludes our fantastic trip to Inuyama.

Pictures on Facebook 1
Pictures on Facebook 2
Pictures on Photobucket
Video on YouTube

Supaa Sentoo Onsen

I still have about 8 Japan blogs I'd LIKE to finish writing about before going back to Japan. If I don't, I'll probably just scrap them and refer people to the Facebook pictures and captions. Luckily, this entry on hot springs was already written in my journal, so I'm going to touch it up a bit and send to print. Here we go.

First, an introduction to hot springs in general. When foreigners hear about hot springs, called "onsen" in Japanese, they tend to imagine a scene in the mountains that's very peaceful and natural where people go to bathe. This image is likely very different from the one brought about from hearing "public bath." However, for the Japanese, these two things are essentially one in the same, distinguished only by saying "onsen" and "true, natural onsen." In the days of old, public baths were also known as "sentou," but having been improved and enlarged as time went on, it's now called a super sentou, or "supaa sentou. ;]

This is where my host parents took me, initially as "practice" for a natural onsen, or perhaps simply other, more elaborate ones. However, this was about two weeks before I left, and I still managed to hit up two more after this since it was so fun. haha On the whole, Japanese probably visit these once a month or so, but it depends on the person – one may go every day, another once a week, and still another only on special occasions. There are people of all ages, from 8-80 that I could tell. Men and women were (for better or worse) split up, and yes – everyone was NAKED.

I won't say that this didn't take some getting used to. After all, it was my first time at an onsen, a public bath, or anywhere that requires getting undressed in front of a group of people. Plus, I was the only foreigner in the entire building, so I expected some staring, if you know what I mean. But once you get into the locker room, walk out into the bathing area, and pick up on what's expected, you get used to things very quickly and that fear that everyone is looking at you goes away.

You start off in an area on the side, sitting on a small stool and doing some quick washing off. This apparently meant that you were to skip over shampoo and do a more thorough job later on, but I ended up washing everything prior to walking into the wide pool-looking area. Here there were people just sort of sitting around in the low water like they were in a hot tub, chatting with friends if they had them and just chilling out. I went with my host dad so I followed him around most of the time, learning rules by example and asking questions when there was something I didn't understand. And since I went there to experience and didn't feel like relaxing for a while, I didn't spend too long at one area before moving on to the next. There were two kinds of jacuzzi-like baths that I tried as well, one where you lie flat to help your back, and another where you kneel to help your legs and feet. I didn't use the sauna or the cold water areas, which are intended to be used together.

After trying out each of the stations inside, we stepped out into the cold evening air to see what else was available. At the very end was another wide onsen pool, made to look natural with rocks lining the sides and bottom, and a bamboo fence around the side; however, this feeling of being in nature was slightly ruined by the TV on the wall and a digital temperature reader next to it. The best part, though, was looking out over the top of the fence to see the city all lit up below, and looking up at the full moon in the sky. The other areas outside included a one-person tub that looked like a boiling pot, another place to lie almost flat, and one bath that looked like it had minerals in it. When we were finished, we went back and changed in the locker room.


We met my host mom in the lobby and talked about my experience. Upon her suggestion of what people usually drink after exiting an onsen, I got some milk and chugged it in the designated pose, which was probably a joke. We then walked around to other areas of the building, where people were having massages or just taking a nap before they headed back into the onsen. It's definitely not an experience to miss when coming to Japan.

JETting off to Motherland

For those of you who were beginning to think that either me or this blog was dead: far from it, my friends. From today we have T-minus 10 days until departure. Pack your bags in the overhead compartments and fasten those seat belts, all trays locked in the upright position. I'm heading back to Japan.

If you're reading this, GTFO. No no, that was mean. For those who are returning, thanks for sticking with this blog through the dry times. And for newcomers, welcome! - this blog is always at the forefront of excitement. :] I'm going to assume that most people who made their way here know that I got into the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) program and will be taking my fiance to go and live in Japan for (disclaimer: at least) one year. WAHOOOO!! In light of that, consider this a new Welcome post of sorts for my blog, which I will be overhauling in the coming days to reflect its transition into the infamous trend of Travel Blog.

Am I crazy? I'm still posting motherloving flippin' events from the last time I went to Japan, almost TWO YEARS AGO. OMFG. I've had more than one person come up to me and tell me they're not going to read any more of this crap and I have to get on with my life and actually update. I considered it, and that'd be nice to discuss topics that are currently on my mind. But why be modern when you can be stuck in a wonderfully static past? Those four months from Sept. to Dec. of '08 are still some of the happiest of my life, and even if you guys don't like it I'd still rather have them somewhere I can come back to in the years to come.

THIS TIME will be different. That's what everyone says, and maybe it won't. But here's the plan: 1. one blog, 2. scheduling, 3. time-boxing. Okay, I'll still have my Japanese blog, and perhaps I'll copy this to another site, but I'm going to skip over the paper journal this time. When I was there last time, I would record some stuff on paper first, and then type it up and edit it. This cuts out the middle man, and if I do have a journal I can save it for things I can't do online, like making a scrap book or something girly like that. Scheduling is something that I've always used but strangely always underestimated. But now that I'm in the working world of sorts, I find that I need to make myself a schedule if I expect anything at home or work to get done. The last couple weeks have been unscheduled and just downright messy. Bleh. Lastly, time-boxing is like scheduling, but I'll be giving myself a set time to get as much done as possible, then I'm going to post. This works great with lots of stuff, I suggest you try it.

Here is the plan before I leave, in no particular order:

• Last-minute hang outs
• Finish writing any Japan blogs left
• Pack and buy stuff I still need
• Read more about JET (did I lose the information book? uh oh...)
• Follow the list I made in this post

And if I have time I'll try to cover a couple topics on my trip. Any questions?