20060128
DSCN2546Yeah!! Pictures. Its only 4 but hey. (^_^)
Sorry for the lack of pictures, but as you all may expect I have been a little busy. You know starting a new school, meeting new poeple, drinking, all that kind of stuff. It all good (^_^). Anyways I have been having some problems with internet and I dont have the time to find and internet cafe so the pictures are going to take a while. But be sure to keep coming back. And I will be getting around to that podcast soon. I think I will have some time tomorrow when I am doing my laundry.
To answer some quesiton that have come up.
1. I do not know how long it will take to get from my host family to school (I do not meet them untill the 6th feb) but it take about 10 mintues to walk from where I am staying right now.
2.School is good. I am taking Spoken Japanese, Read and writing Japanese, Sumi-e (japanese painting), and Japanese antro. Its all good.
Ok ttyl
20060127
Right where I left it.So i have been in Japan for a few days now, almost a week. You know what, in that time i have not really been out for a drink. I have had a beer or two with my ramen but I have not been out and had a few beers in an izakaya, that is until last night.
A group of us decided to head out to the local izakaya. We eat drink and be loud, just like any good group of foreigners. But then out of now where we get a few baskets of french fries delivered to our table. Turns out that they where sent to us from "Hirose-san," the owner of a local sports newspaper. we thank him and send him a beer back. After that we just carry on by our selves. Then Hirose-san comes over and talks with us and brings some of his friends with use. He then proceeds to by three more rounds of beer for all eight of us!
As I said at the beginning I have been here for a while now, and I was not sure how my japanese was. I have not really been using it. But it turns out that it is exactly where I left it, right in the bar ^^. So the night goes well. I get to transalate alot for the other guys, that is not say that I have that great of a grasp on then japanese language. To be completely honest I was guessing on about a third of it. But that is still pretty good right?
Ok thats all for now, I will try to get some picture of the campus up for you all to see. But don't hold your breath, you all know me. (^_^)
20060122
Back in the Swing of ThingsLooks like its time for an update on my current situation. As of now I am back in Japan, and I have to say that it is good to be back.
Got off to a bit of a rocky start. In my haste to pack, or I should say laziness and not thinking, I for got to print a map out to fin my capsule hotel. This causing a bit of problem for when I get to nagoya and need to find it. Now me being a man I could not stop and ask for directions so I sent about 45 minutes walking around down town looking for it. For anyone that has been to Japan knows how hard this is. Every thing is so very dense that if you don't know where it is then you will never find it. To make matters worse my cheap Wallmart suit case had one of it wheels broken off during the flight over, so I was lugging around all three of my bags. Not Fun.
Anyways I finally broke down and asked for directions. I went strait to the Koban (police box) and luckily they new exactly what I was looking for and where it was. Off I went.
I have to say these capsule hotels are really nice. For 39 dollars I got a bed breakfast and access to the sento. (japanese bath) Sorry but I did not take any pictures. You see I was just to nackered to take any, maybe next time ^^.
After checking in and have a nice long bath and sauna it was time to got out and get some thing to eat. I tell you nothing hits the spot like a big boll of Chyashu(pork) ramen, and a bottle of Kirin Ichiban shibori (The only way it could have beeen better is if they had Sapporo^^)
After that wonderful meal it was back to the hotel to cop some Zs. I woke up nice and eairly the next morning and got to kyoto about 4 hours early, poked around town and then meet the people from Kansai Gaidai at 3.
Thats all for now ^^
20060108
Any Day NowOK 11 days until I am off again. This should make trip number 4 to Japan for me. It is quit interesting. I will have been in Japan 4 time soon, and each trip has been a completely different experience, I guess the circumstances of each trip have also be different.
Perhaps the best way to start this blog for this trip is to think back on those other trips to Japan that I have undertaken.
The first time I went to Japan was back in the summer of 2001. This was the summer between grade 11 and 12. I was going to Japan for 7 weeks on the 4-H / Labo exchange. I was going to spend 3 weeks in a light language class and then 4 weeks in a home stay. The first three weeks were right in the center of Tokyo. Right there in the "Electric Noodle" Shinjuku. When I think about it I always seem to be coming back there. That place has got something to it that you really have to experience your self. I am sure my brother feels the same way about this place. Anyways I learnt some Japanese explored the city and made a name for my self with Labo by impersonating the comedy group "Happatai" (either you know the rest of this story or you don't ask my some time when I am drinking I will tell you (^_^)) Then it was time to head off to Yokohama for the last 4 weeks of my exchange.
After that I went back to home finished high school and went off to Japan for a full year. But this time it was not just for fun, (granted there was a very large part of fun) this time I had a job. I was an youngest intern to date for "Labo." So with this responsibility I was not going to let them down. I worked my ass off there, but I also played hard. There was balance in my universe. During this year is when I really made my contacts and life long friends. I don't how many kids look at me as there crazy foreign "uncle" but its great. This trips was when I meet the Uno's the Nagamori's and the Iwate's all really good friends that I seem to keep going back to see. There is no way I am going to go over all of this trip again, if you did not read the blog on that then I guess you are out of luck because I need to move on to the next trip back to Japan.
This was when I stopped by for 4 months on my way home from Thailand. I was not working, just volunteering for Labo. A few to many of there new interns left early or got fired. I was in town and was just able to help them out. Time was made to see the Uno's and the Nagamori's and I made one more good friend and the is the Kawaii-san. It was all good fun.
When that trip was over I vowed that I would return, and now my chance is come. This trip, my fourth trip, will be live no other one before it. I don't have to work with little kids, it is not a vacations, or a job. I will be a student going to a Japanese university. This is a chance for me to live yet an other part of Japanese life and trust me I will get the most of it. But don't get the wrong idea there will still be plenty of time for the pub and karaoke. I have to keep you all entertained some how right ^^?
So keep checking back because not only is this trip different but this blog is going to be a little different. In addition to the picture and commentary that you have come a custom to I will also be adding a podcast. So stay tuned for more and see you all across that date line.