Friday, April 20, 2012

A Light Rain

It rained today. I rather like the rain, but I'm still not really used to it being warm when it rains. It makes all the rain gear I like wearing a little less appealing. It was still a nice day though. I think its interesting to watch masses of people walking with umbrellas. Enough to stop in the middle of a crowded walkway and pull out my camera for a picture.


For comparison, here is the same walkway two weeks ago.


A pretty drastic change. There was a brief period of both blossoms and leaves that I really enjoyed. I don't think I stopped to take a picture of it though.

I got fair amount of paperwork taken care of today. Got my course schedule checked by my adviser. Registered online for all my classes. Turned in my paper schedule to...... some office. Paid for my futon rental. Turned my student information form and copies of my passport, alien registration, and proof of travel insurance. (I still need to get on the Japanese National Health Insurance plan though. I also need to get them another picture.)

After all that official stuff I walked to the train station and headed home. The weather was fantastic (in my opinion) and the walk down the path to the station is probably my favorite part of any given school day. I decided to take a moment to record what I was experiencing.

(Click the image to watch the video, or open it in a new page here.)

Tomorrow morning I get up and go on a tour around Oita with a bunch of the other exchange students and our tutors. Aside from the visit to the brewery (the smell of mass fermenting beverages is a pretty quick way to make me sick I've found) I'm looking forward to it. The last stop of the day is going to be all you can eat strawberry picking. I have a feeling I'll be feeling nostalgic for Nakagomi Orchard. At any rate my camera is fully charged, and the card is virtually empty so I'll have plenty of pictures to share of the trip later. Until then, Take care.

~Daniel

Monday, April 16, 2012

Meet the Tutors

(I actually wrote this entry on Friday while I was on the train, but didn't get my computer hooked up to the internet again until just now.)

I feel I ought to introduce the tutors that have been helping me here in Oita by doing more than just mentioning their names. So I’m going to do just that.

I have three tutors here (which is apparently rather unusual. Most people only get one, occasionally two.) who have helped me get settled in at the Kaikan (international house where I’m living), taken me shopping for food and household items, and helped me with more official stuff like my alien registration. Well, technically I have one tutor, and two sub-tutors. I have no idea what the difference is between them though. So far they’ve all been helpful to me, so I’m guessing that it has more to do with the administrative side on their end. At any rate, let’s start with my Tutor and then move on to the sub tutors.

Ayumi Kusano is my tutor. She’s been the one that has accompanied me to the school orientations and gone with me to meet my advisor. From what I can tell her English is pretty good, but she speaks to me mainly in Japanese, (which I appreciate) so I don’t know the extent of her knowledge. She seems pretty cool though, she seems pretty laid back while still being school oriented. Llots of the other people I talk to, both international students and Japanese, seem to know who she is and think well of her. I’m glad for that because if I ever can’t find her for whatever reason, other people will be able to tell me if they’ve seen her. Ayumi is also taking some kind of English seminar class, and I’m going to meet with her teacher and talk about possibly volunteering as a guest speaker.

Takuri Mitarai is one of my sub-tutors. Takuri was the first person from Oita that contacted me directly. We exchanged several emails before I got to Japan. Our correspondence started out in English, and at my request slowly shifted to Japanese. Unfortunately Takuri is the tutor I’ve had the least amount of contact with. He has a part time job working as a cram school teacher (Cram school is basically night classes to prepare students for the college entrance exams) and it seems his schedule and mine don’t line up very well. He’s a nice guy though, always smiling. He’s big into basketball. I feel kinda bad because I know virtually nothing about sports other than soccer (and even then, only what was required of me to play when I was in elementary school).

Kengo Onishi is my Other sub-tutor. Out of all my tutors, Kengo engages me in English the most because he’s really intent on improving his fluency. He has a pretty good vocabulary (Much better than my Japanese one at any rate) and as such is good at explaining things that I have difficulty understanding in Japanese. We’re going to be actively helping each other with pronunciation. So far he’s the one I’ve spent the most time with. (The difference between the three is no more than 3 hours at this point though.) Kengo has taken me shopping twice so far (He has a car) and we’ve run into each other on campus a couple times. Actually, I always see Kengo and Takuri together on campus, which is nice. I like seeing familiar faces. Kengo has also invited me to his home and to his grandparent’s home, which is up in the mountains somewhere. Apparently they want an opportunity to talk with a foreigner. I look forward to doing that at some point in the future. I would love to see some more of Japanese home life.

(Left: Takuri, Right: Kengo)

All three of my tutors have been generous with their time and knowledge. They have also made themselves available to me whenever I may need it which is nice. I hope to be able to hang out with them in the future as friends, rather than just tutor and tutee. I think I’m well on the way to making that happen though.

Ok now that the tutor introduction is taken care of let’s move on to today’s events.

I had heard from some of the other Kaikan residents that it was supposed to rain today, so I packed my rain coat. Since I was also planning to go to Saga this evening I packed everything I needed for the weekend. (It was Mary’s birthday on the 12th, so that also included her birthday present) Combined with my various weekend things, my school bag was rather large and heavy. It drew many looks and a fair number of comments both in English and Japanese. (Most Japanese school bags are roughly the same dimensions as a briefcase if not smaller)

At school I had a fair amount of time between classes (I have one morning class, and then a two and a half hour break before my afternoon class on Fridays), so I grabbed a bench and just enjoyed the weather for a while. After not too long I was joined by a couple other International students, and we spent the afternoon talking. After my afternoon class I met up with Ayumi and went to go meet my Advisor (he was away in Osaka for some kind of university business during orientation when I was supposed to meet him). We looked at the classes I’ve been attending, and how I think my schedule will be once it’s finalized. I placed into level 3 Japanese, but my kanji skills are kinda lacking so I’m also taking level 2 reading. One of my level 3 teachers thinks I should take level 2 this semester though because they’re worried about my performace in level 4 next semester. The only problem I have with that is I need these courses to transfer for my major once I’m back at SF state, and I’m pretty sure the level 3 courses won’t cut it. However after looking at the schedule, it looks like I’ll be able to take almost all of the level 2 and 3 courses at the same time this semester. Even though it’s a lot of Japanese, I’ll be getting the all new information I’m supposed to, and the all the review that I so desperately need. Even though it’s going to be a lot of work, I’m guessing it will still be easier than my kanji class at SF state (I studied 16 hours a week for that class alone and still only managed to get a C). And being able to use what I’m learning in class in my daily life ought to help it stick. Already there have been quite a few pieces of vocabulary that I used to have a really hard time remembering, and now that I’ve been able to use in context they are sticking.

After meeting with my advisor, Ayumi and I went to the Seikyo (the building which houses the cafeteria, book store, and discount student travel agency) where Ayumi helped me get my tickets to Saga for the weekend. (The people at the travel agency are amazing!) Once that was done I walked back outside and ran into Soo Min (a Korean girl who also lives at the Kaikan), who informed me that there were several other Kaikan residents hanging out in the cafeteria waiting for the welcoming party that was happening at 5:30 (It was probably 4:00 at this point). So I went and found those guys who were doing a laid back mix of studying and goofing off. It’ was pretty fun. At some point I spotted Kengo and Takuri and went over to them. They were talking to their senpai (a senior classmate essentially) and I joined in on the conversation. I wound up telling them about the two other times I was in Japan, in Japanese. After the conversation they joined me in sitting with the other Kaikan members until the party started.

The party started off kinda awkward because nobody really knew what was going on. I put my bag down under a table and found some familiar faces to chat with. I realized I wanted my camera and went back over to the tables but several other bags had been placed in front of it by this time. Rather than try and dig it out I opted to go around the side and dive under the table instead. It worked quite well, but I surprised a group of girls who were setting down their umbrellas when I slid back out from under the table suddenly. (The floor was actually quite smooth, so I was literally sliding.) Once people started taking pictures the atmosphere lightened up considerably. Oh yeah, this welcome party was between the international students, their tutors, and all the staff and teachers in the international education department, as well as the members of the international student assistant organization whose name I can’t remember. It was nice for me because we all had name tags, So I was able to relearn the names of a lot of the people I’d been introduced to over the past couple weeks. (I probably forgot a lot of them already though. But I rememberd quite a few as well, so I’m ahead of where I was earlier in the day) at 6:00 we did a toast (Kanpai!) and a bunch of food was brought out. I proceeded to make a food-kabob on my yakiniku skewer.


(It was delicious)

Once again I drew quite a few looks and comments in Japanese and English. But that’s ok, I find life is easier when people recognize you, even if it’s for something weird. Once that initial barrier is broken Japanese folk tend to be more talkative and friendly. After food were a couple speeches and we broke up into groups to do some self introductions. The main party ended after that and most of the other students headed to the nijikai (After party) which you had to pay 500 yen (about $7.25 with the current exchange rate) for, but they serve alcoholic drinks. Apparently that’s where people really get to know each other, but I needed to leave at that point so I could catch my train. It turned out I wasn’t the only Kaikan resident who was skipping out on the nijikai. The Korean girls Soo Min and Chi Hee were there, and so were 4 Chinese students, Sho (Who is my neighbor) Nicole, Wendy, (they haven’t told me their Chinese names) and one other whose name I haven’t learned yet. Nicole was getting waiting for the train so I lent her my coat, which being me sized, and her being an Asian woman, was rather large. So large in fact, that I was able to share it with Nicole and Chi Hee at the same time.

(Part of my ongoing effort to prove to Asian women that despite what they think, they aren’t fat)

Once the train came we all go on and headed back to Oita Station where I parted ways with them and got on my train which is where I’m writing this entry from. I love train rides, but this one has been less than pleasant. Apparently something I ate at the party had been cooked with alcohol because I’m experiencing the symptoms of what I’m going to refer to from now on as “Alcohol Sickness” (provided I remember the term). At any rate, My laptop is running out of battery, and I’ve given a pretty good update I think. Also, it looks like I’m almost at Hakata where I will transfer trains. Perfect timing. Later!

~Daniel

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Settling in and a weekend away

Now with 800% more bedding!
(My first night here sucked on account of they hadn't delivered my bedding yet.)

ANYWAY!

So I've been settling in here at the Kaikan (The international student apartment building I'm living in) and slowly getting use to living on my own here. It's weird not having a shared cooking space, and kinda lonely. But in the evenings there are usually several people in the lobby hanging out that I can interact with.

So far I've had two orientation days and a day of class at the university. The campus itself feels a bit like SSU (The university near where I live, and also where my high school was located, so I'm pretty familiar with it) but shrunk down by a third. There are a few buildings being renovated at the moment, but over all the buildings themselves are pretty plain. The scenery is pretty nice though. Here's a photo of the walkway from the campus to the train station.

(If you zoom in you can see all the blossoms blowing in the wind)

Of course it won't look quite as nice once Sakura is over. But I think there's enough greenery to keep me happy.

The first day of classes went pretty well. I was keenly reminded of just how much I've forgotten over the past three and a half months, but I think I'm at the right level. I definitely need to refresh myself on a few things, but with the constant practice of actually living here in Japan I'm hoping it will all stick this time.

Over the weekend I took a train out to Saga to see Mary so I could attend the public tea ceremony that she was going to be serving tea at. I also attended a Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing Party) with her and some of her other ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) friends.

I woke up rather early on Saturday so that I could take an early train and meet up with Mary at Hakata (The major train station in northern Kyushu) where she saw her parents off at the airport just prior to my arrival. From there we traveled together to Saga where the Hanami was happening.

(I was not the only one tired on the train)

At the Hanami I got to meet a lot of Mary's friends and co-workers, and enjoy lunch under the cherry blossoms. Sadly (Ok, not really sadly, I was having fun) I didn't take many pictures because I was being social. The park itself was crowded but rather pretty. As you might have guessed, lots of other groups were doing exactly the same thing we were.

(This picture doesn't do the park justice)

Mary's friend Ron had to leave partway through the Hanami in order to attend a BBQ that the people at his Karate dojo were having. Since Ron has a car we hitched a ride with him in order to get home easier. On the way, Ron convinced us to attend the BBQ with him (It didn't take much). This BBQ turned out to be a rather cool experience. The Dojo itself is right below a Buddhist temple/Shinto shrine (It was both apparently). I'm not sure if the guy was a priest, or just happened to live there, but the Dojo was up behind his house. Regardless it was a rather nice place, and the food was quite tasty.

(I love this informal style of eating. It's just so much fun.)

While we were there Ron showed us around and took us up to the temple/shrine. I think I've been slightly spoiled by all my sightseeing being done during Sakura. I'm not complaining, but I sometimes wonder how other things will compare when I see them at other times of year. Anyway, here's a couple photos I took around the compound.

(I have some strange attraction to Bamboo it seems)

(This gate leads up to the main temple)
(This is the pathway down from that gate. The angle doesn't really show it, but it's rough stone steps)


After the BBQ Ron took us on some windy back road through the Mountain to get back to Mary's place. That road was an adventure in itself. Thinking back, driving that road would have made a good video, but I wasn't really thinking about it.

That was Sunday. Saturday was the Tea Ceremony. After Tatara-san and Okamura-san (Two of the ladies Mary does Tea Ceremony with every week) dressed Mary up in her Kimono, we got driven to a nearby mountain temple where the event was taking place. The driveway up to the temple was lined with Sakura, and is apparently rather well known. There were lots of tourists about and even a little stand selling snacks and gifts. Once we parked up at the temple, Mary ran in and started helping (Well, I suppose she shuffled actually, you can't really run in a kimono). By the time I got my shoes off (after wandering the courtyard and snapping a few pictures of course) and made it inside the temple Mary and Tatara-san (who drove us. At least I think it was Tatara-san..... ) had disappeared into the back and I was on my own. Women in kimono were bustling about carrying pottery and sweets in and out of the main room in the temple. I went inside and was able to catch the second half of a ceremony from the door. I hadn't really seen a tea ceremony before. At least not in person like this.

(Some of the tools used in Tea ceremony)

After that first ceremony had finished, I was beckoned to sit down in front and served a sweet snack, that I'm sure has a proper name, but I have no idea what it is. Apparently they don't normally have foreigners attend these events often (Not a surprise really, Saga isn't exactly tourist country) and immediately associated me with Mary. So they sent Mary out to perform the next ceremony. (I have no idea if Mary was expecting to perform or not. As far as I know she was only supposed to be helping to serve tea)



I suppose how the setup deserves some context and explanation. Basically the ceremony itself took place between two people. The person preparing the tea, and the "customer" (who was also one of the ladies dressed up in kimono). While the ceremony was happening other viewers from the general public could walk in, sit down, and have the other women not currently performing the ceremony bring them sweets and tea (the same kind of tea that was being prepared in the ceremony, which is a thicker more bitter tea then you would normally drink).

The Ceremony is highly ritualized. Every step is predetermined and each piece has a place where it is supposed to grasped and set down. The pace is slow, but each movement is deliberate and precise. It's very calming to watch. I would have loved to have gotten video of it but I was running low on memory.

From what I could tell, all the women involved, besides the Sensei (teacher), performed a ceremony. This includes the little girls who are apparently also learning Tea Ceremony.

(I was surprised that they were involved so young. I think it's good though)


(This wasn't part of the ceremony. Lighting incense is something you do when you pray at temples.)

(On the lookout for guests)

These girls were super cute, and I took several pictures of them throughout the course of the day. The little one in pink referred to me in a variety of ways ranging from "Gaijin-san" (Mr. Foreigner) to "Shotto Ke-ki Oji-san" (Uncle Short Cake). Apparently saying "Cheese" when taking a photo was a new concept to her, and she linked it to cheese cake. Cheese cake eventually lead into short cake. She was also perplexed by my hair being "long like a girl's (Rough translation), and frequently came up behind me while I was sitting down to play with it. (I really wish I'd been able to get a picture of that, as I'm sure it was adorable)

Since Mary was working the tea room all day, I had plenty of time to wander the temple grounds and take some (ok, a lot) of pictures. Here are a couple.

(I love all the garden paths around Japan)


(This is the driveway up towards the temple)


(I knew about leaving sake, but Coke is a new one for me)


During one of my walks around the grounds I met a Japanese woman who was astounded by my beard and asked to touch it. I was happy to oblige. It's nice to know that not everybody is afraid of me.

Once they finished doing the ceremonies for the day, since they had seen me taking pictures all day, they asked me to take a picture of all of them together. Unfortunately the little girls had already changed out of their kimono, but I still got a pretty good picture of everybody.


All right, I think that's enough for now. Sorry it's been a while. (Though I'm sure there will be similar long breaks in the future) Until next time, Take care.

~Daniel

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Oita

Earlier this afternoon I left Mary's house and with the help of Mary and her dad, lugged my baggage to the train station. From Takeo Onsen (the station right near Mary's place), it was a 45 minute ride to Kosu. At Kosu station I bought myself a ticket to Oita, as well as a little bento box of shumai.

(It was tasty)

I enjoyed my little lunch while riding on the train to Oita. This train ride was much longer, but it was on a much nicer train through much nicer countryside. (Granted, I slept through more then half of it.)

(Here's the nice train I was riding)


(And here's some nice mountainous countryside I was riding through)

When I arrived at Oita station, Ayumi and Kengo, (Two of my three tutors) were waiting for me. Kengo has a car, so we were able to load my baggage into the back of his station wagon and he drove us to the international house where I'll be living for the next year. Ayumi got me signed in and handed me my key.

(My apartment for the next year)

After getting my stuff into my room, Kengo and Ayumi took me shopping for anything I might need. I got all the stuff I could think of off the top of my head as far as living necessities. I also got some food to cook over the next few days. Once they brought me back to my room they informed me that I have my placement test tomorrow morning. At this point I would like to point out that I don't really know where I am exactly. I don't yet know how to get to the station from where I am, much less where the university is. Fortunately there were some other students in the lobby who have been here for a while, and were able to give me at least some idea of where to go. Sounds like there will be a group of people going tomorrow, so we'll all be able to go together.

So now it's just a matter of getting myself all unpacked and settled in. I have run into a small problem though. It seems there was some kind of error and my futon and bedding aren't arriving until tomorrow. I found an email in my inbox that basically said, "Sorry we screwed up, please stay warm tonight." So that ought to be fun. Fortunately I've read Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, and have my beach towel to sleep on tonight.

~Daniel

P.S. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention: If you ever want to see a picture better, all you have to do is click on it, and you'll get a bigger version. Enjoy!

Monday, April 2, 2012

The Mary Story

So about a week ago there was a little bit at the end of my blog about me having a girlfriend, and I promised I'd share that story. So here's a little bit about that.

I met Mary when I first started taking classes at SF State a year and a half ago. We had an Asian American studies class together. She had studied Japanese in the past and offered to help me study Kanji. We hung out periodically throughout the school year, and more during the summer, which is when we started dating. She graduated at the end of spring semester with a Major in English Education, and is now here in Japan teaching English as a second language to Japanese students through the JET program. Mary's parents are in Japan right now to visit her and do some sightseeing. That I was able to meet up with them in Kyoto was just a coincidence in overlapping itinerary, but we're all in Saga now, and I'm enjoying every minute of it.

Tomorrow I head to Oita (which is on the east coast of Kyushu), and get checked in to my room at the International house. Two of the tutors that Oita has set up for me will be meeting me at the train station there. Beyond that I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. I'll let you guys know once it happens.

~Daniel

Sunday, April 1, 2012

The Saga Begins

In this case, Saga is actually the prefecture where I've been the past few days though. Sadly, I have not developed force powers like the title might suggest.

So... Saga. Saga is the prefecture where Mary lives and works as an English teacher. She has opened up her apartment to myself and her parents, and we've been meeting her friends and co-workers. Saga is not a tourist area by any means, but Mary's friends (Who so far have mostly been little old, extremely generous Japanese ladies) have been taking us out and showing us around.

Tatara-san, (One of the little old ladies Mary knows from doing Tea Ceremony) took us to two towns famous for their pottery, Imari and Arita. Imari was actually sealed off for hundreds of years and all the people there were forced to continue making pottery for the Emperor. So much of their history being cooped up as potters has lead them to be some rather fine craftsmen. And although they still do a large quantity of work by hand (for a justifiably high price), nowadays you can also buy printed works for a more moderate cost.
(An artisan hand painting the design on a piece of ceramic ware)

(An artisan throwing vases on a wheel)

(Mary perusing one of the many shops filled with hand made pottery)

Yesterday was the spring festival in Takeo. Beyond spring, I'm not exactly sure they were celebrating, but they had a large number of mobile shrines being carried around the town, and the street vendors were out en-mass. Also dancing. Lots and lots of dance groups were doing performances. We only saw a few of them, but it was neat seeing all the people done up in costumes both traditional and modern. After all the shrines made it back to the main area, the celebration was concluded by the members of the organizing committee getting up on top of the main gate and throwing mochi down into the crowd. Not a bad way to end a celebration in my opinion.

(Synchronized dance. The best way to celebrate!)

Today I'm taking as a rest day. All the traveling around and lugging my luggage has not been terribly kind to my back, and it has been complaining for a couple days now. So today I rest, write, and upload photos. In two days I'll be headed to Oita to get settled in. I imagine that's about when I'll be updating next too. Take care until then.

But before I go, a couple more pictures for the fun of it!

(Sakura has just started here in Saga. We walked with Mary's boss, Hashima-san and enjoyed them some)

(KOI!)

~Daniel

P.S. If you see a string of numbers somewhere in my posts, it's not a formatting error or a secret message. That's just me writing down the numbers of the photos I want to upload and forgetting to delete them afterwards. I usually write these updates at night before I go to bed, and don't always get around to editing them.