日本にようこそ！

Yeah...

2009-06-01T13:36:00.001+09:00

This blog is dead. Sorry :)

Study Abroad Assn #2 (最後)

2009-05-10T21:53:00.002+09:00

"Describe the perceptions of the U.S. in your host country. Are there a range of perceptions or are they general? Are they what you expected? Do host-nationals ask you about the U.S.? What do they ask? What creates these perceptions?"

In my program, we always joke about being the うるさい外人 (loud foreigners) or 変な外人　(strange foreigners). And in a country where 98% of the population are Japanese, foreigners really do stick out! Whenever I relay these gross generalizations of foreigners, and Americans in particular, I always get a laugh. And hardly ever does anyone contradict me. In Japanese popular culture, Americans are always portrayed as blond, loud, and a people who love to drink. And this is pretty much what I expected Americans to be viewed as (I feel we are viewed in this manner throughout the world?) This is the generally assumed and accepted portrayal of Americans among younger Japanese people, many of whom are actually, despite these horribly generalized conceptions, really interested in American culture, music, and the like. Many of them are very interested to go to America; with it's various and wide, open spaces and pop culture references. Older Japanese are usually a little more wary of foreigners and Americans, treating them as suspicious outsiders. While this is not a universal situation, it is one I have found to be relatively frequently true. Because of the small number of foreigners, it's relatively easy for negative perceptions such as these to be created by a few loud and obnoxious American tourists who can't speak the language or foreign exchange students who drink too much and make fools of themselves. As my program coordinator said, he has to live here, so please don't reinforce the stereotypes already present by bad behavior. And they're words I strive to live by.

Assingment 1!!!

2009-05-05T21:40:00.002+09:00

"How is the education system you are experiencing different from what you are accustomed to in the U.S.? From your perspective as a student in the U.S. how is it beneficial and disadvantageous? Consider the perspective of your host-country's students, how is it beneficial to them? Is it unfavorable to them in any way?"

For one, they take role. This is something I have rarely noticed or experienced at Willamette since I started. Participation is something different, this is more like, "you're here, you get the credit,". And I find it rather odd. But I guess from a Japanese perspective it makes perfect sense. Unlike in America, the Japanese school system is all commuter based. Students usually live with their families and commute daily to school for classes. This trip can be anywhere from a five minute walk to a three hour commute by train. Having an attendance policy makes certain that the students won't just blow off class, or at least will think twice before they do. Furthermore, Japanese students practically kill themselves in Middle School and High School, and many see college as a four year break before they enslave themselves to a company name and a singular job for the remainder of their lives. So just showing up is really all I think is often expected of these students. I don't find role-taking either advantageous or disadvantageous, just an interesting creation of a Japanese education system.

My program does not have the JSP foreign exchange students attend classes at the host university, but rather our own classes through our program. This includes two electives that are three hours once a week, and rather easy by Willamette standards. Anywhere between 20-50 pages of lite reading a week and no assignments other than mid-terms and the final. But we do have good discussions and I actually find I am learning despite the light load. On the other hand, my Japanese language class (the reason I'm here, right?) is four three hour classes a week. For a total of 12 class hours of intensive Japanese study a week. I'm learning a lot faster and a lot more than at Willamette and have the time to practice Kanji, grammar, reading, writing, speaking, vocabulary, anything you can imagine. For a good chunk of time every day but Wednesday. I also find that I study better here, surrounded by Japanese language and culture 24/7. The local cafe is a great environment for studying, with the hum of Japanese life and conversation in the background. They also push you hard, and cover a lot of ground every single day. Thank goodness. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to noticeably improve my Japanese skills. But with classes and an education system designed to cram you full of Japanese knowledge, it's very difficult not to!

Long time, no blog

2009-04-26T12:29:00.003+09:00

Oh my god. I hadn't realized that my blog was so far behind! The club was fun, as was the all night karaoke that came afterward. But, while I'm up for karaoke again anytime, the club isn't going to happen for a LONG time! It was really cool coming out of the karaoke place at five am in downtown Shibuya and walking to the station with hundreds of others in the same tired and weary condition as us!

I can't remember much about the following week, except that somewhere in there was a midterm that ate my soul. Which was followed by a trip to Disney Sea, possibly the best day of my study abroad so far. I then wandered around Kasumigaseki with Edo and finally took the train the opposite direction, to the end of the line at Yorii. Nothing there. Monday was devoted to a Ghibli movie marathon and hanging out with the people who wouldn't be doing Kansai the next day.

And then, there was Kansai. It was AMAZING. I saw so much stuff and did so many cool things! But alas, I'm lazy. And need to study for my History midterm tomorrow, so I'll catch you up on Kansai a little later. Peace!

Why does my program have classes?

2009-04-11T10:32:00.006+09:00

This week has been a kind of stressful one, what with classes coming around to midterms and the world being a complicated place, but all in all, I can't complain! Last night I went with some JSP people to an izakaya (basically a Japanese-style drinking establishment) and had a bit too much to drink a bit too fast. I was ok, but it wasn't the best way to continue an already unfortunate week! Hopefully the club will help me get out of this slump I seem to be in! If not, I'm sure that after the horrors of my Japanese midterm are over next week, my week long vacation to Kansai will be MORE than enough to cheer me up! This week is a short one, but I have a shit-ton of homework to do before the club!

UPDATE

2009-04-06T15:56:00.003+09:00

Hanami is an amazing experience, complete with good friends, beautiful flower-laden trees, and really crappy rum. The sakura blossoms were in full bloom just two days ago, and they are already beginning to fall with every stray gust of wind. This sight really made me wonder about life in general. Every year, the Japanese media gives countdowns to the sakura blooming, good places to go watch them, etc. Every aspect of the hanami event can be packaged and processed into a neat little box. And every year, people wait in anticipation and excitement for these traditionally viewed trees to burst into bloom. All pretty and white and pink. and they ARE pretty! And last about two weeks. With all the hype that goes into it, it's over not long after it begins. But, that's not necessarily a bad thing. The hanami is an event that can be savored, and yearly by millions of Japanese; and gaijin lucky enough to be in Japan during that two week span, is. It's fleeting and lovely and sad. And yet, even in the death of the flowers, there is something beautiful to be found. As they flutter to the ground at a fairly constant rate of 5 centimeters per second, I can (with the help of my ridiculously overactive imagination) see the hopes and dreams of millions of people flutter down to the ground to mix with the mud and dirt and garbage of the trash, only to be reborn again the next year, and the year after, and after that. Until Japan sinks into the ocean and life ceases to exist.

Oh, I also climbed Tokyo Tower. That was cool.

Perspectives

2009-03-29T15:25:00.003+09:00

Quite a bit longer than a week since I last posted. Twice over, actually! But I'll try to encapsulate my past two weeks! I karaoke a lot! If you'd asked me before I came to Japan that I would enjoy this traditional Japanese pastime, I wouldn't have believed you! But with a good group of people and a little whiskey in me? I'm golden.

Let's see, last weekend I went to Akihabara (anime and technology capitol of the world) and saw lots of awesomely ridiculous stuff! Including a maid cafe. Quite an experience! All these Japanese girls dressed up in maid outfits, acting all subservient and passive towards their predominantly male clientele, but at the same time holding a ridiculous amount of power over their customers. When you order something, they make you do silly things and make funny noises (act like a cat, etc.) before you can eat or drink. This subtle role reversal, of power and subservience was actually quite fascinating (and for 800yen a drink, I better have gotten something else out of it!) The Japanese conscious is a fascinating one.
Sundays are usually catch-up days, getting all of my homework done before the new week begins.

And on Tuesday we did karaoke again! It was so much fun!

Wednesday was a once in a lifetime experience, I made udon noodles from scratch and cooked and ate them. Oishii! It was a VERY labor intensive project. But what was really interesting is that all of the Japanese people I've talked to (other than my host great grandmother) has ever even thought about the process. People are always saying about how traditional Japanese society can be, but last week really made me question that. Or at least question what it means to be uniquely and traditionally Japanese. They certainly are NOT Westerners. They have their own unique outlooks and perspectives, but they are not what you see in anime.

Karaoke again on Friday!

And on Saturday (yesterday), I went to Shibuya and Roppongi with a group of JSP students to do some frankly way too early hanami-ing and make fun of all the funny-looking gaijin we saw. One of my friends made a very good point. When I'm just with foreigners I know and everyone else around is Japanese, it's very easy to consider yourself to be something other that what you are, a gaijin. And you almost make yourself believe you are Japanese. But, when you see other foreigners that you don't know, that perception of misconception is shattered and you realize that you too are a foreigner is a homogeneous land. But it was a lot of fun and I got to try absinthe at a bar in Roppongi! Don't do it. Unless you like black licorice and rubbing alcohol.

Has it really only been only three and a half weeks since I got here? That's surprising to me. It seems like so much longer and I frankly never want it to end!

The Last Train Home

2009-03-15T18:08:00.000+09:00

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I just realized I haven’t updated this in a while! Sorry about that, anyone who reads this. Well, Japan is still an awesome place to be! I’ve made some good friends and explored a lot of cool places! Mostly we just hang out at school and bum off the internet, but we also go into Kawagoe to walk around Crea Mall (an incredibly long street filled with little shops and game centers). My classes are as such: Three hours of Japanese Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Then On Mondays I have a Japanese history class which seems both interesting and somewhat disturbing so far, and on Thursdays I have a Japanese film class. But hey, I didn’t come to Japan to go to classes and you didn’t come to my blog to hear about them either! This past Friday after class I went out and did some Karaoke with other people from my program. It was a lot of fun, with all-you-can-drink for about 500 yen an hour (approx. $5). And people took advantage of this deal! It was a lot of fun, and I’m happy to say that my very first time at karaoke, I got to sing Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believing’. Awesome. They did not, unfortunately, have the American original 151 Pokemon song… After about four hours of singing our hearts out, we all left to the station and began the journey to our respective homes. I was with two other people from the program, on the express train. And, in the course of the trip, events conspired that forced us to get off the train. One friend went home, and the other and I ended up missing last train, invariably stuck in Kawagoe-shi (a little crappy town) for the night. So, she and I looked around for about an hour for some place to crash (an all-night karaoke place, internet café, McDondalds) but nothing in sight was open save for a convenience store. And we couldn’t very well spend five or six hours in a konbini, could we? So we did the next best thing, took a taxi to the nearest hotel and wearily tried to figure out how to purchase a room while simultaneously knowing how sketchy and awkward the situation seemed (2 am in Japan is not a very good time to be a Gaijin). But we got a room and, following the flashing lights to our room, promptly fell asleep. The next morning, groggily, we made our way home. My host family didn’t even know I was out all night until I got home and told them! I’m really glad I had the experience, but could easily do without ever going through it again… J

Then yesterday, running on two-ish hours of sleep, I drank a bunch of coffee and hot vending machine milk tea and made my way on an excursion to Ikebukuro! I got to go to a place called Ice Cream Town and have to admit it’s probably the greatest place on Earth! They have SO MUCH ice cream there! Every flavor imaginable. Natto, soy bean, squid ink, etc. It was awesome. Afterward we split up into smaller groups and my group spent the better part of an hour trying to find the planetarium in the mall. When we did, of course, it was sold out and we were out of luck. We then set out on another adventure to find on of our friends who had kind of gotten lost. We eventually found her as well, then went to a konbini and bought some liquor which we promptly drank on the stoop outside the store (yes, public drinking is completely legal here in Japan!) After that we had to track down the other group of people who chose to stay in Ikebukuro. We found them at a British pub and joined them for happy hour. Afterward, my lost friend, another friend and I went to get some ramen. It was fucking delicious shit! Mine was just ramen and seaweed with a barely cooked egg on the side which I promptly broke open and cooked in the broth. The result was both cheap and delicious!

Today I slept forever, making up for Friday night, and then did homework until I started writing this! I might end up only posting blogs every Sunday, but it might be more or less depending on how busy the rest of my week is! Until then!

Settling In (Finally)

2009-03-09T16:41:00.001+09:00

(CAUGHT UP)

My family is just the greatest bunch of people I could ask for, they help me when I need it, but are happy to give me some independence! But I do need to report that the wireless is a no, they have one lan line in the other house which I can use whenever I want. Last night they (my host mother, father, brother, and cousin) took me out to a little place that serves a bunch of side dishes as meals. You order a bunch and drink a lot and it was just crazy! They ordered everything on the menu that didn’t have meat in it and needless to say I tried a lot of strange stuff! Five or so pickled vegetables (suppai!), streamed edamame and fried edamame, different kinds of tofu and vegetables prepared in a variety of different ways, and by far the strangest thing; pizza with mayonnaise and cod roe. Really not my thing, but I’m glad I tried it. Today I mostly just played with my little host brother, making lego trucks and playing Wii. He is a hyper little guy! I also took my first real Japanese shower! And we had curry for lunch (my host mom is an amazing cook!). Then they gave me a bike and showed me the way to the station. It’s not as far as I thought it might be, which makes me very happy! Tonight (Sunday), I got my train pass which gives me unlimited travel between my home and school. I got to give my self-introduction to a LOT of people, and finally found someone who was truly impressed when I spoke a single word of Japanese, and then the people who just kind of ignored me as I spoke. Whatever, the majority of people I actually meet are great.

And that brings me to my welcome party. At least fifteen people, all looking at me and talking in really fast Japanese. But, good news, I could actually understand a lot of what they were saying! I couldn’t really respond fluently, but I could understand what they were asking! I got to hear a great saxophone solo from my grandfather, and everyone was just so nice, if intimidating. The bathtubs in Japan still kind of scare me, but showers are really all you need. I start school tomorrow, so I’m heading to bed early (nine) because it seems that no matter how much I sleep, I’m always (ALWAYS) really damn tired! お休み！

The Host Family

2009-03-09T16:40:00.000+09:00

(Saturday night)

I’m finally at my host family’s house! They’re so nice and helpful, despite my iffy language skills, they aren’t getting annoyed repeating and repeating themselves. And that makes me more comfortable that I would otherwise be. Now, don’t get me wrong, this is a terrifying experience! Living with seven people I don’t know who speak a language I am less than proficient in? That’s a scary thing. But they are fantastic people. My host family is farmers of various vegetables, and they seem to be doing rather well for themselves! I live in a huge complex with a bunch of houses plus storage for their farming equipment and crops. And they have four cars. Ridiculous! Not to mention that the landscaping around the property is breathtakingly beautiful! I can hardly wait to get up and drink some green tea in their garden on chilly mornings. My room is huge, especially by Japanese standards, they have a Wii, and unless I misheard, wireless internet. I haven’t got that one figured out yet. And while I may have to duck through doorways and my bed is too small, and the slippers are a real pain to get on and off, they have REAL TOILETS. Which makes anything more than acceptable. Right now they’re letting me relax after our forty minute car ride home and I am settling in nicely. I don’t really have anything more to report at the moment, but hopefully I’ll be able to get this insane backlog of blog posts online soon!

(And I didn`t)

Squid and the Reorientation of Me

2009-03-09T16:39:00.002+09:00

I ate squid on accident today, oops! But, it’s something I always wanted to try and knew I never would, so maybe it’s a good thing. And the funny thing was, I didn’t freak out about it! I think this is a good thing, not that I’m going to suddenly start gorging myself on the flesh of creatures, but that maybe I realize that getting upset over something that has already happened and impossible to change is silly. I went through orientation today, got to see the ins and outs of the program, and today will get the rest of my instruction. Last night, I rode my first Japanese train, ate at a most delicious tempura shop, Tenya, and played around in a gaming parlor! It’s all so new and amazing! I can’t wait to see more! But despite the people staring at us, the mannequin with Blake’s horse mask on the side of the street, and the rows of little kids walking to or from somewhere, it didn’t feel quite real until I went to the convenience store late last night with Ed and bought some ridiculously overpriced ice cream! That’s when I realized for real that I was in Japan, and could function on my own, with what language skills I may have right now. And that just made me feel good inside :)

Being Japan

2009-03-09T16:37:00.002+09:00

(This Blog was written Wednesday night in Japan)

The flight to Japan was a long and arduous one, filled with cramped seating, a strange smell, and a slightly distorted movie screen that basically only played The Express and Twilight on the entire trip (other than that fascinating map of where you are and the external temperature, of course) And so, boredom setting in after the first thirty minutes, I turned toward my DS for the map portion of my travel and movies when they were on. I only managed to get through Twilight because they had a channel where it was dubbed in Japanese (which made my day). But, I’m off the plane now, in my first hotel near Narita airport. And entering my 27^th hour without sleep, running on only three hours rest and my very first cup of coffee! That’s right, I’m trying to stop jetlag in its tracks AND meet the people of my program AND explore this new land I find myself in. And also to think.

I’ve already turned a blind eye to possible meat contamination, been put in awkward situations with Japanese people unsure how to act around me, etc. And I’ve decided to go all out, take risks and drastically leave my comfort zone. And I can do this! For this LONG, LONG journey where I jumped into the future, today’s tomorrow today, has taught me that a person can do anything if they put their mind to it, and my mind is put.

To The Future!

2009-03-09T16:35:00.001+09:00

(Blog Backlog, bear with me)

This was written Tuesday in the States

Right now I’m sitting in the airport, awaiting the flight which will begin my day-long journey! I got padded down at the security checkpoint and they mistook a block of cheese for a possibly dangerous powder… On top of that, that annoying self-righteous lid who started the no cussing club is preaching to me with cheesy rap and lofty ambitions over the television in the terminal. Just for the fucking hell of it, “fuck shit fuck”. I feel a little better now. My plane is about to board, and even though by the time anyone reads this I will have been in Japan for a few days, wish me luck!

I’m eating a deliciously smushed and mushy peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Mmm… food. And that was about all I did for the first and shortest leg of my trip. I was blessed by the planar gods with no seatmate, despite packed seating throughout the entire plane! I’m still pissed about the cancellation of free snacks on domestic flights. The next thing you know, you’ll be paying for the teeny cup of ice water they give you (to stave off dehydration in my case)! Speaking of which, airport food long ago lost its appeal for me. The service is often crappy, the food sub-par and WAY expensive! I foolishly figured that ten dollars was enough to sate my hunger, I was wrong. Not when a single bagel costs $2.50 and I’m in the airport for four hours! But I did have a couple of bagels and later a slice of pizza that wasn’t horrible. I also treated myself to a big 1 L bottle of water. I know, I spoil myself sometimes.

The End Is Nigh

2009-03-03T02:39:00.002+09:00

Tomorrow I will begin my trans-pacific journey from the American heartland to Japan's largest island. It all seems so unreal! Just a month ago, it seemed like I would never be making this epic trip, but the time has come. Finally and at last! It's all so scary and new and unreal, but it's really happening! And Japan is only a terribly gruesome twenty hour transit away. I'm unsure when I'll next be able update this, unsure of the internet situation during my trip! But, until then my good folks, hasta la vista USA!

ONE WEEK

2009-02-25T00:22:00.001+09:00

I LEAVE FOR JAPAN IN ONE WEEK. THAT IS ALL.

Free Wi-fi

2009-02-19T11:26:00.002+09:00

Well folks, I kind of lied in my last post. I had internet every night through a variety of underhanded sources. Complimentary internet at the hotels and family friends who don't know enough about internet security to password protect their hotspot. As of right now, I am sitting on a rather uncomfortable bed in Iowa City. And have roughly five hours of driving tomorrow before I am back in Kansas. But, in lieu of watching the shoddy cable or reading the only book I have left (or gods forbid studying for Japanese!), I have decided to blog. An addictive creation. One wonders if they lace these websites with highly addictive substances.

I spent the past two days in Chicago tying up the last string on my study abroad, a student visa. And I HAVE IT NOW. Thank goodness, I kept wondering if I had left something in the application blank or they had discovered that someone else with my name had recently evaded police custody on multiple charges of arson... (I'm kind of paranoid like that). But, everything did not go to shit, and they can't take it back now! Hahahaha!

Anyway, Chicago was cold and we decided to walk everywhere, at least seven miles in the bitter Windy City winds. But, I got to meet Sue, a grand old gal! Even if her head is fake. Plus, I got some practice with trains, a skill I'm sure will come in handy someday. And now, the only thing keeping me in this country are my bristling nerves and a hefty flight change fee! Well, que sera sera. Kansas, here I come!

Visa Quest!

2009-02-15T11:42:00.002+09:00

I'm off to get my visa tomorrow morning! After I get back, I'll be completely prepared to head off to Japan! With two weeks to go... But, I'll be up in Chicago for a few days. That'll be pretty cool. But, I probably won't have access to teh internets for the next few days :(

Anyway, the countdown continues and my journey is slowly inching toward fruition! YAY. Stay tuned as my time in Kansas slowly ticks away. The next time I blog, it will be with a Japanese visa in hand. Sweetness.

"The Metric System" OR "Why Michael Fails"

2009-02-14T01:45:00.004+09:00

I don't like it. This map shows the only countries in the world that DON'T use metric.

Read, only countries I can function mentally above the level of a four year old. Yeah...

Wait, a kilometer is LESS than a mile? Oh shit. Really? Why do people always make it seem like a 5K race is so terrible? That's only like three miles! And don't get me started on Celsius (I'm sorry, but thirty degrees is cold) Let's see how I do in Japan with these Burma-centric views and anti-metric bigotry!

Still too far away

2009-02-13T06:57:00.000+09:00

Well, I'm not in Japan yet. So the web address is a little misleading! But, in nineteen days (March 3rd) I will be! And this will be both a way to keep track of me, if you want to, and counts for my study abroad homework! Killing two birds with one stone. I can't wait! Keep reading! In the meantime, help to keep me not bored in Kansas?