So, I have returned after food, woot! And now I shall continue with catching you up on my day yesterday, Wednesday!
So because I had to make a couple of transfers on the trip there and it takes about an hour and a half to get to the station where I was meeting Sasamoto-sensei I wanted to leave early so I wouldn't be late. This meant of course that I had to leave the dorm at 7:30 in the morning. Which meant that in order to get showered and dressed and everything before hand I had to get up around 5:30ish. It was not fun especially since I hadn't gotten back to the dorm until about 10:30 the night before. Needless to say I was a little tired, but I figured that I'd manage. I wasn't as nervous because sensei is pretty laid back and fun.
I got to the station and had the fun experience (and I say that sarcastically) of experiencing rush hour train crowding. If you think NY is bad you haven't seen a salaryman with his face smushed up against a window. =) Anyways, so I managed not to be too crushed on the trip there (literally) and ended up getting to the station a half hour early. I hadn't had breakfast so I went to a little convenience store about a block from the station and got some melon bread and tea to eat while I waited. Melon bread is usually a very soft smuchy bread that is sweet and usually has some sugar coating on it. It was yummy, filling, and cheap! After I finished eating it I scurried back to the store to throw out the remains of my breakfast because there wasn't a trash can nearby, at least that I could see (see previous post about Japanese not eating outside). After that I went back to the station.
Sensei showed up about 10 minutes early and we headed off to where the lesson was going to be. It was only slightly overcast out and it was surprising cool and not humid. I thought it was nice. We got to the community center where the lesson was going to be and sensei and I set up the tables and chairs we were going to use. Everyone at the lesson was very nice and luckily some of them knew some English so I felt a little more relaxed. I learned a new song and had a good time. After lesson, as we were walking back to the station, I found out that either the manga-ka of Shonen Onmyouji or one of the assistants was in my class but that they weren't there that day. I was so excited! I hope to meet them next time.
At the station most of us took a train back to Shibuya where we all went our seperate ways. From Shibuya I hopped on the Ginza line back to Akasaka, yes I know I'm weird but I felt most confortable exchanging travelers checks at the place we did last time which happens to be across the street from the hotel. This time I got off at the right stop even! I entered the building where the exchange office was and I was surprised to find a woman singing opera for a small audience. She had a beautiful voice. It was lovely. I hopped in the elevator to go up to the 15th floor to the office and exchange my money. After I took care of that I went back down to hang around and listen for a bit. I arrived just in time for her to perform Summertime. It gave me chills. Even though she of course had a bit of an accent pernouncing the words, it was exquisite. After listening for a bit to the next song I decided to head back to the center because my right foot was killing me. Apparently those new shoes I had worn on Monday really did a number to it.
I hobbled back to the subway station and after a couple of transfers was on my way back to Kita-Urawa. While I was on the train I got to see firsthand Japanese signlanguage. It was extremely interesting. They seem to use a lot more facial expressions than we do in the US. When I got back to Kita-Urawa the weather was very great and it had cleared up nicely. In fact it was downright sunny! I debated going across the street from the station to the park and explore but my foot was killing me so I limped on back to the center. I watched some TV in my room for a bit and then came up to update my blog just as it was getting cloudy out again. Oh well, bye bye sun. I got the entry about Monday posted and then decided I needed some dinner because I was hungry. I went downstairs to the cafeteria and had some naan and miso soup. I was satisfied with that because I wasn't overly hungry. I ran into Michael there and we chatted for a bit while I ate.
After dinner we went back to our rooms. I flopped on my bed again and watched a little TV while I waited for it to get a bit later so I could come back and talk to people back home on Meebo. However, I must have been more tired than I thought because I fell asleep for a while. What I thought would be a nap turned into a looong sleep. I remember waking up at around midnight and going I should go up and say hi but I was too tired to move and my foot still hurt so I think I decided on going back to sleep. Sorry!!
And thus concluded my Wednesday! Obviously with a free day today I'm just going to relax and recoup, especially my foot. But that also means I'll be able to post a blog about my day on the day, a novel concept I know. I look forward to writing about that a little later. Right now it's time to fool around on the computer and relax. Until later. Jya matta ne!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Whoopsy
So I know I said I would be right back after dinner and post more but as we can all see that didn't happen. Sorry! I went down to eat and after I talked to Michael while eating dinner I went back to my room. I was tired because I didn't get much sleep yesterday since I had to be up at about 5:30am (eeew!) and I thought I would take a little nap. That didn't work so well and I ended up waking up at about midnight my time (11am NY time) for a moment and going "Oh crap!" but then I just ended up going back to sleep.
But anyway, let's continue catch up time shall we? This entry will be for Tuesday!
So Tuesday was more ugly weather, especially since it was raining more than Monday. I didn't have a lesson until that evening so I slept in a little bit, which was very nice. I talked to some people on meebo and checked email for a bit and then went back to my room to get ready for the day. After I was ready to go I hopped on the train and actually ended up getting to the train station where I was going to meet Terumi-san about an hour early. I was hungry because I hadn't eaten yet and so I found a nearby convenience store so I could get some food. I ended up buying a ham, egg, and cheese sandwich (no it wasn't a breakfast sandwich) which was very tasty and of course I got some tea with it.
I went back to the train station and stood in a corner eating my food because Japanese people don't eat while walking or on the train, or pretty much in public so I was trying not to be rude. After I finished my little meal I noticed an ice cream vending machine in the opposite corner of the station and so I got myself a strawberry cone. It was very tasty. After a little waiting Terumi-san arrived and the two of us walked over to the shrine where I was going to have my lesson. Yes, a shrine. It was very pretty and I will hopefully get to post all my pictures soon so you guys can see them. I haven't had the chance yet because it is so time consuming but maybe today since I have off.
But anyway we got to the shrine about 30 minutes early but that gave me time to introduce myself to the other students as they arrived. Most of them were older than me but a few younger people arrived a little late. I was very nervous because no one there spoke English and the sensei was a musician from the palace, VERY revered. I think the lesson went well though. However, I am a bit nervous for next week because I do not want to go to the lesson alone but oh well. After the lesson I felt better because I could finally relax. Terumi-san and I actually ended up going for dinner. I really felt bad for her having to pay for food again but I told her next time I would treat so hopefully it's ok. We went to a okonomiyaki place and I finally got to try it. She ordered a mix which is obviously a little of everything and it was very good. We also got some yakisoba which I hadn't had before either. That was also very yummy. While we ate Terumi-san and I chatted some more (we had chatted on the way to lesson also). She's very fun and I hope that we can stay in touch. =)
After lesson I came home, exhausted and with my right foot hurting, and went right to bed because I had to get up early the next morning to meet Sasamoto-sensei for my next lesson. However, the story of yesterday's lesson will have to wait for next post. Right now I'm going to go get some breakfast, but fear not I shall return after I eat this time. Really, I promise! Until then. Jya ne!
But anyway, let's continue catch up time shall we? This entry will be for Tuesday!
So Tuesday was more ugly weather, especially since it was raining more than Monday. I didn't have a lesson until that evening so I slept in a little bit, which was very nice. I talked to some people on meebo and checked email for a bit and then went back to my room to get ready for the day. After I was ready to go I hopped on the train and actually ended up getting to the train station where I was going to meet Terumi-san about an hour early. I was hungry because I hadn't eaten yet and so I found a nearby convenience store so I could get some food. I ended up buying a ham, egg, and cheese sandwich (no it wasn't a breakfast sandwich) which was very tasty and of course I got some tea with it.
I went back to the train station and stood in a corner eating my food because Japanese people don't eat while walking or on the train, or pretty much in public so I was trying not to be rude. After I finished my little meal I noticed an ice cream vending machine in the opposite corner of the station and so I got myself a strawberry cone. It was very tasty. After a little waiting Terumi-san arrived and the two of us walked over to the shrine where I was going to have my lesson. Yes, a shrine. It was very pretty and I will hopefully get to post all my pictures soon so you guys can see them. I haven't had the chance yet because it is so time consuming but maybe today since I have off.
But anyway we got to the shrine about 30 minutes early but that gave me time to introduce myself to the other students as they arrived. Most of them were older than me but a few younger people arrived a little late. I was very nervous because no one there spoke English and the sensei was a musician from the palace, VERY revered. I think the lesson went well though. However, I am a bit nervous for next week because I do not want to go to the lesson alone but oh well. After the lesson I felt better because I could finally relax. Terumi-san and I actually ended up going for dinner. I really felt bad for her having to pay for food again but I told her next time I would treat so hopefully it's ok. We went to a okonomiyaki place and I finally got to try it. She ordered a mix which is obviously a little of everything and it was very good. We also got some yakisoba which I hadn't had before either. That was also very yummy. While we ate Terumi-san and I chatted some more (we had chatted on the way to lesson also). She's very fun and I hope that we can stay in touch. =)
After lesson I came home, exhausted and with my right foot hurting, and went right to bed because I had to get up early the next morning to meet Sasamoto-sensei for my next lesson. However, the story of yesterday's lesson will have to wait for next post. Right now I'm going to go get some breakfast, but fear not I shall return after I eat this time. Really, I promise! Until then. Jya ne!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Catch Up Time!
Sorry everyone for not posting in a while but now I have a free day tomorrow and so I will catch up in my postings. So, let's start where I left off...Monday. Jeez, it's Wednesday evening over here and I can't believe it.
Ok, so Monday. I got up a little early because I was going to meet Terumi-san before class so she could take me over there. She's very nice and it's been wonderful having her to help me, especially since I'm the only ryuteki and I have a different schedule than the other three. But anyway, so I got to the station about almost a half an hour before I needed to meet Terumi-san and I was hungry. Luckily there was a McDonald's across the street. Yes, I know, but I wanted breakfast damn it! So I went over there and had a hash brown, some coffee, and what I think was a bacon McGriddle sandwich (I've never had a McGriddle before so that's why I say I think). But it was yummy and hit the spot. After breakfast I headed back to the station and Terumi-san called to say she was running late. She ended up being about 10 minutes or so later than she said but we still managed to make it to the lesson okay (though there was some running involved, which I did not appreciate).
The lesson went well I think, especially since I hadn't had the opportunity to practice beforehand. Sasamoto-sensei is very patient and kind so that helps a lot. Before the lesson Terumi-san had mentioned that if I had free time Sasamoto-sensei had suggested going to have lunch and since I had no plans that's what we did. We were going to try to go to a okonomiyaki place (think of it as weird version of Japanese pizza, that's the best I can describe it as), but as it turns out the place was closed so we went to a kaitenzushi place instead. A kaitenzushi place is a sushi restaurant were the food goes around on a conveyor belt. It was a little nostalgic since the last time I had it was in Shibuya with Isaac. But anyway, lunch was very nice and it was very fun to spend some time with Terumi-san and Sasamoto-sensei. In a way it was like having lunch with my adopted mother and father (hehe, sorry that's a funny image for me).
After lunch Sasamoto-sensei suggested that we walk around a nearby park. Apparently he had just moved to the area. He was telling us that there was a very nice park nearby with lots of hydrangea that would bloom soon. The park was very beautiful and the weather was nice though it was a little overcast (but at least no rain). After walking around for a bit Terumi-san and I bid goodbye to Sasamoto-sensei and headed to Shibuya. I wanted to wander around for a bit there and Terumi-san actually lives there. On the train ride over there she and I chatted for a bit. I had found out at the orientation meeting that she does voice over work here in Japan and that she actually is working on the Lilo and Stitch series, doing the voices over into Japanese. So on the ride we talked about that a bit more. It was nice, she humors me with my bad Japanese and I let her practice her English, so it works.
After I bid Terumi-san goodbye at the station I headed off to Mandrake. Last time I was in Japan our friend from college, Christine, took us around Shibuya and showed us the arcade (with the taiko drumming game I became addicted to) and also a store called Mandrake. Mandrake is like a mecca from manga, cosplay, models, etc. It's a wondrous place. I wandered over there and looked around a bit to see if I wanted to by anything but nothing really struck me. After that I decided not to go to the arcade so that I wouldn't spend money on the taiko game and headed back to the station but this time I got on the subway. It was really weird being back on the Ginza subway line after two years and knowing that I wasn't staying at the ANA Hotel. I got off at Akasaka-mitsuke stop to go there anyway but that was wrong. I forgot that the hotel was the next stop, oops!
I walked around a little bit and realized I was lost. Luckily I found an Indian man who spoke some English. He directed me on how to get to the hotel and I began the walk over there. It was nice to see more of the area because last time we didn't wander around much by the hotel. I actually came across a pretty big shrine as I was walking that I had no idea existed. I think that the sign said there was a festival there soon so I must go back and check it out. After I went to see the hotel I hopped back on the subway because there was a Gagaku performance that we were all going to that night and I didn't want to be late. I had to transfer and wait for a train but I got to Ooimachi just fine. I left the train station and wandered around a bit in the 6 floor department store (though mostly electronics) in the same building as the concert hall. I ended up buying a little Stitch bag dangle thing (that's the best I can describe it, they're all over the place here) of Stitch and the little stuffed doll, I believe it's name was Scrump.
So after that I went back outside because it had stopped raining, yes it rained while I was on the train and in the building. I sat outside for a bit and read a book. While doing that I was amused by two things. First was that Burger King has made it to Japan. There was a restaurant right by the station. The second thing was that only in Japan do I feel I would see 3 small children running around and not be concerned for there safety. In fact I constantly see small children in small groups by themselves. That would never fly in the US. After reading for a bit I got a little bored and cold so I decided to go up and wait for the concert inside the building. I ended up on the 7th floor, even though the performance was on the 8th floor, because there was a nice lounge there where I could relax for a bit.
About 45 minutes before the doors opened for the concert a cute little old lady sat down between me and Japanese woman. She asked the woman about the 8th floor and how to get there. The woman didn't have a clue but since I had overheard and actually understood what the lady wanted I butted in a little and told her how to get there. I also checked to make sure there was an elevator there for her to get up to the 8th floor. (I was curious for myself too, ouchie new shoes hurt!) After I came back and told her that I sat down and she asked me some questions. I felt bad because it's difficult for her to talk, she kind of had trouble with her jaw. But she was so cute and reminded me of my grandma so I didn't mind trying to decipher what she was saying.
After a little while we both left to go up to the concert hall. It was beautiful. I tried taking some pictures but the lighting was bad with a flash so I tried without it. The pictures were a little more yellow and maybe a bit blurry but you could make out the stage better. After a bit the others arrived. The concert itself was amazing. I must admit that I did doze a little bit in the second half, but come on, I had a long day. The dancing was especially amazing to see because we hadn't seen it done perfessionally before. I can't describe the utter sense of peace and the meditative state that that music puts me in but it's no wonder I fell asleep for a bit.
After the concert I tried my hand at being helpful to Team Sho (it's there nickname ^-^) but that kinda blew up in my face. Leave it to the two guys to be obnoxious. Todd, who's amazing at Japanese and had exchange students from Japan at his house for years and studied abroad here twice, etc, was all like "I think I'll be able to manage" and Michael, the older guy out of the four of us, I think he's in his 50s or something and he always has this I'm better than you type of attitude, at least in my opinion, was like "Oh, I've gone to college, I think I can manage." Whatever, I tried and from now on screw em. I just wanted to make sure they could manage I know that even though I'm good at reading maps I still get turned around. But whatever.
Anyways, so those to snobs went their seperate ways and I was left with Casey because we were going to go to BK for dinner. But first she wanted a converter for her laptop too. I tried calling her when I was in Akihabara to see if she wanted me to get her one but she didn't have her phone on here or something. I dunno. Anyway, she went into the electronics store and I was tried and my right foot was really hurting so I didn't want to go in with her but I decided I would at least wait by the escalators. I ended up having to ask the information desk for her about where the converters were and then she went off to find them. After a few minutes I decided maybe I should check on her. She was with two clerks and they were looking at converters. For one similar to the one I got this place wanted about 5 times as much, almost 1000 Yen ($10 bucks). What a ripoff. I convinced her to get one somewhere else and we headed over to BK.
It was fun ordering in BK and the TV there played old commercials from the US. It's so true that even years from now people in the US may have forgotten or lost things but they will be deposited somewhere in Japan. After dinner Casey and I went to catch the train back. She told me I could rest a while because I had had a long day but she's the one who ended up falling asleep. Oh well. After we got back I hobbled to my room, came up and chatted on the computer a bit and then went to bed. Luckily I didn't have a lesson the next day until the even so I could sleep in a little. Yay!
And now that I've caught you up on Monday's events I'm going to run downstairs and get some dinner. But fear not I shall return soon and fill you in on Tuesday and today's events. Jya ato ne!
Ok, so Monday. I got up a little early because I was going to meet Terumi-san before class so she could take me over there. She's very nice and it's been wonderful having her to help me, especially since I'm the only ryuteki and I have a different schedule than the other three. But anyway, so I got to the station about almost a half an hour before I needed to meet Terumi-san and I was hungry. Luckily there was a McDonald's across the street. Yes, I know, but I wanted breakfast damn it! So I went over there and had a hash brown, some coffee, and what I think was a bacon McGriddle sandwich (I've never had a McGriddle before so that's why I say I think). But it was yummy and hit the spot. After breakfast I headed back to the station and Terumi-san called to say she was running late. She ended up being about 10 minutes or so later than she said but we still managed to make it to the lesson okay (though there was some running involved, which I did not appreciate).
The lesson went well I think, especially since I hadn't had the opportunity to practice beforehand. Sasamoto-sensei is very patient and kind so that helps a lot. Before the lesson Terumi-san had mentioned that if I had free time Sasamoto-sensei had suggested going to have lunch and since I had no plans that's what we did. We were going to try to go to a okonomiyaki place (think of it as weird version of Japanese pizza, that's the best I can describe it as), but as it turns out the place was closed so we went to a kaitenzushi place instead. A kaitenzushi place is a sushi restaurant were the food goes around on a conveyor belt. It was a little nostalgic since the last time I had it was in Shibuya with Isaac. But anyway, lunch was very nice and it was very fun to spend some time with Terumi-san and Sasamoto-sensei. In a way it was like having lunch with my adopted mother and father (hehe, sorry that's a funny image for me).
After lunch Sasamoto-sensei suggested that we walk around a nearby park. Apparently he had just moved to the area. He was telling us that there was a very nice park nearby with lots of hydrangea that would bloom soon. The park was very beautiful and the weather was nice though it was a little overcast (but at least no rain). After walking around for a bit Terumi-san and I bid goodbye to Sasamoto-sensei and headed to Shibuya. I wanted to wander around for a bit there and Terumi-san actually lives there. On the train ride over there she and I chatted for a bit. I had found out at the orientation meeting that she does voice over work here in Japan and that she actually is working on the Lilo and Stitch series, doing the voices over into Japanese. So on the ride we talked about that a bit more. It was nice, she humors me with my bad Japanese and I let her practice her English, so it works.
After I bid Terumi-san goodbye at the station I headed off to Mandrake. Last time I was in Japan our friend from college, Christine, took us around Shibuya and showed us the arcade (with the taiko drumming game I became addicted to) and also a store called Mandrake. Mandrake is like a mecca from manga, cosplay, models, etc. It's a wondrous place. I wandered over there and looked around a bit to see if I wanted to by anything but nothing really struck me. After that I decided not to go to the arcade so that I wouldn't spend money on the taiko game and headed back to the station but this time I got on the subway. It was really weird being back on the Ginza subway line after two years and knowing that I wasn't staying at the ANA Hotel. I got off at Akasaka-mitsuke stop to go there anyway but that was wrong. I forgot that the hotel was the next stop, oops!
I walked around a little bit and realized I was lost. Luckily I found an Indian man who spoke some English. He directed me on how to get to the hotel and I began the walk over there. It was nice to see more of the area because last time we didn't wander around much by the hotel. I actually came across a pretty big shrine as I was walking that I had no idea existed. I think that the sign said there was a festival there soon so I must go back and check it out. After I went to see the hotel I hopped back on the subway because there was a Gagaku performance that we were all going to that night and I didn't want to be late. I had to transfer and wait for a train but I got to Ooimachi just fine. I left the train station and wandered around a bit in the 6 floor department store (though mostly electronics) in the same building as the concert hall. I ended up buying a little Stitch bag dangle thing (that's the best I can describe it, they're all over the place here) of Stitch and the little stuffed doll, I believe it's name was Scrump.
So after that I went back outside because it had stopped raining, yes it rained while I was on the train and in the building. I sat outside for a bit and read a book. While doing that I was amused by two things. First was that Burger King has made it to Japan. There was a restaurant right by the station. The second thing was that only in Japan do I feel I would see 3 small children running around and not be concerned for there safety. In fact I constantly see small children in small groups by themselves. That would never fly in the US. After reading for a bit I got a little bored and cold so I decided to go up and wait for the concert inside the building. I ended up on the 7th floor, even though the performance was on the 8th floor, because there was a nice lounge there where I could relax for a bit.
About 45 minutes before the doors opened for the concert a cute little old lady sat down between me and Japanese woman. She asked the woman about the 8th floor and how to get there. The woman didn't have a clue but since I had overheard and actually understood what the lady wanted I butted in a little and told her how to get there. I also checked to make sure there was an elevator there for her to get up to the 8th floor. (I was curious for myself too, ouchie new shoes hurt!) After I came back and told her that I sat down and she asked me some questions. I felt bad because it's difficult for her to talk, she kind of had trouble with her jaw. But she was so cute and reminded me of my grandma so I didn't mind trying to decipher what she was saying.
After a little while we both left to go up to the concert hall. It was beautiful. I tried taking some pictures but the lighting was bad with a flash so I tried without it. The pictures were a little more yellow and maybe a bit blurry but you could make out the stage better. After a bit the others arrived. The concert itself was amazing. I must admit that I did doze a little bit in the second half, but come on, I had a long day. The dancing was especially amazing to see because we hadn't seen it done perfessionally before. I can't describe the utter sense of peace and the meditative state that that music puts me in but it's no wonder I fell asleep for a bit.
After the concert I tried my hand at being helpful to Team Sho (it's there nickname ^-^) but that kinda blew up in my face. Leave it to the two guys to be obnoxious. Todd, who's amazing at Japanese and had exchange students from Japan at his house for years and studied abroad here twice, etc, was all like "I think I'll be able to manage" and Michael, the older guy out of the four of us, I think he's in his 50s or something and he always has this I'm better than you type of attitude, at least in my opinion, was like "Oh, I've gone to college, I think I can manage." Whatever, I tried and from now on screw em. I just wanted to make sure they could manage I know that even though I'm good at reading maps I still get turned around. But whatever.
Anyways, so those to snobs went their seperate ways and I was left with Casey because we were going to go to BK for dinner. But first she wanted a converter for her laptop too. I tried calling her when I was in Akihabara to see if she wanted me to get her one but she didn't have her phone on here or something. I dunno. Anyway, she went into the electronics store and I was tried and my right foot was really hurting so I didn't want to go in with her but I decided I would at least wait by the escalators. I ended up having to ask the information desk for her about where the converters were and then she went off to find them. After a few minutes I decided maybe I should check on her. She was with two clerks and they were looking at converters. For one similar to the one I got this place wanted about 5 times as much, almost 1000 Yen ($10 bucks). What a ripoff. I convinced her to get one somewhere else and we headed over to BK.
It was fun ordering in BK and the TV there played old commercials from the US. It's so true that even years from now people in the US may have forgotten or lost things but they will be deposited somewhere in Japan. After dinner Casey and I went to catch the train back. She told me I could rest a while because I had had a long day but she's the one who ended up falling asleep. Oh well. After we got back I hobbled to my room, came up and chatted on the computer a bit and then went to bed. Luckily I didn't have a lesson the next day until the even so I could sleep in a little. Yay!
And now that I've caught you up on Monday's events I'm going to run downstairs and get some dinner. But fear not I shall return soon and fill you in on Tuesday and today's events. Jya ato ne!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Busy Busy
Wow, it seems like such a long time since I got to record what I've been doing but it's just been one day. Insane! I guess it just feels longer because I've been so busy. So, let's see, where did I leave off. I believe it was just before I went down to Yokohama yesterday. So I lucked out and the train line that runs here also goes directly to Yokohama, which made my life easy. I just had to get on the train and wait till I got to Yokohama. Also convenient was my timing. I told Maggie that I would meet her at 11:30am at the station and I got there at about 6 minutes to 11:30. Go me! So I hung around and she called to let me know she was running a bit late. So while I hung around I took some pictures of the beautiful mosaic on the wall by the East exit, I watched a little fountain right below it, and I walked around a bit to get my bearings.
When Maggie got there she introduced me to her sister and we all set off in search of a place to have a light lunch and maybe hang around for a little bit. We ended up ultimately going back through the station to the West exit and walked around until we came across a cute restaurant that looked good. I knew I had dinner after my meeting so I decided not to eat a big meal and ended up getting a small appetizer of french fries and a strawberry parfait. Both were very good. After we all had some food we wandered over to a department store. Maggie and her sister got some frappaccinos in a Starbucks on the first floor (yes, they truly are everywhere now, worse than McDonald's), and I was quite amused to find that beverage sizes are truly quite different. The small size was REALLY small. In fact the medium size that Maggie got was more along the lines of a small size in the US.
But anyway, after that we went upstairs to browse. Maggie ended up finding a nice pair of sunglasses and they threw in a free case for them (a really nice one too) when she bought them, and they only cost about 2000 Yen ($20). Try getting that in the US. After we wandered around a bit more I had to go back to the station so I could get to my meeting on time. I said bye to Maggie and her sister and got on the train to go to Shinjuku. It wasn't too long of a ride and I got there early enough to figure out my way. I ran into Todd and his brother there. We said by to his brother and went to the hotel to meet Terumi-san and the others. The lounge where we had our meeting was very nice and I got to have an iced Earl Grey tea for free. It was yummy. After our meeting we walked over a short distance to the restaurant where we were going to have dinner. There we met Sasamoto-sensei (the ryuuteki teacher, my sensei as I like to think of him), Miura-sensei who will be teaching some sho lessons, the hichiriki teacher (whose name I am currently drawing a blank on =/), Komoda-sensei who has been instrumental in helping with the program, Professor Rusch, the head of both the Columbia and Kyoto Medieval Japanese Institutes, and Karada-san who is the Kyoto counterpart of Miho at Columbia, essentially the assistant director or something of the Institute (in the respective country of course).
Dinner was very nice and very different than what I'm used to. I mean I've had Japanese food before but only in small bits here or there. This was a full like 7 course meal of small bits of various different Japanese foods. It was exquisite. And of course there was beer and sake(really good sake!). I had never had Ebisu beer before but I really like it. I had about 3 small glasses (yes they were Japanese small not American small). I also had about 3 little sake glasses of this wonderful sake. I wish I knew what brand it was because it was really tasty, it had a taste of something close to melon and it was served cold in a clear tea kettle looking thing. I think Sasamoto-sensei was impressed with my drinking abilities (limited as they are) because he said that I was very, how to translate it....sturdy, or strong I guess. I took that as a complement. He's a fun guy, I really feel lucky that he's my sensei. After dinner we went back to the station to go home and I was really looking forward to sleep especially since my first lesson was early this morning with Sasamoto-sensei, 10:30am to be precise. But I shall save today's excursion for my next post because it is about 12:30am here, I'm tired, and it's hot as hell in the study room at the moment. Night all, until next time. Jya matta!
When Maggie got there she introduced me to her sister and we all set off in search of a place to have a light lunch and maybe hang around for a little bit. We ended up ultimately going back through the station to the West exit and walked around until we came across a cute restaurant that looked good. I knew I had dinner after my meeting so I decided not to eat a big meal and ended up getting a small appetizer of french fries and a strawberry parfait. Both were very good. After we all had some food we wandered over to a department store. Maggie and her sister got some frappaccinos in a Starbucks on the first floor (yes, they truly are everywhere now, worse than McDonald's), and I was quite amused to find that beverage sizes are truly quite different. The small size was REALLY small. In fact the medium size that Maggie got was more along the lines of a small size in the US.
But anyway, after that we went upstairs to browse. Maggie ended up finding a nice pair of sunglasses and they threw in a free case for them (a really nice one too) when she bought them, and they only cost about 2000 Yen ($20). Try getting that in the US. After we wandered around a bit more I had to go back to the station so I could get to my meeting on time. I said bye to Maggie and her sister and got on the train to go to Shinjuku. It wasn't too long of a ride and I got there early enough to figure out my way. I ran into Todd and his brother there. We said by to his brother and went to the hotel to meet Terumi-san and the others. The lounge where we had our meeting was very nice and I got to have an iced Earl Grey tea for free. It was yummy. After our meeting we walked over a short distance to the restaurant where we were going to have dinner. There we met Sasamoto-sensei (the ryuuteki teacher, my sensei as I like to think of him), Miura-sensei who will be teaching some sho lessons, the hichiriki teacher (whose name I am currently drawing a blank on =/), Komoda-sensei who has been instrumental in helping with the program, Professor Rusch, the head of both the Columbia and Kyoto Medieval Japanese Institutes, and Karada-san who is the Kyoto counterpart of Miho at Columbia, essentially the assistant director or something of the Institute (in the respective country of course).
Dinner was very nice and very different than what I'm used to. I mean I've had Japanese food before but only in small bits here or there. This was a full like 7 course meal of small bits of various different Japanese foods. It was exquisite. And of course there was beer and sake(really good sake!). I had never had Ebisu beer before but I really like it. I had about 3 small glasses (yes they were Japanese small not American small). I also had about 3 little sake glasses of this wonderful sake. I wish I knew what brand it was because it was really tasty, it had a taste of something close to melon and it was served cold in a clear tea kettle looking thing. I think Sasamoto-sensei was impressed with my drinking abilities (limited as they are) because he said that I was very, how to translate it....sturdy, or strong I guess. I took that as a complement. He's a fun guy, I really feel lucky that he's my sensei. After dinner we went back to the station to go home and I was really looking forward to sleep especially since my first lesson was early this morning with Sasamoto-sensei, 10:30am to be precise. But I shall save today's excursion for my next post because it is about 12:30am here, I'm tired, and it's hot as hell in the study room at the moment. Night all, until next time. Jya matta!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Mission Achieved...Well Sort Of
So I headed out in the dreary weather yesterday and hopped on the JR line, which conveniently went straight to Akihabara, woot! It wasn't too bad of a trip, I think it only took a little over a half and hour to get there because I was on the rapid train. Anyways, I got off the train and left the station in search of the big electronics store that Isaac and I found last time we were here. I didn't even get too far though when I came across some stands selling outlets and such right by the station. I poked my head into one stand where a friendly looking young man was working and looked around a bit. They had other outlets and converters, so it looked promising. I explained in my bad Japanese that I had a computer with the 3 prong plug and I was looking for a converter. He immediately said, "Like this?", and pulled out exactly what I needed. I felt silly because it was just around the corner where I had been looking, but oh well, I'm the foreigner right?
So, back to the story. I asked him how much and he said it was 200 Yen. Whoo! Good deal! I paid and thanked him and then went on my way to wander around now that my mission was completed. Conveniently right across the street was a Sega arcade. Can we say taiko drumming game anyone? I looked around the first floor and not seeing began to climb the stairs. As I got halfway up to the second floor I could hear the don don don (noise of someone hitting the taiko in Japanese) of the game. Ahhh, what a sweet sound. =) I get up to the second floor and what do I find but a bunch of Americans (I think) playing it. Ah, how the Gaijin flock to the taiko game huh? The funny part is I think that they were the same group of people that were on the flight with me from JFK. I say that because I recognized one guy. He had a very distinctive look, was very tall, and had on a jacket that I remembered. But anyway.
So after waiting a good 15 minutes or so for them to stop playing I got my chance to play. While I watched them however I happened to look down and find a 100 Yen coin. Nice! Considering each game cost 200 Yen to play I now could play a second for half price. I had a blast playing though it wasn't quite the same as playing with someone. My song choices were the Super Mario Bros Theme, Flight of the Bumblebee, William Tell Overture, and the Can Can. After I finished I looked around the arcade a little more but ended up leaving in search of other things. I wandered back across the street in search of somewhere to eat and found a MacDonald's. I purchased a Double Cheeseburger set and enjoyed my meal down in the smoke free section of the restaurant. After I was done I went back out just to wander around. I got a couple of free tissue samples (the give them out a lot in Tokyo) and in my wanderings I came across the music store Isaac and I found last time we were there. It was a little strange for me to be nostalgic but I was.
After a little more wandering I came across a few stores that were selling a mini version of the taiko drumming game for the Nintendo DS. I was soo tempted to by one on the spot but I figured I would research if I could play them on my DS first and maybe see if it was any cheaper on Ebay. It was now a couple hours later and almost 1pm so I decided to head back and try out the converter and see if I could get my computer to go online. I hopped a train back and was pleasantly surprised to find that the rain had let up when I got back to Kita-Urawa. Apparently, as Terumi-san told us on the night we arrived, all the rain was being caused by a typhoon headed our way. Since it was only slightly overcast and not raining anymore I took the opportunity to take some photos on my walk back to the center. After I was done with that I scurried to my room took out my computer and viola! However, I wasn't getting an internet signal on my wireless. So I relocated to the lounge area, the designated area for wireless internet. After a little bit of setting adjusting and rebooting I managed to get a good signal and even to get Google to load, but after that nothing. I have no idea why it wouldn't work. Resigning myself to just using Skype on my laptop I tried that, but that too was acting wonky. I have no clue what was wrong but I spent the better part of 3 hours or so trying to make it work. Grrr.
While I was sitting out there doing that Casey, the other girl in the group, walked by and we chatted a bit. She decided to make some rice since the cafeteria is closed on weekends and we have a kitchen we can use to cook. I said I would gladly have some, I mean who am I to refuse free rice? So she went off to do that while I played with my computer. She went back to her room for a bit while it cooked and returned a little later to study while we ate. Meanwhile another woman had passed by and was talking to a gentleman who work here, I didn't really pay attention to them but I know she was telling them something. It turns out that the rice had burned smoking up the kitchen and of course making it smelly, Casey discovered this soon after the man had left.
The man returned, however, with someone who looked like a custodian in tow. They began to try to talk to Casey in Japanese, of which she knows none, and I soon got pulled into the conversation after she asked for help because she couldn't understand them. I couldn't do much better however. In the end the first gentleman, who turned out to be a guard, called a girl from one of the offices to come translate because she knew some English. Between her and I we figured out that he was trying to tell us that cooking rice on the stove was a bad idea (duh) and he showed us how to use the rice cooker.
I felt bad for Casey, that must have been a bit of a traumatic experience. She soon retired back to her room after cleaning out the pot of burnt rice but popped again to ask if she could borrow my converter for a while. I told her as soon as I was done with it I would let her use it for a bit and after a bit more frustration with the computer I went back to my room too. I let it run a check for errors in Windows while I went out to the 7-11 to get some dinner. I ended up getting another chicken pasta salad and ichigo sando, as well as a big Cup of Noodles, just to have on hand. When I got back I put that away and went to see if Casey was awake so I could give her the converter but I think she had fallen asleep. I was getting tired myself and decided I would just give it to her later. I went back into my room and watched some TV and puttered around. About 8pm or so I went to sleep. I again woke up a few times during the night and ended up giving up on sleep and getting out of bed at 6am again this morning. So that pretty much brings me up to the present. I'm actually going to go down to Yokohama today, where Maggie has been staying with her sister, to visit and have lunch with her before I go to my orientation meeting in Shinjuku. Until later everyone.
So, back to the story. I asked him how much and he said it was 200 Yen. Whoo! Good deal! I paid and thanked him and then went on my way to wander around now that my mission was completed. Conveniently right across the street was a Sega arcade. Can we say taiko drumming game anyone? I looked around the first floor and not seeing began to climb the stairs. As I got halfway up to the second floor I could hear the don don don (noise of someone hitting the taiko in Japanese) of the game. Ahhh, what a sweet sound. =) I get up to the second floor and what do I find but a bunch of Americans (I think) playing it. Ah, how the Gaijin flock to the taiko game huh? The funny part is I think that they were the same group of people that were on the flight with me from JFK. I say that because I recognized one guy. He had a very distinctive look, was very tall, and had on a jacket that I remembered. But anyway.
So after waiting a good 15 minutes or so for them to stop playing I got my chance to play. While I watched them however I happened to look down and find a 100 Yen coin. Nice! Considering each game cost 200 Yen to play I now could play a second for half price. I had a blast playing though it wasn't quite the same as playing with someone. My song choices were the Super Mario Bros Theme, Flight of the Bumblebee, William Tell Overture, and the Can Can. After I finished I looked around the arcade a little more but ended up leaving in search of other things. I wandered back across the street in search of somewhere to eat and found a MacDonald's. I purchased a Double Cheeseburger set and enjoyed my meal down in the smoke free section of the restaurant. After I was done I went back out just to wander around. I got a couple of free tissue samples (the give them out a lot in Tokyo) and in my wanderings I came across the music store Isaac and I found last time we were there. It was a little strange for me to be nostalgic but I was.
After a little more wandering I came across a few stores that were selling a mini version of the taiko drumming game for the Nintendo DS. I was soo tempted to by one on the spot but I figured I would research if I could play them on my DS first and maybe see if it was any cheaper on Ebay. It was now a couple hours later and almost 1pm so I decided to head back and try out the converter and see if I could get my computer to go online. I hopped a train back and was pleasantly surprised to find that the rain had let up when I got back to Kita-Urawa. Apparently, as Terumi-san told us on the night we arrived, all the rain was being caused by a typhoon headed our way. Since it was only slightly overcast and not raining anymore I took the opportunity to take some photos on my walk back to the center. After I was done with that I scurried to my room took out my computer and viola! However, I wasn't getting an internet signal on my wireless. So I relocated to the lounge area, the designated area for wireless internet. After a little bit of setting adjusting and rebooting I managed to get a good signal and even to get Google to load, but after that nothing. I have no idea why it wouldn't work. Resigning myself to just using Skype on my laptop I tried that, but that too was acting wonky. I have no clue what was wrong but I spent the better part of 3 hours or so trying to make it work. Grrr.
While I was sitting out there doing that Casey, the other girl in the group, walked by and we chatted a bit. She decided to make some rice since the cafeteria is closed on weekends and we have a kitchen we can use to cook. I said I would gladly have some, I mean who am I to refuse free rice? So she went off to do that while I played with my computer. She went back to her room for a bit while it cooked and returned a little later to study while we ate. Meanwhile another woman had passed by and was talking to a gentleman who work here, I didn't really pay attention to them but I know she was telling them something. It turns out that the rice had burned smoking up the kitchen and of course making it smelly, Casey discovered this soon after the man had left.
The man returned, however, with someone who looked like a custodian in tow. They began to try to talk to Casey in Japanese, of which she knows none, and I soon got pulled into the conversation after she asked for help because she couldn't understand them. I couldn't do much better however. In the end the first gentleman, who turned out to be a guard, called a girl from one of the offices to come translate because she knew some English. Between her and I we figured out that he was trying to tell us that cooking rice on the stove was a bad idea (duh) and he showed us how to use the rice cooker.
I felt bad for Casey, that must have been a bit of a traumatic experience. She soon retired back to her room after cleaning out the pot of burnt rice but popped again to ask if she could borrow my converter for a while. I told her as soon as I was done with it I would let her use it for a bit and after a bit more frustration with the computer I went back to my room too. I let it run a check for errors in Windows while I went out to the 7-11 to get some dinner. I ended up getting another chicken pasta salad and ichigo sando, as well as a big Cup of Noodles, just to have on hand. When I got back I put that away and went to see if Casey was awake so I could give her the converter but I think she had fallen asleep. I was getting tired myself and decided I would just give it to her later. I went back into my room and watched some TV and puttered around. About 8pm or so I went to sleep. I again woke up a few times during the night and ended up giving up on sleep and getting out of bed at 6am again this morning. So that pretty much brings me up to the present. I'm actually going to go down to Yokohama today, where Maggie has been staying with her sister, to visit and have lunch with her before I go to my orientation meeting in Shinjuku. Until later everyone.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)