nihonniikou

[nihonniikou]

A great thing about studying abroad is not only do you get to experience the culture of your site, but also the culture of many other countries because of the diversity of the students who are abroad. This evening was quite an international event: I (an American) watched Un monstre à Paris (a French film) with Gabbi and Sarah (two of my friends from England). Sadly, our French friend Dorian could not join us! Maybe we'll watch it again with him in French.

[nihonniikou]

Halfway Point

I am now halfway through my program (sorry for my lack of updates!) and I am quite sad thinking about the short amount of time I have left. Only two more months stand between me and the end of the trip of a lifetime.

Where did I leave off?

Ahh Nikko. This was one of the most exciting adventures of my whole time here. We managed to reserve the entirety of a beautiful and peaceful hostel in the mountains near Nikko.

The view from our hostel.

Freshly caught and freshly cooked from the local restaurant down the street.

Typical nighttime shenanigans at our little hostel in the middle of nowhere.

 The next day we actually traveled to Nikko and took a bus up the nearby mountain to see the famous Kegon Falls. Afterwards, we hiked for a few hours to make it to the top and reward ourselves with a relaxing onsen experience. Kegon Falls was absolutely beautiful, but the combination of the cool air and the increasingly beautiful scenery as we ascended the mountain could not be beat.

The actual city part of Nikko.

Kegon Falls.

Some scenery during our hike.

Our hike's reward.

The next day we checked out the must-see areas of Nikko, had a small dinner, and then headed back to Tokyo!

Toshogu shrine in which Tokugawa Ieyasu is enshrined. 

By this point I have gotten used to life in Japan and both Tokyo and Warabi feel like home to me. Here are some random facts about Japan that also accurately describe my time here:

Owning an animal is expensive so you can go to a cafe to enjoy their company without all of the expensive upkeep!

Purikura is the best way to waste 1 hour of your life.

There are no open container laws in Japan, but everyone on the train hates loud people. Especially loud gaikokujin.

Dango is the food of the gods.

Cute mascots are everywhere. We found this guy in Ikebukuro on our way home from shopping in a 60 floor shopping center called Sunshine City.

Onsen is something everyone should try. On this particular occasion, we visited an indoor onsen theme park-like place in Odaiba (one of the neighborhoods of Tokyo that is actually an island in the bay). We got to don yukata (cotton kimono) after our dip in the water and then observed a show while we ate shaved ice.

Tokyo is big and dirty, but for the most part it is a beautiful city and I love it. Here we are viewing the skyline from a beach on the bay in Odaiba.

The Tokyo skyline at night from above is one of the most breathtaking cityscapes I have ever seen. Sometimes you have to dress up, order a fancy drink, and listen to some smooth standards while you observe from the 52nd floor of the Park Hyatt. Here I am channeling my inner Scarlett Johannson a la Lost in Translation.

Aladdin speaks English no matter where you are in the world. Mickey and Goofy, on the other hand, are multilingual. Here Kylie, Kristin, and I are enjoying Tokyo Disney Sea.

The Shinkansen (bullet train) is extremely fast. In this picture, I'm on my way to visit Sendai and Aomori with Inoru, Joel, and Christine.

Sulfur lakes smell bad but are absolutely beautiful. This is Joel and I in Aomori, the northernmost area of Japan's central island.

The imperial palace's grounds are large and confusing. Here Tori and I are modelling the beautiful grounds.

You can find anything in Tokyo! Ai and her friends invited me to The Lock Up Izakaya (a Japanese pub). You were "locked up" by a police officer in a jail cell and every hour "serial killers" and "zombies" came to scare you! With unlimited creative drinks and lots of delicious food, it was like going out to drink at a haunted house!

Every neighborhood in Tokyo is different and exciting! This is Ai and me in Daikanyama, a super posh and awesome area near Shibuya.

Think of anything, any food item, any drink you've ever wanted. You can find it somewhere in Tokyo. But you might pay a hefty price for it. This is me with my Hawaiian drink from Tiki Tiki in Shinjuku. Kylie, Kristin, Christine, and I enjoyed flowery drinks out of coconuts and pineapples while hula dancers serenaded us.

Going out looking like this isn't normal...but nobody was phased by in Shinjuku by our costumes.

Sometimes Tokyo is too much, no matter how much I love it. After days upon days of train rides that are so crowded you have to be shoved in, after a few hazy days where you can't see the sun, and after weeks of not seeing a single blade of grass, it's a relief to see how beautiful the nature is in other parts of Japan.

I promise to update more frequently from now on so as to avoid these super long recaps!

[nihonniikou]

Rebellious youth in Japan, 1964.

Not published in LIFE. “Sometimes [Yoko] goes down to the port in Yokohama to watch the ships sail off to the places she only wishes she cold go. At sunset, her ‘day’ begins again.”

[nihonniikou]

[nihonniikou]

Week 4

So, last weekend Inoru and I went to Shibuya to check out the meeting that the model scout set up for me. Craziness ensued. I had to get directions via phone in one of the most crowded places in the world, which was actually good Japanese practice. And then together we filled out a form (which took a while) about myself: "do you want to be included in an Android app where your picture says good morning to random men?" No thank you! We booked it out of there, but it ended up being a hilarious adventure and good bonding time.

That evening, I scored a bag of assorted bread for 300 yen, which is a total bargain! I know that sounds lame, but it's the little things that save you money that really make you smile. Especially when buying fruit here costs upwards of 5 dollars. I also enjoyed a lovely fresh baked baguette from Beans in the station. It was delicious.

Next week is a holiday in Japan called Golden Week and we only have two days of school. We were a little late coming in to this, but Kylie and I managed to plan a trip for all of us to Nikko. We were very lucky because this is a big travelling season, so almost everything was booked. We'll be taking up every room at the inn at Nikko. We're excited because the inn is extremely secluded and we even have a private area of a beautiful river to swim in. We plan to visit some shrines, hike to see some waterfalls, and soak away our worries in some onsen (hot springs).

^ Nikko.

We bought a pass for around 50 dollars that gets us tickets to and from Nikko and free bus rides and train rides in the area for the whole time we're there. What a bargain! We'll be there for three days, so we hope to take the train to the next town over and enjoy their famous onsen.

^ By Monday morning, I will possibly be relaxing in this onsen at the top of a mountain. Yesssss.

We had to travel to Asakusa to buy our train passes, so afterwards we explored the area. It's touristy, but somehow relaxing. Especially after the crowds cleared. This was one of the areas I visited 6 years ago, so it was interesting to see the same landmarks but with the new Tokyo Sky Tree in the background (the newly erected tallest free standing tower in the world).

^ In Asakusa.

We ducked into a side street to find some dinner and were pleasantly surprised by a hole in the wall that served amazing monjya and okonomiyaki.

^ Tori and me enjoying delicious monjya. It's some sort of savory batter with bean sprouts, ginger, cheese, cabbage (maybe?), and other veggies mixed in. It's similar to okonomiyaki, if you've ever had it, but it doesn't solidify into a cake the way Okonomiyaki does. It was delicious! Our next dish was okonomiyaki with beef and green onions inside. It's topped with a savory sauce, some Japanese mayonnaise (which I actually kind of like), and some bonito powder. It is ridiculously delicious, even if it sounds a bit strange to an American palette.

So after this busy week, I'm sitting at my desk translating some manga for practice. I think my character reading ability is improving and my listening ability has definitely improved already. I'm still nervous when I speak, but I'm getting better! 

Less than 48 hours stands between me and my vacation with friends. I can't wait! Pictures to come soon!

P.S. There's a spread called "peanut cream" in Japan and it is NOTHING like peanut butter. How depressing. It's like peanut flavored dulce de leche. Which reminds me, I miss dulce de leche.

#Nikko #okonomiyaki #Asakusa #Golden Week #Study Abroad #Tokyo

[nihonniikou]

"I want it all I want it all for myself."

[nihonniikou]

Week 3

We're already almost three weeks in to our study abroad trip?! No way! The time has flown by so quickly. Slow down, please!

Where shall I begin? The first few days here consisted of the usual moving in stuff--getting my laptop hooked up, figuring out my air con, and unpacking my clothes. Our friend Yumiko from Sophia picked me and Andrew up from the airport and helped us get our luggage delivered to DK House. Thank goodness for her help! We were supposed to have orientation and our Japanese placement exam the day after we arrived, but wild weather caused a postponement of the exam. We all decided to explore Warabi that evening and endured the wind and rain of an absolutely awful storm. It was a bonding experience.

The next day we awkwardly made our way to Yotsuya through the wonder of Tokyo's train system. We've mastered the system by now, but it was quite the trip at the time. We had been invited to a hanami party (cherry blossom viewing) after our exam, so we were all anxious to finish. After 3 tortuous hours of non-stop Japanese, we made our way up to Sophia-dori and met our new Japanese and international friends! The cherry blossoms were absolutely beautiful, the chips were tasty, the beer was cold, and the Chu-Hi was sweet. I believe gold leaf sake was making the rounds, as well. After scrambling around Shinjuku only to finally settle down and eat some delicious Korean food, we met up with our new friends Takumi, Tori, Joe, Shun, Dorian, Daria and many more for a fun night of karaoke! Karaoke is nothing like in the States. We had our own private room with unlimited drinks and lots of awesome songs to choose from. Not to mention we had some great singers and rappers in our midst.

I stole this picture from Andrew. Hopefully he's not too upset.

During the following days we took care of a lot of little things, but also managed to have some fun. We rode our bikes to the municipal office to register ourselves for our gaijin cards and also discovered the joys of Belc suupaa. Our little family had our first meal together (gyudon, curry, spaghetti, home fries, mochi, Kirin, Chu-Hi, the list goes on), we ventured into Akihabara to buy our phones and explore the electric world of futuristic technology, video games, manga, and cardboard cutouts of half naked anime characters. 

That evening DK House held a welcome party for the new arrivals and we had the pleasure of making many new friends! We enjoyed plenty of delicious dishes, beer and Chu-Hi, hilarious entertainment, and the company of some great friends! Also, animal ears somehow got thrown into the mix. A group of us made our way to Roppongi afterward for our first night out. Since the trains stop around midnight and the clubs and bars are open late, we had to stay out until 5:00 a.m. awaiting the first morning train home. Needless to say, we were all pretty exhausted. We also ran into a certain unsavory character on the subway from Roppongi, but we didn't let that ruin our night.

^Fun times!

In the following days we checked out the festival beneath the cherry blossoms on the street behind our house and enjoyed some delicious food. Shya pin (something Chinese that I don't know how to spell) is now the love of both my life and Andrew's life. It's a pan fried dough cake with delicious pork inside and a slightly tangy and watery sauce soaking in to the outside of the cake. I also enjoyed some ume (pickled plum) covered in a sweet, clear, sugary taffy-like substance. The group of middle school girls surrounding the booth were, for some reason, enamored with me and my dessert choice. They were very sweet.

^ Katherine took this cute picture of our whole group. We're pretty close!

We then braved the many barkers and fliers of Freshman week at Sophia. Every club was out in full swing trying to recruit new members. I considered joining archery, but it was a little too expensive. I tried my hand at swim team the following weekend, but, unfortunately, the time commitment and money needed might be a bit much for me. The team was amazing and sweet, though, so I'm glad I tried it out!

^ Christine's picture of me and Joel chilling in front of the massive army of club recruiters.

We joined our friends at Sophia the next day to check out some of the dance performances and then made our way to an izakaya in Shinjuku to eat, drink, and get to know each other better. I'm starting to sense a pattern. We had two narrow tables to ourselves and Kristin and I shared some french fries, chicken, and kim chee. We had a great evening and met some new friends including Kenneth, Yuka, and Ena. It was nice to finally go out with the lovely Brits, as well (this is a shout out to Gabbi and Sarah :P). There are some wonderful people attending Sophia and I'm so glad to be meeting them!

^Possibly the greatest picture known to humankind.

After such a fun night, it was a little hard to drag ourselves out of bed and make our way over to Yotsuya for our first day of school. Sophia utilizes a kind of trial period before enrollment that allows you to get a feel for your classes before you make any decisions. It's a great idea. I was hoping to move one level up in Japanese, but was sorely disappointed. Additionally, several of the classes I had planned to take were nothing like what their course guidelines described them as so I had a rough day scrambling to figure out my schedule. Luckily, everything worked out and our group lived to endure another day of Sophia classes. Every student has a common lunch hour, so we try to meet up and eat together as much as possible.

That weekend I started to get sick and the weekend activities certainly didn't make me any healthier. I went to the swim team practice I was invited to and almost died. The team was helpful and friendly, but the time commitment might be a little too much. We did ab workouts for an hour and swam some hard sets for the next two hours. Afterwards, we met our friends for the welcome party for their club called Lingwave. We had our own room rented and unlimited drinks and pizza. The room was packed with a bunch of our friends and we all danced and laughed together. After that, a small group of us karaoke'd until the sun came up. What an evening.

^ Stealing from Andrew, again. I left my camera at home.

The past week has been pretty uneventful while we all adjust to our new school schedule. On top of that, I've been pretty sick. I've only been eating convenience store food for the past few days and I was sick enough to have to wear a surgical mask around. Luckily, the Lawson's clerk remembers me and my sickly voice and has been keeping an eye out for me.

Even though people seem to get a bit frustrated with me when I'm confused on the train or wandering around with a lost look in my eyes, people here are very friendly and there have been two small moments that have really made me appreciate the people around me.

Today on the train, I offered an elderly man my seat and he refused to take it until I asked a few times. As I stood up, a salary man scooted over and made room for me and made me sit down. In the typical Japanese style he complimented my Japanese and refused my thanks for his generous action. Last week while walking back from the station at night in the pouring rain, an older man and woman who own an izakaya down the street made us borrow some umbrellas and started some small talk with us. We're heading to the izakaya shortly to order some food, drink some beer, and return the umbrellas. Good guy Japan: loans 4 total strangers umbrellas, trusts that they will return. Good guy Japan: move seats for elderly gentleman, whole train moves to make more space for you.

I love this place.

#study abroad #Japan #Sakura #Yotsuya #Warabi #Chu-Hi #Karaoke

[nihonniikou]

Enjoying a bike ride under the blooming cherry blossoms. More to come soon!

[nihonniikou]

Anyone want to join?

#Sophia Daigaku #Circles

[nihonniikou]

First Days

These past two days have been so busy! I'm probably heading downstairs soon, so I'll keep this short.

The flight was ridiculously long but bearable. Once we were descending, I was able to make out some of the features of the land. Around Narita Airport (which isn't actually in Tokyo) the land looks surprisingly similar to Kansas. After standing in the immigration line for about 30 minutes, we headed to customs and then had our bags sent by a courier to DK House. A student from Sophia named Yumiko met us at the airport and she was extremely kind and helpful!

After about an hour or so long train ride, we arrived at the station and walked through Warabi to our home. Warabi is a wonderful little city with narrow streets and lots of friendly people. After checking in at DK House, we wandered over to Lawson's and 711 to grab some food and on the way I noticed that there are far fewer cars and lots of people walking and cycling. I picked up a huge orange, some milk coffee, some soba, and some dango.

Curry on curry on curry on curry.

Our group woke up early this morning to head off to Sophia for orientation. We all crammed into the train at 8:30 in the morning and scrambled through the crowds of people to switch lines. It really wasn't that busy, but the busy-ness of the stations here (and their efficiency) really is a sight to be seen. The trains also run extremely smoothly. It's really incredible!

The view outside my window this morning.

After orientation and lunch with some Sophia students we were supposed to take our placement exam, but a surprise typhoon (!!!) had us all running back to the station. After purchasing the wrong ticket (and me totally failing to speak Japanese properly to a station worker), we finally switched on to the right lines and made it home. The gusts were (and still are) extremely strong, even by Kansas standards. Some of the train lines were even delayed, which I think is pretty unusual.

Since there was a typhoon raging outside we, of course, decided it was a good idea to walk to the 711 to buy dinner. Clothing was drenched, umbrellas were destroyed, and voices were lost in the wind. I don't think I've seen a storm this strong in a long time. Was my gyoza dinner worth it? Of course.

P.S. Excuse the poor writing--it's been a long 72 hours.

#Warabi #Sophia Daigaku #Curry #Typhoon #Study Abroad

[nihonniikou]

Mere hours stand between me and that flight. I have never been more excited (or more anxious) for anything in my life. This all sounds a tad dramatic, but I know this is going to be the experience of a lifetime (and this is something I've wanted to do for a very long time), so my feelings are pretty intense!

I started this 3.5 month break thinking it would drag on and that my life would be fairly stagnant. Now I find myself at the end of this break and I feel as though my life, my path, and my point of view have all changed drastically (and I've heard studying abroad will only augment this feeling). I already have big plans for when I return (since I arrive back in the States right before my senior year begins, there has been a lot of early planning). I've reconsidered what I want to do with my life and I may be going in a totally different direction. I've solidified some friendships that I feel certain will last a lifetime. I met two close friends that I will probably never see again. My family and I have grown closer than ever and they have shown me so much love and support. Surprisingly, I find myself thinking that this time at home has been one of the best periods of my life.

Now I'm sitting in my yellow room synthesizing all of these thoughts and feelings that have grown over the past few months. There is no better place in the world for this process than this warm yellow room full of memories. The old Coldplay and U of Chicago posters, the comic books on my bookshelf, the pictures of old friends, the trinkets my mom has given me throughout the years, and the old desk my dad built remind me of how I got to where I am now. Even though I've considered Lawrence to be my home for the past 3 years, I look at this room and realize I couldn't have figured this all out anywhere else.

#Tokyo #Family #Growing Up #Study Abroad #Explosions in the Sky

[nihonniikou]

13

This is a short and uninteresting post. Today I'm working out the kinks of some of the logistics of my trip: exchanging some cash, figuring out where Visa ATMs are in Japan, and figuring out the electronics situation/researching my cell phone situation while in Japan.

Conclusions:

Visa is robbing me, but their locations are so convenient.

Utilizing a Credit Union ATM card is cheaper, but their locations are in Okinawa or on a restricted access base in Tokyo.

Prepaid cell phones are sleeker in Japan.

Polarized plugs are safe but annoying.

The yen is strong + the dollar is weak = Bad.

[nihonniikou]

25

Today I made a quick jaunt up to Lawrence for an interview and Charlie came along. The visit was almost entirely business for me, but Charlie got to meet one of his biggest fans so I think it was a worthwhile trip.

After returning home, I composed a list of things I want to bring along with me to Japan to remind me of home. Even though I'm extremely excited to leave, I can already anticipate the homesickness.

Our most recent family photo

A postcard of the flint hills

Some pictures and old Polaroids of friends

My paper flower

Letters

My Moon River music box

What sort of things remind you of home?

[nihonniikou]

33

About one month remains until I board my plane to Tokyo. Luckily, the end of this month has been busy and all of March should be fairly busy. Hopefully this time passes quickly.

I visited Lawrence this weekend for an interview and a friend's birthday and I had an amazing time! I got to spend a lot of time with two of my closest friends, I had a Burger Stand black and blue burger with truffle fries, and I drank free Boulevard Wheat. Also, our whole school enjoyed a fantastic game of basketball in which our border war rival was defeated. It was a good weekend overall.

While I was in Lawrence my visa finally arrived in the mail which made my weekend even sweeter. This means I have all necessary paperwork completed (finally) which in turn means I just have to pack and leave (and take care of some final business at home).

I have lots of things to do in this final month and I have a feeling it will fly by. I have another interview (unrelated to the previous) in Lawrence next week, the following weekend I'm passing through Lawrence again on my way to KC to see Radiohead, the next week I will (hopefully) be hosting a couple of friends over spring break, and then it's the week before I leave!

P.S. I've almost finished 1Q84 and it's getting very strange.

P.P.S. Rock Chalk!

[nihonniikou]

49/50

For the past week I've been working 9 to 6 everyday as a floral assistant and I love it! The women I work with are all kind and interesting, so the days always feel short. At this point I've made about 10 gift baskets, 15 or so dozen rose arrangements for Valentine's Day, and about 5 specialty arrangements. I'll never look at roses the same way again!

In order to practice my Japanese, I'm interested in joining a school club once I get to Sophia. I'm most interested in doing archery, but this flower arranging experience has piqued my interest in the ikebana club. As you've probably guessed, ikebana is the art of Japanese flower arrangement.

There are quite a few clubs and circles (I think this is similar to a club) at Sophia, but I'm interested in joining one focused on something related to Japanese culture. I've also heard of one that focuses on bringing together Japanese students and exchange students.

Which club would you prefer?

P.S. I'm still working on 1Q84, but I'm almost to the end. I definitely recommend it!

[nihonniikou]

All of the music from Lost in Translation makes me think of Tokyo, but this song especially.

[nihonniikou]

60

Two more months at this point. It feels good to finally say "2 months" instead of "3 and a half months." This past month and a half has gone by very quickly, as I've mentioned previously, and with plenty of things with which to occupy myself, I think this may be a faster 2 months than anticipated.

I have a job as an assistant to a florist and I am certain that this will make the time fly quickly. I've attended an orientation session, but I don't start for a few days. It sounds like it'll be the second best job I've ever had. Ask me about the best one sometime!

As for study abroad business, I have yet to complete the final steps of the process. I'm waiting for a package with several important documents that are necessary for me to officially pay for my housing and for me to apply for my visa. I've already been informed of my placement in a private dorm in a suburb of Tokyo. One of my classmates lives there now and I've also become acquainted with another KU student who will be living there in the spring.

One of these balconies is mine!

To occupy my time I'm reading a novel called 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. If you remember reading the short stories of "The Elephant Vanishes" or you've kept up with bestseller's lists lately, you probably recognize the title. It's a surreal and massive novel (coming in at nearly 1,000 pages) with plenty of strange moments that remind me of "The Elephant Vanishes." I like it so far, but I've heard Norwegian Wood is his best.

Has anyone finished it yet?

#study abroad #Japan #Tokyo #1Q84 #Murakami Haruki