So I just finished my late afternoon meal. I got some curry from the local takeout place by the train station, 400 yen, sweet deal. Anyway, when I eat curry I can't help but think of this song and reflect on everything I've been doing so far.
Reflecting on regrets I have, things I wish I did differently. The top one right now being that I wasn't home when my dog Rosie, who I've had since I was 7, finally passed away last week. It's so heartbreaking I can't stand it, I miss having my pets here most of all, Japan is so sterile and so overwhelmingly human. I just can't stand people, I need something more like my animals back home...
Now I'm just making myself sad, so I'm going to stop writing for today.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Kabuki Kenzan!
I've got something really cool to share this time. This Sunday, me and Jacqui went to Shinjuku to buy textbooks, and we just happened to run into this performance by a kabuki styled street magician, and I captured the first part of it before the batteries in my camera died out.
It's a shame cause he was a pretty good magician too, and the magic act started right after this.
This week is looking to be a little bit more mundane than the first one was, all I'm doing this week is going to classes and doing homework, not a bad week per-se but definitely not as exciting.
Anyway, here are some other interesting tidbits from Japan,
This is Tama Station, it's the train station closest to my university and where I go to get anyplace I need to go. I use a passmo card, which is something like a small account of money exclusively for riding the trains contained in a plastic card that you wave over a sensor before entering and leaving the station, and when you leave, the apropriate fare for the trip is deducted.
And of course what would my trip to Japan be worth without trying the japanese take on American food. This is McDonald's japan-exclusive burger, the mega-mac, which me and Jacqui sampled on our last trip to Akihabare. It's Japanese McDonald's largest item, size-wise. However, even though it has 4 "beef" patties it's still smaller than an american big-mac. Japanese portions are very small, you see.
Well that's all for now, I have a class to get to soon, and tomorrow I'll be opening my japanese bank account. I just wish I had my routing number for my american checking account, which would make things a lot easier...
It's a shame cause he was a pretty good magician too, and the magic act started right after this.
This week is looking to be a little bit more mundane than the first one was, all I'm doing this week is going to classes and doing homework, not a bad week per-se but definitely not as exciting.
Anyway, here are some other interesting tidbits from Japan,
This is Tama Station, it's the train station closest to my university and where I go to get anyplace I need to go. I use a passmo card, which is something like a small account of money exclusively for riding the trains contained in a plastic card that you wave over a sensor before entering and leaving the station, and when you leave, the apropriate fare for the trip is deducted.
And of course what would my trip to Japan be worth without trying the japanese take on American food. This is McDonald's japan-exclusive burger, the mega-mac, which me and Jacqui sampled on our last trip to Akihabare. It's Japanese McDonald's largest item, size-wise. However, even though it has 4 "beef" patties it's still smaller than an american big-mac. Japanese portions are very small, you see.Well that's all for now, I have a class to get to soon, and tomorrow I'll be opening my japanese bank account. I just wish I had my routing number for my american checking account, which would make things a lot easier...
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Daily Japanese tidbits
So I took some photos of stuff in my room to share, such as Japanese money, my new phone, and my pain in the ass Monster TV HDUS.
When it comes to Japanese money, you usually won't use denominations outside of these guys. The 1000 Yen bill, and the 500, 100, 50, 10, 5, and 1 yen coins. Essentially a $10 bill a $5 coin, a $1 coin, a 50 cent coin, a dime, a nickle and a penny. In any given day I spend about 500-700 yen on food. I like to buy bread at the convenience store nearby for breakfast, and for lunch and dinner, either get a bento at the same convenience store, or eat at the campus dining hall if it's open. Also the Japanese bills are much larger than the ones we use in America.
These guys are what you use most of the time.
And this is my sweet new phone, it's already come in incredibly handy. Everyone communicates by text messaging in japan, which is much cheaper than making a phone call here, unlike the opposite situation in the U.S. Plus the company I signed to, au, has a sweet deal for students, it's free to make phone calls/messages to other students in the network. Worth it's weight in gold, this guy.
This is my MonsterTV HDUS. It's a super cool TV Tuner/recording device. It also doesn't work with English Windows. It's just taking up space. I'll probably sell it and get a Friio instead.
And this is Melon Soda. It is absolutely delicious. This and milk tea have been my beverages of choice so far while I've been here, tasty stuff.
Well I'm going off to Akihabara in a bit, and the sun has come out, so my laundry should dry off just fine. I'll bring back pictures this time, until then!
When it comes to Japanese money, you usually won't use denominations outside of these guys. The 1000 Yen bill, and the 500, 100, 50, 10, 5, and 1 yen coins. Essentially a $10 bill a $5 coin, a $1 coin, a 50 cent coin, a dime, a nickle and a penny. In any given day I spend about 500-700 yen on food. I like to buy bread at the convenience store nearby for breakfast, and for lunch and dinner, either get a bento at the same convenience store, or eat at the campus dining hall if it's open. Also the Japanese bills are much larger than the ones we use in America.
These guys are what you use most of the time.
And this is my sweet new phone, it's already come in incredibly handy. Everyone communicates by text messaging in japan, which is much cheaper than making a phone call here, unlike the opposite situation in the U.S. Plus the company I signed to, au, has a sweet deal for students, it's free to make phone calls/messages to other students in the network. Worth it's weight in gold, this guy.
This is my MonsterTV HDUS. It's a super cool TV Tuner/recording device. It also doesn't work with English Windows. It's just taking up space. I'll probably sell it and get a Friio instead.
And this is Melon Soda. It is absolutely delicious. This and milk tea have been my beverages of choice so far while I've been here, tasty stuff.Well I'm going off to Akihabara in a bit, and the sun has come out, so my laundry should dry off just fine. I'll bring back pictures this time, until then!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
First Week Abroad
Well, it's been a very busy first week for me since arriving in Tokyo. I've been all over the campus filling out and returning forms. Yesterday was orientation, where they gave me even more forms to fill out. This university loves bureaucracy just as much as American ones do.
On the other hand I've gone to some fun places as well, last Sunday me and my fellow American exchange student, Jacqui, went to Akihabara together, it's a very exciting place to be, lots of stores full of nerdy things, and girls walking around in maid costumes. We had a blast, unfortunately I left my camera at home that day.
And on Monday, my tutor Haruka and I went to the Fuchu town hall and got my alien registration card, so now I can stay here for a while. After that we went to Shinjuku and bought a new cell phone and a short term plan to go with it from au, which gives great student discounts. Phones are amazing in Japan, they can be used as magic keys to pay for just about anything, just wave them over the register, and the total will be added to your phone bill. Especially convenient for trains.
Also I received my Monster TV HDUS I ordered when I arrived, however I ran into some difficulty running it, I consulted the site and performed the steps required for the error that was coming when I tried to use it but still got nowhere. So I called the support line on my fancy new phone, I forgot how much keigo support industry people use, it was tricky figuring out what he was saying. But eventually the tech support guy told me that there was no support for the device on the English version of Windows, poo. So now I've got to figure out if I should try to return it, sell it, buy Japanese windows, or look for a cheap japanese laptop that I could convert into a full time TV. Probably means a return to Akihabara either way, I'll bring my camera this time.
Well time for me to get going, my Japanese proficiency placement exam begins in an hour. This will tell me my recommended level of class, which under my program means the language class I'll be taking 5 days a week. In addition to that, I'll choose two electives that meet once a week. I'm thinking the "Teaching Japanese in other countries" and "Japanese mythology" for those. Until next time! Oh yes my cell is 080-6731-6234, so if you're in japan, give me a ring.
On the other hand I've gone to some fun places as well, last Sunday me and my fellow American exchange student, Jacqui, went to Akihabara together, it's a very exciting place to be, lots of stores full of nerdy things, and girls walking around in maid costumes. We had a blast, unfortunately I left my camera at home that day.
And on Monday, my tutor Haruka and I went to the Fuchu town hall and got my alien registration card, so now I can stay here for a while. After that we went to Shinjuku and bought a new cell phone and a short term plan to go with it from au, which gives great student discounts. Phones are amazing in Japan, they can be used as magic keys to pay for just about anything, just wave them over the register, and the total will be added to your phone bill. Especially convenient for trains.
Also I received my Monster TV HDUS I ordered when I arrived, however I ran into some difficulty running it, I consulted the site and performed the steps required for the error that was coming when I tried to use it but still got nowhere. So I called the support line on my fancy new phone, I forgot how much keigo support industry people use, it was tricky figuring out what he was saying. But eventually the tech support guy told me that there was no support for the device on the English version of Windows, poo. So now I've got to figure out if I should try to return it, sell it, buy Japanese windows, or look for a cheap japanese laptop that I could convert into a full time TV. Probably means a return to Akihabara either way, I'll bring my camera this time.
Well time for me to get going, my Japanese proficiency placement exam begins in an hour. This will tell me my recommended level of class, which under my program means the language class I'll be taking 5 days a week. In addition to that, I'll choose two electives that meet once a week. I'm thinking the "Teaching Japanese in other countries" and "Japanese mythology" for those. Until next time! Oh yes my cell is 080-6731-6234, so if you're in japan, give me a ring.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Morning in Tokyo
Well I'm here at last, and it was one hell of a trip getting here. I left for Rochester International at about 4AM, got there at about 5. Checked my luggage and got into the security line which was shockingly long for 5AM. Then I got selected for extra screening, which means they take each item out of my carefully packed, travel conscious carry ons out of their bags, swab them, and then throw them back into my bag in any order they please. My crumpled contact boxes are not pleased. After that I spent an hour on a plane to JFK, behind a little girl who was irritating her mother and everyone else in earshot the entire flight, constantly saying "I want my chocolate caaaaaaandy" and "I want to get off." every few seconds without fail. I just watched the animal planet on the fancy in flight satellite TVs that Jet Blue has, and tuned her out.
JFK was a little tricky. Once the plane arrived, I had to go claim my luggage, which came up pretty quickly. But then I had to find the international terminal. I asked around and after 3 conflicting stories from 3 different workers, none of which spoke English well, I mustered that I had to go to terminal 1 via the air train. I found the train before too long, and got on the first one that came along. Jet Blue's terminal is #6, and the train departed for #7. I thought this was good because there were only 8 terminals listed on the airline guide above the door, so it would soon loop around to #1. I was wrong, it stopped after #8 at stations A and B, and finally announced the train's final destination was station C, where I got off and waited for one going in the opposite direction. Fortunately after station A, it went straight to station 1. After arriving there I checked my luggage again, and changed my money into yen, 218 dollars for 40,000 yen. I bought myself some lunch at Pannini Express, and waited for my plane to begin boarding.
The ride to Narita was nothing if not long, but there were plenty of things to do to pass the time. I watched a lot of movies I had already seen in Japanese to see how the dubs were, they were pretty good, for Iron Man, Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, and Forbidden Kingdom at least. The in-flight food was pretty good too, I had Chicken Curry and a pasta dish with shrimp for my two meals.
Upon arriving at Narita I had to go through Quarantine, which meant getting your passport checked, fingerprints taken, claiming your luggage, and going through customs after that. After getting through there, I met Haruka, a girl from the university who had been sent to help me get to TUFS in one piece. She offered to help me carry my luggage, but after seeing how heavy it was, she suggested I send it to the university via a baggage handling service, so I sent my blue bag which only had clothes, and opted to carry my green one which had clothes plus other essentials. After that we bought tickets on the JR from Narita to Shinjuku, and then switched to another train, then switched 2 more times, and finally arrived in Fuchu-shi, the suburb of Tokyo where the University is located. After a short walk from the station Haruka guided me through the essential areas of the university on the way to International hall. There I got a tour of the essentials of the dorms, shower room, mail room, ect. and then returned to my dorm room, #107, which is on the ground floor, right next to the exit. Haruka made one last check of the papers the university had given me, then gave me her contact information, and went on her way. As for me however, I was exhausted and went to bed as soon as I had made it, and contacted my parents to let them know I got in safely.
And then this morning at 7:30, I got up, and finished unpacking, and took some photos of my new room to share:
Now I'm off to the dining hall to get something to eat, it just turned 11AM, and I'm hungry.
JFK was a little tricky. Once the plane arrived, I had to go claim my luggage, which came up pretty quickly. But then I had to find the international terminal. I asked around and after 3 conflicting stories from 3 different workers, none of which spoke English well, I mustered that I had to go to terminal 1 via the air train. I found the train before too long, and got on the first one that came along. Jet Blue's terminal is #6, and the train departed for #7. I thought this was good because there were only 8 terminals listed on the airline guide above the door, so it would soon loop around to #1. I was wrong, it stopped after #8 at stations A and B, and finally announced the train's final destination was station C, where I got off and waited for one going in the opposite direction. Fortunately after station A, it went straight to station 1. After arriving there I checked my luggage again, and changed my money into yen, 218 dollars for 40,000 yen. I bought myself some lunch at Pannini Express, and waited for my plane to begin boarding.
The ride to Narita was nothing if not long, but there were plenty of things to do to pass the time. I watched a lot of movies I had already seen in Japanese to see how the dubs were, they were pretty good, for Iron Man, Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, and Forbidden Kingdom at least. The in-flight food was pretty good too, I had Chicken Curry and a pasta dish with shrimp for my two meals.
Upon arriving at Narita I had to go through Quarantine, which meant getting your passport checked, fingerprints taken, claiming your luggage, and going through customs after that. After getting through there, I met Haruka, a girl from the university who had been sent to help me get to TUFS in one piece. She offered to help me carry my luggage, but after seeing how heavy it was, she suggested I send it to the university via a baggage handling service, so I sent my blue bag which only had clothes, and opted to carry my green one which had clothes plus other essentials. After that we bought tickets on the JR from Narita to Shinjuku, and then switched to another train, then switched 2 more times, and finally arrived in Fuchu-shi, the suburb of Tokyo where the University is located. After a short walk from the station Haruka guided me through the essential areas of the university on the way to International hall. There I got a tour of the essentials of the dorms, shower room, mail room, ect. and then returned to my dorm room, #107, which is on the ground floor, right next to the exit. Haruka made one last check of the papers the university had given me, then gave me her contact information, and went on her way. As for me however, I was exhausted and went to bed as soon as I had made it, and contacted my parents to let them know I got in safely.
And then this morning at 7:30, I got up, and finished unpacking, and took some photos of my new room to share:
Now I'm off to the dining hall to get something to eat, it just turned 11AM, and I'm hungry.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
First Post
Okay, 4 days left until I leave for Tokyo and I still haven't gotten anything ready, Why does stuff like this never hit me until the very last minute? Anyway, this is where I'll host pictures and stories from japan for friends, family, and co-workers back home, be sure to check in regularly, I'm going all over this country and bring back tidbits on a regular basis.
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