Emotionally, Physically and Mentally Exhausted

Each and every guide book that I refered to prior to my day trip told me that going to the Peace Park would ruin my day. It did. I can't even begin to process all I saw today. If anyone is interested, ask me next time we talk in person. I'm sorry, I just can't do a post for this.

Tomorrow I'm going to go back to Nijo Castle and maybe a shrine who's name escapes me at the moment. It's HUGE and I walk past it every day, but it's under extensive construction, so I haven't checked it out yet. If I have time tomorrow, I think I'll head that way before travling to Tokyo.

Off the Beaten Trail

Well, as of yesterday, I've started my final adventure before returning home. I got into Kyoto sometime last night and slowly made my way to my hotel. I would have been completely lost if I had not engaged the time-honored tradition of standing and looking around like a scared and confused forienger. And it worked! A gentleman came up to me and I knew enough Japanese for him to guide me to the subway station that lead to my hotel. Mr. Businessman, wherever you are, I thank you.

Oh! I forgot! I saw the Nintendo Building on my way into Kyoto! I think Aunt J needs to have a talk with her friends back there. All it was, was a gray building with the words Nintendo at the top. Not one single pokemon adorned the building. Come on now, I was at least expecting a giant Pikachu. ;)

After checking in, I headed down to the Gion District. Gion is basically tourist central. Everyone is lured there with tales of Geisha and their apprentices shuffling to and from work. Well, I didn't see any and, being alone and in a strange city, I wasn't about to go wandering the dark alleys looking for them. I find that, even outside of the touristy areas, it's much easier to play me and my Sapporo Friends' favorite game: Spot the Forigner.

After Gion, I wandered around the Yasaka shrine. I did that again today in the daylight and it was just as pretty as last night, though maybe not as otherwordly.

Today, I got up bright and early for breakfast at my hotel. Japanese people have strange ideas about breakfast and the only thing that was recginizable were a couple of buns with jam. They were good though. And they had orange juice! From there, I headed to the Fushimi-Inari Shrine. It wasn't in any of my guidebooks but I came across it while I was researching ways to get to and from the city on Wikitravel.org And am I glad I did! It is beautiful! The main shrine was at the bottom of a small mountian, but all the way up the mountian were paths through red gates called Torii. In some places, the gates were placed so closely together and so thickly that you couldn't see the sun. Best part of the day.

Now, I had expected to go to one more shrine after Fushimi-Inari, but I couldn't figure out how to get there. Like Fushimi-Inari, it wasn't a real touristy place, but unfrotunately, unlike Fushimi-Inari, it's station was not named after the shrine. So there went that idea. I headed back to Kyoto station and decided I would do the tourist thing after all. I headed to Daitokuji Temple and contemplated what I had learned from my Buddhist class. Daitokuji is a complex of some twenty temples, only four of which are open at any given time. Unfortunately, only ONE was open today! Very disappointing.

So I headed to Nijo Castle, former head of the Kyoto government and all around awesome place. Only to find it CLOSED. Urgh! So I took a family from Singapore's picture outside the closed sign and they took mine and off away I went again. This time, I headed to the Golden Pavillion at Kinkaku-ji. Now, this is considered a must see, but I had been doing all I could to avoid it. For one thing, it costs money to get inside and, unlike Nijo castle, which also would have cost money, all it is a building that you can't even go inside. But I had time to kill so I did it anyway. It was nice. I guess.

The entire building is covering in gold leaf, making it down right painful to look at in certian light. I had to hold my camera out for myself to take a picture with me in front of it. Dozens of people there and not a soul asked if they could take my picture. Mom would have been very dissapointed.

After Kinkaku-Ji, I started to head back downtown. I thought I would head to Gion and wander a bit more before turning in early. I, after all, have a train to catch at 7AM(!!) tomorrow morning. WRONG. I didn't take me three minutes to realize I had no idea to get back to Kyoto station, my hotel or Gion! Getting off at Nijo Castle, I switched buses and had no idea where as station was with a bus that would get me back to familiar territory. I was good and lost.

Luckily! People are very nice here and I kind of, sort of know Japanese! I asked a nice grandmother looking lady which bus to go on to get back to Gion. Not only did she tell me, she ended up taking the bus with me way past her stop and even gave me a lemon drop. What a gal. We had a nice converstaion too, while the lady in front of us laughed as we tried to understand eachother through my limited Japanese and her nonexistant English.

I got to Gion and wandered the Shrine some more, but decided that the great big shopping district that I went past on my way to Gion looked more interesting. It hadn't seemed very far away and I have a fairly good sense of direction. I could walk! Then I would hop a bus back to Kyoto station and go to bed. WRONG.

I got lost. Again! I walked and walked and walked and got worried that I had missed a turn somehow. So I got on a bus and almost immediately realized that my turn had been not four feet in front of me. No worries, I thought, I'll get off in a couple stops and be right as rain. Not so! Turns out two stops is two stops too far. A river! I thought to myself. I knew I had to cross I river, so I backtracked, found the river and started walking. AND HOUR LATER, and too many turns for my sanity, I found where I wanted to be. The shopping district! Only now, I had been walking for an hour and a half, I was hungry and grumpy and tired. Who wants to shop at a time like that?

I had ice cream and a cheeseburger and went home. :p

Speaking English at the Cafe

I love this Cafe and will miss it very much when I go home. I just spent the last twenty minutes teaching a group of old ladies the difference between "How do I look in this sweater?" and "What does this sweater look like?" and "I am in my sweater. My sweater is on me."

Even still, I'm anxious to get home. I have a major test this Friday, and next Monday and next Friday and presentations on Friday, Tuesday and Friday, again. Finals have been stretched over two weeks and it stinks!

Winter Wonderland

Sapporo had it's first snow today. Or, it's first snow that's lasted more than a night. It's officially winter! My Japanese friends don't seem very impressed, but they see this every year. Still, it's beautiful! Nice and thick and puffy. Not quite wet enough for the perfect snowball, but it still works pretty well. I think the international students have more than enough enthusiasm to make up for the Japanese student's lack there of.

We all just finished the first snow ball fight of the season. I am now sitting in my favorite cafe, drinking chai and wishing that I had my camera with me so I could take some photos of the season for you. I won't make that mistake tomorrow, I hope. Maybe it'll snow again tomorow and I can get some action shots for you!

Sapporo has a snow festival in the winter where artists come from all over the world to see giant ice and snow sculptures. Unfortunately, I'll be gone before they start construction. However! I will be around during the German Christmas Festival and the illumination of the park where they put Christmas lights everywhere. That's exciting!

I'm looking forward to Christmas and seeing everyone again.

Love you lots.

Excitment in the Air

I know this isn't a political blog, but I feel the need to say something about Obama wining the election. As I type, I'm sitting in my favorite English speaking cafe, talking to Japanese people and American's alike. The excitement that people are feeling right now is very clear. People believe in this guy. They're excited about him. They're all talking about needing something new, needing a more responsible America. An America that cares about it's own people and the citizens of the world.

I know not everyone who reads this blog will be happy about the outcome, but you can't deny that this is an interesting time to be living in.

Here's to hoping he lives up to the expectations of him.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone! I'm sorry I don't have any pictures for you today. I'm on my school's computer, not my laptop and don't have any access to them. No doubt as soon as my mother gets an album together when I get home, you'll be forced to look at them anyway. ;)

I just wanted to drop in to let everyone know that I'm doing fine. I turned twenty a couple days ago! My friends and I all went out for karaoke last night to celebrate. I went out as a Zombie Hunter, complete with fake blood spatter and an air gun. We also had a Pikachu, Rabid Panda, Two Nurses and a Zombie, amung others. It may have been the best Halloween ever!

I've got tests this week, but I'll try to get some pictures up for you of the past couple of weeks sometime.

Love you!

I did all of this! ... And I studied a little bit too.

A lot has happened since the last time I wrote to you guys. I’ve settled into day to day life here in Japan. First of all, yes, Aunt J, the bread is amazing. There’s this great bakery just a couple blocks from my house that makes the most amazing cheesy bread. My host mother brings it for me most mornings. Otherwise, the food is ok. I tried tofu a couple days ago. It was pretty good. So was the “Soup Curry” that my okaasan made. Everything else has been mostly misses. But I don’t really like food in general, so it’s not that big of a deal. Oh! But I went to a festival a couple days ago where I bought the most amazing candied strawberry.

Class is going pretty well. I’m learning more than I expected to. The weather is starting to get cold, though I think it’s actually colder inside than outside, at my house. It also got colder a lot faster than it does back home. I’m not ready for winter!

At the festival, we also got to watch this Japanese dance. I forget the name. None of my pictures turned out very well, it was too dark and we were too far away. We also went to a zoo! It was a little bit amazing and we got in for free! All the better! The red pandas and the big cats were my favorite. In the US, there are two huge panes of glass and a good couple yards between you and the cage. Here, they were right behind one panel of glass that you could touch, they were so close. I never realized how big lions and tigers really are.

We’ve done karaoke, gone to a Cuban bar and danced salsa and watched 50s dancers during an Autumn Festival and went to the zoo. All in all, a good couple of weeks.

Now, to answer some of your questions. The weather is pretty nice right now, but it keeps switching between late fall and early fall weather. One day I don’t need a jacket, the next I’m bundled up under my winter coat and a scarf. It’s been messing with my sinuses and I’ve been getting headaches, but it looks like it’s mellowing out a little bit, finally. The train system is amazing. I can walk to school, but on weekends it’s the only way to travel. Much faster than riding my bike anyway.

My classes are ok. The Japanese Business and Japanese Culture ones are really, really boring. And by no fault of the content. The professors are just really monotone. My Shintoism class, however, is shaping up to be very interesting. It doesn’t hurt that I like my professor. He’s the guy that’s helping me figure out my travel plans for December.

My family is very nice. I’m sorry that I don’t have any pictures of them yet. My host mom is trying really hard to make everything feel like home for me. I’m also making friends. I’m having a lot of fun with them, going out and about all the time.

I haven’t tried sake, yet. But I’m underage, so I really shouldn’t. I will, however, once I hit my birthday. My business class is going to a sake factory for a field trip, so I will try it then.

Until next time!

Love you!

PS I'm having a difficult time uploading pictures. So go to my flickr page to see all the new ones!

Getting Settled

Hey everyone! No new pictures for you, today. I took some pretty good ones while wandering Sapporo this past weekend, but haven't had a chance to upload them yet. That will probably be in my next post. But, like I said, I spent most of this past weekend just riding the subway, getting off, wandering around, and getting back on.

Last night we went out for karaoke for the second time. It was a blast! Karaoke in Japan is very different from in the US, where you're singing in front of a bar or large group of people. Here, you're in a small room, with drinks and food and just your friends. It is a really good time, especially if you have a large group of friends with you. Things can get pretty crazy!

Other than that, there's not much else to report. My next post, I'll share my pictures from a weekend of exploring as well as a report from my first real class of the semester! Electives start tomorrow!

Sipping Coffee and Enjoying the Wifi

Hello again! I have finally gotten the chance to sit down at the local cafe to write up a post. I was too busy yesterday, but I'll try to get more consistent with my postings. First I just wanted to let you know that my Japanese class is going well. It's pretty simple. I got into the first level class, which is what I wanted. I needed review like crazy. And it's helping me remember the Japanese I've already learned, which has helped with communication with my host family.

I haven't really done much so far. The first weekend I was with my host family, we went to a park called Takino Suzuran Hillside National Park. Evidentially it's home to flying squirrels, though I didn't see any. :( I did, however, see two separate waterfalls and took some fabulous pictures!
This moth was about the size of my fist. It was huge! There were about three or four of them just hanging out on a vending machine. I thought they were fascinating but my host mother and sister would not go anywhere near the machine.

For more pictures, check out my flickr page.

My Japanese Needs Some Serious Work

I just finished taking my placement test for my Japanese class and I totally bombed it. It was ALL grammar. Grammar is hard enough in English, much less in Japanese. Oh well, I'm not too bumbed. I didn't really expect to do very well on it anyway. After all, the reason I'm here is to learn more and to further my Japanese language skills. And anyway, my oral interview went really well right up until she asked me what time it was. I've never been very good with time.

Tomorrow we'll meet our hostfamilies. I'm a little bit nervous. I'm nervous they won't understand me, I won't understand them. I'm worried about being isolated. But at least I'm making friends! The Hokusei International Student Commitee, the group of Hokusei studen,ts that welcome the international kids, had a party last night. We ate decent food and tried to work past the language barrier. It was a good time.

I will, hopefully, have pictures for you next time I post!

Love and kisses.

Sitting Around

Hi everyone! Once again, I can't do a full update, but I just wanted to let you know that a professor here has a program renting out phones to students. So if you ever want to call me, my number is 09094333231. It's free for me if you want to call or text me! ;)

Love you lots!

Checking In

Hi guys! Just letting you know that I've arrived at Hokusei University and am settling in. I don't know when the next time I'll have access to the internet, so I'm just letting you know! Love you all, so very much! Bye!

I have arrived! ... In Chicago

Due to series of rather unfortunate mechanical problems, the flight that I was supposed to be on at this time has been shut down. :( I'm very nervous because my university was scheduled to pick us up, but no longer can because of the rescheduling. I'm really hoping that they're keeping an eye on cancellations. I emailed Dixee, my study abroad director, but I'm not sure if she'll get the email on time or if the university will get her email on time.

So I'm sitting here, in my hotel room, eating a Cesar Salad and drinking pomegranate juice and hoping for the best.

Just Chillin

So I'm sitting in O'Hare, thinking that I may skip Tokyo and just go to Maui. No one would notice, right? Wouldn't even need my passport! Sounds like a plan to me! I'll spend the next four months lounging on the beach instead of fighting snowstorms and cold weather. That's it, I'm doing it!

... Just kidding. As much as I would love to vegetate in the sand, I have the sinking feeling that my parents, host family, and universities would be rather disappointed in me. Ah well. 18 ish hours until I reach my destination!

Leavin' on a jet plane

I know, I know. I told you my next post would be from Japan. Sioux Falls, SD is close, right? Well, I couldn't help myself. After a rather hectic hour trying to figure out my return flight, I am finally about to board the plane that will take me on the most exciting journey I've had thus far in my life. I had a tearful goodbye with my parents, but I think I'm ready. I'm nervous, excited, afraid, and anxious, all at one time. It makes me feel a little better to know you're all looking out for me.

I'll try giving you an update at Chicago, depending on whether or not they have free internet. I love you all so much!

Wish me luck!

A Lesson in Blogging

First of all, what is a blog? Well, dear friends, a blog (a contraction of the words Web and Log) is a forum to express one's thoughts, pictures, hobbies or, in my case, adventures. Our dear Wikipedia defines a blog as "a Web site with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video." Which is exactly what I plan on delivering to you.

But how does one use this particular blog? Here are some of the common things that you might be doing while visiting my blog.

• Read it! - This one is fairly simple. All the entries in this blog will be posted in reverse chronological order. That means that the entries at the top of the website will be the newest and the entries at the bottom are the oldest. On the left hand side of the screen, you'll see a section called Blog Archive. You can use this section to click on an entry from any year and any month, if that entry is not displayed on the front page.
  
• Comment on it! - On any post, you can look in the bottom right hand corner of the post and click the "Comment" button. Leave me comments! Tell me what you think of my travels or my pictures or just my blog in general! I'd love to have some feed back. If you have a Blogger account, you can comment using that account or, if you don't, just comment as a guest.
  
• Read the comments! - If you click the "Comment" button, you'll also be able to read comments that other people have left. If you click the "Comment" button on this post, you'll be able to read a comment that I have left. When other people leave comments, you'll be able to read those, as well!

If you plan on commenting, you will want a Google account. They're very simple to start up and Google is a very safe company. They never give out your information. All you need to do to start up an account is go to the Create An Account Website. Just fill out the information and do all the prompts. It will probably have you activate your account through your email. When you're finished, you can use your account name and password to post a comment! Just type your comment in the comment box and fill in your account name and password where prompted. It's pretty easy, really.

You can post anonymously, but make sure you sign the comment so I know who you are!

But if you're having problems, just shoot me an email and I'll try to clear everything up. If you don't know my email... Call my mom. ;)

Until next time, my loves, when I'll probably be posting from Japan!