Day 47

In honor of my last day:

Things I Miss/Am Looking Forward To When I Get Home:

- Uploading my Video 1 movie on YouTube in better quality so I don't cringe everytime I look at it.
-Having a nail file.
-Cooking.
-Having more than 5 shirts to choose from.
-Sleeping in.
-Tea mugs large enough to bathe a small animal in.
- Speakers for my computer.
- Singing along to blasting music from previously mentioned speakers.
- Family.
- Friends.
- People (and I'm refering here to people).
- Quoting Firefly (see above).
- Having fast paced disscussions in large groups.
- Seeing the Dark Knight
- Feeling smart.
- Swearing.
- Being witty.
- Root beer.
- Being able to call friends just to impart the lastest useless fact.
- Not having to have intense conversations with myself in my head in order to use complex English.
- A dresser with drawers.
- Temperatures under 80 degrees.
- Going to bed and getting up at a reasonable hour (see Sleeping).
- My house and everything in it.
- My cat.
- The complete boxed sets of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly.
- Being able to actually find movies at the video store.
- Being home.

Day 46

7-28-08

Today was the last day of school. Thus, I will present to you my typical school day, in pictures.

Catch bus.

Catch train.

Catch school bus.

Get to school.

Tomeikan High School.

Get to class.

The view out my classroom window.

Noriko and friends.

Make embaressing speech in gymnasitorium, in front of whole sophomore class.

Don't pay attention in class.

Nap in library.

Eat lunch in cafeteria.

My homeroom class.

Day 45

7-27-08

Today we visited miniature Holland. That's not what it was actually called, but that is what it was referred to as when I first heard about it. And it was only after a minute of picturing an entire miniature version of Holland, with tiny tulips and people the size of rice grains, that the conversation mentioned that it was "just like being in Europe," and the world made sense again. From that I gleaned that "miniature Holland" fell somewhere between Leavenworth and the Lake of Nations at Epcot.

In truth, it was a theme park. The official name was Huis Ten Boch, but I have no idea what that means. Not a very exciting one, not with real rides or anything, but it was like being in Europe.

We spent the whole day there, going to the Teddy Bear Museum, eating ice cream sundaes with corn flakes, trying to stay out of the sun, watching a miniture Dutch village get drenched with 8,000 tons of water, seeing both real art and cheesy, fake art, and generally exhausting ourselves.

So, fake art or real art?

We didn't get home until 9 or so, and then there was the search for dinner. We ended up in dive so sketchy that I was actually concerned (particularly about the guy asleep at the bar). Then my host dad explained, in slow, proud English, that we were in a "Japanese pub." And the world made sense again. Of course it was a pub; there were giant mugs of beer, and all the food was either deep fried or served on a stick. Including cheese, which I think was both.

Sketchy pub, complete with Asleep At the Bar Guy.

Needless to say, details will be lacking in this entry, due to extreme tiredness.

Day 44

7-26-08

Today I thought I'd answer some questions. This post was inspired by the fact that, before I left, my Japanese class compiled a (rather short) list of things I should do/see/find out. Considering that my trip is almost over, I thought that I should address said list. Feel free to comment on this post with questions, though it is unlikely that I will ever answer them. :D

So, to my fabulous Japanese class:

1. Learn some SLANG: The only slang I picked up was "yabai," and I honestly have no idea what it means, since, as slang, it is not in my dictionary. I'd assume something like "cool," though it seems very multipurpose (aka: used in every other sentence, if not more frequently). EDIT: Ha, just looked it up on the wonder that is Google, and it most definitely falls into the catagory of Far Too Many Meanings For One Word. Apparently, it originally meant "inconvenient" or "dangerous." Slangily, it's used to express awesomeness or awfulness; something really cool or really dangerous.


2. UNIFORM: I didn't get my own, but I do have a picture:

With my friends from school, in our uniforms, of course.

3. PURIKURA (SMALL PICTURES): Check!

4. What things are "obvious" to everyone (so no one tells you) but that are still surprising when you arrive? Hmmm, I dunno. The fact that "It's really hot" is a gross understatement. You will be required to introduce yourself--in Japanese--in front of all the teachers and students, and make a goodbye speech at the end of your stay at school. Bring your own sunscreen, unless you want to spend $20 on a bottle that you could legally take on an airplane.

4. PICTURE or VIDEO of the outside of a bullet train: Sadly, never went on one. But I did ride on a commuter train, and I did take pictures:

5. LUNCH BOX or what they eat:

My lunch box and lunch.

6. What do Japanese youth think of American youth? No idea. I don't know enough Japanese to ask their opinion. I think they definitely admire Caucasian Americans for their physical appearance. In terms of politics, I was only ever asked if I was voting for Obama or Clinton, as though they were the only two acceptable choices. :D And for some reason I was frequently mistaken for Canadian, but only by adults, so maybe there's a difference in perception there.

Day 43

Phoenix Productions presents...

Don't Say It!

OR

What Not to Confuse When Struggling With the Japanese Language, If You Want to Retain Your Dignity and/or Life

1. Shufu (housewife) and shofu (prostitute). There may be a benefit to not talking about your mother's occupation at all.

2. Biyooin (hair salon) and byooin (hospital). Your hairdresser may have a great sense of style, but he's not going to be much help if you're missing a limb.

3. Chijin (acquaintance) and chikan (sexual pervert). If introducing your friends has suddenly become very awkward, now you know why.

4. Fugu (blowfish) and fugi (adultery). Neither are things you want to order at a restraunt.

5. Hanami (cherry blossom view party), hanabi (fireworks), and hanaji (nosebleed). Two of these are fun at a festival. The other, not so much.

6. Jinzai (talented person) and jintai (human body). Well, at least you know one of these will never stop applying to you.

7. Kawaii (cute) and kowai (scary). The bane of every American. This is why that one girl looked offended when you complemented her on her hair.

8. Nuku (open [bottle]) and nugu (remove [clothing]). Asking for help with that jar of jam might have some unexpected results.

9. Masu (trout) and masui (anesthesia). The trout is probably not going to be very helpful during a root canal, unless you intend to beat yourself into unconciousness with it.

And don't get me started on the words with multiple meanings...

Days 41 & 42

7-23-08 and 7-24-08

Due to the fact that this blog has been sadly lacking in food-centric goodness, I feel I should return to the old standby of 'Anna Recounts What She Ate.' I was prompted to such a realization when I opened my obento lunch box and came face to face with a slice of apple (barely recognizable in its indecent, peelless state). It was then that I realized I hadn't had an apple in over a month. Maybe I absorbed the whole Washington-apple-growing thing through osmosis or something, but damn, that apple was good.

In a completely unrelated incident, I found this site: weird-food.com, which lists (complete with amusing descriptions) a bunch of foods that can be considered "weird" to outsiders. I snatched the descriptions for all the weird things I've eaten while on this trip (and added a few notes here and there):

Mountain Potato(Japan)
A root that is eaten raw and grated, often with raw tuna and a raw quail egg. When a mountain potato is grated, it secretes a translucent slime that is the exact consistency of mucus, yet is totally without flavor. Luckily, there was no raw meat with mine. But I couldn't get past the fact that it seemed to expand in my mouth.

Natto(Japan)
Fermented beans. Even many Japanese dislike it. The guidebook warned about it. But it was served with breakfast at the Youth Hostel in Tokyo, of all places. A strange honey-like syrup forms on the beans, so faint threads of it dangle from your chopsticks. Vile. Word.

Tofu (Japan)
Soybean curd, sometimes called "bean crud." Bland, innocuous, healthful and politically correct, it still nauseates a lot of suspicious customers. I used to really dislike tofu. Now I think it's pretty tasty when cooked right.

Sashimi (Japan)
Raw fish. There's actually a possiblity that I missed the sashimi completely due to the microscopic nature of the bite I took.

Sushi (Japan)
Variety of exquisite morsels, often including raw fish. Sushi seems like the standard food of Japan, but it was invented only in the 1950s. Hint: If you're afraid of raw meat, you can actually get sushi with well-cooked beef on top of plain white rice, without making any special requests.

Takoyaki(Japan)
Little balls, 1-2in diameter, made primarily of flour/eggs, with a piece of boiled octopus in the center. Uncooked octopus is way too slimy to be eaten. Most people add other ingredients as well; I usually put shreds of raw ginger that are dyed red using sour plums, called beni-shouga. Typically served with generous toppings of Worcestershire sauce and seaweed bits, or aonori. Takoyaki is a traditionally sold by roadside vendors, particularly at festivities.

Unagi (Japan)
Fresh-water eel. Pretty damn tasty, actually, when cooked with tons of seasoning. Roughly the consistancy of fish, if you avoid the skin (which is slimy as all get out). Of course, they'll laugh as you (speaking from experience here) but I think not eating slimy eel skin outranks being laughed at.

Nankotsu (Japan)
Chicken cartilage. It's either eaten fried, or on a shish kabob. It's very chewy and sort of hard. A common dish served in drinking establishments in Japan. It was either this or chicken innards. I don't have the courage to ask.


Horse (Japan)
Horse sashimi is a fairly common item on menus in Kyushu. Okay, so I didn't actually eat this. But I might have.

Day 40

7-22-08


Today there was exciting adventuring to Dazaifu Shrine.

Pretty shrine goodness.

Sadly, this picture doesn't do justice to the awesomeness of the tree. It was freakin' huge!

The main shrine.

Anna + "Blue Hawaii" flavored shave ice = odd tongue coloring.

Day 39

7-21-08

Today was probably the best day I've had so far. I'd have to go back and check all the other ones to be positive, but I'm pretty sure.

Like many of the days in the last five weeks, I was mistaken in my assumption of what we were doing today. From what Noriko told me, I understood "YFU," "BBQ" and something about other YFU people, so I figured it was like the regional meeting I had back in Seattle, except, of course, more awesome, because there was a BBQ and swimming.

So it was to my great surprise then, to come over the ridge and see Monica, my fellow Fukuoka-based YFU-traveler and Poke-bus rider. I was so caught up in joyful reunioning that I didn't even notice there were others until Kelly yelled at me. Kelly, who is in the same Japanese class as I am, at Shorecrest, way back in Seattle. And there were others from my YFU group, and some I didn't yet know. And there was tasty food, and swimming to escape the heat and plenty of time to talk--in English.

It was amazing to have people with who to share experiences, a common language, and a hatred of mayonnaise unlike anything else. We chatted about all the oddities we had experienced and all the weird things Japanese peopel do--like constantly complain about the heat, like it's surprising, even though it's always hot, or how they eat dinner so late. There were things from home we could finally talk about--AP tests and movies and Halloween costumes and books assigned for school. We laughed about how we had all professed our love for Avril Lavigne and Johnny Depp, because the actors and artists we really like are too obscure to be known in Japan. And everyone was a little excited to be going home soon.

There were only two bad things about today. The first was that the sun, through some magical skill I didn't know it had, managed to bend its rays around the wide brim of my hat and burn my face to a crisp. All except my forehead, of course, because that was covered by my hat.The other thing was that I forgot my camera.

Still, I collapsed exhausted and joyful into my bed at the early hour of 9:30, with my batteries recharged and ready to fully enjoy my last nine days.

Day 38

7-20-08

We were going to do something today. We really were. It was the kids' free day--both parents were out--and we had discussed going out for karaoke. We got up early--early enough, that is--we had breakfast, we made tentative plans...

And then everyone went back to bed. Apathy and lack of motivation on the part of all quickly destroyed all previous planning, and the day was spent in blissful, half-asleep, tea-filled, puzzleful goodness. I even got around to watching Stardust, and gleefully quoted along with young Dunstan ("Because it's a field!") and joined Yvaine in righteous anger over the "amazing flying moron," until my Okaasan asked if I had the movie memorized.

Unfortunately, sleeping all day and sleeping at night are un-mixey things, and I (again) didn't get to sleep until obscenely late.

Day 37

7-19-08

MATSURI! (FESTIVAL!)

All Yukata-ed up.

Noriko and Eto

The rest of the group.

For all your foodly needs.

General festival people milling about, or setting off fireworks.

Setting off fireworks!

Day 36

7-18-08

I love tea.

I finally bought some yesterday at 7-Eleven. Proper tea, in a tea bag; hot, with milk and sugar. I drank five cups in quick succession and was completely over-caffinated, especially after going without black tea for so long. Now I'm exhausted after staying up until the wee hours of the morning, so you'll have to forgive my lack of entry.

Day 35

7-17-08

I fell down today, and was in an indomitably good mood all morning.

Jogging to catch the bus, my mind elsewhere, my shoe decided to stay firmly on the ground while my foot kept valiantly moving forward. The next second I was sprawled on the concrete. It was truly spectacular, the stuff of legends really, arms out in front, so quick you don’t even see the falling part, right in front of the group of auto shop workers in their grey coveralls, sitting on the curb with the their cigarettes, waiting for the work day to begin. I managed, in the magical way that is always true with falls, to somehow catch both my knees, on opposite sides, my elbow, my hip and right palm. Nothing serious, nothing deep enough to bleed, and my book bags, which I always carry in front so I can link my hands together, caught most of my fall.

I was up in record time, though it seemed like an eternity compared to the time it took me to get down on the ground in the first place. After calming what seemed like a million “Are you okay?”s, we were back of to the bus stop, and a grin was spreading, unbidden, across my face.

I’m not sure why my spectacular foray into excessive klutziness left me feeling so spectacular. Maybe it was that I was suddenly and forcibly reminded to be in the moment, not taking lengthy detours in my head. Maybe it was because it reminded me of the good ol’ days when I was a kid and got into scrapes all the time. When I wasn’t afraid to get knocked around a bit, when the scratches gained from frolicking through the woods barefoot were something to boast about. Maybe it was just because it had gotten my adrenaline pumping, who knows. It sure was a nice morning though.

Days 33 & 34

7-15-08 & 7-16-08

I have realized, with great joy, that being forced to sit at a desk for 8 hours with nothing to entertain me but a book, pad of paper, a pen, and a handful of puzzles has fed my creativity like nothing else. After burying my nose in innumerable fantasy books--ranging from poorly written and cheesy, to deep, intense and “lyrical”--these past two days have been a frenzy of note-taking, compulsive doodling, and general filling up of my notebook with things that I will most likely not be able to read later. (My handwriting tends to become some sort of obscure code when the plot bunnies are beating on the inside of my head in their desperation to get out). My horoscope seems to agree: “Brainstorming ideas can prove to be extremely rewarding at a time like this.”

So, in honor of my current creative inspiration, I am presenting you with my current literary, creative and puzzle statistics for my trip so far:

Total Pages Read: 4,549
Per Day Average: 133.7
Pages Written (by hand): 15
Pages of Random Planning: 5
Character Sketches Drawn: 12
Successfully Completed Puzzles: 106
(NOTE: These are of varying difficulties. Some took all of 2 seconds, some were a series of over 15 different cryptograms.)

Wow. I must have more free time than I thought, if I just spent all that time counting pages.

Day 32

7-14-08

The most interesting thing that happened today was that I discovered that Japanese McDonalds' have Milk Tea flavored McFlurries.

I just can't seem to feel very enlightened by that.

Day 31

I finished my shirt! (Usually when I start a sewing project, there's very little that can deter me from it). After sleeping in until ten (result of previous night's adventures in staying up late), I grabbed my fabric and set to work. Not only does my Okaasan have a fully-function, well-loved sewing machine, but she has a surger as well. It was like heaven. (Mental note: buy surger when I get home).

My workspace. (Surger = <3)

The pieces start coming together.

Almost done!

My work is complete!

From the back...

...and the front.

We also went to a parade today, for a males-only festival. There was an abundance of men of all ages in traditional Japanese (and very uncomfortable looking) loincloths, running down the street chanting "OYSTER!" I wish I was kidding. See for yourselves:

Okay, so you can't hear the 'oyster' part, but they were definitely saying oyster. Or something that sounds a lot like 'oyster.'

Later: After some careful researching (ie: Googleing "japanese men oyster festival" and working from there) I have gleaned that the festival is actually called Hakata Gion Yamakasa, and is dedicated to Fukuoka's Kushida shrine. According to the official site, it is "designated as a national significant intangible folk cultural asset," though I'm still working on translating that. The official site also reaveled that the ""Kakiyama" float (Do-no-Yamakasa) is to be carried in the festival by bearers wearing a loincloth. After receiving water on their bodies in spirited manner, they carry 1-ton floats while giving each other a shout, "Oisa, Oisa," then running through the streets of Hakata at full intention and speed by pushing the float from behind." Apparently, the chant is originally "osshoi," but is bastardized by the feverishness with which it is chanted. I'm just dissapointed that I can't find out what "osshoi" means.

Actually, I'm really just dissapointed that they weren't chanting 'oyster.'

Day 30

7-12-08

Because I do not have the capacity to stay up as late as the rest of my family through sheer willpower alone, I decided to instead begin a project that would keep me up as late as the rest of them. That project: making myself a shirt.

I decided to base it off of this shirt that I already own:

My Okkaasan let me use some of her fabric. (She has gigantic storage bins of stuff!)

By 11:34 I had managed to cut out all the pieces by mentally deconstructing the shirt I already had.

And I managed to stay up as late as my family!

Day 29

7-11-08

Today was, as my host brother Yuta put it, "Yakisoba Friday." If this is an actual weekly tradition, like it sounds, I'm going to be very, very happy. Friday is the day that Noriko has cram school and my Okaasan works at the store, so it's just the guys at home. Which is probably why there is yakisoba: it is easy to cook. Now it's the guys and me on Fridays, which is just peachy because I definitely prefer Japanese bachelor food--simple, easy and tasty--to the enormous, elaborate meals usually served.

In the elevator on the way up to our apartment, my Otoosan asked if I liked yakisoba. My heart leapt in my chest; I love yakisoba! He then asked if I knew yakisoba, which I do, and then, in a very pleading, desperate voice, asked me if I would help make it. I agreed wholeheartedly.

My task was to cook the meat (which I assumed was beef, though it was in strips like bacon). It should have been an easy task. But no. The knife I was using was so magnificently dull that I would have thought I was using the wrong side if I hadn't been pushing on the other side with my hand. Could this knife cut through bacon-thin strips of meat? Of course not. Through a combination of hacking with the pointless knife, pulling the meat apart with my hands, and sheer force of will, I managed to get it into managable pieces. It cooked up nicely, and we threw it into the hot plate on the table along with the cabbage, bean sprouts, onions and noodles. (Table top griddles are one of my favorite things about Japan; you can cook your food right on the table and eat it out straight out of the pan!)

It was, of course, delicious.

Day 28

7-10-08

Four weeks down. Oh dang.

So, since all I do these days is go to school, I figured I'd enlighten you all about my classes. That is, what each class is, and what I actually do in said class (because there is usually some disparity there).

Homeroom, Fukushima-sensei. (Monday) Honestly, I have no idea what is acheived in this class, as I can't understand what they're talking about. Good time to start my newest book.

Yoko bue (Japanese flute), Nakamura-sensei. (Monday, Wednesday) Am thriving in this class, despite my complete lack of practicing. And yay, a class I actually participate in.

Private Japanese Lessons, Sakaguchi/Yano/Tsuru/Matsumoto/Koide-sensei. (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) Really depends on the teacher, but this class does always involve me actually doing something, which is excellent. Sakaguchi-sensei is my favorite. She's always the most prepared, speaks the best English and the easiest-to-understand Japanese, and wears brightly colored clothes and bindis. Tsuru-sensei is my least favorite, simply because he thinks I speak more Japanese than I do and occasionally calls me out in English class, asks me questions I can't answer and then pokes fun at me for being shy. However, he was the one to suggest reading Japanese children's books to practice Japanese, so he gets points for that.

Classical Japanese, Nakamura-sensei. (Thursday-Friday) Oh, I don't even understand regular Japanese. Time for cryptograms.

8th/9th Grade English, Hormozd-sensei. (Wednesday) I used to browse the internet during this class, but I can't get on anymore so I'm stuck with my book and occasionally reading things out loud so the students can pronounce things properly.

Japanese Culture, Taniguchi-sensei. (Monday) So far, I've done origami, calligraphy and Japanese string games. No books here.

7th Grade English, Kariya-sensei/Orla-sensei. (Monday,Wednesday-Friday) 7th graders are so cute. I'm like a rare zoo animal in these classes. Kariya-sensei is one of my favorite teachers; short, balding, chronically late to his own classes, and very friendly. (Plus, his English is fantastic.) Orla-sensei is an native of Ireland, of all places (I have yet to figure out how she ended up teaching in Japan). It's really nice to be able to speak colloquial English with someone.

Chemistry, Fukushima-sensei. (Wednesday) Come back to me when I've studied chem in English. I'm just gonna write in my journal now.

Cooking/Homemaking, (Tuesday). We made pizza. It was tasty.

Math, Taniguchi. (Tuesday, Saturday). I love this class because I can ace tests and I understand everything. For some reason, I still end up with my nose buried in a book, though. Maybe it's because I sit in the back of the class.

English, Nagamatsu-sensei, Tsuru-sensei.. (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday). Nagamatsu-sensei tells the class off for being childish. I hide in my book. Tsuru-sensei doesn't understand why anyone would enjoy puzzles. I hide and try to avoid being called on.

P.E. Furuma-sensei. (Wednesday-Saturday) Wow everyone with amazing volleyball skills. The unthinkable has happened: devoid of my ability to be the intelligent, bookish type, I have become a jock.

Selfstudy, Me-sensei. (Monday-Thursday, Saturday) I'm honest not sure what I'm supposed to be studying, seeing as how I never do anything in class and never get homework. My favorite thing is that this is the only "class" where I don't feel bad about listening to my headphones.

Day 27

7-9-08

I was under the impression that today Noriko and I were to go see her very favorite band--VAMPS--in concert. From what she said in very excited Japanese, I deduced that the two of us, plus a friend of hers, were going to the radio station to see her favorite band. It was all very exciting, with squeals of glee and so forth. I wasn't really sure how we were going to fit a concert after school into our already ridiculous schedules, but it was only one train stop away, so at least there was no extra travel time.

There was much running when we got to the station, for we were very short on time. Two blocks of light jogging later, we arrived outside the building. I had seen it before, as we had been in the same neighborhood once earlier this month. Outside the large window are series of baracades were arranged, and people were packed in like cattle. It suddenly made sense why there were a bunch of loitering cow-people last time I had been in the neighborhood: they were watching a band. There was no where to sit, though one probably could simply relaxed and be fully supported by the crowd if one needed to. The corral wasn't big enough for everyone there (a very small number of people for a band performance, I thought) and the people from the department store next door kept shooing people out of the way so that their customers could get in the door. It wasn't a very good setup, poorly engineered in my opinion, because it was inevitable that the band-watching-people would overflow and get in the way of high-class-shopper-people.

We spotted Noriko's friend, Izumi, in the midst of the mob, and fought our way over to her. It was already sweltering outside, and within the mass of people the heat was simply unbearable. We were forced to abandon the crowd to loiter in the lobby of the swanky shopping joint until the band arrived. When it did, we had to fight our way back into the crowd, which was becoming nigh on impossible. The trick was to wait until someone escaping passed by, and then swoop in on their spot. Poor Noriko and her friend, being on the vertically-challenged side, couldn't see anything, though it was easy to tell when the band arrived, due to the surge forward and ear piercing shrieks.

As it turned out, I was misinformed about the activities of the day. It was not a concert, but a radio interview, which I could neither understand, nor see. But I was still caught up in the excitement of the crowd. Every time the two band members looked out at the crowd, there was a surge forward, a roar of cheers and much waving, numerous hand gestures and people trying their very hardest to phase through the glass. Noriko and Izumi managed to fight their way to the very front, but I hung back, pressed up against the cool glass of the fancy shopping center, trying to avoid being crushed by rabid fans.

All in all, I had a reasonably good time, Noriko got herself a towel with the bands name on it, and we had a spare five minutes before we had to leave, so we spent it in the traditional way: purikura.

Day 26

7-8-08

LISTS! (aka Nothing Important Happened Today)

Only Foods I've Actually Owned Up to Disliking:
1. Fish eggs.
2. Sashimi.
3. Raw tomatoes.
4. Hamburgers.
5. Natto.
Am working on admitting my deep-set loathing of mayonnaise, but there's a possibility my family would kick me out of the house, judging on how they bathe all their food in the accursed stuff.

Food Observation: As with love, which foods you like and which you don't follows no logical rhyme or reason. I used to think I liked bland food, but I realized, while eating a pile of raw ginger drenched with straight-up lemon juice, that that was not really true anymore. And anyway, mayonnaise is bland.

Top Hints on Overcoming the Language Barrier:
5. Try hard! Use as much of the language as possible, and resort to English with a heavy accent if you don't know something.
4. If you ask people to repeat something, they tend to repeat it in English.
3. Ignore grammar.
2. Form one word sentences.
1. Give up on language altogether. Resort to exaggerated facial expressions, hand gestures and emotive sound effects.

Day 25

7-7-08

Japanese people sure are dedicated to their every-single-night bathing rituals. I began to notice such when, too tired to take a shower, I politely declined and got the you-are-so-insane look. Today, the bath mania manifested in full. The catalyst: our shower broke. No more hot water for us. But did this stop anyone? Did anyone wait the day for the water to get fixed? No. We filled the bathtub the old-fashioned way. The really old-fashioned way. As in, kettles of boiling water. I think every pot that could fit on the stove was there, merrily heating up until they could be rushed down the hall to the bath (accompanied by cries of "Hot, hot, hot!"), empty into the tub, and refiled, the cycle beginning again. With a half-hours worth of manual labor, we managed to fill the tub and get it piping hot. Truly, it was a much more enjoyable bath than most, because I could imagine living in the 14th century--and my bath-filling methods would be historically accurate.

Day 24

Saturday in Japan is for going out and doing something exciting. (Like not eating raw horse meat, for example). Sunday is for sleeping. (And doing homework I suppose, though I rarely see my host siblings doing their's. They must do it after I go to bed or something.)

Today was no different. There was the customary sleeping in, a late, lazy brunch (which sadly involved squid--too early for squid!), a couple hours of laundry, cryptograms and general time wasting, and then a trip up to Canal City to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. (Which I have already seen, but... it's Indiana Jones). To be honest, there isn't really much else that happened, which I suppose is good, because I'm tired and I should really practice flute before I go to bed...

Day 23

6-5-08

I was expecting today to involve nudity and eating raw horse, though I was sadly dissapointed. Not about the horse part. What I mean to say is that I was informed yesterday that after school today we--myself, Noriko, our friends Yuka and Nana--would be driven to Mt. Aso, a famous volcano, where I was told we would visit the onsen (thus the nudity) and eat of the raw horse (thus the not entirely dissapointed). Whether through a change of plans or simply because of difficulties regarding the understanding of Japanese, the plans were not as previously mentioned, except the part about the volcano.

It was about an hour drive across the island to Mt. Aso, plus driving all the way up it to the crater at the top.

Pretty scenery on the way up.

The scenery was beautiful, pretty rock formations, trees, etc etc. Mt. Aso is still active, so there was steam gushing out next to the opaque turquoise mini-lake in the middle of the crater.

Scenery and mini-lake.

There were also convenient concrete "shelters" in case the mountain erupted, because we all know that in case of volcanic eruption, the best plan of action is to try and prolong your death by hiding in a small concrete box that will in no way protect you from hot burning lava.

I dunno, looks safe to me.

It was still lovely, despite my tiny, tiny fear of dying a horrible burny death.

The sign behind us probably says something like "don't throw yourself into the volcano."

The four of us girls went out for Italian food afterwards, and having not eaten all day, ate my way into a happy cheese-pizza-and-garlic-bread food coma, went home, watched The Perfect Score in honor of getting my SAT scores back, and fell asleep.

It was a good day.