Hardcare

2009-09-13T09:18:00.004+09:00

2009-09-13T09:18:00.003+09:00

2009-08-26T18:18:00.002+09:00

2009-06-27T05:02:00.002+09:00

Graduation!

2009-05-08T23:14:00.003+09:00

Today I had an exchange student graduation celebration. They gave us official looking sheets of paper with Japanese on it! That's all I can ask for.

Also today was my last day in Japan, I leave in 11 hours. Wish me luck. I am both happy and sad and I think that mixes into anxiousness. I'm going to sleep like it's Christmas tomorrow. I love each and everyone of you!!

BTW...

2009-05-05T01:07:00.002+09:00

Happy Greenery Day !
Happy Constitution Day!
Happy Childern's Day!!

D'espairs Ray

2009-05-05T00:54:00.002+09:00

Today I went to a rock concert in Japan at the Venue Be1 Drum.

It was really different. When we got there they lined us up according to your ticket number. I was 274. haha oh well. I was in the back, but no worries, it was a really small venue. The band immediately came on, exactly on time. (of course) There was no warm up band. The first song came on and the audience started moving together. They knew exactly which way to dance during every song. The dancing consisted of hand movements, head banging, and arm pounding. After awhile I got used to it, it was too cute. Most of the audience were girls, but during breaks, you could hear them growling at the band on stage, it was a little bit startling. The band was really good, all the guys were better dressed then I have ever been in my life. The crowd was amazing, they got two encores out of them. The show got out early around 8:30. All the merch was overpriced but Janelle told me a $35 dollar shirt was cheap, at some concerts they are as much as $80. I'm so happy I will be able to say I've been to a JRock Concert! :)

Beginning of Packing

2009-05-03T22:33:00.002+09:00

First I wanted to start with my desk. So here is the final picture of my wonder filled desk.

Happy 4 Month Anniversary

2009-05-02T10:52:00.004+09:00

Beach Barbecue !

Happy Showa Day!

2009-04-30T00:40:00.001+09:00

Showa Day is a day for remembering the Showa Era (1926 to 1989), when the Japanese people worked hard to rebuild the country, and for wishing for a bright future.

We will see how my future goes with my exams tomorrow. yuck.

Softbank Hawks

2009-04-26T20:44:00.005+09:00

Oh baseball in Japan is so different, I will list the differences now.
1. They have cheerleaders that dance with towels
2. They have several mascots running around
3. There is a band, consisting of drums and trumpets.
4. They wave huge flags around
5. All the cheering is organized
6. They have a man with a blow horn that yells out all the cheers.
7. In the 7th inning, everyone releases balloons into the air.
8. Everyone has noise makers to help them with organized cheering.
9. When we won! there were fireworks inside the dome, it was so beautiful.

btw, Callie has a sweet video on her blog! go watch it!

Are You Going To Watch It?

2009-04-24T20:37:00.000+09:00

then do it!

Little Taste

2009-04-23T03:54:00.002+09:00

Here is a little taste from a video I'll probably post on Friday.
It is amazing.
Everyone better watch it, even if it is twenty min long. :p

art class for professors

2009-04-22T12:24:00.004+09:00

When getting a teaching degree in Japan, I think they have to pass extensive classes in art or blackboard creativity training. Never before have I seen such complicated drawings with charts, graphs, pictures, lines, kanji, and shapes drawn from different color coded pieces of chalk.

Or maybe the teachers just get bored too....

Dr. Pepper

2009-04-21T20:51:00.002+09:00

In one of the various, many, numerous malls in Fukuoka, I bought a Diet Dr Pepper in a "specialty foods" store. When I was drinking it, the English stopped me in my tracks. I haven't been able to read the ingredients on food in so long, it was odd for a moment.

Today in stock market class, we had a field "visit" to the Stock Exchange in Fukuoka. It was neat, smaller then I thought it would be. They gave us a mouse pad, I'll probably give it to my mom <3

Lastly, here is something cute from Japan....

Japan's Highest Ferris Wheel!

2009-04-18T22:28:00.005+09:00

I finally got on the Ferris Wheel that is practically right down the street from me. It was so high! But we were in these enclosed, safe, sealed off, inescapable "rooms" with air conditioning. It's all good.

Bikes & Sunset

2009-04-17T19:02:00.002+09:00

Bikes

&

Sunset

The International House

2009-04-15T11:44:00.009+09:00

I realized I haven't put up any pictures of where I live!!!

On my door, my japanese name!

How I decided to decorate my door... movie posters! I have Terminator Salvation, The Duchess, Watchmen, Australia, and Quantum of Solace.

Seinan Gakuin University International House

The side of the building I live on, all the way up on the fifth floor (excellent views)

The lounge area / The outside deck

The fifth floor's TV / Eating area

Fifth floor's Kitchen where I (sometimes) cook delicious meals.

Post

2009-04-14T23:05:00.001+09:00

Some new postcards are going into the mail tomorrow, be on the look out!

My days have just gotten busier, time for short sweet posts in between the papers, presentations, and exams!

Leaving Paperwork

2009-04-13T22:45:00.001+09:00

I just got mine today, time seems to fly by, but I think these last 26 days are going to creeeep by...

Nagasaki

2009-04-12T22:23:00.023+09:00

I could write pages and pages on Nagasaki, definitely one of my top favorite cities ever!

Everywhere we went the first day:
Atomic Bomb Museum, Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims, Atomic Bomb Hypocenter, Urakami Cathedral, Peace Stature, Peace Park, Nagasaki Ropeway, Mt. Inasa Lookout and Park, and Nagasaki-Ebisu Youth Hostel.

Everywhere we went the second day:
Kofukuji Temple, Spectacles Bridge, Chinatown, Hollander Slpe, Oura Catholic Church, Glover Garden, Nagasaki Harbor, Nagasaki Seaside Park, Site of the Former Dutch Settlement, Shofukuji Temple, Matraydom of the 26 Saints of Japan, and Nagasaki Station.

This is what I call an amazing weekend!

Nagasaki

2009-04-10T22:22:00.002+09:00

I'm off to beautiful Nagasaki tomorrow, wish me luck <3

My Week Thus Far

2009-04-08T00:11:00.004+09:00

Wow, It has been a busy couple of days. I've been reliving Japan with my mommy.
Places we have been to so far: Ohori, Dazaifu, Tenjin, Hakatta, Marinona City, Nishijin, and Momochi
Places we will go tomorrow: Onsen, Canal City, and Nokono Island.

"woooah, sensory overload" - mom

My Mommy is in Japan!

2009-04-04T22:56:00.005+09:00

My mom had her first official japanese meal at this ramen shop, epic day in history.

My Mom, enjoying the end of Sakura season.

Come Join My Club!

2009-04-03T18:56:00.003+09:00

I think school is starting back up for the Japanese students. This is explains the massive amount of people on the tiny campus at the moment.
I think they are promoting their clubs and sports. One teacher explained it as "recommending their circle." So far there has been two days of it, I feel like I'm at a real school again.

Also, an interesting fact. Did you know that Japanese parents don't usually go to their child's college graduation? It's normal. A Japanese student said it was because the parents view it as childish. I don't think I like this, I want my parents to come to my college graduation.

Mom Tracker

2009-04-03T04:25:00.004+09:00

In Japan, they have a word,

parasaito-shinguru.

This means parasite syndrome...
as in describing children living at home

At this moment my mom is 3 hours into her 11 hour flight across the pacific. 14 hours and counting...

Happy 3 Month Anniversary!

2009-04-02T00:10:00.002+09:00

To celebrate our 3rd anniversary in Japan, Callie and I went to go watch the Watchmen. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. But after we purchased our ticket and got our popcorn, I felt like I was back in America. The only difference was that they use their surround sound, I mean, they turn it all the way up.
Almost all the previews were for American movies, Terminator Salvation (Terminator4), The Bank, Star Trek, and Transformers 2. I also got to see the new Evangelion trailer, that was pretty special.
BTW, the movie is amazing! So was the soundtrack <3

I Want to Make Some People Jealous

2009-03-31T20:25:00.003+09:00

Each roll cost $1 on Tuesdays :) There was spicy tuna, regular tuna, and I think chicken salad. lol

Zoo and Ohaname Party

2009-03-29T02:26:00.012+09:00

Nihon to Ohanami Video Blog

2009-03-27T17:18:00.002+09:00

Kukimoto Sensee

2009-03-26T14:21:00.003+09:00

Today in Japanese class, our teacher, Kukimoto, tried to tell us what her image of American was. btw: Brandon, Callie, and I are the first American's she has ever talked to.

Note: She doesn't speak English very well, but she is studying

"Americans on television are loud and free."

"Americans in movies wear suits and sneakers (she giggled) and wear backpacks. (she giggled some more) And they eat hamburgers on the street"
and then...
"Bruce Wilson!"

Note: I love her.

Oh, The View

2009-03-25T01:53:00.000+09:00

Beginning of Sakura

2009-03-23T21:02:00.001+09:00

New Foods

2009-03-22T22:45:00.002+09:00

Reminded me tremendously of pork rinds

I call this the pancake omelet, I'll find the real name later

Happy Vernal Equinox Day!

2009-03-20T22:47:00.003+09:00

Today was the first day of spring in Japan, and it couldn't be more bittersweet. Today was also Fukuoka Tower's 20th anniversary so they had a festival around the tower. It would have been a much better day, but the wind was horrible. The Fukuoka Tower was also free so we went up to watch the sunset over Fukuoka.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

2009-03-18T17:14:00.006+09:00

It is disappointing they don't celebrate St. Patty's day in Japan, it seems like they have a holiday for everything. But no worries I wore green and soaked up a lot of good luck.
Today I went to the beach with Callie for some lazy time and crepes!

Yanagawa Hinamatsuri

2009-03-16T20:03:00.009+09:00

Last Sunday I adventured to Yanagawa City, South of Momochi (where I live). It took about an hour to travel there. Today there was a doll festival, it is pretty famous. There was a lot of tradition involved, but I was clueless. But I learned that this was a day to pray for young girls growth and happiness.

The first thing I came across were the tiny dolls. They are ornamental dolls representing the Emperor, Empress, attendants, and musicians in traditional court dress of the Heian period. These little things were everywhere, I wanted one for myself.

Dolls in the bamboo shoots were pretty popular too. I couldn't find anything online about this, but it may signify the tradition of putting the dolls out to sea in a bamboo boat.

Every shop I went into had their own arrangement of dolls. They are usually arranged on a five or seven-tiered stand covered with a red carpet. At the top are the Emperor and Empress. The next step contains three court ladies, followed by five musicians, two ministers, and three servants ending the bottom row in a five-tiered display. There are also small pieces of furniture, small meal dishes, and other things.

There were also a lot of decorations, the one you would see the most were the ones hanging with different things on them. An old Japanese custom is to decorate both sides of a tiered stands that displays henna dolls.

Yanagawa City if full of canals, so the festival was along a couple of the canals. Everything was so beautiful! I like Japanese festivals.

The Emporer and Empress walking around.

Happy White Day!

2009-03-15T00:14:00.003+09:00

So today is White Day!
Remember Valentines Day? In Japan on Valentines Day, only girls give away chocolate to their friends and guys they like or fill obligated to give chocolate to.
But on March 14th, Guys are supposed to return the favor. Whomever gave them chocolate in February, they are supposed to give something back. But the catch is, it should be at least twice or three times the amount the girl gave to them.
What a wonderful holiday <3
Too bad I don't like white chocolate.

One of my long ones...

2009-03-12T23:28:00.008+09:00

All day today I was trying to remember things to write in my blog. Now that I think about it, this may be a long post.

First off my Japanese teacher, Kukimoto sensee, invited us to lunch at the cafeteria/ not a cafeteria on campus. It seemed like my class was extended because her English isn't very good, and we conversed in basic Japanese. After lunch, she treated us to coffee and pulled some chocolate goodies out of her bag! I love her, she is always bringing us something sweet :)

Next I was off to do an essay before my manga class. In manga we talked about somethings I am really interested in, society and geishas. We talked about the explicit imagines in Japan. Explicit imagines in Japan are common, in stores, on billboards, movies, in restaurants, in manga, and on television there is everything ranging from nudity to cannabis. I'm not complaining, I just always wandered about the vast difference between how modest Japanese people act while their society isn't as modest. But my teacher's explanation made perfect sense. "Japan is explicit so you can write freely."

In one of my earlier posts, I talked about the movie Sakuran, which is about Geishas in an earlier time in history. Back then Geishas were prostitutes that were poor and/or parent less girls that were sold to different houses. The highest rank you can have is called the Oiran. The Oiran would care for her apprentices until she married a rich costumer or falls victim to old age. Nowadays Geisha are not called prostitutes. Rather they are "toys of rich men", just like some American women. The young geihsas are called Maiko, and when they are older they are called Geiko. Each of the Geishas have a sponsor, a man that they are exclusive with. My teacher expressed them as being romantic, or sometimes not, she said "love game is the point." While they are called "toys of rich men," they also play an important role as "preserves of traditional culture." I found this an amazing contrast.

Then came Natural World of Japan, we saw some awesome pictures of volcanoes exploding.

Tonight was Curry night! So it was back to the Curry Shop again, tonight I tried a level 25! Go me!

Then I was off to the arcade with Janelle, Justin, Callie, and Harley. We took some lovely PURIKURA again!! There were a ton of claw machines, gambling machines, video games, and music games. I tried the drum game, then I reverted back to what I know best, Guitar Hero... or what they called it there, Guitar Freaks.

I also snapped some pictures of a Japanese bathroom, in case you were curious!

For People Who Like Sunsets

2009-03-09T21:50:00.001+09:00

Filling up the Quote Book

2009-03-09T00:27:00.002+09:00

"Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, brides, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, lights and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don't bother concealing your thievery - celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: "It's not where you take things from - it's where you take them to."

Japanese Beer

2009-03-07T03:15:00.002+09:00

Park-san and I went to a Japanese Bar for a drink.
Here is a picture of oishii Japanese beeru.

Fukuoka at Night

2009-03-05T23:19:00.006+09:00

I took a few pictures of the city at night, enjoy.

Video Blog 6 Postcards!!

2009-03-03T20:36:00.005+09:00

If you don't feel like commenting your address, you can always email it to me at dmhiggin@uncg.edu!

Fukoka's Population : 1,384,682
Hickory, NC's Population: 40,985

Kanji Procrastinating

2009-03-03T00:28:00.004+09:00

... I have a Kanji test to study for tomorrow but I rather blog about my day :)

Some things I really like about Japan
1. The grocery stores are made to sell to the individual. (everything is so small!)
2. There is english or engrish everywhere
( <- engrish example )

3. How cute everything is! Yesterday I got a cute little key chain for buying juice

4. Japan has three music video channels that actually play music videos 24/7!
5. Everyone bikes... kids, high school kids, college kids, parents, business men and women, the homeless....

So my day was pretty great. I had back to back Japanese classes, even though it is hard, I feel like this is the best kind of language learning experience. I also cooked myself dinner tonight, I'm getting better at this kind of thing.
I love you all!

Happy 2 Month Anniversary

2009-03-02T00:35:00.008+09:00

For our 2 month anniversary in Japan, Callie and I went to a puppet show in Kasugabaru.

Kasugabaru was about an hour travel away from the I-House. We caught the subway to Tenjin then the Train to Kasugabaru. Then we had to walk to the theatre, it was a pretty town surrounded by mountains.
The puppet show itself was very amusing. Watching three guys operate a 4 foot puppet onstage was new for me. I didn't understand a word, but it was enough to watch the puppets and the musicians. After awhile I started to make my own story lines so I wouldn't fall asleep to the weird noises of the narrator.

Afterward we went to Mos Burger for a little slice of home. I had a delicious burger, but it tasted a little too sauageish for me.

Going back to the station we saw this beautiful looking building that was out of place, I wanted it to be a castle. We got closer and we figured out the name, Royal Chester Fukuoka. The plague said "Thoroughly versed in English traditions and history, Royal Chester Fukuoka boast sincere connections with their surroundings through commitment to the culture unique to each city. Royal Chester takes pride in valuing old fashioned romance and grace, yet strives to provide contemporary high-quality weddings. Let the joy of a lifetime together begin here at Royal Chester." So yay! you can have weddings here!

No Charge Bar

2009-02-27T00:37:00.004+09:00

So today was a pretty good day.

First off we had Japanese visitors today in Japanese class, and again we were forced to have unintelligible conversations, after wards we all had lunch together.

The other classes I had today were Manga and Natural World of Japan. I love manga class, it is amazing the amount of people here that read it. In my mind, comics are for children, but over here it is a whole other mindset. Teenagers love it, even adults are into it. Most of Japanese movies are adapted from manga. It would be like every single movie coming out in American came from a book. Most manga's have their own anime series and own movies. Everything stems from it.
In Natural World of Japan we studied volcanoes! Go magma.

I cooked some fish for dinner with a couple of the international students. I'm very proud of myself. Afterwards I went out for a drink with a couple of friends and had the chance to meet more Japanese students. I think I'm getting better at this. ;)

The loft part of the bar and a bike bell you rang for service

Strawberry Fields

2009-02-25T21:55:00.002+09:00

Strawberry Fields was an excellent little dessert cafe I went to in Nishijin tonight.
I forgot to take a picture of the store, but I ate this delicious dessert instead.

Watashi no Kaiyoube (My Tuesday)

2009-02-25T00:55:00.005+09:00

First off, Happy Mardi Gras!

Today all the Japanese students at my school found out if they passed their finals or not. They were cheering all day. It was fun to watch them gather around and clap for their friends. One group picked a kid up in the air, it felt like a pep rally.

Today my Japanese class had to go to Tenjin to complete tasks on our own, like a scavenger hunt. This is a sculpture I stopped to take a picture of.

I was told to try Natto. Apparently Japanese people love this dish. Its basically fermented beans they put on rice. Here is my foreign attempt.

Purikura!

2009-02-24T03:32:00.005+09:00

I found the cutest thing ever this Sunday while I was in Tenjin. On Sunday, Callie and I went to an anime seminar and afterward we met up with a Japanese student from Seinan Gakuin. He took us to a massive gaming building and we went to the photo booth section to take cute little pictures. The result is purikuras. On the purikura you can draw on them after you finish taking the pictures. So you can write things, put cute cartoons, add hats, and even change your hair color! Japan knows how to be super cute.

さくらん

2009-02-21T21:14:00.003+09:00

Sakuran(さくらん) is a movie I watched the other day for my film class. It was a amazing! So colorful so stylized.. Watch the trailer!

さくらん Trailer on Youtube

Coke Zero

2009-02-20T14:16:00.002+09:00

There is no need for words.

Curry Shop... Again

2009-02-19T21:33:00.002+09:00

A group of people here go to eat curry every Thursday night. I joined them yet again so I would be able to eat my delicious nan. At the Curry Shop you can choose the base to your curry and the spicy level. The levels go from 1-100. Last week I had a 3, this week I tried a 10! Not too bad, maybe next time I'll try to see how bad a 15 will hurt.

RIP Jamie Campbell

2009-02-19T03:24:00.003+09:00

Jamie Campbell.
Someone I haven't even thought about since my senior year of high school died recently.
Not from a car accident, drinking, or anything reckless.
Just an illness.
You were loved Jamie, I'm sorry I missed seeing you before you left.

"Our life is made by the deaths of others."

Japan Video Blog 5

2009-02-18T21:22:00.001+09:00

2009-02-17T18:22:00.002+09:00

I will never get used to how cold the buildings are here. You step outside your cold classroom into an even colder hallway. Must be because they keep the outside doors open and treat the hallways like your actually outside.

I dream of sunshine

Nokono Island

2009-02-17T00:24:00.004+09:00

On Sunday morning I went on a field trip to Nokono Island. At 9 we departed by a Ferry and reached the island in no time. You can see the Fukuoka skyline from the island. We walked and looked at the island's rock formations. My favorite part of the field trip were all the sea shells on the beach. For our hour free time Callie, Janelle, and I looked around at one of the shrines.

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-14T18:28:00.004+09:00

Happy Valentines Day! I love you all!

Since I celebrated last night, tonight I'll go to bed without eating any chocolate.

Why? Because in Japan, Valentines Day is a day for girls to buy guys chocolate. Girls will go out and buy chocolate for their dads and friends, then they will make something homemade for the person they really love or like.

But as a girl I'm only a little mad. March 14 is White Day, and that is when guys buy girls chocolate. Also, because I've learned its a breakthrough tradition for females in Japan. Before Valentines Day came along, it was hard for them to tell someone they loved them. Now they can do it with some homemade sweets. Its all so cute.

Curry Shop

2009-02-12T20:37:00.004+09:00

Curry is so wonderful. Especially with a huge chunk of nan.

Kyoto to Tokyo "Spring" Break

2009-02-11T18:09:00.002+09:00

(Before you read this, Callie's Blog has a ton of amazing videos you have to check out!)

All packed and ready to go, 8 in the morning we are off to Kyoto!
We rode the Shinkansen all the way to Kyoto, it took about 3 hours. We could see views from all over Japan, not the best views in the world, maybe that's why I fell asleep. We arrived in Kyoto! The stations are very user friendly with maps all over the place, we found the Gojo Hostel in no time (or 30 min). We had an hour to kill before we could officially check in. So after we left our bags with the front desk, we went to find some lunch. We found a Ramen bar who boasted to have the best ramen in Kyoto. Oh, it was so yummy. It was a large bowl full of onions and slices of pork... wow, it was good. Then it was back to the hostel. I love the Gojo Hostel, it was in an old Japanese building. The downstairs was this cafe. When we checked in they gave us free drink coupons. It had a real artsy quality and younger people ran it, and it had free internet! Upstairs our rooms had a sliding door and we slept on futons on the floor. Two other Japanese girls were there and we lived together for two days. They did have western toilets, a definite plus.
In Kyoto we saw a lot of the tourist temple and shrine sites. A couple of the most famous ones were just down the street. Kiyomizu-dera Temple and the Jishu-jinja Shrine was our first stop. That was the day of free mochi. To get tourist to buy sweets they would set up samples of every flavor they had, they also gave out green tea. It was oishii and I didn't need lunch after we were done. Then we headed up to Kodai-ji Shrine and Ryozenkannon, I think in this area they filmed some scenes for the Last Samurai, its been forever since I had seen the movie and didn't recognize anything. Then we walked up to see the huge Orange Shinto Symbol, it was massive. It was at the entrance for the Heian-Jingu Shrine, which is massive also. We were too late for tours but we got to see the outer and inner sanctuaries, the architecture is so beautiful, it was one of the things that attracted me to Japan in the first place.
A Japanese person pointed us to the part of town Geishas work in. So we headed over to Gion to a street called Hanamikoji-dori, which is beside the Kennin-ji Temple. We didn't see any, just other tourist like us walking up and down the street with cameras out.
The day we checked out of the Gojo Hostel we walked to the northern part of Kyoto to see the Imperial Palace. Kyoto used to be the capital of Japan and it was amazing to get to walk around in the national garden. We didn't get to go in because we missed the English tour and for some reason you have to apply to get in and you can only go in with a tour...whatever, we still took lots of pictures of the gate and the gardens around the palace. We could see the place where they have the Daimonji Bon-fire in August on top of Mt. Nyoigadake. They set fire to the character Dai, it is supposed to be very religious. We were also in downtown Kyoto to see all the shops, we tried Kyoto takuyaki and learned that Tokyo wants to host the 2016 Olympics. Next was Nij-jo Castle, it actually had a moat around it. We also saw the Umekoji City Park during sunset, we found jello in a vending machine, I loved it.
That night we had to catch a night bus to Tokyo so we headed to the Kyoto Station to hang out for an hour or so before the bus left. We went up on top of the station to the observatory to get a view of the streets we just walked on all day. We sat in cafe and had donuts and coffee, I miss Krispy Kreme and wished they had one in Japan, oh was I surprised in Tokyo.
The Night Bus came at 10:30 and it arrived in Tokyo at 6 in the morning in Shinjuku. We couldn't check into the Hostel until 3pm so we decided today would be the best day for Mt. Fuji!
We had an hour before the bus left so we found a Starbucks to sit in and plan our adventure. In the bus I fell asleep, I woke up to my ears popping and to my surprise Fuji was staring back at me. It was so big and so beautiful, pictures do not do it any kind of justice.
We spent the day at one of the lakes surrounding Fuji, just taking in the scenery. We took a cable up to the top of a mountain, it had an amazing view, I can't wait to get my film developed.
We got back to Tokyo later that afternoon, I took one look at the subway map and I could have died, but somehow we did it, we made it to the Tokyo International Hostel. So this hostel was pretty cool, it was the 18 and 19 floor of this mall. There were 8 beds in the room and every time you walked in you heard another language being spoken. The view was the best part, you could see Shinjuku and the Tokyo Tower.
Our first day out in Tokyo we went to Shibuya and Harajuku. To get to Harajuku we walked through this park called Meiji Jingu and when we came out it was chaos. People were everywhere. We walked down on of the busiest shopping streets. We saw all of the Harajuku fashion and some Harajuku girls were out and about. They looked like scene kids from America, I wasn’t too shocked. Next was Shibuya to see the famous crosswalk with tons of people. We spent most of the day there. There was a Krispy Kreme! It was so crowded. Then we came back up to Harajuku to see the bridge were the fashion kids all hang out. We took pictures, and met some girls from Holland who were dressed up along with the Japanese kids. Then we made it back to the Hostel to get to bed before curfew and lights out. They had an amazing Japanese bath, it felt so amazing after a long day of walking.
The next day we went out to Shinjuku. Another day of walking around the city, taking pictures and seeing all the amazing sites. The Metropolitan Government Building had a free observatory we took advantage of. Tokyo is like a never ending city. Our last day in Tokyo we went to see the Tokyo Tower before our plane left. It looks just like the Eiffel Tower.
We made it to the airport after some mess ups on the subway and found our gate a whole hour and a half before the plane left. Another student from Fukuoka was in the airport too, it was amazing see her and to talk about our trips before the plane started boarding. I had a window seat so I saw all the places we'd been to in Tokyo, It was the best.

Master Navigator

2009-02-10T23:59:00.002+09:00

I had to navigate this to get home from Tokyo

1 min left...

2009-02-07T14:43:00.000+09:00

I have one min. left on this computer and I just wanted to say Ill update on Tuesday with my whole spring break trip!
<3 Danielle

Pizza Night

2009-02-03T21:51:00.005+09:00

Calligraphy

2009-02-02T20:22:00.002+09:00

Today we did calligraphy in Japanese class! The first one is mizu which means water, then its nihon, this means Japan, and I'm not sure what the next two mean. Kukuimoto sensee brought in more Japanese students to "talk" to. Afterwards we went to the Cross Plaza for dinner. I'm not sure what I was eating but it was delicous. Tomorrow is our last day of class before break! In two days I'll be in Kyoto!

Happy 1 Month Anniversary

2009-02-02T00:41:00.002+09:00

Sunny's Supermarket

2009-01-31T22:06:00.006+09:00

A trip to the supermarket!
In another country, even ordinary trips to the grocery stores seem exciting.
This picture is of Japense Yen. The bill is abut $10. The first coin is $1, next is 50 cents, then 10 cents, then 5 cents, and then 1 cent.
Sunny's is the major supermarket around where I live. There is almost one on every block. I heard this is the newest one and it's so cool because is open 24 hours. In Japan the only thing they sell in bulk is rice. So everything seems cheap, but your still going to the store every other day. They sell individual everything from eggs to meat. Even the bags of bread only have six slices in it. I think most people stop by the grocery store every day.
Carry bags to the store is popular here. Hardly anyone comes out with a plastic bag. I was surprised to see Walmart bags there, but when I looked it up online, I realized Walmart owns a lot of stock in Sunny's Supermarket. It seems like you can never escape it.
There is a Baskin Robbins right beside the store, it looks so beautiful, but its very expensive and a scoop of ice cream is really only a tiny scoop, but it is still delicious!
There is no tax and you have to bag your own bags. Attached to Sunny's is an amazing bakery that I have to force myself to stay away from. They have amazing bread here!

The spoils of my journey. :)

Kawaraban Newspaper

2009-01-30T03:37:00.003+09:00

Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra

2009-01-30T00:19:00.009+09:00

So a perk to being an international student is free tickets to events. Tonight I went to go see an orchestra play in Tenjin, Fukuoka. This is something I wouldn't ordinary do, but it was free, and this is Japan, of course I'll go.I actually was not allowed to take pictures, but I really wanted one of the whole orchestra. Apparently they are supposed to be the third top ranking orchestra in Japan. It all lasted about two hours.Afterwards they surprised us with dinner at a Chinese restaurant. We had a huge spread of food. We had spicy tofu, pork ramen, spring rolls, fried chicken, fried rice, and fried noodles. All these plates have Japanese names... but I couldn't remember it all. To finish it off I had coconut milk for dessert.

Food

2009-01-27T19:08:00.002+09:00

My Japanese Food
(or my wrapper collection)

My American Food
(thank you Christy and Cindy!)

My Dinner

Top 5 Things I Can't Wait To Do

2009-01-26T02:22:00.002+09:00

1. Concerts
2. Celebrate my 21st birthday.
3. Eat a bean burrito
4. Eat a stuffed crust pizza from Pizza Hut
5. Eat at Carrabas.

Saturday School

2009-01-24T20:45:00.009+09:00

Today was a makeup day for some classes, and it was snowing!
This morning I woke up to this...

As I was walking to class I realized I hadn't taken any pictures of the school. Everyday I walk past the Chapel. Its the most interesting building on campus. There are also a lot of trees lining the pathway to

different buildings.
It snowed all during Japanese class. And when we went outside, the snow was in huge chunks, falling from the sky. We walked all the way to the Mall to do a learning exercise. We could only speak in Japanese, and we had to ask people working in the stores how much certain things were.
At night the snow picked up really hard and Callie and I walked around, watching how the snow covered Japan. We went to the beach and saw all the palm trees with huge amounts of snow weighing down the branches. You could hardly see as far as the ocean, the sky was so full of snow. We also saw how the snow blew past the Fukuoka Tower. The snow definitely made up for having school on Saturday. Plus, it thundersnows here.

Nomikai

2009-01-24T00:42:00.001+09:00

This is what students and teachers do together in Japan.

Video Blog 2

2009-01-23T13:08:00.002+09:00

Nihongo Class

2009-01-22T19:59:00.003+09:00

This is why I love Japanese Class.
Today we had Japanese students come to visit for some conversation exercises. They were all super sweet. I could only understand them when I asked what their name was, where they live, what year they were in school, how old they were, and what their major was. As stimulating as the conversations were, I felt like I achieved something.

My Early & Boring Class

2009-01-21T10:47:00.002+09:00

I just got out of it... its my religion class.
Today he explained history... linguistics... and anthropology.

The only thing interesting I learned that as English speaking people we fear the moon, and that Japanese people feel safe when they see the moon. The English word for moon is moon, but we also call it lunar, which in Latin is lunaris, and one of the meanings is "crazy". The Japnese word for moon is tsuki, which can also mean protection.

Interesting...

Then he talked about how different tribes in the amazon have different family sturctures...

Maybe next week we can get to Buddha.

2009-01-21T03:04:00.001+09:00

Video Blog 1

2009-01-20T20:11:00.001+09:00

The Beautiful Canal City

2009-01-17T21:17:00.014+09:00

I love Canal City, it's so beautiful. So beautiful Callie and I spent almost 5 hours in it.

We also tried new foods
(Squid Ball)
We also found a Cold Stone, The Pokemon Center, and a Totoro Store. It was the best day of my life walking into the Totoro Store. Miyazaki's newest movie is called Ponyo. It looks so adorable.

You can click here to watch the trailer. I can't wait to see it

Its really awesome to see the city change at night. Here is a picture walking into Canal City...
And the picture walking out...

Karaoke

2009-01-16T18:39:00.003+09:00

Japanese karaoke is a trip.
I was worried they'd be no English songs... but they had them all.
I got to sing, Forever the Sickest Kids, Journey, The Beatles, Micheal Jackson, Avril, Ashlee Simpson, Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco, Rush, and so many more....

2009-01-14T17:11:00.001+09:00

I love random buildings here.

Coming of Age Day

2009-01-12T19:32:00.002+09:00

I walked miles and miles today
...or so it seemed.
Callie and I walked to the beach in the morning. It was snowy and windy and cold.For coming of age day, kids who are twenty dress up, take pictures with their families, visit a shrine for good luck, then go out and drink. We saw a couple of girls in kimonos throughout the day. Since I was 20, I wanted to go a Shinto Shrine for good luck. Here are two Shinto Shrines in Tenjin.
After praying for luck, we walked down to Ohori Park. I think I love this park. Its home to museums, castle ruins, cafes, playgrounds, and lots of birds.

Mochisuki Topping Contest

2009-01-10T18:38:00.000+09:00

So today I learned Mochi is a type of rice they eat as dessert.
So they had a topping contest, the real reason was to introduce all the new foreign students.
After stumbling through introductions and meeting nice Japanese students who didn't care that I'm horrible at Japanese we went outside to beat some rice into submission.. or into a sweet dessert.

We took the rice back to our groups and prepared our toppings. My group was group B. We choose curry and cheese.
Then we passed out our Mochi to all the other groups, and we got all of theirs.
Group A- Wasabi and Chocolate. Well there was only one secret wasabi mochi... and I was lucky enough to almost die from it
Group B- Curry!
Group C-Strawberries, icecream, and frosted flakes
Group D- Green stuff?
Group E- Chocolate, candy, strawberries, and bananas
Group F- Radish and marmalade :/

We ended up coming in second.... Go us :)

Ohori Park Noh Theater

2009-01-10T00:14:00.000+09:00

I-House Room

2009-01-08T20:21:00.000+09:00

I need to find batteries for my camera, so I took some pictures around my room with my Mac instead.

Its true.. no roommates :)
Oh! and I found that cute green guy from The Killers Video, Can You Read My Mind on a hand towel at a store called Donkihoote. I was pretty excited. As apart of my futon rental they gave me a pillow... but its filled with beans. I'm going to miss my soft pillows at home.

Here is my desk, as you can see I've already started my wrapper collection. Its filled with Japanese Coke Zero and candy bars. Other then that its pretty empty at the moment. School will fix that.

And lastly, my first very own balcony, Its right outside the sliding door. You can also see some of the lights in the distance.

First Time Online in Days (well 4 days)

2009-01-07T20:56:00.000+09:00

I finally arrived in the I-House.
My camera isn't liking the batteries here so pictures will be scarce this time around. But this is the view outside my very own balcony.

For those who want my address it is:
Seinan Gakuin University International House
1-51-1-506, Momochi, Sawara-ku, Fukuoka 814-0006 JAPAN

The I-House is beautiful, I have my own room. I guess I have to clean here too, we are responsible for cleaning the our own floors (kitchen, living area, showers, and lounges)

On my first day we went to Nishijin (which is right down the street) to eat ( I had a clam dish for about $3), buy supplies, and window shop. They have huge major streets, but the other streets are tiny.

The Monday before orientation a group of us decided to travel to Tenjin to look around. I found my first Japanese person passed out in bushes. But other then that Tenjin is very busy, beautiful, and people are shopping everywhere. And guess what, a Starbucks is still on every corner. The weird thing about Japan is that there is English everywhere, on clothes, on signs, on buildings, on cars, menus and on vending machines. I still feel like I'm in the states, I just can't communicate. We found a huge department store or mall and I found the outfits of my dreams. I never thought you could actually find the outfits you see in animes.

Today was my very first day of class. I was placed in beginning Japanese and I cannot be happier. Tomorrow I have Beginning Japanese, Japanese Manga and Movies class, and Natural World of Japan.

I love you all. <3

First day of Fukuoka, Japan. Day of Temples.

2009-01-02T18:36:00.001+09:00

I called these temples the big bell temple and the big budda temple. The first temple's name I forgot, but the second temple is the Tochoji Temple. These temples were in the middle of the city surrounded by buildings, but once you went in, everything chances, it becomes quieter.

Same temples. On some of the graves, there was a tiny meal waiting. This one had a small bottle of water and a tiny sandwich. The second pictures is the famous "Big Buddha" surrounded by incense.

Today everything was beautiful.

2009-01-02T09:17:00.000+09:00

We got into Japan last night around 8 (I think around 3am or 4am for you guys). I had my first subway ride. I took a picture from the hotel room last night.And when I woke up this morning, there were mountains.

Happy New Years

2009-01-01T22:02:00.000+09:00

The North Pole, after passing the International Date Line. Good sign. Beautiful New Years.