Oh hey, I forgot about that...

Today is the first official day of winter vacation at Keio, and I must confess I have spent the entire day online watching movies. Huzzah!

But tomorrow, the studying begins. Oh yes! Though we've two weeks of holiday, none of us exchange students can forget that very soon after we return, final exams begin. So from tomorrow onward, I will be reviewing material, praying that my brain retains enough knowledge to get me through the exams. I also have to complete my research project on culture shock. Good thing I'm already an expert on the subject.

I remembered yesterday that I have yet to post about the Keio school festival, called Mitasai, which was held in late October. It's two months late, but better late than never, right?

School festivals in Japan are a huge affair, especially at a prestigious university like Keio. High schools also have fairs, though I haven't been to any myself. The school grounds are transformed by a veritable maze of food stalls erected by student organizations selling everything from chocolate bananas, crepes, and waffles, to okonomiyaki, noodles, and beer. It's a great way to sample native foods. I myself took a walk on the adventurous side and tried takoyaki, or fried octopus (shown on the left). I couldn't really taste anything except fried goodness, so it was okay. Don't think I'll make it a habit, though.

In one area there was a stage where music and dance organizations performed. My friends and I stopped to watch this group perform a traditional song and dance routine of Okinawa. The guys with the big drums onstage banged away enthusiastically while the girls in front of the stage preformed hand movements. Both groups chanted in time with the musicians playing the sanshin, a three-stringed banjo native to Okinawa.

Clubs also took over the classrooms of several buildings. There were many student-erected bars, including one where I challenged a friend to a soccer match on a PS2 that was projected onto a large screen. Mark and I had our fortunes told by a tarot reader, and the lot of us enjoyed a traditional tea ceremony performed by a sado (tea ceremony) club.

Though it was a lot of fun, it was also somewhat exhausting. You have to constantly fend off swarms of students trying to drag customers to their booths. There was one stall that was especially enthusiastic: the egg stall. I think they were just selling boiled eggs, but my god were they excited about it. Their stall was at the end of a long narrow alley, so anytime someone approached the end, a group of about seven male students would crowd around them shouting, "Tamago! Tamago!", except in our case it was "Egg! Egg!". I ended up going past them at least four times, and they did it to me every. single. time. I'll give them points for persistence, but jeez.

So yeah, sorry it's so late, but I was pretty dead in November. Merry Christmas everyone!

Gods Bless Us, Everyone!

Guess what I'm doing?

I am sipping strawberry tea, snacking on my mother's homemade banana bread (world's best), and enjoying my shiny new iPod Nano. Christmas is usually on the 25th of December, but for me it's today because I got my winter box from my mom!

In addition to my winter clothing, she sent me my Christmas present (the iPod), a badly-needed computer game, a 4GB flash drive, and waaaaay too many baked goods. I asked for banana bread, and instead, she sent me the bread, a huge tin of peanut butter cookies and another giant tin of brownies. Why? I've no idea! But at least I have something tasty to share with my dormmates. Food shared with friends tastes better.

I used the promise of food to bribe one of my girlfriends to help me carry the box up the stairs (another good use for baked goods). She is trying to persuade her own mother to send her a package from America. Out of everyone in the dorm, I probably get the biggest boxes from home, but I know I'm not the only one that gets them. Packages from the home country are necessary for survival, especially if you're on medication. But when my friend asked her dad to mail her medicine from home, he said, "Can't you just go to Walgreens and get it there?" Uh, no!!

Not only are there no Walgreens here, but medicine is different in Japan. They of course have different brands, but more importantly, the strength of Japanese medicine is much less than Western medicine. It's also more expensive here. So when I had a cold in October, instead of going to the pharmacy and paying too much for weak medicine, I just weathered through it and had my mom ship an assortment of American meds for the rest of winter. Someone also told me that it's best to ship toothpaste from home as well; apparently, they don't put fluoride in Japanese toothpaste. I don't know if that's true, but I'm not taking any chances.

I also always have her include a jar of organic peanut butter and my favorite preserves. Not essential, I know, but we all have those comfort foods that we can't live without, and natural peanut butter is mine. Spread some on an apple slice with a sprinkling of cinnamon: it will become your favorite snack ever, promise!

On Tuesdays, I meet up with my Japanese conversation partner, Shoko, and some other girls for lunch at school. It's a great opportunity to chat with students my own age and improve my casual Japanese. We usually bring our own lunches, and today I brought a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich and a pear. Pretty normal American lunch, right? But Shoko had never heard of a pb&j sandwhich before! Her friend, who usually eats with us, knew what it was on sight, so together we explained what was in it and how popular it is in the US. Everyone was especially impressed that the ingrediants had been shipped over from the States by my mom ^^. They thought it was so strange and cute that I brought such a foreign lunch with me, they made me pose with the sandwhich and pear for pictures!

You may be wondering what they, the Japanese girls, bring for their lunch. Sometimes they buy premade salads, sandwiches (like egg salad), or onigiri (rice balls) from the University co-op. But they often bring homemade bento, their term for boxed lunch. It's usually half rice, some fish or cooked meat, and pickled vegetables. I've also seen them bring homemade salads. In contrast, I've brought homemade stew, steamed veggies, pb&j, but also onigiri and always a piece of fruit. When Mina came to visit, she bought me a bento bag with containers to take to school with me (shown here). She thought it would help me fit in better with my Japanese friends ^_^. She always encourages me to spend more time with natives.

I'm off to play with my iPod. Cheers!

"Happy Merry Christmas"

It's everyone's favorite time of year again, and even in Japan, lights adorn trees, seasonal signs are hung from department store buildings, and obscenely large amounts of people crowd every shopping center in the city.

But unlike America, where gift-giving is as sacred as Christmas Day itself, in Japan Christmas is more of a couples' holiday, a time to spend with that special someone, not your distant relatives. Gifts may be exchanged between couples on Christmas, but not between family members.

It's New Years that the Japanese really get excited about. New Years is the most important holiday in Japan, and people exchange gifts for the sake of the new year, not Christmas. Children receive money from their parents, and adults give gifts to people to whom they feel socially indebted, like their boss or a neighbor.

I had heard from a friend that Ginza had some especially lovely seasonal decorations up, so I decided to take a short day trip to explore the area. Ginza, often referred to as Tokyo's Fifth Avenue, is one of the premier shopping centers in the world. I saw Gucci, Prada, Dior, Armani, and countless other designer stores. The most iconic building in Ginza is the Waco department store, which sits at the main intersection above Ginza Sation.

Because it was a Saturday, the main shopping streets were closed to the traffic and totally packed with pedestrians. I didn't really do any shopping (as if I could afford Dior), but instead went around taking pictures of the decorations. Many other Japanese were taking pictures as well, so I didn't feel so much a tourist.

And though it has nothing to do with the holiday season, I have to include this: as I was walking to the nearby Hibiya Park, I spotted a Japanese man standing near the entrance of a building dressed head to toe in cowboy gear. Now, I never go up to people and ask to take their picture, but this was waaaaay too good to resist! I explained that he looked like he was from Texas, and I really was from Texas, so could I take a picture. He agreed, and a nearby man who overheard offered to take one of both of us. So behold: a real Texan and a wannabe Texan! Can you tell which is which?

Payback

I was surfing around the net the other day and came upon a blog written by another Texan (woohoo!) in Japan, and he had a list up on things he liked and disliked about living here. I think that's a great idea. Here's how my list looks right now:

Dislike (let's start with the bad stuff):

1) People who stare (see previous, lengthy post)

2) Food I can't identify is cheap and food I can identify is expensive

3) Not understanding the majority of what I hear/read. Or when in Shibuya, what I see.

4) Everything is sooooo much more expensive here than in the US! Especially with the horrid exchange rate.

5) Some (not all) Japanese girls. Seriously, do they eat at all? I mean, I see them in restaurants, but do they actually order food? No wonder they think all Americans are fat! Giselle Bundchen looks fat in comparison to some of these girls! Seriously, eat something.

Like:

1) I can eat sushi/tempura without going broke

2) There are adorable dogs EVERYWHERE and their owners dress them up

3) I have to walk everywhere. Most people wouldn't agree with me here, but I love to walk. It's probably the thing I always miss most when I go home to Texas- you can't walk there without frying, unless it's inside a mall.

4) Unlike many humanities & social science majors, I actually use my major every day. Haha.

5) The people that will actually interact with you are almost always ridiculously nice. Like, I mean, take-the-kimono-off-my-back nice. I think there's something in the rice. (oh god, did that rhyme?)

Things I Love/Hate (it's not cheating!):

1) Saleswomen. Everyone knows that Japanese people are generally kind, hospitable, and make excellent tourists. But what you don't know is that they save the very nicest people, usually women, for department store sales representatives. In America, I love to just go window shopping to look at all the lovely things I will buy when I one day have money. I have none now, so I don't buy. But my god, the saleswomen here are so nice, and give you ridiculous amounts of tastes/samples, I no longer window shop for fear of what I might buy. I have already been roped into buying stupidly priced items I didn't really need twice. And even after you buy something, they don't just drop you- they keep giving you free stuff. Seriously people: be afraid. Be very afraid.

2) Japanese cakes. I have never been to France, and I no longer have any desire to go. If the Japanese are merely imitating French pastries, I do not want to go anywhere near the real thing. They wouldn't be able to fit me back onto the plane. I have never seen such amazingly creative or delicious cakes in my life. And it gets better/worse: they have cake buffets! I have been to two and my god, I never want to know how many calories I ingested on those nights. It's very popular amongst Japanese girls, which serves to further my agitation: how do these girls stay so skinny!?!

So these are a few of my favorite/least favorite/ambivalent things.

Oh, and speaking of the staring thing, I've come up with a new game: Make the Staring Japanese Feel Uncomfortable. Before, I simply ignored everyone around me and stared into space. But today, I decided it would be so much more fun to catch people staring at me, stare back, and try to make them as uncomfortable as possible. I did it to two people on the train home, and I was right- it is fun. If you can't join them, beat them at their own game.

Ode to a British Mate

My homies and I are very upset at the moment because one of our own, Mark, is leaving us tomorrow and will not be returning. His granny died last week, so he has to go home to Britain for the funeral. However, because of all the absences he will accrue, he wouldn't be able to take the final exam for our class, which actually doesn't count towards his home university program anyway. Plus, he is going to Belgium in the spring, and it makes more sense for him to save the money it would cost to return to Japan and put it towards Belgium (he's a French major).

So we're all very cut up about it, especially him, but there's really nothing that can be done. We had a wee going away party last night at our favorite British pub (yeah, they have those in Japan). We did alright, but things got a bit teary when saying goodbye at the train station.

Who will be the glue that holds our bizarre, diverse group together? Who's going to force us to pull all-nighters at karaoke? Who is going to tell me funny stories about the British, thereby reaffirming my American sense of superiority? (j/k on that last)

But even though we shall miss him terribly, as he shall miss us, at least he gets to spend a lovely Christmas with his family in Rugby while the rest of us pay $40 for something possibly resembling a Western Christmas spread in Tokyo. If said spread includes sashimi or soybeans, I may hit someone.

Does anyone know how to mail a Christmas ham across the Pacific??? >_<

What!? You're not dead!?

No, I am alive, I just had a really, really awful month!

Seriously, November was the month of death for me, both emotionally and, in some ways, literally. However, I am feeling much better now and my karma seems to have gone back to normal. Interestingly, I figured out what was wrong with me emotionally a few days ago in my Intercultural Communication class. The subject: cross-cultural adjustment curves. Apparently, when a person travels to a foreign country, they experience sort of an adjustment cycle; their mood goes up at first 'cause everything is very exciting and new and "I'm so cool for being an international!". And then they dive. Like, flat out Deep Dive (shout out to my KH homies). But then they eventually rise up again, peek in happiness, and the cycles goes on over and over until they return to their home country. However, subsequent dives in mood and rises in stress become less and less extreme as time goes on. The first dive is called Culture Shock *dum dum DUM*.

But ya see, no one told me about the Deep Dive. When people said, "Watch out for that culture shock!", I assumed they meant I would be extremely surprised and put off by the cultural differences WHEN I GOT THERE. Not TWO MONTHS LATER. No one told me, "By the way, about halfway through the semester, you, and all your fellow exchange students for that matter, are going to feel like HELL and will want to come home IMMEDIATELY. But don't worry, it will pass."

No, no one, in all the orientations I went to, all the packets I read, told me that a couple months down the road, I would get emotionally totalled, I mean WREAKED, by the Deep Dive/Culture Shock. And since I'm a nice person, I'm warning all you prospective exchange students out there: a month or two into your delightful study abroad experience, you will get tired. Tired of having to deal with new surprises everyday, tired of struggling to do the simplest tasks like grocery shopping, tired of having people constantly staring at you (especially if you're a white girl in Japan). The newness will have worn off and the homesickness will set in: yeah, foreign food is great for a while, but you always eventually go back to burgers and fries, right? But when the burgers and fries are made by people who can't pronounce "French fries" (not their fault, but true), it's just not the same! So homesickness, fatigue, and stress from your increasing school load and living situation will build and build until you wonder, "Why the hell did I ever want to come to this stupid country or even study this ridiculous language? Get me outta here!!!" This is the Deep Dive.

But do not despair!!! For I tell you honestly, as someone who just survived it (and is now studying it for a midterm research paper), it passes! For me, it was about a month long. And yeah, that's how I really felt, but definitely not anymore. I have had to make some major adjustments in my life, and I still miss my mom's cooking and real hamburgers, but I do not regret coming to Japan. This year abroad is going to be an amazing experience, and even though I know there are still more dives ahead, now that I've gotten through the first big one, I know I can handle them. I'm going to be a much more resilient and adaptable person after this year.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go to a lamb grill. Not what I'd eat at home, but hey, red meat!

Cosuco

Guess what I'm eating right now.

No, it's not sushi.

Or rice.

I said not sushi!

The answer: a blueberry muffin the size of my face.

I know what you're thinking: how the hell did she get back to America so fast? Don't worry, I'm still in Japan! For those of you who can't read "Engrish", the title of this post is the Japanese version of the word "Costco".

That's right: they have Costco in Japan. I don't know why, I don't know how, but they do. I haven't been there myself (here or in the US) but my friend Nicole just knocked on my door and offered me my choice of muffin from a humongous tray. She said it's just like an American Costco (though she's from Switzerland) and she would be happy to take me with her next time.

If you think a Japanese Costco is surprising, check this out: I found a Wal-Mart in Tokyo disguised as another grocery store!

There is a small grocery store conveniently located right down the street from my dorm, but it's a little pricey. Some of the dormmates suggested I check out a department store called Seiyu, located near the train station, which has a grocery store in the basement floor. Lower prices for a longer walking distance. Being the poor college student I am, I grabbed a couple of homies and hightailed it over there.

We had to walk through the first floor to get to the escalator. The center space was filled with cookie and candy counters, but around the edges were various women's accessories. At one point, we passed the hoisery section and I noticed George brand stockings. I noticed because I have a white George brand t-shirt that I bought just before coming to Japan. Now where did I buy that from...

Downstairs, we made a beeline to the fruits and vegetables; we have found that the best way to check out the price range of a grocery store is to compare produce prices. They were comparable, if not a bit cheaper, than our local grocery store. And written on the black boards between the prices was the phrase "Every day low prices".

Every day... Low prices... Where have I heard that before?

Then I walked over to the bagged salads and picked up a small package of... Great Value!?!

Oh my god, it's Wal-Mart!!!

All over the store, I saw Wal-Mart brands and slogans. I had totally assumed there just wouldn't be any room in Tokyo for a grocery store as huge as Wal-Mart; I was half right. No Wal-Marts, just mini Wal-Marts desguised as other stores. Fabulous.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go pass out into a sugar coma. Cheers.

Nippon

What? Not all Japanese love Americans? Get out!

Yeah, that's what I said too before I saw an Uyoku group having a demonstration in Harajuku shortly after I came here. My friends and I were walking along Omotesandou-dori when we heard chanting and a voice speaking through a bullhorn. We walked towards the noise and saw a procession of about thirty people walking down the street with a police escort. They had signs and many large Japanese flags.

Maggie was able to make out a few of their major points: they were saying that they don't like Western influence in Japan, especially in the media. They don't want foreigners in Japan or for Japanese people to act like and want to be like Westerners.

I felt really weird walking down the street opposite of them. I wondered, if they noticed me, would they glare at me? Are they angry that I'm here? How do they feel about students like me wanting to learn about Japanese language and culture?

It was the first time I had ever seen a political demonstation before; we don't get much of those in Texas ^^. I guess I was pretty intimidated at first, but I've seen them a couple of times since then. A few weeks ago, there were several people walking around Shibuya carrying Japanese flags and making accouncements over bullhorns. But it's so crowded and busy at the Crossing, I don't think they got much attention.

Yesterday, though, I had to go to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau and when I came out, there was a group of about fifteen Uyoku members with flags and bullhorns chanting at the building. Which is fine, in and of itself, except that they were standing right next to the busstop ^^;;;;; That made it a little awkward. I waited down the street from the stop until a bus showed up.

To clarify: Uyoku dantai are Japanese nationalist right-wing groups. It is estimated that there are over 1000 Uyoku dentai in Japan at the moment, and their political agendas vary, but they have a few points in common. They also tend to refer to Japan as "Nippon" instead of the usual "Nihon". For more information, check out this Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyoku_dantai

I would like to meet someone in one of these groups and ask them how they feel about exchange students like me. I think I can understand why they don't want lots of Western intervention in their society, why they may be afraid that they are losing some of their cultural values. But maybe if more foreigners like me try to learn and appreciate these values, they will no longer want to keep us out of their country. Let's learn from each other!

The Basics

I know I just posted, but I realized I haven't said a single thing about my classes at Keio yet! My bad!

Most of the exchange students, including me, are enrolled in the Japanese Language Program, or JLP. We took a placement test at the beginning of the semester to determine which level of core courses we would take. There are 14 levels (though no one is in the top two yet, I think), and many of them overlap. For instance, I got placed in level 3 this semester, but after taking another placement test in February, I will probably move onto level 6 or 7.

The core courses are paired up so that each time I have class, I have two periods in a row, each period being an hour and a half long. Level 3, like most levels, is three days a week, and we have a different professor for each day. Thursdays are Kim-sensei, a Korean woman who went to school in Australia and is a former alumn of the JLP herself. Saturday is Ikeda-sensei; she has two speaking speeds: the speed of light and I-know-you're-a-foreigner-so-I-will-heavily-emphasize-every-single-syllable. We prefer the latter. On Tuesdays, we have Ohba-sensei, this wonderful happy woman who is absolutely adorable. The first day, she was so frazzled because we were running out of classtime. She kept saying "Oh, not enough time! Not enough time!" and wiping her brow (it was hot).

All my core classes are first and second period, from 9am to 12:15pm. I've never had a college class that lasted three hours before, so it's quite a challenge to sit still that long and concentrate, but the professors are pretty good at keeping us on our toes. A couple of weeks ago, they came to the mutual decision that since our reading and writing skills were great, we should emphazise speaking and listening in class. The good part: less homework and I can improve on my two greatest weaknesses. The bad part: they are always calling on students to answer questions, meaning if you lose concentration for even a minute, you're likely to make a fool of yourself in front of the class.

I know because I've already made this mistake. I let my mind wander for about 20 seconds and then Kim-sensei called on me to make an example sentence or something. I had no idea what she wanted, so I just said "wakarimasen" (I don't know) until she moved on to someone else. Never gonna make that mistake again!

I kind of screwed up the placement test, so I've actually already learned all the grammar we're going over in class. But like I said, I'm really weak in listening and speaking, so the pace of the class is alright for me. I get a great review of grammar so everything really sticks and I improve my weak points. Melanie, another American who has also taken two years of Japanese in college, is in the same boat as me. We'll just have to study better for the next placement test. At least there won't be a four-month vacation between our last class and the test this time ^^;;; Thank you summer vacation.

We also take courses that focus on specific elements of Japanese. I am taking an orthography course: kanji writing. Kanji are the class of characters in Japanese that are originally Chinese. To be fluent, you have to know about 2,000 kanji. I know 500+. The kanji class is pretty simple and straightforward: do practice homework, take test. Practice homework, test. And we use the same books I had at CMU, so I've already got the text.

I am also taking two Optional Courses about Japanese culture that will help fulfill my major at home. They are taught in English and half the students are actual Japanese Keio students. Today I have Intercultural Communication II. So far, we've discussed racial minorities in foreign countries and Japan's history of interactions with other cultures. I find the topics very interesting, and Professor Tezuka always makes sure we have mixed discussion groups of Japanese and foreigners.

On Thursday night, I have Arts/Art Workshop Through Cross-Cultural Experience, another mixed class. I have no artistic ability whatsover, but my AP European History class in high school taught me how to appreciate different art forms, so I thought it would be interesting to see foreign art. Also, more than half the classes are field trips ^_^. So far, we've made collages and photo albums, photographed a historical neighborhood in Tokyo, and last week we went to the Mori Art Museum in Roppongi Hills to see an installment by a French artist.

All in all, I really like my classes, my professors, and the other students. I think by the time I return to America, I will have a much higher degree of fluency than if I had stayed and taken the normal Advanced Japanese classes at CMU. I'm not knocking them, but there is a big difference between three one-hour classes a week in America and ten and a half hours a week in Japan, where I am actually forced to use Japanese on a daily basis. All language majors should study abroad for this reason. And if you're not a language major, just having the opportunity to experience a different culture, a different lifestyle is a priceless experience.

My only regret: I miss my natural peanut butter. Send me more peanut butter, Mom!

Tanjoubi Omedetou!

In our parents' age, Valentine's Day must have been "the day" to make babies, 'cause it seems like every other day is someone's birthday around here.

First was mine (I was born two weeks early). It was my 21st, and being American, tradition dictates that I get completely wasted on my birthday. But, seeing as how I am a good, southern girl from a respectable family (and I had class at 9am the next morning), my friends took me to my favorite cafe in Harajuku instead.

A group of us happened upon this lovely European-style cafe on Omotesandou street a couple weeks earlier and we absolutely loved it. A little pricey, but the atmosphere is great and so are the coffees and cakes. I had a cappuccino and scones the first time: soooo yummy! But for my birthday, I ordered a cappuccino (my favorite drink) and a chocolate-banana parfait, or sundae for us Westerners. You can keep your alcohol; give me coffee and icecream and I am in birthday heaven!

A couple weeks later, it was Mark's turn. Mark is a kid from England in my core Japanese course, and though we didn't really know each other, he invited me and my friend Melanie to his 21st birthday shindig: all night karaoke and clubbing in Shibuya.

Twenty-five people turned up at Hachiko for the party! That is a huge amount of people for karaoke, but we were able to find a place that happened to have a twenty-five person room. We payed an outrageous sum for two hours of nomihoudai karaoke, but it was so much fun! People mostly picked songs that everyone knew so we all got to join in and sing to our hearts' content. Some of us even belted out a couple of Japanese songs, including one of my favorites by Utada Hikaru. It ended up being a karaoke-and-clubbing-until 11:30pm party instead of all night, but it was awesome. Cheers, Mark!

And then a week ago, it was Maggie's twenty-first. Again, a Monday, so we decided to go to a cake buffet in Shibuya. That's right, a CAKE buffet. For $15, you get ninety minutes to eat all the cake, jelly, cream puffs, chocolate, and icecream you can. There was also a lovely assortment of coffees and some regular food like pasta and curry, but I was too busy checking out the chocolate fountain to pay much attention. Ask any TriDelta at CMU and they will tell you how much our house digs chocolate fountains.

So there we were trying not to die before we could sample each and every dessert, when an alarm started going off. Then a woman began to ramble happily in Japanese at us over the intercom. Maggie, the group translator, said the woman was thanking us for coming, and then she kept saying something like "quickly, quickly, eat up!". We were highly confused: was the food about to disappear or something? But people started lining up in front of this strange metal box that a worker was fiddling with. And then, as we stared in confusion and the twenty-odd people in line drooled in anticipation, the worker opened the back of the box and pulled out...

a potato.

Turns out, it was a baked potato machine! Everyone was lined up to receive ordinary, white baking potatoes. Tiny ones, too. But they were so excited to get them! I watched the first guy in line ask for four!

We hypothesized that maybe the potatoes had cake baked into them or something, 'cause we just couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. Baked potatoes. Yum. Bring me more cake!

A'ight, who fibbed?

Before leaving, I was assured many many times that Americans that go to Japan lose tons of weight because of how healthy and nutritious the food is.

Wrong!

Okay, so in general, Japanese food is healthier than American food. But that rule only applies when you actually eat like an American! Unlike most Americans, I never eat fried food (except for tempura, which is Japanese), I eat only whole grains, and lots of fruits and veggies every day. I also, unfortunately, have a deep, uncompromising love for sweets, but I'm pretty good at ignoring it (i.e. I eat them, but don't admit it).

What no one told me was that most of the healthy food you can find in Japanese restaurants and grocery stores isn't appetizing, at least not to my American palette. I consider myself a seafood fan, but some of the fish that regularly appear in dishes here are rather... scary-looking. And not tasty. And though I like western mushrooms, I find most of the ones used here to be too intensely flavored and sour. Chicken usually comes in dark meat form (I only like white), and beef, though most often delicious, is usually the fatter cuts.

The healthiest, tastiest way I've found to get my daily protein is in omelet form; I make a vegetable omelet for breakfast everyday. It's an easy way to start myself off with protein, omega 3 fatty acids, vegetables, and a side of whole wheat bread. Yes, they have whole wheat here (who knew) and it's actually reasonably priced for Tokyo: $2.78 for 8 slices (yes, that is reasonable in Tokyo). Luckily, my favorite type of Japanese noodle, soba, is also a whole grain, so I'm not having trouble keeping that in my diet. And fruit, though pricey, is easy to purchase and munch on.

The real problem is vegetables. As everyone knows, vegetables are a very important part of a healthy diet. Unfortunately, I have great difficulty recognizing many of the vegetables used in Japanese dishes, and many of them I don't like. One of the easiest ways to get vegetables is to buy tempura veggies at the grocery store. The only catch: they're fried. Until today, I've shied away from buying anything fresh other than onions and bell peppers for my omelet, but today I decided to splurge for a zucchini ($2.80 for a small one) and a 3 pack of what appear to be thin Japanese eggplants (much cheaper).

In America, I have no trouble purchasing green beans, broccoli, or zucchini at the store and sauteing them with garlic and some spices. But here, the familiar vegetables are tiny and cost an arm and a leg. I also can't find any spices I'm familiar with, not even cinnamon! So I'm stuck sauteing my zucchini and eggplant in plain olive oil with a bit of salt and pepper. With my tiny kitchen and lack of raw materials, it's about all I can do.

So to all the Americans reading my blog, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but unless you subsist completely on McDonald's in The States, moving to Japan will not help you lose weight. If anything, you will turn away from the healthy, native food and attack the INCREDIBLE desserts they have here. Seriously, they have taken every delightful pastry and confection from Europe and made it twice as good. I don't know how they do it. It may be crack; personally, I find them highly addicting. But that could just be the sweet tooth talking.

Time to go saute some veggies...

Tokyo Game Show 2008

As an American gamer, I have been hearing about video game conventions from websites for years; all the big companies bring new footage and playable demos to these things. It serves to give us previews and updates on anticipated titles and, of course, make us want to buy them.

One of the biggest events of the year is the Tokyo Game Show, which is attended by all the Japanese video game companies, including Sony (Playstation), Konami, and of course, Square Enix (gets on knees and worships). It was held last Wednesday through Sunday, and Maggie and I went on Saturday; she for her seiyuu (voice actor) appearance and me for Final Fantasy.

While I am really glad I got to see TGS, and the cosplayers were really cool, most everything else was... disappointing. We planned to arrive just as the show opened so we could stand in line for tickets to the seiyuu performance. Though we got there on time, after a good while of wandering about, we discovered that the tickets to the seiyuu performance had been sold out by 9:30am. But even worse (for me), Square Enix's infamous Closed Mega Theater, where they show the game trailers, and the demo area had also sold out. We had no idea where people got the tickets, since the show didn't open until 10am. We didn't even have a chance. So the main reasons that we went all the way there were gone. Very, very sad panda.

(People cosplaying as the main characters from Final Fantasy XIII and Versus XIII)

Also, we had not realized how freaking PACKED it was going to be! My god, it was worse than a train through Shibuya during rush hour! Unimaginable, unless you experienced it for yourself. It was violating. I never want to be that close to that many people ever again.

We did, however, get to shop at the Square Enix store. It could not heal my wounded heart, but I did come away with the poster set for the new Final Fantasy XIII and FF Versus XIII and a Kingdom Hearts Oathkeeper keyring.

Even though I actually paid the money and spent the time to go to TGS, I still ended up having to read about the new Final Fantasy trailers online. Judges rule: failure. Better luck next year.


(Models on display for sale at the Square Enix store at TGS)
(This wasn't even the crowded room)

Close Encounters of the Strange Kind

Okay, so, I wasn't going to mention this phenomenon, but it's happened to me twice in one month, so I'll go ahead and tell you:

If you thought the staring thing was weird, get ready for this: Japanese men have been randomly coming up to me and talking to me. It's... uncomfortable. The first time it happened, I was walking along Takeshita Street in Harajuku, doing a bit of shopping, and I was about to go into a shop when a mid- to late-twenty-something guy asked me, "Do you live here? In Tokyo?"

I said, "Yes," thinking he wanted directions or something. But then he asked, "Are you an exchange student?" I said yes, and he asked, "Waseda?", meaning Waseda University, Keio's rival school. So I corrected him, and he seemed taken aback, and obviously pleased said, "Oh, I am Keio, too," and explained that he was a graduate student.

This whole time, we were standing almost right in the entryway of the shop, and I kept trying to take another step in. Finally, I said, "I'm going to shop now," and I turned to go in. But he said, "Wait, can I get your contact info? Can we stay in touch?" gesturing with his cell phone.

The obvious answer was of course, "NO! I don't know you! I am not giving you my cell phone number!" but not wanting to be rude, and understanding that "no" is not a word you should really use in Japanese, I responded with "chotto..." which can be loosely translated in this context to mean "not really...", and I avoided eye contact. Then I said, "I'm going shopping now" more forcefully and went into the store.

Since it was the first time this had happened to me, and the guy was kind of creepy, I felt very uncomfortable. Not threatened or anything (he didn't try to move towards me or touch my arm or anything), but I was very obviously trying to go into the store, yet he remained rather persistent. I told my girlfriends about it when I got home, but then forgot about the incident.

Last Saturday, though, Maggie and I went shopping in Ikebukuro, a district where you can buy girls' comic books and there are some really fun shopping malls. We had finished shopping and were on our way to the station walking on a crowded street. Suddenly, a male student appeared on my left and said, "Sumimasen" (excuse me). I gave him my attention, and then he moved a little closer and asked me for the time. I told him, and then he asked, "Are you busy right now?" I was confused, but said, "I'm going home now" (all in Japanese). Then he asked, "Where do you live?"

When Maggie and I re-evaluated the conversation later, she said he was asking me where my house was located. I thought he was asking me what kind of residence I lived in because it's obvious I'm an exchange student and I am so not used to people asking for my address. So I told him I live in a student mansion (apartment complex).

He asked, "Do you have time now?" I wasn't sure what he wanted, so I asked, "Why?" He said, "I want to talk to you somewhere." I thought he maybe wanted to practice English conversation, because a lot of Japanese like to practice with native speakers, so I asked, "In English?" But then he replied, "Japanese is okay, too". And then I got confused and didn't know how to respond. Luckily, he suddenly noticed Maggie walking on my right side. He asked, "Oh, is this your friend?" and Maggie and I both responded that she was. Maggie said, "We're going home now" and pulled me toward the station entrance. I hadn't realized that we had reached it yet. The boy immediately gave up and continued walking with the crowd.

I was so confused at that point. I was just dazed. Maggie, on the other hand, couldn't stop laughing! She thought it was the funniest thing she had ever seen. We discussed it on the train, and she said she was sooo glad she was able to witness it. But she's sad that that will probably never happen to her because she's Asian, not white!

I felt a little bad afterward. He seemed like a nice, respectable student, and he didn't creep me out at all. I can't say I really understand why he wanted to talk to me somewhere (there are a variety of explanations, ranging from harmless to offensive), but I'm sure it took a lot of courage to come up and talk to me like that. He was very polite, and under normal circumstances (like, if we met on campus or something), I wouldn't have minded chatting with him at a cafe or something. But it's very confusing to have a stranger come up in the street and ask you such questions!

I don't know if the student and the creepy Harajuku dude had planned ahead of time to find a foreign girl and try to talk to her, or if these were spur-of-the-moment acts, but it's really not a good idea to try to start a conversation with a foreignor in the street. I'm sure they wouldn't approach a Japanese girl like that (no American guy has ever done that to me, at least), so I don't know if they think white girls are easy or more open to directness or what. But it doesn't work. Take notes, boys!

Meiji Jingu

Being a polytheist, I have a healthy respect for foreign deities, so I decided that it would be a good idea to pay my respects to the local gods of Japan as soon as possible. Since I'm staying for a whole year, it would be a bad idea to offend the gods by neglecting to introduce myself.

Luckily for my dormmates and I, we are very close to Harajuku, home of the Meiji Jingu, a shinto shrine dedicated to the souls of Emperor Meiji and his consort, Empress Shoken. Here is a little bit of information about the Emperor and Empress:

Though their tombs are in Kyoto, their spirits are worshipped at the Meiji shrine in Tokyo (Harajuku is a district in Tokyo). They passed away in 1912 and 1914 respectively, but the effects of the Emperor's policy of an open and internationally-minded Japan can be seen today in Japan's involvement on the world stage. Emperor Meiji, the great-grandfather of the present emperor, ascended the throne in 1867 and helped Japan come out of its long period of isolation. Empress Shoken was known for her devotion to national welfare and women's education. Also concerned with world affairs, the Empress donated a fund in her name to the International Red Cross which is still used for welfare activities today. Both were accomplished waka poets, and their sincere hearts dedicated to the people can be seen in their poetry.

The first image was the entrance to the shrine complex, and this is outside the entrance. There is water in that platform, and you take one of the wooden dippers and wash your hands and mouth thinking pure thoughts before you can pray in the shrine.

This is a wall on which hangs thousands of prayers written by visitors on wooden plaques. Most were in Japanese, but a good number were in English, too.










This is the inner shrine where you pray. I introduced myself to the gods and asked for a good school year in Japan. Since it's Emperor Meiji, I didn't think he'd mind that I'm a gaijin (foreignor). There are also a few offering boxes where you throw in money for the shrine. I made sure to donate, just in case it helps to win the gods to my side.

Afterwards, we bought some charms from the temple priestesses. I bought one for mental and physical health that I attached to my cell phone and another for my studies, which I hung on my mirror. I'm gonna need all the help I can get!

The Quirks of Japan

A few days ago, I felt my first tremor. It was AWESOME!

It was very early in the morning and I was still asleep in bed, when light shaking woke me up. It wasn't really intense, but I could hear the furniture shifting and I could feel myself shaking in the bed. Here was my exact train of thought:

Why is everything shaking?
Oh, this is an earthquake. Cool.
I really hope my laptop doesn't fall off the desk...

And then I fell right back asleep without having moved at all. Talk about nonchalant!

When I finally did wake up, I was half-convinced it was just a dream, so I went to my neighbor's for confirmation. There had been an earthquake and unlike normal foreigners who went straight to their ridiculously large earthquake survival manuals issued by city hall, I stayed in bed and went back to sleep! I am so doomed.

At least I didn't sleep through it. Poor Maggie did! She got an email on her phone ten minutes after it was over asking if she felt it. She woke up for her phone, but completely missed the earthquake! She was so bummed. I told her not to worry; if we're lucky, we'll get another one this semester. It's probably asking for trouble, but I really want to feel one again! If a great fissure opens up in the ground and I fall into it, it will serve me right.

There are other quirks of Japan and the Japanese that I do not appreciate nearly so much. Like the staring thing. My god, I hate the staring. Not only is it ridiculously annoying, but it doesn't make sense to me! Hi! You live in Tokyo! I know I am not the first white person you have ever seen!

Some people are a lot better about it than others, though. Like, when I get onto a train, maybe a few old men or women will glance at me, but then they'll look away after a moment. Like they just want to confirm that I am, in fact, a gaijin, and that's that. Fine. But not all are so discreet. Yesterday, this ojisan kept staring at me when I wasn't directly looking at him. I could be focusing right in his immediate vicinity and he would have no problem staring right up at my face. Only when I glanced down and met his eyes did he finally look away. But then I'd look away again, and he'd go right back to staring.

But the WORST case, by FAR, was at a restaurant where two of my friends and I were eating. It was one of those chain, not-quite-fast-food restaurants where the tables are very close together. We had been eating next to this middle-aged man, perfectly normal, and then he finished and stood to gather his things. The ENTIRE TIME he was hovering over his table, he was staring DIRECTLY at Maggie, who is Chinese Canadian, sitting two feet from where he stood. How obvious can you get!? I kept looking at him hoping he wold see me and look away, but he refused to be distracted from Maggie's face. Luckily, she was so engrossed in conversation, she didn't notice. When he finally left and I told her about it, she was appropriately creeped out.

I just don't understand how Tokyoites can be so rude and unrestrained in their staring. If I lived in a little village in the mountains, yes, staring would be expected and appropriate. But Tokyo!? I see at least ten other white foreigners every day; there is no way I can be that unique to them. Right?

Now I understand what my sensei meant by "the panda effect". It doesn't matter if they've seen one before, it's different and strange (and sometimes really cute) and they can't help but stare. Sometimes they even want to touch, if you have unique hair or something. For that reason, I bought a panda bear charm for my cell phone. Appropriate, don't you think?

As long as it's just staring, I can live. But if anyone tries to pet my hair or something, I may react like an actual panda and take someone's arm off. Be warned, Japan. Look, don't touch.

Sightseeing in Minato-ku

The day after I arrived in Tokyo, I joined a group of dorm-mates for a sight-seeing excursion. Well, our intention was to go to campus to open our bank accounts, but it turned into an excursion.

This was the first view of our school, Keio University:

This is the main gate of Keio. Its seal and motto are written above the archway.

The campus is very nice, very green. For being in such an urban setting, it's surprisingly secluded inside. There are a lot of trees on the campus; my experiences so far tell me that places with a lot of trees are of great significance.

Keio is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year; it is the oldest university in Japan, even older than Tokyo University. Of course, 150 years isn't very old for us Americans or Europeans, but it wasn't until the mid-1800s that Japan went through a large educational reform and formal institutions of higher learning were introduced. Keio's founder, Yukichi Fukuzawa, is featured on the 10,000yen (roughly $100) bill. In the school's vice president's orientation speech, he compared Fukuzawa to Ben Franklin; both were educated civilians who made a huge impact on their societies (and both are on the $100 bill).

After visiting our school-to-be, we decided to walk over to Tokyo Tower; there is an amazing view of it from the street in front of Keio, and we had no idea it was so close.

Built in 1958, Tokyo Tower is the tallest self-supporting steel structure in the world; it is 8.6 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower. It symbolizes Japan's emergence as an economic power on the world stage.

You can pay a small fee to up to the mid-level observation deck, but we did one better and paid extra for the small special observation deck near the top of the tower. We had an amazing view in every direction! On a clear day (it was too cloudy on ours), you can see Mount Fuji to the west.




It wasn't until we were standing up on the top deck, surveying the city spread out below, that I was finally able to believe that Tokyo really is the largest city in the world.

There was literally no end in sight.

Tabemono to Ketai

I knew that the food here in Japan would be different (duh), but I didn't realize what an adjustment it would be.

In a lot of ways, I'm eating much better here. Meals are generally cheaper; at local restaurants, I can get a pretty large meal for less than $10, sometimes less than $5. They usually come with side dishes, like rice, miso soup, and some kind of vegetable. Here is a Korean beef bowl I had the other day:

(I have no idea why it's sideways. I can't fix it. Sorry.)


However, other foods are much more expensive than I'm used to. Because Japan imports most of their fruits and veggies, they're quite pricey. A small bunch of bananas cost $3, and an apple (yes, one apple) costs $1 or more. I'm used to having fruit several times a day, so this makes me extremely sad. However, if you do buy produce, the quality is excellent compared to the states, where it's very hit or miss. I bought a package of plums and they are really good!

Drinks are a bit different, too. Something really convenient about Tokyo is that there are drink vending machines EVERYWHERE. Like, literally every 50 feet there is at least one vending machine. At first I thought this was weird, but after walking all over town in 85 degrees, I understand.

I was somewhat confused at first about the brands of vending machines, though. Just like Pepsi or Coke machines, the brand appears on the machine and related products can be purchased. However, many machines here have brand names like Kirin or Suntory, famous beers and whiskeys. At first I thought, "Oh my gosh, you can beer in a vending machine!" but on closer inspection, I discovered that most of these alcohol companies also produce water, softdrinks, and coffee. It would be like going to a vending machine in America and buying Budweiser brand water! I'm still getting used to see people with water bottles that say "Asahi".

Last week, my friends and I went out and bought cell phones. Maggie, who has three years of language experience, did most of the talking, but we all agreed that a phone that would work in our home countries as well as Japan would be best. We went through the AU phone company; their plans were very affordable and if you're under 22 years old, they give you $100 back. That will really come in handy when we have to cancel our 2-year plans in a year: it's roughly $160, much like US companies.

I don't know if it's the group mindset of Japan, but we all got the same phone and the same voice/email package. The phones were free and the plans are $30 a month- a great deal! They're super awesome Sony Ericson phones, and we all got to choose different colors. Here's my ketai:















My favorite feature of our phones is the profile exchange. You press a button on your phone, hold it up to someone else's, and your profile information gets exchanged and put into each others' phone book. Since we have an email address as well as a phone number, this is much more convenient. American phones really need to catch up!

My room

As promised, here are some pics of my dorm room in Willing Setagaya.



Not only am I really happy about my room, but I really like the other students in my dorm. Everyone is very friendly and excited to be here. We have a wide range of Japanese experience, from absolute beginners with no previous study to those who seem fairly fluent already. I fall comfortably in the middle; I can function pretty well and get around, ask for directions, etc, but it helps to have some of the more fluent students around for things like buying cell phones.


Also, as far as I know, I am one of only two Americans in my dorm; the great majority of people here are European. So far, we have students from Britain, France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, and Austria. Canada, China, and Singapore are also represented. I've never had such a wonderful opportunity to meet people from foreign countries before, so I'm really excited.

Oh god, jet lag...

oh. my. god. TOKYO!!!!

I'm here! Yay! It's my second day in the big city, and though I'm reeeeaaaalllly tired and jet-lagged (and it's only 8:45am), I'm really excited to wander around today and explore. But I'm getting ahead of myself...

The flight over was really nice. Whoever was supposed to sit next to me didn't show up, so I had the entire row to myself; I got to watch free movies that haven't come out yet on DVD; and the food was better than expected.

But it was Narita airport that really took the cake! Everything is handled so smoothly and efficiently, the luggage carts are free and much more manuverable than at US airports, and there is always a uniformed employee nearby ready to assist you. I usually find traveling to be very stressful for me, so I was very impressed by Narita.

I got to my dorm without incident and the landlords, Mr. and Mrs. Kato, gave me the grand tour and told me the dorm rules. It's all pretty common sense, expect for the trash. There are about 10 different categories of trash, and you have to throw them away in the correct bins or it's a big problem. I'm not relishing the idea of having to sort through my garbage by hand all the time, but if I take care of it every morning, it shouldn't be too bad.

The first floor is largely taken up by the lobby, which is currently filled with piles and piles of items left behind by the previous students. It's like having a free WalMart downstairs! I ended up getting a lot of items I thought I'd have to hunt down and buy: clothes hangers, laundry detergent, a pot and skillet, glasses and utensils, etc. And when it's time for me to leave, I, too, shall bequeath my leftovers to future residents.

I'm especially grateful to the past residents because the grocery store is very intimidating and difficult to navigate. There are so few food items I recognize, and the ones I do (such as fruit) are ridiculously expensive. So far all the foodstuffs I've bought are edamame and red bean buns. Now I understand why Americans always lose weight when they go to Japan: they don't know what to eat!

It's also very difficult to identify household items I need. Some things, like paper towels, are easily recognizable, but I couldn't figure out if a bottle was lotion or face wash; all the face, hair, and body products were sitting next to each other, so I couldn't tell what it was for sure.

Luckily, I have a couple of weeks before school starts to demistify the grocery store. I'm going to need them.

I'm super tired, so I'm gonna sign off. I'll include a video and pics of my room in my next update. Stay tuned!

Can you put a price on knowledge?

If there is one thing I've learned about studying abroad before I've even left, it's that going abroad for a year is EXPENSIVE!

Okay, I knew that living in Tokyo for eleven months was going to up my expenses considerably (why else would I apply for extra scholarships/loans?), but having to purchase several months' worth of so many items at once is seriously taking its toll on my savings account.

The costs of my various medicines and prescriptions are really adding up; I take seven pills/supplements a day, plus contact lenses and other medicines I need for various health issues. It doesn't help that I was recently diagnosed with a disease whose monthly medication costs about $100; you don't wanna know how much it costs without health insurance! You know that saying: "At least you have your health"? Yeah, I wish.

My flight leaves in roughly 35 hours, and I'm beginning to feel the butterflies. I'm devoting most of my time tomorrow to packing (duh) and studying. The JLP placement test is Friday, so I have quite a bit of work to do. Luckily, I happen to be an expert crammer (short-term photographic memory), so I should fare just fine. Except the kanji... always the kanji... I maintain that if it were not for the existence of kanji, Japanese would be one of the easiest languages to learn.

Time to get some shut eye; oyasumi nasai!

Damn you, Gustav!!

Thanks to Mr. Gustav racing across the Gulf toward Louisiana, the port at Galvaston is closing until Wednesday. Therefore, Carnival had to move and shorten the cruise to a "cruise to nowhere" from Wednesday to Saturday; no port of calls, just out to sea, wait around a bit, then back home. Soooo not worth it.

So my 21st birthday cruise with my dad to Cozumel and Progresso is canceled. I am so bummed!

I'll just have to make sure my birthday weekend in Tokyo is ridiculously fun to make up for it. Sigh.

Let's Get Some Shoes

Oh my god, shoes. (If you don't know what I'm quoting, check YouTube.)

I have been shoe shopping like a madwoman, and I must say, I now have an awesome collection of kicks. Let me explain:

One of my biggest goals to complete while home for a month was to bulk up my wardrobe with Tokyo-appropriate apparel. At CMU, I can totally get away with wearing sorority t-shirts and hoodies 24/7, but in Tokyo, fashion is a very important expression of who you are and a lot of thought goes into one's outfit. Though I am obviously American and have no hope of blending in, fitting in and being stylish would be nice. So hoodies out, dressy shirts in.

I also felt pre-departure shopping was necessary because of my body type. As a 5'7" female with a medium build, I'm probably taller than 90% of the female Tokyo population, and my proportions are therefore quite different. It's already difficult to find regular jeans that fit me here, so I foresee problems in that area in Japan, and their shirts probably won't fit my torso very well either. So even though I love clothes shopping (whether or not I can afford it), I probably won't be doing much in Japan.

But I have no hope whatsoever in the shoe department.

I... am a size 11. Yes, you heard me, 11. A total injustice considering I'm not even model height. I find the shoes I like in my size about 5% of the time, including online shopping. There is no way any Tokyo store would carry my size, which sucks because their shoes are ADORABLE! It makes me cry inside.

Then I remember that handbags are one size fits all, and I feel a little better ^_^

Knowing this, I have been hitting up every mall in a 60-mile radius and all the online stores I know to look for heels, sneakers, and flats to go with all my outfits, in any situation. Though it's been a tough three weeks, I think I've got all the shoes I need. You may not understand how important this mission was to me, but trust me: there are others that feel the exact same way. I'm not weird, I'm just really picky about which shoes to pair with an outfit.

Even though purchasing multiple pairs of shoes within a three-week time period has put a small dent in my checking account (yay for birthday money), the knowledge that I have shoes for every outfit in my closet gives me a lovely surge of contentment and confidence. Shopper's high, I suppose. *sighs contentedly*

But if ombré heels go out of style in the next year, I'm gonna be in trouble... ^^;;;

You know you're in Texas when...

The following paragraphs may have nothing to do with my travel plans, but I just had to mention this:

Yesterday, Mom and I decided drive to Baybrook Mall an hour away for a bit of shopping. It was a wonderful day for patrolling the mall: the sun was sizzling, the mosquitoes swarming, and the alligators were sunning themselves on the side of the road.

Yup, you heard me. Alligators.

Okay, so it was just one, but it was a HUGE sucker and he did not look happy! There we were, driving along, Mom scouting out cars to pass and me with my headphones blaring, when I suddenly spotted a huge American alligator sitting with its jaws open in the shoulder lane. We were stuck behind an eighteen-wheeler, so I didn't see the alligator until we were almost even with it. My eyes must have popped out of my head, I was so shocked!

We called our city's sheriff office and they said someone was already on the way; we weren't the first to notice the 14-footer about to take a bite out of a passing car.

So yeah, not relevant to Tokyo, but it was the highlight of my day. Welcome to Texas.These guys do not belong on highways!

Preparations are underway!

Minna-san, konnichiwa!

I decided I'd put off making my first post until I got my dorm assignment; the email arrived this morning, so here it is!

For those who aren't aware, I'm preparing to travel to Tokyo, Japan in early September to participate in Keio University's Japanese Language Program for two semesters, ending on July 31, 2009. That's 11 months in Japan! I'm crazy excited, not to mention slightly terrified, but as a Japanese major, this will be the most important experience of my undergraduate career.

Here is the link for the program, if you're interested in applying: http://www.ic.keio.ac.jp/nncenter/en/index.html?url=210.html

I'm really happy that I got into my top choice for dormitories. One of the big differences between going to school here at Carnegie Mellon and going to school in Tokyo is the ridiculous commute between school and the dorms. One of the reasons I requested Willing Setagaya is that it is only 50 minutes by train from campus, as opposed to the 60, 65, and even 75 minute commutes from the other dorms. Willing also has the largest rooms (21 sq. meters) and a kitchenette (one burner, a 2" fridge, and a 1"sq. sink). Unfortunately, it's also the most expensive, about $650 a month, but I decided it was worth it. One of the students from this past school year told me that Willing is the only dorm whose commute to campus takes you through Shibuya, Tokyo's #1 shopping and night life district! I plan on spending a great deal of my free time there.

Here are some photos of my dorm: http://www.ic.keio.ac.jp/en/life/housing/picture_willing.html

The only "foreign countries" I've ever been to are Mexico and Canada, so traveling to Japan on my own, and staying there for 11 months straight, is a huge jump for me. I have to admit that I'm beginning to feel a bit nervous. But then I remember that my dorm will be filled with other English-speaking foreigners all in the same boat as me, and I feel better. Plus, my best friend, Mina, is going to be studying in Japan for a year as well, though in Nagoya, two hours away. She's been to Japan a couple of times before, so she's been giving me advice about Tokyo. And since she is going a week ahead of me, I'll have her cell phone number in Japan so if something... unfortunate happens after I arrive, I can call her for advice.

Though I'm staying in Japan for a full 11 months, Keio's semesters are set up so that I have all of February and March off. Instead of spending the money on a flight home, I plan on traveling around Japan and visiting some of the other islands. My mother is thinking about visiting me in February; she has also never left North America, but unlike me, doesn't speak a word of Japanese. I told her that if she comes, she has to try sushi. She may decide it isn't worth the risk!

One of my sorority sisters, Larissa, is also planning to come visit for Spring Break in March. She's a big fan of Japanese entertainment and culture, so we'll have tons of fun playing around Tokyo and traveling someplace like Kyoto. It will be cherry blossom time then, so maybe we can go to hanami, a cherry blossom viewing party where people socialize and drink sake under the cherry trees.

Well, that is a fairly lengthy post. I'll try to post again right before I leave. Watch out, Tokyo, I'll be there in 5 weeks!