Haha, not really! But I guess this is my fifteen minutes of fame story.
As I mentioned before, my homestay father is actually a celebrity in the Kansai region. Well today I filmed for six hours with him and his crew for a ten minute segment on his television show, which is quite well known in the area and probably more people watch than are in Minnesota.
Needless to say, I am pretty tired. I never realized that filming could be so much work.
My day began early, and I was pretty nervous and did not know what to wear, but I settled for an outfit even though I was unsatified with every single garment I own as far as it is television worthy. Which is not worthy at all in my opinion. I wore my favorite jeans, but they are kinda worn out in some, ahem, areas and when I had to sit cross legged while eating in front of the cameras I was a little worried!
So I did not realize that the filming would begin the moment I stepped out the door... but it did. As soon as I was on the stairs I saw the cameras and thought... "S***, I'm in over my head".
But camera's aside, what I was really excited about was the entire reason for the trip, introducing me to sumo wrestling. Oh my gosh, I feel so privelaged because I wasn't just watching some televised match, I was allowed to view a private practice session, shake hands with the sumo wrestlers, and (I still can't believe this) I had lunch with the top Sumo wrestler in Japan, while the lower ranking sumo wrestlers waited on us hand and foot.
That is not something just anyone gets to do.
The surprising thing is how down to earth and extremely humble the sumo wrestlers are. Watching the practice session, I was in the front row of course with the cameras watching my every reaction (which was very unnerving) and I was only a yard or two away from the ring. One poor guy fell in front of my feet. I could smell the sweat, see the blood and bruises of which there were many, and maybe a little too much considering the scant amount of clothing they wear.
Afterwards we saw, to my delight, the wrestlers in their yukata and one even used a mickey mouse towel. That made me smile.
It was a good, tiring, rare experience in Japan. And I can go to bed happy ^_^
All I can say is, sumo wrestling is brutal and I have the utmost respect for these guys.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Surprised and Well
Since I last wrote I have exchanged homestay families. It was hard to say goodbye to my first family; they have treated me very well and I have learned a lot from that experience.
After a week of slowly packing my things back into my luggage (which was impossible and I have no idea how I'm going to bring it all home) and mentally saying my goodbyes I was ready for the change in pace though. My first family was much older and much quieter. The town was likewise more rural and quieter in nature. Overall, as you can gather, life was not fast and that suited me as I was stumbling through my first months in Japan.
However, now that I have enough experience under my belt I am ready to push my speaking further and myself further than I have been able to thus far. My new family is extremely nice, and much different in that I now have two younger sisters, one of which who is also a university student. They live in the city and the area is much more "alive" in terms of shopping and things to do. In my switch I also went from dear old Hankyu railway to Japan Rail, which is ok with me! But I do miss my crushed green velvet seats!
One thing I should note about my family, is that they are not your typical Japanese family. For sake of privacy I won't name names, but my homestay father is actually a famous television personality in Japan. You may find this hard to believe, but in all truthfulness he has appeared in movies as well as has regular programs. Talk about living the surreal life! I had no idea until a week or two ago how famous he actually was.
Famous aside, the family is very down to earth and has welcomed me with open arms. So much so in fact that I am trying to find ways to repay their kindness! For example, to my utter astonishment, they are taking me to Korea with them at the end of March, all expenses paid.
All I have to say is, I am very fortunate to be having this experience and I fully appreciate how much I have to be thankful for in my life right now.
It is remarkable how well my experiences with the homestay families has worked to the benefit of learning Japanese.
After a week of slowly packing my things back into my luggage (which was impossible and I have no idea how I'm going to bring it all home) and mentally saying my goodbyes I was ready for the change in pace though. My first family was much older and much quieter. The town was likewise more rural and quieter in nature. Overall, as you can gather, life was not fast and that suited me as I was stumbling through my first months in Japan.
However, now that I have enough experience under my belt I am ready to push my speaking further and myself further than I have been able to thus far. My new family is extremely nice, and much different in that I now have two younger sisters, one of which who is also a university student. They live in the city and the area is much more "alive" in terms of shopping and things to do. In my switch I also went from dear old Hankyu railway to Japan Rail, which is ok with me! But I do miss my crushed green velvet seats!
One thing I should note about my family, is that they are not your typical Japanese family. For sake of privacy I won't name names, but my homestay father is actually a famous television personality in Japan. You may find this hard to believe, but in all truthfulness he has appeared in movies as well as has regular programs. Talk about living the surreal life! I had no idea until a week or two ago how famous he actually was.
Famous aside, the family is very down to earth and has welcomed me with open arms. So much so in fact that I am trying to find ways to repay their kindness! For example, to my utter astonishment, they are taking me to Korea with them at the end of March, all expenses paid.
All I have to say is, I am very fortunate to be having this experience and I fully appreciate how much I have to be thankful for in my life right now.
It is remarkable how well my experiences with the homestay families has worked to the benefit of learning Japanese.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
My First Earthquake
I have finally felt the trembling of the earth! This morning at around 6:40 am I woke up suddenly and felt strong shaking. I am not quite sure how long it lasted for but it felt like 30 seconds, maybe longer. It was a really strange feeling, but since I was lying down I don`t think I got the full affect.
Earlier this week a stronger earthquake hit Tokyo, if you`re interested here is the article:
http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/story.html?id=9aae5ae9-fb31-4bb4-a19a-1912849b8ddc
But no worries! The earthquake in Osaka wasn`t strong enough to break glass!
On another note, last night my homestay father showed me an album of old family photos dating back as early as 90 years ago. They were fascinating to say the least, especially since a good portion of the photos were taken by his grandfather who served in the Japanese army occupying Taiwan. The photos were mostly of military activity but also of the inhabitants of Taiwan, which was somewhat concerning to me since I am aware of Japan`s darker actions during that time period. Some of the pictures were of clearly destitute areas of Taiwan.
Besides the wartime pictures, I saw many old photos of my homestay fathers family, including him as a child. The experience was very enlightening, and I am sure any historian would love to see what was in that album. I feel fortunate to have been allowed a peek into their family history.
Earlier this week a stronger earthquake hit Tokyo, if you`re interested here is the article:
http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/story.html?id=9aae5ae9-fb31-4bb4-a19a-1912849b8ddc
But no worries! The earthquake in Osaka wasn`t strong enough to break glass!
On another note, last night my homestay father showed me an album of old family photos dating back as early as 90 years ago. They were fascinating to say the least, especially since a good portion of the photos were taken by his grandfather who served in the Japanese army occupying Taiwan. The photos were mostly of military activity but also of the inhabitants of Taiwan, which was somewhat concerning to me since I am aware of Japan`s darker actions during that time period. Some of the pictures were of clearly destitute areas of Taiwan.
Besides the wartime pictures, I saw many old photos of my homestay fathers family, including him as a child. The experience was very enlightening, and I am sure any historian would love to see what was in that album. I feel fortunate to have been allowed a peek into their family history.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
My Birthday and Around Sojiji
Turning 21 in Japan! Woohoo! Who cares that the legal drinking age here is 20 and it means absolutely nothing that I can drink legally in the states now!
Haha, as far as birthdays go this one takes the cake ^_^ there's a knee slapper for you, lol
Truly it was a fun day, thanks to all of my friends here in Japan. Fortunately for me, but unfortunately for my teacher, class was cancelled because Masada-sensei had the flu. So I got to sleep in! When I finally did stumble down stairs for breakfast my homestay mother gave me a cute (pink) jewelry box.
After a work out at the gym, talking with friends for hours and skipping lunch, I was well prepared for a trip to the all you can eat cake buffet with my girlfriends. OMG it was SO good! Not to rub it in too much to the guys (who I didn't invite) and those of you who can only begin to imagine how great a cake buffet is. I ate until I thought I would puke, and then I had ice cream lol. Ice cream doesn't count as food right?
After gorging on cake we all went to karaoke, and sang our little hearts out. Soft drinks are unlimited at karaoke... but some of the us (I won't name names, lol) brought our own alcohol and drinks may or may not have been spiked with a little something extra.
As for today, we have no school because it is a national holiday, celebrating the foundation of Japan. My homestay family took me around Sojiji where I live and we happened to run across a small festival! It was for a traditional sake brewery and they bought me some sake of course. It felt weird drinking at 2 in the afternoon with them! It was a lot of fun though and I got to see temples around my area and learn more about Sojiji.
All in all an enjoyable couple of days, and now I have to start getting homework done again!
Haha, as far as birthdays go this one takes the cake ^_^ there's a knee slapper for you, lol
Truly it was a fun day, thanks to all of my friends here in Japan. Fortunately for me, but unfortunately for my teacher, class was cancelled because Masada-sensei had the flu. So I got to sleep in! When I finally did stumble down stairs for breakfast my homestay mother gave me a cute (pink) jewelry box.
After a work out at the gym, talking with friends for hours and skipping lunch, I was well prepared for a trip to the all you can eat cake buffet with my girlfriends. OMG it was SO good! Not to rub it in too much to the guys (who I didn't invite) and those of you who can only begin to imagine how great a cake buffet is. I ate until I thought I would puke, and then I had ice cream lol. Ice cream doesn't count as food right?
After gorging on cake we all went to karaoke, and sang our little hearts out. Soft drinks are unlimited at karaoke... but some of the us (I won't name names, lol) brought our own alcohol and drinks may or may not have been spiked with a little something extra.
As for today, we have no school because it is a national holiday, celebrating the foundation of Japan. My homestay family took me around Sojiji where I live and we happened to run across a small festival! It was for a traditional sake brewery and they bought me some sake of course. It felt weird drinking at 2 in the afternoon with them! It was a lot of fun though and I got to see temples around my area and learn more about Sojiji.
All in all an enjoyable couple of days, and now I have to start getting homework done again!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Hide-and-Go-Seek
We are half way through our Winter Session here at Osaka Gakuin and everyone is having a case of the winter blues. Lately many of us have been feeling tired of Japan. As with anything, people adapt to an area and it becomes ordinary. That is Japan for me right now. Whereas first semester was a blur of parties, trips, karaoke, restaurants, and fun this semester is a slow pace of tighter budgets, increased studying, cold weather, and maybe a touch of homesickness.
But that doesn't mean we still don't have fun! The fact we are all a little bored with Japan is a sign of how we well we have adapted and I see that as a good thing!
In the midst of some dreary days, one exceptionally sunny warm day burst into our monotonous week. Who could study? No one, thats who.
So after a rousing game of duck-duck-goose at OGU's puny green patch of a field, a thrilling game of hide-and-go-seek inside of the Kokusai (International) Center began. Andrea was IT.
I was scared! 30 seconds ticked by faster than I could find a place! Alas, I was found. My hiding place under a desk in a classroom was not good enough. I was IT.
But not for long.
As more and more people joined the game it got harder to be creative. BUT I am a genius. No one could find me on a certain round of the game. What did I do you ask? Well, first of all, I have to say that a certain German friend of mine is often found at the computers in the lobby and has a signature red jacket. She was at the computers as usual, but I borrowed her coat (with the hood up) and stood next to her at a different computer. Even though there were now "2" Johanna's, I remained undetected.
Victory was mine! Muah ha ha.
And that is how we keep ourselves occupied in Japan.
But that doesn't mean we still don't have fun! The fact we are all a little bored with Japan is a sign of how we well we have adapted and I see that as a good thing!
In the midst of some dreary days, one exceptionally sunny warm day burst into our monotonous week. Who could study? No one, thats who.
So after a rousing game of duck-duck-goose at OGU's puny green patch of a field, a thrilling game of hide-and-go-seek inside of the Kokusai (International) Center began. Andrea was IT.
I was scared! 30 seconds ticked by faster than I could find a place! Alas, I was found. My hiding place under a desk in a classroom was not good enough. I was IT.
But not for long.
As more and more people joined the game it got harder to be creative. BUT I am a genius. No one could find me on a certain round of the game. What did I do you ask? Well, first of all, I have to say that a certain German friend of mine is often found at the computers in the lobby and has a signature red jacket. She was at the computers as usual, but I borrowed her coat (with the hood up) and stood next to her at a different computer. Even though there were now "2" Johanna's, I remained undetected.
Victory was mine! Muah ha ha.
And that is how we keep ourselves occupied in Japan.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Crazy Sensei and Feeling Young Again
The other day my host mom took me out for an icecream parfait. Delicious. As with all parfaits in Japan there is too little icecream and too much corn flakes. The Japanese for some reason see ice cream and corn flakes going hand in hand.
Breakfast cereal aside, it was delicious. Fruit, cookies, icecream, cornflakes, and jello in layers. But little did I know the parfait was just the bait to get me to go out doing errands all day! Oh well, fair is fair.
So while I was out shopping with my homestay mother we ran into a friend of hers. Both women are grandparents and other woman had her granddaughter with her. Despite the fact my homestay mother told her friend I speak Japanese, she ignored me. So I merely stood their in my pink coat staring at the four year old in her pink coat. We just looked at eachother in mutual impatience while the women talked about us as if we weren't there. Both of us wanted to go home and sit down. Both of us had been lured out to do errands with ice cream. I have never felt more like a 4 year old since I was in fact a 4 year old.
Well, that was an enjoyable Sunday nonetheless. During the week I have only class and, eek, my J-Bridge class to look forward. J-Bridge is a course taught in simplified Japanese on a topic. Our topic is Globalization. I was excited for this class at first. But oh, were we all in for a surprise.
In walked Hayamizu-sensei. He seemed nervous, his movements were jerky as though he had forgotten how to move his body. He seemed nice. Then D.J. introduced him self, and the teacher started air disc-jockeying... and called himself "Nasty Yasty". Then I introduced myself and he called me a diva, due to my wearing a World Wildlife Federation t-shirt aka WWF. His impromptu dancing and pantomiming took some getting used to.
But then there are the pants. Oh gosh, the pants. They start out normal, but he pulls them up so high! So high that we can see outlines of things. Things that we do not want to see. And then he dances some more. Its too much. We can't help but laugh!
Poor sensei. He is a nice guy when all is said and done.
On one last note, you may be interested to know I caught strep throat of all things at the end of January, making that a total of three illnesses in January. Here's hoping that is all I will get!
じゃあ また!
Breakfast cereal aside, it was delicious. Fruit, cookies, icecream, cornflakes, and jello in layers. But little did I know the parfait was just the bait to get me to go out doing errands all day! Oh well, fair is fair.
So while I was out shopping with my homestay mother we ran into a friend of hers. Both women are grandparents and other woman had her granddaughter with her. Despite the fact my homestay mother told her friend I speak Japanese, she ignored me. So I merely stood their in my pink coat staring at the four year old in her pink coat. We just looked at eachother in mutual impatience while the women talked about us as if we weren't there. Both of us wanted to go home and sit down. Both of us had been lured out to do errands with ice cream. I have never felt more like a 4 year old since I was in fact a 4 year old.
Well, that was an enjoyable Sunday nonetheless. During the week I have only class and, eek, my J-Bridge class to look forward. J-Bridge is a course taught in simplified Japanese on a topic. Our topic is Globalization. I was excited for this class at first. But oh, were we all in for a surprise.
In walked Hayamizu-sensei. He seemed nervous, his movements were jerky as though he had forgotten how to move his body. He seemed nice. Then D.J. introduced him self, and the teacher started air disc-jockeying... and called himself "Nasty Yasty". Then I introduced myself and he called me a diva, due to my wearing a World Wildlife Federation t-shirt aka WWF. His impromptu dancing and pantomiming took some getting used to.
But then there are the pants. Oh gosh, the pants. They start out normal, but he pulls them up so high! So high that we can see outlines of things. Things that we do not want to see. And then he dances some more. Its too much. We can't help but laugh!
Poor sensei. He is a nice guy when all is said and done.
On one last note, you may be interested to know I caught strep throat of all things at the end of January, making that a total of three illnesses in January. Here's hoping that is all I will get!
じゃあ また!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Winter Blues
Ugh, so right now I am trying to mentally recover from starting classes again. Let me tell you, that is no easy task. And neither is updating this blog, because my "e" key sticks really badly and is giving my middle finger quite a workout. You all know how important that muscle is to me...
Kanji test on monday (20+ kanji), learned about/started Newspaper project on Tuesday, Kanji Final Retake on Wed (I didn't do so good on it the first time) plus my final movie report, and today I was just flat out tired despite the lack of any momentous assignments, tests, or papers.
On the upside, my diligent studying (for once!) paid off and I think I did well on all fronts.
So as my reward, despite being tired today, I ventured out with my good German friend Julia to Nipponbashi. The mission being to find a certain Dollfie store. Dollfie is a handmade, customizable, doll from Japan. The Super Dollfie, or SD, is really quite beautiful. Once we arrived at the store, I got the chance to see many dolls in person and I can see why people are so eager to have one of their own. I would have been more tempted to buy one if I hadn't seen the prices though! A SD 13 (the largest doll) runs around $700, and that doesn't include clothing! A "nice" outfit will run you just as much if not more.
But the cool thing is, you do the dolls own makeup (or pay a professional) and choose the body type, hands, face, eyes, wig, feet, facial expression, etc. So no two dolls are ever alike. If you are interested here is a link: http://www.volks.co.jp/en/superdollfie/index_superdollfie.aspx
Only thing that kinda brought my day down was having to bike home in a light drizzle, which feels heavier when you ride into it! It is cold and damp here. Hard to stay warm at night, so I wear three layers of clothes and a hat plus three blankets. Curse Japan's lack of central heat!
I have to do some homework now so... see you on the flipside!
Kanji test on monday (20+ kanji), learned about/started Newspaper project on Tuesday, Kanji Final Retake on Wed (I didn't do so good on it the first time) plus my final movie report, and today I was just flat out tired despite the lack of any momentous assignments, tests, or papers.
On the upside, my diligent studying (for once!) paid off and I think I did well on all fronts.
So as my reward, despite being tired today, I ventured out with my good German friend Julia to Nipponbashi. The mission being to find a certain Dollfie store. Dollfie is a handmade, customizable, doll from Japan. The Super Dollfie, or SD, is really quite beautiful. Once we arrived at the store, I got the chance to see many dolls in person and I can see why people are so eager to have one of their own. I would have been more tempted to buy one if I hadn't seen the prices though! A SD 13 (the largest doll) runs around $700, and that doesn't include clothing! A "nice" outfit will run you just as much if not more.
But the cool thing is, you do the dolls own makeup (or pay a professional) and choose the body type, hands, face, eyes, wig, feet, facial expression, etc. So no two dolls are ever alike. If you are interested here is a link: http://www.volks.co.jp/en/superdollfie/index_superdollfie.aspx
Only thing that kinda brought my day down was having to bike home in a light drizzle, which feels heavier when you ride into it! It is cold and damp here. Hard to stay warm at night, so I wear three layers of clothes and a hat plus three blankets. Curse Japan's lack of central heat!
I have to do some homework now so... see you on the flipside!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
The Flu feat. Food Poisoning: The Sequel
Haha, as you can guess from the title of this entry I have endured times of sickness. My New Years was spent with the flu, and a fever of 102 degrees. I got better just in time for classes to start again! Lucky me!
Well, I got food poisoning at the least convenient time and had to miss not only one of my finals but also my friend's certificate ceremony. The Finnish guys and Sjoerd (the Holland guy) left for home last week and that day was their last day of class.
Fortunately I got myself well enough to go on a trip that weekend to Hiroshima, which was Sjoerd's last "hurrah" in Japan. We went to the famous shrine that sits in the water facing a large tori (gate). When the tide is up they look like they are floating on water.
Of course we also visited the museum of the nuclear bomb in Hiroshima. That was a very somber experience, but it was a good thing to see. Some of the exhibits were hard to walk through. For instance, there was a life size, very realistic display of three people (two children) as they must have looked immediately after the explosion. Their skin was melting off their arms and faces and hanging off. The scenery was one of devastation and fire. Truly such an event must never take place again.
Now I am preparing to go to class again this Monday to start my Winter Session. From here on all my classes will be taught in Japanese and I am a little nervous and unsure how well I will do. But I will do my best!
Well, I got food poisoning at the least convenient time and had to miss not only one of my finals but also my friend's certificate ceremony. The Finnish guys and Sjoerd (the Holland guy) left for home last week and that day was their last day of class.
Fortunately I got myself well enough to go on a trip that weekend to Hiroshima, which was Sjoerd's last "hurrah" in Japan. We went to the famous shrine that sits in the water facing a large tori (gate). When the tide is up they look like they are floating on water.
Of course we also visited the museum of the nuclear bomb in Hiroshima. That was a very somber experience, but it was a good thing to see. Some of the exhibits were hard to walk through. For instance, there was a life size, very realistic display of three people (two children) as they must have looked immediately after the explosion. Their skin was melting off their arms and faces and hanging off. The scenery was one of devastation and fire. Truly such an event must never take place again.
Now I am preparing to go to class again this Monday to start my Winter Session. From here on all my classes will be taught in Japanese and I am a little nervous and unsure how well I will do. But I will do my best!
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