Camp

Well, this past weekend, I went on a "camping" trip with my university here in Japan. Apparently their idea of camping is staying at the YMCA near Mt. Fuji. At any rate, it was kind of a rough weekend for me. We were supposed to meet up at school at 8:30 AM to take the bus to the YMCA, but I had woken up late and then my umbrella that I've had forever broke so my host parents gave me another one that was really inconvenient. And of course a typhoon was coming in so it was raining really hard and the wind was blowing.

I had tried to use my raincoat instead, since I was going to be carrying luggage, but for some reason it had a knot in the pull string on the bag that it was in, so I couldn't get it out. Then, once I had gotten on the city bus that was running late, I realized I had grabbed the wrong bus card and would have to pay with cash. And of course, I didn't have the correct change and the bus was packed. So, when I finally got to school (just on time) I was supposed to check in, but I went to the wrong booth and so I had a minor melt down before I finally got where I needed to be.

And once we got to the camp it was raining even harder and we were all shuffled into a small room where they made staff introductions. Afterwards they kept shuffling us back and forth between these buildings and of course we can't wear our shoes inside because they're all wet, so we kept having to take our tennis shoes off and put them back on again.

And after all of our activities I decided to take a shower. Well, the thing is that this YMCA only had community bathing rooms. So you walk into the the room and there's a curtain between the entrance and the cubbies, sink, and restroom. And then there's a door that leads to the bathing area which is basically a HUGE room with Japanese style showers along one wall, and a huge pool-like bath in the other corner of the room. And of course their were no curtains or anything separating the showers or bath. Luckily I got in there before too many people started coming in.

Then we slept in some pretty nice cabins, with heaters, which was nice since it was REALLY REALLY cold outside. Then the next morning dawned bright and clear. I looked out of the back window of our cabin and I saw...Mt. Fuji! After breakfast we started to do the activities we signed up for. I had signed up for boating in the morning and the onsen (hot spring bath) in the afternoon. Well, the boating was disappointing. We were only in the boat for about 5 minutes. And then I wasn't able to go to the onsen due to some complications and so I didn't do anything in the afternoon.

But other than that I made a lot of new international friends and I got to see Mt. Fuji! Here are some pictures.

Hope you guys are enjoying this!

Shoes

So I was walking with a friend of mine to their apartment from school and on the way we noticed that there was a pair of shoes just sitting by the road. It was as if someone had just taken them off and set them neatly on the sidewalk. Apparently my friend had seen them on the road shortly after we had all gotten here and settled in, but back then they were just strewn in the middle of the road as if they'd fallen out of a car or something. But now it looks as if someone actually picked them up off the road and set them neatly on the sidewalk so if whoever dropped them would just go back to where they were dropped and pick them up. A month later, they're still there waiting to be picked up. It's kinda sad really...

Speaking of shoes, my host family has provided me with 3 separate pairs of shoes. Two pairs are slippers, one pair for warm weather, and one pair for cold weather. Then I have another pair which always stay in the back garden. They're basically a wooden sole with a an arch of stiff cloth that you slip your foot into. I have to use these whenever I go into the garden to hang up my laundry. I was actually really surprised when I discovered that all of the shoes fit me!

And of course I can't wear the slippers into my room because it has tatami mats in it. And you also can't wear your shoes into the dojo (where I practice kendo). You can't even wear socks in the dojo. But speaking of the dojo the girls have lent me a uniform to wear, so I'll be getting that up soon!

But I will also try to get a picture of those shoes on the side of the road just for giggles.

Getting into Kendo

So, today is my fifth day of playing kendo. I've got the basic men (head) strike down while just standing there, but if I have to start moving I get really flustered and my form goes out of the window. During last night's practice the sensei (teacher) was there, so he forced people to work with us and that was what we were supposed to be practicing. Don't get me wrong, it's not that everybody ignores us when the sensei isn't there. The girls are really helpful. But it's pretty easy to ignore us when the sensei isn't there.

I'm still working out in my own clothes. Last night I'd asked one of the girls where I could get a keikogi and hakama, but she told me that I should just wait a little bit longer. Apparently they're going to lend me a uniform that isn't being used.

But the girls are so funny! They do their best to try to speak to me in English, which is pretty cool. But after they've asked me what my name is they immediately ask me if I've ever seen the TV show "Full House" because there's a character that's named Stephanie. They're also really interested in relationships. So, the third thing they ask me is whether or not I have a boyfriend. Then they go into the normal stuff, like where are you from? and how old are you?

Luckily we'll be past that stage soon enough, so we'll see what happens.

My Host-family's Kids

My “parents” really like to show off their kids’ wedding photo DVDs. They have a daughter who is now 27, I believe, and she got married this past April. She’s really pretty and she had both a western as well as a traditional Japanese wedding. At her western wedding she even did some hula dancing. In fact I met her the other day. I had been home for awhile after school and my “dad” was the only one home. Well, I heard my “mom” come in through the front door and so I went to greet her. But as soon as I left my room I saw this woman that I instantly recognized as my “mom’s” daughter. I feel so silly now, but I froze in my tracks as soon as I saw her, like she was famous or something, haha! We introduced ourselves and then we had tea time. And then she and her husband came to visit this past weekend, which was cool.

My “parents” also have a 25 year old son who got married last fall. He also had a western as well as a traditional Japanese wedding. His wife, apparently, is really good at sewing. She made her own wedding dress! It was really intricate, too. I’ve also seen pictures and videos of them on vacation with their parents. You can just tell by looking at them how much they care for each other, which is pretty significant, apparently, for Japanese people. And my “mom” boasts that he has naturally curly hair. Haha! Apparently, though, the fashion for young girls right now is straight hair, but curls, she told me, are charming. He visited with his wife a couple of weekends ago. Apparently they met while both studying abroad in America. His wife is really cool, we drew together one afternoon while the others were napping. His wife also speaks English really really well.

So, yeah, fun times at home.

More About Kendo

Well, last night was my first time attending the kendo club! And it was really great! I don't have a uniform I can wear yet, so I just went in workout clothes. But as soon as I walked into the dressing room the girls asked me "you aren't taking pictures today?" Haha, it was so funny. But anyway, once I was changed I was taken to the dojo, which is where everybody practices. The girls were really nice to me, they helped me get the basic form down.

At first I just practiced with the girls who practice on one side of the room. Then the other American girl and I moved over to what I like to think of as the "gaijin corner" where they let us foreigners practice. While I was over there the girl who keeps the timer asked me if I'd ever done Kendo before. I told her that I hadn't and then she told me that my form was "clean." And it turns out that I really impressed everybody. So I'm going again tonight.

But here are the pictures I took from the other day's kendo practice. It was really hard to get good pictures because everybody is in constant motion all the time, so sorry about that.

Here's a picture of the other "gaijin" (foreigners) that are in the club:

And here's a picture of the players before they get suited up:

Here are a couple of the girls in armor:

Here's a picture of the players doing drills:

And here are a couple pictures of the other gaijin girl that's in the club:

Here's a video that I took during kendo practice. The teacher was there so the tournament players did a couple of matches.

Jishin! and Kendo!

So, I was just doing my own thing last night, sleeping on my futon on my bedroom floor. At about 3:45 AM this morning I wake up and I'm being shaken. Ha! I'd woken up during an earthquake! It was kinda strange. The house was shaken by many little tremors in quick succession, and then there was a big tremor. I could hear the trinkets rattling around in their cabinets and on the big shake the foot of my futon actually moved northwards. It was kinda crazy. I can now say that I've actually experienced an earthquake!

However, there was one last Sunday, also during the night. But I had slept right through that one. Nobody in the house had felt it except for my "sister."

Speaking of earthquakes, I went to a kendo club practice last night after class was over. Kendo is basically Japanese fencing. It literally means "way of the sword." It was actually really interesting. One of my friends, Thomas, recently joined the kendo club, so I've been talking to him about it. He showed me where they hold practice and so I went to go check it out last night after class. He introduced me to one of the club members there who got me a chair so I could sit and watch.

Then people started coming in. Now you have to keep in mind that I'm in Japan and there were only two other people there who weren't from Japan, and one of them was half Japanese. So I really stood out, especially since everybody wears a uniform. The kendo uniform consists of several parts. First there's the keikogi which is the top piece that people wear when practicing karate, except most of the people in the club had dark blue keikogi. Then there's the hakama which is basically a pair of pants with HUGE legs. It actually looks like a skirt when the legs are together. It ties at the waist and falls down to the ankle. Kendo is done barefoot apparently.

Then, they wear this armor called bogu which has it's own components. There are four basic areas of the body that you are supposed to hit: the top of the head (men), the wrist (kote), the stomach (dou), and the throat (tsuki). Bogu armor covers all of these places as well as the groin area. There's a mask that looks similar to the European fencing mask except it has a piece that protects the throat as well as two pieces that protect the sides of the neck and shoulders. They wear gauntlets to protect the hands and wrists as well as a large plate around the stomach.

So basically you can't tell who is who when they're fully dressed because almost every inch of skin is covered. They did some exercises at first, and then they began practicing. I almost felt like I was in an earthquake! Apparently you have to almost stomp your right foot when you attack, so with everybody doing that it was like a never-ending earthquake. Not to mention the screaming and yelling. During a tournament you get points taken away if you DON'T yell when you hit your opponent. Oh, and I guess I can't forget the weapon. They have this sword that looks like it's made out of bamboo.

Like I said, it was quite interesting. I think I'll try to take pictures and maybe a video next time I go. I actually want to join as well...

Oh, I also forgot to mention that Kanpai (that word from the last post) actually is the Japanese way to say "Cheers!" You pronounce it kan (as in the con in con artist) and pai (as in pie).

Some more pictures...

And of course, I haven't been putting up many pictures so I'm still playing catch-up.

Here are some pictures from my trip to Shinjuku. The tall guy with blue hair is Kyle, the little lady with pink hair is Joanna. The other girl is Katherine.

And here are some pictures from the welcome party that the university held for the incoming exchange students.
From right to left: my "mom", my "sister", myself, and Kyle.

This is a picture of me and some of my new friends. From left to right: Thomas, Leo, and Justin.

Me, my "sister" and my "dad"


My "mom", "sister", and me "kanpai!"


Me and my friends: Kyle is in back, then from left to right it's me, Joanna, and Pam


Then, here's a picture of me introducing myself to all of the homestay parents and foreign exchange students. There was a contest to see which person got the best reception, but I didn't place at all. ^^

My "Mom" and "Dad"

So my “mom” ‘s name is the same as the emperor’s wife’s name. And looks-wise she kind of reminds me of Emma Thompson, the English actress. She’s so thin that sometimes I wonder how she’s not been carried away by the wind yet. But she’s really nice and she’s the one who shows me how to do stuff, like how to store the futon, or how to do my laundry. She also has a really good memory. Sometimes it’s hard to believe how much she can remember of what I’ve said in the past, but I guess I can’t really say anything all that complex yet. And she’s been buying some snack foods that she has heard me talk about like Pocky and mochi ice cream. She even bought me a bag of chocolate corn flake cereal the other day! She’s also a REALLY good cook.

She’s also been helping me out with the trash situation. Disposing of trash here in Japan is super complicated. There are three different bags that they use: combustible, plastic, and pretty much anything else. Luckily some of the stuff I’ve bought like water bottles and such have the little symbol for which bag you’re supposed to put it in. However, there are hardly any public trash cans! I think I saw one at the Fuchinobe station, and that’s the only one I’ve seen. Apparently people carry their trash around until they get home.

She also took me to City Hall the other day so that I could complete my alien registration. I’m glad she took me because I hardly understood any of what the lady behind the counter was saying. I was also able to sign up for the national Japanese health plan. It’s actually pretty nice. They pool everybody’s money and so it costs about $114 a year per person. And they cover up to 70% of medical costs. Hopefully I won’t need it, but at least I know I’ve got it. One of the exchange students has already had to go to the hospital! She fell down a couple of stairs and sprained her ankle. Luckily she’s alright, and she’s getting better everyday.

My “dad” is a real jokester. And he knows quite a few English nouns, so he likes to test them out on me. He also likes to ask my “sister” about Chinese words. Apparently he’s a huge golf fan and occasionally he goes out to the golf course to practice. He also likes to watch TV while we’re eating dinner, and Japanese TV is really rather strange. The other day, for instance, we were watching a game show during tea time that had had these really strange competitions. They had about nine guests on the show and the host was supposed to do funny things without talking and if any of the guests showed their teeth or laughed out loud they were out. It was so ridiculous. And sometime before that we were watching a show where the hosts and a guest were trying out different dishes and one of the dishes made steam or smoke or something come out of their mouths and noses. And I’ve also seen an American Idol type of show only it was for A capella groups.

And my “parents” apparently do a whole lot of traveling. In fact they went to Hawaii sometime this year during a giant hula festival and they’ve been showing me the commemorative DVD. They’ve also at least been to Paris, California, and Wyoming. No wonder they have so many knick knacks. Now that I’ve actually looked at them, most of them are from Hawaii.