Takoyaki

Monday was the first day of classes. It was also another holiday, the Autumn Equinox. This meant that there was no dorm cafeteria food. Its so nice having meals that are already prepared and waiting for you to eat! I bought some food Sunday and ate a parfait and some bread crusts. “Bread crusts?” you may ask. Why? Because I was making myself a cute lunch! I made a teddy bear PBJ sandwich with some hearts cut out from the crust, an apple, and a juice box. Of course, I was still hungry after that, those teddy sandwiches are tiny! I bought hotdog, as it was the cheapest and I thought it would be a smaller meal. That hotdog was huge and tasted pretty different from the wieners at Walmart. Speaking of imperialistic businesses, Seven Elevens are EVERYWHERE.

There wasn't really much class time the first day. For Japanese class, we had a proficiency exam, which was very difficult, as well as an interview. Then, later in the evening we had gym class. We watched a video on kendo and then received our Judo gear. Don't we look cool?

Dinner was a cup of Shin Ramyeon. Delicious, spicy stuff! Wish I had kimchi to put in it... My friends Sara and Nazuha then cooked and shared their meal with me. I LOVE Malaysian food! For lunch, Nazuha shared some curry and rice. Dinner was rice,curry, and squash. Delicious! 

On the train ride to and from the University, I see a lot of fathers with their babies or young children, its really adorable. Nice to see dads spending time with their children and sharing the parenting duties.

 For Japanese class Tuesday, we split into groups to create maps of Shibuya with a theme. My group's theme was fast food. This was around lunch time and everything smelled so good! Next, I went to Religion and culture. The class will feature many field trips, which I am excited about. We will be going rice cropping October 6th! Rice holds great importance in Japanese culture, especially in the Shinto religion. I am excited to learn about this connection! Next was Law and Politics class. We just introduced ourselves to the class and then it was time to go home. The train was PACKED tonight! After we got off the train, we noticed a street vendor selling takoyaki(a kind of grilled octopus dumpling)! This is one from a list of food I have wanted to try! Takoyaki is so good! I was a bit apprehensive that the octopus would be hard and chewy, but it was soft and very good! It had a kind of smoky flavor and was sweet from the batter.

 

Bento boxes

Bento boxed lunches are lovingly prepared by parents for their children. The food is cut into fun shapes and characters and are just the cutest things ever. I think this is a great way to get your kids to eat more and be excited about lunch. Here is a picture I found off the internet to show an example:

Now, I bought some groceries and items I needed from the hyakuyen store, but I couldn't help but buy a sandwich cutter to make my meals more exciting. ITS SO CUTE! If anyone wants one of these, get in touch. There are pie vent patterns, heart cut outs, pigs, and plain old crust removers. I'm sure I could find more if I looked in other stores. I can't wait to try this with PBJ, slice up some apples...The bear one is used to make curry bread, the hearts one is for apple bread. Usually you toast the bread.

In addition to today's excitement, yesterday I went shopping in Shibuya for the first time. I hadn't even planned to go, but the awesome staff of the K-step program offered to show me and my friends where the shops were. I went to a hobby store and I was blown away. They have little $2 build your own monsters, anime characters, and animals. They have paint that is the best of the best for half of the price in the U.S.A. I bought a can and I need to check how much I can bring in my checked luggage. I am also hunting for sable paint brushes, which are now banned from import in the U.S. Its really dumb, cause the animals are not endangered or anything and everywhere else is importing them no problem. These brushes are the best of the best and I only need one, a kolinsky script liner brush in the smallest size available for my model horse painting. There were also Pokemon kits with all the starter Pokemon that you could build yourself, incredible origami and more! The hobby stores, even the small floors of a giant department store beats AcMoore or Micheals by a long shot. Of course, the store my friend and I were drooling over the most was Animate+ Anime and manga for MILES. An exaggeration, but they had EVERYTHING. I was almost crying I was so happy. I wandered around a long time, just looking at everything and wishing I had money to spend on everything I wanted. I bought one book to practice my reading, but I will be sure to go back. They even had books and supplies to make your own manga. SIGH.

I started reading my manga. For those who like manga and anime, I highly recommend the series: Shingeki no Kyojin: Attack on Titan. Manga is written in kanji, but has hiragana on the side for easier reading. I still don't know a lot of words, so I had my computer next to me with google translate on. I was trying to figure out how to type the hiragana when I saw the option for drawing the characters in the translate box! YES! This is so much easier! Hopefully this will speed up my reading!

Bus Hike

I went on an overnight trip Wednesday with regular Kokugakuin students as well as K-step students. At 8:15 am, we piled onto the bus, each K-step student paired with a Japanese student. We were also assigned hotel rooms at the same time. The bus was very nice, it had cup holders on every seat, little trays and nets on the seats to hold things, as well as overhead compartments for backpacks, curtains, and a large flat screen tv. I got to know the girls around me very well on the trip and they were so nice and patient with me, especially with my limited Japanese. We took so many pictures! On the way, we spotted Mt. Fuji. I didn't get any good pictures, because we were so far away, but here is my best photo. Fuji is the farthest mountain in the picture:

Mt Fuji

We stopped at a rest stop which had various vending machines and many different types of food. I bought strawberry flavored kitkat bars and marveled at all the different breads. The green ones are melon flavored. My friend even bought bread shaped like Mt. Fuji! My friend sitting next to me had packed snacks and offered me a sweet. It had sweet bean paste and was soft, very good!

Melon bread

A sweet

After a long drive, we arrived at the Kamaboko factory. Kamaboko is fish paste. There are many flavors and colors. We wandered around the souvenire shop, which sold fish, seafood sausages, and kamaboko themed items. Then, we went into the Kamaboko museum where we made our own Kamaboko. Mine looked horrible, but the nice lady running the workshop came over and showed me how it was done. You have to smush the paste around and cut it into a square. You then roll the sticky paste onto a bamboo stick with the help of a knife and cook it. It was a bit sweet for me.

The kamaboko I made

We then continued on to the Odawara castle. The tour was entirely in Japanese, but it was really cool to see the castle and the grounds and go through the gates. The museum within the castle was filled with armor, weapons, scrolls, everyday items used in years past, as well as saddles and a souvenir shop. There was a wasp that must have been Japan's giant wasps, it was at least 2in long! It was massive!

Odawara castle

tempura lunch

We then stopped at the hotel. It was very nice, with an outdoor and indoor onsen(hot spring) and across from the sea. There were four of us to a room. It was a traditional style hotel, so the floors were made of tatami mats and we slept on futons. Dinner featured traditional Japanese fare: seafood and rice and soup! There was so much food and they kept bringing out more!Dinner was a lot of fun, as there was a karaoke machine in the room. Students and staff got up to sing their hearts out, including one memorable performance of Gangnam style. Afterward, I went to try the hot springs with my group. I was really nervous, because everyone is naked and bathes before getting in the hot spring. It was easier when I realized that everyone was minding their own business and not staring at me. The water was really hot and relaxing and in the outdoor hotspring, we could see the moon. I got to dress up in a Yukata. Excuse the obi, it was too small for me. I am going to have to buy one before I return home. My friends informed me of a used clothing shop with Yukata and kimono starting at $10!!!

room mates

futons

Dinner

Yukata

traditional Japanese breakfast

The next day, we visited the shrine. The trees were enormous! Everything was so beautiful! We got to go in the shrine and view a prayer and afterward, the priestess and priest handed out candy and holy water. We then went to a different room where we ate sweet bean paste sweets and tea. Still not a fan of tea. Hahaha.

Hakone shrine

We then visited a Hokone village reconstruction, which had several souvenir shops, and ate lunch at a lakeside restaurant. They had many flavors of ice cream, including tea flavor, wasabi, and sesame seed flavor. We played around the lake and I even rented a little swan boat with some friends, which we steered around the lake beneath the shrine. I got some nice pictures of the water gate. Then, it was a long drive home! This was a great and memorable trip. We visited so many sites and ate such grand meals and it was only around $40! Everyone was so nice and friendly and helpful, to use the words of my friends, "I felt like I was Japanese, not a foreigner." Thank you everyone at Kokugakuin for this amazing experience!

lunch, there was rice beneath the toppings

Typhoon and Shibyua

Sunday I received an email from the International Office warning all the K-Step students of an approaching typhoon. I huddled in my room Sunday, as well as Monday, pouting over cups of ramen and packages of dried seaweed. I had one with pokemon shaped and dyed pieces. I had another which looked to have Thai influence and was ridiculously spicy. The kind dorm residents helped me find a teapot to boil water, as my ramen cups were not microwaveable, and helped me figure out the gas stove. The winds and rain howled today, and after huddling in my room, I wandered out to see fellow K-Step students in the cafeteria. I hurried out there with my ramen and they offered to share their meal with me. I am so glad that all of the students I have met have been so warm and kind and helpful. These girls shared their food, which was from home, with someone they barely knew. It really touched me. We had a great conversation over sardines, Malaysian sticky rice, Malaysian chicken, raisins, watermelon, and tea(hot tea that I actually liked!). We talked about our respective home countries, families, and our experiences so far in Japan. I learned so much about Malaysia. I can’t wait to chat and learn more. We are going to be watching anime together soon. I am so excited! I didn’t get a picture of the food, which I should have, it was excellent! I do have a picture of the ramen. I saw some ramen shops, with real ramen, I cannot wait to chow down!

Pokemon ramen

my bowl from the hyakuyen store

Breakfast was scrambled eggs, ham, and lettuce. I am delighted to report that the ketchup is acceptable to my palette. When I went to Costa Rica, the ketchup did not taste very good. I think it was because it didn’t have any corn syrup in it. I was worried that the ketchup would taste different. 

Miyazakidai train station

Today I met the rest of the K-step students. The girls met at the station, where Japanese students waited to assist up to the campus. We saw some school age girls waiting for the train. They were wearing sailor style uniforms. We arrived from Miyazakidai to Shibuya. Shibuya is known as the fashion district of Tokyo. It was much more crowded and noisy than Miyazakidai, but still very clean. 

 We then walked about 10 or 15 minutes to the campus.

 

Shibuya

A food shop

Kokugakuin Campus

The view of Shibuya from one of the campus buildings

 The campus is so beautiful! There is a shrine on campus, as the campus has a focus on Shinto studies. There are three main buildings on the campus that are close to each other. Orientation lasted the whole day, with a tour around the campus, an explanation of the computer lab, and various paperwork. The buildings are very tall and modern. The bathrooms were so clean and state of the art! The library even more so. They have so many books! There was a machine that sorted and stored books and it looked very scary and futuristic. For lunch, there was the option of curry and rice, seafood curry and rice, spaghetti and meat sauce, regular spaghetti, alfredo with tuna, and hotdogs. The regular spaghetti had what looked like sliced tomatoes, corn, and I think sausage in it. I got the alfredo, which had tuna, onions, and mushrooms. I observed the Japanese students eating the spaghetti. They used the knife and spoon method. I felt so coarse and unrefined just twisting my fork around! Hahaha. I feel like Kokugakuin was meant for me: their mascot is a rabbit. The school mascot is so cute!

campus shrine

statue on campus

one of the campus buildings, which has the cafeteria

the creepy basement of the library. There were machines in there sorting the books

the cafeteria

lunch

My classmate Sara

Kokugakuin's mascot

After chatting and filling more paperwork, we all walked down to the station to buy train passes. Although we filled out student information to get our train passes, it ended up we had to fill out another form! Luckily, we had Japanese students there to help us as we filled everything out. Then we parted ways and took our respective trains home. The morning train was not bad, but in the evening we packed like sardines in the train. The train was so fast and smooth and clean. It was just so hot! It cools down a bit at night, but the whole day was very hot. We arrived in time for dinner, which was udon, dumplings, and rice. It was a lot of food, I didn’t finish everything for once! Tomorrow is an overnight class trip to hot springs, Hokone castle, a shinto shrine, and a Komoboko factory(fish paste).

Taken with my tablet. Another food shop.

walking back to the train station

Udon and dumpling

Arrival at Miyazakidai!

Sorry this too so long family and friends! I can't guarantee that I will post every day, but I will try to post once a week. Without further ado, my first few days in Tokyo!

         My journey to Japan was a long one. I was in the air for 16 hours, had a 2 hour lay over in Vancouver, and when I finally arrived in Tokyo, I had another hour of waiting in line at customs and immigration. I then took a 2 hour bus ride to Tama Plaza, and from there rode a train for about 5-10minutes to Miyazaki dai, there area where I will be living. There were no taxis, so we walked for 5 minutes to the dorm, dragging my luggage uphill. That wouldn't have been a problem, but it was so hot and humid! I am so grateful that the university had someone waiting at the airport to help me on the bus, and another person at the bus station to take me to the train. The train ride was only $1.50, for which I was relieved. The second person to meet me did not speak much English, but we managed and she was very friendly and helpful. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. I was so tired, I did not sleep much. Along with about 20 hrs of travel, I was up early to check in at the airport. My ears refused to pop for some reason, and I felt a little deaf. It was hard to hear and a little painful. Yes people, I chewed gum, but it didn't really help.

       The men who run the dorm are very nice and helpful. They had another K-step student, who's Japanese was amazing, come help explain the building and the rules. I admit, I was a little overwhelmed and very tired. They did a great job explaining stuff to me. After the tour, I ate with her and three other K-step students. For dinner, there was rice with curry sauce, grapefruit slices, salad, and daikon(a pickled radish). I did not recognize the daikon, because it was red. I thought it was peppers. It tasted very salty and sweet at the same time. I'm told it tastes better with rice, as I had eaten it after my rice was finished. For drinks, the cafeteria had hot tea and cold tea. I admit, I like my iced tea with corn syrup, but I did drink the tea. Maybe for breakfast I will try the vending machine for beverages. There are two seven elevens near the dorm, which makes me laugh for some reason, where I can buy lunch. After dinner, I went to my room and filled out a form about the condition of the room, opened the futon set and fell fast asleep. I haven't gone to sleep at 8pm in a long time. Hahaha. I am writing this entry now, at 5:30am, Friday the 13. I have not had the chance to figure out the internet. Here are some pictures of my room all unpacked and set up.

I am surprised by the indoor footwear. I knew I would have to take off my shoes and use slippers around the dorm. I did not know that I had to take off the slippers before entering the shower room. You can wear them near the sinks, but to go to the toilet stalls, you must exchange your slippers for shower sandals, which are provided. Umbrellas(called casas in Japanese, I keep thinking they are saying house!) are kept in their own closet by the main entrence, each having its own space on the rack, which are labeled with numbers. I have my own cubby to put my shoes and slippers, labeled with my room number. Next to the dorm manager's office is a board with our room number. Under these are pieces of plastic. These are color coded and hung according to which activity you are doing. There is one for going out, one for being in the dorm, and one for being out over night. You must fill out a form stating where you are going, as well as other information. For meals, the dorm cafeteria has a sign in sheet as well. To get into the building, there are cards which you swipe and then you can proceed. The dorm rooms themselves each have keys. The laundry room has shower stalls in the back. You put your stuff in baskets and then run to the stalls on the other side of the room while naked. I think I am going to stick to the private showers and the public bath... The private showers are really nice. There are three. To enter, one must remove their slippers and walk to a stall. The stalls each have a little carpet, hanger, and basket to put your things before leading to the shower itself. Each shower has a removable shower head and shelves to put your things, as well as a mirror.

        My Japanese leaves much to be desired. Lol. I will be studying before classes start, that is for sure! For breakfast I had a meal with what looked like glass noodles, cucumber, an eggplant-like veggie all covered in a clear sauce that tasted like Italian dressing or some sort of vinaigrette. On the plate there was lettuce, what looked like tarter sauce, and what appeared to be breaded and fried ham cut into triangles. I also ate a bowl of plain yogurt and peaches. Also available was a noodle dish, rice, fish, bread, jam, butter, coffee, tea both cold and hot, as well as the vending machine drinks.

       That same day, we visited the nearby hyakuyen store(dollar store) and looked around. There were a lot of good quality items. Of course, there was an overwhelming amount of cute items as well. They had these 3D dragon puzzles inside eggs that I was so tempted to get... I bought some snacks: seaweed, ramen with Pokemon shaped fish pieces, and green and red apple iced tea. The tea was delicious. We then visited a corner store which was chock full of electrical gadgets, clothes, shoes, suitcases, and Gucci and Prada gear, as well as Coach and some other high end gear. We then went to a conbini(convenience store) to buy lunch. There were many fruits and veggies. Peaches and oranges were wrapped individually in paper, other items you could buy individually as well. We looked for bags for the produce, but found the bagging station near the exit after paying. There were all sorts of fish and squid and mushrooms on display. The bread loaves are really tall and contain few, but thick slices. We searched high and low for onigiri(rice balls), only to find them at the cash register. They were around $0.50 each, so I bought two to go along with my tea. The roads and cars were very small and the preferred method of travel was bicycles. Many older women traveled with umbrellas to ward off the heat, as it was hot and humid. The area around the dorm is very quiet, except for crows and cicadas, there isn't much human noise. The air is warm and scented with flowers and green things. There are a lot of trees and gardens in front of houses. I wasn't a huge fan of the dinner, I ate mostly the kimchi and rice and picked at the pork chops and soup. I think I tried barley tea. It tasted like grain. Still not a fan of tea. Drank my apple iced tea back at the room and was pleasantly surprised. I am going to have to buy a large water bottle or the vending machines will have all of my money. Each drink is about $1 and there were vending machines every few blocks. Most offered drinks such as Coke, water, and tea. I passed one that offered ice cream cones that I was tempted by.

 

      Saturday morning I woke up at 3am after falling asleep reading after dinner. I made a mistake in the cafeteria today. I grabbed two meals by accident. There was a little confusion, as the dorm manager and the kitchen workers speak very limited English. I eventually understood and apologized and I am allowed this once to eat the two meals. I cannot tell what goes together in a meal or what is eaten separately. For breakfast we are offered a western style and Japanese style breakfast. I can't tell which is which. The two breakfasts that I ate were good. One was a beansprout,carrot,onion, soup with meatballs. The other was a sub roll filled with noodles, bean sprouts, and pickled ginger. Next to it was a small roll with lettuce, mayonnaise, and I think potatoes or onion as filling? It tasted like a fluffy mayo sandwich. I am still hungry. Hahaha. I will be sure to eat with my companions and ask which meals go together. This was the first time I ate alone. I went shopping again, this time looking for an adapter for my computer cord. The one I had brought from home was too large to fit in the sockets. It was blazing hot, around 90 degrees and the humidity was awful. My room is air conditioned, thank goodness! The area where I live is very hilly, so walking around is very good exercise! I bought more ramen and riceballs for Sunday, as meals are not served Sundays or National Holidays. I forgot that Monday is a national holiday, it is Respect the Elderly Day. I will be meeting with the K-step program directors and other Japanese students informally for lunch. I am excited to meet everyone.