Hello again friends! It seems that I have neglected you without even noticing that a month has passed.... I am sorry.
Anyways...... So I really haven't done anything in the last month.... I found a closer arcade that has the Gundam game I really like. So I went there and took a video of the game..... This game is awesome....
Speaking of awesome games.... You'll never guess what game was released last Saturday here in Japan! I was so excited for this release I went and waited outside of a store in Kawagoe for it. I was 2 hours early and ended up being the 4th in a line of about 40..... So far I have put in somewhere around 20 hours. The game is in Japanese, but that hasn't stopped my drive to finish this current installment to a series in which I have put in a recorded 900 hours in the last 2 years alone..... Thats right, the 4 or 5 people that understood, the newest Pokemon game just came out. I am kicking ass and the only other person who has it is one of our PAs and she is so far behind me its not even funny.
So, I think that sometime in the next week I will be getting my phone. From what I understand, the total cost for the phone itself will be around $300.00 USD. Moving on to less financial things.....
I suppose I should give everyone a break down of my typical day here in Japan. I wake up at around 7. I stumble out of bed and get dressed. Then I pack my bag for school and shut off my airconditioner, maybe open a window or my patio door. Next I head to my host families house, coming from the main house, and I enjoy a breakfast that is typically, eggs, sausage or bacon, 2 large slices of toast, and maybe a bowl of rice. At between 7:30 and 7:45 I leave for school in a chorus of goodbyes and traditional greetings. I take my bike and at the first major intersection I say hello to the older crossing guard lady, and we talk for the 3 minutes I am in talking distance before I get out of range. 3 weeks ago I started saying "Good morning!" in a very respectful/distal style, and this last week, we have been shouting the equivalent of "Yo! Mornin'!" to each other, apparently we are friends now. After another 15 minutes of riding, I reach my bike parking lot, and head to my station. After a total of about 20-25 minutes, I am standing on the platform, ready to take the train up 6 stations by local and 3 by express. I arrive at Kamefukioka, the town where my school is, and I walk the 5 minutes from that station to Tokyo International University. I typically arrive at 8:20, and I chill until class starts at 9:10. At 9:10 I begin my first class of the day. My Japanese class is a 3 hour chunk of Japanese only loveliness.... At 12:20, I finish my class and either go to the cafeteria or head to 7-11 for a quick lunch. On Mondays and Thursdays, I have another class from 1:10 to 4:20. When I am done with class I usually go home or stop in Kawagoe or some quick shopping, I am currently looking for a cheap over the shoulder bag. I ride my bike home, and I just kind of hang until around 7 when we usually eat. After dinner I take a shower and head back to my room where I play on the internet and do my homework before heading off to bed at about 11:00. As far as I can tell, my only chore is to take my laundry basket when it is full to my host mom's laundry room.
Thats my life, full of excitement, and bike riding.... Also, I now have Skype, I am online off and on during the day and parts of the night.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Host Family and Gundams
A lot has happened since I last set my sights on this page... I met my host family and I have started my official life in Japan.
I suppose you are all wondering about my new family... They are great, better than great, amazing. After I sat down at their table at the welcome/opening ceremony, my host dad asks me what I like to do. Eventually it got out that I like Gundams. You know, giant fighting robots, the anime has been around for 30 years, over 7 different series.... So anyways, my host dad is all like, "hey, we should go to the giant Gundam in Odaiba!" and I was all like, "But isn't that like 2 hours away?" and he was all like, "Psshaa, that's not a problem." So after I got my stuff into my bitchin' room, (I have a couch, a bed, a coffee table, and a desk w/a wheely-chair) we set out on our grand adventure. Now, before I go into that in great detail, there are some other things I need to tell you. During my introduction to my host family, I was met with 3 surprises...
1. My host mother is 7 months pregnant.... They say its a girl....
2. My initial thoughts on the gender of my host sibling were correct, is was a boy, the information given was just wrong
3. My host dad really likes German cars, a lot. For example, he has a silver 97 Porsche just chilling in the garage, we are going for a ride soon
So there you have it, my host family is full of surprises.
Anyways, back to the Gundam! So we left the house here at like 2:30. We get to Odaiba at like 4. We move 1.5 miles off the highway and park at like 4:30. Then we set out to find the 30 meter tall replica of a Gundam (giant fighting robot.) Apparently, my host dad just knew it was in Odaiba. We walked around in this park for about 30 minutes before we found it.
Finally, through a break in the trees, a Gundam head emerges, I felt like yelling, " IT"S A GUNDAM!" Like so many in the anime, but I decided not to embarrass my host family like that. We went closer and I took pictures of the giant mechanic wonder that cannot exist in our world due the devil that is physics. I was in a state of awe, this was a real Gundam, though it may not move or be functional, it was a Gundam. Needless to say, I was surprised by what happened next. Cool, huh?
So some people would say, "Alright, I've had my fill with Odaiba, there are thousands of people here, and I just wanna go home...." Not my host family. My host mom was hungry, and this was acceptable, seeing how she is pregers and all. So we left the Gundam zone and went into the shopping complex a block up. Here we found lots of restaurants, all full. So while my host dad and brother went looking for a bathroom, my host mom and I set ourselves up in 2 different lines. She was stationed at a ramen shop and I was set to hold a spot at the American buffet style restaurant. My line ended up moving faster, so for dinner I had rotisserie chicken and tacos. We soon left Odaiba and returned home. We arrived back at the Takayama residence at 11:30. I unpacked and sleep ensued.
So yesterday there was this big storm-like thing called a typhoon. Also my afternoon class was switched with Friday's class. So I had the afternoon off. I couldn't go home because I live a 15 minute bike-ride from the train station and it was a typhoon, so I didn't have my bike waiting for me, I had been driven and given instruction to call when I got back to the Fujimono station. Sooooo I have about 4 hours to kill. Time for some more back-story! My host brother is a Mario-Kart fanatic. He plays all day long, a l l d a y l o n g ! ! ! And hes really really really REALLY good. The thing is, he only plays to win when he gets mad at the other people he is playing with. I witnessed this fury only once. Some guy from France, yeah France not even a real country, is ramming into Nozumi over and over again. Nozumi is 1 lap behind the lead car, and currently in last place. He gets mad, takes out the car ramming him, and takes the lead. He wins the race and shuts off the Wii. He expects me to play this game with him every second I am home... I hate Mario-Kart for the Wii.... So I had 4 hours to burn, its raining sideways, and I am tired of playing that damned game. I head out to Kawagoe station from my school's station, Kasumigaseki. Its about a 5 minutes train ride. I go to the shopping street, Crea Mall, and I begin my search for a book off. Book offs are the super discounted second-hand books movies and games stores. I eventually find one 30 minutes from the station. There I purchase myself a copy of Super Smash Brothers Brawl. Those of you who have played with me know that when I get angry, like Nozumi, I can bring the pain and win. A new copy of this game here in Japan is about $60.... I got mine for about $30, so 50% off the regular price. Score! I brought this game home, soaked to the bone, and proceeded to inflate my ego by beating the stuffing out of a 5 year old little boy. I have not lost a game yet, and we have been playing for the last 2 days.
Tomorrow at 1, my host dad is taking me to look at contract phones with his company. Docomo should be competativly priced, but if they are not, I can still do the Soft Bank option. I have added a button to my sidebar for my mom's convenience. Everyone is welcome to use it.
Oooo, so more exciting new before I submit this bad boy and head off to bed, I talked to Katie for about 2 hours on Sunday afternoon for me, Saturday night for her. I have Internet, and I do check Facebook to see who is online. If we are not Facebook friends, we probably should be if you are reading this. I guess the point of this last part is, yes, you can talk to me with AIM, MSN, and Facebook.
I suppose you are all wondering about my new family... They are great, better than great, amazing. After I sat down at their table at the welcome/opening ceremony, my host dad asks me what I like to do. Eventually it got out that I like Gundams. You know, giant fighting robots, the anime has been around for 30 years, over 7 different series.... So anyways, my host dad is all like, "hey, we should go to the giant Gundam in Odaiba!" and I was all like, "But isn't that like 2 hours away?" and he was all like, "Psshaa, that's not a problem." So after I got my stuff into my bitchin' room, (I have a couch, a bed, a coffee table, and a desk w/a wheely-chair) we set out on our grand adventure. Now, before I go into that in great detail, there are some other things I need to tell you. During my introduction to my host family, I was met with 3 surprises...
1. My host mother is 7 months pregnant.... They say its a girl....
2. My initial thoughts on the gender of my host sibling were correct, is was a boy, the information given was just wrong
3. My host dad really likes German cars, a lot. For example, he has a silver 97 Porsche just chilling in the garage, we are going for a ride soon
So there you have it, my host family is full of surprises.
Anyways, back to the Gundam! So we left the house here at like 2:30. We get to Odaiba at like 4. We move 1.5 miles off the highway and park at like 4:30. Then we set out to find the 30 meter tall replica of a Gundam (giant fighting robot.) Apparently, my host dad just knew it was in Odaiba. We walked around in this park for about 30 minutes before we found it.
Finally, through a break in the trees, a Gundam head emerges, I felt like yelling, " IT"S A GUNDAM!" Like so many in the anime, but I decided not to embarrass my host family like that. We went closer and I took pictures of the giant mechanic wonder that cannot exist in our world due the devil that is physics. I was in a state of awe, this was a real Gundam, though it may not move or be functional, it was a Gundam. Needless to say, I was surprised by what happened next. Cool, huh?
So some people would say, "Alright, I've had my fill with Odaiba, there are thousands of people here, and I just wanna go home...." Not my host family. My host mom was hungry, and this was acceptable, seeing how she is pregers and all. So we left the Gundam zone and went into the shopping complex a block up. Here we found lots of restaurants, all full. So while my host dad and brother went looking for a bathroom, my host mom and I set ourselves up in 2 different lines. She was stationed at a ramen shop and I was set to hold a spot at the American buffet style restaurant. My line ended up moving faster, so for dinner I had rotisserie chicken and tacos. We soon left Odaiba and returned home. We arrived back at the Takayama residence at 11:30. I unpacked and sleep ensued.
So yesterday there was this big storm-like thing called a typhoon. Also my afternoon class was switched with Friday's class. So I had the afternoon off. I couldn't go home because I live a 15 minute bike-ride from the train station and it was a typhoon, so I didn't have my bike waiting for me, I had been driven and given instruction to call when I got back to the Fujimono station. Sooooo I have about 4 hours to kill. Time for some more back-story! My host brother is a Mario-Kart fanatic. He plays all day long, a l l d a y l o n g ! ! ! And hes really really really REALLY good. The thing is, he only plays to win when he gets mad at the other people he is playing with. I witnessed this fury only once. Some guy from France, yeah France not even a real country, is ramming into Nozumi over and over again. Nozumi is 1 lap behind the lead car, and currently in last place. He gets mad, takes out the car ramming him, and takes the lead. He wins the race and shuts off the Wii. He expects me to play this game with him every second I am home... I hate Mario-Kart for the Wii.... So I had 4 hours to burn, its raining sideways, and I am tired of playing that damned game. I head out to Kawagoe station from my school's station, Kasumigaseki. Its about a 5 minutes train ride. I go to the shopping street, Crea Mall, and I begin my search for a book off. Book offs are the super discounted second-hand books movies and games stores. I eventually find one 30 minutes from the station. There I purchase myself a copy of Super Smash Brothers Brawl. Those of you who have played with me know that when I get angry, like Nozumi, I can bring the pain and win. A new copy of this game here in Japan is about $60.... I got mine for about $30, so 50% off the regular price. Score! I brought this game home, soaked to the bone, and proceeded to inflate my ego by beating the stuffing out of a 5 year old little boy. I have not lost a game yet, and we have been playing for the last 2 days.
Tomorrow at 1, my host dad is taking me to look at contract phones with his company. Docomo should be competativly priced, but if they are not, I can still do the Soft Bank option. I have added a button to my sidebar for my mom's convenience. Everyone is welcome to use it.
Oooo, so more exciting new before I submit this bad boy and head off to bed, I talked to Katie for about 2 hours on Sunday afternoon for me, Saturday night for her. I have Internet, and I do check Facebook to see who is online. If we are not Facebook friends, we probably should be if you are reading this. I guess the point of this last part is, yes, you can talk to me with AIM, MSN, and Facebook.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Arrival and Phone Dilemmas
I have arrived. The last couple of days has been a blur of activity and knowledge. I have sat through upwards of 15 powerpoints on everything from culture shock to safe sex in Japan. I just returned from dinner with my PA group. The Japanese students who are helping us JSP kids are college Program Assistants. My PA is a break-dancer named Shosuke. He is pretty laid back. Last night he took us for ramen. Tonight we had katsu, breaded fried meat. After dinner we set out to find Brent, a guy from my group, a small pocket-sized notebook at the 100 yen store. Nick and I got bored so we went across the street to the bookstore. After about 15 minutes of looking at really cheap DS games and manga we decided to join back up with the group. The had left. Eventually we found them at another 100 yen store closer to the hotel we are currently staying in in Kawagoe.
During our sessions today we had a group from Soft Bank come in to give us a presentation on cell phones. At first I thought I would be confined by the one phone they have set up for JSP students as a prepaid option, but them they told us that anyone who is staying for more than 3 months can get a contracted phone. This pleased me. The cheapest phones in the Soft Bank line are about 22000 Yen. This seems like a lot, but the plans are 805 Yen for a standard contract and unlimited in network text/email and calls. Out of network is 9 Yen/6 seconds, but that is the cheapest rate in Japan. Plus the contract phones can watch tv! For free! So doing some rough math, I figure my phone will cost about 40000 Yen in total, or about 400-450 usd for the length of my visit. Who wants to chip in to the phone fund?
So that is about all I have now. I meet my host family tomorrow at the big opening ceremony thing they have for us. Let me know if you have any questions! I'll be happy to post answers!
During our sessions today we had a group from Soft Bank come in to give us a presentation on cell phones. At first I thought I would be confined by the one phone they have set up for JSP students as a prepaid option, but them they told us that anyone who is staying for more than 3 months can get a contracted phone. This pleased me. The cheapest phones in the Soft Bank line are about 22000 Yen. This seems like a lot, but the plans are 805 Yen for a standard contract and unlimited in network text/email and calls. Out of network is 9 Yen/6 seconds, but that is the cheapest rate in Japan. Plus the contract phones can watch tv! For free! So doing some rough math, I figure my phone will cost about 40000 Yen in total, or about 400-450 usd for the length of my visit. Who wants to chip in to the phone fund?
So that is about all I have now. I meet my host family tomorrow at the big opening ceremony thing they have for us. Let me know if you have any questions! I'll be happy to post answers!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Japan Bound
As I prepare for my trip to Japan, many thoughts cross my mind. I often find myself wondering if this is the best time to take this year long trip.... My girlfriend is graduating this semester, my beloved great-grandmother continues her rapid decent into poorer health, and I am fighting both of my schools to go. In addition I will miss all of the holiday stuff my family is so proud of doing every year. I'm still not sure how I feel about missing Christmas, but I know it would be more work to set it up when I am in Japan than I would like. I guess I should just worry about enjoying my time in Japan.
My last trip was a particularly humbling experience. My days spent with my host family were particularly difficult. I could understand almost everything they said, but I could not make them understand me. I felt like I was being treated like a three year old. But this time will be better, I'm sure it will.
My last trip was a particularly humbling experience. My days spent with my host family were particularly difficult. I could understand almost everything they said, but I could not make them understand me. I felt like I was being treated like a three year old. But this time will be better, I'm sure it will.
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