Blogs from Hirakata, Osaka, Japan, Asia - page 3

Well, since it's been awhile since i posted...i'm going to be splitting this...just so they're not so big to read. I finally made here in Japan...but barely. On the plane ride over here there was a lot of turbulence...kowai da yo! Kind of scary. A couple of times Brian and I freaked out a little (altho, the guy sitting next to us just found it humorous). But it took 18 hours to get here. Funfun! *said sarcastically* Then at the airport...it was surprisingly fast to get out. yay! But i still didn't feel like i was in Japan. hah! So we finally got to the dorms at about 7/7:30 so we were starving. So we went to the cute restaurant where they served Okonomiyaki...for like $5. WIN! And it was delicious! Then after...i think i just ... read more

So today was the first full day of living in Japan. I must admit, I was feeling a lot better today. Getting sleep makes a *lot* of difference in how you feel, ahaha. Though I will say that it was a little weird. I woke up this morning, like... wide awake. At first I thought both my other roommates were up, but it was just Kennisha, on her computer. But I got up, got my glasses, kinda stood there, and then asked her what time it was. 7:15. WHAT? I never wake up that early! Especially feeling so awake! So I went back to sleep until 8:00 or so. Well, not actually back to sleep, but I got in my bed and tried to get back to sleep until 8:00. But anyway, today was a fairly ... read more

I went to Japan with a lot of expectations about the culture, the people, and the experiences I would have while at Kansai Gaidai. The outcome of these anticipations was pleasant in the fact that they each expectation was completely wrong. For starters, I figured that the majority of my semester would be spent studying, applying for jobs, and being otherwise wrapped up in my studies like I had been doing at my previous university. But I would soon find that it was much more fun to finally act my age for once, and to discover who I was meant to be. It wasn’t an easy process. The first month at KGU was exceptionally hard to meet people for a number of different reasons but one above all others stands out the most: I picked the ... read more

This is probably the most serious I will be in this journal. But isn’t it appropriate to start things off in this fashion? Without reflection, without thoughts, without understanding where someone is coming from, how can you begin to understand the changes that they undertake in their life? My experience at Kansai Gaidai University was an eye-opening one. Never did I think I would change so drastically from the moment I walked through the doors at Seminar House Three to the time I left with suitcases in hand. Though the changes are subtle from my perspective, the people I have reconnected with here in America can see a radical difference from the time I left until now. I am aware of more things, including patterns of behavior, cultural differences and norms, the way people think about ... read more

I söndags gjorde jag ett nytt försök att hitta hakama och haouri, denna gången i Kyoto. Och eftersom det fanns några andra platser där jag ville besöka samtidigt slog jag två flugor i en smäll. David och dom andra var i Osaka så jag kidnappade Kozue och gav mig iväg. Filmen Memoirs of a Geisha (från 2005, さゆり på japanska) utspelar sig i Gion, Kyoto och en stor del av den är även filmad där eftersom dom kvarteren fortfarande ser väldigt traditionella ut. Dom andra inspelningsplatserna är Kiyomizudera och Fushimi Inari. Och eftersom jag redan varit på Kiyomizudera så åkte vi först till Fushimi Inari som ligger på vägen mot Kyoto. Från tågstationen var det enormt enkelt att hitta till Jinja-komplexet. Tog bara någon minut att gå. Fushimi Inari är ett område med massor av shrines ... read more