TravelStream™ news feed for member meaghanmcc on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/meaghanmcc en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sun, 01 Feb 2009 23:31:34 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1233545820/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1233545820/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1233545820/tpod.html Sun, 01 Feb 2009 23:31:34 -0500 Meaghan's First Study Abroad- Tokyo Fall Quarter 2008

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Bellingham, Washington, United States

40 days and nights have past since leaving Tokyo. Instead of an ark, I've settled into my little apartment on Abbott St. in beautiful (and cold) Bellingham. Everyday I am reminded of how much I want to go back, because I have Japanese classes at least once (thursday I have all three) in a day! So far, although they are very demanding, I am loving the topics, readings, and new characters!! I have also gone through a whole bag of rice, as I just cannot seem to get enough of it. I can't seem to wean myself from it's comforting taste, texture and memory of meals with Reiko and Koichi in Woodhouse Namiki. I still have two containers of pickled plums (ume) and lots of tea from Reiko. :) If I had time, I'm afraid I would be looking through my hundreds of pictures feeling that sense of longing, but comfort in knowing it won't be difficult to return. ARI, it's friendly people, and endless rows of rice and strange veggie plants are in my dreams and know will always willingly accept my return. Not to mention a reunion with my hosts in Kawaguchi is no doubt something to look forward in the future as well. I figure, the more I study now, the better it will be to go back to Japan for my language comprehension will have improved leaps and bounds by then and my appreciation from the culture and history I hope to become well-read.(I finished a book on Japan's most famous female literary writer, Murasaki Shikibu) So, until then I must focus on my studies, continue eating rice and ume, and somehow save money.
My roommates Jill and Michelle are great fun, and I see my other girlfriends from last year in the dorms every weekend. (there have been so many birthdays this month!) I've also started up my job at Pel'meni, the little russian dumpling shop on State st. in downtown Bellingham. It's nice to be back and see familiar customers and faces from campus. I feel like my life after Japan has really come together; though I'm still missing my bike- one of these weekends... When I was in Japan two months ago, feeling comfortable in the city and soaking up everything I could, imagining myself where I am now was strange, if not impossible. Not much has surprised me, except "culture shock"-readjusting-feeling that seemed to have lasted weeks. I can't imagine having a greater sense of that shock- to imagine if I'd been schooling there for a year!
I am very happy with my life, right now, and although late I felt that this conclusion to my story of travel needed a proper entry. Well, let's not be mistaken by anything concluding. In fact, one should take this more of an intermission. Believe me, there will be many more blogs to visit, and pictures admire in the future.
Thank you again for having interest in my travels and studies by reading these blogs. It means the world to know that I have such a supportive and interested network of family and friends.
Love and Peace,
•½˜a‚ƈ¤
Meaghan@
ƒƒKƒ“
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1227959760/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1227959760/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1227959760/tpod.html Sun, 30 Nov 2008 02:33:01 -0500 Meaghan's First Study Abroad- Tokyo Fall Quarter 2008

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Bus Tour through Yamanashi Region, Kanto, Japan

Last weekend, three Sensei's from my school took thirty or so American students on a bus tour around Yamanashi Prefecture, 2 and a half hours out side of Tokyo. This area is famous for Mt. Fuji and its many lakes, koyo~ orange and red leaves in the fall season, grapes and wine, onsen~ natural hot spring baths, and very old temples whose history and significance is commonly known throughout Japan. A great place for tourists, and Japanese language students alike. We left Tokyo early Saturday morning and drove in traffic 3 hours to our first destination: the house of Kinjiro Ninomiya. This famous figure in Japan is known for his seriousness in study and contribution to improving peoples lives through economic reconstruction of villages in Odawara. In 1836, he predicted and prepared for a famine that struck, saving 40,000 citizens. For this, Japanese people throughout Japan use him as a symbol of hard work, intelligence and creativity. At many schools in Japan, there is a statue of Kinjiro carrying wood on his back and reading a book. When he was a boy, his uncle prohibited him from going to school, so Kinjiro figured out how to read on his way to collect wood in the forest. I wish I had that kind of determination! (That's why he is a role model...) His house, that we saw was a replica, but had all sorts of old traditional farm tools and a very intricate and fascinating roof!
Next was the Odawara Castle Memorial Park. It's a memorial because the original castle was used as a fort in an war in the 16th century and what was left afterwards was demolished in an earthquake in 1870. This new one was built in 1960 and we were surprised to see monkeys, an elephant, and kiddy rides. Yes, monkeys. Grooming eachother, jumping around their cares, looking around with their bright red faces, and doing other monkey things that made me love monkeys that much more. (If you didn't know, I went to Disneyland as a child and came back with a huge white stuffed monkey-kiwi- that I continued to bring with me wherever I traveled for years. I was in the least, in love with the thing. so seeing these primates was both a surprise, and nostalgic for me!) Fun for the whole family at the castle! I forgot to mention that what made this whole weekend MOST lovely, was that the weather did not fail to amaze me for one minute. There was sun, gorgeous clouds, and though it was often cold, we were in teh bus so much of the time... i hardly noticed. Inside the castle is a museum, which had all original swords, texts, kimono, samurai armor, paintings, and other such tools. On the top floor, though was a viewing balcony that wrapped all the way around! The view was of a serene looking Sagami Bay, and lush, green mountains in the hakone direction- i think where we were headed next! A few of us were on the top floor for half an hour and when it was time to leave, we walked really slow. It was so warm and relaxing up there! And the ocean! Seeing so much water, sun, trees and breathing fresh air was what did it-- after being in the city for so long! I've written about being exposed to nature after straight city living... you may have had a similar experience and know of what I speak.
After Odawara castle we were scheduled to go to Owakudani where you can eat black eggs that bring you good luck, but the traffic was horrible so we in stead sat on the bus for two extra hours (5 all together) and got to the hotel in time for dinner. We did have rest breaks during this time, but wow, everyone said it felt like the plain ride to Japan- 9 hours or so! One can imagine the relief when we pulled up to the Hotel and brought our bags to assigned tatami rooms! There were four other girls in my room: Riana, Kim, Sumiko, and Kai Chen (my favorites). With 30 minutes before dinnertime, we all sat down on our little cusions and had tea time with sweets that we bought a rest stop. From our window, we had a view of Kawaguchi-ko lake and surrounding mountains. that's right, the same name as the city i'm living in! What a coincidence :)
Dinner was a HUGE buffet with all sorts of Japanese food, and some American options for the less adventurous. I tried everything strange looking and was completely satisfied and stuffed by the end. (Breakfast was similar.)
People returned to their rooms, and some of us formed a study group and reviewed some things from the previous week of classes with the sensei that came with us on the trip. It was helpful and after studying we stayed up talking til the wee hours. I can't remember the last time I had a sleepover... first time in a tatami room on futons!
We woke up early before breakfast and walked around outside taking pictures of the sunrise! The grass was frosty, and the air was crisp and freezing! Breakfast was eaten, and minnasan~ everyone boarded the bus for our first stop of day two: Saiko Iyashi no Sato. This area by Saiko lake used to have a village callaed Nenba and there were lots of Japanese structures with "Kayabuki" roofs. Kayabuki roof is a traditional style roof that is made with straw and reed. Most of the traditional buildings in the village got swept away by a big landslide that happened in 1966. The village is no longer there, but today the local city came up with a plan to build 23 replica houses with real Kayabuki roofs, with a goal to restore the traditional view of the area. In the various traditional houses were various historical exhibits, local crafts, and of course, food. My favorite house was the one with painting inside. The style of painting is called postcard art ( i think is the best translation). I had never done it before, but paid 5 dollars and got a one-on-one lesson from a elderly Japanese woman. I didn't understand everything she said, but it was fun, and my postcard shows how hard it was. It doesn't look very great, because my persimmon looks like a watermelon. I also went with some people on a mini hike up a hill away from the houses to a shrine where you could see Mt. Fuji through the trees. Actually, ou could see the mountian well from everywhere at this village, but it was cool spotting it through the trees.
Being so close to Fuji was exciting and I made a promise to myself and Fuji-sama that next time I come to Japan, I'm going to climb to the top. Anyone want to go with me??
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1227794040/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1227794040/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1227794040/tpod.html Thu, 27 Nov 2008 09:51:18 -0500 Meaghan's First Study Abroad- Tokyo Fall Quarter 2008

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Tokyo, Kanto, Japan

It's been more than tough to muster patience and energy to do these blogs... it was easier in the beginning because everything was new and exciting and I wasn't bogged down with studying. (is bogged a word? hmmm..) And I am easily distracted. Especially by facebook, Japanese dramas, and tea time. I love this kind of tea Reiko makes called Hoji-cha. She buys green tea and cooks browns it in a frying pan. The smell is bitter, but once it has cooled and combined with oyu~hot water it could be just about the best tea i've tried. It doesn't even need sugar, soy milk, or honey! That's what I call magic. mmm, i'm getting thirsty. So, my weeks have been busy and tiring with commuting to school, three hours of class, and 2 hour study hall before that. There isn't a lot of homework, but that's because Japanese comes easy to 90% of the students so the whole program figures that they don't need to assign much. Which is nice, but sometimes I need more guidance in what to study for the tests. I'm doing well though, I think, passing at least- hehhe. Weekdays contrast strongly with weekend days when I get to either totally relax and wear my pajamas for a whole day, or go out all day and do and see all sorts of new things in different areas of Tokyo. The past few weekends I've been to Shibuya, Harajuku, Asakusa, Roppongi, and Ginza. These places are always kondeiru~ crowded with tourists, shoppers, and families.
Reiko's friend Jimmy arranged for his co-worker's daughter, Aya, to meet me in Harajuku one weekend. I was really excited because I hadn't spend much time with Japanese girls my age, and nervous too that she, and her friend who was also joining wouldn't speak English. As it turned out, they were both so nice, chill, and easy to talk to. No English was used all day and we had only minor misunderstandings in my elementary capacity of Japanese. We ate lunch, walked through the big streets of Harajuku and Omotesando stopping at La Foret and the brand new H&M (which is WAY more expensive- because it is Tokyo), and did Karaoke! I was very awful at singing, and Aya and Yochan were very well practiced- i could tell. I was so excited when Dolphins showed up on the white walls of our room! I don't understand why Bellingham doesn't have a karaoke bar.... well, maybe it's a good thing it doesn't. Sure is fun though! From Harajuku we went to Shibuya for Tower Records and dinner! We ate at a okonomiyaki restaraunt that was inexpensive, and quite tasty. From here, betsubara (smelling and/or seeing desert makes your full stomach find room. you know it happens to you too) took over and we had to eat crepes... there are SO many creperie shops in the teen-oriented areas of tokyo. They are cheap too($3-5). I ordered peanut butter, chocolate, and ice cream on mine. I have to say even though it was missing banana, it still tasted scrumptious. I finally had to say good bye to my new friends and returned home for tea and a bath. This coming home ritual has become the best part of the day indeed.
Another day I met some friends from school in front of the Thunder Gate in Asakusa. I had been here before with my hosts, but this time was different because I was with friends! We drank sweet sake to stay warm, ate sweets with red bean paste inside, and ate okonimiyaki for lunch. Okonomiyai is a Japanese style pancake and is delicious. Yes, I ate it two days in a row. There is a hot plate built into the table where it gets cooked right in front of you. I'm definetely experiencing with this one when I get back to the states. After this meal we took the subway from Asakusa to Ginza where Tokyo Tower stands! It was dark by then and the tower was glowing! Before heading to the viewing stationg hundreds of meters up in the air, the group took a pit stop to Starbucks. My first time to a Japanese one. They had all the holiday drinks, so i ordered gingerbread oishiisa~deliciousness.
In front of the Tower were lots of Holiday lights which was most exciting for us American students. After being up the Space Needle the Tokyo Tower is not so impressive height wise, but when it comes to the view at night downtown Tokyo has at least a leg up above Seattle. The pictures explain what I'm talking about.
Lastly, my recently discovered route to school includes a bit through Shinjuku Gyoen Mae park. It is a HUGE city park that costs $2 to enter, and there are all sorts of gardens, buildings, but mostly trees and plants. It was a gift from a past Emporer to his Princess daughter, i think. Anyway, I found a part that I don't have to pay but can walk the length of about 3 city blocks under trees with fall color and off the busy streets of the city. When it's sunny, it is especially refreshing. Last weekend the whole English program went to Yamanashi prefecture on a bus and stayed one night in a hotel. It was a blast and I'll post pictures and write about that one next... soon, i promise. Thanks for coming back to read these silly blogs. I mostly want to show you pictures but I guess they wouldn't make much sense without a little story-telling. Happy Holidays!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1226367600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1226367600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1226367600/tpod.html Thu, 27 Nov 2008 08:41:23 -0500 Meaghan's First Study Abroad- Tokyo Fall Quarter 2008

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Nikko, Kanto, Japan

Wow. What an amazing place Nikko is!! I don't know when I am going to come out of the amazement of how beautiful a place it is. After being in the city for a month, I forgot there could be natural places as wonderful! I went on this trip with Reiko, Koichi, their friend Jimmy and his wife Kazuko. We rode a Hato Tour Bus.from Tokyo three and a half hours to Nikko; I had to wake up at 5 in the morning! I tried to sleep on the bus, but occaisionally the stewardess would give information and talk about the area. Her amplified Japanese voice and the scenery from my window distracted me from getting any real sleep. I understood some of what she was saying but the speed is always the hardest part. Native speakers of any language speak very fast! It is also much harder to talk with adults than with students in my class; formal speech is polite yet tricky therefore confusing.
The Hako bus took us to 5 of the major touristy hot spots in Nikko: all temples and waterfalls. After the long bus ride we made it to the bigest of destinations where there were all sorts of temples where samurai's and soguns are buried. The fall leaves were spectacular everywhere we went, and the trees were so tall! I watched part of a traditional Japanese wedding ceremony and was very close so the pictures came out well. I read somewhere that Nikko is one of the famous places in Japan that make up what is called the Romantic Road. It is a National Park, thus the whole region is protected. It's a good thing because the mountians, wildlife, history, waterfalls, and vegetation is remarkable! Later, I saw one of the three most famous waterfalls in Japan: Kegon Falls. The rock formations looked like those that I learned about in Geology 101 at WWU! The elevator down to the viewing spot was made by digging through solid rock! It was freezing cold, but so beautiful and almost reminded me of home and Snoqualamie Falls. So many pictures that I took just didn't come out looking right because some times there is just no way to capture the real thing- it could be me, my camera, or both. However, seeing more pictures would only lead you to the same conclusion which is that it was really an amazing place. If I come back to Japan, I will definetely live in the country, or in a small city outside of Tokyo. Nasushiobara? perhaps...
Oh, and after the 5 hour trip home I had never been so happy to be in my bed- I was dead tired!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1225641120/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1225641120/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1225641120/tpod.html Sun, 02 Nov 2008 07:42:48 -0500 Meaghan's First Study Abroad- Tokyo Fall Quarter 2008

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Tokyo, Kanto, Japan

I'm learning so much about Japanese culture everyday! Sometimes I'll look in the mirror and be surprised that I haven't accquired any physical evidence of becoming Japanese (yet). The Culture aspect of my program is every other Saturday (so we've had two) but this week had an additional one and we got to experience a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. It wasn't really the real thing because they were teaching us what to do along the way, but we got a feel for it- especially in our legs because we had to sit on them for 20 minutes! It was very painful for the American students, but our Sensei could sit for 2 hours which is how long a typical ceremony lasts! Sweets were passed around, as was frothy green tea. It was fun to drink and with the last bubbly sip we got to make a loud slurp to let the person who made it know we drank every bit it was so tasty. It was quite bitter, even though they gave us the sweetened version. I hope to attend the ceremony at the end of term that is run by students that have been in the Sado (tea ceremony) class.
Early Saturday morning we met for lecture, which was titled, "Analysis of Japan yesterday, today, and tomorrow." The lecturer was Mr. Koji Yagino and he is fantastic. Yagino sensei is an older gentleman who came back to Japan and Tokyo after the air raids of WWII transformed the city. He saw Tokyo as a pile of rubble and therefore has a very different and unique perspective of the city and culture. His English is not perfect, and he admitted that he is embarrassed of this (as all Japanese are. It is next to impossible for them to pronounce letters like b,f, v and th without studying in America). He told us his passion is baseball and is a little league coach in his hometown. He played baseball from the time he was 14- when he learned from American soliders stationed here after the war- up into college where he played left field for Waseda University. Yagino made a lot of silly comments about Japanese people and told us that McCain, translated to Japanese (makain) sounds most like makeru, which means to lose. hehe, fingers crossed. [I can't believe the election is just days away... I'm going to a very famous temple tomorrow and will pray. hard.]
After the lecture we took the subway to Central Tokyo and saw the National Diet (Legislative), Imperial Palace, and major Japanese buisiness office buildings, and finaly the so called "shoppers paradise," Ginza. There were hundreds of people everywhere we went because it was a beautiful weekday afternoon. It is also an important destination being the central hub of the entire city. Even saw Tokyo Tower which I'll be going to the top of in two weeks from today! The Prime Minister of Japan and his family resides in the Palace and the grounds inside the moat are only open two days out of the year; his birthday (Dec. 23- two days after I leave) and New Years. On both days people can come in and the family goes out on the balcony above the crowd and waves (like in Aladdin) every hour on the hour. I'm sure they take a break at lunch, waving could become exhausting. The area was gorgeous and Mr. Yagino told us the Imperial grounds has over 150 professional gardeners!! Also, the palace and moat is 400 years old and used to be called Edo Castle when the city was Edo.
We walked through Ginza and a huge street (chuo-dori) was closed off for shoppers and walkers; only on Saturday and Sunday! We saw a huge demonstraton here too: Hundreds of Japan Railway employees. I was shocked to see so many Japanese people using free speech. Recently, seven JR employees were fired and teh company could not produce reasons why, so the union is pissed. I looked down the street and the procession spanned many many city blocks. I hope their message was heard. We also visited a famous department store that has everything you could possible imagine, including an entire basement floor of sweets, and another of really nice, traditional savory foods. They even had wheat bread!! It was an amazing sight and I became very hungry but held off for a home made dinner. From Ginza, I rode the subway to Shinjuku and then the train home to Nishi Kawaguchi. I was exhausted and am loving today (Sunday) because I have nowhere to be! I can relax, blog, study, sleep and do homework before I go to Nikko all day tomorrow!
The weather has finally become much colder. It is clear and sunny, but brrrr... I've had to bring my sweatshirts out of hiding. A few students in my class and in the English program are sick and struggling to keep up with homework and tests and I am thankful everyday that I am staying healthy and hope this continues as the air gets colder and the midterm gets closer.
Thursday night the whole family went out for sushi dinner at Reiko and koichi's favorite place~ supposedly the best in Kawaguchi. Eight of us in all all sat on cusions around a low table in a tatami room (very traditional setting). our waitress was wearing a lovely kimono- it was great! The sushi was heavenly and although it was hard to be actively apart of the conversation, I felt welcome and even apart of the family. (yay)
It made me miss my REAL family a little though...
Love, Meaghan
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1225494900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1225494900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1225494900/tpod.html Sat, 01 Nov 2008 21:32:03 -0400 Meaghan's First Study Abroad- Tokyo Fall Quarter 2008

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Tokyo, Kanto, Japan

Halloween isn't a real holiday in Japan. Or anywhere really other than America. From over here, it seems like a silly thing when I have to explain what it is to my classmates, especially with my limited Japanese vocabulary. Halloween is a great holiday when in America, or rather, Bellingham, so I'm bummed to be missing out on it this year. Today our whole school, teachers and students (30 Americans, 50 Chinese and 120 or so Koreans) went to a huge park outside the city and right on the ocean! It was a cloudy day but very fun as we had a huge barbeque with all sorts of meat and vegetables!! The planning process took weeks but prior to the event my class expecially didn't seem to excited so I was half expecting to arrive and it be a total disaster. Wakasu Kaihin Park is very far from Nishi Kawaguchi (where I live) so between the subway and train system I got really confused and was nearly an hour late to the event. When I finally made it (a miracle) everyone was cooking and eating from a huge spread of korean foods. The barbequed meat was dipped in a little salt, wrapped in cabbage leaf with Korean chili paste and ooh it sure was tasty. First time eating Korean food! I hadn't before today spent time with my classmates out of class and they were so much fun! We walked to the ocean and took pictures, though it was much dirtier than the Pacific Ocean I'm used to...The teachers organized a school competition where every class decided on 8 people to do a group jump rope and whichever class could do the most jumps WON! by the time our class went the highest number of jumps was 27! We got three tries and the most we could do was only 1. haha. It was fun nonetheless :) afterwards, a few of us played soccer in a huge field. Teams were small but it was really fun playing around and everyone soon became exhausted and we headed for the subway station. A few of my classmates took me to Korean dinner in Shinjuku- near our school- in Korean Town (didn't know this exsisted before!) It was very delicious and it could be that I even ate too much, but very exciting. At dinner, one of my friends asked me what kind of food is famous for being American. I couldn't think of any that were not borrowed from other countries such as France, Germany, or Italy. I had to explain that because Americans came from all over the world, "american food" is really foreign countries cuisine slightly changed. I thought this to be a difficult question to answer. Also, I was asked about the placement of the subject and time in an English sentence. I must have not been paying attention in English class, or am simply an inexperienced teacher because I couldn't for the life of me describe why or how a sentence was formed. I have learned that foreigners have it hard when learning English, the words and grammer is strange, and the pronounciation is whack! I'm glad its my first langugage.
Seven of us altogether; two of them spoke a little English but 95% of the time we spoke Japanese. I'm proud to say that all of Friday I only spoke English for about 5 minutes to my teacher to explain why I was late to the event, other than that I only used Japanese! Especially when I was hanging out with the Koreans from my class I noticed how my Japanese is changing-- I can't even imagine how good a year living here would be for my fluency. Enjoy the pictures and stay tuned for another entry coming soon! (I'm trying to catch up as the pics are piling up!)
*I forgot to mention Korean Karaoke! We only sang for a half an hour when we were waiting for a table to open up in the restaurant (very popular on a friday night). It was surprisingly much different than Japanese Karaoke that I've done. We went into the room and right away my friends started looking up songs (30 mins isn't much) and when their song came up they did solos! they really felt the music and were actually very skilled! The boys sang the most: korean love songs! haha it was entertaining to watch! On of the girls sang a really upbeat, korean techno song in which the singer yells in some parts. They all knew the songs very well and hit everynote right on. When it was my turn they wanted me to sing "Listen" by Beyonce, and "Hit me baby one more time" by you-know-who. HAHA They really wanted to hear songs in English and practically begged me so I felt I couldn't say no. All apart of the experience, and heck, it was Halloween after all! I guess I was a Korean for Halloween.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1225146720/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1225146720/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1225146720/tpod.html Sat, 01 Nov 2008 09:23:50 -0400 Meaghan's First Study Abroad- Tokyo Fall Quarter 2008

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Tokyo, Kanto, Japan

The Yokohama Triennale is designed to question the linear concept of time and rigid world view that characterize modernity. Visitors will have the thrilling experience of standing in a place out of the flow of everyday time, with its excess of information, and peer deep into the "time crevasse." The 70 artists in the Yokohama Triennale were selected because they work with the kind of ctitical awareness of time. Art has the power to give us a more sensitive understanding of differences between individuals, societies, nations, genders, generations, races, and religions in the context of our present circumstances. - From a book I bought about this art exhibit
One night in Kawaguchi, we were watching the news and they were doing a story on the Triennale. The artist whose work they were spending a significant amount of time talking about was LA's own Miranda July, who wrote "No one belongs here more than you," and "Learning to love you more," and I met her after her show at Bumbershoot last summer (Emma has her autograph to prove this). The exhibit was extremely engaging and inspiring and i felt like an artist myself just observing and thinking about the art. It made me realize that anyone can do art, it's just the people who become very successful seem to have endless amounts of creativity and patience. If I had an abundance of these I would turn my life around and go to art school. (I'll stick to doodles for now... and calligraphy class on Thursdays!) I took a few pictures of the bigger works of art, but there were some really interesting ones that I felt guilty capturing with my digi cam. An image wouldn't do them justice; this art was more of the "be there and experience it" sort. I will definetely go back if I have time. Though, my weekends are filling up fast. I spent all day commuting to and walking around Yokohama and it was very cool to be in a familiar place for once. The last time I came to Japan- for those who don't know- I stayed in Yokohama for 2 weeks. The Triennale was at Shinko Pier, next to Yamashita Koen and Aka Renga where I ran every morning during my stay! Very cool to see the area two years later and in a different scene. Though, most things look the same. near the exhibit, to my surprise, was a Thai festival and tons of people were drinking beer and eating all sorts of grilled meat and noodles. I'm trying my hardest to do the vegetarian thing so I ate fresh spring rolls and deep fried (not the healthiest...) banana and sweet potato! It was the most delicious!
The next day, sunday, I met my friend Rhiana at the train station and together we took the subway to Hikarigoaka where one of our classmates' homestay is. We were both very surprised when we got out of the station because it was away from the noisy busy city. Lots of trees, home gardens/mini fields, parks with grass (very rare), and tons of young familys out a about. Hikarigaoka is known for being a good place to raise kids, and in turn has some of the best elementary and junior high schools: or so I was told. Our friend Suzanne (who also goes to WWU) and 3-year-old son (Kiichi) of the host family met us at the station and we walked to the beautiful Japanese suburbian home along quiet, friendly feeling streets. (I decided I could live in this neighborhood) The house was clean and very new looking. The host mother, Midori, greeted us very warmly and we gave her our hostess gifts we bought at the station (this is required in Japanese culture to bring the host sweets, flowers, etc.) Midori invited some of her friends over as well and we ate, talked, and played with Kiichi for 5 hours! Time flew out the window and into the neighbors pumpkin patch. In two weeks, Midori and her friends offered to take us to the famous fish market (Tsukiji) for sushi dinner and then see the view of the city from Tokyo Tower at night! yummm and ooooh
Yep, i'm still having fun here...
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1224511560/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1224511560/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1224511560/tpod.html Mon, 20 Oct 2008 11:02:22 -0400 Meaghan's First Study Abroad- Tokyo Fall Quarter 2008

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Tokyo, Kanto, Japan

Hello everyone! I hope this is reaching you all happy, healthy, and enjoying the autumn season where ever you are. Are you starting to see koyo? In Japan, this is the name of changing leaves and today I really started to notice a difference on the streets of Kawaguchi. Actually to be honest, there aren't many trees here at all. Only in the little neighborhood parks and near malls can you enjoy arching boughs overhead. I have yet to explore Shinjuku Gyoen Park, which is a 10 minute walk from my school and is absolutely huge, so the map shows. It was given as a present to the Princess, from her father the Emperor. I have heard that the park is very environmentally friendly and there are ponds, teahouses, open fields, and lots of cherry trees! Soon, I hope to spend some time there.
Last Saturday was the first of many culture courses, entitled Psychology of Japanese People. Despite it's start time of 9 am, the cultural expectations, societal problems, and theories were all very interesting. However, it was most fascinating to apply the contents of the lecture to my experience both living in a homestay and at ARI. May connections were made about people I had met and confusion I had felt as apart of my culture schock. Afterwards, all 30 English-speaking students took the subway to the Edo Tokyo museum in Ryogoku (about 40 minutes from Shinjuku). Here we walked around an exhibit for a few hours learning about the historical city of Edo- now Tokyo. My favorite part was the wood block printing because they are so beautiful! To make an original print, artists carved a new image into the block after every stamp on the paper. There is one picture that I took of a series of wood blocks all used for one image! Also, the early beginnings of manga... Another cool part of the exhibit was that they had pieces of the wood pipe sewer system! It was interesting to learn that there were fires very often in Edo because everything was made out of wood (even the water pipes) and so they had to be extremely careful with fire. There were devastating fires at least every year in the 1700's! This explains a lot about why the city looks the way it does today, I think. Everything is very close together and there is so little room for what is there. After touring the museum, many people returned to their homestays or dorms, and some went book shopping, but I chose to go with some people to Ueno park. It was a very comfortable evening, and we weren't the only ones taking advantage of the nice weather in the park. We saw Temples, statues, lots of foreigners, and street food (yum). Then, at sunset, we were in the middle of the three ponds in Ueno near a huge red temple. The lights of the city were visible beyond the park's perimeter and as the sun descended and the sky turned to night these lights became brighter and thus, Saturday night was born. (haha.) From the park, we found Ameyoko Arcade, which a long street running parallel to the train tracks and FULL of shops, restaraunts, arcades, fruit stands, and bars. It was so busy and it took us a while to digest our surroundings before making a decision about dinner. Directly under the Yamanote train line is where we finally decided to eat, or so we thought... After sitting down at a table, the waitress came and asked us if we wanted some grilled meat. Three of us explained we were vegetarians and she suggested tofu and daikon.After ordering, we were unsure what we ordered but excitedly awaited whatever we thought it was we would recieve. It turned out to just be an appetizer place, with boiled daikon (bitter root that Japanese people eat almost as much as rice), raw slab of tofu with green onions and ginger on top, and grilled motsu (which I later found out was giblets). I did not eat the meat, and this encounter alone is not the only time that my quest to be a vegetarian has saved me from comsuming mystery meat. Boiled daikon was delicious, and with some soy sauce on the tofu... well I it cooked. :)
After this little snack, I bought canteloupe soft-serve ice cream (wasabi flavor was tempting though..) and we continued to explore the narrow streets and alleys of Ameyoko. People were still hungry after raw tofu and grilled giblets so we stopped at a soba house and had some "real food." Bellies full, and the night getting late, we thought it best to top off our Ueno adventure with a solid hour of Karaoke at one of the hundred or so karaoke bars in the area (really, there are about 5 per city block!). It was about 1200 yen ($12)/one person/one hour at the place we chose- which ended up being a good deal. Some other people in our school did karaoke that night in Shibuya and spend over $25 per person- their bill was $300! ouch. Our group had a lot of fun and recieved free beverages the whole hour! Only songs sung were in English, but the Japanese was written above, so a few times we attmpted at singing the Japanese version. All in all, it was a crazy fun adventure and I look forward to taking advantage of the night life more while I'm here. Karaoke is probably the most popular pastime because anyone can do it, but I've heard about music shows and dancing places too. I'll definetely be keeping my ears open for good reviews of safe places however. No foreigner really knows what the streets of Tokyo hold...
Today was Monday and school is back in swing for the third week of classes! I'm enjoying the material which is all review so far but I forgot all of it pretty much so it's well worth studying it. It's also helpful living with native speakers that are always willing to help me go over the answers! Reiko and Koichi are doing well, and today they showed me the information for our trip to Nikko in two weeks! We're going to go see the autumn leaves in a nationally protected, traditional area. There is a very famous temple and is a site along what is called the Romantic Road, among Kyoto, Nara, and others.
Well it's about midnight, so I should probably go suggle up in my cozy futon. Miss you all!
Love, Meaghan
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1223904480/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1223904480/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1223904480/tpod.html Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:12:42 -0400 Meaghan's First Study Abroad- Tokyo Fall Quarter 2008

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Tokyo, Kanto, Japan

Today I went with Reiko, Jimmy, and his wife to Yanaka for an art gallery tour. We followed a map around quiet, clean, and sunny streets ever so often descending down narrow stairs into artist's galleries and studios. The three we spent the most time in were of American's who had studied at Tokyo University's School of Arts and lived in Japan for as long as 25 years. Very amazing work indeed and they were very generous to allow me to take pictures. There is a temple on nearly every block in Yanaka, making is a very traditional and peaceful place to explore. One temple we went to there was a family having their picture taken with a newborn baby. The woman was in a kimono and everyone looked very happy. Jimmy tried to explain the tradition to me, but the father of teh family overheard Jimmy's struggling English and assisted with the description; 3 months after the baby is born, the family goes to a nearby temple to say some prayers are about the baby having a long healthy and successful life. Similar to baptisms, but these Japanese were not Christian. This is also the place where there is a picture of my praying. I threw money in the slot thing (same as the little boy is in another picture below) bowed twice, clapped twice, made my wish, and bowed one last time. I can't tell you what it is but I sure hope it comes true!
One of my favorite pictures is of Bill, the artist and English teacher of Reiko and Jimmy's wednesday classes, with his sculpture of George Bush's head. As you can see it has many many nails driven into it. VERY SYMBOLIC of Bush's fan club, so to speak. Another exhibit was these beautiful paintings of trees, flowers, water, and all things that I imagine my soul to look like. My jaw had dropped for the duration of the time I was taking pictures and listening to the woman tell us about the artists work (i was speechless). I had never before felt such love a first sight. I hope I feel the same way when I meet my mystery husband man- in the far future?
There are also some pictures of Kawaguchi in here, lack of time has led me to clump these ditties together. I took a walk to the neighborhood pool (strange experience that is- i think- the reason I became sick for a day) and the sunset on my walk home was spectacular.When life slows down and you are open to life as it comes to you, it is an amazing sensation embrace Being. Not just doing something, but internally digesting, circulating, and thinking about an experience or place. Reading A New Earth, visiting shrines, and drinking 5 cups of tea a day is making me think spiritually, but no harm in that, eh?

Wish you all were here with me!
~Meaghan
p.s. First test in 2 days! ehhh
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1222147560/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1222147560/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/meaghanmcc/1/1222147560/tpod.html Mon, 13 Oct 2008 07:27:08 -0400 Meaghan's First Study Abroad- Tokyo Fall Quarter 2008

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Seattle, Washington, United States

It is my last night in Seattle and I am sitting in my dining room recieving a would be excessive amount of hugs and kisses from my sister and dad if I wasn't leaving for so long. I slipping them (emma won't fit) into my pockets for later when I start missing Ballard... hopefully that won't sink in for a while. Andy and Papa came over for dinner tonight and we had halibut, smoked salmon pasta, green beans, salad, goat chese and figs, and 'licious bread! I suppose I'll still be full at dinner time tomorrow! My bags are packed full and ready by the door, and the last things cosist of packing my carry-on and importing a few more cd's to my itunes (thanks dad and emma).
I promise more interesting entries in the coming weeks, this was just testing the waters!
Fingers are crossed for safe travels and hugs to those that I haven't seen recently (well, one for those I have too!)
Love you and good night,
Meaghan
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