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Fallin' into Japanese life
Entry 20 of 22 | show all | print this entry |
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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!
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| 20. | Fallin' into Japanese life - Tokyo, Japan Nov 27, 2008 (  32 ) |
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