Class Placement

   Today, our first day at Yamasa officially started, although it was more of an orientation day with no actual classes.  We woke up bright and early to get a great start to our first day... by which I mean I woke up at about 3AM and could not get back to sleep because I could not wait to get to class.  We didn't have to be at Yamasa until 9, so I took the opportunity to finish  this week's calculus homework, and then Erica and I went out for some 朝ごはん (breakfast).  Doesn't that breakfast over on the left look delicious?  You would never guess we got that from Denny's.

   Well, we got to school about an hour early (mostly because we were afraid that we would not be able to find it).  At 9, we were introduced to some of the staff, and then we introduced ourselves to our fellow new students and the staff.  In our group, besides us, there was a woman from Greece, a guy from Venezuela, an American elementary school teacher who teaches on a US base near Yokohama, and a guy from North Carolina.  After introductions, we commenced the dreaded placement test to determine which class each of us would be assigned to.

   The placement test is composed of two parts -- a written test and an interview.  The written test for SILAC is divided into the same sections as the SILAC modules themselves, most likely so that the instructors can determine which module a student is weakest in so that he can be assigned to that.  The test progresses from easy (beginner level), where you simply fill in a blank from four choices and becomes more difficult until you get into intermediate level questions.  Towards the end of the written test, you will find yourself filling in those blanks yourself and reading a short prose and answering questions relating to it.  If you have difficulty completing the test, though, it is quite OK to give up.  Even though I was struggling towards the end of the test, I was able to answer every question (even if I had to make an educated guess).

Statue of Tarokichi Hattori in front of Yamasa II

    After the written test there is a spoken interview, where an instructor will ask you questions (usually pertaining to what you missed on the test).  It is not unusual for someone with a lot of grammar knowledge to be placed a level lower due to lack of speaking ability, which makes sense because Yamasa is here to help people actually be able to communicate.

   Based on your overall test results, you get placed in one of 5 groups:  Beginner (for those folks who have never studied Japanese and cannot read or write in ひらがな or カタカナ),  Basic 1, Basic 2, Basic 3, and Intermediate.   I was placed in Basic 3, and while I will be reviewing concepts that I have studied before, I will also be doing chapters in みんなの日本語 that I have not gotten to yet.  Erica, unsurprisingly, was placed in Basic 1 since she already knows the ひらがな and カタカナ.

きつつき, or the Woodpecker, is a lunch spot on campus.

   After our test and interview, we were cut out for lunch until 1:00 PM, so we ate at the きつつき, which was basically a traditional Japanese cafe where you can get some really good sandwiches and juices.  As Declan Murphy put it, "it is the kind of food that your Japanese grandmother would make for you if you had a Japanese grandmother." 

   In the afternoon, we met Declan Murphy, who is basically the guy to go to if we have any questions about anything.  He also handles admissions.  I must say, though, this guy is a certified badass -- he is of Irish descent and serves as director for Yamasa, as well as the handler of most student affairs.  He gave us the low-down on living in Japan and about what we could expect from Yamasa's programs. 

   Afterwards, we took off for the evening, explored Okazaki for a little while, and checked out the AEON Mall, where I picked up my copy of コクリコ坂から and watched a movie called グスｺーブドリの伝記.  I'll write about Okazaki some other time, though, I need to go to sleep for morning class.  I'll leave you with a few more pictures, though.

Sugarwater and a random Japanese house.

The Day the Earth Stood (mostly) Still

This is where we were 6 hours in... approaching the halfway point.

   After the longest flight in the world -- one in which time slowed to a creeping crawl in a seemingly perpetual repeat of the 1:00 hour, we have finally arrived in Japan.  The day started at 6AM on a warm Dallas morning, as Erica and I awoke from our slumber and prepared for the long journey.  We arrived at the airport with about 2 hours to spare, but it ended up being a 4 hour wait as our flight was delayed by an hour and a half... but that is what the USO is for.  After watching The Secret of Kells and   partaking of the free (full) boxes of thin mints Girl Scouts cookies and other assorted snack items, we finally departed Dallas.

おいしそうですねぇ。

   Unfortunately, no first class treatment for us on this flight, but the coach class on the plane wasn't horrible.  It was still crowded, but the flight was so long that we got the equivalent of what first class is on sub-par airlines such as US Airways.  We received three square meals, which were all actually pretty decent, and that screen up there was loaded with movies, television, games, and other such entertainment.  Surprisingly, it had The Hunger Games, and that isn't even out on DVD yet.  Also, there was a strange Japanese television show where they put police officers in baths and measured their body temperature.  I guess it was some kind of contest, でもあまりわからないけど・・・  Some day, though... Someday...

Beautiful Alaskan scenery near Anchorage

   We had a lot of great scenery, as well.  Flying over British Columbia and along the Alaskan coast was absolutely gorgeous, and I think I would love to visit Alaska at some point.  I think it would be pretty awesome to fly over Alaska in a small Cessna.  Of course, it was still a long, drawn out flight where we had nothing to do but watch movies, play games, eat, and study Japanese n preparation for that placement test.

   We left Dallas at noon, pretty much on the dot, and we arrived in Tokyo at 2:25 PM.  Only 2 hours past by us as we were spirited away a day into the future, in exchange for 13 hours of our lives.  Our flight to Nagoya left at 3:50, though, and we had to go through Immigrations, retrieve our baggage, go through Customs, recheck our baggage with Japan Airlines, and catch our next flight.  It was quite rushed, but it seems like the airports in Japan do not have much in the way of airport shopping or food, anyways, as it seemed like there were nothing but endless waiting rooms throughout the facility.

富士山 (Mt. Fuji from the Air)

  We made it to our next flight, though, with about 10 minutes to spare, and departed on the 45 minute flight (well, an hour and some change after the long flight delay on the runway).  The Japan Airlines flight to Nagoya also depicted no shortage of kodiak moments as we passed by Mount Fuji and saw some of the most amazing cloud formations I have ever seen.  Also, the in-flight radio (that you plug your headphones into) had a Studio Ghibli channel, which we jammed to the entire way through.

   Once again, though, it was a rush after arriving in Nagoya.  We arrived at 5:15 PM and had to catch a bus to Okazaki at 5:40, but first we had to claim our baggage.  We made the bus just in the nick of time (although if we missed it, the worst that would happen would have been an hour of waiting).  After an hour long bus ride, we arrived at Okazaki Station, where we called for Yamasa staff to pick us up and take us to our room.

   We haven't done much exploring around Okazaki, yet, and I am extremely tired after traveling for the most pronounced day of my life, so I will have to put off talking about Okazaki and our room for later.  Besides, I need to get plenty of rest before the morning, since we have to be at Aoi Hall at 9:00 AM...

   Tomorrow, the first day of the Yamasa experience officially begins.....

The First Class Treatment

Sugarwater at 35,000 feet.

    Earlier this afternoon,  I officially embarked on my journey to Japan, and I am currently staying overnight in Dallas, TX with my grandparents.  The flight out here had a surprise to it, though.  Apparently, American Airlines thought that I got an overnight layover because of a scheduling conflict on their end, and as a valued member of their frequent flyer program, they sought to appease me by upgrading me to first class.  Of course, little did they know that I actually engineered my flight itinerary that way, but no looking a gift horse in the mouth -- Lucky me!  It was my first time flying first class, too, although I suppose if I wanted to travel in uniform (which will never happen) I would probably get to fly in style more often.  I could also suddenly come into vast amounts of wealth and be able to afford the absurd price of a first class ticket, but that is even less likely.

First Class food -- and it was free!

   First of all, I just want to let all of you folks that regularly fly first class, whether it is because you are ridiculously rich or your job pays for it for you, you guys have it good.  The seats are extremely comfortable, recline back really far, and there is enough leg room for me to completely stretch out.  It is nearly impossible to sleep in coach class, but I could sleep like a log up there.  Why waste the opportunity to enjoy all of the perks that come with first class, though?

   When you fly first, you get everything for free.  That meal over on the left would probably cost about $10 in coach class and would not taste nearly as good.  The stewardess told me to get as many drinks as I could, since they are all free, but since I do not partake I stuck with all I could drink orange juice.  Also, before we ate we were served hot towels with which ot wash our hands and face with.  It felt good to be pampered, it truly did.  I think I might fly American more often.
 

Erica and I

Leah (エリカのいもうと) and I

   Well, that is all for tonight, I have to wake up bright and early for my flight to Japan.  The next time you hear from me, Erica and I will be in Okazaki!

じゃ、日本で会う！

Sugarwater

   Well, I am far too excited to sleep and I have been meaning to write all day, so here we are.  I will be departing from Norfolk International Airport in about 12 hours now, bound for Dallas to spend a night with my family.  The next morning, it is off to Tokyo and then Nagoya for a month of intensive Japanese language studying.

Meet Sugarwater, our new companion on our Japanese adventure.

   I suppose you are wondering what the title of this post has to do about anything, though.  We have an addition to our traveling party -- a gnome named Sugarwater.  Sugarwater will be joining us as we explore Japan over the course of this next month, and you will see him in a variety of photos from time to time.  Why a gnome, you ask?  Well, it involves a tradition known as gnoming, where you steal a gnome before going on a trip and send it off into the world, photographing it at landmarks and famous sites.  I did not steal this gnome, though -- it is for a friend of mine's little girl and was given to me for this purpose.  Everyone knows if I tried to steal a gnome, I would probably end up doing hard time.

   Well, the bulk of today involved packing my bags.  I have a lot of stuff to bring, and I would hate to forget anything.  Every time I go on a trip, I always forget something that would be really convenient to have, such as the time I went underway without my laptop charger -- doh! 

    Since I am going to a language school, I had to make sure I brought all of my study materials with me, as well as my Japanese reading material.  As you can see, I have been preparing for this for quite a while!  Hopefully it pays off, as I would like to do well enough on the placement test to be put in a challenging class.

  Of course, that also means I need to bring all of my Japanese entertainment, as well.  You would be surprised how effective watching movies in Japanese and playing Japanese video games is at making new vocabulary words stick.  Nothing is better than seeing the words you are learning being used in in literature, movies, games, and hopefully in conversation too!

   I have also packed all of the necessities - all of my favorite clothes, enough toiletries and supplies to last the entire month, of course my camera and laptop, and anything else that I felt I could not survive a month without.  Just wait, though, I will probably be writing about forgetting something in a few days, now...

   The next time you hear from me will be tonight from Dallas, the first stop on my journey.  On a side note, doesn't that cloud look a lot like Mickey Mouse to you?  Maybe it's just me, but I saw this driving on the HOV today and randomly felt like I had to take a picture. 

  旅行を始まるので、もう面白い日記を書くでしょ。じゃ、こんばんね。

Everything is coming together...

   Well, it is 3AM on a Saturday morning, I cannot sleep, and I have to report to the ship for my duty day in a little over 3 hours,  which means it is the optimal time for making a blog entry.  I only hope that insomnia does not become a habit in Japan, though, as I really really want to be well rested for class every morning (especially since I saved for a long time to be able to make this trip). 

   Earlier this afternoon, I returned from our last at-sea period in a while.  My ship will be entering the shipyard for a maintenance availability while I am in Japan (yay for no more pausing of life to dink around off of the coast of Florida every few weeks!).  I don't want to talk about Navy stuff, though, so let's move on to a much more pressing issue that has me excited in anticipation -- In only 2 more days I will be departing Norfolk for 32 days to embark on the greatest adventure of my life (to date).

   Happily, all of the details have panned out during the past week.  Erica finally received her passport in the mail (you have no idea how nervous I was getting about that!), I have secured a ride to the airport on Monday afternoon, and all that is left is to pack (and do a little bit of light shopping).  Of course, following family tradition, I will end up packing late at night on the eve of my departure.


   I have added a few more events to my Tokyo itinerary (we are really making the most out of the weekend in Tokyo!), and it is looking to be a fully planned out weekend.  I have never planned out an entire weekend before, so I am actually rather proud of myself.  On Saturday after (July 28), we are planning on going to the Ghibli Museum in the Mitaka ward of West Tokyo since I am such a fan of Studio Ghibli's films (as well as original anime movies in general).  In fact, Isao Takahata is my favorite director, and the works of Hayao Miyazaki also hold a special place in my heart.

Map for visiting locations in 「耳をすませば」

  Afterwards, I want to visit Tama Town, which is a suburban ward in West Tokyo that the anime film 耳をすませば (or Whisper of the Heart for you English-speaking folks) is set in.  This is another Studio Ghibli film that was directed by Yoshifumi Kondo, and is among one of my favorite films of all time.  The film follows a 3rd-year middle school student named Shizuku who loves reading fairy tales, daydreams of adventures, and is talented at writing stories and song lyrics.  She is curious about a person named Seiji Amasawa who has been checking out all of the books in the library before her, and begins to wonder who this person is.  The story itself is about Shizuku "coming of age" so to speak -- it is about both Shizuku and Seiji discovering who they are and how to achieve their goals in life within the bounds of reality.  I highly recommend Whisper of the Heart to anyone.  Anyways, the locations in the film are actually real places that you can visit, and I intend to check it out.  Besides, I am curious about suburban Tokyo :p

Of course, we have to make it back in time for the Sumida River Fireworks Festival that night, as well.  I still have no idea what we are doing in Kyoto on the first weekend, but I guess we'll play it by ear.  It has also come to my attention that Comiket is being held on August 10-12 in Tokyo, so I think I might try to return for at least a day to take Erica to that.  She is a brilliant cosplayer who is extremely skilled at making her own costumes, so I think that she would love to attend a manga convention in Tokyo.


   Well, that is all for today.  もうすぐ行く・・・待てないんですよ！読めば、書いて続く約束です。じゃまたねぇ。