The Studies Continue...

      Well, this is going to be a short entry, since I have actually been pretty busy with my studies.  The first week has come and gone, and I apparently did well on my test.  On the written test, I only got an 85.  I should really read the questions more carefully, since there were pitfalls engineered into the test and I fell into every single one of them.  On the speaking test, I thought I did absolutely horrible.  I felt like I was forcing the grammar points we were being graded on (well, I was forcing it) and I stumbled more times than I cared to admit.  Coupled with the fact that I was being recorded the entire time, the entire affair seemed like a train wreck.  Somehow or another, though, I managed to pull a 94 on the speaking test.  I wonder if maybe my sheet got mixed up with someone else, though, because speaking is my weakest ability, and after spending a week in Japan I have become aware with exactly how much I don't know about Japanese.  Seriously, I can't even order food at a restaurant without stumbling, yet somehow I am "intermediate".

This graveyard is actually right down the road from our villa

  
  Anyways, yesterday we went to the Aeon Mall to buy yukata for the summer festival this weekend.  I would have loved to post pictures, but that will have to wait until the actual festival since you cannot take photographs inside of Japanese stores (or museums).  Tomorrow we take the Shinkansen to Tokyo, kicking off the weekend, and it looks like beautiful weather in Tokyo all weekend.  Unfortunately, we will not be able to go to the Ghibli Museum, since apparently I did not actually complete the purchase for tickets while in the US, and right now tickets are completely sold out every day until September.  It probably has something to do with summer vacation -- next week we will no longer see junior high or high school students in sailor outfits everywhere we go as everyone will be on their one-month vacation.

   It was my birthday today, however here in Japan that day is coming to a close (although in Virginia it is still the 26th for another 14 hours).  Kenneth made some spaghetti with home-made meat sauce (it was extremely delicious), I received a jigsaw puzzle from 耳をすませば (Whisper of the Heart) from Erica, and our esteemed 先生 (teachers) gave me a 500円　gift card that I can use at several different places around Okazaki (truth be told, it'll probably get used at the Daiso, which is the 100円 store near our villa).  I know it is late, but I'd like to wish a happy birthday to James as well (hus birthday was on the 22nd).  お誕生日おめでとう！

 That is all for tonight, be looking for my posts from Tokyo!

じゃまたねぇ・・・

Around Campus

   Class is really starting to ramp up in difficulty as the volume of information that we study continues to grow.  We are actually starting to get into topics I have not yet studied, too, since my SILAC course jumps around the textbook a bit.  Even in the topics that I have studied,  I clearly did not get enough practice on my own as I ended up struggling when we had to use いたたきます、くださいます、 and さしあげます correctly in sentences (particularly in Verbて~ sentences).  That is what I am here for, though, to sharpen my conversational skills.  Our first test is tomorrow, and it consists of a written portion and a speaking test, so I have a great deal of studying to do in preparation.  Also, I have 3 pages of 宿題 (homework) and an essay to write tonight, but I found a little bit of time to show my readers around campus.

    The building over on the right is the Yamasa II building, where Yamasa's main office and the AIJP classrooms are located.  This is where you go to get your student ID card on your first day at Yamasa, and also where you go if you have to pay extra money (or get refunded for paying to much) for a program, if you want to add private lessons, or make changes to your current study program.  If you are a long-term student in the AIJP (Academic Intensive Japanese Program) or the AJSP (Advanced Japanese Studies Program), then your classes will be in this building.  Also, the first floor lobby has computers that are free for students to use, as not everyone owns/brings their own computer to Yamasa.

     The building on the right is Aoi Hall.  Don't let the outside appearance fool you -- it is actually a completely renovated modern building on the inside.  This is where the classrooms for all of Yamasa's extension programs are located, including SILAC (my program), the Discovery program, the Business Japanese programs, and all private and semi-private lessons are held.  The first floor of Aoi Hall also has a cafeteria and kitchen that are free for students to use, vending machines, and a distance-learning classroom (which is mostly used for AIJP graduation ceremonies).  Okazaki FM 76.3 is also owned by Yamasa, and they operate their office in Aoi Hall as well.  Because of this, you can hear Japanese rock music as you enter Aoi Hall from the front, and all of the station's radio interviews are available on tape for the Advanced students to practice their listening comprehension from.
   
   Also on the right hand side is my classroom in Aoi Hall.  As you can see, the desks are set up in a U-pattern so that everyone in class can easily participate.  We talk a great deal in class, and it is much easier and feels much more natural when you are facing your classmates as you speak rather than speaking to their backs as would be the case if the desks were in rows.  Each classroom has its own individual エアコン (A/C) unit, so it is never too hot or too cold during class, and empty classrooms are available for student use after normal class hours.

 This is Fuji hall, located right next to Aoi Hall's radio station.  I haven't done a great deal of exploring inside of Fuji Hall, but there is a conference room and a few classrooms located inside of there.  Whenever you sign up for a weekend field trip, this is where students typically gather prior to departing.  I imagine it has a few other uses as well, but I honestly don't know too much about what goes on inside of Fuji Hall.  Just like Aoi Hall, though, its outside appearance conceals a completely renovated, modern interior.

   On the left is the school store, where you can buy various useful and not-so-useful things.  When you first arrive at Yamasa, this is where you buy all of your textbooks if you do not already have them.  Also, they own several bicycles that are available for students to rent for 800円 a week, and they sell various Yamasa merchandise such as coffee cups, bowls, and the like.  They also manage homevisits and homestays, and it is usually possible to arrange a homevisit through this office.  I am considering doing a homevisit, where you are invited to join a Japanese family for dinner or even for a weekend.

    This is the きつつき, or "Woodpecker", and they serve Japanese food just like your Japanese grandmother would make it.  It is pretty good and affordable, so it is popular among the students, although a lot of students still bring their own lunches or buy set lunches from the supermarket next door.  They give you a lot of food, too, surprisingly -- for about 500円 you get 2 Bacon and Egg sandwiches (with the crusts cut off), an assortment of fresh vegetables, and a glass of freshly squeezed apple juice.  It really isn't bad, at least compared with other restaurants in Japan (seriously, eating out in Japan is a costly affair).

     This building, as well as the one directly across from it, is where a lot of Yamasa's extracurricular activities occur at.  Yamasa owns a full cooking studio and offers classes in traditional Japanese cooking both to the locals and to Yamasa students who are able to complete the 8-week course.  The Yamasa classes are much smaller than classes given to the locals, though, as the class is also another Japanese language class in which the participants practice speaking.  There is also a dance studio on the second floor of this building, although the dance studio is not owned by Yamasa.  The building directly across from the cooking is where some of Yamasa's other culture-based extracurricular programs occur at, such as Japanese drumming and tea ceremony.

   If you follow this trail from the cooking studio, then you will reach the Fine Food Cafe and the sports complex.  The Fine Food Cafe is not owned by Yamasa, however students sometimes eat there and it is popular with the locals.  They serve something different everyday, and the food is absolutely delicious, but the price is pretty high so I probably won't be eating there too many times.

  The sports complex is owned by Yamasa and is free for student use in the afternoons.  Yamasa does rent out the facility to the local Junior League soccer team, though, so it cannot be used while the kids are practicing.  There are a variety of sports equipment available for use inside the building for anyone who wishes to use the sports facility.

  This is part of Yamasa's vegetable patch, and the building out in the distance is Yamasa's day care.  Most of the vegetables grown in the garden are sold to the Fine Food Cafe, however it is possible to grow your own vegetables in Yamasa's garden as a Yamasa student.  There is an AIJP student that is doing that right now.  I haven't been to the Yamasa day care, but I think mostly local children are left there while their parents are working.  Yamasa students who have children are free to drop their children off at the day care before attending class, though, so it is possible to study at Yamasa even if you are raising a child.  In a way, the child would be learning Japanese as well since he/she would be making Japanese friends.

   Well, this is the place that I have chosen to study Japanese at.  I hope everyone enjoyed the little tour.  There is more info about campus on Yamasa's website, although some of the information on the English website is a little bit outdated.  I guess that is what happens when you are a small language school maintaining a website in six different languages, though.  I would show you some of Yamasa's accommodations, but there are so many and they are spread out throughout the neighborhood.  Besides, I will probably end up writing about my Villa and possible about the Student Village at some point anyways.

   Well, I need to study for that test, so until next time, じゃまたねぇ・・・

Japanese Pizza, Dutch Pancakes, and a Night at the Movies

Pizza Hut Pizza in Japan

That trailer above is for おおかみ子どもの雨と雪 (The Wolf Children Ame and Yuki), which we watched tonight.  Anyways, I have to catch up from last night's quest to order a pizza from Pizza Hut and have it delivered right to my Japanese doorstep..  We decided to order Pizza Hut since it is possible to complete an order entirely online (I can only imagine how hard it would be over the phone... if we had a phone to call with), and because we get a 5% discount on the already overly expensive pizza.  Luckily, they have an step-by-step instructions on how to make an order in English in a nifty little PDF file, but it still took an hour to order the pizza.  I finally did it, though -- I ordered an "Eru-Saizu" (L-size -- not 大きい or ラージ or anything else...) and 40 minutes later the equivalent of an American "Emu-Saizu" (M-Size) pizza arrived at my door.  Japanese pizza is a lot different from its American counterpart -- not just the size, but the way it is made and the toppings that are available.  Only in Japan can you try a Tuna, Mayonnaise, and Corn pizza.  In fact, a certain senior chief I know just might go for the mayonnaise pizza, only with extra mayonnaise.  Of course at 2100円, we will not be ordering any more pizza.

View of the Okazaki sunset from my window

   Anyways, today was our first full day of class, and the pressure is really starting to build to keep up with the lessons.  Even though a lot of the material is review for me, I still need to prepare for class ahead of time and practice speaking whenever I can since speaking is my weakest area.  That is part of the trick -- speak Japanese as much as possible and try to avoid using English outside of class if possible.  I just wish my class size wasn't so large -- hopefully this week we will gain enough people to split the class into two (the maximum class size is 15, any more and the class is split).

   After class we finally decided to do our laundry (which was another adventure that can wait for another day) and were invited over to Yamasa Student Village to try some Dutch pancakes from Erica's classmate from the Netherlands.  That is the cool thing about going to an international school -- you meet people from all over the world and get the opportunity to experience small bits of different cultures all at once.  For how thin those things are, they are surprisingly extremely filling and taste excellent.  After only 3 I could eat no more.  As for the Yamasa Student Village, it is basically a large dormitory building with a shared kitchen and community area where any of the students living there can hang out.  It seems like a pretty cool place to stay, although I think I prefer my villa.

   Afterwards, we invited our Dutch friend with us to see the movie おおかみ子どもの雨と雪 by director Mamoru Hosoda (surname first).  For those of you who are not familiar with anime movies, he is the same director that produced The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Summer Wars, and I have been waiting for the chance to see this gorgeous movie since it the trailer was first released last December.  The movie is about a woman named Hana who falls in love with a man who can change into a wolf, and has two children with him.  Unfortunately, the wolf man is killed when he is spotted in wolf form, and Hana must raise her two children alone.  Since the children can also transform, they move from Tokyo to the country, and the movie follows the two children growing up.  It truly is a fantastic film.

    As for the theater experience itself, it is much different than American theaters.  The ticket prices are slightly more expensive (1000円, or about $12.50) per person, but the concessions are slightly cheaper, so I guess it balances out.  Unlike in the United States, where you buy a ticket and then seek out a place to sit when you get into the theater, in Japan you must choose which seats you want on a seating chart.  Your tickets will actually have your chosen seat numbers printed directly on the ticket.  Also, in the movie theater lobby itself there is a kiosk where official movie memorabilia from released and upcoming films is available for purchase.  Also, the theater is extremely clean -- I seriously think you could eat off of the floor -- but then again, I have yet to see a single piece of litter in Japan.  Trash, and especially recycling, is taken to another level here, but that is a topic for another day...

   Anyways, the night at the movies was quite an enjoyable experience.  I need to finish my 宿題 and get some sleep for tomorrow's class, so またね。  I will leave you with an awesome trailer of the upcoming live-action Rurouni Kenshin film, hitting Japanese theaters soon..... a week after I leave >.<

京都へ行った週末 (Weekend in Kyoto)

   Kyoto really is a beautiful city, although it is incredibly large and can be difficult to navigate at first.  I think after spending the weekend here, I have become an expert on using the 地下鉄   (subway) and 市バス (City Bus) in Kyoto.  We did a great deal of walking the first day, though, since we did not know how to get around very well.  I don't think Erica has walked so much in all her life.

Chikashiku-in Temple

http://www.pref.kyoto.jp/visitkyoto/en/theme/sites/shrines/temples/m_chishaku/    We woke up on Saturday morning and searched for a place to enjoy breakfast, however we happened across a temple called the Chishaku-in Temple not far from our 旅館  (Japanese inn), so we checked it out.  There were not so many tourists at this temple since it is a little far from the popular tourist sites, so it was not so crowded at all.  This temple features a museum, the temple itself, and a beautiful garden with a pond (in fact, it is most well known for its garden).  After realizing we forgot to bring Sugarwater, we headed back to the hotel to retrieve his and had our first おにぎり (rice ball) for breakfast.

しゃけのおにぎり (Salmon Rice Ball)

Chikashiku-in Garden

On the Imperial Palace Grounds

   Well, it started raining at about that time, and it would not let up for the rest of the day, so it started to impede on the places we could go.  Added to that, it was our first time in Kyoto, so we spent a fair bit of time being lost as well.  We did make our way to the Kyoto Imperial Palace (walking from Gion-Shijo), though, only to find out that you need a reservation to enter the main palace.  There are plenty of places on the grounds that you can freely enter, though, and we rested in a small secluded temple in the southwest corner of the Imperial Palace grounds.

  After leaving the Imperial grounds, we began a quest to seek out the International Manga Museum, since Erica wanted to go there.  It was difficult finding it, though, since the directions we got were incredibly vague and for some reason the Japanese like to have maps everywhere pointing everywhere except for north.  Seriously, most maps here have "North" pointing to the right, and one even had north pointing down.  To make it worse, unless you knew 北 was the kanji for North, you would not even realize it.  I will say, though, that walking around Kyoto is really good exercise, and you really learn your way around after you do it all day.  We did not find the museum on the first day, though, and the rain continued to fall, so we returned to the hotel and watched コクリコ坂から and did our weekend homework.

Us at the 金閣寺(Golden Temple) in Kyoto

  The next morning's weather was much better, so we went to the 金閣寺　(Golden Temple).  After all of that walking we did the previous day, it was easy to figure out how to get just about everywhere in Kyoto by subway, so this time we actually used the public transportation.  For those of you who have Apple computers, the Golden Temple is featured in one of the screensaver themes that comes packaged with Mac OSX.  The Golden Temple was truly breathtaking -- both the temple itself and the scenery around it.  It is surprisingly very affordable -- only 400円 per person and you can see one Kyoto's best temples.  I wish we could have seen more temples during our short stay in Kyoto, but we had one more stop to make before returning to Okazaki.

   We finally found it -- it is on Kurasuma-dori north of the Kurasuma-Oike subway station.  The Kyoto International Manga Museum used to be an elementary school, but then it was converted to a museum commemorating manga and comics from around the world.  They probably have a copy of every manga since 1945 in there, and they also have comics from other countries and even America.  It's a 3-story library of manga and comics, and for only 300円　you can read any manga within the museum during your stay.  I found the perfect souvenir for Martha there, as well, so I went ahead and bought it.

   Anyways, I am now back in Okazaki, preparing for tomorrow's lesson.  I will leave you with a ton of photos from the weekend, though, in no particular order.  Until next time... じゃね。

First Day of Class and the Journey to Kyoto

      Today marked the first real day of classes, although since it is Friday our last class ended at 11:50.  My class is pretty crowded -- there are 14 people (the maximum class size in 15).  I am the only American in my class, however there are several people from the UK, several people from Taiwan, two people from France, two people from the Netherlands, and one person from New Zealand.  Even though there are a lot of people in my class, I still got a solid amount of speaking time during the exercises.  The material is stuff that I have already gone over before (we were covering volitional form), however I feel that I was placed in the right class as I found my ability to actually use the volitional form in conversation was actually really awful.  Erica is lucky -- there are only 3 people in Basic 1, so she gets no shortage of individual attention, although I doubt she will see it that way after a week or so.

Negiyaki on the grill

For lunch we ate at a place called お好み焼(Okonomiyaki) between campus and our villa.  This place was absolutely amazing.  Each of the tables have their own grill, as well as two timers and all of the sauces you need to use to make a good 焼そば (yakisoba) or ねぎ焼 (negiyaki).  When you order your food, they bring everything out ready to be cooked and you cook it yourself.  Everything is already prepared -- you just slap it on the grill and set the timer for 6 minutes.  After 6 minutes, you flip it over, put whatever sauce you want or soy sauce on it, and then set the timer for 3 minutes.  After that timer is up, you can enjoy one of the finest meals you will probably ever eat -- and you cooked it yourself!  Also, rice, curry, soup, and drinks are free on the drink bar when your order an entree.

   Afterwards our trip to Kyoto commenced.  We took a short train ride into Nagoya, and then a 45 minute ride on the Shinkansen to Kyoto, and arrived at about 4 PM.  Shortly after confirming the directions to Higashiyama ward on our map, we headed towards our hotel.  This was probably the most interesting part of the trip so far.  On our way to the hotel, we were approached by an elderly man.  To be honest, I thought he was about to try to bum some money, but he never did.  He was actually a really cool guy -- he spoke English exceptionally well and wanted to talk to us because we were foreigners.  When we said we were Americans, he told us all about his travels in the US.  He had several pieces of paper with handwritten Japanese phrases translated into English, and he asked us to read each phrase and comment about whether or not they sounded natural.  He was especially interested in learning English idioms that do not literally translate well into Japanese, as well as our thoughts and comments on some of the translations.  Since I know a little bit of Japanese, I also tried to read some of the Japanese since the sentences were simple enough for me to understand them.  We ended up talking to the guy for a good hour and a half or so, and he told us how to get to some of the best spots in Kyoto as well as led us to our hotel.  After all of that time, too, he did not once ask for a single yen. 

Our hotel room in Kyoto

  Our hotel is called Ryokan Ohto, and it is a traditional Japanese inn in the Higashiyama ward of Kyoto.  It is situated in the middle of a quiet neighborhood, and there are many local shops and houses in the neighborhood.  Personally, I don't think I could have picked a better place -- it really is a nice find.  As you can see, I have posted pictures of the hotel on the inside and outside.


   We went out to downtown Kyoto for a little while, however the bulk of our Kyoto trip is likely to occur tomorrow, so until then..... また明日ね。