Yes I know I have been pretty bad at getting these entries done, and it isn't about to change now. Truth be told, not THAT much has happened since my last blog really. Classes seem to take up a lot of time and out side of that I've really just been doing the "usual", which involves the mandatory studying, but also lots of drinking, singing, dancing and what not.
I will get a full update nicely written for you soon, but with the world cup only 9 days away...
If you're wondering what team I will be supporting, could I support any country other than the one who to whom the scorer of this goal belongs?
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Well, maybe...
(But of course, Argentina are always my number 1).
Last time we spoke (you know what I mean), I was about to set off on a great and perilous journey north to the Island of Hokkaido, and more specifically Japan's fifth biggest city, Sapporo.
The name Hokkaido translates literally as "north sea way", and the island has strong ties with the sea (much like the rest of Japan), but it also has a very big link with dairy products and sheep (which are rather uncommon on the main island of Honshu). It is a lot further north than Tokyo, and therefore has a much colder temperature - it being around 7 degrees while we were there.
Naoko and I flew from Hanada airport early on Thursday morning, and arrived an hour and a half later in Sapporo. The first thing we noticed was that it was a lot more spacious than Tokyo. Perhaps spacious is the wrong word - it was simply quite empty. The main streets in Tokyo are always heaving with people, whatever the time of day. The main street coming out of Sapporo station was relatively deserted by comparison. The station too, seemed to lack the buzz that is always around the main stations in the capital.
The hotel we had was in a decent location, and was pretty swish for what we were paying. We dropped off the bags and head off back to the station to catch the local train all the way to Otaru.
Otaru is a much smaller city than Sapporo, located about 40 minutes away by train. It has a lot of history and is a major tourist destination because of the old buildings and scenic canal that runs through it. The fish in Otaru is also well known for being fresh, and I wasted no time in digging into a big bowl of "kaisendon" - raw fish and hot rice. In the evening after having wondered around the town and taken in the sights, we made our way back to the canal in order to go to the Otaru Beer Hall. Otaru beer comes highly recommended, and I have to say it was pretty damn good. We chose to stay there for dinner before getting a late train back to Sapporo and walking back to our hotel.
The next morning we got up early so that we could make the most of the day. We wondered around Sapporo, visiting the main sights including the old government building, the fish market, and "Sapporo Tower". For lunch, we went for "Soup Curry" - basically a very liquid Japanese style curry with a big bowl of rice. The restaurant we chose was rather interesting to say the least. It was recommended by one of the guide books we had, and the food didn't disappoint (I went for a "medium spicy" lamb ball curry - which proved to be ridiculously spicy), but the place was decorated with stained reggae and Jamaican flags, the seats were old and knackered, and this along with the reggae music that was being played didn't seem to fit with the business clientèle that were crammed in the dingy room.
We spent the evening with one of Naoko's high school friends who is studying in Hokkaido. She took us to a restaurant well know for its large selection of Japanese sake, and I made a decent job of trying a fair few.
Before catching our flight back in the evening, we spent the last day stocking up on as many of the other things Hokkaido and Sapporo have to offer, including ramen, yoghurt, pudding, milk, chocolate, and many other tasty treats. We also took a trio to Hokkaido university to look around, and marvel at the openness of the campus compared to how tightly packed universities are in Tokyo.
All in all, it was an awesome trip, and I recommend it if you have the chance, as it is certainly another side to Japan compared to the hectic life of Tokyo.
Since having got back from Tokyo, classes have finally started (3 months of holiday is too much in my opinion), and I am now well into my second semester - which turns out to be the first semester of the academic year here. I had to take a placement test again in order for them to decide what level of Japanese class I should be put into, and that turned out to be a bit of a joke. I was looking forward to complaining about it here at the time, but that having been three weeks ago, I've kind of lost the passion that it instilled in me. Suffice to say that it was well in line with the rest of the bureaucratic nonsense that this country seems to be plagued with. (I did manage to move up levels though).
So that's pretty much it folks. Obviously there's more to tell, but I'll keep some of it back so that I feel motivated to write another entry soon (yes that does make me sound lazy). Until next time!
From mid January to early May, the bloom of the cherry blossoms occur in Japan. Starting in the south, the appearance of the sakura works it's way up north finishing in the northern island of Hokkaido around May. This year, they arrived in Tokyo around the 20th March, and we are now currently entering our second week of cherry blossoms. While this itself is no particular Japanese speciality (after all, the cherry trees blossom in any country in which they grow), the ensuing "hanami"celebrations are. Hanami literally translates as "flower watch", and this is basically what it is.
Go to any park or open public space during the blossoming period and you will see countless groups of friends huddled together under the pink trees drinking beer, eating snacks, and generally having a "rad" time. What is striking about this is the sheer quantity of people taking part in the celebration. I had my first experience of "hanami" yesterday in Ueno park, and the atmosphere and quantity of people was akin to the music festivals that I have been to. There were long queues outside the toilets, temporary food stalls, huge bins erected specifically for the occasion, and barely a single blade of grass visible due to the blue tarpaulins laid down by different groups of people there taking in the various pink and white shades of the petals.
The weather was buy no means perfect - it was cold and the sky was threatening to rain the whole time I was there, but it was still a thoroughly enjoyable experience. We arrived at around 4pm and met with some friends who already had a decent spot with a large blue tarpaulin in place surrounded by other people on blue tarpaulins (blue seemed to be the only accepted colour of tarpaulin for hanami celebrating). There were plenty of drinks and snacks, and we were soon able to befriend everyone who was there, discussing all manner of things including the delights of beans on toast and marmite. I had gone with Steve, Ramses, and a couple of Japanese friends, and not soon after we had sat down and started enjoying the atmosphere, we were approached by a film crew from "Nihon Television" who wanted to find out what we foreigners made of the whole "Hanami" celebration. The three of us made reasonable efforts to give coherent answers in Japanese to the questions we were asked, and I think we came across as fairly decent speakers... although I'm not sure when it will be shown on TV. I have to say though, that while we were doing just as everyone else in the park seemed to be doing with regards to drinking, talking, and having a good time, there was very little actual "flower watching". I got the impression somewhat that under the pretence enjoying the bloom of the cherry blossom, it was simply another good opportunity for the Japanese to be able to gather together and have a good time.
The bloom will last for another two weeks(ish), and the moment near the end when the petals slowly fall from the trees is said to be the most beautiful. As this is the case, and I still have 2 more weeks of holiday (3 months has been a seriously long time) I hope to have many more opportunities to partake in this activity.
In other news, Ramses and I have successfully made the move into our new apartment and have grown accustomed to truly "living" in Japan. The freedom provided by not having a curfew, along with the decent location of the pad has certainly allowed us to relax somewhat and enjoy our time here more thoroughly. On Monday night we plan to throw a little house warming to show off the place, and hopefully this will be the first of many gatherings to be had.
For Naoko's birthday, we have also decided (her and I) to go to Sapporo which is the fifth largest city in Japan, and lies on the island of Hokkaido in the north. The place is famous for dairy products, crabs, and the Sapporo brewery - so I hope to get my fill of those things while we are there. We'll be going the weekend before the start of the second semester, which fits in nicely as I will have already taken my Japanese placement test the previous week on the 6th of April.
So that's about it really. I survived my first few earthquake experiences last month, although I think they were relatively small as the room barely shook at all.
I'll try and get another entry done on my return from Hokkaido, but going on my current run of updates, I wouldn't hold your breath. Take care, and hopefully speak to you soon.
When I say the word "Japan" to you, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Fast trains? Mt. Fuji? Or what about sushi?
Sushi, now I would hazard a guess that that is certainly going to be a common reply. Outside of Japan, sushi is regarded as something special. Yes, I know that of late with the popularity of places such as "Yo! Sushi", it is far more available to the masses and is therefore losing that magical spark, but it still retains the notion of being something different. (I would like to take this opportunity to point out that the vegetables rolled in rice and seaweed that they sell in your local Tesco, are not "sushi", but rather some western invention made to give the impression of eating something "foreign")
My dad recently directed my attention towards an article in the guardian magazine some time ago. It talks about sushi, and the idea of "tourist anxiety about eating in Japan", as the article puts it. It suddenly occurred to me that I too have suffered from this while being here. I found out last year that leaving rice grains in your bowl/dish is considered rude - during the shogunate it was something only the rich could afford, and the concept of it being a privilege to eat has continued to this day (highlighted by the use of the honorific "go" in front of the actual word for rice - "gohan").
The article also directs readers to this video (at least, the online version does):
I remember watching this before going to Japan, and not knowing how much was actually "for real". While they make jokes about the etiquette of the people here, there is some truth in what they say. This obviously adds to this whole sense of anxiety, not only when eating, but generally while living in Japan. All Japanese people seem to be aware of a certain code of how to act in public - something which as a foreigner, I have no idea about (other than what I have learnt from my parents). The irony is, that as soon as Japanese people get drunk, this "code of behavior" is permitted to be thrown out the window, and all manners of behaviour are permitted (to an extent obviously).
Therefore, it appears that a good remedy for this anxiety would be to be drunk all the time - thereby excusing your actions. Of course, this is not a feasible idea, especially when factoring in the ludicrous price of beer in Japan. Luckily, there is another option which requires very little effort - being foreign. As a foreigner in Japan, you are somewhat immune to social expectations on how to behave. Obviously extremes of behaviour will not generally be tolerated, nor will any illegal activity, but on the whole you can get a way with a hell of a lot simply by shrugging your shoulders and saying "hey, I'm foreign".
There is a third way - actually learning what to do in each situation. This however, is extremely difficult, as half the time Japanese people don't even know what to do, they simply do it by instinct.
So how am I getting by? Mostly by using the second option with occasional attempts at the other two, and eating a lot of sushi as I do it. Before coming to Japan I was never that enthralled by sushi, and I would still take yakiniku or a few other types of Japanese cuisine over it, but I have certainly acquired a taste for it. A nice bit of Toro (tuna sushi) is simply delicious (yes I know I am contributing to the problem, but it's just so damn good).
Anyway, so what have I been up to (besides eating sushi and shrugging my shoulders)? I hear you ask. Well, New Years Eve was certainly eventful. We decided to head to Meiji jingu for midnight - supposedly a "Japanese Tradition". But it turned out to be filled with foreigners and not really amount to much other then chucking some coins over a large crowd of people. After that we didn't really know what to do, so we walked around for a while, sat in McDonalds, and ended up in a darts bar at 4am drinking champagne (thanks Dries!). So yeah, not the best - but New Year's eve is always a big let down.
Around the 8th of January, I went with a few friends from the dorm to a mountainous region west of Tokyo called Hakone. We only went for one night, but were able to take in the countryside, visit the hot springs, and eat eggs cooked in the natural sulphurous springs of the mountains. It was a pretty nice place, and it even snowed on the second day, providing me with my first snow of the season (big ones for sure)! After getting back, we all had two weeks of exams/papers, but they proved to be pretty easy, and having completed them we are now on holiday until early April (hells)!
Regarding my moving out of dorms, I am unsure at what point I was at the last time I mentioned it, but thanks to a friend we have been able to obtain an apartment in a posh area of Tokyo called hiroo. What's best about the place is the rent - half of what I am paying now, equating to about £200/month. I'm moving with a Belgian friend I have made here in the dorm, and we are able to move in any time from now, so I have been taking occasional trips over there with a few of my belongings. The place isn't big, and it's pretty old by Japanese standards (from the 60's), but for that price in that neighbourhood, it is an amazing deal. It will allow a lot more freedom in how we live, and will ensure no worries about missing curfew, or the last train home - so we are bloody happy.
I think I'm going to call it a day for now as I've been writing this for well over an hour, and I want to cook my dinner. But I will hopefully get another post up telling you all about the rad South American food I've been eating, the all-night karaoke sessions I've been put through, and the dodgy robberies that have gone on (not to me thank God, but still... pretty dodgy).
So I leave you with a handy "how to" video showing you a speedy way to fold your T-shirts (a lot of you will have already seen it, but pfff, can't hurt to watch it again eh?):
Well, a tad late, but I figured I'd treat you all to a nice Christmas gift in the form of another lovely blog entry. I hope you all had an awesome Crimbo, filled with many Big Ones, and that you'll be getting ready to see in the "one-ders" in style come December 31st.
As you no doubt have gathered based on my last post, this Christmas was most definitely not to be like any other. There was no turkey (goose, duck, or any for of poultry) planned, no gifts under the tree (no tree for that matter), and no family with which to take it easy and be merry. In fact, the only indications that I have in my room that it was/is the Christmas season, are the two Christmas cards on my shelf, and the Christmas hat I got from my secret Santa. Nonetheless, it was a wholesome Christmas which I spent with my girlfriend (and her family), and one that I shall not forget. Italian and Japanese Christmas dinner was more than satisfying, and I was very grateful to have such considerate people to spend Christmas with.
Anyway, I'm sure you're all anxious to know what the crack was with Shanghai.
Shanghai is a pretty rad place. It was however, not what I expected. I'm not really sure what it was that I had expected, but suffice to say, I was wrong.
The first thing I noticed upon my arrival was the haze which covered the city. It was as if there was a permanent fog in the distance. I had heard about the effects of pollution on the cities in China, but this was the first time I had seen it for real.
We arrived at Pudong International Airport about 9pm local time, but it was then an hour coach ride to our hotel and by the time we arrived, we were to shattered to do much and so went practically straight to sleep. The following day we had a city tour, and were therefore woken at 7am. The hotel breakfast consisted of toast, jam, noodles, fried rice, sweet an sour sauce, Chinese dumplings and various other foods that I would not have classed as "breakfast cuisine".
The tour was a mixture of cultural sites and advertising. By which I mean we toured zen gardens, and latex mattress show rooms. Nonetheless, it was an exciting experience. One of the areas we visited had somewhat of a local market street where thy sold all manner of foods, including small roasted birds on sticks. Lunch and dinner was much the same as breakfast, minus the toast and jam, but it filled a hole, and was interesting to try the various dishes which were laid out on our table. I would like to point out here that, contrary to what I had been told by certain friends, Chinese food in China IS similar to the stuff we get at home. The flavour is more "authentic", but it still seems to be the shiny, greasy food you can buy at the local Chinese place in England.
The second day was our "free day", and we got up early to go to a clothes market Naoko had read about on the internet. It was basically 5 massive multi-floor buildings, each housing a variety of stalls and "shops" (much like suppa-shoppa in Kings Heath, but a lot less organized and a lot noisier) which sold a multitude of knock-off goods, and tack. Some of the "finer" establishments sported shop names such as "Armarini", and "Dainholl", and sold things that appeared to be of passable quality.
We then got a taxi to the other side of town, which was almost the exact opposite of the clothes market. The shops were all designer (Gucci, Rolex, Omega, Maserati), and it was a much cleaner and well kept area of the city. I hadn't expected to see such a place in Shnaghai. The architecture was European, and the road and city layout only added to this. We even stumbled upon a Marks and Spencer, complete with food floor and all.
Just before dusk, having walked from the expensive posh area to the "normal" Shanghai, we got lost and ended up wondering down another market street. This time it was a food market held in front of people's houses, and it was fascinating to see the different kinds of fish and meat on sale (including dog). They also hug a lot of the fish on washing lines, right next to the clothes that were drying.
The last major thing we did on our free day was to go and see the view from the highest observation platform in the world. Visitors are allowed to travel up to the 100th floor (474 metres), and the view is pretty incredible, despite the high level of pollution/haze.
Our flight was a 10am the following morning (Chrsitmas day), and so we didn't really get a chance to do much else, but all in all, it was pretty cool. One of the things I noticed though, is that China is by no means as cheap as I thought it would have been. Most of the stuff you buy (apart from food), whether made in China or not, is of a similar price to that in Japan/UK, and for that reason, I wasn't able to go on a mad shopping spree as I had hoped.
Something else i noticed as I walked down the street, is that I often heard people hucking up lots of phlegm, before planting a fat glob right in the middle of the pavement. Nothing wrong with getting rid of the phlegm, but a little decorum if you please.
All in all though, Big Ones, as you can no doubt tell.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year guys and gals.
Well, it has certainly been a long time coming, but I shall finally allow for another glimpse into my life out here in Japan. The past month and a half of not blogging has been filled with various events, some good, some bad, and some... well, pretty ordinary.
First things first, I have decided and confirmed (by handing in an official notice), that I am definitely moving our of this dorm come the end of February. The decision came about based on a number of factors, and it is a choice I am yet to regret (although saying that, I am still currently in the dorm).
- A lot of the friends I have made in this dorm are leaving/moving out come the end of February. This is either because they too, have grown sick of being treated like a child, or it is because their year abroad time has finally come to an end. - The "Ryoucho" (Dorm boss) and the rules he imposes are beyond a joke. I appreciate that they are not HIS rules (they are the rules laid out by the company that owns the dorm), but his strict enforcement of the rules just ruins the whole "living" experience. Not being allowed to go to the rooms of the opposite sex, and not being allowed to stay in the common area after half 11, forces us to either go out, or to just go back to our own rooms. We went to another dorm for Rikkyo students yesterday for a party (something we could NEVER do here). The Ryocho there actually came up to the room, bringing some alcohol and snacks and joined in with the party! - Naoko has practically given up coming here any more, due to the fact that it's becoming increasingly hard to sneak her in. My friend here managed to sneak his girlfriend in, and was called down to the Ryosho's office at midnight to be told that she had to leave, despite the last trains having already gone, meaning she wouldn't be able to get home. He ended up arguing, and finally convinced him to let her stay until the next morning. (If you're wondering how Ryocho knew she was here, there are camera's all over this place).
Rant over, I'll be moving to an apartment with a Belgian guy, and hopefully there we will be able to have whoever we want over, whenever we want. It also gives us the opportunity to provide temporary accommodation to any friends who happen to be visiting...
With Christmas only 6 days away, I am afraid to have to disappoint you all as I will not be honouring you with my presence. I chose not to split my year abroad in two by going home for Christmas. That said, I am somewhat regretting the decision, as it doesn't feel very Christmassy here. The streets are all decorated, and the shopkeepers wear Christmas hats, but there is a lack of that Christmas rush that you always feel around mid-December. Japan, being a non-Christian nation, treats Christmas very differently to England. New Years Day is more like the Christmas day I am used to, as Japanese people get together with their families to see in the new year. The 25th on the other hand is supposed to be a "couples" day, much like Valentines day, which they also celebrate here. The exchange students at the dorm have organised a mini Christmas dinner for this Sunday, but with the lack of an actual oven, there's no chance for turkey or any of the normal roasted delights. (Japanese cooking doesn't tend to require an oven, and so most houses don't have one!). Even so, it's an interesting experience, and while I long for mince pies, roast turkey and all the trimmings, I find the differences fascinating.
(It's small, but I've never heard of turkey and paella for Christmas dinner...)
With the lack of any concrete Christmas spirit here, I feel less guilty about going away just before the 25th. SO, leaving on Tuesday, Naoko and I are going to Shanghai for 4 days getting back on Christmas day itself. I've been told mixed things about Shanghai, but am looking forward to in nonetheless. It's supposed to be a lot cheaper than Japan, and will provide a good opportunity to buy some cheap goods, and experience a different Asian nation.
In other news, I had a bash at the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (level 2) a couple of weeks ago. It's an internationally held exam that certifies your Japanese ability. There are (currently) 4 levels, 1 being the hardest. Suffice to say, I'm pretty sure I failed, as it was bloody solid. It doesn't matter though, as I planned to use that as a practice, and take it again in June next year (when it's held again).
Well, I hope that's enough of an update to keep people happy for a while, and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
I'll leave you with a photo of the effects of an all night clubbing session:
A new entry is on the way, I promise. Things have just been pretty hectic around here at the moment, and I haven't really had time to sit down and write a nice long tale of all my goings on. (Well, I have had time, but have filled it with other mindless activities which seem to whittle away the time.)
Go to any park or open public space during the blossoming period and you will see countless groups of friends huddled together under the pink trees drinking beer, eating snacks, and generally having a "rad" time. What is striking about this is the sheer quantity of people taking part in the celebration. I had my first experience of "hanami" yesterday in Ueno park, and the atmosphere and quantity of people was akin to the music festivals that I have been to. There were long queues outside the toilets, temporary food stalls, huge bins erected specifically for the occasion, and barely a single blade of grass visible due to the blue tarpaulins laid down by different groups of people there taking in the various pink and white shades of the petals.
The bloom will last for another two weeks(ish), and the moment near the end when the petals slowly fall from the trees is said to be the most beautiful. As this is the case, and I still have 2 more weeks of holiday (3 months has been a seriously long time) I hope to have many more opportunities to partake in this activity.
It was a pretty nice place, and it even snowed on the second day, providing me with my first snow of the season (big ones for sure)! After getting back, we all had two weeks of exams/papers, but they proved to be pretty easy, and having completed them we are now on holiday until early April (hells)!
The place isn't big, and it's pretty old by Japanese standards (from the 60's), but for that price in that neighbourhood, it is an amazing deal. It will allow a lot more freedom in how we live, and will ensure no worries about missing curfew, or the last train home - so we are bloody happy.
