Things I Love Thursday

FIELD DAY

Because even though I was sore and muddy and dehydrated afterwards, an afternoon of World Cup soccer/a flag-football-esque game with plastic tails/Japanese-style dodgeball was much needed and doubtlessly awesome. There was also a cartwheel contest involved, and let me tell you: I have never been so dizzy in my life.

ALSO LOVING:

my host family; my host mother (because she buys me kawaii clothes and makes me bento lunches and sends me text messages and is pretty much fabulous in every way); umbrellas; sweatshirts; MILK TEA (!!!!!); Skype; almost-understanding Japanese conversations at random moments; Japanese class, despite the homework and quizzes; Pop Culture class; Japanese television (sometimes, I cannot even believe what I am seeing).

Things I Love Thursday

Picture Edition!

ALSO LOVING:

my host family; Japanese food; rain after 10 days of hot humidity; Kawagoe; ‘rolling’ sushi bars; almost knowing my way around Harajuku; Skype conversations with my family (and friends!); Samurai Champloo (look at me! I have a favorite anime. This makes me a cool kid.); understanding bits and pieces of the conversation going on around me; milk tea from the vending machine; after dinner chats with Yuki-chan; photo-booths (!!!).

I HAVE A JAPANESE CELL PHONE!

Guess what it does?

(hint: much)

Currently, I am loving: the English/Japanese and Japanese/English dictionaries; the snazzy camera (and video camera); the fact that it receives email (!!!); how cheap said email and text messaging plan is (approximately USD$3.50/month unlimited); the cute background animation on the menu screen; the way that I receive text/email in 3D animation (!!!!!!!!).

TOKYO

TOKYO

On Saturday (your Friday), a group of us JSP students went into Tokyo to look around and go to a concert. It was pretty much amazing, and we definitely plan on going back. We didn’t do much in terms of actually sightseeing, but we did get to simply wander around Harajuko.

The concert was also one of the most insane things ever. First, everyone else was dressed to the nines. You will see what this means in the pictures below. It was a VIsual K concert, which pretty much (as far as I know) means that the band consisted on men in elaborate, ornate drag. The crowd was amazing too: insanely... organized? They all knew the ‘hand-dance’ they were supposed to be doing during each song. And they all had matching flags they whipped out and during one song and matching fans for another.

In conclusion: Awesome.

Things I Love Thursday

My neighborhood - the wall in the lower left-hand corner is for my host-mom's old restaurant.

The mall my host parents took me to. Familiar much?

Me and my tomato ice-cream.

First day of school!

THINGS I LOVE THURSDAY - JAPAN VERSION

(let’s all ignore the fact that it’s actually Friday here)

This week I love:

Japanese food (!!!!!!); my host family (Yuki-chan, Ojii-san, Mayu-chan, Shoko-chan, and Tomo-kun); my room and my Marie comforter; the fact that my ‘commute’ to school is less than five minutes; being in a Japanese class with one other student and having a TA regardless (!!!); the JSP Peer Assistants; the TIU campus; my Japanese pop culture class (anime-madness abounds - I need to work on my manga-reading if I’m going to fit in); my aircon (it is soooo hot here!); having host-mom walk me step-by-step through daily life in Japanese; my host siblings, who are adorable; my fellow JSP students; tomato ice-cream (which is way better than one would guess, and worth eating just for the weird factor); Japanese malls, because they are so familiar; being complemented on my mad chopstick skills; being praised for my ability to eat anything (!!); hearing (in Japanese!) that I look like a doll/anime character (!!!!!!!!!!); JAPAN.

In Photos

Japan in pictures.

So far, all is awesome. Maybe too awesome - I am eating a ton, and am speaking mostly English. But I am not complaining.

Japanese Family, in part. Yuki-chan, Ojii-san, BaBa, and JiJi. They are all awesome. Yuki-chan & Ojii-san speak English, and BaBa and JiJi don't mind when all I can do is not and smile with an, "Hai" or "Ariagto" every now and then.

Japanese food. That is eel. And noodles. And other stuff. It was good.

Japanese toilet. AKA: spaceship. See all those buttons? And the instructions? Awkward photo taken at the movie theater.

Japanese welcome note. Note the Kitty Marie sticker.

Two-thirds of Japanese siblings. Shoko and Tomoya. They are pretty dang cute. They also speak more English than I speak Japanese.

Japanese bed. See the comforter? THAT IS MARIE FROM 'THE ARISTOCATS.' On my bed. Amazing.

Japanese room.

Japanese hotel room.

Japanese buildings outside of hotel room.

IN JAPAN.

Let the fun begin.