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My host dad is more and more like my real dad. Both LOVE sweets and crackers. Both have a hard time with technology and ask me for help. I could really learn to enjoy it here which is good because I have 4 months of living here left. That is 123 day to do what I need/want before I come home for those of you playing along at home. The wind has been super scary the past couple days and I can only hope that the weather report of 59 degrees with hold out for tomorrow's Penis Festival!!! For dinner tonight we had tendon which is a tempura egg leftover omelette along with some roast mackerel.

Tempura Ingredients from yesterday's dinner.

Ditto

Ditto Again

Finished Tempura

Tonight's Dinner

My host Dad's new cell phone. If you can believe it, it has a 16.3 Megapixel camera and takes HD video and it isn't even a smart phone.

Settling in

I'm becoming more and more able to understand what my host family is saying to me. My main problem is not being able to answer any questions. I unpacked today and registered for classes then took a long nap. Jet Lag is really really really kicking my ass. My host family is soo cute. I got my cell phone yesterday so today while I was asleep, Masao and Machi (host dad and mom) went and got new phones of their own. I also found out that Masao had cancer 6 years ago. I'm told he is doing better now and is totally healthy. They attribute that in part to him eating Natto. They asked me if I would try it and I said yes. I also got to help cook tempura for dinner tonight. I did an ok job but Machi said that whenever I don't have something else planned I can help cook dinner so that I can learn how to cook Japanese food. I also saw something for tempura that you don't see state side, or at least I don't. Grated daikon mixed with a sweet or spicy or both type of soy sauce. It actually makes the tempura taste even better.

Soooo Busy

I have walked so much that my feet are swollen and I have cankles.  That can't be good. I did get a lot done today with only 1 meltdown so at least one point for me. I promised some pictures and I won't disappoint but first some things about my day. I was taken this morning by my host father to the ward office. On the bus trip there I saw my first poorly done cross-dresser. At the ward office I was amazed by the efficiency with which things are done. There is a good chance you won't have time to fill out the paper work you need before you are called up. I am now registered for National Health Insurance and I will also be getting my Alien card in a couple weeks. My host father then got me to Waseda where I found out he is an Alumni of the College. He got me through the club and circle throngs to the building here I needed to be. After getting what we needed to done we waded through the throngs of clubs. When I say we I mean Kelly, Colleen and myself (we are all OUS students). It was really crazy to see. After that we went to go cell phone shopping which caused my breakdown. I've been told it is the worst part of the whole process and I can believe it but now I have a phone. Later we ate at a cafe of some sort although I kinda wish we had gone to Shakey's like the outline said. Then I managed to find my way home in the dark, by myself. +3 to me.  Out of the clubs there are 3 I would like to join. The tabletop gaming club (D&D and Call of Cthulhu in Japanese FTW) seems hard but fun. Then there is the WaseNeko club that feeds and loves the cats on campus. Lastly is a traditional dance club. One of the members speaks very good English and I would get to travel a lot. That was my day. Now for pics and vids.

Above are from a Local restaurant. My dinner 2 nights ago was shabu shabu.

My room in my host family's home

Homemade Tonkatsu Dinner

Welcome Cheesecake

Kotatsu is awesome!!!!

Picture from the bus stop near my place this morning.

Picture from the bus stop tonight

Buildings around takadanobaba

The above is of where we ate. It is honestly like the IHOP, Denny's or Shari's of america except a slight menu change and the smoking system is still here. The last photo is my dinner

とても ねむい

I am bushed. It is so hard to keep my eyes open. I'm already starting to get better with Japanese but it seems slower than it should. Regardless I am thankful for any progress. My home stay father is like a slightly older version of my real Dad which is great in a way. He speaks English very well for someone who has only been learning from English novels and a 2 week trip to Hawaii. My host mother is also trying to learn but is farther behind. My first meal was tonkatsu. It was delicious. So as not to be rude I even ate the fatty bits. Afterward they surprised me with a variety of cheesecake from a posh local bakery as a welcome home party. Then I was invited to sit under the kotatsu which made me happy. The house is an older Japanese style and can be a little cold and drafty. They don't mind me staying up a little after they go to bed either. I think I am really gonna like it here. I swear I will start posting pictures tomorrow. I just can't keep my eyes open and this is really hard to post as is.I can't wait to be over the jet lag.

Host Family and Cheating in a Foreign Language.

So my host family is an elderly couple. Otousan (father) is 74 and okaasan (mother) is 71. No pets but I do get wireless. I have to help with dishes and do laundry. I get breakfast around 7 and dinner around 6:30. There is a daughter and son in their 40's but do not live at the house. I have an 11:00 pm curfew that I can break with permission. I can't smoke and I am only supposed to drink in the house on special occasions. I don't know if either actually speaks any English but Otousan  reads English novels so I maybe able to write my questions and get answered. I'm super scared right now.

My placement in the J-cat was really low. I placed in the lowest level although I'm planning on taking the next higher level because I think I am just rusty and once I get back into everything I'll be fine. I'm trying to go through all the genki stuff as a refresher in the mean time. I am also planing on taking a Learning Japanese through food class which is a level 2-3 but most of my fellow program students are there to help me.

I'm scared as hell. I feel stupid and out of place and a little part of me wants to give up and go home but I'm tired of being weak all the time. I will make this work and I will come back stronger and hopefully be better at Japanese.

Day 2

I'm really Overwhelmed. My roommate at the hotel, Kelly, is an awesome nerd and we share a lot in common. Out of the group of all of us here I can speak the least Japanese. Most students come from campus' with Japanese Majors as part of their program. The school is huge and confusing but fun. I'm already having a lot of fun. Went for drinks after dinner. One drink on happy hour here is around $4 which isn't bad for being a big city and an expensive place to live. I don't feel that I will do well on the JCAT tomorrow but even if I am a little behind the others I maybe able to catch up. Aside from the more confusing aspects(I.E. the train system) it is a lot of fun. Went to the arcade across the street as well. It is really interesting although after only a few pictures I was asked to stop taking pictures. Stuff is on facebook. Will post some here later after I get some sleep.

Day 1... The Beginning

Yes I know the title sounds like something from a Zombie movie and with good reason. While on my second flight I was what amounts to Asian Sky Mall and saw a face cream that is a dead ringer for the cream commercial from Resident Evil. It was funny and creepy. Of course the pictures it shows online aren't near the ones you see in the catalog Once I finally got off the planes I then got to mess with trains! My feet are swollen from not standing and walking or getting to lay down.

This is gonna be a ramble cause I am dog tired and in pain but I will try to make it make as much sense as possible.
My last stateside meal for the next 129 days was Joe's Cable Car in San Fran. On the 14 hour flight to Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific fed me 3 times. On the second flight which ends up being around 8 hours I was again fed 2 huge meals. It takes me back to when I was a kid and you actually got decent food and all the drinks were free! My second flight had a stop in Taipei. The poilet mucked the landing sooo bad that I had to hunt for an airsick bag. I've landed sideways on a runway and haven't been sick. Landing in Tokyo was little better. Customs line was long but my luggage wasn't checked. I hit the bathroom and find my biggest fear staring at me. Thankfully I didn't have to use it... YET.... The train ride inspired some motion sickness which I hope is the migraine's fault. I would hate to be in the land of trains and ALWAYS get motion sick. I feel like Godzilla crashing around this hotel room. The bathroom is super small and has a toilet/bidet combo that will add water to the bowl if you apply pressure to the lid like some weird trailer toilet.

I'm gonna get off here and put my feet up. My camera batteries are dead but charging now meaning very few first day photos and those photos will be posted tomorrow. Now, I'm gonna try to get a good 10 hours before I have to be up at 8 to be in the lobby by 8:45 to start this stuff.

Less than 24 To Go!!

I'm freaking out! So Hard! My last final is not working the way it supposed to and it is really aggravating me to just no end. I'm trying to get all my clothes clean so I can back them and all my paperwork in order before I leave in the morning. I found out that I won't meet my family until the 28th. This is the information I got in an e-mail yesterday:


Tamarra, a Waseda volunteer student will be waiting for you in the Arrivals Area of Terminal 2, after you get out of Passport Control and Customs.  They will have a sign that says Waseda Oregon.  They will do one of two things: 1. They will take you all the way from the Airport to downtown Shinjuku, about 1 hour and 45 minutes by train.  They will take you to the hotel, Hotel Sun Route at Takadanobaba, and help you check in.  Or 2. They will grab a cup of coffee with you in the Airport, and you will wait until the next group of students comes in to go into downtown Tokyo all together as a group.  (Either way, you will go into downtown Tokyo with someone else, either the whole group, or a Waseda volunteer student.) 

Students at Hotel Sun Route Takadanobaba the nights of March 25, 26, and 27
March 26  10:30-12:30 SILS Academic Orientation

March 27  J-CAT test - Japanese Language placement test

March 28  Students meet Homestay Families and travel home with them

March 29  13:30-16:00 Japanese Academic Orientation
April 2   10:30-12:00 Opening Ceremony
April 4 or 5  Opening bank account through Waseda University (tentative)

~explodes~

I won't be sleeping tonight. Won't be sleeping much of tomorrow either. this is just insane and doesn't feel real. If I see something interesting on the way down I will take pictures!

My Birthday!

Today is my birthday. It also marks the beginning of the 5 day countdown until I leave the United States for the first time! This spring I'm going to be a foreign exchange student at Waseda University in Tokyo. I'm excited but also scared as hell. I've never been abroad. I'm going to be living with a family that I will know nothing about until I get there. I have been thinking about a lot of places that I want to go but I will be on a really really tight budget. Aside from transportation which is expensive, food in Tokyo isn't too cheap either. I have no idea what admission to museums and the like will be. I know I am going to do a lot of window shopping and would love to go to at least one ryokan in an onsen spot.

The main goal of this blog is to chronicle the stuff I do, where I go and the pictures I take. In the days before I leave I will probably post a lot about what I want do. Starting now! And while I know I won't be able to do most of what I want on this trip I will be able to get my feet wet. Here is my starting list:

Japan

• Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area
• Himeji-jo
• Shirakami-Sanchi
• Yakushima
• Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities)
• Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama
• Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome)
• Itsukushima Shinto Shrine
• Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara
• Shrines and Temples of Nikko
• Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu
• Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range
• Shiretoko
• Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape
• Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land
• Ogasawara Islands

Fuji-San and Aokigahara are also on my list. I would love to go to Hokkaido for the crabs but it just isn't feasible right now because of expenses. 

This is all I can really thing of for now. Back to Finals prepping!