Heya everyone....
Last Tuesday (29/04) we headed to Kamakura, which is a prefecture about one and a half hours from where I live. The train trip was a little tedious when we started out, but when you are with freinds its always fun. The trip was organised by the dorms, so it was pretty much all the dorm peeps and some other friends from around the area.
We hit our first destinatio, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, at about 11am. Here we saw the massive temple and experienced some traditional religious Japanese customs. The temple is surrounded by beautiful gardens, ponds and the most trees I have ever seen since coming to Japan. I think my pictures on facebook will do this place justice as I could never entirely describe it. But on entering we first sighted a bridge, which then led to a long path to the temple. The path was lined with small stores offering foods and souveniers. The food was crazy fun. There were toffee grapes....literally graps dipped in toffee...yummy. And I also had chicken kebabs which were delicious and only costed $1 each! Other foods included fairy floss, strawberries on ritz crackers, slushies and probably other random stuff I can't remember. Oh and the souveniers were like pokemon and other random wat nots.
The stairs to the temple were massive, but we clambered to the top. At the top we went to the outerside of the temple where fortunes are sold. I bought my $1 fortune and guess what it was 'kyo', bascially my luck sucks. Whats new there haha. It told me I would be sick for a very long time but eventually recover....I actually saw this as good luck cause I have been sick my whole life and now they tell me there is hope of recovery....hell yes, me likey! It also said I had to be careful with money, buisness and life, but doesn't everyone say that? Anyway, it didn't matter because I was told if I tied the piece of paper to the wall then I would leave the bad luck behind and have goodluck....I hope thats true! :)
After this we entered the temple, which was huge....it is a beautiful design and decorated with intimate detail. A picture here and a picture there and back down the stairs we headed. For lunch we hit a traditonal little Japanese restaurant and had ramen....yum yum and my tum tum.
We had another hour of free time so we hit the streets checking out the food stalls, clothes shops and enjoying the area in general. The Japanese people as a whole are extremely friendly and welcomed us into their stalls and also to suck us gaigin into buying stuff....but I would do the same back home...haha.
Back on the train we headed for Kamakura Daibutsu sightseeing....
Here in Kamakura we came across the giant Buddah, which was a stunning sight. I have never seen a Buddah to this extent. We also got to head into his belly....wasn't too exciting, but hey I have been in Buddah's belly....how many people can say they have done that?
Oh and I also I saw these massive thongs...you would have seen them on facebook. From here we headed back down the street and also I managed to get me a ninja star....its so cool...just need to sharpen it. Some of the weapons they were selling were insane...I wouldn't wanna mess with anyone with of those!
Back on the train at about 4pm we headed for Enoshima where I saw my first Japanese beach. It was massive, but the sand was not so cool. Definitely not white or yellow, but a dirty brown colour. Makes me appreciate even our shittest beaches back home. But all the same it was fun, but cold. The day was damn long and we managed to get back home at 7:30pm. So yeh that was my first "cultural" experience....and today I am off to Sumo Land....how cool is that. I have 1/2 an hour and the fun begins! I will post about that and my trips to akihabara, Dinsey Land, Sony Building and Tokyo Tower next week. Its a jam packed Golden week and we are hitting it hard.
Missing Oz land and hope everyone is taking care.
P.S Thanks for all the emails and sorry for my pathetically slow replies but time is killing me here....I will reply, just gotta get the time...where did it go? AHHHH
Friday, May 2, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
歓迎宴 (Welcome Parties)
Well...I know some of you have heard about the Tokyo parties and there is all this rah rah rah about it, so I will set everyone straight with all the parties I have been to in the last month. There isn't as many as you think, its more that when we do party we go all out! Apparently it is not Japanese if you do not, but thats just one of the awesome excuses here....similar to Australia, well ok exactly the same as Australia!
Ok 2 weeks ago on the 11th of April we had the dorm party. This was my first big night out in Tokyo. It started at the at Komaba International Dorms in out big hall. There was much food, talk and drinking....which soon led to the after party on the third floor of building two. The dorms have many people from so many different countries. Some of these include Panama, New Zealand, Madagascar, China, Korea, Russia, France, Spain, Columbia, America, Australia, England, Phillipines, Hong Kong and there are probably more I missed. But the after party involved Natalie and myself trying new alcohol....like souchu, sake and Japanese beer. Oh and the alcohol we bought was like 50m down the road at the convenience store. Here in Japan all the alcohol is sold everywhere in supermarkets, convenience stores and vending machines and YES you do not need ID. Only in clubs they ask for ID. The legal drinking age in Japan is 20yrs. Its crazy....you learn to be an alco from a very early age here....haha. But the after party was a good chance for us to meet many new people, but I dont think I will be seeing many people again as we all go to different unis and our timetables are so different. I have made about 5 or so good friends in the dorms and we all invite each other out at night and weekends. But the 3rd floor after party led to Natalie taking me to the Russian party on the 6th floor...for everyone that doesnt know Natalie is Russian. I had no idea what was going at this party....singing and talking but I couldn't understand a word.....and I soon got distracted and went back downstairs.
TWO seconds later Simon catches me and tells me a group is going clubbin in Naka-Meguro...so off I go. Natalie didn't want me to go because she wanted to go out Saturday, but with my alcohol content...I was going clubbin. LOL. I ended up going in with about 10 people. The club was tiny and house music. And yes I am not a fan of house....I then get a call from Natalie telling me she is coming out. So myself and two american friends hit the train for Shibuya (the party town). We met up with Natalie and treked through the city looking for a decent club. Before we knew it we hit HARLEM. The best r'n'b club I have seen in a while. Entry was $20, but you get 2 free drinks of whatever you want. So that covers the entry. The club was massive....i think it had like 3-4 floors....sketchy memories. But the music was great...one floor of hip hop, one of r'n'b and another reggae and thats are far up as I got. The club was packed with both Japanese locals and many gaigin. And everyone talks to everyone...its crazy how many randoms we met that night and the fun we had. We were there till about 4am then Natalie and myself went food hunting. We found an italian restuarant (remember everything is 24hrs in tokyo). We headed home at 5am but got lost and a 15min walk took us over an hour...haha. Good times.
Now for the swimming parties! We had our first one on 16th of April. It was at Jiyugaoka, which is 2min from our uni campus and about 30min from home. We headed to a restaurant called Tapa Dinning & Bar. All restaurants in Japan require you to take your shoes off. Pain in the butt I say. LOL. But we sat on seats at this restaurant. The food was random...salads, hot chips, chicken wings, rice dish, pizza, and much much beer and alcoholic drinks! Its crazy, every 5sec there is a KAMPAI(cheers) and you must drink....or skull. Messy messy buisness. At least the beer is only 5%....but not as good as aussie beer! The dinner was great fun and we got to meet more people and develop better friendships....but the language barrier is still a bitch. After dinner we headed to karaoke across the road and I definitely had not had enough to drink. I do not sing for those that know me and I found this stressful. I sang with Natalie and we tried to get out of other songs.....haha. But our friends can sing well....makes for me really not wanting to sing. Our night here ended at 11pm and we headed home before the trains stopped running (12am they stop).
The BEST party of them all was on the 23rd of April. It was the 2nd swimming welcome party, which was great fun. At first Natalie and myself were not sure if you go to both parties or we were not welcome. But one of the girls convinced us to come. The party was at Ookayama which is right next to my uni. Again we had to take our shoes off and after entering I discovered this was where I had to sit on the floor and eat. So painful....I moved around way to much...I kept getting pins and needles...lol. But the food again was good....a mixture of salads, fried foods, yakatori, chicken dishes, and rice cakes. And yes we had way to much alcohol in supply this time. The custom is to pour your friends drink first, then they pour yours and this goes around the group. Then everyone Kampais and drinks....and this is repeated god knows how many times. But hell it is fun. The worst part was drinking way too much and then realising I had to go to the bathroom. Again when you hit the bathroom you have to put on the supplied slippers, which are way too small for me....damn it. Then I discovered that it was a squat toilet...ahhhh. How do you balance when you have lost all coordination? Well i'll tell you....you grab both walls and hope for the best and pray your butt off you don't fall in! (i can't stop laughing now....the memories are way to vivid) The party was good because we got to know our friends much better and the language barrier is slowly being broken down.....alcohol helps, I won't lie.
After dinner we headed for karaoke again which went way too late....there was much singing, dancing and socialising. Natalie and me missed our last train, but all hope was not lost...
Some of the others who also missed the last train invited us back to the club house so we could sleep till morning. We headed to the supermarket, stocked up on food and drink and headed for the room. There was about 8 of us. We spent the time talking to the early hours of the morning. I found out some really interesting things....like I had no idea that Natalie and me were their first gaigin friends ever. They have never known anyone who wasn't Japanese. They said they welcome us in to their club and definitely want us in their club, but I can now understand their hestitation at first. I think it was a mixture of nerves, uncomfortable siliences and the language barrier we had to break through first before we could move onto stronger friendships. Also, something I still do not understand was that "apparently" I am the first girl to ever stand up to one of the guys. He apparently is older, so had more power over everyone else, especially the girls. The boys were telling me how he has never had a girl tell him he can't do something. For example he wouldnt let one of the girls have the chips, so i took it from him and gave it to her. This shocked him, but beleive it or not didn't anger. I explained to him how in Australia guys and girls are all equal and girls DO NOT put up with shit from boys. This surprised the boys, but they are going to have to learn sometime because NO ONE tells me what to do. HAHA.
Its like the power heirarchy in Japan is very definite. There is a direct link between age, sex and how well you do at school. Like one of the boys isnt as smart so he gets bagged out but seems to take it. Another is considered noisy, so again bagged out. I told them this is mean, but they think of it as normal....its weird I tell you. We all swap cultural differences and they find ours just as interesting as we find theirs. There is a respect between us all and its great to meet new people and discover a different culture. It has opened my mind up and realise so many things I take for granted. But no now we help them speak english and they correct our Japanese which is great. Hopefully it will get better....I just need to study a lot more. At 5am we headed home....and yep only 2hrs sleep and off to uni again...
Thats the only big night outs we have had.....they have been great fun and many friendships have been made. This blog posting was just a chance for me to describe what I have been doing socially and new things I have discovered.
Oh and by the way. partying here in the areas I have been to is completely safe. As two girls, Natalie and I can walk home by ourselves without a care in the world. We have heard there are red light districts but they are nowhere near us. Its not like Sydney has become...also when we leave our shoes at the entrance ways of places, no one steals your stuff. The Japanese people are generally an honest race...i am finding its more the gaijin I need to be warey of...stealing my umbrella at the dorms, how freaking dodgy is that?
Anyways I will later post about my efforts to find a gym, uni life, medical industry, banking and how I survive here! It isn't bad at all...just different....very different.
xoxox
Ok 2 weeks ago on the 11th of April we had the dorm party. This was my first big night out in Tokyo. It started at the at Komaba International Dorms in out big hall. There was much food, talk and drinking....which soon led to the after party on the third floor of building two. The dorms have many people from so many different countries. Some of these include Panama, New Zealand, Madagascar, China, Korea, Russia, France, Spain, Columbia, America, Australia, England, Phillipines, Hong Kong and there are probably more I missed. But the after party involved Natalie and myself trying new alcohol....like souchu, sake and Japanese beer. Oh and the alcohol we bought was like 50m down the road at the convenience store. Here in Japan all the alcohol is sold everywhere in supermarkets, convenience stores and vending machines and YES you do not need ID. Only in clubs they ask for ID. The legal drinking age in Japan is 20yrs. Its crazy....you learn to be an alco from a very early age here....haha. But the after party was a good chance for us to meet many new people, but I dont think I will be seeing many people again as we all go to different unis and our timetables are so different. I have made about 5 or so good friends in the dorms and we all invite each other out at night and weekends. But the 3rd floor after party led to Natalie taking me to the Russian party on the 6th floor...for everyone that doesnt know Natalie is Russian. I had no idea what was going at this party....singing and talking but I couldn't understand a word.....and I soon got distracted and went back downstairs.
TWO seconds later Simon catches me and tells me a group is going clubbin in Naka-Meguro...so off I go. Natalie didn't want me to go because she wanted to go out Saturday, but with my alcohol content...I was going clubbin. LOL. I ended up going in with about 10 people. The club was tiny and house music. And yes I am not a fan of house....I then get a call from Natalie telling me she is coming out. So myself and two american friends hit the train for Shibuya (the party town). We met up with Natalie and treked through the city looking for a decent club. Before we knew it we hit HARLEM. The best r'n'b club I have seen in a while. Entry was $20, but you get 2 free drinks of whatever you want. So that covers the entry. The club was massive....i think it had like 3-4 floors....sketchy memories. But the music was great...one floor of hip hop, one of r'n'b and another reggae and thats are far up as I got. The club was packed with both Japanese locals and many gaigin. And everyone talks to everyone...its crazy how many randoms we met that night and the fun we had. We were there till about 4am then Natalie and myself went food hunting. We found an italian restuarant (remember everything is 24hrs in tokyo). We headed home at 5am but got lost and a 15min walk took us over an hour...haha. Good times.
Now for the swimming parties! We had our first one on 16th of April. It was at Jiyugaoka, which is 2min from our uni campus and about 30min from home. We headed to a restaurant called Tapa Dinning & Bar. All restaurants in Japan require you to take your shoes off. Pain in the butt I say. LOL. But we sat on seats at this restaurant. The food was random...salads, hot chips, chicken wings, rice dish, pizza, and much much beer and alcoholic drinks! Its crazy, every 5sec there is a KAMPAI(cheers) and you must drink....or skull. Messy messy buisness. At least the beer is only 5%....but not as good as aussie beer! The dinner was great fun and we got to meet more people and develop better friendships....but the language barrier is still a bitch. After dinner we headed to karaoke across the road and I definitely had not had enough to drink. I do not sing for those that know me and I found this stressful. I sang with Natalie and we tried to get out of other songs.....haha. But our friends can sing well....makes for me really not wanting to sing. Our night here ended at 11pm and we headed home before the trains stopped running (12am they stop).
The BEST party of them all was on the 23rd of April. It was the 2nd swimming welcome party, which was great fun. At first Natalie and myself were not sure if you go to both parties or we were not welcome. But one of the girls convinced us to come. The party was at Ookayama which is right next to my uni. Again we had to take our shoes off and after entering I discovered this was where I had to sit on the floor and eat. So painful....I moved around way to much...I kept getting pins and needles...lol. But the food again was good....a mixture of salads, fried foods, yakatori, chicken dishes, and rice cakes. And yes we had way to much alcohol in supply this time. The custom is to pour your friends drink first, then they pour yours and this goes around the group. Then everyone Kampais and drinks....and this is repeated god knows how many times. But hell it is fun. The worst part was drinking way too much and then realising I had to go to the bathroom. Again when you hit the bathroom you have to put on the supplied slippers, which are way too small for me....damn it. Then I discovered that it was a squat toilet...ahhhh. How do you balance when you have lost all coordination? Well i'll tell you....you grab both walls and hope for the best and pray your butt off you don't fall in! (i can't stop laughing now....the memories are way to vivid) The party was good because we got to know our friends much better and the language barrier is slowly being broken down.....alcohol helps, I won't lie.
After dinner we headed for karaoke again which went way too late....there was much singing, dancing and socialising. Natalie and me missed our last train, but all hope was not lost...
Some of the others who also missed the last train invited us back to the club house so we could sleep till morning. We headed to the supermarket, stocked up on food and drink and headed for the room. There was about 8 of us. We spent the time talking to the early hours of the morning. I found out some really interesting things....like I had no idea that Natalie and me were their first gaigin friends ever. They have never known anyone who wasn't Japanese. They said they welcome us in to their club and definitely want us in their club, but I can now understand their hestitation at first. I think it was a mixture of nerves, uncomfortable siliences and the language barrier we had to break through first before we could move onto stronger friendships. Also, something I still do not understand was that "apparently" I am the first girl to ever stand up to one of the guys. He apparently is older, so had more power over everyone else, especially the girls. The boys were telling me how he has never had a girl tell him he can't do something. For example he wouldnt let one of the girls have the chips, so i took it from him and gave it to her. This shocked him, but beleive it or not didn't anger. I explained to him how in Australia guys and girls are all equal and girls DO NOT put up with shit from boys. This surprised the boys, but they are going to have to learn sometime because NO ONE tells me what to do. HAHA.
Its like the power heirarchy in Japan is very definite. There is a direct link between age, sex and how well you do at school. Like one of the boys isnt as smart so he gets bagged out but seems to take it. Another is considered noisy, so again bagged out. I told them this is mean, but they think of it as normal....its weird I tell you. We all swap cultural differences and they find ours just as interesting as we find theirs. There is a respect between us all and its great to meet new people and discover a different culture. It has opened my mind up and realise so many things I take for granted. But no now we help them speak english and they correct our Japanese which is great. Hopefully it will get better....I just need to study a lot more. At 5am we headed home....and yep only 2hrs sleep and off to uni again...
Thats the only big night outs we have had.....they have been great fun and many friendships have been made. This blog posting was just a chance for me to describe what I have been doing socially and new things I have discovered.
Oh and by the way. partying here in the areas I have been to is completely safe. As two girls, Natalie and I can walk home by ourselves without a care in the world. We have heard there are red light districts but they are nowhere near us. Its not like Sydney has become...also when we leave our shoes at the entrance ways of places, no one steals your stuff. The Japanese people are generally an honest race...i am finding its more the gaijin I need to be warey of...stealing my umbrella at the dorms, how freaking dodgy is that?
Anyways I will later post about my efforts to find a gym, uni life, medical industry, banking and how I survive here! It isn't bad at all...just different....very different.
xoxox
Monday, April 14, 2008
大学生活 (Uni Life)
OK i went to my lab today to discover what I will "officially" be doing at university this year. I have no other words for this , but 'oh crap!'
Let's just say they definitely have work installed for me this year. Apart from my Japanese studies and UTS assigments I will be par-taking in research. This research is specifically in speech recognition. What I have been assigned to work on for the year involves me making a speech recognition system that will take a phone call and instantly post it on a web blog or site.
So, for example, I can make a call to the USA to a service centre, which then records the call. After the call I press send on the mobile and then this message will be posted on my blog straight away. Now we are also looking at doing this for video calls as well. And yes I am like how the hell do I do this. I have no background in this field and no uni experience. But after one day it does not look too bad. It gave me a headache, but I guess first days always do. Somehow by the end of this year I am suppose to come away with a speech recognition system that works....goodluck to me....i going to need it!
The facilites there are amazing though. I have been given a heap of software and the labs have everything a tech head could ever want. I am in a newer building on the 6th floor and it looks like I will be spending most of my days there. Locked away like a lab rat. The research interests me though and I have been put with an older research student so hopefully I wont annoy them too much with all my questions, but hey I want to learn and damn it I will.
In between all this engineering research I also have to do my Japanese subjects, which I am excited to start because I really want to be able to communicate with friends, but it is so hard at the moment. I find it the hardest at swimming training. They laugh at Natalie and me sometimes....we get so lost in their words. But, they try a lot to talk to us. I thought their basic english was ok, but now I realise they repeat the same sentences everytime I see them. Haha, just like me and Japanese. It's funny though because they talk in front of us, about us, cause they think we can't understand, but slowly I am picking up words. It was something today about me being in the same lab as one of the other swimmers. Its not bad talk, just funny when I caught them out and the look of shock on their faces that I actually understood. hehe
But, bascically thats the start to uni life. As I progess in this area I will let you know how it goes...I'm definitely in for a massive roller coaster ride...a little scared and freaked out by the research part, but stuff it I am just going to throw myself in and see where it takes me. And hell if I am going to fail at this....I want to eliminate that capstone before I get back...hmmm sounds like a plan......"excellent" (for the simpsons fans).
Haha and my professor is pretty cool. He is the dean, but he's laid back and understanding. He said he thinks Australians have weird words...like "blugger"....and I told him there are plenty more....haha. The people in my lab are also nice. Half from Japan and the other half of us are internationals. Though I do feel like one of the babies of the group....which is good because I realise why the other guys know so much....because they have studied and worked for at least 10 years. And no the Japanese do not seem to work 24/7. They know when to chill and hell do they enjoy a drink or two or five and god knows how many. I think they will kill me at this rate. Another welcome party for the swimming club this wednesday night and then the lab party the week after....it never ends, but not like I complaining. Good fun, good friends, good times, but there is some seriously shitty alcohol here. Do not ever drink sake or souchu(i cant spell it) ...they are nasty and taste close to meth(not that I have drunk it, but I have smelt it).
But still having a great time over here. The uni here actually seems worthwhile. Its like when I got the job at Alcatel-Lucent and learnt so much on the job and wondered why the hell do I go to uni. Well here at uni's in Japan you "actually" learn real life industry work which actually gets you somewhere. I so do not want to go back and finish my degree...its such a waste of 18 months....ahhh. Suck it up I guess and enjoy the experience this year and then just push through the year after so i can just get my degree over and done with.
Back to study tonight for me...somehow I have to learn all this kanji.....so many little pictures...so many meanings....it will be great when I know it all!
Let's just say they definitely have work installed for me this year. Apart from my Japanese studies and UTS assigments I will be par-taking in research. This research is specifically in speech recognition. What I have been assigned to work on for the year involves me making a speech recognition system that will take a phone call and instantly post it on a web blog or site.
So, for example, I can make a call to the USA to a service centre, which then records the call. After the call I press send on the mobile and then this message will be posted on my blog straight away. Now we are also looking at doing this for video calls as well. And yes I am like how the hell do I do this. I have no background in this field and no uni experience. But after one day it does not look too bad. It gave me a headache, but I guess first days always do. Somehow by the end of this year I am suppose to come away with a speech recognition system that works....goodluck to me....i going to need it!
The facilites there are amazing though. I have been given a heap of software and the labs have everything a tech head could ever want. I am in a newer building on the 6th floor and it looks like I will be spending most of my days there. Locked away like a lab rat. The research interests me though and I have been put with an older research student so hopefully I wont annoy them too much with all my questions, but hey I want to learn and damn it I will.
In between all this engineering research I also have to do my Japanese subjects, which I am excited to start because I really want to be able to communicate with friends, but it is so hard at the moment. I find it the hardest at swimming training. They laugh at Natalie and me sometimes....we get so lost in their words. But, they try a lot to talk to us. I thought their basic english was ok, but now I realise they repeat the same sentences everytime I see them. Haha, just like me and Japanese. It's funny though because they talk in front of us, about us, cause they think we can't understand, but slowly I am picking up words. It was something today about me being in the same lab as one of the other swimmers. Its not bad talk, just funny when I caught them out and the look of shock on their faces that I actually understood. hehe
But, bascically thats the start to uni life. As I progess in this area I will let you know how it goes...I'm definitely in for a massive roller coaster ride...a little scared and freaked out by the research part, but stuff it I am just going to throw myself in and see where it takes me. And hell if I am going to fail at this....I want to eliminate that capstone before I get back...hmmm sounds like a plan......"excellent" (for the simpsons fans).
Haha and my professor is pretty cool. He is the dean, but he's laid back and understanding. He said he thinks Australians have weird words...like "blugger"....and I told him there are plenty more....haha. The people in my lab are also nice. Half from Japan and the other half of us are internationals. Though I do feel like one of the babies of the group....which is good because I realise why the other guys know so much....because they have studied and worked for at least 10 years. And no the Japanese do not seem to work 24/7. They know when to chill and hell do they enjoy a drink or two or five and god knows how many. I think they will kill me at this rate. Another welcome party for the swimming club this wednesday night and then the lab party the week after....it never ends, but not like I complaining. Good fun, good friends, good times, but there is some seriously shitty alcohol here. Do not ever drink sake or souchu(i cant spell it) ...they are nasty and taste close to meth(not that I have drunk it, but I have smelt it).
But still having a great time over here. The uni here actually seems worthwhile. Its like when I got the job at Alcatel-Lucent and learnt so much on the job and wondered why the hell do I go to uni. Well here at uni's in Japan you "actually" learn real life industry work which actually gets you somewhere. I so do not want to go back and finish my degree...its such a waste of 18 months....ahhh. Suck it up I guess and enjoy the experience this year and then just push through the year after so i can just get my degree over and done with.
Back to study tonight for me...somehow I have to learn all this kanji.....so many little pictures...so many meanings....it will be great when I know it all!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Cherry Blossoms & TiTech Start
Hey everyone!
Hope all is well back in OZ. Currently here it has decided to rain for the past few days...and yes those crowds you saw in the pictures still exist but now with umbrellas. Though I must say my new long umbrella makes for a great weapon in the train crowds. HAHA. Just a poke here and a poke there and people generally move out of your way. But last Saturday saw our first dorm party. You would have seen the sushi dinner pictures on facebook. That was great fun and I also learnt how to make real sushi. Its a damn long process and one that was well worth it.
On Sunday we went to the park down the road for Hanami. Thats bascially the great excuse the Japanese came up with to eat drink and passout cold in the park (well i saw plenty of that). Its suppose to be the veiwing of the cherry blossom trees in their last days. You would have seen in the photos there were many people at the park. Our dorm residents took us down and we also got to try all these Japanese snack foods and beers, which was mmm mmm.
Oh and I forgot to mention on the Friday before these parties I started my uni orientation. It was good, but WOW thats one massive uni....it makes any uni in OZ look ewwww. Plus I also saw the lab group I am in and they have the most impressive engineering facilities. Makes me not wanna come back home and finish my degree at UTS....its so dodgy. And looks like the teachers in Japan "actually" teach. Not like the hell we put up with back home (well in engineering it is that way). Also, campus food is awesome...everything is like a max $5 and its good food. And clean...not rat/cockroach infested. But, looks like my professor expects me to be doing japanese classes, UTS assignments, engineering classes as well as a full research project. God knows how I am going to do all this, but hey should be interesting.
OH and guess what? I joined the swim team. Yep believe it or not after quiting 3yrs ago I am back in the pool. Last nights training hurt but I managed to keep up...no idea how. The swimming team is also great fun. We made a deal if they teach us Japanese we will teach them english. No one there speaks much English and it makes for a funny session. But they are all welcoming and try their best to communicate with Natalie and me. We are like a novelty I think...its like ohhh what is that...pokes with stick. Haha. Coming from a multicultural country makes you realise how we are so use to so many different people. Here they are definitly not and it throws them sometimes when we just "pop up". But its great because everyone wants to make friends and we all want to improve our language skills. Who knows...maybe at the end of the year I will actually be able to communicate at some level in Japanese. Apparently it takes years of study to be fluent in Japanese...its not like english or euro languages. The goal is to be able to participate in daily convo by the end of the year and understand what people are saying. Looks like I might come back in a few years, because it would be awesome to be fluent.
I almost forgot....wanna hear the procedure about using the pools here?
Its crazy....firstly you must take your shoes off when entering the gym. Then you walk downstairs to the pool entrance. Boys have one entrance and girls another. The first door takes you to the locker room. Here you get changed (and no there are NO private cubicles) and stick all your stuff in the locker. You can only be wearing your costume and have your cap, googles, drink bottle and key in your hand. Then the next door takes you to showers, where you must wash thoroughly. After this you walk through some wading pool to disenfect your feet, which then leads to massive stairs UP. Midway up the stairs there is a platform and there you have another shower. After this you go up the next set and then you hit the pool where everyone is. Is crazy, but clean! Can't say they are not pedantic about cleanliness. Oh and they swim up the pool the WRONG way. We go up the right and come down the left...no idea why but they do the opposite. Like here the taps turn up instead of down, doors open out instead of in....BUT they drive on the same side of the road as us. Crazy stuff.
And I hit a really packed train last night with Natalie. Freaking hell....we were jammed against a wall and I mean I thought if they push any harder there goes that left lung...not that I need it or anything you know. I was standing there with Natalie and I go ..."do we get out at the other door, cause if we do we are stuffed!" But luckily it was the door on our side...even though the guy in front didn't want to move, but like I said I had an umbrella, which played nicely on his ass. Believe it or not...he MOVED! haha....gaijin...don't mess with us! Everyone who knows me, knows I do not do crowds very well....do not enter my space bubble, got it.
And on Wednesday night we went bar hoping with other students in the dorms. They took us to standing bars around Komaba first. These bars are so cute. They fit about 8 people. You stand drink...then move on. We did this till about 2am and then got hungry, so my friend Maite suggested we hit Shibuya, which I discovered is a 15min walk. Its great, we are right down the road from some of the hotttest clubs, bars and restaurants. And its a completley safe walk. We went to a restaurant there and ate at 3am, can you believe it? Everything in Shibuya, including some department stores is open 24hrs. Its great, I love it....because I am not right in it...a little bit out where it is safe and quiet, but then when ever I want the party life its right there! So this Saturday we are hitting the clubs in Shibuya up! Should be fun...apparently the clubs there are like 4 stories high and start at 10pm and go till 6-7am .....thats when the trains start again.
Well tonight I have the massive dorm welcome party. There should be about 200-300 people there, so another insane night. Free food, free drink....alcohol just next door...what more could you want. I will update you next week about this crazy weekend we have installed...and also we have the swim team welcome party next Wednesday night...much fun to be had. And yes uni starts next week officially...damn.
Take care everyone. Keep in touch and update me about home.
xoxox
Hope all is well back in OZ. Currently here it has decided to rain for the past few days...and yes those crowds you saw in the pictures still exist but now with umbrellas. Though I must say my new long umbrella makes for a great weapon in the train crowds. HAHA. Just a poke here and a poke there and people generally move out of your way. But last Saturday saw our first dorm party. You would have seen the sushi dinner pictures on facebook. That was great fun and I also learnt how to make real sushi. Its a damn long process and one that was well worth it.
On Sunday we went to the park down the road for Hanami. Thats bascially the great excuse the Japanese came up with to eat drink and passout cold in the park (well i saw plenty of that). Its suppose to be the veiwing of the cherry blossom trees in their last days. You would have seen in the photos there were many people at the park. Our dorm residents took us down and we also got to try all these Japanese snack foods and beers, which was mmm mmm.
Oh and I forgot to mention on the Friday before these parties I started my uni orientation. It was good, but WOW thats one massive uni....it makes any uni in OZ look ewwww. Plus I also saw the lab group I am in and they have the most impressive engineering facilities. Makes me not wanna come back home and finish my degree at UTS....its so dodgy. And looks like the teachers in Japan "actually" teach. Not like the hell we put up with back home (well in engineering it is that way). Also, campus food is awesome...everything is like a max $5 and its good food. And clean...not rat/cockroach infested. But, looks like my professor expects me to be doing japanese classes, UTS assignments, engineering classes as well as a full research project. God knows how I am going to do all this, but hey should be interesting.
OH and guess what? I joined the swim team. Yep believe it or not after quiting 3yrs ago I am back in the pool. Last nights training hurt but I managed to keep up...no idea how. The swimming team is also great fun. We made a deal if they teach us Japanese we will teach them english. No one there speaks much English and it makes for a funny session. But they are all welcoming and try their best to communicate with Natalie and me. We are like a novelty I think...its like ohhh what is that...pokes with stick. Haha. Coming from a multicultural country makes you realise how we are so use to so many different people. Here they are definitly not and it throws them sometimes when we just "pop up". But its great because everyone wants to make friends and we all want to improve our language skills. Who knows...maybe at the end of the year I will actually be able to communicate at some level in Japanese. Apparently it takes years of study to be fluent in Japanese...its not like english or euro languages. The goal is to be able to participate in daily convo by the end of the year and understand what people are saying. Looks like I might come back in a few years, because it would be awesome to be fluent.
I almost forgot....wanna hear the procedure about using the pools here?
Its crazy....firstly you must take your shoes off when entering the gym. Then you walk downstairs to the pool entrance. Boys have one entrance and girls another. The first door takes you to the locker room. Here you get changed (and no there are NO private cubicles) and stick all your stuff in the locker. You can only be wearing your costume and have your cap, googles, drink bottle and key in your hand. Then the next door takes you to showers, where you must wash thoroughly. After this you walk through some wading pool to disenfect your feet, which then leads to massive stairs UP. Midway up the stairs there is a platform and there you have another shower. After this you go up the next set and then you hit the pool where everyone is. Is crazy, but clean! Can't say they are not pedantic about cleanliness. Oh and they swim up the pool the WRONG way. We go up the right and come down the left...no idea why but they do the opposite. Like here the taps turn up instead of down, doors open out instead of in....BUT they drive on the same side of the road as us. Crazy stuff.
And I hit a really packed train last night with Natalie. Freaking hell....we were jammed against a wall and I mean I thought if they push any harder there goes that left lung...not that I need it or anything you know. I was standing there with Natalie and I go ..."do we get out at the other door, cause if we do we are stuffed!" But luckily it was the door on our side...even though the guy in front didn't want to move, but like I said I had an umbrella, which played nicely on his ass. Believe it or not...he MOVED! haha....gaijin...don't mess with us! Everyone who knows me, knows I do not do crowds very well....do not enter my space bubble, got it.
And on Wednesday night we went bar hoping with other students in the dorms. They took us to standing bars around Komaba first. These bars are so cute. They fit about 8 people. You stand drink...then move on. We did this till about 2am and then got hungry, so my friend Maite suggested we hit Shibuya, which I discovered is a 15min walk. Its great, we are right down the road from some of the hotttest clubs, bars and restaurants. And its a completley safe walk. We went to a restaurant there and ate at 3am, can you believe it? Everything in Shibuya, including some department stores is open 24hrs. Its great, I love it....because I am not right in it...a little bit out where it is safe and quiet, but then when ever I want the party life its right there! So this Saturday we are hitting the clubs in Shibuya up! Should be fun...apparently the clubs there are like 4 stories high and start at 10pm and go till 6-7am .....thats when the trains start again.
Well tonight I have the massive dorm welcome party. There should be about 200-300 people there, so another insane night. Free food, free drink....alcohol just next door...what more could you want. I will update you next week about this crazy weekend we have installed...and also we have the swim team welcome party next Wednesday night...much fun to be had. And yes uni starts next week officially...damn.
Take care everyone. Keep in touch and update me about home.
xoxox
Monday, April 7, 2008
FOOD FOOD FOOD....Oishi desu ne
Ok the food in Tokyo is something else I have to tell you you about! Lets just start with fruit and vegetables...
Ok the fruit/veg here puts any market in Sydney to absolute shame. No matter where you go, let it be the massive supermarkets, green grocers or the tiny corner stores you see everywhere, the fruit & veg is amazing. It is like picking it straight from your own garden. I have been buying both fruit and vegies for over a week now, and those of you who know me, know that I consume a massive amount of both of these food groups. Everytime I have eaten a piece it has always been ripe, juicy, crunchy and damn delicious. Its nothing but fresh and I can't believe we have been missing out on this back home.
Oh and the rumours about apples costing $10 is a load of S***. The most one apple cost I saw was like $5, but thats in the expensive markets AND this apple was the size of four normal apples put together. Basically it was one huge freaking apple. I have been buying apples down the road from where I live at the corner market and one apple costs $1.50 and it is still pretty damn big. But, other fruits that are cheap include pineapples, some mangoes, bananas ($2 for like 6)...now thats damn cheap. And the vegies are a decent price too. I must say that the pineapples are the finest I have ever eaten. They are BIG (ookii) and so so juicy!
Ok now the rice here is also different. When I cooked it I was like..."huh..is this right?" The rice is only short grain, but when it cooks it is like sticky...but also has its own flavour. Like it actually tastes like a food, not like the dodgyness back home. I was told rice here is totally different to Australia and that story is definitely true.
When you go shopping its different to home. They don't use trolleys, but baskets. No one buys a massive shop because they have to bike and walk everywhere plus the Japanese people do not consume massive amounts. I havn't seen one obese Japanese person yet....I do not think they exist. Australia should take one from Japan and maybe we wouldn't have the health issues we have. But things like corn flakes, and lollies and other random brands you can get in Tokyo. But foreign brands are hiked up. Like our kelloggs cornflakes costs $8, but if you buy the Japanese cornflakes it costs $1.60. Massive difference. Oh, and I asked them about lactose free milk, because I am lactose intolerant. Guess what...they have never heard of it. My Japanese friends said if someone can't eat that food they just do not eat it. I was like, but you need dairy for calcium and they said tuff shit. WOW, if you have a disability here you are in deep poo. Like the train stations don't have anywhere for wheelchair access. Sounds harsh, but thats how they keep their city efficient. If I see any disability facilities around I will let you know, but so far there isnt too many. But, in the mean time I am keeping to soy milk, someone said they heard there is lactose free in Japan but no idea where. That was no help at all!
And I have been eating out. The sushi here is damn good, as one would expect. And I know a few people that have been here before me told me the food here was bad, but I just think they ate at the cheap dodgy takeouts like so many people do in Australia. Bascially they wouldn't know what good food was if it kicked them in the butt. But, I have eaten soba noodles, sushi, ramen, beef dishes and seaweed fresh. Fresh seaweed tastes funny but they tell us its the most healthy thing you can eat, so I started to eat it regularly. Guess what it actually helps my gut (those who know of my med condition will understand). So seaweed it is!
GUESS WHAT! Pasta here is ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. I experienced the worst ever the other day and the other gaigin told me its all like that here. It is so watery and yuck. Italians would be ashamed to see what they are cooking here. So sad....I want real pasta :(
But, with all the healthy fruit, veg, meats, seafood, noodles etc I will be fine. Also the snacks here are crazy. At the cherry blossom party they brought heaps of different kinds for us to try. We had all different kinds of rice crackers, cookies, chocolates and weird chessey sticks. Also had beer here....mmm alcohol. Oh and YEP...alcohol is cheap as. Like half the price of what we pay back home. I saw beam for like $15....and Schmirnoff $10-$15 for massive bottles. AND you guessed it, smokes are only $3 a pack, not that I smoke, but I know plenty that do and know how you all wish they were so cheap :)
Thats all the info I have on the food front for now. If I come across crazy foods or happenings on this topic I will let you know. And if you have any questions on food I might have missed just hit me up!
Ok the fruit/veg here puts any market in Sydney to absolute shame. No matter where you go, let it be the massive supermarkets, green grocers or the tiny corner stores you see everywhere, the fruit & veg is amazing. It is like picking it straight from your own garden. I have been buying both fruit and vegies for over a week now, and those of you who know me, know that I consume a massive amount of both of these food groups. Everytime I have eaten a piece it has always been ripe, juicy, crunchy and damn delicious. Its nothing but fresh and I can't believe we have been missing out on this back home.
Oh and the rumours about apples costing $10 is a load of S***. The most one apple cost I saw was like $5, but thats in the expensive markets AND this apple was the size of four normal apples put together. Basically it was one huge freaking apple. I have been buying apples down the road from where I live at the corner market and one apple costs $1.50 and it is still pretty damn big. But, other fruits that are cheap include pineapples, some mangoes, bananas ($2 for like 6)...now thats damn cheap. And the vegies are a decent price too. I must say that the pineapples are the finest I have ever eaten. They are BIG (ookii) and so so juicy!
Ok now the rice here is also different. When I cooked it I was like..."huh..is this right?" The rice is only short grain, but when it cooks it is like sticky...but also has its own flavour. Like it actually tastes like a food, not like the dodgyness back home. I was told rice here is totally different to Australia and that story is definitely true.
When you go shopping its different to home. They don't use trolleys, but baskets. No one buys a massive shop because they have to bike and walk everywhere plus the Japanese people do not consume massive amounts. I havn't seen one obese Japanese person yet....I do not think they exist. Australia should take one from Japan and maybe we wouldn't have the health issues we have. But things like corn flakes, and lollies and other random brands you can get in Tokyo. But foreign brands are hiked up. Like our kelloggs cornflakes costs $8, but if you buy the Japanese cornflakes it costs $1.60. Massive difference. Oh, and I asked them about lactose free milk, because I am lactose intolerant. Guess what...they have never heard of it. My Japanese friends said if someone can't eat that food they just do not eat it. I was like, but you need dairy for calcium and they said tuff shit. WOW, if you have a disability here you are in deep poo. Like the train stations don't have anywhere for wheelchair access. Sounds harsh, but thats how they keep their city efficient. If I see any disability facilities around I will let you know, but so far there isnt too many. But, in the mean time I am keeping to soy milk, someone said they heard there is lactose free in Japan but no idea where. That was no help at all!
And I have been eating out. The sushi here is damn good, as one would expect. And I know a few people that have been here before me told me the food here was bad, but I just think they ate at the cheap dodgy takeouts like so many people do in Australia. Bascially they wouldn't know what good food was if it kicked them in the butt. But, I have eaten soba noodles, sushi, ramen, beef dishes and seaweed fresh. Fresh seaweed tastes funny but they tell us its the most healthy thing you can eat, so I started to eat it regularly. Guess what it actually helps my gut (those who know of my med condition will understand). So seaweed it is!
GUESS WHAT! Pasta here is ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. I experienced the worst ever the other day and the other gaigin told me its all like that here. It is so watery and yuck. Italians would be ashamed to see what they are cooking here. So sad....I want real pasta :(
But, with all the healthy fruit, veg, meats, seafood, noodles etc I will be fine. Also the snacks here are crazy. At the cherry blossom party they brought heaps of different kinds for us to try. We had all different kinds of rice crackers, cookies, chocolates and weird chessey sticks. Also had beer here....mmm alcohol. Oh and YEP...alcohol is cheap as. Like half the price of what we pay back home. I saw beam for like $15....and Schmirnoff $10-$15 for massive bottles. AND you guessed it, smokes are only $3 a pack, not that I smoke, but I know plenty that do and know how you all wish they were so cheap :)
Thats all the info I have on the food front for now. If I come across crazy foods or happenings on this topic I will let you know. And if you have any questions on food I might have missed just hit me up!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Arrival into Tokyo!
Konichiwa Minasan,
Well on the 31st of March I flew out of Sin City at 11pm! It was a 10hr flight which went damn fast. I think i just slept in and out of it. But at 6:30am we were in Tokyo. I was flying with Natalie, who i am living next door to in uni housing. And also the Yamanshi peeps were on the flight...won't be long till we meet up with those guys/girls.
After arriving we found our taxi driver. We caught the taxi, which was expensive but saved us so many dramas. After sorting out immigration and baggage we ended up at the Komaba International Students House at 10am. The dorm is nice and so are our rooms. Its a basic room with bed, desk, shelves etc. BUT, the bathroom is like stepping into a space shuttle cockpit. I kid you not...I was so sad, I like my bathroom big. :( But, after adding extras such as a mat, towels and stuff it looks more homey.
The first day saw Natalie and myself treking through Shibuya and Harajuku for food and things for the rooms. We found 100 yen stores, then also saw the massive department store at Tokyu. Its massive with 9 floors on one side, then 8 on another and 8 on the other side. Crazy stuff I say.
But, you would never believe the food area in the basement...it puts the DJ's food hall in the city to shame I tell you. Its a wonderland of food. Stalls everywhere and then the supermarket section. The confectionary and cakes section makes you just want to cry its so beautiful. Everything is so intricatley done and the colour is gorgeous. I will have to take photos because words do not describe this. Australia....shame...shame...where is your hot looking food???
The service in the department stores is also damn good. They help you in every way even though they speak jack all english. But, hey I need that because my Japanese is poor. With the few vocabs I know I can get around, But DAMN I have a long way to go.
I also went for a run through the neighbourhood. Far out so many streets within streets that are within streets. The roads are also extremely thin. I have no idea how cars get through....its amazing how efficient everything is. I'm impressed. Like on the train tracks the workers actually work fulltime, not like the crap in Oz that sits there with beer in hand doing nothing. And I have parks where I live. I actually live right next to Shibuya, which is a massive suburb in Tokyo. Famous for fashion and nightlife apparently. And yep I met a guy that owns this hip hop shop with "normal" size clothes, plus some pretty cool brands. Me likey...my wallet doesnt though..haha. Shibuya is massive high rise with more billboards then I have ever seen in my life and massive TV screens on the buildings. Its NUTS! I also am right next to Tokyo Uni and Komaba park which is currently filled with the cherry blossom trees. These trees are beautiful, its something all in itself that is indescribable. I will post pictures after the cherry blossom party on Sunday. The district I live in is called Komaba, which has high rise and houses...its a mixture, but I am just off from the high rise, so its quieter here. Its good...best of both worlds.
Oh and its currently cold here. By cold I mean 15 degrees by day and freaking freezing at night. And they call this Spring, what a load of caca. It better get warmer, else I going to freeze over! But the falling cherry blossoms look like snow, its so awesome.
To be a foreigner here is also a pain in terms of paper work. There is a tone to do and it never ends, we dont get everything official pretty much for like 3 weeks. So no mobile for another week or two. Its a pain, but what can you do? I have Gaijin (foreigner) orientation at Tokyo Institute of Technology (TiTech) tomorrow, so finally I can see my uni. The uni is 40min from where I live, so its just like home with all the travel. I'll let you know about the uni once I start. Apparently the cherry blossoms there are even more beautiful!
And I'll also post pics of the crazy toilets I find. Yes I will track these toilets down and attempt to discifer how they work and document. HAHA. Everything here is in Japanese, and I mean like things such as detergent, foods, washing liquids etc. I have a massive headache trying to work out what is what and if its what I want. But there are so many brands from home like panteen pro-v, cornflakes etc....but the lables are all in japanese, so with the little I know, the katakana these use, the colours and pictures somehow I work it out. Hopefully I got the right softner for my clothes and its not something dodgy...like bleach...oh god please be what I wanted!
Anyway, thats part one for today. I'm about to do a seperate blog entry on food, but I'll leave that for tomorrow. Take care everyone and feel free to post anything you want to ask or say! Just don't be a biatch and its all good.
chooksta
xoxo
Well on the 31st of March I flew out of Sin City at 11pm! It was a 10hr flight which went damn fast. I think i just slept in and out of it. But at 6:30am we were in Tokyo. I was flying with Natalie, who i am living next door to in uni housing. And also the Yamanshi peeps were on the flight...won't be long till we meet up with those guys/girls.
After arriving we found our taxi driver. We caught the taxi, which was expensive but saved us so many dramas. After sorting out immigration and baggage we ended up at the Komaba International Students House at 10am. The dorm is nice and so are our rooms. Its a basic room with bed, desk, shelves etc. BUT, the bathroom is like stepping into a space shuttle cockpit. I kid you not...I was so sad, I like my bathroom big. :( But, after adding extras such as a mat, towels and stuff it looks more homey.
The first day saw Natalie and myself treking through Shibuya and Harajuku for food and things for the rooms. We found 100 yen stores, then also saw the massive department store at Tokyu. Its massive with 9 floors on one side, then 8 on another and 8 on the other side. Crazy stuff I say.
But, you would never believe the food area in the basement...it puts the DJ's food hall in the city to shame I tell you. Its a wonderland of food. Stalls everywhere and then the supermarket section. The confectionary and cakes section makes you just want to cry its so beautiful. Everything is so intricatley done and the colour is gorgeous. I will have to take photos because words do not describe this. Australia....shame...shame...where is your hot looking food???
The service in the department stores is also damn good. They help you in every way even though they speak jack all english. But, hey I need that because my Japanese is poor. With the few vocabs I know I can get around, But DAMN I have a long way to go.
I also went for a run through the neighbourhood. Far out so many streets within streets that are within streets. The roads are also extremely thin. I have no idea how cars get through....its amazing how efficient everything is. I'm impressed. Like on the train tracks the workers actually work fulltime, not like the crap in Oz that sits there with beer in hand doing nothing. And I have parks where I live. I actually live right next to Shibuya, which is a massive suburb in Tokyo. Famous for fashion and nightlife apparently. And yep I met a guy that owns this hip hop shop with "normal" size clothes, plus some pretty cool brands. Me likey...my wallet doesnt though..haha. Shibuya is massive high rise with more billboards then I have ever seen in my life and massive TV screens on the buildings. Its NUTS! I also am right next to Tokyo Uni and Komaba park which is currently filled with the cherry blossom trees. These trees are beautiful, its something all in itself that is indescribable. I will post pictures after the cherry blossom party on Sunday. The district I live in is called Komaba, which has high rise and houses...its a mixture, but I am just off from the high rise, so its quieter here. Its good...best of both worlds.
Oh and its currently cold here. By cold I mean 15 degrees by day and freaking freezing at night. And they call this Spring, what a load of caca. It better get warmer, else I going to freeze over! But the falling cherry blossoms look like snow, its so awesome.
To be a foreigner here is also a pain in terms of paper work. There is a tone to do and it never ends, we dont get everything official pretty much for like 3 weeks. So no mobile for another week or two. Its a pain, but what can you do? I have Gaijin (foreigner) orientation at Tokyo Institute of Technology (TiTech) tomorrow, so finally I can see my uni. The uni is 40min from where I live, so its just like home with all the travel. I'll let you know about the uni once I start. Apparently the cherry blossoms there are even more beautiful!
And I'll also post pics of the crazy toilets I find. Yes I will track these toilets down and attempt to discifer how they work and document. HAHA. Everything here is in Japanese, and I mean like things such as detergent, foods, washing liquids etc. I have a massive headache trying to work out what is what and if its what I want. But there are so many brands from home like panteen pro-v, cornflakes etc....but the lables are all in japanese, so with the little I know, the katakana these use, the colours and pictures somehow I work it out. Hopefully I got the right softner for my clothes and its not something dodgy...like bleach...oh god please be what I wanted!
Anyway, thats part one for today. I'm about to do a seperate blog entry on food, but I'll leave that for tomorrow. Take care everyone and feel free to post anything you want to ask or say! Just don't be a biatch and its all good.
chooksta
xoxo
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