Saturday, January 29, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Week 18
KYUSHU TRIP
Mon 17 Jan HAKATA (FUKUOKA PREFECTURE)
We arrived in Fukuoka at about 6.30am-ish after like an 8hr bus ride from Sannomiya. Made our way to the ryokan and managed to get our room before 3pm (luckily). Checked out our room. Very Japanese style. nice spacious kotatsu in the middle of the main tatami room. Napped a bit. Some boilolo pics were taken.
Then we headed towards a shrine that was nearby because it had an old ginkgo tree. Then on the other side of the shrine was an entrance to Canal City, which is a shopping centre that is supposed to have a 'canal' flow through it, but they were doing maintenance at the time =[
had some tonkotsu ramen, which is what kyushu is famous for. the difference was that they use pork bone for the soup instead of the usual miso or shoyu soup base back in osaka. it was CHOU OISHIKATTA. the place we went to was awesome. you could choose how you wanted your ramen: if you wanted spring onion, chashu meat, level of spiciness, how much fat/oil, whether you want your ramen soft or hard, etc. bloody awesome!
then we walked around the shopping complex. pokemon centre, body shop, played taiko, had some ice cream, etc. then we went upstairs to taito station thinking that there would be the [gundam] pods, but there wasnt. BUT evelyn and i did some cosplay for purikura (since it was girls only). we did matching goth loli teehee lol. then rushed to the cinemas next door for Tron in 3D. After watching Tron we had more ramen in Ramen Stadium on the same floor, before going home. tried to work on my political economy essay that was due 11.30am that day, but got freaked out being by myself in the cold lobby downstairs.
Tue 18 Jan MT ASO (KUMAMOTO PREFECTURE)
We went to see MT ASO!!! aka active volcano in Kumamoto prefecture.=]
it took a bloody long time to get there.
Travel advice for kyushu: Travel in groups of 4 --> the way to get discounts on your transportation
For some odd reason it makes quite a difference travelling in a group of 4 in Kyushu. Travel discounts apply for groups of 4. We took a train from Hakata to Kumamoto station (1.5hrs), then another train from kumamoto to aso station (express is about an hour, normal train is 1hr 45min), and then we took a bus (30min) to get to mt aso where the ropeway was.
paid 1000yen for return on the ropeway (i got jipped!) which took like 5min to get to the top. and it was just white everywhere. it didn't smell like we heard but it was goddamn cold at -6 degrees celsius. me being the genius that i am didn't wear enough clothing to sustain the cold. me and my chucks, pair of jeans, tee with a jacket was obviously adequate to withstand the cold.
i couldn't hold it out longer so i gave up while the others continued to walk to the peak of the crater. so i walked back (alone). saw some korean tourists so decided to follow them cos they were obviously trying to get back inside some building. turned out that by the time i reached the end of the path/ saw a building it was the bloody foot of the ropeway so wasted 500yen for going on nothing, and waited for the others to come back.
we then made the long trek home to our cosy ryokan. watched a pokemon movie on darkrai, enjoyed a freezing cold shower, then had our little pudding with baileys party before going to sleep. another failed attempt to work on my now overdued essay.
Wed 19 Jan NAGASAKI (NAGASAKI PREFECTURE)
Woot! 3rd prefecture in 3 days. Checked out of the ryokan, left our stuff there and then commuted to Nagasaki by JR train again (2.5hrs). Ate some Champon then caught a tram to check out a cathedral, saw the bombed Mary, then walked to the peace park to check out the big statue, some more statues promoting peace, the fountain of peace, and then made our way to the hypocentre.
then we hopped on a tram back towards .... somewhere where we took a long diagonally moving lift to the lookout point. took photos of the scenery before rushing back down to the tram station. took a taxi back to nagasaki station to make in time for the train back so that we (prob more because of me > < gomen) could have enough time to get our stuff before catching our buses. tried to work on my essay again during the long train ride but fell asleep at some point.
rushed back to the ryokan, picked up my stuff before heading back to Hakata Station for the lonely bus ride back to Kobe. [the others went to shikoku]
Thu 20 Jan
Arrived in Sannomiya at about 6am. Went home and just rested up, did laundry, etc
Fri 21 Jan NAGANO TRIP
finally finished my now grossly overdued political economy essay (fingers crossed its still accepted). then packed for Nagano trip with host mum.
Sat 22 Jan ZENKOJI
We arrived in Nagano city at about 6.30am. first thing i noticed was snow. SNOW SNOW SNOW EVERYWHERE!!! caught a taxi to my host mum's daughter's place. met up with the rest of her family again. had some breakfast and then napped.
Woke up and left to visit Rika-chan's primary school because it was like an open day.
then masao-san picked us up to take us to the restaurant for lunch. then host mum and remi-san took me to zenkoji, which is absolutely beautiful. went into the dark corridor downstairs (where there's absolutely no light) upon which you're supposed to find a key in the wall and if you touch it you will receive enlightment. well managed to touch something that felt like a metal chess pawn attached to the wall so i guess that was it. =S
rubbed a wooden buddha looking statue upon which the body part that you touch will be protected or won't have any injury happen or something.
the buddhas inside remind me of the temples i saw in hong kong and back home in sydney.
then had some soba flavoured soft serve as well as miso flavoured soft serve. tried some shochu (japanese wine) and amazake (sweet wine). before going home for dinner and bed.
Sun 23 Jan SKIING
went to a ski-jo to go skiing. but because im scared about my weak knee i chickened out from the skiing and went on the sled numerous times on the gentle slope as well as making my first snow angels, and snowmen. chatted a bit with a young father and received a really cute small snowman from his 3 yr old.
after lunch with the family, we made a snow totoro. before going home at about 3 something since my host mum couldnt stand the cold any longer. stopped by a supermarket on the way home and finally found some konnyaku jelly.
Mon 17 Jan HAKATA (FUKUOKA PREFECTURE)
We arrived in Fukuoka at about 6.30am-ish after like an 8hr bus ride from Sannomiya. Made our way to the ryokan and managed to get our room before 3pm (luckily). Checked out our room. Very Japanese style. nice spacious kotatsu in the middle of the main tatami room. Napped a bit. Some boilolo pics were taken.
Then we headed towards a shrine that was nearby because it had an old ginkgo tree. Then on the other side of the shrine was an entrance to Canal City, which is a shopping centre that is supposed to have a 'canal' flow through it, but they were doing maintenance at the time =[
had some tonkotsu ramen, which is what kyushu is famous for. the difference was that they use pork bone for the soup instead of the usual miso or shoyu soup base back in osaka. it was CHOU OISHIKATTA. the place we went to was awesome. you could choose how you wanted your ramen: if you wanted spring onion, chashu meat, level of spiciness, how much fat/oil, whether you want your ramen soft or hard, etc. bloody awesome!
then we walked around the shopping complex. pokemon centre, body shop, played taiko, had some ice cream, etc. then we went upstairs to taito station thinking that there would be the [gundam] pods, but there wasnt. BUT evelyn and i did some cosplay for purikura (since it was girls only). we did matching goth loli teehee lol. then rushed to the cinemas next door for Tron in 3D. After watching Tron we had more ramen in Ramen Stadium on the same floor, before going home. tried to work on my political economy essay that was due 11.30am that day, but got freaked out being by myself in the cold lobby downstairs.
Tue 18 Jan MT ASO (KUMAMOTO PREFECTURE)
We went to see MT ASO!!! aka active volcano in Kumamoto prefecture.=]
it took a bloody long time to get there.
Travel advice for kyushu: Travel in groups of 4 --> the way to get discounts on your transportation
For some odd reason it makes quite a difference travelling in a group of 4 in Kyushu. Travel discounts apply for groups of 4. We took a train from Hakata to Kumamoto station (1.5hrs), then another train from kumamoto to aso station (express is about an hour, normal train is 1hr 45min), and then we took a bus (30min) to get to mt aso where the ropeway was.
paid 1000yen for return on the ropeway (i got jipped!) which took like 5min to get to the top. and it was just white everywhere. it didn't smell like we heard but it was goddamn cold at -6 degrees celsius. me being the genius that i am didn't wear enough clothing to sustain the cold. me and my chucks, pair of jeans, tee with a jacket was obviously adequate to withstand the cold.
i couldn't hold it out longer so i gave up while the others continued to walk to the peak of the crater. so i walked back (alone). saw some korean tourists so decided to follow them cos they were obviously trying to get back inside some building. turned out that by the time i reached the end of the path/ saw a building it was the bloody foot of the ropeway so wasted 500yen for going on nothing, and waited for the others to come back.
we then made the long trek home to our cosy ryokan. watched a pokemon movie on darkrai, enjoyed a freezing cold shower, then had our little pudding with baileys party before going to sleep. another failed attempt to work on my now overdued essay.
Wed 19 Jan NAGASAKI (NAGASAKI PREFECTURE)
Woot! 3rd prefecture in 3 days. Checked out of the ryokan, left our stuff there and then commuted to Nagasaki by JR train again (2.5hrs). Ate some Champon then caught a tram to check out a cathedral, saw the bombed Mary, then walked to the peace park to check out the big statue, some more statues promoting peace, the fountain of peace, and then made our way to the hypocentre.
then we hopped on a tram back towards .... somewhere where we took a long diagonally moving lift to the lookout point. took photos of the scenery before rushing back down to the tram station. took a taxi back to nagasaki station to make in time for the train back so that we (prob more because of me > < gomen) could have enough time to get our stuff before catching our buses. tried to work on my essay again during the long train ride but fell asleep at some point.
rushed back to the ryokan, picked up my stuff before heading back to Hakata Station for the lonely bus ride back to Kobe. [the others went to shikoku]
Thu 20 Jan
Arrived in Sannomiya at about 6am. Went home and just rested up, did laundry, etc
Fri 21 Jan NAGANO TRIP
finally finished my now grossly overdued political economy essay (fingers crossed its still accepted). then packed for Nagano trip with host mum.
Sat 22 Jan ZENKOJI
We arrived in Nagano city at about 6.30am. first thing i noticed was snow. SNOW SNOW SNOW EVERYWHERE!!! caught a taxi to my host mum's daughter's place. met up with the rest of her family again. had some breakfast and then napped.
Woke up and left to visit Rika-chan's primary school because it was like an open day.
then masao-san picked us up to take us to the restaurant for lunch. then host mum and remi-san took me to zenkoji, which is absolutely beautiful. went into the dark corridor downstairs (where there's absolutely no light) upon which you're supposed to find a key in the wall and if you touch it you will receive enlightment. well managed to touch something that felt like a metal chess pawn attached to the wall so i guess that was it. =S
rubbed a wooden buddha looking statue upon which the body part that you touch will be protected or won't have any injury happen or something.
the buddhas inside remind me of the temples i saw in hong kong and back home in sydney.
then had some soba flavoured soft serve as well as miso flavoured soft serve. tried some shochu (japanese wine) and amazake (sweet wine). before going home for dinner and bed.
Sun 23 Jan SKIING
went to a ski-jo to go skiing. but because im scared about my weak knee i chickened out from the skiing and went on the sled numerous times on the gentle slope as well as making my first snow angels, and snowmen. chatted a bit with a young father and received a really cute small snowman from his 3 yr old.
after lunch with the family, we made a snow totoro. before going home at about 3 something since my host mum couldnt stand the cold any longer. stopped by a supermarket on the way home and finally found some konnyaku jelly.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Week 17
last week of class!!!
Mon 10 Jan
public holiday but worked on papers
Tue 11 Jan
class
Wed 12 Jan
- Kanji Final
- Society final report due
- Society class test
Thu 13 Jan
- Speaking final (oral at 9 bloody am!)
- grammar final
- language and culture final exam
Fri 14 Jan FALL SEM CLOSING CEREMONY + WAYNE'S FAREWELL PARTY
- Holidays begin
- Closing ceremony for Fall semester =[ an emotional evening listening to all the ppl who are leaving's farewell speeches. took lotsa photos, before heading off to ippudo (ramen place somewhat close to uni) for dinner before all-night karaoke
MISS YOO WAYNE!!!
Sat 15 Jan TAKARAZUKA REVUE + FAREWELL PARTY 2
Went to Alexa's host family's place for nabe lunch party with Jacky, Anin, Katie, Frank, and Vicky. it was soooo derishious.
then we went to Takarazuka Revue to watch the latest performance by the Yuki-gumi (snow troupe) and their version of Romeo and Juliette.
summary: I HIGHLY RECOMMEND ANYONE GOING TO JAPAN TO GO SEE A TAKARAZUKA REVUE PERFORMANCE
it was SOOOOO GOOD!!! the singing was superb. and ive totally fallen in love with the top star, Otozuki Kei, who played Romeo. i would pash her any day. i was totally mesmerised by the otokoyaku (male-role). although they're all women, the way they act, body language, posture, speech are all very otoko-rashii. they even sing in deep voices as well! although it's friggin expensive, im so going to get the dvd when it comes out even if their dvds are like 8400-10 000yen each. and im gunna keep an ear out for any other yuki-gumi performances while im still in japan.
afterwards, we met up with the others -Valerie, Isaac, Alanna, Caitlin, Michael, Anin, Andrea, (and if i forgot your name gomen ne) for farewell dinner and bowling. andrea and myself both won the strike thingo and got a group photo and frame each. =] and then we all rushed for the last trains home.
GONNA MISS YOO ANIN!!!
Sun 16 Jan
met up with Evelyn, Jehki and Petter for the night bus to Kyushu!
Mon 10 Jan
public holiday but worked on papers
Tue 11 Jan
class
Wed 12 Jan
- Kanji Final
- Society final report due
- Society class test
Thu 13 Jan
- Speaking final (oral at 9 bloody am!)
- grammar final
- language and culture final exam
Fri 14 Jan FALL SEM CLOSING CEREMONY + WAYNE'S FAREWELL PARTY
- Holidays begin
- Closing ceremony for Fall semester =[ an emotional evening listening to all the ppl who are leaving's farewell speeches. took lotsa photos, before heading off to ippudo (ramen place somewhat close to uni) for dinner before all-night karaoke
MISS YOO WAYNE!!!
Sat 15 Jan TAKARAZUKA REVUE + FAREWELL PARTY 2
Went to Alexa's host family's place for nabe lunch party with Jacky, Anin, Katie, Frank, and Vicky. it was soooo derishious.
then we went to Takarazuka Revue to watch the latest performance by the Yuki-gumi (snow troupe) and their version of Romeo and Juliette.
summary: I HIGHLY RECOMMEND ANYONE GOING TO JAPAN TO GO SEE A TAKARAZUKA REVUE PERFORMANCE
it was SOOOOO GOOD!!! the singing was superb. and ive totally fallen in love with the top star, Otozuki Kei, who played Romeo. i would pash her any day. i was totally mesmerised by the otokoyaku (male-role). although they're all women, the way they act, body language, posture, speech are all very otoko-rashii. they even sing in deep voices as well! although it's friggin expensive, im so going to get the dvd when it comes out even if their dvds are like 8400-10 000yen each. and im gunna keep an ear out for any other yuki-gumi performances while im still in japan.
afterwards, we met up with the others -Valerie, Isaac, Alanna, Caitlin, Michael, Anin, Andrea, (and if i forgot your name gomen ne) for farewell dinner and bowling. andrea and myself both won the strike thingo and got a group photo and frame each. =] and then we all rushed for the last trains home.
GONNA MISS YOO ANIN!!!
Sun 16 Jan
met up with Evelyn, Jehki and Petter for the night bus to Kyushu!
Week 16
Mon 3- Tue 4
Papers
Wed 5 Jan HOSPITAL
Thu 6 Jan BACK TO SCHOOL
Had speaking class final (written paper) and then jigged 2nd and 3rd period to work on the language and culture paper (due 5th period)
Fri 7 Jan
did a presentation on vegemite and arnotts biscuits in economy class
Sat 8 - Sun 9 Jan
'tried' to study and work on papers
Papers
Wed 5 Jan HOSPITAL
Thu 6 Jan BACK TO SCHOOL
Had speaking class final (written paper) and then jigged 2nd and 3rd period to work on the language and culture paper (due 5th period)
Fri 7 Jan
did a presentation on vegemite and arnotts biscuits in economy class
Sat 8 - Sun 9 Jan
'tried' to study and work on papers
Week 15
HIROSHIMA/MIYAJIMA TRIP 2
Mon 27 Dec HIROSHIMA
went to Hiroshima castle and Peace park again. while the others went inside the peace museum i tried to get some readings done, only to be bothered by this ojisan who kept trying to get my perspective on why the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. He asked me questions like "Why was America, China, UK, Australia, [insert more countries] against Japan?...we [Japan] only went to war because we wanted more food...we didn't do anything wrong...why did America drop the bomb on Hiroshima?" etc etc etc. And then he showed me his deformed pinky from the radiation [he survived the bomb]. i really didn't want to answer because i knew that he wouldn't like my answer either way and i tried to give a neutral answer but i guess he wasn't satisfied with it.
after the others were done with the museum we went to the Dreamination, which was Hiroshima's illumination where one of their main streets was light up with different wire sculptures covered in lights. lots of camwhoring happened. Then we stumbled through the red-light district before arriving at an okonomiyaki restaurant to eat some hiroshima-style okonomiyai =] nomnomnom
Tue 28 Dec MIYAJIMA
Visited Miyajima (again)!
slipped on some stairs that was near the water and got seaweed on my arse and new jacket. then Anin and Jacky helped me clean it off (in public >___>).
went inside itsukushima shrine and camwhored.
then went back to hiroshima and had some ramen for dinner before giving Jacky a birthday surprise =) Enjoyed some german wine and cake made by the lovely Frank Frank =]
Wed 29 Dec IWAKUNI
We let bday boi decide where/what we do that day so we went to Iwakuni, which is near the border of Hiroshima prefecture and the neighbouring prefecture, to check out a bridge.
camwhored
then went back to hiroshima and had some anago and more oysters for dinner before heading back on the bus home to Kansai.
Thu 30 Dec
arrived in Osaka at 6am-ish (i think). was thinking of going to spa world with Frank Frank and Jehki, but Jehki got food poisoning when we got off the bus so we all headed home.
Arrived home to discover the house infiltrated with kids! nah jk jk. my host mum's daughter's family came down from nagano to visit obaachan and ojiichan. the kids are sooooo CUTE!!! unfortunately i still had like 4 papers and 5 exams to prep for before uni started on the 6th, so i couldnt go out with them much =(
Fri 31 Dec NEW YEARS EVE
spent most of the day 'trying' to write up a paper. had a big festive dinner with the host family with osechi, ozoni, mochi, soba (represents longevity), which is traditionally eaten on the 1st but because the host-sister's husband had work and was only free for a day we ate it a night earlier.
then went out at 11pm-ish to meet up with Anin, Vicky, Roger, Nicole and Katie in Sannomiya to go to Ikuta Shrine for hatsumode (first shrine visit of the year). The shrine was super crowded and there were police monitoring crowds. also experience one of the crappiest countdowns ever. since there was no official clock nearby you had to rely on your own watch to know when to start the countdown. so basically there were groups of people going off saying 'Happy new year' at different times.
then the shrine gates opened and we just got pushed forward by the crowd behind. it was pretty cool listening to a row of taiko drums being hit as we edged closer to the front where we throw some money and make a wish, before heading off to the side and getting out omikuji (fortune). i scored a daikichi (=super good luck) !!! =D then headed home
Sat 1 Jan HAPPY NEW YEAR HELLO TWENTY-ELEVEN
didn't do much except trying to work on papers again (i knoe eh, what a depressing way to spend new years day.... studying)
Sun 2 Jan
Papers again
Mon 27 Dec HIROSHIMA
went to Hiroshima castle and Peace park again. while the others went inside the peace museum i tried to get some readings done, only to be bothered by this ojisan who kept trying to get my perspective on why the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. He asked me questions like "Why was America, China, UK, Australia, [insert more countries] against Japan?...we [Japan] only went to war because we wanted more food...we didn't do anything wrong...why did America drop the bomb on Hiroshima?" etc etc etc. And then he showed me his deformed pinky from the radiation [he survived the bomb]. i really didn't want to answer because i knew that he wouldn't like my answer either way and i tried to give a neutral answer but i guess he wasn't satisfied with it.
after the others were done with the museum we went to the Dreamination, which was Hiroshima's illumination where one of their main streets was light up with different wire sculptures covered in lights. lots of camwhoring happened. Then we stumbled through the red-light district before arriving at an okonomiyaki restaurant to eat some hiroshima-style okonomiyai =] nomnomnom
Tue 28 Dec MIYAJIMA
Visited Miyajima (again)!
slipped on some stairs that was near the water and got seaweed on my arse and new jacket. then Anin and Jacky helped me clean it off (in public >___>).
went inside itsukushima shrine and camwhored.
then went back to hiroshima and had some ramen for dinner before giving Jacky a birthday surprise =) Enjoyed some german wine and cake made by the lovely Frank Frank =]
Wed 29 Dec IWAKUNI
We let bday boi decide where/what we do that day so we went to Iwakuni, which is near the border of Hiroshima prefecture and the neighbouring prefecture, to check out a bridge.
camwhored
then went back to hiroshima and had some anago and more oysters for dinner before heading back on the bus home to Kansai.
Thu 30 Dec
arrived in Osaka at 6am-ish (i think). was thinking of going to spa world with Frank Frank and Jehki, but Jehki got food poisoning when we got off the bus so we all headed home.
Arrived home to discover the house infiltrated with kids! nah jk jk. my host mum's daughter's family came down from nagano to visit obaachan and ojiichan. the kids are sooooo CUTE!!! unfortunately i still had like 4 papers and 5 exams to prep for before uni started on the 6th, so i couldnt go out with them much =(
Fri 31 Dec NEW YEARS EVE
spent most of the day 'trying' to write up a paper. had a big festive dinner with the host family with osechi, ozoni, mochi, soba (represents longevity), which is traditionally eaten on the 1st but because the host-sister's husband had work and was only free for a day we ate it a night earlier.
then went out at 11pm-ish to meet up with Anin, Vicky, Roger, Nicole and Katie in Sannomiya to go to Ikuta Shrine for hatsumode (first shrine visit of the year). The shrine was super crowded and there were police monitoring crowds. also experience one of the crappiest countdowns ever. since there was no official clock nearby you had to rely on your own watch to know when to start the countdown. so basically there were groups of people going off saying 'Happy new year' at different times.
then the shrine gates opened and we just got pushed forward by the crowd behind. it was pretty cool listening to a row of taiko drums being hit as we edged closer to the front where we throw some money and make a wish, before heading off to the side and getting out omikuji (fortune). i scored a daikichi (=super good luck) !!! =D then headed home
Sat 1 Jan HAPPY NEW YEAR HELLO TWENTY-ELEVEN
didn't do much except trying to work on papers again (i knoe eh, what a depressing way to spend new years day.... studying)
Sun 2 Jan
Papers again
Week 14
This week was kinda weird. We had class from mon to wed and then we were on holidays from Thurs till the 6th Jan.
Mon 20 Dec
Religious Rites final exam
Wed 22 Dec GERMAN MARKET AGAIN
Stayed back a bit after Society class cos we stood in the queue at the travel agent for over an hour (guess everyone else was organising their trips last minute) to further discuss about our Hokkaido plans.
Then afterwards we went to the German xmas market again cos Evelyn hadn't been before. Got to see Evelyn and Jacky drunk again =D Then went to Namcoland again and took purikura. Then learnt later that night that Jacky made some epic spew at Kotoen =)
Fri 24 Dec XMAS EVE
sadly stayed at home 'trying' to work on my papers
Sat 25 Dec XMAS DAY
spent the arvo shopping at the outlet park in Tarumi with Frank Frank and Jehki =)
Sun 26 Dec BOXING DAY
spent most of the day at home sleeping in, cleaning out my sd card, backing up photos, etc before leaving for Hiroshima (again). Met up with Frank Frank and Jehki at Nishikita at 6pm-ish only to remember that i forgot my nengajou that i stayed up the night before writing up. So rushed back to Sannomiya, and met up the others in Shinsaibashi at about 7-8pm-ish. bought a pair of thick framed glasses, and wore them to meet up with the others at Big Man Umeda to catch the night bus to Hiroshima.
Mon 20 Dec
Religious Rites final exam
Wed 22 Dec GERMAN MARKET AGAIN
Stayed back a bit after Society class cos we stood in the queue at the travel agent for over an hour (guess everyone else was organising their trips last minute) to further discuss about our Hokkaido plans.
Then afterwards we went to the German xmas market again cos Evelyn hadn't been before. Got to see Evelyn and Jacky drunk again =D Then went to Namcoland again and took purikura. Then learnt later that night that Jacky made some epic spew at Kotoen =)
Fri 24 Dec XMAS EVE
sadly stayed at home 'trying' to work on my papers
Sat 25 Dec XMAS DAY
spent the arvo shopping at the outlet park in Tarumi with Frank Frank and Jehki =)
Sun 26 Dec BOXING DAY
spent most of the day at home sleeping in, cleaning out my sd card, backing up photos, etc before leaving for Hiroshima (again). Met up with Frank Frank and Jehki at Nishikita at 6pm-ish only to remember that i forgot my nengajou that i stayed up the night before writing up. So rushed back to Sannomiya, and met up the others in Shinsaibashi at about 7-8pm-ish. bought a pair of thick framed glasses, and wore them to meet up with the others at Big Man Umeda to catch the night bus to Hiroshima.
Week 13
Yosh! Finally back in Kobe after a couple weeks of travelling and a bunch of papers and exams just before that (combined with laziness in uploading photos and updating blog).
Mon 13 - Fri 17 Dec
So this week was the second last week of the Fall Semester, so had a bunch of quizzes for Japanese, speech presentation for Speaking class, a group presentation for Language and Culture, and a make up class for Society =___=
Had dinner with Kristin after Language and Culture (a ridiculous extended class that was originally planned to end at 8pm, but we got through all the presentations by about 7pm).
Then came the weekend! As well as the final days of Kristin's stay in Japan ='[
Sat 18 Dec ARIMA ONSEN
Went to on day trip to Arima Onsen with Frank Frank, Anin, Vicky, Kristin and Caitlin. Can't remember how long it took, but we changed trains at Shinkaichi station, to some other train that took a while going into the countryside. We visited 2 onsens, one was called Silver something and the other was called Gold-something (because the water was a murky 'gold' colour). First time ever experienced an onsen and boy I would totally go for it again any day. It was so relaxing, and didn't expect to feel as embarrassed about being naked in front of everyone else (prob cos everyone else was in the nude). And caught a bus back to Sannomiya in time for dinner with the host family (which we learnt was cheaper).
Sun 19 Dec MANA IN-STORE EVENT & GERMAN XMAS MARKET
Holy fjhefhweofhweifhew!!!!?!?!??! SAW MANA-SAMA IN REAL LIFE!!!! omfgfhfiwuhfwhe!!
It was in Shinsaibashi at the Zeal Link Store. Never been there before but discovered that that floor had a bunch of lolita clothing and vkei shit *two thumbs up*. Lots of hardcore goth lolis and egas (most wearing moi meme moite) and stood out like a sore thumb in my regular streetwear =S. Mana-sama was dressed as a man (which was kinda disappointing cos i was totally expecting him to wear some goth loli dress or something like the early moi dix mois days) promoting the latest release of Moi Dix Mois' album.
Tried on a goth loli outfit since i was surrounded by goth lolis.
Then went back to Umeda to meet up with Frank Frank and Jehki for the German xmas market at Umeda sky building. It was chou tanoshikatta =). Got tipsy from the hot german wine, 2 pints of beer (oh delicious erdinger), a german sausage (or two - gotta have a german sausage ;)) and a german xmas gingerbread cookie. Then went to Namcoland, took purikura and played some games before going home around midnight. whee~<3
Mon 13 - Fri 17 Dec
So this week was the second last week of the Fall Semester, so had a bunch of quizzes for Japanese, speech presentation for Speaking class, a group presentation for Language and Culture, and a make up class for Society =___=
Had dinner with Kristin after Language and Culture (a ridiculous extended class that was originally planned to end at 8pm, but we got through all the presentations by about 7pm).
Then came the weekend! As well as the final days of Kristin's stay in Japan ='[
Sat 18 Dec ARIMA ONSEN
Went to on day trip to Arima Onsen with Frank Frank, Anin, Vicky, Kristin and Caitlin. Can't remember how long it took, but we changed trains at Shinkaichi station, to some other train that took a while going into the countryside. We visited 2 onsens, one was called Silver something and the other was called Gold-something (because the water was a murky 'gold' colour). First time ever experienced an onsen and boy I would totally go for it again any day. It was so relaxing, and didn't expect to feel as embarrassed about being naked in front of everyone else (prob cos everyone else was in the nude). And caught a bus back to Sannomiya in time for dinner with the host family (which we learnt was cheaper).
Sun 19 Dec MANA IN-STORE EVENT & GERMAN XMAS MARKET
Holy fjhefhweofhweifhew!!!!?!?!??! SAW MANA-SAMA IN REAL LIFE!!!! omfgfhfiwuhfwhe!!
It was in Shinsaibashi at the Zeal Link Store. Never been there before but discovered that that floor had a bunch of lolita clothing and vkei shit *two thumbs up*. Lots of hardcore goth lolis and egas (most wearing moi meme moite) and stood out like a sore thumb in my regular streetwear =S. Mana-sama was dressed as a man (which was kinda disappointing cos i was totally expecting him to wear some goth loli dress or something like the early moi dix mois days) promoting the latest release of Moi Dix Mois' album.
Tried on a goth loli outfit since i was surrounded by goth lolis.
Then went back to Umeda to meet up with Frank Frank and Jehki for the German xmas market at Umeda sky building. It was chou tanoshikatta =). Got tipsy from the hot german wine, 2 pints of beer (oh delicious erdinger), a german sausage (or two - gotta have a german sausage ;)) and a german xmas gingerbread cookie. Then went to Namcoland, took purikura and played some games before going home around midnight. whee~<3
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Visit to the Hospital
Wow it's been a while since I've last updated and it's not week 16. I will eventually get back to properly updating what i've been doing for the last month but today has been a really interesting day.
Today what did I do???
my host mum took me to a hospital because I've coughing out excess phlegm and have had some blood appear in amongst the gross mucus.And it's been happening for a few days now. Right now I'm am REALLY THANKFUL that I had chosen to stay with a host family because there is no way I would've had the confidence to go to a hospital on my own. ALSO, THANK GOD I've signed up for the National Health Scheme. In total I only had to pay bout 7000yen and that was only 30% of the cost (and i only had 5000yen in my pocket >__>)
first things first, the Japanese health system is quite different to the Australian one. I have never heard of a hospital only willing to accept to appointments from 8:30-11:30am, even though the hospital is clearly still operating after 11:30am. another difference is how you pay for your hospital fees. after filling out some sheet for being a first-time patient, they give you some card that resembles a credit card. you use this card for these ATM-looking machines to pay for your hospital fees and it probably holds a record of your visit. apparently each hospital has their own card (and it becomes personalized because your name is printed on it).
Today I had an x-ray taken, saw how my ribcage looks, (had a bit of a crush on the young respiratory organ doctor that examined me), then went to see the nose, throat, ear specialist and had some sort of liquid sprayed up my nostrils and a camera shoved up my nose. That's the first time I've ever had a camera shoved up and deep into my nose but boy it was not a fun experience.
The hospital I visited
now gotta stop procastinating and get back to working on writing a paper and start studying for tmr's kimatsushiken (final exam)
Today what did I do???
my host mum took me to a hospital because I've coughing out excess phlegm and have had some blood appear in amongst the gross mucus.And it's been happening for a few days now. Right now I'm am REALLY THANKFUL that I had chosen to stay with a host family because there is no way I would've had the confidence to go to a hospital on my own. ALSO, THANK GOD I've signed up for the National Health Scheme. In total I only had to pay bout 7000yen and that was only 30% of the cost (and i only had 5000yen in my pocket >__>)
first things first, the Japanese health system is quite different to the Australian one. I have never heard of a hospital only willing to accept to appointments from 8:30-11:30am, even though the hospital is clearly still operating after 11:30am. another difference is how you pay for your hospital fees. after filling out some sheet for being a first-time patient, they give you some card that resembles a credit card. you use this card for these ATM-looking machines to pay for your hospital fees and it probably holds a record of your visit. apparently each hospital has their own card (and it becomes personalized because your name is printed on it).
Today I had an x-ray taken, saw how my ribcage looks, (had a bit of a crush on the young respiratory organ doctor that examined me), then went to see the nose, throat, ear specialist and had some sort of liquid sprayed up my nostrils and a camera shoved up my nose. That's the first time I've ever had a camera shoved up and deep into my nose but boy it was not a fun experience.
The hospital I visitednow gotta stop procastinating and get back to working on writing a paper and start studying for tmr's kimatsushiken (final exam)
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Week 12
Tue 7 Dec
KOBE ILLUMINATION
went with some friends to the Kobe illumination in Sannomiya which started after the Hanshin earthquake i heard. it`s apparently a really big event here and lotsa people come crowding up near LV and camwhore at all the pretty lights.
then we had some italian for dinner before going home.
Wed 8 Dec
jigged Coffee Hour (which nobody knew about until late yesterday arvo) and went to Harbourland with Erica for some shoes for the party on Friday =]
Fri 10 Dec
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT PARTY
went to Takarazuka hotel with host family for the KGU international student party. it was fun to go out dressed up nicely for once and to see everyone else dressed up.
pigged out on the food (where you had to be quick otherwise there`d be none left) and camwhored.
then some of us went for allnighter k for an afterparty. we k-ed in our beloved (it seems) shidax cos it was much cheaper than the jankare in tsukaguchi and k-ed till 5am. then we went to nishikita hoping to bum in maccas for a bit to learn that it was still closed. so we went to the maccas in kotoen and sat there eating and chatting for a couple hours till bout 9 something AM.
Sat 11 Dec
slept through the whole day till 9PM something. so in order to fix up the body clock i decided to just stay up all night studying before going out the next day
Sun 12 Dec
USJ!!!
slept in from a power nap from the day/night switch day and got to USJ an hour later than everyone else. kudos to Hiroki for the USJ ticket!
the day was spent predominantly in lines waiting to go on the rides but BOY were some of those rides worth it. we went on the:
- spiderman ride (thumbs up!)
- jurassic park ride (thumbs up!)
- terminator show (thumbs up!)
- hollywood dream (thumbs up!)
- jaws ride at night (thumbs up!)
- and the backdraft show
and then we went to the shounen jump shop and i just had to get this
=D
and then for dinner we went to the takoyaki museum and ate some takoyaki before heading home
note: photos to be uploaded later...
KOBE ILLUMINATION
went with some friends to the Kobe illumination in Sannomiya which started after the Hanshin earthquake i heard. it`s apparently a really big event here and lotsa people come crowding up near LV and camwhore at all the pretty lights.
then we had some italian for dinner before going home.
Wed 8 Dec
jigged Coffee Hour (which nobody knew about until late yesterday arvo) and went to Harbourland with Erica for some shoes for the party on Friday =]
Fri 10 Dec
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT PARTY
went to Takarazuka hotel with host family for the KGU international student party. it was fun to go out dressed up nicely for once and to see everyone else dressed up.
pigged out on the food (where you had to be quick otherwise there`d be none left) and camwhored.
then some of us went for allnighter k for an afterparty. we k-ed in our beloved (it seems) shidax cos it was much cheaper than the jankare in tsukaguchi and k-ed till 5am. then we went to nishikita hoping to bum in maccas for a bit to learn that it was still closed. so we went to the maccas in kotoen and sat there eating and chatting for a couple hours till bout 9 something AM.
Sat 11 Dec
slept through the whole day till 9PM something. so in order to fix up the body clock i decided to just stay up all night studying before going out the next day
Sun 12 Dec
USJ!!!
slept in from a power nap from the day/night switch day and got to USJ an hour later than everyone else. kudos to Hiroki for the USJ ticket!
the day was spent predominantly in lines waiting to go on the rides but BOY were some of those rides worth it. we went on the:
- spiderman ride (thumbs up!)
- jurassic park ride (thumbs up!)
- terminator show (thumbs up!)
- hollywood dream (thumbs up!)
- jaws ride at night (thumbs up!)
- and the backdraft show
and then we went to the shounen jump shop and i just had to get this
=D
and then for dinner we went to the takoyaki museum and ate some takoyaki before heading home
note: photos to be uploaded later...
week 11
Thu 2 Dec
HOLY CRAP I CANNOT BELIEVE IT DECEMBER ALREADY!
it`s been exactly 3 months since I started this adventure and it continues....
today we had to go visit the KGU primary school and talk with little kids. surprisingly it was fun and i kinda wished i got to stay back for lunch with them but i had political economy class (which i ended up sleeping through it again).
Sat 4 Dec
volunteered to go to the exchange information session to help the japanese student(s) coming to Sydney next year to help them out life in Sydney. it was fun and got to make another japanese friend but sooo friggin early at 9.30am on a Saturday....
and then....
HEIDI CONCERT
..... WAS SOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!!!!!
SOOOO much better than the Scandal concert i went to earlier in the semester, but then i might be biased cos at least with this band it was not only good music, good performers but lotsa eyecandy as well, compared to seeing a bunch of girls around my age in school uniform on stage.
Sun 5 Dec
went to Osaka Castle with the good ole fellow SGs who were in Japan for holidays. kinda felt like a mini reunion hehe. THANK YOU GIRLS FOR MEETING UP!!! it was really nice to see some familiar faces =]
then we went to Shinsaibashi where they shopped, and then i had to go home for dinner and do some homework that was due the next day.
HOLY CRAP I CANNOT BELIEVE IT DECEMBER ALREADY!
it`s been exactly 3 months since I started this adventure and it continues....
today we had to go visit the KGU primary school and talk with little kids. surprisingly it was fun and i kinda wished i got to stay back for lunch with them but i had political economy class (which i ended up sleeping through it again).
Sat 4 Dec
volunteered to go to the exchange information session to help the japanese student(s) coming to Sydney next year to help them out life in Sydney. it was fun and got to make another japanese friend but sooo friggin early at 9.30am on a Saturday....
and then....
HEIDI CONCERT
..... WAS SOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!!!!!
SOOOO much better than the Scandal concert i went to earlier in the semester, but then i might be biased cos at least with this band it was not only good music, good performers but lotsa eyecandy as well, compared to seeing a bunch of girls around my age in school uniform on stage.
Sun 5 Dec
went to Osaka Castle with the good ole fellow SGs who were in Japan for holidays. kinda felt like a mini reunion hehe. THANK YOU GIRLS FOR MEETING UP!!! it was really nice to see some familiar faces =]
then we went to Shinsaibashi where they shopped, and then i had to go home for dinner and do some homework that was due the next day.
week 10
okay now this is just grossly late but anyways...
Tue 23 Nov
PUBLIC HOLIDAY!!!
went to the Mitsui Outlet Park near Tarumi (which is another 20mins west of Sannomiya on the JR), which is like a DFO much 50 times better. there were 3 shopping centres full of clothing, shoes, bag stores ==> shopping heaven
i bought a nice navy overcoat for half price =]
and the place is quite nice by the water. you can see awaji bridge and awaji island and a bit of shikoku int he horizon.
Fri 26 Nov
HIROSHIMA TRIP!!!
caught the midnight bus from Osaka to HIROSHIMA!!! =D
Sat 27 Nov
arrived in Hiroshima at about 6.30am and had maccas for brekkie (since it was the only place open with food until 7.30am). then somehow found our way to the K`s House (since we left through the wrong exit). then we trekked it to Hiroshima Castle. instantly felt the memory of the atomic bomb with the marked out patches of where things used to be and remnants of trees that survived the bomb. we also went into the castle tower (nb: FREE entry for foreign exchange students!) and checked out some old stuff and tried on some old traditional Japanese garments for FREE =]
then we bought some bread and iced latte along to the way to Peace Park. AGAIN you instantly feel overwhelmed by the damage the bomb had caused upon the city. it`s just simply amazing how the A-bomb dome managed to survive it as well as the shinto gate (which has been moved to hiroshima castle). we bumped into some guy from Sydney as we were listening to some Japanese survivor guy talk about the atomic bomb and the consequences of it. then we went into Peace Park Museum (only ￥５０ entry peepz!). again felt all depressed and shocked at the amount of ruin the bomb had caused, especially the juxtaposition of the two dioramas of the before/after models of hiroshima city. the life-sized diorama of children with singed hair, melting skin drooping off of them and ragged clothes made an impression, as well as the spooky shadow of the guy on the Sumitomo bank staircase that remained from the time of bombing.
afterwards, we parted ways with guy from Sydney and went into the local shopping centre for some gloves or whatever people people wanted. then finally at bout 9.30pm we went to eat dinner. really wanted to eat hiroshima-style okonomiyaki but we were too hungry and ended up in this really cheap teishoku ramen restaurant.
Sun 28 Nov
slept in till 8.30, 9am packed up and checked out from the room but we left our luggage with the reception to go to miyajima. we took the more expensive but faster route by taking the JR train to miyajimaguchi station, then got on the JR ferry to miyajima. once we got there, we saw wild deer again (this time they dun have spots on their bodies). camwhored a bit throughout the day. checked out the red torii in the water, and tried to make it to momijidani park. spent most of our time in the omotesando (main shopping street), which can be summarised by rice scoops, momiji manju and KAKI (oysters)! dunno why but the kaki in miyajima is just soooooo friggin GOOOOOOOOOOOD
then we went back to the red shinto gate to take sunset photos then made it back to hiroshima and finally got to eat the famous hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. it was GOOOOOD. highly recommended =]
then we got on the 10.30pm bus back to osaka, arriving at 5 something AM. went home, showered, dumped my crap made my way out again to school for 9am class
Tue 23 Nov
PUBLIC HOLIDAY!!!
went to the Mitsui Outlet Park near Tarumi (which is another 20mins west of Sannomiya on the JR), which is like a DFO much 50 times better. there were 3 shopping centres full of clothing, shoes, bag stores ==> shopping heaven
i bought a nice navy overcoat for half price =]
and the place is quite nice by the water. you can see awaji bridge and awaji island and a bit of shikoku int he horizon.
Fri 26 Nov
HIROSHIMA TRIP!!!
caught the midnight bus from Osaka to HIROSHIMA!!! =D
Sat 27 Nov
arrived in Hiroshima at about 6.30am and had maccas for brekkie (since it was the only place open with food until 7.30am). then somehow found our way to the K`s House (since we left through the wrong exit). then we trekked it to Hiroshima Castle. instantly felt the memory of the atomic bomb with the marked out patches of where things used to be and remnants of trees that survived the bomb. we also went into the castle tower (nb: FREE entry for foreign exchange students!) and checked out some old stuff and tried on some old traditional Japanese garments for FREE =]
then we bought some bread and iced latte along to the way to Peace Park. AGAIN you instantly feel overwhelmed by the damage the bomb had caused upon the city. it`s just simply amazing how the A-bomb dome managed to survive it as well as the shinto gate (which has been moved to hiroshima castle). we bumped into some guy from Sydney as we were listening to some Japanese survivor guy talk about the atomic bomb and the consequences of it. then we went into Peace Park Museum (only ￥５０ entry peepz!). again felt all depressed and shocked at the amount of ruin the bomb had caused, especially the juxtaposition of the two dioramas of the before/after models of hiroshima city. the life-sized diorama of children with singed hair, melting skin drooping off of them and ragged clothes made an impression, as well as the spooky shadow of the guy on the Sumitomo bank staircase that remained from the time of bombing.
afterwards, we parted ways with guy from Sydney and went into the local shopping centre for some gloves or whatever people people wanted. then finally at bout 9.30pm we went to eat dinner. really wanted to eat hiroshima-style okonomiyaki but we were too hungry and ended up in this really cheap teishoku ramen restaurant.
Sun 28 Nov
slept in till 8.30, 9am packed up and checked out from the room but we left our luggage with the reception to go to miyajima. we took the more expensive but faster route by taking the JR train to miyajimaguchi station, then got on the JR ferry to miyajima. once we got there, we saw wild deer again (this time they dun have spots on their bodies). camwhored a bit throughout the day. checked out the red torii in the water, and tried to make it to momijidani park. spent most of our time in the omotesando (main shopping street), which can be summarised by rice scoops, momiji manju and KAKI (oysters)! dunno why but the kaki in miyajima is just soooooo friggin GOOOOOOOOOOOD
then we went back to the red shinto gate to take sunset photos then made it back to hiroshima and finally got to eat the famous hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. it was GOOOOOD. highly recommended =]
then we got on the 10.30pm bus back to osaka, arriving at 5 something AM. went home, showered, dumped my crap made my way out again to school for 9am class
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Week 9
MIDSEM WEEK CONTINUES
Midsems this week:
- Political economy midterm essay due (handed in 3 days late （ _ _ ）..........o )
- Japanese grammar midsem
- usual Kanji quiz
Wed 17 Nov Coffee Hour
Went to the Kobe Sanda campus for Coffee Hour. Coffee Hour's supposed to be this event were it allows the international students to socialise with the Japanese students, however there were very few Japanese students who turned up on the day. Also, the Sanda campus is FARRRRRRRRRRRRR. it was like a one-hour bus ride to get there (direct) and although it's in kobe it is NOT close to Sannomiya AT ALL. However, I thought the campus looked pretty being on the top of a mountain [even though the buildings all look the same as the Uegahara campus ( the one where we usually go for classes everyday)]
Fri 19 Nov
Karaoke party to celebrate the end of midsems 〜(￣▽￣〜)(〜￣▽￣)〜
Sun 21 Nov
Went to eat Chinese food (was supposed to be dim sum until we learnt that the restaurant was closed that day （ー△ー；）ｴｯ､ﾏｼﾞ？！！！ ) and did a bit of shopping in Harbourland
Midsems this week:
- Political economy midterm essay due (handed in 3 days late （ _ _ ）..........o )
- Japanese grammar midsem
- usual Kanji quiz
Wed 17 Nov Coffee Hour
Went to the Kobe Sanda campus for Coffee Hour. Coffee Hour's supposed to be this event were it allows the international students to socialise with the Japanese students, however there were very few Japanese students who turned up on the day. Also, the Sanda campus is FARRRRRRRRRRRRR. it was like a one-hour bus ride to get there (direct) and although it's in kobe it is NOT close to Sannomiya AT ALL. However, I thought the campus looked pretty being on the top of a mountain [even though the buildings all look the same as the Uegahara campus ( the one where we usually go for classes everyday)]
Fri 19 Nov
Karaoke party to celebrate the end of midsems 〜(￣▽￣〜)(〜￣▽￣)〜
Sun 21 Nov
Went to eat Chinese food (was supposed to be dim sum until we learnt that the restaurant was closed that day （ー△ー；）ｴｯ､ﾏｼﾞ？！！！ ) and did a bit of shopping in Harbourland
Week 8
MIDSEM WEEK
Midsems this week:
- Japanese Listening midsem
- Religious and Traditional Rites midsem
- Kanji midsem
- usual Japanese grammar quiz
Sun 14th Nov KYOTO DAY TRIP
Went to Kyoto to see the autumn leaves.
We visited some shrine near the downtown Kyoto area, Nanzen-ji, had okonomiyaki and green tea twist soft serve, walked to Ginkakuji (to learn that it was closing time by the time we reached it) and had some sushi tasting whale for the first time
my sushi with whale meat on it
Midsems this week:
- Japanese Listening midsem
- Religious and Traditional Rites midsem
- Kanji midsem
- usual Japanese grammar quiz
Sun 14th Nov KYOTO DAY TRIP
Went to Kyoto to see the autumn leaves.
We visited some shrine near the downtown Kyoto area, Nanzen-ji, had okonomiyaki and green tea twist soft serve, walked to Ginkakuji (to learn that it was closing time by the time we reached it) and had some sushi tasting whale for the first time
my sushi with whale meat on it
Week 7
Mon 1 Nov
INSTANT RAMEN MUSEUM!!!
Went to Ikeda (in Osaka prefecture) to visit the Instant Ramen Museum, since the guy who invented it came from Ikeda. Got to see A LOT of cup ramen, like the very first instant noodles, and the various instant noodles from the last 5 decades, how they put the noodles in the cup, etc. Then we got to make our own variation of cup noodles where we got a cup, decorated it and chose our own soup base and toppings.
then we went to the tasting room and ate instant noodles from different prefectures o(>▽<)o
Afterwards, we walked to big park nearby (satsukiyama park, i think it was called). and along the route to get there we noticed a recurring theme happening....
yes.... wombats.... everywhere!
then when we got to the foot of Satsuki Mountain, we found a park and had fun going on the slides and swings
and wandered around the park till we found the free zoo somewhere in it (as well as discovering the autumn foliage beginning to come out) and got to reminisce in some familiar animals from back home...
unfortunately, i was underwhelmed by the number of wombats that they had there (Wombat population in Satsukiyama zoo : 1).
Then we went to the shrine nearby and some random statues in the area (apologies to the sculptor if i offended ya...)
Wed 3rd Nov Culture Day
Went to the Gakuensai (school festival) as it was the last day and also for the free Yuna Ito concert. There was a lot of food stalls, performances and displays by the students. Couldn't take any photos or videos during the concert since there was one of the staff members standing right in front of me.... =___=
After the concert, had Japanese-style yakiniku with a couple of the 3A girls =] 焼肉は美味しかった。
Thanks to the Gakuensai we had school for 3.5 days *thumbs up*
INSTANT RAMEN MUSEUM!!!
Went to Ikeda (in Osaka prefecture) to visit the Instant Ramen Museum, since the guy who invented it came from Ikeda. Got to see A LOT of cup ramen, like the very first instant noodles, and the various instant noodles from the last 5 decades, how they put the noodles in the cup, etc. Then we got to make our own variation of cup noodles where we got a cup, decorated it and chose our own soup base and toppings.
then we went to the tasting room and ate instant noodles from different prefectures o(>▽<)o
Afterwards, we walked to big park nearby (satsukiyama park, i think it was called). and along the route to get there we noticed a recurring theme happening....
yes.... wombats.... everywhere!
then when we got to the foot of Satsuki Mountain, we found a park and had fun going on the slides and swings
and wandered around the park till we found the free zoo somewhere in it (as well as discovering the autumn foliage beginning to come out) and got to reminisce in some familiar animals from back home...
unfortunately, i was underwhelmed by the number of wombats that they had there (Wombat population in Satsukiyama zoo : 1).
Then we went to the shrine nearby and some random statues in the area (apologies to the sculptor if i offended ya...)
Wed 3rd Nov Culture Day
Went to the Gakuensai (school festival) as it was the last day and also for the free Yuna Ito concert. There was a lot of food stalls, performances and displays by the students. Couldn't take any photos or videos during the concert since there was one of the staff members standing right in front of me.... =___=
After the concert, had Japanese-style yakiniku with a couple of the 3A girls =] 焼肉は美味しかった。
Thanks to the Gakuensai we had school for 3.5 days *thumbs up*
Week 6
wow... it really has been a while since I've last posted anything...
the only memorable events that happened this week were...
my multiple assessments on Thursday 28th Oct (speech presentation, then grammar quiz and then political economy presentation)
Fri 29th Oct
went along to izakaya to celebrate Tofu's birthday
Sat 30th Oct
visited Yodobashi in Umeda and checked out electronic dictionaries and MP3 players. Then went to Tsuruashi to eat korean food, which ended up being eating kobe beef and overpriced kimchi. since we were all still hungry afterwards we went to an izakaya in umeda and chilled out there
Sun 31st Oct
School festival at Kangaku begins! (but i didn't go （ー○ー）)
the only memorable events that happened this week were...
my multiple assessments on Thursday 28th Oct (speech presentation, then grammar quiz and then political economy presentation)
Fri 29th Oct
went along to izakaya to celebrate Tofu's birthday
Sat 30th Oct
visited Yodobashi in Umeda and checked out electronic dictionaries and MP3 players. Then went to Tsuruashi to eat korean food, which ended up being eating kobe beef and overpriced kimchi. since we were all still hungry afterwards we went to an izakaya in umeda and chilled out there
Sun 31st Oct
School festival at Kangaku begins! (but i didn't go （ー○ー）)
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Week 5
Monday 18 Oct
I got my hair done!!! i felt like a total princess. the guy that washed my hair was so gentle that i fell asleep in that chair with the sink ><. they also served us tea. and i had two people applying dye and blow-drying my hair at the same time. they also gave us a small bag with a tube of treatment, coupons and bowed us out of the place till we were out of sight. gosh i love customer service in japan....
and then we went to a cafe nearby and had cake =] yum yum
Wednesday 20 Oct
we went to sweets paradise after school at the Gardens and had all-you-can-eat sweets! but there was a 70min time limit.... =[
my tea.... with a whole heap of different flavoured tea bags
Fri 22 Oct JIDAI MATSURI
jigged Friday arvo class to go to kyoto for the jidai matsuri (festival of the ages), which is apparently one of the three big festivals in kyoto (the others being Gion and Aoi Matsuri). It turned out to be one long quiet parade of volunteers dressed in the garments of the old days.
then we went to heian jingu which was nearby and camwhored a bit there.
kyoto's a really beautiful city. MUST go there again soon! then i was feeling pretty sick so went home
I got my hair done!!! i felt like a total princess. the guy that washed my hair was so gentle that i fell asleep in that chair with the sink ><. they also served us tea. and i had two people applying dye and blow-drying my hair at the same time. they also gave us a small bag with a tube of treatment, coupons and bowed us out of the place till we were out of sight. gosh i love customer service in japan....
and then we went to a cafe nearby and had cake =] yum yum
Wednesday 20 Oct
we went to sweets paradise after school at the Gardens and had all-you-can-eat sweets! but there was a 70min time limit.... =[
my tea.... with a whole heap of different flavoured tea bagsFri 22 Oct JIDAI MATSURI
jigged Friday arvo class to go to kyoto for the jidai matsuri (festival of the ages), which is apparently one of the three big festivals in kyoto (the others being Gion and Aoi Matsuri). It turned out to be one long quiet parade of volunteers dressed in the garments of the old days.
then we went to heian jingu which was nearby and camwhored a bit there.
kyoto's a really beautiful city. MUST go there again soon! then i was feeling pretty sick so went home
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