Austrakian Adventure!

So after Pitt overreacting about all the 原発 business (genpatsu = nuclear power plant), I was pretty much forced to get out of Japan. But instead of going all the way home, I took up my school’s offer to pay for my flight somewhere and took a two-week vacation to Australia!

It wasn’t all fun and games though. Being on low budget in Australia doesn’t mean much. It is EXPENSIVE. Even after going to the supermarket and preparing most of our own meals, charging our electronics in McDonalds and using their free wifi, I still managed to spend over 1000 dollars when it was all said and done. (My wallet is crying)

I arrived in a small airport in Gold Coast to meet my three friends who had gone to the land down under three days before me. They were about half an hour late but they collected me and showed me to our “mobile hotel.” They had rented a van that came equipped with a gas stove, eating/cooking utensils, pots, pans, a pump water sink, a tent that expands on top of the car, pillows, and blankets. All and all, it was a pretty good deal. Thank you Jucy Car!

So after changing some money to AUD (they’re so colorful with windows on them~ <3), we went straight to the beach! It was a beautiful day and it was so nice to be away from all the people back home pestering me about an earthquake and tsunami that had nothing to do with me. Just a warm beach and an endless ocean. ^^ We climbed over rocks and had an amazing time staring out at the sparkling sea. We stayed until sunset and then found a camping site for the night. Camping sites made up the majority of where we spent our nights because for a small fee we were given access to showers, BBQs and electrical outlets. All very important. So we cooked up some sausages and made a delicious salad for the night. It was extremely rewarding.

The next day, we drove through town to do some shopping and we found a shop selling Australian souvenirs… well how could I resist? I bought a flimsy boomerang just in case we didn’t find another shop selling them. After resupplying, we drove through Budjalung national park listening to this funky Australian music Tim had bought. I felt like Steve Irwin haha.

We spent the rest of the day on a beach that had a giant stretch of rocks. The waves were so big that every time they rolled in they would crash against the rocks hard and send a huge splash upwards. We hung out there for a long time.

We slept in a bit the next day and then drove back to the beach. We spent a good deal of the day hiking up to a pretty lighthouse, a journey involving a long trail through the forest. On the way, we passed the “most easterly point of the Australian mainland,” which was pretty cool. The weather was beautiful of course so it was the perfect day for picture taking. =) On the way to our next campsite we discovered a pretty trail to the beach and decided to stop off for sunset. But instead, Shogo and I discovered a bunch of sand dunes that were untouched by humans. They were so white and pretty! We must have spent an hour jumping around and playing in the sand, though I cannot get near the jumps that Shogo manages. The kid is crazy!

We drove most of the next day down Waterfall Way, named for the abundant waterfalls you can see along the way… or so the brochure said but we only actually saw a couple. One of them was right next to the road and it’s said when there’s been rain for a while the waterfall actually goes OVER the road and you can drive through it. We ended up in camp site near a waterfall in the woods. We walked all the way to where the waterfall was, following the sound. It was a good half hour walk but it was pretty. When we got back to the campsite, we made a fire and the warmth felt so good against our chilled bodies. We had tea and chatted until it was so dark we couldn’t see each other anymore. Then we laid on the dirt road and stared up at the clear night sky before going to sleep. The stars were endless and beautiful and I was once again reminded how small we are in this vast universe.

The next morning, we woke up early to leave for our next destination. But before we left, Shogo discovered several wild kangaroo roaming the surrounding forest. It was amazing. We were able to get pretty close to them and we watched them play and hop. So cute~^^
We traveled to Port Macquerie next, and went to a zoo that had a bunch of Australian species! Before we went in though I went to go take a picture of the front sign because it had giant koalas climbing and it looked cute. And then before I know it, I walked through a HUGE, nasty spider web and it was absolutely disgusting. Uhg. It stuck all over me. >< We spent all morning feeding wallabees, petting koalas, and taking a walk up a mysterious path the led us to a stunning view of the ocean. That night we made pudding and tea in back of the car and we slept on the beach with a sky full of stars staring back at us.

It started raining in the middle of the night though so we went back to the car and woke up to see the sunrise. Then we took a hike through beaches and rainforest for 2 km to reach another lighthouse. It took so long but it was really nice. I reached the top before the others and spent about 20 minutes looking out at the amazing view as I waited for them. When we got back to the beach, I took a cold shower in the beach shower room, which felt amazing. Then we drove off to Port Stephens, which gave promise of many fun activities. We stopped along the way and had lunch at a picnic table next to a lake. Our next stop was at Nelson Bay so we could slide down sand dunes. Haha which ended in a giant fail and pants full of sand. xD But it was still tons of fun. =)

After a full day of driving, we finally arrived in Syndey around midnight. We had to park the car (extremely difficult in the city, let alone in the dark), find a hostel and pack up all of our belongings (just in case the car got stolen, you never know). Once again, Mcdonalds was our best friend with its free wifi. I can’t tell you how many Mcdonalds we stopped at during our trip. We used it almost every day to find out where to stay. Either that or the handy information centers set up all over Australia. The people who work there were so nice, giving us recommendations on where to stay and fun things to do in the area. So we finally found a hostel with a 24 hour reception: MAZE backpackers. It was totally crappy but what can you expect from 28 dollars a night? *lol* At least we got our own beds! Even if they were crappy bunk beds in a room that smelled of sweaty socks. xD

We got only a few hours sleep because we needed to go really early to the opera house to get the sale tickets to Carmen for that night. We walked about 20 minutes to the Opera House and sat in line with the early risers. While we sat there, we met a nice old couple in line who told us about “point seats,” basically seats which are the best for viewing when buying them so late. They had six of these point seats written down and told us they would go for two and then they’d let us ask for the other four. We got them at 44 dollars a ticket!! *^^* We waited for Aurore and Shogo who had gone to move the car because the place we parked it in the night before was only good until morning. They were ecstatic we got the tickets. And as exhausted as we all were, we had a scheduled guided tour of the Opera House which was really cool. By the time we made it back to the hostel I almost collapsed, but I stayed up to take advantage of the laundry facilities, which we hadn’t encountered for a few days. 4 dollars per wash and per dry but the dryer didn’t work! I stayed up an extra hour waiting for them to finish but when I went to collect them, the clothes were still completely damp! I then had to spend the next hour or so hanging them all around our tiny room in the hope they would dry. I slept for two hours and then got up to see Carmen, which was absolutely amazing! We had pretty good seats considering we had gotten them just that morning for so cheap. There was a small part of the stage that I couldn’t see but the show was so great it didn’t matter so much.

We slept in until 9 the next day and packed a bit. We traveled to “the Rocks,” a part of town that had much older and traditional buildings, where the info center was to find out what there was to do. We ended up walking down to the bay and hopping a ferry to Darling Harbor- the ferry had free wifi on it! After walking around a bit, we split up to pursue different interests. While Tim went to the science museum, I found a really nice shopping mall with a bunch of good Australian souvenirs for super cheap. I collapsed at the hostel for a while and then left again at 530 to go downtown. It was a side of Australia we hadn’t seen so far. It had heaps of neat shops but the food was expensive so we went back to the area around our hostel for dinner. We found ourselves at a bar (it’s cheap, what can I say?) We got a pitcher of “Australian beer,” (it’s watery and doesn’t taste good, don’t do it!) but we got some deliciously cheap food and had a good time. 

On the first of April, we separated from Aurore and Shogo because they wanted to spend more time in Sydney - a miscommunication. Otherwise we would have done the same. So I was stuck alone with Tim for an extra 3 days. Goody. We walked the half hour to where our car was parked with all of our stuff. We attempted to drive out of Sydney but our maps weren’t great and I suck at directions in general so it took forever. When we finally made it out (alive thank god) we continued west to Katoomba where the Blue Mountains were. They were beautiful. As we looked out on the gorge, an old Polish photographer told us we should take more pictures of the beautiful sunset. "Every moment in life is different, always changing. A different shape,” he reminded us.

We saw the legendary “Three sisters,” a group of rocks and took a trip down to them where I met a cool Japanese girl who was there with her friend. They were surprised to run across someone who knew Japanese but she was completely fluent in English so it wasn’t really necessary lol. We stopped in town to stock up on groceries and then headed for a free camping area we had heard of. But man was this place far! We drove for more than half an hour down a windy road in the dark with barely any civilization around. We thought it would never end or that we had taken a wrong turn but we finally made it after what seemed like ages. We made spaghetti with sausages for dinner but Tim forgot that when you slam the back door, the bowls filled with spaghetti sauce on our rickety table would probably not stay put, especially as we were parked on a hill. So yeah, you guessed it: sauce all over me and the car. I tried to get it out with dishwasher soap but it was pretty much a lost cause and I went to bed in a huff.

We spent the next couple of days going around to various lookouts and exploring several areas, the greatest of which was a huge trek through the mountainous rocks that led us to a gorgeous waterfall. We took an offbeat path because we still had some adventurous bug in us that ended up taking us through the brush where even the slim path disappeared. I wished I had a machete But we finally made it to where we had originally set out for and found the waterfall. The way down wasn’t too difficult but the hike back up was exhausting! It was definitely worth it though.

Then we headed out for Canberra, the capital of Australia. (Who else has never heard of this??) We had plans to pick up Aurore and Shogo from their bus at 7pm. I ended up driving part of the way because Tim was so tired. We arrived on time but then spent about a half hour looking for the place they were supposed to be dropped off at and then parking around that area. But the stupid center was nowhere to be found! We finally decided to just park and walk to it. The sign for the center was so small, it was no wonder why we didn’t find it! Arg! We arrived there about 15 minutes late but when we went in, we couldn’t find them. Then we saw a sign on the window saying that their bus was delayed by about an hour due to technical issues. So we thought, alright, can’t be helped. Let’s just go to McDonalds and wait for them. So we went back to the car and got our computers and then walked down to McDonalds where we discovered an email from them. Aurore had sprained her ankle the day before and they weren’t even on the bus! Uhggg stuck with Tim for another THREE days. Someone save meee! We were already fighting every day as it was. ;_;

So we went to find a free campsite for the night but it was far away and we didn't really feel like driving that far. So we decided to just take a side road to somewhere off the main highway, pop the tent, and sleep on the road. But every time I tried to say, let’s stay here! How bout this? This isn’t too bad! Tim would go, no it’s too visible, no it’s not far enough, no no NO. UHG! We ended up just on the side of the highway in a “rest area.” Australia has this “stop, revive, survive” slogan that allows you to rest every couple of hours if necessary. But we weren’t sure if this was one of the designated spots so we set the alarm for super early the next day to get out and go into town.

We were debating just going back to Sydney to meet Aurore and Shogo but we decided since we had come all the way down to Canberra we might as well spend at least one day exploring. We walked for over an hour to get to the parliament house and had a free tour through their Senate and House buildings. The Australian government system is surprisingly alike that of America’s. They said that Australia was established so much later than other countries that they kind of picked which governmental systems they liked from others. It was really neat to walk through actually.

The next day we set out for Sydney again, (the sooner to get back to Shogo and Aurore).  When we finally got there we searched again for a decent hostel to stay in and decided maybe MAZE wasn’t the best option, although it was the cheapest. We found another place nearby for 4 dollars more a night but it was definitely worth it. It even included breakfast! So we found a convenient free parking area that was right nearby, set our stuff in the hostel and then went to go visit Aurore who had been bound inside for the last three days on account of her ankle. Poor thing! But they had managed to find an actual hotel for only 37 dollars a night! So jealous! The place was usually 100+ per night but Shogo once again worked his magic. It was so nice to see them again I almost cried with joy!

The next morning we had to get up early to move the car from the freeloading zone because the parking spots changed policies once it became 7:30am. So we got up early, got breakfast, packed all of our things, but guess what? Tim had forgotten the car keys at Aurore and Shogo’s hotel the night before, at least 20 minutes away by walk. *Facepalm* Yup, hello 143 dollar parking ticket. The last day with the car and we get a frickin’ parking ticket. Go figure.

So we packed up the car, picked up Shogo and Aurore and went to the Sydney airport to get our plane back to the Gold Coast. It was only a short hop and we had booked a hostel right across the airport. We didn’t realize how literal they meant when they said “RIGHT across.” We ended up taking an extremely long detour thinking it was on the other side of the highway. *WRONG* But when we got there it was really awesome! The staff was really nice and they had a game room and a pool and it was right near the ocean! Not bad for 30 bucks a night!
On the last day, we had a free day in Gold Coast. I wanted to go skydiving but my mom talked me out of it. "Your sister will kill you if you hurt yourself and ruin the wedding!" So instead, I went to the beach and read for the day. I took a subway sandwich with me and immediately had a seagull after my food. I spent 5 min shooing it away as it squawked vigorously at me. I was relieved it finally left me alone. But not 10 minutes later, I was minding my own business reading my book when a huge rock (rock or giant poo? I’m not sure) fell from the sky and hit right next to my head and the seagull from before flew down. It had returned with a gang of its seagull friends who literally SURROUNDED me in a circle and all started squawking their heads off! Like they were getting revenge for me eating in front of their comrade and not sharing! Well excuse me! They were so annoying that I grabbed all my things and went about 50 yards down the beach. Oy.

I hopped the hostel’s free shuttle service, which was awesome to have by the way, and went back to get my things from the back room. I had checked out earlier that day, intending to sleep at the airport but decided to not spend the extra money. Instead I freeloaded in their common room, which was equipped with a big TV and a bunch of comfy couches. I planned to stay there until they kicked me out but they never did so I stayed there all night. But around midnight this Australian kid was doing the same thing and he offered to share some wine and I thought, “sure, why not? Making international friends is cool” But I only drank a little bit. I wasn’t really in the mood and I had a plane ride the next morning. Then this Japanese kid showed up too and he was so excited to meet someone in Australia that could speak Japanese that we started chatting and meanwhile the Aussie was getting drunker and drunker and he started pulling moves on me and I was like, woah dude, I didn’t have any intentions of anything like that. So he started getting jealous that someone else was talking to me. (God forbid!) And since he couldn't understand what we were talking about he assumed that we were bad mouthing him and his bad attempts (which were pretty hilarious) but was totally not true. And then he started getting really angry that the Japanese kid was there and “What was he thinking coming up to us when clearly he saw me first” (what am I here?). And I got so pissed that I told him to get the hell out. But on his way out he punched the poor Japanese kid in the face! What a complete asshole. I couldn’t believe it. What an ending to the trip. ARG!

All in all it was an awesome trip but I kind of wish it had been a week shorter as I was getting more pissed every day and missing all my friends back in Japan. But still a great experience and I don’t regret going in the slightest.

I'll get back to my life in Japan in the next post! 

それではまた次回！^^

A Note about Sendai: Stop Panicking!

Please believe that I am safe and well and that my area is not affected by the things that are going on up North. My town has been continuing life as normal, you don't see people running for the airport here or acting out of the ordinary at all.

I've seen the news being broadcasted in America and England and yes, it is terrible what has happened in Sendai and I could see why one would think I'm about to die when you look atyour news but you have to understand how skewed the media is. The videos you are seeing are real and horrible, extreme cases of the disaster right when it hit a week ago. But the trick with the media is that they never specify where they are reporting about. They give you these horrible facts but forget to mention that they are only talking about the Northern region and make it sound as if the whole of Japan has been swallowed, or is extremely small. Honshu, Japan is 807 miles across, bigger than Britain (600 miles), Italy (736 miles), and several other countries that no one would call or consider "small." The situation in Sendai is truly horrible but it has nothing to do with where I am in Japan. I am on the southern part of honshu, over 400 miles from Fukushima. (This is the same distance to Montreal, Canada from Philadelphia. Would you be panicking and running away from PA if an earthquake hit Canada?)

The biggest threat people seem to think we have is the possibility of a reactor meltdown and an increase in radiation. A so called normal level of radiation is about .03 msv. As of now the radiation level around Fukushima where the affected reactors lay is 23 msv. This is less than half the radiation of an xray scan (50 msv), and less than 1/4 the radiation I would get in a plane ride from here back to the US. We are surrounded by things that emit radiation waves on a daily basis (microwaves, cell phones). In fact, out of the 3000 people who have been reported dead since last friday, not one of them have been a result from radiation poisoning. These dead count increases have been from newly discovered casualties of the tsunami and earthquake. The real, most dangerous risk at the moment which will probably cause an increase in deaths are hypothermia, lack of food and water, and lack of supplies. But once again, this has nothing to do with me or my area. Our food and supplies is unaffected by the shortages up north and I am warm and fed ridiculously each day.

http://www.worldnewsco.com/4441/nuclear-radiation-levels-tokyo/

http://andyheather.posterous.com/radiation-levels-japan

Even so, the latest is that they are beginning to cool down the reactors and stabilize them. TEPCO hopes to have electricity restored to all the reactors in Fukushima within the next couple of days.  If all goes well, this will restore power to the pumps that cool the reactors. Even if the reactors were to fail and melt down, I do not think the radiation levels would be affected this far away. The most affected area would be the surrounding 30 miles around the plant, nowhere near me.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/03/19/134658088/radiation-data-near-nuclear-plant-offers-little-cause-for-concern

There has also been stories about another earthquake hitting Japan. But the truth is, there is ALWAYS going to be another earthquake hitting Japan as it lies in the ring of fire, along several places where the tectonic plates meet. Earthquakes are not a chain reaction. They can't "set off" more earthquakes in the way that people are thinking. Japan has around 300 earthquakes every day but most of these are so small we do not feel them. The risk for another large one is the same as it always is in Japan and I was aware of this before I decided to come here.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4152935.stm

Many of those who are not in Japan are buying into the media. They're reporting on it for the majority of the day, they have to make it interesting by playing it up and showing continual horror stories. I have done extensive research, read stories from England, America, and Japan, have talked to several other well informed individuals including my advisors and I believe my area to be completely safe at this time, as does the staff here at my Japanese University.

Despite believing this, I am pretty much being forced to leave Japan by my worried family and my University. So I'm going to take the opportunity and go on vacation to Australia for 2 weeks until the media reaction dies down. But I have the full intention of returning to Japan when it all blows over. In fact, I have already purchased a return ticket for the 8th and I am leaving the majority of my belongings here. I will be returning barring no new natural disasters occur. Thank you for your love and worry. Please pray for those who are actually experiencing this disaster up North.

Alana

Takarazuka〜!! (≧▽≦)

It’s been a while since I’ve updated anyone about my actual life here in Japan! My recent shenanigans have included going out to nomihodai, ice skating (damn, those Granpas are amazing skaters!), karaoke, sharing wine in the park, discovering new restaurants in my town (blue cheese burger?! SCORE!), and hanging out with all the friends I’ve made on this program. (Is it possible I’ve only known these people for six months??)

But the real focus of this post is Takarazuka. Today my host mom and sister took me to see Takarazuka Revue, a theater comprised of five troupes (Flower, Moon, Snow, Star, and Cosmos) who rotate every month to perform a new play for their wide reaching fan base. They perform things from famous Western style productions (such as Romeo and Juliet, Phantom of the Opera, etc) to stories taken from popular Manga and Japanese folktale. They perform all their productions in Japanese (of course) in a Broadway style, which makes it completely different from traditional Japanese forms of theater (thank god...). But out of everything, the biggest kick is that all of the performers, dancers, and singers are women who play both the male and female roles. This androgyny is amazing when you consider the extremely sexist views that remain in Japanese society even today. And even more amazing when you take into account the fact that the theater was created so long ago when surely Japan had even more stereotypical sentiments.

The Takarazuka Theater has encompassed these five troupes performing a new number every month for eighty years! (If you do the math, the number of shows is staggering!) The current cast of just the Flower Troupe, which I saw today, includes some 83 women performers who all have an amazing ability to act, sing, and dance. And within these talented actresses the main characters have a fandom like you wouldn't believe! Well, when you consider the amazing productions they put on and the fact that they have their own photobooks, songs, and several famous character roles they jump into and pull off with elegance, it’s no wonder they have girls lining up for a mile to await their appearance!

Main image for the play! Also the cover of the
pamphlet my host mom bought me!!  -^^-

The show I saw today was called Prelude of Love (愛のプレリュード), adapted from the story of Santa Monica. It’s a love story between the daughter of a famous inventor who’s on the verge of completing a revolutionary device and a bodyguard her father has hired to protect his daughter until its completion. At first Kathy, the daughter, greatly objects to having Freddy (the bodyguard) around, and they both act very coldly to each other. But one day, Freddy finds out that she’s been funding a group of orphans, a project she has undertaken without her father’s knowledge and she begs him not to speak a word of it. But surprisingly, the seemingly indifferent and unemotional Freddy acts warmly towards the boys and offers to teach them baseball. Seeing this, Kathy is taken back at how friendly he acts and she begins to develop a liking for him. He tells her that he has always wanted to protect people and reflects while feeling the breeze on his face that the wind brings wonderful opportunities to people and that one should act to the best of their ability to do whatever they are capable of doing. She says that he is like the wind, going from place to place, protecting people. But we find out when he suddenly collapses that Freddy has a disease that makes him prone to attacks. His friend asks, “Why the hell did you become a bodyguard if you have a disease and a weak body?!” And he answers that he as always wanted to give protection to people.

Meanwhile, a group of thugs are after the coveted invention and they show up several times to attack those surrounding it. These scenes bring back the memory of how Freddie became ill. In his younger days he was protecting his friend and got shot in the head. But the bullet entered grey matter of his brain and still remains, as the doctors are unable to remove it. This is why he falls and why, since he could die any day, that he has vowed to live his life by doing things to the best of his ability.

After several encounters, the police are finally able to track down the gang and put a stop to them. Kathy confesses her love to Freddie as he is preparing to leave but he says he cannot accept her love because that would put a huge burden on her. But just as he turns to leave, she runs after him and is so overwhelmed by his love for her that he throws down his bags and sweeps her into a passionate kiss. ;)

It was like watching a dramatic anime but performed by real people! Not only were the actors highly capable and entertaining, but all the other aspects of the play were also impressive. The stage was complex involving a large revolving circular platform (which they used mid performance for dramatic effects), several backdrops of the views of Santa Montica and on stage sets, and really neat platforms that would rise and sink from the main stage. These moving platforms sometimes were just to give various level changes but also sometimes rose a completely separate section that the performers would be in, ready for the next scene. It was like looking into a rising box (or a rising bar which is actually what it made me think of as my family used to have one in our old house). The stage also had a few parts that reached out into the audience (kind of like a kabuki stage) that would allow the actors to perform in front of the stage while the larger sets were being changed.

The costumes ranged from classic suits and party dresses to elaborate, even gaudy ensembles complete with sparkles, glitter and huge feathers. The orchestra was also amazing and one of my favorite parts. The music was really beautiful and included sounds that I couldn’t pin down to any instruments I was aware of. I thought maybe these could be computer generated but I think they were actually all live sounds so it remains a mystery to me.

So the story comprised the first part of the whole show. After the intermission they put on another part that incorporated not a specific story but several different dances and musical numbers that showed off their skills as performers. It was really cool and the audience got really into it by clapping a beat for their favorite actresses.

At intermission, my host mom guided me down to the restaurant on the first floor and surprised me with a reserved lunch that she had arranged. (such yummy tomato soup!)  She said that the lunch and the performance was a present to me for helping her with her English lessons so many times! ^^ So nice!!

Me and Aya at Takarazuka Theater!

While we were sitting there, my host sister pointed out an extremely ritzy family who looked like they could be part of a royal family. (Their words xD) They told me that several extremely rich people, actors, and TV stars are huge fans of Takurazuka and some even come every month to see the new shows being performed, sitting at the front in the most expensive seats you can buy. Admittedly after seeing the performance I actually can’t blame them and I definitely want to go again as I am now a diehard fan! (could you tell? =P) Maybe I'll even buy one of their performances on video one day! When the performance month is done, they put the whole thing on DVD/Blu-ray so you can buy it (you can imagine how many there were!!!) But they were like 100 dollars for one play! Insane! Maybe when I'm rich? lol

Words of the Day: These are the names of the 5 Takarazuka groups in Japanese followed by the performance aspects that individualizes each one.

花　はな hana – Flower. Known for shows that have larger budget and more lavish stage and costume designs. Their material often comes from operatic material.

月　つき tsuki – Moon. Known to be strong singers and to have a focus on music. They tend to perform drama, Western musicals with modern settings (such as Guys and Dolls!)

雪　ゆき yuki – Snow. This group is considered the upholder of more traditional Japanese drama but recently has been moving towards the style of the previous two.

星　ほし hoshi – Star. This group is thought to be the home of Takurazuka’s biggest stars/most popular performers.

空　そら sora – Sky/cosmos. This is the newest troupe, which is more apt to be experimental. They are more likely to put on Western derived plays (such as Phantom) and tends to involve taller members.

If you add “gumi” to the end of all these words they transform into the meaning of “~troupe.” =)

FUN FACTS! (These have nothing to do with anything but my host mom told me and I thought they were awesome…^^)

1. The word “iya kimochi” (jealousy) was developed from the word Yakimochi (fried mochi) because when yakimochi is cooked, it puffs out really big. They compare this puffing to when a girl gets angry from jealousy and her cheeks puff out big and round! xD

2. There are two words for rice: “kome” which refers to the uncooked rice grains and “gohan” which refers to rice that is already cooked. When a Japanese mom notices the rice is done she will say “gohan ga taita!” (The rice is done!) But the verb “taku” which means to cook is only supposed to be used with grains that aren’t already done, which means they should say “kome ga taita” instead. So if the kids are teasing their mom they’ll say “chigau! Gohan wa mou taite aru yo~!” (No, the rice is already cooked!)

それではまた次回！

Korean Adventure!

Two weeks after we booked our flight for Korea, it was already time to go. I had no expectations and no knowledge of what we were leaving for whatsoever.  I tried to pack light but with everyone telling me Korea is 10 times colder than Japan, I packed my heavy clothes.

While trying to figure out where the bus pick up was for the airport, my friend and I went in desperate search of an ATM to see if our scholarships had come in. It was expected to arrive that day in our accounts but it was getting down to the time to fly off to Korea and we had absolutely NO money! I left my house with 3000 yen for the bus ride, crossing my fingers that the money would pop into my bank on time.  Luckily, when we checked at the airport right after we had arrived it was there for all of us! PHEW!

We arrived at Incheon Airport and were greeted by Shinae’s Mother who gave us Korean donuts!  They were simply delicious. They were small and chewy with mochi inside of them. Shinae is one of our Korean friends who came with us, though unfortunately she didn’t get to spend much time with us because she was with her family for the Korean New Year. But anyway, after getting our bearings we went to change our money into Won. Did we ever feel rich! I changed about 400 dollars worth and that converted to 52 10,000 won bills! In won, you move the decimal place over three points so it’s basically like getting 400 dollars in tens but that’s a small matter! It felt like we were rolling in cash!

When we got to our hostel, we were greeted by Mary - the most wonderful Korean woman wearing bear claw feet! She was so hospitable and so nice. We came in and she says, “I had to change your room to the suite on the 19^th floor, is that OK?” And we were like, “…o_O For 130 dollars for five nights, that’s more like unbelievable!” Then she proceeded to give us various maps, giving us directions to her favorite restaurants, the clubbing areas, shopping districts in the immediate area; everything we needed! She told us that breakfast was every day from 8-12 and to come and enjoy cereal, toast, and coffee! Our room was a suite with 5 beds, a loft up top, a bathroom, a washing machine, even a tiny stove and coffee maker – all facing a huge wall and a half size window overlooking the city. And it smelled so fresh and clean! What a deal!

The view from our suite! =)

We chose our beds, put down our things (everyone was excited about the beds in the loft but after hitting our heads on the ceiling a few times each, the competition died down ^^;;), and immediately set out to a place in the city Mary had suggested to eat. The weather turned to be great and warmer than Japan! We sat around two tables that had a vent in the middle to cook our food on. As a custom, we were given kimchee, and spicy soups for free with our meal. Everything was delicious! I’m not usually good with spicy food but there was plenty of water to dull the fire. Over dinner our Korean friend, Karhim, who was amazing the whole trip and helped us in every aspect started teaching us some basic Korean phrases. We learned how to order basic things like water and beer and things like thank you. I love the sound of Asian languages, and Korean is definitely awesome sounding. I’m hoping to take at least a year or so of it when I get back to the States!

After dinner we wandered around the city. It’s so much livelier compared to where we live in Japan! There are street vendors everywhere selling delicious food, jewelry, clothes, even puppies. (?!) We found a Turkish ice cream shop and went in. The shopkeeper gave us quite a show! He went outside and had us try to catch the cone he was putting the ice cream in. For those who have never had Turkish ice cream, it kind of has taffy like stretchy texture to it and it’s fun to eat! He really gave Karhim a run. She couldn’t catch it no matter what she did! He would flip it over and sideways on a long stick in front of her face. I tried too and I unexpectedly caught it and crushed my friends’ ice cream cone. <^^ We enjoyed our ice cream and some of our group even found long awaited sandwiches which do not exist in Japan. We were all so satisfied!

Ice cream, anyone?

The next day we all bought subway passes so we could conveniently travel on it without having to buy an individual ticket every time. They popped out in a package resembling a pack of cigarettes haha. Train rides are really cheap in Korea! They were less than a dollar almost every time and we only spent a total of about 10 bucks for the whole trip. We traveled to Jongno and on the way we discovered the giant vending machines that are everywhere, offering large boxes of cookies and other delicious snacks for cheap.

We went out to the town and just shopped around for a bit. We found this really cute store that was selling handmade jewelry where I bought a cute watch necklace. (^^) 

We went all over the town, noticing graffiti all over the walls and the heaps of trash on the ground. (I have to admit, after being on the spotless streets in Japan, it was kind of refreshing!) Then we ate this really delicious street sweet that had red bean paste in the middle of a pastry (I love anko!). We eventually found a restaurant and settled in for lunch. It was a place notorious for its dumplings so we had kind of like a spicy dumpling stew called Mandoo Jeongoal that we shared between four of us.

After roaming, we left to find DeokSu Gung, one of the Five Grand Palaces in Seoul. It was heavily destroyed during the Japanese occupation of Korea so only about a third of it remains but it was still neat to walk around. The architecture was so colorful with vibrant reds and greens and pillars with elaborate patterns on them.

That night we went out in search for a bar or somewhere to eat. We went to a place Mary had recommended but Mary must be rich because this place was really expensive! It had an atmosphere like a Hookah bar. In fact, we thought it WAS a hookah bar what with the poof cushions, Indian drapes and low lighting but we asked and they said they don’t do that kind of thing.  They even had a hookah looking object but apparently they were using it for a special drink? But anyway it was too expensive so we had one drink and then left to find somewhere cheaper. We ended up at a small restaurant where we ate a stew type meal, Daakgalbi, out of a shovel! It literally looked like they had gotten shovels from the store, cut off most of the handle and put it over a flame. It looked gigantic so we shared two between the six of us. On the way home we had some street food (the shovel wasn’t as filling for 3 as we thought). I got the anko pastry again and tried a fried hotdog with Karhim because she was really excited about it and I wanted to try whatever she did. I thought I was going to die! I just couldn’t finish it. Actually I didn’t WANT to finish it. It was disgustingly fried to four times the size of the actual hotdog. Ick!

The next morning, after breakfast again by virtue of Mary, we met Shinae to go shopping and eat. She took us to a place near our hostel where we had dduk bokgi , a red, spicy dish with long log shaped rice cakes that had twi gim mixed into it (basically fried tempura). They also ordered soon dae, a slimy grey substance rolled into a sausage form. It was all really good! They served hot soup that reminded me of miso with it, which was pretty good. Usually we got hot tea with the meals, which never made sense to me because they don’t help counteract the spiciness of the meal. But this actually complemented it pretty well.

We used this third day for shopping! We stopped by a Zara and had fun dressing up the boys in more fashionable clothes for an hour or two. A couple of them even ended up with some nice long sleeved button shirts. Shinae took us to a busy shopping district that was packed with shops, well known and independent alike. We split up from there because we were searching for different items. I went on a search for make up with Karhim which was a HUGE fail and we ended up spending a lot of the time trying to get the stuff off my face! I gave up and we went to the street vendors where we bought gigantic cream puffs and found a cheap Korean knock off of the most recent Harry Potter movie (which turned out to be pretty shit but it was only 3 dollars ;;). We even found this really delicious sweet called kkultarae that was like white candy over nuts. The guys selling it gave quite a show! They even had an English version they performed for me which was extremely entertaining:

After chowing down in the streets we found a Forever 21 and other stores where we scouted a few items on sale. =) Karhim and Patrick even got chucks at a Converse store that were really neat and original.

That night Shinae took us to this awesome bulgogi place (like yakiniku, cooked meat) It was absolutely delicious! I almost didn’t go because I was so exhausted from the day but I’m so glad I did! Shinae and Karhim did all the ordering for us and it was to die for! They cooked it over real coals in the middle of the table. You cook meat and vegetables over top of it. 

Doesn't it look delicious?!

They also supplied us with lettuce and basil leaves where you put the meat and veggies on top of, and then various spicy things which gave it a great taste. Then you roll them all up and shove the whole thing in your mouth! Shinae said that was the best way to eat it. “You can’t eat it just a bite at a time!” Then after we ate what was on the cooker and we thought that was the end, they cleared the whole thing away and gave us a completely new table cooker, leaves, meat and vegetables for another serving. This happened two or three times until we were all stuffed. It was amazing and only like 12 dollars each! We also had traditional rice whine with it, which went really great with the taste of the meal. You have to swirl the bottle around periodically so the rice doesn’t settle in it. We also noticed that the building we were in had no walls but was covered instead with a heavy plastic that you see in construction sites. It was STILL warmer than a Japanese building! Even in our hostel we were absolutely warm and we never even turned on a heater. The way this happens is because Korea uses heated floors and because heat rises, it makes the rest of the room a really comfortable temperature without using much energy!  I was so impressed I wondered why Japan doesn’t catch on to something so simple and effective. (It’s cold to go out of the warm room in my host house and get my butt frozen in the bathroom! Even with the heated seats, there’s a draft!)

The next day was New Year’s. Most shops were closed so we set off for Gyeongbok Gung Palace which was apparently where all the other Korean’s were going too because there were several special events. (Lucky!) We even got in for free because no one pays on the New Year! We saw a guard march, and got free, small New Year cakes. There was a spot outside where kids were playing all types of different traditional Korean games. Some of them resembled old games in the states like pick up sticks, hacky sack and spinning tops. But all the kids were playing in their traditional garb so it was really cute!

This palace had been burned down completely during the Japanese invasion but they’ve slowly been rebuilding the entire complex. The weather turned kind of foggy and Karhim and Patrick spent the whole trip trying to avoid getting their new chucks dirty on the wet sandy ground but we were glad we went! There was also a museum, which we took a long tour around. When we came back out we found they were getting ready to perform a traditional dance! What good timing. They had white strips of paper attached that twirled around from their hats and energetic dancers twirling about.

When we had looked our fill we went back to the main part of town to find food and shopping. While we were looking around we ran into a traditional arcade! Like kids (in a candy shop? Isn’t an arcade just the same? Lol) we played around with some of our favorite games that really brought back memories! They had everything from Tetris to Wack-a-Mole to Zombie shooting games and a DDR game. We fooled around in town until dark and then headed back to our hostel.

We found a site online for an awesome club that was free for the New Year and got jazzed up to go check it out! It was in a district far away so it took about 50 minutes to get to by train. When we got out of the station though we noticed giant iPad (maybe 4x the size) devices that we’d been seeing all around Seoul. In the train stations, on the streets, they’re everywhere you turn. They’re capable of google maps, news updates, weather, and all sorts of other useful information while you’re out and about. Since Shinae couldn’t come with us we decided to take a picture with it and send it to her email. It was so cool and convenient! There was one per block the entire time we were walking to Club Eden. We finally made it after the guys decided to get some snacks and after getting distracted when they spotted a Hooters of all things.

It was definitely lucky that this club free for the night because it was one high rolling place. We happened to pick the night where a bunch of models visiting Seoul also came. They were everywhere! We couldn’t believe it. Some of the tallest people I’ve ever seen. But even so, the drink prices might have been the most outrageous thing we saw. While we got “two free tickets” which basically amounted to two shots of tequila (which don’t do too much), the rest of the drinks were upwards of 220 to 360 dollars! It was ridiculous. There were basic drinks for 10 to 20 dollars but I didn’t see the point of wasting money on them. They also had some awkward names like “Tie me to the bed post,” “Orgasm,” or our favorite, “It Doesn't Matter Anymore.” xD What kind of place was this?! The lighting in the club was definitely cool but the music was so-so. It was techno but I prefer music I can sing too because otherwise it gets a little repetitive. After getting hit on by the 5^th guy I was definitely sick of the place and since the others were dead on their feet (it’s tiring walking around all day and then going out til 4 in the morning!) we decided to take a taxi home instead of waiting for the trains to restart. We thought it would be heinously expensive but between three people it was only 5 bucks each! Everything is cheap in Seoul! (Of course, if you took it during the day it would probably be 10x the price)

On the last day we went out to get Bryan’s hair cut and I ended up finally taking the plunge and getting mine done like I’d been considering for a while! It was worth it just for the experience Korean hair salons give! My friends actually said this place is all over Chicago but we never expected it to be so good. They massaged my head for 2-3 minutes just for my pure enjoyment, had separate people for washing, cutting, drying, brushing off hair, straightening, and styling! They used 8 different kinds of scissors I had never even seen. I kind of like the way it turned out but I’m still trying to learn its ways and how to style it.

Afterwards we split up from the guys and did separate shopping, which turned out to be nice. We looked at accessories and a mall we hadn’t noticed before and found a bunch of cheap sweaters. We ran into a problem there though because we had gone to the bathroom but they don’t keep any form of paper in either the boys’ or the girls’ bathroom! Apparently all the shop owners keep rolls of toilet paper for themselves when they have to go. There should be a sign if it’s something like that! I had to beg one of them in terrible Korean before she finally conceded! What an ordeal.

We got some street food and went to go meet the boys and head towards Seoul Tower by taxi. But when we got there, Patrick realized he had lost his iPhone of 3 years! It was devastating. We tried to call the taxi companies but with only a vague description of the driver and no license number, there was just no chance. It kind of put a damper on the tower, which wasn’t as great anyway because the fog limited our vision of the city. The love lockets were neat though. There’s a legend that if you come to the tower with your lover and tie a lock on it, then you’ll be together forever. There were locks everywhere; even locks in tree formations!

This tree is made out of locks!

When we got back we tried in vain to search the taxis again but it was no use.  We didn’t realize how late it was but it was nearly midnight when we returned to the hostel. Apparently Mary had tried to throw us a dinner for our last day but we didn’t realize because we hadn’t been home all day and didn’t see the post. But in our absence, she had cleaned our entire suite (even rolling up our clothes and putting them in our suitcases) and left us Dunkin Donuts with a loving note! She truly is the nicest woman ever!

We love you Mary!!

Since it was so late anyway and our plane was early in the morning we decided to just stay up until it was time to go. But having only eaten some street chicken we went out to town to find something to eat. After setting up our friends on a date (mwahaha) we ran into a boy from the hostel and his mentor and they offered to take us out for drinks. We spent the next three hours drinking the delicious rice wine we had enjoyed the other night, talking to them and reflecting on the awesome trip we had had. It was a great end to the vacation!

And thus ends this post! Maybe next time I’ll actually get back to talking about my Japanese life! <^^

Korean Word of the Day: Kansamnida! Which means Thank you!

Japanese Word of the Day:　旅　たび or tabi, which means journey or adventure. =)

それではまた次回！^^

Seijin no hi!!

Today is a national holiday in Japan because of what's known as Seijin no hi 成人の日「せいじんのひ」 (literally "Adult Day"), the coming of age day. It's held on the second Monday of January and on this day, all those who have turned 20 years old between April 1st of the previous year and March 31st of the current one are invited to join in the festivities! Those who attend usually dress up in formal attire when they go to celebrate their new maturity. For girls, this means a furisode, a kind of kimono with long sleeves that drape down and traditional zori sandals. Men used to wear a kimono and hakama (sort of like loose fabric resembling pants that goes over the kimono) but I'm told by my friend that nowadays men usually dress up in a Western suit and tie. (I think the kimono's cooler personally ;))

Having turned 20 just last July I was invited this year! Talk about good timing for my study abroad! I was originally not going to go though because my host mom told me the ceremony is kind of boring. But when I was finishing breakfast my host mom was like, "Have you ever worn a kimono?" and I answered no, and she said "You should wear one today!" and I was like, ".....WHAT?! SERIOUSLY?! o_O" So later she brought out all the pieces of the kimono (that she had hand made!) and started dressing me up! Kimonos really are a complicated process! First there's the white tabi socks which have to go first (it would be difficult to put on socks when you have all those layers on you and you're tightly strapped in!), the underdress (at one point she looked down and saw I was still wearing my pajama pants and laughed herself hoarse haha) which has long sleeves to fit into the long sleeves of the top layer, an underbelt to hold it up, a colored piece to show through the top color, the top layer which has to be adjusted to the right length at the obi (belt) which comes next and has to be wrapped around your waist a couple of times, then some more decorative pieces on top! （あぁ疲れた! "Ah, I'm tired!") Nowadays, girls dress up their kimonos a lot adding color ropes and even modern belts! Then my host mom helped me do my hair which I curled in the front, and she braided on the sides.

After all that this was the final product: =)

You can't see my feet in this picture but host mom kept having to tell me to put them angled at a certain way (one kind of pointing into the middle of the other) because that's how they used to walk. Weird, eh? Anyway, we're going to have a peek at the festivities today so hope you enjoyed this small bit!

Word of the day: 巻く、まく or maku。This is the verb you use when you talk about rolling or curling your hair!

UPDATE:

Okay so I just got back from the Seijinshiki (coming of age festival) and it was really fun! But there were SO many people!! I could barely move! The first thing we did was walk to the temple which had a ridiculous line and took forever to get through, as it usually does. As we were lining up I noticed a bunch of twigs that everyone was holding. I asked my host mom and she told me these are fukuzasa (remember fukubukuro?). Well I found out fuku means "lucky" so the fukubukuro is literally "lucky bag" and fukuzasa is "lucky bamboo leaves." Zasa is from sasa, bamboo leaves, but it becomes voiced (s -> z) when put with the first bit (thank you Linguistics...). So every year families buy fukuzasa and keep it for the rest of the year so it can gather your bad luck. Then when the next year turns, you bring the fukuzasa from last year to the shrine, put it in a big pile which is burned later, and then you buy a new fukuzasa for the next year which is supposed to bring luck and success.

Fukuzasa looks like this!

Unlike other times when I've been to temples, this time when we entered there were four priests holding long sticks with a bunch of strips of paper in a kind of pom pom type shape. When you step through, they shake it over your head which is supposed to rid you of all the bad things that happened in the past year. This is called おはらい、or oharai which means Shinto purification. Interestingly, there was another entrance on the side that said 「まぐろ」maguro. We weren't really sure what they were referring to but when we went in we saw that it was talking about a giant tuna! Lined up there was the tuna, vegetables, candy, etc. My host mom told me that this is an おそなえ, Osonae which means an offering to the gods. So everyone threw coins at the offerings (kind of like a wishing well); some people even stuffed coins INTO the open flesh of the tuna! It was a strange sight.

After that we got おみくじ omikuji, written fortunes. I got the same one that I got at New Year's! Highest luck with the God Yebisu! Coincidence? =3 It said things up until now have been bad (burns, surgery, swollen feet... lol) but from here on the gods will lend me power and give me very good luck and health. =) They also came in a really cute fish holder so, totally worth it haha.

We stopped to have some あまざけ amazake which literally means sweet sake or alcohol but it was non-alcoholic (go figure). It was outrageously delicious! It may have just become one of my favorite Japanese drinks! It's made from fermented rice and just has a great, sweet flavour to it. It was also really warm which felt great considering how cold it was outside. When we were done we wandered around the festival shops (there were loads everywhere!). They were selling lots of matsuri (festival) food: cotton candy, chocolate bananas, yakisoba, takoyaki,  candy apples, even candy strawberries and oranges! I bought a candy apple since I had wanted one the last festival I went to and never got it. *うれしい^^* Then we grabbed some yakisoba and headed home with the masses. Fun!

Word of the day: りんごアメ, ringoame which means candy apple! Yum! =)

それではまた次回！^-^

Bringing in the New Year: Sendai! ^^

After seven hours on the night bus, I finally reached Sendai! A much colder region of Japan, there was even some snow accumulated on the ground. I was so tired that they just took me straight back to my friend’s apartment where I iced and put up my foot, and ate breakfast and we chatted. We spent the day pretty much relaxing and talking. Then that night we went out to eat curry at this really nice steak place (they were probably pissed that they only customers they got ordered the cheapest thing on the menu) and then we went to an onsen! My first real one! It was a pretty cool experience. An onsen is a Japanese natural hot spring/public bath. So you do the same thing that you do with any public bath: wash and bathe before you enter the bath with a bunch of other naked women. But the difference with a natural onsen is that the bath is outside! The mixture of the piping hot water with the chilly winter air was blissful. So relaxing. There’s also a bunch of etiquette rules that goes with an onsen. For instance, you are given one small towel when you go in, about the size of a hand towel. You can use it when washing with the provided soap and shampoo but when you go in the actual bath you are not allowed to let it touch the water because that’s considered unclean. So you can use it to cover your parts when you walk out but make sure to move it to the top of your head (the typical spot) when you enter the water. You also have to sit down while bathing. You have two waterspouts, one out of a faucet, and one that’s attached to a showerhead. You use the showerhead to rinse your hair and then you fill a basin with the faucet and use it to rinse the towel, douse yourself with to remove soap. We talked with a Japanese woman while we were sitting in the onsen and she was surprised to see two white girls out in this middle of nowhere town. But it was a really neat experience and I would definitely go again.

I spent most of my week in Sendai eating, sleeping in, drinking, karaoke and going out. It was a really nice vacation and I had really great hosts. =) The small town feeling was a nice change. All of Harold’s friends were really nice and even drove us around. They also gave us loads of homemade, delicious Osechi, food for the New Year! One of his friends gave us a full out 3-layer box of Japanese goodies that were elaborately prepared by hand by his mother accompanied by homemade apple juice! We were also given homemade mochi from his other friend that we ate hot and it was delicious. Mochi is a kind of Japanese food that’s unlike anything I’ve ever had in America. It can be put in soup, stew, or eaten just as a sweet. Harold’s friend, Tajima, put it with sweet, handmade sauces that were really amazing. Mochi itself is white and it has a kind of chewy, melty, sweet flavor to it. It’s probably one of my favorite foods in Japan.

New Year’s was quite a different experience than I’m used to. In Japan it’s custom to visit the local temple at midnight when it turns from one year to the next. So we set out to the nearest one around 10:30pm. It was so cold! But we walked up the 220 steps to the top (and nearly keeled over) to stand in line to make our wishes for the new year. When the clock finally changed to 12am 1/1/11, we screamed out “Happy New Year!” in English among a thousand plus Japanese people which incurred a few looks. We also exclaimed the Japanese expression, of course. ;) The temple gates were opened and we filed in line to make our prayer/wishes. So customarily, you throw in a small coin, bow twice, clap twice, make your prayer, and then bow again. We found out from our Japanese friend that on New Years, if you throw in a 1 yen coin, it means you have a crush on someone and wish to become one with that person. You throw a 5-yen coin in if you already have a lover and want to continue with them. And then you throw a 10-yen coin in if you just want love in general to find you that year. I just threw in 11 cents for the year 2011. I sent my Happy New Years texts to all my friends and yes, the phone lines are just as crowded on New Year's in Japan as they are in America. It took about 5 tries to get it through. I did learn, however, that Yoi Otoshi Wo, which is what you say to others as a “Hope you have a good year!” type of saying is only used BEFORE the New Year. You’re not allowed to use it afterwards. Oops.

The Torii of the Temple we went to! We had to walk up all those steps >.<

Then after you finish making your wish, there’s a festival that takes place around the temple. We all picked 100 yen New Years fortunes for the fun of it and were pleasantly surprised! They were all good. =) Mine was apparently a very nice one, and it said I would have good health this year. (Boy could I use that!) The fortunes also contained one of the 7 lucky gods. I got Yebisu, the god of fishermen who is known for bringing good luck and health. Yay! His name is also known for a Japanese brand name of beer. *G* After that, we enjoyed some free, hot tea that they were giving us and it was so nice because we were so cold! The streets are filled with food stands you can buy from too. It was pretty cool to have a festival at 1-2 in the morning, though admittedly we were so cold we did not stay long. We bought some small sweets (chocolate bananas anyone?) and headed back to the car. On the way back, we heard this woman saying, “touch touch touch” in English behind us. We were really confused so we turned around and a woman and her five-year-old daughter were coming up to us saying, “touch, high touch.” They wanted a high five from us! It was so adorable! I guess they had noticed us because we were foreigners in a very local, not often traveled to area and wanted to say hello. So we wished them a happy new year and headed home. It’s also a custom in Japan to stay up and watch the first sunrise of the year but we were so exhausted we just passed out when we got home haha. Maybe next year!

When the year changes, it's customary for stores and homes to put up kadomatsu, a kind of new years gate decoration around the entrance door. It's placed to welcome ancestral spirits and house gods of the harvest. So there will be a pair (representing male and female), one on each side and they are usually made up of three stalks of bamboo that are artfully cut. These are placed at different levels and represent heaven, humanity, and earth.  Pine branches, and other decorative features like berries and fans can also be added to make it more e. I noticed them a lot around Miyagi and I thought it was a really neat tradition!

Now just imagine two of these framing the
doorways of Japanese homes and shops! ;)

On my last day in Miyagi we drove to the shopping area of Sendai for some last minute fun and so I could get omiyage (gifts) for my host family. We wanted to make sure we did purikura together to commemorate the trip so we did that first. It was really fun taking time to draw all over them and thoroughly add smileys, sparkles, and bows everywhere (there was no one behind us so we were able to take our time. Purikura takes a surprisingly long time because there’s so many options, tabs, colors, etc.- you’d be surprised!).  After eating (we found a diner!) and shopping around for a bit, it was finally time to leave so my friends took me to Sendai station to buy omiyage for my family. I asked them what food Sendai is most known for and the answer: cow tongue. Yeah. I did try it. It was actually pretty good but I don’t think I could actually eat it because the thought grosses me out. But I bought it for my family (who loved it by the way), said my good byes, and boarded the bus for home! What a great oshougatsu (New Year's Holiday)! ^^

Okay, that's all for my trip! Thanks for reading. <3 それではまた次回！

Word of the day: まつぽい or matsupoi is a word from touhokuben (the accent of the area of Sendai I was in) which means “really bright.” We used it a lot because of the reflection on the snow! ^^;

Phrase of the day: 明けましておめでとうございます！ Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu! Happy New Year!