tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20966141347035899772024-03-08T08:32:12.362-08:00Mary Janes and PinfiresA Gal, Her Writing and Her Travels.Alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11680744438689325078noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2096614134703589977.post-90391694365916572732011-08-16T02:06:00.000-07:002011-08-16T08:51:38.752-07:00YFC & The Saga of the Acknowledged Red Berlin BrasDay Sechs<br />
<br />
<br />
I was afraid I might disturb Vivi in the morning but finally, still unable to get a wink of rest in, I got up shortly past four-thirty and set about getting dressed and then headed out to the venue….<br />
<br />
It was just around five-thirty when I arrived, the front of the venue rather crowded with sleeping bags and sleepy faces, but everyone exchanged tired smiles.<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i54.tinypic.com/2w6h0l3.jpg><br />
First order of business!<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i54.tinypic.com/2m5nzh5.jpg><br />
G-Family!<br />
<br />
I don't even remember how most of the day went by.<br />
Card playing. Chatting. Fan Letter writing. Hitting around the Magnum beach balloons. Bonding.<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i51.tinypic.com/2nk13b9.jpg><br />
Sisters!<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i53.tinypic.com/29z5r8w.jpg><br />
My then wife-to-be and I.<br />
<br />
The man dubbed SexyBoi<br />
<img src=http://i55.tinypic.com/107jsz6.jpg><br />
Nice ass ^_~<br />
<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i54.tinypic.com/noyfsn.jpg><br />
The SYH group ^___^v<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i53.tinypic.com/6878xw.jpg><br />
Look what I found when we went to pick up Iris' dad, along with the bra markers and the notebook (which we passed around the line and had people sign/write letters/draw in)<br />
<br />
<br />
Speaking of the bras....<br />
<img src=http://i53.tinypic.com/1zpgrb7.jpg><br />
<br />
It really started off as a simple idea. Just something to amuse the crowd, make the live a little more fun, put smiles on the faces of our two beautiful vocalists, amuse the rest of the band... But....<br />
<br />
In the process of being decorated...<br />
<img src=http://i55.tinypic.com/2hn13t2.jpg><br />
<br />
Iris hard at work on hers<br />
<img src=http://i56.tinypic.com/dhftkx.png><br />
<br />
<br />
The finished results<br />
<img src=http://i56.tinypic.com/2mzljmh.jpg><br />
[photo borrowed from anei_no_tsuki's LJ]<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i55.tinypic.com/2emlnrl.jpg><br />
<br />
There were also the panties Vivi bought for YOU<br />
<img src=http://i53.tinypic.com/15otjkh.jpg><br />
<br />
Once they were made, we strapped them to our hips and flaunted them proudly. We got a lot of looks from people passing by...<br />
<img src=http://i55.tinypic.com/r786xy.jpg><br />
[photo borrowed from anei_no_tsuki's LJ]<br />
<br />
<br />
And all together now!<br />
<img src=http://i51.tinypic.com/1220vgy.jpg><br />
<br />
We went down the lines, telling people about the Brothers/Sisters chants and trying to get them into it... We wanted to do it right for the recording... But alas, didn't work as well as we hoped. At least Amsterdam seemed to get it right.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
It really was, over all, a pretty fantastic day. Despite the bees (I got bit T___T), the heat, the disorganization that grew and grew as more and more people arrived and the little bit of frustration that comes when doors open late. <br />
<br />
But once again, I ended up the very front, a little to the left of the stage this time around instead of directly in front. And this time, Iris was by my side. <br />
<br />
The band was a bit late this time around (but due to the filming, I had predicted this). Yet, we had the press secretary announcements again- which I really fucking love- and after lots of cheering to try to get the band out onto the stage, the lights went dim.<br />
<br />
There was more distance between the audience and the band this time around because the cameramen needed room to be able to move and get shots of both the members and the audience. And yet, while the distance and the constant buzz of the cameramen made it less personal, it was still incredible in every single second of it.<br />
<br />
The band did spent more time getting the crowd to shout and to react, acting up for the cameras but also quite clearly enjoying themselves as well. <br />
<br />
A report of all of the song details would be rather pointless due to the broadcast and the countless other descriptions that have surfaced however I shall address the most talked about subject:<br />
<br />
The underwear.<br />
<br />
The red lacey underwear.<br />
<br />
Originally Iris and I planned to wait until the point at which Gackt shouts “How much do you want to fuck me?!” to toss the bras (as an obvious response to the question) yet the break after Vanilla provided an opportunity that could not be more perfect.<br />
<br />
We both hastily unstrapped the bras from where they had been safely tied to our belts and I sent mine over first, thrilled as it landed onto the YFC platform. Jon noticed it immediately and picked it up, and handed Gackt the bra that Iris had tossed almost immediately after me<br />
(Come on, you've all seen the video already, haven't you?)<br />
<br />
A little bit of playfulness would have been nice. Just to have them twirl the undergarments around a little or hang them off their belts like Gackt had done with a black bra in Munich.<br />
<br />
However, I did not expect Jon to put my bra on. Iris did not expect Gackt to put the straps of hers into his mouth and tug on it with his teeth. We did not expect Jon to strut over to Gackt wearing the red bra or to have Gackt grope his fellow vocalist’s new lingerie or to start tugging it down his chest.<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i51.tinypic.com/21jx28l.jpg><br />
<br />
I think Iris and I had exchanged looks of terror, shock and just pure thrill. I do remember Iris whispering “Oh my god oh my god oh my god” as we watched the ridiculous but sexy scene unfold in front of us.<br />
<br />
<br />
Now, the second part of this. I am sure that the cameras were too busy focused on Gackt and Jon during this whole ordeal but at the same time, Vivi had also tossed the red panties to You. And I know I missed seeing it for the most part, but according to her he rubbed them over his guitar and then kissed them before tossing them back into the audience.<br />
<br />
<br />
Now there has been a lot of talk about the “All for/my Love” ballad. I think that just as it was Oblivious that touched and reduced so many to tears during RR2, this is the YFC equivalent. Before Munich, I had read no concert reports and since the YFC shows last year were purely rock music, so I was shocked when they started with “You are the Reason” and carried into the second ballad. Both are beautiful and heartfelt, but I know that “All for Love” is going to be a song that will stay for me throughout the decades.<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i52.tinypic.com/10zzuo6.png><br />
<br />
It's simple but, when you're standing right there... it washes over you. Floods you. Connects you to the people around you, to everyone around you.<br />
Because we're all there for the same thing, for the music that brings us together, makes us into one huge, international family. And it's incredible.<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i56.tinypic.com/2z9ilxg.jpg><br />
Yeah, I cried. And really, it's not something to be ashamed of. I'm glad that I did, because... To be brought up to your highest, to your happiest, to your most complete self by this music and these people, and then being able to be torn down so beautifully to your very core... We really were showing our hearts and souls. Why shouldn't we show our love, our dedication? It's why we were there. It's why we keep coming back.<br />
<br />
<br />
......<br />
When the time for Uncontrol came around, I got out the sign I had prepared, having already displayed it a couple of times but rather wanting Jon to see it (it was for him after all~) and yet he seemed intent on looking in every single direction other than mine …………… -_____- Jerk<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i51.tinypic.com/o91zcn.jpg><br />
Hey, at least I got it on the film.<br />
<br />
<br />
When the concert finally ended and the press secretary announcement was made, I made my first step and--- fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck it hurt.<br />
<br />
I had been wearing painfully high stilettos the entire day and thoroughout the entire concert. While I had felt no pain during the rally but as soon as the spell had ended, I realized that I almost could not walk.<br />
<br />
Getting our things from the closet check, Iris and I went off to try to find some Japanese staff to give the notebook filled with fan letters and signatures from people who had been in line earlier, yet had difficulty finding anyone and the European/venue staff were not in the least bit co-operative despite our polite requests to simply allow us to leave the book or have it taken by one of the staff members to the bus or just handed off to someone that would be able to give it to Gackt.<br />
<br />
Finally, we spotted one of the cameramen (can you guess which one? hehehe) and called out to him, stopping him (much to his apparent surprise) telling him that it was a gift from all the fans and if it would be okay to pass it onto G (he agreed)<br />
MISSION COMPLETE! ^______^v<br />
<br />
Vivi got an email confirmation from Gackt too, saying he had received the notebook.<br />
<br />
<br />
And then came the hardest part...<br />
<br />
Time to say goodbye.<br />
<br />
I had only planned to attend the Munich and Berlin shows but regretted that deeply. However, I know that if I had gone to every single concert on the tour it would have still not been enough.<br />
<br />
<br />
Even though it had only been a short time in comparison... Getting to meet everyone was incredible. Iris, Xia, everyone that I met, Jess, Josse, Janine, Benjamin (IF YOU READ THIS, CONTACT ME SIR, I lost your wife's Twitter T__T you were so much fun, thanks so much for your help)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
But... it stuns me everytime. I think the people are what's kept me here for so long and drew me in so much, in addition to G being an amazing musician.<br />
<br />
How people can come from all different cultures, backgrounds, lifestyles and yet connect so beautifully. After the concert, we had a British girl, an Italian girl, a Swiss girl and an American girl, all sitting in a German hostel together, having just gone to see the concert of a Japanese musician.... How does that happen? Who else can bring together people from all around the world, from Taiwan, from the Netherlands, from the US, even from Japan to Germany just to see him stand in front of us for a couple hours?<br />
<br />
<br />
I can't count how many times I've laughed and grinned so widely it hurt because of other Dears. And on the plane back from Berlin to Munich, I cried because of these Dears, because they are genuinely some of the most incredible people that I have ever met, and I really did not want to leave my new family behind...<br />
<br />
It's something you don't find often. When something matters to you so deeply, it's hard to explain it to people. Why do I love him so much, why do I fly around the world to spend an evening in his presence? I don't know. Because somehow, his music has touched me. <br />
<br />
And these Dears... they understand. Without us having to talk to each other about how much this means, we understand like no one else in the world can, no matter how hard you try to explain it to someone on the outside they can't feel it. Being with these people and at the same time, being with him...<br />
<br />
It's Heaven. For a couple hours, in there, in the too-hot, too-loud, too-crowded venue... We live. We truly, genuinely, honestly live for nothing but to feel at our very highest, our most complete.<br />
<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i52.tinypic.com/30arzh0.jpg><br />
<br />
<br />
So, 兄貴。。。<br />
Our older brother....<br />
Our mentor....<br />
Our inspiration....<br />
<br />
Thank you.<br />
For bringing us together.<br />
For bringing us to you.<br />
<br />
本当に。。。ありがとう。<br />
Alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11680744438689325078noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2096614134703589977.post-2150154041439286752011-08-15T23:26:00.000-07:002011-08-15T23:26:48.399-07:00Welcome to BerlinDay Fünf <br />
<br />
<br />
It seems that this summer, my trip was full of early mornings. With yawns, I woke up and packed the last of my things in order to move from Munich to Berlin. It wasn’t really an early flight, but the time was needed to get from the hostel to the airport, get through security and all those delightful things, wait around and so on and so forth called for small digits on my alarm clock. <br />
<br />
However, it would be the first time in over a year that I would be seeing my dear friend Virginie, whom I traveled to Japan with last year and who had almost reluctantly agreed to meet me in Berlin for the concert.<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i55.tinypic.com/2ymdagi.jpg><br />
Aren't we cute together? We had such a good time in Japan together T___T<br />
<br />
<br />
Getting through with almost no problems (I was told off by airport security for having too many liquids according to German standards), the flight was a short one and soon I was in Berlin, wondering why the meeting point was literally in the middle of a crowded hall. <br />
<br />
Yet soon I spotted my beloved Swiss girl and after some hugs and some squeaks, we got underway, both having little idea of how to find our hotel (hooray for printed instructions).<br />
<br />
<br />
Now I must say I love public transport. It is so simple, and so convenient and both the tram, underground and bus systems in Germany are very easy to figure out. Transferring from bus to underground, we soon arrived above the surface at our hostel (which was admittedly a lot worse than the one in Munich) but was satisfactory nonetheless. <br />
<br />
<img src=http://i53.tinypic.com/2jez6dt.jpg><br />
Not the greatest area<br />
<br />
Checking in, I was forced to drag my heavy luggage up four flights on stairs X____x but we got settled in quickly before leaving in order to find the venue so we would not waste time the following day looking around for it.<br />
<br />
This was a good thing because we would have probably spent at least another hour looking around the nearby square if Vivi and not spotted a girl wearing a YFC shirt (and I identified her as a fan from Munich).<br />
<br />
Venue located, we set off to get something to snack on, having arranged to meet with Iris for dinner and to do some devious shopping for the next day.<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i54.tinypic.com/2nt8zrs.jpg><br />
OMNOMNOMNOM DELICIOUSNESS<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i51.tinypic.com/2zfsrv8.jpg><br />
Isn't she the cutest thing ever? I missed you so much, darling.<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i54.tinypic.com/34gq3c9.jpg><br />
I can be cute too!<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i51.tinypic.com/71pcn7.jpg><br />
The amazing buildings of Potsdamer Platz<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i53.tinypic.com/2iig4s7.jpg><br />
I love it when modern architecture is beautiful...<br />
<br />
We met with Iris and her dad and went for dinner.<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i53.tinypic.com/2lro8k.jpg><br />
THIS IS NOT THE ICED COFFEE I ORDERED, WHY IS THERE ICE CREAM IN IT, GERMANS ARE SO WEIRD! T____________T<br />
Yeah, I had no idea "ice" coffee meant... ice cream coffee. Iris, her dad and Vivi laughed at me.<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i55.tinypic.com/xaxf6d.jpg><br />
And this wasn't meatloaf... I was so confused.<br />
<br />
<br />
Since the Berlin concert was being filmed, for a live broadcast and for a rumored DVD, we wanted to make it special. And since Gackt had declared on his Twitter a few days before that girls should not wear underwear and that it was flattering to have it thrown onto the stage, we decided to do just that.<br />
<br />
After some quick shopping around, we found two matching, lacey and padded red bras (one for Jon and one for Gackt) while Vivi got a pair of red panties to throw to You (one of the guitarists), whom she has an eternal crush on.<br />
<br />
But you get a photo of a Lego Giraffe instead.<br />
<img src=http://i55.tinypic.com/2u4iwq8.jpg><br />
<br />
That night, suffering from a little bit of illness, sleep evaded me completely. I laid awake, worrying and fretting, dozing off on occasion only to wake up quickly again… <br />
<br />
Which meant reflection time on my trip thus far…<br />
<br />
Munich was beautiful. And drunk.<br />
<br />
Seems German drinking can rival the Russians. Beer gardens, pubs, people drinking on the streets… However, at no moment did I feel unsafe because of it. It seemed as though everyone was there simply to enjoy themselves and to bond with their companions over a couple (or more than) pints. <br />
<br />
The city was gorgeous, clean and rich. It felt warm and welcoming and I really wish I had spent more time there, looking at its beautiful churches, museums and learning more about its history. It is definitely a place I would like to return to one day and properly explore.<br />
Alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11680744438689325078noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2096614134703589977.post-52905349606918804752011-08-15T10:32:00.000-07:002011-08-15T10:32:58.636-07:00Yellow Fried Chicks in MunichDay Vier<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i52.tinypic.com/2ex1qq0.png><br />
[Photo from last year's YFC lives]<br />
<br />
My alarm clock went off at five am and I rolled out of bed, ready to take the millions of bobby pins out of my hair and make myself look as fabulous as possible for the day ahead. As fabulous as one can for being a fan that flew almost 7,000 miles in order to see a band called Yellow Fried Chickenz. <br />
<br />
I tried my best not to disturb my sleeping roommates, heading out to catch the metro for the industrial part of Munich where the club was located, arriving about fifteen minutes to seven at the Backstage Werk to see some fans had already beat me to the chase. <br />
<br />
<img src=http://i52.tinypic.com/3482fmd.jpg><br />
The grey morning<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i55.tinypic.com/2nqa0sp.jpg><br />
At too early in the morning<br />
<br />
However, I was happy with my position, ready for the almost thirteen hour wait for the concert…<br />
(I never thought I would be one of those crazy fans).<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i52.tinypic.com/2zfidsz.jpg><br />
Numbers! Actually, they worked quite well in Munich. Maybe because it was a smaller club.<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i54.tinypic.com/350qov6.jpg><br />
<br />
I introduced myself to everyone that was there, starting conversations and dismissing statements of “Well, that’s a looong story” by reminding everyone just how long we had to wait. Thirteen hours in silence goes by a lot slower than thirteen hours socializing, sharing stories and shouting at any and all cars that happened to drive by us. <br />
<br />
<img src= http://i53.tinypic.com/11ru8ba.jpg><br />
<br />
We joked amongst each other, harassing a lovely old gentleman that happened to be passing by (faking squeals of delight when his jacket said “G” on it) and insisting he keep his gloves on for the photo that we snapped. Apparantly, he asked if we were models XDDDD and was surprised that we were all just waiting for a band, refusing our insists that he join us.<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i54.tinypic.com/j17lw4.jpg><br />
He was awesome. We all fell in love.<br />
<br />
<br />
Slowly, a few more people arrived (I got to practice my Japanese with a Japanese fan that had also come cross-continent for the concert) made fun of our beloved by imitating his full-body “head”-banging….<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i53.tinypic.com/5efszl.jpg><br />
They did a really good job!<br />
<br />
… and tagging the signs put up outside the venue which had obviously not realized that this concert was for Yellow Fried Chickenz , making coffee runs.<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i56.tinypic.com/xbzlaq.jpg><br />
Who is this Gackt fellow? We’re here for the Yellow Fried Chickenz!<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i55.tinypic.com/2ez1tzn.jpg><br />
That’s much better!<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i52.tinypic.com/i39vt0.jpg><br />
Ain’t we cute?<br />
<br />
Upon returning from our coffee run we saw… *gasp*!<br />
<img src=http://i54.tinypic.com/2dqq41s.jpg><br />
The red buses!!!<br />
<br />
Having been moved twice, we finally settled down to form a lax line, Xia writing down numbers for everyone that joined us, playing guessing games and discussing band members…<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i55.tinypic.com/atlr2q.jpg><br />
She was Magnum… hehehehe. “Am I popular?” … “YES!”<br />
<br />
<br />
A couple of the girls decided to teach me some German (swear words) and giggled continuously about how cute I was (I need to go to more foreign concerts, all the love I get from people ^___^)<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i51.tinypic.com/k2fpc1.jpg><br />
They were so sweet.<br />
<br />
Actually, I had been a little concerned going to Germany for the shows. But just about everyone was so amazing, so friendly and so happy to be there, so welcoming and the time really did fly by…<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i52.tinypic.com/bg75oh.jpg><br />
The sign grew and grew… Got tagged more and more.<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i56.tinypic.com/210j7rd.jpg><br />
All of us are going to….<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i55.tinypic.com/2njvj3a.jpg><br />
#FreeJon!<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i52.tinypic.com/2emljlx.jpg><br />
A familiar face! We all cheered for Crazy D~<br />
<br />
<img src=http://i52.tinypic.com/2vc87qo.jpg><br />
My new family. We really had a fantastic time together, I think…<br />
<br />
The line kept growing…<br />
<img src=http://i51.tinypic.com/ndarh0.jpg><br />
<br />
And growing<br />
<img src=http://i56.tinypic.com/jrfgo1.jpg><br />
<br />
<br />
Someone went around filming video messages... Mine starts around the 2:00 mark...<br />
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mNnDelTvDVM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
Soon we were being let past the first round of security and then waiting for a short time outside the venue doors, cheering when the film crew came out and before we knew it…. <br />
<br />
We were inside.<br />
<img src= http://i54.tinypic.com/3093ih2.jpg><br />
<br />
Of course, being inside just meant another an hour and a half wait, alternating between sitting down and standing. I talked to a Russian fan that was near us and chatted with the security guy behind the barrier, who said he was shocked that so many people came for a band that he had never heard of~<br />
<br />
People starting to come inside the venue...<br />
<img src= http://i56.tinypic.com/ra4ug4.jpg><br />
<br />
<br />
Seven-thirty came around and the announcements from the motha-fukkin’ press secretary got us riled up, shouting “Ous!” and then cheering loudly as Shinya led the very-much-on-time band onto the stage (and making sure my hair was tied up properly before it began).<br />
<br />
To be honest, I don’t think I could write up a report of the actual concert. But I was immersed like never before in both the new and old music, shouting when called to, singing the lyrics and screaming at all the fucking fanservice, Ughhhhh~♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Damn skippy it was a hot show. <br />
<br />
<br />
There was a bra thrown onstage (that got caught on Gackt’s sound equipment), squeals whenever Jon and Gackt decided to put their hands (and groins) all over each other, making sure that Iris was still hanging onto my shoulders, breathlessness at the sweetness of the Show Your Heart ballad, heart-hands exchanged with You-san, starting chants of “Aniki” and “Daisuki” with Xia, being the only group of girls that knew to be silent when Gackt shouted for his brothers, holding hands with other fans high above our heads, fighting for a tie, singing the chorus of Uncontrol, laughing, crying, screaming, smirking, worrying and everything in between. <br />
<br />
<br />
At the end of the show, once the band had left but Chacha was still getting the crowd to cheer, was our misfortune. Iris had been struggling with her health now but toughed out the concert in the second row by clinging onto me. I moved her to the front, Xia and I guarding her from the still-pushing crowd and when the security came over, he lifted her over the barrier and took her to the back of the venue. <br />
<br />
<br />
A bit too worried about her to even notice that the concert had finished, once the crowd cleared up I ran up to talk to the security to find out what had happened, waiting until they let me through and sending one of the other girls to find her father who had left the concert halfway through. <br />
<br />
After a lot of worry and talking to the medical staff who insisted she would be okay, waiting to make sure, we went off to gather up our things and head back to the venue, sending texts to Iris so that she could respond to them when able to. Finally leaving her to the professionals, we headed out; needing showers, food and rest, very very slowly coming off the high of being pumped to the brim with Vitamin G ^_~<br />
<br />
And finally…<br />
<img src=http://i54.tinypic.com/2rhn4mv.jpg><br />
The damage that night. <br />
<br />
But you know what. It was very much worth it.<br />
<br />
<br />
(The Berlin report will be filled with all my Dears community insight/reflection)<br />
<br />
Alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11680744438689325078noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2096614134703589977.post-40203412987524020952011-08-14T14:26:00.000-07:002011-08-14T14:26:39.726-07:00Driving Towards a FairytaleDay Drei<br />
<br />
<br />
Upon researching my trip to Munich, I came across a location I knew I had to visit: Neuschwanstien Castle. <br />
<br />
<img src=http://i51.tinypic.com/2wdon83.jpg><br />
[photo from online website]<br />
<br />
Built in the 1800s by Ludwig the Second, it was the inspiration of the famous Disney Land castle centuries later and stands proudly near the Austrian border. Originally, I had planned to take a tour up to the castle, but Iris and her father said they too had wanted to see the castle and thus I elected to tag along with them for the day. <br />
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The car trip that we had originally predicted to take about an hour and a half lasted over three due to some directional confusion, but I sat happily in the backseat, listening to their Dutch banter and enjoying the view of driving along the German countryside (even if I did start nodding off a little toward the ending on the trip).<br />
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Cows…. <br />
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After passing through many tiny towns, we finally stopped the distant form of a castle up in the mountains and quite quickly, it grew larger and larger.<br />
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OMG, looooook~<br />
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Although I had seen a few photos of the castle, it really is a wonder to witness in person. We parked and decided to eat (all hungry from the long journey and deciding it was best before the hike up) but the lunch lasted longer than expected too. <br />
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I think we were all sleepy from the drive and needed some caffeine.<br />
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Not as delicious as they looked T____T Sadness<br />
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I had wanted to take a tour of the inside of the castle, but it was already well past noon due to our time delays and thus decided to put that off. However, it was probably for the best since when we completed the hike and got into the courtyard we saw that there was incredible number of people waiting to go inside… Perhaps, it could be an excuse to return in a few years in order to properly tour the castle.<br />
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But even being outside the extremely tall walls and seeing the view from around the castle was incredible. Inside the courtyard, we saw a bridge not far off and trekked up to see if there was a good view from there. <br />
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The other nearby castle<br />
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It was quite a drop from the top of the bridge and sweet Iris and her father were both a bit nervous about it, a little to my amusement (Sorry)<br />
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Then again, I’m not afraid of heights. We got back down and then walked around the nearby lake, driving out to the nearby town of Füssen before leaving.<br />
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Cute little German town.<br />
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Back in Munich, Iris and her father dropped me off at the train station and we said our goodnights to each other, exhausted but already mentally preparing for the following day. <br />
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It was slightly past eleven when I finally got into my hotel, not normally late, but I planned a five am wake up the following morning was the reason I had planned my entire trip… I went to bed a little after midnight, ready to rest but eager to awake, knowing that in the morning, I would have to be ready to become a little yellow fried chick ^_~<br />
Alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11680744438689325078noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2096614134703589977.post-69535044701805628502011-07-30T13:19:00.000-07:002011-07-30T22:45:55.445-07:00Arriving in MünchenDays Eins und Zwei <br />
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I realize that I have gotten to be quite spoiled. Not everyone is able to take major vacations every six or so months, and I really had planned to spend the entire summer slaving away, hard at work. But that really is not my ideal, so at the beginning of summer I planned a short vacation to Germany.<br />
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As always, I began my journey in San Francisco, prepping to leave the country and buying gifts for the friends I would see. The plane ride was a long one, four hours to Chicago from which I had an hour and a half delay on account of the airplane requiring to be fixed (worrisome in anything situation) and then another eight to Munich. <br />
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While I have traveled abroad often this was my first time being truly alone. The summer before, I met a friend in the Tokyo Narita airport immediately after going through customs and all other times have been with exchange groups or family. But finally I was alone, following German signs for the underground train line into the very heart of the city to find my hotel.<br />
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Upon my arrival, I was informed that I was too early for check-in but if I left almost immediately, I would be able to make it in time into the city square for a free tour. <br />
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The tour was just a walk to some nearby recognizeable landmarks, starting in Marienplatz, the city square, by the beautiful new town hall.<br />
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From there, it was a roam around, each stop containing history lessons about the city.<br />
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One of the stops was the church Frauenkirche that was said to be built with the help of the Devil as it took a mere 20 years and the inner columns create the illusion that there are no windows. <br />
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No windows! Except the one in the back, but that was added on after the church was built.<br />
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Oh look, a window.<br />
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The footprint of the Devil! Who was supposed so furious when he found out there were actually windows that he stomped his foot and left that imprint.<br />
Not that big, probably a size 10... Genuinely, it it most like the footprint of the architect.<br />
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We stopped by what is supposedly the most famous pub in the world, the Hofbräuhaus, and were told about how customers used to urinate outside on the street between beers (O_____<), the site of Hitler’s Beer Hall Putsch in 1923, the opera house and such.
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Hofbräuhaus. On the second day, Iris, her father and I tried to go inside and get a table but....<br />
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Too many people. And there are three floors that we saw, an outside garden, a patio... all full. Noisy like you cannot imagine.<br />
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The inner outside garden...<br />
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So we went to a smaller pub/cafe just across the building, got a table right away as a group left...<br />
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They left their glasses behind so I snapped a photo.<br />
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Black current juice~! Not too bad, being a non-drinker in Bavaria then..<br />
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Cannot read German menus... At all. Luckily, Iris and her father translated things for me when we ate lunch together. So nice of them *____*<br />
I will buy them dinner even if it kills me...<br />
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Area around the pub.<br />
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The tour stopped by the Royal Residenz building and the rain clouds that had been building all day finally released their hold after a loud clap of thunder, soaking the streets heavily. I walked back to the city square station in the rain, getting rather wet in the process but without an umbrella. <br />
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I went to sleep early (having been awake for almost a full two days because of the travel) set to meet a friend from the Netherlands the following afternoon.<br />
Unfortunately, my phone turned out not to have switched time zones properly and when I awoke at what I believed to be seven am, it was actually ten. I did not realize this until I checked my watch an hour later and saw, to my severe shock, that it said it was actually eleven in the morning O___O<br />
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Getting everything together very quickly after that, I went for a quick and rather delicious pastry breakfast and then headed out to find my Dutch friend, Iris.<br />
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The interesting thing was that Iris and I had actually met only a year before, while we were both visiting Osaka, Japan. We happened on each other by chance at a concert and in truth, we were both planning our trip to Germany due to the same musician touring in Europe. A silly dedication, some might say, but it is what has brought me to have so many friends around the world. <br />
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The day was spent by walking around the city casually, visiting a couple of places I had stopped the day before, eating German food and then some very non-German food, stopping by stores which purses that cost as much as the cost of my entire trip, and chatting… a lot. Then again, I am a very talkative person and the day went very quickly.<br />
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Lots of cute tourist shops<br />
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The metro! Which is actually extremely easy to use, goes everywhere, not too expensive... I love a good metro system.<br />
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Lot of construction but...<br />
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They covered a lot of the buildings in tarps that look like the building? So it's kind of cool. Not unsightly, at least.<br />
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Market area<br />
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Hehehehe, seems excessive, doesn't it? I mean, really? One was not enough?<br />
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Meeeeeeeeeeat.<br />
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Beer garden. O____o Does the beer grow on trees?<br />
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More stalls<br />
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Totem pole thingie... I forgot what it is called.<br />
But apparantly towns steal them from each other. The last major was stolen in 2006 (?) from the airport. The airport called the police. The police cracked up because... they were the ones that stole it >_____<
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During WWII, a lot of graveyards were destroyed. And after, matching gravestones that survived to their sites was almost impossible. So they put the tombstones on the church walls.<br />
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UND!<br />
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The most expensive street in Munich!<br />
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Not too many photos because it was rather intimidating... and we were too *___* Looking inside the stores, wandering inside LV, Gucci, a couple others. Iris got starry eyed over wallets while I looked at fur coats. So Russian of me.<br />
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There were a few of these..<br />
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And food!<br />
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Salad and....<br />
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Wiener Schnitzel!<br />
I had to try... Pretty good. Although the potatoes were really the best *___*<br />
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For dinner (took us quite a long time to find a place that was not booked)<br />
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Guilty pleasures... We found a very small but very authentic Japanese restaurant.<br />
I missed ramen so much so.....<br />
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Iris and I got to practice our Japanese with the waitress. So exciting~<br />
*needs to remind self that I am in Germany*<br />
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Also, over the day and a half I have been in Munich, I have heard about and seen more beer than I have ever before in my entire life. Yet, I do not drink so while I do feel like I am missing out a little bit, it is rather more fun to see the young men having their bachlor parties, so drunk that they almost cannot tell that their friends have dressed them up as women.<br />
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(Photos will be added later)Alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11680744438689325078noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2096614134703589977.post-31869781727381357862011-01-16T16:23:00.000-08:002012-04-25T14:31:46.874-07:00さようなら、日本。日十九と二十:Day 19 & 20<br />
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Saturday was our last full day in Japan. It was a free day so my group decided to take a tour around Tokyo, gathering up last minute gifts for friends, family and ourselves.<br />
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Our first destination was Ikebukuro, because Corina wanted to find a Toys R Us as in Kochi she had seen a large Spirited Away jigsaw puzzle at one, which turned out to be quite an adventure when it came to finding our way out. After almost a full loop around the building, we found the main street leading from Sunshine City and then hopped into an arcade so us girls could take some プリクラ photos.<br />
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We had a lot of fun trying to find our way around the booths and then deciding on the decorations. It gets a little difficult when it comes to getting four people into the frames.<br />
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A lack of photos today because since we planned on heading out to Harajuku, I had an excuse to dress up. So instead of taking photos, I spent the majority of the day having photos taken of me insead.<br />
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After Ikebukuro, we headed to Harajuku. I gleefully ran around the stores, happy as can be. We attempted to go visit KiddyLand, but it was shut down for remodeling or something of the sort.<br />
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Second to last menu item… We could not figure this out.<br />
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After Harajuku, the group returned to the hostel as some members of the group wanted to change shoes/coats and then separated. Lina and I headed to Shinjuku to get her Japanese textbooks and then to Shibuya as she wanted to see the statue of Hachiko.<br />
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Once all was said and done, the group rejoined in order to go out for our last dinner in Japan:<br />
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What better way to end than with a delicious bowl of ramen.<br />
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Overall, it’s been yet another wonderful trip to Japan.<br />
Although, I must say that I am genuinely disappointed and even appalled by some of the students in the group, their disrespect and their sheer disregard for a culture different from their own, despite this being a culture study class.<br />
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However, I convinced myself not to dwell on that, but on the good experiences I have had in this country once again. I do love being here, I love having the opportunity to visit this country.<br />
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For the those people that I spent time with on the trip, Corina, Lina, Sarah and Jason, thanks for being amazing people that can appreciate such a thing.<br />
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And Sensei, I am very glad that you were our instructor for this course and for tolerating us.<br />
どもありがとうございました。<(_ _)><br />
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I did have an amazing time.Alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11680744438689325078noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2096614134703589977.post-16723396435514395672011-01-14T06:57:00.000-08:002011-01-16T16:24:29.490-08:00Mr. Dough and the Egg Princess日十七と十八:Day 17 & 18<br />
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The third (and final) university trip had us taking a tour of Waseda University, one of Tokyo’s most prestigious private universities. One of the students at the university greeted us and showed us around, talking about the different buildings and the history of the educational establishment. <br />
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I had previously glanced over the exchange program at Waseda previously, but did not take interest to it, however the campus is very beautiful and the area seems wonderful. However, since the focus is not in my major, I still intend to do a different program in 2012.<br />
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Afterwards, we had reserved tickets to the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka.<br />
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I adore Ghibli, but admittedly I was not expecting much from the museum after the disappoint of the manga museum in Kyoto and was actually opposed to the trip initially.<br />
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<(*____________________________*)> ワアアアアアアアアアアアアア~ すごい!<br />
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We wandered around the museum for almost three hours, watching a short film called “Mr. Dough and the Egg Princess.” It was both frightening and adorable. <br />
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I love Ghibli… That place was rather amazing, all and all. <br />
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Our sensei and a couple of the girls reached over the cat bus restriction ropes to pet one of the soot balls.<br />
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Then this morning, we headed out a city bus tour. <br />
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The first stop was Tokyo Tower, Tokyo’s television broadcasting tower. Personally, I love nightscapes so whenever I’m somewhere with a view of a city I wish I could be there at night…<br />
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This followed a short stop by the outside of Tokyo’s Imperial Palace before we moved onto Sensoji.<br />
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The sunlight was shining bright the full day and after traveling back to Tokyo station, the group split up. Mostly everyone headed back to the hostel, but I returned to Shinjuku in order to drop by the Angelic Pretty at Marui One again because I had my eyes set on the Vanilla-Chan coats they had on sale, mostly because I have deeply wanted a Loli coat all winter long and partially because I plan to spend my last day out tomorrow decked out in Sweet ^_^V And it’s pretty cold in Japan right now, plus I refused to go out in Lolita if I did not have Loliable coat this time around. In addition, Marui was having its winter Sparkling Sale so I bought a $500 coat for about $200<br />
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Getting up early to do my hair and make-up for my last day in Japan tomorrow. It’s sad to think I am leaving again already.Alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11680744438689325078noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2096614134703589977.post-78553803577295391262011-01-12T08:22:00.000-08:002011-01-12T08:22:18.325-08:00ともだちに会いました。日十六番:Day 16<br />
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The first of a series of university visits, we spent the majority of the day as Obirin University.<br />
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Our curriculum consisted of doing a short series of presentations about California and Fresno, as well as Fresno State University (my college) and finally our experiences in Japan.<br />
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Upon our arrival, we took an early lunch break. While most of the students ate, my group made corrections to our powerpoint. Once inside, we met with one of our instructor’s former students and then went to one of the classrooms where we would present to university students who had recently returned from English exchange programs.<br />
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The classroom was rather full and before we started I asked the girls behind us for a photo.<br />
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We started off with a presentation with some general information about Fresno as well as California, giving some general background information, simple history and addressing some of the Japanese influence/presence in the community.<br />
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After the other three groups presented their less-than-factually-correct slideshows we had time to interact with the students. We simply talked to the girls behind us, discussing the different exchange programs we liked, exchanged names, did some language comparisons and then showed them how to play the game of Hangman XD<br />
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Following well wishes and a couple more parting photos, Sarah, Lina, Jason and I headed for Akihabara to meet my friend Sabrina, a ten-year English teacher in Japan.<br />
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Sarah x Lina. I ship it.<br />
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After a quick run around an electronic store, we got dinner at a kabob place just outside the store (quick and relatively cheap) before browsing around a number of unnamed stores <br />
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We spent the remainder of the evening sitting in a Starbucks just talking, joking and laughing, simply having an overall good time as a group of foreigners able to connect over some far too expensive café drinks.<br />
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PS. I apologize for the lack of photos of Tokyo. Since I’ve been here before I am being extremely lack of the photo taking and my camera remains in the purse most of the time. I will attempt to be more dutiful in the last couple of days.Alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11680744438689325078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2096614134703589977.post-71991185860873933282011-01-11T07:47:00.000-08:002012-04-25T14:36:07.938-07:00東京、ただいま~!日十四と十五番:Day 14&15<br />
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In the morning, I was very reluctant in getting out of bed because it was soft, the blankets were warm and the room seemed chilly… and then when I finally did leave the room, I got the answer as to why that was…<br />
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Snow!<br />
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Sarah, Lina, Corina, Jason and I took a nice walk in the morning to a local café (which turned out to be closed) and that was full of snowball fights.<br />
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We had another busy day lined up in front of us, starting off with a visit to Fushimi Inari Taisa (my suggestion, hehe)<br />
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So beautiful. <br />
It’s such an amazing, wondrous feeling walking through all those orange gates…<br />
As if you’re about to emerge on the other side of a Miyazaki movie.<br />
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Afterwards, we headed through the little market they had in front of the temple where I purchased a rose quartz stone bracelet that now sits on my wrist alongside my black onyx.<br />
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(Not a photo of the bracelet XD)<br />
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Afterwards we went to Kiyomizu and while it was wonderful to witness the contrast between summer and winter, I must say (despite summer heat) it is far more beautiful during the summer.<br />
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Same view from this summer<br />
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Unfortunately, after we returned to the bus stop… the buses were late. And we were forced to wait for almost an hour. I am pretty certain I was a popsicle by the time.<br />
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We were planning to stop by Gion for some time just to look around (and perhaps try to see some maiko) but the lateness of the bus forced us to cut the day short.<br />
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Instead, we headed straight to Ginkakuji, the Silver Pavilion. <br />
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I found that despite the sheer striking appearance of Kinkakuji, the subtleness and simplicity of Ginkaku was far more beautiful to me.<br />
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We ended the evening by going around the center of Kyoto and losing Corina ^_^;;;;<br />
But we found her~<br />
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Poor thing went to take a "three second picture" and got separated by the crowds of people. Apparantly, she started practicing asking for help after a while:<br />
"すみません。。。まいごです。うたのユースホステルはどこですか。ごめんなさい、がいじんです。"<br />
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As for today, we left Kyoto and took the Nozomi bullet train to Shinagawa, followed by a bus to the part of Shinjuku where we’re staying.<br />
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We’re staying at the Tokyo International Hostel, my least favorite of the three we’ve been in.<br />
But we do have a pretty fantastic view:<br />
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The aforementioned group and myself headed out to central Shinjuku for the evening, mainly because I wanted to pay a visit to Marui One and its Sparkling Sale. Hehehehe >.< Bad idea.
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On the subway<br />
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The following photos were stolen from Lina because I was too busy being wide-eyed over the displays.<br />
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<img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/2hpubs8.jpg" /><br />Alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11680744438689325078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2096614134703589977.post-6169832556224305742011-01-09T07:06:00.000-08:002011-01-12T08:23:29.490-08:00京都で歩きました。日十三番: Day 13<br />
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My feet~ いたいいいいいいい~<br />
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A long day of walking. We left before nine and got back around five, but it was a rather fantastic day.<br />
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We started by heading out to the Ryoanji rock garden Temple.<br />
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Photos along the way from the Youth Hostel:<br />
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Sap collecting tree<br />
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The groupies<br />
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There were remains of the snow that occurred in Kyoto a few days ago and while part of me genuinely hopes that it snows here, it is already so cold here right now…<br />
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And inside<br />
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There was a woman doing calligraphy for the temple:<br />
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I am so glad to have more time in Kyoto, it is such a beautiful city. <br />
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All the shrines, temples… and it is such contrast to Tokyo, with both capitols being so drastically different. And yet, I find myself in love with both of them.<br />
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The next destination was 金閣寺、or the Golden Pavilion.<br />
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Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa~<br />
ラブ(*゚o゚)(゚o゚*)ラブ<br />
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Matcha with flakes of gold in it!<br />
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Lunch was had in an unmentionable restaurant, where we paired off people in the group. Not really. Just two. Because our Sensei wanted gossip???<br />
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大!<br />
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Then we paid a quick visit to Kyoto’s shrine of knowledge.<br />
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I’m getting practice in asking people for photos, hoping to get some nice shots while in Harajuku and Shibuya.<br />
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Finally, we stopped by Kyoto’s Manga Museum and… well, let us just say that it was the only disappointment of the day.<br />
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The special display was from the show Oh! Mickey… which always weirded me out.<br />
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It was more of a library and I would have much preferred to see a history of manga and how they do the print pressing and such assorted goodness rather than something being equivalent to a manga café… minus the café.<br />
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Tomorrow, we go to 伏見稲荷大社。<br />
Amongst things.<br />
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But the orange gatesssss~<br />
I think my camera might overload.Alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11680744438689325078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2096614134703589977.post-76577358928300245472011-01-08T02:29:00.000-08:002011-01-12T08:23:29.491-08:00京都に戻りました。日十二番: Day 12<br />
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After six months, I have returned to Kyoto. Since I only had one afternoon on my last trip, it will be wonderful being able to get to known the city a little better. I think we have some free time on the third day and I am determined to go Fushimi Inari Taisha, the orange gates. It’s about an hour from the hostel we are staying at, combination of train and walking, but I believe it will be worth it.<br />
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Today consisted mainly of a long bus ride, during which I read an article on pop culture in Japan, played Angry Birds on my Droid and watched the first half of Gackt’s first R&R tour which I very recently purchased ^_^V<br />
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A few photos from on the way:<br />
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Almost everyone just knocked out on the bus. Sensei was sneaking around taking photos of them sleeping XD<br />
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We’re staying at the Utano Youth Hostel, it’s rather nice. I miss having a sink in the room but otherwise, no complaints. And my roomies are amazing.<br />
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The front of the hostel.<br />
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We took a short walk to the local supermarket for dinner noms.<br />
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Tea ceremony tonight and a full day tomorrow~<br />
(*・∀・)/♡\(・∀・*)<br />
Whaaaaa, I am so excited, once again!Alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11680744438689325078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2096614134703589977.post-7433673430334501062011-01-07T01:05:00.000-08:002011-01-08T01:01:28.690-08:00高 知 大 学日十と十一番: Days 10 & 11<br />
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Finally, the day to explore Kochi University had arrived. We were greeted by two of the professors, both of whom recognized me from a trip they had paid to Fresno during the fall semester.<br />
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Aboard the bus which would take us to the three university campuses were a few English-learning students from the school, most of whom were rather elderly as well as a couple Chinese exchange students. Yet, everyone was eager to interact and converse, whether it was to practice English or to practice Japanese. Many conversations would be had throughout the day.<br />
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We had several stops planned for the day including the university, the first of which was the medical campus. After a short look around, we headed for the agricultural campus and stopped inside the Kochi Institute for (Earth) Core Sample Research… where my katakana reading abilities was tested by one of the elderly women touring with us. I am proud to say I performed very well.<br />
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Following lunch, we headed to the beach and to the Sakamoto Ryoma memorial, a famous samurai of the area. It was a bit too cold to fully enjoy the beach, but the fresh air of the sea is always so good to breathe in. The whole area was beautiful and had a cliffside shrine.<br />
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Sakamoto Ryoma<br />
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Group shot<br />
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Corina and myself. It’s so awesome to go on a trip and meet really cool people. We found out we’re in the same Japanese class next semester so we’re pretty excited ^_^<br />
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After the beach, we visited a viewpoint that oversaw the city of Kochi and all I could think of was how marvelous it would look at night with the entire city aglow.<br />
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The next part of the day consisted of a visit to a Buddhist shrine. <br />
Since I am indeed the only blonde around, my hair color has become a bit of a joke in the group and this was further encouraged when the gentleman on the trip with us inquired if my hair was real (assuming he meant the color) then nodded thoughtfully and walked away when I assured him that it was.<br />
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The last destination of the day was the Asakura campus of Kochi University, the main campus, where we were shown a Yosakoi dance (dance originated in the Kochi area) by one of the university dance teams. We were then invited to take part but it mostly ended in a lot of confusion and laughter.<br />
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We concluded the evening by visiting a local ramen shop and then watching Ramen Girl with our sensei.<br />
(I apologize for the jokes and commentary).<br />
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And as the last day in Kochi was left without schedule, I mostly did laundry, packed and conversed with my usual group. However, I was also given time to reflect a little.<br />
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The thing that I love most about traveling is that it forces you to leave behind the television, the computer (for the most part) and too many woories, and to actually get outside exploring the world and its wonders. <br />
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On this trip to Japan (and all other vacations I have taken in the past like Hawaii, France, Spain, etc) there are so many beautiful things to be seen and appreciated, no matter where you go. It opens you up to the wonder and beauty that exists everywhere, that sometimes you do not appreciate if you have lived in one area for a long time. After all, I lived in Yosemite for several years and while the national park amazes people from around the world, to me it has become a mundane area that I hardly ever think about…<br />
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Traveling also forces you to think in new ways, whether it is a new language or foreign customs, and it opens you up to entirely new perspectives. <br />
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We are all a common people living essentially together, yet are so divided by borders that do not exist in a literal sense. Traveling allows you to get outside the narrow vision of residing and being accustomed to one culture and permits you to expand as an individual. Even if you do not agree with someone’s lifestyle or are not taken to their cuisine, it can help you see where they are coming from and understand rather than impulsively shun something that is simply new to you.Alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11680744438689325078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2096614134703589977.post-13301759088086902902011-01-05T06:48:00.000-08:002011-01-08T01:01:28.690-08:00絵金蔵日九番: Day 9<br />
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About half our group was very excited by the prospect of going to two sake brewing companies in the morning. However, the process of it had already been explained to us by the owner of the hostel during the nights the sake tastings had been held and it was mostly to see the actual process. <br />
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At the first brewery, we were taken through the buildings tucked away in Akaoka City, shown the fermentation rooms and the giant vats in which the sake was processed and kept. <br />
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Small garden outside the first brewery.<br />
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The guide explaining the process of fermentation.<br />
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Where they add the Koji mold to the rice to help it start fermenting.<br />
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It smelled so heavily of sake in that room….<br />
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Another sake tasting. Why can’t we have an ocha or matcha tasting? Then I could participate…<br />
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Inside the giant green vats<br />
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Group photo outside the first brewery<br />
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The other side of the Pacific Ocean!<br />
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Mascots of all the train stops…<br />
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I had meant to inquire about how exactly rice was polished down, assuming there was a machine that handled it, but was still curious to find out. However, I missed the opportunity. Google research instead!<br />
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After visits to both breweries (which I cannot recall the names of at this point, frustrating since the second one was award winning) we had lunch and headed to the Ekin Museum.<br />
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Bags of sake rice.<br />
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Different rice types.<br />
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Signatures of the Prime Ministers of Japan that had paid visits to the second brewery.<br />
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Apparantly, at one point, the brewery was hit by a tornado… Afterwards, that year the sake was especially good and was named after the tornado. It ended up being the first award-winning sake they had produced, and they have won awards ever since then… A very violent blessing.<br />
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The symbol identifying the brewery.<br />
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Lunch!<br />
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The sign outside of the museum.<br />
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The ink paintings displayed in the museum were completed by Kinzo the painter, also known as Ekin, who was born in 1812. Many of his screen paintings were commissioned as backdrops to famous Kabuki plays and many of the images are grotesque or violent, but extremely beautiful with vibrant colors and extremely detailed scenery.<br />
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No photos inside the museum, but I took these images from a couple websites about the museum:<br />
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I genuinely enjoyed the artwork, especially the Kabuki panels.<br />
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After a quick stop at Book Off, my usual group headed back to the hostel while the others went to the mall (again). We instead settled down to watch the Korean horror movie “A Tale of Two Sisters” which included us tucking our legs underneath the blanket a couple of times and huddling close together, because we’re all grown adults that can handle horror movies (^_^)><br />
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I am quite looking forward to tomorrow, our first meeting with the representatives of Kochi University. Hopefully, at least a couple of us will be able to leave a good impression.<br />
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And finally, I thought this sign inside the next door Family Mart was cute.<br />
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That last word means ice cream.Alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11680744438689325078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2096614134703589977.post-74800582713370299432011-01-04T05:40:00.000-08:002011-01-04T05:40:28.537-08:00禅とゆ日八番: Day 8<br />
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After a week of intense walking, exposure to a new culture and the cold, it was meant to be a day of relaxation…<br />
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But before the relaxation could begin, we had to hike a mountainside. <br />
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The day began with a trip to a Zen Buddhist shine, where we would participate in meditation practice atop a mountain, isolated from the city of Kochi below. Apparently, our presence in the city over the past week has been rather significant as a local news crew had come out to record us in our hike and visit (The one day I don’t put on make-up or brush out my hair >.< And I was one of the students they interviewed).
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The hike wasn’t extremely long or extremely challenging, but it proved a little difficult for some, however we all made it up eventually, greeted by a marvelous view.<br />
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After a short break to catch our breaths, we were introduced to the monk residing over the shrine and found out that even isolated in the mountaintop in an area meant for meditation, the modern world had still reached out (he carried a digital camera and while he was introducing himself, his cell phone went off).<br />
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We were shown to the main shrine and were allowed to tour inside where monks will meditate in order to reach the final stage of Enlightenment.<br />
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Group photo!<br />
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Following that, we were led to the building where the meditation would be held and we were instructed on how to sit, how to hold our posture and how to breath properly in order to attempt to push all thoughts, worries and desires from our minds. <br />
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Daikon drying outside.<br />
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The meditation was held in two twenty minute session of (mostly) silence as during the second session the monk went around to “help” those who needed aid in clearing their mind. I was one such person, the process involving bowing, bending down and then receiving four sharp blows on each side on the back by a long, flat staff. Some of the students seemed frightened by the rather loud noise the contact made, however, I can say as being from on the receiving end that it was not painful and for some reason helped immensely.<br />
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After a lunch atop the mountainside with a spectacular view, a few of us volunteered to go on another short hike which turned out to be far more difficult on the way down. And after getting lost on the way back to the bus, we headed for a public bath.<br />
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We had some entertainment at lunch.<br />
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I can’t really speak for the gentlemen in the group but a few of the girls in the group were uncomfortable with the notion of being in a public bath, growing up in a society where exposing oneself to anyone outside of a private relationship in considered indecent. Another reflection on the influence of society and culture. However, after some time in the bath, the ones who were nervous began to relax as they adjusted to it.<br />
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As for myself, I was simply grateful to soak in the hot water and let all the soreness of my muscles just be melted away.<br />
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ヽ`、ヽ`ヽ(* ̄o ̄*)>ヽ`、ヽ`はふぅんー♪Alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11680744438689325078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2096614134703589977.post-5633221434920578802011-01-04T04:26:00.000-08:002011-01-08T01:01:28.691-08:00折り紙日七番: Day 7<br />
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Being the first genuinely “free” day on our trip, most of us decided to relax, to laundry and catch up on our journals.<br />
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Following breakfast, a good portion of the group made the choice to watch Wall-E, using my laptop to view it since it has one of the biggest screens.<br />
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It was not until four o’clock that we had our activity, an origami demonstration that actually started out with a lesson on how build rubber band shooting guns out of chopsticks.<br />
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The medium sticks are meant to be eight, not four…<br />
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The process was a lot of fun and after it was completely, we practiced our aim by shooting at a sep up sheet of paper. Not without accident (ごめんなさい Corina~)<br />
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Afterwards, we constructed samurai out of origami paper with ease and then struggled slightly with making cranes since our instructor spoke no English ^^;<br />
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At the end of the evening, the usual group that I’ve been bonding with on the trip settled down in their room and began swapping horror stories. <br />
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Corina was telling us about how her imagination gets overactive and was describing how the night before she had taken a shower late at night and had started freaking herself out by thinking the sounds of the pipes clanging was similar to a hung body hitting a wall, as well as imaging the silhouette of a man behind her in the shower… Near the end of her story, our Sensei suddenly knocked on the door, causing a chain reaction of screams and then rib-cracking laughter. <br />
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Admittedly, I had almost jumped into Sarah’s lap XD<br />
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Of course, after that, I needed to go take a shower and had to keep telling myself to think of happy things.<br />
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Much longer post coming for tomorrow~Alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11680744438689325078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2096614134703589977.post-73069323764030559582011-01-02T16:42:00.000-08:002011-01-08T01:01:28.691-08:00ポップ・アート日六番:Day 6<br />
(short post)<br />
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Being a little slack on the schedule, it was afternoon before the class headed out to Kochi’s art museum. Mainly, we were amused by the prospect of viewing Western pop art in Japan, with artists like Andy Warhol on display. <br />
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Corina and I decided that we would impersonate art critics and made up in depth analyses of all the pieces, simply to take up the time until our Sensei came around and asked what were doing… and then joined in with us.<br />
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Not many photos today and not much to share since it was a rather uneventful day. A few of us headed back to the hostel after the art museum rather than returning to the mall. It was a long walk, but when company is good, you hardly notice. Upon returning we watched an episode of South Park over Netflix, giggling over the terrible, raunchy American humor. <br />
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However, we did have a homework assignment in reading about the spirit of the Japanese people and relating the old principles of simplicity, perfection, discipline and harmony with nature to the modern lifestyles.<br />
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For each of these principles, I think it is very easy to find examples on the everyday basis.<br />
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For simplicity, there is a direct example of it in the traditional style houses, that use tatami mat flooring and futons, a simple way to live and relax without all the excess found in much of the western societies.<br />
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For perfection, it can be seen easily in Japanese schools and the drive for students to perform well, as well expectations of society overall to set a good example, to live respectfully, observe traditions, uphold mannerisms and common law.<br />
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For discipline, there are the consequences of upsetting the established order; the high punishments for crime and the isolation someone can face due to it, so different from how things function and are received simply in the States.<br />
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And as for harmony with nature, it is visible in the fact that so many people keep gardens even while living in restricted spaces, and the presence of rice paddies all over the country in order to make use of all available space.<br />
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I feel that it is such an integrated society and it bears so many more expectations than any Western society. With it, it holds respect and honor, keeping it true to the long established Japanese culture.Alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11680744438689325078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2096614134703589977.post-33393594819527802242011-01-01T16:32:00.000-08:002011-01-08T01:01:28.692-08:00写真をたくさん撮りました。日五番:Day 5<br />
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A few of the students have been feeling under the weather, due to the time change, different culture and change of diet, but thus far Japan has treated me as good as always (my feet do hurt from the amount of walking).<br />
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The morning destination was Kochi Castle, which we had passed by many times over the past four days, but this time we would ascend it. <br />
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I find the traditional Japanese architecture to be incredibly beautiful and the sense it creates, especially when viewed as a foreigner, genuinely gives off a sense of history.<br />
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(Only posted because I love cute dogs)<br />
Sneaking this photo, I wondered just how many photos there are of me in the world that I don’t know about >.< Probably not that many. But still~
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Group shot<br />
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Let it be said that Kochi Castle has the steepest stairs that I have ever climbed.<br />
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View of Kochi<br />
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It struck me as how much the view from the windows of the castle must have changed over the decades and centuries, how building and roads and cars would have replaced the green, the small traditional houses, the laboring people… <br />
And how it might change even more in the centuries to come.<br />
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I’ve never felt more bundled up in my entire life XD<br />
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Ramen for lunch. w(^___________^)w<br />
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On the way to Kochi’s largest shrine<br />
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I was really excited to see men and women dressed in traditional kimonos and yukata in celebration of the New Year. These girls were so cute, giggling when I asked for a photo but they agreed, so I was encouraged to get more.<br />
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The line leading to the shrine. It looped around and went through another courtyard, but actually the wait did not seem too long.<br />
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Approaching the shrine<br />
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I really am not fond of kids but Japanese children are the cutest things.<br />
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I’ve been enjoying Kochi. It’s a pleasant city, people are friendly and the pace is mild. It’s a pleasant experience being here. I am also going to have to start getting into the practice of writing 11 at the end of dates now rather than 10. Time goes by so quickly >.< But I know that is because it was such a good year.
And the treat of the day~ Red bean filled fish waffle-like thing…. I love red beans *o*
<img src=http://i54.tinypic.com/2lmnp80.jpg>Alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11680744438689325078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2096614134703589977.post-17284859486155204172011-01-01T04:26:00.000-08:002011-01-08T01:01:28.692-08:00あけましておめでとうございます~日四番:Day 4<br />
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Breakfast began with the presenting of the pointer gift to our sensei, who quickly made use of it during her explanation of the display set up in the hostel dining room, being New Year’s Eve.<br />
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The destination for the morning was the Ryoga Dou Cave and long-tailed rooster breeding grounds.<br />
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It was extremely cold out, but once inside the cave, the temperature rose up to a good sixty degrees Fahrenheit.<br />
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Not a lot to be said but a lot of photos~<br />
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Bats! <br />
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Myself ^_^ <br />
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Sarah demonstrating how narrow some of the pathways were.<br />
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Jason also giving a reference to how small spaces were. We were almost crawling through the cave at some points.<br />
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This was called "The Hanging Salmon" <br />
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Exhausted after many, many stairs.<br />
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The pot of God, thought to be left behind by inhabitants of the cave some 2000 years ago.<br />
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An experiment, with a pot set up to see if with time it would fuse into the rock just like the previous one. This was has been sitting there for 70-80 years (can't exactly recall)<br />
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Beads of water traveling down strings... I have no idea why this was set up in the small museum but it looked really cool.<br />
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I love bats, I think they're cute ^_^;<br />
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After the cave, we looked at the different hens and roosters the breeding grounds had before returning back to await it getting closer to midnight.<br />
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Wait, those aren't chickens...<br />
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And the long tailed roosters. <br />
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Once the evening came, we headed out to a couple of the neighborhood shrines to ring in the New Year. <br />
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A time of reflection, I did realize how good 2010 was to me. <br />
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I started off January with a vacation to Hawaii (ditching school in the process).<br />
I received two full ride scholarships and was accepted into the honors academic society as well as the business honors society. <br />
I graduated as a class valedictorian from my high school and took my dream month long vacation to Japan.<br />
I saw Gackt in concert in Osaka.<br />
I had a pretty good relationship with someone and am happy with the way it went despite the fact I ended it right after my vacation.<br />
My mom got her citizenship.<br />
School is going well, I am back in Japan for the winter and I’m already planning on returning in 2012 on an exchange program for a full semester.<br />
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<br />
So at the shrine to the god of knowledge, I threw in my change and rang the bell, clapped my hands and put in my wishes for an equally wonderful 2011.Alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11680744438689325078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2096614134703589977.post-33468495352086257522010-12-31T17:13:00.000-08:002011-01-06T23:40:54.676-08:00Your Friendly Neighborhood Mochi Pounder日三番:Day 3<br />
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In order to prep for the impending New Year’s celebration, the hostel host family demonstrated for us how mochi is prepared as part of the tradition. <br />
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The sticky rice used for mochi is soaked overnight, steamed, pounded and then formed in order to become what people consume. Each of the students in the group got a chance to pound the mochi, most of them stating that it was a lot harder than it looked.<br />
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Sensei at work!<br />
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On the third round of mochi, the gentleman who had been instructing us kept urging me to try and it was then when I realized I was the only blonde in our entire group ^^;<br />
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After we had pounded the mochi, we were given plain mochi in soy sauce and (some extremely spicy) daikon, as well as mochi filled with sweet red beans (yum).<br />
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<img src=http://i54.tinypic.com/15r00wk.jpg><br />
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Following the mochi pounding, an “emergency” lecture was called, mainly to address the issue of behavior. The previous evening, a few people in the group had become a bit drunk, rowdy and loud, causing a concern for both our sensei and others, such as myself, in the group.<br />
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When traveling abroad, especially in eastern countries like Japan where foreigners are very easily recognized, behavior is something that needs to be kept in mind. That is not saying that you must restrict your normal mannerisms and have to be extremely strict in monitoring yourself, but in any country, shouting profanities outside in a dense neighborhood at one in the morning is no way to establish a name for yourself.<br />
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As a tourist, you are putting an impression of the state, province or country you represent when interacting with locals and I believe it is important to try to leave behind the best impression that you can. You can never be sure of all the rules or customs when you are visiting a foreign country and you are bound to make mistakes or do something small that may be frowned upon (like leaving your plates on the table in a café or talking on a cell phone on a train), but it is not difficult to make those incidents minimal.<br />
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After all was said and done, we headed out to the city flea market and then returned to the main market street for lunch and to browse again.<br />
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Sensei asking for directions.<br />
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Market stalls.<br />
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We found a small area behind a building with a golf practice device set up.<br />
I pretended to give it a try.<br />
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And inside the market place, we took some fun photos:<br />
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Debating on where to have lunch, the three of us who had been to Japan before decided to take the three that had not visited before to Mos Burger, where I was admittedly happy to have my shrimp burger again.<br />
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<img src=http://i53.tinypic.com/v3iyy8.jpg><br />
海老はおいしいですよ。<br />
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Four of the group enjoying their Japanese sodas.<br />
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Things along the way:<br />
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Kimono shop<br />
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Statue of a long tailed rooster.<br />
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Omnomnomnom<br />
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I ran back into Jam so I would be able to get the Milky Planet socks to match the skirt I had purchased a few days ago.<br />
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Then, we took a tour of another hundred yen shop, which a couple of the girls had dubbed their favorite place to buy things.<br />
I took advantage of the opportunity to obtain a few more accessories toward building my Deco piece.<br />
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We also found the perfect gift to give to our sensei, a stick with a pointing hand on it. Sarah wrapped it and we decided to present it to her the following morning at breakfast.<br />
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Throughout the day, we had runs in with some fun signs, including a T-Rex instructing us not to park bikes against the side of a shop.<br />
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Treat of the day:<br />
<img src=http://i56.tinypic.com/2wbucn7.jpg>Alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11680744438689325078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2096614134703589977.post-84893992175840413782010-12-29T06:17:00.000-08:002012-04-25T14:37:27.235-07:00Book-Off はどこですか。日二番: Day 2<br />
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The girls in the group started off the morning by playing a prank on the boys. After breakfast, a few of us remained in the hostel dining room with our sensei and decided that during the morning lecture, she would ask us to turn in the essay assignment from the day before. Except none had been assigned.<br />
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So when it came time for the lecture, the girls all pulled out sheets of papers and passed it over to her while the boys sat in the back of the room, wide-eyed, asking, “What assignment?!”<br />
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However, the lecture turned out to be more a discussion, asking the students to share what culture differences they had noticed during their first day in Japan.<br />
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One of the boys the previous day had asked why Japanese books don’t open “the normal way” and why Japanese is written right to left opposed to left to right.<br />
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Nearly everyone mentioned the politeness of individuals and service people in Japan, but others brought up the presence of vending machines, the use to calculators to display prices, architecture, blind walkways, and the “strangeness” of some television programs.<br />
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For me, what has always stood out in Japan in the lack of trash cans on the streets due to the encouragement to recycle. Coming from Russia where a lack of trashcans means dirty streets, and living in America where trashcans are always present but litter is still rather common, the cleanliness of Japan has always impressed me. <br />
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We also discussed one of the essays in our textbook, which was based off the theory that language has nothing to do with culture.<br />
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I disagreed with the statement, using Japanese compared to English as an example. While there are respectful ways to address someone in English, with titles such as “sir” and proper structuring of sentences, both the language and the society is rather laid back. However, in Japanese, the use of honorifics and special phrases are used every day. I believe these contrast the different cultures and societies, with the emphasis in organization, respect and traditionalism. <br />
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Afterwards, as we had a free day, we headed off for the center of Kochi as many students on the group wanted to see the mall and do some shopping.<br />
<img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/295x1sy.jpg" /><br />
The mall sign.<br />
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The train station.<br />
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The Space Invaders like images on a shop window.<br />
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A display for New Years in the Kochi station.<br />
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Small shrine outside the mall.<br />
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When we arrived at the Kochi Aeon mall, there was a stage set up and some musicians were performing throughout the day to provide entertainment. The first one we saw was a young woman who had quite the powerful voice and later on in the day a group of young men were playing some mellow music that reminded slightly of Bump of Chicken’s style.<br />
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And then we moved on,<br />
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Riding a Pikachu.<br />
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Cute phone straps in the claw machines.<br />
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After the few purchases and three hours of doing mostly window shopping, my group went to get some crepes. But the rest of the students did not wish to wait for us, so they left us, telling us to meet back at the Book Off near the train station.<br />
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<img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/2aeqr0y.jpg" /><br />
Strawberry white chocolate crepe. Yummmmm.<br />
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After we got our crepes, getting back to the station was no problem, however we could not find the Book-Off. One of the girls in our group of four was struggling with the navigation system on her phone, so I suggested we stop a local.<br />
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Let it be said, that even one semester of Japanese is immensely helpful. It’s amazing how much more communication I have with people compared to this summer.<br />
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“すみません、Book-Off はどこですか。”<br />
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After a paragraph long response from the woman and some pointing (most of which I did not understand) we caught on to “みぎ” and all four of us repeated it in excitement, knowing “Right”!<br />
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After reuniting with the group, I was volunteered to explain the phenomenon of yaoi and shonen ai to our instructor, who claimed she had never seen it before. One of the girls found it very entertaining to hear our sensei saying "girl-on-girl" and "boy-on-boy".<br />
And then after losing and finding a member of our group, we returned to the hostel.<br />
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<img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/25qez6h.jpg" /><br />
We were using the balcony outside the smoking room as a refridgerator and found this sign inside. Fan?<br />
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<img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/2417eog.jpg" /><br />
The meeting room is full of puzzles from Hayao Miyazaki's movies.<br />
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<img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/16blobt.jpg" /><br />
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<img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/nnk3uf.jpg" /><br />
And a lot of manga.<br />
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Also, we have some many tangerines >.<
Our sensei bought us some and then a representative from Kochi University came by to gift us with two more boxes.
Although, it was a wonderful surprise to receive the gift and again, I think it reflects on the society.
~About the hostel, it is called the Kochi Youth Hostel and if anyone does plan on coming to Kochi, I would very much recommend it. The family that runs it speaks very good English, they are friendly, the food is good, the rates are affordable and its location is within walking distance of most of the areas that you might frequent.
The evening was concluded with another evening of sake tasting.
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The hostel owner explaining the different types of sake.<br />
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Since I’m one to enjoy participating in activities, I brought in my own drink:<br />
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100%?! So hardcore.<br />
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The girls dominated the sake-tasting contest, winning small sake cups as prizes.<br />
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Group dynamics have started to emerge and I can sense potential drama in the making even after just two days (the boys have already visited McDonald’s >.<) but for now, things are as quiet as they can be for twenty American college students visiting Japan…
Not very.
Meal of the day:
(I was too hungry at lunch to remember to take a photo of my very delicious udon)
<img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/2quum2g.jpg" />Alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11680744438689325078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2096614134703589977.post-84675676935073569082010-12-28T05:09:00.000-08:002012-04-25T14:30:16.866-07:00高知に行きましょう!日一番: Day 1<br />
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When I left Japan at the end of July, I knew I was going to come back. I simply did not except it to be so soon. I got into the hostel around nine pm, after two flights (during the second I was too exhausted to try to flirt with the very cute boy next to me) and collapsed in bed after a long shower. <br />
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In the morning, I headed off on a tour of the town of Kochi, starting off with a visit to the Tsutaya, where Molly got me a cute little bear phone strap which I attached to my purse.<br />
<img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/jrz71t.jpg" /><br />
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I also purchased the third and fourth volumes of Crimson Spell. <br />
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Afterwards, I dropped by the near Sunny Supermarket and went through town toward the market place.<br />
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Kochi is actually a lot bigger than I expected ^^;<br />
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I passed by Kochi Castle and will visit that on later days. <br />
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Afterwards, I headed to the marketplace for lunch, where I bought myself some Takoyaki.<br />
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I needed shoes because the only winter shoes I had on hand had heels and become very hard on my feet after a few hours.<br />
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So I bought shoes for ¥1,500. They’re nice and flat and I’ll see how they will work out tomorrow.<br />
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After walking and a couple impulse purchases, one of my groupmates, Sarah, pointed out a Jam store in an upstairs building and all I saw were the Angelic Pretty racks.<br />
<img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/2mfisrm.jpg" /><br />
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The night activity is supposed to be a sake tasting. However, since I don’t drink I just sat in and toasted with some ocha instead. One of the Japanese girls at the hostel played violin for us, like the theme of Spirited Away and Pokemon ^_^ <br />
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All I can say is that I am so happy to be back in Japan.<br />
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And because I love Japanese foods, the meals of the day:<br />
<img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/140936s.jpg" /><br />
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<img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/2iw0o6d.jpg" />Alisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11680744438689325078noreply@blogger.com1