CAPCOM and Osaka Castle

As promised, here is my surprise post,

So as most of you may know (and those who don't, well, it's probably because I'm embarrassed) I am a HUGE Mega Man fan. Ever since I was a little kid I have been a fan of the games, the tv show, the action figures you name it. The fact that Mega Man 9 came out last semester and was amazing was just icing on my childhood memories' cake. Now I'm sure you all know that Mega Man (or　ロックマン as we know it here) was created in Japan, so I had to go check out the official office. Unfortunately, although the lobby was awesome, that was as far as I got. There was no store or a tour, and the receptionist kind of chuckled at the thought of someone getting a tour of an office. Nonetheless, I was given an email address to write to if I had any questions, so who knows. Maybe after pledging my fandom for so many years, I will get the opportunity to check out the company or an event hosted by Capcom. Although this may sound like a disappointment to you all, I found it really awesome to even be in the building where the series began, so I considered the trip a success.

Moreover, Capcom was right near the Osaka Castle, so of course my friend and I had to check it out. It was in this huge park that was actually quite a walk to get to, so we ended up getting a decent enough workout for the day =P. The castle itself was actually a museum, detailing the castle's history and Japan's in general. The top floor though was like many skyscrapers where you can look out over the city. I'll let me pictures do the talking for right now to let you all see what it was like.
Finally, while exploring the castle I came across a man who would let me try on Japanese samurai clothing for a mere 3 dollars. Naturally I did it (you only live once, life is short, other cliches to defend looking like a goof). Please enjoy this entry's silly pictures, I'll be back in a few days to update you on whatever misadventures I go on next. There is talk of a trip to Nara (the ancient capital of Japan) where there is a park to play around with deer. I also am trying to go see the film おくりびと, which just won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, if I see it I'll let you all know how it is. Moreover, if you haven't seen Slumdog Millionaire please go see it. It won almost every Oscar it was nominated for, so take two hours of your life, pay for the 10 dollar flick, and enjoy yourself. Let me know if you see it, I want to hear your thoughts.
Ja Matta!

P.S. I know what you're thinking, and yes, nothing says authentic Japanese samurai quite like a blue and white striped J. Crew shirt. Also, I am about to slay the inanimate Tiger right there, he's frozen with fear. . . boooo

Time Flies...

Minnasan Konichiwa!
First and foremost I would like to say a big congratulations (omedeto in Japanese) to my cousin Brian and his new wife Genevieve, I'm so happy for you guys! I hope you have an amazing honeymoon and even better time enjoying your marriage!

I know I promised to post regularly, but unfortunately I couldn't get to a new post until now, gomen (sorry)! That being said, I did some things definitely worth mentioning from this past week, so I hope you enjoy.

First, my classes this week was pretty low-key, I had to write a paper for one class, but it didn't take me too long, and I think I produced a pretty good narrative, so I was happy with that. Japanese has been going really well too, I have my first lesson test tomorrow so we'll have to see what happens, but I have been doing very well in class and I assume that will translate over to my test tomorrow. Friday night I actually went bowling with some friends and Japanese students here and we had a lot of fun. Interestingly enough, no matter what country I'm in I'm still terrible at bowling. Nonetheless, we had a good time, and after we finished up we went to a do-it-yourself okonomiyake restaurant. Check out the picture below and let me know what you think!
Saturday though was the real highlight of my week. A group of my friends and I traveled to a Shinto shrine that worshiped a fox god in Kyoto (the old capital of Japan). It was an incredible experience, the shrine itself was enormous and there was a ton of people there. The photo at the top of this post is from one of the trails. After exploring the shrine for a little while, we headed out to the Toji temple (or at least, I believe that's the name), which I believe if I am correct is the largest Pagoda in all of Japan. Naturally it was awesome as well. That being said, there was an even cooler event going on near the pagoda. On the 21st on every month there is a huge flea market that occurs on the Pagoda's grounds. We found a lot of cool stuff ranging from kimonos, Japanese sandals, pottery, food, candy, and other collectibles, all at a decent price. I myself picked up some Japanese sandals and some Japanese chopsticks, both are pretty sweet. It was quite a hectic and terrific day. That night I went out with the same group to enjoy and discuss all we had seen earlier in the day.

I think that is going to do it for this time. This was a little shorter than I expected but I do have good news. I will definitely be updating within the next few days. Tomorrow after my test I am planning on taking a trip with a friend to a very important place in Osaka. I'm not going to spill it right now, but I'll give you all a hint. This place may or may not have been something or someone I grew up with and still enjoy today. If you need a bigger hint, just think blue. Hopefully that gave it away for you all, I hope the trip actually goes well and the people who work there allow me to see some cool stuff. Anyway, I'll let you all go, thanks for reading as always, drop me a line if you get a chance. Oh and of course, now for my random, goofy picture of the week, look below

What a Week!

Hey Everyone!

I had an amazing week here, Japan continues to leave me in awe everyday. OK well I guess I'll first start out with class. Class has been pretty easy this week, with not a substantial amount of work yet. Next week should be a bit more difficult, but still nothing Earth shattering yet. It is really nice to get this break from Tufts because I know I'd be swamped if I was there right now. That being said, the academic discussions that happen in class are a bit less intellectual than I expected, but hey, can't win 'em all right? We did see my favorite Japanese movie in my cinema class this week (Ikiru, go watch it now), so I'm really excited to discuss it on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, we got the day off so my friends and I decided to take the opportunity to visit Osaka for more sightseeing. We decided to go to DenDen Town, which is largely regarded as the electronics district of Osaka. It was definitely an informative and interesting trip. We spent the first part of the day actually at a zoo a few blocks away from DenDen town. This zoo had everything: tigers, elephants, giraffes, penguins, koala bears, you name it. Some of the animals were a bit dirty though. Nevertheless, it was really cool to see a zoo right in the middle of the city, for a second we all forgot we were in the city to begin with! As for the electronics themselves, there was a lot of cool stuff. There was everything from speakers, computers, TVs, video games, and many other things. I think the only thing we were nervous about was what store was selling bootleg items and what wasn't, but I think you could usually figure that out depending on the store's decor and what not. Moving on, we went to a delicious okonomiyake place that evening, and then for strictly research purposes only, we went to a cafe where all of the waitresses dress up like French maids, just to see what it was like. It was kind of a blur. We went in, and the first thing we noticed is that it was so normal, everything was so non-chalant, making it almost kind of sad. It was sort of demeaning to the waitresses, but I think the weirdest thing about it all was that the other guys who were eating there seemed so normal. Nonetheless, we got an awesome picture together (which I wish I could show you, but I cant because I don't have a scanner :-( ), had a delicious melon-soda float (melon soda is my new favorite drink) and took off. It had been quite a busy day, and it was now time to head home. Oh by the way, the picture at the top screen was an awesome shot I caught of DenDen town in its entirety. Hope you all like it!

That brings me to this weekend. This weekend was a lot of fun, and probably my favorite since I've been here. Friday night I went to a club with a group of 10 kids (see picture for some of them) and we had a great time. I myself met bunch of Japanese guys who I hung out with for a while on the stage. The night itself was pretty crazy, as the large group of us danced until the wee hours of the morning. I wish I could embellish on this more, but to sum it up it really was just a great evening of fun and debauchery, and I hope to hang out with that group of kids again. Saturday night I met up with my buddy from Tufts again and his group of friends, and we went to an all you can eat dinner. It was a bit pricy, but considering we could eat as much food as we wanted, I couldn't really argue. Just to wow you all the kids I hung out with over the weekend come from all these places: Boston (me, duh), Texas, New York, Hawaii, Washington DC, Georgia, Italy, Ireland, Lithuania, Australia, and the United Kingdom. How about that eh?

OK so I think that is going to do it for me for this time, I hope you all enjoyed. As always feel free to drop a line, I enjoy hearing from you all. I'll do my best to update a little bit more this week, things got a little hectic though so my apologies. Oh and for fun, I want to introduce you to my best friend that I've met in Japan. I don't know his name, but I do know he is always happy. Haha see you next time!

Long Live the Weekend

Konichiwa Minna-san!
Well another weekend has come and gone (for the most part) and it was another interesting weekend in Japan. If I've learned anything in the past two weeks it's that I really don't have the grasp on the culture that I thought I would have when I left for home. Granted, I still know a fair amount, but I am left in shock and awe when I realize how certain things (whether it be the people, the customs, or even the architecture) are just so totally different than in America. Oh, and the picture above is Osaka, not the best picture, but just check out all those bright lights! I think I am actually starting to feel a sense of culture shock, but not a bad one. I'm just really beginning to notice how for the first time in my life, I'm not surrounded by people who can speak my language or automatically know my customs. I cannot tell you how many times I've had to explain what a fraternity is or what student government is. It truly is a different world over here. OK, enough of the philosophical rambling and let's get down to business.

Friday night was a lot of fun. I was able to meet up with my buddy Jason from Tufts and hang out doing Karaoke with his group of friends, who all seem really nice. I'm really enjoying meeting new people, especially cause a lot of the people here are from across the world. Currently, I've only met one other person from the greater Boston area, and while I wouldn't mind a few more of my Bostonian compadres here, I really like the fact that by attending this school and studying abroad here, I've been able to meet people and make friends with kids from countries I probably wont ever visit. Oh and on a personal note, I just have to say that one of the things I love about Japan is Karaoke. Now if you know me (and by goodness, if you dont, why are you reading my blog? =P) you know that I love singing, so naturally, I am a little biased. No where else in the world though will you find such a devoted social practice. These Karaoke "parlors" give groups their own rooms to sing in for up to eight hours, which is flat out crazy. The act of it in theory seems quite odd: sit in a room with friends and sing songs for multiple hours. That being said, as time passes and people put on songs that everyone knows, the carmaraderie really flourishes. I just love that there is a second (and in my opinion, better) option for the social scene here, minus the stuff you'd get at home. Oh and if any of my Tufts buddies are reading this, we are totally doing Karaoke next year, I'll show you all how awesome it can be.

Anywho, then came Saturday night, where my friend Greg and I decided to go to a club to see what they're like in Japan. We went to this club that was known to have Gaidai students regularly, so we figured it'd be fine. Now I have never gone to a club before, so this was an entirely new experience for me. Basically we got there and danced for a solid 4 to 5 hours, and it was really intense. Only problem was, is that we should've come in a larger group, that way we would've known more people in the grander scheme of the night. It was really cool to see who came, as it seemed to be about 40% foreigners and 60% Japanese, so it was definitely a different way to meet new Japanese friends. This was another time when the culture shock began to take place. Due to the loud atmosphere it was really tough talking to people, not to mention even harder to speak Japanese, but my friend and I were able to meet some nice people so we had a really good time. Oh, another thing, the DJ was awful, but I had no control over that haha. Nevertheless, this was definitely something I'd like to try again, and it'll be interesting to see how different an American club is, especially when all I have to base it on is the Japanese club scene. Enjoy a picture of Greg and myself, I wouldve gotten a better shot of the club itself but it was wicked crowded.

Anyway that's it for this time, sorry I did not give more details on Osaka, but I'm going to need to explore it more in depth after I've gone to visit again. We actually have a holiday on Wednesday this week, so hopefully I will be able to go on another misadventure of sorts to share with you all. In the meantime, my recommendation of this post is to go find the the song Clair De Lune, a masterpiece of the piano instrument, download it, and love it. Until next time, Ja mata!


P.S. Johnny, thanks for all the comments buddy, hope school is treating you well!

Classes and Miscellaneous

Hey y'all
Hope everything is going well wherever you are. Not a whole lot has happened this week so far minus the beginning of classes. I figured I'd give you a rundown of how those are going right now. First, I have Spoken Japanese. I ended up placing into a spot a little lower than I expected, mainly because I asked to "consolidate my skills in a lower course" on the placement test. As a result, my class has been pretty easy so far, but it might be a little too easy. I'm probably going to talk to my Sensei to decipher whether I should be in the level above me or not. The same goes for my Reading and Writing Japanese class, although I'll probably stay where I am in that class because I think I should make sure I have all the basics covered. Moreover, I would be able to challenge myself in one Japanese class while I could review in the other. I know that I could take both courses at the lower level and enjoy a semester of review to get ready for Tufts next year, but the overachiever inside of me is slightly eating away at my innards. I think in the end, I'll leave the decision up to my Sensei. Either way though, the Japanese classes have been really fun, and it feels really good being one of the more knowledgable students in the room. Oh, and I forgot to put this up but here is a picture of my room. I don't think I'll ever get used to sleeping on the floor. I'm a notorious cover destroyer (phrase?), so every morning I wake up with a blanket on my left, a blanket on my right, my sheet at the end of the bed, and my pillow somewhere else altogether. No worries though, it keeps me honest by making my bed everyday (I know you're loving that Mom and Dad).

As for my lecture classes, they have also been quite enjoyable. The cinema class has a ton of great movies lined up for the semester, and I actually just saw Kurosawa's Stray Dog earlier today and it was terrific. Par for the course for Kurosawa though. Only downer for that class is that the professor is a little out there, and I haven't heard fantastic things about him. That being said, with my favorite Japanese movie of all time (Ikiru) coming up next week, I look forward to having lots of insightful discussions since I know a lot about it. My sexuality class is wicked awesome. We are basically going to go through the semester examining how social practice in Japan creates sexuality and identities, which sounds amazing. Not only that, but the professor seems very invested in the material. Finally, after introducing myself and telling him that I took a sexuality course last semester, he asked me to discuss it with him sometime in our spare time, sweet.

Besides that, not much else is going on right now. I hit the gym to polish the guns (vomit) and what not. I had sushi for the first time here too! It was at this restaraunt where the sushi goes around all the tables on a conveyer belt, and you pick up the type you want. It's pretty insane. Sorry, but I forgot my camera so I don't have a picture for you, next time I go I'll definitely get one though. I also had another rendevous with my speaking partner Ayuna today! I had emailed her a week ago and she hadnt responded so I figured she was either busy at home or done with the whole speaking partner thing, and then today as I'm walking back to the student lounge she ran up and grabbed me to say hello. Turns out her mother is in town, and she really wanted to introduce me to her. Her mom was really nice, and since she couldnt speak English I was able to practice my Japanese a lot. I think the three of us will be getting dinner within the next week so that'll be fun. I would've got a photo, but I've been pretty bad at remembering my camera, especially because now I have a cell phone, I have no room for my camera >_<

This weekend should be fun though. I think tomorrow night I will be either going to my friend's homestay for a little bit (we might go to a whale restaurant, and while I don't condone killing whales, how many opportunities will I have to try it?) and do some Karaoke, but those plans aren't concrete yet. Saturday will be spent in Osaka, checking out the city during the day and what the nightlife is all about in the evening so be sure to check back on Sunday morning for a much more exciting post. To make up for this somewhat bland episode, enjoy a picture of my puppy Evy! Talk to you all soon!

Kyoto and Karaoke!

What's up everybody?
Well my first weekend in Japan has come and gone, and it was quite a fun first foray into the culture of Japan. Let's start with Friday: Friday was raining a lot, but our tour of Kyoto was still on. However my group decided that we'd be better off shopping than exploring the temples with the rain and all. This decision turned out to bite us back as we got lost in a Japanese mall for approximately 4 hours. That being said, we did have some hilarious moments, I'll enclose a photo of my friend and I for your viewing pleasure, hopefully you'll enjoy. I mean, how often will I have the opportunity to wear a kimono right? The look on my pal Greg's face is pretty priceless as well.

Then came Saturday, which started out pretty low key. I decided to go jogging around the suburbs of Japan and it was actually a lot of fun. It was a little cold, but nothing like Boston, so I actually got a pretty good workout. Moving on, the rest of the day was spent hanging out, getting groceries, etc. That is, until nighttime when we decided to round up a group to go to Karaoke. We actually bumped into a group of 4 other guys who wanted to go, and merged our groups together for a Karaoke jam session. For 2000 yen ($20.00), we were able to get two hours of uninterrupted Karaoke in our own room. Now it may sound kind of odd because it was seven guys, but trust me, it was a blast! At first we were all a little apprehensive to sing in front of each other, but as soon as everyone had tried it at least once we were all having much more fun. By the end of our two hours we were all singing along to every song, instead of just solos. We ended with the song shout, which was a really great note to end on. After karaoke, we booked it back to our houses to make curfew. It actually turned out to be an awesome Saturday night in Japan.


So in other news, classes start tomorrow. That being said, I only have Spoken Japanese, so it's a little anticlimactic to only have the one class. Actually, I'll only be taking 4 classes this semester (Japanese Cinema, Japanese Sexuality, Spoken Japanese, and Japanese Reading and Writing) so this will be considerably less than the perennial pounding I've been putting myself through at Tufts. I was actually considering going for 5 classes again this semester (mainly because I love putting myself through extra work?), but one of the professors who spoke during one of orientation briefings said that we should take 4. I mean, I only have so much time in Japan so I'd like to fully enjoy it for what it's worth. I'll be sure to check back in a few days with updates on my classes. Until then, try to console yourselves by enjoying the Super Bowl, since I'm going to have to watch it here at 8 a.m. oof. Or for fun, go pick up a copy of Tales of the Jazz Age by F. Scott Fitzgerald, it has the short story "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" in it and would be an excellent read. Talk to you soon!