A blog dedicated to sharing the experiences of 5 CSUN students who have ventured off to two universities in Japan, Tokiwa University in Mito, Ibaraki and Ryukoku Unversity in Kyoto.
(The exchange students wearing the Japanese Traditional clothing, Kimono)
着物 (Kimono) is the Japanese Traditional garment used for weddings, coming of age, 七五三 (7,5,3 year old day), and even funerals. I was fortunate enough to be able to wear it one time. It was one of the most amazing things that I have experienced during my stay here in Japan. The kimono were bright and beautiful, making all of us exchange students feel special when we were wearing them. The kimono that we used were usually worn by the ladies who were going to celebrate their coming of age (成人式). Although the kimono that I wore was pretty, it was heavy and I had a difficult time breathing when I was wearing it. I would have to say, though, that the pros definitely outweigh the cons of wearing a kimono. I wanted to buy one, but unfortunately, the kimono that I wore cost almost 400,000 yen, around $4000! Hopefully, when I become お金持ち (wealthy), I will be able to buy a kimono for myself. :)
Hello! We are currently in a country that doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving. This Thursday night, I had dinner at a small Japanese pasta restaurant (I don't want to call it Italian because it isn't!). After, I spent some time with some of university's students, and at the end of the day, I realized that Thursday was Thanksgiving day. In America, we have turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, peas and cranberries, corn, and etc. but Nobody in Japan celebrates Thanksgiving. That means no turkey! Come to think of it, I have never seen turkey in Japan yet. I think a couple of the other fellow exchange students had sushi for dinner and some others had rice and egg. I would feel sad for not eating turkey on Thanksgiving day, but this year, I hadn't even realized that turkey even existed! Probably because of all the other delicious food being made here :)
(A traditional looking house at Edo "Warp" Station)
Last Saturday (November 21, 2009) was our field trip with Murayama-sensei (History professor) to go to three places: Edo "Warp" Station, Temple, and Kashima Shrine. It was such a fun experience, especially the Edo Warp Station, because it showed me how the Edo Period looked with the traditional houses, boats, and bridges. Another thing that is interesting about this place is that they film dramas and movies there. Two of them are Jin and Sakuran. Unfortunately, they were not filming when we went because they were trying to fix some parts of the place.
(Imitation of the Gate of the castle during the Edo Period)
Our next stop was at a temple (sorry I forgot the name of the temple). The temple was built 300 years ago and some of the parts of the temple are still preserved. There was a monk who was kind enough to tour us around the temple and explain the nuances of the things around the temple like how the garden (にわ) was made in a way to calm the people who are visiting the temple. The place had a peaceful feeling and it was an honor to be able to visit such an old, historic site.
One of the most interesting things that we have seen during our trip was the Big Buddha (大仏).
One of the exchange students from Fresno was so fascinated by it that he researched about this Big Buddha. It is called Ushiku Great Buddha (Ushiku Daibutsu) and it is apparently it was twice as big as the Statue of Liberty!
(Picture with the priestesses of Kashima Shrine)
Our last stop was at a shrine called Kashima Shrine. It was very fun because that was the first time I have gone to a shrine. I got my first omikuji! Omikuji (おみくじ) is a fortune slip that you can get from a shrine. You usually pay 100 or 200 yen depending on what you want to know. Omikuji usually includes one's fortune about life, love, family, money, and work. The fortune slip will tell you if your luck is great, good, not so good, or bad luck. When a person gets a bad luck, he or she ties the slip to a string, so your bad luck will disappear. My luck for this year is "okay," so I hope that the rest of this year will be okay.
Last weekend was very busy but highly enjoyable. On Saturday, we had the opportunity to visit a Shinto Shrine and Buddhist Temple (which Kristen explains in her post) as well as the Edo Warp Station which is a set used for filming. On Sunday, we visited Shinjuku, Harajuku, and Akihabara in Tokyo. This weekend was very interesting, as we were able to spend one day observing the traditional aspects of Japan and one day observing the modern aspects of Japan.
During our visit to the Shinto shrine, there were drum sounds playing. We were instructed by the Religion Sensei to bow twice, clap our hands twice, and then bow once more, making sure to bow deep and to perform the actions in a slow and meditative manner.
The next picture is of a Buddhist temple.
Interestingly, after our religion Sensei told the the Buddhist priest that we had also visited a Shinto shrine that day, he told us that Shinto shrines are not so different from Buddhist temples and that they are pretty much the same (this was the translation our teacher gave us).
In my opinion, the Buddhist temple looked very humble from the outside and more fancy on the inside, while the Shinto temples looked very fancy on the outside and more simple on the inside.
We were also able to see the Daibutsu (Large Buddha) from our bus. Apparently, it is twice the size of the Statue of Liberty.
We also visited the Edo Warp Station. Since it is now autumn, the momiji (autumn leaves) are absolutely beautiful. There are also carp in the ponds which you can buy food to feed.
Tokyo was completely different from our Saturday trip. Everything was very packed, filled with people; there were bright lights and expensive things and foreigners everywhere. The following picture was taken in Harajuku.
For those who have seen the film Shimotsuma Monagatari (English title: Kamikaze Girls), which was about a Lolita girl and Yankee girl in Ibaraki-ken (where Tokiwa Daigaku is located), we found the actual store that the film was based off of, in Tokyo (Shinjuku). Here is the picture of the store "Baby, The Stars Shine Bright."
By the way, the treatment foreigners receive in Tokyo is extremely different from the treatment foreigners receive in places like Mito where foreigners are rare. I would say the treatment in Mito is very positive. If I had not been to Mito first, I would not have thought or noticed anything special or different about the way that Tokyo people (especially store clerks and waiters/waitresses) treat foreigners.
Time has been flying by fast since I've last posted, so much so that I haven't been able to update. But this past weekend has open my eyes to a few things. Firstly, we were taken to a Buddhist temple and a Shinto shrine; both very different in every way. Buddhism itself in Japan isn't consider a religion in particular but rather it's often associated with death and funerals. This is represented by its peaceful, serene atmosphere that is maintained at all times. The Buddhist priest kindly explained his feelings about the religion and gave us a tour of the temple. This is 長勝寺 （ちょうしょうじ), which is in Kanagawa prefecture. This temple is particularly famous for the thatched roofing that is called 茅葺屋根（かやぶきやね）. Because of its rarity in Japan, 茅葺屋根 has become a national heritage figure, the same with the art of kimono dressing.
We also visited 鹿島神宮 （かしまじんぐう） or Kashima Shrine, which is also a famous shrine within Japan. The Shinto religion believes that nature is a spirit, thus everything within it contains a spirit that must be revered. This can be seen in the way that the shrine is incorporated with nature. There is a large forest in the middle of the shrine.
The coming of fall is also an important event in Japan. And I believe it has to be one of the most beautiful seasons I have ever seen. In California especially I think we take for granted that we dont have 4 seasons but in Japan each season is given its own special event and in fall it is 'the changing of the leaves'. Many of the Japanese students here on campus have spent there weekends heading up North to Tsukuba mountain and other places to watch the leaves change from yellow, gold and red.
I was also able to see 七五三日（３，５，７、ひ） or 3, 5, 7, day. Many children that were ages 3, 5, or 7 came to shrines with their families to celebrate the day that was honoring them. Although this day is not a national holiday, its normally celebrated the weekend closest to Novemeber 15th (which is funny because 3, 5, and 7 equals 15).
I'm particularly looking foward to spending Christmas and New Years in Japan considering this are the two holidays that Japanese students seem to look foward to the most.
Let us start with the verb あがる, since the the vowel before the る is あ the verb must be a consonant verb. Therefore, the ます form is あがります. Also, the て and た forms, which are always the same (minus the え and あ), must have a small つ to replace the dropped consonant. So we have, あがって and あがった. The vowels before the る for a consonant verb are あ and お, if the verb ends in う its て and た conjugations are the same as a consonant verb. For example, take the word かう, which becomes かって and かった. However, the う becomes い for the ます form,かいます. For verbs that don't end in る, such as う、く、ぐ、す、む、つ、ぶ、ぬ. く ー＞ いて／いた ぐ ー＞ いで／いだ す ー＞ して／した む ー＞ んで／んだ ぶ ー＞ んで／んだ ぬ ー＞ んで／んだ つ ー＞ って／った
If the verb is ーえる or ーいる as たべる or みる then the verb is a vowel verb and conjugates like this... たべて／たべた みて／みた
I'm sorry for my late "blogging!" The other exchange students and I have a hectic schedule, so we haven't had much time to blog lately. Thank you for your patience :)
----------- Omiyage is also known as souvenirs and in Japan, they are mostly お菓子 (sweets). A person usually buys omiyage when he or she goes to a certain place. It could be the another town, another prefecture, or even another country. One of the Japanese students here at Tokiwa went to China and came back with omiyage for everyone at our dorms. I have also seen some of the Japanese students give omiyage to everyone at our dorm whenever they go to their hometowns. Omiyage is also given when two people meet for the first time. Before coming to Japan, some of our Japanese friends advised us that we should give a small souvenir to our roommates. I guess, an omiyage can be considered as an "ice-breaker" for those people who were meeting for the first time. When I gave the omiyage (Las Vegas poker chips) that I brought to my roommates, they really appreciated it and the atmosphere around us seemed a lot more relax than when I first met them. The good thing about omiyage is that it doesn't have to be fancy at all! It can be anything from pens to sweets as long as it is thoughtful :)
Ever heard of the term "drink bar?" In the United States, a drink bar is a bar where they sell alcoholic beverages, but in Japan, a drink bar is an "all you can drink" bar. Back home in America, we only have fountain drinks where we can refill our beverages whereas in Japan, you can get refills and change your beverage from coffee to tea and from coke to hot chocolate. Most of the restaurants here in Mito (restaurants like Coco's, Saizeriya, and Gusto) have a drink bar that a person can enjoy. Since they do not have a Starbucks near Tokiwa University, Coco's has been the place where we study and I think that the drink bar is a good way to keep us awake and focus on our studies.
*Insert picture here*
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Last week, we went to a halloween party hosted by the school near our dormitory. There was singing, dancing, and lots of fun activities. Kristin dressed up as a character named Fujiko from a show called "Lupin the 3rd" while Germaine played Lupin from "Lupin the 3rd". I've seen pictures of the character Lupin and Germaine did a great job resembling Lupin! Kristin was carrying a toy machine gun made of plastic and shooting me with it. Too bad the bullets shoot at a feeble rate of 1/2 feet per second. Kristine dressed up as a Newspaper boy. She was supposed to be a detective but we couldn't find her magnifying glass. I dressed up as a drifter. Got my jump suit, gloves, and helmet from a shop near the school. I chose my green suit because my favorite drifter always wears green when he drives on the track. Who's that girl on the right? That's Nu, another ryuugakusei dressed up as the girl from the well in The Ring.
Beef bowls in Japan are very delicious. Although their portions are small compared to America's portions of beef bowls, they definitely have authentic taste to make up for the size. Sometimes when I'm very hungry, I go for two bowls. One night I was very hungry and had four bowls. Yum. They also have Pork bowls which sound strange but are very delicious. I am a fan of Pork bowls.
This is my room. It is very small compared to the room I have back at home, but many apartments in this area have small rooms. Why is this room so small? Japan is a very small country compared to America. I've heard that Japan is about 1/25th or 1/26th of the size of America with a population near 35~40% of America's current population. With that being said, I'm assuming that the Japanese must make use of their land sparingly. I even heard a rumor that the country is slowly sinking? This was just a thought I had right before I went to bed.
When I remember that I have only two more months left to be here in Japan, I feel a bit down. Everything in Japan feels different, in a magical sort of way. Therefore, even just walking around and noticing things is really enjoyable for me.
For example, while tights and frilly hair ties/scrunchies seem to be worn mostly by young elementary school age girls, trendy college females here in Japan wear tights and frilly hair accessories. Supermarkets hold different sales daily instead of weekly as in America, so it makes more sense to go shopping everyday instead of stocking up for the entire week. Here in Japan you can alter certain physical qualities such as the following: you can buy shoe inserts to add inches to your height or purchase stickers that will give you a double eyelid. Also, most of the ladies here prefer engagement watches to engagement rings, because they feel that the rings are too fancy and are difficult to match with everyday clothing.
Also in Japanese restaurants and food shops, people are allowed to smoke inside while dining. In order to satisfy both smoking and non-smoking customers, there is usually a separate room for smoking customers. When customers enter the shop, they are asked how many people and then if they would prefer the non-smoking area (kinenseki-禁煙席) or smoking room (kitsuenseki-喫煙席). This picture is of a table in the non-smoking area. As you can see, it is labeled.
Also, since Halloween has ended, many shops are preparing for Christmas. Many of us exchange students were surprised, since in America, most shops begin decorating for Christmas after Thanksgiving weekend.
This is the Kitsune Udon on the Tokiwa School Cafeteria menu. The flat things on top are aburage、a kind of fried tofu, which I have been told is the skin of inari zushi, which is the type of sushi that has the fried tofu skin from the picture with rice stuffed inside. In Japanese, Kitsune means fox. It is believed that foxes like aburage. Thus, there are shrines with foxes (Inari Jinja) where people leave inari as a food offering.
There are many interesting and tasty foods to try. This is a spring roll/sushi fushion dish with Japanese mayo. Presentation seems to be very important in Japanese cooking. I loved this dish.
Also, the cars in Japan are very small compared to American cars. This is probably because the streets are extremely narrow (due to the limited land space in Japan). A Japanese car is small enough to drive easily through this sidewalk.
Purikura or Print Club is very popular in Japan. It is popular amongst couples and friends from elementary students to college students. Purikura is a type of photobooth in Japan where one can take pictures, add decorations, and print them as stickers. Japan`s youth is addicted to purikura which is understandable because, like most of the products in Japan, they are adorable and cute! Doing purikura is cheap and convenient too since it is only 400 yen and you can find it almost everywhere like the train stations and malls. Whereas in the United States, it is scarce and it costs 9 dollars. One of the best features of purikura is that you can decorate it in anyway that you like. It is like photoshop, but easier and faster. Some of the purikura booths also have infrared where one can transfer their pictures to their cellphones. I noticed that many of the students here in Japan, mostly female students, have a collection of purikura stickers, so they just buy an album where they put most, if not all, the pictures that they have taken. I also noticed that the students exchange purikura stickers with their friends which is another reason why it is so popular. I realized that in the past 2 months of our stay here, we have had around 10 purikura stickers! It is addicting! Hopefully, by the end of our stay, we will have around 20 purikura stickers (^_^)v
Since James, Kristine, Germaine and myself were all able to participate in the Tokiwa University Festival this past weekend, I decided to post pictures of the 2 day event rather than have you read the same thing over again.
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This past weekend we were able to help out with the High School Speech Contest that was held during the Tokiwa School Festival. 14 students from the surrounding high schools participated in the event and to my surprise were all talented when it came to English. Many had practiced for months after entering the contest back in July and the subject content of their speeches were intelligent and well thought out. In fact, a couple of the contest winners were actually our Conversation Partners from Tokiwa High School.
This is Chihiro. She's a first year high school student at Tokiwa High and the 3rd place winner of the contest. Chihiro is also my EC partner.
All of the Study-Abroad students in their best business wear.
Tokiwa High School Students
Clay Bussinger was a judge for the English Contest as well as our professor at Tokiwa.
Yuji and Mayu, Tokiwa Students and volunteers for the speech contest.
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The next day we were able to actually attend the school festival. I felt that it was almost completely different from something like the "Welcome Back week" held during the first week of Fall Semester at CSUN. There was an overwhelming sense of community as each club or 'circle' were all competing with one other, selling different food or drinks but at the same time, all very proud to call Tokiwa home.
Tea Ceremony held by the the 'circle'
A couple of the different vendors
Cosplay Event
Tokiwa's dance 'circle'
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It was great to experience something like this even though I am not actually a Tokiwa student, I felt as though I was really apart of bigger than myself. Bigger than just being an exchange student, but a friend, and an equal among the other students here at Tokiwa.
(The exchange students wearing the Japanese Traditional clothing, Kimono)
