A summary of the last few days, and possibly analysis

On Friday I took a nap and slept for many hours. It was nice, but still I don't feel fully rested. On Saturday I went to Ueno with a fellow UCSD student. The highlight was seeing a sculpting class in session in a room at a temple we visited.



Some of the people were very talented. We also went to a graveyard, various small temples, a Japanese paper shop where I bought a couple things, and we ate lunch at a French restaurant.



On Sunday, I met a friend that I had met at the concert I went to. Her name is Ayako and she lives only one station away from me, so that is cool.


We walked around her town a bit, ate some lunch, then met with her Senpai Yudai. I looked at his ipod and was very excited to see bands like !!!, animal collective, built to spill, CAN, modest mouse, pinback, and others. Their circle is very unique in this regard. It is unfortunate that they spend four years getting good at playing music, but that it is basically impossible for them to form successful bands due to common japanese music tastes. We roamed around a bit, then eventually met another of her senpais and the four of us went to a Thai restaurant that I have been meaning to go to.



It was tasty, but not better than I'm used to. I thought it was funny that their relationship to each other was kohai senpai, and that the were explicitly not friends. In America if two people choose to hang out with one another, they generally refer to each other as friends. (in case you didn't know?).
While the day was enjoyable overall. It is unfortunate that it is so difficult to hang out with people in Tokyo. I'd like to be able to just sit somewhere and hang out with them, but our rooms are all very small, and there is a severe lack of public space. The heat only further lessens the appeal of trying to find a urban place to loiter, even if such a place exists.

Today I went to a place where you learn about what to do in case of fire or earthquake.

(boy in my class on the way to bousaikan)


It was interactive and enjoyable.

(jerich eating pizza)
Afterwards I ate lots of pizza, returned home, did some homework, then painted another picture. Here it is.

I was talking to the Gazzy man

He said that he was going to write a short story about bears, and that bears are cool. I then read about bears on wikipedia. Then I did this painting.



now i'm cutting up a kimono obi i bought in hopes of making a bag. should be interesting..
ps it didn't work out

also, did you know that the seal families closest living relative is the bear?
apparently 25-30 million years ago a bear decided to swim more than usual.
Also, bear worship is thought to, at least by some, be the world's oldest deity.
Currently the consensus seems to be that panda's are more bear than raccoon.
There is allegedly a blue bear in central Asia, but it has NEVER been photographed.
Wow
Bears don't actually hibernate.
A bear market gets its name from the fact that bears generally appear to be gazing downwards.
Bears are cool.

The hyaku en store

Yesterday in class we read about the stores here in Japan that sell everything for 100 yen, I'm sure you are all familiar with the concept. I had been to many of these stores before, and did most of my souvenir shopping at them during previous trips. Still, I was inspired to go to the hyaku en shop near my mansion. At first I went in just planning to look, but things for so inexpensive, that I ended up buying quite a bit. Which happens to be exactly what the man in the listening practice said. I bought a few practical items and a lot of art supplies. I bought crayons, colored pencils, water colors, calligraphy ink and stone, brushes, paper, thing you put paint on before applying to brush, needles and embroidery thread, and maybe one or two other small things. It was fun. I colored and painted. I must go to school now.

I took this picture today

To clarify, this picture has not been altered. Also, I didn't notice the question mark until after I took the picture.

Faith's latest work

take a look.

As for me, I've been studying for tests and watching Arrested Development. Very funny, but the season 3 narrator is a little annoying. I look forward to my homestay.

Kodokan

I believe that is the English spelling. The Kodokan is the 8 story dojo in Tokyo that serves as the world capital of Judo. I went there today and yesterday. It was pretty cool. Yesterday I watched some kata practice. Watching people struggling to learn Kine Katsugi was somehow nostalgic.



Today I went back and watched elementary and middle school students, and I think adults as well,compete in competition. I was there for about 6 hours, I think. It was very hot. I saw some good techniques, but overall was not inspired to want to join a judo club. I may reconsider once school starts, but I think I'd prefer a different martial art. I saw too much of the things that my teachers work to teach out us at jujitsu back in encinitas. Still, it was very interesting, and I was glad to see so many children practicing Judo. I thought that was the coolest part. Also, that they were able to compete at the Kodokan must have been pretty exciting for them. I forgot to put my battery in my camera before leaving today so the only was able to take pictures with my phone. I do have pictures from yesterday though, and can probably upload the phone pictures if I try to figure it out for a while. Just imagine all of the stands full and the mat space divided into six rectangles for competition.

Oh and by the way..

Sitting in seiza throughout the entire ceremony was possibly the most painful thing I've done to date. I must keep practicing.

Also I learned a couple nice phrases which I will correct after asking someone what they actually were... but from what I remember:
ichigoichie means- treating someone with kindness and respect (and putting your heart into making the tea), despite having never met them before.
and i can't remember what the second thing was at all. i will ask people tomorrow.

Sadou 茶道

今日、茶道をしに行きました。とてもおもしろかった。五人のグルプでやってよかった。あの。。グルプは大きすぎると気持ちがかわると思います。茶道の生徒は本当にうまかったよ。いい経験でした。せひ、また行きたい。



晩御飯はよく行くラーメン屋にも一回食べに行きました。もう会った人も新たらし人も一緒に話しました。みながやさひかったで色々な食べ物を買ってくれた。来月の七日に一緒にお鮨を食べに行くよていです。楽しみです。



Today I went to a tea ceremony. It was very interesting. I was glad that we did it in groups of five, because I think that having too many people would change the feeling of the ceremony. The student that performed the ceremony was very skilled. It was a good experience. Without question, I would like to go again in the future.





For dinner I went back to the ramen shop that I frequent. I ate and talked with people I had met before, as well as with new people. They were all kind, and the bought me various foods (yay food). On the 7th of next month we plan to all go eat sushi together. I'm looking forward to it.


Perhaps the glass is just deceptively large...

Many people have contacted recently

And they all seem to be somewhat concerned that I am not eating enough food. So, I thought it would be kind of me to revisit the topic. Firstly, after becoming hungry, I have started to eat more than before. Still, I don't really exercise here in Japan, so I don't think I should eat as much as I did before. Also, if i were to eat the same food and at the same quantity as I general did in Encinitas, even buying food only at grocery stores, I think I could end up spending nearly $100 a day. I will investigate this claim further, since there is no evidence whatsoever to support this claim, but don't think it is really that far fetched, considering a peach costs $10.

Anyways, I bought things like bread, peanut butter, bananas (as i said before), and also carrots which I have been eating in my room. I also frequently by inari at the markets which is a tasty tofu and rice thing. And, I drink at least a liter of juice everyday, so at least that hasn't changed. :).

I guess the thesis of this post is something like, when I get hungry I eat, when I'm full I eat less, and for cost and cultural reasons my diet consists of different types of food than it did before; please don't worry.

Time for more school fun!

Today..

I bought peanut butter, bananas, and bread.
Then I took a bunch of pictures of me on a swing.

Here's a couple videos of the show

Masaya's friend's band

the dub band

the fan

I went to a concert last night

It was fun. The music was good, and I was glad to meet people who like the same music as me. My friend Masaya, who invited me to the show, will be going to UC Irvine this coming year. I'm hoping that some of my friends will be willing to hang out with him and take him to lots of shows. He has pretty diverse music tastes, and I think that he and Jeff should go to hard-core shows together. There was a girl at the show named Ayako that lives pretty close to where I am staying now, so maybe we will be able to hang out and practice speaking. She went to high school and stayed with a host-family in Ireland for three years, so she speaks really good english with and Irish accent. Its pretty awesome. All the people that I met last night were pretty cool, I liked them much more than the people from the futsal circle. I'll probably try to hang out with them when I can, even if I don't join the circle.

The show was at a cool place called Pink Noise out in the suburbs (I think). The town reminded me a bit of downtown Walnut Creek. I think maybe I've seen pictures of the venue before, but I haven't yet confirmed that.

Other than that, I had my first chapter test today. I think that I may have done somewhat poorly, but that I know what to expect and will improve on next one. Also, I think I'm losing weight, and may soon disappear completely. I can't wait for homestay meals, there is just something about buying all of my own food that makes me eat less.

The weekend already?

During the week I never notice the passage of time. On the weekend however, I do acknowledge time. It makes me feel lonely and makes me analyze how far I've come over time and where I'd like to end up. Where I'd like to go with my Japanese as well as with my life. I have many options, and they would all be fine. I can't tell if my loneliness comes from missing specific persons, a type of person, or just any form of familiarity. I also wonder if my loneliness may in fact just be a feeling of smallness or lack of direction. To anyone reading this that thinks I am sad, I am not, and I don't consider this feeling bad, but notable. I think that it was my visit to the national museum in Ueno park that really got me thinking about the passage of time on a larger scale. I enjoyed the art and national treasures, but was most impacted by the archaeological collection. Also, the boy I was with (who happens to be extremely like Jesse Chapo) is really into ceramics. He spent the time between the school year's end at Berkeley and the beginning of the intensive language program working for food as an apprentice ceramic maker in Okinawa. How cool is that?

The moral of the story is, I will graduate from college so that my Mom doesn't become sad, but then I hope to never have to use my degree. I would prefer to do such things as study arts, crafts, martial arts. I'd like to do things like: make my own clothing, cook delicious foods for myself and others, study under various sensei of various crafts or arts. I like the idea of becoming proficient at something to the point that if I were to give someone something that I had made as a gift, it would be welcomed and hopefully cherished.

I consider myself artistic and able, I am also able to learn and willing to practice diligently. I think, therefore, that I could possible be accepted as an apprentice to someone, or that if I were to pay a teacher to teach me, I would be able to progress. Still, I don't know what I would want to learn, what continent I would want to do it on, or when I would like to do it. I think when is actually any easy question, to which my answer would be whenever an opportunity arises, and for as long as it seems like the right thing to be doing.

Somehow, it seems that what and where shouldn't be too important. You know? Where seems to also hold the meaning of who would I live near/with, but this is not necessarily true. And the question of what to study, again, I think, should be decided more by opportunity than stubbornness.

I'm glad that I'm in Japan for this school year for a couple of reasons. It gives me a great opportunity to learn Japanese. Learning Japanese is very important to me, although I'm no sure why. I'm not sure if there are other reasons. One plus may be the opportunity to join a martial arts club at school. I here they practice for 5 hours daily. However, I'm not yet sure if that is truly a good thing.

There is only so much time, and I do want to make sure I use it in the way I see best. I have a feeling that my time will be spent studying, training, speaking Japanese. Doesn't that sound great? There is something wrong with entertainment. I understand that even studying may be considered a distraction, but still I have recently been scrutinizing diversion in ways that I previously had not. Or.. maybe I had, I think I had, but never to any end. I think, though, that I finally understand why people like to work.

I think I'd like to sail the world with my Father. I don't know if that is a notion contrary to or in accord with my previously stated plans. I could certainly learn to sail, fish, cook, make certain crafts, etc. on a boat. I can't say with certainty that I would have a specific teacher present, but I also haven't decided if that is crucial or not. I have a feeling there are things to learn everywhere. And that disciplined practice, not to mention creativity and the ability to make use of knowledge gained through practice, may be more valuable than frequent instruction.
(not to say that my Dad has nothing to 'teach' me. but considering our relation I'd probably prefer to learn about him than from him. I would like to sit and play chess with him on his boat. It will make me happy when he doesn't go to work anymore.)

I also miss Faith. I think that love and discipline are not mutually exclusive. I don't know if I will miss her any more or less in the future, but I think that she is really good, and I hope that she will always continue to be a part of my life in one way or another. I'm almost certain that she will.

Time to study more Kanji. Tomorrow I will go to a Concert with a Japanese boy that likes somewhat similar music to me and will be attending UC Irvine starting in fall. He'll have to hang out with T-Pat.

I bought some books! (that i can't read)

The Legend of Kamui, I think it's called in English, is a manga that I bought.
I also bought Miyamoto Musashi's gorin, five rings, in Japanese.
I will try to read them.

How did this happen?

Today, I paid $20 dollars for really bad food, so that I could sit with drunk people. How did I let this happen again? From now on, I have decided to absolutely steer clear of such events. I honestly didn't think that I was attending such an event. But I was... and it was not enjoyable. I do like the people I was with, but we spoke no Japanese, and the food was terrible. Hmmm, I don't want this to become a complaining blog... but let me put it in the light, that such events will not happen in the future, and from here on out my food will be delicious, cheap, or in the company of Japanese speakers.

Truly it wasn't so bad, and I guess the money lost is a relatively small amount. Now I will transcribe today's class' reading, so that I can understand it better. In Japan I have become a good student, maybe I should have gone to high school here. :) jk?.

My Daily Life

Currently my day is filled almost completely with the study of Japanese. I go to class each weekday morning for 3 hours. Usually afterwards I spend an hour or two figuring out where to eat, eating, then coming back home. I don't really consider it my home though, just the place where my things are. When I return home (the word is still convenient), I check various things on the internet and then begin studying. I study the things that I have learned that day, review things from previous days, do whatever homework I may have, look up the vocabulary words that will be used in the following days classwork, and study for the kanji quizzes that we have each day. Because of the immediately useful nature of Japanese in Japan, it studying doesn't seem like a chore. But still, the idea of actually remembering the myriad things that I am taught is overwhelming. I'm not sure how language is learned really, but I do think that is impossible to remember everything at once, and that my brain tries to determine what is important and remember those things. I hope, and hypothesize, that absorbing new language related knowledge is a skill that can be improved. So, in the future, perhaps learning will be less difficult. The only thing I can do, really, is read write and say sentences and words, and hope that they will somehow be absorbed.
While I study, I often communicate with friends and family over skype (michael.busby217), AIM (busbychan), and E-mail (mbusby@gmail.com or zombusbydenwa@ezweb.ne.jp for my cellphone). I also listen to music, write, draw, reflect, and occasionally update this blog. Sometimes I go out and socialize, like last night, but prefer to go do that only with Japanese people, so that I can practice Japanese. Also, when it is late and I have finished studying, I sometimes go buy dinner.
Last night was fun, but the concert that I wanted to go to was sold out. So my friend and I ended up just walking around, eating, getting ice cream, and talking. It was good for my Japanese, even if less exciting than seeing Cornelius. I think that each day I learn at least a couple words and or kanji, but think that I will have to learn at a faster rate if I wish to become proficient by the end of my stay. Maybe I'm underestimating how much i'm learning, but I have my sights set on being able to do more than hold simple conversations. I think, my desired level would be that of being able to remember new words and forms after being taught only once.

While here, on top of studying Japanese, I hope to study martial arts, see if I can do some fine arts just for fun in my spare time, and to travel all over Japan. Much of the traveling, though, I may postpone until my parents get here, and I change to a visitor's visa.

haha 1337

When you sign up with AU, one of Japan's cell phone providers, you get to choose the last four digits of your phone #. So far I've seen 3 people (including myself) that have chosen leet. How cool we all are!

Woo concerts

I hope I can find the venue.
info

Is this for real?

could the Japanese really have created 3 sequels to that movie?

Today I went many places

Today I went to Zozoji shrine, the foot of tokyo tower, Roppongi, Ebisu, Shibuya, Akasaka. I liked Ebisu. Shibuya, to me, was boring, city-like, not unique. Roppongi felt very pretentious. I ate good Indian food there. I think that maybe I didn't get the full feel for Akasaka.

Ebisu reminded me a bit of La Jolla. There were also shops there that sold things for relatively low prices. I bought some things I didn't need, like a charger power shirt that I can wear on gamedays. Today wasn't that exciting, I didn't practice much Japanese, and I spent a lot of money. However, I went to many places and got a feel for the different neighborhoods, which is something that I want to continue doing.

The Highlight of my day was without question catching the end of a service at the Tokyo Baptist Church. Very fun/interesting.

Tomorrow begins the first whole week of intensive language classes, I hope that my Japanese improves, and that I practice it away from class.

Met many nice people

After buying my cellphone in Akihabara, where I ate a notably delicious tenzaru soba set, I returned home briefly before departing for an area called asakusa. It was about 4. Not knowing exactly how to get to the shrine that I was headed for, I ended up seeing everything in the reverse order. It ended up working out well, because I was able to figure out where I wanted to go afterward.

The shrine was large and impressive, there was a long line of people waiting to bow and whatnot, and many people were wearing yukata. It was strange though, because it still felt very tokyo-y.



Of course, there are tall buildings everywhere, I think that most people assume as much. I think, though, that the fact that Tokyo is so flat gives the whole are a similar feel, which when not recognized as flatness is likely often thought to be Tokyo-ness. That's what I think at least.
There is just something about this place that made it seem less sacred, spiritual.


It was still interesting and pretty though, and at night it was lit up:


Although I have yet to become particularly attached to any area of Tokyo, I definitely did enjoy visiting Asakusa. It is somewhat similar to Kyoto's Gion district (for those of you who have been there i guess?). It is a bit old-timey, there is a lot of wood visible in the buildings and arcade style shops reminded me of an older teramachi. The whole area seemed to have a lot of travelers, Japanese and otherwise, and for that reason had shops selling omiage, traditional japanese wares, and also soft-serve and shave ice vendors and the like.
After plenty of looking, roaming, observing, reflecting, I decided to eat. I really wanted to eat unagi-don. While trying to figure out which restaurant might have it, I took this photo,

and one of the guys at the near table posed for the shot. I went over to talk to them, and after briefly apologizing for my rudeness sat down to eat with them. I had thought that they were already finished, but they were not. They offered me a taste of a couple of their dishes, then I ordered something for myself. We talked about many things. Apparently they are all part of the Japanese army, which seems to exist primarily to perform public works. I believe that they were all in officer candidate school together. Two were from Hokkaido, and one from Nagasaki. They were nice and fun to eat with. They continued to order various dishes and drinks to let me try. What fun it is to go new places, meet new people, and try new things!

In the end, they even ended up paying for my meal. It was the opposite of last night. To me, going out and meeting nice people seems much better than attending strange circle (club) social events. I say strange, because the circle events seem to be somewhat rigid and ceremonial, though there purpose ,I believe, is simply to allow members to enjoy themselves and to strengthen their friendships.

After dinner I got on the train, where I had a conversation with other friendly strangers, then walked home. While walking again spoke with some people, and they told me about a small festival that is happening in a nearby park tomorrow at 2. I told them that I would go, so I will try to be there.

oo, also, this green thing was very tasty.

Expensive Water

when you go out drinking with your circle in japan, the bill is split evenly among everyone. it sort of one ups peer pressure, as it creates a sort of economic opportunity, in that you will almost certainly being paying for more or less than you consumed, and it's up to you to determine which side you will fall on. in any case, i don't think i will go again in the future.

other than that, i visited my college today and it seemed nice enough.

here is a video (mostly a sound clip) of semi outside of raul's house.

晩御飯楽しかった Dinner was fun

I went out for Ramen for dinner with a fellow ILP student. The food was good, and after we were done the women working there asked if we had time. I thought she meant time in tokyo, but she meant, do you want to leave now or later? We ended up staying for a while and a tonari ni suwateiru man sitting near us started up a conversation. He was middle aged, a little bit intoxicated, and very fun to talk to. It's nice to get to practice Japanese in ways like this. We talked about various things, and eventually I found out that the ramen chef was from hamamatsu. I think that I impressed them with my vast knowledge of hamamatsu, its kite festival, harmonica hotel, tenpura, Brazilians, etc nado. They even knew about the orange kitchen! (funny huh?). They did not however know what I was talking about when I asked why everyone had corgis. Maybe its a new thing?

Oh man, also, the man hated kansai ben, honma ni mecha mecha omorokatta ya na. So I stepped my kansai game up a notch, it was fun and funny.

In conclusion, dinner was fun, I hope to have similar experiences in the future both there and elsewhere. Maybe eventual I will be able to start conversations myself. Its very late now, though, and I have class early, so its time for bed. Oyasumi!!

Tokyo is very large

I've been doing quite a bit of exploring the last couple of days, and for the most part B has been there to guide me around. I definitely miss Kyoto. I have Japanese friends there who are nice and helpful. Also the streets are gridded, and I know my way around pretty well. Furthermore, Kyoto is prettier than Tokyo, from what I've seen so far.

All that aside, Musashi says ,"Do not lament parting on any path whatsoever". And so,I will accept this new city and the opportunities it affords me. In fact, even in the last day, I have become much more accustomed to the train system and have found some parts of Tokyo that I enjoy quite a bit. Particularly, Harujuku is really fun. It is the less expensive fashion district, and there are many people in interesting garb roaming its streets.

Sometime in the next few days or so, I hope to go find the Kodokan. I haven't decided whether or not to bring my gi, or just go check it out first. I'm not sure when classes are exactly, though I'm sure it's posted online somewhere. I can't wait for school to start so that I can join a martial arts club at school. They practice very frequently, but I don't know how the instruction is. If it doesn't turn out to be what I am looking for, I'm sure that i'll be able to find something... somewhere.

I think that my Japanese is coming along pretty well, and intensive language classes start tomorrow. So, I'm bound to keep improving. I think that I was placed lower than I had hoped (we find out for sure tomorrow0, but if it really is the class that I belong in, then it doesn't matter what its name is.

I've been pretty tired at night, and I like to spend as much time as I can out exploring, so my posts may not always be as well composed as they were before, but i will try to do my best.

end