One week later

Slightly over one week deep into my semester in Japan, I am finally starting to settle into my life here. Making friends hasn’t been a problem thus far, but communicating with them had been. Many of us don’t have internet access at our homestays and nearly no one had a keitai (cell phone). Until now, that is! Ladies and gentlemen, behold the pinnacle of cheap Japanese pre-paid phones:

There are a staggering amount of tiny pictographs and emoticons.

It takes a little getting used to, but it’s nice to be able to get in touch with people again. If you want my number, e-mail me, but if you’re not in Japan it’s going to be a rather expensive phone call. I would recommend either Skype (danielmcasey) or e-mailing instead.

Getting to school is much easier than KCJS made it seem. I ride my bike to the station (approx. 7 minutes), then take a train to Sanjo Keihan (approx. 20 minutes), transfer train lines to Muratamachi-eki (approx. 10 minutes), and then have a short walk in the blistering Kyoto sun (approx. 5 minutes). All in all, not too bad! I just need to figure out how to buy a monthly pass so I can save my precious yen for other things like “cultural activities.”

Can't wait to ghostride this piece

It’s a bit early to tell how my classes will be, but I have no complaints thus far. I am taking three classes — a double-length Japanese class Monday through Friday in the mornings, Japanese Pop Culture on Mondays, and Japanese History Through Film on Wednesdays. So, what does that mean? Yes, I have class everyday, but most days I am done by noon and the rest of the day is mine to explore the city. All in all, a pretty sweet deal, if you ask me. Though, some more of my time will be taken up soon once I either find a gym (the one at Kyodai Kaikan is a gym in name only) or join one of the student groups. Any suggestions on what kind of group I should join?

This weekend, I think I’m heading off to Osaka with some friends from my Japanese class so that we can try to catch a Hanshin Tigers game. If I get to see some Japanese yakyuu (baseball) before the season ends, I will be an unspeakably happy camper. More on that to come though.

Dashing swiftly through the wind blowin' from Rokko Like the big sun soaring in the clear blue sky Mighty spirit of the youth shows the victor's grace The name that shines in glory "Hanshin Tigers" Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Hanshin Tigers Hooray, Hooray, Hooray, Hooray! Powerful hits and skillful pitch achieved a thousand times Trained with every discipline here at Koshien Crowned with constant victory glorious, matchless feat Always proud, invincible "Hanshin Tigers" Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Hanshin Tigers Hooray, Hooray, Hooray, Hooray!

( FOR YOU VISUAL LEANERS OUT THERE, MY FLICKR IS UPDATED WITH NEW PICTURES)

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For those of you who need a little more bass in your life, listen to this Hollywood Holt jam that my homegirl Carrie sent me:

Hollywood Holt – Beat In My Trunk

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That’s all for now, folks. I need to go shower before heading back into the city tonight to hang out with some rad ryugakusei

Trouble is the spice of life

Large groups of college students in an unfamiliar area are a true litmus test of patience. After yesterday, mine was particularly acidic.  Before I went exploring in Teramachi, Kyoto’s preposterously large shopping district, we spent approximately an hour deciding that we should split up since we weren’t going to find a restaurant that would seat thirty people. Sixty minutes, guys?  ざんねんだね

Thankfully, a good thirty minutes of that time was spent talking to a seventy-year-old retiree named Kozo. The tiny, bespectacled man walked up to us excitedly and asked if we were Americans (good guess). Like many Japanese, he’s very interested in learning English and was eager to practice in a real life setting. He was reading John Updike’s Terrorist, but having trouble understanding it. Together, we went through various phrases that he didn’t understand and I tried my best to explain them. Explaining what “a flying fuck” was and why he shouldn’t use it in polite conversation, for example, was quite the experience. Thankfully, his zeal for learning made it a breeze. Eventually, he gave me a rundown of his personal philosophy. In a phrase, “trouble is the spice of life.” Well put, Kozo, well put.

Classes started today. Interestingly enough, everyone that used Tufts’ Japanese textbook (Genki!) was placed into the lowest level Japanese class.

Genki banzai!

If Koizumi-sensei wasn’t my favorite professor at Tufts, I would be mildly upset.  On the bright side, my Japanese professor seems like he’ll be a hoot. He’s very young and friendly and only speaks to us in Japanese, which can only help.  My Japanese Pop Culture class seems like it could be intellectually stimulating. Hopefully I can use this class as an opportunity to begin my senior thesis (the subject of which I really should finalize sometime soon), but we’ll see where the wind blows.

Note to self: Thrylla and Charybdis, great name for the next disco-influenced dance-party DJ sensation.

→ For those who are interested and didn’t see the link on the sidebar, the URL for my Flickr (where all my photos will be posted) is http://www.flickr.com/photos/29466443@N02/

Once again, let me apologize for the lack of substance in these posts. Once the shock of actually being here subsides enough for me to realize that I’m actually here, I’ll be able to use my words again like a big boy. Until then, oyasuminasai♥!