Slowly but surely I will catch up!

Man it really is a bad idea to wait so long because I'm pretty sure I'm going to be leaving stuff out. Oh well, at least all the big stuff I wrote down in my planner.

7/16

After class I met Naoko Fujii. She's one of the Japanese people I know from Wake. We met at the Starbucks right by my station home and hungout for a few hours. She said my Japanese has really improved. I left just in time to get to my appointment at Espoir. Since the competition was on the 22nd I went to Espoir for them to practice almost every day the week prior. I even let them shave my face like they wanted (man did that feel weird). Daisuke and Yumi had to be able to get my hair and make up done at the same time in 30min.

7/18-7/19

Laura came home with me to spend the night. She wanted to get a haircut so I had previously set up an appointment for her at Espoir. We had a lot of fun talking to all the employees and Daisuke-san let us sit by each other and talk during out respective appointments. Afterward we came back and she met my hostparents (my hostdad was home for the weekend since Monday was a national holiday). I felt really bad because apparently there wasn't another futon just a folded up blanket and my hostmom hadn't given me a fan for my room yet, so I don't think she got the most comfortable sleep.

The next day we went to sento, a public bathhouse. This was so cool. The place we went was huge! There were indoor baths, outdoor baths, and outdoor baths that were co-ed where everyone had to wear bathing suits. There were so many different types of baths: a tea bath that smelled really good, a collagen bath that was bright pink, baths with water jets, etc. We spent several hours there relaxing and chatting. When we got back my hostparents insisted that she eat with us even though she just wanted to leave and not bother them. My hostdad said he had already made enough curry for us all so she should just stay, and in the end it ended up being really fun. My hostparents especially liked laughing at us when the two Americans would speak Japanese to each other.

Not too many pictures for this post and most of them are of me:

The two halves of my face are done in different color schemes since we wouldn't know what color clothes I would get. I really liked the left it was yellow and orange eyeshadow and they gave me a few fake eyelashes (they were a pain to get on) including some colored ones. There's also a little bit of red hair spray in a few places.

This time you can see the brown side more. You can also make out the fake eyelashes better.

Laura's pretty haircut.

Another picture of me because, well, why not? This time you can see the curls they gave me before doing anything else. Daisuke-san was funny, after curling my hair he kept saying that if it wasn't a hair arrangement competition he would just leave it like that since it was so cute.

Kyoto Day 3: monkey see, monkey do, monkey fall on face

7/13

After grabbing a quick breakfast from a bread store we met Naho to go to Arashiyama monkey park. First, we stopped back at Kyoto station to change our shinkansen tickets because we realized that for three more dollars we could ride the nozomi which is the fastest train in Japan! Then we headed out to go see some monkeys. We weren't really sure what to expect at a monkey park but turns out it was exactly what it sounded like. After hiking for a while (it was way too hot for that) and seeing signs everywhere that warned not to touch the monkeys, not to look them directly in the eye, etc., we finally got to the top and saw monkeys everywhere. They were just sort of hangout doing their monkey thing. There was also a building with open windows that were covered in chainlink fence. Inside you could buy food, put you hand up to the window and the monkeys would take the food directly from your hand. I had a slightly clutzy moment and ran directly into a bench and cut my leg pretty badly. It was really frustrating because I was so sweaty that my band aid wouldn't stay on my leg. After cooling off inside and feeding monkeys for a while we went and explored outside. It was really neat because you could just walk right there with the monkeys and we even went and played on a playground that was for them. (If anyone cares I think they were Japanese Macaques)

After our monkey experience we asked Naho for recommendations and she said she had never been to Nonomiya Shrine so we (minus YR who went back to the city to meet a friend) walked there. This shrine is famous for its bamboo forest which was very pretty. Afterwards we went to a crepe shop and then this store where I bought a souvenir because everything there was made by handicapped people and the money went to help them. After resting there for a while we went back to J-hoppers to get our stuff and headed out. Everyone (including Rie) met at the station and I bought some more souvenirs, including this famous Kyoto sweet as an omiyage for my hostmom. Then we rode the fastest shinkansen in Japan back home! This was really fun and instead of sitting on a bus the whole night we got to speed back in comfortable seats on a ride that was only about 2.5hrs.

The Arashiyama area.

Me feeding monkeys. Shortly after this I tried to walk forward without realizing there was a very sharp bench right in my way. It's funny because I ran into the bench, said ow, fed the monkeys I was walking towards, realized my leg still hurt, looked down, and then realized I was actually bleeding...

One of the people working there brought a monkey to pose with us. (Naho, Zac, me, Kevin, YR)

The view from the monkey park (there's even a monkey). Hiking up there was really painful in the heat.

Me posing with an uncooperative monkey, he wouldn't even face the camera with me.

Another uncooperative monkey and the boys doing the hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil pose. (Zac, YR, Kevin)

Naho playing at the monkey playground. On the left you can see a monkey wondering why the humans are playing with its stuff.

Bamboo forest and Nonomiya Shrine.

Bye-bye J-hoppers my first hostel experience was fun.

The train approaching from the right is the one we rode. We had really worked ourselves up about being able to ride a shinkansen and it was pretty sweet.

Kyoto Day 2: more shrines and temples

7/12

Well actually we did see more than just shrines and temples on this day. We got up and went to the same hole-in-the-wall place for breakfast and then left straight for Kinkakuji, the Golden Pavilion. This was much more impressive than the Silver Pavilion considering it wasn't under construction. Along the path there were was one place where you could try to toss coins into a little bowl by a statue of Buddha for luck or to make a wish or something and I actually got one in! It was only my second or third try too. None of the boys were able to hehehehehe. I also lit a candle for family safety and bought TC a traffic safety charm, since apparently she's starting driver's ed.

Next we walked to Ryoanji, the Temple of the Peaceful Dragon. This Zen temple has the most famous rock garden in Japan. It was pretty relaxing to just sit there in the relative cool of the shade. Next we decided to leave Kyoto briefly and head to Osaka. On our way to the train we got on the wrong sort of bus that didn't take our bus passes but since it was the last stop the guy just let us off for free. We had lunch at the station again and got on our train (though there was some confusion-YR had blazed ahead and got on the train right as the doors were closing and the rest of us didn't make it). We didn't do too much in Osaka but we did walk around and we went to the Umeda Sky Building. We went to the top and had a really good view of the city and we had fun taking goofy pictures. The building itself looks like two towers that are connected at the top and they had lots of interesting little features including fountains, a room with musical seats, and clear escalators spanning the two towers.

After exploring a bit more we headed back to Kyoto so we would have time to clean up before meeting Naho and her friend Rie. For those of you who don't know Naho Maruta (or Maruta Naho if you want to be Japanese about it) she was our Japanese TA from Wake. After some more traveling confusion we finally met them (it's okay though because while we were lost we saw many people in yukata and some people practicing for the festival on giant floats) and we all went to a restaurant. I'm just going to call it a stick restaurant because I don't actually know what it was, but basically we ordered a bunch of little kebabs. We also ordered some other things that didn't come on sticks as well as several pitchers of beer. After a few hours of drinking, eating, and being really loud we managed to convince Naho to karaoke with us (it wasn't that she didn't want to karaoke, she was just worried about getting home before the trains stopped). This was actually the first time I had been to a karaoke parlor and it's a lot more fun than just using the machine. You and your friends get your own room with some couches, a big TV with the lyrics, and a couple of microphones. We sang some fun songs including Bohemian Rhapsody (according to Zac you have to sing this when you karaoke), Barbie Girl, Tainted Love, and a bunch others. Naho and Rie left to catch their last train home (we had missed the last bus so we just walked) and the rest of us went home and promptly went to sleep (though we had agreed to meet up with some other people from the hostel to hangout again, there was nobody there by the time we got back).

It should be apparent that this is the Golden Pavilion.

We actually left this picture (since it was one of our few group ones) on the computer at the hostel. They will print it and put it on a wall with a bunch of other pictures of previous people who had stayed there. (Zac, Kevin, me, YR)

I actually tossed a coin into that stone bowl (not the little one in front but the bigger one in front of the two metal rods). I'm going to assume it gave me good luck or something equally nice.

The rock garden at Ryoanji. You can't really make out the patterns in any of my pictures.

The Umeda Sky Building in Osaka.

A closer view. Those two slanty upward things (good use of my words I know) are the glass escalators.

Me unintentionally (I just wanted my hair out of my face) practicing my modeling skills on top of the building.

We were being goofy and took a picture of our reflection across the big circle (see the picture 2 above this one) at the top. (Zac, Cynthia, Kevin, YR)

Us at the restaurant. (Cynthia, Kevin, Zac, YR, Naho, Rie) Everything was good but the most memorable parts were less the food and more the hanging out (especially teasing Naho)

Karaoke afterwards. Probably one of the less lively songs since everyone is sitting down. (YR, Rie, Kevin, Naho)

Kyoto Day 1: Shrines and Temples

7/10-7/13 Kyoto Trip

Well the breakdown of this tip is going to be in parts because we did we way too much in Kyoto to put in one post.

Thurs. night YR, Kevin, our friend Zac, and I all met at 11pm in Shinjuku to catch our night bus. From there it was about a 6 hour bus ride to Kyoto. Of the four of us only YR got more than 2hrs of sleep during the ride. There were also two pit stops which were both refreshing and frustrating at the same time. Frustrating because they both happened right when I was on the verge of falling asleep. When we did arrive we couldn't get into our hostel until 8am so we looked for a place nearby where we could eat breakfast. We found the perfect little hole-in-the-wall joint. It didn't have a sign with it's name, the owner's dog was asleep on the floor, and the counter was strewn with papers and various odds and ends. Basically one of those places where if the food is delicious you don't ask why and just enjoy your meal and if the food is bad you again don't ask why and just never go back. Luckily for us it's hard to screw up the standard breakfast set of coffee, a hardboiled egg, and toast. We played cards until it was time to go to the hostel were we left our bags in the staff room (because even though it was open we couldn't check in for a few more hours), put everything we needed into my little draw string duffel and Kevin's bookbag and got to it nice and early.

Our first stop was Todaiji. (oh yeah these names may not all be completely correct but they should be at least pretty close to what they're actually called) This was a Buddhist temple with a very big pagoda and many other buildings. There was a lot to see and everything was very old and very beautiful. You weren't allowed to take pictures inside the temples but they were each home to about 10-15 giant golden Buddhist statues. Next we meandered through a park that we saw and hung out in a clover field for a while. I even found a four-leaf clover!

Next was lunch at Kyoto Station. First we all went and bought our shinkansen (bullet train) tickets to go home on Sun. Then YR and I ate really good Italian food at Kyoto Station and we all caught our bus. With a helpful tip from the guy at the hostel we had bought a 500yen bus pass because that is the best way to get places in Kyoto. We were first going to go all the way to Ginkakuji and work out way back down to the hostel but I saw that our bus stopped at Kiyomizudera and because I had heard about it I really wanted to go. I was convinced there was a really big waterfall there.

At the temple there was a ton to see. I would love to go back one day and explore more of it. What we did get to see was really amazing. One of the places to purify yourself was a dragon (not a flying horse this time) and the water came from its mouth. We also went into a place called the "womb". You had to take your shoes off and go down steps. There was no light (you actually couldn't see your hand in front of your face) and you had to hold onto the "prayer beads" that composed the railing you held onto to find your way (I still ran into the wall) and that led you to the womb. In there was light shining on a rock with a symbol on it (it wasn't Japanese but something else) that you put your hand on and made a wish. A very fun experience to walk through the complete darkness underground at a Buddhist temple. Then we went searching for my waterfall. We followed signs that had a kanji that included river and neck. We thought that had to be leading to a waterfall. We found out later, after seeing this set of kanji at almost every place we went that really meant we were on the "usual path". What we actually found was a place almost like a waterfall. The water flowed from three spout over the roof of this small platform and you reached out with a dipper to fill your cup and drink. It's supposed to be for wisdom and health (or something like that) and we asked if we could fill up our water bottle and surprisingly enough were told yes. So all day long we drank lucky "wish water". It was a good thing they let us because Kyoto is disgustingly hot and humid. Our clothes were soaked through all day long. It was pretty gross.

Next, we bused to kinkakuji, the silver pavilion. In a way it was big let down because it was under construction so you couldn't really see the pavilion at all. We did see a large pile of sand that represented Mt. Fuji and a field of bees. There were also several types of moss including "moss the interrupter" and "VIP moss". I bought some souvenirs here so hopefully I contributed to the speedy reconstruction of the pavilion.

Next, was the search for Gion Corner where we (not YR) wanted to see a bunraku (puppet play) performance because we thought we had to buy the tickets beforehand. It was still closed (we actually found a back entrance, completely missed the do not enter signs, and got chastised for trespassing before finding the correct entrance) so we decided to come back later. So then went to Yasaka Shrine and relaxed there. There were portable shrines there in preparation for the Gion Matsuri (festival) that would start shortly after we left. After chilling at a little pond there we tried to go to Chionin Temple but it was already closed for the day. So instead we went to Pontacho-ate. This is a street where all the night life is supposed to be and we wanted to find a restaurant were we could have a geisha serve us. Unfortunately, we seemed to be a little too early and a little too foreign to figure out how to do that. We just went to a Tai restaurant and ate there. It was really good but no geisha service.

After dinner YR left and the other three of us went back to Gion Corner to see the bunraku. When we got there, we found that what we thought was only bunraku was actually a bunch of different traditional Japanese performances in one go. We paid our $30 and got to see chado (tea ceremony), koto (the stringed instrument I have pictures of in a previous post), kado (flower arrangement), gagaku (traditional court music), kyogen (traditional comic play), kyomai (Kyoto style dance performed by maiko, the geisha in training), and finally bunraku (puppet play). They were all really interesting but clearly the performances were tailored for foreign audiences. Not that I minded hearing both English and Japanese explanations but there were a lot of tourists there (yes, I was one of them, but I'd like to think I'm a superior tourist to the average Joe-no offense Daddy-with no clue about any of the meaning behind things). I especially enjoyed the comedy. Not only was there an English synopsis in our pamphlet but I could understand enough of the Japanese (though it was hard because they were speaking way old-school style) to find it funny. It was great getting looks from the kind of obnoxious Americans in front of us when laughing at parts that weren't blatantly humorous by the actors actions.

After that we were ready for nothing more than to shower and sleep. But first there was the requisite meeting of our roommates. That first night in our eight-person room it was me and seven guys. Of course three of them were the guys I was traveling with and the other four were traveling together. Three of them were deaf but we talked to the one guy who could hear and through him communicated with the rest. Right when we were finally getting ready for bed we were told that YR had met some interesting people in the lounge and that there was a vending machine with Chu-hi (flavored beer). Once the guys found out I had never had Chu-hi before it quickly became apparent that we still had enough energy left to remedy this. There were two English guys, a french guy, and an American girl all talking to YR when the three of us joined them. We bought our beer and played a massive game of BS. Which was followed by a some very interesting rounds of that game where you write a famous person's name on a piece of paper and stick to someone else's forehead without them seeing it. Once everyone has their new unknown identity you begin asking yes or no questions to try and figure out who you are. There were some really fun ones including Godzilla, a British guy who couldn't figure out he was Winston Churchill, and Kevin as Barbie. We did this until about 12:30ish and then finally went to sleep.

That concludes Day 1 in Kyoto the next installment will be out soon. For now some pictures.

Zac took a picture of us three WFU students on our way into our first sightseeing stop: Todaiji (YR, me, Kevin)

Some of the temple as well as the part of the pagoda we could see as we first walked in.

Gettin' my meditation on.

Godzilla Cynthia at the pagoda. We spent a lot of time taking shots like this here.

On our way to Kiyomizudera we saw these two maiko. They had to be so hot in those kimono.

The first thing you see at Kiyomizudera, which is shortly followed by...

...the sight of this.

The cool dragon (not Pegasus) to purify yourself (also very refeshing in the heat).

The "waterfall" at the temple. It was fun to reach for the water and a lot harder than it looked to fill up the cups. YR and I paid 200yen and bought special cups to stick out there and that we got to keep.

You stuck your dipper into the UV sterilizer after you were done. Smart move but slightly incongruous to see it right there next to the water.

This is the best shot I have of ginkakuji.

This represents Mt. Fuji.

Here all the types of moss you can see at the shrine. The three main types are: (from left to right if you can't read it in the picture) "inhabitants of ginkakuji", "moss the interrupter", and "very important moss (like VIP)".

Even though the pavilion itself was under construction, there was still a lot to see.

The group still at ginkakuji (Kevin, YR, me, Zac)

Yasaka Shrine

Portable shrines for the upcoming festival. It would be so cool to see these carried down the streets.

The nice little park-like area inside the shrine. To the far left you can see a heron (I think).

The Chionin Temple that was closed.

The river side of Pontocho-ate...probably...I was kinda turned around at this point, but we had just left the street so it makes sense that this picture in some way might contain some of the street in it.

Kado. A lot of my pictures from Gion Corner where blurry. Probably because I had to try to take pictures from wierd angles because the lady in front of me kept moving into my view.

Gagaku-traditional court music. There was also a costumed dancer but you can't see him here.

In the kyogen the two servants got tricked into being tied up by their master because he was afraid they would drink all his sake, but as you can see they managed to drink it anyways.

Kyomai

Bunraku. There are three puppeteers but only the master is allowed to not have his head covered and he gets to operate the head and right arm of the puppet.

beauty and the bear puncher

7/6

Today consisted mostly of working on my midterm: three 3-paged single spaced essays. If this was a normal class where the prof wanted you to double space everything that would be 18pages! Super depressing to write that much over summer (or ever). There was one fun break. My host mom took me to the local celebration of the Tanabata festival. There were a lot of stalls lining this one street. They had a bunch of food, games, and things to buy. Many of the kids/teens were dressed in yukata. I wanted to try everything but we were going to a yakiniku restaurant afterwards so I only had bubble tea, takoyaki (octopus balls), yakitori (chicken on a stick), and mizu candy. I also tried my hand at catching goldfish. You use a little scoop shaped like a ping pong paddle but with paper in the middle to scoop the fish into a bowl. I tried twice but wasn't able to do it before my paper dissolved. The man at the stand even showed me the trick to it but I just wasn't able to master it. I think the guy felt bad for me, so he scooped up a whole bunch and gave them to me. It was very sweet of him and made me very happy but I gave them to a little boy because we didn't have any way to take care of them.

festival pictures:

Hey look! A festival!

Can Cynthia catch fish?

This picture says "yes, I can".
Who cares how I got them?

delicious yakiniku. It's so much fun to cook food right in front of you. Yes, that is a bib I'm wearing, but don't worry everyone else was too, I promise.



7/9

Hana Yori Dango Final was full of win! One phrase: bear punching o.O Nope, I'm not going to explain that other that is is exactly what it sounds like. Lauren, Laura, and I went and saw it together and we enjoyed the super discounted tickets for Ladies Day (only 1000yen or about $10). The movie was a great conclusion to a great series and it had everything you could ask for: humor, romance, drama, bear punching, Matsumoto Jun without a shirt...

Some interesting things to note about movies in Japan. One, the Japanese people hardly ever laugh. Both of the movies I've seen here were with a couple of other American girls and both times we would burst out into laughter when we deemed appropriate only to find we were the only people in the audience making any noise. Now some of this is obviously due to cultural differences, but honestly who doesn't laugh when a skinny Asian girl punches a bear in the face-even in she is in the middle of a dramatic monologue of self-revelation? Also, it's really fun making Japanese people uncomfortable by laughing at American stereotypes that appear in their movies (and everywhere else too). For example, did you know that if you cause any problems in America you will get shot? And, just by eating American food you will get fat....oh wait that one's kinda true. It's also fun to go to movies that are in Japanese with no subtitles and know enough Japanese to follow along. That also got us funny looks from Japanese people. They never assume gaijin know Japanese.

BTW, for you Japanese speaking people reading this, the best term ever has been coined: "haku-meiwaku". Meiwaku is to bother others, but it has very deep social meanings here in Japan that can't really be translated. Haku comes from hakujin which is a term for white people. Thus when we white people are bother Japanese (like we were probably doing with our raucous laughter in a quiet movie theater) we are "haku-meiwaku"-ing. Trust me it will be very applicable when/if you go to Japan.

The other exciting thing for today was my next Espoir visit. Not only did I get my hair done but I also met my hair and makeup people (HA! I have "people"). I also talked to just about everyone in the salon and saw pictures of Daisuke-san's new baby. The more relaxed I'm getting with everyone there the more fun this whole modeling thing is becoming. Also, it's a big self-esteem boost. The number of times I heard the words "kawaii" (cute) and "kirei" (pretty) from many different people was amazing. I also receive lots of other compliments: great hair color, pretty eyes, good skin, long legs. O ho ho ho ho I am basking in the glory of being a tall blond in Japan! In actuality, I spend most of the time blushing and saying "arigatou gozaimasu" (thank you) and "okagesamade..." (Thanks to you...). The big day of the competition is the 22nd-less than two weeks. I'm very nervous/excited!

I don't think I explained how the competition is going to work. To the best of my understanding it's a test of the hair and makeup people's impromptu creativity and ability to improvise. When we get to the competition I will be given an outfit and they have to do my hair and what not in a way that matches and shows off their skills. At least I think that's what's happening. It would certainly explain why Daisuke-san just plays with my hair, trying out lots of different things.

pictures:

Lauren and I posing with the HYD movie poster after the movie.

Before the makeup.

During the makeup process. That's Daisuke-san, and this is actually the only part of the makeup process that he actually did. The rest was this really sweet girl who I think took this picture with my camera for me.

After the makeup. Left-my makeup artist. Right-the person who will do my nails. She's actually Daisuke-san's younger sister.

Time for some cam-whoring. Front and center. What you don't realize is that there is someone standing right outside the shot holding a mirror so that light shines on me in all of these shots.

Head angled to the left.

Head angled to the right. Man does my nose look big.

Me and Daisuke-san after about 2 and a half hours of this.

My attempt to get a shot of the back of my hair. I guess it was curly...it felt like he was braiding it at one point, but that might have been before or after this photo. He tried lots of different things. I think he's just trying to get a feel for my hair.

One last shot of the whole thing. I know you've been wondering about the small garden growing out of the side of my head, and I wish I could explain (allegedly some sort of decoration I suppose), but honestly I don't understand either.