Japan

Hey

Only eight more days to go. That:s really close.

Although we have been here 9 weeks and 4 four days, so that is ages. But it:s definitely time to go home. Sarah, Kara and I are loosing the ability to form coherent sentences in English. Truly, truly depressing. Probably the best example of this is Kara saying, on the train platform, waiting to meet Saki and Aoi to go to Harajuku ‘’Sarah, stop trodding on my dreams.’’ So all we:ve been saying since then is ‘’Don:t trod on my dreams.’’ Because we:re idiots. But whatever.

It:s been scaring me slightly whenever I write in my diary, since my writing is now full of crossings out as I try to start the word ‘with’ with the letter ‘u’. It:s better on the computer though. Then I can just blame my inability to type.

The really depressing thing is though that although my English is going downhill, my Japanese isn:t improving all that much.

I hope very much that you can understand this, because judging by how I:ve been speaking lately, you might be hard pressed to understand a single word I:m saying.

See you soon!

…is so awesome. Love it, love it, love it. Can:t be bothered typing anymore.

Toodles.

P.S. I got a really cute T-shirt today. ‘This is good in this unexpectedly. I am good for anything for few one day.’

Uh, wakarimasen. (For those of you who haven:t been using this phrase every couple of minutes for the last two months, wakarimasen = I don:t understand.

Hello

Okay, so maybe this was originally an activity one of our teachers had Sarah and I doing in our Japanese lesson, but whatever.

1. Vending machines. I want to pack up a couple and take them home, but I:m not sure they:d fit in my suitcase. I can:t get over how many of them and how many different flavours and stuff there are.

2. Purikura. (The little pictures you take and then draw on.) See comment for vending machines. Love them, love them, love them!!! They:re so cute and they have the added bonus that I can actually take the pictures home, just not, you know, the entire machine.

3. The totally adorable clothes people over here wear with the Japanese – English that doesn:t make any sense. I saw a T-shirt yesterday that had mushrooms on it and said ‘Let:s grow up together and become delicious.’ I laughed so hard.

4. Everyone over here is really nice. This impresses me.

5. Also it:s busy. Like, really busy. Elanora doesn:t DO busy. At least not like Japan.

6. I am quite convinced that Yokosuka Sogo High School was built for the sole purpose of making Elanora High look bad. Mission completed. Three storeys for crying out loud. Three! And it:s just all so beautiful. Everyone who knows me who:s reading this, when I get back, you will be seeing photos. Just a warning.

7. The uniform and the fact that everyone wears it over here. It:s so cool. I know I;ve described it on here before, but whatever, I:m doing it again. Long white shirt, navy blazer, tie, high checkered grey skirt (with the shirt tucked in, no less), long navy socks, black shoes. I love it so much. Our uniform back home is just…blergh compared to this.

8. The trains. They are the best, I love them so much. Probably because of the Gold Coast:s train system, or complete lack thereof. I like the fact that if I wanted to I could walk five minutes to the station and go to Yokohama or Tokyo. Well, I could if I was Japanese and therefore born with a instinctive knowledge of the public transport system, but seeing as an Australian exchange student I don:t possess this handy quality, it would probably be better if I were to limit my Yokohama – Tokyo excursions to when I have Misato or some other equally instinctive Japanese person with me.

9. Natural disasters. They rock! In the space of the two short months I have been in the country, Japan has experienced a typhoon, god knows how many earthquakes, a tornado and a tsunami. And so what if the tsunami turned out to be about ten centimeters. There was still full on warnings on TV all night. This was for my area too. Very exciting.

10. Hot cocoa. I know this probably should be under the ‘vending machine’ heading, since that is where it comes from, but it is so good it deserves section all to itself. Oishii is all I have to say here. Oishii, oishii, oishii.

11. I am still incredibly impressed by the fact that I am in Japan. I have been here for 2 months and 1 day and I still cannot get over the fact that I am not in Australia . Sad, huh? Whenever I think about it I can feel all this insane laughter welling up in my thoat.

12. The TV over here is classic. Even the ads. I love it all. So many of the TV shows have subtitles popping up all the time and everything, it:s so cute. And in large quantities of the ads, at the end they have heaps of people standing in a clump dong the same action, like flopping their heads from side to side or doing freaky things with their hands. I also love the anime they have on here. There are certain ones Misato watches every week. My favourites are ‘One Piece’ and the weird one were there:s a girl and a guy who have this special power where they can make these cbe things around the baddies and blow them up. It sounds sad, but it:s actually really, really cool.

13. Japanese music is so cute. It:s about three or four years behind Australia and America and stuff, which is funny. I have to say though, SMAP is the single most hilarious band on the face of the earth. I know quite a lot of Japanese people love them (Case in point: Okaasan. She does all the dances along with them whenever they come onto TV) but I just laugh and laugh. I am planning on buying their album, purely for it:s unintentional entertainment value.

14. My host family is so freakishly nice I am starting to get paranoid they:re secretly plotting against me. Maybe that was why I got sick. They fed something to my voodoo doll.

15. Everything.

Sarah told me we have about 18 days left. I am afraid. I am very afraid.

I have been to Tokyo Tower. I feel so proud. It was about a two hour drive there, which was, you know, painful, but bearable because of the whole ‘I:m going to Tokyo Tower ‘ thing. Can I just state, before I go any further, that this thing is tall? I mean, really, really tall. Think Eiffel Tower tall. And then add thirteen metres. You can sort of see at the very bottom of the picture on the last post a building. This building is four stories high. So yeah, it:s tall.

So we caught the lift up to the main observatory (the big boxy red thing about halfway up. The lift was horrible, I was right at the window, so I could see all the way down the elevator shaft. Very scary. Once we go there though, at 150m, let me tell you, the view was amazing. There was a sign pointing in the direction of Mt Fuji, but once again the mountain itself was nowhere to be seen. (I:m sort of starting to expect that now.) Then we went on up to the Special Observatory (such creative names) which is the really skinny black circular bit near the top. Now, if I thought the first ride was bad, this one was terrible. I didn:t stand next to the window this time, but there was that minor detail about how, suspended 200m in the air and climbing, being held up by nothing by a cable, a voice came over the speaker thing.

‘Please be advised that in a few moments you will most likely hear a loud snapping sound. This is just the activation of a safety device and is perfectly normal.’

Because, all things considered, that is exactly what you want to hear when you:re hanging that high in the air. Also it didn:t help that I:d seen ‘Mr and Mrs Smith’ just a few short weeks before, so all I could see was that lift plummeting to the ground, as Angelina Jolie tried to kill Brad Pitt. Fortunately however, Angelina was not trying to kill me or any of my fellow passengers at that time, so we did all make it to the top alive. And I thought the view from the lower observatory was good!! This was absolutely amazing. I took so many photos. And…yeah.

Ooh, and I just found out I:m going to Tokyo Disneyland on the 21 st of November. YAY!!!

Okay. I am going to put up pictures. Unfortunately due to my complete lack of computer skills this may or may not work, so bear with me here.

So. The first picture of is of me in my school uniform (just incase you couldn:t figure that one out for yourself). Please note that while I am not wearing it in this photo, there is definitely a blazer.

Up next we have a lighthouse. I can:t remember if I:ve mentioned this before and I:m too lazy to check, but if not, I went to a lighthouse and here:s a photo of it.

This is the soccer field where Kara and I play soccer. Although play might be too strong a word. Pretend to play perhaps? Please note that it is a dirt field. Unfortunately due to both Kara and I having contact lenses and the astounding fact that dirt can, and frequently does, become airborne, we can:t see for about half the class. And we really need to see, so when the ball comes near us, we can duck. Or run away. I should probably stop saying we all the time, seeing as Kara is much better and does a lot more than me (read: actually does something) in the game. But whatever.

Next up we have the stairs, which have been previously mentioned on this blog. I:d like you to take a good look at how freakishly steep they are and hopefully stop thinking I:m a majorly uncoordinated moron who can:t even walk down a flight of stairs without sustaining huge quantities of bruising to her butt. See? I may be uncoordinated, but at least I:m not an uncoordinated moron.

Right?

And finally we come to a photograph of the keyboard I am currently typing on. Please note the apostrophe:s position (shift 7) the puny space bar and the ‘change input language’ button situated right next door. I swear, when I get home I am not going to be able to type anymore. Kara has already spent a good half hour trying to locate the @ symbol near the enter key on her Australian laptop, instead of shift 2 or something.

Which is why I:m using : instead of the apostrophe. So if this blog is completely indecipherable, don:t blame me. It was the keyboard. It was all the keyboard.

And here is a pic of Tokyo Tower thrown in for good measure. We went there today, but I can:t be bothered to type about it, so maybe next time. Or maybe not. Whatever.

I:m goin:, I:m goin:, I:m goin:, I:m goin:, I:m gone.

(Yes that was supposed to be an imitation of that lady from The Wedge. Have they cancelled that show yet? Cause it should SO be gone by now.)

Okay, really going this time.

Laura Sinclair Survives Massive Earthquake!

OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my God!! I am SO excited.

Saturday morning, 7:30am.

EARTHQUAKE!!!!!!!!!!

So, I was asleep. You know, as all mentally stable (questionable, I know, but bear with me here) are at the crack of dawn on a Saturday. And then I woke up. My bed was shaking.

EVERYTHING was shaking.

And I was freaking out excited.

Although I wasn’t entirely sure at this point if it was actually an earthquake or if it was just my freakish, early morning factor coming into play or if it was actually an earthquake. Cause I couldn’t see very much, cause it was dark and I didn’t have my contacts in, so thanks to my deformed gene pool I couldn’t see anything.

But that didn’t mean I couldn’t hear and feel anything!!

I only got confirmation when I went down to breakfast an hour and a half later and Okaasan’s comes over and she pointed to ‘earthquake’ in Misato’s dictionary. Yay!!!

I’ve just finished an Oral class which involved translating the lyrics of a James Blunt song into Japanese. Which, by the way, is really weird. But anyway.

We got to listen to the song over and over which was fun, but kind of annoying after a while.

Completely random fact’ in the ‘Learning Space’, Sarah, Kara and I are currently in, there are 40 different types of English – Japanese dictionary. More if you count the double ups.

How do I know this you may ask? Well, Sarah (clearly at the height of boredom) has just counted them.

I feel like making a list.

Random List Stuff

1. Rice, rice, rice, rice, rice. ALWAYS rice. Last night we had noodles for dinner and there was a bowl of rice as well. Really, the Japanese should hate rice because they eat it all the time. Okaasan even has it for breakfast. BREAKFAST!!

2. Every Wednesday afternoon, everyone cleans. I am serious. Last week we swept the floor. Although I’m not sure about how much actually gets done, cause most of the time seems to be spent PRETENDING to clean, but not actually doing anything.

3. SMAP is a really popular band here, despite popular opinion in the Music In My Life unit we did for Japanese in Australia. My host mum loves them, they were performing on TV last week and she was fully doing the dance along with them.

Also, one of the guys seems to be in a lot of soup ads.

4. I can’t think of anything else. I’m not really very good at remembering stuff am I???

I’ll try and add some pictures next post, but at the moment I’m on the wrong computer to do it.

Sayonara

Laura

Hello

Not much has been going on over here. Same old, same old. Except of course that in Japan same old, same old is a lot more interesting than it is in Australia. )

So. Weve just come off the school holidays. They’re majorly short, only 6 days. Which sounds especially bad when you compare it to the two weeks my (Aussie) schools just had. Which admittedly I wasnt able to partake in, but whatever.

I have now officially seen my first movie in a Japanese cinema. It was ‘The Lake House’ and thankfully in English, with Japanese subtitles. Hallelujah. LOL.

The cinema was really different than the ones in Australia .

The screen was heaps smaller and there weren’t nearly as many chairs in the cinema. And the drinks were actually pretty cheap.

I had a melon softdrink, which is the single greatest soft drink on the face of the planet. Except perhaps Sarsaparilla, but only when its made with the syrup.

And we did those really cool little Japanese photo thingys, pikura maybe? That was really scary the first time, cause the coloured backdrop came down and hit me on the noggin and it was all really fast. They look really cool though.

Except for one, where I’m pulling the most awful face out and looking like a total spaz, even though I really didnt mean to. But of course they HAD to print that one. But whatever.

Okay, should be going now.

Sayonara!

Laura

Hello friends

I am in Japan. JAPAN!!! This is so cool. I’ve been here just under two weeks and oh my god it is so awesome. The school is amazing, its so big and modern and just generally cool.

Leaves ours in the dust. I’d post some pictures, but I don’t know how to get them off the camera.

I’m having so much fun. I catch the train to school. Seriously. Its only one stop, but… A TRAIN! And the house is so little and compact. The stairs are so steep, its scary. And yeah, going fast, with socks on. Not such a crash hot idea.

Trust me on this one. I grazed both elbows and have a bruised bum.

What else has been going on??

I’m having the greatest time ever. And, I don’t actually miss the school holidays, cause we have them over here…soon. Not entirely sure when, but you know, whatever. We are going to the movies on the holidays. This will be interesting.

I feel a list coming on…

Questions That, After 13 Days in Japan, I Feel Compelled to Ask.

1. What on earth are you supposed to do in the bathroom? Seriously.

They need a step- by- step guide on the wall or something. I have NO IDEA. (Please note, I am actually clean, I’m just not sure if I’m doing it the conventional way.)

2. Why does everyone keep looking at me funny, saying ‘herro’ and then cacking themselves laughing when I say ‘hello’ back. Is it just the Australian thing, or do I have something on my face?

3. Why do I have such an unhealthy fascination with vending machines?

And just some other random things…

They have a tiny little table. Seriously tiny.

And you sit on the floor on a tatami mat to eat and watch TV and everything. The first night was really bad, cause Im not used to sitting on the floor for long periods of time and my entire leg went to sleep.

I was sitting there trying to wiggle my toes and nothing happened. I couldn’t move my foot either. Thankfully I could bend my leg though. I think its getting better though.

• I can play volleyball. With a soft ball only though.
• The uniform is the coolest thing ever. I’m talking knee skirt, long socks, blazer, tie, long shirt. The materials really heavy though, cause it gets so cold here.
• The sock thing is really confusing though. I keep having to look down to see what’s on my legs. And it only took me three goes to tie my tie this morning. I feel so proud.
• This school is almost creepily technologically advanced.’

This computer I’m on at the moment is modern!! Everyone gets their own laptop from the school and all the English lessons are conducted in Language Labs, which is basically a computer room, with a certain program and headphones.

And don’t get me started on the vending machines.

Espeically the icecream one. Yummmmmmm.

One thing I’m struggling with though is the lack of morning tea. I am so hungry by the time we get to lunch I could eat a horse. Figuratively of course. That was spelt so bad, but whatever, you’ll get over it.

Ja mata!! (See you later)

Helloo…

Eeeeeeeeeeeeee!

I’m going to Japan tomorrow! It’s come around so fast, it’s scary. Yayness.

My suitcase is packed, I’ve had my hair cut, we’re buying me yen today. I have to say it all feels alot more real and scary when you don’t have any clothes left. I had to wear one of Mum’s tops today because I didnt’ have any left.

And can I just say hi to all my friends and my brothers who are going to SCHOOL today. Suckers. I had the second half off yesturday off (hey, hairdressers appointment, you can’t mess with that! ) and all of today off.

Did you know there’s apparently a typhoon over there right abut now? Or so I’ve been told. There was a typhoon over there last time I went too, but that was off in the bay (?) somewhere. It did mean it rained alot on our Disneyland day and we weren’t even sure if we were still going to go. But we did. Yay. Although we’d been walking through the drizzle to the train station, no umbrellas or anything and our teacher says “Did you know that in Tokyo, all the rain is acid rain?” We’re all standing there in the drizzle being all “Well, thanks for that”.

Yeah.

I’m going to try and keep this up to date while I’m over there, so please if you’re one of my friends COMMENT!!!!!!!!!! Because we all know (well, I do anyway) that emailling may well be kinda … slack. Yeah.

Unless of course I prove to be such a freak I can’t even figure out how to change the imput language, which is quite probable.

Toodles.