positive vision

my exchange experience & beyond

[exchanging-perspectives]

Getting Sick Overseas

Now my time in Japan is over. February was intercepted with a quick tour to China and three rounds of antibiotics. 

Here are some tips, learn from me if you get sick overseas. 

If it’s just a cold or not serious: REST. Eat healthy. Keep an eye on yourself, sleep as much as you can, take as many breaks if that’s not possible. Don’t push yourself. Keep your fluids up. Try to cut out caffeine and alcohol. 

If it’s serious and keeps getting worse: GO TO THE DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY. Don’t be like me and think ‘oh I’ll just try a herbal remedy’ - DON’T. Pay up your health insurance or travel insurance and GO TO A LOCAL DOCTOR. Even if you have to use broken English, even if you have to print out what you have to say, even if you have to google English speaking doctors in the area, or use a phrasebook to try and say what is wrong. I didn’t do this and I’m now paying for it by being sick on and off for almost the entirety of February. 

I am talking about infections. Whether it’s a chest infection, a urinary tract/kidney/bladder infection, anything where it can get bad very fast GO TO THE DOCTOR. It’s going to be easier to figure out the doctor system overseas than it will be to go to the emergency room. 

A good thing to do would be to research this before you leave. Also make sure you have comprehensive insurance, the extra 30-40 dollars will be so worth it if you do happen to become ill. 

DON’T DRINK ALCOHOL ON ANTIBIOTICS. JUST DON’T DO IT. You want your body to become better? CUT IT OUT. Also get rid of coffee and just drink decaf/tea during that time instead. Your body will absorb the medication better. Also be wary of using herbs/vitamins/probiotics during this time. It’s probably better just to eat healthy and pick up all these things after your course is done. 

Infections can be really easy to come back if not treated properly, so soon after you return go to an English-speaking doctor. Or if you are there for a long time and had to visit a confusing doctor, make sure to have follow-up appointments, even if it means you have to travel to a neighbouring city or town etc. 

Looking after your health is so important. Especially overseas. Just be smart and listen to your body! It will tell you if something is wrong, and you will know. 

[exchanging-perspectives]

Vert: Changes in my Personality

I have noticed stark changes in my personality since coming to Japan and indeed, since a few years ago. I have become more quiet, more introverted and more liking hanging out in small groups or one-on-one rather than with loads and loads of people. I get energy from myself, but not so much that I want to be alone all the time. I feel like I’m in the middle of introvert and extrovert, that I’m just ‘vert’. 

Leftover from my teenage years, I am still slightly highly strung and while on the general exterior can appear calm in a crisis I usually create a crisis within myself that I get nervous from very small things. Even though I like being alone in familiar environments, I do NOT like being alone in new environments. Having learned this I am going to try in future to do things with my boyfriend or my friends or my sister. It’s so much more fun with someone else! 

I have real trouble overcoming stress and personal boundaries. Real trouble. I feel like in the end its a good thing as I overcome fears and have a good time but there’s so much resistance. I am going to go on this tour today and if I have to I will cry. 

I have made good friends overseas. But at the same time there is a certain anxious side of myself that did not exist back home. If you also gain this, try and break through it, as no progress can be made with it hanging over your head. 6 months gives you enough time to break through culture shock but it does not give you enough time to learn a language effectively unless you are going to an exclusive language school. 

When I come back I am going to relax. I’m sick of pushing my boundaries and I’m sick of ‘getting out of my comfort zone’ - i’m going to get in the damn zone and hang out for a bit. In leggings and big jumper preferably. 

[exchanging-perspectives]

January & Birthday with my Boy [Longish]

I always knew from the get go that January would be my leanest month when it comes to my exchange experience. It did not disappoint. I was incredibly skint for most of the time being here. This is due to me not budgeting properly and taking all my Japan trips at the start of my semester in Tokyo.

Still, it was an enjoyable month. I finished almost all of my work (still working on one major essay due in a few days but I am getting there); I went to karaoke more than a few times; I ate delicious foods. I spent time with my friends. So it was not all bad. My birthday was at the end of January and as a super special beautiful surprise my boy booked a flight to come see me for five days. The best present of all!! I was so happy. We had a really awesome five days together.

On the first day we just hit up our favourite gyoza restaurant near my house for a chill time. Then we came home as it got late pretty quickly. The second day I wanted to try Tsuta - a famous, michelin-star award winning Ramen restaurant only two stations away. We left pretty early and managed to miss the line, which is awesome.

The ramen from Tsuta - So, so delicious and affordable please try it 

Me and my boy outside the ramen shop. I have no idea why I look 12 here.

Then we went to a cafe, and then Karaoke all-you-can-drink and ended the night with some BBQ, the meat was lovely but we ended up accidentally ordering the gristle AGAIN and of course neither of us wants to eat that. Most Japanese food is great but the gristle/cartilage/other offal stuff you find on the occasion in Yakitori and BBQ is just blerg. Can't eat it. However it has inspired me to make my own kebab-style chicken thingy’s this year where I can make it with good quality chicken breast and make the marinade myself. Like I’m sure it will be better that way. 

I really struggle with menus sometimes. Like I can get the gist and the basics but I do mess up on many occasions and I really have to try and learn more about intricate menu items this year, not just 'this is meat, this is vegetable, this is 4 cheeses' stuff. Its messed us up more than once and I need to take more responsibility of my own learning rather than trying to deflect my mistakes.

The next day we were pretty hungover so we just chilled around the house. It was really nice though. Absolutely a beautiful day to reconnect. The weather was truly awful too so it was just good to stay warm and hang out. My baby boy bought me beautiful earrings and a necklace along with some magazines and chocolates for my birthday, along with of course him coming to see me!! How lucky am I? 

We wanted the next day (my birthday) to go to my favourite Karaoke place in Shibuya but it was over a 90 minute wait so we went to good-ol Karaokekan again. A good experience but my muddled Japanese sometimes makes it awfully easy for people to say one thing and then later on say another. Honestly the customer service here really isn't 'the customer is always right' - it's more like 'your server is always right' - and I have a sinking feeling that they were kind of messing with me. Which is unfortunate. A very odd experience. Then we went to a pork ShabuShabu place and really ate a lot of delicious food, which made the night better.

I wanted to eat honey toast too but Karaoke Pasela is awfully expensive and I don’t think it would have been worth the money just to eat something like that. Again i am sure I can find it in Melbourne and if I can’t I will just have to make it myself :3 . 

The next day my boy had to leave so we just hung out again. I think both of us are getting to the end of our energy levels when it comes to going here and there. We just want to chill. 

My boy really took care of me very, very well and I am eternally grateful for the time, money, patience and love he has shown me. He is a very special person and being in Tokyo has made me realise that even more than before. Hold on to the people you love because they are few and far between. 

I’m happy and looking forward to going to China in a few days, then I am coming back home. I feel grateful and happy that I got to have this experience and I got to share so much of it with my boy. 2016 is already shaping up to be a great year! 

[exchanging-perspectives]

JLPT N4

Today the results came out for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test I took in December of last year. Even though I have been studying Japanese for a while I decided to take the level down where I think I am. I am so glad I did. As I think I could have dealt with harder kanji and listening challenges, my reading is nowhere near up to standard to deal with N3 quite yet. 

Those results showed that I passed! I’m very happy and somewhat relieved, as it validates the hard work I have done for a few years. As I am a slow-ish learner (no shade on myself, it’s just a fact), I now have the determination and the drive to push myself to do N3 at the end of this year. 

Reading is my main focus. I can do kanji, I can do sentence structures and grammar, I can do listening. Reading takes the most self-work and self-determination and this year I want to become better and better at it. As a result I’d like to read more manga in Japanese and I will be using online resources and books I have bought while in Japan to help me. 

Learning Japanese is important to me and I’m not going to let tiny aggravations like thinking I’m not good enough, or being jealous of people who are more advanced than me, bring me down. I’m going to use it to propel myself forward. One day, in a few years time I want to be taking the N1 ! 

[exchanging-perspectives]

Japan: The King of Snacks

I made a post a few days ago talking about the generally unhealthy quality of Japanese food. Now I am going to make a post about the general deliciousness of Japanese food. Especially snacks. 

The quality and range of snacks in Japan is made for every taste. You like savoury? Sweet? Hot? Cold? Meat? Carbs? Candy? Choco? Anything you want is here. You can have anything you want! The convenience stores especially provide lip-smacking snacks at a very reasonable price. 

From the crop of convenience stores, 7/11, Family Mart (or ‘Famima’), Lawsons, Circle K (I think of Bill & Ted every time) among others, there are specialties within each one. Each has hot food, which is much better quality than your average warmed-up pie you get from the footy which probably cost you at least $4.50. 

Chocolates

The black packet third row from the top is absolutely addictive melt in the mouth individual pieces of wafer-thin choco. Good luck spacing it out (I can’t). 

Breads 

I personally love the Melon Pan, it tastes nothing like melon but tastes everything like sugar and buttery deliciousness. 

Noodles 

Noodle wise all of these are pretty good and VALUE if you’re on a crazy student budget. I love the ‘mustard mayo UFO’ flavour. 

There are also delicious icecreams of all different varieties, and large packs of crisps to enjoy as well. No, they aren’t healthy (best not even to check the calorie or sugar content) but they are delicious. A problem that harks back to what I was saying in my last post though is that there are verrrry little if you are vegetarian/vegan or have food allergies. GOOD LUCK. It will likely be expensive and difficult to find. If you’re a regular Joe Schmoe like me then time to stuff your face silly with delicious foods before having food regret and ‘getting back into it’ the next day. 

Oh Japan, people who come here and manage to lose weight are not doing it right! 

[exchanging-perspectives]

Japanese Food Isn’t Healthy

It’s a well perpetuated and spread myth that Japanese food is full of health and of course fish, fish, fish. Before I came here, I heard more than once that ‘ah I hope you like fish!’ and ‘the food there is so healthy!’ 

It really isn’t. 

From the beef bowls and ramen places on every corner to the burgeoning explosion of pastry and bakery stores, there are not many places that scream ‘health!!’ out to you. As a person who enjoys eating relatively healthy at home, this came as a surprise to me. Now, having been to Japan before you would think I would be aware of this, I’m sure I was but as they were only holidays I have not come to really think about it on this level. 

Back to the food. Now, even in the supermarket, pure vegetables, and tofu and soy-based products are certainly cheap. I will give Japan that. But if you wish to add anything to your meal, for example meat, you will see the price skyrocket. The servings are also a lot smaller, garnering you much less value overall. So not only is it difficult, it’s also expensive. 

As a busy person, if you are not cooking or not someone with a particularly large amount of money healthy eating on a budget becomes incredibly trying. Don’t even mention being vegetarian or vegan, as if you are either of those you will HAVE to meal prep your every step, as most things here contain animal products. This leads to another dilemma, changing menus over here? Forget it. Do not ask ‘can I have this without meat’ or ‘is this available with soy’ - if it is not SPECIFICALLY on the menu with those ingredients or available as a modifier, they will not understand what you are asking. 

An example: Me in a coffee shop that serves smoothies with soy milk, so I knew soy milk was available. 

“Can I have this coffee with soy instead of regular milk?”  “But this coffee is with milk”  “Yes but I’d like it with soy instead, do you have soy?”  “We do...but (literally ちょっと)”  “So can I have that soy in the coffee?”  “But this coffee is with regular milk” 

THIS IS A REAL CONVERSATION. I’ve heard many, many other cases of this so by no means is it an isolated case. 

The next dilemma. Japanese food is full of carbs. FULL of them. Rice, bread, noodles, salads are so rare they are often MORE expensive than the other more ingredient-full meals. Near my university in a verrrry rich area of Tokyo there are some vegetarian and vegan restaurants and some organic supermarkets, but it is so eye-wateringly expensive that you will go back to your natto and egg for lunch and curse about being poor. 

It’s odd to me that even after all these years that regular, run-of-the-mill Japanese food is thought of as healthy. But I think that the problem is, foreigners mistake Washoku (和食 traditional Japanese food), for the food that everyday Japanese eat while on the way to work and during the day. If a person is Japanese, then yes, their mother or father or even grandparents might have cooked them this type of food in their lifetimes, and THIS food is exceptionally healthy. Full of fish, a smorgasboard of different fresh flavours and very low-carb, Washoku is certainly a more healthy option. The problem is that there is no way that foreigners can eat these kind of delights every day, as these days they are thought of as more of a treat or delicacy, even among some younger Japanese people. 

The amount of white shortgrain rice that is in food with the population being so genetically prone to thinness is still a hark back to more scarcer times. As we, as foreigners, marvel how they eat so many carbs while managing to not gain much weight. The insane and terrifying over-the-top diet culture is also probably due to this. The amount of thin girls I’ve heard saying they need to go on a diet is alarming, and considering the country itself is only just waking up to the fact that anorexia is an illness shows how behind in some very common social issues that other countries know is a problem. 

I am not trying to throw shade here. Japan is an absolutely wonderful country and I have met some fantastic people here. This is just my view on the food and indeed food culture in general here. In Melbourne, my hometown, I can find it easy to eat very healthy and delicious and nutritious vegan and vegetarian food are available on a budget as well. It’s an interesting topic to discuss. 

[exchanging-perspectives]

What I Will and Won’t Miss About Japan

Will Miss:  - Food and Snacks - Convenience Stores  - Ease of going to concerts - Flat landscape = good for running  - Shinkansen and public transport - Cute stores and really fun shopping - Cheap Karaoke

Won’t Miss:  - Being the ‘odd one out’  - Getting stared at on trains  - Skinny animals  - The CROWDS of people - Expensive fruits !!!

[peachcappuccino]

Learning a Lesson ♥

Today I went to a really great meetup and it really put into perspective how life-intensive learning a language is, and how futile and useless it is to compare yourself to others. 

Sometimes, I freak out because my Japanese is not as good as I would hope it to be, however this is probably due to huge gaps in my formal learning and the fact I have not been as dedicated as I should be. This changes here and now. I am going to dedicate 2016 to passing the JLPT N3 at the end of the year (whether or not I passed the N4 that I took last year - results are not out yet, I hope I pass but I am determined to not be disheartened if I do not). 

You can learn a language at any age. I refuse to listen to that claptrap about the younger you are the better you learn. Sometimes you wrestle with your brain and you don’t understand until you have an epiphany. 

Don’t beat yourself up. Just keep trying, fail, fail fail, WIN, fail fail, it’s all a learning curve and the more you fall down the more you have to get up, as you don’t know what is right around the corner. 

[peachcappuccino]

♥ My back balcony area this morning ♥

[exchanging-perspectives]

What I Like and Dislike about Tokyo #2

Like:  - Food  - Convenience Stores  - Ease of attending events/concerts etc - Trains / excellent public transport  - Karaoke anywhere you want  - Fashion and style 

Dislike:  - No chill  - Slow walkers  - Don’t even try to modify a menu  - “Us” v “Them” attitude - Expensive to live in  - Where the heck is the fruits 

I also had a very big idea that I would do so much travelling (as you can read earlier in this blog) when in reality unless you plan it and pay for it before you leave you may as well kiss it off (unless you’re working) as it is going to be extremely hard to pay for. I’m quite happy with Yokohama, Fukui, Tateyama and China though in the end. In less than 6 months that’s still a fair whack of travelling about so I feel good nonetheless. 

[exchanging-perspectives]

December: Holidays in Tokyo [Long]

I had an amazing Christmas and New Years period with my boyfriend and my friends. 

I had a Morning Musume Concert and a BoA concert in one week! Both were AMAZING. Morning Musume’s performances are SO GOOD and BoA sang a really good mix of her Japanese, Korean and English songs! Both concerts were just so so good and I was overjoyed I got to see both of them. I have been a fan of MM and of BoA for a really long time and it felt amazing to be part of the concerts. 

Morning Musume '15 at Budoukan

At the start of December everyone was very keen to get the holidays started. We were all exhausted with homework and constant essays, memorisation and other things that don’t really help our fluency but the system over here seems to be obsessed with. Near the end of Uni semester I went to a girls only meetup and met a lovely lady called Tracey. At the time she talked about how she was going on a trip and how her two cats needed looking after. I didn’t think anything of it, but it was a good meetup anyway.

A few days later I got a message from her asking if I wanted to babysit her two little cats! I was overjoyed and of course accepted. I am fairly good with cats and since I was missing my cat Phoebe so much, I was happy to be looking after them! My boy was coming at the same time so I was very looking forward to an exciting Christmas period in a bigger house than my shoebox (not to diss, still love my teeny tiny place) with my boyfriend and the cats too! How lovely! 

I went to meet her and was really impressed by how lovely the apartment was, and how cute the cats were too! Very friendly and affectionate. 

When my boyfriend came, I met him at a local station, it was still so exciting seeing his beautiful face. He has the most amazing smile! We went back to my apartment and prepared for the next day. Luckily the apartment we were house sitting the cats at was very easy to get to accessible-wise. 

At that time I only had one week of Uni left before holidays so I was very looking forward to getting it all started. My boy and I went to Uni together a few times and he would meet me after school. I just loved seeing him there, and honestly blocking out the world for a bit and being in our own little space was just heaven. The cats were exceptionally well behaved, if a little nervous with strangers in their house (understandable!) and eventually grew to get to like us very much. 

The Cats - Ollie and Milton - I think Milton looks like Orson Welles 

My boy treated me to an incredible High-Tea at Imperial Palace Hotel Tokyo. It was an all-you-can-drink-tea and desserts fest. Afterwards we found a German-style Christmas market and ate some nice sausages and had a beer! It was an amazing night with my angel, quite cold but I enjoy being with him so much and just gallavanting about.  

High Tea - So fancy and delicious! 

We also went and did some really cool stuff, Like going to Nakano Broadway and ate the 8 flavoured ice cream (it was delicious, not only fun but good quality ice cream as well, let’s face it I ate most of it myself). 

Not my photo - Delicious flavours including coffee, chocolate, ramune, matcha etc

I had, by that point, decided to cook on Christmas day as I was dealing with a very large kitchen that I was excited to use. I also wanted to try! I do enjoy cooking but admit I’m definitely not the best at it as I usually just do it for myself. But now I have the most amazing boy on earth™, I want to try doing more and more for the both of us to enjoy. 

So I compiled my recipes and put a good menu (I thought) together. I found everything kind of easily (substitutes had to be made as I got the recipes from an Australian website but that is fine). 

In the space before Christmas my boy and I went to the Tokyo Skytree, he even paid for my ticket to the express line, and we had some more yummy currypan in the food court (we always like currypan but we admit we overdid it near the end). 

Skytree View

Skytree was fun! The view was really really nice and they had heaps of stuff for couples as Christmas was approaching (in Japan, Christmas is like a couples holiday and New Years is the family holiday) so it was really, really romantic to be with my boy seeing these lovely views. But of course looking at him is the best view of all. I think 

We also went to karaoke so many times!! It was great!! One night we had an awesome night and did karaoke and then ate at this delicious new Korean chicken place that had just opened up recently. He paid for so much of the stuff when he didn’t have to and I feel so grateful for it. He is truly a very kind and beautiful person. 

We then attended a BENI concert! Have you heard of BENI? She is amazing and you should definitely listen to her. My boy bought me a shirt!! I was so happy! I also bought us some lightsticks so we could do the normal Japanese thing at a concert (which is sit there/stand there and wave a lightstick around, no one dances at concerts here which is very strange because the performers put in 100000% to performing). She was REALLY good and put her absolute heart and soul into the concert!! 

Us at the Beni Concert - I love this boy. I love him a lot a lot a lot

It definitely started to get very cold as winter set in. Some of the nights were very frigid and it was good to get back to the apartment and pop the heating on. It felt kind of surreal sometimes staying in such a large and beautiful place with cats as it did feel like a peek into the future (I hope one day I can have enough disposable income to afford my own place). 

My boy and I really connected on a deeper level here in Tokyo as well so that was amazing. On Christmas Eve we went to Tokyo Tower which was very close to where we were staying, and was also a great choice as it became lit up with lights and lovehearts as we were going, so we had a beautiful view. We also ate ice-cream in Tokyo Tower (how much do I love sweets? maybe too much ahah). :) 

Romantic Tokyo Tower

Christmas eve we found a butcher that was open and he gave us the FRESHEST piece of meat I have ever seen in my life (I swear it was cut straight from the cow, you should have seen it, it was amazing) and my boy helped me pay for it!! Bless his beautiful goddamn heart !! One day I want to make a feast for him where I do everything myself, shop, pay, prepare and cook and surprise him. He deserves it!! 

On Christmas day I made up the Christmas dinner and it took a while but everything turned out pretty well EXCEPT for dessert which was a MESS. Luckily I have learned for next time haha. Our roast, mulled wine and sides were pretty good but I still have a high learning curve. I want to get better and better at cooking! 

Our dinner - So yum, beef was incredible 

We talked to our families on Christmas and had a lovely time. Over the couple of days following we had a chill day or two (essential) and went to Roppongi (which was packed and full of crazies as usual) - but we still had an awesome time. After we left the kitties (no ;_;) we had a day/night in Odaiba, and then we hit up Yokohama for a night, we went to Chinatown and ate dumplings! Then we did Karaoke again! Hahaha. I LOVE doing Karaoke with my boy he’s so good!!! It’s so exciting!!! 

Drinks at Karaoke 

In Yokohama, a LOT was closed because of the Christmas/New Year period (kind of disappointing but I was glad to be there again anyway after Tokyo’s constant business) - my boy and I still managed to go on the big Ferris Wheel, which was really fun! It was a beautiful day! Tokyo has managed to be a VERY dry winter so far. 

View from the Ferris Wheel

After coming back from Yokohama we had a few days before my boy had to go home and semester started up again. On NYE we (along with my friend Carolin) went to Karaoke (with all-you-can-drink), and afterwards we got a pizza. We wanted to find a cool bar but the entire of Ikebukuro was so dead. I just didn’t want to be in Shibuya because I knew it would be so packed. So after being in Ikebukuro for a while we just came back to my apartment and I watched some J Soul Brothers on TV. 

NYE in Ikebukuro 

The next day was the last day of my boy in Japan and I wanted to take him to Ueno to go to my favourite store Yamashiroya but of COURSE it was closed because it’s a public holiday! Argh! So we just ended up walking around these really lowbrow markets for a while and there was so many people in a crush I felt a bit uncomfortable so we came home. I probably forgot a lot of stuff in this but I hope I remembered all the important parts. :) 

After a sad farewell I used the next few days to study up a bit. Now I’m back at school! I’m pretty poor after the holidays but I am looking forward to the next report I will make: The Tokyo Cosmetics Show! 

I also wish to take this time to truly thank my boy for making the holidays a beautiful time, and for helping me out so much in so many ways, and just being there for me. 

[exchanging-perspectives]

November: With my Boy [Long]

A few weeks ago my beautiful boyfriend came to see me in Tokyo. We had a really amazing time together and I will try and remember most of it here.

Update: The amazing restaurant is called 花やしき (Hana Yashiki) - it’s near the 7/11 - if you go to Tateyama (Chiba) PLEASE go. Your trip would not be complete without it. 

So on the Thursday night I went to meet him at the airport. I was so nervous and even though the train was an hour and a half I stood the entire time. It had been ten weeks since we had last seen each other in person so it was very exciting. When I saw him it was like meeting him again for the first time. A very very amazing feeling. 

The next day I had to go to University so he came with me and saw me off for my class. It felt surreal leaving him at the room but I met with him afterwards and we went to get Ichiran Ramen in Shibuya. 

Us at Ichiran 

Then that weekend we just had a bit of a chill time, then spent a good day looking around Ikebukuro which is not far from me. We had pizza and drinks and he bought me some beautiful clothes and makeup and I appreciated it so so much. Then we went to Karaoke and it was like a fantasy as he has a really, really good voice. 

Monday was a long Uni day so I think that day he chilled in Roppongi? Then Tuesday we were going to do all this stuff but since I’m so sleepy we just ended up hanging out in Asakusa. A lady went crazy trying to sell us some kind of ashtray or something. There seems to be a lot of nutters in Asakusa. Then we went to the government building and saw a really beautiful view among very cheap and cheerful souvenir shops. 

View from Tokyo Government Building

Tuesday night we went to Akihabara and hung out with a friend of mine and her husband. We had food and drinks and even though it was all-you-can-drink I left sober (how? I’m so slow at everything is probably why aaha). The food was very good as well. 

Wednesday I can’t really remember what we did. I know I had class, and I know we went to the Gyoza restaurant near me a few times (they do very very good Gyoza but are almost certainly not Japanese, still, the food is excellent and affordable as well). 

Thursday I also had class, but since it was late we went to Harajuku first and I practiced my speech for a little while. Luckily I had practiced it a few times and I think it went well. During that time my boy explored Harajuku a bit more. 

Me doing the speech

Friday I also had class but then afterwards we took the loooooooong train trip to Tateyama in Chiba Prefecture. At that time my boy was exploring more of Akihabara and we met at that station to go down. The hotel was in a teeeny area and there was a ‘whale bento’ you could purchase near Tateyama station. O_O That night we just ended up going to tiny Italian joint that felt like it was stuck in a time warp and I stuffed up a bunch of my Japanese ! It was still a lot of fun though. 

On the Saturday we went on a nice walk around the area, then went to Mt. Nokogiri, about 20 minutes away from the hotel. After a beautiful morning at a local bakery (which made amazing curry pan) we set off and climbed many, many, many stairs to finally see the amazing gigantic Buddha at Nokogiri. 

Amazing Buddha (It is HUGE) 

After we left Nokogiri we went back and got changed to go to dinner, I had a bit of a weird panic attack or something but my boy was so calm and patient with me and we ended up going to this amazing local joint that was just so good, after we couldn’t go to the first place which I made a reservation for the next day. At this place we had AMAZING Korokke (I love korokke), sashimi, and karaage (fried chicken) - seriously this places food was so so good. My boy was right when he said “sometimes the little local places are the best” - it’s so true. For me it’s really nervewracking and difficult to get over my own communication fears but my Japanese held up really well and it was absolutely fine. The lesson is sometimes your head creates situations or fears that aren’t even there and it’s so important to let someone else take the lead sometimes. 

The next morning, my boy went for a run and brought me back bread and coffee because I was sleeping way too much (not news), so wonderful. That day, I wanted to go to a little farm I had seen recommended in a pamphlet. Long story short it ended up being REALLY disappointing and kinda sad. But we had an ice cream and it was probably the best ice cream I’ve had since having the Cremia in Akihabara a few months ago. However my boy and I ended up having a great afternoon, he bought me flowers and showed me the shows he loved in his childhood. I was truly truly touched by his beauty and kindness, as I am every day. He is really one of those people who lights up the room. How truly, truly lucky I am. 

That night we ended up going to the most INCREDIBLE dining experience I have had in Japan thus far. It was a Yakiniku (grilled meat) place, and the staff!!! They were absolutely lovely! Using the highest form of respect for us, while still treating us like humans and speaking in only Japanese to me, while letting my boy practice his as well. The FOOD WAS SO GOOD. OH my god, the thinly sliced beef, the ox tongue, the drinks! We got an all you can drink and all you can eat combination for under 5000 yen. As we left, one of the staff members said:  ああ、素敵なカップルだね、羨ましい！  Ah what a lovely couple! I’m Jealous! 

It really stuck in my head. How wonderful. I really will not forget their kindness. I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the restaurant!! However when I do I will put it up in this post. The last night of the hotel was fun as well and the next day we trudged back up to Tokyo to finalise my boy’s departure. How I miss him already. But luckily he will be back soon and there are things I want to do with him next time he is here.  - Skytree - Nakano Broadway  - Tokyo Tower  - Robot restaurant 

Among other things! I love Tokyo with my boy! <3

[exchanging-perspectives]

Fukui Prefecture Trip [Long post] 福井県の一人旅

Tojinbo Cliffs - My Image

Last weekend, there were a few days off in a row from University, as a result I was able to go on a long-weekend trip to Fukui Prefecture, it is about 3 and a half hours North-West of Tokyo, on the coast. 

I left on the Sunday, after having a great Halloween Saturday, which included seeing AKB48 in concert at Nippon Budoukan, then having drinks and karaoke with friends. On Sunday, I put all my stuff together and headed off from my house at around 1pm. The Shinkansen was incredibly easy to use and I went from Shinagawa station -> Maibara (near Nagoya); then Maibara -> Fukui. 

When I arrived at Fukui station, it was very easy to find my hotel as it was only about 2 minutes walk away. Fukui station is very interesting and has robotic dinosaurs out the front of it (advertising Fukui Prefecture Dinosaur Museum). 

I stayed at Fukui Phoenix Hotel. It was an absolutely incredible experience, and not for the rooms or service (even though these were absolutely fantastic as well). I stayed for three nights for 30,000yen. Now this might sound expensive. But now I tell you that dinner AND breakfast are included in the price. Definitely makes it more appealing.

Mouth-watering sashimi

Now, the food available at this hotel was like nothing I have ever eaten in my life. I have never really eaten true Washoku (和食) before, so I only have the food I have eaten normally to compare it to, but this food was undoubtedly the BEST food I have ever eaten. That is not hyperbole. I was so surprised that at this regional hotel, I got to eat the freshest sashimi, the most balanced and delicious miso and tempura; and the experience of cooking my own fish and prawns on a small grill with the most amazing dipping sauce as accompaniment. I cannot say enough about how incredible the food was in every way, the taste, the presentation and the service along with it, and the fact it was all included! Blew my mind. 

On the first day I went to Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, it was actually fairly far from Fukui main station, but taking the small regional trains was a lot of fun too. I got off after about an hour and started the walk, now, I knew the walk would also take about an hour, the thought of a Taxi did enter my mind but the fact that the environment was so incredibly relaxed, quiet and calming made me excited to walk the whole way. The day itself was quite rainy and foggy, but the mist just made the landscape more breathtaking, beautiful mountain ranges, small lakes with the relaxing sound of water, and the SILENCE of it all made my walk just so enjoyable and calmed my mind. 

How beautiful! 

I got to the dinosaur museum after a Looooooooooong walk, the rain was on and off and the humidity was up so I was glad to be inside after all that time. Even so, I do love a walk. 

The dinosaur museum is HUGE and only 740yen entrance fee, which is fantastic. It definitely went above and beyond my expectations. A long history of dinosaurs in Japan and around the world, a detailed explanation of the ‘Fukuisaurus’ (found in Fukui prefecture of course) and a massive display of the evolution of mankind, other animals and a big section on gemstones, fossils and rocks as well. Absolutely fascinating, three BIG floors of interesting and fun exhibits. I really enjoyed my time there and it was worth the long walk. After buying a shirt at the gift shop, I walked back and took one last look at this amazingly hidden area of the world before heading back to Fukui centre. 

Check out the dinos  On the second day, I decided to go to Tojinbo cliffs (first picture on this post), which is on the very western coastal area of Japan. Every time I see a coastline I am always so relaxed and refreshed so I was really looking forward to another walk. Again I took a small regional train out to where it was and walked along a very dirty-looking beach to find the cliffs, this walk was much shorter than the previous days, so it was not hard. However, the walk was not as scenic. Once I got to the cliffs I was surprised how it had turned into somewhat of a tourist trap, shops everywhere selling food and souvenirs (not very good ones) - so it’s best to go past them and go straight to the cliffs. The cliffs are beautiful, unfortunately they are so famous because a lot of people decide to commit suicide there. 

The weather on the day I visited was perfect, and I spent a lot of time simply looking at the ocean lapping and thinking of nothing. I can see how these are dangerous though as people were climbing all over them and even letting their very young children just run here and there with barely any supervision. Please be very careful if you go to the cliffs and climb with two hands and take care of yourself. 

After my beautiful weekend I went back to the hotel and had the last dinner, followed by the last breakfast the day after. Then I managed to miss my Shinkansen and be too late for Uni to do my speeches that were due that day, whoops!! Luckily my teacher understood and even accepted my essays that were to go with the speeches so perhaps I can still capture some marks. 

I would highly recommend Fukui. It is relaxing, the people are unassuming and don’t stare at you (like they do in Tokyo, CONSTANTLY) and you generally feel more at ease and more at home. To be honest I was reluctant to go back to Tokyo after the easy life of Fukui for a couple of days. I had a great time and I can’t wait for my next mini-trip outside of Tokyo! 

[exchanging-perspectives]

Whiny day

You’re allowed to recognise and feel differences culturally between you and your host country. Today I was particularly feeling them. A few of them I can remember I will list here.  - Go in a shop - IRRASSHAIMASE IN ALL DIRECTIONS, YOU ARE DEAFENED, ALSO BUY OUR GOODS BUY THEM NOW BUY THEM. THERE ARE FOURTEEN WORKERS IN THE SHOP WITH ONLY TWO CUSTOMERS.  - Take your shoes OFF put your shoes ON take your shoes OFF put your shoes ON  - DO EVERYTHING YOURSELF - THERE ARE NO CLEANERS HERE THAT PERSON IS YOU   - [say something relatively mundane] HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHH?!!!! MAJI DE MAJI DE MAJI DE? please god stop  Non-verbal communication is so different here I am yet to wrap my head around it and today was a tiny bit of a bad day so I’m in reality just having a whine, but there are still certainly great people out there.

Your university will teach you that culture shock goes UP, DOWN then stabilises, when in reality I find it goes up and down in waves. 

[exchanging-perspectives]

Things I did not expect about Tokyo #1

- Earthquakes (Yes I knew they happened but I had no idea how frequently) - People staring at you all the time, ALL THE TIME  - The constant lingering humidity (even on days where it is only 20 degrees or so you can be sweating)  - The difficulty of making Japanese friends (I’ve made plenty of foreigner friends but everyone seems to stick in groups - which makes sense, you have to get out of Uni sometimes to make friends) 

[exchanging-perspectives]

Recommended

When you get to your host country, do whatever you can to be immersed in the language. A lot of the time this means taking matters into your own hands. 

For example, I have been in Japan for almost 2 months now and only felt like my Japanese was improving at such a glacial pace I decided to join meetups at meetup . com. Today, I found a really good one that I will be using on a weekly basis. 

You’ll probably find that in your classes it is mostly foreign exchange students, when this is the case you really do have to study hard. it’s difficult but worth it. Working on conversational skills is the reason why I am here so letting it flow and speaking naturally with Japanese natives has actually been the point where I feel like I am learning the most. Not in the classroom. 

[exchanging-perspectives]

Trips & Tours

- Yokohama - Done  November:  - Fukui  - Chiba  December:  - Hokkaido  - Osaka/Kyoto/Nara 

January  - Fukuoka 

February - China tour then home 

I really have to see more of Tokyo and Greater Tokyo while I am here tooooooooo~