I did it! I finished my course... thing! I learned some stuff, and also some things! I feel no farther along in my learning of Japanese! Wait, what? Yeah... I don't know. I suppose I feel farther along, and practice is great. I still have no idea how to actually hold a conversation, which was more or less the *point* in my mind. Thank the gods for Google Translate XD
Anywho, I'm at Stage 2 of my explorations - a WorkAway in a house that needs a significant amount of renovation. It has... a *lot* of odd problems, especially considering that it's not that old (1992!). Just... weird design choices made at the time of construction, and some very questionable concepts implemented that now have to be undone.
Anyway, a certificate:
ありがとうございました。
The last view of the park as I passed. I'm gonna miss those koi.
Something something song about mountains in the distance.
The shinkansen was fast. Like, plane-on-the-ground kind of fast. Sadly, I did not have a window seat, so not many pics worthy of posting from that trip. A surprising amount of it was in tunnels, as well. I think the neatest site was coming out of a tunnel to see a traditional-looking village nestled in a valley between mountains. It was really cool.
And now I'm here. Behold, a new desk. A new home-away-from-home, for a while.
See you on the flipside.
PS: In the process of writing this, my laptop decided that it'd had enough of this life. Basically, just decided to shut off while I was still on the first paragraph. Doesn't seem to be the battery, and I've cleaned it out thoroughly and renewed the thermal paste. So... yeah. Kind of at a loss on it, hoping it's not RAM. Getting parts here is... interesting. Currently, borrowing my WorkAway hosts' Lenovo ThinkPad summat or other. Works for now, but not a permanent solution. I'm gonna tear the old Acer apart again and make sure the thermal paste spread properly, but if that doesn't do it... then what? If you have thoughts, please advise. Cheeribees!
Yang kamu perlu tau adalah mendiamkan mu tidak pernah mudah bagiku. Tapi kali ini, sekedar membalas pesanmu saja aku tidak mau. Bukan karena tidak ingin, tapi karena tidak mampu; ketidakmampuan ku kembali berharap dan kembali patah lagi. Putaran yang sama, aku tidak mau.
Week 1 complete! When I first arrived, I was pretty ok with Hiragana and could barely make out Katakana. By the end of the first week... well, I can read Hiragana pretty well! That said, I've learned a decent amount of vocabulary and learned how to ask questions when I don't understand something, so that's a plus. We are using the Marugoto level A1 book and we're up to section 7 in it now. Yesterday we had an "interview" that felt more like a conversation... just in Japanese. And I feel like I did pretty well, so that's good! I think?
The above picture is of a park I get to walk through twice a day! Honestly it's not much more than a rainwater catchment pond, but in Japan they've stocked it with koi and planted cherry trees around a walking path they've built around it. In the states, it'd basically have a big chain-link fence blocking people from getting close. I've noticed that most of the houses around also have extremely well-manicured gardens in very, very small spaces featuring a plethora of plant types. I haven't really seen much in the way of lawns at all, although vacant lots certainly fill with grasses and weeds pretty rapidly.
I've been utilizing the corner "konbini" (convenience store) for dinners and such. For lunches, there's a regular grocery store nearly in spitting distance of Yamasa, so I've been picking up onigiri (jelly donuts) there. Honestly, even at 24hr konbinis, things are surprisingly cheap here. I've also now checked out not one, but two(!) multi-story malls nearby and... well, I think I've come to the conclusion that if you pay people a living wage and then some, they'll have money in their pockets that they can then use to purchase nifty things they actually want. In the states, malls are a dying breed, and everyone blames online retail. I don't think that's the real problem.
This evening I decided to take a short hike up to a nearby observation deck... thing. Kyogamine Tenbodai, per the maps of Google anyway. It's atop the closest foothill of a mountain chain. I'm still tryina get used to how time works here. It's not as bad as when I was in Maine and the sun thought it was a good idea to rise at 4 in the morning, but it's still like 2 hours off of what I'm used to. By the time I got to the park, it was already getting dark. And I still had way too many stairs to climb.
But climb them I did. And climb. And climb. By the time I got to the top, I was drenched in sweat. But it was so totally worth it. Why? Well, watch the video! Sorry that the quality isn't the best, phone cameras don't handle the dark well. Then, I got to climb back down. All those so many much stairs.
I made it! I'm in Okazaki, sitting at my desk with my lappy, getting ready for orientation and all that jazz. Japan! Hard to believe I'm actually, finally here. Read all about the trip after the break!
Preparation
Saturday, we went to see alpacas. Tuesday, I'm in the air. I'd love to say that everything was prepared and finalized ahead of time, but that would be false. Most of Monday was spent packing. Luckily(?) I didn't plan on bringing too much with me, so packing didn't take terribly long. Some changes of clothes, necessary paperwork, etc. I figured I'd pick up anything I forgot / didn't bring once there. Decided not to sleep Monday night because I had to be at the airport at stupid in the morning. Turns out, my TSA Pre-Check had gone through, so there weren't any real problems. Spent a couple hours, got on board, and away we go!
Flight - Dayton to Chicago
The first flight felt... way too quick. A five-hour drive became a 45-minute flight. How even (500+ mph ground speed, that's how). The O'Hare Airport in Chicago was probably my least favorite part of the trip. I didn't want to leave, but there wasn't much to do in the terminal that didn't cost an arm and a leg. And there were far, far too many people. That said, I did get a good ol' McDonald's Sausage & Egg McMuffin, so that was nice.
Flight - Chicago to Tokyo
Once it was time, we took off for Japan! The long-haul, or summat. At first, my eyes were glued to the landscapes below. We crossed through Illinois, Iowa, and into South Dakota before a thick line of clouds blocked my view. I started watching the new Super Mario movie on the in-flight whateverial, pausing somewhere near the border of North Dakota and Montana because the clouds opened up onto an impressive landscape below - the badlands! Someday, I want to visit. Then I continued my movie, and by the end of it I was a sleepy.
By the time I woke up from my initial sleep, somehow we were already in British Columbia. I ate a nice little breakfast of sausage, eggs, and hashbrowns and had some amazing green tea as we headed out to the Pacific. Below became quickly covered in clouds and I was only half awake anyway, so not much to say from this leg of the trip. Eventually, according to the map in the console anyway, we crossed part of the Alaskan mainland and made our way over the Bering Sea. I was surprised to see literal PACK ICE outside the window, what with it being August and all. Eventually, we headed south, and I headed back to snoozing.
At some point I woke to blue everywhere, and not too much longer - the coast of Japan!
Flight - Tokyo to Nagoya
First impressions - bemused surprise, mostly. A world away and yet so very similar. As we flew inbound for Tokyo, I was impressed with the sheer scale of everything. There's a reason that it's the largest city on the planet. I was also surprised that I was able to locate specific landmarks in such a city - the Tokyo Tower, for instance.
We landed and were ushered through immigration. Compared to O'Hare, Haneda airport in Tokyo felt way more open and less crowded, somehow. Also, the prices merchants were charging didn't feel exorbitant, especially on foodstuffs. I did wander in circles a few times just trying to orient myself as to where I was and where I was going, but I got to my terminal on time anyway (part of the issue is that the flight arriving was delayed, so the terminal got switched and I couldn't find the departure point; it was downstairs from the rest of them). Rather fun little boarding experience, as the "terminal" was a bus that took us to the plane out on the tarmac.
Another very quick flight, and sadly it was dark and cloudy so after the lights of Tokyo there wasn't too much to see. We landed at Centrair roughly a half-hour later than anticipated and then we were on our merry way. Once again, a much less crowded terminal than was anticipated. I also noticed that, even though I had read multiple documents warning me ahead of time about the language barrier, there are signs in both Japanese and English at nearly every terminal and train station. It feels like Japan is really trying to make sure dumb foreigners like me know where the heck they are and where they are going.
Train to Okazaki
I got my ticket and boarded the first train, which would take me from the airport to a platform exchange. The next thing I really took note of is just how integrated, cheap, and fast the trains are. It feels like something that the US could really utilize in the future, if they can ever get out from the car-centric mentality. There are cars here, of course, but you really can get around via train and bus.
At the transfer platform, I bought my next ticket and boarded the next bus. There was some confusion with the tickets since I was switching lines, but it all worked itself out. Thankfully I was able to pull some money into my PayPal account though, or I would have never been able to do any of this as I never was able to get the all-important JR Rail pass that costs an arm and a leg yet pays for itself many times over.
An Hour Late and a Dollar Short
So I arrive at Okazaki Station and realize that my phone, which is supposed to support international roaming, apparently doesn't. Thanks Mint >_< I had no way of calling Yamasa to let them know I was running late. Another surprise that I found out shortly thereafter - Japan has a tonne of public payphones! That said, both numbers for Yamasa rang to nowhere.
There were three hotels nearby (the lobby of one in which I was able to charge my phone and such), but none had last-minute rooms available. Ergo, I was kinda forced to spend my first night in Japan... in a train station.
Overnight
I became way too familiar with the Okazaki Station that night. At least I wasn't the only one sleeping there! The time was marked by a series of naps followed by wanderings. There's a lovely little 24hr convenience store across the street and a small park beside the station (if it wasn't constantly threatening rain, I would have totally just chilled in the park!) Behold, Okazaki!
In the Morning - Arrival!
Once it was "day" enough (based on the lobby lights from the hotel) I was able to go charge my phone and check for any news. Nothing yet. I figured I'd try calling every hour on the hour until I got through to someone. My first attempt went nowhere. I was busy watching the morning traffic in the station when suddenly I heard my name being called! My ride had arrived <3
A short car ride away and I was at the Student Village, my home away from home for a few weeks. After the grand tour, I promptly passed out.
A Pond, A Mall, A Shower
After a nice, finally comfortable nap, it was time to gather (some) supplies. Google Maps said there was a park and a mall literally a couple of blocks away, so to the mall I went! The park wasn't much more than a rainwater catchment pond, but (contrary to the US) it had a walking path and gardens around it. The mall was a legit, real, busy mall! If you pay people, people have money to buy things. If people have money to buy things, places like malls can thrive. If people can meet up in malls, happiness! I'll need to go back in the soontimes, as there was an excellent media store as one of the anchors complete with books, manga, videogames, stationary, etc. Nothing that I need right now, but once my scholarship funds come in... :3 Anyway, I stopped at a small CVS-style shop and picked up a few essentials.
Upon getting back to my room, I was finally able to shower. And I'm noting this here because it was the. best. shower. that I have ever had. Like, water pressure is a thing, and it is wonderful. After, I had myself some "curry" that was more like ramen while watching someone play Sonic Adventure on a GameCube and then passed out.
Tomorrow Comes Today!
So here we are. Okazaki. Three weeks of intensive Japanese language study. I really hope it helps, because my knowledge is very, very limited. From a tourists' perspective, it's fine as there is romaji literally everywhere. For someone who eventually would like to translate and potentially move here... it leaves way too much to be desired. Here's to hoping!
When I have a #free moment, I gonna have a #nice smoke. #Davidoff #Davidoffcigars #Yamasa #BackyardGarden #Backyard #Smoke #Cigars #CigarAmbassador #BOTL #SOTL #Nike #Jordan #Jordan1 @just2_guys #StrongerTogether (at Nashville, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/CI86FYvBxF0/?igshid=1m82gp6q6yx5l
