Catch-up

Rather than continue to recap with an elaborate day-to-day, I've decided to summarize up until the current state of things, since I will be without my computer for most of this weekend anyways and don't want to have THAT much more catch-up to do.

I have since visited Akihabara, the Electric City. This place is kind of the visually archetypal modern Tokyo one thinks of, teeming with skyscrapers, huge video advertisements on the sides of buildings, and tons of people. We went here essentially to browse massive stores (think entire floors devoted to toys) and to just walk around seeing what we could come across. We got a meal in one of the major skyscrapers, in a restaurant with the strangest decor I have seen. The walls were made to look like a cave, the windows had bars on them, and there was a chandelier hanging from the ceiling.





















The food was very good, I split my breaded chicken with my friend's sushi+rice, both of which were excellent and relatively cheap. 3 of us ordered $7 glasses of sake (we figured we had to shell out to try a quality example sometime), and it was delicious



It was served traditionally, filled to overflow into the box it is served in. It was delicious, and made us a little silly for the remainder of dinner. We consider it a worthwhile, albeit infrequent investment.





I also have a picture of our dorm building from the outside, just of the entrance, but given the crowded nature of the city it is hard to get an all-encompassing picture.










In other news, classes have started. Most of the classes are once a week, with Japanese language class every day and our study abroad seminar twice a week. Japanese language class is going well, we seem to be learning pretty quickly, and the teachers keep the classes interesting (a feat with 90 minute classes). Japanese Literature + Performing Arts is a little dull so far, but I am giving the teacher the benefit of the doubt because for our first class we hadn't yet read anything to discuss, so it was very much an introduction class period and little else. We have a class on Japanese business practices, which while striking me as an uninteresting subject is being taught in such a way that I can pay attention without much trouble. "Cool Japan" sounded like the most entertaining class, but for the moment we have a very soft-spoken teacher who does not seem super confident of her English skills, making paying attention somewhat of a chore.

Study Abroad Seminar is pretty interesting so far, talking about sustainability and Japan. So far we have been talking about what resources Japan has, and whether or not it is a practical place to live in a long-term perspective, often relating our discussions back to compare with our places of origin (we have people from different states, a Bahamian, and a Chinese student on our trip). Japanese Religion and Politics seems pretty interesting so far, and it comes with several excursions. These include carrying a portable shrine for a local neighborhood and observing various Shinto and Buddhist rituals. Sadly, our history class is a bit tedious, as it has so far consisted of a lot of poring over historic economic figures.

I may have omitted a class or two, but I am currently getting underway with packing for our weekend excursion to Karuizawa. This includes hot springs, rural settings, and a chance to finally get to spend some time with Japanese students, since 12 of them will be accompanying us on the trip. There is also a bowling alley and movie theater nearby, so we might take advantage of that (though movie tickets here are exorbitant)

While I am thinking of it, I am holding here the most delicious pop I have had while here, maybe ever. In the background you can even see a few other empty cans of it, between the desks of Joe and I. It is most similar to Sprite, but a little less carbonated and with a subtle caramel/vanilla flavor.

Other than what I have already mentioned, the only thing else I have to add is that we (the students) are planning a trip to climb Mt. Fuji next weekend. It was supposed to be a part of our trip, but we were told that it was impossible because this year we arrived after the time before which amateurs can climb. However, we have discovered that this is not precisely the case. The difference is that we can no longer use the rest stops, and have to climb continuously, making it about a 5-6 hour trek. Our plan is to do this, and do it right, which means arriving at the peak at sunrise. I have faith in our perseverance. Pictures will be forthcoming.