Today was yet another jam-packed day of learning Japanese. I’m not sure how I’m going to manage it—I’m already forgetting the things I learned already, it’s just coming so fast. I’m learning that I may be pretty good at kanji, but I don’t know near enough about everything else. It seems I’m having a devil of a time remembering how to simply conjugate verbs. Throw into that a few dozen new vocabulary words and 4-6 important grammatical constructs every day, and my head is about to explode (atama ga bakuhatsu).

We “rested” in the afternoon by watching—and participating—with the Shorinji Kenpo club. It was the first time that I ever did any sort of martial art anything, and it was pretty fun. I can see why people do it, and maybe I will go back and see about the Amgen Karate club—my knee held up okay, though I didn’t do anything to strenuous.

After that, it was back to the dorms, dinner and…studying…

[BTW, I was so busy, I’m actually writing this on Tuesday…]

As if a day-long trip through Nara yesterday wasn’t enough, I thought I’d take another short day trip, this time to Kurama. It’s a favorite spot up in the mountains and only about 20 minutes away by the little electric train you can catch about 5 minutes’ walk from the dorms.

WOW! You’ll have to look at my photo album to see the scope of the hike, but it was pretty impressive. After getting off the train in Kurama, we walked first to Kurama-dera; Alia took the cable car shortcut up the mountain, but I walked it. I’m glad I did, too, since I was able to see numerous shrines and other sights. I even videotaped a group of pilgrims chanting at one of them which was very cool.

At the top was the temple itself, and after a bit of rest and quick look though the nearby museum (where I left a small message written in my best possible Japanese in the guest book), it was over the hill and down into the valley at Kibune. The trek wasn’t all that far distance wise (around 1-2 miles altogether), but the vertical change was well over 1,000 feet. It was raining very gently all day long, so everything was damp, misty and fresh smelling. Seeing the mist and low clouds in the trees really makes you understand where the inspiration comes from for so many pieces of Japanese art. You also can’t help but feel a reverence for everything around you and a great appreciation for the natural world and its greenness.

In Kibune, the different Ryokan (traditional inns) all have platforms built out over the river where people can come and eat dinner when it’s hot in the summer. Needless to say, they weren’t serving on such a rainy day—it must be a nice experience, though. We hiked down the winding road and took the same train back.

In the evening, we met Kishi-sensei and her two friends in town and had Okonomiyaki for dinner. Now this is something that I’ve always wanted to try ever since seeing U-chan cooking it in Ranma 1/2. It’s sort of like Japan’s answer to pizza—although it’s almost more like an omelet or a pancake. You basically order off the menu, they whip it up and bring it to your table which has a convenient hot grill in the center. You can get all sorts of interesting and tasty ingredients put in—meat, seafood, noodles, vegetables, you name it. You then whack off a piece and eat it with your choice of sauces and mayonnaise. It’s really delicious, and I’ve got to try and find an okonomiyaki-ya back home if I can.

We had some ice cream while waiting for the bus back to campus and then…

Studying (and laundry). Sorry I didn’t get either a vidcast or podcast done, but I’ll try really hard during the week so stay tuned.

BTW—extra credit for anime fans: did you know that Mt. Kurama where I went today is one of two protecting mountains in North Kyoto (the other being Mt. Hiei). Two of the main characters in Yu Yu Hakusho, were of course named after these mountains…

Saturday’s day trip was to Japan’s most ancient capitol, Nara (奈良), which is about an hour’s train ride from Kyoto. It is of course famous for its temples, shrines and historic sights, but equally famous for the Nara deer which roam at will through the park and around town. I was told “Nara ni wa shika ga shikanai” – In Nara, there are nothing but deer! (BTW, please see the Nara Photo album on the Photos page.)

After meeting our tour guide at Nara station, we set off to see some of the world’s most amazing places—eight of them have been designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites, including our first destination, the 5-story pagoda at Kofukuji Temple. Just missing being the tallest in Japan by a mere 2 inches, it was nonetheless incredibly beautiful and very impressive—and it was built in 1426. The nearby 3-story one was built in 1143 and the temple’s been here since 710. This was also our first “Deer Sighting”, with everyone eager to pet them and feed them sembei at ¥150 a pack. Luckily, the weather started out sunny and beautiful and not too hot or humid (started out, that is…).

Being a bit early for lunch, we strolled through the grounds of the Nara National Museum. One of the buildings there is a fairly rare example of Meiji period architecture from the initial westernization of Japan in the late 1800s. There’s also a somewhat more modern building where everyone had a good time with the Koi in the pond. Lunch was at a nearby restaurant where, as you can see in the photos, we ate in traditional Japanese style—and the food was delicious. (I must confess that I ate everything except my little fish, ‘cause he was still looking at me…)

Continuing on, we visited the centerpiece and crowning jewel of the city, the Todaiji temple and Daibutsu (Great Buddha). It was truly amazing, too. The building is the largest wooden structure in the entire world, and the current rebuild dating from 1692 is only a mere 2/3 scale replica! (That’s the picture above, BTW) The Buddha was cast out of bronze by building a framework, sculpting a model around it, building a mold around that and supporting it all by building a small hill around it. In went the molten bronze, and everything was dug out and polished up for the great unveiling in 746. A few fires and a recasting in the Edo period take nothing away from its impressive stature. I bought a postcard (which can’t possibly do it justice) and a charm—to grant me success in my studies!

We continued through the Nara historical park to other shrines and temples like the Nigatsu-do where every year they have a huge torch ceremony (and miraculously the wooden structures don’t burn down) and saw the great bell. The last major attraction was a visit to the Kasuga Grand Shrine, famous for its 700-year-old wisteria and row upon row of lanterns. The stroll through the cool, peaceful woods surrounding the shrine was also very moving—as you walk through this ancient place, you can’t help but feel awe, reverence and history flowing around you. Many, many things I’ve learned about the Japanese people and their character really struck home just by being in this place.

A train ride back brought the day to its end. Most everyone else went out on the town, but I came back to the dorms (grumpy old man that I am…) and ate there with Alia and Kishi-sensei. We were both pretty excited when we were able to finally carry on a decent conversation including making plans for dinner in town tomorrow, where to meet and at what time (We’ll meet Kishi-sensei downtown in front of the Junkudo bookstore at 5:00 PM for Okonomiyaki). It just keeps getting a tiny bit easier each day…

Today was our first written test, and I must admit that I was a bit apprehensive. But with a yummy breakfast like that pictured above, you’re ready for anything (although it was a bit of a surprise when the eggs turned out to be raw rather than hard boiled as they’d been previously—needless to say, I’m not much for raw eggs…).

I thought the test would be first thing, but should’ve read my schedule better. We spent the morning forging ever ahead in our lessons and into the next chapter. Keiko met me for lunch, but only Emi came with her—no troop of college girls this time. I seemed to be able to speak only marginally better than before. I just can’t figure out what’s wrong with me and this block I have that’s preventing me from conversing intelligently. It’s all there in my head, I just can’t seem to get it off the tongue. Oh well, ganbarimashou…

So the test came in the afternoon, after we’d spent the first hour doing some oral drills. It seemed to be going along just fine, but I totally blanked in a couple spots that I should have had no trouble with. I think I did fine on the Katakana and Kanji parts, but some of the grammar sections just fried my brain. Good thing I’m not really in this for a high GPA—I’m just hoping enough of it sinks in for me to get better at this language.

The last part of class was with our CPs, and we lightened things up a bit by doing origami. I finally learned how to make paper cranes! I managed to get six of them done in class—now I only have 994 more to go (it’s a typical Japanese goal to make 1,000 paper cranes). I’m hoping to take at least some of them with me to leave behind at the memorial when I visit Hiroshima. Although origami was fun and it helped in memorizing ue wo muite arukou (the song from the other day—it was playing the entire time as soft background music), I was pretty wiped out after my first week. I know totally what’s happening psychologically and the particular stage I’m in, but it doesn’t make it any easier or make me feel any more comfortable.

Everyone but Alia and I went out for a night on the town, but I was content to just relax and unwind. While not wanting to just completely forget everything I’ve done so far, I wasn’t especially interested in spending the evening studying and reviewing. I know it’ll still be there tomorrow…

Speaking of tomorrow, we’re off on another class trip to Nara, the first capitol of Japan. Known for the many temples and the equally famous deer, it should be a great time. Be sure to check back for new photo albums—and I hope to get at least one vidcast and hopefully a new podcast done before Monday.

Weather report: rain—and just when we need it on the day we’ll be out and about…

Morning class was another opportunity to get a lot more stuff crammed in my brain. I don’t know how I’m going to survive at this pace! It seems that no sooner do I get my flash cards made for the current vocabulary and pull out the relevant kanji cards, then we’re on to the next chapter. I knew it was going to be an accelerated experience, but wow…

We got done a bit early, and were on our own for lunch before the field trip. Alia and I ate at Makudo again, and I’ve now officially eaten at McDonalds more since coming to Japan than I have in the previous year at home. It’s just easy and centrally located—and you get all-you-can-drink free refills, which apparently isn’t particularly common except for tea.

Today’s main event was a shopping excursion to Nishiki Market, where we had to go into the shops and ask what various things were, how much they cost and what they were used for—should’ve been easy, right? Well, not exactly. I tend to still clam up in public, and had a surprisingly difficult time of it, though I managed to complete the assignment. We were each given ¥500 (around $5.00) and had to purchase something. I blew mine on something that I never get at home: roasted sweet chestnuts—and they were yummy! They brought back a lot of memories, since I think the last time I ate them was when I was living in Italy.

After the “official” part of the excursion was over, we were free to go our own way. I sort of engineered going off completely by myself and had a rather philosophically enjoyable time. I guess I’m somewhat of a loner by nature, so I was already feeling the need to get away. I like just wandering off alone in completely alien surroundings just to prove that I can handle myself just fine without freaking out. I visited a huge, 5-floor bookstore for a while, mostly reading the signs to figure out what the sections were. I also strolled through the exclusive Hankyu department store (but didn’t buy anything, natch…). It was just endlessly fascinating for me to watch the people and what they were doing—people shopping, school kids on their way home, shop owners taking care of customers, bishonen passing out fliers for clubs, you name it. I felt completely safe in this wonderful country, and never once was afraid I’d get lost or wouldn’t be able to communicate if necessary. Besides, I was protected by the de facto “Gaijin Safety Zone”! Rode the bus back without even a hint of being lost and had dinner at the dorm.

And then? Study, of course! We have our first exam tomorrow, incidentally…

Nothing special to report today. I’ve settled into my regular schedule already, and it seems both like I’ve already been here for ages and that the time is flying by way too quickly. Every single class is filled with so much, and it’s a constant struggle to try and remember it all—I haven’t succeeded yet.

Our first corrected homework assignments have been returned, and mine had a certain amount of “blood” on it. My first test was also less than stellar—I’m actually quite famous for my stupid mistakes, though Kishi Sensei and Ikushima Sensei are less likely to let them slide. If I could just remember everything that I did wrong and then actually not do it again, that would be a major milestone.

Yasu (my CP) met me for lunch a bit late since he was coming from a class. It also took him ages to get through the line and buy his lunch so we didn’t have much of a conversation, but at least I felt like I seemed a little more awake and able to talk. He was wearing a suit (which seems crazy in this humidity) since he was off to his internship in the afternoon.

The afternoon class was spent getting ready for our Kindergarten visit. I seem to draw bad luck, since I was once again elected spokesman and “chairman” for the event and have to do the initial group introduction. I guess everyone wants to keep me on my toes. Alia, Kevin and I will be playing Simon Says with the 5 year olds—about 50 of them—and we’re going to do it in both Japanese and English (kids learning English at age 5? Wish I’d done the same with Japanese…). It’s gonna be crazy but no doubt a lot of fun.

We wrapped up with an in-room practice session for tomorrow’s visit to Nishiki Market. The CPs all took the roles of shop owners, and we went round to each of them asking the name of the store, what various things were, how much they cost and what they were used for. After wrapping up my tour of the 6 shops, I spent the next 15 minutes or so chatting with one of the CPs and for the first time didn’t feel completely tongue-tied. I actually felt pretty good abut my [very, very basic] conversational abilities.

When class was over, I went to the 100 yen store (like a Dollar store) to buy some indoor slippers (try doing that with American-sized feet), a new wallet (my US one was too small to hold the larger yen bills properly and a pair of chopsticks (oddly enough, there weren’t any in my room). At dinner, I sat with Kishi Sensei and Ikushima Sensei—and sadly felt terribly incompetent again all of a sudden. My brief 15 minutes of success had taken it all out of me I guess…

Tomorrow will be fun with the Nishiki market field trip, so stand by for more new photos!

Well, today went a lot better than yesterday. I’m sure that some of what I talked about in Monday’s journal entry was just the initial shell-shock of being thrust into the thick of things. Today’s lessons went fine and I didn’t feel quite as big an idiot as I did before—a good sign, no doubt.

My lunchtime turned out to be quite entertaining. Keiko-san, my CP, showed up right on time outside my classroom with one of her friends who’s also studying English. No problem—I said that would be fine. We decided to go eat at “Makudo” (McDonald’s, for those of you who don’t know) and it seems like we kept picking up more and more of her friends on the way. By the time we were sitting down and eating it was me—43 year old gaijin with gray hair—surrounded by seven college girls! It was really a lot of fun talking with them, though I mostly did a lot of heavy-duty listening. I’ve never ever gotten so much attention at home!

After lunch was the gymnasium tour. I’m keen to get into the weight room and continue post-surgery rehab on my knee using the weight machines. Using the bike will be good to help burn some calories (it’s really funny—as you exercise, the display shows a little bowl; each time you burn enough calories, it fills up a little more. When it’s full, you’ve burned off one bowl of rice). The thing I didn’t understand was the stairmasters given that KSU is built on hills and there are plenty of steps to have to go up every day. I’m going to try to come in the evening after classes and dinner, though I also want to come sometime and watch the Kendo club practicing.

In the afternoon, I had my moment to shine when we studied kanji. Of the ones in the current chapter, I already knew all but three. I keep saying if I could just read and write this language and not have to speak to anyone, I’d be fine. We then began learning a Japanese song—a very famous tune that most anyone would know even back at home, but in Japanese it’s Ue wo muite, arukou. That was fun—now I can sing at least one Japanese song at Karaoke! If I have time and am brave enough, perhaps I’ll sing it for you in the next audio podcast. (PS—If Bill-san is reading this and knows the English title, post it as a comment onegaishimasu.)

The “famous” part also came in the afternoon. An entourage of people from the local radio station (Alpha-Station) came to class and wanted to have each of us record taglines to use as bumpers over the summer on the radio. We said things like “You’re listening to Alpha-station” and “Alpha-station 15th anniversary”. Me—a natural ham—put on my radio announcer voice and gave of my best. I don’t know if Paul-san was pulling my leg or not, but he said they might want me to come in for an interview—now that would be awesome! So anyway, they’ll put our voices on the radio and our names and photos up on their website—who knew we’d be getting so much attention…

And then: homework, of course…