So one of the things that i HAVE to do before i die, is Japanese Karaoke. Now i have succeeded. A group of us went over the weekend, and it was AMAZING. American Karaoke is nothing compared to this, so anyone who has a chance to go to japan, or find a japanese style karaoke parlor somewhere else, i highly recommend it.
Japanese Karaoke is much nicer than the American "karaoke bar." the concept of getting drunk enough to get up and sing poorly in front of who knows how many strangers is completely blown out of the water. For 1100 yen (a little over $11) per person, we rented a private room at the parlor for 3 hours of singing, fun, and, at night, unlimited drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Since we were such a big group we got a larger party room in the back and another smaller room.
we had both large paper catalogs and electronic catalogs to browse and choose from thousands of japanese, chinese, korean, and english language songs. We used the electronic catalogs to cue up songs for the group and passed around two wireless mics. there are also a number of back-up instruments like maracas and tambourines stored in the room.
sometimes people would cue songs they wanted to sing, but as the night went on, people started just cuing songs, and when they came up, others, or even the whole group would claim them. we sang english songs from Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody to P.O.D. to Beyonce. the Japanese students and some more experienced Japanese speakers sang Japanese songs. we even sang happy birthday to one of our party members to a korean track. someone cued it up, but when it came, no one knew how to sing it, so one of us (Yobi, he's a riot) improvised. we also sang the japanese theme to the old school Dragon Ball, the Power Rangers theme, and ended the night with Cruel Angel's Thesis (from NGE/EVA). Amy and i did Poison's "Nothin' But A Good Time" together.
it's definitely something to be experienced.
In the picture files, i have pictures of the rooms, drink menus, electronic catalogs, singing, and probably more stuff. In the video files, i have several songs, including, but not limited to, A Whole New World (Aladdin, Japanese), Dragon Ball Theme, Power Rangers Theme, and "Korean" Happy Birthday (a real riot).
Karaoke Photos at megaupload; 63Mb .zip file
Karaoke Video at megaupload; 562Mb .zip file
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
Shirotori Gardens (video) FISHIES!
these fish are amazing. they just swim right up to you.
Feeding Fish
Petting Fish
Petting Fish
Feeding All the Fish!!!
Feeding Fish
Petting Fish
Petting Fish
Feeding All the Fish!!!
Shiratori Gardens (pictures)
enough of my ranting. the cool thing about the tour was the Shirotori Gardens. it was... amazing. there is simply no other way to put it. it's just something you have to see:
that last one is our very own captain planet.
Placement
placement testing is now complete. The feeling that my skills are vastly inferior has been confirmed. amy and i have been placed in Japanese 1-1. they wrote the name of our book in romaji. bleh. whatever. maybe it'll be good to start from scratch. yobi, a second semester exchange student, was in 1-1 last semester and he said it was a good experience. and he's really good at japanese now, probably just from living here. classes start next thursday, the 24th.
we also had a campus tour in the afternoon. most of it came a little too late. we have been here for a week now, and they are just now getting around to showing us the market and the post office. most of us, seeking food and money, have already gathered this information from returning students. this is just one item in a long list of information labeled "that would have been nice to know a long time ago, perhaps even before we got here."
support for students coming here seems rather inefficient and incomplete. much of the information they give us is late. they don't allow students to leave things like cook ware here, even though it is certain that the next group will just have to purchase more. They tell us that we should purchase a bike, somewhere around 6000-10000 yen, and then have us dispose of it (for another 10000 yen fee) at the end of our stay, knowing that the next group will need bikes, too. it is similar with televisions, though they are not as necessary. and we are charged if we leave useful things in the room, even if they will simply be used by the next people. i think it would be kind of fun to have lottery-like room set-ups: "what did your room come with?" ours did have some dishes in it, and one girl even ended up with a TV, but we don't know if the last people were charged for that.
we also had a campus tour in the afternoon. most of it came a little too late. we have been here for a week now, and they are just now getting around to showing us the market and the post office. most of us, seeking food and money, have already gathered this information from returning students. this is just one item in a long list of information labeled "that would have been nice to know a long time ago, perhaps even before we got here."
support for students coming here seems rather inefficient and incomplete. much of the information they give us is late. they don't allow students to leave things like cook ware here, even though it is certain that the next group will just have to purchase more. They tell us that we should purchase a bike, somewhere around 6000-10000 yen, and then have us dispose of it (for another 10000 yen fee) at the end of our stay, knowing that the next group will need bikes, too. it is similar with televisions, though they are not as necessary. and we are charged if we leave useful things in the room, even if they will simply be used by the next people. i think it would be kind of fun to have lottery-like room set-ups: "what did your room come with?" ours did have some dishes in it, and one girl even ended up with a TV, but we don't know if the last people were charged for that.
Kat Successfully Made Curry
the drama of the hot plate concludes. It turns out it was neither incompetence nor malfunction. we finally asked someone to come look at it and they figured out that it was the type of pot we were using. apparently, japanese appliances can tell what kind of pot we are using and won't let us cook with a cheap aluminum one. (my first reaction to hearing such a thing is, "how can it tell?!") we have since acquired heavier cook ware and conquered the hot plate.
it also happens that the dish i was trying to make was not ramen but in fact was udon. so really, kat failed to purchase ramen but failed to make udon.
the next day we went grocery shopping and made curry. we also have a giant bag of rice and various delicious things to go with it. amy has joined us for a cooking trio.
while shopping, we picked up some fried meat because it was on sale. because of prior experience, we assumed that it was chicken, so we didn't bother to check the label. actually, it was squid! that was fun. we decided we weren't too upset, because it was still delicious.
the never-ending quest for food seems to have settled into a pattern. so now you needn't worry so much about us; we will neither starve, nor go broke because we have to keep buying pre-made meals.
it also happens that the dish i was trying to make was not ramen but in fact was udon. so really, kat failed to purchase ramen but failed to make udon.
the next day we went grocery shopping and made curry. we also have a giant bag of rice and various delicious things to go with it. amy has joined us for a cooking trio.
while shopping, we picked up some fried meat because it was on sale. because of prior experience, we assumed that it was chicken, so we didn't bother to check the label. actually, it was squid! that was fun. we decided we weren't too upset, because it was still delicious.
the never-ending quest for food seems to have settled into a pattern. so now you needn't worry so much about us; we will neither starve, nor go broke because we have to keep buying pre-made meals.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Kat has failed to make Ramen
I talked my roommate's ear off last night. i think it's mostly nervous. my social interaction nerves are quite shot. I'm trying though.
Much socialization seems to revolve around drinking here. i think some of it is 20-year-olds taking advantage of it. some of it may be that it makes it easier to relax if everyone assumes everyone is buzzed (including themselves) even when you know they're not. but i hear that some of that doesn't change as the year progresses.
I had my first serious conversation in japanese today. it was short, but practical and effective. someone came looking for Lee-san (my roommate) and i had to explain that i was here by myself and that she had gone to Don Quixote.
Yes, you did read the title right. i have, for the first time since i was six, failed to make ramen. it wasn't for any lack of skill in cooking though. i can't seem to operate the hot plate. i spent some time translating most of the labels and buttons, trying things along the way. then i asked someone for help, and watched someone use theirs. i followed their instructions, but still can't make my hot plate function correctly. and there is a lot of annoying beeping involved. i will try to ask someone to come tinker with it with me when people get back from their various outings. part of me hopes that it's broken so that i won't look like such an idot, but the other part of me just wants to eat my miso ramen in peace as soon as possible. i also have to discern the trick of getting hot water from the bath. cold showers/rinses are fine for now, but i'm not doing it in the fall or winter.
for those interested, my skype is functioning and my user name is babelguppy. i used it with my mom today, so though the wi-fi can be a little fritzy, it works well enough. i heard we won't get net through the ethernet until october, but hopefully, that will make things better. the net seems to have stabilized a bit though since we first got here. i'm also managing to check my email pretty regularly, so that is a good form of communication, too. i can't get a cell phone until i get and "alien card" which we will be working on as a group tomorrow.
there appears to be a dog-park accross the street that i haven't noticed so far because it was either late or raining. many of the dogs don't seem to like one another right now.
Much socialization seems to revolve around drinking here. i think some of it is 20-year-olds taking advantage of it. some of it may be that it makes it easier to relax if everyone assumes everyone is buzzed (including themselves) even when you know they're not. but i hear that some of that doesn't change as the year progresses.
I had my first serious conversation in japanese today. it was short, but practical and effective. someone came looking for Lee-san (my roommate) and i had to explain that i was here by myself and that she had gone to Don Quixote.
Yes, you did read the title right. i have, for the first time since i was six, failed to make ramen. it wasn't for any lack of skill in cooking though. i can't seem to operate the hot plate. i spent some time translating most of the labels and buttons, trying things along the way. then i asked someone for help, and watched someone use theirs. i followed their instructions, but still can't make my hot plate function correctly. and there is a lot of annoying beeping involved. i will try to ask someone to come tinker with it with me when people get back from their various outings. part of me hopes that it's broken so that i won't look like such an idot, but the other part of me just wants to eat my miso ramen in peace as soon as possible. i also have to discern the trick of getting hot water from the bath. cold showers/rinses are fine for now, but i'm not doing it in the fall or winter.
for those interested, my skype is functioning and my user name is babelguppy. i used it with my mom today, so though the wi-fi can be a little fritzy, it works well enough. i heard we won't get net through the ethernet until october, but hopefully, that will make things better. the net seems to have stabilized a bit though since we first got here. i'm also managing to check my email pretty regularly, so that is a good form of communication, too. i can't get a cell phone until i get and "alien card" which we will be working on as a group tomorrow.
there appears to be a dog-park accross the street that i haven't noticed so far because it was either late or raining. many of the dogs don't seem to like one another right now.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
...At the Cusp of Dawn, We're Going Shopping!
Ok, so maybe not the "cusp of dawn." More like "after I mosey out the door for lunch." But we did do a lot of shopping today. Not touristy shopping, but just getting settled.
First, Amy, Katlyn, and I (Amy and Katlyn are the two other students from Coe) walked to the super market. They have the cutest, tiniest carts there. We spent a lot of time looking at pictures to figure out what things are. We also just kind of wandered the store to get a feel for what's available. I picked up a pot and some ramen - the essentials - as well as a package of chopsticks. Stupidly, i forgot my nice metal ones at home. We also got some luch fromt he store's pre-made lunches. most of the lunches consist of rice and some fish or meat. they are really good and well priced.
on the way back, i picked up an umbrella at another shop. This proved to be a very good thing because as soon as we finished lunch, Amy and I were convinced to walk to Don Quixote, even though it was raining. Don Quixote is probably the closest thing that japan has to a Walmart or Target, though it doesn't carry clothes (except underwear and socks) or appliances. It turned out to be a very long walk, but well worth it. The store is in a mall-like complex. Between Don Quixote and the 100-yen shop next door, i was able to get most of the things I need to settle in but couldn't pack; things like dishes, soap, dish towels, etc.. (100 yen is historically somewhere around a dollar. it used to be less than a dollar. now that the yen is stronger than the dollar, is is a bit more.)
By the time we got back, we were really tired, but decided to meet in a half hour to dinner. We ended up walking to a cool sushi place. we had quite a long wait, so we spent some time in the arcade next door. it was really cool and all kinds of people were there, including men in business suits with brief cases. I played a taiko drumming game with a guy who's on the drumline at his own school. it was very fun.
The sushi place was amazing as well. some may have heard of sushi places in japan with conveyor belts. this is one of those. you sit down at a table and watch the sushi as it rides by. if you see something you like or that looks good, you take it. they have green tea stations at the tables and other beverages on the belt. you can also special order dishes via a com speaker at the table. when everyone is fed and happy, you press a button that notifies a server. Most of the plates are flat-priced (this place was 105 yen a plate, usually two pieces of sushi) so the server comes and counts your plates, records it electronically and hands you a ticket with a number. you take your ticket to the counter and pay. my sushi dinner was about 560 yen including tax. not bad; really good actually.
While i was ther, i also had corn sushi - yes, corn sushi. it's really nothing special: basically corn and japanese mayonnaise on top of rice wrapped in nori (seaweed paper). but it was still funny. i had to get it just to say that i've eaten it.
in case you haven't noticed a theme, we walk everywhere. it's cool that so much is within walking distance, even if it might be a hefty walk. the school strongly advises that we purchase bikes. i'm thinking about it. there are some being sold by last semester's students that are much less expensive than getting a new one. there are bike lanes everywhere and it doesn't seems a corny to have a little bell. it was fun to see so many people on bikes holding umbrellas. it seems to be an art of sorts, but a very useful skill. most of still have to master walking on the left though instead of the right.
I have many pictures from my first two days and will hopefully get around to posting them when i have more time and get my camera recharged.
First, Amy, Katlyn, and I (Amy and Katlyn are the two other students from Coe) walked to the super market. They have the cutest, tiniest carts there. We spent a lot of time looking at pictures to figure out what things are. We also just kind of wandered the store to get a feel for what's available. I picked up a pot and some ramen - the essentials - as well as a package of chopsticks. Stupidly, i forgot my nice metal ones at home. We also got some luch fromt he store's pre-made lunches. most of the lunches consist of rice and some fish or meat. they are really good and well priced.
on the way back, i picked up an umbrella at another shop. This proved to be a very good thing because as soon as we finished lunch, Amy and I were convinced to walk to Don Quixote, even though it was raining. Don Quixote is probably the closest thing that japan has to a Walmart or Target, though it doesn't carry clothes (except underwear and socks) or appliances. It turned out to be a very long walk, but well worth it. The store is in a mall-like complex. Between Don Quixote and the 100-yen shop next door, i was able to get most of the things I need to settle in but couldn't pack; things like dishes, soap, dish towels, etc.. (100 yen is historically somewhere around a dollar. it used to be less than a dollar. now that the yen is stronger than the dollar, is is a bit more.)
By the time we got back, we were really tired, but decided to meet in a half hour to dinner. We ended up walking to a cool sushi place. we had quite a long wait, so we spent some time in the arcade next door. it was really cool and all kinds of people were there, including men in business suits with brief cases. I played a taiko drumming game with a guy who's on the drumline at his own school. it was very fun.
The sushi place was amazing as well. some may have heard of sushi places in japan with conveyor belts. this is one of those. you sit down at a table and watch the sushi as it rides by. if you see something you like or that looks good, you take it. they have green tea stations at the tables and other beverages on the belt. you can also special order dishes via a com speaker at the table. when everyone is fed and happy, you press a button that notifies a server. Most of the plates are flat-priced (this place was 105 yen a plate, usually two pieces of sushi) so the server comes and counts your plates, records it electronically and hands you a ticket with a number. you take your ticket to the counter and pay. my sushi dinner was about 560 yen including tax. not bad; really good actually.
While i was ther, i also had corn sushi - yes, corn sushi. it's really nothing special: basically corn and japanese mayonnaise on top of rice wrapped in nori (seaweed paper). but it was still funny. i had to get it just to say that i've eaten it.
in case you haven't noticed a theme, we walk everywhere. it's cool that so much is within walking distance, even if it might be a hefty walk. the school strongly advises that we purchase bikes. i'm thinking about it. there are some being sold by last semester's students that are much less expensive than getting a new one. there are bike lanes everywhere and it doesn't seems a corny to have a little bell. it was fun to see so many people on bikes holding umbrellas. it seems to be an art of sorts, but a very useful skill. most of still have to master walking on the left though instead of the right.
I have many pictures from my first two days and will hopefully get around to posting them when i have more time and get my camera recharged.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Arrival
To all those concerned, I am arrived and settled safely in Nagoya. I got here at about 8:00 pm (about 6:00 am) on September 11. i was greeted by the director of international studies, some students from the universities (RAs i think) and several of my fellow exchange students. we were then taken by charter bus to the International Seminar House where we will be staying for the next few months.
My room is 301 in the seminar house. I've met my roommate, HeeJung Lee, a fellow language student from Korea. We get along well, and she loves peanut butter almost as much as I do. Thus, the gifts of Beer Nuts and communal peanut butter went over well.
Our accommodations are less like dorms and more like small apartments. There are two small bedrooms separated by a folding divider, a kitchenette (sink, hot plate, refrigerator/freezer, and cabinets), toilet, and Japanese style bath/shower. The style is very traditional, including raised floors to trap ghosts. There are both sliding and western doors, which ever is more convenient in the space, and my roommate and I of us share a Japanese style closet (i think the wood in it is cedar, it smells very nice).
We also have a lovely balcony over looking the soccer field. there are no windows in our bed rooms, but i think the giant glass doors to the balcony more than make up for that. They also have window-like qualities, including portions that slide open so you don't have to open the whole thing and both screen and glass. This is good because it is very humid here and there are quite a few mosquitoes. We also have a bar for drying clothes and hanging things.
The weather here is about like Illinois or Iowa. In the winter we should notice more of a difference. the ocean keeps is cooler in the summer and much warmer in the winter.
We made a run to 7/11 tonight for food untill we go shopping. For those of you who think i'm cheating, it was all Japanese food/drinks and foods that have been made Japanese. I just had an egg sandwich, but I will start my experimentation tomorrow when i things have settled more.
On the way to the store, i heard a Japanese glass summer wind chime. I definitely want one on our balcony, even if it won't be summer for very long.
My room is 301 in the seminar house. I've met my roommate, HeeJung Lee, a fellow language student from Korea. We get along well, and she loves peanut butter almost as much as I do. Thus, the gifts of Beer Nuts and communal peanut butter went over well.
Our accommodations are less like dorms and more like small apartments. There are two small bedrooms separated by a folding divider, a kitchenette (sink, hot plate, refrigerator/freezer, and cabinets), toilet, and Japanese style bath/shower. The style is very traditional, including raised floors to trap ghosts. There are both sliding and western doors, which ever is more convenient in the space, and my roommate and I of us share a Japanese style closet (i think the wood in it is cedar, it smells very nice).
We also have a lovely balcony over looking the soccer field. there are no windows in our bed rooms, but i think the giant glass doors to the balcony more than make up for that. They also have window-like qualities, including portions that slide open so you don't have to open the whole thing and both screen and glass. This is good because it is very humid here and there are quite a few mosquitoes. We also have a bar for drying clothes and hanging things.
The weather here is about like Illinois or Iowa. In the winter we should notice more of a difference. the ocean keeps is cooler in the summer and much warmer in the winter.
We made a run to 7/11 tonight for food untill we go shopping. For those of you who think i'm cheating, it was all Japanese food/drinks and foods that have been made Japanese. I just had an egg sandwich, but I will start my experimentation tomorrow when i things have settled more.
On the way to the store, i heard a Japanese glass summer wind chime. I definitely want one on our balcony, even if it won't be summer for very long.
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