An Empty Kyoto

 I just came across this video, highlighting the effect of the CCP virus on a city like Kyoto, which largely relies on visitors (both domestic and international).

I found it interesting that many of the older people do reminisce of a time when this quieter Kyoto was the norm, but in recent years it has become more lively due to the increase in visitors. I definitely noticed this when I went to Kyoto in 2013 for the first time, then went there to study in 2014 - 2015, there was a significant increase in visitors coming to Kyoto. 

As many of the people in the video have said, on the one hand, the absence of visitors certainly makes it easy to get around Kyoto, and it's possible to truly appreciate many of the attractions that the city has to offer. On the other hand, that very absence of visitors does make it difficult for many businesses to make a living, some even being forced to close down for good. 

 It also has been a little while since I was last in Kyoto (it's been at least over a year). While many of the friends I made no longer live in Kyoto, I would still want to go back and enjoy the sights, and even take a walk around Ryukoku University, just to see how much it has changed since my time there. I had been there at least once to attend my girlfriend's graduation ceremony. Finally, I would also want to go back and see the owner of the convenience store that is right across from my old dorm which has since been sold off. Despite the dorm being sold off, the owner has been kind enough to hold on to many of the dorm's photos for former students who lived there and want to reminisce. Hopefully I will get a chance to visit Kyoto again sooner, rather than later.

あけましておめでとうございます！

遅れてしまいましたけど、あけましておめでとうございます！ (A bit late, but Happy New Year!)

Wow, a lot has happened since I last posted. I will briefly talked about what's been happening, and (hopefully) go into more detail in future posts.

During December, I attended two kindergartens for Christmas-related activities. More specifically, I dressed up as Santa and played with the children. It was a bit daunting at first, but fortunately it was not that hard at all. I went there early with another staff member from my company and met some of the kindergarten staff and principal, and talked about a variety of topics, before getting briefing on what would be happening during the Christmas activities. After the briefing, I finally got into my Santa costume, and got to meet the children at the assembly where I participated in a song with the teachers, helped give out presents, and finally took pictures with all the children. At one of the kindergartens, I was treated to morning tea with some of the staff after finishing the activities, before they gave another gift bag full of snacks and sweets. Since the visit was only for the morning, I went back to my usual elementary schools to resume lessons for the remainder of the day.
In addition, it was winter break from the 23rd of December until the 9th of January. I took this chance to go to Kyoto to visit my girlfriend and spend time with her for Christmas and New Year. Having been 4 months since I last saw her, it was great to spend time together, even if only for less than 2 weeks.

The other bit of news that has happened is that due to my employer not winning the contract for Kamisu, all the company's Kamisu ALTs will have to move out at the end of the semester. I am trying to weigh up my options at the moment, between staying on with the company and seeing what other city they will offer me; or jump ship and apply for the company that won the Kamisu contract to stay in Kamisu and hope that I will be allowed to continue working at my current schools. At the moment, my coordinator is checking on other positions available, after knocking back a position in Kitaibaraki (after finding out it's right next to Fukushima). It seems that whatever I decide to choose, I will at least have a new 1 year contract with a company, so I don't have to worry about uncertainty of employment.

I hope to go into greater detail for my time in Kyoto, and about my future in Kamisu in a future post. Until then, at least you know that I am still alive (laughs).

The End of a Journey: 道の終わり

The past fortnight has been really hectic, with tying a lot of loose ends, spending a lot of time with my girlfriend, and... returning to Australia. By the way, I've been back home since the 21st of this month in case you were wondering.

Looking back on the past year, I am really glad that I decided to undertake on such a great opportunity to study in Japan - more specifically at Ryukoku University in Kyoto. Not only did I gain greater proficiency in Japanese compared to when I first arrived in Kyoto, but I have experienced many things and places, made many new friends - and met a very special someone. Admittedly, the last few days before I left were really difficult for the both of us, though we did spend everyday together doing things, whether it be cooking and eating together at my dorm, watching movies, eating out at more well known cafes and restaurants, to even just helping me send my parcels back to Australia. We also went to Arashiyama, which was a really fun experience, even if it wasn't quite spring at that time. Despite all this, we have decided to continue being together (albeit in a long distance relationship), and we have continued to stay in regular contact. However, I am planning to return to Kyoto in August for a little over a week to be with my girlfriend, and once again in January. 

Ultimately, my goal is to work in Japan, and I am hoping to accomplish this by next year (pending on my results of last semester at Ryukoku University). In the meantime, I want to pass N2 for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, keep up to scratch with my Japanese conversation skills by finding a club if possible (and regularly talking with my girlfriend), and to continue researching on possible companies that I want to work for in Japan. I have already begun asking around, though the JET Programme seems to be the most recommended option, despite my hesitation that I will most likely not get my preference of working at a school in Kyoto. At the very least, I would like to work at a school that is near Kyoto, just so it will be easier to stay in contact with my girlfriend while she is still studying .
Oh, and the other thing I want to do is find some work, though one of my old bosses has offered me some temporary work in the meantime - hopefully that will expand to at least next year, though I have been assured six weeks to fill in for someone who will be on leave during that time. I'll most certainly know more about the situation when I speak to my old boss later this week.

So as it is, I'll leave this blog up for people who are interested in wanting to know a little bit more about living in Japan (as a student).

The Lock-up

Yesterday my girlfriend and I went out to Sanjo to a themed restaurant called The Lock-up. As you may (or may not) know, Japan has a wide variety of themed type restaurants and cafes, the most commonly themed one being maid cafes where the maids play games with customers and almost pamper to their every needs. However, The Lock-up is far from that - it is a prison themed restaurant, with the waiters/waitresses dressing up as police officers or convicts, and each of the booths set up as prison, which does it make it cosy for couples... when you're not being spooked by the random activities of monsters and convicts wreaking havoc on the poor customers.

Anyway, I should probably start from the very beginning. After being greeted by the waitress, she guided us to a waiting area, which we had no idea what we were supposed to do at the time... until the lights went out and someone seemingly dressed up like Sadako from The Ring comes out, crawling along the floor to scare us. They disappear, and the red lights go on, before switching off again, and the strobe lights kick in and Sadako pops again, standing right behind us. They really go all out in creating a terrifying atmosphere. I was more amazed at the effort put in to it, rather than being scared. Unfortunately, my girlfriend was too terrified to share in my appreciation （笑）
After the initial scaring, we're guided to the next room where another waitress dressed in police uniform greets us and explains some of the details, and asks us which of us is to be handcuffed and what crime we committed. My girlfriend told the officer that I eat too much (でも、それはうそじゃない（笑））, and hence, I was arrested on those charges. Leading us along, with me cuffed to the waitress, she guides us to our table, which resembles a prison cell. Because each of the tables are partitioned off, it means that my girlfriend and I could enjoy each other's company without having to look at other tables... or so we thought. After receiving our first order of drinks, the lights go off, sirens start blaring, and criminals and monsters start wreaking havoc on all the unfortunate customers - from the sound of the all screaming throughout the restaurant, there were clearly a lot of girls dining that night. My girlfriend was totally freaking out, but again, I was more impressed than scared with the effort they go to in order to create a really scary atmosphere. After a good few minutes of scaring the customers (with some of the monsters/convicts prodding me with a glow stick because I could not stop laughing when they came in to our booth and tried to scare us), eventually the police show up to save the day and start "shooting" all the criminals and monsters, with one of them "dropping dead" just outside our booth. As an extra, it was someone's birthday, so they were playing "happy birthday" while scaring the birthday guy/girl (I couldn't tell, since we're all in booths). After that, the black curtains lift up and we are greeted to a nice view of the area and Kamogawa (the restaurant is up on the 6th floor). While my girlfriend did not enjoy being scared, she found it to be an interesting experience, and admitted that she was glad that I was having fun.

 

For the meals and drinks, it's pretty much izakaya style of meals, with the main focus being on the prison themed drinks and cocktails. The only condition for dining in is that you have to order at least one drink, but since there are non-alcoholic cocktails also, it accommodates for everybody's preferences. The menu has a wide selection of cocktails, and it tells you the strength of the cocktails with a little graph. I had two cocktails, but they weren't all that strong which is nice. Presentation-wise, they were all horror/prison themed, so they look really nice, albeit a little pricey, but part of the cost is covering the work in producing these cocktails. We also had some takoyaki (octopus balls), though we were warned that one of them was a really spicy one, and my girlfriend really wanted that one. Guess who ended up eating the spicy one? (hint: It wasn't her). We also had nachos, though the middle was a little bit cold. However, the corn chips were really nice. We also had some karaage, but it was made black so it ended up looking like coal - it tasted nice though. Finally, we finished up with a chocolate parfait that is made to look like it's partially exorcised. All of this with the view, it was a good experience.
One thing though: while the cost of the individual drinks and meals is not too bad, it does accumulate in the end. Ultimately, between the two of us, it was about 6000円 - a little over $60. However, considering that Australia does not have these kind of themed restaurants, and I've never been to a themed restaurant/izakaya such as this, it was worth giving it a try. Well, I did go to Sweets of Ninja previously, but the experience was nowhere near as extreme as The Lock-up.

If you haven't experienced this kind of thing before, I would strongly recommend giving The Lock-up, or any themed restaurant a try (though probably stay away from maid cafes if you want to keep your dignity...), especially if you're one who's in to scary things.

New Year (正月）

I know it's a little late, but Happy New Year everyone! ちょっと遅いけど、あけましておめでとうございます！

Celebrating New Year in Japan is a totally different thing compared to Australia. Whereas in Australia, people will typically party on the New Year's Eve, recover from the previous night's party on New Year's Day, and then back to work the next day, Japan is a totally different thing altogether, at least from what I experienced.
For starters, the holiday lasts from the 1st of January until 4th, so a majority of businesses are closed during this period. Also during this period, people will go to temples and shrines and pray for safety, good health, etc. During this time, everyone is going to the temples and shrines, so the more popular ones are incredibly busy. My girlfriend and I did exactly that, although we didn't go to any of the busier ones. We went to Goryou Shrine to pray, before we headed to Shimogamo Shrine, and we decided to check our fortune. My girlfriend had told me previously that whenever she had her fortune told, she would always end up with a bad one - so imagine her surprise when she received the best fortune possible. I ended up with the second best one, so I was happy too, and as per the instructions, I'm keeping that fortune in my wallet. We had a look some more around the shrine area, before we started going around the food stalls area, and ate just about everything possible - taiyaki, candied strawberries, chocolate bananas, takoyaki, red bean soup with mochi (sticky rice cake) in it - yeah, quite a bit. I also had a chance to sample some shouchu that I spotted at a stall. Having little experience in the way of drinking (especially drinks that she's never tried before), she drank in one go and was completely overwhelmed by the strength of the alcohol, while I slowly sipped mine so I can get an idea of the taste. The taste actually reminded me of the Vocaloid Shouchu Lily that I bought on my previous trip to Japan. However, compared to that, this sample was certainly a lot stronger, and the taste more distinct. I was considering buying it, but the price kind of chased me away. However, I will keep it in mind to possibly purchase before I return to Australia.

Also, I forgot to mention, it snowed on New Year's Day and the day after. Having never seen snow before (because I live in Western Australia, and it never snows there because of the climate), I was totally excited. On the second day, at night my girlfriend and I headed to Gosho and play in the snow, building snowmen and throwing snowballs at trees to knock off all the snow hanging on them. Also, because of the snow, it was fairly bright at night, making walking around Gosho really easy.

Anyway, that's it for now. I finish uni at the end of this month, and then I'll have two months of break before I return to Australia. I certainly do have plans for the break, so I'll be sure to post about it when it happens.

メリークリスマス！

Merry Christmas from Kyoto everyone. 京都からメリークリスマスみんな！

For me, Christmas is a bigger deal than usual this year for two reasons: 1) I'm celebrating in another country, and 2) I'm not celebrating it with the family this year (because, you know, they're back in Australia). However, I am fortunate enough to be celebrating it with my girlfriend.
From what I've learned, and from what my girlfriend has told me, the general impressions towards Christmas in Japan are significantly different compared to how it is celebrated in Australia. The main point I've found is that Christmas here isn't a time for being with family. In fact, it's a time for couples to be together and go out. Also, Christmas Eve is apparently a bigger deal than Christmas Day, in that presents are exchanged on Christmas Eve instead.
Another interesting point, is that fried chicken is the food to be eating during Christmas. While convenience stores and whatnot sell fried chicken, KFC is usually the preferred choice of Japanese people. Also, since there's only one KFC that I know of in Kyoto (located in Sanjo), it got really busy there - hell they even take advance orders, so you can go there later and just pick up your order immediately. When we went there, there was already a line forming outside, and some staff were going to waiting customers, giving out a menu so they can decide while waiting, and then taking their order when they were ready. The staff would write the order down on a docket, and give it to you, which you give to the cashier when you're next to make your payment. Luckily for us, a number of people decided to leave the line and go elsewhere, which made things go quicker. The staff also mentioned that because it was so busy, our order would probably take about 20 mins, which was no problem to us. Surprisingly, it only took about 10 mins between paying and receiving our meal.
The final thing I've found is that Christmas is not a national holiday here, so there are still plenty of people that will be working on Christmas Day today. In Australia, people everywhere would be making use of their annual leave to get this week off, and maybe a little bit in to next week, in preparation for the new year.

I wasn't expecting much in the way of presents this year, but I was really happy and surprised with what I received from my girlfriend. I got a pair of thermal earmuffs for the winter, some popcorn which we'll probably eat tonight, a framed photo of us when we went to see the autumn leaves a few weeks back, a shoulder bag (which I had been thinking about getting for some time, but didn't mention anything to my girlfriend, so this was a really pleasant surprise), and lastly a sketchbook - but not just any regular sketchbook: knowing that I like Gundam (especially Gundam Unicorn), she personally decorated it with a lot of Gundam images, especially the RX-0 Gundam Unicorn, and on the back were images of all the Universal Century Gundams. I was really impressed that she went to such great lengths, and they are all really awesome gifts (by the way, I did buy her presents too, in case anyone was wondering)

That's all for me from now, next post will hopefully cover the New Year in Japan.

Autumn leaves / 紅葉

So a week after going to Njio to see the Art Aquarium, I went to see the autumn leaves (紅葉）at Toufukuji and Kiyomizudera. During autumn, you can pretty much go anywhere to see the autumn leaves, but it's nice to see temples too, so not why not do both?
I went early in the morning, as I was told that the weekend I was going was actually a long weekend, and so people from all over Japan (and some foreigners too) were swarming to Kyoto that weekend. Despite getting to Toufukuji by around 9:30, it was already getting pretty busy. However, it was totally worth it to see the autumn leaves. For some people, it's not a big deal, but for me, I've never seen this in person before. In Australia, you don't have autumn leaves that turn a nice orange-red colour - they usually just turn brown before falling off the tree. Furthermore, Australia doesn't have temples with significant cultural or historical significance behind them (and I thought us Australians were supposed to be conservative). Anyway, despite the crowds, I was able to get plenty of good views and photos of the autumn leaves and the temples. As Toufukuji was a bit of walk from the station, I was trying various snacks and drinks - After leaving Toufukiji, I had some mitarashi dango, which I had not eaten in a little while (freshly made ones at least), and an interesting ginger drink. Normally I've had ginger drinks warm, so it was an interesting experience to have it cold for a change. Further along the way, I decided to buy some taiyaki from a small vendor.

Later, I made my way to Kiyomizudera, but before going to the temple, I had a look around the shops for souvenirs for the family, and even trying out a lot of samples (分かった、本当にけちけち（笑））. Again, also had some more mitarashi dango, but also went to one stall that I usually go to whenever I'm going to Kiyomizudera to try the Japanese sake flavoured ice cream (日本酒味）, and I also tried okonomiyaki steamed bun for the first time. It was nice, but I still prefer the real thing （笑）.
As expected, by the time I arrived at the temple, it was pretty busy with people trying to get spots wherever possible to get a good view of the autumn leaves. I was able to get a few good spots as well, but I also wanted to get some views of the city too. I was also planning to go to the fountain area and take a drink from there, but compared to the last time that I did it, the line was much longer, and I decided to give it a miss this time.

It was quite a fun and interesting experience, as I never witness this sort of thing in Australia. But now that it's winter here, all the autumn leaves have fallen off the trees. I'm not sure what to expect of winter, as I've not experienced these kind of temperatures before in Australia (オーストラリアだからこそ）. I've already gone though a bit of a fever this past week, but I'll save that story for another post.

アートアクアリウム城

On the 15th of November (遅いポストごめん,sorry for the delay), I went to a special exhibition called the Art Aquarium Castle at Nijo Castle. What is interesting about this exhibition is that it only runs at night, from 5pm - 10pm (last admissions are at 9:30). Despite getting to Nijo Castle around 8pm, It wasn't until after 9 that I finally got to see the exhibition. The lines were insane.
Yes. You read right. Lines. I had to wait in line outside of Nijo castle for about 30 mins, just to be able to enter the castle. Upon entering, I had to join another line to purchase a ticket. Finally, I had to join a third line just to be able to enter the exhibition! The last line was probably the one I had to had wait the most in. Fortunately, I went to a nearby convenience store and grabbed some food so that I wouldn't be starving while waiting.

Before you are able to freely explore the exhibit, you have to watch a fancy introduction-style presentation, which had a number of linked fish tanks with many goldfish, with a blank backdrop for projections (sorry, it's a little difficult to describe). Oh, and remember that big line I was waiting in? Well, this is the cause of it. What happens, is when the presentation has finished there's maybe a few minutes for the crowd to move on to the rest of the exhibition to allow those waiting to watch the introduction. The problem I had was that people were moving along soooo slowly, I ended up having to watch it a second time. Fortunately, I had a much better view to the presentation compared to the first time.

Anyway, after (finally) getting past the introduction, I explored the rest of the area. I will certainly say that there were plenty of varieties of goldfish, and plenty of fancy tanks. My personal favourite being a gem-like shaped fish tank, that gradually changes colour. It was very fascinating to look at. You know what, it might just be easier to load up some photos (sorry for the quality, ipodでこの写真取った。私のカメラを忘れちゃった）

 

The exhibition is running until the 14th of December. If you happen to be in Kyoto before that time, and you like goldfish, it's worth checking out.

Never really got used to the new guys...

Well the semester has started at Ryukoku University yesterday, and I received my results from last semester. The good news is that I passed all of my units last semester. Even that JLPT prep unit that I... disliked greatly, which surprised me, given that I didn't think I did that well - with exception to the exam, where I prepped for that like crazy. Somehow I managed to score above the minimum 60% (I scored 65%). Even more surprising was my speaking class was my best one, in which I got 86% for it. I thought I did ok, but I didn't think I did that well, especially in the exam. Fortunately, the teacher is really nice (though a little bit scary at first).

This semester, I was able to get in to the required core grammar class again (4B). I still need to take placement tests for kanji and listening, but for my unit coordinator back home, the core grammar class is the most important one. Aside from my other Japanese units, I'm planning on taking 3 electives this semester, instead of 2. I'm thinking of taking the advanced JLPT n2 preparation class, as I've heard that it's significantly better than the basic preparation class that I took last semester. Also, I intend to take the Japanese society in english class again this semester, as I found the issues covered particularly interesting, though some were certainly hit and miss. However, this semester, I am also thinking of taking Go (a strategy game) - I sat in on the starting class last semester, but ended up dropping it because I was frustrated with how I wasn't able to calculate the scores correctly, no matter what I did. But, since my Japanese has improved since the beginning of last semester, I think I'll give it one more try. By taking three electives this semester, I'm doing more than the minimum required number of units to accrue 12 credit points for my home uni. That way, if I do fail one unit yet pass the rest, it won't screw up  my chances of graduating next year.

You Can (not) Hate Your Teacher

Exams are about 2-3 weeks away. For the most part, I'm actually doing ok with my classes. There's just one that i'm not doing so well in, and it's not my listening class for a change. Actually, it's my JLPT N2 class. However, I've found that I'm not the only one who's not doing so great at that class. I suspect it can be traced back to the teacher himself. It's not that he's a total asshole or anything like that. In fact, it's quite the opposite - he's soft spoken and seems to be an ok guy (which would be great outside of class). The problem is, despite being a nice guy, he's just not a good teacher.

My weekly class with this teacher is pretty much summed in one word: tests. That is pretty much all we do in that class. He gives us handouts from an N2 text book (which I happened to buy already, but whatever....), tells us to study them, and then sit a short test next week. He does a similar thing with N3 content, except he doesn't give any notes for that - just the weekly tests that can be found in the text books, and we are expected to study on the grammar points on our own. It actually reminds me of my Japanese classes back in my home country's university, which I guess is the reason why I dislike this class and this teacher.
If he simply did away with weekly tests and focused more on going through the n2 grammar thoroughly instead, it would make things a lot more pleasant. As it is, it's just annoying. Frankly, I'd be better not taking the class, and just studying the n2 content on my own - unfortunately, conditions  of being an international student mean I can't just skip that class altogether without being deported.

That's all from me for now. Sorry about the delay between posts.

ファションについて

I've settled in to my classes finally - even if I have to wake up early every morning... but anyway...

Lately, I've been noticing the fashion selection of uni students, especially girls: A lot of them are wearing high heels, which compared to my uni back home is a really odd choice of footwear. One of my Korean classmates has apparently decided to follow suit today, and it ended humorously with her having to grab on to me to walk to a restaurant for lunch. However, since I had no more classes by lunch time, I was on my way back to the dorm, though that didn't stop her from using me as a human crutch for part of the trip.
Considering that students are having some difficulty with walking in high heels (such as my classmate), I'm left wondering: why? I can sort of understand if it was in a office environment (which I have worked in a few years ago), but in the context of a university environment? it seems really odd. Well, not that I'm making any intention of trying to change Japan's fashion taste - you might as well ask me to move an airplane with my teeth alone.
On another fashion observation, wearing sunglasses seems to be a rarity around Kyoto. Ninety percent of the time, I'm usually the only person around wearing sunglasses. I guess that makes it easier for everyone to spot me (as being a foreigner already makes me stand out). It's funny how wearing sunglasses is such a common occurrence back in Australia, but such a rarity here.

Also, another thing that bothers me is not being able to find antiperspirant deodorant. Sure, they have deodorant, but it's a real annoyance to be walking to uni and then find massive sweat patches under my arms, which is especially bad during humid weather (and it's also starting to get warm recently). Fortunately, I received a parcel from my parents after I spoke to them last week about this particular grievance (among other topics). On top of getting a new pair of (really comfortable) sneakers, some cooking recipes I forgot to take with me before leaving Australia, some various general medicines and a letter and photo of the family and I at the airport on the day I was leaving, they also included 6 lots of roll-on antiperspirant. I used some today, and it makes a hell of a difference - no sweat patches under my arms at all, and it was humid today too. I was speaking to them yesterday and made sure to let them know that I received the package and thanked them for it.

That's it for me at the moment. However, there's a chance I'll probably post another rant/observation some time this month. Ja ne, minna.

歌を歌うよ

While there are many things that I like about Japan compared to my home country, probably one that has stood out for me is karaoke. Affordability and atmosphere are probably the two things that really stand out compared to back home.

Where I live in Australia, while there are a few places to go for Karaoke, there's always something wrong - it's either pricing or a very limited song list to songs that are nearly a decade old. For the worse of the two types, the price is ok, but I just do not enjoy it. The other place that my friends and I go for Karaoke is usually really pricey, not to mention that when you request for the Japanese system when booking, they don't bother to tell you until the day you turn up that the Japanese system has been broken for a few days - and this has happened when my friend made a booking for her birthday a few months back. 

However in Kyoto, it's just so much more fun - pricing is pretty decent. For about the equivalent of $15 for myself and friends, we get all we can drink for about a good 5-6 hours (aka 飲み放題/nomihoudai - literally 'bottomless cup'). The only catch was that at this particular place they don't serve alcohol, so it's BYO - but given that alcohol is ridiculously cheap and can easily be bough from convenience stores (there was one right next door to karaoke), that's really not a problem at all. Furthermore, the song selection is so much better than what you can get back home. While it was possible to play Japanese songs, it was never extensive as here (but then again, I am in Japan, so, duh). What was even more interesting, I could get more Weird Al songs than back in Australia, even if it's only just "Fat" and "Eat it" and I enjoy those songs. 

Some of you are probably asking - Can I sing? The answer is no, no I can't.

I'm good at songs that require screaming. Lots and lots of screaming. That's why I love some of JAM Project's and Hironobu Kageyama's songs (especially Gate of the Hell and Super Survivor respectively). Even more interesting is that they have some vocaloid songs available for selection. I found a couple of Luka Megurine songs when I went to karaoke for the first time, but alas - I cannot sing any of them that well, especially "ggrks" given that you need a guy (aka Gakupo) and a girl (aka Luka) to sing it - and I cannot switch between the two very well >.>.

That's my highlight of the week. Until next time, じゃね。

Three Weeks in to my Stay in Japan...

It's been over a week since I had the placement test. The result? After taking a second test, and a surprise second interview (that only I had to to do for some reason), I got in to the class I needed.
Perhaps I should explain. In order to receive credits from my home university, my main requirement is that I need to be placed in a certain level in order to be eligible. If I didn't get in to the corresponding class, then I would have been in trouble, as there's no way to switch up to a more advanced level once placements have been made. Fortunately, after two weeks of stressing and some last minute studying after two and a bit months of study before leaving for Japan, it all paid off.

However, while the semester has started, this week has been more about sitting in on classes and figuring out which subjects I want to take this semester(aside from my compulsory Japanese language units). Yesterday, I attended a class about Igo. The lecturer is apparently pretty good at the game. However, there was only 6 of  us in the class - and it looks like it might be a lot less from next week onwards, as some of the people don't seem to be interested. As I've never heard of the game before, I was intrigued and have been going through the handout he had given us. However, despite my best attempts so far, I still cannot figure out how he calculated scoring for both players.

I also attended a lecture on Japanese Society - probably one of the only lectures that is taught in English. Aside from that reason, the syllabus covers a number of topics that I am actually interested in, including issues on foreign labor force, and consumption in Japan. Not surprisingly, a number of international students also attended this lecture, including one of my friends. Furthermore, one of the tutors from my dorm also attended the class.

In terms of assignment and workloads, I'm not sure what to expect. Speaking with friends yesterday who had been speaking with other people, the workload is supposedly a lot easier compared to our uni back home. Apparently, some students think that a 800 word essay is hard. Really? For us back home, 1500 words is normally the minimum for essay writing - for a standard essay, it's about 2000-2500 words that we have to do. So it looks like this could possibly be a lot easier than what I am used to.

I've been trying to relax in between studying, with limited results. On the up side, I bought some cool figures and models, and just today I bought a Lily Nendoroid figure. At some point, I'll be sending a box full of my goodies back to my parents, to hold on to until I return from Japan. I promised a friend to get a Revoltech Woody figure for him, which I managed to do on my second day here (albeit it is a sepia colours version), so I hope he'll be happy with it.

That is all for the moment. Hopefully I'll have something a little more exciting to write about. Ja ne.

Finally in Kyoto

It's been less than a week since I arrived in Kyoto, and a lot has certainly happened in that time. On top of getting my health card, bank details and mobile phone set up (though the mobile phone is still in progress), I've been hanging out with the people in my dorm, including the dorm tutors. Since first arriving here we've also been going out to dinner, and even went to karaoke. I was initially overwhelmed that I felt that my Japanese was not sufficient to keep up with conversation. Fortunately, I caught up with a friend who came to my uni on exchange last year, and it helped to boost my confidence that my Japanese conversation skills are not as bad as what I thought. They key is more in recognising and understanding what people are saying, as I am able to put answers and conversation together without problem. Furthermore, I've also been watching the most recent Batsu Game on youtube to help with recognition and new vocabulary - getting a laugh or three ain't so bad either.

Tomorrow is orientation day, and the welcoming ceremony of new students. I don't know what to expect there. However, the next day is what I'm more concerned about, as it's the placement test. I've been studying since the new year, and i have also tried to study while settling down here in Kyoto, but I don't know if it will be enough. I guess all I can do is just do my best.