An action-packed week ahead....

Title says it all, really.

Today was the Monday of that same crazy week. I had a job interview scheduled, which went smoothly but I had to cut it short cause I didn't want to sign my name on anything until I've sorted all the crap out at the university. So much crap. The manager of the cafe did say that if I couldn't find work as a teacher, I could always make it as a model. (I just took it as compliment.)

Tomorrow is Tuesday. I have another kanji test that I intend to ace, again. (Tentens, don't let me down!) Also, I plan to raid Claire's Accessories for the cheapest set of ears/horns for the cheapest Hallowe'en costume EVER! We shall see if Shinjuku can provide.

Wednesday. Erm...nothing but normal lectures, I believe? I need to learn the lyrics to the songs I am performing at the 学園祭 and I (stupidly) set myself the deadline of Wednesday for that. So nervous!

Thursday. I have to give a speech in class. I had one of my original speeches that I wrote for a presentation at Sheffield University that I was quite proud of. However, my teacher at Meiji University insisted on shortening all my sentences and taking out any words that sound too complicated. (So she basically 'dumbed it down' to first-year level and I'm not too pleased.)

Friday. Essay due for Friday, gotta crack down on that. Straight after class, I shall be heading down to the International Lounge to attend a 'Zen Experience' at a temple. It sounded intriguing so I put my name down. (Also, it's free and free is good.)
Finishing that, I have to slap on a tonne of makeup for a Hallowe'en party, which I shall be half attending, the other half spent with my circle, practicing for the perfomance the following Thursday.

Saturday. Not yet confirmed but I was planning to see a baseball game between Waseda and Keio Universities (早慶戦）. It's rather like the Japanese version of the Oxbridge Boat Race. I also intend to do a LOAD of washing on the weekend.

Sundaaaay. I shall spend the day doing some homework, some psychology report and then join 'my maaan' for some Korean barbecue, which sounds AMAZING. (I discovered how tasty kimchi is today and I would assume that Korean barbecue would include kimchi somewhere...)

Yeah, ...lots to come. I shall try not to forget my camera this week.

Mid-October Happenings

Ho my, I realise the 10th was like...almost two weeks ago and I haven't updated since then! (Sorry...)

So anyway, here's what I've been up to in the last two weeks....

(The first of the two weeks)
First up, Wednesday: A spontaneous visit to Tokyo Tower. Having just finished my Applied Linguistics class, I stroll back into my dorm from my dorm and find Strahinja sat in the entrance. So out of curiosity, I ask him if he's waiting for something. He says that he's waiting for some friends and then they're all going to head off to Tokyo Tower, some sightseeing at night as it were. He then says I'm welcome to come along....
(Brief pause)
I'll just dump my things in my room and be right with you! ~♪
So I did. And we travelled quite a long way in search of this tower. The nearest station was Daimon and we walked from there.

Approaching Tokyo Tower 

Ascending the tower cost around 800円 but luckily with student discount, we were granted access for 720円.

東京タワー

The view was.....the view was....well, it was a view of Tokyo at night to be honest. It was very similar to the experience I shared with Hiro at the the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office, only this time it wasn't free. The added bonus was the view of the Rainbow Bridge linking Tokyo to the artificial island of Odaiba (albeit being very very far away).
Having said that, the atmosphere was great. There was a restaurant and a live band playing very familiar bossa nova tracks (The Girl From Ipanema etc) and unusual instruments. I would say that Tokyo Tower is the ideal night out for a couple: romantic view, romantic dinner and romantic musical accompaniment. (Really missed a certain someone at this point...)

A view from the tower

The fantastic live bossa nova band

Thursday!
I had scheduled to meet up with Misato Abe, who I hadn't met since Sheffield yonks ago. I met her outside Ochanomizu Station and we wandered into town together to have lunch and a good catch-up.
I had tempura for the first time and it was delicious!

天丼

The stunning Misato

Ahh, it was so nice to meet with someone familiar and have a good girly chat about..er...things. We chatted for about 3 and a bit hours (because we girls can).
It was sad having to part with her and having to watch her skip off in the opposite direction...ready to catch the Tsukuba Express....and be taken away.....*sad face*.

(The second of the two weeks)

NOTHING BUT NOTHING BUT NOTHING BUT 勉強！
I had so much homework and preparation for a Japanese exam that counts towards my grade (it happened Tuesday last, and I missed one question, giving me 98%. Win).
....Study, study, study, homework, homework, homework (quick mess-around on my camera), homework, homework.......JESSAMY!

Sundaaaaay!
I met with my friend Jessamy in Ikebukuro just to hang out for a few hours. Ikebukuro is like Akihabara...only more aimed at girls than horny little boys (so there are less attractions with massive bewbs and more with cute fluffy things).
It was fun to have a wander around a new area of Tokyo and to have a MASSIVE girly catch-up, only to realise that we have so much in common....it was kinda scary. Jessamy bought herself some AWESOME new headphones. They are Kaomoji-kun ones and are mega cute.

Cute Rilakkuma plastic food

Gintoki, Sadaharu and Elizabeth

I HATED having to say goodbye. It was so hard to watch her turn a different direction.....round a corner so that she disappeared from sight....ready to catch the Tsukuba Express.....and be taken away...AGAIN! (Why is everyone I know located in the Tsukuba area?! Methinks I'm in the wrong city....)

サークル things...

Mondaaaay. Today was Nation Health Sports Day ..or whatever, which basically meant a day off lectures (for me, no classical Japanese. YAHOOO!)

I started the day with a sob 'cause I really fancied a sing-song but my guitarist lives 1,150円 away.... I cooked some strange mixture of vegetables, rice and natto. (I've realised recently that natto tastes AMAZING in everything; I put it in omelette, in my ramen, with my soba....)

Following that, I settled down at the kitchen table with a hot mug of tea and made a start on my MAHOOSIVE pile of homework. I think I managed about half of it before I lost the motivation to do anything so I wandered off down to campus to join my circle and do some much-needed sing-songing.

Success! I found a guitarist worthy of accompanying me. He goes by the name of Kohei Watanabe (or Bei for short) and has the ability to play anything after hearing it once. I played him a potential song I wanted to perform at the school festival on my iPod. He'd listened to the track once, nodded and started to play the song exactly the way it had sounded on my pod. I started to sing along and we made it through the whole track.....sorted! We shall be playing together at the 和泉学園祭。

A few hours later, I received an unhappy text (albeit adorable) from Hiro, who was worried that I, having found a new guitarist, would no longer be in need of Hiro's playing. NO NO!  Silly baby. I made sure to explain to him that nobody could ever replace him, EVER.
And then he told me we was thinking of joining a guitar circle at his university...and found that I had the exact same response; that perhaps Hiro would find another vocalist at his university and would then have no need for me. He too assured me this would not happen. We're as bad as each other.

I returned in a happier mood and finished all the homework I needed to finish before Tuesday. In my stupid four and a half hour break in between lecture and pointless seminar, I shall be heading for the immigration office to see if I can obtain working permission....hmm.
I'm really hoping the university doesn't need to give permission, otherwise I have no idea how I'm going to be able to enjoy life here.

ようやくサークルに入った。

<<I finally joined a circle>>

Friday, hell of a day.
I had the usual morning rush (albeit calmer than yesterday's shenanigans at the station) and attended my 3-hour Japanese lesson. It was a good lesson, always is on a Friday. There was the usual never-before-seen grammar and explanations followed this time by a good browse through a travel magazine. I have never wanted so badly to visit Nagasaki and its Holland-style village, Huistenbosch. Like THAT will happen. I can't afford lunch at the moment so it's missing from my daily routine.

I received word after the lesson had finished that the other Japanese teachers had been discussing that they want me to move up a class into the top group. My speaking level is not 'fluent' so....I really don't think I'll be moving. It'll probably also require me to purchase an advanced Japanese textbook, which I definitely DO NOT WANT as the last intermediate textbook cost me the best part of £40 (plus, the added stress, yadda yadda...).

Ah, yes. In relation to that matter, I went and appealed at the International Office to see if they'd make an exception to their 'バイトしっちゃダメ!' rule and allow me to seek a part-time job so that I can LIVE. The answer was 'no' but they suggested that I write them an email explaining my situation and to say whether the job will benefit my studies in any way (as this is essentially why I'm here in Japan). Working will indeed benefit my studies! It will not only improve my spoken Japanese, but aid my research for my dissertation (with the provisional topic being second language-acquisition) and will give me valuable English-teaching experience that will ultimately support me post-graduation when I seek work as a full-time English teacher in Japan.....(I typed all this in the email, don't worry.)
...So, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they take my situation into account and grant me permission. (I also *shhhhh* received some helpful information regarding 'the rules'...Meiji University is not legally able to stop me from working. I was told that some students in the past worked part-time without Meiji's knowing....)


I was a tearful person for a good half-hour until I found a supermarket MUCH cheaper than my usual and was able to replenish my supply of green tea for half the price I would usually pay. Mood improved dramatically after this.

A much-needed munch (at 4pm as I don't have lunch at the moment) and I skip off down the road to my local Izumi Campus to join a circle by the name of 'ストリート'. Despite my initial desire of joining a badminton circle, I ended up in a music circle as the badminton circle failed to provide any means of correspondence or information regarding the circle's whereabouts, time...or any mention of anything happening in the current year. Hmm.

So, 'Street' is an acoustic guitar circle that also seeks vocalists to provide their own noise. I had about four hours of flitting between guitarists, singing, chatting and playing my uke. Somehow, I managed to slice open my middle finger on my right hand and I've bled right through the plaster. My uke strings can hurt if you miss while strumming (that'll teach me to not swing my head about like a loony while I play). I tried several renditions of 丸の内サディスティック to see which guitarist was more 'à la Kim'. A dude called Ryoma (right?) had a particular strumming style that I liked: more slap and a catchy rhythm. (He still comes second-best to Hiro though. NOTHING can compare to Hiro's playing.) Most of the members were absent, apparently practising for tomorrow's ライブ (live event) to be held at the Surugadai Campus in Ochanomizu, which I have every intention of attending (I won't be performing; I'm still a newcomer) if I can find the correct room.... 

It's flatmate Miriam's birthday tomorrow so I will have to throw some money towards food. I shall of course be ordering the least expensive thing on the menu. (けちじゃないわよ！貧乏っす！）

Trains much?

Oh dear lord...

I departed for class two minutes later than usual today (due to a minor wardrobe malfunction). It was fairly chilly at two minutes past eight....

....I don't know how today was so special but it seemed EVERYONE IN TOKYO wanted to be riding them this morning. Never have I before come to a complete grinding halt at the JR transfer gate, never have I before been jammed solidly whilst going up the stairs to platform 7....never have I before received a rather firm push from behind by a pair of white gloved hands.

It was also my first time seeing the railway staff handing out little slips of paper with an apology written on them. I would therefore assume that they are to give to one's company or workplace to inform them of why one was late....

I managed (somehow) to arrive on time, 10 minutes before my other classmates, even though I swear they got on the same train as me....hmm.
Anywho, the lesson went smoothly and I received very positive feedback for my report and presentation. I did, however, fail yet again at finding a guitar pick with Die's name on it. (Dir en grey's second guitarist.) Kaoru: plenty, Toshiya: no problem, Die: where are you hiding them, Ochanomizu??!?!! *ahem*

So, Tokyo rush hour as I've never seen it. I hope it calms down tomorrow. I shall leave two minutes earlier if it makes that much of a difference. PHEW!

防災体験!!

<<Disaster Prevention Experience>>

Today was FUN.

I had the normal morning rush to Ochanomizu in the morning, which involved disembarking at Yotsuya by accident and having to catch the next train (duuuurrrrr....).
Classes began at nine (I made it with time to spare, fear not!) and I had my usual 3 hours of Japanese babble and reading exercises. We talked about how when tryptophan (トリプトファン) combines with vitamin B6, it changes to serotonin (セロトニン); the secretion of which acts as a neurotransmitter...in Japanese, believe it or not.　（牛製品に含まれるトリプトファンはビタミンB６と結合して、脳の覚醒を促すセロトニンに変化すること。授業のトピックは眠気ましに効く食べ物。かなり面白かった。）

Lesson over, I stumbled into my friend Kohei, who treated me to lunch at Burger King (of all places, haha!). It was nice to chat and help him with his English homework.

Next up, an experience in disaster prevention at a special centre near Tokyo's Sky Tree. Like a total noob, I had left my camera on my desk so I have no photos of today. (We were not allowed to take photos inside the actual centre but photos of the Sky Tree would have been good *sad face*.)

We began by watching a movie about an earthquake disaster with two fictional boys knowing how to handle the situation like pros. (I cried in the middle when their families' houses collapsed. Thank GOD おばあさん made it out of the rubble safely! Had me right on the edge of my seat!)

Lesson 1: 煙 (smoke) and how to deal with it in a building:

This involved running through a small maze of rooms whilst following the emergency exit signs. There were sensors inside the maze that would tell us if we had died during the task. In other words, if we were not crouched low enough, the sensors would detect that and it would show on a TV monitor. Entering the maze seemed okay. It was light, the fake smoke was vanilla-scented....I pressed my handkerchief to my face and ran in a crouched position, following the wall with my right hand. EEEEP! It suddenly went pitch black. All the lights failed including the emergency exit lights so we had to feel our way out by tracing the wall with our hands. Having emerged, we found only one of our group to be 'dead' (and it wasn't me! I guess being a short-arse helps sometimes.)

Lesson 2: 震度７の地震 (earthquakes at magnitude 7; the strongest) and how to deal with them:

This was scary. In small groups we entered this small room with various items of furniture including a dining table, boiler, chair, dresser etc...
Within seconds the simulation began and the room started to shake quite violently. As instructed beforehand, we dived under the dining table, seizing a table leg each and waited for the room to stop rocking and for the furniture to stop falling over. Quake over, we switched off the boiler and held the door of the room open with a chair. MADNESS! But really, really fun nevertheless.

Lesson 3: 消火 (extinguishing fires):

This was very valuable. I have never before been able to get a hands-on experience of using a 消火器 (fire extinguisher). We had a quick run-through of the 3 steps it took to use a fire extinguisher;

1. pull the pin on top
2. release hose and take aim
3. squeeze the trigger
4. PARTAY!

...and then we were able to try it out with real fire extinguishers with a fire simulation. We started by yelling: "火事だ！" and then got busy with the the hoses. 

Lesson 4: 救急法 (first-aid)

I had never been taught this either! We entered a room full of dummies and had a lesson in how to perform 心肺蘇生法 (CPR) and how to use an AED (Automated External Defibrillator). 肝要な知識！！！  

PHEW! What a daaay. たくさん勉強になった。

Side note: after returning home, I made the most AMAZING food ever, that I shall 絶対に cook for my "guest" next time he visits. (You are gonna love it! Boo yah!)

One CRAZY Saturday...

So yeah....

I had bought a ticket to go see my first ever baseball game at 明治神宮野球場. It was Meiji University vs. Keio University.

I had purchased myself, for a mere 300円, one 応援席券 (cheering squad seat ticket...ish thing), which meant following the cheerleaders' instructions written on several cards. For example, if they were to hold up the cards showing the words "頑張れ" and "野村", then we would have to cheer on Nomura-san. There were similar gestures for "strike 1", "strike 2" etc. All in all, it was very exciting to be a part of the crowd, singing various Meiji songs and yelling at the top of our voices. I had quite the sore throat afterwards.

明治神宮野球場

Singing Meiji University's anthem

Meiji lost this particular match but apparently they are still ranking very high against the other universities.

Match over, I make my way back to Shinjuku and wander around aimlessly (to try and put off doing my homework).

Bleepity bleep, and I receive a text message from Hiro asking whether I wanted to come and see a HUGE fireworks display (one of the largest in Japan) that same night. I call him back and he says it's in Tsukuba, an hour and a half away from Tokyo by train. It sounded like an opportunity not to be missed so I agreed to go.

I rush back home to empty my bag of bento leftovers and useless stuff that would make my bag heavy...Hiro calls again to ask if I can come to Tsukuba 'right now'. A brief pause.

Luckily, I'm an easygoing, spontaneous person, so I had no trouble whatsoever saying 'yes'. I change into some sensible shoes and get straight back on the train. Various changes later, I purchase myself a ticket that will take me directly from Akihabara to Tsukuba (for an unfriendly price).

Sat on the train, it was rather nice to see the large buildings and busyness of Tokyo start to disappear from sight and be replaced by views of fields and farmhouses.

筑波到着！

I am greeted at Tsukuba Station by Hiro, in the driver's seat of a car that looked very much like one of his Doctor Martin boots (and not much bigger either).
We join the massive traffic queues and I start to realise how bloomin' massive this event actually is. The sidewalks are chock-a-block with bicycle after bicycle, people on foot, all heading for the same destination. Traffic grinds to a halt, Hiro parks in a field (for the stupid price of 2000円) and we walk the remainder of the distance.

Marching into a field, we find a small, unoccupied patch of ground on which to sit and wait for the fireworks display to begin. Moments later, Kayo and Daniel join us, armed with a blanket and various munchable items. There are many "ooh"s and "ahh"s throughout the 2-hour display.

The gang: Hiro, Daniel, Kayo and myself

It was unlike any display I have ever seen; fireworks in a huge variety of colours, so huge they seem to occupy the whole sky, some even taking the form of 'smiley faces', rabbits, frogs and even Doraemon! It was spectacular and I am so glad I went.

Looks like Saturn! (土星じゃん？）

A camera just can't capture it...

Kayo had very kindly lent me her place to stay the night (opposite Hiro's) as it was very late by the time we had got back. Traffic was pretty much stationary for the return journey but time seemed to pass pretty quickly as Hiro and I sung along to 'Come on Eileen', 'Teenage Dirtbag' and many other awesome tracks stored on his iPhone.

A late visit to 松屋 for din-dins, a touch of booze and a good sleep. A marvellous end to a marvellous day.

11am the following morning and I make my reluctant return to the Tokyo madness and massive pile of homework. Delicious.

Thanks for inviting me! <3