07.12
On Tuesday morning I woke up (begrudingly) and went to my Indian Dance class. Although I initially felt sick in the morning, I was glad that I went to class because I had a lot of fun preparing with my group and practicing for our final performance, which is only two weeks away! After class, Yoonkyung, Rina, and I met up with Bea in the lunch room. We ate and talked for a good hour or so, and Yoonkyung and I taught Rina the violent Korean games that we learned at church on Sunday (fun times). Afterwards, I showered and went to my Beginner's Japanese class where we started to practice for our presentations that we will be giving next week (aah!). Once I was done with classes for the day, I made plans to meet up with Yoonkyung and Rina in the evening. The three of us went out for dinner at the okonomiyaki restaurant that I went to with Maki, Yoonkyung, and Inoue sensei a while back. Hana chan joined us and we made a mini party out of it.
After everyone was full, we decided to walk Hana chan to where she was doing her part time job (a house near Todaiji temple). We walked with her because it was really dark outside. It would have been scary if she had to go by herself! Once we were sure Hana chan had made it safely to her destination, Yoonkyung, Rina, and I walked around the Todaiji area and ended up at Nigatsuto temple, which has the best view of the city. We stared out at Nara, which was spectacular to see at night because of the city lights. The three of us stood on the balcony for a while and talked about this and that before making our way slowly back towards school. None of us were ready to go home though, so we ended up going to karaoke. What we thought would be an hour or two turned into five hours, but because Yoonkyung had a 50% off coupon, we only had to pay 600 yen (~$6) each-- a bargain! I got back to my room at 4 AM and happily went to bed.
07.13
I woke up around noon on Wednesday as a result of the previous night. At 2:40 PM I attended a first year American Sports History class that Inoue sensei teaches. He asked me to come and help his students read articles in English and then make comments on the contents since I am an American majoring in Sports Science. I really enjoyed the time I spent in the class and I was amazed that students could translate the English articles line-for-line into Japanese.
Immediately after the class ended (around 4:10) I went to Osaka by train to meet up with Yoonkyung and her friend Sarah, a Korean girl who was coming to Japan on vacation. Apparently, Sarah went to high school in the United States-- in North Carolina, no less. Next year she will be attending UNC, and she actually is good friends with a friend of mine who goes to church with me at UNCG. Small world, right? Because of this, Yoonkyung wanted to introduce us to each other. Together, the two of us showed Sarah some of the hot spots in Osaka, all of which I had been to before, but still enjoyed going to again. Osaka really is my favorite city of all time so it was nice just to be there and walk around. Plus, we got to see the beginning of Osaka's matsuri (festival).
We returned to Nara around 9 PM or so, at which point we showed Sarah our campus before going to the cheap Italian restaurant (Saizeria?) that everyone seems to love so much. From there we returned to Yoonkyung's room to talk for a bit. I'm really glad Sarah came to visit Japan because she seems to be a really nice girl-- and I'll hopefully get to hang out with her and her sister when they return to America next year!07.14
Thursday morning I got up early to meet Yoonkyung and Sarah for breakfast and then the two of us decided to show her some of the more popular tourist sights in Nara. Of course, this meant introducing her to our resident deer, taking her to Todaiji, and touring Nara park. We went together on our bikes, which was nice, but it was still unbearably hot so I was sweating up a storm by the time I went to my Japanese class at 10:40. The class went smoothly though, and I got to meet Maki for lunch. She helped me run a few errands after we finished eating and she treated me to ice cream at Tully's because it was a hot day. Then, the two of us finally took purikura together!
The two of us parted ways when I had to go get ready for my volleyball class. Volleyball was the same as usual, but afterwards I got to meet up with Maki again so we could go to Kyoto together. We were going to Kyoto to partake in the Gion Matsuri, one of Japan's biggest summer fesitvals. The plan was to meet up with Yoonkyung and Sarah, then to find Masami, Bea, Melanie, and Raphael. This was a lot easier said then done though. For one thing, it was my first time attending such a big festival (the first time for Maki, too), and people were EVERYWHERE. It looked like all the major roads in Kyoto had been shut down, and people walked freely in the streets. We went to wait in front of a large department store for Yoonkyung and Sarah to arrive. They finally found us about twenty minutes after we arrived in Kyoto. Then we spent the next thirty minutes or so looking for everyone else, which included getting lost. When we finally found the other four people we were looking for, it was in the incredibly packed back streets of the city where vendors had set up shop. Of course, this meant there was a ton of delicious street food to be seen. I ate the equivalent of a pita accompanied by an Italian beer (naturally, they were delicious). However, while I enjoyed walking through the streets, they were so crowded that we could only walk in a single file line and we ended up getting separated more than once so we wasted a lot of time waiting and looking for eachother. In the end, we walked around the streets one time before everyone decided to go home. I definitely enjoyed the festival experience, I only wish that we had done more! I also wish that I had worn my yukata, but I didn't have enough time to change after class. Oh well. Next time, right?
When we got back to Nara, the night was still young so I joined Yoonkyung and Sarah at Mello Cafe for dessert and some much needed conversation. We stayed in the restaurant until they closed, then continued our conversation at Yoonkyung's dorm. I got to swap stories with Sarah about American life, as well as the difficulties of learning a new language. It's really great when you meet people who completely understand the situation you are in. It's unfortunate that Sarah only got to stay in Japan for three days, but we have plans to meet up when I go to Korea so I am pretty excited : )
07.15
Today was absolutely amazing. In fact, I would consider it one of the best days I have spent in Japan since I've been here. The only downside was that I skipped my Friday class, but it was totally and completely worth it.
At 9 AM, Bea and I met up with our friend Rina to go with her to her house in Osaka. Her mother welcomed us into her small home and proceeded to spoil us with the most amazing meal I have eaten in Japan so far. Everything was home made, and you could tell that she had put a lot of thought and effort into every dish (of which there were many). A restaurant couldn't have done it any better! I was really touched by her thoughtfulness. I only wish that I had brought her a proper gift to show my gratitude!
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| Before all of the food was brought out. The dishes kept coming! |
When we were all more than full, we thanked Rina's mother profusely and then set out to take two different trains and a taxi in order to reach Rina's teacher's house. Rina's teacher is a professional kimono dresser. She teaches people how to wear kimono, does their hair and makeup, and then takes pictures for them. Apparently, this is a service that can cost up to $1,000, but she did it for us for FREE, all because Rina asked her to. Yeah, she was pretty awesome. Not many people can afford to wear kimono, so it would have been a treat even for a Japanese person, but it was especially nice for Bea and I since we are both foreigners. Once again I found myself humbled by the amazing kindness shown to me by total strangers. Also, I think the end result turned out pretty good-- don't you?
We took a million pictures, of course, but eventually it was time to return the kimono. We changed back into our normal clothes before Rina's teacher took us to her sister's house. Her sister and her husband's house was built in the traditional Japanese style, so it was really neat to see. To my surprise, they had bought a TON of sushi so we could eat dinner with them. Together, the six of us talked while eating and drinking, and afterwards we were given dessert, coffee, and treats to take home. I don't think I have ever met such kind, generous people. They insisted that we visit again and asked for our home addresses so they could send us letters and postcards after we return to our own countries. Wow!
The day was long-- we started at 9 AM and didn't get back until around 9 PM, but I could tell that Rina had put a lot of thought into making the day special for Bea and I. In that, she, and everyone else involved definitely succeeded. One thing Japan does right is hospitality. I have never had a complete stranger try so incredibly hard to accomodate my every need. Of course, there is the universal common courtesy that people are expected to extend to guests, but the Japanese take it to a whole new level.
I'm in love with this country. I can't believe I am leaving next month!
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