Oh, WHOOPS. I am the worst blogger ever. It's a really good thing that I'm not reputable or well-known.

I SHOULD probably talk about what I've been up to for the past two months, but I'm certain that would bore you to tears. Yes-- boring. I've finally reached the point where Japan is no longer exciting, sparkly, new, what have you, but boring. I'm guessing this has a lot to do with the whole ~getting over culture shock~ phase & the whole homesick thing. To be honest, I got really emotional a few weeks ago, had about 12 mental breakdowns, & decided FUCK JAPAN, I'M GOING HOME, however, that did not actually happen as I am the definition of TROOPER (which doesn't always work in my favor, mind you), but I'm gonna stick it out for another semester blah blah blah. In spite of the fact that I feel like this is all a HUGE waste of time, but I really doubt you want to hear about my emotions or personal thoughts or any of that (as most people don't particularly care to in this kind of forum), so I will... abandon that tangent that I was about to go into.

Anyway. I'll make an informative list instead. People like lists.

Since I'm feeling really enthusiastic about America lately, I'm going to make a contrastive list about the things I like & dislike about Japan & America. I'm sure you're all very excited about this.

AMERICA

+ Fast food. You have no idea how often I find myself craving Taco Bell, Sonic, In-N-Out, etc. all of the time here. & there are McDonald's in Japan, buuuuuuut they are few & far between. Not nearly as populous as in the States. I never thought I would actually be enthusiastic about fast food.
+ Friendliness. Japan is known for being "polite," but not friendly. Because of this, it's nearly impossible for me to make friends here because I'm already considered the shy one in America. Being in a country full of other shy people is not conducive to making friends.
+ Bank hours/24 hour ATMS. Banks close here at 3pm on weekdays & good luck if you want to find one on the weekend. Also, ATMs start charging you an extra fee for after hours usage & on Sunday a lot of them close down except the major ones. Why? Sorry, you can't have money. Thank god for America's guarantee of convenience.
+ DRIVING. Oh my god, I miss driving. That is all.
+ Cheaper things. Exchange rate here is jacked. :< The dollar is weak as hell & I miss my very cheap China-made things that I can buy for less than $5 at Wal-Mart. Also, clothes in the States are MUCH cheaper. I can't imagine how much money the girls here must spend on their wardrobes. D:
+ Pharmacies/obtaining prescriptions. I didn't appreciate this until I came to Japan & had to jump through about a billion hoops to get my medication. In Japan, if you're on what is considered "elective" medication (as I am), you have to go to the doctor EVERY TIME for refills. Inconvenient. You then have to wait in the waiting room (sometimes for TWO hours), talk to the doctor, & then pay $15 for the visit. Then you go to the pharmacy & pick up your $30 prescription. In America, there's no middle man. I just pay my money & get my prescription.

+ House parties. These do not exist in Japan. People regard their homes as a very personal space & don't often welcome people inside for entertaining. In the States, we just wanna party.

JAPAN

+ Less crime. As in pretty much no crime. I turn on the TV in America every day & hear something about someone getting killed or something tragic happening. Doesn't happen terribly often in Japan.
+ People actually caring about their wardrobe. Not something I see too much of in the States. People here enjoy dressing nice & it makes it easier to look at people.
+ Fewer fat people. Also something that makes my eyes happy.
+ Healthier food. No wonder why people here live longer. Our diets in the States are riddled with grease & trans fats & everything bad for you. Here... well, not nearly as popular.

+ Trains. I have a love/hate relationship with trains. I like them because they are nearly everywhere & if I'm ever lost I am immediately unlost once I find a train station. They are also not terribly expensive & rather convenient. Although, the 1hr commute I have to go through in the morning & evenings is not something I really love... more of a hate, but I appreciate the convenience of the trains nonetheless.

+ Vending machines. THEY ARE EVERYWHERE & I am happy. Need a drink? You can find one about every block or so.
+ Politeness. I appreciate this, but I wish people could be polite & friendly. I feel Americans are generally considered rude & sometimes I agree with this, but people here seem to go out of their way to be polite. Even if it is fake...

+ Health care system. I pay the equivalent of $25 a month for health insurance. Doctor's visits are $15. In the US, my dad pays hundreds of dollars for health insurance & my doctor's visits cost upwards of $30. Both countries are equally industrialized & generally treat conditions in the same manner. In America, you're paying more for the same thing. Yeah, I'd much rather get sick in Japan.

List isn't comprehensive, but you get the idea. I've been making a mental list in my head for a bit now. Probably should've remembered more of what I came up with...

Anyway, I miss home, & I want to come back, but I feel like I haven't absorbed enough of this experience... & I know I haven't. I'm trying really hard to get past this mental mess that's holding me back, but things are always harder than they should be.

Miss ya'll. Maybe I won't forget about this so bad next time...

I realize that I haven't updated this in nearly a month... I'm sorry. :[ I promised myself I would make this fairly regular, but apparently I have too much of a life to even waste time on the internet anymore (hahahaha... yeah).

Anyway, I've been in Nagoya since the 1st of September & the first week or so consisted of me trying to get oriented with this *new* part of Japan. My host family picked me up at Nagoya Station after a brief ride on the shinkansen. I was subsequently introduced to a new house, a group of people, & an entirely new way of life. To be honest, at first, I was a little hesitant about staying with them. I was worried no one in the house would really try to talk to me or get to know me for some reason, but as time passed, they've become almost as much of a family to me as my real family (well, minus the blood-relation & the whole language barrier issue), but I'm definitely glad I made this choice. :]

School orientation began on the 5th & I had to take a placement test to determine which level of Japanese I would be taking. Somehow, I ended up in 400. I think I aimed pretty low given that there's two levels higher, but I was intimidated & thought they would be too hard... well, 400 is still a bit too easy since I already pretty much know all of the material, but at least I actually get speaking practice & an opportunity to practice the grammar points & get a nice review & such (blah, blah, blah). The other 3 classes I'm taking are fairly boring & sure-fire snoozers, but I had to take something else, RIGHT? At least after ikebana I get to take flowers home to my host family. :3

A couple of days ago, Typhoon Roke started blowing its way up to Nagoya. On Tuesday, it was raining. A lot. It was raining so much that the train that I have to take back to Kasugai was stopped. I had to stay at school. :[ I had to stay in this weird little Japanese-style room with these two other strange girls & sleep there. No change of clothes. Nothing to take a shower with. No comfort. Awful. :[ I was very, very sad. The administration for the exchange students (aka CJS) went through all of this effort to make me feel comfortable & gave me a shirt, a towel, & even said they would reimburse me for purchasing toiletries & other needs. They placed me into the Yamazato Koryu Kaikan (which is an international dorm) for the following night, but I didn't stay.... After a little drama with my host family & CJS & a long-winded story I REALLY don't feel like reiterating for the millionth time, I somehow ended up home last night, but oh my god. Japanese bureaucracy is horrifying. Typhoons are annoying. Sooooo, when you combine the two you get quite possibly one of the most goddamn 大変 situations ever.

Something I've noticed is the insane feminization of the men here. I have kind of a problem with this. I see guys on the subway all of the type preening their too-dyed, too-much-product-ed hair, & I try so hard not to get caught shaking my head at them. There's also these sandals that look like women's sandals that I see everyone wearing. I even saw a guy wearing like lace-up gladiator type sandals. I see guys wearing pink all of the time or having things with heart patterns on them, or wearing CROCS for god's sake. & see guys wearing TOE RINGS here. What is this!?!! I don't even know. Why? Why can't boys be boys? Why do boys have to look like girls? I feel sorry for the girls here. Slim pickin's. :[

Anyway, my camera battery died & I've been too lazy to bother looking for my charger so... this is a pretty texty entry full of not-my-own pictures.

Also... wearing a dress the day after a typhoon. Bad idea. Duly noted. x_x

So I guess it's about time I update my dear little bloggy blog that I've been neglecting terribly. :[

I guess I'll start off by saying this... Arashi is everywhere. I'm pretty sure Sho Sakurai is easily the most famous person in the country at the moment. Why? Well, I'm guessing it has little to do with talent & more to do with the fact that the group is comprised of "hot" guys (but I'd really rather not give them that much). In the train station, on the train, in the street, on TV ads, everywhere, everywhere, everywhere... there is Arashi. I thought the hype surrounding the Backstreet Boys in the 90s in the US was terrible, but this is kind of overkill. I guess Japanese girls are just suckers.

I started my adventure off by spending a few nights in a hostel in Asakusa. I've stayed here before & I remember this particular part of Tokyo being beautiful & kind of laid-back compared to the more famously busy parts like Shinjuku & Shibuya. Asakusa is famous for being more traditional; boasting Senso-ji & hosting a number of traditional matsuri throughout the year. Unfortunately, staying in a hostel for me generally equals torture in my mind. Sharing a dorm room with 7 other strangers who are prone to waking up at unholy hours or spending a lot of time scuffling about in the middle of the night is not what I consider to be conducive to an ideal amount of sleep... at least I never really spent a lot of time there.

I spent a lot of time with Nao (who I strangely met at the Asukasa Station while I was lugging an oversized suitcase up numerous flights of stairs... kind of wish someone would've directed me to the elevator sooner). We've spent so much time eating food & then freaking out when the food is delicious (much like a Japanese TV show), but what I've noticed about Japan is that food & the quality of food is much more emphasized than in the United States. You can buy food very cheaply in Japan & expect the quality to be that of a restaurant that may be twice or even three times as expensive, but I wouldn't expect anything less from a neighborhood noodle house. It's the livelihood of the business. If the quality is poor, chances are people won't return. In the US, if the quality is poor, it doesn't matter as long as your filling your belly. :/

We went to 花火大会 on Saturday night. Somehow, we managed to meet up with Josh after he spent the previous day getting Asakusa Station confused with Asakusa-bashi Station. Beers were had, fireworks were watched, soba was eaten, & I don't even remember how many hours we spent walking around Harajuku & Shibuya. My feet are more than a little angry with me, but if this is what I must do to be an honorary Tokyoite... well, then, so be it. I keep finding mysterious bruises all over my arms & legs, too.... Anyhow, I had my first karaoke box ~experience~ the following day. America definitely needs to get on this. Singing drunkenly in front of a bunch of strangers is nothing compared to having your own private box of karaoke joy... possibly filled with beverages other than alcohol & company other than complete strangers. Definitely a good way to break the ice with some strangers. Might I add, Koreatown in Japan is all about worshipping the guises of Korean celebrities... there are entire stores dedicated to selling pictures & posters & whatever else you want of your favorite K-Pop celebrity. Ahhh, Japan once again takes obsession to a whole new level.

There was one particular night where I went to dinner with Nao at this super fancy

exclusive restaurant that you have to have a membership for. Her father happens to be a member & makes a reservation for us. This dining experience was quite possibly one of the BEST ones I've ever had. The chef selected the menu for us, & I really doubt I could've picked anything better myself. Steak = best steak I've ever eaten. Easily. Usually when my mom makes steak I'm like, "oh... steak... yeah...." but when this guy made the steak & I put it into my mouth I was like, "OMG STEAK!!!!" I never get that excited about steak. That's sayin' a lot. & being that this restaurant was in the middle of Roppongi among the skyscrapers & the backdrop of the night sky & the city lights I couldn't help but feel like I might be in a movie...

Eventually, I end up in Hachioji with Nao's family & it's definitely my first time staying in a house with a family that speaks no English. I guess this is good for my Japanese because I'm finally put into a situation where I HAVE to use it in order to communicate. I guess this might have kind of been the point of coming here (since there's no way in hell I'm going to improve by just studying on the ASU campus lololol). We went to 回転寿司 last night after taking a random trip to Kanagawa by car. The whole steering wheel/roads on the opposite side is still kind of tripping me out.

Tomorrow I go to Nagoya & finally get to meet my host family & see the house I will be spending my time in for the next 3 & a half months. :x I still can't decide if I should even attempt to go home for winter break or just grin & bear it & find something to do here... but I suppose that is something to be determined... I find myself feeling homesick more than I'd like, but this is what I chose, right? Not that I regret it. I just wish I could have home & here all at the same time. :[

Also, my hair is crazy here. I give up.

Hellloooo!

I thought I'd start a little bloggy blog for all to read about my year long adventure in Japan. :] This will likely consist of photos & observations about the culture, people, & details about what I'm learning. So if you're a friend of mine & you're interested feel free to follow me!

So, I guess I'll go ahead & give a little preliminary departure update. I received my visa in the mail yesterday so it's officially on. ;D My flight departs on Wednesday & I will arrive in Tokyo on Thursday! I will be spending my first week in Tokyo with friends before I depart to Nagoya on September 1st!

This color scheme may be too intense if you're viewing this in the dark. So turn your lights on, silly.