Saturday, September 29, 2012

Oh, the things you can find if you don't stay behind!

The golden pavilion of Kinkakuji in Kyoto.
The gardens at Heian jingo shrine in Kyoto.
 Of all the field trips I've ever been on for school this one takes the cake. Saturday a bus load of JCMU students went to Kyoto for the day. The first stop of the day was Kinkakuji. We only had about half an hour there but that was enough to be impressed. The golden pavilion sits out on a pond surrounded by walkways.

The second stop was my favorite of the day. The gardens at Heian jingo is one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited. Walking weave through the garden and over ponds. We fed fish and turtles. We even saw a bride and groom getting their picture taken. I found out the women was wearing a head covering to hide her "horns of jealousy". The shrine here was impressively large and beautiful.


Carp expecting to be fed.
The last stop of the day was Kiyomizu-dera. A temple located in the side of a mountain. It had an amazing view of Kyoto from the top. While all these places that I visited were amazing the thing that got me the most was how many foreigners I saw. Where I currently reside I don't see any other "gaijin" than those of us in the program. In fact, we are usually so surprised when we see non-Japanese people we can't help but point it out.
Heian Jingo

Kiyomizu-dera

Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.


Members of the Shorinji Kempo group at one of the local universities display their fighting skills for JCMU students Friday morning. Kempo is a fighting style that focuses on 3 categories: goho (hard techniques: kicks and punches),  juho (soft techniques: drawing out and throwing) and seiho.
The sensei demonstrates a move.

Despite every starting out every Friday with a Japanese language test, they are pretty great days. After the test members from a local universities' Shorinji Kempo group came to JCMU to show and teach us some moves. While we only learned the some basics, like throwing a punch and breaking someones grip, it was fun to move around and learn them. It was also very impressive to see them demonstrate more moves. The sensei has been practicing since the end of World War II.

After showing off my amazing fighting skills I got to show off my skills in the kitchen. A Japanese student, Yuco, came and taught my roommate, another student, and I how to cook curry. Not only did she teach us how to cook it but she also taught us some origami. I made crane. Yuco upstaged us all by making a crane, a box, and a two different bunnies. The curry tasted amazing and we have some lovely table decorations.

My cooking skills were put to the test even further that night when me and another student made vegetable tempura. It took us a few tries to get the batter right but we got there. Three kitchens were used that night to make enough food for over 20 of us. A good time was had by all.

Brad and Yuco making little origami bunnies.
Yuco making an origami game.
The finished products.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Things may happen and often do to people as brainy and footsy as you


A teacher performs a song on a koto.
A koto with the music sheet and picks.
 After the test Friday morning, we (my fellow JCMU students and myself) had the option to go to a koto lesson. A koto is a 13 string instrument much like a guitar and played somewhat similarly. You use picks on your thumb, index and middle finger to pluck the strings. The teacher that played for us has been playing for over 12 years. After she played for us and taught us the basics we were able to try in out for ourselves.
It was also my first time being in a tatami room. The room if what most people imagine when they think of old school Japan: woven mats covering the floor, sliding doors with the off white thin paper covering the openings, and they look out over a traditional Japanese garden. 

Deanna learns to play a song on the koto
Deanna plays a song on the koto.
The koto teacher explains to Ashley how to follow the music score and play the koto.



Koto Lessons from Kaitlin Thoresen on Vimeo.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Step with care and great tact and remember that Life's a Great Balancing Act


A shop in Nagahama where artists practice their glass making skills.

A train arrives at Maibara Station.





 Saturday I took my first train ride in Japan. While given enough time, I could have probably figure it out myself. The machines have English buttons and it's not too different from the CTA or Metra in Chicago. None the less I was extremely grateful that there were other students there that had taken the train before to show me how it was done.
A couple of friends and I visited a small town north of Hikone called Nagahama. We only saw a small portion of the town but I loved it. The area we went to was called Kurokabe square. It was a grid of old storehouses that have been converted into little nicknack shops. Most of the shops contained some sort glassware. The town is known for its glass industry. We didn't visit the glass museum but one shop we visited had an area where you could see pieces being made.


An artist creates a cup out of glass.
I also learned fun things about Japan's public restrooms this weekend. I knew going to Japan
 that western style toilets (aka toilets that you sit on) are not found everywhere. I found out this was very true. The public restrooms I went to were all squat toilets. While the gentlemen reading this might think this is no big deal, I assure you it was quite problematic. I have never used a squat toilet and I wasn't sure quite how to go about it, but in the words of Dr. Ian Malcolm "when you gotta go you gotta go." But in all seriousness if you are ever traveling in Asia and you're a woman learn how to squat; I found this helpful. Also, for being a pretty clean country I found it strange that there was never soap in the restrooms. Thank god for hand sanitizer.

One of the streets in Nagahama's Kurokabe square. If you look to your left you will see a couple looking at map reassuring us we weren't the only tourist even if we were the only ones that stood out.

Monday, September 10, 2012

You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut.

Hikone Castle
For class today we got to visit Hikone Castle. The castle is 400 years old, three stories tall, and surrounded by a double moat.  The castle was never intended to be lived in, (there is a house outside the castle proper for that) but it was meant as a place to defend should there ever be an attack. Though the castle was never attacked I could see how it could be easily defended.

The best part about the visit was the samurai drama being filmed there: Onna Nobunaga.
 Actors decked out in samurai gear were all over the place and even posed for some pictures.



Kelsey is clearly excited that one of the actors let her hold his sword.
Even samurai need water breaks.
 After our eventful trip to Hikone-jo we came back to JCMU to learn some fire safety. The fire department came and showed us how to use fire extinguishers (which we got to try out) and go over what to do in the event of a fire.


You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

Hogonji Temple and Tsukubusuma Shrine located on Chikubu Island on Lake Biwa. It was originally built in 724 but has been rebuilt since then.

On Saturday, two friends and myself took a boat across the 4 million year old Lake Biwa to visit Chikubushima Island that is home to Hogonji Temple and Tsukubusuma Shrine that was originally built in 724. The island is a very sacred place because it is the believed to be the place where Benzaiten landed when he first came to Earth.

The walkway leading up to the shrine.
What I especially liked about the day was how nice people were to us. We were most definitely the only gaijin or white people around, but people were really nice to us. On the boat ride over a lady offered to take our picture. At the island we were obviously confused on which way to go first and a nice couple pointed out the way for us. My favorite was when we got back to harbor and some people about to get on the next boat asked to take their picture with us. I felt like a celebrity. All in all it was a good day. 

Kendra uses the cup to wash her hands before heading up to the temple.
Me on one set of many stairs we climbed that day.

Friday, September 7, 2012

If you let me be, I will try them. You will see.

Hiroko-san teaches us how to cook eggs in a really thin later. The eggs were later cut up into strips and put on top of our rice dish. Hiroko-san along with 13 other housewives game to JCMU to show students out how to cook.
Hiroko-san helps Taigo finish preparing the rice.
The finished product.
Some type of fish that we cut up and arranged this way.


Today I learned how to cook a traditional Japanese meal. I helped prepare tofu, a rice dish, and a soup. Hiroko-san came to JCMU along with other housewives from nearby towns to teach students how to cook. She was very kind and extremely patient with me and my roommate when we struggled with out Japanese (aka my roommate understood most of it and I just nodded along). The food was amazing and we all had fun cooking it.

In other news, I actually understood most of my Japanese language class. Who would have thought studying payed off? This evening we had a little welcome party and Japanese students from nearby universities came. It was fun getting to know people.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Oh the places you will go...

Houses and boats along side a river that flows from Lake Biwa. It was named this because it is in the shape of an upside down biwa. It is also one of the worlds oldest lakes going back almost 4 million years.

After being awake and traveling for more than 24 hours I finally arrived at JCMU Monday night. The traveling was pretty uneventful just a lot of waiting. The fun part was when I had to go through customs. Out of the group of six of us I was the only three of us had to get our bags search but I was the lucky one that had to get pulled away from everyone into a room and have the entirety of my bag pulled out and searched through. It was slightly traumatizing seeing as I don't know any Japanese, but I made it.  

I am staying in a rural town called Hikone (He-cone-ay) located in the Shiga prefecture. I'm right in the middle of the main island Honshu on the largest lake in Japan, Lake Biwa. The whole area is surrounded by mountains. It's very beautiful, but also extremely humid. I don't think I've gone a day without sweating profusely.

After two days of orientation, I have started classes. I'm taking an intensive language course which meets for three hours, five days a week and a culture and society course. The language class was slightly overwhelming but I'm hoping it will get better as I become more accustomed to the language.

My backyard.
My favorite part so far has been riding around Hikone. Everyone gets a bike at JCMU and it's how we get around. The town is an interesting mesh of old and new. It has a a large shopping area with big billboards, but it is also home to one of only four castles in Japan.

It has not been impossible to get by without knowing Japanese. Most of the important places I've had to visit (airport/city hall) has always had someone who could speak English and at restaurants I just point on the menu to the food I want.  I have no idea what I'm getting but so far its all been good. I am extremely grateful for the friends I've made though. Most of them are proficient enough to help me out when I am completely lost.

Deanna takes a photo of Kristen during out exploration of Hikone. We look like giant tourists, the helmets and picture taking don't help.