Weekend Update

Two days, two classes, two guys, two crazy field trips. My concept of taking it easy was destroyed by the amount of traveling that occurred this weekend. Friday, I was so tired that as soon as I got home I was immediately sucked into my futon. My travels hadn't even begun yet, and I was down and out for three hours. Mid terms destroyed my health and energy levels. School is a very hazardous institution where if one is not careful it can make you insane. Mixing school and real life is just deadly. There just isn't enough time in the day (or energy) for me to accomplish the things that I want to do. Everything in between just seems like a distraction. That said; as much of a distraction these field trips were, I am very glad that I chose to attend. To be completely linear and boring, I'll start off with Tenrikyo on Saturday.

As I roll out of bed at 11:30 I realize staying up until 4AM wasn't necessarily a good idea. I could not help it though, the nap was to blame. Well, that, reading, writing, and listening to music were also to blame. I was rested enough however to make the journey to the apparent creation site of ALL HUMANITY. Yes, that is what Tenrikyo is all about: a pillar in a shrine where humanity originated. The expression used for visitors of this site is: "Welcome Home," everybody's home that is. Ultimately this town was taken over by the believers to become what it is today. Most workers and followers of this faith walk around wearing Tenrikyo shirts. This gives off a slightly cultish image and feeling. This is one religion that has been compared to Mormonism, and involves a minute ammount of faith healing. Personally I would say that it beats the hell out of Mormonism though. There are only three prayers that pay homage to Oyasan, and it stays out of personal/marital relations (a very good idea). The shrine is pretty boss, and despite it's ancient look it is only about 160 years old (as is the religion). The most recent additions were added in the early 80's. No pictures were allowed inside though, and humanity's focal point was heavily guarded. All of the prayer rooms were huge though, at least a couple thousand tatami mats per section.

We spent a few hours within the shrine (a truly massive complex) taking the tour, then headed home. At our arrival in Hirakata-shi station, Johnny, Yuri, and I decided to go to dinner. We wanted tabehodai (all you can eat) and we found it for relatively cheap. The name of the place was Asian Days, and for about $15 we were able to eat three plates of meat and three plates of vegetables. It was the best meal I have had in a while, and I cant wait to go back.

Sunday we set out pretty early, 9:09AM in fact. My professor was dead set on making it to the convention in time to wait in the massive lines. 'Waiting in line is a big part of the experience,' we were told, and that it was. The crowd was so massive that we had to make a six person wide line and march to our designated spot of waiting. All the while, rain was attacking us. Much to my and everyone's dismay it was also a NO PHOTOS event. It rained the whole day through, making this Osaka experience a very wet and undocumented one.

To sum the convention up in a few words, it was very homo-erotic. Dojinshi are apparently widely consumed by women. Therefore a very large ratio of women:men, and another large ratio of gay:straight comics. I did my best to visually avoid being accosted by anything explicitly gay. A very difficult task in such a large place. For this being a very homo-erotic event, the women were the ones eating up the merchandise. This seemed very similar to the stereotype of men liking lesbian activities. With this in mind I'd assume that any single, self assured (straight) man, wouldn't have too much difficulty finding a dinner date. So, in other words dojinshi festival = good dating scene for you straight men out there.
I did find some stuff of value though. An excellent Doraemon spin off comic, really nice artwork, and all the free fliers I could get my hands on. Johnny and I spent about 3.5 hours wandering the three rooms then left out of sheer hunger and fatigue. Lunch was calling us, and it was Kaiten Zushi. Getting to the Sushi place was another adventure all together though.

After circling Umeda station a few times, we found the place. I was so tired and hungry when we got there that I almost burned my finger on the hot water dispenser. Almost, because the nice man sitting next to me at the bar grabbed my hand at a critical moment and said "Very hot." I was very thankful for this, as well as embarrassed. I felt like such a tourist, but wasn't. It was the people of Osaka who treated us like tourists. In Umeda, while Johnny and I were looking at a map, we were approached by a very eager station attendant. In our weekend state we played along, but in the sushi restaurant we did not. As soon as we walked in we were greeted in English, to our slight agitation. I was very thrown off by this, hence my absent minded hot water mishap. The next time I was treated like a tourist though, I busted out the Japanese. It was a good experience though, I gained some valuable foreign insight.


With my belly full of 10 plates worth of sushi, Johnny and I returned home as quickly as possible. Once home, I passed out on my futon much like Friday. Every thing else is a blur from then on. I am still sick. Still freaking sick, and I am waiting for the right moment to see a doctor. In the meantime I am resting as much as possible. School is good right now, and I have no major points of stress other than that. I am sick but happy.

Mid TERMS

All week I have been sick, sleep deprived, and studious. Although an excellent use of alliteration, not an excellent use of my time. One thing that has paid of is the amount of studying I've done. It is not an acceptable amount, but enough to give me that satisfied feeling when an exam is over.
Tuesday I had a reading test. I did well enough on it. However, the overwhelming thought that my reading teacher dislikes me was enough of a distraction to forget some of the easiest things possible. That is the only regret I have for all of my mid-terms thus far. What really counted were today and yesterday's test.
Over two days I had my midterm for Japanese speaking 4, Wednesday was an oral test, and today was my listening/grammar test. The oral test went amazingly well, my professor was very satisfied with my performance. It was honestly my first really good oral exam. My sensei said that she was worried I wouldn't do to well (since my last test grade was so bad), but was relieved to see I had made the effort to study. Today's second half of the exam went reasonably well. Granted I did not know some very important things, I was actually able to finish on time. I feel good about the whole thing in general, and hope that this will positively affect my final grade in that class.
I have a quiz in my next class, and it counts as a midterm. I am not well prepared for it, but I heard that the professor makes his questions easy. I hope I do alright. The class is Culture & Everyday Life in Japan. This weekend we are going on a field trip in that class. We are going to observe a dojinshi convention in Osaka, it will be very interesting. Tons and tons of awkward people interacting on a large scale. This will be Sunday. On Saturday, Johnny and I will be tagging along on another field trip in Yuri and Maija's religion class. (After note: The quiz was in fact easy.)
Tomorrow is my last mid-term (writing test), and my only class for the day. After this I intend to take it easy; well as easy as I can at least.

Tough Times, Good Times

I never did get to try fugu, or even eat at the intended sushi bar. I did go to Osaka, Den Den town, but it took Johnny and I a while to find it. We got off at the wrong stop, and wandered for a while. We went through Shinsaibashi's shotengai, and it was not stop shops among a river of people. We found the festival but only got to enjoy it for for about 15 minutes. We saw some authentic Japanese cos-players, and got caught up in the rush of a four lane street's worth of people squished into two sidewalks. Fun. The rest of break kinda sucked.
On Friday, I lost a good friend to suicide. I was in shock, she was one of the happiest people I know. My girlfriend broke the news to me about Katie, and we grieved together. It really helped being able to talk with her, it softened the blow a bit. As much as I want to be back with all my friends now to share the memories, it is impossible. I am on the far side of the globe, and so was Katie. She was abroad this semester in India, so the news hit close to my heart. We often confided in each other about the preparations, deadlines, stress, and excitement that coincide with study abroad. We were Craft Center buddies, CRC comrades, and abroad confidants.

Katie was the person who brought out the artist in me. She was the reason I felt comfortable expressing myself in the Craft Center. I spent a lot of time in there last semester, and I would often go in during her shifts to keep things interesting. Through Katie I became friends with others who worked there, especially her boss Paula. Katie would always play my musical requests, and we would rock out together. She was always willing to help anyone, regardless of what it was. She even taught me how to silk screen T-Shirts (her specialty). I remember Paula raving about how bummed she was to lose her best silk screener, and precious employee. I always stood behind Katie's desire to go abroad (for obvious reasons) and would explain to Paula that she would be back. I wish I wasn't wrong. I performed my first open mic in the Craft Center, with Katie and Adiva as MCs. When I realized my guitar was out of tune 1 min into my performance, I stopped and looked to her for help. Like the good friend she was, I got back on to the stage ASAP. Thanks to Katie, the Craft center was nothing but good times that I will never forget. I want to work there even more now, and carry on where she left off.

Last semester was also Katie's first semester as a full fledged CRC member, she lived, ate, slept, and breathed with us. Needless to say we all felt that she was a valued member of the group. Her presence was much appreciated. On Cabin Trip she was the resident photographer, and documented one of the best times of my life. Katie took the best photo my girlfriend and I have of us together, it is her's and our favorite. We spent a lot of time together that trip. We stayed up on the mountain long after everyone else returned to the cabin. While returning, seven of us merrily skipped together down the acess road. Katie was taking pictures the whole time and I love her for that. I will always have documentation of my happiest memory. I laughed my self to tears when Steph, Katie, and I were all skipping in unison. Truly an amazing moment. That same night Mollie, Ben, Katie and I snuck down to her car to listen to music. We blasted music, and Ben made a strobe light out of his flashlight. We all rocked out. I remember thinking about how we were the loudest thing for at least a mile. Some rowdy kids causing a disturbance in the middle of nowhere. Hands down the best Cabin Trip to date.

As I recall all the hellish worrying that ultimately brought me to Japan, Katie is there sitting next to me at the financial aid sessions, holding that huge tan mug with the earth foods sticker on it drinking her mint cocoa concoction. (That is another thing she taught me, how to make an awesome cocoa drink.) As deadlines approached I would confide in her about my financial situations, and her to me. We always shared the same excitement for the coming spring semester, we pumped each other up and it was good. One thing I was sure of was that we would both make it back in one piece, there were never any worries. Perhaps that is one flaw that was fatal. I will never know, too many "if"s.

A few days before her death I was looking at all of Katie's wonderful pictures on Facebook, recalling our good times and catching up on her progress in India. I was thinking about how awesome next semester would be. We would share our stories and have a blast. I can't express how much I already miss those times that now will never happen. Although we only became close during last semester, it was close enough for me to write all I did. We were close enough for me to want more of her friendship, and I am truly sorry it ends here. I thank Katie for being awesome, and making me cherish my friends all the more.
Here is me looking at you, one moment that only you and I shared. I remember it vividly, always.

In the Rain!

Wednesday, it is raining hard, all day Chupa Chups tennis was canceled, and I have yet again utilized the internet almost non-stop for 4hrs. The CIE lounge is quiet (thanks to spring break), but it is like my own glass prison. Today I have decided to convince my room mates to get the internet. My problem is that I don't have a computer. I am still toying with the idea, but it could have repercussions of turning our apartment into zombies. I am recalling when we first found out we had local TV stations. TV is a waste of time, and the internet eats your soul. We all have internet identities; significant or not, they own us just a little bit. I am taking time out of my day to write here, therefore internet=soul sucker.
I also spent a large chunk of time learning about Google Reader, and manga titles to check out while I'm here. I was able to add my entire Anthropology class' blogs to reader, as well as find Professor Seaman's blog. I turned a huge mess of information into something accessible and useful. I feel slightly accomplished. There are like ten other things I can think of that I should be doing though. Bummer.
I want to go into town to rent some music and movies. I also want to search for Satoshi Kon's World Apartment Horror. I saw it at the manga museum and I need to own it. I am a big fan of his works, and I hope to someday analyze them in depth. Up until now I have only written one paper about his Series: Paranoia Agent.
Tomorrow I will be going to Osaka. Den Den town, Shinsaibashi to be more specific. There is a Dojinshi festival thing going on from 1PM to 4PM. It should be a good time. I'm looking forward to exploring Shinsaibashi more. I hope to try Fugu (props to Ben Sherman), and go to a nice Kaiten Zushi bar that Johnny told me about. Friday, I really want to hit up Nara. The weather should be nicer then, and I want to see wild deer.
Now I'm thinking of food. I need to go home soon and make dinner! I'm going to make some bomb chicken stir fry rice. All I've had all day is a Kiwi, Corn Flakes, and 3 color Dango.
Cory Out.

Spring Break

It is now spring break, and I am doing everything in my power to relax. This includes hot baths, guitar, hacky sack, and Scrubs. That sums up my past couple of days pretty much, but I did do some interesting stuff before I hit chill town. Last Thursday I hit up the Manga Museum in Kyoto, and went to a talk given by Professor Seaman (of UMASS) at Doshisha University. Friday I went to Karaoke, and Saturday a group of us hit up Hard Rock Cafe at Universal Studios:Osaka.
On Thursday I was on my own traveling the trains for my first time, I was anxious and did not want to make a mistake. Surprisingly I didn't, and I made it to the exact stop with 5min to spare. That was a small victory for me, but the ride home is another story altogether. I met Seaman sensei at the museum and we spent the next couple of hours browsing, discussing, and catching up. We had to leave a bit sooner than either of us wanted to, so as to make it to Doshisha on time. We left, saw a shrine, and the Imperial palace on our way over there. The shrine we stopped at, the palace was too big for a pit stop. The shrine was in honor of a story about a guy who was saved from getting his legs ruined by a stampede of boars. Lots of boars. Anyway, we made it to Doshisha, I met a professor from Smith College then attended the talk. It was an interesting analysis about the works of Uchida Shungiku. I had fun, and when it was over I took a stroll around the Imperial Palace. I was dark and all, so I walked to the station and boarded the super express home. The super express was a big mistake, because it blew right by my stop (going in the direction of Osaka). I messed up a bit, and wasted about a half hour of my life fixing it. I got home to a messy kitchen, stayed up to clean, then passed out.
Friday came and went, not much to say here, I'll let the pictures do the talking. Saturday too wasn't much up until dinner time. Hard Rock Cafe is (as expected) a good time. I got to eat Fajitas, the only thing that could satisfy my cravings for Mexican food. I stuffed my self to perfection, talked with Chihiro, Daniel, and Honey for a while. When I returned to Hirakata-shi, the buses were done for the night, and I had to walk home. It was warm enough though. I returned to a quiet apartment, and passed out.
Tomorrow is all day tennis at school, so I'll be preoccupied with that. I want to go to Nara later on in the week (there are deer there), and I've been trying to get a package together since I arrived. Hopefully I can be productive and get it all sorted out.
Peace...

Benches and Breakdowns

Wednesday again, and Internet time to kill. I have had a good week since my last post and it is mostly due to the weather. I have endured some hardships within this time frame, but I am as optimistic as ever. Japan in the spring time is truly something else.
As was the plan, this past weekend Johnny and I ventured south to Okayama and visited the Umeharas. It was awesome. After my not being in contact with them for 2.5 years, it was surprisingly not awkward. Sleep deprived Johnny and I rolled into their house at about 7AM though, that was a bit awkward. Manabu, Chie, and the kids were awake, but Johnny and I were cold and tired.
We arrived in Okayama at 4AM, dazed but ready to party. Ironically enough, I had half a flask of Early Times Whiskey in my jacket pocket. The buses didn't start until 6:30AM, therefore we ended up sleeping on the benches in chilly Okayama station. I was prepared for the task (note the new title picture: Okayama Eki, 6:15AM) Johnny on the other hand was smart enough to bring his coat. He had no gloves, scarf, or hat. I'm pretty sure it sucked quite a bit for him because when I went to wake him up at 6 o'clock, he was asleep on the bench: suitcase as a blanket, both hands covering his face. It took me a few hard taps to wake him up (I was afraid he was in shock or something), but it truly was a sight to see. I wish I could have taken a picture of it. It wasn't until after this that Johnny found the camera that he allegedly thought was left in our apartment. After this ordeal, we managed to get to our intended destination.
Saturday was filled with three hour naps, catching up, and playing with the kids. I learned how to use a Japanese top (called a koma) from Yusaku, and Chie taught me how to make some tasty rice. I on the other hand made the kids some excellent 5 yen bracelets. I then taught Chihiro the ways of hemp on Sunday.
Sunday we planned to go to a famous Japanese park located outside Okayama, but their car died forty minutes into the trip. Thus we were stranded on the highway for a good hour, waiting for the tow truck and taxi. Apparently they need a new car, but we made the best of the situation anyways. While waiting, I learned some interesting hand gesture games; they are actually pretty fun. One involves hand beams, a protective vest, and charging.
That night we had a wonderful Nabe dinner, then hopped on the Shinkansen back to Hirakata. Slightly more enjoyable than the bus, I got to see Himeji castle (the most visited castle in Japan) through the window at one point. In the end it was a very fun weekend. I can't wait to visit them again during spring break.
The weekend being over and done with, school has been a bitch this week. A test, a forgotten homework, and two skipped classes. One of these classes being now, one more tomorrow. I unwittingly told my writing teacher that I didn't like the class, and now she thinks I'm a bad student. I don't care though, I'll do well in the class regardless. Anyways, I have actual work to do now. Tomorrow I go to the Manga Museam in Kyoto. It should be good, I'll try to get some pictures.
Until then....