金沢 (Kanazawa)

So, Sunday morning after the Girls Rock Magazine Tour, we woke up early to head to Kanazawa! It was the end of the term, and after, well, everything, I was really feeling like I just needed to get away (unfortunately, it seems that as opposed to needing to get away from home, I really just needed to get away from people and not Okazaki, but, well, that's another story for another not blog time).

So, to Kanazawa with Alexis, Martin, Zack, Thama, Sandra, Vickie, and Yui!
First up, we visited the castle area.

Then we headed to the museum, which was super cool with all this optical illusiony like stuff!

We got to stand under the water of a pool. It was cool.

Then we walked around the old town area.

The next morning, Alexis and I slept in while the boys went to breakfast, and we met up with them at NinjaDera, this old temple with all sorts of traps and cool things throughout it that made it seem all ninjaish, thus the name!

Us hanging out in front of the temple - no photos allowed inside :-(

Then Martin and I separated and went off to eat lunch at Takano, a vegan restaurant that ended up being utterly scrumptious! We got to eat Daikon flavored-soy ice cream, which, shockingly and unexpectedly, ended up being absolutely delish! I also had some delicious tempeh and seitan, and I got some vegan mac and fauxmage to go for dinner (SO YUMMY!)

Then we headed back over to the castle area to meet up with the others to go to the supposedly super nice neighboring park.

While waiting, we must have taken at least a bagazillion pictures of ourselves making ridiculous faces (for some reason, we love doing this)!

I think in this one we were trying to emulate the face we would be making if there were a woman beating a dog with suckling puppies over yonder.

We found this small but absolutely STUNNING little pond, as well, and I felt like I could have just sat there all day.

Then the park was absolutley LOVELY!

There were these fish that I found absolutely BEYOND adorable when they opened their mouths!

Me trying to open my mouth like one of the little fishy faces - do I succeed?

There were literally TONS of cool trees in the park!

There was also this big statue of this apparently mythical hero. I wish I could remember his name. He seemed super cool.

If you look closely, apparently there are tons of animals carved into the stones!

There was a little temple thing outside the park, so Martin and I played there for a bit while the others headed back to the museum.

There was this totally rad statue of a cow - so cute, right?

And if you've ever read my blog before, you know that I have a somewhat illogical obsession with tori gates. There's really no reason for it, but I get all giddy and excited every time I see them (in the same way that I get giddy and excited for the dragon fountains that are at just about every temple). There were tori gates, so I was satisfied. :-)

These ones were a little small, though. Martin didn't fit.

The next day, we headed to Kagano Onsen for a night in an onsen ryoukan.

On train over, things were quite typical and just as they should be: Thama slept and Zack talked to strangers. . .

After arriving, we decided to take a walk around the little village before heading to the baths. We found some oversized geta that we of course had to try on!

The view from our room was AMAZING(we all had to share the same room - Vickie and Yui had left us by then, but still - 6 people, one room, a bit claustrophobic feeling - thank heavens for the amazing view)!

Getting settled in the room finished, we went down to enjoy the nice baths, which were absolutely PERFECT! Seriously, the view was the most amazing onsen view I had ever seen, and the water temperature was PERFECT! And when I got to hot, there were little benches to go sit on in this area that somehow managed to be cool. I felt like I could have just sat out there alternating between bench and bath for days.

Then, the ryoukan had made me special vegan food for dinner. It was SUPER nice of them, and I had no idea how to say thank you. I got to eat delicious vegan tempura and miso soup and other weird things that I didn't recognize but that were delicious (except the weird slimy, foamy seaweed thing, which was not delicious). It was just wonderful!

The next morning, after leisurely eating breakfast and enjoying the baths, we went out on the walking path behind the ryoukan.

We stumbled across this super cool bridge, and Sandra totally matched it in her pink tank. :-)

There were these HUGE, super cool looking leaves that made me think of cloud giant hands.

Because it's me, I of course wanted to keep one forever, and so despite Alexis and Martin saying how dirty and covered with bugs it must be, I couldn't stop myself from carrying it around all day.

Then it was over, and we hopped on the train back to Kanazawa where we caught the bus back to Okazaki. Good times were had, and when it was over, I was ready for a break! :-)
(Apologies for the not so great quality of the pictures - I didn't really take many, so got to make do with what I had)

Girls Rock

After Sakae Spring, I was feeling very concerty. I saw some AWESOME bands, and I was feeling like I needed to see them again.

Lucky for me, Alexis was feeling the same way, so we headed back to Nagoya the Saturday after term ended (it was a very burn outy term, and I feel like I didn't really learn all that much, but I still managed an A+, so I get to move on, and this term I plan to be totally studious and Japanese-learny!), we headed over to the Girls Rock Magazine Fest!

It was AWESOME! We left after I got off work, and the first band we saw, 桜華(sakura hana), was unfortunately not good. They seemed a little bit too put on, and the singer annoyed me more than anything else. I was therefore worried.

Next up, though, was Shink, and my world was rocked.

They were vibrant and exciting, and they put on an AMAZING live show. Alexis also thought so, and we might go see them again when they come back to Toyohashi.

Then was Hysteric*Flavor.



I really, really, really wanted to LOVE them, as all of their merch was pink and punk looking and fun. And they were super cute! Unfortunately, they didn't blow me away. I think a lot of that could be because the vocals were so low that I couldn't hear them at all. Listening now, the youtube song is WAY better than their live was.

Then came Scusi, who, aside from the obvious (Skull Candy, to come) was by far the best band of the night. They were totally Less Than Jake style with two singers, and it was pure awesomeness. I was shocked to find out that they're a newish band.



I was also psyched to find out that they're from Nagoya - I totally plan on going to see them again (and maybe again and again and again). I was talking to the male singer later, and he seemed super nice. Even if he didn't seem to really be wanting to talk to me. And even if the bassist (guitarist?) was sitting far away on a couch and kept being shocked that he was talking to the white girl. All like, "You're talking to her? What'd she say, what'd she say?!?" I felt very zoo-animal-esque.

After Scusi, Bunny the Party.



I love Bunny the Party, so I was super psyched to get to see them, and of course, they were awesome. Unfortunately, when I was first talking to the Scusi dude, I totally thought he was the Bunny the Party dude, and it took me a minute to figure out why he was looking at me like I was crazy. He had to explain. I was embarassed.

Then Hybrid Statice.



They were fun, but nothing overly special. I wasn't surprised to learn that they're a new band, and I think that once they get their sound figured out, they could end up being awesome (especially as I'm really digging the song in this video). This whole Nagoya seeming to have a newish music scene full of the kind of music I love is more than exciting!
The drummer pretty much begged me and Alexis to come to their next show, and I really do want to go. But unfortunately, it's July 17, and I've already got a ticket to see Special Thanks (YAY!!!! I don't even know how to contain my excitement about the fact that I'm going to get to see them!!!!), so no can do. :-(

Then came the ハイファイコーヒーズ (Hi-Fi Koohizu). Unfortunately, at this point, Alexis and I had begun to wonder why it was SO hot. Turns out the air conditioner had broken, and as their set progressed, it just got hotter and hotter and hotter.



The singer was hilarious, and it was SO obvious that she really did NOT want to be performing in that heat.
After the Hi-Fi Coffees was Skull Candy, our reason for going.



They were, as they had been at Sakae Spring, AMAZING! Seriously. This band knows how to rock, and I hope to get to see them lots more times before I leave Japan.　　Despite the broken air conditioner, I barely noticed the heat.

By the time they were over though, both Alexis and I were sweating maybe more than we had ever sweat in our entire lives. Our clothes and bodies were literally so drenched with sweat that it was as if we'd jumped into a sweat swimming pool. Delicious.

This made watching the last band, fly sleep fly, rather difficult.



I'd downloaded their album the week before and had been listening to and enjoying them, so I was psyched to get to see them.
We ended up having to sit outside for most of their set, because it was just too painful to be outside. 超ー暑かった！　　And what we did see ended up being impossible to enjoy because it was just, so, well, HOT!

So there we go. . .my second music fest in Japan, and aside from the broken air conditioner, I think it might have even been better than the first. Sheer awesomeness!

Next post, no music, I promise (maybe).

Term 5

This term has been INCREDIBLY eventful so far! I can't believe that I haven't written a single word about it up until now (except, yknow, the awesomeness of concerts). I also still haven't written about my couple weeks hanging out with Krist in Colorado. For now, though, this term! And then later, maybe I'll do some looking at the past and post some pictures of Colorado.

Since I missed the last test when I left Japan after the earthquake, I had to miss the first day of class to take it. It went fine (well, even, despite my twoish week break from Japanese), and I got to enter into the next level up. Yay! This would feel like more of an accomplishment if I felt like I were actually doing some Japanese advancing. . .but I think I'm really just at that level where it's impossible to see any progress.

Because of the nuclear disaster, the number of Yamasa students decreased, so there's only one class for my level this term, and there are 14 of us, with 3 new students, Kim, Zack, and Cesar, all of whom are fabulous. So yeah, new class, and I love all of us! <3 Aside from learning Japanese and working nearly 15 hours a week, I feel like I've been out and about quite a bit this term! :-) First, there was hanabi - a bunch of us went up to Okazaki Castle to observe the beautiful cherry blossoms in bloom.

It was seriously gorgeous, and at night, all the lights in the trees lit up, and it was just, well, amazing!

So then we had a few days off for Golden Week, and since we had a test pretty much right when we got back, I just hung around in Okazaki pretending to study, but mostly not.

The first night, Thama had a crepes and cocktails get together in his apartment, and that was super fun!

Martin and I hanging on the balcony

Cesar used to be a bar tender, and Alexis has this uncanny ability to just mix drinks, so they both had, like, little bars set up.

Alexis, me, Kimiko

And then Sandra made crepes, which I couldn't eat, but which were apparently delicious. Joanna came over beforehand, and the two of us made a vegan curry. It was delicious!!!! Yay vegan curry!

Cesar, Joanna, me, Martin, Kimiko, and in the front, Zack

Then over the break (or was it not the break? I literally can't remember) I also went with Zack and Thama farming, which was super fun!

Thama, me, Zack

We planted onions and tomatoes and spring onions and potatoes and spinach and other things, I am sure, and, yeah, awesomeness! :-)

And then Alexis, Zack, and Thama came over to play cards, and we played spades, which filled me with immense happiness, since it is my favorite card came in the entire world, and I never get to play it.

Me and Thama and Zack reflection -

I kind of love this picture because Thama sort of looks like the cute kitty face magnet thing next to him.

Oh, and we also went hiking to Horaiji Temple, which was SUPER fun!

Us at the beginning of the hike!

At least it was super fun for me. It was raining all day, so we hiked in the rain, and I realized that, for me, there is something so calming and peaceful and wonderful about hiking in the rain. I rather love it. I don't think everyone else felt the same way, though.

Seriously, though, the rainy mist actually made the view even MORE beautiful!

Oh, and we also went to see this waterfall that's supposed to be on some list of the top 100 waterfalls in Japan.

It really was quite lovely!

And despite feeling like this term has been super exciting and fun and eventful, I feel like this post has been very boring and mostly pictureless. Sorwy. :-( Also long. Therefore, the end.

Sakae Spring + LC5

I have another entry about non-musicy things coming soon, but for now, music awesomeness!

So, I finally decided that the fact that I had been living in Japan for over a year and yet had never been to a concert was just depressing. And that something should be done about it.

So, I bought tickets to see LC5. I didn't know them all that well, but the singer was the singer of An Cafe, pretty much my favorite Japanese band of all time, so I figured they were a good choice. Steven Cayco went with me, and I had a GREAT time!　　I'd say it was about 90% girls there, which was funny, since their sound is pretty hard. The band members also spent about an 10 minutes talking about what makeup they wear and what their favorite brands of makeup are, which was funny, since they're all dudes.



Anyhow, the music was wonderful, the talking wasn't too much, and the environment was fantastic. I had a super great time, and I totally have a new crush on the bassist, Sato. He's so goofy and dopey seeming that I couldn't help but think he was adorable. All the other girls, though, just kept screaming "Aki-sama, Aki-sama." That's the drummer, and he just seemed, well, broody.

Isn't he cute?

The most fun part was that there seemed to be line dances to every song that everyone just seemed to know, and it was hilarious trying to dance along in unison with everyone (and, of course, fail).

So then yesterday, a bunch of us went to Sakae Spring, a summer music fest in Nagoya. It was seriously the most fun I have had in I can't even remember how long.

I went a little bit earlier than everyone, because I wanted to see Namba Akihiro at 3:00.



Yummy Japanese punk rock! Unfortunately, the line to get in was 8 stories long and then out the door. I got there about 20 minutes early (with the help of some very nice Japanese people that showed me the way, because, you know, it's me, so I got lost) but still didn't manage to get in.

The next band I wanted to see though, was also in the same club, so I decided to just keep waiting. And I STILL almost didn't get in. That's how packed this place was. Like, 10 people behind me got in and then it was full.
Still, I got to see Pay Money to My Pain, and they were AWESOME!



They put on an AMAZING show, and I got to headbang and mosh and scream along, and I felt like I like nothing more than a good hardcore punk show.

And then I went to see Skull Candy, and I changed my mind. Ska punk shows are the most fun shows ever!!!!



The singer was just the cutest thing in the entire world, and she couldn't stop exclaiming how HAPPY she was to be in Nagoya. And everyone in the band was just so energetic and enthusiastic, and everyone in the crowd (which was 98% male, which I will admit was kind of weird) was super into the music and skanking and dancing around, and I was filled with extreme happiness. It was WONDERFUL! I'm going to go see them again when they come back to Nagoya in 3 weeks.

Then it ended, and nothing could bring me down. I went to meet up with the others, who were seeing Ms. Ooja, so I got to see the end of her set.



It wasn't bad, but I was still on my high from Skull Candy, and it was hard to come down. Plus, the sound quality was really bad, and she was singing to a dj, which was weird and made it feel like karaoke.

Then, we headed over to see a band whose name I do not remember. They were all right, but they had that double guitar sound (I don't know how to describe it other than that) that I don't really like, so we'll just forget about them.

THEN, we went over to see Rookiez is Punk'd, a band I totally love.



They were SO MUCH FUN!!!! The music was wonderful, but more than that, they were super interactive with the audience, and so everyone was singing along and dancing and laughing, and the atmosphere was just WONDERFUL! The singer was so doofy and happy that I just had to go talk to him afterward. He was SO nice! There's something about doofy happiness that just does it for me everytime.

This songs not particularly pop punky, but some of their stuff is, which made the experience all the more wonderful! I will SO be there when they come back to Nagoya.

The we went to see the end of this dude playing the piano, and it was really pretty and quite good, but I don't know his name, and we only saw one song. I should try to remember his name.

So yeah, basically, yesterday was AWESOME, and I am SO in a concert mood now, and I can't wait to go to lots and lots and lots more! I'm so glad that I'm finally discovering a live music scene in Nagoya that I love! YAY!!!!

I went to Honolulu with Alexis, did you?

Leaving Japan on such short notice after a huge earthquake followed by a huge tsunami by a nuclear crisis = not so easy.

The plane that took me out, therefore, had a full day of layover in Honolulu. Alexis was on the same flight, so we chilled in Hawaii.

I ate this

and it was delicious. Vegan soup pho is totally always the best.

We played here

and it was beautiful, and our hair was crazy.

We forgot that we were in Hawaii and not Japan

and left our stuff hanging out on the beach.
It's okay, though, because we have the coolest stuff evs. :-)

The smart Alexis, who had brought a bathing suit, played in the water

while I sat on the beach getting my pants all wet. Which led me to put on Alexis's shorts, which were all big and fally offy.

Good times were had, and then I got to Colorado, and Kristen wondered why I was so tan.

My day in Honolulu 以上です。

January to March 2011 randomness

So, this updating thing might take a little while, as it has been AGES since I last updated. I'm going to do my best to keep things super brief, though.

So, small summaries - no longer a Minna no Nihongo student but now a New Approach student nearing the end of the blue book.

I went home for Christmas and had a fantabulous time!

Then I went to France for the end of my Christmas vacation, where I got to eat delicious Ethiopian food and do Viet Vo Dao and just generally chill.

Came back to Japan and pretty much immediately got the flu, which put me basically out of commission for a good threeish weeks. Other than that (and the obvious), had a fabulous term.

Went indoor rock climbing.

Went bowling.

Went plum blossom viewing.

Went to some cool festivals (the Takisanji Ogre festival being the coolest!)

These dudes were supposed to be chasing an ogre around the temple with fire. It was super awesome.

Went to the Okazaki Zoo and saw lots of cute animals.

Did lots of other things that I don't really remember (because I didn't take any pictures of them), studied probably much less than I should have but still managed to do well (though my Japanese speaking could use some major work), hung out with friends in Nagoya,. . .

Then the earthquake happened, and I was in Yahagi, and it felt like the building I was in suddenly went to sea, and I'm surprised I didn't throw up. Then I

Went to an okonomiyaki restaurant and didn't eat anything.

Played some cards.

And then I woke up the next morning and inexplicably went to Tokyo.

Saw some beautiful mountains on the way.

Ate lots of DELICIOUS vegan food, including
adorable caramel heart-shaped donuts

and peanut glutinous rice balls and a chocolate shake!

Yummy!

Then I met up with my friend Jonnie who was in Japan for the first time ever.

He still has the coolest bag ever of all time.

It had been ages since I last saw him, and it was super cool to catch up and just get to spend the day together. I seriously had an AWESOME time hanging out with him.

The next day I had a medical visit right in front of Tokyo Tower.

It was my first time to see Tokyo Tower, and it was actually pretty cool.
Then I took the bus home to Okazaki, where I was finally able to talk to my father, who ordered me to evacuate. So I did (I'll admit, it was kinda scary, especially as the night I got back there was a huge aftershock, and while I was in Tokyo the ground never seemed to stop shaking).

And next time (which will hopefully be sooner rather than later), I'll write about my day in Honolulu with Alexis and hanging out in Colorado.

Why I Stay

I've had several people ask me to write a post like this, so here we go.

Okay, so the fact is, I'm a neurotic person about a lot of things. Anyone that knows me knows this. Not about everything, but there are certain things that just sort of bring me off the wall.

One of those certain things is disease, specifically cancer. Disease SCARES me. For serious. Everytime a somewhat youngish person dies, I go a little bit crazy for days, scared that that could so easily happen to me. The only thing that can calm me down is understanding WHY this person died and HOW this has nothing to do with me (like, oh, this person died of a drug overdose - I don't do any drugs, so calmness returns).

And anyone that knows me knows that I regularly freak out about the potential of getting cancer. I don't even want to smell a place where someone has recently (in the past few days) a cigarette - mostly because it makes me feel sick, the smell, but I'm sure a lot of that comes psychologically from the fact that I think it's giving me cancer. I spend a great deal of time trying to make sure I do everything to lead the most carcinogen-free lifestyle possible.

Therefore, a lot of people are having trouble understanding how *I,* of all people, feel totally fine staying in Japan when a nuclear crisis is happening.

The easiest answer to that question is - I don't really know, I just do. I guess I love it here so much that I'm able to just not think about it that much. That doesn't mean that I'm not thinking about it, though, and I assure everyone that I am doing my best to keep informed.

A lot of people are concerned about the radiation level where I am, in Aichi-ken right outside Nagoya in Okazaki.
This sight gives a daily reading of radiation measured in the air and in the water by prefecture. So, if you're interested, go check it out. And you'll see that, while it's not flat-lining the bottom, the radiation level here is still really quite low. Low enough that it doesn't worry me. And, as of yet, no radiation has been detected in the tap water (which hasn't stopped me from drinking bottled water, but still, it's good to know).

So anyhow, I'm staying, and I'm doing my best to keep myself informed enough to feel comfortable staying. Even though the nuclear disaster level has now been raised to a 7, I still feel like I'm okay. If you're still really worried, check the website.

And that's all I've got to say for now! :-)