Hamlet, Mountains, and Akihabara

Hey everyone, how goes it? So here it goes:

Roxy is now gone and back in minneapolis. Asuka and I both made the long treck to the airport to see her off. I think overall she had a pretty good time. It was a bit sad to see her go though! Before she left, we did a lot of fun things. I took her to Harajuku, where we visited the NHK building (the Japanese CBS). Inside you could do a lot of fun things, like pretend you are on the news, dub anime, and play weird games. It was a bit bizarre, but we had a good time. :)



Quiz: which is the real Roxy?

I also went to see the play Hamlet with my host mom and her school teacher and classmates. They all seemed very nice! The professor lady was a really funny and bustled us around from place to place. Because I don't really understand Shakespeare in english, I had no idea in Japanese. Luckily, I know the story to Hamlet, so I could tell what was going on. Ophelia was in particular delightfully insane at the end. My mama's classmates asked me how the acting was, but you really can't tell if someone is a bad actor in a different language. I find this goes both ways, for when I see english speakers in Japanese dramas, their acting is beyond terrible.

I also climbed another mountain, Mitake-san. Because it is winter and everyone thinks it is cold, it was relatively uncrowded. At the top of the mountain there is a small town and a shrine, whch was pretty cool to see. The mountain is about 1.5 hours away, but it was worth it to get out of the city for awhile. There was also a little snow up there, which made me very happy to see!



Me at the top of the mountain. I look a little insane.



Me and Lynette at the shrine with a horse statue.



Monday the 14th was seijin no hi (成人の日) is coming of age day. 20 years old is when you become an adult here and you dress up in kimono and attend a cool ceremony. Because both me and Su are 20, we celebrated together. We originally were going to go to the ceremony together, but Su was in her traditional Korea garb which would have been too cold to wear anywhere. (I was in my traditional American garb....pants and blouse). But Su got her portrait taken, and we went to a cool river area near her house. After that, we studied for our Art History test (which we make fun, but her host dad thought we were not studying!) I had dinner at her house, and her host mom gave me some wine to celebrate the holiday.



Su in her Korean Garb



Me at the River near Su's house. Yay for wide open spaces!

The next week I had a whole bunch of finals, which nearly drained me. They were all easy, but I am not happy until I overstudy....all of my finals are now over though, and I can finally rest! My last class is next Monday!

This last weekend I went to a really cool museum in Ryogoku. The museum is basically devoted to the city of Tokyo/Edo, and it has old documents and cool models of various sizes. For example, they had a real palenquin, and then a model one that you could sit in. The models ranged from very small to the actual size (which includes buildings!). It was a very interactive and well put together museum. The building it was in looked like a spaceship...very strange but cool.



Me in a model palenquin!

The next day I went to Akihabara, because a bunch of my friends wanted R4's (a nintendo DS game thing from china that lets you download games for free. Yes, it is very probably illeagal). We went to some shifty shops that definately contained bootlegged goods. But overall the trip was really fun. One of the people in my group has a job dressing up as an anime character and passing out fliers, so we made fun of him for while as well. :)

Also, today it finally SNOWED! The snowflakes were so big and I was very happy. I was so happy in fact that I went out without my umbrella, and then of course it turned into rain later. But for about 3 hours, we had snow! I hope it snows some more!



SNOW!!!!!!!

I also found out my camera takes movies! I was playing with it a little on the train- I will record something cooler later!



This weekend I will go to a sumo tournament! Stay tuned!!!!!!!!!!

Disneyland, Fire Parade, and Shopping

Hello again all! I have to constantly keep posting to keep up with that riff raff brother off mine....his blog is a delight. If you haven't been there yet, you should go. :) This Saturday, Roxy, Asuka, Su and I all made a trip to Disneyland! Roxy loves Disneyland, but it was not really that hard to get the rest of us to go as well. I got up super early and took the one hour journey to Maihama station, where Disneyland is located. Asuka lives only one station away, which is very convenient.
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The Gang at D-Land. If Disneyland had a Yakuza (mafia), Asuka would be the boss!
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As Asuka has been to Disneyland many a time, she knows exactly what rides to ride at what time in order to fight the crowds. We also had a divide and conquer strategy, so Asuka would run and get us all "fast passes" while we would wait and hold a place for her in line. Basically, Asuka is the Disneyland master!
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Roxy, in he cool new cowboy hat.
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This time I rode some of the more serious coasters (which Asuka understandably does not like to ride). The first new one for me was splash mountain, which I liked because it was a water ride....and those are my favorite. It has this one huge drop, and because I was in the very front of the raft, I got pretty drenched. But it was worth it, because I did the touristy thing and bought the photo of us going down the big drop, and it is pretty humorous.
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I am Tigger!
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I also rode space mountain, which really frazzled me. Basically, you are in a pitch black dark room (the only lights are the stars that are everywhere, so it is like you are flying through space) twirling and whirling in unknown directions. I got a little scared because I was afraid, with my height, I would hit my head on something, but I came out just fine. Maybe won't go on that one for awhile though.... We spent the entire day there, and I got home around 10:30. (which is late here). This was hard, because the next day I had to get up early and go to Odaiba, where my Host Dad was having a ceremony for Tokyo firefighters. The ceremony was held at the "Big Site" which is a huge convention center that is used for everything from comic-conventions to trade shows. I invited Asuka and Roxy along for the fun. Host Dad said the ceremony would be boring, but he was hinting I should bring friends, so I think he was pleased when I brought some.
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Inside the big site...cool, eh?
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Roxy and Asuka met us there, but it turned out we were too late to get to see the parade part, as it was all closed off. :( But we did play around in the big convention area, which had a wide array of fireman-related games. Tsuki-chan rode around in circles in mini fire trucks, he (tried) to put out a fake fire, and there was another one of those fake earthquake rooms. It was a good time, but I wish we could have seen the parade.
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Tsuki-chan and Mama putting out a fake fire.
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After the parade was over, we went to find Papa, who had been driving one of the fire trucks. He looked pretty spiffy in his fireman outfit, and was complimented by his fireman friends for having so many women greet him (my host mom brought a friend as well). We then said our goodbyes and headed out to do other things. Roxy, Tsuki-chan, Mama, and I went to Venus Fort (the Renaisannce themed mall I wrote about previously) and did a little shopping. There was a big bungee jump thing set up for kids in the center of the square, adn tsuki-chan gave it a go, which was pretty humorous. We then went to Toyota Mega Web (also written about previously) and Tsuki-chan forced Roxy and I to ride in this moving racer car thing. (He was too short for this one, I think he wanted to live vicariously through us). We then parted ways, and Roxy and I went some more around Odaiba. Again I got back home around 10:00 (getting a little worn out).
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Me and Roxy outside the Big Site
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The next day Asuka and I went with Roxy as she fiendishly shopped for a variety of anime goods. This of course, lasted quite a bit. After than, I then went home and did some homework....as I had class today and a test at that! I think it went ok....but I have really been putting a lot less emphasis on my studies lately, so I hope nothing bad happens..... Anyways, that's all! More to come this week....gotta keep up with that sneaky River. I am playing around with the format a bit, so hopefully it will look better.
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A movie of Tsuki-chan Bungee Jumping!
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New Years!

Gatchapin (a little scary, yes?)
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Me breathing in purifying insense at kiyomizudera
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Roxy arriving in Japan

Hello again! Just a quick update on my new years fun. As many of you know, New Years is a big deal over here! Unlike in the US, where we basically just have fun on new years eve, in Japan it is a 3 day celebration! Anyways, this year it is the year of the rat, which is a big deal because it is the first animal in the Chinese Zodiac. (followed by the ox, tiger, rabbit, ect.)

For me, new years was the day I got back from good old Kyoto. When I returned I basically just crashed in my bed and slept for 6 hours (in the middle of the day). When I woke up, host mom asked if I wanted to go out with her and some of her elementary and middle school friends (they keep in touch with a facebook-like application called mixi). I said yes, because I needed to get a taste of a real Japanse New Years celebration. Host Dad had work so he could not go, so he stayed behind with Tsuki-chan.

At about 11:30pm New Years eve, we went to meet her friends at a nearby shrine. I arrived on a scene that involved free liquor (special new years sake), a huge bonfire that people burned various things in, and a HUGE line of people waiting for midnight so they could ring the shrine's bell and make a new years wish. My host Mom's friends seemed very nice, and, like most people, were very interested in Alaska. I understood for the most part, but because they were all such good friends they all spoke super casually, which made it hard for me to follow along. In addition, as my name is kind of hard for I lot of Japanese people to say, I became "Ma-chan" courtsey of a very drunk guy dressed as Gatchpin (who is a monster and a mascot of one of the tv channels here).

We then got "Omikuji," or little paper fortunes. I got "dai-kichi" which is the best kind of luck you can get. Although, while it is good, some think the step below dai-kichi (just kichi) is better, because I only have room to go down in fortune, whereas someone with kichi has room to go up.

After it turned midnight, we the took a taxi to a temple. The temple was in a huge park and very spacious. We got a midnight snack at a soba place which was delicious, and one of Mama's friends showed me pictures of her cats (which you could tell absolutely adored!) after we ate, we went and prayed at the shrine (by getting into another really big line!) We then shopped around the area a bit, as many delicous new years food stands were set up. As it edged toward 4:00am, we all decided to head back, as it was becoming kind of cold. To warm up a bit, we started to run a bit, and the really drunk gatchpin ran after us. It was kinda of scary having a drunk monter-esque thing running at you in the dark! But it was pretty funny all the same.

Host Mom and I got home around 4:30, and I immeadiately passed out.

The next day I was going to go shopping with Roxy and Asuka, but much to my dismay, my debit card did not work! This scared me a bit, since Kyoto had literally drained me of money and I was broke. After some frantic emailing to my family, we got it all sorted out 2 days later. This resulted in me having to stay in the house all day yesterday! I don't think I have had that much time to relax in quite awhile. I should have been doing my homework....but I did not. :P

Today (the 4th) was my friends birthday, so we all headed to Ebisu to go to the "Beer Garden," which is basically a museum and factory devoted to the making of Yebisu beer. The museum portion was pretty cool, they had old comercials and ads, along with a kinda of creepy 3 D virtual puppet show thing....no comment.

At the end of the museum, there is beer tasting. I don't like beer, but the beer snacks were delicious! It was all apparently pretty cheep as well, and you could get large samplers of the different types of beers they make.

Well, thats about it! Tomorrow I am heading to Disneyland with a very excited Roxy (who is my friend from AK who is visiting, for those of you who do not know). The pictures above are some more Kyoto pictures, as I have not taken any pictures since!

Also, this is the link to my brother's blog who is now in Australia :http://ramugtravels.blogspot.com/

His blog, while made under the same program, is much better than mine, and he is also a better writer. So you should check it out and stay upadated on the travels of the Ramuglia family!

Kyoto and Nara

I took over 600 pictures so it was very hard to pick!

The Group at Kiyomizudera

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Roxy and David on the Kiyomizudera balcony. Kyoto Tower is in the background

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Su looking for the Love-Match rock

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Me and Su and the Imperial Palace

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Me, David, ad Su at the Ginkakuji (yep, its gold!)

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Me at the Rock garden in Ryoanji

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Me Roxy and Su with some Buddhas. Can you find us?

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Me in front of the Phoenix Hall at the Byodoin.

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Me and Rox at Fushimi Inari Shrine

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Kitties at the top of Fushimi Inari. Cute! but mean....

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Me in front of the Todaiji. That deer is trying to eat my bag....

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Me in Front of the Todaiji. (Buddha's in there!)

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Su going through the hole the size of the Daibutsu's nostril

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Me, lynnette, and Roxy under a giant bell

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Me at the aqueduct (I didnt fall in!)

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Ginkakuji (silver pavillion) and sand castles

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Me and Rox at Toji (picture curtosy of cool old man!)

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Me and Su hugging one of the biggest Tori's in Japan at Heian Shrine

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Su and Roxy at Heian Shrine garden

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Me and Rox at Heian Shrine garden

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A group picture at the Horyuji

Hello all! Sorry it has been awhile since I last posted! Its been busy, but in one long blog post I will update you all!

On Christmas Eve, 7 friends and I took a night bus to Kyoto for a week. The bus ride lasted 6 hours and we arrived in Kyoto around 7am!!! We were all quite exhausted, but decided to walk to the hostel from the station. Little did I realize that the map I had wasn't really to scale, and it was about 30 minutes walk away! That doesn't sound that bad, but we all had our luggage and had no sleep-but we managed and arrived at our hostel.

Our hostel was set up by our program director, and it was a pretty nice place. Us 4 girls shared a room, and the 4 boys shared the other. The rules were a little bit strict, but it was worth it because we had a prime location and cheap rent. Although we were a bit tired, we headed out to get some coffee at a nearby starbucks (yay for limited addition starbucks christmas coffees!!!) and then went to our first and I think the all around favorite destination: Kiyomizudera. The name means something like "clear water temple" in english.

The temple is awesome because it sits on a hill and is huge! When we first arrived, we couldn't believe it! There were a lot of cool attractions, including a pitch black hallway (and I mean pitch black) that you travel through and meditate or something. I guess it is supposed to simulate the womb...anyways, it was pretty awesome. Also, temple legend has it that if you jump off the balcony of the temple and survive, you can get enlightenment! Although you cant really do it now, in the Edo period there was actually an 85% survival rate! Also, there was an area with 2 rocks, and if you can get to the other one with your eyes closed, you can get love! I accidentally walked into a temple shop first, so I guess that means I will marry for money before love. But that is ok for me!

At the bottom of the shrine, there is a small waterfall where, if you drink the water, you can be cured of any ailments. I drank the water, which was pretty tasty (i have a feeling it was tap water though...). After this temple we did a little touristy shopping, and went out for christmas dinner. Because as a group we could not decide what to eat, we went to a cheap noodle and rice place (you put money into a machine, press a button for what you want to eat, and they bring it to you). Although not preferable for a Christmas dinner, it worked out fine.

The next day we had a reservation for the Kyoto imperial palace (you cant get in without a reservation!) so we walked over there. The palace is in this huge complex with a garden and everything. Remember, the emperor lives in Tokyo now, so it is really just there to be of historical value. It was very cool to see, and I learned a lot from our tour guide. Apparently, there are a number of gates that you can walk to depending on your rank. One of the gates can only be entered by the emperor himself! We, of course, entered through the servants gate.

After the palace, we had a quick lunch and headed to the Kinkakuji, or Golden Pavilion. It is aptly named, because the building is covered in gold leaf! It was a site to see! Although this building actually dates only back to the 1950s (a crazy monk burnt down the original one from the Ashikaga shogunate) it was still a truthful representation of the original.

Next, we went to Ryoanji, a famous rock garden temple. In the garden, if you can see all 15 large rocks at once, you can gain enlightenment. However, there is a special place you can stand and you can see them all.....so we all gained enlightenment!

After Ryoanji, we headed to Ninnaji, another big temple in the area. it was awesomely big, and we sat down for a quick peanut butter lunch (thanks mom for sending it to me!) We walked around a little bit and left right before they closed. We then caught a bs back to the hostel. :)

The next day, we went out a little further. We took a train to Uji, a little bit outside of Kyoto and saw the Byodoin, one of my personal favorite places. It is actually a pretty old building that hasn't really been too harmed by fire. The Phoenix Hall (also on the back of the 10 yen coin) is famous because it is the home to a gold amida statue, which is pretty old. We were also granted entry to the on sight museum, which displayed many artifacts from the temple.

Next, we went to Fushimi Inari Shrine. Probably everyone has seen a picture of it- it is the place with the gazillions of toris (red gate things) all lined up in a row. Here, we did a 2 hour hike to the top, which was really fun. People come to this shrine to pray for money.

After this, we all headed home. The next day we went to Nara, another city that had been the capital. Here, we visited the massive Nara park, home to many temples and shrines, and of course tame deer. The deer run around and bug you for food, but in the old days (and sometimes now) they were considered gods. You can buy deer crackers, and a million of them with basically trample you to get a bite. On this day it was a little bit off and on rain, but overall it was OK. We visited a bunch of little temples, but the big site was the Todaiji, home to the Daibutsu. You may remember from my earlier posts the Kamakura daibutsu. This Daibutsu (or big Buddha) is 3 times the size of the Kamakura one, and a sort of national buddha. It was truly gigantic!!!

Inside the building where the Daibutsu is housed, there is a hole in a post roughly the size of the Daibutsu's nostril, where if you can get through, you can get enlightenment. One of our friends surprised us but easily flying through the small hole with no effort whatsoever. The Su, as small as she is, go through as well. The tallest member of our group (about 6'3" maybe) got though as well. We all caused quite a commotion!

After that, we explored the park a little more, and then headed home. The next day, we split into 2 groups, because some people wanted to visit nearby Osaka. I didn't think I had seen enough of Kyoto to be satisfied, so Roxy, Su, and I stayed. Plus, osaka is a place you probably should spend more than a day in. First, we went to Nanzenji, at the foot of the philosophers path. It was a bit drizzly and foggy, but it actually made for good conditions for this temple. We hiked a bit along a cool aqueduct thing, which was fun.

After that, we walked about 30 minutes along the philosophers path, and philosophized. (and ate ice cream). At the end of the path is the Ginkakuji (the Silver Pavilion). This temple was built by the grandson of the Gold Pavilion guy, although sadly is not covered in silver. But it was amazing nonetheless, although a bit crowded. Because it was damp outside, they were making these sand designs in front of the pavilion that represent mount fuji and the ocean. But really, just a glorified sand castle. But cool!

After that we headed toward Toji, another temple. A cool Japanese Grandpa and his family befriended us (we think he wanted to practice his english) and told us some Toji trivia. They we very nice! The temple was pretty cool as well, and had a huge pagoda that is synonymous with kyoto. They also had a lot of buddhist sculptures which were awesome to see!

We parted ways with our new family and headed back to the hostel. The Osaka team was back as well, and while they had a good time, Osaka seemed to be all closed down for the holidays.

Our next and final day, we checked out of the hostel, and once again split into 2 groups because the Osaka half wanted to see the Silver Pavilion. So Roxy, Su, and I went to Heian shrine. It was again kind of rainy, but we really wanted to see the gardens. We got inside, and although it was winter, it was breath taking! And we basically had the whole garden to ourselves, because it was early and because of the rain. The rain soon cleared up and it was amazingly sunny! Very breathtaking!

We all met up again at kyoto station and headed to Nara, where we would catch a bus back to Tokyo. First, however, we went to the Horyuji, which was probably my favorite stop on our journey. I think I liked it because it was truly very old! And also had a lot of old artifacts....which are always my favorite. Like the Byodoin, it also had an attached museum which was amazing. My favorite place!

When we were done we ate dinner, and waited in a coffee shop for our bus, which came at 9:10. Then began our long journey home! We got back around 6;00, and I basically just collapsed on my be and fell asleep!

Overall, the trip was very fun! I will probably have to go back again, because there is really so much to see! Going in the winter is also a mixed bag- you miss all the flowers and the leaves, but it is not crowded at all. apparently, in the spring and fall it is unbearably crowded, and the summer is too hot. So I think it was planned out right!!