STUDY ABROAD:WEEK 39

MAY 25

If only I didn’t have homework, or the need to eat, then I could have slept all day. At least Mark was going to keep me company when I headed out to the Daiso. First, however, I went to Jason’s room to return his forgotten items. I couldn’t remember which room he lived in, but I knew it was on the second floor. As I was messaging him I noticed there was a door propped open with flip flops, similar to the ones Jason wears. In mid-message confirming that I could come in, I went to open the propped door, just as its resident came to close it. We made eye-contact, long enough for our holds on the door to become awkward. I noticed he was trying to pull the door shut, so I quickly jumped back and apologized. I had almost walked into a stranger’s room, I was that tired. A few seconds later, Jason opened his door on the opposite side of the hall. If only he had done so a bit sooner.

MAY 26

I had a feeling it would rain today.

During lunch Joy and I met with the two or three students from the seminar class that still come to eat lunch with us. We decided that this Thursday we would go check out the futsal club because Joy didn’t have to work. That was fine with me, even though I suppose BPM is having a mock battle on Thursday also. I don’t have a partner lined up or anything, so there’s no pressure for me to show up. Besides, I haven’t been able to play with Kaori and the other guys on Saturdays since February— I needed to just run around and kick a ball.

As I said, the rain came, and it was a drenching rain. Nevertheless, we were determined to go eat somewhere after international cafe. Lai and I walked back to the apartments together; she had her bike and the umbrella, but in the end I volunteered to carry at least the umbrella since at her height it kept hitting me in the head. Not more than two minutes after it was in my hand the wind turned it inside out and broke one of the spokes. That is precisely why I don’t carry umbrellas. In any case, when that happened, she tried to hold up the broken umbrella over herself so I walked the bike. I was being a “gentleman”, which made me even more uncomfortable since she was holding onto my arm as well. That was just being nice and doing the write thing.

By the time we got back to the apartment, we were both drenched. That and we passed the udon shop we hoped to eat at on the way, only to find it was closed. A quick change of plans and we met up with the others at Manchinken, the ramen place across from 7i. Finally, I could try the ramen for myself, and it was delicious, just as I hoped, it was perfect after a cold rain.

MAY 27

Aside from working on manga today, Jason and I also practiced for our Business Japanese midterm tomorrow. For the midterm, there is no written test, we are only expected to rehearse and perform accurate role-plays based on the conversations we practiced in class. This is one of my skills, so even though I don’t know all the vocabulary perfectly, I can memorize lines and play them. However, since we didn’t practice until the evening I couldn’t go to dance practice. Midterms come first in this case.

MAY 28

Yeah… so that whole “test” I was talking about yesterday persists. The first part of class was a listening quiz, unrelated to our midterm test. Then, our professor gave us time to practice before starting the actual test.

The class was divided between International Students (students who were attending the University as normal students on a 4-year program) and the Exchange Students (students who would only be at the University for six months to a year). She started the tests with the International Students, of whom there were six. ‘A’ would play the student, or the lower role, and ‘B’ would play the teacher, or other superior role. Then ‘B’ would become ‘A’ and the next student on the list would become the new ‘B’. During that time, the other students would peer review their performances. In that form we completed the International Students and started on the Exchange students. I was second on the list, so I was Gi’s ‘B’ partner when time ran out. I was half done, half done! Now I have to wait until next week to finish my midterm. At least I will be the first done.

MAY 29

Last night I packed a huge bag of clothes that I don’t need any more to take to Book-Off. Supposedly we can exchange them for some money, depending on the quality and brand, etc. I wasn’t expecting more than 300 yen. Mark and Margeaux also joined me with their own bags of unwanted items. Many of Mark’s clothes were ones that he bought this past winter and would not need in Hawaii. He got less than he wanted for the amount, but I on the other hand made 600 yen! That was double what I expected.

From there we all went our separate ways. By chance I happened to run into Rachael, Joy and Aurianne as they stopped outside Café de Crie for lunch. With my hard-earned 600 yen I bought a delicious roast beef sandwich. They were on their way to find the Kobe honey exhibition somewhere in Sakae. I took Rachael’s place as she headed to work, and then the three of us headed toward the Tokyu Hands in Sakae where it was advertised to be on the 6th floor. It was not. It was actually quite a pain to find, but after asking the right people and being directed to the underground shopping area we found the honey. Apparently, when they had gone to Kobe over spring break, they had found this honey and fell in love with it because there was so many flavors.

They had only wanted to find the place today, but they really intended to return tomorrow with Rachael, who was the most zealous to buy the honey. With the mission successful, Joy and I headed back to the university to play futsal with Shogo and Chiharu, also from the seminar class. I can’t explain how good it felt to just run and really stretch out my legs. I was using different muscles than usual, so of course I became a little winded, but Joy and I had a great time. Joy and I always made a point to play on opposite sides since we didn’t know the other members, at least we could compete with each other. It was very interesting to play with just the girls, too. Many of them are still first or second year students, so they have a tendency to move in flocks. Joy and I ran the most during those games.

I went from doing something wonderful and healthy, to going to a tenpura party. Deep fried, though lightly battered, goodness of all kinds, thanks to our cooking mama: Rachael. Chicken, pumpkin, zucchini, carrots, chocolate, bananas and more were consumed over the course of the night. Taigen also came so four of the ‘cool kids’ were able to hang out and talk until morning once again.

MAY 30

No class this morning, but I didn’t sleep in much either! I’m making progress.

It goes without saying that I spent the day inking pages, and then erasing, and then toning some of the pages digitally. The reason why we didn’t have class today was because tomorrow we are going to have our ikebana experience. We can’t bring them home, which is a shame, but I’m ready to challenge ikebana again!

MAY 31

Our class all met together outside of the library just before 9am. The discussion rooms had all been opened up to create one large room. Three ikebana teachers had come to help us with our experience. They guided us through the three main steps, and also provided meanings for certain flowers.

Since there was so many of us, we could only sit two to a table, and each person received a prepared set of flowers that worked well together. For some people that included branch-like flowers and even long grass-like stems. I was lucky enough to receive the set with the lilies, one of my favorite flowers if I had to choose.

I followed the teacher’s advice through the first three main steps; the mother, father and child branches are one way to describe them. This time I was incredibly pleased with my creation. I followed the aesthetic rules and my own instincts to create a unique, somewhat tropical feeling piece of art. When we had to present our ikebana and describe the theme, I compared it to my current growing experience. Many of the students were able to create nice pieces of work, and love seemed to be a common theme. Some people even used avant-garde ideas in their designs.

In the end, ten of our pieces could go on display in the library or in the international center. I volunteered to have mine on display in the library, out in the common room, where at least I could see it every day when I come in. It was actually placed near the entrance at first, but then they moved it up to the second floor somewhere… no one goes up there. I’ll have to go hunt it out and take a picture this coming week.

([untitled] May 31, 2014)

STUDY ABROAD:WEEK 38

MAY 18

Today, I spent all day and night in Toyohashi!

My day started around lunchtime when I went do to Toyohashi to meet Junko for lunch. It’s been a couple months since I’ve seen here, so we needed to catch up. We ate at a small café-ish bar on the East side of the station. Their lunch specials were sandwiches and soups, so we both ordered the shrimp avocado sandwich. It was so nice to talk to her, even though, neither of us really had any significant updates. She’s such a nice and sweet girl, but she’s interesting— she has personality. I say this as I compare her to the new string of freshmen girls that I have become acquainted with over the past few months. Maybe those girls are too fresh to the world, so they have nothing interesting to say. The upperclassmen, Junko and the others, are different: many of them have studied abroad, so they have experienced other cultures. They just have something. It’s a shame that we haven’t had more chances to meet.

Junko and I hung out until about 2pm, wandering around the stationary departments at the Seibu near the station. I found quite a few things that I would have liked to buy, but not until I move into my own apartment. I can wait, for now.

Jorden was supposed to meet me soon after Junko went home, but he was running late due to an errand. I killed time by wandering around some more. There was a small event going on in the street for the kids, so the area was more crowded than usual. I happened to spot a beautiful red husky on the street, a nice medium-sized dog. Rarely are there any large dog breeds, but I have seen a Saint Bernard once. If I didn’t live in an apartment, I would consider getting one.

Side note: I also found the first volume of Battle Royale at the Book-Off, for only 300 yen!

Finally, as 3:30 rolled around I headed to the fountain outside the station to meet Jordan. Only he wasn’t there yet. I checked my LINE messages just in time to receive his message that said “Please read this before 3:45 so you can catch the train.” Then my Wifi battery died, so I couldn’t reply. I took the leap and hurried to board the local train line. Our timing turned out to be perfect because I ran into him just as I got off the station platform. We hung out for a couple hours waiting for the main event…

May 18th. It was the day that Dr. Hara’s new group would come to visit Toyohashi. Today was the day of the welcome dinner, and as UT Alumni and members of Toledo, we too were invited. I was excited to see old faces, but most of all I wanted to see Dr. Hara, who is basically my Japanese dad. I knew half of the group this time around; seven people who used to be part of my life, yet we had somehow managed to get on without each other. Seeing them didn’t make me homesick, nor did I want to go home to see other friends, as I thought I might feel. Life goes on, we move on to the next stage, and for me, right now, it’s Japan.

During the event I met with other ALTs from Toledo. We indulged in the free Pizza; not only was it free, but it had toppings, so it was good free pizza. I ate despite knowing that we would all go out to an izakaya afterward, but I didn’t know that until last minute anyway. But, that’s how I and the other ALTs and Dr. Hara spent our evening; socializing over various cocktails and snacks. Many of the ALTs have been in Japan for at least two years now, some upwards of six or eight. It’s great that I have these people to look to, or, if nothing else, somebody to hang out with in Toyohashi.

MAY 19 - MAY 20

Just regular classes followed with work on manga sessions. I’m trying to save money this week because we are going to a buffet for Jason’s birthday this weekend.

MAY 21

As the only current exchange student from my home University, I was expected to give a short speech to the study abroad group when they came to visit the Nagoya campus. I was told to be there at 10:20, so I had to leave my morning kanji class a little early to make it in time. I arrived at the time they told me, but the presentation on the school had already started. I barely looked at anyone as I slipped into the room and found an empty chair to sit in. There, I happened to sit next to Takahiro and Yuto, two of the students that spent the past year in Toledo. I was so excited to see them that I nearly forgot why I was there.

When it came time to give the speech, I stood up in front of the group; I had been in their shoes three years ago, I couldn’t have imagined being here now. I didn’t write the speech, but I had some particular points that I wanted to express, one of which is the same reason why I have decided to write this journal. Though this is a study abroad, it truly is an exchange program. You exchange your life for another’s. Studying is really only a small part, but it is what you make of it. That said, what you do outside the classroom will define your experience more than anything. For me, the best decision I made was to join the dance club. My life changed. I was also looking to the future, to keeping my new life, so my perspective was different than that of other students who only come for six months or a year and then return to their past lives. It costs a pretty penny to live in a country like Japan, but the money I’ve spent here has given me more than the past few years of my school life has altogether. That’s why you can’t only focus on one thing when you participate in a program like this. It’s not just the classes or the traveling; it’s the day-to-day that determines how much you will get out of this kind of experience. That’s how life goes.

(This is this year’s study abroad group, from my university.)

In short, the speech seemed to go over well with the students. I learned afterward that a few of them were hoping to participate in the same program I was in next year. Towards the end of the lunch gathering I also ran into Erika and Akane, both of whom I haven’t seen in a long time. Erika was the third student who studied at UT last year. I barely recognized her when I saw her; she had so much more confidence and spark. This is what we hope for, a positive growth in ourselves, and in most cases, we wish it would continue just a bit longer.

MAY 22

Even the mundane days are important! For example, today: I went to class, took a nap, worked on manga, and then went to dance practice for a bit. Mundane though it may be to write about, these are the decisions I made. I would be lying if I said that one of the greatest parts of this experience wasn’t living on my own, making my own decisions. The freedom is addicting, but one must not forget their responsibilities.

MAY 23

All right, here’s something a little more interesting for you. This Friday afternoon we, the exchange students, were invited to go to a presentation on kabuki, one of the traditional forms of Japanese theater. The presenter was a well-aged man who happened to be a sort of a legend in the kabuki world. While the presentation on kabuki’s history was short in and of itself, the following section on the acting and way of speaking in kabuki provided much more entertainment.

We all received the script in our information packet. One by one we went around the room reading one line or another. It wasn’t just us exchange students, there was at least a few dozen Japanese students present as well, including those from Mrs. Yamamoto’s seminar class. They were shy to start at first, but everyone read their lines. All of us exchange students panicked a little and scrambled to write down the kanji readings. Thankfully, the Chinese students were sitting nearby and helped us. We all did our best to read the lines with feeling, or at least with the same quivering intonations one would hear at kabuki. Some people within the audience were quite skilled, and they would appear out of nowhere to break the silence. As the reading circled back around the room I readied myself for my line…only it wasn’t my line. I miscounted the number of people and jumped the gun. The following line, which was my own, was much more complex in terms of wording, so I had to be guided along that one. It was still a lot of fun though, I don’t quite understand how they decided on the way to speak, but I always thought it would be fun to act. Not in kabuki, just in general.

  

MAY 24

Today we celebrated Jason’s birthday down at the Aeon Mall in Atsuta, near Kanayama. Joy, Rachael, Aurianne and I actually biked there from our apartment. It took about forty-five minutes, but we were first to arrive. We waited as Jason and the others who took the subway were still to arrive. Our reservation had been set for 11am, and Jason showed up at precisely 11:21, perfect for his twenty-first birthday.

(The Family Viking, Mame no Hakada; “Viking” means buffet.)

The buffet was called Mame no Hakada, or field of beans. Many of the dishes were made with soybeans, and there was a lot of tofu, as well as traditional Japanese cuisine. Did that make it any healthier? Not by a long shot. There were also lattes, pasta and ice cream. Ninety minutes, all-you-can-eat for approximately fifteen dollars. Then we needed to lightly digest before leaving because we were stuffed. We headed towards the game center and by chance there was a huge bucket of coins just sitting by one of the games. No one was claiming them. Were they a freebie? We put a few coins into the game of our own accord, and when those ran out still nobody had claimed the full bucket. The clerk even gave us the go ahead, so we spent the next hour or so playing a Mario quiz game until sadly the coins ran out. Joy and I had our side set-up pretty well, but once the others took the coins to other stations we were doomed to fail. It was very enjoyable though, almost to the point that I could see how people become addicted to it. I don’t even know if there was a goal to reach after completing the puzzles, but I’m sure it would be a waste of money. Fun while it lasted though.

After the game center, we all went our separate ways to get home. Joy, Rachael, Aurianne and I were once again on our bikes, heading toward Sakae. I passed the dance members at the park on my way home, but I couldn’t stay because I needed to hurry and go to training. Meanwhile, Jason’s birthday continued as a party in my room and also on the roof. When I got back home, I found that my room was still in one piece. That was mostly because many people had moved onto the roof until the landlord came up and told us we were being too loud. At that point, many people went home. One of my friends stayed around because he was a little tipsy, and he loved to talk. He eventually went home around midnight, on his bike, to Kanayama. Knowing how far away that was, I was worried whether he would make it or not, so I stayed up waiting for his message. Once he got home at around 4am then I too was able to sleep.

STUDY ABROAD:WEEK 37

MAY 11

Today is Mother’s Day! Of course, I had to wait until it was evening here in order to call home at a decent hour. I figured I would just catch my mom at home, but when I called the person who picked up the phone sounded too “professional”, for lack of a better word. It was as if they were a secretary. I was taken aback a bit so I ended up asking for my mom by name. That’s when we both realized who was on the other side; it was my Aunt after all. She and her siblings were all visiting my grandmother for Mother’s Day.

Eventually my mom got on the phone, so I was able to properly convey my message, if not in a slightly awkward tone. I had nothing else to say, and it seemed like they already had plans for the day. It was nice to talk to them though, even if it was just a brief ‘Hello.’ I miss playing canasta (a card game) with them, haha.

MAY 12

It turned out to be a slightly busy Monday today. First it started out with grammar class, and then Joy and I had lunch with Mrs. Yamamoto’s seminar class again. It actually wasn’t the class per say. Only four of the seminar students showed up, but that included Shogo, who is a member of the futsal club. One day Joy and I want to check them out. Hopefully they will let us play, too.

In the last minutes of lunch we hurried to finish our pair homework for conversation class, which only took a couple minutes. Then, following class we had International Cafe. Many of the new Chinese and Taiwanese students came this time, but oddly enough there were only a couple Japanese students. As a result, the groups were a bit unbalanced, but we continued to hang out afterward so that we could all go out to eat curry together. Naan curry, of course.

Two of the new exchange students, Lai and Go, had not been to the restaurant yet. Originally, I planned to take them there last Monday, but since I couldn’t make it back to Nagoya, we settled on today. I’m not sure the flavor was what they were expecting. They said it tasted it good, but that’s not the expression I read on their face. I helped them finish the leftovers, and then had a couple extra naan myself. I don’t know what beast was inside me today, but it was a hungry one.

MAY 13

I only worked on manga for a little bit today before heading back to school for dance practice. Actually, I met with Gakki in the school cafeteria to eat for a bit first. I haven’t had the chance to see her since she came back from San Francisco, so that was the purpose of our talk. She dressed up in what he determined was American style, but it looked more like American tourist style to me. The hat she bought was a floppy fisherman-like cap, which I thought might have been more suitable for a place like Australia. Then again, I haven’t been out West. Had it been a cowboy hat, I would have to say it was American.

So, anyway, we ate dinner. I ate more than I usually do before practice, so I felt a bit sluggish. Even if I hadn’t, I couldn’t focus my attention. I know how I want to dance, but I can’t figure out what to practice exactly.

MAY 14

It’s been a while now since I started training. I’ve come to really understand why the students are so shy to speak: they don’t have regular chances to practice. Because of that, I’ve started having my older students read out loud in class. At first they were really shy, but I think they are getting used to and maybe even enjoying it. Students who were quiet before are now laughing. It’s a small accomplishment, but it’s very encouraging.

MAY 15

Dance? Work on manga? No, today we have to work on our report and presentation on ikebana, traditional Japanese flower arrangement. I had a brief experience making ikebana three years ago, and then last fall we also went to see an ikebana exhibition. My presentation is focused on the rules, or rather the math, that goes into creating a balanced arrangement. Creating the presentation from start to finish took all day, but it’s ready now!

MAY 16

My presentation went very well, which is always a relief. I was one of the first to present, so my information was relatively new at that point, but since everyone had to present on ikebana, there was some crossovers. Many people talked about the different styles, or about the tools used. We still have presentations to sit through next week on the same topic… that’s the only downside to this class.

Then, after my presentation, guess what? Yes. I went home and took a nap. This is a problem, I know, but now that I think about it, it’s probably because I feel stressed. When I’m stressed with a large project for example, anything is better than consistently working on it. So, I break up the time with naps. It also helps me reset my mind for the task. This time, it was actually quite a long nap since I only had an hour to work on my manga before I met the other for Game Night at Heart n’ Soul.

Tonight’s free meal was wrapped sandwiches!! Luckily there was chicken wraps, too, so I was able to eat as we played Blocks again. It was time for revenge! In reality, I was consistently ganged up on by two or three other players, so it was a game of survival and not ending up in last place. We played that game for the whole two hours with an unrelenting fury. However, the event ended at 9pm, so we had to set our Blocks aside for now.

Since it’s been a while since I’ve gone to dance practice, I joined Ken and the others for a late practice at the Naka District Hall. Practice was going pretty well, and then this old guy shows up out of nowhere. I see him walking toward us, me in particular, so I take out my earphones. That was a mistake. I thought he had a simple question, or maybe he was a beggar and would quickly be one his way. Instead, he took it upon himself to tell me how he used to be able to do push-ups with his thumbs and all kinds of acrobatics forty years ago when he was younger. I had been practicing more handstands at the time, and he kept saying, ‘Ah, you need more muscle, more muscle here,’ and then he would grab my arm. Yes, I’m aware, thank you, good-bye, was what I was thinking, but he wasn’t taking the hints that I wanted to get back to practicing. None of the other guys interrupted him either until I sort of led him in their direction. I know he was harmless, but come on, guys, step up.

MAY 17

Training ended early today so I was able to catch the tail-end of the dinner party at Chi and Tobias’ new apartment. Most of the food was gone, but I made a meal out of the remaining potato chips and garlic butter spread. I watched the group playing a new game where each member rights down what they think is the best answer to a question written on a card, and then the card holder chooses which answer they like best. However, they only played for a little longer and then many of the members left for home. A few of us hung around and played UNO until midnight or so. Then, the party was truly over. I walked home with Marie and her boyfriend, who came to visit from Hokkaido again. We still haven’t gone to karaoke together yet, though we’ve promised to do so several times now. Maybe we can go in July when he comes to visit again.

STUDY ABROAD:WEEK 36

MAY 5

We had another day off from school today, so it was technically a free day for me. However, I was invited to join the employees who work down in Gamagori for a lunch outing. We met in Gamagori around 11am and I was surprised to see so many of the part-time workers there.

(Shrimp and crab appetizer)

(Dessert: ice cream, a slice of kiwi, pineapple, and a bit of anko!)

To be honest, the rest of the day was a pleasant surprise. From Gamagori we all headed down to Toyokawa by car, well cars. Our lunch was set at a traditional themed restaurant; the food came out in courses of soup, rice, fish, shrimp, and finally ending with a small dessert. Part of the lunch was dedicated to congratulating the graduated members of the part-time workers. To my surprise, not only was I included, but I received a gift that also doubled as an early birthday present: it was a rucksack. This was actually a very timely gift because the current bag I was using to go to school, and sometimes brought with me to training, was worn out. It was the same bag I bought in Kyoto almost three years ago, so now it seemed an appropriate time to retire it.

Lunch lasted a couple hours and then we drove back up to Gamagori by 3pm. At this time, we were free to go home if we wanted, or else we could all go hang out somewhere. The two options seemed to be karaoke and bowling; we opted for bowling, which soon became a decision between Toyohashi and Okazaki. I guess the bowling places in Gamagori were just too boring. In any case, we settled to go to Toyohashi, which for the record is right next to Toyokawa, meaning we were back-tracking for a second time today.

It was my first trip to the Round1 in Toyohashi, but it was bigger than I expected. We only went to the bowling section, but I noticed there were plenty of other floors of activity at this location. Too bad you can only get there by car. The bowling option we chose was pretty much all-you-can-throw in a period of 3-6 hours. I can’t remember the time frame because we bowled until our arms wouldn’t throw anymore, about six games. We maintained a sort of competition for the first four games, and I somehow managed to stay in the top 4 throughout. The guys also taught me how to spin the ball, but that wasn’t until the last few games when we didn’t care about the scores. I got one strike on a curve, but from there it just went downhill.

Night came. Our groups split up as we made our way home. To think, I tried to make dinner plans in Nagoya tonight. Today was so much fun; it only makes me want to work with these people more!

MAY 6

Should of, could of been another work day, but as my last day of the short vacation, I decided to take the break. I took a walk in the morning, returned to my room to watch a movie, and then in realizing I had no groceries I went back out for a grocery run.

On the way home from buying groceries, I saw a slightly older man just fall off his bike suddenly. He looked like he had passed out. I was approaching him as I crossed the intersection, but in that time, three or four older men came out of nowhere and surrounded him. They tried to wake him up and see what was wrong. I waited for a few moments to see if the man was okay, and when he finally came to, in a delirious sort of state, I proceeded to come home. Had those other men not shown up, what would I have done? What could I have done? I’m not sure I have the language skills to deal with someone in that state, nor the medical knowledge. I kind of felt helpless.

MAY 7

Last night after I got home I went to bed really early. I thought it was a good idea because we had school today, starting from first period. On the contrary, sleeping so early, around 8pm or so, caused me to wake up at 3am craving juice of all things.

I decided I would go to MaxValu, since it was open 24 hours a day, only I wouldn’t go until dawn broke at 4:30am. I bought bread for the first time since I came to Japan; granted I have bought sandwiches and bread-related items before, but not actually slices of bread. The reason I bought it was because I already had some avocados I bought yesterday from the cheap grocer. They were starting to go bad, so today was the last day I could eat them. I made some avocado sandwiches, one for lunch and one for breakfast. Ate my breakfast, along with some juice, and then it was 6am. There was no need to leave for school until 8am, so I took a nap for a couple hours.

As for school itself, it was just a regular day, but it felt awesome for no reason. I only missed one question on the listening test in Business Japanese, which is always a reason to celebrate. I call it ‘otsukare-choco’, or ‘Good work today. Here, have some chocolate’ time. Training also went smoothly, so even when I got back home around 11pm I was awake and in a good mood.

Then I checked my e-mail.

A couple days ago I tried to send a money transfer from my bank account. In order to do that, I had to set up the online transfer account, which wasn’t so hard. The test transfer went through, now I had to send the real bulk. As I was about to send the money, my account becomes locked. I’ve mentioned before that I do not fool around when it comes to money matters, so my great day quickly went into lock-down mode. Luckily, even though it was midnight here in Japan, it was around noon back in the States. I had no other choice but to call the bank center to settle the situation. That meant I had to use my pre-paid phone.

I needed to call them in order to send the transfer, but I had no minutes. I used them up talking to my parents last month, and the few remaining minutes I had just expired on Sunday. So, at midnight, I headed back out and down the street to Sunkus to buy 3000 yen worth of minutes. Thankfully, convenience stores are always open 24 hours, too. Finally, I had my minutes and I called the bank center. It took quite a bit of hoop jumping, especially regarding the fact that they needed to verify my ID at my local branch. That was impossible for obvious reasons, but thankfully I got through by answering my security questions. Apparently, the whole cause of this trouble was that when I registered for the online transfer account I was supposed to verify it, but I had not received the verification e-mail until today… after I tried the transfer.

That was a first for me. I’ve never had to handle such a delicate situation, on the phone, with my ‘adult skills’. I’m an adult. I wasn’t an adult when I turned 18, no, not until today have I truly felt that I was an adult. Or at least that I could be an adult, if I needed to be. No need to rush into things.

MAY 8

We just had a normal grammar class in the morning. Returned home and napped, didn’t go out to dance because I decided to work on my manga again.

MAY 9

Our culture class was moved to tomorrow so that we could go experience the traditional art of kamon, family crests. So, big surprise, I slept in and worked on manga again. The weather’s been a bit damp recently, not exactly rainy, but cool and threatening to rain. These days always make me sleepy. It doesn’t help that my free time is being spent in front of a computer screen all day either. But, it has to be done. Just a little more… well, not really a little, there is still quite a bit to do, but I am making progress!

MAY 10

For our kamon experience today we all met at the subway station to go to Sengen-cho. There we stood, waiting outside the ticketing gate, waiting for our professor. We arrived a bit early, she arrived a bit late. Time wasn’t much of a problem though because the location was literally a few blocks away from the station. As many small business, this place too was connected to someone’s living quarters. They were actually tie-dye artists, so it made sense that they had their studio where they lived too.

We were first led up to the second floor and then split into two groups. Initially, we were told that we would be making our own mon, our own crest designs, but that would have taken too much time. In the end, we all had to choose between the crest of Oda Nobunaga, Toyokawa Ieyasu, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. All three famous feudal lords were born in Nagoya, so their likenesses frequently appear around the city. Their crests were already printed on white handkerchiefs for us.

The first group, which I was a part of, headed down to the ground floor where two large tubs of water awaited us; next to them, several small bottles of ink were lined up as well. Our traditional experience quickly transformed into the modern art of tie-dying. As “practice” we each put in a drop of ink. The ink sat at the water’s surface like a deco-modern polka design. Then, our host laid down a white handkerchief over the water, waited a few seconds, and then raised it to show that the design on the water was now imprinted.

With an understanding of the process, we were all excited to try, but no one wanted to go first. In these cases, I am usually the first volunteer. My image was that of wings, black wings over an orange and blue background. To create the wings, I drew out the ink with a stick, as our host suggested. I guess I must have been moving the stick too quickly because the lines thinned out and soon my wings looked like a great tree. Earth over Wind I suppose. As I watched the others, I wanted a second chance to try new techniques, to create a new design, but it would have cost 800 yen and I had barely 1000 yen on my person at the time. I missed the chance then, but if I could find the inks somewhere, I could easily replicate the process.

(Placing the handkerchief into the water with the ink design.)

Once the first group completed their handkerchiefs, we switched places with the second group to watch Mr. Ida at work.

 Mr. Ida was delicately creating a crest design. We watched him work on the intricate design as he told us the brief history of family crests and their designs in Japan. Mr. Ida is the only professional crest artist in Nagoya, probably Aichi at this point. Just watching him work was an eye-opening experience to the intricacy and precision of creating a good crest. If we all started from scratch, it would have taken us far too long to simply create the design, much less print it.

To tie up the day, we all received our dry handkerchiefs and took a group picture. Jason, who is twenty years old now, was dressed up in a very expensive, crested kimono, one that would be worn at a coming-of-age ceremony. It was appropriate for him, because that ceremony took place when one turned twenty in Japan. The afternoon persisted with pictures as slowly our group began to return on their own time. I couldn’t help but think that once I complete this current project of mine, I will be free to dabble in other art forms again.

STUDY ABROAD:WEEK 35

APRIL 27

After training last night I rejoined with the BBQ group for karaoke at Chikara. We stayed until morning, which isn’t as easy to do as I remember it being. Maybe that’s because I’ve been cutting back on the coffee? In any case, today I have done nothing but work on my manga and snack on candy that my mom sent me. Having this candy around might be a bad idea…

APRIL 28

Mrs. Yamamoto scheduled another meeting with her seminar for us. It’s a new class of 3rd year students, but there are a couple seniors from last semester in the class, too. Unlike last time, where we had to actually do work in groups, this meeting was primarily for international communication exchange. It also took place during lunch. At first there was no movement between the groups, so Mrs. Yamamoto guided us all through self-introductions. That got the conversations started. I also took the chance to pass out a lot of my Starbursts and Jolly Ranchers; less candy for me!

Overall, they seem like an interesting bunch. Upperclassmen are usually more settled in themselves, so you can sense their real personalities. During one of the introductions, a girl asked if anyone was afraid of dogs, and then she did an impression of a dog barking. Like I said, interesting.

APRIL 29

I came home after class so that I could buy groceries and eat lunch, but it started raining. Somehow, it turned into the perfect excuse not to go back outside, so I didn’t go to dance practice today. Instead, I worked on some manga pages and watches a movie. I should be working harder on my manga if I want to finish it soon, but I just needed to watch another movie. My list has significantly decreased, however, so I think this weekend will be a good work weekend.

APRIL 30

Ah, Wednesdays, the busiest days of the week for me.

Between first and third period classes I walked down to the station to withdraw money. For some reason, even though I was able to withdraw money from my bank in the States, I couldn’t figure out how to transfer it. So, it was back out and down Hirokoji Street to the actual bank. One of the employees there was the same woman that guided me when I forgot my secret number. I didn’t want to bother her again, so I approached the ATM on my own at first.

When it comes to money, I can’t make a mistake. I put the ATM into English mode, just to get the process over, but I still could not pull up the correct transfer option. When I looked at the screen in Japanese, I kept thinking it was the last button on the page, but I couldn’t commit. And, of course, every time you cancel a transaction on the ATM it has to announce that. Thanks for that. Consequently, I gave in and approached the employee. She showed me the correct button on the ATM (it was the last one), but I could sense either some annoyance or worry that I had pulled her from her station in front of the windows.

At last I was able to transfer my money to pay for this semester’s rent. The JASSO scholarship was just deposited into our accounts, and we received a little extension on the payment because of that. Now I have no money, just about three-hundred dollars’ worth of yen to my name. I might have to withdraw some more from abroad later.

MAY 1

It’s May! Time is flying by so quickly these past few weeks. Since I’ve been trying to finish my manga, a lot of my once free time has gone into busy work. I also have training once or twice a week, so my schedule is quite full.

On that note, today I didn’t go to dance practice either. After class I walked out to Donki with Joy and Rachael. The walk only took about thirty minutes, which isn’t as long as we thought it would take. We bought a few groceries, special ones, including foreign brands that only Donki carries. Rachael was having another dinner party in her room tonight. She was going to make all of our favorites: chicken wings, mashed potatoes, blueberry wontons…

I was really looking forward to it, but of course I had to choose between dance and dinner. This time, dinner won. I’ve missed the last few parties because of training and dance, so this was my chance. The party obviously wasn’t until dinner time, so as I waited I worked on manga. Most of the inking is done, but there are still over four chapters that I have to finish editing on the computer, before I scan in the remaining two. Thankfully, we have a four day weekend for Golden Week, a collection of National holidays within a week’s time. Time for a work marathon!

MAY 2 - MAY 4

Three days… I have done nothing for three days except sleep, eat and work on manga. The good news is, I feel like I made a dent in the pages. I can’t count how many hours I worked, but if I estimate the work rate at one page for every three hours, then maybe it will be another 130 hours… That still seems like a lot, but you have to understand that there are 200 pages in a single volume of my series. 130 or so hours, only covers the last 45 pages, and that’s the best case scenario estimate.

It’s getting harder to sit down at a desk or computer for more than a couple hours to do busy work. I started this series about eight years ago, when I was a sophomore in high school. Back then, I could spend hours every day drawing and working on my series. Recently, that same fire has been hard to come by. I still enjoy the work, don’t get me wrong, but I just can’t stand the lifestyle. When I had the chance to start my own series, it was a great outlet for me because I didn’t have the chance to do many things out in the world. My hobby soon became my job, which later meant that I had the responsibility to stay home and work, rather than waste time out and about. Back then, maybe it was a good thing for me, but now things are different. I don’t need to live my life passively through creating stories because I can live it now.

The scariest part about these past few weeks of trying to finish up this series, and also taking movie breaks, is that I could physically feel the separation from reality. I had never felt that before. Back at home in the States, if I wanted to binge on a TV series or delve into a book for a few hours, I could easily transition that between going to classes or simply getting up to go to the bathroom. There was no disconnection. On the other hand, a few days ago when I was watching a movie I heard a siren outside. I quite literally snapped back to reality; I’m in Japan now with all the freedom in the world, so why am I sitting in front of a screen absorbing myself into someone else’s life? Well, at that time, it was already well into the night, so there was nothing else to do, but not once before had I seen the line between reality and fantasy.

I still enjoy movies. I still enjoy drawing. I still plan to enjoy them. But, less is more. This book is the last of the series, and it may be my last for a while. My current path is leading me towards dance, and what looks like a teaching job. It’s not what I would have expected years ago, but it feels like it’s the answer that’s been sitting there all along. I just needed to break out of my comfort zone, shed a few layers and open myself to new possibilities. Now I’m looking forward to finishing this manga for a new reason. I’m ready for the next level, the next stage in my life.

(A sample of the Jello I made these past few days; this one was made in a baking cup with a dinosaur mold.)

I also would like to get out and grab some groceries. I didn’t have much food when I started this marathon, so for the last three days I’ve been surviving on kosher Jello that my mom sent me in the package. I need solid food.