STUDY ABROAD: WEEK 47

JULY 20

Despite the thinness of the mattress, I actually slept well last night, except for my neck. I really need to get a good pillow before anything else. Akane took me out shopping around Donki and the Daiso were I bought the essentials for new living: a wonderful micro-foam pillow, garbage sorting bags, a dust mop, and some food. I didn’t buy all that much because much of my kitchenware was still back in Nagoya. Moreover, I was going to be receiving various items from the other exchange students before they returned home, too. In the past, the students used to be able to leave items for the next round of students; however, for some reason we were no longer allowed to do that. So, the plan was that I would hold on to the extra things, take what I needed, and pass the rest on to the new students when they came in September.

Shopping took a little bit longer than expected. It was already past five by the time I returned to my apartment. Tonight, I had made plans to meet with the other exchange students down in Gamagori for the fireworks festival. I had to hurry, but I also had to get dressed in my yukata. If I hurried, I thought I could make it in time to meet the others at the station before six. That’s what I thought, but then Akane suggested having her grandmother help me with the yukata. I didn’t want to impose, but I also didn’t want to make a mistake either. Thankfully, they only lived a few minutes away by car, and her grandmother was more than willing to show me how it was done. I’m more than grateful that she did, too, because I hadn’t realized that I would need so many strings to hold things in place. She lent me all the necessary straps and ties, as well as an undershirt and a little bag to carry. The process took about a half an hour, but most of the time was spent by the grandmother asking questions or making comments: my sleeves were a bit short, but she could let them out a bit. Then, surprisingly, as she placed the obi around my waist she noted that it was small— my waist, that is in comparison to my hips. For the average slim build of a Japanese woman, a yukata can easily be wrapped. However, in order to accommodate for my size, the fabric needed to be rotated so that the top layer reached my side, leaving little to overlap with.

Alterations could be done at another time. It was past the meeting time, so I needed to hurry still. Akane dropped me off at the station, and I shuffled my way to the platform on my geta. I expected some looks, some acknowledgment that a foreigner is wearing a yukata, but if there were any then I didn’t notice. Often I heard about people getting stared at, but I guess my dark hair and eyes aren’t as interesting as the characteristic blond-haired, blue-eyed American.

After a short time, I finally arrived in Gamagori and met up with my friends before the huge mass of people swarmed the area. From the station’s exit, all the way out to the port side, crowds of people, both in yukata and western wear filled the streets. Food stalls lined one side, creating huge lines of people as well. I wish I had eaten beforehand, but we all were a little bit hungry. We broke up into groups to grab drinks and snacks before the show started. Little did we know that the first line we entered would take us over an hour. Right before we ordered our food, the fireworks countdown started.

(We watched the fireworks as we were in line for our “waffler corn” crepes.)

The fireworks were presented in rounds, each sponsored by a different company, or part of the city. The few of us still standing in line watched the fireworks from there as we sent the bulk of our group off to snag a spot to sit. In the end, we spent most of our time in line, and then searching for our group amongst the hundreds of people that we, or at least I, barely saw the fireworks. The ones that I did see were as good as they can get, and the musical accompaniments were very suitable.

The show ended around 9pm, but we made the mistake of staying until the end. When we walked back toward the station, we soon saw that the line for the trains was winding around outside the station. It would move in chunks, but it was incredibly long. I’ve had enough of lines to last me a lifetime!!

JULY 21

I don’t think I have mentioned it, but as part of our grammar and reading class final this semester, we actually have to do a presentation. That presentation had to be something related to the school system’s in our home country. This wasn’t like our survey class, where we were simply comparing the differences, nor were we going to present this in front of our own class. It all started when we were told to look up an article and bring it to class. One thing led to another, and the topic of education came up. That’s when it was decided that we would give presentations on education to Mrs. Yamamoto’s seminar class.

The topic that I chose was homeschooling. It’s hardly ever practiced in Japan, but in America and other parts of the world, it is an increasing alternative to attending regular school. Personally, I was home-schooled when I was in the 7th and 8th grade. I learned a lot about responsibility and motivation at that time, and it was also when I started to really practice drawing. I don’t remember much of the daily schedules, but I can recall hands-on experiments, field trips, and time to expand my own interests. These are only a few of the benefits of homeschooling which I presented to the seminar class. None of them had heard of it before.

I haven’t thought much of it before, but I suppose the Japanese education system is incredibly standardized. It doesn’t seem to promote much individual growth either. Part of that is due to the society’s group mindset, which as a whole I don’t think is a terrible thing. I can understand why it’s hard for many people to have unique ideas if they are brought up in such a society. Yet, at the same time, I have met many incredibly unique and gifted people in the past year. They’re still individuals, even if they walk the same path as others.

JULY 22

Our final survey class today ended with a small interview from our professor’s daughter. Though only in middle school, she is incredibly motivated. Currently, she is doing research on skin color and prejudices, and she’s going far beyond her school assignment to do so. Interviewing us exchange students from America was only a fraction of her report. After months of answering questions like, ‘What’s your favorite food?’ ‘How did you study Japanese?’ and other surface-level questions we were taken-aback when she asked us ‘Have you ever seen or experienced prejudice in your life?’ Remember what I said about those unique and gifted people? There you go.

JULY 23

Today was another prime example of meeting someone you should have met months ago. Through a friend’s introduction, I met Anisa, an exchange student from Indonesia. She is also Muslim, like me, so she was also participating in Ramadan. We only spoke briefly today, but we are going to try to plan something for this coming Monday, which is Eid, the holiday at the end of Ramadan.

On that note, I actually couldn’t fast today, which was convenient because today was also the day of the Farewell Party put on by the University. It wasn’t quite as grand as last semester’s, since there was less food options on the table. Instead, we had a buffet of sushi which is a feast in itself. A couple people cried as they gave their farewell and thank you speeches. Overall, this time the occasion felt more unfortunate. There wasn’t as much laughter as before, and that feeling seemed to be felt in the new students as well. We were lucky enough to be part of such a great group, everyone got along, and we were all friends…an international family. Why is our time so short?

Well, we can’t wonder and mope about it all day. I had to go to training, so I took another load of luggage (round 2) down with me. Most of my stuff is now at the new apartment, but I haven’t received anything from the others yet. Hopefully it’s only a couple more trips.

JULY 24

Let’s forget about the grammar exam we had this morning. It wasn’t horrible, but I made a good handful of silly mistakes, particularly on the last section. I studied that section in particular, but I went ahead and made the same mistakes. Hopefully the rest fared better.

After dance practice, I met with Rachael at the cafe for Open Mic Night rehearsal. We sung outside the cafe to warm up as others went through their own rehearsals. When it came to us, our music came from an MP3, so it was just the two of us standing there singing a duet. Should he turn up the microphone’s volume? I don’t know. I’m not thinking when I’m standing up there.

OK, not panicking. I have the lyrics down, and by some form of magic confidence I have broken down the initial barrier that would otherwise prevent me from even speaking in front of a crowd. Still, I could probably do better. Tomorrow’s the big day after all.

JULY 25

Final presentations for our culture class started off our morning. I was anxious to leave because I needed to catch the train down to Gamagori to meet with the company I had been training with. We were finally going to go to the embassy to hand in the visa request forms. If you haven’t guessed already, I got the job! Now, all we need to work through is the visa process. They say it can take as little as two weeks, or up to three months. I hope it’s the former.

(Waiting at immigrations…)

Once the paperwork was turned in, and no problems seemed to be at hand, it was already well into the afternoon, nearing on 5pm. Without delay, I caught the train back from Toyohashi (where the immigrations office was) and headed towards Nagoya.

By the time I reached the cafe, rehearsals were coming to a close. Rachael and I briefly went over the lyrics one last time, and then I broke my fast and waited. The song that we had chosen was called Summer Paradise, and it seemed fitting due to the fact that my closest friends would soon be returning to Hawaii.

I was nervous, but in spite of myself, I tried to open up our performance with a lively greeting and introduction in English and Japanese. I could feel the tightness creep into my throat, but I fought to keep it at bay. For three minutes, I stepped out of myself and trusted my actions. Soon our duet was over, and I left the stage to Rachael for a hula dance performance. I sung, I laughed, and I had fun. It wasn’t perfect, but I did it. We did it. If Rachael hadn’t been there, I would never have even dared to try. Maybe that’s what I’m missing when it comes to dancing— someone I can trust and lean on, no matter what.

JULY 26 - JULY 27

Oh my goodness. This sickness came out of nowhere. I could only bear to sleep on Saturday, and Sunday was much of the same. Then again, I was so tired; I think I needed the rest. Hopefully I’ll be better tomorrow~

STUDY ABROAD: WEEK 45* Mt. Fuji

JULY 12

Our trip to Mt. Fuji begins early this Saturday morning. Our bus wasn’t scheduled to leave until a quarter to seven, but I was up well before six repacking my bag. I had finally decided which clothes would be necessary for the excursion. If it was hot going up the mountain, light and breathable clothing was best, but on the other hand, the peak of the mountain would undoubtedly be cold.

I started off in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, lax enough for the bus ride, and also good for temperate weathers. In my bag I had my under clothes, for when things got colder, a 2-liter bag of water, and a couple snack bars. This was my white bag’s last journey, and it became very full once I put in my wind breaker jacket, gloves and knit hat. I doubled checked on my money and my ticket and I was out the door just after 6am to wait for the others in front of the subway station. As I waited, I checked my messages for any last minute notifications. It was good I did, because one of the girls asked me to bring an extra roll of toilet paper, just in case. It was almost time for us to meet, but I rushed back to my room and grabbed the toilet paper anyway.

Then it was 6:15am, we started to walk towards the station vigorously, but slightly hungry from not eating breakfast. In due course, we stopped at a convenience store just outside the station to grab a few last minute things. I figured a bag of granola would be a good compliment to my supplies. However, at the time, I was fasting, and I still intended to fast as long as I physically could. But if the climb became difficult, I had supplies on hand to save me.

(Gateway Fujiyama, Kawaguchiko Station)

Four hours on the bus later, we arrived at Kawaguchiko, but just the first stop on our trip. From there, we took another hour long bus up to the 5^th station. The 5^th Station is more of a tourist spot than anything. It’s the beginning or end for many people who chose to visit Mt. Fuji. For us, it was just the beginning of our hike, though it was halfway up the mountain. We stopped to go to the last free bathroom before starting our climb. It seemed to be that any bathroom along the route would cost a donation of 200 yen. That was the only option, however, as the trails were clearly marked and there was no bushes for one to escape into. I took the chance to throw on my long under pants, since I expected I would not have the chance to before we reached the 8th station. The 8th station would be our lodgings for the day, or rather for the end of the day, and only for a few hours as we prepared to make the final climb.

(Our arrival at the 5^th station and the view of Mt. Fuji from the last free toilet.)

Refreshed and ready to take on Japan’s most famous landmark, we approached the map at the trail head. The trail we were looking for was marked in blue, and that trail was on the other side of the mountain. We started off on the completely wrong side of the mountain. With no other choice, we checked out the visitor center for information as to whether there was a way to reach the other side of the mountain. We could go by bus, but that would cost us a couple hours and almost twenty dollars. The only other option we had was to change our lodging reservation. The clerks solved the matter for us immediately, and THEN we were off to tackle the mountain.

The trail started off at a decline, which didn’t make sense if we were climbing a mountain, but eventually it started to gradually incline. Horses occasionally passed us on the trail as they escorted their riders from the 5th to the 6th station. When we started our journey, we were muddled amongst a large group of people. Several young men started to pass us on the left, and I overheard one say to his friend, ‘Hey, do you speak English?’

I couldn’t help but throw in my own comment to their conversation, ‘Japanese is fine, too.’ That’s how we made our first acquaintances of the day. We took a picture with them en route, but their pace eventually put them farther ahead of us, into the woods.

The trail through the last bits of wood the trail was nice solid Earth, put after that it became something more like gravel. The trail began to wind in a gradually inclining zigzag. I tried to slow my pace and stay with our little group, but as my legs warmed up, so did my pace. I would end up walking ahead, and then waiting at the next turn, or the one after that. I was in the zone, just me and the mountain. I would meet with the group of young men, pass them and then they would in turn pass me by again as I waited for the girl’s to come in sight. First it was ten minutes, then fifteen. After we passed the 7th station together I told them that I would meet them at our lodgings if I went too far ahead. That was when the trail became fun.

The gravel paths were a toll on my legs, but the other kind of path was considerably more fun. Large rocks like a huge uneven staircase, roped off on either side to bar against one’s wandering. I felt the strongest at those points, strong and fast and free. It was on my way up one of these parts in the trail that I passed a middle-aged woman who seemed to be having some troubles breathing. I slowed my pace and watched her, and then I finally asked, ‘Are you all right?’ She stopped for a moment to catch her breath and said she was. I watched her a little longer as she rested, and once she finally pushed forward, then I too continued on my path. After that, I ran into the group of young men again as they had stopped to rest near one of the stations. We had a few moments of ‘international relations’ and then I started on the next leg of the trail.

(3.8 kilometers from the summit of Mt. Fuji.)

At a quarter to 6, I reached our mountain hut. It wasn’t as prehistoric as a hut sounds, but a nice suitable lodging. They even sold snacks and ramen for three times the usual price. Now all I had to do was wait for the others, so I sat on the bench across from the entrance. Time passed, strangers passed, the young men from Kyoto University passed, and I waited. Then, a woman sat next to me, and it was the same woman that I had encountered on the trail. She seemed to be really tired, drained from the climb. She told me it was her first time climbing Mt. Fuji, even though she had lived in the nearby town all her life. When I asked her about her lodgings, she told me that it was up near the 9th station. I was shocked. That would take at least another hour, if not longer at her pace. I was worried whether or not she could make it, but she insisted she was fine and soon got up to hit the trail again.

(The trail was consistently packed with hikers.)

By now, I had been sitting in front of the lodging for some time. The greeter took notice and approached me, asking about the reservation. It was well past six, but the others had still not arrived. He told me I could wait inside for them, but I chose to stay outside and wait. It could have been any minute. In fact, it wasn’t until almost 6:30pm that they arrived. You could see the wear in their faces as the crested the last of the stairs to the station platform. I was only cold from sitting still.

We finally regrouped and entered the hut, paid our lodging fee (about $100) and waited to be served dinner. I could understand why many people would camp, or simply time their climb so that they wouldn’t have to stop for a few hours. It was good that we had the chance to stop. The girls were tired, and we were all hungry, and a bit cold. Though we weren’t the last to arrive, we somehow ended up being the last to receive dinner, Japanese curry. They also provided us with a bag of breakfast, also known as two rolls and some jam. The sleeping arrangements were set in large rooms lined with group bunks and sleeping bags. It wasn’t much for the price, but I suppose any sort of shelter is a commodity up on top of a mountain. We lied down to sleep sometime past seven, but I hardly slept a wink. I couldn’t sleep with the other people in the room snoring, the lights outside blinking, and the voices of various visitors as they passed the hut. I did the only sensible thing, and that was to get out of bed.

First, I visited the bathroom, donated my 200 yen and sat in the main room for a bit. There, one of the women who ran the hut, was greeting people who came by for wood burnings. Each station provided its own brand to mark one’s journey as they pursued the summit. Joy was carrying a stick of her own. I understand it was a great souvenir, but I found it was an obstacle when climbing. I talked with the woman briefly, and then sat in the warm room with another guest who was having altitude sickness. I was surprised that I felt perfectly fine at all. So I sat there, and waited, counting off the time until it made sense to dress for the weather again and wake up the crew. We planned to leave before all the other groups clogged up the trail, which meant at 11:30pm it was time for round two.

(The great full moon watched over our last leg of the journey.)

JULY 13

Our second round up the mountain started out in the same fashion as the first, with a slow and gradual trail of gravel. I kept catching myself ahead of the group, but I would wait. There was no question that I could reach the summit, but I was here to do it with my best friends. I paired myself up with Rachael, who trooped onward despite the then oxygen levels. That’s why we had cans of oxygen with us. Joy also had something of a cold, so she used the cans as well.

I sent Joy and Aurianne on ahead, as Rachael and I brought up the rear. Maybe we had to rest at every turn of the trail, but we never stopped. We gave light to the couple that decided to climb without flashlights, and I met another couple from Australia. Then, as we were nearing the peak, we passed a small crew of emergency men. They were surrounding a woman who had collapsed on the trail from tiredness; it was the same woman who I talked to only a few hours before. I hung back as Rachael went on, eavesdropping on their conversation, she seemed all right, but I didn’t ask until one of the men proceeded up the trail. He said she was all right, but they were going to have someone help her to the nearest station and then probably take her down to the 5th station. I felt empathy for her because she tried so hard, but also there was a faint sense of disbelief that the one woman I talked to would be that woman.

There had been many once in a lifetime encounters during our climb. Now, all that lied before us was the final climb to the gates of the mountain shrine. Joy and Aurianne would be waiting for us. We climbed in the deepest dark of the night, guided only by our little lamps and a trail occasionally lit with torches, two amongst many, from all over the world. We met with the summit at half past three in the morning, a good hour before sunrise. Joy and Aurianne were huddled together against the cold air, facing the east horizon. Rachael quickly settled down with them. There was nothing to do, but wait. I couldn’t sit still, so I went off in search for a bathroom to no avail. After that I stayed standing so I could move around and stay warm in some way. We should have brought some more aids against the wind.

Dawn started to peek over the horizon, causing everyone to rise from their seats to take pictures. We took our pictures, too, as daylight filled the air. There I was, July 13th, the dawn of my own birthday, atop one of the world’s wonders. It was wonderful.

(We reached the summit! I couldn’t have done it without these amazing women. I can’t thank them enough for sharing this experience with me.)

Wonderful until the cold started to bite at us again. We saw what was needed to be seen, and it was time to start our descent. Almost the entire descent was more difficult than the ascent, in my opinion. Whether that was because I had not gotten any sleep, and the very little rest that I did receive over the past day hardly gave my legs a chance to recover, or if it was just navigating down the loose gravel for hours… we also needed to go to the bathroom. The entire way down that’s all we were thinking of. Unfortunately, there was no place to go until we reached the 7th station. After that, it was still hard on our legs, but we bore with it until we returned to the 5th station.

(The view as we descended the mountain at first light was breathtaking.)

We had just enough energy to look at the souvenir stores and grab some snacks before we boarded the bus back to Kawaguchiko. I had successfully fasted on my way up and down the mountain, but once the trial ended, I needed something to keep me awake and functioning. It was my birthday, so until our bus back to Nagoya came back we loitered around the station, ate lunch and a few sweets from the convenient store. For the first time, I was knocked out on the bus, all the way back to Nagoya. The walk back to our apartment was painful, and we were still half-asleep; it was the complete opposite of our departure. We will sleep well tonight.

STUDY ABROAD:WEEK 34

APRIL 20

I slept really well in the hotel’s fluffy bed, so well that I didn’t want to wake up to catch the train, but we had already decided to meet before 11am. I woke up before the others, left my room and headed to the station first. They all arrived at the platform just in time to catch the train with me, which was much better than riding the hour there alone. A lot of the day was spent waiting, on the train, then in line, and then waiting for everyone to gather again.

To my shock, I happened to run into Ami, a member of BPM outside the station. Her crew was actual performing in the showcase event at noon. I knew she was a good dancer, but her crew was amazing. Their hip hop was strong and on point— if I had the time, that’s the kind of crew I would want to be part of.

After her showcase, I wandered around the event watching various performances and battles until it was time for the finals to begin in the main hall. Our group had grown since we arrived, now there was six women aside from myself and my one guy friend. The seating arrangement was actually very interesting because the hall was originally purposed for sumo matches. Rather than having traditional seats, carpeted squares were sectioned off so viewers could really sit back at their own leisure and observe the event.

Each battle was more intense than the last, and there were also incredible showcases before the final rounds. I’m really running out of words to describe the impact that this event had on me. You could feel the music, and the emotion from the performers: this wasn’t any club showcase, this was so much bigger. Simply said, I found my happy place. All the little things that led up to this moment finally have meaning. This was something I was meant to see.

(Unfortunately, capturing any moment on camera during the finals was impossible, due to the lighting and sheer awesomeness.)

APRIL 21

I’m not ready to go back to real life. My friend and I came back from Tokyo this morning. He was exhausted from the past couple days, and it didn’t help that last night when it was all over we still had to take the train and hour back to our hotel. We should have thought that part through a bit more, but I suppose it could have been worse. Since he was so tired I didn’t speak to him much on the way back, thinking he would rest, but he wouldn’t, which made me uncomfortable. I was confused as to whether or not I was supposed to interact with him or not, especially after the confusion from everyone we met. Can’t we just hang out as friends? Why do we have to label everything?

The good news is, I managed to stay under $500 for the whole weekend, and that includes the hotel for $60 dollars a night, and the bullet train, which was the most expensive cost at $200 round trip. I’ll try the night bus next time I head out that way.

It was raining as I started to walk home from the station. Then, when I actually got back to my apartment I had to go back out to the post office to pick up another package from my mom. There was so much candy, too much in fact. I had only asked that she send me some Reeses Pieces, and Starbursts to give to the other students. I ended up with a huge box of all kinds of candy. Looks like I’m going to be making up some Goody Bags.

APRIL 22

Today during our survey class we had to present on something in Nagoya for the new students. I presented on Shirakawa Park because I go there so often. It’s not just for dance though; there are also the huge field grounds, as well as a basketball court, soccer court, tennis courts, skate park and playground. That and it’s also right outside the science museum and nearby Osu. It’s an all-around great place to hang out and make new friends.

That was about the extent of my studies for the day. Once again, it was back to dance practice, but this time with a new drive to dance the way I want to dance. It was mostly hip hop style, if you have to call it anything, but I was focused; I knew what I was doing, and I was excited to think of new things. In fact, I was so wired after a few hours of practice that I had to take long walk just to calm myself down. Yay for midnight walks~

APRIL 23

One more day of Business Japanese down and several to go; I think I’m starting to get the hang of it. My listening scores are improving, and I can follow the professor’s lecture a lot better. We’ve started doing role plays, which aren’t that hard, but we literally have two minutes to look at a prompt and come up with an appropriate skit. That’s a bit hard, not just for me though. The only thing that’s tripping me up still is all the business kanji. If we have to read in class, no matter what, I always have to read something, and usually it has kanji that I am unsure how to read. In that case, the Chinese and Korean students send whispers my way, which I’m grateful for. From now on, I’m going to try and prepare for the kanji by writing down the readings ahead of time. If I can do that, then things should go a lot smoother.

APRIL 24

Another day of dance, only this time it ended in a cypher! I didn’t see it coming, which is probably why I was actually able to participate in it with little resistance. I had simply been in the mood to dance, and during one of those highs I happened across a small group practicing a freestyle dance battle. During my first move, I think I was too jumpy because I literally slipped out of my step and fell down. However, I took that as part of my entrance into the six-step, so they all thought it was on purpose. It was not, but I went with it anyway.

After a while though the songs started to change and become jazzier, in other words, my energy wasn’t so driven by the music anymore. The music that’s playing still makes a huge difference in the way I dance. That’s one reason I don’t want to do a break dance battle; the music doesn’t fuel me the way hip hop does.

APRIL 25

Just bumming around today and watching some movies. I’m sure there is plenty of things I should do, like homework, or work on my manga. But, not today.

APRIL 26

This morning we, the international students, were all invited to a Bar-B-Que down at Odaka Ryokuchi Park, also called Odaka Greens. We rode the Meitetsu train down to the nearest station, Sakyoyama, and walked into the park expecting a direct view of the BBQ location. There was only empty trails leading off into the woods and a large map that put us at the far east of the park itself. We followed the trail along the road, with little guidance towards the BBQ grounds, but we eventually found it at the end of the winding road.

(Frying up the first round of meat at the BBQ pit.)

The BBQ was being thrown by our upperclassmen, some now graduated students, Yohei, Asami, Kaori and others. There was plenty of snacks to eat, and I brought some of the marshmallows that mom sent me in the mail. A few of us started to kick around a soccer ball as we waited for the food to be cooked. The guys were having an interesting time trying to figure out how to light the charcoal, but once they got the first started we were able to snack on some meat. I say snack only because I only had a few pieces before I left for training.

It was only a couple hours into the BBQ, but if I didn’t leave when I did, I would have missed the train completely. Since I needed to go to Gamagori, I had to catch the JR Line, so I couldn’t go back to the station that we had arrived at. That said, when I looked at the GPS on my phone, the station did not look that far away. It seemed as though it was just on the other side of the park, which was maybe a twenty minute walk. Just in case, I left much earlier and started my way towards Odaka Station. It was a lot farther than I thought. From the opposite park entrance I could see the tracks, but not the station itself. The map only showed me that it was north of my location before it froze my phone. On a whim and a prayer I followed the tracks north for another twenty minutes before the station came in sight. I was able to make it just in time for the train, literally with one minute to spare. For once, luck was on my side.

STUDY ABROAD:WEEK 33

APRIL 13

Another day dedicated to dance, but not in the usual practice way. Today we had the 20th Year Anniversary lunch for BPM. Various members from the past years came to AIDAI to celebrate the event with the current members. This year’s graduated members also came back for the day. We had a graciously prepared lunch of sushi and other finger foods. With a twenty-year history, somehow I have a higher respect for this already incredible club. I never could have dreamed of having this type of experience when I came to study abroad. Life changes in many ways.

APRIL 14

With the showcase tomorrow, I and a few other members of our group wanted to get some last minute practice in. We had to wait till the studio was opening, which wasn’t until the evening, so I spent the day doing homework for the week. When I arrived at the studio, the girl from our group was still practicing for her second choreography, so our practice ended up going a little later than intended. It was only an hour long, which just barely got my blood moving. As a result, when I got home I decided to go for a run. I might as well workout at night if I’m going to be awake.

APRIL 15

I forgot to mention that yesterday was the first International Cafe of the semester. As a consequence, I drank coffee, so even after I went running last night I still couldn’t sleep last night. The showcase wasn’t until 7pm so I went home and took a nap first. We hadn’t really decided on any sort of uniform until last minute and that was black shirts and J-Pants. I mistook J-Pants for jerseys, not jeans, so I was the only one who showed up and didn’t match. Another last minute call that they decided on was the transition in and out of the second song. It wasn’t complicated, just a simple turn to put our backs to the crowd. Simple, easily conveyable, but I was not informed. In this case, I think they all figured someone else told me. That was my only slip up during the showcase though, so I was proud of that.

I wish I had taken off my face mask though, I didn’t think about the impression it would give, but one of the graduated seniors said it looked like I wasn’t confident since I kept it on. On the other hand, Yuki and a few others told me that I danced really well. I guess to each his own, right?

APRIL 16

Survived another Business Japanese class today, now I just need to buy the book and things should go smoothly. The listening test went better today, and the teacher also rearranged our seating arrangement. Now I’m sitting up front and center, but that’s only more reason to do my best in this class!

APRIL 17

I thought today was going to be an awesome day, but it was rocky all the way through. I spent over two hours working on my presentation in the media center, only for it not to save, so I lost all the work I had done on it. From now on I’ll make sure to save the file properly after I download it from my e-mail.

Then, during dance practice, we had so many new freshmen that there was almost no space to practice! I spent most of the time stuck between hip hop and break, unfocused and confused as to which I should practice. Maybe I should just say my genre is freestyle, then I can do what I want and just dance.

APRIL 18

I stayed up last night to finish, or rather re-do, my presentation. I also watched a couple movies. As expected, every three or four months I just need to decompress my brain. That’s when I play games or watch movies, and since I don’t have any games on hand, movies it is. Thankfully, the school library has a large selection of movies that we can borrow, too. I’m probably going to watch a couple more movies tonight as well, but I won’t stay up too late because tomorrow I’m going to Tokyo~!

APRIL 19

I met my fried at the station at 9am to buy our tickets for the bullet train. It would have been significantly cheaper had I decided to go buy bus, but it would have also taken about six hours one way. The bullet train would have us there in about two hours. However, once we arrived in Tokyo, we still had to take a few train transfers before we reached Ryogoku also known as Sumo Town, where Dance@LIVE was being held. Today’s competition didn’t start until the late afternoon, so first we had a lunch with a few dance acquaintances, Dama and Kazu. They were actually all break dancers, which surprised me a little bit because both women were around their 40s. In fact, I thought I recognized Kazu from Nagoya, and I was correct. She had actually danced at SOUL BREAK, just as I did, though she was the third battle in Group A. It was a coincidence that we were able to meet under the circumstances. They actually thought that my friend and I were dating, since it was rare for a male and female to travel together as a pair otherwise. We both disagreed with that since we really just came to see the dance event, and no one else could have come.

When lunch was over we lined up with the already growing crowd to get into the event. It was the chance for any challengers nationwide to compete for a spot in the finals. Break, Hip hop, House and Freestyle were the four main categories. The first rounds had dozens of people, so each individual would only have one chance amongst their group, then three or so people would continue to the next round until it was down to the top eight. Each battle was amazing, and the music was very exciting for me. If I can ever get myself to dance in a battle with confidence, this would be the place to reach for. Next time I come all the way to Tokyo for a battle, I’d better be dancing in it.

(Day One Finals)

We stayed through the final battles, joined by another friend of Dama’s named Abe— she doesn’t dance but she does enjoy watching. Then, after that, we all headed to Hon Atsugi, where our hotel was located and also another battle was going on. Dama had invited us to the all-night event, which is why we booked our hotel so far from Ryogoku. The night battle, Wartown, took place in a very tiny little club, but it turned out that none of us danced at it. We were already tired, and would have to wake up early tomorrow to get in line (again) for the main event.