Two weeks out! Training for walking the Tokaido!!

Training to walk doesn't really sound like something that needs to be done. However, when you're going to be pushing your body to walk 5 to 8 hours a day for almost three weeks straight, then I think you need to know what you're in for.

Since December I started walking home from work, which is about 2 hours and 45 minutes. I quickly got used to this distance and time, but I realized that I needed to walk much much more. Just because I could walk for two hours then rest at home and be fine, did not mean that I could do an 8 hour day of walking.

My first challenge was to, of course, go a longer distance. I chose to walk from my home in Nagoya to Mikawa Anjo Station (I used to dance there). The walk itself was about 5 hours and 45 minutes. I knew from my walks home that I needed to stop and rest every 2 to 3 hours or I would risk completely burning out. Thankfully, most of the way down to Mikawa Anjo also follows Route One, aka the Tokaido Road. I stopped at a McDonald's near Zengo Station, which was about 3 hours from Nagoya, rested my legs for an hour, refueled and continued walking with no problem. Since I was able to stay with friends that night, the next morning I walked my way back to Nagoya. Two days of walking almost 6 hours? Good. (Including my break, it was a total of 7 hours, 1pm-8pm, both ways)

My second challenge was carry the weight. Walking freely or with a light bag is one thing. But having to carry everyday essentials for long distances is another thing entirely. Naturally your body will undergo more stress, especially your back, shoulders and legs. So, I bought myself a nice 45L trekking backpack with waist and chest straps. The size is just enough to carry an extra pair of shoes, sleeping clothes, survival essentials (I'm not going to be camping, but things like toilet paper, minor first aid, food, water, etc.) and some light reading materials without being so heavy or making me think I can carry more. When I would go to work I would have very little to carry, but I got in the habit of always having it on my back. So, on the weekends when I would do my grocery shopping I would load up that bag and carry it home for 40 minutes. Sometimes I would need an extra shopping bag to distribute the weight. Most recently I managed to cram a week's worth of groceries in and it was quite heavy. I weighed the bag when I got home to find that it was 11kg (25 pounds). That was an eye-opener for me because that is the exact amount of weight (fat) that I intend to lose (at some point, hopefully this year, not during this trip, are you crazy?)


The next challenge was more mental in a way, how to use your time wisely. Basically, what can I do while I'm walking? I can't imagine three weeks of walk, eat, sleep, repeat. All that time, and what would I have to show for it? How could I use it the most effectively? I do not plan on listening to music, all day everyday. Thankfully, early on I did try walking home without listening to any music whatsoever. It was fine, I can do that. I will talk to myself (in and out of my head) during most of it, but I don't need music to function. Even so, there is only so much conversation I can have with myself. I thought it over, since I had ample time to think, and decided I would try to study more during my trip. I would take study materials with me, put language apps on my phone for when I take breaks, download audio books and language courses and just TRY to mentally improve somehow.

Okay. So now we're walking more, getting used to the extra weight, and training our brain as well. But I'm still sleeping well every night. I won't have that luxury during my actual trip. I do have a few plans to stay with either friends or at guesthouses along the way (surprisingly very few), but for the most part I will be catching my Zs in 24-hour net cafes. Massage chair please!

Challenge number four, sleep.  It is very important. And not just sleep, but how do I spend those hours by myself, in an unfamiliar place, at night when I shouldn't be walking. This challenge more or less happened on a whim. I walked to Mikawa Anjo again, from work this time, and found that all my friends were to busy to meet me. That's when the idea came that I should take the opportunity to treat that night like a night on the trip. Challenge accepted.

 I skipped the last train, and headed to Gusto (a cafe / restaurant chain, many of which are open 24 hours). There, from midnight to about 5 a.m. I sat, had a small meal, enjoyed the drink bar (tons of veggie-fruit juice and tea), and killed time looking through message cards that I had received from students.

I didn't plan to sleep then. One of my ideas was to continue to Okazaki (2 hours away) or Gamagori (4 hours away) and sleep briefly at my friend's house, then start to return to Nagoya. Unfortunately, both friends were busy and could not accommodate my sudden request. I was reluctant to simply to back home, but I had no other options at the time. So with no sleep, I left Gusto at 5 am and walked back to Nagoya, arriving at noon.

On the trip I would probably visit the net cafe first to sleep for 3-6 hours, and then grab food and head on to the next location. Note to self, we can't drink things with cream anymore, please remember that. Also, be careful with coffee, and if you're going to drink many glasses of juice, make sure you know where the restrooms are!

The last and most recent challenge was 100% commitment. I needed to day to literally commit to just walking to my destination and spending it as if it was a real day out. These other days I would either meet friends, or do something a little off the plan. I needed to get my mind into this 100%.

Yesterday, February 16th, I woke up and made the decision to walk 8 hours. It wouldn't be a straight 8 hours out, but I would walk a new part of the Tokaido (heading west from Nagoya) 4 hours to Yatomi, and then walk back home.  I loaded up my pack with what I thought would be the usual haul - sleeping clothes, extra shoes, light study materials, lunch, and 2.5 liters of water. I also had my winter gear and other necessities too.

I left the house at 11:30 a.m., later than I had intended, but I still had time to walk my route.  I quickly realized two things - it was warm and it was sunny. My hat and sunglasses were right next to the door, and even though they were on my master list of things to take, I was like "I'll be back home tonight. I probably won't need them." Well, no, it was sunny, and I had to walk into the sun for 4 hours.

As for the heat, it was about 11-12 degress Celsius, with little wind, so it was warmer than the recent days. Because I caught a little frostbite (great job!) I was more focused on being warm when I left the house. I ended up taking off my neck warmer, and changing my long t-shirt to a short one (still over my long compression heat gear, and under my relatively thick jacket). At least I was prepared in that way.

I also took food with me. Of course, I can't prepare my meals on the road, but I can stock up on a few things. The question then became where can I eat the food I carry with me? I can't go sit in a restaurant and eat it. If it's a food court, then no problem. If it's food like onigiri, then I can eat it as I walk. But I would still need to rest my legs somewhere.  For this trip, I knew that there was a Sushiro (conveyor belt sushi) on my route at about 2 hours and 30 minutes in. If nothing else, I could just stop there to rest. Actually there are TONS of restaurants along Route One, obviously because it is a main highway now.  I got lucky though. Just as I was double-checking my map to check my distance covered I noticed that there was a park ahead of me.

I took my first break at the park. There was a nice clean restroom, but there was no toilet paper, as is expected in most public restrooms. No problem, part of my gear is a roll of toilet paper for such occasions. So I rested at the park for maybe a half an hour, ate my lunch and continued on.

 Again, keeping in mind that this was a training day, I could have set my goal anywhere. For example, I entered Yatomi CITY about 30-40 minutes before reaching Yatomi STATION, which was my goal. I had to commit to that "extra" time, but I did consider stopping. On the real trip, that is not an option, I will not be going backwards.

 After that, everything went smoothly. I went to the station, then started my way back towards Nagoya, stopping at a Gusto to rest for a couple hours, and picked up for another four hour walk home. I stopped at the park again to rest my legs and use the restroom. Only the lights in the men's side worked. Not sure if the sensors were out or what, but it was pitch black. Thankfully, I had a light! Take that public restroom!

I also talked to my mom on the phone for the last hour of the walk. It was a good distraction. When I got home I was done. Not dead tired, but I was hungry again and my feet were exhausted. I made dinner, stretched and sat back for a bit before finally going to bed.

I guess the Real Final Challenge is Don't train too much. It's not fun, let's be honest. I could do a lot with my day, or nothing if I felt like it, but I have committed myself to this adventure. It's a bit depressing to walk 4 or 5 hours down your route, only to have to turn around and go back home. That's why I can't wait for this actual trip to go down. Only moving forward.

The body is capable of doing amazing things, but you have to treat it right in order to do so. I can't burn myself out with "training" for the actual ordeal. As long as I am mentally ready, it will work out. I know what I need to do. I am strong enough to do it. Train hard, but train smart.

There are still two weeks to go before I head to Tokyo and begin my trek. Who knows what I'll convince myself to do by then haha.

Until next time~
Take care.

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

JULY 6

It’s been too long since I have danced at Shirakawa Park. The weather today was a bit iffy, but it started out nice and sunny. Five of us were practicing, doing our own thing when I noticed someone watching in the corner of my eye. We made eye-contact and he spoke to me, ‘Do you speak English?’

Had he not asked this in a perfect American accent, I would have assumed he was Japanese. On the contrary, he was actually from Michigan! On top of that, he was a break dancer, but he was in Japan on a three-week internship as an engineer. Of all the people!

At the time he had just finished touring the science museum, so he happened to notice us as he passed by. He wasn’t meeting his friend until later that evening, so we offered him the chance to rest, or to join us if he’d like. It had been ‘months’ since he’s practiced, but he jumped right into it, despite the light rain that started to fall. Eventually, we moved our group to the basketball court, which was covered by the overpass and practiced there. As the first English-speaking break dancer I have met in the past year, I eagerly took his well-pointed advice. Now I’m trying to figure out how to do thread while I’m in a shoulder freeze. Thanks, Albert. Be seeing you again I hope.

JULY 7

I started packing and preparing for the move. What I really mean is that I’ve put away all my winter things nicely, and I have filled up my large orange luggage with things I am not using now, but will need later. It never hurts to start early. Then, evening practice in the Naka District.

JULY 8

After weeks of waiting, my group has finally been able to present our survey to the class. All the themes had a relation to school, and ours was about the commute. Almost a month ago we started our surveys by asking a few volunteer students who came to our class basic questions in regards to our research. We didn’t have to actually create another survey on our own accord, but since we only had two questions to investigate, and already eight people’s answers, we decided it was an opportune time.

I was in charge of the survey, but we divided the other research and presentation creation amongst the three of us. Not only were we to present on Japan’s school commute, but our home countries as well. As far as information goes, we filled our twenty minutes greatly, and that was before playing the video material. I wish our member had shown us the video beforehand, rather than playing the five minutes’ worth during the real presentation as we were on the clock. There were no questions to be asked, which may or may not have been a good thing. I think people just wanted to go to their next class. There will probably be a question session at the beginning of class next week.

JULY 9

It’s the second to last week of the semester, which means today was the second to last Business Japanese class we will have. Next week also happens to be the final exam, which will be similar to the midterm where we had to do role-plays. However, we also have to write a thank you speech, and practice new role plays such as telephone conversations ad lib. I hope I don’t get picked for the telephone conversation!

JULY 10

Our morning started out with a guidance meeting for the students who are going to return to their home countries soon. Granted, some of us are ready to go home, but I’m not. We spent about an hour or so being talked about canceling our Internet contracts, preparing for water and electric bills, returning our bikes to the university, cleaning up our rooms, and, of course, final paperwork. My only comfort was that if anything happened, I would still be around later to deal with it. But the harsh truth was very clear: in less than a month I would be saying good-bye to some of the most important people in my life, my second family.

Like I said it was depressing, but we couldn’t wallow in it. We still had more immediate preparations to make. The day after tomorrow four of us, Joy, Rachael, Aurianne and I were heading to Mt. Fuji. Joy and I rode our bikes to Donki for some last minute preparations, in particular headlamps. We intended to climb the mountain over the course of the day and into the night so that we could see the sunrise. Then, we hurried home to work on our final presentations for culture class tomorrow. Once again, we can present on anything we want, and I was still undecided until yesterday.

JULY 11

(I woke up just in time for the clouds to give way to the dawn.)

My second to last presentation topic of the semester, of my undergraduate career was this: Okami. Okami has several meanings when translated, all which depend on its kanji. The basis for my presentation was a Capcom video game that came out a few years back when I was in high school. In this game you played as Amaterasu, a god or okami, who comes down to Japan to save the people from the dark ages as a wolf, also okami, and your powers are used by drawing symbols on paper, the final kami. The main reason I chose this as my final subject was because this game opened my eyes to Japanese folklore. Every character, every story within the story has a link to a Japanese folktale. I’m a fan of folklore, and another big theme that I enjoy is past meets present. This game does exactly that, as it is a modern tool depicting old stories. I highly recommend it.

That said, I kind of tripped through the presentation itself. Maybe that was karma, or some foul curse that said any video I planned to use in my culture presentation would betray me. In this case, the voice over of the video was faster than I could read, but it wasn’t a real, clear language. So I constantly had to pause, read, and play the video again. It made my presentation much longer than the intended ten minutes.

STUDY ABROAD: WEEK 42

JUNE 15

Akane and I headed to the apartment dealers this morning. I didn’t expect too much when we arrived because the place looked like a smaller dealer, unlike the big names in the business: Minimini, Suumo, etc. Thankfully, I was wrong.

It was only our first meeting, but they were able to pull out five locations within twenty minutes of the station that were under 400 a month. Not only that, but none of the locations minded whether or not I was a foreigner. I think that part of that reason was because I went to the dealer in person and they could see for themselves what sort of level my Japanese was at. At least, when he spoke on the phone with the owners, that fact came up each time. Each of the places he showed me fits my preferences, so it’s hard to pick on above the other. I do have a favorite that I’ve seen during my Internet searches as well. Next week, we’ll be back to check out the places in person.

With business taken care of, Akane and I biked over to Aeon Mall. We were basically killing time until twilight, when we were going to meet with Jon and a couple of Akane’s friends to go see the fireflies. The way she talked about them, it made me think that they were a rare sight to see; little floating magical orbs. Going to see the fireflies seemed to be one of the past-times at this time of year, so I anticipated the event.

We drove up into the mountains on the curviest road I have ever been on in my life. It was only two-lanes, so we had to be careful around each corner. Deep out in the country, only surrounded by fields and then towering trees. I was enjoying the scenery along the winding ride when suddenly we were told to stop outside of a tunnel and park along the side of the road. There was only other car in the area, so we thought it was a bit fishy. But, we all got out of the car and walked through the tunnel to the other side. Then it quickly became apparent as to why we had to park so suddenly. Both sides of the road were already lined with cars of other people who had come to see the fireflies. The area was particularly popular because of the clean water in the river which ran next to the mountain’s forests.

These fireflies that were the call of everyone’s attention are the same ‘lightning bugs’ that fill our backyards every summer in Toledo. Jon and I had to laugh because this was a normal sight for us. Though, I suppose, if they only gather in these secluded areas, then it would be a rare sight for the average Japanese citizen.

There was a small trail leading down from the road, past an elementary school, down to the riverside and then back up to the road. It did not take long to walk the entire trail, so soon we were heading back to the car. We ended up in the middle of the pack, meaning that a whole new group of go-seers had arrived after us, and some still arriving. As for us, we had only snacked on some mochi while we were there so we went off to find food. At that time of night, the only place open was Denny’s. I had pancakes for dinner.

JUNE 16

…Manga…

JUNE 17

After dance practice I headed to the City Pal apartments to join the Cho-Ko party. This month both Cho, one of the exchange students, and Natsuko, the Japanese student who is assisting with our culture class, have birthdays, so they created a party together. Many of the members still left at the party were the new Chinese exchange students, so afterward when we went to karaoke many of the songs were in Chinese. We stayed until morning, so once again I let two of the girls stay in my room overnight.

JUNE 18

…Training…and it’s raining…

(View from the JR train from Nagoya to Gamagori as it rains.)

(My first attempt to explain the hard and soft ‘th’ sounds.)

JUNE 19

…Manga…Dance…

JUNE 20

Game night, we meet once again!

We started out playing Blocks, but as the members at our table grew, Rafael suggested that we play Phase 10. The makers of UNO know how to make great card games. As the name suggests, there are 10 Phases of the game, but some of us only reached the third Phase before time ran out. I’m looking forward to playing it again next month. Though, sadly it will be our last Game Night together… June is going by too quickly!!

Once again, I went to dance in Naka District with the guys. I happened to see a few more familiar faces, including that of Pepsiman. The Pepsiman I knew was always wearing short shorts, and he danced very feverishly. Today, he wasn’t dancing, and seemed a lot calmer than usual. I greeted him and we ended up talking; it turns out that he hasn’t practiced dance recently, he was frustrated with it. In some ways I understood him because I was having troubles with dance recently as well. In his case, he had been so competitively recently that dance wasn’t fun anymore, he needed to rethink it. I, on the other hand, need to up my ante and challenge myself more.

There was something self-assuring about hearing that he, as well as other dancers, have had their hard times as well. It seems to be an obvious fact, but to hear it from their own mouths really hits home. It’s hard now, but soon, very soon I’ll be free to dance and improve again. If I think about it, when I started drawing, I made a good jump my first year, and then it was a consistent slow but steady progress. I didn’t notice it because I was just enjoying myself; I wasn’t comparing my skills to others as much. Then I made a few more jumps, and here I am. If I put my mind to it, I can create anything. I think, once this project of mine is completed, I can do that again.

JUNE 21

We had a make-up class today, in place for the survey class we missed at the beginning of the semester. What really happened is we watched Mark and Aurianne’s final presentation for the class. They are in the new B class, so we usually don’t get to see each other’s presentations. However, for these final presentations, the teacher wants us all to present together, so from next week on our class times will overlap.

After class I went to training and then karaoke again with Rachael and a few others. How can I say no when our time together seems so short?

STUDY ABROAD:WEEK 40

JUNE 1

Oh no! It’s already June and I’m still not done with my manga! My birthday is next month. I have no choice, but to put more time and effort into it. Sorry in advance.

The good news is that today I managed to complete the final touches on chapters 8-12. The final two chapters, 13 and 14, are also ready to be cleaned up since I scanned in all 80 pages yesterday. I’ve done so much this past month already, but there is still more to do.  Soon I will be entering the home stretch.

JUNE 2

I had to take a break from working on ‘you know what’ in order to homework for this week. There’s going to be quite a few days that I’ll probably just isolate myself and work on finishing up these last two chapters, so please bear with me. I won’t bother you with the dreary details too much.

On the other hand, I salvaged a lily that fell off my ikebana when we moved it to the second floor. The closed bud has now opened up!

JUNE 3 - JUNE 5

Three days of going to class, and then coming home to work on manga. I did go to dance practice on Tuesday and Thursday, that’s the only thing keeping me sane. I also had training on Wednesday. Honestly, I keep forgetting how long a simple task like cleaning up line art can take. Then again, there is about eighty pages…

JUNE 6

The morning and afternoon went as expected. However, this evening I made plans to meet with Kazu. She invited me to an all-girl’s dance practice in Fushimi. I’ve seen pictures of the groups online before, but this would have been my first time going.

I met Kazu and two other girls (all break dancers) at Fushimi Station and from there we walked to the studio. The small studio was actually right above a hair salon, and down the street from where Long’s apartment used to be. I thought it would be a bigger room, but once everyone showed up it quickly became very small. About thirty people showed up over the next few hours, dancing genres of all kinds: hip hop, jazz, wack, lock, and, of course, break.

Fushimi’s famous Eri also made an appearance, though I suppose she is famous throughout Japan’s break dance world by now. I watched her perform at Dance@LIVE in Tokyo. She’s someone that I can look forward to, as a future challenge, WAY in the future. I mean, I may never challenge her, but it’s good to have someone’s level to reach for. I didn’t have a chance to speak with her directly, and though I was primarily there to practice break dance I also floated around to the hip hop genre for a while. I saw familiar faces, but I didn’t know anyone outside Kazu and the two girls I arrived with. So I made a few more acquaintances.

We danced in the studio until 11pm and then everyone started on their own ways home. I walked with Kazu back to Nagoya Station. There we parted and I continued home on my own in the light cool rain. Tomorrow it’s back to the grind.

JUNE 7 - JUNE 8

The saga continues. Line art is clean, proceeding to add contrast with black ink.

We ate at one of the restaurants where a Taiwanese exchange student is working part-time. It’s famous for its udon dishes, so a couple of us tried the shrimp tempura miso udon.

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.