3rd day of class

So I did a stupid thing....

I told Prof. Furukawa that I couldn't find my classroom today and that it was Freshman Media Workshop B. So he called me this morning to tell me it was in the room McLaren.

I told him the wrong one. And it took me 1 hour in to the class to realize that hey, this isn't background illustration. So one of the professors who had been running around to each class checking in with all the teachers helped me out in finding my actual classroom. Where inside, a student named Yu proceeded to help me out in explaining what supplies I'd need and what the teacher wanted me to do. Kind of funny b/c it's not like he was translating. More like... repeating. He couldn't speak English so it wasn't helping much, but he was sweet and patient and all that, so in the end, it worked.

Mm... yeah. It's raining too. Lovely rain. All week.

So I have nothing to say.

Harajuku!

Pictures from Harajuku!

The "entrance" to the shopping district.

The Snoopy store! ^_^ It's so cute in there!

The weirdest store you will ever see.
It was right next to this "hip hop" store which had 2 store owners from Ghana. They wre fun to talk to.
Japanese Hip Hop is so weird. It's like... hick meets streetwear. I mean... flannel? Since when was flannel considered hip hop?

These guys were just standing in the middle of the town square. Along w/ other interesting people (one being a goth guy doing card tricks and an old man dancing choreographed songs).

So I hugged these two people.

Took this b/c that's just funny. Of course... the Japanese ppl walking by had no idea what I was doing or why this place would be interesting. I got a lot of stares. Hehe.

Maybe I should make this a weekly routine. Go somewhere new every week. What do you think?
I wonder if my wallet can handle that?

Where do you think I should go next? Akibahara? Asakusa? Yokohama?

No Class...

So... no class today. Turns out, there was a faculty meeting. And today was also the senior class's day to register classes. So... no classes.

Sux because I woke up early to make it to school.

I also still have no idea where my classes are.

So instead, I spent the morning going to Yamada Denki, or Yamada Electronics, to shop for games. I got myself a Japanese-English Kanji dictionary for my new Nintendo DS. You have no idea how helpful this thing is. Even though it won't pronounce the Japanese words, it gives the hiragana spellings of all the kanji so I can stumble my way across it fairly well. And pretty accurate English definitions.

I've already used it a lot translating my class guide books. And the kanji for my classrooms that I don't know? It says "special subject classroom". Which means, it doesn't know either. I have to find out myself.

Oh, I also bought Mario64 for the DS. So cute! You start out as Yoshi and you have to chase a bunny and eat it to get a key. It's sooooo cute! Same world, same moves (in some ways... ), but different characters n stuff.

But I reached Furukawa-sensei, my "animation advisor". And through his broken English, my broken Japanese, and my lack of understanding of conversation etiquette (any sound you make and the person on the other side will stop to hear what you say, unless it's a shart "un"-sound. I haven't caught on yet), he has now told me I don't have classes tomorrow or Friday either.

That doesn't make sense. Thursday I'm supposed to attend a theory class, but maybe he didn't remember that? Class scheduling was a very confusing time. I wasn't sure which theory class I was supposed to attend, but now, w/ my lovely DS, I figured out that there's Animation Psychology and Game Theory. Guess I'll go sit in on both for now (I'm hoping I can kill my Academic Art Electives back at CMU with credits from here. I really don't want to take "Russian Ballet art history" when I get back).

And I suppose Friday's manga-drawing class is still an uncertainty.

Eitherway, I'm supposed to meet with him on Friday. If only I knew where. He said the name in Japanized-English. I told him I didn't understand, but that only resulted in him repeating the Japanized word over and over. So I have no idea... other than it's probably in Building #2 since that building has all the English-named rooms. I hope he's in one of them. I can ask around, I suppose.

But pictures of Tokyo!

Shibuya during the day.

The famous dog of Shibuya. A big meeting spot and tourist attraction (i.e. lots of photos being taken).

Shinjuku at night.

Shinjuku & Shibuya

Ah... so I've spent the last two days in my apartment. Literally sitting her staring at my computer screen. I got sick... and as a result, I'm stuck indoors.

Well, I did attempt to go out shopping yesterday on my own at the local discount store, but... even that bike ride was exhausting.

So for now, I'm resting up.

Class starts tomorrow, and I only just realized that hey, I don't know where these classes are. Reading the class guide does not help. All it will say is that my classes are in Building 1 and 2. Not either or, but rather, both. For each class. The line above it, which I can only assume is my room number... is kanji. And since all the room on the campus guide are numbered, I can only assume it means "not assigned".

I am also confused. Mr. Shimada, my contact in student affairs, told me classes start Wednesday. But during class registration, Prof. Furukawa, one of the people helping me schedule my classes, told me classes will start Thursday. So should I even be going tomorrow?

Ah well... someone is getting bugged by me tomorrow.

Anyways, as for my weekend, I went to Tokyo to meet Midori! For those that didn't know who she was, Midori was the girl who came to CMU last semester from TPU as a foreign exchange student. She's the one who convinced me to come! ^_^ The train ride from Atsugi to Tokyo is 45 minutes and around $5 one way. And also insanely crowded. I was half-sitting on a sleeping guy at one point b/c ppl kept packing themselves into the train to the point that you really could not even turn around.

Midori and I went to Shibuya and Shinjuku (we were with her friend Akane (I think that's how i'd spell it?) for awhile, but she left pretty early to do some work). We went to Shibuya to go see Linkin Park in a radio interview. Well, Chester from Linkin Park anyways. We waited in line for an hour just to spend 5 min in a room watching him talk. They let the fans in in groups of about 20 or so. Midori and I were lucky. We were one of the first in our group so we were standing right in front of him when we got in. It was kinda fun, but I kept thinking "zoo exhibit" because of the soundproof glass and bar separating us from him. I think he said the same too.

But hey! Got to see a celebrity. That's pretty cool.

I want his shoes.... Hehe.

We spent a lot of time in Shinjuku shopping around. Namely, we were looking for a Nintendo DS for me. They've got a lot more programs here for it, and not all are games. I was looking for this Japanese-English dictionary that let you write in the the kanji and it would translate for you in to English. Beats the electronic dictionary the school lent me. If you don't already know how to pronounce the kanji in front of you (and each one has many pronunciations based on sentence structure), then you can't input the hiragana to get a translation.

But the DS is a hot HOT item here. Like the Wii, people wait in line to get it. Although, I think the craze for it has been pretty recent. Midori's friend had gotten one once and didn't have any problems buying it.

But we checked 3 stores. All sold out.

Eventually, w/ Midori's help, I purchased one online. I now have a DS! Now to get that program. Hehe.

But let's see... went clothes shopping. And other stores. Let's just say I now know the difference between anime/manga fan and otaku. And trust me, otaku isn't a socially good thing. I get the stigma surrounding the word.

Pictures later. Sleepy.. kinda. Class tomorrow.

The Political Stuff

This isn't anything special, but I feel like sharing anyways. Here's my day:

I went to Atsugi City Hall after spending an hour trying to find it on the map so I wouldn't get myself lost like that one day. Hehe. And after that hour, I realized "duh! City Hall is that big red circle smack in the middle of Atsugi macchi!" It helps being able to read the words 市役所　（しやくしょ（shiyakusho) = city hall).

But my lack of Japanese knowledge made for a interesting trip of trying to explain I needed to pick up my alien registration card and fill out a change of address form. I still don't know how to say it. It's a lot of これをしたい (I want to do this) and pointing. Most people at Atsugi City Hall know a few words of English, so after much trouble for the assistant, we got my papers done. She was very nice and helpful. Even helped me out after my number was called and I was with a desk clerk finalizing the forms. The helpless foreigner! Hehe.

I did the same in the bank. The assistant was so cute! She figured out I was foreign and American (how did she know American? Maybe it was my accent) so proceded to help me fill out the change-of-address form line by line. With little words of ”凄い！(amazing)” and ”がんばって！（do your best!)”. And then I think she tried to compliment me on my Japanese, but I'm not too sure. She was speaking in English and I couldn't understand what she was saying. So I did the typical foreigner thing and said "hai" to everything.

Found that bread store I really liked from before when I went to Saty to get my hair cut. It's called Macaroni Market. And in the back is an Italian-style cafe. So I went in, had coffee and cake. So good! I hope I don't make it a regular trip. They have awesome bread and the cake and coffee only makes the place more awesome! I'll get fat off of it if I listen to temptation and keep going there. Good thing I'm not in Europe then, I think.

Maybe, then, it's a good thing they're kinda pricey. A little. A cup of ice coffee was ￥３００. About $2.50. That's cheap for Japan, I think. And just a little above normal for America. It's really good though, so I think it's worth the extra cents.

Anyways, I got a headache after that (probably from the coffee... although I'm not sure why). So now I'm back in the apartment, doing laundry and going online to type this mediocre story.

I'm still not too comfortable on the idea of hanging underwear outside to dry for all who walk by to see. Everyone does it, but it still seems so embarrassing to me.

Also, anyone know how to ride a bike in Japan? Like who has right of way? The pedestrian, the bicyclist, or the driver? And even though on the streets all the cars drive on the left side of the road, when do you know that's the case with a bike on the sidewalk? And when should you ride on the street as opposed to the sidewalk?

Riding a bike is a lot of weaving onto and off of the sidewalk, between walkers, etc etc. It's a lot of near misses of hitting people and getting hit by cars. I see it with other people too, so it's not just my lack of skill on a bicycle (and no, I haven't gotten hit by a car or hit anyone I've passed by).

It's just... for a society that's very big on order, bike riding is very disorganized and seems to be without rules. Or else there are rules that no one follows.

Anyways, there's my story for the day.

Class Registration Day

OMG I am SOOOO screwed!

Class registration was also a "welcome freshman to the way college classes work" day. And I understood practically none of it. Except for the occasional word here and there. But then when I think back, a lot of those words were Japanized English.

Crap.

I also think one of the teachers helping me was wondering out loud whether Prof. Okubo's decision to let me come was a smart one. I could be paranoid, but then again, maybe not.


Crap. Crap. Crap.

Classes start on the 11th or the 12. Mr. Shimada told me the 11, but Prof. Furukawa said the 12. Whichever is a Monday then.

Recommendation to anyone who comes to TPU after me. Know your Japanese! Really really well! Don't just come after 1 semester of it at CMU.

As for meeting people, saw a lot of freshmen, but didn't meet anyone of them. Guess I need to wait another week?

Freezing rains

OMG I've had a hell of a day.

First I went to TPU's Freshman Orientation, in hopes of meeting people, but to no avail. Many reasons put together. It was a very formal occasion so there wasn't much room for socializing. And I was constantly in the presence of some staff member, so I ddn't have a chance to go it alone. Oh well... I will have more chances later.

But OMG that thing was boring. Almost all the parents were falling asleep. Does anyone remember CMU's orientation? Each time I think of it, I think of the guy running down the aisle with a giant condom on his head. But that's not it.

But still, it wasn't a formal occasion, wasn't it? There were definitely a lot of cheering and waving of balloons when each department had to stand and acknowledge their declared majors. Here it was a lot of stand up, bow at the waist, sit back down. Everyone wore business suits (except me b/c I didn't know). And it was so quiet.

But yeah, after that I rode my new bike (on loan by the school. BTW. Yesterday was the first day I've been on a bike since my sophomore year of high school) home to my apartment (which, btw... so awesome! I am spoiled so badly it's awesome). Because of the total restlessness of me not spending my days exploring this new country, I decided to take a route I didn't know and get myself a little lost in hopes of seeing something new.

So it rains today.

And me getting a little lost turns in to me getting really lost. And with the pouring rain, I really have no knowledge of how to navigate.

It's also around 45 degrees.

And then my bike breaks. So I have to stop and fix it for awhile.

I eventually give up trying to reorient myself and step into a Skylark (Japan's version of the 24-hr diner) and ask for directions. I'm a good half hour away from Midorigaoki, the region my apartment is in. And I head out in the rain.

Almost before getting to my street, I decide to stop at a Japanese food court and chow down b/c by then, I'm starved. And had been biking and feeling tired and cold for the last 2-3 hours. I ate a lot. A lot more than I'm used to around here.

But I made it! And decided it'd be a good idea to eat ice cream. Hehe.

But I took a hot bath, that was good.

Anyways, that's my day. Cold rain, broken bike, and getting lost in Atsugi.

I'm not pissed or anything. And for some reason, I wasn't freaked out. I guess I already felt lost anyways, so actually getting lost wasn't really any change. Hehe.

I was just really tired in the end. And cold.