Red Girl

Finally at long last I get to meet friends I made in Victoria. You'd think that with Japan being an island 1/3 the size of British Columbia I'd be able to meet them more often but reality is not so simple.


Last Saturday on the 22nd, Chisato came from Tokyo for a visit! I took her around Kyoto and showed her the sights, sounds and obnoxious crowds which she claimed were larger in size than Tokyo's. Well, right now is the prime time to see the Momiji (The leaves that turn color during the autumn season) and Kyomizu Temple on the mountain's side is lit up at night to commerate the season. And it looks absolutely gorgeous, visible from even 10km away. If that weren't enough, it was a long weekend. Add in all the mixtures and you have so many outsiders and Kyoto tourists that the city's population probably triples. For kilometers along the streets it was push and shove, similiar to Shinjuku at 5pm, yet you couldn't simply walk out of one of the exits to escape. I also met Chisato's friend from Osaka, Chie, who rather reminds me a lot of my sister. Silly questions that beg silly answers. Example, as we walk down a street she says "Wow, right now I feel like I'm in Kyoto!" I just had to reply with a snarky answer "I can tell you why, see, you ARE in Kyoto."


The next day I met Chisato again and we walked around many places taking in the vibe of the city but once again it was so packed with people that getting anywhere took substantially longer. In the evening I saw her off as she moved on to Osaka and then made my way to Kyoto Station to meet Sayuri!! "Let's meet at the GIANT christmas tree inside Kyoto station" I said. Easier said than done though. Sayuri picked the tiniest tree around outside the station so it took us sometime to actually find each other. It was really nice seeing her, and she brought my favorite potato chips to boot!


The next day I had classes, oddly enough, before the week long vacation actually began. Right after, Sayuri and I troded through the rainy weather and made our way to Kobe to visit friends we havn't seen in a while. Included were Masa, Megumi, Ayumi and a possibility of Asami as well. Of course, Kobe being a harbour city, it was a cold arrival as we met Megumi at the station. Walking through the miniature streets leading to Konan, I couldn't help but feel like I was in Europe. The rain was still coming down and the winds picked up, unfortunately claiming my 260yen umbrella purchased at Doshisha the same day.


At Konan we sat and had a little bit of cake to commemorate Sayuri's birthday. This university feels like a really nice high-tech facility of sorts and bears a different feel than Doshisha. I'd gotten so used to buildings that probably date back to the day the Leaning Tower of Pisa became famous for not falling. Needless to say, it was a welcome and refreshing change. Then to our surprise, Chisato was in Himeji that day and on her way back to Osaka so she decided to sidetrack and visit Kobe to see us one last time before going home to Tokyo. Along with her came 3 jolly Kansai guys; barrels of fun and jokes.


The next day I went again to Konan with Masa and met some of his friends. He appears to be quite socially connected. Later on, we were able to meet Asami and Ayumi whom we sat and waited with for the late arrivals Megumi and Sayuri. The three of the Konan cadets had to go to classes/part-time jobs so that was that and Sayuri and I left to explore a little bit on our own. That was when we decided to eat and picked the pizza cafe we went to the day before with Chisato and her friends. At the cafe we saw "Red Girl" and had a nice meal and good time before we said goodbye. Sayuri then hopped on the train and went back home to Tokyo.


The next morning I too went back to Kyoto and enjoyed the tail of Doshisha's lively Eve Festival. Often when you use the word "lively" to describe some sort of event in Japan, it really means overcrowded and lots of shoulder pushing. Not to mention noisy. Eve Festival was all the above, but definately interesting for as long as one is willing to put up with the mass of bodies.


That concludes the extra-long weekend and various visits to/from friends. It was energizing to finally have met old Japanese friends. Below are two pictures. The first being a little view of what momiji does to the surrounding landscapes (the view is on the street I pass by everyday on my way to school) and the second shot is Kobe as seen from Konan University.

"Completely" Settled

I'm now "completely" settled. Why the quotations you ask? With a lifestyle as fast paced as the Japanese spur, its no surprise that everyday something new hits you like an old brick falling off of Doshisha's ancient buildings.

Lots to say since my last post. And finally...pictures!

Doshisha Imadegawa is a beautiful campus, I'm not sure exactly how "high-level" the university is, but definately attractive. At least for the 5 minutes it takes to walk across from one end of the campus to another. I'm still used to the enormous campus that is UVic, and let's not even talk about UBC City. It's not like there's less here, its just cramped closer together. Buildings are practically brushing up against each other as if to huddle from the cold winter to come. And yes, it gets damn cold here during the wee hours, easily matching Vancouver. I havn't yet had a chance to pay a visit to the much larger and apparently more active Kyotanabe Campus. And for good reason, its about an hour away by train and costly. Soon though...

Nearby the Imadegawa campus are Shinmachi Campus (literally translated to "new city" campus) and Kanbaikan which isn't really a campus as much as it is a hangout spot with some conference/party rooms. Entering Shinmachi or Kanbaikan truly feels like walking into an advanced research facility or a high-tech operation of sorts. Walking into Imadegawa (literally means "the now exiting river") campus is more of a "whoops, when did I accidently stumble into England?" sort of feeling.

In Japan, if you ever see a really fancy looking shrine, next door might be a convenience store or a parking lot. Things often seem out of place here and you are left wondering who the heck designs the cities here. Zoning rules seem to be thrown out the window, and the idea of 'fit what you can where you can' seems to play a large role. So walking down one street, you may see a residential expensive apartment tower, a convenience store, a bread shop, a liqour factor, a university, a zoo, an internet cafe, some old lady's house which is older than Japan itself, and probably a lot of convenience stores. Yes I mentioned convenience store twice. Theres just that many.

I've stopped using the subway since it costs an arm, a leg, and a bit more. That meant walking, since the bus happens to cost more than the train and takes about 8 times longer. No joke. As good a feeling as it is walking around Kyoto, it totals 3 hours of commuting on foot per day. Remember how our parents always say "In my day, I used to walk 10km to school uphill both ways...", well I actually was doing that. So when I tell my not so tall tales to my kids they have to believe me. I must say though, Kyoto is absolutely a gorgeous place to be walking around.

In a week I have classes Monday to Friday from 9am to 12:15pm. These are the basis language classes which are really the core of the program. For those of you familiar with UVic's ELPI program, its really the same thing with Japanese being the focus. Each day, the lessons are taught by a different instructor to give students as wide an exposure to Japanese speakers as possible. Which is a rather perfect situation, since its nearly impossible to tire of the professors themselves. Afternoon classes are dependant on the students. Some are registered in Japanese Law, some in Culture, Ikebana (flower arrangement), Japanese Society, and so on. The selection isn't exactly gripping but its enough to keep students relatively busy for the two semesters here.

Following the morning classes, the international students pour into the Cafeteria commons and build their little ant hills in the lounge. The Japanese students occupy most of the main seating area leaving the lounge for the outsiders. Its not really so great since as an international student you pretty much sit with only others like you. Meeting Japanese students is rather difficult since the situations rarely lend themselves. I have yet to join up with any clubs or circles and despite lugging my rackets here with me, no tennis yet. The clubs usually congregate down at Kyotanabe Campus I'm told, so the commute will become avoidable.

Down below are some pictures of Doshisha University's Imadegawa Campus, so have a look!