Sunday, October 31, 2010

巡礼の一種
A Type of Pilgrimage

First up: yeah, I'm about to do National Novel Writing Month, and I still have a lot of stuff from the Tokyo trip that I haven't yet fully translated/played with... so from here until probably December at least, I doubt I'll have the time to translate my blog posts. They'll only be in English for a while.

So I'm back in Kyoto. Tokyo was fun, but I couldn't stay there forever. I'd buy too many things.

Anyway, yesterday I went with a friend to... well, I can't really call it a pilgrimage, but it's kind of similar... maybe. You see, on Google Maps there is a map of locations that look similar to scenes from anime or games. So one of the things I've been doing in Japan is going to some of these places. (For example, Moriguchi City station.)

Yesterday, we headed off to Kobe in search of a number of those different places. We met at Kyoto Station and very rapidly discovered that the JR trains are really expensive. 1050 yen out to Kobe, no thank you. Certainly not when the Hankyu line costs 600 and goes to the exact same place. Even if you have to start from Kyoto Station and pay 210 to go to the Hankyu station at Shijo, it's still cheaper.

On our way to Kobe, though, we stopped at a station called Nishinomiya-kitaguchi (which would translate roughly as Western Shrine, North Entrance), where there were a few Haruhi places. Having not watched Haruhi in a while, I didn't really know what I was looking for, and the map was a little hard to read. We didn't get lost, but we kept having no idea whether we had found a point or not.

This was also when we got lunch. Japan is awesome when it comes to food... where else can you buy an actual decent lunch at a convenience store? (Yay for bento!)

Eventually, we got back on the train and headed for Sannomiya Station. And by that I mean Hankyu Sannomiya Station. There are three of them: JR, Hankyu, and Hanshin. Okay, they're all right next to one another, but still.

The biggest attraction for me here was also the easiest to find: the Kobe Great Bridge. At first it wasn't really recognizable, but once we had crossed it and turned around, it became really obvious. I will get pictures up eventually... I forgot my camera, so I have to wait for my friend to send me the pictures he took.

... I know, I know, I'm a very strange person. Next time I go to Kobe, I'll actually explore the usual tourist places and the like, I swear. Right after I stop in Nishinomiya again... there's still a lot of Haruhi places that I haven't been to yet...

Monday, October 25, 2010

秋葉原
Field of Autumn Leaves

Pretty much since I got to Japan, there’s been one thing that I absolutely wanted to do: go to Akihabara. And now? Now I have. I will say this: I’m glad I chose to study abroad in Kyoto. Because if I had gone to a program in Tokyo, I would be going to Akihabara every day, and probably would have run out of money within a week.

日本に来たときから、絶対にしたい事がたった一つある。それは、秋葉原に行きたい。行ったよ。僕は京都に留学したことはよかった...というのは、東京のプログラムに行ったなら、毎日秋葉原に行ったし、多分一週間で僕のすべてのお金を払った。

Along Chuo-dori, the main street, there are at least five arcades. I have been inside three different ones, although really the differences are minor. I did finally get to play F-Zero AX, on a machine that I found in Akihabara. I did not know before that the seat would move, for that game... I was kind of wondering why there was a seat belt on the machine.

中央通に、ゲームセンターが五軒以上ある。僕は三軒に行ったことがある。まあ、違いは小さいけど...やっと、秋葉原にいるゲーム機、エフゼロエーエックスをした。席が動くことを知らない...どうしてシートベルトがあると考えてた。

And that same arcade had the Star Wars Trilogy arcade machine, Time Crisis 4, and Bonds of the Battlefield. If the first two weren’t horribly overpriced, I might play them... but really, 100 yen for a game that costs a quarter in the U.S.?

そのゲームセンターはスターウォーズのゲーム機もあるし、タイムクライシス4もあるし、線上の絆もある。スターウォーズとタイムクライシスはすごく高い...アメリカで、クオーターがかかるけど、日本で100円だ。

As for Bonds of the Battlefield... the Internet lies. According to information I found on the Internet, you needed 8000 pilot points before you would be promoted to... Private again? E-2, whatever that is in the Army. (Can’t believe I’ve forgotten...) And yet, somehow, I was promoted again today... I don’t even have three thousand, much less eight!

戦場の絆は...インターネットはうそつき。インターネットの情報によると、一等兵に昇進するために8000パイロットポイントが必要だ。(英語の「一等兵」はなんとか忘れちゃった...)でも、今日はまた昇進した、一等兵に。3000さえない!

Oh, and in one of the other arcades, I got to battle someone at DDR. My status as unconquerable DDR master remains intact... well, among my friends, anyway.

そして、他のゲームセンターに、友達とDDRの勝負をした。僕はDDRのこと、最高よ!(まあ、僕の友達の中に...)

And there are uncountable masses of game/computer stores. There's the one store, Sofmap, that has a main branch, and then four or five more stores (all within five minutes' walk of the main branch) that sell just games, or just music, or just computers... it's ridiculous.

そして、ゲームとかパソコンの店がたくさんある。ソフマップと言う店がある...本館があるし、歩きで5分ぐらいの領域で、五つのほかの店がある。それはゲームだけとか音楽だけとかパソコンだけを売る。バカなこと...

We've also discovered new trading card games. I suppose that my friend and I are compelled to buy stuff related to our favorite games/anime. He bought Touhou trading cards, and I bought Nanoha ones. (Well, and some Fate/stay night and Key... but mostly Nanoha.) Sadly, they're from different games, so we can't play one another.

最後に、僕らは新しいトレーディングカードゲームの興味がある。まあ、僕らの気に入るゲームやアニメのものを買いたい...友達は東方のカードを買って、僕はなのはのを買った。(そして、フェイトステイナイトとKeyのカードも買って...でも、大体、なのは。)残念だけど、違うゲームだから、勝負を出来ない。

At least not with our cards. He bought enough Touhou cards to make two decks, so we played a game. I'm sure we ignored half the rules of the game, and neither of us had any strategy to speak of. It was kinda silly.

でも、友達はデッキを二つ作れるから、僕らはゲームをした。多分、規則が分からなかったし、作戦がなかったし...ちょっと浅はかだった。

So yes, I'm vastly enjoying my time here in Tokyo.

さあ、東京にいる時間はとても楽しいよ。

Saturday, October 23, 2010

東京へようこそ!
Welcome to Tokyo!

The day started at 9:30ish, when I met a friend at Kyoto Station. Twelve minutes later, we were on the Nozomi number 116 super-express train to Tokyo. (Side note: while "super-express" is still used in English, the equivalent Japanese "chotokkyu" isn't really used anymore.) This was my first time on the shinkansen, and it was certainly awesome.

今日は九時半に京都駅で友達と会った。12分後で、僕らは東京行きののぞみ116号超特急を乗った。それは、新幹線の初めてだ。すごかった。

The Nozomi ("nozomi" means "desire" in Japanese) shinkansen only makes three stops between Kyoto and Tokyo. So we were in Tokyo by 12:15, about two and a half hours after the train left Kyoto. It really didn't feel like we were going all that fast... but clearly we were. I mean, 500 kilometers in two and a half hours... that's an average speed of 125 miles an hour, which is a lot faster than the other option, the bus. (Airlines are too annoying.)

そののぞみ新幹線は駅を三つだけ止まる。だから、京都から東京まで2時半ぐらいかかって、12時15分ぐらい東京に着いた。速くないって感じけど...まあ、本当に速いよ。2時間半で500キロを行って...バスより速かった。(飛行機は面倒くさい。)

Once we got off at Tokyo station, we proceeded to get horribly lost. Somehow, despite Google Maps having the right address, it sent us off into Chiyoda ward, when our hotel was in Sumida ward. The difference? At least a mile, if not two. Oh, and different wards in Tokyo might as well be different cities. So yeah... very, very lost.

東京駅で降りた後、迷った。すごく迷った。なんとか、正しい住所があったけど、グーグルマップは「千代田区に行け」。僕らのホテルは墨田区にある。違いは...まあ、5キロぐらい。そして、違う区は違う都市みたいね。だから、すごく迷った。

Thankfully, the police officers that we asked pointed us in the right direction, and we had time to spare. So it didn't ruin the trip or anything. Our hotel is nice... kind of expensive, but I don't mind. And it's literally right next to a train station, so it's very convenient.

交番を行って、正しい指示を教えてくれた。だから、大丈夫。ホテルはいいね...ちょっと高いけど、かまわない。そして、駅の隣にいるから、便利よ。

Hmm, what should I do next... of course. Did I mention that the Akihabara station is literally two stops away?

次はどうすればいいかな...あ、もちろん。秋葉原駅は近いね。

Friday, October 22, 2010

一週間の活動
One Week's Activities

This last week has just been pure chaos. Every day, there was something going on. So, the highlights...

今週は大混乱だった。毎日、何かしたよ。さあ、総集編は...

Tuesday was a day for teaching English. Well, that and a trip to the arcade... yeah, I spent too much time in the arcade this last week. Anyway, I went back to Rakuto Middle School for another day of helping to teach English. This time, it was just me. Since I had to do everything, I wonder if maybe I'm not quite energetic enough to really be a good teacher... oh well, I have time (and the chance) to practice, right?

火曜日には英語を教えた。そして、ゲームセンターに行った...多分、行き過ぎた。とにかく、洛東中学校に英語を教えに行った。今度は、僕だけ。もっと元気にすればいいかな...まあ、練習の時間があるね。

After that, I was planning to meet my language exchange partner late in the day for dinner. Since I had time to kill, I went to the arcade and played another round or two of the Gundam game. It's addictive, and expensive to boot... which means whoever made that game is certainly good at their job.

その後、ランゲージパートナーと会う予定があった。暇な時間があったから、ゲームセンターに行って、また戦場の絆をした。

Anyway, my language partner. He's a student from Kyodai who wants to learn English... our conversations are interesting, to say the least. His English pronunciation needs a little work, but I feel like he has a better grasp of vocabulary than I do... We met at a McDonalds at the intersection of Imadegawa and Kawaramachi streets; I tried their teriyaki burger. It was okay, I suppose.

とにかく、ランゲージパートナー。彼は京大の大学生だ。僕らの会話は面白いよ。彼の英語の発音はちょっと...でも、僕より単語が上手だ。僕らは今出川川原町にあるマクドナルドで会って、僕は照り焼きバーガーを食べてみた。まあまあだった。

Oh, and on the subject of "interesting conversations"... somehow a discussion on environmental problems turned into power sources, and from there into nuclear weapons. To be fair, he brought up the atomic bomb first... but how am I supposed to answer "we've had a nuclear weapon used on us"?

そして、「面白い会話」って...なんとか、環境問題についての会話は発電所についての会話に変わった。その後、原子兵器!まあ、彼は最後の話題を始めるけど、「日本は原子兵器を使われた」の返事はどうすればいい。

His topic was better than mine... I wanted to talk about Japanese schools and universities, but realized in short order that I didn't have all that many things to ask about. So that was also awkward, although for a different reason. I did learn that in Japanese universities, students will refer to themselves as fifth or even sixth year students if they end up repeating their senior year. Don't American universities kick you out if you have to repeat a year more than once?

でも、その話題は僕のよりいいと思う。僕は日本の教育を話したかったけど、早く何も聴きたいことがなくなった。違う理由だけど、その話題もばつが悪い。でも、面白いことを習った...日本の大学で四年を留年したら、五年生と六年生と言う。アメリカの大学は、一回以上留年したら、除籍しないの?

That was it for Tuesday... on Wednesday, I got sick. Ugh. Just a cold, but I felt kind of off all day... and then on Thursday I was completely out of it. It didn't help that I had to wait for my class at 5 in the evening. Both days were interesting... I went to a fire festival on Wednesday and worked on plans for fall break on Thursday. But I also went to bed about as early as I could manage both nights, which worked out to around 10. I don't think I've gone to bed around 10 since high school.

それは、火曜日の終わり。水曜日は、風邪を引いちゃった。うぐぅ...風邪だけ、でも、機嫌がちょっと悪かった。そして、木曜日は、めちゃくちゃだった。しかも、木曜日にすごく遅い授業があった。水曜日に護摩に行って、木曜日に秋休みの予定を立てた。でも、すごく早く寝た。まあ、10時ぐらい。そんなこと、高校生の卒業した後からしたことがないかもしれない。

Thankfully, I felt a little better today. Which was good because I had two midterms to take. Japanese came first, and actually wasn't all that hard. There were a few questions that I just didn't answer, but on the whole it was fine. The other midterm was my Japanese Religions midterm, and that... I don't know. Maybe. I probably wasn't detailed enough, but I wrote all I could.

今日、もっと元気になる。よかった。というのは、中間試験が二つもある。最初は日本語の試験だった。答えられない質問があったけど、大体だ丈夫だと思う。他のは日本の宗教の試験だった。それは...まあ。多分もっと詳しく答えればいいのに。

Also today: the Festival of the Ages, Jidai Matsuri. One of Kyoto's biggest festivals (alongside the Gion Festival), the Festival of the Ages features a procession of people dressed in historical costumes, from the time of Heian-kyo's founding up to the Meiji Restoration. About the only word that suffices to describe this particular festival would be "awesome".

そして、今日は時代祭りがあった。時代祭りは、京都の三大祭りの一つだ。歴史的な服を着て、行列する。その歴史は、平安京の創立から明治時代まで。かっこいいよ。

The costumes were beyond description. Actually, I went a little early with some classmates, because the teacher of our Kyoto history class wanted us to interview some of the participants in the parade. So we got a close look at the costumes. And we interviewed people. Mostly Meiji-era heroes, like Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro.

その服は...うまく言えない。すごかった。実は、僕はクラスメートと一緒に早く行った。というのは、京都歴史の授業のために行列の参加者をインタビューした。だから、服をよく見えた。僕の場合は、明治時代の志士をインタビューした。たとえば、坂本龍馬と中岡慎太郎。

So yeah, it's been a crazy week. And things aren't going to change, because this weekend will top everything I've yet done in Japan. You see, fall break is starting; I have all of next week off. But I've been to Osaka twice, climbed Mt. Hiei, gone to Okayama Prefecture, seen the Jidai Matsuri... what could possibly top that?

だから、今週は大混乱だった。そして、今週末も...今週末は、今前のすべての活動よりかっこいいよ。秋休みは始まるから、来週は全部休みだ。でも、大阪に二回行ったり、比叡山を登ったり、岡山県に行ったり、時代祭りを見たり...全部より何のほうがいいか。

Next up: Tokyo.

次、東京。

Saturday, October 16, 2010

大混乱
Chaos

It has been one hell of an interesting week.

面白い週だった。

So on Thursday, I went to help teach English at Rakuto Middle School for the first time. Generally, Japanese are viewed as obedient, quiet people, right? Well, either that's just a facade, or I've found the one middle school that has all of the excitable students. I mean, seriously... the first question I was asked was "Do you have girlfriend?"

木曜日には、洛東中学校に英語の授業のアシスタントをしに行った。アメリカ人にとって、日本人は素直で、おとなしい人だけど...まあ、これはまねだけか、洛東は一つだけの元気な学生がいる中学校だ。初めての質問は「Do you have girlfriend?」だ!

What's more, the teacher didn't seem to be overly worried with discipline. I have to imagine that anyone who talked out of turn so much in an American school would have gotten punishment of some kind. Perhaps some measure of excitement is to be expected, considering they had a foreign student as an English teaching assistant.

しかも、先生は規律のことはあまり気にしなかった。アメリカの学校で、そんなのうるさい学生は罰があるかもしれない。まあ、私たちがいるから、もっと元気になることは普通でしょう。

I'm looking forward to this all the more. It really was fun to go in and help with the English class, and next week I get to go by myself... this time I went with a friend, so yeah.

それはまだ楽しみね。本当に楽しかった。そして、来週は一人で行くよ。

Friday... well. So there was a party scheduled for 6:30 in the evening, but my classes were over by 3. Three hours of free time, weekend starting... off to the arcade! First up was another round of DDR, because I will never get tired of DDR. I did much better this time, although still not as good as I would like. Then again, anything other than perfection is "not as good as I would like", so perhaps my goal is a little unreasonable.

金曜日...まあ、6時半にパーティーがあるけど、僕の授業は3時に終わった。3時間の暇な時間があったし、週末だったし...ゲームセンターに行こう!初めて、DDRをした。その時、もっといいだけど、まだ物足りなかった。でも、完璧以外のは「物足りない」だから、多分僕の目的はむちゃだったかな...

Then I went upstairs to the Mobile Suit Gundam: Bonds of the Battlefield machines. I am such a coward sometimes... I just stood in front of the machines for a good fifteen minutes doing nothing, pretty much. Okay, I was watching two Japanese people playing, but really, watching it isn't that interesting.

その後、機動戦士ガンダム戦場の絆の機に行った。時々、僕は臆病だな...ゲーム機の前にたった立つだけした。日本人のゲームを見ているけど、本当に見るだけは面白くない。

Finally, I started playing, and in short order was taking out enemies left and right. I finally got promoted! Well, okay, I'm still only a Private (I was a Civilian...), but it's still a promotion, right? Next time I play, I can elect to go for a real battle rather than a training match against AIs. That should be fun.

やっと、した。よく出来たね...昇進した!まあ、はい、まだ二等兵だけだけど(前は、民間人だった)、昇進じゃないか。次は、本物の戦闘をすることが出来る。楽しみにしてね。

Although right after I got promoted... well, while I was updating my pilot card, these two Japanese girls actually asked if they could borrow my card and have a go at it. They were kinda lucky... I still had the option to do training, which they kinda needed. I tried to explain the controls, but my Japanese is still not that good. All the same, they did surprisingly well. And you get to do two battles each time you play, but they were done after one, so I got a free battle!

そして、昇進した後で...パイロットカードをアップデートしながら、二人の日本人の女の子は「カードを借りてくださいませんか」と聴いた。本当に、その彼女たちは運がよかった...僕のカードはまだトレーニングを出来たし、彼女たちは全然したことがない。やり方を説明してみたけど、僕の日本語はまだまだだから...でも、彼女たちもよく出来た。そして、プレイするとき、戦闘を二つあるし、彼女たちは一つしかしないから、無料な戦闘がした。

It's a good thing too... Bonds of the Battlefield is expensive. I mean, Japanese arcades usually operate on 100-yen coins, so already it costs five times as much as an American arcade. What's worse, Bonds of the Battlefield wants five of those, usually. Even at the arcade that I went to, where it's only 400 yen, each play costs five dollars.

よかったな...戦場の絆は高いよ。日本のゲームセンターは100円の硬貨を使うから、日本のはアメリカの5倍高い。しかも、戦場の絆はたいてい500円がかかる。行ったゲームセンターは400円だけだけど、まだ5ドルもかかる!

And that wasn't even the end of the day... I believe I said "party" earlier? Nearly seventy people, KCJS students and students from Doshisha and Kyodai, got together to have fun. And of those, nearly half went to this "Sweets of Ninja" buffet-style restaurant for a late dinner and a lot of cake. The staff there were dressed like ninjas... it was actually kinda cool.

これは終わりじゃない。先、「パーティー」と言ったね。70人ぐらい、KCJSの学生と同志社と京大の学生は来た。そして、「Sweets of Ninja」と言う食べ放題のレストランに行って、たくさんケーキと晩ご飯を食べた。レストランの人は忍者みたいな服を着ている...かっこいいね。

And now, I have anime to watch this weekend.

それで、今週末はアニメを見るつもり。

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Synchronicity lyrics

So, who thought I had forgotten about this?

Synchronicity (Tsubasa Tokyo Revelations OP)

Artist: Yui Makino
歌手:牧野由依

Writer/Composer/Arranger: Yuki Kajiura
作詞・作曲・編曲:梶浦由紀

Lyrics/歌詞:

この温もりは何処へ行くの
明日になれば消えてしまうの
胸の鼓動を合わせたならば
同じ深みは降りて行けるの

To where does this warmth go?
If tomorrow dawns, it will vanish...
If our heartbeats’ rhythm matches,
then we can descend into the same depths...

いつもいつも側にいるよ
どんな遠く君の心が迷っても

Always and forever together with you,
no matter where you have lost your way...

暗闇の中に二人で漂いながら
無邪気な小鳥のように翼を寄せていた
寂しい時には笑顔に隠れる君は
溶けない氷の刃
この胸を晒して
抱きしめる
ずっと…

While we drifted amidst the darkness,
just like the innocent young bird, we received wings.
You hide your sadness behind a smile,
and with a blade of ice
expose your heart,
embracing it always...

君は一人で何処へ行くの
振り返るのは怖いだけなの
胸の形も哀しい色も
本当はきっとよく似てるのに

To where are you going alone?
Turning back will only bring fear...
The shape of your heart, the color of loneliness,
surely, they are similar to the truth...

いつかきった還る場所を
二人同じ儚さで見つめている

But someday, certainly, within our transience,
we have our eyes fixed on a place to return to...

この闇の中でどんなに離れていても
心は何より強い絆で呼び合って
寂しい時には笑っていてもわかるよ
冷たい指を涙で
暖めてあげたい
側にいる…

Within this darkness, no matter how long we are apart,
the unbreakable bonds between our hearts will call us.
I understand that you smile even in sad times.
I want to warm your cold finger
with my tears...
Together...

暗闇の中に二人で漂いながら
>無邪気な小鳥のように翼を寄せていた
寂しい時には笑顔に隠れる君は
溶けない氷の刃
この胸を晒して 抱きしめる
側にいる
ずっと…

While we drifted amidst the darkness,
just like the innocent young bird, we received wings.
You hide your sadness with a smile,
and with a blade of ice
expose your heart, embracing it...
Together, always...

Sunday, October 10, 2010

大阪、もう一度
Osaka Redux

Yes, I went to Osaka again today. And it was absolutely a good idea. Even if I did get five hours of sleep last night. I stayed up until 2:30 in the morning to watch the first episode of A Certain Magical Index 2, and then woke up at 7:30 to have breakfast and go out to meet my friends in Osaka. Apparently I looked really tired, but I didn't feel it for some reason...

今日また大阪に行った。昨日の夜は、五時間ぐらい寝たけど、本当に楽しかった。まあ、昨日の夜、とある魔術の禁書目録IIを見るために二時半まで起きてるし、朝は七時半起きて、朝ごはんを食べて大阪に行った。友達によると、眠そうだけど、なんとなく僕は眠くないと思った...

So anyway, I took the Keihan main line again, this time all the way to its terminal station, Yadoyabashi.  From there, I walked to Hankyu Umeda station to meet my friends, who ended up being kinda late... But no matter. Because then, we went to a Pokemon store in Osaka. That was amazing. Only the Nintendo store in New York City can compare to this. I went a little nuts, I admit... bought three cell phone straps and five little Pokemon figurines. Oh well, it didn't cost all that much.

とにかく、京阪本線を乗って、終点の淀屋橋駅に降りた。そこから、阪急梅田駅に歩いて、友達と会った。友達はちょっと遅かったけど、かまわなかった。だから、その後、「ポケモンセンター」と言う店に行った。それは、すごかった。ニューヨークにある任天堂の店は関係がある。多分ちょっと買いすぎた...携帯ストラップを三本買って、フィギュアを五つ買った。高くないけど...

From there, we hiked our way back to the Umeda subway station and made our way to Nanba. Our destination, Dotonbori, our goal... well, we didn't really have one. Of course, I wanted to track down an arcade, and that I did. We found two, in fact.

その後、地下鉄の馬で駅に行って、なんば駅を行った。旅先、道頓堀、目的...別に何でもない。僕はゲームセンターを見つかりたい。見つかったよ。二つ。

The first was early in the day. Sadly, there was no Dance Dance Revolution machine in sight. There was, however, fun to be had. First came an interesting little game by the name of Mobile Suit Gundam: Bonds of the Battlefield. (link to Wikipedia) It's a multiplayer battle game where people can side with either the Earth Federation or the Principality of Zeon and engage in large-scale battles.

一つ目は...残念だけど、DDRのゲームはなかった。でも、楽しみがあった。まず、機動戦士ガンダム戦場の絆と言うゲームだ。(リンクは、ウィキペディア)たくさんの人はして、地球連邦軍かジオン公国軍と一緒に大型戦闘をする。

... Here, let's just let the pictures that one of my friends took explain.

...友達が取った写真は一番いい説明だと思う。


































Basically, it's awesome. Understand? Okay. Moving on.

基本的に、かっこいいよ。分かった?よし、次。

There was also that drum/taiko game that every anime fan probably remembers from Lucky Star (that's where I saw it first, anyway). It's called Taiko Master. (again, Wikipedia) Since I have a ridiculously good sense of rhythm, I'm not half bad at it. My arms hurt like all get out by the time I was done with that game, though.

そして、太鼓のゲームがあった。太鼓の達人と言う。僕のリズム感がいいから、上手だ。でも、ゲームをした後で、腕が痛かった。

So once I was done being a geek, we moved on. Lunch was ramen, and really good too; I don't do ramen that often, but I actually kinda liked it this time. Other than that, there was a lot of random exploring of the city...

さあ、オタクになることが終わった後で、ゲームセンターを出た。昼ごはんはラーメンだった。おしかったな...僕はあまりラーメンを食べないけど、その時は好きだった。そして、的のなくて歩いて...

Oh wait, arcade number 2. I don't think I've ever seen an arcade six stories tall before. And the billboard marking its location was visible from practically two blocks away. Needless to say, I had high hopes...

あ、二つ目のゲームセンター。六階もだよ!見たことない。そして、サインは遠くで見えた。もちろん、僕は楽しみにして...


















Oh yeah. It's been a while.

久しぶりな...

I promptly got on the pad and commenced with the making a fool of myself. Seriously, Only My Railgun was a 9 (on the new difficulty scale that runs from 1 to 20); how did I get a C? I've forgotten my second song, but Saber Wing in the third slot went no better. Damn it all... why is it that I fail so miserably every time I play DDR in an arcade?

僕は早くDDRをして、バカな業績を始まる。まったくもう...only my railgunと言う曲は、9だから、どうやってCがとった?僕の二番目と三番目の曲は同じく。しまった...なぜDDRはアーケードでするたびに、悪くなる?

At that point, with my arms sore from taiko games and my legs sore from DDR, I figured it was about time to cut my losses and head home. But there will be more Osaka in the future. I've finally found some really good arcades, after all.

その時は、腕が痛かったし足が痛かったし、帰る時だと思った。でも、また大阪に行くよ。やっと、いいゲームセンターを見つかったから。

同志社大学
Doshisha University

Finally I have decent pictures of the university where I'm studying abroad. Only took me, what, a month?

やっと同志社大学についての写真がある。一ヶ月かかるな。


This is pretty much the center of Doshisha. I took this picture at 8:30 in the morning, but had I taken it in the middle of the day, there would be teeming masses of students lining this boulevard.

これは、同志社の真ん中だ。この写真は、8時半に撮ったから、だれもいない。昼間にとったら、多すぎる学生がいるはずだ。


And the building where KCJS is housed. In fact...

そして、京都アメリカ大学コンソーシアムに含むビルだ。実は...


... we're so important, we get a sign.
(It's not visible in the last picture; it's hidden behind the pillar with "Fusokan" on it.)

僕たちは大事すぎるから、サインがあるよ。
(先の写真で見えない、扶桑館を刻んでいた柱の後ろに隠れた。)


The same building.

同じビル。


The entrance to the campus on Karasuma street. It's the best way to get to Imadegawa Station on the Karasuma subway line, so it's my preferred route into campus.

烏丸通の出入口だ。今出川駅をよく使うから、一番いい出入口だと思う。


There's this cute little park or something next to Fusokan. There's even a pond with koi in it!

扶桑館の隣に、小さい公園がある。鯉がいる池もある!


And finally, the most important building on campus. The basement of the Meitokukan is home to the cafeteria, you see. That, and a convenience store, and a campus bookstore-like place... really, the Meitokukan is awesome.

最後に、キャンパスの中で一番大事なビルだ。明徳館の地下で、食堂があるよ。そして、コンビニも、本屋みたいな店もある...便利ね。

So yeah, this is where I'm studying abroad.

これは留学する場所だ。

Saturday, October 9, 2010

日本の学校
Japanese Schools

All KCJS students have to do this thing called a "Community Involvement Project", which is basically an internship. The point of it is to give us more experience in actually using Japanese in conversation, especially honorific and humble language, since a workplace is filled with "keigo", as it's often called. Really, my Japanese class could be the worst in the world, and I'd still be learning Japanese because of all of these special activities. And it isn't, it's pretty good.

京都アメリカ大学コンソーシアムの学生は「コミューにティ・インヴォルヴェメント・プロジェクト」と言うことをしなければならない。インターンシップみたいだ。目的は日本語で会話の経験だ。仕事みたいだから、尊敬語と謙譲語がたくさんあるから、いい敬語の練習だ。まあ、たとえ日本語の授業は最下でも、特別な活動があるから、日本語を上手になる。そして、日本語の授業はいい授業だと思う...

Since I've been considering becoming a teacher sometime in the future, I chose to help teach English at a school in Kyoto. So on Monday, one of our Japanese teachers took myself and two others to Rakuto Middle School, out in Kyoto's Higashiyama ward. We met with the school's principal and two of the teachers to work out the details. Since I wasn't the only one there, I didn't have to talk all that much... I'm still as quiet a person as always. 

先生になろうと思っているから、僕は京都の学校で英語を教えたい。だから、月曜日に、日本語の先生ともう二人と洛東中学校に行った。その学校は京都の東山区にある。活動の相談をするために洛東の校長と英語の先生と会った。一人だけじゃないから、僕はあまり話さなくてもいい...いつも通り、僕は大人しい。

Basically, once a week I'll go and assist the English teacher there with class. My first time is next Thursday, the 14th. That time, I'm going with one of the other two people that are also doing this, but occasionally one of us will go there by themselves. My first time for that is the Thursday after next, the 21st. I'm looking forward to it!

基本的に、一週間に一回行って、英語の先生を手伝う。初めては来週の木曜日、10月14日。その時、僕はもう一人と行くけど、時々一人だけを行く。そんなのは、初めては再来週の木曜日、10月21日。楽しみにしてね。

Then again, in some sense we've already started. On Wednesday, the three of us went to Rakuto's sports festival, kind of like the field day that a lot of American elementary schools have. And we introduced ourselves there in front of the entire school and some of the parents to boot. That introduction was a little harder than most.

まあ、もう始まったって感じね。水曜日に、洛東の体育大会に行った。アメリカの小学校のフィエルド・デイみたいだ。そして、学校の全員の前に自己紹介をした。その自己紹介はちょっと難しいな。

On the up side, we got to participate in a tug-of-war, the PTA against the 3rd-year students. We were on the PTA team, which won. Twice. Yeah, that was satisfying. Although according to one of the teachers, the PTA team wins every year. Sadly, we left shortly after. I would have liked to stay, but I had to go deal with some homework that necessitated going to a museum in the city.

でも、綱引きを参加したチャンスがある。PTA対三年生。僕たちはPTAチームで、勝った。二回。楽しかったよ。でも、先生によると、PTAチームは毎年勝つそうだ。残念だけど、もうすぐ後で出た。もう少し待てばよかったのに、たくさん宿題があるから...

And that isn't even it... on Friday I went to Momoyama Middle School in southern Kyoto, Fushimi ward. Apparently, at Momoyama, there's an English club of sorts, and I can go and chat with the students there. It's a different kind of activity, so yeah. That won't start until November, since I do have Rakuto stuff to do.

そして、それだけじゃない。金曜日は京都の南にある桃山中学校に行った。桃山で、英語のクラブがあるし、僕は行って学生としゃべることが出来る。違うタイプの活動。洛東の活動もあるから、その桃山の活動は11月に始まる。

Finally, my CIP activities can begin, and I can go see Japanese schools in action... this will be fun.

やっと、CIPの活動は始まるし、日本の学校を見に行けるし...楽しみにしてね!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

ようこそ、岡山県へ
Welcome to Okayama Prefecture

So this last weekend was one hell of an interesting one. Every year, KCJS students go off on a trip to... pretty much somewhere other than Kyoto. Okayama Prefecture seems to be a popular destination, considering that they went there last year too. My hosts in Okayama Prefecture had a picture of some of last year’s Brandeis students at a festival that’s held every year around this time.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Two caveats: one, as you may have noticed, this post will be the one exception to my posting in English and Japanese. I do not have the time to do my actual Japanese homework and translate a post of this length. Second, since I didn’t really have an Internet connection there, I had to merely write this post day by day, and now I’m posting it all at once. So this is going to be very long. Prepare yourselves!

Friday

We left Kyoto at nine in the morning. We gathered at Doshisha and were loaded onto two buses, one heading up into the mountains and one (the one I was on) making for the coastline.

Japanese highways are really not that much different from American ones. I mean, there’s the whole “drive on the left side of the road” thing, but that’s about the only difference. The highway did have a lot of tunnels though. I suppose that’s to be expected in a country with so many mountains.

We drove through Himeji City on the way... it saddens me to realize that the White Heron Castle, Himeji Castle, is undergoing renovations, and will be for years. I wanted to see that castle... *sigh*

We got lunch on the way, and arrived in Asakuchi City around 1:30 in the afternoon. I didn’t think this would be all that special, but apparently it was... there was a welcome ceremony with all sorts of Asakuchi City people making speeches. In Japanese of course. And we met our hosts for the next three days too. My hosts were really nice people; I would have been perfectly happy staying with them for a lot more than just three days.

Once the speeches were over, we all went over to a nearby school, Konkou Academy, and were given a tour of the school. Words cannot describe how awesome this was. My host family and I were one of the first to get there, so while we were waiting, I had some of the Japanese students peering out the windows at myself and one of the other KCJS students to arrive early. I love being a source of amusement for Japanese students...

Once everyone had arrived, the school’s band put on a quick little concert as their welcoming ceremony. It was really wonderful; music is one of the things I have a soft spot for, so yeah. After that, we were taken over to see some of the other club activities... first was some martial art whose name I honestly do not remember. All the same, those wrist holds and takedowns looked absolutely painful. I am very, very glad I didn’t volunteer to participate in that.

Then we watched the judo club at their work. Which was mostly grabbing their opponents’ clothing and trying to trip or throw him. This... also looked painful. At least for kendo, which came after that, they got to wear armor of a sort. Of course, when you’re using a wooden sword as a weapon and striking at the head, without armor you’d be killing people. So yeah.

The kendo was also awesome because after the two club members demonstrated their abilities, the instructor offered to let us take a wooden sword and try some of the attacks ourselves. That was awesome. Probably the most fun I’ve had here in Japan yet.

Finally, we participated in a tea ceremony, courtesy of Konkou Academy’s tea ceremony club. With twelve people, it was a little cramped and a little rushed... but then again, the snacks and tea are delicious, so I’m not going to begrudge any chance to participate in a tea ceremony. The Japanese guy sitting next to me seemed surprised when I said I liked the tea... I don’t think he was expecting that.

With that, our tour of Konkou Academy was over, unfortunately. It was ridiculously fun. Okayama Prefecture knows how to make people feel welcome, that’s for sure. I wonder if I’ll ever have a chance to go back there, sometime...

Well, after that my hosts drove me to the coastline. Asakuchi is right on the Seto Inland Sea, and there was a breeze coming in off the sea. It felt great... I really don’t go to the coast often enough, especially considering my home is really close to the ocean. (Well, the Chesapeake Bay. To be precise.)

I met my hosts’ grandchildren, who are (in the true style of kids everywhere) overly energetic. They somewhat awkwardly greeted me in English... it was so cute! They live with their parents, not with my hosts, so we didn’t have long to chat, but I kicked a soccer ball around a little and played some baseball too.

Finally, we made it back to my hosts’ home and had a relaxing evening... dinner was good (nabemono... look it up), and then I showed my hosts where I was from on Google Maps while we were all relaxing in front of the TV.

And this was just one day! If the rest of the weekend is this much fun...

Saturday

“If the rest of the weekend is this much fun” indeed. Holy damn.

The day’s activities started at 10 with a trip to Ryūnan Nursery School in Asakuchi, where one of my hosts’ grandkids goes. They had me sit up front and field some questions about myself, both from the teachers and the kids. I ended up singing the first part of the opening theme to Space Battleship Yamato, somehow.

We then moved on to coloring these little paper doll elephants, and then had them fight each other, sumo-style. That was... interesting. It’s hard to describe. I didn’t win all that often, not that I minded.

Then came lunch. I don’t even remember what we ate for lunch. Rice was involved, and I’m pretty sure there was miso soup too... but this is Japan, practically every meal has those.

Before I left the nursery school, the kids gave me a little card and a paper necklace to thank me for coming... to repeat myself from yesterday, it was so cute! Even though it’s exhausting to hang out with little kids, it was so much fun!

At this point, I could have spent the rest of the day doing nothing and still have had an awesome day. But that was far from it. Next came a visit to the Kamogata Machiya Park. There, I got to play with a kendama! It’s this little toy that’s a ball connected by a string to a little cross-shaped piece of wood. You hold the cross-shaped part and try to get the ball to land on the ends of the cross. For such a little thing, it is surprisingly difficult... although I was getting decently good at it by the time we left.

We also tried walking on stilts. “Tried” being the operative word. I couldn’t manage it. Pity no one had a video camera, or we’d have some interesting YouTube fodder.

There was also a koto lesson in progress when we got there... when it ended, I got a chance to play the koto myself. Now that was interesting. Having played piano in the past, rhythm wasn’t a problem, but it was still kinda hard.

Nothing else interesting really happened until dinner. Of course, dinner was a barbecue party with my hosts’ extended family, so yeah. Yakitori, crab, shrimp, sushi, onigiri... the amount of food there was just insane. Now if only they had had soda, it would have been perfect. There was plenty of beer, but they already knew that I didn’t drink (not even legal yet in Japan, much less the United States), so that wasn’t an option.

And after dinner... I believe I mentioned a festival? The Ōura Shrine Annual Autumn Festival (Shūki Reitaisai), at a shrine in Asakuchi City, would be that festival. I believe that all of the KCJS students in Asakuchi attended. And all of the guys helped with the festival.

By “helped”, I mean we helped to carry one of the portable shrines. Those things were heavy. I mean, damn, with a good thirty people all carrying it, you’d think it wouldn’t be all that bad. Oh no. I’m typing this four hours later and my back and shoulder still ache a little.

But it was still great fun. I got taiyaki for my trouble, so I was happy. Everyone (else) was drinking beer and having a great time. If there’s one thing I’m really going to miss when I have to go back to the U.S., it’s going to be the festivals. (If only for the taiyaki.)

One more day... there’s no way anything could top that Saturday, though.


Sunday

Well, today was much quieter. Went on a trip to Fukuyama Castle, mostly because I admitted to my hosts yesterday that I liked castles. Like most currently in Japan, Fukyuama Castle is rebuilt... only a very few survive in their original state, and the only one that comes to mind right off is Himeji. (See above about Himeji’s current state. *sigh*)

The problem with this outing was that the museum is in Japanese. Now, I like history, and I like learning more about history... but I simply can’t translate museum signs from Japanese into English in any reasonable length of time. My translation works best when I’m sitting down in front of a computer with a good two or three hours to spare.

All the same, it was cool. Any traditional Japanese castle with tower is good in my book, and usually the museums show what they looked like back when they were built and/or at their peak. It makes me wonder how anyone ever dared to challenge them. I mean, seriously... a moat, outer wall, inner wall, built steadily higher on a hill... I guess this is why siege warfare was invented.

We also got lunch in Fukuyama Station... I got hamburger, which apparently here in Japan just means a slab of meat. Not that I minded, it was good, and it’s not like I was expecting a bun. Oh, and rice, of course. Although my rice was served on a plate for some reason... news flash, I’ve been in Japan for a month, I can use chopsticks and would like my rice in a bowl where I can actually eat it with chopsticks, thank you very much.

Finally, I got a souvenir to take back with me from Fukujima... momiji manju, these little tasty cake-like pastries with filling, shaped like autumn leaves. They’re filled with all kinds of things... this set was an assortment, with anko (red bean paste, like taiyaki... yay), green tea, chocolate, and mocha-filled ones. (Having already eaten them, considering it took me a while to write and post this... the anko-filled ones were the best. Just saying.)

That was pretty much it... by the time we returned to Okayama, it was time to leave for good. Tearful goodbyes were had (okay, not all that tearful), souvenirs and thank yous were exchanged, and we loaded up on the bus back to Kyoto.

... There’s only one weekend that could possibly top this, and that would be one spent in Tokyo. Oh wait, we have a break coming up later in October...

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

守口市駅
Moriguchi City Station

Today, I went with a friend out to Moriguchi City Station, near Osaka. It's on the Keihan Main Line. We had plenty of free time today, and the rest of the week is kind of packed, so today was probably the best day for this.

今日は、友達と一緒に大阪の近い守口市駅に行った。京阪本線の駅だ。たくさんの暇な時間があったし、今週はちょっと忙しいと思うから、今日は一番いいと思う。

The trip started around 2:30, when class ended for the day. Well, my friend's class, anyway. We took the subway and the Kintetsu line to Tanbabashi, and transferred to the Keihan Main Line there. Limited express train to Hirakata City, and a "sub-express" train to Moriguchi.

二時半くらい同志社を出る、授業が終わった後で。まあ、友達の授業。近鉄丹波橋まで地下鉄と近鉄線を乗って、そこで京阪本線に乗り換えた。特急で枚方市駅まで乗って、準急で守口市駅まで。

On that note... there are too many types of trains on the Keihan Line. There are nine different types! Rapid limited express (that one requires a special ticket, I think), limited express, rapid express, commuter rapid express,  normal express, midnight express, sub-express, commuter sub-express, semi-express, and local trains. This is ridiculous.

と言えば、京阪電車はたくさんのタイプがある。九つもある!快速特急、特急、快速急行、通勤快速急行、急行、深夜急行、準急、通勤準急、区間急行、普通の電車がある。バカな。

But, the trains are awesome, so it's okay. I mean, seriously. I paid 360 yen each way, and the higher-level trains (like the limited express that we rode to Moriguchi, or the rapid express that we took back to Tanbabashi) are really nice. They're basically similar to the Amtrak trains back home. Except riding on one of those will run you 80 bucks at least. (From Boston to Baltimore, and that's for the overnight train.)

でも、電車はすごいから、いいよ。360円がかかるけど、その高いレベルの電車(たとえば、特急や快速急行)はすごく快適だ。まるで、アメリカのアムトラックという電車みたいだよ。でも、アムトラックを乗るとき、80ドルがかかるよ。(深夜の電車、ボストンからバルティモルまで。)

Anyway, we mostly just took pictures when we got there. I have spent too much money as it is, and neither of us really knew anything about the area around the station. Besides, we had free time, but most of it was spent taking the trains. This is closer to Osaka than Kyoto after all.

とにかく、着いた後で、写真を撮っただけだ。僕はお金を多すぎる払ったし、僕たちは駅の近いの店を全然知らない。そして、暇な時間があったけど、その時間は電車でかかった。守口市駅は大阪のほうが近いよ。

So... why do I care about some random station on the Keihan Main Line, closer to Osaka than Kyoto? So much so that I spent nearly two hours today going there and back, pretty much entirely for the sake of taking a few pictures?

さあ...どうして大阪のほうが京都より近い京阪本線の駅を気に入りますか。どうして今日は二時間かかって、写真を撮るだけために京都から守口市駅まで行ったか。

Can't really put it into words, actually. Perhaps one of those pictures is the best explanation.

...うまく言えない。もしかしたら、その写真は一番いい説明かもしれない。

For those people who still don't understand... perhaps that's for the best. For those who do... isn't it awesome?

分からない人は...おそらく、分からない方がいいと思う。分かる人は、かっこいいでしょう。

(And for those who want a hint... look at the tags.)

(ヒントを欲しがっている人...タグを見て。)

Sunday, September 26, 2010

大阪城
Osaka Castle

First, I really should apologize. It's been a week since I've been to Osaka Castle, and I haven't posted anything about it at all.

まず、誤らなくてはだめ。大阪城には一週間前に行ったけど、全然話していない。

Here's some more awesome pictures to make up for it.

これ、かっこいい写真!

So anyway, this last week has been a week of days off. The 20th was Respect for the Aged Day, so Monday was an off day, and then the autumn equinox was on Thursday the 23rd, which means we get the day off. Considering all the free time that I had last weekend, then, it seemed an excellent time to go check out Osaka.

とにかく、先週は休みの日がたくさんあった。20日は敬老の日だったから、月曜日は休みだった。そして、秋分の日は木曜日、23日だったから、それも休みだった。暇な時間がたくさんあったから、大阪に行けるよ。

And yes, I know that that castle in the picture isn't "real". It was destroyed several times, actually, and the castle that exists today was rebuilt in modern times. Likewise, the interior is a modern museum, and bears absolutely no resemblance to a Japanese castle.

はい、はい、この城は本物ではない。何度も壊した。今日の大阪城は現代の物だ。そして、中は歴史の博物館だし、昔の日本の城じゃない。

But you know what? It doesn't matter. Because that castle looks really damn awesome.

でも、かまわない。この城はとてもかっこいいだもん。



I mean, come on! It's a freaking castle! Why can't the U.S. have any building that looks that cool?

城だよ!なぜアメリカにはこんなかっこいい物がないか。

Saturday, September 25, 2010

北野天満宮
Kitano Tenmangu

On the 25th of every month, a large flea market is held at Kitano Tenmangu, a large shrine in northern Kyoto. Being that today was Saturday, I had absolutely no reason not to go. I mean, I could just be a shut-in anime fanatic that leaves their room for food, maybe, but that would just be stupid.

毎月、25日に、北野天満宮でフリーマーケットがある。その北野天満宮は京都の北に大きい神宮だ。今日は土曜日だから、行けない理由がない。まあ、引きこもりになるけど、その仕方は絶対バカなんだ。

I took my usual route into the city, Okubo to Imadegawa by train, and got on a city bus at Imadegawa over to Kitano Tenmangu. The bus was packed. I mean, I'm used to crowds after riding the subway every morning, but this was ridiculous. Let's just say I wasn't the only one going to the shrine.

いつも通り、大久保駅から今出川駅まで電車を乗った。今出川駅で、市バスを乗って、北野天満宮前に降りた。そのバスに、人が多すぎた。毎日電車を乗るから、人がたくさんいることは問題じゃないけど...僕だけ神宮に行くことじゃない。

Pretty much right after getting off the bus, I took this picture, of the torii gate next to the road. Sadly, you can't see the taiyaki stall that I made a beeline for right after taking the picture. All the food was out front; all of the stalls visible in the picture were selling food of some kind. And I love taiyaki, so of course I had to get a snack! (uguu~)

バスを降りた後で、この写真を撮った。写真で、北野天満宮の鳥居が見える。残念だけど、たい焼きの店が見えない。その屋台店は全部食べ物の店だ。そして、たい焼きが大好きだから、もちろん食べた!(うぐぅ~)

And right after I bought my taiyaki, I ran into a friend purely by accident. I hadn't really contacted anyone else, so I wasn't planning to meet anyone, but it wasn't at all surprising to learn that I wasn't the only one there. There were a lot of places to buy kimonos, and a ton of food places too. I didn't really see much I had to have... I do want a kimono, but I'd rather have help from my host parents for that. I did buy a small fold-out fan, which is probably not necessary now that it's starting to get cooler.

たい焼きを買った後で、友達を出会った。誰も連絡しなかったから、会う予定がないけど、友達がいるのはびっくりじゃない。このマーケットで、着物の店と食べ物の店がたくさんあった。買いたいものがあまりない...着物を買いたいけど、僕のホスト両親を手伝った方がいいと思う。涼しくなるだから、多分必要じゃないけど、扇子を買った。

Oh, and I kind of got lunch... the taiyaki wasn't the only food I bought. A little while later, I picked up a pork bun and ate that. It wasn't great (auuu~), but I felt like I should at least try it. Anyone care to guess why I felt like trying the pork bun?

そして、昼ご飯を食べた。たい焼きだけじゃない。後で、肉まんを買って、食べた。あまりおいしくない(あううぅ~)けど、食べてみたいと思った。まあ、「なぜ肉まんを食べてみたいか」とは答えられるか。

The shrine itself was also packed almost beyond belief, which I imagine is part of the point of having this market. I thought about buying a protective charm and praying at the main shrine building, but I'd rather do those kinds of things when there aren't long lines involved.

神宮も人は多すぎた。僕はお守りを買おうと思ったけど、そんなことは人が少ない時にした方がいいと思う。

Besides, I took some cool pictures. Are those naginatas?

まあ、かっこいい写真を撮った。こんなのは長刀か。






Well, anyway. I had fun. The flea market was really interesting, but I would kind of like to come back and see the shrine when it's not filled with people. So I bet this isn't the last time I'll be going to Kitano Tenmangu.

とにかく、楽しかった。フリーマーケットは面白かったけど、人が少ない時の神宮も見たい。だから、この時は最後の北野天満宮に行く時じゃない。

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

定期券で一日の冒険
One day's adventure, with a commuter pass

I've already mentioned that my homestay is not exactly close to Doshisha University. And it would be nice to live closer to Doshisha. But it does have one perk: my commuter's pass. Okay, yeah, I had to buy it. And at first glance, it costs a fortune: nearly 13 thousand yen for a month-long pass. That little card, though, is perhaps the most useful thing in my wallet, bar none.

日本にいる時、僕の家は同志社大学から遠いね。もっと近い家に住んでいるのはいいかもしれない。でも、一つの恩恵がある:僕の定期券。はい、はい、買った。始めは、「高いよ」と思った、13000円ぐらい。でも、その小さいカードは財布の中で一番便利なものだよ。

Why? Because I can use it to go nearly anywhere in Kyoto. That little card will let me in and out of any station on the subway's Karasuma Line south of Imadegawa, and any station on the Kintetsu line between Takeda and Kutsukawa. That means I can go to Kyoto Station or Shijo (yay shopping!) for free, essentially. "Free" isn't quite right, I suppose. Like I said, 13 thousand yen. But it'll save me money in the end.

なぜ?と言うのは、京都の中で、この定期券を使って、どこでも行けるからだ。そのカードは地下鉄烏丸線の今出川駅の南で、なんでも駅で使えるし、近鉄線で竹田から久津川まで使える。それから、京都駅や四条駅に行く時、お金が要らない。まあ、「無料」はちょっと違う。13000円ね。でも、お金を節約出来るよ。

For example, today... I was particularly indecisive today, and ended up taking the subway a lot. First, the trip I have to take every day: Okubo to Imadegawa in the morning. I'm pretty sure that's about 500 yen. After classes were over today, I went down to Teramachi and the Nishiki market, so Imadegawa to Karasuma Oike... 220 yen, I think?

例えば、今日...今日に、僕はちょっと煮え切らないから、地下鉄をたくさん使った。まず、毎日の必要な通い、大久保駅から今出川駅まで。これは、500円ぐらいかかると思う。授業の後で、僕は寺町と錦通りに行ったから、今出川駅から烏丸御池駅まで地下鉄を乗った。220円、と思う。

When I was done there, I wanted to go to the post office, and I knew that there was a post office outside Kyoto Station. I mailed a gift to my twin brother today. But on that first trip to the post office, I forgot my address, so I had to go back to Doshisha to get Internet access. Shijo to Kyoto Station: probably about 250 yen; Kyoto Station to Imadegawa: again, 250 yen or so.

その後、郵便局に行きたかったし、京都駅の近くに郵便局があることは知っていた。今日は双子の兄に贈り物を送った。でも、郵便局に行く時、住所を忘れたから、インターネットを使うために同志社に帰らなくちゃ。四条駅から京都駅まで、250円、京都駅から今出川駅まで、また250円ぐらい。

Once I had looked up my address, I went back to the post office to send my brother's stuff out. That was kind of awkward, actually, because I had to ask the employee about getting an envelope... and because I used the word for "box", he thought I wanted an actual cardboard box rather than the little cushioned envelope. Oh well, I learned a new word today! Imadegawa to Kyoto Station: again, 250.

住所を調べた後で、郵便局にまた行った。今回はちょっと恥ずかしい...封筒は要るけど、どこがあるか知らない。郵便局の人を聞いたとき、「箱」を使ったから、段ボールの箱がほしいと思っていた。まあ、今日は新しい言葉を習った!今出川駅から京都駅まで、また、250円。

After my post office adventure, it was about 3 in the afternoon, and the plan was to meet my host mom for dinner at 6:30. It was too early to go back home, so I went back to Doshisha to hang out and play Pokemon Black. Kyoto Station to Imadegawa: really, do I need to repeat myself?

郵便局の冒険の後で、三時ごろだった。お母さんと晩ご飯をレストランで会う予定があるから、早すぎた。だから、また同志社に帰って、ポケモンブラックをした。京都駅から今出川駅まで...本当に繰り返すことが要るか。

Finally, it was 5 in the evening and people were starting to leave Doshisha. I decided that, even though it was early, that I should be heading back anyway. So I got on the train for Shin-Tanabe, which I can ride all the way from Imadegawa to Okubo. But, since I was early, I decided to waste time and go one more stop, to Kutsukawa. When the weather's nice, I can walk from Kutsukawa to my home. The bus is cheap, but nothing's cheaper than "free". Imadegawa to Kutsukawa: 500 yen or so, I think.

五時ごろ、同志社でだれもいなくなるから、僕は帰ると決まった。だから、新田辺行きの電車を乗った。その電車は、今出川駅から大久保駅まで乗れる。でも、早いから、久津川駅に行った。天気がいいなら、久津川駅から家まで歩ける。バスは安いけど、無料の方が安いよ。今出川駅から久津川駅まで、500円ぐらいと思う。

... But, I was meeting my host mom at a restaurant closer to Okubo Station. So after staring at the map outside Kutsukawa for about a minute, I got back on the train, one stop, from Kutsukawa to Okubo. Probably a waste, but hey, I have a commuter's pass, right? Kutsukawa to Okubo: ... I don't actually know, so I'll tag it as 130. It's probably more than that.

でも、レストランは大久保駅の方が近い。だから、久津川駅で一分待って、電車をまた乗った、久津川駅から大久保駅まで。まあ、もったいないかもしれないけど、定期券があるでしょ?久津川駅から大久保駅まで...知らないから、130円を書く。多分、それ以上だ。

So the total cost for my adventures today: 2350 yen. One. Day. That little card really is convenient, isn't it?

合計:2350円。一日だけ。その小さいカードは本当に便利ね。

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

帰る場所
A Place to Return To

... Life in Japan is very different from life in the U.S. Yeah, I know, it's obvious.

日本の生活はアメリカの生活ととても違う。まあ、明らかでしょ。

Admittedly, being out in Japan isn't the only difference. I have to commute to school now, for one thing. At Brandeis, I lived in the dorms, so my "place to return to" was never more than ten minutes away on foot. Now that place is a 45-minute train ride away. I can't just go back home whenever I want. As a result, I don't go home until there's nothing more I want to do in the city.

でも、日本にいるとは一つだけの違いじゃいない。一つは、通学しなければならない。ブランダイスに、寮に住んでいたから、僕の「帰る場所」は歩いて、10分以下かかった。今、その場所は電車で45分ぐらいかかる。いつでも帰ることが出来ません。それから、もう京都でしたいことをした後だけで帰る。

And the word "early" has taken on an entirely different meaning here. During high school, "early" meant being home by around 3. Here... yeah, today I got home at 6:50 in the evening, and tried to apologize for being late. But no, I was slightly early. Dinner isn't on the table until 7ish, normally.

そして、「早い」と言う言葉の意味は違う。高校生の時、「はやい」の意味は3時ごろ帰る。ここで...今日は6時50分に帰って、遅く帰ると思った。でも、違った、ちょっと早い。晩ご飯はたいてい7時に食べる。

And speaking of dinner: now that my lifestyle has changed, I've changed too. Back in the U.S., I tended to not eat much at mealtimes, and make up for it with snacks during the afternoon. But it's kind of rude not to finish your meal, and it would be too embarrassing to admit how many foods I've actually eaten before.

晩ご飯って...生活が変わるから、僕も変わった。アメリカで、たいてい食べ物を少ない食べた。昼にたくさんクッキーやお菓子を食べた。でも、日本で全部を食べないことはちょっと失礼だし、食べたことがある食べ物を教えてあげることは恥ずかしいよ。

Or to put it differently: when you don't have a choice, you tend to eat rather than not eat. Regardless of what you do or do not like. So even though I've never even seen half of these foods before, much less eaten them, I eat all of the food I'm given.

つまり、仕方がない時、食べるの方がいいと思う。好きな食べ物も、嫌いな食べ物も、多分食べる。だから、そんな食べ物は見たことないさえ、食べたことないけど、僕は全部の食べ物を食べる。

And I've learned a few things in the process. I like cucumber, apparently. I do not particularly like tofu, although I'll eat it. (It's hard to eat with chopsticks, though.) Curry can go either way; my host mom's curry was not all that spicy, and thus eatable, while the curry that I got out in Osaka was too spicy.

そして、新しいことを習う。例えば、キュウリが好きだ。豆腐はあまり好きじゃないけど、食べられる。お箸でちょっと食べにくい。カレーはまあまあ。ホストのお母さんのカレーはあまり辛くないから、食べられる。でも、カレー店で買ったカレーは辛すぎた。

Oh yeah, and those meals at which I'm eating a greater variety of food? I've been eating a lot more food too. If my host parents keep insisting on giving me these gigantic meals, I will be fat by the time I go back to the U.S. I am not kidding.

そして、アメリカの晩ご飯はもっと小さい。ここで、食べ物を多い食べる。こんな大きい晩ご飯を何度も食べれば、アメリカに帰るとき、僕は太ってる。冗談じゃないよ。

My host parents are really interesting people. My host mother is an English teacher, so she can explain things in English if I'm not understanding something. I almost never use English myself, of course... the point of me being here in Japan is for me to learn Japanese, right? But even in Japanese, she's generally very easy to understand. As is typical for Japan, she's the one that knows everyone's plans and keeps everyone organized.

僕のホストの両親はとても面白い人だ。ホストのお母さんは英語の先生だから、分からなければ英語で説明できる。僕はあまり英語を使わない...というのは、日本にいる理由は日本語を習うことだからね。でも、日本語を使う時も、お母さんはとても分かりやすいだ。日本的に、お母さんは皆の予定を知っている。

My host father is much harder to understand... he uses the Kansai dialect, which I've only just started to learn. He seems to have a love for cultural kinds of things... if I recall correctly, he has an interest in history. On top of that, I know for a fact that he draws/paints pictures (I've seen them) and can play some musical instruments too (I've heard him play).

ホストのお父さんはちょっと分かりにくい...お父さんは関西弁を使う。勉強し始めるから、まだ分からないことが多い。お父さんも日本的なものが好きだ...記憶は確かなら、歴史は興味がある。そして、絵を描くことが出来る(見たことがある)、楽器を引くことも出来る(聴いたことがある)。

It's kind of a pity that that's it... no children or younger adults in the household. It would have been nice if there was someone at home that I could talk to anime about... But it's fine. I got a good host family. And you know... everyone has to have a place to return to. I'm glad that the one I've got for my time in Japan is a good one.

これだけだ。子供や若い人はいない。家に、誰ともアニメのことを話せないから、ちょっと残念ね。でも、平気だよ。僕のホストファミリーはいい。まあ、誰でも帰る場所が要るよ。僕のはいいから、よかった。

Saturday, September 18, 2010

カラオケ
Karaoke

Karaoke is perhaps the most enjoyable form of entertainment known to man. That's what I think, anyway.

世界の中にカラオケは一番楽しいことだと思う。

Last night, there was a KCJS welcome party at Kyoto University, more often just called "Kyodai" (Kyoto Daigaku). That was pretty interesting; we got to hang out and meet Kyodai students, make new friends, etc. But after that, we went to do karaoke.

昨日の晩、京都大学(たいてい、「京大」と呼んで)で京都アメリカ大学コンソーシアムのパーティーがありました。そのパーティーでは京大の学生を会ったり、新しい友達を作ったりするから、楽しかった。でも、その後、カラオケをしに行った。

That was awesome. I've now done karaoke twice here in Japan, and every time I go, I end up having a great time. I mean, I like singing, and I like anime theme songs. And the karaoke places in Japan have pretty much any song you could think of, which means I can sing anything I want.

それはすごく楽しかった。カラオケを二回しって、しに行くたびに、楽しすぎた。僕は歌うのが好きだし、アニメの曲も好きだ。そして日本に、カラオケ屋は曲がたくさんあるから、何でも歌いたい曲が歌える。

Last night... I sang a few different songs. Nana Mizuki, as always... she is my favorite J-pop artist after all. If I remember correctly, I sang three of hers: Eternal Blaze, the opening to Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's, Don't be long, an insert song from the Nanoha 1st movie, and Young Alive!, from her most recent album.

昨日の晩、色々な曲を歌った。さすが、水樹奈々。一番好きな歌手だね。思い出は確かなら、三つ...ETERNAL BLAZE、魔法少女リリカルなのはA'sのOP。そして、Don't be long、なのは1st MOVIEの挿入歌。さいごに、Young Alive!、八つめのCDの曲だ。

Then there were the well-known songs. I make it a point to sing Zankoku na Tenshi no Thesis and Hare Hare Yukai whenever I get the chance. Everyone knows those songs. Or at least, they should. The Kyodai students sang the Dragonball Z theme song, too, so I wasn't the only one going for anime songs.

そして、人気がある曲を歌った。チャンスがあるたびに、残酷な天子のテーゼとハレ晴レユカイを歌う。誰でもその曲を知ってる。まあ、知らなければならない。京大の学生はドラゴンボールZのOPを歌ったから、アニメの曲を歌いたい人は僕だけじゃない。

But I sang less well-known ones too. There was a song called True Blue, the ending theme to Sky Girls, and LEVEL5 ~judgelight~, the second opening to To Aru Kagaku no Railgun. And then there was an older one: the opening theme to the original Space Battleship Yamato anime.

でも、僕はあまり人気がない曲も歌った。True Blueと言う曲はスカイガールズのEDとLEVEL5~judgelight~、とある科学の超電磁砲のOPを歌った。そしてもっと古い曲、宇宙戦艦ヤマトのOPを歌った。

In between the songs I sang and the ones everyone else sang, we started at eight in the evening and didn't finish until one in the morning. Nothing like doing karaoke for five hours straight.

カラオケは、午後八時に始まった、朝の一時ぐらい終わった。五時間もカラオケをした。

In sum: whenever anyone wants to do karaoke, as long as it's okay, I will quite gladly come along.

だから、カラオケを行きたい時、よかったら、僕と一緒に行こう!

Monday, September 13, 2010

授業
Classes

I've been here a week already, and yet I haven't talked about some really basic things. You know, classes, host family, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Joyo... Now is as good a time as any to start fixing that, and I'll start with my classes. I would go for Doshisha first, but I want to take better pictures before I get around to that.

一週間日本にいますけど、とても基本的なことをまだ話してない。例えば、授業や僕のホストファミリーや同志社大学や京都市や城陽市...今はこんな事を話し始める。まず、僕の授業。同志社のことを最初になるのに、前にもっといい写真を撮りたい。

Anyway, here at KCJS, everyone has Japanese class in the morning. I can't speak for how it compares to other universities, but it's certainly harder than Brandeis's Japanese classes were. (I hear that Columbia's Japanese classes are even harder...) There are five classes, A class through E class; E is theoretically a fifth-year level. I'm in B class.

京都アメリカ大学コンソーシアムで、誰でも朝に日本語の授業があります。この授業も他の大学の授業もどちらの方が難しいか知らないけど、ブランダイスより難しい。(コロムビアの学生によると、この大学の授業の方が難しいそう。)日本語の授業が五つあります、AクラスからEクラスまで。Eクラスは日本語の五年生の授業だ。僕はBクラスにいます。

The class meets for about two hours every day. In true Brandeis style, it starts at 9:10 and runs until 10:00, at which point we get a break. Most of the time that break is just ten minutes, and we start up again at 10:10, but occasionally we have the time from 10:00 to 11:00 off and we have class again from 11:10 to 12:00. What can I say, I didn't create the schedule.

平日に、毎日授業が二時間くらいあります。ブランダイス的に、九時十分に始まって、十時に休みがあります。たいてい、その休みは十分だけ。でも、時々授業は十一時十分から十二時まであります。まあ、予定を作る人はコンソーシアムのスタッフ。僕じゃない。

So far, in B class, we've been learning new grammar and doing reading practice. Unfamiliar kanji are everywhere in the reading practice, but it doesn't look like there's going to be any active kanji teaching. We can learn them on our own though, if we're so inclined. Our teacher is an interesting guy; he's fairly young and certainly likes having fun. Although sometimes, the E class teacher comes in and takes over; she's also a great teacher, although much more strict.

Bクラスで、新しい文法を習って、読む練習をする。この練習に、知らない漢字が多いけど、漢字の練習があまりないみたいだ。したかったら、漢字の独学が出来る。先生は面白い方ですね。若くて、楽しみが好きだと思う。時々、Eクラスの先生に来て、教えます。この先生はいい先生だけど、ちょっと厳しい。

After Japanese class is over, we have time off for lunch. Then in the afternoon, there are several classes taught in English covering Japanese culture and history. Every student picks two of them to take. I chose a class on Japanese religions and a class on the history of the city of Kyoto.

日本語の授業が終わったら、昼休みがあります。午後に、色々な日本の文化や歴史の授業があります。その授業は、英語の授業だ。誰でも午後の授業が二つ取っている。僕の選んだ授業は日本の宗教と京都の歴史の授業だ。

The Japanese Religions class looks interesting. I mean, there's not much to say, it's a class on a specific part of Japanese culture that I wouldn't be able to take at Brandeis. Right now we're covering Shinto, and we'll get into Buddhism later. Oh, and we get to take field trips. We're in Kyoto, surrounded by temples and shrines, we practically have to go out and see them in person. The history of Kyoto class is also going to be kind of interesting. I can't really explain it all that well, actually. Certainly, I'll know a lot more about the city I'm studying abroad in by the time it's over.

日本の宗教の授業は面白そう。それだけ言えるかも知れない。ブランダイスにその授業がないから、取りたい。今、神道のことを勉強してる。その後、仏教を勉強します。そして、見学旅行があります。京都にいるし、寺や神社がたくさんあるから、見学はたぶん必要ね。京都の歴史の授業も面白そう。うまく説明できないけど、この授業の終わりに、僕はたくさん京都のことを知っているはずだ。

I mean, I'd be happy just to be in Kyoto, and not have to worry about homework (like the reading practice I should be doing right now...) But since I have to have classes, I'm glad that I get to take good ones.

とにかく、ただ京都にいるだけはいいし、宿題とか授業とか心配しなければよかったのに、授業があります。だから、楽しい授業の方がいいだと思う。

Friday, September 10, 2010

携帯電話
Cell phone

Before I came to Japan, I thought it would be kinda cool to turn 20 in Japan itself. Sure, right now there are some things I can't do, but I didn't think there would be any problems or anything like that. So much for that. I mean, I can wait two months to drink... but I kind of need a cell phone now.

日本に来る前に、僕は日本にいる時二十歳になるのはかっこいいと思った。まあ、今は出来ない事があるけど、問題なんてないと思った。違う。お酒を飲むことを二ヶ月待ってもいいだけど、今ケイタイが必要だ。

Needless to say, I'm glad I went with a friend who was, in fact, 20. Otherwise this latest shopping trip would have been nothing but an annoyance. And I kinda hope that there aren't any further issues, because I would hate to have to explain to the police why my friend's name is on the receipt. Technically, he bought two phones and then gave one to me, I suppose.

もちろん、二十歳になった友達とケイタイを買いに行ったから、よかった。友達がいなければ、その買いに行くのは面倒くさいだけだった。そして、「どうしてあんたの名前じゃない?」と聞かれたら、答えにくいだから、その問題は最後のはいいだと思う。まあ、友達はケイタイを二台買って、一台を僕にくれる。

So anyway, here it is!

とにかく、これだ!


It's a SoftBank phone, an 831P. It's a prepaid phone, so I have to be careful about how much and when I use it. Well, text messaging is only 300 yen for a month, so that won't be much of a problem. It can connect to the Internet as well, but that's a little more expensive. And calls are 90 yen a minute.


ソフトバンクの携帯、831Pだ。プリペイドだから、あまり使わないほうがいい。まあ、メールを送ることが一ヶ月に300円がかかるから、大丈夫。インタネットを繋がることも出来るけどそれは高い。そして、電話をかけることは一分に90円がかかる。


I finally have a working cell phone again. Life is good.


またケイタイがある。いいなぁ。