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...

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。

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。）

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。

始まりThe Beginning

It's still hard to believe that I'm really in Kyoto. (Well, technically, Joyo... I'll explain in a sec.) Let's see, what's happened so far...

京都にいるのがまだ信じにくいね。（まあ、城陽市にいる．．．後で説明する。）何があったんですか．．．

Trains here in Japan are really awesome. I mean, I already knew that, but it's one thing to know that, and entirely another to actually ride them. I took the Haruka train from Kansai International Airport to Kyoto after I arrived. They actually cleaned the train before we could get on, at the airport station. And I've ridden on Kyoto's Karasuma line, which is a subway line that's really useful for getting to Doshisha.

日本の電車はすごいよ。もう分かったけど、分かるとこの電車を乗るのは違う。日本に着いた後に、「はるか」と言う電車を乗った、関西国際空港から京都まで。空港駅で、乗る前に、電車の勤務者は電車を掃除しました。そして京都の烏丸線も乗った。それは同志社大学に行くためにとても便利な地下鉄線だ。

And now, I've been out to Joyo, south of Kyoto. Well, that's where my host family lives. So now I've been out on the Kintetsu Kyoto line, to Okubo Station. I'm sitting in my room as I write this. Later tonight, once I've unpacked, I'll take a few pictures.

そして今、僕は城陽市に行ったことがある。まあ、ホストファミリーは住んでいる場所だ。だから、近鉄京都線に乗ったことがある。これを書きながら、僕の部屋にいる。今夜で、荷解きした後で、写真を撮るつもりだ。

But that's today. I haven't said anything about yesterday. Yesterday was... interesting. We took a placement test in the morning. That was, I think, the single hardest test I've ever taken. I did passably well on the kanji questions, I suppose, but the reading ones were nearly impossible. I don't yet know the results, but I doubt I did all that well, at least on the written portion of the test.

これは今日だ。まだ昨日のことは話していない。昨日は．．．面白い。朝は、プレースメント試験を受けた。それは、受ける試験の中に、一番難しい試験だと思う。漢字の問題はまあまあけど、読むの問題は難しすぎた。まだ成績を知らないけど、成績は悪いだと思う。

There was also an interview portion of the test. That was actually, somehow, fun. Well, since I said that I liked magical girl anime, I ended up explaining Sailor Moon. I've said so many times that the words I learn from anime aren't ever going to be used, but when you have to explain anime...

そして、面接試験があった。それは何だか楽しかった。まあ、魔法少女のアニメが好きって言ったから、セーラームーンを説明した。何度も「アニメから習った言葉は全然使わない」と言ったけど、アニメを説明する時は．．．

The evening was also great fun. Why? I went out with some of my friends to a karaoke place. I've been wanting to do karaoke for a long time now. And it was amazingly fun. I repeatedly sung anime songs, like Hare Hare Yukai and Zankoku na Tenshi no Thesis. I also sang some Nana Mizuki songs, and topped it all off with Caramelldansen. (And I did the dance to that last one.) I can't properly express how much fun I had.

夜も楽しかったよ。なぜって？友達とカラオケをしに行った。絶対にカラオケをしたい。そして、すごく楽しかった。僕は何度もアニメの歌を歌った。たとえば、ハレ晴レユカイや残酷な天使のテーゼ。そして、水樹奈々の曲を歌って、Caramelldansenも歌って。そして、Caramelldansenの舞も舞った。うまく言えないけど、すごく楽しかった。

So yeah... this is the start of one hell of an adventure.

これはすごい冒険の始まりですよね。