Finally...pizza!

We ordered Domino's pizza for dinner today.

Possible toppings include corn, potatoes, eggplant, mayo, teriyaki chicken, broccoli, and squid, among others.

But I just went for pepperoni.

Call me lame for sticking to the safe stuff, but I've been craving real pizza for a long time now. (Not that Domino's qualifies as real pizza...but it was close enough.)

Much more expensive than it would have been at home, but so worth it.

And to top it all off, the new house manager gave us beer to go with our dinner. A lovely lazy Sunday, indeed.

A Lovely Weekend, Indeed

Friday after class, I decided to join a few guys from the house (L to R: Kevin, Sean, and Bob) for drinks at A Bar--a sweet little establishment next to the tattoo parlor--where happy hour is from 5:00 to 7:00. We ended up staying until 8:00 or 8:30, but we ordered 2 beers (500mL)each just before happy hour ended, so that we could stay longer but not pay regular price for drinks. I had three 500mL Yebisu and one smaller Yebisu the Hop (see green labels above), and was quite content. We stopped at McDonald's on the way home (the bar food was good but insubstantial), and I called it an early night. After all, I had to get up early on Saturday for a field trip!

Yes, a field trip. All of the SKP students were given 3 options for a field trip: tea ceremony (been there, done that), Omron (Japanese tech company...not my thing), or the Disaster Center (can I get a hell yeah?).

As if going on a class field trip wasn't enough to make me feel 8 again, the disaster center is clearly meant for school children. The video we watched in the lobby starred a mother and her young son, learning about natural disasters and safety--and loving every second of it.

First up was a wind tunnel, simulating 32 meters per second typhoon winds. That's fast enough to make your hair and clothes whip around, and make breathing a little difficult if you don't lower your head, but I think I speak for the group when I say we wanted stronger winds. That would probably be too much for the age group this place targets, though.

Then we were put into a smoke-filled maze to show us what it might be like in a hotel fire. It was a lot harder to see than I thought it would be!

After learning how to use fire extinguishers came the moment we'd all been waiting for: the earthquake simulator, a room (meant to look like an eat-in kitchen) that can move and shake to let people feel what a 7.o magnitude earthquake feels like. Not only do you get to go in and feel the "earthquake," but you also get to watch the people inside. I'm not sure how useful it was in terms of earthquake preparedness (since we knew it was coming), but it was still pretty cool.

After all the excitement of the Disaster Center, I really wanted a nap. Instead, I went to campus for Rits Fest, a student festival that's been advertised around campus for over a month.

I can't believe all the things that were going on! Dozens of student groups running stalls selling food, drinks, knick-knacks, crafts, clothes; several music and dance groups; a WWE-style wrestling match; a photo exhibition, and more.

I was really impressed with the main stage. The set-up was really professional, and the band sounded great. We definitely do not have anything like this at Illinois College.

Rits Fest started winding down for the day as the sun started setting. Instead of doing the sane thing, and going home to rest, I decided to join some friends on a trip to Arashiyama. Apparently, for about 10 days every fall, some temples remain open at night for a "Light Up."

I think my pictures explain it better than I can. Even though many of them turred out blurrier than I would have liked, I think they capture the atmosphere much better than photos with flash would have. It was really beautiful, and definitely got me excited to see some more gardens in the near future. The hard part will be deciding where to go!

A beautiful afternoon, well spent

At least 10 times a week (usually a few more), I cycle past Ninna-ji, a temple founded in the 9th century (and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site).

This afternoon, the sky was blue and the sun was shining, so I decided to finally venture past the commanding main gate and have a look around. It was getting a bit late in the afternoon, so I opted to explore the portion of the grounds that was free admission.

The grounds and buildings were lovely, but my favorite part? A solitary sakura tree in bloom! It may not be in "full bloom", so I'm sure I'm missing out on the "real" sakura experience...but still. Sakura in November! I got some nice pictures of the cherry blossoms and the momiji. As always, photos from this latest excursion can be found in my Picasa web album.

A little early to be thinking about re-entry shock, but...

For the last few days I've been getting serious about changing my return flight to mid-January. Classes at Rits end on January 19, with an exam period until February 3. As much as I'd love to stay here, and travel around Japan in that time (since I won't actually have any exams during those weeks), classes at IC start up on January 13. So if I were to stay here until February 5, as currently scheduled, I'd miss over 3 weeks of classes back home, and I'd rather avoid playing catch-up all semester.

All of these thoughts of returning home has plagued me with some confusing emotions. I'm torn between my desire to stay here another term, and my desire to be reunited with the people I care about. As I tried to pick a suitable return date with a friend, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of remorse for the experiences I'll miss by returning early...which then triggered some guilt that I wasn't elated at the idea of coming home. It's not that I don't want to go home--it's just that going home means that this marvelous experience is over.

I can't quite pinpoint it, but I feel like these last 2 months have really changed me. How could it not? I've left behind the people and places dearest to me to start a new (albeit temporary) life in Japan. Life here--surrounded by beautiful mountains and famous temples and wonderful people from all over the world, with little contact with my loved ones back home--has become my new normal.

So when the time comes, how do I readjust? How do I take what I've learned (and what I will learn) and apply it to life at home?

Only time will tell, I suppose. Right now, my only task is to just enjoy the ride.

It's Official...

...We are now "regulars" at Sam & Dave.

Two Important Purchases

Yesterday, I finally bought two gadgets that I should have gotten shortly after my arrival. Better late than never, I suppose.

First: a cell phone! Since I'm here for such a short time, prepay was the best option. I went with a couple other I-House II students who speak much more Japanese than I do. Julien was such a huge help--I would have been completely lost if I went alone!

SoftBank only has 3 models for prepay, and two of them were out of stock. So by default, I got this model (although I probably would have chosen it anyway).

The phone was just under $70, and I prepaid about $30, which will give me around 30 minutes of talk time. Those minutes expire after 60 days. The rates for voice calling are outrageous, but I plan to use it mainly for text and e-mail (unlimited for less than $3/month). Oh yeah, and I got to make up the last 4 digits of my phone number, and create my own e-mail address for my phone.

I'm still figuring out how to work everything on it, but I'm pretty pleased with my lovely new phone.

My other big purchase was a denshi jisho from Taniyama Musen, an electronics shop downtown. It's going to make doing all of my Japanese homework SO much easier!

(Once I figure how to use it, of course. Luckily a few of my friends have a similar model, and they've offered to show me the ropes.)

I really wanted the pink one, but the only pink one they had was the floor model...so I got a 2,000 yen discount and the color I wanted. I owe a big thanks to Julien for that bit as well. I should probably buy the man a case of beer for his help.

And it might be cuteness overkill, but I got a pink case for it, too.

More than you ever wanted to know about my Momiji Irezumi

For a couple of years, I've been thinking about getting a tattoo on my foot. When I went with a friend from home to get his tattoo, I saw a beautiful drawing of a bird. I asked the artist for a quote, but I wasn't ready to make a decision. Other than its beauty, the bird had no significance to me. I wanted my tattoo to be both meaningful and beautiful.

Shortly after my arrival in Kyoto, I met a girl in my program named Kate who'd already been here for half a year. She showed me her tattoo--a simple black and white sakura design on her foot--and told me she got it at a tattoo parlor near the Kamogawa.

That's when I knew I'd get a tattoo here in Kyoto. But I still wasn't sure what I wanted. I spent a lot of time doing Google image searches and happened across some of Gakkin's (Kate's tattoo artist) work. Kate later gave me a link to the Harizanmai site, where I could see Gakkin's complete portfolio. I liked his colorful sakura designs, but I was especially taken by his realistic momiji tattoos, and realized what a perfect symbol they were for my time here.

However, the momiji tats in Gakkin's portfolio were all quite large. Could it be adapted, and would it still be as beautiful on a smaller scale?

I accompanied Kate to Harizanmai when she had to get a touch-up and immediately noticed a vibrant drawing (which had or was soon to become a tattoo) on Gakkin's wall, which included some small, bright, red-orange momiji.

And I was sold. I talked to Gakkin briefly on the phone and made an appointment for Sunday, November 2, at 7:00pm.

I started getting cold feet almost immediately after I got off the phone.

As I was running around gathering things for a last-minute Halloween costume, I stopped in to Harizanmai with the hopes of assuaging my fear. I wanted to talk to Gakkin more about the design, and luckily he had some free time. I told him I thought I wanted the momiji on a branch, but I wasn't really sure. He did a rough sketch for me, and while it was nice, it wasn't what I wanted. I asked him to draw the leaves as if they were falling, and I fell in love with the design. I left the parlor that Friday afternoon with an extra little bounce in my step--I was finally REALLY excited about the tattoo!

When I got to Harizanmai on Sunday evening, we toyed around a bit with the exact placement of the leaves. Once the stencil was in place, I started feeling quite nervous. I've always heard that the foot is an extremely painful area to get tattooed. I definitely started sweating a bit when Gakkin turned on the needle--what an ominous sound!

For the most part, though, the pain wasn't too bad. A few spots were much worse than the rest, but all in all it wasn't as painful as I'd expected. I only had to grit my teeth a few times, and I managed to only cuss once--compared to Aoife, who swore in no less than 6 different languages!

After he finished the outline, we discussed the colors one more time. He knew I wanted red, orange, and a bit of yellow. Did I want the leaves at the top to be darker, and the leaves at the bottom to be lighter? Did I want them all to be the same? No, and no. I wanted some variation, but I also wanted them to look like they belong together. Not sure how well I was getting my idea across, I told him that he was a great artist, and I trusted him to make it beautiful.

And that he did.

So, here's a close-up taken minutes after the pain stopped. I think it's fair to say that I am absolutely in love with my new tattoo!

To me, it's well worth the 30,000 yen (a little over 300 USD), the pain, the discomfort of a foot swollen to massive proportions for four days, and the sometimes tedious aftercare. Because now I have a permanent reminder of the things I have done and the things I can do, of my life in Kyoto (5 leaves for 5 months), and the beauty of changes to come.

A Newfound Love & Appreciation

Riding my bicycle everywhere (but especially over hilly terrain to and from school) has made me realize something.

Momentum is a beautiful thing.

When I first starting cycling around here, momentum scared me. I was terrified of going downhill too fast, and would ride the brakes down particularly long or steep inclines.

But the more I cycled, the less afraid I became, and the more I enjoyed cruising downhill, hair flying wildly behind me, and the added benefit of having to exert less effort to climb the next slope.

In fact, now I get grumpy when a combination of narrow streets, heavy traffic, and rude drivers force me to sacrifice my momentum....even if it is better for my health.

Yes We Can

Since my arrival in Japan nearly 2 months ago, I've been very, very pleased to be away from the 24-hour news cycle and constant campaign coverage. It's been nice to be able to tune in and out as I please, ignoring politics back home for days at a time.

But today? Today I sat in class, my mind wandering to the election, instead of properly focusing on learning grammar and vocabulary. Today, it was maddening not having that access.

This year marks the first time I wasn't sitting in front of the TV with my family, watching anxiously as ballots were counted and electoral votes allocated, states glowing red or blue on the screen.

I knew I'd be sad to miss Homecoming, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years...but it never crossed my mind that I'd be sad to miss election night.

But despite being thousands of miles removed from the excitement and hope surging back home, hearing the news from other students with Internet access on their cell phones had its own appeal. Today, I got a better sense of how closely the rest of the world has been watching. It's no secret (especially after Obama's appearance in Germany earlier this year) that the rest of the world pays much more attention to American politics than we generally do to theirs. But seeing the overjoyed reactions of students from around the world--Ireland, Japan, Australia, France, Malaysia, etc.--gave the news of Obama's election even more weight than it would have carried if I had been surrounded only by Americans. I can't help but imagine people all over the world breathing a sigh of relief--even celebrating.

Because that's what we're doing here. We may not number in the hundreds of thousands, or have as impressive a venue, or wave miniature American flags--but tonight, we students from across the globe are celebrating, and we'll raise our glasses to hope and change.