I probably should have done more writing today... but I did get a lot done this week!
Today the internet caught me though, and pulled me under. Drowning in the net. Glub glub.
So, I got through some chapters, and feel like I made good progress.
Gonna try to write some more tonight too.
And I get to go home in the morning. Although I might be leaving again the same day to see my cousins visiting from Oregon. No chance to rest.
~*~
Sunday, June 30, 2013
More Naaames
So, I changed another of the names of one of the less major characters in Katani's story. Just when I think I have them all done. I might go through them again and change some others. Because the names are skewed heavily towards Japanese. I don't have my name list with me now though... it's on my computer at home.
Running Short
I'm behind on my blog posts for the month. TT^TT
Curse my lack of posting in Japan and at Family Camp.
I'm kind of tempted to randomly break up blog posts so I can hit the 10 blog posts a month (which I've missed twice so far. It bugs me more than it should...)
Curse my lack of posting in Japan and at Family Camp.
I'm kind of tempted to randomly break up blog posts so I can hit the 10 blog posts a month (which I've missed twice so far. It bugs me more than it should...)
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Family Camp
So, been away for the week, again. Got home from Japan, spent the week painting our front poch, and then left again for another week. And once I get home, I have a week to spend with my Portland cousins, who are visiting (actually, I'm going to miss the family party, so that makes me sad. TT^TT )
Now I'm volunteering at the Family Camp up at the Ananda Retreat in the woods.
It just ended this morning, and the internet is back up. XP
I've been getting a lot of writing done! And the camp was a lot of fun too.
I forget if I posted much about this on the blog. But I did that writing program up here last summer, right? And I applied for the writer's residency grant that went along with the program . I got second place, though, so didn't get to do it.
But it turns out that the guy who actually won chose this week to come up and write. So I get to meet the person who beat me out. Heheh. He's working on poetry. And he's from the midwest, and not part of Ananda. So I guess the grant was a lot more open and wide-spread than I thought. I wonder how many people actually applied...
Oh well. At least I got Saturday and Sunday last week to write, and I have all of today and tomorrow too (since the camp ended kinda early). And I have been getting a lot of writing done, even though I didn't win the Residency Grant. So it's all good.
Now I'm volunteering at the Family Camp up at the Ananda Retreat in the woods.
It just ended this morning, and the internet is back up. XP
I've been getting a lot of writing done! And the camp was a lot of fun too.
I forget if I posted much about this on the blog. But I did that writing program up here last summer, right? And I applied for the writer's residency grant that went along with the program . I got second place, though, so didn't get to do it.
But it turns out that the guy who actually won chose this week to come up and write. So I get to meet the person who beat me out. Heheh. He's working on poetry. And he's from the midwest, and not part of Ananda. So I guess the grant was a lot more open and wide-spread than I thought. I wonder how many people actually applied...
Oh well. At least I got Saturday and Sunday last week to write, and I have all of today and tomorrow too (since the camp ended kinda early). And I have been getting a lot of writing done, even though I didn't win the Residency Grant. So it's all good.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Name-changing
Once I get a name in mind for a character, I don't like to change it. Especially when the names just feel right.
There have been a couple instances where I've written an entire draft, and then realized that I needed to change one of the character names. It may take me a while of mixing up the names. But I always get the new one in my head eventually, since it fits better. Like Youka.
And then there are times when I don't want to change the character name... but I kind of have to.
Like the other night. I randomly thought of something that made me realize that I needed to change the name of a character.
Evva (Evareen), from a story I have not yet written. Which is good, because I don't need to go back and change her name in stuff I've already written (except a pilot chapter). But I had already named most of the characters in that story, and been pretty satisfied with most of them. Like Evva's name. It felt right to me.
Except for one thing.
Evva has earth magic. Rocks, metal, and such (or maybe just rocks. I'm not sure yet). The problem is... in another book series, there's a girl named Evvy, who also has rock magic.
@!#$!@#
Damnit.
Looks like I need to find a new name for Evva. Maybe I can recycle her ex-name elsewhere.
There have been a couple instances where I've written an entire draft, and then realized that I needed to change one of the character names. It may take me a while of mixing up the names. But I always get the new one in my head eventually, since it fits better. Like Youka.
And then there are times when I don't want to change the character name... but I kind of have to.
Like the other night. I randomly thought of something that made me realize that I needed to change the name of a character.
Evva (Evareen), from a story I have not yet written. Which is good, because I don't need to go back and change her name in stuff I've already written (except a pilot chapter). But I had already named most of the characters in that story, and been pretty satisfied with most of them. Like Evva's name. It felt right to me.
Except for one thing.
Evva has earth magic. Rocks, metal, and such (or maybe just rocks. I'm not sure yet). The problem is... in another book series, there's a girl named Evvy, who also has rock magic.
@!#$!@#
Damnit.
Looks like I need to find a new name for Evva. Maybe I can recycle her ex-name elsewhere.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Maybe Finally
So, I talked to my teacher, and she said I should go ahead and apply for the Envs grad program.
So, it looks like maybe, at long last, I might have found a grad program! One where I can write a story instead of a research paper.
It will involve some extra tests and stuff.
Application isn't until September, I think. I wouldn't be able to start until spring, so I have the entire next semester free. There might be a couple classes I can take to prepare, though.
And hopefully I'll be accepted. XP
So, once again, cross your fingers for me!
So, it looks like maybe, at long last, I might have found a grad program! One where I can write a story instead of a research paper.
It will involve some extra tests and stuff.
Application isn't until September, I think. I wouldn't be able to start until spring, so I have the entire next semester free. There might be a couple classes I can take to prepare, though.
And hopefully I'll be accepted. XP
So, once again, cross your fingers for me!
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Begging for a Program
So, tomorrow I meet with one of my teachers to see if I'll be able to get into a grad program (the ongoing battle to find one XP). This was actually my first idea - to stay at my school, and even stay in the environmental studies program. I already know the school, and I know many of the teachers pretty well already. And I like studying the environment. But if I were to do the grad envs program, I would want my thesis to be a novel, as opposed to a research paper. There is nothing I want to research enough to write a thesis about. The only thing I would ever want to write that is book-length is, well, a book.
Only thing is, they've never done this before. It's always been a science program, with a first-hand research paper as the thesis. So, I gave up after asking around last year. And now I'm picking it up again, since the other grad programs I've found fell through. Since I've got four teachers (and maybe more if I asked around) who said they like the idea, I may have a chance of getting somewhere (see, it pays to be on good terms with your teachers!).
The teacher I'm meeting with tomorrow is in charge of the grad program, and I know her pretty well. So, I'll bring the excerpt from the story I hope to write, and bring some points as to why I think this is a good idea (writing a book instead of a research paper). Hopefully I'll be prepared enough. I guess I should try to treat this as a professional interview. It helps that I already know the person, at least.
Cross your fingers for me!
Only thing is, they've never done this before. It's always been a science program, with a first-hand research paper as the thesis. So, I gave up after asking around last year. And now I'm picking it up again, since the other grad programs I've found fell through. Since I've got four teachers (and maybe more if I asked around) who said they like the idea, I may have a chance of getting somewhere (see, it pays to be on good terms with your teachers!).
The teacher I'm meeting with tomorrow is in charge of the grad program, and I know her pretty well. So, I'll bring the excerpt from the story I hope to write, and bring some points as to why I think this is a good idea (writing a book instead of a research paper). Hopefully I'll be prepared enough. I guess I should try to treat this as a professional interview. It helps that I already know the person, at least.
Cross your fingers for me!
Monday, June 17, 2013
Tokyo
Okay, finally moving onto my Tokyo post! I guess my last update was probably on the train, I'm guessing. I keep forgetting where I left off because I wait too long between posts. XP
I left you on Monday, the 10th.
Arrived in Tokyo about dinner time. Dumped all my stuff in my room, and went to find dinner and walk around a bit. There was a shopping area that I looked around after I stopped at a café.
On Tuesday, I took a tour of the Imperial Palace. It was a cool place, but very modern compared to the palace in Kyoto. It was neat to be in the place of where the Emperor lives today.
Took a train to Akihabara - the electronics/Anime shopping area. Maaan, I feel so jipped. Anime stuff is so cheap in Japan! Figures I saw for $30 or even $100 on ebay and at Fanime are the equivalent of about $15 over here. And there were a bunch I'd never seen before. Heheh. I was able to get a few figures that I'd been wanting for a long time. >:3 (Like demon Kurama, and Greed-Ling)
Although I really wish I could read the signs. I went downstairs to check out one of the B1 shops, took a couple steps, and turned around and fled back upstairs again.
And I remained paranoid of stairs for the rest of the day.
I always like to go in the arcades too. Ellen and I ganged up in Kyoto and won a few things. I mainly failed on my own, except at one machine where I won 4 different Eevee evolution plushies.
Japanese arcades are very interesting and rather addictive. They're set up to be more tricky than our arcades, but the prizes are a lot better than the pointless garbage in most of our claw machines. Their machines only have two claws. And some of them only have one claw, and you need to try to flip something off of a hook. There are many other variations as well. You can go through money pretty fast in those places, since it's about $1 per play. But at least you do get to win things.
Back at the Shinjuku station, I wandered around for an hour and a half trying to find the freaking exit that led to my hotel. That place is an evil maze. It's some sort of miracle that my very first evening in Japan, I ended up right at the exit near my hotel... Finally I had to go outside in the rain and walk along the street to my hotel.
I don't really mind getting lost on foot, because I can always backtrack easily and start over. It's getting lost in machines (cars, trains) that scares me. And thankfully that never happened in Japan. The two times I lost my way, I knew that If I backtracked (or asked for directions) I could get reoriented again. XP Thank goodness for that, at least.
Wednesday
GHIBLI MUSEUM! Heck yeahhhh!
Joined the big line out front and waited eagerly to get in. I was there very early, and was one of the first people in. And as such, I was one of the first people in the theater.
The short film playing that day was Mr. Dough and the Egg Princess. It was one of the strangest, wackiest things I've seen in a long time, but it was so fun to watch! Every single frame of animation just screamed Ghibli. From the slurping eggs, to squeezing in through the window, to the dough guy glopping along.
Spoilers in the following paragraph~
It was about a Baba Yaga (a sort of Russia witch. This one was kind of like Yubaba) who brings life to a little egg and dresses it in a dress (she reminded me of Ponyo) and made her work for her all day. Then a big mound of dough, that was supposed to make bread for the witch, came to life, and the dough man and the egg girl escaped and fled to a village of rabbit people who were harvesting wheat to bake bread. The Baba Yaga follows, because she wants her bread. She catches up and shoves the dough guy in the oven, while the egg girl tries desperately to rescue him. Finally the door opens, and the dough guy emerges, this time as baked bread. He pulls off a little braided piece of bread from his chest and gives it to the Baba Yaga, who eats it and finally leaves.
XD So goofy. A lot of fun to watch too.
It's so not fair! I want to see all of the shorts! Why can't you see them anywhere besides the ghibli museum? TT^TT
The museum itself was interesting, though more about filming and such than Ghibli itself.
At the Ghibli Museum gift shop, I spent more money than I ever have at one place before. And the stuff wasn't as expensive as I was afraid it might be, so I was able to get more stuff than I thought I could. Like a statue of the Barron, and one of San, and No Face (I should have gotten that Laputa pendant...).
The line for the café was an hour long, so I just went to the little side booth and got a hot dog. Then I started talking to some fellow tourists, who were from Oahu. That was fun.
After I left I went to the Pokémon Center just for fun. I was lucky that there was some cool Mewtwo stuff, because of the new movie coming out (I'm still really mad that they're screwing up Mewtwo though, with that ugly form. Those jerks).
Harajuku was next. It was mainly just an ordinary shopping area. There wasn't too much there that I found interesting, except this awesome cat pillow (which I was actually able to shove in my bag for the return trip). Then this random black dude on the street stopped me and basically asked me to dinner. So, that's the first time that ever happened, and I was super awkward and ended up just kind of not committing to anything, and slinking away. I probably seemed pretty stupid, or rude or something. Though I won't ever know what his reasons for talking to me were, so I'm not sure how I should feel about the whole thing.
Walked around the Meiji Jingu shrine area, but the shrine was closed already so I went back to my hotel.
Thursday
Last full day in Japan. Went to Aakusa, this great shopping area with a bunch of Japanese crafts. There's a lot of cool stuff to see, and you can watch them make some of the food. I got a couple snacks to try. At the station, I got some melon juice, which was soooo good. Why dont they sell melon juice around here? And I got this sweet potato chestnut thing, which was amazing. And there was these amazing taiyaki, with this thick layer of custard inside... Why can't I get any of that in America? TT^TT I've gotten taiyaki here before, but not as good as that one.
When back to Akihabara to try (and fail) to pick something up for Ellen. This Japanese boy helped me look for a bit too, but by then I'd already scoured all of the shops. Another instance where I wish I was able to understand more of what he was saying. Sorry. TT^TT Thanks for trying to help too!
Made a brief stop at the Shibuys station, to see the statue of Hachiko (If you don't know the story, look it up!!)
And then went back to Harajuku to explore the shrine. Spent the rest of the evening walking around Shinjuku.
Friday
Finished packing, and then went out to get a big brunch (Tempura and this amazing udon soup, with the best udon I'd had so far).
Then off to the airport for the long flight to Canada. By the time I got there, I was very sleep deprived, but I had to wait in the airport for 8 hours for my connection flight. So I tried to sleep. It's really weird to sleep in a place like that. Especially when this family chooses to sit 2 feet away from you.
I suck at napping, but my sleep deprivation let me pass out a bit in the airport, and on the final plane ride home. That was enough to keep me going and show my parents all of my crud that I brought home.
Actually, my jet lag vanished pretty darn fast. I slept in a lot yesterday morning, but I'm pretty much back to normal.
I left you on Monday, the 10th.
Arrived in Tokyo about dinner time. Dumped all my stuff in my room, and went to find dinner and walk around a bit. There was a shopping area that I looked around after I stopped at a café.
On Tuesday, I took a tour of the Imperial Palace. It was a cool place, but very modern compared to the palace in Kyoto. It was neat to be in the place of where the Emperor lives today.
Took a train to Akihabara - the electronics/Anime shopping area. Maaan, I feel so jipped. Anime stuff is so cheap in Japan! Figures I saw for $30 or even $100 on ebay and at Fanime are the equivalent of about $15 over here. And there were a bunch I'd never seen before. Heheh. I was able to get a few figures that I'd been wanting for a long time. >:3 (Like demon Kurama, and Greed-Ling)
Although I really wish I could read the signs. I went downstairs to check out one of the B1 shops, took a couple steps, and turned around and fled back upstairs again.
And I remained paranoid of stairs for the rest of the day.
I always like to go in the arcades too. Ellen and I ganged up in Kyoto and won a few things. I mainly failed on my own, except at one machine where I won 4 different Eevee evolution plushies.
Japanese arcades are very interesting and rather addictive. They're set up to be more tricky than our arcades, but the prizes are a lot better than the pointless garbage in most of our claw machines. Their machines only have two claws. And some of them only have one claw, and you need to try to flip something off of a hook. There are many other variations as well. You can go through money pretty fast in those places, since it's about $1 per play. But at least you do get to win things.
Back at the Shinjuku station, I wandered around for an hour and a half trying to find the freaking exit that led to my hotel. That place is an evil maze. It's some sort of miracle that my very first evening in Japan, I ended up right at the exit near my hotel... Finally I had to go outside in the rain and walk along the street to my hotel.
I don't really mind getting lost on foot, because I can always backtrack easily and start over. It's getting lost in machines (cars, trains) that scares me. And thankfully that never happened in Japan. The two times I lost my way, I knew that If I backtracked (or asked for directions) I could get reoriented again. XP Thank goodness for that, at least.
Wednesday
GHIBLI MUSEUM! Heck yeahhhh!
Joined the big line out front and waited eagerly to get in. I was there very early, and was one of the first people in. And as such, I was one of the first people in the theater.
The short film playing that day was Mr. Dough and the Egg Princess. It was one of the strangest, wackiest things I've seen in a long time, but it was so fun to watch! Every single frame of animation just screamed Ghibli. From the slurping eggs, to squeezing in through the window, to the dough guy glopping along.
Spoilers in the following paragraph~
It was about a Baba Yaga (a sort of Russia witch. This one was kind of like Yubaba) who brings life to a little egg and dresses it in a dress (she reminded me of Ponyo) and made her work for her all day. Then a big mound of dough, that was supposed to make bread for the witch, came to life, and the dough man and the egg girl escaped and fled to a village of rabbit people who were harvesting wheat to bake bread. The Baba Yaga follows, because she wants her bread. She catches up and shoves the dough guy in the oven, while the egg girl tries desperately to rescue him. Finally the door opens, and the dough guy emerges, this time as baked bread. He pulls off a little braided piece of bread from his chest and gives it to the Baba Yaga, who eats it and finally leaves.
XD So goofy. A lot of fun to watch too.
It's so not fair! I want to see all of the shorts! Why can't you see them anywhere besides the ghibli museum? TT^TT
The museum itself was interesting, though more about filming and such than Ghibli itself.
At the Ghibli Museum gift shop, I spent more money than I ever have at one place before. And the stuff wasn't as expensive as I was afraid it might be, so I was able to get more stuff than I thought I could. Like a statue of the Barron, and one of San, and No Face (I should have gotten that Laputa pendant...).
The line for the café was an hour long, so I just went to the little side booth and got a hot dog. Then I started talking to some fellow tourists, who were from Oahu. That was fun.
After I left I went to the Pokémon Center just for fun. I was lucky that there was some cool Mewtwo stuff, because of the new movie coming out (I'm still really mad that they're screwing up Mewtwo though, with that ugly form. Those jerks).
Harajuku was next. It was mainly just an ordinary shopping area. There wasn't too much there that I found interesting, except this awesome cat pillow (which I was actually able to shove in my bag for the return trip). Then this random black dude on the street stopped me and basically asked me to dinner. So, that's the first time that ever happened, and I was super awkward and ended up just kind of not committing to anything, and slinking away. I probably seemed pretty stupid, or rude or something. Though I won't ever know what his reasons for talking to me were, so I'm not sure how I should feel about the whole thing.
Walked around the Meiji Jingu shrine area, but the shrine was closed already so I went back to my hotel.
Thursday
Last full day in Japan. Went to Aakusa, this great shopping area with a bunch of Japanese crafts. There's a lot of cool stuff to see, and you can watch them make some of the food. I got a couple snacks to try. At the station, I got some melon juice, which was soooo good. Why dont they sell melon juice around here? And I got this sweet potato chestnut thing, which was amazing. And there was these amazing taiyaki, with this thick layer of custard inside... Why can't I get any of that in America? TT^TT I've gotten taiyaki here before, but not as good as that one.
When back to Akihabara to try (and fail) to pick something up for Ellen. This Japanese boy helped me look for a bit too, but by then I'd already scoured all of the shops. Another instance where I wish I was able to understand more of what he was saying. Sorry. TT^TT Thanks for trying to help too!
Made a brief stop at the Shibuys station, to see the statue of Hachiko (If you don't know the story, look it up!!)
And then went back to Harajuku to explore the shrine. Spent the rest of the evening walking around Shinjuku.
Friday
Finished packing, and then went out to get a big brunch (Tempura and this amazing udon soup, with the best udon I'd had so far).
Then off to the airport for the long flight to Canada. By the time I got there, I was very sleep deprived, but I had to wait in the airport for 8 hours for my connection flight. So I tried to sleep. It's really weird to sleep in a place like that. Especially when this family chooses to sit 2 feet away from you.
I suck at napping, but my sleep deprivation let me pass out a bit in the airport, and on the final plane ride home. That was enough to keep me going and show my parents all of my crud that I brought home.
Actually, my jet lag vanished pretty darn fast. I slept in a lot yesterday morning, but I'm pretty much back to normal.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Nagasaki
Kyoto is a tourist place. So, logically, I saw many tourists a there. And a lot of the people who lived there were able to speak English enough for me to get by. But Nagasaki is a bit off the beaten path. In other words, I only saw a handful of tourists while I was there, and not as many people spoke English. There we're a few instances where the people in the shops I went to were talking to me, and I really wanted to know what they were saying, but I couldn't understand. Sigh. And despite my learning some Japanese, I was unable to ask some of the quests I wanted to (as if I could have understood the answers very well anyway). So, a few times I just stood there quietly like a moron since I didn't study Japanese enough. --_--
There are lots of vending machines in Japan. At least one on most of the streets I walked down. Often more than that, in the shopping areas.
And there are a lot of souvenir places. All over the place. And each city has it's own trademark souvenirs. For example in Kyoto, it was these little mochi triangles with red bean inside (I think). In Nagasaki, it was castellas (a sort of cake) and biwa (the loquats I was geeking out about before). Mmmm, loquats. I want a loquat tree.
On Friday, I went to a little zoo thing near Ellen's apartment. It made me appreciate our zoos a lot more. I got to see monkeys and their babies, but they we're in a cage that seemed too small for them, and some of them were missing fur. I don't know much about monkey health, but I do know about rabbits. And those rabbits weren't in good shape. Several of them were missing fur, and one had a big lump against his jaw. And several of them had their ears partly or completely chewed off. Poor little guys... and still they came up to say hi to me.
There was a little workshop near a museum, and I actually got to make a little stained glass rose for the equivalent of $4. That was cool. You actually use a really hot metal rod to melt off pieces of silver and fuse the glass together.
And I walked around the Megane Bashi Bridge, one of the land marks of Nagasaki that I'd passed several times before. There are a bunch off beautiful koi fish upstream.
On Saturday, I went to the atomic bomb museum. Maaan, that was depressing, seeing all the twisted, melted things recovered from the wreckage and reading the different accounts of survivors. There was even a pine tree growing outside that had survived the blast. I'm amazed that humans are still alive, with that kind of destructive technology. Hopefully it will never be used again...
I went to the memorial hall of the bomb victims and folded a paper crane. They seem to string them together and hang them around the hall. I drew ferns on the wings of my crane. Heheh.
There's a big monument At the epicenter of where the bomb went off. It was definitely strange to stand there and think of what it was like when that thing exploded. Especially since everything is so lively now.
Peace Park was next, and i saw the peace statue. But when I tried to get back to the shuttle, I kind of got lost. I didn't realize the tram tracks curved, and I took off in completely the wrong direction. I made this huge pointless loop through the neighborhoods, and finally got to a sign pointing me back to the museum. Then this guy with a (British?) accent asked me if I was lost, and he pointed me towards a closer tram station. Thank you!!
I went to a martial arts class with Ellen after she got back from work. It s called kempo. It was fun to do martial arts again, but I had to relearn some of the stuff I learned in my tae Kwon do class.
Sunday! Ellen and I went to an onsen. It was a good day for it, because it was cloudy and not too hot. It was a cool experience, and all the different tubs were fun to try, but it was rather awkward...
And we looked for beach glass too. There was a tone of it, since I guess they don't really gather it in Japan. Not only was there beach glass, but also beach pottery - little pieces of bowl, or something, that had parts of patterns or pictures on them. That was fun. But is started to pour on us while we were out there. We had to huddle together under my little umbrella and head back to the onsen.
Ellen looked at some of the pictures I took before I met her in Kyoto. Turns out that I saw three geishas. You can tell because the backs of their collars are low-cut.
Back at the city, we took a tram to the top of a mountain to get a view of Nagasaki. It's one of the best night views in the world, I think, because of the lights of the city. And it definitely was beautiful.
Monday: left Nagasaki this morning and said bye to Ellen. I'm now on the Shinkansen, heading up to Tokyo for a couple more days. We'll see if I have a chance to update again before I head home.
Whoo! Ghibli Museum soon!
For the record, it's 50 times more fun traveling with a friend.
There are lots of vending machines in Japan. At least one on most of the streets I walked down. Often more than that, in the shopping areas.
And there are a lot of souvenir places. All over the place. And each city has it's own trademark souvenirs. For example in Kyoto, it was these little mochi triangles with red bean inside (I think). In Nagasaki, it was castellas (a sort of cake) and biwa (the loquats I was geeking out about before). Mmmm, loquats. I want a loquat tree.
On Friday, I went to a little zoo thing near Ellen's apartment. It made me appreciate our zoos a lot more. I got to see monkeys and their babies, but they we're in a cage that seemed too small for them, and some of them were missing fur. I don't know much about monkey health, but I do know about rabbits. And those rabbits weren't in good shape. Several of them were missing fur, and one had a big lump against his jaw. And several of them had their ears partly or completely chewed off. Poor little guys... and still they came up to say hi to me.
There was a little workshop near a museum, and I actually got to make a little stained glass rose for the equivalent of $4. That was cool. You actually use a really hot metal rod to melt off pieces of silver and fuse the glass together.
And I walked around the Megane Bashi Bridge, one of the land marks of Nagasaki that I'd passed several times before. There are a bunch off beautiful koi fish upstream.
On Saturday, I went to the atomic bomb museum. Maaan, that was depressing, seeing all the twisted, melted things recovered from the wreckage and reading the different accounts of survivors. There was even a pine tree growing outside that had survived the blast. I'm amazed that humans are still alive, with that kind of destructive technology. Hopefully it will never be used again...
I went to the memorial hall of the bomb victims and folded a paper crane. They seem to string them together and hang them around the hall. I drew ferns on the wings of my crane. Heheh.
There's a big monument At the epicenter of where the bomb went off. It was definitely strange to stand there and think of what it was like when that thing exploded. Especially since everything is so lively now.
Peace Park was next, and i saw the peace statue. But when I tried to get back to the shuttle, I kind of got lost. I didn't realize the tram tracks curved, and I took off in completely the wrong direction. I made this huge pointless loop through the neighborhoods, and finally got to a sign pointing me back to the museum. Then this guy with a (British?) accent asked me if I was lost, and he pointed me towards a closer tram station. Thank you!!
I went to a martial arts class with Ellen after she got back from work. It s called kempo. It was fun to do martial arts again, but I had to relearn some of the stuff I learned in my tae Kwon do class.
Sunday! Ellen and I went to an onsen. It was a good day for it, because it was cloudy and not too hot. It was a cool experience, and all the different tubs were fun to try, but it was rather awkward...
And we looked for beach glass too. There was a tone of it, since I guess they don't really gather it in Japan. Not only was there beach glass, but also beach pottery - little pieces of bowl, or something, that had parts of patterns or pictures on them. That was fun. But is started to pour on us while we were out there. We had to huddle together under my little umbrella and head back to the onsen.
Ellen looked at some of the pictures I took before I met her in Kyoto. Turns out that I saw three geishas. You can tell because the backs of their collars are low-cut.
Back at the city, we took a tram to the top of a mountain to get a view of Nagasaki. It's one of the best night views in the world, I think, because of the lights of the city. And it definitely was beautiful.
Monday: left Nagasaki this morning and said bye to Ellen. I'm now on the Shinkansen, heading up to Tokyo for a couple more days. We'll see if I have a chance to update again before I head home.
Whoo! Ghibli Museum soon!
For the record, it's 50 times more fun traveling with a friend.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Kyoto
So, finally have time to write more about Japan. Much, much going on. But it's all awesome!
Thanks to Ellen for letting me use her laptop for this, since she doesn't have wifi so I can't use Mom's ipad.
I had a bunch of ideas for what I wanted to do in Kyoto, and I knew there was no way I'd be able to do all of it in 4 days. So I just chose some stuff from my list and let my schedule be pretty flexible.
On my first full day in Kyoto (Saturday), I walked a LOT. I wonder how many miles I've walked so far... My feet are incredibly mad at me. Although it's not as bad now as it was, since I haven't climbed any mountains in the past couple days.
I ended up following this pretty shop-lined path up a mountain, where there were several temples, and an amazing view of Kyoto. I'd read about this place in one of my guidebooks, called Kiyomizu dera. But the book didn't make it sound interesting, so I wasn't planning to visit. But I'm definitely glad I did, since it was really fun. I drank water from the sacred well, and figured out how to pray at the shrines. I wanted to see if I could do the thing where you walk between two stones with your eyes closed... but I didn't know where the second stone was. I did go through the pitch black shrine though.
Later, I found a place that sold some nice pottery, and for a pretty low price. The shop was closed, but there were a few tables of cups and bowls outside, with a box that said "please pay." So that was cool. I guess you couldn't really do that around here. Sigh. Japanese people are so much more trustworthy, I guess. I picked out 3 ceramic teacups and dropped money in the box.
A Japanese man started a conversation with me, possibly to practice English (at least I've heard that they will sometimes talk to foreigners to practice English?).
I visited some of the oldest areas of Kyoto, and then ended up talking to a French guy I met on the street for almost an hour. He told me where to find fireflies. And he was very surprised when I told him I didn't drink. XD HE'd apparently never met an American that didn't drink.
On Sunday, I went to Kiyomizu-dera. There's a trail up the mountain, with Torii gates lining the entire thing. It was a beautiful walk, and there were some more good views of Kyoto. But you get pretty tired by the time you reach the top. I've never climbed an entire mountain by stairs before.
There were some cool shops near the entrance, and it was the first day I went crazy shopping. I got lots of good gifts for people, and for myself. And there was a place that sold yukatas and Japanese shirts for crazy cheap. The shirts were equivalent of $5 and the yukatas were $10. I got three things there, but now I kinda wish I got more. They would have been great gifts. I already gave one to Ellen, because she looked really good in it, and she liked it.
I realized that I'd never gone so long without seeing anyone I knew. Even if I'm away from home for a couple days, I'm with friends or family. And during school, I always see my parents and classmates. So it's definitely interesting.
Then I met Ellen at the station! It's been almost a year since I've seen her last, so that was exciting. We got to hang out in Kyoto for a couple more days before going down to Nagasaki.
We went to the Movie Village, and had trouble finding the bus back to the hotel. This old lady ended up giving us a ride to the subway station. When I said "hai," she looked really surprised that I knew even one word of Japanese. Her reaction was funny.
And that night, Ellen and I went firefly hunting. And we found some! I'd never seen them before, so I was very excited. :3 I got some pictures, but most of them look like green smudges.
Monday: It's fun trying so much different food. I think I'm eating too much junk food though. I blame Ellen. XP Although it's so tasty...
I didn't expect to find hole-in-the-floor toilets, but they do indeed exist in some places. They're not as nasty as some of the ones in China though.
When you sit on a Japanese toilet, it makes water sounds. This is because Japanese people get self conscious about bathroom sounds. Hmm.
We went to the Imperial palace, and the Golden Pavilion Temple. At the temple, I made an offering at a shrine, and a bunch of school boys applauded. And a group of school kids asked me some questions in English, for one of their classes. Ellen helped me translate. Since she doesn't look like a foreigner, she says this sort of stuff never happens to her (as in, people talking to me because I look different. Although there are quite a few tourists in Kyoto. Not nearly as many in Nagasaki).
We did a tea ceremony there too.
Tuesday: Ellen and I visited the Nijo Castle, and then we headed down to Nagasaki. We had to take separate trains though. At least we left and arrived at the same times, so we had no trouble finding each other.
Wednesday - today: At the museum in Nagasaki, there's an art exhibit of Yamamoto Mizo - an artist that has dome several of the backgrounds for Studio Ghibli movies, such as Castle in the Sky, and Princess Mononoke. I visited that and then went a couple of other places in Nagasaki while Ellen was at work.
They actually have loquats here! For sale all over the place! And there's loquat products, like ice cream (which was tasty). I've always thought that loquats were under appreciated. But not in Nagasaki! We got some to eat. They're so big here. Mmmmm.
Thanks to Ellen for letting me use her laptop for this, since she doesn't have wifi so I can't use Mom's ipad.
I had a bunch of ideas for what I wanted to do in Kyoto, and I knew there was no way I'd be able to do all of it in 4 days. So I just chose some stuff from my list and let my schedule be pretty flexible.
On my first full day in Kyoto (Saturday), I walked a LOT. I wonder how many miles I've walked so far... My feet are incredibly mad at me. Although it's not as bad now as it was, since I haven't climbed any mountains in the past couple days.
I ended up following this pretty shop-lined path up a mountain, where there were several temples, and an amazing view of Kyoto. I'd read about this place in one of my guidebooks, called Kiyomizu dera. But the book didn't make it sound interesting, so I wasn't planning to visit. But I'm definitely glad I did, since it was really fun. I drank water from the sacred well, and figured out how to pray at the shrines. I wanted to see if I could do the thing where you walk between two stones with your eyes closed... but I didn't know where the second stone was. I did go through the pitch black shrine though.
Later, I found a place that sold some nice pottery, and for a pretty low price. The shop was closed, but there were a few tables of cups and bowls outside, with a box that said "please pay." So that was cool. I guess you couldn't really do that around here. Sigh. Japanese people are so much more trustworthy, I guess. I picked out 3 ceramic teacups and dropped money in the box.
A Japanese man started a conversation with me, possibly to practice English (at least I've heard that they will sometimes talk to foreigners to practice English?).
I visited some of the oldest areas of Kyoto, and then ended up talking to a French guy I met on the street for almost an hour. He told me where to find fireflies. And he was very surprised when I told him I didn't drink. XD HE'd apparently never met an American that didn't drink.
On Sunday, I went to Kiyomizu-dera. There's a trail up the mountain, with Torii gates lining the entire thing. It was a beautiful walk, and there were some more good views of Kyoto. But you get pretty tired by the time you reach the top. I've never climbed an entire mountain by stairs before.
There were some cool shops near the entrance, and it was the first day I went crazy shopping. I got lots of good gifts for people, and for myself. And there was a place that sold yukatas and Japanese shirts for crazy cheap. The shirts were equivalent of $5 and the yukatas were $10. I got three things there, but now I kinda wish I got more. They would have been great gifts. I already gave one to Ellen, because she looked really good in it, and she liked it.
I realized that I'd never gone so long without seeing anyone I knew. Even if I'm away from home for a couple days, I'm with friends or family. And during school, I always see my parents and classmates. So it's definitely interesting.
Then I met Ellen at the station! It's been almost a year since I've seen her last, so that was exciting. We got to hang out in Kyoto for a couple more days before going down to Nagasaki.
We went to the Movie Village, and had trouble finding the bus back to the hotel. This old lady ended up giving us a ride to the subway station. When I said "hai," she looked really surprised that I knew even one word of Japanese. Her reaction was funny.
And that night, Ellen and I went firefly hunting. And we found some! I'd never seen them before, so I was very excited. :3 I got some pictures, but most of them look like green smudges.
Monday: It's fun trying so much different food. I think I'm eating too much junk food though. I blame Ellen. XP Although it's so tasty...
I didn't expect to find hole-in-the-floor toilets, but they do indeed exist in some places. They're not as nasty as some of the ones in China though.
When you sit on a Japanese toilet, it makes water sounds. This is because Japanese people get self conscious about bathroom sounds. Hmm.
We went to the Imperial palace, and the Golden Pavilion Temple. At the temple, I made an offering at a shrine, and a bunch of school boys applauded. And a group of school kids asked me some questions in English, for one of their classes. Ellen helped me translate. Since she doesn't look like a foreigner, she says this sort of stuff never happens to her (as in, people talking to me because I look different. Although there are quite a few tourists in Kyoto. Not nearly as many in Nagasaki).
We did a tea ceremony there too.
Tuesday: Ellen and I visited the Nijo Castle, and then we headed down to Nagasaki. We had to take separate trains though. At least we left and arrived at the same times, so we had no trouble finding each other.
Wednesday - today: At the museum in Nagasaki, there's an art exhibit of Yamamoto Mizo - an artist that has dome several of the backgrounds for Studio Ghibli movies, such as Castle in the Sky, and Princess Mononoke. I visited that and then went a couple of other places in Nagasaki while Ellen was at work.
They actually have loquats here! For sale all over the place! And there's loquat products, like ice cream (which was tasty). I've always thought that loquats were under appreciated. But not in Nagasaki! We got some to eat. They're so big here. Mmmmm.
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