HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE SISTER!!!!!!!!!!!

so I just want to send a shout out to my little sister...who is now 18 years old!!! happy birthday!  Im srry I couldnt be there to celebrate with you.

お誕生日おめでとうございます!!!

(HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!)

Osake in the old days...

I know i know...I didn't write a post yesterday.  Well my excuse is that I had my midterm today.  ahhh! Yeah I still forget sometimes I'm here meeting new people seeing amazing things and straight up having fun for the sake of my school education. haha.  But yes I was being a good little student and studied for a bulk of the day.  I was really tired and went to bed...plus I felt like it really wasnt that exciting of a day to write about haha.  I mean I do have one piece of good news.  I got to meet my new parter, Moto yesterday at an "English Island Party."  No we didn't travel to an exotic island or anything.  The English Island is a building on the Shoin Campus which is called such because it is the only building on campus where english MUST be spoken.  NO japanese allowed! haha..hence it is an island within Shoin.  I thought it was kind of a cool concept.  (the picture show me, Misaki, and Moto)

Anyways...Moto.  Yes she is wonderful.  Her english is quite good too!  She, like Misaki (my first partner) have been to Delaware for the study abroad program.  So...yah!  I totally lucked out.  Like I definitely speak as much Japanese to them as I can but there are some things I just don't know so....yeah I know I can learn a lot from her.  :)

ok..on to today
Yes so as some of you may have heard I went to the Sawanotsuru Sake Museum.  This place was absolutely beautiful.  A true historical landmark within Kobe.  It was a large open museum with barrels and sake making tools lining the sides of the walls.  We were first invited to watch a video about how Sake was made in the old days...yes that was the exact title.  It was a terribly dubbed version of the original Japanese version.  It was pretty neat though...and an awfully long looong process!

Ok first sake...is pronounced (SAA-KEH) sometimes it will be reffered to as "Osaake" the "O" is an honerific "O" and is said in respect.  Either is acceptable.  DO NOT say the usual American way (Sakie) so if any of you at home even want a chance at trying some that I bring home you all had better get it right!  (im totally serious by the way haha)

Sake is made from rice grains which are washed (Senmai)and then steamed (Mushimai).  The many rivers and streams from the Rokko mountains made it possible for large quantities of rice to be prepared making the area famous for its sake.  Also something about the cold air that comes down from the mountains apparently makes it better too...shrug. haha.  Anyways so after its steamed it is allow to ferment in gigantic barrels called Ohoke.  These vats allow the mix of yeast, malt, rice, and water to go through the process known as Moromi-jikomi, or fermentation.  There is also a special room upstairs (Muro) where the rice is malted.

Afterwards the rice is pressed (Shibori) and the sake is allowed to drip out of funnels at the bottom.  The sake is collected and allowed to sit for about 2 weeks before being sold for consumption.  Yep that's the brief version of how Osake was brewed.  Oh and I forgot to tell you, Sake was only brewed once a year...autum I believe after the harvesting of the rice :)

Afterwards I went out with a bunch of friends and some of our Shoin language partners to Sannomiya for some drinks and fun.  We had a wonderous time at nomihodai and tabehodai.  A ton of fun!! and unexpectedly Moto was there too!! ;)

New food of the day:
Roast Steak
This was as delicious as it looks :)

Thats's all for today!

Calligraphy..true appreciation of Kanji

Today was possibly one of the most fun culture excursions Ive gone on so far.  We were invited up to Shoin to take a 2 hour class about the art of Calligraphy.  We were taught by one of the most skillful professors in all of Shoin.  He began by first giving a brief history of Calligraphy, telling us how it originated in China and therefore the best ink, brushes, and paper are all from China.  Nowadays the truly great ink stones can be as expensive as a house!!!  Takai des ne!!

Next he talked about the different tools that calligraphers use.  The different brushes which are usually made from animal hairs.  Soft brushes are from sheep and harder brushes are from horses.  He even told us about how brushes can be made from human hair!  Not just any hair though...only hair from a newborn child.  The importance lies in the tips of the hair.  When a child is born he or she will have newly grown hair, after the child gets the first hair cut is when the hair no longer has the same newly grown tips.  Animals continuously shed and therefore always have the tips of newly grown hair.  It is apparently a custom to have the hair from the first hair cut saved to make a commemorative and special brush made.  Our Sensei has 3 children and has made brushes for each of them :)


He truly was a master of the art.  Every stroke was performed with purpose and strength. It was magnificent really.  He wrote the word for falcon for us today. (隼) He was really fast too!!  It was amazing to watch a master at work. 




Next we were all given an opportunity to write!  This was a lot of fun.  They prepared 2 
stations and put us all to work.  We all chose our favorite kanji.  Can you take a guess at what I wrote?  haha just take a look at the picture at the bottom of the blog..yeah I know I need some practice haha ;)


I have some bad news....my partner, Misaki has fallen ill...and won't be able to be my partner anymore.  Instead Shoin has found me a new partner...who I am to meet tomorrow.  Hopefully Misakio and I can still keep in touch though...WIsh me luck all!


We ended the day enjoying the nice weather.  We even found another little shrine.  This one had a row of magnificent red gates that got shorter as it got closer to the shrine.  Truly beautiful. and I got to look out my balcony as I was hanging up laundry...yeaa the dryers here are just awful...but cmon check out that sunset~


New food of the day...
BLOWFISH
Thats right guys..the infamous poisonous delicacy of Japan.  I have survived!  haha.  It was surprisingly....tough and chewy.  Also there was a very strong vinegar/ ginger topping that I was not a big fan of.  Other than that...it was not all that bad! :)


Also I totally had Pikachu bread haha.  cmon I saw it nd just HAD to get it ^^


And thats it for today!! Oh did you guess my kanji?  (Neko..meaning cat:3) Well here it is.....yea...I know I need some more practice haha

The Art of the Tea Ceremony

So today we were all in for a wonderful splash of Japanese culture.  We were all cordially invited to a beautiful tea ceremony held in Shoin's own Tea room.  The tea ceremony is traditionally held as an act of welcoming...a show of hospitality of sorts and Shoin wanted to welcome us all.  There were many rules regarding the formalities and politeness issues...like there is a very specific way to enter into the tea room.  First of all it is disrespectful to wear jewelry or watches or anything like that. There is a small entry way with wooden floors and you MUST take off shoes and leave them outside the tea room.  Afterwards you are expected to kneel and sit with ur legs underneath you and your fan (that tradition japanese women carry) is to be placed in front of of you.  Finally you are expected to bow deeply with your hands placed in front.



Finally you are able to enter the room.  The room is a large square room with a small alcove on one side.  The floors were all covered in green tatami mats.  The alcove is purely for decorative purposes and a beautiful scroll with it written "Every day is a good day" in Japanese of course.  Also A vase with delicate looking Irises was placed below the scroll.  The Iris is a symbol of summer and therefore was the theme of today's ceremony.

First a sweet pastry was given to us to eat.  The pastry was beautiful and delicate looking.  It was also delicious and filled with red bean paste.  A small wooden hashi was given to us to eat the pastry with.  The pastry was to be eaten before the green tea was served.  The tea is prepared at the front of the room by rapidly mixing the green tea powder with hot water.  The whisk looked like a delicate long brush.  The tea was a vibrant green color.  Much more color than the usual watered down looking green Im used to seeing.  The tea was probably the most flavorful green tea I had ever tasted.  It was amazing!

Before drinking from the beautiful bowls that were passed to us we were to place the bowl on the palm of our hands and turn it slowly so that we didnt drink from the "beautiful" and decorated side of the bowl.  The first sip was to be taken slowly and thoughtfully...savoring the taste and enjoying the aroma.  Afterwards we were to drink the rest in 3 or 4 more sips. Finally a small sweet candy was passed out.  We folded a paper into fourths and placed 2 or 3 tiny colorful candies into it.  Basically tasted like rock candies haha

By now all of legs were killing us for having to sit with our legs carefully tucked underneath us.  My feet were totally asleep....worst pins nd needles feeling I had for a while!  We all left the tea room one by one, first bowing and thanking the Shoin hostesses and then stepping outside the tea room and kneeling and bowing deeply one more time.  It really was a lovely way to learn about Japanese culture.

It was pouring cats and dogs by the time we had finished.  Luckily we all had umbrellas and we all decided to brave the storm.  It was a peaceful walk despite the rain.  We all took a break but by nightfall we were all itching to get out!  Me and a few other friends decided to do Pulikura! (those asian photo booths :D)  It was actually a lot of fun haha.  We decided to end the night in a sauve little bar called Monochrome.  There were couches and lounge areas.  The drinks were pretty good too.  It was a pretty classy place!  We also stopped by one other bar...which was more like a classic American bar...bar table nd stools.  Chris had a conversation with one of the other customers, it went pretty well I'd say!

New Food of the Day:
Sweet Bean Paste Pastry

As delicious as it is beautiful.  A sweet yet not overpowering little dessert.

To Osaka!!!

Konichiwa!

So today had a little bit of a slow start seeing as we finally had a break from classes. But when we finally did we went down to meet with Miller Sensei for a briefing about our excursion to Osaka!  We were going to take a train and then transfer to one that'd take us to Osaka Park, where we'd see Osaka Castle.  Afterwards we'd split up to either go to Den Den town, an electronics and anime hot spot or the center of Osaka where there would be lots of shops and restaurants.

Osaka castle...was absolutely stunning.  It was surrounded by a moat and 2 massive inner walls and then the caslte itself was perched on top of an enormous stone base.  The castle had numerous gold detailed carvings and statues along the roof edges.  Again...it was just beautiful.  The castle is now an 8 floored museum that we all got to get a tour of.  We learned a little about its rich history and the stories of violent wars and bloodshed the castle had seen within it's walls. We also got to go to the top most floor which gave a bird's eye view of the entirety of Osaka.  Truly an amazing place!

We took a scenic route through the rest of the park and some of the gardens that surround the castle.  It was really serene~  We got to an open area with an immense fountain in the center.  There were some boys skateboarding...nd others that were...uhh it was like a mix between skateboarding and roller blading!  just look at the picture...i cant really explain it.  Like those little wheel things arent attatched to his feet at all he just kinda jumped onto them and is balancing...crazy kids! haha

Also there..was a clothed orange iguana.  Yep...it was as odd as it sounds.  Not only was this an 2-3 foot big iguana it also had a fur collar and was named Megu...yeaaaaa random.  haha. it was really funny though cuz it even had a leash and the owner eventually came by, grabbed it by its jacket nd placed it in the arms of one of the other students. As Saato sensei said..."You have def been the first to have this experience!"

Afterwards we split up.  Chris and I decided to head to Den Den town.  The streets were full of electronics and gaming stores.  Everything from watches, and cell phones to game systems and arcades.  It was a lot of fun!  Chris and I wandered off on our own looking at all the peculiar little shops and somehow ended up in the center of Osaka!


This..was truly a sight to see.  Especially as it was approaching nightfall.  The night life in Osaka is bustling with excitement and young people.  We even saw a few Yakuza (Japanese Gangsters) however they kept to themselves for the most part and actually turned out to be quite friendly.  I watched as a few girls asked to take pictures and they immediately struck poses.  We ate some renowned Osaka Takoyaki for dinner and then split up to do a little shopping and exploring on our own.


I..of course got terribly lost.  I ended up traversing a dark and narrow cobblestone alleyway where small restaurants lined either side.  It was creepy..yet there was an odd antique-ish charm to it too.  I eventually was able to back track my way back to the rest of the group though so all is well! :)






NEW FOOD OF THE DAY:

Takoyaki!  Osaka is famous for these crispy steaming octopus balls?!  haha.  Yep..that;s pretty much what it is.  And for those who have minds in the gutter i mean that the takoyaki was shaped into a ball. The inside was suuper hot (as in temperature-wise) and was soft and chewy.  It was not to bad at all for octopus. haha

This was a "Hokkaido Melon" flavored soft cream...basically it tasted like cantelope. It was surprisingly delicious!!

When It rains that just means its time for a Karaoke Night!

Hey All!

I'm sure you were all extremely upset to find that there wasn't a new post for yesterday. haha jk jk.  Well for those of you who were actually saddened I apologize and will now tell you all about it.

So as it says in the title...it rained...ALL DAY.  yep...It was super intense rain too..well not like thunderstorms and lightning (very very frightening haha) but anyways the main part of the day was pretty much shot.  So we just took the hint and called it a rest up day.  I drew some pictures! haha some classic pencil sketches.  There was also a really cool thing that happened after the rain let up a little.  There was a brief period where there was steam rising up out of the mountains..but only in certain areas.  It literally looked like the mountain had taken a deep breath and now it was exhaling slowly.  It was one of the most beautiful things I had seen for a while.


Well the rain finally stopped...just in time for the night life to start!  So after dinner a big group of us decided to go to Karaoke!  I was a bit nervous at first since...yeah me and karaoke?  haha so when we got there...there had to be like 12-15 people.  It was a biiig group!  We ordered 飲みほうだい (nomi hodai) which is basically...ALL YOU CAN DRINK! haha yeah...they definitely exist here...and its pretty common too.  I think we scared the little Japanese man that was our server for the night...as literally he was bringing in pitchers of beer continuously for the entire 2 hours we were there.  It was pretty funny though..the guys in our group decided that they were going to "drink the place to the ground...ahh I suppose we are all still college students afterall"

Oh and I know some of you had mentioned odd toilets...well just for you I have found one!! At the Karaoke place they have toilets that have a panel of buttons along the side...and Im also quite sure that the toilet seat was also heated! haha!

But yes after getting a few drinks karaoke suddenly became the most fun thing in the entire world! We sang a variety of Japanese and English songs...ending with my choice of Journey's Dont Stop Believing....such a great song to end on. Brought back memories of Freshman year when I went to Rehobeth with my UD buddies :)

Afterwards we returned to the dorms just before curfew (which is 12 midnight...ew right?) and we decided to continue the festivities in the lounge downstairs (the only room in the building where it is allowed to drink)  We turned on the giant TV and watched the world cup and even set up a beer pong table some how...someone even brought classic red solos! haha classy right?  It was a lot of fun and a great way to bond with the other students on the trip seeing as I've just met a lot of them on the trip.

NEW FOOD OF THE DAY:

Eki Soba!
It was basically a fried and then softened noodle dish.  Im pretty sure we actually ate at a Japanese Chinese restaurant if that makes any sense.  It was alright.  Not my favorite but def better than the Ika that I had in the past...ugh. Anyways this dish was basically a seafood and veggie mix on top of the noodles with a thick salty sauce spread over the food.  Like i said..it was alright.

I also had a sweet tofu with Rice.  It was DELICIOUS!! I love these things!  I'll have to find out what its actually called for you...plus they look really easy to make too :)

   Yep that's all for today folks!!