Day 10: O-sento Adventures and Making Dinner!

Friday was the day I was planning to make dinner! Yay!

Around lunchtime, I went over to Sunny Side bakery to get some garlic bread and goodies for my lunch! :) It was packed, of course, and they were so many delectable goodies! I got the rest of the garlic bread for dinner (5 slender baguettes) and then started looking around for my lunch! :) I got a mini hamburg sandwich, a pizza bread, the amazing matcha muffin, and a lemon cheesecake tart! I wanted to try different things, but I think I like what I had the first time best~ :) The pizza bread had corn in it! XD The muffin is still the best muffin I have ever had!

After shopping there, I walked across the street to Lawsons, a conbini. I bought a Japanese fashion magazine that came with a Hello Kitty bag and a Mameshiba book! YAY! Then, I walked back home. Tecola came back from work and asked if I wanted to go to the O-sento, which is the bathhouse. I was flustered, but I said yes since I didnt have anything else planned.

It was not too far away and the bathhouse itself was so nice inside! Very classy and fun atmosphere! It was not expensive either. I put my shoes in a locker and gave the key to the lady behind the desk. She then gave me a bracelet with a bar code that keeps count of what I buy/order. Then, I was escorted upstairs to the women's bath and shown my locker for my clothes. I wore the key as a bracelt too and, well, started to get ready! First I undressed, then went into the shower area, because you have to shower and clean up before bathing.

Yes, it was a little nerve-wracking at first. I was the only foreign woman and one of the youngest too. No one was mean though, so that was nice. I got a few funny looks, and one old lady smiled at me. :) The water was warm and there were a few different baths. My favorite was the private tub outside. The cool breeze felt really good!

After a while, I started feeling overwhelmed by the heat, and got ready to get out. I changed and dried my hair in the area reserved for primping. I then went downstairs, got a water bottle, and called Tecola to come pick me up. After a little while, he came and got me. We stopped at a secondhand store that had a lot of awesome things!!! I kind of want to go back, but if I did I would spend too much money! XD

The rest of the day I felt very relaxed and energetic because of the baths. It was really nice. :) I started dinner, and everyone enjoyed the pasta and salad! YAY! The garlic bread was delicious too! :)

Day 9: English Lessons~!

Thursday was a rather simple day, I relaxed all morning and was able to chat with Andrew! It was a lot of fun! :) Then, I got ready to go to Namba to speak at Mari's English lesson there!

Before the lesson, we went into a little shop next door to the school where they sold international food. I was going to make pasta for the family the next day, so we bought some pasta sauce and noodles! :)

At the lesson, we talked for a long time and I enjoyed speaking to the students. There were 4 people there; all four were older Japanese people who wanted to learn English since they had so much spare time. They were very kind and interested in who I am and what I had to say. One of the ladies even made me homemade sembei!!! That was so sweet of her! Like I've said before, Japanese people are so generous! :) We talked about literature, music, American concerts, and the Shinsengumi!

After the lesson, Mari treated me to some soft serve ice cream with caramel sauce and cookie bits drizzled on top in a waffle cookie! SO GOOD! Even thhough it was very cold that day! >.< Both Thursday and Friday were extremely cold days and everyone was surprised!

That night, I was supposed to speak English with some of Mari's students, but one never showed up and the other was too shy so he went home. We are going to do it in a couple weeks though, so that's good!

For dinner, we had pork cutlets and a radish salad made by Katoh-san, the nice Japanese housekeeper! It was delicious and I helped out a lot, which made me happy. Tecola's family are being so generous, so I like to help out as much as I can! :)

Day 8: Totoro Forest!

Even though I was kind of tired from the Kyoto trip the day before, I was super excited to go up to the nearby mountains with Tecola! We drove up these achingly green mountains, hoping for a glimpse of monkeys, but there were none to be found! Only signs telling people about them.

We visited Katsuo-ji Temple, which is famous for being a temple dedicated to people winning things! It is a working temple, and people go there to make wishes, so there are daruma and wishing placards all over! It is such a magical temple; perhaps my favorite out of the ones I've visited so far! :D

There were also the cutest little things that made me think of wooden dolls everywhere! Apparently, they are for wishing to. I couldn't stop taking pictures of them! XD I really can't wait for Andrew to come visit that temple with me; I think he would love it too~! It really made me think of a Totoro forest!!! So special!

It was funny because Tecola bought me a charm that was supposed to make sure I got married! Hear that Andrew? ;) lol :D It is a really cute charm, and even has a little golden daruma on it that has the name of the temple on the back, so I am so happy to have a souvenir! :D

As we left the temple after walking around and admiring the fish in the lake, we noticed a path in the side of the hill across from the temple. Tecola asked about it and it turns out that it is a pathway that goes over the mountain to Mino! Tecola and I were up for adventuring so we stared walking up the path. Even though it has stairs built in, it was hard going! The trees were magnificent and plentiful! Perhaps I will walk that path sometime, eh? :)

Day 7: Making New Friends!

This day seemed daunting at first because I had to navigate the train system myself, but it turned out to be very fun and adventurous! Being thrown into situations in a foreign country always makes one learn! :)

I took a train to Umeda to meet up with the daughter of one of Mari's friends. Her name is Yu and she is so pretty! I was a little nervous at first, but as the day went on we became friends~ :)

We went on another train to begin our journey to Arashiyama, a town in Kyoto that is very old and lovely! We got off at a town called Katsura and I had to use the bathroom. Much to my surprise and dismay, this bathroom was Japanese-style!! Which meant the toilet was just a sink-like hole in the floor....and one has to squat...needless to say I was not happy and didn't like it one bit! >.<

We made it to Arashiyama quickly and as soon as we stepped out of the train it was hot! Arashiyama is so beautiful! One of my favorite places EVER! There is a huge rushing river going through it that is so powerful and people walk and play along the banks of it! We crossed a bridge into the town part and I loooved how old it is! Lots of people and children on school trips were there, but it wasn't as crowded as Shijyo-dori. We went to see Tenryu-ji, a huge temple with a lovely garden! I bought some goodies at a sweets shop, and we walked around a bit before going to lunch. I ordered a soba set at the cutest restaurant! It came with cold soba, tempura, and the most amazing rice ever! The rice was stir-fried with seaweed, green onions, and maybe garlic! YUM!

After lunch, Yu-san wanted to take me to Kinkakuji and meet up with her friend at Kyoto station. Before heading on the bus to Kyoto station, I bought a roll cake sandwich with matcha flavored mousse. It was so tasty and sweet! MMMMMMM....I can't wait to go back to that stand! :) The bus ride was kinda long but easy enough. We met up with her cute friend at the huge Kyoto station and boarded a crowded bus to Kinkakuji.

Kinkakuji is an amazing feat-- It's so large and beautiful! The gardens are amazing and even prettier than the garden at Tenryu-ji! I bought some goodies at the little shops along the way and we talked about how the garden made us think of Totoro! Yay!

After that, we took yet another bus to Kawaramachi, a shopping arcade. We went in some cute shops and bought some fun things! :) Since I had told Yu-san I liked ramen, we went to Ippudo, which is a famous ramen chain!!!! OMG It was so good! I loved what I had! It was the red bowl, and so rich!!! XD I was in ramen heaven! The place itself is interesting because you sit at communal tables. It's not awkward at all though.

After dinner, they wanted to go to a cafe. I was getting pretty wiped out, but we had fun talking at a cool cafe. :) I took the train back to Mino and was so tired from the surprisingly super fun day!! :D Thanks you guys!

Day 6: Ramen Adventures!

Since I had a free Monday, I wanted to go try the nearby ramen place. On Saturday, I spent two hours walking around Mino, taking pictures and trying to find it. Mari told me the right way to go, and on Monday I set out to find it!

It was a grey day, raining slightly, and I took one of the girls' umbrellas just in case. It felt so cool to be walking around Japan, toting an umbrella on a rainy day. It was just so cute!

The ramen place certainly has character! Tecola thinks the kitchen is dirty, but I was brave and went anyway~ The ladies were super nice to me. I sat on a stool at a little bar overlooking the street. I ordered the #2 most popular item (according to their website), the Sesame miso ramen, and some gyoza. The gyoza were okay, I think I have had better. The ramen was rich and very miso-y! I enjoyed it, but it was heavy! It came with a special sesame paste, which was a tad bit spicy. I loved the crunchy, refreshing bean sprouts! It was a pretty cheap and filling lunch!

I ambled out of there and walked next door to a conbini. I got a green tea Kit Kat, yum! Also, I picked up some band-aids and cute little things for me and Andrew, hehe~ Then, for the rest of the day I rested and then played catch with Sei outside. It was a fun and relaxing day!

Day 5: Concert at Namba Hatch!

Even though I was pretty tired from my exciting surprise trip to Kyoto the day before, I woke up ready and excited for a concert!

And not just any concert mind you, this was an event called Over The Edge '10! There were 11 bands and some session bands too! I was really going to see one of my favorite Japanese bands, Girugamesh. I've always wanted to see them live, and this was my big chance!

The concert started at 1, so I got there around 12:15. I bought a peach yogurt drink at the conbini next door to the entrance to the Namba Hatch. I went up the escalators, and entered the concert! Yay! I dropped off a gift for Girugamesh, and went to go up to the concert area. A line of visual kei band guys greeted me and handed me fliers. I was so nervous to walk through them; that kind of attention is too much lol! XD

The girls (and a few guys) in the audience were for the most part very nice! It was fun to see all the different kinds of outfits, hehe~ I talked to one nice lady while we were waiting for the next band to set up. She was standing behind me, and I had offered her a little snack, which she declined. We had a cute conversation in Japanese and I was super proud of myself, hehe~ She was a Mama, so I was jealous! XD

I was there for a total of 8 1/2 hours.....totally crazy. Some of the bands were okay, but then some were AWESOME and really fun! Girugamesh were great, but they came at the end. I was pretty tired by then, and not as excited as I had been earlier. They were seriously awesome, thought it went by too quick! This just means I have to go to an entire concert by them!!

After I left, which was after Giru performed, I went back down and bought a Giru t-shirt and towel! Yay! You can't get that stuff in the states! ;) Then, I went to go wait for Mari, who nicely offered to pick me up! I sat on some steps outside, under a big dome thing (hard to explain, eee), and felt a bit sad. It went by too quick and I wished Giru had performed a bit longer.

Also, I think I was feeling lonely. Going to a concert by yourself can be a bit sad, especially when you are a foreigner. I kept wishing Andrew had been with me, because his observations would have been funny to hear! But, being in a foreign country by yourself is lonely, luckily I live with a nice family. That makes me feel better. If I was here in Japan as an exchange student, I think I would be depressed! I am excited to be here and experience Japan, but I am also looking forward to going back home and being with Andrew, my friends, and my family. I think things at school will hopefully get better too~ I feel more mature lately! ;)

Day 4: Surprise Trip To Kyoto~!

Saturday was an amazing day! So many adventures and surprises! Japanese people are extremely generous!

I spent the morning walking around Mino, trying to find the ramen place for lunch! I was going the entirely wrong direction though...so after two hours, I went back to the house, planning to whip up something quick.
When I got there, sunburnt and with aching feet, Mari (my host-mother) was with one of her students. Mari is an English teacher and has many kind students of all ages! This particular woman, Morita-san, was dressed in a light pink kimono. She was so excited to meet me, and spoke very little English. Turns out she is the owner of a famous Kaiseki restaurant in Kyoto known as Sa-ami. She invited me to go back to Kyoto with her!

I was ecstatic and very surprised by her generous offer. It was a wonderful chance for me to practice my Japanese, and I never bowed so much in my life, haha~ :)
After the 1 hour drive to Kyoto, she took me around and showed me Yasaka Shrine, Maruyama Koen, and Shijyo-dori (the main street of Kyoto), and fed me zenzai mochi. It was all so beautiful and overwhelming! :D I even saw Maiko, which are apprentice geisha~

Sa-ami is in Odu Nobunaga's brother's house, so there is so much history behind such a place! It was beautiful; I love tatami and shoji panels~ After letting me shop myself for a few hours, I went back to the restaurant and she fed me a modified Kaiseki dinner FOR FREE! WOW! I couldn't believe it!! The food was wonderful! I ate everything!

I learned so much about Japan and Japanese people. It was that day that I realized that I am truly becoming immersed in Japan. I am now used to hearing Japanese spoken all the time. It was so fun! I met so many kind people at her restaurant! She even gave me some parting gifts!

Morita-san, thank you for everything! I will never forget my first experience in Kyoto! :)