Approved for Tea Ceremony Class

Yesterday I was approved for the KCP tea ceremony class. I paid the 3000 yen fee and the class starts next monday at 11 30. I hope I can manage sitting seiza for an hour! Im doing it right now and after only 15 minutes my legs are already feeling fairly numb...

Visiting Odaiba in Tokyo

Odaiba is near the spot where matthew perry landed. It's mostly shopping but a few thing to note: it has one of the worlds largest ferris wheels, the fuji terebi building, and a scale replica of the statue of liberty (also built by France). Yesterday was a typhoon so we couldn't ride the ferris wheel even though it was running. The rain and wind was incredible, yet despite it Odaiba was still a lot of fun. I had a russian lunch, it was chicken hayashi and beef stroganoff.

There is an art store in shinjuku that has a mc escher vending machine, odd but very amusing. For about a week or so now I have been practicing my calligraphy everday. My progress is very encouraging, I can finally write decent characters with quite some consistency. I wanted to do the tea ceremony as an extra curricular activity, but I was not selected. I will apply again next quarter as well as for the koto class. Today, I went to a duet recital of violin and piano. The violinist was superb, but as usual, the classical music put me to sleep. Its just too relaxing.

I now have posted pictures from Japan on on my flickr website. The picture above is taken at the most beautiful spot in Venus Fort. From the left is me, Ju Youn, Gwenny, and Sujin.

More on Week 2 in Tokyo

I got my first kanji test back today in Level 3 at KCP and received a 90. We had a grammar test on Monday and I think I did really well. Today in class we got back our first composition and had to rewrite fixing the mistakes. I received a B; I wrote about the experience breaking my collarbone, and how I don't think it would have happened if I had been doing my aikido training this past summer in Long Beach.

I have been bowling two times in shinjuku now, but since I play with my left hand due to my injury, my score isn't very good. My best so far was 57. I also went to an opera presentation with tomoko-san, different people would sing a song or two from various operas. Afterwards the friend I brought, as well as tomoko-san and her friend, we all went to a karaoke box. I sang many different american songs.

Last night I went to a raamen ya san with one of the korean girls from my class and her friend. The three of us as well one the american girls are planning to go to odaiba this weekend. This korean girl, sujin-san is studying in japan until june like me, but she isnt returning home until the following december. She invited me to korea when she finally returns.

One other surprising thing I don't think I told you is that one of the American students is a Long Beach Poly HS alumni, he also took japanese there. Just like me he is level three, but I never expected to see him in Japan, much less at the same school as me!

Today after school I went to this one store where they have an M C Escher toy vending machine. I got some weird seascape type thing as well as a doctors model of a stomach from another machine.

Last saturday I went to the supermarket with tomoko-san, it was so much different than in America and of course, everything was more expensive.　There I bought some practice paper for shodo, a fudepen, and some blank cards. Sometime soon I will write you with one. I have been practicing with the fudepen, but so far I have not used the real brush so far.

Every day I hope next week I will be able to roll over my right shoulder, but when it comes I never feel confident; however my shoulder is not hurting as much by the end of the day, that is not to say it doesn't hurt at all. Every morning I wake up in time I do my aikido stretches and ukemi. It is a great way to start off the day. I have also been reading breaking into japanese literature on the train, those stories are really great reading.

I saw on the news the fires in Califorina, I was worried but since you don't really live in that part of the state I assumed you were ok.

I am getting my studying done and the conversation with tomoko-san is so helpful since she hardly speaks any english it improves my japanese greatly. She tells me she already notices a large improvement and I surely do myself. I am having such a good time.

The food has ranged from fantastic to bearable. I went to one italian restaurant in harajuku. I ordered a margherita pizza and it was like a real italian pizza, they even had some tasty habanero hot sauce. The first couple weeks or so I think I spent a little too much money on alcohol, but Im doing better about that now. This truly does seem to be my dream come true and even more than I could have ever imagined, and I aint seen nothing yet.

Joshua

Week 2 in Tokyo

Dear Mom and Dad:

Things are going even better this week than the previous one! Tonight, I went to this one bar for the second time, and there I made some Japanese friends. They seemed to be very happy to be speaking with Americans. I also got to know the hawker who called us in the first time we went to the bar, and on Thursday I might do something with him since he is off that day. I also finally began to get to know some of my Korean classmates at KCP. One of the korean girls invited me to go out with her and a few other friends after school on Monday. I truly am making lots of friends already!

As far as class goes, we are moving at a pretty fast pace. It definately is more intensive than any other schooling I've had so far, but I'm keeping up just fine, especially since not too much is new material, but that doesn't mean I'm not still learning in class.

This morning I had the most in depth conversation with tomokosan so far. We talked about politics, including the resignation of abe shinzo and my views of george bush. We also talked about the futility of war, and the absurdity of those regarding religion, such as the crusades. Every is going great, I am practicing my ukemi (rolling) in the tatami room at home, but only on the left side so far. I did attempt a single front roll over my right shoulder this morning, but I actually did my best to not directly roll over it at all, if that makes any sense.

I also went to an opera performance with tomoko where people do indivual songs. I brought along a friend from school. Afterwards we went to a karaoke box along with tomokos friend suzuki who is your age.

Joshua

My First Week in Tokyo

Dear Mom and Dad:

Sorry I haven't corresponded so far, Ive been so busy having a good time during my first week in Tokyo. I have gone to shinjuku, harajuku, and shibuya in tokyo already. Tokyo sure is a crazy place. So many people in outrageous clothes and so many people in general. I have been to a few shrines, including tsuruoka hachimangu in kamakura, but I did not see the daibutsu (huge buddha). I already have a few good friends among my KCP classmates, but they are all American. I have yet to really make friends with the korean students and local japanese here, but we have only had one day of real class so far.

My host family is great. Even though I am only living with Tomoko-san, her sister Hiromi-san is staying here this week because of her art exhibiton at nearby yokosuka. Tomokos son, Shin-san picked me up on the arrival day, and he was also the one who took me to kamakura, as well as the place where matthew perry landed. They are all so friendly and interested in talking to me and I have already learned so much Japanese from them. In addition, they are eager to learn english from me, because none of them speak it very well. Tomoko's english is especially limited and Hiromi is fairly good, but my japanese is still better than any of their english.

Tomoko also took me to the aikido hombu dojo, it was amazing and so inspiring to see the calligraphy of aikido that was actually painted by ueshiba morihei osensei. My shoulder is still getting stronger every day from breaking my collarbone 6 weeks ago. On saturday I attempted a forward and backward roll with success, but only across my left shoulder.

So much has already happened in this week, but I have still yet to buy a cell phone. I am waiting for my student id so i can get the discount on the plan. And once I have a permanent Internet connection, I hope to be using Skype.

Anyways Im tired and have class in just under 12 hours so I must go to sleep. I hope my english doesnt seem odd... the longer I'm here the more japanese it seems to become, if that makes any sense.

I was only able to place in to level 3 class at KCP. I talked to tanaka san about this and he said I need to talk to the teachers, but because I am not a fully rounded level 3 student, even if I may know a lot of it as well as some level 4 already, it may be too difficult starting out in 4. But either way I will do my best and Im sure it will work out in the end. Love you and don't worry too much about me, everything is going great!

Joshua