Adventurous Weekend

This past weekend was rather busy. There was a bus tour for the international students on Saturday and hiking on Sunday. The bus tour first took us to the disaster preparedness center, were we got to try out simulations or different situations. There was a room with smoke in it where you had to find your way through as if you were in a fire. My friend and I had a little bit of a hard time with this part. No one should ever paint their house purely white inside just in case they have to find their way out when it is smoky, it's rather difficult. There was also an earthquake simulation in the back of a truck. A group of four would sit in the simulation room and it would show you the straighten of the earthquake it was simulating. It was pretty cool~ We got to tour around the different emergency vehicles as well. While one group was looking at an ambulance it was called out to duty.
Once we were finished at the disaster preparedness center, we ate lunch near a field of cosmos flowers. There was some sort of event going on there as well because there was a bunch of booths and a stage with people preforming. After we ate lunch we went of a tour of the burial grounds that were around the fields of cosmos flowers. We also visited the museum of history or the burial tomes and the surrounding area. On the bus ride back to school there was the option of Karaoke but I think everyone just wanted to sleep after such a busy day.

Sunday was the day of hiking. We traveled to Inohae valley about 50 minutes away from the campus. The group organizing it was a international student association where Japanese and international people staying in Miyazaki can go to events together. It is a good way to meet new people and make new friends. The valley was beautiful, we hiked a long the edge of a river up to the top where there are a series of three or four waterfalls. We criss-crossed back and forth over the river about six times a long the hike so we had a nice view of the river. Once we made it to the top we had a few snacks before we started the hike back. The full hike was only 5km, about 3miles, so we were able to have a nice leisurely hike through the woods.

The weekend was very fun but very busy. I am glad that I am meeting people and being able to see different sights around Miyazaki at the same time. I hope that my stay here continues to be an adventure!

Fashion and Shopping

I went shopping yesterday with Kaori, Satomi and Max at the Aeon Mall in Miyazaki. It is a large mall with many brand name stores and yummy restaurants. Something that was interesting was the fact that half the store names were in English. Now, having English as my first language I look at all these shop names and think...."huh?" A few examples are, Kuchiku (a children's clothing store), Know Beans (a fashionable clothing store), Drug stories (another fashionable clothing store). I was explaining to Kaori and Satomi the meaning of the names and they told me that they never really thought about the meanings before. I guess it is the same with U.S T-shirts with Kanji on them.
Japanese fashion amazes me. People are fashionable all the time. Whether they are going to do field work, or have a child, or in the office they always seem to be very fashionable. Not just the women either, the men too. The layered effect is also very popular in Japan. It lets you have many different combinations with only a few different outfits. I think I will have a lot of fun shopping in Japan!

Kojima Island

The island of monkeys. My teacher, Iwamoto-sensei, invited me to come a long with him and one of his students to the island. He was helping with a parent and child event teaching about the monkeys behavior and cultural aspects. It was a fun adventure. The monkeys would walk right up next to people and pay them no mind. It was quite amazing. We had to leave a little early because the tide was coming in and we were going to get stranded if we stayed too long. The road to and from Kojima runs directly a long the cost line. On the return trip we stopped at several "road stations". Basically they are really fancy rest stops for people going on drives around the cost. The views were wonderful. The ocean just seems so endless when I look out upon it. We also stopped at the Udo shrine. It was built in a cave on the side of a cliff. It was spectacular to see the way the shrine was built in the cave. At the shrine people try to throw small clay balls into a pool of water on a rock surrounded by the waves. It was definitely an adventure and I want to visit again!

English the international language

So English really is an international language. Each of the exchange students I have meet know their native language as well as English and are learning Japanese. It is amazing how they can learn all these languages. It makes me want to improve my Japanese quickly~ It has been great getting to know other exchange students because I can learn about their country as well as their experiences so far in Japan. It has been a great learning experience for me and I look forward to meeting more new people.

Other then meeting new people, I have gone sightseeing in the past few days. My tutor, Satomi, and I visited the Aya suspension bridge (I will post some pictures when I find a way). It was spectacular. It hangs 148m above the bottom of a river valley. The forest was bushy and thick and you could hear the birds, little waterfalls, and the large multitude of tours through out the forest. From a few places one can see the bridge spanning the gap far above. It was quite enjoyable, the hike through the forest is about three kilometers but rather steep in some places, but not as difficult to stop anyone who wanted to take the rather breath taking stroll around the forest. It is climbing in and out of a valley so there is a definite up and down slope. The view and scenery is worth the little hike.

I am having a wonderful time in Miyazaki and am excited to learn new things. I do miss family and friends back home but I know they are supporting me in my adventures in Japan. I want to make the best of my experience so I may bring them many wonderful tails when I return home.

P.S I will find some ways to post pictures. My blog site is all in Japanese so it may take a little time :P

Japan has Mosquitoes just like anywhere else

Today was my first day of field work here in Japan. Like usual when working in a moist, warm conditions there were mosquitoes. Many many Mosquitoes. We worked in a 10 meter by 10 meter plot and did a vegetation sample in a middle succession forest in Aoshima. We picked a little place that was beside the road and blazed a trail to the site. We passed along a recently used wild boar trail. It was interesting to see what they do to the under story. luckily for us they are mostly nocturnal. We measured the standard DBH (diameter at breast hight) of the trees and also tree hight. Most of the trees were deciduous with a one or two evergreen trees. Where we are in Japan the evergreen trees are the most advanced stage of succession.
While in working we saw many birds. Including the Black Kite, Japanese wight-eye, Long tailed tit. We also heard a wood pecker and a bird called a bulbul. It was interesting to learn the birds by the Japanese name, much harder then learning the English names. These field days every Friday and I am looking forward to participating in many of them.

But other notices. I am setting into my dorm room. Besides the ants crawling in my bed and the cockroaches skittering around my room it is rather nice. I have no idea where all the ants come from. I feel as though I squish 20-30 a day. Hopefully as the weather cools the ants will disappear. I am making a few friends, few in the dorms and a few from school. I don't think I will have much problem living in Miyazaki. It feels much like Evergreen and Olympia. I hope to be able to improve my Japanese and learn about many more birds!

Crepy Crawlies

For being a small country Japan seems to have rather large bugs, especially spiders. While walking around the university campus I observed a large number of rather large spiders. They were yellow and black orb weavers. I am surprised that there are any flying bugs left in Miyazaki with the amount of spiders I saw. It seems as though they have created a net between the trees capturing anything that wanders in. I wonder if they have to build their spectacular webs again every time it rains, hopefully not judging by how often it rains. On the news today there were large bugs. There was a short program on large wasps. Very large wasps, probably 2-3cm long. They were showing them eating little honey bees. I never want to run into one of those, I hope they are far far away from me. At least the cockroaches are small. I have killed my fair share of cockroaches and ants crawling around my dorm room.
On other less creepy crawly topics~ There was a thunder storm today. I met up with my fellow exchange student from Evergreen, Max, today and we walked around campus attempting to find the library with the fabled internet access. We found it, but to our dismay with was closed to the national holiday.
I am slowly learning Japanese from Kaori and her sisters. I am very lucky I have a friend who is willing to help me while I am here. I am still getting used to my surroundings here in Japan but with time I will manage. I miss my friends at home and most of all Anthony. But I will pull through and enjoy my time in Japan to the fullest.

The First Day

Well I'm finally in Japan. I can tell because while starting a blog here the instructions were entirely in Japanese... I guess I should have set one up while I was in the U.S.A. It was a long journey but I arrived safely in Miyazaki airport at 9:00pm, surprisingly only 10 minutes late. One of the most memorable events on the plane was watching the parents place DS while their children read/slept. I met Kaori, Iwamoto-sensei, and Hirase-sensei at the airport and they helped me to the dorm. It was quite homely with the stuff left behind by previous exchange students. Among the treasures there is a fan, toaster oven, mini fridge, various kitchen (I think) cleaning supplies, a multitude of lamps, and a happy little plant.
This morning consisted of organizing said treasures and destroying the cockroaches and ants scattered around the room. I keep thinking the ants are going to plot revenge but that just be my slightly jet-lagged mind. The afternoon was filled with buying required living materials and exploring the large shopping mall on the outskirts of the main city with Kaori and her sisters. Most of the store names were in English which I found interesting.
After shopping we went back to Kaori's house and I made chicken strips for dinner. It was a busy first day. It has made all the difference having Kaori here to help me. It would have been much harder both mentally and physically without a good friend present.