I just don't get the rail system...

Save the Internet

Tue, 02 May 2006 00:09:55 GMT

Hey guys! I've been back in the states for about a week, and am doing the standard summer preparations- job hunting, grad school picking, etc. But that's not actually what I'm here to talk about. I don't know how many people read this journal, but I wanted to take a moment and spread the work about the threat to network neutrality.

What is network neutrality? It's basically a law insuring that internet service providers have to grant the same access to any and all websites. It means that people have the same opportunity to access huge websites like AOL, and unheard of website like...well, our blogs. Network Neutrality gives you the right to access whatever websites you want to access.

Huge companies like AOL and Verizon are trying to change that. The Internet is in some serious trouble here. Things are being set in motion that would allow your internet service provider to slow down loading times of internet sites as they saw fit, or block sites off altogether. It's already happened. According to savetheinternet.com, "In April, Time Warner's AOL blocked all emails that mentioned www.dearaol.com — an advocacy campaign opposing the company's pay-to-send e-mail scheme."

I could go on and on about the possible repercussions (death for small businesses, utter abandonment of right to free speech) of the loss of internet neutrality, but this website does a much better job of it:

http://www.savetheinternet.com/

Please take a look, and find out how your local representative voted (for most of you Philly kids, it's Rep. Pitts). If they voted against, let them know you disagree. If they voted in favor, send them your kudos. The Bill is still in committee, so it's not too late to turn this around.

Bye, Nippon

Thu, 20 Apr 2006 13:31:51 GMT

I have NO IDEA what to write. 24 hours from now, I will have been on a 747 for an extended period of time, and it'll feel like I was never in Japan in the first place. I'm all packed, my room is pretty barren, save the odds and ends we're leaving behind for the next roommates. I've got a long book for the plane ride, and said my goodbyes.

There's so much I feel that I didn't write about: pan rice (inside joke), brown water hotsprings, kamakura...I forgot just how many amazing things I've done here until I was packing up and going through ticket stubs and the like. Wow...

I wish I could write more, but I was never really good at conclusions. I'll update this thing a few more times- pictures I want to show off, post-flight anecdotes, etc. But this is my last post from Japan.

Thanks to all my tuj buds for hanging out with this awkward little irish gal. Thanks to Mom and John for making it possible for me to come and live here in the first place, and thanks to the rest of my family and friends for all the words of encouragement. And thanks to all the drunk salarymen for only groping me that one time.

Wish me a safe flight!

This is why you shouldn't steal from Douglas Adams

Fri, 14 Apr 2006 05:39:12 GMT

This is why language teachers can tell if you are doing your own translation, or using online translators like bablefish. In the English to Japanese function of bablefish:

"Pardon me, do you know where I can get some illegal drugs, and perhaps some hookers?"

Translates to:

"私がある違法薬剤を得ることができる多分あるhookers 知りどこで許し私、か"

Which translates back into english:

"Certain hookers which can obtain the illegal medicine which has me you know perhaps and permit somewhere me?"

Let's try another!

"In a fight between Superman and Batman, Chuck Norris would intervene, kill them both, then take Lois Lane and Selena Kyle out for a nice steak dinner."

"スーパーマンとバットマン間の戦いでは、素晴らしいステーキの夕食のためにLois の車線及びSelena Kyle を取るためにチャックNorris は介入したり、それらを両方、そして殺す。"

"Between the superman and the bat man swaying, chuck Norris intervenes the lane of Lois and in order to take Selena Kyle because of dinner of the splendid stake, both, and kills those."

Honestly, the above sentence would make more sense than Infinite Crises right about now.

Ticketmaster o Shindehoshidesu

Thu, 13 Apr 2006 16:14:31 GMT

So I check my e-mail, and waiting for me at the top of my inbox is this little memo:

"Don't Miss Larry the Cable Guy"

No thanks, Ticketmaster. No thanks.

Also, Mina and I studied for about 3 1/2-4 hours for the Japanese test today, like the bunch of nerds we are. The teacher gave us all of the questions she might ask in advance, so we'll rock it pretty hard (like Mary rocks Takeshi, oh snap). Chuck Norris no yooni jiyozu ni naguremasu. That's probably conjugated wrong, but that doesn't make me any less of a man.

Yummy

Thu, 13 Apr 2006 06:28:54 GMT

So, I just got back from the parasite museum.

NEVER AGAIN.

Man, I'm not gonna be able to eat spaghetti for another couple of years.

On an unrelated note, I did quite solid on the Metro Tokyo final. One more paper and three more exams to go.

Nappy-Naps?

Mon, 10 Apr 2006 11:49:20 GMT

Last day of classes...wigga what now? I'll be home in less than two weeks. Kind of torn about that...it's time for me to go home, I'm ready to go home, but I'll miss Japan. My wallet won't miss Japan though good lawd. Eh, regardless of my feelings on the matter, my plane's U.S. bound on April 21st. Finals aren't looking like they'll be so bad this semester. Two papers aside, it's two essay tests (which I own at), and a listening comprehension and oral exam (which Mina and I are going to practice for daily). So, yeah, we'll see how all that goes. I seriously have nothing of value to say right now, other than I am seriously tired and could use a nappy-nap.

I think some band owns this store. Flock of seagulls, perhaps? 'Hungry like the Wolf' was the single greatest song ever to be crafted by the hand of man. Nay, by the hand of Gods.

Did you know a zaku weighs as much as 9 elephants? Color me informed!

Taylor protecting my fabulous Courtesan self. That hat almost choked me to death.

A footbath at the Hakone open air museum. Taken on Taylor's camera by...Kota? I don't know, but I really like the shot.

Do you like me, check yes or no.

Sat, 08 Apr 2006 04:50:59 GMT

Soooooo sleepy. Yesterday was pretty awesome though. Rachel, Sarah, Taylor and I went to this hotspring about 50 minutes outside of Tokyo. It had 7-8 different springs, most of which were comprised of this brown sulfuric water that's supposed to be really good for your skin. It was outdoors, and extremely relaxing. A trip back during a study day is in the works.

Once we got back to TUJ house, it was girls' night! In attendance was everyone who went to the hot springs, plus the Catherines, Mina, Smalls, and Mark (who was nice enough to host us all). We watched movies and painted nails- it was the girliest thing ever. Rachel and I had a really nice conversation later on that night, then those of us still awake chatted in the common room for awhile. I got to bed pretty late, and I think a nap is sorely in order.

Things I have to do this weekend:

1. Go to Yasakuni shrine to take pictures for my paper (I was going to do that today, but it's raining out and I'm a bit too tired as it is)
2. Finish the paper for my japanese culture class (I already have 4 pages done, it's just a matter of editing)
3. Type up and send in the corrected Japanese skit (Mina- I need your help with that, my computer isn't set to Japanese text)
4. Finish the Japanese take home final
5. Hopefully knock out 3-4 pages of the Metro Tokyo paper, so I can go guilt-free to the hotsprings on Wednesday.
6. Try and type up some articles for the Paper

So, pretty busy, but manageable. And remember kids:

Indeed.

The revolution has come!

Wed, 05 Apr 2006 14:04:04 GMT

Aw yeah. I'm done with the rough draft of the paper for murai's class- it went really well, four pages in two hours. I'm writing about p.o.v. stuff, so it's right up my alley. Papers write quick you have something to say. It's mostly rambling, but there's some very concrete ideas in there that I can turn into an "A" paper. Hopefully I can finish that up tomorrow, and knock out about half of the metro tokyo paper this weekend. Might be tricky because I have a bunch of Japanese to do too. My Japanese hasn't improved as much as I hoped it would, but my pronunciation has become a lot smoother. I still have an accent, but I'm not walking around saying "Wataaaashi waaa Molly deeeesueee." This summer I'm going to have study like one of Socrates's university boy toys to get caught up with the rest of the kids in my level.

Also, I don't think I posted any pics from the bandai museum. Oh man. I have to go to sleep, but here is a small taste of what is pretty much the greatest place on earth.

Just a gal and her gundam, hanging out. LONG LIVE CHAR.

The future is nigh!

Excuse me while I emo-te

Tue, 04 Apr 2006 10:35:30 GMT

So the penis festival was...well, I'm going to take a note out of Rachel's book, and let this picture speak for itself:

I hope I'm not pregnant. I heard you can get pregnant through ornate wooden ceremonial shafts.

So, couple the penis festival with the cherry blossoms, and I had one heck of a weekend. Unfortunately, I am now drowning in schoolwork, as it is finals time at TUJ. I'll be fine if I take it one assignment at a time and don't think about how much work that amounts to. Meh, se la vie' (I am almost positive that's Japanese. Absolutely.)

Cheeseburgers?

Sat, 01 Apr 2006 05:31:39 GMT

So, last night was ten kinds of fun. Maybe twenty, I don't even know, I lost count. It's cherry blossom time, when all of the sakura trees in Japan come out in full bloom. They are only in full bloom for about a week and a half, so everyone goes out to see them. Corporations send out their youngest employees days in advance to mark off spots, and then when the evening rolls around, they hold huge company parties underneath the trees. It's not just corporations. Families go, and so do school groups (they often have kids camp out to get good spaces). A lot of the marked off spaces were veritable cardboard banquet halls. They taped together boxes and tarps to make long banquet tables, brought portable electricity generators to provide light and cooking appliances, and had huge platters of food delivered to that park. Cardboard pimpery at its finest.

Around 5, most of the usual suspects and I headed out towards Ueno. Ueno Park is like the sakura Mecca. There are hundreds of sakura trees that line the main street. We strolled around for a bit, and then went to get some dinner. We were walking around looking for a reasonably priced place to chow, and someone in our group was like "Holy crap! There's a Friday’s!"

Now, I genuinely enjoy trying new food. A vastly improved diet has been one of the unexpected benefits of my time in Japan. But sometimes, you want a stereotypical, artery clogging bacon cheeseburger. The restaurant was so surreal- it was exactly like being home, minus Ueno Park in the background. There’s probably a whole damn dissertation on the fact that I felt at home in globalized restaurant chain, but that’s for another time. The menus were in English, so I didn't have to spend 5 minutes sounding out the katakana. My katana skills are a joke. I had a cheeseburger platter, and potato skins! The soda also had free refills. This may not sound like a big deal to you spoiled people back in the states, but you've gotta understand that in Japan, soda is often the same price as an alcoholic drink, and rarely has free refills. You have to keep an eye on how much you drink, which I'm still not at all used to. I had 3-4 cups, easy...don't judge me :p

After that, we went to Ueno and bunkered down for an hour or so. There were no spots on the main walkway, so we set up base camp on some temple steps. There was chatting, drinking, singing, an all around good time. Everyone in the park was feeling really good natured- it was one giant party. People kept coming up to us and giving us drinks and food and hand warmers. Did I mention that I love Japanese people?

After that, we hit up Karaoke for about an hour, then headed back to TUJ house. Nang and Vicki were watching Office Space in the common room, and were nice enough to let us join. That movie always cracks me up- and puts the fear of god in me to stay the hell away from IT-related work.

Today is going to be pretty tame. I have a ton of homework to catch up on, and some laundry to do. Tomorrow is the Penis Festival! I don't remember the Japanese name for it, but it's a virility/fertility festival up in Yokohama. While I certainly don't need any fertility in the foreseeable future (you hear that, Danielle!), it should be a fun time nonetheless.

PS: As of today, I only have 20 days left in Japan. When did that happen?

Almost April? O'Neil?

Tue, 28 Mar 2006 14:05:55 GMT

Let it be known that cramming a month's worth of activities into one week wears a gal OUT. I slept the whole weekend away. I'm sleepy, and quite broke, but it was a great week, and it was good to see bubba (haha, I'm allowed to call him that and you aren't).

So like I said, this weekend was hella tame. Wrote some postcards, did some studying, etc. School is going really well- I got three papers back this week and got A's on all of them. One of my professors encouraged me to turn a short pastiche I did into a skit for TUJ orientation, and another one (British Paul) said I should post the paper I wrote for his class online or something. I'm a bit hesitant to do that- the paper was about the treatment of Women in Comics and online comic fans can be ten kinds of crazy. Still, it's definitely something to think about for grad school.

Ack, Grad school. I'm graduating next year. That is so very far from sinking in, even as I start to plan internships. I gotta decide what I want to do with myself. Sometimes I think I'd like to take a year and do the JET program, but only if I can get my loans deferred. Otherwise, heeeeeell no. I am not trying to couple the cost of living in Japan with student loan payback. I'm also excited to think about grad school- Emerson has a great publishing program, but I also might want to go to a school that would let me keep up with the research about comics- there's definitely a good book in their somewhere, if I have that kind of stamina. Dr. Molly? Who knows. I just see so many different paths that I could take with my education, and it's utterly unreal that the time has come to narrow those paths down a bit.

Something that's sinking in quite quickly is the fact that I'm leaving in less than a month. My time in Japan has been amazing- I've met some really cool kids, had amazing experiences, and gained more confidence in myself. Anyone who knew me in high school/freshman year knew that I used to have some real self-confidence issues. But I've really come out of my shell, even though I still get a bit reserved more often than I'd like. But overall, I rather like who I am, and it took some time (and some really good friends- they know who they are) to get to that point. Even so, the trip here has been a much needed confidence booster, because I took myself so far outside of my comfort zone. I probably won't realize how much I've changed until I'm back in old surroundings.

While I'll be sad to leave Japan, I'm also excited to get back to Philly. Well, Lancaster, then Philly, but let's leave the semantics out. I'm lining up some internships, looking to get more involved in some non-temple extracurriculars, and starting a new chapter of my life. It's turning out to be a damn anthology

Where is Molly?

Mon, 20 Mar 2006 14:07:50 GMT

Heh, as several friends and relatives have pointed out, it's been a long while since I updated this thing!

Ah! Right now the SMAP is on T.V. and I am having a hard time concentrating- I have a mad crush on the guy that plays Son Goku- er, that probably sounded like gibberish to most people who read this. Anywho!

Last weekend, I went to Hakone, a lovely hot spring resort! At the start of the trip, we went to the Hakone open-air museum. It was a huge museum dedicated mostly to giant sculptures. I think it was just an excuse to justify a giant outdoor playground- well played. This statue was probably my favorite, if only for the sheer amount of creepiness to it:

OMFG! Staring contest! I won. I beat a giant floating head with my skillz. He had no eyelids, hence lost by default. Erm...skillful default?

Afterwards, we stopped off at a sulfuric mountain famous for it's sulfuric hard-boiled eggs. I wish I knew the name, and could link you all to a better explanation, but that's the gist of it. Eating one of the eggs is supposed to make you live 7 extra years. Eating more than that takes 3 off your life. However, they sell them in packs of 6. Someone needs to rethink the marketing. When the sulfur clouds dispersed, the mountain offered a kick arse view of Mt. Fuji. Here I am, being too emo to even care about mountains:

Fast forward to this week, and my little brother is here for a visit! His first day here, I took him to Shibuya, and he was awash in glee. Yesterday, I took him to Aki Habara. Here he is in front of club sega:

If you knew my little brother, then you would know that this is like his Mecca- not at all exaggerating.

Later, we went to the imperial gardens:

And Tokyo Tower. We went on a great day- it was so clear that we could see Mt. Fuji. Also, it looks like the emo is genetic:

We can only go to shrine, and pray to be healed of teh_emo.

Hey, look! It worked! Thank goodness for oddly phallic mascots.

Eeeekk!

Tue, 07 Mar 2006 09:02:42 GMT

So, tomorrow, I have to interview a professor here at the university for this group project on propaganda comics. It's a group project, but so far I've wound up doing most of the work. Lame. It's not that I'm being taken advantage of, it's that only two people in our group are native english speakers, and I'm the one who volunteered to write to the guy. My schedule happens to sink up with his. But I haven't heard back from from the other native speaker in the group, to see if he's going to show up for the interview. I hope he doesn't turn out to be a flake. If so, it's not too late regroup. I'm not letting other kids ride on the back of my hard work. Had enough of that in middle school, thanks so much.

Anyway, I've never done an interview for an academic paper before. I'm a bit nervous, especially since I am not really familar with this particular professor's body of work. I've read a little from his book, but I don't know if he's the kind of guy that references himself all the time. "Well, as I laid out in my book..." Here's hoping not. The stuff I am asking him about isn't what was covered in his book, so I may avoid that pitfall. We'll see!

kaku ga hoshi yo

Mon, 06 Mar 2006 12:12:26 GMT

Journals. They are wonderful volumes of blank, bound paper pages. In them, you write whatever strikes your fancy. Fiction, art, gossip...sky's the limit. Do Japanese people not get the urge to write? Seriously. I've been on the lookout for a good journal for awhile now, and nothing has come up. Sarah, Mina, and I walked all around Shibuya today, and didn't find squat. Not even in Tokyo hands. They had a few blank notebooks, but I have no desire to remember my time in japan via a mickey mouse notebook. Sorry Mickey, it ain't happening. That goes for you too, Chip 'n Dale.

There are seriously no book stores in Shibuya. The clothing and makeup shops are exponentially proportional to the book shops. And the 109 is rich hoe central. Aside from the lack of journal, it was pretty fun. Got some crepes, and what I think was a job offer at a strip club. Maybe I can pick up a journal in Hakone, who knows.

Score! Road to Tenjiku is on. Is it wrong that I have a thing for Son Goku?

Oink!

Sun, 05 Mar 2006 13:59:42 GMT

So, if you're ever in Tokyo, go to the MOT. It's the Museum of Contemporary Art...of Tokyo? I guess that's where they pull the abbreviation from. Anyway, I saw an exhibit where contemporary Japanese artists take traditional Japanese painting methods, and use them to create their own vision. The paintings ranged from political to traditional, from thought provoking to breathtaking. If you happen to be in and around the area, I highly recommend a visit.

I also went to the Crafts Museum. There's a fancier title to it than that, but it gets the message across. It is a museum dedicated to both older Japanese craftwork (pottery, fabrics, etc), and a revival of the medium. There are some very old works there, and some more modern stuff. It was a fairly small museum, but pretty interesting.

On a less highbrow note, there were tons of sales downtown today! First, at the grocery store, where many frozen foods were half off! Food in Tokyo can get very costly, so I stocked up. I got tons of rice balls, glazed chicken, and teriyaki beef for under twenty dollars! On our way back, we passed a street vendor who was selling various (junky) odds and ends. I wasn't interested in any of this gentleman’s stock, until my eyes happened upon, hanging modestly to side of the set-up, the most glorious purse ever crafted by the hand of man. More accurately, the most glorious purse-type apparatus, but let us not waste time on verbal semantics. It is a purse, shaped like a giant high-top sneaker. A Chuck Taylor, minus the label, and covered in white stars. How much was this veritable feat of footwear (foot of featware?), you ask? Three dollars!

Love.

I also got, for a mere 100yen ($1), the ugliest thing I have ever seen in my life. It is a tiny wooden pig. The carving is well done, actually. The pig's maker just decreed that this wooden mammal would be uglier than sin. Thing is, he is so ugly that he's cute. So ugly that the very idea of ugliness takes form and flips itself around. I named him Wilbur. A simple name for a simply ugly pig.

Nagano!

Sun, 26 Feb 2006 10:22:10 GMT

About a week ago, during a 4-day weekend, I went on a trip organized by the Ski club to the Nagano area of Japan. Mountains galore, galore I say!

We left directly from the school’s annual Valentines Day party. The party was fun, but whoever decided that leaving right after a party, wherein discount drinks were offered, was a good idea clearly underestimated the sensibilities of the average college student. You might think that, given the knowledge of an 8-hour bus ride to follow, one would keep the liquor down to a drink or to. I capped off the night at three, but my compatriots possessed more alacrity than I. Not only did half of our merry crew enter the bus in an inebriated manner, but also had the wherewithal to bring more beers onto the freaking bus. Did I mention the bus did not have a bathroom?

This gratuitous presence of alcohol led to, among other things, someone deciding it was a good idea to dump a bag of ice into a cardboard box, people peeing out and windows and/or into cups (depeding on the gender), and the thirty year old student government president punching a guy in the neck. The victim, who was rousing said president in an attempt to pee out of the side of the bus window, then exclaimed loudly and repetitively, “I’m just trying to have peace on the bus”

Where peace and pee congregate, this humble English major knows not.

After the bus ride from hell, we pulled into the ski resort at 7am, but could not leave to check into the hotel until 5pm. Those of us not hungover got our gear, and proceeded to the slopes. It was my first time on skis, and within 5 minutes, I fell backwards into a gutter. A gutter! Tony (aforementioned president), now in a sober manner, patiently tried to teach Catherine and I to ski. After falling a lot, and getting perhaps 15 feet down the mountain, we assured Tony that we would be fine the rest of the way down, and thanked him for all of his help.

We then promptly proceeded to take off the skis of death and spent the rest of the day in on onsen (hot springs). Honestly, it was either the rainy slopes of death, or a giant pool-sized hot tub. We made the right choice.

That night, we pulled into town, and found over that we were staying at the Shakespeare Hotel. The irony was not lost on me.

Sarah, Catherine, and I outside the entrance

What killed me about the hotel was the key ring that we had to lug around to gain entrance into our room and to turn on the electricity. I wish I had taken a picture. It was…phallic. That’s honestly the best word to describe it. It was this golden, yellow, rod-shaped thing. I am not sure what that had to do with the Bard, but I am sure he would appreciate the symbolism. He would probably also have appreciated that they sold rubber breasts in the gift shop. The Bard approves!

Outside of the gift shop hung the biggest icicle I’ve ever seen!

Entrance to our wing of the hotel

We checked in, only to discover that since ours was the only room with four people (Sarah, Catherine, Mark, and myself), we got the suite! It was huge, even by American standards! The size of our room became the stuff of mini-ledged on the trip, mainly because we sort of kept it on the d-l until the last day. All of the rooms came with yukata, which the girls promptly tried on!

Me, outside in the snow.

Catherine, Sarah, and I

Nagano is famous for three things: Apples, Pheasant eggs, and Soba. Well, pheasant eggs and soba aren’t really photogenic, so we posed with some fruit instead.

About to take a bite…

Sarah couldn’t wait to dive in, though in her defense they were very yummy apples.

The next night, we explored the town a little bit, and it looks as if Shakespeare isn’t the only English author this little town fangirls:

What are you talking about, Bilbo Baggins loves him some crafts. Did you not read the chapter wherein he bedazzles Gandalf’s hat? From then on, Gandalf the Grey was known as Gandalf the fabulous. Look it up.

With all this British literature floating around in my head, it was really hard not to look at this lamppost:

Without the vain hope that Mr. Tumnus would come out, in his goose pimpled glory, and let me ask him why he wears a scarf and no shirt.

At one point, we decided some Karaoke was in order. Or rather, we were so shocked that there was Karaoke in this tiny place that we had to try it. It was pretty run down, and that’s being generous. At first we thought there were no English songs, but half an hour into our session, Catherine figured out how to work the remote, and we were saved!

Our final day there, the sky cleared up, and I was able to get some rather lovely shots of the town!

Once we pulled in, I tried skiing once again, with the help of Marc. This time, I made it all the way down the hill! Granted, I spent half of the distance on my behind, and snow got in places snow was never meant to be, and I also almost broke my neck, and…anyway, I got down the hill without dying! It was actually really fun, and I will probably go again sometime.

Giving it a try…

Slowly getting my footing…

And wiping out horribly…

Yup…

At one part of the day, a bunch of us took the gondola up to the top of the double black diamond area. Obviously, the intention was not to ski, as a corpse would not be an apropos souvenir for the folks back home, but rather to enjoy the view. And what a view it was. I am going to let the next couple shots speak for themselves.

Needless to say, the view made the bus ride from hell quite worth it. I can’t really get over the fact that I was there, at the top of the mountains. But as proof…

Catherine and I on the gondola up to the top

The above shot looks very emo and introspective, but in all reality, it is just me avoiding staring into the blinding sun. I tried to take a few pictures facing the camera, and ergo the sun, but it made my eyes tear up took quickly. The same went for the rest of the group. Catherine and I opted for an emo-shot instead:

It was also safe to take a picture in the shade (Lauren, Josh, Karen, and myself)

She’s gonna attack!

Well, that is about it for the ski trip. Now, I must be off to study for a Japanese exam. I leave you all with a picture of Catherine and I in hats. Take that, sun!

(P.S. Thanks to Marc for taking the pictures of me skiing, and Lauren for uploading them- don’t worry about bandwidth, I saved them to my own server)

Alive! And well fed!

Sat, 25 Feb 2006 14:14:00 GMT

Well, I survived midterms. Now it's onto the term papers. Such is life! I came through relatively unscathed, and got the highest grade in the class on my metro Tokyo midterm. I got back a little while ago from a very fun, yet very exhausting day.

It started with a 9 a.m. field trip. The trip itself was thoroughly 'meh'. The professor covered too many landmarks in too short a period, gave some rather incorrect information, and got mad at me for eating a banana. No, really. When this guy gives a field trip (mandatory attendance on a gorram Saturday morning), he stops at really cool spots for about a minute, and then it's time to jet. It's like turning on a really good movie, say lord of the rings, and turning it off before you even get to see a stinkin' hobbit.

But after the trip disbanded, Michi took my friend Josh and I back to some of the landmarks we went to before, and we got to really look around. Most notably, we went to Sensoji Temple. It's a really popular temple for tourists, because all along the outside are famous Japanese sweet shops. I got some freshly made rice crackers ^^

Unfortunately, my batteries died, so I got no pictures. However, I'll probably go back to the temple to buy souvenirs before I go back, so I shall supply some pictures then.

After the shopping, I went back to Michi's house for dinner! She invited me and Catherine several weeks ago, and I've really been looking forward to it. Michi is just about the nicest girl ever. She's one of the only Japanese students to walk right up and introduce herself (most are really shy, it's on the new kid to make the first move), and we became friends really quickly. Now I can see how she turned out to be such a lovely girl, her parents are wonderful people! They gave Catherine and I cute little hanamatsuri candies (hanamatsuri is the girl's festival. It celebrates...er, girls! Yay girls!), and they really liked the snack crackers we brought them from Nagano. The food was amazing (huzzah for home cooking!), and between broken English and Japanese (save Michi, who is fluent in both), we had a really nice conversation.

Michi, her mother, me, and Catherine:

Michi's parents, me, and Catherine:

Sorry for the red-eye of doom, but I lack le photo editing software! I still have tons of pictures to post, especially of the ski trip, but it is 11:13pm over here, and I need to hit the hay. After I find some hay...that could be problematic.

Upon St. Crispin's Day!

Sun, 19 Feb 2006 10:39:38 GMT

I'm alive, I'm alive! I got back from a 4-day trip to the Nagano Mountains a few hours ago. It was rainy, but then clear and breathtaking. I've never seen such gorgeous landscape in all my life. I took plenty of pictures, got plenty of bruises, and promise to post more about the trip in a few days. However, the next 72-hours promise to be a rather stress inducing cornucopia of midterm madness. It will be study, stress, study some more, and hopefully sleep somewhere in the process. Such is college. Wish me luck!

Drum drum drum

Sat, 11 Feb 2006 10:08:40 GMT

That was certainly the case today. Mina and I left the dorm a bit after noon, to check out an area I have to visit on Monday. The plan was to see some of the public parks, maybe stop by a museum. However, when we got to the train station, I realized I left the map back at the dorm! Instead, we went to Harajuku, and got some crepes. Nothing really new there. I’ve been to Harajuku before, I’ll go again.

The plan was to play it by ear, which we did quite literally. We heard drumming, and went to see what the heck it was. There was this elaborate performance taking place just outside the Meiji shrine! It was really amazing. The drums reverberated so much that you felt it, and consequently, felt like part of the performance. It’s one of those times words can’t do justice, but I’ll try.

First, a bunch of women in orange yukatas preformed. These ladies were badass. They were pounding on the drums rapidly, and with copious amounts of force. I’d imagine they all have wicked upper body strength.

Next up, were the kids. When they all came out everyone went “aww”. How could you not? If you don’t go “aww” at the photo posted below…you just have no heart, you heartless buffoon.

Once we got over the “aww” factor, we realized these kids were really good. Like, they could tour with Bowie (I love him, but the man needs more percussion). Or maybe they could put out an album, and rock the western hemisphere, and stop communism, and fight giant robots with their INCREDIBLE PERCUSSION SKILLZ OF JUSTICE...er, as it were.

The drumming led Mina and I to suspect that today was some sort of holiday for the shrine. Though we’ve been to the shrine several times, we decided to check it out, just in case. I’m glad we did! The area around shrine was hopping! Tons of grown men were walking in Yukatas (though I still have no idea why!). I think we must have just missed something, because although there were many people in the areas around the shrine, the shrine itself was pretty barren.

Except for these people carrying banners! Heavy banners, I’ll bet. Banners of justice?

They carried the banners into the alter area and sung a lovely song. I don’t know if you can tell from the picture, but one of the participants was a woman. Hurray for women in religious ceremony! Tons of the drummers were female too. It was really gratifying to see women on the same level as men in traditional Japanese ceremonies.

The center alter was visbile to the public today! Most days, it’s closed off. What all this boils down to is that I got a really cool picture of the alter area that I’ve never been able to get before.

As we were leaving, there was a steady train of people in white sashes following a priest. I don’t know what the sashes say, or what was going on. Maybe they are teaming up with the drummers to make a concept album?

Then, another train of people came walking by. This time, it was a ceremony I could identify. A Shinto wedding!

To get married at the Meiji shrine, the lovely bride and groom must come from exceedingly rich/prestigious families. It costs an arm and a leg and a lot of scratch to be wed there.

After the shrine, we wandered to a public park nearby. On the sidewalk adjacent to the park, a bunch of bands were playing! About every 10 feet was another band trying to catch your attention. In hindsight, I should have taken a picture, but my mind was overloaded with really good music.

Purty fountains! There were so many cute little families at the park, it was impossible to be in a bad mood. This park was nice, but I’m sure come spring it’ll be absolutely breathtaking.

Emo Mina!

To add to the picturesque scene were these birds! I have absolutely no idea what kind of birds they were. At first, my brain went water+birds=ducks. But they don’t look like ducks, and I don’t think crows are apt to chilling in lakes. Either way, go birds!

I still have a bunch of pictures to post, of Karaoke and the Imperial garden (which is a post in and of itself), but I’m going to ahead and finish this post off with a billboard that stopped me dead in my tracks. I just have no idea what to make of it. What does this mean!?

If anyone can give me some insight into what was happening at Meiji today, I would be much obliged!

Question

Wed, 08 Feb 2006 13:36:14 GMT

Earlier today, I got into a bit of a debate regarding the word "gaijin". I called it a racial slur, with the reasoning that a person is singled out as a gaijin because they are not of the Japanese race.

Other people argued that it isn't an inherently insulting word, just a description, and that it only holds negative connotations when said in a purposefully negative manner. To say I disagree would be a rather massive understatement.

I know what my experience here is with the word "gaijin". It's been extremely negative, to the point that someone using 'gaijin' in casual conversation bothers me, if only because other people accept it too readily. It’s different when joking around with my friends, but to be causally referred to (or pointed out) as gaijin bothers me.

But I've only been here a month and a half. I could just have had a run of bad luck. To the any non-native that is living or has lived in Japan, could you share some of your thoughts and experiences? Is 'gaijin' inherently offensive? Does it being used as a casual descriptor bother you? Why or why not?

Patience is a virtue

Mon, 06 Feb 2006 01:31:36 GMT

There is a huge package waiting for me in the mailroom. I cannot open it. It is big, and from my parents, and probably contains wonderful birthday goodies. I cannot open it! If I open it now, I will have to carry around a very large, very heavy box all day long.

But if I open it now, I will have stuff. Let the record show, Molly Conner loves stuff. And I could live with carrying it around...

No! I cannot open it. I could just take a peek...Gah! No. Bad Molly. Now you're referring to yourself in the third person. Classy. I'll make it till the end of the day. Or past lunchtime. We'll see.

Also, I got a birthday card! With an itunes gift card!!! I see episodes of The Office in my future. Thanks Missy, Beth, Dube, and Drew! It made me smile like Uncle Retard, cause he smells nice like a lady(omg inside joke!).

UPDATE: I made it past lunch time, but not past school. Holy moses...it's...there were ugg boots and double stuffed oreos and oh my goodness...*dies*

Karaoke is for to be living lives!

Fri, 03 Feb 2006 16:25:30 GMT

So, private Karaoke rooms are pretty much the best thing ever. You rent out the room for a nominal fee per person, and then sing as much as humanly possible in two hour intervals! A lot of places even let people rent the rooms all night at a much smaller fee. The last trains here run at midnight, and don't run again until five in the morning, so nightspots tend to lose a lot of business unless they make some sort of concession for the people staying for the bulk of the night. The place we went even had little packages of mouthwash and cotton swabs for their quasi-overnight guests.

Taylor, Rachel, Mina, and (two!) Catherines rented out a room. It was so incredibly fun, we could sing at the top of our lungs, and no one cared because they had their own rooms as well. With one remote, we selected our songs, and ordered our drinks! It was a good thing I was keeping tabs on what I ordered, or the bill would have piled up real high real soon.

Karaoke is amazing. In Japan, Karaoke is life!

genki de

Wed, 01 Feb 2006 14:57:30 GMT

Have I mentioned that I am a very lucky girl? Because, yeah, I really am.

Today was my birthday. I'm far from home, and cut off from a lot of the people I love. But it sure didn't feel like it. I got birthday well wishes from tons of my friends back home. Taylor and Rachel treated me to lunch, and halfway through writing a particularly horrendous rough draft, Mina pulled me up to Mark's room, where almost every resident of the TUJ dorm was waiting to eat cake (made by Suzette) and ice cream. Some of them even knew it was my birthday! I kid, I kid :)

It is 11:50 p.m. over here, and I am about to turn in for the night. In 10 minutes, my birthday is over. I am half a world away from everything I've ever known, but today a lot of people, from all across the globe, made me feel right at home. Thanks guys, I love you all :)

P.S. Even the earth wished me well! There was a small earthquake today, and I like to thing it was just Japan's way of saying "Happy Birthday, Molly. You are pretty cool." Thanks Japan, let's hang out sometime. We could tease the Scots; they would never see it coming.

I just realized I've been wearing my bra inside out all day long.

Tue, 31 Jan 2006 13:51:18 GMT

Who wants some random pictures?
For those of you who have studied abroad, you know that getting stuff from home (with instructions you can actually read!) is a very pleasant, and comforting surprise. Well, Monday morning, I go down to check my mailbox and there is a package waiting for me! I was so surprised, I just about cried. It was an early birthday present from my friend Chibi :)

*photo down for a bit*
There were over fifty stamps on this thing! Chibi is very meticulous.

*photo down for a bit*
Enclosed was a plethora of Mac and Cheese, junk food...

And a birthday card! Naturally, there was no postage attached to the card. Chibi outright refused:

See? Her refusal is in writing. She's in the system!

These rest of these shots are a hodgepodge of pictures I've taken of the area around the school and my apartment, that I think showcase interesting facts about Japan.

The social stigmas in Japan are rather different from the ones in America. Here, it's considered rude to blow you nose in public, to enter someone's home with your shoes on, and to sit down on a public transit seat clearly marked off for the elderly and disabled. Acutally, these things are all considered rude in America too, but here people pay attention. However, in the midst of all this politeness, T&A is A.O.K

That totally rhymed... If you can't tell, I am pointing at the not-so-kid friendly magazines. Though, I guess if the kid is still in the nursing stages, these magazines look pretty damn friendly. The guys inside the convenience store, flipping through the magazines, were giving us weird looks as we posed. I guess looking is one thing, but including yourself in the display is another. Or they were just afraid we would snap them looking at nudie mags in public.

Remember how I said there were vending machines everywhere? Well, that isn't just limited to drinks and foodstuff. Outside of a lot of small shops are coin machines that dispence toys (like the ones outside supermarkets at home, only more prevalent). Jess, I thought your bio-major self would like this shot:

It dispenses toy body parts! Hurray!

Tokyo is a commuter heavy city. This is starting to change, as a lot of contractors are zoning their newer buildings as both commercial and residential. In a new building, it would be entirely possible for someone to live not twenty feet away from where they work. Of course, just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. Anyway, I'm getting off-topic. This may surprise you, but a multitude of Tokyoites don't fancy the idea of being squeezed into a train for thirty minute stretches every morning. They choose to bike, and the streets of Tokyo are jam packed with their vehicles of choice:

When I got here, I was taken aback by how safe everyone feels leaving their bikes out and unguarded, save a lock. I was doubly taken aback by the fact that if your bike is stolen, the police actually look for it. I shit you not. What else have they got to do?

This is not a photo of any cultural significance, buuuuuut:

Seriously, how cute is the little sign guy? When an adorable little cartoon person asks you not to jump off a bridge, you listen. Even if all you friends are jumping off the bridge, the tiny little cartoon man reminds you that it's a bad idea. A lesson that takes parents years to drill into their children is distilled into one tiny, city-sponsored sign. This effectively makes parental figures obsolete. It’s science, you see.

I swear, I study sometimes

Thu, 26 Jan 2006 14:02:28 GMT

Believe it or not, some of the most frequent inquires I receive about Japan aren’t in regards to the city, shrines, people, etc. It’s about the toilets. “So, what about the toilets, man?”

What about the toilets, man?

Thing is, it’s a damn good question, one that makes for a worthwhile post. Honestly, there are few words that do justice to the plethora of Japanese toilet options. In lieu of description, I bring you a picture heavy guide to all you urination needs in Japan.

Been hitting the vending machines too hard?

You’re sitting in class, realizing that just because you can get instant hot tea from a machine doesn’t mean indulging between every class period is a positive thing. The class bell rings, and you rush off to the bathroom. But wait! You have more than one choice of urination station.

You can choose either A:

A traditional Japanese toilet.

or B:

A modern Western toilet that is, ironically, more advanced than any toilet in the west.

With B, you get all sorts of fancy features. But choosing A makes you more fake-Japanese. The wannabe Nihonjin in you picks A.

Rachel was kind enough to demonstrate the proper way to go about using a traditional toilet. Taylor...is helping. Obviously, this presents some problems if you aren’t used to it.

You realize two things. Firstly, you will never, ever have the coordination to use a Japanese toilet. Secondly, you are wearing pants, and the angling just isn’t going to work out. You swallow you hopes and dreams, and sit your ass down on one the finest pieces of technology ever to grace god’s green earth.

Seriously, I hope the guys behind this toilet are employed by NASA. Or maybe off making giant fighting robots, that’ll work too. Let us further examine this majestic throne.

You take a seat, and realize the toilet seat is pre-warmed. I kid you not. You bask in this warmth for a moment, before looking down and realizing that this toilet comes with buttons!

You see that button with the music note? If you have some particularly gaseous business to take care of, just press that button, and fake flushing sounds give you all the privacy you could ever need. There is also a button for “powerful deodorizer”, if your deed has been especially noxious.

After you’re done what you initially came to do, you might consider the bidet function! I will admit, here and now, that I tried the bidet (with major reservations). It felt very...invasive? Honestly, it felt like you would imagine a bidet would feel like. Unfortunately, I did not know how to turn it off! After a minute, things got awkward (not unlike the direction of this post). I flushed, and that merely made the water stream out with more vigor (and dear god, my mother is reading this journal entry and wondering what the hell her daughter is doing with her spare time). Finally, I realized that the “stop” button probably did the trick.

It did. Color me violated. You might also notice there is a “spray” button. To be perfectly honest, after a full minute of bidet related H2O feats centering in and around the circumference of my lower regions, I decided there was just no way in hell I was trying button labeled “spray”, complete with illustrations. Ever.

But enough of that! You are finished with the toilet, and now need to wash your hands. Soap and water work the same way around here. However…

There are no paper towels! Or hand dryers, as Taylor was devastated to find out. But fret not Taylor! Instead of paper towels, people here carry around their own washcloths. Like this little number:

Just dry off, check yourself out in the mirror, and walk off to lead a temporarily not full life!

How is it that I go to college?