The first few days have been a total whilrwind of food parties, meeting new people and JAPANESE! Its already been such good practise as I have to speak Japanese 90% of the time, and my confidence has skyrocketed. Theres no way I could write it all down, but a few things that have amused me so far include:
Jelly in a can – bought from a drinks vending machine. Is it a drink? Is it food? Im not quite sure, but its very yummy!
Engrish – its absolutely everywhere. I have a file which says: “Yeah, I want to make my arms like ham… pretend like you`re a pretty kitty” and a notebook which says: “tiny flowers of shine”. Ive also tried a beer which according to its description on the label* “taste of autumn”… whatever that means.
Oh and we went to a fake English style pub last night where you could choose from 4 sizes of beer: half pint, Pint, 3/4 pint, and a LITRE. (I had a 3/4 pint just to see what it looked like, but it is actually just a 3/4 pint sized glass filled to the top, not a pint which isnt fully filled up in case you were wondering.)
Everything is going really well, everyone is really nice, my jetlag is non-existent and the food is delicious. Today I had yaki-soba for breakfast, mochi icecream for lunch, jelly in a can as a snack and who knows what for dinner. Not particularly healthy, but very Japan.
There has been a LOT of orientation (more like disorientaion in the case of the talk on finance) and had a campus tour, Ive discovered internet which you dont have to log-on to (we havent had that orientation seminar yet!) in the CJS office so thats where I am right now. The campus is amazing, and massive compared to what Im used to at SOAS, so its going to be a while before I really know my way around! Theres a gym, a pool, (free to use!) a (proper) bookshop, a movie rental store (free!!) a language exchange centre where Japanese is prohibited so to promote other languages, about 4 or 5 cafeterias, a couple of cafes, sports grounds…. whereas SOAS is essentally one building! So I feel like Im having a real university experience! Its much more what one would expect uni to be like. The best part is, my dormitory is literally spitting distance form the main gates!
Will try to update again soon, Im thinking about getting internet in my room; its very expensive (25 pounds per month) but I think its a necessity. Especially since there are no wireless networks on campus (its all dial-up!!) all the wireless networks around my hall are secured and even though there is a room where one can skype from on campus, the computer rooms shut about 8.30. Even to using an internet cafe requires registration, so its a bit of a hassle really.
Hope you are all well back home!
3 Chopsticks 