The day I left was a rather sad one. I left at 5:30 in the morning and was seen off by a teary okaasan and Nikki. The cab driver was awesome, even though he was rather self-conscious because he couldn’t speak English. I got to the airport and checked by luggage in: only one was overweight, incurring the 5000 yen charge (I was wholly expecting to have that on both). And while my carry-on bag was too big for the flight from Osaka to Tokyo (it had to be checked and picked up at Narita), it was just fine to be stored in the overhead bin on the flight to Chicago.

As for the last few weeks in Japan, they were eventful. They were spend finishing up classes, final exams, and packing everything I could into those remaining days. I’m not entirely happy that I had to leave…I left a lot of good friends behind and I’m already finding it rather weird not to have them around.

I’ve also experienced a bit of reverse culture shock, if that’s what it could even be called. Aside from the initial “oh shit, we’re driving on the the right side of the road!” thing, there have been a few other things including (but not limited to) the urge to take off my shoes before I enter my own apartment (not an entirely bad thing) and the urge to speak Japanese when encountering service people or strangers. Also, I’m finding it difficult to adjust to American food again. I just…don’t know what to eat. I’ll go grocery shopping today and see how that works out.

I miss vending machines. And my bike.

Oh, and if any of you were wondering…I actually lost weight while there. This is despite the everyday consumption of rice or other carbs and the parfait adventures. Jeez.

In any case, one last picture update:
Osaka at night from 五月山

Dana hiding in the bushes…

Dana and Dasha…owning the world.


My sumi-e final before it was backed:

And after it was finished, hanging at the exhibition (with me, of course):

Tiny Japanese road is tiny:

Me and the girl at Pepper, a rather awesome shop in Horie. She was so cute:

Tiny apple:

Coffee parfait! (with coffee jell-o):

A delicious sandwich:

On the bridge while in Kyoto for the last time:

Christmas cake~

Gundam store in Den Den Town:

Ar karaoke…aren’t they freaking adorable?


My last night in Japan. We made macaroni and cheese and fried chicken…and ate it from a cup with chopsticks. Freaking classy:

And for my last pictures from Japan, my last parfait adventure in Japan—クレージビッグパーフェ (Crazy Big Parfait):

And with that, my time in Japan is finished…for now.

Anyhoo, the past few weeks have been eventful. I’ve gotten two new tattoos, went to a hookah bar, saw another Takarazuka performance, and went to Nara.

The tattoos were done at Chopstick Tattoo by Nattsu…and she is absolutely fantastic and talented. Even if I didn’t adore this country so much, I’d come back just to get more work done by her. In fact, I plan on it. The first one that I got was comprised of lyrics from Gackt’s song “In Flames” with stylized plum blossoms around it. The second is a cute leopard gecko in memory of Ringo (my gecko) who passed not too long ago. Nattsu designed both of them, and both were perfect. They turned out wonderfully!

Kansai Gaidai Matsuri and INFES also happened last weekend. It’s a few days out of the year where the Japanese student clubs and circles set up booths for food and there are all sorts of events on campus. I had some good yakisoba. Nom nom.

This past Monday was Labor-Thanksgiving Day here, a National Holiday. The night before, a group of us from the house pitched in together and made a nice Thanksgiving feast complete with orange chicken, beef stew, potato salad, mashed potatoes, lots of deviled eggs, and apple cake. It was quite delicious. On the following day, we made it back out to Takarazuka to catch the Revue’s rendition of Casablanca as done by the Cosmos Troupe. It was rather nifty, but I do think that I like the Flower Troupe better.

Today we ventured out to Nara. It was a wonderful time to go as the weather hasn’t been too bad and the fall leaves are gorgeous. Our main point of interest was Toudaiji, the wooden temple that contains the Daibutsu (Great Buddha). Of course there were deer everywhere. Deer with no sense of personal space. Tough given that they were cute animals that would usually run away under any other circumstance, I was enthralled.

Yes, there are pictures.

Chopstick Tattoo! Amemura 1st Shop:



Guns ‘n’ Roses pinball in the waiting room. Win.:

Nattsu’s studio:



Getting the first one:


And the second:







Nattsu, myself, and the awesome receptionist (I forgot her name! ):

Casablanca:

Some pics from Nara:

Poor guy is getting accosted by a deer:



Deer!…:

…the deer is not amused at my antics:







As said…totally enthralled:




Toudaiji:









The Daibutsu!:



Another Buddha:

Koumoku!

Tamonten (aka Bishamonten)!:

The statue that you apparently rub to stop hurting:

Koufukuji:

I’m so cool

Cheese katsu dinner. NOM NOM!:

Hookah and chai:


Thanksgiving dinner:






Gaidai Matsuri/INFES:


Hahaha~:

Vending machine fun. Beer, cigarettes, and warm creamed corn and cocoa What more could you ever want?:



Oh yeah…a parfait:

Halloween in Japan isn’t nearly as nifty as it is in the States. There is no trick or treating—only a select few who may don costumes for the day. The campus became like a giant outdoor cosplay event, really (yes, there were a lot of kitties, maids, and kitty-maids). Of course, the dressing up was mainly done by the 留学生(foreign students). Therefore, those of us who were in costume couldn’t take 5 steps out without being stopped by the Japanese students and being asked to have our picture taken. It was fun and flattering for a while, until I was hungry and it took me about a half an hour to get to the cafeteria when it only should have taken me 3 minutes.

Aside from that, I went to Arashiyama today in order to pay a visit to the Iwatayama Monkey Park. It is a rather steep hike up a mountain, but it was well worth it. At the top there is a small park with a wonderful view of Kyoto. The best part, though…monkeys. Macaque monkeys running all over the place. It was glorious!

I know that this isn’t too detailed, but I’ll let the pictures speak as their are a LOT of them.

VK kids on Halloween (Joseph, Shari, myself, and Dana). I have pink hair again!

Halloween on campus:










Chelsey is a debil:

Khaulah is a cute thing:

Debil stabs cuteness:

Goddamned furry:

NOMNOMNOM:

Mr. President?!

Arashiyama:








Views of Kyoto from the top:



Me at the Monkey Park:

We were not allowed to feed the monkeys outside of the rest area as it would encourage them to misbehave. They were so cute!:









Expectant Monkey is expectant:

Outside of that little enclosure, monkeys were everywhere!:








Groomy monkeys!:




Broody monkeys!:



Slide monkey!:




A cute green bug. Yeah.

My Dears stuff came! Yeah!:

I also got my gaijin card…I am now a certified gaijin:

I am a sad, sad person:

Now food, starting with our shabu shabu dinner one night…Rebecca demonstrates:

Maccha parfait. Nom nom:

Caramel almond parfait:

Parfait collection:

Sunday was spent going around Osaka-jo koen. First off, we walked through the park and saw a bunch of bands. One, in particular stood out among the rest. They were called Mutsunokamiyoshiyuki (yes, quite the mouthful). They’re aesthetic is “Samurai x Rock” and their music is a reflection of that: traditional Japanese music with a modern rock edge. I bought their CD and intend to catch them in a concert sometime in the near future. After that, we checked out Osaka castle. It was interesting, especially since I shelled out 300 yen to dress up like a samurai. Win. The rest of the day was spent bumming around Shinsaibashi again (can you tell that I really like that area?). We plan on making another trip out there in the near future in order to get tattoos. Yay~

Outside of Shinsaibashi station. It was a parade of sorts…I’d like to think that they were trying to run the gaijin out:

The fashion show:










View from Triangle Park in Amemura:

Church in Shinsaibashi. Check out the replica architecture!:

Sweets Paradise Adventure! That is the chocolate fountain:

Dana Looks bored, I look…weird:

We ate a LOT:

Therefore, we were full (that is my “I’m full” face):

Chelsey is full and happy:

It was someone’s birthday there, so clearly a pumpkin delivering a cake was a must. What?:

Obligatory pics of Doutonbori at night:





The next day, on the way to Makino station…turtles!:

Aforementioned awesome band. Seriously, check them out!:


Plum blossoms!:



Osaka castle:




View of Osaka from the observation level of the castle:





Crouching tiger:

I’m a freaking samurai! Rawr!:




Mutsunokamiyoshiyuki’s album and the hat that I bought from the VK shop. The patches on it say “DEATH” and “Fuck the World, Bitch Culture, Wicked Witch, Debil Satan, Lucifer Wings”. Win.:

You really didn’t think that I’d have a picture update without a parfait, did you?:

Also, we got to dress up and receive lots of weird looks as we were obviously Westerners in wafuku (traditional clothing).

A few pictures:

Kimono time! Yes, I’m wearing boots. I rule.





Shimogamo Shrine:



Glorious fruit parfait consisting of ice cream, cornflakes, sliced bananas, sliced kiwis, paper-thin slices of apple fanned across the top, decoratively-cut oranges and grapefruit, a secret raspberry, a wafer cookie stick, and raspberry sauce:

Happy geologist Rhi receives her rocks and minerals field guide <3:

Today, Dana and I went to Kyoto again. First, we visited Fushimi-Inari shrine. It’s an expansive shrine filled with torii gates and various statues depicting kitsune (as they are very closely linked with Inari). Of course, I know of at least one person back in Wisconsin who would be enthralled by this place. As for me, I was completely taken away and it shows in the sheer amount of pictures I took. It was wonderful.

After that, we wandered about shopping areas around Shijou-kawaramachi for a bit. I got an good idea of things to pick up at some point while getting acquainted with the area. As soon as the sun began to set, we headed over to Gion. We had very good timing because only about 20 minutes after we got to the street we were looking for, the geiko and maiko began shuffling out to their appointments for the night. I didn’t get too many pictures of them because I didn’t want to delay them…so I took what I could. They were so pretty!

We eventually made our way to the station and headed home.

Onto the pictures!~

Fushimi Inari Taisha:










Poor Helleborus is in a cage!:


















When you see it…:





Fushimi Inari kitties!:



He is determined to get clean…

Even if people are watching…:

Hey, where’d everyone go?:



A crow!:




Of course, a parfait:

A Buddhist temple in the shopping complex:

A hobo’s bike in Kyoto!:

Gion at night:



A couple of geiko/maiko rushing to carry on their nights:

Last week was the nice extended weekend that is referred to as “Silver Week”. It is comprised of the typical Saturday/Sunday weekend followed by three consecutive national holidays. A lot of people went to Tokyo for the duration of the break, however I stayed in the general Kansai area…though that doesn’t mean that there was any less excitement. I ended up going to Takarazuka and seeing a show at the Revue. For those who don’t know, the Takarazuka Revue is known for its all-female cast. The first part of the performance was a spin-off of their popular rendition of the “Rose of Versailles”. The second half consisted of “EXCITER: The Sparkling Show”…and it was definitely sparkling. It was a lot of song and dance in very elaborate and flamboyant costumes. It was great. I intend to go back later in the year and see their performance of “Casablanca”.

Tuesday I went out to the Nanba area to see INORAN in concert. We bummed around Doutonbori (a popular district in the area) for a bit beforehand, and then went to the venue (Nanba Hatch). I must mention that INORAN was the first Japanese musician with whom I became enamoured. Finally seeing him live was nothing short of awesome. He is an amazing musician.

And now, onto the pictures!~

Takarazuka…the city and the theatre:















Some of the other Takarazuka Revue shows that were being advertised:




The kanzashi that I bought at the theatre. It cost about 5000 yen, but it is definitely worth it:

Nanba, with wanderings into Doutonbori:





Nanba Hatch, before the concert:

After the concert (Dasha being excited and Dana smoking):






This is part of the Nanba WALK, a large underground shopping complex. This section of it is modeled after the Chicago Institute of Art and decorated with some of its signature pieces. It is aptly named the “Chicago Gallery”:

INORAN stuff!:

Of course, parfaits were eaten at some point. The first is mine (in Nanba), the second was Dasha’s (in Nanba), the third was shared at some point by Dana and I (in Hirakata):



My keitai (yes, that is a Gackt danglie) and my new planner with Mameshiba on the front. Seriously, check out mameshiba. It’s freaking hilarious:

Purikura page in my planner:

Little burger-shaped cookies. A necessity:

Tonight, Indian food. Nom nom nom…

Until then, pictures from the past week:

This is where I live:

This is the general area/neighborhood (片鉾東町)

This is my room with futons (the one with the goth blankie and raptor is mine), closets, and desk.

View from our roof on a cloudy day (my shirt says “SHAKE HANDS AND MAKE UP! That’s very sweet you two take care of each other”):

This is my school and campus:

A giant freaking cockroach that invaded our room. It was scary

E-ma…a hard candy. Gackt fans will understand this:

Purikura~

A wall of capsule toy machines (for Nica):

Macaroni and cheese…’cause Dana was having a culture shock breakdown:

Pizza…ordered from Dominoes. It was the “American’s Special” (アメリカ人のスぺシル) which consisted of cheese, pepperoni, and onions as toppings. For two “larges” (a bit closer to mediums in the States), it cost 4,900 yen (~$50)…and that’s with a 20% off coupon applied:

Parfaits…because I am enamored with these things. Seriously…cornflakes! It took two of us to eat the second one:

And sometimes, I’m just a camwhore. I’m modeling the new hoodie that I bought which boasts a ridiculously and unnecessarily big zipper:

And that’s just the beginning. There is still a lot left to do.

Gah!

But it has been quite the experience thus far.

Classes start tomorrow. Once I’m settled into my class schedule, I’ll post it in addition to some pictures of my area. Until then, here are some pictures from the past week:

My dad and I before I left for the airport:

Boy and I saying our goodbyes before I passed through security. Of course it was a bit teary:

This was my view for a good portion of the flight:

Arriving safely at Narita airport in Tokyo, where I went though immigration and customs. I’m lucky that I got this picture as there was a dude yelling at me about it:

Narita airport was surprisingly tiny. It had two terminals, one for international and a domestic terminal that was essentially an area that puts people on buses and drives them out to the plane directly:

My first real meal in Japan, beef curry udon:

My bike, the DX LADY. It cost 7,000 yen:

A huge cicada and some other really cute bug:


Vending machines are everywhere. I’ll take a picture of the rows of them at some point. In the meantime, I’ve got to feel the fire:

The dog poop signs amuse me for some reason:


Downtown Hirakata:


On the first day after I arrived, a group of us went to Hirakata Matsuri. It was much like a county fair:

Some amusing English/Engrish text (I’ll be collecting a LOT of this):



Karaoke!:

On the way to Gotenyama station:

We took a train from the aforementioned station to Kyoto (30 mins by train):


Kinkaku, the Golden Pavilion, at Rokuon-ji Shrine:

Other parts of Rokuon-ji Shrine:











Koi at said shrine:

The Koakuma (little devil) Parfait. It had little chocolate wings and cornflakes at the bottom:

Will I be able to eat it all?:

Of course! NOM NOM NOM!:

Where did it go?

And to end it all—yes, I’m a nerd…as well as a hardcore GACKT fan:

To be continued…

Japan is rather hot and humid this time of year. I felt that was worth mentioning.

I’ll put up a more detailed post (with pictures) when I actually get wireless access on my laptop. In the meantime, my internet access comes solely from the dorm’s computer lab.