Taking over Japan

Now in Japanese internet cafe!

2008-08-31T22:51:00.000-07:00

OMG I`m in a prettty awesome place. This place has a manga library,computers with sofas and niiiiiice headphones,billards,karaoke, and probably atlantis! 3 hours is 1000 yen which is aound 10 bucks! sweeeeeeet. Also i can burn Cds with these comps....I`m dying for music!

Okay i owe all you guys big and that`s why i headed to a net cafe so i could update with a bajillion photos!!!!

Okay I`ve been on my summer holidays but i only really had two weeks worth of holiday out of the 6 or so since for the other four i had half days at school.

Today was a half day as well and tomorrow it`s back to row with the other slaves. ....yay...

Right now i`m with my third and last host family with only four full months to go in Japan. I can`t believe i am down to FOUR out of ten, i think it feels like a big deal because Thats more than half my stay over. My english is still staying with me but i sometimes think strange wordes in English like while i was riding here i thought i`m bilinguish and yesterday i wrote `photto` instead of photo.

Before i moved to my last family i went to a festival, traveled to Mt Fuji and FujiQ highlands which is a pretty sweet theme park. My favourite place of course was the haunted house which is around 900m long making it one of the longest in the world. The building is actually a restored hospital or something along those lines. You walk through it while holding a pen light, opening doors,climbing stairs and running from creatures that sneak up on you from behind. I only managed to get pictures of the outside and the reception desk. You had to pay $5 to get it but it`s totally worth it.

They also had a Gundam Ride and i got this photo, i kinda wish i was more of a mecha anime freak.

This is Fujiyama, which has a guiness world record for being the highest wooden track coaster or something along those lines, it was awesome and sooo much better than Dreamworld`s cyclone, the only thing i hate with Rollercoasters though it sometimes they areN@t good for your neck.

Here is a picture of me as a ninja....my true colours revealed!!!

By the way i quit Baton, before the competition that i went to, i had an english trip with my class mates. We stayed at this small story like of house thing that`s right infront of the school equivalent of their track field. The wierd thing is whenever i took pictures there were heaps of orbs in the photos, My host sister has a friend that is in the softball club who go there alot, apparently they always bring earphones with them because of the noises they can hear in the ceiling which is where you can see most of the orbs....

One of the other places i went with my host family was to Ibaraki-ken to go to the beach but because of the typhoon the weather sucked so we went to an aquarium instead, the coolest things i saw was an otter and a thing called a Manbou in Japanese with apparently is the mola mola Sunfish, most retarded thing ever! i saw one swimming into a wall while swimming on it`s side.

Very BIG sunfish, and it`s real but very very dead. It`s strange how immature i have become, I took about 12 pictures of the manbou alone all the while going `manBO` like Dory from nemo when she is immitating whale speak. i think japan does that to you.

Also I`m guessing this is because of tsunamis, Japanese beaches usually have wavebreakers, i took an interest in the ones at the beach because they look like some lost a game of 3d tetris badly.

We interrupt this blog to give you a slight intermission, if you need to access the bathroom Pikachu will tell you where to go

Soooo memoires of a geisha, this is me in my Yukata for the festival.

One of the cool things during cheerleading club was going to the baseball game to cheer on the boys school. Baseball is huge here and even has it`s own Kanji. I think the school baseball teams are really big so during a game the players who have to sit that one out cheer in the stands instead. And boy do they cheer, they have buckets of water they pou over themselves when their team scores a point. Also they give everyone in the crowd oldschool plastic megaphones. Rather than yell into them you clap them together to make a pretty big racket. Also the teams have these kind of dances they do...really hard to explain. One thing i found wierd is at every baseball game you hear the same group of songs, but then again japanese people are diehard conformists.

Here is a sweet pic of the Sushi Shinkansen (bullet train) at a sushi train resutrant i went to with my host family!

Here are some other pics around Mt Fuji.

No idea about this one but the kid reminds me of peter pan, we saw this staute a few times, maybe it`s a local guardian?

One thing that does suck about japan is Queues and crowds, we waited for two hours and a half for some of the rides at Fuji Q, and Mt Fuji was PACKED, we went to the half point by bus to have a look, I was soo glad i went to the bathroom before i left because the line in the souvenier shop was sooooooo long.This might give you an idea.

Also this is in the bus to give you an idea of how high we were

And now i present random shots around Utsunomiya!

No idea what kind of vegie this is, at first i thought it was a demented pear.

I also went to a pottery town called Mashiko, They have a few of these animal staues in front of a resturant i know so i had seen it around but had no idea was it was, personally i think it looks like a bear but it`s actually a Tanuki which is a mischevious raccoon.

they also had a place which still uses the old method of indigo dying, apparently the process is dying out as it has been replaced with synthetic dyes and there are about three places in japan that still use this method, though seeing how much water it wastes i think that may be a good thing.

Also the last update was around my bday, i had a mini party and here are some pics.

I didn`t really have a cake, it was donuts piled on top of small biscuts and more donuts..sooooo good.

And yes MORE random photos!

This literally means ` please do not make the bees angry`

Sometimes in Japan all you can say `why god, why?!?!`

And i wonder why my spelling is goign down the drain...

This is the front of the Bunsei art University during july. The bamboo branches have paper wishes tied to them to celebrate Tanabata (please check wikipedia for more details)

Well I only have four short months left in Japan and a scatter of days, in a way i am relieved because i have been feeling homesick for my friends and family, but strangely another part of me is starting to feel paicked that it`s snuck up so soon. What i will say is that i excpect one big suprise party when i get back.

By the way william was right with the whole Mini donut things, I`ll have to find some other mystery food.

So you guys have been updated on what has been happening to me recently. What`s coming up is my host brother`s sports day, disney on ice (woot), most liekly checking out another school`s festival (and their male students while i am at it) and next month we have my school`s festival. I`m looking foward to being busy and glad i wont have to pack my luggage again for a while, I@ve done so 6 times during the holidays >.<

My host family is pretty cool, the grandma keeps trying to make me eat and feed me sweets (i really don`t need to eat more rather than less >.<`) I get on swimmingly with my host sister and the brother tells me about places when i ask the family about shops i checked out while riding my bike.

I still don`t have an awesome mobile phone but I`m trying to check out how to unlock them first so i can bring it back with me. Also rather than pay $400 for a Nintendo wii (aussie RRP) I`m sliding towards grabbing a japanese one which would only set me back about $260, mind you games are around $40-60 for wii games compared to aus $50-100RRP Times like this do make me want to stay here, but family and friends draw me back to Aus.

Anyway my two hours is almost up so over and out, since this place is cheap and it wont affect the internet bill for my host family i`ll prolly be back soon when i`m not so busy (if ever) besides i need to brush up on my (non) karaoke skills.

Over and Out

3 months done and dusted!

2008-07-06T00:47:00.000-07:00

3 months gone,zip,nada,bang

and my birthday is in 10 days! So for my Birthday I`m hoping you`ll e-mail me with news and photos!

Also No one has gotten even close on with guessing about the photo though dianne has at least got the fried thing right!

Clue- It`s a food you have around the world and you do usually use oil to make it.

Clue 2 - It`s sweet

Clue 3 - It`s just in a different SHAPE to what you are used to.

I can`t stress enough how shape is important!

Also if there is anything you want me to write about please let me know.

I went to Tokyo on Sunday but didn`t do too much shopping and since i will most likely be going again soon I`ll save the photos for later.

What`s really nice about when i go shopping is the shop assistants usually remember me and will ask me how I`ve been going. There are big sales everywhere at the moment for summer but I@m going to go shoppping with Mellisa on sunday and show her around so I@m hoping to get my birthday money early mum, hint hint (especially since the sale ends this sunday)

One of thing things that may interest people is that I`ve bought a Yukata with is basically a summer kimono that everyone wears to festivals. I know i used to wonder about all the photos i saw of exchange students wearing Yukatas and whether they belonged to the family or not but in fact Yukatas are really cheap.

I got mine for about $45 and thats the robe and the sash which is pretty good. Also felt very cool when it was featured in one of the magazines i bought. Still planning to get a hello kitty one though!

Tomorow is my favourite japanese holiday Tanabata so I have no idea if we are doing anything.

Anyway please send me nice long e-mails and I`ll update more often. I found out there is an internet cafe near this host family but i had too much homework today.

lord i turn 18 soon, I@m going to need a walking stick before i know it! maybe chanel designs some....

The Sun-coloured days of Youth

2008-06-15T00:17:00.000-07:00

alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212010934616157026" />

Okay you asked for it and here it is PHOTOS!!!!!!!!!!!!

i`m not going to upload them all as i have waay too many but I`ll upload some of my favourites to get you guys off my back!

And of course i chose to get things rolling with the cherry blossoms!

I went to an Ikebana/art gallery on friday and this composition struck me so, This is Art in Japan!

Really makes you feel cultured doesn`t it?

Here is some great shots of Nikko, this is the front gate!

I still can`t get over how old and beautifull Nikko is, i can`t wait to back back for he march of 1,000 samurai!

also the expensive vending machine they had there was pretty cool too, you get so much choice!

This is of course me at the royal gardens, i know my parents are dying for a photo of me in my uniform, i just hate how i feel like a penguin while wearing it >-.< self esteem reaches low >.<

This is my eng teacher Koizumi-sensei (her name means little lake), her chinese zodiac animal is tiger and she does look quite cat like there. I don`t know why but there is a tree that`s already recieevd it`s autum colours.

I can`t believe i`m still considered a child at 17 O=o

This one is for anyone who doesn`t believe when i said how packed it was with kids

Here`s quite a nice photo myself with my bag from club and this big thing that reminds me of the latern captain hook put tinkerbell in when he kidnapped her which only happened in the disney movie and not the book.unfortunately i don`t know how to flip it around as it doesn`t give me any options so I`ll let you all fiddle around with microsoft paint.

I ate eel for dinner last night.... it was supprisingly good and tastes like fatty fish!

I don`t want to spend too much time on the comp since I`ve been rplying to e-mails so I`ll just add two more

The first one is a competition for everyone expect the people my parents may have told. I want you guys to leave a comment saying what you think these are, I`ll send the winner a postcard first and then a pressie that I`m going to ship off with all the others things i need to send off.

I look forward to hearing what you guys think it is!

And finally this is more of a personal picture and has nothing to do with Japan but i found out my kitty cat max died two weeks after i left for japan, i found out last night and of course it was hard to stop myself from spending the whole day crying but I`ll be okay. Some people might not understand how i would get so emotional over a pet but max was my baby and truly one of a kind, he will be missed by all and will be missed most by me.

and since max was so amazing he deserves two and not one picture

Rest in Peace my friend

Two posts in less than a week! aren`t you all lucky!

2008-06-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

No one comments anymore except my family so I@m assuming godzilla hasn`t decimated australia yet.

I passed level three of the JPLT and am setting my sites on level 2 (go me) level two is so intense i need to know 1,000 evil chinese symbols for it and 6,000 words.

It`s strange that i am sooo different to actually want homework now!

I`m going to a camp to british hills tommorow and am way looking forward to seeing my ustunomiya buddy mellissa again.

I love everyone at school but still! WHY NOT CO-ED!

I@m quitting baton club because we are doing like 5 things at once which means i actually have to go to every training session.

Instead I`m thinking of joining the swimming club which starts up soon.

The pros are i get to swim for free
it`s excercise
People go and do their own thing
I like swimming

Cons
Japanese people see me in a bathing suit....

Still am pretty psyched!

I`m also toying with joining the calligraphy club (but i have callig class so i don`t see the point) maybe the sewing club, or the beadcraft club (apparentl all they do is sit around and talk which is good with me)

Jamie Sensei says that i don`t have to join the swimming club to use the pool and as long as i tell a teacher i am going to use the pool It`s all good. That`s not the point, i feel joining the club would make me want to go.

Anyway i have been taking lots of pictures (yay) and will be taking many more tommorow!

Weather has been raining and sunny which has resulted in many bad hair days.

I really like my new host family and i feel they take really good care of me. My host sister waited around till club finished so we could go home together, which is quiet different from my previous host sister who wanted to see if i could try and get home by myself so she could go shopping with her friends ( i wanted to try by myself anyway so i agreed) it ended with my return to school and due to the weather they thankfully hand`t gone shopping so it was all good. The thing is it happened after us riding home twice together (40min ride is a lot to remember)

I think I`m going to have to dedicate a blog to the food of japan (Ive tried some interesting things needless to say, in the last two weeks alone i`ve tried cow tongue, chicken bone, this distusting way of eating chicken skin, raw fish (tonight actually).

My new host family eats rather traditional food and what supprises me is that i actually talk a fair bit to my host father which i sort of regret not doing much of in the other house. The point is my host father actually asks ME questions!

I gotta admit while I`m not homesick i do sort of miss everyone, it`s totally different to being homesick because I@m content here and everything i just want to speak to some other foreigners.

one thing i noticed is japanese people really like the small pizza ovens you can buy. a lot of families seem to use them for cooking small pieces of meat and mainly for toasting bread, sooo going to buy one when i return to aus.

It`s building up in me to go on a shoe spending frenzy and I`m dyyyyyyyying to go to Tokyo!!!

I`m addicted to the hot drink vending machine at school, it has such yummy strawberry milk and cocoa.

I`ve been able to watch a bit more anime lately but nothing fantastic . I was so shocked in my first host family when the youngest child aged 9 would come and stand in front of the tv...she should be able to tell i am watching it...THEn she changes the channel! just like that!!!!.

I think it`s reading the other exchange student blogs that has been making me homesick ;=; I`m looking forward to swimming!!!

Unfortunately i can`t use MSN on this comｐ...yet.

And my lord I swear if i could marry Daiso i would....

Love all
Megs

I`M ALIVE!!! (still)

2008-06-01T03:46:00.000-07:00

I gotta admit when i read other exchange student`s blogs i would always wonder why they don`t post very often but now i see why. I`ve been sooo busy! and unfortunately no photos this time too but that doesn@t mean i don`t have billions to show you!

I moved families yesterday which i was pretty happy about. I wasn`t having any big problems with the other one but i would get annoyed because on certain days i would have no idea on how i was supposed to get home. For example last monday we had a movie day where we all had to go to the Culture center for. My host family was like ` Kanami is going with a friend, how are you getting to school?` as if i know... And also i was annoyed because on thursday my bike had a puncture so rather than picking me up my host family wanted me to wait at school for 40mins (at the time it was 6.30ish pm) and riding home is 40mins so of course i got home at 8ish and went to bed late.

I was really angry because i feel that they had a responsibility to take care of me but i guess i am still used to my parents ferrying me where ever i need to go. Besides that i had a good time with my first host family but i think i will have a better one with my second one.

Pe is interesting we had a beep test and i got up to level 7 but it`s different since you have to listen to music. I@m trying to find a internet cafe so i can use msn.

21-23 was Mid term test which i had a kanji test (175/200...made some stupid mistakes though ;=;) and a Japanese test. On the 22nd i Went to Nikko which has a gorgeous shrine and was one of the first places to become word heritage listed. I have billions of photos and some stories to accompany them.

Also atm all the girls are scared of going to the one set of toilets in our hallway because everyone thinks there is a ghost.Pretty amusing...

My new host family eats really healthy (not that the other one didn`t but we tended to have a bit more fried chicken and tempura than i was used to, everything was deliscious though) this host family is waaay healthy as my host mother is a nurse. I@ve started a diet as well (EVERYONE in Japan Diets) and it@s for the greater good of being able to buy clothes while shopping and looking good in my cheerleading uniform.

I also Went to My english teachers home town for Rice planting which was awesome and i have some photos and stories for as well.

Things have definately gotten easier and my second full month has finished. Sometimes i don`t want to go to club because i want to study instead. I do think about everyone over in Ausland but i got to admit i have definately settled in well.

Please stay tuned for stories of
THE REAL dead man`s chest
Nikko
Rice Planting
And my notations on Japanese people and children

Please send me e-mails for news abotu anything I@m dying to know!

Love Megs

Still kicking

2008-04-29T05:47:00.000-07:00

Things are definately getting easier, I speak Japanese like 24/7 and i don`t get the white noise in the background anymore and pick up a lot more things. I have a lot to fill you in on so I`ll do it calendar style.

Monday 14- During 5th and 6th period we had club orientation which is basically the showcasing of all the school clubs. Even though i joined the baton club the most amazing ones where the Karate club and the Rythmic Gymnastic club ( it was like watching the cirque du solie toned down a bit) where everyone seems to lack spines. The Karate club looks like boys (like many of the sport club students) and they were really beefy but they seemed to make the students at Karate look like kids. I felt quite tempted to join the Calligraphy club but since i am doing that as my elective i figured i`d pass, and I`m not regretting it at all.

Tuesday 15- we had photo day (which was individual) I spoke to you guys, and speaking to you both made my week!

Wednesday- Since monday i had been going to baton pratice after school which had been ending round the 5pm mark, We had some Aussie Teachers from Adelaide visit and they conducted a class in which the girls got to see a `reall aussie` convo, g`day,mate,telly and all. Kanami knew one of the ladies from her school exchange. After school i had a kanji test which i failed (only cause to pass i have to get 90% and i got 84%)

Thursday 17- I had to get up at the wee hour of 5.30am in order to catch a 6.10 bus, not fun >.< i rode it to Utsunomiya Station and waited an hour to meet my friends in order to grab the bus back to school (i couldn`t ride my bike with such a heavy suitcase!) after that we all boarded a bus to go to Nasu. Nasu is famous for Strawberries and Grapefruit judging from the souveniers. Though this was a supposed educational trip ($155 worth which i experienced for free!) After arriving we all went to the so called `volcanoe` for a supposed orientation (just a run though of times and whatnot), after we had the best lunch of Curry and rice. And i didn`t find it spicy rather somewhat sweetish. After we all struggled to keep awake during some speeches made by the teachers, Teachers were hitting students with paper to wake them up but my class managed to persevere somehow.

The whole point of this trip was hear the story of Komorisan who`s daughter had commited suicide due to bullying. I cried along with the other students (cause i could hear the pain in her voice), this woman always talks at conferences and the like and there is some foundation set up in her daughters name. Bullying in Japan can sometimes be a huge problem.

After we had Baikingu which i thought meant cycling but Goram sensei explained it`s Viking after Norse Mythology in Vahella where Vikings could feast in the afterlife. So basically a buffet but i have to admit the Viking thing is cool. And my lord some of my friends put vikings to shame, i swear they eat three times what i do. Not all of them are like that but my class weren`t the only ones getting up for Forths in some things, i think they must have four stomachs to stay that thin....So unfair.

Everyone always goes on about how polite the Japanese are but i have to admit i will never consider them shy again after seeing how energetic they are in Hot springs. There isn`t anything right about girls choosing the time when both parties are naked to introduce themselves. It was really wierd getting all these girls going `MI-CHAN!!!
and coming up to talk to me WHEN WE ARE BOTH NAKED! I think i saw more that i needed to of some people but the hot springs were totally worth it. The steam is great for your skin and the water feels sooooooo good! I went to the outside hot springs which were fairly warm and it was raining slightly at the time which was reaaaally nice. One of the best things is to have some ice-cream while in the hot springs but i forgot.

I was in a room with Two of my classmates and we stayed up till 1-2ish talking about australia in japanese of course. My friends were asking me about famous aussie actors,singers and the like which resulted in some short lists from me `Mel Gibson.....heath ledger...delta goodrem...Mel Gibson...`

Friday 19 Return from Nasu

We only had to be up at 7.30 for brekyy with a 6.30 wake up call but due to the alarms on my friend`s mobiles going off every fiver minutes after the tender hour of 5.30am i was not happy. The Girls went nuts at out viking breakfast when the chef started making mickey mouse shaped pancakes....go figure... sometimes i forget my friends are around the 15year old mark.

We were supposed to go to Highland Park (which i had no idea was a theme park, i thought it was a world heritage site, considering we had to watch a film of Okinawa in WWII for a movie can you blame me?` but we didn`t because of the rain. We did stop at a Sweet factory place which also stocked some pricy souveniers. I bought you guys some Manju? (they are reaaaally nice and But expire soon so i really must get my a into g) again the girls went Nuts buying sweets....the japanese are honestly food obsessed...so unfair.

The bus had Karaoke (go figure) and i made a fool of myself slaughtering an awesome song, but because i`m a foreigner it`s intantly cool. We returned earlier than expected so i slept once i managed to get home.

Saturday 19- I had club 9-2 but the senpai (upperclassmen) didn`t show up so it was just me and this other girl hanging around in the classroom where they chuck all the club stuff. The reason why the senpai didn`t show up was due to the insanely strong wind! After i returned home i went to catch up on more sleep.

Sunday 20-practice 9-2 again and this time the senpai did show up but we only practiced from 10-1. It was good though since i really improved. At this very moment i look like i have been physically abused by someone. There was a big bruise on the top of my hand from the baton, I`ve got small bruises on my arms from where it has hit me, and some really nasty black and blue bruises on my legs from various biking incidences but i`ve only really had one accident where the bike turned into a bush and i ended up on the concrete with the bike on top of me which was this sunday.

Monday - everyone had a week to try out the different clubs they were interested in and today was the day where you could officially join.

Tuesday- we had our Class photo out on the school grounds of all places and my word it was cold. I had a repeat Kanji exam which was exactly the same exam as before, in japan the repeat exams are the same which still doesn`t make sense to me...

The PE classes here are really wierd so far it`s been about sitting down and standing up in a certain way within the same time, it`s all about getting ready for Rajio Taiso (radio Excercises) I`m definately going to film this. Everyone hates it but while i don`t like the music i like the excercises since it actually warms you up in the cold weather.

Thursday 24- I had a Kanji test yesterday (23rd) and i got 90% which was good ( of course i passed the resit on monday) During Club we learned the first half of one of our cheerleading routines, yay for physical activity! Though i got insanely frustrated as the senpai kept changing the counts and that confuzzled me greatly. It ended up with me getting teary and everyone treating me like an idiot after wards asking if i understand. It didn`t help the girl in front of me kept making mistakes, so when you don`t know the counts or the language you have to rely on everyone else`s bodies to get anywhere. Also this was my first FULL week of school and club had been ending around 6ish, considering i have a 40min bike ride to get home you can imagine why i felt unwell on friday.

Friday 25- all day my head felt dull and i honestly had zero energy, during 6th period (i had a spare) i decided to go to the school nurse to ask if i could sleep in the beds they have there, this involved 20 questions, then Koizumi-sensei (one of my homeroom teachers) coming so i could repeat the conversation, then Goram-sensei (my other homeroom teacher who is an australian and has fantastic japanese, last year she was about 4% off passing 1 kyu of the JLPT, 1 kyu is the hardest level and is basically a students volcabulary after they have graduated high school which is really impressive considering it`s 2,000 kanji symbols and prolly 10,000 words or so) pulled me aside and told me if i have any problems i should go straight to her so i can bypass the middle men. Koizumi-sensei spoke to my club teacher and i got to go straight home to sleep.

Saturday- I had club practice from 9-5 but two hours of that was cycling from school and returning and we had about an 1 and a half for lunch, and most likely spent about 30mins stretching. We cycled to a sports center where a whole bunch of baton clubs go and spent the day practicing ballet which was quiet fun. Unfortunately i got completely soaked during the ride and it was cold but i got to have a shower straight after i returned home which was good, though since then i have had a bit of a sore throat which i have been fighting off with rice and advil.

Sunday- Free from practice, so i went shopping with some different friends and had a ball. Thankfully the convience store 7/11 accepts my bank card so now i can start using my own money. I went nuts at Daiso (a 100yen shop) buying souvieners and the like. I also bought a pressie for one of my classmates.

Today- Tuesday 29th

Today was a japanese holiday (showa no hi....i know nothign about it) and i had club, it was sheduled from 9-2 but we finished at 11.30 and it`s not as hard as you think,we were manly practicing our cheerleading routine. I went to the bookstore to buy some manga and a supermarket to get a binder and post-its for Japanese study.

Tommorow it`s back to school but next week It`s golden week (basically about 4 days of holiday), I have a club trip and Koizumi sensei has invited me to go to her hometown for a rice planting thingy which of course i`m going to do. After golden week i have a mid term Kanji Test and Japanese test.

I got to admit School has gotten easier now that i have settled into the routine and i finally understand my english homework >.<

As always pics are coming soon! also this is the e-mail i wrote to my parents so things like `i spoke to you guys` is refering to them

Love to everyone
Megs

Okay a day late but I`m still alive!

2008-04-12T23:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the best DAY EVER!!!! Yesterday was the day of dreams (unfortunately no pics, damn batteries have been giving me hell!) Yesterday i went to the place i have wanted to go to since i was 15 (obsessively wanted to go to) Yesterday i went to BABY the Stars Shine Bright (website- www.babyssb.co.jp ) I also checked out the Vivienne Westwood store (sorry mum i didn`t see the perfume but i`ll check again later!) My big achievement for yesterday was that i managed to get to school all by myself. The fact that i got partially lost for 5 mins wasn`t my fault, i now totally undersatnd the whole little red riding hood story where you should stay on the path BUT i was planning to go to Tsutaya anyway! I also got lost on the way home but the whole day i had my mobile so if i crisis arose i could call My host family. Btw my mobile is stupid (very cute though!) Not only does it not have english, it can only send e-mails (like sms) to certain phones so i have no clue. Anyway it`s good for keeping in touch with my host family and that`s what it is there for. Suprsingly the phones here are quite big, I@m finding it hard to find the tiny phones you could loose in your ear O=O In case i forgot to mention it in my last blog the weather is COLD but no icicles have formed on my nose yet. I`m really excited about going to school tommorow, the first years have orientation for club activities so I finally get to join the baton twirling club! Anyway i might as well talk about school My Subjects Science (spare for me) Math (sp=spare for me) National Languag (japanese for the other but i have my own japanese lesson then) English(yes i take english and it`s good practice as we translate back an forth) OC(oral communication= im there for them to practice their english) National Language (japanese for everyone else, spare for me though i get 3 japanese lessons a week) PE (short story on my first lesson later) Health (haven`t had it yet) Social Studies ( i`m kinda enjoying it) Home Ec (woot!) Elective (music,art,and calligraphy- i chose calligraphy for kanji study) Of course i have 6 subjects a day and all of them are 50mins long with 10min breaks in between. The classes go really quickly but it always feels like forever before i can eat lunch (12.45-1.15 and that`s the only lunch break we get!) so i might start bringing small snacks for the breaks. No more earthquakes so Godzilla is probably terrorizing Honshu! I`ve started reading Scilence of the Lambs (there are only 30 english books at the library and that`s the best one but I@m dying to see the movie so It`s the first one i would have picked anyway!) The Cherry Blossom trees are really beautiful but make a mess, I bought batteries yesterday and are going to take them with me to school to take some photos! the coolest thing about them is now the petals are always falling like in anime (and to think i thought they did that for drama)also after the blog is down I`ll post some photos! I`m realling enjoying living in Utsunomiya i feel like the forest from Monoke Hime is all around when i see the tall pine trees and whenever i ride a bike by myself i get a sense of soaring freedom (the scary thing was my host mother wanted me and my sister to ride in the rain when i didn`t even have a rain coat! so much for being wrapped in cotton wool, it was cool since we got driven!) The food here is really nice and I`m still trying to get my head around the idea of Chocolate flavoured bread (it@s really bread! but it looks like cake!) The girl`s in my class take good care of me and it was interesting learning how to pay on the bus! Suprisingly i did understand my first maths class but i have no intentions in doing algerbra..... My first PE lesson was interesting as it consisted of learning how to stand up and sit down withing 3 seconds.....right really tiring anyway I`m now going to try and post some videos i took with my camera so bear with me...

Okay i am not dead!

2008-04-08T04:49:00.000-07:00

But i do feel Japan is trying to kill me, my hotel is brisbane was number 13 but it turned out to be way popuar since we eventually had half of us in this one small room!

everyone is awsome but people with a plus 10 awesome rating are Kimberly (my roommate in the dreaded room 13),sam (though i already knew how cool he is!), Samantha (adorable), and my awesome ぐれぷよ！ buddy samantha!

Unsuprisingly the J-horror continued when Melissa and i stayed in room 2108 which i am pretty sure was the name of a movie based on the Stephen King novel. I have pictures of that too fro those who don`t believe me.

I`ve been in Tochigi for a week and a half and already experience two WAY minor earthquakes which felt like a plane was flying overhead or something O-O.

One of the most interesting stories i have is when i had a plate of raw beef and pork sitting in front of me at dinner time, wondering what to say in japanese that would not offend my host mother i waited for the `itadakimasu` we say as a ritual, my fears were put to rest when i found out that you dip the meat in the boiling pot of water to cook first and then dip it in this sauce (OISHII!!!!)

Stitch from Lilo and Stitch is pretty much everywhere! and I was suprised to find out they have arcades in some supermarkets (but then again this is Japan....) I rode the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Tochigi which was fun with my awesome company!

The strange thing about being an exchange student is how you constantly ride a wave of high`s and lows in your confidence level. No matter how good your japanese is when you leave your home country when you get to Australia it`s still only good enough to hold a small conversation. To get to school ( i have my first actual full day tommorow!) i ride about 40mins by bike which makes me happy since i haven`t actually lost any weight since coming here (the first few nights i couldn`t finish all the food my host mother gave me! and it was the same servings as everyone else!!!) But i guess it`s better than Gaining wieght >.<

School has been pretty fun so far and my class is really small! (only 10 people!) I haven`t been on blogger since i don`t want to annnoy my host family but today i was feeling a little homesick so i decided to ask Kanami (my host sister) if it was okay.

The Tv is kinda cool but boring when you don`t understand anything and i haven`t seen much anime but I`m currently in love with the Guy off the Shawa Dava add (seriously he could sell me anything) and of course Yamapi! thank god i watched Nobuto wo Produce before coming here!

Cool thing about japan- the buses sometimes have little chandeliers on the roofs!

I bought Utada Hikaru`s new Cd and it is way hot thought my family loves EXILE which is even more popular!

Yeah i know some of these pictures are blurry but deal with it. One thing i found interesting is Asian`s are just as obsessed with diets like westerners. Also i`m still trying to get my head aroung the idea of Chocolate flavoured bread, no matter how much it looks like a cake it`s still bread!

the thing i am most looking forward to is Joinging the Baton Twirling club which looks really fun! I don`t care what you Kendo lovers say! you know how easily i bruise!!!! plus i found these other tour things where you get to be a ninja for a day but they are a bit pricy though it`s a way away. I have a school trip to somewhere to listen to a lady talk about how her daughter died from bullying considering i will understand zilch i will most likley be bored BUT i can be bored with my classmates.

I thought i was a wuss but today i was suprised when my classmates squealed about a centipede (small one) that was at least 7 metres away from them and they were screaming like their lives depended on it O=o....

It`s a getting late 9.24 and i need to study some japanese (i have to get up at 6am) so this is all for now but i love you all and miss you! I will try to update again on saturday or sunday!

Chuu!
Megs

PS- high school skirts and riding bikes are dangerous. also a guy honked the horn at me and waved Yay for Gaijin lovers? Must be the High School girl Charm? and also the weather here was miserable today! very cold,rainy with cold winds.

Next update-photos and my love for the Kotatsu!

twelve days

2008-03-14T04:43:00.001-07:00

I've been thinking about the two week point for what feels like forever, it's been over 4 months that i have found out i am going to japan, and little by little the time remaining has whittled down. The idea of going to japan and the realisation that i AM going still hasn't dawned on me as it feels like a dream, it feels like i am rehearsing for a play that will never see performance night as i have been rehearsing for 8 years.

I think it's somewhat a scary thing to have your dreams come true as finally getting what you have dreamed of can make you feel empty without a goal. For years i have yearned for people to talk to about anime and manga and slowly i have made a few friends relating to the genre. From a 5 year old obsessed with Bishoujo Senshi Sailor moon to an ten year old who loved pokemon and digimon while starting to learn hiragana to a 15 year old discovering the wonders of Harajuku fashion such as Gothic Lolita,Decora,Gyaru and Ganguro to the 17 year old i am now who has graduated high school and finished Senior Japanese.

Everyone i know has been asking me how i'm feeling with two weeks left to go, and i honestly do not really know the words for answering, i don't feel anything really though iget strong bouts of excitement and nervs when looking at my host family information and gazing at the high school guide sent to me from the land i am yet to venture to.

One feeling i have been constant with is gratitude,gratitude for fate granting me the rare oppurtunity to host a Japanese exchange student at a school where the LOTE is chinese which in turn lead me to discover aiiu. For granting me this oppurtunity i am eternally greatfull to Aiiu.

I'm not trying to be corny or anything but i feel life has been slowly preparing me for this moment, i've changed intensely over the past 2 and a half years not only physically but emotionally as well and while i believe i could not have undertaken this oppurtunity in Grade 9,10,11 or even 12 i feel ready for it now. It's hard for me to imagine preparing for university now, but i know this experience will prepare me for the rest of my life.

So,even though i'm still busy with my job working at a gaming store,socialising and spending time as a normal aussie in my mind the clock is ticking down and the excitement of the unknown is mounting, preparations are being made and i'm trying to keep myself sane to assure myself that i am not dreaming but about to embark on a very real reality.

Time is ticking down to the most amazing experience of my life

3 weeks today!!!!!!

2008-03-05T02:24:00.000-08:00

finally got info on all 3 of my famillies, i think i'm in for the most athletic time of my life O_o

My first family looks awesome! I have three host sisters (aged 19,16,9)and they enjoy doing sports alot. Kanami-chan has already contacted me through myspace!

My second family is a bro (19 but he lives in Hokkaido) and i seem to have a host sister called Nana but they forgot to put info on her. The mum is a nurse and likes yoga so hopefully i can learn yoga lol, she says she and her dad have to lose weight so i'll fit in with that department { i want to buy japanese clothes okaay! } and they have a old doggy who they called an old woman but apparenly she is cuute!

The host family i stay with for 5 months is as big as the first family {of course in every family i have a host mom and dad!!} The mother is an Ikebana instructor which is pretty cool! I have a sister the same age as me and i get a 14 year old brother ^o^!!!! they also have the grandma living with them!they also have a lively looking dalmation!

After not doing japanese study for more than five months it's going to take me a while to read the last host family message as it's all in japanese and my Kanji knowledge is almost naught >.<

All the families seem really nice and awesome so i am soo excited!!!

On shopping news i keep getting better at bargainn hunting, got one sa-weet dress for $9, Woo so happy!

Chuu!

Evenz Moar school infos!...well actually it's just pictures!

2008-02-26T00:44:00.000-08:00

Still waiting for my fake VW necklaces to arrive [why must i wait so!]Mum did however inform me that i had a big envelope from AIIU. They sent me the original copies of my Host School info but with a difference! i got a purdy booklet about my school too! If urangan did little school guides like this we would soo rock!

Without further ado i present to you a skank and derro free School Guide!

This Girl on the right [cmon she is the only foreigner in the picture!] was at the Brisbane Orientation!

And Finally my in a bad photoshop of how i might look in my uniform

There were some other pages too but these ones were the best. I know i sound terribly vain but it's nice to have seen some normal non suber cute japanese girls there >o< I have to admit seeing the uniform in the book makes it grow on my alot, i think it would be 100% perfect if they had a maroon bow instead of that wierd neck thing >>, and maybe change the buttons on the winter jackets O_O.

Also check out the club pages, i still don't understand why their cheerleading uniforms are yellow....but people have said i look good in yellow so wootness? Also i think many Urangan Home ec girls and everyone else will agree with me that it feels disturbing not to see Mrs.Zelow in the cooking page, i feel like she is about to sneak up on those girls or something!, she'll find a way >.<

Chuu!

Moar school info scorescorescore!

2008-02-21T21:20:00.000-08:00

I knew sitting around at home had SOME advantages!

I found a little letter for me in the postbox with Aiiu's stamp on it, i ripped it apart in an animalistic fashion over the next 0.09 seconds. As i mentioned before Utsunomiya Bunsei Girl's highschool is an private school full...of girls {or some very impressive surgerys}. It's got 1035 students in it which basically is a bit smaller than good old Urangan High.

Term 1= 5th April- 18th July {why am i always cursed with going to school on my birthday???}

Summer Vacation- 19th July- September 2nd

Term 2- 3rd September-20 December

Winter Vacation- 21st December-7th January

Term 3- 8th January- 23 March

That's one looong year but i'm pretty psyched!

School starts at 8.35 and finishes at 3.30 Monday-FRIDAY! It's strange as i was half expecting to go to school on saturdays though i most likely will for club.

Apparently I catch a bus from the Utsunomiya Station which is only a 15min ride, hopefully i can just walk instead.

Upon reading the next page i heaved a sigh of relief as the school has a computer room and internet access [you never know!]

And then i had to rush to the dentist for the cavity i got from this suber sweet note!

Dear Megan,
Everyone at Bunsei Girl's High School is eagerly awaiting your arrival. We have a long history of hosting exchange students and we think you'll enjoy your time here. The Students in your class will be preparing for their own one year exchange and they are very interested in Australian culture and english. We hope you make the most of your time here by joining some of our cultural clubs,enjoying the hospitality of our host families and getting to know our teachers and students.

BGH [Bunsei Girl's High] is a bit different from aussie schools since it seems to have different highschool programs- University Prep,Art and Design Course, and English Study Abroad course. The ESAC prepares their students to spend a year in Australia. The School has one native english teacher and more than four teachers fluent in english. Me thinks that a fair few lessons will be english based [it sounds strange i know, but it could be that students are learning biology with english text books as another student had]

One of the things i noticed with the translated club pages [courtesy of google translator] is that one of the club activites was called 1000 neck, still no idea and others were abbreviated so i still wasn't sure, the clubs that they listed for me are as follows

Volleyball [no way in hell, i'm terrible though i like Nukem!],Basketball,table tennis,softball,soccer,track and field,kendo,cheerleading and baton twirling [my dream come true ^o^],rythmic gymnastics[ it would break me O_O],orchesta,brass band,Japanese Calligraphy[mebbe ^o^], Computer and the internet [prolly code for hentai], word processing {O_o? i'm guessing they mean litteracy] and a Kanji Game Team [i'm guessing their team name is the 1000 necks ^.~]

Woo the classrooms have air conditioning and heating! aren't we spoiled! I don't even have AC at home >.<, a library with 17,000 books, 5 computer labs [PC,Mac and labtop], an art exhibition gallery, an on campus mini stationary shop [saweet!], and a japanese garden with a small pond [i will get pics i promise!]

That should be enough to stop people pestering me with questions [actually the one i get most is asking me if i'm going there to work umm....exchange student, STUDENT!]

I also got a smidget on info on my Host Families, score i only have 3 which is what i was gunning for, the first two i stay with for about 2 months each and the last i stay with till the end, take into consideration that nothing gets messed up which means i have to move, i get more info on that later but at least i know how many people i have to shop for!

Also tommorow i am off to the wonderful land of Brisbane for some much needed shopping! I can't wait as i'm dying to go to this shop which looks like a strange shop for tourist stuff, buut as you crawl deeper into the rabbit hole you can find some cute phone charms,hair things,socks and stationary!!! Soo excited!

Lazy and lovin' it!

2008-02-17T17:03:00.000-08:00

I have been having a ball relaxing as i've almost had a week of no working! Went to Target the other day for some camera batteries and i got mum into buying me some red/maroon stockings! Rei-Pyon and i ended up trekking everywhere around HB, i bought pretty much zilch from shops {muhahah cheapskate!}

We wandered into the News Agency near coles where Rei and i huddled over some anime magazines they had! $12.50 for a magazine that only seemed to be 3mm worth of pages, Rei and i flicked through taking tabs on the stuff in there, then some rude of geezer gave us a hard time and we left in a huff. If he hadn't have done so he would have been 32.50 richer as i was eyeing Vogue Australia and the Vogue Paris they had there, can't say i will wander in there again...

This wednesday marks 5 weeks before i leave >o<

Anyway i finally got around to showing the works of Caroline Herrera!My favourite by far is the dress with the waistcoat, a steel blue and a vivid red are pulled off together so well here!!!

Anyway i should be off to brisbane on Saturday to go shopping for clothes for japaning. And i hopefully will get a pair of boots as well. Shall post pics [though it is kind of lame to do so when i'm not a tourist >>] and i get to go souvenier shopping ^o^

Pre Fall sneak peak!

2008-02-10T01:52:00.000-08:00

I just got around to posting the Spring collection and then they bring out Pre-Fall 08 >.<' plaid is still in but i think we are going to see a lot more of the 1920's style with the flapper dresses in the Anna Sui collection, feathers are also a big hit with hats, modern flapper dresses sound interesting. Anyway Besides Carolina Herera {next time i promise!} eye candy clothing, Ralph Lauren got my vote with not only leopard BUT also plaid as well [not both together of course]. Anyway i'll post the plaid part of his collection next time. I'm still waiting for new Vivienne Westwood outfits to bedazzle me.

For now you just have to settle for Vera Wange and half of the New Ralph Lauren collection, plaid and flapper dresses coming soon!

Fashion Spring Collections 08

2008-02-05T15:55:00.001-08:00

Gucci
As with most of the 08 spring designs, plaid is IN also with very masculine clothing.

Chanel

i loooove those pengiuin dresses especially the first one, that's something i would have worn to the premier of happy feet. The star speckled jumpsuit would inspipre me to become a total grease monkey and the little dress next to it is sweet. Everyone should have noticed demin waiscoats are waaay in right now and i would say it's because of this chanel collection. I'm also in love with those knee high silver boots in the last pic.

I added in the first pic because i like the bold colour, as you can see with all the collections i posted mansuits are way IN. Stripes and silver accesories are also very trendy which is great for me as i love silver. Ruffles have also left a splash with some of the other designer collections [burberry i think had a very trendy dress], i finally got photoshop again so i'll be able to post more complilation pictures.

Yesterday i thought i would see if i could find any other really nice designers and Carolina Herrera had a lot of eye candy with some funky hats, i'll post that later.

Finally i have two days off, i'm back to work tommorow so i've been taking up the oppurtunity to be a slob and relax, i'm going to get into studying mode in order to freshen up on my japanese as it is only 7 weeks!!!!! The excitement is climbing as there will be great shopping to be done!

I also decided on a club which i'm pretttty positive will be the baton twirling club aka cheerleading, i'm hoping they don't meet everyday as i would like to join a few other clubs who only meet a few days a week. Too many choices!

Tata fashionistas!

Oh i bought some sweet jewllery from Supre on my orientation day, 4 necklaces at $3 each! i couldn't believe it!

Anna sui

7 weeks today till i drive down to brisbane to board my plane!

School info

2008-02-01T19:41:00.000-08:00

Soo much has happened, among working a bit i've been running around getting my last Hep B needle as well as a blood test [in the same arm on the same day!], going to get a filling and a general clean at the dentist, also booking appointments to get a chest xray and doctor appointments on my days off! Of course i also went down to brissy for my Orientation and have been dog-sitting!!!

I get tired just reading all of that!

So i went to the Orientation for Aiiu [the scholarship company i am going with] my mother came along with me. The day was split into two sessions, the first half was compulsory and the second half had some 07 returnees coming to talk about their experiences!

Nothing very special happened in the first session, it was basically a repeat of what i have in my orientation book i got with my acceptance letter. There are 7 kids including myself who got accepted in Queensland, everyone was really fun to talk to i wish we got to talk to each other a lot more though. A lot of us felt disheartened after the first session as they were basically telling us what we can and cannot do and what we have to make sure we do, however i got really psyched when the returnees came. The Returnees were all awesome and got us really excited on their stories about Japan.

So i managed to get a few words of info on my school and where i am going! I am going to be in the Tochigi Prefecture [which is close to Tokyo!!!! only 1hr by bullet train apparently!] and i am going to be attending Utsunomiya Bunsei Girl's High School, a littttle sad at not being able to meet real bishouen on a daily basis but this should prove waaay interesting since i've only been to co-ed schools before.

Anyway here is my Uniform, it's growing on me a bit but i think it would look waaay cuter if you could wear little Maroon Bows instead of those neck ties! Anyway while the uniforms look really wierd in that pic, on the school site the normal pictures of girl's in the uniform look muuuch better! Of course this is a private school [should prove veeery interesting]

Anyway i am going to be living in the Capital of Tochigi which is Utsunomiya! From what i have read the whole place seems pretty cool, especially since it's got this HUUUUGE shopping mall there! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tochigi_Prefecture

Anyway i am still yet to do my First Vlog but i do have an account called TakingOverJapan [original i know >o<] where i will hopefully be updating!

anyway i am sleepy from dogsitting last night!

Ja ne all!

No Wonder our perception is screwed up when it comes to bodies

2008-01-18T03:08:00.000-08:00

Welcoming New Years

2007-12-28T15:24:00.000-08:00

New Years Day is only a few days away and even closing stalks my travels to Japan O_O.

For those that still don't know Utada Hikaru has released a new album Beautiful World/Kiss and Cry. The song Beautiful World is being used as the OP/theme for the new evangelion flick, it's so pretty i have been listening to it again and again.

Anyway i have to hold myself back with a ten foot pole in order to keep myself from spending all my hard earned money, i need to save up $3000 for spending money of my own >.< So far i have been buying a few things here and there so start a better wardrobe, only problem is most of it is black but it just means i'll be able to find other things to match with it well enough.

Yesterday i ventured off to the cinema to see the new Alien vs Predator flick, i haven't seen any of the the alien or predator movies, but it was okay. I really liked the Predator as it is uber ninja goodness

It's even awesome when you see it in motion. I went with my BFF Jessie and her little bro, he told me how this one is an ancient. The movie was easy enough to follow and the [spolier]pwnsomehybridalienpredator[over] was pretty cool though gross. Anyway i'll have to post all my new clothes and see what everyone thinks.

Still getting used to the formatting and whatnot but eventually i'll somehow make my own layout? I'm thinking of having a Vivienne Westwood inspired theme!

Also another thing to look forward is New Years! I'm going to my First proper NYE party, proper being one hosted by a friend and people my own age rather than going with my parents to one. I wonder what the theme for next year will be.

Well i'll probably upload some photos of the Party and my new outfits after New Years! Also i taught my mum and dad how to use youtube [meh like it's hard? but you know old people :p] and they were on it like all day, it's kind of cute in a way...

T-minus 89days 2 hours 6mins 14secs till i leave for Japan

Over and Out
.~*Mi-chan*~.

Starting the take over

2007-12-25T20:05:00.000-08:00

First Post ever,

Here is how my friends will be able to keep up with my exploits in taking over Japan, I leave in T-minus 92days or so, in other words, tommorow (27th) will make it three months exactly till i leave!

Le important Dates
January- dates for when i have to pay by and Orientation dates (little confused whether it's a date of a conference i have to go to in Brisbane or whether it's my two day orientation in Japan dates)

Start-Mid Febuary- Host School info [i'm praying for somewhere in Osaka and more so for Tokyo]

March- Host Family info due, plus airline tickets are due

End of March- [atm they have said it will be around the 27th] i leave for another world!

It's scary as my next 10months will be spent apart from my friends and family, though here they can hear the details of my exploits and how i am taking Japan by storm [well they do get a lot of typhoons over there ^o~]

Things i am not looking forward to
-communal bath, i'll be resisting the urge to yell "nobody look at me!!!!"

Everything else seems peachy and it will be great way to have some fun and discover myself before starting uni.

Of course a lot of preperation is needed before i go over there which brings me to my wishes for New Years!

New Years Resolutions

Lose 9763476945 kilograms before going to Japan

Try and study for Level 2 of the JLPT

Try and not blow my savings on clothes

and get a better wardrobe!

I have been through my closet and i have some decent tops but not enough pants and lack of skirts! I never really cared about fashion before but at the moment i'm so vain [most likely because of my new GHD styler i can have nice hair] So far i want clothes i can wear in different ways. One such dress is from the Magical shop called Tree-of-Life, this fabulous dress i have can be worn in so many ways including just wearing it as a skirt.

One of my next blogs will definately have a post on my essentials for when i am over in Japan. I'm not sure how many blogs i will have, i will most likely post this on Myspace as well but Myspace isn't being nice to me At the moment. My big thing for this huge event is that i will try and Vlog some of the stuff that goes on, this of course will be posted on Youtube!

Anyway i have posted too much already so I'll post all the shiny things i want to spend my monies on later!

Ja Ne