For future Light fellows

For future Light fellows who may be checking out this blog, choose HIF if you want to:

• experience Japanese family life
• practice your Japanese every day over delicious home cooked Japanese meals
• travel around Hokkaido during the mid-semester break (when else are you going to make time to go all the way up north?)
• study in a small city and live in the countryside (it's beautiful)
• participate in a Japanese festival and parade - dressed as a samurai, no less
  
• watch fireworks done the Japanese way (the right way)
  
• be part of a well run program with a long history of international exchange
• meet students from other American colleges who all share an interest in Japanese and Japan
• befriend Japanese college students!
• enjoy 2 months of good weather while your friends melt in the Tokyo sauna - expect mostly blue skies, warm but dry afternoons, and cool evenings

HIF is extremely well organized, and the staff members are truly helpful and on top of things. They had a particular fondness for surveys and evaluations. The culture classes were varied and ensured that we had plenty to do in the afternoons. Workload differed depending on which class, but was for the most part reasonable. As cliche as this sounds, most of the learning took place outside the classroom - a lot of words and phrases I thought I had "learned" in Japanese 115 were reinforced and consolidated into my long term memory through daily use. The people of Hakodate were incredibly friendly and welcoming, and though small, the city itself was charming and beautiful (especially the area around HIF). Because you'll spend most of your summer away in the inaka, definitely travel after the program - if you're short on time, at least take a week to marvel at the efficiency of the train system, check out the temples in Kyoto, and experience Tokyo city life. Thanks to the Light Foundation this has been one amazing summer. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns!

帰った。Home.

I am back in Hong Kong! The past few days I've been unpacking and resting, and enjoying watching Chinese domination of the Olympics on TV. And feasting on affordable apples.

Japan was some kind of adventure. After traveling around for a week, it's become clear that spending the bulk of my summer hiding away in quiet, peaceful, occasionally boring Hakodate was a good choice. Tokyo may have been more exciting, but people seemed less tolerant of foreigners speaking Japanese, and often it helped to resort to English - this was rarely the case in Hakodate. I also enjoyed the slower pace of life and leisure time, a rare commodity these days.

I picked up a copy of the Japan Times on my last day, and was surprised to read angry letters to the editor about discrimination against foreigners in Japan, and about how Japan's infatuation with the West seems limited to brand name goods, non-Asian facial features, and the occasional Japanese-speaking foreign talent on TV. Interestingly my brief time in Japan has made me more appreciative of Hong Kong's cosmopolitanism and relative diversity.

It'd be impossible to neatly summarize all my impressions into a concise and coherent blog post. Everything from convenient store culture to Japanese bathing rituals are topics worthy of reflection. As are the Japanese school system (flawed as it is), Japanese cell phones (years ahead of America), and of course, Japanese TV (with at least a paragraph each for game shows, dramas, and the news). I still don't have any clear plans for my future (who does?), but I now have more options. Hopefully I'll be back next year! This summer wouldn't have been possible without the Richard U. Light Foundation. Thank you.

Tokyo

Unlike Kyoto, which has a set of must-see tourist attractions, sightseeing in Tokyo is more about experiencing the different districts that form the city. Yesterday I started out at Shibuya - a little underwhelmed by the famous crossing, but was impressed by speedy service at the busiest Starbucks in the world - hopped one station over to the Meiji shrine, and then hung out with a group of HIFers (who all somehow managed to find each other) in Shibuya. Fun times - I'll miss them!

Got an early start to today by visiting Tsukiji fish market at around 5:30 - having read part of Theodore Bestor's book on Tsukiji last semester, I'm now impressed by how he managed to do research, let alone figure out the intricacies of the whole system, in such a hectic environment. There were many times when I thought I'd get run over. After a delicious sushi breakfast I went back to sleep and woke up at 12 to start my day all over again. I started at Asakusa (site of the Senso temple), before making my way to Roppongi (site of the obnoxious Roppongi Hills complex which screams 'modernity'), Harajuku (absolute insanity), Shinjuku, and then finally meeting up with Thommi, who was in the 1st year Japanese with me last year and did an internship in Tokyo this summer, for my last dinner in Japan. Plans for tomorrow - Akihabara, Ginza (the old Mitsukushi, flagship Uniqlo, Muji, Apple and Sony stores), Narita Airport, Hong Kong, home. And so it all comes to end.

I'm sad to leave, but am looking forward to vegging out in front of the TV (and watching an Olympic sport that is NOT judo), and to watching The Dark Knight. I really should pack.

Osaka

Clockwise from top left: view from Tokyo tower, people waiting for the fireworks, hanabi!, kiyomizudera, from kiyomizudera, kinkakuji (golden pavilion), street near dotonbori, takoyaki!, dotonbori at night, "amerika mura"

Yesterday started out pretty normal - we took a bus to Kinkakuji (the Golden Pavilion), and then browsed Daimaru department store, mostly taking food samples in the basement. And then on a whim we decided to go to Osaka! Best choice ever. Osaka was overwhelming and exciting; everything seemed like it was 10 times brighter and bigger and more colorful than the rest of Japan. There would be pockets of absolute craziness separated by normal looking main streets. We hung out by dotonbori and amerikamura (wiki links in the photo captions), had okonomiyaki and takoyaki for dinner, and then headed back to Kyoto, ~40 minutes away. All this was possible thanks to the JR pass... the trains here are incredibly efficient but there are so many different lines and trains. Somehow by going with our gut instincts and riding whatever train showed up next we managed to get to and from Osaka without any problems. Success. Today I head back up to Tokyo. More later!

I can't feel my feet

Thomas just retraced our route on gmaps pedometer - we walked approximately 10 miles today! In the Kyoto humidity and heat (it was 36 C/97 F). Now you too can relive our epic journey: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2157514

C.C. Lemon Love

Hi from Kyoto! I just walked for 6 hours in the blazing Kyoto sun. My feet hurt so much I can barely feel them. I also just downed a 500 mL bottle of C.C. Lemon in 10 minutes. C.C. Lemon has never tasted this sweet or this refreshing in my mouth and throat.

So what I've been up to since leaving Hakodate: went up Tokyo tower, stayed over at Afua's and caught up with the SANC people, dropped off my bags in Kyoto, traveled to Osaka to meet up with 15+ of Derrick's Japanese friends for the best fireworks show I've ever seen in my life (it rained and we watched half of it from under a tarp), and then traveled around Kyoto today, hitting up Ginkakuji and Kiyomizudera. Phew. Otsukaresama.

Ika ika ika ika odori odori

So this is the end. In 5+ hours I'll be on a train to Tokyo, and in a week, home! My last post might imply that things ended on a sour note (perhaps a little) but that small incident aside, it has been an amazing summer...

Ika odori!

Because it rained all weekend, the ika odori (squid dance) parade was postponed to Monday. For those who don't know the squid is Hakodate's mascot and can be found in all forms - raw, dried, fried, in burgers, in ice cream, in song and in dance, etc. So on Monday we hung out by the Hakodate train station watching the different groups (usually companies and universities) go by, when we spotted some familiar Japanese faces out on the streets! It was the university students that observe our classes on Fridays. We were pulled into the parade and had to learn a dance to this song on the spot - an energy draining but happiness inducing endeavor. When the sun finally set, the official ika odori began. Groups and groups passed by doing the same ika dance to the ika odori song, which was being blast at full volume such that after a while I ceased to hear it. We ran out and joined some random group and did the dance, and when we reached the end of the parade route, came back and did it again with the "free participation group" for non-affiliated people like us. It was quite a cathartic experience - the highlight was when everyone crouched down on the streets and successfully did the wave twice, going both forwards AND backwards!

People I take the train with every morning; on the way to HIF

I'm amazed by how the Japanese festivals I've been to have been crowded but never overwhelming. People are always careful not to push and shove. Perhaps it's because I'm in Hakodate, a medium sized city where people don't have to compete as aggressively for prime seaside spots to watch the fireworks. I guess we'll see how things are different in Osaka! Apparently Osaka is full of interesting people - my okaasan insists that if I go up to any random person in Osaka and pretend to slash him with an imaginary sword, he will play along and pretend to get hurt.

Okaasan (host mom), Tai (sister)

I realize that most of my posts have been descriptive rather than reflective, so if I have time during my travels or when I get home I'll try to write something to better summarize my thoughts on life in Japan. But first, TOKYO and KYOTO and OSAKA!!

School's out, almost

Today was the last day of classes, and it didn't go well at all. I got home pretty late from Mt. Hakodate last night, and I guess I was more frustrated than usual about the fact that Takahashi-sensei tends to let awkward silences fester during discussions. I had a "talk" with her after class - apparently I've been quieter and more subdued lately, but I'm pretty sure that our class as a whole has been less talkative and that I still speak more than average. And she practically accused me of having someone else do my homework because I've been doing well (too well?) compared to my classroom performance. All this really hit a nerve because 1. on most days I try my best, or I thought I did - I'm just not the type to dominate classroom conversation; and 2. I put in so much effort into double and triple checking all those homework assignments! And this whole time I thought I've been doing well, and based on my test and quiz scores, I have been.

Anyway it's probably a sign that it's about time to leave Hakodate. I'm almost packed, and am looking forward to the next part of my Japanese adventure. Earlier this week I experienced the awesome craziness of the Ika Odori parade, and last night I went up Mt. Hakodate to see the night view - more later, when I'm less cranky, and when I don't have a final exam to study for. I'll probably end up sleeping early.

Hanabi and samurai

Samurai Amy

"Yeaaah!!!"

So my last post may have been an over exaggeration - it cooled down since noon, and the parade was actually quite enjoyable and involved minimal energy expenditure. Taking a circuitous route, we walked in our samurai costumes to the bay area, and then shouted "yeah!" (on cue, while raising our swords) in front of a small crowd that consisted mainly of HIF teachers, students, and host parents.

Afterwards we were treated to a free dinner - what a deal! And the fireworks were spectacular as usual - at times it felt like the golden glitter was raining down on us since we sat right up close. Compared to the last fireworks show, this one beat it in terms of quantity and length, but it wasn't necessarily better...

Mochi and soba making

Some time early last week a group of us went to a soba shop to make soba and mochi! We were joined by a journalist and a film crew, because apparently there isn't much else going on in Hakodate. The mochi was the best mochi I've ever had, and as for the soba, I'm just glad that we weren't served the soba we cut, for the strands were was cut so thick they might as well have been udon.

My host parents! Yes, my host-dad is that awkward.

And to round off a day of delicious food, my host family took me out for a Sapporo specialty, soup curry (more soup than curry).

Speech contest, traditional music concert

As for Japanese class related activities - the project work presentations were long and moderately interesting, but at least it's over. The speech contest was also long, but I was surprised by how much I could understand (well, only after given a vocab list). The two speakers from the higest level were so 上手 and impressive - I'm so glad I'll be travelling with one of them (Derrick - he won!) to Kyoto and Osaka after the program.

Hakodate, Hakodate as seen from across the bay

Oh and last week Hong Kong suffered through both its hottest day of the year and worst pollution day in history. Yay for being in Hakodate!

Kenji says hi

Not really an update, but I have time to spare before the parade starts. Apparently it's 'sugoku atsui' outside, meaning, it's really, really, hot. And humid. And I'll be walking around in a samurai costume that weighs several pounds. More about my week and the festival and the fireworks later!!