Ok, so here is how I'm going to organize my blog:
Each week, maybe every few days, I will create a post just saying what's up and how I feel. I will also include a link to some pictures on facebook. If I go on a cool trip or some major soap opera drama happens, you'll be the first to know (IDK why I'm calling my blog "you," but I'm sticking with it.)
Kansai Internatioal Airport (Kankuu) is the basis for Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away (for all you Japanese people, 千と千尋の神隠し). So, I come from America (real world in the movie) and arrive at the airport only to find that my parents have been turned into a species of son-less humanoids (alas, I cannot forget their faces for fear that they may stay son-less.) This story isn't really going anywhere, so I'm just going to explain how it's like Spirited Away. I leave the island, as Kankuu is a man made island only with an airport and hotel, to go out for the day because I was stuck here till the 30th. On my way out I see the ocean's slow, undulating waves slowly batter the bridges frail pillars, the gray dreary sky, the awkwardly silent bus (train in the movie) ride and the sparsity of people. (This part is like Chihiro's train ride to Zeniba's house sans the dramatic piano solo.) In order to get the tickets to get on this bus I had to to a secret handshake and speak in a tongue foreign to most. Once I got this invaluable piece of paper, I had to search many-an-hour to find the bus stop using scripts unknown to the west. (That part is like when the boiler man searches through all of his crap to find those little red tickets--the only tickets available--and gives them to Chihiro.)
Basically, Kankuu correlates to Yubaba's boathouse, amidst in a dreary ocean, and my busride was like Chihiro's trainride. This is all a frail attempt to tie together my trip to some random anime I saw (Actually, though, it is very good and won academy awards and stuff. Check it out.) Kankuu is so effin borring, I could kill myself! You can only walk around the same aeroplaza and look at lanterns so much before you're admitted to the psycho ward. However, my trip into the near town of Rinku was really cool, and Aero Mall was HUGE with many cool and not-so-expensive stores.
Using Japanese is really interesting. I can say many things but sometimes there are phrases I just do NOT understand! I was looking for soymilk yesterday, and I didn't know the word for it. I was trying to say, "It's milk. It doesn't come from a cow. It might be said soya or soyu miruku, but the store clerk just gave me a weird look and shook his head. I was a little embarrased, but I just pulled up the gaijin card in my head and felt better. (For those of you who don't master the Japanese language, gainjin means foreigner, and is used to excuse many things.) As it turns out, like cow's milk is gyuunyuu, soy milk is tounyuu, which makes sense because it's the same "tou" as in "toufu," SOYbean curd. I also got myself into a conversation I wish I could have easily gotten out of. I asked a store clerk if he knew of any good snowboarding locations and he tried telling me, but I didn't understand right away. I continued the conversation, but it got to the point where I couldn't understand anything that was being said. I wish I could have just walked away, but I just tried to stick it out and understand him the best I could. Triumphant Nick persevered and won over the desired information. The conversation also got more comprehendable. It feels so embarrasing, though, when you ask a question and can't even receive the answser. :( Oh well.
I hate groups. It took us 20 minutes just to meander to the food court and another 15 to decide where we were going to go! I'm fine with one or two friends! After eating, we were right next to the ocean with 15 minutes to spare. I said, "let's go to the ocean real quick!" and since no one said anything, and because I was fed up with "group activities," I said screw it, I'm going by myself. It was a nice 3 minute walk to the ocean. I saw some cool seaweed and saw the pretty blue water and took this picture to the right. (I love you Chelsea, Jamie and Niki, but DAMN that was annoying!)
So, I sit here on a busride to Kansai Gaikokugo Daigaku (Kansai Gaidai--the name of my school) and write away because it's boring. You'll never have another blog this long. Not that it's full of content, more of the natural thought process that would come out of my mouth during conversation. 2/3 of all above is superfluous to content.
Thoughts of Japan today:
I miss my friends and family--there was no closure to my social life. :(
I'm so glad to be out of the airport.
I am a foreigner and little kids don't know how to stop staring!
Bleh, the bus is stopping and this is coming to an end anyway.
Facebook Pictures:
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=49954&l=97704&id=555152650
Here are some cemetary pictures (don't mind the first half from Ann Arbor, MI.)
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=46490&l=32e4a&id=555152650
