The end

In 10 minutes I'm leaving my dormitory and getting the Narita Express to Narita where we're going to stay in a cheap hotel in order to avoid getting up at 4am tomorrow.

Spent a long time yesterday cancelling al the contracts we had to buy when we came to Japan. Rip-off!

I probably should have taken more photos.

Oh well.

Hakone

Went to Mt.Hakone for a short trip. It's in the neighbouring prefecture to Tokyo - but considering Tokyo is huge, it's fairly far away. It took nearly 2 hours to get to the bottom of Hakone from Shinjuku. We then should have just got onto a bus to get to the hotel. However, we were in the Tokyo mindset and just got on the Hakone mountain train line. Taking a train up a mountain is pretty arduous if you don't go around in circles. You have to go up for a bit, then stop while the driver changes ends and goes up a different rail track.

It was a bit of a shock to the system after coming from central Tokyo - where you can find a decent train station with a number of lines within 10/15 minutes. The stations here were few, old and basically deserted. All sensible people in Hakone use cars. After this we used buses to get everywhere as they were more frequent and quicker.

Hakone is mostly famous for hot springs where you publicly bathe and a big, scenic lake formed from some volcanic activity a (long) while back. We didn't want to do the bathing option so went to the big lake instead.

The lake isn't huge when considering the other lakes around the world but its certainly the biggest I've seen. We got a ship across it which took about half an hour. For some reason it was a pirate ship.

After the lake, we got a cable car through the mist up to one of the highest points of the mountain, where there were numerous sulphur vents. We didn't really explore the area as we were hungry but looking at Wikipedia now, they specialise in black boiled eggs, cooked in the vents. Wish we looked around now. On sunny, clear days you're abe to see Mt.Fuji but as always when we go on a trip, it was misty and raining.

After that we explored Hakone some more and saw nearly everything. An enjoyable trip.

Meiji 終わった

As of this morning I've finished my very last thing at Meiji University. It was my one and only exam - I usually make the point of choosing the courses which are satisfied with attendance and reports. Anyway the exam was ridiculously easy and a lot of people finished within 20 minutes. Wish I hadn't bothered revising now! One year has gone quite quickly.

We went for a crepe and ice cream to celebrate.

Sukiyaki

Popped to Shinjuku (our nearest big city in Tokyo) to have all-you-can-eat sukiyaki with TT. I hadn't had it for ages because I thought sukiyaki was something else! Had to go through the dodgy district of Shinjuku to get there and saw an afternoon DJ party/rave/thing. It didn't seem very popular-only about 20 people dancing.

Sukiyaki works thus: You have a saucer of broth in the middle, being heated underneath the table. You put the meat and vegetables in the broth and then you can take whatever looks cooked out of the broth. Then you dip it in a little saucer filled with raw egg and then eat it. Because the meat is really thinly sliced it cooks in under a minute. It's yummy.

Festival and Tsurukawa

Spent Saturday seeing Mark and Makoto. First we went to Ueno (north east Tokyo) to see some festival called Tanabata or something (I forget. This blog is very informative...). Something to do with stars I think. It was very near the newly built Tokyo Sky Tree - at 634 metres the highest tower in the world which is going to serve as a television broadcasting thing next year. I say it was very near but because its so big we could've been miles away :p

The festival was ok but I got sunburnt. The best bit was playing some game where you had to get some fish out of a paddling pool with a paper spoon. I managed to get 7 but some kid next to me had 20.... It was crazily hot so we had kakigoori かき氷 for lunch which is just ice and flavoured sauce on top.

Then we went off to Tsurukawa, Makoto's home in south west Tokyo. With air con we got our appetite back and ate a lot.

Also I felt my biggest earthquake this morning. Apparently it was in the same place as the last once but was only a 7.0 on the scale. Anyway things swayed violently for 10 seconds and then it all stopped. Quite fun but I'd like a bigger one.

The end!

Busy Weekend

I've been told to update more...

Met up with some friends on Friday & Saturday. One went to Cardiff on exchange last year and had come to Tokyo for the weekend. Hadn't seen her in a year so it was good to see her again.

On the Friday we walked around Shibuya and went to a planetarium - a posh cinema where you sit horizontally and have the image protected onto the curved ceiling all around your head. It was pretty impressive but because it cool, dark and relaxing we all fell asleep. I wish I could live in the planetarium...

On the Saturday we went to Kichijyouji to go to the zoo and an all-you-can-eat sweets place called Sweets Paradise. The zoo was quite small but it was only about £3. My favourite bit was when we got to play with some Guinea Pigs! Then we went to Sweets Paradise and ate far too much and felt sick.

On Sunday I went to Shibuya again with Thanh Thanh and bought an iPad. Very pleased with it.

It's Monday now and I still feel full and sick.

Heat

It's too hot. I've melted. It's currently 30 degrees AT NIGHT. I'll be shipped back to the UK in a water bottle.

Image dump 3

Image dump 2

Image dump

Videos

Videos for my Grandad. This is what residential Tokyo looks like at 7am.

Going back

I'm back in Japan. Not much has changed since I left and the big, bouncy earthquake happened. Lots of the new people who were supposed to be coming to our dorm seem to have got scared and didn't turn up. So my flat is quite empty; good. Also, Fanta bottles have had a redesign. That's about it.

New classes start tomorrow. I have a slightly nicer timetable this year. I don't have Monday off but all my business classes are now based a short, 5 minute walk away rather than 45 minutes by train. I may be getting more intensive Japanese classes though as there might be only 2 of us left to teach. The rest of my class was made up of French and Italian people. And they got scared and aren't coming back.

I've attached a picture of some 'sakura'. Japan's cherry blossom which appears for a few weeks in Spring that the Japanese seem to think is amazing. Looks fairly similar to Sandridge Road in the Spring to me. I don't see the fuss.

Returning

I'll be returning back to the UK on Feb 3rd for about a month and a half. I need to work and make money in order to live out here. Surprisingly and pleasingly, British Airways was the cheapest flight. Hopefully I won't be ill for a few days after the flight this time.

In the meantime I've got a little bit of Uni work to do. One short essay and one take-home exam. Neither should be particularly hard. The essay will need a lot of research though as I know nothing about the topic.

Christmas and New Year

Christmas came and went in Japan. Stores had the music, the decorations and the cheap Christmas tat but when the actual day came, Tokyo seemed exactly the same as any other day. I didn't do much because my partner-in-crime was ill. Got some nice presents though.

The New Year was pretty much the opposite. There wasn't much build-up to it but on New Years Eve the shops had been hit by a housewife tornado. The next day, Tokyo looked like some post-apocalyptic ruin. Nothing was open. I celebrated by going to bed at 9pm. Hardcore.

The picture above is from the Christmas party which the Hirabayashis held. Very nice food and we were all dozing off afterwards watching England on the TV. Mark bought After Eights to make sure it was like a proper Christmas :)

I'm partially back to Meiji Uni next week. Business classes only. Far too much work.

Une petit update

One more Japanese lesson before I'm on Christmas holidays. Although I'll still have the few business lessons, the next Japanese lesson won't be for a few months. Slackers. I'll be celebrating Christmas on the 24th and hopefully going to a nice restaurant :)

Been quite cold recently (I should have brought a coat really...) and we haven't done much of note. Christmas shopping, watching 24, class play, etc.

I've attached a random picture. It's where the majority of my lessons are based; in a place called Ochanomizu. Meaning 'tea water'.

Random Update

Been a while since I wrote anything on here. I haven't particularly done anything of interest. Just going round random places, eating random things. I've also been ill with (possibly) food poisoning. Ho hum.

I think I'm coming to the end of my first term at Meiji. Well, at least the Japanese classes. I have 3 weeks left of those and then I break for Christmas on 24th December - cutting it fine. I still have business classes after that but I only have 3 of those. I'll basically be on holiday for a few months before I go on real holiday...

I also have a new found irritation concerning Japanese people and cameras. The photo I've added is from a place called Koishikawa Korakuen; a small park in central Tokyo. Now the one photo I took was enough for me but Japanese people seem to take a photo every 5 steps. At the beginning I was considerate and waited while they took the photo before going past them but now I don't care and just continue on walking.

Odaiba, Imperial Palace

Went to Odaiba and the Imperial Palace this weekend. We've got about 5 places to left to go to before we're truly out of ideas and just spend every day sitting around...

Odaiba is a man-made island type thing around the Tokyo Bay area. Generally not that much there to do bar from walking around and looking at 'proper Tokyo' from the other side of the water. Seemed to be the place to go if you want to walk your dog too. On a side note I've started noticing people doing photo-shoots of their dogs, with some dressed up in strange dog clothes. It's weird.

The Imperial Palace is near the main Tokyo station. (Yeah, smooth segway) A note about train stations: whereas in England a big train station will consist of a few platforms and maybe a Starbucks and WHSmith, in Japan it's possible to go to a train station and never actually set foot outside it. Supermarkets, restaurants, hairdressers etc. can also be found in them.

The area surrounding Tokyo Station is fairly posh with designer shops and branch headquarters (I think) of the big Japanese companies. And there's a palace. Which is also quite posh. Innit.

Tomorrow I'm revisiting Yokohama. If it doesn't rain.

Mt. Takao

Went up Mt. Takao for a bit of fresh air. Takes about half an hour on the train - luckily we're fairly near to it.

We were lazy and didn't do the main hiking part which is stupidly steep. There's a cable car/cable ski lift thing which can take you up 2/3 of the way so we opted for that. Once you get that far up it's basically a nice walk to the top.

There's a smattering of autumn leaves about but I think we were a bit too early. The adverts on trains have a lot more of it on show...

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

Went to Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. It's my new favourite place in Tokyo. Maybe this is because I'm fed up of the endless streets, train tracks and back alleys found in Tokyo. Concrete buildings get boring.

It was 200 yen to enter and this makes all the difference. The small price prevents the crowds coming in and ruining the place. Even though it was a sunny Sunday afternoon there were not too many around the park considering its size and it was very quiet. Perfect.

There were a couple of themed gardens in the park. One of them said it was an English style garden. However, it looked to us like a big field. Maybe my dog had eaten all the plants?

The Japanese garden was really nice though. All the Japanese seemed to be just interested in the new chrysanthemums (got that right in one, thank you very much) which I don't understand. They're ugly as sin. If you're reading this and thinking of sending me flowers: send tulips. Cheers.

Meiji Festival

This weekend is the Meiji Festival - celebrating 130 years since the university was first founded. It's supposed to run over the weekend for 3 days but it has been raining pretty much all week - until today!

There were lots of little food stalls outside offering (mostly) horrible looking food. Inside were classrooms filled with each of the University club's showcases. My favourite was the 4 strange guys in the train circle who were obsessed with trains.

I left after 20 minutes or so because I felt ill. I seem to have picked up every single cold going in the last few weeks and the current one is pretty bad. Not as bad as man flu though. Worse than child birth, so I've heard.

I prefer the school fairs in the days of Sandridge primary school. There was a fire truck and everything. I think...