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Hello! For nearly 3 months now, I've been intending to update this blog, and for various reasons did not get to it until now! I apologize to anyone who has been eagerly awaiting to hear of my journeys, if such a person exists, haha. My first semester in the Japan Studies Program at TIU just ended, and I have SO MUCH to write about! Since it has been such a long time, I am bound to leave out many details, but I will try to give a decent overview of what I've been up to since I last wrote in September. To make it simple, I will go in chronological order.
Shortly after my last blog entry, I attended Tokyo Game Show. It is the largest exhibition of video games in Japan. Its main purpose is to advertise new and upcoming games, with many creators etc. in attendance to speak out about them. There are also a decent number of cosplayers, or people in costumes of various game/anime characters. Since I myself cosplay, it was awesome to see the Japanese cosplayers who do such an amazing job! I was in attendance for several hours, and during that time I wandered back and forth through the large event halls of the Makuhari Messe, observing all of the giant, colorful displays and masses of people. It was so crowded, it was difficult to make my way across the room at times. I was most excited about the booth for Sengoku Musou 3, the third installment in one of my all time favorite game series. I went with two fellow JSP students, and we stayed until the event ended a 5 pm. For that reason, the trains heading away from Makuhari were ETREMELY crowded. We were literally squeezed up against strangers, unable to move. I was lucky enough (see sarcasm) to be groped on the train. A man behind me was reaching up my skirt and pulling on the leggings I was (luckily) wearing. This type of pervert is known as "chikan" in Japan, and they have become a problem on crowded trains. However, every other person I have spoken to who has lived in Japan for any amount of time, including years, has never had the experience. Like I said, lucky. -_-
Two weekends later, I went on a vacation with my host family. It was awesome! We drove west for about 7 hours, until we reached Iga Ueno. This historic ninja town was one of the places I had really wanted to go to while in Japan, and it was so awesome that my host family took me! It is the home town of the Iga style of ninjutsu, and Hattori Hanzo, one of my all time favorite historical figures! Hattori-san was a master of the Iga style, and was loyal to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the man who became ruler of Japan after its long period of wars (sengoku jidai). When Akechi Mitsuhide was after Ieyasu's head, it was Hattori-san who guided him safely through Iga Ueno and thus saved his life. Today, Iga Ueno is home of the Iga-ryu ninja museum. The main building used to serve as a hideout, and still has various trap doors and hiding places, which are demonstrated by guides dressed in colorful ninja outfits. Demonstrations of ninjutsu techniques are performed at a stage throughout the day, and there are areas where you can view real ninja artifacts, such as weapons and clothing. Of course, no tourist attraction would be complete without a gift shop. In addition to the museum, the entire town is filled with ninja pride. We went to another museum that showcased items used in a town festival, and there were able to dress up as ninja. My host mom, host sisters, and I all dressed up. That night we stayed at a hotel in Matsusaka, a town famous for its beef. Matsusaka beef is considered "the best in the world" by many, even more so than the worldwide-known Kobe beef. It is extremely expensive, and an honor to eat. I went with my host family to a very traditional restaurant where I had the honor of eating the esteemed meat. It was delicious! It tasted unlike any beef I have ever had, and practically melted in your mouth.
The following day, we went to Ise, home of the most sacred shrine in Japan. Ise Jingu (grand shrine) enshrines Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess. We walked around the grounds of the shrine, which among the main building, includes hundreds of smaller shrines. It is located next to the holy Isuzu river. We washed our hands in the river to purify ourselves, and then prayed at the main shrine. Outside of the shrine grounds are many shops selling traditional handicrafts and food. We ate some kind of red bean dessert that is famous there, then looked around the shops. Then we headed to where we would spend the night. The place was an old school-turned hotel located right next to the ocean. I thought it was the perfect place for a horror film. The building was located by itself on top of a hill, which the only way onto was two narrow, winding stone staircases on either side. Other than that, it was a steep stone covered drop overlooking the town. The trees were mostly bare, and at night the wind howled and echoed through the abandoned school building. I didn't get any sleep because of my host dad's snoring, but it was interesting nonetheless.
The next day we headed to Toba aquarium. There we spent several hours observing a variety of sea animals, including dugongs. sharks, porpoises, seals, sea lions, walruses, otters, penguins, of course fish, and more. We then headed home. Pictures of the family trip will be in an album.
The following week was midterms. Then I attended the best concert of my life so far. Warning: nerd content ahead. Macross Crossover Live was AMAZING! I won't go into too much detail here, but give an idea of what it entailed. I returned to the Makuhari Messe (same place as TGS) to attend the concert at the main event arena. I was overflowing with joy as I realized the thousands of people walking to and surrounding the arena were Macross fans like me! I checked out the merchandise booths, and then got in the huge line that wrapped around the building. The concert was to feature the 5 most famous singers from the various Macross series. These singers were the singing voices for Lynn Minmay, Basara Nekki, Mylene Jenius, Ranka Lee, and Sheryl Nome. During the concert, 3 surprise guests appeared as well. These were the singer for Ishtar, and the actors for Basara and Mylene. Everybody sang, and some sang together. It was so awesome to be there, maybe I will get the DVD when it comes out.
The next day (I had a busy weekend) I attended the famous Kawagoe matsuri. I had the honor of pulling a traditional Japanese float (dashi) with other JSP students. I made it just in time to do so, and as we were finishing our run, wiped out on the street with another student and nearly got run over, but overall it was a great experience! Afterward I spent time at the festival with friends, eating various foods and looking around.
Aside form these things, there were various outings with friends and lots of studying. This brings the date up to October 19th. Since this is a long and overdue entry, I will split it up into two. More to come soon!
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