Onsen Outing

Last Thursday, March 4, we went to an onsen, which is a hot spring/spa that the Japanese absolutely love. It was in Hakone, which is roughly about 2 hours by train from where we live. Even if until now we don't have our allowance yet, we just went on that trip because it had been planned beforehand. It was organized by the Ferris Foreign Students Society so when we told them about our problem, they told us that we could pay the 4,000 yen for the hotel and food (which is pretty good actually) later, when we got our allowance.

We stayed overnight at a nice hotel, and got to use the onsen. Here are pictures of us using the ashi-onsen, which is for the feet only. Of course, everybody's naked in the main onsen so I couldn't take a picture of that! LOL. (Males and females have separate areas, of course!)

The onsen was pretty cool, with bubbles and stuff, but you know me, I'd rather have a pool or a beach over an onsen or a bath any day!

The next day we went to this place with wood thingies. I forgot how they call that in Japanese, but since it's like the "specialty" of Hakone, we went there. They have all these stuff which are solely made of wood with different colors. They also had this museum which had artifacts that dated back to the Edo period. Tables, paintings, dressers--all were amazing! And since I really like wood stuff, I totally enjoyed it there! Then we made coasters out of different bits of wood. They had designs ready, and we just had to glue the pieces of wood together. It was fun!

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Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

Wala pa gihapon among allowance! Ano ba toh?!? Graveh na ha! Graveh na talaga!

Hay, naku! Anyways, I'm at the IT center again, and while I was coming here, it was raining/snowing. It wasn't that cold, but it was snowing. It was kinda nice though, and even a bit sentimental, because it's also probably the last time it's gonna snow here. It's unbelievable, but it's already March!!! We've been here for 6 months, and we've only got 5 more to go! I can't believe Spring is just around the corner and the cold weather is almost over! I could still remember last November when the weather was still starting to get cold and I thought I wouldn't be able to handle it. PHEW! It's really a relief that it's not gonna be cold anymore, but I'm sure, when I'm back home, sweating buckets because of the heat, I'll miss and want the cold weather! Hay, ang buhay nga talaga!

I hope muabot na among allowance, because at least, ug naa koy kwarta, I can get stuff to entertain me!

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La la la...

Hmm... so last saturday, we watched a Noh play. For those who don't know what this is (don't worry, I didn't know what this was before either), it's one of the Japanese traditional plays, and in this kind, the actors wear masks. I don't know why they do that, maybe just for aesthetics, or maybe it can also be cause no female performers act in these. All actors are male, even if there are female roles.

Anyway, Annie, April and I were given tickets for free by the kaigaikoryu-ka (Int'l. Affairs Office) of Ferris so we went there and watched it. It was interesting. 'Twas my first time to be in a Japanese theater of any kind and I loved the look of it. It was in wood, and the stage was kinda square with posts on each corner and a roof (just like on a house). It was pretty. The play was interesting albeit sorta boring because we didn't understand it. Thankfully, we were given English handouts with the entire story in them.

Days are pretty boring nowadays. All I do is check the paper for movies or tv shows to watch. During the day, I go to school and use the internet at Ferris. It's a pain coz I have to walk 20 mins and then ride the train another 20 mins to get there, but what can I do? It's the only way to get free internet access. Good thing we have a ticket for the train so even if I don't have a cent, I can still go there.

Happy now though, Mark has found an apartment at the new place he moved to. He's been looking forever, so I'm glad he finally has a place now. And, finally completed our batch website. Geez. What a pain making websites is! But, I still love it. =P Hmmm... I wonder what webbie I should make next!

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Okinawa

So we were in Okinawa starting from Monday till Thursday this week. It was our second and last study tour from Ferris, like the one we had in Hiroshima and Okayama last year. For those souls reading this and don't know where or what Okinawa is, it's a group of islands in the south of Japan, about 1,550 kilometers away from Tokyo, and is actually nearer to Manila than it is to the Japanese capital. It houses a gazillion US Military installations and was home to a horrible battle during the Second World War.

Naha International Airport

Anyway, we left Tokyo HANEDA Airport on an Air Nippol--oops Nippon, I mean--Airways Boeing-747 and since the weather was really bad in Naha (the capital city of Okinawa prefecture), our flight took longer than usual. Thankfully, we landed (safely). The moment I set eyes on Naha though, I loved it immediately! The Naha Airport (both domestic and international) itself was so pretty! The buildings were fairly new, painted in white (I love white!), and adorned with pretty cattleya orchids right from the tube you use to disembark from the plane and all over the lobbies! It's my mom who loves orchids, and not me, but these pretty things which reminded me so much of home (our yard to be exact) had a profound effect on me. (Awww shucks!) In fairness, they were really pretty though. They had all these flowers, and the sheer abundance of them totally impressed me. The leaves were so green (not yellowish at all) that it was obvious they were really taken care of properly.

 Cattleya Orchids

So after that, we boarded a nasty bus which smelled soo much of stale smoke it made me sick. Our first stop was for a viewing deck for the Kadena Air Base, the largest Air Force base not only in Japan, but in the Far East. My first reaction to this was disappointment. I thought we were going inside the bases! *buhuhuhu* I really thought that since this was such a proper, educational field trip, they'd arrange for us to be able to get inside. But that wasn't the case. Being an airplane nut, I really wanted to see the planes (as I told Annie, the movie Top Gun had a very big effect on me heh heh), and of course, you know, everything else. Hehehehe. Anyways, we saw the sprawling base and the planes from afar and took pictures of them in which they were sooo teeny.

 Kadena Air Base

The best thing about the tour was the posh hotel we stayed in during the first two nights. The lobby was pretty, the rooms were nice, there was a huge Japanese-style bath and onsen (hot spring), there was a gaming place, pretty shops where I bought a cutie bag from, and a really beautiful beach! There was also a large pool outside, but since it was still rather cold to be swimming, they drained the water out of it. We had our breakfasts and dinners at the hotel too, and that was good. So much food around! LOL.

The next day we went to more historical places, and to the remnants of an old Ryukyu castle. The Ryukyus formerly ruled Okinawa, before the were made a part of Japan in the 1870's. We also went to some sort of park place, with booths about Okinawa's Ryukyu culture. That's where Annie and I had a picture of ourselves taken in Okinawan costume, which is different from the Japanese kimono.

World Heritage marker

The third day was the most remarkable day of the trip. First we went to another US installation, the Futenma Air Station, which is right in the middle of the town of Futenma. And then we went inside a limestone cave which the Japanese turned into a hospital during the Battle of Okinawa in World War II. It was absolutely unbelievable how they turned that into a hospital. The cave was underground and its alleys were very small, although they said the cave itself was more than 200 meters long. You could barely stand straight, and it was so slippery because of the water which trickled everywhere. We were bringing flashlights, and when went deep inside the cave, they made us turn our lights off, and it was so dark we couldn't see anything. I put my hand right infront of my face and I still couldn't see it! That was how dark it was. Not even a tiny ray of light was leaking in from the surface.

When we were still making our way inside, I didn't really realize how they used that cave during the war. You just get so preoccupied with not slipping or not hitting your head on the ceiling, but after that visit to the cave, we went to a museum about the Battle of Okinawa, and when we read the testimonials of the survivors, that's when I realized how horrible it was. They had all these stories about how high school students were deployed as nurses and worked inside the caves (all the caves in Okinawa were made into hospitals), how demanding the injured Japanese soldiers would be, how gross the injuries were, and just how absolutely horrible everything was.

Then we went to a bigger museum, the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Musuem. It was pretty, beside the beach, and the building was beautiful. It wasn't as sad as the previous one we visited because I didn't get to read any testimonials, but it was very informative and showed the entire history of Okinawa: when it was still the Kingdom of the Ryukyus, before the war, during the war, and during the American occupation. Outside, they also had these blocks of cement which had the names of everyone who died in the Battle of Okinawa which lasted roughly round 3 months. They also had the names of American soldiers there, and our guide said that there were also names of Filipino soldiers fighting alongside the Americans who were listed there, together with the names of the American soldiers who died.

 Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum

The Cornerstone of Peace, where the names of the people who died in the Battle of Okinawa are inscribed.

On the last day of our stay in Okinawa, we went to the Shuri Castle Park, which was the main castle during the reign of the Ryukyus. It was very pretty, and showed how magnificent the old kingdom was. You'd really think that it was a shame they didn't have the chance to stay sovereign.

 The Shuri Castle

I told Annie that I was finding it really hard to be talking about war-related stuff when I was in the country who bombed and enslaved my own, but then I realized that Japan is not the same country it was. It has good relationships with the US now, and is trying to make up for the things it has done in the past. I'm also glad that they have all these museums here, which are very informative and objective. I used to think that it was to show the people how mean the enemies were, but that's not true. They're just there to remind everyone how devastating war can be and how it should be avoided at all costs.

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New subway line...

Last Sunday, Feb. 1, a new subway line opened around my favorite area in Yokohama, which is Minato Mirai. It's called the Minato Mirai Line and it runs from Shibuya, straight to Yokohama ChinaTown, passing through Minato Mirai. Annie and I wanted to witness it on the opening day, and we also wanted to check out what was happening at Chinatown for the New Year's Festival.

The new stations were pretty: still very clean and white, and the Minato Mirai station is right underneath Queen's Square (a shopping center beside the Landmark Tower), which is downright wonderful. It was great to see all the people crowding on that first day. I hope now, Yokohama will be much more appreciated by people from Tokyo and by foreigners. It's normally taken for granted and it's always in Tokyo's shadow. However, people really should realize that it's a great place to be in. Minato Mirai is definitely amazing, and you can't find it anywhere in Tokyo or anywhere else in Japan, I believe. It's right by the bay, the view is amazing, the tallest building is there, the shops are bountiful and fairly cheap, it has an amusement park, and with all the lights and the cold sea breeze, it's the prime dating area in Japan! Heheh. So all you people out there in Tokyo, drop by this place soon!

On a sadder note, two of the exchange students from Taiwan will be leaving tomorrow. We'll really miss them coz they've been so nice to us and showed us around when we got here. It's amazing because when we arrived, they were still gonna be staying for half a year. Now, February 3, exactly 5 months after we arrived here, it seems like time has passed so fast. And soon, we're gonna be the ones who will be leaving! Times like these always remind me to stop whining and make the most of my stay here. I guess I'm finally starting to appreciate my time here now...

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"Sugoi, nee?~~~"

Miss Nippon Grand Prix 2004 Yuriko Saga

Okay, to give you an idea of how fancy the girls at Ferris University are, let me tell you this. The girl who got crowned as Miss Nippon Grand Prix 2004 is a student at Ferris!!! Her name is Yuriko Saga, and she's 21 years old. I don't know if I've seen her around campus, but she's a sophomore student here, and we have the same course, International Relations (which is what the exchange students here are taking). Heh heh. I walk among beauty queens.

Title means: Great, isn't it?

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The Tale of Love and Madness

A long time ago, before the world was created and humans set foot on it for the first time, virtues and vices floated around and were bored, not knowing what to do.

One day, all the vices and virtues were gathered together and were more bored than ever. Suddenly, Ingenious came up with an idea: Let's play hide and seek!

All of them liked the idea and immediately Madness shouted: I want to count, I want to count! And since nobody was crazy enough to want to seek Madness, all the others agreed. Madness leaned against a tree and started to count: One, two, three...

As Madness counted, the vices and virtues went hiding. Tenderness hung itself on the horn of the moon, Treason hid in a pile of garbage. Fondness curled up between the clouds and Passion went to the center of the earth. Lie said that it would hide under a stone, but hid at the bottom of the lake, whilst Avarice entered a sack that he ended up breaking. And Madness continued to count: ... seventy nine, eighty, eighty one...

By this time, all the vices and virtues were already hidden - except Love. For undecided as Love is, he could not decide where to hide. And this should not surprise us, because we all know how difficult it is to hide Love.

Madness: ...ninety five, ninety six, ninety seven... Just when Madness got to one hundred, Love jumped into a rose bush where he hid.

And Madness turned around and shouted: I'm coming, I'm coming!

As Madness turned around, Laziness was the first to be found, because Laziness had no energy to hide. Then he spotted Tenderness in the horn of the moon, Lie at the bottom of the lake and Passion at the center of the earth. One by one, Madness found them all - except Love.

Madness was getting desperate, unable to find Love. Envious of Love, Envy whispered to Madness: You only need to find Love, and Love is hiding in the rose bush.

Madness grabbed a wooden pitch fork and stabbed wildly at the rose bush. Madness stabbed and stabbed until a heartbreaking cry made him stop. Love appeared from the rose bush, covering his face with his hands. Between his fingers ran two trickles of blood from his eyes.

Madness, so anxious to find Love, had stabbed out Love's eyes with a pitch fork. What have I done! What have I done! Madness shouted. I have left you blind! How can I repair it?

And Love answered: You cannot repair my eyes. But if you want to do something for me, you can be my guide.

And so it came about that from that day on, Love is blind and is always accompanied by Madness.

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It just dawned on me.

From nowhere, an idea came to me tonight. Well, I can't say that I didn't have inspiration, because I did. A really negative inspiration it was though, but nevertheless, it helped me decide. I now want to do something, and I'm determined to do it. I can't go on telling people what it is yet, but I hope luck will be with me. Heh heh heh. Ganbarimasu!

Ferris University

Anyways, vacation official started at Ferris yesterday. Yes, our last day of class was a Monday. Isn't that really weird? Well, never mind, that's how it is here. I also hear that the next semester's class will start on a Tuesday. O.O Hahah. Well, no use pondering about it. The problem now is, what to do until class starts again on April. Yes, people. That's two months! Back home, this piece of news would have been heaven, but here it's not. What in the world am I going to do? One consolation is that, the IT center at Ferris will be open all throughout the break. And hmmm... how about that part-time job Sasaki-san was talking about? Another thing really weird though is that classes are over but we still have papers due. Until Monday. That's something which would never happen back home, but I can't say that it's a bad thing! =P

Ferris and Silliman are really alike in some ways. For example, well you all know I have been taking British Poetry class right? Well my sensei is really good. He's British, he's written a lot of books about Britain, and he's been teaching in Ferris for 20 years! Last Monday, during our last meeting, I asked him if he was going to have the same class next semester. To my surprise, he told me that it was his last semester at Ferris! The reason is, he's also teaching at WASEDA (probably the top university in Japan) in Tokyo, and will be transferring to a new department there, so he's leaving Ferris. That was really too bad. I really liked the class! So, it made me remember SU and all the teachers moving on to CVPC to teach. Hehehe. Another British teacher, Annie and April's sensei in one of their classes together also had his last semester at Ferris. Hmmm. Whot's happening? Mass Briton migration of some kind? But guess what the all-girls schoolgirls are thinking? Ahehehe. Maybe some hot, young teachers are going to take their place?!? Bwahahahahahah!!!

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Snow in Disney

We finally went to Disneyland last Saturday. =)

Ate Weena, a teacher from UP Cebu who is now studying her MA here in Japan is here at Ferris for a few days to do some speaking, and since it was her birthday yesterday, we went to Disneyland on Saturday: April, Ate Weena, the Uchida family, and me. We left early, and when we arrived at Disneyland (which is about an hour away by car [much longer on the train]), it began to snow lightly! That was amazing! Although it was the second time of snow ever since we got here, it was the first time we saw it falling. For tropical girls like us, it was amazing! Hehehe. =)

We got on a lot of rides, and they were all really fun! We got pics with Pooh and Mickey, too! =) The Disney Dreams on Parade was really nice, and ya know, all the princes were pretty hot... ;) Hehehe. When it got dark, the whole place was in lights, especially the area around the castle. Last Saturday was the first day for the theme "Cinderellabration: Lights of Romance", which lasts thru April. So with the name, you can imagine how beautiful the lights were and how... AHEM, romantic it was.

We were there for around 12 hours but no way was it enough. We didn't get on all of the rides and attractions, so I'd love to go there again. Did you also know that aside from Tokyo DisneyLand, there is also DisneySea beside it? Hahaha. Now, that's kinda cheesy isn't it? But I definitely will want to check that place out!

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Coming of Age and Photos

I had my 2nd debut today. Yep, I'm not kidding. In the Philippines, girls have their debut at 18, but here they have it at 20. It's called the seijin-no-hi, the "Coming-of-Age" ceremony. People here don't celebrate it like how we do. Big banquets, parties, no they don't do that here. Here all the people who have turned 20 or will turn 20 gather together for a half-an-hour ceremony. Of course, the main attraction is all the girls turn out in their best kimonos.

Annie and I got an invitation to this event, so off we went, even if we didn't have kimonos (coz they are freakin' expensive). The Yokohama Ceremony was held at the Yokohama Arena, near Shin-Yokohama Station. This place is also where the International Stadium Yokohama is located. This was built especially for Football World Cup 2002! (Whhheeeeeeeeeee! I'll definitely check out that place one of these days!) Anyways, Annie wore a suit, I wore a dress. All the other girls were wearing all these pretty kimonos, it was amazing. Silk and colors everywhere! Most of the guys were wearing suits, but some were wearing the traditional Japanese costume for males. I don't know how that is called. =P

We sat there, and then people came on to talk. The 20-year-olds who go there don't need to do anything. They just sit and listen. Annie likened it to a graduation, only they have to wear fancy outfits. Hehehe. The funny thing was though, the first guy who had his speech, talked about something really weird. Guess what he talked about? I know you won't be able to. He said that he went to the Philippines, and he talked about Smoky Mountain. How random is that? And WHAT THE? He talked about garbage! We really didn't understand everything he said but we could pick out the words. Philippines, Smoky Mountain, and garbage all throughout his speech. GAH! That is just so weird. Sooo sooo weird!

Over the past month, I did a lot of other fun things. Did you know that I have seen the Japanese Imperial Family? Bet you didn't! Well, I have! Heh heh heh. December 23 was the emperor's birthday, and during this day, the royal family always appears outside their home for a viewing. Yep, that's them in the picture above.

That's the Tokyo Tower in all it's blazing glory. I was roaming around Tokyo's Roponggi district last New Year's eve with April, Bobet, and my friend from IRC, Morigen, so we went up to the Tokyo Tower to take pictures. The tower's lights are turned off at different times of the day and night each day and Annie told me that legend has it that if you go the tower with the one you love and all the lights turn off while you're there, the two of you will be together forever. GYAA! Heh heh heh. Interesting, huh?

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