Pictures and more

So I'm done with uni now finally. Now it's just panic time to figure out how to fit everything into a suitcase. wish me luck.


The train to Atami.


The road to the beach had a lot of dried fish-things just lying out. Like these lovely squid.


PC Japan at it again. The name of this place "くろんぼ" (kuronbo) is basically like saying "negro".


The view of the beach from the hotel balcony.


More from the balcony.


on the beach


The beach again


The beach at night


Fireworks on the beach


more fireworks


In the bath


The big outside bath


on top of the viewing tower


Atami castle. It was just built in 1930 or 1940 for the war. So not really too impressive.


there was a festival the day I left and the shops were already all set up along the street.


Apparently a famous statue. Something about a story by a writer from Atami.


On the boat last Sunday. Quentin and Aiko.


looking at the enoshima beach from the boat


There was some random guy with that little piece of fabric on the boat. Here's Ami getting a bit too close to seeing too much.


On the boat eating.


The beach at Enoshima


Me, Hiroko and Erin. Hiroko works at the international centre at Hosei. She's always so nice to us.

A catch-up

Between saying goodbyes, lounging on the beach and yachting it up I've been pretty busy lately. Hence the week long delay. I'm at the Hosei computer lab ridiculousness so I can't upload pictures, but I have some free time so I thought I would update.

Last Thursday I had this test for the "Japanese 5" class that was really hard. We were allowed to use any notes and our dictionaries but with questions like, "Define the term 'Antinomy' ", a dictionary was no use. Basically in the class we were reading this book about Japanese history and religion and such. And the test was a series of questions about the book. I only barely understood the book so I'm sure the test results will be lovely.

After that class was the last class for "international politics". We were supposed to do a report on our respective countries and Japan and their relations. But since I have learned that non-Americans like to speak about America more than red-blooded-commie-hating-true-Americans (seriously. the class was about international politics but all anyone wanted to speak about was america. coming from the same people who complain that americans think they are the only people in the world. irony i know) I did my little report on Canada and Japan. After class the teacher came up to me and said that he always appreciated my comments and contribution to the class. He was quite an interesting teacher. Even without the russian accent I could have told he grew up in the USSR because of his "discussion techniques" of everyone having their opinion...as long as it was produced in a sequencial fashion and resembled the orginal question.

Then on Friday I went with a friend on a "mini-break" (vocab from Erin) to Atami to enjoy the hot springs by the beach. (side note: Atami (熱海) literally means "hot sea") It used to be a really popular place to go in the 70's and 80's, which you can tell by the interiors of every resturaunt and hotel. I'll put up pictures later but it was a pretty little place right on the ocean. Very green and hot. But we were lucky and it was a non-humid weekend which was really nice. I got to play some old fashioned pachinko and do fireworks on the beach. And the hotel was really posh without the posh price.

On Sunday, Aiko invited some of us exchange students to go yachting with her family and family friends. It was so very wasp-y. Going yachting on a sunday and drinking before noon. But the weird guy with a pedophile stache and little speedo gallavanting on the yacht was un-wasp-like. We had a barbeque on the yacht and basically lazed around and ate all day. There was a beach nearby so we went to see what was happening. This beach was covered with booths. All of them selling the same things and had gross overtanned girls and guys trying to get people to come to their place.

So then yesterday I finished up 1 class and had a goodbye dinner with Erin and Kate. They both leave for Lizzy-Land (Brittania) today. And today I just finished up "space travel in Japan" and will be finishing Japanese literature later today. Then having going to play pool (maybe) with some people for another goodbye because more people are leaving tomorrow. So sad.