Takarazuka Revue

Sorry it's been a while. To make it up to everyone, I've decided to do a special blog on something I've recently experienced!

This is the poster from the performance I saw! It was absolutely wonderful; can't wait to go again someday! :) 

On Monday, my Host Dad took me to the "Takarazuka Revue." It's an all-female troupe of triple-threats! These women can sing, act, and dance! Some even play the coveted role of male characters- very well, in my opinion! In Japan, the Takarazuka Revue is regarded similarly to the way Broadway is in NY. Even though it was a Monday matinee, the house was packed! Since my Host Dad bought the tickets (he's a huge fan), we sat in the 7th row. We were so close I could see the actors faces very clearly; I could practically touch them! :)

The performers are recruited from age 13 (middle school age), and go to a magnet school run by the Revue. By age 18, they are deemed ready to perform as back-ups to the "top stars." Due to its high popularity, the Revue is broken down into 5 different groups: Hoshi (Star), Tsuki (Moon), Hana (Flower), Sora (Cosmos), and Yuki (Snow) Troupes. Each troupe has its own set of stars; and those stars come with an amazingly big following. A woman sitting next to my Host Dad at the Revue started up a conversation with us, and she came all the way from Tokyo just to see the performance! The traveling expense was higher than the actual ticket price! The Revue is just a couple stops from my house and school, so it's not a big deal for me. (Lucky~~!) There was really no need for her to come all the way down to Kansai; there is actually a smaller, temporary Revue that travels to Tokyo. However, she is a die-hard fan and just HAD to see the real thing! haha

These are the "top stars" of each group of the Revue. 

All the performers are super talented; I could really tell that they've dedicated their lives to their craft! The "male" actors were surprisingly cool; I actually really enjoyed watching the "male" performers most! haha

Here's a 10min video of a medley of popular songs from the Revue. You might notice a couple of actual guys in there; those are members of the popular Johnny's boy band, SMAP. This video is from their TV show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq4pNyPhHuI&feature=related

Warning: Everything about the Takarazuka Revue is fantasy, so please don't take them too seriously or you might hate it. Watch it like you would watch a Disney movie! :D It'll make you feel warm and fuzzy, I promise! PS- don't worry so much about understanding the Japanese; treat it like an Italian Opera (No one goes to really understand the words. Just listen to the music and watch the artistry)!

Exactly 1 Month Ago...

I don't even know where to start...this first month has been absolutely amazing! When I think back on my life in the US, there are people and places (and macaroni and cheese!) that I miss. Japan is totally different from what I've grown up in. It has safe and easy public transportation, delicious foods of ALL varieties, and hospitable people who treat me like a movie star (just because I'm foreign lol). The things I love best about Japan, above all else, are karaoke, warm baths in the winter, shopping malls, and Japanese variety TV shows! I've gotten used to my travel route to and from school, made wonderful friends, and love time with my host family.

This experience is more than I could have ever dreamed of. While talking to a fellow exchange student from FSU, we marveled at the fact that we were really HERE. In the US, we are able to see the things we're experiencing on TV, the Internet, or National Geographic. Heck, we even can participate in mock Japanese festivals with the local Japanese population! However, we're experiencing the real deal; not a mock festival, not imported goods. I can't express how thankful I am to have been granted this opportunity!

Ok, enough of the sentimental stuff! :) School is a little stressful and hectic, but fun. I'm learning way more here than I ever have in the states. I've never studied so much in my life! Despite the difficulty, all the classes are interesting and my classmates are very nice. There's so many cool things for exchange students to do while studying abroad! KGU and clubs on campus arrange special outings and events just for us! This past weekend a group of exchange students and I went on a $5 tour of a country-side village called, Nishitani. It was fun and different from anything I've done in Japan! All my friends are in Tokyo or near major cities, so I normally travel there; the country-side is not something I thought would be appealing...boy, I was wrong! I had arts and crafts time with the elderly and spoke with them about their childhoods. They were a little hard to understand because of their "country" accent, but it was still awesome meeting new people! After having a cooking lesson on how to make "omlette rice" (one of my favorite Japanese dishes!), we went to an "End of Summer Festival." The whole village came out to celebrate and cheer on the men carrying what's called an "Omikoshi" or "Danjiri." It was amazing just to be a part of the action and be accepted by the locals :)

Here's some pics:

My beautiful university

This giant thing is called an "Omikoshi"

Probably the most picturesque scenery I've ever seen!

Best "First Day" Ever!

Please excuse my awful writing; this is an excerpt from an email I sent to my family and decided to post here so it's a little more informal than my previous posts >.< 

Literally the BEST "first day of school" I've ever had! :D Granted, it was the longest day ever (I have class from 9~6:20) lol

Here's a play-by-play of how my first day went:

1. Wake up at 7:25am and eat breakfast in 15min (it's just a small, sunny-side-up egg with a slice of ham and a piece of morning toast so it's not too much to eat). 

2. Run back upstairs to get dressed and put on lots of sunscreen cause the sun is brutal (of course, all of this is done while listening to music so I can dance/sing while getting ready haha). 

3. Walk 5min to the train station and hop on the 8:18am train to Nigawa Station. Last week and part of this week, there was no one really riding the train cause school hadn't started. Today, however, it was packed with college kids! It was kind of cool cause there were TONS of them haha. I felt like I was really going to college today lol. 

4. Arrive at Nigawa at around 8:25 and walk 20min to school; arrive at school at about 8:45. 

5. Search for the classroom/building (omg, that was hard! The one building I was looking for was behind another one and I got all confused >.< lol luckily, there was a nice teacher who showed me the way.)

6. After class, eat a snack and then go to the next one. After that one, eat lunch. After that go to class...as so on and so forth haha. 

My first class is Japanese language (i.e. grammar, kanji, etc) and I have 2 other friends that I've made in the same class, so it's great! Everyone's really nice and pretty good at Japanese (there's only one kind of creepy kid from Germany...). A girl I met from Canada, Abby, is in the same four classes that I have, which is nice; I didn't have to be awkward and search for a spot next to a stranger lol. After that, though, I had one extra class without her so I had to find it on my own...and got lost >.<  I opened the wrong door (ok, I was supposed to find room IS104 and instead opened room 104) and was greeted with a room full of regular Japanese students (there were about 25 kids)...definitely wrong class, right? Japanese people couldn't be THAT interested in Korean culture, right? I asked the girl nearest me, and sure enough, I was in the wrong room xD lol When I turned around, there was a female janitor standing there and she asked me, "Are you looking for the IS rooms?" and I said, "YES! Do you know where it is??" She replied, "Yes, hurry! The bell just rang! You'll be late!" and proceeded to grab me by the arm and run with me to my real classroom. Yes Japanese people are just THAT nice haha. 

I met some new Japanese people today who're in my Korean studies class; yay, new friends! One of them knows lots of people in the Dance Club, so he's gonna introduce me so I can join! :))) 

That's about it for today! I've got only one class tomorrow from 11:10~12:40, and then meeting a friend for lunch! We're gonna discuss plans for Saturday~~! Yay! (^^) All my classes look really fun and interesting (especially Literary Analysis! it's not as serious as I thought; it's more about recent/current generation issues haha). Pretty sure I aced my entrance exam into the Japanese Usage class! Overall, it was such an awesome day! 

So far, so good!

So, it's been a week since I've moved into my new home. It doesn't feel like only a week; I feel as if I've been here a month! The way my host family and I interact is so natural. They're very welcoming and friendly (Grandma makes me laugh ALL the time!). This past week was packed with KGU Orientation events, so it was nice to come home to their smiles and be able to share my day with them. Everything we eat for dinner is DELICIOUS- seriously. I've experienced nothing but fantastic meals since arriving here (and it's not like they're preparing anything special for me, it's just their everyday dinners). We've had Okonomiyaki, Yakibuta, some sort of amazing stew, and lots more! Grandma spoils me by always having my favorite dessert around: roll cake! Yum!! (^^)

I start school officially this Thursday. Last week was full of new experiences and people~~~ it was so exciting! The first day of orientation was the placement test- talk about not wasting any time, huh? It was nerve-wracking, but once it was over everyone was relieved. That same day, we met our "Nihongo Partners," or "Japanese Partners." They're KGU students who volunteered to be our first Japanese friends and further our speaking abilities by only speaking Japanese to us. I was paired with two girls my age: Shoko and Aoi. They're super cute and sweet girls; I can't wait to become really good friends! :) Shoko and I are joining the Ramen Club together; basically, the group goes to eat ramen about once or twice a month. It just seems like a great way to meet people- and really, who doesn't love ramen?!

On Thursday, we found out what level of Japanese we were placed in and proceeded to register for electives. I was placed in Level 5 Japanese (Level 6 being the highest), and honestly, was a little disappointed. I knew Kanji (Japanese characters) was my weakness, but I was hoping that my other strong suits would make up for that...guess not. So, now it's crack-down time!! My goal is to take regular university courses in the Spring, so I MUST improve my Kanji skills. Here goes nothing!! :)
The electives I've registered for look interesting and fun: Japanese Psychology, Japanese Business, Literary Analysis, Japanese Usage, and Korean Studies. Super excited for classes to start!

The entire orientation experience was a mix of good and bad; I was a little disappointed at KGU's time management skills (there was lots of waiting around time/pointless activities), but overall very happy. The group of kids that came to study abroad are absolutely amazing- EVERYONE speaks at least a little bit of English, even though not everyone is from an English-speaking country! I've made friends with people from Norway, Canada, Australia, and China! Who would've thought there would be so many people from all over the world interested in the same thing?

KGU took us all on a field trip to Nara on Friday. We went to Horyuji and Todaiji Temples, and got to see the native deer! :) It was a fun, but tiring! Even though it was a long weekend, I only wanted to lay around all day haha. I did go to Kobe with my family, though! It was a very fashionable city, with lots of pretty shops and old buildings. I'm sure there's even more to see, but didn't have time for! So I've got to go back (^^)

Overall so far, so good! I'll hopefully post some pictures tomorrow or the next day~
This week's nerve-wracking again cause it's the first week of class; so in the words of cute, Korean dramas "Fighting!" \(^0^)/

Good-bye Tokyo~ Hello Nishinomiya!

Leaving Tokyo was almost as hard as leaving Miami...Meeting all my friends and making new memories with them was so much fun that I didn't want to leave it behind. Having so many wonderful people to spend time with really makes a foreign place feel like home. I'm really grateful to everyone who spent time with me and let me stay in their homes. Thank you all so very much~!! (^^)

On the bullet train to Shin-Osaka Station, it really, REALLY hit me: I'm going to a new place, to meet new people, and make new friends...whoa, can you say overwhelming?! Despite that scary feeling, I got myself all the way to my new home station, Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi Station, without much trouble and in a decent amount of time! 

I've heard that everyone in Kansai speaks in Kansai-ben (Kansai dialect), but that's not the case; all of the station workers spoke regular Japanese haha. So far, it's not much different from Tokyo! The only difference I've noticed is the way they ride the escalator: in Tokyo, you stand on the left and walk on the right; in Kansai, it's the opposite! No culture shock just yet; I guess that's what happens when you've been to Japan before and stayed in an actual home. 

My host family is amazing! The grandmother is super talkative and spunky; she cracks me up all the time. The grandfather isn't really home much because he goes out to work, but he's very soft-spoken and well-mannered. In other words, the complete opposite of Grandma haha! Their 40 year old daughter, Yuko, works at the Uniqlo nearby and is very sweet. Yuko and her son, Miyu, both live with us. Miyu has down syndrome, which is something I'm not used to. He's very talkative and energetic, a typical, cute 12 year old. They also have a Golden Retriever, Rocky. He's adorable and knows I'm a dog person; every time I walk into the room, his tails starts wagging and he comes right up to me. 

Here's a peek into what life is like so far at my new home: Last night at dinner, I was pouring myself water when Miyu asked me to pour him some, too. I took his cup and poured him some; when I handed him the cup back, he gave a huge smile and said, "I'm so happy!!" Grandma said, "Miyu knows a cute girl when he sees one!" We all cracked up :D 

Everyone is really laid back and easy-going. They invited me to go to Miyu's school's end-of-summer festival! I'm officially a part of the family (^^) Yaayy~ 

Tomorrow I visit KGU for the first time. I'm super nervous and excited at the same time!! There's 100 kids total in the program, so that's a lot of new faces and names to try to remember haha. I'm looking forward to meeting new people and making new friends~~ It's a wonderful start to my study abroad, and I have a feeling it's only going to get better (^0^)/ 

Land of the Rising Sun

That statement proves to be true. It's five am and bright outside- the sky a mix of blues, pinks, and oranges. What a beautiful sight to wake up to! It makes the jet lag a little less frustrating.

Leaving Miami was hard; it didn't feel like going off to college, anymore. It felt like I was leaving and never coming back! But, since that's not the case, the tears subsided and I was able to make it to my flights on time. "Saying goodbye sucks!"My mom said; boy, was she right!

Once I got going, it was easy to forget the fact that I was heading to Japan; when traveling, I just try not to forget anything at the airport or on planes! The flight was fantastic: an empty seat next to me (empty plane, for that matter!), awesome food, impeccable service. Sure, it was 12 hours long, but being able to sleep and watch good movies made it all the better :)

I arrived yesterday afternoon (Japan time), which is around 3am Miami time. There was no welcoming committee (Narita airport is too far out of the way for that), so I had to navigate the airport all by myself- what a welcome, huh! It was a daunting task: first, navigate Immigration and Customs (I received a Residence Card! Now I'm official!); second, send my largest suitcase to my host family through Japan's version of UPS; third, exchange my American dollars into Yen; finally, buy a Narita Express Train ticket to Tokyo Station in order to meet up with my friend...phew! Once I could sit down on the train and relax a little, it all sunk in: I'm in Japan, and I'm not going back to America for a LONG time...woo hoo!!! That's when the excitement truly began.

Japan is as hot as hell (especially since they aren't really using their A/C's to full capacity, due to the nuclear reactor meltdowns causing a lack of electricity). So far, that's the only negative thing I've experienced. The food is still amazing, the trains still run on time, and the people are as helpful as ever (except when it comes to a little foreign girl lugging around 2 suitcases, a stuffed dog toy, and a backpack. Yeah, when it comes to that they just stare lol).

It's been a whirlwind adventure and it's only just begun! Today's a fresh, new day and I'm going to enjoy it to the fullest!

Welcome and Introductions

Hi all!

As many of you know, one of my goals is to study abroad in Japan my junior year of college. This past Spring, I applied to FSU's Study Abroad Exchange Program in Japan. I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of four to study abroad for an entire year! The program starts in September and I am beyond excited! 

To start off, let's introduce where I'll be living: Nishinomiya City in Hyogo Prefecture. 

It's in the Kansai Region of Japan, located in between two major cities: Osaka and Kobe. Osaka is Japan's second-largest city and Kobe is another major port-city (it also happens to be where we get Kobe Beef!). 

Here's a link to the ever-trustworthy Wikipedia for more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nishinomiya

Here's a peek at what the city looks like:

Now onto the school I'll be studying at, Kwansei Gakuin University! 

Here's a link to more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwansei_Gakuin_University

A short video on KGU's program:

As the video discusses, this program features a home-stay! I found out last week who my family is! The Oodan family consists of my 67 year old father, 63 year old mother, their 40 year old daughter, and 12 year old granddaughter. It seems like this is their first home-stay experience, so we're in the same boat! I've emailed them twice already and Facebook-stalked the 40 year old, Yuko; they seem like a really nice family and I can't wait to get to know them! :) 

My departure date is August 28!! The countdown has begun! But before I go, I'd like to thank my loving family for supporting me throughout this entire process. Without them, I would not be able to live out my dream. I know it will be hard on both of us, but in the end I hope we will both learn many new and exciting things. Thank you Mom and Dad for allowing me to fulfill my dreams! :D I hope to become a more mature, independent, worldly person as I experience my year in Japan. 

I'm excited to share all my experiences with you as I depart on my journey to this wonderful country. Hope you will enjoy reading about my adventures!