January 16

Today started out badly but ended very high. I did not want to get out of bed because I was so warm, but I did. After breakfast, I left for the 地下鉄. There was a girl waiting at the entrance to hand out publicity for a company (a bag of pocket tissues that said 100% off) and she got me. Just as I finished climbing the stairs to my platform, the train left. Luckily, the train I usually take is followed by one more that won’t make me late, but that made me wait 15 minutes. When I got on, one of the English girls that goes to 南山 was there, so we had a pleasant ride, until I got off (which was a station past her stop). Once the train stopped, I had to rush to class (as I was told I would just make it according to the subway schedule). Of course, on the way to the school I had to wait for traffic at a busy (side)street, climb the “mountain” to the school, and find the building and room that class was to be held in, but I got there on time.

Today was the longest day of my school weeks; Japanese from 9:20 to 12:25, then Art and Culture from 3:15 to 5:30. That means; lots of sitting in one place and lots of time in between... to sit in another place. Class was alright (though overwhelming). First, we went over the homework from the night before and reviewed grammar, then the class split into three groups in different rooms and we studied new grammar. When the second instructor (grammar instructor) left, we began reading class (which was very confusing), and afterward, the fourth instructor taught us particle use. I like the grammar and particles best because they are the parts of language learning that are like compiling formulae and thus, they make more sense to me. Kanji and reading don’t seem to be as straight-forward, and that’s probably why I don’t like them as much.

After Japanese, I went with Keily and a few others to the コパン (cafeteria) for lunch. I had my regular of おにぎり and 肉まん, but afterward, I was still hungry, so I spent the 105円 and got a cream puff. Oh my gosh, you do not know food until you’ve eaten in Japan. Japan knows おかし (sweets). This cream puff was great (real custard too), and I bought it from a convenience store! The only down side is that it left me with 3円 (about 2 cents) to my name for a bit. That’s where the tables turn.

I went back into Lawson’s to attempt one more time to use my card. At my friend’s prompting, I read the fine print under the visa logo; “Only for Cards Issued in Japan.” What?!!?!? That had me worried, so I asked Keily where the nearest post office was and though she wasn’t willing to brave the hill to get to it, our friend (whose name I can’t remember still D:) did. It turned out to be a fun adventure. He got caught by a girl handing out packages with candy and real estate magazines in them. We had fun trying to climb the hill on the way back, and we saw some really cute elementary school kids who hadn’t grown into their backpacks yet (I got a picture). However, the best part of the story is... I got money!!!! I was a little confused when I used the machine (because the maximum withdrawal is presented strangely) but I got what I wanted. It was such a relief. Now I can buy the rest of my textbooks and a present for お母さん. The only thing that worries me is that, according to my books, I had -2円 in my pocket before the withdrawal today, but in fact, I have 3円 (plus the withdrawal). I’m not sure how it happened, but I think it’s in my favor.

After lunch, everyone at lunch went to Art and Culture class. We got a bit lost on the way, which resulted in half of us (including myself) having to take the stairs while the other half took the elevator. There were literally 10 flights of stairs to climb and by the time we got to class, we were breathing so hard that the instructor asked us if we were okay. When we got in, there were many (10) handouts to pick up. I confused the class with my history class (based on the contents of the notes) for a bit. Afterward, we listened to the professor speak in as good English as he could and watched a few clips on Japanese art collections. The class was very long and tiring. Afterward, (finally) we were able to leave and I decided to try my commuter pass on the station Keily gets off at for school. Luckily, it was fine and I didn’t get fined. I think this means I can get off at any of the stops between my normal ones at no cost. I’ll see if this is true and try to use it to buy お母さんの gift (as it seems nisshin is too small of an area for fancy stores).

I finally got home around 6:30 and apologized to お母さん for not telling her I would be so late, but she told me not to worry, as it was Friday and she thought I should be out with friends. For dinner, she made a white miso stew-like dish with pork, lettuce, leeks, and udon. She thought I wouldn’t like it because it was very mild, so she gave me rice too. お父さん had his weekend sake (He only drinks on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). お母さん bought pudding especially for me since she has picked up on my taste for sweets. I feel so guilty accepting my host family’s kindness. After dinner, お父さん explained how he made his drink (to お母さんの protest) and he left to the upstairs with the drink and bottle. My host family is great.

I ended up taking an inadvertent nap after dinner and I’m going to sleep soon since the night is late now...

P.S. I now have pictures. You can find them at the top right of this page.