Another Trip to the Mountains

Lately Jesse and I have had the urge to get out of the homes and explore. Sometimes this leads us through the winding old neighborhoods on the outskirts of the city, and other times it leads us out of town completely and up in to the mountains. Exploring off the beaten path places is something I truly enjoy. Seeing things that most people ignore or take for granted makes me happy; anyone can see the buildings in a city, or the famous local restaurant everyone always talks about. All they have to do is ask the other tourists. Those locations are wonderful too, don't get me wrong, they are part of the local history, but to break away from the stereotypical visitor, and see new and strange things that most pass by, makes me proud to be part of the minority group called "explorers".

I apologize for the quality of the videos. Yesterday was quite cloudy and windy, so it made recording difficult at times. There are parts that are inaudible. I hope I don't sound that goofy in real life.





A few pictures from our journey:

This was a neat little shrine we found on the way up the mountain. Behind this gate and up the stairs were two other buildings.

Standing at the top in the wind. If you look click on the picture and to the left of MY RIGHT shoulder, you should see a giant green ball. That is a natural gas container for part of the city, and Jesse lives just to the left of it in the International House. I live to the right of it, and down the road maybe half a mile.

Jesse doing some field work for his "Study of Japanese Entomology" research.
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Picture Overkill

It has been brought to my attention that I have yet to post pictures of Matsumoto on a sunny day. Most of these pictures are shots that I have already taken on previous outings, but this time they are in "color". I will try to take more when the sky is crystal clear (like on the day we arrived) so that everyone can get an idea of what the city looks like lit up. Evening was setting inwhen these were taken. Enjoy.


I wish that these photos could show all of the detail that we see with our own eyes. Mountains literally tower over the whole city since we are in a valley. These photos were taken outside the front of my apartment building and just up the street.

My New Apartment

After four days at the "Smile Hotel", Jesse and I headed out to move in to our new homes. Jesse lives a bit closer to the campus in the International House. His room is very nice and the location is wonderful. I live in an area of Matsumoto called "Metoba". This little district is probably a ten minute walk from the International House, and near that distance to the International Center on campus where we will have our class.

My apartment is just the right size for me, and I think it is quite comfortable. I still have a lot to do in terms of making it more "homely", but that is on the agenda for today. As you will see by the pictures, it has everything I need; a futon, closet, 70's era kitchen and flooring, a bathroom with toilet and shower, a patio with a washing machine, desk, refridgerator, etc.












Looking out the front of the building

A Walk to the Mountains

1.These old houses lined the streets all the way to the mountains. We cut through Agata no Mori park this morning and our journey began.

2.These beautiful flowers are actually weeds.

3.The long and winding road.

4.More old-style homes with gardens.

5.Jesse walking past a garden on our way to the mountains.

6.This is Tosenji Temple. We had no idea that we a temple would be down the road we had followed, and that is one of the most exciting aspects about life here; you never know what you will find around the corner.

7.A beautiful home.

8.A steep mountain road that Jesse and I followed for a long ways. Not many cars could make it up there without 4-wheel drive.

9.Standing by a stream that ran down the mountain.

10.A view of the beautiful trees.

Japan: The First Days

Hello Everyone,

Today is my third official day in Japan, and what an amazing time it has been. I guess I should start at the beginning of my story, so here goes:

Our long journey began in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Friday morning, and ended up with us in Nagoya, Japan, some 24 hours later. The flights within the US went very smoothly and before long, we were sitting on the last plane of our journey. And what a long flight that last one would prove to be. Not only did we not have audio for the videos/TV that was being shown, we also had a crying baby two rows back, and maybe a half an hour of sleep on my end. What a party eh? At long last we landed in Nagoya City, and made our way through customs with ease. Before long we were on our first train from the airport to Nagoya station in the heart of the city (a half hours ride from the airport) in the dark of night.





Jesse Posing


Me chillin'




When we arrived in Nagoya, we were in for our first surprise of the night; no more trains to our home city of Matsumoto, meaning that we would have to stay the night in Nagoya and catch the 7:00 a.m. the next morning. The only problem with that was that we were two gaijin fresh from America with no knowledge of Nagoya or how things in Japan work. We made a call to my friend Daniel who was supposed to meet us in Matsumoto, and told him about our situation. He told us not to worry and that he would meet us the next morning when we arrived. It was a great relief knowing that I would get to see my friend the next day. After our telephone call, we sat outside the train station for a while with our luggage, watching the neon signs flash as hundreds of people milled around the station. I'm sure we were a sight to behold. Finally, we found a hotel across the street, checked in, and set about exploring the area until we decided to turn in for the evening. There were so many new sights and sounds, that I know it will be a night I remember for the rest of my life.

We awoke the next morning to catch our train to Matsumoto. The train ride went smoothly and I had a nice conversation with a very friendly Japanese man who helped us get situated and on the right track. Even with a language barrier, we were able to communicate our thoughts, and I made a friend that morning who will always be remembered. Our two hour long train ride was very beautiful, and we saw so many beautiful forests, bamboo groves, shrines, mountains, streams, rivers, gardens, and traditional homes, that we were entranced the whole way to Matsumoto.

Arriving in Matsumoto, we were shortly met by Daniel, who took us to our hotel and helped explain our situation to the hotel staff. Without his help, we would have been up the creek without a paddle. Literally SOL. After we checked into our rooms, Daniel gave us a tour of the city, and we ate a wonderful "ma and pop" Japanese restaurant on a small street street not to far from Daniels apartment. The food was delicious and the service was amazing. The restaurant could probably only hold 15 people comfortably. After our lunch, we continued our walk up the street to Shinshu University, following the Metoba River that runs through the city.

Some pictures of the University





The Metoba River


Last night was the first real sleep that I've had in days, and it worked wonders. When Jesse got up and around we went for a walk to Agato no Mori Park right next to our hotel. The weather was beautiful and as we walked through the park. We felt alive again. There is a lot to see in this little park; giant old trees, koi, a stream, and fun play equipment (they have ziplines in the park). From the park we took a stroll towards the mountains, passing through beautiful old neighborhoods full of wonderful homes and gardens. Once we arrived back at the hotel we met up with Daniel and explored the city for a little while, going to the post office to use the ATM and looking in a very interesting shopping center. After a few hours, Daniel had to leave us to head to Osaka for a few days, and Jesse and I explored the city and bought some groceries at a mall just up the street. Food is a wonderful thing.

The entrance to Agata no Mori Park


That is all that I really know for the moment. Our plans for this evening are to relax, explore the city some, and wake up tomorrow and take a hike to the mountains. I know that it will be a wonderful day.

Just A Quick Word

Time has truly flown, and now only 5 days remain until we board our plane to Japan. There is so much left to do in terms of packing, buying last minute items, and saying our farewells to family and friends, that the little time we have remaining left will pass before we know it. If you are reading this Dr. Jones, thank you very much for your kind words concerning our meeting and our trip to Japan in your Kameoka Korner article. What a pleasant surprise it was to open the Newspress and see such a kind article. ありがとうございました!

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

A lot has happened since my last post, so now is the time to fill everyone in on what has gone on lately.

Friday Dinner with all of the Japan-Bound Students

Our dinner experience turned out to be a wonderful way to meet new people and talk about our hopes, worries, and the experiences we hope to have during our time abroad. I am typically a shy guy around new people, but being around a group of people with similar interests really helped make it easier to talk to people. Thank you again Tyler for organizing and hosting a wonderful dinner. There were six people in all that attended; Tyler, Megan, Blaine, Trey, Jesse, and I. Everyone had a great time and it turned out to be a very successful event. I really hope that everyone is able to meet up in the spring and spend a weekend together catching up, sharing experiences, and traveling. Trey is back this semester from spending at year at Kansai Gaidai Univeristy, and he was able to help answer a lot of the questions that the three heading there in the spring had to ask him. Our Japanese themed dinner menu included:
-miso soup
-rice
-edamame
-Ramune (soft drink)
-mochi (rice cakes)

It was interesting hearing about life at Kansai Gaidai and how it will differ in some ways from the experience Jesse and I will have. I don't know about the demographics of Kansai Gaidai, but I think that Shinshu averages between 2-4 Americans per semester. The information booklet I received from OSU for Shinshu shows that only 2 Americans were enrolled during 2006. Talk about being a minority! That is one aspect that I am really looking forward to about Shinshu. Being immersed in Japanese and having to use it survive daily life will really help our language skills grow.

Receiving the JASSO Scholarship

Anyone who has ever applied for a scholarship, only to receive a rejection letter in the mail (if you are me, they don't even spell your name correctly when they do it. How do you misspell Ball?) knows how frustrating it can be trying to obtain funds. Fortunately though, the JASSO only required a single sheet of paper being filled out; no essay or proposal, and I was randomly selected to receive this scholarship. Sounds perfect right? Not quite. There must be some hidden clause the university(ies) have in regards to the financial matters of those chosen to receive such a gift. I do not know exactly how they have it phrased, but I am guessing it is something along these lines;

" We ************* University, state that any recipient of such a scholarship should be forced to pay more for housing, lose financial backing that is supposed to ease the recipients worries, and find a glimmer of hope in the situation."

These things have all happened to me. Housing costs shot from $48/month for the international student dorm, to $300 for my own apartment. That is quite a little jump. A loan that would have helped to ease my worries was knocked off the table because of the JASSO. That may be a good thing or it may be bad, I haven't quite decided, but I will let you know 8 months in to my stay. As for the glimmer of hope, it truly is. With the amount of money the scholarship offers, I will be able to pay off rent/bills and still have enough so that Jesse and I can use it for travel, exploring, and enjoying ourselves when we have time during the week. This money will allow us to do the things we want without hopefully dipping into our personal funds at all. The good outweighs the bad and I should probably stop being a pessimist on the issue.

D-Day Approaches

Only 17 days separate Jesse and I from heading to our new home for a year, Matsumoto. We are both very excited to get to Japan and experience a culture different than our own. Our home city is located in Nagano Prefecture and we are surrounded by the beautiful Japanese Alps, forests, rivers, streams, old shrines and temples, and many other beautiful sights. Exploring places off the beaten path is something we both look forward to, and who knows what mysterious and beautiful places we will find? Time is ticking, and the 18th of September will be here before we know it.



That is all that I have to share now, but I will post more when I find out more news.