Journey to the East: A Sam Ball's Tale

Cafes Cafes Everywhere...and Lot of Stuff to Drink

2012-01-30T17:25:00.000-08:00

Call me a hipster if you will, but I love cafes. One of my favorite things to do is sit at a cafe with a good drink and talk to Soojeong and our other friends about our travels abroad or of our days adventures. The number of cafes in Seoul is mind boggling, there are literally everywhere. There are so many neat cafes that look like they came from Paris, modern cafes with futuristic furniture and lighting, and themed cafes of all sorts. Prices for drinks really very from place to place, but I have yet to visit anywhere that is just overpriced. I love to sit at a cafe and study while I drink a nice hot drink. Seoul is a coffee lovers paradise.

Art Exhibit

2012-01-30T17:16:00.001-08:00

The day after we went to the zoo, Soojeong and I decided to go and see a food themed art exhibit at the Sejeong Center that Soojeong had seen advertised on TV. The variety of mediums used was quite amazing. There were objects made from everything from brass to rice and even a dress made entirely of various fish bones and parts. The gallery wasn't crowded at all and it was nice to be able to walk around and really enjoy all of the art. One good thing about a large city is that there is always something to go see or do. Seoul is really the "Soul of Asia". From ancient palaces and temples, to modern buildings lit from bottom to top with color changing lights, there is something here for every type of person. Even in a place where apartments fill the horizon, small, quiet traditional neighborhoods can still be found.

Children's Grand Park and Zoo

2012-01-30T17:00:00.000-08:00

In our free time, Soojeong and I have been trying to go to places in Seoul that I have yet to see. This past weekend we decided that we wanted to go to the Children's Grand Park and the Zoo that is located there, so that we could get out and enjoy a day out. We took a bus and train to get to the park, but it didn't take us too long. The park was quite large and there were a lot of things to see and do. I am sure that in the summer it is swarming with kids playing on the equipment, looking at the ponds, and running through the grass. There were a number of people there the day we went, but I think that the cold kept the masses away.

Inside the park we quickly found the zoo and set out exploring. Since it is a city owned park, the zoo was also free. There were a lot more animals than I thought there would be, and I was really excited to see a mountain lion here in Korea. They had tigers, lions, leopards, jaguars, African wild dogs, hyenas, and everything in between. I had forgotten how big a tiger actually is. The male tiger they had at the zoo seemed monstrous! Besides the large cats, they had monkeys, reptiles, birds, and even a botanical garden with bonsai that were up to 200 years old. To think that people have been taking care of them for so long is really quite amazing.

After our romping our the zoo and amusement park, we headed back to the frozen pond where they had free traditional ice skating for people to try. By looking at the pictures you will see what we were riding. Once you got some speed you could really fly around the pond and do some pretty fun tricks. The tools you use to propel yourself are wooden boards shaped like a "t" with a nail sticking out the bottom. I managed to only stab Soojeong in the leg twice. I am not kidding about that either. At least they nail didn't break the skin. We had fun there and after wards went to an area of Seoul known for its plays and musicals. We had dinner there and shopped around before heading home and calling it a night.

For Ghibli Lovers

2012-01-25T16:40:00.001-08:00

Kamakura

2012-01-25T16:20:00.000-08:00

There is something magical about the city of Kamakura. I do not know if it is the old temples that dot the landscape, or the small little streets lit by the lights of warm and welcoming shops, but something about the town makes me feel very at home. Soojeong and I arrived in town just in time to get into to the temple to see the giant statue of the Buddha (Daibutsu) before the temple grounds closed. The statue itself is supposed to have been completed somewhere around the year 1252, and is very large and well crafted. It is made of bronze and you are able to go inside for a small fee. We did not have time to since the temple was about to close, but I am sure that inside is interesting.

After we visited the Daibutsu, we headed off for a little walk around town. We stopped in a few cute little shops to look for souvenirs, and to just browse around. One thing that Japan is famous for is kind people, and all of the shop attendants were no exception. We enjoyed conversing with the different people as we went around town and it really made me feel welcome. Nightime took us to the most famous shrine in Kamakura; Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu, and it was very beautiful. The shrine complex itself is very large and includes water gardens, bridges, and lanes lined with trees. After browsing there for a while we headed back to a restaurant we had seen earlier so that we could get some dinner. We ended up eating tonkatsu (friend pork cutlet) before catching the train that would take us back to Tokyo and the airport.

The Train Ride to Kamakura: View of Enoshima

2012-01-25T15:59:00.000-08:00

The train to Kamakura takes off from Fujisawa City, the home town of my brother's good friend Jun Sato. Because we were without a cellphone, and because time was very limited, we were unable to meet this time. I hope that next year when Sean and I go to Japan we can stay in Fujisawa City and go to Kamakura for a day trip. I think that the whole area is very beautiful and the houses are very well kept and neat. The train we rode was called the Enoden, and it looked like an old 1960s train. Heading towards Kamakura the train goes down narrow roads and then bursts our into wide open spaces with views of the sea and beach. Despite it being winter, we saw a number of people surfing and having a good time.

Rinnoji, Futarasan, and Our Hotel

2012-01-25T15:46:00.000-08:00

The complex that held Toshogu also held two other very beautiful shrines/temples. With the pass that we bought we were able to visit Rinnoji and Futarasan, and it was a lot of fun. One of them had three giant Buddhist statues that were very old and interesting looking. I always wonder how they are able to preserve things for so long at these places. After we looked around for quite some time, Soojeong and I headed back to the train station for to check the time of our next train and to get something to drink at a cute little cafe right next the the station.

We finally boarded the train to take us to Kinugawa Onsen where our hotel was. The snow kept falling heavy all day, blanketing the entire landscape with a thick white coat. Once we arrived at our destination, we found our way to the convenience store where we bought some of the old snacks and drinks we used to enjoy while we lived in Matsumoto. Just thinking about that beer makes me thirsty right now... Our hotel was very pretty and our room was very nice. Dinner and breakfast were included in the price and it was nice to be able to sit down for a meal and conversation at the end of our day. The hotel had a couple of indoor and outdoor hotsprings that made the aches of the day disappear. We got plenty of rest and prepared for our journey to Kamakura the next day.

東照宮　Toshogu

2012-01-23T16:57:00.000-08:00

Our journey to Japan brought Soojeong and I to Toshogu Shrine, a shrine dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, who founded the Tokugawa shogunate. The shrine is located in Tochigi Prefecture, and it is nestled in a beautiful forest lined with giant ancient trees that line the paths. It took a little while for us to reach Toshogu from Tokyo, but the train ride was enjoyable and the scenery was very beautiful. My friend James had lived in Tochigi Prefecture for over a year and he has always told me how beautiful it is. After making this trip I have to agree with him. There are so many cute small towns, clear streams, mountains, and hot springs, that only a fool could not like the place. I think I would really enjoy living there.

As we neared the train station to head to the shrine, the snow really began to fall. Normally this would be a hindrance to sightseeing, but it only added to the beauty in our case. There is nothing quite a mysterious and beautiful as a shrine that is hundreds of years old and covered in snow. The atmosphere of a shrine is quite different than a church, and I really can't accurately describe what that difference is. Soojeong and I bought a pass to view three different shrines; Toshogu, Rinnoji, and Futarasan. They were all beautiful and Soojeong and I had a lot of fun walking around taking pictures. We stopped for a lunch at a little shop where we watched the snow fall out the window for a while, before we continued sightseeing and getting ready to head to our hotel in a place called Kinugawa Onsen.

The Ball Brother Curse Strikes Again!

2012-01-19T21:53:00.001-08:00

For those of you who don't know, we Ball boys have a "curse" of sorts. What I mean by that is people have a strange habit of staring at us wherever we go. I don't know what it is about my face that draws people's attention, but whether it be Wal-Mart or in a Braum's, people love to stare at me. Don't believe me? Ask my brothers and they will tell you exactly the same thing. Having said that, I thought by coming across the sea, I would escape some of the strange people who seem to float to me, but alas, I was wrong.

It all started yesterday when Soojeong had to go to work. Using the map she drew for me I set out on the hour and a half trip to the part of Seoul where she works called Gangnam. I had no problems getting there at all, and Soojeong and I met for a nice lunch, and then I met her. Just a few buildings down from where Soojeong works is a bookstore called Gyobo. I figured I would drop in for a bit and look at some books. They have books in English, Japanese, and Korean, so I felt like I was in heaven. That is when I noticed her. I had been looking at some Japanese novels when this girl appeared on the other side of the table. That in itself is not weird, but when I went to the books on Korean history and culture and she came and stood nearly shoulder to shoulder with me, that is when things started to get a little weird..

I made my way back to the Japanese books thinking to myself, "man, this girl is weird, I hope she doesn't keep following me," but lo and behold she did. I kindly turned to her and asked her in Japanese if she spoke Japanese...nope. I told her that I do not speak much Korean and I thought that would do the trick in shaking her off my tail. Not a chance. I started walking towards the other side of the bookstore when I heard the "patter patter patter" of running feet. You got it, stalker girl followed me. Everywhere I went she was on my tail. She even got bold enough to put her arm through the crook of my arm and rest her head on my bicep as she cackled like a maniac. She touched my hair, felt my skin, and looked at my eyes like I was some exotic animal she had never seen before. She told me through broken English that she, "liked clouds and the color pink" and something about a Victoria's Secret fashion show. WTF? She said in Korean that her stomach hurt, so I responded in Korean by asking if she had taken any medicine. She hadn't. I told her I had a girlfriend and her response was in Korean, "do you really have a girlfriend?". I once again kindly said yes and showed her a picture of Soojeong and I. Didn't deter this stalker at all.

She said to me that she was hungry, to which I replied, "I just ate a lot of food with my girlfriend, so I am full." By this time and hour or more had passed. I thought of ways I could escape, but nothing seemed to work. I even went to the bathroom twice and thought about turning my reversible jacket to its other color so that I could trip to escape incognito, but she waited by the door like a watchdog. Finally, I made up that I had to meet my friend at 3:00 and would have to leave soon. I was already wearing a scarf Soojeong had knitted for me when this crazy girl tried to put hers on me as well. She was nuts! D-Day approached and when 3:00 rolled around, I made my way to the exit. She followed me all the way out and protected me with her umbrella until I got to the bus stop. I had no idea where the hell I would go, but I decided to catch the same bus I came in on and just go up a few stations and hide myself. It worked!! About that time, Anselm called and I made my way stealthily back to the bookstore with him, afraid of what I might find in its depths.

First Few Days

2012-01-19T21:27:00.000-08:00

Things have been going well since I landed here in Korea a few days ago and I feel in good health. I have been busy going out with Soojeong and meeting her friends every day, and exploring places that I have yet to see in my previous trips here. Wednesday Soojeong and I traveled to an area of Seoul called 부암동 (Buamdong) to explore some of the little streets and the cafes that line them. It was a bit outside of the busy part of Seoul and the scenery was beautiful. It almost felt like we were up in the mountains, which in a sense, we were. In that area there is the old wall that surrounded Seoul in ancient times, the home of a famous poet, and lots of little parks with great views of the city. The weather here is a bit colder than it was back in Oklahoma, but it isn't unbearable at all.

I finally got the chance to meet Soojeong's good friend from Germany, Anselm, and go out to eat and shop with him. He also studied at Shinshu University and he is fluent in English, Japanese, Korean, and of course German. He is a funny guy and yesterday he and I explored a bit while Soojeong had to work. He is working on his master's degree here; studying Korean and researching historical events before he heads back to Germany next month. Last night Soojeong, Goeun, Anselm, and I all went out for chicken for dinner and did a bit of shop browsing while we walked around the city. It still takes a while to get used to being in a place that never really sleeps. Colorful lights and the sound of the city are always present, and people sweep across the landscape like a human wave.

Tomorrow, Soojeong and I will fly out for our weekend trip to Japan. Since Japan is where we first met, we are both very excited for the chance to travel there again and do some sight seeing. Our flight leaves at 2:00am and we will get into Tokyo about 4:30am. We will be staying in a traditional Japanese hotel in the town of Nikko on Saturday, and Sunday we will travel to Kamakura and Enoshima to do some sight seeing before heading back to Korea early morning on Monday. It will be a short trip, but I am really looking forward to going. This link is of the place we will be staying at in Nikko: http://olpost.com
/r/85467

Other info:
Nikko: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3800.html

Kamakura: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2166.html

Enoshima:http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3117.html

Busan Part 2

2011-06-27T16:55:00.000-07:00

The rains eased and the sky cleared on the second day of our trip to Busan. Our morning started out with breakfast at the hostel and then a trip to a beautiful park that had a great view of the entire city. Busan has an almost Matsumoto-like feel to it in some places, and there was one street that really made me think about my time in Japan. We walked past a lot interesting shops and restaurants as we wound our way to a giant fish market right next to a bay. We looked around for quite a while, and it was interesting seeing so many different types of fish and sea critters. I even saw a container of whale sashimi (shh...don't tell the Sea Shepherd) as we meandered through the stalls and buildings. The day before we had planned to eat some sashimi, but the area we were going to was known to be very expensive so we opted not to eat it that night, instead, we chose our own fish and had them prepared for us at the market restaurant for a very reasonable price. It was delicious.

From the fish market we headed off to an area of the city famous for movies because of the Busan film festival. The food there was delicious and there were a lot of neat shops selling everything from shoes, camera's, clothes, and everything else you could imagine. We spent a while there before we decided to take a trip up to a mountain where the view of the ocean and cliffs is supposed to be wonderful. Unfortunately, the clouds came in and we were unable to complete our journey. We had to buy our tickets back home before it got too late, so we took a bus to the train station and purchased them before heading out again with our few remaining hours. We chose to go to a really neat area called Amnam Park that was right next to the ocean. I have put in only a few pictures of the rocky cliffs and sea on this post, but the views there were spectacular and the water was very clean and clear. We walked over a mile along rugged cliffs, crossing bridges and rocky shorelines along the way before making it to another beach where we caught a taxi to catch our train in time.

The trip home was fun. Soojeong, Goeun, and I played games and talked almost the whole way back. I would love to go back to Busan sometime in the future so that I can see more of the city and surrounding mountains. I highly recommend a stop there if you ever make your way to South Korea.

Before..

..After

Busan Day 1

2011-06-24T16:29:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Busan started in the early hours at Seoul Station. Soojeong, Goeun, and I met there to take the 8:05 train to the southern city of Busan. We had originally planned to take the KTX (high speed train) but were unable to reserve the seats in time. Our train wasn't bad at all though, it was comfortable and the views outside the window were wonderful. There is just something about going to the beach that triggers rain. I still haven't figured that out. Partway through our journey to Busan we hit rain, rain, and more rain. Our hopes that it would be sunny and nice in Busan were doused when we arrived at the train station to a monsoon-like rain. Not letting the rain spoil our mood too much, we set off towards the famous Haeundae Beach and the nearby aquarium that we planned to visit. We stopped at a little shop for lunch and dined on some delicious local cuisine, and then off we went to the beach. The water wasn't near as cold as had been in Sokcho, but we still only put our feet in to test the water. It was warm enough to swim.

Busan aquarium was a lot of fun and they had a lot of good exhibits to see. It was nice to get out of the rain for a while and enjoy seeing all the neat fish together. We spent a good amount of time there before catching a ride in a taxi to the hostel we stayed in. It was called Arpina Youth Hostel, but it was more like a nice hotel. Goeun reserved our room with her travel company ID at a special rate, and the room was quite nice; three beds, TV, air conditioning, and a great view from the balcony of the mountains and part of the ocean. We set our stuff there and set out again to explore more of the city. As the evening progressed the rain came to a stop and we were able to enjoy walking around the city taking in all the sites and sounds. We stopped at another beach that had a good view of a really neat bridge, and from there we went to eat dinner and relax at a cafe that overlooked the beach. Our night ended with a quick run to the biggest shopping center in the world (it was in the Guinness Book of World Records), and then a snack and beer run at a local supermarket. We headed back to the hotel were we cleaned up, turned on the TV, and enjoyed our purchases before turning in for the night.

Soojeong, Myself, and Goeun

Soojeong and the fish

Soojeong's best friend Goeun who went to Busan with us

Off to Busan

2011-06-21T08:07:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that tomorrow Soojeong, her friend Goeun, and I will be going to the southern city of Busan to visit the beach and sights. I will not be taking my laptop, but I will post pictures and get everyone caught up on what has been going lately.

Indoor Mountain/Waterpark Pt. 1

2011-06-17T17:01:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, Soojeong and I went on a trip to an indoor mountain/waterpark in an area just outside of Seoul. On the mountain-side of the building, you could rent ski's, a snowboard, or go sledding (which is what we did). I have never seen something so cool inside a building. The inside was gigantic and it really felt like winter. The sledding area was only half-way up the mountain, but it was quite a slope. The sleds were comprised of three inter tube's attached by a rope in the middle. There were a few different lanes you could choose from. There was no one at all for the most part, so we were able to ride as many times as we wanted. Next year we want to try snowboarding. I tried to post a video of us going down the slope, but the website is having errors. If it works later, I will post the video of us taking a ride down the mountain.

OSU Player

2011-06-17T16:54:00.000-07:00

How I found this while walking with Soojeong and our friends, I will never know. When I looked up on a billboard and saw an OSU player complete with last name, OSU logo, and OSU orange uniform, I was unimaginably surprised. I wonder if the artist who runs the shop or studio is a former Korean student graduate of OSU? It must be something along those lines. Why else would someone choose to put an OSU player on a sign in Korea?

Wedding Trip to Sokcho (속초)

2011-06-14T18:16:00.000-07:00

I am excited to post that in this post I can show everyone a glimpse of Korea outside of the megalopolis that is Seoul. Soojeong's cousin's wedding was this past Sunday in Soojeong's hometown of Sokcho in the northeastern part of Korea. The morning of the wedding Soojeong and I met up with her cousin and then fiancee to take pictures of them getting ready at the salon. We ended up riding with them to Sokcho a little later in the day, and it took about three hours to get there. I was really surprised to see how the landscape changes even if you are only fifteen minutes outside of Seoul. Mountains really do cover nearly 70% of Korea.

After we arrived in Sokcho, we went to the hotel/resort where the wedding was held. It was magnificent. The rooms were beautiful and the sea near the resort was clear as any beach in Florida. Too cold to swim right now, but it was fun to wade in it a little bit. The wedding ceremony was very nice and they really had it decorated beautifully. I got to meet a lot of Soojeong's family, and I enjoyed that a lot. After the wedding festivities we met up with more of Soojeong's family at their shop in Sokcho to relax for a while. Soojeong's mother, sister, and Joe headed back Sunday, but Soojeong, her father, and I stayed the night at a sauna so we could go hiking the next day. Sauna's are nice places to stay: cheap, clean, and interesting. Monday morning we met up with Soojeong's uncle for breakfast, then off to the mountains we went.

Soeroksan is the name of the mountain/national park we went to. It was so strange to be able to be so close to the beach and mountains at the same time. From downtown Sokcho and the beach you can see that the mountains circle the city. The mountains here are quite different from the Rockies. They are not near as tall, and the flora and fauna are also different. Nevertheless, I really enjoy them. Mountains streams are everywhere, the trees are very green and flowering, and the mountains themselves seem to have come out of some ancient wall scroll painting. Buddhist temples and Buddha statues were scattered throughout the mountains. The one in the cave was very pretty. Near that cave we sat down for a snack, enjoyed the mountain air and chipmunks playing, then headed back to Seoul to end our trip. On the way back we stopped at Soojeong's dad's friends restaurant in a beautiful mountain valley for dinner and conversation, and then we hit the road again passing valley's and mountains all the way back. One of my best memories of the trip is when we stopped at a rest area for a tiny break so her dad could take a little rest (we were full and sleepy from dinner). Soojeong and I took a little walk down the road to where we found a little stream with tiny fish jumping out of the water. We waded in trying to see them better, but all we could do was catch glimpses of them as the darted to and fro. We headed back to the car and made our way back to Seoul.

Korean Folk Village

2011-06-07T16:38:00.000-07:00

Soojeong and I decided to take a trip to the Korean Folk Village to get out of Seoul for a bit, and to show me what a traditional Korean village was like. We hopped on a bus and rode for around and hour and a half before arriving there. Even the 711 at the entrance to the village had a traditional Korean roof. After we bought our tickets and headed into the park, I realized that the place was a lot bigger than I had originally thought. It was very interesting and it really felt like you were in a different time and place. There were peasants house's, farmer's houses, wealthier person's houses, etc., it was really interesting to see how architecture and amenities changed depending on income and social status. Another interesting thing about the folk village is that they made a lot of the foods and drinks that are sold in their restaurants. When we ate dinner, our rice wine was made at the distillery located inside the park. There were many craftsmen there making everything from candy, masks, baskets, pottery, and even metal items.

We watched a number of performance's, and I wish that I could put all of what I saw on this blog. The horse tricks were incredible and everyone who performed was very talented. Archery and spear throwing demonstrations were done from horseback. The dance that we watched is performed at Korean Thanksgiving and other special events. Hats have a long ribbon attached that moves according to how you move your head. It was very interesting to watch and I really enjoyed it. The rest of the day winded down with us winding down and taking it easy. If any of you reading this decide to visit Korea in the future, I highly recommend a trip here.

*Note to Eric* I think these kids put us to shame with their b-twist like moves. They make it look so easy.

WTF?

2011-06-04T16:54:00.001-07:00

Soojeong, her best friend, and I decided to eat at an Italian restaurant in a nice part of the city one evening last week. Soojeong had bought a coupon online for a set price and with that you were supposed to be able to get two pasta's, drink, etc., but this was not to be the case. Korean service is very similar to the Japanese in that you get good service and rarely do people make mistakes. When we got to the restaurant around 8:00, we found out the coupon was not good after 8:00. Good thing the guy taking our order was new and the manager cut him a break. We got our drinks and ordered our pastas. Quite a complicated ordeal. After about 15 minutes, one pasta dish came out and the three of us set to work eating it. One bowl down. We waited..waited..and waited some more, but our second bowl did not come. It was decided that we would ask the servers what was up, and come to find out they had forgotten about our order. The manager herself came and personally talked with Soojeong and her friend about the situation, and it was decided that before we left the manager would give us something for our troubles. Soojeong went to collect the prize while Goeun and I waited.

Soojeong came back a few minutes later and was carrying something in a bag. She wanted us to guess what we had received for all the trouble. I raked my brain for everything that American restaurants do..coupons, money back, merchandise... None of those were correct. What in the world could it be? The answer was.....TOOTHPASTE. I kid you not, toothpaste. A three pack of brand new toothpaste was our compensation. We all had a good laugh and joked about whether that came from the managers own grocery sack from her shopping earlier in the day. I told Joe (the guy who I am staying with) about this, and apparently he and Soojeong's sister have also received toothpaste as a prize somewhere. Strange isn't it?

Bukchon and Samcheong-dong Part 2

2011-06-04T16:31:00.001-07:00

Samcheong-dong is just lies at the base of the giant hill that Bukchon lies on. Soojeong and I walked down a set of stairs and down into the main for of the town. For me, it really had a Colorado mountain-town feel to it. The streets were not nearly as crowded as the main parts of Seoul, there were a lot of trees and flowers, and the restaurants and shops were very varied in what they had to offer. I think there was a little bit of everything there. Of all the places I have been to since coming to Korea, I think it is one of my favorites. We walked up the street for a long ways before taking a break at a cafe/restaurant to get something to drink. My kiwi banana juice was delicious. After cooling off and people watching (I found a guy with a mullet) we headed back to the main city on foot stopping to look at shops along the way.

Bukchon and Samcheong-dong Part 1

2011-06-03T16:04:00.000-07:00

For a different change of scenery, Soojeong decided to take me to an area near Gyeongbokgung Palace that is full of traditional homes and little shops. We actually visited two areas; one being Bukchon and the other being Samcheong-dong. These were two areas that fit my taste. Bukchon had a lot of old style houses that people still live in to this day. Of course, most of these houses are owned by wealthy people and they are a lot different than they were hundreds of years ago. Along the streets leading up into the neighborhoods were shops that I think my brothers would have liked a lot. There was everything that you could want; art galleries, clothes, food, cafe's, jewelry, and little museums. I think that Seoul must be the cafe capital of the world, because there are so many per square mile that I can't count them all. I like that though. There are cafe's with open veranda's with views of the city, artsy modern cafe's, and even cafe's made up like Victorian England homes. When we got past all of the shops and into the neighborhood's, it really surprised me. I thought to myself, "this is the kind of the place that people dream of finding when they come to Korea". These first few pictures are just of Bukchon and the neighborhoods around it. Part two of this post will be of Samcheong-dong

Here There and Everywhere

2011-06-01T16:35:00.000-07:00

The past few days have taken me to so many different areas in and around Seoul. A few days ago, Soojeong and I took a trip out to her university so that she could turn in some final documents and so that I could see what her campus looked like. The Catholic University of Korea is located on a really hilly and wooded area just outside of Seoul. The layout of the campus is a bit different than OSU, and the buildings are not all made out of the same colored brick, but I thought it was very pretty. While we were there we met up with our friend Chisato who is studying Korean there as an exchange student. We also met some of Soojeong's friends and juniors. For dinner that night we went to a shabu shabu restaurant that Soojeong likes a lot. It was really good and there were a number of things to eat there.

Another place we visited again is one of my favorite areas in Seoul; Insadong. Although it is a very touristy location (a place I typically try to avoid), there are a number of antique shops, cafe's, restaurants, and neat galleries to look at. We stopped by a Buddhist temple just a block or two away from there and that is where the picture of all the lanterns was taken. I can imagine at night that it looks very beautiful lit up. The lanterns reached all the way up to the topmost branches of the tree.

Yesterday, Soojeong and I went to a place called Aiins World. It was a theme park of sorts with minature versions of famous buildings and landmarks from all across the world. There was France, Germany, Austria, Spain, Russia, Egypt, England, Morocco, Japan, Cambodia, America, Mexico, Peru, South Korea, and the lost city of Atlantis. We must just have really good luck because there were virtually no people there at all except for a mother and her two children. The trip out there took a while by bus, but it was good to get to see some different towns on the outskirts of Seoul.

Today Soojeong and I will go to the Han River and I will fulfill my promise to Sean about eating grilled squid like they do in the movie "The Host". I like grilled squid and the area near the Han River has been done a lot like the river park in Tulsa; fountains, exercise areas, and food. I think we will also go to a more traditional neighborhood here in Seoul that still retains a lot of the old style architecture. The rest of the week is pretty busy with meeting friends and going out to play. Next week we will take a trip with Soojeong's best friend Goeun to the southern city of Busan. Neither Soojeong and I have been there, so we are pretty excited to go. There is a famous beach there and it should be just the right weather to hop in for a swim.

Ilsan

2011-05-29T16:35:00.001-07:00

Soojeong and I decided to make a trip to the near-by city of Ilsan the other day to meet a friend of hers for dinner and go walking at a park there. Her friend was unfortunately not able to make a bus in time to get there for dinner with us, but we made plans to meet up another day. Getting hungry, Soojeong and I decided that it was time to get something to eat before we we checked out the park. The shopping center where we had dinner was called Western Dom and it was full of every kind of store and restaurant you could think of. We decided to take a break from Korean cuisine for a day and eat Vietnamese food. It was delicious! Even though what we ordered had a few fried items in it, it was really easy on the stomach and I felt good after eating it.

With our bellies full of Vietnamese food it was decided that we should walk to the near-by 호수 공완 (lake park). The park was in a beautiful area just outside the business district of Ilsan. A few weeks ago there had been a flower festival there, and some of the flower displays were still up. Another neat thing about the park was the bikes that people could rent to ride around the lake. We opted to skip out this time, but there were a number of couples on tandem bikes and other people just riding normal bikes. After sitting down for a bit and watching the sunset, it was decided that we wanted to eat some dessert. We headed back to the Western Dom and went to a cafe that we had visited last year. It has nice chairs that rock back and forth, and four actually swing benches near the window that look out into the shopping center. That is where we sat. Ilsan was a really nice city with all the amenities of Seoul, just with less people. I think we will go back again and tour a TV station there sometime this next month.

Soojeong's Birthday: Seoul Land

2011-05-26T17:09:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was Soojeong's birthday and to celebrate we went to an amusement park called Seoul Land. We took a train mid-morning and headed off to the park. Summer break has yet to start for most of the students in Korea, so the park was not crowded at all. There were some kindergartners and high school students that we ran in to, but I think the most we had to wait to ride a ride was 8 minutes. There were a few roller coasters with loops and corkscrews, and there was also a free-fall tower among other things. Usually you have to wait anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour to ride any of those rides, but we were able to walk up to the free-fall tower and only be 2 of 3 people on the whole ride. Like I said, it wasn't crowded at all.

We spent most of the day there at the park, and it was just nice to have a long and relaxing date after what seems like forever. That evening we took the train back to an area called Myeong-dong and met up with our friends for dinner and dessert. Soojeong's best friend Goeun's birthday was just a few days ago, so we celebrated both of their birthday's. Dinner was very nice and so was the coffee and chocolate brownie we ate afterwards. What a way to wind down the day.

원효봉 (Wonhyobong Peak)

2011-05-26T16:32:00.000-07:00

This past Wednesday I took my first trip to the mountains in Korea. I had been staying with Soojeong and her family for a day or two and it was decided that when Soojeong went to work from 1:30-10:00, that I would join her father for a trip to the mountains to do some hiking. I was really excited and couldn't wait to see what nature had to offer, but admittedly I was kind of nervous. Meeting with your girlfriends parents is nerve-racking enough, but in addition to just meeting them I had to worry about the language barrier. I can say a few things in Korean and can make simple sentences, but nowhere near enough to fill 9 hours of time. Her father studied English a long time ago when he was in school and can remember some words, but not enough for fluent conversation. I borrowed Soojeong's two-way Korean/English dictionary and off we went.

We headed to the mountains in her dads car, passing small farms and homes along the way. Korea is like Japan in that everything is very green and beautiful. When we got to the mountain base we bought some kimbap (see picture) and water for our lunch. We set off up the trail and up and up we went. The scenery was magnificent. Crystal clear water running over giant boulders, waterfalls, and fish swimming in the water. Paradise for a nature lover like me. We stopped a few times for snacks and to eat lunch as we slowly worked our way to the top. We met another couple and hiked part of the trail together. Like I said earlier, I don't speak much Korean, but I know enough to get the basic just of what people are saying in conversation. I was touched when Soojeong's father was bragging about me to the other people. The wife in that couple met even said that Soojeong and I should get married quickly..I think I will wait.

We finally reached the top and the view was unreal. It really looked like something out of an old painting. From the peak you could see Seoul and many other surrounding towns. I don't have all the pictures posted here, but there was also a giant gold Buddha statue on another mountain that was really neat. There is a wall along the top that runs the length of the mountain. Spaced evenly throughout the wall are holes where soldiers one put guns to shoot people if they tried to invade. There were also bunkers and small cave like areas on the mountain as well. When we finally got down to the base of the mountain we met Soojeong's fathers friend for a cup off coffee, and then headed back home to relax and clean up. That night Soojeong's dad ordered the food I had been wanting to eat, and together we ate it and talked about war, life, and many other things.

First Few Days

2011-05-22T18:46:00.000-07:00

I finally made it back to Korea for the first time since last August. The journey to here was full of many fun and interesting stops along the way; to my cousin's house in Arlington, Phoenix, and then San Francisco where my cousin Marie met me and did a wonderful job playing hostess and tour guide to me during my first trip to California. I flew out of San Francisco at around noon, and had a twelve hour flight here to Seoul. The trip on the airplane was pretty uneventful and I slept a good part of it. I don't think I finished a whole movie or tv program that showed. I did make friends with two elderly Korean women who sat next to me though, and they gave me their phone numbers and addresses in case I wanted to meet up and get a city tour from them. It was fun using broken Korean/English to try and communicate. One of the ladies even spoke a bit of Japanese.

When I landed at Incheon, I was met by Soojeong and off we went to her house to drop off my things. It was so nice to be together after waiting a little over five months to do so. Meeting her parents was a lot less scary than I thought it would be. Her mother and father are both very friendly and they welcomed me with open arms into their home. We had fun talking and joking about different things. Her dad said that he wants to take me mountain climbing while I am here. I don't speak much Korean, and he doesn't speak much English, but I think we will make do just fine. The night I landed here, Soojeong and I met our friends Goeun, Chisato, and Haruna for dinner and drinks at a cafe. It had been since I lived in Japan that I had seen Haruna and Chisato, and it was really nice getting to catch up with them after all this time. It seems kind of surreal to meet my friends and hang out with them in Korea.

Yesterday, Soojeong, her sister, her sister's boyfriend Joe (who's house I am staying at), and I went to an area of Seoul called Gangnam to meet her cousin and her cousin's fiancee. It was their day to get their wedding pictures taken, and we all had a lot of fun taking pictures, eating, and just relaxing. Her cousin and her cousin's fiancee where both very friendly and both spoke English very well. The groom to be is finishing up his doctorate of mechanical engineering, and Soojeong's cousin is an elementary school teacher which is a very prestigious job here in Korea. After our day of taking pictures, we were treated to a Greek meal in an area near where I am staying called Itaewon. The gyros were delicious and it was nice to just relax and get to know everyone better.

This morning Soojeong had to work, so I set off to exploring the area around Joe's house on foot. It was a lot of fun to get out and see what the area had to offer. I took many little side streets that were packed with interesting little shops and schools. I don't know how many miles I walked, but I know that my feet are enjoying the rest they are getting while I am typing this up. I walked all the way down to the War Memorial of Korea (where I went last year) and took pictures and read about all of the different guns, tanks, planes, etc., that line the entryway into the main part of the museum. The US army base is right across the street from there, and it is really strange to see razor wire, electric fences, and signs warning about the consequences of trespassing on US government property. It is not easy to forget that South and North Korea are both technically at war.

I don't know exactly what the game plan is until I meet up with Soojeong after she gets off work tonight, but I will most likely set out to explore more of the neighborhood around here. Joe's friend Eric is staying here for a week as well, and I may head out to lunch with him. At any rate, I will continue to post some of my adventures from my time here this summer.

Looks like a fire hazard to me. What do you think?

Strange Japan

2010-07-25T22:17:00.000-07:00

Strange Japan

Seoul Part 3

2010-07-24T02:21:00.000-07:00

While I was in Seoul, Soojeong started her new job as an intern at the Korean Travel Organization and had to go to work one afternoon, so we made plans for me to meet up with our good friend Sukyung for a day of exploring the city and shopping. It was great getting to see her again and hear about her life since being back in Korea. We reminisced about all of our fun times and Matsumoto as we went here and there trying new foods and enjoying the day. We were still in Japan, she had promised that she would treat us to samgyeopsal (Korean grilled meat) when I went to Seoul, and when we finally met she kept her promise and treated Soojeong and I to dinner. It was delicious! I really enjoyed getting to see her again, and I am fortunate enough that I will be able to meet her again in Japan when she comes next week.

The other pictures that I have posted are of a park I found before I met Sukyung for our days adventures. This area was close to Soojeong's building, and it was full of interesting murals depicting the history of different events in Korea. There weren't many people there at all, and the purple flowers were in full bloom. It was very peaceful. The delicious looking cake picture was taken at a very cute and romantic cafe that Soojeong and I went to my last night in Seoul. The inside had a European feel to it, and the lighting and furniture made it a great place to just relax and talk with one another about life and everything that we had done. Being able to visit Soojeong in Seoul and experience her culture was something that I will never forget.

Seoul Part 2

2010-07-24T02:05:00.001-07:00

These pictures are mostly from the day we went to Seoul tower. The view of the city was taken on the stairs that lead up to the view. The sky was kind of overcast, but the city looked very beautiful from there. I went to Seoul at the beginning of June, so there were still many varieties of flowers in bloom, making the city very colorful everywhere you went. There were even cherry blossom's near Seoul tower. We didn't go up the tower that time, but we went in and looked around the gift-shop, and also at the locket fence. This fence is where lovers take a lock that they buy, write a note on it, or an attached piece of paper, and wish for continued blessings in their relationship. It was interesting to see messages written in many different languages. I think that it was a fun and romantic day date.

The picture of the food posted, was taken at a food stall we stopped at before going to the tower. After watching the travel channel, and especially Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, I had always wanted to eat a food stall in Korea. Soojeong treated me to a delicious meal of pork leg and jijimi (almost a pancake like dish with different vegetables and meats in it) and it truly was a dream come true. It's funny, but out of all of my travels within the US, Japan, and Korea, I have found that my favorite restaurants aren't the ones that cost most, but the ones where people take pride and care in cooking whatever they serve. To this day, my favorite place to eat in Matsumoto is the mom and pop like restaurant just down the street from my house.

Seoul Part 1

2010-07-23T16:09:00.001-07:00

During the Golden Week holiday break, I took a 6 day trip to Seoul, South Korea to visit Soojeong. I flew out of Osaka and landed in Gimpo airport. Soojeong came to meet me at the airport, and stepping out of the gate and seeing my girlfriend for the first time in person since she had returned home, was something that is hard to put into words. Before going to Korea, I knew that it was beautiful, but now I can honestly say now that I have been to Heaven. What a beautiful country! Seoul itself is a modern megalopolis like Tokyo, but there are cultural monuments that you kind find on almost every street, wonderful food, friendly people, romantic and cute neighborhoods with almost Paris looking cafe's.. I can't wait to move there.

To write everything we did would take a lot of time; we went to 3 different castles (palaces), saw the presidential "Blue House", went shopping and out on dates a cute little restaurants all over the city, and just spent time doing the things we love. For me it was so interesting getting to see Soojeong's home country and city. Every street offered new sights, smells, and experiences. Learning about the history of Korea was very interesting and there were a lot of great museums we visited that had everything from the creation of Hangeul (the Korean language), past kings and wars, old weapons, pottery, and information on the festivals and traditions of the country. Korea has a different feel to it than Japan..to put it in words is kind of difficult, but I guess it is has a more homely feel. I am a nature lover, and being able to see the mountains from almost everywhere in the city was so wonderful. This is the hostel that Soojeong found for me to stay at: http://bangranghostel.com/room_rate.html
. It was beautiful and cost around $15 USD a night.

Another thing that I really enjoyed about the trip, was getting to meet Soojeong's friend Goeun and her older sister Sumi and boyfriend Joe. Soojeong and I met Gouen for a dinner of fried chicken, beer, and talking. It was a lot of fun to meet her and since she is able to speak Japanese as well, we were able to communicate about many different things. After we finished our dinner, we went to a cute little cafe in the area and drank delicious drinks as we joked. On a different day, Soojeong and I met up Sumi and Joe for dinner, and then a drink at a bar. It was nice to meet them and I was very surprised to be treated to dinner. Sumi is fluent in English, so so it was very easy to talk to her. It is interesting that at one table Korean, English, and Japanese were all being spoken. Everyone was so kind. I can't wait to apply to work in Seoul next year. Moving from a town the size of Stillwater to a major city like Seoul will be a different experience, but it is one that I am looking forward to more than anything.

Our Trip to Tokyo

2010-06-27T21:20:00.000-07:00

Before Soojeong flew back to Korea back on March 26, she, our good friend Hyeon-Woo, and I all decided to spend our last days together exploring Tokyo and having fun. We went to Shinjuku, Shibuya, Roppongi, Odaiba, Harajuku, Ueno, Asakusa, and many more places. We tasted beer at the Ebisu beer factory/museum, went to a Las Vegas like roof covered shopping center in Odaiba, saw the beautiful Meiji-Jingu Shrine near Harajuku, and Soojeong and I even took a fun day date trip to the famous Ghibli Museum in Tokyo. It was a perfect date and a dream come true. Being able to spend time with my girlfriend and good friend, eating at restaurants, going to shopping centers, and just having fun laughing and joking with one another was such a wonderful experience that I will never forget. In saying that, it was also a bittersweet time for me. The purpose of the trip was to have fun and see Soojeong off at the airport when she returned to Korea. Being able to spend everyday with the one you love, and then having to say goodbye for a while, is one of the hardest things to experience. Soojeong and I are still happily dating, and I have since been to visit her in Korea (and she has come to visit me in Matsumoto) and things are wonderful.

I think that one of the most unforgettable parts of our Tokyo was our trip to Ueno Park on our last day together. Up until then, it had rained almost everyday, but on our last day together, the sun came out, and the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. I know it will sound like something out of a book or movie, but I truly believe that day that God gave us a wonderful present of good weather and a beautiful walk among some of the most famous trees in Japan.

Trying to Catch Up: Snowy Days in Matsumoto

2010-06-14T02:38:00.000-07:00

Being located in the Japanese Alps, Matsumoto receives quite a bit of snowfall annually. It snowed a number of times this past year, with two or three times bringing large amounts to our mountain city. Looking back at these pictures makes me wish that I could experience all of it again.

The first three pictures that are shown are of the huge snow we got this year. Waking up to that much snow was such a surprise, and that day Soojeong and I decided to ride all the way across city on bike to play billiards at a place we had seen when we got back from our trip to Kyushu. It makes me laugh know when I think of us riding all the way out there on slick, slushy roads, that sometimes made you get off your bike and push it for a ways. We eventually made it all the way to the billiard hall and decided that we didn't want to pay all of the fees the have and make membership cards, just to play a couple of games. Even though the roads were bad, I had such a wonderful time riding around the city with Soojeong looking at all the snow and laughing together. We didn't end up playing pool, but we went shopping together, and rode around the city together having fun which made it a day I will never forget.

The second set of three pictures is from another large snowfall we received this year. That night Hyeon-Wu, Soojeong, and I decided to build a snowman next to the river by the school. It was so much fun playing late into the night with each other, building giant snowmen and taking pictures together. The first snowman we built was too tall, so we used the parts from it and made two more snowmen. Thinking back to those times makes me so happy, and I wouldn't trade those times or memories for anything in the world.

I always get asked the question by my family, "aren't you excited to come home and see everyone?", and my answer is "yes". Of course I want to see my family and friends back home, but for me it isn't that easy. Coming here to Japan, I have found more than I thought I would;a beautiful girlfriend and love of a kind I have never known before, friendship with so many wonderful people from all over the world, experiences that made me realize who I am and what I want to do in life, and memories of days spent with the one you love and friends that I can never forget. When I think ofgoing back home and being so far away from it all, it makes me feel sad. I want more than anything to be done with school right now and starting the life I want.

Back in Matsumoto: White Day at Alps Park

2010-05-23T23:11:00.001-07:00

After Soojeong and I got back from our ten day trip to the island of Kyushu, it wasn't long before it was time for White Day. White Day in Japan is just like Valentine's Day in America, except on White Day the boys buy for the girls (they also have Valentine's Day here where the girls buy for their partner) and it happened this year on the 14th of March. For Valentine's Day Soojeong had done so many sweet things for me; made me chocolates, fixed dinner, and made the entire day wonderful, and I wanted to make White Day just as special for her.

That morning I made bought the ingredients to make chocolate-covered strawberries, a card, and set about working. It took a couple of hours to get everything together, but with the chocolate-covered strawberries cooling in the refrigerator, I set off to buy flowers. I was lucky enough to find Soojeong's favorite flower (Freesia) at a local flower shop for the first time, so I bought it and headed off to get my strawberries. The weather that day was beautiful, and I headed over to the International Dorm to bring her her gifts. To see her smile made my day. We relaxed for a while, and decided to have a picnic lunch at Alps Park. Off we went.

We stopped to buy our lunch, and from there we headed up into the hills. By bike it took about 30 minutes, but we made it there, and set about having a great time. The weather was sunny with just a slight cool breeze. The park was very beautiful and we were able to enjoy the picnic with views of the mountains, trees, and flowers of Nagano Prefecture. There were so many things to do at the park; roller-slides (that we had a great time riding together), zip lines, obstacle courses, a huge rock climbing wall, and a very nice museum with a lookout tower at the top with views of the Japanese Alps. They even had a free zoo there with many different animals. For me, it was a perfect place to spend the day with Soojeong relaxing and playing together.

After we left the park, we had already decided to go out to an Italian restaurant named "Mar de Napoli" for dinner. The restaurant was very beautifully decorated with paintings, mosaics, and lights. Our food was excellent, and the dessert was just as delicious. What a way to spend the day after playing. White Day was so much fun, and it was a day that I will never forget. From the window of my apartment I can see the tower at the park, and I hope that someday we will be able to do it all again.

Lantern Festival

2010-05-08T18:33:00.000-07:00

While Soojeong and I were staying in Nagasaki, we were fortunate enough to be there during the time of the Lantern Festival held in Nagasaki's China Town district. Lanterns were hung over the rivers so that their light reflected across the water, animals of shapes and sizes lit the areas where people gathered for food and events, and there were even lanterns shaped like swans and lotuses that were set into the river to add to the effect.

The main area where most of these pictures were taken, was truly a spectacular place. The smell of Chinese and Japanese food being cooked was in the air, music and performers entertained the full audience, and they even had a dragon dance. For me, it was a wonderful night that I could spend with Soojeong, enjoying our time together as we learned something new about Nagasaki and the people there. There is something very romantic about a part of the city lit by lanterns. I don't know if it was the soft glow of the lights, that reminded me of candles, or knowing that you are witnessing something special with the one you love, but whatever it was, it made our night there one that I will never forget.

The people of Nagasaki must have worked very hard to put the event together, and it really showed. Along with the regular animal lanterns; like pelicans, goldfish, etc., there were all of the animals of the Chinese Zodiac, and famous characters out of old legends. Nagasaki is a wonderful city, and I would love to go back sometime and see the festival and events again.

Back From Korea

2010-05-07T20:35:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

I just wanted to send out a quick message letting everyone know that I made it back from spending 6 days in Korea during the Golden Week holiday break. Meeting with Soojeong in Korea was more wonderful and fun than anything in the world, and getting to do all of our favorite things together in Seoul, made me more happy than all of the money in the world could. I know that when I graduate next year, I am going to move to Korea. What a beautiful, historic, and cultural place! I have been falling further and further behind in my posting, so I will try to keep things going when I can these days. Please be patient. I hope that all is well.

Sam

Huis Ten Bosch

2010-04-23T18:13:00.001-07:00

With a coupon we received from Yukiko, Soojeong and I decided to take a day trip out of Nagasaki and visit the theme park called Huis Ten Bosch. This park is an amazing recreation of the Netherlands complete with tulips, windmills, old architecture, and other interesting attractions relating to different cultural aspects of the Netherlands.

We took a bus from Nagasaki and rode for an hour until we reached Huis Ten Bosch. It is strange going from Nagasaki, a bustling Japanese and Chinese culture hub, to a place out in the countryside that looks like a European city. I was amazed with how amazing every thing looked. Even though it was winter, tulips of all colors were in bloom all over the park, there weren't many people there, and it was a peaceful place to spend a day with Soojeong having fun.

During our time there we did everything from go to a teddy bear museum, ride a boat down the canals, walk among the windmills and tulips, rode a ride or two, and watched a couple of short documentaries on everything from old folk-tales to works by MC Escher. With hardly anyone there, we were able to go from ride to ride without any problems at all.

I think that the most impressive of all of the building there was the Huis Ten Bosch Palace. The pictures I have posted only show the front entryway with all of the tulips, but the inside was decorated magnificently, the back gardens were beautiful and full of hedges and fountains, and from the second floor of the palace, you could see all the way out to the sea. The weather became a little cold and rainy, but for me, it was a perfect day spent with Soojeong doing fun things together that I will always remember.

Nagasaki Part 2

2010-04-09T20:28:00.000-07:00

The same day that Soojeong and I went to the Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Museum, we decided to visit the Glover Gardens; the former housing property of prominent entrepreneur, helping to industrialize Japan through coal mining, the building of the first steam railway in Japan, helping to establish the new government after the fall of the Shogunate, and he even helped found a brewery that became Japan's Kirin Beer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Blake_Glover)

With the little background information being over, I will now get back to were I left off. We had decided to visit the garden after seeing the beautiful pictures of it in a travel book that Soojeong had brought with us for the journey. Before we could see the gardens, we first had to find the gardens. As we were discussing the best way to get there from where we were near China Town, a woman and her daughter approached and asked us where we were going. We told them that we were off to visit the Glover Garden, and from that point on, she said that she would show us how to get there. I will not forget the kindness this woman showed Soojeong and I, walking with us for at least 15 minutes or more until we were at the entrance to where we needed to be. I find it very special when someone takes time out of their own schedule to help someone in need, and I know that if I can help someone out wherever I am, I will try my best to help them as I have been helped before.

When we reached the top of the hill where the gardens were, we payed our fee, and set off exploring the old homes and gardens of Thomas Glover, and other prominent Japanese and foreign businessmen. It was interesting how the architecture differed from home to home, and it was interesting to see some of the artifacts of the former residents on display. We even saw a 300 year old tree that was given as a gift to one of the owners. Almost every home had a wonderful view of the harbor and surrounding hills. When you see the picture at the bottom of the page of the heart-shaped stone, it is said that when couples touch that stone, their dreams of love will be fulfilled. They had two of them located at different areas of the property, and we had fun searching for them. The weather that day was perfect, and to be able to walk with Soojeong in gardens full of blooming flowers and green trees, is something that I still to this day think about.

There were many types of gardens, fountains, and little waterfalls, and once we had seen most of everything, we began our descent back into the streets of Nagasaki for a night full of looking at lanterns at the Lantern Festival, and eating a famous Nagasaki dish with our friends Yukiko and Yoshito. To be continued in part 3.

The picture of the of the cathedral is that of Oura Cathedral (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oura_Cathedral)

Nagasaki: Part 1- The Peace Park and Atomic Bomb Museum

2010-04-04T18:33:00.001-07:00

Of all the places that we visited during our trip to the island of Kyushu, my favorite city by far was Nagasaki. Nagasaki has everything you could ever want; mountains, the sea, beautiful parks, streets, and churches, temples and shrines that line the streets, and a mixing of cultures that seems uncommon in Matsumoto. Nagasaki for a long time was the only open port to Dutch and Portuguese merchants in Japan, and there are many fascinating locations and museums that tell the story of how Japan came into contact with Western culture. Most of you know Nagasaki for a different reason though, one that some of us (myself included) are kind of embarrassed about; Nagasaki is one of only two city's to have had a nuclear weapon used to kill fellow human beings.

Before I ever came to Japan, I knew that at some point I wanted to visit Hiroshima or Nagasaki, and bring myself a sort of inner peace. I know that the bombs are nothing that I or my family had a part in doing, but knowing that my country used a bomb that killed over a hundred and fifty-thousand innocent people, has always made me feel a little awkward. I will not go into the "millions would have died if we had invaded Japan scenario", if you want to know the numbers and statistics, ask my twin brother Seth, and I am sure he will be able to tell you. With that being said, I will now start the blog entry for the day.

We arrived in Nagasaki where we met Soojeong's friend Yukiko and her soon to be husband Yoshito. They are both former Shinshu University students, and they were incredibly kind and helpful during our stay in Nagasaki. I can't count the times that Soojeong and I were treated to delicious dinners or given coupons to places we wanted to see. I am very grateful for all that they did, and I hope that someday I will be able to repay the favor somehow. They took us to our hostel the first night and out to dinner. It was a wonderful experience. The hostel that we stayed in was INCREDIBLE for a hostel. It has been rated the number one hostel in all of Japan, and number 3 in Asia. For only 25$ USD/night, it was a place that couldn't be beat.

Our second day in Nagasaki, Soojeong and I decided to visit the Peace Park and Atomic Bomb Museum. The park was very beautiful, and the weather that day was perfect spring weather. Inside the park is a giant statue of a man (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagasaki_Peace_Park), paper cranes, and beautiful fountains. It was a very interesting but sad place.

From there we headed to the museum. The museum was full of everything from melted glass bottles, to bent steal and concrete structures, a replica of the "Fat Man" nuclear bomb that was dropped on the city, to videos, paintings, pictures, and other similar sorts of items. I was blown away at the power and devestation of the bomb. Inside the museum there is a segment of a tree-trunk that is probably 8 inches across, and in the center is a piece of ceramic bowl that become lodged there when the bomb went off. To imagine a piece of plate or bowl being forced through 8 inches of wood, is something that I can't really imagine. The museum taught me a lot about the bombing and the events afterwards, but it also showed the world and how many bombs every country is supposedly holding. I think the United States and Russia really need to cut back on their arsenal of nuclear bombs. There is no need to have thousands of nuclear bombs in stock, especially when other countries are limited and told not to possess bombs or face economic sanctions.

After the museum, we went to the park near the epicenter of where the bomb went off. It was a surreal experience having a picnic lunch in a park where a nuclear bomb leveled a city. I still wonder if I ate some lingering radiation with my rice...In the center of the park are the mangled remains of what was once the biggest Catholic church in all of Asia (according to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urakami_Cathedral). That is all for my post today. I will continue with part 2 on another day.

Kumamoto: A New Type of Experience

2010-03-31T22:04:00.000-07:00

From Beppu we caught a train to the city of Kumamoto. For some reason I had it in my head that it was a little small city off the beaten path; a castle, one of my favorite authors former homes, and some traditional architecture. I was wrong. Kumamoto is a bustling city with plenty of big buildings, bridges, restaurants, etc. We arrived at the train station and from there called our hostel to find directions. For the first time during our trip, English was more useful than Japanese in communication with hostel staff. Why? The man in question was an American from California, and he and his Japanese wife ran the hostel out of their home in a neighborhood not far from the train station.

We had stayed in many different hostels (and even a business hotel) during our travels, but this was our first "homely" experience. Literally, the second floor of their home. They had a son, a dog, and a refrigerator covered with crayon drawings. It was a night to remember. After we settled in that night, we took a walk to Kumamoto Castle to see what it was like. I was very impressed, it was very big and played an important part in Japanese history. From there we headed back to the hostel to sleep, wake up, and head back to the castle the next day so that we could go inside and see all of the old armaments and architecture. The view from the top floor was amazing and you could see most of the city from there.

After our adventure at the castle, we gathered our belongings and took a bus to ride a ferry from Kumamoto to Nagasaki. The ferry was free because of the bus pass we bought for around $80, and it was a smooth forty-minute ride all the way to Nagasaki Prefecture. The inside of the ferry had everything you could want, a snack bar, comfortable furniture, a deck where people (including myself) fed Sky Rats, and tv's with Olympic coverage. What a trip it was.

Beppu

2010-03-30T21:24:00.001-07:00

The day after our trip to Yufuin, Soojeong and I decided to see the famous hot springs along the "Beppu 地獄 (Jigoku= hell) Tour". The hells consisted of 8 themed "hell parks" with themes ranging from an ocean hell, to a mountains hell, a crocodile hell, a blood red bubbling lake hell, and a couple of other different themed adventures.

We took a bus that morning from Beppu station and got off at the hells, spend between 15-20 minutes at each place taking pictures and seeing all of the unique attractions. The weather that day was nice, and it felt good to get out with Soojeong and enjoy the day. We even ate a breakfast there of hot-spring boiled eggs. The crowds that day were not very big, so we really had the chance to take the time to look at everything we wanted.

I don't really know if I had a favorite hell. There were two that were very beautifully colored (one blue and one white) that reminded me a lot of some of the hot-springs that I had seen in Yellowstone years back. The tickets for the tour were roughly $20.00 dollars, and I think that it was well worth the money; a beautiful weather, a perfect date, and memories made that can not be forgotten. If you are ever in Beppu, I highly advise checking out the attractions that make it famous. The town is popular for that reason afterall.

Day Trip from Beppu: Yufuin 湯布院町

2010-03-12T17:56:00.000-08:00

During our trip to Beppu, Japan (of which pictures will be later added) we decided to take a day trip to the town of Yufuin famous for its onsens (hot springs), and charming little streets. We took a bus from the train station in Beppu and off we went to explore.

The ride took around an hour and a half to get there, and along the way we were able to see many grass fires set right along-side the road. The burns were controlled and probably started to help wild grasses seed..or something along those lines. When we got to the town, we took off trying to find the hot spring we had decided on from Soojeong's book. The streets were full of interesting little shops, carriages pulled by people, and lots of interesting sights and smells.

We found our hot spring and took a nice thirty minute break in the hot water to recharge. It was kind of expensive for the bath they had (around $4.00 USD), but it was part of the experience, so I can't complain about that. When we finished, we caught the bus back to Beppu where we had a free dinner party at the hostel. We lucked out that night and had okonomiyaki, free beer, chips, chocolate, and Wii Mario Kart. For a poor college student on vacation, a free meal like that is something that many dream of, and few actually experience. I feel I am one of the lucky few.

For the fans of My Neighbor Totoro:

The outdoor bath. It felt wonderful, but it reminded me of going to the water park in Colorado during the Hayman fire with ash raining into the water.

Some pictures of the part of the town with the "old-timey feel".

Day Trip: Dazaifu

2010-03-06T20:32:00.000-08:00

During our stay in Fukuoka, Soo Jeong and I decided to take a day-trip to the town of Dazaifu to see the famous temple and plum trees there. Having been in the biggest city in Kyushu for two days already, we thought it would be a good chance to get out and see some nature that the city parks couldn't offer (I don't really count a dirt lot as a park...) and enjoy a day away from everything else.

We took a train to Dazifu, only having to switch trains at another station one time. The weather that day was beautiful and sunny, with a slightly cool breeze, but compared to our frozen mountain home of Matsumoto, it felt heavenly.

When we first got off the train I was surprised to see so many people out in the streets. It really was a sea of people. The main avenue was lined with beautiful shops selling everything from local specialty foods, to glass wares, and other local souvenirs. With the street full of good smells, happy people, and warm sun-light, we were off to a good start.

The temple grounds were beautiful, and to be there with Soo Jeong on such a beautiful day, was the best part of the trip. We took a lot of pictures of the trees, each other, the temple, and all of the other sights that made our trip one to be remembered. We ate lunch our lunch of okonomiyaki under the blooming plum trees. It was a perfect unplanned lunch picnic.

After lunch we took off on foot to other parts of the town, looking at the trees in bloom, the country fields, and old buildings along the way. We made our way to a museum where we were given a free explanation in Japanese, of the history of the land there. A long time ago it was a very important military and administrative center of Japan. The buildings are no longer remaining, but the recreation models, along with the artifacts on display, show that it was an impressive area.

After our walk along the temple grounds, we set off back to the temple for a last glimpse and to take a walk along the plum tree lined sidewalks. We took a train back to Fukuoka, talking about our trip and looking at pictures along the way.

Fukuoka

2010-03-03T17:34:00.000-08:00

The next stop on our journey was the city of Fukuoka. Fukuoka is the biggest city on the island of Kyushu, and the three of us Soo Jeong, Goun Ha (Soo Jeong's friend from Korea), and myself, made camp there for four days. During our stay we traveled the city visiting temples, museums, eating good food, shrines, temples, and shopping malls. We even got to go to a beach for part of the morning, but it was too cold to swim :(

For our lodgings, we mainly stayed at a youth hostel. The hostel was very cheap, around $20/night. It had a television room, a kitchen with free coffee, tea, etc., and free internet access. After exploring the city on foot almost everyday, it was nice to just sit in the kitchen with everyone, have a cup of tea or beer, play games, and plan out the next day's adventures. I highly recommend the hostel experience to anyone.

To talk about everything we did would take a lot of time, so I hope that the pictures will help to speed up the process a little.

The only picture taken at the Khaosan Fukuoka Hostel.

The next three photos are taken from the 13th floor of a building near the city's fish market. We had wanted to go to the market, but went too late in the day, so we were recommended to get a good view of the bay and surrounding city from this building.

This is a temple that Soo Jeong and I found on our walk back from the building with a view of the bay. It was beautiful, quiet, and I think that we were the only two people there when the photo was taken.

The robot park in Fukuoka was amazing. Always seeing programs on television or youtube about Japanese robots, I was curious to see what they could do, and at the Robot Square, I was able to do just that. They had everything from the small robots that clean your floor, to dog robots that are smarter than I am (it could take your picture, listen to your commands, and when you would pet it, it would react just like a real dog), and a seal pup modeled robot that was designed to help the elderly to feel less lonely.

Soo Jeong and Goun Ha at the one of the temples we visited. In the first picture, Soo Jeong is translating Goun Ha's fortune from Japanese into Korean. Some places have the fortunes in a variety of languages, but most commonly you find them in Japanese. The second picture, we were all taking pictures at the same time. It seems like a lot of my photos are of everyone else taking photos.

The weather in Kyushu is much warmer than here in Matsumoto, and we were all very surprised to see flowers and fruit trees in bloom. This photo was taken at a shrine.

Not nearly as magnificent as the tori gates in Kyoto, this small row of them in Kyushu was very beautiful.

A picture of some of the days catches being sold at a fish market. I have always been amazed when watching a show like Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, and seeing all of the strange things that you can find in a market. There were so many little sea creatures and fish that I was clueless about.

The Way There: Osaka and Kita Kyushu

2010-03-01T21:15:00.000-08:00

Soo Jeong and I left Matsumoto early in the morning on the 18th to head to the island of Kyushu. Going by bus was more economical than trying to book an expensive flight, so we took buses to and from the island. On the way there, we had a partial day layover in the city of Osaka, famous for a number of reasons; Osaka Castle, Osaka dialect, and more specifically the foods; okonomiyaki and takoyaki. The layover was fun, and we decided to indulge in Osaka's version of okonomiyaki for lunch, followed by a sample plate of takoyaki bought at a stand as we explored the city.

From Osaka we took an overnight bus to the island of Kyushu, landing in the city of Kita Kyushu, where we ate breakfast looked at the castle, went to a shopping center, and made a trip to the airport to meet Soo Jeong's friend from Korea who came to travel with us.
Me with my infamous goofy smile.

Okonomiyaki- egg, cabbage, some sort of baking powder, squid and beef topped with sauce and fish flakes. Delicious.

Just a view down one of the canal areas of the city.

The castle in Kita Kyushu.

Back From Vacation

2010-02-28T20:28:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,

I just thought I would let everyone know that I am back from my 10 day trip to Kyushu, Japan. It is an island southwest of the mainland. We saw and did a lot on this trip, stopping in the cities of Osaka, Fukuoka, Kita Kyushu, Beppu, Kumamoto, and finally Nagasaki, doing everything from eating specialty foods, visiting shrines and temples, taking a break in a hot spring, seeing volcanoes and fires, visiting two different castles, and having a picnic right where a nuclear bomb was detonated.

Since there is a lot to cover, and over 400 pictures to upload, I will be doing the next few blogs in installments. It will start with Osaka and end in Nagasaki. I hope that everyone is doing well. I will try to start on these posts before too long. Take care.

The Tokyo Experience

2010-01-30T03:57:00.000-08:00

Long in the waiting, here are the pictures from my weekend trip to Tokyo to meet my friend from back in Stillwater, Grace. It was a lot of fun, and I learned that big cities are full of interesting sights, sounds, and people.

The inside of my capsule. I stayed in a capsule hotel in Shinjuku for two nights. For full details/explaination, please watched the later posted link.

Interesting looking puzzle building thing. I thought it was pretty cool looking.

"Be Safe" Outside of Condomania in Harajuku

The crazy shopping street in Harajuku. There were more people there than in any place I have seen.

A shrine just around the corner from my hotel. The day I took this picture, there was an outdoor flea market going on.

A giant-moving crab sign that was in Shinjuku.

At this restaurant, you buy the ticket out of the machine that you see in front of me, take the ticket to the counter, specify want you want, and within a minute you have a bowl of hot and delicious noodles.

These were the noodles I bought for a very reasonable price.

Typical shot of a big city at night. It was really weird venturing alone to one of the biggest cities in the world. I had a great time.

Grace and I at a "Cat Cafe", where urban dwellers who are not able to own cats, can pay a fee to sit in a room full of couches, read books, and pet cats that are pathetically lazy. We just went for the experience.

I never did research to find out what building this is, but I thought it was really interesting.

Link to my capsule hotel stay video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9emfUp1b6o

New Years Day: Kiso-Fukushima

2010-01-14T01:25:00.000-08:00

This is just going to be a quick post of my New Year's Day trip to the Kiso Valley with Hyoon Wu and Soo Jeong. We started the day out by making our lunch at Soo Jeong's apartment (I think the picture is crooked on my blog), and then set out by foot to the train station where we caught a train to ride to the Kiso-Fukushima area, which probably took a little over an hour our so.

The area is very beautiful, and it snowed a little almost the whole trip. The countryside on the way there was beautiful, and the snow-covered mountains made the effect even more stunning. When we arrived in the town we set about to exploring the streets and the sights of Kiso. We found our way to a covered bench area, where we ate our lunch and played around for a while.

After lunch we found some temples, took some pictures, play around some more, and then caught a train back to Matsumoto. It was a wonderful trip that I will never forget, and I hope that I can go back to visit when the weather is warmer. I would like to hike to the waterfall then.

I am sorry for such a short post and lack of blogging, with starting my new OSU course two days ago, I have been trying to balance 9:00-2:30 classes, 2.5 hours of OSU work, 1-2 hours of Japanese study on top of homework, and having time to eat and spend time with friends. When I have the chance I will post my pictures of Tokyo, etc. Until then, I am trying to make a 5 month long class, take only 1 month so I can enjoy my spring break. I hope everyone is well. Enjoy.

T

Birthday

2010-01-02T15:08:00.001-08:00

My birthday this year was amazing. It started out a midnight knock at the door from my wonderful friend Soojeong, who had made me a cake, lit the candles, and delivered it to me. That meant so much to me, and I will always remember that night.

Later on in the day, I met with my good friend Jake for a run along the river. Exercising always makes me feel like a better person, especially when I have been lazy during the holiday season. After our run, Jake treated me to a hot spring visit for my birthday gift. It was so relaxing, and it was great to just sit and talk with my friend about life and how things are going. I am lucky to have such wonderful friends here in Japan.

While I was at the onsen, Soojeong had filled decorated my apartment for my birthday with balloons. There were a ton of them! It must have taken her a long time to do all of that, and that meant a lot to me. Later that night, she fixed me a full course Korean birthday meal that was delicious. I was very spoiled that day with birthday wishes and gifts from friends (delicious chocolate from Bregt and a really cool little red Daruma from Suzan) here in Matsumoto.

Want to Look Like President Obama?

2009-12-25T05:44:00.000-08:00

Now you too can have an influential, sexy, and stylish haircut like our president Mr. Barack Obama, for the low price of roughly $22 USD*

The Last Day of Class Before Break

2009-12-22T17:01:00.000-08:00

Wow.. Winter break is finally here.

Yesterday was the last of class at 信州大学　before classes resume again on January 5th. Class was great, and yesterday we started to learn　敬語　（Keigo）, which is the most polite form of the Japanese language. It is interesting to see how verbs and other expressions change when speaking to someone of higher status or "rank" than you. It made me laugh when the instructor told us that most Japanese students don't speak Keigo like they should to their professors at the university, but we learn to and use it.

I know that it is winter break, but I can't stop studying. My good friend Jake and I went to the bookstore, and I bought a short story collection from a very famous author that he recommended. The Japanese is pretty difficult at times, but I think that it is fun trying to look up words and see if I can get the context right. If I get stuck, Jake reads novels like they were newspapers, so I can always ask him for help on difficult grammar. I feel better and better about my ability to speak and understand Japanese everyday, and I really think that by the end of the stay this year, I will be able to really express my thoughts, feelings, and desires in Japanese. I have a long way to go before I am at the level I want to be (JLPT 1), but I will continue my studies when I move back here after I graduate. Nothing to worry about at all.

Yesterday evening, I was invited by my friend Suzan to meet her family visiting from Europe, for a night of dinner and conversation. It was a wonderful time, and they are wonderful people. When I think about it, it is funny that a table full of students from 4 different countries (plus Suzan's family), can sit around the table and talk about daily life and the things we enjoy.

I don't really have any big plans for this holiday break; I am going to buy a bed, a rug, a new jacket, and a few other things to make the place a little more cozy.　I enjoy my futon because it is very cozy, but I really don't like having a bed on the floor where the blankets and all just rest on the hardwood. I really want the rug just to make the place look a little spruced-up. Most apartments and such here are without central heat and air, so the floor tends to be a bit chilly to the bare foot most of the day. I think the rug will take care of that.

Today I am going to have a mountain picnic with my friend スジョン, to a mountain where we can see all of Matsumoto. The weather is beautiful today, and the sun is shining, so it will be a great time. I hope to travel some more this break, but as of right now, the only destination I have in mind is Tokyo for a day or two to see my friend Grace when she comes to Japan for a few weeks. I am really looking forward to it. Most of my big travel plans will happen when our 2 month long Spring break arrives here. I have a lot of places I want to go see, and I can't wait to get out and just get lost. Even if I had to walk from place to place, that to me would be such a wonderful memory, and an experience so different from that of other travelers.

In my Tuesday night multicultural understanding class. My friend ヒョンウ and I. He is such a funny guy that are presentations are always funny.

This magazine that a student so skillfully edited, made me crack up for personal reasons, so I thought I would share this guys joy with you.

山本先生 (Yamamoto Sensei) is one of my favorite professors here at the university, and this is her posing with her diagram of how keigo/regular speech work between different people at different "ranks"

This is an apple she brought to class that she made a design on. From what I got from her explanation, she bought it when it was green, made a sticker-like design on it, and then let it ripen to where the color would change leaving the colored part lighter. Cute isn't it?

I am Alive

2009-12-20T02:33:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to show everyone that I am alive still, and things are going very well in all categories; life, linguistics, and love (lol, just kidding on that one) here in Japan. As Wednesday is the beginning of 冬休み, there will be plenty of posting time.

Wow...I Need to Post More Often

2009-12-10T05:12:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!

Sorry that it has taken me so long to drop a line, I have been extremely busy lately with class and studying. Things are going great here in Matsumoto, and the weather is finally taking on the familiar winter traits; frost, ice, and cold humid air. Everyday I walk to school, the mountains seem to have more and more snow on them. I really hope that I can go snowboarding during our winter break. I might go this weekend, but in order to do that, I need to buy some heavier winter gear (I know.. I should have brought a heavier coat) and psyche myself up mentally for the beating my body will take. Last time I went snowboarding, I was on my knees or my @ss most of the time. Yeah... I don't want a repeat of that. Nagano Prefecture is very famous for being one of the ski hubs of Japan (besides Hokkaido) because it is in the Japanese Alps. I am really looking forward to trying it out here. I really have no idea what winter break will bring, but I am really thinking of taking a weekend train to Nagano City to explore and enjoy a day or two outside of Matsumoto.

Classes are still going well right now, and we are still flying! Today we just finished lesson 35 of 48 in our book series. Earlier this week was our Japanese test, and I am happy to say that I did well :) I have been spending a lot of time studying, and I really think that it has paid off. I know I have a long way to go until I am at the level I want to be (native), but I think I am on the right track to getting there. There is no easy way to learn, and it really takes a lot of practice; both in learning out of the book, and with speaking A LOT. I have yet to encounter anyone here (even those foreigners who can speak at a near native level) who has said that Japanese is easy for them. The fact is that it kicks everyone where it counts, and for Americans especially, things are pretty rough since we don't have the kanji advantage like the Chinese students, or the similar grammar structure like Korean students do. We are literally up the creek with a paddle in this world.

That is all I really have to say for the moment, so I should probably get ready to head to bed. Maybe I will actually get around to posting some pictures and video this weekend :) Take care.

The Western Mountains/ Random Bits of Information

2009-11-29T03:02:00.001-08:00

After looking through the pictures I have taken thus far, I realized that I haven't really shown anyone pictures of the "real" mountains around Matsumoto. Most of the pictures I have taken are of the eastern side of the city, where the mountains are fairly small. The western side is different. Much different. These mountains tower over the city of Matsumoto and it's skyline.

Even in the Matsumoto train station, there are plaques with the silhouettes of the mountains in the range and their size and name. It is really interesting to see how they have changed the past few weeks as snow has moved in. Skiing should be good this year for those who travel here to do so.

Things are still going well here, and I really feel more at home with each passing day. Fortunately, I have had no more random encounters with the local police, and things have been rather normal. I say "normal", but nothing is really ever normal here; from the stares I get everyday, to the things I see in stores and walking around the city, nothing is very normal in our sense of the word. This is a foreign land, and I am, and will always be, a foreigner. I don't really know who reads this blog, but for people who think Japan is a dreamland where they can fully assimilate and practice the ancient martial ways in peace, live a life straight from a Japanese manga, or just get away from their problems back home; I hate to tell you this, but it isn't quite that easy..

Classes are still going well, and we have covered a lot of new helpful grammar; conditional-forms, potential-forms, describing doing two actions at the same time, describing/emphasizing actions or events that have been completed (~てしまいました/しまいます）, and countless other forms. Our next test is in two weeks, and I think it will go just fine. My Japanese is by no means great at all yet, but I truly think my ability to converse and get around has increased by 200% or so in these first two months. I sometimes wonder how far I will have progressed linguistically by the time I return home. It's exciting to think about; a little more than 7 months left to improve.

Today was my first time to get a haircut in Japan. Can you believe that when you go to where I did, you pay 1,500 yen for a ticket out of a vending machine to get your haircut? You take the ticket, sit down on a long bench, and hand them your ticket when you step up to the chair. Like I said, things are never quite what you expect them to be here. I am still amazed that vending machines have both hot and cold drinks in them. I guess I am easily amused.

This week I will try to venture out for some interesting blog material. I have no idea what the week will bring, but I know that I will post about it whenever I find out. I hope that everyone is well back home. Take care.

Fun + Cold = Fall

2009-11-20T14:53:00.000-08:00

Fall has finally arrived here in our little mountain city. It has been a good week or two since I was able to face the elements wearing just a long sleeve. It is now time for the big gear; snow caps and gloves. With the change in temperature, there has also been a noticeable change in the scenery around town. All of the surrounding mountains look like patchwork quilts full of reds, yellows, golds, and now white from the snow. It is like the mountains are molting. I really wish that my camera could get the full effect of the change, but alas, some things I guess are just not meant to be.

A lot seems to have been going on lately, and things are really picking up here, both in school and out of it. This week we started the second textbook in our series. We are really flying right now. It is truly a strange experience when you learn a new grammar point, and hear it being used in conversation soon after. It really opens up a new door for you and your abilities when you start to hear things that you never caught before. This happens all of the time here. I am by no means great at Japanese yet, I have 8 months to fix my errors, but I have really noticed a growth in my ability in just the past two weeks. Hallelujah brothers! I have been saved.

This past week I was invited out to dinner with my friend スジョン (Su Jon)　from South Korea, and her friend ちさと (Chisato). We went out to a local ramen restaurant and enjoyed a bowl of "hell ramen", yakisoba (crunchy noodles with cooked vegetables), and dumplings. Maybe it is just my desensitized mouth speaking, but I think that if you are going to call something "hell ramen", at least make it spicy enough to feel the burn.

Last night was an evening spent with my friend Daniel and friends. We hung out at his apartment for awhile until his good friend and DJ みちはる (Michiharu) came by to join us. Even if the conversation topics are limited, it is good to know that I can have normal conversations in Japanese fairly easy now. みちはる doesn't really speak English at all, so having to communicate in Japanese really made things fun. We had a great time. From Daniels we met スジョン at a little bar/pub called "U2" for a drink and to just relax and enjoy our first night of the weekend. Incidentally, on the way home around 1:00 a.m., I was met with flashing lights from none other than the usually invisible Japanese police. It was quite the interesting experience, and after explaining that I had just met my friends, one of the policeman and I realized we had met before; remember the bike incident? We reminisced for a moment, and then they just let me walk away without any more questions. I really don't know why they stopped me, I have never been drunk so that knocks out that reason, so maybe it was because it was the wee early hours of the morning? That is just my life though. Small world eh?

The rest of this weekend will be used to just relax and take care of things around the house. I will most likely clean up some, study a lot, and enjoy the 3-day weekend. That is really all I know at the moment, but I will post sometime this week about the new happenings in Matsumoto. Take care.

Here is a link to a walk around my neighborhood:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDUsppQPGIc

A really neat cafe named "Banana Moon" in the woods near the city of Azumino. After I helped my friends Charlie(pictured) and Yasuko(also pictured) at an event promoting his books, they took me to this place as a thank you gesture. It was really neat and inside were rooms full of paintings by a famous Japanese painter who happens to be Charlies roommates father. His roommate is also a very skilled painter.

Just a few late afternoon shots of Matsumoto in fall. The colors are very beautiful right now. Everyday I think a little more snow falls on the mountains, but that is to be expected, we are in Japan's ski country.

A Whole Lot of Nothing New

2009-11-12T00:02:00.000-08:00

It is strange to think that we have almost reached the two month mark of living here in Japan. Living on my own for the first time has been kind of different, but I am adjusting to it well. Life here is always interesting, and I truly learn something new about the way things are done here everyday. The Japan that most people imagine to exist, does exist, but to find it, and truly understand it, takes a little bit of searching not only on the map, but in yourself as well (as you ponder the amount of grammatical errors I just made, think about what I said as well).

On a different note, classes are still going very well. The first tests went very well and I think that if I keep my head in the game, the rest will be just fine. As of today, we finished Lesson 22/25 in our first textbook. That is cooking! Meeting with my tutor and friends often really helps to reinforce everything I've learned. I still have a ways to go until I hit my goal for the halfway point, but I have three months to get there though, and I am doing well to meet that now.

Nothing too new has really been going on here. This Sunday I went to the city of Azumino to help Charlie out. Charlie is a great guy. He has seen and done so much (like riding a bike across Japan for a year and writing a book about it) in his life. Currently he writes a manga (comic) in his spare time from his job. This weekend I helped him out by wearing the characters costume, and whatever else he needed. It was a great experience, and I met some wonderful people at the event.

In about.. 40 minutes, I will meet with my tutor to take her out for her birthday dinner. We are going to eat at a omelet/rice restaurant that she really enjoys. I hope it is tasty because I am starving. I hope everyone has a great rest of the week. I will post sometime soon again. じゃ、またね。

A Few Clips From Culture Day

2009-11-05T00:40:00.000-08:00

Samurai Procession on the Castle Grounds: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPk5DLFPdP4

A Walk Down Nawate-Dori "Frog Street": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRXDvTbqIJw

Found Engrish- This one is for Roger

2009-11-03T03:56:00.000-08:00

I did a lot today. Plain and simple, a lot. Since it will take me awhile to upload all of the videos and pictures from the Culture Day events, I thought I would share a little bit of something that made my day just a little bit better; Engrish. This beauty of a specimen was found by my friend Daniel while we were looking at kitchen knives in one of the malls today. I needed a new knife, and with the added Engrish, I couldn't refuse it. It was a 100円 well spent.

A plain-old blue fruit knife. Not that impressive. But if you look above my left thumb, there is a piece of gold. I will admit though, looking through my posts is about the same, if you really take the time to pick everything apart, there are enough comma splices and semi-colon mistakes to make any grammar hound laugh.

Really? Come on now, "The thinking which it cut is hard to stick to a knife." I know what they are trying to get at.. but they missed the mark by a good 10 yards.

The back of the package also reads at one spot, "After use, wash it with the sponge of the soft cloth, and the detergent for the tableware, and wipe off the moisture well with the dried cloth."

Enjoy.

School Festival & Other Things

2009-11-02T05:17:00.000-08:00

Where to start...? I think the Halloween event Saturday afternoon is a good place, so Saturday it shall be. That morning Jesse and I met our friend Daniel and some other really nice people at Richards Eikaiwa (English conversation school), where we loaded into the van and headed to Minami Matsumoto for some Halloween fun. Jesse and I helped volunteer in the haunted house, and spent the good part of 5 hours scaring children and adults alike. It made me feel kind of bad that some of the children cried, but I guess that is just how things go. It was a lot of fun, and it was a great chance for the people of Matsumoto to experience what Halloween is all about. There was a little bit of everything for everyone. There was even a jam room upstairs where people could listen to music or help join in the playing. It was a wonderful chance to meet new people and help out in the community :)

Sunday was a day to experience an event of a different kind; the school festival. This is the biggest event of its kind throughout the year at Shinshu, and all of the circles (clubs) set up booths to sell all sorts of grilled meats, snacks, soups, desserts, and alcohol. It is nowhere near as big as Homecoming back home, but there were a large number of people out enjoying the beautiful weather and all the festival had to offer. The night before I received a text from my friend Miyuki asking if I would like to go there when she did at 11:00, and that sounded wonderful, so the next day I got ready, and took to off to the school. It was a great chance to see all that the school had to show, and see everyone out having a great time. My friend Daniel met up with us as well, and together we relaxed and took in all of the sights and sounds. I even tried a glass of sake, a paper cups worth for only 200円. It was not the most tasty drink in the world, take my word on that one, but it was an experience nonetheless.

After the festival, I helped Daniel, Richard, and his wife to move pumpkins out to their friend Heathers house just outside of Matsumoto City itself, so that she could use them as fertilizer in her garden. She and her husband own a beautiful old Japanese home that they have refurbished. It is very ornate and traditional. That was my first time to visit a home like that, and I really enjoyed it. They have fruit trees, grow wheat and barley, and will have a rice patch this year.

After we unloaded all of the pumpkins, Heather served us chai tea made on a traditional old wood stove, along with a delicious apple cake that she made that day. The warm food and drink really helped to warm us from the cold and rain outside that day. When we had finished, we loaded up and headed back home for the night. It was a wonderful finish to a wonderful weekend.

Oh yeah! I think I tore my first test apart.

Here is also a link to some music I recorded while at the festival:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Enh866Ml1rc

Would you like to try a drink at the 信大(Shindai) cocktail bar? I'm not sure if that is who I bought my drink from, there were a couple of similar stands. This one had interesting signs though.

People wandering about the main square on campus.

Some stalls set up along the way.

My good friend and former 信大 student Daniel, two of Miyuki's friends, and me with my shades.

Update

2009-10-29T22:59:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the delay in posting, classes here are keeping me very busy every day. This post is just going to be a quick update on what has been going on. I will make an actual post in a day or two. So far, here is what has been going on:

1. Studying for my first test- Everyday we cover a new lesson in class (verbs, adjectives, you name it, we do it) that we practice extensively, and then work the sheet(s) of homework we get for that lesson every night. Our first test is over 16 lessons, and I think it will quite straight forward. Practicing and reviewing the material each class really helps get the language down, and I can honestly say that my language skills are much better than they were state-side, after just a month of class. It is much easier to remember things when you have to use them everyday. The way the classes here are organized is very good, and the program has been very successful. I really wonder how much my language skills will have grown by my birthday in two months?

2. Exploring- I get out all of the time and look for new places to see, and things to do. I am leaving shortly to meet Jesse and bike to the mountains. I really look forward to going to Minami Matsumoto this weekend to help work a haunted house. I have never been to the town before, so it will be quite an adventure. I love to ride trains.

3. Meeting new people- I am meeting new people ALL the time. I have done everything from playing Wii with students at a Halloween party, to traveling out of town with people, to going out to eat/drink with friends. I really feel like I am starting to settle in. Hell, I even played some soccer last week at the university with some students. That same day, I was also invited by an older Japanese man to check out a little craft fair. It was a lot of fun, I was given popcorn, cotton candy, and even a pat on the backside from an elderly Japanese woman ;)

This Sunday is also a festival at the university that is supposed to biggest event of the year. I am really looking forward to seeing all of the dancing and other events that they have going on. I saw them practicing the Soran Bushi dance just the other night, and it looked great. That is all I know for now, but I will post back in a day or two.

The New Pseudo-Momma Trolley

2009-10-23T16:41:00.000-07:00

This red and rather...different..bike is my newest mode of transportation this side of the Pacific. She has everything that you could want in a bicycle except for shocks. As the title suggests my bike is a pseudo version of what my friend Daniel calls a "Momma Trolley". These Momma Trolleys are named as such because of the service they provide to children all across Japan. I have seen one child in the front in a tiny seat, and one in the back in another seat. It is very interesting to see. I am willing to bet that they don't get pulled over by the police for double or triple riding on the bike though.

The little bell to warn people you are flying by them.

The semi-Engrish "Switch to bicycle life" brand.

This cool thing is the bicycle light. There is a little switch you flick to make the light turn at an angle towards the tire...

so that it can be charged when the wheel turns the nob on top and charges your light in the dark. It still fascinates me. Notice how the tires tred matches the grooves in the metal disk.

Norikura Heights

2009-10-18T01:44:00.000-07:00

This weekend Jesse and I experienced something truly wonderful; a day trip to the mountains for hiking, eating at a wonderful hostel/inn in the mountains, and a hot spring to soothe our aching muscles. Our destination was the Norikura Heights.

For only ¥1,000 yen (roughly $11) we were given transportation to and from Matsumoto to the Norikura Heights, lunch (which probably would have cost $15/person), and a hot spring experience. That is so cheap it is almost stealing. The ride there was beautiful. The trees are just beginning to change their color here, so the mountains were full of color. I really enjoyed looking at all of the little streams and waterfalls that we passed on our way. The water here has a semi-blue tint to it that is very pretty to look at. Once we arrived at our destination, Jesse and I broke off from the rest of the travelers and headed off on our own up into the mountains. We followed a rocky stream bed and eventually headed back towards base down a ski slope. It was an interesting experience.

After we enjoyed our hike, we were taken to a little inn located down the mountain a ways. It was very beautiful and reminded me a lot of some of the homes you find in the mountains of Colorado. A lot of the trees looked like they were Aspens. At the inn, we were treated to a wonderful lunch that consisted of rice, whole fish cooked in leaves, tofu, cucumber salad, green tea, and a shabu shabu pot (it is an onomatopoeia for "swish swish", meaning you throw vegetables, meat, lettuce, etc. into a seasoned broth pot, and enjoy it when everything is cooked) which was very delicious. We all had fun trying to play a Alphorn (Swiss mountain horn that is very long) after dinner. I am glad that my trumpet playing allowed me to make a nice sound out of it. Jesse sounded like a professional. His was the best out of everyone who tried it.

After our delicious lunch we headed to the inns hot spring. It was my first time to visit a hot spring, and it will not be my last. If you can get over the fact that you are stripping down to your birthday suit with many other guys in the room, and then sharing a bath together, it is truly enjoyable. It really isn't awkward at all. I highly recommend visiting a hot spring if you have the opportunity to do so.

On a side note, life in Matsumoto is becoming more wonderful with each passing day. Since I have been here, I have seen a tremendous growth in my Japanese skills in all areas. Every day I seem to have more and more conversations with the locals which is helping me a lot. Hopefully I will be able to communicate a lot by the time my birthday rolls around in December. I really think it will be much easier by then. I recently bought a new phone and bicycle (both of which I will post on later) this week, and they have really helped make life much easier. Phones are a wonderful way to improve language skills. That is really all I know at the moment. Another week= more Japanese classes and homework. I hope everyone is well. Take care

Picture credits go to Jesse who skillfully took them from his window seat on the bus.

Lunch at the inn.

Just A Quick Update

2009-10-14T05:54:00.000-07:00

Just 5 days left until Jesse and I have been in Japan for a month and I am still loving every minute of it. Before I left people would occasionally say something along the lines of, "Japan will be quite a bit different than what you have idealized it to be" and I have to say to those people that you are both wrong and right. Strange eh? Let me explain. I have found everything I thought I would find here; temples, shrines, beautiful mountains, friendly people, fascinating history/culture, cool hole in the wall restaurants and shops, vending machines of every variety (alcohol, cigarette, soft-drinks, etc., and everything else that you can think of. Every little thing seems to make me laugh. As I write this, I am sitting next to an empty can of "Happy Happy うれしい（Happy)　アップル　（Apple) Joyful Fruit Drink", and a bag of "American Popcorn". I don't know how they get so much of that red, white, and blue taste in to one bag. The bag seriously has all the a fore mentioned colors on the label.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, let me explain some other things that I have noticed in Japan. First, people are very very friendly, and it is not uncommon at all to have little friendly chats with people you meet places. There is always a lot of bowing and saying "excuse me", and everyone gets along great. I have never feared for my safety at all when walking around anywhere at any time of the day or night. Now that I have explained that, let me explain what else I have noticed in regards to people; you are seen by all but approached by few. I'm talking about life on campus itself. Not once in any of my days on campus, have I had anyone just say, "hello, how are you" (Japanese tutors aren't counted in this figure) or "where are you from?". It just hasn't happened yet. It may be that they are shy around international students. There are only 3 American students on campus; Jesse, myself, and Jake (who has lived in Japan for nearly 4 years and who is very fluent in the language). I don't even think he is on an exchange program. He takes regular courses in Japanese. The language barrier is a strong one, and people are afraid to approach it. For as melancholic as my musings may sound, have no fear, these are things I know will soon disappear. It really is amazing how much people will open up to you once you approach them and try to learn more about them and their interests. Compared to when I left, my Japanese skills are really starting to grow quickly and with much better results. Tomorrow I will meet with some of my Japanese friends on campus for an evening of communicating and laughter (I do have friends here) This weekend will bring me a new bicycle, my cell phone, hiking/picnic/hot spring, and dinner in a nearby town with one of my friends. I look forward to all of it, and I will let you know how everything goes. Take care everyone.

A strange eye-shaped basin found inside a little man-made cave in the mountains. I don't know what it represents. Behind it, near the wall of the cave, is a white stone marker that has no legible writing on it.

Soba Festival

2009-10-11T02:52:00.000-07:00

This Saturday was the Matsumoto City Soba Festival held at Matsumoto Castle. It was a neat festival packed full of food vendors selling everything from candied fruits to ice cream and grilled meats, to of course the soba which is famous in Shinshu.

The weather was beautiful and the temperature was perfect for exploring the castle grounds and everything that the festival had to offer. I did buy some cold soba for lunch, and I have to say that it was delicious. One of the things that you have to get used to in Japan is feeling like an exotic animal on exhibit. Of course you may be thinking "Whoa Sam! That's a weird thing to say", but let me assure you, that is the truth. There isn't a day that goes by that Jesse and I aren't looked at with curiosity. The reactions can be quite funny at times. A group of us foreigners (3 Shinshu students)actually found a news-sized camera focused on us while we ate our lunch. It as almost as they were thinking, "Wow, they are really using chopsticks...".

My soba lunch もりそば (Mori Soba). It was delicious.

Man making soba noodles.

Matsumoto Castle. It is also known by the name of "からすじょ”（Karasu-jo）The Crow Castle because of its black color.

Typhoon!!!

2009-10-07T04:43:00.000-07:00

Here is a special bonus blog for the day. Enjoy.

Bonus points to Japanese speakers who can find the furigana that was misplaced in the rush to get it printed and delivered.

Class

2009-10-06T22:32:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

Where do I begin? I guess I will start with the layout of the Japanese classes at Shinshu university. 　Everyday I study Japanese from 9:00-2:30(毎日,9:00時から2:30まで日本語をべんきょうします<--I feel like a little kid.) We stay in the same classroom everyday and our teachers rotate depending on the day. This is my schedule as of this semester：

Monday- 9:00-10:30/Grammar（文法） 10:40-12:10/Conversation（会話）
　　　　　1:00-2:30：Composition（作文）

Tuesday- 9:00-10:30/Grammar(文法）10:40-12:10/Conversation（会話）
1:00-2:30/Kanji（漢字） 4:20-5:50/Multicultural Understanding

Wednesday- 9:00-10:30/Grammar（文法） 10:40-12:10/Conversation（会話）

Thursday- 9:00-10:30/Grammar（文法） 10:40-12:10/Conversation（会話）
1:00-2:30/Pronunciation

Friday- 9:00-10:30/Practical Lesson 10:40-12:10/Practical Lesson
1:00-2:30/Kanji（漢字）

There are only ten students in our class which is quite small; with 4 from China, 1 from South Korea, 1 from Mongolia, 1 from Nepal, 1 from Bangladesh, and 2 Americans (Jesse and I). The teachers are excellent and we really have a wonderful time in class each day. Multicultural Understanding is a huge class where we (along with our tutor) learn about each others cultures and practice speaking together. My tutors name is Ayumi Hirukawa, and I look forward to learning more about her and what she enjoys doing.

At Shinshu, we use a different set of textbooks than at OSU. I really enjoy the layout of the books. We have two for each semester; the Japanese textbook and its supplemental English grammar translation book.

Life here couldn't be better; there is food in the cabinets, a comfortable futon on the floor, plenty of new things to see and do every day, and beautiful nature all around. I don't think I will ever get tired of seeing the mountains. This weekend if time and funds allow, we are scheduled to take a day trip to Kamikouchi (for pictures see the link on my very first post) for a day of relaxing and enjoying the outdoors. Next week, Jesse and I will try buy our phones and bicycles so that we can expand our exploring ground and keep in touch with people better. I hope that everyone is doing well. I will try to post something new as soon as I can. Take care.

The Asama Onsen Taimatsu Matsuri

2009-10-03T15:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was truly a wonderful and unique experience; it was my first festival to attend in Japan. The festival is called the Asama Onsen Taimatsu Matsuri, and it is held in a smaller part of the city just up the road from my apartment. During the festival, large bales of straw are set on fire and carried by teams of people (from elementary school children, adults, and even gaijin like Jesse and I) through the mountainous streets to a shrine where they are burned in a big bonfire. Taiko drums and chanting accompany the procession as it winds its way to the top. Food vendors line the streets with their goods, and little stalls sell toys for children. It is amazing how events like this break cultural bounds; we all laughed and joked together, taking pictures of one another as we enjoyed the festival and all it had to offer.

Ash from the burning bales is considered lucky, and there were many people in the procession who would get their gloves covered in the ashy soot, and smear it on bystanders faces. After our initial "ashing" we were ambushed multiple times by little children who were excited to have the chance to wipe ash on us. It is an experience that I will never forget.

A group of us from 信大
Jesse and I taking part in the festival

Our festival comrades. These guys were awesome.

When ash falls down..

Here is the address for another video I shot last night of the fireworks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNtyXqeMNWo

Another Trip to the Mountains

2009-09-28T16:43:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-26T06:50:00.001-07:00

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

2009-09-24T15:28:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-22T01:14:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-20T22:21:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-01T13:56:00.000-07:00

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.

Almost There

2009-08-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

I can see light at the end of the tunnel my friends, and it is a beautiful sight. Months and months of waiting have dwindled the days down to the double-digits (24 days left to be precise) and everything is falling in to place nicely. All of the necessary paperwork has been wrapped up, and Jesse and I are now tying up loose ends with packing and working everyday to have money for our year abroad. I don't mind all of the work and stress right now knowing that all of my efforts will pay off immensely in the end.

This Friday is one that I am looking forward to very much. Several of the Japan-bound students are meeting for an evening of dinner and conversation about all of our future plans for our time spent abroad in Japan. I know it will be a lot of fun. Three of the students attending; Tyler, Blaine, and Megan, will be attending Kansai Gaidai University in Hirakata, Japan, for the Spring 2010 semester, and I look forward to meeting with them. Tyler was kind enough to organize the event and offer his dorm as the meeting place for all attending. Representing Shinshu University in Matsumoto, Japan, will be Jesse and me. Who knows? Maybe we will all have a chance to visit one another in the spring.

The New Camera In Action

2009-08-22T06:39:00.000-07:00

In order to capture my experiences abroad, I recently purchased a new camera (a Canon sx110is) to help document what I see and do on a daily basis in Japan. This camera is very user friendly, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in starting photography as a hobby.

Like Disney World Without a Fast Pass (Only Worse..)

2009-07-18T06:39:00.000-07:00

*Disclaimer- I apologize beforehand for any improper grammar usage (i.e. comma splices, run-on sentences, sentence fragments, incorrect use of semi-colons/colons/apostrophes/ etc.) that may occur in my posts.*

Waiting to open Christmas presents that have been under your tree for a week is difficult,
waiting for over an hour to ride a cool attraction at Disney World while the fast passers just fly by is trying, and waiting since December to get everything done for a study abroad in Japan and still not being completely finished, is beyond words. Time is ticking until D-Day (September 18th at 7:10 AM, exactly 61 Days, 22 Hours, 17 Minutes and 15 seconds...yeah, I'm that pathetic) and my good friend Jesse and I are still awaiting one last paper from Japan before we can get our student visas to study at Shinshu University. There is so much still to do, but there is a lot that has been done. Here is a list of what has been completed so far:

-Passport work excluding the visa stamp is complete.
-Acceptance letters have been received.
-Contact with the host university has been maintained.
-One-way tickets to Japan have been purchased.
-My good friend Daniel has offered to pick us up at the train station and help us get situated in Matsumoto (our home city).

That is really all of the news that I have right now. For those interested in looking at some photos of our soon to be home city, and the other sites found in Nagano Prefecture, here is a link courtesy of Shinshu University: http://isc.shinshu-u.ac.jp/gallery-e.htm

I have recently purchased a new camera for the trip to Japan and will post photos regulary when I have some new material.

Journey to the East: A Sam Ball's Tale

Cafes Cafes Everywhere...and Lot of Stuff to Drink

Art Exhibit

Children's Grand Park and Zoo

For Ghibli Lovers

Kamakura

The Train Ride to Kamakura: View of Enoshima

Rinnoji, Futarasan, and Our Hotel

東照宮 Toshogu

The Ball Brother Curse Strikes Again!

First Few Days

Busan Part 2

Busan Day 1

Off to Busan

Indoor Mountain/Waterpark Pt. 1

OSU Player

Wedding Trip to Sokcho (속초)

Korean Folk Village

WTF?

Bukchon and Samcheong-dong Part 2

Bukchon and Samcheong-dong Part 1

Here There and Everywhere

Ilsan

Soojeong's Birthday: Seoul Land

원효봉 (Wonhyobong Peak)

First Few Days

Strange Japan

Seoul Part 3

Seoul Part 2

Seoul Part 1

Our Trip to Tokyo

Trying to Catch Up: Snowy Days in Matsumoto

Back in Matsumoto: White Day at Alps Park

Lantern Festival

Back From Korea

Huis Ten Bosch

Nagasaki Part 2

Nagasaki: Part 1- The Peace Park and Atomic Bomb Museum

Kumamoto: A New Type of Experience

Beppu

Day Trip from Beppu: Yufuin 湯布院町

Day Trip: Dazaifu

Fukuoka

The Way There: Osaka and Kita Kyushu

Back From Vacation

The Tokyo Experience

New Years Day: Kiso-Fukushima

Birthday

Want to Look Like President Obama?

The Last Day of Class Before Break

I am Alive

Wow...I Need to Post More Often

The Western Mountains/ Random Bits of Information

Fun + Cold = Fall

A Whole Lot of Nothing New

A Few Clips From Culture Day

Found Engrish- This one is for Roger

School Festival & Other Things

Update

The New Pseudo-Momma Trolley

Norikura Heights

Just A Quick Update

Soba Festival

Typhoon!!!

Class

The Asama Onsen Taimatsu Matsuri

Another Trip to the Mountains

Picture Overkill

My New Apartment

A Walk to the Mountains

Japan: The First Days

Just A Quick Word

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

Almost There

The New Camera In Action

Like Disney World Without a Fast Pass (Only Worse..)

東照宮　Toshogu