Monthly Archives: May 2016

Hello Meiji!

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By: Kylie Popovich

After 3 long days filled with activity after activity, it was nice to finally get a chance to sleep in. We didn’t have to be downstairs until 10:45am, but jetlag got the best of me and I was up by 7:30am. With nothing to do for three hours, my roommates and I decided to brave the rain and go around to the convenience stores and try out different onigiri (rice balls filled with all kinds of goodies such as fish, plum, or fish eggs). By the end, we each had 3 or 4 and were absolutely stuffed!

Once we got back the hotel, it was finally time to go meet the Meiji students! Armed with umbrellas, we all left Sakura House for the short walk to Meiji University at Liberty Tower. I was surprised that it looked much more like an office building than a school. The elevators also only went to the odd floors, which was a little strange at first, but turned out to be very efficient. We started off meeting with the Japan Student Services Organization and Professor Power, who gave us a brief overview of our schedule for the upcoming retreat at Lake Yamanaka. We then headed over to the Welcome Reception where the Meiji students were eagerly awaiting our arrival. At first I was pretty nervous about meeting them, but they were all so warm and inviting and I was instantly put at ease. They all spoke amazing English and were receptive of our broken Japanese. They even helped me to learn a few new phrases! After short speeches by university professors and our own Professor Kurashige, it was finally time for lunch! Everyone rushed to the buffet filled with a variety of delicious food. Once everyone had eaten (many of us a little too much), Satomi gave us a tour of the Meiji building where we got to see the cafeteria, bookstore, and classrooms, oh and every type of vending machine you could imagine! Finally, we said goodbye to the Meiji students full of excitement for the upcoming weeks and returned to another meeting with Japan Student Services Organization where we received the best news of the day: we would all be receiving 80,000 yen from the Japanese government!! After many cheers and a few tears we left with big smiles on our faces.

 

Tiffany and Mami at the Welcome Luncheon!

Tiffany and Mami at the Welcome Luncheon!

The class with our $$ from JASSO!

The class with our money from JASSO!

We then faced the ultimate challenge: finding our way back to our hotel. With no WiFi or Google maps, it was definitely an adventure. After 35 minutes, multiple wrong turns, and asking 3 convenience store employees, we finally managed to make it back.

We decided to reward ourselves with takoyaki from across the hotel.

We decided to reward ourselves with takoyaki from across the hotel.

After a short nap, it was back to Meiji to meet our group mates and start working on our individual research projects. My two partners, Makoto and Ayaka were both very enthusiastic and excited to talk about my research topic, Hawaiian culture in Japan. All the talking made us hungry, so we decided to get dinner with another group of students. We once again braved the cold and rain and ended up at a simple Japanese restaurant. However, instead of sitting down with a menu, we had to first order from a machine by the door, get a ticket, and then give that ticket to the waitress. I had never been to a restaurant like this and I thought it was super cool and efficient! All in all, it was a great day of meeting new people, exploring new places, and eating good food! I can’t wait to see what the rest of the trip has to offer!

Grant, Daniel, Makoto, Shun, and I at dinner after working on our research projects

Grant, Daniel, Makoto, Shun, and I at dinner after working on our research projects!

 

The Historic, the New, and Everything In-between

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By: Grant Yoneoka

Sunday the 29th, and it is a sunny and bright day. We were definitely more rested than the day before, and I think most of us were starting to adjust well to the local time here in Tokyo. We began our day bound for the Edo-Tokyo museum, which is this futuristic looking and monolithic structure in the middle of Tokyo. Inside the museum was quite interesting and contained a wide collection of Tokyo’s history spanning from very ancient times all the way into World War II and the modern era.

Underneath the Edo-Tokyo museum

Arriving underneath the Edo-Tokyo museum

During our stay, a very enthusiastic tour guide led us around the museum and gave us a lot of background history as well. We learned that the reason the museum is called the Edo-Tokyo museum is because Tokyo was once called Edo back in Japan’s feudal era. We also learned a lot about the Edo (or Tokugawa) period and how the Shogun and his Daimyos (feudal lords) ruled Japan with relative stability for 300 years through a system of social and economical hierarchy. The tour was very interesting and offered an intricate overview of Tokyo’s history. Towards the end, we got also to see a little glimmer of traditional Japanese entertainment through the art of koma (spinning tops). I thought it was really nice to see that there are still people who try to preserve traditional Japanese culture, and I can definitely see how Tokyo, more than most modern cities, is a real cosmopolitan of both traditional and modern culture and values.

We saw some amazing top skills

A performer at the museum displays some amazing koma skills

After our visit to the museum, we made our way to a chankonabe restaurant for lunch, which was located very close to Ryōgoku Kokugikan (Tokyo’s famous sumo wrestling hall). Chankonabe is basically sumo wrestler food and is a stew made out of different types of meats and vegetables. I suppose you could call it kind of a concoction of foods, but it was done in a way that all of the flavors complemented each other, and it was quite delicious.

GEA Japan takes on chankonabe and wins!

GEA Japan takes on chankonabe and comes out victorious!

Lon-sensei enjoying some sumo food after exploring the museum

Kylie, Erick, and Lon-sensei enjoying some sumo food after exploring the museum

Our last destination together that day, and perhaps the strangest, was Akihabara, or the electric city. Akihabara is really famous for its electronic, manga, and anime scene, and it is really a bustling place. They even closed the streets that day (they close the streets every Sunday in fact) so that pedestrians could walk through the district without worrying about incoming traffic. While we were there, we visited a maid café, which was a very bizarre experience. All of the workers there were young girls dressed up as cute maids. The place itself reminded me of something straight out of Disneyland, and it was definitely a very unique environment. Most of us ordered drinks like coffee or milkshakes, and I was surprised to find out that the maids even drew a picture of whatever we wanted inside of our drinks with syrup. After we were done, a lot of us left to go explore Tokyo on our own.

This place has everything!

Akihabara has every electronic you could imagine and even the ones that you haven’t!

I spent the rest of the day browsing through the streets of Ueno and the nearby park. Ueno itself kind of reminded me of Korea town in Los Angeles. There was a lot going on and the place just seemed so alive. The backstreets of Ueno was mostly filled with clothing shops and the like, and it was very easy to get immersed in all of the action. I tried not to stay long, however, because I did not want to spend all of my money on clothes. As the sun started to set, I decided to spend the last few hours browsing through Ueno park.

There is no shortage of temples in Ueno park

There is no shortage of temples in Ueno park

My first impression of the park was that it was absolutely huge. It contained a pond filled with lotuses, temples, amusement park, and even a zoo complete with a panda. There was also a bonsai festival which showcased many different bonsai trees along with various foods from around Japan. I thought it was really cool to see how interactive everyone was and how people were not afraid to explain things, even if it meant speaking in English. By the time I was done exploring the festival, the sun was almost done setting, and I decided to call it a day. Although it was only our second full day here, I think we saw and experienced a ton, and we were definitely excited to meet the Meiji students the next day.

Our Trip To Japan~

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By: Tiffany Lam

Finally going to Japan! Most of us, including myself, did not sleep at all since we had to arrive to the airport by 4:15 am. Luckily for me, I was able to sleep through both of the plane rides. During the flight from Vancouver to Tokyo, an elderly Japanese lady who sat in the aisle seat tried to start a conversation with me, despite knowing only a little bit of English. She mostly spoke in Japanese, and although I could not speak the language at all, I was still able to understand a little bit of what she was trying to say through her gestures. It was an interesting experience because it reminded me of the main character Abby and the ramen chef from the film The Ramen Girl in that even though both had difficulty with communication, they were still somehow able to understand each other. I felt like it was the same situation with me and the elderly woman, but the conversation was more polite. The elderly woman was very kind and considerate, and I admired her bravery of trying to talk to a foreigner like me, even though she could speak little to no English. It was a memorable moment in the plane and it gave me the motivation to try to make an effort in learning Japanese so that I can try to communicate with the local people and have meaningful conversations. 

 

GEA Japan at the aiport

When we finally arrived in Japan, the first thing that came to mind was all the delicious, authentic Japanese food that I will be able to eat. After exchanging the money and receiving our Suica cards, we had to take the Keisei Skyliner Express Train to get to Ueno Station. I was in awe watching the beautiful landscapes and architecture in Japan. There was a lot of greenery and rice paddies and I thought that the short and small houses and buildings were very unique in comparison to the tall skyscrapers in Los Angeles. Everything in Japan looked tiny and it was also cool seeing how many vending machines there were on every corner of a street.

Riding the Keisei Skyliner Express Train

Vending machines full of yummy, unique snacks!

Once we reached Ueno Station, we had to take the Ginza line to Mitsukoshimae and then the Hanzomon line to Jimbocho. While waiting for the Hanzomon line, I noticed that there were “Women Only” signs on the walls which I thought it was very fascinating.

“Women Only” sign in Mitsukoshimae train station

Apparently, the sign means that the trains during early morning rush hours allow only women and younger children to ride so that they can feel a sense of security and safety. I thought that it was an interesting aspect of Japan’s culture and it left me with the impression that Japan is serious and cares deeply for the safety and well-being of its citizens.

Once we made it to Sakura hotel, I think we were all pretty exhausted and hungry  from the plane rides and walking around with the luggage. After settling into the rooms and relaxing for a little while, we had our first dinner at a curry restaurant which I thought was delicious.

Enjoying our first dinner in Japan

Enjoying our first dinner in Japan

Spinach, Tomato, Potato, with Cheese Curry

Spinach, Tomato, Potato, with Cheese Curry

It has been a long and exhausting day and although we did not explore any places in Tokyo today, I am just excited to finally be here and I look forward to new places and new people we will meet, the yummy food I will get to eat, and the fun, long-lasting memories we will make while in Japan.