It's so hot in Japan right now!!! I sweat just sitting in my room, and don't even mention practice. Practices are impossible with the heat. I've gotten a bit used to it but in the first few hot days, my whole face was red from the heat. I drink water as much as I can but a second after I've gulped down the water, my mouth becomes dry again. Morning runs have become a bit shorter now, due to the heat. And it's only just the beginning. It's going to get much hotter still. I didn't think I'd miss the colder temperatures of Manitoba but I do. I don't really miss the -45 degrees... but I miss the cool summer days.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Monday, May 28, 2012
Hisashiburi (It's been a while)
It's been about 1 week and a half since I've last written... I apologize. There hasn't been anything new really, just the same old routine of studying and working out and trying to squeeze everything else in between. But, a few highlights since I've last written:
1) We've been working on some graphs in class. We each chose a theme (I chose nutrition labels, whether people look at them or not and why), made up some questions, interviewed students and then created graphs from the results. The first time, we interviewed other international students in our class. But, this time, we're doing graphs about Japanese students, to be able to compare the results with those of the international students, whether there are differences or not. We were sent to the cafeteria to interview Japanese who were eating or studying there. It was a bit scary at first, having to approach Japanese we didn't know, introduce ourselves and then explain our project. But as it went on, my confidence grew, and I no longer felt shy at all. In the beginning, I only asked people who were sitting alone (less intimidating) but towards the end, I approached tables with 4 or 5 people sitting together. It was actually fun, asking them questions and noting down their answers. They could understand me and I could understand them! It's great to see how much I've improved and learned in the time that I've been here.
2) My roommate and I rearranged our room completely. We got bored of the layout of our room so we decided to turn our bed sideways, move them closer to the window, then rearranged the desks and shelves accordingly. Sometimes, a little change gives quite a new perspective.
3) Tokai participated in a team competition on Sunday. The girls placed second, qualifying them to participate in the next team competition at the end of June, which will be even bigger and tougher. Team competitions here are almost more important that individual competitions. In Canada, we never have team competitions. But team competitions are fun to watch because sometimes a fighter's goal is not to win, but not to lose. And there's strategy involved because depending on the opposing team's fighters, the coaches select which athletes they think will have better chances.
Now, to warn you, the next time I'll write will probably be next week. We have our midterm test next Monday, which comprises all we've learned so far. Then, the next day, we finally get to relax because we have a field trip. We're going to see Kabuki, a Japanese-style drama, and then we're going to visit the studios of NHK in Shibuya. So I'll have lots to write about after that. But until then, my nose will be buried in books and papers, and my head filled with Kanji characters and grammar rules. Ah, the beauty of the Japanese language. ; P
1) We've been working on some graphs in class. We each chose a theme (I chose nutrition labels, whether people look at them or not and why), made up some questions, interviewed students and then created graphs from the results. The first time, we interviewed other international students in our class. But, this time, we're doing graphs about Japanese students, to be able to compare the results with those of the international students, whether there are differences or not. We were sent to the cafeteria to interview Japanese who were eating or studying there. It was a bit scary at first, having to approach Japanese we didn't know, introduce ourselves and then explain our project. But as it went on, my confidence grew, and I no longer felt shy at all. In the beginning, I only asked people who were sitting alone (less intimidating) but towards the end, I approached tables with 4 or 5 people sitting together. It was actually fun, asking them questions and noting down their answers. They could understand me and I could understand them! It's great to see how much I've improved and learned in the time that I've been here.
2) My roommate and I rearranged our room completely. We got bored of the layout of our room so we decided to turn our bed sideways, move them closer to the window, then rearranged the desks and shelves accordingly. Sometimes, a little change gives quite a new perspective.
3) Tokai participated in a team competition on Sunday. The girls placed second, qualifying them to participate in the next team competition at the end of June, which will be even bigger and tougher. Team competitions here are almost more important that individual competitions. In Canada, we never have team competitions. But team competitions are fun to watch because sometimes a fighter's goal is not to win, but not to lose. And there's strategy involved because depending on the opposing team's fighters, the coaches select which athletes they think will have better chances.
Now, to warn you, the next time I'll write will probably be next week. We have our midterm test next Monday, which comprises all we've learned so far. Then, the next day, we finally get to relax because we have a field trip. We're going to see Kabuki, a Japanese-style drama, and then we're going to visit the studios of NHK in Shibuya. So I'll have lots to write about after that. But until then, my nose will be buried in books and papers, and my head filled with Kanji characters and grammar rules. Ah, the beauty of the Japanese language. ; P
Friday, May 18, 2012
Happy Birthday Mom!
Today is a special day for a special someone in my life: my Mom's birthday. I wish I could be there with her to celebrate but this post will have to do.
My Mom is my rock. She's the person I go to for everything. Doesn't matter what it's about (boys, school, decisions, judo, health), she's always there to give me advice and help me solve my problems.
As I grow older and start to think about my own future family, I realize it's not easy to be a mother. When you see other children who misbehave, it's natural to think: "Oh, if I were the mother, they wouldn't act like that." But it's not that easy. There's no right way to raise children and every mother has her own ways. And I think my mom did a fine job : ) So thank you for that too, Mom. : P
Happy Birthday Mom! See you in about half a year! Love u!
My Mom is my rock. She's the person I go to for everything. Doesn't matter what it's about (boys, school, decisions, judo, health), she's always there to give me advice and help me solve my problems.
As I grow older and start to think about my own future family, I realize it's not easy to be a mother. When you see other children who misbehave, it's natural to think: "Oh, if I were the mother, they wouldn't act like that." But it's not that easy. There's no right way to raise children and every mother has her own ways. And I think my mom did a fine job : ) So thank you for that too, Mom. : P
Happy Birthday Mom! See you in about half a year! Love u!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
That's one expensive mango
I've said before that fruit in Japan are very expensive. Here's proof:
According to the currency converter, 1,980 yen = 24,92 Canadian dollars!!! Just for one mango! But it's not just any mango. It's a mango from Miyazaki (Kyushu Island) which are the best in Japan. And you know what? I currently have one in my room. My aunt bought it for me, knowing that mangoes are my favorite fruit. Maybe she also knew that I would never buy a mango at that price... So I'll be eating a 24,92$ mango today and enjoying every bite of it : )
According to the currency converter, 1,980 yen = 24,92 Canadian dollars!!! Just for one mango! But it's not just any mango. It's a mango from Miyazaki (Kyushu Island) which are the best in Japan. And you know what? I currently have one in my room. My aunt bought it for me, knowing that mangoes are my favorite fruit. Maybe she also knew that I would never buy a mango at that price... So I'll be eating a 24,92$ mango today and enjoying every bite of it : )
Tokai going to the Olympics
It's now official. Japan's Olympic judo team has now been selected. And Tokai is proud to have 2 of its members on the team:
Riki Nakaya (-73kg) : He's actually graduated from Tokai and has been recruited by the company ALSOK but Tokai will be cheering him on like crazy. He's currently ranked 2nd on the Internal Judo Federation (IJF) Ranking List.
Haruka Tachimoto (-70kg): Currently a 4th-year student at Tokai. She's not often present at our practices because she's off to the national training center or other clubs to practice. She was nominated captain of Tokai's women's judo team and is currently ranked 3rd in the world.
Good luck to both of them!
Riki Nakaya (-73kg) : He's actually graduated from Tokai and has been recruited by the company ALSOK but Tokai will be cheering him on like crazy. He's currently ranked 2nd on the Internal Judo Federation (IJF) Ranking List.
 |
| (I do not own this photo) |
Haruka Tachimoto (-70kg): Currently a 4th-year student at Tokai. She's not often present at our practices because she's off to the national training center or other clubs to practice. She was nominated captain of Tokai's women's judo team and is currently ranked 3rd in the world.
 |
| (I do not own this photo) |
Good luck to both of them!
The bugs are coming out
It's getting warmer so bugs are coming out of their hiding places. And let me tell you, they are huge! Spiders are double the size of spiders in Canada. And they're everywhere. In the kitchen, in our room, on the walls. The reason I'm making such a big fuss out of this is because I really, really dislike spiders. Ever since I've been young, I would jump back 5 meters if I ever encountered one. And as afraid as I was of them, I couldn't kill them either to get rid of them.
But, I've made some progress since then, and armed with a kleenex, or more often a flyswatter (it's longer so that means I don't have to come as close to the spider), I'm able to kill it (multiple times just to make sure it's really dead).
However, given the size of spiders in Japan, I've gone back to jumping 5 meters in the air...
But, I've made some progress since then, and armed with a kleenex, or more often a flyswatter (it's longer so that means I don't have to come as close to the spider), I'm able to kill it (multiple times just to make sure it's really dead).
However, given the size of spiders in Japan, I've gone back to jumping 5 meters in the air...
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Jieitai experience
The training camp was a good experience. I was a bit worried that they might single me out right away and question where I was from, possibly even forbid me from entering the grounds, but everything was fine. Of course, I did get quite a lot of stares from the other athletes, looking quizzically at me, wondering if I was Japanese, or another nationality.
From what I understood, the Ground Self-Defense Force is a place where strong athletes can go to pursue their sport as they work to serve their country. Kind of like companies in Japan. In Japan, after you graduate from university, if you're good enough, companies like Komatsu or Alsok will recruit you. You work for the company and they provide you with a training place, coaches, etc. So the jietai is kind of similar, supplying a dojo, a fitness gym, a running track, etc, for athletes in exchange for work.
Because it's a self-defense base, we had a short lesson on how to stand at attention, at rest, how to salute and march. It was actually fun. They made us march in lines of 3 or 4 to go the cafeteria. Ichi ni, ichi ni. (One two, one two).
Many other universities came (Yamanashi, Sendai, Teikyo) as well as a number of athletes who are fighting to go to the Olympics (Fukumi, Asami, Kunihara, Matsumoto, Hirai, Sugimoto, etc). So it was great to have so many bodies to practice with.
In the morning, we were woken up by a trumpet at 6:00, 6:15 and 6:30. Then after eating breakfast, it was straight to practice which lasted about 2 hours. Then, rush to take a shower, eat lunch, rest for about an hour, then practice #2. Then again, shower, supper, and then sleep.
During the camp, we also had some renshuujiai, some practice matches. For the first time, I participated as part of the Tokai team. I lost all my matches which was discouraging. This is my first time taking part in these practice matches and my first time fighting against Japanese (other than in practice). But it was good experience because the coaches gave me good feedback and indicated things I need to work on like having a stronger grip to prevent my opponent from entering so easily.
It rained every day we were there. On the last day only, the sun decided to finally come out.
In all, it was a good experience, and something that not many foreigners get the chance to do. I took part in my first practice matches against other Japanese. I had the opportunity to fight with up-and-coming athletes. And I learned how to salute, march, and stand at attention. : )
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| The entrance (picture actually taken when we left because on our arrival, it was too dark) |
From what I understood, the Ground Self-Defense Force is a place where strong athletes can go to pursue their sport as they work to serve their country. Kind of like companies in Japan. In Japan, after you graduate from university, if you're good enough, companies like Komatsu or Alsok will recruit you. You work for the company and they provide you with a training place, coaches, etc. So the jietai is kind of similar, supplying a dojo, a fitness gym, a running track, etc, for athletes in exchange for work.
Because it's a self-defense base, we had a short lesson on how to stand at attention, at rest, how to salute and march. It was actually fun. They made us march in lines of 3 or 4 to go the cafeteria. Ichi ni, ichi ni. (One two, one two).
Many other universities came (Yamanashi, Sendai, Teikyo) as well as a number of athletes who are fighting to go to the Olympics (Fukumi, Asami, Kunihara, Matsumoto, Hirai, Sugimoto, etc). So it was great to have so many bodies to practice with.
In the morning, we were woken up by a trumpet at 6:00, 6:15 and 6:30. Then after eating breakfast, it was straight to practice which lasted about 2 hours. Then, rush to take a shower, eat lunch, rest for about an hour, then practice #2. Then again, shower, supper, and then sleep.
 |
| The room where we slept: 6 girls per room |
During the camp, we also had some renshuujiai, some practice matches. For the first time, I participated as part of the Tokai team. I lost all my matches which was discouraging. This is my first time taking part in these practice matches and my first time fighting against Japanese (other than in practice). But it was good experience because the coaches gave me good feedback and indicated things I need to work on like having a stronger grip to prevent my opponent from entering so easily.
It rained every day we were there. On the last day only, the sun decided to finally come out.
 |
| Picture taken from our room on the 7th floor |
 |
| Bringing our luggage to practice on the last day |
In all, it was a good experience, and something that not many foreigners get the chance to do. I took part in my first practice matches against other Japanese. I had the opportunity to fight with up-and-coming athletes. And I learned how to salute, march, and stand at attention. : )
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Golden week: No rest for the wicked
It's currently "Golden Week" in Japan right now. Golden Week is a series of consecutive holidays, including Children's Day, Greenery Day, Constitutional Memorial Day, and a couple others. So this week, we only have school twice, on Tuesday and Wednesday. Monday, I went to Machida with Anzu. I was looking forward to being able to maybe relax a bit, catch up on some sleep and get around to tidying up my room on Thursday to Sunday. But instead, along with the women's judo club, I'm going to a training camp at the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces Camp Asaka in Tokyo. We'll only be there from the 2nd (Wed) till the 5th (Sat), but we'll be training 3 times a day and the caliber of athletes will be pretty high, including athletes who will be fighting at the Olympics in a few months.
Normally, because it's part of Japan's military forces, foreigners are strictly prohibited. But, because I have a Japanese surname (Shiokawa), I've been given the permission to come as well. But I'm scared that if I open my mouth, they might realize right away that I'm not Japanese... so I'm planning not to speak at all during the next few days. lol. Just kidding, we'll see how it goes.
I probably won't be allowed to take any pictures but I'll stil be able to write about my experiences there. It's exciting because I'm entering unknown terrain where no other foreigners have gone before.
Normally, because it's part of Japan's military forces, foreigners are strictly prohibited. But, because I have a Japanese surname (Shiokawa), I've been given the permission to come as well. But I'm scared that if I open my mouth, they might realize right away that I'm not Japanese... so I'm planning not to speak at all during the next few days. lol. Just kidding, we'll see how it goes.
I probably won't be allowed to take any pictures but I'll stil be able to write about my experiences there. It's exciting because I'm entering unknown terrain where no other foreigners have gone before.
Japan: The final frontier
These are the voyages of Sayuri France Blais-Shiokawa
Its 1 year mission
To explore strange new worlds
To seek out new life and new civilizations
To boldly go where no man has gone before
Denshijisho
Yesterday, I finally bought a denshijisho, an electronic dictionary. For those who don't know what it is (don't worry, I didn't either before I came to Japan), it's "a dictionary whose data exists in digital form and can be accessed through a number of different media" (quoting Wikipedia). lol There are many different kinds of electronic dictionaries, for example the cd-rom versions for your computer, or in my case, a handheld, miniature laptop-like version, with a keyboard and screen.
Almost all my classmates have one. During my first semester, I didn't really need one because most of the words that appeared in the textbook were listed at the back with their translation in English. But now, in class 3, there are so many words I don't know, and it really hinders my learning if I don't understand what the teacher is saying, or don't understand the meaning of the sentence. As soon as I started the second semester, I realized that it would be in my interest to buy one. But until I had the time to go shopping for one (with my busy schedule, the opportunities are scarce), one of my teachers, Nishiyama sensei, was kind enough to lend me her older one.
Finally, yesterday, along with my roommate, we went to Yodobashi Camera, an electronic store in Machida. I'm really glad my roommate Anzu was there to help me because there are so many different kinds with different options that it can be quite confusing (especially for me, who can't read or understand everything yet) to choose the right one. There are some designed for businessmen, high school students, university students, etc. After looking at many different models, I finally opted for the Casio XD-D7200 model. lol. Here are some of its many incredible features:
- It contains French, English and Japanese dictionaries so I can look up virtually any word and obtain its translation in any of these languages. I can look up a word in English, get its equivalent in Japanese and then if I want to, I can look up the definition in French as well. Even though French is my mother tongue, when I'm studying Japanese, I usually think in English (ex. when I want to translate something in Japanese or if I want to figure the equivalent of a Japanese sentence in English). But sometimes, the English word doesn't come to mind but the French one does. So in those instances, the dictionary will be very useful.
- It has a little screen just below the keyboard for handwritten kanji recognition. If I happen to come across a kanji character in my textbook, even without knowing how to read it, if I just draw it into the alloted space (with the aid of a digital stick), it will recognize it and then give me its definition and how to pronounce it.
- There's a pronunciation guide as well that can give me the pronunciation of words in English, Japanese, and French. I don't think I'll be using the English or French pronunciation guide too often... ; )
- There's also a kanji dictionary that lists the different ways to read a certain kanji, along with its stroke order (the stroke order in which a kanji is written is very important).
- And there are multiple other options that I haven't even discovered yet, so I'm sure there are tons more. For example, I think I can create flashcards on it and I think I can also play sudoku on it (I just glanced quickly at the instruction manual, which is unfortunately all written in Japanese...).
This was my most expensive purchase to date... but I think it's also my best investment so far. I can't wait to start using it !
Then of course, when Japanese go out (at least the younger population), they often take pictures at a purikura, so my roommate and I took some lovely pictures together. I don't recall if I introduced my new roommate Anzu Funayama. My previous roommate is still in Canada, studying English. A few facts fabout my new roommate: she's also Japanese, she's 19 years old, her hometown is Yokohama, only about an hour and a bit from Tokai, she loves to sing and loves the television series Glee, and overall we get along pretty well.
Almost all my classmates have one. During my first semester, I didn't really need one because most of the words that appeared in the textbook were listed at the back with their translation in English. But now, in class 3, there are so many words I don't know, and it really hinders my learning if I don't understand what the teacher is saying, or don't understand the meaning of the sentence. As soon as I started the second semester, I realized that it would be in my interest to buy one. But until I had the time to go shopping for one (with my busy schedule, the opportunities are scarce), one of my teachers, Nishiyama sensei, was kind enough to lend me her older one.
Finally, yesterday, along with my roommate, we went to Yodobashi Camera, an electronic store in Machida. I'm really glad my roommate Anzu was there to help me because there are so many different kinds with different options that it can be quite confusing (especially for me, who can't read or understand everything yet) to choose the right one. There are some designed for businessmen, high school students, university students, etc. After looking at many different models, I finally opted for the Casio XD-D7200 model. lol. Here are some of its many incredible features:
- It contains French, English and Japanese dictionaries so I can look up virtually any word and obtain its translation in any of these languages. I can look up a word in English, get its equivalent in Japanese and then if I want to, I can look up the definition in French as well. Even though French is my mother tongue, when I'm studying Japanese, I usually think in English (ex. when I want to translate something in Japanese or if I want to figure the equivalent of a Japanese sentence in English). But sometimes, the English word doesn't come to mind but the French one does. So in those instances, the dictionary will be very useful.
- It has a little screen just below the keyboard for handwritten kanji recognition. If I happen to come across a kanji character in my textbook, even without knowing how to read it, if I just draw it into the alloted space (with the aid of a digital stick), it will recognize it and then give me its definition and how to pronounce it.
- There's a pronunciation guide as well that can give me the pronunciation of words in English, Japanese, and French. I don't think I'll be using the English or French pronunciation guide too often... ; )
- There's also a kanji dictionary that lists the different ways to read a certain kanji, along with its stroke order (the stroke order in which a kanji is written is very important).
- And there are multiple other options that I haven't even discovered yet, so I'm sure there are tons more. For example, I think I can create flashcards on it and I think I can also play sudoku on it (I just glanced quickly at the instruction manual, which is unfortunately all written in Japanese...).
This was my most expensive purchase to date... but I think it's also my best investment so far. I can't wait to start using it !
Then of course, when Japanese go out (at least the younger population), they often take pictures at a purikura, so my roommate and I took some lovely pictures together. I don't recall if I introduced my new roommate Anzu Funayama. My previous roommate is still in Canada, studying English. A few facts fabout my new roommate: she's also Japanese, she's 19 years old, her hometown is Yokohama, only about an hour and a bit from Tokai, she loves to sing and loves the television series Glee, and overall we get along pretty well.
Judo in Japan: way ahead of the pack
Hey everyone, it's been a while since my last post. And I could be doing some homework right now but I wanted to post something to keep my readers hooked : P
Last Sunday, I went to the Nihon Budokan to watch a judo tournament. It was a special tournament because instead of the normal weight categories, there were none. It was kind of like an open category where anyone who wishes to participate (regardless of their weight) can fight. But for this tournament, you had to be selected, meaning you probably had to have a certain amount of points or produced certain results at other tournaments in order to take part in this one. Only men were allowed to participate (two weeks ago, the women had their own tournament) and most of them were over 100kg. So when one of them was thrown, it was quite spectacular.
The tournament site in itself is spectacular. Most places in Japan are pretty cramped but when it comes to judo tournaments, they have the infrastructure. Here's a panoramic picture taken with my camera:
In between the matches (there was only one fighting mat area), I either studied or braided the girls' hair. They seem to be quite amazed with my ability to french braid.
Changing the subject a bit, but still related to judo, the Olympics. With the Olympics approaching quickly, Japan is now deciding who they will be sending to represent their country. There are two girls from Tokai (two sisters, Haruka and Megumi Tachimoto) who have a good chance of going. There are also two or three boys from the men's team who have a good shot as well. It's interesting to compare Canada and Japan when it comes to judo. In Canada, we're lucky if someone even qualifies themselves to go to the Olympics. But in Japan, it's not the question of whether or not someone is qualified, but rather which one of their qualified athletes they decide to send. Because in each weight division, there are at least 2, 3 or more athletes that are qualified to go. In the next month, based on past and upcoming tournament results, the Olympic team will be decided. In addition, some Japanese athletes are better against other Japanese athletes, and some Japanese athletes fare better against foreigners. The latter tend to be preferred because the chosen athlete will be facing athletes from other countries.
I'm really looking forward to the Olympics this time, for a couple of reasons. 1) Judo is part of the summer Olympics 2) Compared to before, I know now many of the big names in judo, especially in my division, having either fought with them or watched them fight at tournaments 3) Athletes from Tokai will probably be fighting 4) I love watching sports, especially witnessing the winning athlete's or team's emotions as they have the best race of their life or accomplish their lifelong goal; it's just so inspiring.
There are now only 86 days left! Anybody else looking forward to the Olympics?
Last Sunday, I went to the Nihon Budokan to watch a judo tournament. It was a special tournament because instead of the normal weight categories, there were none. It was kind of like an open category where anyone who wishes to participate (regardless of their weight) can fight. But for this tournament, you had to be selected, meaning you probably had to have a certain amount of points or produced certain results at other tournaments in order to take part in this one. Only men were allowed to participate (two weeks ago, the women had their own tournament) and most of them were over 100kg. So when one of them was thrown, it was quite spectacular.
The tournament site in itself is spectacular. Most places in Japan are pretty cramped but when it comes to judo tournaments, they have the infrastructure. Here's a panoramic picture taken with my camera:
In between the matches (there was only one fighting mat area), I either studied or braided the girls' hair. They seem to be quite amazed with my ability to french braid.
Changing the subject a bit, but still related to judo, the Olympics. With the Olympics approaching quickly, Japan is now deciding who they will be sending to represent their country. There are two girls from Tokai (two sisters, Haruka and Megumi Tachimoto) who have a good chance of going. There are also two or three boys from the men's team who have a good shot as well. It's interesting to compare Canada and Japan when it comes to judo. In Canada, we're lucky if someone even qualifies themselves to go to the Olympics. But in Japan, it's not the question of whether or not someone is qualified, but rather which one of their qualified athletes they decide to send. Because in each weight division, there are at least 2, 3 or more athletes that are qualified to go. In the next month, based on past and upcoming tournament results, the Olympic team will be decided. In addition, some Japanese athletes are better against other Japanese athletes, and some Japanese athletes fare better against foreigners. The latter tend to be preferred because the chosen athlete will be facing athletes from other countries.
I'm really looking forward to the Olympics this time, for a couple of reasons. 1) Judo is part of the summer Olympics 2) Compared to before, I know now many of the big names in judo, especially in my division, having either fought with them or watched them fight at tournaments 3) Athletes from Tokai will probably be fighting 4) I love watching sports, especially witnessing the winning athlete's or team's emotions as they have the best race of their life or accomplish their lifelong goal; it's just so inspiring.
There are now only 86 days left! Anybody else looking forward to the Olympics?
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