Graduation!

Today I graduated from the Bekka Japanese Language Program! Hip hip hurrah!

We simply had an informal ceremony and a small party after with the teachers.

From left: Jee (Thailand), An (Vietnam) and me

With Nishiyama sensei, my favorite teacher

With my roommate Anzu

My graduation diploma

Japanese on the left, English on the right

Tomorrow, I'm flying to Hokkaido so next time I'll be posting, it'll be from Hokkaido! Matane!

Last judo practice at Tokai

Yesterday was my last judo practice at Tokai. Today I had my graduation ceremony from the Bekka Japanese Language and tomorrow I'm leaving for Hokkaido so I decided to make the 19th my last practice before I go back to Canada.

At the beginning of practice, I was asked to stand in front of everyone as I received a judo gui, a towel from Tokai, a beautiful album (with messages written by all the girls in it) and a graduation teddy bear. I felt touched that they went to so much trouble to do all that for me. The girls all told me that they will never forget me. A lot of foreigners come to practice at Tokai but they'll usually stay for a few days, a week, or sometimes a month. But I practiced with them for a year. And I also learned Japanese so I was able to communicate with them more and more as the year advanced. Communication was probably the biggest factor in the equation. If you can't communicate, it's hard to get closer to someone. I also went to cheer on the girls at competitions and took part in training camps, which most of the foreigners don't do. So that set me apart as well.

I'm really glad I joined the judo club at Tokai. All the girls are great and have helped me a lot over the year, cheering me on and teaching me a few things here and there. But there were also difficults moments as well. When I first came, I didn't understand much and the girls didn't know me yet, so they didn't really talk to me. I got thrown a lot in the few weeks... and the teachers didn't seem to really pay attention to me or show the intention of teaching me anything. Even just differentiating one girl from another was difficult. But, as the months passed, slowly, the girls started to engage in conversations with me and the coaches started to teach me, correcting a few mistakes in my techniques. Looking back, I think the first few weeks were kind of like a test to see if I was tough enough, to see if I could handle it. I guess I passed the test ;)

A big turning point was when Shirase Sensei told me to sit along with the Tokai girls (when we bow at the beginning and end of practice), instead of where the foreigners and athletes from other universities sit when they come to practice. They recognized at that moment that I was different from other foreigners and my status went to being an "outsider" to an "insider".

Thanks to the judo club, I was able to have many experiences I normally wouldn't have had the chance to have. For example, many athletes from other countries came to train at Tokai. I got the chance to train not only with the girls from Tokai, but also athletes from all over the world, some of them who went on to compete at the Olympics in London. I got the chance to watch many judo competitions in Japan, including the Tokyo Grand Slam. I was also able to see a lot of Japan, including Tsumagoi (Gunma Prefecture), Miyazaki (on Kyushu Island), and Amagasaki (between Osaka and Kobe).

The gui I received has "Tokai" written in kanji next to the collar and my name "Sayuri" at the bottom. Normally, only people from Tokai get to wear a gui with the kanjis for "Tokai" on it so I'm honored to have received one. It's a bit big so I'll have to shrink it a bit in the dryer.

Then, after receiving the gui and all the presents, I also gave the judo club a little something I made.

 

It's an album I created, filled with pictures taken during my year in Japan. On the covers, I drew all the girls, teachers and trainers, chibi style. It was actually a lot of fun making it but it did take quite a long time to draw all 40 faces. After I'd finished it, I almost wanted to take it home with me because of all the time I spent on it. lol

I also took a lot of pictures that day so I'll post a few here. Enjoy!

Group photo with everyone!

From left: Mikiko, (me), Narumi

From left: Tomomi (Motoyoshi), (me), Tomomi (Ayabe), Miki, Miyu, Kimiko

Yutaka and me

With trainer Izumi

Too many people...

With Ami

With Kiyomi

Taking a bath in Japan

This is something I should have written about a long time ago, but because there were only showers at the residence, I forgot to write about it.

Japanese baths... are a bit different from Western baths.

As you can see from the picture, there are two components: a bath and a washing place.

In Canada, showers are probably more common than baths, but when people take baths, they'll wash themselves in the bath while relaxing in the hot water.

However, in Japan, you wash yourself before entering the bath (in the washing place). And only after can you enter the bath, which by the way is extremely hot! There have been times where I couldn't even enter the bath because it was too hot. But once you're in, (the tub is a lot deeper than Western baths, so you can usually sit and be submerged up to your neck) it's like you're enclosed in a bubble of heat. The cover you see on top of the bath is to help conserve the heat.

Commuting in Japan

I'm back! I wasn't really gone anywhere, but I know I've been MIA for quite a bit. So get ready, I'll bring you up to speed on what happened and what has yet to come.

To start, these past 3 days (Mon, Tues, Wed), even though I'm staying at the Iwasa's home in Tama Center, I've been commuting to Tokai University by train to attend a few last practices before I leave for Hokkaido.

Which means... in order to arrive in time for the morning practice which starts at 7:30, I had to wake up at 4:30, leave the house at 5, take the 5:14 train to Shinyurigaoka, transfer at 5:40, get off at TokaiDaigakuMae Station, and then walk from the station up to the campus (about a 15 min walk). And I had to carry a big bag on my shoulders during all that. Because I wouldn't be going back home to pick up my stuff, I had to bring everything with me, including spare clothes, my judo gui, some tape, breakfast and lunch, etc. The first day was ok. I think I was pumped on adrenaline that day. But then, on Tuesday and Wednesday, it got a little bit harder to wake up and my shoulders started aching from the weight of the bag. But it was all worth it in the end. As you'll see in my next post ; )

I was offered to stay at another residence closer to the university so that I wouldn't have to commute but I opted to stay at the Iwasa's and commute. It's something that is not at all uncommon in Japan. Businessmen and students alike sometimes commute as much as 2-3 hours one-way just to get to work or school every day. The great thing with trains is you don't have to drive so there won't be any accidents if you happen to doze off. And that's pretty much what everyone does, especially in the morning.

The only thing is you have to be careful not to miss your stop... which luckily, I have yet to do.

Commuting, even just for three days was tiring. But also another experience to have in Japan. Probably the only perk to taking the train that early is that you're almost 100% sure to find a seat because there are so few people at that time. : )

First to last

When I arrived in Japan, almost everything was a first. First time going to a hot spring, first time practicing with the Tokai Judo Women's Team, first time living on my own... everything was new and exciting.

But now, everything I do is "a last". My last time visiting a hot spring, my last time seeing my roommate, my last time drinking Pocari Sweat and Calpis Water (two drinks I've grown fond of). It feels sad but at the same time, I'm really excited to go back home and hug my parents and brother. I even want to hug our cat. : p And of course, I can't really say it's my last time doing all those things because I am 100% sure that I am coming to Japan again in a few years. But it's my last time... for a little while.

I felt a bit sad leaving the L-Kan (the residence where I lived for a year). It was like a second home. I had my favorite shower... and washroom... and washing machine. My roommate and I had decorated our room and made it ours. It was also my first time living on my own, away from my parents. So evidently, I did quite some growing up there, cooking and doing all my laundry on my own. I'll miss my roommate most of all. We had quite a lot of laughs and funny incidents in that room.

But I am also not sad to be leaving the L-Kan... because of the spiders. During my whole year, I only saw a few, but during my last week, I saw as many as four HUGE spiders in the shower room. I swear, they were about the size of my hand. And of course, I had to be the one to find them.... and one of them, on the morning of my last day! I mean, come on! My roommate joked that they came out to say goodbye... : (

My room back to how it was when I first arrived at the residence

My roommate Anzu (left) and I

One month to go!

I only have one month left in Japan. It's hard to believe but it's starting to feel real because I'm cleaning up the room, gathering the things I want to keep and getting rid of the things I don't. I have to leave the L-Kan (the residence where I leave) before the 15th of September because new students are starting to come in so I'm slowly getting my things together.

Only one month left... but a busy last month. I'm going to attend practice as much as I can. I'm also going to try to see as many friends as possible before I leave. I graduate on the 20th from the Bekka Japanese Language Program. Then I fly out on the 21st to Hokkaido to visit the area. Then I come back on the 29th, and have just enough time to visit the bank & city hall (to take care of some last documents), and see my grandmother and aunt for the last time before I fly out.

I'll still be updating the blog as much as I can so don't stop reading! : D

Hiroshima and Miyajima

After having just returned from climbing Mt. Fuji, my roommate and I set out again, this time to visit Hiroshima and Miyajima. We took the night bus to Hiroshima (about 10-11 hours) from Yokohama. The itinerary is indicated by the yellow line.

As soon as we arrived, we took the train, and then the ferry to the island of Miyajima.

Ferry entrance

There are deers everywhere on the island, seemingly undisturbed
by the flocks of tourists that come to see the island

You can even touch them!

The reason I wanted to go to Miyajima is because it is designated as one of Japan's three best scenic views. The other two are located in Matsushima, and Amanohashidate (Kyoto Prefecture).

And the most famous view in Miyajima is of the giant torii gate, which seems to be floating in the water when the tide is high.

Nihon sankei: one of Japan's three best scenic views

The famous gate

After taking tons of pictures of the gate, we took a lift to visit the mountainous area.

After that, we took the ferry and train back to Hiroshima to visit the Peace Memorial Museum.

On August 6, 1945 (that date has been stuck in my head ever since we visited the museum), the U.S. released an atomic bomb in Hiroshima at 8:15 a.m. The effects were disastrous. Buildings and people alike were reduced to ashes. Others were severely burned. Others appeared fine only to die a few days or weeks later from injuries caused by the radiation. And months, years later, many died from cancers and other diseases. Many babies were also born with physiological defects.

I didn't take many pictures inside the museum. I couldn't bring myself to take a picture of all the suffering.

a model of the city of Hiroshima before the bombing

The same picture as before, except after the bombing

We also visited the A-Bomb Dome and the Children's Peace Monument.

The A-Bomb Dome: what is left of the former Prefectural Industrial
Promotion Hall. This was one of the only buildings left standing after the bomb exploded.

The Children's Peace Monument is a monument to commemorate Sadako Sasaki and the other thousands of children that became victims of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima.

If I remember correctly from what I read at the museum, Sadako Sasaki was two when the atomic bomb fell. She then was diagnosed with cancer (caused by the radiation). Believing that folding a thousand paper cranes would make her live, Sadako folded crane after crane. But even after having reached a thousand, her condition did not improve and she died after battling the cancer for 10 years.

I'm glad I got to visit the museum but at the same time, even though I saw many pictures of the city in ruins or of people with burns, I cannot begin to imagine how it must have been for the people who were there that day. I cannot pretend to understand because nothing in my life can equate to what happened on that day. After leaving the museum, both my roommate and I walked in silence, unable to really say much.

For supper, we ate delicious okonomiyaki (Japanese style pancake).

The ingredients: squid, noodles, cabbage, bean sprouts, shrimp, 1 egg and lots of sauce

And then, we took the bus again (for another 10-11 hours) and arrived safely back home.