Firefly Viewing Magic

      Yesterday was Saturday, my first weekend day I could spend with my host sister since she has been home!! ((It was also the first day that Saki was probably fully recovered from her Jet-lag!))

  So my friend Josh's host-family and my host-family are really close friends, so other than us being neighbors, our families spend a lot of time together ((which is nice~)). Yesterday, I went over to Josh's house in the morning while my host-mother ran errands, and Josh's little host-brother took us all to the park to play soccer with some of his friends! (: They were all only nine years old and less afraid of me, so I had an easier time talking with them than I did with the students at my school.... Plus, we all bonded over playing soccer, something we all loved. I had to be careful playing with them because they were only nine and therefore two feet shorter than me, but it was such a nice gesture to invite me to play! (:

     After Soccer, I went with Josh's family to meet up with my family at a karaoke bar in town~! I was so excited to finally do karaoke in Japan, I was able to sing a lot of my favorite songs ((Japanese and English))! However, karaoke in Japan is more serious than in America-- We were at karaoke for 4 hours. hey, we were in Japan, Go big or Go home, am I right?? x)

Saki and Josh at karaoke~!

     Going into the evening, our families took us to the zoo as the sun was going down for an activity I have very much been wanting to try!! (: We were going firefly viewing at the zoo!! :) firefly viewing is a popular summer activity in Japan! 

my extended host family, including Josh and Mark(:

      We were waiting in a long line for a while until it look us into a forest where the fireflies were. This activity definitely lived up to the hype about it. There were no lights on the path in the forest, and the suddenly there were millions of fireflies lighting up the forest as if they were tiny stars. The only thing we could hear were the sounds of millions of frogs and crickets echoing in the forest and the sound of flowing water in the nearby creek; All we could see were millions of fireflies surrounding us, lighting the way. Last night was purely magic; I have never before witnessed something so magnificent in nature. And on top of everything, I was able to experience it with my host family and friends....In Japan. (: The word to describe last night was perfect. If you find yourself in Japan during summer in the near future, this is something you do not want to miss!

Basically what the forest looked like, but it was more dark....
photo credits to whoever put this on tumblr lol

~Jane Claire (o^^o)

Japanese Trees♥

 Before leaving for Japan, my friend Austin made a special request~ He asked me to please take many pictures of Japanese trees, and I willingly agreed. At first, this seemed like a strange request, and i did not really understand what was so special about Japanese trees.....Well, living here in Toyama now, I finally understand. I have never before been to a place in Japan where there was enough room for this many trees ((even though there still aren't a lot of trees here compared to Georgia)), so I finally get to take a close look at them in detail!
   I thought trees were just trees, but I have realized that trees in Japan are Beautiful! These trees look so delicately put together, and each tree is unique. They really do add to the beauty that is Toyama city. (: Thank you Austin for this request~!! I will continue updating you with more Tree pictures! (:

   I also want to take a second to appreciate the rice fields. (: They are so incredibly beautiful and they are Everywhere!! Everywhere! I live in a town, not a city, an actual town, and I am in love with it!!

~Jane Claire                                   ♪☆ＬＩＫＥじゃなくてLOVEよ☆♪

Small Classroom Issues....

So, today may have started as a bad day... ):
    I've been having a few small issues with my class lately, and I guess the issues make me feel a little lonely. My classmates don't really speak to me, sometimes even when I try to speak to them. I'm used to being alone, in fact I usually push myself away from being around many people at once, so I was prepared to the possibility of not talking to many people...but I guess it is kind of wearing me down. Before I leaving for Japan, i knew this would be one of the biggest problems I would be faced with this summer, and I made a promise that I would not let it destroy my happy mood while I am here. I will just continue to talk to my classmates whenever time permits and hopefully having them talk to me will become easier!(: Tonight, my host sister returns from her study abroad experience in Florida, so things should become easier at school when she is there with me!(:
   I guess my main problem has been coming from a few boys in my class.... Like, they say really mean things about me, and i sit right next to them. Yes, when you call me a "gross foreigner" while looking into my eyes, I know you are talking about me. They call me an "idiot," but I cannot be that much of a fool if I can understand their insults. Do they even realize I understand Japanese? Anyway, I constantly hear them saying really harsh, hateful things about me everyday, and it is kind of bothersome when that is the only thing I hear from my classmates all day. It is truly a shame that they are acting this way....Even so, I stated earlier that I don't want anything ruin my happy, optimistic mood, and I truly will not let that happen. The sun first rises every morning over Japan, and tomorrow brings a new day. They may have said harsh things today, but I will try again tomorrow to start fresh with them. I do believe they are good people at heart, and I hope to get on better terms with them.
Wish me Luck~!
   Also, if you are an aspiring exchange-student, please do not be concerned about your situation based on this post. This is just my personal story-- I cannot promise that this will or will not happen to you. Whatever happens, make the most of your exchange experience no matter what! Take everything with a smile and give people the benefit of the doubt!
   Anyway, my day turned around come lunch time when my friend ((another foreign exchange student)) found me and said "look! it's my favorite person!" that was so kind and he definitely helped to cheer me up. (:
 ~Jane Claire


 

Japanese School Lunches

   In Japan, it is most common for students to bring a lunch from home. The lunch is called an Obentou. My Host-mother makes me an Obentou every morning! My Obentou usually comes with a layer of rice and then a layer of fruit meat and vegetables. This is also typical for the obentou my classmates bring to school. 
   At least at my school, the students also have the option of buying lunch at the school and eating in the cafeteria. This lunch is usually a bowl of ramen, soba or udon. Buying lunch at school as opposed to bringing lunch from home seems to be more popular today than it was, say, 10 years ago. The kids that bring an Obentou from home, however, usually eat lunch in their homeroom class. (:
   Normally, I have been bringing a traditional Obentou to school for lunch.....However, today, my host mother gave me this fruit bowl.... (^^) haha it was different but awesome~!

~Jane Claire♥

★The Giving Tree, Rice Fields and Kind Host Mothers★

I bought The Giving Tree this weekend at the mall while I was shopping!! The Giving Tree is the most important book to me, and I have actually been wanting to buy the Japanese version for a very long time. Because it is important, I wanted to share this with someone at home, so i bought this for them when I saw it! ((spoiler alert: this book is indeed just as sad in Japanese as it is in English...I only shed a few tears, so everything is okay~haha))

   Toyama city is completely surrounded and filled with rice fields. (: It is very nice. I might have mentioned this, but Toyama is not too rural, not too suburban. I definitely realized there were rice fields everywhere, but there was something else a little regarding what my town looks like at home in Georgia. I couldn't quite put my finger on if for a while, I couldn't figure out what was different. Sure, my town in Georgia doesn't have rice fields, but Georgia definitely has houses like Toyama. Georgia definitely has roads and cars like Toyama. Today, I finally figured the aspect of Toyama that is different than at home! (: Toyama doesn't have any trees!! Well, that's not true, Toyama has a few trees every now and then.... But where I live in Georgia is very forest-like and there are many trees every few feet. Toyama has houses and rice fields. If you look out onto the horizon, you can see houses and rice fields for miles. (: In Georgia, there are so many trees that you cannot usually clearly see but a few meters ahead of you. In Toyama, the land in flat, the grass ((rice)) is green, and there are no tall buildings obstructing your view of the land or the sky. (: it is absolutely magnificent! (:

Also, today I had a slightly less than stellar day when I was ditched after school by some friends. Anyway, my host-mother noticed I was sad, and when she found out what happened, she took me out for ice cream at a local cafe~ It was wonderful! I got a few ice cream flavors, one of them being my favorite~ 抹茶 flavored ice cream (green tea)!! YUM★ It was so nice of my host mother to do that~ it made my day so much more stellar!

~Jane Claire (｡・ε・｡) 

Traditional Side of Toyama

   Saturday, I spent the day sight-seeing around the older, more traditional parts of Toyama!
   My host-mother and host-father had to go away this weekend to Kyoto on business, so I spent the weekend with my Prefecture's YFU representatives. I went to stay at their house on Saturday, and we also went shopping that day. Sunday, they wanted to take me to see Toyama's 大仏 (Great Buddha) and then to visit Toyama's oldest temple (Zuiryuu-ji Temple). I mentioned in my YFU application that I love studying about the traditional aspects of Japan's culture's, and that I am also really into visiting Temples and Shrines! Most people my age could easily get bored visiting such places, but I find them to be a place of relaxation and a place to indulge in my love for history. (: 

   The places we visited Saturday were definitely very, very magnificently built and beautiful to look at, but one thing i really appreciated about that day was that everywhere we visited appeal to mainly all of the senses. Normal, I spend most of my time focused on my sight and everything I could see, but that day I was also more focused on my what i could hear, smell taste and feel~ it was nice. Entering Zuiryuu-ji Temple, for example, you are immediately captivated by attention to detail of the decorations on the walls and ceilings. but, close your eyes for a moment and you are overpowered by the scent of burning incense in the air and the sounds of a gong being slowly hit nearby. It is hard to find any other place that is so appealing to the eyes, ears and nose(: haha over-all, every aspect of the Temple was very relaxing! 
  After visiting the Temple, we stopped at a Tea Shop for a little snack! I ordered a cup of むぎちゃ(Barley Tea) with a side of 抹茶 ice cream♥ YUM~ At first glance, it just looked like regular tea. But when I look closer, i discovered that the tea smelled like honey and tasted like spring ♥ haha, it was wonderful!!!

 Before setting out for these places, my YFU reps took me out for lunch at a Yakisoba restaurant! Yakisoba and Okonomiyaki are my favorite Japanese foods! (: They are so fun to make and are always really delicious! I had a lot of fun that day!

~Jane Claire (｡・ε・｡) 

Is Lady GaGa a Devil Worshiper?!?

Okay, funny stories from talking to my classmates! c:

     First, I was talking with a girl named Kaneha about music, and I mentioned that I liked listening to Lady Gaga.....oops. When I said this, Kaneha gave me the most horrified look and said "Ehhhh~!?!" After she saw my confusion, she explained, "I thought christian Americans were not allowed to listen to the Lady Gaga. Did you know? She worships the devil!!" This came as such a surprise!! O: i didn't know Lady GaGa was a satanist....But I guess I'm not really christian so what do I know? haha(: It was really interesting to see how people from the other side of the world view a famous American like Lady GaGa...hmm....

Another funny story! (: I turned around to ask my friend Shiko a question, and when I turned around, he sang, "I remember this from America-- ♪Red Robin.....YUM♪"   This was just so unexpected, but it made me laugh really hard. My friends at school are really nice and they are always making me laugh or smile. I have been trying to make them smile equally as much, some times by messing up my Japanese -.- ((which is not on purpose....)). Usually when I mess up my Japanese, they just say "How cute!" which I guess I am okay with(:

~Jane Claire  (｡・ε・｡)