Doshisha Kids

On Saturday, I did what not many Light fellows can do: interact with Japanese kids...in English!

Like always, I started off the day with walnut bread and drinkable yogurt (飲めるヨーグルト) from the Famima across the street. As always, I was able to enjoy a delicious breakfast. And good thing for me, according to Kansai News, I would head to Doshisha School in Kouri, Osaka, on a sunny day. A few days ago I had applied to work at the Kouri Doshisha school as an English teaching assistant. Even though I'm not technically a Doshisha student, the people at the office were extra nice so they decided to hire me...hehehe

Before I write any further, allow me to explain the Doshisha school system. Doshisha is an old school (for Japan) and there are two ways to attend the university: take the college entrance exam; or attend the Doshisha school since kindergarten. There are a bunch of Doshisha primary and secondary schools, where all the students can go straight to the university...sounds pretty easy, right? ...It is!

We took the Keihan train from Sanjo to Kouri-en, then walked up the hill in the heat. Once we arrived, we met up with the teachers. The day's lesson was practicing English with the students and preparing them for their 修学旅行, the annual school trip, in Australia. Basically, I was able to act as the immigration officer, the host dad (the dad, not mom, for unknown reasons), and the host sister. I was impressed by the kids' ability to speak English, and we had an exciting time talking about our favorite foods, singers, and even basketball players!

I was so tired after talking to the kids, though, because I haven't spoken English in so long! At the Kouri-en station we ran into the Doshisha kids, which was pretty cool, and I passed out on the train back to Kyoto. What a long day...

Only in Kyoto: 亀屋良長

Kyoto is famous for its old temples, Imperial Palace, good food, and...traditional confectioneries!

Being a lover of traditional Japanese food and a student in Japanese tea ceremony, I grew up savoring 和菓子(wagashi) from all over Japan. Kyoto is home to many hundreds of shinise, or shops that have existed since the Edo-period.

Today, I'd like to feature one of my favorite shops: 亀屋良長. Located on Shijo street and a 5 minute walk from Shijo street, Kameya Yoshinaga has been serving its delicacies to the locals since the Edo-period. They make the traditional sweets, ranging from the dry type called "higashi" to Yokan. With treats for every occasion, Kameya is my go-to shop for gifts, tea ceremony sweets, and my own savoring...hehe.

Every season they have a featured item, and consistently have yummy creations. This summer, they have among other products, Wasanbon Purin, which is Pudding made from Japanese sugar canes*.

another product fitting for the summer, Kuzu manju (葛まんじゅう)

*Wasanbon: Japanese sugar typically used for traditional Japanese sweets. It has little noticeable difference in taste from regular sugar.

"My Boom": Benrido

*My Boom (マイブーム） is a term that was created by manga artist Jun Miura. It signifies something that an individual is currently addicted to, and is the typical "wasei eigo (和製英語)".*

Recently, I've been exploring the area around the Shijo shopping district. From my favorite Soba-Boro cookie-shop, Kawamichi-ya Honten, to many small coffee shops, this area is a place full of 穴場 (あなば, or "anaba").

On an especially hot day (aka YESTERDAY, when temperatures hit above the 30's), I went to Benrido, which specializes in postcards from a variety of museums. The walls are covered with really cool postcards of classical Japanese paintings/woodblock paintings, historical artwork, etc. Sounds cool, right? I went crazy, spending about an hour picking out a bunch of stuff. And the prices are reasonable (for Japan).

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Little KCJS Sidenote: What's really nice about the KCJS program is that classes usually end around 2pm, so we have a bunch of time to explore the city. Although I usually have a place I want to explore, KCJS provides many opportunities. The teachers are friendly and dedicated, so they always have recommendations for places to visit and eat. Life is gooood.

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Adjusting to the Weather: Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, I was raised in an environment where there was no such thing as dressing too little. Compared with home, Yale was a bit more conservative in dress, but nevertheless open to almost anything.

In Japan, and especially Kyoto, people will judge you for what you wear. Socially conservative compared with the US, most of the time girls will wear shirts with sleeves even in the summer. Kyoto, a city rooted with tradition and full of old people, is not the place for spaghetti straps and strapless dresses. It reaaaally sucks.

So when might people judge you?

• sleeveless/really short sleeve: some people think this is the fashion taste of bold people and hookers. If you're going to a formal event, especially something traditional, I highly discourage this fashion choice.
• eating while walking: you will notice that there are very few trashcans on the sidewalks. That's because people don't eat wherever, whenever, like in the States.
• tying your hair up in public: you might think this is super weird, but there are still some people who think only prostitutes do this in public. And I'm sure these people exist in Kyoto.

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That's it for now.

Toodles~

Don't be fooled by the looks

My closer friends know already, but I had an ulterior motive when I applied to this program: I WANTED TO BE IN KYOTO!

Since the summer program is still young, I wasn't able to garner information before I came...but lucky for you, I'm going to write a brief overview of KCJS.

But before I start, I must caution you: don't be fooled by the looks.

I warned you.

We have class everyday, usually from 9am~2pm, with 1 hour of lunchtime. Every class period lasts about 50 minutes, with 10 minutes of breaktime during classes. (But of course, we usually study during the breaks...)

Usually we focus on one of the following topics:

• 文法(Grammar): learning the difficult grammatical phrases. The textbook is actually a prepbook for the 日本語能力試験(にほんごのうりょくしけん), a test for Japanese-learning students. There are a lot of lessons, so studying for the midterm was a pain...
• 書き(Writing): consists different lessons, learning the nitty gritty stuff, and clearing up confusion in writing.
• 読解(Reading Comp): this is the most satisfying yet exhausting lesson in the program. We read all kinds of things, ranging from Natsume Soseki's 「現代日本の開化」 to an op-ed from Asahi Newspaper. The day before class we read the material and complete a sheet FILLED with questions. During class, we go through the reading with the teacher (if Nakamura sensei is your teacher, I am 100% sure you'll have a BLAST), and discuss the material. Since the classes are taught seminar style, we are all very focused and I think I get the most out of this class. AFTER CLASS, though, is the hard part. We usually write an essay response to the reading...which takes SO MUCH time because the teachers look for not only grammar, but also for structure and style. 会話(Conversation/Speaking)
• 話し合い(Discussion): I actually forgot what we do here...
• 敬語(Keigo): the lessons are structured as a series of conversation between you and a Kyodai professor. They entail writing e-mails and talking.
• ニュース: Someone presents some news, and then we discuss. After class, we write a response. Also a pain sometimes...
• プレゼン: presentations in all kinds of situations. We could be comparing two things, making a sales pitch, introducing ourselves, etc. I'm always put on the spot, too...blah

On one day of the week, you'll have your 個別プロジェクト. During the program, you have the above stuff, and on top of that, you'll get to choose your own "project". This means you get to work one-on-one with the teacher on anything you want. I'm reading 経営の視点 and articles from 日経新聞, which is incredibly difficult but very rewarding. When I can, I memorize some 百人一首 poems.

Some random days of the week, you'll have one-on-one time with your teacher to discuss your レポート発表, which is the term report. We write a 1200-character speech/essay on a topic of choice. I'm doing mine on Kyo-Yuzen, a traditional art unique to Kyoto.

Sometime during the last week of the program, the students get to introduce a lesson and conduct class. The topics can vary, but I actually am not sure what the other students are going to introduce. I think we're all excited for this.

On Wednesdays, from 2:30pm our class meets to watch a movie. So far we've seen Tokyo Sonata and Dear Doctor.

On Fridays, we usually have some cultural activity planned during the 4th hour (1:00-1:50)...

So this all seems pretty relaxed, and not too time consuming, huh?

WRONG!

We only get a few assignments, but each of the assignments is DIFFICULT and TIME CONSUMING although worthwhile. Also, we usually get a bunch of "Redo"s on the essays and homeworks, meaning we have to correct and rewrite our stuff.

So the program is pretty exhausting. But fun...

Oh, did I add that 2 of the 5 people in our class fainted? no big deal.

Minding the Curve

As a heritage learner, I've been told that I'm "lucky" because I already "know the language" and supposedly didn't have to struggle learning Japanese. True, talking to my parents in Japanese everyday and watching Japanese TV shows helps. But these days, I'm feeling increasingly frustrated. Why?


I THINK I'M HITTING THE BOTTOM OF THE CURVE.

When I first saw this curve, I dismissed it. I though that because I've been to Japan already on vacation and interact with my Japanese community, the curve didn't apply to me.

Oh was I so wrong.

The first week was full of excitement. New classmates, a new university, a different city, and a new lifestyle. All I needed to do was focus on my Japanese homework, interact with people, and visit the many attractions Kyoto has to offer. Everyday I'd go to the market and fight with the ladies for the best deals. I was finally in Japan!

Then the second week came. I started getting used to the routine, taking the Kanji test everyday and spending 4~5 hours in Fusokan everyday. But there was so much vocabulary and grammar I needed to learn. Everyday I would have to tread through piles of new grammatical structures, essay prompts, and sophisticated vocabulary. In class, I had to talk in Japanese using what I had learned the day before.

I definitely struggled. Because I have very little exposure to formal Japanese learning, I don't know the rules, I don't know what's wrong with my grammar, and I'm feeling increasingly frustrated about it. In class, my teacher says "use this in 'dictionary' form". But I've never heard of dictionary form...all I could think was "what the heck is that?"

When we learn a language, we usually struggle because we don't know enough vocabulary, or because we didn't learn the grammatical structure. But I feel like I steamrolled over any kind of learning curriculum and as a result, there are big gaps between what I know and what I should know. These days, I'm told I suck at Japanese because I look Japanese, talk with a Kansai accent, yet I talk so weirdly. And it's depressing, because I have a hard time pinpointing my weaknesses or where to start improving. But I know I'll find what I need sometime in the next few weeks...

Still learning...

---Program Update---

Classes officially started on Monday, and looking back on the week I feel like I've learned so much already! Before arriving in Japan, I was unsure of what I'd face in Kyoto. Now that I've explored a bunch of neighborhoods and started my Japanese study, I feel increasingly excited about the upcoming weeks. I'm finding out where I specifically need help, and trying to strengthen my grammar. The teachers are very helpful in answering my questions and in guiding me with my individual project (reading the newspaper).

What I really like about the program so far is that it plans fun events! On Friday, KCJS and CLS held a mixer with Japanese college students from Doshisha, Kyodai (Kyoto Univ.), Handai (Osaka Univ.), Kansai Daigaku (Kansai Univ.) The event started out with us awkwardly talking to each other while enjoying the free food.

When I met the students, they tended to give me confused looks because my name and looks are Japanese. As I talked to some kids, one of them told me I suck at Japanese, even though I grew up speaking the language. It sucks to be a heritage learner sometimes! But hey, I'm here to learn the language, and I ended up really enjoying talking to the students so things aren't too bad...

----Weather---

Weather-wise, things are getting rainy. Until today, I could feel the sun beat down on me. Now, with the rain soaking my clothes, the humidity exponentially rising, and things still being hot (steamy...), I yearn the sunny days.

---Weekend Adventure---

On Saturday, I met up with a few of my classmates to go explore Arashiyama (嵐山). We took the Randen (嵐電) from 四条大宮 (Shijyo-Omiya) and arrived about fourty minutes later. Since we went in the morning, it wasn't too hot, but boy is Arashiyama in the countryside. We walked around the small town.

We visited the 天龍寺(TenRyu-Ji), an UNESCO World Heritage site. It's pretty famous for being beautiful and historic, but also because of its dragon ceiling painting. Since it costs about ￥500 to go tour the garden, then more money to go tour the garden from inside the temple, I wasn't willing to drop another ￥500 to look at the dragon painting. But I'm pretty sure it looks like the picture in this post.

Now, looking at dragon paintings are pretty cool. What's interesting, though, are the claws. Every temple has a rank, and the number of claws the dragon has symbolizes the temple's power. Tenryu-Ji's dragon has five, meaning the temple is of the highest rank!

Today, I walked over to Shijo shopping district in the pouring rain. Sounds miserable, but the Shijo sidewalks are covered by a large roof so I had a great time shopping. Now I'm off to do homework! Toodles~

Beginning, then Program Starts, Placement Test at Doshisha Today

I arrived in Tokyo, Japan, on May 23rd to visit some friends. They live in Shinagawa, which has lots of fun shops and yummy restaurants. I was able to enjoy a meal at BOBOS , which specializes in organic vegetables.

Since then I have moved to Kyoto. It's not too hot so far, although I've heard that the temperature is slowly creeping past 29 degrees C!

On Wednesday (5/26) I was able to visit the Jukoin Temple, a subtemple of the Daitokuji Temple. It is the temple of the "san-Senke", the three historical households descended from the tea master Sen no Rikyu. Usually, the temple is closed to the public. But with special permission, I was able to view the wonders of the Jukoin. hehe. Inside, I saw the famous wall panels by Kano Eitoku and his father Shoei. Wonderfully, it faces a lovely garden...

We then visited the Konnichian, which was unsurprisingly serene. My mom had told me about a well that kind of smells (methane) near the main gate...I found it. It was cool and has propelled my interest in studying tea further...

Yesterday I met my future classmates at the KCJS Orientation in Doshisha University's Fusokan. Everyone seems excited to be here, but there sure are lots of grad students and upperclassmen!

Today I took the placement test from 9:30AM to 11:45AM. That was it for the day, but later at 1:30PM I had lunch with a friend's friend who's working at UBS soon. We had coffee at the café in Meitokukan, which has pretty good tea at a decent price. That was fun...

(Meitokukan!)