4 posts tagged “横浜”

• OMG COOL!! what's this?
  
• wow that's really cheap!!
• shit that's expensive...
• why don't we have this in Sydney dammit??
• *point* look at that!! omg photo photo!!
• omg what the HELL?!
  
• awww that looks soooo good [referring to food]
• omg YUMMMMMMMMM [referring to food]
  
• what time is it?? ..omg shit we still need to do this this this this this.....
  

...we've been uttering these incessantly over the past few days
so much so, we sound like broken records
so many things to do, so little time to do it all in..
need to buy household goods, electrical appliances & clothes, clean/sort out/decorate our dorm rooms, sort out all our administrative tasks.. with the local government, UTS and with YNU
we'd wake up in the morning, have breakfast together, plan our day, shop.. and suddenly the next thing you realise it's 11pm and we'd only accomplished half of what we'd set out to do.. the time just flies and i'm getting my dates and days confused..
there's always a to-do list which just keeps expanding..??

we had our orientation ceremony this morning and i was just sitting through it thinking shit i need to get myself organised immediately

i'm so glad that there's 4 of us because there's always someone who'll remember deadlines, things we need to sort out, things we need to buy etc etc..

i feel like i'm constantly sleep-deprived.. the only thing that's keeping me awake is.. this, on top of copious amounts of canned coffee..

i can't even sort out how to work my phone because i don't have time to read the instruction manual...
those who've commented/sent me emails/added me on facebook/wrote on my wall on facebook.. thank you so much ^^ [i will try my best to get back to you but at the moment it's just too hectic.. {and facebook is dangerous...}]
i'm missing you guys and wish you were all here [though maybe give me time to sort things out first arghhh *stress stress stress*]

it has been a H E C T I C  ...72hrs??
whatever.. the only description i have for the past few days is.. frantic/crazy
..i'm still in desperate need of catching up on sleep [been light-headed all day :p {deliriously happy or jetlagged i can't tell..}]..
thence only a long long long post can possibly do justice!
じゃ、はじまります☆
.
.
.

the infamous 21hrs of transit.. not sure how i survived that but somehow managed to make it through a lot better than expected :)
the longest leg of the trip, Sydney Kingsford Smith > Singapore Changi was probably the worst.. eyes were too sore to watch 2 movies consecutively on that tiny screen.. the music and tv on offer were grossly inadequate in comparison to Virgin Atlantic [♥!!] ..i ended up catching only half of the prestige because i wasn't aware the movie was 3 FUCKING HOURS LONG?!
loved the Singapore Airlines uniform though!! damn i regret not sneaking in a photo..

Changi airport was amazing. the terminal inside customs is a 2 STOREY SHOPPING COMPLEX.. we were going past PRADA, HERMES, GUCCI and just gawking at everything :D
they even had like a garden area/sanctuary thing in the middle for shoppers to relax?!
..a lot of stores reminded me of Hong Kong.. watson's, genki sushi etc.. i guess i was homesick in spite of me constantly saying that the city no longer fascinates me..
seriously have a peek at the site.. it's consumerism utopia

Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International made us all get off, take a detour and get back on during that 1hr layover.. seriously wtf?! NOT the kinda thing you want to be doing at Sydney time 0100 on sleep deprivation >.<
and to top it off, the HUMIDITY of the city is SHOCKING.. just getting off the plane and walking into the airport you could feel the blast of stifling heat.. it was apparently 31 degrees at that time of night???

thankfully managed a few hours of sleep on the final leg [exhaustion or the inflight singapore sling..?] and woke up bright and early for landing.. talked a little to the guy sitting next to me [who was surprisingly also from Sydney] who gave me a few pointers on travelling around Japan ^.-

each went their separate ways from there.. anna to 山梨, jacki & melissa to 桜美林, nancy to 東工大.. and we saw hop who was there to pick up nancy :D

caught the bus limousine to Yokohama City Air Terminal, got picked up by our student tutors & cabbed it to our residence to drop off our luggage. kept ooh-ing and ah-ing on the way there haha.. so excited when we recognised the Yokohama city landmarks.. that giant ferris wheel, Landmark Tower etc..
and a further surprise along the way.. when i realised that my student tutor was azusa-azusa!! it didn't even register when i got the details last week but turns out i'd actually met my tutor back in Sydney thanks to nana so i felt right at home upon arrival :D

we had to register at the ward office yesterday and get our insurance sorted..
and so it was that without even a chance to sit down and rest we were marched off to sort out all the administrative details. it took forever and the fact that there were 3 of us [minimal japanese capacity and henceforth the requirement for lengthy translations by our japanese tutors] did not help
we were done by 2pm by which we were starving [we'd been going without food for.. 12hrs?!] and we ended up lunching at a local ramen shop. OUR FIRST RAMEN IN JAPAN!! SUCH GOOD RAMEN!!!..and i forgot my camera seriously SO PISSED OFF!! >.<"

a sense of surrealism hit me when we were at the train station to go to the ward office.. the sense that i'd seen these places in japanese dramas/movies, the sense that i didn't have a clue what i was doing and where i was going, the sense that everyone around us were locals.. local public transport is so representative of an area..

went shopping for household goods at the local 100yen store which is literally 5mins away i kid you not. in fact, EVERYTHING is literally 5mins away. okay maybe 10.. groceries, newsagencies, cake shops, bakeries, cafes, restaurants, hairdressers?! everything's on a main shopping street [商店街] and yet you don't feel it's overly commercial.. most stores seem as if they're run as family businesses - everyone's so polite and friendly there's a wonderfully cosy suburban feel to the neighbourhood
and it's a famous area for cherry blossoms!!
i know i'll grow to love my area [more].. love it heaps already :D

there was no hot water in the dormitories last night [our boilers only got switched on yesterday afternoon]
which meant.. no showers in our residence..
which meant.. we had to go to the public baths in the neighbourhood..
which meant.. we got our first glimpse of authentic japanese culture in terms of bathing with strangers on our FIRST FUCKING DAY..
initial awkwardness aside [going there with michelle & lauren], it was a brilliant experience.. not my first time [first time = 9yrs ago with 2 of my aunts.. and THAT was weird..] so i wasn't absolutely lost.. and the spa/湯 was simply nirvana after all that travelling & running around
the funniest thing.. this granny washing herself next to me initiated a conversation. she was apologising for something and pointing to her greying hair. i have no idea.. maybe excusing herself in advance should she happen to splash water on me when she washed her hair??
..to which i replied "i don't understand..?"
..to which she replied "@%$^#%^&$%^&$^&(*%^&*(^&^&(*^&*$%^#&^$^%$&^%*"
..to which i go "i'm from Australia so i don't understand Japanese well.."
..to which she smiled and nodded...
..seriously WHY THE FUCK would anyone initiate conversation when you're meant to be minding your own business & bathing yourself?!?!?!??! and further continue the conversation when the other party says they don't understand and gives you a completely-lost look?!??!?!?!?!

we had dinner at a curry house..
a cute little shop manned by just the chef himself and there's only 5 stools and a bar for you to eat the food.. the menu was written in chalk on the walls around you. unfortunately, we didn't understand a word of it.. [aside from CORONA scrawled in one corner..]
it was hilarious when we first walked in.. the chef talking to us in japanese and us giving him blank stares.. *silence*.. him trying to take our order and us going.. "ummm... errrrrrrr.. *shit*..."
we somehow managed okay.. there were 2 other customers there at the time and they were eager to help us out; one in particular felt it his duty to translate as best he could [not very well.. :p]
at one point the chef realised he'd forgotten about the other customer's meal when he was making ours.. we must've impressed him because Aussies are so fascinating hahha
the owner recommended we try some bizarre homemade apple juice-vinegar-yoghurt concoction. it seemed healthy enough.. but it tasted.. uhHH .. exactly as you'd imagine it would.. apple juice + vinegar + yoghurt.. =/
nonetheless, it was a wonderful experience.. very intimate, very warm, very cosy.. you're that close to the chef and the other customers that it's only natural you converse with each other.. the fact that there's a language barrier and cultural exchange makes it all the more unique and interesting.. i was dying to take a photo but was too afraid/embarrassed to ask .. >.<"
can't wait to try out more places like this!!

this morning we had breakfast in the neighbourhood [ordering with our dictionaries out is the funniest thing..] and continued on intense shopping for further household goods at the 100yen store

and then we got distracted by the cherry blossoms on 大岡川 [off the 商店街 therefore 10mins? from our residence] and spent a good deal of time wandering down the creek and taking shots and getting food from stalls. yes, think たこ焼き, お好み焼き etc.. and today i discovered おでん.. 
at one point we asked a bystander to take a photo for us.. he offered to take one of us with his camera.. >.<"

today's agenda involved setting up our bank accounts and electronics shopping.. simpson managed to make his own way here from Minesawa (another dormitory, closer to our university) at the exact same time we were meeting up with Hitomi.. i'm SO AMAZED.. we hadn't even been in contact with each other and he'd managed to make his own way to our doorstep AND meet up at the most convenient time??? any earlier or later and we would've been out!!
seriously WHAT ARE THE ODDS?!?!?!?!?

went to Yokohama station.. and scored ourselves that much needed LAN cable and.. our ケータイ/mobile phone [they gave me a promotional alarm clock!!.. just what i needed!!!!!!!!!!] at ヨドバシ :D
Yodobashi is amazing.. there's a different floor for every type of electronic good.. one for mobiles, one for audio & visuals, one for household goods etc etc.. the top level stocks beauty/health electronic goods and they were even selling cosmetics.. there was an entire row for mascara; a special section for nail art decals.. o.O
there's even UNIQLO, a travel agency and an optometrist on the top level and restaurants in the basement?!
and i thought it was an electronics store for fuck's sake?! Yodobashi's name in japanese is meant to be "Yodobashi CAMERA!!?!?!?!
...and that isn't even its largest branch!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yokohama is really metropolitan.. as expected i guess but the sheer size of even just the 地下街 had us wandering around and getting ourselves lost.. and running late for the orientation/information session in our residence.. they made us watch a homemade video explaining most of the rules and procedures.. which was.. INTERESTING..
[scene: corridors of the residence; narrator explains shoes should not be kept outside your room; proceeds to demonstrate by putting a sheet of paper marked with a big red cross over a pair of shoes sitting outside a random door]
and we got initiated to the Japanese system of garbage disposal..
we are to dispose of separately: household garbage (burnable items), spray cans, non-burnable waste (glass & ceramics etc), used dry-cell batteries, plastic, small metal items, cans, bottles and PET bottles, paper waste and old cloth...
for example, the packaging for cup noodles should be separated into paper, plastic and household garbage.....
and yes, there are also specifics on how we should package these items for disposal
very logical i guess.. wonderfully environmentally friendly.. but omg the complexity..

met a couple of Aussies at the orientation.. from Macquarie University :D

i've been on a photo frenzy of everything and anything..
[quote]
"I thought I took a lot of photos.. until i met you" - lauren
"Am I going to be like you and take photos of everything when I get my camera??" *looks genuinely concerned* - michelle

can't wait to get my new camera tomorrow!! :D

apologies for the fragmentation.. but there's an idea of how hectic everything's been and how excited i am [and possibly how i should go get some sleep]
i'm very glad to be here.. everything's fascinating/interesting.. i feel like a country bumpkin/damn tourist..
and i'm loving the opportunity to attempt at communication in Japanese everywhere i go :D

緊張する、
かな？
中学のときからズット待ってたのに、
今すぐ行けるとドキドキするはずだろう？
うれしくて、楽しみにして理由がいっぱいあるなのに、
けど、
あまり緊張じゃないわ..
もう、
待ちすぎだった..
かな？

残すの時間に、もっと友達に会うが当然はず。
けど、
もっと会うともっと悲しくなる..
「もう、そろそろ時間よね」、「一年間にも会わないだね」、
「じゃ、楽しいんでね～！」と言われると、切な～い..
皆も、別々に暮らすの実際を、まだ、向かい合わせられない

やっぱり、日本にいる友達も会いたい
ホンマに久しぶりさ
けど、
今は、シドニーにいる友達と家族とも、別れられない

板ばさみが、
日本にいると、
終わられるかな？

since checking up email replies discussing Dev's 21st present [he who is going to Sapporo i.e. think freezing], have proceeded to check climate on Yokohama

14 degrees in april?! not peachy....

for those who still have no clue as to what/where Yokohama is, i came across this [scabbed off this]:

Yokohama, where the main campus of Yokohama National University (YNU) is located, is famous for its international character and history. Yokohama was a tiny fishing village of 100 houses when the Tokugawa Shogunate, forced to abandon its policy of isolation and open its doors to the world, chose Yokohama in 1859 to be one of several ports opened up to Western countries. Trading houses and foreign settlements flourished after the Meiji Restoration as the new imperial government emphasized international trade. Yokohama is proud of its history of introducing Western goods to Japan – the first bakery (1860), photo studio (1862), telephone (1869), beer brewery (1869), cinema (1870), daily newspaper (1870), public restroom (1871), and ice cream (1879).

With a population of almost 3.5 million, Yokohama is now the second largest city in Japan and has the nation’s largest international trading port. Yokohama is situated on a peninsula on the western coast of Tokyo Bay about 30 km south of Tokyo, the capital of Japan. Yokohama is well-known as an international, cosmopolitan city. Japan’s largest Chinatown, the scenic area known as “the Bluff” with historic Western-style homes and the modern, waterfront area all contribute to making Yokohama an exotic juxtaposition of Japanese, Western and Chinese cultures.

Yokohama is also a city of the future. Looking ahead to changes in global trade and economy, the city has an ambitious plan to expand the Port of Yokohama as a logistics hub. Minato-Mirai 21, a completely new urban development along the waterfront area, has a conference center, offices, museums, residences, hotels, shops and restaurants. It serves as a center for international companies and high-technology research and development institutes.

Yokohama has four distinct seasons, as does most of Japan. Yokohama enjoys a mild climate throughout the year with an average temperature of 16-17℃. Summer can be extremely muggy, with temperatures exceeding 30℃, and even at night it can be hot and humid. It is relatively warm in winter with a temperature range of 5-10℃ with little snowfall. Spring and fall are very pleasant and a wonderful time for enjoying the outdoors. But Yokohama has something for every season – cherry blossoms in spring, summer festivals, colorful autumn leaves – just to name a few. Every day is an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful sights and enriching experiences of the city of Yokohama.

enticing isn't it?  I WILL BE SEEING YOU GUYS THERE DAMMIT!!