Be Positive

So I've been back at IUC for three weeks now and I have to say it's going pretty great! I haven't figured out yet if I have or don't have as much homework as the last two previous 学期, but in any case it's all really interesting coursework so I don't mind burning the midnight oil too much. In addition to the class on advanced grammar ~which is the one class that I'm not too thrilled about~ I'm taking courses on the Japanese legal system, "academic" speaking, and Japanese business.

Studying kanji is also going pretty well. I'm surprised by how much kanji I actually remember now. I still have to look up a lot of stuff in my electronic dictionary, but it's not nearly as bad as when I first got here. Booyeah~

In other news, I recently moved! I left the high life in Sakuragicho for a guesthouse in Shinkoyasu. The place is huge- 3 floors and an awesome rooftop porch from which I can see Mt. Fuji and the Yokohama Bayview Bridge. I thought I might mind at first that I have to share the kitchen/bathroom (with 20 other people apparently) but it's a pretty close set-up to living in a dorm at Yale- Nippon-style so it's actually kind of homey.

One thing I am having a problem with is the heating... I checked the remote control and it's not set to air-conditioning (which I've made the mistake of doing before), but it's only fanning in luke warmish air. Btw, kanji for heating is 暖房 (だんぼう) as opposed to 冷房(れいぼう air-conditioning)- make a note.

What I could really use right now is a 炬燵 (kotatsu)... what's that you ask? Only the greatest invention to beat the cold ever (excepting central heating and maybe a sauna). It's basically an add on to a low table. A blanket is sandwiched in between the frame of a table and its top, making a mini-tent of sorts. A heat source- usually an electric heater though older houses in the country have charcoal pits- is put undernearth the table. All you have to do is stick your legs in and it warms you right up. They're pretty popular here in Japan because homes tend to be really drafty and the high price of electricity makes it unfeasible to heat barely insulated rooms.

Oh well. For now at least I have to be content with wearing my winter coat to bed. おやすみ。

僕は熊の歌

僕は熊

Any trip to Japan would not be complete without a stop to a game center. Though not held in as high esteem as say 生け花 (flower arrangement) or 歌舞伎 (kabuki), game centers are nonetheless a part of Japan's (pop) culture and worth a mention. My so-called passion for the arcades goes back to my days in Kanazawa when fellow PII students and I would play taiko to unwind after class.

Today I want to focus on one of the more noble diversions to be found in the game centers--> freeing helpless stuffed animals that have become trapped in flashy, neon prisons.

The first trick, of course, is to find your target. A good idea is to find a prize that someone else has nudged to the edge a bit or moved around so that it's easier to get~ like this little guy below.

Then all you have to do is use the crane to push him down. The hooks on the crane are pretty weak, so it's not worth it to try and hook the ring unless it's really close to the edge.

Oh! Just a little more!

Ehhhh....

Gotcha!! And you can now live happily ever after with your newly-liberated, stuffed companion.

PS. If there's a prize that you see but don't think you can get, ask someone who works at the game center to a) make it easier to win b) tell you how to win. Each machine has its own little quirks.

Happy Meal

Some weeks ago, the Yalies took a field trip to the ramen museum in Shin-Yokohama. I think the term "museum" is loosely applied here. They do have a small exhibit on the development of ramen on the ground floor but it's minimal at best. I would say it's more like a consortium of ramen shops from all across Japan put together in a building made to look like old-time Japan. Oh! With a really cool gift shop that sells all sorts of random ramen-related paraphernalia like chocolate ramen. While I found the museum itself a little disappointing, I felt well-rewarded with the chance to eat a variety of ramen.

The faux working-class neighborhood design was out of this world. It was like taking a step back in recent time (1958 to be exact)... a rare opportunity given that Japan is also all about modernization or the ancient past. For cool replicas of Japanese neighborhoods of yesteryear on a larger scale, Odaiba is also a lot of fun.

And the ramen.... OMG, amazing. We settled on a shop from Hakata, Fukuoka. It's called Hukuchan Ramen. One of their signature styles (and that of most ramen shops in Kyushu) is by making a thick broth called tonkotsu using pork bones and adding fresh, crushed garlic to the ramen. The fresh garlic really added a kick. I even tried it with instant ramen and it tasted delish. Try it, eat it, love it.

Learn To Fly

Another good pointer... don't miss your flight!!! Actually, I would like to point out that I was totally on time, BUT thanks to the disorganized folks at United I didn't get to "talk a representative" until it was six minutes too late to check my luggage in. I technically could have got on the flight, but I just wasn't mentally prepared to give up my peanut butter and shoes. Note to self for tomorrow, arrive 90 (instead of 60) minutes early.

Apparently when you have a one-way ticket to Japan, the computers flag it and block self check-in. With a little wave of a student visa to the airline reps, the problem goes away. On the plus side, I have a direct flight out of Chicago now and get to chill in a king size bed for the night. I mean, if you're going to cram and do the last of your winter break homework, you might as well do it in style, right?

Without You

In honor of the new year, I'm adding a Top 10 list... in the theme of things I wish I had brought to Japan.

CRISTINA'S TOP 10 ITEMS TO PACK FOR JAPAN

PEANUT BUTTER- There IS peanut butter in Japan. It's just very expensive and from what I saw, only available in the smaller type of jars, so I'm loading up on chunky before I head back. It probably goes without saying, but I'll pack some jelly to keep it company.

TORTILLAS - Clearly, this is a throwback to my Mexican heritage. Breakfast just isn't the same without tortillas... I was able to find corn tortillas in Kanazawa when I did PII, but haven't looked around Yokohama much so I'll stock up while I can.

ROLL-ON DEODORANT- A hard-to-find personal hygiene tool.

A GOOD COOKBOOK- They sell amazing cookbooks in Japan! But it's nice to have books in English. I highly recommend the Japanese Kitchen (by Kimiko Barber) which I picked up during my annual trek to Powell's. It has gorgeous photos and explains a lot about the history of traditional Japanese dishes/ingredients.

FAVE SHOWS ON DVD- I probably shouldn't include this since IUC is all about the intense studying, but really- who am I kidding? Plus, nothing wins you new friends better than having 30 Rock on dvd, hah.

FLASH DRIVE- In the IUC student handbook, they advise students to bring a tape player so that one can listen to the audio that accompanies the textbook. So passé. Everyone uses USB flash drives now... except for me, apparently. So I'm getting one since they're super cheap now (one advantage of deflation?)

OMIYAGE- I didn't bring too many souvenirs/gifts when I first came because I wasn't sure who to give them to. But now they I have an idea of how many teachers are at the school and I've been treated so well by friends/friends of friends, I'm going to bring back some prettily wrapped chocolates, pop tarts (requested), and Chicago keychains.

SHOES- Ok, I'm no bigfoot... I think. But shoe sizes in Japan run small. Shoes in general are expensive in Japan so unless you want to be running around in Converses all yearlong (which I would gladly do, but they tend to clash with dressier clothes), I would definitely suggest packing a variety of flats/pumps/sneakers/boots/sandals/etc. You know, only the essentials?

VITAMINS- When I'm bored, I tend to try and think of new ways to be healthy. Weird pastime I know, but I figure it's better than taking up smoking (really not healthy). One thing I try to be good about is taking my vitamins. I think it goes back to my Flintstone chewables days... In any case, multivitamins and the like tend to run on the expensive side and don't come with English translations on the back so I'm going to pack some of these as well.

drumroll, rum drum drummmm

REFRESHED BODY AND MIND- I know this one is lame, but I couldn't think of a 10th item. (Actually, I'm taking back toothpaste...) Going back to IUC refreshed really is key. Towards the end of term, I think just about everyone was stressing out. My chosen method of relaxing involved a lot of PBS and chasing my dog around the house. And going to a spa for a day on mom's tab- that helps a lot too.

The Tower of Learning

So I know I've been seriously out of touch the last few weeks, but I promise EXTRA posts before the end of 冬休み to make up for all the ones I missed. I wish I could say I've been doing some serious partying, but mostly it's just that I've been way too busy with homework and IUC stuff to write any posts. Even lunchtime isn't sacred... while it's certainly a time to relax and commiserate with my fellow Yalies, it usually ends up being a last ditch effort to finish all the afternoon homework and of course, communal napping.

Anyways, I thought I'd give a much needed introduction/tour of IUC. ご紹介いたします！！
First off, let's take a spin around the school's location which is awesome by any standards. The school's in the heart of Yokohama's modern area called Minato Mirai. Since I live closeby, I walk to school which affords me the opportunity to stroll through Queen's Square and Landmark Tower. When I first saw Landmark Tower, I thought it wasn't much more than an over-sized chess piece, but it has a legit claim to fame in that it is the tallest building in Japan at 970 feet.

(Haha, seriously? I know I'm prejudiced because my hometown boasts the Sears Tower, but 970 feet... that's it? Granted, building height has to be limited in Japan as a precaution against serious damage from earthquakes.)
Both buildings are trendy (read: expensive) shopping centers/office spaces, which are nice to stroll around after class~ there's quite possibly every store you would want to visit with everything from Build-A-Bear to a store that sells souvenirs from Osaka. (Remember, buying souvenirs (お土産）after going on a trip is key in Japanese culture... Why you would want to buy souvenirs from Osaka when visiting Yokohama? That kind of question is beyond the scope of this blog.)

The "school building" itself is actually a huge convention center and luxury hotel that happens to have office space. I'm no architecture major, but the spaceship-esque shape of Pacifico Yokohama is pretty interesting I think... It does make for longer walks between the elevators and classrooms due to the layout of the building, but it's nothing major.

As for the curriculum and the structure of classes, the first quarter everyone is split into morning and afternoon classes. The morning classes, which run from 10-12, cover advanced grammar and phrases. The material seems pretty redundant at first, but when it came time to have to call amazon about redelivering a package I had ordered, whoa- those phone conversations on how to call offices turned out to be really useful.

The afternoon classes focus on important themes in Japanese society like education, the manufacturing industry, working women, pop culture, etc. Second semester the textbooks and themes change, but the overall structure is the same. Ever quarter, there are exams. While students are not graded in the strictest sense, doing well on the exams helps the teachers gauge what classes to put you in (ie. with the kids who speak well or the ones that .... well, don't.) Any more questions on what IUC is all about, feel free to send me an email... after all, I worked so hard to figure out how to add the cool little button at the top that would link to my email.