Just a quick short update - walked around Ikebukuro after school (yes, Saturday class) and ended up spending two hours on just one floor of Tokyu Hands (which has 8 floors packed with all kinds of quirky and cool lifestyle items).
Escaped with just a diary and pen (~900 yen in all).
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
A lonnggg Saturday (1)
Weather warming up over here, most people in just a tee and long sleeved shirt, some just a long sleeved tee. Still pleasantly cool though.
The Japanese (or maybe just the city dwellers) are so nonchalant about squeezing - whether into trains or elevators or clubs. Shoulder-to-shoulder, foot-to-foot. Yet they all still somehow manage to fall asleep, read a book or newspaper, or play on their DS with their free hand. I followed suit in finishing some homework due that morning and got quite turned off at the crowd (bigger than usual because of a slight rain delay), but suddenly the man in front of me decided to get up and alight at the next station, leaving me with the precious opportunity of actually getting a seat and do my homework without having to care about the pushing and balancing on the train. It was an amazingly pleasant morning ride.
Update on last Saturday:
SATURDAY... (Part 1)
was one lonnnnggg day.
Field trip to Asakusa (また！) in the morning, taking the Sumida River cruise for a view of Asakusa from below before viewing Tokyo from the top of Shinjuku Metropolitan Government Building.
from Ueno station..
to Hamamatsucho.
View of Odaiba (yet to go there this time!) from Hamamatsucho
View of Tokyo from Shinjuku Metropolitan
Tokyo is one packed city ain't it? Almost no visible space between buildings.
Countless umbrellas destroyed every windy day - a dorm mate had already lost 3 to the relentless wind. They're cheap though, from 100yen a piece. "Disposable" umbrellas, anyone?
More from the okonomiyaki shop the other day:
How to cook monjayaki
The Japanese (or maybe just the city dwellers) are so nonchalant about squeezing - whether into trains or elevators or clubs. Shoulder-to-shoulder, foot-to-foot. Yet they all still somehow manage to fall asleep, read a book or newspaper, or play on their DS with their free hand. I followed suit in finishing some homework due that morning and got quite turned off at the crowd (bigger than usual because of a slight rain delay), but suddenly the man in front of me decided to get up and alight at the next station, leaving me with the precious opportunity of actually getting a seat and do my homework without having to care about the pushing and balancing on the train. It was an amazingly pleasant morning ride.
Update on last Saturday:
SATURDAY... (Part 1)
was one lonnnnggg day.
Field trip to Asakusa (また！) in the morning, taking the Sumida River cruise for a view of Asakusa from below before viewing Tokyo from the top of Shinjuku Metropolitan Government Building.
from Ueno station..
to Hamamatsucho.
View of Odaiba (yet to go there this time!) from Hamamatsucho
View of Tokyo from Shinjuku Metropolitan
Tokyo is one packed city ain't it? Almost no visible space between buildings.
Countless umbrellas destroyed every windy day - a dorm mate had already lost 3 to the relentless wind. They're cheap though, from 100yen a piece. "Disposable" umbrellas, anyone?
More from the okonomiyaki shop the other day:
How to cook monjayaki
Thursday, April 17, 2008
We might see ourselves on TV! (if we had one)
Risk getting a huge backlog of unpublished posts so here's one about the past two days.
TUESDAY
It befuddled us a bit at first when we heard we were going to be treated to a free dinner by Asahi Terebi at our Harry Potter canteen - but it emerged that they were filming some programme about canteen food (much like the one we had in Singapore?) - only that they actually *provide* the food for us. So staged, isn't it? We just ate and got interviewed while eating anyway. Coming to a Japanese TV near you soon!
the 90 year-old entrance to the canteen
free dinner
all the chairs emblazoned with the Rikkyo crest
kimono-clad presenter for the show
WEDNESDAY
Had classes till past 4, so we thought we'd hang out a bit at Ikebukuro. Starbucks was too crowded (the Matcha Frapp @ 440yen!) so we ended up at an Italian eatery where we had cheap "Moria" - probably just baked rice (299yen). It didn't fill us up so we headed for DIY monjayaki/okonomiyaki and drinks after that at a tiny place.
the "baked rice" - a steal at 299 yen!
monjayaki!
Rikkyo also has a high school and elementary school - couldn't resist taking a picture of the cute kids wearing identical jackets, shorts and squarish Rikkyo school bags:
And finally, my student ID and commuter pass that I got yesterday!
Take care everyone!
TUESDAY
It befuddled us a bit at first when we heard we were going to be treated to a free dinner by Asahi Terebi at our Harry Potter canteen - but it emerged that they were filming some programme about canteen food (much like the one we had in Singapore?) - only that they actually *provide* the food for us. So staged, isn't it? We just ate and got interviewed while eating anyway. Coming to a Japanese TV near you soon!
the 90 year-old entrance to the canteen
free dinner
all the chairs emblazoned with the Rikkyo crest
kimono-clad presenter for the show
WEDNESDAY
Had classes till past 4, so we thought we'd hang out a bit at Ikebukuro. Starbucks was too crowded (the Matcha Frapp @ 440yen!) so we ended up at an Italian eatery where we had cheap "Moria" - probably just baked rice (299yen). It didn't fill us up so we headed for DIY monjayaki/okonomiyaki and drinks after that at a tiny place.
the "baked rice" - a steal at 299 yen!
monjayaki!
Rikkyo also has a high school and elementary school - couldn't resist taking a picture of the cute kids wearing identical jackets, shorts and squarish Rikkyo school bags:
And finally, my student ID and commuter pass that I got yesterday!
Take care everyone!
Monday, April 14, 2008
Lesson not learnt
Sorry for the lack of updates - have had a busy past few days.
More photos of the Ikebukuro campus (on a fine day the weather is fantastic with the sun and the cool wind; on a rainy day it's quite miserably cold):
With reference to the last post: Lesson was NOT learnt today - dilly-dallyed and only caught the 8.22am train - which required more running and brisk walking to school once again - only this time we were later than we were on Friday. To leave. Dorm. By. 8am. Tomorrow.
Today:
Dropped by the 7-storey Books Kinokuniya in Shinjuku after class ended at 6 today with minchu and her friends from Keio before crashing a nomikai that my academic advisor (econs prof) had kindly invited me to. Dragged minchu and her friends along since they didn't have much plans anyway!
We got there late so there wasn't much food left - but we thought it was kinda cool for the professor to invite his class (of about 30 students) out for drinks and dinner in a private room at an izakaya.More photos of the Ikebukuro campus (on a fine day the weather is fantastic with the sun and the cool wind; on a rainy day it's quite miserably cold):
The vines have all started to turn green - they were leaf-less just a few days ago
Friday, April 11, 2008
Run...ning late!
Remembered how I was wondering how people seem to be rushing from place to place at Ikebukuro (and most other Tokyo train stations) all the time? I discovered part of the cause unwittingly today on the way to school for my 9am class. We were all running late - and it was rather amusing to see hordes of students running/brisk-walking/skipping steps on staircases in a bid not to be late for class (which apparently is a BIG no-no here). We were just in time (there's a bell after every period like in secondary school so you'll know if you're late or not) after what seemed like the most strenuous work-out so far.
Lesson of the day: Leave BY 8am if one wants to get to class on time at a leisurely pace.
Lesson of the day: Leave BY 8am if one wants to get to class on time at a leisurely pace.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
20.04.10
Time was passing quite slowly while on my pre-Tokyo trip, but this week has flown by so quickly it's scary. And it's only set to pass more quickly when classes begin.
It's a cloudy and cold morning - overslept so nearly missed breakfast. Have to be at school at only 1 today so I've less excuses to not blog and post pictures =)
At Rikkyo - these were grabbed from the others:
It's a cloudy and cold morning - overslept so nearly missed breakfast. Have to be at school at only 1 today so I've less excuses to not blog and post pictures =)
At Rikkyo - these were grabbed from the others:
At Asakadai when we were doing alien registration:
And a final video snippet. Bowling seems quite popular here - we just found the clips played on the monitors when a strike/spare is achieved rather amusing (compared to the digitised/cartoony ones we get back at home):
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
"Orientation"
Have been busy with "orientation" - which is more of a sessions to settle administrative affairs than anything else. One more day to go before classes officially start on Friday.
Rikkyo is about 10 minutes' walk from Ikebukuro Station - and is along a street ("Rikkyo Street") lined with eateries and shops. Purple flags hung on every lamp post indicate the direction to school, along with the occasional "Congratulations on making it into Rikkyo" banners hung across the street.
入学おめでとうございます！
Some (not very good) shots of the school compound
"Harry Potter"-esque dining hall
cheerleaders and bands were performing all day to recruit new members
Tonight's dinner was goooood - えびフライー定食 with red bean rice (!)
Hugggeee bowl of ramen near school (look at the sheer height!)
Rikkyo is about 10 minutes' walk from Ikebukuro Station - and is along a street ("Rikkyo Street") lined with eateries and shops. Purple flags hung on every lamp post indicate the direction to school, along with the occasional "Congratulations on making it into Rikkyo" banners hung across the street.
入学おめでとうございます！
Some (not very good) shots of the school compound
"Harry Potter"-esque dining hall
cheerleaders and bands were performing all day to recruit new members
Tonight's dinner was goooood - えびフライー定食 with red bean rice (!)
Hugggeee bowl of ramen near school (look at the sheer height!)
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Rain, rain
It rained the past two days... for the entire day today (even now). Don't know how winds can be so strong here (many of us nearly got blown off our feet), even at Ikebukuro. Several tattered and broken umbrellas lined a corner of the street.
Continued with our orientation today (more rules, regulations and information on how to register for modules) in school after spending the morning trying to find out as much as we could about cellphone plans, having a ramen lunch before buying my cellphone at Bic Camera. Since the process was so frustrating (with so many terms and different charges for different plans), I got one along with two of my Korean dorm mates who could speak better Japanese.
Some pics from Asakusa and the Imperial Palace Gardens taken the other day with my dorm mates, Chika and her friend:
picnic and performances along sumida river, asakusa
kaminarimon
imperial palace garden
shibuya
in front of the well-known loyal shibuya dog
an extremely crowded shibuya
chun's birthday at the shokudo
The cherry blossoms have started to fall, signalling an end to the very short-lived sakura viewing period. Wish it lasted longer.
Continued with our orientation today (more rules, regulations and information on how to register for modules) in school after spending the morning trying to find out as much as we could about cellphone plans, having a ramen lunch before buying my cellphone at Bic Camera. Since the process was so frustrating (with so many terms and different charges for different plans), I got one along with two of my Korean dorm mates who could speak better Japanese.
Some pics from Asakusa and the Imperial Palace Gardens taken the other day with my dorm mates, Chika and her friend:
picnic and performances along sumida river, asakusa
kaminarimon
imperial palace garden
shibuya
in front of the well-known loyal shibuya dog
an extremely crowded shibuya
chun's birthday at the shokudo
The cherry blossoms have started to fall, signalling an end to the very short-lived sakura viewing period. Wish it lasted longer.
Monday, April 7, 2008
You know you're in Japan when...
It'll probably rain for the first time over here at my dorm if the weather forecast holds up better than it does in Singapore: http://weather.yahoo.co.jp/weather/jp/11/4310/11227/3510021.html
Rain = cold & wet. Will be in school today to take the placement test. Hope I'll be appropriately placed (considering my lack of practice in the weeks before coming here).
Before heading to school, here's just a few of my "You know you're in Japan when..."
1) You see people brushing teeth in public toilets everywhere, like those at train stations and depaato (department stores).
2) You hear endless cries of irasshaimase and enthusiastic, smiling staff welcoming you and repeating the day's various promotions through microphones at EVERY section of the store (e.g. the TV section, camera section, iPod section of an electrical store) - although probably no one is really listening.
3) No one talks on their mobiles in trains.
Be back later!
Rain = cold & wet. Will be in school today to take the placement test. Hope I'll be appropriately placed (considering my lack of practice in the weeks before coming here).
Before heading to school, here's just a few of my "You know you're in Japan when..."
1) You see people brushing teeth in public toilets everywhere, like those at train stations and depaato (department stores).
2) You hear endless cries of irasshaimase and enthusiastic, smiling staff welcoming you and repeating the day's various promotions through microphones at EVERY section of the store (e.g. the TV section, camera section, iPod section of an electrical store) - although probably no one is really listening.
3) No one talks on their mobiles in trains.
Be back later!
Friday, April 4, 2008
Just got back from dinner and walking around the area, where there's a nice little sakura park with little lit lanterns (pardon the alliteration) lining the river. It's hard to capture on camera though. Lightly photoshop-ed:
Tonight's dinner - chirashi sushi (?) - assorted fish on sushi rice. yum.
Bought another 100yen item: A pack of 5 bananas (haven't had much fruit since coming here). Not my fave but they'll do for now.
My saucepan of questionable quality (it being only 105yen - $1.40). Cheap things can't be of much good, can they? Especially when they should be costing at least five times as much. Hmm.
Tonight's dinner - chirashi sushi (?) - assorted fish on sushi rice. yum.
Bought another 100yen item: A pack of 5 bananas (haven't had much fruit since coming here). Not my fave but they'll do for now.
My saucepan of questionable quality (it being only 105yen - $1.40). Cheap things can't be of much good, can they? Especially when they should be costing at least five times as much. Hmm.
Ueno Park
Cries of "寒い" and "寒いね" ("it's cold isn't it?) from the students here are not unjustified. It's more chilly than it should be at this time of the year. Despite 16 degrees being seemingly similar to the temperature at LT8, I don't even want to step out of my room unnecessarily or to bring in the clothes. It'll get warmer soon, I know...
Today's temperature at Asakadai (high/low): 16°C/6°C
Items bought from 100 yen shops in the past 3 days: 16 (hangers, cloths, a pan, stationery, etc etc)
Average amount spent on transport a day: 700yen (S$9)
More if you go far - the ride to Ikebukuro alone is 300yen ($4.20)! 高いでしょう？
flowers at the shiyakusho (municipal hall?)
yesterday's breakfast - tofu hamburg , cabbage salad, Yakult yoghurt drink
population count at the shiyakusho
the picnic crowd at Ueno Park
きれいだね？
street selling food
sakuras all around the temple - breathtaking.
one for the record!
junior employees(?) laying the sheets for their company's hanami (just my guess)
"it's like heaven" =)
There's something so intimately beautiful about the whole cherry blossom season, with people coming all over just to appreciate nature and marvel at it. Especially with temples and historic monuments in the background. Do come to see for yourselves if you all have the chance!
Today's temperature at Asakadai (high/low): 16°C/6°C
Items bought from 100 yen shops in the past 3 days: 16 (hangers, cloths, a pan, stationery, etc etc)
Average amount spent on transport a day: 700yen (S$9)
More if you go far - the ride to Ikebukuro alone is 300yen ($4.20)! 高いでしょう？
flowers at the shiyakusho (municipal hall?)
yesterday's breakfast - tofu hamburg , cabbage salad, Yakult yoghurt drink
population count at the shiyakusho
the picnic crowd at Ueno Park
きれいだね？
street selling food
sakuras all around the temple - breathtaking.
one for the record!
junior employees(?) laying the sheets for their company's hanami (just my guess)
"it's like heaven" =)
There's something so intimately beautiful about the whole cherry blossom season, with people coming all over just to appreciate nature and marvel at it. Especially with temples and historic monuments in the background. Do come to see for yourselves if you all have the chance!
