A Train to Okazaki

I don’t have much time to write this evening as I spent some time studying and playing with the kids next door.

I was able to connect Pokemon Go to their Switch and give them some sweet Legendary Pokemon so they were super pumped about that. It was like they were unstoppable in the game once they caught the Pokemon I gave to them. It was great to see their excitement.

It was also my first full day of school today and overall it was what was as I expected. They move at a pretty fast pace and the entire class is taught in Japanese so I have my work cut out for me, but so far, other than not knowing some words here and there, I think I followed the teachers very well.

I’m looking forward for the rest of the week.

Below is a short sample of the view from the train window during my trip to Okazaki from Tokyo. This train is a local train so it wouldn’t be as fast as the bullet train (shinkansen) that I would have been on for most of the trip. But I hope it gives you a sense of general feeling of the country outside of the big cities.

Onsen Time

Without a doubt, visiting the onsen (Japanese hot spring) has to be my favourite activity when all you want to do is just relax. It’s one of the things I miss most when back in Canada simply because we have nothing that compares to how the great the experience is.

The whole part about getting naked with a whole bunch of people is totally just a little obstacle that those who have never been will absolutely get over. It’s really good to know that any embarrassment you have wears off so quickly once you realise that everyone around you considers this time totally normal.

Once you put your clothes away in the locker (100 yen, but you’ll get your deposit back. How nice!), you’ll proceed into the main bathing area where most people typically head to the shower area to soap up and rinse. All the soaps are provided and all the stalls are sitting areas with dividers between. You can spend as much time as you want showering which is a pretty sweet concept; unlimited showers! But don’t stop there as there is plenty more waiting for you.

Most onsens will have a few indoor and outdoor pools. The variety of such will depend on the specific onsen you visit, but don’t forget to check for outdoor pools. The pools range in temperatures (super cold to super hot), some might have jets, carbonation, electric bars (yes, this is thing and it’s crazy to experience), various natural additives to increase wellness, size (large all the way down to a personal tub), and probably a lot of other aspects that I am missing.

There can also be saunas and/or steam rooms if those tickle your fancy, too.

Once you finally succumb to all the heat, rinse off, dry a little bit with the little towel you carry around with you (which I forget to mention, never goes in pools but can be placed on your head or off to the side) and change back into your clothes. If you come at night, a lot of people will change into super comfy night attire like sweat pants and baggy shirts.

Or if you are like me, you change back into jeans and act like you never went in yet.

Now you might be thinking that your onsen experience is over and it’s time to go home. And I suppose you could be right, or, you can stick around and chill cause there are more options for you.

Find a lounge room and read all the manga (comic books) in the world. Watch TV or just chat with your friends. Have kids? No worries, there are typically child friendly play areas to keep your little ones occupied and happy.

You’re probably thirsty so you can grab yourself anything from water to beer to milk and pretty much whatever is typically found in Japan. Ice cream is awesome and that’s usually what I buy cause boy does that feel nice.

If you are feeling extra sore, go get a message, or maybe you burned a ton of calories and are feeling hungry, go grab a bite at the restaurant.

You could spend as little or as much time here as you wanted, your choice. It’s just awesome that so many options await you for however you might be feeling after your great onsen experience.

So, if you ever go to Japan, do yourself a favour and find an onsen. Get past the artificial awkward barrier that you might put up, and enjoy a life changing (yes, it actually is) and enlightening experience.

Okazaki Castle

I am going to say I didn't do a lot of research into the city of Okazaki so I could be pleasantly surprised in all the awesome things this city had to offer. I mean, that's sorta true but honestly I just expected it to be a normal Japanese city with 'normal' things.

Low and behold, this city has one of the my favorite things to see when travelling around the country, castles.

So, where should I find myself on my second full day, at the castle, looking down at the city, standing in footsteps of history itself.

Like most the castles in Japan, the inside of this one has been modernized to resemble a museum of sorts. The various floors showcase old historic relics like maps, armor, weapons, pieces of old buildings and a ton of various other items. Sadly, most of those areas are off limits to photos so I can't show anything other than the outside of the building and views from the top.

If you ever find yourself in Japan, definitely visit a castle or two. You might find yourself enjoying the experience quite a bit!

First Day of School... Again

My first day of school consisted of writing a placement exam, orientation and welcome ceremony.

For the exam, it consisted of about 100 questions with increasing difficulty. In addition to that piece, we also had to take a verbal conversation exam with the instructor. The instructors have probably gone through this so much, that they were very good at recognising where your knowledge of the language plateaued and then continued the conversation at a level where you could excel.

The examination was about 2 hours in total which is something I haven’t done, in a school setting, for quite a long time now.

After lunch, which was ramen (so, a blog post coming soon for that one), I participated in an orientation about the program, the school itself and even included a walk about of the various other buildings and amenities that I have access to.

Immediately after that, was a short welcome ceremony where the new students (3 of in total) introduced ourselves to the existing students in the program. Also, one student was departing, so he gave a farewell speech.

Before leaving the school, I was given a binder of materials and the placement results for the class that I would be participating in going forward. After having gone to one day of normal classes on Friday, I can definitely say I was placed in the right group.

One of the new students that I made friends with immediately is from Taiwan. His Japanese is much better than mine, so I feel guilty that I can’t converse with him as much as he tries to converse with me. Though, I definitely appreciate his willingness to hang out considering the language gap. Though, it is pretty cool, that people are getting together from various parts of the world and communicating in the common language of Japanese.

And I also appreciate that other students try to avoid speaking their native language as much as possible in order to maximise their speaking practice.

It’s really only been a couple of days, but by the time I get back to my room at night, I feel so tired. The mental strain in trying to operate in a different language for so much time during the day, especially when learning, is definitely a real thing.

To those that have a great proficiency in a another language other than your native one, I commend you on the hard work you put in to get there.

I am definitely looking forward to the challenge ahead over the next 2 months.

A Homestay

I met my homestay family yesterday afternoon for the first time and I must say, I lucked out. Not only is the family super nice and their 3 young boys (10, 8 and 5 years old) being super cool, but the housing setup is a great mix of personal space and social interaction with the family.

On this particular lot, the family has their own house, which is a pretty cool layout (newer style Japanese home), but also what I am assuming is the original house which belongs to the grandparents. And on top of that, is a smaller flat which is suitable for a single person or a couple.

So, at the end of the day, once I am done eating dinner, chatting and playing with the kids, I head over to my own place, fully equipped with everything (kitchen, full shower, washroom etc.). It’s a pretty wicked setup for someone looking for a lot of added conversation practice, but still feeling like they are living on there own.

I’ll have to add pictures of my time with the family as time goes on. As I write this, it’s only my second night so I haven’t taken much in the way of pictures so far.

I’ll try to do a quick video tour of the flat so you can get a better sense of what my living arrangement is.

I’m looking forward to all the interactions and activities I’ll get an opportunity to pursue with the family. I already told them that I enjoy the onsen (Japanese hot springs) so we are already planning to go on Sunday sometime.

I also started the Japanese school today, but I’ll touch on that and how it’s going in future posts.