jesses japan student exchange blog

It's been quite some time

2008-09-18T10:42:00.002+10:00

Heya! お久しぶりだね！ Not sure if anyone is still reading (actually I just had a look at the comment tracker and it seems there are still a few of you!), but I just wanted to let you all know quickly...
The blog will be starting again- I have purchased a domain name- www.jessesjapan.com- and will soon purchase web space to go with. Jesse's Japan is comin at ya new baby, with a new design, new layout (should be good), and I'll be living in Japan again as of June next year (posts will start before that).

Can't wait to see you all on the new site- I just need to save a little bit of money to buy the space, and then we will be set for 3 years!

See you soon!

Jieshi

Dusk and Night from the hotel

2006-12-05T22:22:00.000+11:00

Half Price Tuesday

2006-12-05T22:00:00.000+11:00

My goal for this morning was to eat the cheapest breakfast possible. The results were rather successful- $2.10 anyone? Mmmm shichkin mayo onigiri (that translates as Tuna, Mayonaise rice balls). In all honesty, nobody, and I mean nobody, can beat the tastiness of a Family Mart Convenience store, Shichkin mayo onigiri- no really, I've tried them all- 7 Eleven, Lawson, Daily Yamazaki, none of you can beat the tastiness of Family Mart! At least I know where to go for a rice ball......

Currently my jaw is aching on account of gaping half the day due to shock at how cheap camera gear in Japan is (hence the title), and the copious amounts that each store seems to be holding. Jan (pictured left) and I had promised each other that today was the day- we were going to Shinjuku to buy camera gear, and we were going to spend so much of our holiday funds that we would need to return home early...... or just drop a good amount of the ole mullah on some camera gear (no way am I leaving Japan early!). So, hitting the Subway system at 9am, Jan and I (pronounced Yan) headed to Shinjuku chattering away excitedly like schoolgirls (what place could be more appropriate than Tokyo?).
"Oh I'm getting a battery grip"
"Well I'm getting a wide angle lens!"
"Don't forget my Canon 5D!" it continued on this way for the entire trip. Jan and I needed each other more than we knew for this expedition; Jan is a freelance photographer, so he knows his gear inside out, hence a good companion for camera shopping. Jan also speaks no Japanese what so ever, hence he needed me to translate everything for him- including conversations between himself and the shopkeepers.

First up was Yodobashi Camera- probably the largest camera chain in Tokyo in terms of size, store numbers, and hmmm, price. The prices were much cheaper than Australia, about 30%, and they had every accessory and piece of equipment you could poke a stick at- 7 floors worth! After Jan and I managed to finally pick our jaws up off the floor (Yes it would appear that we are camera geeks, yes?), we headed for Map Camera, where once again everything was about 40% cheaper than Australia, and I, hehe, got tax off too. 2 hours and $300 later, I emerged with a beautiful battery grip, hand strap and a spare battery. Jan on the other hand emerged with a
Stinky attitude on account of his credit card's security feature not letting him purchase the expensive gear for another 48 hours.

"I need a cigarette! Ahh, stupid banks, how can they do this to me in a foreign country" Jan said to me in anguish, as he chain smoked his way down the street- I told him it was really much to early to dancing around the store, singing "I've got a new toy, I've got a new toy" you really do need to let the payment process first. "Jan, when you have a problem, eat some food. It may not fix the problem, but at least you'll feel better", and with those words we headed for a big, cheap, bowl of Oyakodon (that translates as Chicken, Egg and Rice- oh so scrumpcious!). Not only did it taste great, but that cheesy line about food that I so shamelessly plagiarised from a 3rd rate, Disney channel show, proved correct- Jan did feel better, so much that he was ready to drop a few hundred dollars on a new ipod, ipod dock, digitial camera and some underwater housing- what a fun afternoon in Akihabara electric town!

After killing ourselves through camera shopping, we returned to the hotel, where we picked up our friends Charlotte (From France), and Lotta (From Finland) to enjoy a meal. Dinner was rather funny thanks to the crazy (yes he was crazy!) man sitting at the table next to us. This guy talked non-stop throughout his meal.... to his imaginary friend supposedly sitting opposite him- he was using hand gestures and everything! Charlotte had a hard time keeping a straight face. It was slightly freaky, but great entertainment for a cheap night out! As usual the night closed with us all chatting away at the hotel bar until the early morning (seriously you would think we were all characters from the TV show "Cheers").

Jieshi

Photos.....PHOTOS!!!

2006-12-04T20:05:00.000+11:00

SO here are the first shots for you- these go with "Erin on a Monday"

Harajuku

Shibuya

Shinjuku

Akihabara

Erin on a Monday

2006-12-04T17:06:00.000+11:00

Well once again history has been made for Jessesjapan.... a reader has been met for the first time ever in a foreign country (that country obviously being Japan)! If you have been reading the comments page at all, you may have noticed a reader going by the alias "Erin" or "Ez" leaving comments, and it was this "Erin" that I met while in Tokyo.

"Erin" is currently an exchange student in Japan, and after having exchanged emails for most of this year, we agreed to meet while I was in Tokyo. Now please note, meeting readers site (sight?) unseen is not normally my style, but in this case there existed various links and acquaintances between "Erin" and I so that it was safe enough for us to meet in confidence knowing that the other person was real (Maybe I Should attach a disclaimer reading "warning: do not try this at home, let alone in a foreign country").

After having a breakfast for one at "Denny's" (how on earth does this American junk food make it to every corner of the globe?), the worst bacon and eggs I had ever eaten for $8- the pot of green tea was great though!- I left to go meet "Erin" near my hotel. I'm not sure if you know or not, but meeting someone you haven't really seen before in an area you don't know very well, is at the best of times, well, difficult. It was about 6 degrees Celsius and "Erin" was running 20 minutes late- it was time to investigate. Running back to my guesthouse so that I could call Erin, I managed to run into her- almost literally. She had come from the wrong direction, and was now practically standing outside my lodgings- why did I even try to organise a complicated meeting spot in the first place? It is amazing how familiar we were with each other- emails can do wonders! After exchanging niceties "Oh it is so good to finally meet you" "How was your trip here?" etc. we decided it was time to hit up Harajuku- without the crowds.

Harajuku certainly is a different place when no people are there (damn I forgot to take a comparison shot), no crazy dresses, no crazy people (actually scrap that), and no crowds make Harajuku merely a collection of crazy shops and...... Well lingerie stores actually. Are the Japanese youth pointedly focussed on sex? Girls in lingerie by any chance? Because a walk through Harajuku would suggest this when you see the window displays in the 10+ lingerie stores (also the gothic lolita stores too) that line this short shopping street. I also pose this question after an encounter I had last night at dinner. While my foreigner friends and I were eating dinner, there were 2 Japanese couples (aged about 21) sitting next to us. When couple no. 2 arrived, the guy slid a lingerie catalogue across to his friend and says, "yo check this out" (in Japanese of course). Throughout the course of the evening I picked up bits of their conversation and their actions (ok! I eavesdropped alright- how else do you think I get material for this blog?), and it went like this:
Guy 1: Hey what do you think of this?
Guy 2: Oh that would look hot on your girl! Do you think mine would look good in this?
Guy 1: Oh for sure! Hey baby don't you think Michiko would look cute in this?
Girlfriend 1: Of course! giggle giggle

Yes the women were in on it too! Now while this was definitely a strange occurrence, my foreigner friends thought it was quite funny as I explained to them what was happening at the table next to us. Ok, breathe- back to Harajuku.

So Harajuku is great for photos! So many different crazy and zany elements that my itchy shutter finger kept clicking- be careful of the scenery though- it may just jump out and bite! I was lucky enough to encounter this. As I was walking down the street, I noticed the strangest collection of Goth boots and shoes- Vivian Westwood and the like. I kneeled down to line up my shot and just as I looked through the lens I hear someone start screaming "YADA! YABAi!YADAAA!" who is screaming? I wondered. Just as I am about to shoot, a hand appears in front of my sight- I looked up to meet the gaze of 22ish year old woman. "Yada" she said. Have you ever had a moment of enlightenment? I did at that moment, as a number of pieces of information clicked together in my mind like a puzzle:
1. She was angry
2. She was a shopkeeper
3. She had come from the shop front that I was about to photograph
4. There was a murderous glint in her eye
5. She was way too close for comfort

"Oh I'm so sorry" I said to her in Japanese. She simply glared at me and walked off without another word- honestly the look she gave me could have frozen ice- AND IT"S ALREADY FROZEN!!!!! "What was that about?" "Erin" asked
"I don't know, but I don't feel like taking anymore photos today" I replied.

You'll be happy to know that the rest of our day was not that eventful, except when I would randomly comment "wow that was freaky back there"- yes perhaps I am revealing my naivety about this big bad world- but honestly I have never expected a Japanese person (let alone a Japanese woman- that is not a chauvinistic comment) to yell at me like that. "Erin" took me to MacDonald’s in Shibuya to rest my weary body and jangled nerves- I don't think MacDonald’s has ever tasted so good. The rest of the day "Erin" introduced me to various areas of the city:

Shibuya- has the busiest intersection in the world and is a bustling youth district

Shinjuku- Government offices and skyscrapers- great view of Tokyo from free sky decks in buildings

Akihabara- geek capital of the world, if you want electronics or anime.....come here. Please be warned, never will you be exposed to so much anime perverted ness in one place (throws up)- I would hate to see what they were keeping in the restricted 18+ sections!

Well "Erin" went home at 5pm and I went to hotel, dinner, and then my good friend Jan from Denmark accompanied me to the bar until 1am- what more can be said? Oh, I only drank wheat tea and everyone thought it was hilarious!

More to come,

Jieshi

Singin' on a Sunday+ Hangin' with the Harajuku kiddies

2006-12-03T22:21:00.000+11:00

So maybe 3.5 hours sleep wasn't enough- normally that is, but for a first timer in Tokyo even an hour would have been plenty. Throwing the covers of the bed back, it was time for some breakfast and for photo taking, the day was young at 7am and I was like a bridegroom on his wedding day......Basically what I am trying to say is that I was feeling fresh (no dirty connotations intended). It was then that I came to the shower....oh the shower. Now, when we think of a shower room you think of cleanliness (it was clean), but you definitely don't think of a toliet- a toliet, 2 urinals and half a bath for that matter. Yes I'll give it to you that they were shut down (is wrapping foam what you call shut down?) and they were clean, it's just that showering above a closed toilet lid tied down by rope doesn't appeal to me- that aside, I am digging the cheapest accommodation house in Tokyo very much.

Feeling even fresher than when I woke up I was now walking down the street to get breakfast, with my jacket zipped up and a rather professional looking camera hanging around my neck, I was ready for action- oh how obvious to the many Japanese around me that I was a tourist. Heading up to the main street I arrived at kaminarimon gate (Sensoji Temple), one of Tokyo's must sees' for the visitor. Thinking "ooh, it is 8am and no other tourists are around, I can get all the shots I want without anyone in the way" (yes the photos are coming I just don't have the software yet), I began to fire away so to speak- 2 hours later my memory card was full, I realised that Breakfast had never actually come around, and that I was due at Church in about an hour.

After stopping by the hotel (Khaosan-Tokyo) to drop my photos onto the hard drive, I was off on my first subway lin adventure to get to a place I didn't know, in a city I had never been in before. Jesus Life House Church was fantastic! Guys if you are ever in Tokyo get there and check it out! Whether you a Christian or not I recommend it because it puts church into a modern, understandable, fun structure that you will have never experienced before. Got to talk and meet a few people, and then it was off to Harajuku.

Harajuku is almost incomprehensible- you can look at all the pictures on the internet and read about it all you want, but you will never fully get it until you experience it for yourself. Sunday in Harajuku is packed with people walking everywhere, trains leaving the station with people cramped like sardines in the carriages and strangely dressed sub-cultures on display for the world to see. Once again apologies about the photos, they are one their way. First off I found where the strangely dressed Harajuku kids were hanging for photos. I came to an interesting conclusion about these cosplay kiddies- the reason they dress the way they do is to attract attention to themselves, they want love or popularity because no one has ever given it to them- within their own social circles they are generally the quiet kids or the ones who are bullied at school, and the costume is their creative outlet and way of expression. They want you to take photos of them, but when I asked if I could (in japanese mind you), they would run away and pretend it wasn't what they wanted- strange.

That aside I also got to see the Meji Shrine (another must see) and take lots of photos- there were 3 Japanese wedding ceremonies and processions while I was in the shrine, so I got some nice photos of the couples. The Meji Shrine is amazing, it is so peaceful and so massively huge- I don't think my photos can do it justice. I finished the afternoon walking the packed backstreets of Harajuku taking in the amazing sights, crazy fashions, and even getting to talk to a group of Australian school students that I bumped in to.

Can't really think of what happened in the night, and I can't tell you anyway people need the computer!

Until another day,

Jieshi

A week has passed already?

2006-12-03T19:48:00.000+11:00

You bet! And now........... I AM IN JAPAN!!! Oh yeah, that is right (yes, I am just slightly excited). SO last night and today have been jam packed already, so much that I cannot tell you now- I need to sit and gather my memories (and edit my photos) in order to tell all. Unfortunately unless I start taking photos with my point and shoot camera, you won't be getting any pictures until next week, as I have been shooting in Raw Format and won't have the editing software until next week- sorry.

Anyway I will sit down soon and write out a recount for of the last 36 hours for you all, but right now I need to eat= I got so carried away shooting photos today that I literally forgot to eat breakfast and lunch- no way am I missing dinner.

Until tomorrow,

Jieshi

Your first night in Japan and you what???

2006-12-02T18:33:00.000+11:00

Got lost? no. (ok slightly). Got mugged?no. Met many interesting people and stayed out until 3:30am? YOU BET! But that comes later in the story. So let us start at the beginning, at 4:30am on Saturday the 2nd of December (too early for you?).

4:30am brought the rather loud, unbearable, teasing beep of my alarm- time to get up, shave, shower, dress and lock my bags, head to airport. Waking your parents at 5am isn't normally an easy task to accomplish, but they promptly rose, and my Father drove me to the airport- incessantly giving me tips about safety while abroad- "Don't let anyone see you have money on you", "keep in touch every day", "watch out for the traffic,we don't have anything like it in Sydney"- I guess it is the little things like these comments that let you know they care.
The flight from Sydney to Melbourne was rather uneventful, minus the crying/screaming babies that inhabit economy class across the world (I have a theory that they are planted by the airlines to make more people upgrade to business class in the future), but it was the flight from Melbourne to Japan that held a some interest. (figures that an international flight is always eventful)

After settling myself in to my seat I met my neighbour to be, an ex-pat from Russia who was returning to oversee a building project that he was in charge of- I never actually got his name, we just talked the whole time, then the fun began. About half way into the flight a man who had drunk too much began to chase the hostesses around the plane, grabbing a few bottoms that he shouldn't have- that is when a small amount of raised voices could be heard. He tried to slap a hostess on the rear, she turned around, pointed at him and said "don't you touch me!"- the male host's had to step in and tell him in Japanese to sit down- he kept wanting more alcohol. Other than that, I got to watch some thought provoking movies: "Solo"- an Australian movie about a hitman who wants to retire, "X-men:The last stand" (though I wouldn't call it thought provoking), and "Lucky Slevin"- A movie starring Bruce Willis, Josh Hartnett and Morgan Freeman.

By 9:30pm (Japanese time- 11;30pm Australian) I had managed to make it from the Airport to my hotel in the middle of Tokyo- promptly dropping my things in my room, meeting a guy from Denmark by the name of Jan (You'll get to see a photo later), heading to the bar owned by the hotel with him, and then meeting A LOT of other people. The guest house I am staying in has another 2 guest houses in the local area, so it opened a bar so that everyone could meet and get to know one another. After Jan and I had been there for 10 minutes, the entire population of guests from each hotel managed to find their way to the bar, it was packed. within an hour I had managed to meet 2 Aussies, 3 Canadians, 4 Americans, 1 New Zealander, and 3 people from the UK- within an 1.5 hours a group of 10 of us had left the bar and was heading towards a Karaoke booth- let the fun begin. It was great! Though no offence to some of my Karaoke partners in crime- you can't sing....no hard feelings. Ladies and gentlemen, you may think that $27 all the alcohol you can drink, all the ice cream you can eat, and all the Karaoke you can sing go hand in hand, but don't believe the myth- especially the alcohol one- you are bringing pain upon the nations with your drunken slur!!! The next time I looked at my watch, it was 2:30am- I had now officially been awake for 24 hours- I hadn't realised because I had changed over to Japanese time- I needed a bed. I promptly paid and left the others at 3am, many of them stayed on until 4am- at least I was able to pick myself up out of bed at 7am. More stories (and photos) to come- sorry if this post was a little long and boring, I just wanted to fill you in before it was too late.

Take care,

Jieshi

A week!

2006-11-22T19:11:00.000+11:00

That is right! Only a week until JessesJapan is really live from Japan!! Everything is moving along, money preparations are in the works but the bloody Japan rail pass is taking forever!!! I ordered it two weeks ago on Thursday and it still hasn't arrived. It is meant to arrive at the Travel Agent's office in 2 working days, their response when I call is "Oh I'm sorry it still hasn't arrived, we have the courier order tag but it still hasn't arrived for some reason- I'll get right on it"- Do you think they are really getting on it?

Anyway all accomodation is booked, itinerary is loosely in place, I think that I am going to ride with current on this trip- wherever the wind blows me, photos shall be provided.... an experience lurks around every corner!

Well that is my heads up for you guys, I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!! OH YEHA (see I'mm so excited I'm not even spelling properly :D)

catch y'all at the Airport,

Jieshi

Asian Backstreet boys

2006-11-06T10:25:00.000+11:00

Well well, only 3 weeks until Jesses Japan is back.... in Japan!!! OH YEAH!

Anyway as a little warm up and taster of what's to come, I thought I would show you this video. In case you're wondering, I won't be giving you impressions of the Backstreet boys like these hilarious guys- rather I will be giving you VIDEO! YES, VIDEO!!! Jesses Japan adventures will feature video segments as of December!

Until then, enjoy the Asian Backstreet boys,

Jieshi

P.S. Kudos go to my younger sister for finding this clip- I really wouldn't have the time lol

Trial by fire

2006-10-20T07:24:00.000+10:00

Well it seems what we would call coming of age here in Sydney, is finally upon me. AAAHHHHHHH IT"S THE HSC!!!!!! In about 2 hours I will sit the first of my final exams of my schooling career (Why do we call school a career? You don't make any money from it). I feel a little bit apprehensive, but only because the first exam is English (love the subject, hate the exams), once that is over everything else will be free flowing.

I wouldn't say I am stressed as such, there is a plan for my life and I have put in the best effort I can- you can only do your best. Why worry if I have tried my hardest?

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28 (New Living Translation)

On a side note, only about one more month until Japan!!!! I'm going to need to work rather hard to get all the money I require, there are a few professional pieces of equipment to buy that are slightly expensive- I can't wait!!! hehe

Studying hard,

Jieshi

Jessesjapan live from the Sydney Opera House? Alright!

2006-10-09T13:59:00.000+10:00

It appears that music could be my thing, maybe. As most of you know I am currently completing my year 12 certificate or, HSC as it is known in New South Wales. What many of you probably don't know, is that I am a singer/ guitarist and I am doing Music as one of my subjects.

Earlier this year I completed a performance exam as part of my tests and it is with a whole heap of energy and excitement I can announce, I have been nominated for an encore award!!! For those not familiar with the HSC terminology or way of doing things, let me break it down a little. Basically practical subjects such as music and art, have showcases in the following year to show off some of the most interesting or top scorers in those particular subject areas. Art has an exhibition at the New South Wales Art Gallery, and a few other locations, while music has one night for performances at the Sydney Opera House, this is where I step in.

Out of 6000 musicians in New South Wales this year, I have been picked for the final draft of musicians to perform at the Opera House next year in a "one show only" performance (I think the final draft is about 500 students at the most). So though I sound rather calm and composed in this post, I have had a few days to mull it over in my mind- I am still rather excited, this is a dream come true of sorts. So look out you Sydney siders, because I could just be performing for you at the Opera House next year!!

Until the Encore,

Jieshi

Fukuoka frenzy!! Waaaahhhhhaaaaaaa

2006-09-27T17:53:00.000+10:00

Woohoo! I now have a weekend itinerary set for Fukuoka! My good friend Rick (pictured left- no he does not look that strange normally), has agreed to let me stay at his house on my way through Kyushu (Japan's lower island) so that we can hang out and I can visit church again. Oh my goodness I am so excited! (not that it is obvious.... :D) 3 weeks in Japan is going to be the best trip ever- yes I am titling my upcoming trip, 3 weeks in Japan.

So now that the trip update (or lack thereof) is out of the way, here is some graduation news.
Tomorrow my school is taking the year 12's to a cove / beach for a graduation picnic. Even better news- school is catering! Also I am going to try my hand at snorkelling for the first time! I am going to take plenty of photos tomorrow, I only wish I had an underwater housing case for my camera so that I could take some photos underwater... things don't always happen the way you want them.

Anyway just thought I would let the readers know what was happening.

Catch y'all,

Jieshi

I'm not really graduating....am I?

2006-09-24T19:12:00.000+10:00

Whoa! I'm not really graduating this week am I?
It is true ! I am! This week my formal education well and truly finishes! AAAAHHHHH what does this mean??? hmmm..... more Jesses Japan? OH yeah!

Yes ladies and gentleman, now that my education is finishing, I am free to study and explore more of my beloved Japan. As you already know, I will be returning to Japan for 3 weeks and then upon my home coming in Australia I will be continuing studies of the Japanese language- and if I get the marks, study of the Japanese economic, political and social systems.

I don't really have much else to say except, IT IS ABOUT TIME! :D I really look forward to entering the "real world" as many would call it. Having already lived in Japan I have experienced part of the world and it has so much to offer ( I know this sounds naive, but hey the world needs more optimists!), and I have been hanging out all year to get out of school- anybody else who has delayed their education finishing date by 1 year knows what I'm talking about.

Looking forward to giving you all more Jesses Japan experiences,

Jieshi

P.S. What do y'all think about my new header?

Musings of the wandering traveller's mind

2006-09-15T22:48:00.000+10:00

As I sit here at 10:30pm on this Friday night musing over the possibilities of my "home coming" to Japan, my mind is excited (and confused) with all the potential, energy and expectation that are wrapped up in this trip.

So far I will be staying in Tokyo for a week, many hours of meticulous planning and research(which really should have been used for studying) have already gone into this first week, and not much else has gone into the following 2 weeks- when it comes down to it... I'M EXCITED!!! Having never been to Tokyo before, and having become a budding photography enthusiast (armed with a big piece of expensive photographic equipment) throughout this year, of course I am going to plan. I want fantastic shots of Japan, and when you don't have a lot of money to spend, photography is a great way to spend your time in a new, foreign city- creating angles and views others have never seen before.

It seems my trip has become something of an personal inspiration in terms of travel and adventure- I have always wanted to see other parts of the world, but with the onset and planning of this trip I have been frequenting trekking stores (no I'm not trekking I just needed travel gear) and photography sites, blogs and travel photography group websites which have acted as a catalyst for my goals of trekking and seeing the world resurfacing.
One of these goals being to trek through China, Nepal, Tibet (and any other country that suddenly springs to mind with inspiration)- I also have a sudden urge to climb Mt Fuji??

I also want photos- Those amazing shots that tell you so much about a place and capture its personality all in a single frame- pure genius, hopefully my photographic skill and creative eye will have been excercised enough to get the shots I want while I am in Japan.

So far on the "To Japasnap" list is:

1. Harajuku- I'm only in Tokyo for 1 Sunday so this is what I will spend the time doing
2. Tokyo Tower- There is no way I am paying for this ridiculous tourist trap, but I will get photos of it :-)
3. Day to day life- I want photos that tell a story, that sum up my experience and show off Japanese day to day life

Also the number 1 (and only thing) on my "to buy" list:

1. Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM - Oh baby! the big expensive camera lense that I want!

So until my wandering traveller's mind feels the need to post again, I bid you all in the famous words of renowned television and radio Journalist, Edward R. Murrow, "Good night, and good luck".

Jieshi

IT"S ON!!!!!!!!

2006-09-07T11:23:00.000+10:00

Hot dang (as a good friend of mine would say), it is on!! Jesses Japan will be live and kicking from Japan, again... in 3 months.

Although this post is 2 months later than I intended to be posting anything (so much for the blog being up and running again), I have booked my flights, accomodation and I will be enjoying a lovely 3 week, never before experienced, solo tour of Japan. Tokyo is first up on the list and I will be snapping away with my high quality camera to bring you, the reader, all the action direct from the front line. Get ready for a wild ride because in Jesses Japan you really never know what you are going to experience ( remind me not to enter the world of motivation and hype... I'm not very good at it).

So if any of you out there are still reading my blog, give me you recommendations Japan expats as to what I should see and do- my plans are flexible, like a stalk of grain in the wind (an old japanese saying... in relation to bowing)

Catch you soon,

Jieshi

Holidays, and among other things more study!

2006-07-16T16:07:00.000+10:00

Hello once again Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to another belated update in the world of Jessesjapan.
As I always say, wow! so much has been happening and still the HSC draws closer everyday. These holidays well, they haven't really been holidays, I'm not sure if studying 90% of the time equals a holiday, but that aside these last 3 weeks have been rather interesting! Let's see now:

Week 1: Monbukagakusho scholarship cramming and exams

The Monbukagakusho scholarship, for the un-informed, is a 5-year scholarship offered by the Japanese government to International students wishing to complete university study education in Japan. The scholarship is so far yet to be topped by any other scholarship I have come across (in terms of what it covers and entitles you to), therefore giving the reputation of one of the most fiercely competitive scholarships that I have come across.

On Friday 30th July, I had to attend the Japanese consulate to sit exams in Maths, World History, English, and 3 Japanese exams!!! Henceforth I spent many hours prior to the exams preparing and studying, especially the week of the exam. Much of my time was spent learning about World History- for those of you who do not know, World History is not one of my subjects at school....... I learnt to become an expert in World History real quick! I was even studying while I was sleeping!! ( I recorded the notes on to Mini Disc and listened while I slept).

The day of the exams finally arrived (with butterflies in the stomach), and so it was time to put pen to parchment, I was competing with some rather smart cookies from around Australia, meaning one false move and my dreams of studying law in Japan could fall through the floor.
I'm still waiting to hear back about the results, so if it is a positive outcome, you can be sure I will post!

Week 2: Study Camp (Oh joy!!)

Yes that is right....Study Camp! It was a fantastic time of making new friends, playing more guitar for sing alongs, but most importantly it was a fantastic time of 6am wake up calls (not that I really mind) and 7 hours study everyday!!!

While they are tough to stick to, I highly recommend the Crusader Study Camps to any future HSC students as they are unbelievably beneficial for your study over the semester breaks, I myself did 35 hours (I was in the top 4 studiers) and felt ready for a rest by the end of the week. The sessions are split up into manageable chunks so that you won't feel the need to hang yourself from the ceiling fan after having done 6 hours straight (instead you do 4 chunks of 1.5 hours and there is also an optional 1 hour session).

While we were there to study, the camp is just as much a social event as it is a study camp. I now have so many friends all over Sydney because of camp; the leaders also organise various events everyday- e.g. I did a ballroom dancing lesson. On the last night of camp when we had finished studying, a DJ came and we had a dance party until about 12am. All in all these camps are fantastic

I now take my leave of you as I feel the creative juices draining from my all night DVD marathoned brain. I also give my apologies if this post is not up to my usual level if wit and banter, I am intending to post these things closer to when they happened and right now I intend to go sleep.

Sweet dreams.

Jieshi

Phenomena (church youth conference) photos

2006-06-26T23:08:00.000+10:00

As promised here are some of the photos from my photography job at the youth conference a few months back. These are not the only ones I took, but they were some of the ones I really liked (and thought you should see). This conference had about 2000 people attending from around Australia (there were a few international delegates as well), and it was so much fun! Everybody just got into the praise and worship and the speakers were pretty awesome too. Also note, when you look at these photos you won't believe it is a church!

enjoy,

Jieshi

hi hi hi

2006-06-21T21:43:00.000+10:00

WHOA!!! I'm still here! Jessesjapan has been untouched for many months now (and what a hectic period of time it has been), but fear not dear readers, jessesjapan will keep operating. My adventures relating to Japan (and life) are far from over and I have decided to keep running the blog in my spare time that I have. So for now here is a little update of what has been happening since returning home:

Since returning home I have been studying for my HSC intensively and it is now that I am starting to see the fruits of my labour, my school marks are continually rising and my Japanese has also improved since I left Japan (in my Japanese correspondence course I am currently rated 15 in New South Wales)

I have really started developing my skills in photography and graphic design, I recently did a job for my church (Christian City Church) at their youth conference of 2000 people and my photography work is being used for multiple marketing purposes, I will eventually start blogging my portfolio as well.

I have kept in touch with most of my friends in Japan (I am on the phone to Japan regularly) and I am currently applying for a 5 year University scholarship to study at a Japanese University (details to come)

Well, that is just some of the stuff I have been up to more to come soon!!

Keep it cool,

Jieshi

The story isn't finished

2006-01-27T13:17:00.000+11:00

Ladies and Gentleman, I am now back in Australia. Thes story is not finished. Actually there are alot more Japan updates to come ( I have a major backlog waiting to be posted) unfortunately life has not stood still since I set foot in the country so I have not had time to post. Also I am experiencing reverse culture shock in a major way, I want to go back to Japan.

Upates will be available soon!

Look forward to it,

Jieshi

Birthdays and Farewells- Sunday photos

2006-01-20T16:56:00.000+11:00

Service time at church

Sermon time

Lunch time

Birthdays and Farewells- Sunday

2006-01-20T16:55:00.000+11:00

Sunday morning I awoke to the stinging sound of my usual 5:30am alarm. This time it stung more than usual due to only 5 hours sleep, unfortunately the bus doesn’t wait for someone who sleeps in, it was time to get up and move.

By 6:40 I was settling into my usual seat on the highway bus feeling rather contemplative- it was my 18th birthday, it was also the last time I would be attending my wonderful church in Fukuoka for a very long time. Time and scenery flew by as I lost myself in the lyrics and music of an amazingly talented Japanese band- Mr Children, before I knew it Fukuoka was before me.

I left the bus terminal and met Rick and Satoko for our last Starbucks breakfast meeting ever (in Fukuoka anyway), I savoured the taste of my usual cinnamon scroll muffin and tall cappuccino. We finished our breakfast and arrived at church to get our morning youth meeting underway, it was a day to be happy and rejoice as there were so many events to celebrate and people to thank (and say goodbye to), but there was also a tinge of sadness in leaving. During the main service church service, the Pastor’s son (Daichi) and I were prayed over and blessed due to our coming of age in our respective countries, me 18 in Australia and him 2o in Japan.- it was a really nice way to finish church. After the service my church held a celebratory lunch in honour of our coming of age, my birthday and the baptism of one of the youth. The church lunch is always fantastic, lots of food and even more amazing was that a big, chocolate “baptism, birthday, coming of age” cake was presented to us and shared with all the members of the church (it was good!). Many hugs were given and many photos were taken as I finally bid farewell to all the adult members of the church, I know I will visit again one day.

Finally managing to leave church, the youth and I all headed to our favourite Starbucks to spend my remaining hours talking about the good times we had all shared together, my good friend Erin was kind enough to buy me my favourite coffee and a Starbucks mug that says “Fukuoka” on the side written on the side- so that I may remember our countless afternoons chilling at Starbucks. As usual we covered a huge range of subject matter in our conversations- always interesting. It was time for our group to disperse in different directions, good byes were given though it really did not feel like good bye- these people are my friends for life.

Erin, Daichi, Rick, Aiko and I all headed to the game arcade where it was the goal of Erin, Daichi and I to win a New Years Mickey Mouse (this soft toy is huge, at least 30-40cm high) on the UFO catcher machine (think toy story 1 “oooh the claw”). Daichi and I not only won 1 of these huge stuffed toys, we won 5!!!! We were rather happy as these machines are almost impossible to win- the game arcade staff didn’t look too happy (one of these toys is worth $30, we spent $20 total to win 5 of them- $20 for a $150 prize!!) this was a fantastic way to wrap up my time in Fukuoka, it was time for me to go. These people were (and still are) some of my closest friends in Japan, so saying good bye to them was hardest. We all hugged and promised to keep in contact; with that I turned and walked to the bus terminal feeling slightly weighted.

I had so much fun on all my trips to Fukuoka and these people helped make these trips what they were. So it is now that I thank you in front of the World Wide Web audience- I love you guys all so much (and you know who you are) and will miss you greatly. You have had an incredible impact on me personally and I look forward to meeting again in the future.

Jieshi

Birthdays and Farewells-Saturday photos

2006-01-19T17:19:00.000+11:00

My Birthday cake

Marjo and I

Check out the little cutie on the left. Awwwwwww

(from left to right) Mitona, Me, a little girl and Sophia

Aki and I

Birthdays and farewells- Saturday

2006-01-19T17:11:00.000+11:00

Last weekend had to be one of the most emotionally turbulent times I have ever experienced in my life (which probably is not a bad thing). It was a time of celebration- my 18th birthday (legal age of adulthood in Australia) and also a time of many farewells- my fantastic exchange friends and unbelievable Fukuoka church friends. Let us begin from the beginning, Saturday.

As my alarm clock rang on Saturday morning I awoke with 3 words in my head….”it’s party time”. My host mother was in the kitchen cooking breakfast and also cooking food for my birthday party (I had 3 friends+ family) which was to begin at 12pm. The rest of the morning was spent madly running around my city with my host father completing all sorts of odd jobs- the garbage recycle centre, the bank, Fukuoka bus tickets, my birthday cake (It was a Baskin and Robins Ice cream cake, yummy! It even had Snoopy on the top!), and finally picking up my exchange friends from the train station. When we arrived home we walked into the kitchen to find my host mum had created a feast- Pizza, pasta, fried chicken, sandwiches, baked potatoes- oh it tasted good. I was lucky enough to receive presents from everyone:
Marjo (Finland): Marjo gave me these ultra modern chopsticks, tea spoon and coffee mug with the Japanese flag on them (sounds cheap but they look fantastic), very minimalist design style.
Erik (Holland): He gave me some money which I later used to buy a rare Dragon Ball z model- this model is from the first series ever (circa 1980’s) is in mint condition and from what I understand is rather hard to get hold of anymore- extremely collectible.
Host sisters: Cards, A Japanese Calligraphy proverb and from the oldest sister a handmade friendship band that says “Jesses Japan” (how appropriate)
Host Parents: New Cologne!! It has to be the nicest smelling cologne ever- Burberry, Brit for men.

We shared a nice afternoon together talking about our time together and anything else that tickled our fancy.

Around 5pm we left for our AFS Presidents house to carpool to Saga-Ken for a farewell party with our exchange friends in Saga. We arrived to find a huge feast had been prepared (oh boy!) we were already full from my party, lucky there were many other people present to dispose of the food. Speeches were given, bingo was played (I told you it is a Japanese party thing) and good times were had by all but then came the saddest part of our exchanges, saying goodbye. It has been a surreal feeling saying goodbye to everyone, most people agree that it doesn’t feel like goodbye. It is just incredible how things like email and long distance calling cards have made the world so much smaller. I know that it is going to be a very long time before I see these people again, in fact I may never meet them again but because of things like email and MSN Messenger (Mr. Gates your software designers are genius) it is likely I can keep in contact with these people for life.

I know that some exchange students to be read this website so please let me give you this piece of advice about leaving; say your goodbyes while you can. If you are uncertain as to whether you will ever see a particular person again, wish them goodbye, obtain their contact details and tell them how much you enjoyed your time together- these easy to do things will secure you friendships for life.

Sunday is next to come,

Jieshi

A Kendo Kiai farewell

2006-01-17T15:54:00.000+11:00

A kendo Kiai (spirit) farewell is exactly what I received last Monday (Yes I am behind in the updates- these entries take an obscenely long time to write) when my Kendo club held a sou betsu kai (linguists- sou betsu kai means farewell party in Japanese) to bid me adieu and good luck.

Monday morning we arrived at Kendo to complete some H.I.T (High Intensity Training) before we embarked to party hard for the afternoon. We started practice at 10am and finished at 1:30pm, half an hour to spare before all the parents and the minibus arrived to whisk us away to our party destination- a restaurant on the bay. We arrived at our destination and made our way up to a second storey tatami room where we were greeted with the sight of food….lots of food. The food and drink just kept on coming, spring rolls, sushi, garlic bread, yakitori, yakisoba, ebi mayo- even better was the fact it all tasted fantastic!! Throughout the party speeches were given (including myself) and my club presented me with two framed photos- an enlarged one of myself in my Kendo uniform and one of my entire club and I- I will treasure these items. It was amazing how incredibly sweet everyone was towards me, my teachers wife is a music teacher, she took a famous Japanese song and changed the lyrics to be about my year with Kendo club, then the entire club stood up and sang the song to me (I almost cried). Not only did they sing for me but following on from the song all the club members stood up one at a time and talked about their fondest memories with me and how much fun they had with me- it was really special.

As the Alcohol continued to flow to the adults (Japan has to be the only place in the world your teachers are permitted to become drunk at a school event) they decided it was time to play a few games- bingo (this is a must at any Japanese party) and a strange clapping game.

After much food, many photos and a few tears our party had finished. We thanked the restaurant owners and drove back to school where I thanked everybody profusely for a wonderful party. Let us practice Kendo together once more in the future!

Jieshi

A Japanese style New Year

2006-01-16T16:40:00.000+11:00

Are you a party animal? Do you bring in the New Year with a bang? Are you the sort of person who dances in the club until dawn and then stumbles home to bed on New Years day? If you said yes to one or all of the above then Japan may not be the place for your New Years partying experience. Now I am the sort of person who parties hard on New Years Eve so Japanese New Year was not a let down for me, just a different experience.

Japanese New Year (shyou gatsu) is all about tradition, culture and family time. The lead up to New Years Eve is crazy, the super markets and shops are overflowing with people as they stock pile food and other necessities before Japan almost literally shuts down for 3 days. Also in the lead up to New Years Eve every man, woman and child is madly crafting 100’s of aesthetically pleasing New Years cards to send to friends, family and any other random person that comes to mind. Until recently most of these cards were illustrated by hand (many still are), each containing detailed pictures and messages, software companies must have made millions of dollars in Japan with the introduction of the modern colour printer and desktop photo editing software. The amount of cards sent and received is mind boggling- my family sent at least 400 cards and received 500-600 cards. Even more amazing is that if the Japanese receive a card from someone they didn’t send a card to, they promptly create another card to send back to that person. Another amazing New Years card fact- the Japanese keep every card they receive; all the cards are collected and stored in what is similar to an photo album.

My Japanese New Years Eve was very quiet, in fact I went to bed at 9:30pm only to be awoken at 11:30pm to eat soba noodles….. yes that is right, to eat Japanese noodles. I’m not sure of the exact meaning of this but apparently it is a Japanese tradition to eat soba noodles between 11:30pm and 12am to welcome in the New Year. New Years day my family and I headed up to Sasebo city to stay at my host father’s parent’s house overnight- once again we feasted- Sushi and other foods that won’t make you gain weight, I also made money….lots of money. Japanese tradition dictates that on New Years relatives (parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles) give all the children money. In short I made the equivalent of $400 AUD within 10 minutes, not bad huh? Of course I thank all my relatives for accepting me as part of the family- that was the biggest gift. The next day my family and I went to the New Years sales at Sasebo shopping arcade- nothing really of interest. Following our shopping trip we headed to Isahaya to have dinner with all my host mother’s relatives- once again we stuffed ourselves silly.

It was nice to experience another cultures version of New Years, though as I am young and wild I think I still prefer partying hard on New Years Eve.

Jieshi

Cruising the 99 Islands of the East

2006-01-13T16:48:00.000+11:00

On a pirate ship! Her name be tha Pearl Queen and a mighty fine ship be she………moving right along. 2 weeks ago my good friend Jeff and his wife graciously extended me the offer of accompanying them up to Sasebo city to some sight seeing and shopping, I gladly accepted. Sasebo city is located in the top quarter of Nagasaki prefecture. It is relatively easy to find Sasebo city as it is the largest city in its surrounding area; it is about a 1 to 1 1/2 hour drive from Fukuoka. Sasebo is very much America central- it is home to a U.S Navy base of around 5000 people (don’t quote me on precise numbers). Sasebo is also home to Japan’s longest shopping arcade, a 2km stretch of cafes, clothes, jewellery, books, toys and other interesting novelties. Now that you’re familiar with Sasebo’s most famous icons, let’s get started.

Jeff and his wife picked me up from my house at 9am on a chilly Friday morning to embark on our 1 hour journey to Sasebo. First stop in Sasebo was the 99 Islands tour- hehe yes I did cruise on a pirate ship. Sasebo has a group of Islands called the 99 Islands. These Islands range in size from a large rock jutting out of the water to large Islands big enough for a few houses. 99 Islands is also home to one of Sasebo’s most lucrative exports, pearl cultivation- hence the name of my ship, the Pearl Queen. The tour took about an hour as the ship took many twists and turns through narrow spaces between the Islands, many of the larger Islands are heavily covered in trees and undergrowth- almost untouched by humans, almost. If it were not for bad weather conditions back in 1945 you all probably would have heard of Sasebo, the atomic that devastated the city of Nagasaki was originally intended for Sasebo city. Sasebo was one of Japan’s largest submarine and warship manufacturing depots in WW2 (Sasebo has one of the safest natural harbours in Japan) and had many military watch posts scattered along its coastline, some of these hidden in the 99 Islands. If any of you ever take the tour see if you can spot any of these tiny, military installation ruins hidden among the trees and undergrowth, it makes for a bit of fun.

The tour came to an end and we headed for the arcade to do some shopping, I went straight to the anime store (as an ambassador for Japanese pop culture anime comes with the territory) and managed to find a few interesting items- the owner even threw in some presents for free! After an hour of hectic shopping (most of you probably don’t realize how Japan’s longest shopping arcade is!) it was time for food….lots of food. We decided we wanted Chinese and quickly made our way towards one of Sasebo’s famous Chinese restaurants called Tenshin….. (I forgot the rest of the name, sorry) simply known to the locals of Sasebo as “BIG Chinese”. This restaurant had some incredible food and the biggest Chinese dumplings you have ever seen! People line up to buy these freshly made dumplings in take home packs like the residents of Sydney, Australia line up to buy Crispy Crème donuts (that is a long line!). We took our time finishing our hearty feast of fried rice, dumplings, spring rolls and other tasty Chinese treats and when we next looked at our watches it was time to leave for home. We crammed into the car feeling full, worn out and ready for a nap- as I have said many a time before, it was a good day.

Jieshi

Christmas in Japan

2006-01-12T17:22:00.000+11:00

Ah Christmas, a time for loved ones, a time for giving, a time of special things and a time that is virtually non-existent in Japan. I really am glad that my host family celebrates Christmas, believe in Santa Claus and have a Christmas tree or I feel as though my Christmas for 2005 may have been truly dead.

Christmas in Japan is different for various reasons but they all stem from one rather important reason…. Japan is not a Christian Country. No I am not making accusations that Japan is a heathen Country, what I am saying is that Christmas is a religious holiday- without baby Jesus you ain’t got no Christmas baby!! Most western Countries e.g. Britain, America, Australia were all founded with Christianity as the main religion and the bible as one of the main sources of consultation for the creation of their Constitutions, therefore of course Christmas is going to be huge in these Countries, it is a centuries old tradition. Christmas is starting to become the “trendy” thing to do in Japan (along with anything else western according to Japanese MTV), though it is mainly highly commercialized and pushed by Retailers to make more sales at the end of the year (hey that sounds just like the rest of the world!!). I would have to say Japanese Christmas spirit is rather stylish- there were decorations all over the shop fronts which looked absolutely amazing, unlike some displays we would see in other parts of the world. Though Japan is edging closer it is still missing that Christmas feeling, probably because Christmas is a normal working day in Japan…..ouch.

My Japanese Christmas came in the form of Christmas Eve, the Japanese prefer to celebrate on Christmas Eve so they can work or go to school on Christmas day if need be. My host mum did a lot of cooking (a HUGE feast), we stuffed ourselves silly on Sushi, Chicken, fried rice and lots of other untraditional Christmas foods (doesn’t mean it tastes worse). Presents were handed out between our family members (of course I bought them all presents) I managed to receive:
1: Hirai Ken’s new CD- Uta Baka
2: A soccer ball CD case
3: A very funky photo album
4: A hand made Christmas card made with love by youngest host sister
Oh I love Christmas!

Christmas morning came around and would you believe it, Santa Claus had visited our house!! And he brought me presents!! Santa brought me:
1: Push-up grips
2: A rubber tension workout band
3: One of those exercise roller wheels with handles on the side- you hold it and roll forward until your body is stretch forward like a plank- an absolute killer ab’s workout.

Santa no offence intended but I really think you are a hypocrite with that oversized belly of yours.

I spent Christmas day cleaning the house, not much fun but I still managed to get some Christmas into 2005.

Jieshi

An AFS farewell

2006-01-11T15:40:00.000+11:00

As any Ex-pat will tell you, with leaving a Country comes farewell parties- especially in a Country like Japan. One of these parties was held on the 18th of December in the hotel that my host parents just happened to get married in, how’s that for reminiscing! One thing I love about AFS Nagasaki is that 98% of the time there is a structure to the events we have- set date, set time, set venue and of course lots of people (for what is a party without many people?). So without further ado, may I present to you “An AFS Farewell”.

There was a sombre feeling among my host family and I as we left the house that Sunday afternoon for an event that indubitably marked the beginning of the end, the AFS farewell party. I could feel that empty, jingling in the pit of my stomach as I looked over the speech I was to give one last time, my story of an entire year condensed into a mere 3 minutes- 3 minutes just can not do it justice. The car trip was almost in total silence, I don’t think anyone really knew what to say, I was having enough trouble staying calm about giving a speech in Japanese to 50+ native speakers. As we arrived at the hotel I took one final breath before opening the door, “This is going to be awesome. Be happy, don’t worry you have this speech ingrained in your brain” and with that final thought I entered the room smiling.

Meeting with the other exchange students is always refreshing, they are a great group of people and we always have a decent amount of fun together. The party got underway and before I knew it I was the opening speech (why me?). I approached the mic and looked around…. No lectern, no where to hide. I gave my speech with as much confidence and expression as I could muster, finally I was finished. I looked out over the room, many people were crying- hey it wasn’t that bad was it?? Then came my host family, they could barely speak due to their tears but I think the tears say a lot more than words. I returned to my seat only to be hit by my friend Anna “I hate you” she said as she smiled at me and wiped tears from her eyes. Equal amounts of tears were shed as the other exchange students and their families spoke about their year in Japan, by the time the speeches were over everyone was exhausted, it was time to eat. We hit that buffet faster than you could spell the word (buffet), it ended up being a really nice time to socialize with all the people who had helped make our exchanges awesome. Rather than being a sad event it was a joyous event, celebrating friendship for life and a fantastic year, these are the moments that make exchange such a wonderful experience.

Jieshi

I'm Back

2006-01-10T16:09:00.000+11:00

After a short period of 2 weeks I am back well rested, energetic and ready to convey all my interesting experiences to you!! This first piece of the 2 week puzzle is the key to the whole thing, the first day of my holidays; also my first Kendo tournament.

The morning of Friday, 23rd of December started out like all Kendo tournament day mornings start out….. EARLY! As “the unwritten Kendo code of honour” clearly dictates, “thou shalt arrive at Kendo Dojo under cover of darkness while great Kendo spirits are still sleeping” this being rule number 1 of “the unwritten Kendo code of honour; Tournament day chapter” rules 2 through 5 are always soon to follow:
Excerpt from “the unwritten Kendo code of honour”
Rule 2: thou shalt always have kiai – fighting spirit
Rule 3: thou shalt scream “Yes”, “Please teach me” and “Thank you” with all thy might at the pre-tournament gathering
Rule 4: Thou shalt feel no pain in battle, thou shalt fight so hard and with so much tenacity thy hand shalt cleave to thy sword
Rule 5: Thou shalt scream so hard in battle that for the next 2 days thou shalt have no voice

I know I followed those rules to the letter. We loaded our bus and made the trip to our destination, my host sister’s high school- home to one of the strongest Kendo teams in Nagasaki. Arrival was 7am, battle did not start until 10am, what do you do to fill in 3 hours? Freeze to death and train with your team. 9:30am saw the arrival of my host parents and my English teacher friend Jeff along with his wife who happens to be my AFS supervisor. This being my first Kendo tournament it was really nice to have the support of family and friends (let us keep in mind that in a gym full of 400-500 Kendo players I had the least experience of them all). Once again I was informed that I had come to the wrong conclusion about this Kendo tournament; I thought it was a team’s event…. It was a singles knock out competition- FREAK OUT! My game was not until 2:30pm so I had a good amount of time to motivate myself, study the competition and realize how truly in over my head I was. All the participants in my division had 11 years experience and 1 or 2 black belts on me (they were all veteran 2nd or 3rd dan black belts and I was the new 1st dan black belt) and Nagasaki is home to some of the strongest Kendo high schools in Japan…. FREAK OUT!!!

The time came for my battle, I was geared up and had “the unwritten Kendo code of honour” firmly ingrained in my memory. Just before I entered the battleground I was informed that my opponent came from the 2nd strongest boys team in Nagasaki and was a 2nd dan black belt, how is that for peace of mind! I walked onto the battlefield and drew my sword (bamboo), looked my opponent in the eyes and gave him the most blood chilling look you may have ever seen. BEGIN! The Referee screamed and with that one word came a blood curdling cry, the battle was on. It raged all over, with each hit gasps and screams came from the crowd as time stood still for these two warriors. A hit to the head! Judges flags moved up and down as one referee calls a point soon to be overruled by another referee. In the crowd people’s fingers were crossed, finger nails were bitten as looks of desperation and hope flashed across their faces as both combatants gave everything. The battle raged on like this into the final moments until one warrior had finally scored 2 points to win, unfortunately that player was not me.

I left the battlefield feeling quite defeated (pun intended). Not only because I had lost but because I had come so close to winning. Everyone was shocked at my level of Kendo for such a short period of time and I got a special mention by a nation wide renowned teacher in the closing ceremony.

There is more work to be done,

Jieshi

I hate apologies

2006-01-03T14:35:00.000+11:00

Well once again I am apologising.... There are so many stories to tell but so much has been happening there is no time to tell it. C.T.D (Confirmed Time of Departure) is 3 weeks.... 3 WEEKS!!!! As of next week I will be back at school so the news will be hot off the press.

Until then,

Jieshi

Withdrawal Symptoms

2005-12-15T11:58:00.000+11:00

My departure from Japan is fast approaching, and along with it a great sorrow and moments of contemplation also come. It is now about 1 month until I board the Airplane and everyday is very busy due to life, but it is in those quiet moments like when I am studying or even when I am sleeping that a voice in the back of my head says “Do I really have to leave?”.

It was about 1 week ago that it dawned on me that I would soon be leaving. The feeling of leaving is very surreal, leaving is not a one day process but a series of events- packing your life into boxes, farewell parties, looking back over your accomplishments and failures, new resolutions, saying goodbye to the people who have come to be your closest friends, and finally leaving your life as you know it behind and starting all over again.
I am sure many Ex-pats can agree with me when I say daily routine is one of our biggest securities in this life and when it is abandoned many people become lost and confused about what to do with their lives.

While I have only been in Japan for 10 months, I have come to establish myself quite well here; if you gave me a job I would have no problem supporting myself in this country. I have made many incredible friends from all over the world thanks to being apart of an Exchange organization and also due to attending the International Baptist Church in Fukuoka. I know that many of these people will be my friends for life and I will have a friend (or 5) in many countries I visit in the future. I am definitely going to miss my weekly trips to Fukuoka city, while Sydney may be my home city (and I love it), Fukuoka has become my second home city and there are so many elements Sydney just can’t compare to.

Dwelling on these thoughts and feelings and letting them dominate the rest of my stay I exactly what I intend not to do. I always knew this time would come, it is a part of the Exchange journey. Instead I plan to continue doing what I have always done, get back up and keep on running- focus on the future. By no means does this mean that I am trying to make myself emotionally void, that would be unhealthy and demeaning. What I am doing is prioritizing the focuses in my life and making sure that my time in Japan is well spent. Japan is only a small part of the bigger picture, what I would call the launching pad for the bigger achievements I plan to accomplish and the better things that are to come in the future. While I may have a firm focus on the future, I always remember this quote from the movie Ferris Beullers day off “ If you don’t stop once in a while to take a look around at the scenery, life will pass you right by”.
Focus on the future but never forget to enjoy the place you are currently at.

Keep rocking,

Jieshi

I went to Fukuoka......again

2005-12-15T11:02:00.000+11:00

Once again it is time for my “I went to Fukuoka” weekly update. This definitely proved to be one of my best trips yet as it was a day filled with friends, fun, shopping and a lot of people.

As usual the morning started out with a 5:30am wake up call and by 6am I was pedaling to the bus stop in the dark, 6 degrees Celsius weather. Getting on the bus was a wonderful feeling because the bus has really good heating, I quickly nodded off to sleep. It was 15 minutes later that I was quickly awoken by a blast of cold air, it seems the woman in front of me thought it would be the most genius idea of the morning to open her window, while we were speeding down the highway at 100km/h. She also thought it would be a good idea to play her walkman loud enough so that the rest of the bus could enjoy her music along with her. She finally shut her window, but the bus driver had turned the heating off….. I had to wear my gloves and scarf all the way to Fukuoka.

Arriving in Fukuoka I ran off to Starbucks to meet Rick and Satoko for our regular Sunday morning coffee, then we headed off to Church.
Church finished and it was at that time the Church’s caroling group lined the street outside our Church (there is always a lot of people walking down this street) and sang Christmas carols in Japanese and English for 10 minutes, it was really nice! Caroling finished and we gathered the youth guys together to head off to lunch, it was at this point we got involved in a 15 minute debate about where to actually eat lunch… we finally decided on that cool Thai place. Lunch was fantastic, we really have an awesome group of people in our youth group and we have some fantastic conversations, lunch with the whole group is always an event to look forward to. We all stayed together in that Restaurant for probably 2 hours eating and talking, it was time to leave.

One lady who came with us is 25 and she has a four year old daughter. Little, cute 4 year old daughter was very tired from a big day out with the grown ups, so she fell asleep. Her Mum was having a difficult time carrying her so I offered to carry her (the daughter) for a while, Mum gladly accepted. I carefully took hold of the little girl and held her the way I have been taught after many hours of child care work. The little girl wrapped her arms around my neck and snuggled her head into my shoulder and fell asleep, that is when I started getting the looks from passer bys. Obviously her Mum was walking next to me along with the rest of the group, but the general idea (to passer bys) was that I was this little girls Dad, at one stage I heard comments along the lines of “hey check out the Gaijin Dad!” it was interesting to say in the least.

Most people went their separate ways, but Rick, Erin and I went to do some Christmas shopping. During the Christmas shopping I ran into my very good Exchange student friends, I split from Rick and Erin to head off with the Exchange students. I was unbelievably happy to be with the Exchange students, I foster a great fondness for their friendship and it is very rare I get to see them so we had a very good time together.

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and I had to go catch the bus home. I am hoping to be able to see them all before I leave for Australia.

Jieshi

Black belt weekend

2005-12-08T18:08:00.000+11:00

Yes ladies and gentleman it is official, I have obtained my Black belt in the most ancient Japanese Martial Art of all, Kendo. For those of you who really have no idea what Kendo is, picture Tom Cruise in “The Last Samurai” pulling off cool sword moves, that is kendo.

The period of getting ready for the Black belt test took about 1 month. During this time period I had to learn a Kata- A series of movements displaying different positions, strikes and forms of the Martial Art, you could almost call it a dance. I also had to learn the names of positions, improve my game play (the fighting/ sword play) and write an Essay about why I started Kendo (I wrote it in English and then it was translated). The test itself consisted of my Essay being submitted and marked by the committee of Judges, performing my Kata for the Judges and playing 2 games of Kendo with other test applicants (the Judges marked us on our form). Before I talk about the weekend let me first explain this, like any other Martial Art, obtaining a Black belt in Kendo is considered quite difficult. The Judges mark on a complex criteria and everything from your Kata right down to how neat your uniform is, needs to be perfect.

The test took a full weekend to complete. Friday night and Saturday were spent perfecting the details of our Kata’s and game play with the teachers who would be our Judges on the exam day. While everybody was working very hard it was a fantastic time getting to know the other exam applicants, everybody else was a Junior High school student. Obviously I being the only foreigner provided a lot of entertainment for everybody, there were too many funny incidents to list. I had one girl say “Happy Birthday” to me in English, I replied with “Thanks a lot, but it isn’t my Birthday” in Japanese, we had a good laugh. I had another boy who, when he heard I was from Australia would greet me by saying “Aborigine” and I had another boy who just couldn’t believe I was a white guy and taking the exam, he made this clear by gaping at me every time he saw me.

Sunday morning started with an early rise at 6:30am. I had to check my equipment and make sure it was in working order, I also had to eat Breakfast. At 7:30 my Host Dad and I hopped in the car and headed to the venue for an 8am preparation period. It started raining heavily so I ran for the Venue from the car and my Host Dad headed home, that is when I realized no one else was there, it was 7:55am. I calmed myself down and called my friend (I really don’t know what I would do without a mobile phone)
“Hey man where are you?” I said
“Uhh I’m at the test site, where are you?” he replied.
“I’m at the venue where we were training”
“Haha you idiot, the test is at the city Martial Arts Dojo”
“Right, where is that?”
“Hold on a second..” I am totally freaking out by now, I don’t want to miss this exam, I paid $200 for it.
“Jesse are you there?” my friend asked.
“Yeah I’m here”
“The captain of our team and his Mum are coming to pick you up”
The captain and his mum arrived, I was thanking them profusely for picking me up. It turns out the Martial Arts Dojo was only 5 minutes away, so I got there with plenty of time to spare.

The rest of the day went well. I won both games I played, the Judges loved my Essay and my Kata was almost perfect. The Judges congratulated me on a job well done, they were very surprised to find out I have only been playing Kendo for 7 months and said my skill level is fantastic for such a short period of time. Most of all I was ecstatic about obtaining the belt, it was my goal from the beginning, now I need a new goal. My Host Dad got the whole test on video, my Host Parents, family, friends and most of all my teacher were unbelievably happy. I would like to officially thank all these people for continually motivating me to be the best I can be, but most of all I thank God (no I’m not being a cliché Music Artist, I am serious) because without him on my side I may never have accomplished this.

More Japan stories to come,

Jieshi

Dinner in the Den of a stranger

2005-12-06T17:50:00.000+11:00

First let me start by apologizing for not updating sooner, I haven’t had access to a computer (or my notebook) for the last week. A lot has happened in the period of time I haven’t updated, the following story being one of those events.

It was a sunny but chilly Sunday morning as little Jesse practiced his Soccer skills in the big park near his house. Jesse was having a fantastic time improving his game and exercising, when he was approached by a stranger. Jesse, being a smart and good little boy knew that he shouldn’t talk to strangers. But this time he did not heed the warnings of his primary school teachers, due to the fact he was in Japan.
“Excuse me, are you American?” said the strange looking Japanese man.
“No, I’m Australian” replied Jesse.
“OH WOW! NO WAY!!” the Japanese man exclaimed “Today an Australian exchange student is coming to stay at my house for 1 month”. Jesse and the Japanese man talked for 1/2 an hour about Soccer, Australia and the new exchange student. Jesse found the man to be quite friendly. Jesse finally had to go home for lunch when the stranger said “Jesse do you have a mobile phone?” Jesse, still knowing that evil could lurk inside this friendly stranger hesitantly replied “Y-y-yes”. Jesse and the stranger exchanged mobile phone details and went their separate ways.

Jesse arrived home and told his mum about his exciting adventures in the big park that day, his mum was amazed. No sooner had Jesse finished lunch when he heard his mobile phone ringing. “Hello?” Jesse said
“Hello Jesse, what are you doing tonight?” Said the stranger from the park
“Umm nothing” Jesse replied with a hint of worry in his voice.
“I was wondering if you would like to come to my house tonight for dinner with me, my family and the new exchange student, Peter?” said the stranger. Jesse asked his mum and she said it was ok.
“Ok I can come” Jesse said
“No problems, I will pick you up tonight…. In my black car” the stranger replied.

Later that night the stranger met Jesse and Jesse’s mum at the Train Station, where he introduced himself and talked with Jesse’s mum for a while. Jesse, still not fully trusting the stranger and his black car, saved the strangers number plate into his mobile phone while the stranger wasn’t looking. Jesse said goodbye to his mum and embarked on the 2 minute car ride to the stranger’s house. When they arrived Jesse was greeted with the sight of a very large, very old Japanese farming house, he was also greeted by the stranger’s family who were also very friendly. Jesse had a fantastic night getting to know everybody, especially the exchange student Peter. Jesse had an even funnier time trying to understand the friendly stranger’s grandpa who was 81 years old, was very drunk and could only speak the very old dialect of Jesse’s city which nobody speaks anymore (except people who are 81 years old). Jesse learnt on that special Sunday that you can never be too careful when you meet a stranger, but he also learnt that sometimes a friendly stranger is really a friendly stranger.

Keep rocking,

Jieshi

Huis Ten Bosch Photos

2005-11-22T17:01:00.000+11:00

A night in Huis Ten Bosch

2005-11-22T16:20:00.000+11:00

I think that some of the most enjoyable experiences we have in this life are the ones where we aren’t expecting to have fun, in fact we are probably expecting a really lousy time. A lousy time is exactly what I was

expecting of my Saturday night last weekend, that was until I caught Huis Ten Bosch fever!!

Huis Ten Bosch (pronounced “house ten boss”) is a theme park (actually it doesn’t have any rides so it can’t really be called a theme park) with a twist, it is a giant recreation of Holland… Yes you heard me; it is a giant recreation of Holland. What the designers have done is take some of the most famous buildings from Holland and rebuilt them along with traditional architecture and ideas (e.g. cobble streets, canals, wind mills and a heck of a lot of flowers!) into a very beautiful, highly overpriced theme park!!! WHY? I hear you scream, the answer is I really don’t know, but at least I can say I have been to Holland…sort of. Huis Ten Bosch is severely overpriced, around $55 AUD and all you are paying for is entry to the park to look at the beautiful scenery and spend more money, this comes in the form of highly overpriced shopping and luxury food. But there is one way around this hefty price, go at night. If you enter the park after 5pm entry only costs around $11AUD (and in my opinion is the best time to go) and the park is lit up like a Christmas tree (could it be that it is almost Christmas?), actually the park had Christmas trees everywhere! So now you understand Huis Ten Bosch, I can tell you my story.

My family and I all packed into the car wearing our warm jackets, gloves and scarves (it is getting really cold here) while two different moods permeated the atmosphere of the vehicle, my father and I thinking “yeah whatever” and the girls all saying “oh this is going to be so much fun!”. Now, I am not sure why, but Japanese women seem to have a major fascination with Huis Ten Bosch and think it is the most romantic place on earth (I’ll admit it does have a tinge of romanticism to it) and I also think it is the only place in Japan where you will see every couple holding hands (tip to the men; If you ever get a Japanese girlfriend who you really like, take her to Huis Ten Bosch and she will be yours forever- Please note that this comment can not be upheld in a court of law). We arrived at Huis Ten Bosch where we would later meet our family friends (My AFS Liaison Person and her husband, and another family who are involved in AFS) so while we wandered through the park waiting for them I got trigger happy with my camera! Eventually we came across Santa-Claus (who the Japanese call Santa-San) who happened to come from Holland and is definitely the funniest Santa I have ever met; he even told me his real name lol! We took a family photo with him and then met our friends with whom we went to watch a Gospel concert and eat dinner with.

Talk about the best Gospel concert ever The band were from New York and were called the Harlem Messengers, they did covers of Lauren Hills “killing me softly”, “oh happy day” and a few other Gospel favorites. This band knew how to work a crowd (the crowd went nuts which is rare for a Japanese venue), the vocals were absolutely hot and cooking, they were pro’s. After the concert finished my family headed home, I stayed with our friends and headed to a Disco (oh yeah!) where the Harlem Messengers would perform once more and then the dance floor would open up. Ah the dance floor, I could live on a dance floor because I love to boogie baby!! Though it had to be the worst Disco I have ever been to as it pretty much cleared out by 10:30pm! At first there were a lot of people dancing, but then “the circle” formed and if you know Discos then you know that “the circle” is the biggest killer of dance parties world wide (unless of course you live in an African tribe or something). “The circle” (for the uninitiated) is when everybody stops dancing with their individual partner (usually out of embarrassment) and forms a big circle where every now and then someone jumps in the middle and dances (sort of like playing the hokey pokey. Eventually the disco cleared out and it was just our group and the staff left, so I decided to have a bit of fun… Over on the bar they had a big Panda costume hood which people sometimes wore, I had them bring the hood over and proceeded to dance. If you were there you would have seen a giant Panda break dancing and doing the robot in the middle of the Disco, oh it was fun!

Eventually We decided it was time to head home and trod our way back through the empty theme park to our car, it was a great night.

Jieshi

Samuii (cold) Sunday

2005-11-15T17:08:00.000+11:00

Yes Sunday was cold, Sunday was chilly and yes it was long, but once again Sunday proved that it can never be too long for my liking. I love Fukuoka! Which if you are slightly slow in the head, is why I love Sunday because Sunday is my day in Fukuoka.

Winter is getting colder and colder here in Japan. I had to ride my bike to the bus stop at 6am and it was so cold my fingers nearly fell off! (I have now bought a pair of gloves to rectify this problem) The bus trip was the same as usual, but I really enjoy it as I just relax listening to my MD (Mini Disc), read a magazine or take in the views. The best view along the trip is definitely driving through Saga-Ken. By that point in the trip the sun is just rising and there are always about 15 hot air balloons up in the sky silhouetted against the mountains and the sunrise.

Arriving in Fukuoka I headed for my morning breakfast at Iwataya Starbucks where I ate in silence waiting for Rick, who never came because he slept through his alarm. The Starbucks was only occupied by one other woman and I, she sat next to the window and I sat in the usual spot Rick and I sit in. Due to the fact Rick was running late I kept looking out the window a lot to see if he was coming, problem was this woman was sitting directly in front of the window and thought I was staring at her. About 10 minutes later I decided I would meet Rick at church, just as I am about to get up and head to the rubbish bin this woman gets up and heads for the rubbish bin and heads out the door. Now I get outside to go to church and would you believe it, this woman is walking in the same direction that I am!! By now she is getting a little worried thinking that I was following her, so I overtook her and went on my way. The question I now put to you dear reader is, does this ever happen to you???

Church finished so Rick and I trod the backstreets of Fukuoka in search of lunch (you really should check out the backstreets of Japan for yourself, they are really cool!!!), which we found in the form of a very bohemian Thai restaurant (this is one of those places whose address you only entrust to your best friends). This restaurant/café had the coolest, most atmospheric interior design job I have ever seen! We opened the door and descended down the stairs into what looked like an old opium den (hehe probably not far from the truth) where we were greeted with traditional Thai music and décor that made us think we were no longer in Japan. The waiter (dressed in very bohemian clothing) escorted us through a maze of hanging scarves and Thai textiles to our table, a sturdy, wooden, antique looking table. The lighting cast deep shadows into the recesses of the basement and the walls were painted a muddy color, the atmosphere gave the impression that you were there discussing extremely secret business, maybe people smuggling. The food was great, and as usual Rick and I had interesting conversation, there is a very good chance I will return to that restaurant.

We left the restaurant feeling very full (the most filling lunch I have ever had for $8) and headed to Iwataya to just chill and talk. As we were chatting and people watching, we noticed 3 very cute girls (they looked about 21) who kept looking at us, it didn’t take us long to work out these girls had been spying on us and were trying to get enough courage to approach us. We didn’t really want to find out what they wanted so we left, just as they started approaching us. They realized we were leaving and started yelling at each other about it, weird huh?

The rest of the day consisted of checking out very funky book stores and chilling at our favorite Starbucks, as usual a fantastic day!

Jieshi

A lull in the world

2005-11-15T16:19:00.000+11:00

Maybe I am growing largely accustomed to my life here in Japan, as it seems to me that over the last week nothing extremely exciting has happened…. What am I talking about? For goodness sakes of course my life is exciting, I am in Japan living my dream!! While I may be able to dismiss things with a shrug of my big, broad shoulders (hehe yeah right, broad shoulders my men’s health magazine), there is always something happening that makes me happy and content with life. In fact, now that I think about it everybody always says “oh my life is so boring, nothing is ever happening” what a load of buck shot!! Life is what we make it, and even in Australia there was always a little thing or an event to keep life interesting and happy (happy 99% of the time). Now that I have finished my philosophical rant/ editorial for the day, let me tell you my life story… of the past week.

As I said before life is always fun and school is always, well, school. I love my school, I love the people in it, but I don’t like only understanding a moderate level of the language used in class. Japanese classes are taught using a higher level of Japanese, their version of Elitist English. There are many classes where even the Japanese students have difficulty understanding the language used, no wonder they find school difficult. Ascertaining to this fact my class time is spread between self study / education of Japanese, reading obscenely thick English novels, educating myself on the affairs and state of the world (as I write this update I am also reading an issue of “the Economist”) and keeping you happy (writing updates for my site). I think if there is one fantastic acronym I have been able to teach my Japanese friends it would be TGIF “Thank God It’s Friday”. By the time Friday afternoon rolls around we mutter this to each other and laugh because in the Japanese school system Friday is not the final day of school, there is a very high likelihood that you will be attending school based activities on Saturday and Sunday. This brings me to my weekend.

Now I’m not sure about you, but I do not take a very keen fancy to having to set my alarm for 4:50am on a Saturday morning so that I can be at school by 6am. Unfortunately in Japanese school life my likes and dislikes are not part of the decision making process and setting my alarm for 4:50am is exactly what I had to do last Saturday. It was time to do battle in Kendo and as we all know, an enemy does not wait to fit in with your preferred time schedule. Arriving at school at 6am (note: in Japanese winter 6am is still dark), my fellow Kendo warriors and I packed our war kits (protective gear) and loaded our war horse (mini bus) to head 1 and a half gallops (hours) north-east to Saga-Ken to do battle with other schools for our great and glorious war lords (Kendo teachers.

We arrived in Saga by 8am, donned our gear, warmed up (this involves hitting each other with bamboo swords for 1/2 an hour) and got ready to fight…. That would be everybody except the newest member who was given video camera duty for the whole day (8am-3:30pm). In case you have not already worked it out, I am the newest member!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! I GOT PULLED OUT OF BED AT 5AM TO VIDEO OTHER PEOPLES GAMES!!!!! Now that my rage is vented you have to understand that this is standard Japanese school club procedure, and I got to do plenty of Kendo study, but boy was it a cold day! The day wrapped up at 3:30pm and all the schools proceeded to pack up and head home, except my school on account of our teacher deciding we hadn’t played hard enough, so he punished us by making us do 1/2 an hour of H.I.T (High Intensity Training). When he could see that our energy reserves were thoroughly used up, he called training to a halt and we packed up and left. The time was 4pm when we finally hit the highway to get home, what’s that? You haven’t eaten lunch yet? Oh sorry… Yes that is right since 5:30am that morning not a single one of us had eaten anything, so we pulled over at a rest stop, pulled out the picnic blanket and had a nice leisurely lunch together.

How’s that for a day of training? Try getting a teacher in the U.S or Australia to pull off a training day like that and you wouldn’t be able to start counting the number of lawsuits that would be filed. Anyway it was a good mental training experience,

Jieshi

Shimabara photos

2005-11-08T16:17:00.000+11:00

Free in Fukuoka

2005-11-07T16:52:00.000+11:00

Sunday morning started out when my 5:30am alarm blared at me to wake up, get my rear into gear and head off for my day of fun and frolicking in Fukuoka.

It was still dark when I left home at 6 am and the weather was awful. I love awful weather!! I don’t know about you but I love a good, long storm. When I left home I was glad I opted for the rain coat over the umbrella, the wind and rain were just too strong. By the time I arrived at the bus station the front of my pants looked like they were fresh out of the washing machine (though due to the weather the real reason was quite obvious). Once again let me stress, I love a good storm! There is something about the raging elements that makes me feel relaxed. It made for a very nice bus trip as I chilled out listening toDC Talk and CCC youth Band on my MD (Mini Disc) while rain crashed down and lightening illuminated the mountains and sky in the distance.

Arriving in Fukuoka my stomach told me it was time to hit the local Iwataya starbucks (click link for review at jesses japan cocoa) With my good friend Rick. Rick has to be one of the most interesting people you could meet, he is funny, he is casual (likes to just hang out) and is a real intellectual (some of the most intellectual conversations I have ever had were with him). Our phrase for the day was “piece of cake” in Japanese (asa meshi mae for you linguists out there), we did some catching up and headed off to church.

Church wrapped up at about 1pm so by this time I was hungry again. My friend Erin and I decided it was time to pay Bagel & Bagel A visit. No sooner had I finished my Bagel, I was dragged off to a Korean Restaurant by Rick and two Korean friends of ours from church. During the meal a lot of funny sideways glances were directed our way as we were two white guys and two Korean girls having a conversation in Japanese. Then the girls taught us how to say hello in Korean (anyonghaseiyo for the linguists). We finished our meals and said our goodbyes as the girls headed back to their university dorms and Rick and I stumbled back to the church feeling slightly heavy.

The thing I love about my church friends is that we just chill, there isn’t an expectation to do anything overly exciting. Even better is that we all have a lot in common and can just talk forever. After chilling at church Rick and I decided it was time to hit our favorite Akasaka Starbucks (just because I go to Starbucks a lot doesn’t mean I love it) where we would be joined by our church friends later on.

As we were sitting next to the window talking and drinking hundreds of people were zipping past on bicycles or walking by conducting there personal business. All of a sudden one bike goes flying by out of my line of sight and then just stops, and starts back pedaling. This abnormal action caught my eye so I turned my head to see a girl staring at me… then I realize the girl is a foreigner and that she was also my best friend on Orientation Camp when I arrived in Japan!!! I ran outside and hugged her; it was so nice to see her as we hadn’t seen each other since Camp. We did the whole catch up thing, exchange numbers etc and then went our separate ways.

By about that time I had to bid Rick and my church friend’s farewell and head for my bus. The bus trip home was uneventful except for the figure skating on TV, wow those girls are talented!!!

Schedule for this week is nothing special, but this coming weekend I have a Kendo competition, full report and photos to come.

Later,
Jieshi

An Internet Cafe

2005-11-04T17:14:00.000+11:00

One reason my site was down for a few months was because a virus maliciously destroyed my computer. Apart from fretting that my host families’ computer had been destroyed while I was using it (though it was no fault of my own) I was also fretting over the idea that I was now cut off from the rest of the world. That was until I came upon the greatest internet café I have ever seen! Yes, ok, I admit there is a good amount of tech geek in me but hey, tech geeks can be some of the coolest, most interesting people you have ever met. Anyway back to the story.

I was out getting some fresh air on my bike when from the a cluster of buildings the internet café emerged, basked in all its glory like Moses coming down from Mount Sinai with the ten commandments (ok not quite, you get the idea). Marked by my photographic memory (or lack thereof) I returned a few days later and was very surprised by what I found.

Really we should call this a “premium internet café” because your options are huge. First off it starts with a private booth “would you like smoking or non-smoking sir?”, let us start with a basic layout. You enter your high walled cubicle/booth to be welcomed y the options you have chosen (we will get to them), a private line to the concierge, a food menu, a desk lamp and stationary (just in case you need to take notes or feel like doodling) next the options. The full option package (the rest you can pick and choose from this) includes: A computer (obviously connected to broadband), TV, DVD player, Playstation 2 and last but not least, if you are feeling a little bit cramped up from the computer just push the button on the side of your chair, it’s a state of the art massage chair….. OH YEAH!!!!

What’s next? Well if you frequent internet cafes in Japan a lot there is a good chance you read Japanese comics. The internet café thought it would be great to include a comic book and magazine library that would put a small public library to shame. Oh and then there is the playstation 2 and DVD library, and did I mention the free drinks bar? Yes that is correct, a free drinks bar which has everything from soft drink dispensers to a state of the art cappuccino machine, and by the way it is free refills.

I am still yet to sample their kitchen but it smells pretty good. So by now you all probably want to come to my internet café, too bad it is mine! What does it cost? About $3.50 AUD per hour, I will try to grab some photos to post for you guys.

Until then keep rocking,

Jieshi

A Samurai in Shimabara

2005-10-31T16:33:00.000+11:00

A Samurai in Shimabara. That is what I was for the last weekend, sort of……… actually I attended an action packed, nail biting, tear jerking Kendo tournament weekend with my Kendo club, let me tell you more.

Saturday afternoon we assembled outside our Dojo (training complex) ready at attention to hear words from our all wise, all powerful Sensei (basically just our Kendo teacher). We listened, we bowed (a lot!!) and we loaded our mini-bus to head to our destination, Shimabara.

We crammed into the bus, me bubbling with energy, enthusiasm and an expectation of some fantastic bonding time with my Kendo buddies. What do they all do?? SLEEP!!!!!
Not even 10 minutes into the trip and they are all asleep! So what is Jesse to do? Stare out the window (quietly) for 2 hours!!! Though I was amused along the way by a “wannabe gansta” wearing a t-shirt that said “Dog Ass” I mean really the t-shirts here are fantastic. I saw one lady wearing a t-shirt that said “Emergency evacuation centre emergency exit”….. Please show me some logic in this madness.

After a slow 2 hours (oh believe me they slept the whole way) we arrived at Shimabara high to help setup the Kendo tournament we would be co-hosting the next day. Of course a Kendo tournament setup is never complete without a good round of head whacking practice. Both teams were happy to oblige each other by jumping into our Kendo gear and smacking each other with bamboo swords for about half an hour.

In due time we headed off to our hotel, I think one lesson we come to learn in this life is that the hotel your school puts you up in overnight is far from plush (not a nice lesson for a sybarite like me). Lol you really have to create a mental image of this hotel. Picture a hotel that was built in the early 70’s, which then decided in the 80’s it was time to refurbish the décor, but only managed to get half way by the time 2005 rolled around. The hotel was made even funnier by its wedding advertisements on the walls for a “dream wedding”. Pictures of Brides and Grooms from the hotels better days when it was actually clean enough to host a wedding. Don’t get me wrong the hotel was clean but in the 80’s there wasn’t a million stains in the carpet or on the walls (and in the 80’s neon blue carpet was the hottest thing since Duran Duran that you could have at your wedding). Anyway the room was decent, the food was decent and that is all that matters.

The night went off went off without a hitch, actually there was one thing. We had curry and rice for dinner (it already sounds bad). Some of the guys thought it would be funny to serve my best friend enough rice for oh about, 5 people!!!（would you like some curry with your rice?).Now my best friend also happens to be small, even for a Japanese person. So then the waitress thought it would be even funnier to make him eat it all!! She kept using the threat “if you don’t eat it now, you eat it for breakfast”. Poor guy, it was like watching the restaurant scene from Monty Python “I couldn’t eat another bite!” .He finished the rice, but he had to lie on his stomach for half an hour (and 2 people had needed to help him down to our room)

Sunday was long day, so I am going to shorten it for you. We lost the boys competitions, came second in the girls team competition and won the girls singles. Highlights of the day included; watching my friend Naomi kick butt with a sword (do not put a sword in her hand or she will nail you!!), watching some nail biting matches and Naomi’s mother asking me to please marry Naomi (really this woman does not give up! She has asked me 5 times already!!)

All in all a fantastic weekend, new bonds were formed with my friends and this philosophical view was formed by me- when it comes down to it the art and sport of Kendo is a question “I’m going to hit you in the head with a stick. But can you hit me first?”

Laters,

Jieshi

P.S. Photos to come

photos

2005-10-25T15:53:00.000+10:00

It has been, and always will be 3 months

2005-10-25T15:03:00.000+10:00

Thats right, it has been about 3 months since I last updated my blog. (In fact let us no longer call it a blog, it sounds too much like bog- which is not a good thing. Let us now refer to it as.... I don't actually know. Email me with your ideas) and sadly, I now only have 3 months left in Japan.

Now onto business. Why have I not updated my .... (it will be called .... until someone gives it a good name) in 3 months? There are lots of miniscule, insignificant reasons I could give. So to keep things simple and far from abnormal I won't make any excuses (as Lou Dobbs of CNN puts it "No excuses, no tears"). But you can thank the people who have been constantly telling me to hurry up over the last 3 months, for finally making me hurry up.

The last 3 months have really been a blur and melded together in my memory (I guess that is what happens when you stop writing). Though they do hold a notorious reputation for having been some of the best 3 months of my life (can the age of 17 be classified as "life"?). "what have you been doing?" I hear you scream. Well dear reader let me reveal all.

Since arriving in Japan physical activity has become one of the main tiers of my life. This is mainly associated with the fact that I ride a bike to school-7km's each way, I am a member of one of the hardest training Kendo clubs in the Island of Kyushyu and I thought it was about time I got fit. The magical results of all this hard work is 11kg's of weight loss, more muscle and a very healthy me. Also a side note, after 7 months of training in Kendo, my teacher has asked me to take the 1st dan black belt test.

Most Sundays I day trip up to Fukuoka city. Fukuoka city is about 2 hours by highway bus from my residence and is colourful, vibrant and definitely classifies as my number 1 spot in Japan. Transport here is outrageously expensive, a return trip to Fukuoka costs about $40 AUD. Fukuoka is overflowing with Coffee shops (mainly Starbucks, show me a big city that isn't filled with Starbucks), Cake shops, Restaurants, any form of shopping you can think of and oh, it even has a bagel shop which happens to be one of my favourite hangs. The city buzzes with people moving from place to place and is a really good place to go fashion spotting. Mostly I spend the sundays with the youth group from my church Coffee shop/ Cafe hopping. Lol maybe I should start doing write ups on each of the Coffee shops I visit? I will add another website to the Jesses Japan empire and call it "jesses japan cocoa review".

Included in this entry are some photos from over the last 3 months. Keep your eyes out for "jesses japan cocoa review" and more updates from me.

Keep rocking,

Jieshi

Marraige Proposals

2005-06-29T09:26:00.000+10:00

I am not sure if many of you have heard about arranged marriages in Japan, but they still happen regularly, there are even arranged marriage agencies over here to hook rich, young, businessmen up with a beautiful , young, eligible women up for marriage. These services are mainly used by the parents if deemed that their son isn't wise in his choice of women, or the family has a very proud heritage and doesn't want to risk losing honour. There are even agencies (private investigator types) that parents have hired to check the heritage lines of the girl (or boy) their child is going to marry. This is because in Buddhism 100's of years ago those who slaughtered animals, tanned leather or any other job involving the blood of dead animals were regarded as unclean and had to live in their own communities, they could not associate with other commoners. So back to the point, it has not been unheard of for these well to do, proud families to hire private investigators to trace the lineage of the fiance/ fiancee to see if they have come from the blood line of these leather tanners or animal slaughterer's because if they have it would be a disgrace for that person to marry into their family.

My experience with arranged marriages is interesting to say in the least. So far I ahve had about 4 mothers come to me and say "Oh I would really like it if you married my daughter" now 2 of these women I would have only met them and their daughter that day lol. It is sort of funny, but I get a little worried about one mother who keeps coming back, you can tell this woman is dead serious, and to make matters worse the daughter is one of my best friends at school!! So this mum keeps coming "oh i would love it if you married my daughter, I would really like you to marry my daughter, please marry my daughter". Lol I get the feeling sometimes that the daughter may actually be in on it as well. But it was probably the other night that got me worried the most. We had a party for for Kendo club, and my friend (the girl) happens to be in kendo club as well. Parents also happened to be invited to this party, so you can guess what happened..... managed to get cornered (literally) by not only my friends mother, but her fahter as well!!! And yes they were both putting pressure on "oh please marry our daughter, we would love you to marry our daughter. She is a beautiful girl isn't she? and she has a great personality" somehow I managed to just go with with what they were saying and wriggle my way out of there.

Thats it for my arranged marriage experiences, though there could be more to come!

Jieshi

further apologies

2005-06-29T09:24:00.000+10:00

Once again I apologise for the long period of time since my last update. Life gets busy yada yada yada....... no excuse I am here now and am about to post a good amount of reading and photos for you.

enjoy,
Jieshi

A meeting with the Mormons

2005-06-12T12:18:00.000+10:00

Seeing as Japan is a country where 80% of the population practice buddhism and shintoism, this is one of the few countries in the entire world where I thought I would never run into them..... them being the mormons.

I was just minding my business riding my bike to Japanese lesson when they struck....the mormons (dunh dunh dunhhhhhhhhhhh). I had to stop at a set of stop lights, in front of me were 2 men on bicycles, wearing short sleeve, white collared shirts and ties with long pants. Now at first what I didn't notice was that one of these men was white. They noticed me and went "oh" and proceeded to ride over to talk to me. Our conversation went a little like this:

White guy: Hey how's it going?
Me: Yeah I am good thanks
White guy: How long have you been here?
Me: Oh I have been here 2 months
white guy: What do you do?
Me: Oh I am an exchange student, I go to school here
White guy: You go to a Japanese highschool? wow that must be tough
Me Oh it is isn't to bad. SO are you an ALT (American Language Teacher)
White guy: No, I am a missionary
Me Oh really? ( I was really happy to hear this because I am a christian and I haven't had contact with other christians for a while)
White guy: Yeah have you heard of "the church of Jesus christ of latter day saints?
Me: ummm yeah (By this time my heart was sinking because the mormons are a totally different religion to me)

Anyway after I told him I was already involved in a church, knew God etc. the guy starts trying to indoctrinate me with some really weird talk about modern day prophets of Moses or something. This went on for 15 minutes (yes he made me late! Why is it that jehovahs witnesses, Mormons and any other weird warped version of bible bashers always turn up at the wrong time?)
SO he had already indoctrinated me, when I've told him I'm a christian and the conversation goes like this:

White guy: So do you have more time to hear more about Jesus?
Me: No I'm sorry I'm actually already running late
white guy: Oh ok, well would you like us to meet you another time?
Me: No I'm pretty right on the God level, but thanks anyway.

So I nicked off to Japanese lessons. I found out that the Jehovahs witnesses are also really active in our community. They wake my friend up at least once a month on a sunday morning with a knock on the door and a "helllloooo, we'd like to talk to you about....... eh jjjjeeeeezzzzzzuuuuusssss!

I wonder what else I will encounter?

Jieshi

Secret Spy Network

2005-06-12T12:05:00.000+10:00

Okay, apart from running a night school, I think our school is running a secret spy network! (or Japanese girls gossip alot)

I don't know how, but every monday when I come back to school after a fun filled weekend, there seems to be alot of people who know where I was, what I did and who I was with.
A good example is last week when I got to school (we had monday off) a year 10 girl walks up to me and says "oh Jesse was Ice cream good on friday afternoon?" and I was like "how did you know I went to ice cream on friday? I mean you were in Kendo club all afternoon!"

Friday afternoon I went out for ice cream with my best friend, now my best friend is a guy so there isn't really any reason for someone to notice I am having ice cream, but to my surprise these little events spread like wildfire, I didn't tell anyone I was going to ice cream either.

Maybe I should start a rumour and see how long it takes to come back to me? Actually i think there was a movie called gossip where they did that and it blew up in their faces.

Jieshi

Apologies

2005-06-12T12:03:00.000+10:00

Ladies and gentlemen, I offer my apologies for not having updated for a few weeks, what can I say, life as an exchange student gets busy??????

Anyway I am just about to put 2 new entries on enjoy.

Jieshi

DJ Jieshi ruling the airwaves

2005-05-28T10:36:00.000+10:00

It is now offical, I am a radio DJ for my schools radio broadcasting club. Every lunch time i will help rule the airwaves of the classrooms in my school. I am pretty excited because this is a really good oppurtunity to learn alot of things like sound mixing, voice overs etc.
Obviously my japanese ins't quite up to scratch so I won't be on the airways straight away, but I will be able to get a pretty good feel for how everything works.

Who knows maybe once I get on the broadcast, I can get a recording and post it on the blog?

Until then stay tuned to DJ Jieshi.

Jieshi

Sex Education, Japanese style.

2005-05-25T20:28:00.000+10:00

Today I had the best class I have ever sat through at school, sex education. Now right now you are probably reading this thinking "This guy has a dirty mind, he really has a screw loose in his head posting that his favourite class is sex education" let me dispell this myth for you. Yes I may be a teenage boy but sex education isn't my favourite class because it is about sex (though I am sure it is for many teenage boys), it is my favourite class because sex is such a taboo, closed topic here in Japan, and the way a sex ed class is run is enough to make you wet yourself laughing.

Now the first thing I will make major note of is that this class was a uni-sex sex education class, what the? (no there isn't meant to be a swear word after "the") Never in Australia, America (or anywhere else in the world??) would you find a uni-sex sex education classes.

Lol so My story begins with me sitting next to my best friend looking at the text book when it hits me that we are looking at diagrams of the male and female reproductive systems. I turn and whisper to my friend (remember there are more ladies than men present in this class) "oy kore wa sekisu o benkyo?" (hey is this sex education?), he starts looking really worried, waving his hand in front of his face saying "oh no no no no, sekisu o benkyo kunai" ( oh no no no no this isn't sex education) So I point to the picture of a baby of on the page and say "akachan o benkyo?"(is this baby study?" "Hai, akachan o benkyo" (yes this is study about how babies are made)
So then I say to him "ahhhh, akachan o benkyo equals sekisu o benkyo" (ahhh baby study equals sex education...)
His face turns white, and he get this look that states "OMG BABIES COME FROM HAVING SEX?? PLEASE SAY IT ISN'T SO!!"

The boys really provided some entertainment for me in that class, the looks that would creep across their faces when they had realizations about certain facts of life were enough to make me have to stifle alot of laughing.
By about this time our teacher decided it was time to put a video on, "A Japanese sex ed tape? This I have to see lol". The video starts and we are greeted by two Japanese men wearing suits and ties, sitting in an 80's (yes the video was from the 80's) style interview setting, with a diagram of the reproductive systems sitting between them. These two men actually interviewed each other about how a baby is made, and the process wasn't "well, when a mummy and daddy love each other etc." no it was the deep, deep, deep scientific process. The video starts to show a camera inside the womb, basically we were shown the intricate 9 month process of a baby forming, voiced over by these two men.

So now I have learnt Japanese style how a baby comes into this world, as told by two 50-60 year old Japanese men.......... wearing business suits.
What will they think of next?

Jieshi

Testy Teachers

2005-05-22T20:23:00.000+10:00

Teachers, we love them, we hate them, we can't make our minds up about them. Lately I have been starting to notice alot of the quirks the teachers at my school have so I have decided that I am going to start a monthly column called "testy teachers" which is going to profile the absurd things these teachers do. Sometimes it will be a profile on a single teacher and other times it will be a collection of weirdness from over the last month. So I am going to start gathering my resources (I already have some goodies) to make for some interesting reads. Watch this space (not literally), "testy teachers" coming to a Jesses Japan near you!!

Jieshi

E.T Sessions

2005-05-20T19:33:00.000+10:00

On Friday I attended "E.T. Sessions" a 3 hour long jazz concert. "E.T. Sessions" was the name of the band that was actually playing, they were really good! As Jazz is really based around improvisation they did alot of well,.... improvisation lol. Otherwise they were mainly a covers band doing songs by the likes of Duke wellington, Louis Armstrong and other Jazz greats (I think they even did some B.B King and he isn't even Jazz, he is blues!!!)

Now what made this concert really interesting wasn't just the band, but the venue. The venue was a 200+ year old Sake brewery (Sake is the the tradtional alcohol of Japan). The tables were made from the lids that they would put over the huge vats, and our seats were retro sake beer crates and slats of wood, looked really cool but by the end of the night everyone had really sore bums!!

The band were all japanese except for the singer, who was a black american (If I used the wrong term just then please forgive me) by the name of Cleeve Douglas, one of the best live singers I have heard in a long time. All in all, it was really fun and the experience heightened my love of jazz music............. except for the 15 minute drum solo!

Jieshi

Ladies (and gentlemen) of the night............school.

2005-05-19T22:53:00.000+10:00

In this world alot of people have dirty secrets, and it seems that my schools dirty secret comes in the form of a night school. Not many of the students at my school know much about it and it is kept pretty hush hush.

Schools in Japan are alot stricter than schools in Australia. If the school finds out you have been sleeping around, taking drugs, or doing any other delinquent activity the school can take it upon themselves to kick you out. But it seems in my school's case they usher you into the "night school".

These are the delinquent students that school and community want to deny ever existed. Over the last few nights when I have been leaving school I have seen the night school students alot. The uniform is the same, but it seems every individual has significantly modified their uniform. The girls wear ummmm, lets just say "extra" mini skirts, untucked shirts with lots of buttons undone and vests. The boys have seriously permed hair which is dyed blonde, and have chains and lots of other accesories hanging off their person. One thing I have noticed is that the girls are slightly wild, they are party animals! On top of not only wearing a sexed up uniform, they ride vespa motor scooters as well! They may also be some of the cutest looking girls around, but I think by now you are getting the idea these girls are slightly dangerous, the women your mother warned you about, or as described to me by one friend "if you date one of those girls you are playing with fire"

The boys look like a little bit of trouble as well, but you see the girls alot more than the boys, it seems the boys perfer to keep a low profile.

If I find anything else out about night school I will be sure to post it!

Jieshi

Daily routine of an exchange student

2005-05-18T19:02:00.000+10:00

So I thought it was about time to actually tell you what a "normal" day (though I think as an exchange student it isn't possible to have one) is.

6am- wake up- The morning routine is the same where ever you are in the world (though in Japan we shower at night) get dressed, eat breakfast, make yourself look beautiful. If you think waking up at 6am is bad, feel sorry for my host mum who wakes up at 5am to cook lunch for my whole family (oh and she cooks breakfast as well)

7:30am- I am out the door for an always interesting ride to school (e.g. old men with blue hair) I think the ride is about 6-7 km long.

8am-4pm- Classes, socialising, japanese study, always an interesting day. Classes include japanese, japanese history, PE, Music, English, Science.

4-7pm- Kendo training- 3hours of intensetraining, I am getting really fit!

8pm- arrive home, it has been a long day!

so that is my day in a nutshell

It's a fine day

2005-05-18T18:28:00.000+10:00

So today the weather has managed to clear up. It really is quite amazing, the weather here just changes in an instant. Anyway last night I stayed up until midnight talking with my host mum and managed to sleep through my alarm this morning. I woke to the sound of "Mr Brightside" by The Killers (the song is my ringtone on my phone, oh and they are a really cool band from Las Vegas), it was my host mum calling to tell me she had woken up late too! She had to run off and drop my sister at school so she had to give me money for lunch, oh how sad....... ahhh JACKPOT BABY!!!!! You see my school canteen sells "breads" for lunch. Let me take a second to explain about "breads" and Japanese Bakeries.

Japanese Bakeries aren't like the Bakeries you would find in Australia (or the U.S. from what I have been told). Japanese Bakeries are always gourmet and they are dirt cheap, so when somebody says "oh we are going to have breads for lunch" in Japan, get excited because it is always going to taste delicious, look great and be really fattening (though with the amount of excercise I do here, I can eat anything! lol) I should probably take some photo's of the "breads" so you can get an idea of the yummy things I get to eat.

So I got out of bed and stumbled down the stairs with ten minutes to get ready. 15 minutes later it dawned on me that I was currently on a bike in the middle of Japan...asleep, lol I was really tired. Still riding to school I passed a man on a bike and he was staring at me like I was from another planet. Normally I wouldn't be bothered by this but the fact was he looked more like an alien than me, he was a Japanese man in his 50's and he had blue hair....... can I get a witness??

The rest of the day went according to a normal day, nothing really to talk about.

More updates to come,

Jieshi

Typhoon alert

2005-05-17T23:40:00.000+10:00

I have now decided that I am going to start issuing my own typhoon warnings (though it isn't really a warning when you find out 12 hours later, so scrap that idea). Right now (when I wrote this) I am sitting in my classroom, looking out the window, looking and listening to the natural chaos that currently surrounds me. I am not sure what it takes to declare a Typhoon or major storm warning in Japan, but the current condition of the weather would have caused major news warnings in Sydney. The wind right now is so strong, I have seen people losing umbrella's all morning in their heroic battles with the weather to try and get to school or their places of business. Lol currently the window next to me is whistling a very nice tune, only problem is that the window is securely shut, so the window being forced in towards me by the wind isn't making me feel to comfortable. I am preparing myself to see Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz go flying by the window. The rain is unbelievable, each drop is the size of a mintie (a lolly, sorry couldn't think of anything else to compare it with lol) basically this is not weather to go for a sunday stroll in.

I have had the last few days off school due to exams, so today so far has been very interesting watching how the students react to their exam marks. Apparently nobody has done very well, but I have heard it said that if you are scoring 40% on a Japanese exam paper, you can easily nail an American or Australian test paper to the wall with a 90% +. One strange thing they do here is the exam marks are placed out on the main noticeboard where everybody can see, so if you failed miserably... everyone will know your dirty secret!!!! lol
The reactions have been pretty similar from everyone, I saw a few girls crying about their marks, but most people just laugh at themselves and their friends, and go "oh no!.

Not much more to it,

Jieshi

Welcome party

2005-05-15T22:33:00.000+10:00

So Today was a day of partying, and eating, and merryment, eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die (yeah from eating so much food lol). Today was the what we like to call an AFS welcome party, and what a welcome it was!!

The day started off with me rising early to eat a quick breakfast, shave, moisturise and make myself look beautiful (hehe what a premadonna!! lol). My host family and I set out to arrive at our destination at 10 am to help set everything up, this was going to be a big party (60 people baby!!). The weather was already warming up, and I was truly starting to feel the heat ( I was dressed in a long sleeve shirt, long pants, with my cuff buttons done up and my shirt tucked in, I really felt the heat)

by 12pm everybody was arriving, exchange students, friends of exchange students, families, my english teacher from school lol. I had my best friend shyouta come along, some humour was provided when I said to him "oh our english teacher is coming today" he instantly hit his head with his hand going "noooooooo!!!!!!" and I said to him "whats wrong?" and he said "tomorrow is the half early english examination and I am meant to be at home studying" lol. There was a thick tension in the air as our english teacher walked up to my friend, patted him on the shoulder and simply said "good luck....".

The party started, I was really happy to be united with my exchange friends, especially the two I am closest with Sophia from Australia and Marjo from Finland. The food and drink started coming hard and fast, with excited conversations sparking everywhere, 45 minutes later the food was still coming but it wasn't dissappearing the way it had at first, we all had bloated stomachs lol from eating so much.

By now everybody was ready for some entertainment, so my guitar was taken from its case, plugged into the guitar amp and I performed, though I have to say it is one of the worst performances I feel I have ever given, by now the sun was blistering hot, I was sweating and the pick was slipping from my fingers which in turn means you can't strum properly..... TOO BAD!
We started to play a game, you get a stick, you get a blind fold, you get spun around and then you try to crack a watermelon open! Pinyata, but it is wet, sticky and sweet! Kendo training did not help here, I managed to miss the watermelon both times! (geez and I am meant to have the best teacher in Nagasaki?)

I started to mingle a little with everyone, and I don't know how I did it but I managed to end up sitting and talking with the head doctor of the Nagasaki doctors association and other high ranking doctors? crazy. I really don't know how I did it.

It was an awesome day, I went home feeling 5kgs heavier! too much food!

Jieshi

Space world photo's

2005-05-14T22:17:00.000+10:00

I feel..... Spacey???

The rabbit was umm happy to see me. Can't you tell?

This is a cool anime movie

We are one (big) happy family

I didn't take to many pictures of space world, because it was reall hot and i didn't feel like it

Police record

2005-05-13T11:08:00.000+10:00

I don't exactly know how to say this, so I am just going to say it. On thursday night I was taken into custody by the Japanese police for questioning in regards to a robbery that happened the week before. $4000 dollars was stolen and an employee of the shop was badly beaten. So unfortunately I have managed to get myself a japanese police record......... lol just kidding I am only in the investigation report lol and I was only stopped for 5 minutes on the road with my friend from school lol. I ride home from school at 9pm on a thursday every week so the police asked me and my friend if we had seen anything to do with the robbery and I had so they had a nice little look at my gaijin registration card and took my details down. It was really funny because my friend was totally freaking out that the police had stopped us and I was really cool about it (she was japanese she didn't ahve anything to worry about lol, I'm the foreigner)

Also what made it funnier was that just before the police stopped us I was thinking "damn nothing interesting has happened this week, so I can't post on my blog". Morale of this story, be careful what you wish for lol

later,
Jieshi

Japan Quirks (A.K.A little things 2)

2005-05-08T12:53:00.000+10:00

yes it's time for little things 2, the little quirks and funny things I notice in my daily life here in japan.

1.Purikura- Japanese teenagers seem to love purikura, or photo stickers. It is such a huge trend here to go to these massive photo booths, pay $4, have about 6 photos taken of you and your friends and then you decorate the photos on a computer screen (backgrounds, love hearts, writing etc) and then the machine prints the photos out (they are about the size of a 5 cent coin) and then you cut them out and give them to your friends. Lol my diary has a two page collection in the back of it at the moment, funny thing is there doesn't seem to be many guys in there lol (all these random girls keep running up to me at school giving me the photos lol)

2. My music teacher- I love this music teacher. He reminds of my music teacher back home, with a few exceptions.... He is fat, he is Japanese and he apparently has a very dirty mouth lol. We were in music the other day and he started telling my class (note my music class is 41 girls and me) about his girlfriend who is a foreigner ,she is italian. Now I get teh idea he was talking about his love life in slightly intimate detail (something involving ice cream) because all the girls started screaming lol. I get the idea he does this regularly as well because the girls seem to get grossed out quite a bit. But hey it provides great entertainment for me, it is even funnier when he starts chatting me up to all the girls going "oh Jieshi is such a cool guy isn't he? He would make a great boyfriend for one of you girls" it is hilarious.

3. Kissing is like sex- This statement may sound really strange but it is true, to Japanese teenagers kissing is like having sex. Some of the guys asked me if I have kissed a girl and I said yes and they all started going "oooooooohhhhhhh what was it like? what was it like? I bet it's good!!" right now I am laughing so much I am almost crying because I just find this so funny, yet it is really sweet as well (it shows that they take relationships relatively seriously)

4.Teachers smoking lounge- This has to be the funniest thing we have at my school, there is a smoking lounge for the teachers!!! Never would you find this in Australia (could you find this anywhere else in the world?) Now the funny thing about this room is that it isn't the staff room or anything it even has a sign over it saying "teachers smoking lounge" (in japanese of course). It is really funny watching all the teachers race for the smoking lounge in the morning and at lunch time lol. Also even stranger is that only the male teachers are allowed to use the smoking lounge, how sexist is that????

and that concludes this months japan quirks,

jieshi

Typhoon rider

2005-05-06T21:33:00.000+10:00

Yes thats right, not ghost rider, not wave rider but typhoon rider. Today I rode home by bicycle in what I would call typhoon conditions (though the weather channel begs to differ).

It was pouring down rain and I was the poor little school boy without a lift home so he had to ride his bike. Armed with only a small umbrella (that actually only kept my head dry) and my heart of optimism, I embarked on the half hour journey home. Gale force winds, heavy rains tried to hamper me, but to no avail could they stop me. Bull dogs chased me for hundreds of kilometres (ok thats just the creative writer in me kicking in). No actually it was more like trucks running through puddles next to me got me really, really wet (and the gale force winds and heavy rains).

I found it really funny because I was absolutely soaked and all of a sudden a song came into my head that I haven't heard since kindergarden..... "this is the day, this is the day that the lord has made, that the lord has made. We will rejoice, we will rejoice and be glad in it, and be glad in it".
Like I said, heart of optimism.

When I got home (drenched might I add, I looked like I had been for a bike ride in the lake) I said "hehe jieshi is home and he is wet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" then it was all fixed when I was able to change into some comfortable clothes.

oh a little side note, I got an email fom the Australian National library yesterday. Apparently they stumbled across my site and have asked to archive it forever!! how cool is that? They thought my website was good enough to be stored FOREVER (note that was said in one of those deep, authorative, dark voices)

anyway time to go,

Jieshi

Space world

2005-05-05T16:07:00.000+10:00

Golden week, golden week, golden week is here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (actually it just ended today... damn!)

Yes thats right ladies and gentleman the last week has been what is known as golden week, Japans longest public holiday (hence the name golden week), a week of fun, excitement and oh whats that? school?!!!!!!!!!!!!! yes you get a break from school subjects but you still need to go to club. Sometimes I really don't know what this country is thinking lol.

Anyway that aside, on monday I went to space world. What is space world you ask? well if you want the hardcore run down, you can click this link http://www.spaceworld.co.jp/english/ or if you really like the short and sweet version (or you just really like my blog) I can give you a quick run down. Space world is a japanese amusement park located outside of Fukuoka. It is medium sized, and well it has a space theme to it. Wow how did you guess? hmmm maybe it was the name that gave it away. The rollercoaster (named the titan) has to have the biggest drop I have ever seen on a rollercoaster, unfortunately I didn't get to ride it because of all the weeks in the year they chose japans biggest national holiday to run checks on the rollercoaster.... hello wheres the logic??

Anyway we spent the day waiting in line for almost an hour on every ride (and believe me some were not worth it), and we got sunburnt. Doesn't sound like a fun day does it? Actually I enjoyed myself , the only downside was that the theme park only has 3 major thrill rides. While we were on the water rapids everybody was screaming going "aaah this is so scary" and I was sitting there with my arms folded saying "I really think I need to start sky diving".

Now can anyone tell me do these theme park mascots look like a rip off of mickey and minney mouse?

Lucky Rabbit Vickey Rabbit

To wrap up the day, there was a surpirse performance by a japanese pop band called D-51.
Japanese girls (and guys) love these two guys so it was fun to watch their performances.

All in all a good day (the mini-concert made up for the horrendous lines)

oh photos of the day to come,

jieshi

Punk rock Nagasaki

2005-04-29T16:33:00.000+10:00

So last night I went to my first concert ever...... a punk rock concert in Nagasaki!!! I loved it! As a musican I am always interested in seeing how other musicans performed and i have to say these guys rocked it hard! anyway here is a run down of the day.

So I was talking with my friend at school and when I told her I was a muso she said "oh my brother is the lead guitarist/singer of a band and they do concerts quite alot, you should come along some time". So I took her up on the offer and straight after school we headed for Nagasaki to rock it out all night lol.

We met at the train station, bought our tickets (note: a train ticket in japan is an absolute rip off! for me to go to nagasaki and back cost ￥1450, this is about $16-18 AUD). The train was pretty packed but eventually we got a seat. Sitting across from us were two ladies who were very suprised when they saw a gaijin (foreigner) sitting across from them. They started talking with us e.g. where am I from, where am I staying in Japan, do I like it etc. These two ladies ended up being the funniest people I have come across in public. They were asking my friend wether she had a boyfriend, and then saying "oh you don't have a boyfriend? take jieshi he is a perfect catch" and then they were asking what I am like and if all the girls love me so my friend replies "oh he is a perfect gentleman and he is very popular with all the girls at school lol" so I was going a bit red in the face lol. The ladies had to get off the train, but they exchanged phone numbers with my friend because they are from our town and want to meet for lunch at some point in time.

We then got to trek half way across nagasaki city by tram (its so cool, we don't have trams in Sydney and to think I am catching one in Japan of all places lol). We made it to the concert (10 minutes late... damn) in time to see my friends brothers band, they were excellent. The band is called Original strike. I would have posted a pic of them but there isn't any so here is their website: http://www.tosp.co.jp/i.asp?i=orst
After about 3 songs original strike finished their set and it was time for the main act, CHARCOAL FILTER. http://cfr.jp/

I have to say once again, these guys are way cool! I took tips last night on how they work a crowd and peform because they were really awesome. I was the only gaijin at the concert, so the band thought it was really cool when I started jumping around and doing the actions with everyone ( they all gave me looks and nods of approval). There were a few things I found really funny the bass guitarist kept puckering his lips up while playing and then he would do it to all the girls in the crowd as well lol (you can see it in the photo above) and there were these two music executives from the record company standing next to me up the back. It was really funny because eveyone else was dressed really casually (punk rock style) and these two guys are dressed in expensive business suites, arms crossed, stern faced just watching the band, you could tell it was business for them.

The concert finished and we headed back home. On the way back I saw something that you would never see happen in Australia. We were standing at the carriage door on the train, a guy got on at a station and he dropped his glass down the gap between the platform and the train. He is like "oh no" so he runs to the front of the train and tells the driver and then the driver and him run and get the station master to work out what to do. The train driver goes "oh hold on I will move the train so you can get your glasses", he announces it on the speaker, moves the train and the guy gets his glasses and gets on the train. Our train was delayed by 5 minutes because of this. Not that I am complaining, I was very surprised at the kindness and generosity of of everybody to get one mans glasses.

all in all a fantastic day, would love to do it again,

jieshi

kendo on the brain

2005-04-25T23:31:00.000+10:00

hello readers and welcome to another update. So I started kendo at school about two weeks ago and let me say this, I am really sore!!! Kendo is hard work, but it is definitely worth the effort.

here is a typical week in my kendo training life (life? I have no life now because of kendo).

We train 7 days a week!!! on mondays through friday we train from 4pm (after school) to 7pm at night (then I have to ride my bike home so I don't get home until about 8pm)
On weekends the hours change a bit but last saturday we started at 8:30am and finished at 5:30pm (I just wanted to go home, for goodness sake it's saturday we shouldn't be at school lol)

Anyway then most days of the week we go for a 3km run before we start practicing, and sometimes we do weight training. The actual sessions are pretty intense, it requires all of your strength because you have scream a warcry for most of the lesson and we also wear armour which is relatively heavy (especially the helmet) and you run around hitting each other with sticks and screaming.

While I make kendo sound really dodgey, I will give it this. Never before have my muscles toned up so quickly, no one in Australia is going to recognize me pyschically by the time I come back, and also my closest friends (both boys and girls) all come from kendo club. We are a team, we train together, we take classes together, we spend most of our lives together, thank goodness we don't live together or I think we would murder each other lol.

later,
Jieshi

the big, big update

2005-04-22T21:41:00.000+10:00

ok so I've been a jackass and let the blog slip away from me again....... but I have good reasoning!!!

So let the big blog update begin.

They day I posted about the mobile phone we went to visit relatives. Little did I know we were also going to visit a hotspring town called Obama. Let me say this, aaaahh way cool!!! It looked like a movie driving into town because there were big plumes of smoke coming up from underneath the road (the hotspring is obviously very hot). We arrived at the Ryokyan (japanese style inn) where I was taken to my own private bath on the roof outside. Now while this sounds sort of cool, let me note this, this bath was large enough to fit at least 10 people in, and I had it all to myself!!!!!!!!!

for the next week I was nailed with what the doctor calls acute bronchitis. Let me tell you about some hospital horror.
Now I know that most men like a cute nurse, or doctor. Well I managed to get the cute doctor when my host mum went "Oh my god your sick, right we are going to the hospital" (note: this would never happen in Australia).
This doctor was very cute, very kind (yes the doctor was a woman!!!) and couldn't speak a word of english lol. She asked me to come back the next day for testing to see if I have the flu or just a bad cold. We come the next day for the test, and I had the same cute doctor again. Never again will I trust another cute doctor!!!!!!!!!
The doctor goes on to tell me "ok I'm going to do the test, this might hurt a little bit" she proceeds to pull out a cotton bud, now I'm sitting there going "what are you going to do with that??" then she says "tilt your head back" and I realise the cotton bud is about 10cm long!!!!!
The cotton bud is shoved up my nose!!!!!!!!!!!! and to the back of my throat! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH THE PAIN IN MY EYE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Never have I experienced such pain, and never will I let a cute doctor near me with a cotton bud.
20 minutes later, "guess what??? you don't have the flu".
Then one of the nurses comes and says to me in Japanese "hey you know that cute doctor in there? she's single, maybe you should go ask her out"
hello, this doctor has just stuck a 10cm long cotton bud up my nose.... and you want me to ask her out????? I then asked how old she is "oh she is 27" hello????? ten year age difference!!

Let me take a moment to make a side note.. Japanese women have had a thing for coming up to me and telling me that a cute girl is single. Now it's nice that they think I am cute enough to ask the cute girl out, but the cute girls they want me to ask are always in their 20's!!!!!!!!
I wonder if these women have signs attached to their foreheads that say "hello I am in my 20's and now I am really deseperate for a boyfriend so if you see a cute boy please tell him to ask me out".

ok so I started school. what is school like? hehe like being Brad Pitt at the premier of his new movie!!! Girls everywhere scream your name (literally, I walked into a music class of 40 girls the other day and they all screamed "jieshi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" and were all saying "oh sit next to me, oh please sit next to me" lol) and there is a whispering wind that follows me around the school lol. Question I have been asked most..... "jieshi do you have a girlfriend?" when I reply no what do they do? Jump up and down in front of me screaming yaaaaayy in japanese.

ok so thats my relatively big update more to come when I have time (school is such a hectic schedule its not funny),

jieshi

How to make an Australian exchange student grumpy

2005-04-09T13:55:00.000+10:00

Want to make an exchange student angry?? Just make buying a mobile phone complicated.

This is exactly what happened to me today, and I didn't end up buying the phone either.

To start off, my host mother took me to the electronics store to buy my keitai (mobile) which I have been waiting a while to buy. We get there and there isn't a sales assistant for AU (the mobile company I'm buying the phone off) so the nice man from the electronics store gets the sales rep for STUPID VODAFONE (well vodafone isn't stupid because I use it in Australia) TO SELL ME THE PHONE! Now lets just stop and think about this for a second... the sales rep works for vodafone and is trying to sell me a phone from the opposition... does that make sense??
So now we also have to think "ummm seeing as she works for vodafone and not AU does that mean she probably knows nothing about AU??" "ding, ding, ding congratulations you just won yourself $1 Million dollars"

So the sales rep continues to pull the brochure out and browse through it trying to work out what I need to do to buy the phone (at this point in time I know more about buying the phone then she did. Please not I have nothing against women sales rep's because I know for a fact men sales rep's are alot more stupid 99% of the time) Finally she finds the section and starts trying to explain everything to my host mum. This is made even harder by my host mum trying to translate to me in english because right now my japanese is, well sort of crap.

We then found out I needed my alien registration card (stupid me forgot that I need it, and I won't have it until monday) so that cleared things up a little.... until the sales rep decided she wanted to take a totally different set of protocol and try to say that my host family aren't good enough as a signatory on my account and that my australian parents have to sign it. Who does she ring to back her up? the AU hot line! So of course AU are going to tell her my australian parents need to sign (this has never been the case for anyone else) AU hotline are going to be legalistic (hello this is japan) and she works for vodafone so of course they will make it harder for her (don't ask me why just a feeling I had lol)

anyway everything is going to be different next time I go back to buy a phone lol.

moral of this story... don't get a vodafone sales rep to try and sell you an AU phone lol,

Jieshi

mote mote

2005-04-08T23:02:00.000+10:00

Mote Mote: A man that is very popular among women.
Japanese dictionary example: A man who is popular among bar hostesses (some how I think this isn't quite right)

Did I feel like a Mote Mote after attending school for the first time today?? HELL YES!!!!!! LOL

Ok so today was the first day of school.... damn it is fun!! lol I feel very popular (seeing as I am the only white teenager in any sort of school in a radius of at least 50km's) I had the best time (even if I was only there for 1 hour)

My class is huge. 42 people, my class in Australia (actually my whole year) was only 21 people!
Hehe and the girls are cute!!!!! lol ok I'm going to shut up about the girls. The school is amazing and the cherry blossoms are currently in bloom so everything looks amazing.

All in all it was a fantastic hour but i will give you more funny stories from the proper first day which will be monday.

until then,
Jieshi

little things

2005-04-07T09:10:00.000+10:00

a few things I have currently learnt in Japan:

1. I can't call caroline ca-chan- this came about when I was talking to my host mother and I said "oh yes my best friend ca-chan...." my host mother then replies "oh so are you going to marry her?" and I'm like "umm no, we aren't even going out, she has a boyfriend in Australia lol" my host mum then says "oh ok, I just thought you might because some japanese men call their wives ka-chan" (ca and ka are pronounced the same in Japanese) and I'm like "are you serious??? I so did not know that" (side note- when caroline reads this, the blog will suddenly end along with my life lol)

2. It takes alot of teachers to make a small decision- I went to my highschool the other day for an introductory meeting with the vice principal. I don't think you can call a vice principal a vice principal when she walks in with an entourage of 6 people!!!! In this meeting we had the vice principal, the vice vice principal (I didn't know there was such a thing),my home room teacher, ny vice home room teacher (I didn't know you could have a vice home room teacher), the head of secondary form teachers and 2 or 3 other men who were important as well, but I didn't catch their positions.

3. Japanese people love their comedians- The Japanese love comedians! In Australia comedians are nowhere near as big as they are here in Japan. One of the first questions I have been asked on numerous occassions is "who is your favourite japanese comedian?" at first I didn't know but now I do. He is a man after my own heart because he plays guitar, and he is a samurai..... Yoku Hata (A.K.A guitar samurai)

4. If your white and live in a small town funny things happen- Yes thats right my friends, If you live in a town of 89,000 people (which might I add is 43.4% single women according to statistics lol) and you are the only teenage foreigner things happen (it's even cooler because everyone thinks I am 21 lol). Some examples of this are people almost crashing their cars when they see you riding your bike lol.. no seriously the amount of people who have almost crashed their cars when they see me is unbelievable lol. Also you get lots of girls "checking you out" or more just sneeking a peek and giggling lol. lots of other funny things have happened but i can't remember all of them (too many to remember)

well thats it for my section "little things" more posts to come later,

Jieshi

AFS: Another Fat Student

2005-04-05T21:49:00.000+10:00

ok so I have been realy, really, really lazy and haven't updated my blog when so much has been happening. This entry is more so that I don't feel guilty about not blogging so I will try to get you up to speed as quickly as possible and then everything will return to normal again.

Ok camp finished and we said goodbye to everyone. I found it pretty upsetting saying goodbye to caroline (even if I didn't show it) because she has been my best friend for the last year and we've been through alot together. It sort of sucks because me and her have had pretty much no contact with each other the past few weeks so if you ask me it sort of stinks. (just noticed she left a comment so note to caroline.... I don't mean it in an offensive way lol I just, well... miss you lol)

So my host dad left the other day which was pretty sad. the upside of it is that I have been given a second host family to help my host mum with the burden of me (doesn't sound very nice does it lol?) they are really cool as well. I now have a sister who is my age and a brother who is a bit younger I think. They have been fantastic I have been sleeping at their house and they have been taking me out for dinner everywhere, I love it.

On the weekend I went temple hopping (photo taking of temples and castles, shrines etc) so i will post photos later. Also went to fukuoka which was way cool, that city is really really huge!!!

Today I went to my new school for a meeting with the vice principal. The vice principal had an entourage of 6 people!!! by the way Australian students, if you even consider australian schools/ teachers to be strict, then baby you ain't seen nothing yet!!!! lol these are not teachers you want to tangle with lol.

anyway thats a moderated version of the story so far, lots more to come,

jieshi

Camp Fukuoka: Day 1

2005-03-25T16:00:00.000+11:00

Camp is so cool! I think I have said it many times before, but AFS camps are so much fun!!

We arrived last night at Fukuoka airport to be greeted by our cool, hip, young (and might I add very cute!!) female leaders (the males showed up 5 minutes later, they were way cool too!)
We then loaded our bags into trucks outside the airport (note: weather= 3 degree's celcius)
and were taken upstairs to a diner in the airport and treated to a fantastic dinner, which I ended up having with the Director of AFS Fukuoka (hehe hanging with the big wigs!) and caroline (ca-chan). Once we were full we were packed into a bus and taken to a camp on the outskirts of Fukuoka city.

The leaders split us into our groups and introduced each groups leaders (my groups leaders were Kana-chan and Toshimatsu A.K.A GTT- Great Teacher Toshi) Later on we were shown to the Japanese Bathroom (onsen) where we were greeted with the site of a room full of naked japanese teenage boys (note: this grossed some of the other guys out, namely the exchange student from New Zealand who refused to bathe the whole camp!!!) Let me take a moment to talk about Onsen.
Imagine a room full of your Gender, showering, bathing and running around naked...............
actually don't imagine that it sounds rather scary, when in reality it isn't. It's not like you are perving on everyone in the room. Basic rule for onsen bathing: keep your eyes at eye level!!! lol

Had a great relaxing bath and then hit the sack (went to bed). This morning I was told I slept through a minor earthquake (an aftershock of a massive earthquake 5 days ago)

We were woken up at 6:30am today, and outside by 7am for a flag raising ceremony with the Japanese school that was staying on the camp with us. Hehe Japanese girls are s funny, I have been having numerous experiences where I walk by a group of them and they sneek glances at you and giggle with each other lol. It even happened in front of GTT (Great Teacher Toshi) last night and he was like "yeah man your in" lol ROFL....... nah we both just thought it was really funny.

Food has been excellent! It seems the Japanese strive for excellence in all that they do (including camp food!!) they beat Australian camps by a long way.

Anyway must dash classes to attend,

Jieshi

Dinner at the airport

Ca-chan (caroline)

Up bright and early for flag raising

female leaders

morning view of Fukuoka

30,000 feet up in the air

2005-03-24T15:30:00.000+11:00

Well here I am 30,000 feet in the air above Osaka putting pen to paper (which has been translated into finger to keyboard lol). I can truly say I have accomplished my dream of coming to Japan so now I guess the dream becomes one of self discovery, adventure and outwards understanding of those around me.

It still isn't setting in, the fact that I'm no longer in Australia, but in not only an entirely different country, but an entirely different culture that functions in a totally opposite way to Australia. Part of the realisation not setting in would have to do with the fact I have caroline (my best friend) and my other friend Amanda with me for most of the trip so far (Amanda went her seperate way at Narita, but Caroline will be on camp with me in Fukuoka) and also because all the exchange students speak a large amount of english (as do the AFS staff we have met so far)

I've been pretty happy with the way I have been able to handle myself as a first time international traveller. I've managed to keep myself well presented and not looking like I just pumped myself full of heroine before I entered customs (this I am most impressed with) and I kept my long sleeve business shirt free of wrinkles, bad odours and spotless over 2 flights totalling 12 hours (15 if you include airports and transfers)

I've been making lots of really cool new friends. At the moment the coolest is probably a girl called Valentina (what a cool name!) from South America, followed by an American called Alex and a European called Bjorn.

It was hell killing 6 hours standing in one place in Narita airport!!!!! Though it was really funny when I went to the bathroom to change my shirt, I paused for a second "hang on, I'm in a bathroom stall in Japan applying deodarant and changing my shirt......... Nah still feels like I'm in Sydney lol"

Some Japanese reactions to seeing such a huge group of white teenagers have been unbelievable. I had 3 little boys staring at me open mouthed for about 2 minutes this afternoon, it was hilarious.

Anyway homesickness is still yet to strike (will it strike? I am having to much fun!) and if it does I'm sure you will hear about it.

More stories to come,
Jieshi

A day of reckoning

2005-03-23T08:47:00.000+11:00

Finally, the day of reckoning is upon me. The weather is dreadful, huge storms and dreary rain, maybe to help fit the mood for my mothers feelings about me leaving. I leave for Japan in less than 12 hours and I will say this, THE DAY OF RECKONING HAS NOTHING ON ME CAUSE I AM WAY TOO EXCITED!!!!! LOL

anyway I will update from Japan as soon as possible!

later guys,
Jieshi

10 days

2005-03-13T13:46:00.000+11:00

And so the final countdown begins. 10 days until I leave for japan. The next two weeks are going to be party, party, party!!! No time for reflection just time to say goodbye and get last minute shopping in.

The next year will be challenging, fun and new. I don't know what is going to happen, only that lots is going to happen (hehe hopefully lots of good stuff). I will provide as many stories as I can and hopefully they will be interesting. Now I am just getting really excited and amped up about everything.

Until 10 days my friends,
Jieshi

trip map

2005-02-23T21:57:00.000+11:00

So this is the map I promised you showing how far we are all travelling and who is getting ripped off (hehe the Osaka kids and the Nagoya kids)

click the pick for a way bigger view (you will appreciate it!)

Do you have a rocking host family?

2005-02-23T06:49:00.000+11:00

You may remember I posted that I had a host family and knew nothing about them...... Well guess what? I got the info, I got the photos and best of all I got the most rocking host family ever!!!!

They are young, look relatively hip and are all totally cool. Ok so I'm a bit excited let me tell you about them.
My host father is a helicopter pilot for the japanese maritime self defense force so I will hopefully get a ride or two!!!! ;-)
Then my mum is an office worker, hey whats better than learning how to file alphabetically?
And then there is my host sisters, ooooh they look so cute! I am going to be their big older brother, the oldest is either 15 or 16 and the younger one is about 13.

Now remember how I was saying they are young? My host dad is only 41 and my host mum is just about to turn 40.

My high school is also really really cool! I got more info on it and a map of it. It has river running through the middle of the school and it is right next to the train station, oh and heaps of kids atend the school about 1,022 (and there is more girls than boys by like 100-200 people).

Now me and my best friend caroline (you will have seen photos of her on this site) have both been getting really excited on the phone because we get to take a domestic flight from Narita to our orientation camp. Now we have also been laughing about it because everybody else has to catch a bus to their camp. This information on its own doesn't sound very profound until you find out that the others camps are in nagoya and osaka!!!!!! sucked in you guys!
The flight from Australia alone will take about 12 hours and assuming that we are getting into Japan at about 3 am in the morning the bus trip is going to take at least another 9-12 hours. In fact I will detail a map and put it on here so that you can see the distance they have to travel lol how is it I always end up getting the long side of the stick and not the short lol? So in conclusion the others have to travel another 9-12 hours while we (Caroline and I) get to take a domestic flight to fukuoka that will take us a mere 1 1/2 hours!!!!! hehe and we are travelling about 3-5 times the distance.

Anyway enough of my rambling, I will post a picture of my host family on here (when I can scan it in) and a picture of a map showing the distance everyone will need to travel.

byeeeeeeeeeeeeee,
Jieshi

My Highschool

2005-02-19T22:42:00.000+11:00

Well last night one of my contacts in Japan gave me the URL for my Highschool I will be attending in Japan. My highschool looks sooooooooooo coooooooool! It looks like a university.

It is pretty full on compared to my highschool in Australia and is alot bigger. Anyway I don't think I can explain it very well so here are some pictures of it.

The area surrounding my high school

Images from the high school sports carnival

the Japan san

2005-02-17T19:56:00.000+11:00

ok so you may have read the comments section and seen the words "Japan san" come up.
Time to do some explaining. So Japan san means "Japan three". Basically the japan three (but it sounds so much cooler as Japan san, has a nice ring to it) are me and two other girls from my AFS region that are coming to Japan. We are pretty close friends so we decided to give our group the name.

So here are some photos of the group.

Me

sarah and katarina (left to right)

More free T-shirts!!!!!

2005-02-16T08:41:00.000+11:00

hello,

well this may be silly but I got another free T-shirt and this one kicks butt! It's fitted properly and has a cool logo on it. Please observe below

sayonara,
Jieshi

Have you got the..... Shirt?

2005-02-10T15:29:00.000+11:00

I dont think you can take yourself seriously as an Exchange student until you have, THE SHIRT!!!!!!!!!!!

Thats right ladies and gents, not that I'm proud of it but I now have the offical AFS Exchange student T-shirt.
Now let me start by saying, I have never had a shirt that is so unfitted or huge! There is no way I am wearing this monstrosity onto the plane (Sorry marina and anyone else at AFS) I love the t-shirt but I'm not wearing it.

So readers take note, if you ever see a foreign looking student wearing an oversized t-shirt with AFS Exchange student plastered across the back, chances are... they are one!

Tshirt

arm logo

back slogan

tshirt-front slogan

Camp **** in the blue mountains photos

2005-01-23T20:44:00.000+11:00

amanda caroline and me
Amanda caroline and me

Amanda
Amanda

alex, alex, and 2 others
Alex (girl), Alex(boy), and two others

caroline and me
Caroline and me

caroline and morgan
Caroline and morgan

group 1
Group 1

Group therapy 1
Group therapy 1

eating breakfast
Eating breakfast

group 2
Group 2

Hannah and Andrew
Hannah and Andrew

group 3
Group 3

me and amanda
Me and Amanda

im bored
I'm bored

Morgan and Me
Morgan and Me

marina and richard
Marina and Richard

morgan caroline and me
Morgan and Caroline and Me

sitting and doing nothing 1
Sitting and doing nothing

waiting
Waiting

wet weather
Wet Weather

Yoga
Yoga

jesse+caroline
Me and Caroline 2

Camp **** in the blue mountains part 2

2005-01-23T18:50:00.000+11:00

Well I am back!!! and here ladies and gents is part 2 of my camp experience.

Saturday:

Saturday began for me at the early hour of 6am. Now you know how guys sleep like rocks even through alarms? Me being an early riser never believed that rumour, until now. I asked the guys in my cabin if I could set my alarm for 6am and they said it was fine. Now my alarm is one of the loudest alarms you will ever hear, these guys slept through it no problems!!!! I got up and had a shower etc. (oh and i put on some cologne lol)
I then headed up to the hall, on my way I ran into Marina (take note: she is the first person to ever wake up earlier than me lol)

Then I played guitar for about an hour and a half lol. At about 6:30am a few of the girls came up and did a 45 minute yoga class, now that was funny! I stopped playing guitar to listen to what they were saying, lol stuff along the lines of " now, imagine you are in a field of sun flowers. Now you will center all the yellow of the flowers into your inner being. I magine you are standing under a large waterfall" lol I almost wet myself laughing!

The day continued with breakfast, group sessions about what to expect from exchange etc. and breaks (and more food lol) Everyone became very good friends.

It got to the end of the day and it was time to leave, lots of hugs and goodbyes. Getting home was an adventure!!! As we got to the train station it started pelting massive droplets of rain!. We were also greeted by a sign telling us that trackworks were being done on the weekend so we were going to have to disembark from our train at another station and catch a bus to central station.

We waited at the station for our train which was running 20 minutes late. As we waited it rained sheets of water non-stop for 1/2 an hour and hailed non-stop for 15 minutes and they were massive pieces of hail.
Train and bus trip were nice, we chatted and slept lol (caroline was really tired) it took us 2 hours but was nice, a light sprinkle of rain continued as we made the long trip home.

Morgan and I spent a few hours running around the city trying to find food before we got our bus home. We could not find anywhere to eat! it was Sydney city on a saturday night and there was nowhere to eat (any people looking to start up a reasonably priced cafe in the city that is open good hours, this is your chance)
We finally found food after walking from central station to wynyard station (for those not good on geography this is a really long way lol) we finally had a nice dinner, got hassled by a homeless person for money and caught the bus home.

well that about wraps it up, this may have sounded long winded ( so good on you for reading lol) camps are the sort of thing that you have to have been there to enjoy so I hope I portrayed it well.

sayonara (oh and im posting the photos now),

Jieshi

Camp **** in the mountains

2005-01-22T23:41:00.000+11:00

Well ladies and gents it time for another "pre-departure camp" update!!!!

Let me start by saying, I can not get enough of these camps I think I almost wet myself laughing we have so much fun!!! lol

Friday:

Well Friday was an absolute ball. I went into head office in Sydney, to fill in my visa forms. While I was there I ran into Marina who would be a co-runner of the camp. Me and Marina struck it off instantly and had a really good chat (you know one of those chats where you are continually laughing and very interested in the conversation) as we walked to central station to meet all the other students.

As we got to central old friends were re-united and new friendships made as we boarded the train for a 2 hour ride. We took lots of photos (which will be posted) and had the funniest conversations (yes wet your pants material style conversations)

We Finally made it to our destination in the Blue Mountains, very hungry and very thirsty!! So we went and claimed what was rightfully ours, KEBABS! from the kebab store.

we then Pressed on to our camp. Now I must say that our camp has to be the cleanest, friendliest, oh and don't forget best camp food I have ever seen/eaten!!!! We all got our bunks setup and then went back to the hall to chill out and get to know each other, me I socialise alot and played alot of guitar! in the end I ended doing a mini concert for the whole camp lol. We went our seperate ways to sleep. The boys went to sleep straight away, I was really bored, what I wouldn't have given to be able to sit in the girls cabin talking with them unti l3 in the morning!!!!!

well thats friday summed up next entry will be saturday.

sayonara,
Jieshi

HOST FAMILY!!!!!

2005-01-22T23:27:00.000+11:00

Lol Hi Guys!!!!

Well fate would have it be that the night I winge about not having a host family gets me a host family the next day!!!!!

Lol I am very excited. Barely know anything about them yet, but I do know that I will beliving in Nagasaki (this is the city that they dropped the second atomic bomb on in world war 2)

so that was justa quick update, more news about my pre-departure camp to come!!

sayonara,
Jieshi

"whats that slight tingling in my stomach? lol oh thats just something called being nervous!"

2005-01-19T19:50:00.000+11:00

hello everyone!!!!!

Well its been a while since I've put an entry into my Blog. At the moment it's like everything is happening but nothing is happening lol (if that makes any sense). The things that have been happening have been fairly crucial so I guess thats something!

Well let me start off with this very forward statement, "I"M FEELING NERVOUS MAN!!!!!!!"
Not so much that it's only a month and a half until I leave but more the fact that other students have been getting host families while I am sitting here sort of going (feeling very small, with a meek voice) "eeep, what about me?" (selfish I know, but hey we are talking about my life here)

To be honest it's not that I am worried that I'm not going to get a Host family, but more I feel like I'm missing out on the fun lol. I think it is sort of cool if I don't have a family by the time I get to Japan because it will makes things more interesting (and give me cooler stories to tell you!!!)

So, now that my major "oh dear diary" cry is out of the way heres what else is happening:

It was my Birthday recently !!!!

My Visa is about to be put through (and I am positive it won't be rejected, I mean come on with a gaurantor like AFS behind it theres no way they can reject it!!! , well sort of)

Oh and on a minor note, I have my pre-departure camp this weekend!!! lol so more stories (don't know if they will be as juicy as last camp) are coming in the next week. So stay put

sayonara,
Jieshi

me, Hiro and Katrina

2005-01-04T20:54:00.000+11:00

who's going to Japan? I am!!!!!

2004-12-11T14:02:00.000+11:00

lol hey guys,

well as you already know I am going to Japan. But yesterday was the clincher. I recieved my gaurantee in the program (though this was a given seeing as I won a scholarship, you win a scholarship you get the spot, first preference baby!!!!)

Oh yeah and i got my passport lol. Yay everything is starting to move really quickly! I feel like I will be boarding the plane tomorrow.

sayonara,
Jieshi

tribute to the best people ever

2004-12-03T23:51:00.000+11:00

andrew and Jaime

Juliet and Aurora

Me and Jedda

Jade

Sabrina and bec

Alyce and Jonny

Jess

Verity

Fare thee well

2004-12-03T08:42:00.000+11:00

Today was offically my last day of school. And boy was it really sad!!!
To be honest I almost cried. Ok so this post is probably going to sound really conceited lol but hey, this is my weblog and it is about how I feel with all the events of this trip so what the hell!

It was a really nice way to end school. We went to a place called Clifton Gardens which is a big park that has a wharf leading out from it so you can go swimming ( I have had some fantastic days jumping off the wharf because it is like a 3 metre drop lol). Although we only got 5 minutes of sunshine and it was cold, windy and rainy for most of the day, I still had a really good time just hanging out with my friends huddled under a towel trying to keep warm. It was a very surreal feeling, it didn't feel like a last day. Towards the end of the day I started giving my goodbyes to everyone. It was amazing to find out that there are actually alot of people that really like me (like I said this will sound conceited). I didn't think I mattered to people that much but there were actually alot of people who cried because I was leaving. I almost cried because a I started realising how much I am going to miss everyone. It really hit me that I have the most awesome bunch of people around me.

So any of my friends from school this is a shout out to you: You guys are absolutely awesome and have fantastic lives ahead of you and you are going to accomplish great things. I love you guys so much and I will miss you incredibly in the year that I am away but for those of you whose year I will be in when I get back I can't wait to see you again and spend another year with you. Juliet and Aurora, you guys are so sweet!! I can't wait for 2006 with you and I think it will be a fantastic year and of all the year 10's I am going to miss you two the most! love ya guys!

sayonara,
Jieshi

A free man

2004-11-25T09:00:00.000+11:00

Hello avid readers (is this how I always start a post?)

In ten days I will offically be, as my mum describes it, a free man!!!!!!
Hehe my passport forms went through without a hitch on tuesday (*dances* "oh yeah, oh yeah" lol) and school finishes next thursday for one year!!! (*dances again* "oh yeah, oh yeah")
The reason I am offically a free man is because once I have that passport I can leave the country whenever I want (that is of course without thinking about technicalities like Visa's lol)

Although it is fun to think that I now have a three month holiday before I leave for Japan, there is also a melancholic feeling starting to set in due to the fact that I have been at this school with my peers since Kindergarden (circa 1992) and they are one of the best year groups anyone could have (despite difficulties ever had with some). The idea of leaving for Japan soon is really starting to set it in. I am sad that I will be away from my peers and friends for 1 year (sort of lol) but I definitely think that a change of scenery is in order for me ( I mean come on, I have been at the same school, with the same people for 13 years!!!!) so at the same time I'm not sad, just a little melancholic.

While all this is going on in my head at the moment, I have been/currently am taking photos of all my friends at school so that I can make an album. This is my last time with these guys as they will all graduate next year, while me I will graduate the year after. It is sort of scary because I know that it is the last time that I will see most of these people. Everyone always says that most of your friends in high school you will never see again after you finish, and that is just so true!!!! I know that I won't see most of my high school friends ever again. Bit of a weird thought when you think about it, you've spent most of your life with these people and then they just disappear forever.

Anyway while my post sounds all sad and stuff, I am so excited at the prospect of Japan. I can't wait to get there and hopefully make heaps of really good friends!!! Well I am a happy man and hopefully you are happy people (why did I just say that?)

well more updates and stories to come,
Jieshi

jellies 4 Japan photos

2004-11-19T13:26:00.000+11:00

Dont you love my artistic/ advertising skills?

yes our jelly tastes really good!!!
See, even my friend Jamie loves it!

Yes jonny loves his jelly! but ummm you could call what he is doing a major health hazard.

buy from me people!!! buy low sell high!!! thats the way the business goes! (for me... not them i want them to buy high form me lol)

*to the tune of "everyone loves their slinky* everyone loves their jelly, everyone loves their jelly! lol (most people probably won't have got that joke)

Tokyo Immigration bureau

2004-11-18T14:33:00.000+11:00

On a minor note. After I posted yesterday I got home to find that AFS (my exchange company) had sent me all my visa application forms from the tokyo immigration bureau and my insurance forms. Oh it's so exciting everything is starting to move fast!!! now I just need a host family lol.

Jellies for Japan

2004-11-17T17:21:00.000+11:00

Hello readers (that may only be me lol) and welcome to another exciting (is it?) instalment of Jeses japan!!!

well not alot has been happening over the past month. All is quiet on the western front as you may have noticed (because their have been no new entries) so I thought it was time I "livened the night life up" on the western front lol.

So I have been fundraising at my school. I have been running what is known as "Jellies for Japan". basically I have been making lots of cups of jelly and selling the for $1 AUD. To everyones amazement I have made $337 AUD so far!!!!! Who would have thought you could make that much money out of Jelly???? I have photos which I will be posting up here soon (when I can actually burn them onto a disk and upload them at school. oooh the broadband connection)
So there will be photos soon! (I need to document this stuff for my own experience as well)

anyway have to go now, more posts to come!

and I should really do something about getting my passport!

sayonara,
Jieshi

Show me the Money!!!!

2004-10-13T14:47:00.000+10:00

Hello everybody! Well these few weeks I have been in the waiting period and I now announce the news..... I GOT THE SCHOLARSHIP!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes thats right ladies and gents I am now gauranteed a trip to Japan for the year lol (as an exchange student) Thankyou all for your support and comments, to my area leaders I give a huge thankyou!!! You guys are the best.

Well it is now confirmed that I will be giving you interesting stories (I hope) for a year while I am in Japan, the journey has only just begun! Sit back and enjoy the ride.

case re-opened

2004-10-12T22:09:00.000+10:00

hello everyone and welcome to my blog!!! Okay well this is actually my blog re-done because my blog host shut down because they went bankrupt and took all of my photos and entries with it!!! AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! do you know how annoying that is? Now I have to try and find all the entries somewhere on the net so I can repost them!!! anyway I hope you enjoy my story lol

the waiting game

2004-09-13T15:22:00.000+10:00

hehe still waiting on scholarships. its taking a while but Ill let you know whats happening soon

Auction dinner photos

2004-08-23T20:30:00.000+10:00

me and my bestest bud sarah. Notice my very formal dress for this highly distinguished occassion. lol

The Japan crew. The two white girls are coming to Japan next year with me and the Japanese girl is here for 1 week with her school

As you can see we had many people attending the event

(from left to right) Ophilie from France, Hiro from Japan, Sarah, Daniel who wants to go to Brazil, and Lilia who happens to be from Brazil!

Everyone eating dinner. I must say I really like the colours of the balloons

"sold to the man in the funny red hat"

2004-08-23T13:27:00.000+10:00

hello avid internet fans and readers. On Saturday 21st of August I became an Auctioneer for the first time ever. On Saturday we had the yearly AFS charity dinner auction night. To break the really long title down for you it is basically an auction dinner that the group holds every year to raise money for scholarships and general running costs. It was a fantastic evening! We raised many needed funds for our group and scholarships which is good news for me. The auction went off with a bang as me and one of the other men named Tim tag teamed the auctioneering. We were honoured to have the AFS national director, Chairman of the board and select members of the AFS board attending as they are fantastic people and were very generous with their support of the auction. May I say though that we were most honoured to have the head of AFS international (the big man himself) attending the dinner. I absolutely loved it and had alot of fun auctioning, I think I could take it up as a profession (maybe). Unfortunately I couldn't get photos of the actual Auction but I have some photos of the night for you.

later,
jesse

Do you want money?

2004-08-12T16:40:00.000+10:00

Hello ladies and gentleman. Welcome once again to another intriguing instalment of Jesse's Student Exchange Blog. Well scholarship selections are upon me. I am up for two Scholarships: the Sony half year Scholarship which has 100 applicants and the AFS foundation Scholarship which has 20 applicants. Wish me luck in this time of selection because if I get these it means you are going to have something interesting to read for a year (because I'll be in Japan to write something interesting) lol.

Wish me luck,
Jesse