Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Cell Phone Diary 3 (Tangent)

携帯日記、7月10日(水) 7/10/13
日光(にっこう)に行った時に、お店で色々なおみやげを見た。でも、見たおみやげはだいたい(ほか)(けん)観光(かんこう)()にもあるおみやげだった。(たと)えば、ホームステイのお母さんは、日光(にっこう)のゆばが有名(ゆうめい)だけど、京都のゆばもとても有名(ゆうめい)だと言っていた。それから、(なり)()(さん)餡子(あんこ)有名(ゆうめい)だけど、(ほか)にも日本の色々な所でも作られていると言っていた。日本人は、旅行した後でおみやげを友達によくあげるだけじゃなくて、お正月(しょうがつ)にも「お中元(ちゅうげん)」という(おく)(もの)()げる。ホームステイ•ファミリーはお中元(ちゅうげん)にお菓子(かし)をたくさんもらうそうだ。カルピスという飲み物も人気(にんき)なおみやげの一つだそうだ。日本では、たいてい毎年どのぐらいのお金をおみやげや、お中元(ちゅうげん)に使っているのだろうか。
Cellphone Diary by Tangent Cheng 7/10/13
When we went to Nikko, I saw many different types of souvenirs, but the souvenirs that I saw were also generally sold in other prefectures or sightseeing locations. For example, my homestay mother said that Yuba (tofu skin) in Nikko is famous, but it's also really famous in Kyoto. She then said that the anko (red bean paste) from Narita Mountain is also famous, but it's made in various other places in Japan as well. Japanese people do not only give souvenirs to their friends after they come back from a trip, but on New Years, they also give gifts called "ochuuden." My homestay family said that they receive a lot of sweets and snacks as gifts. There is a drink called Calpis that is also apparently a popular gift. I wonder how much money is spent on gifts and souvenirs in Japan each year...



Thursday, July 18, 2013

Ice Skating Outing

Next update: Dartmouth goes ice skating!
Last week on Wednesday we left from school with Masa, a fourth year Kanda student who is a volunteer for our LSA group, and Naho, a Dartmouth '16 who lives in the area. We missed Kimberly though, she had previously hurt her ankle and so couldn't join us. We took a train and then a bus to Inage where we arrived at the Aqua Rink. It was an ice skating rink plus Aqua Zone! Everyone did a really good job actually. No major injuries!
After everyone had worn out their legs (and feet! Ice skates WILL cause blisters.) we entered the hotspring pool. What was really cool about that was that once you left the locker room, you went through a doorway that enveloped you in a mysterious vale of showering water and suddenly exported you to a magical space with flowing water and a jacuzzi (inside). There was also an outside Jacuzzi overlooking the sea and a sauna! The sauna was impossible for me to stay in, but I feel like the others had a nice time. We then toweled off and went back to the station. We all had dinner together at an izakaya and returned home.

 I like to take a lot of pictures apparently, so here are a bunch:













Also, just so you know there is actually studying going on, here are some more pictures.





Update: Nikko Trip

Hello!
We're about half way through the program now, I can't believe it! Things have been really great, but really busy. It's also become extraordinarily hot here. Summer has definitely come. I have a couple of things to update on--the first being the Nikko trip that we took two weeks ago, Thursday and Friday. The weather then was really cool and nice and although it rained for one out of two of the days, it was cool so I think we all appreciated it to some degree. 

We left Thursday morning bright and early from Nishi Funabashi Station. I had gone a little early to meet anyone else who was early, particularly because I requested that everyone meet up ten minutes or so prior to the time we would board the train, just so that we would have enough time to get everyone together. Everyone pretty much made it on time too! (I think maybe it was because I bribed them though… does that still count…?) I was so proud. Then we took the train and subway required to make it to our meeting place from where we hopped on another train and began the trek to Nikko in Tochigi prefecture.

Here’s a map.

So yeah.
[[[Aside: I also made a Flickr page (click here) for pictures because there were a LOT. But I’ve also attached some here just so you can put a picture to what I’m talking about right away.]]]

Once we got to Nikko, we deposited our belongings in coin lockers and started exploring! It was suuuper foggy so at first we were kind of thinking that we wouldn’t be able to see that much (but never fret, the story has a happy ending). Our bus passes were distributed to us and then we headed up to see Chuzenji Lake and Kogen Falls. Once we got off the bus, we walked over to the area by the waterfall hoping to take the elevator to the viewing platform, but we could literally see nothing so instead we decided it was time for lunch.
 We originally parted ways with Sensei because he needs his quiet time, however, his attempts to shake us were to no avail (although he did make a valiant—and quiet comical—effort) because we ended up eating together at the same noodle place. So we all ate lunch and then made our way to Chuzenji Lake. Sensei got us all hyped up on the prospect of riding around in swan boats, but we were ultimately disappointed because there was too much fog and we pretty much couldn’t see anything. So instead, I implemented meditation and personal reflection time. We sat for six or seven minutes in peace and quiet, pondering the beauty of nature and observing the swirling, whimsical enigma that was the white shroud of mist hovering over Chuzenji.

After we had sufficiently appreciated the nature, we walked back up to the bus stop. On the way back it cleared up nicely and turned out to be a beautiful day. We then took a different bus and a really long elevator ride and arrived at the falls! Once there, we fought our way through a sea of elementary school children in matching yellow hats, looked around, took some pictures, bought some souvenirs, and went back up.

Afterward, we took a bus to the ryokan (Japanese-style inn) where we were staying, checked in, and put our stuff in our rooms while taking a half an hour break. The buffet dinner to to come was trimmed with an array of awesome Japanese foods which we took full advantage of. We then proceeded to karaoke! Some of the boys went to play tennis (and maybe basketball? I think that got vetoed actually..) in the fitness center and were joined later by a couple girls.
After karaoke we went to the rotenburo, which apparently flows from a real hot spring. Rotenburo is an outside bath kind of like a jacuzzi, but made of stone, lacking in jets, and used for bathing. The ryokan was so cool though. It was giant and the rooms were beautiful (they had both Japanese-style tatami rooms as well as Western-style rooms) and there was a fitness center, karaoke rooms, and a manga room. It was really awesome. We went to sleep exhausted but happy and got up slightly later for breakfast the next day.

Friday! After breakfast (which I feel the need to add was very Japanese, full of fish and all other kinds of things like white rice and natto, fermented soybeans) we packed up and went back to the first station to utilize the coin lockers and board the bus that took us to Shinkyo Bridge. We walked along the bridge and then got back on a bus to Toshogu Shrine. This particular shrine’s claim to fame is the three “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” monkeys. So we appreciated that for a bit, although the appreciation was made significantly more difficult by the mass of elementary and middle school children that literally created a sea over the entire grounds. We then proceeded to the tomb of Tokugawa Ieyasu (the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate) and a different shrine dedicated to love and marriage. That was followed by a visit to another temple-ish building.. I think it was actually a temple, but was under renovation and will continue to be under renovation for a long time. Sensei did not come with us on that one, and when we exited the structure (that interestingly had a temple painted on the outside of it), we had a bit of a struggle trying to find where we came in, but got there in the end and went back to the station for lunch.
After lunch we had an hour or so, so we collectively had ice cream and manju (fried dough with red bean paste in the middle)f and then some went to a coffee shop before coming back to the station. 
After that we pretty much just got back on the train and went home. What a great weekend! Even though it rained pretty much all day Friday, it was still really wonderful. Nikko is a beautiful place. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is thinking of taking a trip to the Kanto region of Japan.

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Cell Phone Diary 2 (Thomas)

携帯日記7月2日(火) 

僕は今朝(けさ)電車のホームで電車を待っていた時に、下を見てみると面白(おもしろ)い事を見つけた。ホームに「6号車乗車口(ごうしゃじょうしゃぐち)」が書いてあることに気がついた。アメリカの電車の駅にそんなことが書いてあるかどうか分からないけれど、すごくいい事だと思って、写真(しゃしん)()った。日本では、大体(だいたい)人が(しず)かに立って電車を待つ。でも、一番びっくりした事は電車を待っている間に日本人は一、二(れつ)(なら)んで待つことだ。なぜびっくりしたというと、ニューヨークでは地下鉄(ちかてつ)を待つ時、人たちはめちゃくちゃな群衆(ぐんしゅう)で待つからだ。

Cell Phone Diary July 2, Tuesday
By Thomas Rover

This morning when I was waiting for the train on the platform, I looked down and saw something interesting. I realized that “Train Car 6 Entrance” was written on the platform. I don’t know if that sort of thing is written in the train stations in America or not, but I thought it was great so I took a picture. In Japan, people generally line up and wait quietly. However, the most surprising thing for me is that, while waiting for the train, Japanese people make one or two lines. I was surprised because when waiting for the subway in New York, people wait in disorganized groups.


Cell Phone Diary 1 (Kimberly)

Hello!
A little introduction for what is to follow. The students are asked to complete three times a week as homework a diary-like assignment called Keitai Nikki (Cellphone Diary). The point for them is to write about one of their new experiences in Japan via email or phone mail and send it to Dorsey-sensei to be graded. The following is one example of this written by Kimberly Hassel '16 and is followed by an English translation and picture. 
携帯日記、6月27日
今週から授業が始(はじ)まっているから、毎日私は一人で家を出ている。その時に、日本の家のあいさつをよく使っている。家を出る前に、くつをはいて、「いってきます!」というあいさつを言う。そうして、私のホスト・ファミリーは、「いってらっしゃい!」と言ってくれる。家に帰ったら、「ただいま!」というあいさつを言う。私のホスト・ファミリーは、「おかえりなさい!」と言ってくれる。玄関(げんかん)でそのあいさつを言う。日本の家の玄関(げんかん)は、最初(さいしょ)に、入る部屋(へや)だ。家にくつをはいてはいけないから、玄関(げんかん)でくつをぬぐ。私は、日本の玄関(げんかん)が好きだ。ほっとするところだ。そのところで、私のホスト・ファミリーは、私にやさしいことばを言ってくれるから、毎日の午前と午後にそのやさしいことばが聞けて、うれしい。
Cell Phone Diary, June 27, 2013
By Kimberly Hassel
Because classes started this week, I leave the house by myself every day and thus often use Japanese home greetings. Before I leave the house, I put on my shoes and say, "Ittekimasu!" (meaning "I'm off!" or "See you later!"). Then, my host family says "Itterasshai!" (meaning "Have a good day!" or "Take care!") When I get home, I use the greeting "Tadaima!" (meaning "I'm home!") My host family says "Okaerinasai!" (meaning "Welcome home!") We say these greetings in the entrane of the house (called a genkan). The genkan of a Japanese house is the first room you enter. Because you aren't allowed to enter the house with your shoes on, you take them off in the genkan. I like the genkan. It's a place where I feel relaxed. I am happy every morning and evening because my host family uses these kind greetings in the genkan.