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Tuesday, April 29, 2014

April Mini-Update

Just wanted to do a quick update/new stuff I found and really, really like post, so here it is!

First off, VisualArts/Key has done it again. I finished the visual novel Planetarian: Chiisana Hoshi no Yume (Dream of a Little Star in English) recently. Yes, it's a visual novel by the people behind works like Kanon and Clannad. It's a bit on the short side, with me finishing it in one sitting, but damn, the feels are strong in this one. Give it a try if you got 3-4 hours to spend.

Other than that, I've also started reading a manga series by the name of Yotsubato! (Eng: Yotsuba and!). It's made by the same mangaka that made Azumanga Daioh, very similar style. The difference is that this time it's about the girl Yotsuba and her adventures and daily life. I personally picked it up to read in japanese, to improve my reading, understanding and vocabulary, as it has simple japanese day-to-day talk and furigana over the kanji. I'm surprised at how good it really is though! (The first volume is a couple of years old, so I'm sure you can find an English version somewhere as well).

To wrap up, I also went on a trip to Mt. Takao today. Lots of shrines and nature, lots of photos from my trip at my Tumblr account. Great fun!

Until next time, stay safe and have fun!

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Kyojins, Harajuku and food!

Been a while since last post, and for that I apologize. The network we got at the Share House I live in is a bit flimsy at times, dropping out and dying whenever it feels like it. Probably doesn't help that whenever the network is up, my neighbor keeps blasting boring music that is just two or three beats that repeat over and over from the net, haha.

So, if you've seen my tumblr, I recently got some Shingeki no Kyojin loot with my drink at a 7-11. That series is immensely popular here, and you'll spot some stuff even at family restaurants or convenience stores. I also went to a big, eight floor store called Tokyo Hands, where I bought the Tiger Tank nanopuzzle model I'm working on in between studying and looking around.

Speaking of Kyojins, I've tried looking a bit on TV over here, but it's not that great when the only thing you manage to make sense from is baseball, haha. Did see a match between the Tokyo Kyojins and another team I can't remember where they were from, just that they were named Sparrows. Pretty good stuff. There's also a tv-show where they showed off a couple of Rube Goldberg machines though, that was pretty cool, and I saw one performance of Rakugo on the TV shortly before that. I find Rakugo fascinating, even if I don't get the jokes (yet).

I've also been lucky enough to meet a couple of people I can call friends! Been at some local bars and Izakayas with them, with more probably to come. Food and drinks here are great, both in taste and price. Lunch at a restaurant here costs about as much as a hot dog from a gas station in Norway! It's great!

Also tried taking the trip to Harajuku, as I was told that there's cosplays and stuff there. The weather wasn't too great (overcast, lots of clouds), and the entire area seemed to consist of foreigners, girls under 20 in groups shouting "kawaii" every two seconds, lots and lots of girl stores (clothes, phone accessories, outfits like school uniforms and such...), candy stores and the famous pancake/crepe stalls every 150 meters. It was nice to see it, but I think you need to have female company to fully enjoy what Harajuku has to offer.

However, it's not all sunshine and rainbows. Taking the train to school is a bit of a pain. Those train-pushers you might've heard about? A real thing during rush-hours. A German friend of mine put it in a rather eloquent way: "You will never be as close to a woman, not even during sex, as you will be to the women on the train". It is crazy how many people they want to fit into one train...

I'm afraid that is it for this post, as I got some preparation to do before tomorrow. Tomorrow we begin with the Kanji characters, as well as some more grammar. Until next time, stay safe and have fun!

Sunday, April 13, 2014

First school week!

My first week at school is over, and we seriously went through all of hiragana in that one week, along with some "survival-japanese" phrases (stuff like ordering at a restaurant, asking for directions, and shopping). We even had a test at Friday, which I think went really well. Tomorrow it's the same deal as this week, just with Katakana I bet. They really weren't kidding about it being an intensive course!

Also went to an Izakaya, which was great! Lots of drinks, food and happy people! We ate liver, the small intestine of chicken, shark-sushi and some kind of vegetable that I was told was similar to natto in texture. It all tasted really, really good! Until next post, stay safe and have fun!


Saturday, April 5, 2014

Roppongi!

So I took a trip to Roppongi today. Lots of great things to see! Went to see Sakura-zaka, which is a road covered with cherry trees on both sides, then I went up on one of the tallest buildings in Tokyo, not counting the towers. Also saw 3 girls in kimonos, and was lucky enough to be allowed to take a picture of them! ^_^ Remember, you can follow my tumblr to see all the photos I share. Adding a lot of photos on blogger is a pain, since I can't scroll on this page on my ipad... Anyway, pics at my tumblr!

Enjoy the pictures, and until next time, stay safe!


Thursday, April 3, 2014

Cherry blossoms

It's raining, today. A lot. Because of the rain, I haven't done a lot, but I did take the chance to go and see the cherry blossoms! Even in the rain they looked great! I'll try to take some photos of them in the sun if the weather allows.

Tomorrow I gotta check in with the school for some paperwork, as well as the Ward Office... Doesn't sound like much fun to deal with paperworks, nor does it give any good pictures to share, so don't expect any. 

Stay safe!

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

A brand new adventure!

As of today, I've moved to the Suginami Ward in Tokyo! I'm still in the process of settling in, getting some paperwork in order and all the boring stuff you probably don't care about. Therefore, have a picture I took nine in the morning from the roof!
As a bonus for this short post, have a picture of my breakfast/morning snack.
It's Melon Bread! It tastes amazing! 

Until next post, stay safe!