Because it's an obligation

Torii at Ikku shrine

Because I don’t feel like blogging everyday, or every week you should expect my blog entries to be a tiny bit longer ^^;;

Well here goes…

April 17
Went to Kochi Art Museum with host grandmother, host mom, and host brother. After that I went to the concert of the koto club of my school which was really interesting.

April 18
Tried windsurfing which was a big failure. So difficult! ><

April 24
BBQ party with the family’s windsurf friends. It was delicious.
I received a floating Hello Kitty balloon from one of their close friends. He’s also really good at balloon art. Gave me a Totoro balloon art some time ago :)
Since I got here I haven’t been named Kit-Lam at all. Like my name changed to Kitty. Everyone calls me Kitty-chan because it’s easier than Kitoramu-chan. I don’t mind at all tho.  And actually Hello Kitty here Japan is also being called Kitty-chan (not Hello Kitty, because it’s too long to pronounce). So that explains why I got the HK balloon.
Teachers tho call me by my last name, although my last name is quite difficult to pronounce in Japanese. So they call me either Chan-san or Chen-san. They can’t pronounce the “eu” =/ So I once in a while hear that my last name resembles Jacky Chan’s last name :P
Other girls at my school also call me Ramu-chan (Kit-Lam), which actually reminds me of ramune.

April 25
Went to Tosa Joshi’s (my school) “Joyful Concert” together with friends. There was a choir, electones, dancing and musical (which I actually understood!). It was great fun. Tosa Joshi’s students are really talented. Like you would think that you have to be really smart to pass the entrance exam of Tosa Joshi. But since Tosa Joshi has a lot of traditional Japanese activities (calligraphy, flower arrangement, tea ceremony, koto) you can also enter the school if you’re really good and talented at one of these. You don’t even need your brains to enter if you have one of these talents.
I guess it’s to make the school’s name bigger. If a student of Tosa Joshi might become famous one day she can tell everyone she graduated from the famous Tosa Joshi high school.
Okay back on-topic. After the concert did some (window) shopping at the biggest shopping mall in Kochi, which is called AEON, about 20 minutes by bus from here. Also went to the game center, did purikura and we ate “all you can eat sukiyaki & shabu shabu”. Aaah, so nice =v=
I also met Kentucky-ojiisan =)

April 28
School trip to Katsurahama. So hot that day ><

April 29
This day was Showa no Hi, a national holiday in celebration of the former emperor’s birthday of Japan during the Showa-era. I hang out with Kira. Went to the beach, park and did purikura (as always). The conbini onigiri & sushi was nice.

May 1st ~ 3rd
Start of Golden Week. 5 free days for all students and office workers. Shops are open just like every day. In fact, shops are always open in Japan. Even on New Years Day!!
So went camping in Ekawasaki at the Shimanto river from the 1st until the 3rd, together with hostfamily and some of their friends.
It was really awesome!! The mountains, river and just the whole view was beautiful. Did BBQ, rafting on a windsurf board (that was awesome!), swimming and on the last day to an onsen, which was my first time. It was really relaxing but too hot to stay in too long. The onsen we went to wasn’t a “real” onsen actually. More like an amusement onsen with all kinds of different baths (jacuzzi,  massage, outside and even a walk-bath!). Nonetheless it was very nice!

There seems to be an onsen in Ehime prefecture (just next to Kochi prefecture, but probably about a 3-4 hour car drive) called Dougo onsen. One of the oldest and famous here in Japan. Actually, Spirited Away’s onsen was modelled on this onsen!! I hope to visit this onsen this year.

May 4
Visited friends of the family. Ate a lot of yakitori.

May 5
This day was Kodomo no Hi (Children’s Day). Went to Alice in Wonderland with hostmom. Did me good, because it’s been a while since my last visit to the cinema.
Movie was different from what I expected but was still ok. Liked the story, although a little too short.  I was surprised that Avril did the end song O:

May 6
Extra free day from school. Golden Week had ended already on this day though.

May 7
Start school

May 9
A Happy (late) Mother’s Day!!!!
Went to the born house of hostmom in Kahoku town.
Kahoku is absolutely beautiful!

May 16
Went to Katsuo matsuri in Nakatosa with hostbrother, hostdad, his mom, his brother and his brother’s daughter. It was sooo crowded and hot!! Oh katsuo is bonito fish btw. Nakatosa city is famous for their katsuo.
Of course we ate katsuo tataki, which is a slightly in a flame grilled bonito. It is so nice with spring onions and garlic..yumm…
After the katsuo matsuri in Nakatosa we went to a shrine in Ikku called Ikku Jinja (jina = shrine) and was my first time going to a shrine. It was one of the greatest experiences ever since I got here. Ever since I’m seeing shrines here in Japan and attended several ceremonies (grave visiting) I just fell in love with shintoism and wanted to go to a shrine for a long time.
So Ikku jinja is the oldest en greatest shrine here in Kochi. It was marvellous. The main entrance gate (torii) to the area was huge and didn’t had the shape as usual torii’s have. In the inside of the left and right side of the gate, statues of gods are being kept. So you walk through the gate and there is this path with trees on both sides that goes on for about 50 meters. After that you reach the parking spots for cars, the washing area and at last a torii (in the shape of a real torii) which is the entrance to the shrines area which was huge! There were like several shrines, and then the main shrine and the shrine where you pay and do you prayer (which I did). At first we went to the main shrine for my hostdad and his brother. They’re both 40 and 41 which are unlucky ages for Japanese men. So they performed a special ceremony for them in the main shrine to banish all the evilness and pray for good luck. I guess it took about 30 minutes.
There was this kind of mini-temple-ish gate where you would walk through 3 times. But the first time you end up going left, 2nd time right and 3rd time left again. Meant to cleanse your spirit.
I also bought an ema (wooden plagues where you write your prayer/wishes) and wrote my ultimately failing prayers on it in Dutch! Couldn’t find the right words to write down ><
It was great!! Might wanna visit the shrine here in the neighbourhood tomorrow after school ^^

Have done a lot more activities until now, but leave it like this for now as this post is getting way too long.
And I should sleep since it’s 22.23 pm and I like to sleep early since I got here in Japan.

Yours from Kochi, Japan.