Rainy

Samurai Blue!!

I think this is like my 6th post since I got here in Japan ^^;;  Yes, I’m lazy. I also think my general speaking ability has decreased because I usually talk in a mix of English-Japanese but still on child level. So my vocabulary has also decreased which is really bad. It often happens that I’m looking for a certain word (in Dutch, English or Japanese) but just can’t find it.

I haven’t talked Dutch at aaaaall… and I don’t want to because it’ll probably sound horrible. Like when Japanese people ask me to talk Dutch and I hear those weird words coming out of my mouth it’s just so awkward and ugly =\ Although I still think in Dutch plus English and Japanese. Aah, it’ll be fun when I get back and have to talk in Dutch again and mix everything up X

So lately life has been normal. From the start I already felt really home here. I love Kochi!! Even though summer is going to be nasty hot here while I’m a winter person, everything else is great!!! The people, the streets, the customs, the food, the festivals, the city and of course the dialect (Kochi-ben). Actually, Kochi-ben or also called Tosa-ben, sounds really cute! For verbs example, you usually say “taberu” for “(I’m) eating)”. But in Tosa-ben you say “tabechuu”. Notice the “chuu”. Isn’t it cute?! >v<

Although Tosa-ben sounds cute, it’s very well known throughout Japan as a rude, slightly impropriate and very countryside dialect.

Anyways, it’s 23.08 pm, which is late. Might be early for some of you guys, but I like to sleep around 10 to be all fresh and clear the next morning (although lately I’ve been nerding (computer & study) too much until 23.00-0.00). Also I don’t like to bother the other people here with the sound of my typing as everyone is asleep already.

It’s currently End mid-term exam week. With other words, everyone is stressing, cramming, no club activities and school ends between 11.00 and 12.00. I only have to take the English Reading and English Grammar (those are 2 different subjects fyi) and a Japanese test which basically is a test about vocab, some grammar and kanji. Altho my Japanese teacher probably still hasn’t realized she’s teaching me waaay too beginner-level and easy lessons, even though I showed her how far I am with my studies and already know everything she’s teaching me. Oh well, I’ll just go with the flow and do whatever she’s teaching me, although it honestly feels like a waste of time. Hm, I shouldn’t talk bad about other people here on my blog. Ah, I’m so mean ><

I noticed btw how Japanese people don’t like to talk bad about other people, while we Dutch people do it all the time. “Ehw, that person stinks!”, “She’s fat!”, “He’s annoying!!”… like the people I hang out with almost don’t complain in general at all. And there’s also no bullying or anything at my school (mainly because my school is very strict) or arrogant show-offs. Oh and Japanese people almost don’t swear or curse at all, while Dutch people do it all the time (kanker, tering, kut, shit, fuck…etc). Japan is so peaceful and everyone is so nice and friendly and polite. If just Dutch people could take Japanese people as an example…

Japanese culture is one of the most difficult cultures there is to understand. In Dutch culture you’re free to say anything you want and act however you want to. It’s like a “I don’t give a shit and do whatever I want to” culture.  But here you have to think about so many things in your actions and speech. For example, Japanese people are very social people. You don’t hurt other’s feelings. And if you have to you will hurt your own feelings in order to please someone else. Japanese people are very humble. When you receive a compliment like “You’re so talented!!” you should say “Not at all!!” instead of “Thanks!”. When you say “Thanks” you actually mean that you accept the compliment and thus agree with the fact that you’re very talented and will look like someone with too much ego. Also I still don’t know when to say thanks or not at all. Like in my culture and opinion you should thank someone for complementing you because it’s very kind of them to say something nice about you. But here it can be a bad thing for your image, and image and reputation is also an important thing in Japanese culture.

Private space is also something you need to be careful of. Japanese people don’t mind other people’s  business and some things I would ask a normal friend back in Holland, would be considered rude here. Even if it’s your friend.

Then of course there is the bowing. You should know the differences between a formal, normal and simple bow. lol, because my school is very strict and stuff, we actually have a class called “Etiquette” in which we had a bowing test last lesson. It’s sooo ridiculous strict, everyone was laughing XD
Like you have to keep your fingers neatly together, and keep your arms on your sides. Straight back, feet together. And when you bow, you have to put your hand on your thighs and the top of your forefinger should reach just above your knee. But seriously, no one at my school or like in the whole country will follow these bowing rules. Only important thing when bowing is how deep you should bow.

Oh I also figured out why Japanese people are short in height and have skinny legs and stuff compared to us Dutch people. First Japanese people always sleep late, even when they were kids. Like normal sleeping hour for children here is about 9 pm to 10 pm, while I as a child, had to sleep after Sesame Street, which was about 7 to 8 pm. And when they get in elementary school and after that junior high school they’re cramming until very late and thus don’t get much sleep.

The fact that Japanese people are slim is because of the difference in food and drinks. But I hope you already knew that. Like Dutch people eat a lot of bread and drink a lot of milk. Here it’s rice instead of bread and tea instead of milk. Also the word “diet” is very common among the women and girls here. Even if they’re already slim, they want to diet more. And it still surprises me that I haven’t heard anything about anorexia cases while it’s almost as if Japanese culture encourages women to diet.  It’s like their lifestyle. If I would be a Japanese girl, I’d be obese XD I just bought this fashion magazine yesterday that had a diet ad in it with the ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos. Before the girl looked good already and weights 47.3 kg. And then after is just so skinny, almost anorexia, and weights 38.7.

And while I’m in this uber-healthy country with low calorie food, only drinking tea and not so much bread, I actually gained weight! =\

When I started writing this post it was yesterday at night. But currently it’s already 12.31 PM and got home more than an hour ago. It’s pouring today and the sky is very gloomy. So I’ll be staying home this afternoon and try to finish this post in one day!

I’ve been practicing for the Yosakoi dance since last week. I have practice every monday, wednesday, friday and sunday from 19.00 to 21.00. And it’s so difficult. Only have one month to remember the whole dance.
Oh right, Yosakoi is the very famous dance from Kochi, held in begin August. It’s famous throughout the whole country and even awards will be awarded. When participating in the Yosakoi dance you join a team. Usually a team belongs to a shop, school, organization or university club. The fact that a team belongs so a shop for example, doesn’t mean that only the shop people can join the team. Everyone can join. So I joined the team called Media Cross (don’t ask about the meaning, because I don’t know too :P). It’s a team that belongs to I think a hair salon. I decided this team because their outfit is cute ^^ (everyone wears the same outfit) Also their song is a very nice arrangement. All teams have their own outfit and song arrangement.

Our dance instructor, and probably team leader, is a hair stylist and when he said he’s 45 I was in shock. With his style and dancing skills he looks like at least 35!

Our performance is on the 10^th and 11^th of August. All Yosakoi performances will be held in the Obiyamachi shopping arcade. It’s a long street with shops on both sides. Every team dances the Yosakoi from the start of Obiyamachi until the end while the song is being played in loop all the time.

Also another typical thing for Yosakoi are the “naruko”. Those are like the Spanish… I forgot the name, those clicky things. Only naruko are more like mini table-tennis rackets (?) with clicking things on it :P

lol sorry for being vague. Not really in the mood to tell everything all perfectly and stuff.

And I think I’m going to eat lunch now since it’s already 13.20.

For now I’ll just post this so you guys can have something to read again :)