Again, sorry family for not blogging. I'm having so much fun that it's hard to find the time to sit down and write. So a quick summary of everything y'all missed...
I went to Ebisu to check out the Christmas lights.
Sumireko got her butt stuck in the back of the chair.
The waitresses and chefs at The Smile now laugh every time I come to their restaurant...once it was twice in one day (lunch and dinner). I'm a very loyal customer.
Art class turned into playing at a playground.
I ate at the scariest restaurant ever. It is a jail themed restaurant called "Lock Up" in Shibuya. Lights went out during our meal and people popped out and scared us. All of us ended up hiding under the table and one girl was crying.
Went to my first Kpop concert ever. Can't wait to see Big Bang again with Allison!
Got my New Years fortune at a nearby temple...apparently it wasn't very good.
Helped make Japanese mochi, a rice cake often made at the beginning of the New Year.
Went to a sumo match.
Ate at the restaurant Kill Bill was filmed at (my friend Martha works there as a host).
I guided my friend from Korea around Shibuya and had fun at all-nighter karaoke.
On Sunday I went to one of Japan's most popular rugby games in the National Olympic Stadium (国立競技場). This was also the last game in the Olympic stadium before they shut it down for renovations for the upcoming Olympics. I couldn't believe it reached max capacity (57,363) for a college game (Waseda University vs. Meiji University). However, I have to admit that this wasn't the best experience I've had in Japan so far...it was really hot with the sun shining in our face, it was so crowded that people were sitting in the aisles and stairs of the stadium, and I had no idea the rules of the game and couldn't follow what was going on. It was also strangely quiet...Japanese people only cheered when they scored but didn't chant during the Japan or even chat with the people next to them. It was so silent you could hear the players on the field shouting to each other. But Waseda won!!
Regardless, what was really cool is that my friends and I were personally invited by three of the Waseda rugby players. They were sitting next to us at a restaurant one night in Takadanobaba and we started chatting. They reserved us special VIP tickets that allowed us to cut the line to get into the stadium. As one of the only western looking people at the match, I'm sure people were very confused as to how I got the special tickets :)
I went with Dahee, Allison, and Katy - and we also got free towels and face stickers with our tickets.
Sorry for not posting in a while...I've been busy studying for midterms!
This was the first year that I wasn't home for Thanksgiving. Although I missed my family, our ranch, and my mom's marshmallow-covered sweet potatoes, I had a great time with one of my Japanese-American friends, Martha. After getting our nails done the Japanese way (gel nails with crazy and fun designs), we went for shopping and dinner in the fashion forward Harajuku district. Unfortunately, turkey and dressing isn't on restaurant menus during the fall season, or any season, so we opted for the famous American restaurant, McDonalds.
I have to say I was impressed with the chic and clean atmosphere that the Harajuku McDonalds boasted. The interior was of modern design with mood lighting and it was nice to see all the super skinny Japanese people sitting in the appropriate sized booths, tables, and high-tops. The McDonald's employees were well-dressed and used formal Japanese language with their customers, which is a definite change compared to the American stores.
I ate a non-greasy fried chicken burger with fries and a medium Sprite (the medium is the same size as the small in America). The food was great! Also, when we were done with our food, a waitress came up and threw our food away for us.
Great service, food, and atmosphere, I didn't even feel like I was sitting in McDonalds! I would happily go back to try a real burger and see how that compares.
*From what I understand not all McDonalds' are as nice as the one in Harajuku.
Every year, Waseda hosts the largest sports festival in Japan. It is such a big deal, that classes are cancelled on the three days prior to give students time to prepare. The campus was filled with student-run food vendors such as bubble tea, yakitori, waffles, soba noodles, meat buns, chocolate coated bananas, and much much more. It was so crowded, you had to link arms with your friend, jump into the flow of traffic, and hope your wouldn't be pushed apart.
Yakitori booth
The classrooms were filled with different activities hosted by different clubs. I went to the manga (Japanese comic) club and had a caricature drawn of me and I went to the lolita club (fashion) and watched girls getting dressed up in lolita fashion and makeup.
Girl who drew my caricature. They all dressed as their favorite manga (comic) character.
Cosplay club (they dress as anime characters). They dressed as the most popular anime right now called Attack on Titan. It's actually a really well done anime and I watched it in 3 days!
Which they did a pretty good job!
There were also five different stages (at least) set around campus were clubs such as the ballet club, hip hop club, musical club, cheerleading club, juggling club, and other dance and performance based clubs could perform for the crowds.
Check out my video below for short clips of a few of the performances I saw!
The weekend of the sports festival was also when Waseda played its biggest rival in baseball, Keio University. A couple of days before the game, there was an hour long pep rally/cheer off were the Waseda and Keio cheerleaders alternated cheering for their own team and talking badly about the other. It was very different from a pep rally in America. Check out my video below to see what it was like.
Finally, the Waseda University vs. Keio University baseball game. This is where you can clearly see Japan's militaristic qualities. Although there was no sense of nationalism at the stadium (no national anthem sung or ceremony of raising the Japanese flag), pride for ones school and respect for the other's was evident. During the opening ceremony which lasted about 20 mins, fans were not allowed to use the restroom, eat, or drink anything. They were to remain quiet and cheer when it was appropriate. For the Waseda song, during the whole 3 minutes you have to raise your fist in the air in a similar fashion to the nazi's and bring it down to your chest repeatedly. It becomes very tiring and my friend Martha, a Japanese-American who goes to Cornell University, refused to participate because it seemed too militaristic and she found it to be frightening.
Cheerleaders held up lyrics for all the different cheers and chants.
The game was also very respectful between opposing teams and between players and fans. The teams would always be dead silent when the other team would sing their school's anthem. Also, at the end of the game, the baseball players all took off their hats and bowed to the fans, thanking them for coming and supporting. In return the Japanese were screaming "thank you" to the team and individual players for doing their best.
In the end, Waseda beat Keio 9-2! This put Waseda University as 3rd in their league.
Check out my video! It is a compilation of the pep rally, sports festival, and baseball game! Watch it on youtube for the best quality!
Last weekend, I participated in my first hula performance at a local Japanese festival. Remember that my host mom is a hula instructor and she has insisted that I attend all hula practices and perform with her students. I'm sure I looked a little strange standing among all 9 year and 11 year old Japanese girls... It was fun to see the shock on peoples face's when they caught a glimpse of me backstage though.
I borrowed the white hula dress from my host mom but the second outfit my host mom made for me!
During the performance, one of the hula dancer's younger brothers, a five year old who has a crush on me, kept shouting がんばってローレン (Good Luck/You can do it, Lauren)!
I am really enjoying hula dancing and although I wouldn't qualify it as exercise, it is very relaxing and stress relieving!
This has been my favorite meal in Japan thus far--maybe because it brought a sense of nostalgia and offered flavors similar to my Italian roots. Called Tomato Ramen, it is a twist on the Japanese traditional bowl of noodles and soup.
The Menu:
The Meal:
Before stirred.
After stirred.
Just like a big bowl of spaghetti! I actually finished the whole bowl. Next I need to satisfy my hamburger craving!
