I've been in Japan for about a month now. Classes have begun, and I am starting to get settled into everything. I still have not gotten used to the trains in the morning though. Unfortunately I usually go to school during rush hour and it is pretty miserable. Every single part of your body is in contact with someone else, people throw elbows and cram themselves into the smallest nooks on the train, and its HOT in there. It takes all my effort not to get pissed off every morning... other than that Tokyo's great.

After a month of living in Japan, I must admit that I still have no idea what most people are ever saying to me, but I have gotten damn good at acting like I do. I have all the sounds and expressions down, I just don't really know what they mean... In all honesty though I definetly have seen an improvement in my Japanese, and I am beginning to be able to converse with my host mother fairly well, which is exciting.

Classes are good but they are pretty easy, they kind of remind me of high school lecture classes, and although my department is an English speaking department. Its hard to call what some of the professors and students speak as English. I am actually taking a Japanese History class, in English, and taught by a German professor, who spent most of his time studying in Russia... ya I know.

I have been playing lacrosse with the Sophia University lax team for the past couple weeks and its been really fun to play again. I am the only "gaijin" white person on the team, and only a couple of the guys speak English so its definitely different but its been fun. I am also really big here which is awesome, I mean really big. Im only a little taller than average, but all the Japanese guys are skinny, and they ask me for training tips, and all that sort of questions its really funny. I was actually working out at a public gym near my house about a week ago. After I got done lifting these two about 16 year old girls and their MOMs came up and I asked for my autograph, I obliged... I cant dissapoint my fans... remind me why I am going back to America?

I actually do miss the US, I had my first McDonalds today, I was craving a burger, and I miss you all and hope you're all doing great. Cant wait to see you again.


Kyle

School doesn't start for another week now, so I've been spending the last week or so getting settled into my host family's home, enjoying the Tokyo nightlife, and doing some sight seeing around the area. I took a little day trip to Kawasaki Temple which is a Buddhist temple in Kawasaki. I went by myself and its in a little old city where absolutely noone spoke English.

I ended up getting completely lost, and the only person I could find was this old man on a bicycle. I asked him for directions and of course he responded in Japanese so I had no idea what he said. He realized I had no clue what he saying so he ended up having me stand on the back of his bike and he biked me there for about a mile, dropped me off, and then went on his way without the slightest air of inconvenience. It was pretty cool.

We also took a group trip to Kamakura which is an ancient city that was the center of politics in Japan in the 12th-13th century when the country was ruled by the Samurai. We went to both a Shinto shrine and Buddhist temple and then made a stop at Daibutsu, which is "Big Buddha." The name should describe the picture.

One of the most infamous and celebrated Japanese traditions is the Spring Hanami (はなみ). When the Sakura

(cherry blossom) trees bloom in late March early April, the Japanese love to have picnics under the Sakura trees and spend time with their friends and family. They eat food, sing songs, play games, and get absolutely blasted. Its a damn good time. About seven of us from my school went out and partook in this Japanese tradition. One of the greatest things I have ever witnessed and participated in. We got there in the morning and set up our little spot and started eating and drinking lightly. At first at the Japanese would walk by and secretly snap pictures of us, because for some reason a group of seven white people is really interesting.

About midday is where things started to get interesting and as the sake started flowing the true meaning of the Hanami started to come out.

We had native Japanese people stopping by our picnics, taking shots with us, singing American songs, Japanese songs, and playing drinking games. I still do not know the rules of any of the games we played and had no idea what I was doing, but language doesn't matter when you've got beer and laughter. We met some real characters. This little old lady was at least 80 years old. She could barley walk and had only two teeth left, but she was pounding the plum wine and singing old Japanese drinking songs all morning. We also met this group of four Japanese women, who at first were sitting next to us, but were soon dragging their tarps over to ours, pouring drinks into our cups, and sitting in our laps (the looove the American boys). I have never seen a group of women drink like that, ever. They averaged 5'3" 110lbs, and drank everyone else under the table. They were definitely the most fun there.

By the end of the night everyone's feeling good and all the Japanese faces are bright red. The songs become less coherent, but also louder and more frequent; for some reason we sang We Are the Champions, in both English and Japanese multiple times. It was one of the coolest things I've ever done, and one of the most fun. To be in a culture so different with people who are so different, but by the end of the day these people who don't even speak your language are just like your college drinking buddies. If you ever in Japan and have the chance to participate in the spring Hanami, don't even hesitate about it, and call me up... I'll meet you there.

Until next time,

じゃあ、また