I'm Back Now

Hello again everyone! So I went to the doc today and was informed that I just need to be careful about the old leg, and that part of my problem is that I have moving, or as I believe she called them, floating something which meant kneecaps. So my kneecaps don't stay where they're supposed to. So that was fun to find out. But, so long as they don't go popping around again, I can't complain. I've managed to more or less get packed. I will be carrying a small dufflebag for carry on, a 25ish in. bag of clothes and a 21ish in. bag for shoes, etc. The only concern is that the bags each have to be under 50 lbs. I haven't weighed them yet, so we'll be holding our breath. On a different front, me and the family finally figured out our banking situation problem. Up until this point, our problem was how to get money from an American account into a Japanese account (which I will set up when I get there). First of all, personal checks are not used in Japan. A Japanese bank can accept them, but it takes a few months, as many of the banks send them back to the US to check them out, before accepting the money. There are also things called INTERNATIONAL POSTAL MONEY ORDERS (not like regular money orders). These cost $3.85 at the US post office and can run any amount up to $700. Then, when you recieve them in the mail in Japan, you simply take it to the Post Office and they cash it out, then I would take the cash and deposit it. The snag here is that they are relatively cheap to send snail mail, but can get stolen, and to ship them securely and quickly, it's $40-50. Before I go on, let me explain why just using my American account is an issue. My bank charges 3% every time I make a debit or a credit purchase, or withdraw money, whereas there is no fee for a Japanese card. Also, not all ATMs in Japan are international (usually the post office adn some 7/11s have international 24 hr ATMs), so that means I'll be limited, and many places do not take credit cards. In Japan, most people pay with cash, so it is not unusual to carry hundreds of dollars (yen) on your person (the low crime rates allow this to be possible). Also, because I got the JASSO scholarship, $800/month are being given to me by the govt. into a Japanese account, so I have to get one. Anyhoo, so here's what we settled on. I am going to go with some yen with me, with a IPMO, and then, I'm going to withdraw money from my American account until I get a Japanese bank account. At that point, my family can then wire money directly into my account. For wiring money, there is no limit to how much you can wire, but there is a $45 fee. Even so, if you do it sparingly, it comes out to be the cheapest way to do things.

I still haven't heard any more about my family, but I'll e-mail the coordinator soon to find out. One should note that Citibank in the US is not connected in accounts to the Citibank in Japan, so having a Citibank account here will still be a problem once you get over there, though I've heard that the Citibank's have international ATMs, for anyone who needs to know. My next project is figuring out the different rail passes, so we'll be checking onto that soon. MY ADVICE: check different banks rates well in advance of your leaving to find which ones charge no fees for overseas spending. I've heard that Commerce and First Bank have no fees, though I'm not positive about that. This will save you some cash if you'll be paying out of that account for any amount of time overseas (this goes for places outside of Japan as well).

Jdramas and Stuff

Hey there everyone! Sorry I've been slacking. So I started a new drama today called "Bara no Nai Hanaya" or "The Flowershop Without Roses." As soon as I watched the first half of the first ep, I knew that I'd stumbled on something great. It's more of a life drama than anything, about a guy who lost his wife in childbirth and is having trouble moving on, though there is, of course, plot twists within. I first heard about it because Matsuda Shota's in it, but the lead actor, a guy from the band SMAP, really steals the show. I also started a drama called "Koishite Akuma" about a teen vamp sent to earth to suck someone's blood, and though he doesn't want to admit it, he's drawn to his high school teacher, who's first love looked identical to him. So basically, the exact opposite of Bara no Nai Hanaya. It's okay, but I'm not expecting greatness from this one...just something to pass the time. I was horrified to find out that the boy in it, who looks well on 18, actually just turned 15 and I got creeped out. I think he's from one of the new boy bands (maybe Hey Say Jump). I also just watched the mv compilation/drama from SS501, and while riveting and successful in making the boys look good, it was, as all mv/mini drama efforts are, impossibly confusing (not helped by the fact that two of the members look exactly alike to me). I had to actually read through 50 posts by equally confused people to figure out the plot line. And there were only like 2 lines. Only the Koreans can make a tragic yet impossibly confusing storyline. Also, I just heard that Jasmine Yuu, the bassist from popular Visual Kei band Versailles, was found dead in his apartment two mornings ago. He'd evidentally taken time off due to illness and then he was found dead, though no one has said the cause yet. That's quite sad; he wasn't very old at all.

On the travel front...

I think it has finally started to REALLY hit me that I'm going to be stranded in a foreign, non-English speaking nation by my self, completely alone, without friend or family, for no less than 11 long months (ALMOST A YEAR!!) and I am, as some may say, completely wigging out. We'll see if I'm not hyperventillating on the plane. I still have concerns over the price of the trains in Tokyo. Though I'll be 5 min. away from one of the major train stations, because Japan has many, many different companies that run the different lines (certain lines go to only certain places), you have to buy one ticket for one, then another to proceed from there, and so on. So, one might see how that can add up. I've also been sort of looking into where I want to adventure to on my first month, when I'll be by myself. So far, I'm thinking Shibuya is the best bet, as it has all sorts of things and is close to the Meiji Shrine, Harajuku and Yoyogi Park. I'll have to be sure to go to Harajuku on Sunday, because that is when (on Jingu Bridge) all the people dressed up in Gothic Lolita, Visual Kei and cosplay come out, and that, for me, is a must see. It was funny too...I was searching today and found this site that was listing what areas of Tokyo are particular to certain things, or rather specialize in them. It said, "Nippori: Textiles, Jinbocho: Books, Kabukicho: Sleaze." It gave me a laugh anyway. Well, I'll catch you cats later!

I'm Still Alive

Heyo! I haven't posted in a while, so I thought I'd do it tonight. I've been cramming in kanji flashcards all weekend and have processed about 100, logging them away in my brain, but I've got about a million left, so we'll see how that goes. The countdown is on. I've got about 3 weeks left and I'm really starting to freak out. The packing is still not going as ideally as one might hope, so we'll see how/if that turns out. The thing I wanted to post before was about takkyubin. These are services similar to FedEx or UPS in that they go all over town and deliver pretty much anything. The great thing is that, not only do they ship small packages, but they can ship bicycles and luggage (even from the airport to your hotel/personal residence and back). I've heard that the prices are relatively reasonable and the time for delivery is usually either same day or next day unless you're shipping it beyond the city you're in. (For instance, if you're in Tokyo and traveling on the bullet to Kyoto, you can ship your stuff a day or two ahead and it will be there waiting, thus ridding you of having to heave around bags on a train). The only snag is that I'm not sure if you have to call ahead and get the arrangements done, or if you can do them when you arrive at the airport, so we'll see. I'm hoping it's the latter so I don't have three bags to haul around on my own in a cramped, rush hour train to the busiest stop in Tokyo. Alright, enough of my whining. Alice Nine's new pv came out, "Sleepwalker." I'd heard great things about it, but I have to admit that I'm not wild about the song, though the video is beyond gorgeous and the guys all look consistently good. And lastly, I will try to upload a pic of a Takuhaibin application form and a typical train ticket to help show anyone who might go to Japan, what they'll need to look at/fill out. I'll try to do that soon. Until then, ttyl and wish much luck with Sensei tomorrow!

Travel Stuff

Hey ho! So I'm guessing that right about now, everyone's getting tired of the Jrock overload, so I'm going to break from that for a little bit and start back in on the travel stuff. So, my first bit of advice for you is about vaccinations. When you first start the entire study abroad experience, you of course have to have a physical exam. For my particular college, they wanted a hearing test and a chest Xray , as well as the regular height/weight stuff, so be sure to give yourself time for any specialist stuff you have to go do. As far as vaccines, Japan does not require any special shots, but you might want to get Hepatitis and the Meninjacocle (spelled wrong) shot just in case. Be warned though, as I'm finding out right now, the Meninjacocle vaccine will make your arm majorly sore and make you feel like you have the flu for a few days. Also, you might note that Vicks vapo-rub and other similar products are illegal in Japan because they can be used to make drugs, so don't bring that with you. Also, Japan, I'm told only has deoderant, not anti-perspirant, so if you're an American, you're used to having both in one stick and might want to pack an ample supply. I'm also told that the toothbrushes and toothpaste are different and so, you might want to keep that in mind when packing.

And we're moving on to the subject of packing. I tried it today, and let me tell you, it isn't easy to pack for a full year with only two suitcases. Bear in mind that I have all my toilettries (more than I need probably) in one bag, with my various shoes too. And that was the easy bag. The other bag does have all my clothes, many pairs of jeans, underwear and shirts. When all was said and done with bag number two, I still didn't have room for my PJs, my socks or my sweaters. You're wondering what I did manage to pack then, but believe me, a years worth of clothes is a lot. So, we're gonna upgrade that bag to a larger model. The bags I'm working with now are carry on size, so one step up shouldn't be a big deal. What makes me wary about it is that everyone I talk to says to pack way light and I know I'm overdoing it, but oh well. I should mention here that if your are flying into Japan from an international area, which you will be probably, then you'll be flying into Narita airport. Unfortunately, Narita is not actually in Tokyo, but is a 40 min. train ride outside from the heart of the Tokyo Metropolitan area, so you'll be lugging all your bags around on a train, and I'm arriving at rush hour, which makes it that much worse. Oh well...can't be helped.

Another piece of info that might be useful for anyone with plans to travel out to Machida (the suburb where my school is): the train fare from Shibuya to Machida is 290 yen, which is about $3 one way. So that means that I'll be spending $6 a day, 5 days a week to get to school. I know there was something else I wanted to post here that might be helpful, but I can't remember it right now, so I'll just post that later. Well everyone, enjoy the rest of your day!

Bought My Ticket!!

Hey there everyone! Just bought my plane ticket, so there's no turning back now. I'll be flying out on Sept. 1, at 9:30ish. The flight was actually quite reasonable. I went through a student discount side called statravel.com, and found a flight for about $580, with only one layover, and with taxes and everything included. It looks like with the layover, the flight is going to be about 17 hours. So now the countdown has really begun! Wish me luck!