So here is a quick update on what has happend in my life here in japan.

1. Summer is over, at this point you might think i would be happy since the heat was killing me…NO it snapped from 35+ to 5+ degrees in one week and now since i have a lack of winter clothing im freezing my cute non-asian butt off.

2. Passed the major japanese grammar test with no too shabby grades to my great joy.

3. Decided to keep studying japanese after christmas for 9 more months wich mean ill start the intensive course and kanji class.

4. changed hostfamily

Soo thats about it whats happend theese last months since my last update. but since i know for a fact my grandmother and mother and sisters and whole family will be reading this ill add some more  stuff just for the heck of it.

Ok, so summer was a pain in the ass with extremly hot weather, so thats a warning for you people who decides to go to japan during summer, july-september is extremly hot. Time has flown by very quickly with 3 hours of new japanese everyday i feel i can handle simpler conversation pretty darn well, i still have some trouble remembering words from time to time and the person i talk to might have to repeat what he says one or two times but gosh darnit i think im handling pretty well, and i dont like to honk my own horn but….oh who am i kidding: HONK MOTHERFUCKERS HONK HONK….sorry about that…

Anyways since i changed hostfamily i got new friends,  and they recomended, since im going to keep studying that i moved in to a guesthouse called DK HOUSE in shinkoiwa, ( even though the hostfamily is nice they are getting on my nervs) and thus i decided to move out. so by the next year 1/1 untill 9/9  i will keep studying japanese and live in DK HOUSE.  so whats new otherwise, well since i started hanging with new people i tagged along on clubs, something ive never done before and still find more of a challenge then learning japanese. But its fun anyhow and i cant say i havent been enjoying myself more lately.

Just a quick shoutout to my family who sent me packages of things i needed and candy, it was more appretiated then you can imagine.

so now i have been here for my 5 months, and what can i say, i guess this would be the best time to sum this time up for others to know, so here goes.

Japan is without doubt a great country and as all other countries, it has its backsides,but i find it to be one of the most wonderfull places ive ever been to, and everyone i have spoken to on this subject has agreed with me. The girls are nice, the prices are fare and the trains are on time, i dont ask for much more then that and japan delivers that and more.

Places i think a normal person such as you should visit while there:

Akihabara, electronics and anime and girls dressed out as maids..you got to love it.

Yoyogi park: the biggest park in tokyo with meji jingu shrine as a bonus.

Shinjuku: a great place to party and have fun

Shibuya: nice shopping and the famous crossing

Kamakura: bigass buddah statue and a beautiful shrine

And if you ever go to Tokyo, dont just follow guides and such, go explore and find your own place, many of the greatest places are the ones you stumble in to while you and your drunkass friend wobbles around looking for a date for the evning and a beer.

And for you who wants to study in japan, Kudan institute of japanese language and culture is a great school with friendly and fun teachers that makes it easy and fun to learn japanese every day. and for me i had the following options to choose from when it came to how to live in japan

Dormitory, homestay, apartment.

now i reviewed theese options with friends and came up with as follow:

Dormitory, a great way of living as a student in tokyo, most of the dormitories has commonrooms and such so you can always find someone to talk to, the rooms are small but its no concern since most people who come here just uses the rooms for sleeping and doing homework in.

Homestay: ok so this is what i had and i came down to this, Homestay is awesome…but not for a longer period of time,  the family will problably after some time start getting on your nervs and vice cersa, so the best thing is to mabye live half your stay in hostfamily and then go on to one of the other options.Now dont get me wrong, this is a great way to fast improve your japanese and learn the culture and the family may well be incredebly nice and sweet, but from time to time it happens that students get the kind of family that only has students because of the monney and nothing else. mabye as my friend experienced, you get a family with some wierd and funny rules like: shower only in the evning, be back before 18.00 every day and so on, but its a big chance and most families are great so its a good option.

Apartment: now this is the choice i know least abput since not many choose this, but i heard its a nice option and if you can find someone to share with it can be great, but with that also comes a lot of responsibility and self dicipline.

So Next Subject

Shopping in Tokyo

Yes its great and yes its cheap, but only if you know were to go and how to do it, first of all you might not be able to find a full brand apple ipod thingy that much cheaper then in the rest of the world, BUT if you look around in smaller shops you can find some copies of it much  cheaper and with just as high quality.

Clothes is always a bundle and if you like clothesshopping you will be able to fill wardrobes for ages to come.

Anime/Game/Manga/Everything in between

yes….dear god yes there is so much here i want to take it all with me….

Porn

Yes there is a lot..didnt do any shopping myself so you can rest easy on that subject mydear grandmother.

Next Subject Is

The japanese political opinion on imigrat…ppfffff..yeah like i cared about that..no, the next subject will be: What do i think?

YES

What do i think… im a pretty pessemistic person so be prepared to be drawn down the black hole that is my train of thought:

The flight here and there and everywere was a pain in the ass..get a student visa to save up on money and the pain that is :tourist visa renewal. The girls in japan is cute as hell but i didnt have to much experience of that since i nether put too much effort in it..next year i will be more…on..that subject xD. hostfamily nr1 was cool but didnt talk that much, hostfamily nr2 talked more but are in their own mindgrinding way driving me a bit nuts, but anyhow they are family to me and although they might be crazy i grew kinda found of them. Clubs in japan are always fun and the biggest one is called AGEHA remember that name and go there during a major event..i went during halloween…short skirted nurses…enough said…. prices in japan is fair although once you get low on cash in the end of the month like i did you will start whining about how the 250 yen bentobox is waaay overpriced. travelling in japan is fun and easy, but too often you will have to stand and that will be a pain the first days, then your legs kinda start to lock, like a sleeping horse, preventing you from falling and they go numb so its no worries about that in the morning the train is so insanly crowded i cant help but start laughing hystericaly because i find it so amusing( people tend to back off while staring at me at thoose times) and a tip for the ones who are new in travelling in tokyo: MEN, hold youre hands high when its crowded, once its packed you cant move your hands for 5 cent and if you do and accidentally touch a ladies bum, they will think you are a grooper.Women: dont have to do anything special when its crowded, if someone touches you make sure you loudly state that he is a pervert and you for one will not stand for it, japanese people hate to make a scene and just by causing one you can make him back off and other people to take actions against him and back you up.

 The people in tokyo are friendly and although a bit shy, once you get them talking they will have so much fun talking to you and vice versa you cant help but making new friends.  Cafes and resturants might not always be clean but the food always has a healthstandard and is always good. The japanese people take pride in their food and will not make it to anything else then pure joy to eat it. The school i has gone to has been nothing but fun, they always arrange hiking, sushicooking classes and whatnot, always fun and to a fair price. The teachers are fun and although sometimes wierd they start to feel like a second family.

Quick shoutout to my favourite senseis:

Kishimura sensei: fun and good at english, makes good combinations of stories and teaching grammar

Arai sensei: one of my favourite with a creative sue of the whiteboard and jokes that make the hours fly away

Nagai sensei: dont know to much about him, but hes always happy and happy to help no matter what the problem might be

Nishimura sensei: hes the one who handles the hostfamilies and keeps connection between students and teachers and their homestay.

OK SO THIS IS HOW I SUM THIS: GOING-TO-JAPAN-SHIT, UP

1 YES I HIGHLY RECOMEND IT

2 NO YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT

3 IT WILL BE HARD AT FIRST AND YOU WILL HATE IT AT FIRST BUT TRUST ME, IT WILL GET BETTER

4 YES JAPAN IS A GREAT COUNTRY WICH EVERYONE IF THE CHANCE IS GIVEN SHOULD VISIT

5 YES IM HAPPY I WENT HERE, YES  YOU SHOULD GO THERE AND AND YES IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AT ALL FEEL FREE TO MAIL ME.

The blog will stay up but this is the last entry. i leave this entry unedited and naked in all its ingrammaticly incorrect nakedness

This is Swedish citizen Björn /thetokyoviking/tokyoviking/熊/ビャン

signing off

Take care everyone, and to my family, thank you for the support and thank you for reading

And to you who dont know me but found this blog at random or such: think about what i have written in here and have fun, life is short and one should enjoy it to full. i hope whats in here will be at some help and guidance for you.

Take care.

So… I have now been in japan for 2 and a half week. Those on YouTube who frequently post videos about life here  says the tourist feeling you have, where everything is new and exciting last for about 6 months, then you get a routine on things and things start to get boring so i will not be able to get into routine before I leave… I think I have a pretty good routine as it is now…but anyway, people telling me what to think and feel really bothers me, so I have decided not to give a crap about that and just go on with my life here in japan. So…Japan, The capital of chopsticks and rice, ninjas and ramen. what is there to say…

Lets start with the japanese people.

The japanese people or the latin name: livingus in tokyocus by the millionicus.

from here on out i use the word: Gaijin, instead of foreigner. so: Gaijin=foreigner.

the japanese people are first of all shy, or as they say themselves: carefull.  I think the reason they are so “carefull” around a Gaijin is because they are afraid that they wont be able to understand if you come up and start speaking english with them, and maybe it’s also because they can’t “read” a Gaijin as easily as a japanese person, the social codes are many and difficult for a Gaijin to understand, but after some time here in japan i hope to be able to understand them more.  now don’t think that every japanese you meet will be shy, as everywhere else people are different, and I have met many nice and unbelievably friendly persons here.

Anyways. i have done a little social experiment, just to test how long it would take to break through that “carefulness” of theirs. (and again people are different so it’s just for fun) about five minutes from my home there is a construction site, and in the morning the workers direct the traffic to make it easier for everyone to get by, so anyhow i have to pass that construction site when i go to the train station. I noticed a friendly looking man the first day i walked there and i bowed my head and said: ohayou Gozaimasu. (meaning: good morning)  the first time he just nodded with a serious face and that was about it. But gradually he started to recognise me and started smiling and today he actually started a conversation with me. EUREKA! so it takes about 4-5 ohayo gozaimasu/ konichiwa to start a small friendship with an unknown man. And that was a very stretched out period of time, so I don’t make to much of it.

So.. when i was on the train on my way home this day i was thinking how i could get in to this wonderful society that is japan and the answer was pretty obvious: Learn the language. the language is a huge key wich you will not last long without here in japan, english is not by far enough to live here. Only a small part of japanese speak  english enough to conversate with you and don’t expect to understand : Excuse me, where is the train station? That will be a lost battle.

I plan to be able to speak japanese well enough to have a small conversation fluently in about 2 months time, I mean, this past 3 weeks i learned more than I ever though would be possible, so at this rate i will be able to speak pretty fluently when i go home.

(Just for the record, the teachers at the school:Geos kudan Institute of japanese culture and language, is awesome, masters of teaching)

So lets say i can somewhat speak japanese in months time, what do i have to do to get more friends, Then it just popped into my head, a catchphrase or a saying from an anime series ive been watching: EUREKA 7 : Dont beg for it, earn it, then it will be granted to you. now im  not saying you should take youre daily advice from anime series, because if you watch Naruto or Bleach for example, a lot of people will end up dead…. But anyhow it seemed so good at this exact moment, it just all fell to place, i can not expect people to be social against me here, i have to be the one to start it all, take the first step, in every conversations beginning the ball lies in my court, i just have to give it a slight nudge and things will get rolling. so from here on out i have decided to become more social, and maybe even do something i have never done by myself before, go to a club/ bar. it will be hard, it will require a lot of courage from my behalf but im sure it will all be far worth it.

So as i sit here, desperately trying to keep my cools in the japanese summer heat, i give you this advice, if you’re shy, suck it up, go and start talking to someone who looks like the kind of person you want to be friend with.

Ok so next on schedule is…Trains

The trains in japan are awesome, you can actually set your watch by them, They always arrive on time with just a couple of seconds differential. and if they by any chance should be late, you can get a little ticket that explains why you are late, to show the boss or teacher . The personal is good, the guys in blue shirt,black pants, white gloves and hat can always help you get back on track if you’re lost.they also act as push-people-into-the-train-cart-people. and yes that is no urban legend, sometimes the trains are so full they have to push people in. First time i thought it was kinda fun but it gets boring. Every train station has a little map showing what lines there are on that exact station, were they are going and were to go to find them. it’s all in japanese kanji/ hiragana/katakana/ english, so no need to fear, the trains themselves have small electronic signs and voices that call out what station comes next, they may not call it out in english on all trains but here is the phrase to be listening for: Tsu gi wah “station name” Desu ( meaning: next station is”station name”) and they often repeat the station’s name twice so its hard to miss it.

ok next…Japanese food… or Nihon no tabemono, as we say in japan-class

The food is often very good, and the reason i say often is because im very picky when it comes to food, but Most of my food experiences has been good, and i can strongly recommend trying the squid or japanese curry, But i also recommend you to be open-minded when it comes to food here, most things that do not look good often are so good you wont be able to help but burst out in a loud: OISHIIII!! (meaning: delicious)

next….The different parts of Tokyo..

lets start with my favourite place: Meji jingu mae (Harajuku)

harajuku is the place for you who like cosplay/ goth / Lolita clothes and accessories. here is everything from dark leather jackets to pink bunny ears. on Sundays the cosplayers line up for everyone to see and photographing. they all stand on harajuku bridge, just a couple of metres away from the station.  if you go across the bridge you can also find yoyogi koen, or yoyogi park. with the meji jingu shrine. its a beautiful temple with big wooden structures and open nature spaces. if you’re lucky and go there on weekends you can perhaps see a wedding in true japanese spirit.

Akihabara

Akihabara is one of my favourite places when i go shopping, or just feel like spending some money on random things. This is the place for you who like manga/anime/electronics/games. or perhaps you need a copper wire from 1943 for your great grandfathers radio, you can probably find it here. This is the place were you will find everything in electronics for a reasonable price. if that’s not you cup of tea, then move on to the manga store or perhaps the gaming hall and win yourself a manga pillow in one of the many clawmachines.

Shibuya

This is the place for you who like shopping, Clothes and accessories that look good on the body but is a bit heavy on the wallet, if money is no issue there is only one phrase: go nuts. this is also the place with the famous crossing you see in many associations with Tokyo, a huge crossing that in seconds turn into a sea of people, but just as quickly turns back in to a highway. a powerful sight that makes you realise just about how many people there are in Tokyo.

Roppongi

Roppongi contains mostly apartment buildings for those who are lucky or hard-working enough to being extremely wealthy. Here you can also find Tokyo Tower, a 15 metres higher copy of the Eifeltower it costs about 840 Yen to go up in the normal observatory for 20 minutes, and about 1040 Yen ( if I remember correctly) to go to the special observatory. the view is amazing and it is a highly recommended stop if you go to Tokyo.

These are my personal favourite places in Tokyo and i strongly recommend you give it a go if you go to Tokyo.

That is all there is for now, hope to make another entry soon enough.

This blog is a bit random, i know, and I wrote it while listening to dramatic music so it is a bit….on the odd side…. It’s all my personal opinion, and yes I also know that by saying that I put up a little protective bubble against critique, but seriously if you take this blog seriously don’t read it, it’s just my blog and my way of thinking.

take care, go to japan if you ever get the chance and have fun, love life, and don’t forget: Dont beg for it, earn it, then it will be granted to you. ( give it some time and think about it)

So, after flying from Stockholm to Moscow and being roughly treated by some russians i finally made it, Japan, home of the nice and land of those who are not too good in english.

Ok so ive settled in, i went to the school by myself by the subways of Tokyo, the system is a bit tricky, especially if you like me never have travelled by subway before, but if you plan to go to Tokyo and travel by subway, DO NOT FEAR, do like me, ask one of those friendly guys in a blue shirt and a big black hat, they are totally awesome at giving direction and showing the way, even if you don’t know english. the point and talk really slow to make sure the message gets though, so even if you’re a bit slow like me you will make it surprisingly well, and if you by any chance do not find one of those guys, just ask someone on the station, they are very helpful and try to help.

So the school im going to is fine, a lot of russians and italian and france and spanish, not sure how big my class will be but im sure it’s going to be fun, most of them are only there during the summer holiday, so ill be one of the last one standing. it’s very humid,  it often rain during nighttime, but so far nothing during the day.  the family is friendly, but not too social, they pretty much just talk to me to help me or when its time to eat, but i suppose as my japanese get better i can be the one to start our conversations.

that’s it for now, thanks for reading.

At long last its all done.

Tickets are ordered, from Sweden to Russia to Tokyo, around 20 hours in the air.

 

 

 

 

Travel Schedule

Friday

get to the airport and fly from Sweden to russia to japan.

Saturday

arrive at Narita airport at 08.00. Meet up with the school and get to the host family.

Get settled in and have a look around the house and surroundings.

Sunday

Someone from the family will show me how to get to the school from there so i will be able to get there by myself on monday morning.

Monday

get to the school and start the studies

The rest from here on is unplanned and unscheduled, but it sure as hell is going to be fun

This last few weeks has been filled with paperwork and phone calls to the company that arranges my trip to japan. 

I filled out all the forms and paper they sent me and triple checked for any errors, and yet a small glitch occurred.  I though I applied for a student visa that would allow me to stay in japan for 5 months, but somehow it did not get thru.

 And if I would not have called and checked if all my papers were in order I would not have noticed that the application did not go thru  and I would have to go to japan with a tourist visa.

(the different between a student visa and a tourist visa is that with the tourist visa you can only stay for 90 days in japan, then you have to leave japan and return for another 90 days. But with the student visa you can stay for 6 months without any interruptions.) But thanks to the helpful personal at Blueberry Education Abroad I managed to get everything right in the end.

 So now they sent me the Pre-college visa student application form, and the personal records form.

I find it very interesting and fascinating to fill out these forms, sign name here, a picture there, social status, have ive been to japan before? family member and their addresses. All this and more has to be filled out and more. First the question is written in japanese kanji and hiragana and then in romaji. And I guess that is one of the reasons to why I like japan, everything is exact and nothing can be left out.

If you are planning to study or move to japan or be there for a longer period of time, be prepared to fill out many forms and answer many questions that you might not think has anything to do with you going to japan.

But yeah, im glad I got everything straightened out and corrected. Fingers crossed and knock on wood for nothing else to go wrong.

でわまた

So, this is my first blog…ever.. And this is the start of a long journey..

But in this blog i hope to share some of my experiences in the country to the far east, Japan. Since i graduated i was not shure on what to do with my life, i did not want to start work yet but school was not an option either.

And after some time an answer came to me, i had for some time been chatting with a couple of friends from australia, and one of them suggested that since I like japan and japanese culture i should try to find some study involving these, so after some searching i found a school in Sweden with the possibility to study japanese and japanese culture, I was thrilled and excited to start study something that really fascinated me. After some calls and some chats with teachers and counselors it came clear that i could not study japanese in a professional way here without having to study for engineer and so on, and to be honest i don’t have the head for that, nor would a evening class be enough to me, No i had to look for other options..

And so after some searching my dear mother came with the brilliant idea: study japanese, IN JAPAN, The idea is simply brilliant, it doesnt get better than that. I started to do some research on how to get there, and to my surprise there where a lot of companies, more than willing to help me get where I wanted, so after some checking on different companies and their prices, i decided that a company called Blueberry language agency was the right company for me, so off to Stockholm to arrange my trip.

And so it was decided, i was going to japan. The trip will be payed by a loan from CSN and i will be going on the 2nd July 2010, My first class would be on the 5th July. but untill then there were a few things to arrange, were would i stay and for how long, getting visa and the CSN loan.

And after browsing my different options i decided that to live with a family would be the best, that way i could get a good inside look on the culture and everyday life of the japanese people. The company sent me some forms to fill with all kind of questions to give me the best possible match with family and class. Pass had to be renewed, nothing to expensive , 400 swedish kronor (about 37 usd).

It is actually a funny thing, ME, going world-wide, ME who havent been outside the borders of Sweden without my parents, ME who doesnt take any chances and make sure everything is clear and waterproof before doing something new and unexplored, will go abroad and live in a new country, in a new city, among people who do not speak english that well.

the though is scary, but i must say that the thrill of it overtakes the fear and i am looking forward to this more than anything now.

So now i am on my way to Tokyo in Japan to study japanese in Geos Kudan Institute Of Japanese Language And Culture.

Dont know when the next entry will be, probably when i have another update about my trip, there will be many things to do before i can go, getting the visa getting the loan and planning for packing and the actual packing, but that will not be untill a couple of months.

so untill then, take care and remember: The nail who sticks out will get the hammer ( old japanese saying)

Youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZxQT3g1XCA

 youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/thetokyoviking

Language agency—>  http://www.blueberrysprak.nu/  

Friends Blog —–> http://stevtomato.wordpress.com/