Getting lost in Kyoto! (Botanical Garden + Manga Museum) 京都に迷う。。。Pt. 2

Those who know me know that I am pretty much a hermit crab. My shell is my room and I rarely leave it - and usually when I do, it's to go into another room. My favorite form of existence is sitting and the world outside is best seen from inside. Being alone is the best form of entertainment and spending money should be avoided at all costs. Though I am still hard-pressed to find anything wrong with the way I've lived so far, I also acknowledge that now I am in Japan for a once in a lifetime experience and it would be a terrible, horrible waste to just stay inside my dorm. In the one and a half week before school started, I endeavored to see as much of Kyoto as I could on the smallest budget I could manage. Luckily lots of famous shrines and temples are free, and even the places with admission prices aren't too expensive... (or, I just avoid the ones that are)

Spring means many things in Japan and the most important of these things are cherry blossoms! I haven't gone cherry blossom viewing since I started college. It never felt quite like spring without seeing them, so understandably I was Very Excited. So excited that I spent some time color-coordinating my outfit and makeup to match the flowery festive mood...

Look at how cute we are. (Left is me. Right is Emily.)

Getting to the Kyoto Botanical Garden was easy and pretty uneventful. Kyoto Seika has a free shuttle that makes frequent trips from Kokusaikaikan Station every day, so it was just a matter of getting our large group of exchange students through the Japanese transit system - which, once you get used to, is scarily efficient and easy to use. In Kyoto at least, all the signs have English/romaji underneath, so as long as you know where you're going...it's okay even if you get...horribly...horribly...lost....(Fushimi-Inari was quite an adventure. Stay tuned.)

The route goes as follows: Kyoto Seika >>> Kokusaikaikan >>> Kitayama >>> Karasuma-Oike. The garden entrance is almost immediately visible from the exit of Karasuma-Oike Station. In fact, one of the stations' openings was right next to the entrance....but we didn't know about that until getting there. On the short walk to the entrance, I had to shrug off two layers from my outfit already. It was sunny and humid and felt at least to be 75 degrees Fahrenheit or above. The sun was out the whole day, and I even got a mild sunburn on my forearm by the end of the day. It hasn't been that hot or sunny since then. I guess I should be thankful that the one day of good weather was the day I went to see the cherry blossoms. 

No pics of the journey, but plenty of flower pics!

The group decided to split up upon entering the gardens and agreed to meet up by the entrance several hours later to go to the International Manga Museum. Ken (Seika's awesome international advisor to whom we direct all our questions and probably make life difficult for) emailed us about the monthly Cosfest event there in the morning and since it was just another two stops on the subway, we had decided to check it out.

There were so many flowers in the gardens (yes, obvious). Not just cherry blossoms - though, of course, those were the main attraction. Because of the recent rain, the roads off the main paved path were pretty muddy - especially in the popular cherry blossom grove. We managed to avoid most of the puddles and take some pictures with the flowers! Soon everyone wandered off and it was just Emily and I looking for a place to sit down and draw. Right across from the grove was a fenced off hanami space also filled with cherry blossoms with lots of families sitting down and eating delicious food.

Emily and I found a tiny baby cherry blossom tree to sit next to while we took out our sketching supplies. It was hard to concentrate on drawing because of all the cute little children running around. We got several strange looks from parents who noticed we were staring at their children for too long... but seriously, some kids are so well dressed here! It's not strange to see a very young-looking and fashionably dressed mother biking with her equally well dressed toddler. There was also an old man looking grumpy and eating by himself. (That was Emily's favorite)

I'm not going to take pictures of the children. Because that's creepy. And also kind of illegal. 

But Emily gave me permission (that she will soon regret, as I have many many photos of her face).

Elder Japanese ladies agree with me that Emily is めっちゃきれくてすてきです。

We spent a bit longer than intended sketching and sitting and enjoying the sun, so when it was about an hour before we had to meet up again, we got up and hurried to explore more areas of the park. We didn't actually go to find any more flowers. There was a forest-like area nearby and we just dove in. So many trees! So much moss! It was lovely. We saw a heron eating a fish in a pond, found an old bridge, and tried to read the katakana signs.

I'll spare you the animatic, but here is a photo of Emily after a bee flew into her eye.

And here is me being a giant nerd. I don't even watch Power Rangers.
Or Kamen Riders. Or whatever this pose is from.

Tree VS Emily - go!

I think the tree won.

Rock patterns.

After a little while, we decided to get some food before return to the entrance gate. In the early morning, I had bought some onigiri at the local Lawson for lunch because I didn't want to pay for an expensive park meal. (I tend to do this a lot. 50% of my meals here so far have been onigiri...but there are a lot of kinds! And I like all of them! Except for that wasabi one I accidentally got twice.)

There was a little ticket machine at the entrance of the small cafeteria in the park where you could put money in, press the button next to what you wanted, and a small ticket as well as any change would come out. Then there was a line you joined to get the food you paid for! It was all very efficient, which was good because there was still a LONG line. I got some takoyaki and Emily got kitsune udon. Because there were no more seats, we took it outside and sat on the grass while we ate.

The whole time we were there, we had seen these people with super colorful outfits walking around in groups. And in the large grassy area where we sat, there was a crowd gathering before two people saying something into a microphone. We ate for 10 minutes or so but didn't find out what was happening.

After we met up with the other exchange students, they told us there was a sort of dance performance/contest/event that they had seen people rehearsing for. As we sat by the entrance, the number of people in super interesting and colorful outfits increased dramatically and we were so intrigued we decided to go and find where the performance was. At first we thought maybe if we followed a group of them we would find it ....but they ended up splitting apart. Then we heard drums and chanting, so, following it, we wandered back to the grassy field we had sat in before except now there were people in colorful outfits dancing! We immediately got into the sitting area, spread out some plastic to sit on, and gaped.

I would just like to point out this is the same group as the picture right under this.

They had a third outfit I didn't get a picture of. But it was Kind of Intensely Cool.

Look at those hats!!!!

To be honest, I'm still not sure what exactly it was. It seemed like some mixture of modern-traditional-group dance/chant/cheering. Whatever it was, it was super cool and exciting! The outfits were so beautiful (and some of them changed! Three times!!!) and they were all very enthusiastic and happy. There was usually one or two people at the microphone on the side doing extra cheers along with the background music. Sometimes there would be a giant flag waving in the background. All of this on a backdrop of cherry blossoms in the sunshine! (Looking back, I do wish I had an umbrella...or sunscreen)

I don't know if they had the event regularly or if we were just extraordinarily lucky, but either way, I was super happy to have caught it! We watched for a hour or so before tearing ourselves away to get to the manga museum.

A giant sculpture of Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix watching over all of us.

The Manga Museum was pretty much in the heart of downtown Kyoto, which was a part I had never seen before. There was a big cherry blossom tree next to the astro-turf in front of the museum with some cosplayers rolling around on it. Even though we explored the museum a lot,we didn't actually go in to see the cosplay event. A building pretty much covered from floor to ceiling in manga provides for a pretty hefty distraction.

The admission fee was 800 yen, which you paid into a ticket machine before being directed to the reception desk where they check the ticket. This was also the place where I saw the most foreigners since coming to Japan. There was probably a 50/50 mix of Japanese and foreigners in the museum. The Manga Museum is listed as a top attraction in Kyoto, so it was understandable. but it was also pretty apparent that a lot of the foreigners didn't have much actual interest in the manga. While there were a few info-boards and small exhibitions in the museum, most of it is actually more like a manga library/cafe. There wasn't enough time that day to sit down and read, but I want to go back one day and spend some time reading some old/rare manga.

Right after the entrance is a small booth where an artist is drafting a name of a manga. (Name = draft). There was a portfolio lying on the desk that we were allowed to flip through too. It was amazing to see the small perfect delicate linework and well-planned color schemes. All of the art in the portfolio were hand-drawn traditional work with markers and pens, which was doubly amazing. It's always a good reminder in these times that traditional pen work can be just as tight and clean as digital inking - if not better. Next to the booth was a shelf of manga set apart for Kyoto Seika alumni who had gone on to become manga artists.

My school! Yeah!

The manga museum is funded by the city but organized and planned by Kyoto Seika, so there was also a little booth with information and pamphlets about the school. I felt a strange sort of pride that I was technically a Kyoto Seika student for the semester. I'm not studying manga, but it's okay to love something without actually participating in the making of it.

There were signs everywhere banning cameras, probably because of Japan's strict copyright law. However pictures of the building were permitted, so I tried to angle my camera upwards as much as possible.

All the benches were filled with people reading manga. I wanted to join them.

The only place with cameras encouraged! Got to walk in sand with plastic on my shoes.

Poor guy.

In a small hallway Emily and I came upon a small glass-case exhibition of plaster casts of famous manga and comic artists' hands! I really wanted to take a photo, but of course there was a sign banning me from that. There was Keiko Takemiya's plaster cast hand holding a pencil with a drawing by her next to it! (Takemiya-sensei was the Dean of Kyoto Seika's manga department, now the president of the school, and also author of Terra E and other pretty manga) They also had Moebius' hand as well! It was super cool to see the different hands all holding pencils in their own particular ways displayed with their art alongside them. I loved seeing super rugged hands gripping tiny pencils with a super delicate shoujo-style drawing next to them.

You can't see anything! That's compliant with copyright law, right?

So. Much. Manga.

In the final room we came upon, there was a bunch of booths with information about the creation and history of manga and its links with animation and culture. All of it was very interesting and of course, photos were banned. There was a fun character design booth where they had features such as eyse, noses, mouth etc. on transparent paper so you could layer them to make your own character design! I had lot of fun pairing unlikely features together. I was pretty dead by this time though, after a day in the sun lugging around a backpack and not yet fully recovered from my day and half of international boundary crossing.

Emily bein' cute with sakura in her hair as we waited for Rosie (who was waiting for us inside. Woops.)

Photo via Emily.

However tired I was, I didn't want to make the trek back from downtown Kyoto to Iwakura on an empty stomach. (It was already 6:30 and my last meal was 6 hours ago. I definitely need to eat more frequently than that...) Except for Rosie and I, the rest of our group were vegetarians/vegans so we decided to give the Lonely Planet guidebook a try and go and find a close-by vegetarian cafe for dinner. Directions from a book are terrible and what was supposed to be a 10 minute walk turned into 45 minutes of wandering. After walking the wrong direction for 5 minutes, Rosie pointed it out and we turned the opposite direction. When we finally found the right street and kept walking along it, we could not see the sign or the spiral metal staircase the book mentioned.

Finally out of options and with no access to the internet, we stopped two old ladies on the street and pointed to the map/book and asked for directions. They'd never heard of the cafe, so one of them called over a younger store clerk from the store we happened to be standing in front of. This lady knew the cafe and told us we had passed it. It was a little the left of the street we were on, apparently. So after a lot of confusion and bowing, we let them go on their way and reversed our direction again.

We reach the block where we were told to turn and then kept walking...but it got quieter and quieter and by now, I was intimately familiar with the feeling of getting off track. This time I turned around, saw two security guards who were obviously bracing themselves as they suddenly noticed this group of foreigners stopping and staring at them, and approached them with my book in the hand. They pointed right along where we had walked and said the cafe was right there. I thanked them and felt horribly, horribly lost. Because I had definitely not seen anything. (Sometime between these encounters, or perhaps after, we had also consulted a convenience store clerk...just to let you know how horribly lost we actually were).

This time, we walked right back to the corner, looked around in circle and was just about to give up but lo and behold, Biote was right there! Perched on the second floor of the corner building! With a neon sign! (The staircase, however, was tucked inside so I don't blame myself too much). Feeling like the biggest idiot ever, I went in with the rest of the group. The cafe had seating for maybe 10 people so we had to wait outside for 10-15 minutes. (Did I also mention that we were kind of running out of time to catch the return shuttle from Kokusaikaikan to Kyoto Seika? Well. We were. So I was Really Jittery.)

The food was expensive. Not bad though. My order ended being a tiny salad that just made me more hungry. But I figured I would just eat when I got back to the dorm. Whenever that was. I hadn't expected too much from the cafe that I would be willing to pay a hefty price for, so I didn't feel disappointed.

After our quick meal, we set off to the subway to get back to Kokusaikaikan. That part went smoothly (thankfully) because Rosie remembered where the subway station was. I actually do not have the thing that is a sense of direction, so looking back, I really shouldn't have been leading any of our expeditions. But I also love, love planning things. So. I guess as long as we get to our destination and get back to our dorm in one piece, everything is daijyoubu? (Within this month I have biked to Demachiyanagi Station about 7 times and every single time I get lost for a while. I literally do not know how I got there and got back every time. I guess if you bike long enough in one direction, you'll be okay?)

The trouble hit when we got back to Kokusaikaikan Station and ran for the Seika shuttle stop. We had made it just in time for the last bus! .....or not. It was Sunday. Sunday means buses stop a lot earlier. (Or maybe, just that day. Just for us.) So we had...missed...our bus. Other than our ragtag group, there was another guy standing also waiting for the shuttle. Somehow we communicated that the bus wasn't coming anymore, and I guess we looked worried enough that he offered to take us along with him on the normal bus route back to Seika. (This is how we met Gon!....who may or may not be currently reading this blog. Yeah.)

Anyway, it was super nice of him to take us with him on the bus (I still don't remember how that happened) and show us how much to pay and how to pay. You have to pay exact change on buses and subways, so the ticket machine in the front of the vehicle doubles as a change machine. I didn't know that at first and got really confused when my 1000 yen came back as coins. There was another foreign couple on the train talking to a Japanese man. They mentioned manga and Seika, which made me perk up. I mentioned that we were all Seika students, and the man chuckled. He also chuckled at Bethany and Bianca being confused about the ticket machine and asked me if they were exchange students. I nodded and said we all were. I don't think he heard that. Later I realized he probably thought I was a fellow Japanese person. This happens a lot actually. I am on a constant journey of disappointing every stranger I meet.

After we got off the bus, Gon led us to Seika and we said good-bye there. We met him again a couple weeks later at the international student welcome party! It was great to see a familiar face. (He's also actually an international student himself, from Thailand. But like the long-term int'l students at Seika, he took a year off between high school and university to study Japanese so he's much more fluent than any of us.....Makes me wish I had more time/energy to study Japanese as well. Sigh.)

We got back to the dorm, collapsed in the lounge and I will be grateful forever to Emily for letting me mooch off of her dinner because at that time I had no groceries, no cooking supplies, and no utensils. Coming up soon: campus tour+orientation, convenience stores, hard drive failure, and Ginkaku-ji (or, the journey to).

At Ginkaku-ji. Perhaps my greatest photo yet. 

Blog Name/Project Rundown + Getting Lost in Kyoto... 京都に迷う (Pt. 1)

I did not end up sleeping at the airport. I did lay my head down for a thirty minutes but I was plagued with worry the whole time, so I wouldn't call that sleeping. When it hit 6:00AM I gathered up all my things and headed for the Haruka Limited Express in Terminal 2. I had Googled how to buy the ticket already, which was fortunate because it's a little complicated. In addition to the basic fare, I also had to buy a separate ticket for the limited express. I wasted a few hundred yen because I was confused with how to work the ticket machine at first, but I picked up quickly. I must've been a sight with my two suitcases, huge backpack, camera bag, and white shoulder bag. 

Since arriving in Japan I have done many things I previously thought impossible for me. Managing to get anywhere with this much weight is one of them. 

Haruka Ltd. Express! So clean and roomy! Good for my poor sleep deprived soul.

Japan is such a tourist-friendly nation (especially in large cities) that there was no trouble finding the right track and getting into my seat. They even did the train announcements in Japanese and English every time! By the time I heard the Japanese announcement for the 4th or 5th time, I started to understand it better. All the same, I was very thankful for the accompanying English afterwards. I've heard of the cleanliness and smoothness of Japanese trains. I was not disappointed. The Haruka Ltd. Express train was a super spacious, comfortable, and quiet ride! I got a bit flustered when the ticket collector handed me back my ticket with two hands, because I had just used one hand to hand it to him and I instantly felt like a slob. (And over the course of my week, I have broken many more rules in Japanese etiquette. Sigh.)

I wanted that side...oh well.

I was on the train from 6:30 to around 9. It was a beautiful ride. The opposite side of the train got more views of the countryside, but I was satisfied with what I got to see. As previously mentioned, I do love traveling, so I was happy as can be with my camera in my hand and my face pressed up against the glass on the train. Even as businessmen with suits came and filled up the train, the seat next to mine remained empty. I wonder if my purple hair also works as a people-repellent? As my father says, perhaps I look like a punk. I am okay with that. ("Everything is 大丈夫" via Emily) 

These kinds of parking lots are everywhere! Lots of bikes just randomly on the streets too...

Two things I noticed about seeing a bit of Japan from my seat on the train. First, there are bicycles everywhere. For some reason, that wasn't something I expected from this country. Not only were there bicycles parked en masse everywhere - I also saw everyone from every walk of life possibly riding them as if it were perfectly normal. Stilettos and miniskirt? Check. Business suit and briefcase? Check. Old lady with groceries? Check. Not even fancy bikes! Just normal squeaky ones with metal casing and all.

Lots of mini-farms and gardens everywhere!

Funny advertising hehe.

Second, there's such a mixture of landscapes in such a small area! I saw tall buildings, short buildings, large warehouses, groups of traditional architecture, large fields of rice, small greenhouse plots etc. Perhaps it's nothing special to people who have traveled far and wide, but as someone from larger countries like America and China, I guess I'm more used to seeing more compartmentalization in landscape. It was honestly intensely fascinating and I couldn't get enough of it. 

This one was empty though, sorry. Imagine the people, or use google. 

Passing by train stations was also great fun. I saw a lot of people in suits and wearing face masks. I know it is polite to wear face masks when one is sick in Japan - so there must be a lot of sick people around! Or they have allergies. Either way, I'm a little freaked out by them even though I expected them. I shall have to try it out if I ever get a cold. The crowds of people wearing suits was also new for me. Seeing crowds of them out at lunchtime in the city is also slightly intimidating because my brain, due to the influence of Too Much Television, equates groups of suits to mobsters.

It's probably not good to say this - but I found it intriguing that a lot of them dressed in the same suit but also had dyed brown, fashionably coiffed hair. It makes me wonder how they dress when not going to work and pressured to conform to fashion standards. Then I also remember my hair is purple and wonder what others think when they stare. I don't dye my hair in order to stand out and look "artsy". I dye my hair because it makes me feel comfortable. I'm still mulling over why that is. Perhaps a way to "express" myself without going through any social activity other than...being seen? Either way, my hair is purple now and perhaps will be pink soon. Stay tuned.

Going over a bridge~

Unimpressed sun.

cute building...

First of many sakura trees! Spring is a good time.

Ah, I'm definitely in Japan.

I got off at Kyoto Station and was instantly lost. (This happens a lot) I dragged my luggage around and went up (and then back down the elevator) before finding the taxi area. The pre-departure information sheet from Kyoto Seika said the cheapest way to get from Kyoto Station to Kino-ryo (my dorm) was via the Karasuma line and then a taxi. However, after 30+ hrs of travel and no sleep, I was done  and ready to splurge on a taxi ride all the way from Kyoto Station to the dorm. I would just like, skip a few meals to make up for it (this unfortunately did happen - mostly because I was lazy. It also cost about $35. Not too bad actually.).

So after standing around and staring nervously at the line of taxis in front of the station and staring as other people got on (what if there was some secret Japanese etiquette to getting on a taxi that I would fail horribly at? my mind went a bit wild. i was tired. it's okay.) I walked down and got into a taxi. My driver was an older white-haired man. He was a bit flustered at the simplistic map on the back of the pre-dep packet but managed to make it through to the general area. 

Back-of-the-taxi photography.

During the entire ride through Kyoto, I kept trying to work up the courage to ask him if I could open up the windows. They were closed, I had on a thicker jacket, and I wanted fresh air. I had the phrase all prepared, but never found a chance to say it. Ah, shyness, I will slay you one day. 

We got to Iwakura and promptly got lost. I was incredibly embarrassed when he couldn't figure out where we were and his smart phone apparently couldn't either. We stopped by a bike shop (that I now realize is very, very close to the dorm) and asked directions from the shop manager. Again, I tried to listen in and see what I could understand. Not much.

By now, I was wondering when my mind would react that I was in Japan. I felt that I would probably cry when seeing the city and understanding that I was in the place of my childhood. I didn't feel much except the general curiosity one always feels when traveling. It was weird. I felt weird - because I didn't feel weird. But then we rounded a bend in the road and one side opened up to a huge open lake filled with fluffy foxtails surrounded by sakura trees on the bank. The sun was shining brightly and the wind scattered petals down on the car as we drove through it. And then I burst into tears in the backseat of a taxi.

- -

A photo from my 2012 trip to China. This will make sense in a bit.

I guess this is where I try to explain why I am in Japan, and why specifically Kyoto. I know it might seem like making a big deal out of nothing to many people, but the 2.5 years I spent in Japan as a child are very, very precious to me. Because I moved around so much as a child, I've always had very splintered childhood memories in different places. Growing up, I always found it frustratingly awkward to answer where my "home" is. I was born in China, but only remember my last four months there. I wasn't born in Japan nor am I Japanese, but I remember a lot more from that country. I've lived in America since I was five, but it never feels right to claim it as a home because isn't home an origin point, a starting point, a place to stake your identity in? I wasn't hoping for a single town or a house to call my home. I would settle for a country - but even that was unclear to me. 

I remember the first time I set foot in China after I had grown up. I was in seventh grade, and those two weeks I spent in China during were some of the best of my life. I felt like I had come home. I didn't know the place, but it felt instantly familiar to me. I could speak the language, my family's roots were there, and I felt like I could blend into the crowd without being the "other". Since then I've gone back a couple more times, and I can confidently say the same every time. I am not saying that I know Chinese society, that I know how to live and survive there, that I even want to live there - I am saying that, as soon as a stepped off the plane, I felt so this is where I'm from. 

The big problem with China, however, is the lack of it in my memories. Try as I might I could not remember much from my time in China. A one year old baby is too young to make memories, and four months at four years of age does not many memories make. When I looked into my past, I remembered another place far more - Japan. I could remember the park I used to play in, the large stone slide my dad forced me to go up on as I cried, the stairs I fell down in the winter, the crane standing in the river, the steaming bowls of noodles side by side on a low table etc. I had found my home, my origin point in China, but my childhood was in Japan. And isn't childhood an important part of identity? What is a home without memories? 

So I came to find my childhood. I came to see how many of my memories were lies, and how many were true. I had mulled over my memories so many times that I was afraid I had faked them, that I had not really been in Japan at all, that I had constructed a beautiful childhood for myself because I couldn't bear to be without one. Yes, it does all sound very melodramatic, and I would probably poke fun at myself if I weren't me. I do not expect anyone else to take this seriously nor find it interesting, but it's why I am here and why I have to be in Kyoto. 

This blog is called 加思, which is pretty much a shameless pun on many levels. First, it is on my name (唐思潇) as well as 四 (same pronunciation as 思) for the four months I will spend here. In addition, the 思 in my name stands for 思想 (thoughts; to ponder) and 思故 (homesick, roughly translated). 加 and 家 (home) rounds out this monster of a pun I've concocted. So to summarize, there are theses variations of this blog name (roughly translated): 

加思  more thoughts, to miss more; plus "Si" 

加四  add four (months)

家思  missing/thinking of home

Not every elegant, but it embodies all the meanings this trip has for me. I've made a sketchbook and drawn in it my memories of Japan as I remember them. I'm going to find the ones I can and redraw them from life. (I've already found one! It was exciting. I almost cried in a conbini. Do not do this. Purple haired foreign punk being super excited over orange sausages? No.) I'm not looking for truth, I think. I am looking for me (or at least, a small part of me). 

- - 

Everything is along the train tracks! Very convenient and somehow pretty?

Arriving at the dorm was pretty surreal. Everything feels a bit like that after an all nighter, though. After getting a tour of the dorm and a rundown of its rules, I was left to my own devices. In the afternoon I had a scheduled meeting with my advisor, Nakamura-sensei , about choosing classes. Was I nervous? Of course I was nervous. It helped that I set out with Emily (fellow RISD exchange student) and Chelsea (from Cooper) to explore the campus first! That first short walk to Seika's campus in the sunlight in the quiet residential area with high walls and teaming plant life was...indescribable. It was the one of the three rare days of sunlight since then. (I brought the cold with me...sorry...Iwakura...)

Vending machines are my favorite things.

Spring is super nice here.

More sakura!

Let me just say something about Seika's campus : it's probably made me more jealous of this school than anything else. The layout of the campus with faculty and student designed buildings, the fact it has its own little pond with koi fish (along with five peacocks, young deer, chickens, and rabbits in different areas), the ACTUALLY cheap student cafeteria with a second level bakery and conbini, the art store with a section chock full of incredible reference books, the giant multi-level library/media center, the rumored state of the art dubbing/sound studio etc. etc. - I'm going to feel a bit diminished when I get back to RISD. (sorry, I love RISD, but I also love good facilities. and cheap food.)

Japanese painting building along the back end of campus. They have their own forest...

So close together! Apparently was super difficult to build because of the distance haha

In front of the Painting department, I think? They seem to build lots of installations.

There's so much random stuff lying around...I just want to take some...

A little back road down the man-made stream!

There's a bunch of little walkways behind the buildings. Very quiet and good for strolls~

Either a very interesting stump or a cool sculpture piece. Probably both?

I look at this...and all I see are free materials. Probably not free though. Look at those trees! And sakura!

The main building you see upon entering campus! Also where the free shuttle stops.

View of the above building from next to the peacock enclosure.

Pond with the koi and small wooden stage! Hope I get to see a play here one day~

Peacocks! There are five. Two males and three females.

You're a pretty birdy yes you are

Lots of seats to attend any events here. I heard they build sets right in the water?

“治自由自” roughly translates to "freedom to rule oneself"

The super cheap cafeteria. 100 yen breakfast combo, 130 yen udon, 150 yen curry rice etc. Best Place.

The building with Illustration, Graphic Design...and I think, Interior Design?

After exploring the campus a little and eating at the cafeteria, it was time for my meeting with Professor Nakamura. The International Office sent Yuuko-san with me to help with interpretation (Thank...goodness...) and I actually had a great time meeting all my teachers. My Chinese name seems to be an incredible sources of amusement to everyone, as we spent a full five minutes standing around with all the faculty trying to say my name correctly. We finally settled on calling me シャオ, which I'm plenty satisfied with. (People ask me why I don't just go by "Daney", but for various reasons I've decided to start using my legal name "Sixiao" and similar alternatives in the future.)

By that point I was pretty happy and somewhat comfortable, since I could kind of communicate with my professors and at least knowing Chinese meant I could figure out the general meaning of any worksheets they gave me. Then two things happened that I was not expecting: (1) I had an impromptu reading comprehension test that involved handing me the general Junior year information sheet and having me read it out loud in front of Yuuko-san and Kishimoto-sensei. Looking back, I don't know how I mustered the nerve to do it. But I did it. And they seemed somewhat impressed. (2) I had my meeting right before the actual Junior year Illustration orientation so Nakamura-sensei decided I should join the actual orientation and introduce myself to everyone.

Cue me standing awkwardly in front of wide-eyed and confused Junior Illustration students with all the teachers flanking me on my left and right. I barely stuttered out "初めまして。私はタンシシャオと申します。でも、シャオちゃんは大丈夫です。アメリカからの交換性です。。。よろしくねおねがいします。"* and then turned red, bowed and hid my face in my hands. To their credit, everyone laughed and clapped politely and returned my greeting with choruses of よろしくね~~. I don't think I've been quite that embarrassed in a while. I was also furiously thanking Tajima-sensei in my head for forcing us to practice self-introductions so much that I could say some of those phrases without thinking much. *(Hello, my name is Tang Sixiao, but Shao-chan is okay. I'm an exchange student from America...it's very nice to meet you.)

After standing in the front awkwardly for a few more minutes, I got to sit down next to some other students while the teachers explained the course schedule for the year as well as the elective options. Surprisingly I was able to understand a lot of it - even when they deviated from what had already been explained to me beforehand. I asked Yuuko-san for confirmation after they were done talking, and I didn't miss much! I wouldn't say this has any real bearing on my Japanese level - just that I learned a lot of school-related vocabulary and they just so happened to be using those during the orientation. Nevertheless, I was happy to not feel completely lost.

The orientation went on for four more hours as students mulled over their elective choices and moved their supplies from their old classrooms to their new one. It seems like I'll be getting my own working desk in the class, which is exciting. The teachers also helped me find a couple of Chinese international students in my class that I could go to for help if I didn't understand my lessons. Basically my Chinese is saving my life over here, and I've never been so grateful to know it. I know it's reducing my chances of communicating in pure Japanese, but I also know I don't have the mental strength to stumble through only relying on what little Japanese I've retained over my studies. I'll still study hard and try to learn what I can by myself, but it's good to know I have someone in the class that I can rely on for more confusing bits.

The school cafeteria mascot. Her skirt pattern matches the prepaid card.
And the deer is pretty much Seika's unofficial mascot. There's a big taxidermy one in the library.

Thus ends the exciting *~first day~* in Japan. I was so exhausted I fell onto my bed at 8PM and slept for a full ten hours. Notice that I didn't say anything about food. Because I literally didn't have any. But I was so tired I didn't care.  The next morning I went on an adventure to find a conbini, but that's for another blog post.

The next post will feature my visit to the Kyoto Botanical Gardens + Manga Museum! Coming soon.