Let`s play catch up!

Okay, so it is now Wednesday, June 9th and only now am I getting to add another entry into this blog. My time in Japan has kept me so busy, what with going to class in the morning and seeing the sights and meeting hundreds of new people, that I have had almost no time to do anything like this. Pictures will be posted soon enough but first I would like to explain my first week in Japan.

I am staying in Susono, a town outside of Mishima city where Japan University`s International Academics is located. It is a quaint little town with lots to explore. My host family, Nakayama, live in the midst of a rice paddy and so every morning I can see the rice growing before my eyes. On top of that, they are located very close to Mt. Fuji, which I get to see each morning on the walk to the train station. I have to take a train to get to the school, you see. But it is well worth the ten minutes it takes to roughly walk from home to the station. Also, Susono is located near Mt. Hakone and the famous Ashinoko lake. Each day I value the time I get to spend just appreciating the quaint town of Susono.

It hasn`t been all that, though. Schoolwork takes a little time and we are often going on trips, so there is little time on some days. Looking back on the first week in Japan I can say already that my life is quite full. So far in the first week I have gone to Mount Fuji with Frederick, a group-mate, which was quite the wonderous sight to see. If you ever do anything in life, climb mount Fuji. The mist alone is enough to warrant the trip. Since Nakayama family and Frederick`s family, the Nagatomo family, are close friends, we also went to Mount Hakone and Ashinoko lake together. Seeing all the sights I have seen in these three trips is enough to fill three pages, but there`s plenty more.

Japanese people are nice, very caring. They often go out of there way to help people, including those who cannot correctly read train schedules. So much that they accompanied my friend and I to our respective stations before turning around and going home. It is an interesting culture, to say the least. On top of that, I was invited to the Firefly Festival by one of the TAs and met probably 30 more people at that time. So to say the least it was hectic and I find myself now very tired but very aware of the enjoyment to be had. One of the most interesting aspects of Japan, however, is something called an Izakaya. It is basically a Japanese bar but it functions in a different way. Of course there is drinking and such but the table setups are phenomonal and one can get drunk off of just being in such a room of your friends. I have only gone twice but I find myself moving around a lot because we all talk together in different intervals.

There is plenty more to cover.. such as the Atami museam of art and the Police Station visit we took today but, that will be a conversation for my next post. As per responsibility I must return home to my host family who will provide me with dinner. They are great people and I am grateful to them for taking me in as they have. Until later, all of you take care out there. I will post pictures of this week as soon as I can.