Changed domains

Hey everyone, New URL::::: http://sojournippon.wordpress.com/ Don't worry, this will stay up, but i won't post any more, Sorry! but i like wordpress better than blogger. Dakota M. Benjamin, JTD ダコタ　ベンジャミン Rotary District 7850 - Vermont, USA Hosted by Rotary Club or Rokkasho, Japan District 2830 - Aomori, Japan dakota.benjamin@gmail.com

Of Fish and Long Days

So spreaking of catching up, I actually caught a fish last weekend – with my bare hands! Unbelievable, eh? Well, last weekend was actually Rokkasho-mura's annual Festival – the Sangyo (Industry) Matsuri (Festival). One of the most interesting features of this Matsuri was the giant pool full of salmon, a fairly good portion of the industry here on the sea coast. Pretty much, about 200 people surround the pool, and on go they attempt to seize their own prize. The first five get a second salmon free. I got mine in the last ten seconds of the three minute farce. Did I mention the water was freezing? Here are some pics:

Me and Kento, Taneichi-san's youngest. By the way he caught his fish before me.

As you can see, I got wet.

Whoo! My prize.

Some other things I did was hack the sack with Gabe and Jon, some other gaijin living in Rokkasho. Both of them are supercool. Gabe, an ALT from the US has a giant cone, and tiny harmonica. Jon, an Aussie, is working at the International School; he can play the didgeridoo (sp.?).

Somehow Taneichi-san (the only Rotarian who speaks a spot of English, and even so it's not so great) got us a grill in the mash of a Matsuri, and so we had some amazing grilled salmon. I swearr that man runs thi whole town, as he got me in front of the line before the salmon catching. I definitely had a lot of fun, but I was lucky I didn't catch a cold.

One thing I didn't see at the festival, but was appalled to hear about was the dog fighting. I didn't know that it was not only legal, but there are tournaments and stuff every year in Toukyou. However, I cannot say anything about it; it is Japanese culture, not mine. What the Japanese think is right is right in Japan.

So I think it is ripe time to tell my dear readers about school, now that I've finally gotten the hang of the weird schedule. I think i might have had my first "regular" day this Tuesday. Every day at about 7:52 I walk to school (I live just a few hundred meters away) with usually three other guys, a first year whose name I can't remember, a second year (my grade) named Kota, and a third year, Nautaka. We are usually greeted at the entrance of the school, "Gozaimasu!" (short for "Ohayou gozaimasu") in which we reply the same, and then I change into my school shoes for inside, as per Japanese custom, and go to my homeroom until school starts, 8:20. Once school starts, I typically have 6 classes, 50 minutes each, with 10 minutes in between. 4 classes in the morning, a 45 minute lunch, and 2 (or 3, but we'll get to that later) classes in the afternoon. Here's my schedule:

		Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
	8:15~8:25	Reading	Reading	Reading	Reading	Reading
	8:25~8:35	Home Room	Home Room	Home Room	Home Room	Home Room
1	8:40~9:30	数学A Math A 品川 Shinigawa	体育 Health & PE 飛内 Tobinai	現代文 Modern Japanese 亀田 Kameda	英語II English II 田中 Tanaka	自習 Self-Study 図書館 Library
2	9:40~10:30	自習 Self-Study 図書館 Library	音楽 Music 宮里 Miyazato	ワープロ Typing 小笠原 Ogasawara	情報処理 Computer 小笠原 Ogasawara	体育 PE 飛内 Tobinai
3	10:40~11:30	音楽 Music 宮里 Miyazato	自習 Self-Study 図書館 Library	フードデサイン Food Design 川口 Kawaguchi	自習 Self-Study 図書館 Library	Reading 立崎 Tachizaki
4	11:40~12:30	体育 PE 飛内 Tobinai	地理 Geography 西村 Nishimura	フードデサイン Food Design 川口 Kawaguchi	音楽 Music 宮里 Miyazato	ワープロ Typing 小笠原 Ogasawara
	12:30~13:15	お昼時間　Lunch Time	お昼時間　Lunch Time	お昼時間　Lunch Time	お昼時間　Lunch Time	お昼時間　Lunch Time
5	13:15~14:05	自習 Self-Study 図書館 Library	Japanese Lesson at International Center	英語II English II 田中 Tanaka	体育 PE 飛内 Tobinai	Japanese Lesson at International Center
6	14:15~15:05	Writing English 田中 Tanaka	Japanese Lesson at International Center	化学 Chemistry 清水 Shimizu	LHR 田中 Tanaka	Japanese Lesson at International Center
	15:05~15:20	掃除　 Cleaning Time	掃除　 Cleaning Time	掃除　 Cleaning Time	掃除　 Cleaning Time	掃除　 Cleaning Time
	15:20~15:30	Home Room	Home Room	Home Room	Home Room	Home Room

Now, I get to buy lunch from one or two women (one of them is a friend of okaasan) who work down the street. They bring a variety of bento and sandwiches and pan which is Japanese for bread, but encases everything from sandwiches to pastries. I usually get a chicken sandwich and pan, and then either a Coke or Kochakaden (only the most delicious type of tea in a can) either hot or cold from the vending machine (yes, the vending machines serve hot drinks!). Then, as we don't have a cafeteria, I go back to my homeroom, or the one next to mine, and eat with friends.

So there are three grades in highschool, I am a second year. Each grade has 2 homerooms, making for about 50-60 kids per grade. Now, because the Japanese school year starts in April, and the age cutoff in in January, I should be a first year, but they (Rotary) wanted me to go on the School Trip, so they made me a second year. Therefore, all my friends are a year older than me at least. It's ok though, they don't seem to care all that much.

Now, I rarely have a normal school day. I have yet to find out why, but classes are constantly being switched around, changed, canceled, or even entire days switched (This week, Thursday was a Monday schedule, while Monday was a Wednesday, and Wednesday was just whacked). Because it is such a small school, (like 150 kids) it works. However, I often don't get told of these changes, and end up in the wrong class, like Modern Japanese for example. Mostly the teachers understand, after all, I've been here, what, 2 months and a week?

Another irregularity that constantly throws me off is BS. Don't know what it means, but it's a special 45 minute class after classes that happens two to three times a week. Sometimes it's Math, sometimes English (in which I have to do the work backwards into Japanese), or Kanji (yeahhhh, not even easy for the Japanese kids). And then at the end of every school day, we have souji. That is, cleaning! The students are the school's best unpaid janitors. Just imagine how quickly and easily, and thoroughly, 200 people can clean a school, then imagine 600 kids cleaning Harwood!!

So school officially ends at 3:30, or 4:15, depending on the day. The school day is finally over, right? (Trivia: Japan has one of the longest school days in the world) Weeelll, not so! If you aren't in a club, you are obviously a slacker. In spite of the long school day, clubs try to go for as long as possible. Thursday I got home at 6:30, whih is also when the final buses leave from school. This time of year it's already dark by about 5:30, and maybe 10˚C. Freezing. As you know, dear reader, I am doing archery. It's fun trying to shoot when you can't feel your hands !! However, when it's all said and done, after a ten hour total school day, I get to walk home and eat some wondrously delicious meal that okaasan cooks up. うめ！

As for grades, I have no idea. I'm thinking I'm probably gonna be able to get a credit from PE and Foreign Language (of course), and maybe English, only because I'm half teacher in class, but I'm not so sure. I'm totally ok with doing my Junior year over back home, because then I won't be rushed senior year, and I'll be able to take some elective courses that I have been wanting to take.

Well, I hope that didn't sound too gruesome for you, 'cause these are some of the best school days I have ever experienced. I have awesome, funny friends from whom I learn so much, and I have cool, sometimes crazy teachers, who are so helpful. One day I walked into my homeroom between classes and saw all these Japanese kids and I said to myself, "How the hell did you get yourself here, Dakota?"

Don't forget about me, Dakota M. Benjamin, JTD 勉蛇民舵誇太 ダコタ　ベンジャミン Rotary District 7850 - Vermont, USA Hosted by Rotary Club or Rokkasho, Japan District 2830 - Aomori, Japan dakota.benjamin@gmail.com

ahem.

Hello dear readers, if you are still reading. It has been a little over two weeks since my last post. I blame partly my laziness and mostly that I am so damn tired from all the stuff going on. Please forgive me. Anyways, here is an updated account of my life here in where the deepest hot spring of Japan resides and the salmon are all caught with your hands -- well, one a year that is.

But more on that later. Now, I will rewind my memory to two weekends past, within which I was swept over 1400 kilometers in a single day, without ever leaving the surface of the Earth. Yes, you guessed it, I took a ride (well, two) on the legendary Shinkansen! Jeez that sounds like a Pokemon... For those of you who didn't guess that, or don't even know what I'm talking about, that would be the Bullet Train. To where, you may ask? Well, to Tokyo, of course! And you'd think I would be so excited form that that I would want to post immediately! Well, dear reader, you must remember that I took the good 'ole Shinkansen there and back in a single day, barely leaving time for the true reason I went, to see the beautiful, and oft outrageous Kabuki theater. Yes, and what a show it was! Some key points of the 5 hour long performance: there are only male actors, even for the women's parts; men who specialize in women's parts are called "onnagata"; in order to become a Kabuki actor, you must be born into it, therefore, I was watching the great-great-etc-grandghildren of the original actors of the 1800s; there are usually four shows; there is often music, dancing, singing, chanting, and odd poses; it uses old Japanese, and many younger Japanese can't even understand it, fortunately I had a benri (convienient) headphone set with an English guide.

The first show was about a princess who had to move from Kyouto to Edo (modern-day Toukyou) to marry a prince, but she didn't want to. So, her handmaid brought in a young horse driver to play a game about Edo for her. Turns out this boy is the abandoned son of the princess's handmaid, but she must shun the boy out of duty to her princess, in order not to ruin the girl's reputation.

The second was about a dancer who came to a temple to celebrate a new bell. Really she was a demon who wanted to destroy it. So she was accepted into the temple (even though women aren't allowed, the priests were corrupt) In the middle of the dance, she is reavealed as a man, and at the end, he climbs up the bell, reveals himself as a serpent, and crushes it.

The third was about a man whose sister had been unjustly killed by her master, a samurai lord. He has taken a vow of sobriety, but in his distress drinks a whole keg of sake. He drunkenly storms into the samurai lord's palace in an attempt for revenge. He is stopped and tied up, and after falling asleep by his drink, put in the very same garden his sister was killed in. He was extremely lucky that he was not killed on spot for his behavior. When he wakes up he is sober. He is greeted by the Samurai lord, who admits that he had killed her in a drunken rage, and offers a hefty compensation. How ironic.

The final show was a dance to the fuji flower (not the mountain) also known as the wisteria. It shows the growth into maturity of the Wisteria Maiden through costume changes. Very impressive and interesting, but hard to explain in detail.

Ok, so I don't want to leave you hanging, but I'd rather give you little by little whats been happening. So I'll finish this post now and send the next one hopefully by tomorrow. if not, Please look at the pictures and you'll see most of what went down. .... Sorry!!!!!

Dakota M. Benjamin, JTD ダコタ　ベンジャミン Rotary District 7850 - Vermont, USA Hosted by Rotary Club or Rokkasho, Japan District 2830 - Aomori, Japan dakota.benjamin@gmail.com

Too much going on....

AHHHHHHH I am soooo busy I haven't even any time to check my email. Between a trip to Osaka and Fukui-ken last week and a marathon I ran on Friday, and another orientation this weekend, I'm pooped! I would have liked to have posted last week about Osaka, but I was too busy! Oh well.

So I will have to give a short explanation of my recent adventures. Going back to last Monday, I went on a little business trip with some Japan National Fuel Limited (JNFL) people and Sakamoto-san, a Rotarian. We went south, farther than Tokyo, to Osaka and Fukui. If you know anything about Japan, Osaka was once the capital of Japan; it is also the second biggest city. And was it big! I don't have a particular affinity for cities, as they are much too crowded for me, but this was definitely a sight to see! Definitely a blast! I also got to see a cool o-tera, I think one of the oldest in Japan. Well, not really, because it was partially destroyed during the Meiji Restoration, but then rebuilt exactly how it was before. It was still really cool. I saw turtles too.

I also went to Fukui, a little north, to see some nuclear power plants. I learned a lot, (even if it was all in Japanese) and now I think that Nuclear Power is a very clean and almost entirely renewable source of energy. I also learned a lot about how business goes about in Japan. This was a business trip after all.

And then the marathon.... On Friday, I ran a total of 18.1 kilometers, which is 11 and a quarter miles. I ran it in 2 hours flat. Boy was I tired. However, it was fun, and healthy, and my legs really hurt afterwords. Mr. Kerrigan would be proud than I'm keeping in shape for next year though.

And now the main event! Definitely an amazing weekend I just had. It was my second orientation of the year, this time in Goshogawara and Juniko Lake.　When I got there, I had to make a speech in front of a few hundred Rotarians, but it wasn't that bad. Then we shipped off to our cabins and talked until late into the night. As you may know, there are many hot springs in Japan. Well, the place we were staying had one, and each cabin had a hot spring bath right in the back. Although it was freezing and raining, we had to shower outside, but it paid off sitting in the hot bath for ten minutes. It was so nice. It was also nice to sleep in a real bed for once.

The next day we went to the mall, in which we shopped for the food we were going to make for each other that night. Everyone suggested that I make pizza, so I got the ingredients. We also were going to make okunomiyaki (おくのみやき - Japanese pizza) and sushi and shellfish and curried rice.

After that we began a journey across Japan, to the west coast, the sea of Japan (Nihonkai - 日本海) We went to two o-tera and the sea and a museum about Japanese ships. The first o-tera was actually mixed - both an o-tera and a jinja. It was also up a mountain, so we got to climb it to see it. The second was the oldest in Aomori, and it was popular for fishermen to go to to pray for a good catch. Then there was the sea, which was beautiful, and the foliage, which was also beautiful (I could hear constantly "sugoi kirei ne! which is japanese for amazing and pretty).

We reached another destination, Juniko Lake, or Twelve Lakes. I guess it mush have had twelve lakes or something, but we got there and it was dark enough so that I couldn't see. We were in the middle of the mountains, and it was cold. We began to cook our meals, each in our separate cabins. Unfortunately, we lacked adequate cookingware, like measuring cups, and so I had to trust that the glasses they gave me were the amount that they said they were. However, I don't believe they were right, because the dough was somewhat of a disaster, and took too long, and so it was a project unfinished. I was disappointed, but everyone said next time (our Christmas party) I would be able to make it. I'm going to definitely bring some English directions, and maybe even my own utensils. However, the okunomiyaki was amazing, and so were the conversations. I was able to take to some of the student outbounds, tell them what America is like, as them about Japan, and have some good Japanese conversation. And I found out that we might be getting an Australian boy in January. Another late night, and an early morning, trekking into the mountain and seeing the most beautiful, blue ponds I have ever seen.

Finally it was time to go home. However, we took the scenic route, straight through the windy, narrow mountains. The fall mountain were so beautiful and we saw monkeys!!! Except the damn creatures are so fast that I couldn't even get a picture of them. Oh well, it was so cool though.

Well, that's the most recent of my adventures, sorry about being so busy! It's good though, I'm not wasting my time here!

Pictures soon, for now go to my Picasa.

---

Dakota M. Benjamin, JTD ダコタ　ベンジャミン Rotary District 7850 - Vermont, USA Hosted by Rotary Club or Rokkasho, Japan District 2830 - Aomori, Japan dakota.benjamin@gmail.com

楽しかった文化祭です！！！ An Awesome School Festival!

EDIT EDIT: Fixed it! Turns out it wasn't an HTML prob after all, for those who wanted to know... EDIT: For some reason while playing with the HTML of my blog, I deleted comments! I'm working on it! Ok! So, another exciting week for Dakota!

Let's start on Wednesday. Tuesday was The Autumnal Equinox, so we had it off. Tuesday was I can't remember what I did... Anyways, Tuesday was the start of preparation for the school festival, also known as 文化祭(ぶんかさい -bunkasai). I had a little hand in it – making pizza! But first, we had to get our homeroom decorated. Our homeroom was going to be the "えんにち", ennichi, or snack bar. For the next three days, we decorated, talked, messed around, and had a lot of fun. I made a lot of new friends, and I'm beginning to understand most of what they say to me; I can even give a sensible response.

Through this somewhat out of the classroom experience with people my age, I have learned that they are not so different from American teenagers. However, there are no cliques, I think, in my class of 54 second-years. Everyone seems to get along, however the separation between boys and girls is much larger than at home. The boys tend to group together on one side of the room, and the girls on the other. There is still lot of interaction, But it is just different.

On Friday, the festival began with the Opening Ceremony. There was a quiz contest, and a battle of the bands, which, to say the least, was awesome. I would have to say it was much better than the one we have back home. Saturday was the day I made pizza! Unfortunately, we had not the adequate tools, nor manpower to make the dough, so it wasn't really making pizza, but topping and cooking bread, however! never fear, dear reader, for the best is yet to come!

We sold all forty pizzas, at 800¥ each. Pretty good, I think. We then watched the school dance, which was awesome. I have tried to learn a little bit of it, but alas, it is chotto muzukashi... Maybe by the end of the year, maybe.

The final day was clean up day, where we tore down all that we had spent so much caring time placing for families to see. It was a day of rejoicing, for despite the rain, the festival was a success, and I had a lot of fun. At the end of the day, as the clouds receded, to prove that what we had done was good, we were shown this message from the sky:

And so that was my school festival. And I know, Dave, if you are reading this, I realize that I didn't make a real pizza, but like I said, never fear. One of okaasan's friends (recall Yumi #1) loved the idea that I can make pizza so much, that she took me to the store to make a REAL one! So on Monday, (which I have off because it is between-semester break this week - jeez, i sure do have lot of days off... But they make up for it by having only a three week summer vacation) I made six true, doughy, delicious, pepperoni-bacon-peppers-onions-and-basil pizzas. Did I mention they were delicious? Ume is a Rokkasho slang word, which probably no other Japanese will understand. It means, "Holy crap this is amazing". Yeah. Thanks Dave, for showing me how to bake a good pie.

Well, that's all for now, dear readers, a little tidbit of my life here across the world. By the way, you may have noticed the new colors. Tell me if you like it. Also, I realize I told some of you that I was going to talk about school life, and I really was, but I realized halfway through that it was not appropriate for this post. Don't worry, I will explain soon, probably within the next few weeks. It is very exciting. Well, さようなら！Sayonara! ダコタ　ベンジャミン

busybusybusy

Oi! This week certainly was a buzz! Sorry it took so long to post, I barely have time to check my email sometimes, but nevertheless, I post!

So last week was pretty boring, but starting Thursday was testing at school, so I got to go home at noon Thursday, had no school on Friday or Monday, and half-days Tuesday and Wednesday. So, I did tons of stuff. Here's how it went:

Thurday

On Thursday my family had a welcome party for me. It was really just dinner with a bunch of people, but that's a party. It was my okaasan (host mother), otosan (host father), grandma and grampa (obaasan and ojiisan, respectively); my host aunt and uncle (obasan and ojisan, respectively); okaasan's friend Yumi (Number 1), her husband, and her two daughters Mami and Satomi; okaasan's friend Yumi (Number 2) and her husband. I have so much fun talking to people, learning Japanese and teaching English too.

Friday

Along with my host counselor, 種市さん (Taneichi-san), his son, and some other Rotarians, we climbed a mountain. It was a smallish mountain, much like the one's in VT, yet so different. At the top was a little Shinto shrine dedicated to the kami of the mountain. What you do to "pray" to the kami is open the door, put your hands together, bow twice, clap twice, and bow once more. I say "praying" because that's what it's called, but it seems to be more like showing respect to the kami that it is there protecting the mountain.

After the mountain adventure, I went to a barbecue at Taneichi-san's house. I really like the way the Japanese have a barbecue. Everyone sits around an open grill and puts on the food they want to eat. Pretty fun, and then after I watched Harry Potter dubbed in Japanese. Hermione had the wrong voice, but otherwise it was ok. Except for the part where I couldn't understand it. But that is life in Japan.

Saturday

On Saturday I woke up at five-thirty (not much earlier than usual) and traveled east to Goshogawara and Hirosaki! First we went to Goshogawara, for Satomi's basketball game. Although she was not playing (she had an operation on her leg awhile ago) I did get a chance to go to a jinja (shinto shrine), and walk around the area a bit. After the game, (they won) we went to this Tachineputa　museum. Actually, it's the place where they build and store the Tachineputa floats. Tachineputa is a festival where they drive HUGE floats down the streets. For more info, http://www.enjoytsugaru.com/areaguide/gosh/tachineputa_festival.html, and there's picture's of last weeks floats on my Picasa (Go to the link under Pictures on the sidebar --->>>) We then went back to see the final basketball game, in which they won. That team is going to Tokyo for the Winter Cup, which is a pretty big thing. And then after that, Yumi, Mami, and I went to Hirosaki Castle! Make sure you look at the pictures, it is beautiful. In the spring it is especially popular for it's cherry blossoms. We walked around and then went to meet okaasan who got a haircut. Okaasan and I took the train home from Hirosaki, but first we ate at a restaurant where each table was its own private booth, which was kinda cool. The train ride was pretty boring, an we got home pretty late.

Sunday and Monday

Sunday and Monday were not nearly as fun as the rest of the weekend, but that's OK. I went with okaasan to Hachinohe, where we met up with Mari (my host sister) and had cake and chatted. Mari knows English, and I guess there were some things that okaasan had to say to me. It is really difficult when you cannot communicate to someone about what you need, and sometimes you can work through it, but others you need a translator. It wasn't anything bad, just normal essential stuff.

Then on Monday (I had no school, it was a holiday) I went to Towada to see where my host family's ancestors are housed. Then we went to Misawa to a jinja. We went to bless this vial of some liquid that later obaasan drank from, probably for her health. So I got to watch a cool ritual happen.

The rest of the week

was pretty normal, between school, Japanese lessons, archery, and another barbecue at Yumi (Number 1)'s house, which is like two blocks away from our house.

Saturday (today)

Today was awesome, because I got to go to church! Okaasan was kind enough to find and bring me to a catholic church in Misawa, where I got to take communion. The funny part is, though, that the whole service was in Japanese! However, the priest was French Canadian, and could speak English. Unfortunately, Misawa is an hour's drive away, so I can only go every once in a while.

Well, that's all. I think that one post a week seems fair, so I'll try to keep up. 私はやがて再度書きます!!! 舵誇太

Culture Shock! Japan!

Ok! today we are going to learn about what I've learned about the Japanese so far!

They are crazy drivers, but but are really good. It is really hard to get a lisence and it costs something like 300 dollars to get one in Japan. So you have to really want to drive if you want to drive.

Many Japanese don't like sugar and sugary food. I'm not exactly sure why, but I think its because most of their traditional foods are not sugary at all. However, the Japanese do have sweets in their tea ceremony. Also, nowadays they have some of the best tasting candy I've ever had.

They have very hi-tech cell-phones, and love to glitz them out. There is this really cool thing on most everyones where you can send your profile to another phone using an infrared sensor. You can also get pictures and songs, anything, from it. They also like those little plastic gem-things that they stick on their phones. some are completely covered with them.

One thing that Japanese girls really like are "pikura". they are those photo booth machines that you see in the malls. Well they have them too, but ten times more decked out. So far I've been taken to two of them. Using the infrared you can get your pictures on your phone, and you can print them out too.

They are extremely fast shoe-taker-offers. It usually takes me like a half a minute to put my shoes on, sitting down, and yet it seems like they just walk right into them. It's because they never wear their outside shoes inside (except in stores), so wherever they go, they need to take off their shoes and put on some slippers.

They are also really fast eaters, and can eat really hot food just as fast. I have not mastered, or even begun to master, the fine art of Japanese slurping. It is considered impolite to not slurp your noodles, soup, or hot o-cha (Japanese tea). Why, do you ask? Because it's freakin hot! Slurping cools the stuff right down! And yet somehow I always end up splashing everywhere. Ah, with practice comes perfection.

For some reason, they always want to know your blood type. I have no idea why. (mom and dad, whats mine?)

Everybody, young and old, are obsessed with American culture. Mostly Disney, the Peanuts, Elmo, but also girls are especially into playboy, and teens Jamaican culture (two people have told me that it really has nothing to do with marijuana, but I'm not convinced)

They have vending machines everywhere. And I mean everywhere. We were driving through a pretty farmland/woodland type area, and right on the side of the road, next to some garage or warehouse, was a big vending machine. In school, the malls, at the car repair shop my host grandfather owns, in front of any given building you might happen to walk by. Also there are rows and rows of those little souvenir machines, you know the ones you put 50 cents into and out comes a little plastic ball with some cheap toy that breaks the next day. Theirs are better quality, but cost 100 yen.

Every hour, for about a minute, I hear about between 2 and 4 different chimes from about 6 different clocks in my house. It's my alarm clock in the morning, and I almost never don't know what time it is. In every house I've been to so far there has been at least one chiming clock. Most of them have a Western theme, like the main one in my house is a Peanuts Gang clock, and there's one that plays Greensleeves.

Alright, I can't think of anything else, that's a pretty big list I've been compiling over the past few days. I love and miss you all, I know your prayers have been going through, because I have been having an amazing time!

Love, Dakota ダコタ

I went to California, and then I saw the statue of liberty

No seriously, I did. On Sunday I went to the Misawa Air Festival. The Misawa Air base is US territory, so techincally I was on US ground. Unfortunatley the weather was bad, so there was no planes flying. But tons of Americans. Instead went went sightseeing. We went to this park that was the same latitude line as the Statue of Liberty in New York, so they built a miniature sized Statue there!! It was so cool. We went to the mall too, and almost saw Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea. Too bad for you guys, I get to see all the good Japanese movies before you. So there. I won't understand them (yet) but I will have seen them. I've been having an awesome time here, and I hope it only gets better. The people are all so amazing and helpful and patient. I've eaten so many different and new foods. I just had natto (なっと）　yesterday. It is a sticky bean paste made from fermented soybeans. It smells funny, but it really healthy. It was pretty good. My grasp of the language is getting better too. I've joined the archery club at school, and I am going to start an English club with my English teacher. I've been keeping busy, and having a lot of fun. Don't know what else to say. If you want me to tell about something, please comment or email or whatever. 舵誇太

Orientation weekend!

This past weekend I attended a Rotary orientation for all the inbounds and outbounds. I got to meet the other students in my district. They are all really cool! There are four of us: another from the states named Hanley, a girl from France named Sophia, a girl from Australia, Emily, and me. Then there were a whole bunch of rebounds (those who went and came back) and they were all really awesome and helpful. It was funny though because Hanley and I were the only boys there. I made a lot of friends there, especially since most of the rebounds knew English! The youth hostel we stayed at was at this farm called Kamaya Green Farm, and there were cows and sheep and horses and stuff. We got to make sausages, and eat them, then we had a barbecue where we cooked our own food. Then they tried teaching us the Japanese version of rock, paper, scissors, and I won. I did not realize that winning meant that I had to cook and ostrich egg! I made scrambled eggs for everybody (one egg fed them all) and it was (surprisingly) oishikatta! delicious. We had fireworks and creemees (real creemees! from the cows at the farm!) and in the morning we got to milk cows! we milked into cups and drank right on the spot. Then we went and made butter, which was really cool too. For lunch we had nagashi somen. It was the craziest thing ever! no pictures yet, but heres how it works: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnDz6GSJTMs After the orientation, my host mother, sister, and my sister's friend went to see Hancock. It just came out. I will get pictures up soon, I promise!! I am trying to get Picasa, and I'm also not on my computer right now. But soon. Maybe I'll do a video blog once too. Anyways, that's all from me, I'm having an awesome time here, but I still miss you all! Sayonara!!! ダコタ　ベンジャミン

It has rained, and rained and rained. まいにちあめがふりました！

But yesterday I saw the Sun!!!!! It really made my day. The sky has been clearing up a little, but still raining every day. I haven't been taking many pictures, (sorry!) but here are some that I have: This cool kid named Mike who I sat with on the plane. This is my room, quite small, however I like it a lot. It smells good. However, notice the lack of bed. If you look inside that closet you will see my bed, folded up in a neat pile. That is where it goes during the day. Here is the garden outside my house. It is very nice! I haven't gotten to take many pictures of this yet, but in Rokkasho there are like 40 windmills. HUGE. Soon, I will get more pics. I have ten months, you know! Otherwise, school is sugoi (cool). I had a meeting with rotary, which was pretty boring, but the lunch was good. I also got a cell phone, I had my first Japanese lessons, and I've met a ton of people. They call me Harry Potter. I got a haircut too, because school rules don't allow for color. That's pretty much it, so I'm not gonna drag on. Sayonara!!! Dakota

I can`t remember anybody`s names!!!

Well, I`m almost done with my first day of school. To say the least, it has been interesting. There are only 100 or so students! Everybody is helping me out, showing me around, saying, "nisu to meetu you" and "my name is yadayada" It is very hard to remember them all. Right now is a computer lab block, and they are all working on a project they did over the summer. I`m pretty much lost for most of the classes (except in music class; we are watching The Sound of Music -- in English!). I have a variety of classes: math, health, PE, geography, computer, music, chemistry, food design, Japanese lessons, and I`m helping teach some English classes. I`m glad that my homeroom teacher is the English teacher. Tomorrow, I am going with Taneichi-san to buy my school uniform. I want to see more of Rokkasho, because I hear that it is really pretty and interesting. I have to go now, sayonara!!!!! ダコタ

Whoooo!

I made it! Finally! OK, where to start? I got up at 4 in the morning on the 22nd, took a plane to Chicago, and met up with some kids there. They were all really cool! We got on the plane at noon, but were delayed an hour because of rain. We eventually took off. 13 hours! I watched Iron Man like 6 times. Finally I landed in Tokyo. There I met up with Arazoe-san, who took me to Haneda Airport by bus. I didn't get to see much of it, we went around most of the city, and it was also retty overcast. But I did see Tokyo Disney Resort. We ate sushi before I left for Aomori Airport. Bad idea! I would up getting sick during landing (thank god for those little barf bags!) but the stewardess was really nice and got me some water. By this time I had been up for 25 or so hours. When I got into the car for the final leg of my journey, I slept. I made it at last to my room. It had been a long few days. My bed is a futon, meaning it is on the floor. It was really comfortable, though. However, every morning I have to fold the whole thing up and put it in my closet. It's pretty cool, actually. One of the biggest problems I'm having is my stomach. I am having constant stomahaches, which is affecting my eating. Not a good thing. I think it may be a mix of nervousness and homesickness. I don't want to seem like a bad eater, but nothing can be done. Please pray for my stomach. Yesterday, I had egg for breakfast. It was pretty good. There was also rice (which I really love) and soup. I'm going to have problems with soup, I think. Then Mari, who is the only one who knows English, took me around the house. I met Obaasan and Ojiisan (Grandma and Grampa), and all around the house. Then we went to tke some stuff to Mari's Dorm. She will be living about an hour and a half away by car for her school. We also went to the mall. It was big, with mostly girls fashion. There was also a huge arcade. Lots of anime stuff. She took me to an "American" store, where I found Dad's favorite snack, Snyder's Honey Mustard pretzel bit things! (i think i got that wrong, but you know what I'm talking about) Then Mari left me. She was staying at her dorm, and I was going back home. Without any English speakers. I will be ... fun. Today was sort of a lazy day. I went for a walk with my aunt (obasan) and saw my neighborhood. Then I got my computer to work online. Now I should go, so I don't stay on too long. Tomorrow, I go to school. They're having a welcoming ceremony for me. I'm excited.

Anxious much?

Ever since I found out that I was going to Japan this past winter, people have been telling me what an experience I will have in Japan. They all ask me the same questions, they all want to identify me by the same points of reference. You can probably guess what they are. Then many of them tell me stories about their own travels and give me words of wisdom. They all tell me how much of a learning experience it will be, how much I will mature and grow. Of course I believe it. I know it will happen. But it has not become real to me yet. It's not going to until I step off that plane at my last stop and meet my host mother and sister. A student from my class said about his trip to Japan, "I woke up one morning and said, 'Wow, I'm in Japan.'" Right now, for me, it's all in my imagination. I have an idea of what my house, my family, and my town looks like, and all the pictures of Japan I've seen in my lifetime. Thats all the glorified stuff of it. I'm sure that we don't show the slums of America to advertise it. It's New York City, Hollywood, Orlando. It's Christmas, Fourth of July, Macy's Parades that they see. And what do we see of Japan? Tokyo, flashing lights, beautiful temples and gardens. Mount Fuji, cherry blossoms. New Years festivals. What happens the rest of the time? All I have are American points of reference. School, homework, the English language. The ABCs. How am I going to do homework over there? I'm getting three weeks of class and no kana work. It's going to be one hell of a time. Who knows how I'm going to get by. Thank God for the internet. Thank God for God. I'm done ranting now. I gotta sleep or something.

I can't believe there are only two weeks left until I leave!! For anyone who wants to know, this is my itinerary: 22 AUG 08 - FRIDAY AIR UNITED AIRLINES FLT:5311 ECONOMY OPERATED BY /UNITED EXPRESS/GOJET AIRLINES LV BURLINGTON VT 644A EQP: CNADAIR REGIONAL 02HR 21MIN AR CHICAGO OHARE 805A NON-STOP ARRIVE: TERMINAL 2 REF: VN1RRO AIR UNITED AIRLINES FLT:881 ECONOMY MULTI MEALS LV CHICAGO OHARE 1201P EQP: BOEING 777 DEPART: TERMINAL 1 13HR 04MIN 23 AUG 08 - SATURDAY (note there is a time zone change) AR TOKYO NARITA 305P NON-STOP ARRIVE: TERMINAL 1 REF: V1RRO AIR JAPAN AIRLINES FLT:1211 ECONOMY LV TOKYO HANEDA 745P EQP: AIRBUS A300-600 DEPART: DOMESTIC TERMINAL 1 01HR 15MIN AR AOMORI 900P NON-STOP REF: UISEJP OPEN DATE AIR UNITED AIRLINES FLT:OPEN ECONOMY LV TOKYO NARITA OPEN AR WASHINGTON DULLES AIR UNITED AIRLINES FLT:OPEN ECONOMY LV WASHINGTON DULLES OPEN AR BURLINGTON VT 

Only 15 Days Left!!!

Ahh! It is quite scary how something like this creeps slowly nearer, like a huge monster in a horror film. However, this trip is not so scary like Frankenstein. I'm really excited!!! Today is my fourth day of Japanese class and I've already learned so much! I've learned proper greetings, identifying objects, and telling time thus far. I think we are going to move into money next. So far it all has been very useful for me. Actually, I have to go do some homework and study for a quiz on telling time now, so sayonara!