Thursday, August 30, 2007
The Last Post
Well, here concludes the Will in Japan chronicles. It has been and still remains to be the most amazing thing I have ever done and maybe will ever do. I have been back in New Zealand for nearly a week now and I am continually confronted with people asking "How was Japan??". As wearing as this has become, I always reply with the same thing. "It was amazing." That is about the only way I can sum up this experience. I can’t quite equate it to anything else. It has been the most challenging, the most rewarding, and the most exciting time I’ve ever had. Not only have I walked away with another language but I have gained an amazing understanding of what a diverse world we live in.
I have developed an insatiable love for Japan. I love everything from the huge statues of Buddha to the tiny Hello Kitty cellphone straps. On first glimpse, Japan seemed like the kind of society that I would never be able to live in; strict and conformist. But inspite of this, and often because of it, I have developed a deep affection for this amazing country. I love the people, I love the food, I love EVERYTHING!
It's been a amazing journey and I would like to thank anyone who is actually still reading this. I hope this blog has lived up to your expectations.
I need to thank my amazing AFS friends, without whom I would not have survived my time away. To Lesley, Ooi, Jay, Monica, Melody, Gan, Oil and Emma - you guys are awesome and I will miss you.
Finally, to my best friends in the world, Robert, Alana and Matthew.....I honestly don't know what I would've done without you. You guys were my rock and I miss you like crazy!
Will
Saturday, August 25, 2007
The End
Leaving home for good today. Going home tomorrow.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Me again....
Konnichi wa everyone!
My time in Japan is nearly up (two weeks to go, I can hardly believe it!) so I thought that a post was well overdue (sorry, I`ve been very slack on the blogging front!).
Anyway, it`s currently summer holidays in Japan and it is HOT! Here, in Niigata, we haven`t had a day under 30°c in the last two weeks! Right now, it`s 10pm and 32°c! Thank goodness for air conditioning!
As I probably mentioned in my previous email, I joined my school`s Concert Band playing tenor saxophone. This was the highlight of time at school in Japan and I have made the most amazing friends! As part of the band, I was able to perform as a soloist at my school`s Taiikusai (sports festival) and I was also able to attend the rehearsal camp (affectionately known as Band Camp) which was fun. Last week was the National Japanese Band Championship and my school band competed at this. Unfortunately, the rules of the competition state that exchange students are now allowed to participate so I was unable to attend.
Another highlight of my time at school here would have to be the school Taiikusai or sports festival which was held in June. For the festival, each class selects a song and then choreographs a dance to this song. They also select a theme and make costumes which everyone dances in. The theme my class selected was Alice in Wonderland and we had three kinds of costume: Playing Cards, Cheshire Cats and Rabbits. I was a rabbit. Preparations for taiikusai began about a month before and culminated in a group of us sitting at school the night before, hand sewing costumes! The effort was all worth it in the end though, as my class won the prize for best costumes.
I had my last day of school last week. It was very sad because most my class and some of my teachers were crying! My class made me this amazing leaving present called a Senbazuru, which literally means `A thousands origami cranes on a string` and is traditionally made as a symbol of good luck.
Over the past few months, I have been involved in many AFS events which have all been really fun. The first of which was back at the end of June where all the AFS students from Niigata Chapter were able to go and watch a soccer game between the Niigata Albirex and the Hiroshima San Frecce. This was a very important game because it decided who went on to play Tokyo in the National Final. The atmosphere was absolutely amazing and Niigata won which was very good.
After that, our chapter had a welcome home party for all the returning students. At this party, all of the students donned traditional dress and performed the traditional Niigata Dance. This was incredibly funny as we had never actually practised the dance, only seen it performed.
I have visited and spoken at several schools around Niigata city. It has been amazing meeting so many people, all of whom seem to want to visit New Zealand! One of the schools we visited was Seishin High School which is an Private Girls Catholic School, staffed entirely by nuns. This was very interesting because everything was so different from regular Japanese schools with daily mass and pre-lesson prayers.
The most recent AFS event was a short homestay with the neighbouring chapter, Nagaoka, during which we were able to attend the Nagaoka Festival which has the largest fireworks display in Japan. This was absolutely amazing as the fireworks run for two hours non-stop!
Something very Japanese that I have been doing a lot of is karaoke (much to everyone`s horror!). Now that it is holidays, my friends and I pretty much live at the karaoke bar. Believe it or not, it is actually improving my Japanese because I have to be able to read the lyrics very quickly! Another very Japanese thing I have been doing is purikura, the photo booths which produce little stickers. This is incredibly fun with friends! Between karaoke, purikura and the incredible shopping, I have practically bankrupted myself (and most probably my parents) so, as much as I don`t want to leave, it is probably a good thing I am coming home in two weeks. LOL!
Anyway, I think that`s about all I`ve got to report right now. I have a very full two weeks left with another AFS summer camp and a trip to Tokyo where I am representing AFS Japan at a UN Youth Summit.
My time in Japan is nearly up (two weeks to go, I can hardly believe it!) so I thought that a post was well overdue (sorry, I`ve been very slack on the blogging front!).
Anyway, it`s currently summer holidays in Japan and it is HOT! Here, in Niigata, we haven`t had a day under 30°c in the last two weeks! Right now, it`s 10pm and 32°c! Thank goodness for air conditioning!
As I probably mentioned in my previous email, I joined my school`s Concert Band playing tenor saxophone. This was the highlight of time at school in Japan and I have made the most amazing friends! As part of the band, I was able to perform as a soloist at my school`s Taiikusai (sports festival) and I was also able to attend the rehearsal camp (affectionately known as Band Camp) which was fun. Last week was the National Japanese Band Championship and my school band competed at this. Unfortunately, the rules of the competition state that exchange students are now allowed to participate so I was unable to attend.
Another highlight of my time at school here would have to be the school Taiikusai or sports festival which was held in June. For the festival, each class selects a song and then choreographs a dance to this song. They also select a theme and make costumes which everyone dances in. The theme my class selected was Alice in Wonderland and we had three kinds of costume: Playing Cards, Cheshire Cats and Rabbits. I was a rabbit. Preparations for taiikusai began about a month before and culminated in a group of us sitting at school the night before, hand sewing costumes! The effort was all worth it in the end though, as my class won the prize for best costumes.
I had my last day of school last week. It was very sad because most my class and some of my teachers were crying! My class made me this amazing leaving present called a Senbazuru, which literally means `A thousands origami cranes on a string` and is traditionally made as a symbol of good luck.
Over the past few months, I have been involved in many AFS events which have all been really fun. The first of which was back at the end of June where all the AFS students from Niigata Chapter were able to go and watch a soccer game between the Niigata Albirex and the Hiroshima San Frecce. This was a very important game because it decided who went on to play Tokyo in the National Final. The atmosphere was absolutely amazing and Niigata won which was very good.
After that, our chapter had a welcome home party for all the returning students. At this party, all of the students donned traditional dress and performed the traditional Niigata Dance. This was incredibly funny as we had never actually practised the dance, only seen it performed.
I have visited and spoken at several schools around Niigata city. It has been amazing meeting so many people, all of whom seem to want to visit New Zealand! One of the schools we visited was Seishin High School which is an Private Girls Catholic School, staffed entirely by nuns. This was very interesting because everything was so different from regular Japanese schools with daily mass and pre-lesson prayers.
The most recent AFS event was a short homestay with the neighbouring chapter, Nagaoka, during which we were able to attend the Nagaoka Festival which has the largest fireworks display in Japan. This was absolutely amazing as the fireworks run for two hours non-stop!
Something very Japanese that I have been doing a lot of is karaoke (much to everyone`s horror!). Now that it is holidays, my friends and I pretty much live at the karaoke bar. Believe it or not, it is actually improving my Japanese because I have to be able to read the lyrics very quickly! Another very Japanese thing I have been doing is purikura, the photo booths which produce little stickers. This is incredibly fun with friends! Between karaoke, purikura and the incredible shopping, I have practically bankrupted myself (and most probably my parents) so, as much as I don`t want to leave, it is probably a good thing I am coming home in two weeks. LOL!
Anyway, I think that`s about all I`ve got to report right now. I have a very full two weeks left with another AFS summer camp and a trip to Tokyo where I am representing AFS Japan at a UN Youth Summit.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Konayuki - Remioromen
Your Jpop education begins now! Here is a fantastic song and it even has English subtitles so you actually know what`s going on...
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Long time, no talk...
I just realised that it has been nearly a month since I wrote anything so I apologise to anyone who has been religiously following my blog and has been disappointed at the lack of activity. 失礼しました (that means `Please excuse me for my rudeness`).
Gosh, where to start. I should probably write something about my holiday in Osaka (even though that was four weeks ago....oops). Well, I went on holiday to Osaka four weeks ago during the Japanese Holiday of Golden Week (see previous posts for details). We stayed with my host father`s family at his palatial mansion of a house
(the photo isn`t in black and white because I was trying to be dramatic, I just forgot to put the camera back to auto). My host father`s father decided to `help` me by putting a complete English ban on the house and threatening me with violence if I so much as uttered an English word in his presence. Although it didn`t seem like it then, it was probably the best thing that has happened so far on my exchange. By being forced to use Japanese all the time, I stopped worrying about making mistakes so now, I can quite freely converse in Japanese.
This photo----> is of a restauraunt chain, the sign says `Bikkuri Donki` which means Surprised Donkey. I thought this was quite amusing.
On Wednesday, Maki and Te-chan took me to Kyoto. This was probably
the highlight of the week because it was so interesting. We visited Kiyomizu-dera which is a really famous Buddhist Temple. Incidentally, the powers-that-be are constructing a list of the `New Seven Wonders of the World` and Kiyomizu is a finalist. The amazing thing about Kiyomizu is that it is nearly 2000 years old, it is on the side of a mountain and it was built without using n
ails, just thousands of bits of wood cut to interlock together. This next photo ---> is of Maki and I in front of a famous statue in Kyoto (not sure what the statue is famous for). 
And this photo is of me in the famous Geisha district where Memoirs of a Geisha is set <-----
<----This photo is of my group on Bandai Bridge, the icon of Niigata City (it was very windy!).
Well folks, that`s about it for this edition of A Day (or 20) in the Life of William.
Gosh, where to start. I should probably write something about my holiday in Osaka (even though that was four weeks ago....oops). Well, I went on holiday to Osaka four weeks ago during the Japanese Holiday of Golden Week (see previous posts for details). We stayed with my host father`s family at his palatial mansion of a house
(the photo isn`t in black and white because I was trying to be dramatic, I just forgot to put the camera back to auto). My host father`s father decided to `help` me by putting a complete English ban on the house and threatening me with violence if I so much as uttered an English word in his presence. Although it didn`t seem like it then, it was probably the best thing that has happened so far on my exchange. By being forced to use Japanese all the time, I stopped worrying about making mistakes so now, I can quite freely converse in Japanese.While in Osaka, I did about every touristy thing there is to do. On the first day, I visited the huge statue of Buddha in 
Nara (the photo isn`t great but it`s about as good as I could do). We were unlucky because we arrived at the same time as three tour parties of obnoxious American tourists.
Nara (the photo isn`t great but it`s about as good as I could do). We were unlucky because we arrived at the same time as three tour parties of obnoxious American tourists.On the Tuesday of GW, my host mother`s sister, Maki, and her boyfriend, Te-chan, took me shopping in downtown Osaka, the most amazing thing about that day was that I didn`t buy ANYTHING (seriously, someone alert the media!). We went to a district called Namba which is full of Pachinko and slot parlours but had some interesting shops.
The photo below is of me with Te-chan in front of the famous `Glico Man` billboard (don`t ask me why it`s famous!).
The photo below is of me with Te-chan in front of the famous `Glico Man` billboard (don`t ask me why it`s famous!).
This photo----> is of a restauraunt chain, the sign says `Bikkuri Donki` which means Surprised Donkey. I thought this was quite amusing.
On Wednesday, Maki and Te-chan took me to Kyoto. This was probably
the highlight of the week because it was so interesting. We visited Kiyomizu-dera which is a really famous Buddhist Temple. Incidentally, the powers-that-be are constructing a list of the `New Seven Wonders of the World` and Kiyomizu is a finalist. The amazing thing about Kiyomizu is that it is nearly 2000 years old, it is on the side of a mountain and it was built without using n
ails, just thousands of bits of wood cut to interlock together. This next photo ---> is of Maki and I in front of a famous statue in Kyoto (not sure what the statue is famous for). 
And this photo is of me in the famous Geisha district where Memoirs of a Geisha is set <-----On Friday, I went with my host father`s brother, Kiyoto, to Umeda, a popular shopping district in Osaka. Again, I didn`t buy a
nything (shock horror, gasp, faint!). After that, we went to Kobe to visit Chinatown--> which was ridiculously crowded but interesting none-the-less. 
nything (shock horror, gasp, faint!). After that, we went to Kobe to visit Chinatown--> which was ridiculously crowded but interesting none-the-less. 
Saturday was my last full day in Osaka and th
at night, we went and had tempura with m
y host mother`s family. <---- This photo is of a cute little fish which you eat whole (it apparently has no bones.
at night, we went and had tempura with m
y host mother`s family. <---- This photo is of a cute little fish which you eat whole (it apparently has no bones.Sunday was the last day of GW and was spent driving back to Niigata (8 hours!).
After Golden Week, life very rapidly returned to normal with school taking over again. It was quite a shock, after a week of holiday, returning to 12 hours a day of school!
A week after returning from Osaka, AFS Niigata held the local orientation for all exchange students in the prefecture. This consisted of two days (two days of my life which I will never get back!) of lectures about AFS rules and the `AFS Mission`. Gosh, that was interesting!?!?! It was good though because I got to catch up with my
friends from the other Niigata chapters. Part of the orientation was learning a traditional dance called the Niigata So-odori, this was very interesting, particularly for someone as unco-ordinated as me!-->We also got to go on a field trip to vist the various sights of Niigata City and to experience a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony.
friends from the other Niigata chapters. Part of the orientation was learning a traditional dance called the Niigata So-odori, this was very interesting, particularly for someone as unco-ordinated as me!-->We also got to go on a field trip to vist the various sights of Niigata City and to experience a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony.
<----This photo is of my group on Bandai Bridge, the icon of Niigata City (it was very windy!).After the orientation on Sunday, a group of us went to karaoke which is 
always fun!----> This photo is of Robert, although it looks like he is writhing in agony, he is infact singing I Will Survive.
always fun!----> This photo is of Robert, although it looks like he is writhing in agony, he is infact singing I Will Survive.
<--- This is Melody (how appropriate!) who I believe is also singing I Will Survive, though not with quite as much passion.
Well folks, that`s about it for this edition of A Day (or 20) in the Life of William.
Until next time,
じゃね
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Things I have learnt on my exchange...
1) Japan is the land of effeminate men! Every guy in my class at school carries a mirror around and regularly checks their hair, they also have a small forest of stuffed toys attached to their cellphones. Some even wear makeup.
2) People are very touchy-feely here! Guys slap eachother`s arses all the time! One of my friends also regularly just decides to sit on my lap at school and NO ONE THINKS IT`S WEIRD! The odd thing is that they NEVER hug!
3)When you enter shops in Japan, every assistant in the shop yells `Irashaimase` at the top of their voice! I swear it is a competition to see who can yell it first and loudest.
4)The idea that Japanese school is really intense is a total myth! School is so laid back, people sleep in class all day and the teachers never care! I have had one piece of homework in my entire month of school and during class everyone sits and texts, checks their hair, does their makeup (that is, of course, if they are awake!)
5) Everyone in Japan owns a cellphone and they are all on plans. Prepaid is rare and incredibly hard to find!
6) People don`t text much, but call all the time!
7) Everyone goes to sleep on the trains and miraculously wakes up at the right station!
8)In Japanese there are many polite words such as Sumimasen (excuse me), Yoroshiku Onegaiitashimasu (Please think kindly of me) and Arigatoo Gozaimashita (Thank you very much). People seem to just dispense these at random! For example, at a party I went to someone wanted the person next to them to pour a drink for them, they asked for the drink and then said `Yoroshiku Onegaiitashimasu sumimasen Arigatoo Gozaimashita!
9) Osaka is the best city in the world!
10) If you go to Kyoto, wear shoes that you can easily slip off and on! At every attraction you have to remove your shoes!
11) Popular Tourist Spots (eg Kyoto) are always full of obnoxious American tourists.
12) Japanese food is the best in the world!
13) There are `Love Hotels` EVERYWHERE (rooms rented by the hour)
I will keep adding to this as I think of things...
2) People are very touchy-feely here! Guys slap eachother`s arses all the time! One of my friends also regularly just decides to sit on my lap at school and NO ONE THINKS IT`S WEIRD! The odd thing is that they NEVER hug!
3)When you enter shops in Japan, every assistant in the shop yells `Irashaimase` at the top of their voice! I swear it is a competition to see who can yell it first and loudest.
4)The idea that Japanese school is really intense is a total myth! School is so laid back, people sleep in class all day and the teachers never care! I have had one piece of homework in my entire month of school and during class everyone sits and texts, checks their hair, does their makeup (that is, of course, if they are awake!)
5) Everyone in Japan owns a cellphone and they are all on plans. Prepaid is rare and incredibly hard to find!
6) People don`t text much, but call all the time!
7) Everyone goes to sleep on the trains and miraculously wakes up at the right station!
8)In Japanese there are many polite words such as Sumimasen (excuse me), Yoroshiku Onegaiitashimasu (Please think kindly of me) and Arigatoo Gozaimashita (Thank you very much). People seem to just dispense these at random! For example, at a party I went to someone wanted the person next to them to pour a drink for them, they asked for the drink and then said `Yoroshiku Onegaiitashimasu sumimasen Arigatoo Gozaimashita!
9) Osaka is the best city in the world!
10) If you go to Kyoto, wear shoes that you can easily slip off and on! At every attraction you have to remove your shoes!
11) Popular Tourist Spots (eg Kyoto) are always full of obnoxious American tourists.
12) Japanese food is the best in the world!
13) There are `Love Hotels` EVERYWHERE (rooms rented by the hour)
I will keep adding to this as I think of things...
Thursday, April 26, 2007
I`m still alive
Hello everyone! I`m sorry that I haven`t written anything for a while, I`ve been very busy with school.
I`ve been in Japan for five weeks now, which is quite hard to believe; it hardly seems like I`ve been here five days. School is....interesting so far. Everyone is so incredibly nice and polite (to the extent where it becomes quite tiresome). All of my class are so incredibly interested in eveything to do with me, it`s really quite amusing. I have been asked everything from my shoe size (the sizes in Japan work on centimetres so it`s rather confusing) to my height to my cellphone number(haven`t got a cellphone yet but will, hopefully, next week). It`s quite funny really, if they`re not asking me questions, they just sit there staring at me. That`s another weird thing about Japan, people will stare at you and if you notice and look over at them, they keep on staring. In NZ, if you were staring at someone and they noticed you`d immediately look away, but not in Japan! Ok, I went off on a bit of a tangent there...Anyhoo, at school I don`t understand any of my classes but no one seems to care. I am able to converse quite freely with my classmates in Japanese now but teachers are another story, Japanese teachers (particularly male teachers) are really quite intimidating and whenever they talk to me, every Japanese word I have ever learnt drifts out of my head and I end up staring blankly at them, they must all think I`m mildly retarded!
I joined the school concert band as a tenor saxophonist for my club activity, the rehearsal schedule is pretty harsh; we rehearse Monday-Friday 4pm-6pm and Saturday 8.30am-3.30am. So my life is pretty much school, school, school and more school and, if I can squeeze it in, a bit of food and sleep. In spite of the gruelling schedule and incredible lack of sleep, I`m having the most awesome time!
Next week is a holiday in Japan, called Golden Week. It is actually a collection of four national holidays which are as follows (for those of you who are interested):-
April 29
Showa Day (Showa no hi):
April 29 is the birthday of former Emperor Showa, who died in the year 1989. Until 2006, Greenery Day (see May 4) used to be celebrated on this day.
May 3
Constitution Day (Kenpo kinenbi):
On this day in 1947, the new post war constitution was put into effect.
May 4
Greenery Day (Midori no hi):
Until 2006, Greenery Day used to be celebrated on April 29, the birthday of former Emperor Showa. The day is dedicated to the environment and nature, because the emperor loved plants and nature. Before being declared Greenery Day, May 4 used to be a national holiday due to a law, which declares a day, that falls between two national holidays, a national holiday.
May 5
Children's Day (Kodomo no hi):
The Boy's Festival (Tango no Sekku) is celebrated on this day. Families pray for the health and future success of their sons by hanging up carp streamers and displaying samurai dolls, both symbolizing strength, power and success in life. The Girl's Festival, by the way, is celebrated on March 3.
This is pretty much a week of holiday, where it is common for most families to go on vacation or to visit family in other parts of the country. I am going to Osaka with my family for this and I am so excited!! As well as going to Osaka, I also get to visit Kyoto and Nara while we are there! I`ve always wanted to visit Kyoto because of the amazing historical attractions (like Temples and Shrines etc). It will also be good to go to Nara because I will be able to catch up with some of my friends who were exchange students at my school in NZ.
Anyhoo, I think that`s about all I`ve got to report at the moment. I hope everyone is well! Will (hopefully!) write again soon, but don`t hold your breath!
TTFN,
Will
PS Here are some more photos =)
I`ve been in Japan for five weeks now, which is quite hard to believe; it hardly seems like I`ve been here five days. School is....interesting so far. Everyone is so incredibly nice and polite (to the extent where it becomes quite tiresome). All of my class are so incredibly interested in eveything to do with me, it`s really quite amusing. I have been asked everything from my shoe size (the sizes in Japan work on centimetres so it`s rather confusing) to my height to my cellphone number(haven`t got a cellphone yet but will, hopefully, next week). It`s quite funny really, if they`re not asking me questions, they just sit there staring at me. That`s another weird thing about Japan, people will stare at you and if you notice and look over at them, they keep on staring. In NZ, if you were staring at someone and they noticed you`d immediately look away, but not in Japan! Ok, I went off on a bit of a tangent there...Anyhoo, at school I don`t understand any of my classes but no one seems to care. I am able to converse quite freely with my classmates in Japanese now but teachers are another story, Japanese teachers (particularly male teachers) are really quite intimidating and whenever they talk to me, every Japanese word I have ever learnt drifts out of my head and I end up staring blankly at them, they must all think I`m mildly retarded!
I joined the school concert band as a tenor saxophonist for my club activity, the rehearsal schedule is pretty harsh; we rehearse Monday-Friday 4pm-6pm and Saturday 8.30am-3.30am. So my life is pretty much school, school, school and more school and, if I can squeeze it in, a bit of food and sleep. In spite of the gruelling schedule and incredible lack of sleep, I`m having the most awesome time!
Next week is a holiday in Japan, called Golden Week. It is actually a collection of four national holidays which are as follows (for those of you who are interested):-
April 29
Showa Day (Showa no hi):
April 29 is the birthday of former Emperor Showa, who died in the year 1989. Until 2006, Greenery Day (see May 4) used to be celebrated on this day.
May 3
Constitution Day (Kenpo kinenbi):
On this day in 1947, the new post war constitution was put into effect.
May 4
Greenery Day (Midori no hi):
Until 2006, Greenery Day used to be celebrated on April 29, the birthday of former Emperor Showa. The day is dedicated to the environment and nature, because the emperor loved plants and nature. Before being declared Greenery Day, May 4 used to be a national holiday due to a law, which declares a day, that falls between two national holidays, a national holiday.
May 5
Children's Day (Kodomo no hi):
The Boy's Festival (Tango no Sekku) is celebrated on this day. Families pray for the health and future success of their sons by hanging up carp streamers and displaying samurai dolls, both symbolizing strength, power and success in life. The Girl's Festival, by the way, is celebrated on March 3.
This is pretty much a week of holiday, where it is common for most families to go on vacation or to visit family in other parts of the country. I am going to Osaka with my family for this and I am so excited!! As well as going to Osaka, I also get to visit Kyoto and Nara while we are there! I`ve always wanted to visit Kyoto because of the amazing historical attractions (like Temples and Shrines etc). It will also be good to go to Nara because I will be able to catch up with some of my friends who were exchange students at my school in NZ.
Anyhoo, I think that`s about all I`ve got to report at the moment. I hope everyone is well! Will (hopefully!) write again soon, but don`t hold your breath!
TTFN,
Will
PS Here are some more photos =)
My house
Me, in my HOT! school uniform
My little sis
Me, with Hinako
At my Otoosan`s clinic, hanami party
Sakura 
Me with Monica and Robert (exchange students from USA) at the Hakusan Shrine Hanami Festival
Niigata City
Other Band People
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